Category: Uncategorized

Well, as you may have discerned by now, “The Essay” concerning the conspiracy to murder Western Civilization, etc., is going to be even longer in coming… Nevertheless, I’ll probably be posting snippets concerning the signs of that “conspiracy” from time to time. Here is one such snippet, from Jerry E. Pournelle:

“In every college classroom in the nation nothing is taught that is inconsistent with the view that within every oppressed human lurks a burning desire for freedom. In my view in every human heart beats a desire, sometimes burning sometimes not to rob his neighbor and possess his wife: it was once known as the doctrine of original sin.

Chesterton once said that anyone who didn’t believe in original sin could not possibly be reading the newspapers.”

While this may be a slight exaggeration (I suspect there may be as many as two classrooms in a Bible College somewhere in a hick “red state” that still teach about original sin and man’s depravity), it is close enough to the mark. And it is symptomatic of one of the axes weilded at the roots of Western Civilization by the barbarians in academia, in the ranks of the Mass Media Podpeoples’ Army and the Loony Left Moonbat Brigade. That, of course, is the current preconceptual bias against the concept of right and wrong. The concept that there is anything that is clearly always, immutably right and thus there are behaviors that are always clearly immutably wrong is the only “always wrong” concept to the barbarians in academia, in the ranks of the Mass Media Podpeoples’ Army and the Loony Left Moonbat Brigade. To them right and wrong are opinions, and that is the only correct opinion about right and wrong.

Try to have a civilization where “every man [does] what is right in his own eyes”. Go ahead. Try it.

Meanwhile, I need to clean this keyboard… (tired of re-typing every blasted “d”).

Carol Platt Liebau has an interesting article and a blogpost (actually, a series of posts) on the “values vs. issues” argument about the outcome of the last national election. One of the key arguments is over the effect of loosely-defined “values” vs. the national security issue. She asks whether nationalk security might actually be seen as a moral value.

Consider:

“…It is not without purpose that the ruler carries the sword; he is God’s servant, to inflict his wrath upon the wrongdoer…” Romans 13: 4

And Romans 13 is not the only passage that makes clear that civil government has a primary role: creating fear in outlaws by means of the sword.

Did the campaigns in Afganistan and Iraq improve our national security by means of punishing outlaws and creating fear of wrongdoing in other outlaws?

Ask Qadaffi.

But this is not solely applicable to so-called national security issues. We have outlaws a-plenty here at home, as well. The political class as a whole is talking about extending amnesty to one whole class of outlaws: illegal aliens (while disingenuously calling them illegal immigrants).

Martha Stewart was sent to prison NOT for illegal insider trading but for asserting to investigators and the public that she did not engage insider trading. They say she lied, and so they sent her to prison for “lying” to them about something they did not even charge her with. Meanwhile, large numbers of U.S. Senators engage in insider trading on a regular basis and are given a bye.

Jerry Pournelle has famously said (well, if it’s not yet a famous saying, it ought to be),

“We don’t have a rule of law, we have so many laws that if all were enforced impartially we would every one of us be ruined by fines, or in jail, or both. And we know this.”

And this is one major reason why respect for lawful behavior is so low. When you can follow a speeding highway patrolman to his coffee break, you know that not even the law enforcement officers take traffic laws seriously–unless they want to write a ticket. And I doubt that there are many citizens who have not–probably unintentionally!–broken tax laws simply because the laws on what the government takes from our pockets to put in others’ pockets are so arcane as to need a voodoo magister to keep them straight.

With laws designed to make outlaws of everyone and civil government determinbed to NOT make horrible examples of violent outlaws who rape and steal and murder, is it any wonder respect for thr rule of law is a laughable concept today?

A civil government determined to NOT horribly punish (“pour encourager les autres” [heh]) violent criminals and equally determined to have a big stick wherewith to beat citizens into submission, just in case they ever want to (as if that were a remote possibility–ask Martha) is an immoral government.

The primary justification for civil government is to get the outlaws–those who would steal and kill and destroy–off the backs of common citizens. And there’s not much else that is justifiable in our national government functions either biblically or constitutionally.

Yep. Security is a moral values issue.

Just a lil addendum to yesterday’s “thanksgiving”…

Here’s the rub: in a civilized society, civil government is tasked with hounding thieves with “the sword” so that they at least fear being caught out.

The response of the company that shows no shame at having stolen from me (delivered less than what they sold me) seems to indicate they see their behavior as simply business as usual. When that kind of attitude holds sway, thieves run free.

And vigilance committees come into being, because civil government isn’t aprehending such thieves and meting out punishment severe enough to not only discourage them but at least make other potential thieves like them hesitate to show such brazen behavior.

But we can be glad that the choice between civilization and barbarity is becoming plainer. For example, politicians on evbery side of nearly every aisle in this country are calling for “amnesty” for a major class of outlaws, a class that poses a serious threat to the safety and security of citizens of this country: the huge class of illegal aliens. Most Americans (the polls show roughly 3/4) agree that illegal aliens, those who are in the country without valid visas or work permits or legal attempts to gain citizenship, ought to at the very least be expelled.

But our masters in the political realm see it otherwise. And in pushing for amnesty for outlaws, they make clear one line in the war to save (or kill) civilization: honest government. As Jerry Pournelle put it,

“A country that has an elite leadership that defies the vast majority of the citizens is neither a republic nor a democracy.”

OK, back on track, now. Every instance of barbarians at the gate (like the shamefully dishonest merchant I mentioned yesterday and above) or in seats of power (like the politicians who want to give a “bye” to outlaws), there are others who advance the cause of civilization just by holding themselves to a higher standard.

Looked around for another motherboard to suit my needs (because even IF the scoundrels attempt to send me the merchandise I paid for, there’s no telling how long and how much effort it might take to force an ethical response from them). Found one for about the same total cost (delivered) as the one that was NOT delivered… with a case and power supply and other lil goodies thrown in. And—surprise!—it was from a retailer I’d dealt with before and had simply kind of lost track of over the years. No manual. (The other had no manual either, but a manual was easily downloaded.) Problem. It’s an “orphaned” board—the company is still around, but no longer produces motherboards and has removed all documentation for mobos from their website. No search engine produced anything usable.

Hmmm… not good. Nevertheless, I had had good experiences shopping with this small company several years ago, and the same people owned and were running it. Submitted my order, then emailed the company’s owner for help locating a manual or tech sheet. And on a Saturday evening—Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, no less—Steve Weigle at The Village Geek emailed me back with help.

http://www.villagegeek.net

Decent folks, one and all, who have a personal stake in helping their customers.

So, yes, I have seen more and more evidence of creeps, cretins and crooks peopling the landscape of our society, but there does seem to be a remnant of decent folk.

Nice.

(Yes, there are more than a few other decent, honest business folk doing business on the web, but none of the ones I know seemed to have exactly what I needed—except for the ONE left at The Village Geek, a great place to do business. 🙂

I think the “Western Civ” t-shirt from http://www.protestwarrior.com is a good way to key in on a few of the issues in the current culture war:

“Besides Monotheism, Code of Law, Philosophy, Mathematics, Chemistry, Literacy, Physics, Modern Medicine, Sanitation, Electricity, Transportation, Electronics, Computers and Space Travel, WHAT HAS WESTERN CIV EVER DONE FOR THE WORLD?”

Indeed.

Let the game begin.

The story of the following hymn speaks for itself. Draw your own comparisons to your own life and responses to your own struggles.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, Whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Here’s what one account of the circumstances surrounding this hymn’s authorship says:

“Martin Rinkart was a pastor in the little city of Eisenberg [sic] in
Saxony during the Thirty Years’ War. This walled city was the goal of refugees
during that time. They came and ate all the food, and then there was starvation.
With the starvation came pestilence, until practically the whole population of
the city died. Martin Rinkart, the only pastor left in the city, had as many as
fifty funerals in one day. One evening after having conducted funerals all day,
he sank down exhausted, thinking that he could bear it no longer…”

Actually, Eilenberg was the town’s name, and it was sacked three times during Rinkart’s pastorate. One of those many funerals Rinkart held was for his own wife.

And yet, he wrote the words of this hymn as a response to the trials of the Thirty Years’ War in 1644, toward the end of active conflict.

Consider that as today’s turkey and dressing and the sauces and pies and trimmings wend their way slowly through your system, likely adding another five pounds’ weight by the end of the holidays…

Got troubles?

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

Twenty-six years ago today, two became one. Eventually, two more were added. Today, the children are home from college/grad school celebrating that day with us.

Nice. I certainly know that I had no idea how much getting married during Thanksgiving weekend 26 years ago would make this holiday so very special in years to come. Yeh, it was a great time for obvious logistical reasons: families used to getting together for the day/weekend, several days “off” for most, etc., but that future Thanksgivings would always carry the blessing of the intervening years’ time spent together building family—that I, at least, had no way to foresee.

Tomorrow, I’ll probably post my typical Thanksgiving note. Today, spent with Sue at her cardio appointment, shopping, then at home with the kids, was filled with reflection on all the years spent together… so far. And hopeful prayer for more years together to come.

That’s all. Back to “fam time”…

I’m a little out of the loop, so I just now heard (thx, Meg) that Dan Blather is leaving CBS “News” in March.

Too little, too late.

I’ve not watched ANY CBS programming since Rathergate. Not missed it either. (What’s to miss? Their flagship entertainment franchise, the “CSI” stuff, is lame; what else is there?) Nope, I think that CBS has probably lost more than a few viewers of ALL their programming. Better stuff all over the place. And news? C’mon! None of the Mass Media Podpeoples’ Army on ANY channel report news. Fugeddaboutit.

Nope, CBS: too little, too late. B’bye!

This observation at Polipundit inspired the comparison that follows…

“Well, it has been 28 years since a Democratic nominee for president won a bare majority (50.1%) of the popular vote. And no Northeasterner has won the presidency in 44 years. And that guy, the real JFK, hardly could be described even as resembling a liberal on such things as, oh, say, foreign policy, taxes, and law enforcement.

Of course, over the past 14 years, the Democratic Party has lost 12 net U.S. Senate seats, as many as 67 net U.S. House seats, and has gone from holding a 30-18 advantage, in state governorships, to possibly facing a 21-29 disadvantage in governorships (depending on the Rossi-Gregoire recount)…”

That lil set of facts leads to the inevitable conclusion that the DNC has cast itself in the role of the Black Knight in Monty Python’s “Search for the Holy Grail”… Just substitute the DNC for Black Knight in the dialog below:

__________________________________
Scene 4
The black knight
[King Arthur music]
[music stops]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Aaaagh!
[King Arthur music]
[music stops]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Aaagh!
GREEN KNIGHT:
Ooh!
[King Arthur music]
[music stops]
[stab]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Aagh!
GREEN KNIGHT:
Oh!
[King Arthur music]
Ooh! Uuh.
[music stops]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Aaaagh!
[clang]
BLACK KNIGHT and GREEN KNIGHT:
Agh!, oh!, etc.
GREEN KNIGHT:
Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaah!
[woosh]
[BLACK KNIGHT kills GREEN KNIGHT]
[thud]
[scrape]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Umm!
[clop clop clop]
ARTHUR:
You fight with the strength of many men, Sir Knight.
[pause]
I am Arthur, King of the Britons.
[pause]
I seek the finest and the bravest knights in the land to join me in my court at Camelot.
[pause]
You have proved yourself worthy. Will you join me?
[pause]
You make me sad. So be it. Come, Patsy.
BLACK KNIGHT:
None shall pass.
ARTHUR:
What?
BLACK KNIGHT:
None shall pass.
ARTHUR:
I have no quarrel with you, good Sir Knight, but I must cross this bridge.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Then you shall die.
ARTHUR:
I command you, as King of the Britons, to stand aside!
BLACK KNIGHT:
I move for no man.
ARTHUR:
So be it!
ARTHUR and BLACK KNIGHT:
Aaah!, hiyaah!, etc.
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT’s left arm off]

ARTHUR:
Now stand aside, worthy adversary.
BLACK KNIGHT:
‘Tis but a scratch.
ARTHUR:
A scratch? Your arm’s off!
BLACK KNIGHT:
No, it isn’t.
ARTHUR:
Well, what’s that, then?
BLACK KNIGHT:
I’ve had worse.
ARTHUR:
You liar!
BLACK KNIGHT:
Come on, you pansy!
[clang]
Huyah!
[clang]
Hiyaah!
[clang]
Aaaaaaaah!
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT’s right arm off]

ARTHUR:
Victory is mine!
[kneeling]
We thank Thee Lord, that in Thy mer–
BLACK KNIGHT:
Hah!
[kick]
Come on, then.
ARTHUR:
What?
BLACK KNIGHT:
Have at you!
[kick]
ARTHUR:
Eh. You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Oh, had enough, eh?
ARTHUR:
Look, you stupid bastard. You’ve got no arms left.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Yes, I have.
ARTHUR:
Look!
BLACK KNIGHT:
Just a flesh wound.
[kick]
ARTHUR:
Look, stop that.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Chicken!
[kick]
Chickennn!
ARTHUR:
Look, I’ll have your leg.
[kick]
Right!
[whop]
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT’s right leg off]

BLACK KNIGHT:
Right. I’ll do you for that!
ARTHUR:
You’ll what?
BLACK KNIGHT:
Come here!
ARTHUR:
What are you going to do, bleed on me?
BLACK KNIGHT:
I’m invincible!
ARTHUR:
You’re a looney.
BLACK KNIGHT:
The Black Knight always triumphs! Have at you! Come on, then.
[whop]
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT’s last leg off]

BLACK KNIGHT:
Oh? All right, we’ll call it a draw.
ARTHUR:
Come, Patsy.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Oh. Oh, I see. Running away, eh? You yellow bastards! Come back here and take what’s coming to you. I’ll bite your legs off!

__________________________________

Yep. The DNC has become the Black Knight of American politics, all right.

Target for the holidays? I say Scrooge ’em!

It’s all over the web, the blogosphere and even in the mouths of some few Mass Media Podpeople: Target has given the Salvation Army “ringers” the boot.

Do your shopping elsewhere for the holidays… and perhaps even beyond. And tell Target you’re “Scrooging” them with an email or a call.

guest.relations@target.com

1-800-440-0680

Be polite, but be assertive. I canned my first couple of tries at an email cos they spoke my mind too clearly. [heh]

Take aim at target. Fire away (with some “Scrooge you” messages… 🙂

All the bloviating by LLMs and MMPs about a marine shooting a supposedly unarmed and wounded terrorist in fallujah and a “RCB” (Red Curtain of Blood) threatens to descend over my eyes. Placing these folks one at a time in a pool of hungry —unarmed and wounded—sharks seems to be the only proper response.

“Terrorists wear no uniforms, and answer to no government; under all the Laws of War they may be shot out of hand. The only reason to preserve their lives is for the information they can give, or as an act of grace by civilized people to barbarians. And this be law… “ Jerry E. Pournelle

Idiots who can’t tell the difference between an accidnetal shooting of an unarmed civilian by police in an American city and shooting a terrorist combatant who is feigning death (as so many of his comrades have done while holding armed grenades, etc.) are less than Loony Left Moonbats; they are idiots who ought to be cleaned from the shallow end of the gene pool by being fed to the sharks.

And they’d probably even give sharks indigestion.

Citing the Geneva Convention only demostrates how idiotic they are. Sure, if the terrorists would sign the accords and abide by them, they might be afforded some of their protections, but even under the Geneva Conventions, it’s legal to kill an enemy combatant who is feigning death in order to facilitate an attack… But since they are not signatories or the representatives of signatories and are themselves of a class of combatants outlawed by the Convention and completely outside of any protections it might otherwise offer, NO SOLDIER is obligated IN ANY WAY to place themselves at greater risk by giving them a pass because they have feigned being dead…

So there, idiot LLMs. Go put a rag on your heads and play dead in Fallujah. Please.

Update: Well, more of an addendum. I am disappointed that the marine filmed shooting a terrorist is “under investigation” at all. Ideally, everyone in his chain of command—all the way up to his CINC, President Bush—would have said to the LLMB and the MMPA, “Tough noogies, losers. It’s open season on terrorists. A bullet (or five or six) is the best that they can reasonably expect. Spread the news. I say again: it is open season on terrorists. Hands in the air, playing dead, unconscious, wounded, unarmed: no matter their contemporary condition, they are under sentence of death. Should any soldier decide it is safe to spare a terrorist in hopes of gaining information on where to find more terrorists to kill, well, we’ll allow a certain amount of thyat, but the rule of engagement is this: dead terrorists are preferred 100 to 1 over live ones.”

Now, that would be an appropriate response to the weenies in the LLMB and MMPA who want to excuse the barbarians.

Of the two best things about four more years of a Bush administration, I’d be happy to give up four more years of lower taxes if it would contribute to four more years of (many more) dead Islamic jihadist terrorists. Hands in the air, playing dead, unconscious, wounded, unarmed: dead is the preferred condition. And as many of them as possible.

They’re slow learners (besides being about 80% illiterate). But “evolution in action” might, just might teach the few that remained that their idea of Islamic jihad is just plain counter-survival.