The Pledge of Freedom

I pledge to defend
The Principles of Freedom
Upon which this Nation was founded:
The right to free speech
The right to bear arms
And the right to a limited government
With liberty
And justice
For all

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Open letter to Scientific American

I’ve subscribed to, or purchased at the store, every issue of Scientific American since 1978. At one time, the arrival of the magazine was an event anticipated with joy and excitement. As an amateur astronomer, physicist, cosmologist, geologist and electronics tinkerer, a new issue would invariably put me in hog heaven. It would allow me to escape the politics and insanity that shouted at me from every other publication or media outlet, and venture into a cool, abstract world of pure science.

No Longer.

Now, I dread each new issue, for I know it will be filled with dumbed-down-for-the-masses, politically motivated, unscientific crap – crap that contradicts the formerly sound science that used to characterize the magazine, crap that sucks me back into the unscientific world of politics, the same crap that drives me daily to shout at and then turn off my radio with fingernail-breaking jabs. The new layout - which more-or-less went into effect when SciAm was taken over by the Nature Publishing group and Mariette DiChristina (former editor of Popular Science) was installed as the Editor-in-Chief - is filled with whitespace, full-page pictures that lend nothing to the content, and the length of some "feature" articles has been shortened to two pages and a mere few hundred words.

I'm not going to waste any more time either reading SciAm or trying to get DiChristina to see the light. I will instead read a magazine that still holds true to the standards that SciAm has abandoned: American Scientist.

The problem with SciAm has been building for many years. I used to look forward to reading Shermer’s columns. Then I saw with horror that he was suckered by Al Gore’s moronic movie, and then re-horrified when it was revealed that he bought into the freedom-destroying travesty that is drug testing.

For the record, I’m not a Limbaugh/Beck denier of global warming (I call it by the correct term, not the euphemistically PC “climate change” canard). Global warming IS real, it is partially man-caused – but the primary forcing factors are completely outside human control: Terran orbital parameters such as variations in obliquity, eccentricity, and inclination of the ecliptic relative to the invariant plane of the solar system. These factors, combined with the warning that has already occurred, guarantee that even if 100% of mankind’s industrial effort was directed toward carbon sequestration, the current warning trend will continue for at least 50,000 years. Go back through the last decade’s issues and you will find plenty of support for the fact that not only did man-caused GM start thousands of years ago (a good thing – ice ages are a bummer) but also that decomposing tundra, peat moss and other sources of greenhouse gases have already carried Earth past the GM tipping point. The Greenland and Antarctic ice caps WILL melt, the sea level WILL catastrophically and quickly rise many meters – yet SciAm magazine ignores this, and instead has joined the liberal clamor to waste our money and time on stupid efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – efforts that the Chinese will ignore, and will only destroy the US economy and prevent us from taking the steps needed to deal with the very real danger of inundation of our major coastal cities.

SciAm magazine ignores other, very real problems, like the inevitability of the next dust bowl and the fact that lakes Mead and Powell will be emptied. Phoenix and Las Vegas will wither and die, yet you people are obsessed with every excuse to plaster Obama’s face on Sci Am’s pages. (Page 49 – are you deliberately TRYING to piss-off ½ of the US electorate?!? Couldn’t you find another half-Negroid, half-Caucasoid face to use?!?) I have no doubt that the majority of your editors and staff voted Democratic – how do you feel now, hearing the announcements of Obama’s cuts to key NASA programs such as Aries, Constellation and Orion, leaving the US with ZERO heavy-lift capacity after the shuttles are retired? After we have already sunk $19 billion into those critical programs?

Steve Mirsky used to be mildly amusing, now he has revealed himself to be an insufferable climate-change butt-boy, by trying to pass off as logical the fallacy that just because the imbecilic Senator Inhofe is a creationist, climate-change can be reversed because Inhofe is a global-warming denier!

And Krauss – don’t get me started. His columns are so filled with excrement that I’m now starting to have serious doubts about his work in astrophysics – and I used to be one of his biggest fans! Tell him to stick to physics and shut the f—k up about politics!!

The pathetic article that attempted to refute the recent “Climategate” flap is yet another example of politics circumventing reason in the pages of SciAm. Again, don’t lump me in with the Republican masses – I have never voted for a Republican and never will. I had hoped to read a balanced, logical analysis, but instead was tormented with a left-leaning pile of poop. When I saw the repeated references to the “theft” of the emails, my eyes just rolled. Words have meaning, and those emails were not stolen, they were leaked. If the hackers had deleted the emails from the servers after copying them, that would have been theft. If your magazine can’t get something as simple as that right, how can I believe anything in it?

I’m staring at the February 2010 issue right now. My subscription will lapse in April, and for the first time in thirty years, I’m not renewing. Across the room, in one of the many bookshelves that barely contain the > 4000 books in my house, I can see the rows of Scientific Americans in which I used to take such pride in owning. Now I’m embarrassed to admit that I subscribe. Many friends who also subscribe share my disgust. I want to hold out hope that in a few years, changes to the SciAm board will pull the magazine back to reality – I’ve seen this happen at least twice before, but this time I have my doubts. I hate to see my money being used to promote such blatantly biased political pseudo-science.

Perhaps I ought to see if I can get the local bookstore to give me the cover-removed guts of the issues they can’t sell. Perhaps I should keep my subscription, but tear out all the pages that spout nonsense, stamp “FAIL” on them, dip them in dirty toilet-water and then mail them to you. (Tempting, but you would probably have me arrested for terrorism).

The bottom line is this: my once-beloved Sci Am is dying. I hope it lives, but I’m steeled for the end. At age 55 I’ve held the hands of several friends and loved ones while tearfully watching the glorious spark that was their life fade into darkness … Nothing lasts forever. It was a good run while it lasted.

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State of Disunion

On Wednesday evenings I enjoy walking-about my daughter's piano teacher's neighborhood during her lessons, of late listening to Atlas Shrugged on my new Sansa Clip+. After the lesson, we drove off, and as is our habit tuned the radio to the station of one of our favorite shows, "The Maniac", as we like to style him - Michael Savage is sometimes wrong but his stream-of-consciousness harangues are always entertaining. The only other show on the air this time of night is Alan Colmes. I used to enjoy him more when Bush was president, but now that Barak Insane Uh-bama is in power, Alan is more and more just an insufferable butt-boy for the Dems. About the only time I can stand him anymore is when he has a theist-tweaking guest on his show such as Sam Harris or Richard Dawkins.

But tonight, to our horror, the big-eared Irish-American traitor was squatting on all the stations, barking nonsense to his legions of Kool-Aid-drinkers. Panicking, I stabbed button after button on the radio, but there was no escape! My daughter exclaimed "I know one that won't have him on!" and punched up an FM rock station on the far right of the dial. To our relief, the pulsating grind of Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction blared from the speakers, and we grinned and mimed air-guitar as we sang along, our metal-heads bobbing with contentment.

As we sang and listened, we simultaneously realized that the lyrics were eerily, poignantly appropriate for an address to a nation stupid enough to elect him Dork-In-Chief:

You take a mortal man,
And put him in main control
Watch him become a god,
Watch peoples heads a'roll
A'roll...
Aroll

Chorus
Just like the Pied Piper
Led rats through the streets
We dance like marionettes,
Swaying to the Symphony...
Of Destruction

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"Obama U Akbar!"

As a Libertarian who has never voted for a Republican or a Democrat, listening to most talk shows is a frustrating experience. Nevertheless I try to listen to a wide variety, ranging from Glen Beck to Alan Colmes - even PBS. Most tend to turn my stomach. Like an old analog clock that is right twice a day by chance, Rush gave me an idea last week. He correctly pointed out that voting to support Barak Insane Obama's DeathCare initiative was political suicide, and that Senators who vote to allow the debate to commence are, in essence, political suicide bombers.

A light bulb lit up over my head, and unbidden I burst out: "Obama u Akbar!" (Obama is great!). I then tweeted, and also sent to several Senators who were reportedly on the fence, the following:

"Obama U Akbar!" (shouted the Senatorial terrorist just before voting for ObamaCare, destroying America and committing political suicide)

I also realized it would make a great bumper-sticker, one that would be sure to piss-off a large fraction of the populace. Here it is for your downloading pleasure:


To see who had thought of this before me, I googled "obama u akbar", and to my satisfaction, found only 9 hits.

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Mark Levin reads Ayn Rand quotes on Friday show

Mark Levin, who I regard as the best of the Clear Channel syndicated Republican talk show hosts, quoted heavily from Rand in his show on Friday, 10/23/2009. Levin, unlike all the other Clear Channel jocks, does not charge for audio from his show. Here is the link - please have a listen - the Rand part starts within 30 seconds: Mark Levin quotes Rand 10/23/2009

http://marklevinshow.com/sectional.asp?id=32930#

He used the quotes from this blog, and read each one in it's entirety - about 5 minutes worth of air-time:
http://appeal2heaven.com/2009/04/01/why-reject-socialism-private-property-and-economic-freedom-vs-economic-equality-part-2/

“Socialism is the doctrine that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that his life and his work do not belong to him, but belong to society, that the only justification of his existence is his service to society, and that society may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to be its own tribal, collective good.”
- From The New Intellectual

“The essential characteristic of socialism is the denial of individual property rights; under socialism, the right to property (which is the right of use and disposal) is vested in ’society as a whole,’ i.e., in the collective, with production and distribution controlled by the state, i.e., by the government. Socialism may be established by force, as in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – or by vote, as in Nazi (National Socialist) Germany. The degree of socialization may be total, as in Russia – or partial, as in England. Theoretically, the differences are superficial; practically, they are only a matter of time. The basic principle, in all cases, is the same.”
- From “The Monument Builders“

“There is no difference between the principles, policies and practical results of socialism – and those of any historical or prehistorical tyranny. Socialism is merely democratic absolute monarchy – that is, a system of absolutism without a fixed head, open to seizure of power by all comers, by any ruthless climber, opportunist, adventurer, demagogue or thug. When you consider socialism, do not fool yourself about its nature. Remember that there is no such dichotomy as ‘human rights’ versus ‘property rights.’ No human rights can exist without property rights. Since material goods are produced by the mind and effort of individual men, and are needed to sustain their lives, if the producer does not own the result of his effort, he does not own his life. To deny property rights means to turn men into property owned by the state. Whoever claims the ‘right’ to ‘redistribute’ the wealth produced by others is claiming the ‘right’ to treat human beings as chattel.”
- From “The Monument Builders“

I don't have "The Monument Builders", but will order it ASAP.

Although Levin is not an Atheist, he rarely denigrates us, does not proselytize like Hannity and Beck, and often goes out of his way to make it clear that he has more important things to worry about than someones religion; he is a strict Constitutionalist. I called his show last year to point out how we seem to be getting close to Directive 10-289, and he instantly knew what I was talking about.
10-289 is summarized here:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0104693/stories/2002/11/17/directive10289.html
Or, get a tee-shirt!
http://www.zazzle.com/directive_10_289_tshirt-235212474752886558

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Obamaween 2009 - BOOOO!

I heard a great idea on the radio while at lunch. AFAIK, Michelle Malkin first popularized it: http://michellemalkin.com/2008/10/31/happy-obamaween/

So, here's what I'm doing this Halloween. I'll need this equipment and materials:
* Several large poster boards for the sign
* a black light for ironic creepiness
* A sturdy plywood box, about 2'x2'x2' , with a 2"x6" slot in the top
* A strong chain and padlock
* A wireless webcam, or other means of capturing video
* Some choice pictures of Obama's face

The sign, with 6" tall lettering, will go on the wall outside my front door. It will read:

OBAMAWEEN! BOOOOO!
PUT HALF YOUR CANDY IN THE BOX
HE WILL GIVE IT TO KIDS
WHO NEED IT MORE THAN YOU!

The camera is both to capture the reactions of the little taxpayers and to bust Democrat-sympathizing vandals. The box will be adorned on all sides with the Obama mug-shots; the one on the top will have his mouth open, cut-out so that the candy goes in the open mouth.

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Obama insanity reaches a fever-pitch

I've not updated my blog for many, many days. Why? I've been overwhelmed. Every day, there are three or four new horrible revelations of tyranny from the Barak Insane Obama government, or scandal in the liberal Democrat cesspool. Today's post is just a sample of the avalanche of feces raining down on us.

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Ted Kennedy screwed over 1000 women (the majority while married) and payed out over $10 million in hush-money? Do the research, it appears that the National Enquirer got it right. I've spent the last few days reading about Teddy's life, and the "1000 banged" assertion is entirely consistent with his other well-documented sexual behavior.

This short article summarizing Ted Kennedy's life from the UK's Daily Mail was interesting, and made me a bit sad. He, as did his brothers, had it all: wealth, girl-swooning good-looks, access to the best schools on the planet and more. Yet, he squandered his precious gift of life. I'm reminded of Ayn Rand's maxim that (paraphrasing) "Anyone who would not have earned a fortune on their own will be destroyed by inheriting wealth."

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Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director aka "czar" lionizes Mao? Do the research, listen to the full audio, and it appears that she really is an admirer of Mao or, at the very least, too stupid to have prefaced her remarks with something like "We all know that Mao was a tyrannical, murderous despot who was directly responsible for a Chinese Holocaust that made Hitler look like a piker, but we can learn something about overcoming impossible odds by studying his tactics." Instead, she touts him as one of the two "political philosophers" she admires most! Here's relevant portions of the speech:
" .... the third lesson and tip actually comes from two of my favorite political philosophers - Mao Tse Tung and Mother Teresa, not often coupled with each other but the two people that I turn to most to basically deliver a simple point, which is you're going to make choices.

.... In 1947, when Mao Tse Tung was being challenged within his own party on his plan to basically take China over, Chiang Kai-Shek and the nationalist Chinese held the cities, they had the army. They had the air force. They had everything on their side, and people said how can you win? How can you do this? How can you do this? Against all the odds against you, and Mao Tse Tung said, you know, you fight your war, and I'll fight mine, and think about that for a second."

Here's a link to the video, decide for yourself:


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Kevin Jennings, White House "Safe Schools Czar", is revealed to be a NAMBLA supporter? Not surprising, given that in his book Always My Child, Jennings calls for a “diversity policy that mandates including LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] themes in the curriculum.”

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Obama is prepared to sign "health-care reform" bill that sticks a huge tax increase to people making less than the touted $250K/year? Why is this a surprise, given that it is obvious to anyone with a brain bigger than a swine-flu virus that he is a lying sack of shit?

How about this section in the > 1500 page Finance Committee version of the Bill, from page 1190:
"(c) TREATMENT AS TAX.—For purposes of subtitle
F, the fees imposed by this subchapter shall be treated
as if they were taxes. "

That wording is there to get around the 5th Amendment. The bill is riddled with similar crap. I'll post it soon for you to read for yourself. But, it is going to pass, and Barak Insane Obama will sign it. The legions of looters will hail it as wonderful.

It's time to shrug. Sure, your income will plummet. But you will have the satisfaction of no longer being the "guiltiest man in the room", to quote Francisco D'Anconio - to no longer be the man who is enabling the looters, the man who, as atonement for the "sin" of productive hard work, is expected to offer himself to immolation.

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