Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. SPORADIC BLOGGING

One of the things I have learned about being a blogger is to be consistent. You don't have to post every day. It could be just once a week. But no matter how frequently or infrequently you post, you always post on this schedule. This is because readers have expectations. A good blogger is a consistent blogger. (I am working on a post about being a good blogger, so I will have more of these nuggets of wisdom.)

The goal here at the C-blog is to post daily. This would be easy if I just tossed out some crap, but that doesn't cut it. So, I block off time to put together material, and most of this material is actually scheduled in advance to be published later in an act of time shifting. For instance, today I will write a couple of essays that won't hit the blog until Tuesday or Wednesday. This gives you, Gentle Reader, the illusion that I am a Superblogger who can work a 12 hour day, maintain my life, and also churn out two or three essays and commentary on a daily basis. But this isn't the reality. This was discovered this week when the boss gave me a call because he had a little bit of a crisis. This shattered the illusion as my writing schedule suddenly took a back seat to my first love which is work.

I think I can take things up a notch here, so I am going to try and do that. I feel a certain robustness lately along with a sense of daring. Things have felt stagnant for me for the last year or so. I am breaking out of this. Change is good. You need to mix things up once in awhile. Maybe take some LSD and make something psychedelic. Or end up like Syd Barrett with a smoking crater where your brain used to be.

I wouldn't expect the White Album here, but I am going to try and get more work done. The debate I have is this. Is writing work? Or is it a hobby? Should I treat it as fun or as a second job? Whether I get paid or not, I think it would help to treat this gig like a job.

2. THOSE DAMN REPUBLICANS

The debt limit stalemate continues with everyone blaming Republicans for not compromising and being more bipartisan. I have to shake my head and laugh. We have a President who has made no proposals of his own. We have the Democrats in the Senate who propose smaller cuts. Obama only seems to care about raising taxes which no Republican will go along with. Why? Because this was done before. The reason we are at this impasse is taxes.

Here's the deal. The government is going to default on its debt because of a political game. Democrats know that if they can get Republicans to agree to "revenue enhancements" they have won the game. The Dems know they have to cut spending, and the tax hikes are just a drop in the bucket in the big scheme of things. But, politically, those tax hikes demoralize the base of the Republican party. It infuriates those Tea Partiers. So, for the sake of trying to win valuable political points, Obama is willing to let the country default. By now, even Senate Democrats have caved on the tax issue. But not Obama.

What many Republicans have learned is that compromise is bullshit. It only comes back to bite you in the ass later. Stick to your principles and take the flak. As I write this, the House has passed a bill. The Senate merely needs to pass that bill as written, send it to the POTUS, and the crisis is ended. Democrats need to compromise on spending. They merely need to choose to spend less instead of more. When you consider that the government is bankrupt, this is a good idea. But they won't do it. Fuck reality. Obama has one more election to go, and he intends to win it. So, the Republicans are going to bear the blame for his veto. Amazing shit.

MEMO TO REPUBLICANS: Call that fucker's bluff.

3. NORWEGIAN NUTCASE

I have grown sick of reading all of the commentary about Anders Behring Breivik, the psycho who went on a murderous rampage in Norway. Everyone seems to be spending their time trying to understand his politics and his motivations. The most telling thing is how the guy plagiarized the Unabomber who was an extremist left winger. Breivik is some sort of extremist right winger. Naturally, left wingers try and make political points out of this. It is a tragedy turned into spin, and I am sick of it.

Here's the deal. This may shock you, but here it is. For almost any ideology or worldview you care to name--racism, Islam, Christianity, libertarianism, Luddism, veganism, environmentalism, animal rights, etc.--there are is some nutcase who thinks that violent acts are the way to accomplish the goal of getting others on board. Nevermind that these actions generate virtually zero sympathy for the cause. They actually undermine the cause.

There are some snarky types who like to lift passages verbatim from the Unabomber's manifesto and post them to lefty forums. Naturally, these passages get accolades from folks who don't realize they are praising the thoughts of a psycopath. But I could do the same thing with right wingers by lifting passages from Mein Kempf. Ultimately, ideas exist separate from these people. To support or refute these ideas based on the actions of these respective nutjobs is to fall into the ad hominem fallacy.

What is at issue here is terrorism or what I prefer to call "political violence." Political violence is distinct from criminal violence because criminal violence usually has its goal the acquisition of money, material, or pleasure at the expense of others. Political violence has as its goal the acquisition of political change at the expense of others. As such, the government is the greatest perpetrator of political violence as witnessed in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. When terrorists engage in political violence, they are seeking to be like the government.

Political violence does not work. It changes things but almost never in the way it was intended. This is true for both individuals and government. I am reminded of the animal rights activist who said that people who wear fur should have their heads bashed in with a brick. Statements like this make you look stupid. Carried into action, it makes you look like what you are--a psychopath.

Violence doesn't work. Gandhi and Martin Luther King proved this with their non-violent actions. By being peaceful, they made their overlords look like the psychopaths. This is an amazingly effective tactic. As such, I categorically reject violence except in cases of self-defense from the violence of others. If you want to affect change, give peaceful resistance a try. This is because it works at changing people's minds and gaining sympathy for your cause. It works way better than bombs and guns. This is something governments should consider as well when it comes to their foreign policy.

As for Anders Brehing Breivik, the only thing he accomplished is to make Muslims look civilized and rational.

4. FACEBOOK DOES SOMETHING RIGHT

Facebook is paying people $500 for each flaw they find in the company's infrastructure. This is an amazing stroke of genius. The fact is that many people and white hat hackers find these vulnerabilities and report them. The problem is they get ignored. Grey hats go the next step by exploiting these flaws for the "Lulz." It is embarrassing for the company, but it gets the message across to the shitheads in corporate that NEVER FUCKING LISTEN. The last resort are the black hats who actively exploit the flaws for the sake of Russian mobsters who will have much fun with your private data.

Facebook has made a bold move in recognizing how valuable the white hats are to what they do. I think others will follow their lead. Pure fucking genius.

5. HOOTERS



I've been going to Hooters each week now. This is usually Friday after work. I eat chicken wings mostly. Shit is good. But I admit that I go to ogle tits and ass. Plus, they have sports on multiple TV sets. In short, Hooters is the ultimate man cave.

Hooters has also given a boost to the concept people call the "breastaurant." There are other chains like Twin Peaks and Mugs 'N Jugs that are competing in this space. But Hooters is the king for now. What is the appeal? Hot chicks. What else? That is a dumb question.

Hooters isn't like a strip club though. It's more like a sports bar with better looking bartenders and waitresses. The food isn't the greatest, but it is cheap. For a blue collar guy like me after work, it is heaven on earth.

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