Picture this: 170 million Americans, scrolling through TikTok’s endless buffet of dance challenges, cat videos, and political “hot takes”, suddenly see a grim pop-up: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
TikTok is the most visible, but there's others. A year ago I wrote about the potential for the grounding of DJI drones. The federal government and the Pentagon have banned the company from use by the federal government, and a few states have enacted bans for first responders and other departments. There a pending bill that was passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that requires a study by DHS et al to see if there's a threat by DJI and Autel, the #1 and #2 drone manufacturers globally. If no action is taken on December 31 2025 the FCC will stop allowing DJI to use radio spectrum in the US on any new drones (it's up in the air as to if the ban will apply to existing equipment). Thing is, the best course of action for DHS is to do nothing. That way they're not to blame, it's the Congress. If they don't find anything, well that just means those Chi-coms are crafty devils. If they do, well, that's going to set off an international incident.
As I wrote last March, the precedent was set with Huawei and ZTE in the telecom world. If you can require ISPs and phone companies to tear out old equipment on a rumor, then anything is on the table. And of course it's a great way to spread a bunch of money around too.
Yeah. Good point. We crave freedom - inconsistently. We have a panoply of conflicting desires. You and I know that freedom (and free markets) are the best meta approach to gaining all our desired ends, but everyone else ain’t there yet.
Lol. I just won $5 from Jennifer. It was literally why I included a McCarthy reference.
You do have a point, though. At least in the '50s, there were actual card-carrying Communists in the country. Not sure I approve of the dude's approach, though...
Hot take: McCarthy and his fellow authoritarians turned out to be the real commies, the way they weaponized government intrusions based on identity politics, with the goal of artificially building an ideological "consensus" through the inherent, intrinsic evil of coercive civil authority as manifest in the monopoly-violence institution.
The entire U.S. government is basically McCarthyist socialism/communism at this point. Every ridiculous election cycle -- even the squeakers, like 2024 -- is cast as an farcical "mandate" of cultural superiority, with executive orders and other Stalinist, Maoist attempts at control.
McCarthy wasn't right -- unless you consider might to make right -- but he did successfully recreate the government in his own power-fanatical image, albeit with a time delay from when he made his charges.
I’m so tired of being controlled by men and algorithms.
TikTok is the most visible, but there's others. A year ago I wrote about the potential for the grounding of DJI drones. The federal government and the Pentagon have banned the company from use by the federal government, and a few states have enacted bans for first responders and other departments. There a pending bill that was passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that requires a study by DHS et al to see if there's a threat by DJI and Autel, the #1 and #2 drone manufacturers globally. If no action is taken on December 31 2025 the FCC will stop allowing DJI to use radio spectrum in the US on any new drones (it's up in the air as to if the ban will apply to existing equipment). Thing is, the best course of action for DHS is to do nothing. That way they're not to blame, it's the Congress. If they don't find anything, well that just means those Chi-coms are crafty devils. If they do, well, that's going to set off an international incident.
As I wrote last March, the precedent was set with Huawei and ZTE in the telecom world. If you can require ISPs and phone companies to tear out old equipment on a rumor, then anything is on the table. And of course it's a great way to spread a bunch of money around too.
https://gvaviation.substack.com/p/rip-and-replace-dji
> Human nature craves freedom
I'll quibble with you on that. Human nature already has a claim to freedom, but craves what it lacks: a sense of certainty/security.
Cravings aside, let the market decide.
Yeah. Good point. We crave freedom - inconsistently. We have a panoply of conflicting desires. You and I know that freedom (and free markets) are the best meta approach to gaining all our desired ends, but everyone else ain’t there yet.
We have work to do!
McCarthy was right.
Lol. I just won $5 from Jennifer. It was literally why I included a McCarthy reference.
You do have a point, though. At least in the '50s, there were actual card-carrying Communists in the country. Not sure I approve of the dude's approach, though...
American hero. Vindicated by history.
Hot take: McCarthy and his fellow authoritarians turned out to be the real commies, the way they weaponized government intrusions based on identity politics, with the goal of artificially building an ideological "consensus" through the inherent, intrinsic evil of coercive civil authority as manifest in the monopoly-violence institution.
The entire U.S. government is basically McCarthyist socialism/communism at this point. Every ridiculous election cycle -- even the squeakers, like 2024 -- is cast as an farcical "mandate" of cultural superiority, with executive orders and other Stalinist, Maoist attempts at control.
McCarthy wasn't right -- unless you consider might to make right -- but he did successfully recreate the government in his own power-fanatical image, albeit with a time delay from when he made his charges.
No.