How the Left Advances . . . One Step at a Time

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The reason the Left advances is because it never stop advancing.

This is of course a simple tautology – but no less trenchantly true for being so. If it is understood then it can be stopped.

An example unfolds in the case of the New Jersey man who placed a “for sale” ad online, in order to sell his truck. He disclosed the fact that it had been modified (not by him, apparently) to improve its power/mileage via what are known as “defeat” devices. As in emissions-defeat devices.

Now, before you erupt in outrage let’s add a few additional facts. The truck’s owner advertised the fact that the truck had “defeat” devices. He wasn’t, in other words, attempting to trick a prospective buyer into anything. 

Just a truck – for sale.

As is. 

In the past, the deal was that – once sold – the new owner might have to deal with returning the vehicle to “compliant” status, in order to get it past state-required emissions testing, in order to be able to register and plate the vehicle for use on public roads. In other words, the burden was on the buyer – as has always been the case in the absence of a formal warranty of some kind guaranteeing the vehicle’s soundness. There was also the prospect of a claim that could be made in the event of some knowing misrepresentation about the vehicle’s condition by the seller, though this has always been difficult to prove in court because it is hard to establish that – as an example – the seller knew the transmission was about to fail and didn’t disclose the fact to the prospective buyer.

Neither of these obtained in the case of the New Jersey man. Who was Hut! Hut! Hutted! – or at least, threatened with a Hut! Hut! Hutting! – merely for attempting to sell what no one disputes to be his legal property, to a willing buyer, who could (if he wished) restore the truck to “compliant” status if he wished to register and drive it. Perhaps he (the prospective buyer) didn’t want the truck for that. Perhaps he wanted to buy it – and fix it later. Perhaps he wanted the truck for its parts.

None of the foregoing being unlawful. The legality is that if the buyer (or the owner) wished to lawfully get or renew registration, the vehicle would need to be “compliant.”

Never mind that. As Lavrenti Beria – Stalin’s head of the secret police – is said to have put it: Show me the man and I will tell you the crime.

Mike Sebold – the owner of the 2008 Dodge Ram pickup in question – turned out to be the man. And the state of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection showed him the “crime.” Or rather, sent him a letter advising him that his truck had been “flagged” and that he would either have to get it out of the state of New Jersey or have it crushed.

“When the DEP becomes aware of such a sale or attempted sale, an appropriate enforcement action is issued to the seller or attempted seller, and the person is required to come into compliance with New Jersey regulations.”

Sebold eventually decided to crush his truck – resulting in the gratuitous throwing-away of a functional vehicle and all the “environmental” wastage attendant. Not to mention the loss of money suffered by Sebold as a result of what amounts to a taking by the state of New Jersey. The italicized word referring to the legal concept that when the state deprives a person of property via regulatory edict, it is obliged to compensate the ex-owner for the value taken by it from him.

A cursory look at the current retail value of an ’08 Ram 1500 is between approximately $6k on the low end and $13k on the high end, according to used vehicle pricing guides. That’s for the base version of this truck with the gas V6  – not with the much-more-valuable diesel engine that Sebold’s truck has.

Well, had.

Sebold is out-of-pocket for the former value of his now-crushed truck.

The good news is he managed to part out most of it before the remainder was taken to the crusher. The bad news is that the state of New Jersey’s Leftists – now synonymous with “the government” – were and are clearly cruising the used car classified to suss out “noncompliant” vehicles in order to threaten the old “Hut! Hut! Hut!” upon owners thereof.

The making-it-clear being how Leftists advance their Leftism. Just as their current leader made it clear, a couple of weeks ago – during his red-backlit harangue – that all who oppose Leftism are enemies of the state, though he styled it “our democracy.”

By which he meant the rule (and rules) of Leftism.

It is the brazenness of the unwanted touch. The pushy salesman who tries to get his foot in the door. Magnified by the power of the state. It must be beaten back, if further touching is unwanted. If we do not wish to find the pushy salesman in our homes, telling us how it’s going to be from now on.

. . .

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26 COMMENTS

  1. Mike,

    For years, these same people also bleated about the “Evils of Big Pharma”, but ever since those experimental mRNA injections rolled out, they’ve resorted to acting like Big Pharma’s biggest shills via enacting Vaxx mandates and advocating severe punishment for those who questioned the jabs.

    • So true John, not sure how that happened being in college in the 60’s myself; “question authority” has morphed into obedience 😡. Really bums me out, the older I got the more I could see through the BS. Still do.

      • Mike,

        For years, these same people also bleated about the “Evils of Big Pharma”, but ever since those experimental mRNA injections rolled out, they’ve resorted to acting like Big Pharma’s biggest shills via enacting Vaxx mandates and advocating severe punishment for those who questioned the jabs.

  2. Just wondering if the EPA goes to car shows and penalizes people whose old cars are lacking mandated emissions equipment from 50 or 60 years ago or the old car with the newer engine?

    For example: “Sorry sir but you’ll have to put a catalytic converter on your 67 Mustang along with the smog pump and all other emissions equipment required for that 87 vintage engine”.

    • Hi Landru,

      I expect that’s coming. It is probably already there – in states such as CA (and NJ). I anticipate a kind of jihad against these old cars – like my ’76 Pontiac. Their owners will be hounded by punitive taxes and restricted-use edicts. Perhaps the most alarming prospect is a fatwa that would require an older vehicle to be “updated” with whatever it takes (and costs) to be “clean” and “safe.”

  3. More weaponized etymology, more in your face statism, that is what is happening.

    If you are told what to do, or what you cannot do, you are an obsequious slave. The statists say so.

    Is this a great country or what? You get to do what you are told to do! It’s a wonderful life. Into The Great Wide Open at your doorstep. More needless suffering for you at your expense, get used to it.

    “Did you ever have to finally decide?” – The Lovin’ Spoonful, Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind

  4. Bizarre, sheet:

    “This is probably the most disturbing and disconcerting episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight ever broadcast” …

    https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/litmus-test-for-all-congressional-and-senatorial-candidates-end-the-ukraine-russia-war-immediately/

    It gets even more Bizarre, the next day:

    ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight 9/23/22’

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po6utAO4sk8

    After listening to that, I’m reminded of this song, which I haven’t heard much of these days:

    ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh7BZf7D5Bw

    And, I guess, in light of the Tucker video above, This Is where we are:

    ‘President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho State of the Union Address, 2505’

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73nFs8Iy9Uo

    Do you think, of this now? I did:

    ‘OMC – How Bizarre (Official Music Video)’

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2cMG33mWVY

    … Did that, flow?

    Cut onions, any way you want, however; The next step, is:

    “… one cannot divorce the reality that we are in a meaning crisis from the thinking and philosophy that came out of divorcing reason and the individual from God.” …

    https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/09/bionic-mosquito/a-shallow-conservatism/

    Anyway, i thought this seems to be a pretty good website for catching,’the pulse’ of what’s happening in America as we “progress”(?) … to, what? Exactly?:

    ‘southernprepper1’

    https://www.youtube.com/user/southernprepper1/videos

  5. New Jersey, The Prison Guarded State.

    Sucks for the guy. I have no way of knowing what anchors him to that state, but if it were me, I’d have been gone from that state the first moment I found a way out a long time ago.

    Unfortunately, it appears I am going to be leaving my birth state soon due to all the yankees moving in. It appears the liberal invasion of California, Jersey, and NY is going to turn Georgia into the next Illinois. We might be able to hold the line this election and maybe pull some power back, but I fear the state will be overrun by the 2024 elections.

    AFAIK, only metro Atlanta has emissions requirements. The rest of the state is left alone. I haven’t dealt with an “inspection” of any kind in the 16 years I have been outside the “metro” area. I suspect this trend will not continue in the near future.

    • That caught my eye, “it appears I am going to be leaving my birth state soon due to all the yankees moving in”.

      I’m reminded of the stuff Allan Stevo writes about the face diapers & standing up against this sheet. Especially, in California, one of The bluest.

      I dunno, I see what you’re saying/writing & can understand/relate. …Howevah:

      I read this book once, when I was young, ‘To The Far Blue Mountains’.

      “Barnabas Sackett was leaving England forever to find his fortune in the New World. But as he settled his affairs, he learned that a warrant from Queen Elizabeth had been sworn against him and that men were searching for him in every port.” …

      http://www.louislamour.com/novels/tothefarblue.htm

      The tie-in, is up to you to connect with. I’ve run out of energy for the night.

      ‘TRIUMPH – Fight the Good Fight (Live in HALIFAX)’

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-lGhKrypb0

  6. The northeast vortex of evil strikes again! Why people insist on continuing to live in that dreary expensive corner of the country is beyond me. Misery loves company I guess. Poor truck.

  7. Growing up in NJ I sometimes took the family car to the state-run inspection station. Being a teenager the dirtbags would go out of their way to find something “wrong” just because they could. One time they flunked it because the floor mat covered the dimmer switch – back then the dimmer switch was operated with your left foot and you didn’t need to see it, just feel it. So could I just take up the floor mat? Too late peasant, get back to the end of the line! My dad couldn’t believe it when I told him, wanted to go punch the guy out; maybe that would be the proper response to this kind of officious bullsh*t.

  8. Yes, I read about this a couple days ago. Just a man being honest about what he was selling. He could’ve easily omitted the “deleted” status, and the buyer would’ve been handed a nice surprise when attempting to get an “emissions test”.

    I’m still pushing for that “automotive sanctuary state”.

    • Idaho and Wyoming. No emissions testing. Ada county in Idaho tests but you can easily license in neighboring canyon county. Utah is mostly emissions testing free, minus a few counties in Salt Lake area.

      Deleted diesels all over here in the inner mountain west.

      • RE: “you can easily license in neighboring canyon county”

        Mang, what a cluster-fuck this country is.

        While I don’t agree with him, I sure can see why F_P is full of resignation.

        • That’s if you choose to license at all. I don’t. I carry insurance and run a dealer placard on my vehicles. Been doing so for 4 years. No problems.

          Yes the country is a “cluster-fuck”. It sucks to drive to the neighboring county 10 miles and renew registration, but the cluster-fuck is registration, licensing, permitting, etc.

          I only offered simple solutions to those that want to continue to play the game. Not everyone has the same risk tolerance. Solutions are on an individual basis only. My freedom isn’t your freedom.

          We can either resign or attempt our own solutions, individually.

          • Perhaps my comment was a bit too vague? Idk.

            ‘“A” Solution for the Masses Does not Exist: Perceived Reality Is in Fact Only Theatre’

            … “The real problem is the allowance of, which is completely voluntary, a ruling class given the power to lord over and control the masses at will. It is the belief that humanity cannot function or survive without a king and master class called government to guide them, restrict them, steal from them, and kill them when deemed necessary. It is the acceptance of ‘laws’ and mandates said to be only for the good of the people, and only meant to protect them. The ruling class of so-called ‘elites, and their henchmen in government and all government enforcement, are the real problem; at least if one desires to discount the willingness of the masses who freely allow their own slavery.” …

            https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/09/gary-d-barnett/a-solution-for-the-masses-does-not-exist-perceived-reality-is-in-fact-only-theatre/

  9. Regulators protect the public from itself. Or at least that’s how they view it. It must really be a depressing life choice, believing that they only thing keeping businessmen from poisoning customers is your vigilant devotion to duty. Just ignore the fact that any businessman who exceeds the regulator’s standard is labeled the fool and will lose investors. Because why aim for better then everyone else when the same will be sufficient..

  10. He could have sold it to an out-of-state buyer. Many states do not have emission control checks, and as such, are still “free” states.
    I would still like to buy a “non-compliant” Volkswagen diesel vehicle…unmolested and unmodified from its original configuration.

    • ‘He could have sold it to an out-of-state buyer.’ — anarchyst

      Right. Sebold lives close to the Delaware River. He need only have driven across the bridge to Pennsylvania and sold the truck there. Then the Peoples State of New Jersey would have been powerless to stop an out-of-buyer from registering it in PA — where America begins, according to a sign on the PA side of the river.

      As I recall, Sebold advertised his truck on Facebook. Everyone should know by now that Facebook is a sandbox for all manner of spooks and enforcers, searching for everything from damning J6 photos to child porn to any labeled photos to add to the Clearview AI database, used by law enforcement for facial recognition.

      Facebook is a self-imposed Panopticon. Sebold posted a written confession of climate crime there. The Peoples State of NJ reached out and smacked him down for his heinous assault on Gaia.

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