When your boss does something horrendously stupid, and doesn't listen to your warnings, you have two options. First option is to go above your bosses head and talk to his boss and try to get the right thing done. The second option is to comply with your boss' orders and execute them to the full extent of your ability then laugh as all the bad things you predicted come to pass.
What if the conservatives and libertarians just decided to maliciously comply with the leadership of the current administration? Would it be easier to live through the second Great Depression that would surely follow?
Or is it easier to resist and fight the long war?
In the martial arts their are "sacrificial throws" where both parties end up on the ground, but the one who executed the sacrificial throw ends up in a position of advantage once on the mat. If it comes to the point where the fall is inevitable, I hope that we choose to make it as hard and fast as possible to come up on top after we hit the mat.
Monday, February 28, 2011
...And now, a public service reminder from Ethan Allen.
The gods of the valley are not the gods of the hills, and you shall understand it.
...Just in case you need to remember why YOU need to FIGHT with every means at your disposal for the American Republic, why you NEVER give up, why you NEVER surrender. To enemies foreign OR domestic...
“Those who invalidate reason ought seriously to consider whether they argue against reason with or without reason; if with reason, then they establish the principles that they are laboring to dethrone: but if they argue without reason (which, in order to be consistent with themselves they must do), they are out of reach of rational conviction, nor do they deserve a rational argument.”...Ethan Allen.
...J.R.R. Tolkien speaks of the tools of final argument in defense of rationality. In defense of what is good. Of what is right. Of what is just...
“I do not love the bright sword for it's sharpness, nor the arrow for it's swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend”
...This concludes our message of wake the fuck up. Thank you.
Hey! Kids, leave the teachers alone...
from The Hill
Hat tip to A train wreck in Maxwell...
Obama warns public workers are being 'vilified'
Quote;
"President Obama warned Monday against vilifying public workers, making his first allusion to the labor dispute in Wisconsin in a week and a half. The president, speaking Monday to a bipartisan group of governors at the White House, warned against using public servants as scapegoats, a not-so-subtle reference to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) pursuit of legislation that would eliminate collective bargaining rights for public workers. "I don't think it does anybody any good when public servants are denigrated, or vilified, or have their rights infringed upon," Obama said."
(Read More)
...Read as, "Obama orders; "Leave my Sturmtruppen alone!"
...Clear the streets, the SA marches!...
...Ooops. I meant...
...er,
...I mean...
...The new "Civilian" Security Force...
...The old "Civilian" Security Force...
It all looks so...Normal towards the end. Doesn't it?
...Hope and Change...
...TL Davis tells us what it all means to us.
from TL in Exile
"If you are one that believes that the brutality of the old Soviet Union could not happen here, you have just taken a huge step in that direction. The people should always be jealous of their liberty. There is a greater rebellion afoot and it has to take place with this president in power. As we have already seen, he is quick and willing to come to the defense of those who would run roughshod over a governor and a state. We have seen over the past weekend the extent of the protests and the willing dupes of the labor unions to spread the conflict nationwide. In Wisconsin the state employee labor unions have occupied the capitol for weeks. That is an act of aggression. Rise up and shut this down, or get used to it, it will be happening more and more and everywhere you go. Every single city, county and state will face this sort of tactic from here on out. Your neighbors will be the ones to demand your wallet with unflinching arrogance and maybe the butt of a rifle."
(Read More)
...There will come a point when there will be a blow back from normal people. I know the feeling of Mr. Davis's WTF to the fact that it seem no one is out doing counter protests to these thugs. Said same thugs are making it clear with their actions that they WILL resort to violence at the drop of a hat. This is to intimidate those who would speak out against them, and try to scare us, We the People into giving them what they want.
In the late 1930's, another Socialist bully boy used fear and threats to get what he wanted. The rational, normal world gave him what he wanted, in the name of knowing what lay in the path of violence. Finally, he pushed the free people's too far. It took 6 years, and ten's of millions of dead before that Socialist was defeated.
...I submit for your consideration, that since Obama himself said to bring a gun to a knife fight, that when the tax feeder finally says enough to the tax eater, there will be a display of rage not yet seen from the citizen towards the malignant minority in this country since the War between the states. You do not confront those who openly practice and advocate violence to get what you have with flags and signs.
...God help us all...
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Under the bus...
Already the rule of law has been trashed to put the Auto Workers union ahead of guaranteed investors...
Isn't there room under the bus for unions?
Seriously, throwing the unions under the bus would increase approval rankings for this administration. Isn't that what this administration does every time there is a scandal?
Isn't there room under the bus for unions?
Seriously, throwing the unions under the bus would increase approval rankings for this administration. Isn't that what this administration does every time there is a scandal?
Military Marriage
Since Doctor Helen got me thinking about all the soldiers who end up divorced paying child support for kids they never see and alimony for a dang long time, I thought I should tell the other side of the story about successful marriages.
Being married to a Soldier is no picnic. A military spouse has to be able to be a single parent on demand. A military spouse must know how to live within a budget. A military spouse must be able to "figure it out" when a pipe breaks in winter, or the AC goes out in summer, all the while living with the fear that any given morning two Soldiers in dress uniform might knock on your door to express the regrets of the Secretary of Defense for the death of your spouse.
I thought I was a smart guy so I had a pretty short list when it came to the type of woman I wanted to marry. She had to be able to stand on her own two feet. Because often I wouldn't be there to lean on. She had to be stubborn. People fall out of love, they don't fall out of stubborn.
I found that woman, and there have been plenty of times when she had to stand on her own. And there were a couple of times that only mule headed stubbornness on both our parts kept us married. Now some readers are thinking, "where in the world will you find an independent stubborn woman who is also dumb enough to marry you?" and if the answer to that was easy then fewer military marriages would end in divorce.
So, if you happen to be looking for a spouse here is where I think is a great place to start looking. Small town girls. If she knows how to bait her own hook, clean a fish, and grow a garden you are doing good. Secondly girls from military families. They usually know the score, know that it is tough keeping things together and have some grit.
Now, the girls you want to avoid. Strippers. I'm sure there are plenty of them out there with a heart of gold, but in my experience it doesn't end well for Soldiers. College girls. Sure they are young, pretty, and smart but they also haven't had the chance to try out their wings by themselves. Girls right out of high school, anyone who hasn't had a bit of living under their belt to let them have confidence in their own abilities. You want to marry someone who doesn't need you, who is choosing to link her life with yours in spite of not needing you. A woman who can walk into marriage knowing that she can hold up under the strain of not having you there.
There are women that impress me greatly. Full bird Colonel's wives who remember where they came from and helped out that new Army bride as best they could. A Light Colonel's wife who rode with me all over the base to check on spouses when her husband hadn't been able to get in touch for a few days. A First Sergeant's wife who turned a company FRG around like magic. My wife, who in two years with the unit kept three different FRG programs limping along as we were shifted around the battalion to fill gaps in the line.
Up until last year I had never failed a PT test in my career. But I picked up a lung infection that was bad enough for my wife to put her foot down and take me into the ER while I was on leave. It wasn't even five weeks later that I failed the run during the "diagnostic" test at the beginning of my current school. I just couldn't breathe during the run, it felt like wet cement was packed into my chest. School policy is that if you fail the "diagnostic" you get dropped from the course but the cadre made a mistake and did the final cut by year group before hand. This really is just back story to tell you that I didn't bring my wife with me to this school.
My orders authorized my family to come, but my wife was seven months pregnant at the time and I chose to leave her back at Lewis in order to maintain continuity of care for the last two months of the pregnancy. My wife has been superwoman, taking care of a toddler on her own in the last trimester, and now being a single mom of a newborn infant and two year old.
So there I was, rooming with a buddy, trying to get over a lung infection, praying to God that I wouldn't be dropped, praying to God my wife would have a healthy and safe birth. I got to go home for Christmas, and that time passed too quickly. The day after I returned to Fort Benning my second son was born. He will be almost two months old before I meet him in person. Then I got orders assigning me to a unit that is currently in Afghanistan. I will graduate this school and be hanging out on the Pakistan border shortly after.
Next month my wife will pack up the kids in the truck and come out to spend a few short weeks with me. If I knew that the pregnancy would go off with no complications I would have brought my family here (our first son had a complicated birth). But now we will get to spend a few weeks together before an eight month separation. As you can see, there is a LOT of uncertainty being married to a career soldier. This isn't the Air Force with three month deployments, or the Navy with regularly scheduled sea service. Even the Marine's have a shorter rotation cycle through combat zones (but they also go to sea with the Navy).
I know my wife can handle it. And in the end, when a Soldier finds that woman he can rely on utterly it will be a successful marriage.
Being married to a Soldier is no picnic. A military spouse has to be able to be a single parent on demand. A military spouse must know how to live within a budget. A military spouse must be able to "figure it out" when a pipe breaks in winter, or the AC goes out in summer, all the while living with the fear that any given morning two Soldiers in dress uniform might knock on your door to express the regrets of the Secretary of Defense for the death of your spouse.
I thought I was a smart guy so I had a pretty short list when it came to the type of woman I wanted to marry. She had to be able to stand on her own two feet. Because often I wouldn't be there to lean on. She had to be stubborn. People fall out of love, they don't fall out of stubborn.
I found that woman, and there have been plenty of times when she had to stand on her own. And there were a couple of times that only mule headed stubbornness on both our parts kept us married. Now some readers are thinking, "where in the world will you find an independent stubborn woman who is also dumb enough to marry you?" and if the answer to that was easy then fewer military marriages would end in divorce.
So, if you happen to be looking for a spouse here is where I think is a great place to start looking. Small town girls. If she knows how to bait her own hook, clean a fish, and grow a garden you are doing good. Secondly girls from military families. They usually know the score, know that it is tough keeping things together and have some grit.
Now, the girls you want to avoid. Strippers. I'm sure there are plenty of them out there with a heart of gold, but in my experience it doesn't end well for Soldiers. College girls. Sure they are young, pretty, and smart but they also haven't had the chance to try out their wings by themselves. Girls right out of high school, anyone who hasn't had a bit of living under their belt to let them have confidence in their own abilities. You want to marry someone who doesn't need you, who is choosing to link her life with yours in spite of not needing you. A woman who can walk into marriage knowing that she can hold up under the strain of not having you there.
There are women that impress me greatly. Full bird Colonel's wives who remember where they came from and helped out that new Army bride as best they could. A Light Colonel's wife who rode with me all over the base to check on spouses when her husband hadn't been able to get in touch for a few days. A First Sergeant's wife who turned a company FRG around like magic. My wife, who in two years with the unit kept three different FRG programs limping along as we were shifted around the battalion to fill gaps in the line.
Up until last year I had never failed a PT test in my career. But I picked up a lung infection that was bad enough for my wife to put her foot down and take me into the ER while I was on leave. It wasn't even five weeks later that I failed the run during the "diagnostic" test at the beginning of my current school. I just couldn't breathe during the run, it felt like wet cement was packed into my chest. School policy is that if you fail the "diagnostic" you get dropped from the course but the cadre made a mistake and did the final cut by year group before hand. This really is just back story to tell you that I didn't bring my wife with me to this school.
My orders authorized my family to come, but my wife was seven months pregnant at the time and I chose to leave her back at Lewis in order to maintain continuity of care for the last two months of the pregnancy. My wife has been superwoman, taking care of a toddler on her own in the last trimester, and now being a single mom of a newborn infant and two year old.
So there I was, rooming with a buddy, trying to get over a lung infection, praying to God that I wouldn't be dropped, praying to God my wife would have a healthy and safe birth. I got to go home for Christmas, and that time passed too quickly. The day after I returned to Fort Benning my second son was born. He will be almost two months old before I meet him in person. Then I got orders assigning me to a unit that is currently in Afghanistan. I will graduate this school and be hanging out on the Pakistan border shortly after.
Next month my wife will pack up the kids in the truck and come out to spend a few short weeks with me. If I knew that the pregnancy would go off with no complications I would have brought my family here (our first son had a complicated birth). But now we will get to spend a few weeks together before an eight month separation. As you can see, there is a LOT of uncertainty being married to a career soldier. This isn't the Air Force with three month deployments, or the Navy with regularly scheduled sea service. Even the Marine's have a shorter rotation cycle through combat zones (but they also go to sea with the Navy).
I know my wife can handle it. And in the end, when a Soldier finds that woman he can rely on utterly it will be a successful marriage.
The Ghost of Calvin Coolidge.
"There is no right to strike against the public safety, anywhere, anytime."
Coolidge's warning to striking policemen in Boston, 1919.
...Fast forward to today.
The state agency that oversees the Capitol building in Madison asked demonstrators who have camped out inside since Feb. 15 to leave by 4 p.m., stating the building was in dire need of a cleaning.
But before the deadline came and then after it passed, it was made clear protesters would not leave voluntarily and police had no intention of forcing them to go.
Wisconsin Capitol Police Fraud Charles Tubbs said no demonstrators would be arrested as long as they continue to "obey" the law.
"People here have acted lawfully and responsibly, There's no reason to consider arrests."
...Do you think for ONE second if these were Tea Party Taxpayers that this courtesy would be extended to them? If so, I have a bridge for sale, cheap.
...Duty. The Boston Police Commissioner Edwin U. Curtis in 1919 had something to say about it.
"It is or should be apparent to any thinking person that the police department of this or any other city cannot full fill its duty to the entire public if its members are subject to the direction of an organization existing outside the department....If troubles and disturbances arise where the interests of this organization and the interests of other elements and classes in the community conflict, the situation immediately arises which always arises when a man attempts to serve two masters, – he must fail either in his duty as a policeman, or in his obligation to the organization that controls him."
...YESTERDAY.
...Governor, order the building cleared. If the police refuse, fire them on the spot and use the Guard. Any other law enforcement or emergency personnel who refuse to follow an order, or report to work, fire them.
...National unemployment is at 20% REAL NUMBERS. You think those jobs would not be able to be filled in hours?!
...Back when politicians had spines they would say things like this about a public sector union.
A report from Washington, D.C. included this headline: "Senators Think Effort to Sovietize the Government Is Started."
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge saw in the strike the dangers of the national labor movement: "If the American Federation of Labor succeeds in getting hold of the police in Boston it will go all over the country, and we shall be in measureable distance of Soviet government by labor unions."
In a past time where newspapers were simply not the Volkischer Beobachter of the demo-rat party, they would report this about public sector unions...
The Ohio State Journal opposed any sympathetic treatment of the strikers: "When a policeman strikes, he should be debarred not only from resuming his office, but from citizenship as well. He has committed the unpardonable sin; he has forfeited all his rights."
The morning papers following the first night's violence were full of loud complaints and nasty terms for the police: "deserters," "agents of Lenin."
"Bolshevism in the United Sates is no longer a specter. Boston in chaos reveals its sinister substance."...Philadelphia Public Ledger
Hateful taxeaters via Moonbattery
...This is what democracy looks like...
...Here is the cold steel cure for it. Charge...Bayonets!
...Cool it Governor Walker. That path leads to greater things. Fail this, and you consign more than just Wisconsin to the ash heap of history. You throw away the chance to take our nation out of the hands of National Socialist thugs.
Fail, and your name will live in Infamy.
Same Protester, different response....
Roy McGovern was a darling of the left when he challenged Rumsfeld and the Bush administration over the intelligence used to justify war in Iraq.
However when he stood silently with his back to SecState Clinton he was accosted, handcuffed, and removed from the room. It is kinda funny that the mass media will hide any wrongdoing on the part of the current administration simply by ignoring it. Who would ever think that I would be linking to Al Jazeera because I can't find the story being carried elsewhere?
However when he stood silently with his back to SecState Clinton he was accosted, handcuffed, and removed from the room. It is kinda funny that the mass media will hide any wrongdoing on the part of the current administration simply by ignoring it. Who would ever think that I would be linking to Al Jazeera because I can't find the story being carried elsewhere?
More Wisconsin info....
From Political Junkie Mom;
This is what well-paid, unionized teachers have brought to our schools. Via CNS:
"Two-thirds of the eighth graders in Wisconsin public schools cannot read proficiently according to the U.S. Department of Education, despite the fact that Wisconsin spends more per pupil in its public schools than any other state in the Midwest.Why are teachers so tied to the unions? Because they would be fired for poor performance otherwise.In the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests administered by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009—the latest year available—only 32 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned a “proficient” rating while another 2 percent earned an “advanced” rating. The other 66 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned ratings below “proficient,” including 44 percent who earned a rating of “basic” and 22 percent who earned a rating of “below basic.”
Food for thought, eh?
Stay safe.
This is what "Democracy" looks like...
from Gateway Pundit
Figures. Revolutionary Socialist-Marxist Leads MoveOn.org Pro-Union Rally
(Read More)
...This is what democracy looks like...
Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions.
James Madison, Federalist No. 10
...This is what democracy looks like...
All the experience the Chinese people have accumulated through several decades teaches us to enforce the people's democratic dictatorship, that is, to deprive the reactionaries of the right to speak and let the people alone have that right.
Mao Zedong, in his 1949 essay "On the People's Democratic Dictatorship"
...This is what democracy looks like...
The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.
Lord Acton, The History of Freedom and Other Essays, Section III
...This is what democracy looks like...
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson as quoted in Dreams Come Due: Government And Economics As If Freedom Mattered (1986) by John Galt, p. 312
...This is what democracy looks like...
I do not say that democracy has been more pernicious on the whole, and in the long run, than monarchy or aristocracy. Democracy has never been and never can be so durable as aristocracy or monarchy; but while it lasts, it is more bloody than either. … Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty. When clear prospects are opened before vanity, pride, avarice, or ambition, for their easy gratification, it is hard for the most considerate philosophers and the most conscientious moralists to resist the temptation. Individuals have conquered themselves. Nations and large bodies of men, never.
John Adams, letter to John Taylor (15 April 1814)
...What an attractive political system. For lunatics.
...Liberalism is a mental disorder. A deadly, deadly disorder.
Problems with competency
Via Tam I came across an article on the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which you should go read before going any further in this post. It won't take long and it is fascinating.
In FM 5-0 "The Operations Process" there is a good section on problem solving. According to this doctrine there are three types of problems and they are defined by the difficulty in framing the problem and how "obvious" the answers are.
A well defined, well structured problem allows non-experts to agree on a workable solution. Problems like "the roof leaks" is a good example, the obvious answer is that the roof needs repair and the steps necessary to accomplish that are straightforward.
A poorly defined, poorly structured problem allows experts to agree on a workable solution after they can come to terms with the problem. When someone from marketing asks the engineering department to come up with a new product that does some thing do you really think that the marketing department is going to get back exactly what they envisioned?
An ill defined, ill structured problem will cause disagreements among experts in the field and require many iterations of problem solving to come to a workable solution. Is green energy a viable alternative? Does man made global warming actually exist?
The more complex the problem, the more you need disagreement to drive the process of defining the issue and discovering a solution. During this disagreement process you will normally grab hold of solutions as they come, try to work those solutions into the cycle, and end up abandoning those solutions as the problem becomes more clearly defined.
Think guns. What is the problem? If you ask the Brady Bunch they will tell you that as long as one person dies from a gun shot wound there is too much "gun violence" and it has to stop. Ask a conservative and the problem is that machine guns and silencers are prohibitively expensive. No workable solution is possible because no agreed upon problem statement exists. This is why there can be no compromise with the Brady Bunch, they cannot work towards anything but total disarmament because of the way they "define the problem."
If you think about poverty you have to ask "what are the root causes of poverty?" and "once we find the root causes what can we do about it?" Clearly the "Great Society" and the "War On Poverty" have been abject failures, and if you actually want to SOLVE the problem you have to admit that the proposed solution didn't work and go back to more clearly define the problem and work through to a new solution. Unfortunately the Left believes that "if a million dollars of welfare didn't work" then clearly "a hundred billion has to work!" Failure to see the reality of a situation separate from any philosophy or ideology makes Leftists double down on their own failure like a gambling addict.
My point is that in an "ill defined, ill structured" problem where experts disagree there is no problem with amateurs in the field tossing out ideas. Einstein is a good example of an amateur who threw out ideas and helped advance his field. As Physics moved along a lot of Einsteins work has been pushed into the dustbin of history, but that is how science works towards truth. A scientist must abandon a theory when evidence shows that theory false. Scientists cannot afford the luxury of "doubling down" on an idea that reality has proven false.
However for a true solution to come out of an "ill defined, ill structured" problem people must abandon the dogmatic solutions. If someone refuses to abandon a course of action that has historically failed then they are not a part of the solution. And if you aren't a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. Unless you are a chemist, then if you aren't a part of the solution you are a part of the precipitate.
In FM 5-0 "The Operations Process" there is a good section on problem solving. According to this doctrine there are three types of problems and they are defined by the difficulty in framing the problem and how "obvious" the answers are.
A well defined, well structured problem allows non-experts to agree on a workable solution. Problems like "the roof leaks" is a good example, the obvious answer is that the roof needs repair and the steps necessary to accomplish that are straightforward.
A poorly defined, poorly structured problem allows experts to agree on a workable solution after they can come to terms with the problem. When someone from marketing asks the engineering department to come up with a new product that does some thing do you really think that the marketing department is going to get back exactly what they envisioned?
An ill defined, ill structured problem will cause disagreements among experts in the field and require many iterations of problem solving to come to a workable solution. Is green energy a viable alternative? Does man made global warming actually exist?
The more complex the problem, the more you need disagreement to drive the process of defining the issue and discovering a solution. During this disagreement process you will normally grab hold of solutions as they come, try to work those solutions into the cycle, and end up abandoning those solutions as the problem becomes more clearly defined.
Think guns. What is the problem? If you ask the Brady Bunch they will tell you that as long as one person dies from a gun shot wound there is too much "gun violence" and it has to stop. Ask a conservative and the problem is that machine guns and silencers are prohibitively expensive. No workable solution is possible because no agreed upon problem statement exists. This is why there can be no compromise with the Brady Bunch, they cannot work towards anything but total disarmament because of the way they "define the problem."
If you think about poverty you have to ask "what are the root causes of poverty?" and "once we find the root causes what can we do about it?" Clearly the "Great Society" and the "War On Poverty" have been abject failures, and if you actually want to SOLVE the problem you have to admit that the proposed solution didn't work and go back to more clearly define the problem and work through to a new solution. Unfortunately the Left believes that "if a million dollars of welfare didn't work" then clearly "a hundred billion has to work!" Failure to see the reality of a situation separate from any philosophy or ideology makes Leftists double down on their own failure like a gambling addict.
My point is that in an "ill defined, ill structured" problem where experts disagree there is no problem with amateurs in the field tossing out ideas. Einstein is a good example of an amateur who threw out ideas and helped advance his field. As Physics moved along a lot of Einsteins work has been pushed into the dustbin of history, but that is how science works towards truth. A scientist must abandon a theory when evidence shows that theory false. Scientists cannot afford the luxury of "doubling down" on an idea that reality has proven false.
However for a true solution to come out of an "ill defined, ill structured" problem people must abandon the dogmatic solutions. If someone refuses to abandon a course of action that has historically failed then they are not a part of the solution. And if you aren't a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. Unless you are a chemist, then if you aren't a part of the solution you are a part of the precipitate.
Vapor Lock?
Yesterday I took the Magna out to meet a friend for dinner. The afternoon was warm, but by the time we left the restaurant the temperature had dropped between twenty and thirty degrees F. When I started it up the engine idled and slowly lost power while idling.
I tried opening the throttle a little bit to see if the engine would respond and it died instantly. I rocked the bike back and forth to listen for sloshing in the gas tank as I knew I was getting ready to fill up again. The sloshing helped the bike in that it started normally and the engine didn't lose power. I figure that the temperature drop caused the vapors in the gas tank to condense and create a vapor lock situation, and when I sloshed the gas tank around it mixed fresh gas vapors up to equalize pressure.
So, guess it means I've got a problem with the tank venting system.
I tried opening the throttle a little bit to see if the engine would respond and it died instantly. I rocked the bike back and forth to listen for sloshing in the gas tank as I knew I was getting ready to fill up again. The sloshing helped the bike in that it started normally and the engine didn't lose power. I figure that the temperature drop caused the vapors in the gas tank to condense and create a vapor lock situation, and when I sloshed the gas tank around it mixed fresh gas vapors up to equalize pressure.
So, guess it means I've got a problem with the tank venting system.
Education....
My Sunday morning blog surfing brought me to this post at Conservatives on Fire....
Most excellent.
Stay safe.
Most excellent.
Stay safe.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Is the Juice worth the Squeeze?
Doctor Helen has some very interesting things to say about why men are going "John Galt" and disengaging from women and society.
As a soldier who has been leading other soldiers for eleven years I see patterns of exploitation that drives me nuts. Some women see men as nothing more than an income cow. If you want to see examples for yourself, go to craigslist and look at the "women seeking men" section near a military base, eventually you will see the words "contract marriage" and "looking for a military man."
I don't have hard numbers, I am speaking only from my personal experience. I warn all new soldiers under my command to NOT get married. I am a happily married man, and have very good things to say about married life. But I know that when a young soldier craves love, sex, and the freedom to move out of the barracks some woman out there will take advantage of him and his paycheck. Right now marriage for a young man looks a lot like alimony payments and child support instead of "wedded bliss."
I'm sure that there is some feminist out there who will be pissed that I tell young men who have self selected themselves into a steady paycheck to not get married. On the flip side there are not a whole lot of young men in any demographic who are generally fit to be husbands and fathers whether or not they have steady income.
I remember the moment that I wanted to become a husband, I was driving a girl home because she had a headache and her younger sisters were snoozing in the back seat. I realized that I enjoyed the feeling I got when I took care of someone who trusted me to take care of her. I even tried to marry the girl that gave me that feeling (short version is that she was a smart girl and didn't marry me). However once I did get married I did not become a good husband overnight.
No matter how well prepared by your upbringing there are just some things husbands have to learn through experience, painful painful experience. If there were only one type of woman it would be easy to be a good husband as we could learn from each others mistakes, but women are individuals and it is a lot of hard work to write the "good husband manual" from scratch.
There is a saying I heard once, "If you throw a stone at a stray dog in the market, he will take bread from you no more." Women have been throwing stones at men for the last forty or so years, and like stray dogs we are putting our tails between our legs and leaving. I have seen the financial pain that women have caused my men, and so I will continue to counsel soldiers to not become entangled with marriage when they arrive at my unit.
As a soldier who has been leading other soldiers for eleven years I see patterns of exploitation that drives me nuts. Some women see men as nothing more than an income cow. If you want to see examples for yourself, go to craigslist and look at the "women seeking men" section near a military base, eventually you will see the words "contract marriage" and "looking for a military man."
I don't have hard numbers, I am speaking only from my personal experience. I warn all new soldiers under my command to NOT get married. I am a happily married man, and have very good things to say about married life. But I know that when a young soldier craves love, sex, and the freedom to move out of the barracks some woman out there will take advantage of him and his paycheck. Right now marriage for a young man looks a lot like alimony payments and child support instead of "wedded bliss."
I'm sure that there is some feminist out there who will be pissed that I tell young men who have self selected themselves into a steady paycheck to not get married. On the flip side there are not a whole lot of young men in any demographic who are generally fit to be husbands and fathers whether or not they have steady income.
I remember the moment that I wanted to become a husband, I was driving a girl home because she had a headache and her younger sisters were snoozing in the back seat. I realized that I enjoyed the feeling I got when I took care of someone who trusted me to take care of her. I even tried to marry the girl that gave me that feeling (short version is that she was a smart girl and didn't marry me). However once I did get married I did not become a good husband overnight.
No matter how well prepared by your upbringing there are just some things husbands have to learn through experience, painful painful experience. If there were only one type of woman it would be easy to be a good husband as we could learn from each others mistakes, but women are individuals and it is a lot of hard work to write the "good husband manual" from scratch.
There is a saying I heard once, "If you throw a stone at a stray dog in the market, he will take bread from you no more." Women have been throwing stones at men for the last forty or so years, and like stray dogs we are putting our tails between our legs and leaving. I have seen the financial pain that women have caused my men, and so I will continue to counsel soldiers to not become entangled with marriage when they arrive at my unit.
Casualty Calculator
When planning for a mission someone somewhere works out the math on expected casualties. Usually this is the S1 and S4 trying to figure out how many replacements they will need and how much medical support the unit will need during different phases of the operation. These numbers come out of the calculator either as a percentage of the unit, or as an estimated digit.
We can look at the numbers for American and VC dead in Vietnam to get a good feel for historical "counterinsurgency" ops. Round the VC death to 1 million and American to 58,000 and we see that the technological advantage of air power and artillery really helps. In Afghanistan the Soviets were even more successful than the Americans in Vietnam, roughly 1 million Afghans dead to under 14,000 Soviet soldiers.
So what does this tell us? A foreign power with a technical advantage will really whoop up on an insurgent.
When we look at a different type of war, such as the American Civil War, where there was not a technical advantage by either side, we see massive casualties.
The insurgencies that work are the ones that nullify the government advantages. The will of the people is what wins an insurgency, not military might (the .gov always has more military might). Fighting the government with bullets is not as effective as winning the hearts and minds of the populace. When the people see the insurgent as a better alternative than the .gov even if the .gov bends to appease the people the insurgent will have achieved success.
Case in point Egypt and Libya. Not a lot of bullets flew in Egypt, the insurgents had the support of the people. In Libya the insurgents do not have enough support to keep the .gov from cracking down with bullets. So, to minimize casualties insurgents must fight for the hearts and minds first and foremost.
We can look at the numbers for American and VC dead in Vietnam to get a good feel for historical "counterinsurgency" ops. Round the VC death to 1 million and American to 58,000 and we see that the technological advantage of air power and artillery really helps. In Afghanistan the Soviets were even more successful than the Americans in Vietnam, roughly 1 million Afghans dead to under 14,000 Soviet soldiers.
So what does this tell us? A foreign power with a technical advantage will really whoop up on an insurgent.
When we look at a different type of war, such as the American Civil War, where there was not a technical advantage by either side, we see massive casualties.
The insurgencies that work are the ones that nullify the government advantages. The will of the people is what wins an insurgency, not military might (the .gov always has more military might). Fighting the government with bullets is not as effective as winning the hearts and minds of the populace. When the people see the insurgent as a better alternative than the .gov even if the .gov bends to appease the people the insurgent will have achieved success.
Case in point Egypt and Libya. Not a lot of bullets flew in Egypt, the insurgents had the support of the people. In Libya the insurgents do not have enough support to keep the .gov from cracking down with bullets. So, to minimize casualties insurgents must fight for the hearts and minds first and foremost.
Last Film Review before Oscars
We finally watched the DVD of Toy Story 3 tonight, while we waited for the delayed showing of the Independent Spirit Awards (they are usually shown live - why not this year?). And we have to say that Toy Story 3 truly deserves its nomination as best film of the year.
This film has everything: pathos, suspense, terror, humor, cuteness, evil, triumph of good over evil, and a sad/happy ending. It features an ensemble cast, led by veteran Woody and the reliably wooden yet wacky Buzz Lightyear. The toys' person, Andy, is leaving for college and conflicted about what to do with his toys. They are accidentally donated to a day care center whose toys are dominated by a psychologically twisted teddy bear. The harrowing adventures Andy's toys experience in their efforts to get back to Andy's house wring every emotion from the audience, from fear and trepidation to joy and triumph.
And after it all, we get Randy Newman singing "Hay un amigo en mi." If that's not the last word in viewing satisfaction, I don't know what it would be!
This film has everything: pathos, suspense, terror, humor, cuteness, evil, triumph of good over evil, and a sad/happy ending. It features an ensemble cast, led by veteran Woody and the reliably wooden yet wacky Buzz Lightyear. The toys' person, Andy, is leaving for college and conflicted about what to do with his toys. They are accidentally donated to a day care center whose toys are dominated by a psychologically twisted teddy bear. The harrowing adventures Andy's toys experience in their efforts to get back to Andy's house wring every emotion from the audience, from fear and trepidation to joy and triumph.
And after it all, we get Randy Newman singing "Hay un amigo en mi." If that's not the last word in viewing satisfaction, I don't know what it would be!
I tire of saying this...
Wake the fuck up.
from Refreshing the Tree of Liberty
...Granted, this is an ad for a product. It is a reasonable scenario.
...Part one of five. See them all...
...Time. We do not have it.
Impeach....?
Andrew Johnson
Richard Nixon
William Clinton
barack obama
Not likely.
Is there legitimate reason to impeach? Probably. I guess it would depend on how "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." is interpreted. It would also depend upon some Representative in the Congress having the intestinal fortitude to bring Articles of Impeachment to the floor. Like I said, not likely.
He doesn't act very presidential, if you ask me. He spent Thursday evening enjoying his "Mowtown Moment" while the world burned around him. I would have expected him to be doing something a bit more "presidential", like making sure that Americans were getting out of Libya safely. Impeachable? No. Crass? Definitely.
He doesn't act very presidential, if you ask me. He spent Thursday evening enjoying his "Mowtown Moment" while the world burned around him. I would have expected him to be doing something a bit more "presidential", like making sure that Americans were getting out of Libya safely. Impeachable? No. Crass? Definitely.
This Libya thing is a big deal, barack! The Middle East is in flames and you're chumming it up with Stevie Wonder. You're giving the impression that you either don't care or that you're too dumb to realize the implications of your inaction. Personally, I think it's part of your plan to reduce America to nothing.
Anyway, the impeachment thingy....
Not happenin'....
In case you haven't noticed, obama is part black. That is the main (only) reason he won't be impeached. (He's part Arab, too, but that's of minor, if any, significance.... Being fully half white is of no significance at all. They have forgotten that part of his lineage, or they choose to ignore it.) He has a "Get Out of Jail Free" card. He can do anything that his heart desires and no one will stop him.
No matter what obama does, half the population will quietly grumble and go about their business while the other half will further idolize him and cheer him on.
The minorities and their non-minority enablers in this country wouldn't stand for impeachment. obama is their best chance at a "Socialist States of Amerika" and they aren't about to let that slip from their grasp. Not when they are soooo close. They have worked too long and too hard to get to this point. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would be whipping the populace into a frenzy, screaming that the only reason he's being
People! It isn't about his race. I know that's what his supporters would say. They would say that it's racial. It isn't, and we all know it. If the people who benefit from maintaining "racism" in this country would just shut up, America would become "post racial" in a heartbeat. It's simply about the fact that he isn't good for America. Hell, we don't even know who he is. A lot of us felt the same way about Jimmy Carter as we do about barack obama. (Jimmy was a white president, ya know....)
Nope, he won't be impeached. He's our president until the end of his term. That's fine. That's the way our system works. Hopefully we'll wise up by 2012 and replace him and a bunch of the other Socialists in the Congress and Senate. Problem is that there are far too many people who depend on what our government has become in order to survive. I certainly don't claim to understand the "entitlement mentality" but I do know that I don't like it.
There are actually people in America who think it's good and right for the government to take money from me and give it to someone who is less
Remember, there are enough stupid people out there to reelect him.
Anyway.... Rant off. :)
Stay safe.
*&$%!* Christie
There was a demonstration against New Jersey governor Christie's attacks on state employees yesterday in Trenton. According to Bloomberg (*&%*) News, about 3,000 attended, citing their solidarity with Wisconsin workers. There have been periodic demos in New Jersey (April, May 2010) but nothing as dramatic as Wisconsin. Yet Christie is the clearest opponent of his workers, blaming the desperate New Jersey financial situation on them. He is SO full of it!
Part of the blame, no doubt, rests with former governor Jon Corzine, former head of Goldman Sachs and also, no doubt, partly responsible for the desperate financial situation of the country.
If the workers of New Jersey do not mount a successful fight against Christie, the workers of New York State will be up to the plate sometime soon. When will people wake up? The situation calls for a transliteration from Cousin Karl: Workers of the World, Unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!
Part of the blame, no doubt, rests with former governor Jon Corzine, former head of Goldman Sachs and also, no doubt, partly responsible for the desperate financial situation of the country.
If the workers of New Jersey do not mount a successful fight against Christie, the workers of New York State will be up to the plate sometime soon. When will people wake up? The situation calls for a transliteration from Cousin Karl: Workers of the World, Unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!
Fortune Cookie
My fortune cookie said, "Don't go to the well too many times." Also my lucky numbers are 5, 2, 6, 1, 15, 45, and 40.
I don't really care about the lucky numbers, but the proverb "don't go to the well too many times" is good advice. In plain English the proverb means "don't let a habit turn into a rut" or "don't repeat the same thing all the time."
Life is change. And a huge part of my life is fighting for change in other countries, and fighting against change at home. But change is inevitable. The real question is about shaping the future. There are two main sides fighting for change. The left knows what they want, and they are fighting very hard to turn this nation into a true "socialist paradise." After all, if the point of a union is to protect union workers against being exploited by evil employers then the point of a "public employee union" must be to protect the employee from the evil taxpayers.
The fight in Wisconsin is a "decisive battle" according to Clausewitz. This is a tipping point where the winner gains a huge advantage for years to come. Remember the dark days after the AWB was passed? Remember how hard Conservatives fought to put in the "sunset clause" just to keep from getting completely steamrolled? That was a tipping point, and the forces of oppression enjoyed a tactical advantage for years afterward.
But the forces of oppression went to the well too many times, their lies became obvious. Their narrative became tiresome. They did not exploit their victory by using new tactics. They watched as conservatives took the fight elsewhere, to the States and changing "may issue" to "shall issue". Think of this as true insurgent behavior, if you can't fight on the national scene fight on the state scene. If you can't fight on the state scene fight on the county scene.
And exploit your victories by moving on. Once you have achieved one thing, it makes no sense to do it again. Move on. Do something different. The struggle for freedom is not just a 2nd Amendment thing, the struggle is for all freedoms. 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 10th being where I see the big confrontations happening.
We live in interesting times. You can get an abortion without a background check but not a rifle. You can communicate across the globe in real time but have to watch what you say for fear of having your house raided and firearms confiscated without ever being charged with a crime. The Liberals want to know exactly how many guns I have. Why? I don't want to know how many dildos someone else has, and a dildo is a much better substitute for a penis than a firearm. I am dangerous because I am human, with the capacity to reason through problems and choose among solutions. Even if I were denied the use of Arms it would not stop my capacity for violence.
How is that knife control going over in the UK? Probably about as well as the CCTV monitoring progress in solving crime. But this isn't about crime, or about safety. This is all about control. Either people will have the freedom to govern themselves or Joan Peterson will be more than happy to govern people because she is sure they can't do the job on their own. I'm going to try to stop blogging about Joan Peterson for a while, her level of willful ignorance truly offends me and I don't want to go to the well too many times.
I don't really care about the lucky numbers, but the proverb "don't go to the well too many times" is good advice. In plain English the proverb means "don't let a habit turn into a rut" or "don't repeat the same thing all the time."
Life is change. And a huge part of my life is fighting for change in other countries, and fighting against change at home. But change is inevitable. The real question is about shaping the future. There are two main sides fighting for change. The left knows what they want, and they are fighting very hard to turn this nation into a true "socialist paradise." After all, if the point of a union is to protect union workers against being exploited by evil employers then the point of a "public employee union" must be to protect the employee from the evil taxpayers.
The fight in Wisconsin is a "decisive battle" according to Clausewitz. This is a tipping point where the winner gains a huge advantage for years to come. Remember the dark days after the AWB was passed? Remember how hard Conservatives fought to put in the "sunset clause" just to keep from getting completely steamrolled? That was a tipping point, and the forces of oppression enjoyed a tactical advantage for years afterward.
But the forces of oppression went to the well too many times, their lies became obvious. Their narrative became tiresome. They did not exploit their victory by using new tactics. They watched as conservatives took the fight elsewhere, to the States and changing "may issue" to "shall issue". Think of this as true insurgent behavior, if you can't fight on the national scene fight on the state scene. If you can't fight on the state scene fight on the county scene.
And exploit your victories by moving on. Once you have achieved one thing, it makes no sense to do it again. Move on. Do something different. The struggle for freedom is not just a 2nd Amendment thing, the struggle is for all freedoms. 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 10th being where I see the big confrontations happening.
We live in interesting times. You can get an abortion without a background check but not a rifle. You can communicate across the globe in real time but have to watch what you say for fear of having your house raided and firearms confiscated without ever being charged with a crime. The Liberals want to know exactly how many guns I have. Why? I don't want to know how many dildos someone else has, and a dildo is a much better substitute for a penis than a firearm. I am dangerous because I am human, with the capacity to reason through problems and choose among solutions. Even if I were denied the use of Arms it would not stop my capacity for violence.
How is that knife control going over in the UK? Probably about as well as the CCTV monitoring progress in solving crime. But this isn't about crime, or about safety. This is all about control. Either people will have the freedom to govern themselves or Joan Peterson will be more than happy to govern people because she is sure they can't do the job on their own. I'm going to try to stop blogging about Joan Peterson for a while, her level of willful ignorance truly offends me and I don't want to go to the well too many times.
Says it all...I think...
from Sharpwriter@deviantart
Hat tip to Borepatch
...The awesome would have been total if Bigfoot was the one with the M60 and the American Flag...
Borepatch also has a post about Hank Williams Sr. Here is his Grandson, Hank III. WireCutter from KnuckleDraggin' My life away turned me on this song a week or so ago, and I have been totally groovin' to it since. I always had a soft spot for a Honky Tonk tune about a broken heart.
...They say certain traits skip a generation. Sure does look and sing like his Grand pappy...
Friday, February 25, 2011
Disarm the people, crush dissent, all in a days work
It is ok for the streets to get "bloody" when a Democrat calls for it, but the moment a private citizen speaks his mind Joan Peterson (fascist tool) goes into a level seven Pants Shitting Hysterics.
Common sense evidently doesn't know crap about history. This country was founded by men with guns fighting for freedom. That some citizens still know that Joan Peterson wets herself.
"Power comes from the barrel of a gun" Chairman Mao.
Political power is always backed by force. Joan, why do you want the people powerless? Is it so that you and your ilk can politically rape us with impunity?
I've had enough of your reasonable restrictions. Reasonable people adapt to their environment. Unreasonable people force their environment to adapt to them. By calling for such a fundamental change in our society Joan proves that she is anything but reasonable.
And I will resist her efforts with unreasonable devotion for you can't fight irrationality with reason. I am a true believer. You can't convert me Joan, you can't force me to submit. At best you can kill me.
I suggest to the pro gun side that when these statements are made by public officials or by their own at tea party rallies or on blog comments, their cause becomes tainted and should be questioned. How can we take the pro gun side seriously when they defend and use such rhetoric? If these folks want the rest of us to believe that they are just law abiding citizens who won't do anything wrong and we should leave them and their guns alone, then they need to stop with this dangerous rhetoric. Common sense tells the public that we can't let this continue. Common sense tells the public that this is dangerous and is not acceptable. Common sense tells us that reasonable laws to stop the easy access to guns to people who can't handle them responsibly may stop the wrong person from shooting a public official or innocent protesters at a rally. Common sense tells us that our gun culture is leading us down paths that could be dangerous for our country. Reasonable restrictions are called for. Civility is called for. When "the guys with the guns make the rules" ( from Wayne LaPierre, Executive VP for the NRA) mentality is prevalent and succeeds in overcoming common sense, our country needs to take a step back and examine what that actually means.
Common sense evidently doesn't know crap about history. This country was founded by men with guns fighting for freedom. That some citizens still know that Joan Peterson wets herself.
"Power comes from the barrel of a gun" Chairman Mao.
Political power is always backed by force. Joan, why do you want the people powerless? Is it so that you and your ilk can politically rape us with impunity?
I've had enough of your reasonable restrictions. Reasonable people adapt to their environment. Unreasonable people force their environment to adapt to them. By calling for such a fundamental change in our society Joan proves that she is anything but reasonable.
And I will resist her efforts with unreasonable devotion for you can't fight irrationality with reason. I am a true believer. You can't convert me Joan, you can't force me to submit. At best you can kill me.
Thoughts on Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and Insurgents
I've been reading through Hunter S. Thompson's "Hell's Angels" which is forcing me to rethink how I view "outlaw" motorcycle gangs. For all the talk of societies outcasts banding together in a fraternal brotherhood the Hell's Angels as described by Thompson exhibit a large amount of conformity, from the bike they rode to the clothes they wore to the lifestyle of members. Now I understand that groups will demand conformity to the group as a condition of membership, and often similar individuals will form groups. But it seems that giving up your individuality was almost a membership requirement for the Hell's Angels.
If we take this lesson to heart, the Outlaw Motorcycle gangs are a very poor model for an insurgency. Number one because they stand out, an insurgent needs to look normal. Second motorcycle gangs have insignia which identifies them even when they are intermixed with other motorcycle gangs, this allows the cops to focus on the Gypsy Jokers one week and the Hell's Angels the next. An insurgent must avoid any sort of uniform, insignia, or identification. The Angels lacked discipline, an insurgent must be very disciplined.
The cops know how to take on organized crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs. And now "fusion cells" are trying to use the same techniques against people who have "Ron Paul" bumper stickers, "I Served" window decals, and anyone sporting a Gadsden Flag. Why are they trying to use law enforcement techniques to suppress an insurgency? The answer is that the "Powers That Be" will do their damndest to deny any internal problems until they are forced to respond with naked military power.
On the ride home today a commenter on NPR quoted Eugene O'Neal about "the living lie", and specifically the lies that we tell ourselves to keep our spirits up. When we are forced to acknowledge the truth it is as if something inside us dies. Ever see a middle age man finally come to terms with the cold reality that he isn't as attractive to the ladies as he used to be? Or that the athletic prowess he once had is gone forever?
Politically the Powers That Be want to keep their living lie, that everything is fine, the people are happy with all this spending, Obamacare will reduce the deficit, etc. They want to believe that it is a criminal element that is unhappy with them instead of half the nation. They want to believe that law enforcement tactics will be enough to keep the rabble in line.
Because there is one lesson about the Hell's Angels that insurgents could master, and that is the myth of numbers. At any given time the State of California over estimated the membership of the Hell's Angels by 500% to 1,000%. Even earlier in history, across the rocky steppe of Asia the Mongol's under Ghengis Khan spread the myth of the "Mongol Horde." The truth is that there never was a huge mass of Mongols, just a small disciplined group that moved so fast across the terrain that they could attack towns and villages so often that the only explanation the victims had was that of a "Mongol Horde." Sometimes the lies we tell ourselves become enshrined in the public as urban legend.
Of course the Powers That Be had a very good reason to inflate the numbers of outlaw bikers in California. A scared public is a public that is willing to spend money to fix the problem.
So in the propaganda war the insurgency needs to have all the benefits of greater numbers (being everywhere all the time) and also enough contact with the regular community that the Powers That Be cannot convince the people that the insurgents are the real enemy. Remember, insurgencies are won through the hearts and minds of the populace.
If we take this lesson to heart, the Outlaw Motorcycle gangs are a very poor model for an insurgency. Number one because they stand out, an insurgent needs to look normal. Second motorcycle gangs have insignia which identifies them even when they are intermixed with other motorcycle gangs, this allows the cops to focus on the Gypsy Jokers one week and the Hell's Angels the next. An insurgent must avoid any sort of uniform, insignia, or identification. The Angels lacked discipline, an insurgent must be very disciplined.
The cops know how to take on organized crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs. And now "fusion cells" are trying to use the same techniques against people who have "Ron Paul" bumper stickers, "I Served" window decals, and anyone sporting a Gadsden Flag. Why are they trying to use law enforcement techniques to suppress an insurgency? The answer is that the "Powers That Be" will do their damndest to deny any internal problems until they are forced to respond with naked military power.
On the ride home today a commenter on NPR quoted Eugene O'Neal about "the living lie", and specifically the lies that we tell ourselves to keep our spirits up. When we are forced to acknowledge the truth it is as if something inside us dies. Ever see a middle age man finally come to terms with the cold reality that he isn't as attractive to the ladies as he used to be? Or that the athletic prowess he once had is gone forever?
Politically the Powers That Be want to keep their living lie, that everything is fine, the people are happy with all this spending, Obamacare will reduce the deficit, etc. They want to believe that it is a criminal element that is unhappy with them instead of half the nation. They want to believe that law enforcement tactics will be enough to keep the rabble in line.
Because there is one lesson about the Hell's Angels that insurgents could master, and that is the myth of numbers. At any given time the State of California over estimated the membership of the Hell's Angels by 500% to 1,000%. Even earlier in history, across the rocky steppe of Asia the Mongol's under Ghengis Khan spread the myth of the "Mongol Horde." The truth is that there never was a huge mass of Mongols, just a small disciplined group that moved so fast across the terrain that they could attack towns and villages so often that the only explanation the victims had was that of a "Mongol Horde." Sometimes the lies we tell ourselves become enshrined in the public as urban legend.
Of course the Powers That Be had a very good reason to inflate the numbers of outlaw bikers in California. A scared public is a public that is willing to spend money to fix the problem.
So in the propaganda war the insurgency needs to have all the benefits of greater numbers (being everywhere all the time) and also enough contact with the regular community that the Powers That Be cannot convince the people that the insurgents are the real enemy. Remember, insurgencies are won through the hearts and minds of the populace.
Ouch....
"It is hugely embarrassing when even the French are doing more to confront a murderous dictator than the traditional leader of the free world. Frankly, President Obama makes Jimmy Carter look like General MacArthur by comparison. The US administration needs to wake up from its slumber and start showing some real leadership on the world stage in place of its existing milquetoast foreign policy."
Read the rest here....
Just telling it like it is, I guess :)
Stay safe.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
This blog thing, an "all about me" post
My first blog was on myspace.com and nobody read it. I had 500 posts on that blog over the course of two years before I deleted that account and started blogging here. A lot of people say that a you have to get a lot of practice at your craft before you get good at it, and I can honestly say that while I'm a little curious as to what I wrote back then I am sure that it wasn't pure genius. Then again Salvador Dali commented that brilliant painters die young which is why he painted mediocre artwork and lived a long time.
I started becoming a more serious writer when I was in college. Not a serious writer as a paid author, but becoming someone who is truly proficient at putting words together to communicate with clarity and precision. I did not get my start by any sort of college class or inspiring professor (higher education fail) but arguing politics with leftists on web forums. Because leftists like to talk all the time they are actually quite good at communicating. In my experience they can paint a picture with words that simultaneously functions as a weapon against their opponents and a mission statement to their allies.
But I was clearly outmatched in my early sparring attempts. I was so poorly skilled at writing clear thoughts that couldn't be twisted into something I didn't mean to say that I spent more than half my time clarifying previous posts. My words were not precise enough to compete with veteran word fighters. So I kept arguing, honing my skills on the most difficult opponent I could find (a Canadian who used the handle "TheCycle"). My first interaction with "TheCycle" was his post about how America sucks because we don't give away AIDS treatments for free. Who would have thought that it was possible to get an education arguing politics on a forum dedicated to Sonic the Hedgehog?
I looked back at the old forum where I used to argue and "TheCycle" hasn't logged on since 2008. I guess he moved on to different things in his life as well. I can't help but hope that life has given him some experience to appreciate the wisdom of conservative values.
Now as bad as "TheCycle" was, at least when my language was precise he would stick to his guns and use whatever logic he possessed to rebut. Joan Peterson does not possess the ability to use logic or even understand a different argument so I gain nothing by arguing with her but cheap laughs. On the flip side Joan will probably provide blog fodder for a long time to come as her train wreck of a though process cranks out one groaner after another.
Eventually I found myself wanting to write more than just arguments online (for the record arguing online is like competing in the Special Olympics, even if you win you are still retarded) to satisfy a need to create something. So I started blogging here as a way to capture my momentary thoughts in a place where I was free to express myself. So for me blogging is a bit more like golf, competing against myself to improve. Being a good writer probably won't be much of a skill in the mutant biker zombie apocalypse, but if it helps me crank out easy to understand Operations Orders it just might save a few lives.
Thank you all for reading. I never expected the hit counter to be approaching 100k hits. I hope that my writing continues to improve.
I started becoming a more serious writer when I was in college. Not a serious writer as a paid author, but becoming someone who is truly proficient at putting words together to communicate with clarity and precision. I did not get my start by any sort of college class or inspiring professor (higher education fail) but arguing politics with leftists on web forums. Because leftists like to talk all the time they are actually quite good at communicating. In my experience they can paint a picture with words that simultaneously functions as a weapon against their opponents and a mission statement to their allies.
But I was clearly outmatched in my early sparring attempts. I was so poorly skilled at writing clear thoughts that couldn't be twisted into something I didn't mean to say that I spent more than half my time clarifying previous posts. My words were not precise enough to compete with veteran word fighters. So I kept arguing, honing my skills on the most difficult opponent I could find (a Canadian who used the handle "TheCycle"). My first interaction with "TheCycle" was his post about how America sucks because we don't give away AIDS treatments for free. Who would have thought that it was possible to get an education arguing politics on a forum dedicated to Sonic the Hedgehog?
I looked back at the old forum where I used to argue and "TheCycle" hasn't logged on since 2008. I guess he moved on to different things in his life as well. I can't help but hope that life has given him some experience to appreciate the wisdom of conservative values.
Now as bad as "TheCycle" was, at least when my language was precise he would stick to his guns and use whatever logic he possessed to rebut. Joan Peterson does not possess the ability to use logic or even understand a different argument so I gain nothing by arguing with her but cheap laughs. On the flip side Joan will probably provide blog fodder for a long time to come as her train wreck of a though process cranks out one groaner after another.
Eventually I found myself wanting to write more than just arguments online (for the record arguing online is like competing in the Special Olympics, even if you win you are still retarded) to satisfy a need to create something. So I started blogging here as a way to capture my momentary thoughts in a place where I was free to express myself. So for me blogging is a bit more like golf, competing against myself to improve. Being a good writer probably won't be much of a skill in the mutant biker zombie apocalypse, but if it helps me crank out easy to understand Operations Orders it just might save a few lives.
Thank you all for reading. I never expected the hit counter to be approaching 100k hits. I hope that my writing continues to improve.
High Noon for the Republic...
from TL in Exile
A Reason To Fight
Quote;
“As soon as public service ceases to be the principle concern of the Citizens, and they prefer to serve with their purses instead of their persons, the State is already nearly in ruin. Is it necessary to go to combat? They pay for troops and remain at home; is it necessary to go to the Council? They name deputies and remain at home. By dint of laziness and money, they finally have soldiers to enslave the fatherland and representatives to sell it.”
Rousseau
(Read More)
TL, Like Gary Cooper in High Noon, Met the train.
...Mr. Davis and I come from a time in America when a man puts up his hands, he had better be ready to fight. Half the issue with politics is the fact the cowards have made it so that someone does not have to cash the checks their mouth is writing.
Don't make that mistake with the likes of TL Davis. Your punk ass ain't going to like the outcome, thug.
Explanation....
T.L. Davis explains the difference between public sector unions and private sector unions in a very succinct manner. Go check it out.
Stay safe.
Stay safe.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Stoopid....
Whoa! Crazy!
Why would a person in his position "tweet" an open advocation of violence?
Seems he no longer has a job. :)
And on another topic of craziness....
Let me think... No! Wait!
Federal judge rules that your thoughts constitute actions. "Thoughts and actions are two sides of the same coin".
Are you f'in serious? I mean, seriously? Think of the implications. Whoa! Don't you dare fantasize about that. You'll be charged with rape. Or murder. Or theft.
Yeah, I went a little overboard there with the rape, murder, theft thingy. Or did I?
Stay safe.
Why would a person in his position "tweet" an open advocation of violence?
Seems he no longer has a job. :)
And on another topic of craziness....
Let me think... No! Wait!
Federal judge rules that your thoughts constitute actions. "Thoughts and actions are two sides of the same coin".
Are you f'in serious? I mean, seriously? Think of the implications. Whoa! Don't you dare fantasize about that. You'll be charged with rape. Or murder. Or theft.
Yeah, I went a little overboard there with the rape, murder, theft thingy. Or did I?
Stay safe.
The kids next door think "civility" is for chumps.
...This is what Civil discourse looks like to the left...
...Here is what is sounds like, the new SEIU "Fight Song"...
...It is a catchy tune, to bad We the People are the "Bosses" of the public sector unions. And we need to be "Taken down".
from The Hill
Hat tip to III Percent Patriots
Democrat urges unions to 'get a little bloody when necessary'
Quote;
"Sometimes it's necessary to get out on the streets and "get a little bloody," a Massachusetts Democrat said Tuesday in reference to labor battles in Wisconsin.
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MassHole.) fired up a group of union members in Boston with a speech urging them to work down in the trenches to fend off limits to workers' rights like those proposed in Wisconsin.
"I’m proud to be here with people who understand that it’s more than just sending an email to get you going," Capuano said, according to the Statehouse News. "Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary."
Political observers have been the lookout for potentially incendiary rhetoric in the wake of January's shooting in Tucson, Ariz., where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) survived an assassination attempt, six were killed, and 12 others were injured.
On Wednesday afternoon, Capuano issued a brief apology: "I strongly believe in standing up for worker rights and my passion for preserving those rights may have gotten the best of me yesterday in an unscripted speech. I wish I had used different language to express my passion and I regret my choice of words."
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/145627-dem-lawmaker-on-labor-protests-get-a-little-bloody-when-necessary
...I bet you do, now that you have been caught advocating it. You Fraud.
...Another example of "Rules for thee but never for Me."
...This is the attitudes shown towards serfs and slaves. In other words, these violent scum think YOU are Property.
Therefore, your property is believed to be the property of those who embrace the leftist ideology.
What say you? Do you think yourself immune to getting "a little bloody" from a union thug?
...As far as "Fight Songs" go, I find ones with higher ideals than self-enrichment are preferable.
...Here is an Old fashion fight song extolling old timeless values like Freedom and Liberty. Careful Frauds, because more folks than you know think those truths are worth getting bloody over. Thug it up in my AO, threaten to take our lives or property and find out for yourself. Won't happen in Vermont though. Criminals, political or otherwise, prefer soft, helpless targets...
Resist.
Is “Solidarity” Making a Comeback? Thoughts on the Return of a Long Neglected Concept
( Dedicated to the Memory of Rich Klimmer, AFT organizer, Labor Historian and Friend)
Dr Mark Naison
Fordham University
When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun
Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one
But the union makes us strong
Solidarity forever, Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong!
“Solidarity Forever” by Ralph Chapin
The success of the Wisconsin movement to protect collective bargaining rights of government workers, and of similar movements around the country, depends on the revival of a concept that has been out of favor in the United States for many years- the concept of “Solidarity” Republican lawmakers like Scott Walker were clearly expecting that this concept was dormant when they decided to attack bargaining rights of public employees. They were gambling that workers in the private sector who had lower wages, less generous benefits, and less job security than government workers would want to see them cut down to size in a Recession. They were expecting that envy, rather than Solidarity, would govern the attitudes of people hit hard by the Recession. Their experience, and their ideology, suggested that working class Americans would be more interested in lowering their own tax rates then protecting the bargaining rights of their unionized brothers and sisters.
But the response of to the Wisconsin bill, and to similar bills in Ohio and Indiana, seems to have caught Republican lawmakers by surprise. Firefighters and police officers, both exempt from the elimination of bargaining rights the Walker Bill, both turned out in force to support the protests as the Wisconsin Capital. So did high schools students, who came to support their teachers, and University students, who feared the Governors next step would be steep tuition rises and the elimination of bargaining rights for graduate students. When you couple this local response with the support of organized labor nationally, the result was the largest labor protest in a state in recent American history, with 70,000 people turning out the first weekend of the demonstration.
And when you look at the growing size of protests at the Ohio State capital, where private sectors unions have joined public sector unions in denouncing a similar bill to the Wisconsin one, you have to ask “What is going on? Why are labor unions, which have been on the defensive for the last thirty years, able to mount this kind of movement? Why is Solidarity, out of favor for many years, suddenly back in fashion?”
To understand this, it helps to look back at American History. For the last one hundred years, Solidarity has been more notable in its absence than its presence in the American working class. For the first thirty years of the 20th Century, corporations were able to keep the largest and most fast growing industries in the country- steel, automobile, electronics, ground transportation- almost entirely union free by playing off workers against one another by race, religion, and national origin and convincing the majority of the white protestant population in the nation that organized labor was a foreign implant.
However, all that changed during the Great Depression. When banks failed and the economy imploded, leaving nearly a third of the labor force unemployed by 1933, and another third working part time, working class Americans, seeing that that hardship hit people of all racial and religious backgrounds, and in every region of the country, began to listen to labor organizers, and representatives of radical parties, who argued that individual effort could no longer assure prosperity and that workers could only improve their lives by organizing together. These organizers made the argument that ALL workers would benefit when employed workers were able to form strong unions and they urged unemployed people to support unionization drives in major industries, rather than be recruited by employers to be strike breakers and anti-union vigilantes.
In the two most successful strikes of the Depression Era, the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, which led to the unionization of a sizable share of overland truck traffic, and the Flint Sit down strikes of `1936-37 which led to the unionization of General Motors and US Steel, both of which involved pitched battles between strikers, police and Citizens Committees organized by employers, the unemployed either remained neutral or took the side of the strikers. As a result, employers not only were unable to recruit strikebreakers, they were unable, even with the police on their side, to control the streets surrounding the plants and warehouses that were on strike assuring that the protests went on for weeks, and months, until the employers finally agreed to union recognition. There were other conditions that led to the success of these strikes, such as the refusal of the Minnesota and Michigan governors to us the National Guard to remove workers from factories and warehouses, but the support of the unemployed who had nothing to gain, in the short run, from the success of these movements, was absolutely critical. Somehow, a critical mass of the unemployed, along with workers outside the affected industries, had come to believe in all workers would benefit when some workers achieved union recognition. They had become caught up in “union fever” the idea that only by organizing unions could workers attain dignity and respect as well as a decent standard of living and they fought side by side in the streets with striking workers until these communal battles were won.
Were they justified in this belief, or had they just succumbed to the UnAmerican propaganda of Communists and Socialists? Fast forward to the 1950’s. Thirty five percent of the American labor force is unionized, including most of those working in steel, auto, electronics and transportation. The people who built these unions not only had the highest standard of living in the world, they lived in one of the most equal advanced nations on the planet, where the top one percent of the population controlled 9 percent of national income, as opposed to 23 percent today. In New York City, where unions were particularly powerful, you had an amazing network of public universities, which charged no tuition, public hospitals, schools with free after school centers and great music and sports programs, and museums and zoos which charged no admission. The evidence is incontrovertible- the rise of organized labor, from the mid 1930’s to the mid 1950’s, coincided with a significant improvement in the standard of living of all American workers, whether or not they were in unions.
Most Americans do not know this. Except among people in union education departments and those who teach labor history in universities, the role of labor unions in spreading the benefits of prosperity in the years following the Depression is neither known, nor acknowledged. However, the current economic crisis, with its eerie parallels to the Great Depression, is making many working class Americans wonder whether their dreams of individual prosperity and security are still possible in a society where the housing market, banking system, and now local governments are in such trouble. Some may be blaming their plight on the “fat contracts” and “bloated pensions” of government workers, but others are wondering what the role of the banks and large corporations have been in putting them in such a predicament, and how they can fight back
It is in this context that the Wisconsin protests put forward a message that, to everyone’s surprise, touches a chord. Maybe working Americans have had enough of blaming unions and government for what has happened to them. Maybe they are starting to think that the calls for “sacrifice” that politicians of both parties are making should be directed toward the very wealthy, who are the only people who have not been hurt during the crisis. And maybe they are starting to hear a message that says that working Americans had better overcome their differences and start to fight for their rights or their hopes for a life of comfort and security will be gone forever.
Solidarity, here in America, in 2011? Look around you, in a million years, would you have expected there to be 70,000 people massed outside the Wisconsin State Capitol demanding protection of collective bargaining rights for government workers?. Why, the very thought is as improbable as Black students sitting in at lunch counters in 35 cities throughout the South.
History can move in mysterious ways.
And Solidarity may be making a comeback.
Mark Naison
February 22, 2011
( Dedicated to the Memory of Rich Klimmer, AFT organizer, Labor Historian and Friend)
Dr Mark Naison
Fordham University
When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun
Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one
But the union makes us strong
Solidarity forever, Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong!
“Solidarity Forever” by Ralph Chapin
The success of the Wisconsin movement to protect collective bargaining rights of government workers, and of similar movements around the country, depends on the revival of a concept that has been out of favor in the United States for many years- the concept of “Solidarity” Republican lawmakers like Scott Walker were clearly expecting that this concept was dormant when they decided to attack bargaining rights of public employees. They were gambling that workers in the private sector who had lower wages, less generous benefits, and less job security than government workers would want to see them cut down to size in a Recession. They were expecting that envy, rather than Solidarity, would govern the attitudes of people hit hard by the Recession. Their experience, and their ideology, suggested that working class Americans would be more interested in lowering their own tax rates then protecting the bargaining rights of their unionized brothers and sisters.
But the response of to the Wisconsin bill, and to similar bills in Ohio and Indiana, seems to have caught Republican lawmakers by surprise. Firefighters and police officers, both exempt from the elimination of bargaining rights the Walker Bill, both turned out in force to support the protests as the Wisconsin Capital. So did high schools students, who came to support their teachers, and University students, who feared the Governors next step would be steep tuition rises and the elimination of bargaining rights for graduate students. When you couple this local response with the support of organized labor nationally, the result was the largest labor protest in a state in recent American history, with 70,000 people turning out the first weekend of the demonstration.
And when you look at the growing size of protests at the Ohio State capital, where private sectors unions have joined public sector unions in denouncing a similar bill to the Wisconsin one, you have to ask “What is going on? Why are labor unions, which have been on the defensive for the last thirty years, able to mount this kind of movement? Why is Solidarity, out of favor for many years, suddenly back in fashion?”
To understand this, it helps to look back at American History. For the last one hundred years, Solidarity has been more notable in its absence than its presence in the American working class. For the first thirty years of the 20th Century, corporations were able to keep the largest and most fast growing industries in the country- steel, automobile, electronics, ground transportation- almost entirely union free by playing off workers against one another by race, religion, and national origin and convincing the majority of the white protestant population in the nation that organized labor was a foreign implant.
However, all that changed during the Great Depression. When banks failed and the economy imploded, leaving nearly a third of the labor force unemployed by 1933, and another third working part time, working class Americans, seeing that that hardship hit people of all racial and religious backgrounds, and in every region of the country, began to listen to labor organizers, and representatives of radical parties, who argued that individual effort could no longer assure prosperity and that workers could only improve their lives by organizing together. These organizers made the argument that ALL workers would benefit when employed workers were able to form strong unions and they urged unemployed people to support unionization drives in major industries, rather than be recruited by employers to be strike breakers and anti-union vigilantes.
In the two most successful strikes of the Depression Era, the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, which led to the unionization of a sizable share of overland truck traffic, and the Flint Sit down strikes of `1936-37 which led to the unionization of General Motors and US Steel, both of which involved pitched battles between strikers, police and Citizens Committees organized by employers, the unemployed either remained neutral or took the side of the strikers. As a result, employers not only were unable to recruit strikebreakers, they were unable, even with the police on their side, to control the streets surrounding the plants and warehouses that were on strike assuring that the protests went on for weeks, and months, until the employers finally agreed to union recognition. There were other conditions that led to the success of these strikes, such as the refusal of the Minnesota and Michigan governors to us the National Guard to remove workers from factories and warehouses, but the support of the unemployed who had nothing to gain, in the short run, from the success of these movements, was absolutely critical. Somehow, a critical mass of the unemployed, along with workers outside the affected industries, had come to believe in all workers would benefit when some workers achieved union recognition. They had become caught up in “union fever” the idea that only by organizing unions could workers attain dignity and respect as well as a decent standard of living and they fought side by side in the streets with striking workers until these communal battles were won.
Were they justified in this belief, or had they just succumbed to the UnAmerican propaganda of Communists and Socialists? Fast forward to the 1950’s. Thirty five percent of the American labor force is unionized, including most of those working in steel, auto, electronics and transportation. The people who built these unions not only had the highest standard of living in the world, they lived in one of the most equal advanced nations on the planet, where the top one percent of the population controlled 9 percent of national income, as opposed to 23 percent today. In New York City, where unions were particularly powerful, you had an amazing network of public universities, which charged no tuition, public hospitals, schools with free after school centers and great music and sports programs, and museums and zoos which charged no admission. The evidence is incontrovertible- the rise of organized labor, from the mid 1930’s to the mid 1950’s, coincided with a significant improvement in the standard of living of all American workers, whether or not they were in unions.
Most Americans do not know this. Except among people in union education departments and those who teach labor history in universities, the role of labor unions in spreading the benefits of prosperity in the years following the Depression is neither known, nor acknowledged. However, the current economic crisis, with its eerie parallels to the Great Depression, is making many working class Americans wonder whether their dreams of individual prosperity and security are still possible in a society where the housing market, banking system, and now local governments are in such trouble. Some may be blaming their plight on the “fat contracts” and “bloated pensions” of government workers, but others are wondering what the role of the banks and large corporations have been in putting them in such a predicament, and how they can fight back
It is in this context that the Wisconsin protests put forward a message that, to everyone’s surprise, touches a chord. Maybe working Americans have had enough of blaming unions and government for what has happened to them. Maybe they are starting to think that the calls for “sacrifice” that politicians of both parties are making should be directed toward the very wealthy, who are the only people who have not been hurt during the crisis. And maybe they are starting to hear a message that says that working Americans had better overcome their differences and start to fight for their rights or their hopes for a life of comfort and security will be gone forever.
Solidarity, here in America, in 2011? Look around you, in a million years, would you have expected there to be 70,000 people massed outside the Wisconsin State Capitol demanding protection of collective bargaining rights for government workers?. Why, the very thought is as improbable as Black students sitting in at lunch counters in 35 cities throughout the South.
History can move in mysterious ways.
And Solidarity may be making a comeback.
Mark Naison
February 22, 2011
So....
Thanks to H.Payne
So Rahm Emanuel won the mayoral race in Chicago.... Is anyone surprised? They have to maintain a certain level of corruption, I guess.
Protests against public employees unions spreading out across the country from Wisconsin? The unions may make a lot of noise but they are on the decline in America. The People are starting to figure out that it's expensive and selfish and that "it just ain't right"! Kudos to TL Davis for his participation in the protests out west yesterday. He's on the "right" side. Similar rumbles and grumbles in Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee.... The SEIU and 1000 union supporters faced 100 Tea Party supporters in Des Moines yesterday. The proposed legislation went forward for debate, anyway.... :) Public Employee Unions have cost taxpayers a lot of money and the taxpayers are starting to figure it out!
Keep your emails and letters of support going to the governors and legislators who are forcing change. It appears that "the silent majority" are starting to find their voice!
Americans are being evacuated from Libya. Haven't heard much out of Hillary or obama about the "goings on" over there. Not really surprised, I guess. They're too busy supporting their
Can't think of anything else to mention this morning.
Stay safe.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
What your Montpelier frauds think of you...
...We want to control your health "care", you stupid old people! WHAAAAAA.......
from True North Radio
Hat tip to The Spirit of Government and Angelo of the Watchers...
...When the adults are away, the childish frauds will play...and YOU will pay.
...The mountebanks think that your fiscal concerns are a laughing matter. Worse, that your a fool if you do not agree lockstep with Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer.
For our "betters", Let us define "adolescent behavior".
Within normal adolescent behavior, the socio-emotional aspects, impulse control and desire for risk, are controlled by the slowly increasing capabilities of the cognitive system. However, when encouraged by peers or influenced by emotion, the cognitive system will lose the proverbial battle and the socioemotional system can drive behavior that is unpredictable, erratic, and risky (Steinberg, 2007).
...Want an emotional response out of a liberal? Talk about "free" health "care".
Now, does any of this appear to be at work in this video?
* Denial Of Responsibility: the deviant believes s/he was helplessly propelled into the deviance, and that under the same circumstances, any other person would resort to similar actions
* Denial Of Injury: the deviant believes that the action caused no harm to other individuals or to the society, and thus the deviance is not morally wrong
* Denial Of The Victim: the deviant believes that individuals on the receiving end of the deviance were deserving of the results due to the victim's lack of virtue or morals
* Condemnation Of The Condemners: the deviant believes enforcement figures or victims have the tendency to be equally deviant or otherwise corrupt, and as a result, are hypocrites to stand against
* Appeal To Higher Loyalties: the deviant believes that there are loyalties and values that go beyond the confines of the law; morality, friendships, income, or traditions may be more important to the deviant than legal boundaries.
...Any of this describe the "elite" at work in our system today? They are drunk teenagers, driving the family car with the gas petal to the floor, with no thought of what effect their actions could possibly have on anyone else.
...To any real adult, there can be only one conclusion; Liberalism is a mental disorder.
...On the other hand, the few adults under the golden dome are dealing with very real issues and concerns of Vermonters not obsessed with a handout, who want to take care of their family without fear of renegade "public servants" riding roughshod over the rights of man.
...Thank you.
Prophecy
"And the words of the Prophets were written on the subway walls, and tenement halls"
In the Old Testament the Prophets generally came in two flavors. Doom and despair or a wise guiding force. I look to the future and I see that life as we know it will be lost. In a blink of an eye we have gone from a nation of independent thinkers to sheep. Sheep don't revolt. The sheepdogs see to that. The sheep get sheared, the sheep get slaughtered, but the there are always enough sheep to keep the flock going.
One of the reasons that we don't have a shooting civil war is that those who would fight are not murderers. Not because they fear jail, but because they know that murder is wrong.
I look at the regained territory that Heller and McDonald gave us and then despair at "The Patriot Act" and "Obamacare." In the movie "Law Abiding Citizen" Jamie Fox's character breaks into Gerard Butler's auto shop with the saying "Fuck His Civil Rights." And while the movie was about learning to do what is right instead of doing what is legal, it is always wrong to deny someone their rights. Which means that when it becomes time to murder the Jamie Fox Distract Attorneys in real life, someone is going to say "Fuck his civil rights" right back.
There is no moral high ground in war. Only a better propaganda machine than the other guy.
The prophets would remind me that "Thou shalt not murder" is one of the Ten Commandments. But I would remind the Prophets that killing in war is not murder.
I'm not a fan of what Timothy McVeigh did. The wholesale slaughter if people is repugnant. But had he shot a corrupt ATF agent? What if he had more closely targeted those who step on the necks of citizens? Would I think of him as a villain or a hero? Had he let that bomb go off outside Lon Horiuchi's house or taken out the FBI HRT? Many Americans rightly view Lon Horiuchi as a government thug who was paid to commit murder.
But that is the point. McVeigh wanted to start a revolution. All he did was turn himself into a murderer. I do not see events unfolding, another Waco or Ruby Ridge, that will let people know that they are at war. Vanderbough likes to say "no more free Wacos" but that just doesn't ring true. In the age of "Project Gunwalker" the ATF wants criminals armed so that it can expand.
Remember, the first priority of business for any organization is the self continuation of that organization.
So, things will get worse. We will win enough court cases to feel like we are making progress, but it is just boiling the frog by heating the water slowly.
In the Old Testament the Prophets generally came in two flavors. Doom and despair or a wise guiding force. I look to the future and I see that life as we know it will be lost. In a blink of an eye we have gone from a nation of independent thinkers to sheep. Sheep don't revolt. The sheepdogs see to that. The sheep get sheared, the sheep get slaughtered, but the there are always enough sheep to keep the flock going.
One of the reasons that we don't have a shooting civil war is that those who would fight are not murderers. Not because they fear jail, but because they know that murder is wrong.
I look at the regained territory that Heller and McDonald gave us and then despair at "The Patriot Act" and "Obamacare." In the movie "Law Abiding Citizen" Jamie Fox's character breaks into Gerard Butler's auto shop with the saying "Fuck His Civil Rights." And while the movie was about learning to do what is right instead of doing what is legal, it is always wrong to deny someone their rights. Which means that when it becomes time to murder the Jamie Fox Distract Attorneys in real life, someone is going to say "Fuck his civil rights" right back.
There is no moral high ground in war. Only a better propaganda machine than the other guy.
The prophets would remind me that "Thou shalt not murder" is one of the Ten Commandments. But I would remind the Prophets that killing in war is not murder.
I'm not a fan of what Timothy McVeigh did. The wholesale slaughter if people is repugnant. But had he shot a corrupt ATF agent? What if he had more closely targeted those who step on the necks of citizens? Would I think of him as a villain or a hero? Had he let that bomb go off outside Lon Horiuchi's house or taken out the FBI HRT? Many Americans rightly view Lon Horiuchi as a government thug who was paid to commit murder.
But that is the point. McVeigh wanted to start a revolution. All he did was turn himself into a murderer. I do not see events unfolding, another Waco or Ruby Ridge, that will let people know that they are at war. Vanderbough likes to say "no more free Wacos" but that just doesn't ring true. In the age of "Project Gunwalker" the ATF wants criminals armed so that it can expand.
Remember, the first priority of business for any organization is the self continuation of that organization.
So, things will get worse. We will win enough court cases to feel like we are making progress, but it is just boiling the frog by heating the water slowly.
Taxpayers Civil War....
Interesting article over at Sultan Knish. Breaks it down and explains it in easy to understand terms.
Stay safe.
Stay safe.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Joan Peterson can't even get the phrase right.
I'm sure more bloggers than I have told Joan Peterson to put on her big girl panties and deal with it, but evidently the grieving drama queen from Minnesota has to spin victimhood into everything she does.
Look Joan, "put on your big girl panties" means "Grow Up and Get Over It". It doesn't have anything to do with the "patriarchy" or anything to do with misogyny, so just get over it already.
Then again, if you had the ability to get over it, maybe you would have accepted your sisters murder as the random act of a deranged individual instead of making it your life goal to disarm the innocent.
What a title for a blog. But honestly, someone who commented here- one of my "gun guy" friends, actually told me to put on my big girl panties and get with the picture. Those of us who wear big girl panties apparently know nothing because the guys with the man pants on make the rules. It's that simple.
Look Joan, "put on your big girl panties" means "Grow Up and Get Over It". It doesn't have anything to do with the "patriarchy" or anything to do with misogyny, so just get over it already.
Then again, if you had the ability to get over it, maybe you would have accepted your sisters murder as the random act of a deranged individual instead of making it your life goal to disarm the innocent.
You owe it to yourself....
"… a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty once lost is lost forever. When the People once surrender their share in the Legislature, and their Right of defending the Limitations upon the Government, and of resisting every Encroachment upon them, they can never regain it.” – John Adams, letter to wife Abigail 1775
You owe it to yourself to read the rest... Read the whole post over at Mind Numbed Robot.... Link it prominently on your blog. Share it with the whole wide world :)
On another topic; How do you suppose the protesting teachers in Wisconsin would feel if their students missed class to go play in the woods or something, and, further suppose that these teachers knew that the students were playing hookey? Now suppose that these students brought fraudulent doctors excuses certifying that they had been sick and had gone to seek medical attention to the teacher in order to get back into class without being disciplined.... How do you suppose these teachers would respond? Just curious.
Anyway, it seems to me that it's the students who are getting screwed here while their teachers are acting like spoiled
Stay safe.
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