Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Self-portrait at Campfire
Back soon.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Please Excuse Me
Excuse, though it is not valid for 45 days straight.
Vanderleun on Gelato
Everybody loves “Farmers” markets in America. They are everywhere now. They metastasize in our urban cores like eczema in a teenager’s armpits. Every snoburbia has to have one or more in order to be a bona-fide snoburbia. Where else, I ask you, can white people go to be reassured of the proposition that small, local, “sustainable,” and oh-so-organic farms can feed a nation of more than 300 million people for only three times to cost of current farming methods? Farmers Markets are malls for morons and we all love them. Pass the drool cup and the goat cheese samples, thank you.
I’m primed for the ordinary and established catechism of the Church of Eternal American Bullshit whenever I go to the “Farmers” markets, but I was unprepared for this fresh sign in an empty storefront on the hip Ballard side-street that supports merchants selling nut-butters at $50 a pound every Sunday. It promised levels of bullshit previously thought impossible:
Monday Morning Quote
Via Wendy McElroy. Reposted here in full.
The moral of to-day which must be learnt and applied is the trickiness of all political parties. Poor things! They can’t help it. We need not lose our temper over it and call them very bad names. Set any men that you choose—the very wisest and best—to struggle for power, and they can only drop down into trickiness and intrigue. You can’t make omelettes without breaking eggs; and you can’t win political battles without corrupting yourself and corrupting the people whom you buy….Any organised set of man [sic] with votes—Resurrection men or anybody else—would be bought by one side or the other in every struggle for power. There is no difference between parties. If you are still unconverted and want to make up your mind whether power in itself is a good thing or a bad thing, watch carefully the weapons and methods which men use in the struggle to obtain it. The methods men are obliged to employ to obtain something throw a very instructive light on the thing itself.
Auberon Herbert, The Free Life, January 1898.
The Irony of Higher Education
I, tend to value higher education. Ironically, the value of a higher education, at the hands and the expense of an established university, apparently is negated by an inability to process information and a tendency to put forth proposals of a scope which boggle the mind in their abject stupidity.
In support of the above hypothesis, I present Dr. Jim Taylor, of the University of San Francisco.
Take a gander at Dr. Jim’s resume (first link in this post). Pretty impressive, looking, but looks can be deceiving, and readers may deduce, as I have, from the following words uttered by Dr. Jim, that his mind has turned to mush.
Here is my proposal to return fact-based reality to our national dialogue (note: please don’t miss my ironic tone): The federal government should create a Department of Information whose responsibility it is to determine the facts behind any decision that confronts our country. I know what you’re thinking: This sounds like something that belongs in a totalitarian regime. But the reality is that someone has to decide on what is factual and what is not. So who can we trust to give us the most accurate information available? Big Business? Traditional media? The blogosphere? I certainly wouldn’t trust any of them…
Here’s the next part of my proposal. Anytime there is a factual dispute, the Department of Information would render a decision on what the facts are. Those parties who come out on the short end of those decisions would not be allowed to use their “facts” any longer (just like having potentially dangerous drugs or products taken off the shelf). If they do, there would be fines levied to punish the transgressors. This system would not only make clear what the facts are and empower those who want the facts to be known, but it would also discredit the lunatic fringe and reduce the influence of their views on the majority of people.
I’d suggest that Dr. Jim write children’s books, but I value children too much and do my utmost to steer them clear of idiots.
Quotes are from Dr. Jim’s display of stupidity as published in The Huffington Post under the heading The (Mis) Information Age.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tea Partiers of the World, Remain Individuals
Reynolds links to a Nick Rizzuto piece titled Tea Parrtiers of the World, Unite!, which ends this way.
An international liberty movement is an idea whose time has come. As a matter of fact, it is one that’s long overdue. We are truly living in interesting times.
Rizzuto, himself, in the very first paragraph of his piece, provides the historical reason as to why tea partiers should remain individuals, because as a group, united tea partiers would succumb to the same detriments to civilization referenced.
In the winter of 1847, The Communist League met in London to sketch out a platform for the international communist movement. Previously, the communist movement was made up of disparate factions of various national, ethnic, and even religious flavors. What emerged from this congress of communist revolutionaries was a united movement. Following the meeting in London, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels took up the task of forging the preeminent radical polemic of the international socialist, the Communist Manifesto. Their movement thenceforth, and to the detriment of civilization, moved forward as a united international juggernaut.
On the Constitution as a “Counter-Revolutionary” Act
A reader writes.
...Second, Billy called the Constitution a “counter revolutionary act”. I’ve been digesting that for the last week or so.
I believe I understand his contention and I agree with it.
Going back to Thoreau and “Government is best which governs least” I’m begining to think the time in which The Articles of Confederation were the law of the land might have been ideal. The federal government was completely ineffective. How was that a bad thing?
Having said that my friends redacted and redacted attended and pushed the Restore the Constitution Rally this last 4/19. And I am now genuinely conflicted. If I believe that the constitution was a counterrevolutionary act why would I want to restore it?
A little guidance would be much appreciated. (bold by ed.)
The reader refers to the statement in bold, above, from Billy Beck’s interview with Scott Ott, which I referenced here. I cannot, and more importantly, will not presume to speak for Billy Beck in this post. What follows are my extemporaneous thoughts, ideas, on the subject, with which individuals must then guide themselves.
Throughout history, individuals have suffered under the yoke of the State, in all of its various manifestations. From time to time during this history, individuals have come to the conclusion that enough is enough, and have rebelled against whatever various manifestation of the State they have suffered under, and revolutions result. Unfortunately, history empirically proves that every revolution has only temporarily relieved individuals’ suffering under the yoke of the State, as the “new” State achieves full awareness of its ability to force its will on individuals.
The individuals who were responsible for the writing of The Constitution of the United States of America, the founding fathers, admirable men all, did indeed perform a counter-revolutionary act, which still binds all American individuals today.
The founding of America was an exceptional event, a breaking away from a State, England, which, at the time, was the preeminent power in the world. But instead of simply creating a new era of freedom, liberty and opportunity for individuals, on a voluntary basis, the founding fathers brought into existence, through the Constitution, another form of a State, the “more perfect union.”
Now, this more perfect union did indeed provide relief to individuals from the State, the state of England, initially, but as with all manifestations of States, the relief was only temporary, as is evidenced by what individuals suffer under today in regards to the loss of individual freedom here in America. Incremental obesiance to the State.
This counter-revolutionary trend to found new States, control over individuals via force, immediately upon overthrowing individuals’ prior State masters, as I mentioned, is proved historically, both in secular and religious societies. The founding of America, is a prime example of this in secular society, and it can be seen in religious society, also, as I have touched on in posts such as this and this.
One can also consider this subject in an evolutionary light, I think. There is no doubt that man has evolved over time. Individuals are bigger, stronger, faster, healthier, etcetera, today, than they were thousands of years ago, but what of our minds? Our brains, which give us the ability to think, and reason, can also be considered to have been shackled by each manifestation of the various States which have come into and faded from existence over history.
Now, some may read these extempraneous musings and say, Venlet is nuts, what is hinted at, in these words, is anarchy, when in actuality they mean chaos. Indeed, voluntary cooperation between individuals can at times be chaotic, but woud not you rather have a bit of chaos to contend with, rather than the State’s force and threats?
Additionally, readers of these words may wonder at how this voluntary cooperation between individuals could actually work scaled up to the size of America. I cannot answer that question, definitively, as I wonder myself, but I can tell you this, it is only when I am assailed by the group, the State, am I threatened, because I am then denied the ability to only voluntarily participate, and my freedom has been qualified by the alleged majority.
I do not know if the above musings have provided any guidance, but I should think that they would give individuals something to think about.
Expectations for Freedom in a Comment Thread?
I, personally, do not have high expectations that freedom, liberty and opportunity will once again be the hallmarks of America in the near future. I look around, listen rather carefully, and read voluminous amounts of musings which tend to indicate a total collapse of all which America at one time represented. I sincerely hope and pray that I am incorrect.
On occasion, my expectations that freedom, liberty and opportunity will be restored to America, and each and every individual who in actuality are America, are raised up, and in the comment thread to this Victor Davis Hanson piece, my expectations receive encouragement. A couple of the comments.
14. Foobarista
As for the “gray market” in California, I’m convinced that regulators - and politicians - are well aware of its existence and don’t want to touch it. My wife sells small businesses and pretty much never sees a little, cash-heavy business that doesn’t pocket most or all of the cash - even in otherwise regulated areas like restaurants and dry cleaners.
The sad thing is that my wife occasionally runs into American-born blacks or whites who want to buy a business and whose heads explode when they realize that nearly everything is under the table, and that operating a completely legit business would mean you simply wouldn’t make enough money to operate because the market prices in the “grayness” of the market players. Immigrants of all sorts are far more comfortable with these arrangements and often prefer it.
And any business involving lots of manual labor? They’re completely under the table, not because the owners are paying sub-minimum wages - the workers are often decently paid - but because regulations and taxes make it impossible to operate legally. And since few American-born people are willing to work under the table, illegals are pretty much the only ones hired.
April 11, 2010 - 10:06 pm
And this one.
20. Les Hardie
Dr. Hansen: I and my upscale neighbors are all scofflaws. We live in a village in the Santa Monica mountains just west of Topanga. Most of us are professionals,others academics, scientists, businessmen, some cops and firemen. RE prices are high, but the area is semi-rural—a lot of horses, atvs, trucks, chainsaws. People here are well educated but pride then=mselves on being tougher than city people. Most are still Democrats. But everybody tries to avoid any gov’t permitting. The view is that between the county and coastal, nobody can build a dog house, much less a room addition, so f***them and do it anyway. Judges and lawyers do major remodels without permits; pools and spas, sheds and barns, these projects are regularly done subrosa. More than a complete lack of trust that the government will be fair and reasonable, is a belief that govt has no right to tell us what we can and cant do on our property (at least on a small scale). It seems to be a version of “don’t tread on me!” It may be the salvation of Ca when those who espouse the regulatory state realize how bad it is in practice, and take real steps to get it off our backs.
April 11, 2010 - 10:39 pm
Linked via a post at Classical Values titled Blackout.
Teach Your Children Well - Regrets and Responsibilities Quote
Kent McManigal notes an Albuquerque woman’s fear for her daughter’s safety, which has to do with the ongoing murder trial of Michael Astorga, but it is the following words written by Kent to which I draw your attention.
This responsibility means teaching your child developmentally-appropriate self-defensive lessons. Lessons they will need even if your fears turn out to be groundless.
This responsibility even means moving to a new area if you find it impossible to protect your child adequately where you currently reside. No price or inconvenience is “too high”. Regrets can never be fixed; only avoided. Make up your mind now, before it is too late.
Diesel Boat Submarine Veterans’ Stories for a Sunday
SondraK points to the online version of The American Legion Magazine, and highlights the story/interview of Wendell Benson, who served on the USS Trutta.
More WWII submarine interviews/stories can be viewed/read here, courtesy of The American Legion.
Sitting There on That Sack of Rumored Deutsche Marks
I mentioned the rumor that Germany may be pulling out from the Euro just the other day, in a post titled German Deutsche Marks Revival Rumor.
This rumor, of course, is just a rumor, though France’s Sarkozy, in a Khruschev moment, banged his ballet slipper, and threated to pull France from the Euro if all the other Euro “team” members did not line up like sheep to bail out Greece.
The rumor, though, has carried far, and has been mentioned by some rather respectable individuals, such as Victor Davis Hanson in a piece titled “The Other Europe”, stating,
...(amid paranoia that Germany might well go its own way, and do with its money what it used to do with its military).
Dan Roberts, in a piece titled “More than a euro crisis”, also references the rumor.
France threatens to leave the euro. German savers hoard gold. The Bundesbank works on a plan B to restore the Deutsche Mark.
There are many others referencing the rumor, while Drudge links to stories with headlines such as Euro Falls to Lowest Since Lehman as Breakup Concern Increases and ‘Mummy’ Merkel battered as Germans lose faith in EU.
This rumor could get interesting. Deutsche marks, anyone?
Euro Propping - The New Subprime Lending Fiasco
Most of the world is still fully cognizant of the subprime lending fiasco, which devastated most of the global economy, and continues reverberating today. I find it interesting to note that Karl-Otto Poehl, former Bundesbank chief between 1980 and 1991, and now private banker, is mouthing the same words we heard uttered regarding the creditworthiness of individuals who received subprime loans, except Poehl is now directing those words at countries themselves, in this case, Greece.
“They should have realized that a small, tiny country like Greece, which is without an industrial base, would never be in the position to repay 300 billion euros in debt,”...
Sound familiar?
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Blow for the Faithful Left
Charles M. Blow has an op-ed in the New York Times, this morning, under the heading Liberals in Limbo. I guess Blow’s musings are meant to be a sort of poultice for the faithful, liberal Left, as he acknowledges the Left’s front is currently under siege and may very well be routed in upcoming elections by a resurging Right.
Blow’s poultice, though, is not meant to provide instant healing to the Left, but rather temporary, soothing relief until what Blow believes will be, ultimately, a full restoration of the Left’s utopian vision, as evidenced by these words.
So by most accounts, Nov. 2 is going to be a blue day in blue America. That is in part because of a sizable enthusiasm gap that favors Republicans.
Liberals may want to crouch in a corner, wait for the storm to pass, then resurface and survey the damage, but that would be avoidance rather than acknowledgement and acceptance.
Better to acknowledge that the anger and frustration felt across the country, however fanatical and freighted, must find release, and it will do so in November. Then you can accept it for what it is: not a failure of philosophy, but a fear of the future. That future can be deferred, but it will not be denied.
I am convinced that the right may win the day, but the left will win the age. That’s because the right is running an intellectually bereft campaign of desperation and disenchantment, amplified by a recession.
Great Recessions don’t last. Great ideas do.
The November elections may provide temporary release to the Right, as Blow notes, but the release will only be a placebo effect, rather than a cure for the disease which afflicts America. A disease which Blow does not name outright, Socialism, and which rampantly infects the Right, also.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Arizona Border Washes and Mount Everest
Warren Meyer, at Coyote Blog, was forwarded a multi-forwarded email regarding illegal immigrants trashing Arizona border washes, layups is the term used for the sites in the forwarded email.
The forwarded email is evidently meant to bolster the illegal immigrant law argument, utilizing environmentalism as an additional bastinado with which to beat the drums, summing professing members of the Green Religion to the stop the illegal immigrants cause.
Warren’s post, titled Glass Houses, neatly cleans the clocks of the idiots promoting this foolishness, complete with photos, and ends with this postscript.
Postscript #2: I am willing to believe that poorly educated immigrants have fewer litter taboos than we have been acculturated with. But I have seen enough to say that no ethnic group out there should be too smug. For God sakes, there had to be a large effort near the top of Mt. Everest to clean up a huge dump that had accumulated of oxygen bottles and other trash near the summit. Here are pictures of what rich Americans and Europeans do on Mt Everest when they are hiking and there is no trash can nearby:
Go look at the photos of the Arizona layup, a national forest in Oregon, and, most importantly, Mount Everest, where nary a poor man will ever tread, and then decide if anyone should be throwing stones.
Let Them Eat What WE Say They Can Eat
Hungry? If so, and you have a favorite food, or drink for that matter, that you enjoy consuming, you may want to stock up before the federal government, through its enforcers at the FDA, steps in and curtails your freedom of choice in what to eat and drink.
Attorneys for the federal government have argued in a lawsuit pending in federal court in Iowa that individuals have no “fundamental right” to obtain what food they choose.
The brief was filed April 26 in support of a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ban on the interstate sale of raw milk.
“There is no ‘deeply rooted’ historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds,” states the document signed by U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose, assistant Martha Fagg and Roger Gural, trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Plaintiffs’ assertion of a ‘fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health, which includes what foods they do and do not choose to consume for themselves and their families’ is similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish,” the government has argued.
There are no first they came for…, here, the State is coming for it ALL.
The above has been gleaned from a World Net Daily article headlined Feds tell court they can decide what you eat, which I was pointed to by a sharp eyed reader.
About
The author is an ex-submariner, questioner of authority, cigar smoking fly-fishing fanatic who wants to live to be 103
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Most recent entries
- Sacralization of the State via The Constitution
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