Category: Uncategorized

I said a flip flop the flippie the flippie
to the flip flip flop, you don’t stop

There was a Euro dance hit a few years back called Las Ketchup which reminds me of Captain Underoos and his ever-evolving positions on, apparently, everything. In like manner, Drew Cline casts a very skeptical eye on the amorphous Mormon in the Manchester Union-Leader:

OK, here’s a game for the Christmas dinner table. Try to come up with a policy position Mitt Romney hasn’t flip-flopped on. I suggest this after seeing that Romney has even flip-flopped on the one issue where I thought Romney was strongest — taxes.

It would be hysterical to see a “Los Romney” remake of this featuring three blonde women doing the little Ketchup dance in their holy underoos. Of course, it would probably have to be someone from the Ron Paul Revolution; Huckabee supporters obviously can’t do it, since the dancing involved would be wrong.

Anyone who would elect to not only quote this particular part of an article written in defense of him, but actually leave out the positive aspects is fundamentally all right with me, whatever his political opinions on various matters might be:

READER OF THE DAY

“Mark Steyn is an overexposed, overrated, Canadian opinion columnist… He’s also not the distillation of P.J. O’Rourke, Ann Coulter and P.G. Wodehouse that the many gushing tributes to him written during the past few years might otherwise lead one to believe.”

I also admire Steyn’s refusal to kowtow to the Canadian anti-free speech fascists, pusillanimous advice from council notwithstanding. I can only assume I fall into the “another” category of defenders he mentions, but the truth is that as with the Ron Paul Revolution, there is no need for freedom’s advocates to be inclined to braid each other’s hair and bake cookies together in order to speak out when Man’s basic liberties are under assault.

An attack on the free speech rights of a pro-war, strong government guy is an attack on everyone, including those of us who happen to be anti-war and anti-government.

Here’s my reading list for the next month, courtesy of Spacebunny:

The Landmark Thucydides (annotated, with introduction by VDH!)
Outlaws of the Marsh (four volumes)
The Romance of Three Kingdoms (two volumes, translated by Brewitt-Taylor)
On Literature by Umberto Eco

Now, the interesting thing here is that of these eight books, only one was created during the IP era. However, since Eco’s essays in this particular collection are more literary and academic than political and cultural, the chances are high that he wrote them primarily as an academic, i.e. not for the same profit motive that presumably inspires his weekly columns in L’Espresso.

Moreover, Thucydides’s history and the classic Chinese romance have been ripped off by millions of dollars worth of books, movies and games, right down to the very name in some cases, with absolutely no compensation ever going to the creators.

OS correctly discerns my indifference to the NHL, but that’s about it:

I suppose he’s entitled to that, as well as his ignorance of America’s good friend and steady partner, Canada. Mind you, when so many Canadian families are mourning the loss of their young soldiers, blown to pieces in Afghanistan, it’s tough to swallow the
‘irrelevance’ vomit spewed out by the likes of Vox Day.

At least Condi Rice and President Bush have the good graces to thank Canada, one of the few countries who have sent many young men to their death alongside US soldiers in that Taliban hellhole. It also seems they are appreciative of the huge and reliable supplies of uranium, petroleum and electricity that come from Canada to feed America’s industries, heat its homes and power its nuclear weapons.

You know Vox, we’ll never be a ‘big gun’ like the USA. I mean, we’ve only got a population the size of California. Still, we do our bit and America has always been able count on us, military misadventures notwithstanding… but a MENSA member like you should know that.

Then again, maybe the standards for MENSA admission in America are just a little lower than elsewhere…

Yes, I’m deeply impressed by Canada’s willingness to aid George Bush in his war on liberties which Canadians do not possess, to say nothing of Canada’s noble altruism in supplying a giant market with its exports. I’m sure Canadians do it out of the goodness of their hearts, unlike, for example, the Chinese, who only sell their exports out of evil capitalist greed.

Meanwhile, Canadian lawyer GW, shockingly, tries to pull a fast one:

It might be a whole lot easier to take the arguments of writers like Vox Day seriously if they didn’t employ incendiary headlines like “Heil Canada.”…. Regarding the article itself and a tiny point of accuracy, while Mr. Day’s statement that “there is no Canadian First amendment” is technically true (as our free speech guarantees are not nested in a constitutional amendment), his readers should not be misled.

Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms affords constitutional protection to freedom of expression in Canada:

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;

(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;

(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and

(d) freedom of association.

Mr. Wise neglects to mention the preceding paragraph, which qualifies these “rights” with open-ended strictures such as the sort which have been applied in Canadian law since 1970.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

Similar limitations are placed on the “rights” supposedly guaranteed by the United Nations and the current European charter that currently applies to its European signatory states and will be adopted by the European Union once it claims sovereign status.

And while RB didn’t take offense on behalf of the nation of Canada, he was apparently upset that I was insufficiently respectful of the greatest writer that ever put pen to paper regarding matters political:

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that, judging from the ample evidence of both of your many columns, you are not fit to sharpen Mark Steyn’s pencil. He is considerably more knowledgeable than you on every topic you mention your last column. He has a grasp of real life politics and policy, unlike your Google-happy, MENSA obsessed, web-trolling egg headed know-it-all posturing. He actually travels to the places that you Imagine you understand. You embarrass yourself by trying to high-horse an intellect as strong as Steyn’s but, then again, you embarrass yourself almost every Monday, so I’m not surprised by this latest example. You are too smart by half. Or less.

Yes, this would be exactly the sort of individual I had in mind when I wrote about Steyn being overrated. He’s not bad, as nominally right-wing commentators go, but he’s not in my top ten either.

Of Imaginary Property:

In a potential blow to themed resorts from Vegas to Tokyo, Egypt is to pass a law requiring payment of royalties whenever its ancient monuments, from the pyramids to the sphinx, are reproduced. Zahi Hawass, the charismatic and controversial head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, told AFP on Tuesday that the move was necessary to pay for the upkeep of the country’s thousands of pharaonic sites.

“The new law will completely prohibit the duplication of historic Egyptian monuments which the Supreme Council of Antiquities considers 100-percent copies,” he said. “If the law is passed then it will be applied in all countries of the world so that we can protect our interests,” Hawass said.

What a brilliant idea! After all, if copyright can be extended from the life of the creator to 70 years after the life of the creator, there’s no logical reason not to extend it to 10,000 years after the life of the creator.

I’ve been an enthusiastic pirate all my life, as despite being a content creator myself, I’ve always understood that “IP” is nothing more than a variety of state-sanctioned theft. What passes for the main “defense” of IP is simply a lie; most of man’s greatest works were created before the existence of IP.

Fortunately for we IP-atheists who refuse to bow down before the idol of Imaginary Property, it’s not only the technology curve that’s on our side, but the generational one as well. That overwhelming majority of college students are not amoral, they’re merely recognizing the undeniable fact that if you had one apple before and you’ve still got one apple now even though I am happily crunching away something that is a perfect replica of your apple, then no one has taken anything away from you. No theft has taken place. But using the government to force me to pay you for the apple you still possess is theft.

Information not only wants to be free, information WILL be free. And before you do anything so blatantly stupid and obvious as try to label me some sort of hypocrite, do stop and remind yourself exactly with whom you’re dealing.

74 Masonville
65 Winston

Christmas is particularly merry this year in Masonville, as the Marauders’ wealth at quarterback- they began the season with the enviable option of choosing between Tom Brady and Tony Romo – propelled them to a first-place 9-5 regular-season finish and a close, but solid win over the Reverends.

Masonville will be back next year, along with the three permanent members, Mounds View, Greenfield and Burns. Next summer, those interested in participating can throw their names in the hat to fill up the other six team spaces.

Much has changed since I wrote this column in 2002. And yet, nothing has changed. I can still remember believing in Santa Claus, now I see the anticipation of Santa’s visit reflected in younger, more innocent eyes. This year, I find myself in a warm and happy home, surrounded by love and joy, but thinking of those who languish alone in dark and joyless places. May their hearts be warmed by memories of Christmases past and the promise of Christmases still to come.

The King of Christmas

I love everything about Christmas. The white snow, the rainbow of lights and the dawn vision of presents piled under the tree. It is a happy time for my family, a time of joy. Some of our most cherished memories stem from this time of year. But we also remember the inspiration for the celebration, a truth both wonderful and grim.

We remember that Jesus Christ had to come into this fallen world because it was, and is, under the rule of a cruel and malevolent prince, who tempted Him, who slew Him when He would not submit, and who watched in helpless horror as He rose again in power.

The world is still under the rule of that cruel prince, the results of which can be seen every day in the news. Murder, war and tyranny continue to oppress many millions throughout the world, but we who refuse to submit to the ruler of this world are no longer bound by him, for we claim that truth that sets us free, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the true king of Man, yet I remain convinced His Father is a libertarian. Not only did He send His Son to set us free, but He allows us, no, He forces us to decide between acknowledging His Son or seating ourselves upon the throne of our own lives. And that freedom of choice, in the end, is the central liberty; it is the only liberty that matters.

A friend once asked how I could be so cheerful while America rots from within and endures attack from without. The answer is that despite my love for America and my passionate allegiance to the ideas upon which it was constructed, I know that its fate is immaterial. Our country, our homes and even our lives are all things of shadow which will one day disappear in the light of the glory of Jesus Christ.

Despair is the natural state of the thinking man. This is why intellectuals grasp so readily at even the feeblest straw promising hope for Heaven on Earth. But there will be neither peace nor harmony until the revolution begun in a Bethlehem manger is complete, until the murderous ruler of this world is finally deposed. Then, at last, there will be peace and goodwill to men.

Merry Christmas.

And it seems that I’m not the only one. I had no idea that Tucker Carlson and Donna D’Errico would do so as well, though.

It’s a fact. Babes dig libertarians.

The amusing thing about this correction is that the esteemed columnist is also the author of a book on mathematics:

Let’s see … 3 plus 2 plus 1 plus zero is, er, 6; and 6 divided by 4 is … 2, right? Well, to one significant digit. Sorry about that. A little too much Christmas spirit. I really should stay away from applied. The correct TFR for our Four Horsemen of Godlessness is 1.5, and Sam Harris will have to engender three offspring to get the atheist quartet up above replacement.

As one of his emailers has already pointed out, due to multiple marriages on the part of Messrs. Dawkins and Hitchens, the more important rate per woman is even lower, especially if one were to take Bertrand Russell’s five wives into account.

But even without counting the oft-married Russell, the Four Horsemen of Godlessness average only .86 children per woman.

Unsurprisingly, upon further review, the Bush mortgage bailout plan is only meant to keep mortgage bankers afloat by preserving the loans, it’s not intended to help people keep their homes in any way, shape or form:

Every word in the proposal is intended to maximize the net present value of recoveries, nothing else…. Scheme Part 1: Say the subject property was valued at $100,000 with an 80/20 financing package in place. Now the property is worth $90,000. Using only the 1st lien, the LTV is only 88.9% ($80,000/$90,000), far below the 97% LTV. The idea is to get these suckers (borrowers) to refinance into one of those FHASecure while the 2nd lien holder agrees to subordinate to a new 1st. The old securitized 1st is now home free with a FHA/government bailout while the 2nd, though still in an over-encumbered position, has just received a reprieve. How brilliant.

Scheme Part 2: If the property has dropped to approximately $83,000 or below, then Scheme part 1 is not feasible. So it is best to keep this borrower paying in a 120%+ CLTV property. As you can see, with the property value so low, they know with certainty that a default would be a total wipe of the 2nd and a severe loss to the 1st.

This two part scheme assures that there are no crumbs left on the table for the borrowers. In summary, regardless of its devious intent, this bailout plan will not work.

The greed and shortsightedness of the financial predators is truly astonishing. Even animals usually know better than to ruthlessly wipe out the prey that sustains them.