The Battle for Political Freedom

 Lessons from the IRS Scandal and the Walk Away Movement

 

In contemporary American politics, freedom of speech and political expression are often touted as fundamental rights, yet these liberties have frequently been tested through governmental actions perceived as attempts to suppress opposition.  Two notable examples from recent history, the IRS vs Tea Party scandal under the Obama administration and the targeting of Brandon Straka and the Walk Away movement during the Biden administration, serve as cautionary tales about the challenges faced by political dissenters when confronting established power.

 

The IRS scandal, which came to light in 2013, involved the Internal Revenue Service applying extra scrutiny (suppression) to conservative and Tea Party-affiliated groups seeking tax-exempt status.  These groups were critical of the then-current administration, advocating for smaller government, lower taxes, and a more conservative approach to governance.  The IRS's actions included delaying applications, demanding unnecessary information, and applying criteria that specifically targeted groups with "Tea Party" or "Patriot" in their names.  This was seen by many as a direct attempt to stifle the influence of these groups during pivotal election cycles, thereby hampering their organizational and fundraising capabilities.  The scandal led to public outcry, congressional hearings, and a tarnished reputation for the IRS, with officials like Lois Lerner at the center of the controversy.  Although after the investigations, no confirmed direct link to Obama's White House was established, the stain is there.  However you read it, the outcome was clear: political movements could be significantly hindered by governmental agencies.  And the staff know what side to throttle.

 

Fast forward to the Biden administration, and we see another instance where political activism met governmental response, this time with the Walk Away movement and its founder, Brandon Straka.  The #WalkAway thing was a powerful influence.  It was costing the Democrats a lot of votes.  Mr. Straka, a former liberal who created the movement to encourage people to leave the Democratic Party, was charged in relation to his rather innocuous actions during the January 6th Capitol riot.  While his legal issues were directly tied to the events of that day, there's a narrative within conservative circles that his political activism made him a target, suggesting a pattern of using legal means to intimidate or silence political dissent.  Straka's case, involving charges like disorderly conduct and impeding law enforcement, resulted in a sentence of probation and fines, but it raised questions about whether the severity of the legal response was influenced by his political stance rather than solely his actions on that day.  He arrived at the capital on the other side from the riots.  It was open.  The law-fare on him was obvious.

 

These stories share a common thread: the perceived use of governmental power to suppress political speech or activism that opposes the lefts party or ideology.  Both scenarios highlight how individuals or groups advocating for changes against the Democrats (or some other current political climate) can face significant barriers, not just from public opinion but from institutional actions.  The IRS scandal and Straka's legal troubles underscore the potential for government agencies to become instruments of political warfare, intentionally or not, against those who challenge the status quo or the dominant political narrative.

 

The importance of these events in the context of modern left-progressive efforts & lies in their demonstration of the lengths to which those in power might go to maintain control over political discourse.  Such actions can lead to a chilling effect on political participation, where fear of governmental retaliation might deter individuals from speaking out or organizing against prevailing ideologies. This could be particularly damaging in our constitutional republic (not a strict democracy) where diversity of thought and the ability to challenge power are protected and are crucial for progress and accountability.

 

However, these stories also serve as a rallying cry for the importance of freedom, particularly freedom of speech and political association.  They remind us that the struggle for these freedoms is ongoing and that they must be actively defended.  The message is clear: speaking up, even in the face of adversity, is not only acceptable but necessary for a healthy democracy.  Each incident has galvanized supporters, led to increased awareness, and, in some cases, strengthened the resolve of those movements to continue their activism, often with greater support from those who see the importance of these freedoms.  There was a big push way back to try to keep Donald Trump from running as an Independent.  He galvanized the popular vote this time better than the Libertarian or Tea Party or the past Independents had before.  However we go forward, the damage the Progressive Left has done via the DOJ and Democrat Party targeting of Moderates or Conservatives like Brandon and Walk Away and the Tea Party before, will be remembered.

 

In conclusion, while these tales of political oppression might seem daunting, they also offer a beacon of hope.  They remind us that freedom is worth the fight, and that every voice, regardless of political alignment, has the right to be heard. As we move forward, let's take heart from these lessons.  The efforts to silence dissent might be strong, but the spirit of liberty and the right to speak up are stronger.  In standing united for these principles, we can envision a future where political expression is not just protected but celebrated, where the diversity of thought leads not to division but to a richer, more vibrant Constitutional Republic.  We can’t vote our way out of massive government corruption usually.  That is why the corrupt will push for a straight "Democracy" and a "Popular Vote" as it is far easier to corrupt it and have a One Party System when then they can jail of stifle the competition.   

 

The real struggle against political oppression is ongoing, but with every challenge, we are reminded that freedom is indeed worth working for, and that speaking up is not just okay—it's essential. So, get up on your political Bandwagon if you must.  Speak up.  Tell the story you think that needs to be heard.  And also call out the Fallacy of Logic or false stuff as the true stuff will survive being questioned.

I started a group and hashtag of #BandwagonForGood to speak up, in spite of Facebook trying to shut me down.  If I linked to #WalkAway the Facebook algorithms would down-check my postings.  An example of loss of Freedom of Speech.  ( topic for a different post )

Thanks for letting me share.  Look up the story of Brandon Straka for a good read.

See these recent posts from X.

What is the Basics of our World Wide Health? We are healthy because?

 What makes us Healthy as a Society?  The important stuff is not talked about at all it seems.  It is not the Climate Change that the activists cling to like a mindless recorder or vaccines from big pharma or fortified flour from corporate farms or standardized packaged processed foods.  Let’s think about this for a more than a one minute sound-bite.  This is not a long read.

 

What man made change has made the Biggest Health Change to modern times?

 

Imagine standing at the foot of Yosemite Valley, gazing at the majestic scars left by glaciers that long ago carved through the landscape like nature's own bulldozers.  These glaciers didn't melt because of some human-induced carbon footprint or Al Gore's inconvenient PowerPoint slides.  No, these giants of ice succumbed to the rhythm of Mother Earth herself, ebbing and flowing over millennia.  Geologic weather change is not some modern anomaly but a natural dance of the planet, one that we humans must learn to adapt to, not blame on our latest technological sins.

 

Context for my point on what Really Matters

 

The Mini Ice Age and the Dark Ages

Let's take a trip back to the Middle Ages, a time when Europe was not only shrouded in historical darkness but also in a chilling mini ice age.  This wasn't a time when people were tweeting about the cold; it was an era where crops failed, and famine was as common as the cobblestones underfoot.  The lack of food diversity didn't just make for bland meals; it led to widespread malnutrition, which set the stage for one of history's darkest chapters — the Black Plague.

The last cold spell, often referred to as the Little Ice Age, is generally considered to have occurred from approximately 1300 to 1850.  Within this period, the coldest phases were noted around 1650-1715 and 1770-1850.  The Black Death, or the Black Plague, swept through Europe from 1347 to 1351, though outbreaks continued sporadically in various places for centuries afterward.

The Black Death wasn't just about fleas and rats; it was a perfect storm where weakened immune systems from poor nutrition met appalling hygiene standards.  Picture villages where the concept of sewage was as foreign as WiFi would have been to them.  The absence of proper sanitation systems meant that waste was often disposed of near living areas, turning villages into breeding grounds for disease.  This wasn't just a case of bad luck; it was a direct consequence of not understanding the basics of public health.

 

The Spanish Flu and the Rise of Modern Hygiene

Fast forward to the early 20th century, and we encounter another grim chapter with the Spanish Flu.  This pandemic didn't discriminate, killing millions across the globe.  However, post-Spanish Flu, there was a significant shift in public health strategies.  The introduction of indoor plumbing, separate sewer systems from stormwater drains, and a newfound emphasis on hygiene were not just improvements; they were revolutions.

The Spanish Flu, officially known as the 1918 influenza pandemic, occurred from 1918 to 1920.  It came in several waves, with the most deadly ones in the fall of 1918 and early 1919.

The advancements in sanitation infrastructure were pivotal in reducing the spread of diseases.  Clean water, once a luxury, became a goal of every city and municipality, and keeping sewer waste far from where children play and where families live transformed urban health landscapes.  This wasn't just about comfort; it was about survival.  The separation of sewage from drinking water sources became the unsung hero in the narrative of modern public health, often overlooked by those who now take such systems for granted.

Indoor plumbing and sewer piping became standardized in the USA over a long period of time, with significant milestones marking this transition:

• Early 19th Century: The first notable advancements included the installation of cast-iron water pipes in Philadelphia in 1829. However, indoor plumbing was largely a luxury for the wealthy at this time.
• Mid to Late 19th Century: With technological improvements like the ballcock valve and the flush toilet, indoor plumbing started to become more widespread in urban areas. The need for better sanitation was also driven by public health concerns, notably after outbreaks like cholera in the mid-19th century.
• Early 20th Century: By the early 1900s, indoor plumbing had become more common in urban settings, but it was not until later in the century that it became standard across the U.S.  The establishment of plumbing codes and regulations helped standardize practices.
• Post-World War II: There was a significant push towards modernizing and expanding plumbing systems. By the 1940s, roughly half of American homes had indoor plumbing, but this number increased rapidly in the following decades.
• 1960s to 1980s: By the 1960s, about 90% of the country had indoor plumbing, and by 1980, this had increased to around 98%.  An astounding achievement in pluming standardization.

Thus, while indoor plumbing and sewer piping began to become standard in urban areas around the turn of the 20th century, it wasn't until well into the mid-20th century that it was widespread enough to be considered a standard across the entire country.  But we all know that the many suburbs built for the post WWII family’s were set up often with dependable utilities of Electricity, natural Gas for hot water, cooking and heat, city fresh Water pipes, city Sewer pipes and some rain run off Storm Drains where we had curbs.  This became the standard!  What a blessing to a family.  What health benefits it was to the community!  Who cares if it came with avocado green shag carpets!

 

Yes the Big Change is wastewater treatment!

 

The evolution of water treatment reflects humanity's ongoing quest for clean, safe water, a journey marked by both technological innovation and a deeper understanding of public health.  Significant advancements occurred with the understanding of microbiology.  John Snow's work in 1854 linked cholera to contaminated water, leading to the use of chlorine for disinfection.  Slow sand filtration in Scotland in 1804 was one of the first municipal treatments.  Chlorination became widespread after 1908, dramatically improving water safety.  The introduction of rapid sand filtration allowed for treating larger volumes of water.  And with it the beat down of many physical ailments and epidemics.  Modern treatment technologies aim not just at cleaning but also result in a Health boon.

 

Conclusion

Returning to our glaciers in Yosemite, we see not just the beauty of nature's work but a lesson in humility.  Just as glaciers naturally advance and retreat, so too should our understanding of what truly impacts our health expand.  The glacier of evidence that clean water and proper sewage management, keeping them separate, are pivotal to societal health is overwhelming, yet it's often buried under layers of less tangible environmental concerns.  Lets hope groups that fight for “Saving the Planet” will turn to protecting the people from sewage and pollutants and not some stupid unobtainable carbon footprint.  And this is what we can hope trickles out of the incoming administration’s goal to Make America Healthy Again.  Or the #MAHA thing.

 

In today's world, where some might argue about carbon footprints, let's not forget the footprints of human progress that have led us to live healthier, longer lives.  Sewers, as unglamorous as they might seem, are the unsung heroes of modern city life.  They are not just about keeping our streets clean but about keeping our societies healthy.  Perhaps, instead of focusing solely on the sky, we should also look down below our feet, where the real groundwork for health has been laid, often out of sight but never out of necessity.

We must have Clean Water, Healthy Food, and proper Sewer Treatment systems for our kids and grandkids to survive in a healthy future.  Almost every city has a Sewage Treatment plant.  Don’t underestimate it’s importance.  Just like the weekly trash pick up.  Just how well will you live without that modern convenience?  If you lived in a big city that has experienced a sanitation workers strike you know.

In the efforts to Make America Healthy Again let’s remember to keep this foundation in mind.

EG: Really Important Stuff Happens After you Flush.

 

This essay, while poking fun at those who might overlook the basics in favor of more fashionable environmental concerns, underscores the importance of foundational public health measures.

After all, you can't build a skyscraper on a shaky foundation, and clean, separate sewage systems are just that, the bedrock of modern health.  It is for us here in Los Angeles and for you in your town.

It’s Interconnected.  It’s Foundational.  Clean Water in, dirty water out.

So it is my understanding of the bigger picture that the Health got far better as the quality of the Water and the use of indoor pluming hooked up to City Sanitation fixed a LOT of the health problems we faced.

Welcome to 2025... Or what day is it?

Is this the beginning of the year?  Yeah.  January One is.  Today Jan 2 is the first Work Day of the year.

Then there is the Jewish new year or the Chinese new year.

What about the 13 month calendar with the month Sol?

Lets ask Grok.

Dear Grok: 

Please explain the Gregorian calendaring vs the prior 13 month calendar system starting on April 1st that used to be used.

 

The Gregorian calendar, which we use today, was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in October 1582 as a reform of the Julian calendar. Here's a comparison with the older, hypothetical 13-month calendar starting on April 1st:

 

Gregorian Calendar:

• Structure:
• 12 months, with lengths varying from 28 to 31 days.
• Leap year system: Every year divisible by 4 is a leap year, except for century years, which must be divisible by 400 to be leap years. This corrects the Julian calendar's slight over-estimation of the solar year length.
• Start of Year:
• Officially begins on January 1st since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. However, the change from March 25th (which was common in many places) to January 1st was not immediate everywhere and varied by region.
• Advantages:
• More accurate in aligning with the solar year, reducing the drift in seasonal dates over centuries.
• Widely accepted and used globally, facilitating international coordination of dates.
• Disadvantages:
• February has an unusual length, especially with the leap year day, which can complicate some calculations.

 

13-Month Calendar (Hypothetical, as no such widely recognized calendar existed):

• Structure:
• If we were to imagine a 13-month calendar starting on April 1st:
• Each month could be standardized to 28 days, giving 364 days in the year, with one additional day (and two in a leap year) outside the month structure.
• This would mean an extra day or two at the end of the year, not part of any month, which could be considered holidays or special days.
• Start of Year:
• April 1st as the New Year would be a significant shift from the traditional January 1st or other historical starts like March 25th.
• Advantages:
• Uniform month lengths might simplify scheduling and calculations.
• Could potentially align better with natural cycles, like seasons, if the calendar was designed with such considerations in mind.
• Disadvantages:
• The extra days at year's end could be confusing for continuity in work or legal contexts.
• Cultural and historical resistance to changing deeply ingrained calendar systems would be significant.
• The shift from January to April might disrupt traditional New Year celebrations and other date-specific traditions.

 

Historical Note:

• While there have been proposals for calendars with 13 months (like the International Fixed Calendar), none have been widely adopted or started on April 1st. The most famous attempt was the French Republican Calendar with 12 months of 30 days each and extra days at the end of the year, but it was short-lived.
   
• Various native American or indigenous cultures have or had calendars that could be interpreted or adapted into a 13-month framework, often tied to lunar cycles. For instance:
• Lakota Calendar: The Lakota have a 13-month calendar based on lunar cycles.
• Cherokee Calendar: Some sources suggest the Cherokee used a similar system with 13 moons.

In summary, the Gregorian calendar's adoption over any hypothetical 13-month system reflects a balance between astronomical accuracy, cultural continuity, and practical use. The 13-month calendar, while intriguing for its uniformity, would face considerable practical and cultural hurdles for widespread adoption.

Follow-up Q:  How many different calendaring systems have been documented and what ones on that list can count the days of the year accurately?

 

Numerous calendaring systems have been documented throughout history across various cultures. Here's an overview of some of the most notable ones, focusing on their accuracy in counting days of the year:

 

Documented Calendaring Systems:

1. Gregorian Calendar -
• Accuracy: It has an average year length of 365.2425 days, which is very close to the solar year of 365.24219 days, making it one of the most accurate in current use globally. It accumulates an error of one day in about 3,300 years.

 

2. Julian Calendar -
• Accuracy: Introduced by Julius Caesar, it has a year length of 365.25 days, which is slightly longer than the solar year, leading to a drift of one day every 128 years.

 

3. Egyptian Calendar (Sothic Calendar) -
• Accuracy: Originally, it was fixed at 365 days per year without leap years, causing the calendar to shift through the seasons (one day every four years). Later versions included leap years.

 

4. Lunisolar Calendars (e.g., Chinese, Hebrew) -
• Accuracy: These combine lunar months with intercalary months added to align with the solar year. The Chinese calendar, for instance, uses a 19-year cycle where 7 years have an extra month, making it reasonably accurate over long periods.

 

5. Islamic Calendar -
• Accuracy: Purely lunar, with 12 months of about 354 or 355 days, not accounting for the solar year, so it drifts through the seasons, completing one cycle approximately every 33 years.

 

6. Mayan Calendar -
• Accuracy: The Maya's Long Count calendar is known for its precision in counting days, with a cycle of 1,872,000 days. However, for annual day count, the Haab' calendar (365 days) didn't account for leap years, leading to seasonal drift.

 

7. Persian Calendar (Solar Hijri) -
• Accuracy: It's one of the most accurate solar calendars, beginning each year at the vernal equinox, with an error margin of about one day in 110,000 years.

 

8. Revised Julian Calendar -
• Accuracy: A 20th-century reform of the Julian calendar, it's even more accurate than the Gregorian, with an error of about one day in 31,250 years.

 

9. Hindu Calendars -
• Accuracy: Various Hindu calendars exist, most being lunisolar, integrating a leap year system to align with the solar year, with accuracy varying by specific calendar.

 

 

Accurate Day Counting:

• Gregorian Calendar: The most accurate for practical, universal use, with adjustments for leap years maintaining alignment with the solar year.
• Persian Calendar (Solar Hijri): Known for its high accuracy due to its reliance on astronomical observations rather than just mathematical calculations.
• Revised Julian Calendar: More accurate than the Gregorian for very long-term use due to its leap year rules.

 

These calendars are 'accurate' in that they either have mechanisms for leap years or other intercalation methods to keep the calendar in sync with the Earth's orbit around the Sun, thereby maintaining the consistency of the seasons over time. However, even the most accurate have some level of error over centuries or millennia.

 

So...   In Conclusion, just pick a number. 

 X

What year is it?

Ancient Egyptian          6266

Hebrew                         5785

Roman                          2777

Gregorian                     2025

Unix Time                    1735689600

 

So in conclusion… Welcome to 2025.

I hope you Thrive in 20 25 !