Don't Tread On Me

Rules of the Game

I did get this one comment on my post: "Survivor or Cheater."

>your friend's "survivor" analogy is incorrect. There are no rules to break in survivor. that was the point. Survivor is similar to bluffing (lying) in Poker.

However, monopoly, risk, etc DO have rules. Breaking them is cheating, not surviving. <

This is worth addressing.

There are plenty of rules to break in "Survivor." There's a "host" who shows up regularly to lay down rules for games that are played for rewards or immunity. There are plenty of tacit rules. To wit: regularly offending most of the group will get you voted off. This can be in the form of your mouthing off, laziness, or screwing up in a game. But; most of all -- and this is so deliciously ironic -- "backstabbing, lying, cheating, disloyal, misleading, conniving, etc." Jeff Probst doesn't say it, but you can't kill the other players. You can't have your friends or families smuggle supplies to you. You can't explore outside the camp to make contact with indigenous people to get supplies. It's a controlled environment. No Rules? Puhleeeezzze!

The show is a quintissential microcosm of Communist thought.

Everyone has to share, regardless of their work output. The industrious and virtuous and intelligent set out to make things better. Partly because of their own comfort and partly because they want to win favor and keep from getting voted off. Hence, they justly begin to resent their counterparts in the game. The takers just spend most of their brain power on figuring out the political situation. They can't concentrate on what will help the "tribe" because they are too busy studying their prey and scheming for the best "alliance." The takers just sit around and watch the workers get things done. The workers are at a double disadvantage, in that, they spend more of their time providing for the takers and not colluding to dispatch their prey.

Why should the takers worry about working and contributing? Those camera crews are a constant reminder that protection, shelter, medical care, and food are just seconds away, if need be. We need to stop calling them "reality" shows. They are unscripted shows. And the producers can slice and dice miles of tape for the purpose of intruiging the audience. I know. I work in video production on a part time basis.

In a realistic, non-staged survival scenario, the strong would have the advantage. Not so in "Survivor." The game usually works to eliminate people in this order: 1. The inept who cost us tribal challenges. 2. Anyone who cheats but is too dumb to hide it. 3. Anyone who seems authoritarian. 4. Anyone who seems too soft-hearted. 5. Anyone who seems too likeable by the evicted competitors. 6. Anyone who seems to physically or mentally superior to win further challenges. The process is very similar to picking a real jury in a criminal court trial. This process is totally devolutionary. The very people who would be the most advantageous in a real survival situation are systematically picked off until only the most cunning and devious are left standing.

But it isn't poker. In poker, each player has to sit there and cogitate in the isolation of his own mind. There are rules established at the beginning of the hand. They don't change. Players don't get to form alliances and discuss how to manipulate other players to raise or fold.

"Survivor" is a world in which altruism and benevolence will get you eliminated. Extreme stealth and cleverness might pay off.

Contrast this "Survivor" show with the history of the Pilgrims who came here in the 15th century. When working as hard as possible could not prevent the deaths of almost half their population. Mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, burying their loved ones and working under starvation, with no safety net.

There is no excuse for cheating, even in a friendly game. The doubt that it casts on your character is not worth the cost. My mother died when I was fourteen, but I always remember her telling me that lying is worse than stealing. If I steal something from you, you can replace it. If I lie about you, I can cause you to lose your reputation and even cause you to die. If you don't comprehend why that is true, I will try to explain it to you, if you respond.

Cheating and lying can be too close for comfort.

Lunch Money

Maybe you've been picked on in school. Maybe you were extorted. If you never were, I could assume you were either a nice person and so well liked that everyone wanted to be your friend, or you were one of the bullies. Extortion can be for various reasons; "do my homework," "let me have the answers to the test," or "give me your lunch money." This last one has probably passed into obscurity, since so many kids are getting free lunches, courtesy of the taxpayer. Then again, vending machines and poor parenting are allowing for a lot of ridiculous discretionary cash in the hands of children. But that's another post.

How do you deal with a bully? What is true in the microcosm of personal, everyday living is often true on the grand international scale. This is because governments are controlled by someone or some group of people. Human nature doesn't change due to one's position or status. A thief without education or resources is a mugger or shoplifter. A thief with an MBA is a Tyco executive. A thief who gets elected is usually a democrat. A murderer who is poor might go to jail. (FBI stats show only 50% of murders are ever solved) A murderer with political power might live like royalty, such as: Robert Mugabe,Ted Kennedy, Kim Jong Il, Adolph Hitler, Tojo, Caucescue, the latter three being forcefully stopped.

And that's the point. Bullies will continue to be bullies unless compelled to stop. I addressed this partly in my previous post titled Pen vs. Sword.

Think seriously about this when you go to the voting booth. I know I've expressed my problems with voting for Bush because of his domestic policies, but can we afford for any one of the naive nine to take control and then cut and run, reinforcing the view to our enemies that we have no stomach for war? Challenge me. Make me think. Should I risk voting once again for the Constitution Party rather than for Dumbocrat Lite?

There are more great thought on the subject from Bill Whittle.

So Conflicted

I swelled with pride.

There was POTUS, our CINC, serving the troops on Thanksgiving Day. Think about that. He was taking that whole "civil servant" business seriously. He could have been at the ranch in Crawford TX, enjoying the company of his own family, in safety and security, but he chose to pay homage to the men and women who are standing guard to keep us safe.

Let me broaden your perspective.

The first year of my marriage, in 1986, I joined the Navy because I thought I could become an officer because of my stellar performance as an NJROTC officer and my I.Q. My stupid timing (don't you just love that juxtaposition) put me at reporting for enlistment to Great Lakes (Mistakes), ILL. on 22 DEC 86.

I had only been married for eight months. I was trying to figure out a career path. I had hope because Ronald Reagan was President and I could still remember what the military was like under Jimmy Carter. But, I was committed. So, I reported to MEPS hoping to go to the boot camp I had visited twice before as an NJROTC Leiutenant Commander, in Orlando, Florida. Hah! I was going to fly into O'Hare and be bussed to the frozen tundra of Great Lakes, Illinois. It was awful.

By the way, let this be a lesson. The government will spare no expense to prove how inefficient they can be with your money. There are Navy bootcamps in San Diego, California; Orlando, Florida, and Great Lakes, Illinois. If you live in Los Angeles, they will pay to fly you to Illinois or Orlando. If you live in Buena Vista, Florida, the Navy will make sure you go to bootcamp in San Diego or Illinois. If you live in Chicago, the Navy will make sure to fly you to San Diego or Orlando to do boot camp.

Okay, I was digressing wildly there. But, I remember how I felt in that huge hanger on the grounds of the Navy boot camp near Milwaukee. I remember being in a sea of men just like me, but feeling so much like an island. What had I done. My wife, my family. But I had chosen to sacrifice for the greater good.

I was just outside of Chicago and in no real danger. Imagine being a soldier across the globe in an extremely dangerous environment. Suddenly the POTUS appears and humbly serves (**WAKE UP**) serves you and your buddies dinner on Thanksgiving day. . . . . Stops to pose for pictures . . . . actually talks to you and your buddies . . . It dawns on you that the most powerful man in the world gave up his time with his family to show his appreciation for your sacrifice. . . . . . . . Think . . . . . . . . .

Check Mate.

Dean, Kucinich, Gephardt, Kerry, Leiberman, etc. Should just go assume the fetal position and suck their thumbs. Hiltlary Klinton is feeling safe right now. No democrat incumbant to worry about in 2008.

I am so conflicted on this whole issue. Not confused, mind you; just conflicted.
I hate GWB's positions on domestic issues. A disasterous "Medicare" bill. The most enormous increase in domestic welfare spending, etc.

But, who else is going to execute the war on terror the way he is? The naive nine? Hitlary?

The problem is this: if terrorists succeed in a major attack on US soil, kiss the economy goodbye. All of the other issues will seem stupid and silly in the wake of a 1929 style depression.

I don't care if it was a "photo op." If it strengthens the resolve of the American people and raises the morale of the troops. It was brilliant. If it keeps a dangerous dumbocrat from getting the White House and putting all our lives at risk, it was worth it.

Prioritize: First you drain the swamp and kill the alligators and snakes. Then you deal with building the beautiful lake house.

I don't want to vote for Bush. I want to vote for the Constitution party candidate. (Yes, there is such a thing.) But, I fear that if it is even remotely possible that a Dumbocrat could get elected to president, the consequences would be staggering.

Back to the purely political analysis:

George W. Bush earned an MBA from Harvard. But whoever is really behind his current politcal posturing or positioning should demand high six figures to be a professor in some politcal school at a well-known university.

Survivor or Cheater?

I was recently faced with the brutality of prime time television. I was involved in a party game and a couple of the participants resorted to cheating in order to win the game. These were people I trusted to be honorable.

I thought of these people as steadfastly honest and trustworthy. I could go into the history and details of these people, since I have known them their whole lives. Cheating is something I would have thought abhorrent to both of them.

I can no longer trust these two people to play a simple game. They have watched "Survivor" too many times and seem to have adopted the concept that winning at all costs is the name of the game.

I put most of the blame on the elder one, who has the gift of preaching.

This was a guy who once made tears come down my cheeks, speaking as if manna from heaven was pouring out of his mouth; he now resorts to cheating in a simple social game and takes pride in that fact. That makes me angry. Worse than that, I got the impression that this young man has no idea the sort of impression his actions made. Then again, it reminds me that I need to be ever more careful of what I do or say and the impression it makes on other people.

Maybe I do things wrong in other areas. Sometimes I think I'm being honest by speaking my mind, when the timing is terrible and I just sound insensitive. But to blatantly cheat, just isn't funny; at least not to me. Perhaps it is because I have lived enough years to know that someone who cheats on his own wife will be loyal to NO ONE. Someone who steals paperclips and pens will also steal a thousand dollar item.

Maybe, I'll feel more sympathetic or graceful about this in a few days. I'm not without sin, I must forgive, but it is painful to see someone you once held in such high esteem compromise his principles for laughs. It will make me think about my own actions that much more.

Old is a relative term

I was at fault in making someone think they were at fault for not finding something I directed them to. I was forgetting some key information and sent them on a wild goose chase. They headed off any criticism I might level by citing their age. "I'm old." Now, you know who you are, but remember I love you and I have really grown fond of you. But you have also given me an opportunity to address something I've always wanted to, but until now, I haven't known where to start.

There are many myths in the world, and one of them is the equation of age = wisdom. That just makes me so angry I can't stand it. While I truly believe that most people under 25 at minimum are airheads who are merely looking for the next fun thing and how to impress the next person they want to sleep with, I am also convinced that many people between the age of 30 and 90 are some of the stupidest people walking the planet. Thus proving that Darwin was mostly wrong. You see, while serendipity occaisonally kills off incredibly stupid people, (see Darwin Awards, I don't space for it here). There are still millions of people who drain resources and energy and talent from the rest of us.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Euthanasia? Forget about it. Sanctity of life comes first with me. I just resent subsidizing stupidity. You see, I believe that if conditions merit, people will be forced to start thinking. If you make it possible for people to be lazy, they will be lazy. Keep that in mind. I have to go back to the beginning.

My parents lived well before, during and long after the Great Depression and WWII. They taught me much. They also treated me harshly.

Some of the things my parents taught me were very valuable. Some of it was pure garbage. Do I think I have all the answers? No way. But my wisdom is in understanding that. But there is no vice in striving to know the right thing and fighting for it. And there is no hypocrisy in preaching against your past errors as long as you no longer engage in them.

I can respect old people, but to mortgage the future of my children to pamper the elders is unacceptable. Past election results tell me that as the country ages; as the avereage age of voters increases, either the I.Q. is going down or the selfishness quotient is going up.

When politicians are willing to sell any and all future generations down the river to insure re-election by people who can vote themselves free medication on the backs of the working people of America, it's just a matter of time before problems will make this situation untenable.

Lt. Colonel West

Sorry!

I confused some people.

I forgot that in transitioning from one Blog that was not providing any service, to my new and improved Blogsite provided by Typepad.com, I was referring to previous posts that I could not carry over and needed to re-publish on this new site.

Here is the one on Col. West.

This needs to be a priority

Hopefully, all of you anti-idiotarians out there are aware of the case of Lt. Col. West. To wit:

". . . Lt. Col. West, who commanded an artillery unit in the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, is being charged with aggravated assault for the heroic tactics he employed a short time ago to save the lives of his men.

Facing gunfire and ambushes, Col. West detained a local police officer he learned had been cooperating with the enemy. Following futile attempts to question the officer, West decided to interrogate his detainee using stronger methods. He discharged his pistol to frighten the police officer, taking care to stand between his weapon and the man, and effectively elicited information that allowed his unit to preempt the ambushes."

I wrote regular snail mail letters to President Bush and both of my senators and my congressman to demand that they do something about this. The text is below:

Dear Mr. President and select members of Congress,
Attention: UCMJ was written to help terrorists kill Americans
Army Lt. Col. Allen B. West is facing possible court martial because he intimidated a Saddam loyalist who infiltrated the Iraqi police force. He was part of a plot to assassinate Lt. Col. West and members of his staff. You should already be aware of the rest of the details.
What will happen when word gets out among terrorists and the rest of the world that, if you are taken into custody and interrogated, here is the game plan:
“Just keep your mouth shut and sit tight. There is nothing they can do to you. No officer of the United States military would be willing to risk his career or pension to hurt you or scare you.
“The Great Satan plays by foolish rules which will help us defeat the infidels. Allah must have sown confusion and ignorance among the enemy for them to have such rules which we will exploit to kill the infidels. Allah Akbar!”
Is that what you want for America? President Bush needs to act immediately to get the UCMJ amended to protect intelligent, proactive, skilled soldiers like Lt. Col. West, from this sort of insane, absurd legality. Ex Post Facto aside, honor Col. West with a decoration and let all of the troops under him know that the U.S. will honor and protect those officers who seek to protect their soldiers.
If you do not, I fear that more of the best and the brightest will shun the idea of military service. Morale will decline among our existing military forces. And we will appear to be weak and stupid, especially stupid, before the terrorists.

God Bless you and yours

Pen vs. Sword?

"The pen is mightier than the sword."

Gee, who hasn't heard that one? But, I don't think it's all that well understood, at least not in this day.

Context, context, context.

That famous quote was realistic in 1776, but in 2003, it rings hollow. Back then people were motivated by those words to TAKE ACTION. And the one who created that quote was alluding to the Biblical concept that the State yeilded the "sword" but that convincing the people of their rightful justice, even the sword of tyranny could be overthrown. Today, the world is awash in words. Both in ink and electrons. You're looking at them now. But, dare I say it, "Talk is cheap." Pacifists (people who don't care if Saddam and his ilk feed people to plastic shredders) want to talk our way to peace.

This recent post by Emperor Misha I got my juices flowing. So, I just had to go on the rant that ensues.

I was always the smallest boy in my class. I've always been mostly a loner. I don't know if it was the I.Q. or the broken home, or a combination of both.

I got picked on a lot during my childhood, but when I hit 15, I'd had enough. I was living in an "orphanage" (not quite, but that's not important. It was a group home setting. Roughly 15 boys to a house. The next bully that decided to use me for fun got a whole world of whup ass delivered on him. He came to my room and started poking his finger in my chest because I had said something that he didn't like. Because he was 3 years my senior and quite bigger, I just picked up a chair and whacked him and then beat on him while he scrambled to get out of my room. The look of shock and awe on his face was priceless and it changed my life. I would never be a "victim" again.

Suddenly, I became the BMFIC (Big Mother F'r In Charge). I wasn't feared by most of the 16 to 18 year olds, but I was left alone by them and kind of idolized by the younger kids. I wanted to kick myself for waiting so long. Did everybody admire or idolize me? Hell no. But, a lot of the guys just whispered, "Don't screw with him, he's crazy." What is true in the microcosm is almost always true in the macrocosm; especially when it comes to human relations. By the time I had become a senior in high school, the younger bullies tried to take their shots at me. I began to learn "diplomacy." Use judicious restraint, but teach the little jerk not to mess with you. Some learned quick. Some were "painfully" ignorant, if you get my drift.

I learned many valuable lessons. You can go through life thinking like a predator or prey. You can either take responsibility for your own security into your own hands, or you can dial 911 after it's too late. This is the difference between the Neville Chamberlains and Bill Clintons of the world and the Winston Churchills and Ronald Reagans and (alas) George W. Bushs.

Reason with an unreasonable bully? Insanity. Bribe a bully? Prepare to go bankrupt. Defeat the bully? He'll want you to think he's your friend and never piss you off again. (Hello, Germany? Japan?)

In my adult years, I had a night job that put me in dangerous places. I carried a sidearm, against company policy, but logic prevailed. Having a pistol could get me fired, but not having one could get me dead. Two times, merely brushing back my vest and putting my hand on the backstrap of the holstered pistol was all it took to cause the "problem" to flee. I did something else just as important. I refused to wear the stupid company uniform. You see, was driving an 18 wheeler at night, from warehouse to warehouse. I wasn't representing the company before customers. Instead, I wore black BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) with a flack jacket/vest to conceal my paddle holster. Where ever I went, people showed immediate respect and a little wariness. Considering the seedy industrial areas I had to pass through, that worked pretty well. I honestly believe it kept me from having to draw down on or even fire at someone. Lucky for them, because I practice enough to make sure that I can print 8 rounds in under two inches at 30 feet in rapid fire mode.

One time, some guy was abusing a woman in a car travelling next to me. I slowed down to let them get in front of me and put on my high beams to light up the interior. He pulled over, still hitting her in the head. I pulled in behind, jumped out of my truck and was running toward the car but had my 9mm out and shouting to "Get out of the car!" She somehow managed to free herself and get out of the car.

The woman ran across the interstate highway, screaming, as the guy floored it to get away. I got back into my tractor-trailer and wondered if I hadn't saved that woman's life.

Bullies only understand one thing. Force. Once in a very great while, a screenwriter will write a dialogue or even a soliloquy (very rare since Shakespeare), which truly exposes a truth in a dramatic setting. Sometimes, the screenwriter even means to be sarcastic but nonetheless makes the point beautifully for the very opinion he's trying to demean. Case in point: Marine Colonel Jessup on the witness stand in the last few minutes of "A Few Good Men."

“You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I'd prefer you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to.”

Then there is the scene with Sean Connery and Kevin Costner in "The Untouchables." The wise old, greatly experienced man is trying to knock some sense into the eager but naive young fed: (warning: paraphrase) "Here's how you get Capone. If he pulls a knife, you pull a gun. If he sends one of your men to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue."

Lesson? Being prepared and willing to make war far costlier on your enemy can prevent your enemy from risking your wrath.

Can I vote for Bush?

The Imperial Firearms Advisor has sought fit to grace us with some important points. Though, I'm sure this has caused some trouble in paradise with the Missus, since I have read her opinions on voting for George W. Bush.

I'm not going to grab Mr. Du Toit's comments and answer them here. You should go read his comments at his site and return here to see what I have to say. I will merely use the same bold points and make my comments from there.

Taxes: there should be no tax on anyone's income. This discourages work and entrepreneurialship (is that a word?). Estate taxes? That means we punish your family because you died. Capital gains taxes? We punish you for saving and investing to make the country stronger and provide jobs. Flat taxes? Fairer for all involved, because 10% of anybody's income is fair, but the problem is, it still punishes achievement.

The answer: Consumption Tax. A national retail sales tax. Want to save and invest? Free. Want to work hard and accumulate wealth for your retirement and posterity. Go on ahead. Want to spend money on stuff you can't afford, do that too. It's your money. But no welfare. No bailouts.

Mea Culpa une pocito

Okay, I'm beginning to think that I was a little too rough on the Terminator. You can't reference my earlier comments because I didn't yet have a blog, so my comments were emails to supporters of Schwartzeneggar at Townhall.com.

Suffice it to say, I basically thought Ahnuld was a RINO who would not know how to deal with the deeply embedded Devilcrat regime in Sacramento. But this article from the Sacramento Bee is making me reconsider.

I never thought of Arnold as stupid. You don't come to this country without knowing the language and wade your way through all of the crap to become a multi-millionaire celebrity by being ignorant. I did, however, worry that Arnold's libertine social attitudes might be stronger than his conservative fiscal side. That is apparently not the case. In fact, it seems that Arnold is ignoring the social issues and putting all the energy into the fiscal stuff. "It's the economy, stupid!" Damn, do I hate quoting Carville. *spit* *spit* *spit*.

But it makes sense. The Supreme Court has proven that no Governor can do anything about social issues unless the legislature is fully united behind him, and willing to fight the feds. So, why bother. Ergo, Arnold can focus on the issues that the people all have in common and are willing to punish errant democrats about.

And here's the thing that pisses me off. Arnold is doing the very thing that George W. Bush should be doing. He's using the bully pulpit to go out there and inform and motivate the people to put the fear of God, oops, sorry, losing an election in the hearts of the Socialists (Democrats). Why won't George Bush do the same? I hope Arnold succeeds.

Absurd Comparisons

Imperial Firearms Advisor share's his real life experience of having been born and reared in South Africa in dealing with the so-called "Civil Rights" of homosexuals:

"I had one email, asking me why I could have been such a principled opponent of apartheid, but could now oppose the expansion of civil rights of homosexuals?

There are two answers to this:

1. It's not a civil rights issue. As I said, this is a "let's fuck with one of society's pillars" issue, and I am unutterably opposed to all of those. And it's not a civil rights issue because it is, mainly, about money (medical insurance, death benefits etc), so don't insult my intelligence by pretending that it's anything else.

2. Let me make this clear, once and for all: when homosexuals in the United States have to register with the State as such; when they can't live where they want; when they're herded into homosexual ghettos and rural dumping grounds by policemen; when they get arrested just for being in a "straight" area after dark; when by law they can't hold any jobs except menial jobs; when they can be arrested and imprisoned just because they weren't carrying their ID documents; and when resistance to this system results in being tossed from 10th-storey windows or having nails driven through their penises by the security police, let me know -- because that was the reality of life for Blacks under apartheid.

To equate the supposed "plight" of homosexuals in the United States to that of South African Blacks under apartheid is an abominable insult to real suffering and oppression -- it's gratuitous hyperbole, pure and simple, and I will have no truck with it." --Kim du Toit

I'd like to add to this. You can't control what color of skin you're born with, but you can control your sexual proclivities. As someone who has a homosexual brother, I am well aware of the "lifestyle" and all the trappings that go with it. I've talked to enough of these guys that I am convinced not a damn one of them was born that way. It's just easier to get promiscuous sex from other males. But here is a great quote that puts it in a nutshell.

"Language has been an important weapon in the 'gay' movement's very swift advance. In the old days, there was 'sodomy': an act. In the late 19th century, the word 'homosexuality' was coined: a condition. A generation ago, the accepted term became 'gay': an identity. Each formulation raises the stakes: One can object to and even criminalize an act; one is obligated to be sympathetic toward a condition; but once it's a fully fledged 24/7 identity, like being Hispanic or Inuit, anything less than wholehearted acceptance gets you marked down as a bigot." --Mark Steyn