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Note to Self

Copper is a very good conductor of electricity! I recently read on Reuters that a German man was electrocuted and burned to a crisp attempting to steal copper from some sort of electrical substation... I've said it before, good riddance! Go mine the stuff if you want copper, or better yet, buy mining shares...

Not-so-Random Quote of the Month

Speaks for itself:

Many politicians are in the habit of laying it down as a self-evident proposition, that no people ought to be free till they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of the fool in the old story, who resolved not to go into the water till he had learned to swim.--MACAULAY

The Hammer of Truth

Sometimes, a mirror can be your harshest critic. Michael Moore should invest in one. I had to reprint this post from Rife's Torch (see blogroll), entitled "What About You, Mike?" Enjoy.


Filmmaker and throughly disingenuous huckster Michael Moore has asked Presidential candidates to pledge to go without health insurance should they be elected.
This is almost as stupid and pointless as the candidates’ pledges to work for the minimum wage during their tenure as Executive, but my question is this: What about you, Mike? How about you drop your health insurance, since you’re so in touch with the American proletarian? Given both your net worth and obesity (I’m sorry, but the sight of a 350lb man bitching about the evils of American excess is just too full of humor and irony to pass up mentioning), it would seem that this is the closest you will be able to get to the experience of the “little guy.”
In fact, I think that everyone who supports Mike’s prescription for health care reform - which is notably high in facile, blanket, idiotic assumptions, and notably low in substance and connection to reality (”free, universal health care for life” sounds great, but so does a free Lexus every year - neither is feasible nor morally justifiable) - should ditch their health insurance in protest. Along the same lines, I think that those who are inclined to use force to distribute money from one group of people to another (regardless of purpose) should start with their own damn bank account. After all, why should some of us have health care while others do not? Isn’t this an affront to justice? Isn’t that what the movie is about: the assumption that positive rights do exist and should be enforced by the government?
I haven’t yet seen Moore’s latest propaganda piece (it’s on my list of things to watch via. BitTorrent as soon as I get a chance to run to the liquor store), but I would like for someone, somewhere to tell me just why the hell we’re supposed to assume that when a well-known American filmmaker shows up with a full crew and requests health care from the Cuban government, they will treat him and the poor souls he dragged with him any differently than the most prominent member of the Communist Party? Are we really supposed to believe that this is anything less than blanket propaganda (it is my understanding that the hospital he visited in the film serves dignitaries and high Party officials almost exclusively)? Oh, I see! The Cuban system must be just swell; this is why so many Americans brave shark-infested waters to leave their homes and families and migrate to this worker’s paradise.
So either put up or shut up, Michael. Or just tell me why you should have health care and others should not? Isn’t that the question of the hour?
(The answer, by the way, is “because he can afford it,” but I can guarantee you that in this area, Moore will exhibit the same amount of intellectual honesty presented in his films.)

Just Back From Florida

And the trip was fantastic. The motorcycle riding got old during the day due to heat, but we wised up on the way back by riding at night. Other than that, the first true distance trial (2600 miles) of my BMW K1200GT was a good one. The bike worked perfectly, as expected, and the only thing I may change about it in the future will be the seat...

As far as the scuba diving, I got to dive several wrecks, including the Spiegel Grove, the Thunderbolt, the Benwood, and the City of Washington. Several reefs were included as well. Lots of marine life- beats the hell out of a day (or a week, in this case) at the office! Florida Keys diving will definitely be included in my future expeditions.

I also stopped by the Coral Castle in Homestead, FL. It was really cool- in fact, I will be taking my wife there with me in the future. What a great accomplishment, and the chicks think it's romantic.

It's good to be back to my family- I did miss my girls. Time to get back to work, and ensure that my vacation money is sufficient for next year...

Epic Ride

Final preparations are under way for the motorcycle ride to the Florida Keys. Barring any potential tropical storms/hurricanes, the scuba diving should be great. I have yet to dive the Keys, so it will be fun to check out the wrecks in the area. I'm told that the currents there can rival that of Cozumel, so it should make for some interesting diving...

Combining two of my hobbies makes for a great vacation. Now I just have to figure out where to take my wife a little later in the year...

Re-accumulation Theory

All this populist, class-warfare, 'haves and have-nots' talk during the current Presidential campaign really makes me want to puke...

My favorite quote always goes something like this: "The wealthiest X% (X is a single-digit number) of Americans control Y% (Y is a relatively high double-digit number) of the wealth of this country." "This has got to stop, blah, blah, blah."

Here's my re-accumulation theory: Let's say we give in to these socialists, confiscate all the wealth of this country, and distribute it equally to every living adult. Assuming an economic system that's even mildly capitalist (like the one we have now), within 5 years, much of that wealth would be right back into the hands of those we took it from originally-within 10 years, all of it would be.

The bottom line is this: there are always people who are experts in their field. They can't help but succeed. Some are great investors, negociators, inventors, executives, workers, thieves, etc. There are also plenty of people with no motivation, and people who squander their money keeping up with the Joneses, betting, drinking, using drugs, etc. They are certainly free to do those things, but fools and their money are always parted. There will always be 'haves' and 'have-nots'. Get used to it. Instead of concerning ourselves with ways to take wealth away from the rich, perhaps we should start discussing how to teach some of the 'have-nots' how to create wealth of their own...

Random Quote

Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness.--COLTON.

I Noticed

more motorcycles on the road today than normal (today is ride to work day - www.ridetowork.org )... That's a good thing - even used as plain transportation, bikes are economical and fun...

On a different note entirely, planning is well underway for the motorcycle/scuba diving trip to the Keys of Florida next month. Barring any hurricanes, the wreck diving should be fantastic!

Hope to See You on the Road