http://www.thinkinghousewife.com/wp/2012/02/islands-of-fertility-in-an-ocean-of-demographic-decline/#more-34254
Brought to us by way of the Thinking Housewife, which is, IMO an excellent blog
Here we have evidence that, just like homeschoolers, the areas of the reactionary Remnant are increasing exponentially, albeit from a low base. These areas, called Fertile Intact Census Tracts (or FICTs) are areas where the fertility is high and most families are intact. This is the reactionary long game---simply avoid committing suicide along with the rest of the culture and ensure that it can not take you down along with it in its dying spasms.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Adding Insult to Injury With Anarcho-Tyranny
On Super Bowl Sunday, some church friends of ours had their car tagged by some 'loosely organized youthful malefactors'. The police, of course, have zero interest after it was reported to them in actually investigating the crime or punishing the guilty.
But they were most interested in warning our friends that they have only 2 weeks to get the tags removed, or THEY will be punished.
Things like this make me loathe the police. I wonder if they recognize just how much ill will this sort of thing generates?
Of course they'd move heaven and earth to prosecute and punish were our friends to form a civic committee of vigilance to do the job that they themselves refuse to do.
But they were most interested in warning our friends that they have only 2 weeks to get the tags removed, or THEY will be punished.
Things like this make me loathe the police. I wonder if they recognize just how much ill will this sort of thing generates?
Of course they'd move heaven and earth to prosecute and punish were our friends to form a civic committee of vigilance to do the job that they themselves refuse to do.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Rational Economic Man, DUI, and Desacralizing Adoption
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2012/02/polo_mogul_john_goodman_says_adopted_girlfriend_to_protect_kids.php
Apparently this very rich man decided to adopt his girlfriend to shield a large amount of assets from a potential civil judgment in the aftermath of DUI charges against him. Both of his kids are minors, and apparently his trust for his children could still be hit by a future judgment against him, but with the adoption of another daughter who is not a minor, the trust becomes immune to such judgments. Enter the girlfriend and the strategic adoption. Rational Economic Man never disappoints in his ability to desacralize institutions and game systems.
Apparently this very rich man decided to adopt his girlfriend to shield a large amount of assets from a potential civil judgment in the aftermath of DUI charges against him. Both of his kids are minors, and apparently his trust for his children could still be hit by a future judgment against him, but with the adoption of another daughter who is not a minor, the trust becomes immune to such judgments. Enter the girlfriend and the strategic adoption. Rational Economic Man never disappoints in his ability to desacralize institutions and game systems.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation: PR Malpractice and the Never Apologize Rule in the Political Sphere
This week has shown us a rather amusing little drama. First, we hear the the Komen breast cancer foundation has decided to stop funding Planned Parenthood. Then there was a massive outcry from those who view abortion as the Great Sacrament of their misbegotten religion. Then for a few days, donations to the Komen foundation surge. Finally, the Komen foundation apologizes and reverts to their original policy---i.e. decides to continue funding Planned Parenthood.
Frankly I couldn't make a worse PR decision if I tried, and I'm a believer in strategically inflaming particular adversaries whenever possible (Per Sun Tzu, if your opponent is choleric, inflame him---this is of course because if you can cause him to lose full control over his emotions, you will find him easier to defeat). First, you piss off those who view abortion as a sacrament, like, say, the famous reporter woman who said she'd have been happy to emulate Monica for Bill Clinton for 'keeping abortion legal'. This group is so damned touchy that a private charitable foundation simply deciding not to give them money anymore sets them off, predictably. Anyone who doubts what I say about the neurotypical mind being ungrateful as hell can look here for Exhibit A. If you give me money or useful help on a regular basis out of the goodness of your heart, with no strings attached, and then one year you tell me you'll no longer be able to do this for me anymore, my gut response bears no resemblance to Planned Parenthood's. It's more akin to---Thank you very much for your many years of support. I hope that maybe you'll find it beneficial to support us again at some future date. Gratitude for the favors granted, and no hard feelings or feeling of entitlement to future favor. But then I'm way the hell out of the neurotypical range. Classier outfits than Planned Parenthood, even if they didn't feel the way I would at the gut level, would at least attempt to emulate my response. This is one of the areas where Christianity has had a profoundly beneficial impact on the culture---in getting people to at least FAKE gratitude and act as if they were grateful when they receive unmerited favor.
Then, to compound their predicament, they decide to change their mind and apologize. Yes, companies can often help themselves by apologizing. For instance, my wife got a loaf of bread from a grocery store some weeks back that was stale when opened well before the sell by date. When she called the bread company, they were profoundly apologetic and sent several loaves of bread worth of manufacturer's coupons (effectively like a small gift card). The apology was accepted and we did not prejudice any future transactions with this particular manufacturer. But politics in the US doesn't work that way---hasn't at least since the 60s. When you apologize in such a venue it is simply used to beat you with further. Amusingly, I suspect that the Komen foundation would've been better served if it said something like this:
Burn in Hell you damnable baby-killers. We're sorry we ever funded you and if we could retroactively take it out of your miserable hides, we'd do so. You'll never see a plugged nickle from us ever again.
Had they said that they'd at least have had the pro-life community behind them---that group which was likely responsible for the surge of donations in the meantime. Here's the thing, they are now seriously on the radar of pro-lifers. Before I knew they did business with Planned Parenthood and had no truck with them, but I'm an outlier and I know it. Now the fact that they support Planned Parenthood is in the public eye and record. What's more, an awful lot of pro-choicers are going to remain pissed off at them. So their chosen course of action results in pretty much everyone hating them on both sides of the issue. Had they followed the first rule of political PR---never ever apologize---they'd have at least kept the pro-lifers...in fact if they'd been as vulgar as my facetiously proposed PR message, they'd have become a celebrated cause in those circles and gotten a big bounce out of it, in much the way Gingrich got a huge bounce for telling off the media moderator who asked about his position on informal polygamy.
Frankly I couldn't make a worse PR decision if I tried, and I'm a believer in strategically inflaming particular adversaries whenever possible (Per Sun Tzu, if your opponent is choleric, inflame him---this is of course because if you can cause him to lose full control over his emotions, you will find him easier to defeat). First, you piss off those who view abortion as a sacrament, like, say, the famous reporter woman who said she'd have been happy to emulate Monica for Bill Clinton for 'keeping abortion legal'. This group is so damned touchy that a private charitable foundation simply deciding not to give them money anymore sets them off, predictably. Anyone who doubts what I say about the neurotypical mind being ungrateful as hell can look here for Exhibit A. If you give me money or useful help on a regular basis out of the goodness of your heart, with no strings attached, and then one year you tell me you'll no longer be able to do this for me anymore, my gut response bears no resemblance to Planned Parenthood's. It's more akin to---Thank you very much for your many years of support. I hope that maybe you'll find it beneficial to support us again at some future date. Gratitude for the favors granted, and no hard feelings or feeling of entitlement to future favor. But then I'm way the hell out of the neurotypical range. Classier outfits than Planned Parenthood, even if they didn't feel the way I would at the gut level, would at least attempt to emulate my response. This is one of the areas where Christianity has had a profoundly beneficial impact on the culture---in getting people to at least FAKE gratitude and act as if they were grateful when they receive unmerited favor.
Then, to compound their predicament, they decide to change their mind and apologize. Yes, companies can often help themselves by apologizing. For instance, my wife got a loaf of bread from a grocery store some weeks back that was stale when opened well before the sell by date. When she called the bread company, they were profoundly apologetic and sent several loaves of bread worth of manufacturer's coupons (effectively like a small gift card). The apology was accepted and we did not prejudice any future transactions with this particular manufacturer. But politics in the US doesn't work that way---hasn't at least since the 60s. When you apologize in such a venue it is simply used to beat you with further. Amusingly, I suspect that the Komen foundation would've been better served if it said something like this:
Burn in Hell you damnable baby-killers. We're sorry we ever funded you and if we could retroactively take it out of your miserable hides, we'd do so. You'll never see a plugged nickle from us ever again.
Had they said that they'd at least have had the pro-life community behind them---that group which was likely responsible for the surge of donations in the meantime. Here's the thing, they are now seriously on the radar of pro-lifers. Before I knew they did business with Planned Parenthood and had no truck with them, but I'm an outlier and I know it. Now the fact that they support Planned Parenthood is in the public eye and record. What's more, an awful lot of pro-choicers are going to remain pissed off at them. So their chosen course of action results in pretty much everyone hating them on both sides of the issue. Had they followed the first rule of political PR---never ever apologize---they'd have at least kept the pro-lifers...in fact if they'd been as vulgar as my facetiously proposed PR message, they'd have become a celebrated cause in those circles and gotten a big bounce out of it, in much the way Gingrich got a huge bounce for telling off the media moderator who asked about his position on informal polygamy.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Romney Shows Additional Signs of Being an Educable Whore
http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2012/02/president-obama-versus-religious-liberty/2165911
Glory be, he might actually want to win this thing.
Here's the main thrust:
Glory be, he might actually want to win this thing.
Here's the main thrust:
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Is Romney Educable?
Many of our readers know that I've long described Romney as a whore, which, by the standard descriptions I apply to most politicians in the US, is actually somewhat above the median. Romney can historically be counted on to modulate his positions according to his electorate. However, of late, I've begun to wonder if he might not also be an educable whore.
Romney has been one of the first politicians, certainly on the national presidential stage, to actually start talking about solutions on the national question involving self-deportation. This is one of the most important observations on the national question, going back to Operation Wetback. For every illegal you deport, if you show you're serious about enforcing the law, lots more will self-deport, which is much cheaper and doesn't make for tear-jerking media coverage.
https://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/beckr/january-31-2012/fla-vote-winners-are-latino-dignity-self-deportation.html
Another interesting story by way of the Washington Post. Apparently, not satisfied with simply avoiding what I deemed 'Gross Political Malpractice' in a previous post by insulting Ron Paul, and more importantly, his supporters, Romney has apparently been quietly forming ties. This shows better judgment than I thought likely from him. It also illuminates the possibility of a 'grand bargain' between supporters of the Pauls and more conventional Republicans come convention time. Could the stupid party do something profoundly not stupid?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-paul-and-romney-a-strategic-alliance-between-outsider-and-establishment/2012/01/20/gIQAf8foiQ_story.html?hpid=z1
My suggestions for such a bargain would be to dial back the support for the 'War on Some Drugs' and the rhetoric substantially, and let the states go their own way on the issue. The cover can be an appeal to Federalism and States Rights. The second issue would be to recognize that the US can not afford to maintain its present level of military spending or its level of foreign 'military intervention'. The budget for such simply isn't there and defense and entitlements are the elephants in the budget room. Since talking about a sustainable entitlement reform is death electorally, this leaves the best option to greatly reduce the volume on the war drums and wind down the Empire.
Romney with the addition of a substantial chunk of Paul's independent support would have, IMO, a better than 50-50 shot of winning the presidency. But Paul's voters are more discerning than most, to buy them you actually have to pay them. Romney would need to persuade them that he can be THEIR educable whore.
Romney has been one of the first politicians, certainly on the national presidential stage, to actually start talking about solutions on the national question involving self-deportation. This is one of the most important observations on the national question, going back to Operation Wetback. For every illegal you deport, if you show you're serious about enforcing the law, lots more will self-deport, which is much cheaper and doesn't make for tear-jerking media coverage.
https://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/beckr/january-31-2012/fla-vote-winners-are-latino-dignity-self-deportation.html
Another interesting story by way of the Washington Post. Apparently, not satisfied with simply avoiding what I deemed 'Gross Political Malpractice' in a previous post by insulting Ron Paul, and more importantly, his supporters, Romney has apparently been quietly forming ties. This shows better judgment than I thought likely from him. It also illuminates the possibility of a 'grand bargain' between supporters of the Pauls and more conventional Republicans come convention time. Could the stupid party do something profoundly not stupid?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-paul-and-romney-a-strategic-alliance-between-outsider-and-establishment/2012/01/20/gIQAf8foiQ_story.html?hpid=z1
My suggestions for such a bargain would be to dial back the support for the 'War on Some Drugs' and the rhetoric substantially, and let the states go their own way on the issue. The cover can be an appeal to Federalism and States Rights. The second issue would be to recognize that the US can not afford to maintain its present level of military spending or its level of foreign 'military intervention'. The budget for such simply isn't there and defense and entitlements are the elephants in the budget room. Since talking about a sustainable entitlement reform is death electorally, this leaves the best option to greatly reduce the volume on the war drums and wind down the Empire.
Romney with the addition of a substantial chunk of Paul's independent support would have, IMO, a better than 50-50 shot of winning the presidency. But Paul's voters are more discerning than most, to buy them you actually have to pay them. Romney would need to persuade them that he can be THEIR educable whore.
More encouraging developments: The SWPLs embrace Homeschooling in the Guise of DIY Education
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/01/29/why-urban-educated-parents-are-turning-to-diy-education.html
I find this incredibly encouraging. Once they take the step of homeschooling their little one, several things are likely to happen. First, they will have taken a massive step towards Reaction. Homeschooling a child is a pretty explicit acknowledgment that there are limits to one's submission to the Cathedral. The second thing is that homeschool families tend to become larger. I suspect part of this is that the marginal cost of additional children once you've gone ahead and restructured your family life and economics for homeschooling is pretty small. This in turn tends to drag the family further towards Reaction. Approaching Reaction from what Americans deem the Right is not the only way to get there, you can also approach from what we call the Left, especially the 'Old Left'.
As the fraction of non-public school children increases, support for the accursed Cathedral public school system dwindles. We already see this reduction in public support as the various states have been squeezing the teacher unions to make their budgets balance. Bringing a bunch of SWPLs into the orbit only accelerates this positive feedback process.
I find this incredibly encouraging. Once they take the step of homeschooling their little one, several things are likely to happen. First, they will have taken a massive step towards Reaction. Homeschooling a child is a pretty explicit acknowledgment that there are limits to one's submission to the Cathedral. The second thing is that homeschool families tend to become larger. I suspect part of this is that the marginal cost of additional children once you've gone ahead and restructured your family life and economics for homeschooling is pretty small. This in turn tends to drag the family further towards Reaction. Approaching Reaction from what Americans deem the Right is not the only way to get there, you can also approach from what we call the Left, especially the 'Old Left'.
As the fraction of non-public school children increases, support for the accursed Cathedral public school system dwindles. We already see this reduction in public support as the various states have been squeezing the teacher unions to make their budgets balance. Bringing a bunch of SWPLs into the orbit only accelerates this positive feedback process.
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