I'm all for free-market capitalism...

...but this is just fucking insane.

Latest news

Star was let out of the hospital today.

Mom's still in the hospital, and she's going stir crazy.

Update

Wednesday, my sister was taken to the hospital to because she wasn't doing well at all. Turns out she's contracted pneumonia, which is a bad thing to have while undergoing chemotherapy. Add to this the fact that Star has cancer in her lungs, and you end up with a recipe for a serious medical problem. She was admitted to the hospital there in Abilene about the same time that my dad, my sister's boyfriend, Mister Priapus and I were leaving Houston.

When we got to Abilene on early Thursday morning, my mother asked me to take a look at a sore on her back. The "sore" turned out to be a massive staph-infected boil from which greyish-green puss was draining freely. It took both me and my sister-in-law (who's a nurse) to convince her that she needed to see a doctor right then instead of waiting for her next scheduled doctor's appointment.

We took her to the doctor, who drained the boil as best he could, then packed it with gauze to help draw out the infection. He also prescribed some antibiotics to help fight the infection. When we took her back on Saturday for a follow up, the doctor was not satisfied with her improvement, and admitted her to the hospital. Currently, she's in the same ward as my sister.

That's pretty much how my Thanksgiving holiday went.

15:30...15:31...15:32...

What if a socialist propaganda tool and unapologetic attention whore had a book signing, and nobody showed up?

And we're off

As soon as Mister Priapus gets off work, he and I are headed out of town to visit my sister, who's staying with my brother and his family. As this will probably be the last Thanksgiving I'll have with my sister, I intend to make the most of it.

We should be back in Houston sometime on Sunday, though I'm taking my laptop, so I might be able to make a post between now and then.

I'm also taking a computer I built primarily for my brother and his family, though Star will probably make more use of it than they will. And, yes, I'm gearing up for my newly reprised role of "Family Tech Support Representative."

Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy

This is an abstract for a soon-to-be published article examining the dangers of an overbearing bureaucracy.

Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy

This Essay examines what the Harry Potter series (and particularly the most recent book, The Half-Blood Prince) tells us about government and bureaucracy. There are two short answers. The first is that Rowling presents a government (The Ministry of Magic) that is 100% bureaucracy. There is no discernable executive or legislative branch, and no elections. There is a modified judicial function, but it appears to be completely dominated by the bureaucracy, and certainly does not serve as an independent check on governmental excess.

Second, government is controlled by and for the benefit of the self-interested bureaucrat. The most cold-blooded public choice theorist could not present a bleaker portrait of a government captured by special interests and motivated solely by a desire to increase bureaucratic power and influence. Consider this partial list of government activities: a) torturing children for lying; b) utilizing a prison designed and staffed specifically to suck all life and hope out of the inmates; c) placing citizens in that prison without a hearing; d) allows the death penalty without a trial; e) allowing the powerful, rich or famous to control policy and practice; f) selective prosecution (the powerful go unpunished and the unpopular face trumped-up charges); g) conducting criminal trials without independent defense counsel; h) using truth serum to force confessions; i) maintaining constant surveillance over all citizens; j) allowing no elections whatsoever and no democratic lawmaking process; k) controlling the press.

This partial list of activities brings home just how bleak Rowling's portrait of government is. The critique is even more devastating because the governmental actors and actions in the book look and feel so authentic and familiar. Cornelius Fudge, the original Minister of Magic, perfectly fits our notion of a bumbling politician just trying to hang onto his job. Delores Umbridge is the classic small-minded bureaucrat who only cares about rules, discipline, and her own power. Rufus Scrimgeour is a George Bush-like war leader, inspiring confidence through his steely resolve. The Ministry itself is made up of various sub-ministries with goofy names (e.g., The Goblin Liaison Office or the Ludicrous Patents Office) enforcing silly sounding regulations (e.g., The Decree for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans or The Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery). These descriptions of government jibe with our own sarcastic views of bureaucracy and bureaucrats: bureaucrats tend to be amusing characters that propagate and enforce laws of limited utility with unwieldy names. When you combine the light-hearted satire with the above list of government activities, however, Rowling's critique of government becomes substantially darker and more powerful.

Furthermore, Rowling eliminates many of the progressive defenses of bureaucracy. The most obvious omission is the elimination of the democratic defense. The first line of attack against public choice theory is always that bureaucrats must answer to elected officials, who must in turn answer to the voters. Rowling eliminates this defense by presenting a wholly unelected government.

A second line of defense is the public-minded bureaucrat. Some theorists argue that the public choice critique ignores what government officials are really like. They are not greedy, self-interested budget-maximizers. Instead, they are decent and publicly oriented. Rowling parries this defense by her presentation of successful bureaucrats (who clearly fit the public choice model) and unsuccessful bureaucrats. Harry's best friend's Dad, Arthur Weasley is a well-meaning government employee. He is described as stuck in a dead end job, in the least respected part of the government, in the worst office in the building. In Rowling's world governmental virtue is disrespected and punished.

Lastly, Rowling even eliminates the free press as a check on government power. The wizarding newspaper, The Daily Prophet, is depicted as a puppet to the whims of Ministry of Magic. I end the piece with some speculation about how Rowling came to her bleak vision of government, and the greater societal effects it might have. Speculating about the effects of Rowling's portrait of government is obviously dangerous, but it seems likely that we will see a continuing uptick in distrust of government and libertarianism as the Harry Potter generation reaches adulthood.

Let's look at this last sentence again:

Speculating about the effects of Rowling's portrait of government is obviously dangerous, but it seems likely that we will see a continuing uptick in distrust of government and libertarianism as the Harry Potter generation reaches adulthood.

Like that's a bad thing...? People should distrust the government.

Why?

The answer is extremely simple: if the public gets too comfortable (read: "complacent") with the government, then the government begins to run the people, as opposed to the people running the government. Every time the people aren't watching, the government gives itself more power.

FEC rules that bloggers are journalists

Read the ruling here.

Score a small one for the First Amendment.

Of course, this wouldn't even be an issue if the USSC had struck down the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Anti-Free Speech Act as unconstitutional.

Country(?) Music Awards

Tonight is the Country Music Association Awards in New York. The list of performers include:

Dierks Bentley
Big & Rich
Bon Jovi
Kenny Chesney
Sara Evans
Rascal Flatts
Faith Hill and others

As the old Sesame Street song goes: "One of these things is not like the others." Can anyone find it?

"African-Americans" rioting in France

Hat tip: Newsbusters via Michelle Malkin.

More PC silliness run amok: check the video from CNN.

Update on Star

As most of you know, my sister had been seeing this new doctor who'd reportedly the best oncologist in the region where she's staying. This new doctor is known to be very aggressive in his treatment style. He's also been reluctant to use the word "terminal" to describe Star's condition.

As of today, he's no longer reluctant to use that word. He's been holding back to see how Star reacted to her chemo treatments. Well, she's reacting, but no where near as well as he had initially expected. He's admitted that he can slow down the spread of the cancer but he cannot stop it.

According to his estimates, if she continues to respond as she has been, Star has about two years. If she stops reacting to the treatment - something the doctor admits is highly possible - then the time is measurable in months.

QotD

"The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself."

Sir Richard Francis Burton

Has Dubya finally found his balls?

Or is this just a fluke?

Hat tip: Malkin.

"While it is perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs. They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein.

They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his
development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. Many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his
position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: 'When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security.' That's why more than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate, who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power.

"The stakes in the global War on Terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges. These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who send them to war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our Nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory."

Envirophobia

Coward Party strikes out again

So it looks like the GOP has adopted the French method of dealing with Democrats - by surrendering unconditionally.

House GOP Leaders Scuttle Budget-Cut Vote

Nov 10, 7:07 PM (ET)
By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Republican leaders scuttled a vote Thursday on a $51 billion budget-cut package in the face of a revolt by moderate lawmakers over cuts to Medicaid, food stamp and student loan programs.

The episode marked a setback for Republicans on Capitol Hill. They had hoped to use the budget debate to burnish their deficit-cutting credentials with the public and their core political supporters, many of whom are disappointed with their party's performance on spending.

The decision by GOP leaders came despite a big concession to moderates Wednesday, when the leaders dropped provisions to open the Arctic National Refuge to oil and gas exploration, as well as a plan letting states lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

But moderates countered that the spending cuts in the House budget plan were a separate issue from Arctic drilling. The cuts were too severe, moderates argued, especially when compared with a significantly milder Senate budget plan that passed last week.

Democrats mounted a furious attack on the GOP budget plan for its cuts to social programs and pounded home the message that the overall GOP plan would increase the deficit when coupled with a subsequent tax cut bill.

"The Republican Congress is about to slash more than $50 billion from investments in our children's future in health care and education," said Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the campaign arm for House Democrats. "And yet, because of Republican priorities, they are going to actually add $20 billion to our budget deficit. ... Only in a Republican Congress."

Republican leaders said the postponement of the vote was simply a modest setback and that the budget effort would get back on track next week.

Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt said it was a "disappointing deadline to miss," but said the leadership was short a "handful" of votes and faced uncertainty about absenteeism as lawmakers looked ahead to a long Veterans Day weekend.

Read the rest here.

Lessons

Pat Robertson is trying to teach us unwashed heathens how to be real Christians. You know, by doing things like praying for people to get cancer and die - sorta like he did for a former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.

Pat Robertson Tells Dover Residents They Rejected God

POSTED: 2:59 pm EST November 10, 2005
UPDATED: 4:31 pm EST November 10, 2005

DOVER, Pa. -- Pat Robertson had a special message for residents of Dover, Pa., today after voters there elected to boot the current school board, which instituted an intelligent design policy that led to a federal trial.

Robertson made the comment after Lee Webb of CBN News delivered a report on how residents in Dover voted in eight new Democratic board members, replacing all eight current members who had voted for a policy that required students in ninth-grade biology classes to hear a statement on intelligent design before hearing lessons on evolution. Webb then asked Robertson what he thought about the vote.

Here was Robertson's response.

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected him from your city. And don't wonder why he hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for his help because he might not be there."

The new school board members have said that they are not against intelligent design, but that they just don't want it taught in science class.

Intelligent design backers have consistently argued that the teaching is purely scientific and has nothing to do with religion.

Speaking of cowards, revisited

Michelle Malkin, as usual, is all over this.

Here and here.

It also turns out that the "Main Street Republicans" repsonsible for this act of cowardice are funded by none other than George Soros.

Someone please explain to me why Republicans are any more worthy of my vote than Democrats. I've said for years that there's not a lick of difference between the two parties. This is yet further proof of that belief.

"A fool and his money...."

Would you pay $23.8million for this?

It's so much easier when they don't fight back

This is why I support Pink Pistols.

Posted on Tue, Nov. 08, 2005

Man charged with killing alleged attacker in gay-bashing

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - A 21-year-old man was charged with stabbing to death one of four teenagers who allegedly attacked him near his home, a fight his parents said erupted because their son is gay.

Lucas Dawson was walking from his home in the city's East Mount Airy neighborhood on Oct. 29 to catch a bus downtown, where he intended to meet with friends to discuss his audition for "American Idol" the day before.

The aspiring singer crossed the street to avoid the four teens, but they rushed him, said his stepfather, David Dawson.

"One of them punched him in the mouth," David Dawson told the Philadelphia Daily News for a story Tuesday. "They knocked him to the ground. They kicked him. They stomped him. They called him faggot."

Lucas Dawson pulled out a small pocket knife and waved it at the teens to push them back, David Dawson said. He then ran but was grabbed by Gerald Knight, 17, who was fatally stabbed in the chest in the ensuing struggle, his stepfather said.

"Because somebody died, I can understand he might have to do some jail time," David Dawson said. "But at the same time, let the truth be told about what really happened."

Knight's family declined to comment.

Lucas Dawson, who is charged with voluntary manslaughter, has remained in prison because his family could not raise the $30,000 for his bail. He could face a maximum of 30 years in prison if he is convicted.

His mother, Lisa Dawson, said she fears for her son's safety even if he is acquitted of the charges because the other three teens threatened him.

Lucas Dawson told his family he was gay nearly four years ago.

"That's always been my biggest fear," his mother said. "That someone would attack him just because he is gay."

The day before the attack, Lucas Dawson, who works as a clerical temp, had performed in front of the "American Idol" judges, his family said. He was cut after the third round.

"He and Randy (Jackson) got into a little argument over something," his mother said. "But it was all just show business."

Update

11/10/05, 10:05am

Charges tossed out by judge.

Speaking of cowards....

The Coward Party has caved in (yet again) to Democratic pressure and has dropped the plan to allow drilling in ANWR.

House Drops Arctic Drilling From Bill
By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer
Thu Nov 10, 2:50 AM ET

WASHINGTON - A solid phalanx of Republican moderates drove House GOP leaders to drop a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wilderness area to oil drilling as a sweeping budget bill headed toward a vote Thursday.

A plan to allow states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts was also axed.

Still, passage of the broader plan cutting $54 billion from federal benefit programs through the end of the decade remains a challenge, even after the provision permitting oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was dropped.

The Senate has included ANWR drilling in its budget bill and GOP leaders are likely to push hard for the final House-Senate version of the bill to include it.

Many of the same moderates opposed to the drilling plan remain opposed to the bill's provisions curbing Medicaid's growth, tightening eligibility for food stamps and cutting student loan subsidies.

"I have to represent my district," said Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill., who represents farmers opposed to cuts in commodity payments as well as the University of Illinois campus, which is upset about cuts to student loans. "At this point, I am very, very skeptical."

The overall bill is a top Republican priority. The Senate last week passed a milder version of the bill to curb the automatic growth of federal spending by $35 billion through the end of the decade.

The House plan cuts more deeply across a broader range of social services, though Republican leaders say the effects will be modest to programs like the Medicaid health system for the poor and disabled. It will still grow much faster than inflation even after beneficiaries face increased copayments and the likely loss of some benefits.

"We are not cutting Medicaid for those truly in need," said Rep. David Dreier (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif.

Top Republicans such as Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, and Majority Leader Roy Blunt, R-Mo., worked into the night Wednesday refining the bill in an attempt to bring uneasy lawmakers on board. Florida Republicans were especially active, helping kill the offshore drilling plan and loosening proposed restrictions on food stamp benefits for legal immigrants.

The decision on the Arctic refuge was a big setback for those who have tried for years to open a coastal strip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, to oil development. It was a victory for environmentalists, who have lobbied hard against drilling. President Bush has made drilling in the Alaska refuge one of his top energy priorities.

The House Rules Committee formalized the change late Wednesday by issuing the terms of the debate when the House takes up the budget package Thursday.

The decision to drop the ANWR drilling language came after GOP moderates said they would oppose the budget if that language remained.

Protection of the Alaska refuge from oil companies has been championed by environmentalists for years. The House repeatedly has approved drilling in the refuge as part of broad energy legislation, only to see the effort blocked each time by the threat of a filibuster in the Senate.

The budget bill is immune from filibuster, but drilling proponents suddenly found it hard to get the measure accepted by a majority of the House. That's because Democrats oppose the overall budget bill, giving House GOP opponents of drilling in the Arctic enough leverage to have the matter killed.

Twenty-five Republicans, led by Rep. Charles Bass (news, bio, voting record) of New Hampshire, signed a letter asking GOP leaders to strike the Alaskan drilling provision from the broader $54 billion budget cut bill.

The moderates knew they had leverage, given the narrow margin of GOP control of the House. It only takes 14 Republican defections to scuttle a bill, assuming every Democrat opposes it.

Still, removing the Arctic oil drilling provision may incite a backlash from lawmakers who strongly favor it, which is a big majority of Republicans. House and Senate GOP leaders are likely to push hard for the final House-Senate version of the bill to include it.

Marnie Funk, a spokeswoman for Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said Domenici considers the Senate-approved ANWR provision "one of the most critical components" in the budget package.

The food stamps change was the only concession to lawmakers upset with a spate of cuts to social programs. GOP leaders bowed to pressure from Cuban-American lawmakers from the Miami area to loosen new restrictions on food stamps benefits for legal immigrants.

Immigrants who are disabled, over the age of 60 or applying for citizenship would be exempt from proposed rules extending the waiting period for food stamp eligibility from five to seven years.

Redefining political parties

Every night, between the time I lay down in bed and the time I actually fall asleep, my brain literally becomes a storm of activity. Tonight, after dosing myself up on anti-imflammatory medications and while I was futilely trying to find the least painful position in which to sleep, the usual random thoughts danced around in my brain.

One of the thoughts that seemed to stick was the concept of redefining existing words or concepts. My idle brain then began to find new ways to apply this line of thought.

Here are some of the ideas that played out in my brain in regards to redefining political parties based on their current platforms.

Democratic party redefined:

• National Socialist Democratic Abortion Party (symbol: a swastika made from aborted fetuses)


• National Marxist Party (symbol: red star)


• Dred Scott Party (symbol: a burning cross)


• Cookoo Party (symbol: a straightjacket)

Republican party redefined:

• Christian Socialist Party (symbol: cross and sickle)


• Coward Party (symbol: either a giant chicken or a cat with a yellow stripe down its back)


• Theocratic Party (symbol: American flag, with crosses in the place of stars)


• Democratic Party (symbol: a great big jackass)

Update on Star

My brother PJ had to take Star to the doctor today as she developed a high fever and a nose bleed that wouldn't stop. They're saying that she might have to be admitted to the hospital again for overnight observation.

PJ will call me later once he has more details.

---

11/9/05, 4:35pm

Just got off the phone with PJ. The doctor is pushing IV antibiotics for an infection, and she's going to be admitted to the hospital for further observation.

France Surrenders

Read it here.

Prop 2 passed

Not that anyone is surprised. The anti-freedom zealots teamed up with their old pals in the KKK. The result was a foregone conclusion.

Proving the lie

Today is election day, and Texas Republicans are going to the polls to vote on Prop. 2, the constitutional amendment regarding same sex marriage. This is yet more proof for the lie that Republicans stand for a smaller, less-intrusive government.

Like their alleged political opponents, Democrats, Republicans fail to see the hypocrisy in advocating smaller, less-intrusive government while, at the same time, voting to give the State the power to interfere in personal relationships between two consenting adults.

It's obvious, now more than ever, that the late Ronald Reagan's mantra "keep the government poor and live free" is no longer part of the Republican party's ideology.

Pondering

I was pondering the possibility of riots occuring in the US on the scale in which they're occurring in France. So far, the riots in France have been going on for 11 days now, and have expanded to 300 towns.

As I was pondering the possibility, the following words echoed in my brain:

A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The primary reasons these riots have had such longevity is that the French people do not have the inherent right to self-defense. Well, actually, they do, but it's been taken away from them by their government.

Case in point, in 1991, there were riots in Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict. Angry people rioted, destroying homes, shops, cars, etc. The places left untouched by the rioters were the ones where the owners camped out on the roofs of their homes/shops/etc. with their firearms. Places that were not similarly protected were looted, smashed, or gutted with fire.

Despite the screed of the Brady Bunch and the other bedwetting gun grabbers, the right to keep and bear arms has proven time and again to be an effective tool in defense of life and property, and firearms have proven to be the most effective tool used in exercising that right.

I doubt France will realize this any time soon.

Chirac fiddles while France burns

Let's round up all the latest news regarding France. In case you haven't been paying attention, France is currently experiencing it's 11th day of muslims rioting in the streets. Oh, and to no one's surprise, the majority of the MSM is mum about this being the obvious result of France's uncontrolled immigration and appeasement policies.

Rioting Spreads to 300 Towns in France

Paris police fear rioters' heavy arms

French riots worsen; beaten man dies in hospital

Newsweek asks Will the riots swell the ranks of jihadists in Europe?

Reactions to Malkin's new book

Tuesday, I blogged about Michelle Malkin's new book, Unhinged, being released. Lo and behold, liberals are determined to prove her point. Check out the reviews on Amazon.

Democrats: the party of free speech

Riiiight.

Here's the House roll call of Representatives who voted on the measure to exclude blogs from government regulations.

Notice that less than one-quarter of Democrats voted to uphold the concept of free speech on the internet.

Spin it any way you want, liberals; the numbers tell the real truth.

Hat Tip: GayPatriot.

Family Picture

From left to right: My brother PJ, his stepson Willie, Star, Me.

To see how far we've fallen....

Hat tip: Robbie at The Malcontent has given us something to think about.

Racial and political rhetoric has gone from this:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

to this:

Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.

With this in mind, it's easy to see why the efforts of Bill Cosby and Carl Eller are demonized for wanting to improve black society in America.

in edit

Malkin has more.

QotD

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks."

- Thomas Jefferson

Don't steal bread in Iran

The consequences are painful.

Where is the outrage in the TSM (Terrorist Supporting Media)?

Where is the UN Human Rights Committee?

Where are all the other professionally-offended "human rights" bozos?

Oh, yeah. This didn't happen in the US or Abu Ghraib, so it's a non-issue.

Update

Apparently, this wasn't a form of punishment. In fact, it was far worse. This is the Islamic equivalent of a Benny Hinn "sermon" where the man with the microphone was trying to use the power of his faith to spare the young boy from serious harm.

Another new book released today

The New American Revolution.
by Tammy Bruce.

Michelle Malkin's new book launches today

Here's her blog post about it. Read and laugh. Or shake your head at the rampant stupidity.