We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
I admit I got busy and didn't read through many of the comments in my election post last week, but I presume you all came to the logical conclusion that I was right about everything.
Today, I'd like to toss out some thoughts on a small variety of subjects.
Point In Time
According to the site stats, no one's fired up a site using my new Speakup! 2012 site yet. Unsurprisingly, of course. It's early. The election's still a million miles away.
Or, is it? Here's something to ponder:
Couldn't it be argued that we didn't lose the last election during the general election — we lost it in the primary?
While it might be true that we didn't have a chance in hell last time no matter who we threw up there, this time around things are different. While Obama still has the media in his pocket, many other factions are starting to crumble around the edges (the black vote, youth vote, Jewish vote, hipness vote, etc) and this time we've got a real chance.
Except that the media is going to do everything in its power to promote this kind of behavior:
This infighting is going to cost us dearly down the road.
Burning Scott Brown's Playbook
Do you remember Scott Brown's Massachusetts senatorial win a few years ago after Senator Ted Kennedy passed away? It stunned everybody. It was, I believe, the first time in 232 years that a Republican had won that seat.
And just how did he beat his opponent, ol' whats-her-name?
He ignored her.
Instead, he used ol' whats-her-name as a proxy for Obama's failures, with a "Here's how I'll do better" approach.
That's what the media will be desperately trying to stave off. They want that sordid chapter of American history to die a quiet and natural death. The media wants it to be a knock-down, drag-out playoff between contenders, whereas the candidates should be emulating Scott Brown and telling the people Here's how I'll do better straight through the primary and all the way to the White House.
The Positions
I suggest you not give a rat's ass about some candidate's 'position' on this or that issue at this point in time. It's all going to change when the primary officially begins, it's going to change again during the general, and what eventually happens after they take office may not have any relation to their previous positions. You know all those campaign promises that Obama has broken? Rest assured, he didn't want to break them.
And then there's the bullshit of 'past indiscretions'. So what if Romney signed some AGW 'pact' three hundred years ago? One of the biggest tropes of both the left- and right-wing propaganda machines is focusing on something the opposition did a zillion years ago (Bill Ayers, please pick up the white courtesy telephone) while conveniently dismissing their own candidate's checkered past.
What makes the whole thing pathetically hypocritical is that the same site that soundly castigates someone for something he or she said years and years ago will then make a post on some 18th century philosopher praising man's ability to think in the here-and-now and instantly being able to change his entire course with one new scrap of critical information. Kind of a strange juxtaposition, isn't it?
It isn't just sentience that makes us special.
Furthermore, I-
"Excuse me, Doc?"
"Yes, boss!"
"Mary said some nice things about you at the meeting yesterday. Hope you enjoyed your dinner. By the way, you got anything fresh on that Perry guy?"
I never meant this to be a Hinckley week (the Offical Maggie's Farm Sailboats are the Alerion line, or maybe plain Cape Cod catboats), but this is an example of what Hinckley used to be best known for: classic, elegant cruising sailboats. In my experience, they can't point worth a darn but they are a good ride.
This 1986 Hinckley Bermuda 40 yawl is for sale for a reasonable $330,000.
Believe me, it's not about informing your dog that he should not have peed on the antique rug, nor is about your dog's annoyance with you, as the critical animal he is, for being late with the suppertime kibbles.
Here's a joke for you: President Obama nearly bankrupts the country with his out-of-control deficit spending -- then demands responsible fiscal leadership from the Republicans.
As far as I can tell, the whole game is simply to move government from 20% to 25% of GDP, and to mail it to their voters in one form or another. Leave it to the next Dem President to get it up to 30%.
Polygamy has an ancient tradition, remains widespread in Moslem countries and is practiced quietly in Mormon communities. Although it is not in the European tradition (except among the wealthy and the nobility for whom marriage was just in name only), why should it be illegal? In fact, a felony? It harms nobody, and probably makes for a cleaner and more orderly household.
The religious topic is a separate one, and should have little to do with the legal matters. The Libertarian point that is made is that it's legal to live your whole life with, and bear kids with, as many women as you want - it's just illegal to marry more than one of them at a time. Same goes for gals: you can live with all the guys you can collect - just can't marry them all at once.
As we enter the post-gay marriage era, it's time to be open to all sorts of government-approved marital arrangements. Isn't it? What business is it of the government if you want to be married to Bill, Jane, Sally, Bob, and Lauren as one big happy family?
"Good morning, everyone. And how are you all today?"
"Fine, chief".
"Mornin', sir."
"Wow, that Sarah Palin sure is hot!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Okay, everyone, let's get down to work. Jim, you're fired. Now, before we begin, let's all keep our main goal in mind. Just as we did in 2008, we want to make sure the winner of the Republican primary is the person least likely to win the general election. Mary, you and your people did a superb job last time. Taking some loser who got his ass shot down by the enemy and turning him into a 'war hero'? Absolutely brilliant."
"Thanks, boss. We admit they make it easy. What those idiots know about winning elections wouldn't fill a thimble."
"And lucky for us. Okay, today we're going to be focusing on the Witch. She's starting to pull ahead in the polls, so let's knock her down a peg or two. Anyone got anything? Steve?"
"And that's a video, boss, just full of heartbreaking stories from people who had barely broken free of this mad cult before the damage had been done. We made hubby come across as the reincarnation of Edgar Allen Poe; pit, pendulum, ravens and all."
"Shirley, you and your team never fail to impress. Have we got anything on the Witch, herself? Yes, Mack?"
"I've been saving this gem for months, chief. Check it out."
"Jeez, Mack, that almost makes me want to weep with joy. You got any more gems like that tucked away?"
"I ain't sayin', boss, but...yes!"
"I'll tell you, people, it's an honor working with such professionals. Now, back to wielding the Intolerant label effectively, have we snagged anyone else yet? Shirley, you've got that usual smug look about you."
"Well, guys, I was kinda saving this for next week when we focused on the Moonbeam Mormon, but here goes."
"In other words, he's secretly gay?? Excellent work! Now, as a lead-in to next week's focus on the Moonbeam, have we got anything else on him? Maybe some no-name beating him in one of those fake polls? Mary, your folks usually handle that. Got anything for us?"
I’d rather die. I respect the wishes of people who want to live as long as they can. But I would like the same respect for those of us who decide — rationally — not to. I’ve done my homework. I have a plan. If I get pneumonia, I’ll let it snuff me out. If not, there are those other ways. I just have to act while my hands still work: the gun, narcotics, sharp blades, a plastic bag, a fast car, over-the-counter drugs, oleander tea (the polite Southern way), carbon monoxide, even helium. That would give me a really funny voice at the end.
I have found the way. Not a gun. A way that’s quiet and calm.
Knowing that comforts me. I don’t worry about fatty foods anymore. I don’t worry about having enough money to grow old. I’m not going to grow old.
"Obama once again showed the true face of a Chicago ward boss when he dangled the threat of interrupted social security and veteran benefits checks over the heads of the American people. This is thug politics."
“Government should not be involved in the bedrooms of consenting adults. I have always been a strong advocate of liberty and freedom from unnecessary government intervention into our lives. The freedoms that our forefathers fought for in this country are sacred and must be preserved. The Republican Party cannot be sidetracked into discussing these morally judgmental issues — such a discussion is simply wrongheaded. We need to maintain our position as the party of efficient government management and the watchdogs of the “public’s pocket book”.
The U.S.'s projected long-term welfare costs, including the new health-care law, are the justification the Obama economists give for pushing spending to 25% or more of GDP. The tax increase the president is fairly shrieking for this week isn't for the August debt limit. It's for the next 25 years.
"If we're going to move to a European welfare state," says Prof. Lucas, "we're going to have to pay a European price." And that price could be a permanently lower level of GDP per person. The U.S.'s amazing 100-year ride would slow.
These Progressives advocated deference to the government for the same reasons Breyer articulates: reverence for experts, belief in majority rule, and the need to protect society from itself.
As a result, Progressive judges approved segregation laws, laws banning private schools, laws limiting women’s ability to participate equally in the workplace, and more. Most infamously, Justice Holmes vigorously approved of forced sterilization of the allegedly mentally infirm, relying on the public interest as articulated by contemporary experts. “Three generations of imbeciles are enough,” he wrote.
While well-intentioned rather than imbeciles, Progressives since Holmes' and Wilson's era have demonstrated more faith in powerful elites, technocrats, social engineers, scientists, and other assorted (mostly academic) experts than in individual freedom - which includes freedom to ignore the experts du jour. The Progessives (ie, modern "Liberals") been misguided about that, ever since. The examples are endless. There's no fool like an educated fool and, as CS Lewis said, there's no totalitarian as dangerous as the one who wants to do you good for your own good.
95% of experts on any topic are shown to be wrong, in time. Not so with common sense, which has endured through history. The unwise, impressionable, and self-impressed are vulnerable to having the common sense educated out of them, and arrogance put into them.
She is fed up with lies. I guess it took her a long time to realize that politicans are liars and that our MSM is, for some reasons I cannot fully understand (I do have my theories) totally in the tank for anything Leftist and runs interference for them constantly. Still, for her, better late than never. Naive as heck, but a nice gal. h/t Moonbattery:
This is actually a little embarrassing. It's like I'm giving away all of my secrets.
Because I am.
I got to wondering just how many 'official' secrets I knew, ranging from the secret of Subway sandwiches (tastiest thing in the house and it's not even on the menu), all the way to an iridium deposit out in the wilds of Nevada that I, alone, know exists.
So I wrote them all down.
Subway Sandwiches — Best thing in the joint and it's not even on the menu
Amazon.com — A penny for your someone's thoughts?
Amazon.com II — Know anyone with a printer?
The Perfect Drink Coaster — And they said it couldn't be done
For Men In Their Mid-30's Only — This is only of concern if you enjoy sex
The Terriblest Truth For Men — The saddest truth you'll ever learn about females
My Best Medical Tips — I'm living proof that none of these will actually kill you
I went to a consultant a few years back, and he said, “You want to make your life better?” I said, “Yeah, sure.” He said, “Stop drinking and don’t read the newspapers.” So I did both.
Ace thought this piece in Esquire, How Can We Not Love Obama?, was a satire, but finally concluded it isn't. One quote from the florid piece:
The turning point came that glorious week in the spring when, in the space of a few days, he released his long-form birth certificate, humiliated Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and assassinated Osama bin Laden. The effortlessness of that political triptych — three linked masterpieces demonstrating his total command over intellectual argument, low comedy, and the spectacle of political violence — was so overwhelmingly impressive that it made political geniuses of the recent past like Reagan and Clintonseem ham-fisted. Formed in the fire of other people's wars, other people's financial crises, Obama stepped out of Bush's shadow that week, almost three years after taking over the presidency.
To tell the truth, I still can't tell whether it's tongue-in-cheek or written by a guy with a serious man-crush. Perhaps our readers can help me out.
...well, on further thought, reading this 'graph convinces me that the author is pulling my leg:
We love Obama — even those who claim to despise him — because deep in our hearts and all over our lives, we're the same way — both inside and outside our jobs, our races, our cities, our countries, ourselves. With great artists, often the most irritating feature of their work is the source of their talent. Obama's gift is the same as his curse: He's somehow managed to be like the rest of us, only infinitely more so.
I'm out here for a few weeks. Here's the latest shot, from the beach at Serene Lakes, Soda Springs near Donner Summit and I-80, elevation c. 6,800 feet. Note the boat slips and the bare feet!
The Glorious Revolution was in many ways England’s great gift to the world. It established those fundamental principles of good governance which best allow man to achieve and to exercise his fundamental rights.
Why it's not a bad deal to be somebody's mistress. A quote from the review:
She gives great room to the idea of monogamy and to the lovely tedium of routine that comes with loving someone over the long term. That tedium unquestionably has its pleasures, but so too does allowing your partner and yourself to establish routines separately. The mistress in Drury’s book finds that a relationship kept removed from the “housework” — not just the washing-up but also the repetitive actions and the small moments of the daily life — can still be sustainable. It’s not simply sexual passion; it’s long-term love as adventure, creating a dynamic for each partner different from the inward-turning marriage. How you choose to fill that solitude brings out your character in a way that a crowded life cannot. “[The mistress] is thrown upon her own resources and must frequently entertain herself, and this gives her time to read and think and follow her own pursuits. She soon not only welcomes this but defends it with all the fierceness of the self-preserving instinct.” Drury’s mistress reveals herself to be the exact opposite of the public stereotype.
I read the whole review. It might be a good deal for some to be a mistress (or a gigolo), but I am certain that She Who Must Be Obeyed would be grouchy if I had another woman on the side.
I'm putting the finishing touches on the most interesting site I've ever created. In a way, I guess you could call it my legacy. I'll premiere it tomorrow at noon, but I wanted to give you a heads-up in case you get busy and don't get by. Because of its content, I probably won't link to it much in the future, so it's kinda tomorrow or nuthin'.
Are you aware the best meal at Subway Sandwiches isn't even on the menu?
Are you aware you can buy used books on Amazon.com for a penny?
Are you aware you might be able to buy four printer ink cartridges on Amazon for ten bucks?
If you live in a warm clime and drink iced beverages, is your drink coaster properly sopping up the drips?
Are you (1) male, (2) in your mid-30's, (3) enjoy sex and (4) want to keep enjoying it?
Would you like to discover the terriblest truth about woman and be set free in the process?
Would you like to prevent summer & winter colds?
Would you like to prevent getting sore throats?
Would you like to prevent getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Would you like to quit sneezing from allergies?
Are you planning on using your teeth past the age of 50?
Do you know how to stop a sneeze in its tracks?
How about hiccups?
If you grow pot, would you like to increase your yield by 1,000%?
Would you like to contact every single member of Congress at once?
Would you like to be on TV at the Olympics?
Would you like to be in the Guinness Book of World Records?
Would you like to hear the real story of the hippies?
Would you like to find out about a wonderful source for pirated software, TV shows, etc?
Would you like to make a zillion dollars with an easily-produced product?
Would you like to try reinventing the first whiskey liqueur in history?
Would you like to know where there's an official iridium strike to make your fortune?
It. Hasn’t. Worked. If by worked you mean lived up to a single of our ‘expectations’, and if by expectations you don’t mean this is really just how we grab power from the flyovers.
Where are the results, if not in the statistics? The left has destroyed black America.
They have shot their bolt with cheap money and stimulus spending and cranked up the National Debt by 40 percent. But here we are in Summer 2011 and there is still no light at the end of the tunnel.
To fix things the Obamis would have to adopt the Republican agenda and reduce the weight of government. They would have to repeal ObamaCare, reverse their green energy boondoggle, lower tax rates, and cut wasteful government spending.
You can see the problem. For the last 40 years, ever since the "unexpected" success of Reaganomics, liberals have been telling themselves and everyone else that supply-side economics is a mirage. Now they have to admit that everything they believe is wrong.
Sweden update: 
You will. 
Toon via
This is actually a little embarrassing. It's like I'm giving away all of my secrets.
House turns out light on old-style bulbs
Ace 
Why it's not a bad deal to be somebody's mistress. A quote 
I'm putting the finishing touches on the most interesting site I've ever created. In a way, I guess you could call it my legacy. I'll premiere it tomorrow at noon, but I wanted to give you a heads-up in case you get busy and don't get by. Because of its content, I probably won't link to it much in the future, so it's kinda tomorrow or nuthin'.
The Class-Size Debate Never Graduates High School 