The Written Peace:
Open Forum of March 4, 2006
Suffer a brief note of promotion. Voting for the Koufax Awards is now open. The Dark Wraith Forums has been nominated in the following categories:
◊ The Ancient Future
◊ La'ana-hum Allah
◊ Fire and Seeds
◊ An Open Letter to Bill O'Reilly
◊ I Am Become Battle, How White Be My Tears
◊ The 21st Century Opus 1 ◊ Opus 2 ◊ Opus 3 ◊ Opus 4
Vote. And suffer no compunction to vote for articles from The Dark Wraith Forums. The point is that the character of the outcomes in all categories will be shaped by how many people express their preferences. The more people who vote, the more likely the results will reflect the genuine assessments of blog readers as a whole.
Moving on, The Dark Wraith Forums extends a welcome to commenter Jenny of donkey o.d., Night Bird's Fountain, and The Divided States of bu$hmeriKa, the latter two blogs also being homes variously to Barbi, Cyn_NY, Eli Blake, Chuck, Karen, and Lizzy, these people comprising as they do quite a community of bloggers, perhaps with more potential to be influential in the months to come than even they know. Time will tell.
From that same general sphere of bloggers—a region of Blogosphere Left 2.0 with which I am still becoming familiar—comes Lily Branford of Lose the Noose and Consider the Boot. Welcomes also go out to Steven Perez (SAP) of Thoughts from an Empty Head and to karen m. of Evil Mommy (whose daughter had a birthday just recently), as well as to Texas Shiva at Hole in the Bucket, A. Citizen of Devourmag, Dark Daughta of One Tenacious Mama, and CorrespondAnt. Finally, welcome back to Luther, Lymond, and elf all of whom had sort of vanished for a while, as had Gary A. (although at least we knew where to find him should a rescue mission have been required).
And as an addendum to the original version of this post, I call your attention to a Weblog I found through a comment at BlondeSense: the blog is called Romance Novel Review. Actually, the full title in the relevant site meta-tag is Romance Novel Review — Smart Bitches: Come for the Dominican Bitches, Stay for the Man Titty. (And with God as my witness, yes, I do feel weird even so much as typing that.) Aside from generally impressing me with bloggers and commenters possessing good grammar skills, those fine people are currently on a campaign to bring the word napoli into the American English lexicon. For those of you unfamiliar with the history of this brand-spanking new word, it has its origin in the South Dakota state senator Bill Napoli, who set forth the conditions under which he believes an exemption to South Dakota's abortion ban could be justified. For the definition of this newest word for America of the 21st Century, go to Romance Novel Review and see the drama of language evolution as it proceeds before your very eyes.
Now for some red meat. Allow your host to offer a tiny snippet of conspiracy theory with a side of possible truth. Here's the story: apparently, the Dubai Port World deal has an interesting background not yet in the public spotlight. The story goes that a senior Democratic Senator is snooping around because he or she believes that the whole arrangement is connected in some way to the Iran-contra network from the Reagan Administration. The way the story goes, George Bush, Sr., was involved in Iran-contra, as was Junior, but neither of them got burned. Neither did John D. Negroponte, who at the time oversaw as ambassador to The Honduras all of the United States interests in the brutal Central American savagery of the death squads and contra forces funded by the U.S. to stop the spread of Communism in the region. Negroponte was appointed by George W. Bush as Ambassador to Iraq and now serves as the Director of National Intelligence. At the end of February, in testimony before a Senate subcommittee he assured Senators that the Dubai Port World takeover of the management of some U.S. ports was "low risk." So what's the evidence that someone in the Senate is trying to pry open a can that could cause a lot of shrapnel to fly out? There isn't much right now: Al Martin, one of the best conspiracy theorists around—although a man given to what some would argue is an anti-Israel bent that borders on anti-Semitism—claims he was "interviewed" by a retired FBI agent who now works for a private security agency. The fellow initially represented himself to Martin as merely looking into matters involving a private lawsuit nipping at Martin's heels. The private investigator subsequently disclosed that he was actually working for someone in the Senate who thinks there's a connection between the DP World deal and nonsense going all the way back to the 1980s. The part about this that lends a smidgeon of believability is that, contrary to Al Martin's usual style of claiming to know everything about everything, this time he glibly represents to be at a loss about how the plot works. That's disturbing: when a good conspiracy theorist is at a loss for words, something might really be brewing.
So in the weeks and months ahead, don't be surprised if a great big meat pounder is brought out that connects President Bush and his '80s-era cronies to his 21st Century deal with DP World. On the other hand, don't be surprised if nothing comes of it. Even if there really is a connection, and even if that connection smells to High Heaven, this is the new world where even the most shocking abuses of power matter not one bit.
Speak your peace here. The espresso bar is open all night, and we've just waxed the floors for those of you who favor break-dancing over the foxtrot, although we ask that everyone clear the dance floor for a moment of respectful silence before we play the new hit single from the Republican National Committee, I've Got th' Low-Down, Polls-Down Mid-term Congressional Elections Blues, sung by Howard Dean, with Bill "The Boss" Clinton on sax, John "Outdoor Hearings Don't Get Me Down" Conyers on bass, and Joe "The Chin" Lieberman on empty jug.
The Dark Wraith turns on the disco ball light.
Published 3/04/2006 10:09:00 PM
<< 66 Comments Total
Good Evening, Dark Wraith.
I'm glad you put those links to the Koufax voting. I missed a couple, earlier, when I was punching in my votes. I hope there are no hanging chads.
Yes, Old White Lady, I probably should have suggested that people hit the keys on their keyboards extra firmly when they type in their votes.
The Dark Wraith doesn't want some recount dispute about hanging chads going to the Supreme Court.
Good Evening Dark Wraith,
Ever have the desire to emit death rays through the computer at a particularly obnoxious idiot to hasten said idiot's destined Darwin Award?
There are a few people out there who are fabulously lucky that I do not have such a talent. Yet.
I think I shall pass on the espresso...time for bed for me. I hope you are having a nice evening.
Good evening, Misty.
Yes, I am forever vexed by my inability to perfect my thought magic. Lord knows, I've worked long and hard on my Death by Wedgie spell, but it's still not in the zone of acceptable destructive effect.
I must say, however, that I've made strides. In class, I don't have to even consciously conjure my spells. One student told me that I have a "look" every once in a great while that "scares the crap out of everyone."
I like that.
Here's what I know about this whole subject. The first rule of warfare is never to assume your opponent's intentions, but to consider only his capabilities. That rule is used by many people, whether or not they know it. The corollary in action, then, is to ensure that you have given your enemies sufficient evidence of what you can do that the occasion is exceedingly rare when they would desire to confirm their worst fears.
This applies to a powerful nation as much as it applies to blogging and teaching.
The neo-conservatives don't understand this. Fortunately, most trolls do.
The Dark Wraith does appreciate the peace and quiet here at The Dark Wraith Forums.
"The first rule of warfare is never to assume your opponent's intentions, but to consider only his capabilities. That rule is used by many people, whether or not they know it. The corollary in action, then, is to ensure that you have given your enemies sufficient evidence of what you can do that the occasion is exceedingly rare when they would desire to confirm their worst fears.
"This applies to a powerful nation as much as it applies to blogging and teaching." -- Dark Wraith
Upon reading the above, I was reminded of the following description of John "A Beautiful Mind" Nash's game theory by Laura Knight-Jadczyk in her group of essays "Adventures with Cassiopaea", in which she investigates psychopathic states of mind:
"At RAND, Nash devised a model of negotiation between two parties whose interests neither coincide nor are exactly opposed. It is a classic example of what we see taking place in our world today:
Stage One: Each player chooses a threat and says "this is what I'll be forced to do if our demands are incompatible and we can't make a deal."
Stage Two: The players inform each other of the threats.
Stage Three: Each player chooses a demand that he thinks is worth agreeing for. If the deal doesn't guarantee him that, at least, no deal.
Stage: Four: If the deal is made (under threat, mind you), both players get what they want. If not, the threats must be executed. This means, don't threaten what you really can't deliver, and always deliver what you threaten.
Nash showed that each player has an "optimal threat," or the threat that ensures the deal no matter what the other player chooses.
"Again, do we see this style of play in operation today? Either in terms of politics, or in terms of the relations between government and the people?"
The passage above can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/blo7a and from that link the entire work, involving 36 chapters, is available.
Excellent, Peter of Lone Tree.
Now, here's an example of this staging. It is useful because it focuses analysis on whether or not a situation is moving toward this "quasi-Nash equilibrium."
Stage One:
► What credible threat can Iran make to the United States?
► What credible threat can the United States make to the Iran?
Stage Two:
► Has Iran conveyed its threat to the United States?
► Has the United States conveyed its threat to Iran?
Stage Three:
► What is the minimum acceptable deal that Iran wants?
► What is the minimum acceptable deal that the United States wants?
Stage Four:
► As opposed to prosecuting its threat, has Iran attempted to reach an agreement for its minimum acceptable terms?
► As opposed to prosecuting its threat, has the United States attempted to reach an agreement for its minimum acceptable terms?
Let's take it one step further, although "further" isn't the right term, since the issue here has to do with consequences of an enforced threat.
Issue Alpha (worst-case analysis):
► What is the maximum damage Iran can credibly exact upon the United States?
► What is the maximum damage the United States can credibly exact upon Iran?
Issue Beta (the "mini-max" principle):
► Under a maximum-damage scenario, what would Iran do to minimize its loss?
► Under a maximum-damage scenario, what would the United States do to minimize its loss?
Finally, then, the question is such:
Given that each country would pursue its respective path that would minimize the maximum damage if a deal could not be reached, do BOTH countries (not just one) have sufficient incentive to make a deal that would ensure that each receives its minimum acceptable terms?
The Dark Wraith loves game theory but does not necessarily like its virtually inevitable results.
Afternoon DW,
I'm picturing Maxine Waters and Barbara Boxer as backup with Hackett playin a mean mouth harp and Leahy drivin on percussion.
And when I see ol patriot Ollie opening his blasphemous mouth I will know the connection to Contra can never be proved!
Good Late Afternoon, Dark One
I'm just here to listen.
That will be me over there in the corner, chain smoking. I've gone ahead and helped myself to a cup of coffe black. I hope that was okay.
Will the band be taking requests? If so, I'd enjoy hearing Nate King Cole's, Tenderly.
I promise to be quite as a mouse.
Oh, Lordie, Missouri Mule.
Nat King Cole.
Unforgettable. That's what he was.
The Dark Wraith wishes he had an album of that man's music right now.
Good evening, elf.
I was sort of thinking about Ralph Reid on keyboard and Ted Kennedy on drums.
I'd rather have Boxer belting out the tunes because, if she doesn't, Hillary Clinton's going to grab the mike and try to raise money for her non-run for the Presidency in 2008.
That could get ugly if John Kerry takes the mike away from her and starts singing his version of Trust Me Once Again.
That would get Obama started with his happy rendition of Coming to America, and then the audience would get hateful (seeing as how we're talking about a bunch of whipped and brutalized Democrats), and that would make Obama, Kerry, and Clinton all try to do a crowd-pleaser rendition of Rawhide, which would get really strange when the bullwhip started cracking, which would trigger a Pavlovian response in Bill Clinton as he thought it was time to interview a new intern.
It just degenerates from there, elf; and I think the question we all have to ask ourselves is, "Do we really want the world to see us without all the phony pretenses of being Republicans-Lite?"
The Dark Wraith thinks not.
I request that Joe LIEberman be kicked out of the band...
Thanks...
Rough crowd tonight.
That Party already has enough troubles without giving such prominence to a Repub. wannabe like Lieberman.
Nat King Cole.
Unforgettable. That's what he was.
THAT'S for sure!!
- oddjob
Sorry, I'm voting for the Christmas Wraith (any relation?).
Oh...wait a minute....it's Darth Wraith that I'm voting for.
Never mind.
I just thought you should know.
Welcome to The Dark Wraith Forums, Wadena!
Okay, and if there were a category for techno-geeks, I suppose I could ask people to vote for the Dork Wraith.
And if one of my rants about neo-conservatism went overboard, I suppose I could garner a vote or two as the Dark Wrath.
Okay, I've pushed it enough.
The Dark Wraith should have let Wadena's original pun go.
"Your host asks only that commenters carefully consider the consequences of getting the Dark Wraith started on a long-winded rant about something like negative externalities or the history of the English language"
Truth be told, I would like to see more conversation about the french roots of the english language...just out of curiosity and a fascination with tidbits of completely useless information.
Good Afternoon Dark Wraith,
I request that Joe LIEberman be kicked out of the band...
Hey, I'm doin' the best I can...
Anyone wanting to contribute to that cause can go here
I found this link and I immediately thought you might be interested in a discussion or some of these readers might entertain this person. Since I am horribly under educated to answer his question I thought I would post the link for you and your readers.
here is a snippet...
http://acyu.org/2006/03/04/a-question-for-keynes/#comments
Or is it correct to assert that Keynesian economics is merely an experiment in the ineffectiveness of government allocation of resources, specifically in this instance financial capital?
Good afternoon, Donviti.
That question is not a question. The person posing it is not interested in scholarly discussion since his implicit assumption is so far from the reality of the Keynesian era as to be science fiction, although science fiction writers could better craft an alternate universe.
That question is somewhat similar to something like, "So, do you beat your dog on the weekends, too?"
A professor I know in another state told me that, in one of his introductory science class, a young man who was a Creationist zealot posed a question he thought was some kind of "trap" for his professor. My colleague responded to the not-so-innocent question by saying something to the effect, "Son, congratulations. In the thirty years I've been teaching, I have never before been asked such a stupid question."
The young man filed some kind of complaint against the professor. Fortunately, the administrators of this particular school, which is in no need of coddling stupidity, took the student into a conference room and gave him the academic equivalent of what a seal pup would experience when a pod of killer whales takes it out to open water to playfully toss it around before tearing it to shreds to share as a meal.
No child left behind? I think at least one was.
The Dark Wraith does admire a strong academic stance.
"Son, congratulations. In the thirty years I've been teaching, I have never before been asked such a stupid question."
Chutzpah! Me likey!
- oddjob
don't be surprised if a great big meat pounder is brought out that connects President Bush and his '80s-era cronies to his 21st Century deal with DP World. On the other hand, don't be surprised if nothing comes of it.
It's pretty sad that he and his crew have managed to bring the US down so far... and very maddening that there is little done about it. I think we are no longer shocked, or surprised, just languishing in wonderment of what can be done. Our representatives don't represent us, they are either in fear of the admin, hands tied, or have plans to enrich themselves off the taxpaying public. It's all rather depressing.
Good morning, Dark Wraith.
I believe unnecessary affliction occurs due to a conflict of terms.
Some poor dopes would believe that this "consent of the governed" thing applies to them, seeing themselves as rightful citizens of a sovereign nation; while in reality, the consenting governed are the MNCs that pour out millions to achieve their ends.
In economic terms, I believe that makes the MNCs "vested" citizenry, regardless of any discernable penchant to opt for the 3-piece.
Which would give the above-mentioned poor dopes a position roughly analogous to unlanded freemen, would it not?
DW,
Thanks. I wanted to report to you that your lessons have done some good and I was able to comprehend his question but it was so puzzling to me. Your answer regarding the question reinforces that I actually do have a clue.
After the recent discussion of the S&P 500 during Bush's appointment, a revisit to the stock chart for BUSHCO is warranted.
A good example of the a trend in motion stays in motion concept.
Talk about awards
their Oscar coverage was great
Ahh, Good Evening, DW!
Nice, an open forum. Although I'm a little tardy to the party, I'd like your, and other commenter, thoughts on something that's been more and more on my mind lately.
But first, let me call your attention to the fact that it's "Lymond" and not Lyman. If you've never read Dorothy Dunnett's "Lymond Chronicles," well, consider yourself introduced. I'm in the throes (yes, real throes) of finishing the 5th of the 6 vol. series. I identify with Francis Crawford of Lymond, Master of Culter because he is a fictional character after my heart. To wit, he's been described, thusly: "He is Francis Crawford of Lymond, a scapegrace nobleman of crooked felicities and murderous talents, possessed of a scholar’s erudition and a tongue as wicked as a rapier. Hunted by friend and enemy alike."
I'm not a reader of historical fiction, but this series is one where you stop and re-read passages in total awe. I'm told her Niccolo series is even better.
But, I digress...
I'm someone who participated as much as a young parent could during the Vietnam War protests. Living in the Boston area, working as a systems engineer in a large company that had lots of defense contracts, I, nonetheless, actively participated in the moratorium, marches in Boston, Cambridge, DC and NYC, took a lot of abuse from fellow workers and supervisors for shoulder-length hair, McGovern buttons, etc., etc.
By all that I'm trying to make the point that I am concerned that until we, who want this country and our government back, take to the streets in VERY LARGE numbers, all the blogging and snarking and a lot of the mental masturbation I see going on will not only be for naught, but will continue to be snickered at by the those in all 3 branches of gov't., the press, and the backroom corporate powerbrokers who own them both. (Imagine, all that in 1 sentence...I might even be John Kerry! HAH). I am a big proponent of blogs, etc., but believe that a lot of bloggers/commenters don't understand that it is only part of the trip.
We certainly don't seem to be able to depend on the Congress or the press, both of whom were moved to action by the "action" in the late 60's & early 70's. And, I'm seriously mistrustful of the ballot, or should I say the electronic voting machine (we still use paper ballots here in my small nook of NH).
I'm concerned that things are a little too cushy since the draft is not a factor these days. Most people don't have that impact in their lives to in a way force them to have a more active concern about what's happening to their country (where the war is only a small part of the devastation under way, but it gets things started).
Anyway, thought I'd use the opportunity to express the point.
[And if anyone is moved to try the Lymond Chronicles, I'll just forwarn you, bull through the first one. It's a bit turgid, but worth it!]
A good example of the a trend in motion stays in motion concept.
How interesting that over time the slope of the approval curve is virtually the same pre- and post 9/11.
- oddjob
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The numbers behind the lies - You would have thought the Wraith wrote this.
Economist John Williams says ‘real’ unemployment and inflation numbers -- figured the old-fashioned way -- may be two or three times what the government admits. Here’s why, and what it means for Social Security.
Good evening, Mr. Goat. I am truly grateful that you brought that article to my attention.
You and the other regulars here know that just about everything that economist is saying is what I've been howling about for a long time (and even for considerably longer than I've been publishing articles here).
It heartens me that something approaching a mainstream media outlet is beginning to recognize this systematic data manipulation outrage.
Of course, if the mainstream media were to have read the articles and comments here at The Dark Wraith Forums, they would quite some time ago have heard the phone ringing from Clueville.
The Dark Wraith cannot help but grouse just a little.
Good evening, Lymond.
A few days ago, Shakespeare's Sister set forth in a post some provocative ideas about Middle America voters, one consideration of which was that there is a broad, if not overwhelming, swath of voters in this country who are not at all concerned about the blood-boiling issues that propel us in this part of the Blogosphere. In her view, these voters really don't care even about the glaring incompetence of this Administration: what to us are Bush's failures, in a real and palpable sense are essentially a single non-issue to most people.
The very core of why we hate this man, his cronies, and their sick ways is irrelevant to Red-State America.
Her essay set me to thinking: as much as those typical Americans miss the point of what's so wrong, we miss the point, too. These people cannot be enlightened—at least certainly not by "information," which is our stock and trade. We consume it, we process it, we construct complex, forward-looking conclusions from it, we relate it to historical facts and patterns, and we draw from this process a deeply disturbing picture of the growing, irreversible damage being done to our personal and civic lives.
And in so doing, we have no effect.
I must conflate this troubling epiphany with something that was brought into sharp focus for me somewhat recently. I had taken some measure of excitement in the growing problems for the corrupt cabal in the State of Ohio, where Governor Bob Taft is now roundly dismissed as a political entity for the future. And although Ken Blackwell still has a politically powerful base of support, because of his unavoidable connections to the state's Republican Party, he too has suffered political damage that might very well for at least a few years diminish his prospects.
The idea of the Democrats again taking control of the government of the state is not far-fetched, and it seemed to me that this meant the institutionalized voting fraud in the state would finally come to full light, and justice would ultimately be served upon the Republicans who had corrupted the voting system and thereby created something frighteningly close to a theocratic/corporate state government.
It was therefore with a quite literal sense of shock that several weeks ago, over a period of only a few days, a small group of people with considerable access to the inner workings of Ohio government and politics more or less bitch-slapped me into a rude awakening.
You see, Lymond, I was made to understand in no uncertain terms and quite clearly that the Democratic power brokers in Ohio were in on the election fix in 2004. At first, I thought what I was being shown was the biggest, phoniest piece of crap I'd ever seen; but once I got over my preconceptions, I could come to no other conclusion than that what I was seeing was, indeed, pretty solid evidence—coming at least within a stone's throw of clear and compelling—that this was no Republicans-only subversion of democratic process.
Late last week, I brought this whole matter up to one of my favorite and well-connected national conspiracy theorists. I thought I had some candy I could trade for something. He was sorely unimpressed.
You see, Lymond, he thought I was smart enough to have already figured out why the Democratic National Committee wanted Hackett out of the U.S. Senate primary race.
At least I'm a little smarter now than I was a couple of weeks ago.
I am not yet altogether sure I'm glad for that: a few weeks ago, I would have joined a march of 10 or 10 million against this Administration. Today, I'm pretty sure than neither I nor 10 million would materially change the trajectory of this Century.
The task that lies in front of me now is to change my opinion not about what the 10 million can or cannot do, but instead to right my belief in what I can do.
This is the new challenge that faces the Dark Wraith.
Well, DW, I've read that response twice through now and had prepared a lengthy reply. But, really, all I'll say is that it wasn't surprising, and it did amplify that hollow feeling that's been creeping in for a several years now.
I mourn for the idea that so many gave so much for, especially the founders who, if they have emotions, must be absolutely livid at what has happened here.
"The price of apathy towards government is to be ruled by evil men."
~Plato
"The task that lies in front of me now is to change my opinion not about what the 10 million can or cannot do, but instead to right my belief in what I can do." -- DW
I had the opinion once that only economic ruin for a large portion of the population would awaken people to the need for change. However, 10 million (or however many) starving, homeless people seek only food and shelter--not political philosophy.
Someone once said, "People vote with their wallets". To that I would add, "People without wallets don't vote".
Good Afternoon Dark Wraith.
I have been unable to visit for awhile so forgive me if I am behind the times. For several months now I have been totally consumed with Iran-Contra and believe that it has everything to do with what is going on today not just the ports deal. Many of the same crooks and liars are in greater positions of power today that it boggles the mind. Cheney shielded H.W. Bush then and is now in H.W.'s position. There are so many different threads to follow and it gets very confusing but I can't stop, I have been possessed. It all started with that picture of Porter Goss, Barry Seal,Felix Rodriguez and the Operation 40 gang taken in Mexico City. What do the current CIA Director, a dead CIA drug-runner, and a CIA bagman have in common? Assassination, drugs, money laundering? Whatever it is it can't be good.
Linda Tripp was at one time Richard Secords personal secretary?
I don't remember reading that during blowjobgate. Sorry for rambling on, it really does get me going but I don't know where, yet.
Good afternoon Dark Wraith,
Really, even when we DO take to the streets in numbers that should make them sit up and take notice, it's not reported on, so, it didn't really happen, y'know..
and the whole black Caucus debacle, that has not to this day been fixed, should have made the majority of the country sit up and speak out for justice! Yet, because it was considered a non-event to the media, that didn't happen, either (at least until MM put it in his movie).
"...because it was considered a non-event to the media, that didn't happen, either (at least until MM put it in his movie)." -- SB Gypsy
Mikey has a website at
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
for those interested.
Good evening Dark Wraith,
You see, Lymond, I was made to understand in no uncertain terms and quite clearly that the Democratic power brokers in Ohio were in on the election fix in 2004.
Pray tell, do you have links? Enquiring minds -- at least this one -- would like to know more.
Good evening, Charlie.
Start with this February 28, 2006, primer at the Columbus Free Press. It was written just a short time ago. The author, Bob Fitrakis, is carefully pulling his punches about the involvement of certain heavy Democrats in the game, something that is not being done by others on the Left in Ohio. One of the main hooks in the sites of the rabble-rousers is an emergent state political figure named Mary Jo Kilroy, who—as early as the late 1990s—was moving toward the Right, essentially pioneering a political survival and flourishment strategy now employed by U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton. She is not the only Democrat being accused by Ohio grassroots organizers, but they seem to be focusing on her, and they seem convinced that it is only a matter of time before the larger voice at the Free Press stops pulling its punches.
Some of the people either associated with or peripheral to this site are the ones also involved in the Ohio grassroots meet-ups, where they are opening up their guns rather bluntly about what they think is some kind of "betrayal" that explains why the fraud was so obvious, but nothing was done about it.
As far as national conspiracy theorists go, they're not really too interested in this stuff, at least not in and of itself. For the most part, things like this are old news to them: there are no longer two parties in the United States. Instead, there's a powerful coalition that's trading power back and forth, with a bunch of irrelevant little howlers in the wings crying foul. To most conspiracy theorists, the so-called "national debate" is just so much juice for the masses, and it amounts to nothing—not at the local level, not at the national level, and not (at least to some extent) at the global level.
If a politician gets too much power without being "with the program (consciously or just by nature)," he or she will eventually not be available for interviews, most likely because he'll be dead or otherwise too busy to answer his phone.
All of that pretty fluffy stuff I've written above having been said, I am considering offering an invitation to one of the fairly level-headed of those grassroots Ohio organizers to lay out his case against the Democrats right here at The Dark Wraith Forums. If I do so, I must admonish him that he must give it his best shot: if it's nothing but rumor and innuendo, it will come off to the sharp people who read this blog as crap. To the extent that it's better than mere rumor and innuendo, he'll get some degree of receptivity from the readers here.
What have I got? I got nuthin', Charlie; and that's a good thing: otherwise, I'd sound like some kind of conspiracy theorist.
And the Dark Wraith would never want to be labeled a conspiracy theorist.
Good morning, Dark Wraith. Your latest quote really took the cake:
South Dakota State Senator Bill Napoli believes an exemption to the state's ban on abortion could be justified for for a girl who was "...brutally raped, savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her virginity until she was married." With this in mind, South Dakota could also craft an exemption to the ban on murder, provided the victim was "...brutally kicked in the ass, killed. He was a state senator. He was a Right-wing whacko. He was planning on living long enough for someone to think he actually had a brain."
So, he thinks that a raped woman must be 1) virgin 2) religious, 3) saving herself until marriage, 4) brutally savaged, before she should qualify for an abortion. I would hazard the bet, that if his wife ended up pregnant from a rape (from someone else) he would want her to have an abortion. That stupid F#*&@*#@(&#@(&@#!!
I'm sorry, Dark Wraith.
Regarding my comment above, I changed my mind. That rat bastard wouldn't have his wife get an abortion, should she become impregnated thru rape. He'd probably make her carry it, then divorce her cause she had sexual relations with another man! G*&*)$%$#@@$#!^&!!
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
- George Orwell (Animal Farm)
And now, for something completely different:
legitimately good news.
Germany's not a particularly sunny country. If they can devote enough effort to solar to make them the number one market for it in the world, surely we can top that, even in the Northeast.
- oddjob
Or the northwest. Seems like it should be a no brainer, but there seem to be many barriers to innovation when it comes to new construction or remodel.
Education or experience of the construction companies (or lack thereof) is a key issue from my personal experience. For example, ask ten builders around the country what their view are relative to installing on demand (or tankless) hot water heaters or radiant floor heat systems (I now have both).
Both are proven technologies that are more energy efficient and are common elsewhere in the world. They are slow to take off in the US though. Why? Because many builders don't have the experience with them and they would rather stick with the standard hot water heater that costs less to install up front, or because they believe the myth that the tankless system doesn't produce enough hot water for a typical household.
If these types of experience/educational barriers could come down faster we would see more demand and more innovation for energy efficiency.
Another example (like "QWERTY") of why a completely free market doesn't always produce nirvana?
- oddjob
Zippy weighs in on the NSA.
- oddjob
heh heh ...with double cheese.
Good evening, Dark Wraith.
I see that Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is currently featured in your advertisments section. A brilliantly funny novel, better even than some of the Discworld installments.
Do you choose what book shows up there, or do Barnes and Noble? I'n guessing you do, based on the fact that the ones I've noticed seem to be works that that would meet with the Wraith stamp of approval.
Good evening, Mr. Shakes.
I do indeed choose my own books and CDs from Barnes & Noble. I find it interesting (but perhaps not surprising) that you would be entirely familiar with Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I was hoping those names would spark some interest in my current offering.
As far as the CD is concerned, I chose Celtic Woman expecting it to generate at least some interest, but it's been quite a disappointment from a marketing standpoint. My own tastes don't always align well with those of the audience, here, although I remain convinced that my general strategy of choosing things that appeal to me will be more successful than choosing things that Barnes & Noble suggests.
I suppose I'm violating that rule to some extent with A&E, right now: the series 24 has a seriously strong fan club, so I allowed myself to be convinced that it would be a better campaign right now than some of the alternatives, which included DVDs of previous seasons of the series Family Plots and Dog, both of which have such narrow fan clubs as to be shots in the dark on a blog like mine. I keep hoping The History Channel will give me some good stuff to offer, but the pickings have been slim from that side of the A&E/The History Channel duo.
Anyway, you are as astute as ever. Those books are my own selections; and you may note that I spare my readers any offerings from such arcane subjects as mathematical economics, theoretical finance, econometrics, and even the history of the English language.
Over the past month, I've been looking at economics textbooks for the next year academic year, and I ran across one co-authored by none other than our new Fed Chairman. I honestly didn't know he'd written a principles textbook. (It turns out that he's co-authored more than one... yeesh!) I now wish I had remained ignorant of this little factoid. The breathless hype of the publisher's rep notwithstanding, the textbook was pedantic to the point of tedious, and it wasn't what I would consider a college-level offering, other than maybe for a survey course for students who needed only some kind of filler class.
I kind of hope Bernanke's knowledge of economics is greater than what was on display in that textbook, but what bothers me is that recent public statements he has made genuinely leave me with the impression that he really, honestly doesn't have a substantially deeper understanding than what was on display in that book. I genuinely hope to God the man is just trying to blow smoke up the butts of media and political types; if he genuinely believes what he's saying, we're in some serious trouble with respect to financial market stability over the next couple of years.
I'm not taking any chances, though, Mr. Shakes. I'm not going to feature Bernanke's textbook over in the sidebar.
The last thing I want is for someone to think I endorse dull, pendantic writing and equally dull, pedantic Fed Chairmen.
The Dark Wraith will not be featuring any book of the wit and wisdom of Alan Greenspan, either.
[That's for DARNED sure.]
Good evening, Mr. Goat.
Years ago, I lived in a rooming house that was built around the turn of the century. In the basement was one of the most amazing tankless water heaters I have ever seen. I believe this particular unit was installed in the early 1930s, and it was still working perfectly in the early 1980s.
Its simplicity was elegant. Whenever a hot water spigot anywhere in the three-story structure was turned on, the resulting water flow would pass through a thick, coiled, iron pipe that sat right over a giant gas burner. The water flow would trigger the burner to fire, so the pipe would get glowing hot within seconds. The water moving through the coil would then get super heated as it ran through on its way to wherever the spigot was on. I can tell you that the water coming out was so hot it would nearly take your skin off. As soon as the spigot was turned off, the burner would shut down.
Even though many people lived in that giant house, no one ever had a cold shower, and the water was so hot that no one ever needed to boil water for tea.
Since I lived in a tiny little room in the basement, many were the times I would wander over to that hot water heater and just marvel at its effectiveness and sheer simplicity of design.
Some years later, I had an opportunity to see another rather elegant technology. My brother lived in a huge house that was built before the Civil War. In the attic were five enormous copper vats with pipes and mechanical arrangements all around them. I didn't quite understand the purpose of the whole arrangement until an old plumbing man who was there one day while I was visiting explained it all to me. The mechanical devices were like gravity-assist pumps that would bring water up from a well and into those vats. Because this whole assemblage was in the attic where it was always very warm, the water would get very warm in those vats. Hence, the residents of the house would always have nice, warm water for baths and other needs.
But the really cool part of that technology revealed itself only when the house was finally destroyed by a fire. No, the water wasn't just getting warmed by being in the attic. As it turned out, the pipes that delivered the water to the downstairs were all passing though the wall behind the fireplace in the main living room! In other words, in the Winter, when people want water hotter than they want it in the Summer, the water was getting heated to very high temperature by the roaring fire in the fireplace. In the Summer, when water doesn't need to be as hot to be satisfying, the fireplace wasn't running, so the water wasn't getting as hot by going through that piping behind the fireplace.
Now, both of those technologies were ingenious, cool, and downright efficient.
And both of those technologies simply disappeared from homebuilding.
Interesting, isn't it?
The Dark Wraith sometimes wonders how far forward we have to go before we step back to find what we need.
Interesting bit of history there Mr. Wraith, thank you for sharing. So many ways of transferring or storing heat, yet so few used.
You, and other readers, may find this article of interest Why Data Mining Won't Stop Terror. The article makes several good points, but the really interesting gem is the PDF file linked in the article - GAO's report on data mining efforts by the feds. Take a look at the planned mining systems for the IRS for example (page 52). Pretty soon a person won't be able find a penny on the street without having the IRS know all about it.
The question to me out of all of this data mining is who is mining the miners?
This, of course, leads to the unavoidable conditional challenge as such:
If the miners mine the mine,
and in mining the mine, they necessarily mind the mine they mine,
who then minds the miners as they mindlessly mine the mine and also mind the mine they mindlessly mine?
The Dark Wraith is just wondering.
PoLT presents a bouquet of yarrow to the Wraith for being yare and declares, "You're to be complimented for your tales of yore".
Mein government?
------------
Strange events this morning. Your blog loaded without a stitch of of the sidebar stuff; no quote, no links, no ads, no nothing. Even after refreshing. Sure was quick though. The NSA must be pissed about the data mining stuff.
Good morning, Dark Wraith.
Your comments about Bernanke put me in mind of a subject that I’ve been thinking about a great deal lately: humans, lemmings and the bizarrely similar natures of these two seemingly different species. Every few generations, humans from every corner of the globe, and of every creed, color and culture become inexplicably fixated on doing everything they can to cull their own number. Old ideas, the ones that have proved their inefficacy beyond any reasonable doubt on countless occasions are resurrected, and new life is breathed into them with the words “it’ll be different this time.” The drums of war begin to beat, as the ancient tribal passions reassert themselves in the hearts of civilized men, and superstition, ignorance and fear rule the day. Then, finally, on the eve of Armageddon, the Fed Chairman announces that he can give the markets guidance about what they should expect to happen regarding the rate of inflation.
But seriously, what’s the deal with Humanity? Why does this suicidal pathology assert itself on a racial level with such inevitable regularity? From the Romans who said, “Hey, I know, let’s put the army in charge of everything!” to the jubilant crowds that gathered outside Buckingham Palace and the Reichstag in 1914, through to the various brands of ideological fundamentalism that are tearing our world apart today, we seem doomed to continually repeat this cycle of destruction and rebirth. Whatever the cause of this phenomenon, its worst aspect, at least from the perspective of those of us cursed enough to live in such interesting times, is the unstoppable momentum that these cycles possess. And for reasonable people, it is especially infuriating to be overwhelmed by the all-powerful brute stupidity wielded by the masses during these periods of change.
It was a manifestation of this frustration that I think you were expressing when you said:
The task that lies in front of me now is to change my opinion not about what the 10 million can or cannot do, but instead to right my belief in what I can do.
Inspired as it is, by the prospect of inevitable defeat, this question becomes very interesting, since it is a shadow of the quandary that we all face: how do we live meaningful lives knowing that death is inevitable and that nothing we do ultimately matters? I think the way in which we have chosen to answer this bigger question is a good indicator of how we’ll address the first.
By the way, if you ever have the time, I’d be very interested to hear your opinion of Kondratieff waves.
Okay, I'm going to go drink another gallon of coffee, now.
Good Afternoon Dark Wraith,
Why does this suicidal pathology assert itself on a racial level with such inevitable regularity?
Every time we see an improvement in production of food, we see a corresponding jump in population. When the population becomes unsustainable (as it is today) brilliant politicians decide that it's easier to kill a whole bunch of peons than it would be to raise the standard of living of the masses to the point where they are able to afford distractions other than sex and violence. It doesn't go unremarked that the latter option leaves less stuff available, in the short run, for the oligarchy.
how do we live meaningful lives knowing that death is inevitable and that nothing we do ultimately matters?
Never say never.... you just don't always know the impact you have on others. Your words and actions may take some time to come to fruition.
dark wraith,
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...leaving poetry in the ear...
Good morning, Mr Wraith.
Water pre-heaters, known as HRUs or ECUs, are becoming common in certain areas. These loop the water line around the liquid line for the AC unit (usually a heat pump) to pre-heat water before going to the tank.
Passive solar floor tiles combined with geothermal loops is becoming more common for area heating.
Sometimes expense is still a factor, as is the case with the 100' vertical bore geothermal heat pumps. Very efficient though.
Interesting bit of history there Mr. Wraith, thank you for sharing. So many ways of transferring or storing heat, yet so few used.
And that is my impression of what really happens in a free market. Whether it's actually the "best" choice or not depending on the priorities of a later era, once a choice gets made the effeciencies of scale that come into play as the winning choice (or winning choices) come to dominate the competition then prevent later reassessments, even when later technological developments may make an earlier option now the "best" one.
Once the ball starts rolling, inertia takes over and the ball tends strongly to remain in the path in which it's already moving, regardless of whether that's actually the "best" path or not.
- oddjob (who respects the wisdom of the blind free market, but does not believe that holding said wisdom in Panglossian reverence is the best choice a society can make; if that makes me a socialist, fuck it)
The Dark Wraith is just wondering.
Well.....
You could have just quoted the Romans:
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
("Who shall watch the watchers themselves?")
- oddjob
Then, finally, on the eve of Armageddon, the Fed Chairman announces that he can give the markets guidance about what they should expect to happen regarding the rate of inflation.
LOL! You are one sick puppy, Mr. Shakes!
- oddjob
Well thanks for the welcome Dark Wraith. And I have not sent you on any negative externalities discussions in at least a week or two... I am keeping a low profile lest I be (again) accused of being a government operative.
If I were an operative though it would confirm my cranky outlook on the use of the taxpayer's dime though.
And Wadena is a very cool cat, the cat my cat would be if it bought itself into Yale.
Fortunately, Rumsfeld has taught me that you have to fight with the felines you have, not the felines you want.
Good Evening DW...
Completely off topic here(though how I could be off topic on an open thread, only the AR among us can tell), I;ve been wondering how much difficulty it would cause you to have a button on the end of a comment thread that would collapse it back once one had read all 60+ comments? I would save wear and tear on my poor mouse wheel as I rapidly scroll back up to find the latest on BlogScream.
(Clover runs from the explosion as the Master Coder cries,"Are these folks NEVER satisfied??? Sheesh.")
A belated thank you, my liege. Very kind of you {{sir}}!
discussing peace this needs to be adressed
Iraqi Police Find 87 Bodies in 24 Hours
For second year in a row Arctic Sea sea ice did not meaningfully restore itself during the winter.
- oddjob
Those of you exhasperated by the Democrats may find this page one (below the fold) article from today's Boston Globe worth your reading. It directly concerns Kos & MyDD, as well as the progressive blogosphere.
- oddjob
(PS: I saw it in the paper this morning. Registration may be necessary to read all of it online. I don't know.)