3 Ring Binder

We 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 to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Brave men with a radical plan. What has become of their vision? 

I have 52 stuffed animals.   Well, I had 52 stuffed animals growing up. I know this because I carefully named, grouped, and catalogued all of them along the way. At the peak of my collecting, between the ages of 9 and 12, I held periodic stuffed animal jamborees on my bed where I would gather the entire group, explore personality traits, familial and romantic relationships, and develop my ideas on gender specific attributes. And I had very little room to sleep. Hockey tape—the pre-duct tape universal adherent—holds Bruno’s front legs and Misty’s sides together. Clearly, I had some machine sewing skills as I obviously fashioned that lovely polyester sweater for Bruno who, like many other 40-something males, is losing his hair. But I really can’t explain the safety pin through Misty’s ear, not having gone through that phase myself. I imagine many of my stuffed animals are still at my parents’ house in the closet of the bedroom that was once mine and is now simply a larger closet...

But I can't imagine that anyone seriously believes that the current level of wealth inequality in the United States is good and worth maintaining, or that our government's first priority should be to spare a privileged person like myself the slightest hardship as this once great nation falls into ruin. This is a woefully wonderful encapsulation of the faulty logic and bad premises expressed throughout this piece of political, rather than principled, writing. The fact that it comes from a thinker I have truly admired makes it all the more disappointing.   In it, Mr. Harris wrongly assumes that it is the proper role of government to grant rights and spare people hardships, rather than to protect individual rights (even those of rich people). He allows his political ideology to trump his thinking. I can’t imagine that anyone seriously believes that someone is working to maintain wealth inequality !   People are striving to make and enjoy a certain lifestyle for themselves an...

We are repeatedly told that money causes corruption: money used to campaign for or against a candidate will not only unduly influence election results (leaving aside the clear implication of a certain level of obtuseness among the electorate), but also corrupts the votes of the politician.   The idea that the politician can be bought is passed over for the idea that money can buy the politician! Money, not principles, is often recognized as the source of power in the political system. What must be examined is not the motivation of those trying to influence politics with money, but the ideas held by each politician, and the price at which he is willing to part with his principles.   What needs to be examined is his price for this political pragmatism. For an eye-opening view on the evils of pragmatism, a philosophy in which the end justifies the means, read Saul Alinsky’s, Rules for Radicals .   I think it should be subtitled: How to Make Exto...

I’m concerned that I have begun to supplant meaningful responses to negative value judgments with my go-to idiomatic expression of discontent.     At least, so far,   this response has been limited to what goes on in my head (and, occasionally, on my shirt), but I fear that the more often I apply this idiom, even within the confines of my own thoughts (or under my coat), the more difficult it will be to live without the instant soothing satisfaction it offers me. It’s like running cool water over a burn.     I may be addicted. The worst part is that because the expression has a back off – I don’t like what you’re saying sense, it sometimes lends its speaker (i.e. me ) the vague notion of bad idea managed , when in fact, nothing of the sort has occurred. While I have always been rather prickly and opinionated, I am becoming less and less interested in personally defending my freedom to act and think and live as I choose through the constant repetition of th...

“. . . Far better was our homely diet, eaten in peace and liberty, than the luxurious dainties, the love of which hath delivered us as bondsmen to the foreign conqueror!”   “I should,” replied Athelstane, “hold very humble diet a luxury at present; and it astonishes me, noble Cedric, that you can bear so truly in mind the memory of past deeds, when it appeareth you forget the very hour of dinner.” Ivanhoe , Sir Walter Scott, Chapter 21

The tragic case of bullying leading to the suicide of a 15 year-old girl in South Hadley, MA has been in the papers for a while, now.   Yesterday, charges were filed against nine of the bullies. I’m not sure what to make of “bullying” as a criminal offense.   It is obviously malevolent behavior, but does the impact on the victim dictate where it crosses into a criminally punishable act? Apparently this is the case, as the nine bullies have been charged with a “violation of civil rights, with bodily harm resulting.” I’m not sure if the public programs that include role playing, colorful signs, and a No Bullying Policy really address the problem or make it a joke. Isn’t “bullying” a rather cutesy way to describe the already illegal acts of assault, bodily threat, and intimidation? And while my heart truly aches for the unimaginable agony the parents of the teen who committed suicide must now face, who, other than the girl herself, is truly responsible for it? For their bull...

e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism, n. 1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. 2. a. The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class. b. Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class. (From the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed.) In his interview with Jennifer Burns , Jon Stewart questioned the elitism of Objectivism – implying that while it was great for some, it wouldn’t work for “ordinary” people. This gave me pause. I find it interesting that those who invoke elitism to impeach voluntary interactions among rational people seem to be the same folks who attempt to justify compelling preferential treatment for certain groups. In the case of the compulsion, however, the elitism is based on perceived inferiority of others , rather than on perceived superiority of self . That ordinary people are too stupid to care for t...

The latest Objectivist Round Up (#115) can be found at Amy's blog, The Little Things . Go muster yourself some good ideas.

While this isn't perfect (for instance, Sweet Caroline is the only Neil Diamond song I find inspirational, and then only at a Red Sox game), I think this is a good video touching on the importance of immigration and the morality of a more open policy based on individual rights. (via Facebook friend)

I have no recollection of this video, but I kind of like it. What it lacks in correct details, it makes up for in the excitement and celebration of inventors and their inventions.

“By a selective re-creation, art isolates and integrates those aspects of reality which represent man’s fundamental view of himself and of existence. Out of the countless number of concretes—of single, disorganized and (seemingly) contradictory attributes, actions and entities—an artist isolates the things which he regards as metaphysically essential and integrates them into a single new concrete that represents an embodied abstraction.” Ayn Rand “The Psycho-Epistemology of Art,” The Romantic Manifesto , 19. 1. Delight If food can be art, then this piece of art speaks to my very soul (in that it attracts me like no other cake has before). Its obviously stable, but seemingly precarious fanciful form, vibrant, celebratory colors, and crisp animal print icing compels me to look at it over and over again, and smile each time. (via Cake Wrecks – a hilarious blog – and created by Sharon of Sharon’s Cake Art ) Hello…Stephen…are you reading this? October isn’t too far away. 2. Justice “…And ...

If you have little kids in government school, or progressive private schools, perhaps you'll want to watch this 20 minute long video, Story of Stuff , on YouTube so you can prepare yourself for the onslaught of self-hatred and victimization your kids will come home feeling after they watch as part of their “education”. The New York Times reports "Story of Stuff" is the next big thing in environmentalist propaganda in the classroom. Of course, they don't report it that way; the Times actually calls it "cheerful" as its simple drawings and friendly presenter are accessible to even the very young. I don't think that the shaking, desolate line-drawn individuals standing on their little piece of destroyed earth – who have no alternative but to work in nasty factories and poison their own babies through their toxic breast milk because you had to have an iPod – is "cheerful" even if the presenter refers to it in scare quotes as the "beauty” of...

I really do. I find his dry humor quite appealing. For a comedian who tackles the absurdities of politics, on both sides of the aisle , with wit and insight, Stewart has earned my respect as well as my laughter . I don’t always agree with him, but I like his style. Most of the time. Recently, Stewart accused President Truman of being a war criminal for dropping the bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; however, while he did not elaborate on why, he later admitted he was wrong. Unlike the legion of leftists who insist that radio personality Rush Limbaugh is a de facto leader of conservatism, I can vehemently disagree with the dreadful ideology held (at least partially) by Stewart that allowed him to initially make that mistake and still acknowledge and appreciate his appeal and cultural influence as an entertainer . In other words, I can let the dirty bathwater drain while keeping my clean baby warm and dry. My support of Stewart should in no way imply that I don’t think that ideas, even...