As we transition into part 2, things begin a little slowly. Where we left part 1, Ellis Wyatt was giving the middle finger to the establishment, namely the government and central planning. Most of the chapter is centered on the consequences and the domino effect of the political changes.
In my mind there are two things in this chapter that are significant. The first one is the State Science Institute (SSI) attempts to order some Reardon Metal. Presumptively, the reason this is happening is because Reardon seems to be the only one producing raw material in any quantity. Reardon stands by his principles and refuses to sell product based on the smear campaign SSI launched against the metal.
It’s hard to say whether Barrett firearms took a page out of Atlas Shrugged or not, but there is plenty of this kind of sentiment in the firearms world. There are some pretty strong stances amongst manufacturers, dealers and other resellers about selling into the California/New York/New Jersey markets. Ironically, at least with the first two states, they keep doubling down on their failed policies with each iteration.
The second subplot occurring within this chapter is the interaction between Ferris and Stradler of the SSI. I haven’t talked about Ferris before, but you will remember Stradler as the head of the organization. Ferris is the one that released the opinion about Reardon Metal to the press. From reading previous chapters, you may also recall that Dabny and Stradler discussed the smear campaign.
It seems as though Stradler is a bit of a dupe. His initial impression of Reardon Metal was favorable, but his trust in Ferris is unshakeable. Ferris seems to be a bit of a chameleon. What I mean is a partisan masquerading as a scientist. Once again, I am talking about the practice of ‘science’ justifying politics. Because of Stradler’s implicit trust of Ferris, he doesn’t bother to question his work or opinion. Ferris has now written a book extolling the virtues of central planning and the government science.
This is a round about way of talking about authorities. Truth does not have any authorities and science has very little truths. Science has data where qualified scientists offer opinions. The validation of the method is called peer review, but not the validation of hypothesis. The phrase ‘the science is settled’ fools the average citizen into elevating various figures in demi-gods. Politicians masquerading as scientist use the bully pulpit to manipulate data into policy. All the while, the population’s malaise and lack of critical thinking just swallow up the opinions as truth and fall in line.
For sure, the first issue mentioned would not occur without the second. Once again, we have abdicated our responsibility as citizens to follow data on any level. I think that most people assume the language and the vocabulary is too technical to even begin to validate facts. We find it much easier to accept that someone else has done the work and we call that person an authority.
One last thing about this subject. Not everything is wrong or malicious. I like to use the intent barometer when forming an opinion. Some topics lack data or are extremely convoluted or maybe only have lose-lose outcomes.
Take the subject of mask mandates for instance. The data was known even before mandates were implemented that cloth masks were ineffective. This is the reason why the requirement was slow for initial adoption. If you recall, it took weeks of debate before the mandates became policy. The problem I have with the entire situation was it was all about appearances. Once implemented, the government was not going to backtrack despite what the data says.
The initial intent at least was good, the execution draconian and the result was evil. All of this behavior netted people scared to death and doing something that had no real benefit. Meanwhile, the government would only save face on policy rather than admit they were wrong and end the division among the people.
End Your Programming Routine: I realize that there is only so much time in the day to do things. What seems to be most important is binge watching the latest season of Yellowstone rather than becoming educated to our societies downfall. Admittedly, I choose to work on my own projects and pursue my interest than research political statements mostly. At least, I spend time on this forum trying to encourage you to check the data behind ‘the facts’.
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