by Alex Fidel
Julian Assange of WikiLeaks is now on INTERPOL’s wanted list.
Although he is Australian, I do consider Assange an American hero (although I hear that he is less than likable as a person), not a criminal. And charging him with sex crimes? Are they that desperate?
Oh, and Stossel FTW.
by Alex Fidel
Although this will probably never happen, I think John Dennis should be Gary Johnson’s VP choice if he wins the primary.
They are both entrepreneurs; they are both very down-to-earth and humble; they both get much support from independents and Democrats (I was phonebanking for John Dennis’ congressional bid, and one person said they supported him because Pelosi wasn’t left enough, that they voted for Cindy Sheehan in ‘08 and now Dennis in ‘10); they both got massive support from Ron Paul; they both were nationally recognized; they have a great understanding of the philosophy of liberty and are not zombies; and it would break the mold of the image of a typical Republican being a square with a stick up their butt (they have grey hair, but aren’t your typical ‘old geezers’).
How that would work practically against Obama beats me. It could suck away a lot of his disenfranchised constituency who want real anti-war and socially tolerant candidates, but the whole capitalism thing might hinder that effect. What ever the result, I think that they would be a good ticket because of their similarities, which hopefully amounts to less argumentation in the White House.
by Alex Fidel
I am working on putting together a long needed Republican Liberty Caucus chapter in San Diego county. Despite Prop 14 killing primaries, hopefully we can bring up an opponent to Brian Bilbray next election cycle. We’ll try to attend Republican Party meetings and bring up the fact that we are hacking off the youth vote as well as the potentiality of losing the Tea Party vote as they read more and become more aware and less tolerant of fiscal indiscipline, and therefore should seek an alternate candidate to Brian Bilbray; to nominate someone who is [truly] fiscally conservative and socially tolerant.
Here’s a link to the Facebook page.
by Alex Fidel
We watched this today in my biology class.
Sorry, ‘InfoWarriors,’ I don’t believe in “New World Order.” There is a difference between global government and governance. Global governance is like the U.N., which constantly shits on everyone else’s sovereignty without dictating all of the laws of everyone’s lands.
But this is your tax dollars at work, brainwashing impressionable college kids into thinking that green technology, redistribution of wealth, and global governance causes population sustainability. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start teaching us about population control, much like Obama’s advisors Cass Sunstein and John Holdren do.
Please Note:
December 1 in Chicago, with Tucker Carlson: Learn more and register at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106752506062992 (additional registration fee required)
December 12 in Boston: “Boston Tea Party” at Faneuil Hall; Learn more at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169188543094531
December 15 in Phoenix: 9th Annual Bill of Rights Dinner; RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179505025397391
December 19 in Denver: Gary will speak at KushCon; see http://kushcon.com/index.html for details.
by Alex Fidel
Tune into my radio show, Freethought Radio, this Tuesday Nov. 30th at 8PM PST at www.ksunradio.com, because Ryan Nohea Garcia, the head honcho over here at DuelingBarstools.com, is going to be calling in for our new segment called the ‘Dueling Barstools Power Hour’ (yeah… the title needs work). We’ll try to make it weekly, but it will be a recurring segment, weekly, biweekly, or sporadic. We’ll discuss the issues of the day, Gary Johnson, etc.
Excellent read here about the situation in North Korea. Among other things, it made me wonder what kind of prick you have to be to be a top ranking North Korean official, and observe the domestic squalor before you, which you know you have caused, while in full knowledge that your enemies, who don’t even want to kill you (and in fact pity you), live more freely and prosperously than you?
by Alex Fidel
I am 30,000 ft in the air as I type this on Virgin America/Google Chrome-powered free WiFi (ahh free market innovation, I love it). But in order to enjoy this innovation in customer service, I had to go through a body scanner. This isn’t the first time I’ve been through one, and certainly not the first time I’ve been outraged by it. The first time I went through one I said ‘big brother, eh?’ This time is different, because I’ve had a bit more time to ponder, as well as all the recent events making me even more outraged.
As I pulled into SFO, I began to think about the argument that the TSA workers just want a job and that they’re just following orders. The Nazis followed orders, too. Now I know what you’re thinking, I’m crazy. My reasoning is that they are doing something so grotesque as to molest people, including children, against their will without standing up or quitting is akin to the Nazis ‘just following orders.’ I do not identify myself with the crazies that call our troops Nazis. Yes, there are some atrocities committed, as revealed by various WikiLeaks documents, but it is nowhere near the level of the Nazis. It is perfectly excusable for the troops to use the ‘following orders’ excuse; they aren’t committing major atrocities. Our politicians are the ones to blame in that realm.
Then as I went up to the security checkpoint, I saw a metal detector and a body scanner. I felt a sigh of relief, that they were sending people through the metal detectors. WRONG, WRONG! The TSA workers arbitrarily put people through either the metal detector or the scanner. The guy in front of me got to go through the metal detector, while I went through the scanner. Arbitration is a characteristic of totalitarian governments; rule of law is one of limited governments.
I really was about to burst into tears as I went through. I felt like a prisoner. I was treated with no respect; like cattle. As I left I had to stand in place as the other person went through, then I was cleared to leave. As I left, I tried to be all badass and chant ‘fuck tha police’ (like the N.W.A. song) but it came out really bad so I stormed off and got breakfast.
I didn’t expect to get that shook up, but this is one brick in the road to serfdom. I don’t think it’s that far-fetched to compare TSA workers to Nazis just following orders, though while still hideous, sexual molestation doesn’t come close to genocide. Nazis were definitely worse.
Fuck tha police, and by police, I mean the TSA.
*Side note: Please don’t compare me to Alex Jones for using the word ‘prisoner,’ ‘cattle,’ and referencing facist regimes. I don’t particularly like Alex Jones; I’m not talking conspiracy stuff here.
Oh and props to Virgin for having a good Frank Zappa collection in their music player.
[Dr. Gilo] Proof that the world really is mad: yesterday we went to the amazing FareShare (www.fareshare.org.uk) who salvage food from supermarkets/suppliers that is past ’sell by date’ and destined for landfill. they then distribute it to charities around Bristol. [I]n their warehouse was what companies are prepared to throw into landfill, including BOTTLED WATER still in it’s packaging simply because the offer on it had expired…. (not to mentioned practically tonnes of Dorset Cereal).November 17 at 2:13am
FareSharewww.fareshare.org.uk
- Knight: Ryan makes an interesting point, as long as we as consumers support wasteful ways of purchasing and marketing and don’t hit back at the organisations and systems that proliferate it (in our name), this will continue to happen. Fareshare although a fantastic project are making a difference by exploiting a symptom of our greed and demand for perfection (and handily salving our concience in the meantime), perhaps we should take a look at the holistic picture. Don’t get me wrong, Fareshare is fantastic, but the answer to the madness (our madness) lies elsewhere
by Alex Fidel
Many presidents in our history have talked about balancing our budget and cutting spending, including even FDR in his first race against President Hoover.
But the walk never matched the talk. Continuously budgets rose, administration after administration. A few like Coolidge cut back a lot, but the trend is there. The talk remained the same, but once in office everyone flipped flopped to some degree, including Reagan. No modern president has ever cut spending in a serious way.
Will anyone ever mean what they say in this area? I say yes. And his name is Gary Johnson.
Will we get the ideal? Maybe, maybe not. There’s a lot to scale back, and government growth will drop. But when that will sum up to a balanced budget depends on the annual rate of decrease in spending. It depends how much Congress is willing to co-operate on scaling back. They’d have to scale back by at least 43% of the budget and sustain and expand upon those cuts annually.
by Alex Fidel
Do I need to say anything except for Jesus effing Christ! (and are the U.S. taxpayers going to be pitching in?)
Via my friend Maurizio Perra, from Villiasimius, Sardinia:
For man there are only three events. Birth, life, and death. Man does not see his birth, suffers until his death, and forgets to live.
He said it was better in Italian.
Here’s a petition telling the TSA to get fucked, which I signed. I encourage you to do the same. There’s a text box to write a note to Congress. Here’s mine:
It’s a curious worldview that considers porno scanners and grope-level pat downs ordinary and necessary. The fact is, individuals have stopped or mitigated more terrorist attacks on airplanes than the TSA. Strongly consider treating passengers as assets in the air, and equipping them to assist in their own self-defense – if for other reason than the logical end of the TSA’s current procedures is an anal, vaginal, and or esophogal probe to ensure no one has 3 oz of liquid, or whatever, in their possession.
DuelingBarstools Likes:
John Tyner became a YouTube sensation this week for recording and sharing his confrontation with TSA officials over the pat-down he was required to endure to get on an airplane. His outrageous experience clearly touched a nerve with a lot of Americans — myself included.
No matter how many times I go through an airport, which is almost daily, I am outraged each and every time. Whether it is the disgusting thought of a “full-body scan,” being touched in ways nobody should be touched, or having a guy in a uniform confiscate my one ounce of toothpaste because it’s in a six-ounce tube, I ask myself what has brought us to the point where we let the government do the kind of stuff to us that we wouldn’t let anyone else do?
My friend Congressman Ron Paul has introduced legislation to make it clear that TSA officers are not immune from basic laws regarding unwanted physical contact. I commend him for doing so, but cannot help but point out how unbelievable it is that such a law might even be necessary. How is it that we line up like sheep at the airport and let the government grope us in ways that would get anybody else in the country fired or arrested? I say enough is enough. Let’s stop being sheep.
Instead of trying to fix or adjust or moderate TSA airport screening procedures to make them less abusive or slightly more tolerable, I say it is time to turn airport screening and security over to those who should be doing it in the first place: the airlines.
We all want to be safe when we fly. That isn’t the issue. The issue is that the TSA doesn’t seem to answer to anyone. They don’t really care how intrusive or offensive their procedures are, and they have no interest in letting us, the flying public, make our own decisions about how much privacy and dignity we are prepared to sacrifice in the name of security.
The airlines, however, who after all own the airplanes and are ultimately responsible for their passengers’ safety and comfort, have every reason in the world to care about security — and providing it in ways that are acceptable to their paying customers. If allowed to take the responsibility for airport screening, airlines would turn to the best and brightest minds and entrepreneurs on the planet to develop technology and best practices that would certainly be more effective than whatever the government is doing now — and financial necessity would ensure that those procedures did not constitute abuse and unacceptable invasions of our privacy and our bodies.
Certainly, like many other aspects of our lives and businesses, the government may be compelled to establish minimum standards and criteria for airport security; however, let entrepreneurs and the marketplace figure out how to meet those standards — rather than bureaucrats. The result, I am absolutely confident, will be safer air travel, more efficient airports, lower costs, and a lot less officially-sanctioned touching.
I especially like the salutation – “Attention Google.” Via MiddleEasy:
Sender Information:
Zuffa, LLC
Sent by:
MiMTiD Corp.
USARecipient Information:
Google, Inc.
Mountain View, CA, USA
Sent via: email
Re: Dmca copyrightAttention Google:
On behalf of Zuffa, LLC and/or its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, I am writing to notify you of the infringement of Zuffa, LLC’s intellectual property rights in the titles identified in this email in Google search results.
Demand is hereby made that Google take immediate action to stop such infringements.
The search results and links identified in this email are specific examples of Google search results linking to images, artwork, video files, video streams and websites that infringe upon Zuffa, LLC’s intellectual property rights.
Zuffa, LLC hereby demands that Google promptly remove and disable the links to all unauthorized copies of works whose copyrights are owned by Zuffa, LLC of which it is aware, including the infringing files identified in this email.
This letter is not a complete statement of Zuffa, LLC’s rights in connection with this matter, and nothing contained herein constitutes an express or implied waiver of any rights, remedies, or defenses of Zuffa, LLC in connection with this matter, all of which are expressly reserved.
The undersigned has a good faith belief that use of the materials in the manner described herein is not authorized by Zuffa, LLC, its agent, or the law. The information in this notice is accurate. Under penalty of perjury, the undersigned is authorized to act on behalf of Zuffa, LLC with respect to this matter.
We appreciate your prompt attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
MiMTiD Corp.
[redacted]
Managing Director
(713) [redacted]
[redacted]@mimtid.com
by Alex Fidel
I recently designated December 18th as National Drink a Caffeinated Alcoholic Mixed Drink Day, to protest the FDA’s ban of caffeinated alcoholic drinks like Four Loko, ushering in a new precedent in alcohol prohibition. Just go for a vodka & Red Bull or an Irish coffee, anything with caffeine and alcohol to satirize this ban (be responsible, of course). (Click the link to RSVP to the Facebook event)
by Alex Fidel
AOL reports that the FDA declared drinks like Four Loko to be illegal, and are threatening the companies that make them:
The Food and Drug Administration began cracking down on alcoholic drinks containing caffeine today, telling the companies that market them that the drinks are dangerous and illegal.
The FDA sent letters to four companies that market the beverages. The letters say the companies have 15 days to take action or the FDA could seek a court order barring them from selling the products.
It’s times like these that make George Orwell more of a prophet than an author. Hopefully this gets challenged in court on constitutional grounds; it’s one thing for a state to do it, but the FDA is a federal entity and must abide by the repeal of prohibition amendment. Only the Bill of Rights (and a few others such as the 14th) apply to both the federal government AND the states.
This is about more than just a stupid drink; this is about our freedoms and upholding the Constitution.
by Alex Fidel
I figure I aught to suggest some classic albums to DuelingBarstools readers, because it is apparent that I am a metal fan. Now, this isn’t your conventional metal. A lot of it is very abstract and weird. I’m into a lot of jazz, like Mahavishnu, Holdsworth, and Weather Report so that might be why a lot of it is quite ‘out there.’ (I’ll post my top 10 jazz/fusion list soon…)
1. Cynic- Focus
2. Death- Individual Thought Patterns
3. Control Denied- The Fragile Art of Existence
4. Atheist- Unquestionable Presence
5. Death- The Sound of Perseverance
6. Watchtower- Control and Resistance
7. Cynic- Traced in Air
8. King Diamond- Abigail
9. Toxik- Think This
10. Pestilence- Spheres
by Alex Fidel
New York is officially on the ban Four Lokos bandwagon:
Yesterday New York joined the Four Loko Four, the states (Michigan, Oklahoma, Washington, and Utah) that have banned caffeinated malt beverages. Sort of. Under pressure from Gov. David Paterson and the New York State Liquor Authority, Four Loko’s Chicago-based manufacturer, Phusion Products, has “agreed” to stop shipping the drink to New York.
Where was I when the other 3 states came along? There being more states banning Four Lokos than just Michigan is news to me (except for Utah… I can expect that).
On the surface, this seems like a petty thing to weep about, but it is another layer of asphalt on the road to serfdom. Each layer should be treated with equal importance, no matter whether it affects you or not. The element of ‘mission creep’ in laws and power grabs will eventually make something like this affect your liberties.
Every alcoholic beverage is “potentially hazardous,” and none will ever be proven “safe,” if by that Rosen means risk-free. But there’s no question that a can of Four Loko, which has less alcohol than a bottle of wine and about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, can be consumed without serious adverse effects. If every alcoholic beverage had to pass the reckless college student test, they all would be banned.
While he might be joking about all alcoholic beverages being banned on a “potential hazard” basis, I wouldn’t put it past some politicians. There should be no exceptions for liberty, for liberty is like Jenga- you can only take away so many liberties until it completely topples over.
Except the President of the USA. Here:
The disputes were not limited to America’s foreign partners. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner got into a trans-Pacific argument with one of his former mentors, Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, after Greenspan wrote that the United States was “pursuing a policy of currency weakening.’’ Geithner shot back on CNBC that while he had “enormous respect’’ for Greenspan, “that’s not an accurate description of either the Fed’s policies or our policies.’’
LOL. I’d like to hear what Geithner thinks is an “accurate description” of his and the Fed’s monetary policies.
I am not one, and Germany is not one, who says growth and fiscal consolidation are contradictory,’’ she said during a lunchtime address in Seoul. “They can go together, and it is essential to return to a sustainable growth path.’’ She also suggested that it was the job of deficit countries — like the United States and Britain, although she diplomatically avoided citing them — to increase their competitiveness rather than put limits on countries that had figured out how to get the world to buy their goods.
Word to your mother, Merkel.
Merkel, in a more traditional German view reflective of her country’s history of hyperinflation before World War II, was equally adamant.
“You do hear the argument made sometimes: If you have a deficit, put off the action to deal with it because taking money out of the economy will reduce your growth rate,’’ Cameron said at the meeting. “I simply don’t accept that.’’
Much of the rest of the world seemed to share Greenspan’s assessment. Moreover, Obama seemed to be losing the broader debate over austerity. The president has insisted that at a moment of weak private demand, the best way to spur economic growth is to have the government prime the pump with cheap credit and government stimulus programs. He quickly found himself in an argument with Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.
Related – Weimar Republic era German papers his wall with currency.
And this, from Instapundit:
PREPARING AN EXCULPATORY BLAME NARRATIVE FOR THE DEMOCRATS: Time claims Tea Party will cause hyperinflation. Yeah, that’s whose fault it’ll be. . . .
by Alex Fidel
Some House Democrats are coming out saying that they will not support her in becoming House minority leader:
Several Democrats have said they would not support Pelosi during the public roll call vote when the new Congress organizes on Jan. 5. And earlier this week, two liberals — Reps. Peter DeFazio and Marcy Kaptur — wrote to colleagues, urging them to postpone the closed-door caucus election until next month.
Could this spell out the retirement that she is rumored to take if she loses both speaker positions? We’ll see. I think John Dennis is watching this closely, too.
by Alex Fidel
The fundamental problem with most discriminatory laws is that their foundations are in group rights, otherwise known as ‘collectivism.’
Laws based on collectivism have no baseline rule of law; rights are given arbitrarily based on what group you belong to (i.e. groups based on race, color, religion, sexual preference, income, political views, etc.). This also implies that rights come from men, which is clearly not the case. Rights come from our existence as humans, and are not delegated by the will of any man. Collectivism implies that an authority exists to designate which rights you have (most of which have nothing to do with freedom). Without a baseline rule of law, the tyranny of the majority generally decides what rights certain groups of people can have. Examples include Soviet Russia (groups based on income and political views) or the Jim Crow South (groups based on race/color).
Individual rights have a baseline rule of law, such as the freedom of speech or the right to contract, which applies to all humans equally, regardless of what group you belong to. It also gives authority the purpose of protecting these rights, not designating them. It cannot take them away, because the rights exist whether there is a charter for them or not. You have rights, because you exist as a human. You can’t have more or less rights based on some group you belong to. Examples include United States (which was perfected when slavery was abolished and the 14th Amendment insured equal protection).
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a law based on group rights. It tells individual humans they have different rights because they are homosexual, and anyone with a brain knows that homosexuality is not a choice. It does not meticulously judge each individual person by their merit and ability to perform various tasks necessary to their employment condition. You could have a gay Rambo and he’d be denied.
If the military were a 100% private entity, this would not be the case, because anyone can go to another firm looking for a job (would you want to work for a homophobe anyways?). But since this is the case of government, and government has a legal monopoly on force, they aren’t supposed to discriminate based on some group you may or may not belong to.
DADT restricts speech for only certain people who belong to an arbitrary group. I could openly say I’m a libertarian, and that could irk someone who doesn’t like libertarians. But free speech protects offensive speech, as long as it is not accompanied by violence. If anything, homophobes (or libertyphobes) should recieve penalties based on merit, because they’d be straying from the task at hand which is a term of their employment. Now if they were penalized for being homophobes, that’d be wrong; freedom is a two-way street, as long as there is no violence. Now if a gay member of the military was to sexually harass someone, that should be penalized in the same way if a straight guy were to harass a female member of the military (and vice-versa). Individual rights and equal protection also implies that punishment shouldn’t differ based on groups either (such as politicians getting away with tax evasion).
Haven’t we always been taught that we always don’t end up working with people we don’t like? DADT reverses that age old idea. What if there was a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy for people who whistle abnoxiously when not doing important work-related tasks (such as during lunch or in the parking lot), and talked about his hobby of whistling openly to some people? In any private sector job, it would be stupid to report that to your boss. You should ignore it and focus on your job is what he or she would say. But in the military, what you do in your private life and choose to express to people (in whatever context) could get you fired, simply because some other member can’t get over an arbitrary fact and focus on their job. I think people’s rational self-interest will take over and realize if they focus on such absurd things like the sexual orientation of their colleagues, that it will endanger them in the battlefield. I think they’d be more concerned with staying alive on the battlefield.
Besides, does being gay automatically make you a sexual abuser? That logic seems absurd. If someone does, they (once again) shouldn’t be punished for the gay part, they should be punished for the fact that they initiated force upon another individual, same as if a guy did it to a girl.
Your probably thinking ‘why should Alex care about DADT, because it won’t affect him.’ True, true. It won’t affect me, because I’m straight and will never ever join the military (not even for draft). But I care because 1) I’m not selfish and 2) I can better protect my own individual liberties by protecting others’. Here’s a few examples: when Woodrow Wilson instituted the income tax, the promise was that only the rich would pay taxes, and even then it wouldn’t be that high. At the end of his presidency everyone was paying taxes (and a lot of them, too). By putting people into groups and deciding who does or does not have property rights, you leave it up to man to make decisions. The Founding Fathers understood that men are flawed, so you need to limit their power, and protect the basic rights of the individual. This is known as mission creep.
It can also work in the way where one guy can legislate collectivism from a faith-based way. People of faith will think it’s OK because it doesn’t affect them. But their guy won’t be in power forever, and the next guy will have that power structure to implement anti-faith laws. Both sides would be wrong; the authority should stay out of faith one way or the other.
Same works for DADT. Woodrow Wilson segregated the military based on skin color. The power structure implied by DADT could easily make way for a re-segregation of the military if the wrong guy got a policy making position. And be weary of the ‘common good’ argument that is made, a lot of bad things are done in the name of the ‘common good,’ no matter how well-intended. Getting rid of DADT would limit the power of the government to make policy based on groups, which would prevent the chances of such an injustice like racial segregation from happening in the military again.
We should really think twice about how it might eventually affect us if we support policy that affects people in different groups. We should support protection of individual rights, not arbitrarily designating ‘rights’ based on groups.
I think Ron Paul puts it best when he says–paraphrasing–”individual rights are the biggest enemy to racism.” It is true. Racism is a form of collectivism/group judgement, which is the antithesis to liberty.
So let’s repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ and stop legislating people into groups. Rather, judge people based on the content of their character. And all this coming from a straight guy who wouldn’t even join the military in a time of draft, let alone volunteer.
“You don’t have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight.”
-Barry Goldwater*
*Harvey Milk supported Barry Goldwater for president in 1964
by Alex Fidel
I’m a huge Gary Johnson fan. I’m the opposite when it comes to Alex Jones; I can’t stand the guy. Gary Johnson was on Alex Jones’ show recently, and basically made Gary Johnson read his looney conspiracy headlines, to make it seem as if Gary believed it. Alex would go on and on about conspiracy, and then asked Gary if he was outraged by things like body scanners or the Patriot Act. Gary would answer that he was outraged, but Jones’ rant makes it seem as if the two are interconnected.
Neither Gary Johnson nor Ron Paul believes in Jones’ ‘inside job’ insanity. They believe our militarism causes attacks inflicted upon us, and that they are unintended consequences. The whole basis of libertarianism and libertarian economics is that policies have unintended consequences. In my first post here, I went on a rant about the many holes in the logic of such looney conspiracy theorists:
I’m not a fan of Alex Jones, so it gets a little frustrating when the small handful of people that show up to liberty meetings rapidly turn it into the First Church of Alex Jones. I mean really, if the whole point of libertarianism is that our militarism creates the unintended consequences of terrorism, how can these ‘truthers’ be against our military industrial complex when they think the government ’staged’ 9/11? It doesn’t make any sense. Furthermore, if our government was able to stage the 9/11 attacks, why can’t they properly run Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, Amtrak, USPS, or the DMV? They can’t do anything right; they couldn’t even do ‘Watergate’ right. There is no government conspiracy in 9/11. It was an unintended consequence of our miltary expansion. (If they were efficient enough to do all those things, why cut government? That is the big hole in their logic…) Speaking of inefficiency, the whole reason we ignored the intel we had on the hijackers is because we are so incompetent. Judge Napolitano recently did a thing on FreedomWatch where he exposed the 9/11 commissions’ attempt to cover up their incompetence prior to 9/11, not their involvement. Enough of my anti-conspiracy rant… I’m just tired of seeing infowars ‘inside job’ stuff everywhere. BUT I would never want them to shut up about it, in fact, they should speak louder, because we live in a marketplace of ideas, so as long as we speak non-violently, it’s all good.
‘Nuff said. Gary Johnson is a level-headed, rational thinker. Why reduce our military industrial complex and military presence if our government staged 9/11? Well, they didn’t stage 9/11, our military presence around the world fed the motivation for these religious wackos in the Middle East, and thus, we should remove our military from all these places.
But in spite of all this, I still support Alex Jones’ right to speak, in fact, I think he should speak louder. Even if I think it’s all insane. That’s the beauty of Americanism: the free marketplace of ideas; the good, the bad, and the wacko.
by Alex Fidel
…oops. I guess I spoke too soon when I mentioned that the dollar may be at risk of crashing due to projected actions of the Fed. Well the actions are now reality, as this WSJ article states:
Global controversy mounted over the Federal Reserve’s decision to pump billions of dollars into the U.S. economy, … China, Russia and the euro zone added to a chorus of criticism. … The prospects of the Fed flooding the financial system with money helped drive gold above $1,400 an ounce on Monday. The precious metal, which investors often buy as protection against inflation, settled at a record $1,402.80 per troy ounce. Other assets, such as U.S. stocks and oil, drifted back slightly on Monday after getting a big boost from the Fed’s announcement last week. The dollar fell against the yen, while rising against the euro as worries about Europe’s debt problems returned.
Now the dollar hasn’t crashed. But we are getting some long overdue criticism from our main financiers, and once they pull the rug out from beneath us and give up the dollar as their reserve currency, it’s all over. And I’m no conspiracy theorist; I hate Alex Jones. I’m just an economist (probably an even better one than my clueless Keynesian zombie professor here at Sonoma State).
Also, the Fed buying Treasury bills is a criminal act. They essentially ‘add zeros’ to a bank’s ledger to ‘pay’ for the t-bills they buy off said banks. However, they get paid back in real money. Sound like a scam? It does to me. And that’s what we learned in my Marcoeconomics class today… except we learned that it is a good thing.
More salt discrimination in NYC:
Mayor Bloomberg’s latest health campaign — cutting salt intake — has targeted soup as one of the big sodium offenders to be taken down with new city ads.
The ads, which will be plastered on subways for the next two months, feature a half-opened can of soup with a geyser of salt spewing from the top and forming a heap around the can.
Trying to put fear into the hearts of salt-aholics, the ads will warn that excessive sodium “can lead to heart attack and stroke” and list average amounts of salt in various foods, such as salad dressing and frozen pizza.
An admitted fan of dumping salt on his own food, Bloomberg said the biggest culprits behind high-salt diets are the food processors that include copious amounts of sodium in canned soup and other prepared foods. …
The campaign costs $370,000 — $130,000 of which comes from city taxpayers. The rest is covered by the federal government, a city Department of Health spokeswoman said.
It’s not government’s enumerated and or philosophical duty to have a say in your salt intake. But if you endorse or consent, one way or another, to someone other than yourself providing for your health then you’ll understand (and if you’re consistent, appreciate) government appropriating $370k of citizen’s money, in horrid economic times, to tell you something you already know, even if you’re a dunce, and which most likely won’t change your habits one wit. Plus, salt is evil. Societies worldwide have used it as a form of currency, and money is the root of all evil. Therefore salt is evil. Better tax that shit (salt, I mean). Get on it progressives!
Interesting post here listing in paragraph form California’s horde of state agencies:
California Academic Performance Index (API) California Access for Infants and Mothers California Acupuncture Board California Administrative Office of the Courts California Adoptions Branch California African American Museum California Agricultural Export Program California Agricultural Labor Relations Board California Agricultural Statistics Service California Air Resources Board (CARB) California Allocation Board California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority California Animal Health and Food Safety Services California Anti-Terrorism Information Center California Apprenticeship Council California Arbitration Certification Program California Architects Board California Area VI Developmental Disabilities Board California Arts Council California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus California Assembly Democratic Caucus California Assembly Republican Caucus California Athletic Commission * California Attorney General California Bay Conservation and Development Commission California Bay-Delta Authority California Bay-Delta Office California Biodiversity Council California Board for Geologists and Geophysicists California Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors California Board of Accountancy California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology California Board of Behavioral Sciences California Board of Chiropractic Examiners California Board of Equalization (BOE) California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection California Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind California Board of Occupational Therapy California Board of Optometry California Board of Pharmacy California Board of Podiatric Medicine California Board of Prison Terms California Board of Psychology California Board of Registered Nursing California Board of Trustees California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians California Braille and Talking Book Library California Building Standards Commission California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education California Bureau of Automotive Repair California Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation California Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services California Bureau of State Audits California Business Agency California Business Investment Services (CalBIS) California Business Permit Information (CalGOLD) California Business Portal California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency California Cal Grants California CalJOBS California Cal-Learn Program California CalVet Home Loan Program California Career Resource Network California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau California Center for Analytical Chemistry California Center for Distributed Learning California Center for Teaching Careers (Teach California) California Chancellors Office California Charter Schools California Children and Families Commission California Children and Family Services Division California Citizens Compensation Commission California Civil Rights Bureau California Coastal Commission California Coastal Conservancy California Code of Regulations California Collaborative Projects with UC Davis California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth California Commission on Aging California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers Compensation California Commission on Judicial Performance California Commission on State Mandates California Commission on Status of Women California Commission on Teacher Credentialing California Commission on the Status of Women California Committee on Dental Auxiliaries California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, Junior Colleges California Community Colleges Chancellors Office California Complaint Mediation Program California Conservation Corps California Constitution Revision Commission California Consumer Hotline California Consumer Information Center California Consumer Information California Consumer Services Division California Consumers and Families Agency California Contractors State License Board California Corrections Standards Authority California Council for the Humanities California Council on Criminal Justice California Council on Developmental Disabilities California Court Reporters Board California Courts of Appeal California Crime and Violence Prevention Center California Criminal Justice Statistics Center California Criminalist Institute Forensic Library California CSGnet Network Management California Cultural and Historical Endowment California Cultural Resources Division California Curriculum and Instructional Leadership Branch California Data Exchange Center California Data Management Division California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission California Delta Protection Commission California Democratic Caucus California Demographic Research Unit California Dental Auxiliaries California Department of Aging California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control California Department of Boating and Waterways (Cal Boating) California Department of Child Support Services (CDCSS) California Department of Community Services and Development California Department of Conservation California Department of Consumer Affairs California Department of Corporations California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation California Department of Developmental Services California Department of Education California Department of Fair Employment and Housing California Department of Finance California Department of Financial Institutions California Department of Fish and Game California Department of Food and Agriculture California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) California Department of General Services California Department of General Services, Office of State Publishing California Department of Health Care Services California Department of Housing and Community Development California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) California Department of Insurance California Department of Justice Firearms Division California Department of Justice Opinion Unit California Department of Justice, Consumer Information, Public Inquiry Unit California Department of Justice California Department of Managed Health Care California Department of Mental Health California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) California Department of Personnel Administration California Department of Pesticide Regulation California Department of Public Health California Department of Real Estate California Department of Rehabilitation California Department of Social Services Adoptions Branch California Department of Social Services California Department of Technology Services Training Center (DTSTC) California Department of Technology Services (DTS) California Department of Toxic Substances Control California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVets) California Department of Water Resources California Departmento de Vehiculos Motorizados California Digital Library California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program California Division of Apprenticeship Standards California Division of Codes and Standards California Division of Communicable Disease Control California Division of Engineering California Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control California Division of Gambling Control California Division of Housing Policy Development California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement California Division of Labor Statistics and Research California Division of Land and Right of Way California Division of Land Resource Protection California Division of Law Enforcement General Library California Division of Measurement Standards California Division of Mines and Geology California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources California Division of Planning and Local Assistance California Division of Recycling California Division of Safety of Dams California Division of the State Architect California Division of Tourism California Division of Workers Compensation Medical Unit California Division of Workers Compensation California Economic Assistance, Business and Community Resources California Economic Strategy Panel California Education and Training Agency California Education Audit Appeals Panel California Educational Facilities Authority California Elections Division California Electricity Oversight Board California Emergency Management Agency California Emergency Medical Services Authority California Employment Development Department (EDD) California Employment Information State Jobs California Employment Training Panel California Energy Commission California Environment and Natural Resources Agency California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES) California Executive Office California Export Laboratory Services California Exposition and State Fair (Cal Expo) California Fair Political Practices Commission California Fairs and Expositions Division California Film Commission California Fire and Resource Assessment Program California Firearms Division California Fiscal Services California Fish and Game Commission California Fisheries Program Branch California Floodplain Management California Foster Youth Help California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) California Fraud Division California Gambling Control Commission California Geographic Information Systems Council (GIS) California Geological Survey California Government Claims and Victim Compensation Board California Governors Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons California Governors Mentoring Partnership California Governors Office of Emergency Services California Governors Office of Homeland Security California Governors Office of Planning and Research California Governors Office California Grant and Enterprise Zone Programs HCD Loan California Health and Human Services Agency California Health and Safety Agency California Healthy Families Program California Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau California High-Speed Rail Authority California Highway Patrol (CHP) California History and Culture Agency California Horse Racing Board California Housing Finance Agency California Indoor Air Quality Program California Industrial Development Financing Advisory Commission California Industrial Welfare Commission California InFoPeople California Information Center for the Environment California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank) California Inspection Services California Institute for County Government California Institute for Education Reform California Integrated Waste Management Board California Interagency Ecological Program California Job Service California Junta Estatal de Personal California Labor and Employment Agency California Labor and Workforce Development Agency California Labor Market Information Division California Land Use Planning Information Network (LUPIN) California Lands Commission California Landscape Architects Technical Committee California Latino Legislative Caucus California Law Enforcement Branch California Law Enforcement General Library California Law Revision Commission California Legislative Analyst’s Office California Legislative Black Caucus California Legislative Counsel California Legislative Division California Legislative Information California Legislative Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Caucus California Legislature Internet Caucus California Library De velopment Services California License and Revenue Branch California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board California Maritime Academy California Marketing Services California Measurement Standards California Medical Assistance Commission California Medical Care Services California Military Department California Mining and Geology Board California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts California Museum Resource Center California National Guard California Native American Heritage Commission California Natural Community Conservation Planning Program California New Motor Vehicle Board California Nursing Home Administrator Program California Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board California Ocean Resources Management Program California Office of Administrative Hearings California Office of Administrative Law California Office of AIDS California Office of Binational Border Health California Office of Child Abuse Prevention California Office of Deaf Access California Office of Emergency Services (OES) California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment California Office of Fiscal Services California Office of Fleet Administration California Office of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Implementation (CalOHI) California Office of Historic Preservation California Office of Homeland Security California Office of Human Resources California Office of Legal Services California Office of Legislation California Office of Lieutenant Governor California Office of Military and Aerospace Support California Office of Mine Reclamation California Office of Natural Resource Education California Office of Privacy Protection California Office of Public School Construction California Office of Real Estate Appraisers California Office of Risk and Insurance Management California Office of Services to the Blind California Office of Spill Prevention and Response California Office of State Publishing (OSP) California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development California Office of Systems Integration California Office of the Inspector General California Office of the Ombudsman California Office of the Patient Advocate California Office of the President California Office of the Secretary for Education California Office of the State Fire Marshal California Office of the State Public Defender California Office of Traffic Safety California Office of Vital Records California Online Directory California Operations Control Office California Opinion Unit California Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN) California Park and Recreation Commission California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) California Performance Review (CPR) California Permit Information for Business (CalGOLD) California Physical Therapy Board California Physician Assistant Committee California Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services California Policy and Evaluation Division California Political Reform Division California Pollution Control Financing Authority California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California Postsecondary Education Commission California Prevention Services California Primary Care and Family Health California Prison Industry Authority California Procurement Division California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) California Real Estate Services Division California Refugee Programs Branch California Regional Water Quality Control Boards California Registered Veterinary Technician Committee California Registrar of Charitable Trusts California Republican Caucus California Research and Development Division California Research Bureau California Resources Agency California Respiratory Care Board California Rivers Assessment California Rural Health Policy Council California Safe Schools California San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission California San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy California San Joaquin River Conservancy California School to Career California Science Center California Scripps Institution of Oceanography California Secretary of State Business Portal California Secretary of State California Seismic Safety Commission California Self Insurance Plans (SIP) California Senate Office of Research California Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program California Small Business Development Center Program California Smart Growth Caucus California Smog Check Information Center California Spatial Information Library California Special Education Division California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) California Standards and Assessment Division California State Administrative Manual (SAM) California State Allocation Board California State and Consumer Services Agency California State Architect California State Archives California State Assembly California State Association of Counties (CSAC) California State Board of Education * California State Board of Food and Agriculture California Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) California State Children’s Trust Fund California State Compensation Insurance Fund California State Contracts Register Program California State Contracts Register California State Controller California State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) California State Disability Insurance (SDI) California State Fair (Cal Expo) California State Jobs Employment Information California State Lands Commission California State Legislative Portal California State Legislature California State Library Catalog California State Library Services Bureau California State Library California State Lottery California State Mediation and Conciliation Service California State Mining and Geology Board California State Park and Recreation Commission California State Parks California State Personnel Board California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State Railroad Museum California State Science Fair California State Senate California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) California State Summer School for the Arts California State Superintendent of Public Instruction California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) California State Treasurer California State University Center for Distributed Learning California State University, Bakersfield California State University, Channel Islands California State University, Chico California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, East Bay California State University, Fresno California State University, Fullerton California State University, Long Beach California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Monterey Bay California State University, Northridge California State University, Sacramento California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Marcos California State University, Stanislaus California State University (CSU) California State Water Project Analysis Office California State Water Project California State Water Resources Control Board California Structural Pest Control Board California Student Aid Commission California Superintendent of Public Instruction California Superior Courts California Tahoe Conservancy California Task Force on Culturally and Linguistically Competent Physicians and Dentists California Tax Information Center California Technology and Administration Branch Finance California Telecommunications Division California Telephone Medical Advice Services (TAMS) California Transportation Commission California Travel and Transportation Agency California Unclaimed Property Program California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board California Unemployment Insurance Program California Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Commission California Veterans Board California Veterans Memorial California Veterinary Medical Board and Registered Veterinary Technician Examining Committee California Veterinary Medical Board California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board California Volunteers California Voter Registration California Water Commission California Water Environment Association (COWPEA) California Water Resources Control Board California Welfare to Work Division California Wetlands Information System California Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch California Wildlife Conservation Board California Wildlife Programs Branch California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) California Workers Compensation Appeals Board California Workforce and Labor Development Agency California Workforce Investment Board California Youth Authority (CYA) Central Valley Flood Protection Board Center for California Studies Colorado River Board of California Counting California Dental Board of California Health Insurance Plan of California (PacAdvantage) Humboldt State University Jobs with the State of California Judicial Council of California Learn California Library of California Lieutenant Governors Commission for One California Little Hoover Commission (on California State Government Organization and Economy) Medical Board of California Medi-Cal Osteopathic Medical Board of California Physical Therapy Board of California Regents of the University of California San Diego State University San Francisco State University San Jose State University Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy State Bar of California Supreme Court of California Teach California University of California University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Hastings College of the Law University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Merced University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, San Francisco University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz * Veterans Home of California.
You probably know about the creatons at Westboro Baptist, who regard American soldiers’ funerals as “available public platforms” to protest, in contrast to common decency, which regards soldiers’ funerals as a platform solely for remembrance of their lives and sacrifice. (If you’re thinking that the difference is slight between Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist figuratively spitting on the graves of soldiers to spread a socio-political and religious message, and anti-war protesters literally spitting on soldiers returning from Vietnam in the 1960s to spread a socio-political message, I’m thinking the same thing.) You may also know that the father of a soldier whose funeral Westboro Baptist sullied sued Westboro Baptist for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The case is pending before the US Supreme Court.
Here’s a town in Missouri whose residents stood up to Phelps and his ilk the right way:
Members of a small Missouri town banded together Saturday to block a controversial pastor and members of his Westboro Baptist Church from protesting the funeral of a fallen U.S. soldier, Fox4kc.com reports.
Hundreds of residents in Weston, Mo. — as well as people as far away as California and Australia — rallied in support of Sgt. First Class C.J. Sadell, who died from injuries suffered during a surprise attack in Afghanistan.
The residents sought to block Fred Phelps, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., and his followers from picketing Sadell’s funeral, according to the station.
Phelps’ church has been the subject of intense criticism for holding more than 44,000 pickets at funerals and other events – including the services of fallen service members.
Citing their First Amendment right to protest, Phelps’ followers say they use funerals as an “available public platform” to “deliver the message that there is a consequence for sin.” Phelps is openly opposed to homosexuality and all government policies they he says supports homosexuals.
Somebody tell him about Don’s Ask Don’t Tell, which doesn’t support homosexuals.
“We got everybody here early so we could take up all the parking spots,” Rebecca Rooney of Weston, Mo., told Fox4kc.com. “We did that so Mr. Phelps wouldn’t have a contingency that was really close.”
“I’m glad they left, but I’m sad they came,” she said.
Well done and said.
Sadell, who leaves behind a wife and two sons, was stationed in the Arif Kala region of Afghanistan when his unit was ambushed on Oct. 5. Five soldiers were killed in the attack and Sadell was badly injured.
The 34-year-old died from his injuries on Oct. 24.
Fighting a war Building a nation in Afghanistan under the command of a President who isn’t “doing long-term nation-building” but sent 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to do just that because . . . Why are we in Afghanistan again?
Excellent passage from Flight of the Intellectuals, by Paul Berman:
Here is a mystery. But it is an old mystery, and we have always known how to penetrate its secrets. Charismatic people with grotesque ideas end up wielding prestige and authority because they know how to deploy the symbols of even greater authority. . . And charismatic people with grotesque ideas end up wielding prestige and authority because other people, the ones who appear to be sober and sensible, offer public displays of deference and homage. The people with sane and mild demeanors attest to the moral authority of the people with giddy demeanors and grotesque ideas.
How many “grotesque” individuals, as well as their unwitting enablers, can you recall from your history books? Yasser Arafat’s Nobel Peace Price comes to mind. By the way, Berman’s book is well worth your time. In it, he lays out the religious foundation of modern Islamists, and chastises the illiterati intelligentsia in the West (“the ones who appear to be sober and sensible”) for enabling Islamic terror by giving “deference and homage” to the Islamsists, rather than supporting Muslims leaders who espouse peace and sober readings of the Koran and Hadiths. You should check it out.
by Alex Fidel
According to this CNBC article, Ron Paul is about to become chairman of the House Subcommittee for Domestic Monetary Policy:
And Congressman Paul has some big plans.“I will approach that committee like no one has ever approached it because we’re living in times like no one has ever seen,” Paul said in an interview with NetNet Thursday.
Paul said his first priority will be to open up the books of the Federal Reserve to the American people.
“We need to create transparency there. To see what it is they are buying and lending, and who it is they are dealing with,” Paul said.
Paul mentioned that he hoped to use subcommittee hearings to educate the public about the causes of business cycles—which he believes are mainly attributable to monetary manipulation by central bankers.
Monetary reform is also on the agenda. Paul is a noted advocate of the gold standard.
This is great news. Hopefully this allows him to pull more weight when he drafts another Audit the Fed bill, along with his son in the Senate and people like Justin Amash, who had Dr. Paul’s endorsement in this election. Hopefully it comes soon, as this CNBC article notes that the dollar is at risk of crashing due to Federal Reserve policies.
Instapunk delivers this beat down. Here’s the finale.
Bottom line, this too shall pass. [Which is where we're going to cut you off. You go on and on and on about absolutely nothing. You're a monomaniac with nothing to say. Nothing. Whatever. And everything you do say is wrong. Here's what's really sad. You've wasted your entire life on a delusion. You fucking majored in White Guilt. Guess what? You're a pea-brain. Nothing can save you from that fate. Not even being the lone white man who feels the pain of all the minorities. Your only claim to fame is based on the white superiority you everywhere disdain. Your views about race and equality are supposed to matter more than others because you're a white man saying it. Pitiful.]
The recipient of the beat down is a tool named Tim Wise – aka Uncle Tim. More education for you below, Tim. By Congressman Col. Allen West @1:40. More goodness from Col. West here:
West, one of two black Republicans elected to Congress in Tuesday’s election, said he plans to join the Democratic-dominated bloc, to challenge, in West word’s, the CBC’s “monolithic voice.”
“I plan on joining, I’m not gonna ask for permission or whatever, I’m gonna find out when they meet and I will be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and I think I meet all of the criteria [not the unspoken criteria of strictly adhering to racial socio-political collectivism, which I love about you] and it’s so important that we break down this ‘monolithic voice’ that continues to talk about victimization and dependency in the black community,” West said.
For the record, in 2008 the Congressional Black Caucus refused to permit Louisiana Congressman Joseph Cao, the duly elected representative of a primarily African-American district, to join the CBC. Good luck locking the doors on Col. West, CBC. By the way, if anyone calls Col. West an Uncle Tom they’ll hear it from me. Like the Root did here.
For one, self preservation. Here’s a thorough analysis of one of the strangely contentious issues in American society today. Via Instapundit, excerpt below (but read the whole thing):
“Self-defense is the reason everyone I know who carries a gun carries one,” Delmore says. He allows that he has never had to fire a gun to protect himself, but he says he did brandish one once to useful effect. The point is, it is better to have one and not need it than need one and not have it. “It is a piece of emergency equipment,” he says, “like a fire extinguisher.”
Then he looks up from his seat at the worktable, narrows his eyes a little, and asks, “Why don’t you own a gun?”
The question, and the somewhat baffled tone that accompanies it, hints at the gulf that separates gun people from non-gun people in contemporary America. On one side are people who don’t own, carry, or want guns. Whether they’ve studied the issue closely or not, they tend to believe that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has something to do with state militias and little to do with a personal right to firearms. They also wonder why anyone thinks they need a gun, given the statistical unlikelihood of most people ending up in a situation where one might come in handy, and the potential risks of keeping one around the house.
On the other side are people like Delmore, who think the Constitution is perfectly clear about not infringing on “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,” and who don’t understand why some of their fellow citizens are so bothered by the whole idea of a well-armed populace. They cite FBI statistics showing that as gun ownership has risen in recent years, violent crime has fallen. There is of course a whole world of pro- and anti-gun-control experts out there debating the correlation of guns to public safety, and all sorts of economic and cultural factors come into play in crime-rate trends. But it is obviously true that of the estimated 300 million or so guns at large in the United States, only a tiny percentage of them are ever used in assaults, robberies, or murders.
And very, very few legally owned guns are ever used criminally by legal gun owners like Delmore. Which is why gun people can’t help suspecting that anti-gun sentiment is driven mostly by cultural prejudice and ignorance. They know the jokes that non-gun people make about them, that they’re compensating for something, or they’re paranoid, or they’re just plain nuts. They hear condescension and—that dreaded word—elitism in those characterizations. They can recite President Obama’s line about how people “bitterly cling” to guns as evidence of liberal arrogance on the issue.
But if they’re not bitter, or compensating, or paranoid, if they’re not “gun nuts” at all, then why, in their own words, do they care so much about having easy access to a particular kind of machine made for propelling small pieces of metal at lethal velocity? Well, they’d be happy to tell you.
By Peggy Noonan at the WSJ:
This is the key question the tea party will face in 2012. And it will be hard to answer it, because the tea party doesn’t have leaders or conventions, so the answer will have to bubble up from a thousand groups, from 10,000 leaders.
Electable doesn’t mean not-conservative. Electable means mature, accomplished, stable—and able to persuade.
Conservatives talked a lot about Ronald Reagan this year, but they have to take him more to heart, because his example here is a guide. All this seemed lost last week on Sarah Palin, who called him, on Fox, “an actor.” She was defending her form of political celebrity—reality show, “Dancing With the Stars,” etc. This is how she did it: “Wasn’t Ronald Reagan an actor? Wasn’t he in ‘Bedtime for Bonzo,’ Bozo, something? Ronald Reagan was an actor.”
Excuse me, but this was ignorant even for Mrs. Palin. Reagan people quietly flipped their lids, but I’ll voice their consternation to make a larger point. Ronald Reagan was an artist who willed himself into leadership as president of a major American labor union (Screen Actors Guild, seven terms, 1947-59.) He led that union successfully through major upheavals (the Hollywood communist wars, labor-management struggles); discovered and honed his ability to speak persuasively by talking to workers on the line at General Electric for eight years; was elected to and completed two full terms as governor of California; challenged and almost unseated an incumbent president of his own party; and went on to popularize modern conservative political philosophy without the help of a conservative infrastructure. Then he was elected president.
The point is not “He was a great man and you are a nincompoop,” though that is true. The point is that Reagan’s career is a guide, not only for the tea party but for all in politics. He brought his fully mature, fully seasoned self into politics with him. He wasn’t in search of a life when he ran for office, and he wasn’t in search of fame; he’d already lived a life, he was already well known, he’d accomplished things in the world.
Here is an old tradition badly in need of return: You have to earn your way into politics. You should go have a life, build a string of accomplishments, then enter public service. And you need actual talent: You have to be able to bring people in and along. You can’t just bully them, you can’t just assert and taunt, you have to be able to persuade.
Read the whole thing.
Go ahead and flame, but I have never liked (and many times, bordered on downright contempt) The Rolling Stones.
It may be the lovely bottle of wine tonight, or the happy evening with the lady, but I may have to-at least-revisit my dislike of Mick Jagger.
I have always thought that, aside from looking like Willie Nelson’s Vagina, Mick Jagger was a particularly loathsome piece of flotsam.
If it turns out that Mick actually authored this piece without assistance, I will happily revisit The Stones to see if it is I that have missed something.
This is really beautifully written…
http://extragoodshit.phlap.net/?p=105089#more-105089
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