Moon Shot

See the funny shaped cloud behind the two cute girls in the picture above? That's the plume of the Lunar Recon Observer riding on an Atlas 5 Rocket. This was the first rocket that NASA has sent to the moon since Apollo 17. The idea is to use this rocket to place a small satellite into lunar orbit. Once there it's going to look for a good place for humans to set up base. But it's also doing something very remarkable. It's going to release an impact device and send it straight into a dark crater near the lunar south pole. The idea is to blast lunar material into the moon sky and see what's there. Scientists are hoping to see traces of pretty, sparkly, ICE. Very cool. I'm glad we were there to watch it launch. Here is a really cool video animation of the mission profile.

Horse Floater Freedom

Horse Floating is apparently the "art" of grinding down the teeth of a horse. In Oklahoma the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association wants it to be very expensive. Thereby protecting their business model which is this: Go to school for around 8 years, graduate, and join a monopoly enterprise protected by government. Our human health care system is much the same. It's terribly expensive solely because of the education requirements one must meet before one can perform services. Imagine if the guy who repairs your car's brakes was first required the get a doctorate in mechanical engineering. He'd be paid well and the brakes on your car would cost thousands of dollars to fix. Why, in a free society, can I not have anyone I wish grind down my horse's teeth? Thanks for the link Radley.

Monaco!

The crown jewel of Formula One, Monte Carlo. This weekend is the Grand Prix of Monaco. Here is a brief video detailing the circuit and the particular challenges this race course has to offer. It's an amazing thing to watch.

Click It or Ticket

The "Click It or Ticket" campaign from the NHTSA is now in high gear. We tax payers pay for their adds on radio and television. They warn us to buckle up or be punished. How, in the Land of The Free, did we ever come this? It is an affront to freedom for government to decide for you what is safe behavior and what is not. I wear my seat belt because it's a good idea and I have a strong sense of self preservation, but it should not be a law.

geAK-47

Thanks for the video Bundy. I like this guy's use of LED lights and a giant light bulb to indicate his capacitor charge.
Potato Guns = Old and Busted.
Coil Gun = New Hotness.

Post-Prophecy America

We All Rich Now!

Stealing is Bad, MmmKay?

There are many politicians in Palm Beach Florida that are dirty, crooked liars. So many in fact, that Florida Atlantic University is now offering a Public Ethics Academy.
Why do people in public service need to be taught right from wrong? Why do we, as a society, allow ourselves to be ruled by the least among us?
From the Sun Sentinel

The academy is receiving its money from training services, including a contract with the city of Hollywood. In Palm Beach County, three county commissioners, Mary McCarty, Warren Newell and Tony Masilotti, have been arrested or imprisoned in recent years on corruption related charges. “It’s almost been a perfect storm,” said Norman Ostrau, a former chairman of the State Ethics Commission who heads the new academy. “Everything has come together, with Palm Beach, with us here in Broward. There is just an absolute need.”

How can anyone think there is nothing wrong this? I have the perfect nominee for their first professor.

I Don't Hate Vests

Left 4 Dead is a great game! It's a Team Based Zombie Survival First Person Shooter. Or as I like to call it: TBZSFPS. You and your friends play as one of 4 zombie apocalypse survivors. You have Bill, the grizzled war vet, chain smoking curmudgeon who is like a crazy uncle. You have Louis, the disgruntled corporate drone who is finally taking charge of his life. You have Zoey, a pretty girl with grit, a terrible attitude, and terrific aim. And then you have Francis.


Left4Dead is a blast and the best TBZSFPS ever. Of course it's the only TBZSFPS ever but I digress. It's appropriately rated M for mature. You can find it on Steam and when I and my friends are not playing WoW, we're blasting zombies.

You Need To Effing-Wake Up!

"These were the stores that didn't do what they were supposed to do. We may go three or four more months and try this again. So if you're not doing what you're supposed to do then you need to wake up and start doing it."

Those are the words of Effingham County sheriff Jimmy McDuffie. Sheriff McDuffie just completed a 6 month investigation of local "Gas Stations". Or, as I like to call them, "Sin Stations". These Sin Stations were running illegal child-slavery operations out of the back offices. A gang of former Russian KGB agents had formed a vast underground criminal empire to smuggle toddlers straight out of daycare and into coal mines in West Virginia.
No, just kidding. They were just a bunch of small business owners who happened to run afoul of Georgia's anti-gambling laws. These brazen thugs had the temerity to operate video gambling machines in their Sin Stations. Right out where CHILDREN could see them! Well not any more! Effing-Sheriff Jimmy and his team of Effing-Deputies shut it right down. There is even video of these brave heroes in action. Watch and let the criminals tremble in Effing-Fear as the Effing-Deputies show these Effing-Sinners how business is done in Effingham County. It's Effing-Scary!

Be sure and stop by one of your local Sin Stations to buy your Georgia Lottery tickets.

Numbers Games

Recently the Stamford Connecticut Narcotics and Organized Crime unit spent a month investigating Soloman Muson and some of his friends. It seems they were running an illegal numbers game. He must have been a real Tony Soprano. After all, they spent a month doing an investigation. They seized his Mercedes and a bunch of cash. Oh ya, it was a 1997 Mercedes. And the cash? They found less than 3,000 dollars.
Small potatoes compared to the Big Boys who run scams like this one:



In 2008 Connecticut sold $998,147,892.00 worth of lottery tickets.




This is an actual ticket sold in Connecticut.







Here is another one. This ticket will set you back $30.00. For ONE ticket.

Union Break Time

I've workied in a union factory. I've worked in a non-union factory. And I can tell you the following is NOT unusual.
Thanks to Bundy for the link.

Here is a link to an investigative news segment. It's to a local news site in Detroit. It shows union members drinking at a bar nearby on their lunch break.

"...This worker who we'll call 'Dale', show's up at the bar at 10:36AM..."

Ok, why call him "Dale" that's MY name! And I hardly ever went to the bar on company time.
I'm predicting that this video will be yanked by the station soon.

Go To Your Room Young Man!

One of the biggest crooks in the history of the world, a man who scammed billions of dollars to fund his own little empire, is under House Arrest.

Of course while some of his scammed clientele may be losing their homes, he'll be snuggy warm in his Park Avenue apartment. Good thing he wasn't playing illegal poker or gambling.

You see, in 2006, while Mr. Pouty Face was busy lying to people to get their money, other people in New York were running gambling operations. James Giordano, a professional poker player, was accused of running a sports betting ring.

Let me illustrate some things here. Giordano was taking bets from people who wanted to gamble on sports. People who knew exactly what the odds of winning are. Madoff was conning millions of dollars from people and companies by telling them they were not really gambling at all.
The District Attorney for Queens New York spent 28 months investigating Giordano. Both men were taking money from people but only one was stealing.

Now here comes the punchline:
Giordano was held without bail. And Madoff is at his Park Avenue home tonight.

Good Boy!

I love dogs. (except maybe little yappy ones)
Of course this breed would likely be banned if this family was unfortunate enough to live where breed specific bans are in place. Much like gun control, bans on dog breeds do not stop the problems they set out to. If scary looking dogs are illegal only criminals will have scary looking dogs.

The All New 2009 Bailout

I'm not sure who created the below image. I found it at The Agitator's site. Whoever did, captured my feelings almost exactly. I apologize for the coarse language but this does sum it right up for me.


You see, I've been through this very scenario. In 2006 I traded a Mercedes C-280 for a new 06 Dodge Charger R/T, ya it's got a HEMI. It was a nightmare experience. I won't list all the details but the dealer, Greve Chrysler, refused to stand by their commitment and I was sorely disappointed. Well, at long last my lease was up and I bought a used 06 Mazda RX-8. This car, priced similarly and comparably equipped, is far better. The build quality is as good as the Mercedes and overall it's far better than the Dodge ever was. But as it turns out, I'll still be paying my money to companies I don't do business with.

So What Does John Stossel Got That I Ain't Got?

Many of the same thoughts and ideas that John Stossel speaks so well about are the same thoughts and ideas that I have had. My wife, when she had nothing else to read, picked up two of my Stossel books. After a few days of reading, BAM, she's a Libertarian with a new world view. I couldn't be happier that we are agreeing on more topics lately but I'm concerned she might become a Stossel Stalker. She even thinks he's good looking!

Bailed Out?

Not even close.

Economics 101

A very good friend of mine has an assignment for his economics class. The assign is to ask a member of the local business community a series of questions. Here are the questions and following that are my answers to each.

1. What impact has technology had on the economy?
2. Is the economy improving, decreasing or maintaining?
3. Is inflation an issue in this economy?
4. How has globalization impacted our economy?
5. What trends do you see in the local economy?
6. What trends do you see for the state of Ohio, and USA?
7. Do you think the Federal government should increase the minimum wage?
8. What advice would you give our political leaders to improve our current economy?
9. Who has the biggest impact on the economy? President? Bernanke( The FED) ? Congress? Corporations? Stock market? Consumers?
10. How does education impact our workforce?
11. Is Wal-Mart good for America?
12. Should off shoring/outsourcing be made illegal?
13. Should we worry over social security for the next generation?
14. Where are future job opportunities? How can we create new jobs?
15. Does inflation impact our economy?
16. How does health care impact our economy?
17. How does immigration impact our economy?
18. How should America deal with the energy crisis?
19. As America experiences the deindustrialization, where will future jobs be?
20. Do you have more confidence in the Federal Reverse Bank (Bernanke) or Congress?
21. Are CEO paid too much money in Corporate America?
22. Is their an income inequality in USA? Is that wrong? Or is it justified by one own productivity?1. What impact has technology had on the economy?
2. Is the economy improving, decreasing or maintaining?
3. Is inflation an issue in this economy?
4. How has globalization impacted our economy?
5. What trends do you see in the local economy?
6. What trends do you see for the state of Ohio, and USA?
7. Do you think the Federal government should increase the minimum wage?
8. What advice would you give our political leaders to improve our current economy?
9. Who has the biggest impact on the economy? President? Bernanke( The FED) ? Congress? Corporations? Stock market? Consumers?
10. How does education impact our workforce?
11. Is Wal-Mart good for America?
12. Should off shoring/outsourcing be made illegal?
13. Should we worry over social security for the next generation?
14. Where are future job opportunities? How can we create new jobs?
15. Does inflation impact our economy?
16. How does health care impact our economy?
17. How does immigration impact our economy?
18. How should America deal with the energy crisis?
19. As America experiences the deindustrialization, where will future jobs be?
20. Do you have more confidence in the Federal Reverse Bank (Bernanke) or Congress?
21. Are CEO paid too much money in Corporate America?
22. Is their an income inequality in USA? Is that wrong? Or is it justified by one own productivity?

1. What impact has technology had on the economy?

Technology has had a very positive effect on the world as a whole. Life spans are increasing and the time/work exchanged for goods and services has never been lower. From the cotton gin to PET scans things are pretty good. As for the impact on the economy what one should look at is the amount of time and work one must spend to purchase. The effect has been and will continue to be very good.

2. Is the economy improving, decreasing or maintaining?

Taken as a whole, the economy in free societies will always improve. And this one is no different.

3. Is inflation an issue in this economy?

Most people think that inflation is an increase in the cost of goods and services. While sometimes true, the real cause of our current inflationary cycle is the continued over spending and debt by our government. As government debt soars and interest rates fall, the value of the currency falls. That is why we are seeing huge spikes in foreign goods like oil.

4. How has globalization impacted our economy?

Certainly it has been very positive for our economy and for the economy of the world of which we are an inextricable part.

5. What trends do you see in the local economy?

I see our future becoming more linked to a global economy. As information and products can now move more easily, the cost for everyone comes down. We may see a shift locally and nationally away from industrial production. We have already seen huge shifts in employment trends. My grandfather worked in agriculture but thanks to trends in automation and equipment advances many fewer people work on farms. And at the same time, farmers now produce much more food on fewer acres. Yet, no one claims that the hydraulic cylinder stole their jobs.

6. What trends do you see for the state of Ohio, and USA?

I believe we are more integrated. The local, state, and national trends are one and the same. See question 5.

6. Do you think the Federal government should increase the minimum wage?

No. It is fundamental to a free society that two parties be allowed to enter into a contract without dictations from a third party.

8. What advice would you give our political leaders to improve our current economy?

This one is easy. Stay away.

For a more detailed description, see Milton Friedman.

9. Who has the biggest impact on the economy? President? Bernanke( The FED) ? Congress? Corporations? Stock market? Consumers?

Of course “The Economy” is influenced by all of us. Consumers have a positive impact. By voting with their dollars they force the market to become more efficient. The Executive branch, no matter who is holding it, has little real power to control the free market. Congress through it's myriad regulating capacity has stifled much of the progress of the last 50 years. This has slowed innovation and stalled growth. Since abandoning the gold standard for our currency the Federal Reserve has presided over the near destruction of the dollar. Fiat money cannot hold it's value in a world of rising debt and falling interest rates.

10. How does education impact our workforce?

An educated populace is a society that will always trend towards more freedom. As education and knowledge increase, the time/work/money to goods and services exchange ratio gets increasingly better. However some jobs are below the standard of an educated work force. I doubt a college professor would be very happy working in a coal mine. That is why there is a perceived “Brain Drain” in some areas of the country. This, I believe, will lessen as more people can now work on projects many miles away.

11. Is Wal-Mart good for America?

I asked my seven year old daughter this question. Here is her answer. “Wal-Mart is good for everyone because you can buy stuff there. If there was ever a real bad storm and you lost some of your things you could go to Wal-Mart to buy them. And it's good because some people like to work there.” Sounds like a pretty good answer to me. I would only add that they also have pioneered some very good product distribution networks that have lowered the price we all pay for many goods. Many people like to attack Wal-Mart but a lazy mind always sees another person's or company's success as sinister.

12. Should off shoring/outsourcing be made illegal?

Why would anyone think they can decide with whom I do business? This nationalistic call to end outsourcing is nothing but thinly veiled racism. Some think that if I pay someone in a foreign nation for work or goods received that it somehow has drained a bit wealth from our nation. False. If both parties have agreed under no duress to a contract, both parties are enriched by the exchange of goods. No wealth has moved at all. Someone once said, “A border that is not crossed by trade and goods will be crossed by armies” I'd much rather trade.

13. Should we worry over social security for the next generation?

Worry? No.

14. Where are future job opportunities? How can we create new jobs?

It is the very mindset that formulates the “How can we create new jobs?” question that gets us into trouble. When the automatic telephone relay was invented thousands of people were put out of work as telephone operators. Let's just require that all telephone switching be manually done. We can create new jobs by allowing people the freedom to do so.

15. Does inflation impact our economy?

As our dollar falls relative to other world currencies, the exchange rate of our time/work/money for foreign goods falls.

16. How does health care impact our economy?

Health care in our current system is flawed and the flaw is not apparent to many. How expensive do you suppose it would be to get a hamburger if it could only be prepared by a person with degree in culinary arts? Medicine is the most regulated industry in the world. No person can provide health services without meeting requirements set down by government. In a truly free society, people should be allowed to contract for any service they choose with whomever they choose. It is no one else's business. Without the regulation from government, health care could be more affordable, and better than it is today. Take the flat screen TV market. It takes a great deal of knowledge and skill to build one. But because of the free market, they constantly get cheaper and better at the same time. The protectionist trade policies in health care prevent this from happening.

17. How does immigration impact our economy?

Very positively. This land was once home to no man, woman, or child. Every person in America is either an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant. Today the Mexicans are targeted as the threat. But not long ago in America it was the Irish, the Japanese, the Catholics, and at one time or another, every other race. I am for completely open borders. I fear no aliens.

18. How should America deal with the energy crisis?

    By getting out of the energy business.

19. As America experiences the deindustrialization, where will future jobs be?

Future jobs will be in unknown industries that evolve through natural market forces. As technologies continue to blur the lines between what we desire, and what we can have, the only limitations will be our imagination.

20. Do you have more confidence in the Federal Reverse Bank (Bernanke) or Congress?

    I have confidence that they will both seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of the people. If buying and selling are controlled by government, the first things to be bought and sold will be the government itself.

21. Are CEO paid too much money in Corporate America?

The only people who are paid too much are those whose salaries were not fairly negotiated. If both parties agree to the exchange and the contract deemed fair by both parties, I consider it to be fair. A better question would be, “Are economics professors paid too much?”.

22. Is their an income inequality in USA? Is that wrong? Or is it justified by one own productivity?

    See question 21.

I am supposed to ask 3 of my own questions as well.
1.) Do you think either presidential can have a positive impact on our economy? Why?

Both and either can certainly have a negative impact. I doubt very much that either of the two leading candidates will do anything at all positive.

2.) Should oil companies pay higher taxes?

No. All tax rates should be the same for all companies.

3.) How do you think a government based health insurance plan for American would impact the economy?

Ask the Canadians and the British how they like it. It will be a disaster. It will plunge us further into deficit spending which will then cause the dollar to fall even more. It will force rationing of health care and fewer people will receive care. If you want to fix it, remove the regulations on health care.

It's Almost Time To Get Really Small

The Large Hadron Collider is getting really cold now. In fact inside the LHC it is now colder than anywhere in the Solar System. It's colder there than the South Pole of (former planet)Pluto. It needs to be this cold so that they can accurately shape the electromagnetic field needed to cause two particles, going in opposite directions, at nearly the speed of light, to collide. Here is an image showing the different sectors fo the LHC.


The sectors are color coded to show the cooling status. Light blue is very cold, near absolute zero. Once all 8 sectors dipole magnets are cooled, they will guide the beams along a 17 mile ring and smash them together inside the various detectors. It's exciting to be around to witness this grand experiment. It's quite possible that we could discover some very interesting things. Things like the Higgs Boson, Multi-Dimensional Universes, and other even stranger things. Why do all of this? Brian Cox gives my favorite TED Talk and explains.

Ron Paul

So I fire up Google Video just to see what's new and the top rated "Hot Video" is Ron Paul. Could it be that this nutty guy from Texas is catching on?



Obviously this guy makes too much sense to ever be The President.

Welcome to the 21st Century!

A tribe of people has been found in the Brazilian jungle that has apparently had no contact with the rest of the world. They presumably know nothing of the modern world outside of their very primitive existence.

Now, some are suggesting that we should "protect them" from any exposure to the outside world.

I think we should contact them. We should give them the tools and the knowledge for advancement. I would suggest that those who want to "protect" them, should can certainly go and form a primitive commune somewhere and try it out for a while.

Look at it this way, there are some people who hope that one day aliens will come to our planet and offer us some advanced technology( I rather doubt it) and give us a brighter future. This is really the same thing.

How very quaint to suggest that a tribe of people be denied knowledge.

The always excellent Reason.tv crew has produced one of their finest works. It details the heart breaking story of Cory Maye.

Only 7 Cars Finished!

Only 7 cars finished the first F1 race of the season. Think about that. I could have entered in my road car and finished 8th. Here's a post-race review from the great team at Speedtv.com

Gentlemen Start Your Engines

It's very nearly time for the 2008 F1 season to begin! The 2008 season is shaping up to again be fantastic. Last year the drivers championship came down to a three way battle in the very last race. Newcomer Lewis Hamilton, the favorite going in to the final event, seemed to slip under the pressure and the determination of Kimi Räikkönen. Final points in 07 were 109 Alonso, 109 Hamilton, and 110 for Räikkönen.

Will 2008 be the year that Lewis clinches his first F1 Championship? Can Ferrari repeat and hold on to their slim advantage? And do not discount Fernando Alonso. He's back where he belongs with Renault but will his rookie teammate be a factor? Nelson Piquet Junior makes his debut in F1 along side Alonso at Renault and he has something to prove. I'll say now that if Alonso and Piquet qualify near each other at Australia they will collide in turn one.

To rev you up for F1 in 08, here is a video by Antti that gives you a taste for the rich history of the worlds top sport.



It's gonna be a good year.

Trunk Monkey

more of an ape really but...

Conan The Barber

If Conan the Barbarian wanted to end his barbarous ways and take up another vocation, he'd be wise to stay out of the barber business. Barbering is deeply regulated by The State. To establish himself as a Barber, Conan would have to satisfy these people. He would have to prove that he has attended one of their approved and licensed schools. I know what you're thinking, "He's Conan!". It doesn't matter.
According to the Ohio Revised Code,
"no person shall do any of the following:
(A) Engage in or attempt to engage in the practice of barbering, hold themselves out as a practicing barber, or advertise in a manner that indicates they are a barber, without a barber license issued pursuant to this chapter;......."

It goes on and on and on from there. essentially this is what it says:

First it goes into a lengthy definition of Barbering. Then it basically states that no one may barber or teach barbering. No one, that is, that does not have a license. Even if you are Conan the Rehabilitated Barbarian. No matter that Conan can crush an ordinary man. He is nothing next to the Juggernaut that is the Ohio State Barber Board.
Conan could get a license from one of the many(many!) schools in Ohio. Of course the schools exist to allow people to comply with laws that then enable the schools to exist so that people who want to cut hair instead of being a murderous barbarian can do so without breaking the law. Conan is confused.

Sorry Conan, maybe you can find another job.





I'm glad there is someone to watch our for my hair. My hair is safe from the deadly blade of the barbarian. Imagine what things might look like in a world where anyone could go around willy nilly cutting hair. It gives me chills. Thank you Ohio State Barber Board.

Gub'ment Logic

Here is a perfect example of Government Logic:

"HERNDON, Va. (AP) - Fewer flights will go in and out of New York City airports at the busiest times to try to ease chronic nationwide air travel delays, the government said Wednesday."

Hey I got an idea or two. Why not get the Feds out of the business of air travel all together? It's not making us safer, just late for meetings. It's not efficient, effective, or economical.

Ron Paul For President

Glenn Beck did an interview with Ron Paul on Headline News last night. Here it is in it's entirety. I can't find much to disagree with him on. Watch it. If you disagree with him please comment. If you agree with him, please comment and then tell three people about him. Imagine the great nation we can have again. Ron Paul for President!

Baseball and Steroids

Why should the government get to decide what baseball players do? The argument for action by the Federal Government goes something like this:

"We have to do something to stop illegal drugs from influencing The Game."

Why? Why do some people feel the need to force healthy/pious lifestyles upon others? Under what authority does one man mandate the choices of another?

"We can't allow the Heroes of Children to use illegal drugs."

Why would anyone allow their child to emulate someone who engages in behavior that they, the parents, deem harmful? NASCAR is certainly a very popular sport, should the Feds require that they drive more slowly so as to set a better example? What about boxers, we wouldn't want children to go around punching people in the face would we? There are many examples one could find of children idolizing characters that they cannot and should not emulate.

"The records of our Sacred National Pastime are spoiled."

So what if Bonds was taking drugs to power his home run records? Some athletes drink coffee. Some drink booze. Some use vitamins and protein drinks. In the days of Babe Ruth, healthy lifestyles were not common. Look at The Babe, he was a bit portly, and couldn't really run very fast. Today, athletes are worlds away from those days. Today they have personal trainers, special diets, strict training regimes and countless uses of technology to advance their performance. We cannot allow records to be valid only if the diet and training program of all current athletes is the same as those of yesterday. Why not allow any and all enhancements to performance? The reason people watch sports is to watch people who can do things that seem impossible. I love to watch Formula 1 racing. They cruise around curves like this one at about 210MPH. Is it safe? Nope. It is for this reason that I and millions more watch sports. It is the right of every person to decide what does or doesn't go into their bodies what risks they take, and whom their children emulate. The greatest traditions of this country are that we are free to make personal choices.

Mmmmmm Coffee

One of my favorite drugs is Caffeine. It's not hard to figure out why I suppose, it's a stimulant with nearly immediate effects and it's cheap. It's cheap because it's drank in coffee and coffee is legal. Coffee is one the largest commodities in the world second only in volume to oil. But because there is no prohibition of coffee, it isn't subject to illegal smuggling. My favorite coffee comes from Mr Bill's Coffee. And lately I have been mixing 50-50 blends of his delicious wares. For me the best is a mix of his Kenyan AA and his magical Bill's Blend. I order about 2 pounds per month from Bill. When I order it, I choose how I would like him to roast it and a couple days later an aromatic package arrives in the mail. Thanks Bill!
Now, i have to cut this post short due to one of the side effects of coffee.

Don't Brutalize Me Bro

Another isolated incident where police get pissed for being video taped while acting like thugs.
----------------------------------

Four sue police, alleging "dirty tactics"

Posted by The Oregonian

Four men who say Portland police ran roughshod over their constitutional rights are taking their cases to court. Monday their attorneys called for independent investigators to review complaints against police and for the mayor and chief to curb what they called officers' "dirty tactics."

-----------------------------------

The rest of the story here with video hotness: Here

The problem with these kinds of lawsuits is that the suit is against the police force and not against the individual officers. So now, the people who pay the taxes will have to pony up for the wrong doings of these cops.

Youtube is as much a force for freedom as the printing press was during the Revolutionary War.

By Invitation Only: Why Illegal Immigrants Keep Coming

There are three big reasons why many people want to sneak in to our country. And all three reasons are invitations from We The People.

First, Illegal drugs. Prohibition causes the price of drugs to be falsely inflated. As long as there is prohibition there will be smugglers. We invite this because the American People's appetite for drugs is very high. (pardon the pun)

Second is our the entitlement nature of our government. Nothing will bring people to a party quicker than free beer. And nothing encourages the wrong kind of immigration more than the prospect of a free lunch. We invite this because we allow our leaders to enact bad policy.

Third is the desire to work. We invite this because we want inexpensive labor.

I only have a problem with the first two. If we end prohibition and tax illegal drugs, reason one is gone. If we stop the failed policies of entitlement, reason reason two is gone.

That leaves people seeking work. The right to contract is fundamental to freedom and this goes to the very essence of capitalism.

Direct2Drive You Crazy

Hearing all the buzz about Bioshock, I decided to skip the demo and buy the full game. As a gamer in the early 21st century, I have the option to purchase games in two ways. I can buy a hard copy disk or I can purchase a download and get a licensed copy that way. I chose to do the green thing and buy a digital copy.

I did a quick search and found Direct2Drive. I logged in and quickly found myself fifty dollars poorer and ready to download. Click... Up pops a box that says I need to use IE or I can just click a link to download my file in zip format directly. I click the link and I immediately get hit with the craptacular speed of 784Kbps down. My Cable modem from Adelphia and now Time Warner, can easily grab 8Mbps down. I was getting about 10% of this and Firefox's nifty download manger was reporting that this download will take about 17 hours to download. So I chose to open up the link in Internet Explorer and see if my speed would increase. I allow the Active-X control to run their Download Manager. I got the same pathetic speed from their download manager and here's where it really gets ridiculous.

To find out why my speeds were so slow I visit the support page of Diret2Drive. The FAQ for download trouble is pretty straight forward. The first two suggestions tell us to disable any popup blockers, firewalls, ya ya, I get it. Here is the FAQ beginning at step three emphasis mine, spelling mistakes theirs.

3. Multitasking. Don't think because you have a phat pipe you can surf, play a game then chat all over AIM. Leave your computer alone.

**And tell everyone in your house to turn off their computer, don't share your connection.


Tips:

Reboot before you download. Including your modem. Turn it off for min. of 3 minutes. Then start your comp and turn off everything you don't need to run the comp.

What kind of advice is this? Whose nephew wrote this? This download took me over 16hrs to complete. Are they seriously suggesting that I shut down my home network, do not use my PC, and watch this slow agonizing drip of data? Sorry D2D but it was slow and not because of my machine or my network.

I let the Bioshock game complete downloading rather than try to get a refund. Suffice to say I'll not be using Direct2Drive ever again. I hope the game turns out to be worth the pain in the butt it was to get.

Wrestle With This

Why does anyone care that professional wrestlers use steroids and other illegal drugs. Does the public want to watch people built like Don Knotts and me to wrestle? Now, I'm no fan of the rass'lin I find it juvenile. But hey, this is America, to each their own. And if "Their Own" means steroids, cocaine, or rat poison, why is it any one else's business? They choose to participate in a dangerous sport and they get paid by a willing audience. Next up I suppose is a speed limit for NASCAR.

Plenty of Vacancy

Loads and loads of Vacancy. We watched Vacancy on Tuesday's Movie Night. What a horrible waste of fake blood. It stars Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale as a troubled married couple. The writers were at at a loss as to how to make these two seem worthy of your pity so they play the dead kid card. As it turns out, the couple has lost a child some years ago when wifey forgets to put up the gate in front of the basement steps. Heres the trailer: (WARNING: You cannot get this two minutes of your life back.)

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Lost, stranded, and stuck at the Snuff Film Motel. This movie, like the much better 8mm, attempts to shine a light on the world of snuff films. But in the end isn't this movie itself a snuff film? The audience is led down the same path we've been down a thousand times before. Scared innocent people are terrorized by psychopathic killers. Teased by the imminent death of characters we're supposed to care about but don't.
Plenty of Vacancy in the theaters showing this one.

When I'm 64

Will you still choke me, will you still poke me, when I'm 64? According to this it may not be out of the question. The article explains that people keep on having sex until they die. Good news really. However, I hope my reaction to old ladies is not the same as it is today. If it is, I'm gonna need the Viagra. This picture that accompanies the article makes me very uncomfortable.






The guy looks like he's ready to bust someone's lip. The wife, well.... she looks "happy".

Further more, why is that teddy bear on the sofa knocked over? I'm betting just before the AP photographer showed up, they pulled an "Afternoon Delight" right there on the sofa. It's really the only thing that explains that picture. He needs a nap, and she's ready to bake a pie.

Running Low On Ammo

Apparantly, according to this AP article, cops all across the country are running low on ammo. Or maybe they're not.
At first the big headline grabs you.

Ammunition Shortage Squeezes Police

It begins with the usual incitement to fear:

An Associated Press review of dozens of police and sheriff's departments found that many are struggling with delays of as long as a year for both handgun and rifle ammunition. And the shortages are resulting in prices as much as double what departments were paying just a year ago.

"There were warehouses full of it. Now, that isn't the case," said Al Aden, police chief in Pierre, S.D.

Let's take a look at Pierre S.D. shall we? How much ammo does a police force of Pierre S.D. need? Judging by the design of the city's official homepage, they must have used all that ammo to shoot every web designer in town. That website alone is proof that government employees should just stay away from computers. Meanwhile, I'm sure the citizens of Pierre are cowering in their homes until the warehouses can be restocked with ammo and all the "All Clear" is sounded.

ATHF:MFFT

Last night's movie was Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Movie Film For Theaters. ATHF works pretty well in 15 minute cartoon shorts. In a full length movie? Not so much. Ya, it had a few funny lines, but overall it was somewhat boring. There are much better animated movies.

Who Ya Gonna Sue?

A Continental Airlines flight from a foreign country has to land because of bad weather. Since it's an international flight no one is allowed to get off without going through customs. Since Customs isn't really expecting any extra business and it's just about break time, those sorry passengers can just wait. They wait for a few hours, get pissed and decide it's about time to demand to be let off. So, they get to parade in front of a few TSA employees and get on the plane to wait an additional hour. So they're going to sue.

But who should they name in their lawsuit? It is the very policy of bureaucracy that created that mess. How many lawsuits would Continental face if a terrorist had a bomb and they were allowed to get off? How very in-efficient air travel is becoming at the hand of govenrment. Now, some would like you to hand over your very lives to them.

Troublesome Tragedy

Somethign bothers me about this story and it's more than just the horrible tragedy. It seems that a police officer was shooting at a snake, missed at least twice sending his bullets far and wide. One splashed into a lake where 5 year old Austin Haley was fishing with his grandpa. When the first round hit the water near them, the grandfather held the boy close to him. The second round hit the boy in the head killing him. Here is the story from CNN.

The City Manager, Bob Wade, would not identify the name of the officer who is suspected of firing the shots. Wade states that the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Why is that? Why would a servant of the citizens be protected when he accidentally kills one of them? Why do police get preferential treatment when they screw up? The grandfather seems to have spotted this hypocrisy.

"I'm not saying the cop shot him on purpose," Tracy said. "It was an accident. But let me tell you -- if I had a kid and put him in this car and didn't put him in a car seat and he got killed on the way to town, they'd charge me with murder ... and what this cop did is a lot worse than that."

He's right.

Smoke Screen

I'm a smoker. I love the feeling of nicotine coursing through my blood stream. However, the actual effect on my lungs is something I do not enjoy. There really needs to be an alternative to smoking. Something that would deliver the nicotine I want without the smoking of dead plants. There is only one thing standing in the way of the market delivering this very product to me. The Government. It seems they would rather I die a slow painful death than let product innovation provide an alternative to smoking.

Bathtub Gin

Recently I received in the mail(real paper snail-mail) a pamphlet outlining the dangers of meth-amphetamine. It was a stark warning to all concerned citizens. It highlights the danger of meth. It details some of the signs that a meth lab is in operation and advises on what to do if one suspects a meth lab is in your neighborhood. Certainly this “new” drug is far more dangerous than the drugs of the last few decades. Users often develop irregular heart beats, and a myriad of health problems. It is highly addictive, potentially deadly, and just plain nasty.

So what, if anything, can society do to stop the scourge? Can we pass a law? Can we impose stiffer penalties? Can we put more cops on the street to stop people from making and selling meth? Well, the answer is not so clear.

Where did this new drug come from? Are Columbian Drug Lords invading Van Wert? Is the county airport now home to clandestine air-drops of this substance? Nope. It's being made right here in town by our neighbors. It's being cooked in garages, in campers, and the trunks of cars. The fact that it can be made right here removes the old stereotype drug lord from the picture. No longer is the producer of poison far away in a tropical jungle with a lab and an airplane. Using off-the-shelf ingredients people can brew this stuff nearly anywhere. Using cold medicine, a recipe from nearly any chemistry book, and a few other elements, the guy down the street can turn himself into Tony Soprano over night.

A few lawmakers have decided the problem is in the cold medicine. In Oklahoma, the first state to regulate the sale of ephedrine, some surprising trends have emerged. According to government crime stats, since the regulation of over the counter cold medicine went into effect, the number of meth makers has fallen by 90% in Oklahoma. Good news right? Wrong. While powdered meth has decreased; the availability of Mexican Crystal Meth has grown by 500%. No longer produced in Oklahoma, the streets are now flooded with imported meth. This stuff makes the locally produced stuff look like powdered sugar. It's far more concentrated and far more deadly. We will soon see the same things in our town.

This is not a new paradigm, it's not even a new drug. Meth was first produced in World War 2 to provide soldiers with a quick pick up that would enable them to perform for days with no sleep. The Nazis, the British, and yes, the good old US of A used meth to keep going.

We have been down the prohibition road before. During the Volstead Act that was passed by Congress in 1919, people started brewing Moonshine and Bathtub Gin. These were highly concentrated and highly dangerous substances that nearly anyone could make. It soon became apparent that the cure for alcoholism was far worse than the disease. People were still drinking but instead of beer and wine it was Mezcal and Whiskey. Instead of Miller and Budweiser it's Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly.

So now here we are again. The Government in an effort to protect people from themselves are going to do the same thing. All over again. We are going to take a bad problem and make it worse. I do not want my child to grow up in a world like Chicago in 1930. But this is exactly what will happen.

Everyone Got Drunk

This week's movie was Everything's Gone Greeen. A subtle comedy about the plight of modern day slackers..... I think. As it was everyone was already drinking when I showed up with this weeks movie. Show time was supposed to be at 9PM. I dutifully arrived at 8:30 for the festivities. Upon arriving I realized that the festivities began about 4 hours earlier. As such, everyone was drunk, chatty and in no mood to sit quietly for a movie. For a better review of this pic go here.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Having failed to scare the world by blowing up airlines over the Atlantic Ocean, terrorist the world over would like to thank Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
The target of terrorism is not the victims of the act itself. The target is all the rest of us. The goal is to get all of us to react to fear. So when a plot to use liquids to blow up commercial jets failed, those wishing to scare us failed as well.
That's where Chertoff comes in to complete the task. ABC news has a new article up where the DHS Secretary offers chilling details of what might have happened. Chertoff knows only too well that the collective worry of US Citizens will keep him in power.
To keep us all in the grip of panic Chertoff offers this bit of wisdom:

"I think that the plot, in terms of its intent, was looking at devastation on a scale that would have rivaled 9/11. If they had succeeded in bringing liquid explosives on seven or eight aircraft, there could have been thousands of lives lost and an enormous economic impact with devastating consequences for international air travel."

They failed. They failed to blow anything up. They failed to scare us. They failed to change our society. But the the good Secretary comes to their rescue and does their work for them. Way to go Chertoff.

First Post!

Hello and welcome to my screwy chewy blog. Here is where you'll find our weekly movie review, political pontification, random musings, and inspired rants.
First a bit about me and why I chose to begin blogging. I used to be a staunch Republican. I used to believe that the GOP stood for limited government and were pro-freedom. I now realize that power has totally corrupted the Republicans and can no longer call myself one. Now, I'm proud to be a libertarian/conservative. Some of my beliefs could be considered Right, some Left but mostly pro-freedom and pro-capitalism.

So, let's begin, shall we?