Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Visit Early and Often

Sorry I haven't been writing here much. I've had a lot on my plate. There's been travel to our place in New Hampshire, work, and assorted other stuff.

More importantly, my mother passed away more or less unexpectedly (she was 84, but in good physical health). We expect to lose parents eventually as we ourselves get older. It's the nature of things. But, we never really cope with losing the people in our lives.

I remember the good times and a few bad times with my Mom. I remember her fussing at me when I was an adolescent, being peeved when as an adult I didn't visit often enough, her joy at my little and big successes (including the shooting medals I won). I miss her.

I live across the nation from my parents. While I called Mom and Dad regularly, I didn't visit often. There was always a good excuse; press of career, cost of travel, sitting in a plane seat for six hours, and others. If your parents live close, go visit them and give them a hug. If they don't; plan a nice long vacation that includes them. They won't always be there.

Friday, February 06, 2009

Obama's versus Ayn Rand

I hate when dystopian fiction comes to life. I mentioned recently that I read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and felt that we were living in the sad parts of it.

When I read this editorial by David Harsanyi today her magnum opus sprung to mind. The editorial is about Obama's recent directive that holds executive pay at $500,000 if they accept a government bailout.

As Harsanyi points out, you might think this is morally right, but "Why did we just allow the president to dictate the pay of private citizens working in the private sector?" How does Obama have the right do to this?

Here's the Rand connection. An increasingly desperate government launched an economic directive in an effort to end an economic mess they had brought about. This was called Directive 10-289. Another blogger very kindly wrote it all out, saving me the effort.

Here is Point Seven:
All wages, prices, salaries, dividends, profits, interest rates and forms of income of any nature whatsoever, shall be frozen at their present figures, as of the date of this directive.
How long will it be before the rest of Directive 10-289 is promulgated in real life? Jeez, I really hate it when I live in dystopian fiction. I only wish it were fiction.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

"You Shot My Dogs"

In the four years that I've been blogging, I don't think I ever did a "read the whole thing" post with just a link. There's always a first. Be sure to read this article; a follow up on this summer's report about a botched SWAT raid. SWAT invaded a Maryland mayor's house, shot their dogs, and terrorized the mayor and his mother-in-law. There is no other description for what happened in that house on that sunny day.

Especially infuriating is this comment from a police chief, "...our people did not know that this was the home of the mayor and his family until after the fact." That is almost an admission that they would've treated a mayor differently than you and me if they had only known.

These raids must stop.