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Today, my memory was refreshed why I really do not like the VA. Couple of weeks back, I got snail mail from them advising me that I could enroll directly for VA Care if 1) I deployed to a combat zone, 2) I've never signed up for VA healthcare, and 3) I left the service between 9/11 and 1 Oct 2013. Yes, yes, and yes. Since I retired with 24 years, I've had Tricare this whole time, and never had to deal with the VA at all. I'd approached them a few years ago to check on possibly filing for my tinnitis, but when they got to the part about performing a virtual fiscal colonoscopy, I told them no thanks.

So, since I was wondering how this would interact/affect the Tricare coverage (which has been very nice), I called for more info.

And, it figures, the reps I talked to had no idea, as my concerns were not on the list of pre-programmed responses for frequently asked questions. But it did reveal what was not included in the letter, that this was a targeted effort, specifically for vets that maybe, might, possibly pop up with a list of claims, such as oil well fires, burn pits, agent orange. . .and oh, yeah, they wanted the fiscal colonoscopy (whole household revenue), and to agree to a raft of conditions, including making the VA and various political appointees "attorneys in fact" with the power to reach in any time they felt like it to. . .

Pretty much stopped it right there with a "nah". Not doing that. Like things the way they are. Not giving the clown show any encouragement. Once it became clear what it was about, the letter I got took on a whole other meaning, and the attempt at the manipulation of ignorance and fear stand out in almost bold face print. . .and is really kind of insulting, but in a weaselly, passive aggressive way, but included an "act now before time runs out (30th of September deadline. . .oddly coincident with end of the Fiscal Year. Hmm)

I can take solace that I didn't take it out on the call agent, and remained unflappably civil, and ended the conversation cordially. Also, it was confirmed that my DD214 data is on record electronically, and it does accurately reflect that I was in Desert Storm, so there is that.

But man, I really, really hate the VA. Government, and government employees, doing government things to people, in the most government of fashions.

Bleh.

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2.5 years later...

This is classic. We recreated the tarpon swallowing our kid's arm, 2.5 years later.

It came out pretty well!

00:01:42
November 29, 2025
Meanwhile in Florida…

I saw a woman biking with a dog on her shoulders. lol

00:00:22
November 24, 2025
Lighthouse off Robbie Marina

The barracuda was easily 5 ft long.

00:04:19
February 17, 2024
Appearance on Richard Syrette

I did a quick hit on Richard Syrette yesterday. Gotta keep Canadians apprised of the U.S. madness.

Appearance on Richard Syrette
The Barnes Brief, Podcast Format: Monday, July 17, 2023

Closing Argument: Birthright citizenship is deeply American, and wholly Constitutional.

The Barnes Brief, Podcast Format: Monday, July 17, 2023
Declaration of Independence

Audio podcast style.

Declaration of Independence
3 hours ago

Liked this enough to share. Curtesy from X

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3 hours ago

A new revolution? The first step is always pointing out the Emperor is naked.

https://x.com/newstart_2024/status/1994506579660689812

This is the most jaw-dropping 4 minutes and 21 seconds you will watch this year.

Nicole Shanahan — ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, former running mate of RFK Jr., and someone who personally signed nine-figure philanthropy checks — just went full whistleblower on the entire Silicon Valley “tech wife mafia” and how they were used.

Her exact words (full clip attached):
“I don’t think many of the tech mafia wives realize… they were used to set the groundwork for what Klaus Schwab calls The Great Reset.
Their money especially was being conscripted through a network of NGO advisors, Hollywood, Davos, and their own companies.
A really small group of people… completely blind to how their groundwork is being used to enable these Great Reset policies.”

Then she turns the knife inward:
“These women find their meaning through philanthropic work. I really ...

Being FROM areas where fishing is DONE FOR A LIVING, I can VERIFY this is TRUE!!!! 😁

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The Barnes Brief: Weekend of November 21, 2025

I.    INTRODUCTION

A. Art of the Day

We the People. It stands out above all in the scribed parchment inside the glass-encased shield inside the Rotunda of Congress with three words bigger than the rest: We The People. Penned on a single sheet of animal skin by Jacob Shallus, it stands out as the Great Charter of American liberty, the profound experiment in self-government, and still stands today as the oldest and shortest written constitution of any major government in the world today. Those words stand out above the rest, written in flowing letters outsized to the text, to remind the world upon what power our government sits: We the People.

B. Wisdom of the Day

“Monopoly is a great enemy” and a “wretched spirit” which poses a greater threat to the free market than as it prevents free enterprise from self-defense. Adam Smith.

C. Cultural Recommendation

Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution tells the tale of what the true founders – the generation that birthed freedom on this continent – thought as they argued the merits of this new document. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7841680-ratification

D. Appearances

II.                         THE EVIDENCE

 *Note: A reminder — links are NOT endorsements of the ideas contained therein. The Library is big, and it mostly consists of ideas I do not personally share.  

 

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The Barnes Brief: Wednesday, November 19, 2025

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Art of the Day

One place where AI proves fun is its image generation capacity, whether for memes, dystopian dreams, otherworldly experiences, or translating photos and ideas into the templated work of famous painters. I asked it to convert this meme into a Hopper painting, and it turns out quite fun, as it blurs and blends the images into the spirit of the people and place, as Hopper so masterfully made so often. A Hush Hush of its own accord.

B. Wisdom of the Day

“AI is unfalsifiable and thus unscientific.” Erik Larson.

C. Cultural Recommendation

The Myth of Artificial Intelligence: Why Computers Can’t Think the Way We Do. The author, an AI researcher himself, explains why much of AI’s narrative is pure fiction.

D. Appearances

II.     THE EVIDENCE

 *Note: A reminder — links are NOT endorsements of the ideas contained therein. The Library is big, and it mostly consists of ideas I do not personally share.  

 

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To read the rest of this article and access other paid content, you must be a supporter
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The Barnes Brief: Weekend of November 14, 2025

I.   INTRODUCTION

A. Art of the Day

Working away in the hidden office, devouring intel and discovering information, to share with the world. My office looks like this, but replaced with digital feeds over the physical ones of yesteryear, processing the running feeds into recognizable patterns that can both explicate and forecast alike. To all the hidden offices uncovering what his hidden for the world.

B. Wisdom of the Day

“You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that, for bureaucrats, procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing.” Thomas Sowell.

C. Cultural Recommendation

The Dark Side of H1B Visa exposed by a recipient, Raj Kuppa. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25843858-the-dark-side-of-h1b-visa

D. Appearances

II.    THE EVIDENCE

 *Note: A reminder — links are NOT endorsements of the ideas contained therein. The Library is big, and it mostly consists of ideas I do not personally share.  

 

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