Charlotte Capitalist Blog

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog I normally don't watch the news, but while working out last Sundaymorning I saw a FoxNews segment discussing the value of praying to Godto make gasoline prices drop. I couldn't find a transcript... http://ObjectivismOnline.com/archives/003576.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged with a free public lecture by Andrew Bernstein Saturday, Nov. 10 in Greenville, S.C. hosted by the New South Objectivists. Dr. Bernstein... http://ObjectivismOnline.com/archives/002945.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Dear Friends of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism, On Wednesday, March 14th, the Institute will present a public lecture on: "What Went Wrong with the Republican Revolution?" Stephen Moore, the Wall Street Journal 364 Sirrine Hall, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ***Free PIZZA lunch at 12:30 p.m. *** What is the state of American Political Right in 2007? What happened to the idea of limited-government conservatism? Have conservatives been corrupted by power, or is there something in their basic philosophy that has led them to embrace big government? Is there any meaningful difference today between liberals and conservatives? In answering theses questions, Mr. Moore will discuss how, when, and why Republicans became the party of Big Government and lost their revolutionary fervor to downsize government. Stephen Moore is Senior Economics Writer for the Wall Street Journal editorial page and a member of the Journal's editorial board. Moore is also a commentator for CNBC TV, CNN and FOX networks and National Public Radio's marketplace. It will be tough, but I may be able to swing this. No, not for the free pizza. You just think you know me that well. I think at the root of the "Big Government" problem that Mr. Moore will discuss is the same issue with respect to environmentalism -- cowardice. (Deeper than that is conservative acceptance of mysticism and altruism.) http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002322.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist, cross-posted by MetaBlog Lee Sandstead called and then followed up with the following. He wants to make sure that all of our friends in the Carolinas are aware of the following. I am planning on attending. If you make a reservation be sure to mention Lee's name. The rate is only $35 per night. *** Hello my friends! You are invited for a weekend get-away to Founders College at our beautiful 1,200 acre Berry Hill location in South Boston, Virginia on the weekend of March 3rd. Bring yourself, your friends, your family�”bring anyone interested. On Saturday, March 3, there will be a great deal of discussion by Dr. Gary Hull and Tamara Fuller of our vision, including the particulars of our revolutionary curriculum and business model. An exact agenda will be delivered to you shortly. The price to stay for the weekend is $35 per night per room�”that is an 80% discount. So come early and stay late! For $35, I’ll probably be staying on the property myself! Oh, and did I mention that we are only 30 miles from Red Hill, the last plantation and burial place of Patrick Henry? And that we are only 50 miles from Poplar Forest, the summer home of Thomas Jefferson? Let’s go visit! And in the spirit of the weekend, Edward Cline, author of the widely-popular “Sparrowhawk” series will be on site to sell and autograph your books. To reserve a space at this event, please RSVP by telephone (to Ray Weiss at 202.438.6104) or go here by February 22. Here are some relevant links: Official website for Founders College Official website for the Inn at Berry Hill My pictures of Berry Hill Official website for Patrick Henry Official website for Thomas Jefferson’s summer home Official website for Edward Cline

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Jonathan Hoening is Managing Member of Capitalistpig Asset Management and regular panelist on Fox News "Cashin' In". He shared his efforts to oppose increased SEC regulation of hedge funds. My... http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002278.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Well, we really haven't had that spirit here since 1775. In the final installment of his Sparrowhawk series of novels, Ed Cline writes: In Mecklenburg, North Carolina, the provincial congress on May 31 adopted resolves that suspended the power of all royal authority in North Carolina, and sent them to its delegates at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The colony thus earned the distinction of being the first to declare its independence from Britain, more than a year before the United Colonies -- or, as Patrick Henry preferred to refer to them, "The United States" -- declared their independence. [Sparrowhawk Book Six: War, Cline, p.193] Is there any remnant of that spirit here in Mecklenburg County? Or in North Carolina? The spirit which lead the independence away from Britain and towards the free United States of America. I don't see it. Instead there is a growing dependence upon government and against freedom. Examples include: 1. A government funded arena which voters rejected 57% to 43%, but the powers that be built anyway. 2. A light rail system which few will ride, attempts to force people to live in certain areas, continues to grow beyond double its original cost, and boosted our sales tax over 8% -- all in the face of evidence which shows every light rail system in the country has failed. 3. Recent news that Charlotte is once again the most highly taxed city in North Carolina. There are more examples -- how could I forget Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools? The point is that governnment-initiated force against individuals continues to rise in Charlotte Mecklenburg. The spirit in 1775 represented a trend in the complete opposite direction -- setting the proper role of government as the protector of individuals from those who initiate force. Government is now the criminal in Charlotte Mecklenburg. There is some controversy about the existence of the Mecklenburg Resolves. Here is the opening as published in the Raleigh Register in 1819: 1. Resolved, That whosoever directly or indirectly abetted, or in any way, form, or manner, countenanced the unchartered and dangerous invasion of our rights, as claimed by Great Britain, is an enemy to this County, to America, and to the inherent and inalienable rights of man. 2. Resolved, That we the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby dissolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother Country, and hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown, and abjure all political connection, contract, or association, with that Nation, who have wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties¬and inhumanly shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington. Notice the focus upon rights. There is more evidence of The Tryon Resolves, from Tryon County, North Carolina. They were drafted and signed a few months later on August 14, 1775: The unprecedented, barbarous and bloody actions committed by British troops on our American brethren near Boston, on 19th Apriland 20th of May last, together with the hostile operations and treacherous designs now carrying on, by the tools of ministerial vengeance, for the subjugation of all British America, suggest to us the painful necessity of having recourse to arms in defense of our National freedom and constitutional rights, against all invasions; and at the same time do solemnly engage to take up arms and risk our lives and our fortunes in maintaining the freedom of our country... It is clear that this region was full of revolutionary spirit with a focus upon freedom. Is there a chance that could ever return? Can the people of Charlotte Mecklenburg perform a 180 degree turnaround? I think it is possible and I am more than hopeful. The seeds are in the ground here in the Carolinas. It may take a few decades, but there is promise. http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002270.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Well, we really haven't had that spirit here since 1775. In the final installment of his Sparrowhawk series of novels, Ed Cline writes: In Mecklenburg, North Carolina, the provincial congress on... http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002270.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog The Super Bowl really is about goal-achievement: But how can heroic stature arise from a perfectly useless act like carrying a football across a goal line? The answer is that the non-utilitarian nature of sporting goals provides a limited, safe context in which everyone's focus can be on the process of goal-achievement as such, not on the particular nature or value of the goal. Much more from Tom Bowden here. Go Bears! http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002245.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog It looks like I foresaw a split in the environmentalist camp. Last week, while writing about Al Gore's "Inconvenient Interview" I noted: Maybe the fact that even the United Nations, which one would think would lead the hysterical global warming charge, has a view different from Gore's has him a bit shaken. If Gore is truly right, why wouldn't he spread his message unabashedly to all listeners. It looks like he has something to hide -- knowledge. And that behavior by itself doesn't prove Gore is wrong, but it sure is motive for doubt about his claims. At The Reference Frame, physicist Lubos Motl: Just like in the case of the Catholic Church and Protestants, the environmentalist church of consensus is going to split. Everyone in the church agrees that there is a 100% consensus among all experts but unfortunately the two equally strong groups of experts disagree what the consensus says. and... The IPCC report is going to say that Antarctica won't see any significant difference even if CO2 levels continue to grow. In fact, Antarctica has seen some cooling and increased precipitation is raising the total amount of ice mass on this continent, as the IPCC report also mentions. The frequent readers of this blog also know that Greenland has cooled down in the last 70 years, too. Its ice mass seems to be increasing there as well. Lubos notes that some are protesting the IPCC's view because it gives the wrong "impression": The goal of a scientific report is apparently to "give the right impression". Without "impression", there would be no environmentalist movement. "Impression" is an important philosophical term and extremely applicable to the global warming hysteria. "Impressions" have their root in Democritus' materialist, atomist epistemology. Democritus did not support an objective reality which you and I perceive with our senses and then seek to understand through concept formation and logic. Instead, Democritus thought that we can not really know reality through thought. We have only "impressions": ...t follows that thought, which knows the true real, can be explained only from an impression which this truly real makes upon the fiery atoms, -- explained therefore itself only through the efflux of such images. As a psychological process, therefore, thought is the same as perception... Odd and fantastic as this sounds, the indications are yet all in favour of the supposition that Democritus drew this conclusion from the presuppositions of his materialistic psychology. This psychology knew no independent, internal mechanisms of ideas or conscious states, but only an arising of ideas through the motions of atoms. Hence it regarded ideas that were evidently deceptive as also "impressions" and sought for these the exciting images. [Windelband, p.114 - 115]. The environmentalist movement clearly supports this epistemology and bombards you and me with atomistic images in order to make an "impression". Instead of making a scientific case based upon hierarchy and context, we are indundated with pictures of floating icebergs and dripping water in order to make an impression. Two thousand years later, David Hume carried on the idea of impressions: Only in characterising Hume's doctrine, it must not be forgotten that this absolutely certain matter-of-fact quality, which belongs to impressions, is solely that of their presence as mental states. In this meaning and restriction intuitive knowledge embraces not only the facts of inner experience, but also those of outer experience, but at the price of recognising that the latter are properly only species of the former, -- a knowledge, that is, of mental states. [Windelband, p. 472] Translation: "Sure you can attain certainty, but not certainty based upon reality, but a certainty based upon what you make up in your head." Thus, scientific knowledge based upon reality and built hierarchically and in context is not important. You can just be certain of what you have made up in your head. And what is in that head? Just impressions of contextless melting glaciers. The result is the explanation for the success of the global warming religion -- materialist and skeptic view that we can't really know reality ("I just can't or don't want to know") coupled with an intrinsicist "I just know based upon whatever I feel." This is why both liberals and conservatives support environmentalism -- and why science is dismissed. The growth in religious belief over the past two decades is both a reflection of the increased intrinsicism in the culture and an aid to those who wish to believe in environmentalism. I, however, am not "impressed" with either. http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002244.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Yesterday in my thoughts about Robert Tracinski's "What Went Right?" essay, I noted: But there do have to be fundamental ideas, someone needs to package them into a system, and someone needs to advocate them -- or else they won't spread. That someone is a philosopher -- whether it is Augustine, or Plato, or Aristotle, or Aquinas, or Kant, or Democritus, or Ayn Rand or whomever. And it is those systems of ideas which have both identified and driven the history of the world with varying consequences -- from the splendor of ancient Greece to the Dark Ages to the Englightenment to the horrors of the 20th century and now who knows where in the future. If you wish to spread ideas, the value of pointing to a philosopher makes the job easier. The key word is integration. To the greater degree that a philosopher can provide an integrated philosophy, the more important the philosopher. One may not like Kant, but one can not discount his integrated approach -- and his influence. From personal experience -- prior to becoming aware of Ayn Rand, I was an implicit "believer" in reason. Religion was not an important factor and in fact I had told my girlfriend in 8th grade that I thought I was an atheist. I couldn't explain why other than religion didn't make sense. That didn't keep me away from religion as I participated in various groups, mostly for the social aspects, over the next few years. But most important to me was understanding "why" and what was real. I remembering listening to adults and wondering where they got their opinions. Why did some ideas make sense? Why did some ideas some crazy? How would I ever decide what to say? Politically, I endorsed "capitalism" without a definition. I knew it produced prosperity. I knew communism was bad because of the experience and stories of my Russian grandparents. In the end, I was a "secular capitalist" (as Andy Bernstein once told me). But as you can see, I held a hodgepodge of ideas all loosely connected but unknown as to how by me. I spent several years "shopping" for the connection. Was it religion? Conservatives? Libertarians? Liberals? None of them could provide a case that was both integrated and made sense. Until I read "Atlas Shrugged" and followed up with other works by Ayn Rand. Now I had the tools to determine on my own what was right and wrong -- and most importantly why. I could see that ideas connected. Metaphysics to epistemology to ethics to politics -- it all made sense. I was able to begin to judge the good and bad ideas I held and the keep the good and toss the bad. That is the value of a philosopher -- to provide an integrated view of life at all levels. Philosophers build systems of thought -- not random catch-alls. Thus, when Robert Tracinski says the following, he is incorrect: Unfortunately, that has been an implication of the common Objectivist interpretation of the role of ideas in history. In this view, all important intellectual trends begin in books written by philosophers and are then propagated downward into a culture's political ideas, its art, its sense of life. Of course, good ideas (such as reason) can be passed from person to person implicitly and without the knowledge of the important philosophers. Without a doubt that happens everyday. But the risky result is individuals and cultures won't have a clue as to the essentials of what they know and why they are important. Without an integrated view individuals and cultures can easily lose the good and their confidence. Ideas are important. They are sacred to human life. They must be defined carefully and integrated with other ideas in order to provide value to human life and to be preserved. Individuals need to be able to access explicit abstract ideas in order to use them. And that is what philosophers are important. http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002169.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Originally posted on HBL. *** The Pope recently made a distinction between Christianity and Islam. His primary message was the god of Islam is completely transcendent and has no interaction with us. The message is that we are to simply follow the will of Allah. On the other hand, God of Christianity is connected to us. The link, the Pope says, is "reason". At first this sounds interesting. It seems the Pope advocates reason. Is it possible that Pope Benedict is a modern-day Thomas Aquinas? Reviewing the Pope's statement, I doubt he is speaking of reason as Objectivists do. He criticizes "modern reason" as limited through a 3-step process he terms "dehellenization." Steps 1 and 2: Behind this thinking lies the modern self-limitation of reason, classically expressed in Kant's "Critiques", but in the meantime further radicalized by *the impact of the natural sciences*. Step 3 is stripping the Greek spirit from the New Testament. That Greek spirit is Platonic. The Pope's solution is to remove these limitations upon reason and to expand reason. He calls for "the right use of reason," "reason as a whole," "breadth of reason." This is achieved: if reason and faith come together in a new way, if we overcome the self-imposed limitation of reason to the *empirically verifiable* . . . A reason which is deaf to the divine and which relegates religion into the realm of subcultures is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures. I think the "non-deaf" reason is Philo's "logos" as described by Wilhelm Windelband: The Logos is Reason as coming forth from the deity ("uttered Reason") . . . With this Logos doctrine the first step was taken toward filling the cleft between God and the sensible world. (Windelband, p. 241--242). Throughout, the Pope refers to "logos": The courage to engage the whole breadth of reason, and not the denial of its grandeur--this is the programme with which a theology grounded in Biblical faith enters into the debates of our time. 'Not to act reasonably (with *logos*) is contrary to the nature of God', said Manuel II, according to his Christian understanding of God, in response to his Persian interlocutor. It is to this great *logos*, to this breadth of reason, that we invite our partners in the dialogue of cultures. And: ...the truly divine God is the God who has revealed himself as logos and, as logos, has acted and continues to act lovingly on our behalf. Certainly, love "transcends" knowledge and is thereby capable of perceiving more than thought alone (cf. Eph 3:19); nonetheless it continues to be love of the God who is logos. And: In the beginning was the logos, and the logos is God, says the Evangelist. "Logos" has many meanings. But, in this case it is Philo's. Kant and the Pope are two sides of the same coin. They both present a distorted view of reason. Objectivists should oppose the Pope's efforts just as they do Kant's. Originally posted by Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist, ReBlogged by Meta Blog http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002168.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002167.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Martin Lindeskog says: As an American in spirit, I have entered the green card lottery. Let's hope he gets his card. I don't think there is anyone in Europe more deserving. http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002152.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog There is always a scam behind every hysteria. The global warming hysteria masks a fascist/socialist agenda. The bird flu hysteria is no different. From Reuters: Global efforts to fight bird flu need $1.2-1.5 billion extra funding over the next two to three years, the World Bank said on Monday, advocating more effective compensation for poultry farmers caught in the front line. In a report prepared for distribution at a conference this week in the West African country of Mali, the Bank outlined funding needs over and above $1.9 billion pledged in January in Beijing, including an extra $466 million for Africa alone.... ...The report noted the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain had killed 76 people already this year, almost matching the death toll from the previous three years. The disease had spread to 55 countries, compared with just 16 at the end of 2005... "Experience suggests that compensation schemes are particularly susceptible to fraud, error and abuse," it said. Oh, let us not forget the scare tactics: But it said the sums were a fraction of the potential $1.5-$2 trillion costs of a severe human influenza pandemic. Scientists fear the deadly virus could mutate into a version able to pass between people, triggering a global pandemic which could potentially kill tens of millions of people. The United Nations has no moral right to loot or distribute these funds. That is the primary moral argument. Practically, why is it that 250 million birds have died, but only 200 or so humans over the past 4 years or so? I would like to know what these idiots who are dying of bird flu are doing with these birds. It is next to impossible to get this virus into a human being. Wait a minute...Stars & Stripes has the answer. This is not a potential pandemic -- this is morons not washing their hands. People also should practice good hygiene habits, including washing their hands, Lund said. and... Lt. Col. Eric T. Lund, 18th Medical Command preventive medicine consultant, said Wednesday that military community members across the peninsula should be "be aware of it, but not worried." Most cases of infection result from direct contact with the poultry, their feces or with discharges from the birds' mouths and beaks, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Another threat is from eating or handling undercooked or raw poultry products. Lund said people should not avoid eating chicken or eggs, as long as the food is well cooked. "No pink chicken, no runny yolks," he said. Bottom line: Easy way to save several billions dollars...Wash your hands like yo' momma told you, cook your food, and for God's sake stop playing with bird feces and beak discharges.</em> http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002147.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Islam, 1984, & Moderates Ed Cline at Rule of Reason: It is not possible to win the "hearts and minds" of dedicated, or even semi-dedicated Muslims. Islam is one of the most "heartless" of religions. It tolerates good will among only Muslims, and even then it is conditional. As for kaffirs and other non-believers, it is open season on them at the whim of Islam's clerics and rulers. And as for "minds," Islam is more hostile to them than is Christianity. It is a "God says so because Mohammad said so" faith from top to bottom. This is why one rarely hears from "moderate" Muslims. They are caught between allegiance to the rational and allegiance to the utter irrationality of Islamic tenets and dictates, their convictions divided between remaining loyal to Allah and heeding Mohammad and being loyal to some semblance of wanting to live on earth (just as many Christians are, but much more pathologically). He compares Islam to Orwell's 1984. Check it out.</b></em> http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002150.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog From World Climate Report: The authors place the recent warming into an interesting perspective noting "the global warming observed during the latest 150 years is just a short episode in the geologic history. The current global warming is most likely a combined effect of increased solar and tectonic activities and cannot be attributed to the increased anthropogenic impact on the atmosphere. Humans may be responsible for less than 0.01°C (of approximately 0.56°C (1°F) total average atmospheric heating during the last century)". Holy cow, can you imagine the letters and e-mails they must have received in response to that conclusion? They even show that over the last 3,000 years, the earth has cooled, or if you look just at the last 1,000 years, the earth has been cooling as well (the earth was in the Medieval Warm Period 1,000 years ago). Their conclusions with respect to potential policy will more than raise some eyebrows as well as they write "Any attempts to mitigate undesirable climatic changes using restrictive regulations are condemned to failure, because the global natural forces are at least 4-5 orders of magnitude greater than available human controls." Khilyuk and Chilingar (University of Southern California) are the authors of the article published in Environmental Geology. UPDATE: The only insight about CO2 that has really changed since 1990 is that some people became uncontrollably irrational. Lubos has a sweeping historical, legal, and scientific look at CO2. http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002151.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Lisa VanDamme at Principles In Practice: Among Mr. Travers' principles for deeply grasping and relishing a work of art is the idea of "shuttling"--of moving back and forth cognitively from abstract conclusions about what is observed (e.g., strength, bravery, intelligence) to detailed perceptual observations that yield the abstractions (e.g., sinewy muscles, an erect stance, a furrowed brow) and back to a more refined abstract understanding. Since learning and practicing this technique, I have had the experience of standing before a sculpture that was initially unintelligible and valueless to me, and then going through the process of observing, integrating, observing, reintegrating--and having emerge before me an image that I understood and loved. "Shuttling" is hugely important. I remember my educational experiences -- they were for the most part solely abstract conclusions not tied to any concretes (statistics was always troublesome -- they rarely provided significant cases) and thus unfathomable, or an endless list of concretes (history was bad. Just events and dates with no theme or cause.) with no common abstraction and thus having no meaning. Shuttling between the concretes which your senses can perceive and the concepts which explain what your senses perceive is hugely important. Thanks Lisa for making "shuttling" concrete. http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002148.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist,cross-posted by MetaBlog Chris Davis quotes Penn Jillette, "We need technology to fight against nature. Nature so wants us dead. Nature is trying to kill us. The natural things in this world are HIV and bears. Everything natural in the world wants us dead." So true -- and that gets to the essential question when it comes to the environment. Do you want to make the environment safe for man...or safe from man? http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002124.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist ™,cross-posted by MetaBlog A FEW blind mice have had their sight restored. The process, which involved transplanting precursor retinal cells into their damaged eyes, promises a cure for age-related macular degeneration or blindness due to diabetes. The mice were blind because they had been bred to have non-functional photoreceptor cells, the eye's rod and cone cells that convert light into electrical signals to be sent to http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002094.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist ™,cross-posted by MetaBlog From AP via Drudge: The term is "common good," and it's catching on as a way to describe liberal values and reach religious voters who rejected Democrats in the 2004 election. Led by the Center for American Progress, a Washington think-tank, party activists hope the phrase will do for them what "compassionate conservative" did for the Republicans. "It's a core value that we think organizes the http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002050.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist ™,cross-posted by MetaBlog From the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works: A U.S. based environmental magazine that both former Vice President Al Gore and PBS newsman Bill Moyers, for his October 11th global warming edition of “Moyers on America” titled “Is God Green?” [They] have deemed respectable enough to grant one-on-one interviews to promote their projects, is now advocating Nuremberg-style war crimes http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002040.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist ™,cross-posted by MetaBlog A new exhibit at the Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Library explores Ayn Rand's life and works. Long before Ayn Rand became a household name for penning the controversial classics "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead," the novelist-philosopher lived in Hollywood, struggling, along with so many other immigrants, to launch a career through film. From The LA Times. http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002039.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist ™,cross-posted by MetaBlog Here is an HBL post of mine from today. I did make the call. The volunteer was very pleasant. I spoke quietly and rationally. I asked what happened to the comments. The volunteer said they went to the president's desk at the end of the day. Not sure what that means. You could parse that a million ways. I doubt the president reads all these. He may get a summary report which assesses the "temperature" of the calls. I encourage you to call -- to try to raise the temperature a bit. *** Tom Minchin challenged us all to goad Bush into action. Previously, Jack Crawford provided a means of doing so: "If you would like to communicate this idea to the president, he has patient volunteers who will listen to you sympathetically if you talk to them rationally. Call one at 202-456-1111 M-F 9-5" I called today, but no volunteers were available due to a federal holiday. For a second I worried that Ramadan had become a federal holiday, but then recalled it was Columbus Day. Here is my message for when I call tomorrow: 1. I am very concerned about the president's response to Korea's nuclear tests. Korea has not only threatened us, this is the second time they have taken action. The first was the launch of missiles on Independence Day. 2. I am concerned that the president will do little but go to the UN Security Council which will issue a very, I am sure, *stern* warning. A warning does not cut it. 3. I am concerned that the president will not take true military action to protect American citizens. My concerns are based upon the president's track record. I supported the invasion of Iraq, but did not expect the president to take so little action there and by doing so put our troops at risk. The president has got us into a quagmire and only he is to blame. I found it shocking that I am using the word "quagmire". 4. With respect to Iran, the president has done nothing except issue warnings. 5. Why should I believe that the president is going to destroy our enemies before they destroy us? I have no confidence in President Bush even though I voted for him in 2004. HBLers--there is no better time to goad the president. There is an obvious concrete to which we can apply our ideas. Happy dialing! UPDATE: (CNSNews.com) - North Korea's decision to conduct a nuclear test explosion stems from the "failure" of the Bush administration to develop a comprehensive diplomatic strategy toward the Korean peninsula, a Quaker (pacifist) group says. That's, uhhh, been tried before. http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002033.html

By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist ™,cross-posted by MetaBlog HB closed the thread on this topic on HBL so this one didn't make it. But it is here. Part 1 is here. *** I think 1989 is a pivotal year and it can be marked as the official beginning of the Age of Passivity. Once the threat of the atheistic Soviet Union was gone, the intrinsicists relaxed. It explains many cultural changes beyond monotonal music and Roseanne. The split in the Republican http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002029.html

[Mod's note: This was a "Part-2" sequel thread, which I have merged into this one. - sN] By Andy from The Charlotte Capitalist ™,cross-posted by MetaBlog Follow-up to yesterday's post. Originally posted on HBL. *** Perhaps it is bad form for one to ask a question of others and then answer the question one's self. Oh, well. In my post on the death of pop music I asked what the philosophical connection is between the rise of whining music of today and the rise of environmentalism. I should have also included the rise of the religious right. One word came to mind the next day--"passive." The singing reflects no effort of thought or action. As HB mentioned, even a melancholy song is acceptable. Perhaps you lose a lover and you are sad. That is a natural emotion to a human being who is truly alive and who needs values in order to live. The tone of today's pop songs is different. The tone is passive--as in "Life is happening to me. I am going to drone on about it for the next 3:05." The passivity is a symptom of the intrinsicism expressed through both environmentalism and the New Right. The passive "monotonal" sound reflects a complete disinterest in *human* goal-directed action on planet Earth. Here are just a few quotes from OPAR. CD-ROM owners should search OPAR for "passive". "The mind of such an individual is not active or goal-directed. It is passive, drifting, dazed, oblivious to considerations like truth, clarity, context, or methodology; it merely experiences random stimuli, outer or inner, without self-awareness, continuity, or purpose." [OPAR 57] "Man cannot, therefore, adopt a passive policy, one of waiting for truth to enter his mind. In the use of a concept, as in its formation, he must choose and act." [OPAR 116] "Intrinsicism leads to the view that knowledge is the grasp of an object through the passive absorption of revelations." [OPAR 145] "Capitalism is incompatible with any version of intrinsicism. It is a system of and for mentally active, this-worldly valuers, not of passive self-abnegators." [OPAR 396] http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002025.html