Quote of the Day

Vote for Bush/Kerry. We must destroy our freedom in order to save it.

(Via the Lew Rockwell blog)

Where HipHop and Libertarianism Meet: You Still Thinking About Voting

Ulmann blogs on a Talib Kweli interview where Talib states that he won't be voting. Talib makes some very good points, but still has some socialistic leanings. The not voting idea is great though.

I don't buy the argument: accept the lesser of two evils. I see a lot of evil stuff about George Bush but there's a lot that I see about John Kerry that I don't like. By the time a politician gets to that level, to be considered for a presidential nomination, he's so safe, that he can't stand for anything. In this country, in order to be a consummate politician, you have to want to please everybody, and someone who wants to please everybody can't be trusted.






(Via Where HipHop and Libertarianism Meet)

Wired News: Vote Swaps Revamped for 2004

Want to vote for Badnarick or Nader, but don't want to hurt Bush or Kerry's chances (mutual exclusive on that one) because you live in a swing state? How bout swapping votes with someone in a non-swing state. This articles tackles some sights that are attempting to facilitate just that kind of trade.

I'll just skip the vote instead of deciding between terrible and horrible. Any candidate out there that will give us back some freedom? Ron Paul?

TCS: Tech Central Station - Economic Girlie-Men of the Right:

Glassman challenges the girlie-men who are running Bush's economic policy. Too much government, too much government, too much government....


"Girlie-men fear what the economist Joseph Schumpeter called 'creative destruction' and instead, like CNN's Lou Dobbs, advocate constraints on trade and immigration. The last thing girlie-men want is competition.">

(Via Instapundit)

Samizdata slogan of the day | Samizdata.net

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of jackals by jackasses.
- H. L. Mencken


No comments necessary.

DVD: Da Ali G Show: Da Compleet First Seazon

DVD.IGN.COM reviews the recently released Ali G season one dvd. Reading the review is the next best thing to watching the show. If you are at Best Buy, this dvd should be purchased.

The never before seen Borat footage is reason enough to make the purchase...

Aside from the commentary, there is some never-before-seen footage of a couple new Borat segments, and they are hilarious. In the most painful bit on any of the episodes, Borat visits the Hamptons Horse Show and interviews an unsuspecting equestrian. The interview consists of a lengthy comparison of horses and humans, and it's completely one-sided.

It goes like this: "In my country, we say horse is tall… like man is tall." Then, "In my country, we say horse walks on grass… like man walks on grass." This continues for what seems like an infinity, as the interviewee grows more and more uncomfortable. Like all of Cohen's victims, she is too polite to laugh or tell him off, so the whole debacle stretches on and on. It's very amusing and very uncomfortable to watch. The other Borat bonus clip has him attending a patriot rally. It's not nearly as long or painful as the Hamptons bit, but just as funny, as Borat converses with a Vietnam vet and discusses which country is better—US and A or Kazakhstan.

Die, Fatty, Die

Chris Shugart (who use to be fat) on his blog attacks the excuses that fat people use and argues that they should be treated differently and being fat does reflect your character. He pulls no punches with this piece and had me nodding my head in agreement.

The only thing worse than you self-delusional "I've tried everything" fatties are the ones who demand they not be treated any differently than non-fatties. Sorry, that's like walking around the mall with a four-foot green mohawk and getting pissed when people stare at you or treat you differently. What did you expect?

Listen, tubby, you don't need "acceptance." That's just a nice word for enablement. Hey, if you can have a "fat acceptance" activist group (although "active" may be the wrong root word here) then maybe the child molesters, booze hounds, and crackheads should have acceptance groups too?

Why should poor, mistreated crack addicts have to be subjected to discrimination by fascists employers who insist on firing them for stealing company funds to buy drugs and then not showing up for work? That's just wrong! Crackheads should just be "accepted." And those priests who rape little boys? Just accept them! This is America

Ouch....

Marginal Revolution: Cutting the fat

Alex Tabarrok blogs on the success of the California prison guards program that attemts to reward guards that get in shape. It is a success of course if you are a guard because the requirements keep getting less and less stringent and everyone gets paid. Only the taxpayers who the government steals from lose. Yipppe....

As a result, the fitness test started to get easier as the bonus got larger. Last year, California shelled out $33.2 million for fitness bonuses and some 80 percent of prison employees, not just guards but wardens and mangers also, now get the fitness bonus. Of course, a test is no longer required - all the employee need do to get the bonus is visit a doctor once per year.

ESPN.com: Page 2 Spots Guy - Cleaning out the mailbox

A classic Bill Simmons laugh-a-thon article that had me laughing hysterically on the train. Highlights included:


And how did beach volleyball become an Olympic sport when we already hand out medals for team volleyball? Isn't that like making three-on-three hoops an Olympic sport? In fact, why don't we just do that? And touch football, too. And wiffleball. Where does it end?

I mean, last week I threw something like 79 consecutive tennis balls down the sidewalk to the Dooze, using that ball flinger contraption they sell at Petco, and none of those 79 throws accidentally bounced onto the street. Can that be a sport? I honestly think I could beat anyone in the world at this. I'm like the Eric Gagne of tennis ball flinging. So where's my gold medal? How can I show off my talents in 2008? At the very least, they should adopt my idea of making gold medals different sizes, depending on the importance of the event. Like if you win the Decathalon, you get a Gold Medal so big that Beenie Man would wear it. But if you win for wind surfing, your gold medal would be the size of a nickel.

Q: Remember in "Rocky IV" when Apollo climbs in the ring after dancing around to "Living in America?" Well when he enters the ring he's in full costume with his boxing gloves on and the very next scene when he's telling Drago "I want you", his gloves have magically disappeared! How many other flaws can you find in "Rocky IV"?
--Corbin, Crisfeld, Md.

Honestly, years later, how fun would it be if your wedding ended up like this?
SG: You mean, other than the fact that Rocky drove a 35-gear Laborghini without ever looking at the road ... fought in Russia on Christmas Day for no money ... climbed a 55,000-foot mountain wearing running boots ... had the Russian crowd cheering against their own guy ... and singlehandedly ended the Cold War? Other than those?

Best of Reason Magazine Book

One of the publications that I think is worthy of subscribing to is offering a free (well not really free I guess) soft cover copy of their best articles to all new subscribers. If you are looking for an interesting read that bucks conventional wisdom and isn't a mouth piece for the Demopublicans and actually makes you think about things in a different light, then do yourself a favor and subscribe.