Reinke Faces Life

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/column.aspx?UrlTitle=tragic_implications&ns=ThomasSowell&dt=08/14/2007&page=2url

Tragic Implications
By Thomas Sowell
Tuesday, August 14, 2007

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The other recent tragedy that has held the nation’s painful attention — the mine cave-in in Utah — also has implications that few seem to notice.

We could have far fewer men going down into those mines in the first place if we could use other readily available and economically viable substitutes for coal, such as nuclear power or more of our own oil.

Here too, politics is the problem. The only “alternative energy sources” that are on the political agenda are those few very expensive options that environmentalist zealots approve.

Nuclear power is not on the green zealots’ approved list, even though nuclear power is widely used in other countries.

Some say nuclear power is not safe. But nothing is categorically “safe.” The only serious question is how its safety compares to that of alternative ways of generating energy.

Ask the families of the trapped miners if they think mining is safe. Ask them if they would rather face the grim reality of a death in their family or the hypothetical possibility of inconveniencing some caribou in Alaska.

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I didn’t think of that. It’s about comparing the relative risk.

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http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/08/why_would_anyone_nasas_trust_c.html

August 17, 2007
Why Would Anyone Trust NASA’s Climate Data Now?
By Marc Sheppard

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Every soldier in this vital information war knows it’s difficult enough to do daily battle against dramatically over-hyped propaganda with any optimism of triumph. Enemy warriors wield swords forged from hyped projections, shocking news, cataclysmic films and disinforming TV programs. Ours brave the battlefield armed only with a firm grasp of the facts and the wherewithal to draw cogent conclusions from them.

Now it appears our adversaries may have successfully infiltrated what are imperatively neutral data-bases, attempting to render our only weapons useless.

If the science were truly settled, then why would they so fear a fair fight?

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Messing with the data?

Sounds like some of my high school and college chemistry classes where I knew the right answer and fudge the numbers to come out.

One of my rare A’s came when, following closely the instructions given, I couldn’t verify some scientific principle or other. I couldn’t even close enough to fudge it. Argh! So, with the deadline fast approaching, I just said “*&^%$#@” it and turned it in as it was. Not knowing that everyone was getting similar results, they other didn’t have the “courage” of their convictions and they were fudging. It was a glum day when everyone was turning in their stuff and bragging about how they got it right. I felt like the village idiot. (Probably was.)

Hey, it was done. And, as my sainted grandmother used to say “what’s done is done.”

Imagine my shock when that Monday, I was called to the front of the class, and the good Brother asked me “How stupid are you? Don’t you know <I really forget the bozo’s name who’s law we were supposed to “prove”.> XYZ’s law?”. I was ready to soil my shorts since sessions like this usually ended with physical abuse, mental torture, or as yet another trip to the principal’s office for delayed mental and physical abuse. So I mumbled something like, “I knew the right answer but that’s the results I got”. Snickering all around. The the Brother says, “Good. You may be a dumb as a rock, but at least you’re honest. Here’s your A. The instructions were wrong. Everyone else gets an F”. Wow!

So from thence on, I learned my lesson. Just let the chips fall where they land.

In the case of this article it appears some of my classmates have gone into “global warming research”, which should probably be called “global warming fudging”.

:-)

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http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=3479449&page=2

Don Imus Sued by Rutgers Basketball Player
Star Center Kia Vaughn Names Imus, NBC, CBS in Civil Suit

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Earlier today, The Associated Press reported that Imus had reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with former employer CBS over his firing. ABC News has learned that Imus could be back to broadcasting as early as January, and is being courted by major media outlets. That settlement, said Ancowitz, rewards Imus while leaving little justice for the women of the Rutgers basketball team.

“He’s come out smelling like quite the rose. But what about these young women? How does Imus’ victory affect their self-esteem? Where do they go to get their reputations back?”

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Stick ‘n’ stones … …

I guess it’s not about one’s reputation, but the dead presidents.

While what Imus said was deplorable, and as a RU women’s bball fan I think he should take some lumps about it, there was an element of truth in his statement. He was comparing the LadyVols to the LadyKnights and there is definitely a difference in appearance.

Of course, saying that wouldn’t get him big ratings, so he had to say it in a more shocking fashion.

The moral umbrage of the politicians is understandable. They need to get their mug in front of the parade. (Remember where Gov Corzine was going when he wasn’t wearing his seat belt.) Politicians and bureaucrats can always be counted on to create a problem and then rush to “solve” it in such a way as it benefits them.

The RU women had the 15 minutes of fame and now will resume their proper place in the Universe. Reputations? There’s no doubt that Imus’ remarks were hurtful. But really, damage to a reputation? Sorry, I don’t see it.

A more interesting question is “does women’s basketball to closely emulate the man’s game?” In our “equality” society, are men and women truly equal? We send our women to die in foreign lands in the name of gender equality. But is that the “best” use of human talents?

Then, move on to the question of equality. Can men and women ever be truly “equal”? Are they not the complementary half of the male. If one has to halves of the clue, then can you say that one is “better” than the other. One is no good without the other. There is no “better”. there is no “equality”.

Of course, it would be easy to observe that both schools are gooferment creatures (i.e., state funded institutions of “higher learning”). Hence, they shouldn’t exist.

So, perhaps this is just about extracting some loose change.

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http://www.smartmoney.com/tradecraft/index.cfm?story=20070813

Government Shouldn’t Bail Out Failing Homeowners
By Jonathan Hoenig
Published: August 13, 2007

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The more the government gets involved in mortgages and banking, the tighter credit will become. But beyond the impractical reality of collectivist economics, a bailout of homeowners facing foreclosure would be an immoral violation of the property rights of the millions of citizens who live within their means and pay their bills on time. The responsibility of paying back subprime mortgage rests with those who took them, not the publicity-seeking politician eager to sacrifice the individual for the “public good.”

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Here’s an interesting take on how the gooferment creates the problem and then rushes in to “save us”!

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http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2007/tle429-20070805-02.html

Libertarians and Iraq
by Daniel G. Jennings

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Well Libertarians can offer answers creative out of the box thinking like Ron Paul’s proposal for Letters of Marquee and entrepreneurial warfare. That is turn the war over to private companies that can adapt quickly and effectively and aren’t constrained by bureaucracy, politics, media scrutiny or public opinion. Or to local groups in the Middle East such as private militias and local individuals. For example private covert operators who don’t have to fight the war on drugs could make deals with Opium Growers in Afghanistan and get Bin Laden and other Al Qaeada fanatics (one of the reasons we’ve failed in Afghanistan is that our forces have antagonized the local people by trying to eradicate the one cash crop they can grow: opium) . Locally hired mercenaries would be familiar with the local culture and languages in ways Americans wouldn’t.

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Out of the box answers are certainly what’s needed. We have an awful lot of chickens on the inbound and some are “huge” (e.g., How does the next generation make good on the promises of today’s politicians?, and a slew of others).

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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/04/business/04network.html?ex=1343880000&en=c914b75c2b6c2215&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

What’s Good for a Business Can Be Hard on Friends
Doug McSchooler for The New York Times
By ANGEL JENNINGS
Published: August 4, 2007

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But what was set up as a purely business strategy is having an unintentional social effect. It is dividing the people who share informal bonds and bringing together those who have formal networks of cellphone “friends.”

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Not that anyone cares, but I’m on Verizon. :-)

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Inspired by the six word memoir, is it possible to spawn a literary form based on that concept?

http://www.liberty-watch.com/volume03/issue05/coverstory.php

RON PAUL REVOLUTION
BY JARRET KEENE

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The new face of the freedom movement is Texas Congressman Ron Paul. The credit mostly goes to the Internet for having brought this principled politician into the light. And Paul is perhaps the only individual for whom “principled politician” isn’t an oxymoron. Among nontraditional campaign contributors online, Paul is the Republican presidential frontrunner, having outpaced Sen. John McCain in fundraising. While the mainstream media continues to blackout Paul, he’s setting the Internet ablaze with a firm position against the Iraq War, against taxes and against big government. Ultimately, more and more people every day are saying yes to Dr. No. (Paul earned the nickname because he is a physician and for voting against any and all tax increases, and against any legislation that expands the federal government’s power as a House Representative.)

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I think that’s re-love-ution!

:-)

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http://www.mises.org/story/2644

How the Shrimp Tariff Backfired
By Aleksandra Dunaeva and Don Mathews
Posted on 8/1/2007

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The great Frederic Bastiat (1801-–1850) taught that wealth can be obtained in two ways: it can be produced or it can be plundered. Production is undertaken by entrepreneurs. Plunder is often undertaken with the express assistance of government, taking the form of tariffs, taxes, subsidies, and other interventionist measures justified as policy in the public interest.

But entrepreneurs are not easily thwarted by government intervention. Sometimes entrepreneurs respond so creatively that they render the interventionist measure almost meaningless. A classic example of an entrepreneurial response to state-sponsored plunder is the case of the US anti-dumping tariff on imported shrimp.

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Bottom line: The American consumer got screwed and the politicians, lobbyists, and industry moguls got rich.

And, you think that the gooferment protect you?

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HILLARY GOOFED IN DEM DEBATE
By Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
July 30, 2007

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The polling is in and Hillary made a big mistake in her sharp disagreement with Obama over whether the president should meet with leaders of rogue nations. According to the Rasmussen Poll, Democrats agree with Obama over Hillary by 55%-22%. Without a poll to pretest her comments, Hillary instinctively took the “insider” position that the president should only meet with such leaders after extensive probing by subordinates to assure that the meetings would be productive. But she was wrong. Democrats want the president to meet with leaders of such nations without pre conditions.

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Interesting. I’d think that H would just keep emphasizing that O hadn’t done anything. But, then maybe that’s a two edged sword. Neither has she.

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