dan_edge

I've done at least two lecture reviews already that could be added immediately, if that's any encouragement for such a "corner." --Dan Edge

By [email protected] (Dan Edge) from The Edge of Reason,cross-posted by MetaBlog Since it's after midnight, today is officially September 11, 2009. Among other things, I've come to think of this day as "National Military, Cop, and Firefighter Appreciation Day." These civil servants get so little appreciation for what they do, and often get little support from the government to execute their dutues. So 4 years ago, I decided to give Thank You cards to local military, police, and firefighter stations. They were so appreciative, I decided to continue the tradition in New York when I lived there. Now that I'm back in South Carolina, I see no reason to break tradition. Since I was going to be up at the police station today anyway for issues regarding my recent arrest, I picked up some Thank You cards on the way and dropped one off at the downtown Law Enforcement Center. I even took one to the Detention Center next door, where I had been a guest over the weekend, to show there was no hard feelings. Then on my way home, I dropped by the local Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Recruiting stations to drop off more cards. I encourage anyone who appreciates what these folks do -- and what they stand for -- to adopt this tradition for himself. I paid $3.53 for Thank You cards today. How much do you think it means for them to know how much they're appreciated? Well worth the money and effort! Here's what I wrote: To the Cops Better a day early than a day late. Some of us will never forget what happened 8 years ago. To life, liberty, and happiness -- may you serve and protect them always. To the Military Better a day early than a day late. Some of us will never forget what happened 8 years ago. To life, liberty, and happiness -- may you always kick [expletive], and look pretty doing so, in their defense. -------------------------- I wrote about my 9/11 experience two years ago, and reprised it on my blog last year. Another new tradition in honor of this fateful day? Why not: Where Were You? -- Reflections on 9/11 For me, September 11, 2001 began as a normal Tuesday morning in Greenville, SC. I got up, had breakfast, got dressed, and drove to StereoVideo, where I worked as a retail salesman. I arrived at work at about 8:30am. As usual, most of the staff met in the back of the store for a bull-and-smoking session before opening up. At about 8:50am, the owner (who was always late getting in) called to tell us that a plane had crashed into a building in New York City. We wanted to see what was going on, so we turned on the store. StereoVideo is a high-end electronics store specializing in large, high-definition televisions and powerful audio systems. When we turned on the store, hundreds of thousands of dollars in audio-visual equipment brought the height of consumer technology to bear – to show us a scene of terror. The World Trade Center was on fire. The Sony high-def rear-projector shot rays of light on the wall, displaying a plume of smoke 10 feet tall. The $10k Infinity floor standing speakers boomed their built-in subwoofers as the second plane exploded on impact. It was a terrible spectacle of light and sound. All day we watched – surrounded by 100 televisions, all showing the same nightmare. As the events of September 11 unfolded, StereoVideo continued to operate. I fought back tears as the wave of attacks continued. People kept coming into the store and would stay for hours, transfixed by images of destruction. To my utter shock, a few customers still wanted to chat about setting up their new home theatre system. So we loaded Shrek into a few of the DVD Players, and Princess Fiona pouted – next to images of tragic murder victims hurling themselves from the top of the World Trade Center. It was surreal. After we closed the store, I went to a sports bar near the Blood Bank in downtown Greenville. All of the televisions were tuned to news channels, and the bar was alive with sad, angry, and patriotic discussion. I spoke with three or four strangers who shared my grief and rage. We all agreed that whoever was responsible for these attacks deserved prompt and utter destruction. We were at war. As I approached the Blood Bank, I saw that I had to park half a mile away in order to get close to it. Many others had the same idea as me, and the place was mobbed with patriots offering their blood. A police officer that had just given blood advised me to come back the following day. The staff at the Blood Bank was overwhelmed. When I went the next day, they said to come back in a month, as they were already filled to capacity with blood donations. In the days and weeks following the September 11 attacks, the country seemed to come together in a way I’d never seen before in my adult life. I finally understood why the adults around me were rejoicing so much when the Berlin Wall fell. Americans demanded justice, and a significant portion of the public had the moral courage to support an all-out war against Islamic Totalitarianism. Unfortunately, that window of opportunity has passed. Most Americans seem to have forgotten what happened that Tuesday in 2001. It has become just one attack of many – perpetrated by some terrorist group or other – all tied-in to some nebulous “War on Terror” that is going nowhere fast. That is why, every year on the anniversary of September 11, I take the time to remember where I was that day. I remember where I was, how I felt, what I thought, and most importantly, what we need to do to make sure it never happens again. <!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><!--[endif]--> Where were you? <!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--> --Dan Edge Cross-posted from Metablog

A detailed chronicle of my version of the events before, during, and after Saturday night's curfew protest -- which led to my arrest -- is now available on my blog here: http://danedgeofreason.blogspot.com/2009/0...e-story-of.html --Dan Edge

Jake, This was my position for many years, but of late I've had doubts and have become undecided. One of the fundamental purposes of the 2nd Amendment was to give citizens the ability to overthrow a tyrannical government. What chance does an army of civilian soldiers armed with hand guns have against the might of the U.S. Army, for instance? Or even the Serbian Army? That said, I have strong reservations about public access to weapons of mass destruction, tools whose only purpose is mass death. These do not appear necessary or particularly useful for a revolutionary army engaged in civil war. But combat-level conventional arms, I'm unsure. My "instinct" is to say that the public should be allowed to own them. The only civilians who possess such weapons in America today are dangerous criminals. --Dan Edge

I didn't check the IDs of anyone showing up to protest. And I didn't advise anyone to stay if the police asked them to leave. I told them all that if they were under 18, and the police asked them to leave, per the ordinance they would either have to go or risk detainment. The hand bill I created was sent to Major McLaughlin of the Greenville PD the day before, and he voiced nothing but encouragement and sound advice. Several of the police officers present had read the hand bill I created, and said nothing about potential criminal implications. I was arrested only after after two teenagers, attempting to leave per police orders, were detained in a manner completely in opposition to the spirit of the emergency curfew ordinance. I'm writing up a thorough report. Check my blog for details. --Dan Edge

I was arrested last night. More info to follow. --Dan Edge

For the past several years, the City of Greenvile has made extensive efforts to renovate the "Historic West End." Building restrictions on an entire city section of "historical landmarks" resulted in a massive ghetto, which so often happens in "historic" areas. Basically the City scuttled historic restrictions at their leisure, knocked down a bunch of burned out old industrial buildings on the river, allowed them to be converted into hotels, condos, arts venues, and restaurants, and completely renovated the adjacent Reedy River Park, to stunningly beautiful effect. As a result, commerce and nightlife in the West End has exploded over the past few years. The West End, formally reserved for the homeless, crack dealers, and criminals, is now crowded by thousands of people every weeknight. Not surprisingly, many minors are among the influx of new downtown patrons. Downtown Greenville has always been a mecca for high school and young college students, and now even more so. What has happened is that large numbers of young people are gathering in or near the West End, and some of them are deviants creating chaos. Thus past weekend, a huge crowd of young people created quite a ruckus, fighting and destroying property. this event precipitated the "emergency" curfew initiative, which most expect will become permanent in short order. On a practical level, this happened because, while the City has done all it can to create a commercial explosion in downtown, it has not increased police funcing and presence at the same rate. From what I can see, there are roughly the same number of cops patrolling downtown now as there were 4 years ago, when there were half as many people crowding the streets on a Friday night. Police I spoke to in planning this protest (unofficially) confirmed that fact. They are getting funding cuts, while the risk of civil disorder rises. The City's answer was to restrict all youth from downtown after 10pm without supervision of adult guardians. I think this is complete bullshit, for reasons stated in my editorial. Thanks! I'll try to write a protest report tonight or tomorrow. --Dan Edge

A protest in opposition to City Council’s “emergency” curfew will take place on Saturday, 9/5 @ 10pm at the intersection of Main St. and Court St. This event is being coordinated lawfully with the knowledge and advisement of the Greenville Police Department. See links for more information. --Dan Edge

OK, so I went overboard today and made a song out of my Football Time '09 Chipmunk Christmas idea. This is my first attempt at recorded music, track mixing, audio editing, harmonizing, etc. Not perfect but sounds alright for 2 hours of work. All lyrics, vocals, guitar, production, and editing by Dan Edge. Here's the lyrics: ---------------------------------------- Hey Dan, why don’t you and your momma sing that Football song y’all wrote this week. The Gamecocks are playin’ in their first game tonight, and I bet they’d shore appreciate that song. Dan? Dan! DAN!!! OK!!! Football, football fall is here Time for cook-outs, time for cheer Pound the run or bomb the pass Figure out that offense fast May need to replace Delhomme Me I want a Super Bowl Championship of SEC Please Gamecocks win for me! Clemson, Clemson Tigers time This team too I claim for mine Greenville born, SC degree Contradicting Loyalties Dominate the ACC At season’s end we’re enemies But till then we can be friends Please Tigers fight to win! --Dan Edge

A high school friend posted that: I responded thusly: --Dan Edge

Good thoughts, all. Sounds like new thread material. Folks could propose common Q's for review, and other folks could offer an A. Wise moderators could pick the best answers and start a database of Objecti-sound practical advice. Feel free to implement this idea -- I won't even demand a percentage of the copyright when OO Q+A is published. --Dan Edge

Some of the Oist blogs do a good job with that. Like me for example

P.S. Sweet Photoshoppin' goodness, Space Patroller! --Dan Edge

This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending Electric City (EC) Playhouse’s musical production of Keep on the Sunny Side. I was so enamored with the story, the songs, and the cast that today I am taking on the role of amateur theater critic. Keep on the Sunny Side is a touching, knee-slapping, benevolent, and delightfully executed biographical musical. The history of The Carter Family is an inspiring tale in its own right, but coupled with timeless folk classics performed by a talented ensemble cast, Sunny Side yields the perfect recipe for an enriching theatrical experience. The Carter Family began recording music during the late 1920’s, and several Carter family members, including the late June Carter Cash, continued to popularize that distinctive backwoods Virginia sound throughout the 20th century. Many Carter Family songs – such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBMb2Vgeofo, Can the Circle Be Unbroken, and (of course) – are staples of Americana which have been covered and performed countless times across the decades. One could offer no finer review of Keep on the Sunny Side than did the sold-out house of audience members through their reactions to the show. From the entertaining preshow performance (by Jimmy O Trio and friends) until the closing curtain call, audience members could not refrain from smiling, laughing, clapping, and singing along. Having had very limited exposure to this genre of music, I found myself tempted to leap into dance with each new song. Some in the audience must have been old enough to recall when these songs were originally recorded, and they evidently felt that the EC Playhouse cast honored The Carter Family through their performance. Of particular note were the reactions of one elderly gentleman in the front row. He was clearly having trouble maintaining his posture, and at a few points during the show he struggled to keep his eyes open. But all the while a reminiscent smile shone through his weathered face, and with one hand rapping rhythmically against his knee, he never missed a beat. The touching life story and endearingly simple folk songs of The Carter Family were faithfully executed by a strong ensemble cast. Sara Carter (played by Leslie Hardigree), wife of A.P. Carter and one of the original Carter Family members, was to me the central figure in the story. While Mrs. Hardigree performed well with the other actors, her strongest moments were Sara’s soliloquies and solo musical performances. Mrs. Hardigree appeared possessed by Sara Carter’s spirit, especially when emoting her more lamentatious times. Upon seeing the glistening moisture in Sara’s eyes as she struggles with a failing marriage, one cannot help but well with tears of sympathy. Mrs. Hardigree is also blessed with an angel’s voice. Her powerful range and emotive inflections add artistic beauty to the role. A.P. (played by Keith Parker) and Maybelle Carter (played by Gail Brown) round out the original Carter Family cast. Both possess lovely voices and considerable skill with the guitar, especially Mrs. Brown whose performance belies extensive musical training. A.P. is at his most endearing as he courts young Sara outside her mountain home. Though not a young man himself, Mr. Parker is as believable portraying a youthful gentleman caller as he is portraying a recently departed soul. Aside from strutting her considerable musical aptitude, Mrs. Brown’s most memorable moments come as Maybelle comforts her dear sister Sara with feminine sympathy and sensible advice. Strong performances in supporting roles add wonderful depth to the play. Wailing away with a high-amplitude and outrageously accented vocal performance, Janette Carter (played by Paula Dolittle) struggles to keep the Carter Family spirit alive. Even small bit parts, such as Timothy Vin’s portrayal of the long-haired, backwoods preacher presiding over A.P.’s funeral, contribute significantly to the show. Special mention must go to Dr. Brinkley (played by Guy Harvley), his trusty assistant (played by Todd Barnette), and the play’s director Jimmy Burdette for the brilliantly-paced transition from Sara’s tearful marriage farewell to the hilarious antics of XERA Megawatt Radio. After a powerfully emotional set of scenes, the audience hungers for refreshing levity to clear their theatrical palates – and the director kindly delivers. Mr. Harvley displays his vocal versatility by portraying a heavily accented Texas con man imitating various other outrageous characters over the radio waves – while Mr. Barnette plays the semi-straight man, a perfect foil for Dr. Brinkley’s mischievous depravity. Considering the impeccable comic timing between them, one suspects that these two men have worked together before. They elicited hearty waves of laughter from the audience at all the right moments. In closing, I want to express my sincere thanks to the EC Playhouse cast and crew for enriching my soul with a new (to me) classic set of musical masterpieces. I’ve been listening to original Carter Family recordings every day since I saw the play, and have been touched by their sincerity, simplicity, and benevolence. I’ve even begun learning how to play some of the songs on my guitar. Though the older crowd dominated attendance at last Friday’s performance, I have no doubt but that this music will live on forever. We will pass it on to our children, who will pass it on to our grandchildren, and so on, for as long as humanity endures. Beautiful classics like these never die. Now I’ll be doggone if that ain’t a Sunny-Sided sentiment! --Dan Edge

Jesus, David, you're way too serious sometimes. Rather, you're serious when the context calls for levity. From another post: Good question, and at the risk of echoing other answers, here's mine: OPAR is not a good introductory text because it is far too advanced, more appropriate for a graduate-level course. Atlas Shrugged is not a good introductory text because it is a novel, and its function is to tell a story, not introduce a philosophy. It happens to do the latter, but that's not its primary function. Nor is Atlas ideal for such a purpose. If I wanted to introduce a college student to WWII history, I wouldn't tell him to begin by watching The Bridge on the River Kwai. I'd give him an non-fiction, introductory WWII history text, created for the specific purpose of introducing beginners to this sphere of study. As far as I know, up until Objectivism in One Lesson, there was no formal introductory text to Objectivism as a whole. Further, one such book is not enough. We need to bring the capitalistic system to bear on Objectivist education. I'd like to see lots of books for the beginner Objectivist competing to be the best-seller. Hopefully, some day soon there will be. --Dan

We folk have red necks, white chests. You're just gonna have to deal with the glare. What with the gleaming bald head and pasty white skin, I'll blind a mutha. --Dan

Symbolism: A Mixture of Meaning in Mettle *Note: The above image is a photograph of the artifact which inspired this poem, hanging on my own chest. It is a medallion I found when cleaning out my parent’s attic. On the reverse side, it bears the inscription, “To Beverly, From Roy, With Love.” It was a gift my father created for my mother before his untimely death in 1985. My mother gave it to me, and over the past few days, I’ve conducted research on the meaning and source of the symbol – if any. An article describing my findings and their symbolic connections to my own life will be forthcoming within the next few days. ----------------------------------------------- A new chapter in my life begins The time to wallow in Hades sorrow With head in hands for former sins Is history now – today is tomorrow A search for symbols to personify Rebirth of mirthful personality Revealed a motif etched in steel My birthright and my family seal A long dead father’s form of love Bartered for my mother’s kiss Melted, molded, made into A symbol for a son amiss A longing look at what was found Remembrance of long time love lost She bequeathed a seeming simple seal A chain-linked loop of steel embossed Smelted with a workman’s hands Meaning mixed in metal’s skin My father poured in lover’s gift All the very best in him: A mind of mettle, like a snare To trap Demeter ladies fair Southern gentlemanly attitude And metallurgical aptitude All these things my father poured Into a molten mixing kettle Resulting in a symbol with More meaning than mere metal Within the hearth of beating heart I feel the Phoenix Flame arise The Hero’s Hike to Passion’s Peak Brings reborn Hephaestus eyes To the meaning melted in This round medallion on my breast I add my soaring spirit’s sails A stolid mast where steel meets flesh I stand now on the precipice Of passion’s deep with future bright A symbol of metamorphosis New life in me begins this night! --Dan Edge **Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Mom and Kim, whose love and support have helped make these lines a reality. To Carol, Fred, and Sherry, to whom I will be paying it backwards for the rest of my life. To Chad, Cory, Dave, Dorian, Kelly, Lou, Lynn, Melanie, Nancy, Ryan, Stella, and Todd, whose friendship and love have meant so much. To rekindled and newfound friends Curt, Greer, Kate, Lean Mean Dr. Tamara, Natalie, Sultry Leslie Sayrah, and the rest of the EC Crew, whose benevolence served to stoke the Phoenix Flames. To Jessica Jasmine the Boar-Hunting Heroine, who provided inspiration in her own unique way. ***This poem may not be submitted for publication without consent of the author. Permission is granted to publish on personal blogs and online discussion forums – provided it is reproduced in its entirety in original formatting, complete with acknowledgements and this message – along with a link to my own blog, The Edge of Reason. Comments are welcome. My email address is: [email protected].

By [email protected] (Dan Edge) from The Edge of Reason,cross-posted by MetaBlog From the Objectivist Club Network (OCN): ----------------------------------- I helped start the Objectivist Club Network (OCN), an organization dedicated to helping all Objectivist Campus Clubs. OCN is not affiliated with the Ayn Rand Institute, although we support them and regularly communicate with them to ensure our respective organizations are not duplicating efforts. Recently we've expanded our efforts to solve a new problem: there are students interested in joining an Objectivist club where no club exists. Some of these students start their own club, but others don't have time to start a club or do not find enough participants on campus to form a club. We've created the Virtual Objectivist Club (VOC) for these students -- a phone-based discussion group dedicated to the study of Objectivism. Meetings will be weekly, beginning this September, each moderated by an experienced Objectivist. The group is open to any current students who would like to learn more about Objectivism. My request: Please help spread the word to any students you know who may be interested in learning more about Objectivism. The deadline for applying to the VOC is August 31st. Students can learn more and apply at: http://www.oclubs.org/voc Please let me know if you have any questions and we greatly appreciate you sharing this with others! Keith & the OCN Team Cross-posted from Metablog

LC Wrote: >>What if, for example, the similar results could be reached with a higher CIA budget instead of torture. Good question. The answer would depend on the relative effectiveness of competing tactics, their financial costs, etc. There may be non-economic costs related to torture such as psychological damage to the torturers or the potential that such brutal tactics would incite -- rather than cow -- the enemy population. I don't know the answer to this, but I maintain that it ought to be a military decision. --Dan Edge

I'd like to throw an idea in the ring; a broader generalization that subsumes torture, "nuking Tehran", and related issues. This idea is the foundation, explicitly or implicitly, of most ARI writers who have discussed this topic. (I'm not appealing to authority here, just pointing out that the idea didn't originate with me). A government should serve to protect the individual rights of its citizens, both domestically (through police and courts) and internationally (with the military). If an international threat exists, the government ought to do everything it can to quickly, permanently end the threat with as little impact on its citizens as possible. I submit a litmus test for any proposed military action or tactic: Does the tactic serve expeditiously/permanently to eliminate a threat to our citizen's rights? If the answer is "yes," then the tactic is morally obligatory. Regarding torture, the question becomes: is torture an effective tactic for eliminating enemy threats? If not, then it is pointless. If yes, then we ought to do it. The same with nuking Tehran, or bombing civilians, or raping enemy vegetables, or anything else. I have no idea if torture is effective militarily, and probably most people are similarly uneducated about military tactics. That's why I think that tactical decisions should be left at the military's discretion. If one concedes that torture is an effective military tactic, but argues that it should never be used regardless, then I question his logic. --Dan Edge

Also, Clash of the Titans is finally being updated in the computer animation age. Sam Worthington (Perseus), Old Liam Niesen (Zeus), and Ralph Feinnes (Hades) make up quite a cast all by themselves.

>>Now if someone would do a decent adaptation of the Arthur legend, I can die a happy man. What about 'Excalibur' (1981)? Young Liam Neeson, Captain Picard, and the rest put on a fine show. And who could forget the immortal lines: "A dream to some...a NIGHTMARE to others!" OK, there were some cheesy parts, but I loved it at 8 and it still stands the test of time. I agree about Robin Hood, and I hope that Scott takes the latter route you mentioned. --Dan Edge

Matt, I wrote an article a while back that may shed light on your situation: "Demoting" a Relationship. --Dan Edge

My letter to my Congressman: Mr. Hall, I am appalled at the House's decision to tax 90% of bonuses to employees of AIG and other companies that received bailouts. This bill is such a clear violation of the Constitution (specifically ex post facto and bill of attainder), your constituents can drawn only one of two conclusions: either you and your colleagues in Congress (Democrats and Republicans) are ignorant of Constitutional law, or you passed a bill you knew was in violation of the Constitution. In either case, you have proved yourselves to be enemies of America, and of freedom. You have become petty thieves, orgiastic proponents of mob rule. Today I am ashamed to call myself an American. --Dan Edge, Pomona

By [email protected] (Dan Edge) from The Edge of Reason,cross-posted by MetaBlog I was doing a search of the recent Amazon sales figures for Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and stumbled upon a marvelous discovery: In Amazon's "Literature and Fiction/Classics" category, Atlas Shrugged is the #1 best-seller! Even better, the #2 best-selling "Classic" is also Atlas Shrugged, just another version of the paperback. The #3 best-seller is The Federalist Papers. And the #4 best-seller is, amazingly, Atlas Shrugged again! Rounding out the top ten are Fahrenheit 451 (#7), Thomas Paine's Common Sense (#8), and Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead (#9). People are starting to sit up and pay attention to what is going on in the world around them. Woo hoo! --Dan Edge Cross-posted from Metablog