"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
Its seems, given evidence from D.C., that the Republic has devolved from republic to democracy to kleptocratic kakistocracy.
No. No links. I’d have had to do one per letter in each sentence in this post. Just read the “news” and weep.
(Of course, such a devolution was assured once our “feddle gummint” started down the road into a more and more democratic reality. See this blogs header for but one of the reasons… )
Maybe it’s time for anorexic politicians to be pushed out of national politics?
Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his “confrontational tone”.
“Now, I could say it really nicely. I could say it in the way that you all might be more comfortable with. Maybe we could go back to the last administration where I could say it in a way you wouldn’t even understand it. . . . When you ask me questions, I’m going to answer them directly, straightly, bluntly, and nobody in New Jersey is going to have to wonder where I am on an issue. . . .”
We need more of this from politicians *spit* in general. No more bullshit.
Now, we can add radical leftists to the list of improbable stumblers-upon-truth:
The level of anger and fear is like nothing I can compare in my lifetime. Ridiculing the tea party shenanigans is a serious error. For over 30 years, real incomes have stagnated or declined…The bankers, who are primarily responsible for the crisis, are now reveling in record bonuses while official unemployment is around 10 percent and unemployment in the manufacturing sector is at Depression-era levels. The financial industry preferred Obama to McCain. They expected to be rewarded and they were. Then Obama began to criticize greedy bankers and proposed measures to regulate them. And the punishment for this was very swift: they were going to shift their money to the Republicans. So Obama said bankers are ‘fine guys’ and assured the business world: ‘I, like most of the American people, don’t begrudge people success or wealth. That is part of the free-market system.’ People see that and are not happy about it. People want some answers. They are hearing answers from only one place: Fox, talk radio, and Sarah Palin.
And what radical right-wing “tea bagger” terrorist said that? Noam Chomsky
I understand that Satan’s breaking out his long underwear.
While he was at it, Chomsky said a few other surprising–for a radical leftwing “intellectual” (yes, scare quotes around intellectual in reference to Chomsky’s retarded, reactionary excuses for advancing his socialist agenda. His legitimate contributions to linguistics are another very different story). Notably, taking note of all the swooning over The Ø!’s rhetoric,
“I’m just old enough to have heard a number of Hitler’s speeches on the radio, and I have a memory of the texture and the tone of the cheering mobs, and I have the dread sense of the dark clouds of fascism gathering…”
Yep, just another radical right-wing “tea bagger” racist spewing hate at a café au lait cyanide-laced Oreo in the White House. Noam Chomsky, of all people.
It used to be that it was said, “There will always be an England,” but it ain’t necessarily so anymore.
Caravanner, 61, prosecuted for having Swiss Army knife in his glove box… to cut up fruit on picnics
A disabled caravanner who kept a penknife in his glove compartment to use on picnics has blasted the authorities after being dragged through court for possessing an offensive weapon.
Rodney Knowles, 61, walks with the aid of a stick and had used the Swiss Army knife to cut up fruit on picnics with his wife.
That’s right, folks” a 2.5-inch bladed Swiss Army Knife. Evidence of obvious intent to commit mayhem.
*sigh* And here in the USA, more of the same, as the TSA will confiscate any lil teen-eintsy bladed “weapon” from once-free citizens, when they’re not going full court press to fine and imprison folks for whatever strikes the Thousands Standing Around as an appropriate expression of their goonery.
This in a land where my grandfather and his brothers once took their Model 1895 Winchesters to school–talk about school safety! Imagine some idiot trying to hold up a school where the teacher and students were all armed to the teeth! Ah, but those were different times, you say. Yes, they were, more’s the pity.
As for that “island off the coast of France” thing, well, that may not even be “always” if the Calip-hate has its way… With a completely disarmed populace, how long until Londonistan is added as “the chief city of an island in the Calip-hate just off the coast of Francistan”?
…in nuclear power development. We’ve not fallen behind in raw power produced via nuclear power… yet, but given the situation (entrepreneurs discouraged here by “feddle gummint” and trial lawyers meddling, egged on by Luddite greenies), even that won’t be far off.
*sigh*
h.t. Chaos Manor
This.
[T]he crucial issue in Kyrgyzstan was that the prices were driven up by government fiat, albeit following a decision to remove subsidies which had enabled energy to be sold at less than the cost of production. It can be assumed, from this, that where government action is directly responsible for price hikes, governments will take the flak.
And not in the sour, schadenfreude-laden manner D.C. politicians make me smile on the rare occasions when they do.
This.
OK, so Sarah Palin’s not the deepest thinker on the block (and the shallow “tax freedom day” comment is telling–tax freedom day is far, far later in the year than represented), and her policy suggestions reflect that. Still, as opposed to most other politicians, she does embody a wholesome approach to political decisions that’s sorely lacking in national politics.
Makes me smile.
And the fact that she makes leftard asshats froth at the mouth and act like rabid skunks says a lot in her favor.
As Jerry Pournelle says,
This has scatological but not blasphemous or obscene language. It’s self explanatory:
Well, thoughtless or uncaring or both. I really despise arrogant stupidity. Case in point today: the FDA. Anyone with more active brain cells than a head of cabbage could have foreseen this:
A centuries-old drug [colchicine] used to treat excruciating gout pain had cost just pennies a tablet—until last year. Now, the retail price has skyrocketed to more than $5 and some of the manufacturers have ceased production amid a battle over marketing rights.
You see, the FDA decided a few years ago that in order to bring “grandfathered” drugs under its umbrella, it’d offer exclusive marketing rights to market such drugs to pharmas that would place them in FDA-approved clinical trials to establish FDA-approved dosages, side-effects and what not–despite the fact that such grandfathered drugs all have long enough histories of use to establish such things already.
Long enough histories? Well, for colchicine, that’s certainly the case!
The price increase is an unintended consequence of the FDA’s nearly four-year-old initiative to regulate unapproved drugs. These medicines were sold before the FDA was established, and therefore weren’t required to undergo approval. After decades of use, the medicines are considered safe by doctors, but haven’t been proven to satisfy the agency’s standards. Colchicine’s use has been traced back to the sixth century, according to the FDA.
URL Pharma did just that with colchicine and now is charging a price for the drug that is commensurate with its need to make a profit–and recover the costs of the FDA-approval-process clinical trials it paid a third party to run.
Anyone with even one active brain cell more than a head of cabbage could have foreseen that result. Since I assume there must be more than one active brain cell at the FDA, then “unintended consequences” simply means that the one (or perhaps more–hey! it could happen!) active brain cells at the FDA either just didn’t care about “unintended consequences” or any active brain cells at the FDA are simple too stupid or immoral (not giving a damn about the consequences of one’s actions is definitely immoral) to be classed as human.
The same government that gives us the Post Office, the EPA, the Department of “Education” and the FDA is going to determine what you can and can’t do regarding your health care on a much, much more intimate basis come soon. Now, isn’t that rally good news?
Imagine how much aspirin would cost if the FDA lures some pharma into this procedure–IF it could even pass FDA-approved clinical trials given all its negative side effects!
Just shoot me.
The soi-disant “Tea Party Express” has come up with a stupid idea: raise $700,000 to offer to Bart Stupak to resign.
“If Bart Stupak is considering resigning then we want to do what we can to help him along in that decision. Exchanging your votes, principles and decisions for money seems to be the modus operandi for Bart Stupak. So how do we find $700,000 to get this corrupt and failed politician out of office, so that we can get a representative of the people, who respects the Constitution, to take Stupak’s seat?” asked Mark Williams, Chairman of the Tea Party Express.
I understand the thought, but it’s still stupid. Paying Danegeld only makes the “Dane” go away until he wants some more. Although Kipling was speaking of nations paying “protection money” to aggressors, the principle’s the same,
Danegeld
IT IS always a temptation to an armed and agile nation,
To call upon a neighbour and to say:
“We invaded you last night – we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away.”And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you’ve only to pay ’em the Dane-geld
And then you’ll get rid of the Dane!It is always a temptation to a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:
“Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away.”And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we’ve proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray,
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:“We never pay any one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost,
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!”