Socialism.

This is what socialism looks like.

Cognitive surplus

Here's an excellent video from Clay Shirky. He explains why I love the internet and computers so much.

From Goring's Nuremberg Diary

Göring: Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece?

Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.

Gilbert: There is one difference. In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.

Göring: Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

Source.

Hey Texas, don't let the door...

It seems that the Governor of the State of Texas takes an Oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. As does the Governor of the State of Oklahoma (and every other State in the "Union"). So, what the...???

Yeah, Obamamania. Tell me about it.

There are greater things than safety.

Ronald Reagan, May 20, 1988, transmitting the Convention Against Torture to the Senate for ratification:

The United States participated actively and effectively in the negotiation of the Convention. It marks a significant step in the development during this century of international measures against torture and other inhuman treatment or punishment. Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.

The core provisions of the Convention establish a regime for international cooperation in the criminal prosecution of torturers relying on so-called "universal jurisdiction." Each State Party is required either to prosecute torturers who are found in its territory or to extradite them to other countries for prosecution.

Convention Against Torture, signed and championed by Ronald Reagan, Article II/IV:

No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat or war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture. . . Each State Party shall ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law.

Green dots.

I have been told to write about you. Green dots. Where do you come from? Where must you go? Have you been sent here to observe us by some alien life form? Are you an alien life form? What if you were and you took over our world? What would that be like?

Your home planet would be the green dot planet. That must be quite a place. Spinning silently. Do you have blue oceans, or are they some sort of guacamoleous green? Why would you leave a planet with oceans of guacamole? Looking for chips, I suppose.

Is that what you want? Our chips? You would only need those Doritos-like chips. Potato chips are too flimsy to use for guacamole dipping. They would break off in your ocean and you would end up with chip flotsam (no jetsam) all along your guacamole beaches. And probably no cheese puffs. The cheese puffs could handle a guacamole ocean without breaking and being flotsam, but you just don't see people dipping guacamole with cheese puffs. So you came for the Doritos.

So take our Doritos. You won't get any fight from me. But let me give you a little friendly advise, earthling to alien conqueror. Do not do your Doritos sweep during Super Bowl weekend. If you value your green little dotty lives, do not even try it. My people will die for very few things. But they will protect their Doritos.

And your trees. Do you have green trees? You live in the trees for protection from marauding other things on your green dot planet. Those other things chase you up the green trees and you just blend right into the little green dot leaves. So clever. Until the wind comes up and off you go with the breeze.

That's how you learned space flight. To be conquered by green dots. Oh, the shame. Go back to your guacoplanet with your Doritos. Leave us alone.