Magna Carta: yours for $21,321,000 (£10.6M);
Tales of Beedle the Bard: £1,950,000 ($4M)
Of course tha latter may be a more useful guide to one’s liberties in New Britain ™
|
|||||
|
With a little help from her friends, Japan has sent a loud and clear message to North Korea.
The SM-3 is certainly a good enough interceptor to handle the appropriately named North Korean ‘Nodong’ ICBM. I say that because they seem to be as likely to fail as to get where they are going. December 18th, 2007 | 31 comments - (Comments are closed)
 Henry Porter has written an excellent take down of Jack Straw and Polly Toynbee in the Guardian Online.
I commend the whole article to you. I would add is that the air was always pretty clear from our perspective. There was never any doubt to us where the state was headed or what all these laws really meant. Also I would like to point out that there is scant evidence that David Cameron is not quite happy to stand on the same side of the ideological divide as Jack Straw and Polly Toynbee (whom he memorably praised) for as long as the amoral jackanapes thinks it suits his personal career interests. Also the conflation of democracy with liberty is fallacious but I realise that we have quite a bit of work to do at the axiomatic level to bring that once obvious and widely accepted fact back into the broader intellectual meta-context. The notion that “our democracy depends on individual freedom” strongly implies that freedom should or does serve democracy. I would argue that democracy is not an end in and of itself at all but at best merely a tool by which freedom is pursued by mitigating the power of the state. December 18th, 2007 | 42 comments - (Comments are closed)
I am presently doing a littlle travel on (or perhaps off) the Malayan peninsula prior to Christmas in Australia. Right now I am in Penang, and as always there is much to write about, but I do not alas presently have time to write it. So, a few photographs. Also, I shall be back in Singapore from this evening, and I am free on Thursday evening. If we have any Singapore readers who feel like meeting up for a drink, or dinner, or perhaps even some air conditioned indoor prawning, please let me know, preferably by leaving a comment at the end of this post.     Do I find it cool that I can look at high resolution satellite images of my current location on a tiny battery operated hand-held device while sitting in a coffee shop in Penang? Hell yes. December 17th, 2007 | 9 comments - (Comments are closed)
The LA Times blog has reported an explanation for the incredible Sunday fund raising feat of the Ron Paul campaign.
I am happy to see the LA Times covering this story and extend a hearty Samizdata thank you to Nikki at that publication for informing us! December 17th, 2007 | 5 comments - (Comments are closed)
Apparently some Ron Paul supporters have opened up a concerted attack on the FEC with the method by which they are funding the blimp… and like good capitalists are making a profit at it. One of the people central to the effort is a former FEC member. Read about it on Transterrestrial Musings. Washington DC is just such a target rich environment when one tries to come up with a short list of which agencies should be abolished first. December 17th, 2007 | One comment - (Comments are closed)
First Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman, came on. Senator Lieberman, said that Republican John McCain was the best person on the struggle with radical Islam and national security issues generally, so he would be supporting him to become President of the United States – specifically by helping in the New Hampshire primary. This was a big story as Joe Lieberman, is not only a long standing Democrat but was Democratic party candidate for President back in 2000, and ran for the Democrat nomination for President in 2004. However, both Senator Lieberman, and Senator McCain said that the political parties should work together to solve domestic problems. Which rather misses the point that people do not agree on what to do or not do – which is why they are different political parties in the first place. Later Fred Thompson came on. He talked about the various things he had worked on in his days in the United States Senate and his lifelong conservative record, but he did not really attack anyone. When specifically asked why people should vote for him rather than Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson did say that people should look at Governor Huckabee’s record and compare it with his. This is no good at all – the Iowa Caucus is on January 3rd, it is bit late to still be relying on responsible voters doing research. Fred needed to say something like the following:
But it is not Fred Thompson’s nature to talk like that – which means…. Then in a first for Fox and Friends, Senator Hillary Clinton came on. It seems the death-to-Fox campaign is over, at least till after the election. Senator Clinton informed the viewers that she would not only end the war in Iraq, but that she would also, if elected President, cure autism and cancer. On autism Senator Clinton stated that she had “worked for many years” on a cure and would get it done if elected President. And on cancer Senator Clinton told the story of how a lady suffering from cancer had come to one of her campaign events.
No one on Fox and Friends seemed to regard Senator Clinton’s claims to be able to cure autism and cancer and to give everyone else all their hopes and dreams as in any way odd. I guess the Senator just meant that she would throw more taxpayers money at all these problems – but that is not what she actually said. It was also mentioned on Fox and Friends that Newsweek had a lead story – this being that Mike Huckabee’s son had killed a dog in 1998. So ended a few hours in the campaign. December 17th, 2007 | 25 comments - (Comments are closed)
For I think there’s a fault line that runs through “political blogging” which isn’t in fact properly appreciated. There are those who blog for a specific group, for a party, for their tribe. And there are those who blog in support of certain ideas, or ideals. The former group will indeed be liable to capture by the centre (“don’t rock the boat old boy, not now we’ve got back into power again”) and the latter will continue to scream for their cherished goals whichever party is in power. December 17th, 2007 | 11 comments - (Comments are closed)
Alec Muffet, redoubtable trencherman that he is despite his dainty frame, pointed me at this splendiferous expression of the manifest superiority of western civilisation:
Magnificent! However after reading the comments attached to this Daily Mail article decrying the practice, I could see my enthusiasm was not shared by all. The best comment and a real contender for the Samizdata Pig’s Head on a Spike Award for Thigh Slapping Hilarity was:
The man is either a sage-like wag of the very highest order or a deranged Imam in need of an extended holiday in a certain part of Cuba… and an honourable mention also goes out for:
Naturally I felt the need to leave one of my own, as indeed you might:
Yummy! Nom nom nom! December 16th, 2007 | 57 comments - (Comments are closed)
If the thermometer on the Ron Paul Campaign fundraising graphic were real, it overheated and blew out the top of the glass last night. Their goal for this quarter, ending December 31st, was $12 million. As of noon here in Belfast, they have $12.6 million. The rate has been accelerating: if you watch for ten minutes you will see the number increase by thousands of dollars. There has been grudging admission of his existence by the big name political news outlets, but they are hoping he will at some point ‘just go away’. That may not be the case. I do not think these people understand what is going on: Ron Paul’s campaign is as much about getting the ideas out as it is about getting elected. As long as there is money backing him, he will keep running, keep talking and keep growing our ranks. Despite decades of work, the majority of the populace has no idea what libertarianism is about, and if they do, it is “aren’t they the bunch who want to legalize heroin?”. They do not understand the context because they have never really heard it. The strength of the Paul campaign shows there is a real strength to our philosophy. It shows a real yearning for a return to individualistic ideals. People want a government much restricted in size, one whose job is to defend our liberty and privacy rather than destroy it “for National Security Reasons”. Amongst the other candidates there is really no one I much care for. I will admit that I still hold an “ANYONE but McCain” grudge. If he or Huckabee win at the convention, I might be voting for the Democrat. I do not find either Hillary or Obama as loathsome as I find those two. Support for Ron Paul does not translate into support for any other Republican candidate. Quite the contrary. I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the Republican Party. I and millions like me have either not voted or voted straight LP. if Ron is not the candidate we will simply revert to form. I really cannot imagine myself getting worked up about any of the other candidates. No, not even for Thompson. My questions to him would be: how many government departments will you call for the abolition of on your first day in office? Which ones are they? What is your target percentage for cutting the Federal government? 25%? 50%? More? I much look forward to Ron and our people being at the Republican convention and injecting exactly that sort of small government rhetoric into the event. Our folk will not be present to watch balloons drop and see and be seen. They will be there to rock the boat: politely… but forcefully. At least one pundit has claimed we now live in a ‘Momentucracy” where primary votes do not matter. The sense of ‘momentum’ and ‘inevitability’ which the candidate garners from big media is what settles the issue and causes the contenders to retire. There appears to be evidence of truth to his statement for much of the period from the seventies on. However… the internet may change that. In 1960 the televised debates revolutionized presidential politics. In the 2004 election the Dean Campaign showed how the internet might soon do the same. Few have been saying, as I am about to, that it might change the ground rules entirely. What will happen if backers of a candidate can bypass the drone of mass media against their candidate and for the Anointed One? No one believes the media any more, so given alternatives we just might find that politics gets a great deal more unpredictable and interesting in the coming years. And, by the way… I love the sight of dollars rolling into the Paul campaign in the morning. It reminds me of… Liberty. In the time it took me to write this article the number went up to $12.9 million… A cup of coffee and a small bit of work… and now I see they have blown through $13M and are still climbing rapidly! The $14 million mark has been passed as of 17:41 UTC Over $16 million just after midnight UTC and there are no signs of slowing… Quiet this morning since the US is just getting up. The counter spun up to $18.2 million whilst I slept… December 16th, 2007 | 48 comments - (Comments are closed)
Many of you will be vaguely aware of the Bangura affair. Al Bangura is the Watford footballer who is about to be deported to Sierra Leone, where, according to him, he is likely to be killed. For extra colour there is some stuff about a voodoo cult and the bizarre ruling that his being a professional footballer with excellent prospects do not count because Sierra Leone is not one of the top 75 football teams in the world. Go figure. I should point out that I am a half-hearted Watford fan but this does not affect what I am about to say. I would say the same if the guy played for L*t*n. All it means is that I am slightly more familiar with the case. I have no idea if what Bangura says is true. Frankly, it could be a pack of lies for all I care. Given the stakes involved: the best job in the world or exile to some African shithole, it would hardly be surprising if he were telling the odd porkie. But it does not matter. The way I see it the guy has every right to be here. Not because he is fleeing persecution, not because he is a good footballer, not because he pays his taxes or ‘enriches’ British culture… But because he is a human being. I think everybody should be able to live everywhere, subject, of course, to the usual libertarian provisos about property rights. My guess is that sense and political manipulation of the judiciary will prevail. This has the potential to become a real cause celebre – you can just imagine the stink if he gets sent back to Sierra Leone and does indeed wind up dead – and because of that I do not think it will happen. Or if he does get deported he will soon find a job somewhere else. I hear LA Galaxy are looking to strengthen their midfield. But it makes me think about all those who are not professional footballers – the ordinary joes who just want to make better lives for themselves or to escape the hope-crushing Kafka-with-machetes world that is so common in Africa. They have to face the more ordinarily-Kafkaesque world of the immigration system without the support of football clubs and their umpteen thousand supporters. For them the difference between prosperity and poverty hangs on a civil servant’s whim. The more honest must be tortured by debates over when to tell the truth and when to lie like crazy. It must be agony. December 16th, 2007 | 21 comments - (Comments are closed)
A frosty reception awaits Santa Claus in Britain this year. It seems that the much-loved benefactor of children everywhere is, in fact, suspected of being guilty of a number of illegal practices. Greenpeace UK has accused Santa of ‘environmental terrorism’ by encouraging crass global consumerism without any effort to dispose of packaging and minimise waste. They have also attacked Santa for his record of pollution output and have demanded that he take steps to lower the carbon footprint of his activities. The complaint has prompted officials at the Department of the Environment to investigate Santa for possible breaches of the EU Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment Directive, which makes the producers of goods responsible for their environmentally sound disposal. Further trouble can be expected from the Information Commissioner who has pointed out that Santa may be in breach of the Data Protection Act by keeping records of all the country’s children. In particular, his lists of who has been naughty and who has been nice constitutes a behavioural database which cannot be kept without the unambiguous, specific and informed consent of the subject. The Equality Commission has also weighed in with concerns about Santa’s employment practices. His policy of only working with elves is clearly discriminatory and leaves him open to prosecutions by pixies, faeries and goblins who are not being considered for employment due to their race. The Department of Work and Pensions is also investigating the work practices of Santa on the basis that, over the Christmas period, he demands that his elvish workforce work around the clock in order to meet the seasonal demand. This is a clear and unequivocal flouting of the EU Working Time Directive which limits the working week to 48 hours and could give rise to a further prosecution. Santa’s time-honoured habit of stopping for a drink of brandy in every household (and there are 25 million in the UK) will also bring trouble. According the Civil Aviation Authority, the alcohol limit for any pilot is 20 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood. Police forces nationwide have been put on alert for an overweight, elderly, bearded man at the controls of a nine-reindeer sleigh and, if spotted, to apprehend him immediately. Santa was not available for comment but a spokeself has said that Santa is seriously considering whether or not to fly over British airspace this year. December 16th, 2007 | 16 comments - (Comments are closed)
|
   |
||||
All content on this website (including text, photographs, audio files, and any other original works), unless otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons License. |
|||||