America's real enemy is in the mirror

"The United States is a bit like a 375-pound, middle-aged man with a heart condition walking down a city street at night eating a Big Mac. He's sweating profusely because he's afraid he might get mugged. But the thing that's going to kill him is the burger." [link in original]

Ain't that the truth?

pot-shots

The Cranberries are back. I always liked them.

Everybody's a critic. And to po-mo art critics everyone (else) is a hypocrite too.  Ann Althouse has a piece on her blog somewhat critical of Seattle's The Stranger's art critic. My response to that was: "When I see Jenny Graves write articles like this about Maplethorpe or Basquiat then I'll know that the po-mo artsy fartsy critics are serious about their 'insights'. Until then she should piss off. When has art had to made by perfect human beings? Has it ever?" Not bloody likely.


Seth Casteel's images of dogs diving underwater to fetch balls are both terrifying and bewitching. Twenty pic photo blog slideshow.

Right-wing cultural warriors should grow some balls or else STFU. Today's example: John Derbyshire. Not that what Derb says isn't true, but I am shocked that he's shocked. When wasn't it like this? It's just that in the digital age it's so  much easier for people to vent, taunt, flaunt, tease, and otherwise show what irritating half-wits they are.


So why did the USSR break-up? One academic paper on the SSRN says, to paraphrase, "diversity equals disintegration for nation states".  I hope so myself.

Another reason nation-states need to die

Elites run state entities for their own benefit and justify it all to the sheep with cynical appeals to nationalism, patriotism, and economic mythology and fill in any holes in their story with out-right lies.

The people must be led! (Driven! Pushed! Forced!)

"The Left’s growing support for a soft authoritarianism", notes Fred Siegel and Joel Kotkin @ City Journal, "is reminiscent of the 1930s, when many on both right and left looked favorably at either Stalin’s Soviet experiment or its fascist and National Socialist rivals. Tom Friedman of the New York Times recently praised Chinese-style authoritarianism for advancing the green agenda."

Just to cite one example of the exasperation that the the ruling class has for the democratic process. There are many others as well, sadly.

"Provocation" is in the eye of the beholder

The PTB in Washington, D.C. truly have a serious empathy deficit. How would this shoe fit on their foot? To wit:

[A] "WSJ lead story about [the] Chinese developing a ballistic missile designed to fragment – like a cluster bomb – on the deck of a U.S. carrier and wipe out all aircraft and personnel.  Naturally, it’s unbelievably provocative to us [i.e., the US Navy], because in our world view, U.S. carriers get to come right up to the coast of any nation whenever we please, bringing all that magnificent power projection to bear." [Thomas P.M. Barnett @ BattleLand blog]

The nerve of those Chinese! How could these countries be so damn provocative?

Debt slavery and the modern state

"Since the Renaissance, however, bankers have shifted their political support to democracies. This did not reflect egalitarian or liberal political convictions as such, but rather a desire for better security for their loans. As James Steuart explained in 1767, royal borrowings remained private affairs rather than truly public debts. For a sovereign’s debts to become binding upon the entire nation, elected representatives had to enact the taxes to pay their interest charges."

Debt Slavery – Why It Destroyed Rome, Why It Will Destroy Us Unless It’s Stopped, by Michael Hudson, Counter-Punch]

Would the Army let itself be used against us?

Up until recently I would have said no, but today I'm not so sure. Neither are some others who have a better handle on this than I do. Starting a few decades ago the armed forces started becoming its own class that has different goals, values, and loyalties than the rest of the population. A bad omen to be sure.

Just so you peons know how it is

The basis for the state's existence defined in simple terms attributed to Gary Brecher AKA "the War Nerd".

The government makes us pay taxes and obey it's laws on the grounds that the state claims "... all the land, on the legal basis that if you objected they’d kill you.”

So there you are. Bet they didn't teach you that in high school civics class or in American Government 100 in college did they? For that insight you'd have to take a 400 level political philosophy class or maybe even go to graduate school.

America will be permanently at war. So get used to it.

"In previous decades, the military and the American public viewed war as an aberration and peace as the norm."  But not any more. (Greg Jaffe @Washington Post)

What imperialism, globalization, and neo-con leadership (from both parties) leads to. Endless war, endless casualties, billions of dollars wasted.

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Man shot by Pittsfield Township police last January commits suicide (Detroit Free Press)
Devin Reddick's short, troubled life ends at 30.

Built in the 1920s.

Historical society seeking to fix up crumbling Irish Hills landmarks (Jackson Citizen-Patriot/MLive)

"The original tower was built by the Michigan Observation Co. on half of a hilltop purchased from Edward Brighton. The 50-foot structure opened amid fanfare in 1924 when U.S. 12 was still a dirt road. Admission was five cents."

The towers are landmarks but it'll cost $300K to fix them up.

ACLU of Michigan takes up causes of those jailed because they can't pay fines (Detroit Free Press)
"Can't" or "don't want to" is the real question. But fines backed up by the threat of jail is the main cudgel that the state wields to bend people to its will. Without that club who keeps the lumpen in line? Just like people that are "judgement proof" are largely immune from private torts tend to become rather feckless what will be the likely consequences if they become "jail proof" too? 

Hillbilly Handfishin' reality TV show on Animal Planet (Huffington Post)
Also known as "noodling" the sport consists of getting into the water near the shore and shoving your arm into the mouth of a big (20-70 lbs.) catfish and wrestling it to the surface. Sounds like some big fun, eh? (Hat tip: Detroit Metro-Times)

America's secret wars in 120 different countries (Tom Dispatch)
Contra the advice of the founders nowadays America does go abroad looking for monsters to destroy.

Living your life: Chicago versus rural Indiana (David Masciotra@ Front Porch Republic)
"Big money and big power cast their shadows over every deal and cloak their silence over every interaction in Chicago. Step outside on the stoop for a cigarette, and the City is with you. Wait on a train platform, and the City is with you. Sit an hour in traffic, and the City is with you. Walk down the street of a gentrified neighborhood, and the City is directing you. Pull a receipt or paycheck out of your pocket and the City is there to take its sizable Per Diem."

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A review of Francis Fukuyama's new book  (Steve Sailor, American Conservative)
Diversity weakens not strengthens. You can't separate race and ethnicity from political organization no matter how you try.

The sheep leading the wolves; Nietzsche on the modern state (Michael Kleen, Alternative Right)
"Nietzsche saw socialism as the driving force behind the “perfect State” (der vollkommene Staat), or the State taken to its ultimate modern expression. With its striving for a comfortable life for the greatest possible number, Nietzsche imagined this State would choke the life out of the geniuses who had previously found themselves at the top of the social ladder."

Next year's Steve Jobs bio already a bestseller (Lance Whitney, Cnet)
"The upcoming authorized biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs won't be out until next March, but it's already a bestseller on Amazon thanks to a flurry of preorders."

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Sorry we can't find your car

Bronx, NY man arrested for "stealing" his own truck: After reading this story I'm speechless. The NYPD brass is truly going to have to scratch hard to explain this one. Sheesh. (Daily News)

The perils of empire: "In the decades since John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, foreign-policy experts have become Washington’s leading con men. Even though Wiz Kids and Dream Teams have dragged America into one bloodbath and debacle after another, politicians and the media still kowtow to the 'Best and Brightest.' ".  My feelings exactly. James Brovard  reviews Derek Leebaert’s Magic and Mayhem a book about the errors, omissions, hubris and magical thinking that are endemic amongst  American foreign policy establishment. (The American Conservative)

"The Art Of Halo Is Like A Postcard From The End Of The Universe": Actually no, it's more like pics from Iraq or Afghanistan only with more modern weaponry and tech. War porn for adolescents and immature adults. (Kotaku.com/)

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Truer words were never spoken, #1: “You can’t bloat a modest republic into a crapulent empire without sparking one hell of a centrifugal reaction.” Bill Kaufman @ FPR
How to save the next Generation: Getting rid of the Drug War - John McWhorter @ TNR
The birther issue comes up yet again: "If you ask me, this folderol of reincarnating the “Birther” issue by two prominent liberal Democrats just smacks of orchestrated political psy-ops." And why is that? Cui bono?

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Illegal use of steroids by police officers the next big "drug problem" to be targeted? - Aol News
I wish. But in any event basic fairness says that what's good for the sheep is good for the pig AFAIC. Let the drug warriors eat their own for a while and maybe they'll learn something about privacy, compassion and justice along the way. It could happen.
"Let's Not Save the Euro or, For That Matter, The European Union" - Martin Peretz TNR
Let the statist entity and its funny money die together.

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San Francisco struggles with vandalism against it's public art
Foreign entanglements 60 years on: Why are we still in Korea?
Saudis urged U.S. to insert tracking chips into prisoners prior to their release as is done with livestock:"An interesting idea, but unlike horses, prisoners have lawyers..."
Swiss people vote to deport foreigners convicted of felonies: This is controversial to some. Go figure?

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Glen Greenwald's hit-piece on a hit-piece in The Nation.
It has bothered me for a while that American progressives and their fellow travellers in Left-wing  America have completely abandoned the championing of liberty, privacy and autonomy. Unless of course it is for the sexually deviant or regarding abortion rights. On every other issue the progs want more government, less privacy, oppose self-determination and genuine little "d" participatory democracy.
 The Nation seems to think that that because I don't want TSA guards squeezing my or my family's gonads that I'm part of some vast Right-wing conspiracy funded by the Koch brothers. Mark Ames and Sasha Levine should've stayed in Russia. You'd think being censored and then booted from Russia for being critical of Putin and his ilk would have taught then a little more respect for civil liberties, the rule of law and some appreciation for personal liberty. Sadly, it seems that it didn't.

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Toronto election illustrates the problems of a megalopolis concocted by elites.
"Clearly this result shows that the concerns expressed by the opponents of amalgamation were largely valid. Amalgamation failed to create cost savings, and has created a dysfunctional megacity. Rather than having six municipalities where voters are focusing on solving local problems, we have one gigantic city with the core and the suburbs fighting for their share of the public purse. This leads to the schizophrenic policy decisions we see today." 

An analysis of the "pass-over syndrome" gripping self-hating white elites
"If a large-scale Day of Racial Reckoning ever comes, Passover Syndrome sufferers will find that when it comes to hating whites, nonwhites truly don’t discriminate. Rather than the sweet scent of compassion, those with the disorder emit the rancid smell of fear. If a real race war were ever to pop off in America, they’d be the first to perish.
The only mystery is which side would kill them first."

Somali-born naturalized American citizen arrested in car bomb plot in Portland.

Serbian-born California man arrested for running an explosives factory in his suburban LA home.

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Police and firemen are a necessary evil at best.
"Apparently," says libertarian journalist Steve Greenhut, "Americans are desperate for heroes, even ones who only occasionally act heroically and who are paid handsome sums for their heroism ($100,000 retirements at age 50, three-day work weeks, paid while sleeping, salaries with overtime that often top $200,000). There's not much sacrifice going on here. But perhaps the more the public sees the response, or non-response, to fires in places such as Roseville, the less apt they might be to continue with this silly hero worship."

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The NY Review of Books has an interesting article about Somali pirates operating in the horn of Africa area. Jeffrey Gittleman who wrote the piece has a POV that consists of conventional statist apologetics (e.g. "if they just had a proper government here, it would all be better!") and which sucks, but it is an interesting profile of the pirates themselves. It made me ponder how Detroit would be if it were an ocean port city.

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The new war between the states - New Geography (Joel Kotkin)
The US is rapidly devolving into several different entities. IMO this is a good thing; all the statist politicians don't. Fuck 'em.

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The faith of the statists never dies - Businessweek

If we just have the perfect system then things will be fine. But they never are, are they?

Modern Life Is A Fraud - Lewrockwell.com (David Galland)

"What if the modern version of society is really nothing more than a sleight of hand designed to fool the masses into becoming little more than government mules, allowed their simple pleasures in exchange for providing the muscle and the money needed to feed the beast?"

The trans-human age is nearly upon us - Slashdot.org/

A new set of vat grown rat lungs have been successfully transplanted