Saturday, January 22, 2005

Ideas Matter

Mock the man all you want…

Drudge often has tabloid leaning headlines, and, due to the fact that his page receives numerous, to say the least, hits, his headlines are read by millions of pairs of eyes.  One of Drudge’s recent headlines, surrounding Bush’s inauguration, and thoughts on this event, spread ideas which, no matter how much they are mocked, are incalculably important.

"HIS SECOND TERM MISSION: TO END TYRANNY ON EARTH"

Our local paper, The Grand Rapids Press, noted Bush’s inauguration with the headline,

“Liberty for all, Bush vows"

While Bush’s thoughts on how to effectively “end tyranny on earth”, and provide “liberty for all,” are quite beyond reasonable, none-the-less the idea matters.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/22 at 02:12 PM
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Noted, With A Personal Shame

Something for nothing…

Billy Beck notes the following quote, posted at The New Libertarian, and taken from some Slashdot discussion thread.

"In all honesty, I’d be more than happy if the government could help me live a decent life with me working less."

The above, is just a portion of the full quote posted, but it is the portion that caught my eye, and it caught my eye because of something I did at one point in my life, and which I relate with embarrassment, and a sense of shame.  I collected unemployment.  Meaning I chose to suck on the government’s tit, because I was too lazy to go out and do one of the easiest things there is to do in life.  Earn a living and support myself.

Read that quote and consider these words, ”...if the government could help me..." This government; bandied about and appealed to, as if it is some deep pocketed, independently wealthy sugar daddy; is nothing more than a consumer of individuals’ private wealth.  A coercer of wage earners, for individuals who dream of the good life, on the backs of the individuals who apply themselves to removing their own personal uneasiness, without an appeal to the government for relief from reality.

Is there no shame?

Billy titled his post “Paging Frederick Bastiat."

Posted by John Venlet on 01/22 at 01:39 PM
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Art, Possibly In More Ways Than One

Take a trip, and never leave the farm…

LSD Blotter Art Gallery.

Also via Fred.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/22 at 10:26 AM
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It Looks Like He's Thinking About It

Wee, hoo…

Check out this photo and consider the adventures you considered as a child.  What a ride it could be.

Via Fred Lapides.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/22 at 10:20 AM
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Friday, January 21, 2005

"That Would Be Me"

Who has the ultimate authority?...

Over at No Treason, in a post titled “Does this inauguration mean anything?," Andy Stedman sums up what Bush taking the oath of office means, quite nicely.

"Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the same person is ultimately responsible for deciding how I will plan financially for my future, educate my children, defend my home, earn a decent living, and help family, friends, and neighbors in need. Luckily, the most qualified candidate has the job.

That would be me."

That would be me.  How true.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/21 at 12:52 PM
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Thursday, January 20, 2005

Inaccuracy Counts, Now

Evidence, I don’t need no stinkin’ evidence…

It appears that the State of Washington, in their zealousness to prosecute drunk drivers, has passed a law which pooh poohs the need for accurate breathalyzer tests.

"Washington State recently passed a new law, essentially making all breath tests admissible as evidence—regardless of whether the particular breathalyzer was broken, defective, given incorrectly or otherwise inaccurate."

Listen for the following to be heard in Washington State criminal courts, in the not too distant future.

“Your Honor, it appeared that the defendant was speeding, to me.”

Or

The defendants fingerprints pretty much match the fingerprints lifted from the crime scene.”

Or

“Ballistics has determined that the bullet recovered from the victim’s body is quite similar to bullets which may have been fired from a weapon the defendant used to own, but which we currently cannot locate.”

Noted at the DUIBlog via The Agitator.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/20 at 05:39 AM
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Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Ism Schism

So that’s why they hate us, supposedly…

Commentary has published a piece, written by David Gelernter, titled “Americanism—and Its Enemies." Gelernter’s piece purportedly finds that Puritanism isn’t dead, but has instead morphed into Americanism, with the Bible acting not only as the tie between the two, but as the focal point of the potency of both of these isms.  In support of this thesis, Gelernter provides many interesting points to ponder, noting old tyme preachers, founding fathers, various historians of renown, American-Zionism, the Bible, and, of course, democracy.

After reading Gelernter’s piece over a few times, all I have to say is that if being an American entails what Gelernter believes, then I am an enemy of Americanism, also.  But I don’t necessarily think Gelernter’s Americanism is the focal point of the hate which supposedly dogs Americans.  I think the focal point of the hate, if indeed it is hate, is much more simple.  It’s called envy.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/19 at 04:56 PM
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Un-snortable

The wonderful world of WD40…

WD40 is handy stuff.  I have two or three cans of it around the house.  One in the garage, one in the basement, and one in my camp box, at least.

Here’s one use for WD40 I had not heard of.

”...keeping the public from snorting cocaine off toilet lids in bars."

Evidently, WD40 causes cocaine to congeal, making it un-snortable.

Seems like a waste of both WD40, and cocaine, to me.

“WD-40 stops cocaine use"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/19 at 08:23 AM
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Stuck in the Craw

Racism creep…

Racism, unlike a bug which inadvertantly slips down your throat while taking a breath, and which can be hacked up and spit out, just won’t die, evidently. 

Individuals are constantly tweaking the life support system for this issue, by associating this, or that, to racist leanings.  Here is the most recent racist issue.

"New evidence of racial gap in cancer care"

The cancer care racial gap, from which the evidence is supposedly garnered, is for esophageal cancer.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/19 at 05:48 AM
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Neuroeconomics?

Searching for the buy and sell Holy Grail…

Economic theory and thought run the gamut from the downright silly, to the bizarre.  Neuroeconomics seems to be the up and coming darling in this field.

Economist.com provides a glimpse into this field in an article titled “Mind games."

The problem with these mind games is that the game is played differently by each individual, though those who want to control the game believe it’s a one size fits all game where everyone wins, according to the government’s rules, and by god, you’ll all play according to those rules.

"Government policies, such as forced savings or “cooling off� periods for buying property or cars, may be one remedy."

Via Arts & Letters Daily.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/19 at 05:13 AM
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Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Know Nothings

The hate vote of 2004…

The big news, today, seems to be the release of some exit polling data, and the possibility that the data will not be made public.  Almost sounds controversial.

I’ve read USA Today’s piece on this news item, titled “Exit pollsters to release election report to media" and about the only sentence in the piece, that caught my eye, was this.

"But whether voters will ever know what happened remains unclear."
Posted by John Venlet on 01/18 at 05:05 AM
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Fork It Over, Schoolmarm

The IRS’ one room schoolhouse tax lesson…

Today, class, we are going to study taxation without representation, or, how to turn a forty (40) dollar investment into ten thousand (10,000) dollars with the stroke of a pen.

"A tax error totaling less than $40 has resulted in a $10,000 fine for the Hill Public School, a one-room schoolhouse."

“For $40 tax error, one-room school faces $10,000 IRS fine"

Posted by John Venlet on 01/18 at 04:56 AM
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Monday, January 17, 2005

Have I Got A Deal, For You, O'Neill

Doubletalk, gobbledygook, and that hand in your pocket…

Karen DeCoster points to the supposed wisdom of Paul O’Neill, as published in a New York Times piece titled “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?." An apropos enough title for O’Neill’s piece wherein he expounds on his vision for the future of Social coercive Security. 

What gets me, as I read through O’Neill’s piece, is the lip service paid to the evils of taxation, coercion, and the immediate renunciation of the lip service just paid, and nod to coercion, all occurring in the same paragraph.

"The problem with the current arrangement is that our contributions are a tax, not savings. So we should begin by agreeing that we are going to require all Americans to save, individually, to provide for their financial security in old age. After all, if we don’t save on our own for our retirement needs, who will do it for us? Our neighbors? Our children? In a civilized society we have a responsibility to take care of our own needs so as not to be a burden on others."

Who wants to be a millionaire, indeed.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/17 at 05:07 AM
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The State Can't Leave Well Enough Alone

Sticking their noses where they don’t belong…

Last Sunday, January 9th, there was a column in our local rag, The Grand Rapids Press, titled “‘Hot Dog Man’ feeds need for GR’s hungry."

The column was one of those feel good columns which relays a tale of individual altruism, which, in this example, has grown into a group of individuals who have decided, without the assistance of the State, to feed those who are homeless, or simply need a meal.  Every Tuesday, since 1996, this group of private individuals has, with their own funds and resources, fed some of the hungry in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Great, many of us might think, even if we disagree with alms giving, since no one has been coerced into participating in this particular form of altruistic hand out.  More power to them.  It’s a shame, though, that the State doesn’t see things this way.

You see, unnamed “officials” from this supposedly “cool city,” Grand Rapids, and from the Kent County Health Department, spied a picture taken and run with the column, which showed, heaven forbid, “hot-dog buns lying on a bare table.” And what did this espying result in?  This.

"It was determined that that operation did not conform to a regular food-service license, and that prompted us to contact (Flickinger),” said Dave Kraker, director of environmental health.

Kraker’s office told Flickinger that if he did not want to operate under a license—an expensive proposition calling for sophisticated kitchen regulations imposed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture—they could avoid some county scrutiny by cooking hot dogs in a private home."

So, the State, in order to rein in uncontrolled and rampant do gooders, shoves their nose where it doesn’t belong; because the State can’t have anyone thinking they can operate independently and individually; and puts the kibosh on private individuals performing an act of service which amielorates the very problem they are always whining about in order to coerce more tax dollars from the “citizens.”

The column which notes the State’s intrusion into the private acts of the above referenced individuals is titled “Last week’s column lands food program in hot water."

The State is not your friend, it is merely an instrument for control.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/17 at 04:17 AM
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Saturday, January 15, 2005

Nothing to Sell or Spin

Individualism and liberty…

The following words, written by P.J. O’Rourke, were delivered at the Cato Institute, back in 1993.  Richard Nikoley, in a post titled “What’s So Funny?," offers them up as ”...a better manifesto..." for the future path of civilization.  I know the path, do you?

"We have no ideology, no agenda, no catechism, no dialectic, no plan for humanity. We have no “vision thing,” as our ex-president would say, or, as our current president would say, we have no Hillary.

All we have is the belief that people should do what people want to do, unless it causes harm to other people. And that had better be clear and provable harm. No nonsense about second-hand smoke or hurtful, insensitive language, please."

Read O’Rourke’s entire piece at Richard’s.  If you want to, that is.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/15 at 09:37 AM
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