What a relaxing weekend... Not much to do around the house, other than to prepare for the birth of my daughter November 12th... It's strange how having kids has really made this terrorism business piss me off much more than I ever thought it would...
Baby M., I'll do my part- vote, remain alert, and by all means, teach you to be a fine capitalistic infidel!
I see that Arafat and Castro are having a bit of trouble these days... This capitalistic infidel will breathe easier when the two despotic thugs are gone... (insert Dr. Evil laugh here)
I hope that the CIA puts Northern Africa on its radar screen, if it hasn't already. I predict that Northern Africa will be yet another battlefield in the war against terror...
The sunset as seen from my driveway yesterday...
Through the 90's, I lived in St. Louis and Atlanta. Even though I miss them both (and various friends there) to a degree, there were a few things that I couldn't enjoy there-like the sunset above-too many buildings (St. Louis) and too many trees/buildings (Atlanta). Swampeast Missouri does have some simple pleasures...
To add insult to injury, Hooters is also exporting our dumbed-down, hedonistic culture to other countries! Oh no! The Chinese might even lighten up and have a little fun! Can this low-brow, blatant capitalism possibly be tolerated? I say yes, and if I'm ever passing through Shanghai, I think I'll stop in for some hot wings and a beer...
*By socialists, I include by implication all populists, anti-free trade types, and lefties in general... VIVA capitalism and free trade!
So all these calls for re-importation of drugs from Canada really boil down to this: We will either keep paying free-market prices for our drugs, and have drug companies with tremendous R&D budgets and the ability to rapidly bring life-saving drugs to market, or we will go the socialistic route and force artificially low prices into the system, and then suffer from a lack of medicine. Which is worse-having a light wallet, or dying too young? It's time to choose.
Here in Missouri, Nancy Farmer is running for US Senate. In her second TV ad, Farmer gets in her car and drives around, showing potholes, etc., and talking about Kit Bond. OK, great, but she was not wearing her seat belt, which is a violation of Missouri law. So why should I send someone to the Senate who doesn't even respect our state law? If the law was important enough to pass, then lawmakers should set the example, even with seat belts...
First, a refresher- when supply is sufficiently meeting demand, the resulting price is what we become accustomed to as a 'normal' price for any good or service. When a shortage of flu shots occurs, the price necessarily has to go up- it's literally a matter of life and death...
I am a reasonably healthy adult. I don't normally take flu shots, but let's say that I want one now. Because the price has gone higher, and I really don't need one anyway, I won't be getting a flu shot this year. That flu shot that would have been used on me will now go to a person who may be at high risk- someone who can't afford NOT to get the shot. Another life is saved! Isn't it interesting how a free market, complete with selfish, greedy suppliers can allocate resources exactly where they need to be to produce the greatest benefit for society?
Of course, the socialists among us will cry about some people's inability to pay for the vaccine, but that's another matter. Payment is up to the individual and/or private charities... A topic for another day.
Of interest to me is what Dave Matthews (for those of you who don't know, he's the guy whose tour bus dumped all its sewer into the Chicago River while stopped on a bridge, drenching tourists passing by underneath on a boat*) had to say:
We've got to get somebody new in the White House. Being from South Africa, I know how much the rest of the world fears the United States right now. It's like if the world is a room, and everybody is in there, and suddenly somebody walks in who is seething and has headphones on, and the music is playing really loud, and he's armed. That's the way the world sees us. Everyone is on tiptoes, afraid of what this country might do. It's bound to scare everybody.
Guess what, Dave? It's about time they fear us. The rest of the world has known all along that we have the best military toys on the planet, they just had no idea we would really use them. The war on terror is neither a Bush/Kerry issue, nor is it an American imperialism issue. This is radical Islam versus the infidels, and you guessed it, that includes you, me, and all religions and cultures that are not Islam. Want to help? Use your considerable talents and star-power to call for a reformation of Islam. When respected clerics finally call for change, it will happen.
Meanwhile, the world can be on its tiptoes. The six-hundred pound gorilla has been awakened, and everyone in the jungle had better realize that serious consequences will ensue.
*A testimony to his stewardship of the environment!
Unlike the Spanish, who cut and ran after the Madrid bombings, the people of Australia responded to the terrorist embassy bombing in Jakarta by keeping Howard in office. Glad to see that the U.S. isn't the only country that realizes that the terrorist threat belongs to all civilized countries- each will have to face this fight sooner or later...
It might be accurate, however- I don't know- my results:
You are an enzyme. You are powerful, dark,
variable, and can change many things at your
whim...even when they're not supposed to be
changed. Bad you. You can be dangerous or
wonderful; it's your choice.
Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
You gotta be kidding. Soon, thinking like that will spawn even more brilliant thought, such as suing the fast food industry because we're overweight as a society, or even better, we could abandon personal responsibility altogether! Oh, wait- we're already doing that... Everyone else is responsible for any problems I have, and should be made to pay!
Perhaps the men in Sweden can counter by proposing a 'nag tax'. Clearly, the societal cost of those women who choose to nag their husbands is quite high- alcoholism, depression, suicide, etc. Someone has to pay, so why not all Swedish women?
I can't wait until this sort of lunacy reaches our shores...
Check out this story, if you haven't heard about it already: Yahoo! News - Rocket Wins $10M Prize for Trip to Space
Bottom line, Burt Rutan is a freaking genius. His contribution to space travel is probably incalculable at this point.
I'm sure it pains the hard-core lefties- the promise of private* space travel- but who knows-soon, we might have average people traveling in space! We might eventually have to establish those evil private property rights on the moon or Mars!
* Yes, lefties, smart people can actually accomplish great things without the government!
Private Charity is what it's all about. For those of you who are interested in a charity that deals with abandoned infants, take a look at STG's latest charity: Debi Faris And The Garden Of Angels
As always, do your own due diligence before giving.
Well, that does it. I'm naming names. Occasionally, I report hack attacks to the appropriate ISP, but it just seems more fun to list one here every now and then. According to my firewall, the computer at IP address 24.174.42.79 attempted to attack my computer tonight with a Trojan Horse. Gotta call them out on it, even if only a handful of readers see this!
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