Thank you for this. I also wanted to say that I watched episode 179 of darkhorse and saw your genuine pain of realization. I have been in the vaccine skeptic space for over a decade following a serious injury of a family member but I remember the horror when I started educating myself. Deep bow to your honesty
On this day, I like to count my freedoms. The main one IMO is the freedom to disagree. I don't remember a fourth that I was more worried about the future of the Republic and the greater world that it is part of. The CCP has adopted a policy of trying to reduce or eliminate the influence of the US around the planet, while Americans seem to be ever more at odds with Americans that disagree with them. Professional assassination or even imprisonment for disagreement with any tiniest tenet of dogma. The European powers were in no position to take advantage of the first Civil War but the Chinese Communists are preparing to take advantage of the second one when/if it happens. It does not help that the DNC has been captured by the radical left and the GOP is close to capture by the MAGA boys who find candidates like DeSantis far too "soft" to fit their tastes, electability be damned. The Chinese have a narrow window to impose their will on the world before a demographic collapse. It certainly seems that there are powerful actors working to see the CCP succeed. Trudeau in Canada and the Biden crime family in the US appear to be wholly owned by the Chi-coms. Glad that I have no stake in the future or I would be even more worried.
Aside the existential physical challenges posed by our technology to earth systems supporting life, the cultural a priori assumptions of the American Experiment (maybe just say 'human experiment') are also being challenged as, I regretfully think, a result of the population pressures generated by that technology. Something's gotta give...
I've been listening to Darkhorse with you and Bret for the last few (3) years, and have been reading your Substacks for almost as long. I do not usually pay for a Substack just to comment, or pay for much of anything because I am just trying to make it on my own in this absolute wreck that is my country. If you're wondering, it's Canada. I am a 27 year old male who has been taught that hard work pays off, and for the most part it has. However, with an ever expanding housing bubble, where you must pay at least half a million dollars nowadays, plus a 5% or greater interest, it's nearly impossible to afford anything right now. Thanks Trudeau....
Besides the point. I must eternally thank you and Bret for being such a consistently honest and humble voice in todays climate. I am reflexively skeptical of most things (I think you would say cynical of most things), and for good reason. However, you and Bret have been trustworthy for a multitude of reasons, and here is why.
I disagreed with you guys long ago about mask use when you first started talking about it. I want to say this was episode 100-ish (total guess here). I kept watching anyways, and sure enough your humility lead you to see the evidence on this subject and change your thinking. I have also very recently seen you change your mind on affirmative action...
THIS IS WHY I KEEP COMING BACK. I do not need some self-proclaimed "expert" to dictate to me what I should think. I need people who are well versed in true scientific thinking to confess to me when they really think they might be right, and when they think they may definitely be wrong.
Heather (and Bret) THANK YOU SO MUCH. I believe we are in a crisis of true scientists, and I would like to believe I am a true scientist. Nothing can influence the pursuit of truth, and science is an exercise that is dedicated to that pursuit. Our ego's, our pride, even our identity's cannot stand in the way. In fact, what can I take pride in if not my steadfast commitment to truth? Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Unironically, God Bless America. I will mention that we can purchase the right to vote, even if we are NOT women, by agreeing to be drafted in the event of war.
"The default assumption is that we are free." YES. One of my favorite (and sadly neglected) provisions of the Bill of Rights is the 10th Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, OR TO THE PEOPLE" (emphasis mine). Too many people (not just the usual villains in government, industry, and academia) have bought into the idea that the federal government must ultimately be in charge of everything, except where that pesky Constitution gets in the way -- and they try to bend that to their will when they can.
One example: I imagine that our Founding Fathers did not enshrine in the Constitution the specific right of parents to be free from governmental interference in the rearing of their children because they took it for granted. In any case, the Constitution did not take away those rights, so they should be covered by the 10th Amendment -- yet they are continually under attack. Not as badly here as elsewhere (e.g. Canada, Sweden), but we're going the wrong direction. When the government can compel us to subject our children to procedures that we deem harmful, or otherwise contrary to our beliefs, we have lost one of the most basic freedoms of all.
My only disdain for this country relates to our government most obviously not being “of the people” nor “for the people”. The hunger for power and greed of money has always found a way to corrupt even the best laid out plans, and humans have been doing these things probably forever... so I continue to love my country and its greatest achievements.
Thank you for this. I also wanted to say that I watched episode 179 of darkhorse and saw your genuine pain of realization. I have been in the vaccine skeptic space for over a decade following a serious injury of a family member but I remember the horror when I started educating myself. Deep bow to your honesty
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful sentiment. I wish you and Bret and family a happy and safe July 4th!
On this day, I like to count my freedoms. The main one IMO is the freedom to disagree. I don't remember a fourth that I was more worried about the future of the Republic and the greater world that it is part of. The CCP has adopted a policy of trying to reduce or eliminate the influence of the US around the planet, while Americans seem to be ever more at odds with Americans that disagree with them. Professional assassination or even imprisonment for disagreement with any tiniest tenet of dogma. The European powers were in no position to take advantage of the first Civil War but the Chinese Communists are preparing to take advantage of the second one when/if it happens. It does not help that the DNC has been captured by the radical left and the GOP is close to capture by the MAGA boys who find candidates like DeSantis far too "soft" to fit their tastes, electability be damned. The Chinese have a narrow window to impose their will on the world before a demographic collapse. It certainly seems that there are powerful actors working to see the CCP succeed. Trudeau in Canada and the Biden crime family in the US appear to be wholly owned by the Chi-coms. Glad that I have no stake in the future or I would be even more worried.
Aside the existential physical challenges posed by our technology to earth systems supporting life, the cultural a priori assumptions of the American Experiment (maybe just say 'human experiment') are also being challenged as, I regretfully think, a result of the population pressures generated by that technology. Something's gotta give...
I've been listening to Darkhorse with you and Bret for the last few (3) years, and have been reading your Substacks for almost as long. I do not usually pay for a Substack just to comment, or pay for much of anything because I am just trying to make it on my own in this absolute wreck that is my country. If you're wondering, it's Canada. I am a 27 year old male who has been taught that hard work pays off, and for the most part it has. However, with an ever expanding housing bubble, where you must pay at least half a million dollars nowadays, plus a 5% or greater interest, it's nearly impossible to afford anything right now. Thanks Trudeau....
Besides the point. I must eternally thank you and Bret for being such a consistently honest and humble voice in todays climate. I am reflexively skeptical of most things (I think you would say cynical of most things), and for good reason. However, you and Bret have been trustworthy for a multitude of reasons, and here is why.
I disagreed with you guys long ago about mask use when you first started talking about it. I want to say this was episode 100-ish (total guess here). I kept watching anyways, and sure enough your humility lead you to see the evidence on this subject and change your thinking. I have also very recently seen you change your mind on affirmative action...
THIS IS WHY I KEEP COMING BACK. I do not need some self-proclaimed "expert" to dictate to me what I should think. I need people who are well versed in true scientific thinking to confess to me when they really think they might be right, and when they think they may definitely be wrong.
Heather (and Bret) THANK YOU SO MUCH. I believe we are in a crisis of true scientists, and I would like to believe I am a true scientist. Nothing can influence the pursuit of truth, and science is an exercise that is dedicated to that pursuit. Our ego's, our pride, even our identity's cannot stand in the way. In fact, what can I take pride in if not my steadfast commitment to truth? Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Unironically, God Bless America. I will mention that we can purchase the right to vote, even if we are NOT women, by agreeing to be drafted in the event of war.
Thank you Dr. Heying. Happy Independence Day to you and your family.
"The default assumption is that we are free." YES. One of my favorite (and sadly neglected) provisions of the Bill of Rights is the 10th Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, OR TO THE PEOPLE" (emphasis mine). Too many people (not just the usual villains in government, industry, and academia) have bought into the idea that the federal government must ultimately be in charge of everything, except where that pesky Constitution gets in the way -- and they try to bend that to their will when they can.
One example: I imagine that our Founding Fathers did not enshrine in the Constitution the specific right of parents to be free from governmental interference in the rearing of their children because they took it for granted. In any case, the Constitution did not take away those rights, so they should be covered by the 10th Amendment -- yet they are continually under attack. Not as badly here as elsewhere (e.g. Canada, Sweden), but we're going the wrong direction. When the government can compel us to subject our children to procedures that we deem harmful, or otherwise contrary to our beliefs, we have lost one of the most basic freedoms of all.
My only disdain for this country relates to our government most obviously not being “of the people” nor “for the people”. The hunger for power and greed of money has always found a way to corrupt even the best laid out plans, and humans have been doing these things probably forever... so I continue to love my country and its greatest achievements.
Excellent!