dav-xmpp-sync v1.0.0 Release

Technology
Apr 7, 2022
White book and pen

I created dav-xmpp-sync as a way to sync my contacts between my CardDav server and an XMPP/SMS Gateway, in order to migrate from Google Voice. I’m happy to announce the release of version 1.0. dav-xmpp-sync is now published to PyPI, as well as docker hub. Many of the features and bug fixes for this release wouldn’t be possible without all the various contributors, both for bug reports and code patches.

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Canada, Ukraine and the End of Democracy

Politics
Mar 14, 2022
Canadian Maple Leave over Ukrainian Flag

Have those who have fought in the militaries of oppressive governments known the evil they supported, or are they only judged that way if their battle ends up on the wrong side of history? Many soldiers likely believed in their nation and its leader’s message. In just the past month, I had been blown away by the peace and love shown by the Canadian protestors in trying to defend their human rights. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched their House of Commons pass the resolution for emergency measures. Although Trudeau relented and withdrew his request, it doesn’t change the fact that the Canadian legislators in the house were willing to enact a tyrannical emergency powers act against peaceful protestors.

As the situation in Russia and Ukraine unfolds, we are about to see nations form new lines of alliances, based on their core ideologies. Although the events may seem unrelated, I believe many policies we’ve seen internationally are a direct result of overreaching organizations such as The World Economic Forum, The International Monetary Fund, The World Health Organization, BlackRock and others. The real question people should be asking, regarding the Russian conflict, is this: Are Putin’s actions a direct stand against globalism and the policies of the globalist leaders, or are all his actions intentional to help further the collapse of world economies?

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God Bless Canada, and the Truckers of the World

Politics
Feb 3, 2022
Canadian Flag

A massive trucker convoy has descended onto Ottawa, the capital of Canada. If you haven’t heard of it, I’m not surprised. It hasn’t been covered by any international main stream media outlets, with searches on their websites returning irrelevant results from years ago. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has labeled the convoy a “fringe minority.” This minority has gridlocked the streets of the capitol, lined the sides of highways, and has led to what many on the Internet have dubbed The Honkening. They gathered to stand for the rights of all Canadians against the nation’s authoritarian curfews and lockdown measures. It is an amazing movement, and should give people of all nations a boost of hope for the new year.

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The Georgia Guidestones

Philosophy
Feb 1, 2022
The Georgia Guidestones
The Georgia Guidestones

In late December, I drove out to the middle of nowhere to see The Georgia Guidestones. Hours away from major cities and Interstate highways, the Georgia Guidestones are a series of granite tablets, wedged into the ground to form a cross. Commandments for humanity are etched into the faces of each stone, one language per face. It’s a haunting, eerie site. The inscriptions read like a madman’s dystopian nightmare. Constructed in 1980, no one is sure who funded the site’s creation, or why they were built.

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We Were Never In This Together, But You Are Not Alone

Philosophy
Jan 16, 2022
Silhouette of a man standing in the middle of a dark road

There were many Orwellian phrases pumped into the brains of the populace in 2020. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard two weeks to flatten the curve and social distancing. However, the most disturbing phrase of 2020 was definitely “We are all in this together.” Used in every advertisement and government message, it was a deceptive, narrative lie. Two years later, we see that we are only in this together, so long as everyone complies. It was a phrase that set the stage for creating an other for society to turn against. We were never in this together, but don’t ever believe the lie that you are in this alone.

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You Can't Vote with your Dollar

Politics
Jan 11, 2022
Piggy Bank sniffing Coins

In 1997, the Southern Baptist Church announced a boycott of Disney to protest the company’s challenges to traditional family values. It could be viewed as symbolic, a failure or both. Many Christians did not stop watching those adorable animated tales, at least not until decades later when Carrie Fisher became Marry Poppins, Mark Hamill drank green milk, and Gina Carano was fired for a political post on social media. In 1955, after the arrest of Rosa Parks, E. D. Nixon called for a one-day bus boycott in Montgomery Alabama. That one day boycott continued for 11 months. It was one of the few boycotts that fueled a movement which lasted generations. But were those who participated really voting with their dollars? It wasn’t their choice in purchases that was impactful, but the cultural and legal shift brought about by their collective actions.

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The Most Important Supreme Court Decision of our Lifetimes

Politics
Jan 9, 2022
A wooden gavel on a white marble backdrop

On January 7th, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments, regarding the mandates for testing or vaccination, that Biden is attempting to impose via OSHA regulation. Many Americans listened closely to the arguments. Many listeners were also horrified at how Supreme Court justices made arguments for facts not in the records, that were blatantly and horrifically false. The Supreme Court is often seen as a sacred institution, empowered with determining what is, and is not, constitutional law. On January 7th, many Americas discovered that the judges on the Supreme Court are fallible individuals, subject to the same prejudices as anyone else. Soon, these nine individuals will make the most important decisions in the history of the United States.

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LinkedIn Silently Deleted Several of My Posts

Politics
Dec 26, 2021
No LinkedIn

Earlier this month, I posted a link to an article I wrote, titled Burning Witches, on LinkedIn. When I checked to see if there were any comments, the post was gone. I was given no notification, and received no e-mails, indicating that the post had been removed. I’ve previously written about how Facebook is hostile to smaller platforms. It seems like LinkedIn is also participating in the new era of corporate censorship, but what makes their actions more sinister is that they do so without providing their users any notifications of post removal.

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Game Reviews: A Plague Tale: Innocence, Cloudpunk

Gaming
Dec 25, 2021
Game posters for A Plague Tale Innocence and Cloudpunk

I’m going to close out the year with two game reviews from very different titles, which you may want to check out on those new gaming systems you got for Christmas (for those of you who can find and afford them). A Plague Tale: Innocence is a beautiful and well produced title; a puzzler with dark, medieval and supernatural themes. Cloudpunk is on the total opposite end of the spectrum: an independent title, with pixel art animation, that takes place in a dystopian future.

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Burning Witches

Politics
Dec 22, 2021
hand holding burning torch

You are in The Crucible. Someone in your town has been accused of witchcraft. Do you defend the witch, or walk away from those screaming for fire and blood? Would you burn the witch? Would you turn on your friend if they were disloyal to the Soviet empire? Would you turn in your neighbor for hiding Jews? Those who conform instead of standing up for deep moral convictions, are the ones who survive. In every authoritarian state, genocide, or episode of mass-hysteria, those who stand to defend others are often the first to be imprisoned, arrested or killed. Figures like Gandhi, Martin Luther (both of them) and others, are the outliers that give us hope. Yet, the tragic reality is that those who either stay silent or embrace atrocities, are often the survivors.

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