| Thursday,
June 9, 2011 We are off for a couple of days to San Diego
where I will either have to go to an Internet cafe or put up with dialup, so
do not expect much. I am working on a couple of essays, and some
observations about E3.
========
I note that the evening news is filled with dire warnings about the
coming climate crashes, spiked with horror stories about fires and the heat
wave. I remind you that on average the Earth didn't warm up this year: it
was a cold winter. I also remind you that we don't really have measuring
techniques to measure Earth temperatures to any tenth of a degree. And
having said all that, the weather has been a bit bizarre: whether the
additional CO2 has much to do with it is yet to be proved.
And the recession is not over (indeed given population growth and other
trends it's easier to argue that this is depression), the Green Jobs aren't
materializing, and the only way to economic recovery and new prosperity is
to lower energy costs and cut way back on regulations: we need a new German
Economic Miracle. In the United States. Can that happen? Yes, if the
government would let it happen. Note that the ruling class is not bad off.
The unionized public workers are doing well and paying their tribute to the
politicos who keep them in their aristocratic positions. Stories of
government actions that -- well, that we could do without given the
deficits, and we might be better off without even if we were still rich --
abound, but no departments are eliminated,
We can take that chance that pauperizing ourselves in the Name of Green
will be sustainable; but one suspects that such can't go on forever. It is
not sustainable: and when that collapses the results are unpredictable.
This is a long depression: some people have been out of work for longer
than in the Great Depression, and unemployment continues, with many having
given up. Entitlements are up so taxes can't be cut much and the deficits
will continue to grow. And President Obama has given some kind of pledge to
Greece, where they retire at age 55 and riot if their pensions are cut.
Where will we get the money to help bail out Greece? And where did we get
the obligation?
==========
And on that subject, contemplate this
Rights vs obligations
Hello Jerry,
You often discuss the recent proliferation of
'rights' and ask the obvious question: If Peter has a 'right' to medical
care (for example), does Paul have a legal obligation to provide it? If
not Paul, then who, exactly?
In his blog today, Dr. William Briggs (Statistician
to the Stars) has compiled a list (not exhaustive of course), with
supporting links, of recently proclaimed 'universal rights' and asks the
same question. You and your readers may be interested in the list and his
associated commentary:
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=3988
Bob Ludwick
=============
I am told that the story about the Department of Education
SWAT Team raid in Stockton is no longer to be seen. I can only say that I
saw the story, and the link was live yesterday. I have not heard anything
about it on local radio, and I would have thought there should be something.
I haven't time to chase this further.
It was a live link. I saw the story. Don't know
anything else. Apparently DOE asked the local cops to act in a case of
suspected loan fraud. As to why they used a 6 AM breakin no one quite knows.
============
1630: We're down at the beach in San Diego or Sandigeo if
you've read The Burning City and Burning Tower, and if you haven't, why
haven't you? They're pretty good books.
Alas we are on dialup here, which means that I can't just
stick in links because I am not connected to the Internet. That also means
that I will have to answer mail without being connected, and I am
discovering just how hard that is to do. Most mail is linked to something. I
am beginning to wonder how we ever existed without constant and high
speed internet connections. I know I must have, but it's hard to remember.
Fortunately I brought some books to review, and an iPhone
that connects (slowly) to the Internet and lets me Google stuff like
"education swat" to discover that the Department of Education is
vociferously denying that the pre-dawn search by SWAT teams executing a
Department of Education warrant was not for an overdue student loan. They
won't say what it was for, according to the source I found. Doubtless I will
have mail with better information. And doubtless it is useless for me to
speculate on this subject until I am connected again. I said back in the
1980's that by the year 2000 everyone in the Free World would be able to get
the answer to any question. I didn't specify how quickly: I was basing that
mostly on my ARPANET connection experience in which there were several
thousand eager experts networked and one of them would be sure to know who
to ask if it were something they didn't know. I thought of that but
much faster. Of course I didn't really forsee the Internet but I did point
out that this was likely the end of communism as we knew it, taking as my
reasoning that the free exchange of ideas within a society would be enough
to bring down totalitarian thinking.
But now that we have it, and I know I can get answers in
hours, it's not good enough! I want them in minutes, and preferably
seconds. And here I am at 56000 bps or whatever the modem speed of a
Thinkpad internal modem is connected to Earthlink. It's a sobering
experience, I tell you... Of course I won't be able to send this until I do
a bunch of other stuff and reconnect the modem.
==========
Updated story on the Dept of Ed SWAT team
Good day, Mr. P.
Shortly after the initial story caused an uproar,
News 10 removed the original story and replaced it with one entitled
"Questions Surround Feds Raid of Stockton Home" that included some bit of
the Feds' perspective, although those of us upset by the raid are unlikely
to be comforted by the Feds' perspective.
A working link is:
http://www.news10.net/news/
article/141108/2/Questions-surround
-feds-raid-of-Stockton-home
Thanks.
Brian J. Noggle
U.S. Department of Education spokesman
Justin Hamilton confirmed for News10 Wednesday morning federal agents
with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), not local S.W.A.T.,
served the search warrant. Hamilton would not say specifically why the
raid took place except that it was part of an ongoing criminal
investigation.
Hamilton said the search was not related
to student loans in default as reported in the local media.
It took a while to download, but what I read is:
It turns out those were FEDERAL troops who broke in the door
over some kind of Department of Education warrant for his estranged wife. He
has committed no crime and has not record. A knock on the door would have
worked, but in these times, that is not enough.
So the broke in his door, handcuffed him in his underwear,
kept him confined for hours; and of course they will plead immunity from law
suits.
This squad is clearly superfluous. We can't afford those
people, and we would be better off without them. There ought to be a
prohibition against paying anyone in that department written as an earmark
into the next appropriation bill. It needs to be worded properly so it is
not a Bill of Attainder, but perhaps they can eliminate a lot of people --
those who think that's the right way to serve a warrant. I see
no reason for the Department of Education Office of the Inspector General to
have any armed police to begin with. Why in the world do they need
their own cops? This is mission creep with a vengeance. A good outfit to
eliminate: the entire Office of the Inspector General. A new one can be
hired if it turns out it's needed. But sending in the Educrats to arrest
people? Ye gods.
================
2315: I just discovered that Outlook will not send mail
through my primary account so all the mail I thought I answered piled up in
my outbox. Apparently my primary ISP doesn't accept email through dialup,
probably because I have got a port number wrong or something. It will
straighten out and no great harm done.
Good night...
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