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I read this today: A fellow Army doctor who studied with Hasan, Val Finell, told ABC News, "We would frequently say he was a Muslim first and an American second. And that came out in just about everything he did at the University." If that's supposed to be an indication that this guy was trouble, what do we do with Christians who profess their citizenship to be in heaven, and not in America?Religious fundamentalists tend to be people who don't like or respect individual freedom. America is all about individual freedom. If you have a problem with individual freedom, then you can have your citizenship elsewhere, that's fine, but don't claim to be an American citizen. |
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A Vote for a Democrat is a Vote for Pelosi |
Now that Nancy pushed her national healthcare plan through the House of Representatives yesterday, people need to understand: a vote for any Democrat to take seat in Congress is a vote for Nancy Pelosi driving forward with her socialist agenda. So if you like the government being able to fine you for not having health insurance, then vote Democrat. If you think that's wrong, don't vote Democrat. It's that simple. Because the Democrats in the House of Representatives voted her into her position as Speaker of the House, the only way to remove her from that position is to give the Republicans control of the chamber. |
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Killing others in the name of any God or prophet or religion is wrong. It's a form of genocide, of ethnic cleansing. It's clear prejudice. It's not in self-defense. It's an open act of offense to purge the earth of people who suffer the great offense of believing differently than the murderer believes. Agreed? One of the greatest recorded acts of this kind of genocide deliberately sought after the men, women, and children and slaughtered every last one. And a well-recognized religion of peace has no problem with this. In fact, it celebrates the guy who did this. Numbers 31 in the Old Testament tells of Moses, giving the order to kill the Midianites. "Kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves." I don't know one Christian who is offended by that order from Moses. Not one.So it's okay when Moses did it - because God told him it was okay and Moses and God were tight like that. But Muslims? To listen to some people yesterday, they were about ready for internment camps over the incident at Ft. Hood. I've already stated my position: any act of killing in the name of God or a prophet or a religion is wrong. If what's written in the bible is true, then Moses was an murderous asshole - just like the guy at Ft. Hood. Christians like to forget that their god is "the Lord of Hosts." That used to mean something to people, but I'll bet that most folks don't know what that phrase means any more. It means: "The Lord of Armies." The Christian god is a military god, who according to the bible waged a bloody campaign against the Midianites by the hand of Moses and the Israelites. If you believe that the bible is the word of God, there you go. To a Christian, is that an atrocity? If it's not because your faith dictates that you must accept it as the will of God, then surely you understand how a Muslim can believe the Qur'an and its dictates - some of which can be interpreted to murder infidels. I mean, true believers act on their faith, right? "Well yeah, but that was different..." will be the reply of devout Christians. "Muslims don't know the one true God. God told Moses to do that. God didn't talk to Muhammad." Yes, of course. What a fundamental difference, to be sure. Christians come from a bloody faith and they justify, rather than repudiate, the despicable acts that spawned their faith because anything less would require them to either question their faith or to equate that element of their faith with the horrific religious fundamentalist acts done today. Just because it was done thousands of years ago doesn't make it any less wrong. It is the height of hypocrisy to allow yourself to accept a murder done in God's name in one instance and not allow someone else to accept murder done in God's name in another. Unless of course, you know, God tells you that it's okay. |
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 I like to remind people at times that the best way to help somebody might be to let them skin their knees.
Back during the summer, John McHugh - a little-known congressman from upstate New York - voted for the Democrat Cap and Trade bill. He was nominated and later sworn in to become Barack Obama's Secretary of the Army this past September. By becoming the Army Sec, he left a vacancy that had to be filled, and the Republicans of New York's 23rd District chose a tax-loving liberal in the person of Dede Scozzafava to be his replacement to represent the Republicans; at least until conservatives around the nation got wind of it. At this point in this election night, it appears that Constitution Party candidate Doug Hoffman, a quiet accountant who believes in freedom and limited government, will lose to Democrat Bill Owens, for whom the former "Republican" candidate, Ms. Scozzafava, stumped. I think the best outcome has happened, should Hoffman loses by a shred. Nancy Pelosi already has her majority; a win by Hoffman wouldn't erase her majority or substantially change anything. But what it will do is to demonstrate to the leaders of the Republican party that nominating RINO's is a loser strategy. If Hoffman wins, they narrowly miss skinning their knees. If Hoffman loses, their knees stay skinned for quite a while. They lost a seat that they didn't have to lose. The activists stay mad about it, and are therefore not complacent. And Newtie? His time is pretty much up within the ranks of the Republican party. It started out as a RINO district. I won't be surprised much if Democrat Owens wins. RINO's are, after all, Democrats wearing a Republican jersey. What's the difference? Since they voted one into office with McHugh, Owens isn't much of a stretch. In the event of a loss, the leaders of the Republican have to live with their unnecessary loss for a year before the next election. "Mom, I skinned my knee."
"Were you doing something you weren't supposed to?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, then don't do that and you won't get hurt." |
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Tamara and I woke up today and voted. It was a city council election. Only one candidate came to our house, a guy named Brian Rickert, who espouses lower property taxes. I bought a book not too long ago - Get Out the Vote - and it listed all of the methods politicians use to increase voter turnout. Long story short, the most effective method for getting out the vote is: the door-to-door visit. Mailers, robo-calling, TV campaign ads - all of these take a big backseat to the door-to-door campaign. The bigger the district, the more volunteers you need - because a politician can't physically visit every house. But volunteers can. The guy running against Rickert? Well, I never heard from him at all. I expect Rickert to win. As a matter of due diligence, I went out to the other guy's web site and checked him out. He too favors lower property taxes, but he tried to engage in some negative campaigning, I discovered. So Tamara and I gave the "A" for effort to Rickert, the guy who bothered to come to our door and traded a few email with me. Electioneering takes work, and a strong pool of volunteers. There are no shortcuts. |
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I read that Atlanta might elect a new mayor who describes herself as a "'purple' fiscal conservative." I like that description. That describes me pretty well. I strongly support gay marriage, I am devoutly capitalist, I believe in individual freedom and limited government, and I'm definitely a fiscal conservative. "Purple fiscal conservative" - that'll work. |
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When the Government Owns the Industry... |
The latest Fannie Mae delinquency chart:  Each column is a year, and that last column is 2009. Notice how stable it was for years. Mid-2007, it started to move upward in a serious way as all of those homes went under water for the super-risky products being offered. When I worked at Wells Fargo, I asked the verbotten question: "What happens if Fannie goes out of business?" I was laughed at. (Still laughing, Joe?) The problem with Fannie (and Freddie): there are no free-market alternatives. That's what happens when you kill the free-market. There is no mechanism for corrective action. And this failed government enterprise posing as a "business" just keeps expanding its book of business. So back when I worked as a strategy consultant to Wells Fargo, I urged them to begin to develop a private alternative to Fannie. I told them that they were no different than a one-crop farmer. No one took this seriously. Farmer, meet the corn worm. There are two ways out of this for banks: - Develop and invest in a free-market alternative.
- Let your kids pay all of this debt off when the government - i.e. taxpayers - just soaks all of this up.
I consider that latter to be hugely immoral, but I know that doesn't seem to bother some folks. |
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A couple of years ago (or so), I became a lender on Prosper.com, and here's how my four loans I helped to fund are performing.  Two are paid in full, and the other two are current, as you can see. The government, which shut it down to any participation outside of the state of California due to concerns about "risk," is full of ninnies. Viva freedom and self-determination. |
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I am reminded yet again of a project axiom: "Projects are never completed; you only find a temporarily interesting place to pause."
- Tom Wujec Wise words. |
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