Friday, February 06, 2004

Hey Coach, Can I Go In Now?  I Sat in the Corner for Five Minutes Already

Radley Balko provides a little history on GOP Rep., and former Nebraska football coach, Tom Osborne.  Really no surprises there.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/06 at 12:55 PM
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Can You Tell Me How to Get to the Swann’s House?

Greg Swann’s son, Cameron, was tasked with writing an essay, which, would provide directions to the Swann home from the school which Cameron attends.  Cameron, dutifully, completed the assignment, but, unfortunately, the individual who assigned the task, felt, that Cameron had not taken the essay assignment seriously.  The instructor thus required Cameron complete a re-write of the essay.  What follows, is Cameron’s re-write.

From the edge of the parking lot, turn left. Go straight. When you reach the crossing guards on Peoria Avenue, turn right. Cross 39th Avenue. Go straight until you reach 37th Avenue. Turn right. Walk straight until you reach Cochise Drive. Turn left. Walk straight until you reach 3608 W Cochise Drive. Stop walking. Think about a universe with no style, with no creativity, overrun with mediocrity. Cry yourself to sleep.

Now, go and read the essay Cameron orignally submitted, which, was deemed unsatisfactory and sarcastic.  Greg also has some comments on this, and, allows us to read his letter to the school on this matter.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/06 at 12:37 PM
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More on North Korea

Sasha Castel, spurred on by the recent Anne Applebaum piece I commented on below, has more on the total disregard for individuals that is the defining factor of socialism/communism/marxism, no matter how loud the faithful preach from their bully pulpits that the ideology they are propounding is for the “people.”  Sasha has many links embedded in her piece for you to peruse.

Via InstaPundit.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/06 at 12:19 PM
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Observed Buying Lunch

After visiting with my co-conspirator, in exercising my duty to limit the amount of “enforced exaction” of my monies, I drove through what would be classified as the “inner city” of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Our patriotic endeavor had instilled a hunger in me for classic Americana victuals, so I pulled into one of the “inner city” mom and pop rib cribs to sample their wares.

Mom and pop businesses are typically my favorite places to spread my dollars, and I wasn’t disappointed with the heaping helping of rib tips, fries and slaw the rib joint served up to satisfy my hunger.  With apologies to the Colonel, it was finger lickin good eatin.

What I mostly enjoyed though, during my short visit, was one particular sign mom and pop had posted.  They had the standard signs, “No Smoking,” “No Cell Phones,” and “In God We Trust Everyone Else Pays Cash.”  They also had, in deference to their location and the gangstas swaggering around, “Only 3 Young’uns in the Store at a Time.”  But the sign that got me going was this, “Pull Up Your Pants While in the Rib Crib.”  And the best thing about this, was, when a couple of gangstas sauntered in, pants down to their knees, ignored the sign and attempted to order.  Mom, standing behind the counter, steps up as if to take their order, and says, “Boys, if youse is going to get something to et, get them pants pulled up.”  They meekly complied.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/06 at 11:50 AM
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Tax Quote

Posting may be limited today as I will be burdened with “tax planning.”  I leave you with the below quote as I suffer under my “enforced exactions.”

“Tax planning is totally legal and the right of every American.

Over and over again courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging one’s affairs so as to make taxes as low as possible.

Everybody does so, rich or poor, and do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more taxes than the law demands.

Taxes are enforced exactions, not voluntary contributions.”

- Justice Learned Hand
of the United States Supreme Court

 

Posted by John Venlet on 02/06 at 06:44 AM
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Thursday, February 05, 2004

Aesthetics

A “sexy bridge.”

Via Brian’s Culture Blog.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 08:19 AM
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Asking the Right Question

Robert, at the blog Astropolis, is asking the right question in regards to the Cubans who so ingeniously have been attempting to free themselves from Castro’s slavery in Cuba by converting old cars into boats.

Can someone tell me why the United States government would send back, to the steamy and decrepit dictatorship of Fidel Castro, people such as these - so obviously ingenious and innovative?

Robert’s post is complete with a photo of the freedom vehicle and a summation of the recent articles concerning these freedom loving individuals.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 08:13 AM
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Yeah, But It’s An Addiction

Jacob Sullum, at Reason’s Hit & Run, neatly sums up C. Everett Koop’s, Julius Richmond’s, Jesse Steinfeld’s and David Satcher’s call for a $2 dollar increase in cigarette taxes as a treatment method to induce people “addicted” to smoking to quit.

In other words, people who can’t break tobacco’s tenacious hold suddenly find that they can when the price of cigarettes goes up. Apparently, the free choice that is lost when you start smoking can be restored through taxation. Only the fleeced are truly free.

Time for a Fuente Cubanito and a cup of joe.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 07:39 AM
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Eject

Excellent photo, with accompanying caption, of seconds before crash of F-16 Falcon.

Update: Repaired link.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 07:24 AM
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Taking Out the Trash Used to Be Simple

Kim du Toit has a few words to say about taking out the trash, not all of them kind.  My personal favorite from Kim’s post.

2. As kitchen trashcan gets full, make sons take trashbags out to outside trashcan.

The method mentioned above, works wonderfully, most of the time, though my sons have a tendency to grumble about this from time to time.

Kim also looks at why taking out the trash has become more burdensome.  I’ll give you a hint why, it has to do with government.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 07:14 AM
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British Humor and an Aviation Note

Click this link to Samizdata for a morning laugh.

Update:  For those in need of more erudite material in the morning, and, who have an interest in aviation.  Samizdata also informs us of a plane for sale.  Not just any plane though, it is an “Me-109e-7 (upgraded from a -1)...”

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 06:38 AM
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A Prognostication on “The Passion”

“‘This will be the catalyst for the conversion of hundreds of thousands of people,’ said the Rev. Jerry Johnston, pastor of First Family Church in Kansas City, Kan.”

Greg Swann, who posted the above quote, doesn’t doubt that this could very well be the case.  My money won’t bet against it either.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 06:33 AM
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To Die or Not to Die?  That is the Question

Micha Ghertner, at Catallarchy, has an interesting post up titled Active vs. Passive Killing.  The post examines Talmudic, and modern, thoughts on this subject and also includes links to other individuals weighing in on this matter.  Think about it.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 06:18 AM
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The Caste System in the United States

“‘...In the United States, the working class are Democrats. The middle class are Republicans. The upper class are Communists.’”

The above is a quote from Witness, by Whittaker Chambers, copywrited in 1952.  Take the time to read Billy Beck’s short analysis of a passage from this tome, so far.  The one short passage he is discussing in the post, does, as he states, have ”...dire implications for American culture,...”

Posted by John Venlet on 02/05 at 05:51 AM
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Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Where is North Korea’s Solzhenitsyn? II

When I posted under the title above, Monday, I was surprised that I had not seen any blog entries which mentioned the BBC’s airing of a documentary of “alleged” gulag style camps, complete with human gassing facilities, in North Korea.  No interest I quess.

Stopping by PrestoPundit just now, I see Greg has linked to an Anne Appelbaum piece, in the Washington Post titled Auschwitz Under Our Noses.

Applebaum’s piece mentions the liberation of Auschwitz, 60 years ago this past January 27th, per the article, and rhetorically wonders at the why no one did anything about it back then, question.  The third paragraph brings up the subject of BBC’s airing of the documentary, and, she then moves quickly into whether there is any veracity to the allegations of the behaviors described in the camps as being conducted on individuals.  As she states in the article,

But the documentary was only a piece of journalism. Do we really know that it is true? We don’t. It was aired on the BBC, after all, an organization whose journalistic standards have recently been questioned. It was based on witness testimony, which is notoriously unreliable. All kinds of people might have had an interest in making the film more sensational, including journalists (good for their careers) or North Korean defectors (good for their cause).

The broad swipe at journalism, she takes in the first sentence, does, of course, brush across her and the Washington Post, besides the BBC.  As for witness testimony, granted, it can be unreliable, or most witnesses could be dead.  And sensationality, what would one call every bit of news that screams across the spectrums today.  Winter Storm Kills…, Beltway Sniper…, Dog Bites Man…, Pete Rose Bet…

But here’s the real kicker, from Applebaum’s article.

The veracity of the information has been further undermined by the absence of official confirmation.

Yep, that’s always my first concern.

But, as stated further into the article, since other news organizations are ignoring the story, I guess it’s okay for everyone else to also.  Applebaum also provides other “news” stories that are of much greater concern, which, I will refrain from mentioning, so as to not add to the burden of concern.

To be fair, Applebaum ends her commentary this way.

Later—in 10 years, or in 60—it will surely turn out that quite a lot was known in 2004 about the camps of North Korea. It will turn out that information collected by various human rights groups, South Korean churches, oddball journalists and spies added up to a damning and largely accurate picture of an evil regime. It will also turn out that there were things that could have been done, approaches the South Korean government might have made, diplomatic channels the U.S. government might have opened, pressure the Chinese might have applied.

Historians in Asia, Europe and here will finger various institutions, just as we do now, and demand they justify their past actions. And no one will be able to understand how it was possible that we knew of the existence of the gas chambers but failed to act.

Seemingly acknowledging that the documentary, in all likelihood, was quite accurate.  What I’m wondering, is why, if the “allegations” more than likely are true, why that truth, of what occurs in totally state managed societies, isn’t used to, daily, pound sense into peoples heads about the evil of socialism, under whatever guise it may take.  It may appear all friendly and good for everyone at the start, but it’ll end bad.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/04 at 07:45 PM
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