It’s 2020, and as bad as things have been this year, it is threatening to get worse.

COVID Pandemic

Since the beginning of this pandemic, I’ve been of the opinion that people are simultaneously over-blowing and underestimating the problems this pandemic is causing.

The over-blowing part is that people are overestimating how bad the disease actually is. It is no black plague or Spanish Flu, but it is also not the common cold or flu. It’s somewhere in between and we won’t know precisely where until things have stabilized and both acute and chronic issues are identified.

The part being underestimated is peoples reactions to the pandemic and the problems that people are causing in the name of fighting it. At the very least, the global economic system has been dealt a massive blow from the lock-downs. It was already looking very bubbly, but the lock-downs have been a rain of needles popping every bubble to be found. The economic fallout has barely begun.

Best thing to do is have a deep pantry and plenty of shelf stable food. Consider starting a garden when it warms in the spring. Doesn’t do you any good to survive COVID, then starve to death.

US Politics

Things are getting very worrying in US politics. Neither side can afford to back down. Civil war is very likely. My predictions:

If Biden wins: one-party control (Democrat) for then next 50 years at least. There have been talk about things that will be done if the Democrats gain control of both houses of Congress and the White House, which include:

• Making Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico states, both of which lean heavily Democrat, giving them 4 more Senate seats and at least two more Representatives. This will be hard for any party to overcome.
• Packing the Supreme Court with Democratic judges.
• Ending the Senate filibuster
• Legalizing 11 million illegal aliens and increasing immigration quotas. The majority of these people lean heavily Democrat.

If they do these things, it would mean virtual permanent Democrat control of the US government, and I doubt that Republicans will accept being forever disenfranchised.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

• John F. Kennedy, Remarks on the first anniversary of the Alliance for Progress, 13 March 1962

If Trump wins: there will be riots in the streets pretty much immediately. Washington, D.C. will become ungovernable and the White House will probably get torched (again), but not by the Canadians (British?). If we are lucky, the country would split in two. If we aren’t the country will end up burned to the ground and left for the rest of the world to pick over the ashes.

Either way, violence in the US is a safe bet. Also, a pox on both their houses.

Censorship

Things are getting ridiculous. Twitter and Facebook are censoring mainstream newspapers with ‘wrong’ (politically unacceptable) reports. Political campaign channels getting banned. I’ve even heard reports of cell phone companies blocking texts containing politically unacceptable links.

At this point, if you aren’t using end-to-end encrypted P2P communications channels, you can safely assume that everything you say or write is being recorded and scanned for wrong think and will likely end up getting you canceled after being made to grovel in apology looking for forgiveness that you’ll never get.

Use Signal for now, and Berty when it becomes available. Use IPFS to host websites.

Conclusion

Things are looking bad, but it won’t last forever. Stay frosty.