Rebane's Ruminations

The Candidates on Abortion

George Rebane

Chris Matthews interviewed Donald Trump and asked how the pregnant woman should be treated if she sought an abortion in a jurisdiction wherein it was illegal. His off-the-cuff answer was that the woman should be held responsible in some manner.  Everyone on and off the campaign trail went ballistic.

Offline and at his leisure, Ted Cruz responded, “Of course we shouldn’t be talking about punishing the woman; we should affirm their dignity and the incredible gift they have to bring life into the world.”

Offline and after some consideration Donald Trump went on record, “If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal, and the federal courts upheld this legislation or a state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing the illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman. The woman is a victim in this as is the life in her womb.”

Both got it wrong. Cruz was pandering to the hip level response of the mob, and The Donald backpedaled his initial honest response with pabulum in the attempt at damage control.

About Cruz leaping on Trump’s throat – there is nothing “incredible” or a “gift” to society (or mankind) about one more unwanted child that is almost certain to become a resource grabbing disaster for society.  And there is no “dignity” for the man or woman in screwing their brains out with no thought to the impact of their lusty liaison.  Cruz was pandering to the light thinkers and the plain stupid.

And Trump reversing himself to blame just the abortion artist is equally reprehensible. Yes, the woman and her unborn baby become the victims of an abortion, but it is a preventable victimhood to which the woman (save in rape) is a willing party.  So the question becomes ‘how should society differentiate between this type of willing victimhood versus other kinds of willing victimhoods such as drug and alcohol addiction where we already hold the ‘victim’ addict accountable.  But more fundamentally, why should society – i.e. the rest of us – create an environment in which lust or any other corrosive behavior can be exercised with the gay abandonment of responsibility for the impact it has on society, and the quality of life of its members?  Should society have any other recourse save punishing itself for cleaning up after the aberrants?

Sandbox - 29mar16

[I am reminded by fellow blogger and pundit NC Scooper that a fresh sandbox has not been provided for the widely read, erudite (often in their own special way), and opinionated readers of this humble blog.  So let us again come together for "The time has come," the Walrus said,"to talk of many things: Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax, of cabbages and kings.  And why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings."  So I pose a question often asked by astute observers like cartoonist Ramirez, 'Is our President a Muslim or a communist, or (insert plausible answer here)?'  gjr]

Ruminations – 28mar16 (updated 29mar16)

George Rebane

All sorts of news outlets, save the lamest of the lamestream, today report that Fidel has written Obama an ‘up yours’ letter subsequent to our president’s obsequious visit to Cuba. You can bet that this from-the-sidelines message was Raul’s idea.  Add to that his Tango Trip to Argentina, is there no one in the celestial pantheon willing to give this man even a smidgeon of a foreign policy accomplishment that the rest of us can put in the plus column?

Speaking of letters, someone wrote a letter on a Chinese news website suggesting that President Xijiping should resign. As a result over ten people have simply disappeared as Chinese authorities hunt for the letter writer (more here).  It’s always good to remember that we are dealing with Red China when considering them as a partner for mutual benefit in any international effort.  No matter their recent ‘liberalization’, China is still a very fearful totalitarian regime that finds it hard to hide its true colors (from all except our progressives).

As if more evidence were needed to confirm – Government is an intrinsically evil collective, cynically organized, incompetently operated, and staffed by people not all of whom are evil.  For this reason alone, citizens must keep their governments small and always on a short leash. – please examine this long festering atrocity detailed in ‘Why Americans Hate Government’. Beware of those among us who seek to enlarge the Leviathan; their numbers continue to grow.

A Taliban Easter present to Christians was delivered this weekend in a Lahore park where over 70 celebrants were killed and hundreds wounded (more here). The local raghead organization took credit in the name of spreading the religion of peace.  To keep track of how this religion inspires hundreds of thousands to murder and more millions to (sometime not so) quietly nod in approval you can visit a non-partisan website that keeps track of the daily murders.  Anyone keeping track of how America kowtows to Islam?  Anyone not keeping track?

[update] On the matter of consciousness Kurzweil opines that “We do have essential questions. Is the brain a computer? Does it process or generate conscious information as output?  When, where, and how did consciousness evolve? Can we have free will, or are we just “go along for the ride?” … Will consciousness be reproduced through brain mapping, transhumanism and/or artificial intelligence? Or, does the brain “tune into” and organize consciousness or its precursors existing naturally in the universe? What are the implications of either view on the nature of existence, and treatment of mental and cognitive disorders?

The Science of Consciousness has now emerged as a recognized field of enquiry that unites scientists and philosophers in an uneasy cooperative. All of this will be hashed out at this year’s April conference in Arizona.  Meanwhile 'Testing to Start for Computer With Chips Inspired by the Human Brain'.  More here and here.

[29mar16 update]  Our president speaks to the world.

He is Risen!

The three words that changed the world, and unto this day stand between us and oblivion.

The Spawn of Islam (updated 24mar16)

‘There is not a day that goes by without an Islamist attack somewhere.’

George Rebane

The war between Islam and western civilization is in full swing, and the west is not winning.  Yesterday’s Brussels attacks again exposed the butt stupid policies of the progressive left governments.  Yet there is beginning to emerge a glimmer of understanding if we are to believe the reports by European media and the occasional politician who has been able to retrieve his head from where the sun don’t shine.  They are now stating publicly what their public has known for years – Europe’s Islamic enclaves are not assimilating into their host cultures, and if there are moderate Muslims living there, they are a small minority.  The vast majority living in those closed enclaves are either indifferent to the ongoing massacres or actively support the Islamist terrorist cells that hide and grow in their midst.  Just listen to their silence.

Now suddenly the government double dummies have discovered that hundreds if not thousands of trained and proto-terrorists have re/entered Europe through the Muslim migrations.  The security services of the socialist states are now pleading poverty and telling all who will listen that they are not prepared for any of what has been happening for the last several years.  EU’s national budgets continue to cut their militaries and treat each successive attack as a criminal matter in spite of France’s Hollande continuously declaring that “Europe is at war.”  No one connects the dots of what unsustainable transfer payments, ranging from public pensions through mandated labor regulations to nationalized healthcare systems, have done to gut economies and distort allocation of resources to serve the EU’s sustainable self-interests.

Some of the more intelligent public voices are getting the courage to opine that maybe, just maybe, Europe’s policy of open borders really does allow Muslim terrorists free access to their countries.  In spite of the onslaught, political correctness still rules the state imposed public posture toward their visibly hostile and firmly embedded Muslim populations which today pockmark the continent like putrid boils.

Scattershots - 21mar16 (updated 22mar16)

George Rebane

Today in the 21mar16 Union columnist and RR reader Mr George Boardman reminds us of the tautology that members of our 99% also avoid accountability. He corroborates this with an anecdote or two, as if any were needed.  Very little thought already reveals that the population which overwhelmingly avoids accountability resides in the 99%.  I think this point could have been made a bit more explicitly to underline Mr Boardman’s ‘No need to be among the 1% to avoid accountability’.

But what I took exception to was his description of “DeVry University, a publicly traded company that specializes in signing up students to loans they may or may not be able to pay back.” The FTC’s jaundiced ruling notwithstanding, this private educational enterprise does not specialize in Mr Boardman’s claimed practice any more than do the hundreds of public colleges and universities across the land.  Unpaid student loans now exceed $1,200,000,000,000 (that’s T like in trillion) and are overwhelmingly owed to government run lenders making it easy for government run colleges that lure students into costly degree programs that teach students skill sets they cannot sell in the labor market (more here and here).  [H/T to Mr Gregory’s 736pm below for the correction.]  The only ones hiring those so victimized are the various agencies and bureaus of our governments where competency in something useful is not a requirement.  Mr Boardman’s singling out a for-profit university for such umbrage is misleading at best, and patronizes our softheaded socialists at worst.

Joel Kotkin, R.C. Hobbs Presidential Fellow and columnist, writes a major piece prognosticating the dismal future of the GOP and Hillary’s potential launch of our own Third Reich. He sees the formation of a third party as a political palliative, but does not seem to understand that political stability requires at least four political parties to span the ideological spectrum.  Nevertheless, the worthwhile read concludes with a view of Hillary’s administration and the Democrat Party dominance –

In this way, the rest of the country will increasingly resemble what we already have in California – a central governing bureaucracy that feels little constrained about expanding its power over every local planning and zoning decision. The federal republic will become increasingly nationalized, dispensing largely with the constitutional division of power.

Centralism, as known well in California, comes naturally to a one-party state. Businesses, particularly large ones, faced with uncontested political power, will fall in line. How many times have I heard California business people, even supposedly powerful ones, tell me they are frustrated with Gov. Jerry Brown’s increasingly draconian rule but sheepishly add that they are too afraid to say anything.

Looking ahead, the only hope lies in a mounting reaction, perhaps manifesting in a new party, to over-reach. As Clinton works to serve her “families,” like public employees, crony capitalists and the academia/media PC police, she could ignite a rebellion not only among the Trump constituency but also many more moderate, suburban voters who find Trump too crude, divisive and unpredictable.

This new movement should be built around the idea that, in the information age, power can, and should, devolve to localities as much as possible. Even Californians prefer local, as opposed to centralized, control. This could spark a widespread populist rebellion which, in 2020, could finally tame the federal Leviathan and allow American politics to return to something the founders may have envisioned.

[update]  George Soros has given Gov Kasich $700K for his campaign.  'What are we to make of that?', he asks with tongue-in-cheek.  Talk about strategic investments that Trump and Cruz should highlight.

[22mar16 update]  George Boardman has restarted his NC Roadkill blog.  I went there to welcome him with - Welcome back to the blogosphere Mr Boardman. Ruminations is proud to post a permanent link to NC Roadkill. gjr - but my comment is still "in moderation" so I thought I'd repeat it here.  Perhaps Mr Boardman is having second thoughts as to what time eaters these blogs are; I hope not.

‘The Great American Disconnect’

George Rebane

Government is an intrinsically evil collective, cynically organized, incompetently operated, and staffed by people not all of whom are evil.  For this reason alone, citizens must keep their governments small and always on a short leash.

World history is powered by the strong urge of like-minded people seeking and protecting land on which to band together and live lives that celebrate their unique traditions and gods.  Simply put, that reasonable urge underpins reliable mechanisms that assure you and people like you a greater chance of survival to raise families full of kids that grow up to vindicate your own life’s travails and perpetuate all that you and yours value.

All of this starts with families that band with similar families to form communities (tribes), and join with similar communities to form provinces/principalities, and then provinces to join and form kingdoms and, today, sovereign nation-states.  At each higher level of the hierarchy the requirements for similitude get relaxed a bit as diversity creeps in.  But the increasing diversity at each level is acknowledged and even welcomed with a ‘Look, they believe and do things like we do, except that they do this differently.  Let’s see how that works out for them?’

This type of bottom-up societies has been a significant burr under the collectivists' blanket at least since the French Revolution.  And it was acknowledged as the prime bane of society and human progress when collectivists first began to formulate plans for reorganizing what man should believe and how he should live with fellow men.  Individualism in all its forms had to be ferreted out of society, along with its lower structures (i.e. traditional families) supporting independent enterprise that gave rise to and perpetuated different abilities to generate and husband wealth.

The obvious solution from the gitgo, as Lenin advised, was to marshal and redirect the education of the young.  And to do that most efficiently required institutionalizing how and what children learn.  Uniformity of beliefs, thoughts, and deeds was the paramount objective of the state.  Once a uniform ‘product’ began to issue from the institutionalized education system, it was an easy political matter, as we have seen, to redirect it toward the ultimate teachings of the –ism that the collective elites have chosen to put on their banner.

Thanks to our institutionalized (and unionized) public education system, our rank and file progressives are now so blind to this redirection that they understand none of what has happened, nor what is happening every day at the hyper-liberalized colleges across the land whose militant students resemble Mao’s Red Guards of China’s Cultural Revolution that killed over 100 million of its own citizens.  The reaction to such leftiwing radicalization has already begun in what I would characterize as the first stages of the coming Great Divide.

Again the progressives, most certainly our local cadres of the collectivist chorus, are ignorant of this and accuse people like me of going off the deep end with our radical hatred of the fomenting ‘kumbayah’ state that is directing us to all to join ranks in order to achieve the goals and implement the objectives of Agenda21 – the global socialist union.  But the reality in America, and now perhaps also in Europe, is quite different.  People are moving, as they have been planning to do, joined in their various, yes, culturally cohesive cohorts for some time now.  Kyle Peterson of the WSJ describes some of the recent migrations and their subsequent political happenings in his 18mar16 ‘The Great American Disconnect’ from which the nearby graphic is filched.

[The attentive reader will note the Alinsky Answer, if any, that progressives will provide to the above in which they totally ignore the national dimension and focus their ire on the messenger (moi) who will be accused of being a disloyal solitary loon.]

 

Legal Marijuana is Coming (updated 24mar16)

George Rebane

[This is the linked transcript of my regular KVMR commentary broadcast on 18 March 2016.]

Legalization of marijuana is making progress by fits and starts across the nation.  I want to talk about how those fits and starts are taking place here in Nevada County where marijuana or MJ has long been the county’s leading albeit illegal cash crop.  The country’s MJ laws are a mess, with the feds totally outlawing the weed along with its commercial relatives like hemp.  And the states (California) have their own laws that permit various methods of production and types of consumption which specify how everything from recreational marijuana or RMJ to medical marijuana or MMJ can be used.  Then come the counties making their own rules about growing and consuming RMJ and MMJ, rules that somehow have to dovetail, sidestep, or totally ignore what higher jurisdictions already have in place, or are planning for the near term.  As I said, it is a mess, and one that is entirely created by government.

Most of us know that our Board of Supervisors have put Measure W on the June ballot.  Its passage promises to supersede the emergency MJ ordinance now in place, and legalize limited indoor MMJ grows to provide the plant for medicinal uses.  The anti-MJ folks, led by Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), are promoting Measure W since it not only outlaws outdoor grows, but all “commercial cultivation and other commercial cannabis activities”, and permits only limited indoor growing of MMJ “for medicinal purposes”.

The NRA and Gun Control

George Rebane

Power in every nation-state is a zero sum game between its citizens and their government.

These two videos on the history of the NRA and the black experience with the Second Amendment pretty much summarize the Rebane Doctrine on the role of ownership and use of firearms by a free people seeking to remain free. For the record, I am a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, the American Legion, a member of the Nevada County Sportsmen, and a combat arms veteran.  Expect nothing fair and balanced about this topic from me.

The short version can be viewed here, and the longer version, while imbibing your favorite adult beverage, is available here.

 

Ruminations - 14mar16 (updated 20mar16)

George Rebane

We’ve reported what outfits like Pew Research have discovered about the mental acumen of millennials.  Today we hear from online news services targeting millennial audiences some characteristics of their aggregate behaviors that explain away why this generation is not our nation’s swiftest (Bernie call your office).  The Independent Journal Review is perhaps the leading such online news service, and they report that they must limit their news items to 30 seconds being the absolute max since web tracking shows that after that interval their viewership plunges if they attempt to deliver more content about an item.  In short, they confirm that the millennials have been raised to absorb a bite-sized world, and have the attention span slightly longer than that of a sparrow.

Most of America knows that the Democratic Party has moved markedly to the left, especially during the Obama years.  Among those who don’t are the informationally deprived local lefties all over the country for reasons that we have outlined here for some time – RR’s comment streams may serve as Exhibit A.  Today left-of-center Associated Press freely admits that this has been the case, and contributes to the polarization of our country.  Our gruberized progressives continue to believe that only the ideological migration of the Right is guilty of the divisive polarization of America.  This is another illustration that we conservetarians share literally nothing with the central planning and control chorus – no common history, no common world view, no common economics, …, in short, no common facts.

Has anyone noticed that the leading centers of decay and dissolution – be they cities, counties, or states - in our country are those which ‘enjoy’ dominant leftwing political leadership, and moreover, have been so blessed for the longest time.

The Stop Trump Terrorists (updated 20mar16)

George Rebane

As did Hitler’s Brown Shirts, so have other socialist/communist thugs and roughnecks throughout recent history been the ones to physically disrupt the gatherings of their political opponents. This is what happened yesterday in Chicago at the planned Trump rally (here), and appears to be the start of this election season’s violent phase – expect more of such thuggery and violation of First Amendment rights from the Left.

Apparently this junction is the result of the Democrats finally realizing that Trump could beat anyone they nominate whether it be Hillary the Unindicted, Bernie the Communist (forget that ‘socialist’ crap), or even Foot-in-the-Mouth Joe. Were it not so, no one would care.  The Dems’ big money is beginning to fund anti-Trump activities and front their far-left ideologues which tactics bare their true assessment of what’s likely for this fall unless they can physically intervene, and, of course, have the lamestream blame it on the Right.

The astute reader will note and mark the Left/Right asymmetry in the coming travails. The only ones who will remain clueless about what’s going on are the gruberized local lefties here and elsewhere.  They’ll continue singing loudly some version of The Internationale for as long as it takes.  Trump should now cool his rhetoric, to which he has every right, and continue morphing into maximum presidential mode from here on.  Thoughts?

Valemaxes for Nevada County?

George Rebane

The so-called Valemax bulk carrier ships at 400,000 tons deadweight are among the largest vessels on the world’s oceans, each being almost 1,200 feet long with 200+ foot beam and drawing about 75 feet fully loaded.  The ship class was chartered by Vale SA, a Brazilian mining company, to carry iron from Brazil to the world’s markets.  China, after some foot dragging prohibited Valemaxes calling in their ports, has now changed its mind and ordered its shipyards to start building 30 Valemaxes to the tune of $2.5B.  The ship’s size lowers its ton-mile transport costs by 25-30% over existing very large vessels.  Today there are about 35 of these behemoths in service. (more here)

What interests me is what drove Vale to introduce such ships that are larger than a modern nuclear carrier (over four times the displacement) in every dimension.  Brazil export markets have a location problem – the sources of their bulk ores, ag products, etc are situated farther than their competition from where they are being consumed or further manufactured.  In short, they are off the beaten path where there is an added cost to get their stuff onto the beaten path, and that makes their exports cost more.  One obvious way to become more competitive is to reduce transportation costs to their markets, hence enter the Valemaxes.

(That China is now planning to eat the lunch of the world’s bulk carriers is another story for another time.  Stay tuned.)

So how does Nevada County fit in?  Readers know that for years RR has been dunning those who promoted manufacturing in these foothills as a solution to our economy’s growth.  An obvious reason (there are others) why manufacturers have left the county is that we too are located off the beaten path.  It costs extra to bring raw materials up from the I-80 corridor distribution and transportation hubs, and it costs more again to get our products down the hill to places where they then begin competing with similar stuff made a few minutes away.

The obvious question then is what can we learn from the Valemaxes.  All other problems to manufacturing here being equal (adequate worker pool, cooperative local government, econut sanity, NIMBYs neutralized, …), would NC manufacturers be able to compete on cost were we to have a regularly scheduled service of very large trucks – our Valemaxes – plying up and down Highways 49 and 20 to move raw materials and goods between a west NC freight depot and distribution centers in the greater Sacramento area?

Such a service could be operated by established transport companies like UPS and Fedex.  Local manufacturers would be responsible for getting their stuff to and from the depot in a timely manner given the scheduled departures and arrivals of the ‘Valemax trucks’.  The parcel delivery companies could, of course, also service the local transport needs with their existing smaller vehicles as part of the ongoing operations.  Additional features might be incorporated from seaborne freight like smaller standardized secure containers  that could be efficiently loaded and unloaded (e.g. palletizing) at Valemax depots and transferred onto smaller vehicles for local transport.

The bottom line is that unless we have some means to level the playing field in the cost of moving materials, manufacturing will continue to languish, if not altogether disappear, in the GV-NC region of Nevada County.  I have no idea whether this concept will pencil out given what remains of our manufacturing industry, or whether we could solve the chicken/egg problem of attracting new manufacturers with the promise of starting such a Valemax truck service.  But given how hard economic development has been in the county, it might be worth taking a closer look at the numbers and what’s involved in pulling this off.

Ruminations – 8mar16

George Rebane

Lord Keynes famously asked a critical journalist, 'When I get new information, I change my mind.  What do you do?'  Rebane Rule - A politician 'flipping' his views is welcome only when accompanied by what new information was received when which then caused the change.

The Union has invited Ms Hilary Hodge to be their new liberal columnist.  Ms Hodge will lend her voice to the growing progressive cohort that is now escaping to the hinterlands from the metro areas they have fashioned in their own image, and which are no longer suitable places to live. (Her website here)  In her inaugural column she gives a fine account of herself emphasizing her liberal education, professional career, and that she is gay.  She has a “passion for small business” and is a fellow Rotarian with me in the Nevada City Rotary Club.  RR welcomes her and looks forward to her commentaries on “local and national economic issues, policies, and trends.”   

The Left’s propaganda about Congress being in “gridlock” continues on all fronts – most recently in county clerk-recorder/registrar Greg Diaz’s column in the 8mar16 Union.  The informed reader knows that is not true.  The federal government is in a polarized gridlock because the administration has a demonstrated socialist agenda that prevents the passage of legislation from a majority Republican Congress.  Congress is doing just fine, but the leftwing lamestream continues the steady drumbeat that only the GOP are the obstructionists – the sound of the one hand clapping.

The cover-up of intelligence from the Central Command (Pentagon’s Mideast military) is another Obama scandal in waiting that our exciting election histrionics have put on the back burner.  It turns out that on-the-ground intel analysts in Afghanistan report that their dire findings have been ‘sanitized’ by the Pentagon to provide the administration with appropriate political cover during this election year.  This is one of the many reprehensible after effects of Obama’s purge of uncooperative flag officers during his tenure in office.  Autocrats (cum tyrants) – e.g. Stalin and Hitler – have always had their toadies tailor news from the front to be more palatable in order to avoid early ‘retirement’ in its various forms.

Universal gun registration – to track the movement of firearms – has always been gun control’s preamble to gun confiscation by government central planners.  Such programs are successful to the extent that populations are ignorant.  In America (see also RR comment streams) well-rehearsed progressive peans of denial are heard every time Second Amendment proponents point out another incidence of such confiscation accomplished or in the offing – see Canada’s recent experience (here).

In ‘Transformation of Economics’ University of Ohio economics professor Richard Vedder argues that in America economics has morphed into “political economics” along these major lines –

• Diminishing returns to research.
• Economics as ideology in camouflage.
• A disconnect between economic reality and public policy
• The rise of the nonuniversity research centers
• A major cause of America’s economic malaise: the government’s war on work

This insightful read concludes with - One reason living standards in the U.S. have stagnated: There were 12.7 million fewer Americans working in January than there would have been with the 2000 employment-population ratio. Disability insurance claims have roughly tripled in the past generation (despite greater inherent workplace safety because of the declining relative importance of manufacturing and mining); government-subsidized student loans and grants have lured younger Americans away from work; extended unemployment benefits prolonged unemployment; and food stamps now go to nearly 30 million more Americans than 15 years ago. The government has provided much more income that is only available if people do not work. So fewer do. As Charles Murray has noted, this phenomenon has contributed to declining social cohesion and arguably even largely explains Donald Trump’s electoral success.

Sandbox - 8mar16

[Watched Sanders/Clinton townhall yesterday. Sanders is either abysmally dumb or evil beyond comprehension – I vote ‘dumb’.  His post-socialist screed confirmed his belief that US economy is a zero-sum game, college is the new HS, therefore should be ‘free’ like HS without explaining why then keep our very expensive HS.  He believes healthcare is a “human right” paid for by the wealthy, the poor support the rich, wants to double national debt to $40T in 10 years, does not understand debt service, wealth magically creates itself, people worldwide mysteriously fight to enter the US - an evil, racist, inequitable country overflowing with the poor save the 1% who must be severely punished.  Hillary lied up her usual storm, but sounded comparatively sane, and will handily beat Bernie’s ass for the Dem nomination.  Big question, what about the millions of ignoramuses who think Bernie is smart?  gjr]

Dr Hauck Responds - for the record

George Rebane

Today The Union published the following letter as the latest chapter in what appears to be an ongoing dialogue between Dr Paul D. Hauck and me.  The exchange started with his reading of my Other Voices column ‘Swansong from an Alternate Universe’ (and here), to which he responded with his own OV piece – ‘An Alternative Alternate Universe’.  My response (here) to that was immediate.  Then letters to the editor ensued.

Paul Hauck: George Rebane partially responsible for today’s polarized state (7 March 2016)

If Dr. Rebane felt criticized via innuendo by my article, I apologize. Quite honestly, my article was not even about him or his Other Voices piece.

It was my attempt to share an insight I had regarding my small role in our nation’s dividedness.

He was generous enough to invite me into dialogue on his Rebane’s Ruminations page so I visited it for the first time. On it I found his musings about ... me. From only two data points, gleaned via Google and inaccurate at that, he constructs an entirely fictional and disdain-worthy caricature of me. Readers should visit his site because I think it is highly illustrative of the point of my column.

Dr. Rebane would lay responsibility for our polarized state on the shoulders of the president. I would suggest that politicians merely reflect the populations they serve. When we, individually, continue to mock or demonize those with differing opinions, assume evil intent, and unnecessarily pose enemies, we cannot expect a more civil national dialogue than we have now.

My article was an attempt to take responsibility for my small part in this process. For me, it is a worthwhile self-examination. And, yes, Lent is a season perfectly suited for it.

Paul Hauck, PhD
Penn Valley

Off the starting blocks, the letter is more than a bit mind boggling.  His opening statement – Quite honestly, my article was not even about him or his Other Voices piece. -  is a stunning piece of prevarication since at least three out of every four paragraphs in his ‘An Alternative Alternate Universe’ (note even the title) OV piece are about me and the thesis of my above cited original OV piece.  His claim of my having constructed “an entirely fictional and disdain-worthy caricature of me” is false on the face of it, as can be verified by anyone googling the man’s vitae published on the web.  If any of that is wrong, he should have set the record straight; an effort that I still hope he will undertake so that we may know with what kind of scientist we are talking.

His claim of being a “clear writer” is called to question when he states that his “article was an attempt to take responsibility for (his) small part in this (polarization) process.”  Such a mea culpa could have been accomplished with a brief reference to my original OV piece as an exemplar, and then a lengthier analysis of the perceptual and expressed missteps about our country's divisiveness from which he also claims to suffer.  His piece reversed the emphases and thereby garnered interest through an extensive critique of what I had written.

In sum, I’m disappointed that Dr Hauck does not want to debate the issues of national polarization, climate change, and mideast policy about which he tells us he has a deep and objective understanding.  I have responded to his letter here, and am not sure that any further response in The Union would be productive.  I will wait to see if his 7mar16 letter puts the matter to rest or not.  Meanwhile, the reader is invited to inform himself through the above links to the published record.

Sandbox - 3mar16

[Tonight all four Repubs - Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich - publicly pledged to support the Republican candidate who emerges from their convention.  That has got to take a load off some minds.  The innumerate liberals happily see no way how Trump now garnering 49% of Repub  primary voters, who are turning out in record numbers, prevail against the Dem candidate (Hillary in orange?) whose primary voters are setting records staying home.  And none of these same worthies understand the mood that has powered the candidacies of Trump and Sanders; for them the world is the same ol' same ol' with the Dem establishment über alles.  gjr]

Measure W – MMJ Confusion and Hysteria

George Rebane

Today’s Union published a front page report (here) on the latest phase of “outrage” from the pro-grow faction in Nevada County.  According to the report, the latest to be outraged is the father of an eight-year-old boy with “intractable epilepsy” who is being helped by imbibing MMJ in some unknown form.  In any event, the boy’s father, a Mr Hurd, apparently has grown MMJ outside and prepared his son’s medicine from the plant.  He wants to continue doing that and seeks either an exemption from or the defeat of Measure W that would ban outside grows in the county.  In the near term (tomorrow) he will argue in Superior Court to have the measure removed from the June ballot.  And then on these pages all hell broke loose.

The impetus for those incensed was a 27feb16 email blast from Ms Deborah Wilder, NC Republican Party chair exhorting its members to support Measure W and communicate the same to the county’s BoS.  The text of that email appears below –

Our Board of Supervisors has empowered the voters to make a choice on Measure W in the June election which would ban outdoor marijuana growing.  The commercial growers are using an unfortunate child as a publicity stunt to ask the Board of Supervisors to create an exception and allow for outdoor growing of marijuana.  Measure W does not prevent those who medically need marijuana from growing it indoors i.e. a shed, garage or hot house.  Please support our Board of Supervisors by emailing them and letting them know that you support putting Measure W on the ballot with no exceptions.  They need to hear from you this week.

Sample email: “I support Measure W as originally passed by the Board of Supervisors.  Please send Measure W to the voters in the June primary without any changes or exceptions.”  (The appended list of five supervisors with their email addresses is omitted.)

Through some means this email reached Mr Hurd (not on the mailing list) who took umbrage at his son being referred to as an “unfortunate child”, and the pro-grow folks’ – primarily Americans for Safe Access (ASA) headed locally by Ms Patricia Smith – use of this child’s illness as a cause celebre to oppose passage of Measure W in June.  Ms Wilder had the temerity to refer to this specific response as a “publicity stunt” which further agitated Mr Hurd.

In any event, that’s where things stood until today when RR reader Ms Patricia Smith entered the fray in RR’s ‘Sandbox – 27feb16’ comment stream in an exchange with Mr Scott Obermuller (worth reading in its own right).  Without dissecting the where and whyfors of that exchange, Ms Smith introduced some new aspects into this incident.  She cited a 1 ½ -year-old Penn Valley girl who had died of epilepsy in January, claiming that “this child died because her parents were worried their supply of MMJ would be cut off mid-treatment so they were waiting for a clinical trial to start.”  It’s a bit more than confusing as to what the little girl’s parents actually did and why.  No further citation to expand or confirm this death was provided, nor was it made clear how this death was connected to Measure W which would not be announced until February.

Instead, Ms Smith, apparently speaking for the ASA, then leveled a most confusing blast against the NC Republican Women Federated, an organization that has yet to declare its position on Measure W.  The text of her most recent repartee to Mr Obermuller under the cited sandbox appears below.

This child died because her parents were worried their supply of MMJ would be cut off mid-treatment so they were waiting for a clinical trial to start. The point is Scott, children that are already using MMJ will have their supply cut off and yes, they are in danger of dying according to their doctors (But I suppose you know more than they do???). Why is that so hard for you to understand?

Can you imagine the outrage if ONE child got into their parents stash and died (not that that is possible)? Why don't you have the same outrage over allowing one child to die from LACK of medicine?? Seems kinda hypocritical to me. And don't get me started on the despicable email sent out by the Republican Women's Federated. Unbelievable those women are mothers. Shameful.

To this Ms Linda Erdmann, NCRWF president replied -

Ms. Smith, Please get your facts straight. The email to which you refer was not sent out by Nevada County Republican Women Federated. Your apology will be accepted should it be offered.
 
To date it’s hard to conclude anything other than that the opponents of Measure W are radiating more heat than light on the matter.

Freedom in a Cashless Society (updated 4mar16)

George Rebane

[This is the linked transcript of my regular KVMR commentary broadcast on 2 March 2016.]

The next thing to become illegal will be our ability to pay for something with cash.  Certain politicians in America are working hard to catch up with their European counterparts in outlawing transactions using that “ancient relic”.  And it is all supposed to be for our own good.

Socialists and their central planning elites have that objective in mind since they will then enjoy unfettered freedom to tax everything and also control the buying and selling of everything.  Politicians have hated cash for decades - first, because it makes confiscatory taxation impossible; second because cash enables hard-to-tax underground economies; and third, because it allows consumers to pay anonymously.

Virgin Shortage Stymies Martyrs

[The following post was received from a RR reader and correspondent who makes it his business to search the globe for relevant reports on raghead doings.  The commentary was attributed to BBC News.  It is posted as received.  gjr]

Muslim suicide bombers in Britain are set to begin a three-day strike on Monday in a dispute over the number of virgins they are entitled to in the afterlife. Emergency talks with Al Qaeda have so far failed to produce an agreement.

The unrest began last Tuesday when Al Qaeda announced that the number of virgins a suicide bomber would receive after his death would be cut by 25% this February from 72 to 54. A spokesman said increases in recent years in the number of suicide bombings has resulted in a shortage of virgins in the afterlife.

The suicide bombers' union, the British Organization of Occupational Martyrs (or B.O.O.M.) responded with a statement saying the move was unacceptable to its members and called for a strike vote. General Secretary Abdullah Amir told the press, "Our members are literally working themselves to death in the cause of Jihad. We don't ask for much in return but to be treated like this is like a kick in the teeth".

Speaking from his shed in Tipton in the West Midlands, Al Qaeda chief executive Haisheet Mapants explained, "I sympathize with our workers concerns but Al Qaeda is simply not in a position to meet their demands. They are simply not accepting the realities of modern-day Jihad in a competitive marketplace. Thanks to Western depravity, there is now a chronic shortage of virgins in the afterlife. It's a straight choice between reducing expenditures or laying people off. I don't like cutting benefits but I'd hate to have to tell 3,000 of my staff that they won't be able to blow themselves up.

Spokespersons for the union in the North East of England, Ireland, Wales and the entire Australian continent stated that the change would not hurt their membership as there are so few virgins in their areas anyway.

According to some industry sources, the recent drop in the number of suicide bombings has been attributed to the emergence of Scottish singing star, Susan Boyle. Many Muslim jihadists now know what a virgin looks like and have reconsidered their benefit packages.