Author: Bionic Mosquito

Matthew 8:12 “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The Supreme Court ruling apparently has Christians living as exiles in their own country, this according to Rod Dreher: …orthodox Christians must understand that things are going to get much more difficult for us. We are going to have to learn how to live as exiles in our own country. You might think that the verse I cite above is in reference to these exiled Christians in the United States.  You would be wrong.  I mean … Continue reading →

…if they do, and damned if they don’t. Please note: the glee that I obviously cannot hide in this post is due to my pleasure of watching the EU bureaucracy flail; for the Greek people – who have opened themselves up to a who-knows-what tomorrow – I pray for the best.  Whatever opinion one has of the Greek people, the truth is that this entire mess was caused by their politicians and by the bailing-out of European banks.  The Greeks overwhelmingly vote no; now the drama really begins.  Ambrose Evans-Pritchard spells it out rather plainly: The shock result effectively calls … Continue reading →

I have received several comments to my post Libertarians and Culture.  I have decided to address selected comments via this post. Robert Wenzel was gracious enough to publish my post at Target Liberty.  I will begin by addressing one of the comments from Wenzel’s site, regarding this paragraph of the original post: Every thriving – even surviving – society requires governance; not government as the term is currently understood, but governance.  The lowest level, closest to most voluntary, most decentralized level of societal governance, is the family. Destroy the moral foundations of family and you destroy society.  Of this there is … Continue reading →

You won’t need a link; this week the Supreme Court ruled on gay marriage.  All are welcome. It apparently needs to be said that the only proper libertarian position is that marriage isn’t any business of the government – at any level.  From a solely libertarian viewpoint, marriage is nothing more than a voluntary contractual arrangement. This isn’t the view of many so-called libertarians.  They are praising the decision.  They only desire a world of subservience and dependence, in which they suck on the pig’s teat for their succor. Like gaining legitimacy from a government that has violated the life … Continue reading →

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War The China Mirage: The Hidden History of American Disaster in Asia, James Bradley In this book, James Bradley details the involvement of the United States in China, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century through the end of World War Two.  I have previously written about his views on Pearl Harbor as he describes in this book, disagreeing with his interpretation.  Despite the disagreement, I find the book very worthwhile in understanding the history of this time and place. I have struggled with how to write about this book – several posts covering the story in … Continue reading →

Ron Paul has written a very good piece regarding the death penalty.  I will begin with his conclusion: Until the death penalty is abolished, we will have neither a free nor a moral society. As I have developed in libertarian thought, I have moved away from acceptance of the death penalty.  I would say that I agree with every word written by Dr. Paul in this piece, but “every” is always a dangerous word; so let’s just says I agree with virtually every word. He wrote a very interesting paragraph; I will break it up into bite-sized pieces: As strong … Continue reading →

“Give me control of a nation’s money supply, and I care not who makes its laws.” –        Amschel Rothschild To my understanding, that Amstel Rothschild ever said such a thing is in doubt.  All I will say is if he didn’t say it, he should have. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard does an excellent job of highlighting the institution that is, in fact, in charge.  He is not impressed with their work regarding the situation in Greece: Rarely in modern times have we witnessed such a display of petulance and bad judgment by those supposed to be in charge of global financial stability, … Continue reading →

There is always Joker to see through the delusion. ― Jostein Gaarder Delusion: a false belief or opinion. Same old same old every day if things don’t change you’re just gonna rot Cause if you do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you always got Uh could that be nothin’ . –        Aerosmith . Delusion: Psychiatry. A fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact. With that as foundation… A Six-Point Plan to Restore Economic Growth and Prosperity, By John Mauldin and Stephen Moore Mauldin and Moore offer their prescription for economic growth, … Continue reading →

I, I will be king And you, you will be queen Though nothing will drive them away We can beat them, just for one day We can be Heroes, just for one day . I, I can remember (I remember) Standing, by the wall (by the wall) And the guns shot above our heads (over our heads) And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (nothing could fall) And the shame was on the other side Oh we can beat them, for ever and ever Then we could be Heroes, just for one day . –        David Bowie . Bowie’s … Continue reading →

This month marks the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta: Magna Carta (Latin for “the Great Charter”), also called Magna Carta Libertatum(Latin for “the Great Charter of the Liberties”), is a charter agreed by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215.  First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a … Continue reading →

Nestor was an Argonaut…In the Iliad, he often gives advice to the younger warriors…. Homer offers contradictory portrayals of Nestor as a source of advice. On one hand, Homer describes him as a wise man…. Yet at the same time Nestor’s advice is frequently ineffective. Some examples include Nestor accepting without question the dream Zeus plants in Agamemnon in Book 2 and urging the Achaeans to battle, instructing the Achaeans in Book 4 to use spear techniques that in actuality would be disastrous, and in Book 11 giving advice to Patroclus that ultimately leads to his death. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard is … Continue reading →

President Obama hosts a Gulf security summit, and most Arab leaders decide not to attend.  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu comes to Washington to address Congress on Iran over protests from the president.  Britain ignores pleas from the United States and becomes a founding member of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a potential competitor for the World Bank.  The Obama administration gripes that the Brits are pandering to the Chinese. Russia’s Putin, like Syria’s Assad, strides across American redlines with little consequence.  Beijing and Moscow announce joint military exercises…in the Mediterranean. NATO ally Turkey turns to China for new defense … Continue reading →

Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke about the failure of Iraqi forces against ISIS in Ramadi.  There are many layers of misinformation behind every statement.  I will only comment on one, and also explain the title of this post. “We can give them training, we can give them equipment — we obviously can’t give them the will to fight,” Carter said. “But if we give them training, we give them equipment, and give them support, and give them some time, I hope they will develop the will to fight, because only if they fight can ISIL remain defeated.” (Emphasis added) Did … Continue reading →

A History of Medieval Europe, RHC Davis One stereotype of the Middle Ages is that of continuous war.  Conflicts during the time tended to be small and local – more like feuds between families involving the lords and nobles, rarely the serfs or other freemen.  Decentralized government resulted in decentralized warfare, drawing in only those who were obligated due to voluntary commitment. I have previously examined the centralizing desires of Charlemagne, and the warfare that this required.  He not only consolidated many disparate kingdoms, he brought together Church and State – being the first emperor crowned by the Pope in … Continue reading →

The important question is: how could (how can) so many human lives be brought to a violent end? Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, by Timothy Snyder I return to this book by Snyder; I feel I have taken enough of a respite.  This will be my final post on this book.  Before addressing Snyder’s question, however, the final episodes of atrocity will briefly be covered. Beginning in 1943 and continuing into the summer of 1944, Soviet troops were advancing westward toward Berlin.  Belarus – three years prior having been overrun by the Nazis, then suffering three years under the … Continue reading →