TECH: WRIDEA … but why do I need it?

Monday, May 29, 2006

http://www.wridea.com/index.php

WRIDEA — a web-based note pad?


GUNS: Maher is no Libertarian … … because guns are a litmus issue!

Monday, May 29, 2006

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1198918,00.html

From the Magazine | Interview
10 Questions for Bill Maher
By REBECCA WINTERS KEEGAN

***Begin Quote***

Sometimes people say to me, "You're not a real Libertarian because Libertarians believe there should be no gun control." I'm not a radical Libertarian, O.K.? Every party has something of a big tent.

***End Quote***

Maher is no Libertarian.

There is no big tent in the Libertarian party. We've seen the RINOs (Republicans in name only), the DINOs (Democrats in name only), the CINOs (Catholics in name only), but there are no LINOs (Libertarians in name only). That's because there is only one core Libertarian belief among Libertarians. Freedom, liberty, on every issue, every time, no exceptions.

Lot's of people claim to be Libertarians. Mostly it's talk show hosts. I guess it's the new "undecided" without being labeled as unable to make up ones mind. But, claiming something doesn't make it so. I can claim to be thin, handsome, and young. But that doesn't make it so!

So when Maher claims the "Libertarian" label except for guns, he fails. Guns are what can be as close to a Libertarian litmus test as can exist.

Some background to get to that.

Libertarians — both the big L Libertarians who define it as being a member of the party and the little L Libertarians who subscribe to a philosophy of life — are all defined by the ZAP Zero Aggression Principle. Libertarians, regardless of petty squabbles on individual issues, unify behind the idea that no one is allowed to initiate force. And, certainly not to accomplish political or social goals.

Libertarians trust others with freedom and liberty. It's really axiomatic. One can only have as much freedom as one is prepared to give others. I don't want you telling me what drugs I have access to; so, I have to let you be free to be a drug addict. I don't want my earnings and savings to be stolen (i.e., taxes) by an armed gang (i.e., government); so, I can't make you pay them either. I don't want to pay for the government reeducation camps (i.e., the gummamint publik skoolz) where your children are taught things antithetical to your beliefs; so, I won't make you pay either. To be free, I have let you be free as well.

Guns, and the freedom concerning them, are intimately involved in freedom.

First, the armed citizen is the ultimate check on a despotic government. The dead old white guys knew that having just fought a war against an oppressive government. There are some great a bumper stickers that summarize the reasons. "Politicians prefer unarmed peasants!"  "A man with a Gun is a citizen. A man without a Gun is a subject." "Only Crooked Politicians Fear Armed Citizens." "Genocide what happens when people are disarmed."

Second, the armed citizens are the police. They back up the thin blue line. Think of the Old West's posse. Look what happened in NOLA when the good people left, the police were helpless. Again some bumper sticker philosophy says it quicker. "When the laws outlaw guns, then only outlaws will have guns."  "The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals." "A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet."

Third, the armed citizen is emblematic of participate in the body politic. A civil society depends upon the support of its members. If we are not prepared to defend society from those who would harm it, then we don't deserve its protection. One can tell the sheep from the sheepdogs by who rushes to the defense of the flock. If you're unarmed or disarmed, then you're not a very effective defender.

So when someone tells you that they don't trust you with a gun, you better start asking yourself why you should trust them to have one when you don't. There is no single issue that will expose whether a person's beliefs about "gun control" are meant as "victim disarmament" or "hitting what you aim at". When people like politicians and celebrities talk about "gun control", they mean "the unopposed ability to impose their will".

So when Maher say "no guns for you kiddies", he definitely NOT a Libertarian.


TECH: Spammers working overtime. Apparently!

Monday, May 29, 2006

One of my "open" ids has been taking a load of spam. Technically, I measured 158 spams. Two made it past the Google GMail filter. Thanks, Google. It's enought to make one turn on controls and tools to prevent strangers from emailing in. 


LIBERTY: Pope Benedict XVI visited the Auschwitz … … teaching us we are all “Jews”!

Monday, May 29, 2006

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060528/D8HT21CO0.html

Pope: How Could God 'Tolerate' Holocaust?
May 28, 6:13 PM (ET)
By VICTOR L. SIMPSON
***Begin Quote***

(AP) Pope Benedict XVI prays in front of the memorial plaques at the former Nazi Death Camp Birkenau, in…

OSWIECIM, Poland (AP) – Pope Benedict XVI visited the Auschwitz concentration camp as "a son of the German people" Sunday and asked God why he remained silent during the "unprecedented mass crimes" of the Holocaust.
***End Quote***

There are two lessons in this story. 

One thing we should learn from the Pope's visit is that we have to consider ourselves "Jews", or "Mexicans", or "Black"! Or "green with yellow stripes" if that is what the current scape-dog class of human being is. We have to be like the legend of the Danish King wearing the yellow star. Didn't happen, but it should have happened. Or the non-Muslim woman wearing the Muslim head scarf. http://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2001/2001_10_03.scarf.html 

 The other thing is that the only a government can commit a genocide.


TECH: LINKEDIN seems to take sunday’s off … … that’s ok … I guess … but tell us!

Sunday, May 28, 2006

LINKEDIN appears to be off line. One never knows with the inet if it's the site or any or all of the myriad links between you and them. Has to be a better way?


LIBERTY: How to end the gummamint skoolz … … with a transition plan!

Sunday, May 28, 2006

We start with basic principles:

(1) It took us a long time to get into this mess. It will take us decades to get out.

(2) People have built their lives around the gummamint skoolz and need time to readjust to a free market.

(3) The new innovative private schools will need time to form, adapt, and adjust.

The vision is that the gummamint no longer runs or pays for skoolz. There are a host of reasons but the five big one are (a) it's not fair to steal from some people to educate other people's children; (b) the gummamint teaches stuff that are antithetical to the parent's beliefs; (c) the skoolz train the children that the gummamint is a God; (d) the gummamint skoolz are expensive, corrupt, and corrosive; (e) the gummamint does a very poor job of educating.

A free market in education will address all these problems by putting parent back in control of raising their children as they see fit. This means that we have to be ready to squelch a lot of hot air and stop trying to control people. We had freedom in this country before and we can have it again.

Let's assume that we need 4 decades to free our children from the specter of a poor gummamint education. If I was king, how would I do it?

For the first two decades, I would free about 5% of the children every year from the gummamint. This would allow the private sector to grown and the gummamint skoolz to wither. For the last two decades, I would reduce the subsidy of education 5% each year. See how nicely that works out. In the first two decades, the free market grows strong. In the second two decades, we wean the new industry off the gummamint ninny. At the end of forty years, we have solved the problem with a minimum of dislocation and maximized freedom.

Now lets examine the first two decades. We have some opportunities that have to be addressed. In the preparation for for Year  Zero, we have to address the existing gummamint skoolz, the people who work their now, the gummamint running it, the parents, and finally the students. Let's start in reverse order.

Dear Students: The State apologizes for making you the guinea pigs in a national experiment with gumammint skoolz. You will have to know that our transition plan will only help you a little bit. Rome wasn't built in a day. Hopefully the younger of you will benefit. The older will just have to be satisfied that when you are in the workforce you will no longer be burdened with this monster.

Dear Parents: The State is going to give you in NJ a 12k$ check to buy your child's education. Now before you go picking private schools, be advised that initially all checks will be RED. That means you have to redeem them at your local school. Every year for the next 20 years, the State is going to run a lottery. In this lottery, every child will be entered. Each year, 5% of the tickets drawn will result in that child getting a GREEN check. Those of you with a green check can spend that anywhere you want for your children's education. During these two decades, we will be licensing schools to accept green checks. Be advise the criteria for licensing will be financial stability NOT educational merit.  

Dear Teachers and Administrators: The State is getting out of the education business. It is great opportunity for you to deliver quality education while becoming an owner in your own business.

Dear Teacher's Union: The State is getting out of education. You should see if your members wish to participate in the brave new frontier of education. You as the union could seek to become a certified vendor of education in the state. In twenty years, there will no longer be any state employees in education. We urge you to plan accordingly.

Dear Taxpayer: Relief is on the way.

=== Notes about the first two decades ===

In the first "get ready" year, every child will get a "booklet" of 12 RED checks. It would be a twelve post dated checks to the first of each month. The gummanmint skoolz will take that red check booklet and redeem them monthly for their funding. This will begin simulating the buyer – seller relationship. Unlike today, the skoolz administrator and teacher have to get that red check from each parent. That should lead to some interesting conversations. The check has no value other than to get the process started.

Administrators and teachers are smart people. We don't necessarily want to lose them but we need to change the dynamics. Each skoolz will be "incorporated" with the existing people and assets. Let's call it the First Generic Neighborhood Skoolz. Two classes of stock will be issued to create the corporation with a twenty year lockup. Each worker in each FGNS will receive one hundred shares for each hundred dollars of their gross salary. They are now owners! Each municipality will give a long term lease to the assets in the skoolz to the FGNS in exchange for the Class B shares and a lien. Based of the free market value of the assets leased, the municipality receives one hundred shares for every hundred dollars of assets. In year zero, nothing trades. After that, everyone is free. The municipality releases the lien as the FGNS redeems its Class B shares.

The Government will transform into a referee. It's role is to certify the financial stability of those who seek to redeem RED CHECKS. Those entities have to post a performance bond to ensure that they deliver on promises. Just like any other government contract.

Year zero runs for a year, or two, to get the bugs out of the process. Then the "fun" begins.

Each year, for the next twenty, %5 percent of the children selected at random "go green". The parents receive a green check booklet that they can use at any approved vendor to buy an education for their child. They are the boss.

Each new child coming into the system will participate in an entry lottery. The appropriate percentage will be given green status. For example, in year 5, 25% are green. In year 15, 75% are green. Once a incoming child goes "green", they are green forever. If they are red, they may become green in a subsequent year. So the FGNS has a naturally declining population of "guaranteed customers". Guess they will be motivated to capture some of those "green kids".

Notice that inner cities skoolz are "interesting" in that they have a large number of "customers" in a single big group. Think there will be interest in running inner city schools?

=== Notes about the second two decades ===

We have now completely privatized education. Now we have to transition from a taxpayer pay to a parent pay.

Let's assume that we held the line an education checks are 12k$ per year. For the next twenty years, we will reduce the education check 5% per year. In twenty years, we will be out of using tax money to pay for education.

====

Comments?

 


LIBERTY: How to End the Statist-Collectivist Mass Delusion … … do something!

Sunday, May 28, 2006

http://jeffersonianlib.blogspot.com/2006/05/leftright-statist-collectivist-mass.html 

***Begin Quote***

How do we end this mass delusion and free the American people? First,we must be militant, radical and uncomprimising. No apologies for libertarian ideas or beliefs.
We must use the arts of propaganda, elections, and public issues to get the libertarian message out to the masses. We must reject and distinguish ourselves from conservatives. Libertarians are mistakenly considered conservatives. We are not anything of the sort. Libertarianism is radical, conservativism is not. Conservatism is a stagnant, rotten and corrupt statist delusion. We also must oppose the Left with more frequency. We must expose their hateful ideals of group identification, group catagorization, class warfare, anti-traditionalist statist agenda. We must defend free enterprise against statists, both right and left. One way is to expose the frauds of GATT, NAFTA,FTAA, and the WTO. These statist treaties are not free trade, but are statist government managed trade. We must also oppose all taxes, at all levels, all regulations, and all new laws designed to infringe on the right of people to live their lives as they see fit. We must show people the evils of empire and imperialism. We must point out the benefits of a Jeffersonian foreign policy of "Stategic Neutrality" and peace. All foreign wars must be opposed and all American troops brought home. We must show the American people that your life belongs to you and no one else! Without the right to own, control and manage your own property, you become a slave. Without the right to live your personal life by your own morals ( without infringing on the right of others to do the same), you are a slave. Without the right to be free of tyrannical laws and government, you are a slave. Without the right to associate or not associate with any one you choose, you are a slave. The worst type of slavery is the slavery of the mind. This type of slavery perpetuates the Left/ Right Statist Collectivist Mass Delusion. It is the type of slavery where you continue to think your free, but you are really in bondage.

Reject the slave mentality! Reject the idea that you exist to serve you "betters" in the Left/ Right Statist Collectivist Mass Delusion. Embrace radical libertarianism, and free the world. 

***End Quote***

Hmmm! Well, it's certainly not by writing long glumps of text.

We have to "DO" something.

My personal three targets remain:

(1) the fiat currency because it gives the gummamint a hidden tax to take all they want;

(2) the gummamint skoolz because they dumb down the future and train kids in socialism; and

(3) the gummamint's erosion of our rights by further inserting themselves into new areas.

How do we do that?

Ridicule them and their ideas. I don't think they take be made to look foolish well. And, people will say to themselves "well that's dumb". Every time that happens they lose a little of their power.

What have I done in the last thirty days to advance liberty?

(a) Chatted about the Spanish American War tax on cell phones to anyone who would listen.

(b) Expressed amazement everytime people give me stuff for "pretty little green presidential paintings" every time a buy somethings.

(c) Asked every parent if they wouldn't like to send their child to a private school instead of the government propaganda center.

While I often get looked at strangely, I don't get people saying "wow that's how to pay for a war", "yup those paintins r real pretty", or "no those zkoolz r gud nuff".

I think we have to "put a pebble in people's shoes" about just how much they want freedom. 


TECH: “ELEPHANTDRIVE” the auto backup service didn’t. Why?

Saturday, May 27, 2006

It fails with a less than helpful message. "There was a problem with the transfer. Please try again or contact support for assistance".

Well it is, was, advanced as a beta. I guess I'm spoiled with Google's betas that are better than Microsoft's finished products.

And what is wrong with error messages that had a simple number.

I remember the IBM mainframe days when I had to code user errors like "IEZFJOHN001 – CVT not found! Big problem. Operator notify issue a type one alert!". A friend of mine reported that "my" error message was actually triggered during a system upgrade. Other system utilities either failed silently or caused OC4s and OC6s. My friend was able to tell the staff that he knew the anal retentive who wrote that code.

Hey, when I was a baby programmer, I didn't want a screw up on my watch. If the CVT wasn't where it was supposed to be then I didn't want to get blamed for losing it.

As I recollect, that program had 11 different error conditions. All equally improbable. But, I was conscientious and an uber nerd those days!

My friend actually won a bet on it. They didn't have the source code for it, and many other utilities. He bet that he could have the source code in hand in less than an hour after he called me. I had to hustle to find it in my garage. I was able to offer him either a listing or punch cards. Come to think of it I don't the he ever sent me my half of the six pack. 

Now, does anyone need some logical character manipulation Fortran subroutines? How about some assembler reentrant routines to do time sync?

Ahhh, those were the days when I had "real" skills. 


TECH: “MOZY” the auto backup service didn’t. Why?

Saturday, May 27, 2006

I noticed, when MOZY called my attention to the fact, that it hadn't take a backup for nine days. No reason that I can see. When I "forced" it using program options, it worked. So why did it take a vacation? Interesting in that it's supposed to be mindless. Guess you can't depend upon anything!


LIBERTY: How organs should be distributed? Not by the government!

Saturday, May 27, 2006

http://lifesharers.blogspot.com/2006/05/lifesharers-is-not-discriminatory.html

***Begin Quote***

Anyone can join LifeSharers. Membership is free. We welcome everyone, and we turn no one away. Can someone please tell me what is discriminatory about that?
***End Quote***

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/14659413.htm

Organ donation club called discriminatory
By MELISSA SÁNCHEZ
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
***Begin Quote***

But this approach raises ethical questions about how organs should be distributed. The need for donors is overwhelming. In January and February, 4,508 transplants were performed in the U.S., but more than 92,000 people are on the approved federal waiting list.
***End Quote***

By whom? I read this article several times and I can't see who is call it "discriminatory". Is it the reporter?

Walter Williams, my favorite economic professor, wrote the definitive solution:

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williams091198.html

***Begin Quote***

Transplantable organ shortages would disappear overnight if people were permitted to sell organs. You say, "Williams, people shouldn't make money selling organs!" I say, "Why not? Everybody else is making money on the deal."

*** AND***

The fact of life is that there must be some way to decide which sick person gets an organ. One way to decide is to have a government mandate whereby the most critically ill gets first priority. That could result in waste because a not-so-critically-ill person has a greater chance of survival and a smaller chance of needing another transplant. Another way to decide is to allow the medical elite to put the rich and famous at the top of the list, as they did with Mickey Mantle, who received a liver transplant and died two months later. Allowing the medical elite to decide who gets transplants has already created despicable arrogance. I was watching one show where a doctor refused to give a patient who smoked cigarettes a heart transplant. While it's popular right now to dump on cigarette smokers, tomorrow that same physician might refuse to give a transplant to an overweight person, a low-I.Q. person, a divorcee or whatever suits the whims of a particular hospital physician staff.

We shouldn't allow America's elite to decide who gets what in health and other areas of our lives. We wouldn't begin to tolerate somebody deciding that housing, food, cars and clothing be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis or on a who-needs-them-the-most basis? If we did, there'd be desperate shortages in housing, food, cars and clothing just as there are shortages in organs available for transplant.

There are other benefits from allowing people to sell their organs. For example, I smoke cigarettes and cigars. If I knew that my heart and lungs could become a part of my estate, I would take better care of them. But since my heirs can't monetarily gain, it makes sense for me to die with completely used up organs just like I'd try to die with a zero bank balance if Congress wouldn't allow me to bequeath money to my heirs. 
***End Quote***

I happen to like that solution. Take control away from the gummamint, the elite, and return it to the fairest arbiter of need ever discovered … the marketplace.

One should acknowledge that one becomes rich in the marketplace by satisfying the needs of others. Bill Gates made people happy and they applauded by giving him their greenbacks. If he needs a transplant, why shouldn't he be able to use his "applause" as evidence of being the most worthy.

The poor would not be excluded from the marketplace. I already see charities for that purpose.

AND, even when today the system breaks down, haven't you seen whole communities rallying about an unfortunate case with gigantic fund raising drives?

One advantage of a marketplace solution is that it operates without a large overhead.  

No one has to run the marketplace. There are no government bureaucrats drawing pay and benefits to "decide" who should get this kidney or that liver.

It may sound "ghoulish", but letting people die is REALLY ghoulish.

We have seen what the "current system", or non-system, delivers. Death, suffering, and uncertainty. How about a change?