Today was one of those beautiful days. Besides the weather and geography, it was filled with enjoyment. Honest enjoyment is a thing of beauty in my book.
Often, when I forget the troubles I can dream up, or the impending doom I can foresee, I almost fall into that trap of wanting to keep my good fortune or optimistic outlook a secret so no one will hate me for it. That and the jinx factor.
Have you ever felt like maybe you should experience more disaster and pain than you already endure just to prove to less cheerful friends that you, too, are a victim of a cruel world? Seriously, there is probably a name for that disorder. I've felt that way many times, even though I have had hard times and dark times which I'd not wish on anyone. Some of those included the external trappings but all were primarily functions of something internal.
Today was good. I spent a little time last night and today with exceptional friends. Remarkable. Everything may not be as I'd wish, but I do think I'm more fortunate than not. Considering how things could have turned out, given certain paths of my distant and not so distant past, I'd say I lucked out. Probably a chemical thing but when I drive by the ocean or walk the pier on a day like this, I have to laugh that I'm here. I don't know how it ever happened. It's as if I've known the place and the people forever. And been fond of both.
I heard mention on the radio, probably one of California's extremely misguided public service ads, something about giving back and making a difference. The inference was that living a normal life makes no difference. You have to go find a public way to be seen doing something for free, presumably for strangers. I don't get it.
Why is it better to offer free whatever to people I don't know than to do something for people I know? If someone I know can use whatever it is I offer, I know that I am contributing to someone good. I don't care what others do, but I don't think there are really such separations in life.
One's spiritual life is not separate from regular life and if you are a positive force of some kind, whether by doing great work, including paid work, or by lifting spirits of those with whom you cross paths, it is all good. What is it that people have stolen which requires giving back? Giving back what and to whom?
I'd be lying if I said anything I do for the community at large, on a non paid, volunteer basis, constitutes giving back. Any paid work I do is imbued with special mojo not to be had elsewhere, and I don't ignore trash at my feet if it needs picking up. I don't abuse the world around me nor do I take what is not mine. Nothing to give back.
Now, in the case of friends, I definitely hope to give back as much enrichment as they provide for my life. Even so, I do not demand or take in a way that would indicate I better give something back and make a show of it. Who wants that kind of needy demanding relationship?
No, they can take their "give back" lectures to the halls of the state and national legislatures. Those people definitely have reason to feel guilty enough to think about giving back. To do it right would take them a very long time.
The "make a difference" part is silly to address. Especially because some of the ads tell you that you can influence the climate. Get over it. The best thing a person can do to really make a difference is to create something useful and better; like the electric lightbulb, or air conditioning. Or maybe a very cheap way to power a home without ugly by-products. That would make a difference. All things which promote the quality of life and independence of the individual make a positive difference.
Perhaps it is telling that I almost never say "we", as in we need to get better energy sources, or we need to sacrifice or we need to all get together. That's because I like people. You may not see it but the "we" talk is generally done by those who want to change and control you; the haters.
ps: I heart tennis. Really, I could become addicted to just hitting against the ball machine. It's icy like Borg. That can psych you out if you aren't careful. It shows no emotion and never gets tired.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Hummer Heroes
Despite the bad press, and the disdainful looks from the dutifully outraged, those who drive gigantic Hummers for real or compensatory reasons, are progressive technology heroes. That's how things work.
First off, if it is true that they use a lot of fuel, they are paying lots of extra tax per mile because each gallon of gasoline includes tax. And those things are made to go off road, so the real deal won't even be using highway infrastructure.
The way things really change, like the switch from whale oil to petroleum products, is for one source to become less abundant as another becomes more easily obtainable. Such things often involve discovery, development, vision, profit, and improved ways of doing things. They almost never involve technology dictated by thugs in lawyer and politician suits. Good things come because nature demands and offers them. Synthetic markets only retard the process. Like the solar goods available in CA.
They even advertise that they are as cheap as regular energy, once you account for state, federal, local, and power company rebates and incentives. That's like saying a horse and buggy is as fast as a Bugatti, provided you truck it to the finish line prior to the start of the race. Such a market increases the motivation to produce a bunch of what exists, but no incentive to make a product which is really does the job better than the existing technology.
Better things can and should be built. Especially designs which free people from centralized control of power, fuel for transportation, water, and all else. Those who benefit from power and control over those necessities resist and fight any change which places the individual in control over his own utilities and mobility.
Incentive and need to create really effective alternatives, which can stand on their own merit, are not there if tax dollars are used to cover the shortcomings in design and function. If fuel is used up, and costs increased due to scarcity resulting from Hummer use, I guarantee those who love to play will find ways to make it happen by other means. Maybe using fat from liposuction clinics. That's how things have always worked.
People find ways to tame or make use of nature in a manner which fits a set of parameters. It's called engineering. So, you ask how can I make this monster all terrain vehicle go a long way at 100 mph without making lots of smoke and trouble. Then creative smart people set out to make it happen.
Of course, it does skew the game when that which is not very harmful, if at all, is treated as if it is. Politicians, newspeople, and science often mix to give a picture as clear as viewing a horse race through a kaleidoscope. Based on truth, but nothing close to the real picture.
Instead of the crazy attitude that Hummers are somehow hurting the world, reality and truth should be embraced. They give something to shoot for. How can I equal what a Hummer can do, not sacrificing space, speed, or utility, but using another power or fuel source? That's how humans think in a FREE world; not in terms of "How can I lower my standard of living and that of my comrades, while patting myself on the back for doing good?".
Contrary to everything the class war beneficiaries and killjoy thugs may tell us, I am all for corporations throwing big lavish parties, buying and using private jets. refurbishing their offices, generally spending money that pays people to do and make things. But then, I am not for government investing a dime in any private company, telling them who to do business with, or interfering in any way other than to prevent them from using force or fraud.
I would forbid the sale of arms outside the US, regardless of the customer. But I'd also forbid the government from engaging in foreign aid of any kind. Let the citizens do what they want independently as far as charitable acts go.
Controlled and artificially manipulated markets are the plaything of the arrogant egomaniacs who assume they know better than the people what is good for them. The truth is, there are no limits to the possibilities in the realm of energy and all else that makes life a bowl of cherries. Don't be fooled by people who claim to know all the options, therefore they use your money to fund what they say are the best of the allegedly limited choices.
I hope the enthusiasm for the unknown, and the belief in what is possible comes through as much as my dislike of the people who try to manage the lives of others. Safe to say I find the trend toward a Brave New World over the last thirty or one hundred years, completely unacceptable, and I would embrace any revolution to restrict this government to its originally stated functions.
First off, if it is true that they use a lot of fuel, they are paying lots of extra tax per mile because each gallon of gasoline includes tax. And those things are made to go off road, so the real deal won't even be using highway infrastructure.
The way things really change, like the switch from whale oil to petroleum products, is for one source to become less abundant as another becomes more easily obtainable. Such things often involve discovery, development, vision, profit, and improved ways of doing things. They almost never involve technology dictated by thugs in lawyer and politician suits. Good things come because nature demands and offers them. Synthetic markets only retard the process. Like the solar goods available in CA.
They even advertise that they are as cheap as regular energy, once you account for state, federal, local, and power company rebates and incentives. That's like saying a horse and buggy is as fast as a Bugatti, provided you truck it to the finish line prior to the start of the race. Such a market increases the motivation to produce a bunch of what exists, but no incentive to make a product which is really does the job better than the existing technology.
Better things can and should be built. Especially designs which free people from centralized control of power, fuel for transportation, water, and all else. Those who benefit from power and control over those necessities resist and fight any change which places the individual in control over his own utilities and mobility.
Incentive and need to create really effective alternatives, which can stand on their own merit, are not there if tax dollars are used to cover the shortcomings in design and function. If fuel is used up, and costs increased due to scarcity resulting from Hummer use, I guarantee those who love to play will find ways to make it happen by other means. Maybe using fat from liposuction clinics. That's how things have always worked.
People find ways to tame or make use of nature in a manner which fits a set of parameters. It's called engineering. So, you ask how can I make this monster all terrain vehicle go a long way at 100 mph without making lots of smoke and trouble. Then creative smart people set out to make it happen.
Of course, it does skew the game when that which is not very harmful, if at all, is treated as if it is. Politicians, newspeople, and science often mix to give a picture as clear as viewing a horse race through a kaleidoscope. Based on truth, but nothing close to the real picture.
Instead of the crazy attitude that Hummers are somehow hurting the world, reality and truth should be embraced. They give something to shoot for. How can I equal what a Hummer can do, not sacrificing space, speed, or utility, but using another power or fuel source? That's how humans think in a FREE world; not in terms of "How can I lower my standard of living and that of my comrades, while patting myself on the back for doing good?".
Contrary to everything the class war beneficiaries and killjoy thugs may tell us, I am all for corporations throwing big lavish parties, buying and using private jets. refurbishing their offices, generally spending money that pays people to do and make things. But then, I am not for government investing a dime in any private company, telling them who to do business with, or interfering in any way other than to prevent them from using force or fraud.
I would forbid the sale of arms outside the US, regardless of the customer. But I'd also forbid the government from engaging in foreign aid of any kind. Let the citizens do what they want independently as far as charitable acts go.
Controlled and artificially manipulated markets are the plaything of the arrogant egomaniacs who assume they know better than the people what is good for them. The truth is, there are no limits to the possibilities in the realm of energy and all else that makes life a bowl of cherries. Don't be fooled by people who claim to know all the options, therefore they use your money to fund what they say are the best of the allegedly limited choices.
I hope the enthusiasm for the unknown, and the belief in what is possible comes through as much as my dislike of the people who try to manage the lives of others. Safe to say I find the trend toward a Brave New World over the last thirty or one hundred years, completely unacceptable, and I would embrace any revolution to restrict this government to its originally stated functions.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sound of Music
So we've been working up a few folk tunes. New territory for me. It's Ok though. I figure I better do what I can while I can. There may be a day when it is considered an affront to the people's sensibilities to play blues harp. The stunning thing to me is that so few people actually get what's going on and how it happened.
As our version of the Von Trapps dance across the Rockies on their way to Alaska, looking for freedom, maybe hoping some state will finally decide to quit the game and secede, they'll be monitored the entire time. Probably the daughter's cell phone, or maybe the son's will be the beacon that brings in the national guard.
It really is not a great leap from the over use of traffic cameras to punish and take money, to constant tracking to tax your milage or just be sure you aren't Osama.
The trouble is that the price of constant surveillance is that we give up the ability to effectively dissent or rebel against tyrannical authority. Even as things are now, I do not trust the safety of sending letters or emails to representatives. With my views, no telling what database would store my type. It takes little effort, if any for you to be classed in a particular way from a letter or petition. Computers can do it through sophisticated software without anyone reading the letter. (like anyone reads them now)
It is not the question of whether you ought to run red lights, but whether you have the right to insist the public administrators stick to the program of letting people be free. Obviously no one has ever heard of Hitler or Castro and seen how their games were played. Europe has a history of learning absolutely nothing from history. It is that oblivious arrogance that allowed us to win a revolution we had no reasonable chance of winning. Apparently we didn't learn either.
The real reason for the IRS system, I am convinced, is that it can be used by those in power to harass or even ruin those who oppose. Look how both parties have managed to divert attention away from substance as they sick the dogs on one another. That's why neither party pushes to abolish it and go to a different less costly system.
You just wait. It won't be long before you look around a say, "he was right, they really are seeking to control us to the point of abstract slavery". I cannot believe most people still think there is any sense to this stuff.
As our version of the Von Trapps dance across the Rockies on their way to Alaska, looking for freedom, maybe hoping some state will finally decide to quit the game and secede, they'll be monitored the entire time. Probably the daughter's cell phone, or maybe the son's will be the beacon that brings in the national guard.
It really is not a great leap from the over use of traffic cameras to punish and take money, to constant tracking to tax your milage or just be sure you aren't Osama.
The trouble is that the price of constant surveillance is that we give up the ability to effectively dissent or rebel against tyrannical authority. Even as things are now, I do not trust the safety of sending letters or emails to representatives. With my views, no telling what database would store my type. It takes little effort, if any for you to be classed in a particular way from a letter or petition. Computers can do it through sophisticated software without anyone reading the letter. (like anyone reads them now)
It is not the question of whether you ought to run red lights, but whether you have the right to insist the public administrators stick to the program of letting people be free. Obviously no one has ever heard of Hitler or Castro and seen how their games were played. Europe has a history of learning absolutely nothing from history. It is that oblivious arrogance that allowed us to win a revolution we had no reasonable chance of winning. Apparently we didn't learn either.
The real reason for the IRS system, I am convinced, is that it can be used by those in power to harass or even ruin those who oppose. Look how both parties have managed to divert attention away from substance as they sick the dogs on one another. That's why neither party pushes to abolish it and go to a different less costly system.
You just wait. It won't be long before you look around a say, "he was right, they really are seeking to control us to the point of abstract slavery". I cannot believe most people still think there is any sense to this stuff.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
I'm Gil Favor, and this is my ram rod...
For those who never heard of it, there used to be a TV western called Rawhide. It was where Clint Eastwood got his start. He was Rowdy Yates. Gil was the trail boss.
Rowdy was always introduced by Gil Favor as his ram rod. Imagine how that would go over in today's market. In case you still think it has something to do with gay pride, what Gil meant was that Rowdy was like the foreman of the cattle drive, the git 'er done guy.
That just came to mind so I thought I'd mention it. It does seem peculiar to be introducing your employee as your ram rod. Rowdy was to Gil Favor as Rahm is to Barack. Personally I wish he'd chosen Clint Eastwood.
Rowdy was always introduced by Gil Favor as his ram rod. Imagine how that would go over in today's market. In case you still think it has something to do with gay pride, what Gil meant was that Rowdy was like the foreman of the cattle drive, the git 'er done guy.
That just came to mind so I thought I'd mention it. It does seem peculiar to be introducing your employee as your ram rod. Rowdy was to Gil Favor as Rahm is to Barack. Personally I wish he'd chosen Clint Eastwood.
Economic Philosophical Clarification
The fact that I am not geared for the modern corporate structure unless I am running the show does not mean I have a disdain for corporations or business.
In the basic, natural order of things, I find it only right for companies to make money, as much as they honestly can. The ideal environment is one in which business is done without coercion of force, the trickery of fraud and deception. What has happened is that artificial market forces have become so influential that the average corporation tends to trade competence for security. The government entanglement, alone, is so powerful and complex that making the better mouse trap takes a back seat to many other factors.
Simple government contracts, for instance, are rarely the free bidding situation they pretend. I remember being in a situation in which the feds were going to buy a large number of a particular machine; something to do a particular job. Several companies made a product that was of reasonable quality. I thought the product I represented and one made by a competitor were the best. One was in no way better than the other of the top two.
What each of us did was to butter up the officials responsible for writing the specs. They didn't specify in terms of a generic nature with the main issue being the ultimate purpose and function of the machines. We got them to specify a particular type and size of wire for one of the components. That was the one internal part which was different about ours. It was not a matter of that detail causing one to be superior over the other. But, whoever got the specs written to favor the material already being produced for his units had the edge.
Another agency specified the stuff that made the other guy's product the sure winner. In both cases it was tax money and probably not something really within proper realm of government. But, like everyone else, we were whores to the public money. And that was one company with few of the typical corporate nonsense I've seen. It was also in the day before all the social training and pretense that has become institutionalized.
The airline and the phone company were spooky with the bizarre duplicity which ran rampant. One put employees at risk regularly then raised hell about job safety. All pretense to satisfy regulators and set people up to fail or get hurt but have no legal leg to stand on. The other made deception a way of life, and the really fraudulent actions were committed under the veil of "disclosure" and "integrity issues". It was and is a sad thing.
Natural trade between individuals and entities, when lying and force are not part of the picture is part of what characterizes us as human. It is the lower aspects of human nature which seek to penalize success and stack the deck dishonestly or behind the guns of government.
In the basic, natural order of things, I find it only right for companies to make money, as much as they honestly can. The ideal environment is one in which business is done without coercion of force, the trickery of fraud and deception. What has happened is that artificial market forces have become so influential that the average corporation tends to trade competence for security. The government entanglement, alone, is so powerful and complex that making the better mouse trap takes a back seat to many other factors.
Simple government contracts, for instance, are rarely the free bidding situation they pretend. I remember being in a situation in which the feds were going to buy a large number of a particular machine; something to do a particular job. Several companies made a product that was of reasonable quality. I thought the product I represented and one made by a competitor were the best. One was in no way better than the other of the top two.
What each of us did was to butter up the officials responsible for writing the specs. They didn't specify in terms of a generic nature with the main issue being the ultimate purpose and function of the machines. We got them to specify a particular type and size of wire for one of the components. That was the one internal part which was different about ours. It was not a matter of that detail causing one to be superior over the other. But, whoever got the specs written to favor the material already being produced for his units had the edge.
Another agency specified the stuff that made the other guy's product the sure winner. In both cases it was tax money and probably not something really within proper realm of government. But, like everyone else, we were whores to the public money. And that was one company with few of the typical corporate nonsense I've seen. It was also in the day before all the social training and pretense that has become institutionalized.
The airline and the phone company were spooky with the bizarre duplicity which ran rampant. One put employees at risk regularly then raised hell about job safety. All pretense to satisfy regulators and set people up to fail or get hurt but have no legal leg to stand on. The other made deception a way of life, and the really fraudulent actions were committed under the veil of "disclosure" and "integrity issues". It was and is a sad thing.
Natural trade between individuals and entities, when lying and force are not part of the picture is part of what characterizes us as human. It is the lower aspects of human nature which seek to penalize success and stack the deck dishonestly or behind the guns of government.
Roping Deer
Recently I received a couple of fwd fwd emails which contained a cattle guy's account of his deer roping adventure. One thing is certain, the guy can spin a good yarn. If farming and ranching don't support him, he has a future as a writer, or maybe a stand up comic.
Apparently, since deer regularly helped themselves to the feed trough, the guy thought maybe he'd rope one of them, keep it around and fatten it up, then send it to its maker yielding him a good harvest of venison. He discovered that a deer may act dumb and docile but it is all a trick. Deer can be meaner than horses and cows. This rancher claims that pound for pound deer are stronger.
By the time his adventure ended, the tables had turned and all he wanted was to escape the deer. He never did get that venison, as he lost all desire for it after getting his butt kicked by the cute little creature..
What thought this generated concerns life, media and induced stress. The relative who sent it has done very well in his life; good grown children, comfortable financial status, continuing interests, great wife, and a collection of friends. It somewhat puzzled me that he is preoccupied with dinosaur bone activities in remote parts of the west, hunting and fishing, but little in the ream of things you see in the media, other than getting his news from Stephen Colbert and John Stewart.
The deer roping story sounded like something from his life these past few years. I realized that far from being totally oblivious to matters of civic concern, he has chosen to live life, enjoy what he can, the friends he likes, and let the rest go. It is his prescription for his own health, I suspect. It makes sense.
Possibly I am wrong, but I sense that the stories which are rich in basic humanity, the fun and unusual things people say and do, have become rarer than in times past. Such is the nature of collectivism. Somehow the warmth and humor of individuals just being themselves becomes overshadowed if not frowned upon. The deer roper would be seen by many as a big meany, uncaring when it comes to the possible environmental impact of his interactions with Bambi, and guilty of all kinds of sins.
I tend to see the guy as a hero. He reminded me of another era. It was the time when my great uncles ranched and told stories and trained great cow ponies, and generally minded their own business. I can't imagine them ever deciding that what car someone drove was somehow an affront to the earth and therefore their business. I have to think that they would have resisted arguments which encourage people to find excuses to be in the business of others that way.
Anyway, roping deer is about making the best of one's own world. Doing things just because it makes you feel alive; without concern for what various organizations or celebrities might say. Daring to be yourself. It's about freedom. Lucky people are those who are far enough away from the collective lunacy to engage in whatever folly they can dream up. Not hurting others, just living life, and finding excitement how they choose. It's an art that may be fading. Perhaps only I feel that my ability to live free without all the external filters has been retarded and the rest of the country is not in a similar condition. Actually, I don't believe that.
Maybe I'll give up paying attention to the neo-Bolsheviks for Lent. I certainly have the jump on not believing their theories or their ubiquitous public service ads.
Apparently, since deer regularly helped themselves to the feed trough, the guy thought maybe he'd rope one of them, keep it around and fatten it up, then send it to its maker yielding him a good harvest of venison. He discovered that a deer may act dumb and docile but it is all a trick. Deer can be meaner than horses and cows. This rancher claims that pound for pound deer are stronger.
By the time his adventure ended, the tables had turned and all he wanted was to escape the deer. He never did get that venison, as he lost all desire for it after getting his butt kicked by the cute little creature..
What thought this generated concerns life, media and induced stress. The relative who sent it has done very well in his life; good grown children, comfortable financial status, continuing interests, great wife, and a collection of friends. It somewhat puzzled me that he is preoccupied with dinosaur bone activities in remote parts of the west, hunting and fishing, but little in the ream of things you see in the media, other than getting his news from Stephen Colbert and John Stewart.
The deer roping story sounded like something from his life these past few years. I realized that far from being totally oblivious to matters of civic concern, he has chosen to live life, enjoy what he can, the friends he likes, and let the rest go. It is his prescription for his own health, I suspect. It makes sense.
Possibly I am wrong, but I sense that the stories which are rich in basic humanity, the fun and unusual things people say and do, have become rarer than in times past. Such is the nature of collectivism. Somehow the warmth and humor of individuals just being themselves becomes overshadowed if not frowned upon. The deer roper would be seen by many as a big meany, uncaring when it comes to the possible environmental impact of his interactions with Bambi, and guilty of all kinds of sins.
I tend to see the guy as a hero. He reminded me of another era. It was the time when my great uncles ranched and told stories and trained great cow ponies, and generally minded their own business. I can't imagine them ever deciding that what car someone drove was somehow an affront to the earth and therefore their business. I have to think that they would have resisted arguments which encourage people to find excuses to be in the business of others that way.
Anyway, roping deer is about making the best of one's own world. Doing things just because it makes you feel alive; without concern for what various organizations or celebrities might say. Daring to be yourself. It's about freedom. Lucky people are those who are far enough away from the collective lunacy to engage in whatever folly they can dream up. Not hurting others, just living life, and finding excitement how they choose. It's an art that may be fading. Perhaps only I feel that my ability to live free without all the external filters has been retarded and the rest of the country is not in a similar condition. Actually, I don't believe that.
Maybe I'll give up paying attention to the neo-Bolsheviks for Lent. I certainly have the jump on not believing their theories or their ubiquitous public service ads.
Friday, February 27, 2009
A Million Things
Heck with it.
I doubt my views are interesting. Right, maybe. Ahead of the curve. But inconvenient, and contrary to the opium dreams we've been fed for eons.
There's a difference between being oppositional by nature and refusing to condone any form of slavery. Many of those subjected don't even see it themselves. One hint would be to look twice at those who insist that unity and mass sacrifice are necessary in order for them to fix problems they created. When those who are flying high convince others their freedom is a selfish luxury, I tend to view them with suspicion, if not pure disdain.
When you think of all the possible sources of energy and possibilities for making it more of a building by building independent process, it is disheartening to find authorities insisting on their prescribed choices. It locks out all the unimagined choices. Both those not imagined by the mutant gangsters we know as career politicians (often arrogantly self titled "public servants"), and those unimagined systems that people might conceive who aren't on the subsidy list. Maybe ideas conceived by people who can't comprehend the idea of asking for permission and ransomed money for their idea in the form of government grants or other payout.
The possibilities go so far beyond the tripe that public funded Bolsheviks pretend is the last word in invention, it enthuses and nauseates me at the same time.
Thank God for rich people who can't stand natural teak that turns gray like old barn wood. No, they like it alive with that amber glow, and that is my saving grace at this moment.
I know I should be working on energy ideas I've toyed with since way back in the invention days. But I am having a tough time doing it. Back then after seeing how corrupt agencies and corrupt companies work together, and how that is how government works (and has for a very long time), I decided to quit and never bother again. It's been hard deciding to give it another try. I've not sincerely made the effort to restore that innocent passion for an idea. Besides, I like sanding teak, working in a place that is remote and secluded.
Morons. Cap and trade. Only those who hate people, or have the most incredibly limited view of possibilities would entertain such convoluted plans. What a lame unjustified means of punishment. Once again, it will put the honest companies, those not in bed with sick authoritarian bureaucrats, out of business, while the ones who are in a position to afford it will publicly bitch while privately insisting on it. It won't benefit anyone worth benefitting.
I doubt my views are interesting. Right, maybe. Ahead of the curve. But inconvenient, and contrary to the opium dreams we've been fed for eons.
There's a difference between being oppositional by nature and refusing to condone any form of slavery. Many of those subjected don't even see it themselves. One hint would be to look twice at those who insist that unity and mass sacrifice are necessary in order for them to fix problems they created. When those who are flying high convince others their freedom is a selfish luxury, I tend to view them with suspicion, if not pure disdain.
When you think of all the possible sources of energy and possibilities for making it more of a building by building independent process, it is disheartening to find authorities insisting on their prescribed choices. It locks out all the unimagined choices. Both those not imagined by the mutant gangsters we know as career politicians (often arrogantly self titled "public servants"), and those unimagined systems that people might conceive who aren't on the subsidy list. Maybe ideas conceived by people who can't comprehend the idea of asking for permission and ransomed money for their idea in the form of government grants or other payout.
The possibilities go so far beyond the tripe that public funded Bolsheviks pretend is the last word in invention, it enthuses and nauseates me at the same time.
Thank God for rich people who can't stand natural teak that turns gray like old barn wood. No, they like it alive with that amber glow, and that is my saving grace at this moment.
I know I should be working on energy ideas I've toyed with since way back in the invention days. But I am having a tough time doing it. Back then after seeing how corrupt agencies and corrupt companies work together, and how that is how government works (and has for a very long time), I decided to quit and never bother again. It's been hard deciding to give it another try. I've not sincerely made the effort to restore that innocent passion for an idea. Besides, I like sanding teak, working in a place that is remote and secluded.
Morons. Cap and trade. Only those who hate people, or have the most incredibly limited view of possibilities would entertain such convoluted plans. What a lame unjustified means of punishment. Once again, it will put the honest companies, those not in bed with sick authoritarian bureaucrats, out of business, while the ones who are in a position to afford it will publicly bitch while privately insisting on it. It won't benefit anyone worth benefitting.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
What Matters
Solitary thinking, or reacting to the barrage of information and misinformation, propaganda which assails us 24 hours a day, may be an addiction. Much as I sometimes believe I ultimately want constant company and other things which do not now characterize my existence, I wonder if I'd have to find ways to be left alone for hours at a time. It's kind of a need. But maybe it is the same sort of need that ice cream or opium would be, provided both were equally available to me.
In these times it is hard not to have a storming mind. A second rate newspaper prints a cartoon intended as a dig at Congress for writing a very expensive bill which they then passed without reading. The public and press are so ignorant that they think it was a racial slur against the most deprived person in the country, the racially handicapped and held back poster boy--Obama. Oh, I forgot, he's the president, and has the most sophisticated plane on earth for a company car. Maybe he isn't suffering from unfair discrimination. At any rate, professional instigators of racial hatred decided it was somehow a slur against him for being nominally black.
That wasn't enough. There are people upset because the stupid cartoonist(s) weren't fired. It was a takeoff on the pampered chimp gone wild. No one was talking race. This issue of freedom of speech is reaching a crisis point, I think. The most bizarre part is that the loudest outcry against such things is based on pure ignorance. Anything to drive home the message that we are now forbidden to lampoon certain elected officials. How can I help but think when I hear and see these things?
And we thought the murders and threats and riots over innocuous cartoons aimed at Islamic fanatic terrorists seemed the mark of a backward people incapable of grasping the tenets of freedom. At least some of us did. Apparently our own country has degenerated to the point that freedom and equality are interpreted according to an ever changing set of rules. You can express any view or criticism of government you want as long as you do it in ways that please the right people. Bluntly, the current president is off limits.
I hope it is merely the paranoia that comes from being me, but I honestly think we are being duped in ways which are so insidious and clever that we'll be the 21st century version of the USSR before we know it. Never was any truly free society, of which there have been maybe one (almost), predicated on the idea of collective pain, involuntary sacrifice of the individual for the better good, or any of the things that we are being fed, and accepting.
There are people, some in my own family, who would class what I say on these matters as pure fiction. If I think it, it must be wrong. That was my first postulate of logic when I was old enough to try to figure things out. The more I've encountered authority, the more true that has become.
Since I see what is being done on the legal authoritative front as 100% wrong, it follows that what I think is right is wrong in the eyes of the powers that be. Except now, I am unwilling to accept it just because of the immense resources and power at their command. It's mostly just stolen goods anyway.
But does that matter as much as a good day in a kayak out in the bay? I don't think so. To let these neo-Stalinists ruin one's personal world is a huge mistake. Take my money in the form of killing the market, maybe, but I think it is possible to find some shred of contentment regardless. I know I'd rather die of a minor ailment than accept their vision of universal health care, and I'd rather live like a bedouin in a tent than accept any government housing.
Damn. Ahnold has yet to learn how to speak English. He was just on saying something, and I swear, I could not understand any of it except when he said, "da people get...". I think it had to do with some sort of checks being sent to illegals or teachers or someone.
In these times it is hard not to have a storming mind. A second rate newspaper prints a cartoon intended as a dig at Congress for writing a very expensive bill which they then passed without reading. The public and press are so ignorant that they think it was a racial slur against the most deprived person in the country, the racially handicapped and held back poster boy--Obama. Oh, I forgot, he's the president, and has the most sophisticated plane on earth for a company car. Maybe he isn't suffering from unfair discrimination. At any rate, professional instigators of racial hatred decided it was somehow a slur against him for being nominally black.
That wasn't enough. There are people upset because the stupid cartoonist(s) weren't fired. It was a takeoff on the pampered chimp gone wild. No one was talking race. This issue of freedom of speech is reaching a crisis point, I think. The most bizarre part is that the loudest outcry against such things is based on pure ignorance. Anything to drive home the message that we are now forbidden to lampoon certain elected officials. How can I help but think when I hear and see these things?
And we thought the murders and threats and riots over innocuous cartoons aimed at Islamic fanatic terrorists seemed the mark of a backward people incapable of grasping the tenets of freedom. At least some of us did. Apparently our own country has degenerated to the point that freedom and equality are interpreted according to an ever changing set of rules. You can express any view or criticism of government you want as long as you do it in ways that please the right people. Bluntly, the current president is off limits.
I hope it is merely the paranoia that comes from being me, but I honestly think we are being duped in ways which are so insidious and clever that we'll be the 21st century version of the USSR before we know it. Never was any truly free society, of which there have been maybe one (almost), predicated on the idea of collective pain, involuntary sacrifice of the individual for the better good, or any of the things that we are being fed, and accepting.
There are people, some in my own family, who would class what I say on these matters as pure fiction. If I think it, it must be wrong. That was my first postulate of logic when I was old enough to try to figure things out. The more I've encountered authority, the more true that has become.
Since I see what is being done on the legal authoritative front as 100% wrong, it follows that what I think is right is wrong in the eyes of the powers that be. Except now, I am unwilling to accept it just because of the immense resources and power at their command. It's mostly just stolen goods anyway.
But does that matter as much as a good day in a kayak out in the bay? I don't think so. To let these neo-Stalinists ruin one's personal world is a huge mistake. Take my money in the form of killing the market, maybe, but I think it is possible to find some shred of contentment regardless. I know I'd rather die of a minor ailment than accept their vision of universal health care, and I'd rather live like a bedouin in a tent than accept any government housing.
Damn. Ahnold has yet to learn how to speak English. He was just on saying something, and I swear, I could not understand any of it except when he said, "da people get...". I think it had to do with some sort of checks being sent to illegals or teachers or someone.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
What if They Said We were Flying High?
I was wondering how many people would find their present view of life to be different if all we heard was how "robust" the economy is. A lot of us would assume we made bad investments, or assumed an unwise loan, or just don't fit in. When they were talking about how strong the economy was, I did not do much better. "The economy" has rarely been in sync with my prospects.
During periods in which it was supposed to be easy to get a job, I had trouble. When "they" said jobs were scarce, work was there to be had. I guess the lesson is that I am not a macro man.
The collective macro economic picture does me no good. It is tough not to think of it, have opinions and feel that a country is being, has been, sold out, but being personally affected too much, as far as believing I can't survive OK, is not the best move. I'm just glad I may be able to bring in as much as I spend because anything saved or invested is a liability. These are times when starting from scratch is not as penalized as being responsible and successful at accumulating some wealth over the last decade or so.
Why are the middle class and upper middle class being punished? It's an odd occurrence. The tone and reality of things does seem like a punishment.
I certainly don't blame the rich, if you define rich like Obama does--people who make over 250K. Those people spend money given the chance. They are the bread and butter of those who make less but want to survive, or do better. Try selling your widgets to the homeless.
Oh well, the king has no clothes but there is so much fog generated that people don't see it. Yet. I doubt they will anytime soon. Too much misinformation for people to think it through from the reasonable starting point. In light of the last 100 years, today is inevitable. None of the permitted schools of thought gave credence to those few who insisted that trouble was ahead over that period of nation dismantling.
During periods in which it was supposed to be easy to get a job, I had trouble. When "they" said jobs were scarce, work was there to be had. I guess the lesson is that I am not a macro man.
The collective macro economic picture does me no good. It is tough not to think of it, have opinions and feel that a country is being, has been, sold out, but being personally affected too much, as far as believing I can't survive OK, is not the best move. I'm just glad I may be able to bring in as much as I spend because anything saved or invested is a liability. These are times when starting from scratch is not as penalized as being responsible and successful at accumulating some wealth over the last decade or so.
Why are the middle class and upper middle class being punished? It's an odd occurrence. The tone and reality of things does seem like a punishment.
I certainly don't blame the rich, if you define rich like Obama does--people who make over 250K. Those people spend money given the chance. They are the bread and butter of those who make less but want to survive, or do better. Try selling your widgets to the homeless.
Oh well, the king has no clothes but there is so much fog generated that people don't see it. Yet. I doubt they will anytime soon. Too much misinformation for people to think it through from the reasonable starting point. In light of the last 100 years, today is inevitable. None of the permitted schools of thought gave credence to those few who insisted that trouble was ahead over that period of nation dismantling.
Finessing It
The local neighborhood musicians have cranked up the rehearsal schedule because we're playing a coffee house in an area that has recently rebuilt or is rebuilding from a fire awhile back. It's mostly folkish sort of music. Since they sing so well, I find it kind of soothing. Playing with them is a challenge because it is not the sort of thing you wail on through an amp like I was doing in Memphis. Definitely an exercise in subtlety.
On another front, I'm finding that learning basic habits which make tennis more playable requires much the same restraint and precision. It's all about finesse. Maybe that is the right word. probably slightly not. Both endeavors ought to make me a little better and have implications which reach farther. Things which normally provide me a way to vent when frustrated now require that I just keep in focus and exercise restraint.
I'm probably in need of that. I've ventured far from good manners and my new environment is not conducive to such a lapse. Who would have thought it? Until I found myself here, I was unaware of my own edginess. Fortunately, edgy is not what I want or respect. As much as anger has been a blinding factor at times, I never considered myself an angry person or one who considered it a virtue. Some people pride themselves on their temper. I guess if it is channeled toward those who sorely deserve it, then good can come of it. A rare thing.
On another front, I'm finding that learning basic habits which make tennis more playable requires much the same restraint and precision. It's all about finesse. Maybe that is the right word. probably slightly not. Both endeavors ought to make me a little better and have implications which reach farther. Things which normally provide me a way to vent when frustrated now require that I just keep in focus and exercise restraint.
I'm probably in need of that. I've ventured far from good manners and my new environment is not conducive to such a lapse. Who would have thought it? Until I found myself here, I was unaware of my own edginess. Fortunately, edgy is not what I want or respect. As much as anger has been a blinding factor at times, I never considered myself an angry person or one who considered it a virtue. Some people pride themselves on their temper. I guess if it is channeled toward those who sorely deserve it, then good can come of it. A rare thing.
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About Me
- John0 Juanderlust
- Ballistic Mountain, CA, United States
- Like spring on a summer's day
