Today's Today

452 years ago a guy named Johan de Witt was one of a pair of very wealthy Co-Rulers of the Dutch States.

Today marks the day he and his brother Cornelis were lynched, and then partly eaten.

Johan de Witt (24 September 1625 – 20 August 1672), Lord of Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp en IJsselvere, was a Dutch statesman and a major political figure in the Dutch Republic in the mid-17th century, the First Stadtholderless Period, when its flourishing sea trade in a period of global colonisation made the republic a leading European trading and seafaring power – now commonly referred to as the Dutch Golden Age. De Witt was elected Grand pensionary of Holland, and together with his uncle Cornelis de Graeff, he controlled the Dutch political system from around 1650 until the Rampjaar (Disaster Year) of 1672. This progressive cooperation between the two statesmen, and the consequent support of Amsterdam under the rule of De Graeff,[3] was an important political axis that organized the political system within the republic.

As a leading republican of the Dutch States Party, De Witt opposed the House of Orange-Nassau and the Orangists and preferred a shift of power from the central government to the regenten. However, his neglect of the Dutch States Army (as the regents focused mainly on the navy, thinking they could avoid land wars) proved disastrous when the Dutch Republic suffered numerous early defeats in the Rampjaar. In the hysteria that followed the effortless invasion by an alliance of England, France, and some German states, he and his brother Cornelis de Witt were blamed and lynched in The Hague, with their corpses at least partially eaten by the rioters. These cannibals were never prosecuted, and some historians claim William of Orange may have incited them.

Compost Me, Baby

This does make sense to me, even though some of the details sound a little gruesome.

New York governor legalizes human composting after death

State becomes sixth to pass legislation since 2019 and gives New Yorkers access to an alternative, green method of burial

New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, on Saturday legalized natural organic reduction, popularly known as human composting or terramation, after death.

The legislative move makes the state the sixth to do so since 2019 and gives New Yorkers access to an alternative, green method of burial deemed environmentally friendly.

But the departed may not be simply tossed on the compost heap: remains must be delivered to a cemetery corporation certified as an organic reduction facility, suitably contained and ventilated, and not containing “a battery, battery pack, power cell, radioactive implant, or radioactive device”.

Washington became the first state to legalize human composting in 2019, followed by Colorado and Oregon in 2021, then Vermont and California later in 2022. New York’s legislation, A382, passed both assemblies over the summer.

In most cases, the deceased is placed into a reusable, semi-open vessel containing suitable bedding – wood chips, alfalfa or straw – ideal for microbes to go about their work. At the end of the process, a heaped cubic yard of nutrient-dense soil, equivalent to 36 bags of soil is produced that can then be used as fertilizer.

“Every single thing we can do to turn people away from concrete liners and fancy caskets and embalming, we ought to do and be supportive of,” said Michelle Menter, manager at Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve in central New York. Menter said her business would strongly consider the method.

Hochul had found herself in a political dilemma over the issue. She has said that she is a proud Irish-American and has often spoken of how her Irish, Catholic roots influenced her political outlook.

The New York State Catholic Conference had encouraged church followers to pressure Hochul to veto the bill. The organization argued that the process “does not provide the respect due to bodily remains”, according to the Catholic Courier.

“A process that is perfectly appropriate for returning vegetable trimmings to the earth is not necessarily appropriate for human bodies,” Dennis Poust, executive director of the organization, said in a statement.

On the flip side, the advocates Order of the Good Death urged the governor to commit her signature, and offered a series of decorative, colored cards reading “Compost Me” and “I Want to Be a Tree” to send on to the governor.

Others argued that people want a method of disposition in keeping with how they lived their lives. “Cremation uses fossil fuels and burial uses a lot of land and has a carbon footprint,” said Katrina Spade, the founder of Recompose, a green funeral home in Seattle that offers human composting.

“For a lot of folks being turned into soil that can be turned to grow into a garden or tree is pretty impactful,” Spade told the Associated Press. Other pioneers of natural organic reduction offer not only human composting services, green burials and water cremation (AKA aquamation).

Proponents of terramation say the process is economical as well as environmental, with the body transforming in six to eight weeks.

I haven't found anything specific as to what the family gets, if anything - a shovelful of dirt, or maybe a little flower pot so they can grow a petunia or something (?)

I don't know that I'd need anything. And if it's me, I'm not going to care - I'll be dead.

There's also a question in my mind: "What about the bones and teeth?" And the answer to that one sounds a bit grisly, ie: "Pulverization", but that's no different than what happens at a traditional crematorium. 

Terramation

Aquamation sounds like something out of a gangster movie.

...combined with some weird pagan rituals -

things to do with that dead guy

Tattoos ?

Disposal

Personally, I'm not at all concerned about what you do with my body after I die.

I'll be dead, and I really won't care.

But for the record:

1. Make sure I'm dead
2. Take whatever spare parts might be of use to someone
3. Drag what's left of my sorry ass to the shredder or the compost heap or whatever - I don't care - I'm dead, remember?
4. Have a party and divvy up my stuff

The Hill:

Both chambers of the Colorado legislature have passed a bill legalizing the composting of human remains as an after-death alternative to burial and cremation, sending the measure to the desk of Gov. Jared Polis (D) for his signature.
“What can be more personal than the right to decide how your own body is dispensed with after death, and this bill empowers individuals with another choice and I will sign it," Polis told The Hill on Thursday.

The Colorado House passed the bill on Tuesday on a 45-18 vote. It passed unanimously through the state Senate in March.

The legislation authorizes human remains to be converted to soil using a container that accelerates the process of biological decomposition, also known as "natural reduction.”

It also places certain restrictions on the soil, including selling the soil or using it to grow food for human consumption. It also prohibits the commingling of human remains without their consent.

Human composting, or “natural organic reduction,” takes four weeks and is done by placing a dead person's body in a vessel with wood chips, straw and other materials while rotating the body every so often. The process is similar to livestock composting and turns the person into an odorless soil that can then be given back to the family, according to a report from The Associated Press.

Current state law dictates burial, cremation, internment and entombment, but the new legislation would replace these terms with "final disposition," which includes natural reduction. These laws dictate everything from life insurance, pension plans and even missing person reports.

The bill was first introduced last year by state Rep. Brianna Titone (D) before it was pushed aside amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Denver Post reported.

“I’m just really proud to give this option to people here in Colorado, which have the Colorado way of life in mind … And when people pass away, they can feel like they lived in Colorado and they can give back to Colorado and help the earth,” she said.

The Denver Post noted that the bill would go into effect 90 days after the General Assembly adjourns when Polis signs it. However, funeral homes will not be ready immediately to begin offering the service.

Colorado would be the second state in the country to legalize the process of natural reduction if the legislation goes into effect. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) made his the first state to legalize human composting in 2019.

Similar bills have also been introduced by state lawmakers in Delaware and Oregon.

Catching Up

45* has been running away from his day in court his whole life.

And we may be about to get a good look at why he never stands up - why he always does his big bluff-n-bluster dance as he slinks away, leaving someone else holding the empty cape.

Question:
What are the Repubs really up to? At this point, they have to know most of the rubes will follow them anywhere - with or without Donald Trump. The Trump voters I talk with just want DumFux News to reinforce their prejudices and to tell them it's OK to die on the job thinking they'll get that new bass boat if they work a little harder and pay no attention to the silliness going on in politics.

Overheard

So, will they cremate David Koch's politicians along with him?

This Is The World Now

Well now, it doesn't sound like it was a particularly good day for him either.

I'm pretty sure she doesn't mean to minimize the fact that the guy prob'ly died in something very much like panic and terror - clutching his chest in painful convulsions.

But such is Social Media - without some indication that you're not trying to make it all about you, it's going to come off like you're trying to make it all about you.

Kinda like keeping a blog.

Where's The Outrage?

Yo - "Conservatives",

Michael Jackson was plagued with financial problems at the time of his death in 2009. Last year, the IRS sued Jackson’s estate, claiming that it owed over $700 million in federal taxes.

If you're really all that het up about Da Gubmint staying off everybody's back, then you need to be raising something of a stink every time.  Being selective about your deep concern over who's getting stepped on is why the rest of us are pretty sure you're a lot more worried about who gets to join your little club and who doesn't.  

BTW, here's a tip for ya: You're not in the club.  And your eagerness to slag people in order to keep them out of the club is an obvious attempt to suck up to the bosses who are in the club, and - listen to me now cuz I'm talking sense here - that's not gonna get you into their club.  They need you to think they think you're cool so you'll go on doing the heavy lifting, but you're just another credulous rube gettin' played for a cheap trick.

Haves And Soon-To-Haves

Try not to think about Logan's Run or The Island or Roller Ball or whatever.

Death And Taxes

Wanna get a good close look at where all the money goes?

Here it is.

A few screen shots:

Inheritance

We're starting to get more flack about "the death tax", and of course, the frame is that we simply must protect the children of the small business owner or the family farmer from losing everything to the Tax Man when the patriarch croaks.  And I'd go along with it if there was any real truth to it.  But there isn't, so I can't.

The National Memo:

You may have heard of the estate tax, but chances are you will never have to pay it, especially now that the Senate has set the exemption at $5 million.

That means that if you inherit an estate, likely because you were born with the right last name, you won’t have to pay taxes on any of it unless its value is over $5,000,000 — then you’ll pay 40 percent on the amount above that, about the same as the new top rate on high earners. And that $5,000,000 exemption will be adjusted for inflation yearly.

The argument I find truly bogus is the one revolving around, "that money's already been taxed..." cuz that one's just pretty dumb.  Every dollar has already been taxed.  The dollar you spend at the movies is an after-tax dollar; so is the dollar you spend on rent or food or gas etc etc etc.  These arguments are in favor of the Ownership Class grabbing more for themselves and leaving less for everybody else.

I have great sympathy for anybody who survives the tragedy of losing a family provider, and we have to make sure we take care of people who need taking care of, so let's be at least a little careful with how we set it up; intergenerational wealth transfer is a good and important thing - we have to put some limits on it though.

So I'm thoroughly unconvinced that a first son or the designated heiress to the family business deserves to be handed a multimillion dollar enterprise at no cost, owing solely to their choosing the right joint to be born into.  Here's a thought: Come up with a business plan, go to the bank, borrow the bucks and let's see if you're as good at farming as your dad was.

Any other way of doing things is anti-competitive, anti-meritocratic, and pushes us all back towards the kind of imperial aristocracy we're supposed to be resisting.

Buncha Dopes (cont'd)

I put up a post yesterday that ended with my standard bitch about SIlver Spoon Legacy Pukes.

see Buncha Dopes

If you can manage it, then you should leave your kids something to get 'em goin', and good on you. But we're not doing ourselves, or them, any favors by plowing the road so perfectly that we end up with cretins like Luke Russert and Chris Wallace and Meghan McCain and GW Bush and Willard-fucking-Romney in positions of real consequence.

Something occurs to me when I think about my own disdain for inherited privilege and advantage, that hooks in pretty well with the arguments coming from The Grover Fluffers at places like Club For Growth and The TeaBaggers and practically all of the GOP.

My contention is that if I leave a ginormous estate to my kids, then there's not much incentive for them to work at anything, and to participate in a world (ie: an economy) that doesn't function properly unless practically everybody participates in it in roughly the same way.  I'm not talkin' about trying to make the field perfectly level by straight-up confiscation and redistribution.  That's been tried and it doesn't work for shit either.  I'm just talkin' about putting in some rules that make it a lot harder for your great great granddaddy to have greased the skids for you to the extent that you decide to grab for some real power by running for national office just because you haven't much of anything else to do.

Now think about conversations you've had with almost any "conservative", and tell me what they've had to say about "welfare has made multiple generations dependent on government largesse" - and/or - "if you just give stuff to people without making them work for it, they'll decide not to work at all".  And of course, these are almost always the same people who scream so loudly about the sheer horribleness of "The Death Tax".

Aristocracy sucks.  It's what an awful lot of brave souls decided to overthrow back in the late 18th century.  And, weirdly, Inherited Entitlement seems to be kinda the "natural order of things".  But that's what we said we weren't going to do anymore.  We said it may well be what happens everywhere else, but not here.  We're the exception.