Monday, January 19, 2004

The Corruption Awards

Tyler Cowen, at Marginal Revolution, points to a Washington Times article which ranks the states by corruption convictions. DC would have won, no surprise there, but of course is not a state, it’s more like a graduate school for criminals.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/19 at 08:01 AM
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A Lesson in "Goblin" Eradication

Kim du Toit discusses home invasion by “goblins” in a post entitled “Resolve.” The catalyst for Kim’s post was the following email, posted by Kim, from a reader.

"My first instinct is to agree that all households should be armed; yet I have a question about it. If a goblin comes strolling into my home in the middle of the night and I come out of the bedroom loaded for such, isn’t it possible that I have created a distinctly more dangerous situation for me and my family if I don’t/won’t have the resolve to drop the scum bag? I mean, most good Americans like me have never shot anybody and I am concerned that I may get stage fright. Practicing at the range is fine for honing the technical aspect but what about the emotional end? If this is an issue, how do I prepare for it should the situation arise?"

As Kim says, it is “an excellent question.”

Kim provides an excellent answer.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/19 at 07:35 AM
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Sunday, January 18, 2004

No Crutches

The headline reads “Time Europe defended itself -EU military official." These words were uttered by the EU’s top military official, what that title means is open to interpretation, Finnish general Gustav Hagglund.  I say about time.  Haven’t enough of my dollars been misappropriated already to line the pockets of the European “nations” just in case some bully pushes them around?

But the thing that really sparked my attention, as I read through this article, is this analysis of what this supposedly means.

"U.S. forces would handle high-intensity operations involving terrorism and weapons of mass destruction while Europeans would concentrate on sustained low-intensity crisis management such as conflict prevention, he said."

Which, I think, means that the EU is nominating the U.S. as the black hatted Top Cop and strong armed cudgel bearer while the EU members will muck it up to the best of their limited abilities while wearing the white hat and playing the good cop.

The article ends with this additional statement by Haaglund.

"We don’t know if the United States will have forever the resources, or the interest, to defend Europe,"

A classic understatement.  I lost interest ages ago, and, as for the resources, I’d just as soon not give any EU nation one more thin dime.

Via Drudge.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/18 at 03:29 PM
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I Don't Know - An Individual Observation

Prior to beginning my current read, listed in the left sidebar, I read Bill Bryson’s book *A Short History of Nearly Everything. Bryson is an entertaining writer and he provided more than a few laughs when I read his book A Walk in the Woods, a tale of hiking the Appalachian trail.  *A Short History of Nearly Everything, while not quite as humorous a tome, does present a large helping of complex science in an understandable manner.  He presents his subject matter in a sort of sitting around the campfire shooting the shit kind of way.  One fact within the book particularly struck me though.  I was struck by the re-occurring statement, uttered by various scientists and physicists, in various fields of study, of “I don’t know” or “We don’t know.”

Now don’t get me wrong.  The field of science, the state of knowing, does have a body of facts that puts the study of theology to shame.  I am continually amazed at the body of knowledge we are privy to.  Yet I am struck by this “We don’t know” statement.  In fact, as I read Bryson’s book I came to the conculsion that disagreements among scientists are argued with the same passion of theologians drawing the sword of God to enforce their particular dogma.

Why do I bring this up?  I bring this up because science, in presenting their theories, for the most part, presents theory as fact.  And though science does have a massive body of factual evidence, the body of facts still does not present the complete picture for many of the working theories.  In many instances, in fact, what science presents to us as fully knowable, is, in fact, still a working theory, which, as the body of scientific knowledge grows, may cause the theory to be thrown out the window or modified so drastically it bears little resemblance to what was intially theorized.

I do not present this observation as an argument for individuals to fall into the patently false dogmas of organized religion.  I present my observation as an incentive to continue questioning everything that is presented to you as fact.  I accept scientific fact and appreciate the continued searching out of facts to support various scientific theories, but do not attempt to tell me that all the scientific theories being investigated are FACT.

I don’t know all the answer’s.  Evidently, at least in reading Bryson’s most recent book, scientists don’t know all the answers either.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/18 at 09:45 AM
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ACLU vs BSA

Karen De Coster points to an article in Worldmag.com entitled “Breaking camp LAW: The ACLU gains ground in evicting the Boy Scouts from a San Diego park." The article informs us of an ACLU suit to evict the Boy Scouts from Balboa Park in San Diego, because, well because the Boy Scouts happen to prefer their members to believe in God and to refrain from homosexuality.  But the suit was not filed by the ACLU simply because the Boy Scouts happen to have a code.  The suit was filed because, according to the ACLU, allowing the Boy Scouts to rent space at Balboa Park violates separation of church and state.  A spurious argument at best.

As I considered this on the back porch this morning with a small cigar and a cup of coffee, I thought it would be worthwhile to apply the ACLU’s reasoning to myself.  As an individual, I am a man of faith.  Now, as irrational as that may be construed, I fail to find this personal faith a threat to the gay community, or any community, at large.  But, in keeping with the ACLU’s line of thought, maybe I should be denied access to state and national parks because of this faith.  The parks charge rental fees, just like Balboa Park charges the BSA rental fees, thus, since I proclaim my own faith, I should probably be denied access to these publicly owned venues.

As to the Boy Scouts’ desire that their members be “morally straight,” meaning, of course, that they refrain from homosexuality, how does this come into play with myself as an individual?  I could care less what homosexuals do between themselves as individuals.  It’s none of my business.  But as an individual, I know that I prefer, as an individual, to be “morally straight.” I even find visiting the proctologist an unwelcome experience.  Does this fact then translate into some kind of discrimination against the gay community?  I think not.  Does my individual thinking about this “morally straight” issue also preclude me from utilization of public venues that charge rental fees, as the ACLU argues in their suit against the BSA?  I think not.

Leave the fricking Boy Scouts alone ACLU.  If they want to have a code for their members, so what.  If they want to utilize Balboa Park, so what.  I don’t see the Boy Scouts marching on the gay community with placards proclaiming their indignation at your choice.  The situation is typically the reverse.  The gay community is marching with placards proclaiming their “lifestyle” choice.  Who is in whose face here, uttering loud proclaimations, while utilizing the public spaces?

Posted by John Venlet on 01/18 at 07:12 AM
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Saturday, January 17, 2004

Black Sabbath or Chopin?

Aaron Haspell points to a post by Michael at 2 blowhards, which discusses the aesthetic merits of Black Sabbath and Chopin with the added twist that the experience of hearing one or the other perform, is heard by two separate individuals.  Who had the better experience?  Interesting discussion, comments and additional links at both links in this post.  I have no argument with Aaron’s responses to the total of five questions posited.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/17 at 07:28 PM
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Get Out While You Still Can

Greg Swann points to a Casa Grande Valley Newspaper article which provides the details in regards to an unincorporated county area outside of Phoenix clamoring for a nanny.  Greg correctly points out the irrational thinking behind this “sheep barking.” The concluding paragraph from Greg’s post.

"These wannabe dogooders/will be dobadders live in a partial paradise, with one less layer of government than is inflicted upon nearly everyone else. This they must destroy. The home builders who gave them the wonderful homes they could not build for themselves (and Johnson Ranch is very nicely done for a low-budget master-planned community) won’t care; they will have moved on to the next project. The retailers won’t care; they will either build or not build (where permitted) based on their own business plans and profit projections. But the residents, willing or not, will be forevermore encysted with yet another criminal enterprise disguised as a “public servant”. How sad..."

Posted by John Venlet on 01/17 at 01:05 PM
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Did Not, Did Too, Did Not, Did Too

The political discourse in this country is akin to a bunch of grade school kids arguing in a manner similar to the title to this post.  Of course, at times, the discourse somewhat takes intellectual flight, but alas it carries not quite as far as the Wright brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk.

Stopping by Drudge this morning I find posted an “exclusive” which follows.  No links to these quotations, they are simply posted to Drudge’s page.

” 1/16/04 3:15 PM ET **Exclusive** In 1996 Senator John Kerry proposed to “get rid of the Agriculture Department,” the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal. A move—that if successful—would have likely resulted in subsidies cuts and programs for Iowa growers. “I think we can reduce the size of Washington,” Kerry said on January 6, 1996. “Get rid of the Energy Department. Get rid of the Agriculture Department, or at least render it three-quarters the size it is today; there are more agriculture bureaucrats than there are farmers in this country”... “

The briefest of intellectual flights.

Drudge, obligingly, provides us with a comment from Dean’s spokeswoman Tricia Enright, which, I assume, is meant as a rebuttal to this almost seven year old Kerry musing.

"Dean spokeswoman Tricia Enright said the Kerry quotes should alarm Iowans. “Teachers and farmers in Iowa will be disappointed to hear that Senator Kerry wanted to dismantle the Department of Agriculture and gut the Department of Education,” Enright said. “That’s not the kind of change that Iowans are looking for”... “

Enright, woefully, is correct.  Iowans don’t desire “change,” they desire fistfulls of dollars from everyone elses pockets, and appealling to them intellectually on the issue, is similar to discoursing with hogs or feed corn already shucked.

A quote.

"The penalty of intelligence is oblivion."

H.L. Mencken, A Mencken Chrestomathy, Forgotten Men, pg. 226

Posted by John Venlet on 01/17 at 06:59 AM
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Friday, January 16, 2004

Reading Comprehension

Colby Cosh has been reading some recent writing of Gregg Easterbrook.  Unfortunately, for Easterbrook that is, Colby has also done additional reading, over the course of his days, and Colby’s comprehension, of what he has read, has been retained, and, recalled with somewhat more accuracy than Easterbrook.

Colby’s piece is entitled “Easterboner of the day."

Posted by John Venlet on 01/16 at 07:52 PM
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Quote for the Day

"What chiefly distinguishes the daily press of the United States from the press of all other countries pretending to culture is not its lack of truthfulness or even its lack of dignity and honor, for these deficiencies are common to newspapers everywhere, but its incurable fear of ideas, its constant effort to evade the discussion of fundamentals by translating all issues into a few elemental fears, its incessant reduction of all reflection to mere emotion."

H.L. Mencken, A Mencken Chrestomathy, American Culture, pg. 203.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/16 at 10:29 AM
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Well, at Least Someone Has Retained Their Common Sense

Here’s the headline, “‘Extremely dangerous’ cold grips Northeast," from CNN.com.

"But one woman on a Boston street said area residents know how to deal with that type of weather:

“Dress in layers, keep moving and just try to have that old, good New England character,” she said."

Read the article, it runs like a continuous non sequitur.

Via Drudge.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/16 at 08:02 AM
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Concentration - The Game

This is connected to this.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/16 at 07:54 AM
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Truth in Advertising

“Official: Israel to Kill Hamas Founder."

Refreshing.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/16 at 07:51 AM
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American Socialist Party Candidate Using the Alias Democrat

"Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman yesterday said he would limit insurance company profits to 2 percent a year in order to reduce the cost of health care. He would also focus on reducing medical errors in half, he said.

“I think if you put a reasonable profit limit, which is what this is, a reasonable profit limit, then that will have the effect of lowering costs underneath,” he said.

“It’s not government take-over,” the Connecticut senator said about his plan to control health costs. “It’s a public-private partnership that really can provide insurance for people. And I have no doubt that I could sell this to a number of Republicans (in Congress) to support this."

Should require no further interpretation, if it does, go read Kim’s.

Via Kim du Toit.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/16 at 07:16 AM
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"I Did It My Way"

I highly doubt that when Sinatra sang that song he was thinking of individual sovereignty as an alternative to the nanny state.  Be that as it may, here is an essay, written by Sunni Maravillosa, entitled “Do It Your Way."

Via Claire Wolfe.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/16 at 06:53 AM
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