Frontpage Feed
Community Feed
The Idea Market Feed
The 'Verse Feed
Randall McElroy iii's blog
Is around-the-clock election coverage every four years really better than presidents-for-life?
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Thu, 2008-08-28 21:51.If there is a merciful god (I'm not holding my breath) it will end the Democratic Party convention early so that Reason can stop vomiting political nonsense in my rss reader when there are for more important and interesting things for them to be writing about.
I'm only saying this because Reason is my most beloved magazine (and companion website). Many other magazines/websites are always full of hot air, but Reason isn't; that's why this week has been painful.
Destroying communication, one word at a time
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Wed, 2008-08-20 18:27.It makes me nuts to hear military contractors referred to as "private" contractors. If the Pentagon gives someone their orders and pays them, they can't be meaningfully considered private if that word is to communicate anything. Military induction or not, when you're an employee of the government, you're part of the public problem.
It's sloppy language like this that leads people to distrust the market entirely. When some parts of the free market--the voluntary part of society--leave it and start working for the government--the coercive part of society--it seems like there's little distinction. This is why self-described radical "capitalists" need to keep an ear out for self-described "anti-capitalists": they might really be on the same team after all.
McCain reverses entire career of extreme militarism?
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Fri, 2008-08-15 15:36."In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations." Yes, John McCain said that.
Hat tip to guest Agitator Ed Brayton
Lying is an integral part of police work
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Wed, 2008-08-06 11:30.Radley Balko points out another video of the New York Police Department assaulting people and then charging them with crimes, lying in their depositions. Not small discrepancies, understandable errors of recollection, but plain lies boldly contradicting the video footage. What the footage shows is cops assaulting people.
You can thank us "activist bikers" later for being in the vanguard of resistance to the police state. (Yes, I'm one of these types, though not in New York.) It's not often people expose the ugly center of police work.
One of my inner circle was once charged with a crime, and at the deposition that we attended we heard the officer testify under oath to things which we knew to be plainly false. We prodded the lawyer to object, and he said it wasn't even worth the time: police lie all the time, and they're going to be believed in court.
Well, that lying bastard was believed in court. I'm sure he was right back on the street, harassing people and lying about it later.
This happens all the time. This happens everywhere.
Balko vs. Hayne, and the good guy wins
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Tue, 2008-08-05 17:45.Radley Balko is my freakin' hero. Just when I was beginning to lose hope that his continued coverage of Steven Hayne and his cronies in the Mississippi court and police system would actually get things changed around there, "this afternoon Mississippi barred embattled medical examiner Dr. Steven Hayne from doing any more autopsies in the state."
The synopsis: Hayne is contracted by prosecutors all over Mississippi to deliver the results they want from autopsies, however medically implausible, and despite the fact that he is not medically qualified to do so in the first place under Mississippi state legislation. The implications of Radley Balko's journalism are staggering: a huge number of people involved in the system willingly collaborated with Hayne to send innocent people to jail. The magnitude of crime that's been perpetrated by the court system in Mississippi is hard to comprehend. And of course, Balko notes that the severing was not quite as stern as it should be.
But holy Christ, Balko was such a thorn in their side that they threw one of the main villains out!
The strongest gang in the country
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Sun, 2008-08-03 12:16.This story has been all over the bicycle-oriented parts of the blogosphere for days, but you'll notice it will fit on this blog as well. Note: of the two main characters in the video, guess which one was first charged with assaulting the other?
To serve and protect!
Disarming victims and the predictably bad consequences
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Fri, 2008-08-01 14:52.The monopoly on the provision of law and order that the state assumes would be immoral and ineffective even if they were serious about doing it. Legally, they're not, though they are serious about stopping you from trying to do it yourself:
Can a woman facing danger of "separation assault" by a former partner depend on police protection? In one landmark California case, a woman separated from her husband and he retaliated with threats and violence. Over a period of one year, Ruth Bunnell had called the San Jose police at least twenty times to report that her estranged husband Mack had violently assaulted her and her two daughters. Mack had even been arrested once for an assault.
One day Mack called Ruth to say that he was coming to her house to kill her. Ruth called the police for immediate help. The police department "refused to come to her aid at that time, and asked that she call the department again when Mack Bunnell had arrived." Forty-five minutes later Mack arrived and stabbed Ruth to death. Responding to a neighbor's call, the police eventually came to Ruth's house...after she was dead.
Ruth's estate suid the city police for negligently failing to protect her. The California appeals court held that the City of San Jose was shielded from the negligence suit because of a state statute and because there was no "special relationship" between the police and Ruth—the police had not started to help her, and she had not relied on any promise that the police would help. Case dismissed.
...
The Supreme Court has held that neither the U.S. Constitution nor the federal civil rights laws rquire states to protect citizens from crime. As one federal appeals court observed, ordinary citizens have:
no constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals or madmen. It is monstrous if the state fails to protect its residents against such predators but it does not violate the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or, we suppose, any other provision of the Constitution. The Constitution ... does not require the federal government or the state to provide services, even so elementary a service as maintaining law and order.
When a woman relies solely upon a telephone and the expectation of immediate police help, she is placing her trust in a system that legally owes her nothing. That understood, it only makes sense for women and other potential victims to protect and defend themselves and their families from violent criminals.
from Richard W. Stevens, Hugo Teufel III, and Matthew Y. Biscan, "Disarming Women: Comparing 'Gun Control' to Self-Defense" in Liberty for Women
The Dark Knight
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Fri, 2008-07-18 21:06....is amazing. Heath Ledger steals the show, and would even if he weren't dead. I just wanted to be on record saying this.
The Counter-revolutionary Left
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Wed, 2008-06-25 21:13.If you read Bryan Caplan's book The Myth of the Rational Voter, you probably remember the discussion about democratic fundamentalism. If you haven't, you are missing a serious piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding the world. You're like a pre-Copernican pondering the cosmos.
Here's some democratic fundamentalism to blow your hair back: Deliberation Day. The attempt to patch the massive holes in democratic fundamentalism is almost to painful to watch, but they keep going.
I haven't said it too explicitly before, so I'll say it now: the radical Left, the revolutionary Left, the anti-state Left, these people, though we are occasionally at odds, are valuable allies. The NPR Left, the comfortable Left, the democratic fundamentalist Left, these people are an obstacle to the increase of human freedom and flourishing. Their attempts to change very little while expecting the world couldn't stifle real fresh air in the world of ideas more even if they were meant to.
Deliberation Day link via Richard Chappell
How do you tell if a politician is blowing hot air?
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Mon, 2008-06-23 16:49.Political speaking is all about lying, either through outright falsehoods or through manipulating words such that, technically, what you said was true even if you knew the audience would not examine it like that. Granted, they ought to be a little more clever, but listen to this winner right here:
A recent statement by Mr. Chertoff summed up his general stance: “Criminal activity at the border does not stop for endless debate or protracted litigation.”
Well, yes, technically speaking immigration not approved by the Immigration Commissars is illegal, but someone going a long distance that happens to cross this imaginary line to work is not morally different from my moving the same distance inside this vast country to do same.
Wow, that's carelessness
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Wed, 2008-06-18 22:04.Over at Productivity Shock, Jeremy Horpedahl has a wicked takedown of the Associated Press and CBS News on the pathetic state of their science reporting. They've published a piece about global warming causing more earthquakes, and how some New Age 'scientist' proved this, but without really bothering to think about what they were saying. Nice work.
WN 21
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Mon, 2008-06-16 14:10.Via Archinect, the news that Walter Netsch is dead. Though arguably his most famous work involves collaboration with two institutions I oppose, religion and the state, it is really stunning.
Frankly, I choose beer over country
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Thu, 2008-06-12 14:34.Some stupider-than-usual grandstanding today, this time from Missouri. Belgian booze outfit InBev wants to buy Anheuser-Busch (goodness knows why), but Republican governor Matt Blunt thinks the government of the state of Missouri ought to have a say in it:
Republican Gov. Matt Blunt said Wednesday he opposes the deal, and directed the Missouri Department of Economic Development to see if there was a way to stop it.
"I am strongly opposed to the sale of Anheuser-Busch, and today's offer to purchase the company is deeply troubling to me," Blunt said in a statement.
Web sites have sprung up opposing the deal on patriotic grounds, arguing that such an iconic U.S. firm shouldn't be handed over to foreign ownership. One of the sites, called SaveAB.com, was launched by Blunt's former chief of staff, Ed Martin.
"Shareholders should resist choosing dollars over American jobs," Martin said in a statement Wednesday night. "Selling out to the Belgians is not worth it - because this is about more than beer: it's about our jobs and our nation."
That last line is what got me going. "[T]his is about more than beer: it's about our jobs and our nation."
Someone has his priorities mixed up, and I don't mean that facetiously. On the one hand we have beer, a magnificent ingredient of a satisfied life. On the other hand we have an arbitrary, morally unjustifiable division between Americans and Belgians. Who gives a damn where the suit is signing the papers?
The idea that "we" have a "nation" is a joke. I assume that Ed Martin and I share the same first language, but I can head south of the border and find people I have more common interests with, have more fun with, and sure as hell would lift a finger to save from imminent death faster than.* If you have to draw lines, draw me with them and not with Ed Martin, Matt Blunt, or any of their cronies. Lest I be accused of favoritism, the same goes for most places in the world, some linguistic barriers notwithstanding.
And besides, it's not like Anheuser-Busch can start marking worse beer. Maybe the Belgians can help them clean up their act.
* All right, I'd save Ed Martin too, but I'd grumble about it later.
Hat tip to Matt Welch at Hit and Run
Geek Out Saturday
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Sat, 2008-05-24 12:38.Chris's Invincible Super-Blog has a couple of gems lately. First, a bite-sized morsel of The Contra Hearings:
SENATOR JONATHAN PERKINS (R, TX): Please state your name for the record.
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM RIZER: Lieutenant Bill Rizer, United States Marine Corps. Codename “Mad Dog.”
SEN. PERKINS: Thank you, Lieutenant. And before we get started, I’d like to commend you for your actions during the conflict. Purple Heart, Medal of Honor… Says here you received the citation for valor almost thirty times, is that correct?
LT. RIZER: Yes sir.
SEN. PERKINS: Well I thank you, and your country thanks you for your service, Lieutenant.
LT. RIZER: It was an honor to serve, sir. I just wish things could’ve gone a little differently.
SENATOR ELIZABETH VAN HOUSEN (D, MA): Yes, about that. Would you care to outline your opinions for us?
LT. RIZER: To put it bluntly, Senator, we were simply not prepared for what we encountered over the course of the Red Falcon conflict.
SEN. VAN HOUSEN: And by “we,” you mean…?
LT. RIZER: Me and Lance–that is, Sgt. Bean.
SENATOR ARTHUR WEATHERTON (R, NM): With all due respect, Lieutenant, I fail to see how the failure to equip two Marines necessitates a Congressional investigation. Why haven’t we heard from the rest of the soldiers involved in the operation?
LT. RIZER: Because Lance and I were the total forces committed to the Red Falcon conflict, Senator.
SEN. WEATHERTON: … Oh. Carry on.
...
There's also an attack ad against Cobra Commander, but you need to see the pictures.
Ladrones estatales
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Mon, 2008-05-12 20:08.Mexico's federal consumer protection agency recently determined that 10% of the country's gas stations cheat their customers, either through watering down gasoline or through modifying the software that runs the machines to make the number appear higher than the amount that leaves the pump.
It may be relevant to point out that PEMEX, Mexico's state-run petroleum company, is the only supplier for all of the country's commercial stations.
Via Vivir México
Creationism and Intelligent Design in the Economy
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Wed, 2008-05-07 23:19.Brandon's post about Patri's post about socioeconomic creationism made me want to kick myself for not writing up an idea I had been sitting on: an analogy between creationism and intelligent design in the economy.
It used to be that a lot of people believed in flat-out economic creationism: these were the communists and other totalitarians that thought they could create an economic order out of whole cloth. Literally every detail would be mapped out beforehand. Like creationism as belief about the natural world, this idea has been thoroughly trashed and we don't really have to take people intellectually seriously when they believe it.
But now, in both areas, we have softer versions of the same old nonsense. Intelligent design aims to take the overwhelming natural evidence for evolution by natural selection of billions of years and say that it was directed from on high. All this news about the Federal Reserve lately reminds me of the "intelligent design" of the economy. Sure, markets do things sometimes, but they are guided by this power on high that really controls the essentials. It's the economic Almighty that's making the pivotal decisions that everyone else acts out in the countless transactions that happen everywhere, all the time.
I know that this is not exactly the same as what my colleagues were talking about, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. Stay tuned, Micha is next.
When fighting back is a crime
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Tue, 2008-05-06 18:36.WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. government has charged an international arms dealer with conspiring to sell a rebel group millions of dollars in weapons "to be used to kill Americans in Colombia," federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Viktor Bout, who was recently captured in Thailand, had agreed to sell the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, "ultralight" airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other weapons, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
There was no immediate public response from Bout, who remains in custody in Thailand.
Federal authorities unsealed an indictment charging Bout with four terrorism offenses: conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, conspiracy to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Why do Viktor Bout's customers need surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, "ultralight" airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other weapons to kill Americans in Colombia? They can't just do it the old-fashioned way and mug them in the alley?
The establishment media wouldn't dare to print anything about it, but the reason is that the US government has been fighting an undeclared war in Colombia for years with "private" soldiers. They are heavily armed and armored. They have planes, guns, bullets, bombs, and chemicals, and they aren't afraid to use them to commit what would be called "terrorism" or "acts of war" if they were happening the other way around. The US government can arm anybody, torture anybody, or kill anybody, because it's all in the name of...ahem, security or freedom or something. But they hate competition.
Monkeys and their toys, and what it means (and doesn't mean) for us
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Fri, 2008-05-02 22:20.Somewhat surprisingly, Francois Tremblay is surprised by the results of a new study on primates that finds male monkeys prefer some kinds of toys over others. This suggests that "gender" differences may have some basis in sex after all.
I say "surprisingly" because scientifically speaking this conclusion is not at all a surprise or even really news. The research points overwhelmingly to innate differences between males and females, and anyone who follows this topic will already be familiar with it. The bulk of the resistance to the idea that there are innate sex differences seems to me to be motivated by non-scientific factors.
He muses: "What does this means for Anarchist views on gender relations, I wonder." This doesn't seem like a huge problem for me, since it already forms a part of my understanding of the world that there are real, innate differences between men and women other than the shapes/functions of their genitals. Everyone still has the right to live freely—science doesn't (and can't) challenge the moral basis for our system.
Of course, not every difference between men and women is innate. Our body of scientific knowledge leaves room for "gender" being distinct from "sex," we just need to remember that there are some biological bases for behavior. If our systems of thought don't acknowledge these kinds of facts about the world, we're in trouble. We can still fight the systematic oppression of women when we find it, because the shape of the bell curve for female intelligence has zero bearing on their rights.
More important things to consider here.
Note: I can already see some of the objections that people will have to this, so let me have it and don't pull any punches.
Michael Moore in the public service
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Mon, 2008-04-28 19:11.Mark this date on your calendars: it is the date that I approvingly link to a Michael Moore video. It's Moore doing an "African-American Wallet Exchange" so that fewer NYC cops will be shooting unarmed black people.
Hat tip to Marie from The Art of the Possible for sharing it
First the Academy, then the world
Submitted by Randall McElroy iii on Wed, 2008-04-23 14:43.Earlier we talked about it, but now it's done: Dan D'Amico defended his dissertation yesterday. Congratulations!