Dollar Multiplication

Turns out, dollar stores are pretty much everywhere.

Carpe Diem:"3. There are 5.6 dollar stores in the U.S. for every one Walmart.  "

What the implication of this is in your life, I do not know.


EDIT:
The Atlantic Cities also chimes in, with this helpful image of Dollar Store Density per 10,000 from a report by Colliers:

 "Dollar General, with 9,600 stores, positions itself as rural America’s convenience store. 

More than 70% of its stores serve communities with fewer than 20,000 residents

...In contrast, Family Dollar locates in urban, suburban, and rural areas, but less desirable areas 
of large markets, a.k.a. “food deserts,” are its sweet spot. Urban areas force convenience 
retailers to focus more on price to combat competition. "

The Coming War on General Computation

This is a really insightful speech by Cory Doctrow. Short Description:


"The copyright war was just the beginning


The last 20 years of Internet policy have been dominated by the copyright war, but the war turns out only to have been a skirmish. The coming century will be dominated by war against the general purpose computer, and the stakes are the freedom, fortune and privacy of the entire human race."


Video for eyes and ears and mind.
Transcript eyes and mind.

Capitalism Rules

Let there be no more question as to the effectiveness of the free market in meeting customer needs:


Introducing, the Obol. No more soggy cereal.
This really appears to be marvelous engineering to a long standing problem.

The Moral Dangers of Non-Lethal Weapons

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

"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

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

Newt Gingrich

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

Full Link

Power of the State

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

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

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

It's For Stopping Terrorists, Right?

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

h/t Cato

If You Outlaw Lemonade, Then Only Outlaws Will Have Lemonade

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

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

H/t blog.Mises.org 

Bin Laden Assassination Shenanigans Continue

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

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

"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.