I support public collective bargaining, and the consequences

Much has been made of the fight in Wisconsin about collective bargaining, and the teacher's union. I don't agree with Wisconsin's laws that essentially require 100% membership, since they're not a right to work state.

I completely support their union's right to join together and collectively bargain. Let them get together and decide as a group whether they want to accept a pay offer. I personally consider unions the pinnacle of libertarian action; it's the people working together.

However, there is always the "or else". Unions say "pay us X or we all quit". Employers say "I'll pay you Y or you're locked out". The whole system works for most employers because the jobs are just skilled enough to be very expensive to replace, while not so skilled that you can never replace them.

My advise to Walker: make the Y offer, then fire them. There's a lot of replacement teachers floating around out there.

Rick Stansbury needs to chill

The coach of Mississippi State didn't do well in the game today. At the end of the first half, Brandon Knight knew that he was getting fouled, so he threw up a prayer. Unlike football, a shot is a shot even if there's no chance in you-know-where that it will hit. The foul was obvious, so Brandon gets 3 shots.

However, Mr. Stansbury couldn't calm down about it, and had to mouth the ref too much. Instant technical. That's 5 total shots. Knight makes 4 of 5 and Miss. State goes into the locker room only up 1.

Mr. Stansbury needs to learn to calm down a bit. And make his center run.

In case Spacebunny zaps me

Over at Vox Day, I posted this:

Good Will: 2/9/11 4:35 PM:
Therefore asking (good) questions (as you have) cannot be answered by any appeal to the Bible -- because those answers are not in the Bible!

---

I've noticed something important: people who tell me that the answer isn't in the Bible haven't bothered to read it. Of course they are. Christianity is a self-complete system. While Christians have built up a near-Talmudic system of theological interpretation over 2000 years, we have also viciously used the Bible as a sword to prune it regularly. The most debated subject is the Trinity, and that debate is internal to the Bible: God is one, yet there are at least 4 entities (God the Father, the Angel of the Lord, the Spirit, and Jesus) in it who are identified as referred to as God. The answer is that there are 3 (the Angel of the Lord IS Jesus), and yet still one.

LDS teaching cannot complete our knowledge of the Lord God of Israel because it conflicts with the knowledge of God given in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek text. Smith and the LDS leadership were woefully ignorant of the Bible of their time, much less of the advances in textual analysis in the last 150+ years.

Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel, is not a created being. He was the Beginning and the End, the uncaused cause. The god of the LDS is a created being with a wife. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the only begotten Son, not simply one child out of billions (i.e. Mormonism scoops out the arian/socinian heresies, and then turns the blender all the way to 11). The dragon, the devil of old, HaSatan, is a created being, an angel who was cast out of his place from his rebellion, not Jesus' brother. God most certainly did not have intercourse with Mary, no matter what Brigham Young tought.

The serpent tempted Eve, telling her, "You shall be like God". The LDS tempts us likewise, telling us that we shall be our own Gods in our own creation. We won't be like God, we will be God!

If Moroni even existed, he followed in the fine tradition of Jibril: He was a false angel, a demon sent out to misinform anyone vulnerable. Arabia of the seventh century was an intellectual wasteland, filled with rampant paganism and ignorant, heretical pseudo Christians and Jews. When Mohammed finally came across Jews and Christians of strong, orthodox faith, they rejected him as the heretic he was.

Smith was equally placed. The 1830s were full of disbelief and wild near-heresies (the Seventh Day Adventists, Shakers, etc.). Smith, a "converted" fraud and huckster, collected people out of groups with poor Christian doctrine, but generally failed to turn the Scripturally strong.

Read the Apostle's Creed. Every line in it can be directly traced back as a paraphrase of Bible versus. LDS teaching directly conflicts with at least 3 of the traditional articles, and redefines at least 3 more to something entirely different than what the Bible says they will be.

Islam and Mormonism both fail because they claim to fix a broken system. At least Islam has the honesty to attempt to claim that Hebrew and Christian scriptures have been corrupted (a laughable claim in light of scriptural preservation, but at least it's a claim). Mormonism is stuck claiming that the Christian leaders were falsely interpreting the Bible we have, but then filled the LDS with claims that violate the black letter text of the Bible.

Now, back to the Mormon politician issue. If Mormonism is not Godly, then the Mormon has (knowingly or not) committed to fighting against God. God can still use that person, just as He used Cyrus or the Caesars, but that doesn't mean we should choose that person over a Christian. Will I take an "honest" Mormon over a dishonest Christian? No. Sorry.

Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead

Keith Olbermann has parted ways with MSNBC. We still don't have cable, so I couldn't care less, but knowing that the sports geek has nights off is a definite comfort.

The Best Video Ever?

I've watched some good videos, and liked a lot of songs, but this is just about the best video ever.

Christopher Walken is an amazing dancer (and did most of the choreography), and is clearly relishing the roll of traveler wanting to fly but instead stuck in yet another hotel. (Wikipedia says he loved doing the video so much, Walken wanted to refuse his salary.) Since I absolutely hate traveling, this video really resonates with me.

Sorry for Google Video, but YouTube has embedding turned off.

There Ain't No Grave

The song isn't "Traditional", it's by Brother Claude Ely, a singer and preacher I had never heard about until this version of the song.

The video comes from The Johnny Cash Project. They have some really neat stuff going on over there.



(Remember Safari and YouTube5 let you bypass Flash everywhere.)

Obama Lectures Hu?

In HU'S NEXT, John of PowerLine says:

It is not just that Obama is the President of a debtor nation; he is a President whose plan is to borrow many trillions more--money that, in large part, can come only from China. There are a great many things that the Chinese could do with their money, but only one place where Obama can go to borrow the trillions he is determined to spend. So I suspect that any lectures delivered tomorrow will flow in the opposite direction.

My own take on what Hu's opinion will be (the video is TV-14, so you might want to read this transcript instead):



(sorry about the Flash.)

Justice in the Mortgage Market?

I like seeing Mish's analyses of the current market environment, but he is definitely pro-bank on the mortgage fraud. In the latest post, he is negative on a Utah procedure that lets the mortgagee legally disconnect the lien from the note.

He said, at the end,

Certain people will be cheering these developments. Unfortunately, there is nothing to cheer about here. No justice was served by these rulings.

Here is my comment, in whole, on the matter:

Why should we require that a company obey the law?

Why should we require that a company actually own a mortgage before forclosing?

I am not even being facetious. Wells Fargo has been caught forclosing on people who didn't even have a mortgage with them, and at least one that didn't even have a mortgage. Bank of America made a mistake, and sent a house securing team to the wrong address, breaking in on a woman a month or two ago.

MERS was established to commit tax fraud. States want a fee to record mortgage transfers, so that homeowners don't get ripped off (and to get their cut). MERS was designed solely to bypass state law. Now, the banks are getting caught, and paying for it. Boo hoo.

Moreover, the mortgage security trusts were a complete fraud. The banks were endorsing the notes in blank (which BTW, was more tax evasion, since that creates a bearer bond, which are taxable at punitive rates), and then never bothering to pass the physical document from entity to entity. In most states, this was a violation of the law. Often, the MBS hasn't even been given legal possession of the mortgage, as has been documented in Massachusetts and elsewhere.

Sometimes the original is just languishing in a vault somewhere, and the lenders could try to fix the problem. Other times, the document was intentionally destroyed (again, a violation of the law).

At the end of the day, the borrower doesn't get off scot-free either. Even if he can prove that the banks violated the law with intent to defraud everyone in their path, all he does is break the lien. The promissory note, i.e. the debt, is still there. In some states, it'd even be converted from a no-recourse loan to a recourse loan in the process. Sure, this can be discharged in bankruptcy, but bankruptcy isn't a zero-cost action either.

Show me a party with clean hands, and I'll cry for justice. Now, I see banks crying because they got robbed of the money they stole fair and square.

Favorite Songs -- Stay Around A Little Bit Longer

This song is in nearly constant rotation on my iPod and iTunes.





(Remember, use Safari and YouTube5 to avoid Flash.)

No more air travel

I was on my last airline flight in 2000. How, with the full body scanners and enhanced pat downs, I am done. I Opt Out.

I will not fly out of any airport where the TSA has control of security, and I will not fly on any airline that co-operates with the TSA. If that means I drive, then I drive.

How did Mission Impossible or the old black and white movies make clear that some place had a police state? "Papers, please." Now, the Gamma men that run this once proud country think it's acceptable for us, free citizens, to turn our heads and cough every time some tin-pot tin-badged Arby's reject(*) wants a free feel.

There comes a time in a man's life where you say "This far, no farther". I will drive, or I might ride Amtrak if I have to, but I will not fly.

A new favorite singer

I watched Austin City Limits, and the new stuff with Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers was really good. However, Sarah Jarosz went to another level. To have a 18 year old playing like that, singing her own stuff AND taking other people's songs away from them.

The last time I was so impressed, we discovered John Prine. Time to put Ms. Jarosz in the rotation.

UK needs defensive coaches

• Randal Cobb is either playing hurt or playing exhausted. Trying to carry an entire team on your shoulders is too much.
  
• The UK offensive line needs some strength, but was mostly just outclassed by an excellent Georgia defensive line. They need to try to give Hartline just a little more help.
  
• The UK offense committed 4 turnovers. Yes, that was very bad. OTOH, get behind by 14 points or more, and you have to take chances, and chances mean turnovers.
  
• No one on the UK defense can tackle. Georgia players regularly got more yardage than they should have, because the UK person couldn't grab and hold.
  
  The entire UK defense should be put through tackling drills, and the defensive coaching staff should have to play the offense.
  
• Update: I forgot that the Georgia Athletic Director should fine the Georgia coaching staff a week's pay. Ealey got hurt on an offensive play with a few minutes left. He walked off under his own power, but I told our neighbors that he should be done for the night. At that time, UK had a theoretical possibility of catching up, but not a practical one. A few plays later, Ealey was out there again and had to get escorted off the field again. The second time, UK was a dead duck; your record-making player had no business on the field.
  
  
  If I were AD at Georgia, I would have their coach in my office Sunday afternoon for a good yelling, at the very least.
  

You can't make money losing $10 per unit

If you count an iPad as a computer, Apple is now the #1 US computer maker. I would tend to agree with the idea: with iWork and a bluetooth keyboard, the iPad is now enough computer for most people.

Dell and HP dumped $400 crap on the market, and now they're paying for it. Dell and HP have reached the WalMart point: they can no longer undercut their competitors and drive them out of business. WalMart is now facing profitability issues, with Aldi and Krogers being very competitive here (and Meijers even pushing them hard).

Dell and HP are now stuck fighting it out in the junk market. Intel servers are now a commodity market, with IBM squeezing them on both the Intel and Power fronts. On a deal I saw, Intel had to basically tape money to the side of the Dell hardware to even get close to underpricing IBM Power7 hardware running DB2.

Apple chose to skip the under $1000 computer market, until it could release the iPad. Now it has the iPad and iPod touch in those markets, and both make money instantly. Instead of having a lineup where most of your sales lose money, Apple makes money everywhere. (For several years, Dell was a financing company paid by Intel to ship money-losing computers.)

The current stock valuations are insane. I wouldn't short Apple (the market can stay insane much longer than you can stay solvent), but a cheap put or 3 might make money. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if the Greater Depression 2.0 took Dell out completely.

It couldn't have happened to a more deserving coach

Steve Spurrier got outcoached by Joker Phillips. It's 11 seconds, and Spurrier burns his last time out. If UK gets a sack with 5 or 6 seconds left, it's possible that South Carolina can't get their field goal team on the field.

It's nice to see Spurrier have to blubber his way through the post-game news conference. He showed how little class he has by blaming his players instead of taking responsibility for the game.

Update: I am rewatching the last 8 minutes, and I had forgotten where Spurrier wasn't watching the play clock and let his team get the delay of game. If he doesn't take complete and utter blame for losing, his Athletics Director should fire him.

A Failure to Communicate

I am about to have a failure to communicate: I am losing my voice. I appear to have a cold or sinus infection that is moving into my vocal cords. I was sounding like a frog last night, and it's getting worse today. Now, I can speak, but just barely. My throat feels like I won't be able to talk at all tomorrow. Hopefully a lot of cold water and rest will sooth it.

What the Apple TV 2 is, and isn't

This is one humble, "no insider knowledge", blogger's opinion.

The new Apple TV is Apple's next step in ruling the world.

Seriously.

Think Star Trek, Next Generation. When you're thirsty, you tell the computer to replicate a drink. When you want to watch a show, you pick up a PADD or look at a screen and access a file. Your food, your entertainment, your whole life is a collection of data that follows you around.

Now, put that in your hand. The iPhone and iPad replace the PADD. You have laptops and desktops that do the "sit down" work, like the Picard laptop or Geordi's workstations. Now, the Apple TV is there. Forget the iTunes rentals, that's just the now state. The killer feature is that you can "throw" a video from your iPad or iPhone (and probably iTunes later) onto a screen.

iOS is the new Lingua Franca. Join data and code, and you have an object. The object can run one place, then get pushed somewhere else. Watch the file bounce from your iPad to your laptop, then back, and then over to the AirPlay compatible projector. No wires.

The Apple TV is now just another node in the Apple Home Supercomputing Mesh.

Wes Collins for the House

Been quite busy at work. Sorry, can't talk about it; I don't make fun of work, and they don't fire me. :)

Saw the following sight at a local WalMart:




If someone's willing to camp out at WalMart to support a candidate, then I'm willing to pay attention. According to his website, Mr. Collins is a Tea Party supporter, and very libertarian/constitutionalist. I like his positions.

We have had positive interactions with Ben Chandler, as I've documented here, but I can't support a Democrat in this election. I don't know Andy Barr, but if he's been mixed up with Ernie Fletcher, he doesn't have my vote either.

Looks like I'm writing in Wes Collins.

New "favorite for now" singer

I don't tend to have all-time favorite singers. There are just too many people who are just too good. However, I do tend to have "favorite for now" singers; people who I will listen to while excluding all others.

Hania Lee has reached that point. She's a neat Australian singer with a flair for absurdist songs. I am a sucker for absurdist songs, especially false-cheery absurdism. (Think "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" as sung by crucifixion victims.)

Here is "Relax and Smile"

Update: I was trying to make this into a player, but the stupid thing downloads every time I hit the post. You get to click on it instead. Sorry.

Must-have Safari Extensions, part 2

I just found Plugin Customs, and it's become my new replacement for ClickToFlash. It takes every single plugin, not just Flash, and blocks it until clicked. You have to uninstall ClickToFlash before it works well, but that's a small price to pay.

Update: Plugin Customs 1.2 hates YouTube5, and ClickToFlash has been ported to an extension. I use both ClickToFlash and YouTube5 because YouTube5 is better at using HTML5 on YouTube itself, and I like that ClickToFlash can be set to not automatically load embedded videos. Even so, I can see that ClickToFlash and YouTube5 are the two extensions are most likely to fight.

Must-have Safari Extensions

I've upgraded to Safari 5.0.1, and extensions are the cat's meow. I love them. I'm going to rank my must-have extensions in order.


ClickToFlash - Technically, this isn't a Safari 5 extension yet, but an older plug-in. I don't care. It just stops Flash from starting automatically. This is much less necessary with AdBlock and YouTube5, but it still helps contain the Flash damage. (See next post.)

YouTube5 - I joined the YouTube HTML5 video beta early. but it didn't do any good for most commercial videos or embedded videos. Then I discovered this extension. You have to quit the YouTube HTML5 beta, but you get HTML5 videos everywhere, even on embedded videos out in the wild. This extension and ClickToFlash will save my CPU from burning itself up.

autocomplete - A lot of places don't want you to autocomplete their passwords. On my Mac, I have my keychain secured with a secure passphrase. As best I can tell, the keychain is reasonably secure with it, so I would rather keep my passwords there. This one lets me do that.

adblock - It does. Practically no ads slip through any more.

There's some other extensions I'm still deciding if they rank as "must-have" or not. I'll let you know that later.