Getting Inside Ayn Rand

WHAT GUMMINT DOES          Rich Stuff Hulu offers the full 82 minute movie Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged   in return for showing some  commercials' Or, if you have NetFlix,  there are none.  In any event, and even if you've read Atlas Shrugged—especially if you've read it, I encourage you to watch  at least 10 minutes.  Trust me.

Why closed-mindedness is an imperative for the left

The Politics of Cognitive Dissonance Why closed-mindedness is an imperative for the left. “ 'Don't repeat conservative language or ideas, even when arguing against them.' That bit of advice, No. 1 on a list titled "The 10 Most Important Things Democrats Should Know," comes from the promotional material for "The Little Blue Book: The Essential Guide to Thinking and Talking Democratic" by George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling. [...] Many politicians, pundits and talking heads have taken Lakoff's recommendation to heart. This is why conservatives and liberals can't seem to have the simplest conversation: liberals intentionally refuse to address or even acknowledge what conservatives say. Since (as Lakoff notes) conservatives invariably frame their own statements within their own conservative "moral frames," every time a conservative speaks, his liberal opponent will seemingly ignore what was said and instead come back with a reply literally [sic] out of left field.     Thus, he is the progenitor of and primary advocate for the main reason why liberalism fails to win the public debate: Because it never directly confronts, disproves or negates conservative notions--it simply ignores them. . . . [...] By intentionally refusing to challenge, disprove, understand or even acknowledge the existence of the other side's argument, you allow that argument to grow in strength and win converts. Such an attitude is the product of leftist intellectuals, not political professionals--and, as Zombie notes, the latter are foolish to follow it: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, is an exemplary Lakoffite, relentlessly hammering home her own framing of each issue, and utterly ignoring the Republican frame, except on rare occasion to mock it. How effective is this? A quick survey of conservative sites shows that she is regarded as the Queen of Buffoons, a figure meriting gleeful derision and eliciting relief that the Democrats have selected the worst possible spokesperson. She certainly hasn't changed a single conservative mind, I can assure you. But has she converted "undecided" voters to the liberal cause? I posit that the answer is "No," and I'll explain why. . .(JAMES TARANTO continued) This strategy will also explain perfectly how the media can ignore the very facts of a story that have previously, and publicly,  been laid out for them as though they didn't exist.  I might be the only one saying this, but how can meaningful dialog exist with these people?  And in its absence,  isn't the violent solution inevitable?  Sorry, it's not what I hope for, it's what must be. ”

Stuff I learned in Lubyanka

Police State Culture Five things to do in prison

Kos they desprit

2012

Almost ...

House votes 244-185 to repeal Obama healthcare reform law Senate Democrats won't let it come to the floor - because it would likely get the necessary 51 votes.  With any luck, Obamacare will go down in January. STFU

none of your business, Joan

Tails of the Gun   The "N-word" “ Seems Joan Peterson's been throwing around the N-word again, that four-letter one: "Need".     "[O]ur (Common Gun [non]Sense) opponents repeatedly suggest that civilians should not be allowed to carry firearms for self-defense, a key reason being that civilians don’t receive sufficient training compared to police. But then when we seek out the same kind of training as police, they disapprovingly exclaim, “Who needs ‘tactical firearm training’?”" I need 'tactical firearm training' because none of your business, Joan, that's why. [Righteous Rant Continued] Joan Peterson, the proprietor of “CommonGunSense” is a well-known entity to parts of the gunblogosphere. She’s “Japete”, who practices “reasoned discourse”, by which is meant selective comment moderation (even editing). Hers was not a serious question of “who really needs tactical training?”, but more “why do they need a gun?”. As I recall, someone found she’s either on the Brady board, or the board for Joyce as well. You’re trying to put “reason” where there isn’t any. [comment from HERE] ”

The Pottification Of The Navy

Nanny State: One regulation away from total bliss                         The Pottification Of The Navy Yet Another Reason Not To Enlist “ She is pissed! Hoo, the Navy has gone funnier than when Junior put his tadpoles in Aunt Lu's milk. It's wonderful. Headline, the Washington Times: "Navy admiral wants to get rid of urinals." On aircraft carriers. Yep. See, urinals aren't good for gender-equity, which is what the Navy is for. Best I can tell, the admiral figures urinals make the girls aboard feel plumbing-challenged. It gums up their self-concept. And life, remember, is already tough for gals on warships. It's bad enough having those boomy old gun thingies everywhere, and those smelly airplanes. They make a hostile environment and all. But the worst is those disgusting white patriarchy symbols, stuck threateningly to bathroom walls. Think about it. Every time a woman goes to the men's room, there they hang, row on row, in silent reproach, telling her she isn't Fully A Person. The horror. But now help gallops over the horizon, thumpety-thump. The help's name is Admiral John Nathman, and (incredibly) he's a naval aviator. Yes indeed. Potty John, the Carrie Nation of urinals, is going to make it all better. He wants "gender-neutral water closets." When I was a Marine, I always wanted a commander who had an interest in urinals. None of them did, and they probably still don't. But the Navy, as Marines have always suspected, is a little different. And apparently getting differenter. (Fred on Everything continued) ” Ron M

Suspicious bumps in the night

Catharsis “ There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination. Mencius I am reminded.  Several years ago I spent about 10 days in the hospital for what was first suspected to be a heart attack.  After much consultation (*this was before Hillary Clinton's attempt to seize health care entirely changed hospital focus from cure to to a $ and ¢),  the best guess was a blood clot thrown to the lungs by some broken toes. but not even that was clear. Anyway, the hospital room television set did not show actual TV broadcasting, but was used for various heath PSA stuff  One of them was an instruction film for women on breast examination.  Now remember, I had been at this point detained for a week or so.  I suffered greatly because  my pulse was being monitored at the nursing station for any heart beat fluctuation.  If you catch my drift.  On the plus side, I had not since boyhood had  such interesting dreams.  ”

How Hot Is It?

Catharsis Mommy~ Turn up the air conditioning! Boner's melting!!

Oath Keepers v. Blue Helmets

Tails of the Gun   UN-Gunning “ On July 27th, the nations of the world are scheduled to meet in New York to sign a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Disguised as a way to prevent the proliferation of small arms throughout the world, it is, in fact, a backdoor way to legislate gun control in the United States and effectively repeal our Second Amendment. The ATT will set up a global body which will require all nations to regulate firearms so that they can prevent their exportation to other countries. Inevitably, this will require countries to inventory the guns in private hands and to register them. A gun ban is not far away. The ATT, under the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution, would have the power of a constitutional amendment and would, effectively, repeal the Second Amendment guaranteeing us the right to bear arms. We must fight to stop the US from signing the treaty and, if we fail, block Senate ratification. [Full] In the early days of this blog, Jimmy Carter, acting on his own, without portfolio,  invited  the UN to monitor US elections,  I asked readers then to sign a blood oath.   Fully 70% agreed  to treat any blue helmet on US soil , acting in any capacity  whatever that assumed domionion over any US citizen, be summarily treated like Nazis landed by submarine on U.S, shores. Ahem. True, my readership then was about 10 people, but I extrapolated to include all blog readers.  I am therefore calling upon some 80 million Americans to honor their oath, gird their loins,  and act accordingly here.  Merrily ”

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Police State Culture The Obamastapo Planes, Trains, and Automobiles It's not clear what these people are about.  If it's a dragnet after a kidnapping, bank robbery, etc., that's one thing.  However, now that the provisional wing of the Obamunista  (aka TSA gone wild) are let loose by Kommander Napolitano- on all forms of transportation (even walking)- it's another. Juxtapose this with Eric Holder's war on Arizona's (and other state's rife with illegal aliens) law letting local police ask drivers, including Aztecs, detained for traffic violations for identification.  Enough is enough.  Whoever that guy in the video is, he's a good role model.  Thanks to Tom Smith for getting my blood moving this morning.

Illegal Alien News

2012   Poking Barry Unfortunate headline/picture placement purely accidental “ I am not making this up The copy editor knew exactly what he was doing. Not the first sharp stick poked in his eye this year, and not the last. A good omen.    Thanks to Tim O. ”

KOS Does the outrage thing on cue

The Kommy Left Get Religion “ Unplugged Despite denial, records show Romney owned Bermuda shell corporation before forming blind trust The problem with Romney’s claim? The Bermuda corporation—Sankaty High Yield Asset Investors—was registered in 1997 and Romney was listed as the “the sole shareholder, a director, and president” of the corporation. The Bermuda corporation was under his personal ownership until it was transferred into a blind trust in his wife’s name the day before he was sworn in as governor, possibly to avoid disclosure. In fact, the one full tax return Romney did release shows that he directly owned the company as recently in 2010 and it was not held in his trust. Mitt Romney’s continued dishonesty on his investments in offshore tax havens and corporations raises serious questions about why he won’t release his tax returns. Only a release of additional tax returns will allow us to see if Romney avoided U.S. taxes with his offshore holdings. Cute.  It was about this point in 2008 that Daily Kos (and on the DNC payroll), out of the blue  released the first Obama birth certificate, or rather falsified Certificate of Live Birth that went through a series of revisions to keep up with the debunking.  That saga still continues. As well as SS-gate (Ohio PI challenges Obama’s ballot eligibility based on fraudulent SSN) and Columbia-gate (Obama's 'missing year' at Columbia found?).  Whatever floats yout boat, eh Zuniga?   ”

Mincing and Tooth Gaps

Mincing Words Okay, I've gone into "all-or-nothing" mode watching "A Touch of Frost" (I'm  on #26).  At two hours per episode,  it takes up a fair amount of time (which I've stolen from my spackling and tile set-aside.).  I just love it,  but there is just one little thing that snaps me out of my reverie from time to time.  You know, like when Lauren Hutton's  tooth gap made you pause in your love making before you were married?    Inspector Frost walks like Truman Capote.

Okay, "Stupid" then ...

Earnestly written by the veddy smug and ignorant “ The Lethal Presidency of Barack Obama "You have never spoken of Abdulrahman al-Awlaki. Though you probably approved the strike that killed him, you have never mentioned his name in public. Though he was an American citizen killed by an American drone, you have kept the circumstances of his death secret...(?) You have become the Lethal President." "This is the consuming irony of the Lethal Presidency. You have become the Lethal President because you are also the Rule-of-Law President. You have been able to kill our enemies because you have forsworn waterboarding them. You have become the first president to execute without trial an American citizen because you hired...lawyers renowned for their blistering attacks on the legal memos that justified the Bush administration's use of torture to write the legal memos that justified the execution without trial of an American citizen." [META FILTER CONT] " ...because you are also the Rule-of-Law President." is not quite as good as "Axelrod Calls Romney ‘Most Secretive Candidate’ Since Nixon," but it's up there.  Yes Virginia, euthanasia, like lynching ... . Never mind. By the way, yes, it does bother me that there's a certain smugness in calling people smug.  I guess it comes down to whether my observations are better than the smug bastids that pollute my world,  ”

Throwing A fast (as a MF) ball

Relativistic Baseball What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light? blah-blah-blah ...

And there's that ..

83% OF DOCTORS 'HAVE CONSIDERED QUITTING' OVER OBAMACARE (via Drudge)

The Curley Factor

In Maryland, Higher Taxes Chase Out Rich: Study “ The honorable Gentleman is saying that he would rather that the poor were poorer, provided that the rich were less rich. That way one will never create the wealth for better social services, as we have. What a policy. Yes, he would rather have the poor poorer, provided that the rich were less rich. That is the Liberal policy. PM Margaret Thatcher (from my book, "Twenty-Two Greatest Truths Known To Mankind" ) A new report says wealthy Maryland residents may be moving out due to recent tax hikes – a finding that is sure to escalate the battle over taxing the American rich. The study, by the anti-tax group Change Maryland, says that a net 31,000 residents left the state between 2007 and 2010, the tenure of a "millionaire's tax" pushed through by Gov. Martin O'Malley. The tax, which expired in 2010, in imposed a rate of 6.25 percent on incomes of more than $1 million a year. The Change Maryland study found that the tax cost Maryland $1.7 billion in lost tax revenues. A county-by-county analysis by Change Maryland also found that the state’s wealthiest counties also had some of the largest population outflows. The "LIBERALS" DNA Strand Decoded As an aside, and not to toot my own horn, but O'Malley shares DNA traits with all Liberals that, among others,   make it impossible for them to understand basic economics (see roll-over detail).  It's a pity then, that given this technology, candidates for public office are not screened. ”

Super Models: Then and Now

A subjective call, but with few exceptions, e.g. Janice Dickinson, Tyra Banks, Christy Turlington; they all look as good, if not better, today.

The Gosh Particle

TECHNO CHILLS                                You "Know Nothing!” “ While the significance of [Hoggs Boson] cannot be overstated or clearly explained, there remain a number of currently theoretical particles that are maybe not as important as HigBo, but are still very fundamental to our understanding of how the universe works and how research grants are distributed. [full article] The very short significance of finding the God Particle is that every single thing you thought you knew about the universe is wrong.  Man-caused climate-change excepted, of course. As an aside, and a quite appropriate one; the Gosh Particle may explain how the wretched people we call Liberals were able to portal their way into our existence, and offer the key to booting than back to hell. ”

4 Things

4 Things It doesn't take much to amuse ne, thank goodness.  The one about The Staggeringly Stupid Debbie Wasserman I got from Larwyns's Lynx - he has way more.

But, what about the perp walk?

Formal complaint seeks disbarment of Eric Holder in DC

Today's boner- Daphne Tremayne

GREEN CRAP Today's E-Mail (Actual E-Mail) ← “ Dear Mr. Polluter, You people need to learn a thing or two about Global Warming. Everyday living is destructive to the Environment. One of the most important ways people can help save the environment is to STOP HAVING BABIES. Another very important thing you can do is to euthanize your pet. Our company sells Carbon Credits which are the only hope of saving the planet. For the sake of the planet, we need to act before it’s too late. Please visit our company's website for more information. http://greentremayne.com/Carbon_Free_Living.html Daphne Tremayne Vice President, Public Relations GreenTremayne.com ” Suggested actions to save the planet include Stop Having Children If You Must Have Children, Buy Baby Credits Slow Down Your Breathing Reduce Your Use of Paper Products Euthanize Your Old Pet Only Purchase Books in a Downloadable Format Purchase Carbon Credits From GreenTremayne Bullet points one would expect from any Al Gore scam letter, but here's what we know. Any serious aficionado of the sensual romantic novel will recognize the name Daphne Tremayne, which is why Helly came to mind. While Daphne bears a striking resemblance to Helly ( long standing C&S lesbian commenter), she also looks like Recruiter Talk's Annie Kelly. Aside: (Molly and Annie Kelly are now friends)  GreenTremayne's Daphne shares an East Hampton phone number (631 871-9960) with Felicia Cantillo, aka  "The Gem Gypsy" Vincent Tremayne, president of GreenTremayne, has also performed as Senior Vice President- Circuit City Terrance Trimalchio, Executive Consultant, Special Projects, has also been associated with deCONSTANTIN & Associates (Australia) Again, while this could be a real attempt by Al Gore to sell his carbon credit scam, I'm thinking  the work of Helly, or Doug M. It's brilliant, and I am so jealous.LMFAO, whoever you are.

Climate Freaks Stool Samples

—   you berks.                                  Sunday Stool Sample           1)                       2)                              3)  roostersauce George Will On Climate Change: It's Just Summer ... Weather isn't global warming! - http://t.co/hUSvpSV2 3 minutes ago from Plume for Android atlantamcd George Will's Pathetic Climate Change Response http://t.co/O0fjYaby 55 minutes ago from The Huffington Post on iOS Klootch RT @PlanetUpAds: #Green George Will's Pathetic Climate Change Response: George Will discussed the latest heat waves plaguing the ... http://t.co/O0GZdDYU 1 hour ago from twitterfeed    ycbuten George Will's Pathetic Climate Change Response http://t.co/Flzkufxa 2 hours ago from Pulse NewsPulse News                                                                                                            4)                                 POP URL                                                            5)    *tap tap tap ... *  6) sheesh! No gray area here.  Somebody's a very stupid asshat.

Ugly Bride; Ugly Person

Must Eat Brains              Here Comes The Bride no, really “ Haha, Barney Frank has been ruined by his love for his sweet, caring, nurturing, and also nagging young husband. Let us remember together happier times. ” “ Here is a lovely thing about gay dudes: they really want their lovers to be happy. And that is why Jim Ready was pretty much pushed into retiring Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank’s lecherous old arms by his own dying partner. And now Ready and Frank are married, and Barney Frank is nice. Man, those gays can make over anything.- WONKETTE Barney Frank is responsible for more human misery, and more yet to come, than—who knows?  What a ridiculous and evil man.  ”

Holder's "Usted puede tener nuestra casa" moment

Provoking Racial Unrest Holder At National Council of La Raza Convention Promises Aggressive Civil Rights Protection But, for who? “ Holder also offered a specific warning to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and any agency wanting to emulate Arpaio’s efforts to round up and expel undocumented immigrants at any cost. “These policies simply have no place in responsible law enforcement, and they must not and simply will not be tolerated as long as I am attorney general of the United States,” Holder said. The statement drew cheers. [Full] What does that mean to La Raza?  Well, NCLR’s major policy positions include the following: It supports access to driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. It opposes the REAL ID Act, which requires that all driver’s license and photo ID applicants be able to verify they are legal residents of the United States, and that the documents they present to prove their identity are genuine. According to La Raza, this law “opens the door to widespread discrimination and civil rights violations.” It opposes the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act (CLEAR), which would empower state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws. La Raza argues this would “result in higher levels of racial profiling, police misconduct, and other civil rights violations.” It lobbies for racial and ethnic preferences (affirmative action) and set-asides in hiring, promotions, and college admissions. It supports bilingual education and bilingual ballots. It supports voting rights for illegal aliens. It supports stricter hate-crime laws. It opposed the Aviation Transportation and Security Act requiring that all airport baggage screeners be U.S. citizens. It opposed President Bush’s signing of the "Secure Fence Act of 2006” which authorized 700 miles of new border fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. As columnist Michelle Malkin reports, La Raza seeks to inculcate young people with its worldview by funding a number of charter schools that advocate ethnic separatism and anti-American, anti-white attitudes.  [Discover the Networks] ”

Week in Review

The Week in Review

Sunday Cream Pie

Life After The Computer

TECHNO CHILLS                                Life after the personal computer “ How long before the PC as we knew it is dead? About five years I reckon, or 1.5 PC hardware replacement cycles. Nearly all of us are on our next-to-last PC. Microsoft knows this on some level. Their reptilian corporate brain is beginning to comprehend what could be the end. That’s why the company is becoming increasingly desperate for ways to maintain its central role in our digital lives. We see the first bet-the-company aspects of that in Redmond’s recent decision to run the Windows 8 kernel all the way down to ARM-powered phones and tablets even though it requires shedding features to do so. I doubt that will be enough.    [ I, Cringely.] It'll just take another form, like a chip in your gonads, although the players may be different. ”

DREAMS OF MY REAL FATHER

DREAMS OF MY REAL FATHER "Dreams from My Real Father is the alternative Barack Obama "autobiography," offering a divergent theory of what may have shaped our 44th President's life and politics. - Coach Vanderleun

Sentence of the day

Sentence of The Day “ Ernest Hemingway’s great love and war novel, A Farewell to Arms, is being re-published with the inclusion of the 39, or perhaps 47, alternate endings Hemingway considered before going with what he kept. “After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.”  Sentence(s) of the day Still, a happy ending compared with this: The Perry Bible Fellowship ”

A Short History of Congress's Power to Tax

A Short History of Congress's Power to Tax The Supreme Court has long distinguished the regulatory from the taxing power. “ The first enumerated power that the Constitution grants to Congress is the "power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States."  CLICK FOR VIDEO The text indicates that the taxing power is not plenary, but can be used only for defined ends and objects—since a comma, not a semicolon, separated the clauses on means (taxes) and ends (debts, defense, welfare). This punctuation was no small matter. In 1798, Pennsylvania Rep. Albert Gallatin said that fellow Pennsylvania Rep. Gouverneur Morris, chairman of the Committee on Style at the Constitutional Convention, had smuggled in the semicolon in order to make Congress's taxing power limitless, but that the alert Roger Sherman had the comma restored. ... The punctuation debate simply reinforced James Madison's point in Federalist No. 41 that Congress could tax and spend only for those objects enumerated, primarily in Article I, Section 8 [Continue WSJ] We are now faced with a new constitutional dilemma, it seems to me.  That is, what if a significant number no longer care about original intent, or even about the constitution itself—except as a cloak of legality where none exists?  What then? ”

Fun With Gammy

FUN WITH GAMMY  Unplugged