Rational Review » RRND Commentary

My little pony

Mary Lou Seymour — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:50:07 +0000

“On the desk beside my keyboard lies an artifact that I have kept at my side for more than half of my life. We’ve been through a lot together. Both of us have undergone a lot of changes over the years, but both of us, deep down inside, remain essentially the same as we began. The object in question started its existence as a ‘Colt Super .38 Automatic,’ one of the first few — according to a letter I used to have from the company historian — manufactured by the Hartford armsmaker when they retooled to make civilian weapons again after World War II. I was born in 1946; the pistol and I are about the same age.” (05/11/08)

The Dallas Accord is dead

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:49:36 +0000

“At the LP Convention in Dallas, Texas in 1974, disagreement on whether police, courts, and large-scale defense ought to remain government functions or be provided on the free market threatened to derail hopes for libertarian anarchists and minarchists to work together. Apparently at the behest of members of the platform committee representing both viewpoints, an informal agreement was made that, for the purpose of developing the platform and party activities in general, the question of the ultimate legitimacy of government need not be settled. Since then, the Dallas Accord has frequently been cited to silence discussion of these issues, even internally.” (05/12/08)

Kubby 2008: Believing in liberty — another view

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:48:31 +0000

“I’ve got a secret that I want to share with you. Some of you may find it a startling revelation. Some of you may find it disappointing. Still others may read things into it that you shouldn’t. So I’ll have a little bit of explaining to do. But it’s been bothering me, and I need to tell someone, so here goes: I am not an anarchist. Really. I’m not. … Like Henry David Thoreau, I believe that ‘that government is best which governs least,’ but I don’t follow him down that road to its end — ‘that government is best which governs not at all.’ On the contrary, I believe that government can, and should, and MUST, exist, and that it should exist in the service of one very necessary function.” (05/09/08)

Virtually free

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:47:07 +0000

“Did the Lindens reject laissez faire as a failed experiment? Maybe. From the summer of 2007 to early 2008, the number of active users gradually plateaued at a population of about 550,000 — large, but nowhere near as large as tightly regulated virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft or Habbo Hotel, which boast millions of users. Complaining about the ugly casinos or sexual perverts they had to share Second Life with, many residents voted with their feet and left. The number of participants willing to buy virtual land from Linden Labs also dwindled. Offered a fully free society, the market plainly rejected it. So the Lindens went with a mixed economy.” (for publication 06/08)

The gorilla in the room

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:46:04 +0000

“There’s a famous experiment by Dan Simons and Christopher Chabris first carried out in 1999. The experiment involves a video of two teams passing basket balls back and forth. One team is dressed in black, the other team is dressed in white. The video lasts about two minutes, and the viewer is asked to count how many times the white team passes the ball. The teams are darting about, dodging in and out, circling and weaving, passing the balls between themselves. It’s hard to keep a track on the action, but you count the passes and confirm the result, which is then displayed on the screen at the end. After this you are asked to watch the film again, only this time you are told not to count the passes. It is only on the second viewing that you realise that in the midst of the action a man in a gorilla suit had walked determinedly across the basket ball court, stood still for a few seconds, beat his chest vigorously, and then walked off again.” (05/10/08)

The prime directive

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:10:48 +0000

“The Israeli failure to dislodge Hezbollah from its Lebanese fortress and subvert their growing political dominance — a direct result of the 2006 war — has Tel Aviv in a tizzy. The whole point of their ‘Clean Break’ strategy, the linchpin of the American neocons’ decade-long drive to embroil us in Iraq, has been compromised and even reversed by Hezbollah’s continuing defiance. Tel Aviv wants them taken out — by the U.S., which alone has the firepower to do it. This has been the real purpose of the ’surge’ all along — to prepare the ground for the final assault on Israel’s deadliest enemy in the region, which is Iran. This is why Israel’s lobby in the U.S. has made ratcheting-up tensions with Tehran their number-one priority, and clearly their relentless campaign is succeeding. Once again, the prime directive of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East stands revealed for all with eyes to see: it’s all about Israel.” (05/12/08)

Bob Barr lies about libertarians while funding Republicans

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:58:11 +0000

“A libertarian might be a federalist or might not be. But what a libertarian does say is that no government has the right to violate the rights of individuals. That includes the fifty states. Barr’s position is that the states do have that right. That is conservative, power-politics. That is statism. That is another form of the ‘divine right’ theory of political entities — be they the king or the legislature — to regulate the lives of people. Barr’s position is merely that he prefers to have a different level of government violating rights. The Libertarian view is that no level of government ought to violate rights. Barr’s view is not a variant of the libertarian view — it is the polar opposite of the libertarian view. Libertarians might argue over whether or not the state should exist at all. And they might argue over what form government should take if it did exist. But you can’t be a libertarian and say that government has the right to violate individual liberty and rights.” (05/10/08)

Choosing sides, part 3

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:56:23 +0000

“It is true that victims of this kind of cruelty, especially when they are children, cannot allow themselves to feel their justified rage and anger completely for too long. Such extreme emotions are terrifying to experience, to a degree that most adults have entirely forgotten and never understand. In the next few days, I will republish an essay of mine from several years ago that recounts how I relived certain of those emotions myself. You will see how frightening and disorienting the experience is. But there is another reason the victim cannot fully experience and give voice to his anger — and that is his certain knowledge, conveyed by parents, teachers, the government and everyone else in a position of authority, that displays of such emotions are not permitted. If you go ahead and reveal how angry you are in defiance of the prohibition, you will be severely punished for your transgression.” (05/10/08)

I am not afraid of radical Islam

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:43:07 +0000

“‘Radical Islam’ is not at war with America. It can’t be. Radical Islam has no command center. As a religion it has no pope or Vatican. Politically, it has no Berlin, Tokyo or Moscow from which to dispatch terrorists on missions of death. Can you name the last time a Muslim country conquered a non-Muslim country? If not, don’t feel bad. I can’t either. It has been centuries.” (05/12/08)

White voter trap

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:29:49 +0000

“Maybe I’m naive. Or maybe I think you have to have a little more proof before you claim someone’s a cynical race-baiter. Exhaustion and desperation seem a more likely explanation for Clinton’s dancing close to the white-vote land mine than more devilish motives. As Barack Obama has wisely said, we should give our exhausted candidates a break. (Of course, Clinton didn’t give him a quarter when he bungled his characterization of people who live in small towns.) As campaign veteran Joe Trippi explained to me months ago, the survival instinct that takes hold at the bitter end is not necessarily unique to the Clintons. After months and months of fighting, no one wants to give up. With no perspective or time for fear, you grab the weaponry at hand and keep fighting.” (05/09/08)

Race and the presidential election

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:27:55 +0000

“About 60 percent of whites voted for Clinton, as opposed to an astounding 90 percent of African-Americans pulling the lever for Obama. And working-class whites went even bigger for Clinton. No question there is a race divide. Accepting that, Obama has two basic problems in the race arena. First, militant blacks reinforce negativity on race issues, and these pinheads just keep popping up. In addition to Wright, Philadelphia preacher Derick Wilson wrote in the Philadelphia Daily News that Obama is a ‘house Negro’ for not supporting Wright. Of course, that is insane, and a responsible newspaper would not have printed the lunacy. But in this hyper-partisan country, race-baiters will find a forum, and every time stuff like that gets exposure, racial animus comes back. Obama’s second dilemma is convincing skeptical white voters that he and his wife are sympathetic to their concerns.” (05/10/02008)

Abundant source of biofuel … right under our feet!

Steve Trinward — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:08:46 +0000

“Much has been said and written about the siphoning off of feed grains from food production to produce ethanol for automobiles and other combustion engine equipped vehicles, creating shortages and raising prices for both fuel and food. I have a suggestion for another source of biofuel which would have no impact on food, and alleviate several other problems: Kudzu! Kudzu grows anywhere it is allowed to in the southern United States, and is a pest plant that has caused untold millions of damage to trees and other native plant life, fences and even barns and other farm structures. Kudzu is not a native species to America. … I would challenge our agricultural scientists to find a way to derive fuel for use in automobiles and other vehicles, just as they have from corn and other grains, from kudzu. The benefits would be multiple; it could be harvested by convict labor at minimum cost to the state, and then sold to the fuel companies at a profit, a new revenue source for our financially stressed state.” [editor’s note: Yeah, because slave labor to support government energy schemes is like, the American way, right? - TLK] (05/11/08)

Federal Reserve freakout

Steve Trinward — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:06:57 +0000

“The other day Ben Bernanke came as close as a chairman of the Federal Reserve will come to a public freakout. Call it a subdued, bankerly freakout. In a speech at Columbia University’s Business School he used the word ‘crisis’ as in ‘the foreclosure crisis.’ Fed chairmen do not generally use words like ‘crisis’; they use words such as vanilla, cream sauce, custard and tapioca. What’s got Bernanke scared is that ‘about one quarter of subprime adjustable-rate mortgages are currently 90 days or more delinquent or in foreclosure. Delinquency rates also have increased in the prime and near-prime segments of the mortgage market. … Foreclosure proceedings were initiated on some 1.5 million U.S. homes during 2007, up 53 percent from 2006, and the rate of foreclosure starts looks likely to be yet higher in 2008.” (05/09/08)

Is Obama another Dukakis?

Steve Trinward — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:04:05 +0000

“It is a thought that sends shivers down the backs of Democrats, a name that brings to mind memories of an election lost that might have been won, against a war hero once referred to in headlines as a ‘wimp’ who won not so much by his own strengths but because of the skill of his operatives in painting his lesser-known opponent as an out of touch ‘liberal’ who refused to salute the flag or admit his mistakes, not to mention his supposedly unpatriotic wife. Could Obama be another Dukakis? It isn’t just die-hard Clinton supporters who are pointing out the similarities. Even some Obama backers who believe that the nomination fight is over see the possible parallels, and are determined to avoid them, or at least try.” [editor’s note: If he is, it would just be a continuation of recent history: Mondale, Dukakis, Gore, Kerry … just like the GOP versions of “opposition ineptitude” (some of whom got elected anyway), so it’s a race for the bottom once again - SAT] (05/11/08)

Against the unity ticket

Steve Trinward — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:01:38 +0000

“I don’t have tremendously strong feelings on the vice-presidential pick. But the unity ticket stuff isn’t convincing to me. … Imagine President Obama, with VP Hillary Clinton and shadow-VP Bill Clinton, wants to pursue a legislative strategy that the Clintons think is a bad idea. How will they feel when Obama ignores their 8 years of White House experience and goes his own way? Will they be able to keep their sprawling universe of well-connected confidantes from leaking tales of their displeasure to the press? Will they want to? What happens when the first Time magazine cover comes out with Obama staring down the Clintons, and the tagline is, ‘Who’s Really Running the Country?’ It’s such an obvious story that it can be predicted, with almost perfect certainty, right now. Will he sideline them? Will it sow seeds of mistrust?” (05/09/08)

Big government responsible for high prices

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:00:42 +0000

“In the past few months, American workers, consumers, and businesses have experienced a sudden and dramatic rise in gasoline prices. In some parts of the country, gasoline costs as much as $4 per gallon. Some politicians claim that the way to reduce gas prices is by expanding the government’s power to regulate prices and control the supply of gasoline. For example, the House of Representatives has even passed legislation subjecting gas stations owners to criminal penalties if they charge more than a federal bureaucrat deems appropriate. Proponents of these measures must have forgotten the 1970s, when government controls on the oil industry resulted in gas lines and shortages. It was only after President Reagan lifted federal price controls that the gas lines disappeared.” (05/09/08)

Endless but revealing primaries

Steve Trinward — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:00:10 +0000

“The Democrats’ presidential contest resembles the movie Groundhog Day. You wake up the morning after each contest, and little has changed. One candidate’s up, the other down, while each retains the same supporters, and Barack Obama leads by a nose. Shouldn’t this be over by now? Polls show that a majority of voters –- of all stripes –- say the Democratic primary has gone on too long. Let’s call it a wrap! Yet the grinding contest has had its surprising and necessary benefits. Americans have now seen both candidates deal with adversity before one of them gets hit by the GOP machine. That wouldn’t have been possible had Hillary Clinton swept Super Tuesday back in February, or had Mr. Obama kept up his 11-straight victories. The longer the race has gone on, the clearer the picture of the candidates’ managerial styles and character became, though sadly, the discussion of important issues diminished.” [editor’s note: Sadly? Perhaps! Surpisingly? Hell, No! - SAT] (05/09/08)

For Palestians, mourning

Steve Trinward — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:58:27 +0000

“Coming to terms with one’s own history is often difficult. For a state this process is even harder. During this month the State of Israel celebrates its 60th year. For Palestinians, however, this is not a time of celebration but rather a period of mourning for their tragedy in 1948. On May 15, Jewish communities will hold many celebrations while Palestinian communities will be holding vigils just across the street. To this day these dual narratives have not been reconciled and this failure lies at the very foundation of the saddening conflict we have today. Walking through Israel today you can still see many signs that a different people once inhabited the land.” [editor’s note: Lest we forget that the Israeli “state” was forcibly carved out of an existing piece of geography, under the orders of the fading imperialists from Britain, who could no longer oversee it - SAT] [additional editor’s note: The British did everything in their power to destroy Israel at its birth, including hanging every proto-Israeli operative they could find and turning key locations over to Arab forces as they left Palestine - TLK] (05/11/08)

Power Q&A: Stewart Brand

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:53:46 +0000

“MJ: What’s it gonna take for renewable energy to go mainstream? SB: It already is: Wind is mainstream, hydro is mainstream — 16 percent of world electricity production in 2004. By the way the rest of the numbers, coal is 40 percent worldwide, oil is 7 percent and gas is 20 percent, so there’s your fossil fuels. Renewables are 2 percent, and if you include hydro as renewable then it’s a total of 18 percent. That’s more than nuclear and almost as much as gas. Here in California, there’s 16 percent nuclear, quite a lot of hydro, quite a lot of gas. Anyway, hydro is huge and is the great unnoticed because it has been there so quietly for so long.” (05/08)

Gloomy Republicans

Thomas L. Knapp — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:46:56 +0000

“The empirical evidence is well known. More than 80 percent of Americans believe the nation is heading in the wrong direction. Democrats have steadily maintained the 10 percentage point lead in voter preference they gained two years ago. And President Bush’s job performance rating is stuck in the low 30s, a level of unpopularity that weakens the Republican case for holding the White House in 2008. There’s another piece of polling data that is both intriguing and indicative. In a Wall Street Journal/NBC survey last month, John McCain fared better with Republican voters (84 percent to 8 percent) than Barack Obama did with Democrats (78 percent to 12 percent). McCain was also stronger than Obama among independent voters (46 percent to 35 percent). These are terrific numbers for McCain. But they aren’t enough.” (for publication 05/19/08)