Most of what people obsess over for their home setup does not matter.

Lots of zoom meetings coming up, sharing this hack with you guys because I truly care about your well being.

DISARMAMENT ENABLES TYRANNY

Historical Overview

Civilian Disarmament, the Erosion of Liberty, and Associated Atrocities in the 20th CenturyThe 20th century witnessed numerous instances where governments pursuing centralized authority and the suppression of individual rights implemented restrictions or outright confiscation of privately owned firearms as an early step in their consolidation of power. This disarmament was not typically pursued as an isolated policy but as a means to minimize resistance while enacting broader measures that dismantled personal freedoms, self-determination, property rights, free expression, political pluralism, and independent institutions. In several cases, this progression culminated in large-scale atrocities, including mass killings through executions, forced labor, starvation policies, and other forms of democide. Political scientist R.J. Rummel, in his extensive studies of democide (government-sponsored murder of civilians), estimated that totalitarian regimes alone were responsible for over 100 million such deaths in the 20th century, with disarmament often facilitating the unchecked exercise of state violence. While disarmament did not directly cause these outcomes in every instance, authoritarian leaders repeatedly prioritized it, indicating their recognition of armed civilians as a potential impediment to absolute control. The pattern suggests that private firearm ownership can raise the practical costs of oppression, contributing to deterrence. Notably, societies with widespread civilian gun ownership and robust democratic institutions, such as Switzerland and the United States, did not experience comparable internal tyrannical takeovers or mass democides during this period.

Key Patterns Observed

• Authoritarian regimes frequently followed a recognizable sequence: secure political dominance, implement civilian disarmament (general or targeted at specific groups), then systematically expand state control through surveillance, censorship, property seizures, purges, and the elimination of opposition.

• Disarmament enabled the enforcement of policies that eroded self-determination, often without immediate armed challenge.

• In cases where tyranny escalated to mass atrocities, death tolls reached millions, primarily through low-tech means like starvation, forced labor, and executions rather than requiring superior firepower against victims.

• Heavily armed populations in liberal democracies correlated with the absence of internal democide on this scale.

• No documented cases exist of a modern regime successfully imposing total tyranny or large-scale internal atrocities on a broadly armed civilian population without prior disarmament or overwhelming military domination.

Detailed Case Studies (Post-1900)

1) Ottoman Empire/Young Turks and the Armenian Genocide (1915–1917)

• Pre-war laws and decrees under the Young Turks regime facilitated searches and confiscations, particularly targeting Armenians viewed as disloyal.

• This disarmament preceded and aided the forced deportations and massacres.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Targeted elimination of Armenian intellectual and political leadership; suppression of minority rights.

• Atrocities: Systematic genocide involving death marches, starvation, and mass killings, resulting in an estimated 1 to 1.5 million Armenian deaths (scholarly consensus ranges from 800,000 to 1.5 million, with many sources citing approximately 1.2 million).

• Disarmament removed potential for organized resistance, allowing the regime to pursue ethnic homogenization with minimal opposition.

2) Soviet Union (1918 onward, intensifying under Stalin)

• Bolshevik decrees from 1918–1920s banned private ownership; searches and confiscations escalated during collectivization and purges.

• Targeted peasants and suspected opponents.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Forced collectivization ended rural self-determination; establishment of secret police (Cheka/NKVD); abolition of private property, free press, religion, and political parties; Gulag system for dissenters.

• Atrocities: Purges, engineered famines (including Holodomor), forced labor, and executions claimed an estimated 20 to 60 million lives across the Soviet era (Rummel estimated around 62 million total democide, with Stalin-era deaths often cited at 20–43 million).

• Disarmament prevented uprisings against policies that transformed society into a totalitarian state.

3) Nazi Germany (1933–1945)

• Built on Weimar registration laws; 1938 decree disarmed Jews and political opponents while easing restrictions for loyal Aryans.

• Enabled targeted neutralization of perceived threats.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Enabling Act dissolved democracy; Gestapo surveillance; abolition of independent judiciary, press, and parties; confiscation of property from targeted groups.

• Atrocities: The Holocaust and related persecutions resulted in approximately 6 million Jewish deaths, with total Nazi victims (including Roma, Poles, disabled, and others) exceeding 11–17 million.

• Selective disarmament facilitated early consolidation and the industrial-scale killing operations.

4) People's Republic of China (1949 onward, Mao era)

• Nationwide civilian firearm ban in the 1950s following communist consolidation.

• Prevented resistance to central planning and political campaigns.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Nationalization of industry and land; hukou system restricting movement; suppression of dissent; one-party monopoly over all aspects of life.

• Atrocities: The Great Leap Forward famine (1958–1962) alone caused an estimated 15–55 million deaths (most scholarly estimates around 30–45 million); the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) added 1–2 million deaths through violence and persecution; total Mao-era democide often estimated at 40–80 million.

• Disarmament ensured no armed challenges to policies that caused widespread deprivation and terror.

5) Cambodia (Khmer Rouge, 1975–1979)

• Immediate confiscations upon takeover, monopolizing arms under the regime.

• Targeted urban populations and perceived enemies.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Forced evacuation of cities; abolition of money, private property, religion, and family structures; total communal labor.

• Atrocities: Executions, forced labor, starvation, and disease in the "killing fields" resulted in an estimated 1.5–2 million deaths (approximately 25% of the population; some estimates up to 2.5–3 million).

• Disarmament prevented resistance to the regime's radical social engineering.

6) Cuba (1959 onward)

• Rapid confiscations (1959–1960) leading to a comprehensive ban on private firearm ownership.

• Consolidated revolutionary control.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Nationalization of industry and land; suppression of independent media, religion, and politics; imprisonment or exile of opponents; indefinite suspension of multiparty elections.

• While not escalating to mass atrocities on the scale of others, the regime maintained tight control, with thousands executed or dying in political prisons early on.

• Disarmament eliminated potential for armed opposition to permanent one-party rule.

7) Venezuela (1999 onward, under Chávez and Maduro)

• 2012 ban on civilian firearm sales and imports, resulting in widespread disarmament.

• Reduced challenges to centralizing measures.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Media closures and censorship; packing of judiciary and legislature; expropriation of private property; manipulation of elections; suppression of protests.

• No large-scale atrocities comparable to 20th-century democides, but thousands died in protests and prison conditions amid economic collapse.

• Disarmament supported the progressive slide from democracy toward authoritarian control.

Conclusion

The recurring prioritization of civilian disarmament by regimes seeking unchecked power underscores its perceived role in lowering barriers to tyranny. In cases where oppression escalated to atrocities, the human cost was staggering, with 20th-century democide totals estimated at over 200 million by some analyses (Rummel calculated around 262 million across all governments, dominated by totalitarian systems). Regimes acted as if armed citizens posed a meaningful obstacle, confiscating weapons early to facilitate surveillance, economic control, and, in extreme cases, mass killing. The absence of similar internal democides in armed democratic societies reinforces the deterrence inference: while not a sole guarantee of liberty, civilian arms complicate the path to absolute state dominance. Other factors—institutions, culture, international pressure—also influence outcomes, but the behavior of tyrants themselves highlights the rational fear of an armed populace.

#Disarmament #Tyranny #LossOfLiberty #SelfDetermination #Democide #Atrocities #ArmedPopulace #Deterrence #GunConfiscation #StatePower #IndividualRights #Totalitarianism #HistoricalPatterns #ErosionOfFreedoms #Liberty #Control #Confiscation #Power #Rights #Totalitarianism #Patterns #Freedoms #Oppression

#SecondAmendment #2A #ConstitutionalRights #LibertyTree

DISARMAMENT ENABLES TYRANNY

Historical Overview

Civilian Disarmament, the Erosion of Liberty, and Associated Atrocities in the 20th CenturyThe 20th century witnessed numerous instances where governments pursuing centralized authority and the suppression of individual rights implemented restrictions or outright confiscation of privately owned firearms as an early step in their consolidation of power. This disarmament was not typically pursued as an isolated policy but as a means to minimize resistance while enacting broader measures that dismantled personal freedoms, self-determination, property rights, free expression, political pluralism, and independent institutions. In several cases, this progression culminated in large-scale atrocities, including mass killings through executions, forced labor, starvation policies, and other forms of democide. Political scientist R.J. Rummel, in his extensive studies of democide (government-sponsored murder of civilians), estimated that totalitarian regimes alone were responsible for over 100 million such deaths in the 20th century, with disarmament often facilitating the unchecked exercise of state violence. While disarmament did not directly cause these outcomes in every instance, authoritarian leaders repeatedly prioritized it, indicating their recognition of armed civilians as a potential impediment to absolute control. The pattern suggests that private firearm ownership can raise the practical costs of oppression, contributing to deterrence. Notably, societies with widespread civilian gun ownership and robust democratic institutions, such as Switzerland and the United States, did not experience comparable internal tyrannical takeovers or mass democides during this period.

Key Patterns Observed

• Authoritarian regimes frequently followed a recognizable sequence: secure political dominance, implement civilian disarmament (general or targeted at specific groups), then systematically expand state control through surveillance, censorship, property seizures, purges, and the elimination of opposition.

• Disarmament enabled the enforcement of policies that eroded self-determination, often without immediate armed challenge.

• In cases where tyranny escalated to mass atrocities, death tolls reached millions, primarily through low-tech means like starvation, forced labor, and executions rather than requiring superior firepower against victims.

• Heavily armed populations in liberal democracies correlated with the absence of internal democide on this scale.

• No documented cases exist of a modern regime successfully imposing total tyranny or large-scale internal atrocities on a broadly armed civilian population without prior disarmament or overwhelming military domination.

Detailed Case Studies (Post-1900)

1) Ottoman Empire/Young Turks and the Armenian Genocide (1915–1917)

• Pre-war laws and decrees under the Young Turks regime facilitated searches and confiscations, particularly targeting Armenians viewed as disloyal.

• This disarmament preceded and aided the forced deportations and massacres.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Targeted elimination of Armenian intellectual and political leadership; suppression of minority rights.

• Atrocities: Systematic genocide involving death marches, starvation, and mass killings, resulting in an estimated 1 to 1.5 million Armenian deaths (scholarly consensus ranges from 800,000 to 1.5 million, with many sources citing approximately 1.2 million).

• Disarmament removed potential for organized resistance, allowing the regime to pursue ethnic homogenization with minimal opposition.

2) Soviet Union (1918 onward, intensifying under Stalin)

• Bolshevik decrees from 1918–1920s banned private ownership; searches and confiscations escalated during collectivization and purges.

• Targeted peasants and suspected opponents.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Forced collectivization ended rural self-determination; establishment of secret police (Cheka/NKVD); abolition of private property, free press, religion, and political parties; Gulag system for dissenters.

• Atrocities: Purges, engineered famines (including Holodomor), forced labor, and executions claimed an estimated 20 to 60 million lives across the Soviet era (Rummel estimated around 62 million total democide, with Stalin-era deaths often cited at 20–43 million).

• Disarmament prevented uprisings against policies that transformed society into a totalitarian state.

3) Nazi Germany (1933–1945)

• Built on Weimar registration laws; 1938 decree disarmed Jews and political opponents while easing restrictions for loyal Aryans.

• Enabled targeted neutralization of perceived threats.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Enabling Act dissolved democracy; Gestapo surveillance; abolition of independent judiciary, press, and parties; confiscation of property from targeted groups.

• Atrocities: The Holocaust and related persecutions resulted in approximately 6 million Jewish deaths, with total Nazi victims (including Roma, Poles, disabled, and others) exceeding 11–17 million.

• Selective disarmament facilitated early consolidation and the industrial-scale killing operations.

4) People's Republic of China (1949 onward, Mao era)

• Nationwide civilian firearm ban in the 1950s following communist consolidation.

• Prevented resistance to central planning and political campaigns.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Nationalization of industry and land; hukou system restricting movement; suppression of dissent; one-party monopoly over all aspects of life.

• Atrocities: The Great Leap Forward famine (1958–1962) alone caused an estimated 15–55 million deaths (most scholarly estimates around 30–45 million); the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) added 1–2 million deaths through violence and persecution; total Mao-era democide often estimated at 40–80 million.

• Disarmament ensured no armed challenges to policies that caused widespread deprivation and terror.

5) Cambodia (Khmer Rouge, 1975–1979)

• Immediate confiscations upon takeover, monopolizing arms under the regime.

• Targeted urban populations and perceived enemies.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Forced evacuation of cities; abolition of money, private property, religion, and family structures; total communal labor.

• Atrocities: Executions, forced labor, starvation, and disease in the "killing fields" resulted in an estimated 1.5–2 million deaths (approximately 25% of the population; some estimates up to 2.5–3 million).

• Disarmament prevented resistance to the regime's radical social engineering.

6) Cuba (1959 onward)

• Rapid confiscations (1959–1960) leading to a comprehensive ban on private firearm ownership.

• Consolidated revolutionary control.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Nationalization of industry and land; suppression of independent media, religion, and politics; imprisonment or exile of opponents; indefinite suspension of multiparty elections.

• While not escalating to mass atrocities on the scale of others, the regime maintained tight control, with thousands executed or dying in political prisons early on.

• Disarmament eliminated potential for armed opposition to permanent one-party rule.

7) Venezuela (1999 onward, under Chávez and Maduro)

• 2012 ban on civilian firearm sales and imports, resulting in widespread disarmament.

• Reduced challenges to centralizing measures.

• Broader erosion of liberty: Media closures and censorship; packing of judiciary and legislature; expropriation of private property; manipulation of elections; suppression of protests.

• No large-scale atrocities comparable to 20th-century democides, but thousands died in protests and prison conditions amid economic collapse.

• Disarmament supported the progressive slide from democracy toward authoritarian control.

Conclusion

The recurring prioritization of civilian disarmament by regimes seeking unchecked power underscores its perceived role in lowering barriers to tyranny. In cases where oppression escalated to atrocities, the human cost was staggering, with 20th-century democide totals estimated at over 200 million by some analyses (Rummel calculated around 262 million across all governments, dominated by totalitarian systems). Regimes acted as if armed citizens posed a meaningful obstacle, confiscating weapons early to facilitate surveillance, economic control, and, in extreme cases, mass killing. The absence of similar internal democides in armed democratic societies reinforces the deterrence inference: while not a sole guarantee of liberty, civilian arms complicate the path to absolute state dominance. Other factors—institutions, culture, international pressure—also influence outcomes, but the behavior of tyrants themselves highlights the rational fear of an armed populace.

#Disarmament #Tyranny #LossOfLiberty #SelfDetermination #Democide #Atrocities #ArmedPopulace #Deterrence #GunConfiscation #StatePower #IndividualRights #Totalitarianism #HistoricalPatterns #ErosionOfFreedoms #Liberty #Control #Confiscation #Power #Rights #Totalitarianism #Patterns #Freedoms #Oppression

#SecondAmendment #2A #ConstitutionalRights #LibertyTree

I no longer consent.

19 points. I never had an AOL address.

Its long overdue to get rid of these parasites.

They now think its ok for them to yet again invade your privacy under the guise of protecting children while they themselves have done nothing but encouraged and covered up serious sexual abuse of children.

//The Wire//2300Z December 17, 2025//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: GEOPOLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUE IN CARIBBEAN. BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTING INVESTIGATION CASTS DOUBT ON THE PROCESS.//

-----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Caribbean: Diplomatic indicators continue to mount concerning the war with Venezuela entering into the final stages of preparation. The White House announced that a special address to the nation will take place at 9:00pm (local time), the contents of which have not yet been disclosed.

Analyst Comment: So far it's mostly just rumor, however some historical context might help in understanding the larger strategic doctrine in play here. On this day exactly 118 years ago, the Great White Fleet departed port and officially began it's global journey around the world. The Great White Fleet was an initiative set in place by President Teddy Roosevelt which was intended to showcase America's military might on the high seas. This took the form of sending the US Navy's impressive fleet of battleships (which were painted all white, at the time) around the world as part of a very serious game of show and tell. This move, essentially a manifestation of the "big stick" part of Roosevelt's "walk softly" quote, eventually became known as a class of politics called Gunboat Diplomacy. Today, the US still abides by this doctrine (along with many other nations) to some degree, and in practice it usually works out to take the form of parking an aircraft carrier off a nation's coast to urge a people to strongly reconsider their actions. It's unknown as to if this date holds any significance to the White House, but since President Trump's style of command often takes cues from powerful people throughout history, it would make perfect sense for the White House to replicate this "big stick" effort. This has already come to pass and become routine by the striking of fastboats in the Caribbean, so while the world awaits what happens next, the larger strategic goals would be wise to consider. As a reminder, since the seizure of the M/T *SKIPPER* a few days ago, the United States has changed the official position on Venezuela to not just be about drug trafficking, but also oil as well. This might have been obvious from the very start, but it's still a fast pivot to make for any administration, so as events develop over the next few days we'll have to see how this shakes out.

-HomeFront-

Rhode Island: Images of a second person have been released during the Brown University shooting investigation. Providence Police have not provided the context for why this person is being sought, only that they would like to speak to whomever this individual is.

Analyst Comment: The general theory is that this person is not the shooter, but rather an individual who may have walked past the shooter at some point. Authorities have not confirmed this or really made any comment on this at all, so this is just a best guess regarding this new person that is being sought.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: In Rhode Island, the development of events following the Brown University shooting has been nothing short of a PR disaster. Normally, it's completely out of the question for any sort of arm-chair quarterbacking to be helpful during a shooting like this. However, in this case, the chance of random anons on the internet finding the killer before the actual police...is higher than zero. As such, more time and resources can be allocated to examine this case, purely in the interest of finding the truth. And right now, it sure looks like a coverup is taking place.

The press conferences in particular have been a source of concern as officials have not been able to answer even basic questions. Chief Perez has been corrected by journalists several times after he mis-stated basic details of the case; for example, yesterday he stated the the footage of the suspect that was released was from inside the Barus and Holley building, when in reality all of the footage has been from exterior cameras. This is important because a major sticking point in this case is the complete lack of interior security camera footage.

In response to the sheer disbelief in the lack of security camera footage of a mass shooting, Brown University released their entire security camera layout plan. From a security perspective, this is highly secret information. Now, criminals know exactly where the gaps in camera coverage are and crimes can now be committed at certain points because of this knowledge. However, this chart is also not complete, and there are at least two cameras that can be seen in Google Street View, which are not depicted on the camera plan. Both of these cameras appear to be directed at the rear of the Prince Engineering Lab, and the rear of the Barus and Holley building....EXACTLY where the suspect is assessed to have exited the building from. This means that the two cameras which may have footage of the killer...don't officially exist.

This of course does not prove that the suspect was actually captured on these cameras, as the distance from the Engineering building was probably too far to actually matter that much even if the suspect was seen in this footage. But it does prove that someone at some point is lying about the cameras that actually exist in this general area. This calls into question other details provided by the University, such as the route that the suspect is alleged to have taken to egress from the area.

Another detail in the case that adds to the incredulity is the fact that the room in which the shooting took place was locked, and could only be accessed by keycard, at least according to eyewitnesses who had class in that building. This has been stated by multiple students and faculty; no one can enter the exterior doors of the building without swiping their ID badge. The exception to this access is during times of heightened foot traffic, such as exam week, so this detail doesn't help much...it's likely that the doors would have been unlocked anyway. As such, this detail might not mean much, but it's still a question that needs to be answered.

All things considered, many eyes are on this topic now. Everyone from members of the student body at Brown, to anons on the internet are examining details and trying to both piece together exactly what happened and also trying to apprehend the suspect(s). For their efforts to get to the truth, members of the public have been berated and insulted by AG Neronha who became visibly upset during a press conference, regarding a question of why Brown University has quietly taken down pages from their website that featured personnel that might be suspects. This afternoon Congressman Sheldon Whitehouse called anyone who questioned the official story of what happened "stupid" and told them to "shut up", urging the censorship of any non-governmental-approved efforts to get to the truth in this case.

Officials have stated that there is no threat to the community, which is not reflected in the basic fact that the killer is still on the loose, and no indication warned of the attack in the first place. The only basis for claiming that there is no further threat to the public, is a scenario in which the intended target is dead, so there's no risk of another mass shooting taking place. Since the shooting, no terror cell or organization has claimed credit for the attack either. As such, the threats continue, and time is running out when it comes to finding the killer.

Analyst: S2A1

Haha normieville is fucked. But we'll still need roads to move between citadels. So maybe it'll be us.