Wednesday, November 30, 2005
I Continue To Be Impressed...
By Dr. Helen, aka "the Instawife".
Some snippets:
On Transcending her Vegetarianism:
----------------------------------
I had a tremendous amount of free-floating hostility within me as well as downright aggression--I thought being a pacifist (which included being a vegetarian) could control my inner feelings of rage. But it only sublimated those feelings for a while. I sat quietly while peers at school made fun of me. But I learned the truth about what worked when one of my siblings brought down a boy who taunted me about my wild kinky hair on the school bus with threats of violence. My pacifism did not work. It only served to make me angrier. As the years went by, I learned to explore my anger and aggressive feelings and to allow them to come to the surface and not to be afraid of them. By the time I was 24 and walking through the isles of Key Foods in Manhattan looking at rows of tuna fish, I realized that I no longer needed to hang onto my role as a vegetarian to prove that I was a "good" person. I was a decent person all ready. I will never forget the day I tried a can of tuna--it was magnificent.
----------------------------------
Q & A About Herself:
-------------------------
Q: I thought you would be a sweet psychologist who was out the save the world from the oppression of a capitalist society. Do you have no compassion for the poverty stricken, the disabled, victims etc.?
A: I am the epitome of capitalism--it is the only system that holds human nature accountable for its failings. I despise socialism and victimhood. From a young age, I believed that the rights of the individual and freedom were the most important principles a nation could stand for. Compassion is not telling people what to do and giving handouts--it is teaching people to stand up and care for themselves as best they can.
Q: Aren't you the Instawife? and if so, I am a feminist and really do not think a woman should be referred to in this way.
A: Yes, I am the Instawife. I do not care what my husband calls me--only that he calls me something. (It started as a way to protect my privacy, until we realized that I'm easy to find on Google anyway. Now it's just a nickname.) If you have a problem with the term Instawife--go start your own blog to discuss it with other busybodies such as yourself who have nothing better to do than to decide what is right for everyone.
-------------------------
Liberalism as socially motivated cognition, wherein she returns fire on one of the "studies" that purports to reveal "political conservatism as motivated social cognition integrates theories of personality (authoritarianism, dogmatism–intolerance of ambiguity), epistemic and existential needs (for closure,regulatory focus, terror management), and ideological rationalization (social dominance, system justification)."
Who stole psychology?, wherein she ruminates on the fact that a mere 7% of psychologists describe themselves as conservative.
I have no idea how this material will stand with my Readership, but I personally find it fascinating. For me, it touches a sphere of interest that I've not indulged in a very long time.
You see,
[deep dark secret]
I have a degree in psychology.
[/deep dark secret]
Not only do I have a degree in psych, I got one on purpose.
Back in my undergrad days, I started out in computer engineering, which bored me, floated over to mass communications, convinced I was to be the next Steven Spielberg. When I realized that wasn't going to happen, I cast about for a major. Computers I already understood in more depth than anyone really needed, and I didn't want to float back to that by default. People, OTOH, seemed all to often to be messy and irrational, and so, I decided to study them, flirting with sociologoy on the way. (If individual people can be wacky, people en masse can be even wackier) 3 years later, I had a sheepskin (Psych, focus on statistical analysis and research design), a provisional license to counsel addicts, and a profound distaste for dealing with whiney, dysfunctional people.
I had the insight that in terms of actually helping people, (barring organic issues) a psychologist has a five minute window of opportunity during which he can be effective, and this five minute window comes whenever the patient is ready to listen to what they've been telling themselves all along, embrace their agency and intentionally take the reigns of their life. Before and after that one moment of striking when the iron is hot, it's all supportive hand holding and kumbaya touchy feely voodoo.
Since what doc Russia describes as gunny therapy isn't APA sanctioned, and realizing that I would eventually be its foremost advocate, psych and I parted ways before they drummed me out.
And so, professionally, I jettisoned all the psych trappings, and considered a career as a writer. Accepting that "Rontomtha of the Outer Skye" was complete crap, and that I liked eating, drinking and er, enjoying the company of women on a regular basis, I changed course.
I returned to my geekly roots, and took a transitional job as a statistician/programmer.
It felt like coming home, older and wiser.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45  
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Rivrdog Sniffs Out A Landmine...
In H.R. 1415, which ostensibly "improves" NICS.
{h/t: Reader Daniel}
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving Gang!
Eat Turkey.
Hang out with your loved ones.
Give thanks.
It's all good.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Egregious Quiz Fun
Egregious Charles here. Haven't had much to say for a while, so I figure I'll ease back in the easy way: with an online quiz. This is the same one that revealed the Geek as having a personality like a special ops soldier, and I have to say I think these evaluations fit both of us pretty well.
 | You scored as Artillery. You are an artillery soldier. Fighting really isn't your strongsuit and instead you prefer to sit back and blow things up with your 80+ mile range. Your a thinker, and there's lots of time to contemplate the human race down at the Fire-Base!!
Artillery | | 75% | Support Gunner | | 69% | Engineer | | 69% | Medic | | 63% | Combat Infantry | | 63% | Special Ops | | 50% | Officer | | 38% | Civilian | | 6% |
Which soldier type are you?
created with QuizFarm.com |
I took the action hero quiz a while ago, and scored as Batman. I think artillerist fits me better; but who makes action movies about the artillery?
Permalink
Posted By: EgregiousCharles
Sudden, Irrational Lust...
While cruising around, I found this, and am surprised to find myself wanting one of these, when all dressed up:
I'll probably get over it in a little while, but for now, my gunlust is spiking.
You can read about it here
I've never been a fan of AR-15 derived handgun designs, because of the stupid looking buffer protruding out the back. Applying the same idea to Kel-Tec's SU-16 platform seems to make more sense.
This has much cleaner lines, and many virtues as a short/medium range "just in case"/shtf gun.
When it's dressed down, it doesn't seem as appealing, though:
One thing I gotta say, is that we can be thankful for the expiration of the AWB, which stepped out of the way to let this sort of good, ol' fashioned American creativity and ingenuity blossom.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Monday, November 21, 2005
What the Geek's Been Up To...
Well, I SHOULD be writing 2776. (Progress: 2 short story outlines, 1 in progress, 6 pages so far)
But I've been sidetracked, for a while.
About a month ago, I stumbled across the Internet Pinball Database, which prompted Gwa9 and I to reminisce. She's always been a pinball fiend, and when I was a youngster, I used to dream of giant, room sized pinball machines. We're also pretty sentimental about pinball, as we met playing my college buddy's "Jacks Open" game at a New Year's party in 1990. We spent at least three hours playing and yapping around a machine like this:
While we were talking, Gwa9 casually asked, "Wouldn't it be cool to have a pinball machine? We could pool what we've budgeted for each other together..." She barely finished her sentence when I jumped on google, and found nearby TNT Amusements. Running my eye down their price list, I was pretty disappointed. Machines ran anywhere from $1400 to $6000. Even the least expensive would shatter the budget. But, there was a footnote. Because they have this killer guarantee, they'll only sell post 1978 solid state machines, as they deem the older electro-mechanicals to be too unreliable. They do accept electromech machines in trade, however, as long as they are complete, and will sell them "as is", for the insane adventerous, at a fraction of what a newer machine would cost.
I thought about it for a full minute. I'm a fairly competent, handy guy, who'se used to dealing with technology several orders of magnitude more complex. I did a little research, and found that aside from the structural components, these beasties where essentially made out of wire. After all, a leaf switch is nothing more than a two flat wires, and a solenoid is nothing more than a wire wrapped madly around an iron rod.
Wires I can handle.
I made the call, and found that they had an old "Student Prince", (Williams, 1968) tucked away. This was a game I remembered playing. It was a classic. 4 players, "zipper flippers", and a lively playfield. The people on the other end of the phone were great, but they felt compelled to throw in a caveat. "Uh, you do know...it's not working, right?"
A few days later, two of their guys were hauling the Prince into the basement, and doing the gross assembly. Not knowing what to expect, I eagerly took a look. The cabinet was beat to shit, and the playfield and score reels showed years of grime. The rubbers had entirely dried out, and the central score drum hung forlornly by two wires. Fortunately, I had the foresight to order a box of spare parts with the machine. The delivery guys fled, not even wanting to see if it started up.
I had my work cut out for me.
So far, I've spent almost 20 hours either reading the schematics or with my head in here:
Slowly, bit by bit, I started putting him back on his feet. My first success was bringing the Prince back to life at all, but like one who'd been in a coma for who knows how many years, the poor machine was stark, raving insane.
One of the Prince's previous owners tried hard really, really hard, but there were lots of signs all over the place that he really didn't know what he was doing.
Yes, that is a 120 Volt line spliced with a band-aid.
Yikes.
Fucking Yikes.
Despite the abuse, (no, you do not use grease ANYWHERE in an electromech pinball, it siezes up...) the Prince was solid, deep down. I replaced all the bulbs and field rubbers, and then spun wheels for a couple of days tracking down a short. Once I nailed it, I found that in the process, I had acquired the critical mass of knowledge I needed to surge ahead. Progress came rapidly, as at the end of each repair session, the machine was saner and more functional than when I started.
Finally, this evening, the Prince and I turned the corner, and got all the major features working as advertised.
There's still a few more kinks to sort out, so I suspect I'm going to spend another 10 hours or so under the hood to nail these last minor issues, but the payoff is worth it:
Sometimes, Santa comes early.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Armed Citizen Stops Workplace Shooting...
{h/t: Packing.org}
The Story
Summary:
-----------
Disgruntled ex-employee returns armed, threatens employees with a gun, owner intervenes.
-----------
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Yet Another Reason Never To Let the UN have control of anything...
Intimidation @ Tunis Summit
Catering to thugs doesn't fly for me.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Blogs Win Big FEC Ruling...
Via Instapundit, Red State is reporting that the FEC has unanimously approved an advisory ruling that blogs are entitled to the same press exemptions that the MSM gets.
I've got mixed feelings about this.
On the one hand, I'm certainly happy and relieved that the chances of getting raided for McCain-Feingold violations have gone to near zero. (So are the guys, whether they know it or not who, in some alternate universe, might get the orders to bash down my door.)
On the other hand, I'm not happy at all that the ruling did not stand on the first principles that as individual Americans, our free speech is sacrosanct no matter the venue we choose to pursue it.
To put it another way, the FEC hasn't decided that I can speak my mind because I'm an American citizen, they've decided I can speak my mind because they've classified this site as "The Press".
That classification can change in coming years. It could also lead to credentialling and licensure, and as gun owners, we know the dark places that leads to.
In all probability, though, this will rest where it is, end of story, and become yet another bad precendent on the pile o' cruft burying the Bill of Rights.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Know Your Enemy...
A good overview of the strategies and tactics of international arms control can be found here, and is worth the few minutes it takes to read it entirely.
What I got out of the article is that the international gun bigots are working their strategy by the book, the end result of which is a preponderance of whitepapers and research that is used to influence national and transnational legislation. At the same time, the pro gun NGOs seem to be MIA, which causes me to wonder what exactly the counter strategy (if any) is.
The NRA certainly likes to ring the alarm bell on UN interference with armed civilians, so it seems to me they either need to get on the ball here, or fill us in on what they've got in mind.
{h/t: THR member TizReporter}
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
PA Legislative Update
{h/t: THR member TrybalRage}
SB 1002: One gun a month.
Considering that states who have this feature have found it worthless as a crime control and are now in the process of repealling them, why on earth would we start? Oh, yeah. Because it's in alignment with the dogma of  .
SB 1003: Monkeying with the definition of "Dangerous Weapon" as it pertains to courtrooms (?).
I don't have time to properly cross reference this one. On the one hand, you could argue that its "merely" closing a loophole that allows longarms in a courtroom(?), but on the other hand, it just feels like someone's trying to pull a fast one.
HB 2231: Expanding the Castle Doctrine.
This seems to be an excellent reform which clarifies the castle doctrine as it pertains to dwellings, extends it to vehicles, removes the duty to retreat when lawfully in a place where you've a right to be, and provides protection against civil suit.
My sources tell me that legislators in PA take contact with their constituents seriously, and therefore I believe it makes sense for Pennsylvanians to contact their legislators on these issues.
Fortunately, PA is famous for not feeling the need to enact ever piece of gun bigotry that crosses their desk, so I don't think One Gun A Month has much of a chance. Nonetheless, it's best to reinforce that with a hefty dose of public participation.
I figure SB 1003 has a 50/50 chance, as it could be deemed innocuous, and so speaking up there is a good thing too.
I have no idea as to the chances of HB 2231. I'd really, really like to see it enacted, and am earmarking this as a bellwether concerning the direction of this teeter tottering state, which is a point of grave concern for everyone here.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Some Fun...
Via The Heartless Libertarian, I found a couple of fun quizzes.
This one surprised me a bit, as I thought for sure I'd score engineer first (duh...that's what I am) followed by either officer or infantry. After thinking about it for a minute, and knowing what I do about myself, I have to say that it's not too far off on my personality.
 | You scored as Special Ops. Special ops. Your sneaky, tactful, and a loner. You prefer to do your jobs alone, working where you don't come into contact with people. But everyonce in a while you hit it big and are noticed and given fame. Your given the more sensitive problems. You get things done, and do what has to be done.
"VULCAN NECK PINCH!!!"
"owww.......(slump)"
Special Ops | | 81% | Engineer | | 75% | Officer | | 69% | Medic | | 63% | Support Gunner | | 63% | Combat Infantry | | 63% | Artillery | | 50% | Civilian | | 19% |
Which soldier type are you?
created with QuizFarm.com |
This one's no surprise though:
 | You scored as Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones is an archaeologist/adventurer with an unquenchable love for danger and excitement. He travels the globe in search of historical relics. He loves travel, excitement, and a good archaeological discovery. He hates Nazis and snakes, perhaps to the same degree. He always brings along his trusty whip and fedora. He's tough, cool, and dedicated. He relies on both brains and brawn to get him out of trouble and into it.
Indiana Jones | | 71% | William Wallace | | 71% | Neo, the "One" | | 67% | Maximus | | 63% | Batman, the Dark Knight | | 63% | Captain Jack Sparrow | | 63% | James Bond, Agent 007 | | 58% | Lara Croft | | 58% | The Terminator | | 42% | El Zorro | | 38% | The Amazing Spider-Man | | 33% |
Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com |
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Monday, November 14, 2005
Glory Of A Bygone Age...
I knocked off work earlier than usual today, as the cold my kids had two weeks ago has finally caught up to me. Checking into my hotel, I entered a room I'd not been in before on the 14th floor, and was delighted to see that it had a balcony. I'd noticed that the hotel had balconies from the outside, but had yet to have a room with access to one.
Dropping my bags on the bed, I strode accross the murky room to the balcony door, flipping lights on as I went, to be confronted by a small placard, perhaps two inches square mounted below the door's handle.
"Balcony Door Secured For Guest Safety"
Trying the handle, I saw that the door was indeed fastened tight.
If you look carefully, you'll find evidence of this sort of thing all around. Most common are windows above the third floor that once could be opened wide, but now have been retrofitted with stops to prevent them from opening wider than a chihuahua's butt. If you look even more carefully, you'll see that there are all sorts of interesting places that were once freely accessible, but are now cordoned off, deemed too hazardous to the common denizen of the early 21st century. None of these places present any immediate, first order hazard. What they do present is a whiff of potential danger, if one were extremely careless or judgement impaired.
When you learn to see these places, you'll then notice how buildings of modern provenance simply lack them entirely. They are sacrificed to the gods of liability lawsuit, which seeks to enfold us all in a less interesting playskool world composed of primary colors, blunt edges, and parts too big to choke on.
Looking through the window, I see a long unused featureless balcony, clean swept, with what appears to be a stout guard rail.
This hotel opened its doors in 1953, and has approximately 168 such balconies, all safely separated from any who might enjoy stepping out into the fresh night air or to take in a view of Silver Spring sparkling in the distance.
I suppose I could dial up the night manager, ask some probing questions with an eye towards getting my door opened. I prefer not to listen to the predictable platitudes and litanies of about how sorry they are that you never know who might do what these days, and they can't open the door for insurance/liability/policy reasons, so I spare myself. Perhaps there's even a lurid story in there somewhere, that involved someone plummetting to a messy death, but that I'm supposed to understand that it's for my own safety, and the safety of those around me, should my portly ass land upon them. After all, doesn't a mature member of a society understand that society must comport itself presuming that all meet the least common denominator?
Our society collaborates in our infantilization. Squinting my eyes, I see that the sign says something more. What it says is that the adults of 1953 could be trusted not to fling themselves from the balcony, and prevent their kids from doing the same while we, the incompetent nincompoops of 2005 do not merit the same courtesy.
It is a judgement that I will not allow to stand.
I consider the door. It is a machine, and a damned simple one at that. Machines sing to me. I run my hands over its surface, and probe it with my jedi powers, seeking the nature of the fastener, which isn't readily apparent. The force is with me this evening. A probe here, a push there, a gentle twist on the handle, and the door pops open. The balcony ethusiastically greets its first guest in god only knows how long with a sweet blast of cool night air.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Mayor of Boston Goes Off Deepend...
massBackwards reports that Mayor Menino wants to randomly search cars coming into the state for guns.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
A Darkly Amusing Moment...
As I'm standing in line @ Starbucks @ the show, I see the NY Times Headline "Democrats Strong In New Jersey"
I nearly snorted scalding hot coffee through my tender sinuses.
It was akin to seeing headlines like "Pope Catholic", "Bear Shits In Woods".
My general reaction to the more interesting elements of the election is that our enemies remain powerful in their strongholds.
This should not surprise anyone.
The war for the soul of America is long, complex, and far from over.
I also know that Corzine's election is the trigger for more than one Reader to get serious about getting out, and joining the long line of internal refugees who have proudly fled New Jersey.
Remember, it could be a lot worse.
This is easy:
This isn't:
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Oh, Jeez...
I take a day to fly across the country and go to a tradeshow, and look what happens:
San Francisco Votes To Forcibly Disarm Themselves.
SAF has already filed the State pre-emption suit:
Quote:
--------------
"We are going to court in an effort to protect the rights of law-abiding San Franciscans," Gottlieb stated. "Twenty years ago, we successfully battled an earlier gun ban in this city, and we're willing to fight this battle a second time because it is the right thing to do."
--------------
Go gettem guys.
I'm optimistic that the suit will prevail, as it has in the past. That being said, you never can tell. For example, in New Jersey, courts often take the view that the law is waivable when inconvenient for government.
Should that prove to be the case,
For those of you trapped behind enemy lines,
While the dictionary definition of unalienable may bring some philosophical comfort,
Unalienable
----------------
adj : incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another; "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights" [syn: inalienable]
----------------
it is a rather thin comfort when those around you have actively agreed to threaten you with physical, and potentially lethal force should you choose not to go along with their views.
This is the province of thuggery, and dressing it up in a democratic process does not change, validate or legitimize it one whit, as there are some topics that are forever placed beyond the public discourse.
I'm sorry that those in whose midst you live have chosen to betray you, and force you to confront some uncomfortable choices.
Those who would do such a thing are not your friends, and arguably not even Americans in any meaningful sense of the word.
Tread carefully in the land of your enemy, and question why you would live surrounded by such.
Update...
I reflected for a bit on why I wasn't more disturbed by the news that this had passed. I suppose the first factor is that the result really wasn't that surprising, considering the source. The other factor that took a while to coax to the surface of my consciousness is a bias: when folks declare that they are not to be trusted with arms, I tend to believe them.
The thing is, this can only be justly applied to 89,759 people who voted to approve the measure, and not the 65,214 who voted against it.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
It's Election Day...
Yeah, I know most of the elections are for dog catchers and school boards, but they count. (Think property taxes!)
Bullshit begins @ home, so go nip it in the bud.
Vote.
If for no other reason than it makes the collectivoLeftists and defeatists cry.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Friday, November 04, 2005
NJ: On Track To Get What It Deserves...
Corzine is leading in the polls by 12 points, while his ex wife has few choice words about him
Quote:
------------------
U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine's ex-wife said yesterday he "compromised his ideals" to get elected by cutting deals with political bosses, and that his pursuit of power "destroyed" their family.
Joanne Corzine said she was reluctantly breaking her silence because her ex-husband is giving an inaccurate portrayal of himself in his campaign for governor.
She said that when she campaigned by his side five years ago, she urged him not to get involved with Democratic political bosses, but he contributed millions of dollars to them to "buy their loyalty."
------------------
{h/t: NJCSD}
I flagged Corzine as the up and coming clear and present danger emanating from NJ back when he was in the state legislature, and I'm disappointed to see the insane voters of NJ propel him so far.
But then again, I gave up on the voters of NJ in abject disgust years ago.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Thursday, November 03, 2005
The 2776 Project...
A few Readers have written, asking about the 2776 Flag featured at the bottom of the Thunderstruck post:
It's my own design, inspired by this passage from Bill Whittle's Essay Trinity, Part II, and I first used it on this blog perhaps 2 years ago:
-----------------------
So Happy 227th Birthday, America. Thank you for all you have done for me and my family. You have asked so little of me, and given me so much, that words seem absolutely inadequate. Thank you.
And where ends this Trinity of capitalism, freedom and ingenuity?
Far be it from me to be one of those mindless ideologues who wish to see the United States triumphant for the next century, or 500 years, or a thousand. No, I’m not that kind of person.
I want to see her triumphant forever. I want that shining city on the granite cliffs to keep that beacon of freedom and hope and optimism alive for as long as we are human, to continue her painful, never-ending, beautiful growth towards a more perfect Union, to be the ideal that we all struggle and fight for each in our own way and according to our own inner lights.
I want that lamp to light the way down through history, the scourge of tyrants and torturers in ages yet to come. I want her to remain the polar star of those whose hope, optimism, genius and hard work have lifted, and continue to raise, all of us from the darkness of our animal selves.
And someday, somewhere, I hope and believe those Stars and Stripes will snap and flutter in unimaginably distant skies. I hope and believe that proud parents will sit on bleachers and watch their kids playing little league baseball on brave new worlds we can barely dream of. Right now, at this moment in time, it looks like a great, big, magnificent, empty universe.
One day, a day closer to us than July 4th, 1776, I think those wagons will roll again, out to new frontiers, carrying painful lessons learned and yet filled with the identical hope and optimism and confidence that alone define us as a people and a nation.
Some species, somewhere, is going to do it. It might as well be us.
-----------------------
Let's just say that when I read the passage "And someday, somewhere, I hope and believe those Stars and Stripes will snap and flutter in unimaginably distant skies. ", I had something like a vision. I spent the next hour or so pouring through NASA's archive looking for just the right starfield to paste into the red and white stripes, and in so doing, I set an alarm clock reminder for myself, one that rang in my mind as I showered a few days ago.
A few posts down, I bemoan the lack of speculative fiction with a positive vision for America's essence in humanity's future, and suggested that we go about fixing that.
Sometimes, to ask the question is to answer it.
Reader Wolfwalker supplied a piece of the puzzle:
Quote:
---------------
SF readers have gotten nothing but defeatism for so long that when an SF writer comes along and says "yes, we CAN win these fights," his or her books sell like nobody's business.
---------------
I guess I'm either a bit dense, or I was sneaking up on the daunting challenge that I go about fixing it.
Writing a novel is a daunting task. I've done it before, back when I was in college.
I personally burned all 311 pages of vomitous dreck, in a plot so fragmented and convoluted that the only way to solve the conflicts was to invoke a Deus Ex-Machina in the form of a gratuitous, out-of-the-blue nuclear attack that eliminated 2/3 of the cast, in order to reduce the mushroomed complexities to manageable levels so I could coherently finish the book.
Even then, it was the very first book I refused to finish reading, it was so awful.
Ever since, I've warily circled that fire, like a wolf with a singed muzzle, waiting for an inspiration, a purpose, something I could sink my teeth into and write.
Balancing the needs of plot, character development, conflict and resolution over three or four hundred pages is an onerous task, one I do not relish, so I don't think I'm going to go there, just yet.
I'm thinking of an anthology of short stories, with a meta story arc that get us from here to 2776, somewhat along the lines of Niven's future history. There will be challenges and triumphs, heroes and villians, setbacks and advances, compromises that stick, and some that don't. It'll be a chance to play, to see where that Trinity of capitalism, freedom and ingenuity might take us, and perhaps experiment with some of the troubling questions along the way, such as, "The value of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the context of individualism and ordered liberty is self evident to us. Why is it not universally embraced?"
I can't promise success. All I can promise is that it can't possibly turn out worse than "Rontomtha of the Outer Skye". I have already written the worst novel ever, and can only move up from there.
I begin.
Now:
------
A surprising number of us went back for the Millennium. Many went by proxy and virtual, but more than any would have ever expected loaded their precious meat into quantum shuttles, to blink into an orbit teeming with craft of every description, hailing from every corner of the explored galaxies. No one who arrived in person needed to ask the motive of the other. The urge to lay ones actual foot, claw or tentacle upon the ground where it all began was strong, to fill one's lungs with air breathed by the founders, the refounders, and all the magnificent generations who built and sustained and sometimes just barely preserved The Vision.
------
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Perhaps If We CURED Hoplophobes...
We'd not have to fight them in the polls every year.
Hoplophobia: Treatment and Hope, for only $1497.
Of course, for that much, you can get a high quality sidearm, ammo, a concealment rig, a CCW and training.
After that, your fear of guns, and everyone else, will be gone.
{h/t THR}
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Dang...
I've been falling behind on the Oleg Poster of the Week, so I'll put up a few:
A new one:
And two Classics in my Top 5:
 
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Sgt Gaya's Citizenship: "Under Control"!
Yay!
Congrats, Sgt. Gaya!
SondraK reports
I was doing research about it to get in on the act when I found that it was over.
:)
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Here's A Meme I'd Like To Put To Rest...
It crops up from time to time, coming from the mouths of supposedly responsible and credible people, and a sentiment frequently echoed amongst the gunerati. (OOOH! I like that term! I just coined it!)
It is sometimes supposed that treaties can trump the Constitution and the bill of rights. In that context, it is usually asserted that if we should become party to this that or the the other UN treaty, 2A goes out the window.
This. Is. Not. True.
One could just as (im)plausibly assert that we could sign and ratify a treaty with England to make The Church of England the Established Church of the United States.
Let us consult The Constitution of The United States of America, article IV, paragraph 2, aka the Supremacy clause in its entirety:
------------------
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
------------------
I understand why folks can misread this clause to arrive at the erroneous conclusion that treaties trump the Constitution, but let's pull it apart piece by piece.
"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; "
"and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States
These clauses both describe and LIMIT the nature of laws and treaties.
Laws must be made "in pursuance", which means "Proceeding from and conformable to; in accordance with."
Treaties must be made "under the authority of", which means the enumerated and delegated Powers granted to the fedgov.
If the "override theory" had any merit, one could assert that simple legislation was sufficient to repeal the Bill of Rights, which is clearly not the case.
Most people accept that immediately once it's pointed out, but the next bit trips them up:
"and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."
They panic when they read "to the Contrary notwithstanding", until they realize that it is STATE laws and Constitutions that are trumped, not the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.
I believe the purpose of this is to prevent, say, New Jersey from opting out of the acceptance of a peace treaty with say, Belgium, and carrying on hostilities on their own. Of course, since most of the competent gun handlers in Jersey will be at a barbeque at my place, the Belgians will kick their asses.
The bottom line is that treaties may not contravene any element of the Bill of Rights. Any attempt to rely on a foriegn treaty to do so would really just be a smokescreen for naked Usurpation.
No matter what the nuances and shenanigans are, the fundamental underlying question is as to whether our scheme of limited government wielding only enumerated Powers is still in force.
To a large extent, this remains to be seen, and if it's not, all bets are off, and anything goes.
And so, Wayne LaPierre and other miscelaneous leaders of the gunrights community, knock it the hell off.
I understand the short term utility of using the UN bogeyman to shake and wake people up, but the long term danger in creating and sustaining the idea that a mere treaty can trump the Bill of Rights and modify the Constitution is greater than any immediate benefit.
It would be much better for everyone to assert the primacy of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in the face of any and all earthly powers, rather than fan the smoke that screens our enemy's activities.
.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
So There I Was...
Sitting through a segment of a meeting that didn't apply to me, when I snuck a look @ Drudge.
Giant red letters boomed: "SENATE CLOSED! Frist: The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership."
My first reaction was, "Oh, Jesus, Vishnu and Zoroaster. What juvenile 60's style sit in prank have they pulled now?".
My next reaction was, "Uh....SHTF? Is this some sort of coup? Well, if they've taken the Senate, I might have to go take it back. Of course, I'm going to look like a complete asshole charging up the Capitol steps, bursting in the Senate chamber door, and shouting....uh...what exactly? 'Surrender foul Democrats?' And how exactly does one excuse oneself from a business meeting? 'Umm....Excuse me, folks. I have to go recapture the Senate in the name of the People of America. Anyone want to help?' "
One click cleared all that up.
It was indeed a juvenile 60's sit in prank for attention, lead by Senator Reid as he finally and incontrovertably flung the entire Democratic party off the edge of the cliff to plummet screaming into Moonbat territory.
Apparently, the Dems have not taken the sensible advice rendered to them by their own experts attempting to dissuade them of the myth that throwing themselves into the leftist "Bush lied, people died" camp was somehow going to "energize their base" and save them.
I'd just like them to finish their long protracted implosion and death jig so we can all get back to the business of being Americans.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
|
|
