Boots & Sabers

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Category: Culture

UK Abandons Vaccine Passport Plans

by | 0736, 13 Sep 21 | , | 0 Comments

Something like this should be unworkable in a free society. We’ll see how free Americans still are.

PLANS to introduce Covid vaccine passports have been SCRAPPED as Sajid Javid confirms people won’t need them to get into nightclubs and cinemas.

 

The Health Secretary revealed this morning that Covid jab passports won’t be introduced as a measure to fight the virus as we enter the winter months.

 

[…]

 

Previously, it was reported that Tory MPs were furious about the PM’s vaccine passport blueprint – with more than 50 poised to rebel against it in a Commons vote.

 

Steve Baker, deputy head of the Covid Research Group, said it’s “increasingly plain” the plan is about “coercing the young” into getting jabbed.

 

Rebel leader Mark Harper added that vaccine ID will be “pointless, damaging, and discriminatory”.

And earlier today, Mr Javid also confirmed that PRC tests for double-vaccinated Brit holidaymakers will be scrapped “as soon as possible.”

 

The Health Secretary revealed he’s already asked officials to get rid of travel testing rules, as they shouldn’t be in place for a second longer than “absolutely necessary.”

Biden Expands Reach of Federal Government with Sweeping Orders

by | 0739, 10 Sep 21 | , | 20 Comments

I truly mourn the America we’ve lost. If we allow our president to use the violent power of the federal government to force needles into the arms of hundreds of millions of Americans, then we are definitely no longer in the America that previous generations enjoyed.

He said he had directed the US Department of Labor to require all private businesses with 100 or more staff to mandate the jab or request proof of a negative coronavirus test from employees at least once a week.

Nearly 17 million healthcare workers at facilities receiving federal benefits will also face the same requirements, he said.

 

[…]

 

The time for sweet-talking, for cajoling Americans to take the Covid-19 vaccine is over. The time for government mandates has arrived.

That was the blunt message Joe Biden delivered to the nation on Thursday afternoon. While many Americans have received at least one jab, the president laid the blame for the continued US health crises squarely at the feet of the 25% of the public who are unvaccinated and the politicians who he said were “actively working to undermine the fight”.

Mr Biden said his new vaccine orders were not about freedom or personal choice, but that’s exactly how some Americans will view them – as a forced choice between vaccination and continued employment. And while the mandates will increase the number of vaccinated Americans, it will also enflame a debate already rife with political tension.

Denmark to Require Work for Welfare

by | 0924, 8 Sep 21 | , | 1 Comment

Good for them. America could use some policies like this.

Some migrants in Denmark will now be required to work 37 hours a week in order to receive welfare benefits.

 

It will be a requirement for those who have been on benefits for three to four years, and who have not reached a certain level of proficiency in Danish.

[…]

 

The prime minister said that the rules were aimed at migrant women. The government says six out of 10 women from the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey are not in work.

 

“It is basically a problem when we have such a strong economy, where the business community demands labour, that we then have a large group, primarily women with non-Western backgrounds, who are not part of the labour market,” she said.

Employment Minister Peter Hummelgaard said the jobs could range from picking up cigarette butts on the beach to working in companies.

Doctors Walk Away from Duty

by | 2128, 6 Sep 21 | , | 3 Comments

Before you cheer this… think it through. If your doctor is deciding whether or not to give you care depending on your personal health decisions, then get a different doctor.

In a letter to her patients, Linda Marraccini said she will no longer continue in-person services for unvaccinated patients beginning Sept. 15, NBC Miami reported.

 

Marraccini wrote that her practice will “no longer subject our patients and staff to unnecessary risk.”

Think local. Act local. Know global.

by | 0823, 31 Aug 21 | , | 0 Comments

My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s a part:

It is this commitment to each other that is the foundation of small-“r” republicanism. If each of us takes responsibility and ownership for our homes and communities, then we end up with much stronger communities. Strong communities build stronger nations and stronger nations build a stronger world.

 

It is easy for compassionate people to get caught up in the woes of the world, but we can best make that world better by working locally. Get involved. Stay involved. Make the world better one community at a time.

Nirvana Baby Sues Alleging Child Pornography

by | 0809, 25 Aug 21 | , | 9 Comments

Someone wants a pay day. The age of great album covers has been over since the advent of online media, but this was one of the most iconic (although, the music was terrible).

Spencer Elden, the man who was photographed as a baby on the album cover for Nirvana’s Nevermind, is suing the band alleging sexual exploitation.

The cover depicts Elden as a four-month-old in a swimming pool, grasping for a dollar bill that’s being dangled in front of him on a fishing line.

 

Now 30, Elden says his parents never signed a release authorising the use of his image on the album.

 

He also alleges the nude image constitutes child pornography.

 

“The images exposed Spencer’s intimate body part and lasciviously displayed Spencer’s genitals from the time he was an infant to the present day,” legal papers filed in California claim.

Non-sexualised photos of infants are generally not considered child pornography under US law.

Wisconsin DOJ Feeds “Violent Conservative” Narrative

by | 0659, 25 Aug 21 | , , | 3 Comments

Heh

Out-of-control school board meetings over COVID-19 protocols has the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety warning if people go too far in debates, that speech can become criminal.

 

The Office of School Safety spoke to school leaders about what kinds of speech are protected and when police involvement is appropriate. This comes as school board meetings have turned heated around issues like mask mandates.

 

[…]

 

Devitt says if people go too far in a school board debate, it could mean facing criminal charges.

 

“When it goes into threatening a person, threatening to harm someone or something, that is when we see it move into criminality,” said Devitt.

The guidance is not wrong. When speech turns to threats or violence, it does become inappropriate and even illegal. But where was this guidance when BLM was disrupting public meetings? Where was it when teachers were protesting Act 10? Where was it when lefties were disrupting Sensenbrenner town halls?

Nowhere. It’s OK for lefties to scream threats because they do so for the cause of justice and right. This is the perpetuation of the narrative that Democrats and leftists have been perpetuating since January 6th (or before). The message goes something like this… conservatives are a violent domestic terrorist cell that we should fear and quash. So we see leftist activists on elected boards running to the media to tell everyone how afraid they are. We see every conservative who may raise his/her voice in public or stand with a Gadsden flag be labeled an insurrectionist. We see leftist government institutions, like the Wisconsin DOJ, issue stern warnings about conservatives going to far. All of this comes after we endured a year of violent unrest from leftist organizations where these same people sat in silent approval.

Don’t buy it, conservatives. Show up. Be vocal. Be loud. Don’t be violent or stupid, but don’t let the leftist power structure silence you.

Schumer Calls for Crackdown on Fake Vaccine Cards

by | 1847, 15 Aug 21 | , , | 0 Comments

So the same people who want to empty prisons, defund the police, and are cool with fake papers for illegal aliens want to throw you in federal prison if you get a fake vaccine card. I guess that says where we are…

NEW YORK — The Senate’s top Democrat says federal law enforcement officials need to crack down on fake COVID-19 vaccination cards being sold online.

 

Sen. Chuck Schumer’s announcement Sunday comes after The Associated Press reported how people are cheating the system and buying counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards online, worrying officials at colleges and universities across the country that are requiring proof students received the vaccine to attend in-person classes.

Differences in Education Impact Decision to Get COVID Vaccine

by | 2106, 14 Aug 21 | , | 2 Comments

Interesting.

People with a PhD are the most hesitant when it comes to getting the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a paper by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

 

Researchers surveyed just over five million US adults in an online survey, with 10,000 reporting that they were educated to PhD level.

 

The report showed a surprising U-shaped correlation between willingness to get a Covid vaccine and education level – with the highest hesitancy among those least and most educated.

COVID Jumps the Shark

by | 1803, 12 Aug 21 | | 1 Comment

I saw this in a museum gift shop today. That’s it… I’m done.

And this in an exhibit:

Legislature Debates Teaching Racism in Schools

by | 0849, 12 Aug 21 | , , | 45 Comments

Don’t you kind of wonder why this isn’t already the law? Or, at least, the policy in every district in the state? And why, pray tell, are the Democrats fighting so hard to prevent the prohibition of teaching racism in schools? They are fighting anti-racism racism like they did in the 1960s.

The legislation would require teachers to post their syllabuses online and districts to provide copies of curriculum under the state’s open records law, without charges or delays, and would establish a complaint process for parents, staff or groups who object to the materials being taught.

 

[…]

 

Under the bills, violations include teaching that one race or sex is superior to another; a person is inherently racist by virtue of his or her race or sex; a person’s moral character is determined by race or sex; a person should feel guilty for past acts committed by people of his or her race or sex; and systems based on meritocracy are racist or sexist or designed to oppress people of another race.

Subway Owners Push Back on Activism

by | 0837, 7 Aug 21 | , | 17 Comments

Whether or not one agrees with the activists’ message, there is a time and a place. I don’t want to have to support activism or make a political statement just to order a sandwich. I just want a dang sandwich. Hold the onions.

Owners of Subway franchises are asking the company’s bosses to pull adverts featuring soccer star Megan Rapinoe, because customers are complaining about her political activism.

 

Rapinoe, 36, is as well known for her outspoken views and purple hair as she is for her soccer skills.

 

In Tokyo for her third Olympics, Rapinoe took a knee during the National Anthem, before their bronze-winning game.

 

[…]

 

At the end of July, a Wisconsin franchise operator shared a note from an angry customer with a discussion forum hosted by the North American Association of Subway Franchisees (NAASF).

 

The note, taped to his door, read: ‘Boycott Subway until Subway fires the anti-American Megan Rapinoe, the creep who kneels for our beloved National Anthem!’

 

The Wisconsin owner said: ‘The ad should be pulled and done with. It gets tiring apologizing.’

 

Subway does not own any of its nearly 22,000 locations, but it charges franchisees 4.5 per cent of their revenue for a national advertising fund, and controls how the money is spent from its Connecticut headquarters.

 

An Arizona owner said on the NAASF blog: ‘Spending our money to make a political statement is completely and totally out of bounds.’

Parents and Citizens Resist Government Overreach

by | 0809, 2 Aug 21 | , , | 4 Comments

It is good to see a fair amount of pushback on governments moving to impose mandates and restrictions in response to a resurge of COVID.

We have watched the last week unfold in abject horror – observing our government institutions and leaders failing our children at every turn, again. Your renewed calls for lockdowns, enforced mask mandates, and masking in schools is not rooted in science and is objectively cruel to the most vulnerable
in our society, our children. We believe that you are in fact aware of this and continue to play political games with our children, despite our efforts to work with you over the last twelve months.

We are here to inform you that this ends today.

Effective immediately we will not:

1. Mask our children in schools

2. Allow you to use your private sector counterparts to enforce invasive mask mandates on our children in various stores or at community activities

3. Subject our children to any further local, regional, or national lockdowns or movement restriction

Simply put, these are not your children. They are ours and they too, are Americans with rights. They are
our responsibility and our most beloved. They are not yours.

Given the miniscule chance that children will be significantly harmed by COVID and the proven detrimental effects that masks and lockdowns cause on their mental health and education, it is bordering on child abuse to impose those things on kids.

Vaccinated Face 0.004% Chance of Serious Breakthrough Case

by | 2237, 1 Aug 21 | , | 3 Comments

Once again… if you are vaccinated, then why would you be concerned over the vaccination status of others? You made your choice. They made theirs. Let’s get on with living.

(CNN)More than 99.99% of people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 have not had a breakthrough case resulting in hospitalization or death, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

The data highlights what leading health experts across the country have highlighted for months: Covid-19 vaccines are very effective at preventing serious illness and death from Covid-19 and are the country’s best shot at slowing the pandemic down and avoiding further suffering.

 

The CDC reported 6,587 Covid-19 breakthrough cases as of July 26, including 6,239 hospitalizations and 1,263 deaths. At that time, more than 163 million people in the United States were fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

 

Divide those severe breakthrough cases by the total fully vaccinated population for the result: less than 0.004% of fully vaccinated people had a breakthrough case that led to hospitalization and less than 0.001% of fully vaccinated people died from a breakthrough Covid-19 case.

Government and Media Stoke Animosity Between Vaccinated and Unvaccinated

by | 2026, 31 Jul 21 | , | 29 Comments

If you are vaccinated, or not, and you are getting angry at those who made the other choice, you are being played by your government and the media. They are doing it for a reason.

But with Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations now surging again and officials across the US suddenly reimposing restrictions after a summer of semi normalcy, McCullough and many other vaccinated Americans are becoming increasingly angry at those who are refusing the shot.
“I did what I had to do,” McCullough told CNN. “Now, these people who are making this selfish decision are going to make me suffer the consequences.”
The average number of new cases daily is up more than 400% since last month. Hospitals are again filling with Covid-19 patients — many younger than ever before, and most unvaccinated. Mask mandates are back in parts of the country. And this week, the CDC updated guidance it issued in May and said fully vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas with “substantial” or “high” Covid-19 transmission to prevent further spread of the dangerous Delta variant. More than 80% of the US population lives in a county impacted by that guidance.
First, notice how they have all switched to using percentages instead of actual numbers. Why? Because percentages are scarier. If 2 people died yesterday and 4 died today, that’s a 100% increase. But looking at the actual numbers, we aren’t seeing anything close to what we saw at the peak of the pandemic. Here are Wisconsin’s numbers:
That doesn’t look as scary, does it? But our government overlords have fallen in love with their power fueled by the pandemic. If the pandemic isn’t scary anymore, then we don’t need them to take extraordinary measures like multi-trillion dollar spending sprees, do we?
But back to the vaccinated vs. unvaccinated… follow the logic. If you are vaccinated and the vaccines are effective, then why do you care if your neighbor chose to not get vaccinated? Because they might spread it to you? But you are vaccinated, right? And if you are vaccinated, you might (although it appears to be extraordinarily difficult) spread the virus to someone who is not vaccinated. So? Why is that your concern? They weighed the risks and made their own choice. If they get the virus and have a bad case or die, then it sucks for them. Stuff happens. We’re all going to die sometime.
The politicians and media are stoking division because it gives them power. Don’t fall for it. Love your neighbor whether they are vaccinated or not.

So Much for the GOAT

by | 1033, 27 Jul 21 | | 48 Comments

While I have some sympathy for this young lady, it isn’t much.

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles said “I have to focus on my mental health” after pulling out of the women’s gymnastics team final.

 

The American left the arena after the vault, but later returned to support her team-mates as they claimed silver behind the Russian Olympic Committee.

 

Biles, 24, scored 13.766 – her lowest Olympic vault score – before withdrawing from the event.

 

“After the performance I did, I just didn’t want to go on,” she said.

 

“I have to focus on my mental health. I just think mental health is more prevalent in sports right now.

 

[…]

 

She has reached all five individual finals and is undecided on whether she will compete in her next event on Thursday, when she will attempt to become the first woman to retain the Olympic all-around title since 1968.

“We’re going to see about Thursday,” she said. “We’re going to take it a day at a time and see what happens.”

She is exceptionally talented and rightfully reveled in the accolades for years. She wore GOAT leotards and took on the role of the leader of the American team.

But when she had a bad day on the vault, the abandoned her team. Character is revealed not when you succeed, but when you fail. She cost her teammates a gold medal not because of her failure to perform, but for her refusal to try. And the fact that she is even considering competing for individual medals when she left her team behind is selfish.

Homeschooling Surges

by | 0853, 26 Jul 21 | , | 10 Comments

Perhaps a long-term positive effect of the pandemic will be more parents taking a more active role in their kids’ education whether they homeschool or not.

Although the pandemic disrupted family life across the U.S. since taking hold in spring 2020, some parents are grateful for one consequence: They’re now opting to homeschool their children, even as schools plan to resume in-person classes.

 

The specific reasons vary widely. Some families who spoke with The Associated Press have children with special educational needs; others seek a faith-based curriculum or say their local schools are flawed. The common denominator: They tried homeschooling on what they thought was a temporary basis and found it beneficial to their children.

 

“That’s one of the silver linings of the pandemic — I don’t think we would have chosen to homeschool otherwise,” said Danielle King of Randolph, Vermont, whose 7-year-old daughter Zoë thrived with the flexible, one-on-one instruction. Her curriculum has included literature, anatomy, even archaeology, enlivened by outdoor excursions to search for fossils.

 

The surge has been confirmed by the U.S. Census Bureau, which reported in March that the rate of households homeschooling their children rose to 11% by September 2020, more than doubling from 5.4% just six months earlier.

 

Alcohol Delivery on the Docket

by | 0935, 21 Jul 21 | , | 6 Comments

What do you think?

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — People can order just about anything with the touch of a screen — except for alcohol. Some business leaders want to change that. Others argue it’s a safety hazard.

 

Online grocery shopping was popular before the pandemic, and it’s only grown since then. Now customers want alcohol included in this perk. But is it safe? It depends on whom you ask.

 

Instant gratification drives the retail and foodservice market with delivery apps thriving in a technology-driven world.

 

“One of the things customers want is to have a six-pack of beer, a bottle of wine, or booze delivered to their home,” said Brandon Scholz, CEO of the Wisconsin Grocers Association.

In the abstract, I support this. Whether it is the family making their weekly grocery order and wants to include alcohol or the replacement of the very dangerous late night beer run, alcohol delivery does not seem like something that government has a pressing interest to prohibit.

Also, here again, Wisconsin is hardly in the vanguard on this issue. Several other states already allow this and I can’t find any data to show that it has had a negative impact. If there isn’t a provable negative impact, then government should not restrict the free exercise of commerce. Even if there is a negative impact, that must be weighed against the restriction of freedom and commerce to decide if those consequences are severe enough to justify government regulation.

I did find this concern comical:

Lawmakers will have to consider several issues. One is how delivery drivers plan to check the photo IDs of those who are ordering.

So we can vote by mail with a photo copy of an ID, but we can’t make this work? I think we can handle this concern.

Fans Restricted For Olympics

by | 2206, 8 Jul 21 | , | 1 Comment

So after all the expense to host the events, the local economy won’t even get any benefit. Given the history of Olympic host cities, I don’t know why anyone would ever want it again.

The Olympic Games in Japan will be held without spectators at venues in and around the capital after a spike in coronavirus infections.

Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa made the announcement after talks with officials and organisers on Thursday.

 

A state of emergency in Tokyo will run throughout the Games, to combat coronavirus.

 

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters it would run from 12 July and remain in place until 22 August.

 

Bars and restaurants will not be allowed to serve alcohol and must close by 20:00 (11:00 GMT).

 

Venues in Tokyo and other areas near the capital city will not be allowed to hold events with fans during the Games.

But stadiums in the regions of Fukushima, Miyagi and Shizuoka will be permitted to have spectators up to 50% of capacity and up to 10,000 people.

Kids Living with Both Parents Tops 70%

by | 1911, 5 Jul 21 | | 0 Comments

Here is a very positive societal trend.

The portion of U.S. children who live with both parents exceeded 70% in 2020, reversing a nearly 30-year-long trend, data shows.

 

70.4% of children under 18 live in two-parent households, and 63% of minors reside with both birth parents, according to the Current Population Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, Institute for Family Studies (ISF) reported.

 

“[T]he proportion of children under 18 living with two parents declined from 88% in 1960 to just over two-thirds in 2005” while “the proportion living with divorced, separated or never-married single parents tripled from 9% to 28%” over the same period, according to ISF.

 

A reversal in this downward trend started in 2006, improving from 67.3% to 70.4% by 2020, the data indicates. In 2020, the number of children living with a single parent reportedly fell to 25.5%, marking a 25-year-low.

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