Trego's Mountain Ear

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There is a certain kind of insanity that convinces two people to look at a piece of land and say, "You know what this needs? More work."

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Just a Thought

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[tregomountainear]

Was It Worth It?

It looks like the war with Iran has moved back to the diplomacy stage, and I’m seeing the question “Was it worth it?” Obviously spending 47 years on the defensive didn’t accomplish anything – and I am fairly certain that you can’t win a war without going on the offensive. As I think back on those 47 years, the interaction between the US and Iran seems like an individual dealing with a narcissist…

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Tecumseh - Probably a Loose Translation

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.Always…

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The Economic Theory For Taking Your Stuff

They call it a wealth tax – and to go further in, my email included a sub-stack article by Veronique de Rugy, that explains the idea came from three French economists before reaching Sacramento and becoming law in California. She’s a researcher at George Mason University, and seems to have a far better understanding of this topic than I. She described the work that they have done with Berkley…

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This Could Be A Friend

In a healthy Montana marriage, the wife not just accepts the existence of the ‘Gun Fairy’, but agrees that new firearms in the gun safe are because the ‘Gun Fairy’ actually visits her home.

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Keeping Up On The Abbreviations

Today I encountered the abbreviation OWL – which, until this morning, I thought was a night flying predatory bird. Instead, I learned that, when it’s all in caps, it stands for Older, Wiser, Libertarian. I think I’m an OWL. Then there’s the AWFL – Affluent, White, Female, Liberal. An AWFUL is an Affluent, White, Female, Urban, Liberal. I do know some of these. Someone answered a question with…

[tregomountainear]

Changes Over 50 Years Charted

I was reading an article that described the death of empires – and the author, writing as Yuri Bezmenov – included these charts describing the changed demographics of the US between 1976 and 2026: Yuri’s sub-stack is by subscription – but he does have a free subscription offer, and it’s worth your time to read. The original Yuri Bezmenov defected from the Soviet Union to Canada, and wrote under…

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The Next Step In Irish Democracy

Belfast, if you’re weak in Geography, is the capital of Northern Ireland – where six Irish counties remain part of the United Kingdom. About 40% of Northern Ireland is Catholic, and about 30% are Protestant. While Northern Ireland has no standing army of its own, it takes little time for a Provisional Army or two to form up. Socially, they’re native Irish (the 40%) leavened by the descendants of…

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Global Electric Motorcars

I saw a slightly used 2 set GEM for sale in Couer d’ alene – $1,200 and it needs batteries. Now I test drove and played with a couple of GEM cars when I was at SDSU – but never took them seriously – they would have handled the drive from my rural home to campus . . . but not quite to campus and back. So, as a retiree, with a less demanding schedule, an electric car at 1/5th the price from 20…

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The Search For Intelligent Life

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Different Thoughts On The Two Party System

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Cat Watching

I’ve been watching Mittens the cat (and her sidekick Houston) move into the outdoors. Houston is about a year old, and his sire is either a Maine Coon or a cougar of respectable size. He was an active kitten, and I’m pretty sure he earned his name by matching the phrase “Houston, we have a problem.” Huge, orange, and not particularly brave. Growing up is not easy for him. Mittens is a year older…

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Now This Is Interesting

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Thinking of Dementia

I’m not a psychologist, nor in the medical profession. I’m a sociologist who specialized in three topics – rural demography, Hutterites and Reservations (more specifically Dakota and Lakota). So mental health is not my specific area. The other day, I met a man, younger than I, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The meeting reminded me that a sociologist’s view of a serious mental health…

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Fire Deparment Can't Inspect its Own Extinguishers?

What’s required to inspect and maintenance a fire extinguisher? Many places are legally required to have them, and to have them maintained (complete with records), so what does it take? Why do so many places, including our fire department, pay an outside organization to do their inspections? As with so many things, you need a license for that. How to get the license? You probably need a Nicet…

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I Want To Do One Thing Like Custer

As we approach June 25 – the 150th anniversary of the Little Big Horn battle – I realize that Custer did one thing I would like to emulate. Custer’s funeral was held on October 10th, 1877, at the Army Academy at West Point. I’m not sure if George Custer still holds the record for number of demerits and still graduating at that institution – and it probably makes no difference for this little…

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