The Good News and Bad News for Hillary

a) The good news - the fact that she (arguably) has plausible deniability as to whether or not she knew that the emails were classified.......b) The bad news - the fact that if she asserts this as a defense she looks like a total incompetent and a moron.

On the Fact that a Sheriff's Deputy Was Shot Point-Blank Execution-Style (By a Black Dude) in Texas the Other Day WHILE PUMPING GAS

His life didn't "matter" apparently.

On the Claim By Numerous Historians that Teddy Roosevelt Made the Food Supply Safer

This is largely another myth. The real truth is that the food supply was getting significantly better well before the government stuck its nose into things and the real heroes in this regard were Nicolas-Francois Appert, Louis Pasteur, Gail Borden, Joseph Campbell, Abraham Anderson, John Henry Heinz, Alexander Twinning, John Gorrie, James Harrison, Charles Tellier, Clarence Birdseye, Frederick Tutor, J.B. Sutherland, T.C. Eastman, Gustavus Franklin Swrift, Andrew Chase, Philip D. Armour, John Plankington, etc. - in that it was these folks who made the major advances in frozen foods, jarring, pasteurizing, canning, transportation and logistics, sanitation, refrigeration and storage, etc.. - this, while TR wasted his time on Coca Cola, rectified whiskey, and corn syrup. What an asshole.

On the Fact that (According to the F.B.I. - https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-11), of the 8,583 Total Gun-Related Homicides in 2011, Only 323 of Them Were Committed with Rifles

So, just for some perspective here, there were 1,694 murders committed with knives and switchblades (424% more than with rifles), 496 murders committed with blunt objects such as hammers (54% more than with rifles), and 726 murders committed with personal weapons such as hands, feet, elbows, and knees (125% more than with rifles)....Rifles are not a big part of the problem, folks, and how anybody can continue to assert that we are going to appreciably reduce the murder rate (or even reduce it at all in that the murderer will simply use a different weapon) by banning certain rifles (the criteria being that they look scary) is ludicrous.

On the Fact that (According to Jim Powell's "Bully Boy") Teddy Roosevelt's Reason for Populating the West Was this Crazy Fear that it Would Soon Be Taken Over By a Foreign Power

That is Nixonian and then some. I mean, what, he thought that the British, French, Russians, or Japanese were going to do a Winfield Scott type landing on the shores of California (sending their armadas around Tierra Del Fuego)? THAT IS INSANE!! HE WAS INSANE!!

On the Fact that Seven Out of the Ten Safest Cities in the U.S. (Pertaining to Violent Crime) Have Received Either a D or F Rating By the Hyper-Leftist, Anti-Gun Activist Group, Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence

So, in other words, there is no significant connection between gun control and violent crime in America -http://mediatrackers.org/wisconsin/2014/08/11/restrictive-gun-laws-dont-make-safer-cities

On the Fact that (According to Historian, Paul Gates) a Large Number of Settlers Who Acquired Their land Under the Homestead Act Ultimately Sold it Off to Timber Companies, Mining Firms, and Cattlemen

This is how free-market capitalism is SUPPOSED to work. The fact of the matter is that a lot of this land was totally unsuitable for farming and the government was stupid to misallocate resources like this.............................................................................................P.S. And, yes, the matter got significantly worse when politicians from states like Nevada and Colorado were able to get the government to irrigate areas that were essentially deserts simply to boost their population and increase their power in Congress - an act that led to tons of bankruptcies, copious graft, rampant speculation, waste on a massive scale, a screwing of eastern and midwestern farmers, etc..

The Sexiest Movie Performance of All Time?

How 'bout Lee Remick in the Otto Preminger classic, "Anatomy of a Murder"? That would be my vote, folks.......And, yes, I can understand how Jimmy Stewart got so flustered.

On Republican Presidential Candidate and Former Virginia Governor, Jimmy Gilmore

Yeah, he just passed Lindsey "I Want to Destroy ISIS and Assad at the Same Time" Graham into 16th place (and, yes, I'm laughing as I'm typing this).

On the Fact that (According to Marc Reisner's Disturbing Book, "Cadillac Desert"), TR (Prompted by Adviser, Gifford Pinchot), in a Clear Violation of the Law, Arbitrarily Declared that Most of the Owens River Valley in California, a Region with No Trees, Be Considered a National Forest

Absurdity aside, this was nothing more than a political gift to the city of Los Angeles that the rest of the country took it up the poop-shoot for................................................................................................P.S. And as Jim Powell has adroitly pointed out in "Bully Boy", the act of ensuring that water be provided under market price only made the situation worse in that it encouraged more people to move to L.A.; more people, a greater need for water, yada, yada.

On Bernie Sanders and that Hapless $9 an Hour Auto Detailer Who Irresponsibly Had Kids that He Couldn't Provide for and Who Seemingly Doesn't Have a Desire to Improve His Human Capital, Skill Set, etc.

And what exactly is Bernie Sanders going to do for this fellow? Raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, an act that would more than likely price him out of the market? Add yet another federal entitlement program to the 126 that currently exist ( http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/PA694.pdf) and to which he is probably already eligible for? Hold a gun to his head and make him get additional training? I mean, I know that the left constantly thinks that it can fix things and all (and, yes, a certain amount of compassion helps) but a) their track record is pretty poor and b) wouldn't it be nice if these folks occasionally came up with something original (a la Charles Murray's negative income tax proposal, John Breaux's premium support plan, etc.)? Just to change things up, I'm saying...........................................................................................P.S. And anybody who tells you that they can't improve their human capital is bonkers. I just got a course-listing in the mail from my local community college and these folks offer certificate programs for Certified Nurse's Aide, Hospital Patient Care Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Pharmacy Technician, Security Officer, Real Estate Principles and Practices, Principles of Lean Manufacturing, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.), Therapeutic Recreation, and Bookkeeping and Quickbooks. And this is just one venue, folks. Multiply it by X

On McCain's Threats to Bomb Iran

What this war-mongering bozo doesn't seem to realize is that the surest way to convince the Iranians that they need nuclear weapons IS TO FUCKING BOMB THEM!! I mean, I know that the Senator's first inclination is always a military one and all but as we've leaned from Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., wars/military actions have a tendency to spiral out of control/produce unintended consequences and I strongly suspect that a foray into Iran just might be the worst of the worst in that regard (http://paranoiacstoogetalk.blogspot.com/2015/03/on-those-dullards-on-fox-newss-five.html)..........................................................................................P.S. It also should be stated that if Iran truly wanted a nuclear weapon, we probably couldn't stop them no matter what we did (well, save for maybe nuking them); the fact that the nuclear program is so spread out, the fact that you can't destroy the knowledge, etc. and, so, yeah, McCain is full of shit in this regard, too. 

Damn You, Damn You, Damn You!!

Marlene Dietrich was in her mid-50s (and 12 years older than her male co-star, Tyrone Power) when "Witness for the Prosecution" first came out AND SHE WAS STILL SMOKINGLY HOT!!......One of her better performances, too.

On Ann Coulter Saying that There Aren't 11 Million Illegal Aliens in U.S. but More Like 50 Million

So, she's saying that 16% of America's total population is composed of illegal aliens?......Yeah, she's insane. It's official.

On Politicians Who Use the Word, Free

They should be drawn, quartered, and pistol-whipped in that, even as a five year-old can tell you, NOTHING IS FREE! The only way that the government can "give" you something is if they take it from somebody else or put it on a credit card (which is essentially little more than robbing from the unborn). And don't even try and give me that moronic line that we can do all of these things simply by taxing the rich, 'cause that's pure bullshit, too (the fact that we could tax the rich at 100% of all income over $500,000 and it still wouldn't be able to fund all of the stuff that Sandinistas Dems like Warren and Sanders want the government to do and it of course would be a one-shot deal in that nobody from that point on would even want to earn over $500,000). The fact of the matter is that the middle and upper-middle classes are the ones who tend to get stuck with the bill on this type of snake-oil game (CNN's Erin Burnett has cited evidence which shows that an 8% tax increase on the middle class will get you far more money than a 100% increase on the top 2% - and this doesn't even take into account the dead-weight costs of people moving, sheltering their money, investing less, etc.) and, yes, maybe if these assholes were honest about it I could respect them more. Maybe.

On the Warped Logic of Bernie Sanders

Alright, let's see if I've gotten this straight. He embraces the notion that by taxing carbon you get less carbon but he won't even entertain the notion that by making it much more expensive to employ people (through copious mandates) you get less employment....Nah, no dogma goin' on here.

On the Fact that Trump Has Taken Yet Another Cheap Shot at Megyn Kelly Via His Twitter Account

So the country is essentially considering a child to be its next President, in other words. Unbelievable, huh?

On Being So Contemptuous of Another Human Being as to Absolve Them of All Moral Responsibility and Judgement Pertaining to Their Actions and Choices

This is the hard-left's form of bigotry and it is every bit as loathsome and insidious as that which emanates from the right. Sorry, but, yes.

On Child Labor in the Third World

What these progressives have to realize is that a) the alternative is not an all-expense-paid education at the Masters School in upscale Simsbury Connecticut and b) what these youngsters would ultimately be doing if they weren't working in a factory would be stealing, hustling, fighting, scavenging, prostituting, etc. (so, yeah, the next time that you want to boycott child labor......). Yes, child labor is bad (though I do think that SOME work is good for kids in that it teaches them responsibility, work-related skills, etc.) but the harsh reality is that ALL societies go through these same evolutionary patterns and for us to try and meddle in it is pure arrogance and an all but guaranteed foray into making the matter worse (a reference to the UNICEF study of 1997 and simple common sense -   http://oneminute.rationalmind.net/sweatshops/).

On Mrs. Clinton's Claim that Colin Powell Also Had a Private Email Server When He Was Secretary of State and So What's the Big Deal?

Utter bullshit. The fact of the matter is that NO previous Secretary of State has ever had a private email server running in their home from which they sent and received ALL of their correspondence while in office. Nada! And it is also a fact that there were regulations in place at the time that Clinton was in office which plainly required that she turn over ALL official communication prior to her leaving the job AND SHE DID NOT (only turning over selected messages two years later and only when pressured). Look, I 'm not saying that any of those 17 Republicans are anything to write home about, either (my plan is to probably vote again for whoever the Libertarian candidate is), but Hillary is more than a smidge oily in my opinion and the Democrats would be better served by turning to somebody else.

Peter Van Buren on Hillary's Claim that the Emails Weren't Marked as Classified and so She Shouldn't Be Held Accountable

"If an employee were to be handed information sourced from an NSA intercept of a foreign government leader, somehow not marked as classified, she would be expected to recognize the sensitivity of the material itself and treat it as classified. In other cases, an employee might hear something sensitive and be expected to treat the information as classified. The emphasis throughout the classification system is not on strict legalities and coded markings, but on judgment. In essence, employees are required to know right from wrong. It is a duty, however subjective in appearance, one takes on in return for a security clearance.............‘Not knowing’ would be an unexpected defense from a person with years of government experience.............Every email sent within the State Department’s own systems contains a classification; an employee technically cannot hit ‘send’ without one being applied. Just because Clinton chose to use her own hardware does not relieve her or her staff of this requirement."............This is devastating and if you think that Mr. Van Buren is some sort of virulent right-winger, he's also written articles for "The Huffington Post", "Salon", "Mother Jones", "The Daily Kos", "Al-Jezeera", "Michaelmoore.com", and "The Nation". 

On the State of Being Perpetually Offended

 I would probably take some of that energy and apply it toward improving my own human capital. Life is way, WAY, too short, people.

On the Fact that (According to Coppin and High's, "The Politics of Purity") Cane Sugar Didn't Have to Be Placed as an Ingredient on Food Labels Until 30 Years After Corn Syrup Had to Be Listed

Pure cronyism, folks; the fact that Harvey Washington Wiley, the chief chemist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under TR, had a close relationship with wealthy Louisiana sugar producers, and had even encouraged citizens to consume more sugar.......And you all wonder why I so distrust government science/scientists.

On the Fact that Six and a Half Years Into this "Recovery", The Fed Still Has Interest Rates Close to Zero

It's not a real recovery in that if the economy was truly percolating they wouldn't have had to engage in this perpetual easy-money policy (and how can you have a truly free economy when it's the Fed that's determining interest rates? HELLO!!). PEOPLE EVENTUALLY HAVE TO SAVE (the fact that it's awesome to start a project but better to finish one, etc.).

On the Fed Under Bernanke and Now Yellen

What these two schmucks have essentially done is solidify all of the economy's problems to the tune of one gigantic bubble machine (a stock market bubble, yet another housing bubble, a currency bubble, a government bubble, a student loan bubble, etc.) in which funds are constantly being misallocated . And trust me, folks, when this one pops, look out (the fact that you cannot have a stable economy on a foundation of bubbles; too many projects going belly-up, not being completed, etc.). It's gonna make 2000 and 2008 look like cake-walks.

On the Fact that Apple Bigwig, Tim Cook, Has Loudly and Repeatedly Blasted Indiana for its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (On the Grounds that it Discriminates Against Gays) While at the Same Time Not Only Staying Silent When it Comes to Saudi Arabia's Horrific Treatment of Gays and Women but Continuing to Do Business There, Too

It's always good to get your own house in order prior to popping off. That would be my advice.

The Rank Fallacies of Bernie Sanders

a) That the economy is a fixed pie and that the only real question is how to divvy it up. b) That the poor and middle class are worse off than they were decades ago. c) That high tax rates on the wealthy don't have negative consequences (mainly that the rich will simply alter their behavior). d) That individuals and families are forever stuck at their present strata. e) That regulations don't retard economic growth and that they disproportionately hinder the big boys. f) That tinkering with the price (and wage) system doesn't have dire consequences. g) That it is OK to look at economic inequality numbers without including transfer payments and income taxes paid. And h) that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer ( the fact that Treasury statistics show the exact opposite; namely, that the ACTUAL human beings in the top 1% and bottom quintile experience a sharp decrease and increase respectively when it comes to their Adjusted Gross Income).............Data - http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/tax-policy/Documents/incomemobilitystudy03-08revise.pdf - as you can plainly see in table 3, the bottom quintile (THE ACTUAL HUMAN BEINGS!!) saw their income go up 91%, this while the top 1% saw their income go down 26%.

On the Fact that (According to Economic Historian, Clayton Coppin), in the Early 1900s, the Agriculture Department's Bureau of Animal Husbandry Had Once Sold Inside Information on Soon-to-Be Released Crop-Reports to Speculators Who In Turn Rewarded Agriculture Department Statisticians with a Percentage of the Profits

I think that anti Teddy Roosevelt polemicist, Jim Powell, probably said it best when he rhetorically asked, "Why would anybody believe the government could enforce honest dealings if the government itself was so easily corrupted?"......And not a lot has changed, eh folks?

On the Fact that California has the Highest Taxes and the Shittiest Roads/Bridges

If this doesn't constitute pure bureaucratic ineptitude then we probably need to start from scratch, throw in the towel, etc..

On the Fact that The Phil Donahue Show Was at One Point Considered Racy and Over-the-Top

And, yes, by today's low standards it seems like TV Mass.

On the Fact that Michael Savage is Now Referring to Megyn Kelly as "Mayhem Kelly" and Disparaging Her Looks as Well

What a total creep, this savage (not capitalized on purpose).

On Senator Boxer's Embarrassing and Stultifyingly Dumb Questioning of Princeton Physicist, William Happer

It was just more proof-positive that an individual's world-view (in Boxer's case, a statist one in which man has to be corralled) has a tendency to shape their concept of science as opposed to the opposite. I mean, the woman had a wonderful opportunity to learn from one of the most brilliant men in America and instead of being open-minded and engaging in accommodation, she circled the wagons, got insulting, and protected her ludicrous narrative (that free people are not to be trusted and that the only way to reign them in is through government force) as if her psychic livelihood depended on it (and quite obviously it did). It was actually quite sad.

Einstein on Elegant Theories

Ir's been stated that he left "elegance" to his tailor.

On the Fact that Even the Alarmist-Leaning IPCC Has Now Conceded that Man-Made Global-Warming Hasn't Produced an Uptake in Extreme Weather Events and Yet the President Continues to Spout this Idiocy In Every Damned Climate Speech

There are only two possibilities to draw from here. a) The man is an ignorant moron or b) he's a liar. Either way, it's a huge embarrassment.

On Rand Paul's Bashing of the Iran Deal

This is just one more shameful attempt by the Senator to ingratiate himself with the right (showing that he isn't weak on defense, terror, etc.). And what makes this even more despicable in my mind is the fact that he's using deception in the process. You've probably heard that line from the Ayatollah in which he says that America "isn't stopping Iran form securing nuclear weapons" (this, in that every fucking neocon has used it). Well, Rand is using it now, too, and guess what, folks. The quote is being taken totally out of context and, while, yes, the Ayatollah has in fact stated this, hes also gone on to say that Iran HAS NEVER TRIED TO SECURE THESE WEAPONS!......Rand Paul, just another politician, I guess -http://news.antiwar.com/2015/07/23/sen-paul-bashes-iran-deal-says-us-must-prepare-military-force/

News from the Recruiting Battles - Quick Addendum

And how cool of a name is Divine Deablo? He's gotta be a star!

Note to the Neocons

OK, we defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Then what? Do we stay and occupy the damned place? I mean, we're gonna have to, right (the fact that it all fell apart the last time that we left - and we all know that the next set of true-believing morons is probably gonna be even worse than ISIS - just like ISIS is worse than al Qaeda)? And, yes, please be straight here.

On the Fact that Michael Savage Has Apparently Sided with Donald Trump in the Latter's Dust-Up with Megyn Kelly

Like Breeding Like?

On the Odious Mark Levin

Where do I start? How 'bout the fact that nobody has slimed Ron Paul more than this asshole has? Or maybe the fact that he never seemed to give a rat's ass about civil liberties when Bush was in office and then suddenly did a one-eighty when Obama got elected? Or maybe the fact that the dude has supported every moronic neocon initiative that's come to the fore over the past decade?......Of course, it could be just as simple that he's an impudent jerk-off. That's a possibility, too.

On Folk Singer/Songwriter, Dar Williams

Quirky but good quirky - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6KOYJ_Mqww

On the Fact that the Highest Concentrations of CO2 Are NOT Over Industrial Areas

How many more "inconvenient" facts need to come forth before we finally stick a fork in this bullshit? Seriously.

On the Fact that Both Bush and Obama Exempted the Wind Industry from Prosecution Under the Migratory Bird Treaty and Eagle Protection Acts

Merry Christmas, Geoffrey Immelt and the rest of those fat-cat crony green-monster assholes.

On the Belief by Bernie Sanders and Others that a Doubling of the Top Tax Rate Will Inexorably Lead to a Doubling of Revenue

It's so stupid. I mean, do they actually think that people don't change their behavior (work/invest less, move, seek out tax shelters, etc.) in response to things as personal as taxes? And I ask you; IRS brain-diseased, chowder-eating buffoons versus really smart and nimble rich people with the finest lawyers that money can buy - who do you put your money on? Me, I'm leaning toward the latter.

On the Fact that 99% of NOAA's "Adjustments" to the Temperature Record Have Been to the Warmists' Advantage

That is a mathematical and scientific impossibility and the only logical explanation is fraud...............................................................................................P.S. And, yes, the recent Karl, et. al. paper in which these scoundrels try and do away with the 18 year global warming pause is a perfect example in that they a) completely jettison the satellite and radiosonde balloon data (the gold standards of measurement), b) utilize instead engine intake data that has been thoroughly contaminated by heat conduction, and c) added 1.2 degree Celsius to the buoy stats to make them match the engine intake data (the scientific equivalent of throwing good money after bad). We hear a lot from progressives like Shaw and her buddies that we should "trust the scientists". Fuck that, I say.......http://judithcurry.com/2015/06/04/has-noaa-busted-the-pause-in-global-warming/

On the Relationship Between CO2 and Temperature - Long Term

The top graph (which has since been scrubbed by NOAA - no surprise there) actually shows a slight inverse correlation between the two over the past 8,000 years (since the Holocene Warming Optimum, in which the Sahara was actually wet) while the bottom graph shows a largely incoherent one. My interpretation is that, while, yes, a doubling of CO2 in a controlled setting will secure you a 1 degree Celsius warming, the vast number of feedbacks in nature ultimately makes for a lower climate sensitivity and that the doomsday scenarios of these climate models (97% of which have already been wrong) are just plain silly.

On a Hundred Dollar an Hour Minimum Wage

How come nobody is suggesting this? I mean, if increasing the minimum wage has no discernible negative effect on employment, why be so skinflint? I say, let's go for it.

On People Like Obama and Sanders Saying that People More than Ever Now Need to Go to College

So, what they're essentially admitting here is that after 12 years of government education/indoctrination, you're still not worth a Confederate nickel unless they (or someone else) can have you for 4 more. Talk about a self-indictment.

On Bernie Sanders Wanting to Bail Out Folks Who've Racked Up Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Student Loan Debt on Their Way to a Degree in English

Enable much?......And when will these socialist chowder-heads finally realize that one of the main reasons why the cost of college has gotten so high is because the government is constantly subsidizing it (the fact that whenever you artificially expand the demand for something, the cost of that good or service is bound to rise), and that by further subsidizing it, you're only making matters worse?...And, yes, it's a rhetorical question.

On the Fact that a Lot of those $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Workers in Seattle, Washington Are Now Requesting that They Work Less Hours in an Effort to Ensure that Their Entitlement Benefits Continue

Anybody who didn't see this (or something similar to it) coming is clueless. OF COURSE THERE ARE SIDE-EFFECTS WHEN THE GOVERNMENT FOOLS AROUND WITH THE PRICE SYSTEM. Hello!!!!  http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/29616731/seattle-sees-fallout-from-15-minimum-wage

On the Fact that (According to the Spanish Ornithological Society, the California Energy Commission, and Other Researchers), Each Wind Turbine Slaughters Between 100 and 300 Birds a Year (Many of Them Endangered Species Such as White-Tailed Eagles, Osprey, Bald Eagles, Falcons, White-Throated Needletails, etc.) and Twice as Many Bats (Including the Endangered Indiana Bat - Their Lungs Essentially Explode) and There's Never Been a Fine or Prosecution

Yes, house-cats kill more birds than wind turbines but I don't seem to recall any of my tabbies bringing home a bald eagle or a falcon....Not when I was sober at least.

On the Belief that Government Regulatory Power Can Be Limited

Let's just say that I have my doubts.

On Jeb "the Good Son" Bush Not Ruling Out Torture

So, he's his brother's son, in other words...............................................................................................P.S. Actually, he's more like Cheney's son in that at least W eventually kicked water-boarding to the curb while Cheney continues to belt out its praises (as he sees them).

On Route 20 in Massachusetts from Lee/Lenox to Springfield

It's a descent (both literally and figuratively).

On the Fact that CNN Actually Thinks that Folks Want to Relive the '70s (the Latter/Disco Part, Especially)

I'm probably gonna go with, "Why Their Ratings Are Constantly in the Crapper, Exhibit A", on this one, folks. I mean, the '70s (bangin' Farrah posters, aside), really?

On the Fact that Net Global CO2 Emissions Have Increased at a Linear Rate While the Human CO2 Contribution Hasn't (a Huge Spike Occurring After 2002) and In Fact There's Has Been a Major Departure Between these Two Trend Lines

This is strong evidence that even the atmospheric CO2 increases aren't predominantly the end result of human activity but rather a by-product of the natural increases in temperature. I strongly recommend this lecture by Murry Salby - https://www.youtube.com/user/1000frolly/videos?view=0&shelf_id=1&sort=dd - and I would pay particular attention to the graph which shows how the net increases in CO2 vary by as much as 100% per annum and of how they appear to be strongly influenced by surface temperature - NOT VICE VERSA.

On the Fact that (According to Booth Business School Economist, Steven Kaplan - http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunday-commentary/20130510-steven-kaplan-the-real-story-behind-executive-pay.ece) CEO Compensation Actually Declined by 46% from 2000 to 2010

My suspicion is that Bernie probably doesn't know about this and if he did I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't include it in his stump speeches.

Apologies to dmarks, BB Idaho, and Russ

While sludging through the spam I inadvertently deleted your comments. I'm gonna try and set up this blog where only invited guests are allowed to comment to avoid this in the future. Again, my apologies to you three.

Confiscation Nation

Walter Williams makes a great point. He says that if you were to break into your rich neighbors home, steal money, and distribute it to a bunch of poor people, you would be arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned for multiple years, but when the government does it (buttressed by a plurality of as puny as 50.01%) nothing happens. I mean, I know that the political class of America de facto thinks that what it yours is also theirs and all, but when you really stop and ponder it, damn, huh?

On Obama's Joke About the Republicans; Their Message Being, "Take Two Tax-Cuts and Call Me in the Morning"

It's not half-bad. But does he not realize that a similar punch-line can be made about him (maybe the biggest Johnny One-Note of them all)? Like, I don't know, maybe, "Take two more layers of government bureaucracy and call me in the morning" or "Take two more tax increases on the wealthy and call me in the morning" or "Take 2 to 3,000 pages of additional regulation and call me in the morning". My suspicion is that he probably quite oblivious to the irony.

On Why I So Distrust the Man (AKA, Bureaucrat, Politician, Etc.) with the Bullhorn

Because he also frequently carries a gun, a hangman's noose, and the keys to the penitentiary.

On the Fact that (According to Barron's Chief Economist, Gene Epstein) the Average Tenure for a CEO at a Fortune 500 Company is Approximately Six Years Now (Down from Eight a Few Years Ago)

This one fact alone vaporizes Piketty's dumb book (which only libertarians have read, apparently); this assertion that since capital appreciates at a higher rate than wages economic Armageddon inevitably results - when in fact the window to make these mega-wages is exceedingly tiny.

On the Keynesian Incapacity and/or It's Unwillingness to Disaggregate

This is perhaps where the theory disintegrates the most; the fact it sees all spending as essentially the same and so digging holes and filling them in is seen as having the same effect on the economy as finding a cure for cancer.

On the Fact that There Is Nary a Mention of Fannie and Freddie in the Dodd-Frank Act (All 2,600 Pages of It)

So, the entity which poses the highest risk to taxpayers and which constituted the biggest bailout by far is given what is in essence a free pass? Nah, no cronyism going on here (the fact that Barney Frank's boyfriend was an executive at Fannie Mae and the fact that Chris Dodd was one of the "Friends of Angelo" being absolute coinkydinks, I'm gathering).

On the Obvious Sock-Puppet, Jersey McJones, Attempting to Tie Economic Growth to Inflation

So according to that brain-diseased paradigm, the economies of Germany and Russia in the 1920s must have been majorly percolating.

On Barney Frank in 2004 Writing this to George W. Bush; "The New Crackdown (on Fannie and Freddie) Would Weaken Affordable Housing Performance by Emphasizing Only Safety and Soundness"

What a clueless, crony (the fact that his then boyfriend was an executive at Fannie) buffoon..........................................................................................P.S. Of course, what makes this even more infuriating in the fact that he now has the cajones to say that it was HIM who wanted to reform Fannie and Freddie and that it was George Bush and the Republicans who stood in opposition. I mean, that's sick.

On the Fact that (According to Economist, Steven Kaplan) CEO Pay Actually Increased Faster (from the '60s to 2000) Amongst the Privately Held Corporations (i.e., the Ones in which the Owners Cut the Checks) than it Did Amongst the Publicly Held Ones

This is strong evidence that CEO pay is a by-product of market forces and NOT the result of people on the various boards taking care of their buddies (and, yes, there are no doubt anecdotal examples of this happening - but again, that is not how science operates).

The Slipperiest Man in America?

Oh, most definitely, and here's just one instance. Mr. Krugman made this big, fat, hairy deal recently that the Austrian prediction of significant inflation (not just a debasement of the currency but price inflation) never (or at least it hasn't happened so far) occurred, and he's right about that. But what Krugman leaves out here is that he was wrong as well. You see, Mr. Krugman not only predicted no inflation, he actually predicted that there would be serious DEFLATION (https://robertmurphy.liberty.me/paul-krugman-three-wrongs-dont-make-a-right/). In fact, being that there has been SOME inflation (as opposed to the none that Krugman predicted), one could quite readily assert that Krugman's fail was even more epic and don't you just want to slap this asshole? Seriously.

On the Fact that (According to Mathematician, Jordan Ellenberg) the Vast, VAST, Percentage of Quotes and References from Thomas Piketty's Supposedly Influential Book, "Capital Blah Blah Blah", Are Excerpted from the First 26 Pages (the Book Is 700 Pages Long)

The obvious conclusion is that nobody's read the damned book and the only reason that people (leftists, mostly) are touting it is because Paul Krugman, Thom Hartmann, and Rachel Maddow have given them the green light....And I wonder if even they've read it.

On the Rand Paul Versus Chris Christie Dust-Up at Last Night's Debate

I hate to say this because I a) kinda like the guy and b) tend to agree with him on the issue of surveillance but Mr. Paul last night - not Gene Hackman going after Richard Harris in "Unforgiven" totally out of control enough.......Yeah, dude's got a temper. 

On the Pro War Constitutionalist

To steal a phrase from the late, great, inimitable Christopher Hitchens, name one.

On the Fact that Iran Has Not Yet Consented to a 24/7/No Advanced Notice Inspection Regimen

What the neocons and various other factions of the war-party movement (in the U.S., Israel, Great Britain, etc.) don't seem to understand is that no unvanquished nation-state HAS EVER consented to such a demand (and it isn't even an issue here in that the technology of today could easily detect the presence of radioactive substances weeks after they've been uprooted). I mean, I know that the McCains and Netanyahus of the world won't be satisfied until the Iranians give up nuclear enrichment completely (even at the minuscule 3.6%) and all but we are in fact still in the real world, I do believe. Yes? No?

On Why the Confederate Flag

Because that banner is a much easier target than the mirror on the wall. THAT'S WHY.

On the Fact that There Always Seems to Be a "War" on Something or Other

No word (with the possible of exception of "racism") has been watered down more than this one has. Maybe we should wage a war against THAT.

On the Fact that Political Hacks Such as Teddy Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt Actually Felt that They Could Manipulate Prices and that There Wouldn't Be Consequences

I think that the esteemed historian, Albro Martin, probably said it best - "...he (in this instance, TR - a man who himself had failed in business) had the exhilarating notion that men who lacked the experience, the economic power, and the enlightened self-interest of the leaders of big business could nevertheless establish the patterns by which great aggregates of property fitted into the nation's economy."......Seriously, though, how's that for a surgical take-down?

On Donald Trump Saying that Megyn Kelly Had "Blood Coming Out of Her Eyes, Blood Coming Out of Her Wherever"

I will put my anti-establishment bona fides up against pretty much anybody's, but if this is what they're offering up in 2016, yeah, I'm gonna say, no, this time. Sorry.

On Teresa Wright's Performances in the All-Time Classic Movies, "Mrs. Miniver", "The Little Foxes", and "The Best Years of Our Lives"

They were as perfect as could be and the fact that (even though she continued to work throughout the '40s and '50s) she never became a bigger and much more bankable star (especially considering her physical beauty) continues to perplex me....She refused to play games perhaps.

On Virginia Tech Cornerback Recruit, Troy Pride, Flirting with Hokie Rivals, Georgia Tech and North Carolina

They must not include the word, commitment, on vocabulary lists anymore.

On Donald Trump's Followers Bum-Rushing Twitter Today and Denigrating Megyn Kelly with Lingo Such as "Bimbo" and "Failure"

So, not only are they supporting Trump, they're emulating him as well. Awesome.......And, yes, kudos to Kelly for asking the tough questions.

On the Fact that (According to Economic Historians Such as Ralph Raico and John V. Denson) from the Late 1940s to the Mid 1980s there Existed Only Three Tiny Publishing Companies that Even Considered Printing Revisionist Histories of World War Two

What an absolute embarrassment and outrage (the fact that the one event in world history which most cried out for closer scrutiny had somehow also become the one event in which the court historians most dominated).

On President Cleveland and Hawaii

Based upon the hand that was dealt to him, I think that he handled it perfectly. While he certainly wasn't opposed to the annexing of Hawaii, Cleveland was adamant that it not take place without the consent of the indigenous population. But being that an American nationalist coup (led by the sugar and pineapple tycoon, Sanford Dole - and with naval support from then President Harrison) had taken place just prior to his having been sworn in (yes, for his second stint) that had dethroned the Queen (Liliuokalani), he was forced into an untenable situation of quite possibly having to fire upon American citizens. Fortunately, he took the much more prudent action of DOING NOTHING (which included sitting on a treaty that Dole had strong-armed from the Queen and which was rammed through a Republican Senate) and the crisis at the very least was postponed.  

On the Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas Pairing in "Out of the Past"

Not enough chin-dimples.............P.S. The two tough guys teamed up 20 years later in a western; "The Way West".

The Most Critical Point in Human History?

That's a tough one but if I had to pick I'd probably go with when Homo Habilis, instead of running from fire as the other species did, not only approached it but managed and eventually created it on his own.............I mean, it's either that or Roger Daltrey's scream at the tail-end of "Won't get Fooled Again".

On the Fact that Ron Paul Has Been Slimed by Quite Literally Every Fucking Piece of Shit Rag from Salon.com to The American Spectator (Their Latest Hit-Piece Being an Absolute Joke and Laced with Historical Inaccuracies) - Quick Addendum - P.S.

And get this, folks. One of the examples that Mr. Long gave to underscore his point that George Washington was actually an internationalist and not an isolationist (this, despite the copious number of documents to the contrary) was the fact that the dude invaded Canada during the Revolutionary War. I mean, I know that these neocon schmucks aren't necessarily the sharpest tools in the shed and all but it doesn't take a Revolutionary War scholar to know that Canada was part of the British Empire and being that we were hellbent on liberating ourselves from said empire avoiding Canada wasn't really all that solid of an option ( that (and it wasn't as if Washington was trying to annex territory from the Brits). 

On Some Transgender by the Name of Zoe Tur Grabbing Conservative Pundit, Ben Shapiro, by the Neck (on the Dr. Drew Show) and Threatening to "Send Him Home in an Ambulance"

Can you even begin to imagine if a conservative had done this to a liberal? They'd have been banished FOREVER, and with just cause. But not a liberal! No, sir. They can get away with anything because they are bulletproof (sanctimony, faux outrage, and self-righteousness being their version of kevlar, apparently).............And what kind of an idiot thinks that ambulances take people to their homes (and not to the much more logical destination of the hospital)? Hello!!

On Ted Cruz Labeling Mitch "the Bitch" McConnell a Liar and Doing it on the Floor of the Senate

Gotta say that I agree with Ted on this one (McConnell saying that the Senate would look at tax reform after the 2014 election and nada as of yet).

On Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Quite Possibly the Dumbest and Most Partisan American Politician Ever) Being Asked by Chris Matthews (and a Week Later by Chuck Todd) What the Difference Between a Democrat and a Socialist Is and Her (After Initially Giving Chris a Blank Stare) Mouthing What Can Only Be Described as a Long Incoherent Talking-Point

It's gonna be interesting to hear what the "fair and balanced" folks (and, no, I'm not talking about Fox News) have to say about this one. Not much, would be my guess.

News from the Recruiting Battles

It's no secret to those who follow college football recruiting that Virginia Tech got off to a very slow start for the 2016 cycle but that appears to be changing. In just the past couple of weeks they've added two top 100 wide receivers; Divine Deablo (pictured above) and Phil Patterson, a standout outside linebacker and top 20 player out of Virginia; Tavante Beckett, and a talented offensive lineman out of Georgia with over 20 offers to his credit; Patrick Kearns. Not that these four players will necessarily get the Hokies into the top tier (in terms of recruiting) in the ACC (the fact that FSU, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina, Duke, and Louisville have all gotten off to such excellent starts) but it's a decent turnaround and in the wake of a three season run of going 22-17, Beamer and the fellows will take whatever good news that's available.

On How the Shit Went Down

a) A bunch of surface-thinking liberals and neoliberals take the South Carolina church shootings and idiotically extrapolate from them that there is this full-scale war on black people in which white racists/rednecks (wearing sheets and carrying the Confederate banner) are going around shooting them en masse. b) I point out that interracial violence is actually very rare but to the degree that it does exist, black on white violent crime is approximately 25 times more likely (per capita) to occur than the opposite (I also pointed out that research is advanced by examining aggregates and not by looking at anecdotes but that apparently went over their noggins, too). c) I get called a racist by these folks.......That's it, in a nutshell, people.

On People Who Get Co-Opted

Yeah, I find these folks just as dangerous as the true believers. I mean, what if they started hanging around with ISIS or some such shit? Would that start looking good to them as well?

On the Fact that We Have a Socialist (and a Not Particularly Bright One) Running for the Democratic Nomination for President and All that these Supposedly Fair and Balanced Bloggers Can Do Is to Focus on the Republican Buffoonery (Which Admittedly Is Knee-Deep)

They should just end the charade and be done with it. Fair and balanced, my ass.

On the Sliming of Dr. Willie Soon by Senator Sheldon "Not the Sharpest Tool in the Shed" Whitehouse

Yes, Mr. Whitehouse is correct in that a) some of the funding for Professor Soon's research has come from a fossil fuel company and b) Soon never disclosed this in his research. But (and as is frequently the case with politicians) he only gives us part of the narrative. a) Only about a third of the $1.2 million went to Soon. b) This was over a ten year period (so only about 40,000 bucks a year). c) It was the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics that actually received the money and it was them who doled it out to Soon. d) It was also the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics that agreed to the nondisclosure aspect of the deal and so Soon was just doing what his bosses wanted. e) The study that Soon had done as a result of this funding was solely about solar activity (http://www.scibull.com:8080/EN/abstract/abstract509579.shtml) and had nothing to do with fossil fuels. f) Another professor at Harvard, a dude named Joel Schwartz, pulled down $31 million dollars from the EPA, wrote a paper which lauded the EPA's decision to shut down coal-fired plants, and even corresponded (begging for more money, of course) with officials of the EPA WHILE HE WAS DOING HIS RESEARCH and crickets from Whitehouse. And f) a letter that was signed by 500 eminent scientists (including Freeman Dyson and Eugene Parker) eventually found its way to Harvard's President (who had also sold Soon down the river) and the message was clear in its support of Willie Soon (Senator Whitehouse, not so much)....................................................................................................Look, I get it. When you're losing an argument and you're losing it as badly as these statist alarmists are, it's human nature to take things down and dirty. But when a U.S. Senator and an esteemed institution such as Harvard do it, that's not something that anyone should take lightly and I'm consoled by the push-back - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THcYLqbArS8

The Rationale for Hillary's Candidacy?

Got one?......Anybody?

On the Fact that John D. Rockefeller a) Started His Career Working in a Small Wholesale Business Earning Less than $4 a Week, b) Through Hard Work, Vision, Tenacity, and Revolutionary Management, Eventually Presided Over One of the Most Successful Companies in Modern History, and c) Engaged in Some of the Most Staggering Levels of Philanthropy Imaginable

Yeah, what a horrible person. He should have gone into politics and passed a shitload of laws instead (laws that would have made it even more difficult for an individual to achieve success).