A perfect definition

In passing, Mike Flynn offers a perfect definition [or, more precisely, "characterizarion"] for "libertarian" -- "A libertarian is an absolute monarch with a very small kingdom."

Cowardice dissected

Venerable Beads: 'Cowardice dissected' -- an analysis and dissection of the BBC's "reporting" of the recent murder of a Israeli family. Other than a spot where it appears that Mr Beads' atheism over-speaks his reason ["... What is the point of finding a reasonable, sympathy-engendering motive, if the act you are attempting to reconcile with understandable human emotions is an attempt to blow up innocent people with exploding cars packed with nails? No normal or decent person would ever do such a thing under any circumstances whatever: only religious fanaticism could ever account for such behaviour"], it is a very good critical examination of the nihilism and intellectual dishonesty at the root of the BBC's reportage, and and the attitudes western leftists and "liberals" in general, towards Israel's existential struggle.

Thomas Sowell on 'Blacks and Republicans'

Thomas Sowell on 'Blacks and Republicans'

Part of the root-cause of the problem Sowell addresses at the end of the piece [the GOP's continuous failure to make the case to black Americans that "liberal" policies are ultimately harmful to their interests] is due to the fact that most GOP politicians are professional politicians, which makes them fundamentally indistinguishable from Democrats, for professional politicians see the public fisc primarily as the means by which they are enabled to buy the votes of the public, and thus attain or continue in office. GOP professional politicians are "me-too" Democrats; they are the "tax-collectors for the welfare-state," rather than opponents of it -- Democrats are concerned primarily with growing the welfare-state (at the expense of your and my liberty and freedoms), while "me-too" Democrats (as the majority of GOP politicians are) are concerned primarily with the fundamentally impossible task of making the welfare-state fiscally responsible or sound.

Most "liberal" policies are immoral, for they have the entirely forseeable result of destroying the polity, and all for cheap and tawdry (and short-term) personal gain. Politicians -- and voters -- who do not oppose such policies are immoral persons, for they are willing to destroy the Nation, or the State, or the community, in the long-run (which is now not so far off for many States nor for the Nation as a whole) for their own immediate personal gain at the expense of their fellow so-called citizens.

Perhaps I'm too easily amused

I've long been amused at the silly and pretentious names developers of malls and apartment complexes (oops! it's "communities," now) give them, especially those in the form of "The This At The That"



I think the most amusing I have yet seen is this one I encountred today -- "The Legends At St. Andrews"

Imagine having to tell your friends (or worse, strangers!) that you live (or work) at "The Legends At St. Andrews"!

edit:

I've noticed that there is an apartment complex out north of town, on a road called 'Walker Lake Road,' called "The Landings At Walker Lake". Now, the thing is, there is a little pond -- somewhere out in the boondocks -- called 'Walker Lake,' after which the road is named. But, it's not anywhere near "The Landings At Walker Lake", which doesn't have any "landings", much less a mud-puddle to put them on.

'Good Luck'

I'm *always* uncomfortable saying to another, "Good luck!" about anything But, I say it, because that's the term we use in our culture.

As I recently wrote to an old friend: "Good luck (by which I don't mean "good luck" -- I'm not a pagan -- but rather "God be with you" or "Go with God") with the interview."

The Kimyal receive the New Testament in their own language

via Lydia McGrew at WWWW: The Kimyal receive the New Testament in their own language

Paperwork

I filled out some paperwork today (significantly more than an hour of time involved) related to a job application. Most of this was in direct consequence of federal government requirements.

On the other hand, I fully expect that alleged-President Obama filled out far less paperwork to "qualify" (*) for the position he currently occupies.


(*) The quote marks are because we *know* that he's not qualified in one important sense of the word and we have no rationally valid reason to believe, much less assert, that he's qualified in the other, at least equally important, sense.

Vox Day on Unions

Vox Day: Fire them all -- "Unions are the evil, stupid, parasitic cousin of government. They possess most of the negative attributes with none of the positive ones."

That pretty much sums it up, don't you think?

Somewhat Topical

The Oatmeal: The 6 Crappiest Interview Questions and The 10 Types of Crappy Interviewees

A Medical -- and Metaphysical -- Mystery

via Mike Flynn: The Instrumentality of the Brain ... "the cerebellum is essentially absent."

* That is, it's a metaphysical mystery for materialists.