The Chi-Burgh Connection

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56473622011-06-08T01:20:08.652-05:00The Chi-Burgh ConnectionLibertarian politics with an attitudeChampionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comBlogger1421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1095702881830398922004-09-20T12:54:00.000-05:002004-09-20T12:54:41.830-05:00

Reason Interviews the creator of HBO's The Wire Interesting interview that offers some insight into the war on drugs and into the world that help lead to this great television show. Simon: Ed Burns and I spoke at one of those groups. There came this point where a guy said, "Well, what is the solution? Give me the paragraph; give me the lede. What’s the solution, if not drug prohibition?" I

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1095702773051027292004-09-20T12:52:00.000-05:002004-09-20T12:52:53.050-05:00

Reason Mag Interviews the creator of HBO's The Wire Interesting interview with the creator of one of the best shows on television and some insight into the war on drugs. Simon: Ed Burns and I spoke at one of those groups. There came this point where a guy said, "Well, what is the solution? Give me the paragraph; give me the lede. What’s the solution, if not drug prohibition?" I very

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1078894525636292932004-03-09T22:55:00.000-06:002004-03-09T22:57:40.700-06:00

USS Clueless - Kerry speaks Interesting quotes from a Kerry-Russert interview. This election is shaping up to be one of two bad chioces.

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1076963198067576002004-02-16T14:26:00.000-06:002004-02-16T16:29:58.326-06:00

Heated Debate At Home The creator of the site Volconvo.com sent me an e-mail saying that he has been noting people online that "can hold an argument", and is now inviting many of them to join his site. The site is a forum for all things political, religious, or otherwise. Naturally, I've seen some brilliant arguments there, as well as some sick bastards or downright fools, but overall, a

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1076907766352914762004-02-15T23:02:00.000-06:002004-02-15T23:06:24.296-06:00

Stomping Out the Denver Boot Photo courtesy BBC You see it in Chicago everyday: someone doesn't move their car for a while, and a big ugly yellow contraption gets strapped to the front left wheel, rendering it undrivable (unless you're Homer Simpson in the NYC episode). It's how the city extorts your payments from you. A British man has declared that no longer will he stand for it. That's

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1076747119744342022004-02-14T02:25:00.000-06:002004-02-14T02:27:37.030-06:00

Political Compass An interesting political test to try out. I scored: Economic Left/Right: 3.50 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.36 That is, 3.5 towards conservative economics, and 6.36 (very deep) on the libertarian side of political stylings. Note that the picture above features a cavalcade of fools that I don't fall anywhere near. I can be found safely in the bottom-right with

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1075868409979195632004-02-03T22:20:00.000-06:002004-02-03T22:21:50.390-06:00

Cooked Black Books This USAToday article starts off making a great statement: After a dubious conclusion that Iraq was hiding weapons of mass destruction just before the war in Iraq, critics say there should be more financial accountability for the government's spying. In other words, spy away, but we're watching how much you jokers are spending on it. The secret spending, known only to those

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1075608869165540882004-01-31T22:14:00.000-06:002004-02-03T22:21:59.340-06:00

Credit Has Truly Gone To The Dogs This unlikely story is further evidence of why Americans aren't responsible creditees or, in this case, creditors. The dog, named Clifford, lives with his owner in Livermore, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area. Clifford's owner, Steve Borba, said he was tired of getting spam e-mails, so he signed up for an e-mail account using the name Clifford J. Dog.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1075174975488653002004-01-26T21:42:00.000-06:002004-01-26T21:44:27.590-06:00

Neanderthals Not Human Ancestors That's right. According to NYU's Katerina Harvati, those guys walking around on two legs with rather apeish-looking skulls apparently have nothing to do with you and I. From the CBS article: While Harvati says the analysis "cannot completely rule out" a relationship between humans and Neanderthals, it strongly suggests they are separate species. I'm not sold

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1075090987894636792004-01-25T22:23:00.000-06:002004-01-25T22:24:39.293-06:00

Tick, Tock Ever wonder what kind of effect the War On Drugs has had thus far this calendar year? See for yourself. Check out some of the other links here, also. This one I found to be pretty dead-on concerning the general human rights violations these laws perpetuate. And even if you don't agree from that standpoint, you at least should be opposed from a fiscal perspective! It's wrong on

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1074487834499865522004-01-18T22:50:00.000-06:002004-01-18T22:51:59.373-06:00

Dean Pro-War Anti-Iraq but Pro-Bosnian--Wars that is. Just another hypocrite who says what he needs to say to get elected? It appears that way. Now compare this with the letter Dean wrote—on his official stationery as Vermont’s Governor—to President Clinton on July 19, 1995: After long and careful thought, and after several years of watching the gross atrocities committed by the Bosnian

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1074305686325985852004-01-16T20:14:00.000-06:002004-01-16T21:04:38.670-06:00

Conscription Concerns Photo courtesy World-War-2.info They called for it in WWII. Wesley Clark is calling for it if he wins the presidency. And whether you've been paying attention or not, someone jumped Clark's gun and went right on ahead without him. And they want your daughters. Jack Duggan writing for LRC: Once again the power elite are instituting actual slavery, but this time not

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1074220316809241492004-01-15T20:31:00.000-06:002004-01-18T10:55:52.530-06:00

Is It That Bad? Courtesy BrokenNewz.com Consider these lyrics from Simon & Garfunkle's "Mrs. Robinson": Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon Going to the candidates' debate Laugh about it, shout about it When you've got to choose Every way you look at it, you lose Has it gotten that bad? Is the primary process that worthless? Let's face it, TV really changed politics. As much as

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1074118505127594452004-01-14T16:15:00.000-06:002004-01-14T16:16:27.746-06:00

Liberty & Power: Group Blog A pretty good blog... I like this quote a lot... Via Sam Koritz at Antiwar.com Blog : "The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists." ~ Ernest Hemingway

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1073154473693565882004-01-03T12:27:00.000-06:002004-01-03T20:18:30.623-06:00

Sissy! Back from a long holiday hiatus back East in the Motherland, I've returned to Chicago like Scotty Pippin and I'm read'...*SNAP*...to go. British Parialiament MP Stephen Pound would like to continue keeping the people of the UK as they are: disarmed and disabled to handle their own security. It was trailed as a "unique chance to rewrite the law of the land". Listeners to BBC Radio 4's

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1073068927917369792004-01-02T12:42:00.000-06:002004-01-02T12:43:15.860-06:00

FOXNews.com - Views - Straight Talk - Libertarian Heroes of 2003 Not sure if Ian can stomach the fact that FOX NEWS ran this article, but it is a powerful piece and shows that there is some hope in politics. Ron Paul is the hero of the list, but what else is new? (via marginal revolution)

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1073054717761465872004-01-02T08:45:00.000-06:002004-01-02T08:46:41.670-06:00

From Champology blog..... I know I've been silent (other than my post from someone else yesterday) about the latest ephedra ban, but as long time readers know I think the supplement is safe and effective. Currently, I am reading Applied Economics by Thomas Sowell, a work that does an excellent job conveying the importance of secondary factors of economic (or all) decisions. Sowell eloquently

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1072760683069196472003-12-29T23:04:00.000-06:002003-12-29T23:05:48.013-06:00

Walter E. Williams: Parting company is an option Williams followed up the last piece I blogged with this essay on what amounts to secession from the US to achieve what the Constitution actually states. "Free State Project (www.freestateproject.org) intends to get 20,000 or so Americans to move to New Hampshire and, through a peaceful political process, reduce burdensome taxation and regulation,

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1072760385071593362003-12-29T22:59:00.000-06:002003-12-29T23:06:20.716-06:00

Walter E. Williams: Let's do some detective work "My detective work concludes with several competing explanations. The first is that the great men who laid the framework for our nation were not only constitutionally ignorant but callous and uncaring, as well. The second is it's today's politicians who are constitutionally ignorant. Lastly, it's today's Americans who have contempt for the

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1071724781781653352003-12-17T23:19:00.000-06:002004-01-03T00:08:34.450-06:00

Cartoons in 2003 Jesse Walker, of Reason, pens a good article on how cartoons such as Southpark and King of the Hill have a libertarian/conservative bend to them. He also touches on the Simpsons and its all over the map politics. Cartoons have definitely growns up and growns up. Not conservative. But not liberal, either. An intensely political show - really - South Park almost always comes

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1071545963557701582003-12-15T21:39:00.000-06:002003-12-16T17:08:43.670-06:00

Bush vs. Tic-Tacs Who will the victor be? Courtesy of The Best Page In The Universe, we get the ultimate battle royale of President Bush vs. a small plastic container of refreshing breath mints. Hold on tight... Some samples: Tic-Tac: Comes in six flavors. Bush: Comes in only one flavor: bullshit. Bush: Promotes tax cuts. Tic-tac: Promotes tooth decay. Bush: Causes unprecedented

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1071511349999114572003-12-15T12:02:00.000-06:002003-12-15T12:03:38.483-06:00

An Apropos Comparison Justin Raimondo, writing for AntiWar.com, has this to say about a bizarre coincidence connecting Saddam Hussein's and Michael Jackson's arrests. The capture of Saddam alive has the potential of becoming the biggest circus since the arrest of pop-singer and alleged pedophile Michael Jackson. The two media carnivals, I fear, will prove alike in ways that are just as obvious

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1071459367465786522003-12-14T21:36:00.000-06:002003-12-14T21:44:38.623-06:00

Good Ol' Knee-Jerk Reaction Readership FOX News. What a cornucopia of government sycophantic garbage. You can bet that the mindless drones there have had to duct-tape drool cups to their chins over the Hussein apprehension. Naturally, in conjunction with as much neoconservative/Likudian thought as possible, they have this to say on what the capture could mean for apprehending other public

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1071422473994578582003-12-14T11:21:00.000-06:002003-12-14T17:05:10.686-06:00

Hussein In The Hoosegow Photo courtesy of Chicago Sun-Times and Associated Press. Holy Dick Clark: Saddam Hussein was captured by elements of the US 4th Infantry Division in conjunction with Army Special Forces. The Washington Post reports: Wearing a bushy beard streaked with gray, Hussein was taken into custody without resistance near a farmhouse in the village of Ad Dawr, about nine miles

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1071203442758696202003-12-11T22:30:00.000-06:002003-12-11T22:31:29.513-06:00

Religion, Atheism, Death and Opposing Taxes: The Libertarian Rift Opens Karen De Coster, a regular LRC contributor, had a thing or two to mention about the aforementioned topic on the LRC blog. An excerpt: Lefties/Libertines, of course, can tend toward anti-tradition and anti-cultural conservatism (and hence Christianity), even when such things are entirely voluntary on the part of Christians.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1071117105008874312003-12-10T22:31:00.000-06:002003-12-10T22:32:30.763-06:00

I'll Take Halliburton For The Block! The Neocon Circle Gets The Square! Quite possibly the most predictable thing ever has occured: Bush, Cheney, et al have blocked all Iraqi reconstruction contracts to anyone outside the "Coalition of the Willing". The BBC reports: The ban includes leading EU members France and Germany, which, alongside Russia, stand to lose lucrative deals because they

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1071114154954022402003-12-10T21:42:00.000-06:002003-12-10T21:43:20.530-06:00

Rosa, Shush That Fuss In what is possibly the single dumbest thing I've heard this week (I hear incredibly dumb things every week), civil rights figurehead Rosa Parks is attempting to sue rap duo OutKast. Did they hit her car? Forget to ice their sidewalk, and she slipped? Didn't label the coffee as "REALLY HOT, YOU IDIOT"? Negative, buddy! Rosa Parks is suing over "Rosa Parks", their hit

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1070603121026480552003-12-04T23:45:00.000-06:002003-12-04T23:46:00.903-06:00

Apparently The Swiss Don't Like The Antichrist Statement: it's not good business for a promoter to schedule a concert in a place where the performer is found to be "fundamentally loathsome". Makes perfect sense. Or does it? Well, when Mr. Manson Goes to Zurich, suddenly headlines like these appear proclaiming, "The Swiss Find Marilyn Manson Fundamentally Loathsome". Well now that simply

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1070463019345306652003-12-03T08:50:00.000-06:002003-12-03T08:50:57.373-06:00

Shevardnadze, America, Afghanistan, and Coup D'etat In Georgia Georgia's Eduard Shevardnadze made the mistake of crossing American oil interests - now he's no longer in power. As Eric Margolis, respected investigative journalist for the Toronto Sun says, he should have seen the writing on the wall with the choices he made. Shevardnadze's sin, in Washington's eyes, was being too chummy with

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1070332974482438542003-12-01T20:42:00.000-06:002003-12-01T20:53:09.326-06:00

Bush In Da Burgh Well, well...look who's coming to town to play Electoral Vote Santa Claus. [President George W. Bush is] not expected to release his decision [on lifting the U.S. steel tariffs] until after an anticipated $1 million fund-raiser Tuesday’s in Pittsburgh, America’s “Steel City,” which is co-hosted by U.S. Steel Chairman and CEO Thomas J. Usher. Lifting the tariffs now, said U.S.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069891298160540572003-11-26T18:01:00.000-06:002003-11-26T18:03:20.030-06:00

Fool! Dick Meyer is a CBS News opinion hack that showed he knows very little about his country's political history in this article. So, I thought I'd write him about it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. Meyer, In your article "Buzz Phrases...", you make the following statement:

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069889846794918222003-11-26T17:37:00.000-06:002003-11-26T17:40:09.623-06:00

Random Rants VI - The Big Ol' Thanksgiving Edition A load of interesting stuff this week, so much that I had to package it all into a no-holds-barred holiday extravaganza edition of The Connection. Enjoy it while gluttonously gorging yourself on so much food like a Roman noble on his way to the vomitorium. Pyrrhic Pot Victory In what appears to be a minor victory for drug deregulation and

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069734504965202562003-11-24T22:28:00.000-06:002003-11-24T22:28:54.950-06:00

ID, Please. No, I Mean Where's Your Gun? Gueda Springs, KS just got a lot safer. As CNN reports: This tiny south-central Kansas community has passed an ordinance requiring most households to have guns and ammunition. As explained by the town council: "This ordinance fulfills the duty to protect by allowing each individual householder to provide for his or her protection," said Councilman

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069652986457870292003-11-23T23:49:00.000-06:002003-11-24T20:09:32.733-06:00

Look, Mr. Frodo - An Oliphunk! As we speak, I'm sitting here listening to the newest release by the Black-Eyed Peas, Elephunk. There's lots of fans of horrendous rap music out there, but if you actually have interest in real hip-hop, check this album out - a definite grab. As I always say, it doesn't matter what kind of music you listen to, but the quality does matter. Anyway, the last track

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069648432739975452003-11-23T22:33:00.000-06:002003-11-23T22:36:37.670-06:00

[ Sun Nov 23, 08:32:36 PM | Christian Champ | edit ] Old Republican coyote Bob Barr on the recent SWAT team/high school incident. Oh, and by the way, when they're not testing students for drugs, alcohol, tobacco and, I suppose pretty soon, caffeine, school officials are disciplining kids for what they're saying to friends on their personal computers, after school hours and from their homes. Or,

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069548605402443282003-11-22T18:50:00.000-06:002003-11-22T18:52:40.763-06:00

Random Rants V ...the fifth in an increasingly alarming trend known as the "random rants invasion" that all the kids are going crazy for. The New Chevrolet Pornblazer Well, I'll just start off with the first paragraph from the article: You won't read phrases like "adult entertainment" in their annual reports, but American companies like General Motors and the Marriott Corporation have been

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069463986050672662003-11-21T19:19:00.000-06:002003-11-21T19:20:13.030-06:00

Crying From The Onion The Onion, still one of the best satire newspapers/websites out there, conducted this opinion piece with "Robert Swenson, Systems Analyst": "It makes sense for Bush to pull out. If his own father had exercised the judgment to pull out, the U.S. wouldn't have been there in the first place." Oooooh...burn! You can try to be all holier-than-thou, but don't even try to tell

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069311549380444612003-11-20T00:59:00.000-06:002003-11-20T01:08:15.763-06:00

Don't Let The Door Hit Ya Where God Split Ya Conservatives are parting ways. As far as I'm concerned, I can sum this up only by using a standard Martha Stewart phrase: "It's a good thing." American Conservative writer James Antle III has this to say on the matter: Pick up copies of the mainstream conservative and libertarian magazines and compare them today. In their treatment of the Bush

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069271220360283572003-11-19T13:47:00.000-06:002003-11-19T13:47:24.793-06:00

Mises Blog Ian getting some love from Lew Rockwell at the Mises blog.

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069268142996297942003-11-19T12:55:00.000-06:002003-11-19T12:56:08.046-06:00

Just Remember To Pull Out, Okay? Lew Rockwell makes a bold statement today: ...there are ways that governments concede that "mistakes were made." One way is the pullout, such as is being discussed with regard to Iraq. Sectors of the Bush administration are hinting that it could come sooner rather than later, even as the neocons howl and wail that success is only a nuclear bomb away. The neocons

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069182166977690002003-11-18T16:53:00.000-06:002003-11-18T18:02:45.653-06:00

Not Another Pittsburgh Joke I can recall playing at the 1994 Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships in Austin, TX as a much younger lad, and seeing something that at the time I thought wasn't so funny, but I probably would think so now. This being a 3-day tournament, a small newsletter was circulated to the participating teams telling about the goings-on and big news of the competition. In, I

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1069001391479054842003-11-16T10:49:00.000-06:002003-11-16T10:50:06.436-06:00

Let Us Carry Concealed, Rod The Chicago Tribune notes this morning that an off-duty Chicago Police officer delivered old-fashioned comeuppance to one of two armed robbers last night on the South Side: The officer, who had just returned from the grocery store around 8 p.m., was in the 6900 block of South Crandon Avenue when he was approached by two armed men, said police spokesman Pat Camden.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068999439570775062003-11-16T10:17:00.000-06:002003-11-16T10:17:34.746-06:00

Queen to President: Don't Flatter Yourself, Yank The Chicago Sun-Times reports that President Bush's security team is very interested in upping the ante on security at Buckingham Palace in London to safeguard against a possible terrorist attack on both he and the queen. Senior courtiers say the queen was not willing to sanction "bomb and airborne assault proofing" that would have involved

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068926890096139052003-11-15T14:08:00.000-06:002003-11-15T14:10:24.200-06:00

Random Rants IV BUSH! How low can ya go... Islamic Democracy: Just Add Water According to President George W. Bush, the mounting casualties, continuing demonstrations, and all that success we're having on the ground in Iraq means democracy is on its way to growing like weeds. "Are the peoples of the Middle East somehow beyond the reach of liberty?" Bush said in what was labeled a major

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068730587320731802003-11-13T07:36:00.000-06:002003-11-14T19:21:37.840-06:00

Who Are These "Guys"? There sure are a lot more guys getting in touch with their feminine side these days than I think should be. As ABC News reports, the International Spa Association makes a boast of revenues growing 114% in the last year. Are women leading the charge into higher revenues? Of course not - metrosexuals are. You might say, "No, Ian! That's ricockulous! These regular

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068615678530855442003-11-11T23:41:00.000-06:002003-11-11T23:45:32.216-06:00

Shock, Awe, and Other Bullshit The tumbling statue of Saddam. Regular interviews from "military experts". Cool-looking tech specs of the A-10 Warthog tank killer. Pentagon briefings by Rumsfeld. Bush landing on the carrier. "Mission Accomplished". These were all regular occurences during the "active combat" days in Iraq. As anyone with functioning ears or eyes can tell you, "active combat

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068442340286404822003-11-09T23:32:00.000-06:002003-11-09T23:35:23.466-06:00

With Us Or Against Us You hear that a lot these days. "With us or against us", "America: love it or leave it". Mindless patriotic garbage like that is what gave rise to Naziism. I'm not saying we're on the same path, but I will say that even a 1% similarity creeps me out enough to not want to be associated with that sort of mentality. So, of course, your average Old Glory-waving Joe will

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068437996868393602003-11-09T22:19:00.000-06:002003-11-09T22:29:14.753-06:00

"We're Not Athletes - We're Baseball Players!" You may recognize that quote from Mr. Baseball starring none other than Magnum P.I. himself, Tom Selleck. As statistically improbable as Mr. Selleck's ever winning an Oscar might be, you may be surprised to know that the chances of that happening are exponentially higher than the United States competing in Athens for a medal in baseball. That's

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068399577079399452003-11-09T11:39:00.000-06:002003-11-09T11:39:41.346-06:00

Like I Said, Jessica Lynch Wasn't Saddamized More attempts to demonize the Iraqis are falling flat. This one comes via Drudge Report: Dr. Jamal al-Saeidi, head of the orthopedic department at the now closed Military Hospital, recounts: "When she was brought there she was fighting for her life. She was in shock because of the severity of her injury... Her clothes were not torn, buttons had

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068331889050970532003-11-08T16:51:00.000-06:002003-11-08T16:51:37.460-06:00

Why I'm Libertarian The reason? Look no further than Gene Callahan's quote in today's LRC: As a libertarian, I am relatively uninterested in who holds the reins of power. My interest is in making those reins a lot less powerful, so that I won't care so much who is holding them. And that sums it up.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068189439518935432003-11-07T01:17:00.000-06:002003-11-07T01:19:44.503-06:00

Random Rants III Back by non-existent demand, it's random rants: Jessica Lynch Was Saddamized Yes, it appears that everyone's heroine was violated in the naughty place by evil-doing Iraqis according to her recently released book. Funny, but this story is being released by the same sources that claimed she killed 80 evil Iraqis with a piece of driftwood, completed 17 beads on the Rosary, and

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068178506156270902003-11-06T22:15:00.000-06:002003-11-06T22:16:06.970-06:00

See! Hitler's Fresh Cut Flowers! If you've seen Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part 1, you know the extra "previews" for Mel Brooks' upcoming films, one of which is "Hitler On Ice", a warped distortion of the Ice Capades where Der Fuhrer can be seen doing jumps and spins on ice skates under a bright spotlight. Ridiculous, to be sure. Add in Brooks' song "Springtime For Hitler" from his

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068131044897511082003-11-06T09:04:00.000-06:002003-11-06T09:05:37.923-06:00

Male Feminization and Gun Control Richard Poe, author of The Seven Myths of Gun Control, tells a story on LRC today about what a fantastic effect feminization and being more concerned about a person's feelings than facts has had: Several years ago, I was waiting in line at Kinko’s late one evening when a ruckus broke out among the copying machines. A young man, possibly an NYU student, came

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1068091608059625402003-11-05T22:06:00.000-06:002003-11-05T22:06:46.476-06:00

Our Great Friends, The Israelis Yes, Israel - that shining symbol of brutal "democracy" in the forsaken Middle East. I have nothing but respect for two peoples fighting over a chunk of land that has no more significance than Hoboken, New Jersey. Speaking of New Jersey, how is it that everyone has forgotten about the celebrating Israelis across the Hudson in the Garden State watching 9-11

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1067993058152810272003-11-04T18:44:00.000-06:002003-11-04T18:44:16.173-06:00

Flashing Lights for Speed Trap Warning is Free Speech Nice to know.... via Mr. Drudge

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1067815245523111122003-11-02T17:20:00.000-06:002003-11-02T17:20:44.170-06:00

The People And The Army Are A Single Whole ...so said this post-WWII Soviet propaganda poster. We all know the smashing success story of communism in the former USSR, and the vast prosperity for its people prior to the collapse in 1991. One would think that when The Wall came down, that people the world over would finally get the hint: national socialism in any form is bad news, y'all. It's

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1067811163228922102003-11-02T16:12:00.000-06:002003-11-02T16:12:41.986-06:00

Doctors, Doctors Havin' the Blues As if it isn't hard enough to actually become a doctor, your life does not significantly improve once you do. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently did a 4-day piece on the trials and tribulations that doctors must go through these days. Sometimes for doctors, doing the right thing gets you in more hot water than doing the wrong thing. Check these out, I think

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1067521280680339282003-10-30T07:41:00.001-06:002003-10-30T07:41:10.526-06:00

Tax cheats get growing sympathy This screams tax me less, but one knows that the government will never do that. The number of Americans who believe it's OK to cheat "a little here and there" on their taxes has risen 50 percent in the past four years, a government survey says -- a trend that new IRS Commissioner Mark Everson promises to reverse by going after scofflaws at all income levels. "

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1067521280050699932003-10-30T07:41:00.000-06:002003-10-30T07:41:09.900-06:00

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1067183282426318702003-10-26T09:48:00.000-06:002003-10-26T09:48:01.586-06:00

The Truth Hurts A quality quote today from my Future of Freedom Foundation daily E-mail Update today: Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -- P.J. O'Rourke Think about it.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1067152467647078132003-10-26T01:14:00.000-06:002003-10-26T01:16:51.120-06:00

Demopublican Rifle Association Yes, in a major shocker, the Democratic Party hopefuls are playing down the traditional party line on gun control. Howard Dean, that charismatic and oh-so handsome Democratic he-can-beat-Bush wet dream, will tell you that the NRA supported him all up and down as the governor of Vermont. He'll also tell you that that Los Federales shouldn't "inflict regulations"

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1066863438249325672003-10-22T17:57:00.000-05:002003-10-22T17:57:17.606-05:00

Taxation Without Dispensation Believe it or not, you don't receive anywhere near the benefits back from the federal government that you pay into it with taxes. "That's crazy talk, Ian!" you say. Believe it, and you can even put a rough estimate figure on it. Courtesy of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, we get this Gregory Bresinger article on the oft ignored Federal Payroll Tax. It may sound

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1066709959125629082003-10-20T23:19:00.000-05:002003-10-20T23:31:17.490-05:00

Tigers Not Just Roy Horn Would Fear The Toledo Blade is running a truly fascinating, yet ultra-disturbing piece right now on the US Army Airborne's Tiger Force. The elite squad was formed in 1965 in Vietnam as something of a "snake-eater" platoon: essentially a band of sickos willing to do anything to get the job done, who were excellent and proven at taking such measures. Psych-profiling the

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1066440774568517022003-10-17T20:32:00.000-05:002003-10-17T20:54:48.900-05:00

No, Really - It's Not A Holy War Believe it or not (I sure had no trouble wrapping my brain around it), many top Pentagon and government officials are regarding the war on terrorism as the Eighth Crusade. And yes, there were seven, not four like most people think. At any rate, some Army character going by the name of Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin has, according to CBS News made: ...several

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1066357345158164022003-10-16T21:22:00.000-05:002003-10-16T21:30:31.450-05:00

Say It Ain't So, Colin. Say It Ain't So! Colin Powell seems to have fooled no one in the know on Iraq's weapons programs. Greg Thielmann was formerly the guy to ask questions concerning Ba'athist regime weapons of mass destruction. In his interview with CBS' 60 Minutes II, he seems to think that Mr. Powell went before the UN knowing full well his speech was hot air. Said Theilmann about the

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1066269656463260142003-10-15T21:00:00.000-05:002003-10-16T20:53:49.306-05:00

Random Rants II Lots of good, interesting news in the past few days, but nothing worth going off on to much degree. So once again, I bring you a veritable cornucopia of news from across the globe relating to truth, justice, and the libertarian way. Supreme Court Passes the Doochie In a minor victory for marijuana legalization and states' rights proponents, the US Supreme Court passed on a

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1066157198716920512003-10-14T13:46:00.000-05:002003-10-14T13:46:38.376-05:00

Don't Look Down Krugman opines on the event of an economic crisis hitting the US and when one could expect this event to transpire. The crisis won't come immediately. For a few years, America will still be able to borrow freely, simply because lenders assume that things will somehow work out. But at a certain point we'll have a Wile E. Coyote moment. For those not familiar with the Road

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1065851123796937122003-10-11T00:45:00.000-05:002003-10-11T00:45:23.520-05:00

Socialist Finger-Pointing My boy Charley Hardman made a reference to Frederic Bastiat in his recent LRC article that I just couldn't pass up posting. Watching the Democrats at the oh-so informative town hall forum last night made me want to post this even more. Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this,

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1065849152214619832003-10-11T00:12:00.000-05:002003-10-11T00:20:08.866-05:00

Everything You Wanted to Know About Saudi Corruption But Were Afraid to Ask A German based watchdog group, Transparency International, released a Corruptions Perceptions Index on Tuesday The Moscow Times reports. As is standard, the Scandinavian countries ranked best on the report, with Haiti, Nigeria, and Bangladesh being the worst. The United States and Germany tied for an under-impressive

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1065676435404560792003-10-09T00:13:00.000-05:002003-10-09T00:13:55.370-05:00

Murray Rothbard Comes Alive! For those of you who don't know who Murray Rothbard was, he was a (if not the) major proponent of the American libertarian movement of the 20th century. His teachings in the Austrian school of economic theory are as invaluable as those of Ludwig von Mises himself. He was one of the first economists to ever factor the importance of liberty and property into his

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1065675201819010952003-10-08T23:53:00.000-05:002003-10-08T23:53:41.746-05:00

Life, The Universe, and Everything In what I personally (and chances are much of the scientific community will as well) describe as being a massively controversial conclusion, Dr. Jeffrey Weeks, an independent mathematician claims that the universe is finite. And shaped like a soccer ball. The New York Times reports: [Weeks and colleagues suggest] based on analysis of maps of the Big Bang,

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1065589160275262472003-10-07T23:59:00.000-05:002003-10-07T23:59:19.630-05:00

West Virginia: Not As Dumb As New Mexico Despite what you may think, New Mexico has been confirmed in a survey by Morgan Quitno Press as America's least intelligent state. The most intelligent? The college-saturated Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Pennsylvania was ranked 7th, just ahead of New York at 10th. That would make PA the 2nd smartest Commonwealth (Virginia at 17th, Kentucky at 37th).

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1065502792354877332003-10-06T23:59:00.000-05:002003-10-07T12:38:43.476-05:00

Random Rants I found a lot of interesting stuff today, none of which pertains to each other, but all deserve some mention. Birth Control...Just For Men The BBC claims an Australian research institute has successfully tested a hormonal male contraceptive. The plus: you're shooting all the blanks you want to fire off. The big minus: three times a year you have to go get feminized by injections

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1065156626817499532003-10-02T23:50:00.000-05:002003-10-02T23:50:26.256-05:00

Why Wesley Clark is worse than Bush... Granted the Bush man has been close to a total dissapointment while in office, selling out all the principles that made me a conservative back in the day. The flip side of that equation is that everyone running for the Demopubicans, I mean Democrates, looks to be even worse. Roll back the tax cuts---PLEASE, that was the one positive thing that Bush has

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1065121628761840562003-10-02T13:18:00.000-05:002003-10-02T14:08:19.480-05:00

Border Benefits Ever look at your withheld taxes and wonder, "Why in the %#*$ do they need that much money from me?!?" Well, if you don't, you should. And since you should, you ought to know why. Most Americans (particularly social liberals & Democrats) think that taxes go into improving America. Any libertarian worth his weight in tradable commodities knows this is junk - taxes go into

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1064871788863744432003-09-29T16:43:00.000-05:002003-09-29T16:55:58.766-05:00

Poles Apart This is something I've wanted to do for a while now, so I hope you all enjoy it. I think this should really help you understand where I think the US should be right now from an ideological, economic, and moral standpoint. Consider it my weblog opus. -Ian -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1064795410065851802003-09-28T19:30:00.000-05:002003-09-28T19:30:09.913-05:00

Long Live the Swiss Franc... --which use to be the only non-debased currency until they decide to follow in the footsteps of the US and the rest of the world.-- This TCS column thanks the Swedes for saying hell NO to the Euro. The Euro is bound to fail as is the ill-fated EU because, as this piece so adriotly pontificates, the EU is based on some countries (read Germany and France) using the

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1064622749731294012003-09-26T19:32:00.000-05:002003-09-26T19:33:58.330-05:00

Free Chong Revisited In a post two weeks ago, I urged The Man to free Tommy Chong from federal prison for the oh-so harmful crime of selling drug paraphenalia over the internet. As usual, The Man doesn't listen to sense and/or sensibility. Of course, I'm not the only one crying freedom for this American entrepreneur and successful comedian. As one might expect, NORML, the National

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1064466914056416672003-09-25T00:15:00.000-05:002003-09-25T00:20:06.003-05:00

General Idea I don't know what all the hubbub is with this Wesley Clark character. He just sort of emerged out of left field in the Democratic presidential primary race, and suddenly he's all over the headlines. Since The Connection's distinguished friend, MIT grad and 4-time letter winner on the Montour High School wrestling team, Nik Kozy, requested today that I do a little somethin'-

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1064076233006801842003-09-20T11:43:00.000-05:002003-09-20T11:43:52.716-05:00

Condition Normal, Citizens. Nothing To See Here. More standard chicanery from US Attorney General John Ashcroft courtesy of Reason. As Jacob Sullum says in the article: Well, doesn't everyone who worried about the privacy implications of Section 215 look silly now? Sure, the FBI could use Section 215, with no meaningful judicial supervision, to secretly scrutinize the private records of

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1064031570344833042003-09-19T23:19:00.000-05:002003-09-19T23:19:30.300-05:00

Please Phrase Your Answer In The Form of a Question What has two thumbs and is just a little curious about what really went on September 11, 2001? Answer: THIS GUY! Not that many people outside of the now tightly-knit directly-affected 9-11 community (those who had family & friends die) are asking questions about the inquiry - or lack thereof - by Los Federales. Why? I can't really answer

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1063775556560637452003-09-17T00:12:00.000-05:002003-09-17T00:14:42.436-05:00

Hell No, I Won't Go In Audioslave's first album effort, the song The Last Remaining Light has a particularly inspiring refrain, sung powerfully by the over-talented Chris Cornell: And if you don't believe The sun will rise Stand alone and greet The coming night In the last remaining light The song's not about the Selective Service Draft, but it is about standing up and facing insurmountable

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1063470022027936302003-09-13T11:20:00.000-05:002003-09-13T11:20:22.076-05:00

Prudent Bear's market summary opines on the effects of the growing cots of cars, taxes, housing and such as it reviews "The Two-Income Trap". This book looks like an interesting read, so maybe I'll pick up a copy so Ian and I can discuss on the blog. This is amazing information that for some reason very few people are discussing. I think we also can agree from personal experience that the

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1063397120382588102003-09-12T15:05:00.000-05:002003-09-12T15:07:36.930-05:00

I Told You So My man, Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., said a mouthful on the Ludwig von Mises Institute website today, the September 11, 2003 edition. He said one simple sentence at the beginning that resounded well with me: A libertarian must never tire of saying "I told you so." What did I say about Iraq before the tanks engines were started up? What did I say about our economy? What have I

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1063336670060343562003-09-11T22:17:00.000-05:002003-09-11T22:23:22.213-05:00

Free Chong! Tommy Chong, of Cheech & Chong fame, has been convicted by Los Federales. Nice that I come back here to the Motherland for my week-long visit to Pittsburgh to find out a perfectly good businessman is getting tossed in the clink for basically being defiant to unnecessary laws. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday: Actor Tommy Chong's own words outside the federal

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062776221754836322003-09-05T10:37:00.000-05:002003-09-05T10:42:22.516-05:00

Common Wealth A very interesting post from the LRC blog this morning: Stephan Kinsella writes that in the 1940s and '50s, an NYC millionaire named Jonathan Holdeen set up a fund of trusts that would ultimately eradicate taxes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Sound ridiculous? Not when you consider the liberties that PA law allows. Over time, millions of dollars would become trillions of

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062713107243433812003-09-04T17:05:00.000-05:002003-09-04T17:05:07.236-05:00

"You've Got Eased Restrictions In Pennsylvania" "I just saw a couple of naked bikers in the woods having sex." - Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania repeal of the motorcycle helmet law goes into effect today, September 4, 2003. Most would think that bikers would rejoice at the fact that the nanny state no longer wags its finger at them, telling them what to do.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062609989976837342003-09-03T12:26:00.000-05:002003-09-03T12:30:29.230-05:00

Democratic Diction Democracy.ru is "the site for promotion of democracy in Russia". There's some good stuff on the site, but I particularly like the large list of famous quotes from various people on democracy, freedom, and liberty. Some of my personal favorites: "As a rule, dictatorships guarantee safe streets and terror of the doorbell. In democracy the streets may be unsafe after dark, but

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062524926018971542003-09-02T12:48:00.000-05:002003-09-02T12:49:23.440-05:00

Get Your Ten Commandments In Order My homeboy Charley Reese usually says exactly what's on my mind, and he doesn't deviate in this treatise on the Ten Commandments jokery linked from Saturday's LRC. The opening statements say it all: The people on both sides of the flap over a monument to the Ten Commandments in the Alabama Supreme Court building have missed the point entirely. It's not about

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062189291754336662003-08-29T15:34:00.000-05:002003-08-29T15:34:51.730-05:00

Atheist Air A funny musing by Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip in his monthly newsletter: "I noticed there are a lot of specialty airlines these days. For example, Hooters has its own airline targeted at horny men, and Virgin has an airline targeted at virgins. My idea is to start Atheist Airlines, targeted at non-believers who want to avoid security delays. At Atheist Air,

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062177157336704522003-08-29T12:12:00.000-05:002003-08-29T12:12:43.696-05:00

How To Get From Point R(epublic) To Point F(ascism) By Way of Point E(mpire) Please read this. This Future of Freedom commentary by Jacob G. Hornberger linked from LRC today summarizes from A to Z how we got to have the country we live in today. As is popularly agreed upon, the Spanish-American War is listed as the turning point in US imperial policy. I'll go with WWI myself, but it's still

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062129900428194562003-08-28T23:05:00.000-05:002003-08-28T23:05:00.410-05:00

Are you a Neocon??? Take the quiz (via HitandRun)

Championhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07873141310199619484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062109437166836962003-08-28T17:23:00.000-05:002003-08-28T17:25:05.346-05:00

Iron Triangle Syndicate Agents Many years ago, a friend gave me a copy of Syndicate, a PC game that put you in control of a corporation with the goal of global domination in the 23rd century. You use your agents to do your dirty work as you direct them from above in your propaganda blimp that advertises your syndicate on a jumbotron-style screen and fires off fireworks to celebrate your (

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062099519974102672003-08-28T14:38:00.000-05:002003-08-28T14:38:39.923-05:00

Keeping the Piece A blind man in Detroit was being robbed by two men when he showed just how disabled he wasn't. "Police said a blind man who lives at the St. Clements Manor in Inkster, an apartment complex for the disabled, opened fire on two men who were trying to assault and rob him. One of the suspects was shot in the chest, Local 4 reported." This man probably would've been overtaken in a

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1062084936528563392003-08-28T10:35:00.000-05:002003-08-28T10:35:36.493-05:00

Spoiled Bratty Kids The other day I was at the Dominick's grocery store at Fullerton/Clybourn and saw this mother who looked like the typical stay-at-home ex-Lincoln Park Trixie: early 30s, probably a DePaul grad, but sitting home all day (except for her trip to the gym) while her degree collects dust and her lawyer/doctor husband brings home the bacon. Sounds like a good idea: the kids should

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1061928395257740442003-08-26T15:06:00.000-05:002003-08-26T15:08:12.490-05:00

What About Cleveland? What About Dee-troit? What About Prague, PA? I haven't lived in the Burgh for over two years now, but even I know that the biggest topic in the city government has been the revitalization of downtown. Tapped out of fresh ideas, city planners have decided to go retro, and are now looking to an unlikely location for inspiration: Prague, Czech Republic. Pittsburgh was

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1061919047680103412003-08-26T12:30:00.000-05:002003-08-26T13:11:10.693-05:00

Are Iraqis Good At Eating Bush? Say what you will, but President Bush's prospects in the '04 election are not looking as peachy as they did in the post 9-11 days. Everyday I'm seeing more and more signs of desperation and distraction. Iraq's death toll has officially surpassed "official" end of combat numbers; as I explained in an earlier post, John Ashcroft is hitting the circuit trying to

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1061916778637034272003-08-26T11:52:00.000-05:002003-08-26T13:13:41.200-05:00

Commonwealth of Pennsylfornia Not to be outdone by upstart California, Pennsylvania's House of Representatives are exploring the option of amending the PA constitution to include the ability to recall the presiding governor. Apparently there is much dissent among PA lawmakers on the job that Gov. Ed Rendell is doing, particularly with advancing his plans for the Commonwealth. I'm, of course,

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1061838939290250292003-08-25T14:15:00.000-05:002003-08-25T14:15:39.420-05:00

Today I Didn't Even Need To Use My AK...Gotta Say It Was A Good Day US infantry and armored divisions around the world are issued M16 and, more recently, M4 assault rifles as the workhorse of soldiering. But even more recently in Iraq, US servicemen are hard-pressed to obtain ordinance and weapons on the standard-issue list, and have to be a little more resourceful to do their jobs: "'We just

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5647362.post-1061831330017079292003-08-25T12:08:00.000-05:002003-08-25T12:19:05.920-05:00

Days of Thunder and Rainbow Money talks, as Jesse Jackson recently learned, when in late July NASCAR stopped donating money to his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition organization. Now one would think that this would show that the supposed good ol' boy network that runs NASCAR had finally decided to give Jackson a big middle finger from Whitey, right? As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend."

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15343118930097418082noreply@blogger.com