Friends and families came together tonight to enjoy the simple summer pleasures of hot dogs and s’mores.
A Beautiful Night for a Fire
A Little Humiliation
Two big games today and enough mistakes for two losses.
I had a lot of confidence going into these games. It bordered on a hubris that caught me missing a simple ball and being out of position at least once. Both mistakes led to goals.
It’s hard for me to balance those slips against a lot of solid play. The solid play didn’t translate into wins and the slips became losses.
Playoffs are ahead, a new season is always on the horizon, and I’m gaining an appreciation for losing as I increase my jiu-jitsu training.
I’m healthy and I faced the losses with grace. I’m blessed with these things. I’m blessed with wonderful teammates and a supportive soccer community.
Losing is learning. I learned plenty today.
Growth
Six years ago, my elder son, Westen, earned his first belt after white.
This week, he was gifted a katana as a thank you for helping with a promotional video.
Elevated Studios has blessed us innumerable times over these six years. We try hard not to take for granted this space that is only second to home for us.
In the Garden
Brave Little Rebellions
There is value in fighting even the smallest conformity.
We don’t get a choice whether or not we have government up our butts. We each have to make personal decisions about what costs we are willing to incur for rebellion. I accept property taxes as mob-style protection from coercive schooling for my sons. If I didn’t, I would go to jail and I would lose them.
As far as attendance reporting for home educators in Delaware, it is a farce on its face. There is no definition of what a school “day” constitutes. They dare not dictate, nor define, instructional hours since attention could then be turned to how few instructional hours are present in schools.
Many of us use 180 days and 100% attendance. It’s a lie because there is no truthful answer. There is rebellion in lying to the government, even if they are asking for a lie.
Don’t believe the lie. Highlight the absurdity. Laugh out loud when you tell people how you’ve escaped the system, even in a tiny way that some will call insignificant.
It is not insignificant. Each rebellion has value. Sharing it has value. Freedom is gained on the individual level. When enough people see through the lies that are necessary to prop up the system, the system ceases to have power.
Only you can judge whether you want to bear the consequences of your actions, but know that you are not alone in believing the government has no legitimate place in our lives.
In this podcast episode, Lex Fridman and Michael Malice cover a wide variety of topics, including the small, heroic deeds of regular people.
Lex Fridman Interviews Michael Malice: Totalitarianism and Anarchy
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
From the Pitch to the Mat
This summer has been mad with soccer.
I haven’t left room or energy for jiu-jitsu.
One season outdoor completed last night and I was energized by the sheer thought of having a couple days of rest from soccer. I had to push myself to get back to class at Elevated Studios tonight, but it was well worth it. I rolled until the official end of class, which isn’t a given, and walked away motivated to get on a more frequent schedule.
I am blessed with stamina, motivation, and a body that stays healthy. I look forward to developing my nascent martial arts skills.
Fact Checking Strawmen
These fact check sites always attack strawman arguments. I am asking, “Why?” and these answers don’t add up. If PCR is the “gold standard,” why is it being dropped?
People have suffered isolation, depression, unemployment, delayed care, abuse, and self-harm due to Lockdown restrictions. The PCR test was not designed as a diagnostic and yet those numbers were used to shut down people’s lives.
With PCR tests removed from the count and vaccinated people urged not to get tested, the numbers will go down and the Establishment will get to claim victory simply by cooking the books.
“Jim McKinney, an FDA spokesman, told us in an email that to date, “the FDA has authorized more than 380 tests and sample collection kits to diagnose COVID-19, many of which are PCR tests. PCR tests are generally considered to be the ‘gold standard’ for COVID-19 diagnosis.”
CDC Drops PCR Tests
Another conspiracy theory hits reality.
Many have been trying to sound the alarm on the inaccuracy of the RT-PCR test as a diagnostic tool.
Why is CDC pulling it now? Last year we were told that mass testing was the primary method of containing COVID-19. Now there is an implicit admission that this test is inaccurate. Testing was, and continues to be, a major argument for Lockdowns.
The PCR tests may have outlived their usefulness in boosting numbers. The Establishment is embarrassed at the surprising numbers of vaccinated people who are testing positive.
The narrative is shifting. They have discovered that the population that will not buy their lies is larger than they thought.
Celebrate
A lot of wins today in parenting, soccer, relationships, and Ticket to Ride.
Most days aren’t full of wins like these and I’m humbly grateful for all the gifts God has provided me.
I spotted a young Muslim man on my soccer team praying before stepping onto the pitch pre-kickoff and after the halftime break. It reminded me to do my own quiet gratitudes before we started the second half. I quickly realized the list is infinite, even isolated to the context of soccer.
I played the rest of that game and another and spent time with family outside and inside. I smiled through it all. The blessings piled on top of the gratitudes.
I celebrate my wins and I recognize that I would have none of this without God.
Are you okay with this?
Government is using their only tool, force, to manipulate speech in public spaces.
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Politicians are liars by trade and now they are pulling the big con: State ownership of “truth.”