I was a witness to attempted deception yesterday. I think it is called a “comb-over”. It has been awhile since I have noticed one. If you have never seen it count yourself lucky. A comb-over is when a guy who is bald on top lets the hair grow long on one side and combs it over the top of his head to try and cover up the baldness.
I don’t know why people bother. It is futile. It looks worse than just accepting the shiny pate. I am not sure why being bald is such a big deal. The only problem I have with it is dealing with the shine in my eyes when I am looking in a mirror and the light reflects. It is who I am and has nothing to do with my value as a human being.
Of course I feel the same way about dying my hair and jewelry. I don’t understand the concepts. I think of it as being like the ancient Chinese tradition of binding the feet of upper class women to keep them small.
So guys, if you have lost your hair embrace the reality. At the same time I am willing to let the ladies wear wigs if they choose.
homo unius libri
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Opus 2019-126: New Laws: Minority Opinion
What minority groups am I a part of?
The list is as long as I want to make it. I would start with being a serious Christian. I am not sure what kind of label to use for that because all of them have their baggage, but that gives you an idea. From there I can proceed down a long list to being someone with big feet.
We all face discrimination of one sort or another. Let me take the most ridiculous example, big feet, and give extreme applications to make my point. People with big feet cannot go out and buy shoes at just any shoe store. You normal people can probably walk in, look at the display on the wall, make a choice and take it home. I have never been able to do that. When I was young and my feet were smaller, my parents had little money. By the time I was in Junior High I was in a size 14 and in those days all that got you were guffaws.
This is serious. I saw a kid wearing iridescent, lime green kicks the other day. I wanted some. My first pair of the current style athletic shoes were bright orange Nikes. I found them at an outlet mall for $10. It was awesome. Since then I have found some glowing yellow Under Armors and I have a pair of red New Balance. Lime green I have not been able to find. It makes me feel less of a human being and a victim of small feet privilege. It isn’t fair. I demand justice.
I cannot sit comfortably in restaurant booths. Have you ever tried to move a pair of size 17's past the pole holding up the table? Have you ever tried to keep you toes from being stepped on? If you have not then you don’t know the daily trauma that I must live with.
I cannot participate in fun activities such as roller skating or skiing. They require special shoes and most people just walk up and state their size. They get skates. I get giggles. I am excluded from my rightful place in society.
Now picture how our world would change if my “rights” were guaranteed by legislation. Every manufacturer would be forced to make every style in all sizes. Every store would be required to carry them in stock. Either shoes would get too expensive for anyone or the shoe business would curl up and die, leaving people bare footed. I guess another choice would to only have one style of shoe so they would have room in the back for all sizes.
Ridiculous? Of course. But it would be fair. It would make me feel safe and avoid any hint of discrimination. Multiply that by the accommodations that would need to be made for every variance in the human condition. Life is not fair. Deal with it.
homo unius libri
The list is as long as I want to make it. I would start with being a serious Christian. I am not sure what kind of label to use for that because all of them have their baggage, but that gives you an idea. From there I can proceed down a long list to being someone with big feet.
We all face discrimination of one sort or another. Let me take the most ridiculous example, big feet, and give extreme applications to make my point. People with big feet cannot go out and buy shoes at just any shoe store. You normal people can probably walk in, look at the display on the wall, make a choice and take it home. I have never been able to do that. When I was young and my feet were smaller, my parents had little money. By the time I was in Junior High I was in a size 14 and in those days all that got you were guffaws.
This is serious. I saw a kid wearing iridescent, lime green kicks the other day. I wanted some. My first pair of the current style athletic shoes were bright orange Nikes. I found them at an outlet mall for $10. It was awesome. Since then I have found some glowing yellow Under Armors and I have a pair of red New Balance. Lime green I have not been able to find. It makes me feel less of a human being and a victim of small feet privilege. It isn’t fair. I demand justice.
I cannot sit comfortably in restaurant booths. Have you ever tried to move a pair of size 17's past the pole holding up the table? Have you ever tried to keep you toes from being stepped on? If you have not then you don’t know the daily trauma that I must live with.
I cannot participate in fun activities such as roller skating or skiing. They require special shoes and most people just walk up and state their size. They get skates. I get giggles. I am excluded from my rightful place in society.
Now picture how our world would change if my “rights” were guaranteed by legislation. Every manufacturer would be forced to make every style in all sizes. Every store would be required to carry them in stock. Either shoes would get too expensive for anyone or the shoe business would curl up and die, leaving people bare footed. I guess another choice would to only have one style of shoe so they would have room in the back for all sizes.
Ridiculous? Of course. But it would be fair. It would make me feel safe and avoid any hint of discrimination. Multiply that by the accommodations that would need to be made for every variance in the human condition. Life is not fair. Deal with it.
homo unius libri
Friday, July 12, 2019
Opus 2019-125: Asking the Simple Questions
When I was teaching, one of the highlights of the beginning of the year was the number of teachers who would ask for help because their computer was not working. I took great joy in asking, “Is it plugged in?” From the look on the face you could tell they had not thought of that. Usually I would hear no more.
One time my wife spent a few hours waiting for the AAA man to show up. She would not let me try to figure out why the car would not start. As soon as he got there and climbed into the car he said, “I can tell you why it won’t start.” Evidently it was not in park.
It is always a good to ask the simple questions first.
When the two stroke engine on my string edger would not start I tried everything. I used the choke. I let it sit and tried it again. Nothing was happening. I walked away. The next day I was ready to try again and the first thing I noticed was the kill switch said, “Stop”. I am glad no one was near by to hear my opinions about my native intelligence. I moved the switch and it started right up.
If only all of life’s problems were so simple.
homo unius libri
One time my wife spent a few hours waiting for the AAA man to show up. She would not let me try to figure out why the car would not start. As soon as he got there and climbed into the car he said, “I can tell you why it won’t start.” Evidently it was not in park.
It is always a good to ask the simple questions first.
When the two stroke engine on my string edger would not start I tried everything. I used the choke. I let it sit and tried it again. Nothing was happening. I walked away. The next day I was ready to try again and the first thing I noticed was the kill switch said, “Stop”. I am glad no one was near by to hear my opinions about my native intelligence. I moved the switch and it started right up.
If only all of life’s problems were so simple.
homo unius libri
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Opus 2019-124: The Calculated Risk
Progressives are taking a calculated risk. They are pushing the traditional Americas as hard as they can and hoping that they can get us to the point of impotence before we wake up and get angry.
They have good reason to be optimistic. Turn your inner clock back twenty years and ask yourself if you would have accepted men claiming to be women competing in girls wrestling. Would you have accepted what we now call “social media” blatantly censoring the speech of anyone who criticizes a liberal position? They keep pushing. We keep backing down.
What happens if they push too hard and too fast? What happens when the man on the street decides that he has had enough? What happens when he realizes that his children are threatened. What happens when someone runs out of cheeks to turn? Antifa will find themselves met by armed gangs who also have lost their respect for reasoned discourse. Obstructive and arrogant clerks in government agencies may find out what “going postal” means when it is “going DMV” or “going city hall”. What happens when the left bets on an inside straight and the latent wolf on the other side of the table sees the card being slipped out of the sleeve?
I hope it doesn’t come to that because if things blow up then we all lose.
Two things can avert the coming explosion. The first and best is if the left would have a “come to Jesus” moment and decide that working in the system honestly is what they should be doing. Wouldn’t it be great if word went out from the DNC that a lot of judges needed to be putting in for retirement or there would be impeachment proceedings in the near future and they would not be for the president? I wonder what would happen if the IRS would start admitting that the tax-payers are their employers. What if congress stopped exempting themselves from their own oppressive laws. It would be great, but don’t hold your breath. Oxygen deprived blue does not go well with your favorite colors.
The second solution would be if traditional Americans would simply stop going along to get along. Investigate voter fraud and put some people in jail. Look into treason and apply the death penalty as granted by the Constitution. Find out where members of congress get all that money to buy those palaces. When the fascist goons of the left riot in the streets demand that the police respond according to the law. Apply the law. Demand it by paying attention, voting with our principles and hounding people out of office. It is most effective to start with the local city council and elected sheriff.
When we know they are bluffing we don’t need to turn over the table and start shooting like it was an Italian western. We need to see their bid and call.
homo unius libri
They have good reason to be optimistic. Turn your inner clock back twenty years and ask yourself if you would have accepted men claiming to be women competing in girls wrestling. Would you have accepted what we now call “social media” blatantly censoring the speech of anyone who criticizes a liberal position? They keep pushing. We keep backing down.
What happens if they push too hard and too fast? What happens when the man on the street decides that he has had enough? What happens when he realizes that his children are threatened. What happens when someone runs out of cheeks to turn? Antifa will find themselves met by armed gangs who also have lost their respect for reasoned discourse. Obstructive and arrogant clerks in government agencies may find out what “going postal” means when it is “going DMV” or “going city hall”. What happens when the left bets on an inside straight and the latent wolf on the other side of the table sees the card being slipped out of the sleeve?
I hope it doesn’t come to that because if things blow up then we all lose.
Two things can avert the coming explosion. The first and best is if the left would have a “come to Jesus” moment and decide that working in the system honestly is what they should be doing. Wouldn’t it be great if word went out from the DNC that a lot of judges needed to be putting in for retirement or there would be impeachment proceedings in the near future and they would not be for the president? I wonder what would happen if the IRS would start admitting that the tax-payers are their employers. What if congress stopped exempting themselves from their own oppressive laws. It would be great, but don’t hold your breath. Oxygen deprived blue does not go well with your favorite colors.
The second solution would be if traditional Americans would simply stop going along to get along. Investigate voter fraud and put some people in jail. Look into treason and apply the death penalty as granted by the Constitution. Find out where members of congress get all that money to buy those palaces. When the fascist goons of the left riot in the streets demand that the police respond according to the law. Apply the law. Demand it by paying attention, voting with our principles and hounding people out of office. It is most effective to start with the local city council and elected sheriff.
When we know they are bluffing we don’t need to turn over the table and start shooting like it was an Italian western. We need to see their bid and call.
homo unius libri
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Opus 2019-123: New Terms: Minority Groups
I know that this is not really a new term but the left, as they have done in so many areas, is trying to re-vocabulary us by redefining how we understand words. As I was editing the previous post I noticed I used the following sentence,
A “minority group” was any common grouping that was not in the majority. It was something that usually had a political or religious implication. Thus the Quakers were a minority group and their religious convictions as pacifists was recognized. In current times we recognized the right of Jehovah’s Witnesses to refuse blood transfusions based on their religion. Currently we are watching to see if the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Roman Catholic nuns, will be forced to accept abortion because the government says so. Keep in mind that what happens to them will someday happen to you.
So grow up and put your mind back in gear. The truth about “minority groups” is that we are all a part of them. To paraphrase the famous Pogo insight, “I have met the minority and it is us.” In some area of our life we are in a minority. The reason the Founders put the Constitution together the way they did was not for majority rule but to keep the majority from trampling on the minorities. That is why we have the checks and balances of our three branch government. That is why we have a federal system. That is why we have an electoral college. Mess with them at your own risk.
If you have no area of your life that you stand in the minority, you have my sympathy. It must really be boring to be you.
“We have a constitution that protects the minority groups instead of allowing the mindless to be manipulated.”It occurred to me that many people have been brainwashed in their understanding of important historical ideas. The Founders were concerned about “minority groups” but their minds had not been put into little boxes that associated “minority” with skin color.
A “minority group” was any common grouping that was not in the majority. It was something that usually had a political or religious implication. Thus the Quakers were a minority group and their religious convictions as pacifists was recognized. In current times we recognized the right of Jehovah’s Witnesses to refuse blood transfusions based on their religion. Currently we are watching to see if the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Roman Catholic nuns, will be forced to accept abortion because the government says so. Keep in mind that what happens to them will someday happen to you.
So grow up and put your mind back in gear. The truth about “minority groups” is that we are all a part of them. To paraphrase the famous Pogo insight, “I have met the minority and it is us.” In some area of our life we are in a minority. The reason the Founders put the Constitution together the way they did was not for majority rule but to keep the majority from trampling on the minorities. That is why we have the checks and balances of our three branch government. That is why we have a federal system. That is why we have an electoral college. Mess with them at your own risk.
If you have no area of your life that you stand in the minority, you have my sympathy. It must really be boring to be you.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Opus 2019-122: Election 2020: Voting Requirements
We have another election coming up. The Democrats have a sizable contingent of contestants and on the Republican side President Trump has announced he is running. Based on how close the last several elections have been and the accusations of voter fraud and suppression, the question of who votes and what the qualifications are is a real issue.
The Constitution and Amendments give the basic outline of whom should be allowed to vote. Citizenship is required and you need to be at least 18 years of age. It used to be necessary to be registered and a resident where you voted. The Democrats are moving to do away with all of these remaining restrictions.
One of the lies perpetuated by the America hating left is that the Founders wrote the constitution to serve only the rich and property owners. While owning property was considered during the debates it was rejected. Property ownership or minimum worth were requirements in England but the new American experiment did away with them. There is nothing in the Constitution about owning property to be a voter. Period. It is not there.
Some states did have property or income requirements but they were greatly reduced as the thinking of the Revolution made its way into society at large. I find myself in sympathy toward limiting the right to vote. I find that most people have no idea what they are voting on or how their elected officials vote. I don’t know how many conversations I have had with black Americans on the different issues in campaigns. Usually they would agree with Ronald Reagan on individual issues but still vote a straight Democrat ticket. Would I limit the right to vote based on race? No, but if it were possible to weed out those who are not paying attention without abusing the process, I would go for it.
Why? The Founding Fathers knew the dangers of having a limited buy-in to society. This is a quote from John Adams from Vindicating the Founders,
And again, we make the mistake of using “democracy” instead of “republic”. We are not, nor have we ever been a democracy. The Founders did not trust the masses enough to have a democracy. We have a constitution that protects the minority groups instead of allowing the mindless to be manipulated. Enjoy what is left of your liberty while you still can.
West, Thomas G. Vindicating the Founders. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997, page 122.
homo unius libri
The Constitution and Amendments give the basic outline of whom should be allowed to vote. Citizenship is required and you need to be at least 18 years of age. It used to be necessary to be registered and a resident where you voted. The Democrats are moving to do away with all of these remaining restrictions.
One of the lies perpetuated by the America hating left is that the Founders wrote the constitution to serve only the rich and property owners. While owning property was considered during the debates it was rejected. Property ownership or minimum worth were requirements in England but the new American experiment did away with them. There is nothing in the Constitution about owning property to be a voter. Period. It is not there.
Some states did have property or income requirements but they were greatly reduced as the thinking of the Revolution made its way into society at large. I find myself in sympathy toward limiting the right to vote. I find that most people have no idea what they are voting on or how their elected officials vote. I don’t know how many conversations I have had with black Americans on the different issues in campaigns. Usually they would agree with Ronald Reagan on individual issues but still vote a straight Democrat ticket. Would I limit the right to vote based on race? No, but if it were possible to weed out those who are not paying attention without abusing the process, I would go for it.
Why? The Founding Fathers knew the dangers of having a limited buy-in to society. This is a quote from John Adams from Vindicating the Founders,
“Such is the frailty of the human heart, that very few men who have no property, have any judgment of their own. They talk and vote as they are directed by some man of property, who has attached their minds to his interest....[M]en who are wholly destitute of property... [are] to all intents and purposed as much dependent upon others, who will please to feed, clothe, and employ them, as women are upon their husbands, or children upon their parents.”This explains why all major cities are Democrat strongholds. The majority of people in them are living off of government handouts or work for the government. They know which side their butter is on and who gets milked to supply it.
And again, we make the mistake of using “democracy” instead of “republic”. We are not, nor have we ever been a democracy. The Founders did not trust the masses enough to have a democracy. We have a constitution that protects the minority groups instead of allowing the mindless to be manipulated. Enjoy what is left of your liberty while you still can.
West, Thomas G. Vindicating the Founders. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997, page 122.
homo unius libri
Monday, July 8, 2019
Opus 2019-121: The Revised, Revised Abigail Adams
The history books that I used to work through in teaching middle school were constantly being revised. There were two goals of the revision. One was to dumb them down so that the kids could read them. The second was to meet the latest revisionist demands of social justice warriors. One of the requirements was to have a quota of minorities and women. One of the women that was often referred to was Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, second president of the United States.
I had no problem with her. I had read biographies of her husband and knew that they had a very close and loving relationship. The thing that set my pot to boiling was having her portrayed as an early feminist. She was supposed to have been a rabid advocate of women’s rights but her concern was not power like modern feminism. She was really all about fair treatment. I am sure that she had some things to say but I doubt if she would have been happy about the portrayal.
I came across a quote in Vindicating the Founders. The author was trying to give a more accurate description of what the early Americans thought. On page 94 the author offers the following quote from Abigail Adams,
West, Thomas G. Vindicating the Founders. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997.
homo unius libri
I had no problem with her. I had read biographies of her husband and knew that they had a very close and loving relationship. The thing that set my pot to boiling was having her portrayed as an early feminist. She was supposed to have been a rabid advocate of women’s rights but her concern was not power like modern feminism. She was really all about fair treatment. I am sure that she had some things to say but I doubt if she would have been happy about the portrayal.
I came across a quote in Vindicating the Founders. The author was trying to give a more accurate description of what the early Americans thought. On page 94 the author offers the following quote from Abigail Adams,
“Well ordered home is my chief delight, and the affectionate domestic wife with the relative duties which accompany that character my highest ambition.”She was writing to her husband on June 20 1783 according to the footnotes. Somehow that does not seem to fit the stereotypes that are being pushed in our modern culture. Be careful what you read and hear. Be double careful if it comes from a teacher or a text book. Fake News is bigger than today’s headlines.
West, Thomas G. Vindicating the Founders. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997.
homo unius libri
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