Pushing Back the Frontiers of Ignorance

The Moral Dangers of Non-Lethal Weapons

2012-02-11T13:28:00.001-06:00

A really fascinating TED Talk by Stephen Coleman exploring the use of non-lethal arms by police forces, and in turn what we should expect if their usage is increased in military occupations.

Erstwhile Playthings

2012-01-31T08:41:00.002-06:00

"The park ranger encountered Gary Hesterberg with his two small dogs Sunday afternoon at Rancho Corral de Tierra, which was recently incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said Howard Levitt, a spokesman for the park service.

Hesterberg, who said he didn't have identification with him, allegedly gave the ranger a false name, Levitt said.

The ranger, who wasn't identified, asked Hesterberg to remain at the scene, Levitt said. He tried several times to leave, and finally the ranger "pursued him a little bit and she did deploy her" electric-shock weapon, Levitt said. "That did stop him."
...
Rancho Corral de Tierra has long been an off-leash walking spot for local dog owners. In December, the area became part of the national park system, which requires that all dogs be on a leash, Levitt said."
SF Gate

Two ways to look at this story, and I think one of them is appropriate.

1. It is good that the Park Ranger had a taser to use on this miscreant, otherwise he may have died from gunfire.

2. When did it become appropriate for Park Rangers to taser peaceful park inhabitants?

In light of option one, is walking a dog off a leash, and according to the circumstances described in the article, causing no commotion a crime worthy of gunfire?

In light of option two, will we reach the point again in the future where it is inappropriate for park rangers to taser peaceful people?

These instruments are not toys. I remember when these were initially introduced to the public through local police departments, it was claimed that they were for use only in situations where a firearm would normally be used. Over the past 4 years, the taser has evolved into another tool one that can be exercised by an officer in situations where a firearm would be inappropriate. Like other tools in the police arsenal, it has the potential to be used well, or to be abused. While I am not claiming all such uses are inappropriate, there is a startling array of cases where they are used in a manner that seems completely out of line with the situation. (See, University of Florida (Don't tase me bro! & Chicago
Oakland's sitting baseball fan, Pittsburgh's tasering and beating at a Pirates game, Pennsylvania man tasered fighting his own house fire.)

Part of the problem lies with the accountability of officers for the use of the weapons. For example, in Illinois there is no review process or record of a situation in which a taser is used. The opposite is true with firearms. This dichotomy obviously is the root of the taser's evolution, from a 'non-lethal' alternative to gun fire to a device for the application of extreme force for routine encounters. Tasers are not toys, and their use should not be taken lightly. In that regard, I applaud my hometown of Keller for eschewing their use and showing restraint in moving forward with the application of this new 'non-lethal' device.

Returning to the other coast, the most telling statement from the Park Department:

"The ranger was trying to educate residents of the rule, Levitt said."

Because we all know education by force is the reason for state parks.

A Slice of Formerly American Pie

2011-12-20T21:46:00.001-06:00

Full Video

Pensacola Digest summarizes this nicely:

"At last night’s meeting, Monk told the council they had no right to dictate the content of their speech, and suggested that they instead examine any actions by the city that would prompt such comparisons.

“As Americans, we have the right to redress our government without fear of being arrested,” he said. “Whether or not they’re connecting dots from Hitler to George Wallace to Barney … you should be asking, ‘well what are we doing that’s allowing people to connect those dots?’ It was a sick and gross abuse of power.”

Council President Hall interrupted Monk at that point. “Your time is up, sit down,” he said.

“No, I have a minute and 12 seconds left,” Monk said, looking at the timer at the speaker’s lectern.

“I’m ruling you out of order,” Hall said.

When Monk refused to leave, noting that he had not violated any rules of conduct, Hall asked Police Chief Simmons and two other uniformed police officers in attendance to remove him. He refused to budge until his allotted time was up, after which he was escorted from council chambers by the officers.

During the standoff, council members Sherri Myers and John Jerralds stood up and left their seats in protest."

This man, Father Nathan Monk, is at this point in time one of the greatest American's I've seen. Occupy Wall Street crowd, please note there are bedrock principles this man stands for, rather then just flailing wildly against forces left without understanding.

This man, at this instance in time, is an American Hero.

Accuracy in Polling

2011-12-02T15:07:00.000-06:00

Newt Gingrich

2011-11-30T22:15:00.002-06:00

This ad from the Ron Paul Campaign deftly sums up the past decade of Newt Gingrich:

Full Link

Power of the State

2011-11-22T12:45:00.000-06:00

Fundamentally, the only authority the state can muster stems from fear and force. This is an example of both, as students who are sitting on the sidewalk at a UC Davis campus are pepper sprayed for not moving.

After the first officer (UC Davis Campus Police Lt. John Pike) begins, other officers begin threatening the surrounding crowd to allow the pepper spraying to continue. When the initiating officer empties his canister of spray, he motions and a second officer comes up to finish the job. Which he does.

Full Link

This is not the deviant work of a single officer, but an large and powerful body of police working in cohesion to achieve the desired outcome, which was to displace protesters who harmed no one and caused no destruction. The means to do so is the raw use of force, which is the last resort of state authority.

2 Quicks

2011-11-14T22:53:00.002-06:00

For the OWS crowd:

And for everyone ever thrust into a conversation involving the lies that say a baby is a mass of unliving tissue, this extraordinary TED talk from December 2010 by Alexander Tsiaras, a mathetician / artist, author of The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman: The Marvel of the Human Body, Revealed. This is titled Conception to Birth, Visualized. (Warning, graphic in the Anatomy textbook sort of way)

Married

2011-10-09T16:39:00.000-05:00

I am now a married man, as of September 16 2011.
I don't know how you married guys keep the blogging up, I've been able to do zip since the wedding.

But this stellar post from the always interesting In Shredz blog had no logical response except to require a re-blog.

To quote Gino:
"I see. If you are a rancher or lifelong hunter who's fighting cancer and chemotherapy you are an existential felon under federal law.

But, if you are a drug cartel from Mexico, the Feds will sell you lot of military style weapons.

Glad I got that cleared up."

Household Budget

2011-09-12T22:14:00.002-05:00

It's For Stopping Terrorists, Right?

2011-09-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

As is well known, the Patriot Act put into law by the Bush Justice Department and a US congress eager to do something about terrorists after 9/11.

Among other controversies, the ability for the Justice department to break-and-enter for the purposes of evidence collection is significant. Under the pretense of fighting terrorists, the Bush administration took the foundations of the is republican government and running it through a paper shredder. By accepting it as law, the wardens at the gates of the constitution have permitted egregious violations of civil liberties.

But we have to stop the terrorists, right?
If you have nothing to hide, why does it bother you if the FBI is stopping terrorists?
Terrorists are everywhere, and we need these expanded violations of civil liberty to secure our other freedoms.
Right?

Here's the data of 2008-2009, (H/t Jesse Walker) a mere two years of the past decade. In cases involving evidence searching without a warrant, terrorists seem to be an afterthought.

In a sense, the aftershocks of 9/11 are felt most keenly in such examples. Vivid and repulsive. Damning of our choices and troubling in our minds. Wide in scope and devastating in magnitude. Actions not only upon a slippery slope of tyranny, but actively swimming in the mire of Orwell's future.

Red Meat

2011-09-02T14:26:00.000-05:00

h/t Cato

If You Outlaw Lemonade, Then Only Outlaws Will Have Lemonade

2011-08-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

Lemonade Freedom: "Meg Mclain, Kathryn Dill and Will Duffield were arrested yesterday for selling LEMONADE in Washington, DC"

(H/T Mark Perry)

Ron Paul & The World

2011-08-19T06:55:00.000-05:00

I think straw polls at this stage are silly, but this clip by Jon Stewart on Ron Paul and The Invisible Man is worth watching.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Good job showcasing multiple media outlets ignoring Ron Paul in the Ames straw poll.
"How did libertarian Ron Paul become hotel floor 13?"

Republican friends, please notice FOX News is just as guilty of trying to shape this election by altering the republican landscape as anyone else in the media.

In other news with the Ron Paul campaign, there is a good Washington Times profile of the campaign. Gone are the eccentric fife and drum corps and angry rancorous roving bands of people have matured over the past 2 years. The Tea parties that have swept the nation, the seeds of that began to germinate with the Paul campaign in 08, and are beginning to flourish. Do not make the mistake of counting this campaign out.
He may have to run 3rd party, but there may be enough steam to force the issue and have a 3rd party candidate.

Looting

2011-08-15T07:05:00.000-05:00

H/t blog.Mises.org

Bin Laden Assassination Shenanigans Continue

2011-08-11T09:11:00.002-05:00

The Chinook helicopter that was shot down over the weekend in Afghanistan? It should come as no surprise that it is only a small part of what is likely a much larger cover-up.

Questions have arisen since the inception of this story of the American Execution. The neighbors and family in the house questioning government accounts. Rapidly dumping the body at sea before testing or confirmation of individual identity, only to be told later by the intelligence agencies that it was confirmed. (We can trust that because we know they would never lie to people.)

Here is a new twist on the story, but for context there needs to be an understanding of the past.
2005, a Seal team of 4 is sent into the pashtun area of Afghanistan, huntin down Taliban leader Ahmed Shad. They are sent without air support, proper intelligence, and no provision for back up. When they are discovered by a goat herder who sounds the alarm, they are subsequently attacked by the local Taliban forces. Three are killed within the hour. Marcus Luttrell is the lone survivor (Excellent book written by Marcus), and is befriended by local tribesmen until he returns to health. Marcus is able to return to his navy brethren and his praying family. This is a mildly well known story, although it deserves to be known more for the sheer determination and dedication of these men.
What is seldom discussed in it is the response of the local special forces, who upon hearing the distress calls loaded up on a chopper and flew out to their aid. As they arrived on the scene and began to unload, the chopper and all 16 passengers were all destroyed by a Rocket Propelled Grenade, aka RPG. (I am not a military person, and as such, this retelling is inherently deficient in the terminology. Bear with this blogger.) At the time, it was the single most destructive day for the Navy SEALs on record, and it rocked the military community.

Lessons were learned, we were told. That would not happen again, we have been told.

Fast forward til 2011, where an even worse event came to pass. This is the single largest wartime loss of SEALs in operational history.
Over the weekend, a Chinook helicopter was shot down with 22 SEALs & 7 Afgan commandos on board, while flying out to answer the distress call of an Army Ranger team in the field. Once again, the aid helicopter was shot down by a simple RPG, with a single shot leaving over 32 casualties.

Tragic in it's own right, but down right damning when an additional fact is considered. You won't read this else where, it is buried at the end of stories discussing the event. Reuters:

"But several officials have said there is a reluctance to release the names because many were SEALs, and they worry their families will be targeted. Most of the SEALs were from the same team that killed Osama bin Laden in May, although none of those killed participated in that raid, senior defense officials said."

Even military personnel are questioning the sequence of events. Why was it a Vietnam era helicopter being flown? Why was their only one craft? Why was there more then 5 fully functional SEAL teams aboard a single craft? Why was it flown by regular army troops, and not army aviators?

Who issued the orders for the mission?
Is the death of the remainders of SEAL Team 6 in this manner merely another tragedy of the longest war?
The team most intimately involved with the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, killed in a manner which is already a known to be deadly to Special Forces, only a coincidence?

Where there is smoke, there is fire, and the smoke is billowing from this operation.
I do not know the details of what is happening here, only that we need to remember that all is not as it would seem on the nightly news.

My honest suspicion is that these deaths are part of a cover-up, and that some of this nations finest have been sacrificed in the name of image keeping.

Comfortable With My Call

2011-08-10T21:10:00.001-05:00

My prediction that Clinton, not Obama, will be taking the Democrat Presidential nomination and Palin/Perry will be the Republican ticket continue to look correct:

MJ Perry's Carpe Diem:

Politico is reporting Perry will make his intentions clear saturday, and we all know that making announcements like that means he will be running. Otherwise, make the silly statement in texas.

Clinton is also gaining steam as the Daily Beast reports on her groundswell of support. (h/t Vox Populi)

Palin? She's taking her bus on a road trip again...
Oh.
To Iowa?
Where the Ames straw poll is?

But forget about all that. If you love liberty, you will be interested only in a Ron Paul victory. Forget the pundits and read the man himself, you will have no choice but to accept him as your only rational choice.

August Just Started

2011-08-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

"Damn the Sun! How long will it torment us?"
-Guglielmo Marconi, radio man.

While not strictly a comment on the Texas summer, it has a keen resemblance to the emotions of those of us living here.

This is my back porch. North side under the roof, in the shade all the livelong day. It tells no lies.

It's hot even for Texas, we're setting records for electricity usages. Increased population accounts for some, part is due to the paradox of thrift... the more efficient our consumption becomes, the more energy we will harness.

The Problem with Republicans

2011-07-27T15:32:00.000-05:00

Is the same as the problem with Democrats.

They spend my future children's money far to freely:

Cato-At-Liberty:

"However, the Boehner plan doesn’t actually cut spending at all. The chart shows the discretionary spending caps in the Boehner plan. Spending increases every year—from $1.043 trillion in 2012 to $1,234 trillion in 2021. (This category of spending excludes the costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan)." (Chart)

Remember this come elections, because neither side is interested in fixing the budget.

Review: Captain America

2011-07-26T20:25:00.000-05:00

TRAILER

Like most reviews, I feel it is appropriate to begin this one with my personal background going into this movie.

I like the Marvel comic book universe. I tend to eschew actually purchasing comic books, but I know the universe better then the average guy, and I love and understand many of the characters better then most people.

Spiderman, Ironman, Thor... I like'm. The Hulk? I like him a lot.

But Captain America? I love this character. All the character we ask from Superman, but the limits of humanity shackling him in the real world.

Because he is a character that originated in WWII, Captain America aka Steve Rogers can easily, and many times accurately, be viewed as a character of propaganda machinations. In the past, he probably was a shill for the US government.

Today? Not at all. After being recovered from a cyrogenic sleep that essentially hit pause on his life, Captain America returns to this world 80 years later. Steve Rogers is still the same man he was, but the world around him changed during his Rip Van Winkle period.

But that all comes later.

The movie is from way back then. from the days of yore.

This movie is spectacular. Performers who nailed their roles (looking at you, Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones). Screen writing that resonates and retains its comic book origins. Character development for Rogers that satisfies. Clean spoken and without a gratuitous female presence. A great intro, and even better ending to the film. (STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS)

What I was really pleased by was the levity with which this film takes itself. As opposed to the Sisyphean gravity born by the recent Batman movies, Captain America is rippling with levity. They have even addressed the past of this series, by incorporating the propaganda nature of the Captain as part of the growth process for Steve Rogers.
As pointed out by KnightWing: (who should also hence forth be known as knack-for-words)

"Captain America: The First Avenger harkens back to classic adventure films that are rarely—if ever—made today. It feels more Indiana Jones than Saving Private Ryan, to its credit."

To make it simple, I loved this movie and will be both keeping the poster up in the living room and buying the DVD.
7/10.

Harry Potter: The Series

2011-07-21T15:04:00.001-05:00

SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW.

Since 1997 with the initial novel 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', the saga of Harry Potter, 'The boy who lived' has dominated the landscape of children's fiction. Picking up critical mass with the release of the first movie in 2001, the series by JK Rowling has continued to grow in a way few things in popular culture will ever imitate. Originally for an audience of young-lings and proceeding to develop alongside them, it is going to have a cultural resonance well beyond a decade. This is a series that is deeply embedded in the fiber of a generation that is just beginning to storm the walls of this world. It will not be a departing from these United States in the identifiable future, so I feel it appropriate to devote some thought to pixels.

Summarized previously is my background with this series. Although an avid reader, and of the correct age group, I never did handle one of these books until the end of 2010. At that point I blitzed through the series through audiobook, enjoying enormously the broad scope and intricate weave set in place by Rowling. Although there are large hesitations regarding this series in the evangelical community, I am quite content to separate fiction from reality and believe that most people are capable of this as well. Those who cannot, well, they are not reading this blog anyways.

Watching the final movie this past week did unsettle something deep within me. My spirit stirred quite strongly against the futility that this fictional universe portrays. There is evil, and there is lesser evil, yet there tends to be very little good. The only characters that could be assumed to be completely good are Hermione Granger, Molly Weasely, and Lilly Potter.
Hermione we know well, because she is the smart one that knows how to do things and keeps the impetuousness of Harry and Ron in check, and it is her love for the two of them that drives her onward. Molly is a tertiary character who takes the roll of Harry's mother at times in the story, so we assume she is good because she loves her family. Lilly seems to be the real hero of the story, the one who died to save her son's life, and sowed the seeds for the dark lord's destruction.
The protagonists are deeply human individuals, with strengths and weaknesses and flaws and hopes. Harry himself seems to fight primarily from of a sense of jealously, revenge, or survival. There is no cause for which the 'good' characters strive, only a motley crew of lesser evils that we love against an array of great evils we hate.

Is this a sweeping generalization? Yes.
Is this an incorrect set of assertions? In quibbling over details, many of the muggle-nation will disagree with me. This is a nearly free country, they may do so.

Reflecting on the theme, there is one overriding constant dominating the series; death. I didn't put this together in my own mind until recently, but in doing some more reading about the author, I found this interview that confirms my thought: UK Telegraph interview:

""My books are largely about death. They open with the death of Harry's parents. There is Voldemort's obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any price, the goal of anyone with magic."I so understand why Voldemort wants to conquer death. We're all frightened of it." In the seventh and final Harry Potter book, there will be deaths of both goodies and baddies."

Voldemort's return to life and constant pursuit of immortality drives him onward. Harry is persistently returning to the death of his father and mother to fuel his inner fixations. Eventually, the death of Sirius and Dumbledore become persistent themes as well. There could be a consideration that love is the driving theme of this series, but it pales in the face of how frequently death is a motivator and monologue component of the series. The world is one of merely avoiding death as long as possible, for there is no hope for the triumph of good in the end.

On the whole, as a series, the over arching theme is this: 'These people we like and want to live, and we know these guys are bad, and we want them to die'. What is left unspoken is '...to die, so that others might replace them'. There is little that is striven for, yet much that is striven against.

To give an example, there is a terrific scene at the end of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers where Sam and Frodo are headed once more into the dark land. Yet instead of discussing what they are headed to destroy, they speak of what is behind that they seek to defend. A theme of what is being fought for is a constant in the enduring works of civilization. Those that present aimless and vapid themes are swept away over time.

What is most distressing about this franchise is the generation (MINE!) that it represents. The story that will define this generation is one that has no moral truth to teach, possesses no theme inspiring greatness, and presses the inevitability of fate upon the lives of men.
Harry Potter is not an underlying pestilence, but it is but a symptom of this generation. No surprise, a generation taught they are accidents of evolution set upon predetermined life paths, with nothing in the universe larger then oneself, would embrace such a story.

I enjoyed the story, but I remain uncomfortable with the ramifications of it.

(h/t to BikeBubba for a thought provoker)

Review: Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows Part 2

2011-07-20T21:52:00.000-05:00

My efforts continue to document the passage of American movies through the onward march of the summer month with my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. This movie marks the 8th of the series, which is rivaled only by The Lord of the Rings in the book-to-movie genre for it's extensive scope and long term dedication to the franchise.

TRAILER

I spent many years avoiding this series, battling past many friends in my attempts to remain ignorant in regards to this series. In 2008, I watched a handful of the early films but walked away unimpressed and with a few extra minutes of sleep by the conclusion of each movie. Roll around to 2010 as Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows came to the big screen, and I acquiesced to Jenny's request to see it with her. Leading up to that, we watched each of the movies in succession, again leaving me with additional moments of sleep and with a melancholic view of the series.

Enter HP7, which grabbed my attention and held it throughout. Finally, a film worthy of all the chatter surrounding this series.
Consequently, I make it a mission to read all 7 books prior to the July release of HP8. Audiobooks to the rescue, as I spent the subsequent 3 months listening to the book series in rapid succession. Rowling's development of the writing is a fun river to ride through, as is the development of the primary characters. Her writing is seldom approaching the greatness that the muggle-nation has imbued upon it. Rowling is no Steinbeck (to be fair, it is a novel clearly intended for a youthful audience)
If the primary point of a fictional yarn is to propel onward interest in the characters and their outcomes, it excels. An intricate and complex web of a story is woven that becomes increasingly epic, aided as it is by numerous flashbacks to help reset the setting of the story. This is the book series of Harry Potter.

The movies do a disservice to the universe, although I have a firm belief that this is not the fault of the production nor screen writing nor acting, but is a consequence of the novels themselves. This is not a series that lends itself neither quickly nor easily to the screen.

To describe HP8 I turn to analogy. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is like a two-day old re-heated tortilla, one which contains all the necessary ingredients structured in the proper fashion and containing a modicum of warmth and yet leaves only a sallow taste in the mouth after mastication. Reverting to the true colors of the film series with a severe disregard for maintaining a compelling pace, it takes a terrific crescendo of a conclusion penned in a book and serves it up stale.

The soundtrack is a treat. Visualizations of imaginary magic are both potent and intimate. The characters say all the right things most of the time. There is little to point out that is wrong with the movie, but it just failed to resonate with me nearly the entire time.
I am likely alone in this assessment and will likely remain so for a long time. That would not be unusual for this blogger.

5/10, The bestfriend will be sticking it on our DVD shelf for sure.

Presented Without Comment

2011-07-20T06:35:00.000-05:00

For none is required:

-XKCD #925

An Ode to IowaHawk

2011-07-19T13:07:00.001-05:00

My favorite twitter-er. IowaHawkBlog:

Example of why:

"You know who also talked about "shared sacrifice"? Aztec priests."
"#DebtDealPrayers Hail DC full of grace, our cash is with thee. Blessed art thou among spenders & blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Deficit "
Oh yeah? Let's see you explain to America why NPR is doing reruns #dontcallmybluff
I won't cheer for the US women's soccer team until they (a) stop discriminating against men, and (b) stop playing soccer.
#taxeuphemisms social justice contribution"

If you are on twitter, you are doing yourself a disservice by not following this man

Why Government Stimulus Does Not Work

2011-07-14T13:05:00.002-05:00

Because the money is spent like this:

Phil Greenspun is, among other things, a computer scientist at Harvard and a helicopter aviator. In the course of attempting to run a private helicopter charter service Phil has run headlong into the mire of federal entanglements: From his blog:

"Finally, the FAA inspector looked at my random drug testing program to make sure that everything was in place. I’m subject to the same drug testing requirements as United Airlines. I am the drug testing coordinator for our company, so I am responsible for scheduling drug tests and surprising employees when it is their turn to be tested. As it happens, I’m also the only “safety-sensitive employee” subject to drug testing, so basically I’m responsible for periodically surprising myself with a random drug test. As a supervisor, I need to take training so that I can recognize when an employee is on drugs. But I’m also the only employee, so really this is training so that I can figure out if I myself am on drugs. As an employee, I need to take a second training course so that I learn about all of the ways that my employer might surprise me with a random drug test and find out about drug use. But I’m also the employer so really I’m learning about how I might trap myself."

The anecdote goes on to tell of a call he receives within 10 minutes of this inspection from an entirely different branch of leaches, in order to begin an audit of his drug screening procedures.

Here's the point that you already know: Government does not have an incentive to do things in a manner that makes sense to people, because people look to derive profit from our endeavors. Bureaucracy seeks on to perpetuate the existence of itself, and in so doing, continues to prey parasitically on those who drive this organism onward.

How to fix the Debt

2011-07-13T13:58:00.002-05:00

Donate now!

"Thank you for your contribution which will be deposited to the account "Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt." Your contribution is accepted under the provisions of 31 U.S.C. 3113 which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to accept conditional gifts to the United States for the purpose of reducing the public debt. These donations are voluntary, and no goods, services, or other considerations are provided to the donors."

Thank you to the Treasury Department for presenting a positive solution to our deficit monstrosity.

I do find it amusing to donate towards the public debt by using a credit card. I fancy this is a uniquely American solution.

Unemployment Numbers

2011-07-11T04:11:00.000-05:00

Big news heading into the weekend, unemployment numbers at 9.2%!
Not so much. These are not your fathers government statistics.

John Wiliams of Shadow Government Statistics shows how we should really be counting the numbers:

Remember what they always told us about the great depression?

Unemployment near 25%?

The Keynesian failure has come full circle. I want that bailout back.

Review: Transformers 3

2011-07-08T09:37:00.002-05:00

After the once in a generation debacle that is called Transformers 2 (TF2), I was very wary about Transformers 3(TF3). The elation and joy I experienced with the first transformers was more then drowned out by the anguish of the awfulness of TF2. With the cajoling of Jenny, I went ahead and paid good money for the IMAX 3d version of TF3.

I want it back.
Not on account of the IMAX or the 3d, but because it was in no way even close to being a good movie.

Begin with the terrible scripting, in which line after line after line is delivered with the apparent purpose of making the audience wince. Mixed in are the attempts at humor and levity, relentless in its failure at generating a laugh from an audience who wanted this film to succeed.

Prior to seeing this film, I verbally rejoiced that Megan Fox would be absent from the screen. To whit, "It has to be better then the last one, there is no Megan Fox as a primary character!" The director, Michael Bay, succeeded in finding a single actress to make me desire to have Megan Fox back for her acting abilities. The new female lead, who's name I will not mention, has no acting ability aside from a stint with Victoria's Secret. Her involvement was to add a 'hottie' to the screen to create a love conflict with Sam Widwickity. She fails on both counts, even to the point of committing the greatest heresy in an action movie, serving as the focal point of camera work while giant robots have a throwdown in the background. Booo.

Speaking of Giant Robot Throwdowns, this movie excels in one way. Giant Sci-fi Robot throwdowns are not to be missed, especially ones between thousands of robots in what is possibly the most intricately epic cyber warfare on screen ever. Its majestic in scope and detail, for almost a full minute of mind blowing animation work.
Then the movie really starts, and with the exception of almost a collective 20 minutes of Giant Robot Throwdown, it is worthless.
Not even close to a good movie.

3/10, Which is more disappointing then Green Lantern. If it hadn't offended me with its underwear modeling and moments of pointlessness, it could achieve a 4/10.

Headline of the Day

2011-07-08T08:11:00.001-05:00

Headline of the morning:
"EPA Orders Texas to Cut Other States Pollution"

Review: Liberty Defined

2011-07-03T08:14:00.002-05:00

Ron Paul is officially the most thoughtful and articulate member of this cavalcade of presidential contenders. I can say that with an absolute certainty, a certainty born of hours of delightful research. Starting in 2008 with Revolution: A Manifesto, continuing in 2010 with End the Fed, and marching triumphantly into 2011 with Liberty Defined, Ron Paul has set himself apart from this contemporary batch of misanthropic animals of the political machine. In 2008, I was set against Ron Paul in the GOP primary for various reasons, mostly involving foreign policy. I was present at the 2008 farewell to the Texas Republican convention, and wrote the following while sitting less then 50 feet from the man.

"He’s done now… this is the strangest thing. He essentially just left his constituents without guidance, which I guess is how this entire campaign has been run. I don’t know what lasting developments will come from this, but it was an interesting experience."

My primary criticism of Paul in 2008 has come full circle. The loudest praise I can proclaim for Ron Paul is this: The man thinks, he leads, and the lives what he writes. This is not a failed candidate who passed into the sunset following a lost campaign, he is a man who has become the shining beacon of a growing movement, that transcends a mere political race.

Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues that Affect Our Freedom is really a collection of essays with a single objective: Defining an issue, showing the effects of the status quo, and offering a solution that is worthy of pursuit. Rather then playing games with politics and pandering to any group, Paul begins by assailing a sacred cow of the right and the left, Abortion. His solution is unlikely to make partisans on either side content, but it the man is a doctor who has delivered over 2000 children, and is far and away more experienced in his speaking then most of the current scene. Driving straight through Assassination, Inflation, Lobbying and Zionism, Paul never skirts away from a single issue. Clearly there will be room for disagreement. Just as clear is that there is much room for learning and thinking and considering every issue in a new light. The writing is simple and concise, wasting no time with bombastic extrapolation.

I read this as an audiobook. The narration does a good job conveying the thought and gravity of the script, better then Paul himself would have done. I don't know what the deal is with publishers and books about liberty needing music by that nefarious instrument that plagues right wing kitsch dealers, the fife.

Ron Paul collated gunpowder of ideas for fuel ideological fireworks of freedom. Those looking for what may be the last great prophet of liberty in this trouble nation should enjoy this while it lasts.

Audible (Get it for Free!)

The Revolution

End the Fed

Liberty Defined

Amazon Hardcover

-The Revolution (Changed my thoughts on US Narcotic policy)

-End the Fed (Radically shifted my perception of monetary policy)

-Liberty Defined

Makin Money!

2011-07-01T14:28:00.000-05:00

Re-posted in its entirety from an always fascinating Cafe Hayek: (Because I cannot improve on it)
"Planet Money uncovers the fact that the US government has been minting dollar coins that no one wants to use. We prefer paper. A billion dollars worth of the coins that nobody wants is sitting in Fed vaults. And more are on the way–we’re only up to Ulysses S. Grant.

Why is Congress continuing with the program? This story may help–Arizona is rich in copper and Tennessee has zinc. Wonder what the coins are made of. Probably mostly copper. So Arizona politicians think it’s a good idea. They’ve pushed for the dollar coin before. I suspect somebody made a deal to get someone else to get behind it in exchange for doing that person a favor…" - Russ Roberts

In Other News

2011-06-29T05:59:00.000-05:00

Coming in a fortnight late, is this announcement.
That hand on the bottom is mine, the one on top is the beautiful woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with.
Your prayers are appreciated.

Review: Super 8

2011-06-27T13:35:00.004-05:00

JJ Abrams has crafted a stellar piece of cinema with Super 8. (Trailer) To summarize loosely, it is about a group of kids making a movie over the summer. By virtue of filming next to a train as it wrecks, they become involved in a complex fabric of the Air Force, their fathers, and a town going it pieces through unexplained events.
That is a lousy summary. But only because this movie is so good I am choosing to not spoil any parts. As most of you know, the Super 8 part of the title is in reference to the film the children are using, and it is a wonderfully continuous component of the story. I am to young to have ever used a Super 8 film myself, but I know from seeing old videos that they do have a charm of their own.
A quiet and square charm, but a charm nonetheless.

In a summer movie season full of the sound and the fireworks of American (and now outsourced) special effects, Super 8 rings in with a deeply human story. Told through the eyes of a handful of children, it takes a firm hold on your attention and your heart and refuses to let go. Abrams spins complex weave of mystery and learning, despair and delight, anticipation with the unexpected. Every character in the film was a real person, to the point where I often forgot I was watching actors on a screen. Remarkable, and a testament to Abram's skill as a director that a movie can be carried so well by such an array of young actors.

It is a wonderful movie. 7/10

Review: Green Lantern

2011-06-26T09:40:00.000-05:00

The Trailer should have been the warning I needed.

Seeing this movie was a strange and disconcerting experience. The strange was that I felt like I had seen it before. The disconcerting part was that I had not seen it before.

Green Lantern, directed by Martin Campbell, and 'played' by Ryan Reynolds (Of chick flick fame) is little more then an amalgamation of checks on a sub par super-hero movie check list.

Struggling beginnings? Check.
Nonsensical new powers? Check.
Nonsensical development of a parallel villain? Check.
Rapid acceptance of new status quo? Check.
Vapid and needless drama with a female? Check.
Large battle at the end? Check.
Attempt at a moral message? Check.

Wrapped around this entire checklist is a series of events devised by twisted minds to fracture the suspension of disbelief held by all members in the audience. Lines like 'Now, I'm going to take off my pants and fly some planes' have no helpful place. Pretending like the faults of the hero and the villain are both the results of their lousy fathers does nothing to drive a derelict plot onward.

Layer on some pretty imaginative graphics, horrendous screen writing, and frost the cake with world ending alien threats. Now you have Green Lantern, and I will go to my grave struggling to understand how a comic book superhero movie that is early 90's bad came out in 2011.

4/10, with the caveat that it deserves a 3/10, but only because it did not offend me it can struggle to claim it's 4. But I want my 2 hours back.

Harsh Reality of Afganistan

2011-06-23T14:50:00.002-05:00

H/t Cato

As my President preens in front of this nation to show his supposed dove feathers, please realize the reality of our troop situation in Afganistan over the past decade.

This stunt is little more then a vulture having the feathers of road kill stuck in its feathers, the true color still remains.

A simple return to the peak of Bush years level of military personnel would extract 65,000 from the theatre. This Obama withdrawal is less then half of that, and it leaves far too many occupational forces for it to be considered a change in US policy. We are not withdrawing, we are setting up yet another nation that will only exist so long as the US, in the name of 'liberty' occupies foreign soil.

Much like the withdrawal from Iraq, this administration has once again made the Oceania of Mr. Orewell's creation proud.

Just a Minute

2011-06-21T13:49:00.000-05:00

60 New Blogs created every minute?

Sadly for the rest, the best one is what you are reading right now. (H/t Carpe Diem)

The New American Dreamism

2011-06-16T11:42:00.001-05:00

m
President's Weekly Address, June 11 2011

Ladies and Gentleman, the New American Dream! No longer is it becoming rich through hard work and good ideas, it is now to be scraping through life one check at a time.

"In the end, the folks I hear from in letters or meet when I travel across the country – they aren’t asking for much. They’re just looking for a job that covers their bills. They’re just looking for a little financial security. They want to know that if they work hard and live within their means, everything will be all right. They’ll be able to get ahead, and give their kids a better life. That’s the dream each of us has for ourselves and our families. And so long as I have the privilege of serving as President, I’ll keep fighting to put that dream within reach for all Americans. Have a great weekend, everybody."

I wish we still had more of the hope and less of this change. A far cry indeed from the City on the Hill Mr. President.

Greek Credit

2011-06-15T08:58:00.001-05:00

BBC News: "A top credit agency has cut Greece's rating, making it the least credit-worthy nation out of 131 countries it monitors.

The Greek government said the downgrade by Standard & Poor's - from B to CCC - ignored its efforts to secure funding. "

It is safe to say that if you are looking to secure funding, you deserve to have your national credit level cut.
If the greeks were American, they would just try and print their way out of this by creating new money out of thin air. Its a marvelous trick of central bankers and tyrannts everywhere. Inflationary monetary creation looks like it is working until it does not, then it bursts like an Icelandic volcano.

I'm going to go buy some yogurt, I like this idea of throwing it as a protest. Protest for less government spending, rather then more of it. These Greek protesters are trying to further ruin their country.

Reviving the Economy, EPA Style

2011-06-10T06:57:00.000-05:00

Thehill:

"The company, one of the country’s largest electric utilities, estimated that it will cost between $6 billion and $8 billion in capital investments over the next decade to comply with the regulations in their current form.

The costs of complying with the regulations will result in an increase in electricity prices of 10 to 35 percent and cost 600 jobs, AEP said.

In total, AEP estimated it will have to close five coal-fired power plants by the end of 2014. Six additional plants would see major changes, including retiring some generating units, retrofitting equipment and switching to natural gas."

At least we are not going german-crazy and closing every nuclear power plant in operation. On this path lies all manner of sustainable development.

Bees. Save the Bees.

2011-06-07T14:56:00.002-05:00

4/28:
http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/zip/2352054056.html
"WE WANT TO SAVE THEM -

We need help to Remove BEES - come over and get them out house
Bees are under siding - 8 Ft tall from ground - and probably 3 ft away from wall -

Will help with any assistance - as long as you take them all

location near by I20 and GREAT Shout West
REPLY with phone number - so we can discuss details - THANK YOU - "

-----------------
6/4:
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/zip/2420891849.html
"bee hive in siding/roof of carriage house in Fairmount. I thought someone came and got the hive, the last time I posted this, but it was the neighbors trying to kill them
call 817-247-0919 "

Further Updates may follow

Review: X-Men First Class

2011-06-04T09:01:00.001-05:00

The X-men franchise has been a mixed bag at the movies. Financially they have done more then paid the dues. To most audiences they have been solid additions to the expanding array of superhero movies. To X-men fans they have been a bittersweet creation. Movies redefine a franchise in the eye of the public and alter the story. Most injuriously to X-Men fans has been the overwhelming focus on Wolverine (played expertly by Hugh Jackman) to the detriment of almost all other characters, not the least of which was Prof. X and Magneto. The interplay between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr is one of the more enduring story lines in fiction. Xavier can read minds, Magneto can block his mind. Magneto controls the metal surrounding him at will, Xavier can control and aide those surrounding him. Magneto seeks to dominate mankind with those who are mutant, Xavier seeks to have equal station with those he lives amongst.

Fortunately there is a rich legacy of stories and characters to draw into these movies. I feel this X-Men: First class movie finally captures what an X-Men movie can be. The struggle for each individual to determine who they want to become. The petty pretenses of a government attempting to govern that which is ungovernable. The diverse interactions between characters. The conflicts of motivations finding its penultimate display in the chess matches on the board of nations between Xavier and Magneto.

This movie has it all, and its marvelous. At this point I cannot summon to mind more then 3 movies of this genre I enjoyed as much, or more. (Fantastic Four(I loved it, so deal with it), Ironman, and The Dark Knight) The camera work did an excellent job mimicking the style of a comic book, even going so far as to have the screen split into separate, defined panels as various characters undertook different actions. Please make no mistake, this is not a movie for kids, as the director felt the need to push his PG-13 rating to the brink through the use of a well timed Wolverine cameo, as well as the persistent use of female skin to direct attention on the screen. But it never goes beyond that, which I was pleased to find by the end of the movie.

This blogger is rambling.This movie does not.

TRAILER

7 of 10, I'll netflix the Blu-Ray for sure.

Joplin

2011-06-02T08:40:00.000-05:00

Our first realization of how bad the situation was came early Saturday morning, we were headed into Joplin and planned on picking up a bag of ice at the sonic on Main street. We follow the directions to the sonic, only to realize as we come in sight of it that it was on the edge of the twister. Driving through the destruction was surreal, I'm still not sure I have my mind wrapped around just how much is out of place, even a week after the event.

We cleared up the yards of 2 individuals on Saturday, and meet someone who set us up with lodging at a Christian youth camp not far out of town. Sunday we came back into Joplin early, and found a husband and wife just returning to their house for the first time after the storm. The center hallway of the home was the only portion of the structure still standing, and that was where they had stayed with their dogs to ride out the storm. We hauled what was remaining of their clothing from the wreckage, and with the assistance of a bulldozer someone else was helping with, recovered the gentleman's 1 of handmade cabinets and his retirement watch, as well as their daughter's wedding dress. This may have been our most effective assistance, on a person to person level. That afternoon we hauled relief supplies to various locations, and then found more yard clearing to help with. Fun parts of the day included repairing a head-to-nail collision and making one of my crew recover from heat exhaustion.

Leaving town on Monday, at first glance it looked as if nothing had changed across town. But as we got through the overwhelming scope of the disaster and began to realize the details of the situation, it was clear that much had changed. The enormous number of relief volunteers, the churches, the homeowners and anyone lending a hand had started to chip away at what the storm left.
The amount of work remaining is mindboggling in its scope. Most of the damaged area will require a clean sweep with a bull dozer before the reconstruction even begins. But Rome was not built in a day, and I this American town will not be denied.

Delayed

2011-05-27T06:10:00.002-05:00

Due to a relapse of political depression, I have been woefully absent from posting here.

That is likely to continue, at least through memorial day. Myself and 3 other friends are headed to Joplin, MO for the 3 day weekend to help with the relief.

Postings will continue at some point next week.

Catch 22

2011-05-17T21:10:00.001-05:00

I was going to put a post on here telling you about this book I had finished reading known as Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, which I had just finished listening to on Audible, which you should try for free.

That was in the past.

Today I have to tell something less interesting:

Catch-22 is a scatter shot work of a demented pen, deserving of all distinction I would cater to a garden gnome with. Beyond indecipherable and bristling with idiocy. DO NOT READ.

You should still try Audible for Free with no catch!
Try Ender's Game by Orsen Scott Card or Liberty Defined by Ron Paul.
Just not anything by Heller.

Review: Thor

2011-05-09T22:40:00.001-05:00

To begin, my expectations were high for this film. In the Marvel Comic Universe, the god of Thunder known as Thor Odenson is one of the more powerful characters, at least in terms of combat and its sundry accessories. The blend of Norse mythology and classic science fiction styling is also very appealing, making a complex tapestry of the Viking pantheon and the likes of Spiderman and the X-Men.

While this film can stand alone in the genre of superhero-comic book movies that I so much adore, it is in large part a set up for the coming attraction of The Avengers. The intent of this coming movie is to combine the story lines of Ironman, Ironman 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America into a unified narrative typically seen only in the games or comic books.

I'm excited, and Thor only whetted this appetite.

Adored with more artistic eye candy then can be consumed in a single sitting, this film makes no pretense at being the gritty competitor to The Dark Knight. Stylistically it is more in line something like Independence Day. The story revolves around Thor, his brother Loki, their father Oden (think Zeus) and the changing of the guard in 'Asgard', which is the home of the gods. Their ever present enemy is the Frost Giants, whom earth has been saved from by the efforts of Oden. Thor is overpowering in his militancy and insufferably arrogant, while Loki is relegated to the role of seeking power through mischief and deceit. Thor is cast to earth to learn humility, and much to Gino's pleasure, will meet Jane. Slow and predictable drama ensues, with a few laughs tossed in. On earth, this film is dull and pedantic.

In the heavens, this is a lot of fun. Combat. Archaic dialogue. End of the human race at stake. Giant swords. Mighty Hammers. Icy giants. The haughty learning humility to save what is loved. Stereotypical, perhaps. Much fun yet remains.

More then anything else, I felt the powerful need to find something productive to do with a hammer after this movie. Perhaps that is the most lasting message, that a hammer can be used both for war and for building. Choose wisely.

I'll probably get the blu-ray of this when it comes out, its a visual feast without any glaring weaknesses in the story or production.

What Happened?

2011-05-04T21:59:00.000-05:00

Cafe Hayek: "Go back to the campaign of 2008, McCain (remember him?) and Obama. Suppose in the middle of the campaign, someone returned from the future and told you that by 2011, the President of the United States will have kept Guantanamo Bay open, launched a war against Libya, and crossed covertly into an ally’s territory to assassinate Bin Laden. Who would you think that would be? McCain or Obama?

Couldn’t be Obama. The man who was repulsed by American exceptionalism, who pledged to close Guantanamo Bay, the man who said the way to deal with bad guys is to talk to them, not attack them.

What happened?"
What We've Learned about Obama (And Power) by Russ Roberts, thought provoking post.

Round Two!

2011-05-04T08:49:00.002-05:00

The eagerly anticipated econo-rap from Econstories.tv has arrived:

If you're unfamilar with econo-rapping, try this one on for size. Fear the Boom and Bust t is remarkably full of economic truth and historical context.

These are the brain child of John Papola and Russ Roberts. Roberts is an economics professor of George Mason Universitée, and runs a stellar economics podcast over at Econlib.org

American Execution

2011-05-02T17:17:00.000-05:00

"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties.

After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."
-President Obama

The intention of the mission, as per Reuters, was to kill Osama Bin Laden. This was not a mission to capture a man and bring him to trial. This was not an operation designed to draw justice from the waters. This was an overt political assassination in the midst of a sovereign nation performed under the full auspices of Presidential authority. Bin Laden was killed by US soldiers, not in a firefight nor by cross fire, but by an execution with the collective leadership of this administration observing and directing and approving.

No plausible deniability was planned or asked for by this administration, which is taking full credit for the successful orchestration of the assassination. Hiding no longer behind the intelligence agencies as geopolitik dirty work is handled brings a blast of openness, not often seen by political entities. Admirable in the utmost Mr. President.

Less admirable is the following fact: With the full knowledge and consent of the chief of state, the United States is now operating in overt political assassination against foreign citizens with no regard for justice or due process of law.
The old saw states 'One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter'. The fact is there has been nothing noble nor liberty seeking in the actions of Bin Laden and his ideals. But the term 'terrorist' is amorphous, easy to apply to those who stand in disagreement with the nation-states of this world. The contemporary ramifications of this may be a surprise to most Americans. It is seldom that a Ron Paul supporter, pro-life activists or flag-waving-gold-owning Americans are considered as a 'terrorist' by normal people. The seeds of a dark future are being sown, I pray we do not water them further.

The future holds few certainties. History does show a handful of certainties. Governments will continue to try and increase their share of control. Government will be run by men, of whom power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. To hand the keys of life and death over the opposition to a man, any man, is a problem. The American system is designed with the checks of the law and the balances of the legislature to limit and mitigate the power of the executive. These instruments of restraint have been demonstrated yet again as powerless. Without a hair of congressional approval for war in Pakistan. Without even a pretense of justice through the use of a moral legal structure the United States has practiced open assassination.

If we believe what we have been told, Bin Laden is sleeping in Davy Jones Locker. I hope he is the last of such corpses to sent to the depths at the hands of an American assassination team.

As the echoes of America's jubilee fade away we are left with more powerful tools of tyranny.
In the hands of the future who can say where they will be directed?

This is Only the Beginning

2011-05-01T22:08:00.004-05:00

10 years later, the question "When will the War on Terror be won?" is still prominent in our foreign policy.

The answer has nothing to do with Bin Laden, and this 'War on Terror' is far from over.

Thank you Mr. President.

EDIT:
This is also an easy excuse to up the Terror warning another level. As demonstrated by the past decade of history the warnings from our overlords obstinately refuse to go back down, leaving this as a permanent status to continue the inequitable swap of liberty for security.

EDIT:
Note please the announcement came in the middle of Donald Trump's television show, but has yet to happen. Premature news frenzy happens while the White House prepares its teleprompters for the big guy to come out and speak, but it consumes the time slot slatted for Trump.
Coincidence?

EDIT:
The US has an active assassination policy at this juncture in history. We just executed a man in cold blood without a trial.

The Beautiful Psuedo-Holiday

2011-04-27T17:04:00.000-05:00

And yea, the signage did proclaim:

Earth Day 2011
Over 580,000 Sheets were printed in the library from September 2010 through April 2011.
= 16.67 Reams of Paper
*All signage and displays for Earth Day have been printed with previously used copy paper. All of which was left over from student printing. See the front desk for such scratch paper if you need it.

The irony is thick. In a library, the hallowed scion of learning and reading which has rows upon rows of the nifty devices known as books, a protest echoes forth regarding paper. As is well documented, books are composed of little else then paper, ink, and the mind of the author. Even today, in a world full of kindles and iPads, books at the library are on paper.
Books bought by the library are paper.
Newspapers and periodicals bought by the library are paper.
The college paper, given away for free, is on paper.

I'm also not sure as to the math used on this, as I can't figure how a ream of paper approximates to 34,793 sheets of paper.
Regardless of this math, each and every sheet of paper is paid for in a hidden manner. The cost is not directly evident to the student printing, as up to 20 pages can be printed by each user. If the school was serious was about limiting printing, pass the cost of each print directly onto the user, rather then distributing it to every individual on campus. As it is, I have paid money for the printing of someone else's work, without having printed a single sheet from a printer. Kindly do not lecture me about paper use when I have been compelled to pay for the printing of other students by the college I attend.

Taliban's Great Escape

2011-04-25T16:12:00.000-05:00

Now, for a human interest story:
"During the long Afghan winter, Taliban insurgents were apparently busy underground.

The militants say they spent more than five months building a 1,050-foot tunnel to the main prison in southern Afghanistan, bypassing government checkpoints, watch towers and concrete barriers topped with razor wire.

The diggers finally poked through Sunday and spent 4 1/2 hours ferrying away more than 480 inmates without a shot being fired, according to the Taliban and Afghan officials. Most of the prisoners were Taliban militants.

Accounts of the extraordinary prison break, carried out in the dead of night, suggest collusion with prison guards, officials or both."

I understand now what it means when we say the Taliban is digging into the mountains.

Review: Atlas Shrugged Part 1

2011-04-20T16:28:00.001-05:00

When I first caught wind of a movie production of the novel Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (rhymes with 'mine'), I was skeptical it would ever be completed. For a host of reasons, this best selling novel has never had an on screen portrayal until now.
What a portrayal it is.

Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 should be considered for what it is, a low-budget, independently produced labor of love that faithfully replicates its source material. The strengths and weaknesses of Rand's work are brought forth fully on the screen, albeit in an abridged and refreshed form. The refreshes include cell phones and the various integral facets of life in the world of fallen USA 2016. Those who read or adored the book will appreciate the manner in which it was done. The attention to the details of the story and the flourishes on the sets are representative and work well on screen, for those who are looking for them.

But Atlas Shrugged shines, both as a book and as a movie, when the characters, their motivations, and the ideals that drive them onward are center stage. The steel magnate Hank Rearden, the railroad savior Dagney Taggart, the oil tycoon of Colorado Ellis Wyatt, the varied and sundry line up of villains, and the elusive John Galt are the pistons that drive this engine. Taylor Schilling and Paul Johansson nail the characterizations of Taggard and Rearden, the two heroes of a crumbling world. They are thinly veiled automatons of a conflicted idealogy, but its nice to have faces attached to warring mindsets. This is most blatantly obvious, even painful to watch, for the middle 40 minutes of the movie. More the fault of the book then the movie. However, this movie would have been unmitigated awfulness if Schilling had a poor performance, and for an easy 90% of her screen time she nailed Taggarts character.

The most powerful component of the tale lies in the quietly menacing accuracy of its villains. Each and everyone looks to the government to solve their problems, and the problems of the world around them, and seek to pillage or restrict the efforts of the productive individuals (apparently this is limited exclusively to Taggart and Rearden). Most frightening is the realization that much of what is preached by the 'looters and moochers' is what is said all to frequently from Washington today, and would probably receive agreement from a large part of the audience. The film hinges on a scene in Rearden's office. When asked to sell the rights to his new invention (Rearden metal) to the state nation or to cease production, Rearden replies by asking directly if his metal is good. The state lackey can muster no answer, having no basis or morality to take a position on.
This is the foundation of Rand's work, that the only morality to make judgement on is what she deems objectivism, and that all else is rubbish. (Side note, it really is impossible to review this without wandering off into philosophical discussion)

For what this movie tries to do, it does well. An uncompromising adaptation of Atlas Shrugged, reveling in the glories and the pitfalls of its source material. By far the most faithful adaptation I've seen, rife with all the little subplots that make the book so fascinating as well.

Recommendation 1, read the book.
Recommendation 2, the movie is pretty good too. You'll watch it and then not want to read the book because you will think you have it all down, which is sad. Because you won't have understood it yet. But its a good try.

Movie Trailer
Audiobook (Get it for Free)
Paperback Book

'I Didn't Know Men Could Build Such Things'

2011-04-18T17:28:00.000-05:00

From the Cato Institute.
The past decade it particularly appalling, as there is no respite to be found in the 'conservative' administrations of Bush, Bush or Regan.

Michigan: Medicate Your Child or She's Gone Forever

2011-04-18T16:18:00.004-05:00

For the heated, tendentious article that is how you will feel:
PrisonPlanet

For the MSM account:
Detroit News

To summarize:

Child had an amputation, mother home schooled her.
Child wants to go to public school after a few years.
State decides she is now required to take her meds.
Mom says no, takes her off Resiperdal
State brings in SWAT Team, breaks in the house after 10 hours
Mom goes to jail, faces multiple Felony charges and $500,000 Bail
State decides Girl does not need Resiperdal.
Mom, Daughter both in separate prisons run by the state for being family.

The root of this lies in the ability of the CPS to acquire a warrant for the kidnapping of the girl, piled on by the presence of a para-military policy unit to escalate the situation. That they are both still locked up is an abject blight upon the face of any pretense of freedom in the state of Michigan.

Fahrenheit 451

2011-04-14T16:09:00.004-05:00

Internationally acclaimed with more than 5 million copies in print, Fahrenheit 451 is Ray Bradbury's classic novel of censorship and defiance, as resonant today as it was when it was first published nearly 50 years ago.

This is a novel deceptive in length and saturated with thought. Because of Ray Bradbury's pellmell writing style, what could have been a monotonous slog through a dystopian world blasted by the tyranny is in fact one of the most enjoyable fictional books I've come across.

Bradbury reaches across all levels of a person, loitering not only in the mind of the reader but also in the heart as well. The passion of Montag to know, to be, to feel something real and authentic and free is riveting. The story follows his progression from a fireman who's responsibility to burn all published works to a person freed from the shackles of an oppressive society that is frighteningly similar to what ours can grow into.

Here's what it is: A Classic. One everyone needs to read, and I would even suggest a re-read. You will not regret it.

If you liked 1984, Brave New World, The Illustrated Man or Atlas Shrugged you will like this book.

Audiobook
Hardback

TSA Policy: Molest Children Leaving Airports

2011-04-13T22:43:00.004-05:00

ABC News: "The girl's father said that while his daughter was polite and respectful during the screening, she broke down into tears afterwards.

"Initially she was just confused," Todd Drexel said. "She really didn't understand what she had done wrong." He said he and his wife struggled with how to explain to their child what had happened after teaching her previously it was not ok to be touched in certain places. "Now she's been pat down in a public setting, in an airport."

The family was leaving New Orleans Armstrong International Airport when the incident happened on April 5. The Drexels have two other children, a 9-year-old and a 2-year-old."

-Video

Blogger Bob (intentionally reminiscent of Baghdad Bob?) of our Transportation Security Administration chips in with a gem:

"A video taken of one of our officers patting down a six year-old has attracted quite a bit of attention. Some folks are asking if the proper procedures were followed. Yes. TSA has reviewed the incident and the security officer in the video followed the current standard operating procedures."

At what point did it become necessary to do the following:

1. Sponsor child molestation

2. Require the Parents to watch.

3. Molest children leaving airports

4. Engage in random screenings without probably cause? Hello, 4th amendment?

In no way is this an isolated incident, as the TSA has done the same to disembarking train passengers (Bonus, Minors included!), stolen from those who are 'protected', indexed naked pictures of airline passengers, ripped off the taxpayer, and pilfered receipts"

This particular Rubicon was passed in the wake of 9/11. In the media fueled, GOP encouraged rush to trade the liberties of the individual in for the sake of the security of society, the ground work for this nightmare was crafted. The Department of Homeland Security, created under George W. Bush under the steadying hand of a militia of neocon advisers created yet another federal monster.

When did we start calling it homeland? When did the Department of Defense become insufficient for military threats, and the National Security Agency become insufficient for domestic intelligence, and the FBI become insufficient for enforcing laws that clearly forbade terrorism? When did it become acceptable to require Americans to remove their shoes for the sole purpose of proving innocence for a crime that has not been committed?

Its a burgeoning state of fear that is being sold to us, a state based neither on rational reason nor emergency. This state we are growing into seeks to propagate its own power for the sake of greater power, for the profit of those involved on the inside track. In regards to the TSA, see Michael Chertoff and Rapiscan.

Sadly, there is no change en route from the champions of so called social justice. National Democrats are a party devoid of ideas without interest in giving up the power of government in any form. In that manner, they sail under the same flag as the National Republicans. May God help us, for we seem unable to help ourselves.

TSA To Children: Molestation is Ok

2011-04-12T22:07:00.001-05:00

In the event that america has yet to realize that its government is groping and drug testing 6 year olds looking to peacefully board a flight with their mothers, this should serve as a reminder.

Caption for the video:
"Watch out, she may look like a 6 year old child but shes actually high on crack with a bomb in her pocket"

Chicago Schools Ban Lunches

2011-04-11T16:27:00.003-05:00

The Lookout: "

Students who attend Chicago's Little Village Academy public school get nothing but nutritional tough love during their lunch period each day. The students can either eat the cafeteria food--or go hungry. Only students with allergies are allowed to bring a homemade lunch to school, the Chicago Tribune reports.

"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," principal Elsa CarmonaÂ told the paper. "It's about ... the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke."

But students said they would rather bring their own lunch to school in the time-honored tradition of the brown paper bag. "They're afraid that we'll all bring in greasy food instead of healthy food and it won't be as good as what they give us at school," student Yesenia Gutierrez told the paper. "It's really lame."" (H/t Aaron)

It is nice to see at least one school joining the TSA in its policy in regards to Bring Your Own Fluids, consistency is to be prized.

The idea that a school lunch is nutritious, pleasant and good for kids is a ribald tale of excess and ignorance. Its been getting worse for a while, here is a good blog on it, 'The Massive Disgusting School Lunch Issue', which if the title is insufficient to be a clue, the post is eye opening.

To put it simply, the incentives are misaligned. The food production (Not cooking, production) for a school cafeteria happens regardless of the nutrition or satisfaction to its consumers. The kids don't pay for it, so there is little reason to make it well. The funding will continue to pass through, and the workers will continue to be employed in their mediocrity, regardless of the outcome at the table. There is probably a rational thought behind this food ban, and it lies with the funding for the school. The more students on the lunch, weather they eat it or throw it away, the more funding to the district. How do you approach 100% free lunch consumption? Mandate it.

Contrary to this are parents, who have a very keen interest in the health and feeding of their children. If the kid is unhappy with the meal, the parents will hear it. If the child is receiving lopsided nutrition as a result of meals, the parents are going to be the first to notice and to rectify it. As adults have different nutritional needs, so do children. There is not a One-Size-Fits-All lunch option that can work for everyone, there is simply to much aggregation to meet the needs of individuals.

The caretakers of the children do not have the interest of the children in mind.

For those that have missed it, see how Coke stacks up with Milk in regards to lunch.

EDIT: Best comment so far:
"What if they stopped making video games...or teaching kids to sit all day at their desks in preparation for their cubicle-bound jobs that are seriously bad for their health."

Don Boudreaux: What a Joke

2011-04-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

So good, I'm reposting it. Don Boudreaux of George Mason University and Cafe Hayek
"Suppose that in a mere three years your family’s spending – spending, mind you, not income – jumps from $80,000 to $101,600. You’re now understandably worried about the debt you’re piling up as a result of this 27 percent hike in spending.
So mom and dad, with much drama and angst and finger-pointing about each other’s irresponsibility and insensitivity, stage marathon sessions of dinner-table talks to solve the problem. They finally agree to reduce the family’s annual spending from $101,600 to $100,584.
For this 1 percent cut in their spending, mom and dad congratulate each other. And to emphasize that this spending cut shows that they are responsible stewards of the family’s assets, they approvingly quote Sen. Harry Reid, who was party to similar negotiations that concluded last night on Capitol Hill – negotiations in which Congress agreed to cut 1 percent from a budget that rose 27 percent in just the past three years. Said Sen. Reid: “Both sides have had to make tough choices. But tough choices is what this job’s all about.”"

Please Do

2011-04-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

I really hope the government is shut down tonight.

This may be a pleasant awakening to the public that we really don't need this government to do what this government has been doing.

See 6 Pages of Obamacare equals 486 pages of Health and Human Services regulations. (Why do we have a HHS, to force people to be healthy?)

The Rational Optimist

2011-04-07T08:09:00.005-05:00

After hearing Matt Ridley's interview with Russ Roberts on the podcast Econtalk, I knew that I needed to read this book. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves is a cursory analysis of human development, the growth of civilizations and its subsequent prosperity. Ridley develops the first half focusing on how trade affected the individual and through the individual, the world. The second half takes off, demonstrating how dire predictions of failing civilizations have been wrong before, and are likely to continue being only falsehoods.

Unique among authors dealing with the economics of the future, Ridley is by training an Evolutionary Biologist. As the world is created by God, I was hesitant about this initially, believing this to be a bad foundation for a work about human development. My suspicions were allayed as the book spends very little time dealing with the origins of man, and rather with how we moseyed along once we had existence.

I recommend this book. My personal experience was as an Audiobook, and the narration was well done, although I spent much of the time at +20% speed.
From the written side, Matt Ridley's blog is also stimulating, and I have quoted this book before.

Audiobook (Remember the Audible.com Free Book)

Hardback

If you liked Freakonomics, Blink, or A Splendid Exchange you will like this.

New Sponsor

2011-04-05T16:06:00.002-05:00

Starting this week, this blog has received a new sponsor in the form of Audible.com. I am really excited about this for a couple of reasons.

1. Audiobooks are a unique medium. One wants to say 'I read these books', but it really is something else having them read to you by a skilled narrator. The reading soaks in, but its not as if you turn pages.

If you're an auditory learner, this is a marvelous method of reading books. Audible is not your daddy's cassette tapes, it is crystal clear narration in digital form. Playback is for iPods(I use a nano), iPhones, Android phones, Blackberries, Zunes, and a plethora of other music players. It's also easy to burn to a CD, for playback in any car system.

2. I have personally been an Audible.com customer since August of 2009, and have read/listened to exactly 22 audiobooks from there since then. Every interaction with the company has been resolved to my satisfaction, from changing payment methods to refunds for a crummy book to tech questions regarding product functionality.

3. The utility of this product is astounding, and something you likely will not fully appreciate until you try it with a good book. Great for filling in all that vacant time for your mind.

As an example, this has been my usages within the past week. Working out, driving, mowing, dishes, taking out the garbage, time between classes, and washing the car. All told, over 8 hours of reading I would have not had without an audiobook on my iPod.

(Simple trick, whatever the amount of time it takes to listen to an audiobook, divide by 2 for the amount of time to read it on paper. Ergo, I would have spent 4 hours reading on paper to match it)

Good news for you, the reader. As part of the sponsorship from Audible, there is are two open offers to try audible.

There are not any gimmicks on this, you can pick any book from the 60,000+ in the Audible catalog and keep it forever.

A. Free Audiobook Download with a 14 Day Trial

You select the Audible Gold option, and the first month is free with no charge attached. This sounds fishy, but I did it myself a few years back. You can keep the book, even if you don't pay a dime in subscription, just get the book and cancel the subscription within 14 days if you so desire. But you will love it so much, you won't cancel.

B. Save 50% for 3 months - Download and Listen to an Audiobook for only $7.49 today!

This option is for 1 book a month for 3 months, at 50% off. If you know you already like audiobooks, this option is for you. Ridiculously cheap for an audiobook of your choice.

To get started, I recommend The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Reviews on more books will be forthcoming, these two included.

March Sadness Comes to a Close

2011-04-05T05:03:00.001-05:00

The McCafferty Family has been granted permission by the Overlords of Delaware (of the I don't Want to arrest your wife & We're not out in search of hoops to cut down fame) to pick up the basketball goal that was rightfully stolen and return it home. Well, almost.

Delaware Online: ""I'm glad it's back," Nuttall said. "Hopefully, they'll change the law, and I can put it back in."
Short said state law won't allow the residents to put the poles back where they were. They must be set back from the road to avoid a traffic hazard, which McCafferty said he'll do.
"The law says 7 feet 6 inches, so I'll put it at 7 feet 7 inches," McCafferty said, vowing to create a concrete pad between the curb and the hoop.
"If I have to break up my sidewalk, I'll do that," he said."

The actions of the McCafferty family are admirable and something we all need to imitate. That which governs over them does a disservice to its citizens.

Transocean Passing Out Saftey Bonuses

2011-04-04T16:59:00.000-05:00

Aljazeera: "Transocean Ltd., the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded off the Gulf of Mexico last year, has given its top executives bonuses for achieving the "best year in safety performance in our company's history'',

despite the blast that killed 11 people and spilled 200 million gallons of oil into the ocean.

Transocean noted "the tragic loss of life'' in the Gulf when the rig operated by BP PLC exploded last April. But it said the company still had an "exemplary'' safety record because it met or exceeded certain internal safety targets concerning the frequency and severity of its accidents, according to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.

Safety accounts for a quarter of the executives' total cash bonuses. The total bonus for CEO Steve Newman last year was $374,062."

If this is their best, what is a bad year for these guys??

Fixing the Nacelles

2011-03-31T21:04:00.004-05:00

Hopefully the load times on this page are better, I've eliminated some scripting and the Google Ads to try and speed things up.

Not like those ads pay any money as it is, or at least not with intelligent clientele such as yourself that has no interest in clicking such decoy links.

Also, be sure and check out the new Sidebar view for this outpost.

Ahead Warp Three, Mr. Scotty.

Not Out in Search of Hoops to Cut Down

2011-03-30T13:35:00.001-05:00

Further Quotes from the DelDOT:

""We're sympathetic to these parents and what they want to do for the young people, but we've got to operate by the statute," said Geoff Sundstrom, spokesman for DelDOT. "We're not out in search of basketball hoops to cut down.""

Two instances of unabashed Orwellian Newspeak, saying one thing while completely doing another. On site, the promise that the basketball pole would be left as it was being hauled away. Then the hypocrisy of promising that the DelDOT is not on the hunt for those rascally basketball poles in peoples yards, while they clearly are.

This is how rocks begin to roll down hills:

"Tom Blythe, 86, said he was among several people on the street who complained to the state about the basketball hoops. The children don't watch for traffic, he said, and the number of kids coming from outside the neighborhood to play on the hoops has gotten out of hand."You see kids from all over the place down here," Blythe said. "They're down here making all kinds of noise and disturbing the peace.""

Understand, this is how property rights are lost. The power of a few amplified by the strength of the state leads to tyranny, abuse of the governed and a malignant stench of injustice predicated upon a foundation of the 'general welfare'. Property rights are fundamental to a republican form of government, critical to prosperity and the stabilizers of a turbulent world.

The law under which this charade of justice was performed is intended to keep the sides of roadways clear, so in the event of loss of control a vehicle would be less likely to find itself impaled upon steel pillars. The reality is quite different, as the petty complaints of foolish neighbors alone led to this event, which fortunately enough is on tape.

We will never know how many of these alienations of morality happen daily, of which we have no record because of the lack of video or photographic evidence.

To wit, laws are abused to the detriment of the governed. Fewer laws regulating that which does no harm is the solution. To wit, unless the government is willing to kill someone to enforce a law, it should not be a law.

'I Don't Want to Arrest You or Your Wife'

2011-03-30T06:59:00.001-05:00

An infuriating tale of perfectly legal actions by a city against homeowners. This is really happening.

Lesson? Keep the power out of the hands of the government.

Palinbots, Take Note

2011-03-29T22:51:00.001-05:00

The Tax Foundation: "In case you missed it, small government crusader and Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin's TLC reality show "Sarah Palin's Alaska" received a $1.2 million subsidy from the state of Alaska. The show spent $3.6 million on production in the state, meaning that Alaskan taxpayers covered a third of the cost of the show. The show will apparently not have a second season."

Hold on, a politician would be self serving? Sarah Palin, the champion of small town American values and moral integrity would put a law in place to subsidize her television programming?

Perhaps she did put this law in place, ran the tables in the 2008 election, then was approached only later for a TV production that could take advantage of the subsidy. I suspect this is the case, but it is closer to the hog farms then the arboreal sanctums of executive power.

Yes, I am sure there are democrats who do far worse things with their executive pen strokes. I also am aware of the varied and vapid underhand dealings done by other Republicans. This is merely a preemptive strike at the claims of Palin's marvelous moral conservatism we are sure to hear in the days to come.

Time to Read

2011-03-29T06:50:00.001-05:00

Last night I watched Slumdog Millionare for the first time. 100% recommended for the over 13 crowd. There is a scene where all the women are washing the clothes, by hand, in back breaking and clothes destroying fashion. Soaking, beating, wringing, beating, and drying each and every particle of clothing in water without any chemical detergents or heated water has to be exhausting and enormously time consuming.

There are not any alternatives, and it reminded me of this presentation by Hans Rosling (of the www.gapminder.org fame)

Keynote: "Thank you industrialization. Thank you steel mill. Thank you power station. And thank you chemical processing industry that gave us time to read books."

From all of this the best is yet to come. As the time saving energies of machines are applied to an increasing number of households, an increasing number of children will be better educated. Their drive to succeed will be fueled with ability. This world's pace of development will only accelerate as a result, making a better world for us all.

Firefox 4

2011-03-23T16:45:00.000-05:00

Firefox 4 just stole my heart away from Google Chrome. It's stupendous. If you're using IE, please change. It can help save your life, or at least some of it's time.

These are Consequences

2011-03-21T17:02:00.001-05:00

What is remarkable about this story is how rare such events are. Either the cover up operations are outstanding in every aspect, or there is really just a deficit of such barbaric actions in our combat theaters. Or, perhaps, the difference is that we do not often have pictures such as these to accompany news stories such as this:

The Guardian:
"The lengthy Spiegel article that accompanies the photographs contains new details about the sadistic behaviour of the men.
In one incident in May last year, the article says, during a patrol, the team apprehended a mullah who was standing by the road and took him into a ditch where they made him kneel down.
The group's leader, Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, then allegedly threw a grenade at the man while an order was given for him to be shot.
Afterwards, Gibbs is described cutting off one of the man's little fingers and removing a tooth.
The patrol team later claimed to their superiors that the mullah had tried to threaten them with a grenade and that they had no choice but to shoot."

Anyone who has taken the time to read, or watch the excellent HBO series named Generation Kill will not be surprised by this. American forces are held to high expectations, but any time there is going to be an extended period of combat operations with direct interactions with a foreign people, problems are going to develop.

It is not acceptable, but it should be expected that a malignant remnant of evil awaits to rear its head in the pursuit of a power rush. It is a credit to the US Army that this is already under trial, and not blithely ignored. As Solomon scribed, 'One dead fly makes the perfumer’s ointment give off a rancid stench, so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom.'

There is a lesson to be learned here, the winning of the hearts and minds of a nation cannot be done at the point of a gun. The past 80 years of US foreign policy should have hammered this lesson home, but we as a nation seem relentlessly opposed to understanding. Next time our objectives involve military force, unintended and likely consequences such as this need to be accounted for.
What remains true is that the purpose of Armies is to kill people and break things. In the US, we are good at it. Very good. It is not the objective of the Military that these events happen, and such actions are sure to be universally deplored by service personal (rightly so). But to expect public relations expertise and constant humanitarian actions from the front line is an unrealistic and untenable pillar of our foreign policy, and needs to cease.

When we stop using our 'defense' spending for invasions, this variety of nightmare will evaporate. Actions have consequences, and these (alleged) barbarians are in process. Whatever their intent, the choices of our leadership to put us in a state of perceptual yet undeclared war bring with it these consequences.

2012 Presidental Predictions

2011-03-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

I'm making these now, so its on the record.

Hilary will be quitting the State Department and running for President on the Democratic Ticket.

She can distance herself from Obama by resigning, and come into the DNC primary as the rider upon the white horse of political salvation, and take the nomination from a dismally approved Obama.

Hilary will keep Biden around for continuity's sake.

On the Republican side, it is almost assuredly and unfortunately going to be Sarah Palin coming out victorious. Also in the running will be Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Christ Christi, and Jim DeMint.

After the dismal showing by this GOP house, Ron Paul is likely going to pack up his tent and try for a 3rd party run.

Christi will get the VP nomination, as an attempt to alter the Yankee votes.

If Ron Paul can make his way into the debates, it could be interesting. With the way the presidential debates are rigged this will not happen, so we are left to a Clinton/Biden vs. Palin/Christi election, and there is no way to have a good outcome from that.

Bright Idea

2011-03-15T19:44:00.000-05:00

"We will make electric light so cheap that only the rich will be able to burn candles."

-Thomas Edison, announcing his electric light bulb, 1879.

Just saw this today and it made me grin, and remember this passage from The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley: (Excellent read & Audiobook despite a hackneyed and false description of earlt human development)
"The real cause of these improvements is that most of the things people need or want have been getting steadily cheaper. For example, in monetary terms, the same amount of artificial lighting cost 20,000 times as much in England in the year 1300 as it does today, and in labour terms the change is even more dramatic and the improvement is even more recent. To earn an hour of reading light on the average wage will have cost you less than half a second of work. In 1950, with a conventional filament lamp and the then wage, you would have had to work for eight seconds to get the same amount of light. Had you been using a kerosene lamp in the 1880s, you would have had to work for about 15 minutes to get the same amount of light. A tallow candle in the 1800s: over six hours’ work."

Wisdom to be Found on Facebook 3

2011-03-12T15:29:00.003-06:00

"HOME. Sweet. HOME. Side item: Lesson of the day - don't be the only brown-skinned person in an airport security line, unless you want to experience a body scanner and a pat-down....

Oh, and so during the pat down, Mr. TSA says "empty your pockets", so I did - 2 gum wrappers, a wadded napkin, pocket fuzz, a receipt from Starbucks... yes, I feel so secure now!"

-Apollo Silva

You Know You Want One

2011-03-09T16:46:00.001-06:00

Chicago Teachers

2011-03-04T14:41:00.000-06:00

This is why the Senators from Wisconsin ran to Illinois. It takes 27 steps and nearly 5 years to dispose of a teacher in Chicago town.

Your TSA: Now Protecting Trains from Disembarking Passengers

2011-03-03T20:18:00.002-06:00

AOL Travel: "[Brian] Gamble...was bringing a small group that included other firefighters and policemen to Savannah for a Valentine's Day getaway. They were among 30 or 40 people getting off the train when he says TSA officers ordered everyone into the terminal.
"They sent us all into a roped-off holding area and said 'Y'all are going to be searched,'" Gamble says. "We were getting off the train. This didn't make sense."
Once in the area, the group was guarded while TSA officers began doing what Gamble says were "intrusive"pat-downs.
When he saw a family with young kids in the lineup, he took out his camera and started filming. He does not know the identity of the family....
Nearing the front of the line for his own search, Gamble complained to a TSA supervisor but says he was told to calm down. "They wouldn't give us an explanation for the search."...."
H/t Hit and Run

In the event we've forgotten, this has to stop.

Video of Agents doing pat down searches on boys who have just left the train with their parents.

Was it mentioned that THESE ARE PEOPLE LEAVING THE TRAIN?

Jack Daniels on the Budget

2011-03-03T14:48:00.000-06:00

H/t Mises.org.

An indictment not only of Reid, but also of the Republicans.

Alternately put, this budget is a indictment of the political sphere that charges gleefully into the deficits of tomorrow, having been thrust ever onwards by congresses and presidents who care not for ideologies of reason.

Signage

2011-03-03T06:37:00.000-06:00

I don't know where this comes from, but I agree with the sentiments.

StratFor on Declaration of War

2011-03-02T23:10:00.000-06:00

As usual, a stellar piece by George Friedman of StratFor.

"World War II was the last war the United States fought with a formal declaration of war. The wars fought since have had congressional approval, both in the sense that resolutions were passed and that Congress appropriated funds, but the Constitution is explicit in requiring a formal declaration. It does so for two reasons, I think. The first is to prevent the president from taking the country to war without the consent of the governed, as represented by Congress. Second, by providing for a specific path to war, it provides the president power and legitimacy he would not have without that declaration; it both restrains the president and empowers him. Not only does it make his position as commander in chief unassailable by authorizing military action, it creates shared responsibility for war. A declaration of war informs the public of the burdens they will have to bear by leaving no doubt that Congress has decided on a new order — war — with how each member of Congress voted made known to the public."

Read the article, you will not regret it.
(I should have known this was a good read when both FACIA and Joel brought it to my attention within 2 hours of each other, only for it to appear soon after on ZeroHedge)

Twitter Improving Indiana

2011-02-24T21:56:00.000-06:00

Mother Jones: "On Saturday night, when Mother Jones staffers tweeted a report that riot police might soon sweep demonstrators out of the Wisconsin capitol building—something that didn't end up happening—one Twitter user sent out a chilling public response: "Use live ammunition."
From my own Twitter account, I confronted the user, JCCentCom. He tweeted back that the demonstrators were "political enemies" and "thugs" who were "physically threatening legally elected officials." In response to such behavior, he said, "You're damned right I advocate deadly force." He later called me a "typical leftist," adding, "liberals hate police."
Only later did we realize that JCCentCom was a deputy attorney general for the state of Indiana...
In his nonpolitical tweets and blog posts, Cox displays a keen litigator's mind, writing sharply and often wittily on military history and professional basketball. But he evinces contempt for political opponents—from labeling President Obama an "incompetent and treasonous" enemy of the nation to comparing "enviro-Nazis" to Osama bin Laden, likening ex-Labor Secretary Robert Reich and Service Employees International Union members to Nazi "brownshirts" on multiple occasions, and referring to an Indianapolis teen as "a black teenage thug who was (deservedly) beaten up" by local police. A "sensible policy for handling Afghanistan," he offered, could be summed up as: "KILL! KILL! ANNIHILATE!"" -H/t Hit and Run

Next time you feel like knocking Twitter as a nonsense platform of nothingness, remember, when the fail whales are out to sea, we begin to see who people can be.

Or something like that.
Good riddance.

Also, follow me at RobertDWood. :D

College

2011-02-24T20:55:00.002-06:00

I am more then a little annoyed by the amount of influence John Stuart Mill has had upon my micro economics text book.
Quantifying Utils... bah.
Thank you, that is all.

Budget Fingernail Triming

2011-02-23T16:05:00.002-06:00

H/t Cato At Liberty

Review: The Fighter

2011-02-21T17:02:00.005-06:00

The Fighter (Trailer)is a movie strongly rooted in pain. Not the pain of romantic flicks, not the angst of teenage drama, not the pain of terrible film making, but real pain that bruises the heart.

Friends hurting. People hurting. Families hurting.

Not just hurting, but actively inflicting more pain upon nerves worn raw by constant use. This is The Fighter.

Loosely based on a true story, the focus is placed squarely on two boxers in a Boston suburb. Christian Bale plays the older, almost has been who is filming a documentary with HBO on his comeback. Mark Wahlberg plays the younger brother, struggling to be free from his brother's shadow. And his family. And his fights.

Stellar film work, delightfully eclectic sound work, and powerful acting from the main characters. Bale is brilliant in his character, Amy Adam's plays her complex role exquisitely. Wahlberg makes his character work, and is very believable as a prizefighter trying to avoid missing his prime.

The R rating is earned in this case, as the rampant abuse of the English language in ceaseless. Drug usage plays a predominant role in the story and screenplay, but the usage is deplored without exception. If your ever interested in trying to show a lady why she should drop chugging beers and burning through cigarettes, the female ensemble of this cast is a marvelous deterrent.

While this movie does end well, it is not in the form of Rocky. Its unique and earns its place as a just ending for this story.
The Fighter should also serve as a reminder for my fellow Chrisitians that this world needs love, and what lives devoid of love for one another do to one another.

Excellent movie, easily a 7 of 10. I will likely watch more then one more time.
...Now that I just finished this, I want to see it again.

Bringing Down the House

2011-02-21T16:39:00.000-06:00

SFWeekly: "The SFPD and DEA found no piles of marijuana money at 243 Diamond St., one of six addresses raided simultaneously in San Francisco that morning. Instead, they found Clark Freshman, who rents the penthouse at the two-unit building. Freshman, a UC Hastings law professor and the main consultant to the television show Lie to Me, was put into handcuffs while in his bathrobe as agents searched, despite Freshman's insistence that they had the wrong place and were breaking the law…

Soon they may be called defendants in a lawsuit. A furious Freshman has pledged to sue the DEA and the SFPD for unlawful search and seizure of his home…

[Officer] Biggs describes 243 Diamond as a "two-story, one-unit" building in the warrant. There's no mention of Freshman or Larizadeh's son-in-law or seven-months pregnant daughter who were detained in the downstairs unit that morning. But property records — and a quick visual scan of the property — reveal it to be a three-story, two-unit building. That mistake alone may be enough to invalidate the search warrant."

This story bears watching.
The best line:

""I've been on the fence for years about the legalization of drugs ... and now I'm a victim of this crazy war on drugs," says Freshman, who pledged to sue until "I see [the agents'] houses sold at auction and their kids' college tuitions taken away from them. There will not be a better litigated case this century.""

TSA Gangsters, Like All Gangsters, Incompetent

2011-02-16T16:52:00.003-06:00

Some news stories write themselves. NY Post:

"Two TSA agents were busted today at Kennedy Airport for stealing $160,000 in cash from bags, authorities said.
Davon Webb, 30, and Couman Perad, who turned 36 today, were arrested after admitting they had regularly stolen from checked bags, sources said.
...
Perad and Webb would screen bags looking for loot, then swipe the cash once the luggage was opened in a private screening room, sources said.

...Also today, the TSA confirmed that a string of security lapses took place at Newark Airport within the past month, the Newark Star-Ledger reported.
A knife inside a carry-on made it past a checkpoint and two passengers were allowed to board flights despite issues with their full-body scans, TSA officials told the newspaper.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the two incidents were among a string of five security lapses at Newark within the last 30 days."

Molesting people embarking on legitimate business? Check.
Stealing from the molested? Check.
Performing security theater for nigh a decade? Check.

Keeping the tubes of flight safe? No.

Review: The Eagle

2011-02-15T15:25:00.001-06:00

I entered this movie with trepidation, expecting it to be a miserable effort rife with hackneyed scripting, a clearly definable story, and terrific action.

The plot is simple. Roman legions have their eagle. Dad and his legion loose their eagle in north Briton. Son takes his slave to take it back. They have to switch roles. They get back. Along the way, they become friends and have chicken mcnuggets upon arriving home.

Sadly, what this movie fulfilled my dire expectations. It is an out of tune piano concert. It just feels wrong.

Stereotypical Romans, stereotypical 'barbarians', stereotypical action sequences, shoddy and spandex-tight camera work, atrocious character motivation, poorly conceived plot lines and a scalding amount of dark earth tones. All are included in vapid abundance.

Redeeming features, as they exist, is the lack of any important female characters to further destroy a semblance of realistic plot and a somewhat eclectic soundtrack.

Perhaps it doesn't feel wrong, but it does feel different. Once the credits began to roll, the reason became steadily more apparent, as well over half of this film crew is Hungarian. Film a movie about Romans in Briton with Hungarians in Hungary. Marvelous.

Never seeing this again, 3/10.

This Isn't Over

2011-02-11T17:55:00.001-06:00

Time: "He directed me through the nearby metal detector (the one that would have been good enough if I'd just chosen another line) and motioned for me to wait for a pat-down agent: "Female opt-out!" A female agent led me to a table where she set my bags and then skeptically asked if I knew what the pat down involved. Yes, indeedy (thanks, Jeff Goldberg!) "Do you want to do this somewhere private?" No, thank you. The agent calmly explained what she was going to do before she performed each part of the procedure, and very briskly but thoroughly went through the pat-down. The whole thing was over in a matter of minutes and was a completely professional experience.
Or it was, until a male TSA agent walked behind us and hollered: "Hey, I thought she was mine! I was gonna do her!"
And that, buddy, is exactly why I'm opting out instead of standing in the see-through picture machine. Thanks for validating my choice."

Vince is Going Home

2011-02-07T06:48:00.000-06:00

h/t Mr. D

The Terrorists Win Again

2011-02-05T19:17:00.002-06:00

Daily Express: "According to Kirksville Police Chief Jim Hughes, a passerby stopped a Kirksville Police officer and said they had seen an individual acting erratically in a truck in the Wal-Mart parking lot shortly before 2:30 p.m. The passerby believed the individual had a gun to his head.

"We don't take these things lightly," Hughes said, "especially nowadays."

KPD responded to control the scene and ordered a lockdown of the store both to keep shoppers in and prevent the individual from entering the store.

After identifying the vehicle and person in question, Hughes said a decision was made on the scene for police to attempt contact. They were able to communicate with him and he voluntarily exited the vehicle. No weapon was found and the individual was taken into custody without incident less than 20 minutes after police arrived on scene.

The individual was talking on a cell phone at the time of the incident. It's likely that is the object the passerby identified as a gun."

There will be more stories like this in the years ahead of this. This climate of fear we live in at the behest of a fraudulent education system and government fear mongering presents a dismal specter of the future. One constant in the great works of dystopian fiction (Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Orwell's 1984, Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Huxley's Brave New World) is the constant, relentless, and persistent fearful observation of the individual by the neighbors within the society. There's a reason this conjures dread and misgiving within our spirit. When the vindictive and vengeful nature of man has the ability to wreak havoc upon others with only the suggestion of another's wrongdoing, man all to often destroys others with it.

Simply put, closing down a Wal-Mart because a man walked across a parking lot talking on his phone is evidence that the terrorists have won. The fear is instilled, perhaps by Muslim terrorists, more likely by the unwavering hand of political expediency.

HOT OFF THE TUBES:
Janet Napolitano:
"“We are partnering this year with the NFL on our ‘If You See Something, Say Something’ campaign and launching that NFL partnership right here at the Super Bowl,” Napolitano said during a press conference on Monday at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas where Sunday’s game will be played.
“The idea is simple,” Napolitano said. “We are simply asking the American people to be vigilant, recognizing that our security is a shared responsibility that all of us must participate in.”
“If a fan at the Super Bowl or any other American at any other place sees something that is potentially dangerous, then say something about it to local law enforcement or someone in authority,” Napolitano said.
Napolitano announced that DHS has trained some 1,200 stadium staffers as “first observers” and that cargo going into the venue also will be screened using “non-intrusive inspection equipment.”"

Pat downs are in store for all attendees as well, both inside and out of the stadium. Star Telegram reporting.

Egypt

2011-01-31T21:04:00.000-06:00

Simple thought:

Egypt is backed by the United States through weapons sales, foreign aid and training programs. To the tune of 2 Billion a year, this is an army forged by the hammer and anvil of this Union.

How will it feel if/when they open fire on a rebellious population seeking to toss the shackles of an incorrigible regime that sits upon it?

It will be unpleasant for those paying attention, nothing to see for the rest of this nation. The reality of how amoral our foriegn policy has been can rear its ugly head, and we are unlikely to see a change.

Internet Kill Switches

2011-01-31T06:43:00.001-06:00

H/t Hit and Run Blog.

Now that we have internet kill switches being put into the hands of power in this country (The Age), this is a good test case to observe in Eygpt.

Review: The Expendables

2011-01-28T16:53:00.001-06:00

The Expendables portrays itself as the penultimate action movie, bringing the best of the action movie stars into one taco of cinematic glory. With the initial trailer snagging my interest, and the summer coming to a close, (Not to mention what is the-absolute-no-doubt-about-unparralled-best fan trailer ever catching eyeballs...NSFW, and yes, Eat Pray Love Lost), I was excited to see this film.

All the hype... Stallone directing... Statham co-starring... can this work?
Yes. Yes it can.

Quite spectacularly actually, this movie was a blast to watch both times I've seen it now. Fights, gunfire, explosions, with only echoes of a story to get in the way. The CIA being the nefarious evil, as an internal turf war costs a tropical island its freedoms leads way to the mercenary band blowing all kinds of stuff up, with a girl being rescued from CIA interrogation, one being defended by the best pickup basketball scene I can think of, and even a thoughtful monologue from a tattoo artist.

Within this genre, the acting is good. The effects feel right, and the fights are fun, if filmed much closer then I like. Really pops on a blue ray, for the record.

I'm sure I will watch this film at least a time or two more. Reccomend for men and boys 14+, women probably won't enjoy it.
The reaction from my mom and girl friend on this movie = :| 6/10.

Fowl Propaganda

2011-01-27T18:16:00.002-06:00

"Taxes will keep Democracy on the March!" h/t Dvorak.org/blog

My favorite comment on this:
"Please tell me this was done as satire of war propaganda."

Please note, once again, the misuse of the word 'Democracy' when referring to The United States of America (and to the Republic...)

Also, please note that the indication is that only money is lost, not lives, in the pursuit of foreign wars. Disgustingly false.

I can only assume this is propaganda directed at the children of the citizens of this nation, who for the first time in history were to be liable for Income Tax, under the auspices of 'The Victory Tax of 1942' While minor by today's standards, this 5% of gross income was, and still is, little more then nationalized slavery.
Constitution.org: "Prior to World War II, no one outside the government paid income tax; the people were, and understood themselves to be, immune from that tax. During WWII, Congress passed the Victory Tax (56 Stat. 884) to impose an income tax on every individual in The United States of America, something which had not been done by any previous income tax act. Excepted from that tax were those already paying income taxes per I.R.C. 211(a) - nonresident alien individuals with no United States business or office but living in a "contiguous country" and having income from United States sources."

The legacy of evil caused by wars is seared not only into the lands and homes and people on the front lines of conflicts. Enduring evil lingers on the beaches of foreign lands, within the families destroyed, but also in the malignant tyranny that becomes accepted and commonplace in a free Republic that allows a state of war to give it meaning and purpose.

KFC, Pizza Hut Successful in China

2011-01-27T15:50:00.000-06:00

Because they bring the customer what the customer wants:

Bloomberg: "“KFC is certainly doing better than McDonald’s at becoming more Chinese,” says Su Yi, 28, a lawyer, as he pauses between spoonfuls of mushroom, bacon and rice one recent lunchtime in a packed KFC opposite Beijing’s Jishuitan subway station. “I have lunch at KFC twice a week because there’s always one close by. And when I’m out on a date and want to impress a girl, I take her to Pizza Hut.”"

From earlier in the article:
"While McDonald’s restaurants in China mostly sell the same U.S.-style burgers, KFC’s menu features dishes that would be un- recognizable to its patrons in the U.S. Alongside the Colonel’s ”secret recipe” fried chicken, Chinese KFCs also offer options such as the Dragon Twister, a chicken wrap in a Peking duck-type sauce, and spicy tofu chicken rice based on the cuisine of Sichuan province, home of China’s hottest dishes.

Pizza Huts in China bear even less resemblance to their Western counterparts. While a KFC in the People’s Republic still looks like a Western-style fast-food restaurant, Chinese Pizza Huts are marketed as sophisticated venues for the legion of increasingly affluent and status-conscious Chinese. Seated in comfortably cushioned booths, customers can choose from a 106- item menu that includes wine and Chinese-influenced dishes such as scallop croquettes with crushed seaweed and even French- inspired escargot."

What really struck me, in the midst of all this China Envy on display by my president on Tuesday, was the fact that YUM!'s restaurants in China (3,700) accounted for a larger portion of its profits then did all of its US establishments (19,000+).

In case Hans Rosling hasn't convinced you the world has changed, this should.

Words Matter

2011-01-26T11:03:00.000-06:00

Definition of REPUBLIC

a (1) : a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president (2) :a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of governmentb (1) : a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law (2) : a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government

Definition of DEMOCRACY

1
a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority
b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

The difference is the path of power. Democracy is legalized mob rule, easily becoming the tyranny of the majority over all others. If 2 sheep and 3 wolves are in a room, and the wolves vote that it is dinner time, the sheep are doomed by their democracy.

Enter the Republic. A representative government, where the powers of the governed are routinely placed in the hands of chosen representatives. The rights of the governed at protected by what is intended to be inviolate law. Rights protected from both the individuals in society, and the massed powers arrayed against those rights from the government, corporations, religious organizations, unions, and all other tawdry forms of human convocation.

In a republic, we have rights.
In a democracy, we must have the mob to have our rights.

Barrak Obama, 2011:
"And yet, as contentious and frustrating and messy as our democracy can sometimes be, I know there isn't a person here who would trade places with any other nation on Earth."

Words matter, can we please call our country what it is?

State of Texas Education Spending

2011-01-20T14:01:00.000-06:00

Just for all my Texas fellows to look at.

We spend a lot on education.

If this is Death

2011-01-20T07:35:00.000-06:00

I want more of it.

Mark J. Perry:

"In 2009, the United States produced almost 14% more manufacturing output than second place China, and produced almost as much ($2,334 billion) as Japan, Germany, Italy, France and the U.K. combined ($2,762 billion).
...
Bottom Line: The many stories about the "death of America's manufacturing sector" have been greatly exaggerated."

Alas, such a mindset will never have a roost amongst the political sphere. Its far to positive.

Kinder Eggs Worse than Coke

2011-01-11T19:57:00.002-06:00

These guys were supposed to be Mario and Luigi

Kinder eggs. Next to mystery tacos, bacon burgers, and sugar blasted Coca-Cola, the favorite treat of many a short term missionary from my church.

These are tasty semi-chocolate, semi-cream hollowed out eggs. Milk chocolate shell on the outside, white chocolate shell underneath, and hollow on the inside with a little toy that is never, ever the same as the toy shown on the box. See picture for example of my brother's result.

Clearly, what we have hear is a threat to national security.

CBC: "Lind Bird was recently stopped at the U.S. border and selected for a random search of her vehicle. She was warned she could have faced a fine after the customs official found — and seized — her $2 Kinder Surprise egg as illegal contraband.

Bird learned U.S. authorities have banned the candy because they come with a plastic toy inside that could, if eaten, choke a small child.

"It's just a chocolate egg," Bird said. "And they were making a big deal. They said 'if you were caught with this across the border you would get charged a $300 fine,'" she said."

If this continues, there is likely to be a thriving black market in these eggs in the coming years. What with the growing Hispanic population yearning for a taste of home, the burgeoning income levels, and increasing government crack down on this threat, there is likely to be a significant nest egg opportunity for enterprising confectionery smugglers in the future.

[/satire]

Nihilism Rears its Ugly Head

2011-01-09T12:43:00.000-06:00

In the wake of the Safeway shooting in Tuscon yesterday, there is going to be much hustle and bustle and likely legislative action regarding the control of guns, ammunition, and access to political leadership by citizens in this nation.

There will be much hubris in the talking circuits about the dangers of right wing anti-government radicals (Despite his military commitment) and their counterparts in the media.

There will be soliloquies on the harsh political climate that brews such a foul action.

What there will not be is acknowledgement of what drove this man, Jared Lee Loughner, into this. His actions were his own, and they are wrong. But much like James Lee, he was acting only on the logical end point of his worldview.

Watch his farewell video here.

This is a man who believed that there are no absolutes, except that he was wronged. A man who believed that words had no meaning, that his mind was the only constant that could be trusted in this shifting universe, and that there is no God.

With no constants, with no meaning, and with no God, there is no basis for right and wrong. Nothing is wrong, nothing is right. There is only the mind of the individual, and even that is suspect to the ebb and flow of phsyiological shifts.

With this philosophy at the core of Loughner's belief structure, there should be no surprise at this action. This structure of belief is not uncommon, and it is a fortunate protection for society that people want to be liked by their peers which leads to less of this. Friends don't like friends killing people, so it is rare that one will go as far as Lougher in action.

How do we treat the root of this problem? Teach that there are absolutes in this universe, that there is right and wrong, and that there is a God who has created this universe and in whom we have meaning.

Will this happen in the public sphere? Unlikely. Certainly not in public education nor in higher education. It has to be, as all great social changes are, from individual to individual. Fortuitously for the rest of us, reality exists to be known.