tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40570967318866658872024-03-05T11:27:19.384-05:00Right KlikI will, to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.comBlogger1158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-44561381071908691442016-11-09T07:34:00.002-05:002016-11-09T07:34:42.462-05:00<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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<!-- AddThis Button END -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-73717475184040251232016-02-23T01:11:00.000-05:002016-02-23T20:36:54.241-05:00Totalitarian Ideologue Anita Sarkeesian and The Hateful Lies of Feminism #FreeStacy<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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Anita Sarkeesian and Laurie Penny: <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:IQmPshp8yvsJ:https://twitter.com/rsmccain/status/564922848888635392+&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us">The Smiling Faces of 21st-Century Totalitarianism</a> #tcot @PennyRed @femfreq </div>
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Twitter has named <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:xP6c66xWoUIJ:https://twitter.com/rsmccain/status/697209463527358464+&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us">totalitarian ideologue</a> Anita Sarkeesian to its "<a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2016/announcing-the-twitter-trust-safety-council">Trust and Safety Council</a>." </div>
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#tcot #GamerGate </div>
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<a href="http://theothermccain.com/2016/02/22/the-hateful-lies-of-feminism/">The Hateful Lies of Feminism</a></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Anita Sarkeesian (</span><a href="http://twitter.com/femfreq" style="background-color: white; color: steelblue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@FemFreq on Twitter</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">) is a jargon-spewing pseudo-intellectual who made herself obnoxious by using feminist “gender theory” to critique videogames. This proved to be enormously lucrative for Ms. Sarkeesian, who became a heroine in the eyes of every left-wing ax-grinder who, like her, hates the idea of heterosexual white males enjoying themselves without being constantly lectured about what awful racist, sexist homophobes they are. Sarkeesian’s crooked hustle — </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Pay me money to tell you how to abolish misogyny in videogames”</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> — is a shakedown, a corrupt scam with which no honest person would wish to be associated....</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Sarkeesian and her dimwit followers are incapable of original thought, and as soon as they began getting blowback from their shabby scam, they all began to shriek in unison, </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“Harassment!”</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> This became the Official Media Narrative of what </span><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GamerGate?src=hash" style="background-color: white; color: steelblue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#GamerGate</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> was about...</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #323232; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">So, about two weeks ago, Twitter announced its Orwellian-sounding “Trust and Safety Council,” of which Anita Sarkeesian is a member. When my Twitter account was suspended Friday, some people (including Robby Soave of Reason magazine) put two and two together and concluded that perhaps Ms. Sarkeesian had something to do with this matter. Was this deduction valid? I don’t know. Twitter has cited nothing specific to justify its claim that I was “participating in targeted abuse,” and this opaque accusation was delivered as a verdict, so that I do not even have any way to know whom I was alleged to have “targeted.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #323232; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"><b><a href="http://theothermccain.com/2016/02/22/the-hateful-lies-of-feminism/">Read the rest</a></b>.</span></span></div>
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More background:</div>
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Anita Sarkeesian (@femfreq) and the #<b><a href="http://theothermccain.com/2014/10/16/the-gamergate-hate-hoax/">GamerGate Hate Hoax</a></b> </blockquote>
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Anita Sarkeesian (@femfreq) and Brianna Wu (@Spacekatgal) are feminist critics of the videogame industry who seem to be trying to cash in on the fact that they are feminist critics of the videogame industry. This involves portraying themselves as victims of horrific harassment and criminal threats. Who is engaging in this harassment? Who is making these threats? We don’t know, because it seems to be coming from a lot of anonymous online accounts, and I strongly suspect that some of these threats are fake. But whether it’s fake or real, the harassment is being blamed on the gamers who, using the Twitter hashtag #GamerGate, have been blowing the whistle on some of the sleazy tactics by which feminists have been trying to turn gaming into a Political Correctness Zone and — oh, just by the way — cut themselves in on a slice of the multibillion-dollar videogame industry pie. </blockquote>
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Thursday, the feminists got themselves a front-page puff-piece in the New York Times, after Sarkeesian cancelled a university speech in Utah claiming she felt unsafe because of a threat. Click here to see the threat. You tell me if that looks legit. It looks phony as hell to me, but here’s the thing: I DON’T CARE IF IT’S REAL OR FAKE.</blockquote>
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What’s important to me is that we <b><a href="http://theothermccain.com/2014/10/16/the-gamergate-hate-hoax/">learn the truth</a></b>.</div>
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<b><a href="http://theothermccain.com/2014/10/16/the-gamergate-hate-hoax/">Read the rest</a></b>.</div>
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<!-- AddThis Button END -->TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-37241560480638972872015-04-27T02:45:00.000-04:002015-04-27T02:45:21.518-04:00Six of one, half a dozen of the other<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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Some people think <a href="https://disqus.com/home/discussion/theyoungcons/navy_chaplain_ordered_to_not_pray_in_the_name_of_jesus/?utm_source=reply&utm_medium=email&utm_content=comment_date#comment-1988432155"><b>all religions suck</b></a>, other people think <b><a href="http://www.thebiblepage.org/biblesays/homosexuality.shtml">all gay sex sucks</a></b>.<br />
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Six of one, half a dozen of the other.<br />
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Some religious people want to <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/04/26/bakers-must-pay-135000-for-refusing-to-make-cake-for-gay-wedding/"><b>avoid all homosexual weddings</b></a>, other religious people want to <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/2037629/you-are-forgiven-isis-murderers-hug-victims-before-stoning-them-to-death-for-being-gay/"><b>kill all homosexuals</b></a>.<br />
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Six of one, half a dozen of the other.<br />
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Some folks think that <b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/3375059/Barack-Obama-marriage-is-between-a-man-and-a-woman.html">gay marriage is not a good idea</a></b>, other people think that those folks <b><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/sweet-cakes-gresham">should have their lives ruined</a></b>.<br />
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<a href="http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1.html">Six of one, half a dozen of the other</a>...</div>
<!-- AddThis Button END -->TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-37401037869033540542014-10-24T01:37:00.000-04:002014-10-24T01:57:37.335-04:00Irresponsible Doc Brings Ebola to NYC: Bad News with a Silver Lining?<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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Unfortunately, an <a href="http://www.ijreview.com/2014/10/191860-nyc-doc-came-ebola-hung-girlfriend-went-bowling-took-uber-cars/"><b>irresponsible</b></a> young physician has brought Ebola to NYC. I hope he enjoys a swift recovery.<br />
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Maybe this story comes with a silver lining. As long as Ebola was a problem only in Red States and Flyover Country, it could be treated as an abstraction and a political issue. Now that it's stricken at the heart of Blue America, sensible pragmatic strategies can replace politically correct posturing (e.g., stringent travel restrictions).<br />
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Speaking of Red States, here's how a Tennesee physician dealt with the risk:<br />
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"Doctor from Morristown, Tennessee who <b><a href="http://www.wate.com/story/26265705/morristown-ebola-doctor-speaks-about-time-with-family-after-quarantined-for-21-days">self-quarantined</a> </b>after returning from treating Ebola patients in Africa"<br />
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Hat tip: <a href="http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/197171/"><b>Instapundit</b></a></div>
<!-- AddThis Button END -->TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-70647650819867009372013-03-24T06:51:00.000-04:002013-03-24T07:58:51.065-04:00Progressivism is a lucrative career opportunity for clever cynics<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"A valuable reminder of <b><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/10/29/steve_jobs_yacht_inequality_makes_a_worse_world.html">the best argument for reducing economic inequality</a>.</b>"</td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://freebeacon.com/slate-columnist-cheers-breitbarts-death/">As hateful as Matthew Yglesias is</a></b>, I'm happy that the overflowing fruits of capitalistic enterprise are so abundant in this country that a mediocre blogger armed with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Yglesias"><b>unearned privilege</b></a> can find a way to pay for a <a href="http://twitchy.com/2013/03/21/matt-yglesias-revels-in-his-1-lifestyle-with-1-2-million-townhouse/"><b>$1.2 million home</b></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/314866272313692160"><b>David Burge</b></a> points out that with $1.2 million, a bleeding-heart progressive <a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2010/elena-ives/matthew-yglesias-of-think-progress-unrepentant-stealth-agitprop-for-obama-%E2%80%9808/">journolista</a> could buy seven houses at the median US home price. Or pay <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/02/american_doctors_are_overpaid_medicare_is_cheaper_than_private_insurance.html"><b>a greedy doctor</b></a> to provide health care for poor people for the better part of decade. Or buy dinner for four at Sizzler Steakhouse for <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/10/29/steve_jobs_yacht_inequality_makes_a_worse_world.html"><b>30,000 hungry families</b></a><b>.</b><br />
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But I'm happy for Matt. And I'm glad that Matt has come to terms with the <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/10/29/steve_jobs_yacht_inequality_makes_a_worse_world.html"><b>heartrending inequality</b></a> of this cruel world well enough to luxuriate in his good fortune while writing <b><a href="http://rightklik.blogspot.com/2013/03/sloppy-poorly-researched-agitprop.html">sloppy, poorly-researched agitprop</a></b> for the proles.<br />
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Now read this, the source of the title of this post: <a href="http://theothermccain.com/2013/03/23/the-1-progressive-bloggers-club-and-the-bourgeois-dialectic-of-comrade-yglesias/"><b>The 1% Progressive Bloggers Club and the Bourgeois Dialectic of Comrade Yglesias</b></a><br />
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H/T The Other McCain</div>
<!-- AddThis Button END -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-89284027217018814972013-03-20T02:48:00.001-04:002013-03-20T02:48:53.694-04:00Government Can't Change What Marriage Means<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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<i>You are hoping by its force and might, by fiat, that government will <b><a href="http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=6653">change what marriage means</a></b>. But government can’t change the state of marriage fundamentally. Nobody can. The best it can do is to use the word incorrectly, and require that others do, too.</i><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js?pub=rightklik" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
<!-- AddThis Button END -->TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-22604054260266730522013-03-10T21:31:00.001-04:002013-03-10T21:31:32.123-04:00McCain, Graham Need to End the Super-Hawk Crap<b><a href="http://ace.mu.nu/archives/338189.php">Ace</a></b>: <blockquote class="tr_bq">
I still consider myself a hawk.<br /><br />But I don't consider myself a super-hawk. Post-9/11, I became a super-hawk. I'm not one any longer.<br /><br />John McCain and Lindsey Graham are still pushing a super-hawk line that the public widely rejects.<br /><br />They need to stop. If the only choice is between appeasement and super-hawk full-commitment total war, the public will choose appeasement. </blockquote>
<b><a href="http://ace.mu.nu/archives/338189.php">Read the rest</a>.</b><br />
TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-1829150922896875682013-03-09T02:21:00.001-05:002013-03-09T02:23:04.613-05:00Recommended Album<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vivaldi-The-Four-Seasons-Antonio/dp/B000000SPU">Vivaldi: The Four Seasons</a></b><br />
Performer: Il Giardino Armonico<br />
Conductor: Giovanni Antonini<br />
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi<br />
Audio CD (October 25, 1994)<br />
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"There is a feeling that every second of music was deeply thought through in an innovative way.”<br />
Oron Zachar<br />
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"This is a Four Seasons you will want to share with the most scrutinous musical colleagues.”<br />
Debra A. Hayes<br />
<br />TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-68057751388278175702013-03-06T19:16:00.001-05:002013-03-07T00:34:56.709-05:00TAX2DEFFrom the Annals of the Evil 1%, Red State Edition:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhYgojQZUwLpld4vO8bhoj-8MdBoCDYDMMnheBy1hXwi12s26yacnOAmTArtg33Ms3FKhvYiNPFuMrsf5YCOFw2rWfsnqO562gFAGQLC1ehg4cYoCUenN1cX7NkdTh_fp_KRVO_S9fN4/s1600/Untitled.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhYgojQZUwLpld4vO8bhoj-8MdBoCDYDMMnheBy1hXwi12s26yacnOAmTArtg33Ms3FKhvYiNPFuMrsf5YCOFw2rWfsnqO562gFAGQLC1ehg4cYoCUenN1cX7NkdTh_fp_KRVO_S9fN4/s1600/Untitled.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photographed near Chattanooga, TN</td></tr>
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<br />TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-52761024195054460472013-03-06T02:55:00.001-05:002013-03-06T02:55:15.449-05:005300% More Likely...<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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If you're worried about getting killed by a gun, you should be about 5300% more worried about dying of heart disease:<script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js?pub=rightklik" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
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<a href="http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full-width/images/2013/02/blogs/graphic-detail/20130223_woc025_2.png"><b>Via</b></a></div>
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<!-- AddThis Button END -->TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-60005696696710366292013-03-06T02:37:00.002-05:002013-03-06T02:39:17.086-05:00Music Sales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVarncNbf-0Wi9YorPZvZDf2gETNIrTiLD7tjydEtKIfmigMr7RSvY-dX_3kmSI8qsfs05kuAv8VFqfooGQpmAS1V1Dw6UCvLLc_jruo5AwIZsqQZkeI1heRZRPgATmFk47YnDNfLltw/s1600/untitled.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVarncNbf-0Wi9YorPZvZDf2gETNIrTiLD7tjydEtKIfmigMr7RSvY-dX_3kmSI8qsfs05kuAv8VFqfooGQpmAS1V1Dw6UCvLLc_jruo5AwIZsqQZkeI1heRZRPgATmFk47YnDNfLltw/s1600/untitled.PNG" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/03/daily-chart-1?bclid=0&bctid=2203033001001">Via</a></b></div>
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TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-11138462355001947662013-03-05T03:55:00.000-05:002013-03-05T03:57:14.088-05:00When Bureaucrats Attack: Stabbed While Crocheting, Hurt at the OperaBehold, the marvels of 21st century, bureaucrat-driven health care:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The U.S. health care system is ramping up to implement a massive new coding system called ICD-10. It’s a bland name for a system capable of coding thousands of colorful injuries. A full 68,000 to be exact, as opposed to the 13,000 under the current ICD-9. The codes are intended to help health care providers keep track of what happened to you, how much it should cost and what follow-up care you need. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Take these, straight from ICD-10:<br />
<ul>
<li>Hurt at the opera: Y92253</li>
<li>Stabbed while crocheting: Y93D1</li>
<li>Walked into a lamppost: W2202XA</li>
<li>Walked into a lamppost, subsequent encounter: W2202XD</li>
<li>Submersion due to falling or jumping from crushed water skis: V9037XA</li>
</ul>
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We are the ones we've been waiting for and this is the stuff of hope 'n' change.<br />
<br />
Via <b><a href="http://poorrichardsnews.com/post/44567245850/doctors-oppose-the-federal-governments-absurd-new">Poor Richard</a></b><br />
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UPDATE: <a href="http://rhelena.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Prevent-Injury-While-Crocheting">How To Prevent Injury While Crocheting</a>
<!-- AddThis Button END -->TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-90895115908044035072013-03-04T23:36:00.000-05:002013-03-04T23:54:39.812-05:00Dumbing Down Conservatism <span style="font-family: inherit;">You've heard Big Media use the term "conservative Democrat," but can you think of the last time you've heard them use the term "liberal Republican"?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There's a reason for that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Liberal Progressives* -- including liberal-progressive Republicans -- want to stretch the definition of "conservative" to the point that it's broken. And they want to make "Republican" fully </span>substitutable<span style="font-family: inherit;"> with "Conservative." </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Controlling the terms of the debate in this way gives them an advantage in the war of rhetoric and makes it easy to stigmatize and bastardize conservatism.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The faux outrage over exclusion of liberal-progressive Republicans from conservative gatherings is a fine example of the liberal impulse to define conservatism for conservatives, as <b><a href="http://ace.mu.nu/archives/338026.php#338026">Ace aptly points out</a></b>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The gathering is called <b>C</b>-PAC, not <b>R</b>-PAC. Chris Christie's success as a registered Republican does not qualify him automatically as a "certified" conservative. I hate the Conservative Purity Purges as much as the next person.... but in this case? I think there is a valid point to be made. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chris Christie is not just soft on the Second Amendment. He is downright hostile...</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Politicians who don't trust law-abiding citizens to own guns do NOT see them as equal members of a democratic republic. To put it bluntly, they see them as serfs...</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://ace.mu.nu/archives/338026.php#338026"><b>Read the rest</b></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">*I don't want anybody to feel left out.</span>
<!-- AddThis Button END -->TickedMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13973588048874466367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-33590503445748776292013-03-04T04:11:00.000-05:002013-03-04T04:16:02.258-05:00Good GuysNew lib argument: Good guys can't be trusted with guns because "good guys" <b><a href="http://twitchy.com/2013/03/02/toure-what-stops-a-mad-good-guy-with-a-gun-from-shooting-his-wife/">threaten their wives with guns</a></b>:<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-21898066080138868252013-03-03T19:41:00.003-05:002013-03-03T19:41:41.641-05:00It Keeps Getting Worse<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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Hat tip: <b><a href="http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/164274/">Insty</a></b><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js?pub=rightklik" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
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<!-- AddThis Button END -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-54782168168282051612013-03-03T06:09:00.000-05:002013-03-24T06:12:16.157-04:00Sloppy, Poorly-Researched Agitprop<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/02/american_doctors_are_overpaid_medicare_is_cheaper_than_private_insurance.html?commentId=http://slate.com/9f338147-9f63-474b-bcdb-047890a5f41d/">We pay our doctors way too much</a></b>?</i><br />
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The decade-old data from the OECD report don't account for workload or hours worked (i.e. productivity). The data are thus insufficient to support the notion that US physicians are immoderately compensated relative to physicians in Europe, Canada and Australia.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/02/american_doctors_are_overpaid_medicare_is_cheaper_than_private_insurance.html?commentId=http://slate.com/9f338147-9f63-474b-bcdb-047890a5f41d/">Sloppy analysis</a></b>.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-45391986420524099142013-03-01T04:14:00.000-05:002013-03-01T04:39:15.039-05:00Individualism is dead. Long live the State!Nauseating: <b><a href="http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=7353">Against Autonomy: Justifying Coercive Paternalism</a></b><br />
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Flashback: “<a href="http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/03/milton-friedman-on-greed/">Where are these angels</a> who are going to organize society for us?”<br />
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Update: Sweet Sarcasm:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And indeed, our history proves Conly's claim, as objective government officials have acted with the reason and balance of experts who are not tempted by direct involvement in the questions being decided: the Sedition Act of 1798, which led to the imprisonment of newspaper editors who criticized government. Indian removal. The Fugitive Slave Act. The Dred Scott decision. The Wounded Knee massacre. Plessy v. Ferguson. Jim Crow laws. The firebombing of Tokyo. The mass internment of Japanese-Americans. The secret bombing of Cambodia. Drone attacks on Pakistani wedding parties. Indefinite military detention. The wisdom of government is virtually infinite, and has created a world of steady progress. When we act individually, we are irrational and reckless. When government officials act upon the human society from which they ascended, they do better to help us all reach our proper goals.</blockquote>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R3UONIL7UP8TVD/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1107024846&nodeID=283155&store=books">Do read the rest</a>.</b><br />
<br />RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-19311429613940186522013-02-28T23:31:00.000-05:002013-02-28T23:31:38.594-05:00Put a fork in us<b><a href="http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/164233/">Via Insty</a>:</b><br />
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“If we are going to wet our proverbial pants over 0.3% in annual spending cuts when we’re running up trillion dollar annual deficits, then we’re done ... Put a fork in us. We’re finished.”<br />
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RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-18978720542012785242013-02-28T22:29:00.002-05:002013-03-01T07:35:35.851-05:00RightKlik is Back<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.westernjournalism.com/good-mourning-america/">Image credit</a></td></tr>
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After a long hiatus, RightKlik is back -- this time to document the<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/02/27/fitch-aaa-debt-rating/1951585/"> slow disintegration of the USA</a>. When I'm not blogging, paying taxes or taking humiliating orders from obtuse government bureaucrats, I'll be encouraging my kids to think about relocating to New Zealand or Canada so they can avoid paying for the financial and cultural costs of Hope 'n' Change. They're only 1½ and 3½, but they're bright kids so I think they'll understand.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Notes:</i><br />
<ul>
<li>I'm back to my old-school URL: <b><a href="http://rightklik.blogspot.com/">rightklik.blogspot.com</a></b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Allow me to recommend this book: <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Decline-Aaron-Clarey/dp/1480284769">Enjoy the Decline</a>.</b> The author's writing skills aren't particularly exceptional (pot meet kettle), but I loved it anyway. For me, it was the right book at the right time. I might have written it myself if I had more self-motivation.</li>
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Update: Linked at The Other McCain. <b><a href="http://theothermccain.com/2013/03/01/live-at-five-03-01-13/">Thanks</a></b>!</div>
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<!-- AddThis Button END -->RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-48340853855871450242012-12-15T23:10:00.002-05:002012-12-15T23:10:23.502-05:00Nothing to Fight For<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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Read this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The reason no one speaks for the GOP is that there’s nothing to speak for — no principles other than accommodation, and thus no message. And until it gets one, something at once fundamentally American and electrifyingly appealing, it’s not going to find its voice. </i></blockquote>
Nothing to speak for, nothing to fight for. <b><a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/335634/wheres-mitt-contd-michael-walsh#">Read the rest</a></b>.<br />
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Hat tip: <b><a href="http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/159670/">Insty</a></b></div>
<!-- AddThis Button END -->RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-28411980105858211092012-12-03T05:21:00.001-05:002012-12-03T05:25:33.027-05:00Chimp or Bee? Yes!<br />
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This is a response to Les Carpenter's thoughtful post, <b><a href="http://rationalnationusa.blogspot.com/2012/12/by-les-carpenter-rational-nation-usa.html">Smith vs. Rand</a></b>.<br />
<br />
To be brief, <b><a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_intro">objectivism says</a> </b>that a person "must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life."<br />
<br />
Taking it a step further, objectivsim views altruism as <b><a href="http://wiki.objectivismonline.net/Altruism">inherently evil</a></b>.<br />
<br />
In fact, while <a href="http://www.atlassociety.org/capitalism-despicable">objectivists support capitalism</a>, their aversion to altruism is so complete that they will reject a defense of capitalism if it is based on an affirmation of capitalism's propensity to contribute to the <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rn-NRr_cXuI">greater public good</a></b>.<br />
<br />
Is the morality of objectivism valid? I'll leave that question for others to try to answer. But in answering that question, there should be a recognition of the full spectrum of moral values, including altruistic ones:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Another central metaphor is that humans are “90 percent chimp and 10 percent bee.” The chimp, in this case, behaves as a selfish individual satisfying its individual needs. The bee, as a member of a group, works for the welfare of the group. So, <a href="http://tcpc.ipbhost.com/index.php?/topic/3089-the-righteous-mind-chapter-1/"><b>according to Haidt</b></a>, we are some of both. We have our selfish interests (the major portion – 90%) and we have our community interests (the bee, 10%). It is our bee-like nature that “facilitates altruism, heroism, war and genocide.”</blockquote>
This "chimp vs. bee" metaphor is central to a number of key conflicts in politics:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...Haidt likens our moral foundations from which we draw our ethical norms to 6 different taste buds: <b><a href="http://www.apacenter.com/how-do-we-repair-a-house-divided/">care, fairness, liberty, loyalty, authority and sanctity</a></b>. Interestingly, Dr. Haidt points out that the conservative moral palette is more broad than that of liberals. Liberals tend to be influenced by the first 3 moral foundations... In contrast, conservatives are influenced by all 6 moral foundations.<br />
<br />
...Dr. Haidt points out that there are strong evolutionary and cultural reasons why all 6 moral foundations exist, and that they are still relevant today. Dr. Haidt states that “we are 90% chimp, 10% bee.” By “bee” he means that we are social animals. While we might act in our own self-interest much of the time, we also have a strong instinct to be in groups. Our need to be a member of a group led us to develop these various moral foundations because, at one time or another, they all had a survival value. They helped groups to cohere and cohesive groups tend to survive and thrive.</blockquote>
Roughly speaking, the six moral foundations apply in different ways to <b><a href="http://darwinianconservatism.blogspot.com/2012/09/haidts-vindication-of-fusionist.html">the chimp and the bee</a></b>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The first three foundations support individual autonomy. The second three support communal bonding. ...[C]onservatives stress all six foundations. And thus Darwinian moral psychology supports conservatism as having a superior understanding of evolved moral dispositions.</blockquote>
Of course libertarians -- under the influence of objectivism and focused primarily on the moral foundation of liberty -- <b><a href="http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/24/libertarians-do-too-have-morals-just-dif">see all of this a bit differently</a></b>.<br />
<br />
I would submit that a successful political movement will appeal to all six moral foundations, crafting an argument that attracts broad and <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2MYsx6WArKY">deep</a> </b>support.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*<a href="http://photoshop-animal-hybrid.blogspot.com/#axzz2Dy7loFeK">photo credit</a></span>RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-7095948051290060382012-11-30T00:26:00.001-05:002012-11-30T00:38:54.055-05:00Fiscal Cliff: Republicans Will Get What They Want<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
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When you're holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And when you're in Washington, every "crisis" is looks like a great opportunity to expand government. <script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js?pub=rightklik" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
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Repubs are no exception to this rule. A dwindling few of them want to rein in government, but in general, Republicans go to Washington and become intoxicated with the head trip that comes from doing Big Important Expensive Things.<br />
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So a bit like Brer Rabbit (to mix metaphors), congressional Republicans will throw fits about raising taxes. But in the end, they'll get the big government and big taxes they love so much.</div>
<!-- AddThis Button END -->RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-35331874819077650792012-11-29T03:04:00.001-05:002012-11-29T03:27:55.207-05:00Jack DiddlyMedicaid is the seed from which <b><a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/11/new-poll-shows-continued-resistance-to-federal-government-role-in-health-care/">Obamacare is germinating</a></b>. In contributing to survival, Medicaid closely resembles " jack diddly" for some of the patients who need good health care the most:<br />
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RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-60837519418740466322012-11-26T22:37:00.000-05:002012-11-26T22:37:17.382-05:00Bikini-Clad Women <center>
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Good points. But of course a gentleman will keep his --ahem-- "observations" to an absolute minimum.</div>
RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057096731886665887.post-38208349807259167982012-11-25T22:55:00.000-05:002012-11-27T07:57:04.269-05:00ObamaCare: Reports From The Front Lines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>A Physician’s New Reality Under ObamaCare: Patients Ask Me to Break the Law...</i></b><br />
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“Ironically, but expectedly, the ones who do this now are <b><a href="http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/158333/">likely to have supported Obamacare</a></b>.”<br />
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..there is the “annual ” or “preventative” exam, which according to Obamacare is “free” ...<br />
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What they did not tell you, and I am, is that it covers absolutely nothing more than the bare minimum.<br />
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I have now posted a notice in my office and each exam room stating exactly what Obamacare will cover for those yearly visits. Remember Obama promised this as a free exam — no co-pay, no deductible, no charge. That’s fine and dandy if you are healthy and have no complaints. However, we are obligated by law to code specifically for the reason of the visit. An annual exam is one specific code; you can not mix this with another code, say, for rectal bleeding. This annual visit covers the exam and “discussion about the status of previously diagnosed stable conditions.” That’s the exact wording under that code — insurance will not cover any new ailment under that code.<br />
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If you are here for that annual exam, you will not be covered if you want to discuss any new ailment or unstable condition. I cannot bait and switch to another code — that’s illegal. We, the physicians, are audited all the time and can lose our license for insurance fraud.<br />
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You, the patient, will then have to make a decision.<br />
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Do you want your “free” yearly exam, or do you want to pay for a visit which is coded for a particular, new problem? You can have my “free” exam if you only discuss what Obamacare wants me to discuss...<br />
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Patients can be very tricky. I have had patients make an “annual” exam, only to want to discuss and be treated for another ailment. I can’t do it...<br />
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I can hear the complaints from you guys already — I become the bad guy. “Why don’t you just take care of the problem, and not bill out any different code? You’re a rich doctor, and we are entitled to free stuff.”<br />
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It doesn’t work that way. First, doctors are not rich and, like most of you, actually work terribly hard for a living. Second, Obamacare is the law — and as I said earlier, we are audited all the time now.</blockquote>
...and docs who accept Medicare (the vast majority) are forbidden from selectively providing free care.<br />
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Here's a report from the world of <b><a href="http://pjmedia.com/blog/a-physicians-new-reality-patients-ask-me-to-break-the-law/#comment-3896916">cancer care</a></b>:<br />
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I am a Hematologist/Oncologist with 27 years combined training (10 yrs after college) and practice (17 yrs). I am in a large group of oncologists and we do chemotherapy in our offices, have several imaging centers and radiotherapy in two locations. Currently we employ 130 people, and pay 100% of their health care insurance premiums, as well as a matching 401k. Each physician sees approx 15 to 25 patients daily in office and 5-10 hospital patients daily. We are a busy and, at the moment, financially secure business.<br />
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Here’s the preliminary numbers when we are paid at Medicaid reimbursement, oops I mean Obamacare rates: Half our offices will close, forcing patients to travel to a restricted number of locations. We will not be able to give chemochemotherapy in our offices, as the drug costs and nursing costs will be higher than what we will get paid, so the patients will have to get their chemo in what hospitals will still be giving chemo in an outpatient suite. In our community, just to cover the number of patients that receive chemo services in our offices, the hospitals will need to set aside 60-80 clinic slots each day. Right now there are approx 15 slots between the 7 hospitals we cover and no plans to add more, so where these patients will receive their cancer treatments, outside of a 2 hr drive to the Texas Medical Center, I don’t know.<br />
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Our staff will either be halved or go part time (29.5 hrs). How I will run a medical practice with this kind of staffing, I have no idea.<br />
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The physicians will need to see 45 cancer patients daily, yup, 45 patients with a life threatening and devastating disease like cancer, to cover overhead costs, whilst the physicians taking a 50%, likely more, pay cut.<br />
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Oh, and then there is the whole caboose of regulations that my practice will have to pay $400/hr lawyers to figure out how to keep us in compliance, since the fines are upwards of $100K per occurrence.<br />
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I don’t think the picture is any better for other specialties, but I will tell that for cancer care it is a catastrophe for the patients and the providers. </blockquote>
As with the "War on Poverty" and public education, we can expect government to waste ungodly amounts of wealth "fixing" the foreseen flaws, strengthening Obamacare's grip on our private lives but making negligible improvements in the quality of health care.<br />
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UPDATE: Linked at <a href="http://gorges-smythe.blogspot.com/2012/11/obamacare-report-from-front-lines.html"><b>Gorges' Grouse</b></a> and <b><a href="http://4simpsons.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/roundup-270/">Eternity Matters</a></b>. Thanks!<br />
<br />RightKlikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04475874038428195332noreply@blogger.com0