RedStateEclectic

Oops. My Bad.

It's fun watching how wrong the experts were. You know, the ones with all the most important data and statistics at their fingertips. Why I ever pay any attention to Bernanke or anyone at CNBC is a real mystery.

 

It's a Bird... No, It's a Plane... No, It's a Congressman

I'm Bursting

In case blog-owner Laura is wondering if I spaced out on her... I haven't been posting much for a couple of reasons . First, my laptop is on the fritz, but the second reason is pretty good.

As you may know, there is a Ron Paul Revolution documentary coming out soon.  The premiere will be the Campaign For Liberty fest in Valley Forge in about two weeks.

I hesitate to disclose this next part, because I'm afraid it sounds like a brag, but  you'll have to take my word that I don't mean it that way.  The truth is, I can't hold this in any more.  I need to tell somebody this, so I'm telling you guys, because...anyway, here's the thing; I have a rough copy of the film (there's the snobby brag part) because I volunteered to write a close-caption file, a project that is, taking up all my free time and more at the moment (there's my excuse for not writing here.)

I only brought this up because I want to say, no, I HAVE to say - this movie is good.  It's very good.  It's freaking good. It is so much better than I ever could have expected.    Honestly,  I started out thinking that writing the file was a just favor for a fellow Ron Paul fan, and I'm finding myself at the point of incredulity over the fact that these filmmakers actually trusted me with even a small portion their art.

In production for more than a year, they're now taking pre-orders.  (Yes, I even pre-ordered a copy for myself and no, I'm not in this for material reward.) 

If you want to have the Ron Paul party of the year, arrange your own local premiere! They'll help you with that, too.  Info is on the site.

Down.

They Hate Us, More Propaganda Needed

This was interesting:

The highest officer in the US military today issued a scathing critique of American "strategic communication" efforts in Afghanistan and the Muslim world, writing that the gap between promised improvements and actual developments harms the credibility of the US message.

[...] Mullen's criticism comes as US officials have acknowledged the US is losing the war of ideas against its Taliban and al-Qaida enemies. In an effort to bolster its image as Barack Obama ramps up the war in Afghanistan, the administration has established a $150m (£92m) effort to train Afghan and Pakistani journalists, set up radio stations and produce pamphlets, posters and CDs lambasting Islamist militants.

Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, described "a certain arrogance" to US strategic communication efforts. "We've come to believe that messages are something we can launch downrange like a rocket, something we can fire for effect," he wrote. "They are not. Good communication runs both ways. It's not about telling our story. We must also be better listeners."

By contrast, Mullen wrote, the Taliban forces match rhetoric with action. "They aren't just out there shooting videos," he wrote, "They deliver... Each beheading, each bombing, and each beating sends a powerful message."

He also noted that the Taliban has improved governance in certain areas, establishing courts, assessing and collecting taxes, and giving local populations avenues to express grievances.

It's hard to put lipstick on a pig when it's bombing, shooting, killing and maiming a country's inhabitants.

Rhetorical question of the day...

How big is California's carbon footprint right now?

Cui Bono? Cui Malo?

Notice the never ending political solutions being offered to this long-term problem created by government meddling in the economy. In this particular snapshot, we see befuddled politicians squirming as the question is asked concerning tort reform. In other words, screw the lawyers. Why not screw the doctors instead? Or the unions? Or the teachers? Everyone is searching for an answer that will cripple their neighbor so long as it's not them and, once the politicians find a fall group with enough wealth to steal but lacking enough political clout, they will move forward without hesitation. Why is it we never have a red tape tax - where you get penalized for being a  bureaucrat?

Who's next to feel the gun barrel of the state at point blank range? Hard to say what group that will be. The smokers are already tapped out. This is what full blown democracy looks like: people at the pinnacle of their ignorance begging for more punishment from their masters because they believe they have a say in it. And you wonder why democracies commit suicide?

$1.5 Million? I’m in it to Win

Peter Schiff on the possibilities of him running for the Senate.

Seems doable to me, given that he’s sneaking upon on $1 million.

How Do You Pronounce 'Orion'?

This is how the President of the United States pronounces Orion. How do you pronounce the word?

Then, there is G.B.Shaw's "ghoti." How would you pronounce the English word 'ghoti'? For the correct answer, go to the bottom of the post.

Reliable and unique correspondence between orthography and pronunciation is probably one of the few aspects in which German is easier than English.

1) The bandage was wound around the wound. ("Der Verband wurde um die Wunde gewunden.")

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out. (I do not understand this sentence. Can anybody help?)

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

My theory is: English is far easier to learn and speak reasonably well than German, not because English is actually a simpler ("easier") language than German; to the contrary: English is more "telescopic" than German, meaning: while German cannot be reduced in terms of structural complexity below a rather high level, good English can be rather simple, yet it can also be enhanced to very high levels of structural complexity.

PS

Answer:

'Ghoti' is pronounced 'fish."  'Gh' as in 'lauGHter,' 'o' as in 'wOmen,' 'ti' as in 'naTIon.'

The Government is Bankrupt

What a nice, concise statement of why we DON’T need socialized medicine (or anything else).