RANT: Thinking about Memorial Day

Monday, May 31, 2010

When I think about Memorial Day, I think of all the VietNam era vets. The Draftees, the “Volunteers” (who sought to pick as opposed to the draft), and the Escapees. Escapees sort into two categories. Those that went “underground” and those that fled to (mostly) Canada.

My best friend in High School went underground when I volunteered. Naturally, we lost contact. He had to hide and I couldn’t afford to be seen with him. He died in an auto accident and I didn’t find out about it until years later.

And, all I can as is “why”.

The politicians and bureaucrats should burn in Hell for a long time for what they did to this country.

Hence, as a little L libertarian, I’d adopt George Washington’s foreign policy and Ron Paul’s tactic for bring the boys and girls home (i.e., jump on the first thing smoking heading home). And, to ensure it never changes, I’d take Heinlein’s idea to make it so only vets can vote and you’d have to be a vet to run for any elective office. Then, we’d have peace.

Donna Nobis Pacem!

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RANT: A rebuke of Pelosi on Facebook

Monday, May 31, 2010

Read a rebuke of Pelosi on Facebook. Amazing the gall of that woman, Pelosi. CINO. I’m no saint by any measure. But, at least I try to listen to the teachings. The Catholic Church has done a very bad job of managing it’s brand. CINO politicians claim the brand so they can be elected but don’t adhere to the beliefs. And, even worse, give scandal. I thought that was an absolute no no. And, yet they fail to rebuke them. Could it be the pedophilia scandal has neutered them? Perhaps this battle is left to the laity to fight. Sigh, above my pay grade. The abuse scandal still dogs the Church.

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GOVERNACIDE: Only vets should vote

Monday, May 31, 2010

201005282346.jpg

Today, I think and pray for all the dead — vets, non-vets, the “draft dodgers”, and those that have had their lives ruined by wars throughout our history.

I’m reminded of Washington’s “entangling alliances”. I think of Heinlein’s “Only vets should vote” and decide when to send troops in harm’s way. I think of all the venial politicians and some of the larger mass murders, some of whom were Presidents; they have led us astray.

But mostly I pray for all the lost potential.

And, of course, for my fellow vets, for the boys and girls in the field, and for the “dim bulb” politicians and bureaucrats who can’t seem to steer us to peace.

Signed, a USAF vet 70-73, who defended Maryland to the best of his meager abilities!

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POLITICAL: OBH44 skips Arlington on Memorial Day

Monday, May 31, 2010

http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=12544685

Obama to skip Memorial day tradition
Posted: May 26, 2010 8:28 AM Updated: May 26, 2010 8:28 AM

*** begin quote ***

WASHINGTON, DC (KSLA) – U.S. President Barack Obama, plans to skip a presidential tradition this Memorial day weekend for a trip back to Chicago.

Traditionally on Memorial day,the current President will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

*** and ***

What do you think of the President’s plan to return home for Memorial day instead of partaking in the traditional Presidential appearance at Arlington Cemetery?

*** end quote ***

I think that is the ULTIMATE insult to the brave men and women who have paid the ultimate price.

With troops in harm’s way, he’s got chutzpah to claim to be “president”. A President leads. He shows up at Arlington and acknowledges that these honored dead gave full measure of what was asked of them. And, maybe he add that he understands what he, and the nation, are asking from the boys and girls in the foreign fields. Argh!

It communicates a disrespect that is hard to explain away.

Sorry, but he’s … … … a politician!

As a vet, who had it “easy”, I’m disgusted!

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INTERESTING: We know so little about our tuckus (tuchus?) (butt!)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

http://www.impactlab.com/2010/05/30/scientists-believe-a-near-death-experience-is-the-last-gasp-of-a-dying-brain/

May 30th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Scientists Believe a Near-Death Experience is the Last Gasp of a Dying Brain

*** begin quote ***

A Dutch study published in The Lancet in 2001 found around one in five cardiac arrest victims underwent a near-death experience. They found these patients tended to feel happier, more altruistic and less afraid of death later on.

*** end quote ***

We know so very little about everything?

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RANT: Can we silently revolt?

Sunday, May 30, 2010

The oligarchy runs the country for their own benefit. That hasn’t changed since forever. The “democracy” is all theater. At least since Lincoln, maybe just after Andrew Jackson. Clearly FDR, by the removal of the nation from the gold standard, set up the unlimited expansion of the gooferment. Wilson’s creation of the FED set up FDR.

Argh!

How do we unwind this? Can we silently revolt? Participation in the elections is just a sham. I don’t know how we can derail this. If no one votes, what happens? Can we just ignore them? I don’t think so. Preserve wealth by buying gold and gold equivalents. They can inflate the currency, but we don’t get hurt if we’re not holding dollars.

Thinking about Robinson Crusoe’s island, with coconuts and fish, and a banker. If the banker inflates the currency, how do Tom and Dick protect themselves? The price of goods and services must go up the amount of inflation. If money is being inflated, then Tom and Dick must avoid holding money. Clearly, they can exchange directly. How do we extrapolate this to the island called America? You must escape the fiat currencies. Buy things that will hold their value. Real Estate. Gold. Commodities.

But what does the little guy do? Emulate the Mormons and the Amish. Put up a year’s supply of food. Pay off any bad debt. Buy gold. Or at least silver. Get small. Get light. Remember the 7 points of success. Develop streams of income. Perhaps that crazy real estate guy who wanted everyone to have 12 single family homes as rental properties. That’s his idea to create a pension of sorts. By the use of leverage, the renters pay off the mortgages. At the end of thirty years, the properties are yours and the rentals become your income stream. Unfortunately, that’s an impossible dream. Let’s assume that houses are 200k each. 12 = 2.4 million. You have to start with one. 20% down = 40k$. Say 10k$ for start up expenses. 5% 30 fixed mortgage = 1400 $/month. It just doesn’t work. 2.4M$ @ 5% = 120k$ per year. With no work and no risk. But, with 30k$ per house, 12 houses, 360k$ starts the chain. So you could boot yourself into it. You need a real sharp pencil and something that works to deliver. It’s possible.

Argh!

What do you do? You need that white collar job to generate the money necessary to get started.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: You can’t record Maryland cops; even if they are abusing you

Saturday, May 29, 2010

http://reason.com/blog/2010/05/29/maryland-cops-say-its-illegal

In Spite of State Law, Maryland Law Enforcement Officials Still Arresting, Charging People for Recording Cops
Radley Balko | May 29, 2010

*** begin quote ***

Graber’s case is starting to spur some local and national media discussion of the state’s wiretapping law. As I mentioned in my column last month, his arrest came at about the same time the Jack McKenna case broke nationally. McKenna, a student at the University of Maryland, was given an unprovoked beating by police during student celebrations after a basketball game last February. McKenna would probably still be facing criminal charges and the cops who beat him would likely still be on the beat were it not for several cell phone videos that captured his beating. According to Cassily’s interpretation of the law, if any of those cell phones were close enough to record audio of the beating, the people who shot the videos are felons.

*** and ***

Whatever their motivation, their legal justification is dubious. The McKenna case is a strong argument in favor of more citizen monitoring of on-duty police. The police not only beat the kid, they then lied about it in police reports. The security camera footage of McKenna’s beating, which is controlled by University of Maryland Campus Police, mysteriously disappeared. The officer in charge of the camera system is married to one of the officers involved in the beating. Does anyone really think the charges against McKenna would have been dropped—and the officers who beat him suspended—if it weren’t for the cell phone videos?

*** end quote ***

Video recording police abuse should be applauded; not prosecuted.

It would appear that “wiretap” laws need a Federal preemption that: (1) Permits recording any interaction with a gooferment official performing their duties. (2) Permits recording any situation where there is no expectation of privacy. (3) Guarantees any citizen being taped must have suitable controls to prevent it’s “accidental” deletion when the cops don’t like what it shows.

The cops have dash cams; why not the citizens?

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RANT: No work for fat old white guys. Even if they are not fat

Saturday, May 29, 2010

XXXXX told me an interesting story about his law practice. He gets most of his business from referrals. YYYYY is still out of work. Guess another not so fat old white guy is screwed.

Sad.

And, as an employment trend, it portends more problems for the country later on. If you can’t find work after say 50, 55, or 60, then we’re screwed as a country. During your working life, say from 20 to 50, you have to put away enough to carry you from 50 to 65. Where one assumes that “social security” and “pensions” will begin.

Argh! Bad assumption.

Let’s reuse that math principle I quote a lot (2.4M$ @ 5% = 120k$ per year) and apply it to our situation. In the 30 years in 20 to 50, you must save 2.4M$. Or, 80k$ per year!

Can’t be done. It not solvable. So what does one do?

I don’t know.

If someone had shown me this when I was younger, I don’t know what I would have said. Even now I’m speechless.

Go to work for the gooferment! You can’t be fired and you get a gold plated pension!

Argh!

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POLITICAL: We don’t have “private industry”; we have witch’s brew of a mix

Friday, May 28, 2010

ORIGINAL POST

FJohn Reinke

“With the Gulf oil leak: the state was revealed, once again, as utterly incompetent at anything but taxing and making war, that is, stealing and murdering. It was funny to hear Progs urging Obama to seize personal control and fix everything. He doesn’t want the political responsibility, of course, but in any event, the… state employs no one with any such ability, and if it did, he would soon be useless, thanks to the environment of public property. All the state can do is grab other people’s money and use some of it to hire favored private contractors. Virtually all its millions of uncivil servants are good only at being busybodies, and armed ones at that.”

Sadly all too true!

>One Lesson of the Gulf « LewRockwell.com Blog http://www.lewrockwell.com
>With the Gulf oil leak: the state was revealed, once again, as utterly incompetent at anything but taxing and
>making war, that is, stealing and murdering. It was funny to hear Progs urging Obama to seize personal
>control and fix everything. …

RELOCATING A COMMENT

*** begin quote ***

I am offended!! Some of us are highly skilled workers (not me of course, but there are some) who are not only competent, but very, very smart (again clearly not me). Policy makers and political appointees are typically the poor performers because they have no subject matter expertise and if they do it is outdated since See Morethey probably haven’t had … See Morereal world, boots on the ground experience in a long time. This is a very clear failure on the part of private industry, which as a dedicated libertarian (unlike Rand Paul who was a poster child until he stepped on his you know what) is who you want running the world. BP wanted the lead and they dropped the ball- now everyone wants the gov’t to clean it up. Can’t have it both ways- either private industry is capable or they need oversight.

*** end quote ***

>I am offended!!

GOOD! If we can get folks’ Irish up, maybe, just maybe, we can change the “barbara streisand”!

>Some of us are highly skilled workers

I think we have “workers” that highly skilled. Even for the Gooferment!

The workers, (even you), are NOT bad people.

It’s just that “the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall”. Like the drunk looking for lost keys under the street light as opposed to looking by the storied “dark by the front door where those keys were lost”. It’s that 100,000 foot plan that is wrong.

You can put the best workers on the job, but the problem is that the “job” is completely wrong!

Argh!

>Policy makers and political appointees are typically the poor
>performers because they have no subject matter expertise

I disagree. They get poor results because they are working but have started with a poor meme (i.e., gooferment force) and have poor paradigms (i.e., centralized command and control systems don’t have the price and market mechanisms to guide them in decisions).

Reference: http://mises.org/etexts/mises/bureaucracy/section2.asp

Bureaucracy by Ludwig von Mises (1944): Section 2 Bureaucracy

“Bureaucratic management is the method applied in the conduct of administrative affairs the result of which has no cash value on the market. Remember: we do not say that a successful handling of public affairs has no value, but that it has no price on the market, that its value cannot be realized in a market transaction and consequently cannot be expressed in terms of money.”

An entrepreneur has profit and loss to guide decision making. A bureaucrat doesn’t have that. So decisions are “political”; not profit seeking. The cost of capital, the business risks, and the size of reward are all available for the entrepreneur to guide, measure, revise, and quit.

>This is a very clear failure on the part of private industry

Unfortunately, the “private industry” had willing unindicted co-conspirators in: both political parties, Congress, States, various Administrations, and the main stream media. Campaign contributions, regulatory capture, and incompetent gooferment all loom large in this disaster. I read that the gooferment had a plan for a spill, but never bothered to buy the booms needed for the plans. SINCE 1968! ROFL!

We don’t have “private industry”. We have a gooferment – big company – big labor paradox.

>which as a dedicated libertarian

Will reject your assumption that we have “private industry”!

>(unlike Rand Paul who was a poster child until he
>stepped on his you know what)

I think he was attempting to make a very valid point. The reason we needed a “Civil Rights Act” at all was that governments were forcing segregation.

Take look into the famous Rosa Parks and bus story. You’ll find that there was no segregation on the buses run by greedy businessmen who wanted all fares regardless of color. The Legislatures voted in a law about “back of the bus”. And the bus owners lobbied AGAINST it. (ROFL, yes those evil capitalists!)

What he was trying to say was that the law should not have applied to private property. Gooferment property, access, and such is a fine target.

I think what everyone needs to understand that the marketplace is a real-time ongoing election. You vote with your dollars. If there’s a racist business, then they will be at a competitive disadvantage. There competitors will eat their lunch. So the marketplace will “fix” the problem.

>Can’t have it both ways- either private industry is capable
>or they need oversight.

But we don’t have that either or. We have a muddle. With payoffs and a wink’n’nod!

>

Don’t forget that the “limited liability corporation” is a creation of the Gooferment!

For other examples, look at the FDA / Big Pharma. Look at Big Education and all levels of gooferment, politicians, and bureaucracy.

>

Don’t poke sticks in the little L libertarian’s cage! It’s not productive, doesn’t change anything, and annoys the Libertarian.

:)

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TECHNOLOGY: When IT systems fail silently?

Friday, May 28, 2010

201005281516.jpg

Rofl?

Maybe they need an IT consultant?

May 28th, 2010 @ 1515 EDST

Argh!

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