Only in Chicago...

Best advice for individuals living in Chicago: LEAVE!!!  RUN for your very LIVES!!! 

Why?  Because the place is becoming backwards-land, where people can't stop to offer help for fear of scaring the people they're trying to help into calling the police.  True quote: "Police maintain that if Peterson was worried about the welfare of the girls, he should have called 911."

Sorry, but I don't ever want to live in a place like that.  What if I actually needed help?  Potential Good Samaritans would be too afraid I'd call the cops on them to help me.  And even if they called the cops, it would more than likely be too late for me, given their draconian and unconstitutional view on concealed carry. 

So...what is "proper procedure" in a case like that?

Officer Dion Anthony, of the Memphis Police Department (if they'll still claim him) was caught having sex in his squad car.  He somehow managed to broadcast his...recreational activities...over his radio.  According to a department spokesperson, "In this instance it‘s possible [Anthony] didn’t follow proper procedure."

What exactly is proper procedure for that?  Negotiating the act before engaging?  Maybe making sure the prostitute knows that he'll release her afterwards?  Maybe putting a casing on the sausage, first?  Finding the right orifice before getting started, so that his happy-fun-time doesn't get broadcast to anyone with a police scanner?

Or maybe, I don't know, not having sex in the squad car while he's on duty???

The Underpants Gnomes model to nationalizing economic prioductivity

1.  Draft an executive order on a Friday afternoon.

2.??????

3.  Declare martial law and seize private corporations for "national defense...stuff," leading to... A SOCIALIST UTOPIA!!!


Oh, you think I'm exaggerating?  There are provisions to

assess on an ongoing basis the capability of the domestic industrial and technological base to satisfy requirements in peacetime and times of national emergency, specifically evaluating the availability of the most critical resource and production sources, including subcontractors and suppliers, materials, skilled labor, and professional and technical personnel;

In other words, who's got the biggest production lines, and is making the most money?  Who would be best (most profitable) to seize first?  And what have they got that the government can seize?

"But HH, what has that got to do with nationalization?  And socialism?"

From the horse's rear's mouth, this is supposed to "provide for the central coordination of the plans and programs incident to authorities and functions delegated under this order, and provide guidance to agencies assigned functions under this order, developed in consultation with such agencies..."  Central coordination and economic planning = socialist market.  In other words, the market isn't allowed to be responsive to what consumers want.  You can have what Big Brother tells you that you can have.

"But HH, aren't you being a little alarmist and extreme?  Surely they wouldn't go that far..."

Again, yes, they would.  There are plans in place, articulated by that executive order that was carefully scheduled to be overlooked by the media, to restrict everything from basic necessities to medical care to luxuries to travel to energy usage.

(1)  the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to food resources, food resource facilities, livestock resources, veterinary resources, plant health resources, and the domestic distribution of farm equipment and commercial fertilizer;

(2)  the Secretary of Energy with respect to all forms of energy;

(3)  the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to health resources;

(4)  the Secretary of Transportation with respect to all forms of civil transportation;

(5)  the Secretary of Defense with respect to water resources; and

(6)  the Secretary of Commerce with respect to all other materials, services, and facilities, including construction materials.

"But HH, how in the hell can anyone restrict and ration our access to all that?  This is a big country, after all..."

Tell me this doesn't sound like raising a private army that isn't bound by the Posse Comitatus Act:

Sec. 501.  National Defense Executive Reserve.  (a) In accordance with section 710(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(e), there is established in the executive branch a National Defense Executive Reserve (NDER) composed of persons of recognized expertise from various segments of the private sector and from Government (except full time Federal employees) for training for employment in executive positions in the Federal Government in the event of a national defense emergency.

(b)  The Secretary of Homeland Security shall issue necessary guidance for the NDER program, including appropriate guidance for establishment, recruitment, training, monitoring, and activation of NDER units and shall be responsible for the overall coordination of the NDER program.  The authority of the President under section 710(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(e), to determine periods of national defense emergency is delegated to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

To translate from bureaucratese, this basically says that the President can create a federal branch of the Reserves from people with training in critical areas, for deployment by the President and by the Secretary of Homeland Security.  And yes, there will be recruitment, and training, of said reserves.  I would assume that a "national defense emergency" means whatever the President says it does. 

"But HH, if they're talking about recruitment, doesn't that mean it's a voluntary organization?  Won't that mean people will know what's going on and just...I don't know, not volunteer?"

You'd think that, wouldn't you?  However, there also seem to be provisions for keeping an eye on the labor pool, with a possible eye toward drafting anyone Big Brother deems necessary:

Sec. 601.  Secretary of Labor.  (a)  The Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other agencies, as deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Labor, shall:

(1)  collect and maintain data necessary to make a continuing appraisal of the Nation's workforce needs for purposes of national defense;

(2)  upon request by the Director of Selective Service, and in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, assist the Director of Selective Service in development of policies regulating the induction and deferment of persons for duty in the armed services;

(3)  upon request from the head of an agency with authority under this order, consult with that agency with respect to:  (i) the effect of contemplated actions on labor demand and utilization; (ii) the relation of labor demand to materials and facilities requirements; and (iii) such other matters as will assist in making the exercise of priority and allocations functions consistent with effective utilization and distribution of labor;

(4)  upon request from the head of an agency with authority under this order:  (i) formulate plans, programs, and policies for meeting the labor requirements of actions to be taken for national defense purposes; and (ii) estimate training needs to help address national defense requirements and promote necessary and appropriate training programs; and

(5)  develop and implement an effective labor management relations policy to support the activities and programs under this order, with the cooperation of other agencies as deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Labor, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, the National Mediation Board, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

 (b)  All agencies shall cooperate with the Secretary of Labor, upon request, for the purposes of this section, to the extent permitted by law.

In other words, Big Brother is saying, "Be good little proles and volunteer, or we'll fucking draft you."

My dear brother and sister citizens of the United States of America...we are well and truly fucked.  Executive orders stand until subsequent executive orders rescind them.  I cannot see either Romney or Santorum rescinding this order.

Looks like a probable win for the Underpants Gnomes.

ADDENDUM: Let me make a request of all who read this (few though there are): even if you don't link my blog post, please link and make noise about the executive order.  The only reason this was signed and issued on Friday is to make sure it wouldn't catch public attention.  Let's at least make sure he can't accomplish that much.

Another argument against drugging children into somnolence

Apparently, those children who are easily distracted have minds and memories that work on a higher level than their peers, according to recent studies.

So, instead of drugging them into shambling sleepwalkers, how 'bout we admit that some children need harder, faster curricula than their peers?  How about we give them that challenge, and see if we can take all (or most) of the ADD/ADHD diagnoses and turn them into the next Tolkien or Bronte or Milton.  Or possibly Tesla or Einsteins or Smith .

Hell, I'd be thrilled with another Sowell, Williams, Hanson, or Regan.

But no--that would be suggesting that some children are sub-par, and/or that some parents aren't doing right by their children.  It might well not be possible with the current trend of public education to not only cater to but actively recruit the lowest common denominator to teach our children.  I suppose it probably isn't possible for a teacher to adequately challenge a child that is far smarter than the teacher. 

I think "privacy" is an outmoded concept, anymore.

According to this, the only true anonymity is in the absolutely massive amount of information that the linked together data sources.  I think the sheer mass of data points to sort through would overload the analysts, computer sorting program or not. 

Thank God for the Bill of Rights protecting us from being harassed by government bureaucrats criminalizing our actions to be allowed more power over us!

Wait...

Home again...

Odysseus took the imp to meet his grandparents at the halfway point, yesterday morning, to hand him over for an overnight visit.  They didn't even go back to their house first--they took him straight to the park.  From what I gathered, except for meals, naps, and bathroom breaks, the imp has been going full-tilt outside for the past two days.

We went to visit them (and pick the imp up) today.  Adding the pixie into the mix outside was really cute.  The grandparents still have Odysseus's little red wagon that every child used to have,* and we got some pictures of the pixie sitting in it.  For some reason, the imp flat refused.  But he did pull the wagon and give his baby sister a ride.

So, we got home about two hours ago, fed both of them, bathed both of them, and now the imp is in bed (and the pixie is strongly and loudly protesting being in bed).  I'm about done in.

But it was a good day.

*Forgotten earlier, but does anyone realize how much a new, metal, red wagon is?  HOLY CRAP!!!  

Recommended Reading

A couple of years ago, I wrote a review of Tom Kratman's A Desert Called Peace.  As you can tell by the link, it's now on Baen's free library site. 

It isn't comfortable reading, but it is an extremely good read, and it does provoke thought.  I strongly recommend downloading it.  I can't promise you'll enjoy it, but I can promise that it will make you think.  Hard.

FFOT: BONUS!!!

Warning: the following is going to be rather full of invective, and language even I don't usually use.  Then again, the...individual to whom this post is dedicated has earned that, and an after-birth abortion for lacking humanity and empathy.

FFOT: To the Darwin Award contenders out there...

TinCan Assassin suggests that, if anyone doubts the existence of a loving God that cares for and protects his people, that they need to work in customer service for a while. 

Don't blame God for all the stupids out there.  Blame government regulating everything until our kids are turned into starfish by protective equipment before being sent out to play.  Blame government for protecting the stupids from the consequences of their own actions. 

Like this.  I do see the point in wearing safety equipment when operating dangerous machinery.  I wear my seatbelt--but I would anyway, because I'm smart enough to know what might happen if I don't.  I do not, however, think the government should mandate that people must wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle, or a seatbelt when riding in a car, or that airbags must deploy fast enough to save someone not wearing one (which, incidentally, causes injury). 

Government regulations protecting stupid people from the consequences of their own stupidity can fuck off.  Let Darwin work.  Or we wind up with muppets running the country.

Homophones can be hilarious.

Joe Biden called the MOTUS* the man of "steel"--or at least, that was what reporters heard.

I'm betting it's more like "steal," given what he's been doing to us for the past three and a third years.

Wait...what?

"You've got to eat"?  I thought the First Wookie was against that for us fatty-fat-fat proles. 

Long damn day.

Grading's done, though.  'Til Saturday, at least. 

Got a lot accomplished, today.  Took the frame jumper that's been taking up an entire corner of the living room (seriously--the thing's footprint was at least a square yard) for the last three years apart, and slid it under the pixie's crib.  When my new claimed-kin nephew is old enough for it (he's a bit over a week old, now, born a week ago Monday), we're going to pass it along to his family, with the understanding that it's a loan. 

In place of that is a blue wing-back chair.  And we brought one of the recliners out of the pixie's room, since I no longer have to worry about having a place to sleep in there.  The other recliner (a rocker recliner) will need to stay where it is until she doesn't need rocked and nursed to sleep anymore. 


Odysseus works, tonight.  Lucky jerk.  The kids decided this afternoon was perfect to stage a running bicker-fest that didn't pause except when the imp was on the potty or in his high chair, despite being separated by the hall gate, and didn't end until bath time.  Then, when the pixie started trying to pick it back up, I took her and put her cranky butt to bed.  Half an hour after that was the imp's bedtime.  I spent about an hour staring into space, then went and spent another hour in a tub of hot water. 

As for now?  Yeah, I'm thinking a bourbon.  I think I've earned it.  Yeah, definitely a bourbon and some blog catching-up. 

See y'all tomorrow. 

STFU. Everybody.

Warning: this post is kind of personal, and kind of graphic.  There's some pretty frank talk about erotica, porn, the differences or lack thereof.  It was inspired by RobertM's post here. Do NOT click to read more if you don't want to know.  And if you do it anyway, don't say I didn't warn you.

Wow...

A Moroccan girl killed herself because the case's judge forced her to marry her rapist.  What would have happened if, like me, her rapist had been her father? 

And is the judge going to be punished for this?  'Cause, in my opinion, forcing the girl to continue to be victimized to the point that suicide by rat poison looked like a better idea is tantamount to murder.

Getting frustrated

I spent the bloody morning grading three papers.  And one of them was an A quality first draft, so I've spent the morning actually reading and grading two papers that are so bad that I can't figure out where to start telling them to fix the paper. 

This bodes ill for getting all 17 (found two turned in to the wrong email address) graded before my 72 hour deadline is up.

I didn't think the paper was all that hard.  Or that this semester's incoming freshmen were that ill-prepared to read and follow instructions.

And it really doesn't help that today's a beautiful day, and I'd rather be outside playing with the kids.