Libertarian Radio Network, Inc.

(454) DOWN IN PAKISTAN

2012-01-26T16:26:00.001-05:00

It has been reported that the President of Pakistan sent Washington a please-help message to prevent a military coup after the Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden.

Chapter Two: Someone in the know, a Pakistani named Mansoor Ijaz, made a public disclosure of this information. I have no idea exactly how this was supposed to shake out in the world of public opinion, but before this startling tidbit of information could be revealed, it was learned that Mansoor Ijaz had refereed a nude female wrestling match in 2004.

This shocking disclosure completely negated the information that he was providing about the President of Pakistan, if the information meant anything anyway.

*****

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kaddafi loyalists have ignored the fact that Muammar is deceased and have taken back the city that was once Kaddafi’s stronghold. At the same time in Egypt, the people who were rioting for freedom are still rioting for freedom. The problem with the bizarre idea of democracy is that you don’t know what you’re going to get until after the rioting is over, an election is held, and someone with whom you may vehemently disagree is put into power. However, the Egyptian situation is a little stranger. The military is in power and the rioters don’t like that a bit. But that avoids the question of what happens if there is an election and General Doodah gets elected president? Meanwhile, back in Syria, President Obama is promising that the President of Syria’s regime is about to end. This brings me to ask the eternal question, “What next?”

*****

We’re headed toward the Super Bowl where two teams that should not have won are going to face each other in Super Bowl XLVI. Mind numbing turnovers and missed field goals produced this not-so-unusual event. If you examine the political spectrum, turnovers determine the outcome more often than not. Does anybody remember Herman Cain?

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
A political observer

(453) EMIL ZATOPEK & THE QUEST FOR POWER

2012-01-19T12:12:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2012 by Donald M. Heavrin

Emil Zatopek ran in 69 races in the late 1940's, at a distance of 5,000 meters or 10,000 meters. During that time-period, he never lost a race. What an amazing feat of human athleticism.

*****

On the power issue, I was at a conference in Florida, and my friend Jeff introduced me to a Judge who was operating a drug court. His name was Stanley Dulchild. When I said that we are not getting anywhere in the war on drugs, Dulchild responded, ‘Well, I’m not going to let my children decide what is best for them. That is certainly an invitation to disaster. That’s what parents are for–to keep their children safe.’

All of the turds who want to control your life will quickly obfuscate the issue when they can’t answer a question. Dulchild had reached that point. I did not say a word about how he should control his family, I merely observed that if it were my children, I would let them decide what was best for them, rather than have Dulchild, my neighbor, or the police department decide what mood-altering drugs they should use. Of greater importance, I didn’t want Dulchild or others of his ilk deciding what should happen if they use a drug that was not governmentally approved. However, logic and liberty was lost on Dulchild and reality was not an option, as he tried to bully me into concession. Fortunately for me and him, old age and poor physical condition have overtaken me, and I seldom get angry anymore. Not being angry allowed me to nod and grunt my way through lunch without punching him in the face or challenging him to a duel. When I ate all the food I needed, I jumped up and said, ‘Thank you, Judge Dulchild for the informative discussion. And thank you, Jeff, for allowing me to join you for lunch.’ Jeff looked relieved that I was leaving. I suspect that Dulchild was petty enough to hold my opinion against him for the rest of his legal career. That is akin to killing the messenger, since I was never going to be in the turd’s Court. He would punish Jeff because Jeff knew me and had invited me to lunch.

Dulchild was intoxicated with power that had been bestowed upon him by some brain-dead Legislature. He had been put in charge of the Drug Court and proudly said that, ‘If you’re stupid enough to go through my program, then you are going to pay a heavy price.’ All conflict is over who controls the power. Judge Dulchild was firmly in control of the Drug Court, and he was making it as hard as possible on the poor saps who landed in his Court.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Trying to avoid Dulchild and to find more Zatopeks in the world

(452) POLITICS & PEACE

2012-01-09T16:39:00.004-05:00

I saw P. J. O’Rourke the other morning on television, and he predicted that Obama would win if there was good economic news within 30 days before the election. Otherwise, he thinks the Republicans will win.

* * * * *

I just took an internet test to determine which candidate thinks most like me. I was not surprised when Ron Paul was the candidate I most agree with. If you are anti-Ron Paul, don’t worry. He has no chance of winning.

I also watched an interview with a fellow who is saying that we should have playoffs in college football. First things first. The person conducting the interview was asked if it would be a good idea for the Federal government to intervene and force the NCAA to conduct playoffs. What a moronic suggestion. When asked why we don’t have playoffs, the fellow who was being interviewed gave an astute answer. He said, “The people who run the bowl conference championship organization would make more money if they had playoffs,” but money is not the issue. The issue is power. And he opined that all conflict is over who controls the power. Otherwise we would get rid of the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, a bunch of criminal laws and several other worthless, do nothing organizations. Alas, we cannot. The public has been scared out of its collective wits and thinks that if we give up any part of the government, we will slide into the black hole of chaos and ignorance. However, it was refreshing to hear someone talk about the quest for power. I once represented a police officer who was making $60,000 a year. A major client of mine had an opening for a chief of security position that paid $150,000 a year, plus enormous benefits. (This was back in the day when $150,000 was a lot of money.) I think he could have gotten the job, but he would not give up the power to make arrests. He loved the control. So it goes on the world stage.

To Obama’s credit, he is cutting the defense budget. Amazingly the press interviewed a red neck who said that China was trying to take over the world, and we needed the biggest, hairiest military possible to contain the Chinese. Caveat: If the Chinese want to take over the world, we would be equal to a bump on the elephant’s butt, and nothing more. Since we oppose oppression, torture, and anti-democracy nations, why haven’t we taken on China? The answer is manifold. For instance, we depend on China to stay alive because they’re the only country that will buy our junk bonds, and, two, somebody in the upper echelon of our government realizes that attacking China would be sheer folly, and that we would be obliterated in a matter of minutes. Goodness, there’s someone somewhere who’s smart enough to realize we should leave China alone.

Ironically, as soon as we end a war (Iraq), we start looking for another war to get into. As I said in a prior blog, war is the greatest waste, always has been, always will be.

My friend, David Schwanzengruber, has observed that no one remembers those who had died in war, nor do they remember the causes that anyone fought for. Soon after the war is over those who were killed become names on blocks of stone in cemeteries, and that’s it. I have frequently said “Let’s endeavor to stop war.”

I don’t know if you’ve noticed the Republican candidates, but there could actually be a comedy routine based on this blundering herd of idiots.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Someone seeking peace

(451) DEUCES & JACKS

2012-01-05T16:26:00.001-05:00

Someone whose name I cannot recall made the profound observation that the greatest waste was war. I am sure there have been other philosophers who made the same observation. The observer stated that fabulous young men and women, which are our primary resources, were poured down the hole of war. The writer also talked about the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Middle East, the Korean War, the Latin-American War, the burning of our own ghettos, and noted that as soon as one war is over, we get ready to find a new enemy so we can continue the mindless wasting.

*****

Has anyone noticed the profound ignorance of the Republican candidates? President Obama has been extremely destructive, but there is no way he can be defeated in the upcoming election. He is a nice guy who is somewhat self-effacing, and he will prevail regardless of which doofus the Republicans put up in opposition. Ron Paul has the only freedom agenda on the horizon, and he has no chance of getting elected because he is vilified every step of the way. I hope a few people at least listen to his philosophies. Perhaps (not likely), some people will understand liberty and freedom.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin
An advocate for peace and freedom

(450) PEACE AT LAST

2011-12-30T14:30:00.001-05:00

On March 29, 1997 I observed, “Evil rarely loses.”

Saddam Hussein is long, long dead. Osama bin Laden is recently dead, and Muammar Kaddafi is too. With the demise of all of these despots, peace has reigned supreme.

The establishment is talking about taking aggressive action regarding Syria and Iran. Ringo Starr, the leader in Iran (Ahmadinejad), is threatening to block the Straits of Hormuz, which is not in the interest of peace.

We have also sold billions of dollars worth of aircraft to the Saudis and we are training on how to use the airplanes. This is another hysterically bad mistake that the United States is making.

In the interest of free choice, Michelle Obama is now pressuring restaurants to serve smaller portions of food. What? Huh?

Meanwhile, we have made it through another year, and we have all had (as far as I can tell) enough to eat. Let’s keep up the good work.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
A proponent of peace

(449) HO, HO, HO -- HA, HA, HA

2011-12-20T14:27:00.001-05:00

First, if there is anything going on in politics that you don’t like, write a letter. The only way the climate will change is if the politicians who are in office think there is a chance they will lose in the next election. A sanely-written letter will get their attention, and if enough letters arrive, it will change their actions.

We have a military presence in more than 100 countries. Could we get by with a military presence in only 50 countries?

On health care, let everyone deduct all of their health-care costs from their gross income. Simple solution, without 20,000 pages of regulations. If there are people who do not have any income, the government should pay for all medical costs without thousands of pages of regulations. If the doctor prescribed it, pay for it. In so doing, the cost of medicine will reduce because we would not be paying thousands of bureaucrats to parse-out how many toenail clippings a person can get every year.

It would also be nice if we stopped these stupid drug wars.

The year has not been all bad: Pukeface, the Dictator in North Korea, cashed in.

The year was all bad: Now Pudge Pukeface, his son, is going to take over, and no one knows what will happen next, or the military will seize control of North Korea.

All the revolutions produce is uncertainty. Look at Egypt. The old regime is looking better all the time.

*****

In the meantime, drink a glass of wine, make love, listen to rock-n-roll music or Mozart–either way, your life will be enhanced.

Happy Holidays!

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Your servant of peace

(448) A VOICE OF REASON

2011-12-16T12:20:00.001-05:00

Christopher Hitchens died at age 62–a voice of reason has been stilled. My favorite observation by Hitchens (and there have been many) is that he found Bill Clinton to be hateful in his behavior to women, pathological as a liar, and deeply suspect when it came to money and politics. He was, of course, absolutely right. He wrote a clever book about Clinton, No One Left to Lie To. He also loathed Hillary Rodham Clinton as much as I do. She sat there on 60 Minutes beside Slick Willy and lied to the world when she said that Jennifer Flowers was a liar.

When the Muslim world demanded that the Danish newspaper apologize for publishing cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, Hitchens said, “It is now demanded that such a preposterous claim be made immune from any inquiry, any critique, and any ridicule."

I already miss him.

*****

At last, one of President Obama’s promises has sort-of come true. We are, in theory, leaving Iraq. The death toll was more than 4,000 Americans, and the total wounded was over 30.000. Despite the enormous cost of the war, the real cost will be in taking care of our service women and men who have been wounded in this fiasco. Meanwhile, back in Washington, the political establishment is having a difficult time getting together on anything. The problem is that there are true believers on both sides. Thinking that they could be wrong is beyond their ken.

On one specific issue, rather than have 2,000 pages that explain Medicare, start by letting everybody deduct all of their medical expenses from their taxes. A great start and a very simple solution compared to the nonsense being foisted upon us by Washington. Also, if the money that is being generated toward Medicare is insufficient, double the rate. Private insurance carriers, when they are losing money on the premiums they charge, raise the premium to cover the cost. After the premium has been raised, pay everything and stop employing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of bureaucrats to monitor and control our health care.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Life in the fast lane

(447) TORA, TORA, TORA

2011-12-07T12:45:00.001-05:00

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the attack at Pearl Harbor.

After Pearl Harbor, we waged a war against stupid aggression and genocide. One would think that when peace broke out, the world would have learned its lesson. However, we have been embroiled in Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East. The United States has successfully engineered the demise of Muammar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein. Surely that would make the world safer. Unfortunately, it hasn’t.

While all of this is going on, I saw Ben Stein on television the other day, and he reported watching one of his grandchildren play a game called Zombies. It occurred to him that the political establishment is zombie-like. They can see a problem and walk right past it without ever noticing it or trying to solve it. At the present moment, Ahmadinejad (“Ringo”) and the fruitcake in North Korea are doing a lot of saber rattling. We are, again, stuck in a quagmire of uncertainty. For my money, I think we need to get out of the Middle East, ASAP. Korea will have to wait.

Peace,
Donald M. Heavrin

(446) STEVE JOBS, IRAQ, AND RAND PAUL'S TAKE ON 9/11

2011-12-02T16:45:00.001-05:00

I have been buried under Steven Jobs’ information. The story that is being circulated is that he was a computer genius. However, the truth of the matter is far, far removed from Jobs being a genius with computers. The Apple II computer from top to bottom was designed by Steven Wozinak. The Apple II was a tremendous instrument in its day. Jobs was apparently jealous of the success of Wozinak, and he designed the case for Apple III. No matter how much the engineers protested that it was impossible to get the processors in the computer that Jobs wanted in that size a case, Jobs insisted on using the case that he had designed. As a result, many add-ons had to be put in the computer on an after market basis, and his computer was a mammoth failure. He was also known to cry if he did not get his way. He had no regard for personal hygiene, walked around barefooted, and smelled bad. He denied paternity of his first child, and was abusive and abrasive to servers most of the time. With the invention of the Lisa, which was named for the daughter that Jobs had abandoned, rather than admit it was named after his daughter, Apple said that Lisa stands for ‘Local Integrated Systems Architecture.’ Apple got back on track, but Apple engineers, not Jobs, designed the computer. Jobs was good at designing cases, but the computer technology was left to Wozinak and other engineers.
* * * * *
At last we’re supposed to be getting out of Iraq. It only cost us 4,000 lives and 40,000 wounded. However, we did get rid of Saddam Hussein, which has caused a continuing strife in the country, and may for the next hundred years.
* * * * *
I read an interesting editorial by Rand Paul. He makes brilliant observations. He states that Al Quaida was not formidable, the Department of Defense withheld intelligence from the FBI. The FBI was advised time and time again by its field agents who were in possession of lap top information that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks. As a result of this bureaucratic bungling, we’re now being strip searched at the airport, and, as Rand says, we are subject to the failures of imperfect men and women in bloated bureaucracies. The fact that the government is taking away our liberty in the name of fear and protection should not be allowed, and I say the only way to stop this is to let your representative and your senators know that they will not be re-elected unless this bull dung stops.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
A concerned citizen

QUCKIE KKK

2011-11-23T16:24:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have just finished reading Reading for Survival by John D. MacDonald. It is 38 pages long, and it is one of the best quick reads of all time. I certify that it is well worth reading. If you would like to have a copy, email me at lvlaw@cas-com.net and put on the subject line the word ‘Book’ so that my mail-washer unit does not reject your message. No charge, but first come, first served.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
A survivor for peace

(445) MESSIANIC COMPLEX

2011-11-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

Oscar Ortega, the fruit cake who shot up the White House said before and after the shooting that he was Jesus. He is indeed bat-shit crazy. Before we completely discount him, let us consider three of the myriad options that are on the table.

1) He doesn’t believe he is Jesus and is advancing the idea to excuse his bat-shit crazy behavior.

2) He really thinks he is Jesus. He is still bat-shit crazy.

3) He may really be Jesus and he is bat-shit crazy.

For the rest of us, the horror is he got to vote and his vote counted.

Speaking of voting: after the Civil War the 15th Amendment was passed, and citizens could no longer be excluded from the polls because of race. Some states started looking for reasons to exclude black voters, other than race, and they were very successful. However, for the moment let us pretend that the Amendment did what it was intended to do. The end result: black men and white men could vote while black women and white women could not. This caused Suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton to write, "...if you do not wish the lower order of Chinese, African, German and Irish with their low ideas of womanhood to make laws for you and your daughters ... awake to the danger ... and demand that woman too, shall be represented in the government!"

I don’t think the Irish should be allowed to vote, any time, any place, but to lump the others in with the Irish is very insulting to the other groups.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Observer in the garden of strange

(444) AMAZING TIMES

2011-11-17T15:51:00.000-05:00

During the Occupy Wall Street movement, three women were raped and one person died from yet-to-be-determined causes. Multiple people were robbed. So much for peace. Many people defecated in the streets and in between the tents. So much for sanitation.

***

The nutcase in the Administration who approved (Bush rejected it) the millions for Solyndra, the solar-panel company that went belly-up, said before Congress that China spends a whole lot more money on clean energy than we do. Ergo, that justifies the government in making a stupid, brain-dead investment.

***

And, speaking of China, we are sending 2,500 troops to Australia under the pretense that they will stop China from becoming aggressive. First things first, China would eat 2,500 troops in about 15 seconds, so this is absolute nonsense. Secondly, without firing a shot, the United States is out of business if China stops buying our junk government bonds. We are still in business because of China.

***

Michelle Bachmann said that if they cut the military budget, our number of battleships will decline drastically and our nuclear arsenal will diminish and the number of soldiers on the ground will be reduced and all of the military equipment in which we’ve invested will fall into rust and vanish. What’s wrong with that? If we cut the military budget, our soldiers may have to come home from half of the 105 countries we currently occupy.

And we could balance the budget.

***

The evening news brought the information that we have warned Syria about killing their protesters. Just what we need–another war in the Middle East.

Life is good.

Health and prosperity,
Best regards,
Donald M. Heavrin
A worried citizen

(443) CAL THOMAS & OTHERS

2011-11-14T16:26:00.001-05:00

I read an editorial by Cal Thomas, a man with whom I seldom agree, that actually made sense. He opined that only the morons in the State Department could have ever believed Ahmadinejad (looks like Ringo) when he said Iran was not developing nuclear weapons. He likened this unfounded and stupid belief to Hitler asserting to Neville Chamberlain that they had no intention of attacking Czechoslovakia. Thomas pointed out that dictators do not live by western standards. It is questionable if the United States lives by any standards. He ended his article by quoting the National Review which stated that Fascism, Communism, and Islam are the totalitarian ideologies that are extremely dangerous. He forgot to mention Catholicism and Christianity in any of its incarnations.

***

This weekend I was listening to a talk-radio show and some bat-shit crazy guy called in to say that President Reagan was a lousy President. I completely agree. Reagan was not a hero, Reagan was a stumbling, bumbling idiot who is revered by the masses. So much for my opinion. His opinion was that Reagan had engineered the assassination of John Lennon! This person is extremely dangerous. He is allowed to own guns and, worse than that, he is allowed to vote–and his vote counts.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Your servant of truth

(442) REMEMBERING ANDY ROONEY

2011-11-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

At least some of you know that Andy Rooney died. I enjoyed him, and for years I thought of him as a member of the family. Many times I did not like what he had to say, but, even then, I thought his observations were thought-provoking. My favorite show was the one in which he talked about Veteran’s Day, the day we are supposed to remember our Veterans. Andy succinctly observed that a day to remember was unnecessary for him–every day he remembered his friends who were killed in the war. The ultimate sadness lies in the reality that, with the death of Andy Rooney, there is no one left to remember his friends. Thus, his friends died a second time. Before World War II, he was anti-war, however, when he got to Germany he changed his mind when he saw the horrors wrought on the world by the Nazis. He realized sometimes war was necessary.

It is hard to believe that Andy was 92. He seemed vital and clear-headed, an astute thinker, even at his advanced age. Another thought: I wonder how fast his life passed, viewing his life from his perspective?

*****

Ed McMahon, in one of his last interviews, noted that you get up every day, go to work, and sometime you look back and are amazed that 30 years have passed. I agree and ask about 40 years, where did they go?

In a Pink Floyd song, “Ten years have got behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun . . .”

Life is short–have some fun.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Your servant of truth

(441) A VOICE OF REASON

2011-11-02T15:10:00.001-04:00

LEO is an alternative newspaper in Louisville. Ricky L. Jones is a writer for LEO, and his observations are usually brilliant. Set out below is a verbatim quote from one of his recent articles (KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES, “The necessity of self-deception”):

"Let’s be real – Cain isn’t winning the nomination. You know it, and he knows it. Perry isn’t winning it either. Why? Because he’s crazy. Michele Bachmann is a joke. Ron Paul could win if, like his son, voting were limited to Kentucky. Since it’s not, he’s toast.

Even though the clownish Tea Party types hate him, Romney will win the nomination simply because he’s the best available, sane option. Everybody knows this, but we’ll play this silly game through next spring.

Yes, everybody knows this just like they knew Sarah Palin wouldn’t run. Why? because Sarah Palin is an intellectual Lilliputian who has trouble constructing a comprehensible sentence."

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Your servant of truth

(440) SUPERMAN ON NAURU

2011-10-27T17:30:00.001-04:00

The Japanese seized the Island of Nauru because it had a large deposit of phosphorous that they needed in the manufacture of gunpowder. The Air Force was ordered to attack Nauru in February 1943, and they took off to accomplish the mission. Ray Lambert was the Tail-gunner on the airplane known as Superman. The plane withstood a vicious attack by the Japanese, and when it landed back at home base, had 594 holes in it. One crewman was killed, several were severely wounded, including Ray Lambert, who spent five months in the hospital, but lived.

The amazing part of the story is that the B-24 was a lousy airplane and it was a miracle that anyone survived the attack. Lambert did, and he eventually returned to duty, amassing an astounding record, successfully completing at least 95 missions.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
One who dislikes war

(439) AYN RAND SPEAKS

2011-10-25T14:05:00.001-04:00

I would appreciate it if you would commit to memory the philosophic notion that I am going to express. Actually, Ayn Rand expressed it years ago, and I have adopted it. The problem with fighting a war to install a democracy in another country is that no one knows what they are fighting for until the war is over and an election is held. In the Philippines, we engineered the removal of Marcos, but he could win reelection today if he was alive. We engineered a democracy Iraq and we are fixing to have Shia law. We are trying to engineer a democracy in Afghanistan, and no one knows how that is going to turn out. It is patently absurd to fight a war then wait until the country has an election to determine whether the cost of war was appropriate.

*****

I believe that I have visited with the World-War-II Air Force, but it is worth remembering. 35,933 planes were lost in world War II. I wonder how many survived, and I wonder how on Earth we built all of those planes. The building of the aircraft was a miracle.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
A seeker of truth

(438) DANGERS OF HERO WORSHIP

2011-10-24T15:06:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the Benevolent External Servant who, along with the help of the United States and NATO, engineered the death of Muammar Gadhafi. Now ladies, everybody line up. The tyrant who is fixing to impose Sharia law in Libya wants to mutilate your genitalia.

Speaking of bizarre events, the big deal was that Muammar Gadhafi had engineered the destruction of, or his agents had blown up, an airplane years ago (1992, I think), killing everyone on board. The bottom line is now, and always has been, who is the target du jour? Does anyone remember when Reagan, the Great Conservative, the Great Communicator, the Great Warhog, the Great Freedom-fighter was President of the United States? North Korea shot down a commercial airliner. Reagan's reaction? "They will be condemned in the court of public opinion." Despite Ronnie's inability to pour piss out of a boot, there are legions of people who fall to their knees at the mention of his name. But public opinion is hardly tit for tat.

(437) MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS . . .

2011-10-20T13:41:00.001-04:00

The morning news advised that Gaddafi had been discovered and, then, later reported that he was dead. If we assume that’s true, I think its time to get NATO in the air to take out North Korea.

*****

If you are a regular reader of my ‘blog, that is an indication that you are more in tune with the realities of the present day than the average bear. Thank you for tuning in.

Having said that, you undoubtedly know that the major cost of this war will be taking care of the wounded after the war is over. In Operation Enduring Freedom, 3,162 have been wounded and 89.3% survived their wounds. In Operation Iraqi Freedom, 31,430 have been wounded and 89.9% have survived. In contrast, in World War II, 607,846 were wounded and only 70.7% survived. Better immediate medical care on the field of combat has caused the increase in survival.

Once we are mired down in a war, every President says that we must stay the course in order to honor those who were killed or wounded. This is really illogical–we must have more people killed and wounded to honor those who have been killed and wounded? This is, indeed, the Twilight Zone.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Speaking from the Twilight Zone

(436) WHAT DO THE PROTESTERS WANT?

2011-10-17T16:48:00.001-04:00

This morning in a public square by the Courthouse in Louisville, Kentucky, there was a lone protester standing with a sign that said, “People over Profit.” I pulled the car up, rolled down the window, and said, ‘What do you want?’ He said, ‘I want to stop corporate greed, and I want to put people over profit.’ Obviously, this feller had no concept that nothing can be done for people unless there is commerce, and, usually, there has to be money in excess of what it costs to make the product before there can be any benefit going to people (taxes) who are not working.

The massive bank bailouts and car company bailouts were foisted upon the public by the government. Protest the government for God’s sakes, or keep your mouth shut, and be happy that these companies are still in business and money is being put in the economy, which will create products, jobs, houses, you name it. If the government decided to do a bailout for this protester, he will not say, ‘Don’t give me the money because it is unfair to others who are not receiving the money.’ He will gobble the money up with less effort than it takes to eat a can of sauerkraut.

The fact that Warren Buffet is saying that he should pay more taxes is weird as hell. If I pay $3,500 a year in taxes on the $10,000 I made, it is true that I am paying a higher percentage rate than Warren Buffet, however, it is still $3,500. When Warren Buffet pays $800,000 in taxes, it may only be 16% of his income, but it is still $800,000.

We are experiencing runaway inflation because we have more wars than we can handle, and we have more money being paid out in social security and medicare benefits. If we are losing money on Medicare, do what a private insurance carrier would do–raise the premium. If 1% doesn’t cover it, raise the premium to 3%, and then get rid of the bureaucracy that rations medical care.

* * * * *

“If the government ran the Sahara Desert, in five years there’d be a shortage of sand.” (Milton Friedman)

Yours for more credit,

T. S. Frecklebelly

(435) EGYPT ON FIRE

2011-10-11T16:16:00.000-04:00

Egypt is on fire, and protesters who are anti-Mubarak are now being tortured by the ruling military junta. Their sin is that they want a free election. This, in and of itself, is nonsense because it is likely that the Egyptians would elect Mubarak or the military junta. Nevertheless, that is the protested issue. I have previously stated on other occasions that, after they had the rioting in Egypt, my question was, what happens now?

The same is about to happen in Libya. Now that Qaddafi has been deposed, what is going to happen next?

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Be careful what wish, you may get it

(434) STEVE JOBS

2011-10-07T15:17:00.002-04:00

Various members of the media observed that Steve Jobs invented things we need, before we knew we needed them. They were right. We have lost a real visionary.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Computer illiterate

(433) FREE COUNTRY?

2011-10-03T14:04:00.000-04:00

Six government agents raided the Gibson Guitar Company. The employees were scared out of their wits. What occasioned the raid? The Feds heard that Gibson was building guitars using illegal wood. Actually, this is another example of bureaucrats who must produce in order to justify their existence. The amazing part of the story is where and how did we get into this BS? Answer: the terminally fearful have been activated by a government that wants the public to think that but-for their diligence we would be awash in illegal-wood use, which would result in the demise of civilization.

The State of Indiana has passed legislation to keep people from buying more than one packet of cold medicine at a time, after they have presented positive identification. Of course, this ridiculous anomaly is brought to you by the always-fearful.

Almost 2,000 US Soldiers have died in Afghanistan. This war and many other have been brought to you by the terminally fearful. First the government scares the socks off of everybody, and it tells us that, unless we invade the country of Bohunkus, civilization will end.

Ken Burns has a show about Prohibition that began last night. The theme is a question: how did we allow the government to get us in this mess? The answer is always the same: the terminally fearful, with an unhealthy dose of religion, propelled us into a world in which a large chunk of freedom has disappeared. As a coincidence, as soon as Prohibition ended, the war on drugs. Harry J. Anslinger, who headed up the anti-liquor war, shifted gears and became an anti-marijuana warrior. There were a lot of bureaucrats out of work: simple solution–create another agency.

This weekend, a group of people attempted to cross the Brooklyn Bridge to protest corporate influence in American politics. But, anyone who can think knows that corporate greed is an illusion. What does a corporation do with its ill-gotten money? It makes more products, it expands, it puts the money in the bank where other people can use it by borrowing it from the bank. In comparison to corporations, the government is the most greedy entity in the United States or, for that matter, in the world. The government never makes effective use of the money it has confiscated from the ignorant masses.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Your taxing authority

SHAKESPEARE REVISITED

2011-09-28T17:16:00.002-04:00

I will frequently quote passages from Shakespeare, and I believe Shakespeare was a great philosopher and a ho-hum mediocre writer. Much is made about Shakespeare as a great writer, and to say otherwise is sacrilegious. However, I don’t think he was a great writer. There. I said it. His writing is somewhat confusing, and even the annotations don’t help a lot. On the philosophical issue he made great observations such as, “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.”

On the confusing end, many undecipherable parts, fill most of the pages. I site Othello. I spent a lot of time on Othello, and I learned more from the annotations than I did from the words spoken in the play. At the end Othello stabs himself and falls upon Desdemona in a final kiss and says:

And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’throat the circumcised dog
And smote him–thus.

Any questions?

Respectfully submitted,

Donald M. Heavrin,
A Shakespearean scholar

TOILET PAPER AND LIFE

2011-09-26T16:54:00.002-04:00

“Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes”, Steven Tyler.

The ruling party in Yemen turned artillery loose on the protesters, and this weekend there were snipers on the roofs of buildings randomly shooting protestors. Forty people were killed, and I’m wondering where the hell is NATO, the United States needs another war. In the same genre, since we have engineered the dispossession of Kadafi, has anything improved for the masses? Is there more food, medicine and housing? Or is it a third world country that has been pushed into the fourth world?

Respectfully submitted,

Donald M. Heavrin,

May peace be with you.