I finally realized what bothers me about the Fox television program, "That Seventies Show." Nobody smokes. Anything. Ever. Yes, there are often references to Marijuana, and occasionally, the central characters will be seen through a distorted lens giggling in a smoke filled basement, and we all get the idea; but I don't think I've ever seen one of them ever light a pipe or a joint. There is the now famous "Brownie" episode, where we see everybody eating "special" brownies, and getting really goofy, but nothing is said about why they were "special," and never is anything lit.
And what about cigarettes? As a person who went to High school in the seventies, I can tell you that most schools had dedicated areas for students to have a cigarette in between classes. I knew kids similar to the stereotypes these actors portray, and they all  smoked Newport cigarettes.
And what about their parents? Most hard drinking adults (as it is suggested some of these characters are)  were heavy smokers in the seventies. Yet not once have I even seen an episode where an adult lights up a Lucky. I understand the FCC doesn't allow television programs to show people smoking, and fines any network that dares to violate this unconstitutional regulation. Still, it makes the show feel weird. It's can never be a true nostalgia show, as long as it is rife with modern political correctness.

It's no wonder the predominant politic on campuses is Marxist. Most people teach what they know the best, and many college professors are tenured Tenure is just  intellectual royalty. Rather than be awarded honors and raises for merit, a lot of these senior professors most major accomplishment, is just keeping a heartbeat, and breathing. They don't understand, that the real world expects work out of people before it awards them food and shelter. In turn, these people instruct the impressionable minds put under their care, that they should be tenured into society, and awarded the necessities of life, just because they exist.

There is quite a concern that Michael Jackson might have had sexual relations with a boy who is minor. Strangely, there is a lot more disgust about Michael Jackson, in show biz circles than there was about musician R. Kelly, or director Roman Polanski, who is treated like a political dissident by Hollywood. I would like to think the reason is, that R. Kelly was accused of being with a sixteen year old girl, or even that Roman Polanski's victim at thirteen, was a full year older than Michael's friend, who was 12. I more think, the reason for the outrage, is that Michael Jackson had a homosexual relationship. For all the talk among the Hollywood elite of being tolerant of alternative lifestyles, the homosexual bias still exists, when it involves a minor.

A recent article in Newsweek, reports that many men are now asking for a for body hair removal procedure, previously reserved for women, called the Brazilian Wax. It is a strange shift in culture, most likely caused by the gender confusion feminists have introduced to college campuses. Presently, fashionable young women now let their body hair grow, while young men are getting it removed.

Quite possibly the downfall of capitalist society started about the same time that the words "Not For Profit" became equated with goodness and morality. In an effort to describe in legal terms, a moral activity that should receive preferred treatment under tax policy, the IRS created the non-profit status. I suppose, by elimination we are to assume that profit is evil, and should be subjected to punitive taxation.
Non profit should not be confused with a vow of poverty, for many executives at the Red Cross and PBS drive fancy cars and live in extravagance. Non-profit status doesn't mean that nobody is making money, it only requests that all donations are spent, and no money is returned to the investors.

February 19, 2004

The nature of modern media is to look on the dark side of every issue. A great example is the 15,000 layoffs Kodak just announced. Of course this is a tragedy for 15,000 families, and the networks would like you to think there are 15,000 people one step closer to homelessness, and 35,000 children will be going to bed hungry tonight. It's also 15,000 families ignored by the policies of George Bush, and 15,000 reasons to vote against him.
I wouldn't expect Dan Rather to look at the positive angles of this story: People aren't using film anymore. Digital cameras are amazing and affordable. For the cost of the film and processing for ten 24 shot rolls, anyone can now buy a new camera that will hold 240 pictures. The best part, is, it's entirely reusable. You can store hundreds of photo albums in a little corner of your hard drive, and people can send pictures around the world in a fraction of the time it took to process a roll of film. It's also good news for the environment. No more photo processing means a lot less toxic chemicals being introduced into waste water.
For me, it's bittersweet to see the passing of a technology so fondly connected to holidays, vacations, and boyhood hobbies. It's hard to think that the familiar smell from inside a fresh foil pack of 35mm will soon be nothing more than a memory, or that I will never again enjoy the anticipation, opening an envelope of recently processed photographs.
The history of modern civilization is people changing occupations. As the Industrial Revolution rolled forward, less farmers were required to till the earth, so that people were free to create other things, like light bulbs and phonograph records; airplanes, automobiles and cameras. Before the invention of the camera, only the rich could afford to have a portrait painted. Today, portraits are so common that a government issued portrait is a requirement for anyone who wants to travel.
Thanks to digital technology, those 15,000 people from Kodak are now free to devote their energies to other pursuits to make all our live fuller. I don't know what they'll do, as the future always guards her secrets; but despite the forecast of gloom from the usual sources, those 15,000 layoffs indicate that we're all a little richer today.

I heard that for a while there, John Kerry's campaign was so cash starved, that he considered getting married again.

Space travel will never be accessible to the average American as long as it is a government monopoly. It's curious to compare space travel to the other US government protected transit monopoly: Amtrack. The equipment is outdated and prone to breakdowns, schedules are erratic and inconvenient; trips are often canceled, sometimes at the last minute; the service is substandard; and there are a lot of accidents.

March 17, 2004

I don't believe there is a trade deficit, I just think that trade isn't being tracked as rigorously as it should be. I think there are American goods being purchased, it's just that they're things that don't show up when these calculations are made, things like stocks, or tourism, movies or concerts. (One reason that outsourcing will never destroy the US economy: Have you ever seen a Japanese Rock Band that didn't make you laugh?)  But if it's true, it means the world is giving us things like cars, wine, and precious metals, in exchange for slips of paper with pictures of famous Americans on them, which we can print ad infinitum for next to nothing. In playground terms, they are essentially trading us their bicycle, for a bunch of baseball cards. Sounds to me like we have the better side of that deal.

When Martha Stewart was found guilty, the value of K-Mart immediately dropped by 1.1%. That's a very interesting statement on the value of a brand. It is interesting to realize that the market value of Martha Stewart's name simply appearing on products sold there is worth roughly 342 million, or in other terms, the entire inventory and realestate of twenty fully stocket K-Mart stores. (Incidently, this was only  a brief  decline, the loss was recovered shortly thereafter.) I don't think Martha Stewart will ever be hurting for income. Especially with all the Gay Weddings that will now have to be catered.

I really feel sorry for Dish Network, in their recent dispute with Viacom. Viacom wanted to raise their licensing fees. Dish Network briefly refused, and pulled the plug on Viacom rather than pay the price. Within twenty four hours, the phone calls and cancellations were so overwhelming, that Dish Network relented, and paid the price.
Viacom has really become a power player, and personally, I can't imagine subscribing to any service that doesn't have MTV, Nick at Nite, TV Land or Comedy Central. So they can pretty much ask what they want, and the service providers have to pay up. The funniest part is, rates will now have to increase to pay for the larger license fees. So all the idiots who called Dish Network, and demanded their MTV back, are going to have to pony up over next year or so.  The better tactic would have been to just ignore the drop in service, wait for the advertising rates to fall once the new ratings were released, so Viacom would give in. Unfortunately though, the average consumer looks at MTV as their friend, and the provider as the enemy, because one makes them happy, the other makes them pay. A very interesting study in market perception.

I recently was talking to two Leftist friends of mine. I asked how they can deny that a handgun is the best method of stopping a rapist. They simply would not agree. I pressed them for their solution, one actually said, "Well, the desire to rape comes from a deep seated psychological problem, it's been proven that most rapists were abused as children. If we can stop child abuse, we can stop rape."
I replied, "So what do you expect the woman being raped to do? Say, 'When you're finished Mister, I have the name of a great therapist you should go see.'"

A friend of my was concerned that terrorists might try and hit trains in the United States now, and expressed fear that an upcoming sceduled Amtrack trip should be cancelled. No worries. The terrorists try and maximize their casualties, and if you could blow up an entire Amtrack train, you still wouldn't kill more than two dozen people.
That's one advantage to automobiles, moving targets are harder to hit. I think perhaps cities who are planning Mass transit projects should take this into account.

April 16, 2004

Here's an interesting perspective: Do a little math: Find out how much you pay in Social Security per year. Multiply it by two, (which is how much you're really paying, because of the fallacious "employer contribution"). Again multiply it the number of siblings and cousins you have, and compare it to how much your grandmother gets in Social Security. Is it more? You bet it is. Imagine how well off your Granny would be if all her grandchildren sent their payroll tax directly to her.
That's a major problem with the system, and our culture in general; the youth no longer want to take care of their elders, so the elders have hired government thugs to shake us down for it, and allowed the IRS to take a generous cut for their services. I would rather they went to the Mafia . Not only would the  Mafia would skim a lot less off the top, they also have a code of ethics.  (Just watch me get audited now.)

It's been interesting watching the 9/11 commission try and find out who is responsible for the attack. What is most interesting is how it is all based on a false premise --that such events can actually BE prevented. It's almost like watching a group of mad scientists ponder why a perpetual motion machine stopped moving.

The Leftist Radio network, Air America, went off the air after only two weeks because of a revenue shortfall. The owner of the two major market stations they were leasing air time from, in LA and Chicago, locked them out  after a million dollar check bounced. Air America claimed that they had bounced the check because they were being overcharged, and filed a lawsuit.
Air America was supposed to be a huge sea change for Leftists, a counter to the Right Wing perspective that Americans are overwhelmed with, from conservative news outlets like CNN and NPR. What they did prove, was that Leftists have absolutely no idea of how business works.
Rather than approach potential investors, they solicited donations for startup capital. The major flaw with this business model is that investors always demand return on their investment, whereas donors write the money off as soon as it leaves their hands. Since there is no incentive for production, or quality, there usually isn't any. This has been proven time and again with the welfare programs that most Leftists champion.
If you were fortunate enough to live in a city where AirAmerica could be heard, you were treated to two weeks of the most god awful broadcasting this side of college radio. It was really funny to hear Al Franken try and imitate what his foes Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly do so naturally. He unintentionally proved that despite his best selling tomes claiming the contrary, these men do indeed have a rare and unique talent. Not only was Franken incapable of running a show solo, he relied on numerous guests to fill the uncomfortable pauses in between commercial breaks.
The other thing I noticed, there wasn't too much talk, on what was supposed to be the Leftist Talk Radio. Very few phone calls were ever taken. My speculation is, that the switchboards were jammed with opposing viewpoints, people like myself who have been dying to take a crack at some of these Democrat icons like Lizz Winstead and Janine Garafolo. So much so, that the other Leftists could never get through. Meanwhile call screeners were probably kept quite busy dumping calls from all the right wing nuts. I can't say this for sure, but I do know that I never heard a single caller who disagreed with the hosts. It only reinforced my belief that Marxism can only exist in a situation where communication is  one-way.
As an epilogue to the story: A judge ruled that the owner of the station, who had pulled AirAmerica programming from his stations,  to put them back on the air, even though he wasn't getting paid. That's what you get when you do business with the Party of the trial lawyers. When Leftists cannot get  their way through legitimate channels, the resort to a sympathetic judge.
While driving through Minneapolis the other day, I overheard an ad on the Al Franken show, soliciting donations to keep Air America running in Minnesota, so I'm pretty sure the charges of non-payment are not unfounded. What makes this most curious to me, is that this network was supposed to compete with Rush Limbaugh, the nations most profitable syndicated radio program. In order to do this, they should be focused on selling advertising. By soliciting donations instead, they are competing with NPR for those hard earned rubles from Leftist listeners.
According to the AP, there was an organized protest against the owners of the stations, and a "humorous" call to take crowbars to the heads of those who prevent AirAmerica from being heard. Franken even gave out the number of the stations' owner and asked listeners to call and lodge their complaints. Apparently the phones were tied up for the next thirty six hours.
With Protests, pledge-breaks, and Lawsuits, Air America has become a microcosm of the tactics of the Left. This should stand as fair warning to anyone who might ever consider doing business with them.

May 18, 2004

While spending an uncomfortable month researching "Liberal" talk radio, I happened across something that was previously unknown to me, the green tag program. Sponsored by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, this program lets global warming alarmists put their money where their mouth is.
What the BEF does, is purchase electricity from alternative fuel sources, then resells it to the grid, and calculates their average loss per kilowatt hour. That loss is  sold to environmentalist electric consumers anywhere in America in the form of a green tag. By simply mailing a check to the BEF, Environmentalists can rest assured that all the electricity they remove from the grid was replaced with clean carbon free energy. Right now the additional cost is approximately 2¢ per Kilowatt Hour (Roughly twenty percent more than what I pay.)
I commend this free-market solution on many levels: First, it proves to everybody that alternative energy is not yet economically feasible. Secondly, it encourages investment and research into renewable sources without government funding (granted, most wind farms receive government subsidies, which is factored into the price, but if programs like these became widespread those subsidies could be eliminated). Finally, it gives me the opportunity to call the Global Warming Alarmists, "hypocrites", because if they are unwilling to pay twenty percent more on their electricity to prevent a global holocaust, then they certainly cannot expect it of me.

What happened to gun control? As the "Assault" Weapon Ban is set to expire this Fall with little or no protest, I am encouraged, perhaps prematurely, to let out a victory whoop. I think part of the reason might have been the trade center attack of 2001, because a lot of people who didn't understand the need for civilians to bear arms on September 10, were pretty clear on the issue by September 12.

Like any Libertarian, I was shocked to see those photos of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The violations of civil rights were abhorrent. I could not understand why a woman would handcuff a prisoner to a bed and put a leash on him and pull a pair of her dirty underwear over his head. Moreover, I can not explain the sudden rush of Japanese Businessmen trying to enlist in the Iraqi resistance.

In Oregon, the price for a gallon of gas is the highest in the country, now over $2.25  per gallon . The reason for this, is that Oregon law forbids self serve gasoline and stations have to recover the labor cost. It bemuses me why this law remains on the books, as untrained civilians elsewhere in the nation have been able to figure out the procedure for pumping gasoline without explosions or inferno.
As gasoline prices soar Democrat candidate John Kerry reverses himself once again, he asked that a 60 million  barrel reserve be released. This is only a three day supply, and over the course of the summer, such a minuscule bump in supply would have a negligible effect on prices. Of course, the most certain way to lower prices would be to lower the tax rates which in some states, can amount to 25% of the price of a gallon. (In Chicago, the tax is close to 70¢ per gallon.)
Lowering taxes not only runs contrary to Democrat dogma, lowering taxes on gas contradicts a popular Leftist idea of the early nineties, that a several dollar tax on a gallon of gas would save the environment. Now that the price has crossed the two dollar threshold, and Americans are outraged, not many serious politicians talk about that tax anymore.
In historic comparison, gas is still quite affordable. Back in 1972, you could by a new Ford Maverick for under 2000 dollars, and gas was around fifty cents a gallon. Using the same ratio, a basic car today should retail for 8000 dollars, a price that would be quite hard to find. And efficiency has also increased, so that cars need less. Even the biggest SUV today gets about fifteen miles to the gallon, which would have been considered an economy car back then.

June 19, 2004,

I just heard a soldier, an Iraqi veteran,  on Rush Limbaugh say that Iraqi citizens are allowed one AK-47 per household. It is my understanding that this policy was in place all during the Hussein years. That a tyrant was still allowed to rule the country during all those bleak years, and that the US government was still able to roll through the country with minimal resistance, should stand as advisement to any hard-core militia advocates, who still believe that the second amendment right to bear arms is a sufficient deterrent to tyranny.

A recent study, has found a link between excessive hair washing and low intelligence. Apparently the lack of oil on the hair can cause neurological damage and ultimately a lower IQ. Sounds to me to be like college professors, are using junk science to account for their appearance.

A recent headline suggested that high gas prices are forcing travelers to fly more. Apparently, higher gasoline  prices have made air fares more attractive to consumers. This is news? As the price of anything rises, people always find a way to use less of it. Some laws of economics are as predictable as the tides. A more honest headline might read: "American People capable of comparing prices without any government assistance or advice from the media. Critics mystified."
This is the reason why we will never completely run out of oil. Scarcity increases price, price encourages conservation. Our reserves here on earth might be quite finite, but if there were only one gallon of gas left on earth, it would be more valuable than diamonds, and used just as sparingly.

Looking back at the Reagan years, I think perhaps I was a little too hard on the Gipper. Although I always thought he was a warmonger, he actually defeated the Soviet Union without a single US Troop ever firing a shot.  He was a lone voice in the fog of Keynesians for supply side economics, and history has proven that he was right. Today, talk radio still champions ideas like smaller government and lower taxes, and I believe that Ronald Reagan started that movement.
 So much spin was thrown around in those years before the existence of a balanced media, that has never been analyzed by a neutral source. Here are a few examples of those lies, that would never be allowed to stand with today's media:
1) Reagan allowed AIDS to spread. Please. Any action short of an executive order forbidding promiscuous sodomy and sharing needles among junkies would have been futile. And, since some sexual activities were occurring despite strict State laws, I think even that action would have been futile.
2)Under Reagan, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, and 3 million people went homeless. The figure of 3 million homeless was completely made up, and off by a factor of 30. (Anyway, most homelessness is caused by a lack of rent paying.) In fact, since Reagan's policies ended the era of double digit inflation, and brought mortgage prices within reason, there were a lot more homeowners after Reagan left office.  Most everyone was better off in 1988, than they were in 1980.
3)Reagan thought trees caused pollution. It might surprise many environmentalists, but some trees emit turpentines which do actually cause smog.
4)Reagan thought Ketchup was a vegetable. Two tablespoons of Ketchup has more vitamin A, more vitamin C, and less fat than 2/3 cup of frozen corn, a "vegetable" which has been quite popular in school cafeterias for years.

A very popular tactic of the Democrats, is to list some of the verbal mistakes that President Bush makes. Although I've often found myself laughing at such blunders, I would advise against relying on it as a campaign tactic. It is as tired as a Lewinsky joke at this point. I saw Franken reading a list of them on Conan way back in 2000. Rush Limbaugh now makes fun of these "Bushisms" regularly, and sometimes even creates his own. My mom (a big supporter) said she  heard Bush himself read a few of them at a speaking engagement, and it was hilarious.
The fact that they're still clinging to his mispronouncements is symptomatic of the great problem on the Left right now: Blaming their failure stems from the inability to communicate their ideas. They think that the general public is unaware of how many clumsy things the President has said, and if they can get the word out, people will flee from him in droves. The truth is, that everybody knows he stumbles from time to time, and that only makes him more endearing. If Bush spoke in the same, overly rehearsed, monotone cadence that Kerry uses, he would never slip, but there is a perception at large that W's mistakes show he is talking from the heart, and it makes him seem more human. I almost think he does it on purpose now, because he knows it grates the Left every time they hear it, and the Right just thinks it's funny. (Especially the word: "Nukular".)
One big problem with the Left is, that there has always been a huge disconnection between the candidates and the intelligentsia. While the candidate always talks about elevating the common man; in the back rooms, the "intellectuals" talk about the collective ignorance of the general populace.  As someone who has spent a good portion of his career thinking he was too hip for the room, I can tell you that attitude might bring personal satisfaction, but it doesn't engender popularity. Gore lost partially because he was incapable of hiding his disdain for the average Joe (NASCAR Dads is the new term) and ultimately, Kerry's attitude will sink him as well. What the Democrats really need is a good old fashioned Woody Guthrie liberal.

July 19, 2004

We grow up playing cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, good guys and bad guys. It could be these childhood games that imprint us with the notion that opponents in any battle are always polar opposites. I think it is for this reason that the Left equates the Right wing of American politics with Nazis. Since the Nazis fought the Communists in the second world war, Nazi must be the antonym of Communist. Since the American Right fought so hard against Communism during the Cold War, they must be Nazis also. (It is a little strange that the side of the aisle that refuses to be judgmental, also chooses to paint politics with such bold colors.)
The charge of Nazi is a popular one on the Left, it is used frequently today as a pejorative for anyone opposed to their policies and politics. The truth is, that Communists and Nazis have far more in common with each other then either has with Libertarians. The main difference between Communists and Nazis, as I see it, is that nobody is sympathetic to the Nazis. Nobody would ever embarrass themselves by saying that the intentions of National Socialism were noble, the idea was just corrupted by the people in charge, and that it would work if it were ever honestly attempted. I hear Leftists saying similar things about Communism all the time.

Arnold Schwarzenegger called California Democrat State Legislators, "Girlie Men" for bowing to pressure from special interest groups and all hell broke loose. The AP reported that the governor had resorted to "blatant homophobia." according to State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, one of five members of the Legislature's five-member Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus; a caucus that has almost as many distinctions as it does members.
In a similar incident: after Education Secretary Richard Riordan told a six year old girl that her name  'Isis" meant stupid dirty girl, the NAACP cried racism, and planned to protest ... until they learned that the girl was actually white.
It is telling that these leftist groups are so quick to be offended, that they demand apologies for remarks that aren't necessarily directed at them.

August 17, 2004

It is no secret, that Christopher Columbus' discovery of America required a government grant. Washington Irving wrote a great folklore about Columbus standing in front of Queen Isabella with a globe, trying to convince her the world was round. This fictional story is so compelling that it is now taught as history, even though the round earth had been an accepted truth centuries before Columbus. Today, there are thousands of scientists approaching the governments of the world, looking for grants, to capitalize their adventures into the in the frontiers of knowledge. Petitioning governments is an antiquated process that has no place in the modern world.
The trouble with government funding of science is that it gets too political, and decisions are based on public opinion polls. Popular whim then decides what is important, what is dangerous, what gets studied, and what doesn't. The masses are never very good at deciding the direction of science, as new intellectual territory always frightens the ignorant. Many primitive cultures remained primitive for millennia, because the elders held veto power, and  anything they didn't understand was ruled as witchcraft. The reward for discovering new technology was execution. I wonder how many stone age scientists were killed for the common crime of static electricity. One minute you making your hair stand straight out for the kiddies, the next your being tied to a burning stake.
In today's political culture, popular fear is given far more credibility than actual science. A great example of how  limited science is today, is the debate over genetic engineering. There is absolutely no evidence of any danger linked to genetic engineering, but yet it is being banned worldwide. I would bet there are very few grants given out to study genetic manipulation as well, especially in the more primitive countries, like Europe. Recently, people were allowed to starve to death in Africa, because a relief load of corn from the US might have had some GE content. It was allowed to rot in a warehouse, rather than be distributed.
Right now all the survivors of Ronald Reagan are traipsing around the country demanding that stem cell research be continued. In reality, the research has never stopped, President Bush just banned Federal funding of it.  I think a more noble way to honor Reagan would be to build an Altzheimers research institute, independent of government, in his memory and name. It would certainly be more in line with his philosophies; A shining research facility on the hill.
In fact, all the people who are now complaining about the lack of government funding towards stem cell research could focus their energy better by calling for a separation of Science and State. Especially the rich and famous people, who have the resources to build a facility on their own.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase MD is the paramount of privatized science. Sustained by the financial resources derived from the sale of Hughes Aircraft in 1984, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute has become the nation's largest private source of support for biomedical research and science education. Because they do not rely on grants, scientists are liberated from the tedious applications process and can concentrate all their energies solely on science. Because they do not take Federal money, they are free to continue things banned by the federal government like stem cell research, and are on the cutting edge of that research. It is a great model of how science SHOULD be done.
I believe that man's curiosity will always drive science forward despite the lack of federal assistance. Some of the greatest discoveries occurred long before the days of government grants. Look how much the world changed between 1880 and 1945; In those sixty five years, man went from being a ground locked creature to one who could soar in the skies, or swim down to the depths of the oceans. We went from being animals who had to go to bed when the sun went down, to staying open 24 hours. In 1880, many people would live their whole life in one little town, by 1940 you could drive coast to coast in just a couple weeks for the cost of pocket change. The human voice, which could only travel a few feet, could now be heard clear across the country. Almost every pleasant diversion, like recorded music, movies and television was created in that short time span. The cause of infectious diseases was discovered, and many of them could be cured with a simple pill by 1943.
Now compare what we have now, to what was available in 1945 Not much different is it? Almost everything "modern," was invented before 1945 (including computers). I believe that much of that slowing of progress is because of government regulation and oppressive taxation. I can't prove it, but I can't find another reason.
Columbus might not have discovered America without the contribution of Queen Isabella, but modern America is rife with royalty and wealth is no longer solely in the hands of the government. In fact, in the world of venture capital, a thousand Queen Isabellas launch a thousand fleets every day. All one has to do is find a Queen, and convince her that the world isn't flat.

An environmentalist told me that oil companies have been conspiring with politicians to prevent alternative energy from being used, and those who don't believe that renewable fuels are feasible are just short sighted or corrupt. This is a very popular view on the Left.
I would imagine that a member of the Natural Law Party might have a similar viewpoint:  that the only reason we use airplanes to fly, is because Boeing makes a lot of money building them, and if people realized they could fly without them, Boeing would go bankrupt in short order. Hence Boeing has been conspiring with politicians to prevent everybody from flying without airplanes.

September 16, 2004

Sometimes, old battles lose their significance. One in particular is the ACLU's obsession with removing symbols of Christianity from the classroom. My opinion, is that modern children do not have to fear the fundamentalists who want to bring Jesus into classroom, as much as the fundamentalists who brought Allah into the Russian classroom.

According to the UK Sun, European Commission President Romano Prodi claimed an Olympic victory for the European Union. By compiling all the gold medals won by European nations, the EU came out as the big winner, with 82 gold medals, absolutely trouncing the US, who won only thirty-five. He also warned that athletes might have to fly the European Union flag  at Beijing in 2008.
If that will give them pride, so be it. However,  I wonder if Mr. Prodi would like to merge all their separate European United Nations seats into one. Or perhaps the United States should be allowed 50 seats, one for each independent state.

In Hollywood, there is no question  whether John Kerry earned his Viet Nam medals in battle or just shot himself in the foot to win an early discharge. It makes sense that they wouldn't criticize his record, because in Hollywood, they'll give you an award for just PRETENDING you were in Viet Nam.

After ignoring the claims by over two hundred swift boat veterans that John Kerry's service might have been misrepresented, CBS News proved their long suspected bias by devoting an entire 60 Minutes segment to George Bush National Guard record. Before the segment even aired on the West Coast, bloggers had recognized that the documents proving their allegations were made with a word processor.
While a more rational journalist would have just admitted a mistake, and issued a retraction, Dan Rather continued to stand by the story, despite the mounting evidence of forgery.
Just like the final chase scene of any action movie, where the criminal being pursued runs into a building and starts climbing up, only to insure there is little chance to escape, and a much more dramatic conclusion, as the protagonist plummets earthward. Dan Rather is on the metaphorical fire escape.

October 11, 2004

Gas prices are moving back up, as a violent hurricane season, and a strike in Nigeria has let supplies dwindle. It seems to be worse than it really is, because when gas prices started dropping in mid summer, there were no headlines marking the occasion, and those less observant might believe that gas prices only move in one direction.
Many people like to make the comparison of a gallon of gas to other things, like a gallon of milk or a gallon of beer. Although it is interesting to see that other fluids are brought to market at a cost far beyond what the petroleum corporations charge for gasoline, these comparisons always seem flat. I use about twenty-five gallons of gas per week, and most other people, don't drink that much beer.
Another interesting way to look at it, is weighted by time. I can only walk about three miles per hour. On a bicycle, I can travel maybe ten or fifteen miles per hour (although not for very long). Even if I could do 20 MPH on a bike, I can cover that distance in a car in about half the time for just two dollars. (I drive a big one.) That means that I get an extra half hour of my life to spend however I like for just two bucks. Since four dollars per hour is sub minimum wage, a gallon of gas is still an incredible bargain.

Christopher Reeves passed away on October 11, and while others morn, I find his passing merciful. Christopher Reeve was locked in a hell that few of us will never know. It is one thing to be paralyzed and poor, but to have astounding wealth and paralysis must have been incredible torture. Much like a man  dying of thirst in the desert will see water everywhere, the accouterments of luxury surrounded Mr. Reeve, and his affliction left him unable to touch any of it. He certainly would have given everything he owned for the one thing he could never purchase, a new spinal cord.
He traveled the world over the past ten years begging for a cure, in the guise of helping others as afflicted as himself, but I think the truth was obvious to most everyone, he wanted to walk again himself.
Sadly, the worlds best wheelchair is still a wheelchair, and plating it with gold makes it no easier to sit upon.

Musician Yusuf Islam, was surprised to learn that his name had been added to the No Fly List, joining such luminaries as Osama bin Laden and Teddy Kennedy, and he was forcibly removed from a plane in Maine. Older readers might remember Yusuf by his original stage name: Cat Stevens. He had a string of bland light rock hits in the seventies, that were briefly popular with acne ridden Catholic musicians, not only for their simplistic and easy to learn chord progressions, but because their underlying spirituality, they were allowed be played  during guitar masses.
When Cat converted to Islam, and changed his name, most of his fans wrote him off entirely. It was not unusual for musicians in that day to join strange religious cults; George Harrison had set a precedent. Cat probably would have vanished into obscurity, had not the Ayatollahs issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie in the early eighties for writing "The Satanic Verses." When questioned about the order to kill Rushdie. Yusuf Islam said it was absolutely valid.
I've always questioned the authority of governments to issue a death order, and although I still remain undecided about the issue, I most certainly do not believe that any religion has that authority. I find that authority even more highly suspect when the alleged crime is composition. If such an order is valid, shouldn't we be able to issue a fatwa against the man formerly named Cat Stevens for the insult against Rock and Roll that were his first several albums?
I have no problem forbidding Yusuf to fly. Why would he want to even visit a country where individuals are free to write their thoughts onto paper.  And if he is certain that his god is the true god, this god who wants to see the world return to a medieval Islamic culture, what the heck is Yusuf doing on an airplane anyway? The Amish aren't allowed to fly. Why should fundamentalist Muslims be given anymore access to modern transportation then the Amish? Next time Mr. Islam decides he wants to visit the United States, let him come here the way Mohammed would have. Let him buy a camel, and join the next caravan over.

November 12, 2004

I don't want to discuss who the major candidates really were, because I don't think the majority of voters look really hard at resumes when they go to the polls. Looking at their resumes  of George Bush and John Kerry will show you two very similar men from very similar backgrounds. The only real difference is that Bush has a little higher IQ and did a little better on the  SAT.
As much as I hate it, intelligence or political philosophy has nothing to do with why people vote for a candidate; people vote on their gut instinct. If I were to quickly summarize why I think  Bush won over Kerry: It is because everybody loves a cowboy. Even though W was from an old money east coast blue blooded family, and I've never even seen him on a horse, he has the swagger of a western hero. I think Americans find that image compelling, especially when the security of the Nation is an issue.
To put it into marketing terms: Bush was Marlboro, Kerry was Benson and Hedges. Bush was chaps and spurs, Kerry was long boots and an English riding cap. George Bush is married to a lovely woman who by all accounts looks like a school marm, and has two coltish daughters. On the other hand, Theresa Heinz-Kerry conjures a mental image of a valium prescription, and the only contact Kerry ever seems to have had with his children were the letters from boarding school.
John Kerry stood for Europe and the United Nations, the  Ivy League and restaurants where you need reservations to get in.  Movies with subtitles and books you  put on your shelf where everybody can see, but never bother to read. Bush was America, hot dogs and chili; John Wayne movies and paperback novels.
It should be of some consolation to Libertarians, that the rugged individualist image won over the condescending socialist. Even though George Bush opposes Libertarian philosophy on matters like a balanced  budget,  military interventionism, and serving more pork than Bob Evans Incorporated; at least America voted for the man who <i>seemed</i> Libertarian.
The other reassurance is that Bush promises to nominate to the courts judges that believe in a strict interpretation of the Constitution. He has even suggested that Clarence Thomas, my favorite Supreme Court Justice, would be nominated for Chief Justice if William Rehnquist were to resign. There is no chance of the United States signing the Kyoto Accord, nor joining the International Criminal Court for at least another four years. Meanwhile, we can expect that the tax cuts made in this term will become permanent, a new round of deeper cuts is on the way. When Fed Chairman Greenspan's current term expires in 2006, Robert Reich will not be nominated as a replacement. It wasn't Badnarik that won, but there is much reason to celebrate.

Yasser Arafat passed away Wednesday November 10, and CBS pr-empted the dramatic conclusion of a CSI episode to announce it. As you can imagine, the viewers were outraged, and the eMails and phone calls prompted CBS to apologize, and rebroadcast the episode. I hope that when I pass from this world, that I am not so universally loathed that my death announcement isn't answered with, "Shh, not now, my stories are on!"

Riots break out in Ivory Coast, and France responds with military action. I don't understand why there was no clamor for UN approval on this unilateral action. I hope for the best, but I can't help but worry that the US will be back to the their traditional role of digging the French out of another military quagmire.

December 10, 2004

According to the New York Times, the "International Space Station" only has a limited supply of food, and the two remaining astronauts might have to abandon the station, or face starvation. The crisis occurred after the 2003 Columbia disaster grounded the United States shuttle fleet. Shuttle flights were necessary to bring supplies to the Space Station, the infrequent Soyuz trips have been woefully inadequate at maintaining supplies.
What a great paradigm for the world. Without the United States contribution, people starve to death. It would be good for the rest of the "International" community to remember this, the next time they criticize us.

The biggest divider in the American political debate, is which sector of America needs to be constrained. Those on the Right believe that the government needs to be limited in size and scope, those on the Left feel that we must guard against the omnipresent corporate influence. Although we might agree that both sectors are capable of evil, those on the right are less concerned with corporations, because they believe they are limited by market forces. In a similar vein, those on the Left believe that the restraint of Democracy keeps the government manageable.
The primary example that the Left likes to point out is the Bhopal disaster. In 1984, a Union Carbide pesticide plant sprung a leak, and ten thousand people died. This is the worst corporate disaster in history.
Now let's compare that casualty rate to some Government disasters. Nazism 6 million. Communism: 21 million Soviet, and 40 million Chinese. Seems to me that on the basis of raw casualties, the Right wins the debate.

Playboy® plans to open a new club in Shanghai. This will be the first Playboy® club to open anywhere, since the last Playboy® club, located in Manila closed in 1991. (Another Playboy® nightclub and casino is scheduled to open in Vegas in 2006.) Journalists point out the magazine that the club is based on, ironically, is illegal in China. Even more ironic, is that the most probable reason why it is illegal, is the same reason most men deceitfully give for reading it in the first place: The Articles.

Paris Hilton debuted her new perfume. I'm not sure if anyone besides myself thinks it is incredulous that a celebrity having a new fragrance is news. It is a strange ego, much stronger than mine, that makes certain people think that others will want to smell like themselves. Further, I can't imagine why anyone would want to smell like Paris Hilton. What is even stranger still, is that I know people will.