tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58475872024-03-06T20:11:06.770-08:00The Quantum-Mechanic 2.0Science, arts, philosophy, theology, economics, government, life, the universe, and everything. Ah, the power of knowledge...Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comBlogger269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-66742712099484287682009-01-06T12:00:00.000-08:002009-01-06T12:08:07.513-08:00My new websiteHey family and friends, I am pleased to announce that I have a new website which will became the primary hub of my writing on the intersection of politics, government, and the Christian faith - <a href="http://libertarianchristians.com/">LibertarianChristians.com</a>. I hope that you will all consider checking it out and either subscribing to the RSS feed or the emails.<br /><br />This blog will still be in operation but will be less frequent in updating, especially as I am building the site. But if you're looking for me on the World Wide Web, it won't be hard over at the new site! See you there!Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-59124115882323584272008-12-08T16:19:00.001-08:002008-12-08T16:19:20.355-08:00The State silences pure talent<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Tell me, can you deny that this kid has talent? Of course not, but since the state owns this kid they can tell him what he can and cannot do...
<div class='youtube-video'><object height='355' width='425'><param value='http://www.youtube.com/v/yfjTrrBE_eI' name='movie'> </param><param value='transparent' name='wmode'> </param><embed height='355' width='425' wmode='transparent' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://www.youtube.com/v/yfjTrrBE_eI'> </embed></object></div><br/><br/></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-78180352894157616892008-12-03T14:56:00.001-08:002008-12-03T14:56:29.024-08:00The Right is wrong, part gazillion.<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>From the DUH News department, we find out that Obama is appointing war hawks and idiots that are so bad even the Right likes them. Who is the more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?<br/><br/><a href='http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/109160/right-wingers_and_neocons_love_obama%27s_cabinet_appointments/'>Right-Wingers and Neocons Love Obama's Cabinet Appointments | War on Iraq | AlterNet</a><br/><blockquote>As Barack Obama's opus, Team of Rivals, continues its rolling debut, the early reviews are in and the "critics" are full of praise for the cast:<br/><br/>"[T]he new administration is off to a good start."<br/>-- Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell.<br/><br/>"[S]uperb ... the best of the Washington insiders ... this will be a valedictocracy -- rule by those who graduate first in their high school classes."<br/>-- David Brooks, conservative New York Times columnist<br/><br/>"[V]irtually perfect ... "<br/>-- Senator Joe Lieberman, former Democrat and John McCain's top surrogate in the 2008 campaign.<br/><br/>"[R]eassuring."<br/>-- Karl Rove, "Bush's brain."<br/><br/>"I am gobsmacked by these appointments, most of which could just as easily have come from a President McCain ... this all but puts an end to the 16-month timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, the unconditional summits with dictators, and other foolishness that once emanated from the Obama campaign ... [Hillary] Clinton and [James] Steinberg at State should be powerful voices for 'neo-liberalism' which is not so different in many respects from 'neo-conservativism.'"<br/>-- Max Boot, neoconservative activist, former McCain staffer.<br/><br/>"I see them as being sort of center-right of the Democratic party."<br/>-- James Baker, former Secretary of State and the man who led the theft of the 2000 election.<br/><br/>"[S]urprising continuity on foreign policy between President Bush's second term and the incoming administration ... certainly nothing that represents a drastic change in how Washington does business. The expectation is that Obama is set to continue the course set by Bush ... "<br/>-- Michael Goldfarb of the neoconservative Weekly Standard.<br/><br/>"I certainly applaud many of the appointments ... "<br/>-- Senator John McCain<br/><br/>"So far, so good."<br/>-- Senator Lamar Alexander, senior Republican Congressional leader.<br/><br/>Hillary Clinton will be "outstanding" as Secretary of State<br/>-- Henry Kissinger, war criminal<br/><br/>Rahm Emanuel is "a wise choice" in the role of Chief of Staff<br/>-- Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, John McCain's best friend.<br/><br/>Obama's team shows "Our foreign policy is non-partisan."<br/>-- Ed Rollins, top Republican strategist and Mike Huckabee's 2008 campaign manager<br/><br/>"The country will be in good hands."<br/>-- Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush's Secretary of State</blockquote></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-5718772882423046002008-12-01T09:52:00.001-08:002008-12-01T09:52:20.049-08:00How to Establish Domestic Fascism<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>So, anybody still not convinced that we are steadily moving towards totalitarianism?<br/><br/><a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/30/AR2008113002217_pf.html'>Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security</a><br/><blockquote>The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.<br/><br/>The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said.<br/><br/>There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement.<br/></blockquote><br/><br/><img width='386' height='494' src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PZltmuT5zXo/STQjxmtmbNI/AAAAAAAAADU/KRalvwHlDt0/%5BUNSET%5D.jpg?imgmax=800' style='max-width: 800px; float: none;'/></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-86684566007934837522008-11-28T14:52:00.001-08:002008-11-28T14:52:30.951-08:00BSG Season 4.5 Preview ONLINE!<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=850122'>The Epic Journey - Season 4.5 | Videos | SCI FI Video</a><br/><br/>Are you excited? I am <i>thrilled</i> because it's about time! <br/></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-391420480743061752008-11-26T07:27:00.001-08:002008-11-26T07:27:19.661-08:00More terible news from the Fed<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/monetary/20081125b.htm'>FRB: Press Release-- Federal Reserve Announces Purchases of Direct Oblications from GSEs - November 25th, 2008</a>
<blockquote>The Federal Reserve announced on Tuesday that it will initiate a program to purchase the direct obligations of housing-related government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)--Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks--and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae. Spreads of rates on GSE debt and on GSE-guaranteed mortgages have widened appreciably of late. This action is being taken to reduce the cost and increase the availability of credit for the purchase of houses, which in turn should support housing markets and foster improved conditions in financial markets more generally.
Purchases of up to $100 billion in GSE direct obligations under the program will be conducted with the Federal Reserve's primary dealers through a series of competitive auctions and will begin next week. Purchases of up to $500 billion in MBS will be conducted by asset managers selected via a competitive process with a goal of beginning these purchases before year-end. Purchases of both direct obligations and MBS are expected to take place over several quarters. Further information regarding the operational details of this program will be provided after consultation with market participants.</blockquote>
Whoo hoo!!! My mortgage is being paid for by EVERYBODY now! Ok not really, I was thrifty and didn't buy what I couldn't afford, so I'm in the clear. Nevertheless, once again the Fed proves they need to be eliminated. I just don't see how monetarists can think that their ideas work.</div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-13507922449099616202008-11-25T22:09:00.001-08:002008-11-25T22:09:47.808-08:00My new blog...<p>i have begun a second blog for spreading ideas about political and economic liberty from a Christian point of view. I have been compiling ideas for posts, and I'll begin rolling them out in the near future. I'll be posting essays I have written, things to ponder, exegeses on Scripture, movie and book reviews, article links, and musings on current events. So far, I have been collecting some of my own writings and getting them ready to be posted here. Some of them can be rather long for a typical blog post, and I anticipate dividing them into multiple sections.</p> <p>It will be quite different from what I normally write on this blog, but some of what I would you see here will henceforth be on the other blog. So take a look, read a little, and add it to your RSS feed reader!</p> <p><a href="http://christian-libertairan.blogspot.com">Link: The Christian Libertarian</a>.</p> Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-7650018987167909802008-11-24T10:50:00.000-08:002008-11-24T13:23:40.279-08:00Is this the end of the American economy?<a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=arEE1iClqDrk&refer=home">Bloomberg: Fed Pledges 7.4 Trillion in New Money.</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This is it. The Fed has declared war on the economy and thereby every market participant, and they have prepped their weapons of mass destruction. </span> <p style="font-family: arial;">Quoting the article: “The U.S. government is prepared to lend more than $7.4 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers, or half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, to rescue the financial system since the credit markets seized up 15 months ago. The unprecedented pledge of funds includes $2.8 trillion already tapped by financial institutions in the biggest response to an economic emergency since the New Deal of the 1930s, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The commitment dwarfs the only plan approved by lawmakers, the Treasury Department’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. Federal Reserve <a href="http://bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=FARBPMDW%3AIND">lending</a> last week was 1,900 times the weekly average for the three years before the crisis.”</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">I already knew that 3 trillion in monetary expansion was in the works. I heard it live from the President of the Dallas Fed about a month ago when he came to Austin and talked about this “off the record”. I personally challenged him the about the wisdom of such a decision. I asked him how he could expect the same monetary policies that created this crisis could be used to solve it, and even if it did temporarily how he could expect that even in the mid-term horizon that the same problems would not occur all over again. He said in response, and I quote: “You just gotta have faith – faith in the Federal Reserve, faith in Congress that they will make the right decision, and faith in the Executive, whoever is elected, that he will make the right decision.”</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">I should have asked him how other faith-based initiatives have been working out for the government lately, or that I thought matters of faith should be reserved only for God, quantum mechanics, and the quality of frozen pizzas. Too bad I’m not THAT quick. Too bad I was too shocked to say anything at the time. Three trillion is disaster, seven trillion is… unspeakable.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;">They should have listened – to Mises, to Hayek, to Rothbard, to Ron Paul. Heck, even Milton Friedman more or less repudiated monetarism later in life. Instead, they chose Keynes, Stiglitz, Krugman, Greenspan, Bernanke, Paulson, McCain, and Obama. You reap what you sow.</p>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-52933842554040360802008-11-20T05:29:00.001-08:002008-11-24T13:27:11.984-08:00Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><embed flashvars="file=http://www.theonion.com/content/xml/90029/video&autostart=false&image=http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/MONEY_HOLE_article.jpg&bufferlength=3&embedded=true&title=In%20The%20Know%3A%20Should%20The%20Government%20Stop%20Dumping%20Money%20Into%20A%20Giant%20Hole%3F" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.theonion.com/content/themes/common/assets/videoplayer2/flvplayer.swf" height="355" width="400"></embed><br /><a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_should_the_government?utm_source=embedded_video">In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?</a><br /><br />I'm giving a lecture on business cycle theory today. This seems relevant... Note: there is a smidgen of language...<br /></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-86725549299809206792008-11-17T13:05:00.001-08:002008-11-17T13:06:44.337-08:00LHC more likely to find a black hole for cash than a higgs boson<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2008/11/lhc_repairs_get_pricier.html'>The Great Beyond: LHC repairs get pricier</a><br/><blockquote><div class='entry-body'> <p>More bad news from the Large Hadron Collider. </p> <p>Repairing the damage from the electrical failure earlier this year will run to $21 million, according to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (<a href='http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i-Yvg3eOoHjuW_BtDspj_LZOZ6owD94GN0EG0'>AP</a>). The original cost estimate for the repair was <a href='http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081017/full/4551015a.html'>around $80,000</a>, not including labour and the spares.</p> <p>In addition, the particle collider will not be up and running before June. Previously it was suggested the particles could be whizzing round the ring by April (<a href='http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jXpJ7QJ25PV4_xsGTML_yZc9CAPw'>AFP</a>).</p> <p>“There is still a lot of work to do and we want to be sure that everything is in order before starting up,” says spokesman James Gillies (<a href='http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jXpJ7QJ25PV4_xsGTML_yZc9CAPw'>AFP</a> / <a href='http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i-Yvg3eOoHjuW_BtDspj_LZOZ6owD94GN0EG0'>AP</a>). “If we can do it sooner, all well and good. But I think we can do it realistically (in) early summer.”</p> </div></blockquote><br/><br/>Can you believe this garbage? This project originally cost the world economy about 10 billion dollars, an astronomical sum to say the least, and it isn't even getting close to accomplishing its mission. What a waste! This illustrates perfectly the problems of socialism -- that the central planners will tend <i>not</i> to choose projects that actually produce new goods and services efficiently because there is no adequate way to count the costs.<br/></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-44277769377389845402008-11-15T16:54:00.000-08:002008-11-15T20:29:36.890-08:00Need a laptop battery?<div style="text-align: left;">I own an IBM Thinkpad X31 laptop, and I use it to do most of my work for UT, AGST, and the church. It has functioned as an excellent tool for a long time, save for one issue: battery life. From the start, it lasted only about an hour, and it continually declined in quality over time. Now, the battery only holds up for about 15 minutes. Pretty bad, eh?<br /><br />So I started looking around the net for new batteries. They ain't cheap, lemme tell ya. But I found some nice sites that specialized in replacement batteries for electronics of all sorts. Enter <a href="http://www.atbatt.com/">AtBatt.com</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>. Not only did they have some an excellent selection, but they also have a student discount program. I thought, "what the hey, maybe they're serious..." and filled out the app. Within a day, I got an email saying they were more than happy to give me a discounted new battery. I called their phone, and had a great conversation with one of their head guys (Steve). He's a Christian interested in doing more than good business - he's also looking to help the environment through free market means by promoting <a href="http://www.atbatt.com/blog/68.asp">eco-friendly rechargeable batteries</a>.<br /><br />I think these guys are pretty smart. They bought me as a customer AND they're working <a href="http://www.atbatt.com/blog.asp">to spread some good around</a>. That's some swell business right there. This is one of the easiest and best online shopping experiences I've had. Maybe if you're looking for a new battery for your <a href="http://www.atbatt.com/laptop-batteries.asp">laptop</a>, <a href="http://www.atbatt.com/digital-camera-batteries.asp">camera</a>, <a href="http://www.atbatt.com/cell-phone-batteries.asp">cell phone</a>, or pretty much <a href="http://www.atbatt.com/batteries-by-device.asp">any electronic device you can imagine</a>, you can check them out too.<br /><br />So yeah, this is kind of like a sales pitch, but so what? <span style="font-style: italic;">Why not</span> commend these folks who are doing good, honest business and talk about how they helped me out? That's the stuff the free market is made of!<br /><br />Best of luck to you, Steve and the crew...<br /></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-50117327532142082242008-11-11T16:29:00.000-08:002008-11-24T13:26:30.923-08:00Let the scorn begin, huzzah!<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">I've seen a few very interesting articles in the last couple of days.<br /><br /><a href="http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjRmYmIzZTk3NTU1M2VjYWY3N2E3YmY1ZmY3MzI0Mzk=">Restoring Reaganism by Deroy Murdock on National Review Online</a><blockquote>Comrade George W. Bush has spearheaded the most aggressive federal expansion since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As a delivery system for socialism, he has been the most effective Trojan Horse since that pine steed rolled into Troy.<span style=""><span><span style="">When Bush arrived, Washington consumed 18.4 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Uncle Sam now devours 22.5 percent of the economy, </span><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/19/big-government-gets-bigger/"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">reported</span></a><span style=""> Jon Ward in the October 19 <em style="">Washington Times</em>. “The country has gone from a $128 billion budget surplus when Mr. Bush took office to a deficit of at least $732 billion in fiscal 2009,” Ward writes. “No president since FDR — who offered a New Deal to pull the nation out of the Great Depression and then fought World War II — has presided over as rapid a growth in government when measured as a percentage of the total economy.” While much of Bush’s spending has funded defense and the War on Terror, most of it vanished into the furnaces of No Child Left Behind, the 2002 Farm Bill, the 2003 Medicare drug entitlement, the 2005 highway bill, the 2006 ethanol mandate, at least </span><a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/features/BudgetChartBook/fed-rev-spend-2008-boc-C5-FY-2008-Had-the-Second-Highest.html"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">69,341</span></a><span style=""> </span><a href="http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=9efe0d44-a3cd-3a65-5301-3624d267ae68&Type=Press%20Release&Month=9&Year=2008"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">earmarks</span></a><span style="">, and much, much more. In 2001, Bush launched federal embryonic stem-cell research. By 2008, he added the word “nationalization” to the American vocabulary, and underscored it with nearly $1 trillion in bailouts and Third World—-style government ownership stakes in banks and financial houses.</span></span></span></blockquote>Wow! Somebody in <i>National Review</i> calling Bush a socialist? Are we that close to Armageddon? Perhaps over the next few years the big NR will start actually calling for small government and being serious. But don't hold your breath. Those of us with a brain know that even Reagan wasn't that good on spending. His administration accounts for two of the top-5 latest in the year "Freedom from Government" days, the day when the GDP effectively stops paying for government action.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/barack_obama_legal_scholar.html">American Thinker: Barack Obama, Legal Scholar</a><blockquote>Nobody can deny that Barack Obama has an impressive list of titles to his name as a lawyer. But when it comes to actual substance as a lawyer and a scholar, very few accomplishments can be pointed to. The pattern of leaving no footprints when it comes to ideas should raise questions in the eyes of voters still trying to understand the man behind the public persona of Barack Obama.</blockquote>So basically, Obama being a legal demi-god is a myth. LOL.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1084111/PETER-HITCHENS-The-night-waved-goodbye-America--best-hope-Earth.html">Peter Hitchens: The night we waved goodbye to America...our last best hope on Earth | Mail Online</a><blockquote>The swooning frenzy over the choice of Barack Obama as President of the United States must be one of the most absurd waves of self-deception and swirling fantasy ever to sweep through an advanced civilisation. At least Mandela-worship – its nearest equivalent – is focused on a man who actually did something... Just look at his sermon by the shores of Lake Michigan. He really did talk about a ‘new dawn’, and a ‘timeless creed’ (which was ‘yes, we can’). He proclaimed that ‘change has come’. He revealed that, despite having edited the Harvard Law Review, he doesn’t know what ‘enormity’ means. He reached depths of oratorical drivel never even plumbed by our own Mr Blair, burbling about putting our hands on the arc of history (or was it the ark of history?) and bending it once more toward the hope of a better day (Don’t try this at home).I am not making this up. No wonder that awful old hack Jesse Jackson sobbed as he watched. How he must wish he, too, could get away with this sort of stuff. </blockquote>This article comes from my dear friend Grant. The writing is excellent!</div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-19483929772551757702008-11-07T20:43:00.001-08:002008-11-24T13:25:18.244-08:00V for Vendetta as Orwellian Victory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn4z9f_TSU_KimQawLuCzHICea16_90Jt1elfNUzwttQ-t8lQPmkZ11rkFA6s8Hm8ReCFOdjnqHHQdJv0fIvRLw6iXCRK0nk6CtY1vrEyY-cVXCnai1lEXh4LtNE3tpUYRk5WDQ/s1600-h/V+for+Vendetta-751826.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn4z9f_TSU_KimQawLuCzHICea16_90Jt1elfNUzwttQ-t8lQPmkZ11rkFA6s8Hm8ReCFOdjnqHHQdJv0fIvRLw6iXCRK0nk6CtY1vrEyY-cVXCnai1lEXh4LtNE3tpUYRk5WDQ/s320/V+for+Vendetta-751826.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266143054132512434" border="0" /></a><br /><div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">In honor of the recent passing of November the Fifth and the recent passing of power from one tyrant to the next, I just finished watching the movie <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FS9FCG?ie=UTF8&tag=thequantumech-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FS9FCG">V for Vendetta</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thequantumech-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000FS9FCG" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />, one of my personal favorite films. V is excellent on so many levels, but only if you have the eyes to see.<br /><br />"So if you see nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, then I would suggest you allow the Fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what i see; if you feel as i feel; and if you would seek as i seek, then I ask you to stand beside me."<br /><br />This time, I was struck by how closely V resembles <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452284236?ie=UTF8&tag=thequantumech-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0452284236">Orwell's Nineteen-Eighty-Four</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thequantumech-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0452284236" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. There is one critical difference, though. In Orwell, the bad guys win. Orwell missed something fundamental about human existence: the indefatigable human pursuit of liberty. In the end, tyranny cannot survive. In the end, truth wins. The Remnant will remind the world of what we were meant to be.<br /><br />This is what excites us about V. The face under the mask doesn't matter, it is truth that stirs our passion.<br /><br />"Beneath this mask is more than flesh. Beneath this mask is an idea, and <i>ideas are bulletproof!</i>"<br /><br />Orwell's world ends with the protagonist's death and no hope in sight. It is nothing but a warning against a compelling and frightening future. That image has served us well, but it is not enough. V picks up the pieces and correctly constructs the philosophy that takes us forward.<br /><br />"His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words - <i>they are perspectives</i>."<br /><br />Do you get it yet? If you understand, you are one of the few. Freedom forever!</div><br /><br />***<br />Edit 11/10:<br />Interested in the original graphic novel of V for Vendetta? <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0930289528?ie=UTF8&tag=thequantumech-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0930289528">Buy it on Amazon.com.</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thequantumech-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0930289528" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-36326376835205914822008-11-04T05:54:00.001-08:002008-11-24T13:26:20.535-08:00Who is to blame for Obamunism?<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">In a few hours, America -- even "real America" -- will have elected one of the worst conceivable presidents ever. That's saying something considering the criticism I've laid against presidents in general for some time now. Well, some so-called conservatives, many of whom I interact with regularly, will ask themselves: How did this happen? The answer is simple, my friends.<br /><br />You did it.<br /><br />Conservatism died under Bush and the Republican controlled house and Senate from 2000 to 2006. And all the while, conservatives, you kept capitulating to the demands of a tyrant. November 4th, 2008 is the burial. <br /><br />I know why you did it, too. You were afraid. V knew it too.<br /><br />"Truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look in to a mirror. I know <i>why</i> you did it, I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease, there were a myriad of problems that conspired to corrupt your reason and cut off your common sense. Fear got the best of you."<br /><br />I hope you wake up someday. Maybe November 5th?<br /><br />"Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the annunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country."<br /><br /><br /><div class="youtube-video"><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-037366314574966 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8TLD3Z6sJWA"></a><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-037366314574966 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8TLD3Z6sJWA"></a><object height="355" width="425"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8TLD3Z6sJWA" name="movie"> <param value="transparent" name="wmode"> <embed wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8TLD3Z6sJWA" height="355" width="425"></embed> </object></div><br /><br />V for Vendetta Televised Speech</div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-55614148523197021152008-10-29T21:53:00.001-07:002008-11-24T13:26:47.736-08:00UT Libertarians in the news<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://www.dailytexanonline.com/topstories/libertarians_unite_in_texas'>The Daily Texan - Libertarians unite in Texas</a>
<blockquote>Armed with ideals and alternatives, Stutsman was one of six national and local Libertarian Party candidates at a forum held by the Libertarian Longhorns in the Engineering Teaching Center Monday. Stutsman, a Libertarian congressional candidate, was joined by congressional candidates Matt Finkel and Jim Strohm, senatorial candidate Yvonne Schick, Texas House candidate Allen Hacker and county commissioner candidate Wes Benedict.</blockquote>
and then...
<a href='http://www.dailytexanonline.com/voters_often_overlook_local_candidates'>The Daily Texan - Voters often overlook local candidates</a>
<blockquote>Norman Horn, a graduate student and member of Libertarian Longhorns, said the group is open to endorsing candidates of every political stripe but encourages individual members to make their own decisions when it comes to supporting candidates.
“Libertarian Longhorns is not specifically a partisan group,” he said. “We support any and all candidates who are liberty-minded,” which Horn explained was “freedom for the individual.”
Horn cited the group’s endorsement of Congressman Ron Paul, R-Texas, in the Republican primary earlier this year as the across-party-lines view of the Libertarian Longhorns.
“The group as a whole represents a lot of different backgrounds,” he said. “We tend to withhold any endorsement unless we’re absolutely convinced of [a candidate’s] integrity.”</blockquote>
Pretty cool, eh?</div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-20945057602278470862008-10-25T06:24:00.001-07:002008-11-24T13:25:54.809-08:00I voted, praise me<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>I voted, praise me
<br/>
I participated in the democratic process
<br/>
Or is it democratic fleecing?
<br/>
To take from one man to give to another man
<br/>
To abscond with power in subtle ways
<br/>
To continue setting life and death in their hands
<br/>
Praise me, that’s what the sticker says
<br/><br/>
***
<br/>
My poor attempt at free-form poetry…
<br/>
My conscience is clear as to how I voted, but I was more pleased to explain the <a href='http://www.libertyfund.org/aboutlogo.htm'>Sumerian symbol of freedom</a> on my t-shirt to the poll-worker than to cast my ballot.</div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-59360430081911406502008-10-20T07:16:00.000-07:002008-11-24T13:25:42.721-08:00An almost legitimate conspiracy theory?<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://www.ny.frb.org/newsevents/news/banking/2008/ma081016.html'>New York Fed to Discontinue Publication of its Weekly Statement of Condition - Federal Reserve Bank of New York</a>
<blockquote>October 16, 2008
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York will cease publication of its weekly Statement of Condition with the October 30, 2008 release. The information will continue to be available on the Board of Governors’ Statistical Release H.4.1 Factors Affecting Reserve Balances, Table 5 Statement of Condition of Each Federal Reserve Bank.
The H.4.1 is released each Thursday, generally at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Contact:
Public Affairs
(212) 720-6130
(646) 720-6130
general.info@ny.frb.org</blockquote>
Uh huh. Sure. Just when the economy is at its worst in something like 30 years and the Federal Reserve and Federal Government have proposed the most socialistic policies ever devised on U.S. soil, the Fed ceases publishing its traditional weekly report. Riiiiight.</div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-22677281173443017752008-09-28T14:25:00.001-07:002008-09-28T14:25:55.703-07:00The United States: More Socialist than Canada<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gIDjiYJ79gZgTdZnTavt4TBFFJUgD93FUB0G0'>The Associated Press: Who wins, who loses under proposed bailout plan?</a><br/><br/>So the passing of a bailout plan seems imminent, maybe as soon as tomorrow. Unbelievable, isn't it? That in a few short weeks, the bankruptcy of the system is exposed so deeply? <br/><br/>This bailout plan is beyond stupid. First, it is plainly political; the current regime HAS to do something, lest they get blamed and thrown out of power (which would be fine by many people I know). Like Ron Paul has said, when everybody in Washington gets together to do something big and "Bipartisan", you know we are headed for disaster.<br/><br/>Second, it is being done with extraordinary haste. The last time legislation was piecemealed together and passed so quickly, we got the Patriot Act. That sure worked well, didn't it? <br/><br/>Third, it is being done without proper knowledge of the causes. This insanity in the banking system is due to the monetary expansionist policy of the Federal Reserve, but this point seems to have escaped Washington. Quoting oh-so-daddy-dearest of the US of A, "There is now widespread agreement on the major principles. We must free up the flow of credit to consumers and businesses by reducing the risk posed by troubled assets."<br/><br/>Oh, Mr. President, I have three words for you...<br/><big><big><br/>GET A GRIP!</big></big></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-36408771431127273972008-09-27T16:27:00.001-07:002008-09-27T16:27:49.563-07:00Jon Stewart: "What's a few more bad loans?"<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Pardon the censored french, but this segment from Jon Stewart is rather hilarious.
<br/>
<embed pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' allownetworking='external' allowScriptAccess='always' align='middle' name='comedy_central_player' height='316' width='332' bgcolor='#cccccc' quality='high' src='http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml' FlashVars='videoId=186056'> </embed></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-89760228640153897012008-09-24T08:46:00.001-07:002008-09-24T08:47:37.049-07:00Libertarian Longhorns on "Live and Let Live"<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><span class="postbody">I'm sure some of you have been watching the workings of the market recently with great interest. A lot of strange things are going on with the virtual collapse of Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac, AIG, Goldman-Sachs, Morgan-Stanley, Wamu, and many, many more institutions. The effect is worldwide, and isn't going to end anytime soon. I recently was interviewed along with two of my college friends on the show "Live and Let Live", a local television show in Austin. We were there to talk about our campus group called the Libertarian Longhorns, but we spent about 35 minutes talking through the problems of socialism and the current recession. They also record and stream the show online, so if you're interested in learning a little about this stuff, here's a link to the show:<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/727855">http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/727855</a> <br /><br />At about 19 minutes in, Daniel begins talking about the problems of socialism. At 26 minutes in (I think), we start getting into the causes of the financial crisis.<br /><br />I'll try to embed it here...</span><div class="youtube-video"><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-021999722683696876 visible ontop" href="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/live/254001"></a><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="utv_o_188851" height="320" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/live/254001"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <param name="flashvars" value="viewcount=false&brand=embed"> <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/live/254001" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="viewcount=false&brand=embed" id="utv_e_702344" name="utv_e_299418" height="320" width="400"></embed> </object></div></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-76822314990856368772008-09-09T14:37:00.000-07:002008-09-09T14:39:07.441-07:00A great ticket doesn't even need a vice president...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8DpYcBV2WDAVCHTmwkOy6LTf-LTc8O37pupit4Pr6J5xYrOrHhjcew0pLCJfTLY6KEDAluxeVKuMm5wyNUpsQBscAe2VSPDWMj3AY0K8J-IPD_40K6stlIWYXM4mJbien4sX2A/s1600-h/palpatine-for-president-08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8DpYcBV2WDAVCHTmwkOy6LTf-LTc8O37pupit4Pr6J5xYrOrHhjcew0pLCJfTLY6KEDAluxeVKuMm5wyNUpsQBscAe2VSPDWMj3AY0K8J-IPD_40K6stlIWYXM4mJbien4sX2A/s320/palpatine-for-president-08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244139305541465698" border="0" /></a>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-65622081056755033892008-08-27T19:03:00.001-07:002008-08-27T19:03:29.021-07:00Breaking News!!! McCain and Obama FAILED TO FILE IN TEXAS!!!<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>This is huge and, if the media actually COVERED this, would be an amazing demonstration of whether or not governments will actually be HONEST (don't know about you, but I'm skeptical).<br/><br/>McCain and Obama have FAILED to file to be on the Texas general election ballot before the deadline. Now, they must BREAK THE RULES AND THE LAW in order to do it. So let's just see how much respect for the law they have.<br/><br/><a href='http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/general/2008gensbs.shtml'>2008 November General Election Candidates</a><br/><br/>At this very moment, I am watching the news announcing Obama as the OFFICIAL nominee of the Democratic Party. Whoop-ti-freaking-doo.<br/><blockquote/></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-69202221773376200772008-08-19T05:07:00.000-07:002008-08-19T12:14:03.939-07:00How to Eliminate War (with the Olympics)<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>The Olympic Games have historically represented a time of peace for the world. The sacred city of Olympia, the site of the games of ancient Greece, forbade the possession of weapons within its borders. A special “Olympic Peace” was proclaimed throughout the land to allow spectators and athletes travel safely to and from the games. <br/><br/>French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin created the International Olympic Committee in 1894 with the explicit goal of influencing the world for peace. Coubertin once said, “Wars break out because nations misunderstand each other. We shall not have peace until the prejudices which now separate the different races shall have been outlived. To attain this end, what better means than to bring the youth of all countries periodically together for amicable trials of muscular strength and agility?” The first Olympic games took place in 1896, but the IOC did not formalize the ideal of the Olympic truce until a century later, in 1992. Since 1993, the UN General Assembly adopts a resolution every two years that invites the member states to observe the truce during the games.<br/><br/>This tradition raises an interesting question: If we can call a truce for sixteen days so that the countries of the world can participate in the Olympic games, why hold the games only once every two years? Why not every year, and for a longer period of time? Why not thirty days? Surely that wouldn’t be very difficult. But then, why not three months? For that matter, why not hold the Olympics year-round? Then we could have peace (and sports) all the time!<br/><br/>“Whoa there, hold on!” you say. “Thirty days might be possible, but all the time? Surely you jest, oh silly Olympics fanatic! How could we afford year-round games? How could we solve international problems? How will disputes be arbitrated? How could we manage our imperialist ways?” <br/><br/>True, holding the Olympics year-round would be incredibly expensive. Running the Beijing games cost the Chinese over 1.8 billion dollars (1.22 billion Euros) minus revenues – and that’s just for sixteen days! Let’s make a liberal estimate on extended costs. For one month, it would cost roughly 3.5 billion dollars. Multiply that by 12, and you’re talking 42 billion dollars per year. That’s a lot of money... but it’s only a fraction of what the United States spends on Iraq. The war in Iraq has already cost United States taxpayers over $800 billion, and in this year alone the budget for the war is $196 billion. The Congressional Budget Office is even calling it the Trillion-Dollar War. I’m pretty sure it would be more affordable to just fund year-round Olympics than have year-round war. <br/><br/>True, countries could no longer point guns and set up blockades to coerce others into doing their bidding, but there would be a mechanism for resolving disputes – the games themselves! Suppose the United States and Russia get mad at each other (or rather, their governments get mad at each other) and they can’t reach a diplomatic solution. Instead of taking up arms and blowing cities to kingdom come, each country picks an event of their choice, and they agree on a third event. Best two out of three wins! They have to accept the result or other countries will ostracize them for being bad sports. And considering they just avoided massive financial losses from the wanton destruction of war, both are now better off!<br/><br/>Yes, it could get complicated, but we surely have to admit that perpetual sports is better than perpetual war. At least in the Olympics, no civilians die from stray shot-puts or loose javelins! <br/><br/>Think of the further advantages of this kind of system. First, the rules are well-defined, unlike in war, and there are no Geneva Conventions you can conveniently ignore when you need to “enhance” your interrogation techniques. Steroids might be a problem, but that could be dealt with if necessary. If an employer can take a urine sample correctly, I’m positive that the governments of the world can figure this out.<br/><br/>Second, the Olympic games are, quite simply, more fun for everyone. War is hell, as they say, and even though the Olympics aren’t heaven they surely are a step up from hell. Who doesn’t like sports? Certainly mothers and fathers would be much more comfortable sending their kids off to learn the backstroke than to learn how to kill en masse. International politics could become a family outing, rather than the untouchable subject at the dinner table. In fact, Olympic games politics might provide just the right incentive to get young people more civically involved – that’s what all the government schools want, right?<br/><br/>Third, the Olympic games could foster a sense of national unity better than a war ever could. Imagine the United States getting behind Michael Phelps swimming his way to resolving territory disputes, or the USA Basketball Team showing Britain that we do NOT want the Kyoto Protocol. Better yet, why not have the world leaders – the ones who think it’s their right to impose their will upon others – participate in the events? Bush versus Kim Jong-il – who gets to keep his nukes? In the team sports, let the administrations duke it out. Bush Co. versus Ahmadinejad-and-other-long-named-guys – be there and watch Cheney leap over Mahmoud to victory! Now that’s drama. Who could ask for more?<br/>Alright, enough of all this strange and silly talk. We all know that perpetual Olympic games could never bring about world peace. Unfortunately, even participating countries have repeatedly broken resolutions they signed regarding the Olympic truce. Did Operation Iraqi Freedom stop for one moment during 2002, 2004, or 2006? Are current operations on hiatus? Absolutely not.<br/><br/>So what’s the point?<br/><br/>Politics from the very beginning has marred the renewed Olympic tradition. The paradox of rectifying international peace and nationalism continues to cast an eerie shadow over an experience that challenges people to look beyond borders. Most importantly, few of the participating countries have any desire to honor the Olympic truce, including the United States. Should this be any surprise? Not really. The nature of the state is antithetical to peace, as its very existence depends upon continual coercion against its citizens. As Randolph Bourne says, “War is the health of the state.” The state sets up a completely artificial us-them mentality based upon imaginary lines on a map. Those within the state are the good guys (unless they’re part of the other major party) and everybody else outside it is potentially a bloodthirsty fiend. In some sense, the Olympics could never on its own break through these barriers, but we can appreciate Coubertin’s vision for peace.<br/><br/>Although the symbolic truces of the Olympic games have some value, the nations of earth must realize that lasting peace is preserved not through millions of guns, but rather through the millions of goods and services they can trade with others. When we cooperate non-violently with one another as free people through free enterprise, we build relationships with a foundation of respect and mutual admiration. On the other hand, as we cease to interact peaceably we lay a foundation of enmity. Frederic Bastiat once said, “When goods don't cross borders, soldiers eventually will.” May we take heed of Bastiat’s wisdom and encourage peace through cooperation, Olympian and otherwise.<br/><br/></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-57658223583319478312008-08-11T10:18:00.001-07:002008-08-11T10:18:14.471-07:00Blog Renovations...<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>I'm trying to figure out ways to make my blog more visually appealing and interesting for all parties. I realize that I do not get much traffic, and that's primarily my fault. I simply have not been willing to put forward the time to make it as excellent as can be. However, I hope that during this Fall I can step it up and put forward some interesting information for all.<br/><br/>Suggestions are welcome. Oh small-number-of-readers, please comment on what you think I could do to make this blog better!<br/></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5847587.post-32636872173847305312008-08-08T07:20:00.001-07:002008-08-08T07:20:53.949-07:00Texas Libertarians Dish It Out to Both Sides<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/08/libertarians-a-pox-on-both-you.html'>TRAIL BLAZERS Blog | The Dallas Morning News</a><br/><br/>Pat Dixon, Austin native and LP phenomenon, slaps down a Democrat criticism and tells Republicans that they have betrayed their principles. Respectfully, of course. <br/><br/>I hope someday that Pat Dixon runs for the LP nomination for President. Maybe I could be his running mate? LOL, that would be awesome!<br/><blockquote/></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14072362646026300621noreply@blogger.com