Mixed feelings about Duran Duran

Yahoo! News - Duran Duran Carefully Plots Comeback

Duran Duran's "The Reflex" was my all time favorite for 20 years. That was before they appeared on the MOBO Awards, which features Jamaican singers who advocate the murder of Gays and Lesbians. Now I just can't get that enthused about DD anymore.

Dick Grasso, Atlas

http://ruleofreason.blogspot.com/2003_09_14_archive.html#106398226748248672

Dick Grasso deserves to be saluted, not punished! Shame on Hank Paulson of Goldman Sachs, Philip Purcell of Morgan Stanley, and William Harrison of JP Morgan Chase and the other members of the board of the NYSE for not having the guts to stand by THEIR decision to give Dick Grasso the reward he surely deserved for devoting 35 years - THIRTY-FIVE YEARS!!!!! - of his life to the New York Stock Exchange!

He's getting - what? $135 million for what he's done for the NYSE? What does that work out to per year for the 35 years he was at NYSE?

I wanted to try to comment on the motives of the type of person who will ride on someone else's shoulders to get where they want to go and then turn around and kick them out of the way when they thought it was expedient,

"But it was the diminutive son of Italian immigrants who defended NYSE floor brokers and retail investors from a new era of impersonal electronic trading. Some thanks he got: Many of these same floor brokers helped push Grasso over the edge."

but I don't have the stomach at the moment to contemplate the mixture of hatred of the good for being the good, original sin - both religious and secular versions, and pragmatism involved in the character of a person who could do such a thing. The following excerpt from an article in today's Daily Oklahoman is bad enough:

"The New York Stock Exchange is the world's biggest and most powerful equities market. The value of the hundreds of companies listed on the exchange exceeds $10 trillion. The exchange is owned by its members, who pay up to $2 million to purchase a seat.
Even many of Grasso's critics praise the job he did in leading the exchange, from the modernization of its technology and its marketing to investors to leading its recovery after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Still, the scandal at the New York Stock Exchange has tarnished his reputation at a time when companies are concerned about appearing ethical.
Russell said Grasso is a stark example of a business leader whose compensation was unduly lavish.
"When a chief executive makes millions of dollars often for a mediocre job, it takes away money that could be given to hard-working rank-and-file workers, it takes away money that could be given to shareholders who depend on dividends to live," he said. "It demoralizes the work force and is a blow to capitalism when you have compensation wildly out of sync, wildly inconsistent with exertion and creativity.""

Now does anyone else besides me see a contrast between the references to the truly stunning scope and value of the NYSE and the carping about "unduly lavish" "compensation" for a "mediocre job"? If this writer is inferring that Dick Grasso is mediocre for building the NYSE into a market representing companies worth over $10 TRILLION!!!!! that is ASTOUNDINGLY disgusting! And if this writer is inferring that Grasso is NOT mediocre, but should take the fall for those who ARE, then so much the worse! Truly THIS is the measure of the evil that exists in the world today.

But of course, the motive behind this is the concept of sacrifice. Dick Grasso is a true Atlas whose strength made it possible for others to achieve things they wouldn't have on their own. Indeed, as CEO of the NYSE, Grasso was a prime mover in the truest sense - one of the people who literally make our world possible. For this, he was forced to renounce his position by those who believe it expedient to spit in the face of those upon whose shoulders they ride. Do not wonder why our world is in the shape it is in today.

Alexander the Great indeed!

OK, Colin Farrell is HOT!

What can I say? And he's playing Alexander in the upcoming movie! AND he's bulking up for the role! AND there will reportedly be LOTS of sex scenes between Alexander and his boyfriend!!!!!

Am I drooling already? You betcha!

Republicans abandon support for smaller government

"During a cheerful and pleasant meeting (that’s the kind of guy Gillespie is)
at The Union Leader offices, the party’s new chairman, energetic and full of
vigor, said in no uncertain terms that the days of Reaganesque Republican
railings against the expansion of federal government are over.
No longer does the Republican Party stand for shrinking the federal
government, for scaling back its encroachment into the lives of Americans,
or for carrying the banner of federalism into the political battles of the
day.
The party’s unofficial but clear message to conservatives is: Where else are
you going to go? To the Democrats? To the Libertarians? They don’t think so."

coldfury.com/reason/comments.php?id=P847_0_1_0


Hmmm . . . Where else, indeed? Social conservatives I can do without. Fiscal conservatives, on the other hand . . .

Iran is the enemy

"The Rushdie fatwa alone is justification for war with Iran. The prospect that the same power that believes it has the right to kill writers it doesn’t like is developing nuclear weapons ought to be cause for serious pause. So what if Islam interprets a war with Iran as a war against Islam? Islamic militants have no qualms over waging war against us. Yet even post-9/11, it seems people in the US still have qualms with our waging a defense."
- Nicholas Provenzo

ruleofreason.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_archive.html#106251136383763348

Duran Duran triumphs!

They won a Lifetime Achievement award at the VMA's and blew them away at the Roxy!

www.duranduran.com

Capitalism for kids!

"Ethics based economics for kids"? What a concept! Check it out!

www.cost-benefit-jr.com

Where are the Objectivists?

Can Objectivists make an impact on the political climate of our country? Is it time for them to try?

"To thoroughly expose the viciousness of Dean’s proposals, one must name and attack its moral premise. One must defend egoism." Dean's moral premise is, of course, altruism. How do Objectivists go about making a political impact when the moral basis of our culture is altruism? Remember that Ayn Rand maintained that politics was an effect, not a cause.

http://ruleofreason.blogspot.com/2003_08_17_archive.html#106156138235429892

Arthur Silber is so fascinating

Even if I don't agree with everything he says. What else can I say? Unfortunately his computer got hit by a virus and it looks like it's going to be offline til it's fixed.

www.coldfury.com/reason/weblog.php

Underreacting

In his essay, End States Who Sponsor Terrorism, written in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001, Leonard Piekoff wrote, "The survival of America is at stake. The risk of a U.S. overreaction, therefore, is negligible. The only risk is underreaction."

I offer that quote as my comment on the following:

Shiites Demand U.S. Troops Leave Baghdad
61 killed in upsurge of Afghan violence

Where does complacency come from?

It comes from an inability to think in terms of principles, which is why deregulation continues to take the blame for what environmentalists have done to our national power industry. (Power Ties - The lights didn't have to go out: "The U.S. has grown complacent as the memory of California's blackouts in 2000 has faded." )

See "Californication and the East Coast Blackout".

Duran Duran!

My all-time favorite song: "The Reflex" by Duran Duran!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so glad to see they're all back together again and making what certainly seems to be a genuine effort to match the excitement of their early years! Sure looks to me like they're succeeding (damn I wish I was in as good a shape as Roger Taylor)! And they're going to present at the VMA's! How fitting is that?

All the latest info is at www.duranduran.com!

Now if I could just figure out how to get them to come to Oklahoma City!!!!!!!!

Take that, Grandma!

The metaphysical and the man-made

If homosexuality is open to choice, then it is a moral issue. If not, then it is a metaphysical issue, not a moral one.

The earned and the unearned

On reading a statement by a conservative Republican that he believes all Democrats think that wealthy Americans are undeserving of their prosperity, I am reminded of my Seventh Day Adventist grandmother who actually told me one time that everyone who has ever achieved any kind of success in life, be it wealth or fame, only did so by being in league with the Devil. Now either she didn't know that hard work tends to result in success or she believed that hard work should remain unrewarded. I think it was the latter because she certainly believed in hard work. Perhaps she thought it should consist of unending drudgery which remains unrewarded - at least in this life, which was supposed to be a vale of tears, anyway.

Equal rights for businessmen!

Why should everyone except the businessman be free to live their lives as they choose? Does not exempting businesspeople from the same concern for "civil and human rights" that we grant to minorities such as Gays, blacks and women make them truly "second-class citizens"? Does not the Equal Protection Clause apply to businessmen as well? Where is the concern for the freedom of self-expression of the businessman as well as the artist or scientist?

Hmmm . . . if the Equal Protection Clause can be used to abolish slavery and sodomy laws, can it also be used to abolish antitrust and government control of commerce?

Oregon governor appoints openly gay supreme court justice

www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?id=9508&sd=08/07/03

Fantastic news! Congratulations to Rives Kistler! Hopefully he's the first of many!

And get this: Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski is, himself, a former state supreme court justice. Wow!

PlanetOut poll

Interesting results in today's PlanetOut poll:

Is organized religion harmful to society?

If anything it's integral to society.
8%
Not if it's just a personal belief system
27%
More often than not, it is.
23%
It's probably our biggest stumbling block.
39%
Other
2%

Hmmmm . . .

What Human survival depends on

Australian leader says gay marriage threatens "survival of the species"

Oh really? The survival of the Human race does not depend on procreation, it depends on THOUGHT! The only thing which can guarantee Human survival is the Human means of survival, which is Reason.

Ah! The hazards of starting your own country . . .

EXCERPT: "Another scheme included working with German investors to build a $70 million hotel and gambling complex--a scheme that fell apart after the Germans took over the fortress in 1978, and Bates regained control in a dramatic helicopter raid at dawn." Has 'haven' for questionable sites sunk? | CNET News.com

Following Ayn Rand

Checking out the Ayn Rand Meetups, noticed this from fcookinham in New York and cannot resist passing it along:

""Followers"? When people ask me whether I am an "Ayn Rand follower", I say that Rand valued thinking for yourself above all else, so anyone who is literally an "Ayn Rand follower" is no follower of Ayn Rand. Follow me?"

Love it!

Does Capitalism necessarily lead to avarice?

Excellent post today by Nick Provenzo at the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism dealing with a reader's question on the morality of Capitalism.

EXCERPT: "Mr. Smith’s ultimate question is (does) capitalism inevitability leads to avarice(?) The answer is of course, no. Abundance is not a threat; it is the fruits of hard work and intelligence. If Mr. Smith still questions capitalism, I would urge him ask himself if he really understands capitalism’s moral basis."

Brainstorm to Breakthrough

There's a wonderful story in today's New York Times - Brainstorm to Breakthrough: A Surgical Procedure Is Born - that shows that exciting innovations in medicine are still possible. Yet, I wonder, given medicine's current slide toward fascism, how much longer this will be true in this country? A few days ago, I posted the following to some email groups I belong to:

"Doctor group after doctor group is caving before the onslaught of antitrust suits against them. Drug companies, under attack for their profits, won't be able to fund research without those profits. Will medicine be the industry where de facto fascism is established in this country? And it's happening in the name of establishing implicit socialism in the health care industry (though many socialists are only too happy to make it explicit). How's that for a convergence between fascism and socialism? All of which is made possible only by the sacrificial victims' - the doctors' - acceptance of altruism."

Misrepresenting Capitalism

My post on Hitler's Economics has been generating debate on the OGLPC Discussion List between Paul Barby, state secretary of the Oklahoma Democratic Party and Chris Powell, state chair of the Oklahoma Libertarian Party. Paul's posts have been textbook examples of how laissez-faire Capitalism is misrepresented by leftists as being equivalent to fascism. Chris has been doing an excellent job of exposing Paul's misrepresentations - better than what I would expect from a Libertarian and almost what I would expect from an Objectivist! One thing I've noticed about Paul Barby's slanders of Capitalism is that they have tended to be based on the Nietzchean myth that the only way for people to get what they want out of life is by hurting other people. He doesn't seem to notice that he seems to be taking that position for himself as well as the "Capitalists" he is so intent on criticizing. That is, he seems to be saying that the only way for him to get what he wants out of life is by hurting others. I'm not going to say that to his face - yet - since that would only push his buttons: Paul Barby is definitely a knee-jerk liberal!

Hitler's economics

People try to pretend that Hitler wasn't religious. They also try to pretend he wasn't a Keynesian.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/centralplanning.html

EXCERPT: "Ever since 9-11 and the authoritarian, militarist response, the
political left has warned that Bush is the new Hitler, while the right
decries this kind of rhetoric as irresponsible hyperbole. The truth is that
the left, in making these claims, is more correct than it knows. Hitler,
like FDR, left his mark on Germany and the world by smashing the taboos
against central planning and making big government a seemingly permanent
feature of western economies."

Hitler's economics were, of course, fascism, and, as such, were based more
on altruism - indispensable for promoting and sustaining a dictatorship -
than on economic reality, or any other reality for that matter. What they
were definitely NOT is Capitalism, which requires the rejection of any kind
of government intervention into the economy. Unfortunately, this requires
the recognition of the difference between political power - which is
coercive and based on physical force - and economic power - which is based
on voluntary choice and the rejection of coercion. Altruism, of course, is
an excellent source of rationalizations for coercion "for your own good".
This, of course, is where all dictatorships start. Ayn Rand crusaded
against the myth of Robin Hood, but she was equally against the biblical
myth of Cain and Abel and being "your brother's keeper". This was one of
the basic ideas of the Soviet state that she grew up under.

Leftists, of course, love to claim that corporations, left to themselves,
would be just as coercive as any political dictatorship - sidestepping the
fact that a political system based on banishing the initiation of physical
force would have to be applied to any business just as much as to the
government.

Hitler's economics destroyed Germany, just as they destroyed the Soviet
Union and any other state which practices them.

The fact is that Bush and the Republicans are embracing Keynesian economic
policies not for any "good" they could possibly do for the economy but
because of their altruism, which such policies support and promote. Aided
and abetted by their acceptance of faith as being superior to reason, they
blind themselves willingly to the destruction which such policies inevitably
lead to. But they tell themselves it's for everybody's "own good" in
spite of the fact that what they are doing will accomplish the exact
opposite. If they really wanted to achieve "everybody's own good", they
would institute complete freedom - including laissez-faire Capitalism -
guaranteed by a government dedicated solely to the protection of individual
rights. The fact that they don't makes it clear that their only goal is
destruction for the sake of destruction (the true meaning of sacrifice) and
their only motive is power lust. Bush's faith-based policies will
inevitably lead the United States to the same place the Taliban's policies
led Afghanistan.