The Stories and Novels By Derek Ward
Tuesday, Val Kilmer passed away at the age of 65. Far too young, but the man kind of rode the edge. He also may not have been the easiest person to work with. Still, his work has been a big part of my life.
Starting with:
And because of this:
And this:
Some of this:
And this:
Okay, this was more when I grew up:
This is another in my series where I’m working out my thoughts through blogging.
There’s a recent brouhaha among the chattering classes surrounding the deporting of one of the Columbia ringleaders. Here’s a Freepress article on the current issue.
The thing about chattering class issues is that while they are often transitory and often non-issues after their fifteen minutes, they can spark questions about first principles. So, what does conversation does this current one spark?
First, the Constitution doesn’t grant rights. It acknowledges that we, as human beings, have innate natural rights.
Second, the Constitution is a contract by which the government of the United States is required to defend the rights of its citizens and others as the government and the citizenry agree.
The question becomes when does the government have an obligation to defend the rights of people who are not citizens?
I know this is a bad analogy, but it’s kind of like house guests.
People on visas are like folks you invite in for dinner or to do work in the house, maybe even stay a few days. You expect them to follow the rules of the house or GTFO.
Green card holders are more like when your SO moves in. This is a person you think is likely to become a permanent part of your household. You would expect them to have more say in how things run. They can say things that a guest cannot.
This is more clearing out a bunch of older Reason links.
But first, let’s do some dramatic footage.
From CNN, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand. There is some dramatic footage from Bangkok including the collapse of a condo tower under construction.
Now on to the Reason links.
Allies are reconsidering purchasing the F-35. I do not understand the administration’s need to sunder long-standing ties in irreparable ways, and I don’t think we will like the world after “we win”.
A thinkpiece advocating against subsidies for farmers who take a hit from Trump’s tariffs. There’s part of me that wants to help people hurt by the tariffs. I have family in the farming industry, and I don’t want to lump them all into some faceless group. Still, there’s something about people having to face the full force of the consequences in order to take corrective action. I just hate how much it may hurt because of one man’s capriciousness.
Another bad decision is gutting Radio Free Europe and Voice of America.
Yes DOGE can cancel federal contracts. Or the departments can cancel them upon DOGE’s advice.
The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reverse its decision in Kelo. The perversion of eminent domain for taking private lands to hand over to another private entity needs to die.
Of course, I have problems with the concept of eminent domain. It’s a process rife with abuse, such as this case in Rhode Island. Threatening the landowners with trespass before the official seizure is new though.
Kansas schools are finding open enrollment is not their downfall, but their lifeline. Perhaps school choice is a good thing?
EU’s recent actions against American tech companies could stifle innovation. I know it would be financial misconduct to their shareholders, but it would be interesting if the big tech companies embargoed the EU if their politicos continues with their shenanigans. Of course, there’s always that regulatory capture thing.
Sleepwalking into a cashless society. Do I routinely carry cash? Yes, but it’s “emergency cash” in case my cards don’t work. Do I prefer using my ApplePay? Absolutely. Do I want government doing away with cash? Hell no.
The promise of Assad’s fall has been betrayed. A phrase that has become increasingly part of my vernacular – how unsurprisingly surprising.
An opinion on not deleting your 23andMe data with the company in bankruptcy. I have not done any of these genetic tests, partly because I don’t trust these companies with this kind of information. This situation reinforces those instincts.
North Carolina has a bill to ban lab grown meat. I don’t care what high-minded ideals the advocates spout. This smacks of protectionism.
Our light item for the week.
The reason there wasn’t a Monday Links post was that The Wife and I did our now-annual pilgrimage to North America’s oldest city. It’s where we honeymooned and it’s one of our favorite places. We tried something different this year by going during the week instead of going on the weekend.
Monday started with taking our hairless Boo to the kitty cardiologist. The cat is doing well without any degradation. Plus, there may be a drug therapy to help his heart. We’re hopeful. Upon discussion with The Wife, we stopped at 5.11 so I could pick up a new backpack. The sling bag is good for short trips out to stores or errands. For long days walking around, I have found that my lower back dislikes the sling bag. So, I figured trying out a smaller backpack.
We went to the fort, which was in the midst of an invasion of school-age children. There were also some new displays compared to last year. From there, we hoofed it over to the Oldest House. Touring the exhibits, I explained the difference between matchlock and flintlock. Then back down St. Georges to enjoy all the shops. And yes, I procured a new hat. We need a new hat rack. We also found that some of the shops we normally visit aren’t open during the early part of the week.
We also found the B&B we stay at has an outdoor cat that is the spitting image of our big orange cat.
In short, we had a lot of fun, came home with some new souvenirs, and generally considered a good trip.
A lot of places were doing their five year retrospectives based on the issuance of Trump’s emergency order. I mark it when The Wife and I were sent home to work from home. We were suddenly reordering our lives so that we could both telework full-time. We had to learn how to become not only husband and wife, but coworkers in a sense.
Looking back, COVID accelerated and intensified sentiments and feelings that were bubbling under the surface. The distrust of the elites and institutions was reinforced by their actions. Their absolute imperiousness against even the most reasoned pushback of their assertions. Their absolute craven cowardice against the mob. Well, the mob whose approval they desperately wanted. My personal goodwill evaporated when the elites and their sycophants kept schools closed well beyond when the evidence showed it wasn’t effective. The education loss will reverberate for decades.
And now we’re living in the backlash. Those who were persecuted under the previous elites now have the whip hand. And just as their predecessors, they will use their power to punish those they consider their enemies.
I still trust most people will do their best during emergencies – right up until the chattering classes and their paymasters get involved.
Day Job Happenings – We’re still in a holding pattern. We know that Reductions In Force (RIFs) are happening, but the timeline is a bit…opaque, shall we say? Similarly, while a large segment of my division’s workforce has returned to office, I am in a portion without a current RTO date. The Wife and I are a little concerned that I’ll get an RTO – which necessitates getting a car – and then getting RIF’d a few months later. On the plus side, we received some additional revenue, so our last major debt, other than the houses is now paid off.
Musical Happenings – Back in November, I saw that the Sarasota Orchestra was going to be playing Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” This is one of my favorite pieces of classical music. So, I picked up tickets for their matinee. Weekend before last, The Wife and I made the trek down. It was amazing to hear that played live. One thing that hit me while I was playing it live was the intricacies of the orchestra. Yes, I’ve seen it on television, but for some reason, the synchronicity of the various sections and the way that they came together was more on display in a live setting.
Sourdough Happenings – The Wife decided to join the sourdough bandwagon and try her hand at a starter. Because we need to anthropomorphize everything, she christened her starter “Doughlene.” Something about feeding it and keeping it alive means it must have a name. The Brother was kind enough to lend us some cookware he wasn’t using. We shall see what arises over the next few weeks. (See what I did there)