Posted in Movie Reviews

Terminator: Dark Fate

Before Terminator: Dark Fate hit the silver screen, it started off with an impressive teaser trailer.  Set to the music of RIAYA and the voice of John Mark McMillan, there was a visceral appeal to what one would anticipate to be a great movie.

That changed with future trailers that failed to escalate the appeal or even equal it.  The anticipation was diminished but there was still this movie that needed to be explored.  With that in mind, I watched the new Terminator: Dark Fate.

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Posted in Opinion

Stopping Gun Violence

First of all, no one should ever have to die from a mass shooter just as no one should have to die from a drunk driver, EEE, or a plane crash. Specific to the issue with mass shooters, we typically respond to them in a disproportionate way compared to the presented threat. You are far more likely to die on your drive to work than to be killed by a gunman but we accept the risk of being behind the wheel because we don’t feel the danger.

We should look at the numbers. Though there are a significant number of gun deaths in the US, as per the PEW Research Center, about 60% of them are suicides with 37% being homicide and another 3% classified as “Other” which includes such things as hunting accidents.

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Posted in Opinion

Communism vs. Socialism

Communism is just an extreme form of socialism. They are both collectivist and anti-capitalistic with the government owning property and deciding your worth. When you look at a lot of pro-socialist protests, you’ll inevitably see Soviet banners so it’s easy to conflate the two. It’s so easy in fact that many that yearn for socialism are actually looking for communism. Both are a slope slipping in the same downward direction.

Capitalism has its shortcomings but it just happens to be the best available option. The biggest flaw with capitalism is that it doesn’t account for those that can’t produce for society. That’s where safety net programs come into play.

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Posted in Opinion

Compelled Speech

Personally knowing someone who is trans, I have had no problem using a female pronoun for someone born genetically male. With that said, I do take issue when governments and institutions compel people to say things with which they fundamentally disagree.

Just as hypothetical Jim doesn’t have the right to be hypothetical Jane’s friend, Jim also doesn’t have the right to assault Jane. By the same token, Jim also can’t demand as a right that Jane be forced to use Jim’s preferred pronouns.

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Posted in Opinion

DNC Corruption

I thought that it was great to read about how the DNC (Democratic National Committee) was finally cleaning up its act when their Superdelegate system was stripped of much of its power. Though there is still plenty of corruption to go around in the Democratic Party, it was a relief when they seemed to have heard the cries of American voters who despised being silenced by the oligarchy.

Democrats in power want to stay in power. Though it would be fair to say the same of Republicans, the DNC seems to be taking extra and disappointing steps in an effort to strong-arm their constituencies to prevent anyone from challenging incumbent officials.

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Posted in Opinion

Politics in Science

It is unfortunate when people inject their political views into science and the interpretation of its findings. This is highlighted as people post ridiculous memes such as Trump vs. Science.

In 2017, James Damore posted a scientifically accurate memo regarding gender in the workplace and Google fired him for the effort. This is someone that wasn’t politically inclined but, being an engineer, wanted to be precise when fulfilling Googles request. Of course, accuracy isn’t something that leftist science appreciates; it must adhere to their ideology or it is considered blasphemy.

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