One Way to Read It

The Death of a Blog

2011-04-17T17:31:00.000-06:00

I'm moving on to greener pastures.

Visit me at http://doublebirds.blogspot.com/

My views have changed a lot since I began this blog. I started out as kind of a socialist. I am now an anarcho-capitalist.

My views—on war, the environment, and our responsibility for the poor, local food—have changed little. I am proud of many of the posts on this blog. But it's time to separate from the past and begin anew.

I hope those of you who've enjoyed this blog will move forward with me.

Thanks,
C-L-W

Reaping what you sow

2011-04-14T18:20:00.002-06:00

This post was so well written, that I wanted to share it in full:

The Bloody Cruelty of Empires

Posted by Lew Rockwell on April 13, 2011 06:58 PM

When the Romans, in a series of wars, destroyed the great commercial civilization of Phoenician Carthage (Libya), they burned it to the ground and forced their new slaves to sow salt in the fields, to poison them, or so we are told.

Today, the Americans (or, rather, their Nato running dogs) are doing something far worse: they are using depleted uranium ammunition, as they did in Iraq and so many other places, to poison the land and the people and the unborn. The number of malformed babies and miscarriages will be horrific. Here’s what they did to the people of Falujah for daring to resist the invading and foreign contractors. Say, isn’t it the pro-life Christianists who do this and cheer it on? (Thanks to Luis Almeida)

Security

2011-04-14T18:17:00.003-06:00

Your tax dollars at work, paying for a TSA agent to molest little girls (click for video).

Don't you feel safer?

Dismissing Ron Paul

2011-04-12T16:56:00.002-06:00

I am no longer a Democrat because I am anti-war. I am not a Republican, because I am anti-mercantilist.

There is only one free-market, anti-war candidate that I know: Ron Paul.

There are a bunch of losers aiming for the GOP ticket for president. Many magazines, newspapers, and shows seem to conveniently omit Ron Paul, even though he won the 2011 CPAC poll.

Author Tom Woods here defends the misrepresented Paul:

War is bad for the economy

2011-03-31T18:52:00.001-06:00

Government propagandists have successfully convinced many that war is good.

Obama has made neocons of us all

2011-03-31T18:49:00.002-06:00

Ed Schultz claims to be a liberal, but he sounds like a neocon to me.

Obama has been criticized for trying to compromise between parties, but it looks like he's unified them under one party, the War Party.

Mormons doing good

2011-03-20T21:01:00.002-06:00

There are a lot of Mormons out there who make me sad. But there's wheat among the tares.

Jonna, a convert from Finland, is coming out with a new album that looks great.

See her website.

I also watched an interview with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the broadway musical "The Book of Mormon." At first this made me nervous, I thought it was more negative propaganda against the church. But they say it's more of a celebration of Mormonism. And I'm happy that they approach my religion with the same skepticism and mockery as they would any other. That's fair.

My endorsement

2011-02-24T21:06:00.004-07:00

Though I’m Mormon, I support Ron Paul over Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney, I’m sure, is a great man—but he knows it. Take a look at his hair. He wears that piece like crown of assumed authority.

Ron Paul looks like an amicable grandpa who sometimes tells stories that no one understands (but in his case, it is caused by our ignorance, not his senility).

We need wisdom more than charisma, experience more than courage.

Charisma and courage have led us into countless, endless, wars in the last century. We need wisdom that will steer us toward peace. We need the experience of men who have seen the innocent die, who know firsthand the cost of sacrifice, who will never sacrifice our children to an unjust war.

We need a revolution. We need Ron Paul.

Your tax dollars at work

2011-02-23T19:09:00.002-07:00

Obama promised to cut the budget by an astounding $100 million:

Some of that money will be used to prevent you from enjoying yourself:

Some will be used to pay men to abuse, rape, and murder people.

A lot will be used to support dictators, assassinate democratically-elected leaders, and wage unjust wars (see D&C 98 starting with verse 32).

Happy tax season.

Egypt's revolution

2011-02-08T19:54:00.003-07:00

This video made me cry:

This made me laugh:

This made me hope:

Political attack ads from the 1800s

2011-01-26T20:29:00.003-07:00

Clever. Ads start at 0:24.

Anti-Mormons, dum-de-dum-dum-dum

2011-01-06T20:57:00.006-07:00

The creators of South Park play a vital function in our society, of questioning established institutions, and challenging the status quo. Thankfully they have decided to dedicate much of their time on the Mormons.

Mormons have continuously been strengthened in their faith by critics, who, thinking they have found a hole in our doctrine, have stuck their finger in, only to unleash a geyser of new information that supports and substantiates the story of Joseph Smith.

The South Park episode "All About the Mormons" (Season 7 Episode 12) oversimplifies Joseph Smith, which can be forgiven, because it is a cartoon. Nevertheless, the idea that Joseph was well-received by an easily-duped public distorts history, for people in the 1800s were just as skeptical of Joseph then as they are now (if for different reasons), and rather than a receiving a sunny welcome, Joseph was persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, and murdered.

The fatal weak point in South Park's criticism, shared by many anti-mormons, is a failure to explain the Book of Mormon itself. Joseph may have been a lazy half-wit from the backwoods of New York, who made up stories of angels to dupe people into loving him and giving him money, but he did produce a 588 page manuscript of history, war-tactics, hebraisms, and sermons—quite the feat for a lazy half-wit.

The Book of Mormon could not have been written by a dumbass, and a genius would not have had access to the resources (mental and documental) necessary to mock-up the kind of historical document the Book of Mormon claims to be (see Nibley's Book of Mormon challenge).

Until a serious criticism is made of the Book of Mormon, any discrediting criticism of Joseph Smith's own explanation of its origin only makes the existence of such a book that much more miraculous.

Dirty Balls and Dirty Hands

2010-11-24T21:51:00.007-07:00

The TSA notoriously searched a shirtless four-year-old autistic kid.

The boy's father took off his shirt, but still.

A TSA xray rapescan operater in Colorado was caught masturbating to a highschool football team.

Rapescan executive Deepak Chopra traveled to India with President Obama, ensuring a continued alliance between our government and the every-traveler-a-porn-star industry.

The TSA made a breast cancer-survivor show her breast implant.

The TSA broke the seal on a urostomy bag of another cancer-survivor, soaking his pants in urine, and did not apologize.

I continue my rallying cry to travelers: "Don't wash your balls" for the TSA.

It's unconstitutional, intrusive, humiliating, and ineffective.

T&A and TSA

2010-11-08T17:08:00.003-07:00

The TSA has taken naked pictures of flyers with enough detail "to enable agents to determine whether a man has been circumcised, or whether a woman is menstruating," they will now fondle the balls and breasts of those who refuse to be blasted with radiation (even children).

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Tip/Wag - TSA, Bert & Dogs

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

March to Keep Fear Alive

We have a right of protection from warrantless search and seizure. The government has trespassed against the 4th amendment, and must be held responsible.

We can fight against this unconstitutional procedure. I advise all travelers to not wash your balls a few days before you travel. When they finger your privates, moisten their glove with an odor foul enough to be classified as a biological weapon.

It's time to fight back. The government does not have the right to treat us like criminals, nor to molest our children.

Further reading:
TSA worker frames passenger
TSA and the end of freedom

I just bribed a cop

2010-11-04T22:07:00.002-06:00

At the DMV of all places.

I've been reading a lot of Austrian Economics, which proves that freedom is the best economic policy for prosperity, and I wondered why government-run businesses are said to be so bad.

When I went to register my car I took mental notes:

The customer service at the DMV isn't terrible. The workers seem more like office staff than CS reps. But it wasn't awful.

Each employee had a laser printer. At my work, we share one printer between three sections (over 20 people). That's an example of wasteful spending you hear about.

Not a huge deal. What was it that makes the DMV so bad?

They're not selling anything that I want. What is their product? If I pay them about $200 bucks a year, they promise not to send cops to harass me.

If I don't pay, cops will pull me over and fine me, and if I don't pay the fine, they'll jail me like a criminal. I'm bribing them to not bully me.

In this exchange, I get "protection" and they get 200 bucks and a docile citizen.

This is one more government disservice that we do not need.

National [insert your crazy here] day

2010-09-11T14:12:00.004-06:00

It is sad when people murder. We must mourn with those who mourn.

The pastor who planned on burning Qurans (Korans) today should be ignored.

First, unless he steals the Qurans, he has to purchase them. This means that the pastor is supporting Quran printers, which is a good thing.

Also, burning books? Really? He is definitely making a statement, but he communicates no intelligence.

I would ask you to take some time to read the Quran today. Reach out to the Muslims in your community, and let them know you bear no ill will toward them or their religion.

And one word on "the 1st 9/11." Some anti-Mo's made a movie a few years ago calling the Mountain Meadows Massacre the 1st 9/11. Apparently some of the documentation of the massacre that makes Mormons look really bad, was forged by the notorious Mark Hoffman.

I'm not sure on the precise nature of the documents, but I imagine this, like most other horror stories about Mormons, has been exaggerated. Not that the massacre didn't happen, but that the sinful acts of individual Mormons was pinned on the church.

Burn down the mosque

2010-09-01T19:29:00.003-06:00

According to KSL, the “patriot” who put up this billboard has been “watching radio and TV talk shows and is skeptical the center is supposed to promote peace.”

Thanks Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, for trampling the freedom of religion in order to persecute Muslims.

Here's commentary on what the billboardist has likely been watching:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Extremist Makeover - Homeland Edition

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Jon Stewart, once again, is a master teacher.

War Profiteers: Merchants of Death

2010-08-07T23:02:00.001-06:00

Whenever someone asks you to believe that war is good for the economy, he asks you to acquiesce in a conspiracy that murders to get gain.

Letter to an IRS agent

2010-07-30T22:02:00.003-06:00

I recently wrote this to my friend who works for the IRS.

Taxes are necessary, especially for the national defense. Two cases to support this: The Irish of the 8th and 9th century, and the American Indians of the 14th through the 19th. The Irish and the Indians lacked a centralized government, and therefore paid no taxes. Because of this, trade flourished and war was non-existent among them. However, both societies were destroyed by outsiders who paid taxes, and who therefore had the means to support a well-trained army.

Lesson: pay enough taxes to provide for the common defense.

The question now arises: how much should the people pay?

This is where your job comes in. You might not get to set the tax rate, but it is your job to make sure people pay up. Why does an ordinarily honest citizen risk “stealing” from the government? Because a man evades taxes that he considers unreasonably high. In other words, tax evasion does not prove that Americans are criminals; rather, it proves that American taxes are too high.

You can prevent tax evasion in two ways:
1. Punish the tax evader.
2. Lower taxes.

Your job is to punish evaders. I beg you to be merciful in the fulfillment of your duties, and to consider the following:

1. Lower taxes will generate more revenue.
Reagan cut taxes in the 80’s in order to increase revenue. Cutting taxes to increase revenue sounds like “voodoo economics,” but the Laffer curve and history both show that a 10 or 12% tax rate will generate as much revenue as a 70 to 80% tax rate. When taxes get too high, the rich leave the country or find loopholes, and others lose incentive to make money.

2. Tax-evasion is the ultimate vote in a democracy.
Our Founding Fathers rebelled against their government, and started their own country, on the issue of taxes. They were enraged that they were taxed without consent. In our republic, a man votes for representatives to take care of his day-to-day political matters, but the ultimate authority of our country, and the legitimacy of any official, resides in that man and his fellow citizens. If a man decides to evade taxes, he is simply withdrawing his consent. He is voting no. He thinks his representatives have gone too far. If we punish the man who refuses to pay without consent, we punish a son of liberty, the heir of our Founding Fathers.

We Mormons pay 10%. This, along with other—voluntary—contributions, is enough to fund a worldwide organization, provide the quickest disaster relief on the planet, and to feed, clothe, and educate the poor. The church has no need to send auditors to investigate whether members are paying their dues—it’s an honor system.

Such systems have worked in the past. Queen Elizabeth taxed on the honor system, and she turned a little backwater former-colony of Rome into the British Empire.

So, what I’m really saying is that your job isn’t necessary. Lower taxes would make our country richer, would practically dissolve the incentive for evasion, and would free up your mind and talent for entrepreneurship in the private sector.

Keep this in mind the next time you’re auditing some poor sucker, who is just trying to support his family by keeping what he has honestly labored for.

p.s. I’ve been farming lately, and I thought that if the government wanted to tax me at, say, 30% — I would fence off a third of my field and till the rest. When the tax-man came on April 15th, I would point to the fallow third of the field, and say “take whatever you want.”

Economics

2010-07-27T20:36:00.001-06:00

I've been having this discussion with a friend recently:

Though our conversation wasn't nearly as cool.

Ron Paul Revolution

2010-07-03T10:08:00.001-06:00

You can't eat that

2010-06-30T15:14:00.003-06:00

Americans do not have the right to eat what they want.

The FDA expressed this view, which can be found at ftcldf.org, or on page 5 of the July 2010 issue of Acres USA.

Quote: "There is no absolute right to consume or feed children any particular food."

This highlights how the government has turned the constitution on its head. The constitution began as a document that defined a few select powers reserved for the government, all other powers and rights being reserved to the states, or to the people.

Now the government assumes all powers not expressely forbidden by the constitution, and restricts all the rights of the people save those it, the government, expressly permits.

That's bs.

Taze your gramma this 4th of July

2010-06-28T17:02:00.002-06:00

I voted for Obama, and am a registered Democrat. But after Obama got elected . . . nothing changed.

He's not a miracle worker, and there is indeed a lot that he just can't fix. But I'm more worried about the things that he does have control over that he doesn't change. Like the war in Iraq. Or the Patriot Act. Or the economic war with Iran.

How to end the war in Iraq.

Obama is not much different from our last president.

This has helped me to realize that I'm a Libertarian.

I'll write more on this in the future. But just to give you an example on why Libertarians have a good idea, let's talk about the police force.

Libertarians believe that just about everything should be privatized, including the police. People worry that this would lead to police abuse. Well, it's a little too late for that:

This week cops tazed an 86 year-old bedridden grandma because she wouldn't take her meds.
The cops can do this, because they get paid no matter what. If they only got paid for providing a service, they wouldn't get paid when they taze your grandma. The lack of consumer feedback allows for unchecked police brutality.

Also, cops wouldn't be able to bust your head for smoking dope, because you obviously would not pay them for that. And if someone else paid them to do that to you, you could sue them for causing bodily harm.

So that's one point for Libertarians. Obama is doing a good job as almost anyone else would do as president. But I will not vote for him next time. I will vote for someone who will do things differently. I will vote for Ron Paul if he runs.

Sacralicious

2010-05-13T19:25:00.003-06:00

We recently watched three seasons of 30 Rock. In one episode, Tracy Jordan introduces the "Meat Machine," a device for making all-meat sandwiches.

Reality copied TV recently when KFC released this abomination into the world:

An all-meat sandwich. If this hadn't already been forbidden by God on four occasions (twice in the Old Testament, once in the Doctrine and Covenants, and once in the Quoran), he would have issued a new commandment expressly forbidding this abomination, which notoriety would surely have increased sales.

I believe it is okay to eat meat in moderation. Our current food system abuses animals while they are yet alive, which is immoral.

Listen to Tracy Morgan's interview on Fresh Air. It is very touching.
KFC is cruel to animals, according to PETA.
Learn what it means to eat animals.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T13:14:00.003-07:00

Jack Bauer interrogates Santa:

And the rich are deprived of the true meaning of Christmas:

Report: Nation’s Wealthy Cruelly Deprived Of True Meaning Of Christmas

And a common man discusses the true meaning of Christmas.