rantblog.mee.nu

Welcome

    Greetings. I would assume that a large percentage of bloggers are, at heart, frustrated writers. Regardless of whether that is true or not, that is the case with me. Ever since I was in grade school, I believed I had it in me to write a novel. Recently I was struck with inspiration and have hammered out an outline for a series of novels. One of the many things I lack in proceeding with this project is the simple experience of writing in and of itself.
     The contents of this blog will most likely be composed primarily of knee-jerk reactions to all the other political blogs I peruse on a regular basis. Don't expect to find much (if any) primary reporting here.
    Comments are welcome, especially in analyzing the writing itself, if not the contents of the posts. Although I plan on reading them, I do not have time to monitor them closely and, as such, will accept no responsibility for there contents or the sentiments expressed therein. I do, however, reserve the right to expunge any that I find unacceptable, for any reason, without reason , warning or recourse.
    So (assuming anyone ever sees this), welcome to a little window into my world.Let the games begin.

P.S. **WARNING** - Be advised, my tastes lean decidedly pedestrian when it comes to the intertubes. Therefore, be advised, anything I link to may, if not absolutely will, contain content that is offensive to a majority of the public at large.

Posted by: Metzger at 09:23 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The war we should be fighting

             Andy McCarthy has a post up at The Corner that distills a lot of my concerns over the war. It's hard to pull any one part out to summarize his point, so I suggest you read the whole thing. Iran is the beating heart of the beast that means to do us in. It must be dealt with one way or another, sooner or later. If we don't take it to them, they will come for us. There is always the hope that the people of Iran will finally decide they have had enough and force change from within. Until that is a fait accompli, we need to recognize that Iran is the number one threat to western civilization.

Posted by: Metzger at 08:36 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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What's stuck in my head right now

Posted by: Metzger at 12:13 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Spot the retard

       My first reaction upon hearing of this story from Dhimmi Watch was typical; how can these idiots even open their eyes in the morning and avoid taking offense. The I remembered, I no longer believe these people are truly offended by anything we do. This is just another tactic in the slow and steady sublimation of the west. Because not only did they profess outrage, we caved. The chairman is changing the name of the agency. Message to Mary Schapiro. Keep enabling dhimmitude and soon all you will be "chairman" of is your kitchen.

(h/t Mark Krikorian via The Corner)

Posted by: Metzger at 09:59 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A peek at the crystal ball that is none to comforting

         England's cultural and governmental decline often makes me uneasy because of the similarities between us. These two graphs from former BBC producer Antony Jay are a succinct warning of what I fear for the United States.

Media liberal pressure has prompted a stream of laws, regulations and directives to champion the criminal against the police, the child against the school, the patient against the hospital, the employee against the company, the soldier against the army, the borrower against the bank, the convict against the prison - there is a new case in the papers almost every day, and each victory is a small erosion of the efficiency and effectiveness of the institution.

I can now see that my old BBC media liberalism was not a basis for government. It was an ideology of opposition, valuable for restraining the excesses of institutions and campaigning against the abuses of authority but it was not a way of actually running anything. It serves a vital function when government is dictatorial and oppressive, but when government is ineffective and over-permissive it is hopelessly inappropriate.

        Tear down the institutions you find oppressive here all you like. Just be sure you have some sort of replacement system in mind that has a chance in hell of succeeding. For when the smoke clears and the rubble of our society is revealed, we still need to be able to function as a society. Anarchy is a great theory that is easily destroyed by the addition of human nature.

(h/t Stephen Spruiell vie Media Blog)

Posted by: Metzger at 08:59 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Me? Assume? Thank you, I believe I will

    Via Political Punch

TAPPER: With all due respect, Senator, you didn't answer my question.

REID: OK. This is not a debate.

TAPPER: Will the Iraqis be safer?

REID: We're answering questions. (calling on someone else) Yes, young man? Anyone else have a question?

   This seems to come up a lot and I have never seen a cogent response from the politician being questioned. Since they won't clarify their position, I feel free to put some words in their mouths.

   I believe that they know that our speedy withdrawal from Iraq will result in a vast amount of blood letting among the many factions left to sort things out amongst themselves. I do not think that they are undisturbed by this. I do believe that they would lay the blame for it at the feet of all those who contemplated intervening in the first place. They are the ones who warned that invasion was a mistake that could never have any good come of it (some before we went, most, after voting to proceed, deciding to reverse themselves). To them, "You broke it, you bought it." includes anything they destroy in their effort to show the American people how stupid we were to ever have countenanced giving power to the Republican party in general and George W. Bush in particular. They have resolved themselves of any responsibility and consider any costs incurred by their actions to redound upon those they see as perpetrators of the war.

  I say this is crap. I firmly believe that we are involved in a long term struggle to determine the course of civilization. Our enemy firmly believes itself to be in the right and is committed to fighting as long as necessary to achieve its ends. Iraq is a terrible mess that will be made no better by our absence. To leave now will incur costs in blood, honor and gold to be borne by us that will gain nothing but an obligation to rejoin the fight later; in likely worse conditions. So retreat if you will. Just don't pretend that the consequences of that act do not fall upon those who call for it.

(h/t as usual Ace)

Posted by: Metzger at 12:09 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Upper Class Twit of the Year

    I grew up with the stereotype that an English accent was a sign of class and intelligence. I should have known better, being quite the fan of Monty Python, Black Adder, Red Dwarf and innumerable other brit comedies. Now I know for sure I've been had after listening to a bunch of singing yobs blather on about their  knowledge (actually startling lack of) GLOBAL WARMING. There are plenty of examples of non-drool britannia types in evidence at the site, but, the juxtaposition of the accent and the actual words left me hammering my head against my desk unto blissful unconsciousness.

(h/t Brian at Fraters Libertas via his stunning podcast)

Posted by: Metzger at 02:40 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Mother knows best

    Via Ed Driscoll, a link to David Harsanyi's blog (author of Nanny State). Ah the Nanny State, a vexation near and dear to my heart. Government says stress is bad for me. If this is true, why do they persist in pissing me off all the time?

Posted by: Metzger at 11:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Steve Jobs is the 12th Imam

       Sent forth to destroy the unbelievers through rampant commercialism. Whether that is the case or not, the fact is, Ace is my go to guy. He is an indispensable stop on my daily web perambulations. So what's the first hat tip I throw his way? Crucial updates on the War on Terror?  The latest outrage by the RoP? No. Just a funny little rant about the IPhone. Made me giggle though. And isn't that all that is important?

Posted by: Metzger at 12:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Just doo-doo it

    Tim Worstel via The Corner chimes in with an interesting analysis of composting your waste vs. sending it to the landfill. For the U.K. at least, it should be a no-brainer. Considering the evident state of the average intellect there, however, I worry.

Posted by: Metzger at 08:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You can't take the monkey out of the man

    I firmly believe one of the foremost problems facing western society today is the tendency to discount the role human nature takes in all societal interaction. Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature published over at Psychology Today is a great example I can point to in support of that argument. That is some fascinating (and accessible) reading.

(h/t Jonah Goldberg vis The Corner)
 p.s. I spend way too much time there.

Posted by: Metzger at 09:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I do not think it means what you think it means

    Being an avid computer gamer (Lord of the Rings Online and Battlefield 2142 taking up inordinate amounts of my time currently) I found this article by Michael Gerson in the Washington Post to be somewhat interesting. I have no personal experience with Second Life. I find the premise to be rather boring. I have seen discussion of how libertarian a game it is before. I was surprised to find this statement in the article :

But Second Life is more consequential than its moral failures. It is, in fact, a large-scale experiment in libertarianism. Its residents can do and be anything they wish. There are no binding forms of community, no responsibilities that aren't freely chosen and no lasting consequences of human actions. In Second Life, there is no human nature at all, just human choices.

    I guess I have misunderstood libertarianism all these years. I always thought that the lasting consequences of human actions were a given and that taking responsibility for those actions, rather than having government assume that function, was a key tenet. Guess I need to head to Wikipedia, post haste.

(h./t Ramesh Ponnuru via The Corner)

Posted by: Metzger at 09:09 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Do you turn to talk radio for breaking news?

    A small article over at Radio Equalizer raises an interesting point or two. Brian's admonishment that talk radio personalities need to be better prepared to keep abreast of breaking news strikes me as being a little outside their scope of work. I listen to talk radio for analysis and opinion regarding news and not for the news itself. I'm not sure I want Sean or Rush to be "reporting" anything.
    The second thing that struck me is this sentence :

Rather than reduce the potential for terror, Tony Blair's departure actually seems to have increased their determination to destroy the West.

    Why  anyone would think that the removal from political life of someone perceived to be an antagonist of our stated enemies  will inevitably lead to a decrease in violence against us and not be greeted as a sign of weakness and an indication that they should redouble their efforts at our destruction seems to border on wishful thinking. It would be nice were the former the case, but, I would think the latter the better to form a plan of action on.

(h/t K-Lo at Media Blog)

Posted by: Metzger at 08:42 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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What's stuck in my head right now

The Loop is a pretty insipid piece of T.V. The theme song is also lacking in complexity. It certainly has its charms though.

Posted by: Metzger at 08:19 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Where the hell is my blood pressure medication

    Nothing can get me from nonplussed to apoplectic faster than a picture of someone flaunting the law. I am no lily white Dudley Doright, but, a little shame by the people breaking the law and those observing them do so would be appreciated. So here is an example of the New York Times trying to kill me. Not only is there a clear implication that these people are illegal aliens, they are sitting in the freaking capitol building. Federal law enforcement officers cannot be far away. I'm sure they were detained, questioned and deported following the vote.

Posted by: Metzger at 11:47 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Comprehensive immigration reform failed, but, this camel still needs a chiropractor

    News of the defeat (yet again) of the current proposal to reform immigration came as a relief to me. This bloated, inefficient and often self-contradictory piece of legislation was way to much carrot with nary a stick to be found as far as I could tell. The yeomans work of many pundits and bloggers all across the political spectrum is to be commended. Although a heady victory, it still leaves me with a dilemma.  
    This is but the latest example that the GOP wants nothing from conservatives except their money and cooperation. The more we tried to make the party understand how unsatisfied we were with this legislation, the more we were reviled by the leadership. Trent Lott,John McCain and Arlen Specter strike me as just the type of petty malcontents who will make it a priority to rein in what they believe to be the more radical elements in the party. Well I say screw them as I never had much use for them in the past and have even less in light of their more recent behavior. But they are still considered to be leaders in the party. I hope primary challenges they were threatened with during this debacle proceed and they are unseated.
    If some sort of conservative backbone cannot be reinserted into the Republican party, I'm not sure what choice I have left. Third party chances are long and dim. The only alternative I can see is heading out into the wilderness for a couple of decades to try and build a party from scratch. My sincere hope is that, having gazed into the abyss, our representatives will turn to the tasks we sent them to perform and set to with a mind to what their constituents desire and not what Washington prefers.

Posted by: Metzger at 08:50 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Coming soon

An explanation of the reason for this blog

Posted by: Metzger at 08:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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