I have all sorts of thoughts on the Bureau of Land Management standoff in Nevada, but tonight was a (blessed) moment of relief from the cares of the last few weeks. #1 Son and I walked to the local pub for a quick libation. It turned out to be dead slow, and so we ended up having quite a good chat with the barman and the barmaid. Not sure how it came up, but we got to the subject of "What would be a good playlist for the Air Force guys to play as they fire the Hellfire missile at the Taliban?"
Like I said, it was slow. Everyone contributed, and it was a fun bar room conversation. As a break from Wookie-suited rants, I humbly offer it up for your approval. Feel free to add yours in the comments.
My suggestions:
Live And Let Die. I always thought this would have been a good one to play over the intercom of the B-52s unleashing Holy Hell over Tora Bora. Likely they don't/can't do that, but this was the dream. Sure wish they had the opening credits to the film for this video, because it was awesome.
Give me back my bullets. Just because it scans better than "gimme back my depleted uranium projectiles.
32 - 20 Blues. Because you don't get more 'Murican than blues.
The barmaid had an interesting list:
You Rascal You, Hanni El Khatib cover of the Louis Armstrong song. That has extra irony points.
Weapon Of Choice by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. You need to hear more than that?
The barman had some great choices:
Bombs Over Baghdad. More for younger listeners than me, but duh.
That Was Just Your Life. A bit pensive in the opening, but gets to the whole "A-10 Minigun strafing run" feeling. And quite frankly, that was just your life, Jihadi ....
Symphony Of Destruction - Megadeth. Somehow, operatic metal seems to have a plethora of great choices here.
And it goes on and on. This could actually be a decent playlist for riding your motorcycle. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments. JayG, I expect you have some great Metal additions ...
We now return you to the wookie-suited rants ...
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Reflections on 20 years of Second Amendment victories
Clair has a very thoughtful piece up about the last two decades and how they have been a disaster for the gun grabbers:
It was an interesting read for me personally, since in the early 90s I was making my transition from a reliable Democrat to someone who thought for myself. I was one of the people whose heads would nod when the Washington Post editorialized for "common sense" controls - without knowing or thinking much about it. You see, I wasn't a shooter back then.
But the Assault Weapons Ban rang hollow, even to one such as me. It was clear that the black rifles weren't part of any problem facing the Republic, but the level of huffing and puffing made me wonder what is up with these people?
And I remember being on a business trip on election night 1994, and laughing at how all the Talking Heads seemed about ready to cry at how the Democrats had been punished by the electorate. Nobody mentioned guns, but even I was able to connect those dots. It was a loose connection, to be sure, sort of well what do you expect would happen to people who spend all their time chasing stupid non-problems?
But it wasn't a black swan event, it was Stalingrad. Ever since that high water moment, the tide has been flowing in one direction and one direction only. Each victory has made the situation more and more plain. We'll see what the local election results are this year in Connecticut, and New York, and Colorado. I think that the moving finger has already writ that fate; having writ it will move on to the write the next defeat for the Gun Banners. Because those Blue State "victories" for Gun Control have a heavy cost.
We gun owners have been utterly unreasonable and lacking in common sense for roughly 20 years. And by golly, look where it’s got us! We’ve whomped the enemies of gun rights into quivering submission. These days, they can’t even draw bodies to their rallies or contributors to their bank accounts. Gun haters are reduced to screaming on Twitter about how all gun owners have tiny man-parts (apparently they’d be shocked to realize that millions of gun owners have no man parts).She then lays out the victories of the powers of Light over the powers of Darkness. It's quite a list.
Anti-gunners have been trounced so effectively—in legislatures, in the courts, in public opinion, in accuracy of information, in economics, in gun and ammo sales, and in the sheer number of new shooters taking up guns as a hobby or for protection—that these days they have to place their only real-world hopes in sneaky, dubious measures like executive orders.
It was an interesting read for me personally, since in the early 90s I was making my transition from a reliable Democrat to someone who thought for myself. I was one of the people whose heads would nod when the Washington Post editorialized for "common sense" controls - without knowing or thinking much about it. You see, I wasn't a shooter back then.
But the Assault Weapons Ban rang hollow, even to one such as me. It was clear that the black rifles weren't part of any problem facing the Republic, but the level of huffing and puffing made me wonder what is up with these people?
And I remember being on a business trip on election night 1994, and laughing at how all the Talking Heads seemed about ready to cry at how the Democrats had been punished by the electorate. Nobody mentioned guns, but even I was able to connect those dots. It was a loose connection, to be sure, sort of well what do you expect would happen to people who spend all their time chasing stupid non-problems?
But it wasn't a black swan event, it was Stalingrad. Ever since that high water moment, the tide has been flowing in one direction and one direction only. Each victory has made the situation more and more plain. We'll see what the local election results are this year in Connecticut, and New York, and Colorado. I think that the moving finger has already writ that fate; having writ it will move on to the write the next defeat for the Gun Banners. Because those Blue State "victories" for Gun Control have a heavy cost.
The armies separated; and, it is said, Pyrrhus replied to one that gave him joy of his victory that one more such victory would utterly undo him. For he had lost a great part of the forces he brought with him, and almost all his particular friends and principal commanders; there were no others there to make recruits, and he found the confederates in Italy backward. On the other hand, as from a fountain continually flowing out of the city, the Roman camp was quickly and plentifully filled up with fresh men, not at all abating in courage for the loss they sustained, but even from their very anger gaining new force and resolution to go on with the war.Go read Claire's excellent article.
- Plutarch
The USA just took a step towards secession this weekend
It is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.I really hadn't ever put much credence in Obama's vow to "fundamentally transform" America. Sure, he's a radical who wanted to; I just never thought he'd be effective leaving that as his legacy. Now I'm not so sure:
- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
It is impossible to overstate the importance of the victory won in the desert today. While the behind-the-scenes details are not clear yet, it is obvious that something unprecedented in the war on the west that has been waged by the imperial federal government has, against all odds, happened. The feds were routed -- routed. There is no other word that applies. Courage is contagious, defiance is contagious, victory is contagious.
Secession, while still unlikely, is now possible to discuss as a potential outcome. An arrogant and bumbling Fed.Gov threw their weight around, and the People stared them down. As it escalated towards gunfire, the Governor of the State made the Federales back down.
Think about that, and about what it means to the attempt to centralize all power in Washington D.C. The Governor of a State made the Feds stop what they were doing and leave.
Barack Obama is a screw up - he forgot Tip O'Neil's immortal words: all politics is local. Organizing For America has pull in Chicago and the Northeast; not in Nevada or Idaho or Montana or Texas. The Feds just showed how weak their hand really is. The Republic has just seen that Fundamental Transformation is being pushed by arrogant incompetents.
Is a breakup likely? Certainly not. However, it wasn't even a possibility to consider seriously last week. That's changed now, as we see who the Strong Horse is, and who the Weak Horse is. We're seeing the People's - and the Governor's - calculus on this matter rather a lot lately:
The feds ordered the state of Wisconsin to close several state parks that receive federal funding. However, Governor Scott Walker has decided to ignore that order and a Fish and Wildlife Service order to ban hunting and fishing on federal lands. State officials said that Wisconsin provides more than half the funding for the parks, so they will be kept open with state money.
If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.Oops. Let the mockery commence:
- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
Hat tip: Claire.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Man, it was a rougher week than I'd thought
After 20 hours (!) of sleep the last two nights, I'm wiped out. Didn't even take the bike out, and it was beautiful out.
Going to bed.
Going to bed.
I love and hate Costco
The prices are great (if you're careful), but man it's crowded on a Sunday afternoon.
Amazing what a couple good nights of sleep can do for you
Holy cow, I'm a new man. 20 hours of sleep over two days has me caught back up. All the feeling annoyed, snapping at the dogs, etc has disappeared after two nights of good sleep. Problems remain, and it may even be the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine.
Johann Sebastian Bach - St. Matthew's Passion
Holy Week calls for the musical A List, and so we find ourselves with Bach. It well may be that this is the Master's greatest work, but it went for nearly a century after his death without being performed at all. Felix Mendelssohn unearthed it and performed it to great acclaim in 1829, nearly 80 years after the composer's death. Perhaps the best comparison of the piece is to Handel's Messiah, which also tells the story of the passion.
Like The Messiah, this is big music - it is typically performed with two orchestras and two choirs. Unlike Handel (who wrote much more "commercial" music), this sounds much more "churchy" as you'd expect from Bach's career as a church musician and composer. In fact, you very likely know the tune that plays at around 34:40, and can hum along.
Youtube typically has a 10 minute rule, not allowing videos longer than that. They (quite rightly) make an exception for this, and so you have the entire two and a half hour piece.
Like The Messiah, this is big music - it is typically performed with two orchestras and two choirs. Unlike Handel (who wrote much more "commercial" music), this sounds much more "churchy" as you'd expect from Bach's career as a church musician and composer. In fact, you very likely know the tune that plays at around 34:40, and can hum along.
Youtube typically has a 10 minute rule, not allowing videos longer than that. They (quite rightly) make an exception for this, and so you have the entire two and a half hour piece.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
It's not free when someone else is paying for it
Cost and Risk are no object when someone else is paying the tab:
Wapati sums this up with admirable restraint:
Interestingly, two of the three women profiled in the [Daily] Mail story were 50+ when they gave birth. The amount of resources and effort required, and risk borne by their children for them to realize their dreams of being an older choice mommy, is substantial. But no cost is too high and no risk too great when a lonely post-Wall future involving lots of felines looms scarily near:[blink] [blink]
Carole Hobson became Britain’s oldest mother of twins at 58 after conceiving through IVF at an Indian clinic.
...
Nine weeks premature and each weighing 3lb 3oz, they spent two months in neo-natal care. The qualified barrister from Kent, said: ‘In Britain we need to be better at providing for women who want to be mothers later in life. It is an indescribable joy, but it’s non-stop – it is like a full-time job.’
Wapati sums this up with admirable restraint:
I have to admire Ms. Hobson's chutzpah, though. She chose to have babies man-not-included, and the overburdened British taxpayer--49% of whom are men of the sort she couldn't bring herself to marry--was stuck with the bill for her operation (low $20s for a C-section) and 60 days for two children in the NICU ($3.5K per baby per day, or roughly $42K). Yet she still complains that she didn't receive enough support. Amazing.She is he very model of a modern strong and independent woman. And exhibit A for why government services have to be lousy, because people abuse them for frivolous reasons.
Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood - How Great Thou Art
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. Music for the moment demands the magnificent. Fortunately we have Vince's guitar and Carrie's voice to oblige.
Friday, April 11, 2014
The past
Such a happy place:
Actually, the future is sunshine and kittens, but you know what he means.
PAST, n. That part of Eternity with some small fraction of which we have a slight and regrettable acquaintance. A moving line called the Present parts it from an imaginary period known as the Future. These two grand divisions of Eternity, of which the one is continually effacing the other, are entirely unlike. The one is dark with sorrow and disappointment, the other bright with prosperity and joy. The Past is the region of sobs, the Future is the realm of song. In the one crouches Memory, clad in sackcloth and ashes, mumbling penitential prayer; in the sunshine of the other Hope flies with a free wing, beckoning to temples of success and bowers of ease.
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
Actually, the future is sunshine and kittens, but you know what he means.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Roosevelt Sykes - Security Blues
For all the IT security folks dealing with the Heartbleed vulnerability ...
The unblinking eye
But remember, if you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about, right?
Hat tip: R. Denison via email
NRA proposes national registry of Shit That Doesn't Matter
But which will be used to infringe second amendment rights of people. For Teh Childrenz™:
Screw the NRA. If they'd had their way Alan Gura never would have taken Heller or MacDonald to the Supremes, and they'd throw everyone who'd ever taken a pill for depression under the Gun Control bus.
Wayne LaPierre, die screaming in a crotch fire, you ignorant, elitist scumbag. Instead of renewing my NRA membership, I'll send the check to the Second Amendment Foundation who actually care about gun rights and instead of selling even more of them out, are trying to turn back the tide.
Screw you, and the horse you rode in on. Sideways.
* Yes, I know that this is a year old. I'm a slow learner, at least when it comes to the NRA.
"How many more copycats are waiting in the wings for their moment of fame from a national media machine that rewards them with wall-to-wall attention and a sense of identity that they crave, while provoking others to try to make their mark," LaPierre said. "A dozen more killers, a hundred more? How can we possibly even guess how many, given our nation's refusal to create an active national database of the mentally ill?"Glad to see you prove that you're only marginally better than the Brady Bunch*. Remember, there's no solid science that says that modern psychiatry can reliably predict who will become a mass shooter before the fact. But you shouldn't have that psychiatric shoulder thing that goes up, because you gunnies are crazy or something. Jeebus on a motorbike, is there a single strategy from the enemies of freedom that you won't swipe, because you think it's somehow good for the NRA or something?
Screw the NRA. If they'd had their way Alan Gura never would have taken Heller or MacDonald to the Supremes, and they'd throw everyone who'd ever taken a pill for depression under the Gun Control bus.
Wayne LaPierre, die screaming in a crotch fire, you ignorant, elitist scumbag. Instead of renewing my NRA membership, I'll send the check to the Second Amendment Foundation who actually care about gun rights and instead of selling even more of them out, are trying to turn back the tide.
Screw you, and the horse you rode in on. Sideways.
* Yes, I know that this is a year old. I'm a slow learner, at least when it comes to the NRA.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Man, this sucks
This is very, very bad. If you're in IT this needs to go right to the top of your To Do list. If you run a web server, same thing.
Giving up your dreams is easy
The only difference between the Saint and the sinner is that every Saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.
- Oscar Wilde
Dreams are a future that hasn't happened yet. Because it hasn't happened, it's easy to give it up. "Easy".
Giving up your past is not as easy. It's as easy as a sinner becoming a Saint.
Many people genuinely do not wish to be saints, and it is possible that some who achieve or aspire to sainthood have never had much temptation to be human beings.
- George Orwell
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