It is unfortunate that a racist video surfaced from a Ron Paul supporter. Unfortunate because, as Cindy McCain hinted, Ron Paul does have somewhat of a history in regard to unpleasant and uncivilized rhetoric. Yes, the newsletters.
I'm opposed to videos. I hate the way videos are replacing the written word. Videos are stupid. But racist videos are even stupider than regular videos.
Definitely a candidate's children should be off-limits in any kind of campaign, unless the children insert themselves into the public eye. I'm not sure how I feel about Americans skipping American orphans and going overseas to import foreign kids. It does smack of anti-Americanism. Probably they are doing it in order to get dibs on the healthiest and youngest and most attractive kids they can get. But there are a lot of older orphans that could benefit from adoption. What about them? However I feel about this issue, it seems mean-spirited to bring it up during a political campaign.
Ironically, the video reminds me of my chief reservation regarding Ron Paul. I'm afraid he is a mean-spirited crank. I hate to say it because I'm disposed in his favor based on some of his positions on the issues. However, it seems like he's opposed to the rights of the individual, but in favor of the rights of big business. That's his brand of Libertarianism. He's against abortion rights, against gay marriage, and on the campaign trail, he never says anything about the drug war, whether he wants to end the DEA or not. The only thing I like about Ron Paul is that he has enough common sense not to want to meddle in the affairs of other countries. For this economy, especially, that is a wise policy. I say let the other countries start chipping in for their own defense. We don't need to be policeman of the world unless the world starts paying the policeman a salary. How many cops work for free? We do, and that's just stupid.
I like Ron Paul in Congress very much, but I'm not so sure about him in the Executive role. I'd much prefer Jon Huntsman, who is in favor of civil unions for gays and who seems to be a modern man in many ways, not a Neanderthal like the G'rinch.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Iowa
Iowa was an I.Q. test for the Republican party. They performed about as I expected. My opinion of Republican intelligence remains unchanged.
Self
So the latest Republican blowhard, Santorum, says liberals worship Self.
Translation: Santorum worships Self. Looks like Santorum took care of him Self.
Whenever a right-winger talks about "the opposition," inevitably he is exposing his own beliefs.
Santorum cares about nothing in this world save personal power. He is without ethics and does not understand the difference between right and wrong. His religious beliefs are a convenient cloak disguising his utter lack of any type of ethical compass. It is interesting how similar his name is to that of his actual Deity. He is an ugly, stupid, and vile piece of work, interested only in self-enrichment and personal power.
Google is correct in regard to the definition of Santorum.
Translation: Santorum worships Self. Looks like Santorum took care of him Self.
Whenever a right-winger talks about "the opposition," inevitably he is exposing his own beliefs.
Santorum cares about nothing in this world save personal power. He is without ethics and does not understand the difference between right and wrong. His religious beliefs are a convenient cloak disguising his utter lack of any type of ethical compass. It is interesting how similar his name is to that of his actual Deity. He is an ugly, stupid, and vile piece of work, interested only in self-enrichment and personal power.
Google is correct in regard to the definition of Santorum.
A Believer
The similarity between Iran's fundamentalists and our homegrown fundamentalists is striking:
Iran has put on a brave face. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday Iran would "weather the storm".
"Iran, with divine assistance, has always been ready to counter such hostile actions and we are not concerned at all about the sanctions," he told a news conference.
Divine assistance, huh?
The main difference with the Iranian believers is they tend to be crazier on the whole.
Iran has put on a brave face. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday Iran would "weather the storm".
"Iran, with divine assistance, has always been ready to counter such hostile actions and we are not concerned at all about the sanctions," he told a news conference.
Divine assistance, huh?
The main difference with the Iranian believers is they tend to be crazier on the whole.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Poetic Irony
I love this story. What's not to like? Black church becomes legal owner of KKK store.
That would be like PFLAG becoming legal owner of Michele Bachmann's husband's psychotherapy practice.
That would be like PFLAG becoming legal owner of Michele Bachmann's husband's psychotherapy practice.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
In America
In America, the corrupt and evil become powerful. Those that work hard, do what's right and represent what's best in America are shot, usually in the head. That is the conclusion that anyone would gather from following American history and American politics. Evil-doers are plentiful, prosperous, and entrenched in power, and they always have a love for guns and believe that, through guns, they will control what goes on in America. That is why the right-wingers, the Republicans and the social conservatives place guns before people whenever they can. People are expendable. People are difficult to understand. Guns are easy to understand. Bullets are cheap. That is why the right-wingers love guns and bullets. It is the only thing in this world that they truly understand backwards and forwards. Human beings remain a mystery. The world remains a mystery. Philosophy might as well be Egyptian hieroglyphics. But guns and bullets, oh my. Easy.
If all the liberals could escape the world for just a generation... in the meantime, while they are gone, there would be a blood bath on Earth. The right-wingers would turn on each other and there would be killing like no one has ever seen before. Liberals are the brakes. Without liberals, the killing starts, and once it starts, it snowballs.
But it would be a good thing if liberals could take a vacation from the Earth for just a single generation. By the time they returned to Earth after twenty or thirty years, the world population would be in the hundreds, rather than the billions.
There is really something wrong with a person who loves guns more than people. Gunslingers are stupid, stupid animals. This news article illustrates my point. One of my pet ambitions from long ago was to become a park ranger. Intelligent people all over the world are trying to live a decent life, and there are animals out there determined to cause misery and mayhem. I guess I can understand why some people choose to become cops, to try and rectify the situation of the world and clean up some of the detritus.
If all the liberals could escape the world for just a generation... in the meantime, while they are gone, there would be a blood bath on Earth. The right-wingers would turn on each other and there would be killing like no one has ever seen before. Liberals are the brakes. Without liberals, the killing starts, and once it starts, it snowballs.
But it would be a good thing if liberals could take a vacation from the Earth for just a single generation. By the time they returned to Earth after twenty or thirty years, the world population would be in the hundreds, rather than the billions.
There is really something wrong with a person who loves guns more than people. Gunslingers are stupid, stupid animals. This news article illustrates my point. One of my pet ambitions from long ago was to become a park ranger. Intelligent people all over the world are trying to live a decent life, and there are animals out there determined to cause misery and mayhem. I guess I can understand why some people choose to become cops, to try and rectify the situation of the world and clean up some of the detritus.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Ron Paul May Be the Only One
Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman are the only Republican candidates that can plausibly defeat Obama in 2012.
Personally I'm willing to overlook the incendiary newsletters of the past and a great deal else in return for the magical words "reduce our overseas commitments."
The U.S. should not be giving billions in free money to countries like Pakistan. That we do means our leaders are morons.
Personally I'm willing to overlook the incendiary newsletters of the past and a great deal else in return for the magical words "reduce our overseas commitments."
The U.S. should not be giving billions in free money to countries like Pakistan. That we do means our leaders are morons.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
The Lesson of Iran
Iran's a key exhibit in my position against foreign intervention, also know by the crasser term, meddling. Iran would not be the freakazoid it is today if we hadn't gone in there and posed as buddy-buddy to the detested Shah. I'm afraid that was the old (30+ years') premise upon which a good portion of the current regime's hostility is based. The regime that replaced the Shah began with the assumption that the U.S. was the enemy, even though most Americans had never even heard of Iran nor could locate it on a map prior to the 1979 hostage crisis.
Left to their own devices, it is unlikely Iranians would care much about America, other than wanting to buy our products and travel to our country as tourists. Iran had little or no contact with the United States until relatively recently, possibly around WW2. Unfortunately, the dead hand of the past has dominion over the leaders of Iran, who can't seem to envision the mutual benefits that cooperation on various matters of contention would bring. It is very peculiar for Iran to blame the U.S., which is such a good oil customer, for so many things, many of which seem to have little basis in reality. Of course, no country is perfect but the U.S. probably behaves about as decently as any other country around the world, with the possible exception of those oddly pacifist nations in Northern Europe.
Left to their own devices, it is unlikely Iranians would care much about America, other than wanting to buy our products and travel to our country as tourists. Iran had little or no contact with the United States until relatively recently, possibly around WW2. Unfortunately, the dead hand of the past has dominion over the leaders of Iran, who can't seem to envision the mutual benefits that cooperation on various matters of contention would bring. It is very peculiar for Iran to blame the U.S., which is such a good oil customer, for so many things, many of which seem to have little basis in reality. Of course, no country is perfect but the U.S. probably behaves about as decently as any other country around the world, with the possible exception of those oddly pacifist nations in Northern Europe.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
By the Skin of My Teeth
I lost some material in this opening, a hybrid Marshall Defense, but it proved to be an extravagant gambit resulting in early victory. My best move was b5, on move 14, sacrificing a pawn in exchange for a devastating attack. Once I know my opponent is a pawn-grabber, then I will gladly feed them pawns. The object of chess is not to gather pawns, but to gather a King.
[White "anon"]
[Black "igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Bb4 6. Qa4+ Nc6 7. Ne5 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 O-O 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Nd7 Qg6 11. Nxf8 Kxf8 12. Qa3+ Kg8 13. cxd5 exd5 14. O-O-O b5 15. Qc5 Rb8 16. a3 Na5 17. Qxd5 Bb1 18. Rd2 Nc4 19. Rb2 Nxb2 20. Kxb2 Qc2+ 21. Ka1 Qxc3+ 22. Kxb1 b4 23. e3 bxa3+ 24. Ka2 Qb2# 0-1
[White "anon"]
[Black "igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Bb4 6. Qa4+ Nc6 7. Ne5 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 O-O 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Nd7 Qg6 11. Nxf8 Kxf8 12. Qa3+ Kg8 13. cxd5 exd5 14. O-O-O b5 15. Qc5 Rb8 16. a3 Na5 17. Qxd5 Bb1 18. Rd2 Nc4 19. Rb2 Nxb2 20. Kxb2 Qc2+ 21. Ka1 Qxc3+ 22. Kxb1 b4 23. e3 bxa3+ 24. Ka2 Qb2# 0-1
Credit Card Companies
Credit card companies should be fined thousands of dollars every time they send an unsolicited credit card offer through the mail or via telephone or email. Their CEO's are unethical criminals, all of whom deserve to be shot. Their entire lives are dedicated to causing and then profiting from the financial harm and ruin of middle and lower-class Americans.
Monday, December 26, 2011
What Does OKIDATA Mean?
I discovered what OKIDATA means. The English translation is: "Service Call, Fatal Error."
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Doctors
Doctors, and in particular surgeons, are sometimes truly amazing people, to be able to open up a living human body and fix what's broken. If I had my life to do over again, I'd have applied myself to the study of medicine, no question about it. There can be no greater purpose than saving lives. Of course, it may seem like doctors are overpaid, but they should be paid at least as much as the typical CEO, because unlike CEO's, doctors actually perform useful work. The fortunes of the average corporation would improve greatly without the useless bloat at the top. Most CEO's do not know their hind end from their head.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Aid to North Korea
I can't believe the U.S. sends food aid to North Korea. That country should be paying us tribute. Not a dime of taxpayer money should go to NK or any other fascist country. I shouldn't have to be blogging about this--it's ridiculous that our government even considers doing such stupid things. I've read the government confiscates the food and sells it at full price to those who can already afford it in the marketplace.
And good riddance to that idiotic buffoon, Kim Jong-Il, a worthless bag of gas if there ever was one. I hope his ugly, spoiled, frowny-faced son follows him to the grave as soon as possible. If only there were a coup by truly patriotic North Koreans!
And good riddance to that idiotic buffoon, Kim Jong-Il, a worthless bag of gas if there ever was one. I hope his ugly, spoiled, frowny-faced son follows him to the grave as soon as possible. If only there were a coup by truly patriotic North Koreans!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Ron Paul & the Newsletters
I'd be willing to buy that Ron Paul didn't write the incendiary passages in those newsletters of his, but ultimately, such foolishness reflects poorly upon the management skills of a leader. His name was, after all, on those newsletters. One would have hoped he would have done a competent job at overseeing their content. At the very least, he should have read and approved each and every article. That is what is implied by having one's name in the title--approval. So there are two possible conclusions for our dear Republican presidential candidate. Either he was negligent in a manner some might label gross, or he indeed wrote the articles himself or approved them after having read them. Either way, it's a bad lemon for the campaign.
Seems like most of the candidates were doomed from the get-go. Once they go double-digit in the polls, the powers-behind-the-throne unlock a skeleton from the closet and parade it in the media. The candidates don't really know how to handle a media firestorm, and maybe there is no way to handle it.
I still think Ron Paul is better than many of the other candidates, however. I really like his non-interventionist foreign policy. His views on the economy have relevance. Although many of his detractors claim that he has radical views, in reality it is they who have the radical views, while his are more consistent with the mainstream. Ron Paul is often the only one talking in the whole debates that makes a lick of sense. The others are history, language and thinking -challenged. They smile and shake their heads, as if they are hearing a fantasy, when Ron Paul says quite obvious things that are true. The others tend to march in lockstep with their party's social conservatives. It is clear that they have been told what they are to say, how they are supposed to feel, how they must think. On the other hand, Ron Paul has decided for himself how he will speak, how he will feel, what he will think. That is both original and refreshing. One is willing to forgive quite a bit of such a leader.
Conservative Jews are all in a lather against Ron Paul (see the WSJ for a completely rabid over-the-top attack on Ron Paul as "home-grown propagandist for our chief enemies" by Lyinbitchowitz), for one reason, because he might cut aid to Israel. Siphoning funds from our bank accounts on behalf of Tel Aviv has been a long-time favorite of some of the Jews in America, and they pretty much compel every Presidential candidate to swear fealty to the cause of Israel no matter what the cost to the U.S.
I support Ron Paul because of the enemies he makes. If the powers-that-be like the owners of the WSJ are against Ron Paul, then he might be good, because WSJ is a newspaper that prints lies with regularity and is in part responsible for the financial crisis and the financial meltdown. Why didn't the WSJ raise any alarm about the conditions prior to the financial meltdown? Why did the WSJ snooze through the first ten years of this century? I think the WSJ is a chief enemy of the United States, not Ron Paul. The WSJ represents everything that is wrong in this country and the people who create financial problems for the United States.
The one thing I dislike about Ron Paul is that he is big on freedom when it comes to big business, but he's not so keen when it comes to personal freedoms like abortion. If I were a woman, I'd want the right to abort.
Seems like most of the candidates were doomed from the get-go. Once they go double-digit in the polls, the powers-behind-the-throne unlock a skeleton from the closet and parade it in the media. The candidates don't really know how to handle a media firestorm, and maybe there is no way to handle it.
I still think Ron Paul is better than many of the other candidates, however. I really like his non-interventionist foreign policy. His views on the economy have relevance. Although many of his detractors claim that he has radical views, in reality it is they who have the radical views, while his are more consistent with the mainstream. Ron Paul is often the only one talking in the whole debates that makes a lick of sense. The others are history, language and thinking -challenged. They smile and shake their heads, as if they are hearing a fantasy, when Ron Paul says quite obvious things that are true. The others tend to march in lockstep with their party's social conservatives. It is clear that they have been told what they are to say, how they are supposed to feel, how they must think. On the other hand, Ron Paul has decided for himself how he will speak, how he will feel, what he will think. That is both original and refreshing. One is willing to forgive quite a bit of such a leader.
Conservative Jews are all in a lather against Ron Paul (see the WSJ for a completely rabid over-the-top attack on Ron Paul as "home-grown propagandist for our chief enemies" by Lyinbitchowitz), for one reason, because he might cut aid to Israel. Siphoning funds from our bank accounts on behalf of Tel Aviv has been a long-time favorite of some of the Jews in America, and they pretty much compel every Presidential candidate to swear fealty to the cause of Israel no matter what the cost to the U.S.
I support Ron Paul because of the enemies he makes. If the powers-that-be like the owners of the WSJ are against Ron Paul, then he might be good, because WSJ is a newspaper that prints lies with regularity and is in part responsible for the financial crisis and the financial meltdown. Why didn't the WSJ raise any alarm about the conditions prior to the financial meltdown? Why did the WSJ snooze through the first ten years of this century? I think the WSJ is a chief enemy of the United States, not Ron Paul. The WSJ represents everything that is wrong in this country and the people who create financial problems for the United States.
The one thing I dislike about Ron Paul is that he is big on freedom when it comes to big business, but he's not so keen when it comes to personal freedoms like abortion. If I were a woman, I'd want the right to abort.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Funny?
Is it bad to think this story is funny? I don't know.
Poster boy of transgender servicemen, Bradley Manning is not. I imagine a thousand mascaraed lashes rolling Heavenward.
Poster boy of transgender servicemen, Bradley Manning is not. I imagine a thousand mascaraed lashes rolling Heavenward.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Oil Changes
Finally, the world is waking up to the fact that cars don't need oil changes every 3,000 miles.
For decades, I read that cars need an oil change every 3,500 miles, and each time, I thought to myself, "What a great lie those oil companies are spinning--how profitable!" And think of all the Jiffy Lube's that benefited from the pile of horse crap.
How'd I know? I read the manual for my 1982 Honda Civic. It said change the oil every 7,500 miles. The manufacturer would not have put that information in the manual if he thought it would make his product less reliable. So I always changed my oil after a year or two or 7,500 miles, whichever came first. In cases where the engine is old and burns oil or where the oil turns pitch black, I change sooner.
Apparently, high oil prices are the reason for the increased publicity counteracting the marvelous profit-making lie that extracted $20-$50 every 3,000 miles from legions of gullible car owners.
For decades, I read that cars need an oil change every 3,500 miles, and each time, I thought to myself, "What a great lie those oil companies are spinning--how profitable!" And think of all the Jiffy Lube's that benefited from the pile of horse crap.
How'd I know? I read the manual for my 1982 Honda Civic. It said change the oil every 7,500 miles. The manufacturer would not have put that information in the manual if he thought it would make his product less reliable. So I always changed my oil after a year or two or 7,500 miles, whichever came first. In cases where the engine is old and burns oil or where the oil turns pitch black, I change sooner.
Apparently, high oil prices are the reason for the increased publicity counteracting the marvelous profit-making lie that extracted $20-$50 every 3,000 miles from legions of gullible car owners.
Curbing Animal Research
I applaud these efforts to curb animal research in laboratories. Especially in cases where the only thing at stake is mere profit, animals should not be considered for painful or harmful laboratory experiments. Where human lives are at stake, then animal research may be alright, if necessary in order to proceed with discovery. I think a judge should be the arbitrator, a judge armed with a law that expresses a general philosophy with guidelines rather than a thousand-page law of specific rules for every conceivable case (inevitably there will be cases that would fall outside any such law).
Gingrich
There is no reason to take anything Gingrich says seriously. His intelligence and all of his feelings have to do with power and nothing else. Wives come and go, friends come and go, allies come and go, but what remains is the overwhelming desire for easy money, influence and most of all, power. He's about as intelligent as I am without my ethics. I look at him and I see me without morals. I've seen him on the Daily Show. He's willing to lie repeatedly and mislead in order to further his ends. Truth means nothing to him. All he is concerned about is sounding plausible and misleading just enough people to stay in the game of politics, where he intends to make money and be a powerful croaking frog.
He definitely has the will to power, but what good is it? I don't know that he ever considered for an instant what he will leave behind. I suppose that when human beings are viewed as nothing more than convenient means to selfish ends, then for him the sole goal is ego gratification and nothing else. That makes Gingrich an exceptionally boring individual. I do not think he will be remembered in quite the manner that he would prefer. I look at his photo and I see a sugar cookie with two rancid raisins for eyes.
He definitely has the will to power, but what good is it? I don't know that he ever considered for an instant what he will leave behind. I suppose that when human beings are viewed as nothing more than convenient means to selfish ends, then for him the sole goal is ego gratification and nothing else. That makes Gingrich an exceptionally boring individual. I do not think he will be remembered in quite the manner that he would prefer. I look at his photo and I see a sugar cookie with two rancid raisins for eyes.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Romantic Love as Sold by the Music Industry
I think that in every case of romantic love in my life, where I fell in love with a person, it was, at least in part, inculcated, instigated and nurtured by many Rock-n-Roll, Country, or even Folk songs that I listened to over and over again until I had memorized the plot and meaning of the lyrics and the music.
Rock-n-Roll songs often deal with observations about romantic love. These dramatic works do not admit to shades of gray or the complexity and fluidity of human emotions and allegiances, but deal with simple, stupid and unrealistic absolutes. Music industry songs are the disembodied fantasies of calculating business people intent upon selling their products, which are highly desirable fantasies that replace a tepid reality in the user, who is motivated to replace his reality. The songs have little or no relation to the reality experienced by the billions, and therein lies their danger. Because they are nice to listen to and sweet honey to the receptive mind, they can influence people to make uncharacteristically stupid decisions and to be very gullible. In that way, Rock-n-Roll can serve the same function as a drug and even be more dangerous than a drug.
Rock-n-Roll songs often deal with observations about romantic love. These dramatic works do not admit to shades of gray or the complexity and fluidity of human emotions and allegiances, but deal with simple, stupid and unrealistic absolutes. Music industry songs are the disembodied fantasies of calculating business people intent upon selling their products, which are highly desirable fantasies that replace a tepid reality in the user, who is motivated to replace his reality. The songs have little or no relation to the reality experienced by the billions, and therein lies their danger. Because they are nice to listen to and sweet honey to the receptive mind, they can influence people to make uncharacteristically stupid decisions and to be very gullible. In that way, Rock-n-Roll can serve the same function as a drug and even be more dangerous than a drug.
Groups
The story of how Iran cracked our drone's security is appalling.
I don't consider myself an expert on security-related matters, but I certainly would never have approved such a system that is in place in our Sentinel drones. The vulnerability is obvious. In fact not very much intelligence is required at all to see the weakness in the system. I can only conclude that the top brass in our military may be swift on military tactics, but apparently is in the dark about other matters, for instance relating to computers and engineering. In other words, they are narrow geeks with limited vision. I suspect the military is being just as mismanaged as our financial corporations have proven to be. There seems to be a rot in the system, or maybe there always was.
Perhaps all nations and all ages suffer from pure negligence. It is easy for a man to sort his own affairs. It is when men get together and form a group that individual intelligence ceases to apply. The perfect dictatorship of an intelligent mind, esteemed by Plato, is replaced by the cacophony of voices, some informed, some not; some wise, some not. And who is to sort through all the voices? Sometimes the loudest voice prevails, but loudness is not akin to correctness.
Groups are too recent an innovation in our evolution and maybe that is why we have not perfected them yet. It is difficult to identify a single group of more than a hundred members that operates with efficiency and enlightenment.
I don't consider myself an expert on security-related matters, but I certainly would never have approved such a system that is in place in our Sentinel drones. The vulnerability is obvious. In fact not very much intelligence is required at all to see the weakness in the system. I can only conclude that the top brass in our military may be swift on military tactics, but apparently is in the dark about other matters, for instance relating to computers and engineering. In other words, they are narrow geeks with limited vision. I suspect the military is being just as mismanaged as our financial corporations have proven to be. There seems to be a rot in the system, or maybe there always was.
Perhaps all nations and all ages suffer from pure negligence. It is easy for a man to sort his own affairs. It is when men get together and form a group that individual intelligence ceases to apply. The perfect dictatorship of an intelligent mind, esteemed by Plato, is replaced by the cacophony of voices, some informed, some not; some wise, some not. And who is to sort through all the voices? Sometimes the loudest voice prevails, but loudness is not akin to correctness.
Groups are too recent an innovation in our evolution and maybe that is why we have not perfected them yet. It is difficult to identify a single group of more than a hundred members that operates with efficiency and enlightenment.
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