>Decline in religiosity. There is a steep age gradient in religiosity in all countries and all cultures. As the older more religious generations die off that will result in significant societal and policy changes worldwide. That trend is only accelerating, woowoo is going the way of the dodo.

Political ideology is quickly replacing it. Many people want to be good, moral people, who belong to something bigger than themselves, and based on their values - which is extremely subjective - making the world a "better" place.

But America has banned nearly almost weapon that America itself has/does/will arm militias with around the world. Things like machine guns, grenades, mortars, light rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles, and occasionally shoulder fired surface-to-air missiles are all common weapons the U.S. government supplies to militias that fight against our enemies (even if the militia itself is not our friend). Those things are all strictly controlled in the U.S. If the average American citizen goes down to the nearest federal courthouse and asks the government to not just allow you to purchase a couple dozen stinger and Javelin missiles, but asks them for the form where U.S. government provides them to you and your local militia for free, they will either be arrested or laughed out of the building.

It's funny because in the Constitution and in the Federalist papers the framers thought it would be some extremely consequential and soul searching debates and votes about to authorized armies for more than two years at a time. Along with the local militia being about as capable as the standing Army, and in most cases they would do all the defending the country needed without even needing to raise a standing army.

Hamilton in Federalist in Federalist 26 makes two interesting points, basically that if Congress and the president conspire together for years to build a security apparatus capable of defeating liberty, then representative democracy should be replaced by getting as close to direct democracy with no delegation to representatives.

>An army, so large as seriously to menace those liberties, could only be formed by progressive augmentations; which would suppose, not merely a temporary combination between the legislature and executive, but a continued conspiracy for a series of time. Is it probable that such a combination would exist at all? Is it probable that it would be persevered in, and transmitted along through all the successive variations in a representative body, which biennial elections would naturally produce in both houses? Is it presumable, that every man, the instant he took his seat in the national Senate or House of Representatives, would commence a traitor to his constituents and to his country? Can it be supposed that there would not be found one man, discerning enough to detect so atrocious a conspiracy, or bold or honest enough to apprise his constituents of their danger? If such presumptions can fairly be made, there ought at once to be an end of all delegated authority. The people should resolve to recall all the powers they have heretofore parted with out of their own hands, and to divide themselves into as many States as there are counties, in order that they may be able to manage their own concerns in person.

Also, he basically says that if a situation is so dangerous in the world that it requires the creation of a military capable of being a hazard to its liberty then you're screwed.

>Few persons will be so visionary as seriously to contend that military forces ought not to be raised to quell a rebellion or resist an invasion; and if the defense of the community under such circumstances should make it necessary to have an army so numerous as to hazard its liberty, this is one of those calamities for which there is neither preventative nor cure.

Maybe it’s easier for poor families to say no to girls when they want the sugar.

There was this Greek restaurant that I used to live close to that had a good goat gyro. I liked it quite a bit. Lamb, I wasn't very fond of, but I haven't had it much.

Bison burgers are awesome though.

Conversely, I have never eaten a duck. I don't see any goats or sheep on the list graphic, and I have had both goat and lamb in my life.

Also, no bison on the list graphic.

EDIT: Deer should be on the list graphic, as well as fish and shellfish.

EDIT 2: While the graphic visualizing the animals does not have it, the website discusses sheep, goats, bison, as well as saying Americans eat 16 pounds of seafood per year on average, which includes 4 pounds of shrimp. Deer are not mentioned.

Well if you have a 15 acre swimming pool, which the apparently the smallest lake it can see, maybe you deserve to have it taxed.

Stickiest content, the stuff you’re most likely to overconsume, ads and all.

Often it was the U.S. supplying both the weapons and the training, but Pakistan, China, and Iran were all involved too.

The North Vietnam had tanks, artillery, surface-to-air missiles and even jet fighters, much supplied by the USSR and PRC.

The Afghans had weapons supplied by the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. The stinger surface-to-air missiles sent by the U.S. were as sophisticated as any of the Soviet weapons.

Don’t act like simple rice farmers were using SA-2s they slapped together in their fields to shoot down B-52s.

Even discount the larger U.S. economy, because we’re trying to project force around the world it is FAR more expensive than just trying to defend U.S. soil.

If you haven’t read the classics I’d recommend Alas Babylon and the The Postman.

Big thing is nobody has tested transferring cryogenic fuel in microgravity, and the testing on the monopropellants have just been small scale. In order for SpaceX’s starship to work it will have to prove this can work to some extent.

Also, about half the propellant used on a mission is getting to low Earth orbit. Here is a map that shows how much delta V a mission needs to get to places in the solar system. https://imgur.io/SqdzxzF?r

I don’t think UBI will work, when most labor has little value. Money currently is used to simplify exchanging items of value; however, if 50-75% of people have no value to exchange, except what comes from UBI, I think it causes the monetary system to buckle.

I am assuming the high number of UFO sightings in CA is a mixture of lots of people, and a decent amount of Air Force bases.

I think if it ever happened, they would be in highly eccentric orbits with the perigee close to likely targets.

Also, this map bears a striking resemblance to the state population change 2020 map you can find here

https://public.tableau.com/views/PopulationChange2020/Dashboard1?

The states losing population seem to correspond to brown or yellow areas and the states gaining population seem to correspond to the teal and green areas.

France had a single 24 hour period in August 1914 where it had more than 25,000 troops killed, and it only had a population of 41 million.

I mean Russia seems to be absolutely pissing away Soldiers lives in its current war, but there doesn’t seem to be anything close to that day’s losses, and Russia has a population of more than 140 million people.

What kind of ludicrous conspiracy theory is that?

It is obviously a dial so they can move prices up and down at will, and not a button.

Well 100% of people who taken a breath will die, but I don’t consider breathing hazardous.