Remember what I said a while back about “Playground Logic“? Today, Iran told Uncle Sam to “bring it on, baby!” They’re upset that we had the unmitigated gall and audacity to question their sincerity regarding their nuclear program. You see, Iran has more natural gas and crude oil than the world needs. They have no need of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. However, they could certainly make use of a spare nuclear weapon or two, as their leaders believe that Israel doesn’t deserve to exist, and they should be the ones to bring about its destruction. [Read more…] about Iran to USA: “Bring IT!”
Archives for 2006
The War – Here and Abroad.
Got some news this morning. My Marine Reservist son is scheduled to ship out to Camp Pendleton in April, then out to Iraq in September.
A lot of people have wondered openly if my support for President Bush and the Iraq War would change if my son was involved. I’m happy to report that if it has, it’s only made me more resolute in my support.
What the mainstream media and the left fails to grasp are several fundamental truths. First, when someone wants to kill you (Al Qaeda) you have to choose: fight or flight. They carried the fight to our shores, so there is nowhere to run (even if we were so inclined). It’s far better to fight on their turf than ours. You’ll notice that a large number of fighters captured in Iraq are from parts beyond Iraq. Therefore, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist (but evidently more braincells than Alec Baldwin posesses) to see that the terrorists have traveled to where the fight is (Iraq) to fight us.
Here’s a clue for you liberals out there. This is a good thing. [Read more…] about The War – Here and Abroad.
The (Un)importance of Being Oscar
I skipped the Oscar broadcast Sunday. I’m not alone. So did millions of other Americans. From what I hear, the ratings were off 10% from last year, which were down significantly from the year before. In fact, Uncle Oscar’s been slipping quite a bit in recent years. For the life of them, Hollywood can’t seem to figure out why.
I think I know.
I’m a red-stater. Proud of it. I’m one of the ones with which George Clooney admits to being “out-of-touch.” At one time, Hollywood proudly made movies that I was interested in seeing. Star Wars (the first one…you know…episode IV), Patton, Young Frankenstein. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Big budget – small budget – I didn’t care. As long as it was entertaining, I didn’t care if it was a war picture, a western, a comedy, even a love story. Along the way, though, Hollywood forgot about entertaining me, and decided their mission was to indoctrinate me into their cause célèbres.
[Read more…] about The (Un)importance of Being Oscar
Patently Ridiculous.
Can we stop for a moment and talk about patents? I’m a creative guy. Over the years I’ve come up with any number of creative ideas. Some of them could/should be protected, intellectual property. Some were just great ideas. As a creative guy, I’m generally in favor of some kind of protection for those who come up with some useful new invention. On the other hand, I’m for the immediate dissolution of the U. S. Patent Office, and the creation of a new agency that understands what in the HELL they are doing.
Here’s the deal. Let’s say you invent something. Nobody ever thought of it before. It’s useful. It’s cool. You don’t want somebody to steal your idea, so you apply for a patent. Your product takes off. You make millions. At some point, your patent runs out, and everybody and their cat decides to market a me-too product, turning your product from a unique gadget into a commodity. You resign yourself to make less money.
This is how patents are supposed to work. [Read more…] about Patently Ridiculous.
Discrimination.
Discrimination. To hear tell, it’s an ugly word. The kind of word that spurs secular humanists, liberals, and special-interest groups to cry foul, and to loudly proclaim in 200 point gothic headlines, "We’re Morally Superior Than You Are."
The truth is far removed from what they would have you believe.
You see, the word "discriminate" is perfectly innocent, and, I might add, essential. To discriminate, at it’s most fundamental level, is to examine a subject and determine the differences and similarities between it and something else, and subsequently express a preference between the two. You discriminate every time you tell the disinterested counter person at your fast food emporium if you want a burger or a salad. You discriminate when you choose between paper and plastic bags at your supermarket. And you discriminate when you deny someone an opportunity based on a personal bias.
Which one of these is morally wrong?
Fundamentally…it depends.
The Politics of Mediocrity.
“He has delusions of mediocrity.”
It was just an offhand, sarcastic remark my son made the other day. In context, he was talking about someone he knew, who was busy screwing up his life – someone that was under the impression that he is a lot smarter/better/more successful than he, in fact, really is. It was said in a tone dripping with irony. And it got me to thinking about the entire concept of mediocrity, and how it applies to life (in general) and our society.
At one time, the world admired, appreciated, and strove for greatness. In particular, America idealized winners; those that strove to be the best; those that did achieved more, created more, and built more than anyone.
Sadly, I don’t think that’s true any more, especially in America.
Mediocrity rules. And I know why. [Read more…] about The Politics of Mediocrity.
Playground Logic.
You know that book? The one titled “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”? I’m thinking of writing one on geo-political logic, called “The World is One Big School Playground.”
In WWII, the playground was Europe. Germany was the big bully kid – not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but big enough and mean enough to throw his weight around to get what he wanted. What he wanted was the lunch money – and everything else – from Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, et cetera. In his gang were Italy (not quite as smart or strong as Germany, but exhibiting the same tendencies towards bullying) and Russia (kid with a chip on his shoulder, with no parents to teach him right from wrong, who fell in with the bad crowd.) Let’s not forget Japan (brainy kid – a nerd – who’s too small to be a bully, but dreams of lording his intellect over the other kids – willing to go with the bullies so he can then become their leader after they’ve beaten the good guys). On the other side of the schoolyard, you had England (brainy kid who fights back when he gets cornered – a good guy to have on your side, as he’ll fight on the basis of principal), France (weak kid who surrenders quickly, but would LIKE to see the good guys win) and America (the school quarterback who believes in protecting the weak). The rest of the countries were like the little kids – serving as collateral damage for the fight (although you can make the argument that Switzerland was like the kid who tries to play both sides against the middle to make a buck off betting on the outcome of the fight).
Valentines® Day™ (New! Improved!)
Another Valentines Day is upon us. Pardon me whilst I reflect on Valentines Day, commercialism, holidays, and The Meaning Of It All.
I’m not a big “holiday” guy. I like Christmas. Thanksgiving’s okay. I’m partial to Independence Day, since it bookends my birthday. The rest of them seem to be somehow second-tier. Also-rans. Valentines Day was big when I was a kid, as it was an excuse to get hyped up on limitless amounts of candy. Big sugar rush. As I grew older, I realized that Valentines Day (like New Years) was society’s excuse to force you to keep score, relationship-wise. As an adult male, if you were in a serious relationship, Valentines Day is the time you are forced to Be Romantic™ and Do Something Special™ for your significant other. The evil cabal of retailers/media/peer pressure combines to force you to treat this day as sacrosanct. [Read more…] about Valentines® Day™ (New! Improved!)
Tag. You’re it.
Okay, kids, lets talk about hardening of the institutional arteries for a moment, shall we? In business, it seems much of what any industry does is due to inertia – or in plain English “because that’s the way it’s always been done.” Let us turn our attention to the lowly clothing tag, for an example of inertia in action.
<p>Garment tags are generally made of nylon. Why? They weren’t ALWAYS made that way, because clothing tags date back to well before the invention of nylon. Prior to that, I suppose tags were made of silk, and nylon is a much cheaper substitute. From about the 1940s on, however, nylon garment tags have been the standard. </p> [Read more…] about Tag. You’re it.
Connecting the Dots.
No, this isn’t a post about the Global War on Terror. It’s a post about logic, reasoning, belief systems, and how they affect us all.
<p>Did you ever have the experience where you can almost put disperate data together in some semblence of order, but can’t quite make all the pieces fit? It’s as if you have one or two missing pieces of the puzzle, and just can’t see the entire picture. It’s like when you know there’s a word you want to use, but you can’t get it in your head – it’s on the “tip of your tongue,” but you just can’t think of it.</p> [Read more…] about Connecting the Dots.