tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23884448082678722532024-03-13T18:46:52.987-04:00Dispatches from HeckRandom thoughts on the topics I spend most of my time thinking about: the steady deterioration of our freedom, the importance of the Bill of Rights, and the joys of travel.rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.comBlogger249125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-51464348934172213052024-02-27T15:58:00.001-05:002024-03-01T22:08:53.535-05:00What is an American?
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What is an American?
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On MSNBC recently, a Politico reporter named Heidi Przybyla,
talking about "Christian Nationalists" said:
The thing that unites them as Christian nationalists...
not Christians because Christian nationalists are very different...
is that they believe that our rights as Americans
and as all human beings do not come from any Earthly authority.
They rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-22563625367487165072024-01-10T19:07:00.001-05:002024-03-04T12:49:14.703-05:00Section 5
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Section 5
5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of
this article.
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Colorado has barred Trump from the Republican primary ballot because he is
an insurrectionist, but the Colorado Supreme Court has stayed that order
pending an expected appeal (which was done the next business day) to the
U. S. Supreme Court.
The order thus rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-80187847576712626382023-10-30T17:10:00.003-04:002023-10-30T17:10:52.404-04:00Insurrection!
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Insurrection!
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The Progressive Left is getting frantic.
Every time they indict Trump, his poll numbers go up.
The calls to prohibit Trump from the ballot because of his participation in the
January 6th 'insurrection' have started anew,
but they have a small problem.
Several of them, actually.
The first problem is proving — other than introducing New rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-44808078160419432262023-10-19T15:51:00.001-04:002023-10-22T16:46:44.130-04:00Target: General Aviation
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Target: General Aviation
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/10/18/epa-declares-leaded-plane-fuel-a-public-health-threat-paving-way-for-limits/
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The EPA has decided that leaded aviation fuel (avgas) is an environmental hazard.
In effect, the EPA has painted a huge target onto the sides of virtually all light aircraft
used by the General Aviation community.
Spared from rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-46147536113861287672023-10-03T09:38:00.000-04:002023-10-03T09:38:17.730-04:00Repositioning Cruises
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Repositioning Cruises
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Mention 'cruising' to almost anyone and the first image that pops into their mind
is a 7-day jaunt that leaves out of Miami, stops in San Juan and a few more ports
in the Leeward Islands before returning to the originating port.
For a few, the cruise begins (or ends) in San Diego,
passes through the Panama Canal,
and ends (or begins) in New York,
rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-85772074010828071762023-09-24T12:11:00.001-04:002023-09-28T17:47:46.669-04:00The American Money Laundromat
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The American Money Laundromat
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'Supply-and-Demand' is not simply a 'macro' concept.
It also works at the 'micro' level.
Indeed, any economic concept that doesn't work in both macroeconomics and microeconomics
is automatically suspect of being flawed in ways that may not be intuitively obvious.
The other salient concept for any functioning money laundromat is that rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-72598400343668535912023-09-08T13:16:00.001-04:002023-09-08T13:16:52.027-04:00What's a Hunga-Tonka?
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What's a Hunga-Tonka?
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Good golly, it's HOT!
Isn't that what everyone's saying?
Must be global warming climate change...
Well, maybe...
Maybe not.
Have you heard about the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano that erupted
on January 15th, 2022?
NASA said the underwater eruption — at about 150 meters depth —
blasted 'huge amounts' of rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-57966172252163883382023-08-23T13:13:00.000-04:002023-08-23T13:13:01.946-04:00Can we really reform the Justice Department? Really?
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Can we really reform the Justice Department? Really?
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Over at
The Price Of Liberty,
Nathan Barton suggests that the answer is a categorical 'no'.
I find it impossible to argue against that.
rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-64507797048126204732023-06-22T14:06:00.003-04:002023-06-28T17:38:20.929-04:00Help! Big Pharma Is After Me!
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Help! Big Pharma Is After Me!
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For months if not years, I have been complaining inwardly (and occasionally outwardly)
about the number and frequency of ads on prime-time television for one after another
high-priced medication that will help solve your high blood pressure problem or your
urinary frequency problem or your eczema problem or your whatever problem.
rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-69681860468143373942023-06-01T22:57:00.000-04:002023-06-01T22:57:14.957-04:00Anti-Woke backlash
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Woke backlash
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First it was Bud Light getting boycotted because they decided to associate their brand
with an attention-seeking cross-dresser,
then Target put their 'June is Pride Month' merchandise front and center,
featuring 'tuck-friendly' women's bathing suits aimed at those 'trans women'
who haven't yet had their gender-reassignment surgeries.
Now Disney is rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-42542902573569050302023-04-24T18:39:00.003-04:002023-05-30T23:14:24.274-04:00Galatians 4:16
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Galatians 4:16
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The hot news today is that Tucker Carson and FOX News have parted company.
The #1 most popular cable news host has, if we can believe what we're hearing, been fired.
Who does that?
Alienating their most prolific revenue producer?
People, my spouse among them, love to accuse Tucker of lying, but I have
thus far seen no evidence of that.
rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-77334317105332656222023-04-05T00:04:00.005-04:002023-08-01T16:19:06.142-04:00Nothingburger
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Nothingburger
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I normally wait a day or two to let the dust settle before opining on current events.
This is long enough.
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg yesterday indicted Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States,
with 34 felony counts of
falsifying records.
If you have not yet read the actual text of the indictment,
I encourage you to do so now by clickingrexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-77378278234689963782023-03-31T12:53:00.001-04:002023-08-02T08:03:06.715-04:00"Compulsory Process"
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"Compulsory Process"
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Of all the words in the U.S.Constitution that I like, the words
"compulsory process" are the ones I like best.
They appear as part of the 6th Amendment:
Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial,
by an impartial jury of the State rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-56253383671910359852023-03-29T19:34:00.000-04:002023-03-29T19:34:07.560-04:00Disparity of Protection
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Disparity of Protection
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Well, it's happened again:
some psycho confused about her gender
has killed
a bunch of school children and school teachers.
In response, one talking head after another
is bleating that our schoolchildren should get the same
level of protection that our lawmakers get.
I now think that's exactly the wrong way to think about the problem.
rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-63413815675039116982023-03-20T18:19:00.000-04:002023-03-20T18:19:49.468-04:00Extinction As A Corrective Measure
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Extinction As A Corrective Measure
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We've recently watched several banks
(Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank)
suddenly go 'casters up' in IT-speak,
and the government
in the guise of the FDIC has jumped in to assure their depositors
(and investors... let's not forget the investors)
that all will be well.
Just kidding...
All is not going to be well...
except rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-67288919884408703572023-02-10T13:39:00.000-05:002023-02-10T13:39:19.847-05:00Gender-Affirming Surgeries
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Gender-Affirming Surgeries
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I know I'm going to get pushback on this from certain quarters,
but I'm going to say it anyway.
The GOP and GOP-aligned elements should stop militating against so-called 'gender-affirming practices'.
It's fine to say — periodically — that they think it's a bad idea.
Heck, I think it's a bad idea, but no one's doingrexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-185352054000889092023-01-24T14:52:00.002-05:002023-01-24T14:54:17.198-05:00Where in Hell is Carmen Sandiego?
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Where in Hell is Carmen Sandiego?
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At the dawn of the Computer Age, roughly the 1980s, people started writing programs of
spectacular complexity for the purpose of amusement — games.
There was a Star Trek game where the player captained a starship at war with shadowy Klingon opponents.
There was a Moon Lander game where the object was to play your descentrexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-2938576749846496412023-01-02T13:48:00.000-05:002023-01-02T13:48:03.039-05:00More Anti-war With Each Passing Day
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More Anti-war With Each Passing Day
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I ask myself why we're in such a mess.
The only answer I can imagine is that we have put ourselves here by making bad decisions,
and those bad decisions are coming home to roost
in the form of a warped economy and the great bugaboo, income inequality.
Those who actually make the decisions have a penchant for making decisionsrexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-2267218871610715552022-12-21T00:09:00.001-05:002022-12-21T00:09:49.353-05:00The Last Time I Saw Ciudad Juarez
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The Last Time I Saw Ciudad Juarez
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ElPaso and Juarez are much in the news lately.
The mayor of ElPaso has declared a state of emergency because of the influx of thousands of immigrants flooding across the border.
I've only been to ElPaso once, and only once to Juarez, its sister city across the Rio Grande.
My father passed away in March 1958 while I was in my rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-74144795337570882332022-12-01T13:58:00.000-05:002022-12-01T13:58:49.321-05:00Earth's Atmosphere
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Earth's Atmosphere
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I just watched a YouTube video that touched on the composition of the Earth's atmosphere,
and it caught me by surprise.
Our atmosphere is 78+% Nitrogen and a shade under 21% Oxygen.
Together, they account for 99% of the total.
(I thought it was 76-22, which isn't far off, but it's far enough off.)
I used to worry that if the rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-90856549475105488882022-11-28T16:21:00.000-05:002022-11-28T16:21:46.210-05:00The Best Job I Ever Had
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The Best Job I Ever Had
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In 1979, I had stormed out of IBM White Plains in a huff,
terminally miffed at being mistreated in ways that foretold (I supposed)
the permanent end to my association with IBM.
In 1984, I rejoined IBM's National Service Division (NSD) in Tampa
after about 5 years working for other companies.
I was hired by Judy Manowitz into her "rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-79115447200640583232022-11-19T19:29:00.005-05:002023-06-26T15:02:51.436-04:00The Economics of Electric Vehicles
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The Economics of Electric Vehicles
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EVs are expensive because many of their parts are expensive, particularly batteries.
To make EVs appear affordable, governments subsidize their purchase,
the subsidy being paid by everyone in the tax base.
Charging stations are likewise subsidized
both as to their construction and installation
as well as the actual raterexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-3002994116807186082022-11-17T11:35:00.001-05:002022-11-17T11:35:57.175-05:00How To Steal An Election
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How To Steal An Election
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Over at The Conservative Treehouse
a few days back,
somebody posted a suggestion about how an election could be stolen, and I've been thinking about that
from a systems standpoint.
The way elections are run in Florida, to get a mail-in ballot,
the voter must initially request a mail-in ballot.
Thereafter, all that's required is a check rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-57062126537644717242022-11-02T16:55:00.000-04:002022-11-02T16:55:09.229-04:00About "The Farside Chronicles"
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About "The Farside Chronicles"
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Book One of "The Farside Chronicles" ("The Door")
begins with a short anecdote wherein one voice, the inventor,
outlines a way to solve the perennial problem of 'where shall I park the car?'
using dimensional distortion.
The second voice, the other, remains skeptical of the feasibility of the method.
I recall being involved in rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388444808267872253.post-58846448184347094462022-10-31T17:17:00.001-04:002022-10-31T17:18:58.681-04:00Paul Pelosi
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Paul Pelosi
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Normally, I would wait until the dust had a chance to settle before writing about
current events, but the 'Paul Pelosi affair' is too weird to admit of any more than a
single explanation.
To recap the events: Paul Pelosi, husband of the Speaker of the House,
called 9-1-1 at 2am to report an intruder that
he didn't know
named 'David'
who was 'a friend'
rexxheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12578166996312186309noreply@blogger.com2