Cynical power grab by Oklahoma government -- all Driver's Licenses and ID's are now produced out of state!

In November of 2022, the Oklahoma government, under the aegis of Service Oklahoma, pulled all the DL equipment out of all the 300 tag agencies in Oklahoma. The reason? Centralization of power, and cost savings, accruing from savings on licensing of all this equipment. Since then, all Driver's Licenses and ID's have been manufactured at an undisclosed factory location out of State, mailed to the DPS office in OKC, and then mailed to Oklahoma residents at their listed addresses. Of course, this has resulted in considerable inconvenience for all residents of the state. And, the government doesn't really care. If you do not receive your Driver's License or ID in the mail, why, you can just put your money down again, and hope you have better luck next time, the state government takes no responsibility whatsoever for the mails. In the meantime, while waiting for your credentials, you have a piece of paper with your name on it, that most agencies simply will not recognize as proof of identity. And, even this piece of paper has an expiration date of 30 days, by which time you may, or may not have received your credential. Now, of course, the state government is thinking of all the wonderful things they can do with all the money they're saving here. Why, they could probably have thousands of tag agencies in the State! Every village in Oklahoma can have its very own tag agency! After all, they don't cost anything to operate anymore, no training or licensing or equipment required! Of course, the don't DO anything either, but, hey, Oklahoman aren't really too bright, right? So, Oklahomans won't be able to figure out that they're really being screwed, as usual, by the government. At least, that's certainly what the Oklahoma State government is certainly hoping. Now, of course, there is a simple and reasonable solution here, and, I strongly suspect, the government will eventually figure this out. Rather than totally eliminate all on site production of credentials in the state, they could reduce licensed DL production equipped agencies proportionately to the amount of money they want to save. So, by retaining 30 such fully equipped agencies, instead of 300, they could make this option available to all Oklahoma residents, and still reduce costs by 90%. And, in consequence, the congestion created by bottlenecking production at a single out of state facility, would be much reduced. Sure, people might have to wait on lines if they want "express" same day production of credentials, but, many people might feel this is worth the time. Better than waiting and the uncertainty of having it mailed somewhere. So, this is really a matter of simple bureaucratic incompetence on the part of the Oklahoma state government officials and representatives. How unusual, right? And, if these people genuinely start to feel that their incompetence and arrogance might make them unelectable and unemployable in future, why, they might actually change their ways, and do their jobs right. So, let's start complaining! And, let's start making these people know that we will remember their incompetence, and their arrogance!

Russia will never tolerate Ukraine as a member of NATO

That's what this current Ukrainian war is really about. Russia cannot, and will not tolerate NATO nuclear missiles based on Ukraine's northern border with Russia. The entire nation of Russia would be totally under NATO's thumb. Which, of course, is precisely what NATO wants! But, not Russia. Effectively, this would amount to a similar situation to one in which China and Russia made Mexico their military partner, and positioned Chinese and Russian nuclear missiles all along the Rio Grande. How would the Americans like that? Not very much. We all remember how President Kennedy went ballistic about the missiles in Cuba. So, really, is it so very difficult to understand the Russian position about Ukraine having NATO membership? What the Russians are doing now is building up impregnable fortifications in Ukraine, and forcing the Ukrainians to take massive casualties in unsuccessful efforts to penetrate these defenses. This is wasting Ukrainian manpower and NATO resources in massive quantities. Enough so, that NATO is already tiring of wasting their efforts, and the alliance against Russia is becoming very shaky. Of course, if NATO wishes to continue spending massive amounts of money to support a losing cause, Russia is prepared to continue their efforts. Russia will never give up, and, Russia cannot lose. Remember, this is more of an existential battle for Russia than for the West. Russia doesn't particularly want to invade Western Europe, and has no reason to do so. They just want Ukraine under their control. And, they are gradually getting Ukraine under their control, despite the West's best efforts.

What if the mostly lost continent of "Zeelandia" had never sunk, and was still around?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealandia I'm just curious about this, and was wondering what the historical implications would be. What if the mostly lost continent of Zeelandia, mostly sunk for perhaps 80 million years, was still around. With a land area of close to 5 million square kilometers, right next to Australia, how would this have affected world history? This is almost 2/3 the size of Australia itself, and, thus, a full fledged "new" southern continent in the South Pacific. Surely, this would have dramatically increased the presence of human beings and human culture in this part of the world. Perhaps all of human civilization might have been affected, with much earlier vast voyages across the Pacific, and cultural cross fertilizations. One could imagine a cultural center in this part of the world that didn't develop OTL because of the social and geographical isolation. And, competition developing between this South Pacific civilization and the Northern civilizations in the East and the West. After all, this would be temperate climate, well suitable to human civilization and development. Thoughts?

The flight of the Drone Brigade

I Twenty Klicks, Twenty Klicks, Twenty Klicks onward, All in the valley of Death Flew the six hundred. "Forward, the Drone Brigade! Charge for the ships!" he said. Into the valley of Death Flew the six hundred. II "Forward, the Drone Brigade!" Was there a flight delayed? Not though the programmer knew Starlink had blundered. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and fly. Into the valley of Death  Flew the six hundred. III Missiles to the right of them, Missiles to the left of them, Missiles in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Precisely they flew and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell Flew the six hundred. IV Flashed all the drones in air, Flashed as they turned and flared, Littering a dry-dock bare, Charging a ship-yard, while All the world wondered. Plunged in the grease-fire smoke Right in the water they float; Cossack and Russian Shocked by the missile stroke "What for?", they wondered. Then they flew back, but not Not the six hundred. V Missiles to the right of them, Missiles to the left of them, Missiles behind them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with missile and shell While drone and missile fell. They that had flown so well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of hell, All that was left of them.   VI When can their glory fade? O the wild flight they made! All the world wondered. Honour the flight they made! Honour the Drone Brigade, Brilliantly Engineered, Six Hundred!

What if Leonardo da Vinci had never been born?

Leonardo da Vinci has always rather puzzled me, as an historical character. Certainly, a great artist, but, also celebrated as a great scientist and engineer. Although, his actual success and influence as a scientist and engineer appears to have been virtually nil. Certainly, he did attempt to sell his services and popularize himself as not merely an artist, but as an all purpose intellectual who could solve any and all problems a potential patron might face. And, this technique worked astonishingly well, spawning numerous imitators, both then, and now. Was Leonardo really as great a genius as he presented himself to be, or, was he merely a highly skilled hustler with considerable artistic ability? I'm not really sure, what do you think? How does history change, if at all, without Leonardo da Vinci? And, if his actual influence on history was minimal, how could he truly have been a "great genius"? Or, just possibly, was his great genius simply his skill at marketing himself? Bear in mind, Leonardo was certainly a homosexual pedophile. And, even at the time, this behavior was a Capital offense. So, is it possible Leonardo's "genius" consisted mainly in his deviousness, and this applied not merely to his ability to avoid being executed for his crimes, but also to his ability to market himself? Could it be that Leonardo's criminal tendencies and skills generalized from avoiding criminal punishment, to obtaining the devotion and interest of society as a whole, including the most powerful men of his time?

What if Mary Tudor had publicly designated Mary Stuart as heir to the throne of England, prior to Mary Tudor's own death?

Mary Tudor had threatened to publicly and formally designate some other heir to the throne of England, instead of Elizabeth Tudor, if Elizabeth didn't publicly swear to an oath of religious tolerance during her reign. Elizabeth was a Protestant, but, unlike her father or her sister, she did not persecute her subjects merely for practicing one religion or another, as long as they did not openly rebel against her reign. The most probable alternative would have been Mary Stuart, briefly Queen of France, and the future Queen of Scotland, and a very staunch Catholic. My suspicion is that such a public declaration of support for Mary Stuart's claim for the throne of England from the dying Mary Tudor might well have provoked a Franco-Scottish invasion in support of her claims, and, that this invasion might well have been successful. If so, a true reign of terror against Protestants in England might have shortly ensued. We have only to look at what Mary Stuart's mother-in-law -- Catherine de Medici -- did in France to see that. The St. Bartholomew Day Massacre is still infamous, but, it was highly effective in suppressing the Protestant Huguenots, and effectively saved France for the Pope. Instead of occasional burnings and torturings of the Spanish Inquisition type, the French tend to favor full scale massacres of the "kill them all, let God sort them out!" type. So, is an extermination campaign against all Protestants, and a permanently Catholic England in the cards, if the future Elizabeth I of England doesn't agree to religious tolerance just before her sister's death?

What if the "Second Coming of Christ" hadn't been a fundamental tenet of early Christianity?

These days, rather few practicing Christians are actually expecting to come face to face with Jesus Christ in this life, on this world. Sure, some Bible Belt revivalists will preach that "The end times, they are a'comin!", and, sure, some of the more dysfunctional, mentally disabled Christians may really believe that Jesus is about to reveal himself. Nevertheless, given the fact that it's been over 2,000 years now, and this hasn't happened, most Christians do not expect the Book of Revelation to be actualized and made real for them, for their children, or for their children's children. One cannot readily imagine the Pope, the leader of one billion relatively organized and centrally controlled Catholics, announcing that his flock must prepare for the imminent arrival of Jesus, and the end of the world. He'd probably have to retire at that point, if he did. However, in the early days of Christianity, the Book of Revelation was taken very seriously, indeed. Saint Paul of Tarsus most certainly believed in it quite literally, and believed that Jesus could come back any time, and almost certainly sooner rather than later. And, in fact, arguably, this was actually the main selling point of Christianity, for early Christians. This really cool guy, Jesus, who could perform miracles, and rose from the dead according to numerous eye-witnesses, was actually God himself, and was about to return, to claim the world as his own, and to make those who followed him Princes with eternal life. What a deal! What other religion could make an offer like that? None! Now, naturally, as the centuries passed, and Jesus did not return, this offer began to pale a bit. After all, if Jesus was not about to return, what did Christianity really have to offer people? Misery and self-denial in this life, and the unproven and unprovable prospect of some vague reward in a hypothetical after-life. Not really that great a deal, at all! And, it was at this point that Constantine the Great made a deal with the early Christians -- Christianity would be made the state religion of the world's greatest empire, the Empire of Rome. Thus, some of the ideals of Christianity would be integrated into the structure of the State on earth, and, hence, the nature of Jesus could, perhaps, be to some extent infused into life on earth, prior to Jesus' actual return. Not quite a good as Revelation, of course, but, still, perhaps something of an improvement, and a reasonable rationale both for the continuance of Christianity as a religion, and the continuance of the Roman State as an Empire. And, although the Western Roman Empire did not long survive, the Eastern Roman Empire lasted another thousand years, propped up by the ideals of Christianity. And the Roman Catholic Religion has survived as a kind of State within the State, till the present day. You see, even transcendental religions like Christianity, and Buddhism, religions focused on the "after-life", really do have to appeal to people in this life. In the case of Christianity, it was the original belief in the imminent second coming of Christ, and, subsequently, the existence of the alternative "Christian State", the Catholic Church. In the case of Buddhism, the appeal is the absolute certainty that Buddhists have that they will be reincarnated after death. How can they be so certain, you ask? Well, it's been proven, of course! In the laboratory. Scientists in Buddhist countries consistently find overwhelming proof of the existence of "hidden memories" from past lives in almost everyone. And, these proofs are overwhelming. As good, or better, than our Western scientists' proofs of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, for example. So, Buddhists have every practical reason to worship the Buddha and his views, in expectation of a better life in their next reincarnation. Eminently practical, don't you think? Now, given the failure of Jesus to return, and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, it's not surprising that alternatives to Christianity began to develop, and Islam is the prime example, largely a reaction to the failures of Christianity. Islam is NOT a transcendental religion. Islam is an eminently pragmatic religion, of the present life. Islam is "instant government", for those living in primitive anarchy. Law, morality, religion, the state, life and culture are combined into one elegant whole. And, as we can see even now, in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan, Islam has great power to resist even the predations of the greatest powers on the planet, when pursued with true fervor and intensity. Muhammad really knew what he was doing, didn't he? So, what if the second coming of Christ hadn't been a fundamental tenet of early Christianity? Christianity never really takes off, it has no particular appeal. The Roman Empire falls earlier, and more completely. Islam never develops, at all. The only organized religious Empire is Chinese Buddhism, and we're all Chinese speaking Sino-Confucian-Buddhists by this time. Thoughts?

Prosecutors in all fifty states want AI generated images of child porn declared illegal

Are they sure this is a good idea? Is it possible that AI generated images could provide pedophiles with a harmless release for their perversions, and, ultimately, they could simply get bored with them? I believe adult pornography often bores people with sex. Couldn't AI generated child pornography have a similar effect on pedophiles, without harming any children, at all? Now, I realize, that nobody wants to encourage perverts to be perverts. On the other hand, current approaches don't seem to be working at all. The problem seems to just be getting worse, despite criminal penalties for child pornography possession that are actually stiffer than those for murder. And, there doesn't seem to be any way at all to control the distribution of this material. So, just as a possible alternative, how about strictly government regulated, totally legal AI generated child porn sites for pedophiles, to "get this out of their system", in a way that harms no one, at all? Normally, people do get "satiated" with any form of sexuality at all, which is precisely why pornographers have to struggle so desperately for novelty in their adult products. However counterintuitive this may seem, or even immoral, perhaps, as with adult pornography, we may find that AI generated child porn actually reduces the danger of pedophiles to society, which nothing else has done, so far. And, nobody gets hurt, right? And, that's the idea, right?

Here's your big chance to straighten out Oklahoma's Department of Public Safety!

If you're a resident of Oklahoma, you know that there's been a big change in the way driver's licenses and state ID's are being issued in the state in the last year or two. It used to be a great system! All you had to do was show up at a tag agency, and, you could usually get your license or ID in mere minutes! On the spot! Not anymore. What we have now is a rather convoluted system, in which appointments are often required, and not kept, in which no actual ID is issued at the time, in which a paper "temporary ID or license" is issued that often is not accepted -- at social security offices, for example -- and in which the actual ID or license is supposedly mailed to your address from out of state, although no actual guarantee is provided that you will ever really receive it. What a terrific arrangement! Now, it's probably fairly likely that you will eventually get your license or ID. Still it would be much safer and more convenient to actually have it in your hand immediately, as used to be the case. It might be cheaper too, in case you have to order it several times before the State actually gets it right. I suppose the State is saving money this way at the cost of major deficits in actual service. However, most states do offer a kind of flexible arrangement, where you can have an "express" same day service, by waiting longer on line, or, possibly, by paying a small additional fee. Or, alternatively, if there's no rush for you to receive it, you can have it mailed to you, sometimes just by applying for it online. This lack of flexibility is, I suspect, a problem for a great many people, and, it should be corrected. And, this is your chance to do it. Right now! Here's the email address of Tim Tipton, the current Department of Public Safety Commissioner : tim.tipton@dps.ok.gov Isn't that a cool name -- "tim tipton"? I love the sound of it, don't you? I'm sure Tim's a really nice guy, but, just possibly, not the brightest penny in the mint. So, email him, and explain your problems to him. He should listen a bit, if enough people bug him about their problems, shouldn't he? Here's the email address of the previous Department of Public Safety Commissioner, Rusty Rhoades: rusty.rhoades@dps.ok.gov Now, there's another really cool name! Do you suppose that Oklahoma Public Safety commissioners are chosen specifically for their really cool sounding names? In any case, maybe Rusty could bug Tim a bit to provide better service to customers, and take a more flexible approach. Now, here's a site with a whole bunch of close friends of Commissioner Tim Tipton, including their email addresses: https://www.ok.gov/cleet/About_Us/Committee_Members/Council_Members/ bberryhill@brokenarrowok.gov klang@ecok.edu westc@ccsheriff.net aungela.spurlock@osbi.ok.gov danderson@obn.ok.gov DSweger@cityofguthrie.com dcluck@tuttleok.gov Elijah.hass@cityofmcalester.com randy.wesley@chickasaw.net russhigbie@hotmail.com toddyoung81@gmail.com Maybe, if you contact them, they could talk some sense into our good friend Tim Tipton. It's worth a try, isn't it? You know, be a little more flexible, Tim, and provide some on site service for those who need it. And here are the emails for the Oklahoma State House legislators who provide most of the funding for the Department of Public Safety, from the House Public Safety Committee: Robert.Manger@okhouse.gov John.George@okhouse.gov Regina.Goodwin@okhouse.gov John.Kane@okhouse.gov David.Hardin@okhouse.gov Jason.Lowe@okhouse.gov Justin.Humphrey@okhouse.gov Stan.May@okhouse.gov Now, these people actually pay Tim Tipton's salary, so, he's pretty likely to listen to them, don't you think? So, if you can get their attention with your concerns, well, he's probably going to get pretty cooperative! So, here's your big chance guys and gals, to actually have a positive effect on State government in Oklahoma. So, contact these fine people, see if they'll listen to your concerns. After all, what do you have to lose, except your chains?