Opus 2017-296: Headline: The Attack of the Peeled Banana

I am not sure I can finish reading the article.  I keep falling out of my chair laughing.  The link was on Drudge.  Something about a retreat being cancelled because of a banana peel in a tree.  What?  Environmentalists thinking they found a rare monkey?  Fear it was a new terrorist weapon?  Interior decorators feeling it was a bad color mix?  Retreat members with a banana allergy?  I repeat, “What?”

You can check it out at Campus Reform.  It was none of the above.  The problem was an attack of Snowflake Syndrom.  Even though a student confessed to the dastardly deed, he could not find a trash can, the retreat was cancelled because the “incident made some students uneasy”.

Again I say, “What?”

It seems that this somehow became a terrifying racist incident.  The article talks about “people of color” leaving in tears.

I don’t know if I have ever been to this site before but I have a feeling it is an outgrowth of The People’s Cube or The Onion.  I can’t tell.  I am hoping this is a tongue in cheek commentary written as Hurricane Harvey approaches.  I am fearing that this is real.

What would Genghis Khan think?

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-295: Nobel Apocalypse

For some reason I was not even tempted to click on the Drudge link that said,

“Apocalypse predictions from 50 nobel prize winners...”

It didn’t take long to bring to mind a few famous Nobel Peace Prize winners:  Barak Obama, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter and Yasser Arafat.  That would make an interesting string quartet but I am not sure that their opinions would be something I would spend my remaining time on earth consulting.

I am curious to see what they think an apocalypse is but not curious enough to click on the link.  I have read Daniel and the Book of Revelation.  I am familiar with the 60 million killed my Mao and the 20 million who died during WWII.  Somehow the opinions of a few people who got a medal does not matter.

I may be intolerant but that might also be part of the predictions of these Depositories of Wisdom.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-294: Book Review: Lightening’s Daughter

I am exiting another book.  I have two factors that I find make books hard for me to read:  Fantasy and female authors.  These factors are not prejudice, they are observations based on experience.  Both factors have exceptions.  I have read and enjoyed some fantasy.  I have read and enjoyed some female authors.

I am afraid that Lightening’s Daughter lived up, or down, to both standards.  As fantasy it was a hard sell.  The heroine was a sexy young lady who had managed to become an awesome warrior and was able to disguise herself as a man and penetrate a nomadic, barbarian culture.  She was eventually discovered.  In a day before transgender was considered normal you either had someone so feminine that they could not swing a sword more than once or so masculine that they would never be discovered.  That doesn’t even make allowance for curves and lack of facial hair.

I was dealing with that until I came to these paragraphs.

    “He reined his horse to a snorting, prancing stop directly in front of Nara (a telepathic horse, immune to magic and bonded to our heroine) and Gabria (our heroine) and swept off his hood.  “Sorceress!” he cried, “I have been looking everywhere for you!”
    Gabria was so surprised she could only stare down at the man.  He was young and lean, with the dark skin and brown eyes common to Tutic tribesman.  His black hair was worn in an intricate knot behind his head.  His face was clean-shaven, revealing the strong, narrow lines of his jaw and cheekbones.  Gabria thought he was compellingly handsome, and he met her confused stare with a bold, masculine look of pleasure.” p. 76

At this point I could just hear all the female readers throwing a big sigh.  I wondered if Fabio had somehow been channeled into the script.  This is standard boilerplate for romance novels.  It is the kind of stuff that makes me want to puke.  I can’t ride a horse.  I am old and far from lean.  I am pale and bald, need a shave and have confused lines of jaw and cheekbone.  I cannot relate.  I certainly am not attracted.

So another book goes on the pile for the used bookstore.  At least I woke up somewhat earlier than I do other times.  I guess it is back to Aristotle and Churchill.

Herbert, Mary H.  Lightening’s Daughter.  Lake Geneva, WI:  TSR, Inc., 1991.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-293: On the Street: Hide or Ignore?

I have been keeping track of Hurricane Harvey.  Since I am in the area being effected I have a little more concern than much of the country but I am far enough from the center to be safe.  We are now to the point where we get into the heart-warming stories of rescue and the sad stories of death and destruction.  Recently I was reading in Proverbs and came across this verse.

(Proverbs 27:12 KJV)  A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

One of the things that comes clear in times like this is that a lot of people are suffering more than they need to.  All many of them needed to do was pay attention.

There isn’t much you can do when you home is right in the path of a level 4 hurricane.  You can batten down the hatches but you can’t fold up your house and put it in the trunk while you drive to Kansas.  I accept that.  Just as I can’t do a lot when someone is driving toward me on the wrong side of the road.  You do the best you can.  But if the person trying to drive me off the road is doing so at 1:00 A.M. on New Years morning and I am in my car because I wanted to get some more ice cream from the local all-night market, I am the one who put the ante in the kitty.  The home owner, who has known that the hurricane is coming for days, could have made a trip to the local home improvement store and bought some plywood, nails and even a hammer.  Then if things develop you are ready to board up your windows.  It is a little late to do it when the first branch gets blown through your window.

One of the biggest defenses against tragedy is to think and plan ahead.  We bought some property in Texas a few years ago.  We are from California where it never rains but we know places in that desert where floods have raged and destroyed.  So when we bought we investigated.  There are maps available that will tell you where the flood plains are and where the 100 year floods can expect to hit.  We also checked for local drainage systems.  A constant question was, “What if it floods”.  A few years ago there was another flood in the San Antonio area.  Houses were wiped out and people rescued.  It was like Harvey on a smaller scale.  This type of event is common in Texas.  Guess where our home is?  On top of a hill. 

When you see someone being pulled out of the windows of a submerged car, ask yourself, “How did they get there?”  The car did not drive itself.  Usually the water doesn’t rise 5 feet in 10 seconds.  The places where it does are clearly labeled in Texas with warning signs and depth gauges.  The radio and internet have been getting boring with their warnings about flash flooding.  I have only lived here a few months and I know that of the three roads from my house to a hospital there is only one that is safe in times of rain.

So let’s pull the people off the roofs and out of their cars.  Let’s give them a warm blanket, cot and a hot meal.  While we are doing that let’s engage our brains and look to the decisions we have been making as individuals and as a country.

Blessings to you and pray as much for the rescuers as you do the ones being rescued.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-292: Headlines: Collusion? I’ll Show You Collusion

I read a point somewhere about the collusion between the judges in Arizona regarding the conviction of Sheriff Arpaio but I could not find it later.  I came across it again in the Washington Times Monday morning.  The sheriff was doing his job but the liberals didn’t like it so they got a judge to issue an order for him to stop dealing with illegal aliens.  When he did not stop he was sited and put on trial in another example of a kangaroo court. 

I don’t know if he waived his right to a jury trial but the decision was made by a judge, not a jury.  One judge did it as a favor to another judge.  If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it is probably real live collusion, not the manufactured type about Russia.  Why do the liberals have their panties in a wad? 

“It short-circuits the case against Mr. Arpaio, who was convicted this year of criminal contempt of court. The judge who convicted him said he willfully ignored another judge’s 2011 order halting the sheriff’s traffic-stop program, which identified illegal immigrants who were then turned over to federal deportation authorities.”

Notice how the two judges gave a one-two punch.  They had each other’s backs.  Unfortunately for them the president was not in the mood for the game.

Contempt of court is becoming the norm.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-291: Headlines: An Opinion You Care About

John Kasich weighs in on the Pardon Affair.  I am sure you were waiting to hear what he had to say.  It was on “Meet the Press” which I don’t bother watching since it is on NBC but he is quoted in the Washington Times.

I think the biggest belly laugh was produced by the last paragraph in which Mr. Kasich said,

“I wouldn’t have done it this way,” Mr. Kasich, a 2016 GOP primary opponent of Mr. Trump‘s, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It absolutely should be out of bounds for somebody to use that as some sort of political wedge. It appears as though that’s what it was.”

We know he would not have done it this way, that is why he was not elected president and Donald Trump was.  I have a very small sampling to go on, which makes me as qualified as most polls, but I would say that the Average American voted for Donald Trump simply because they expected he would do it this way.

One more scoring single for President Trump.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-290: Headlines: Oak Leaf Clusters

John McCain is already on my RINO list but he continues to add oak leaf clusters.  If my memory serves me right, that is how the military designates you have received a medal more than once.  This time McCain again joins the America haters on the left by bad mouthing the president on his pardon of Sheriff Arpaio, according to the Washington Times. 

To his credit he admits that the president does have the power to pardon but when your balance is negative $100,00 a few cents doesn’t change things much.  He claimed he was concerned that the justice system was not allowed to drag this on for years and bankrupt the citizen with legal fees.  Maybe he was planning on a fund raiser for the sheriff and is broken hearted because he won’t be able to make a speech.

Go John.

Although I am not sure he will run again, vote the suckers out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-289: On the Street: A Local Report on Harvey

I am well on my way to surviving my first hurricane.  To be honest, I have only been on the fringes but just like someone who works as an aide in a nursery school will tell people she is a teacher, a Democrat Senator will claim to be a war hero and Islam is a religion of peace, I am a hurricane survivor.  At least so far.

We are in a new house.  I don’t know the sounds.  I don’t know what to expect.  So far all seems to be going well.  My wife is hearing all kinds of noises but at least they don’t require me to get my bat and check the house for intruders.  I heard one unexpected and unexplained noise once.  It must be because I am losing my hearing.  We have several sky lights through the house and a metal roof.  I find that the sound of rain is pleasant, even after several days. 

What is it like being in a hurricane watch?  Mainly it is the unknown.  Will that next gust of wind keep building and become a tornado?  Will the roof start leaking?  Will the hurricane change direction and target my house?  Will we run out of beer?  Since we didn’t have any to start with that raises the interesting question of can you run out of something you don’t use?

There is also the matter of rational judgement.  How many cases of water should we have?  I filled up our propane tank but should I rush out and buy another?  I look at the worst case scenario and try to ask what can I do and what can I not do.  If a tornado hits the house having an extra gallon of milk won’t make much difference and since we don’t use milk much we would not need it anyway.  How many batteries do you need to make it few a few days of stores being closed? 

Keep in mind that the media love to speculate on how big the disaster is going to be.  It keeps people listening to their station.  Who would stay listening to someone who says, “It will rain hard but most of you are going to be just fine.  Don’t do anything stupid and stupid will do nothing to you.”  That does not increase ratings as much as, “The end is near and only our sage advice can save your life!”  I would never make it as a weather celebrity.  My report would be, “Expect rain and wind.  Use your brain.” 

As I write I understand Harvey is dumping on Houston.  If I were there I might worry.  My heart goes out to those people.  We have friends there and I think they are smart enough to come in out of the rain.

Texas.  What a life.  Last week they rebooted my heart.  This week we had a hurricane.  This is truly the wild west.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-287: Headlines: A Pardon for Joe

As you may have heard, the president has pardoned Sheriff Arpaio.  A couple of points of interest maybe lost in the hysteria of the left.  It is the president’s first pardon.  It is for a misdemeanor.  The man was not convicted of grand theft, extortion or treason.  He did not wipe his illegal server or take millions in bribes while secretary of state.  He did not riot in the streets, burn buildings or throw urine at the police.  He was guilty of contempt of court.  In that regard he joins a lot of Americans.

Some interesting tidbits from the Washington Times story.

People on the left need to go back to their government classes, only this time have the class taught by someone who has actually read the Constitution.  This one demonstrates ignorance on steroids.

“Anger went beyond just immigrant-rights groups, however, to encompass the entire liberal alliance — including environmentalists, who said the pardon was a strike at the core of the Constitution.”

The power to pardon is part of the Constitution. 

The reason that pardons were included in the powers of the president was to short circuit just the kind of political shenanigans by activist judges as we are seeing more and more today.  It is the last refuge for justice from courts that are trying to make up law instead of interpret it.  Another example of this is the actions of Judge Gloria Navarro who did everything she could to get men involved in the Bundy case thrown in jail.  About half way through the article on AZCentral you find the title “Judge's restrictions on the defense” and this interesting paragraph.

“Navarro also restricted defendants from raising constitutional arguments, or mounting any defense based on their First Amendment rights to free speech and their Second Amendment rights to bear arms. In her rulings, Navarro said those were not applicable arguments in the case.”

Picture this.  A federal judge saying that arguments regarding the First Amendment and Second Amendment were not to be allowed.

Fortunately in this case the jury was awake.  The president will not need to use the power of the pardon here.  Of course the same leftists who call the pardon “a strike at the core of the Constitution” will feel the same about a jury verdict they disagree with. 

So pay attention.  If you are ever on a jury remember that you are the one with the last word, not the judge.  That is why we have juries of our peers.  And remember that judges are usually appointed.  Elections matter.

Vote the sucker out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-286: Harvey the Invisible

I am living in the shadow of fear.  I am in the area that Hurricane Harvey is supposed to terrorize.  My fear is not of the storm but of my wife’s fear.  What will she panic about next.  She listens to the weather “people” who work for the sources of fake news and wants to believe that they are serious about the weather.  Her mistake.  They are only serious about ratings.  If they don’t hype, you take a nap.

I understand that Hurricane Harvey is real.  Remember the original Harvey was in invisible rabbit.  I accept that it is doing damage big time and it is not over yet.  It might even do more to my area that throw a little extra rain.  The people living between the coast and the I-35 corridor have my sympathy.  The odds are they are trying to raise their families and pay their bills in a state that offers more liberty than most.  Those who keep rebuilding on the beach, not so much.  It is kind of like playing in the middle of a road in farm country.  You can get away with it for a long time but eventually a combine will drive down that road and you need to evacuate and your Lego castle may get smashed.

My wife knew that we were going to be out of power and blown away starting any time Friday.  It is now almost dawn on Saturday and the most recent forecast, from the National Weather Service radio station, is a bit of extra rain and some gusty wind.  Watch out for flash floods.  Stay off the streets.  Enjoy the cool weather.  Actually that last was my addition.  I didn’t even have the pleasure of waking up to the sound of rain on my metal roof.  The category 4 has been reduced to a 2.  That is still enough to do damage.  The path of the storm could come right over my house.  Trump might not tweet today.  I might forget my medication.

We will deal with it.  It is still better than living in a state run by the looney left and guided by Governor Moonbeam.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-285: Headlines: Market Forces at Work

Remember the headlines about President Obama getting the award for gun salesman of the year?  We could give the anarchists of the left the same title for Confederate flags.  This point is made in the headline of an editorial by Cheryl K. Chumley in the Washington Times.  Evidently sales of Confederate flags are soaring.

The parallels with guns, also under the assault by the Progressives, are numerous.  Both were at one point purchased quietly.  You didn’t want your neighbors to know you owned one.  They are often kept locked away.  They are not used often but when you want one they are hard to come by. 

Think of the symbols that are misused the same way.  I think of the cross for one.  I see it being worn by Jesus-rejecting pagans every day.  It offends me but I don’t rip them from their necks and pound them over the head with a baseball bat.  How about a wedding ring.  Those are worn by people who violate the oath represented on a regular basis.  Some people wear them that are not even married.  How about tight fitting knit clothing worn by people who should wear mumus.  Okay, I could go for a law banning those.

Most people in the South did not own slaves.  Most people in the South also did not like the federal government trying to run their lives.  I think that the current hatred for the Confederate flag by the anarchists of the left (Progressives, Communists, Democrats, RINOs, college professors) is because it represents a rejection of a small elite running the lives of the many.  It is a declaration for personal freedom. 

And get a little historical perspective.  In 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected, slavery was still legal in most of the world.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-284: Digging into Deuteronomy: Don’t Assume

(Deuteronomy 2:15 KJV)  For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

Here is a point that Christians and Jews need to mark down.  Although it is good to be the chosen people, that does not guarantee that all will be milk and honey.  God’s “hand” (3027) was against them even though they were the chosen ones. 

Some people think that America has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people.  I don’t see any Biblical evidence for that.  At the same time we have been blessed by God because until recently we at least paid lip service to His standards. 

Remember that God can, and will, turn His hand against us if we continue to live in perversion and rebellion.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-283: Adam Smith Rides Again

You may not like Adam Smith.  You may not have read Wealth of Nations.  You may not believe in the “invisible hand” or the butcher who gives you good cuts of meat because he is selfish.  The guys at The Last Refuge have, even if they have not.

There is a good analysis of the President’s speech on Afghanistan.  It is worth reading but the part that got my attention was in the next to last paragraph.

“The U.S. military is not the leverage, the military helps creates leverage. The leverage itself is economic.  Financial interests are always the best leverage to use because inherent within the fundamental principles of economics is ‘self-interest’.  Actions taken generate financial benefits; those benefits are direct and immediate to the interests of those generating the results.”

Trump is applying Adam Smith’s invisible hand.  He is working to get countries like Pakistan to stand up against evil, not because we threaten them with our military might, but because it will work for them economically.  Against military force they would plug in their machismo and dig in to prove they are men.  When it comes to their pocket book they become all ears.

Bravo to The Last Refuge, President Trump and Adam Smith.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-282: Headlines: I Must Have Missed It

I need to pay attention more.  I listened to the entire speech by President Trump on a new Afghanistan policy.  I did not leave to go to the bathroom or anything.  And yet the reporter for the Washington Times starts off with a statement that has me scratching my head.

“President Trump asked the American people Monday to trust him in sending more troops to Afghanistan, saying that his gut told him to pullout but that careful examination of military options convinced him decisive victory over Islamist militants was the only option.”

I remember him saying he usually goes with his gut and that a pullout was not acceptable but in the speech I heard, he specifically said that he would not be broadcasting numbers.  The title says “4,000 troops” and I think that comes from old news, not the speech last night.  I also don’t remember his saying, “Trust me.”  I was listening to see if he would say “more troops” but if he did it slipped by when I was blowing my nose.

I often wonder if reporters for news sources that I consider at least partially reliable are out having a drink with their friends when the speech is going on and get their talking points from someone’s blog.

I expect distortions from the New York and LA Times.  I guess I need to make the same allowance for the Washington Times.  Maybe I need to just avoid anything that has the word “Times” in its title.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-281: On the Street: Who Was That Masked Man?

I may be missing something.  I know, nothing new there, but as I look at the pictures of the Antifa thugs beating up on the white supremacists I am looking for anyone with a mask on who looks like they are not young, male and white.  Maybe I am not looking at enough pictures.  I have not watched any video.  How can we call a bunch of left wing, unemployed white boys beating up on anybody they disagree with as fighting against white privilege?

The police need to move in with the support of the national guard, grab the brownshirts, put them on the ground and remove their masks.  After photographing them they can read them their rights and drag them away to a holding tank if they won’t walk on their own.  This does not seem to be rocket science.  If someone is dressed in black, wearing a ski mask, has a club or other weapon in their hand and is attacking others, arrest them.

Then we can find out if this is BLM or a bunch of boys who were rejected by the fraternity they wanted to join.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-280: Has Anyone Seen Stephen?

When I shared I had lived through a medical procedure Gorges wondered how anyone would know if I had taken the Big Ride.  I sometimes wonder that too.  One of my little adventures is to click the “next blog” button and see where it takes me.  Today it took me to Blogging My Life and the last entry was August 10, 2010.  That was seven years ago.  I find this kind of thing very often and when I take a quick look it seems that this guy was serious about posting.

As I scrolled down I noticed that he only had two posts in 2010 then it went back two years and so on.  That tells me he just lost the interest but who knows?  Maybe he expressed a conservative opinion and the black helicopters came for him in the middle of the night.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-279: Firsts: Cardinals

Today as I was at my desk I was attracted by motion outside the window.  I watched the birds for a time, trying to figure out the colors as they danced in and out of the shadows and behind the roof line.  I finally concluded I had seen red and after looking them up on line I concluded that I was seeing northern cardinals playing in my yard.

Cool.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-278: Bringing Families Together

As I was looking at some pictures on a web site I noticed the T-shirt being worn by a protestor.  I assume he was in favor of illegal immigration but on his shirt was a circle with the phrase “Stop separating families”.  I am in agreement with that sentiment. 

I would suggest that one way in which we could stop separating families is by keeping part of the family from coming into the country in the first place.  That way they could not only be together with their mommies an daddies but also with their cousins, uncles, bros and homies.

It is a solution that would seem to make us all happy.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-277: Well, I Am Back

You didn’t know I was gone?  I had one of those “out-patient” procedures that are fairly routine but could kill you.  You know how it goes if you have ever read the side effects on any medication you take. 

As you would expect, I was a model patient.  I spent the time waiting for the doctor by reading Aristotle’s Ethics.  The doctor was impressed.  He said we had a great discussion about Aristotle as he was putting me under.  I don’t remember any of it.

I am assuming this is the last episode before I start the Medicare Maze.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-276: Tragedy Is One Type of Shakespeare Play

I keep reading about the terrible events of Charlottesville.  Really?  A bunch of disgruntled southerners who revere Robert E. Lee turned out to protest the destruction of their history by the removal of a statue.  They had permits and everything.  In their midst were some members of the KKK.  They were met by a bunch of thugs who came to rumble with baseball bats, ski masks and attitudes.  Violence ensued.  After the fact one of the crazies got in his car and ran some people down.  One was killed.  Tragic?  Horrible?  Definitely the case for the people attacked but for the rest of the world, not so much.  I guess you could use those words but they are nothing compared to the Twin Towers or the original Valentine’s Day Massacre. 

Get a bit of perspective.  Were the events wonderful and glorious?  Of course not.  Were they bad.  Yes.  Were they the end of the world?  Not even close.  Do they reflect America?  Try to come back and join us in reality, would you?  If I remember my statistics correctly there are 4,000 babies aborted every day.  According to the CDC there are 28 people killed every day by drunk drivers.  We are surrounded by cases of truly innocent people having their lives destroyed by the choices of others.  The people who were hit by the fool in the car?  I would guess that a number of them had been beating people over the head just minutes before.  I have no proof, just a guess.  Does that mean they deserve to be run down?  No.  Arrested maybe.  Go to jail, maybe.  Run down, no.

I wish I had a magic switch that could remove all the hyperbole from the media.  Until that day arrives we need to fight the emotional tantrums of the left by the one source of power we still have:  Liberty.  That means thinking for ourselves.  That means not buying their products.  That means not clicking on their links.  That means being inconvenienced.

How horrible is that?

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-275: Not Making Sensei

Alistair Begg was working through Titus and in one sermon addressed the different groups in the church.  He explained how young women were supposed to be learning from the older women.  He compared it to having a personal trainer, an interesting way of relating Biblical teaching to modern culture.

Think of all the areas in our culture where the idea of a “personal trainer” is not only accepted but expected.  Does the word “guru” sound familiar.  How about “sensei”?  Are you familiar with apprenticeships and OJT?  The traditional method of entering the teaching profession involves not only a lot of classes but a period of being a student teacher.

Yet when it comes to the church and the Christian faith we too often reject the idea.  People don’t want to be told what to do in the important areas, the ones involving eternity.  They reject correction, reproof and rebuke.  It is a sad state of affairs.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-274: On the Street: Promoted

I took a break from following my wife around the store while she shopped.  When I was washing my hands I was impressed to notice that the paper towel dispenser not only had paper towels but was the “Professional” model. 

I am honored.  After practicing for years on amateur models at last I have graduated to the professional. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-273: Wasn’t Robert E. Lee a Democrat?

I have been working on this for a couple of days and now I read that Rush has done a piece on the same subject.  Here is what I had ready for tomorrow.

The leftists and racebaiters of this country are trying to remove every bit of evidence that America fought a civil war over the issue of states rights.  They want to tear down statues of Robert E. Lee and any other soldier who fought for the Confederacy.  Well, I guess the winners get to write the history but the winners found a place for the losers.  It is the modern losers that are going after these monuments under the excuse that they are people who supported slavery.

Okay, I get it.  Now let’s go to the next level.  You don’t like the KKK?  Then lets expunge any record of the late Senator Robert Byrd.  We must remove his name from every building in West Virginia that he had erected.  We need to remove from the history books any mention of a self identifying Democrat before Lyndon Johnson.  The Democrats were the party of slavery.  Remember that.  The KKK were all Democrats when they actually had muscle.  They even came to Democrat national conventions and demonstrated to force the choice of their candidate for president.  Woodrow Wilson had some very clear racist ideas.  Guess what party he belonged to.  Jim Crow?  Democrats.  Black Codes?  Democrats.  School segregation?  Democrats.  Locked up the Japanese?  Democrats.  Do you see a pattern?

We could go on.  If we are going to be consistent we need to remove the legacy of anyone who belonged to the party of slavery.  We might want to go back to Africa and get rid of some of the descendants of the people who sold the slaves to European traders also, but we can leave that for another day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-272: Headlines: Pardon You

When I saw the headline at a humor site I thought it was a spoof but the Washington Times confirms that President Trump is considering a pardon for Sheriff Arpaio.

I have not followed the trial but I know how the progressives and their pet judges work the legal system.  I think that the key point made in the article was this:

“He faced repeated civil-rights complaints for immigration crackdowns, and was ordered to halt traffic stops that critics said amounted to illegal racial profiling and unconstitutional searches. A judge ruled that he failed to comply with that order, resulting in the misdemeanor contempt conviction.”

Notice that it is a “misdemeanor contempt conviction”.  The judge ordered him to stop doing his job and then threw the book at him.  I realize that is simplistic but so is their version of justice.  My opinion is reinforced by the way the ACLU criticized the idea of a pardon.  That is what the pardon is for, counteracting convictions by corrupt political machines.  It is not for rewarding contributors to your campaign as Clinton did.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-271: Headlines: The New Russia

For months the media has been beating the dead Russian horse looking for traction.  They now have a special prosecutor working for them so they have finally moved on.

The new focus will be Charlottesville.  President Trump needs to learn that he cannot win on this one.  His original statement was good enough.  He did not need to get any more elaborate.  I notice that he finally did name the requisite groups but I also notice that he left all the haters on the left out of the equation.  The formula will never work unless all the variables are accounted for.  We need tit for tat.  Taking the three specifics that the president used in the Washington Times article, I will supply some suggested equivalents that seem to have been overlooked.

For KKK we need the Nation of Islam
For Neo Nazi we need Black Lives Matter
For white supremacists we need black power advocates

Of course these might be included in the “other hate groups” he mentioned.  I certainly hope so and I hope he stirs the water again by naming names.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-270: Ode to Old: At Last

I am at the moment when I will realize I am retired.  DEFCON is over.  I am on my way back to day to day life.  That used to mean that I would begin thinking about the new school year and doing a little planning ahead.  No longer is that true.  The end of DEFCON now means looking forward to not punching a time-clock.

It leads to another type of planning.  I can plan my day so that I would not need to spend so much time in line behind the peasants.  Restaurants can see me when there is no waiting, highways when traffic is light and department stores when the parking lot is empty.  It brings new challenges and habits.

I will also learn the joys of sitting at the social security office behind the masses that never paid into the system and the mystery of Medicare waits like the turkey vulture on the chimney across the street.

School is starting.  I am retired.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-269: Thanks Thoughts: Degrees

As I was celebrating communion this morning I was remembering what the two elements of the Lord’s Supper represented:  The body and blood of Jesus.  In my mind there are two focal events represented:  The incarnation and the crucifixion. 

This morning I was asking myself which one caused more suffering.  I know that the theologians focus on the cross and so does the apostle Paul.  The thought of...

(2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV)  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

is humbling, to say the least.  Jesus took on the sins of the entire creation.

But what kind of shock was it for Him to become a man?

(Philippians 2:6-8 KJV)  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Just as I cannot comprehend eternity or understand the trinity, this is beyond me.

But, I remember.

(1 Corinthians 11:24 KJV)  And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-268: Election 2018: Rino List 2

After reading the Washington Times lead article yesterday I am ready to expand my Rino list.

Lamar Alexander of Tennessee        Repeal of Obamacare
Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia    Repeal of Obamacare
Susan M. Collins of Maine            Repeal of Obamacare
Dean Heller of Nevada            Repeal of Obamacare
John McCain of Arizona            Repeal of Obamacare
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska            Repeal of Obamacare
Rob Portman of Ohio                Repeal of Obamacare
Thom Tillis of North Carolina        Submitted Bill to Keep Special Counsel

Corey Gardner of Colorado            Attacking President as racist
Orrin Hatch of Utah                Attacking President as racist

The president is against bigotry and hatred.  What upsets these people is that he clearly sees that the hate is not just a white issue but a human issue.  They are simply using this as a means of trying to drag down a man who is not a part of their inner circle.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-267: Good Mornings

I am beginning to walk in the morning again.  In California I would walk in the evening, after work.  Now I can do it before the sun comes up.  As I come out the front door the horizon is just starting to warm up and the black is turning gray.  By the time I finish the gray is morphing into pink with promise of orange.

Texas mornings are different from California evenings.  The first morning I saw something rush into the trees as I approached.  I have no idea what it was.  Another morning when the moon was overhead the shadow of a soaring bird crossed my path.  Today when I returned I noticed a couple of strange shapes on the lawn and managed to get the eyes of a deer and her fawn to shine back at my flashlight.

It is also amazing how the temperature can vary as I walk.  It goes from cool and refreshing to the verge of sultry and back again.

The adventure continues.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-266: Headlines: Googling the President

After reading the lead headline in the Washington Times yesterday I have a warning for the President.  Be careful, Google might come after you.  All of the people who hate Donald Trump are bending over, you chose which way, to condemn him for making an accurate statement.

What terrible, hate filled, insensitive statement did he make?

“‘We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides — on many sides,’ he said, adding that the divisions on display in Charlottesville have been brewing for many years.”

Once again the liberal media and Rinos refuse to acknowledge that this is not a white problem.  It is a problem that has been demonstrated repeatedly, usually by blacks and the left, that they think violence is the answer.  The president simply pointed out that it is not simple and our Progressive leaders want us to think it is.

I remember reading about a KKK rally in California where the Klan members were beaten by the crowd and it was the fault of the Klan somehow. 

Justice is not social, it is color blind and based on truth.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-265: Headlines: Haters Everywhere

Here is a headline you probably didn’t notice from a blogger in Africa.  It seems that we are not the only ones deporting foreigners.x

They were not deported for being murders and thugs.  The stated reason was “for committing immigration-related offences”.  If the United States used that as a reason we would need to actually deport the 11 million.

I myself prefer cutting off benefits for non-citizens and letting them self deport.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-264: Should-a-Beens: Trump Incognito

I was looking at a photo of the President and his distinctive hair style.  I noticed that in the picture his hair was combed forward and down, call it a billion dollar comb-over.  That’s okay.  I don’t vote for someone because of, or in spite of, their hair hangups.  I go for ideas.

But I began to wonder what Trump would look like if he combed his hair back and put on a little Fonzie oil.  Remember the days of Brylcreem?  He would be a totally different person.  Then my tangent synapses clicked in and I wondered if this was deliberately done so that he could go out in public without being recognized.  Admit it.  If he pulled it back and put it in a man bun, who would guess it was the president of the United States.

Make sure you look closely at tall, bald old guys.  The next one you see might be accompanied by the Secret Service.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-263: Headlines: Love in Inaction

The first characteristic that the Apostle Paul gives in trying to define love is patience. 

(1 Corinthians 13:4 NAS77)  Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

There is a reason for that.  People of virtue need to be patient in order to see any progress in our culture of law suits and crony capitalism.

It is a characteristic of the battle between good and evil.  When we compare the battle against terrorism we note that we have to win every time, they only have to get lucky once.  When we look at the battle to reclaim our country we face the same obstacle.  A case in point is the recent article in the Washington Times.  Once again you get the impression that the state officials of Texas have suffered a big defeat in their quest to rein in sanctuary cities.  When you read the article it isn’t that bad but it is bad enough.

In an effort to curtail a long court case...

“Hours after Gov. Greg Abbott signed the anti-sanctuary law, SB 4, Attorney General Ken Paxton went to a court and asked for a preliminary ruling that it was constitutional.”

In a perfect world that would have ended the matter but we have a problem.  The judge they went to was appointed by H.W. Bush and probably has ethical issues that made him step aside.  It was similar to Jeff Sessions stepping aside in the issue of a special prosecutor.  It is probably the high ground but sets back the forces of law and order.

So what did the Bush appointed judge do?

“But U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin rejected that move, saying courts aren’t in the business of giving advisory opinions.”

And guess who appointed the judge that will hear the case?  Bill Clinton.  Do you think this new judge will have the same high standards for law as Judge Sparks?  Somehow I doubt it.

Will we win in the end?  We will if we persevere long enough.  There is a reason why the King James Bible translates “patience” as “long suffering”.  It is.  I am getting old and beginning to doubt I will see how this works out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-262: Better Than Spiderman

I go to Proof Positive for the daily cartoon and Quote du jour.  If you have not visited I am sure you would enjoy it.  One of the other features of the site is a feature called Medal of Honor.  In it Americas heros are remembered with a publication of the citations they received for their courage.  Today was about Staff Sergeant Salvatore Augustine Giunta. 

If you like action movies and adventure novels then you will enjoy this.  The difference is that this is real life and this is real courage.  This is why officers salute men like Sergeant Giunta.  It is worth a few moments of time.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-261: On the Street: The Blessing of Thrown Dolls

As I traveled recently I had reason to be grateful I would not be teaching in a few years, let alone in a few days.  The cause of my joy was a beautiful little girl.  She was beautiful until her mother told her no.  Then the screaming began.  The foot stomped.  Her doll was thrown.

I was blessed.  I understood that this little angel would not be in my classroom in a few years screaming, stomping and throwing.  I won’t meet her again until I need someone to change my bed pan.  I hope she is over the throwing behavior by then.

What a blessing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-260: Headlines: Reformers Who Aren’t

The president is doing what he can to cut government bloat.  The first day in office he instituted a hiring freeze.  Now we are told that it is not popular with reformers.  At least that is what the Washington Times headline implies.  The actual content of the article points out the usual techniques and roadblocks.

The person quoted as telling us this is a bad idea is someone named Donald F. Kettl.  All it tells us about him is that he is a professor at the University of Maryland.  What it doesn’t tell you is that he is associated with the Brookings Institute (read liberal) and went to Yale.  I am sure he is a fine fellow but I doubt if he approves of anything that would reduce the size of the federal government especially one that targets the EPA.

Then we get to the real problem.

“Chris Edwards, director of tax policy at the libertarian Cato Institute and author of “Downsizing the Federal Government,” said Mr. Trump will need cooperation from Congress to significantly shrink the federal workforce.”

Trump has done his part.  He has expected congress to do theirs.  That will probably not happen until the next round of elections in 2018.

Vote the suckers out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-259: Headlines: This Is a Problem?

The Washington Times had a lead article sharing Trump tweeting about being upset with Mitch McConnell.  That is okay.  A lot of us are upset with Mitch McConnell.  The writer seemed to think this was a problem.

The article explained why McConnell might be having a bit of trouble.

“Mr. McConnell has been at the helm of the Senate GOP for a decade, but most of that time was spent as minority leader, where he was successful in blunting Democrats’ agenda.”

I will give him the nod for nine of those years.  The problem now is that he is using those skills for blunting the agenda of the Americans who voted for things like repeal of Obama care.  I would say the agenda of the Republicans but I am afraid there are too many like him that don’t see the world the way Trump does and the way we do.  We need someone in charge who can rein in people like John McCain. 

Vote the suckers out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-258: Book Review: The Flame Bearer

If you like historical fiction I would recommend Bernard Cornwell to you.  Check him out at the library and get a view of how many books he has written.  If he is new to you then you have a long string of good reading ahead of you.

I am currently reading The Flame Bearer.  It is set in England after the Romans and before the invasion of the Normans.  It is part of a series and a good read.  I also salute Cornwell’s research.  He is describing the king of the Saxons and trying to thread the complexities of the age when the old pagan religions were being overwhelmed by Christianity.  King Edward is a Christian and at one point is described this way,

“I remembered Edward as a young and uncertain prince, since when I had heard rumors of too much wine and too many women, though the gods know the same rumors could be spread of any lord, but I had also heard that he cared deeply about his country, was pious, and I knew he had proved a notable warrior in his conquest of East Anglia.” p. 118

This picks up the conflicting sense of morality in the middle ages.  You have a man noted for his drinking and whoring and at the same time called “pious”.  In the Biblical sense the two are mutually exclusive.  Drunkenness is a sin in the Bible and sex outside of marriage is a major taboo.  You can’t be sexually promiscuous and pious.  That seems clear to me but in the middle ages the ruling classes has their own interpretation of what it meant to be a Christian.

And in the midst of that nonsense we have Bernard of Clairvaux and Brother Lawrence.  It is one reason that I have confidence that Biblical Christianity will survive the luke-warm, watered-down version that is so common in churches today.  Elijah had the same worry and God reassured him,

(1 Kings 19:18 KJV)  Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

I hope there will be more than seven thousand in America.  I hope I am counted among them.

Cornwell, Bernard.  The Flame Bearer.  New York:  Harper, 2016.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-257: DEFCON: Geek Fatherhood

One of the encouraging factors of attending DEFCON over the years is watching some of the geeks grow up.  One I met when he was about 14 and sleeping on the floor of someone’s room, just to be at DEFCON.  Now he is a husband and father.  I remember watching one of the major rebels walking around with his son on his shoulders.  Good stuff.

This year we went to dinner with a man who from his stories was a barbarian of the first order.  I believe his stories.  Yet the man I ate dinner with was sitting with his son between him and his wife and demonstrating how to be a good father.  The boy had some issues and I watched this hard core hacker showing affection and support in a way that would put most of us to shame.  I was impressed.  It was encouraging.

It was the miracle of fatherhood.  We didn’t discuss it but my guess is that if you had tried to explore being a father with him fifteen years ago he would have looked at you like a zombie from a grade B movie, overlooking the fact that all zombie movies are grade B.  He would have wondered what you had been smoking and he probably knew all the possibilities.  He would have laughed in your face.  Yet when put in a situation where he faced the fruit of his loins he did not walk away like so many ghetto daddies.  He manned up and in the process learned the meaning of love.  This is why marriage and fatherhood does so much to civilize the men of our culture.  This is why the welfare system that makes men responsibility free from their spawn is so destructive.

It isn’t music that really tames the savage beast, it is fatherhood.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-256: Headlines: War, but Not with Korea

One of the reasons that Donald Trump resonates with so many Americans is because he gets it.  He understands what is happening.  To quote one of his advisors as quoted in the Washington Times,

“‘This is a war,’ said Bruce Levell, a member of the Trump re-election campaign’s advisory board.”

He understands that we are in a cultural war.  The Rinos don’t get it.  Actually they do get it and they are on the other side.

A revealing statement was made later in the article.

“Mr. Trump has some distance to go to build the type of popular support President Clinton had when he was impeached by the House but not removed from office in a trial by the Republican-majority Senate. His acquittal in 1999 was all the more spectacular given the bitter opposition to his presidency from the Republican Party.”

I remember those days.  There was no question that Bill Clinton was guilty of perjury.  That was the issue, not his antics with Monica.  In spite of that the Republican controlled Senate could not impeach.  Why?  The same reason that President Trump finds that the Senate repeatedly ties his hands and works against his agenda.  There are too many Republicans that would prefer to be on the other side of the aisle.

Yes, we are at war.  It is a cultural war.  It is a political war.  The Democrats, the Rinos and the Progressives are on one side.  A minority of Republicans, President Trump and a majority of Americans are on the other.

Remember, vote the suckers out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-255: Location, Location, Location

As a teacher I was often frustrated with students who would come every day but do nothing to prepare for their future.  In my frustration I would sometimes ask them, “Why are you here?”

One student came up with a sad, but true, response.

“Why am I here?  Because I have no better place to be.”

Unfortunately, if he doesn’t get an education he will never have a better place to be.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-254: A Lesson in Thrift

A moment for the lament of a married man.  Yesterday I received a stern lecture on thrift and wasting money.  My sin?  I had left the light and ceiling fan on in my room when I went to the front door.  Mea Culpa.

So explain to me why we went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory and spend $42.00.  Of course that included tip.  And I didn’t gag.  Maybe I am missing something here.  This was no birthday celebration or anniversary.  This was lunch.  And we had to drive 30 miles each way to get there.

Can you calculate how long I would need to leave my light off to pay for that lunch?

I guess they didn’t cover that in my college classes.  Maybe it is a male thing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-253: Digging into Deuteronomy: Biblical Borders of Israel

(Deuteronomy 2:5 KJV)  Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

Even today this area of the world is in turmoil.  One of the mantras of the Muslims is that the land is theirs and Israel has no right to exist.  The Bible obviously gives Israel to the Jewish people.  You may not like it but if you believe the Bible is the word of God, deal with it.  The real question is not the validity of Israel but the location of the borders.

This verse tell us that there are certain areas of the Middle East that Israel is not to have.  Mount Seir is a term used to designate Edom.  If you look at an atlas, possibly in the back of your Bible, you will find that Edom is on the southeast corner of the land given by God.  In modern terms it would be located in Modern Jordan below the Dead Sea.  It is not in any of the areas in dispute today.  Later on, in verse 9, we find that Moab, and in verse 19 Ammon, were also not to belong to Israel.  Moab was just above Edom.  Ammon was to the east.

Israel was granted a land by God.  It was denied other areas.  David and Solomon may have expanded into areas greater than the basic Israel but there is a heartland that was divinely granted.  We need to keep that in mind as we watch the news.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-252: Election 2018: Rino List 1

It is really hard to keep track of all the Rinos who are more concerned with their personal power than the good of the country or the stated goals of the Republican Party.  They are intent on ignoring the voting public because they believe we have short memories.

We do.  So I am going to begin a list for my own good and share it as I update it.  We need to watch as, on issue by issue, Rinos come out of the closet and show their true colors.  The first list I gave to you in paragraph form.  Now I will repeat it as a list.  I will put them alphabetically and try to relate the issue that exposed them.


Lamar Alexander of Tennessee        Repeal of Obamacare
Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia    Repeal of Obamacare
Susan M. Collins of Maine            Repeal of Obamacare
Dean Heller of Nevada            Repeal of Obamacare
John McCain of Arizona            Repeal of Obamacare
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska            Repeal of Obamacare
Rob Portman of Ohio                Repeal of Obamacare

The Washington Times helps me add to that list as a “bipartisan” bill is introduced to make it hard for Trump to deal with the Mueller witch hunt.  Today I will add to that list:  Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

You might want to read the article with your brain turned on.  It states that the Senate,

“...wrote the bill to create a judicial review should a president try to remove a special counsel.”

Historically the first president to face impeachment was Andrew Johnson.  His offense?  He dared to fire one of his cabinet members.  Deja vu anyone?  Just who does Donald Trump think he is, the President of the United States?

The second hat you need is your Constitutional scholar hat.  In the article it says,

“The bill would write into law current department guidelines governing who can fire a special counsel, and make them retroactive to this year’s appointment of Robert Mueller,...”

Does the phrase “ex post facto”  ring any bells?  Let me share with you a phrase from the Constitution, Article 1, Section 9:

“No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.”

The phrase means “after the fact”.  It forbids congress from making laws retroactive. 

These are dangerous times.  We have the Democrats who don’t care what the Constitution says and we have an unknown number of Republican in Name Only frauds who also don’t care.

Vote the suckers out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-251: DEFCON: About Those Voting Machines...

I was on the road Monday but by the time I went to bed two people have told me that DEFCON made the news.  It seems it only took a casual group of hackers 90 minutes to compromise some voting machines.  I pause to look for a news article about it....

No headline at the Washington Times.  Same with the Telegraph and Fox News.  Let me check Drudge....  Nothing.  So I will Google it, and there I find stories that seem to have made no lasting stir.  I will check out the one on USA Today since that is written at the middle school level where I used to teach.

This is not the first time DEFCON has approached this topic.  I have attended sessions in the past where the concern was expressed.  Contrary to the article this was not caused by the “Russia” obsession of the MSM.  It has been a worry for hackers for years.  In the past the sessions focused on similar machines being used in elections at universities.  Hackers, not wanting to go to jail, steered clear of actual machines you might see at the polling station.

“This is the first time such an open and large-scale hacking of voting machines has been attempted, because until October of 2015 such efforts were illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. An exemption by the Librarian of Congress now allows good faith efforts meant to find vulnerabilities, leading conference organizers to launch the event.”

Until very recently it was illegal to investigate the weaknesses of the system.  On one side that makes sense.  It is also illegal to shoot people but keep in mind that most gun violence takes place in venues where guns are banned.  Criminals are criminals because they ignore the law.

So DEFCON has your back.  Voter fraud is possible, which means it is common.  Somehow I don’t think the DNC or the Hillary camp have been saying, “We can’t do that because it isn’t nice.”

Most hackers that I heard were in favor of paper ballots.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-250: Plow and Crown: Elites and the Unwashed Masses

It used to be “as California goes, so goes the nation”.  I hope that is not true any longer.  We should change that to “If California goes, let them.” 

In reality, with the progressives so deeply rooted in our government agencies what we need to start realizing is that “as Europe goes, so goes the nation”.  That is not a good thing.  What got this going was a quick stop at the English Newspaper Telegraph.  I did not bookmark the article but it explained how Great Britain was taking steps to make it impossible to own a private vehicle.  They are proposing a special tax on diesel and gas powered cars in certain cities and on certain highways.  The stated goal was to do away with automobiles.  Today there was a second article saying it couldn’t work because they did not have enough electrical capacity.  Keep in mind that the lack of evidence for global warming does not keep them from taking away your options in order to fight it.  They will continue to press no matter what the facts say.

Be warned.  The elites want the common people to be taxed out of their cars and onto mass transit.  People that rely on government for transportation are easier to control.  It is easier to take away their options.  You will be forced to shop in local stores that will be more like 7/11's than Walmart Superstores.  You will only be able to live in small apartments because everyone will need to live within walking distance of a bus stop or train station.  If you want a feel for what that would be like, go to IKEA and look at some of their cute little living spaces that are around 600 square feet.

And it will allow more room for their estates and country homes.  They will always have their chauffeured limousines and security details.  They won’t need to rub elbows with the unwashed masses.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-249: Moons and Creation

I was rereading an old science fiction book, written in 1954.  The author was explaining how a space station could stay in place.  He explained how satellites maintain orbit.  For people having trouble visualizing it he used the moon as an example.  This struck me as possible evidence for the hand of God in creation:  The number of moons that seem to exist. 

What are the odds of this many large masses existing at just the right spot to balance the pull of gravity and the push of centrifugal force?  I am aware of the theory that the cosmic soup first congealed in stars and then specific masses came together as planets.  The moons were one more step in that process.  But really, what are the chances of all the factors being so perfect that you have all these moons. 

If it were just the earth I could see it, but look at the frequency.  According to a quick Google question it seems that Jupiter alone has 67 known moons at this point.  I am afraid it is just one more example of the laws of probability working against the naturalist explanations.

It makes more sense to accept that God made it happen.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-248: DEFCON: Deprivation

We were on our way to dinner with a couple and lamenting how expensive is was in Las Vegas.  I am old enough that I can remember when meals and rooms were cheap and served as an attraction for people to come and gamble.  Now most of the well know places are for high rollers or people who think they are high rollers.

In the discussion the subject of Disneyland came up and how much it cost to go.  One of the people in the car suggested how the high prices were causing the poor children of today to be deprived.  I think the inference was that it wasn’t fair and the Disneyland was listed somewhere in the Bill of Rights as something that everyone should be guaranteed.  This reflects the difference that has been emerging at DEFCON.  When I came to my first con 16 years ago it was a gathering of rebels.  Hackers kind of felt it was them against the man.  I noticed that beginning to change a few years ago.  As the hackers have aged they have grown up into mortgages and children.  It makes a difference.

But Disneyland as a basic human right was beyond me.  I worked in public schools with a large percentage of the students on some kind of poverty program.  Most kids got free or subsidized lunches.  Almost all of them made regular trips to Disneyland.  Even in the poor classes there is always money to do the things that are important.  I suggested that public libraries were still free and that if they were deprived from not going to Disneyland maybe they could visit the library instead.

I think they assumed I was joking.  Sadly for them, I wasn’t.

So remember that now being able to go to Disneyland is a basic human right.  Welcome to America in the 21st Century.

homo unius libri