Zero Tolerance For Dictators Like Syrian’s Assad

There Is Little Doubt Left

The evidence appears overwhelming that the psychopath Assad and his brother has again used poisonous gas indiscriminately against Syrian population this time in a suburb of Damascus.

Today (8/30/2013), I read the official report of the U.S. government (here too) on their findings. Unless this report is fabricated etc. this report contains convincing and sufficient evidence. Any comparisons with the so called “WMD Excuse” (Weapons of Mutual Destruction argument in the Iraq war) during the Bush Junior Administration are far off the point.

It Is Time To Prosecute 

Syrian Criminals Against Humanity

In the name of humanity, the U.S. and any other willing coalition partner should take out this regime of criminals against humanity by any appropriate means.

Ruthless dictators like Assad should live short and in constant fear! In the 20^th century too many of the bloody dictators lived far too long like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hussein.

Germany's Government Refuses To Intervene In Syria

Germany Needs To Accept More 

Responsibility In This World

The German weekly magazine “Der Spiegel” reported today (in German language; 8/30/2013) that chancellor Merkel and the foreign minister Westerwelle declared that Germany would not participate in a military action against Syria. This is an irresponsible dereliction of duty.

Merkel is an awful opportunistic politician with an eye on the upcoming general elections in September. Westerwelle looks like a wimp and probably is a wimp.

The main contender of chancellor Merkel in the general elections, Mr. Peer Steinbrück of the Social Democrats (SPD) has been quoted as saying “100 Stunden Verhandlungen sind besser als eine Minute Schießen." (100 hours of negotiations are better than one minute of gun fire). The naiveté of this man is incredible!

Not only has Germany been disarming for decades in an irresponsible manner, its government thinks that diplomacy and negotiations are the prerogative.

A Country That Was Not Long Ago Liberated From A Bloody Dictator

A country like Germany has an obligation to humanity to do more in the face of dictators such as the one ruling over Syria. The Stalinist dictatorship in Syria has been running this country for about three decades now. Mr. Assad looks like psychopath to me. His father was at least smart and cunning.

This planet has become way too small to tolerate or allow ruthless dictators to use weapons prohibited under the Geneva Protocol (Syria is a signatory) to be indiscriminately applied against their own population.

A New Analysis On Western Movies

A New Book From The Ludwig Von Mises Institute

The book is titled “Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre” and authored by McMaken, Ryan W.

In this book, I admit I have not read it, the author claims that well known cowboy movies from the post World War II period by such renown directors as John Ford, Howard Hawks, or Anthony Mann contain significant anti Capitalist messages.

Here is a salient quote from the book’s advertisement:

“Ryan McMaken shows that the Western is in fact often anti-capitalist, and in many ways, the genre attacks the dominant ideology of nineteenth-century America: classical liberalism. … In addition to attacks on capitalism, the Western attacks other prized values of the bourgeois middle classes including Christianity, education and urbanization.”

Subversion Made In Hollywood

It is kind of established that a majority of academia in the US is left leaning, progressive minded and for big government.

I would not be surprised if something similar has not occurred in the US film industry. From the perspective of Socialist minded people with influence what would have more a subtle or not so subtle impact on millions of unsuspecting viewers of every age year after year than movies with subversive messages. To distribute political messages via popular movies is a temptation do gooders or progressives cannot resist.

Mary Poppins

I plan to write a blog on this movie, because, in my opinion, it is full of subversive messages against Capitalism and moral values.

Abolish The Firearms And Ammunition Excise Tax

Trigger

Today (8/27/2013), I saw news that two Democratic federal lawmakers want to increase the FAET for “on all weapons (except antique guns) covered under the National Firearms Act (which excludes most common guns) from $200 to $500 and index to inflation and increase the transfer tax for any other weapon from $5 to $100. The proposed legislation would also “would nearly double the current 11 percent tax on handguns, while raising the levy on bullets and cartridges from 11 percent to 50 percent.”

Comment

1.       This legislative proposal is unconstitutional. It would make purchasing guns and ammunition almost prohibitive for low income earners. Lawmakers who make such proposals should lose the next reelection.

2.       Special taxes like the FAET should be banned by the constitution anyway. Such special taxes like this one are usually expressions of paternalism or bias by our busybody lawmakers. A good constitution would only allow broadly based taxes like an income tax that applies equally to all citizens without any preferences etc.

Bible Studies

This will be a series of occasional posts about subjects related to the Bible, one of the greatest books ever compiled by humans.

On The 8^th Commandment

An adopted excerpt from the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal. (Ex. 20:15; Deut. 5:19)

The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others (Lev. 25:35; Eph. 4:28b; Phil. 2:4)

The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbour's, wealth or outward estate (Prov. 28:19ff; Eph. 4:28a; II Thess. 3:10; I Tim. 5:8 )

I was not aware that the 8^th Commandment requires such a two way interpretation and that we are required to further our neighbor’s wealth and outward estate, but it makes perfect sense.

Leviticus 25:35-37

“If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you. You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit.” (NIV)

I think KJV did a better job:

“And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.”

Who would have guessed to find something like this in Leviticus 25?

Thousands Of Employers Will Not Insure Employees’ Spouses Anymore

UPS In The News

UPS made news this week (8/20/2013) by announcing it will end health insurance coverage for thousands of spouses if they can get their coverage with their employer. Here is the USA Today article. The subheading of this article reads: “UPS will follow thousands of other companies this fall in ending health insurance coverage of employees' spouses if they can get coverage elsewhere.”

Import Of The News

First, these news immediately raise at least two questions:

1.       How will employers determine that an employee’s spouse would be able to obtain health insurance coverage through the spouse’s employer?

2.       What if the spouse’s employer has the same policy? Then, which employer will insure the employee?

From these two questions, I surmise in the end a number of working employees’ spouses may find themselves left with the option to obtain health insurance through Obamacare exchanges. Some employers may end to offer health insurance completely.

What will the Obama Administration probably do about it? We know that President Obama does not wait for Congress.

UPS Listed A Number Of Extra Costs Thanks To Obamacare

•Coverage for dependent children up to age 26; regardless of whether they are enrolled in school, are married, or (beginning 2014) have coverage available from their own employer;

•Removal of lifetime and annual benefit limits;

•Fees for comparative effectiveness research; and

•Fees to help fund the public exchanges.

That children regardless of circumstances are can be insured by their parents up to age 26 is an absurdity. Why not until age 50?

Why Is The US Health Care System So Screwed Up?

The news about UPS reaction to ObamaCare is only a symptom of a huge underlying problem with health care overall in the USA.

Big government has severely meddled at least since the New Deal with health care. There should be no tax privileges for businesses to offer health insurance for their employees. If any such tax privileges, they should be exclusively made available to individuals.

Businesses have no business to be in the health insurance coverage business for their employees except they voluntarily choose to do so at their own expense. Employer sponsored health care is one of the worst ideas of the past 60 some years in American history! It is actually a socialist idea, because it targeted large companies!

Most Americans probably do not realize that their health care is already government run by a large extent even before Obamacare. Just think e.g. of Medicare and Medicaid or Veteran Health Benefits or SHIP.

Brilliant, But Incompetent President Obama Lied

President Obama stated “"If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." Barack Obama on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 in a town hall meeting”. Well, this is only one example that he is not a man of truth or he is a demagogue.

Stop And Frisk Is Gun Control?

Twisted Reasoning

Today (8/25/2013), I read this bizarre article on reason.com titled “Stop and Frisk: How the Right Learned to Love Gun Control” by A. Barton Hinkle published on 8/21/2013. The subtitle of the article reads “If any other program had a 98 percent failure rate, conservatives would hold it up as a shining example of everything that’s wrong with big government.” The author of this article is not an intern, but a senior editorial writer and a columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Here is a typical quote from this article (emphasis added):

“In fact, stop-and-frisk is not a tremendous success but a tremendous failure, because such stops turn up contraband only 2 percent of the time. In other words: 98 times out of 100 the officer’s suspicion is unjustified.”

Naïve And Faulty Analysis

In his naïve and faulty analysis, the author comes to the conclusion that since only a few gun owners are criminals as well as only a few black or Hispanic men are criminals, to apply Stop, Ask, And Frisk (SAF) must be greatly disproportional and unjustified.

Mr. Hinkle seems to approve of the Broken Window approach, but he does not realize that Stop, Ask, And Frisk is sort of an extension of this concept, because it is, e.g., also focused on crime ridden areas. SAF is also similar to the concept of beat cop who patrols an area by feet to prevent crimes from happening. A beat cop is familiar with the people in the neighborhood and vice versa.

To The Publisher Of Reason.Com

I think the editors of the Reason.com should more carefully review the material before it is published on their website. This article was a waste of my time.

Rosa Parks: Was It Planned And Staged?

A Seamstress Who Was Too Tired?

I have to admit I do not know her story and what followed in great detail. I was not raised in the USA. However, I find it quite peculiar that she is portrayed officially, publicly, by politicians and in the media as a simple, humble seamstress, who just was too tired after work to get up from her seat on that fateful day (e.g. Michael Moore’s letter at www.michaelmoore.com).

Affiliated With The NAACP

Following her death, I hear and read bits and pieces dispersed over different sources that contradict this neat picture. Is it true that she worked or was associated with the NAACP or similarly organizations long before she got on the bus? Is it true that she was trained or had attended civil rights education before that day? Is it true that the white man sitting behind her on a famous photography was actually identified as a newspaper reporter? Is it true that she was accompanied by a photographer?

Truth Over Hagiography

Of course, I do not mean at all to diminish her achievement or the struggle for civil rights. I have great respect for that, but I do mind not to mention that her action was possibly well planned and staged. Truth and honesty not fantasy or romanticism tend to further the human cause! Or what is wrong with the truth in this case? What is actually the ulterior motive behind that neat story?

Post Script

This blog is a repost.

Why Was Ostracism Not Implemented In Western Democracies?

A 2500 Year Old Procedure
To Ban A Person From Public Office

I only recently learnt more details about this procedure applied during the democracy of ancient Athens. For details about this procedure see, e.g. here. Generally, the idea to ban someone from public service for a period of time (e.g. 10 years) by popular vote is appealing and worth some consideration.

Supposed Modern Western Democracies Analogues

I believe, political scientists, historians, and politicians would argue that Ostracism is not necessary anymore because voters can vote any candidate or incumbent out of office at election time or they can in some instances possibly request a recall election.

I think these kind of arguments miss the point. Any candidate or incumbent who lost can retry at the next election in same or other electoral district or be appointed for public service or party office etc. and continue public service.

One explanation why Ostracism or anything similar was not implemented in Western Democracies because it could be such a powerful retardant to the aspirations of power hungry as well as power and control loving politicians of which there are too many.

In Defense Of Ostracism

The idea of Ostracism, as I understand it, is more like effectively banning a person from any public office for a period of time by popular vote for any reason or no reason at all initiated by a popular referendum. Ostracism should be an instrument to achieve better government by consent of the governed.

I believe, the only existing constitutional procedure that in its effect comes close to Ostracism is absolute life time term limits or term limits with the option to return after a period of time out for elected public office. However, term limits are still far too rare in Western Democracies. E.g. there are no term limits for members of the U.S. Congress.

Beware Of Twitter Research!

All About Brevity

Too keep this blog post very short I will not quote any sources here! Or may I say I try to compete here with 144 characters of a single Tweet.

Lots Of Research In Recent Times

In the recent past I have come about so many articles touting the results of research gained from all kinds of analyzing Twitter messages. I am very skeptical that much of this research is of much value. It may help to make a name and to survive publish or perish. It may impress some people.

This research in many cases can be taken with a large rock of salt!

Potential For Enormous Selection Bias

This might be too much inductive reasoning, but I believe I am not alone. I don’t use Twitter at all! Period! Full Stop! What is the point?

Is Twitter not also a medium for celebrities or wannabes of all kinds and stripes to share whatever?

How Much Longer Will Twitter Be Around?

Not long enough! Voice recognition and response is coming and much more …

Thought Travels Far

Zeebrugge In Belgium

My Wife and I were recently having dinner at a chain restaurant in our neighborhood here in Phoenix, Arizona. We had never dinner at this place before. During our dinner I noticed old posters decorating the walls of the restaurant.

One poster in particular caught my attention. It was a 1920s advertisement for the beach resort Zeebrugge in Belgium. I was thinking to myself why on earth would be such non spectacular poster of a Belgium see resort being shown in an American chain restaurant. If I am not mistaken, Zeebrugge is not even famous as a beach resort.

Nieuwpoort In Belgium

A day after my birthday, an old friend in Germany called me on the phone to congratulate me and told me that he and his wife just came back from a two day trip to Brussels and Nieuwpoort. My friend had never told or mentioned to me before about their trip. I believe this was also their first or may be second trip ever to Belgium. It so happens that Nieuwpoort is located almost on the coast of Belgium.

A Meeting Of The Minds Thousands Of Miles Apart

What a coincidence! My friend and I were separated by thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean, but we both met at Belgium see resorts.

A Critical Note On Applicant Or Employee Background Checks

Preamble

I have recently seen a background check report of an employee ordered by the employer of that employee. I will, for understandable reasons, not divulge any further details here. But do not get me wrong. I am not against background checks.

A Background Report

It was a nationwide criminal background check, which included sex and violent offender registry search.

Surprisingly, this report showed an “HOV VIO” (high occupancy vehicle lane violation) “Offense” classified as an “INFRACTION” committed almost 10 years ago and disposed as “GUILTY”.

A Case Of Overcriminalization In The US?

This background report raises immediately several questions:

1.       Why is an “HOV VIO” classified as a “criminal offense”, which seems to be absurd especially if no accident or damage or injury resulted from it?

2.       When do actually such minor "INFRACTIONS" records get expunged in the US? After 10 years?

There is a serious debate about the subject in the USA of Overcriminalization in the US especially federal Overcriminalization of trivial behaviors/actions etc. entrapping innocent, unwitting people.

US Embassy Closings Are An Unreasonable Overreaction

The Overreaction

19 US embassies are closed for one week (early August 2013). Numerous so called nonessential staff were told to leave. Is this just an overreaction to the Benghazi scandal? I don’t think so.

Foolish & Unreasonable

Why did the Obama administration not choose a more discreet and less dramatic way? This would have been a lot smarter and they would not have to reveal that they intercepted certain communications between top leaders of Al Quada.

A Superpower Needs To Stand Her Ground

What if the terrorists wait another week or more? Will the US embassies be closed again? For a superpower like the USA to resort to such crude measures in beyond belief. What about all the people who depend on the US embassies for their business and life affairs? Will the terrorists now look for other, more vulnerable targets?