A Special Place In Hell

...for Rachel Carson who, through her book "Silent Spring" has been single-handedly responsible for the deaths of millions because of unchecked malaria and other maladys that would have been easily wiped out by the substance known as DDT which was villified in her book and ulitimately banned by just about every nation in the world.

DDT is an inherently safe chemical, primarily used as an insecticide that has almost miraculous powers to fend off the diseases for which it wielded against.

Their deaths are on her hands.

China

China is likely to be the next world super-power. They have the resources, the population and I believe they can sustain it economically and socially if they adopt some from of democracy or republicanism.

What they would adopt would likely be a sham of a democracy. The people would have an illusion of having some legislative powe without having any real say in the matter. Who knows what their constitution would look like and what rights it would grant. Certainly they wouldn't operate on the doctrine of 'natural rights'. Even so, it's probably better than nothing for them.

It will cause us endless problems though because they will eventually unhinge their currency from the dollar and we're going to fall apart.

I'm guessing that this will happen in about 10 years or so.

The Federalist #2

Author - Jay

"Nothing is more certain than the indispensable necessity of government, and it is equally undeniable, that whenever and however it is instituted, the people must cede to it some of their natural rights, in order to vest it with requisite powers."

This statement frightens me but it is absolutely true. I know a certain anarcho-capitalist who would say this statement is absolutely false. We must have government in some form. Where there is no government, one will spring up amongst the people for good or for evil. Therefore, a well planned, well-regulated government is in our best interest.

Why is government necessary? Because we are sinners. Without sin, there would be no need for governance because our conduct would be governed by our perfect consciences. We are sinners and need to be governed.

Unfortunately, those who would govern are also sinners and must be restrained by clear and enforceable law. It is that sinful nature which has caused the steady erosion of our protection against evil rule. The problem now is that The People no longer want a just and righteous government. How do we change that? I don't know; I'm open to ideas.

"A strong sense of the value and blessings of union induced the people, at a very early period, to institute a federal government to preserve and perpetuate it. They formed it almost as soon as they had a political existence; nay, at a time when their habitations were in flames, when many of their citizens were bleeding, and when the progress of hostility and desolation left little room for those calm and mature inquiries and reflections which must ever precede the formation of a wise and well-balanced government for a free people. It is not to be wondered at, that a government instituted in times so inauspicious, should on experiment be found greatly deficient and inadequate to the purpose it was intended to answer."

Patriot Act anybody? It was passed in haste and no one actually had time to read through the whole thing before signing it. On reflection it should be reviewed completely, vetted through the states and voted on by the people as was the Constitution itself.

Jay went on to observe:

"This intelligent people perceived and regretted these defects. Still continuing no less attached to union than enamored of liberty, they observed the danger which immediately threatened the former and more remotely the latter; and being persuaded that ample security for both could only be found in a national government more wisely framed, they, as with one voice, convened the late convention at Philadelphia, to take that important subject under consideration."

Alas, we have been unframed. The government which was instituted at that convention is no more. It has been replaced by something uglier and more monstrous than what they left behind on the shores of England.

The Federalist #1

Author - Hamilton

"After a full experience of the insufficiency of the existing federal government, you are invited to deliberate upon a new Constitution for the United States of America."

WOW! Can you imagine having such an invitiation today? It's a bit scary though because people are so ignorant about the concepts of government and liberty that we would end up with a monstrosity worse than the proposed EU Constitution.

"It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, to decide by their conduct and example, the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."

We are capable of establishing such a government but we don't appear to be capable of sustaining it. The Great Experiment seems to be coming to an end.

"For in politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. Heresies in either can rarely be cured by persecution."

Bush? Are you listening? You can't impose democracy on a nation that neither craves nor understands it.

My impression so far (I've read through the first seven papers so far) is that these guys are right on track. I think they are going a bit overboard in describing the tempering spirit a union of states will engender. As I read further, I'm hoping to see them delineate the dangers of a federal governing body.

The Federalist Papers

I just picked up a copy of The Federalist Papers today. I've been meaning to read this book for the last 10 years. I'm hoping to get some good blog fodder out of it.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming

Let's recap the recent Supreme Court decisions shall we?

1. There is no such thing as private property because the government can take it from you on the flimsiest notion that someone else can put it to better use than you can.
2. The Establishment Clause of the Constitution officially means states cannot make their own rules in regard to this and that 'endorsement' of God is the effective equivalent of a government run church. It's ok when it's in a purely historical context though. Sure, that's clear enough.
3. Software companies that make software that can used to share copyrighted files without the permission of the copyright holder can be sued for what other people do with their software. Maybe Microsoft will be sued because they created the operating system on which most of that software runs. Perhaps Intel should be sued because they made much of the hardware that the software runs on. Perhaps there should be a class action law suit against all PC users since just about all of us have shared files at one time or another. This is just a step away from total content monitoring of the web. Encryption anyone?
4. The police officially have no duty to protect you. Restraining orders are just administrative CYA's and really mean nothing. They are only useful in civil proceedings now.
5. Cable companies can't be forced to share their lines with other ISP's. This is the right ruling. But regular telecommunications companies should be forced to do that either. This is just more social engineering.

Now, can you see how the Supreme Court Justices are the final arbiters of all that is good and right about this nation? They are fair and just and above reproach in their decisions. We can't question them because they MUST be right; they are SUPREME aren't they?

Tickets to The Revolution going on sale soon, make your reservations today!

Public Good?

SCROTUM, ...sorry.

SCOTUS made an absolutely tragic mistake today and ruled that cities could take private property and hand it over to developers under eminent domain.

The ruling doesn't seem to indicate that it's been proving that governments having more money is a good thing. Not only is this a precedent for cities to capriciously take whatever property they want and hand it over to wealthy developers, by extension it says that government should have as much money as it can get its hands on by whatever means possible.

I am thoroughly digusted by this ruling.

Congress really needs to step up and overturn this ruling.

On Liberty

This is a repost from Vox Popoli where I had the chance to be a 'Blogstar'. I wanted to open up the discussion of liberty a little further here since things become outdated on Vox's blog so quickly.
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Over the years I have noticed that most people really don’t understand the core principles of liberty. There is no higher ideal to aim for in this life than to secure liberty for ourselves and by extension our countrymen.

There are three core principles of liberty:

1. I belong to myself and everything that I own belongs to me. No one has the right to deprive me of what I own without my consent.
2. I can do as I please so long as it does not interfere with the liberty of others.
3. Anyone who deprives others of their liberty should be punished in a manner worthy of the violation but with solemn respect for justice and mercy.

If there could ever be such a thing as world peace, the principles outlined above would usher it down aisle where it would be wed with prosperity unlike the world has ever seen.

We do require some government and where none exists, it will spring up. Government, wherever it exists should be heavily shackled and released only to perform a very narrow function. When government is out exercising its power, there should be men of honor and valor, armed and waiting to subdue it at the slightest provocation.

The more government we have, the less freedom we have because government always tends toward tyranny. The corollary to this is that as the population to be governed grows larger, the opportunities to oppress increase. China should serve as a sterling example of this. Here in the United States, cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago are living laboratories of this principle.

I should not have liberty because the government grants me liberty. I should have liberty in spite of the inevitable attempt of government to deprive me of it because it is my due. With that in mind, I should not willingly engage in activities that deprive others their liberty.

In his letter to the church at Galatia, the Apostle Paul exhorts them: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, NASB). In context, we must realize that this verse addresses the slavery of sin and obligatory religion compared to having spiritual freedom through Jesus. I would encourage you to read Galatians chapters 4 & 5 and think of it as a model for our civil liberties. Pay close attention to Gal. 4:13-14: “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom in to an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” These chapters should still be applied to their intended use, I’m referring to them here as a type and shadow of our mortal liberty.

It is apparent that our liberties are being eroded on a local, national and global level. We have come far down the road to global governance. The not-so-secret conspirators are claiming power over more and more aspects of our lives. Students of the Bible already know how bad it’s going to get before the end. What we don’t know is when it ends. In the mean time, we must educate those who are ignorant of the principles of liberty and be a shining example of it to our families, friends and communities. Taking up the cause of liberty is much like the work of preaching the Gospel; it requires personal sacrifice and the willingness to stand by your principles in the face of severe opposition. If you aren’t willing to do it, don’t expect anyone to do it for you.

Incompetent

It seems that Jennifer Wilbanks, the 'Runaway Bride' is really just incompetent and probably not very bright.

If the story linked above is to be believed, she planned her adventure poorly and simply didn't grasp the particulars of what it would take for her to disappear for a while.

If her fiance marries her, he gets what he deserves and likely she will too.

To All The Crappy Fathers

You know who you are. You're the one's that have abandoned your children. Do you live near your kids? No? Shame on you! Get to where your kids are. Quit your job and move. Don't tell me you can't because you can. You just don't want to. If you're abusive or a pedophile then this message isn't for you; stay as far from your kids as possible. In fact, you should go live in the Amazon Rain Forest; find a friendly aligator to fondle.

Back to you slimeball father's who aren't involved in the life of their children. What's your excuse? That's right, there is none. How are your kids supposed to understand what a man is if you're not there to show them? Still don't want to be near your kids? Then I guess you're not a man.

Lest you think the above is the result of some injustice done to me as a child, you're wrong. My parents are still together after 40 years. But there was an injustice done to me and more so to my daughter. Last year we moved from SoCal to suburban Atlanta, GA. Two months later, my wife decided she wanted a divorce and took my daughter back to SoCal.

I've always hated Southern California for a number of reasons and I don't really want to be here. A month after my wife took off, I packed up and moved back here because my daughter is here. Some of you wouldn't do that and you should be ashamed of yourselves.

If you don't live near your kids, start making plans to move TODAY!

Earthquakes and Nukes

Back in the late 80's I was stationed on NAS Adak, AK. It's a tiny little island in the Andreanof chain of the Aleutian Islands. The island was populated mostly by Squids but the Marines provided the security for the nukes.

Aside from being a listening post to keep an eye on the Soviets, we kept nuclear warheads for air to water torpedos in case we needed to take out a few Ruskie subs. We rotated out to the compound on 4 day duty cycles where the nuke bunkers were. I happened to be on duty during the first earthquake I ever experienced. I was about 25 yard from 4 nuclear warheads when it happened. I'm not really sure how big the earthquake was or how far from the epicenter we were, there was no information available to us back then. It tossed us around pretty good though; the barracks rumbled like it was hit by a convoy of duece and a halfs.

I know that an eartquake can't set off a nuke and I wasn't really worried that it would but there is still a psychological element involved that makes one stop and consider his mortality during such an event.

I said all of that to say this: The earthquakes in SoCal don't scare me because of that experience. At least if an earthquake took out the infrastructure here I could head east but on that island there was no where to go. Had the runway been destroyed, we would have had to wait for a Squid ship to come and pick us up. Imagine how embarassing it would be for the Marines if they had to be rescued by the Navy.

Firefly & Serenity

Bane ought to appreciate this. The television show, Firefly, which was dumped mid-season by Fox is being picked up by the Sci Fi Channel.

The movie Serenity, which is based on the show will make its debut September 30th looks like it's going to be an awesome movie.

Crude But Funny

I heard this joke and I couldn't resist posting it:

A man goes in to an adult entertainment shop and asks the assistant for an inflatable doll.

"Would you like a male or female?"

"Female please."

"Would you like black or white?"

"White please."

"Would you like Christian or Muslim?"

The question confused the man. "Huh? What does religion have to do with it? It's an inflatable doll!"

"Well," explained the assistant, "the Muslim doll blows itself up."

June Gloom

Tourists in Southern California are frequently disappointed in the weather this time of year. Most people would expect this area to full of bright and sun shiny days; it is summer after all.

We have instead of sun shine is 'June gloom'. The gloom is set in particularly heavy today; it's about 1:30 PM, it hasn't burned off yet and there are no signs that it's going to happen any time soon.

So, if you plan on visiting Southern California, don't. But if you insist, you should come some time after the middle of July or so if you want to avoid the June gloom.

Travesty of Justice

Michael Jackson - Not Guilty. What load of horse manure!

I have nothing else to say on the subject.

Who Owns Your Children?

This story ought to send chills up the spine of just about anyone that has children.

The state of Texas has taken a 12-year old girl with cancer from her home because her parents have refused chemotherapy for her. Are they refusing to treat her at all? No, it doesn't seem that way. They took her because they're not submitting to what the doctors are telling them they should do.

Why shouldn't a parent have complete control over their child? The parents have not been tried on any charges of neglect, they've been very open with the doctors and the state about what they want etc. There is no excuse whatsoever for the state to take this child away from the parents.

Who owns your children?

More Fun With Geography

"Hey Difster, where is Michigan? Is it near Detroit?"

Yes, it's true, the geography wizard strikes again. This is just one more reason we should nuke every public school in the country.

Buchanan Nails It

Pat Buchanan smacks Mark Felt, his family and the rest of the haters that brought down Nixon.

Nixon, like all other presidents certainly had his flaws, but he didn't deserve what he got.

Stupid Users

From the Shark Tank:

PC goes bad, so support pilot fish shifts user for a few days to the cubicle of someone who's on vacation. Next morning, fish gets a frantic call: User says his mouse has exploded! "It hadn't so much exploded as it had kind of melted," fish reports when he sees it. "It spent the night on the desk owner's USB-powered coffee-warming hot plate -- which the user had mistaken for a mouse pad."

I read these stories day after day and I doubt them not a bit. Computer users are, as a rule, pretty stupid.

FEMA To The Rescue

Laguna Beach, CA - In case you're a flat lander, you might not know that if you build your house on the side of a hill, that it might one day collapse from underneath you. This is especially true in an area prone to earthquakes and heavy winter rain. Ok, you probably do know that and it would explain why you're not living on a hill.

Never let it be said that rich people are smarter than the rest of us. I wouldn't live on the side of a hill where history has shown that it collapses frequently. But the view! Oh! I've got to have it at any price!

A bunch of dumb rich people just had their houses destroyed because they were too stupid to live somewhere just a bit safer. But they're not so dumb that they won't run straight to FEMA for a big fat check to shore up the hill side and rebuild the land. They'll be standing in the FEMA line like crack ho's waiting for a welfare check.

I'm all for letting people live where they want to. What I have a problem with is the expectation that they will be able to use my tax dollars to rebuild their multi-million dollar homes. Do you think I'm exaggerating about the home prices? I've been up in that neighborhood, I don't think anything up there is worth less than $3 million. Some of those places are worth $15 million.

Your tax dollars at work. Enjoy.