Day: October 5, 2026

Those Damn Data Centers

As you may well know there is a bitch of a situation around all those data centers that the tech bros want to build and there is amazing pushback by the locals in each case.

Here in Mississippi there is a proposed center to be built in the central part of the state and a MAGA sycophant the governor is pushing hard to appease Donny on the building of this center.

Bezos and Amazon is filling Mississippians’ (not the sharpest pencils in the box) heads with a bunch of crap to get this built….

As Amazon Web Services prepares to invest more than $20 billion in Mississippi data centers, the head of the cloud computing giant is pushing back against growing criticism of the industry’s rapid expansion, arguing that the facilities are essential to America’s economic future, artificial intelligence leadership and national security.

In an op-ed that was released Friday morning, Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, compares today’s AI-driven data center construction boom to the creation of the Interstate Highway System, calling it the largest infrastructure buildout in the United States since the highways transformed the nation’s economy after World War II.

“The choices we make today will determine that outcome,” Garman wrote. “A lapse in our nation’s focus or resolve could put us behind, and potentially irreparably so.”

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2026/10/02/amazon-says-mississippi-is-proof-data-centers-are-worth-it/92044987007/

A typical defense in saying that America will not be number one and that works great here in an ignorant Red State.

There is some work that refute what the governor and Amazon spread….

Hours after the Jackson City Council voted to pause data center development for six months, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves took to social media to mock people who support data center moratoriums as “idiots” who are surrendering America’s technological future to China.

That response tells Mississippians almost everything they need to know about the problem.

Jackson residents did not demand that the city abandon technology. They asked their elected officials to take six months to study what these enormous facilities could mean for their neighborhoods, utility bills, water supply, health and property values. They asked for answers before construction began.

Instead of respecting those concerns, Reeves attacked them.

Opinion | Mississippi Is Tired of Being Kept in the Dark on Data Centers

Reeves response was directly from Donny’s playbook….that must have been an interesting phone call….Donny telling the micro brain Reeves what to counter the accusations…..

This is the picture Donny painted for those that oppose these environment killers….

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his criticism of Americans who oppose the construction of data centers.

In a Thursday, Oct. 1, interview with Time, the president, 80, was presented with data that said over half of Americans oppose data centers, according to a Gallup poll conducted in March. Critics of the facilities have pointed to environmental concerns and the related disruptions of construction compared with the tax and job benefits.

Trump was asked, “71% of Americans oppose building data centers. 57% say AI or SI, as you call it, will do more harm than good. Are these Americans wrong?”

https://people.com/trump-says-americans-opposing-ai-data-centers-want-to-live-in-crime-infested-squalor-12151347

Donny employed one of the GOP’s favorite tactic….fear mongering.

After many years of promising jobs and lower taxes for the wealth of corporation that have come to the state none of the promises have been met….the corporations get lower taxes and that is about it.

I hope the people of my state win their battle with Amazon and especially Donny but I will not hold my breath….corruption runs deep and politicians can be bought.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Moderates, Centrists And Independents

College of Political Knowledge

2026 Election Series #1

To some these are different techniques in approaching government….but to me they are very similar.

AS the 2026 mid-term elections draws near there will be lots said in the MSM about these people…personally I think it is all so much bullshit but that is just me.

I will be write posts on all three of these so-called voters, some of it will be re-posts from days gone by that I wrote whenever I see these terms used.

Have I mentioned I think all that coverage is bullshit?

We know for a fact that Donny’s brand of MAGA will be on the ballot and many seem to think that will be enough to make people vote for Dems….I do not believe that….I do not care what the polls say….their predictions could be just so much farting into the wind.

But let’s look at the so-called political beasts….

While the terms centrist, moderate, and independent are often used interchangeably to describe voters and politicians who sit between the two major political parties, they actually refer to distinct concepts.
The primary difference lies in the fact that independents are defined by their lack of official party affiliation, moderates are defined by the non-extreme temperaments or positions they hold relative to their chosen party, and centrists are defined by their specific ideological stance of blending left- and right-wing policy solutions.
 Direct Comparison

Feature Centrists ⚖️ Moderates 🤝 Independents 🚫
Core Definition An ideological stance that deliberately mixes policies from both the left and the right. A political temperament that avoids ideological extremism and favors incremental change. A party status meaning the person is officially unaffiliated with any political party.
Party Affiliation May be independent or hold membership in a major party. Usually registered members of major parties (e.g., “Moderate Democrats”). Strictly unregistered with major parties; rejects party labels.
Primary Goal Finding synthesized, effective policy solutions regardless of political origin. Achieving stability, compromise, and bipartisan consensus between opposing sides. Evaluating candidates individually based on issues rather than party loyalty.
Ideological Consistency Often highly opinionated with a consistent, balanced mix of views. Generally sits closer to the political center of gravity but leans toward their home party. Highly diverse; can range from radical libertarians to center-of-the-road voters.
1. Centrists: The Ideologues of the Middle

Centrism is a proactive political outlook rather than just a passive avoidance of the extremes. Centrists believe that neither the far-left nor the far-right has a monopoly on good governance.

  • The Policy Mix: A centrist might strongly support a robust social safety net (traditionally a left-wing view) while simultaneously advocating for strict fiscal conservatism or strong border enforcement (traditionally right-wing views).

  • Examples: Organized political groups like the Forward Party or the Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress focus heavily on structural, centrist reforms like open primaries and ranked-choice voting.

2. Moderates: The Pragmatists and Conciliators
Moderation describes the intensity of a person’s political beliefs. A moderate typically operates within a major political party but acts as a check against the party’s more radical or progressive wings.

  • The Approach: Moderates prioritize governance, stability, and consensus over ideological purity. They are the legislators most willing to cross party lines to negotiate deals.

  • Examples: Groups like the New Democrat Coalition or the Republican Governance Group are coalitions of moderate lawmakers who work to pull their respective parties back toward practical legislation. Recently, moderate Democrats launched initiatives like the “Promise to America” to explicitly reaffirm capitalist, non-socialist platforms.
3. Independents: The Unaffiliated Bloc

Being an independent is a statement about institutional alignment, not necessarily about a person’s exact political views. Gallup polling data consistently shows that independents make up a massive portion of the electorate, often matching or outpacing registered Democrats and Republicans.

  • The Spectrum: It is a common misconception that all independents are middle-of-the-road voters. While many describe themselves as moderates, a significant percentage actually hold solidly conservative or liberal beliefs but choose to remain outside the two-party system due to partisan frustration.

  • Behavior: They are typically swing voters who judge candidates case-by-case, or they are voters who feel completely unrepresented by modern political platforms.

There you have the ‘differences’ in the political terms….but to my way of thinking they are the same animal with minor differences….these are canned definitions.

The confusing one is ‘independents’….they look at all candidates without a party affiliation….but in reality they are just disenfranchised voters and will settle on one or the other of the political parties.

Then there is the dream of bi-partisanship….these days it is nothing more than a pipe dream and a not so funny joke.

These so-called voters are still supporting the corporate greed and corruption that both parties breed…..the voters hang onto the lie that either party can change the greed and corruption in politics.

Any thing to add?

Stay tuned for I will look deeper into each of these so-called voters and make my analysis known.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

That Damn Strait!

The Strait of Hormuz has been in the news almost daily so I decided to take a look at some history (you guys know I cannot pass up a history lesson)….

I found an interesting piece about the UK and their involvement in the region in the 70s….(I hope some of my UK readers will help shed some light on this piece of history)….

Previously secret military files reveal links between the use of torture by British forces in Oman and Northern Ireland during the 1970s.

An army major who led the worst of these interrogations in the Gulf would later earn a senior role in a secretive intelligence unit in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Although that unit colluded with paramilitaries, the officer involved appears to have been promoted to MI5’s most senior role in Northern Ireland.

The interrogations done by his men in Oman were more extensive than previously reported and would be considered illegal by today’s standards.

They were employed as part of a counter-insurgency campaign waged for Sultan Qaboos, a pro-British dictator installed in Oman after an MI6-backed coup in 1970.

U.K. support for Qaboos was driven by a desire to secure oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which is flanked by Iran on one side and the disputed Musandam peninsula to the south.

British planners helped Qaboos annex Musandam in 1970, creating an Omani exclave separated from the rest of the country and surrounded by the Trucial States (which are now the United Arab Emirates).

Britain inserted elite SAS troops into Musandam in December 1970 to round up suspected rebels.

Declassified has previously found that while one member of the Shihuh tribe was being questioned, he refused to give up his ceremonial dagger and was shot in the arm, shoulder and neck.

It can now be revealed that another detainee who allegedly escaped in March 1971 was shot in the back and shoulder.

Regarding the incident, Geoffrey Arthur — British political resident for the Persian Gulf — told Conservative Foreign Secretary Alec Douglas-Home:

“We might also eventually have to face questions as to why such persons had been detained and/or interrogated by British forces at Sharjah, but we would naturally try to prevent this aspect getting out.”

When Britain Used Torture to Control the Strait of Hormuz

These are events we knew nothing about (that is why it is called a ‘state secret’)….but it is fascinating to shine a light on this portion of the region’s history.

I hope my UK readers may have some further information that I do not have and if anything needs corrected please do just that.

Side Note:  the war is costing average Americans dearly….

By late September, the total cost of the higher gas and diesel prices triggered by President Trump’s war against Iran exceeded $103 billion, according to my organization’s analysis of the federal government’s energy data. And those higher prices aren’t showing any sign of slowing. If current trends hold, the price tag by the end of this year will approach $180 billion.

For the average household, that comes out to $750 extra so far, and that figure is on pace to top $1,300 by year’s end.

For a family of four with two drivers, those costs are even higher, topping $1,000 already and slated to be over $1,700 by the end of the year if the war continues. Our interactive tool, online at itep.org/iran-war-fuel-cost, lets you punch in your region and household size to get a sense of how much your family’s costs are rising.

There you go….is it not about time to end this stupidity?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”