Reinke Faces Life

http://www.knbc.com/entertainment/13779880/detail.html

Broadcaster Tom Snyder Dies At 71
His Smoke-Filled Interviews Were Late-Night Staple
POSTED: 6:14 am PDT July 30, 2007
UPDATED: 7:06 am PDT July 30, 2007

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SAN FRANCISCO — Talk show host Tom Snyder, whose smoke-filled interviews were a staple of late night television, has died after a struggle with leukemia. He was 71.

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That’s sad. I always like him. He was from what I call the “Johnny Carson – Pat Sajack” school of broadcasting. Just came across as a nice. never took himself too seriously and remembered his roots. I have no way of knowing if perception matched reality. But I’ll add his name to my “no I lay me down to sleep” list.

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http://opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110010381

Robert A. Heinlein’s Legacy
As they say on the moon, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch!”
BY TAYLOR DINERMAN
Thursday, July 26, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT

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In 1958, in response to what he saw as a liberal effort to weaken America’s military, he set aside the “Sex and God” book on which he had been working and wrote “Starship Troopers.” This was probably his most controversial book. In it he imagines a future society in which the right to vote must be earned by volunteering for service, including service in the military. In response to claims that the book glorifies the military, he wrote: “It does indeed. Specifically, the P.B.I., the Poor Bloody Infantry, the mudfoot who puts his frail body between his loved home and the war’s desolation–but is rarely appreciated.”

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I read that in high school, and I still think that the “right to vote” should be earned. The book makes the point that only vets understand. Everybody else is “debating society” (quoting from memory). I know one thing. If only vets were voting, then there would be far fewer wars! I’m a legatee of Heinlein. And, I grok liberty!

P.S.: The reviewer forgot the ants quote.

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

None of which can be done by any graduates of gooferment schools these days.

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FROM AN EMAIL TO THE MEETUP GROUP

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Hi Fred, and all the others here at Edison aka Ron_Paul_Edison_MeetUp,

Of course as a little L libertarian, I’m wildly interested in supporting Ron Paul. (I’ve sent him two modest contributions.) However, given that NJ is a solidly “Democratic” state, what can we reasonable expect to accomplish?

The NJ primary is late in the season; so the issue of nomination should be decided by the time we get to vote. I’d suggest that probably the “best” that we achieve is to split the anti-war dems from their machine. We can also probably drive a wedge between the grass roots republicans and their machine. In terms of the electoral map, I don’t see that there’s much that can be done. NJ votes Democratic and there’s not a lot that can be done about that. Even if we split the people on the war issue, AND we could surprise with the vote (That’s a big if!), so what! (If NJ was to go for Ron Paul, then he’s already won by the time it gets to us.) So how can we help get this past where the NJ vote even matters. (If Ron Paul needs NJ to get nominated or elected, he’s probably “duck soup”.)

I’m not a defeatist, “woe is me” type fellow. Just practical.

So what I would propose is that the single most effective thing we can do is fund raise for Ron Paul.

Follow that up by “out reach out of state” to have NJers who are Ron Paul supporters reach out to friends, family, and others OUTSIDE of New Jersey to support Ron Paul. Finally, we can blanket the NY/NJ media, which is part of the media duopoly between LA & NYC, with Ron Paul stuff: email to outlets, letter to the editor, blog comments, other web 2.0 social networking.

That would be my suggestion for NJ Ron Paul 2008 priority efforts:

• Money
• Out state personal exhortations (i.e., Iowa)
• NJ/NY media blitz
• Building grass roots buzz

If we can do that, it might be MORE important than any failed effort to “win” NJ for Ron Paul. The buzz that we create might be a “bigger win”.

IMHO,
a frustrated NJ libertarian,
fjohn

Ferdinand J. Reinke
Kendall Park, NJ 08824

——————————————————————————–
From: ron paul edison nj @ meetup.com] On Behalf Of fred stein
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 6:54 PM
Subject: Re: [ronpaul edison] Lets get the Ball Rolling

Ron Paul is going to shock America when he wins in New Hampshire.

Fred Stein

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http://www.lewrockwell.com/lora/m.lora35.html

Against Cross-Subsidization, Against Socialism
by Manuel Lora

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The state makes us pay for things that we either do not want, or do not want as much of as we are made to finance.

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Maybe this is how we reduce the size of gooferment. But we can’t refuse to pay for services we don’t want, can’t use, or are too expensive for us.

Sigh!

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The Old Mercantilism and the New
by Gary North
http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north551.html

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There are hints that there is a new form of mercantilism coming. China, meaning the People’s Bank of China, purchased 9.9% of the Blackstone hedge fund in May. It paid $3 billion. The PBOC has set up a rumored $300 billion fund for purchasing foreign equities and other unnamed assets. This is a shift from debt to equity, from foreign governments’ promises to pay to actual ownership of foreign companies and assets.

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Does the USA’s empire end “soon”?

We converted from the Revolutionary War America in 1860 with the War of Northern Aggression. We converted from a peaceful country with a bias for isolationism with WW1 that our political class steered us into. We allowed that political class to shoot us in the foot with the Smoot Hawley tariff and mislead us by calling The Great Depression. We were robbed of our sound money by FDR with his socialist agenda. When even that didn’t work, he shoved us into WW2. With that we became an empire. Fast forward six decades later, the “rewards” of these policies, like the proverbial chickens, are coming home to roost.

Is it China that, to use a poker term, “felts us”?

Are they in such a world of hurt that we’re going to be another unfortunate casualty? Of the monetary war to come.

One can envision some of the disastrous consequences of our past excesses.

• The social security insurance timebomb explodes and the youth can’t afford to pay the claims of the old folks.
• The health care bills zoom even further out of sight as the lifespan increases.
• The Arabs start selling oil in the golden dinar as opposed to fiat currencies.
• The Chinese use their reserves to own the resources everyone needs.

The dollar plummets on a fast track to the bottom. Do we, the American people, just abrogate our agreements and return to Constitutional dollars. It would be an “interesting strategy”. I’m not sure how it really unwinds. Does some future President just declare a bank holiday and “go fishing” after making the announcement that the Federal Reserve bank Note is no longer legal tender in the USA. That’s a good strategy. Let the marketplace figure it out. Maybe the Federal Reserve can figure out how it survives without it’s monopoly on money.

So what does the local savings bank do? Run this play out. Depositors are insured by the FDIC to 100k. If the FRBN is no longer money, then the bank’s dollars are in effect worthless. It probably has stocks and bonds. So the FDIC will have to make good on deposits. But clearly everyone is taking a big haircut.

Think about the ante bellum South where you’re rich with a pocket full of Confederate dollars. Or post WW2 Germany with paper marks. Or post WW1 Germany with paper marks. Or modern day Zaire with 1000% annual inflation.

It’s really hard to envision.

How does one prepare for a fiscal tsunami?

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http://www.charmaineyoest.com/2007/07/should_women_fight.php

Women in Combat Debate: Should Women Fight?
July 25, 2007 | By Jack Yoest
My good friend Bob Miller has a compelling article on women in combat that deserves a wide audience.

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Man’s unloving use of women in war signals an underlying enormity, a far richer and permeating disintegration of Man as male and female, along with the cultural institutions he inhabits.

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A paradigm challenge that will really twist your shorts or panties!

In Israel, where there is no “front line”, women have no choice when your survival is on the line.

In the USA, where we have the pond to create a protected rear area.

The article challenges our thinking about the proper role of women and the family in a civilized society.

Yesterday, I blogged about how in Iran, they have “fashion police”. I remember seeing Nazi propaganda from pre-WW2 Germany where women had the role model of the Mother of the Reich.

There has to be some way to align the liberty of humanity and a recognition of the essential roles of men and women. The Judeo Christian religious emphasis on the family has shown us the basic building block of human society.

Our challenge is to figure it all out. Just because something CAN be done, does not mean that it is a good idea.

We know that gooferment, and it’s use of force, has bad results and unintended consequences. Having it dictate, or decide, the memes of society, or worse legislate something, is a really really terrible idea.

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http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=entertainment&id=5505426

Lindsay Lohan Arrested for DUI, Again
Bail Set at $25,000
KABC ENTERTAINMENT

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SANTA MONICA, July 24, 2007 (KABC-TV) – According to the Santa Monica Police Department, Lindsay Lohan was arrested early Tuesday morning for DUI, driving on a suspended license and possession of narcotics.

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In a Libertarian America, this would be between her and her insurance company. If they wanted to indemnify anyone she injures, that would be up to them. I bet that they would be able to “communicate” with her better than the “law” does.

But even in today’s America, possession of narcotics isn’t a crime. You own your body. (And, if you don’t who does?) And, what you put into it is your business. Not mine.

OTOH — DUI, as evidenced by a accident, is threatening harm on others. As such, even to this old little L Libertarian, there has to be restitution and some punitive action to dissuade her from such an initiation of force in the future.

The celebrity community and the media that adores it need to exercise a little “union discipline”. Perhaps an embargo on any stories about a celebrity would be a good place to start. Say a 90 day embargo as agreed by all the media for a first offense. 180 for second; 360 for third. That could be a career killer. These folks need the PR for their Q rating and the big bucks.

OK, I’ll start here. I sentence LL to a 90 day embargo here at my blog. LL will not be mentioned for ninety days. That’ll show her that the media is a force to be reckoned with. ;-)

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http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/8648611.html

Jul. 22, 2007
VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: Satanic manipulators of demonic brilliance?
Las Vegas Review-Journal

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All mighty empires eventually fall into the hands of idiots. And that’s precisely when the beneficiaries of empire may finally realize how short-sighted they were to sweep aside all those corny old “checks and balances.”

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Local control of small states seems like the best way to prevent empire builders in the first place.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2120922.ece

From The Times
July 23, 2007
Looting, panic buying – and a water shortage
undefined
Valerie Elliott

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Food and drinking water shortages, panic buying and the threat of looting have followed the worst flooding to hit England in 60 years.

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with the comment:

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Instead of spending money on non-essentials, such as cable, video games, big TVs, etc., people should always have stockpiled 2 weeks worth of canned food, DRY milk, 10 gallons of drinking water per person, diapers, etc. for babies, canned formula, batteries, crank radio, candles and matches, large and small plastic bags, smaller garbage cans to use as temporary toilets, and here in the USA be armed to fend off those who would take it from a family. In England, of course, the GOOD people have been disarmed, only the thugs have guns. Here in our USA home, we have enough emergency rations for 4 to 6 weeks, and drinking and flushing water and everything we need. Catastrophes, either natural or man-made can and do happen, and no one should depend on the authorities, but only themselves! The civilized world is becoming a a bunch of wimps who have lost all survival skills.

anne bright, Lyme, USA Connecticut

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And, evidently, their version of FEMA isn’t doing very well either.

No, the best defense is self-defense.

And, depending upon the gooferment is a good way to get yourself killed.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2120922.ece

From The Times
July 23, 2007
Looting, panic buying – and a water shortage
undefined
Valerie Elliott

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Food and drinking water shortages, panic buying and the threat of looting have followed the worst flooding to hit England in 60 years.

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with the comment:

*** begin quote ***

Instead of spending money on non-essentials, such as cable, video games, big TVs, etc., people should always have stockpiled 2 weeks worth of canned food, DRY milk, 10 gallons of drinking water per person, diapers, etc. for babies, canned formula, batteries, crank radio, candles and matches, large and small plastic bags, smaller garbage cans to use as temporary toilets, and here in the USA be armed to fend off those who would take it from a family. In England, of course, the GOOD people have been disarmed, only the thugs have guns. Here in our USA home, we have enough emergency rations for 4 to 6 weeks, and drinking and flushing water and everything we need. Catastrophes, either natural or man-made can and do happen, and no one should depend on the authorities, but only themselves! The civilized world is becoming a a bunch of wimps who have lost all survival skills.

anne bright, Lyme, USA Connecticut

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And, evidently, their version of FEMA isn’t doing very well either.

No, the best defense is self-defense.

And, depending upon the gooferment is a good way to get yourself killed.

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