Libercontrarian

Monday, 21 February 2005

Ohio State Police Terrorized By Thanksgiving Meal

Yes, friends, just when you thought that it was safe to get a speeding ticket... You'll want to have high-speed access to view this riotously funny video of a Ohio State Trooper getting chased by a turkey!

posted by: underwhelmed at February 21, 2005 21:14 | link | comments |

Cell Phone Jamming

Saw this on the New York Post website today - if you are one of these freaks that has mental problems about other people's cell phone conversations, maybe you shouldn't be buying a jammer; you should really be buying some COMMON FRICKIN' COURTESY. The problem isn't with people whose busy lives appear to you to be overly-self-absorbed, the problem is with your continued attempts to butt into other citizen's business.

Figure it out!

posted by: underwhelmed at February 21, 2005 14:15 | link | comments (2) |

Friday, 18 February 2005

Why Do We Have A One-China Policy?

Is it:

Because we are ashamed with our association with the Kuomintang Government during WWII because they lost China to the Communists after the war?

Or is it because we are afraid of the Red Chinese?

correct answer>>Or is it because we are afraid that we won't have access to cheap Chinese/slave-manufactured consumer products? <<correct answer

Wouldn't it be terrible if we had to break ourselves of both the heroin habit of cheap illegal immigrant labor and cheap goods made out of the country?

We are now a nation of consumers instead of producers. In some ways, that's great - you don't need to be the world's most prolific manufacturer of stamped metal children's toys (we are losing ground in a wide variety of other, far more important manufacturing concerns); you can leave this noble undertaking to other nations. We consume inexpensive products and services, and feel compelled to do so because wages have not risen in any fashion that has kept pace with inflation since the 1980's. Because American corporations can import cheap goods - or when we lose the ability to produce those goods domestically and are thus forced into a service-economy - cheap illegal immigrant labor, they don't have to pay the working public any competitive wage. They get an unfair advantage over the workers, and the workers have to seek out $19.99 CD players and $5.00 McDonald's meals. In the 1980's McDonald's meals were also $5.00. Houses were $85,000, but now are $285,000. Have they gotten $200,000 better in quality of construction? Our One-China policy doesn't cause these problems, it is just a symbol of the root cause of our current economic softness in the world.

In other ways, it insidiously leads us down a path of laziness and impaired productivity (to be fair, America is still the most productive nation in the world), and feeds a relentless spirit of consumerism and of practical deflation of goods and services. Wonder why the dollar has never been lower in the world? Ever wonder how they make that $19.99 CD-player? Here's your answer - we make virtually nothing but great weapons and crummy popular music, self-hating media and great restaurant food.

Oh, by the way, the Euro is specie-backed, don'tcha know? Many investors, unimpressed with the dollar's continued plunge, are abandoning it to head for other currencies, or to precious metals. This situation is supposed to make American made goods relatively cheaper, and may serve to reduce the imbalance of trade we have with a wide variety of countries, China chief amongst that list.

Too bad it's not coming true.

American cars are facing onerous import restrictions, various consumer-products manufacturers are forced to confront tariffs and official red-tape, and these corporations are uninitiated in the corrupt politics and nefarious business practices of foreign trading partners. Remember how we got caught flat-footed with the Oil-For-Fraud scandal? If we hadn't invaded Iraq and picked up enough clues, we would have never gotten any clear idea of the grand scale of the crime. I suspect that we are viewed as too Calvinist not to be taken advantage of.

So when Taiwan, an honorable trading partner and a beacon of freedom in unfriendly Asia needs our help, will we be there to give aid if China comes a' callin'?

I hope so. China's weekly threats against that tiny country cause your Sergeant Major grave concerns for her safety. I propose we abandon our "One-China Policy" and declare that Taiwan receive our protection and our valued declaration of Most-Favored-Nation trading status, and that we begin placing tariffs on Red Chinese-manufactured goods. This might be a first step in the right direction for creating equitable competition in trade, and may help bring back a weak dollar.

posted by: underwhelmed at February 18, 2005 08:20 | link | comments |

Charges Dropped Against Philadelphia Protestors

It looks like the charges will be dropped against the 11 protestors in Philadelphia that were arrested for preaching the Gospel at a gay rights event. I have always thought that Christians take the act of preaching the Gospel too aggressively, and that they have brought much hatred to the religion as a result. You meet Jesus through the path you take in the world; if you choose to believe in Him and accept him into your heart, then you become a Christian. We don't have to force it upon anyone. Folks who don't want to listen will be judged in God's way - you can lead a horse to water, etc., etc.

Another matter entirely is the issue of free speech. The City of Philadelphia does not appear to regard this First Amendment right as an appreciable obstruction to their restricting individual acts of free speech any more than they allow their ~~citizens~~ subjects the opportunity to practice their Second Amendment Rights. However, it looks like the attorney who defended these people, Brian Fahling, of the American Family Association Center for Law and Policy is going to ratchet things up another notch:

"This ends only the first chapter in the 'Philadelphia 11' saga," Fahling said. "The next chapter is federal action against the officers and the city of Philadelphia. We are still calling for the Department of Justice to investigate the corruption and profound abuse of power that we have seen in Philadelphia."

You go, boy! I hope you make those idiots in the Philadelphia city government squirm.

posted by: underwhelmed at February 18, 2005 07:20 | link | comments |

Look At How Those Nice Allies Help Us!

Gee, aren't the Russians wonderful? Look how the'yre helping out in Iran. They've made things so convenient; see, with friends like this, the United States doesn't have to look around for enemies.

posted by: underwhelmed at February 18, 2005 06:45 | link | comments (2) |

Wednesday, 16 February 2005

Robot Soldiers Not Just A Thing of Fiction

Coming to a battlefield near you: Robot Soldiers. You will have to perform the potentially distasteful task of registering to read the Gray Lady/Bloated Old Bag of journalism, the New York Times, to read this article. It is worth it.

What will they think of next? Maybe engineers can dream up robotic consumers, then, humanity won't have to do a freakin' thing!

posted by: underwhelmed at February 16, 2005 22:08 | link | comments |

Wednesday, 09 February 2005

Comments On The Foolishness Of SSI

Eric from Eric's Random Musings has hit the nail on the head. Here, he says:

"Every single person with a job in this country currently pays their SSI tax every single paycheck, poor and wealthy alike (although we are currently capped at $90K on SSI withholding, so everything you earn above $90K is not taxed for SSI). So, it seems obvious to me that a minimum wage earner can, indeed, save for their retirement. They already do today, albeit under government tyranny." (emphasis mine)

Yes indeedy, we have an entitlement society mentality. Why? Because we're not TRULY free. What will happen to me if I tell my employer, "Folks, just take that money you were sending to the .gov for SSI every two weeks and send it right to me. I plan on buying mutual funds with it, so your kids won't be obliged to support me when I'm 67 and retired."

Well, I'll tell you what will happen - I'll get a visit from several nice young men in white coats. They'll ask me to step into a jacket which is made for someone with really, really long arms.

Then, when I'm safely institutionalized, they'd fire me.

The ironic thing here is that I wouldn't be the crazy one - when you ask the idiots in Big .Gov to redistribute your wealth, they will inordinately steal a large percentage of the wealth, use another large percentage to run the program they steal the wealth with, and distribute what little remains some 30 years later to you without any appreciable interest.

Who's crazy, now?

You know, if there was a large influx of capital in the market because some of our taxes were earning interest (instead of powering Pork), then the economy would be making great strides. Big Business wouldn't have to import illegal employees to turn a profit, and Americans would enjoy wages that would be viable compensation and encourage competition for tough, entry-level jobs. Inflation would be kept down, because the increased money supply wouldn't be coming from the government. Industry could use these funds for growth without greatly increased risk, providing more opportunity to workers looking to earn a living wage, and investors looking to earn solid returns.

posted by: underwhelmed at February 09, 2005 22:27 | link | comments (2) |

Tuesday, 08 February 2005

Very Funny Story

Levity on this blog is a rare occurance, so here's a bit that will bring a smile to your face.

posted by: underwhelmed at February 08, 2005 12:22 | link | comments (2) |

High-Speed Armchair Commando

Well, gang, your Armchair Commando has gone High-Speed. That's right, I'm talking NO DIALUP. The internet has just gotten too thick to wade through with crappy phone lines and 1974-era technologies.

Does this mean that I will post more often? Probably not. My new job is consuming vast quantities of my time.

posted by: underwhelmed at February 08, 2005 12:21 | link | comments (2) |

Wednesday, 02 February 2005

What If D-Day Was Fought Today?

I have often wondered how enormously deadly we have made war fought in the conventional fashion - How would D-Day have looked, fought against the 2005 U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, and U.S. Coast Guard - and our allies?

After three days of reconnaissance via GlobalHawk and Predator aircraft, the information about the area of operations would be transmitted to a Joint Command Staff. Generals and Admirals would have a game plan that would involve days of strikes with cruise missiles, precision-guided munitions from tactical and strategic bombing aircraft, and night insertions of small teams of SEAL, Delta Force, and SAS commandos equipped with NV gear and laser designators for the targets that required weapons to enter a gun port - some of Rommels bunkers were two feet thick, and the 16" shells of battleships did not damage them sufficiently to do anything but deafen their crews.

The Navy would be ruthlessly patrolling tens of miles off shore, using active sonar and radar to quickly detect any Kriegsmarine craft, undersea or otherwise. Prosecution and elimination of contacts would be conducted with extreme prejudice. Naval mine-detection units and the EOD dive teams would be clearing paths to shore under cover of darkness, with close-air-support from Air Force A-10s and RAF Tornados, protected by F-15, F-16, and Tornado high-performance jet fighters at high cover. AWACS craft would detect any attempt at German reconnaissance or interdiction from the air, and efficiently vector high-performance jet fighters to attack any targets which present themselves. Other aircraft, both manned and unmanned, would attack infrastructure targets miles inland - railroad crossings, bridgeheads, airbases, AAA sites. Army Intel would have their teams broadcasting warning messages day and night in three languages with the common message, "Civilians, hide somewhere well away from any military targets, German Army personnel will surrender when opposed by means of display, laying down all arms. Failure to do so will result in immolation."

On D-Day itself, the U.S. Air Force would fly C17 Globemasters for para-drop of airborne Allied troops. Being navigated by INS, VORTAC, or GPS, they wouldn't stray off course (no matter the weather), and simultaneous attacks by large quantities of U.S. Army AH-64 Apache and OH-6 Cayuse helicopters on AAA and concentrations of enemy troops would demoralize the enemy quickly; especially so when they discover that their enemies posses the uncanny ability to accurately see and hit targets in near-total darkness, while being armored nearly as heavily as panzers.

Instead of relying primarily on waterborne landings, like the actual D-Day scenario, the Joint Command would split the forces between helicopter insertions and inland-seaborne operations via the LCAC, the Navy's Air-Cushioned-Landing Craft, and more traditional landing craft. Since this craft can carry a large quantity of Marines and soldiers (yessss, kids, there's MARINES in MY D-Day fantasy; why the hell weren't Marines in the REAL D-Day?), and their related equipment inland, they would be a QRF assigned the task of meeting up with the paratroops, providing them mobility with Armored Humvees. These teams would flank the enemy at his weak spots, going to the rear to look for indirect fire points - hidden bunkers, mortar pits, Nebelwerfer rocket platoons. Still other Marines and Army Rangers would storm ashore in the mine-cleared lanes in modern landing craft, with M1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, M2 Bradleys, and Marine LAVs leading the way with their death-spewing 40mm grenade machine-guns and their 25mm Bushmaster cannon. Marine Air would provide spot air support with F/A-18 fighter-bombers, mercilessly pounding any Nazi fool enough to point a weapon downrange.

All in all, I'd give the Krauts three days. On day three, D-Day, they'd surrender, en-masse, all along the Normandy coast by 9:00 p.m. Our losses would number in the hundreds, instead of the tens of thousands. The Germans would surrender the European continent in 5 weeks, although this might take a nuclear suggestion on Regensburg.

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