Monthly Archives: February 2012

Unlike hobby protests, serious protests can be (and usually are) brutal. Hobbyists who marinate in 1960’s rose colored memories (often through second hand exposure) think protests are fun. Serious protests are not fun. Serious protests are something to avoid. Avoiding chaos is the whole purpose of society. Societies, organizations, governments, free citizens, and subjects alike all would rather avoid serious protests. Continue reading →

I coined the term “hobby protest” to describe the type of protests where people take to the streets for seemingly minor issues and with seemingly ill defined goals. Occupy Wall Street (OWS) isn’t the first of them and it won’t be the last. What are some other examples? Continue reading →

Most tellingly, “hobby protests” only exist where they are tolerated (even coddled). Berkley has protests constantly. Why? Because pepper spraying a hippie is their version of “oppression”. China has been quiet since 1989. Why? Because the government killed about 800 people in Tienanmen Square. Continue reading →

I have long considered it a done deal that Athens would plunge into riots this summer. However, I expected the winter chill to keep things from boiling over for a while. Either I’m too much of a northerner and overestimate a Greek winter or (and this is more likely) I underestimated folks’ ability to confuse “bitching about things we dislike” and “changing things we dislike”. Continue reading →

“There are precocious children in pre-school who have never lived in an America in which the Senate has passed a budget.”

My unsolicited, uninformed, and unpopular thoughts on foreign events in 2012 (for everywhere but the financial/socialist rabbit hole that is Europe): Vladimir Putin, because he is Darth Vader, will retain power. Kim Jung-un, because he is the third son in … Continue reading →

Taki’s Magazine has the following fourteen words that sum up everything I’ve tried to say with thousands: “The cause of civilizational decline is dirt-simple: lack of contact with objective reality.” The text is spot on; if  bit too “fight club” … Continue reading →

Some folks seem to think 55 degrees is a bit low. Harrumph! Continue reading →

A Federation of 50 states has an inherent range of options. It allows people to move from places they hate (see: gun buffs in California) to places they favor (see: gun buffs in Texas). It allows each individual to seek their own habitat (see: hippies in California) and leave places where they’re unhappy (see: hippies in Texas). It’s bad to lock people in a place from which there is no escape (see: most nations in most of history). Continue reading →