Thursday, January 15, 2009

Class Action Goose Suit

At first I thought of it as one of those absurdities that often crosses my mind. Then I realized it is probably already being discussed in some form.

When the US Air plane turned into a boat after ruthlessly slaughtering a few geese, I thought, "Someone needs to sue on behalf of the gooses, since they can't speak for themselves, and, after all, geeses, and/or ganders are people, too". My mind is a wondrous place to dwell. The really strange thing is that I worry about myself and get depressed when my inner self(s) is absent of such dialog.

I've not yet checked to see what PETA has to say about this issue. I do know they often combat the efforts of airports to chase away birds and keep them from setting up house in places where they pose a threat to aviation--human aviation.

One thing this incident does do, and I'm glad; it silences those who often smugly comment that the floatation devices and discussion of same are a waste of time. This is a case in which it is clear why flight attendants are there, and why they give that talk before a flight. Maybe it is not evident, but I guarantee you that half the people would still be fumbling around on the plane if the FAs weren't there to get them in gear and out.

So it is possible for an airliner to go down in water, and everyone lives. I'm not happy they went down, but I am thrilled at the outcome. Maybe this will temper the cynical smirkers for a day or two in commercial aviation.

On Another Note

My old band, Memphis Snake Doctors, has a new website. It did my heart good to see that all the music there which contains harmonica includes only harp I played. They may have changed personnel, seeing as I moved a couple thousand miles away, but they still use the tunes I played on the website.

I'm also happy to see they included the session with Mizz Rose of West Memphis. That EP is called Mizz Rose and the West Memphis Imperials. I'm her favorite Imperial I hope. I liked playing with her. We got along well.

If you want to check out a few tunes, they have mp3 for free download at http://www.snakedoctors.org/tunes.htm
This made me feel like finding some people to play, although when it comes down to it, I often think it is more trouble than it is worth. My ballistic Mountain friends aren't trouble though. Maybe we'll discuss it at the next neighborhood fire safety meeting.

More Words From State of Emergency

Wise men avoid the news. Comedians use it for research and inspiration. Lately, comedians seem to be making the news and reporting it.

Everyone from Obama and Bush down to condo board chairpersons are parroting the same dire exclamations. Arnold says Caleefour knee ya is in crisis, a state of emergency. He is claiming "tough choices" must be made which will require "sacrifice". San Diego's mayor says the same thing--tough choices, we all have to sacrifice. Obama is using the same language. Screw them all!!

I would think wage earners would be furious. Not those who work for government (which is the case in CA---government workers are all wound up). The people who support the government and government workers HAVE sacrificed. What portion of a dollar earned goes to tax by the time you figure income tax, sales tax, intangibles tax, excise tax, extra tax for who knows what, etc. It is huge. I resent the hell out of people who live off of tax money, and use that money to harass the public in a myriad of ways, who can't even set a budget and stick with it, telling me to sacrifice.

By the way, I said it before, and probably no one believes me, but Kennedy did not invent that "Ask not what you can do for your country.." line. The wife of a speech writer for Sen Smathers, and Kennedy insider at the time, wrote it. It was a slogan that did not mean much at the time. Now I have to say I heartily disagree with the sentiment and how it applies today.

I ask neither what I can do for my country (read government) nor what my country can do for me. I can sure as hell tell you what I think my country could do for most good people--Get out of their way, and leave them alone. Don't stop citizens at random road blocks as part of a Homeland Security exercise, or because someone somewhere may be drunk. Get rid of traffic cameras, the purpose of which is actually to increase revenue into the government coffers.

So, it's a state of emergency and Ahnold thinks bleeding the people of the state a little more will help. People are leaving the state faster than they are moving in. No doubt they'll bring this form of insanity to your town soon.

Totalitarian states kill incentive and useful creativity. It is happening. They also give rise to revolt, which is the up side, and I can only hope...

It astounds me that when Ahnold talks about cutting anything, there are demonstrations of government workers and their unions. Government was never supposed to be that big. Somehow unions in the so-called "public" sector make no sense to me. It could be argued that things like teacher's unions and such, if they have their way, constitute a form of taxation without representation.

That is where I most disagree with John McCain. He claims public service is the most noble pursuit. I think that is garbage. Number one, if they get paid it is debatable whether it is actually a service. It is a trade. It is also highly suspect that extorting money from innocent citizens in order to pander and keep your job is noble. Honest work of any kind is the noblest calling. That applies to almost no one in elected office. Actually the very highest calling, John, is to be a good parent, so screw off.

mofos

I just finished a definitive treatise on current affairs and it vanished.
Blogger annoys me far more than JS ever did.

Hell with it.

Let me highlight:
The economy is not an animal that gets sick and needs colon work.
Government is the player who, by extorting the fruits of the labors of others at gunpoint has caused the problem. They spend more than they take, on things most people don't even want, then they complain because they don't have enough, tell you You need to sacrifice, and take more. Currently they are giving it to a select few elite.

They could just let people keep the 850 billion and do more for "the economy" than this bailout hoax will do. Or divide it equally among every adult in America. It comes to a couple thousand each, maybe a bit more. I could use it, and so could many people's creditors.

I'm in disbelief that people imagine higher taxes on normal businesses would be beneficial. Don't most people work for, own, and buy from businesses? It all washes out at the retail end. It is not like they can really pay more tax without charging more and that has a multiplier effect, the same way that putting money in the hands of consumers does, except one is to negative benefit for economic activity.

How can people who appear intelligent in so many respects not see the problems here? Had rules against fraud been enforced, rather than legislated in through very detailed specific regulations which make it possible for crooks to operate immorally, yet legally, while running normal people out of business, the bad rap they lay on capitalism would be much less.

That bit of pretending that capitalism is to blame or conversely that the mega corporations which own government are real capitalists, is BS. Another of the very obvious sucker ploys being foisted on an eager population. It is inconvenient to be uncool and go along with none of it, but the truth is the truth. This coup has been in the works for years. The lie is simple but the process is complex and tangled.

It is similar to the international policy hoax in general, and in the Mid East specifically. Anyone could see that we had no long term hope of anything sane there when we put guns in the hands of those people, and supported or condemned religious states. It is never going to make sense until we turn our back on all of them. We need to let them know that we absolutely do not respect their religion and their implementation of it in matters of state. It always brings blood.

Todays allies are tomorrow's enemies and we arm the bastards, educate, and enrich them. Screw it. But saying that thirty years ago yielded the same response that, now, saying that the feds need less involvement with the money people earn not more will get you. "Oh, it's not that simeple, and bla bla bla". I don't think so. The bailout is the same thing as arming those crazy bastards in seriously backward brutal cultures then saying the resulting problem is because we aren't more involved.


By the way, I managed to get the user name "john" on the new JS. Maybe I'll use it and maybe not.

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Ballistic Mountain, CA, United States
Like spring on a summer's day

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