who's your nanny?

Just in Case Robin Hood and His Merry Men Attack

The U.S. government has unveiled plans to build a $1 billion embassy in London:

The new embassy, on a former industrial site behind Battersea power station known for its gay clubs, will be designed by Kieran Timberlake, the Philadelphia architect.

A moat 30 metres (100ft) wide and rolling parkland will separate the building from the main road, protecting it from would-be bombers and removing the need for the blast barriers that so dismayed the people of Mayfair.

The State Department sought to play down the cost of security measures, noting the expense of London building work. But the price puts the London embassy above the US’s most fortified missions, including the Baghdad embassy, which cost $600 million (£390 million) but required a further $100 million of work on air conditioning, and the Islamabad embassy, still under construction, which has cost more than $850 million.

A moat? Do they plan to have archers and catapults as well?

Don't Blame You?

As I was driving to work this morning, I noticed a car next to me that had a bumper sticker that read, "Don't blame me, I voted for McCain."

Seriously? Because the answer to blue-state fascism is red-state fascism?

This is a perfect example of how simple-minded so many people are. Barack Obama is nothing if not a neocon's wet dream -- he's W. without the fricking cowboy boots -- willing to continue maiming, torturing, and slaughtering innocent foreigners overseas while ratcheting up the domestic welfare- and police-state at home and spending the U.S. into oblivion to do it, yet these statist buffoons are apparently too naive to realize there's virtually no ideological difference among the political establishment and its parties.

So yes, sir, I do ultimately blame you for the economic plight, moral blight, and jackboot nationalism that are endemic to American life these days, all because millions of people like you feel the need to satisfy your lust for heroes by empowering slavemasters to sacrifice my liberty for their own accumulation of power.

A Name Worth Remembering: Jonathan Kolkey

Given all the reading I do, it's not very often an article strikes me as so poignant that I feel the need to add it to my category of must-reads here on the blog (on the left sidebar). But I just finished one that's going on the list: Jonathan Kolkey's "Did King George III Deserve to Be Overthrown?"

Considering I'm an anarcho-capitalist, I believe all statist regimes deserve to be overthrown on grounds that they are criminal in nature. However, what struck me the most about Kolkey's piece was how noticeably more despotic the U.S. went on to become compared to its British rulers in 1775. Here's one of my favorite passages:

Interesting enough, even if the Boston Massacre had been an egregious case of cold-blooded murder, it remained the only such incident in a decade-long period of intense political agitation – a remarkable demonstration of restraint on the part of the supposed British "oppressors." Forget for the moment the 1989 Chinese Community crackdown of demonstrators at Tiananmen Square. How many innocent bystanders have been "mistakenly" killed by rogue cops in any number of big American cities in just the past year alone?

Meanwhile, the allegedly unresponsive British Government immediately withdrew its troops from Boston proper for the next three-plus years until the Boston Tea Party forced them to return.

Elsewhere, speaking of British troops, only about 8,000 men were ever stationed permanently in the American colonies during peacetime prior to 1775. And many of those soldiers were stationed on the frontier primarily to prevent the White settlers from encroaching on Native American lands. Look at your map. How much repression could 8,000 men inflict on the American mainland which north to south stretched 2,000 miles? By comparison, roughly 40,000 cops patrol New York City and you still can’t ride the subway without being mugged.

Read the rest.

They Are Just Doing Their Jobs

From this MSNBC article about tax-protesters in light of John Stack's suicide attack on an IRS building we read:

The head of the union representing IRS workers said federal employees are too often targeted with threats or violence for simply doing their jobs.

"This incident brings to light an ongoing concern that the atmosphere in our nation debases and denigrates the work of federal employees and contributes to such actions," said Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union. "Too often, frustration with policies or politics takes the form of attacks on public servants, which is never justified and can contribute to misguided rage against federal workers."

Yes, the American people need to shut up and obey all federal agents because they are just doing their jobs like everyone else. The taxman, the regulator, the police are all just doing their jobs which include stealing the wealth of the productive class, hamstringing entrepreneurs with red tape, and harassing innocent people who might have unapproved plants on their person. People who have issues with taxation, regulation, and the police state need to write their congressmen to get the laws changed. The fact that government agents can harass you, bully you, beat you, and if necessary kill you should be of no concern to the public because they are simply doing their jobs. Government agents are just following orders.

I Still Love You, Tiger

So Tiger Woods has finally broken his silence and issued a statement on his infidelity.

"I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable," said Woods, looking composed and speaking in a steady voice.

Not acceptable to whom? Far as I can tell, the only people Tiger should feel even remotely accountable to are his wife and perhaps his sponsors, if he signed any conduct clauses in his contracts.

Aside from that, this is none of my business. In fact, Tiger, if you're in the mood to grant some nice discounts for potential sponsors, I happen to own a company that would love to partner with you. And I can't think of any other brand that would be more appropriate in TigerTown right about now than mine would be.

Chin up, good buddy. We've only just begun.

Off the Deep End

You know the U.S. has lost its collective mind when federal senators are lobbying for minor league hockey teams to move their franchises to arenas in the states they represent.

According to the Buffalo News, Sen. Chuck Schumer (Crook-N.Y.) is urging the Buffalo Sabres organization to relocate its AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, from Maine to Albany.

There are a zillion good reasons taxpayers shouldn't be forced to subsidize sporting arenas, and this one is right up toward the top of the list.

Thanks, Obama!

President Obama is hailing the $787 billion stimulus plan as a success. It has supposedly saved at least 2 million jobs. That is $393,500 per job. Supposedly the money was "invested" in public and private sector jobs. We know that the public sectors jobs are a money pit since government produces very few goods and mostly bads. While it is theoretically possible that the money going to the private sector will save jobs because the private sector produces goods for exchange in the free market, I think that this is quite unlikely. Private companies that receive money from the State are generally politically connected firms that are failing because the market does not like their products such as General Motors or politically connected firms that like to use the State to enrich their employees such as Goldman Sachs. Of course, if Obama really wanted to save jobs, he could have given that money back the private sector. Or he could have cut taxes. Or he could have abolished the FTC, FCC, and other regulatory agencies that are strangling the productive class. But Obama is a socialist who believes that State is everything and the American people are economically ignorant and want the State to "do something". So instead of real economic growth we get a government program which ostensibly saves 2,000,000 jobs at a cost of $393,500 per job. Thanks, Obama! Surely good times ahead in the USA!

The State Cannot Protect You

Apropos a comment by reader Joe, who claims that if it weren't for the government, people wouldn't be taken to the hospital when needed, a Pennsylvania man was tragically left to suffer and die in the cold for three days when repeated calls to 911 ambulance units went unheeded in the wake of the region's most recent snowstorm.

The relevant question here is not why paramedic units did not respond to these calls -- the state is an inefficient, unaccountable bureaucracy and therefore this is what we should expect; the question is why we insist upon placing our trust in the state in the first place when it repeatedly proves that all it does well is pillage, intimidate, and kill.

Asphalt Fascism in the Nation's Capital

There hasn't been any more snowfall in DC yet this week, but that hasn't stopped officials from banning motorists from "emergency roadways" they're forced to pay for beginning at 9 a.m. this morning. Seriously, I think it's time to stop milking this whole snow thing. And how appropriate: Snow removal is supposedly provided so people can drive on roads during storms, not so they can stay off them.

For the past week, thousands of motorists around the beltway have been prohibited from driving on certain roads under penalty of fine, which has in turn prevented any number of businesses from receiving inventory shipments for the past week. I wonder how long the owners of private highways would be able to prevent their customers from going about their business before they were put out of business as a result of their inefficiency.

I myself have now been waiting more than a week for my last order of chili spice mix. My manufacturer is in Baltimore, and while the snow itself obviously accounted for a few days of immobility, the state added insult to injury by literally preventing some of the plant workers from driving to work even when roads were navigable.

Of course, I guess I shouldn't complain too much. The upside to all of this is that children throughout MD, VA, and DC have at least received a week-long furlough from the government prisons known as public schools.

Close the DC Cesspool Forever

The U.S. government has been closed for the better part of a week due to snow and -- shocker! -- we haven't self-destructed. Turns out individuals are actually capable of making decisions for themselves. Who knew?

Today is the observation of the absurd Presidents Day holiday, but at least we're afforded yet one more day of freedom from tyranny. Too bad there hasn't yet been enough popular support for a permanent holiday from the U.S. state.

Dr. James Ross, RIP

Some sad news from the "back home" front. Dr. James Ross, the father of two brothers I played hockey with in high school, passed away Monday in hospice care in Cheektowaga, N.Y., at the age of 66.

As a 15-/16-year-old, I generally didn't know the parents of my teammates too well, but what I did know was that Dr. Ross was a very good man and probably an even better father, if his sons were any indication.

John Ross was one of our best defensemen, a quiet on-ice leader by example, while Jim, my first-line center and team captain, was by far the most outspoken leader both in the locker room and on the ice with respect to his determination and tenacity. Whether they ever knew it or not, Jim and John made a tremendous impact on how I approached the game of hockey, whether in terms of sportsmanship, camaraderie, or simply never taking a shift off.

As a sophomore, it was quite a challenge for me to play at the high school level with the big boys -- especially on those days when we'd face off against the top Buffalo teams or, heaven forbid, the Canadian squads in regional tournaments. I was hardly the third-best forward on the team, especially my first year, but I recall Jim fighting for me to be on his wing because he wanted to play with someone willing to go into the corners and take a pounding in front of the net. I still struggle with confidence to this day, so you might imagine how fragile my ego was when I was only 15. But any self-regard I acquired at all as a hockey player was in large part due to the confidence Jim Ross had in me.

By the time I was a junior (Jim was a senior), our line, which included Brent Cygan (also a senior), had developed the type of chemistry you can only understand by being a part of it. We were friends on the ice and off, and this was the year I really realized that sports (especially hockey, in my opinion) can be so much more than merely playing a game. It creates bonds that last a lifetime, even after everyone has gone his own way afterward. At least that's what it was like for me.

I'll never forget one Thursday night practice my junior year. The coach split the lines up for a scrimmage and I found myself opposite Jim for the first time in a while. Jim had the puck and was carrying it behind my net with his head down when I just leveled him. It was a clean hit but I immediately felt a pit in my stomach and aplogized for what I'd done. I'd just clocked the team captain (and my game-day linemate, no less). What the hell was I thinking?

Jim popped right up as he adjusted his helmet a bit, and I'm pretty sure I was just standing there waiting for him to punch me. Instead, like the true leader he was, he tapped me on the head and said, "You did exactly what you should've done. I should've had my head up." You don't remember stuff like that verbatim if it doesn't mean anything.

Why do I bring all of this up in a blog post about John and Jim's father? Well, for one, because while it's unlikely these guys will ever read this, I'm pretty sure I never told them just how much I thought of them, so I suppose there's no time like the present. And secondly, you usually don't turn out to be a top-notch person without some top-notch guidance from your folks along the way. And I know for a fact that all the Ross kids were beneficiaries of that.

Dr. Ross, while we've long been apart, I've always remembered and appreciated what you and your wife gave to me. My thoughts are with you and your family at this difficult time. RIP.

More Evidence That You Are Your Own Protection

The Miami Herald reports that a Florida woman who was denied a "protective" order by a Florida judge was murdered by a stalker this week. I say "protective" because such orders are simply pieces of paper which "prohibit" stalkers from being within a certain distance of the "protected" person. If said stalker does approach the "protected" person, the "protected" person can then call the police and have the stalker arrested. This assumes, of course, that said stalker will delay his attack until the police arrive to make it a fair fight.

The logic behind protective and restraining orders completely baffles me. So if someone is harassing me and I think my life is in danger, I should go to a judge to get a piece of paper commanding the stalker to stay 100 yards away from me. If the stalker violates this order, I can then call the police who will then arrest the person who hopefully has only violated the order and not killed me. If the stalker has no qualms against assault or murder why would any rational human being think that a piece of paper will stop him?

Stories like this are more evidence that although the State has arrogated to itself the right to protect you, you are still your own protection. The police will show up at the crime scene to call the coroner, contact first of kin, and fill out a report. This is a truth which does not seem to penetrate the ossified statist mindset of gun control advocates. They think that banning guns will make us safer as if the police can magically appear just before an assault or murder takes place.

But since we are stuck with "protective" orders, let's give them some teeth. How about this for a restraining order: If John Doe comes within 100 yards of Jane Doe, Jane Doe may perceive this as a threat on her life and she may use any means necessary including deadly force to compel John Doe to abide by this order.

Jim Thorpe Could Face Seven Years in Prison

For allegedly running away from robbers.

(Via BfloBlog)

Hologram of Liberty: Chapter 10-Answers, Please!

This is the eleventh essay in my live-blog of Hologram of Liberty by Kenneth Royce. You can also read my summary of the Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, and Chapter 9.

After doing an excellent job of assessing the prospects of liberty through the political process as futile in Chapter 9, Royce then proposes "two exciting political possibilities" in Chapter 10. Certainly one must wonder why Royce thinks that any political solution is possible after reading Chapter 9. But let us proceed with an open mind.

Royce lists five reactions to tyranny:

• "Acceptance and Resignation-Give up and take it."
• "Electing better officials-Locally this can have dramatic effect, however, Washington is too far away for sufficient supervision and pressure."
• "Avoidance and Evasion-Be a bright, quick, little fish and try to swim around the regulatory net. This will work only for a vigorous few."
• "Sit-down strike-Until martial law is declared, a general strike would probably make our rulers back down somewhat."
• "Direct confrontation-Usually, an oppressed people will be forced to directly confront the government. This can take many forms: writing letters, referendums, constitutional amendments, political transformations, protests in the streets, and armed rebellion."

Royce thinks that an armed rebellion in the US is quite possible and wishes to avoid this. He sees "only two possible peaceful solutions, and one fascinating wildcard."

The U.S. Police State

It's now officially here, says Paul Craig Roberts.

Audi Lauds Green Fascism

I can't think of two teams I cared to see less in the Super Bowl, so I was at least looking forward to the commercials. Overall they were a letdown because most of them were terrible. I basically realized that Budweiser makes way too much money, and I know we all must be happy to be taxpayers after that ridiculously daft census commercial with Ed Begley.

But the standout by far was Audi's "Green Police" ad that ran in the fourth quarter, and I'm still not sure whether I know what the company's intent was, aside from trying to sell its A3 TDI "clean diesel" vehicle.

If the ad was meant to predict the future of green fascism, where "green" police officers work in tandem with the nanny state to harass and arrest everyone who doesn't adhere to the state's green agenda, they nailed it. Or if the intent was to parody ludicrous and economically harmful environmental laws and regulations -- a sort of "Hey, these laws are silly and absurd, but if we have to live with them you might as well drive our car" pitch -- then the ad isn't a half-bad public service announcement.

But after doing a little research on Audi and their take on the ad, I'm thinking they're pretty much cool with the whole Enviro-Nazi movement. Here's a snippet from Audi's "Green Police" page, on which it claims to be "protecting and conserving the earth":

As part of the lead up to their third consecutive Super Bowl ad, Audi has created a fictional Green Police unit that are caricatures of today’s “green movement”. The Green Police are a humorous group of individuals that have joined forces in an effort to collectively help guide consumers to make the right decision when it comes to the environment. They’re not here to judge, merely to guide these decisions.

Yeah...umm...you're not exactly "helping" consumers make the "right decisions" when you're doing it at gunpoint. It's also interesting how Audi claims the "Green Police" aren't here "to judge" even as they haul environmental offenders -- people who (gasp!) choose to use plastic bags or styrofoam cups, for instance -- off to jail in handcuffs. "Guiding" people at the point of a gun has absolutely nothing to do with educating or helping the consumer; it has to do with violence and coercion. And just FYI -- it usually only helps the people initiating it.

Eat Your Heart Out, Buffalo

Here are some photos we snapped the past couple days in the wake of the blizzard that rolled though the Mid-Atlantic Friday and Saturday. This might not be a very big deal if you happen to live in Manitoba, but this is unheard of in Maryland.

Having lived in and around Buffalo for many years before moving to Maryland, I've seen my share of snow. And I've never seen anything like this storm. This was the heaviest stuff I've ever had to shovel.

 

  

 

Snowstorms Are a Good Time to Assess the State's (In)Competence

One of the local news stations out of DC just scrolled text across the bottom of the screen saying that there have already been 200 traffic accidents in the commonwealth of Virginia due to "the storm" and "slick roads."

Yeah, the accidents couldn't have anything to do with the fact that the state can't even do a moderately adequate job of keeping the roads clean. Not that it even necessarily attempts to, of course. I drove home from my in-laws' around 6:30 p.m. tonight in at least three inches of snow on the highway and noticed one snow truck -- with his plow up. I'm willing to bet there's plenty of bureaucracy to go around even when the government farms out this type of work, but you have to know that state workers and independent contractors alike collect overtime pay whether the roads are clear or not.

And this isn't simply the case in a blizzard when upwards of two feet of snow are expected. It was the same thing last week when we got about a foot over the course of a full day. Plowing might be monotonous, but it's a volume game -- the snow might overwhelm you, but you'd think that's just generally cause for dispatching more drivers who are willing and able to work with more frequency.

But good luck. Your best bet when the government's in charge of the roads is to stay the hell off them if you know what's good for you. It's not fair, but when it's a matter of life and death, you better know that you're the only one capable of taking care of yourself and your family.

Be safe this weekend if you live in the Mid-Atlantic region, and especially if you reside in Southern Maryland like I do -- the worst is yet to come; we've now got a blizzard warning as others in the DC/VA area are currently facing a winter storm warning.

Oh, and do me a favor if you will. Take a minute to contemplate how absurd it is to empower the state to run schools, police and public defense, the economy, and health care (among other things) when it can barely manage to deal with natural weather conditions. The only way to really ensure safe driving, whether in normal or inclement conditions, is to privatize the roads. Business owners don't usually consider it a smart business practice to kill off their customers.

Global Warming, RIP

So much for all that global warming hype. Here in good ol' Southern Maryland, we're bracing for another couple feet of snow this weekend, and we've already had close to three feet combined so far this winter -- two separate storms dumped at least a foot each -- which is basically as much as we've gotten altogether over the past dozen or so years that I've lived here.

Check out this little snapshot today from weather.com. Maryland looks pret-ty tiny compared to this new front moving through.

Maryland has gotten a little better over the years in dealing with snowfall, though it's always a crapshoot on the roads when the white stuff starts coming down. If it weren't for the negligence of St. Mary's County, two of my good friends would almost certainly still be alive today -- all the county would have had to do was salt the roads prior to getting freezing rain that had been in the forecast for two full days before it hit.

Of course -- and I'm just wagering a prediction here, but it'll be interesting to see how accurate I am -- I'm betting the roads will be almost fully cleared by Sunday night following the Super Bowl -- pathetically, just so all the cops will be able to nab as many drivers as possible as they head home from the parties.

What Is This?

 

Give up? Why, yes, it's the Buffalo Sabres reincarnated.

I'm sorry. I don't know when this turned into a sports blog. But you know what? Screw it; my blog, my rules. I'm just not sure what else to say when a player from an opposing team runs your goalie and you don't so much as start a fight, much less run their goalie at some point during the rest of the game. You know, on your way to blowing the game in the final minute.

So, sorry to all you hard-core anarchists out there who are looking for some poignant political commentary. Daddy's had a few drinks and needs to vent about the one team he actually gives a shit about.

Why do I care? Well, your guess is as good as mine.

Play for Your Country, Not the State

Since I haven't been able to find anyone who has much of anything bad to say about Ryan Miller's new Olympic mask, I'm gonna go out on a limb and surmise that there aren't a whole bunch of people who know the difference between their country and the state.

 

Not to get overly political about a sporting event, but I cringe at how blatantly pro sports act as shills for the state. You can't watch an NFL game without having a field-sized flag displayed during the national anthem. Yeah, yeah...we're "at war" -- pointless war, and it's sickening how much it's glorified.

I'm not much of a fan of the Olympics in general, what with the inclusion of pro athletes and the fact that the games are a massive boondoggle foisted on taxpayers in the first place. And while playing a sport alongside your fellow countrymen isn't necessarily indicative of sanctimonious nationalism, I'm pretty sure we're well past the day when Uncle Sam can be used as the portrayal of positive strength.

In the immortal words of Ted Mosby, sports should be a way to forget your problems, if only for a moment. Unfortunately, Ryan Miller's mask will just be a nice reminder of them.

Heroic Japan

Thousands of Japanese gathered in Tokyo today to protest the American military presence in Japan.

Well there's gratitude for you. This is the thanks we get for protecting them from those bullies who dropped nuclear bombs on them over 60 years ago?