Friday, January 29, 2010

Pax Malus

The Pax Romana was a period in the history of the Roman Empire where Caesar took rights away from every Roman citizen and in exchange provided them with order. But this article is not about Roman history, it is about the nanny philosophy.


As you may or may not doubt have guessed (or googled) the word "pax" is the latin word for "peace" and the word "malus" is the latin word for apple. I am, by any standards, an outspoken critic of the Apple business model. My objections are not monetary, as their stock prices will no doubt refute that, but rather on philosophical grounds. Their treaty with the customer base is that we will take away your right to do anything cool, and in exchange the device will run faster. Do you want wallpaper in the Background? no. How about the ability to run multiple programs at the same time? no. The theory of restricting you for your own good is the definition of evil. This isn't Pax Malus, but Pax Malum (evil peace, go learn your latin!). As much as I would love to write an article about the business practices of Apple, it would be off of the blog's theme. 


As I stated in a previous post, I believe in the concept of natural rights. In other words, I
"...hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ...That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it "
When a right wing extremist refers to democrats as "anti-american" they are not too far off. The entire Democratic platform has turned towards the nanny state. The Uncle Sam has become Mama Sam. Instead of calling people to service, the country has become a caregiver that has to deal with irresponsible children. Allow me to explain:


Democrats tend to favor government actions that are "for your own good". For example: 

  1. Mandating health insurance for everyone, even if they don't want it.
  2. Mandating the payment of social security for everyone, even if they don't want to.
These restrictions all make one fatal assumption: I know better than you. The text of the declaration of independence is clear. Liberty is an inalienable right and not even the almighty government can stop that. Let me be clear, any claim of "we're screwing you over for your own good" should not be used to justify any law except when dealing with minors. The assumption with those under the age of 18, is that they lack the capability to decide for themselves, which I do agree with, but once someone can decide to grab arms they are legally responsible for themselves. sound off below.   

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Put it all on red!

Let's go back a year

Barack Obama has just been sworn in and the mood of America can be defined as hopeful. This man promised that he will change the culture of Washington. He had a majority in the house. He had a majority of 58 in the Senate, which would later become a super-majority of 60 with the addition of Minnesota Senator Al Franken and the conversion of Republican Senator Arlen Specter. He had all the wind a president could ever wish for in his sails. All he had to do was propose any reasonable middle-of-the-road legislation and the Grand old Party would be a fool to filibuster. He obviously had the marketing skills to make a virtually unknown Black Senator the Potus (President of the United States). All he had to overcome was a dependence on the Totus (Teleprompter of the United States, http://baracksteleprompter.blogspot.com/). To sum up the mood of the nation at the time Time Released the following cover.


 Let's go 1 year forward.


Virginia and New Jersey just elected a Republican Governor. As if that wasn't impressive enough, Scott Brown got elected to the Senate of Massachusetts. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that this is the most significant senatorial election in our lifetime. I don't think there is a single metaphor, no matter how clever, that can describe how impressive this feat was. For a Republican Senator to get elected in the land of Kennedy is the equivalent of Black man to become an Imperial Wizard. That itself doesn't capture how ridiculously unlikely that a Republican would win a Senate seat in Massachusetts.

If that was all that the Republicans had going for them, I would say that this coming midterm election was going to be a moderate swing in the polls because there's simply not enough known Republican Senatorial candidates. If only there was a way for these relatively unknown candidates to get known, say through advertisements. Wouldn't it be something if these relatively unknown candidates would somehow get money to make their name known? Oh. Wait a second. There was that one completely insignificant and irrelevant Supreme Court case that happened recently. A case that legally gives corporations permission to donate money to campaigns. This case will hurt democrats. Big time. Why, you ask?

The way the system works is that "Big Business" supports the Republican party and "Big Labor" the Democratic Party. Americans, even in these anti-business times, hate unions more than businesses, and for good reason. Unions represent the employee when the union gets its way, it increases the cost on a company and in turn increases the price of a given product or service. By contrast when Businesses get their way, they decrease their costs in the form of corporate tax cuts which in turn translate to savings for the consumer.

Wow. My prediction? The house swings and the Senate, at the very least, goes 48-62. If it was up to me, I would put it all on red. 

Put it all on red!

Let's go back a year

Barack Obama has just been sworn in and the mood of America can be defined as hopeful. This man promised that he will change the culture of Washington. He had a majority in the house. He had a majority of 58 in the Senate, which would later become a super-majority of 60 with the addition of Minnesota Senator Al Franken and the conversion of Republican Senator Arlen Specter. He had all the wind a president could ever wish for in his sails. All he had to do was propose any reasonable middle-of-the-road legislation and the Grand old Party would be a fool to filibuster. He obviously had the marketing skills to make a virtually unknown Black Senator the Potus (President of the United States). All he had to overcome was a dependence on the Totus (Teleprompter of the United States, http://baracksteleprompter.blogspot.com/). To sum up the mood of the nation at the time Time Released the following cover.


 Let's go 1 year forward.


Virginia and New Jersey just elected a Republican Governor. As if that wasn't impressive enough, Scott Brown got elected to the Senate of Massachusetts. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that this is the most significant senatorial election in our lifetime. I don't think there is a single metaphor, no matter how clever, that can describe how impressive this feat was. For a Republican Senator to get elected in the land of Kennedy is the equivalent of Black man to become an Imperial Wizard. That itself doesn't capture how ridiculously unlikely that a Republican would win a Senate seat in Massachusetts.

If that was all that the Republicans had going for them, I would say that this coming midterm election was going to be a moderate swing in the polls because there's simply not enough known Republican Senatorial candidates. If only there was a way for these relatively unknown candidates to get known, say through advertisements. Wouldn't it be something if these relatively unknown candidates would somehow get money to make their name known? Oh. Wait a second. There was that one completely insignificant and irrelevant Supreme Court case that happened recently. A case that legally gives corporations permission to donate money to campaigns. This case will hurt democrats. Big time. Why, you ask?

The way the system works is that "Big Business" supports the Republican party and "Big Labor" the Democratic Party. Americans, even in these anti-business times, hate unions more than businesses, and for good reason. Unions represent the employee when the union gets its way, it increases the cost on a company and in turn increases the price of a given product or service. By contrast when Businesses get their way, they decrease their costs in the form of corporate tax cuts which in turn translate to savings for the consumer.

Wow. My prediction? The house swings and the Senate, at the very least, goes 48-62. If it was up to me, I would put it all on red. 

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Dear Mr. Obama, Thank You Very much. Signed, John Wahba

Several years ago, a young student by the name of John Wahba was posed an essay at the end of his sophmore year. The essay's question was to write about a person who exhibits "The Power of One." For those of you who know me well enough, such abstractions really piss me off. After brief consideration I put pen to paper and wrote of a man who in my opinion had a net positive impact on the world. Osama Bin Laden.

This of course was a purely intellectual exercise at first. To analyze the good that an international terrorist did is borderline unpatriotic, but it was all for the best. The theory behind my essay was two-stringed. First, that he taught us all a valuable geography lesson (Not so strong), and second, he inoculated the United States against a much worse attack. Think of 9/11 as a vaccine to a nuclear bomb. Alas, that essay is done and gone, but I feel it necessary to look into Obama's positive effect on the USA, no matter how inadvertent.

Let's begin:

Happy Obama-versery everyone! On this day approximately 1 year ago, history was made and Obama was elected to the presidency making him the first half-white man to become ruler of the free world. But aside from such leaps in civil rights like a rich, published, Harvard alum becoming president, what did he really do in the past year. Let's analyze a list of campaign promises he didn't keep.



Some may say that it is to early to judge a president. They suggest that the year mark is way to short. I ask the critics this, name a good president who defined his term after the first year. If you can find one, please send it over.

Now that we are done with that, let's see what his real impact was on the country. He ran under lofty rhetoric and sheer idealism. He gave people hope. He told his supporters that together we can do anything. And proceeded to do none of it. So Mr. Obama, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reminding Americans that a pretty face will not change the system.

PS To those reading this off of facebook, you missed the embedded video. Go to http://wahbapolitics.blogspot.com for the full effect.

Dear Mr. Obama, Thank You Very much. Signed, John Wahba

Several years ago, a young student by the name of John Wahba was posed an essay at the end of his sophmore year. The essay's question was to write about a person who exhibits "The Power of One." For those of you who know me well enough, such abstractions really piss me off. After brief consideration I put pen to paper and wrote of a man who in my opinion had a net positive impact on the world. Osama Bin Laden.

This of course was a purely intellectual exercise at first. To analyze the good that an international terrorist did is borderline unpatriotic, but it was all for the best. The theory behind my essay was two-stringed. First, that he taught us all a valuable geography lesson (Not so strong), and second, he inoculated the United States against a much worse attack. Think of 9/11 as a vaccine to a nuclear bomb. Alas, that essay is done and gone, but I feel it necessary to look into Obama's positive effect on the USA, no matter how inadvertent.

Let's begin:

Happy Obama-versery everyone! On this day approximately 1 year ago, history was made and Obama was elected to the presidency making him the first half-white man to become ruler of the free world. But aside from such leaps in civil rights like a rich, published, Harvard alum becoming president, what did he really do in the past year. Let's analyze a list of campaign promises he didn't keep.



Some may say that it is to early to judge a president. They suggest that the year mark is way to short. I ask the critics this, name a good president who defined his term after the first year. If you can find one, please send it over.

Now that we are done with that, let's see what his real impact was on the country. He ran under lofty rhetoric and sheer idealism. He gave people hope. He told his supporters that together we can do anything. And proceeded to do none of it. So Mr. Obama, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reminding Americans that a pretty face will not change the system.

PS To those reading this off of facebook, you missed the embedded video. Go to http://wahbapolitics.blogspot.com for the full effect.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Race is Culture



Quick question. Who said the following:


"[Barack Obama is] light skinned [and] with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
No it wasn't Rush Limbaugh. Not Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck but whoever said that must be a real racist. Unless of course that person was Senate majority leader Harry Reid, whose statements automatically get the Democratic Teflon Coat of immortality when it comes to racist comments towards, blacks, jews and hispanics. But no, Harry Reid can't be that insensitive, can he?






Let's look another quote by someone whose Democratic Teflon Coat has already been worn away slightly. 
"This guy — he was catapulted in on hope and change — what we hope the guy is. What the (expletive)? Everything he's saying's on the teleprompter. I'm blacker than Barack Obama. I shined shoes. I grew up in a five-room apartment. My father had a little Laundromat in a black community not far from where we lived. I saw it all growing up."
 Any guesses on who said that. The expletive probably gave it away. Otherwise this quote is bleeping golden. That's right former governer and furniture salesman Rod Blagojevich, made this beef up, without his Democratic Teflon Coat on but it didn't hurt him too much because he can only go one direction from where he is, up.

But this isn't a post about Democratic Teflon Coat, which  sounds like something that can be sold on an infomercial, this is a post on race has come to mean. I contend that race and race relations is not defined by the color of someone's skin, but by the color of their rice. Race has become culture and that is something no politician wants to admit.

So let's talk race. Mind you I am not wearing my Democratic Teflon Coat so this is going to be very off the cuff. Let's begin:

(Oh and one last thing. In order to be as confusing as possible, I will try to use a different phrase every time I mention a racial group. It will keep you on your feet, and make you hate political correctness. Win win.)

A Race develops when a group of people are thought to stereotypically act in a certain way. The one that I mentioned earlier was African-American. The Negro culture itself is easy to define. If I were to point at prominent politicians of African Ancestry like Colin Powell and ask, "What makes Colin Powell black?", you would be very hard pressed for an answer. Most people when thinking about Colin Powell, don't think black man. If you look at his accomplishments, you will find them to be racially independent. He worked his way up the army and eventually became Secretary of state. If you were knew to American politics and never saw his picture, you would probably guess he was white.

There is a reason for that. The Caucasian culture has defined itself as the politically active side of race relations. If you were to look at Congress  sun bathing, you would be blinded by the lack of pigment. Politics is largely a profession for the pigmentally challenged. To those who say that it doesn't matter who you are on the outside, they're right. Colin Powell may have been black on the outside, but on the inside, he was white. Mind you I respect him as an intellectual and a politician but, the fact that he's got slightly more melanin than other statesman, has nothing to do with it.

Still don't believe that race is culture? Consider this. Race is not something you are born with. *dodges rotten tomatoes*. Hear me out for a second. If race was something primordial, how can   someone whose physical qualities are not unlike that of someone who came from the west side of the African continent, go about calling other people with the same physical characteristics "white." The fact that people can change their race proves it is not coded into their genes. Better yet how can the phrases "Twinkie" and "Oreo" be used to describe anyone. While you are eating that food for thought, (Get it? Twinkies. Oreos. Food for thought). watch this awesome segment on Jon Stewart: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-29-2007/frog-princess

PS. For those wondering what Oreo and Twinkie mean, Black/Yellow on the outside, and white on the inside.

PPS. Democratic Teflon Coats are available at retailers near you. Make checks payable to  the inventor of these coats John F. Kennedy.

Race is Culture



Quick question. Who said the following:


"[Barack Obama is] light skinned [and] with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
No it wasn't Rush Limbaugh. Not Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck but whoever said that must be a real racist. Unless of course that person was Senate majority leader Harry Reid, whose statements automatically get the Democratic Teflon Coat of immortality when it comes to racist comments towards, blacks, jews and hispanics. But no, Harry Reid can't be that insensitive, can he?






Let's look another quote by someone whose Democratic Teflon Coat has already been worn away slightly. 
"This guy — he was catapulted in on hope and change — what we hope the guy is. What the (expletive)? Everything he's saying's on the teleprompter. I'm blacker than Barack Obama. I shined shoes. I grew up in a five-room apartment. My father had a little Laundromat in a black community not far from where we lived. I saw it all growing up."
 Any guesses on who said that. The expletive probably gave it away. Otherwise this quote is bleeping golden. That's right former governer and furniture salesman Rod Blagojevich, made this beef up, without his Democratic Teflon Coat on but it didn't hurt him too much because he can only go one direction from where he is, up.

But this isn't a post about Democratic Teflon Coat, which  sounds like something that can be sold on an infomercial, this is a post on race has come to mean. I contend that race and race relations is not defined by the color of someone's skin, but by the color of their rice. Race has become culture and that is something no politician wants to admit.

So let's talk race. Mind you I am not wearing my Democratic Teflon Coat so this is going to be very off the cuff. Let's begin:

(Oh and one last thing. In order to be as confusing as possible, I will try to use a different phrase every time I mention a racial group. It will keep you on your feet, and make you hate political correctness. Win win.)

A Race develops when a group of people are thought to stereotypically act in a certain way. The one that I mentioned earlier was African-American. The Negro culture itself is easy to define. If I were to point at prominent politicians of African Ancestry like Colin Powell and ask, "What makes Colin Powell black?", you would be very hard pressed for an answer. Most people when thinking about Colin Powell, don't think black man. If you look at his accomplishments, you will find them to be racially independent. He worked his way up the army and eventually became Secretary of state. If you were knew to American politics and never saw his picture, you would probably guess he was white.

There is a reason for that. The Caucasian culture has defined itself as the politically active side of race relations. If you were to look at Congress  sun bathing, you would be blinded by the lack of pigment. Politics is largely a profession for the pigmentally challenged. To those who say that it doesn't matter who you are on the outside, they're right. Colin Powell may have been black on the outside, but on the inside, he was white. Mind you I respect him as an intellectual and a politician but, the fact that he's got slightly more melanin than other statesman, has nothing to do with it.

Still don't believe that race is culture? Consider this. Race is not something you are born with. *dodges rotten tomatoes*. Hear me out for a second. If race was something primordial, how can   someone whose physical qualities are not unlike that of someone who came from the west side of the African continent, go about calling other people with the same physical characteristics "white." The fact that people can change their race proves it is not coded into their genes. Better yet how can the phrases "Twinkie" and "Oreo" be used to describe anyone. While you are eating that food for thought, (Get it? Twinkies. Oreos. Food for thought). watch this awesome segment on Jon Stewart: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-29-2007/frog-princess

PS. For those wondering what Oreo and Twinkie mean, Black/Yellow on the outside, and white on the inside.

PPS. Democratic Teflon Coats are available at retailers near you. Make checks payable to  the inventor of these coats John F. Kennedy.