Regarding Liberty

2010-09-30T01:19:00.003-04:00

It's obviously been a while since my last post. Like, two years while. I'm getting the old me going again. Check out my new blog. I'm going in a bit of a different direction. My new blog is Grassroots Intellectualism.

Redirect

2008-12-26T11:26:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! For those of you still checking here and confused by my absence, I am relocating to CT Pundit.

I'll be shooting for a more local role - I realized I'm much more interested in giving excellent coverage of one small area as opposed to iffy coverage of... the entire world.

Good memories here, hopefully better ones to come at CT Pundit - we'll see. See ya'll on the flip side.

AllVoices and Free Speech

2008-12-04T12:12:00.003-05:00

I apologize for my recent absence. I just created a profile on AllVoices, so check it out here. Also, an interesting free speech case is here.

What a Dream

2008-11-30T14:52:00.001-05:00

If I ever said Chris Muir was funny before, I was wrong. He is funnier now. My God, this one is hilarious.

I Could Have Told You That!

2008-11-30T14:27:00.003-05:00

Yahoo: In the past year, 30 percent of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64 percent have cheated on a test, according to a new, large-scale survey suggesting that Americans are too apathetic about ethical standards.

The first number is probably spot on. The second is just wrong. 64% surveyed admitted to cheating on a test. 99% have. That's a promise. I wrote an editorial about this a few weeks ago for the Minuteman. It was published, but it didn't make it onto the website, so I'll copy and paste it here:

School Scope: Cheating, Who Me? No…

Fairfield students, it seems, tend to consider cheating an acceptable means to an important collegiate end. That is, until they are asked if they ever have used such tactics. At this point, the response usually comes after a brief pause, and the student says, “Me? No, no way.”

Students interviewed for this article all spoke on the condition of anonymity, and even then refused to admit ever participating. But someone is doing it, because all students report that a “large majority of [high school] students” cheat to improve their GPAs. One student, a senior at Warde, said, “Almost everyone cheats, or will cheat, at some point in high school; kids recognize that to keep the playing field even, they need to do what other kids are doing.” But, alas, when the student was asked if he had ever cheated, he responded with, “No, I don’t do that.”

A recent New York Times editorial by Ms. Maura J. Casey reports that a study found 90% of high school students employ tactics generally considered cheating. How the study’s supervisor, Dr. Donald McCabe, managed to coax students out of their shell is beyond me, but the results are not surprising. A junior at Fairfield Prep said, “If I hear that a kid I know cheated on a test or something, it doesn’t at all change how I feel about him,” and he added, “I guess I’m kind of immune to it by now.”

The idea of apathy raised by this student seems to be a universal notion. An upperclassman at Ludlowe lamented about how her views on cheating changed over their high school career; “Freshman year, I would never even consider cheating as an option, but now, I can see why people do it; it is sort of just another way to get ahead.” But, again, the student refused to actually claim personal participation.

If no students see any conflict with cheating, why do they refuse to say they are involved? Students cite it as a high school phenomenon sweeping the nation that just happens to have excluded them. The answer is simple; students innately know it is wrong; they just do it anyway. They have developed a sense of apathy towards that side of morality because they see their future as far more important. The collegiate competition is more competitive than it ever has been, and students are willing to do what is necessary to compensate and be successful. “Why give up an opportunity now,” the thought is, “and miss out on a better one later?” It isn’t hurting anyone, and the kindergarten mantra that “it hurts no one but yourself” is something students find themselves remarkably capable of living with. But students know that what happens in the classroom now stays in the classroom, and that people on the outside, “wouldn’t understand,” so they protect their reputation.

So Fairfield is a town of cheaters. But then again, America is a nation of cheaters, according to Dr. McCabe’s study. Everyone cheats to get ahead. Everyone, that is, except for me.

Taj Mahal Hotel, Etc.

2008-11-28T17:30:00.000-05:00

Things are still nuts in India.

Hide & Seek Ramblings

2008-11-28T13:13:00.004-05:00

So I am currently hidden in a closet in a massive family game of Hide & Seek, and I have established myself relatively unfindable. I'll take this moment, then, to reflect on a few realizations I've made over the past few days. We had a great family discussion last evening. It was one of those when the candles are burning down, the wine is low, and the children are off playing games in some faraway room. I have long since been promoted into the world of "grown-up time," a world every child dreams of being a part.

I have an uncle who played in the NBA for eight years. He was of the lucky few who made it and, while he was and is naturally talented, being 7 feet tall never hurt his chances. But he gets phone calls from old friends on a regular basis. Phone calls begging for money. Phone calls looking for legal counsel on unpaid child support. Phone calls looking for job references for Home Depot and Taco Loco... references Marty is completely unprepared and unwilling to write. This has inspired a new movement in my mind. It's one that may die within the next 48 hours, or it may survive to its completion. I plan now to write a book on the untold story of the underbelly of professional and Division I college athletics. The untold story that desperately needs to be revealed. Hopefully, I'll get this done. I want to. Badly.

I'm hearing calls of "Will! We give up," so more on this later. I'm "it" now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T14:04:00.003-05:00

Enjoy your respective feasts, and divulge in one of the great American pastimes: eating! As a note, we have relatives here, so don't expect anything for the rest of the day. Now go dig in, the gravy is getting cold!

Inauguration Plans

2008-11-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

Maybe I will be able to see the inauguration.

In accordance with the Committee’s commitment to provide the most open and accessible inauguration in history, the PIC is working with relevant authorities to open up as much of the National Mall as possible to accommodate more Americans than ever before.

Then again, maybe not.

I Would Do It, Too

2008-11-25T18:11:00.000-05:00

Now we are just being sore losers.

Russian Predictions

2008-11-25T14:23:00.001-05:00

Nostradamus strikes: A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into [six] separate parts.

His six-part breakup? As follows...

Pacific coast, due to the growing Chinese population (LA's Chinatown and Tom Cruise have clearly always objected to New England's stranglehold over them, and desire a sovereign nation).
The South, due to Hispanics (I told you we needed to close off the border! Did you listen? No...).
Texas, due to movements for independence (obviously remembering the Alamo).
Atlantic Coast, due to a "distinct and separate mentality" (I'm offended! That's New York. Don't blame us for their differences. In fact, we now shun New York from our country. Go be a part of Canada, New York, we don't want you).
Five poor central states, due to Native Americans (right, because all poor people will join up with Iroquoy remnants and attack the U.S. military with teepees and trailers. THIS IS SPARTA!)
Northern States, due to strong Canadian influence (False, obviously. No one likes Canada).

All this talk of a breakup leads clearly to questions about the future of the NFL. Who, exactly, will be their target market? Or maybe, instead of a massive civil war, land division disputes shall be decided by football games. Let's get this done soon, because my area of the country is setting up a pretty kickass military. (Let's go, Giants!) Also, if this ever goes down, we (the Atlantic Coast) are becoming a dictatorship, and I call being dictator.

UPDATE: Roger Simon finds it ridiculous as well.

Zogby on the News

2008-11-25T08:39:00.000-05:00

Let's analyze a Zogby poll, shall we? Read it first, then come back.

"A majority of those polled trust FOX News over any other televised news source."

Well, that's obviously because FOX is fair and balanced, duh! But really, Fox? I'm impressed. My positive feelings are obviously quickly relieved as I read on to see that the New York Times is the most trusted written news source. Continuing on, though...

94.2% of Republicans surveyed and 55.6% of Democrats surveyed believe media coverage influenced the Presidential election.

I guess no real surprise there, I mean who likes to proudly delegate their candidate's victory to bias news? Okay, well obviously 55.6% of Democrats, but I suppose Republicans are more standard examples of human psychological behavior anyway. They, it seems, chalk up their loss to bias media, just like a 3rd grade little leaguer claiming the umpire struck him out. That is a prime example of human nature right there!

Now it gets interesting...

Of those surveyed, 37.6% said they consider the Internet the most reliable source of news, 20.3% consider national television news most reliableand 16% say radio is the most reliable source.

By the very nature of what I am doing right now, I would obviously fall into that category. Basil over at IMAO makes the quantum leap to indicate that blogs are, indeed, the most trust news source around, but I don't exactly follow that logic. It is interesting to see, however, that the delivery of said news is so important to the trustworthiness of its content. It what way is news delivered on CNN less reliable than that posted on CNN.com, as Basil so eloquently pointed out?

One last tidbit, for the road...

...survey respondents named Rush Limbaugh(12.5%), Bill O’Reilly(10.1%) and Tom Brokaw (8.5%) the most trusted names in news...

That doesn't even deserve the dignity of a response.

Geithner

2008-11-25T06:57:00.000-05:00

For Secretary of the Treasury.

JFK's 45th

2008-11-24T17:06:00.002-05:00

A nice memorial for the anniversary of JFK's assassination: still, no one knows why. "Four and a half decades after the tragic event and no one really knows if the conspiracy theories are right or if Lee Harvey Oswald truly acted on his own."

Off the Hook

2008-11-24T16:40:00.003-05:00

Barry Bonds can do whatever he wants, can't he?

Barry Bonds, Major League Baseball’s home run record holder, won dismissal of five of 14 counts in an indictment accusing him of lying about taking steroids.

What's worse? They were all tossed on basic technicalities.

Commerce Secretary?

2008-11-23T22:36:00.004-05:00

"President-elect Barack Obama has chosen New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be commerce secretary..." Read it.

Across the Universe Post 1: Revolution

2008-11-23T13:02:00.005-05:00

I've become obsessed to an almost unhealthy degree with the movie Across the Universe. I saw it when it first came out, and I didn't love it, but it has since grown on me. It's basically a musical using Beatles' songs to take a young couple through the obviously tumultuous 1960s. Many of the songs are strongly political, and I'll be posting clips from Youtube every once in a while...

The clip below is the song Revolution. For reference, Jude (the main character) is a Liverpudlian artist illegally living in America, and Lucy (the other main character) is an increasingly radical Vietnam protester. This scene is Jude's callout 0f Lucy (the other main character) for her overly zealous role in anti-war revolution. This one gets my blood boiling every time.

For starters, William Ayers, anyone? The organization Lucy works for eventually self-destructs itself (literally... they make bombs in the attic that explode and kill Paco, the leader Jude scuffles with, and his two main associates).

This clip, as I mentioned, gets me excited every time. Yes, we can say that most extremist American terrorist organizations are roughly extinct, but I think this video can connect generally to all political overreactions. It is a shoutout to the Dissident Voice, the radical extremist sect that goes through great pains to accomplish generally nothing. It is the realization that problems must be attacked with forethought and moderation, as the new media movement has attempted to do against the MSM, instead of with sock bombs and shouting. This clip is no longer simply a piece of the 60s, but it is a timeless metaphor for the call to moderate justice.

UPDATE: This will now be a weekly piece, available every Sunday at exactly noon, and I'll call it the Sunday Universe... maybe - I don't know

Day by Day Rock 'Em Sock 'Em

2008-11-23T13:02:00.000-05:00

I hate that I can't get this any larger. Today's DBD is funny - go read it here.

APEC Promises

2008-11-23T12:54:00.001-05:00

Do promises really mean anything anymore?

"Leaders from Asia and the Americas promised on Saturday to push for a global free trade deal and reform international lenders in an effort to keep the world from sliding into a deep recession."

Sick

2008-11-21T14:44:00.002-05:00

A Florida teenager who used a webcam to live-stream his suicide Wednesday was reportedly encouraged by other people on the Web site, authorities told ABCNews.com.

What's worse? Online viewers didn't call police until the kid was absolutely dead.

Grassroots Republican Convention

2008-11-20T23:18:00.001-05:00

In the works? Maybe.

Glenn Reynolds: Since I mentioned it last night there’s been some talk of having some sort of rightroots conference to organize things post-election. (Call it a counter-Kos if you want, but not exactly). What do you think? I’m polling, and I’m also going to open comments for a while. If you’ve got a better idea, share it!

Thoughts & Prayers

2008-11-20T23:03:00.004-05:00

Thoughts and prayers today go out to AG Mike Mukasey, who collapsed during a speech just a few minutes ago:

Mukasey was 15 to 20 minutes into his speech about the Bush administration's successes in combatting terrorism when he began slurring his words. He collapsed and lost consciousness, said O'Conner, the department's No. 3 official. It was unclear whether he regained consciousness.

UPDATE: False alarm.

Civil Union and Marriage: Separate But Equal

2008-11-20T13:59:00.007-05:00

Straight from Change.gov: While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. Obama also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
I find it interesting that Obama is so strongly opposed to discrimination based on sexual orientation, but somehow supports only the gay man or woman's right to a civil union. As a conversation at my school a few days ago (to which I was only a witness) went:

Teacher: "So you support Obama's opposition to gay marriage... why?"

Student: "Well, a civil union gives all the same rights of marriage, just under a different name."

Teacher: "So, it's like, 'separate but equal.'"

Student: "Yeah, I guess."

Teacher: "So how does Barack Obama not support government-enforced segregation?"

My jaw dropped.

Tech Comments

2008-11-20T12:30:00.003-05:00

I understand I've been having technical problems related to posting comments. I'm working on that, please keep trying.

UPDATE: After making some adjustments to HTML settings, my extraordinarily scientific test of going through and commenting in every manner possible proves that comments are back up and running. Comment away, oh commenting commentators.

A-Bomb and Israel-Arabic Relation Rant

2008-11-20T12:09:00.004-05:00

International Herald Tribune:

Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors.

The bomb itself, though, still seems a bit farfetched. They have yet to actually make it into a warhead or create a bomb shell able to house it. As of now, I guess Iran could just roll it over to Israel, but if I was Iran, I would give Israeli "national" security a little credit where it's due, despite the fact that they are not, in fact, part of any nation.... Israel is simply a... uh... a cluster of people lead by a president that happens to be part of the UN - ya, that's it! A cluster of people - disgusting, pig-paranoid people. Hmm... people may be to respectful a term, though. Let's just call them Jews. Oh, wait. They call themselves Jews, you say? Hmm... we'll work on that. Until then, though, it's a nati- strike that - a cluster of subhuman humanoids.