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Hippocrates Shrugged

What if "Atlas Shrugged" was told in terms of physicians and the healthcare industry? Leading physicians and other healthcare providers and professionals go on strike. Could this story be told? How would it start? End? Discuss.

(Unrelated: Ghost Town entry over at Big Sky Dave. Just FYI.)

Kerry Spam

Anybody else receive Kerry-spam in their comments...?

IP Address: 64.185.133.87
Name: kerry ads
Email Address: na
URL: http://kerry2004.addr.com/

Comments:

John Kerry Ad Server:
Simply copy and paste the coding provided into your blogs.

http://kerry2004.addr.com/

We are looking to trade links with all bloggers!

Clarification

Regarding the post below: please note that I did not in any way, shape, or form state or imply that the idiot protesters should be silenced, or should not have the right to display their views, however much I disagree with them. As Randy stated in the comments, one of the reasons that I took the Oath is to defend the rights of all citizens to express their opinions. I think that some of the protesters are ignorant, others misguided, still others downright evil...but they have the right to protest. Peaceably, of course, and within the boundaries of the law.

Outrage

(Sorry, but this post has no whimsy) Seen over at Kelley's, by way of Michele: truly un-American activities. And these people would likely wear that tag as a badge of honor. Dissent is one thing - permitted, and even encouraged, in our society. But what these freaks are doing and proclaiming is quite simply wrong. I don't think it is done out of ignorance - this is malicious. What is in the heart of these protesters is not peace, or "anti-war," or a desire for goodwill towards all - it is hatred. Look at the pictures - look at the words. They are filled with hatred and envy - of America, for being America. They scorn the principles of freedom, opportunity, and progress, and I honestly think that they would love nothing more than for the entire world to live in caves, rub sticks together for fire, and cower in fear.

Which reminds me: remember David Childs? Whenever I see a reference to the World Trade Towers, I think of his despicable words following their destruction.

Healthcare USA: 2004

Found via Grunt Doc comes something that I rarely do: present you with a "must read." This essay comes from Victor Davis Hanson, and it involves his recent visit to an Emergency Department at his hospital.

A sample:

"One really does make a decision of sorts to buy on credit a 30,000 twin-cab Ford pick-up, or pay $100 a month for a cell-phone family-plan than purchase cheap HMO health insurance."

and

"In some of America's most impoverished landscapes, our government at great cost and in the hallowed traditions of American humanity and magnanimity is offering hourly excellent medical care to literally anyone who walks through the emergency room door, whether they have a broken arm or a sprained ankle. That is how it should be—but also how it should be acknowledged as well.

Blizzard of Odd

Latest Dairy Queen commercial begins: "You don't have to be Irish to enjoy our newest Blizzard treat!" It then goes on to spotlight some sort of mint-chocolate-chip frozen dairy treat, just in time for St. Patrick's day. Am I the only one who raised their eyebrows while watching that commercial? Does it strike anyone else as...puzzling, to any degree?

Consider this: "You don't have to be Black to enjoy our newest soul-food treat..." Or how about: "You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy our newest gefilte fish delight..."

What makes it OK to stereotype Irish culture, cuisine, etc? If, indeed, there is any kind of stereotyping going on here. Is "Irish" an ethnicity, a country of origin, or what? How does it differ from using Black, Jewish, or some other cultural/ethnic/national identification? I'm not calling out the PC police -- I'm just puzzled. Enlighten me.

FREE MARTHA!

I think that the conviction of Martha Stewart is abhorrent. She was prosecuted for something that shouldn't even be a crime, and is being punished by the media and by the government for her virtues, essentially. She is being held up as an example of the "common man" bringing down someone who got too big for her britches. To wit: check out some of the comments over at MeFi on this subject (although, to be fair, there are a few defenders in there). Amber Pawlik has an apt summary of my thoughts.

But since she has been convicted, I'm confused by one particular feature of our legal system: why will she not be sentenced until June? Is this in order to allow her to mount a possible appeal? Any legal beagles out there able to explain - using small words - why sentencing often (usually?) occurs so much later than the conviction...?

Clarification

Just to be sure that there's no confusion over this: atheists (as far as I know, and certainly me) do NOT believe in Satan. No God, no Satan, no Christ, no Allah, no Easter Bunny, no ghosts, no poltergeists, no witches, no elves, no hobbits, no Great Pumpkin, and so on. Wonderful creations for debating purposes, or writing interesting novels, or plot devices in movies and such, but not real.

Except, as Oliver noted, we DO believe in Melvin. In all of his glorious adequacy. Heh...and people think that Objectivists don't have a sense of humor...

Hail Satan?

Any other atheists out there getting sick & tired (in a sorta, semi-humourous kind of way) of people asking you if you worship the devil (satan), upon learning that you don't believe in god? Or wondering how on earth you can possibly have any morals or values? I even had one person today ask me if I believed in national borders. Huh?

Which reminds me: you all know about the dyslexic agnostic who suffered from insomnia, right? He stayed up all night wondering if there really was a dog. (rimshot!)

To Sean Penn

S.T.F.U. Seriously. You're an idiot. And nobody gives a rat's butt what you think. As Laura Ingraham says, just shut up and sing.

Old Time Religion

You can't turn on a TV or a radio this week without being bombarded by Religion. Much of the talk, of course, has been sparked by the new Gibson movie, but this media spectacle has spilled over into many other areas: a special report on NBC "Dateline" tomorrow...preachers, pastors, rabbis on Fox News, MSNBC, and such...Jesus on the cover of magazines...the anti-gay lobbyists invoking religion into the current debate over marriage...

So at the risk of offending some of my regular readers, but perhaps providing a brief respite for others, a few links to enjoy...

Positive Atheism; Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers; The Atheism Web; Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Heathen Handbook; The Brights; BeliefNet: Atheism; Heresy House; American Atheists; and some humor via The Onion: God Diagnosed With Bi-Polar Disorder

Enjoy!

Blog Is Blog

I don't know how I missed this site for so long...who says we Objectivists (like me!) don't have a sense of humor? Heh. Poke around the whole site; lots of interesting stuff. Even postcards! But the really fun part is the Ayn Rand Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval:

"How often has the following happened to you: You're out for a drive, enjoying your brand-new car complete with a new stereo, GPS unit, halogen headlights, and stealth bra for minimizing the radar shadow...and suddenly the gas tank reads more than full? Or maybe you're trying to clean out your fridge with a bucket of soapy water...and you look down to find the bucket turning itself inside-out? And what about buying a VCR, taking it home and trying to program the clock...only to find that the time is displayed in Roman numerals...and it's going backwards?

There's only one solution for all of these problems: rationality. And there's only one sign that rationality can be found inside: The Ayn Rand Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval! You'll never worry again about idiotic design flaws caused by weak-sister liberals trying to avoid the evidence of their senses. Non-causality in your household products will be a thing of the past. And you'll know that every A is A!"

Jesse "The Pinhead" Ventura

Via CableNewser: A story about former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, which includes this choice tidbit:

His weekend show on MSNBC was canceled in part, he suspects, because he is adamantly opposed to the Iraq war and unafraid to say things that mainstream media consider over the top, like why don't the Bush daughters enlist if their father is so gung-ho for war. (emphasis mine - Dave)

Um...how about because they are independent beings, who may or may not agree with their father, with the war, etc. They have no obligation to join up, and should not be criticized for not doing so. Nor should President Bush be criticized for his daughters' apparent decision to forgo military service. Military service is honorable, but not required. If someone does not opt to serve in the military, it can't be considered a character flaw in & of itself.

Fish In A Barrel

Today's Friday Five is, I'm sure, a nod to Friday the Thirteenth.

1. Are you superstitious? No.

2. What extremes have you heard of someone going to in the name of superstition? Idiots who label the 13th floor of a building the "14th" story.

3. Believer or not, what's your favorite superstition? Huh? Don't believe - no "favorite."

4. Do you believe in luck? If yes, do you have a lucky number/article of clothing/ritual? No. "Luck" is only coincidence dressed up in hindsight.

5. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not? No. Because it's false and not true. It's no different than religion or "faith." But there is at least one interesting thing about astrology -- the signs of the zodiac are pretty cool. After all, I'm a Scorpio, and scorpions are just plain *cool.*

Slim & None...

...and Slim just left town. TL Hines, a fellow Montana-based blogger, is about to launch "The Dark Horse Dialogues." He will be conducting interviews with at least ten (10!) Presidential candidates that have almost no chance of winning. I caught a few minutes on C-SPAN several weeks ago of the "Lesser-Known Candidates Forum," wherein several journalists asked questions of people such as Millie Howard and Robert Linell. There are plenty of other Presidential wannabes, including Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Prohibitionists, and plenty more. Hey, if politics aren't educational or even beneficial to our nation, they can at least be wildly entertaining, right?

99 Years

Ninety-nine years ago, Alisa Rosenbaum was born in Russia. She grew up to become Ayn Rand, novelist-philosopher. Quite an amazing life that she lived - intellectual, controversial, sexual, political, and more. As most of you know, I largely subscribe to the philosophy that she described: Objectivism.

I first attempted reading "Atlas Shrugged" in November, 1982, while a junior in high school. The back cover of the book spoke of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world...and being something of a sci-fi junkie, I took that quite literally, and wondered how this story would unfold. Would it be akin to "Journey To The Center Of The Earth," with the hero traveling into the earth's innards and finding some sort of literal mechanism to stop the world from rotating? After about six or seven chapters, I was somewhat disappointed as I realized that it was not "science fiction" proper; still, I sensed that there was something intriguing about the writing. So I turned to "The Fountainhead" and devoured it within hours. After finishing it, I went back to Atlas and was, unironically, a true believer. (Not a Randroid, mind you -- an Objectivist - and there are lots of us!).

(tip o' the link to Mark for reminding me)

Screeching

Catching a few minutes of the Dem debate on FNC -- is it my imagination, or does Wesley Clark look about 10 years older than he did a few days ago? Heh...I think he's bragging about having the support of Michael Moore. Which is, in fact, far more embarrassing than Dean's "Yeeaaahh!" the other night. About which: in context, it truly was nothing more than a spirited attempt to rally the supporters...and I actually did feel just a wee bit sorry for him, knowing immediately that all but the hardcore Dean crowd would leap on it...but it sounded so nuts, and so over-the-top, that I'm starting to think that he really does deserve the resulting ridicule. I mean, I've given speeches where I've said (in hindsight) things that sounded sorta corny, or attempted some "rallying" cries that didn't turn out as planned - voice cracks, hit an unplanned high-note...but I wasn't a candidate for the Presidency of the most powerful nation on earth. In THAT context, it seems rather scary...I don't think that I'd want any President - of any party - to let loose with a screech like that. Anyway...the remixes really are hilarious, and of course, worthy of debate. (Thanks, Michele, for pointing me to the remix page!)

Axis of Good

My favorite part of the State of The Union address the other night:

"Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized. This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands, Norway, El Salvador and the 17 other countries that have committed troops to Iraq."

Who's Your Prez?

Found via Jeff Jarvis, a semi-amusing Presidential preference quiz. Jeff is correct, of course, that quizzes such as this are meaningless...after all, if you need the results of this quiz to determine which Presidential candidate is best "aligned" with your ideals, well...maybe you probably shouldn't be voting anyway.

And, as JJ points out, there is one section of the quiz that pairs "Education/Crime" as primary issues, while holding that "The Economy/The Environment" are also inextricably linked. While both contentions are open to debate, it is almost certain most people do NOT rate Education as high as Crime on their list of priorities, and most people do NOT rate The Economy as high as The Environment -- or vice-versa, in either case.

And something strange about the results: I indicated that Military Service is preferable - not mandatory - in my Presidential candidate, and according to the quiz, the candidate that is best aligned with my ideals turns out to be George Bush. But the results indicate that he did not serve in the military -- which is patently untrue. WTF? I understand that some people have questioned his service -- how he got in, his quick admission to flight school, etc -- but it's simply not possible to state (with a straight face or without sneering) that President Bush never served in the military.

The Organization Man

Wasn't Howard Dean the "organized" candidate? His internet-based "organization" (blog, MeetUps, etc) was supposed to revolutionize the campaign and sweep him into office, wasn't it? And isn't the Iowa Caucus process all about who has the best "organization," as opposed to New Hampshire, which is more about appeal & popularity? So how to explain this? Oh, right...it's the other guys' fault. Sure.

Casting Call

We've all played the game before, but Raymond has elevated it to a whole new level - he's cast nearly every character in the book! The game, of course, is "Who should play Galt/Dagny/Frisco/Hank/etc" in any "Atlas Shrugged" movie. Some thoughts: despite Rand's description, I've always pictured Dagny as having black hair. And for cryin' out loud - please, please, please don't let Julia Roberts have *any* role in this movie.

But I digress. I can see Harrison Ford doing a passable Hank Rearden, but I'm stumped on Francisco. And for some reason, I keep seeing Samuel Jackson in the role of Ragnar - it would work, trust me. I really like Raymond's choice for the role of the Cigarette Store man - very poetic. Keep reading to see some of his other choices...

Jennifer Garner as Dagny Taggart; James Caviziel as James Taggart; Jake Busey as Eddie Willers; Andy Garcia as Francisco d'Anconia; Eric Close as John Galt * ; Dolph Lundgren as Ragnar Danneskjold; Dennis Quaid as Hank Rearden; Randy Quaid as Phillip Rearden; Bruce Willis as Paul Larkin

Go see Raymond's entire list for yourself and try to get some visuals in your head...interesting, yes? And if you're wondering who Rand herself saw portraying her creations, here you go. Hit-n-Run got in on the action, too.

Oh, and while Googling for some background on this entry, I found an interesting picture that someone (Christin Ranger?) drew, depicting Dagny surrounded by some "secondhanders" (?), while Galt's silhouette appears in front of a train. I think.

* The only modern-day actor that I can see portraying John Galt is Eric Close, of "Now & Again" fame. I suggested it to Raymond, and he agreed with me -- what do you think?

In His Own Words

I found an interview that U.S. Medicine conducted with George W. Bush - very interesting. Take a look at George Bush's reply to the question: "Do you think the government is handling bioterrorism defense properly? Should physicians, hospitals and other medical personnel be more involved?"

"One of my primary goals in rebuilding the military is to build America’s defenses on the troubled frontiers of technology and terror. The protection of America itself will assume a high priority in a new century. Once a strategic afterthought, homeland defense has become an urgent duty. Add to the threat of biological, chemical and nuclear terrorism – now we must overcome barbarism emboldened by technology. These types of weapons can be delivered, not just by ballistic missiles, but by everything from airplanes to cruise missiles, from shipping containers to suitcases. And consider the prospect of information warfare, in which hacker terrorists may try to disrupt finance, communication, transportation and public health systems.

Our first line of defense is a simple message: Every group or nation must know, if they sponsor such attacks, our response will be devastating. At the earliest possible date, my administration will deploy anti-ballistic missile systems, both theater and national, to guard against attack and blackmail. We will defend the American homeland by strengthening our intelligence community – focusing on human intelligence and the early detection of terrorist operations both here and abroad. And when direct threats to America are discovered, I know that the best defense can be a strong and swift offense – including the use of Special Operations Forces and long-range strike capabilities."

(emphasis added)

The date on the article is September, 2000. People who claim that President Bush was somehow "transformed" on 9/11 probably don't realize that Bush was tough and determined long before that tragic day, and understood "the big picture" that links bioterrorism, homeland defense, and the need for a strong military and equally strong response to any attack.

And by comparison, here is how Al Gore responded to the same question.

Welcome, Right-Wingers!

Just noticed that I'm at the Top O' The List on the Right Wing News "Daily News" sidebar...and am duly humbled. So if you're just surfing in from RWN, thanks for taking the time to visit; enjoy your stay! My site is much less political than RWN...my stuff tends much more towards the whimsical and pop-culture, but I assure you, my RW credentials are up to par...with some libertarian and Objectivist tendencies, of course.

John, very much appreciate the linkage. Happy Holidays!

Poor Tom

National Public Radio has a reputation for being rather "progressive" (read: left/liberal)...and in my view, it often is left-of-center, but not actively seeking to destroy Western civilization. But most people that listen to it for news are smart enough to identify "spin" and bias, and pull out only relevant facts as they are presented. Yesterday morning, however, while driving to work and listening to "Morning Edition," NPR broadcast an interview with Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, and I nearly...

...had to pull over to hurl...talk about fawning. Senator Daschle is "brave" and "optimistic" when tackling his foes - namely, the President and other non-Democrat Senators. Poor, poor Daschle hasn't been able to get projects through Congress, thanks to the heartless opposition...projects such as expanded welfare benefits, and forced increase of the minimum wage. Boo hoo. The slant of the interview was blatant, and I normally am willing to give the benefit of the doubt..but this kind of interview is exactly what stokes the fires and charges of "liberal media."

I Know It When I See It

If you enjoy the art of Bryan Larsen, you might be interested in the blog for his associated gallery, Quent Cordair Fine Art: Artist's Studio & Gallery News. It seems that different artists will "rotate" through the blog, offering insight into the creative process and their work.

If you're not familiar with the Cordair gallery...here's a stunning sample titled "Lunch Break."

Udderly Charitable

Found over at Allison's is an organization called Heifer International - how cute is that name?! It's a charitable organization that provides heifers (duh) and other livestock, along with training and education, to people and communities in need, thereby giving them a source of food and income. Nifty idea.

And - of course - I found this little picture of a duck kissing a cow to be absolutely, whimsically delightful. And it's not just heifers that are part of the program...they also use ducks, llamas, goats, bees (!), and other animals. If you're feeling charitable, you can donate money towards specific gifts - such as "Chicks: A Good Choice" for only $20. Here's a little more information about Heifer International...

"Heifer animals (and training in their care) offer hungry families around the world a way to feed themselves and become self-reliant. Children receive nutritious milk or eggs; families earn income for school, health care and better housing; communities go beyond meeting immediate needs to fulfilling dreams. Farmers learn sustainable, environmentally sound agricultural techniques." - About Heifer International

Seems like a worthy organization...and Heifer International isn't just a good cause, but it seems to be quite the efficient one as well, drawing high praise from Forbes:

"If you want to contribute to a charity that's among the nation's best in commitment, fundraising efficiency and donor dependency, Forbes 2004 Investment Guide says you'll be hard-pressed to find a worthier one than Heifer International..this annual special edition of Forbes magazine surveys 200 non-profits, and rates them on how efficiently they collect and distribute charity. But a new feature this year, a Gold-Star List of ten charities Forbes considers worthy of your attention, puts Heifer right at the top." - Forbes, Inc

Our Holiday Tree

I was raised in a Jewish home. By the age of 11, however, I realized that I was an atheist, and was the first boy in my family since Biblical times (according to my dad) to NOT have a bar-mitzvah. My siblings did, and profited handsomely...although one recently "found Jesus" and the other is a practicing Catholic. Go figure. Anyway...my faith (or lack thereof) has never wavered. So, being raised Jewish, but living an atheist life...what on earth is my house doing with a holiday tree?

They're pretty. 'Nuff said. Of course, ours doesn't have any angels, or mangers, or such religious decorations. We just really love the tree, decorated with festive colors, pop-culture ornaments, and pretty lights.

(make crazy signal with finger circling head)

Hoo boy...found via Michele is a link to an endorsement of Dennis Kucinich by...by...well, you'll have to see it to believe it...

Here's the whole sordid, pathetic, nauseating story...

Well, at least it's a cute picture (the one above, with the wolf and cat).

Now, if Kucinich had been endorsed by SHEEP, well...that's a different matter entirely.

The Good With The Bad

(via Hit-n-Run) "Thirty Five Heroes of Freedom" is the title of an article that celebrates the 35th anniversary of Reason magazine. Some choices are "duh" obvious; others a bit more obscure; and some are just WTF?! A sampling of the selections, along with my comments...

First of all, kudos to the Blogger King himself, Evan Williams, for being named to the list. Arguably the youngest (in spirit, and probably age) to make the list, Evan did more than anyone (not alone, but more than anyone nonetheless) to popularize the sport of blogging.

Ted Turner: Justifiable, in my opinion, for turning "the news" into something beyond simply a 5:30 national broadcast, and making people (here and abroad) realize that "news" is not just an abstract thing on TV -- it's real-life that has an impact everywhere. Best line of the article, BTW: "...the socialist idiot savant created the 24-hour news cycle..." Similarly, Brian Lamb (of C-SPAN) is also on the list; less justifiable than Turner, perhaps, but worthy of inclusion for essentially providing a CNN for American politics.

Dennis Rodman: WTF?!

Madonna: WTF?!

Ayn Rand: One of the "duh" entries, natch.

Jeff Bezos: An excellent choice. He has succeeded - barely, at times - and will eventually be vindicated for believing in what he was (and has been) doing. He brought e-commerce to the world, for all practical purposes. I hope he is honored on American currency someday.

John Ashcroft: Heh. He's on the list, for sure...but not as an example of "freedom." His placement is due to his "unifying" of disparate types (libs, conservs, hippies, yuppies, etc) who believe that he is trampling human rights, shredding the Constitution, etc. Yawn.

Larry Flynt: Um...okay. We'll allow it. Not happily, but we'll allow it.

Barry Goldwater: AuH2O. 'Nuff said.

Go read the entire article, and see which ones you agree with - or leave you screaming at your monitor.

Amen

Dean has posted an entry about atheism/god/religion that almost feels as if it came out of my own brain. The comments (over 100 at this point) are quite interesting; some are preachy, others thoughtful, most are sincere, and some are harsh. All worth reading.

Worrisome

I don't believe that Hillary Clinton will run for President in 2004, despite some commentators' considerations. But it occurred to me, watching C-SPAN coverage of yesterday's "Jefferson/Jackson" dinner, that there is a remote possibility of her accepting the VP slot from whoever emerges as the Democratic Presidential candidate. It would (in the eyes of Dems) "broaden" the tickets' appeal, and position her for '08 and beyond. Anyone care to tell me that this scenario won't happen? Please?

More From McGruder

Last month, we were treated to the spectacle of Aaron McGruder (creator of the inane "Boondocks" comic strip) denouncing National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and suggesting that she just needed a man in order to temper her destructive ways. Now he's simply calling her an outright murderer. What's scary (or sad) is that there are people who believe McGruder is somehow wise, knowledgeable, or worth respecting. (via Stephen)

Signage

Well, since everyone else is having fun with the Church Sign-O-Matic, figured I'd give it my best shot...

Courtesy of A Boy and His Computer - thanks!

Vive Le Difference

This post over at Michele's got me to wondering what the difference is between "masculine" and "feminine." Several years ago, I recall, an acquaintance posited the theory that the essence of "masculine" is wanting to hold someone closely, while the essence of "feminine" is wanting to be held closely. Thoughts...?

The Halloween Post

As many of you know, Halloween is my 2nd favorite "holiday" (surpassed only by Independence Day, without which we may not have the freedom to celebrate *any* holidays). Every year, there is some commotion about how "evil" it is, or how "wrong" it is for kids to dress up as witches and Hulks and fairy princesses. Pay no attention to those who proclaim it to be bad: Halloween, as practiced in 21st century America, is nothing more (or less) than a nationwide costume party, wherein people of all ages and creeds can rummage through their imaginations, sample pop culture, and apply their creative skills to come up with costumes, parties, and treats designed solely to entertain. I enjoy the sight of young tricksters who flock to the doorstep on this magical evening, reveling in their creativity and costumes, eager & proud to show off their allegiance to Spiderman, Ariel the Mermaid, Harry Potter, fluffy bunnies or cute baby pumpkins, or some other creation. Such joy! And as my Halloween gift to you, gentle readers, I present an article to use in defense of Halloween against those who proclaim it to be "evil," or otherwise sponsored or endorsed by Lucifer himself.

Boondock Buffoonery

I think that Aaron McGruder, the creator of the "comic strip" called "The Boondocks," is an idiot. I've seen him several times on C-SPAN/Book TV and on Maher's show, and he's a flaming conspiro-racist-leftie-wacko. But I heard on FNC "Media Watch" tonight that one of his recent strips was deleted by none other than the WaPo. The strip in question accuses Condoleezza Rice of essentially wanting to destroy the world. Huh? Not funny, not true, and hardly a surprising accusation, coming from McGruder. Why would WaPo - and only WaPo - choose not to run it?

Some quotes from a McGruder interview:

- And they hate our way of life because they hate freedom, and they hate the fact that we have freely elected officials. This is what the president said. Well, he wasn't elected!

- And what happened here is what allowed those (9-11) attacks to take place. The intelligence community failed. Security failed. The military failed. Everybody failed at the same time. I can be really nice to them and say, "You guys really messed up and need to check yourself." Or I could be not nice and say, "You know, I don't think it's really probable that all the systems can fail at the same time, which means something far more insidious took place." People are really afraid to get into that...history does teach us that the government has done things like that before, particularly with Pearl Harbor, where there's an overwhelming amount of evidence that [FDR] was aware of it and lured the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor.

- Come on, Bush is a moron. There is no doubt about it.

- We have to confront the very scary fact that the president is a moron. He's really dumb.

- I tell you what, I visited Canada, and I liked it. I liked it a lot. This idea that there's no better place in the world to live, I don't buy that. The reality is this: Me, I'm comfortable. I make a lot of money. So I can say, America is OK, up until the point that the LAPD pulls me over and knocks out some teeth on some bullshit. That happens enough to black men that it's a legitimate concern for me.

davidmsc blogged

"But you're a profoundly religious man, Mr. davidmsc—in your own way. I can see that in your blog." (ref)

See? Who says we Objectivists don't have a sense of humor...?

Speaking of humor - anyone seen what Joan Jett looks like lately? Whoa. But I appreciate that she is taking time to show support for the Air Force. She just looks...(winces)...ouch. Her "jett"-black hair way back when fit her perfectly; this cropped blonde look is just strange.

If you're not familiar with "The Fountainhead," this link might help.

Ultimate Power

Steven Den Beste is, of course, right about just about everything, but he really goes into high-gear on the subject of the California recall, and how the lessons of same apply to the United States as a whole. I'm not normally one to simply say Go Read This (commandments such as that are usually best left to the Professionals) but in this case - Go Read This.

Here's a snippet of Den Beste's wisdom:

"There has been much concern by some in Europe and elsewhere about the unprecedented power of the US government, and how since the end of the Cold War there was no longer any other power on the planet capable of truly opposing the US government and balancing it, to help control it. Efforts by the Europeans to try to impose limits on the US, via treaties or claims about "international law" or by presuming an obligation to "allies" or through claims about the UN have largely failed.

And it's true that internationally there is no power which can coercively control US policy. The US walked away from the UN and fought a war in Iraq over vocal objections from many of the governments of the world. The US refuses to ratify the Kyoto accord or to submit itself to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. It has steadfastly refused to yield power over the reconstruction of Iraq. And no amount of scowling aimed at it, or expressions of disapproval from elsewhere, has helped. Every attempt to force the US government to yield to the will of others elsewhere has been as effective as BB's fired at a tank. It's easy to see why that worries them.

But they're wrong about one thing. There is a power on this planet greater than the hyperpuissance, one that it respects and obeys. The government which can ignore any foreign power on the planet, and sometimes even dismisses them contemptuously, submits itself regularly to the only force on the planet which is even more powerful: the American people."*

* emphasis mine

October Surprise(s)

First came the "revelation" that Arnold was something of a frat-boy and did some groping. Next day: Arnold allegedly expressed admiration for the leadership qualities of Hitler. Hm. Two "October Surprises" in as many days, with less than a week to go before the election. Both stories are literally decades old. Timing is everything, eh?

Any bets that the weekend will produce new "news" that Arnold is personally responsible for (insert bad thing here)...?

And speaking of large, predatory mammals attacking smaller ones...wasn't Roy being attacked by a tiger just a matter of time? But then, I would have bet that Siegfried would be the one to be mauled. Hope they're both OK, though.

CA Debate Summary

The Weekly Standard has a great summary of the California gubernatorial debate, critiquing each of the five participants. The best line from the essay: "Frat boys who chugged every time (Arianna Huffington) mentioned the evil 'Boooosh Admeeneestration' passed out around the 30-minute mark."

Much Ado About Calling

All of the blather about the "Do Not Call" registry! Such outrage, that a judge would try to stop or delay the implementation of such a Righteous Thing! It MUST be a Righteous Thing, this Do Not Call list, since 50 million citizens signed up for it, and Congress, in a blind rush to appease the people, overwhelmingly passed legislation supporting the FTC's position. Oh, the anger, the consternation, the...the...utter foolishness. Come on, people...are we all such babies that we can't simply (a) use Caller ID and not answer when telemarketers call, or (b) simply HANG UP on them? Or best of all: have some fun at the telemarketer's expense. Really...do we need a freakin' LAW for this? My mother used to say, when I was ranting about some perceived unfairness in elementary or middle school, that I shouldn't make a "federal case" out of it. Right on, Mom. Folks, isn't there anything more important, proper, or urgent for your tax money to be spent on?

Do you *really* want to pay the salary of a group of administrative officials whose sole job will be to create, maintain, and monitor this Do Not Call (DNC...hmmm...) database, and whose greatest joy in life will be to capture and punish any telemarketer who dares dial your number? Of course I understand the need for government; bureacracy is not always a bad word. The courts, the police, the military, some welfare programs, and the like -- sure, that's all well and good. But an agency/office/department devoted solely to preventing salespeople from calling you on the telephone...I just don't get it.

And it occurred to me this morning that the Law Of Unintended Consequences may have an interesting twist...in that the large majority of people who have signed up for the DNC are probably under the age of 65. Plausible, yes? Given that so many of the registrants signed up on-line, and the younger people are more likely to use the internet, I think that senior citizens are probably the least likely demographic to have signed up for the DNC. If that's true, then the telemarketers will be forced to make even more calls and apply even more "pressure" to the much smaller number of homes that have NOT signed up for the DNC - in other words, seniors. Resulting, possibly, in many more "Dateline NBC" sob stories about senior citizens being bilked out of their life savings by a telemarketer who "pressured" them into buying a lifetime supply of Turtle Wax, or time-share condos, or some such.

UPDATE: Fuze has some similar thoughts about the DNC registry.

"Wes won't get my vote"

Via Drudge: Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Hugh Shelton (retired), was asked what he thought of the presidential candidacy of retired Army General Wesley Clark. His response:

"I've known Wes for a long time. I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe early (was asked to retire) had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I'm not going to say whether I'm a Republican or a Democrat. I'll just say Wes won't get my vote."

Very interesting. And on a side note, you may recall that General Shelton was partially paralyzed after tumbling off of a ladder shortly after he retired; according to the linked article, he is now nearly back to 100% mobility, walking, etc.

* More info here and over at Stryker's. What happened over there can be interpreted in several ways.

The Wesley Problem

One thing that has bothered many Star Trek (particularly TNG) fans over the years is the character of Wesley, also known as WWDN. Wil Wheaton has evolved into quite a blogger, actually. But I've read a few stories about "The Wesley Problem" - namely, groups of people at Sci-Fi/Trek conventions and on message boards who debated whether or not the character of Wesley should be boiled in oil, jettisoned from the ship, forced to bunk with a Horta, or suffer some such horrible fate. I'm not sure why the character aroused such anger. Anyway, in light of current events, here is MY perception of "The Wesley Problem"...

Just to be sure that you understand how I feel about General Clark: I am *not* a supporter. His military background is what many consider to be admirable (in the eyes of some, but certainly not all), but his environmental and fiscal/tax policies are too "progressive" for me.

And that's just for starters.

9/11: Remember

Read this.

- Gail Wynand, "The Fountainhead" // This will be a difficult week. Be strong.

I had to draft a speech that will be delivered at the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony that we will conduct here at Malmstrom Air Force Base on Thursday. It will be read to an audience largely of Air Force personnel.

The events of September 11, 2001 are forever burned in our collective memory. The initial curiosity of a wayward plane striking a skyscraper…the growing horror as another plane struck the second tower…and then shock, disbelief, and heartbreak as the Pentagon was attacked and reports of more planes being hijacked continued to pour in. At the end of that day, more than 3,000 people were dead, thousands were injured, and two of our national landmarks and symbols of America’s strength lay either wholly or partially in ruin. Many Americans, both military and civilian, who watched these scenes unfold echoed the thoughts of author Ayn Rand who once wrote that, “…if a war came to threaten this, I would like to throw myself into space, over the city, and protect these buildings with my body."

The act of terrorism that was intended to defeat the American spirit backfired…within hours of the tragedy, American flags were flying around the country, and indeed around the world as other nations stood tall with us. From the highest buildings to our own neighborhoods, and adorning cars and store windows…American resolve and patriotism was more alive and vibrant than it had been in years.

Since that day, America has embarked on a course of finding and bringing to justice those who would harm our nation. Under the leadership of President Bush, Secretary Rumsfeld, and General Myers, the nation’s armed forces launched a “Global War On Terrorism” designed to eradicate terrorists and those who support them, and to make the world safer for freedom-loving people everywhere. The Air Force and Team Malmstrom have both been critical in supporting these operations.

Operation NOBLE EAGLE: designed to provide for homeland defense and civil support missions. The Air Force role in NOBLE EAGLE has included more than 29,000 fighter, tanker and airborne early warning sorties since September of 2001.

Operation ENDURING FREEDOM: launched to destroy terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, the capture of al Qaeda and Taliban leaders, and the elimination of terrorist activities in Afghanistan. In addition, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM provided humanitarian and relief aid to the long-oppressed Afghan people. The Air Force team has flown more than 86,000 sorties in support of OEF, and more than 2.2 million humanitarian aid packages have been delivered.

Operation IRAQI FREEDOM: designed to remove the brutal Iraqi regime from power, disarm Iraq of any weapons of mass destruction, and assist the Iraqi people in the transition to liberty. To date, 38 of the 55 “Most Wanted” have been captured or killed, and the rest will no doubt be accounted for soon. The Air Force has flown more than 40,000 sorties, and our space-based capabilities give our warfighters the winning edge every facet of warfare: navigation, timing, warnings, communications, and intelligence.

In each of these operations, Team Malmstrom has been proud to offer up the finest Airmen in the world. All Air Force units in the Malmstrom community, including the 341st Space Wing, the 819th Red Horse Squadron, and the 120th Air National Guard, have participated in the Global War On Terrorism, either directly, by deploying and serving in hot, dusty, remote areas of the globe; or by maintaining and defending the homeland right here in Montana. Security forces, civil engineers, medics, communications, commanders, public affairs…Malmstrom has made its’ mark in every Operation.

Everyone gathered here today should be very proud of the Airmen standing here, and all of the others that they represent: they are America’s finest, choosing to stand bravely in the struggle to keep America strong and free. The voluntary service of these heroes, and their brothers and sisters of the other Armed Forces, is one of the true linchpins of our society. Every American can take comfort knowing that we stand ready at all times to defend our nation from any threat. To the families of those who serve, we also offer gratitude; your support of America’s defenders is noble and good.

I would like to close by quoting former Senator Fred Thompson, who was able to sum up two of America’s most cherished values in one sentence: “Without the brave, there would be no land of the free.” I think that describes the entire Team Malmstrom community: Bravery and Freedom.

The events of September 11th will never be forgotten. In many ways, the American experience was changed forever. Our society will never again be quite as innocent as it was such a short time ago, but rest assured that the nation now has proven that it has the resolve and the strength to defeat terrorism and any other threats to our freedom. America is stronger today than it was in the days preceding 9/11…and our nation is relatively young…so it is clear that the best is yet to come for America.

I would like to thank Susanna (of Cut on The Bias) for reminding me of Senator Thompson's quote.

ALSO: the picture used in this post is from The Library of Congress.

And if you want a beautiful picture to hang on your wall with the Gail Wynand quote (from top of post) on it, go here.

Clark Bar

General Wesley Clark for President? Still too early to know whether he will throw his hat in the ring, but I can virtually guarantee that I won't be voting for him. Sure, a respectable military record is great, but there's lots more to serving as President than having a "war record" or being a veteran. My dad sent me an e-mail link to the Draft Wesley Clark site, encouraging me to "sign up," but it ain't gonna happen. I assume that some of my regular readers can figure out from a few of General Clark's "On The Issues" statements why he won't get my vote (or my money). Hmmmm...maybe we can get Al Haig to run - if I'm going to vote for a four-star general, he's "in control" of my vote. Heh. But back to General Clark...here's the worst part:

Check out this quote:

"Secondly, the tax cuts weren’t fair. I mean, the people that need the money and deserve the money are the people who are paying less, not the people who are paying more."

Do you see it? Let's boil it down to the essential words: "The people that...DESERVE THE MONEY...are the people who are paying less (taxes)."

DESERVE THE MONEY? Any Objectivists out there want to Fisk this one sentence for me? I'm too nauseated.

Moral Defense

Found via Martin: A rational defense (from an atheist viewpoint) against the "Ten Commandments" from Harry Binswanger. An excerpt:

And from a more religious standpoint, here is a spirited argument by Christopher Hitchens against melding said commandments with our legal system. For instance, the claim that the commandments are the "basis" for our nation's founding, whether accurate or not, is largely irrelevant:

More: Dean is OK with the 10 Commandments, but he is also OK with, for instance, the Koran. But ultimately, why should we be putting statues up of *any* particular religion's creed? Not Christianity, not Islam, not Judaism, not Buddhism, not ANY of them.

But consider this: wouldn't it just be fine to put up statues and posters of The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution (and Bill of Rights)? As Americans, THESE are the documents that truly unite us all. Not religion, not less filling/tastes great, not atheism/theism, not Red State/Blue State, not anything else...it is our fundamental belief in the validity of our Founding Documents, and our choice to live with the documents as our law, that makes us all brothers and sisters.

Two Cents On Ten Commandments

This whole situation in Alabama is simultaneously the most inane, ridiculous thing I've seen in ages, and also the most enraging news story in quite some time. The protagonist (Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court) is an asshat, period. If he so desperately wants to display the ten commandments prominently, then he should put them up on his lawn. Or his church. If you want to display something meaningful to all Americans, then erect a monument that features the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. And while we're on the subject...

...many defenders of Justice Moore (and he, himself, on TV today) continue to highlight the fact that our Founding Fathers were deeply, profoundly religious; I have heard several times today that some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were required to pledge an oath to god and Jesus before they could assume their duties.

Hm. You know, that argument seems to me to exactly DIS-prove what the religionists want: if religion was so very important to the Founding Fathers, then why didn't they include it in their majestic document? Perhaps because they knew that religion and governance don't mix.

One of Justice Moore's quotes today: "The fight to defend our constitutional rights to acknowledge God must and will continue." Hey - nobody is trying to prevent you from acknowledging God -- but please don't do it on the government's dime.

And that part of the Declaration of Independentce that says that we are endowed by a Creator? Well, my "Creators" are my mother & father. And besides, the DoI is *not* The Law; the Constitution is.

Counting Down...

...until the first lawsuit is filed by someone, somewhere, over the Big Blackout Back East. Any bets on the plaintiff or the defendant of the first lawsuit?

Also counting down until voting begins in the Sexiest Female Blogger contest being conducted over at The Blog Of The Century Of The Week. Who are you going to vote for?

And, of course, counting down to the end of the work-week. W00T, Friday!

Please Forgive Me...

...but I just had to try it out, just once. It's not quite a masterpiece, but admit it: you've seen worse.

Which California Gubernatorial Candidate Are You?

See? I even took the quiz myself! I wouldn't ask you to do something that I hadn't tried...

You Are Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger! You will win
because you are popular!


Which California Gubernatorial Candidate Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Hit-n-Miss

I used to subscribe to Reason magazine (back in the 90s), and still occasionally peruse their article online, and *of course* I read Hit-n-Run every day. The primary reason that I abandoned direct sponsorship of Reason (by not renewing my subscription) is the drug issue. I understand the "Free Minds, Free Markets" concept, and I can appreciate that rational, grown adults might want to be free to ingest mind-altering substances into their body. What I can't condone, however, is Reason's near-hysterical defense of such drug use...it seems that every other page in every issue of the magazine was devoted to legalizing drugs...

It just seems as if Reason has gone (or always has been) over the edge, from simply defending drug use on philosophical grounds, to practically advocating it.

Having said that, there are still plenty of things that Reason espouses that I do agree with, and this article about the AmeriCorps "scandal" is one of them. The author debunks the myth that "AmeriCorps is being gutted!" In addition, he explains why AmeriCorps is not, in fact, such a good idea.

And then there are just plain silly (albeit sometimes humorous) articles like this one, which try to explain The Meaning Of Life in the 20th (or 21st) Century via three separate, yet apparently similar, modern stories: Lord of the Rings (zzzzzzz...never got past page 20), Star Wars (very good back in 1977, when I was 11), and Harry Potter (competent, but largely unimaginative). BTW, my opinion of each is in parentheses. Back to the Reason article...gosh, didja know that "Star Trek" also addressed present-day concerns about war, racism, and communism?! Wow - how very *topical*! Oh, but using a Clue-Club, like Trek did, made it "campy," but doing it without even really knowing it, like LOTR, Potter, and Star Wars, makes it somehow revealing, eh...?

Momentous Day

August 2, 1990: Iraq invades Kuwait. I remember that I was attending a learning seminar in downtown San Antonio with my boss and hearing about this. Amazing how much of an impact on the world this event has had. Anyone else remember where they were/what they were doing upon hearing of this?

To The Right...March!

You know the tall, leggy, conservative blonde lady on Fox News Channel? No, not her...I mean this one. Everybody is so eager to pronounce Ann Coulter a loon...many times I have seen her referred to as the "Michael Moore of the Right." Hmmm...I really should read her latest book and make up my own mind. Surely she can't be that out-of-bounds, can she?

If A Tree Falls...

If you download a song illegally, but DON'T listen to it, could the RIAA still go after you...?

In other news...currently reading "Deep Fathom" and enjoying it, and re-reading "Fool On The Hill" by Matt Ruff. I really enjoy the dialogue between the cat (Blackjack) and the dogs.

And I had a celebrity sighting today - one of the Oak Ridge Boys...you know, the tall one with the long beard. They're in town for the Montana State Fair, played tonight, and are staying at the Hampton Inn 1/2 mile from my house. Two big tour buses with the ORB pictures on them, sporting the "Red, White, and Blublocker Tour!" logo. The ORB that I saw was just standing near the bus this afternoon, getting ready to perform, I suppose. The only ORB song that I know is "Elvira" from - what - 20 years ago? The lyrics that we teens substituted back then were pretty...uh...bad.

Grandstanding

Most of you have heard about John Gilmore, the asshat who got booted from a plane for wearing a button that claimed "Suspected Terrorist." Now, you know that I'm a staunch defender of free speech - it's fundamental to our success as a nation, and integral to so many of our other rights. In this case, however, Gilmore wasn't promoting or defending free speech as much as he was simply being an inconsiderate clown...

...trying to drum up support for his cause. A worthy cause, perhaps, but still...if he feels that strongly about it, maybe he should try running for elected office, or organizing political campaigns, etc. And sure - the airlines aren't perfect...but the bottom line is that the pilot is Lord God King on a passenger plane, and if he wasn't comfortable with Gilmore's button and/or stunt, more power to 'em. If the pilot was truly out of line, then the airline would take appropriate disciplinary action. Don't forget - some of the rules regarding commercial flight are mandated by law, but in the end, the airlines are *not* the government, and they have a right to enforce certain laws, guidelines, and standards. An analogy, which I first posted over at Michele's: I invite a new friend over to my house for a BBQ with other friends and family. He arrives, and is wearing a "Bin Laden Was Right" button. Do I have the right to ask the man to remove the pin, or else leave my house? Damn right.

Good Stuff

If you've ever visited Reductio Ad Absurdum, you know that it's a great politi-blog. If you haven't been there yet, you really should. Always something good to read.

And *happy Friday* to everyone!

Best. Document. Ever.

The Constitution of the United States of America.

A Lot of Candles (227)!

Happy Birthday, America!

Oh, look - here's a copy of your birth certificate!

Here's some of what I wrote last year:

By the way, as we were grilling the steaks & burgers last year, we decided that the heavenly aroma of beef grilling on the BBQ should henceforth be known as "the smell of freedom."

ADDED: And what could be better on this day than watching the greatest musical ever made, "Singin' In The Rain"? Pure joy. Gene Kelly: Best Showman Ever - song, dance, act, handsome, athletic, etc. Donald O'Connor: No funnier sidekick than Cosmo. Jean Hagen: Shoulda won an Oscar. Debbie Reynolds: Incredible performance, and only 20 years old. Millard Mitchell as R.F. - perfectly cast.

And now back to our subject of the day...

Text courtesy of Thomas.

Action of Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America

WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great- Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.

HE has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.

HE has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

HE has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People, unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyrants only.

HE has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures.

HE has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his Invasions on the Rights of the People.

HE has refused for a long Time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of the Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and the Convulsions within.

HE has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

HE has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

HE has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and the Amount and Payment of their Salaries.

HE has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their Substance.

HE has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our Legislatures.

HE has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

HE has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

FOR quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us;

FOR protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

FOR cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:

FOR imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

FOR depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:

FOR transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences:

FOR abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries, so as to render it at once an Example and fit Instrument for introducing the same absolute Rules into these Colonies:

FOR taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

FOR suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever.

HE has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

HE has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.

HE is, at this Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation.

HE has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

HE has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.

IN every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.

NOR have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of Attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our Connections and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and of Consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace, Friends.

WE, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in GENERAL CONGRESS, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

John Hancock.
GEORGIA, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, Geo. Walton.
NORTH-CAROLINA, Wm. Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn.
SOUTH-CAROLINA, Edward Rutledge, Thos Heyward, junr., Thomas Lynch, junr., Arthur Middleton.
MARYLAND, Samuel Chase, Wm. Paca, Thos. Stone, Charles Carroll, of Carrollton.
VIRGINIA, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Ths. Jefferson, Benja. Harrison, Thos. Nelson, jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton.
PENNSYLVANIA, Robt. Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benja. Franklin, John Morton, Geo. Clymer, Jas. Smith, Geo. Taylor, James Wilson, Geo. Ross.
DELAWARE, Caesar Rodney, Geo. Read.
NEW-YORK, Wm. Floyd, Phil. Livingston, Frank Lewis, Lewis Morris.
NEW-JERSEY, Richd. Stockton, Jno. Witherspoon, Fras. Hopkinson, John Hart, Abra. Clark.
NEW-HAMPSHIRE, Josiah Bartlett, Wm. Whipple, Matthew Thornton.
MASSACHUSETTS-BAY, Saml. Adams, John Adams, Robt. Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry.
RHODE-ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE, C. Step. Hopkins, William Ellery.
CONNECTICUT, Roger Sherman, Saml. Huntington, Wm. Williams, Oliver Wolcott.

In The News: Liberia

Liberia is very much in the news lately, so to anyone who came late to this party, here's a few info-nuggets about the country. It is roughly the size of the state of Tennessee and has a population of approximately 3.3 million (compared to TN pop of 5.7M)...

The nation was founded originally as a settlement for freed American slaves - from the Wikipedia:

"Liberia, which means "Land of the Free", was founded by freed slaves from the United States in 1820. These freed slaves, called Americo-Liberians, first arrived in Liberia and established a settlement in Christopolis, now Monrovia (named after U.S. President James Monroe), on February 6, 1820. This group of 86 immigrants formed the nucleus of the settler population of what became known as the Republic of Liberia."

Some other interesing sites about Liberia: Requiem For Liberia, the Liberian Connection, Friends of Liberia, and Liberian News. And although some people find the name "Liberia" unappealing (in the comments), I think it's cool.

I'm a bit divided on whether or not we should "intervene" in Liberia, but looking at the situation logicall, rationally, with no sentimentality regarding the founding of the nation, I think that I vote "no."

Selective Fatigue Syndrome

Most of you know of the Blair Hornstine Project. Courtesy of The Weekly Standard, here's more to the story. My two cents: her "illness" sure is selective. Take a look at her non-school activities, and then try to reconcile her hectic, busy, and globe-trotting schedule and events with the claim that she suffers from some sort of "fatigue" syndrome.

Belief

Mark has managed to nicely summarize my thoughts on having friends who are religious; I'm sure my many religious friends feel the same about me and other atheists -- namely, while we differ sharply on the issue, we merely regard each other's particular belief on this issue as wrong, and then get on with the business of being friends. I won't convince them, and they won't convince me. 'Nuff said. Here is some of what Mark said:

Belief in religion may have been excusable thousands of years ago as mankind first tried to make sense of the world. In the 21st century, it just betrays a lack of clear thinking. And no one has explained to me why this particular brand of irrationality should get a free pass....I have to add that none of the above means I regard all religious people as stupid. First of all, some people don't take their religion that seriously - it's more cultural than anything else. Others are predominantly sharp individuals who have for some reason compartmentalized religion as a logic-free zone.

Posted by davidmsc at 02:14 PM | Comments (20)

Liddy in 2008? Or Jenna in 2016?

An interesting factoid served up in the latest issue of Mental Floss magazine: if you are under the age of 48, then every single Presidential election that you have voted in contained at least one Bush or one Dole.

Taggart Trans-Mag-Lev-Continental

Ian Hamet has some thoughts about the proposed "Atlas Shrugged" movie/mini-series. He discusses the vexing issue of whether or not to set the film in the past, present, or future. The trains are the key concern here: modern audiences have little connection to the world inhabited by the characters of Atlas; few would deny that trains are as important to the economy now as they once were. Some have suggested that the Taggart industry needs to be something "high tech", such as internet-related, or perhaps replace trains with space-travel vehicles. Which leads to Ian's idea - the best idea that I've seen so far: project a few years into the future, where mag-lev high-speed trains criss-cross the country. I like it.

ALSO: Since some other cool people were posting songs for people to enjoy, here's my contribution: Oran "Juice" Jones - "I Saw You (Standing In The Rain)" Sample lyric: "You gotta get on outta here with that alley-cat-coat-wearing, punch-bucket-shoe-wearing crumbcake I saw you with...cause you dismissed!"

Truth in Labeling

The Noble Pundit has an entry about a proposed "Department of Peace." Actually, I had a thought about Cabinet-level names a few months ago...basically, I think that the Department of Defense should be renamed the Department of War, and the Department of Homeland Security should be renamed the Department of Defense. Actually, what Sgt Stryker said in the earlier comments was pretty cool, too: rename DoD the Legion of Doom!

"Morality Made Visible"

Delivered on Thursday. I opened it and unfurled it...and then felt a tremendous pain inside. Then a few tears. The Gail Wynand quote from "The Fountainhead" is something that has haunted me ever since that day.

Free The Media

If you want to encourage the FCC to remove the ban on the number of radio/TV stations & other media that one person/organization can own, click through to the FCC site and let your voice be heard. (via MeFi)

Now for the bad news: take a look at the moveon.org policy statement on the FCC issue:

"Congress and the FCC should stop media deregulation and work to make the media diverse, competitive, balanced, and fair."

Did you catch that? They want to MAKE the media more BALANCED, COMPETITIVE, and FAIR. In other words - compulsory fairness and mandatory balance. They don't even have the decency to see the contradiction of that statement. For instance, how do they propose that the FCC mandate "fairness?" Or "balance?" Who gets to decide what is fair? For that matter, what is the definition of "fair?" And "balanced" according to what scales? And of course, that bastion of the left: diversity. Diversity of what - ideology? race? gender? hair color? ethnicity? ...and so on.

You know what would be the perfect group of people to counter this moveon.org crowd? The Slutertarians. Let's match them - beat them - vote for vote, comment for comment. Take two minutes to register your opinion (select the third item, titled "Broadcast Ownership - Docket 02-277").

Atlas Filmed (?)

Found over at Mark's place is a link to a Reuter's news release which claims that "Atlas Shrugged" may - MAY - soon be heading into production. If it ever sees the light of day, it should be interesting. I've asked before, and I'll ask again: who do you think might/could/should/would portray Hank, Dagny, Francisco, John, et al? Dave (not me) recently commented that Ann Coulter would be perfect for the role of Dagny. Hmmm...

ADDED: How about Eric Close as John Galt? Although there is a bit of "cheekiness" in his demeanor, he might be able to pull it off.

And you did know that there are annual essay contests for students on the subject of Rand's books, didn't you? Anthem, Fountainhead, and, of course, Atlas.

Better Living Through Winning

We have a winner! You may remember the "Ayn Rand's Chicken" contest from several weeks ago...and Don Watkins has been crowned the winner.

The question: Why did the (Objectivist) chicken cross the road? Don's answer: "Because lower animals, unlike man, have no choice but to act for their own benefit and crossing the road was necessitated by the facts of reality, that is, that which benefits chicken's life qua chicken."

The prize: the first-ever "Better Living Through Blogging" coffee mug! Not to worry, dear readers...you, too, can obtain your very own hi-kwality BLTB coffee-mug. And talk about variety - there's one for the guys AND for the gals!

Truth be told, he wins for using the "chicken's life qua chicken" line. Speaking of which...there's more to this story. It turns out that I am not the first to inquire about the motivation of an Objectivist fowl traversing a paved expressway...I received an e-mail from Arthur Silber (of Light of Reason) pointing out that Chris Sciabarra, noted Rand scholar, first provided an answer to this question. He goes on to include some of the responses that he (Silber) received when he first inquired, too. Finally, there is the definitive answer from Ms Rand herself.

Political Statement

And speaking of politics, check out this insightful quote:

"Our Founders called the American system a "republic": a representative government limited by a constitution that protects the rights of the individual. Although the citizens of a republic vote for their leaders, voting is just a means to the end of protecting liberty. No matter what the people may wish their government to do, the Constitution is clear: Congress may pass no law that violates the rights of the individual. Such restrictions are codified in the Bill of Rights, the wall that protects our liberty from the whims of the majority."

Read the rest of this article over at Arther Silber's place.

I Don't Even Like Beer, Fer Cryin Out Loud

Sh*t. How on earth did this happen? I think that answering "brown" as my favorite color caused this screw-up. If they had listed beige/tan/sand as one of the choices, maybe I would have been something else...but noo-ooooo...I have to be...

Germany -
Despite a controversial recent history, it has had
a tough and powerful history. A modern-day
technological and cultural beacon, it is still
target to stereotypes and antiquited thoughts.


Positives:

Technologically Advanced.

Culturally Admired.

Global Power.


Negatives:

Target of Historical Fervor.

Constant Struggle.

Funny-Looking Ethnic Clothing.



Which Country of the World are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Found via Dave.

CONTEST

UPDATE to yesterday's entry: Can anyone think of an appropriate Ayn Rand-esque response to the question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"

A modest prize (for real) to the person who comes up with the best response (funniest and/or most appropriate). I will be the judge, although I will strongly consider "votes" from fellow bloggers. You can either enter this mini-contest via the comments, or email me at mscdavid AT hotmail.com. No fine print; just do your best and cross your fingers.

Which reminds me...I picked up "The Ideas of Ayn Rand" (by Robert Merrill) the other day...very interesting, and not too "heavy." Nice, simple-to-digest analysis of her writing.

We Get Letters

Coming soon: a new category! This one will be about "Letters To The Editor" of some of the major weekly & monthly magazines (Time, Newsweek, etc). The level of ignorance, stupidity, and sheer idiocy of some of these letters is both amazing and sickening. More: the decision of the editors of these magazines to *choose* to run such letters astounds me.

In other news: go visit the latest addition to my Bloggy Goodness links - Aaron Benson, aka GeckoBlue, discovered via GeoBlog. And if you're a classic-movie buff and appreciate Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, and other great stars from back in the day, here's a treat: Reel Classics. It's run by a movie-buff in Oklahoma City, which is a way cool in itself. Face it: Oklahoma is a pretty hip place. Charles, Joseph, Babs...looking in your direction...

TV: Gives So Much, Asks For So Little

These lousy SOBs can have my remote control when they pry it from my cold, dead hands. Update: what she said.

Sadly, they have infiltrated the schools...my daughter's 5th grade class can earn extra credit if they go all week without watching TV. I think it's time I visited the principal...should be interesting to see what sort of excuses or propaganda the school comes up with to justify telling my child that watching TV is "bad" or somehow needs to be curbed.

"God Bless Those Pagans"

Sometimes people ask me how Atheists celebrate Easter. We don't.

Unrelated: Andrea, this is for you. You made the right decision.

Memo From Spleenville

Andrea pens a nice (read:vicious & well-deserved) post about Chief F.L.O.P.* Michael Moore. Here's what I would like to see: Moore filming a new "documenatary" in the style of his first flick-tion, only this time titled "Me & Saddam."

* Fat Loud Obnoxious Person

Freedom: It's What's For Dinner!

Iraqis celebrate their freedom. It's almost tear-worthy...I am so happy for the Iraqis. Troubled times ahead? Sure...but there are no guarantees in this world, and at least now the Iraqi people will be able, to a much larger degree, determine their own destiny and fulfill their dreams, without fear of winding up in one of Saddam's torture chambers or caskets. By the way...this picture immediately sparked the memory of the term "Rope-A-Dope." Heh.

By the way...is it just me, or do you believe that the anti-war protestors should be (in theory) lining up to lead relief and humanitarian aid efforts in Iraq? What do you think the odds are that Janeane Garofalo and Sean Penn will be landing in Baghdad anytime soon to help feed & clothe the Iraqis? And shouldn't Jimmy Carter be boarding a jet plane right, armed with plywood, hammers, and nails, in order to build houses for the Iraqis? My bet: no. They'll leave the heavy lifting to the United States military. :-) Fine by me.

Also, I'm enjoying a few days off...so by Monday, I should look something like this. I love not shaving!

Homefront

Keep The Home Fires Burning is a great site to show support for the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and others who are serving the United States during wartime. Well done.

Sick, Sick, Sick

The Command Post linked an outrageous story about a Columbia University professor named Nicholas DeGenova; this "teacher" was quoted as saying:

"The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military. I personally would like to see a million Mogadishus." The audience, while silent at this remark, later applauded when De Genova said, "If we really believe that this war is criminal ... then we have to believe in the victory of the Iraqi people and the defeat of the U.S. war machine."

Corroborating evidence found here and here. Would you be surprised to learn that De Genova is also anti-Israel? Back in April he stated that, "The heritage of the victims of the Holocaust belongs to the Palestinian people. The state of Israel has no claim to the heritage of the Holocaust."

You, gentle reader, have several options. You can, of course, ignore his claptrap and hatred. Or, you can do something that may be a bit juvenile, but may help a bit: go rate the Professor at "RateMyProfessor.com" -- you probably know what kind of "grades" to give him (current ratings here). You can contact him directly, too, at or phone 212-854-0199. I don't recommend obscenity or rants...rather, just point out to him in a clear, calm manner exactly why you disagree with him. Follow that up with an e-mail, snail-mail, or phone call to Columbia University.

Bastard. If he despises America so much, then why does he stay here? And calling those who defeat (read:kill) American troops "heroes?" What the fuck kind of lunacy is this? How did this piece of filth ever become so twisted - let alone a tenured professor?!

Mad props to the Lone Wacko for ideas and links!

Mad Missus Max: The Fisking

He's baaaack...tanned, rested, and ready to give Wanda Baucus, wife of Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), a much-needed Fisking. GO, CRAIG, GO!

Howard Roark Blogged.

Several months ago, Joshua Zader compiled a list of bloggers who are either outright Objectivists, or at least had Objectivist tendencies...trust me, these are some pretty good reads and worth at least a glance by both of my regular readers. Joshua even took the extra step of buying the domain to point to his page: http://objectivistbloggers.com/. In case you're wondering about the name of Joshua's blog (Mudita), it apparently means, "Mudita is a Pali word that means 'sympathetic joy' or 'happiness at another's success in life'." Good stuff, Joshua (and thanks for including me)!

Montana Max

Found this nugget via Andrea, and since Craig, who is eminently more qualified to comment, isn't available today (he's recharging his Anti-Idiotarian batteries), and since I've lived in Montana just long enough to qualify as a non-Californian (!):

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) won big in the last election, assisted partly by both a strong H'wood push and what many thought to be an anti-gay smear campaign against his opponent; said opponent's inability to "judo" this unfair attack to his advantage was also criticized. But I wonder if Max will be able to withstand the criticism caused by his wife's words about Operation Iraqi Freedom...

Max's wife, Wanda Baucus, expounds on her thoughts about the war:

"I don't think we have any business being in a preemptive war against Iraq," she said. "Anytime you drop bombs, there are going to be a lot of innocent people hurt. A billion Muslims all over the world are in pain to see their brothers losing their homes and their families losing the stability of their civilization."

She added: "Baghdad is where the beginning of civilization occurred, literally where the wheel was invented, where the very first city was built, where writing began, and it has a very deep and profoundly beautiful history -- which we should never take lightly, no matter who the existing president is."

Even if it's Saddam? "I think he is very proud of the history of his country. I think it's we Americans who don't know the facts about what anthropologists call 'the cradle of civilization.' When we watch the bombing on television, we really don't seem to understand or appreciate that some of these places are sacred. . . . I disagree with those who say that Saddam Hussein doesn't think about this. He cares about these places and their people."

She continued: "I don't think American lives are threatened by him. There is no evidence of weapons of mass destruction and we have no right to make a preemptive strike on another country and try to assassinate its leader. We have no right legally or morally. We are way out of line." (emphasis added)

Via WaPo.

Great Speech

President Bush hit all the marks and correctly stated the purpose, risks, and desired outcome in the coming war. He addressed Americans, allies, the Iraqi people, and of course the evil dictator and his brood. Kudos! However...listening to the speech on the radio while driving home from work, for some reason, one thing kept crossing my mind...Chief Charles Moose...so I kept expecting the President to say that we've got Saddam Hussein like..."a duck in a noose."

On a very serious note: my heartfelt best wishes to my fellow airman, soldiers, sailors, and Marines who are "in theatre." Some of them I know, most I don't, but we are all brothers and sisters, especially tonight. If I am not with them in fact, know that I am with them in spirit and standing ready here at home to do my part.

It's What's For Dinner

I did my part for the "Eat An Animal For PETA" event today...a Fuddrucker's 2/3-pound burger...mmmmmmm...as I tore into the beefy burger, I gave a silent thank-you to the cow that gave his all for my pleasure and health.

Change of Heart

Question: Do you know which Senator said, "I hope Saddam Hussein...clearly understand(s) the resolve and determination of this administration and this country...on this issue there can be no disunity. There can be no lack of cohesion. We stand united, Republicans and Democrats, determined to send as clear a message...as we can articulate: Saddam Hussein's actions will not be tolerated. His willingness to brutally attack Kurds...and abrogate U.N. resolutions is simply unacceptable. We intend to make that point clear with the use of force, with the use of legislative language, and with the use of other actions that the president and the Congress have at their disposal." (emphasis added)

Answer: Senator Tom Daschle. In 1998. My subscription to The Weekly Standard is one of the better investments I've made...the articles are almost always enlightening (and correct), the humor is sharp, and the back-page Parody is always spot-on. In the current issue, there is a fascinating article about how certain members of Congress have...um...moderated their opinion about the use of force against Saddam Hussein; the article examines attitudes of some Senators and Reps during the Clinton era and contrasts them with their attitudes now, during the Bush II era.

Truth in Advertising

Way back when, our military machine went by the broad term "Department of War." In the 1940s, however, and perhaps under cover of an early form of political correctness, it was renamed "Department of Defense." We also have a National Security Agency. In the post-9/11 world, it struck me as odd that we would need to create a new agency, the Department of Homeland Security, when we already have two agencies tasked with, well, protecting the homeland. The latest development in the continuing evolution of organizational shuffling is the move of the Coast Guard from Transportation to Homeland Security (betcha didn't know that the USCG was DOT, eh? Except in wartime, when it can be aligned under DoD), thereby giving DHS some firepower, both literally and figuratively. The bottom line: why don't we simply revert to calling DoD what it really is in this new environment: the Department of War. In a similar vein, let's label DHS what it really is: the Department of Defense. One organization for offense, and one for defense. Does this make sense, or have I simply not had enough coffee today...?

Crooooow!

What's this? A pro-war Sheryl Crow? Andrea has the scoop.

The LP on Iraq (Not the 33 RPM type)

Erica is, overall, one of the smartest folks I've run across in blog-land. This post proves it. If I had a "Required Reading" (RR) section on my site, her point-by-point refutation of the Libertarian Party's "no war in Iraq" policy would be today's RR. Here's a teaser:

"I used to be the press secretary for the Colorado branch of the Libertarian party. It was frustrating at best--I got to be the girl who went to the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News to ask for media coverage...Mostly I got laughed at--they seemed to think that the Libertarian party was a joke. And I'm beginning to agree."

Fight For Life

L.T. SMASH writes an open letter to Saddam Hussein. A sample: "They say you're trying to build nukes. We have some of those. Don't even think about it, unless you want to get into the glass business." Today's Must Read.

ALSO: From the Newsweek "My Turn" column: someone who "gets it." She understands that the rebuilding of the World Trade Center should be as follows: "My husband died at Ground Zero, but I’d rather the rebuilt site celebrate his life than focus on his death." Key words: Celebrate Life.

EXCERPT: "For me, the primary function of the new site must be the primary function of the old. The World Trade Center was a thriving business center; most of the men and women who were murdered on that Tuesday morning were simply going to work. Nothing would honor them more than a new generation of men and women going to work in an environment bustling with commerce. A renewed contribution to the city’s economy and the financial enterprises of the world would also deny those who hate us the satisfaction of seeing that place turned into a giant mausoleum."

Soft Target

Watching coverage of the anti-freedom (aka "anti-war") protesters on CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC, I can't help but think that terrorists are also watching, and that they are probably thinking what a deliciously large and ironic target these huge crowds are. Scary.

Which reminds me...so many of these protesters proclaim that Iraq hasn't "done anything" to the U.S., and the decry the imminent bloodshed, and wail and moan for the Iraqi (non-military) people...but as an analogy, consider this: let's say that I have a blood clot in my leg, and it could very simply break loose and travel to my heart, thus killing me. A surgeon could easily fix it: a couple of incisions, some cutting-n-pasting (so to speak), and voila: I'd be safe and in no further danger of that blood clot killing me. Sure, the actual operation might be a little messy, and I would likely suffer some short-term discomfort, perhaps even pain, but in the long run I would be fine. Now: do you suppose that the protesters would scream and wail about the surgeon inflicting pain on me during the operation? Yelling that there is no proof that the blood clot would ever break free and kill me? Screaming that the surgeon had no right to make the incisions, causing unnecessary pain and suffering?

Maybe a better analogy would be a cavity...and how it eventually leads to the need for a root canal...or perhaps I should have used a blocked intestine...or...well, you get the idea.

Word Play

Jacques Chirac. Remove the "CH" from his last name, and what does it sound like...? :-)

Eat The Rich

I can't claim that this is accurate, but it sounds about right...it's one of those e-mails that makes the rounds, similar to an urban legend, but concerning tax cuts. I'm posting it to see if anyone can attest to the accuracy, or poke holes in it...

"The Tax System and Tax cuts in terms that most people can understand."

Suppose that every day, ten men of various means go out for dinner. The bill for all ten men (@ $10 each) comes to $100. They decided to pay their bill in the same way we pay our taxes. The story went something like this:
The first four men-the poorest-would pay nothing;
The fifth would pay $1:
The sixth would pay $3;
The seventh $7;
The eighth $12;
The ninth $18.
The tenth man - the richest - would pay $59.

That's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement - until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." So now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So...

...So now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six-the paying customers?
How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his
"fair share?" The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they
subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth
man would end up being "paid" to eat their meal.

So the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
So now the fifth man paid nothing,
the sixth pitched in $2,
the seventh paid $5,
the eighth paid $9,
the ninth paid $12,
leaving the tenth man with a bill of $52 instead of his earlier $59.

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued
to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man.
He pointed to the tenth. "But he got $7!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar too. It's unfair that he got seven times more than me!" "That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $7 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" The nine men surrounded the tenth (wealthiest) man and beat him up. The next night tending to his injuries, the tenth man didn't show up for dinner. So, the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They were $52 short!

And that, boys and girls (and you journalists, and college professors)
is how cuts in the tax system works.

Honk For Peace

: :

Even little old Great Falls, Montana, population approx 70K, has some war protesters. More later.

ALSO: Regarding Josh Zader's site in the post below - folks, you have got to see this adorable picture of one of his cats.

Joshua Zader Laughed.

Joshua Zader has compiled a list of bloggers who are either outright Objectivists, or otherwise exhibit certain objectivist tendencies, including yrs. truly. Among the list: Mark Wickens, Tim Peck, Diana Hsieh, and everybody's favorite Norwegian blogger, Fredrik Norman. Nifty. Another thing to like about Mr. Zader: he has two cats.
And if you're wondering what "mudita" means, here is his definition: "Mudita is a Pali word that means 'sympathetic joy' or 'happiness at another's success in life'." Hmmm...so it's the opposite of what Homer felt when Flanders failed. Sorry...couldn't resist a Simpsons reference, since I'm wearing my Homer-as-"Crumbface" t-shirt.

Kurt Who?

What Kurt Vonnegut said in this very brief interview would be laughable, were it not so ridiculously stupid. But wait - that's not even the scary part. Start reading the comments section - whoa. There are some bona-fide nutjobs in this crowd. As far as my estimation of Vonnegut as a writer...well, I tried reading "Cat's Cradle" about eight or ten years ago, and gave up after page six...it was just incomprehensible drivel.

Here's a sample of one of the comments on the interview; it's in response to someone who (properly) decried Vonnegut's socialism:

"Do you even know what socialism is? It's about the working people owning the means of producing what we need to live, and not having to earn the right to live by selling our labor to the clique that owns everything. It's about the profit motive being secondary to the interests of the people. It's about citizen control of business and trade in the public interest. But I suppose your indoctrination as a 'capitalist' makes you 'just know' that having the richest five-percent of the population own eighty-some percent of the world's resources is, like, a really good thing, just because, huh?"

I'll leave it to better writers to properly savage this entire piece.

REAL Reality TV

The State Of The Union address that I wish President Bush would give: *

"My fellow Americans...instead of a traditional speech, I'd like to present to you something slightly different...first, I'd like you all to read an essay over at this nifty little website called 'Eject, Eject, Eject." This essay pretty much covers everything that I wanted to say tonight, but this Bill fellow is pretty good with words. Now, having got that out of the way, I'd like to move on to something that...well, let me just describe it to you. You know all of them there 'human shields' that have gone to Iraq to oppose this war? Well, how's this for an idea...let's play a little game called 'Survivor: Iraq.' Ya see, them folks over at CBS have this neat little game show that they call 'Reality TV', and this Survivor idea is where the contestants have to prove that they can outlast the other players. So, first we'd see how these human shields can survive on the streets of Baghdad without any passport, identification, or money. Should be interesting to see how well they do with the Iraqi secret police, or the fundamentalist clerics, or the Republican Guard. Next, once the bombing starts - and make no mistake, it will start, and it will be quite a sight - we'll see how well these folks can dodge smart-bombs, and evade incoming Tomahawk missiles, and dodge ground fire from the United States Marine Corps. On top of that, they'll have to do their best to protect themselves from the poison gas that Saddam's troops are likely to use. Tricky stuff, those chemical agents. Then, when the bombing stops, we'll see how well these human shields can compete with native Iraqis for food, shelter, and clothing. That's my idea - it's probably going to be a ratings blockbuster, driving up ad revenue, putting a little pep in the economy, don't you think?"

* I'm only half-joking.

Read This Now

One of the best essays that I've ever read. If you haven't already, go read it now.

In other news...well, literally, in other "news." I will say this once, with no disrespect for the Peterson or Rocha family, but rather for the benefit of the media and the media-gawkers who feast on the bloated carcass of this type of event: The Laci Peterson disappearance is NOT news. Same with the whole Jon-Benet thing, and other "crime-news" stuff. IT IS NOT "NEWS." It might be news in the immediate community where it occurred, but it shouldn't be the lede story on every "Connie Chung" and "Larry King Live" crap-fest.

Finally, we must add the expression "slower than a herd of turtles" to the List of Phrases That Make David Laugh Out Loud.

(rolls eyes)

Sheesh...just watched this guy named Ken on "Fox & Friends" -- stark, raving lunacy, no doubt about it. Here's his website: UKSociety.org. If you need either (a) some good laughs, or (b) severe nausea, take a look around his site. I'll leave the fisking to the professionals.

Politics As Sports

If you don't read Scrappleface daily, you're missing out on some of the best, satirical, most pointed humor available. The evidence: The Super Bowl via the University of Michigan's Admission Policy. Definitely a keeper, this Scrappleface fellow...

ALSO: Saw some of A&E "Biography" yesterday on the topic of Bill O'Reilly. While I agree with him often (but certainly not always), and really wish that he would quit bragging about his "humble" beginnings, it's easy to see why he has surpassed Larry King in the ratings: Larry King is about the guests...good guests=good ratings. Bill O'Reilly is about Bill O'Reilly. Nobody really gives a rat's patootie what Larry King thinks about anything; people only tune in to his show if a particular person is the guest. People tune in to Bill O'Reilly because they want to hear HIS take on the day's events, and see him square off against whoever happens to be on his show. It's not even fair to put King and O'Reilly in the same genre.

ONE MORE THING: Just got an e-mail from a fellow Desert High School classmate; she set up a domain & website for all DHS alumni - way cool, junior. Note to co-worker Mark C: you've gotta check out this site - go register!

Everyone else: go place your bad self right here and let me know where in the world you are. This is where I am.

Source Data

Doing random surfing the other day...using the Globe of Blogs...and came across Meg's page, where she writes, "Maybe it can all be reversed if the general public discovers G.W. was involved in the WTC… " I posted a simple comment, just so that she is aware that there are people who DON'T believe in wack-job conspiracy theories such as this: "The thought of any American president conspiring or otherwise participating in a horror such as 9/11 is 100% ludicrous. Methinks your tinfoil hat needs adjusting." Her response: "sorry to break it to you david, but it's a war strategy. it's happened before... remember world war II?"
She then links to her source for this shocking news: an article in the American Free Press. Well, what the heck...I jumped right in to this hitherto-unknown news source, hoping that it would reveal new things to me, and enlighten me about important events that The Media was consipiring to keep hidden. Heh.
From the ABOUT page: "Well, let us explain the philosophy. First off, we strongly believe that the problem is mainly the media; that the media is corrupt, being controlled, and it is not only not doing its job but actually invigorating the destructive and disintegrative forces in our national life." But wait...there's more. What AFP is trying to alert us to and protect us from is, in fact, nothing short of...well, you probably guessed by now: The New World Order. What does the NWO mean for America? "The NWO means unimaginable riches and power for the plutocrats but poverty and slavery for the rest of us." Uh-huh. What else? "It means the end of our European heritage and culture, and will bring with it chaos, anarchy and dislocation on an unimaginable scale." Whoa...the end of our European heritage?! That sounds suspiciously like code for "white." And who, exactly, is behind this NWO takeover of America? "You may wonder why it is that the manipulating bankers behind the scenes cannot see this. The reason is they equate life with money, and money is their life. Money is literally all they know. They deal with money and interest and financial finagling all day. They produce nothing." Bankers to blame...? Hmmm...code for "Jews?" And, finally, AFP lists even more reasons to be afraid: "Kids can't pray in school even as the taxpayers offer huge sums to the theocratic state of Israel. The Boy Scouts are scheduled for the guillotine because they don't want perverts to be scoutmasters and want to restrict membership to normal boys."
The bottom line? Meg, if you're trying to convince me (and others) that President Bush was involved in 9/11, and using President Roosevelt's "knowledge" of Pearl Harbor to claim precedent, maybe you should try to find & cite some better-credentialed sources.

Journeys With....Gump?

HBO is showing "Journeys With George" right now. It's a behind-the-scenes documentary of candidate George W. Bush, created by the daughter of newly-elected House minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Bush is quite engaging; contrary to his critics vehement belief that he is ignorant or otherwise lacking, he is seen as perceptive, engaging, and sincere, with a very direct and simple humorous side. HBO is showing "Forest Gump" immediately following this program...are they trying to insinuate something...?

NEW: Go visit the Belligerent Bunny Blog...quite interesting...lots of bunny-pix, natch, but also some keen analysis and descriptions of one of my childhood faves, "Space:1999." Reading her post, I was also reminded of a show called "U.F.O." which took place in 1980 (!) and featured some groovy spaceships, great fashions, and a killer opening theme. Go see Anna and let her know you stopped by.