Quotes of the Week

From the Light:

“In all types of systems, the state wishes to co-opt other potential competitors for social authority, but this is perhaps easiest under democracy. The artistic, scientific, journalistic, academic, legal, and religious communities – each at points in history the most reliable opponents and critics of tyranny – become bought off, intimidated or tricked into rallying for more state power. Churches begin lobbying for tax exemptions – a separation of church and state – and sometimes end up pushing for subsidies. Artists go from being against the establishment to being propagandists for it (witness how Obamania has co-opted the counterculture; those who used to wear anti-U.S. Che Guevara shirts now sport the likeness of the next head of the U.S. empire).”
Anthony Gregory

“Why do people think an idea that would be ludicrous on the market makes sense in politics? Why do people continue to regard as saviors those whose record shows unfailing support for activities few of us practice on our own, such as plunder and war? If we want change for our betterment, we will turn to the realm in which we are sovereign and reject political solutions altogether. “
George F. Smith

“Socialists are thieves. They are worse than thieves, because they assume a pose of high moral dudgeon if we call them what they are, proceeding to claim the authorization of “majority support” for their crimes. They are in fact slavers, insisting we not only pay up, but do so with a smile and a happy little minstrel song.”
Vin Suprynowicz

"People, in general, are statist, parasitical, clueless, and gutless – they beg for government to do something. Of course, "something" is never clarified, but it means that the government is not doing nothing, which gives them great pleasure."
Karen De Coster

“What can be more insane than mankind’s continuing insistence upon playing out the simple-minded notion that the intricacies and variability of our complex world can be fully comprehended and rendered manageable by wise leaders. In a world caught up in the madness of wars, genocidal campaigns, economic depressions, and the resort – by some – to the despair implicit in suicide bombings, there is no better occasion for us to consider a major paradigm shift in our thinking.”
“Western civilization collapses all around us, and yet most of us continue to insist upon a renewed commitment to variations of the Platonic vision of a world made orderly by philosopher-kings.”
Butler Shaffer

“The burden of proof lies with those who favor any state whatsoever to demonstrate that an institution whose very existence is predicated on larceny ought to be permitted to exist and to command our willing obedience and respect. We have no respect for private gangsters, though we sometimes obey them out of fear. We ought to have no respect for public gangsters either, and we certainly should not pretend that we are obeying them out of any loftier sentiment than fear for our own safety.”
Michael Tennant

From the Darkness:

"What exposes us to failure now is not our product lineup or our business plan or our long-term strategy. What exposes us to failure now is the global financial crisis, which has severely restricted credit availability and reduces industry sales to the lowest per capita level since World War II."
Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford, begging for a taxpayer funded bailout

"But understand where the vision for change comes from. First and foremost, it comes from me. That's my job, is to provide a vision in terms of where we are going and to make sure then that my team is implementing."
The Man With Melanin (And Little Else) describing how the blind will be leading the blind.

Image Review of the Week

Image Review of the Week, by Roger Young

Thanksgiving Is For Saps

You heard it right. Thanksgiving was created by a mass murderer (Lincoln) to create a sense of obligation to the murderous state that had just eliminated over 600,000 lives to preserve a political abstraction (a unified nation state). All those left standing were to give homage and thanks to the o’ holy state.

If you truly despise the state, one way to show it is to not participate in their “holidays” (defined as days off with pay by government gangsters with said pay to be extracted by force from unwilling tax serfs) and goofy traditions.

If you genuinely give thanks to God, you should be doing it daily. Why only one day per year? And why do you need a paid day off from work to do it? You can still have an official family thanksgiving- just do it on a day you choose, not when the state orders you to assemble.

Use the day for productive and creative pursuits rather than spending it comatose on the couch, inebriated by the latest degenerate fad of bread and circuses. The state hates it when you spend time learning and creating. Wise subjects make it more difficult for the state gangsters to continue their scam of “service.” Sharp, attentive minds make it still harder for them to cover their crimes.

If you don’t recognize the state as a legitimate authority over your life, why would you recognize their designated days of importance? Boycott Thanksgiving and all other state-mandated goof-off days. Follow your own path!

DVD Reviews

Carlos Santana- Blues at Montreux- Buddy Guy:
There is no more energetic blues performer alive today than Buddy Guy. His magnificent blues guitar, as well as his unparalleled showmanship is a joy to listen to and watch. The intensity really picks up when he concludes with a soaring blues jam with Carlos Santana. Yikes, there goes the roof.
Recommended

Flight of the Conchords, Season 1:
I only made it through the first disc of this series. Though the Conchcords make clever, funny music, it doesn’t seem to be enough to drive a television series- at least, not enough to motivate me to watch more than the first five episodes.
Not recommended, but listen to their music.

Young at Heart:
Thoroughly enjoyable documentary about an adult chorus whose member’s average age is in the 80’s. Very uplifting and moving.
Recommended

Iron Man:
Entertaining with a good choice of casting Robert Downey, Jr. in the lead role. It’s obvious that sequels are to follow.
Recommended

Angel’s Wing:
French drama about a sickly young aristocrat who becomes a crack fighter pilot in World War I. The acting is mediocre and the story depressing, considering the lead character aims to prove his worthiness by becoming a hired killer for the state.
Not recommended

Standard Operating Procedure:
Excellent documentary that examines the US crimes of torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. It provides insight into just how degenerate many members of the US military are and how power over others brings out the worst in humanity.
Recommended

The Story of Qui Ju:
Chinese drama about a young wife who seeks justice from the state after a local bureaucrat physically abuses her husband. It’s hard to have sympathy for her plight, however, as her task seems petty after refusing several acceptable judgments.
Not recommended

Two Men Went To War:
True story about two British army dentists in 1942. Not satisfied by their assigned positions in the war effort, the two men sneak across the English Channel to France to take on the occupying Germans by themselves. Very enjoyable and outright hysterical at times.
Recommended

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:
Typical action packed, whiz bang, Indiana Jones movie entertainment. Harrison Ford can still play the part.
Recommended

A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn:
A 1995 tribute to SRV on Austin City Limits hosted by big brother Jimmie. A great lineup of blues greats play homage to one of the premier guitarists in blues and rock music. Dang, he’s missed.
Recommeded

Steep:
Brilliantly filmed documentary about extreme mountain skiing. What a great bunch of rugged individualists/kooks (depending on your perspective). The method used to film these incredible performers is just as extreme as their sport/art.
Recommended

War, Inc.
Satire about the “corporatizing” of war. You’ll notice many similarities with what has been going on for the last 5+ years in Iraq. Ben Kingsley is particularly entertaining.
Recommended

Quotes of the Week

From the Light:
“I often say I don't have any heroes. I don't need any. And neither should you. If somebody can pose themselves as a hero and sell you a sense of salvation (half-baked though it be), then they own your mind and they own you, for you are in debt to them, and you are beholden to them. More than any aspect of the political, economic, or social system, it is this kind of psychological domination that the lover of liberty recognizes and opposes with every fiber of his being. The man on the white horse brings no real “change”; he serves to distract your passions and lure you back into the fold so that you don’t demand real, radical change. “
Marcel Votlucka


"Government intervention is not a cure-all … History has shown that the greater threat to economic prosperity is not too little government involvement in the market, it is too much government involvement in the market…. Our aim should not be more government…the surest path to that growth is free markets and free people…. move forward with the free market principles that have delivered prosperity and hope to people all across the globe."
George W. Bush, 2008 [Say what? Proof that Satan can appear as an angel of light.]

From the Darkness:
"We shouldn't worry about the deficit next year or even the year after. ... The most important thing is that we avoid a deepening recession."
Emperor-elect Barack Obama

"Now is the time to confront this challenge once and for all. Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response.”
“My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process.”
The Man With Melanin, promoting two of his favorite scams.

Image Review of the Week

Image Review of the Week, by Roger Young

Image Review of the Week

Image Review of the Week, by Roger Young