Harvard University

Veritas, by the way, means 'Truth'.

Because in the oligarchical State they [the drones] are disqualified and driven from office, and therefore they cannot train or gather strength; whereas in a democracy they are almost the entire ruling power, and while the keener sort speak and act, the rest keep buzzing about the bema and do not suffer a word to be said on the other side; hence in democracies almost everything is managed by the drones.
-Plato, the Republic

I’ve been reading Plato’s The Republic, and it is very good. Book 8 is tracking very well with America-2008. While I went to a prole school on a military scholarship, my brother went to a fancy school, and was given a book to read before showing up to the classroom. He was directed to read the Iliad. I was curious about what Harvard is telling it’s incoming minds to read these days.

I believe that the Ivy League schools spend a good deal of their time suppressing truth, especially the subject of human bio-diversity. It seems like their attempts to suppress truth have been meeting with resistance, as their incoming reading list sounds downright defensive. Here are excerpts from Harvard’s reading list , as compiled by faculty and staff:

American Demographics
The Anatomy of Racial Inequality
Anna Karenina (Trotsky-feminism)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X (seconded by Al Qaeda even!)
The Black-White Test Score Gap
The Case for Affirmative Action
Choosing Students; Higher Education Admissions Tools
The Chosen: The History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton
College Admissions and the Public Interest
Crafting a Class; College Admissions and Financial Aid
Difficult Conversations; How to Discuss What Matters Most
The End of Equality
The Gatekeepers; Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College
Higher Education and the Color Line; College Access, Racial Equity, and Social Change
A Hope in the Unseen; An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League
Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race
Understanding Globalization
How Young People Cope with Moral Dilemmas at Work
Questions and Admissions
Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession
Race Matters
Race Sensitive Admissions
The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions
The State of College of College Admission
Why a Diverse Student Body is So Important
Young Radicals: Notes on Committed Youth

In case you were wondering, Plato is not on the list.

The above recommendations make up 37% of Harvard’s reading list. Wouldn’t it be easier if we could just admit that intelligence is inherited, and that Ashkenazi Jews and Orientals are the smartest people*, followed by Whites, followed by Hispanics, followed by Blacks.

The two richest guys I know did not go to college, they started out as cops. My theory is that being a cop forces you to understand people, while colleges expend resources trying to get their students to not understand people. Truth is the foundation of any private-sector business.

Our Country would be stronger if we had our students studying things like math, science, and engineering instead of this crap.

* Correction: Statement intended on a strict average basis for the demographic group. Individuals are highly variable.

1930s Pictures

I enjoyed these pictures from the late 1930s . The only comments I have are that the guys pictured above do not seem like the type that would stampede a man to death at a Wal Mart in a mad rush to buy a TV. And that I still get the same looks that the captions bemoan near the end, even when holding doors open politely for ladies.

I like the barefoot kids from Indiana. The boy is the same age as my dad, who played outside with no shoes in his youth.

Where Credit Is Due

I despise what the attackers in India did. The goals and visions of their leaders are evil. They shot beautiful girls. But look at what they accomplished.

Forty men* with perhaps $50,000 worth of weapons and ammunition have been holding off the Infidel state of India and holding on to constant media attention for three days, and counting. They have achieved their goal of driving a wedge between Pakistan and India, furthering their goal of an all-out religious war.

Eleven targets means only 3 or 4 gunmen per target. There has been millions of dollars of property damage and will be billions (trillions?) in lost investment and tourism. The timing was perfect; after the US election and right before Indian tourism season.

This has been a complete success for fundamentalist Islam. Which means that tonight, they are analyzing probably five more targets, likely with some coordinated vision, and deserve our grudging respect along with our disgust.

One more reason to be proficient and carry that pistol around.

Update: It was ten men.

Arms Rules, 1962

The gun laws of India are laid out in the Arms Rules, 1962 . You can apply to a panel with wide arbitrary powers to obtain a gun license to protect crops and cattle, or to obtain a gun license for target practice. Per the link, here are the requirements for a target practice license:

"Where a license in Form VI has been granted in the name of any military mess, club or association, it shall be lawful for any member of such mess, club of association to use the fire-arms or ammunition covered by such license for the purpose of the mess, club or association in accordance with the conditions of the license."

Multicultural Thanksgiving

First, I give thanks for all that old boring, traditional stuff that simple minds value. For my family’s health, for our ability to enjoy a nice meal together, for our freedoms and friends, and for the good fortune we have to live in this wonderful country. I am also thankful for the Internet, as I think it will become an increasingly important vehicle for free speech.
…

Now, in an attempt to broaden my horizons and become a bigger and more understanding person, I would like to give thanks to the texts of Islam.

America took possession of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War of 1898. The American service pistol of the period was the 38 long Colt M1900, a rather underpowered weapon.
The Islamic group, the Moros, after surrendering, decided to take up arms against the US in a series of ambushes. They would dope up their fighting men and send them, inspired by the texts of Islam and their drugs, against American forces. Google ‘etymology’ and ‘assassin’. Thank you Islam for the word assassin.
Well, anyway, the 38 Long Colt cartridge was not powerful enough to knock down these drugged-up Muslims and the army chose to pursue a new, more powerful weapon. So thank you Islam for being the inspiration for the Model 1911 Automatic Colt Pistol. It really is a great weapon, and without Islam, it might never have been introduced.

Thank you also to the Moros who continue the fight today under the name Moros Islamic Liberation Front, or the MILFs. That has provided me with some entertainment.

Beyond the 1911 ACP and the MILFs, the 1913 defeat of the Moros provides us with a game plan if we hope to defeat a life force that applies itself in the form of a bunch of men who enter hotels and shoot civilians with automatic weapons. The American forces in the Philippines simply rounded up the ‘innocent civilians’ from the villages from which the guerilla forces came.

We did not build these villagers schools, or movie theaters, or give them weapons and training. We imprisoned them, threatened them, and in many cases killed them. And then the resistance ended, at least for a while.

So thank you Islam for providing us with this datapoint of how to successfully engage Muslim fighting forces that hide behind their families. There need to be consequences when honorable methods of warfare are abandoned. Tito, the Shah, Saddam, and Ataturk understood this. We will come to understand this once again.

Wikipedia seems to be good on the subject. There are strong parallels between the Philippines and what is happening today. Thoughts with those killed and being held hostage tonight in India.

p.s. Islam, in large part, also served to inspire this 1899 poem about the Philippines. Thanks.

p.p.s. I would also like to thank Islam for giving me hope that maybe, just maybe, Jimmy was wrong after all. Aaargh.

Great Experiments

The first great experiment was whether or not political power could be turned over to one in four male Colonists. The result was that yes, the power could be turned over to this group. With the qualification that, in the absence of controls, their better angels would slowly expand voting rights to non-stakeholders.

The second great experiment was whether or not political power could be granted to women. The result was no, it could not, as evidenced by the emergence of the New Deal shortly after female empowerment. This legislation sealed the fate of our democracy, ensuring its eventual bankruptcy. Females, by nature, seek security and are eager to nurture, traits incompatible with the discipline necessary to exercise responsible political power.

The third great experiment was whether or not political power could be granted in a blanket form to historically-underachieving demographic groups. The relative performance of the States can be compared to determine the outcome of this experiment. The shaded states (above) have the deficits. It can be seen that states with high percentages of these demographic groups bankrupt themselves and become corrupt autocracies quicker than states without high percentages of these demographic groups. See the City of Chicago.

Leading us to the question of what should be done if the government fails and the military has to step in. And to the even more elegant answer, which is to re-adopt the Constitution and Bill of Rights as they were originally adopted in 1789, limiting voting rights to property-holding men. This can be done regardless of race, setting a minimum domestic real estate equity requirement, perhaps $10,000. Amendments following the 10th can be repealed, and be re-established with the benefit of hindsight.

This system, like life itself, if unfair. But it is also the most humane and fair of a whole bunch of potential scenarios. Mankind has a very checkered track record.

Decline and Breakup of the US?

No. The government may fail, but the military will keep the country unified after the collapse. I have lived in the Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, Mountain West, and Midwest. The US is unified by a strong core of people who understand the Constitution, and the concepts that were laid out in the Federalist Papers.

These people are found in all parts of the Country. There are probably 30-50 million of them, and they are armed to the teeth, greatly expanding their political power in the case of a government collapse. The mindset of the military’s officer corps largely mirrors the mindset of this segment of the population.

There could be secessions in the run up to government failure, and Panarin is correct to point to Texas. I’d also keep an eye on the food and energy independent Montana-Idaho-Wyoming-Dakotas region. Just try to take away those people’s guns. Panarin shows his level of knowledge by indicating that the Indians will take over.* I have worked on the Reservation and speak with some authority on this subject.

But, in the end, these 50 States will remain united, and stronger than ever. We have the Constitution, the first Ten Amendments, and the Founding Fathers as a reset position.

* Clarification: They won't.

England

I used to think England was ten years ahead of America in our little experiment with universal suffrage. I don’t believe that anymore, as there is no way that the American political system in its current form can make it another ten years. I’ll be surprised if we make it through the next four years without a bankruptcy and the failure of the social safety net.

But England is still in the lead. The line over at Drudge is that the top English tax rate is now 61%, vs. our 36%, and that is one reason. England is exporting brainpower and their tax base like China is exporting children’s toys.

I’ve drank beer with Royal Marines that explained that military service was a good way to find a new place to move to. But there are other reasons:

1. Our Latin American immigrants, while probably incompatible with our current form of government in the long run, are generally good and hard-working people. Immigrants arriving in England are much more prone to Balkanization than the majority of American immigrants. The current form of English government cannot bring itself to address the texts of the Qur’an.

2. America is energy independent, once we choose to realize it. England is dependent on Russia for energy, a country that knows how to play chess. It is in Russia’s interest to engineer an international crisis to get those gas prices back up. They are good at that. Europe will be on the losing end of that chess game.

3. The ruling class in England is snooty. I can’t figure out if they are using Islam as a tool to reclaim power; if that is the plan it is a bad one. When the money runs out, I predict that the vehicle will be the BNP or some similar organization. While our reset position is the US Constitution-1789; England’s is a monarchy.

4. That English couple I met on the Amtrak.

In any case, our little experiment has spread, and seems to be drawing to a close. If you want to live in interesting times, congratulations. I was never a Boy Scout, but I did make Webelo. I hope I’m prepared.

Fatherhood

I have a wonderful family. We all went to dinner tonight and it was very nice. It is easy to take things for granted. I have never met a person who regretted becoming a parent.

Being a father requires sacrifices, compromises, and a lifetime of worry. They are worth it.

Change

So the President of Mexico directs the United States’ President-elect to maintain all of the unfair trade provisions of NAFTA that are driving industry out of America. If the treaty is to be negotiated, you see, Mexico will flood America with Mexicans who will climb any wall and jump any river to take Americans' jobs.

Boy, this kinda sounds like one of those challenges to the new American administration that Joe Biden had warned us about. Good thing we’ve elected a new President with a ‘steel spine’, I think we were promised something like that.

I can’t wait to see Barack’s response to this challenge to American sovereignty.


***Rubbing Temples *** Maybe he will say:

Hey Calderon. Fuck you, fuck NAFTA, and fuck those 20 million illegal immigrants as well as their anchor babies that do not qualify for American Citizenship under the 14th Amendment. My job is to stand behind American wage-earners, and in this time of economic turmoil, I intend to support domestic jobs by making sure American wages are paid only to American workers.

Mexicans illegally in my country have one month to voluntarily leave. After that, based on your statements, they will be considered individual threats to American national security. Records of recent Citizens of Mexican descent will be reviewed to ensure they are law-abiding, and not serving as a drain on the Treasury.
…

Or maybe he will just smile and perhaps chuckle.

Bets?

By the way, workers make $3/day with no benefits in Central America. They are happy to have the work. $3/day would be a change.

Duh

Change alert.

The reason that stocks went up after the Geithner announcement is because Wall Street perceives that Geithner will be willing to expend public funds to prop up big business.

And I could be wrong on this one, but I believe we are now 3 for 3 in the white men-hairplugs tally.

Surrogacy

Drudge has a piece on regarding surrogate mothers and egg donors.

I believe that the future of human demographics will be highly influenced by modern maternal medical technologies, introduced after WWII. Eugenics were practiced in the US prior to WWII, and went out of official practice with Hitler.

There is a strong case, in my opinion, for eugenics. I justify this in that I believe than one of mankind’s jobs should be to minimize human suffering. Creating a next generation that has fewer diseases and deformations can lead to greater overall happiness, if done responsibly. There are US Supreme Court rulings on the books to this effect.

State

I also recognize the potential, or even inevitability, of abuse. If the Spartans, or the Romans, or Mohammed, or Hitler, had the technology to reproduce model Citizens using the bodies of enslaved prisoners, there is no doubt in my mind that they would of. Raping and pillaging is a less efficient method to spread DNA than pillaging and implanting.

The world is about to go through a rough spell, and rough spells give rise to powerful executives with the authority to do what they see is in the best interest of the State. Citizens with robust DNA benefit the State.

Profit

Beyond the interest of the State, there is the interest of profit. This ABC piece places the cost of a white baby at $27,000-$35,000, and the cost of an egg donation is reportedly $7,000. I’ll assume that an egg donor donates, say, ten eggs. As much as our better angels would like to think otherwise, life really can be cheap. Afghani girls are sold for hundreds of dollars. The surrogacy fee in India is less than $5,000 for a low-caste female.

If a generic white baby, from unknown parents, goes for $30,000; an attractive, smart, athletic, ‘designer’ baby, perhaps doped with the adopting parents' DNA, would probably go for six figures. The profit is there for the person who chooses to offer the service. Which means that it is probably already happening.

Government Ignorance Review: Global Trends 2025

Global Trends 2025 is a document produced by government intelligence agencies. The document has not been released yet, but some of the conclusions have been .

There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that our government servants are dangerously ignorant. I’ve run across this Finger guy before and he actually seems to be dumber than he looks (sorry, that is two personal insults in one day, I know). Either that or he is deeply corrupt. I can’t figure him out.

The good news is that his conclusions are all wrong, and the US will be far stronger in 2025 than it is today. Finger’s mind is contaminated with six bad assumptions:

Bad Assumption #1: Human Biodiversity does not exist.
Bad Assumption #2: The Texts of Islam are comparable to the Texts of the Bible.
Bad Assumption #3: We can replace fossil fuels with non-nuclear green power sources.
Bad Assumption #4: Global Warming is significant.
Bad Assumption #5: Ignorance of domestic oil shale resources and technologies.
Bad Assumption #6: Unmentioned. Just read Plato about systems of government and the effects of idle spendthrifts. See also the Federalist Papers and the Constitution as originally approved as an expedient ‘reset’. Despite what a bad guy George Washington was.

Some Global Trends 2025 datapoints:

1. Global Warming will cause global flooding. Enough said.
2. Mass immigration will make things better for the US than for other industrialized countries because mass immigration introduces ‘vitality’. Comment: I took the Boston subway last week and it was, indeed, vibrant. I didn’t get mugged either.
3. The texts of Islam are not mentioned. Enough said.
4. “A shift away from an oil-based energy system will be underway or complete by 2025. Better renewable technologies such as solar and wind power offer the best opportunity for a quick and low-cost transition, the report said.”

#4 is a completely ignorant statement. Solar and wind power have no potential to replace oil unless we electrify our transportation corridors. Even then, fossil and nuclear fuels would need to power 85% of the power grid. There is no foreseeable substitute for the internal combustion engine. The country that controls the world’s oil will control the world as you cannot power a strategic bomber with a battery.

5. “Global wealth was seen shifting from the developed West to the energy-rich Gulf States and Russia…”

North America does not have 3% of the world’s petroleum; it has 67% of the world’s petroleum. We are the ones who are energy rich. We have 400 years worth of petroleum that is accessible at under $30/barrel. Between our oil, our farmland, and the Great Lakes, America is the country set to rule the world for Centuries.

Just add an economic collapse based on living lies (see bad assumptions above), or maybe a successful WMD attack, and the form of government that comes to power in the wake will be ready and willing to use the riches of America IN A METHOD THAT BENEFITS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

This guy is our intelligence chief in the meantime.

I do agree with the emergence of regional resource wars over things like food and water. A great big wall and some F/A-18s should be enough to keep that ‘over there’. Post-correction America will likely be highly isolationist. Islam will be banned via the RICO Statutes in the wake of the European War.

Stock Market

If you extrapolate the 1980-1995 S&P data to today, 750 makes sense. If you extrapolate the 1950-1980 S&P data to today, 200 makes sense.

I have no plans to buy stock.

Peter Orszag

I don’t like conflict and try to suppress the expression of any ill-will I feel towards individuals. This has not been successful in the case of Peter Orszag , and I have previously called for his arrest. Here is one excerpt from the link:

"A costly rescue for Fannie and Freddie is just a worry, not a certainty at this point. Peter R. Orszag, director of the Congressional Budget Office, predicted in a letter to lawmakers Tuesday that there’s a better than even chance the government will not have to step in to prop up the companies by lending them money or buying stock."

Six weeks after giving this ‘independent watchdog’ assessment from the CBO, telling us that it would probably cost nothing, but may cost $25 billion, and helping get the bailout vote passed, Orszag advocated that the government take over Fannie-Freddie, transferring trillions in liability onto the US taxpayer.

Peter Orszag has been selected by Barack Obama to head the Office of Management and Budget. I am not very impressed with the Obama Administration so far. In my opinion, Orszag is probably accessory to the largest grand theft in history.

I also note another trend. I cannot think of a single white male that Barack has appointed that does not have fake hair, other than Emmanuel, who is pretty short. Is this a fear of male authority figures, rooted in his abandonment by two fathers? Holder too is goofy-looking. A female in charge of Homeland Security?

George Washington-2008

Well I just learned that George Washington was a mediocre tactician, was outmatched by his British counterparts, married for convenience and greed, was lucky, lost more battles than he won, married for selfish reasons, was naïve, hit on his friend's wife (and was rejected), was greedy, tracked down runaway slaves, slaves, slaves(!), was ambitious, was a liar, smiled as he lied, is a man of myth, is ‘highly romanticized’, presented the British with misinformation (gasp), had his face embellished, blurred ethical lines, was a ‘flawed leader’ with a ‘false veneer’, owned slaves at age eleven, expected his slaves to work six days a week, sold slaves, would not negotiate with slaves, and enslaved children.

He was not as good looking as we have been told, not looking anything like the dollar bill. His teeth weren’t even made from wood, they were made from HUMANS.

In fairness, we were informed that George Washington freed his slaves upon his death. This was a decision he made to protect his legacy, you see.

Gotta love the National Geographic channel. Think about how great America would have been if we had only been led by a Community Organizer back in the day. Sigh. End the information I learned on the Truth About George Washington show. Begin old books, and stuff like that.

I’m still kind of impressed that George Washington defeated the British Empire with only 2,000 men to start. Each of these men only had enough powder to fire seven shots when General Washington rode into town.

Hell, I know a guy with more ammunition in secure undisclosed locations than George Washington’s entire army had in 1776.

Peace.

Balkanization

One observable behavior from the election that nobody is willing to touch is the fact that whites in white areas tended to vote for Obama while whites in mixed areas tended to vote against Obama. My theory is that people with experience living abound blacks are more aware of human biodiversity than those living in pasty-white Maine, or Iowa.

This does not speak well for the future of Multiculturalism. I believe that Multiculturalism will devolve into Balkanization, which will turn out poorly as our democracy bankrupts itself. Reduced to a mathematical equation, I predict that diversity, plus proximity, minus resources, equals conflict.

The map demonstrates that Balkanization is human nature. Blue Counties voted for Obama. I resent the people who are trying to shove conflict down our throats.

Here is Craigslist for Clarksdale Mississippi, a town randomly selected in ‘Cotton Country’. The median home price is $3,500. Nobody wants to live there.

Change

Rumor has is that something like 37 of 45 of Obama’s leadership circle are carryovers from the Clinton White House. If Hillary does work her way into the Cabinet, I predict that Barack will find out the true meaning of ridin’ dirty.

Heh heh heh.

Bedlam

I would just like to note that, back before Goldman Sachs was stating $300 billion, and Roubini caused gasps when he published the number $1 trillion, Brick Oven had estimated the banking loss to be $3 trillion. We made this estimate based on the assumption of a national housing price slump of 30%, half of which was owned by the banks. It was not that tough of a calculation.

The government has spent $4.28 trillion so far. Sometimes I believe that there are forces controlling the national press outlets. Does this mean I’m officially nuts?

Obama does not understand what he is getting into, you can tell by his smile. My gut tells me that he represents the pendulum’s high point. Maybe things happen for a reason. Look out below.

Karen Armstrong Is An Idiot

Karen Armstrong makes her money by trying to convince people that Islam is compatible with Christianity and Judaism. As we are a democracy, she is a popular speaker at government functions. She is also sponsored quite frequently by Muslim groups. Now the Hollywood crowd is on board .

I used to really hate Islam, and still don’t really like it. My primary dislike for the religion is rooted in how it suppresses thought. Islamic societies seem to always fail as religious purity eventually causes economic collapse, leading to the rise of a brutal dictator (Tito, Hussein, Shah, Ataturk, etc., etc., etc.).

But there are positive aspects to the faith, in my view. It is consistent with a nationalistic worldview (33:21), which I favor. I also believe that our decision to grant women political equality is at the root of most of our current problems. Try to sit through a whole episode of The View and then pass judgment on me for being a sexist. The concept of sex slaves (4:24) and practice of polygamy (4:3) might have some merit.

Yes, the Bible contains passages where God is on the battlefield, and where gays are banished as abominations, and where adulterers are stoned. But this is not the theme of the book. The theme, as I read it, is that we are all sinners and should redeem ourselves in accordance with the spirit of the Ten Commandments. Or else.

In contrast, the Quran’s constant theme is that Islam should dominate, and not be dominated (9:5). The world is either to be converted, subjugated, or killed (9:29). Karen Armstrong chooses to willfully ignore this. She doesn’t seem to understand that as a childless older woman, she would be of no value in an Islamic world (24:31). The picture is of a religious policeman in Jeddah recently.

This man’s job is to wrap up people like Karen Armstrong (33:57) in a burka and instruct them to shut up and go home (2:228). If she protested, he would be religiously sanctioned to scourge her (4:34). Maybe that isn’t a bad thing. In any case, this is a good web-site if you are looking to defend Judeo-Christian traditions.

I personally think that the Islamic threat to Western freedoms is a passing one. Islam does not appeal to thinking minds as it is a complete system requiring submission, designed to suppress thought. Tolerance of Islam will end with the failure of the welfare state. People are getting sick and tired of taking off their shoes at the airport.

Cities

Detroit, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago are asking for federal money. The reason they need federal money, instead of Fargo, Des Moines, Bangor, Boise, and La Crosse, is that they have a larger percentage of low-IQ minorities. Low-IQ minorities are more reliant on government services and have lower incomes, paying less into the City coffers.

General Motors offered generous and unsustainable benefits to productive people but finally the IOUs are coming due. One thing that doesn’t lie is money. The flawed assumption that GM has been living is becoming apparent in monthly profit-loss statements.

The flawed assumptions that some cities have been living is coming to light in their budgets, despite all of the inflated credit ratings and borrowing. The flawed assumptions that the federal government is living will take longer to come to light because they can print money.

But, in the end, the last man standing is truth. Truth is a very powerful thing.

Boring, Old, Stuff

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Datapoints 2008

My absence is attributed to a cross-country train trip. I enjoy meeting people on the train. This is probably as close to an American cross-section as I am able to produce.

Datapoint #1
Middle-aged white male with European accent and United Nations emblem on his jacket. He keeps looking at me oddly. I’d like to think that the presence of a traditional American male is troubling to him. But I worry that he is a queer. In any case, he is drinking Bloody Marys at 10am.

Datapoint #2

Senior Iowa lawyer, Alpha male type. Higher-level discussions on energy and politics. He has read books on the impending energy shortage and was concerned about it (more truth on energy was revealed to him during the conversation). Called southerners ‘rednecks’ and is worried about the new President’s health. Shares my concerns about the money supply.

Datapoint #3

Young London couple. She wears the pants, he goes to bed early. Global warming believers who are touring the US after a trip to Belize. She is big Obama supporter who is angry at her Chicago brother-in-law for not supporting islands of rent-control in his prosperous neighborhood, formerly known as Cabrini Green. When I mention that 410 school children have been killed in that neighborhood, following the closing of the projects, she gets in my face.

Then we talk about voting rights and my view that there should be Citizenship performance standards in order to vote and she yells some more. I explain the Belize democracy model with the oligarchy of British Knights and she literally stamps her feet and runs out of the car telling me congratulations on figuring out the politics of a small country of 200,000 people, to which I corrected her (the number is 300,000). I enjoyed that interaction greatly.

Datapoint #4

California Zephyr lounge car attendant. Charismatic middle-aged black male. He knows the rules and I know the rules regarding coffee refills, clandistine booze, and tipping. Code language is established and we get along well, avoiding the subject of politics. ‘Two glasses of ice with that Pepsi sir?’ ‘Two would be better.’ As far as I can tell, we enjoy each other’s company. I had a nice trip at least.

Datapoint #5

Iraqi Veteran. Junior army enlisted from Iowa, just back. Has read the Qur’an and had questioned Iraqis on the whole ‘Religion of Peace’ theory. He didn't like the answers he received. People on the train had been pushing him to attend some degree-machine local college and he questioned the value of using his time in that manner. We exchanged phone numbers and, if the current business venture is successful, this guy will have a place in the organization.

Datapoint #6

New Age Female from Napa Valley and Iowa, enroute to a new commune in New York. Offered me herbal and oxygen supplements, watch out for the Oxybliss cleansing stuff, especially before you are to meet your parents for a nice dinner.

Very attractive, nice, nice girl who apologized that she did not stop the conflict I had with the London chick. I hope she finds whatever she is seeking.
…

And here we are. I love the train.

Police Reporting Alert

OK, so pretend that four white Marines had tortured and killed their black Sergeant, who was dating a white girl.

What are the odds that the crime would have been declared to have been motivated by ‘Financial gain’? How would those odds compare with the odds in the former Soviet Union? In Russia today?

Retirement Plans

The government will target the money in Individual Retirement Accounts. They have already started doing this with education savings accounts:

“Give us your money and we’ll give it back in fifteen years. We promise. We have the backing of the full faith and credit of the government, you see.” Smile.

The next shoe to drop will be the IRAs. The funds will either be nationalized in some form, with the money backing social security, or the tax rates on withdrawals will become confiscatory. A Fifth Amendment case could be made arguing that this amounts to the taking of private property for public use without just compensation, but would probably fail with the new round of Supreme Court justices.

Nationalization of IRAs would cause the stock market to crash as demand for stock in private companies would plummet.

America-2008 is neither more informed nor more responsible than Germany-1920s. Germany had war reparations, we have entitlement programs. Germany had industry and farms. We’ve still got the farms at least.

Wikipedia seems to have a good write-up on the Weimar Republic. My impression is that Germany acted far more responsibly then than we are now. Germany did not seem to have any ethnocentric pressure groups at the time. Should be an interesting century.

Think about paying that early withdrawal penalty. Tangibles.

The Buck Stops Here

I’ve held jobs in the military and private sector that have been pretty heavy into the idea that I have to sign my name to the work of others. It is a system of accountability upon which much of America’s past successes have depended. I have reflected upon how the concept of the fiduciary responsibility that a professional owes the public has eroded. Nothing too bad has happened in my life experience*, but there have been times when I have regretted putting pen to paper.

Congratulations to Barack and his historic accomplishment. Good luck. Welcome to the land of accountability.

* Update: Knock Knock

Election Day!

I enjoy a cocktail after work, OK, a couple, but not before 5pm. Today that rule was broken as I wandered into an old watering hole seeking refuge from the election from hell.

There is a woman in her late sixties who makes a habit of showing up at City Council meetings and saying things that don’t make much sense. Her usual outfit is high and tight shorts, and a small tee-shirt with no bra. She must have been very attractive four decades ago. In any case, this was my day-time bartender in a battleground state.

She was sporting an Obama button. Aargh.

Tonight to a contractor friend’s home to view the returns. In the interest of public safety, I’m bringing a sleeping bag. Signing out.

Absence

It has been a week of business. A California lawyer. Things are falling in line. All of a sudden there is attention. Went into the polling booth undecided and ended up voting for McCain. Bought another gun; a nice M&P 45. Earlier today I hiked over the hill and shot at long-distance sagebrush. Not as much fall as I had expected.