Archive for October 2005
America the Police State
America, "home of the free," actively destroys more of its citizens' lives, per capita, through imprisonment, than any other country in the world. It puts people in jail at a higher rate than even communist China. Based on the latest figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Drug War Chronicle estimates that more than 530,000 people were behind bars for drug offenses in the U.S. at the end of last year. Drug offenders accounted…Read More
Thieves, Thugs, and Mobsters…
...always protect their turf and income stream.Read More
The Supremes
Well, given no choice for actual freedom, I'll take a judicial conservative any day over a commie activist. I'll curse them for their damnable meddling in the private consensual affairs of adults; I'll poke fun of their primitive and childish beliefs in fairy tales; and I'll pray for their early and painful deaths when they conflate their religious moral values and American culture (all conservatives deserve 50 lashes in the public square for that one).…Read More
Sent Items
This just out, in email: Me? I just can't and have never been able to muster any energy for this event. From day one, over two years ago. Not a single word on my blog about it, ever. My view? This is a bit different than Martha Stewart in that she was a private citizen just trying to save her own ass; and what do you expect anyone to do when prosecutors come knocking? It's…Read More
Myth
From John Stossel's weekly email forwarded by my dad: By the way, I'm writing another book. It will be called "Myths." Do you have any myths you want me to research and write about? JohnStossel@abcnews.com And dad's follow-up email: Hey, why don't you come up with some myth's for J.S.'s new book, Myths. Hey, it's not a bad idea, though judging from Stossel's first book, there's probably nothing I can come up with in the…Read More
No Contradiction
The other day, someone wrote somthing about Billy Beck that could just as easily apply to me and others. I am constantly both amused and dismayed by those who regularly ridicule government, then take some supposed 'long view' of history to justify war, which is merely the ace card of government's stranglehold upon citizens. ... I have never really understood why he trusts government to go to war, over against those who distrust our government--as…Read More
Up, is Down; and Etc.
For starters, I'm no Great Big Fan of the U.S Constitution, on principled grounds. That said, I coincidentally agree with a number of the general legal principles espoused therein, as well I understand the underlying basis and logic for it and respect the integrity of conservatives who strive to keep it and abide by it. In the quest for a new Associate Justice, it seems to me that you want someone smart. Someone who can…Read More
It Usually Begins With Theft
Want to be right most of the time, with little effort, and with hardly even thinking about it? Just attribute each and every problem you perceive with government to: theft. I can't, offhand, think of a situation where you wouldn't be fundamentally correct. Billy Beck demonstrates how everyone is wrong about one problem, "inflation," and if you use my simple principle, above, you'll be right. You'll be right, and Alan Greenspan, for instance, will be…Read More
Yes, Indeed
Best single day in the market for me since I began serious short-term swing trading 'round six months ago. I've learned a lot in that time; won some, lost some, but the last three weeks have been excruciating -- forcing me to refine my systems considerably. I was buying good stocks/options, but my entry timing was often off, I was missing good sell signals so that winning trades often turned to losing trades, and losing…Read More
Good Service
It's so nice to get good service. I find that I'm usually satisfied with the service I get, with the singular exception of getting my eggs truly "over easy" at restaurants. Every now and then, though, I get service that's so exceptional that it just merits a mention. Three years ago last July, we had an in-ground pool/spa built. Nice, huh? It's essentially a small pool, about 11' x 7' with a large pool size…Read More
Sent Items
You know, it's bad enough keeping a civil tongue around people who go to the polls every coupla years in order to have their say in how I may be permitted to conduct my own peaceful and mutually consensual affairs. I would just as soon tell most of them to go and fuck off, but such boorish behavior might perhaps rise nearly to level of the uncivilized behavior represented by dog-eat-dog democracy and its democrats.…Read More
Nope, Not Surpirsed by Sheep
Nothing appears more surprizing to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers. When we enquire by what means this wonder is effected, we shall find, that, as Force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them…Read More
Perfect Fools
Radley Balko is right, of course: The Miers nomination stands in direct contrast to everything conservatives are supposed to believe in. Merit, opposition to identity politics, accountability in government. The list goes on. ... The right is now facing the harsh reality that President Bush never was the conservative they believed him to be. He's a fightless opportunist. Not even a pragmatist. An opportunist. ... President Bush is a political coward. He shirks from fight,…Read More
Five Lights
This is Theodore Dalrymple, author of Our Culture, What's Left of It... I thought I had blogged this before, but I guess not. Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain…Read More
Oh, Nonsense
My friend Greg Swann speaks ill of the Windows-based world. Well, at least he has some experience in it. Mine is somewhat the opposite, though I think I maybe have more tech experience on the Mac that he does on the PC. I have tons of experience in not only the Windows world, but in multiple-server networked environments. We've consolidated into one office recently, but at one point, we were running four enterprise-level servers here,…Read More
Alright, Knock it Off, Already
Those who follow the markets may have noticed that the last two days have been, well, shitty. Four times as many losers as winners yesterday, and twice as many today. My 'watch' portfolio of about 30 strong stocks was down all 30 yesterday and 28 of 30 today. These are all strong companies and strong stocks, mind you. Here we have September as historically the worst month of the year for the markets, and I…Read More
So, You Think I Exaggerate?
Well, here's data points, here, and here, that says I don't. REPUBLICAN (emphasis, mine) lawmakers are drafting new legislation that will make marriage a requirement for motherhood in the state of Indiana, including specific criminal penalties for unmarried women who do become pregnant "by means other than sexual intercourse." ...must first file for a "petition for parentage"... ...considered for the "gestational certificate"... And I'm counting on these pricks and assorted "born-again" nutbars to keep us…Read More
Smack!
When George Will smacks you, you know you've been smacked Even though I'm neither a republican nor a conservative, as it's commonly understood, there are conservatives who rise head and shoulders above the rest. George Will has always been one of those guys, in my book. To me, he is the epitome of what an intelligent journalist should be. Now, I don't agree with everything in his generally excellent hit piece on the president and…Read More
Politics Test, Part IV (final)
Continued from Part III. Or, begin with Part I and Part II. 34. Eventually, a computer will write the best novel ever written. Disagree. The fact is, I don't know. Best to whom? By whose and by what standard of greatness? Who gets to decide? Who knows...they will probably eventually make computers fast and smart enough to assemble a story from trillions upon trillions of possible scenarios, each begetting trillions upon trillions of possibilities, and…Read More
Don’t Try This At Home
As regular readers know, I fly hang-gliders. I like knowing that my Dacron wing is being held in shape with some plumbing; namely, aircraft-grade aluminum tubing. But others aren't so particular. They fly paragliders. Same basic principle, but rather than tubing to maintain form, they employ a ram air inflated airfoil. Here's how they work. And, as frequent commenter Doug Wolf will tell you: no, these are nothing like parachutes, and, no, you didn't "do…Read More