Category: Blogroll

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Just griping

“Now there abide these three: phonemes, syntax and semantics; but the greatest of these is semantics.”

Still, phonemes and syntax are important. So this lil mini-rant touches on all three…

Drive-by Rant: ON

Not that these are gripping gripes for most folks, but does the constant pejoration of English get to anyone else the way it does me?

For example, can anyone explain to me why folks use the word “terror” (“intense, sharp, overmastering fear”) instead of “terrorism” (“the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.”) when talking about the acts of Izlamic savages, nowadays? When (and how) did that lil piece of stupidity get started? And who started it? I’d like to know, because Dr. Tarr and Mr. Fether are awaiting an introduction to that particular troglodyte.

Or how about a simpler, less blatant (to most) example of linguistic stupidity?

“There’s reasons why Osama bin Laden is still at large.”

Every time I hear some Mass Media Podperson—supposed to be professional wordsmiths, conversant in the English language—or any other person for that matter, use that fav construction of subliterate morons I want to get out a hemp necktie and get ’em measured for their tree party.

Dumbasses. “Reasons” in that sentence is plural. “There are reasons…” so it’d be “There’re reasons… ” A tongue twister, you say? Suck it up. People who’d say “there’s” when “there’re is appropriate would probably say “Feb-YOU-ary” for “February”… another inexcusable mallocution.

Heck, why get all bent outa shape about illegal aliens (or even legal ones) not learning to speak English when it seems 90% of Americans born here can’t speak—or write or read, let alone understand—the language, either?

Rant: OFF

…mostly

N.B. Is my use of the English language always grammatically perfect? No. But there’s a “but” there (note the proper use of “there’s”). Fracturing the English language ought only to be done by those who know what they’re doing (note the proper use of “they’re” instead of the common written dumbass usages, “their” and “there”–those who don’t know the differences between common homophones, are illiterate). *heh* Arrrrgggg! Just another reason why 99% of the Mass Media Podpeople, Academia Nut Fruitcakes and politicians *spit* should simply STFU.

NOW the rant is off… But have no fear; there’re (there ARE) more rants to come.

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Correcting the mis-education system

histschoolroomcropped.jpg

A couple of excerpts from Jerry Pournelle’s Chaos Manor Musings (Mail) and an invitation to talk about this among yourselves for a while. I’ll chime in (referring to this post) another time…

From Harry Erwin, an university instructor in England:

There is a recent Scientific American article (August 2006) on expertise that suggests what we should do for our students is motivate them to continuously push themselves beyond their current levels of ability and then provide accurate feedback on their performance. I did that this summer with some of my programming students, and their performance was *much* improved. So perhaps the problem in education is not with the students, but rather with the approach to teaching–an interesting implication for the current high- stakes testing regime in the schools–it might be wrong-headed. The SA article also suggests that the differences in talent and intelligence between students are much less important than the differences in motivation. So when your goal is to educate experts, don’t worry about their raw talent and IQ, but instead keep them pushing their limits…

Pournelle rersponded, in part, with:

[T]hat experience exactly matches not only my own experience, but that of most of my generation. Being pushed to just beyond one’s limit is apparently the best way to learn almost anything; and the experience that motivation can be as important as intelligence is very much in line with the work of Marva Collins and some of the other inner city teachers…

Any thoughts?

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Fair Tax/OTA

Still short shrift time, so this Fair Tax Blogburst post from Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous is also an Open Trackbacks Alliance post. Simply link to this post and track back.

by Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous

To borrow what was spoken of last week in the Fair Tax BlogBurst, I thought I would take this burst, and build upon the debate begun by one of Debbie’s readers at Right Truth. For those of you knew to the audience, here is the original burst, and here is the assertion made by “Ralph Ekwall.”

We now have a progressive income tax system that imposes a higher rate of taxation for high income earners. The so-called “Fair Tax” would impose a higher rate of taxation on middle and low income earners and allow most of the money earned by wealthy people to be untaxed.

I tend to disagree entirely with the thesis underpinning any progressive tax system delineating that there are certain brackets of individuals who should be punished just for the simple fact that they earn higher incomes than other individuals.

The fundamental creed of this dogma accepts the premise that the spectrum of incomes is nothing more than a zero-sum game. [In this view] …individuals do not have any chance whatsoever to rise to those higher brackets and better themselves as they move throughout life.

However, I digress, for I wanted to discuss was the specifics surrounding “the prebate.” I believe this scheme encapsulates the “equality” sought by “progressive” proponents of any progressive tax scheme better than the progressive tax could ever hope to achieve. That is, equality can be seen only if one does not have class warfare and envy as the basis for their tax structure.

So, how does this “prebate” work?

All valid Social Security cardholders who are U.S. residents receive a monthly rebate equivalent to the FairTax paid on essential goods and services, also known as the poverty level expenditures. The rebate is paid in advance, in equal installments each month. The size of the rebate is determined by the Department of Health & Human Services’ poverty level guideline multiplied by the tax rate. This is a well-accepted, long-used poverty-level calculation that includes food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical care, etc. (See chart in Figure 1 below)


[CLICK on pic for larger image]

And, as we see in how this “prebate” works, one is able to ascertain the notion of equality realized by the “prebate.” The prebate seeks to treat a “necessity” just as their name implies they should be treated. The necessities are the substance and the needs that every American needs in order to survive. It treats every American as if they are the same in the basics of what they need to survive.

It treats all Americans equally.

In this definition of “equal” all Americans are treated the same no matter their socio-economic status, which brings up another subject….constitutional history.

At this moment, I would really like to express my appreciation to TD for being patient with me throughout the course of this summer. As some of you may know, I sat for the bar recently and I have been detained with an interstate move, new employment and biting my fingernails off as I wait for the bar results. But, enough of my excuses, Terry and I started this BlogBurst and, unfortunately, Terry has had to shoulder much of the load this summer. He has done a tremendous job and I know all of you appreciate his hard work and dedication. I just wanted to say thanks, good buddy!

The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

As I said, this is an Open Trackback Alliance post. Link to this post and then track back. If you want to host your own linkfests, check out

Also note the other fine blogs featuring linkfests at Linkfest Haven.

Linkfest Haven

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Guard the Borders

Pressed for time today, so this Guard the Borders post from Heidi is Tuesday’s open trackbacks post. Link to this post and track back.

by Heidi at Euphoric Reality

This week’s Blogburst is available as a Podcast.

In the days and weeks leading up to the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I have been musing how the overall impact of that single days’ terrorism has affected our nation. Some people have felt their initial shock and horror fade away to something sadly benign – a quiet relief that it hasn’t happened again, and a determination to “do their part” going on with their lives. After all, if they didn’t, then the terrorists would’ve “won” that day, they aver. Others like me, felt that same shock and horror harden into a stone cold fury and an implacable resolve to fight this burgeoning evil that hides behind the facade of religion.

The question on everyone’s minds is, “Are we safer today than we were on 9/10?” With our wide-open borders, and our government’s refusal to crack down on illegal aliens, my answer is a resounding “NO!” There is no way any politician or civic leader can claim that we have gotten tougher on evicting people who should NOT be here. In fact, they are competing over how many millions of illegals we can let in each year without identification, without background checks, and without any knowledge of where they are or what they are doing. In fact, our “leaders” are racing to see who can squash any meager attempt at controlling our borders or enforcing our immigration laws the fastest! It has become a feather in their cap to deny to rule of law and leave our borders defenseless.

There is no doubt that illegal immigration is the gaping hole in our tenuous national security. President Bush narrowly defines the issue of our national security as a matter of success in Iraq. The House – heeding the overwhelming demands of the constituents who elected them to office – has refused to grant amnesty to over 20 million illegal aliens inside our borders. And with the Senate’s obstinate refusal to physically safeguard our border, Congress has reached an impasse. What a solution! When the swiftest and most decisive action is called for…they do nothing.

Third World County says it best:

…every single one of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers was in this country illegally at the time of their terrorist act.

Every. Single. One.

So, for all those political poltroons pimping amnesty (yes, you too, Mr. Bush), remember this: failure to enforce immigration laws, crack down on forged and hijacked SS documents, etc., cost American lives on 9/11.

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

As I said, this is an open trackback post. Link to this post and then track back. If you want to host your own linkfests, check out

Also note the other fine blogs featuring linkfests at Linkfest Haven.

Linkfest Haven

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No Guard the Borders post today…

…since remembering 9/11 is today’s subject. But just a reminder: every single one of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers was in this country illegally at the time of their terrorist act.

Every. Single. One.

So, for all those political poltroons pimping amnesty (yes, you too, Mr. Bush), remember this: failure to enforce immigration laws, crack down on forged and hijacked SS documents, etc., cost American lives on 9/11.

Every single solitary politician pimping amnesty is a terrorist enabler and should be prosecuted for treason, because of their deliberate failure to vigorously protect our borders.

Every one.

Including Especially those in the administration who refuse to vigorously enforce the laws now on the books that are designed to guard our borders.

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Remembering Robert Edward Pattison


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When Robert Edward Pattison died at the age of 40 on September 11, 2001, I was about 1,500 miles safely to the west in America’s Third World County. I did not know Robert Pattison then, and because of some brutal savages there’s no possibility I ever will in this life. The scattered references to his life paint him as a guy who’d known some hard times and cared enough to help others who were struggling, as he had been helped in his turn.

Mr. Pattison was a broadcast/transmission engineer with WCBS-TV. Bob, as those who knew him seem to have called him, worked in the transmission center housed on the 110th floor of the North tower of the WTC which was the first impacted. The transmission center continued to send feed of the event–including its own fate–up until shortly before the tower collapsed.

Imagine that. Cut off from escape at the top of the tower. Maintaining the news feed. No escape.

No one knows exactly how Bob Pattison died, but we do know who killed him: faithful Mohammedans following the literal teachings of their religion. Never forget that. Robert Edward “Bob” Pattison was just a regular guy doing his job when Islamic savages crashed a commercial passenger jet into the North tower of the World Trade Center, killing those on board and sentencing Bob Pattison and the others trapped with him above to a horrible death.

Never forget.

I won’t.

A fund has been started to help Bob’s family along with all the families of those transmission engineers and electricians who died in the WTC on 09/11/01.

IBEW Disaster Fund NYC, Inc.
c/o Local 3
158-11 Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Avenue, 4th Floor
Flushing New York 11365

Yes, it’s five years later, but “Never forget” means Never forget.


robert_pattison.jpg

(The only picture of Robert Pattison I could locate. Even this picture that must have been 20 years old at his death says something important about him, I believe.)

To view more from the 2996 project, CLICK HERE.

Noted at Stop the ACLU’s “Open Tribute” post, “Remembering 911”.

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9/11 Trackback Day

This is an ALMOST open trackback post. Link any 9/11 post to this post and track back.

Because today is 9/11, in memory of the events of 09/11/01, please trackback ONLy 9/11-related posts today.

If you want to host your own linkfests, check out

Also note the other fine blogs featuring linkfests at Linkfest Haven.

Linkfest Haven

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What you say, Willis?

“Now there abide these three: phonemes, syntax and semantics; but the greatest of these is semantics.”*

Rant: ON

I’m toying with making this a semi-regular pressure relief valve. It’s just that I get sooooo tired of folks who meaninglessly, uselessly, ignorantly degrade the mother tongue for no other apprent reasons than laziness, stupidity and illiteracy. Wait. That was multiple redundancies. 🙂

Today’s feature: jealousy vs. envy. I hear the words used interchangeably all the time nowadays. *sigh* If there’s anyone reading this who doesn’t know the difference between the two concepts, just google “jealousy vs. envy” and take just about any of the responses. I’ll bet they’ll detail the difference(s) more specifically than I’m about to, but with little or no substantive difference to what I’ll outline here:

Jealousy is focused on protection of something of YOURS from percieved THREAT of LOSS to SOMEONE ELSE. The object of the jealousy is something (or someone) you believe is YOURS.

Envy is a much darker emotion. If you are envious, YOU desire what SOMEONE ELSE has.

Simple: jealous of things/persons you believe are YOURS.

Envious of things SOMEONE ELSE possesses.

The fact that people can’t get it straight indicates a lack of literacy, reasoning ability or just plain laziness. Most likely all three.

Rant: OFF

*Phonemes (and phoneme analogs in writing) are the “sounds” that make up language.

Syntax is the structure, the form those sounds are placed into. (And don’t even think about ragging me for the phony “no prepositions at the end of sentences claptrap. :-)) It includes orthography and grammar.

Semantics is that without which phonemes and syntax are simply grunts and squeals and moans (think of rap “music”); semantics is meaning.

Trackback linked to (appropriately enough :-)) The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns and, Stuck on Stupid.

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I am not here…

…This is not me,
No matter what you think you see.
I am not here, this is not me…

Just passing by…

I’m really enjoying my Wonder Woman’s grad classes right now. For one thing, she’s in a degree program aimed at “technologizing” librarians, and that means I get to be her onsite consultant, sounding board and even tutor at times.

But one of the other things I’ve enjoyed has been watching her heartily embrace actually using the kinds of technologies (read, “toys”) I’ve been surrounding myself with for years. This computer (yeh, I happen to be using hers right now, cos I had some maintenance to do on it) is a brand new lil Toshiba notebook–one of those rare “built by someone other than me” computers that have graced our household. It’s nice, but she also needed a new scanner (couldn’t use mine cos I’d given it to Son & Heir for school), a handheld (found her a nice lil Palm) and some other neat lil toys, just for one class this Fall.

palm.jpg

(No, that’s not the Palm I found for her. :-))

Yeh, that means not only is she learning to use ’em all, but I play with ’em too. Even broke down and finally got a Palm for myself… mostly for notetaking and reading eBooks on while I’m out n about and doing the occasional “hurry up n wait” stint. Been a few years since I carried a Daytimer (and logged my day in 15-minute increments), but I may do a lil of that, too. Might even save some of those inspired blogposts I later ask myself, “Now, what was that blogpost idea” about.

*heh*

Speaking of toys. I installed Steve Gibson’s lil “ClickType” app for my logon on WW’s lil notebook, so I could know when I missed actually depressing a key (each keypress sounds like a manual typewriter “click”). Need to remember to put that on my cruiser…

Oh, well, not really much of import; just a drive-by post.

Linking in over at Clash of Civilizations (even though I have to wonder what other civilization he’s talking about :-))

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Anarcho-tyranny/OTA

This is an open trackbacks post, opoen all weekend long. Link to this post and track back. (Posts that actually mention/discuss the subject–below–will be hard-linked later in the post body).

“Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

Another one of those pithy statemments often attributed to Napoleon. The Corsican had a point. And I’d like to keep it in mind as I very briefly consider anarcho-tyranny.

The sorry state of public education. Borders leaking like a swimming pool made of chicken wire. Thousands Standing Around (enough said). A Byzantine tax system that punishes targets only the productive people in society. All of these assininities and outrages have a common link, and it’s not contemporary faux liberalism.

It’s anarcho-tyranny.

Let’s let the guy (Samuel Francis) who coined the term describe it:

What we have in this country today… is both anarchy (the failure of the state to enforce the laws) and, at the same time, tyranny—the enforcement of laws by the state for oppressive purposes; the criminalization of the law-abiding and innocent through exorbitant taxation, bureaucratic regulation, the invasion of privacy, and the engineering of social institutions, such as the family and local schools; the imposition of thought control through “sensitivity training” and multiculturalist curricula, “hate crime” laws, gun-control laws that punish or disarm otherwise law-abiding citizens but have no impact on violent criminals who get guns illegally, and a vast labyrinth of other measures. In a word, anarcho-tyranny.

Now, Francis ascribes the condition of anarcho-tyranny as something deliberate, intentional, planned (do read the whole article). Maybe, but I’d rather posit a mixed state of anarcho-tyranny which seems to fit with my observation of human nature in general and people in groups, particularly.

As one baby step away from a massive conspiracy theory Continue reading “Anarcho-tyranny/OTA”