The Lesson

Hope for the best, be prepared for the worst. Don't loot and steal.

It is hard for people to ignore the obvious contrasts in light of Japan's behavior during one of the most powerful natural disasters and the resulting emergency with the power plants. It's remarkable how fond most Americans are of the Japanese. I think it is that they earned respect over time. And, contrary to high profile charlatans, when it comes down to it, we tend to place character above race more than most societies.

I have a friend whose father survived the Bataan death March, and I think they do not hold it against the people as a group. My friend swears by Honda. That is all he's driven for the last 20 years or so. And I only hear him sing the country's praises. Typical American. Many in the world would have generations of a blood feud going after what his father endured.

I hope nothing more happens there, and that the attempts to make political issues regarding energy and else out of this event simply fall flat.

Apple Knew I was iRight

Told you so!
iPhones decided to spring back instead of forward for the time change. That is because the Mac daddies knew I was right.
It's all explained in a couple of essays posted down from here.

I feel vindicated. Too bad the news reported this as an error in iPhone programming. It was the only right thing involved in this energy wasting time scheme we have blindly followed without question.

Oh well. I'll enjoy the hot evenings and late sunsets.

It Must Be My Fault [or I am the source and cause of all things]

I've been seeing little hints around that there are people who do not know that the earth is not a stagnant inert ball. They think every natural occurrence, change in weather, earthquake, volcano, you name it, must be due to either secret government experiments, evil oil companies, or the blight of the earth--human existence, itself.

There are various discussions regarding "Mother Nature is pissed off" and other related mother nature tales. Of course the implication is that mother nature is mad at the unnatural life form for being what it is; human. I get lost reading those things.

Who the hell is mother nature. Where does she live? And why is she always getting pissed off? Sounds like a shrew to me.

These same people would most likely say they believe in evolution and that we evolved from ooze and slime. So, why do they then think nature is somehow exclusive of the human race? Everything we have was derived from the stuff that was laying around in one way or another. Every species on the planet, and probably the whole big university, uses what it can to do what it thinks will make it feel better, safer, and sexier. Assuming that is how it works out in the big university.

You ever see the mess beavers make? Or alligators? They screw stuff up big time. And they don't leave things as they found them. Don't even get me started on elephants. Suffice to say, if they took a shortcut through your farm, the garden or grove would never be the same.

So, there is a big earthquake off of Japan's coast, and they get shaken up and suffer lots of damage from the tsunami. The reaction? Oh, Mother nature is fighting back. The drilling in the Dakotas did it. This is a good opportunity for Obama to reinforce the idea that he was born in Hawaii--according to Chris Matthews (I kid you not). It is karma from WWII. Unbelievable.

It takes very little general knowledge to be aware that the earth is full of hot stuff which screws with the pristine surface on a regular basis. It is not a beach ball filled with foam.

You'd think that nothing ever happened on earth before the industrial age. I think it is due to some hard wired resistance to letting go of superstition. We can't pretend that gods and dragons haul the sun and stars around, and throw lightening at us, and need virgins to appease their cantankerous moods, so new superstitions get invented. In this case it is the Mother Nature or Mother Earth scenario.

Another goddess who needs appeasing. I guess no one thinks sacrificing virgins or holding fun fertility rites will do the trick. They seem more inclined to sacrifice any creative, useful invention or endeavor of the species instead. Let's appease Mother Nature by not heating our homes and by not taking advantage of the mobility the fertile minds of our kind have provided us. At the very least, we should pretend to hate ourselves and feel guilty. But best to express this by somehow blaming the rich or some group that isn't us.

I suppose the westboro bonko church will blame "fags". It is all the same thing. Hard core superstition at work. "The earth has a fever".

I do not think things improve with an attitude of disdain for your own species. I'm more of the mind that all the racket being made in demonstrations and rallies was more than mother nature could take and she fought back to blunt out the shrill noise.

Not really, but that is as legitimate a theory as all the rest.

I'm Talking Saving the Bears and Earth and No One Cares?

Ingrates!!!
The last post clearly showed that the daylight savings time is backwards and that the earth and humanity, not to mention the cuddly polar bears, can be saved by springing forward in fall and falling back in spring.
No one cared.
Ingrates!!
I fry my brain conceiving ways to help humanity and what do I get?

Nothing!!

Why?

Because the world is peopled by Ingrates!!!

Oh well. Now I must devise a plan to convince the ingrates to pay me and serve my whims. Saving humanity is a thankless task. I'll find a way to turn this in my favor.

I Was Thinking; again, part311

Soon we have to spring forward with our clocks. Why? They have found that it may actually result in more energy usage; certainly no meaningful savings.

Another one of those meaningless things that we all* do because THEY say so. Nothing wrong with starting the day an hour earlier. It is nice to be a kid playing ball in Miami at 8PM while it is still daylight in May or June. I remember that. But we could have just started life earlier and accomplished the same thing.

There are other lifestyles that don't really get a big thrill out of it. I've had jobs that began early in the morning, before daylight. So, once I sprang forward, I just worked an extra hour in the dark, or in cases where it was outdoor work, we had to start an hour later--actually the same time, in reality.

People say that Ben Franklin invented this peculiar manipulation of society. I was quite relieved to discover this is not true. I'm not sure who railroaded this hoax or why, but it was not Ben. He did write an essay dealing with the subject, inspired by some country's workers in Europe (He spent years in Europe). He was being his typical self and being satirical, and funny (he thought). He was JOKING!! Ben did not seriously think people would set their clocks differently to fool themselves into getting up earlier. It was a joke about how to get even more work out of a group over there who already had the reputation for hard work, dawn to dusk.

Isn't it typical that it would filter down so that you are told it was Ben Franklin's grand idea? Ben was a prolific inventor, essayist, and accomplished statesman, and sometimes his ideas were out there. Way out there. This wasn't one of them.

What if we reverse everything? Fall back in Spring and spring forward in Fall. That way we can all feel guilty during the warmer months for not having time to take advantage of the nice weather. Get to work on the average job, hours after daylight, and get home after dark. Every day you'll wake up thinking you overslept.

I bet it saves energy. In the fall you get an even earlier start, and make use of more sunshine time while sleeping more of the dark time. Energy savings for sure. In many parts of the country you can get home in daylight--fewer traffic accidents and less heat required until you're under the bearskin quilts asleep.

They got it backwards, if this is to save energy and, hence, the earth. Therefore, it is clear that this present form of clock manipulation is actually harmful to the earth and probably causes global warming and many senseless deaths. Unless there is an advantage to National Security (in which case the collateral damage is the price paid for the greater good), it is inhumane to subject our citizens to this hazardous lifestyle.

Really, in many places, the last thing you need in the summer is more sunshine and daylight. In Miami it can kill you. That is why they invented A/C, and soon after, utility rate hikes.

Please write your honorable elected representative, or union boss, and insist that we fall back in spring and spring forward in fall from now on. Save the earth!

*I think Arizona ignores this ritual. It makes no difference there because the sun never sets in much of Arizona. Ever. Every day, every hour is high noon with a special magnifying layer over the state to amplify the sun's rays. It is rumored that the illuminati put that magnification layer there. I believe it, of course.

What is in the Water, WI?

I'm watching a live feed from Wisconsin Capitol. People swarmed in, opened winodws and doors, and for some reason, handcuffed other doors closed.

There is a big crowd in there and I guess the police finally decided to not let more in. So they are outside, and inside, chanting, "It's our house, Let us in."

If they all get in there, it would be a serious fire exit threat, and fertile ground for a stampede situation once it got rolling. This could result in some injuries. I'm unclear about why they think that is a useful plan.

They showed them dismantling windows to gain access. I would not want to be in that mob. It seems many that came down to protest are a little nervous now about lines being crossed, but what the heck, everyone else is doing it...

That's why I don't like big crowds all shouting the same thing and venting hatred at whoever. It rarely has the slightest thing to do with the whole truth. (what in politics does) I find it the height of hypocrisy for some of these people to complain that they feel the matter wasn't civilly debated. Shouting down others and mobbing a lawfully assembled body of lawfully elected representatives may be a bit over the line too. I don't know. Of course our elected national officials do illegal things daily. But how unions can play self righteous in the face of that is a mystery. I guess they only disapprove of corruption when they aren't getting a piece of it.

And Nancy Pelosi was upset because people quietly demonstrated when she was passing bills that no one could read or find copies of, and dismissing opposition with the phrase, "We Won the Election!!" Now she's all in solidarinosc with some state's unions just because they are democrats. I guarantee she hasn't read that bill either.

Oh, but Nancy is of the "pass the bill so we can see what's in it" school of lawmaking.

Other than a few who have that look that only grows on the faces of New Jersey and New York guys in the persuasion trade, the crowd appears fairly Wisconsinish, and pretty young. If it were somewhere else, I suspect people would be in big trouble. But as well mannered as people in that state usually are, it would surprise me if someone doesn't get hurt and go home crying.

So, That is Democracy. Yay

It has been said, not just by me, that pure democracy is mob rule. Now we hear that democracy indeed does look like a mob. A chanting in unison mob for the most part.

So, the ticket is to round up a bigger mob than the other guy, then you win. Just have to get the people who don't have other things to do to join your mob before they get scarfed up by competitors. In this way, the homeless and unemployed can run the world. OK. I admit, they may not do any worse than the other people who have assumed that the world needs running, and who have given it their best (or worse) shot.

I'm thinking I disagree with all kinds of things that come out of Sacramento, Washington DC, and elsewhere. If I could get some sizable mobs together we could just take over the legislative buildings through mob bullying tactics. Unfortunately I do not like unions at all. I need other muscle for my project. I'm thinking homeless, illegals, kids, dogs and wilderness dwellers. If I play my cards right they will chant meaningless slogans as directed and never thoroughly question or critique my wishes and plans.

After we take the capitol buildings, let's take the courthouses, too.

Why stop there? Let's take over the big houses those terrible rich own. Hell, let's take Wal-Mart and avail ourselves of cost free shopping.

If you pay it right, this kind of democracy enables a minority formed into a good mob to rule the majority. Noise, numbers and the time to meld into the teeming crowd win the day. Since the majority is spread out and unlikely to be hanging around capitol buildings or even Wal-Mart, a well organized minority can win a coup.

After all, that is what democracy looks like. I've heard it said many times lately, so it must be true.

Ever Notice The LOL Form Of Internet Debate?

There is a class of commenter/blogger which uses the old LOL thing to somehow secure their non-point. You see things like, "Oh, so you think slavery was OK? LOL", in response to something completely unrelated to slavery. Notice they don't address the point or reasonably debunk it. They jump to a conclusion, then add LOL as a form of personal attack.

For some reason when it is used in that way, I want to resort to non-reasoned debate by wishing I could punch them in the nose and steal their wallets. May as well get paid for my trouble, no?

"Oh my god, can you believe that idiot stumbled over the word "philanthropy" is his speech? LOL". Slap slap, punch, punch. Your wallet is now mine!

"LOL. You are just ignorant and probably never had to get your lily white hands(lol) dirty, you racist, sexist, impotent (LOL) moron LOL". That would be a zinger coming from a pudgy white person, male/and/or female, who had never left the university or other insulated job. The Mike Moore thing--a rich fat white guy complaining about rich fat white guys. LOL

Sadly, the net brings these things out in people. There are those who sound tough and violent because they can do it without getting clobbered. That JS guy smotlock was like that. Always talked as if he was cruising through jazz town beating the hell out of anyone who got in his way. It was a persona. Lots of people dug it. I thought the old pushing the envelope for shock value had seen its day long ago, so what he was doing was kind of a copy. That was his right so I never made it a point to rain on the parade. Too easy to get into a stupid battle. I have no use for that. Plenty of angry people who have to be badass online because it doesn't work well in life, and they know they would not last too long toting such open hostility around.

I've definitely noticed the LOL trend since the 2008 election. If you distilled all the debate, I'll bet you'd find the words, "idiot" and "moron" and the suffix, LOL top the list of argument content.

LOL often hits me wrong, that's for sure. Only when it is used to preclude real thought and to shut down the opposition through its implied ridicule. For one thing, I know you are not laughing or even smiling. But I know you wish you had the confidence that your intellect was that far above your opponent to feel a smile. Usually it is a case of thinking you are smart because those from whom you get your opinions tell you they are smart. To question them would risk revealing the truth. LOL*

Now I am not referring to the case in which people throw in an lol to lighten the tone or be sure you know they are expressing friendship and good wishes. That is a different thing altogether. Sometimes the do it to indicate they found something funny that was probably meant to be funny. This is not a context of ridicule and cheap shot.

*that was fake. I am not laughing. I'm thinking I may be thirsty, and should I have some of those peanuts to go with the beverage, or do I need to starve some more and get rid of this belly before it is too late? See. Sometimes there is just no time to LOL in real life.

I Guess Kool Aid Comes in More Than One Flavor

Every now then I can't help it; I comment on a political blog or two. And I catch little bits of video here and there.

Lately, it is a disheartening experience. On one side there is the idea that it is perfectly OK to bully with physical numbers and shout downs. My God, what if the opposition is allowed to speak? They may have some facts to back up a point. Or not.

If you are right and you have the numbers on your side in a town meeting or other forum, why do you feel the need to shout down the speakers with whom you disagree? Is it possible that you got your facts from an agitator's prescribed talking points and haven't studied the matter yourself? Or are you just too weak to resist the bully potential a mob provides?

Then there are those who get very upset at me because I suggest, as always that less government is best. It happens with those who claim to be for lower taxes, less government, etc. However it seems they only apply that to things that fit their personal preferences. If they don't like abortion or marijuana, then by Godtt you are a no good hippie who wants to do away with the second amendment and free enterprise!!

I actually had someone reply about like that when I suggested that the state not involve itself one way or the other in abortion. It matters not what I think of it, I'll never be pregnant. Besides there is a point at which the reasoning behind "protecting the rights of the unborn" opens more of a door toward intrusive authoritarianism which is not what I think is right.

I also pointed out that it is interesting that democrats tend to support freedom of choice in that realm, but in few other areas of life. Most nanny state measures are initiated by democrats. Yet republicans claim to be for individual liberty, etc. but the mainstream of them hold to that anti-abortion zeal. Trust me. In more cases than not, it is probably a good thing that they happen. Sounds cold, elitist and just plain wrong, but for now, that is how it is. And repubs are more likely to get wound up over marijuana legalization, although some of the more notable repubs in history came out for legalizing almost all illegal drugs. Wm F Buckley, for one. I agree. It is a waste fo tax money and an excuse to trash the 4th amendment--unreasonable search and seizure*.

The one who got wound up demonstrated to me how conditioned people are to believe that if you are opposed to one party's agenda on a particular issue then you must wholly embrace all facets of the other party's policies. I only wish it were true. The only reason I care is because I see the degree of freedom we have going down the tubes rapidly. I believe for various reasons my situation makes it more obvious to me than it is to most reasonably secure people, both on government checks and pensions, and in private life.

If only I had never read Brave New World, 1984, and Atlas Shrugged. It is as if they studied those books and decided to use them as a blue print for the evolution of our country for the last fifty years, at least. I think government people secretly take a page a day and see if they can implement it.

I do not find it surprising that the ex NPR guy said that the elite, well educated were too small a percentage of the population. The nasty unwashed masses just don't understand. Of course anyone who is not a well spoken idiot like him is obviously an ignorant, hateful racist. There really is a segment of the population which believes just that. I don't know why they complain--so far they have pretty much been getting their way. It just seems to upset them greatly that anyone disagrees or gets claustrophobic when their authority tightens a little too much.

I'm sure my democrat friends think I am a raving right winger. In some ways I am. And my republican friends fear I may be a granola variety liberal. In some ways I am. I agree with both when it comes to fewer laws and such. Neither party has shown much desire to reverse a self destructive foreign policy, and self destructive domestic policies--particularly in the realm of foolish limits on production and energy. Republicans have advantages at times, but never follow their talk. Democrats seem to believe that government control of all resources and choices is best for everyone. Except when it comes to abortion and gay marriage and things like that.

Republicans are all about individual freedom until it comes to 4th amendment matters. Then, hell, let's create homeland security and get busy. Both parties love that. It is as good a tool to terrorize citizens as the irs.

I'll speak up here. It is unlikely I'll demonstrate unless there are hot chicks who dig old men. I know that most people think it is stupid, boring and useless to think as I do, and even worse to admit to it.

I did not reply to the guy's stupid rant in response to my comment. He obviously has no significant level of reading comprehension or he'd have known it was odd to bring in things like the second amendment when I was talking about abortion and how dumb it is for republicans to bother with the topic. It takes a lot of nerve for a man to think he has a right to be involved in what a woman he doesn't even know does. I would agree that I see no reason to pay for these things with public money in most cases. But I wouldn't pay for much with public money.

That is the trap. If tax money is involved then they can dictate all kinds of regulations. That is why it is best to avoid many forms of aid, or be damned careful what you take. But, like the situation in the Arab world, it will come back to bite later. It was obvious for over 40 years that the policy and practices there would haunt us later. Few, if anyone, listened; "Well, John, you just don't understand. It's complex, blablabla".

So now I guess we pretend the mess is a big surprise like the national debt and all the states going belly up. Arming the enemy does not work in the long run. Stealing from the people does not work in the long run either. They go along because you have huge groups who sell out for crumbs and can't see they are selling out their own chances for doing better. Where are Adam Smith and Milton Friedman when you need them? We still have Thomas Sowell.

*after all the odd rules and such, I decided to keep a handy copy of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution nearby for reference. Personally, I cannot see how it has been interpreted so broadly. I would mostly have amended it to limit government powers even more strictly.