In case you didn’t read it yesterday, America now owns Ireland.

America now owns Ireland

So, some lists I belong to have members who believe that it is appropriate that the British police shot and killed a guy they thought might be a terrorist (he wasn’t). He was unarmed, but he was wearing a heavy coat and he ran.

Imagine that this becomes an “OK” response.

While imagining that, consider the fact that if you fit a questionable profile you can be detained for extended periods of time (months or years has become a disturbingly frequent report), or possibly indefinitely (As far as I know, Jose Padilla has yet to be charged or released), and things become more concerning.

With both of those in mind, pretend that you belong to a “questionable profile”. The police want to stop you. If you run, you die. Stop, and you’ll be detained for some indefinitely amount of time and potentially be treated rather poorly.

Don’t like either of those options? What other choices do you have?

Shoot back. You’ll probably die anyway, but given the choice, I think I’d rather go out that way than be shot in the back or rot in a cell.

Fortunately, I’m white and was born American so I’m pretty unlikely to be stuck with making that choice. If I was darker or spoke with an accent, and we get another dark skinned Brazilian or two shot, I might have to consider it more seriously.

Now what about people who might actually be in violation of some law? No, I don’t think they should use lethal force: if you break a law, you don’t have the right to kill someone to avoid being captured. However, in many cases, you also don’t deserve being killed.

For instance, while I believe that we should allow people fairly easy entry into the country, I think that those who still enter illegally should be deported. However, I don’t think they should be executed if they try and run away from the officer who tries to detain them. Non-violent or “victimless” crimes should not carry the death sentence.

If they do start carrying the death sentence, why would people not turn to violent means to avoid being killed?

So an 88 year old WWII vet in South Saint Paul keeps a messy back yard (tools, stacks of lumber, a “rickety” back porch, and a ripped back screen door).

The city wanted him to get it cleaned up. He didn’t feel like changing how he does things. They’ve called him into court “nearly monthly” on the issue since November 2003. He generally makes it, but missed three times.

So, they’ve locked him in jail for 30 days without bail unless he gets his yard cleaned up.

Yep.

Iraq

Two Sunni members of the Iraqi constitution committee were shot to death. Apparently, Sunni insurgents have vowed to kill any Sunni muslims who try to take part in the committee.

It seems like the Sunni insurgents are putting themselve in a bad place. If the next Iraqi government is formed based on this constitutional committee, they are doing their utmost to not have a voice in it.

Presumably, they oppose it, because they see it as a puppet or tool of the western influences. However, in the case of western influences complete disappearing, they are still going to be in a bad situation. According to the CIA factbook, Iraq is made up of 32% – 37% Sunni and 60% – 65% Shi’a.

Saddam favored the Sunni, but Saddam would most likely not have been in power without western support. In the absence of western support, the Shi’a will rule Iraq. Unless they hope to split Iraq into two or three countries (Kurdish and Arab, with Arab split into Sunni and Shi’a), the Sunni will need to win concessions from the Shi’a through peaceful or violent means.

Keeping Sunni voices out of any constitutional dialogs occurring in the presence of western power will not help get those voice heard in the event of western powers departing. It very easily could make their road harder.

Just ramblings, but while I understand the desire to not have collaborators “lending legitimacy” to the current constitutional efforts, the strategy seems unwise.

The problem:

Ok, I think I’ve figured out the problem. Why I can’t convince those who support the war, and why they can’t convince me.

Fundamentally, I believe that if the United States removed all forces from the middle east and stopped trying to exert any influence over the future of the region, the “Terrorists” would have no interest in attacking us, or doing anything but sorting out the future of their own regions. Yes, I do think there would eventually be the same border/expansionism problems that have plagued nations forever, but I don’t think they would care at any more about the United States than the average Minnesota cares about, say, New Zealand. Eventually, they would trade stuff to us, we would trade stuff to them, we’d find parts of their culture interesting and other parts disturbing, and they’d feel the same about us.

Fundamentally, I think those who support the “War on Terrorism”, or perhaps more accurately, the war against militant Islam as it has been waged so far, don’t agree. They believe that the Islamicists want to dominate their region and then spread that domination world wide. Convert, submit, or die for everyone in the whole world. America’s geographical distance may mean we’d be facing it later than Turkey or India, but sooner or later it would hit us. Therefore, we need to fight them now, before they’ve grown. Not only is it a need for our protection, but it wouldn’t be right to let them role over other smaller countries that we can and should help. So of course, since we’ll have to fight sooner or later, it makes sense to fight now before they do any more damage or grow.

And, of course, the Islamicists believe that we, “The West”, wish to make the entire world part of the Anglosphere. Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated. So of course, they’ve got no choice but to fight or be destroyed in any way that matters to them.

So there it is.

I don’t know that I would, in fact, support completely removing all overt western influence from the Middle East. For the last hundred years or so, we, Britain, and a handful of other Western nations have changed the sociopolitical landscape and power structures of the region to a great degree. To just pull out would create a power vacuum and cultural disorientation that would result in many abhorrent acts. It is possible, however, that it would end up having a lower total degree of horror than many other options.

I think radical Islamicism in its current form is due in part to the wierd socio-political landscape and externally supported power structures in much the Middle East. I think that left to its own devices in the region, it would diminish, mellow, and find a more balanced ground over a period of time. Our own Puritans had some pretty twisted hard core religious beliefs, especially right after they escaped their oppression. Given some time and ability to do their own thing, they mellowed quite a bit. Stonings and burnings are certainly less tolerated on American soil than they were back in the 1600s.

Anyway, I’m going to mull on this for a bit. If my assessment is something approaching accurate, it makes logic a pretty useless tool in what’s going on. Whether or not the war is a “good” thing becomes dependent on your belief of what another group of people would do. Lots of opinion, little fact. It is made worse by the fact that even if we said “hey, we’re done, we’re going to start pulling out tomorrow”, many in the Middle East would not believe us, and we’d continue to be attacked for a time, reinforcing the fears of the supporters of the WoT. The fact that a whole lot of Middle Easterners who depend on Western support and/or protection would die horribly if we disappeared completely makes that concept a great deal less appealing.

So… hrm. Yeah, politics is feeling kinda pointless to me of late. I believe we are creating a reality that is self-perpetuating and eternal in a downward spiral kind of way. The ante will keep going up, liberty and freedom will keep disappearing, the scars on all sides will keep growing. This is the first time that I’ve considered that the movie “Brazil” may have actually presented a rosy view fo the future. I don’t truly believe that the radical islamicists could ever “wipe out” the western nations. There’s a very slight possibility that new revolutionary groups could succeed within their own country and culture, but as long as that country had sufficient outside aid from allies, the chance of those revolutionaries accomplishing anything more than some mayhem is pretty unlikely. Even if they could get a bit further, tearing something down is a hell of a lot easier than building something better to replace it. I believe that the “war on terror” will keep generating an infinite supply of new opponents by creating a situation where terrorism is the only reasonable option of fighting back, and not fighting back is unthinkable.

As far as I can tell, we’re on the Highway to Hell. This is the road I see ahead, and I don’t see that I have any ability to change the course. I sure as fuck don’t see the Democrats or the Republicans turning the wheel – they’ll just fight over which lane to drive in and how fast to go.

So, here’s how I’m feeling at the moment. Fuck it all. Enjoy drugs, sex, and rock’n'roll for the time being. Eventually, so many of my liberties and freedoms will be “revoked” that I can’t stand it anymore. Maybe I’ll have enough money that I can run a bit, but eventually it will become too much. Then, unless my spirit has completely died, I’ll fight back in some futile and pointless way. Depending on who you are, I’ll be a “freedom fighter” or a “terrorist”. Then, most likely, I’ll die.

My best hope is that spiral goes slow enough that the sex, drugs, or rock’n'roll take me out first.

That’s my feelings right now. Tomorrow, I may feel differently.

Today, a quote:

“A popular Government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.” — James Madison

Nice, eh? Oh, and a little conversation between me and my soon-to-be ex-neighbor:

me: So, you’re a Republican now?

him: yep. Go Bush! Go Iraq! Fuck the Liberals!

me: Well, I can’t really agree with you on the first two, but I’m right there with you on the third.

Freaking “liberal” judges say its OK to just take away people’s houses if there’s a good business that can be put there? Not my idea of liberal. Liberal seems to be becoming a dirty word.

Sadly, the recent Supreme Court decision is nothing groundbreaking. I just came across an article on the Hanford reactor site that includes this lovely tidbit:

The former towns of White Bluffs and Hanford were evacuated to make room for the site.

Odd thing is – I feel slightly more comfortable with it being done for a war time nuclear reactor than a “good business opportunity”. At least until I remember that we are now in a perpetual state of war with no end in sight.

Yep, more random junk. All you needed to know about motorcycle carbs (sorry, I can’t find an attribution):

The basic secret of carb function is that inside each carb are thousands of tiny gnomes; each with a small bucket. As you open the throttle, more of these gnomes are allowed out of their house and into the float bowl, where they fill the buckets and climb up the carb’s passages to the intake, where they empty their buckets into the air stream.

But, if you don’t ride the bike for a while, bad things can happen. Tiny bats take up residence in the chambers of the carb, and before long the passages are plugged up with guano. This creates a gnome traffic jam, and so not enough bucketfuls of fuel can get to the engine. If it gets bad enough, the gnomes simply give up and go take a nap. The engine won’t run at all at this point. Sometimes you’ll have a single dedicated gnome still on the job, which is why the bike will occasionally fire as the gnome tosses his lone bucket load down the intake.

There has been some research into using tiny dwarves in modern carbs. The advantage is that unlike gnomes, dwarves are miners and can often re-open a clogged passage. Unfortunately, dwarves have a natural fear of earthquakes, as any miner should. In recent tests, the engine vibrations caused the dwarves to evacuate the Harley Davidson test vehicle and make a beeline for the nearest BMW dealership. Sadly, BMW’s are fuel injected and so the poor dwarves met an unfortunate end in the rollers of a Bosch fuel pump.

Other carb problems can also occur. If the level of fuel in the float bowl rises too high, it will wipe out the Section 8 gnome housing in the lower parts of the carb. The more affluent gnomes build their homes in the diaphragm chamber, and so are unaffected. This is why the bike is said to be “running rich”.

If the fuel bowl level drops, then the gnomes have to walk farther to get a bucketful of fuel. This means less fuel gets to the engine. Because the gnomes get quite a workout from this additional distance, this condition is known as “running lean”.

The use of the device known only as the ‘choke’ has finally been banned by PETG (People for the Ethical Treatment of Gnomes) and replaced by a new carb circuit that simply allows more gnomes to carry fuel at once when the engine needs to start or warm up. In the interests of decorum, I prefer not to explain how the ‘choke’ operated. You would rather not know anyway.

So, that’s how a carburetor works. You may wish to join us here next week for electricity 101, or “How your bike creates cold fusion inside the stator, and why the government doesn’t want you to know about it.”

And there you have it.

Another cheesy forward. Kinda interesting though:

THE YEAR 1905

The year is 1905, one hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!

Here are some of the U.S.statistics for 1905:

The average life expectancy in the US. was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.

With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents an hour.

The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
* a dentist $2,500 per year,
* a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and
* a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.

Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education.

Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as “substandard.”

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death in the U.S.were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

Arizona, Oklahoma, New! Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn’t be en admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented.

There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

Two of 10 U.S.adults couldn’t read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores.

According to one pharmacist, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”

Eighteen percent of households in the U.S had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.

And I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you in a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years ……. it staggers the mind.

Yes, I am avoiding politics of late.