George Carlin...

George Carlin is dead. The perpetually grouchy king of a cynical counterculture passed away. I found much of Carlin's work decidely too negative. His humour, at times, brutally unkind. But that was the appeal of this individual.

I like comedy. It is one of the rare tools which allows all of us to reexamine our own self-importance and challenge sacred beliefs. It is a platform for common understanding - given the right joke. We all seem to be able to laugh at simple, physical humor - a favorite of Citizen Prime. But it is the subtlety which prunes the mind allowing new ideas to grow.

If we can laugh at something, we can then begin to think critically about it. We can laugh at religion, politics, gender issues, ethnicity and other topics and start to understand that these concepts and ideas are not unassailable, monolithic constructs.

There are normal frailties inherent in these beliefs. This is not to say that they are deserving of ridicule, but that having been ridiculed - do they survive or even thrive?

There have been no shortage or jokes at the expense of the Catholic church. In fact, it is probably one of the longest standing institutions which has been subject to satire. It certainly has not vanished, althoguh one could argue that the changes in the church are due, in no small part, to satire.

Both recent presidents have been the helpless vicitms of satirical attack. Clinton for his lascivious nature and Bush for his public speaking. Neither really recovered from these pointed attacks on real character flaws.

Every day I tune in to my XM satellite radio and listen to a dose of stand up comedy. Whether it is left leaning (the majority) or right (Dennis MIller being one of the few in this space) it never ceases to provide me a smile (no matter how grim) and an insight into some modern conundrum.

I expect when George arrives at his final destination, the almighty (or whomever) will pat him on the back and say;

"That seven dirty words routine was f*****g hilarious."

O Canada...

The most public case to date in the history of the Canada's Human Rights Commission is that of author Mark Steyn.  In this case, a Canadian magazine, Macleans, published an excerpt from Mark’s book America Alone.  The work is only controversial in that it points out uncomfortable facts about recent history, repeats public quotations from various figures and provides some postulations on the fate of world culture.

 

The Canadian Human Right Commission was founded by virtue of the Canadian Human Rights Act enacted in 1985.  This act is a supplement to the Canadian Constitution of 1867.  Canada has a Bill of Rights.  Despite the quotation by some in Canada that “free speech” is a uniquely American (meaning United States of America) concept.  It is codified in the Canadian Bill of Rights, adopted in 1960.  Additionally, a “freedom of the press” is also clearly detailed in the Bill of Rights, CDN. 

 

It would seem that the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) original construction was a rather straightforward approach to eliminating discrimination and providing equal opportunity to all.  Somewhere it’s enforcement arm, the Human Rights Tribunal, went horribly afield.  Individuals were summarily charged with “hate speech” and brought before these tribunals, which operate outside the normal realm of due process.  In fact, under the article creating the Human Rights Tribunal (HRT), the judge is specifically not bound by rules of evidence.

 

Rules of evidence

(9) In conducting an inquiry, the judge is not bound by any legal or technical rules of evidence and may receive, and base a decision on, evidence presented in the proceedings that the judge considers credible or trustworthy in the circumstances of the case.

 

Shocking? 

 

There are some in Canada who are actively campaigning to bring the CHRC and HRT into line.  Some may have ulterior motives and I am not able to judge the legitimacy of their claims.  However, the simple fact that MPs are taking up legislative action implies that things may have gotten out of hand.

 

In the United States, a single court system handles almost all civil and criminal cases.  Lesser administrative courts, those handling discrimination, are empowered at the state or federal level and subject to further judicial review.  What is most disturbing is the general lack of concern amongst our northern neighbors.  Although no Canadian will admit to being “just like America”, both nations share similar histories and demographics.  Each nation has been a haven for immigrants and our passion for freedom, at least on paper, are nearly parallel.

 

It should be a caution for how the constraint of speech can become a suppression of speech and thus ideas and thought.  It is up to the citizens of a nation to reject clearly inflammatory, idiotic and hateful rhetoric.  It is up to the government to protect its citizens from truly egregious acts, not petty grievances cooked up by ideo-political thugs.

 

I did not speak, for they did not come for me.

 

And when they did, there was no one left to speak for me.

 

 

Fathers day...

June 15, 2008

 

Dear Dad,

 

Let me wish you a happy father’s day.  I expect this letter will arrive a little late, but no matter.  Just as some people proclaim that every day should be Christmas, perhaps every day we should honor our parents, especially our fathers.  In a world where the inherent qualities of being a man are continually challenged, the role of father has changed dramatically in the last half century.  No longer do we live most of our lives in small villages, drawing our existence from the lands around us.  We now are interconnected across the globe.  Citizens of the modern, industrialized world may live their lives with little real connection to their heritage or the planet upon which they live. 

 

There is some risk in disconnecting so completely from our past.  We put at hazard the values and principals which allowed us to develop a civil and respectful society.  The ignorance of our history will, in fact, doom us to repeat it.  This oft bandied cliché has more truth within it than it is credited.  And so to parents fall the responsibility of imparting the best aspects of history and experience while avoiding those darker elements which lurk within all human existence.  They take on this task with the hope that their children will emerge better, smarter and more honest than themselves.

 

For a mother, the roles have been clear since the dawn of time.  It is one which has changed little and is likely to remain steady for time to come.  For a father, the duty is not as evident.  And yet it is as unshakably continuous as the role of a mother.  It is my belief that the primary role of the father is to impart those values which encourage integrity, strength and mercy.  It is the place of the father to encourage self-reliance in his children and an understanding of the events and experiences which preceded their entry into the world. 

 

Parents, by virtue of being so, have engaged in a compact requiring sacrifice.  They have, knowingly or not, undertaken a task from which there is no release.  Some do not understand this great gift and burden.  The prospect of shepherding a young life into the fullness of adulthood does not always reveal itself to a parent as an honor.  It is viewed as an unwelcome task or trivialized by those who fail to grasp the awesome obligation inherent in raising children.

 

My childhood was not viewed trivially.  I was blessed by parents who understood and acted in the best interests of their children and honored the commitment to their own virtues.  In particular, my father demonstrated to me the value of sacrifice, honesty and courage.  It was he who imparted to me a respect for history along with a passion to improve upon it.  All of this was done with love.  It was an unconditional love I felt and shared among my brother and sister.  It is a love which endures regardless of the occasional hardships life offers us all. 

 

We tend to romanticize our memories about the past.  It is natural to want to believe the best about the things which comprise who we are.  And we are, indeed, the product of our experiences.  Somehow we become the sum of all the people whom we have known.  It is, therefore, imperative that we look for the best in those people in order to add the best to ourselves.  And thus, each parent must offer their best to their children.   Those children will carry with them whatever is offered, good or bad. 

 

I feel that obligation as I look at each of my sons.  I ask myself each day if I am offering them my best.  As a father I wonder what lessons they are learning from me.  Will they be kind?  Honest?  Strong?  Will they value knowledge and respect others, simply for their humanity?  Will they value and understand sacrifice?  If I can impart to them only a little of what my father gave to me, then I know they will be well.  And I will know that I have been a good father, as my father was before me.

 

Love,

 

    

Machinations...

A US citizen is under arrest in Singapore for "insulting a public servant". This after comments he made about a judge "prostituting herself" on his blog. He then traveled to Singapore and taunted the local authorities online, including the location of his hotel and phone number. Singapore is one of those interesting locations which relies upon social conformity in the extreme and exhibits very conservative behavior. It is also essentially a city state that relies on the good graces of its neighbors to remain independent.

I wonder how this case will affect, if at all, international law? Does an individual have the right to free speech? Does a nation have a right to impose arbitrarily restrictive rules on individuals' expressions? We will see how open China has become during the forthcoming Olympic games. For all the hand wringing of multi-culturalists and moral relativists, there is little commentary on nation's or cultures which impose sanctions on classes of people. None of the left decries the lack of freedoms for women in Islamic cultures nor does the right spend enough time cataloging the abuses of repressive regimes like China and Burma (Myanmar).

I wonder if they are simply prostituting themselves to their own vested interests.

I think I'll stay away from Singapore for a few months.

Shoveling...

Well I am testing a new feature on the blog today. A number of sites use Digg to consolidate interesting news stories. Most of them appear to be juvenile collections of girls in tight t-shirts.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

However, it would appear that the Digg feature permits visitors to "vote" on the quality of a post without taking the time to submit an adulatory comment. Likewise, I suppose, one could Digg a story only to lambast it free of the potential censoring I might impose.

Why on earth would you want to do that?

Nonentheless, It's an experiment. I have been WAY too busy to do more than populate my Delicious listings.

The political race appears to be focusing in on Senators McCain and Obama. It should be an interesting race. I am concerned about Obama's inexperience, but am not afraid of his ideas. I think either candidate would be a good change for the country - hell, I was even warming up to Hillary!

What is very interesting is the slow, but inevitable, movement away from a petrochemical based energy structure. I think we are in the very beginning stages of the end of oil. There is now enough economic momentum to uncork the necessary electric power industry to shift from fossil fuels to nuclear, hydro, tidal and other sources.

I am already thinking about purchasing the Chevy Volt when it debuts in 2010. That's only two years away!

Who ya gonna call...

It is the forward deployed presence of United States steel, in the form or a carrier strike group, near the cyclone wrecked Burma (Myanmar) which is the latest stunning example of the failure of moral relativism. Burma, a backwards nation torn by corruption, brutality and oppression, has also been socked by a devastating cyclone (the Pacific name for hurricane). This monumental storm, which would hardly have affected a developed nation, has done apocalyptic damage to this fragile state.

It just so happens that US forces (mainly Navy) are in the area for their annual Cobra Gold exercises. This fortuitous military resource, an immensely capable group of men and women, would serve well either in peace or war. They have construction equipment, helicopters, medical personnel and power generation capability.

The Burmese, much like the Indonesians during the tsunami, are reluctant to reveal themselves for the petty, tyrannical, ineffective autocrats that they are by allowing outside aid into their country. The French president (I am liking him more and more) is speaking of an armed intervention in order to deliver aid to the desperate and destitute.

Even during my own experience with PANAMAX 05, it was US Navy forces (specifically HM-15) first to respond to storm racked New Orleans. To those who point accusing fingers at the United States and its global policies need to take a second look at the net effect of those policies.

Forgetting military operations – which are substantial – the impact of humanitarian aid, presence of forces and deployed capability eclipses all other nations in the world combined. Our major adversaries (and potential adversaries) have no such record of activity or effort. One never reads in the press about the Chinese led humanitarian effort or rescue operations conducted by Russians.

Some of that capability is a function of our wealth and prosperity. But it is driven by our will. It is a will to extend help without condition and a vision as to what is morally right.

Pay no attention to the nation behind the curtain...

What will happen during the Olympics? Will there be a smattering of feeble protests over China's long list of insults to the globe? Or will there be something more dramatic, such as the recent uprising in Tibet - which just as quickly vanished from the news headlines? China is playing with fire, in more ways than one. While I do not expect a Tianenmen Square revolt to mesmerize the world, there may be some rather dramatic actions which will highlight just how far the Middle Kingdom has to go before it is a reliable and honest player on the world stage.

read more | digg story

UPDATE - Now their repsonse to the recent quake underscores how little investment they have made in infrastrusture - 14 MAY 08

Hypocrisy...

Eeek! Exxon-Mobil posted record profits for the quarter! Help! Evil, cruel nasty capitalists are gouging the world's citizens. Congress and some democratic presidents are talking about hitting these firms with special, higher taxes - by the way higher profits always translates to higher tax revenues.

No one is talking about GM's $3.3 billion loss for this quarter. They are, after all, just more evil, nasty capitalists. They must be punished for their proliferation of SUVs and gigantic pickup trucks (not to mention their environment crushing HUMMERS).

The problem, as usual, is that these enterprises are made up of people responding to a very volatile market. We have never had so many "buyers" in the market at once. This is represented by growth trends in India, China, and other parts of the D&E (developing and emerging - the new euphemism for second world) world. When the American public finally gets a grip on basic economic principals, they will stop spending on perishable entertainment and start saving more - especially in the markets.

Wealth begets wealth, or in short, it takes money to make money. Hernando DeSoto has identified the best approach to ensuring success in developing economies is to make certain the people have access to capital. Loosely translated, they need clear title to the things they own or make. This enables them to leverage, trade and work their way from a subsistence existence to self-sustainability. Do a Google search for micro-loans. This is a very successful practice in which small groups or individuals are made reasonable loans in order to support some small business they operate. Often these loans are a few hundred dollars, and the returns have been stunning.

People do not need "fair trade" buying programs - which simply foster a single output economy (see oil). They need the flexibility and resources to adapt to their markets and thrive.

People also need to spend some time and understand the power of the markets - the uninformed tampering with is destined to bring unwanted results.

The wane of reason...

It started innocently enough. The enlightenment began when humanity began to question the accepted doctrines and dogma of faith. A few learned people started to realize that without facts or evidence, a belief was simply an opinion. And thus that belief was subject to dispute and discussion. In the latter days of World War II, the age of science entered its golden period. Atomic energy was harnessed (for good and ill), air travel became the joining connection for the shrinking globe and science was rigorously applied to the combat of disease and medical maladies.

That wonderful period continued until the turbulent era of the 1960s. Prior to that, every movie had a hero scientist. The scientist was someone to whom everyone looked to for the answers to the challenges of their predicament. But that changed in the 1960s. The tremendous cultural changes which swept the United States also carried over to the rest of the world. Science became suspect. It’s reckless application as the solution to all problems (it was once suggested that atomic weapons be used to stop hurricanes) tarnished it when it failed to live up to the promise. Rachel Carson’s work Silent Spring brought attention to the risks of science applied without adequate safeguards.

Regrettably, rather than reinvigorate debate over process and validation, a wholesale rejection of science began to form. Our space program, once the object of rapt admiration of a hopeful world, withered and faded into salacious stories of astronauts in diapers and metric to English conversion catastrophes. Individuals appropriated science for their own agendas. Greenpeace, beginning with some grounding in ecology has wandered far afield into the realm of pure politics and the philosophy of luddites (Why I left Greenpeace). Al Gore, once a simple politician from Tennessee has emerged as the high priest of climate paranoia. Various new age (or New Wage – courtesy of Cosmic Connie) folks have assigned all manner or scientific attributes to their pet theories, cure alls or philosophies. Oprah Winfrey, purveyor of pop psychology, has embraced the beliefs of Eckhart Tolle, a post-modern nihilist and expounded them through a brilliant webcast program – complete with globally connected callers (all sponsored by Skype, Chevy, Post-it, and others).

Science remains at the core of our modern lives. And yet few people understand the scientific method, the development of scientific principles or the basis for our technological world. Thus, lacking any firsthand knowledge or critical thinking skills, often science is glorified or demonized by the very beneficiaries of its application. In the case of desperate parents of autistic children, they are conned into believing that somehow mercury, heavy metals or other “unnamed toxins” are at the heart of their children’s condition. It is, to some degree, understandable. There is a powerful desire in the heart of parents to cling to hope for their children, no matter how irrational. It underpins the behavior of the parent who speaks to the media, after their own son or daughter commits an unspeakable criminal act, describing them as “the nicest child you would ever meet”. This said in the face of the fact that their child is 27 and has just stabbed fifteen people to death with a spork.

Setting deep emotion aside, it is the lack of understanding of scientific principles that permits the abuse, misuse and ignorance of science in all parts of our lives. Most damaging is when this occurs in the development of policy. We see the detrimental effects in the rush to manage climate change – based partly on incomplete science which has yet to prove causality between. This is not to say that reducing the amount of emissions into the environment should not be a goal – but the CBA (cost benefit analysis) must be weighed with real facts, not rhetoric and half truths.

Some years ago beta carotene was touted as the next cure all for cancer and a host of other maladies. With little supporting data, our irresponsible media trumpeted it as the next great thing. People began consuming this in supplement form across the United States. A little while later, several significant studies revealed that high doses of beta carotene may actually increase cancer risk in certain populations!

We see this ignorance of reasoned debate play out in the present political campaigns. Individuals simply make up their own facts, deride and abuse those who challenge their preconceived notions and make no effort to become educated on the issues at hand.

There is no arbiter of truth.

The best we can hope for is the continued use and growth of the internet as a source for verification and validation. There are ways to determine if the individual you are debating is playing from a position of integrity or emotion. I hope that we will continue to support reasoned discussion and action.

I am concerned that those people who are the true subject matter experts will shrink back from such discussions, leaving a vacuum to be filled with empty air.

The line...

At what point does society intervene in the practices of individuals? It is well understood that people who seek to harm others will be dealt with by society. Even animals display this behavior, although humans have evolved to refrain from isolating the sick (where possible).

Today it was reported that Texas authorities removed 52 girls from a fundamentalist Mormon ranch (enclave). The cause was reported child abuse. Some would argue that this is interference in the freedom of religious practice. Others would argue that society (the state) has an obligation to the common welfare.

I am not a person of faith. I am a person of fact. I appreciate and respect the need of people to have faith and I recognize my own potential for being completely wrong. And yet we are faced with a world where irrationality has intruded into the critical world of fact.

Where is the line?

Placeholder...

Crikey!

It's been a long time since I posted. Not that there isn't a lot to talk about. There is. I have been busy conducting operations for my civilian employer and have just finished with that task. Now, on to some R&R across the water.

But for some topics of interest.

1) Argentina's president declares Malvinas inherently Argentine! - UK beefs up defenses on Falklands

A very interesting revisit to the last major naval engagement of our time. Argentina is facing a serious political and economic crisis, a similar circumstance to the environment in the 1980s. The problem is that there is nowhere near the military capability to execute their national will. Likewise, England is summarily tied up in Afghanistan.

2) Haditha Marines exonerated

In November of 2005, a company of Marines came under attack in Haditha. Their resulting combat included a number of civilian casualties. Rep. John Murtha and TIME magazine went on a witch hunt accusing the Marines of a Mai Lai type massacre. The official court of inquiry has found the bulk of the enlisted Marines innocent. Typical AQI tactics include mixing in with civilian crowds in order to escape detection and create "humanitarian" crises.

3) Hilary "misremembers"

I think this will be the final chapter of her political career. This is more significant the Ronald Reagan's confusion of his experience in a movie and real life. Senator Clinton took a minor event and generated the benchmark for her credibility.

All for now...

Avast there, stand by to repel boarders...

Pirates.

There still remain these scourges of the seven seas roaming every corner of our planet. They come in all shapes and sizes. They may be an illegal fishing trawler, a drug smuggler's clandestine submarine, East African raiders or Straits of Malacca slave traders. No matter how you slice it, these are not ennobled, slightly tipsy Johnny Depp wannabes, they are desperate criminals who infringe on the freedoms of navigation of the rest of the world.

All manner of ships have been accosted by pirates. The targets range from cruise ships (like the Achille Lauro - where pirates ala terrorists - murdered an American citizen in a wheelchair) , freighters and private vessels. Even military ships have, from time to time, come under attack from pirates. The worst outcomes result in the loss of the vessel and crew. The sea is already merciless enough without miscreant humanity adding to its danger.

There is but one recourse for piracy, to quote the first pirates of the Caribbean movie;

"A short drop and a sudden stop at the end of the hangman's noose."

At least the Navy remembers how to deal with the like.

Arrrgh.

Navy Contract Ship Fires Warning Shots Near Suez Canal
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:06:00 -0500

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Navy Contract Ship Fires Warning Shots Near Suez Canal American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 25, 2008 - A ship on short-term charter to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command fired warning shots at a small boat approaching the ship as it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal last night, military officials reported. There were no reports of casualties from the ship, the Global Patriot. Officials said several boats approached the Global Patriot while it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal. The boats were hailed and warned by a native Arabic speaker on the Global Patriot to advise them to turn away. Other warning steps, including a signal flare, were used to caution the boats. One small boat continued to approach the ship and received two sets of warning shots 20 to 30 meters in front of the boat's bow. All shots were accounted for as they entered the water, officials said. The incident is under investigation. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet command is cooperating with Egyptian authorities, including the Suez Canal Authorities, through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. (From a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet news release.)

Related Sites: U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet Military Sealift Command

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Leaving on a jet plane...

Traveling a lot.  Soon to be visiting my good friend at his post in the wet UK.  The vagaries of air travel are always amusing.  Fortunately I am able to score the odd first class seat once in a while.  I can still remember when we dressed up for air travel.  My latest example of how far things have changed was during a recent trip to Vegas in which Sinbad sat ahead of us in first class clad in a sweat suit and a sweaty brow.  We used to wear suits, thank god those days are gone. 

 

Crap, the flight attendant is shooting me a menacing look!