The Rocket Scientists at Berkeley! LOL

Drug Dealers Protection Law

If you've ever wondered how absolutely naive some politicians can be, listen to this, beginning at 7:00. You're hear Guardian Angels founder, Curtis Sliwa, playing a secret recording of two convicted drug dealers laughing about an absolutely moronic change to drug laws in New York State.

Why do I think the cousins of some of these NY politicians live in British Columbia?!

Michael Ignatieff Thinks You Are Stupid!

Michael Campbell was on fire this morning, explaining the duplicitous nature of Michael Ignatieff. You can listen to it here at 32:00. Well worth listening to because he describes a fundamental problem with all governments in most countries the world over.

Laugh of the Day

I heard a young fellow call up to CKNW this morning, blathering about something that had me both laughing and shaking my head. He was deeply saddened that STV was summarily rejected by the voters of BC yesterday and had convinced himself that it was all the media's fault for not better publicizing it.

Here's the comedy part of his diatribe (paraphrasing) : "I think the CBC did a pretty good job at explaining STV though. But then CBC listeners are generally already highly informed."

Really? REALLY?? R-E-A-L-L-Y?!?

I am confident that if I were given the opportunity to interview typical CBC listeners, I could ask them just a few questions about current news events for which they would have answers. But I submit that at least 90% of these answers would be:

1. Absolutely and completely FALSE.
2. Simply a regurgitation of what they had heard on the CBC.

If my hypothesis proves true, does that mean that CBC listeners are "highly informed" or rather that they're the unknowing victims of a massive brainwashing campaign?!

Only 53% of Americans Polled Say Capitalism is Better than Socialism

Rasmussen reports:

Only 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 20% disagree and say socialism is better. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure which is better.

Adults under 30 are essentially evenly divided: 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided. Thirty-somethings are a bit more supportive of the free-enterprise approach with 49% for capitalism and 26% for socialism. Adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism, and just 13% of those older Americans believe socialism is better.

3 words come to mind: Ignorance is Bliss!

Actual Conversation from Earlier Today

Ring Ring Ring

M/C: "Hello, this is xxxxxx Mastercard. How can I help you?"

Me: "Hi. I'm leaving on a trip tomorrow and wanted to let you know so that you don't think it's fraud when I use my card in other locations."

M/C: "Yes sir, I can help you with that. Where will you be going?"

Me: "Well, I'm going to Honolulu but will be passing through Los Angeles and will need to use my card in both places."

M/C: "Uh okay, you'll be in Hon-o-lu-lu but will also be in Los-Ang-e . . . ummm, is Los Angeles a province?"

Me: "Huhhhhhhhh???"

M/C: "Is Los Angeles a province?"

Me: "Uhhh, no. It's a large city in California."

M/C: "Okay, Cal-i-for-nia."

Note: I'm 99% sure the fellow I was speaking with lives in Can-a-da!!!

Bill Good = Ignoramus Extraordinaire

CKNW's Bill Good is such an ignorant ass, when he wants to be. This morning he had Dennis Miller on for a short 15 minute segment. Good appeared shocked when Miller stated that he thought extremely highly of George Bush's stance on Radical Islam and its threat to our civilization.

After Miller had left, Good said to a caller, "Oh Dennis Miller just thinks that way because he's very conservative." He also added, on another tangent, that "Obama is doing everything he can to reach out to Republicans".

So many things wrong with these statements...

First off, the manner in which he used the term "very conservative" was clearly a derogatory slam against Miller. Though Good reminds everyone on a daily basis about how "centrist" he is, clearly the years of drinking CBC Kool-Aid have had a lasting effect. All members of the Conservative Party of Canada should be aware of this man's strong bias every time they get interrogated ... errr "interviewed" by him.

Secondly, in point of fact, Dennis Miller is not "very conservative". In general, he's extremely liberal on most social issues. It's just that with this one issue of Radical Islam, he has drawn a line in the sand to protect his family and their future. Too bad the Bill Good's of the world think that self-preservation is an insane notion.

Finally, as for Obama reaching out to Republicans, if Good didn't have the Man Crush on The Messiah that he does, he would clearly realize that exactly the opposite has occurred.

The state of the Canadian Media in 2009 = Pathetic!

---

Update: Here's an addendum to my hypothesis that most of the media are mere puppets for Barack Obama (provided by SDA regular "ET") :

Yes, the media are lying. But so is Obama and his team and the Democrats. When Obama says 'bipartisanship', he doesn't mean that the Democrats and the Republicans will work on policies and programs together. Heck no. What he means is that the Republicans will not dissent, will not criticize, will not reject His Will.

Obama is a Sovereign Ruler. As in the Leviathan. An Absolute Sovereign who rules by Divine Will. The people, both in their states, and against Amendment 10, give up ALL rights, even the right to disagree. There is no 'right of dissent', no 'right of rebellion'.

This is a unitary, monlithic authoritarianism, invested with a messianic divinity, inalienable and it cannot err. The Sovereign is always Right and the only interaction of the people to the Sovereign - is devotion and acceptance. That's the Obamic mode.

Let's watch how and whether the States stand up to this transformation of the US government from a constitutional democracy by the people, for the people, of the people...to an absolutist state governed by a Sovereign Will unfettered by law, where the people have lost all rights, including the right to rebel.

And let's watch and see how this Sovereign Will moves to inhibit and prevent questions, criticism and dissent. The repression of the Washington Post 'chimpanzee cartoon' and Obama's personal attacks against Hannity and Limbaugh are only the beginning.

How the Media Divides Us

On the topic of "Media Shaping Public Opinion", here's a textbook example that should be used by political science and psychology classes for decades to come.

In the interview Finance Minister Jim Flaherty seems reasoned and logical to me. But to someone who has a predisposition against the Conservatives and/or doesn't inform themselves beyond the headlines about the global economic situation, it's easy to imagine how, after watching this interview, they would be angry with Flaherty.

Throughout, Craig Oliver is clearly trying to shape the interview from a very specific agenda. He has no intention of obtaining information from Flaherty. Instead, he's just trying to embarrass him. His phrasing of the questions comes from the perspective of, "You moron, you dummy, you backwoods neocon, how on earth can you possibly not be spending billions more dollars now, Now, NOW?!?"

Mr. Oliver, if you and your friends in Le Coalition had your way, specifically how much money should be given to GM, Ford, & Chrysler? What will this do for them? Since the demand for their cars has dropped dramatically, who specifically will they be selling cars to? If the U.S. ends up balking at any bailouts to these same 3 companies, can we count on you to personally retrieve our wasted taxpayer dollars back?

But sadly, most people don't these questions of the media. The original narrative of the journalist is allowed to continue, without ever questioning it. In this way, public opinion splits ... and the media take absolutely no responsibility.

By the way, at around 6:10 in the interview, Craig Oliver wins the Economic Ignoramus of the Year award by saying, "Reducing taxes doesn't put money into people's pockets."

And yet he is considered to be one of the leading lights in the Canadian media. Sigh.

Typical Liberal Voters

This is an incredible video that shows you the complete ignorance of Obama supporters and how the liberal media has shaped their views:
Here are the results of a larger poll connected with this video:

512 Obama Voters 11/13/08-11/15/08 MOE +/- 4.4 points

97.1% High School Graduate or higher, 55% College Graduates

Results to 12 simple Multiple Choice Questions

57.4% could NOT correctly say which party controls congress (50/50 shot just by guessing)

71.8% could NOT correctly say Joe Biden quit a previous campaign because of plagiarism (25% chance by guessing)

82.6% could NOT correctly say that Barack Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot (25% chance by guessing)

88.4% could NOT correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket (25% chance by guessing)

56.1% could NOT correctly say Obama started his political career at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground (25% chance by guessing).

And yet.....

Only 13.7% failed to identify Sarah Palin as the person on which their party spent $150,000 in clothes

Only 6.2% failed to identify Palin as the one with a pregnant teenage daughter

And 86.9 % thought that Palin said that she could see Russia from her "house," even though that was Tina Fey who said that!!

Only 2.4% got at least 11 correct.

Only 0.5% got all of them correct. (And we "gave" one answer that was technically not Palin, but actually Tina Fey)

More on all of this can be found at HowObamaGotElected.com

Word of the Day: Sheeple

Sheeple
People who believe whatever they are told, especially if told so by authority figures, without processing it to be sure that it is an accurate representation of the real world around them.

The Start of my "Ignorance Is Bliss" Tour

No, I'm not actually going traveling! But I do have an announcement to make that I was going to hold off on for a few weeks. It concerns something that several longtime readers have already noticed. Namely, why did I suddenly stop talking about the U.S. Election a few days ago?

When I started my blog a few years ago, and years before that - with Letters to the Editor and frequent calls & e-mails to talk radio stations in Vancouver and Montreal and London, England - I always thought I could make a small, but meaningful difference to the public discussion. But after a series of interconnected events in a very short time frame, I have come to the following conclusion:

• 1% of the population has made current events & politics a big part of their life; some of them even blog about their views & insights; they always vote
• 9% of the population follows the news & politics quite a bit and is generally well informed; they always always vote
• 50% of the population thinks they're well informed but are not at all; they get most of their info from the headlines and the odd newscast; they almost always vote but only "study up" a few days before an election, doing their "research" by reading campaign literature and the odd newspaper editorial; their views are almost entirely based on their own prejudices and fears rather than any semblance of facts
  
• 40% of the population chooses to be completely ignorant, never reads the news, and never votes
  

The percentages are just based on my own anecdotal evidence, clearly with a bias to what I'm familiar with here in Canada. While the numbers may vary in other Western countries, I think the proportions will probably stay similar.

Ever since I was about 12 years old, I considered myself in that "top" 1%. If you're reading this blog then you probably are as well. It's not an arrogance thing. In fact, it's not even related to IQ. It's just that I always thought that staying well informed and participating as a civic duty, critical for a democratic society to remain democratic and vibrant.

Sadly though, I've come to the conclusion that the vast majority of people (the 90%) don't care about facts, don't care about corruption, don't care about participating to make things better. It just doesn't bother them whatsoever.

This afternoon, relating to a friend of mine this conclusion, he said, "Well, if it's only 10% that you're really speaking with, that's a much smaller group than the entire population!" True, but let's take a look at that 10%. They're a mixed bag, just like the rest of society.

To see what a blogger with a political bent regularly has to deal with, let's look at a recent example from another Vancouver blogger, David Berner. Anyone who reads David's postings knows that he very much wants Obama to win and can't stand either McCain or Palin. With that understood, take a look at this. It's a video of an effigy of a Christian woman being hung by a noose. That woman happens to be Sarah Palin. Was this shot in Iran or Pakistan or North Korea by the professed enemies of America? Nope. It was done in Hollywood, California by . . . wait for it . . . two gay men.

You would think - I would have garnered that any decent person would think - that such an action was beyond repulsive and completely appalling. Apparently not. Take a look at the comments and you'll see that 50% think nothing wrong of it whatsoever. David was so outraged by these pathetic comments that he added a follow-up post here. Picking up where he left off, what do you think would have been the reaction if instead there were two male figures, one white and one black, with some ensignia designating them as Jewish or Muslim and homosexual?

One would only hope that it would be nothing less than Righteous Outrage! But apparently if a person is a Christian or pro-Life or Caucasian or a conservative then anything goes. It's then viewed as "humor". And if you don't laugh then you're a square, unsophisticated dullard.

What's most ironic is that, other than being unable to change my ethnic background, I don't particularly fall into any of the other three categories (except when it comes to Law & Order and Fiscal Responsibility then I am definitely a proud conservative). My own views and political preferences do not act as a filter to determine what my values are for a given situation. For a great many on the Radical Left and admittedly a few nutbars on the Far Right, their values are always selective depending on who is being attacked. To see where this mentality can eventually lead, please carefully read this earlier post.

I admire David Berner for following up and taking the tough stand he has. But it's a losing cause. Hateful lost souls seem to be the norm in the new millennium, across the world. Now many of them also have computers. Ughhh! Am I guilty here of implying that free speech should be censored? For the record, it shouldn't be. But if you hold a party and an uninvited guest shows up and just wants to fight and argue with you and everyone else, is asking them to leave censoring their speech? Technically so but it certainly heightens the chances of having an intelligent conversation at your home.

Since the inception of my blog I've tried to express my views, share my insights, and engage in reasonable discussions. I've never expected anyone to agree with me but the lack of wisdom and lack of interest in any semblance of facts by way too many of those I've received public comments and private e-mails from has been nothing short of appalling. I'm tired of being angry and getting worked up by almost always faceless, nameless individuals who seem to seek great pleasure in casting their anger my way. This U.S. Election cycle has been the worst of all. And reading and listening to others that have also "dared" to not join the Obama Conga Line has made me realize that I'm not at all alone in this regard.

The comedian, Dennis Miller, once said that the brain chemistry in such individuals is messed up such that pleasure is actually achieved by getting angry and/or upsetting others. The political writer and trained psychiatrist, Charles Krauthammer, said recently that those who attacked Sarah Palin in the most vicious ways were very likely undergoing severe symptoms of self-loathing (paraphrasing). Who knows where the truth lies, but these are clearly interesting analyses.

I've long been convinced there's a concerted, though not tightly coordinated effort on the part of the Radical Left to reshape our society into a Socialist Paradise. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that many of them believe they're doing it for the good of all. But since socialism destroys Incentive, it's ultimately doomed to fail. And history has shown us that when individuals object to their countries being taken down a socialist, or even worse, marxist path that great harm comes to them by these same folks who were once praising its benefits for the disadvantaged and women & children.

If the polls are accurate, next Tuesday America seems poised to vote in an Obama government. Dennis Prager has explained the marketing that many people have bought into. Mark Steyn has warned us that Obama's campaign has engaged in highly illegal actions. John Kass has warned us how the inspiration and incentive of American entrepreneurs will be killed. But the 90% of the population isn't listening. Well, perhaps some of the 50% are with the election less than a week away, but not enough.

If Obama's walk down the socialist garden path ends up being just a minor course correction, benefiting those who truly are in need and increasing taxes enough to end the federal budget deficit then it'll have been a good thing. But I have sincere fears that The Great Leaders (Obama, Pelosi, and Reid) have much more far-reaching intentions. Socialist Wealth Distribution is one. Removing the free speech rights of conservative pundits is another. Dramatically reworkng the Constitution of the United States through radical amendments is another. Taking a Kumbaya no aggression approach to foreign policy, which will immediately threaten billions of people around the world to some seriously dark forces is another. Relinquishing control of key global decisions away from Congress and handing them over to the UN is another.

Never before in recent history has it appeared that the Far Left of the United States is poised to assume so much absolute power in government. Let's hope they have sufficient wisdom to moderate their egos. Otherwise 4 years from now the halo around Messiah Obama et co. will not be glowing as brightly.

To avoid being a hypocrite for the foreseeable future I will no longer be kvetching (complaining) about politics on my blog. Nobody cares. More accurately, TOO FEW care. The NDP may very well seize power next Spring here in B.C. Like in the 1990's their policies will once again destroy the provincial economy and only then will enough voters come to their senses to kick them out. I'll likely have long moved away from here by then, mostly because they're in power but if I'm back I'll cast my vote against them too.

So I've embarked on a new journey entitled "Robert's Ignorance Is Bliss Tour". I want to see what it feels like to be at the very bottom 1% of news aware individuals! Thankfully, I know some very ignorant people who will serve as good role models! To start things off on the right note, I deliberately didn't vote in the Vancouver Fairview by-election today. First time I've missed an election in 25 years. I will not be voting in the municipal election next month and I very much doubt I'll be voting in the provincial election next Spring.

With the absence of all this current affairs knowledge clogging my head, I already seem to have a lot more space (and energy) to focus on my work, which will ramp up my billable hours tremendously. I know for a fact that many financially successful friends of mine came to the same conclusion as I now have: Tune Out, Don't Care About Society at Large, Focus on One's True Friends & Family, and Make Lots & Lots of Money! They're now rich. It's my turn to emulate their success.

Though I'll share a little secret with you: Most of my money I will be devoting to a global philanthropic effort that will loosely be modeled on the great success that BC Digital Divide has achieved these past 3 years but more focused on education with a technology & entrepreneurial bent. Simply put, I'm convinced that there are all kinds of kids out there who don't come from wealthy homes and who don't have the obvious opportunity to go onto university to pursue degrees. My efforts will be directed to helping such individuals who show a track record of intelligence, ingenuity, and hard work to achieving their professional dreams. That'll be something I'll be blogging about much more in the future too.

2008 - 1933 = 75 Years

1933 was the year that Adolf Hitler achieved absolute power in Germany. Prior to this there was a democracy of sorts, known as the Weimar Republic. But challenged with economic and institutional political problems, it fell prey to a highly charismatic leader who promised the German people positive change.

After several attempts, enough of the voters finally put their doubts aside and gave Hitler the power he had been seeking. It was the worst mistake they ever made.

While doing some research on this subject I came across this post by a fellow Canadian named James Laxer. He's clearly a bright guy and provides a detailed analysis of what occurred back then. I just happen to disagree with his conclusions about how this historical lesson relates to the situation we face today. To that end, I left him this message:

Interesting analysis, James. I came upon your post, about 9 months after you wrote it by searching for: Obama Hitler 75 years ago

In your world view, I sense that you believe that the worst things today are religion, multinational businesses, and conservative governments.

I, on the other hand, view arrogance, ignorance, and intolerance as the necessary key ingredients that lead to a blind overthrow of our long held institutions. Nothing more represents this trio nowadays than the blind followers of Obamanation; not all Democrats, but way too many of them.

---

For the record, I have never made any comparison between Barack Obama and Adolf Hitler, and am not making one now.

Only time will tell what Obama's true agenda really is. In the meantime, my views of him are a medley between what Bill O'Reilly and Jeremiah Wright have said: He's an opportunistic politician who will say anything and betray anyone to achieve power. In this regard, he's not the first and far from the last. But he definitely is the slickest snake oil salesman (read "politician") in recent memory.

My difficulty, and often disgust, lies with two distinct groups:

1. MSM "Journalists" who have completely given up all pretenses of being unbiased, professional, and holding ALL politicians to account. Anyone who says that the Fourth Estate is, in fact, doing their jobs is either in deep denial or has been paid off by the Obama Campaign; there is no other plausible explanation.
   
   
2. The ignorant, blind, arrogant followers of Obama, especially the Under 30 crowd who question nothing but have simply replaced the chant of "Kumbaya My Lord" with "Obama: Hope and Change".

Take a look at some videos and be honest with yourself about whether you see some scary similarities:

Vote Cancelers

There's an obvious question that has to be asked: Of all those interviewed, what percentage will be voting for Obama? :-)

Just a Typical Day for CBC News Reporters

Ensure there are no sharp objects around when you read this. Remember that over a billion dollars of year of your tax dollars are funding twits like this at the CBC. It's unbelievable how ignorant two so-called journalists could be!

Update: I just heard the CBC Radio News report on their 4:30pm news. The local reporter mentioned in the cited piece is Karen Tankard. She is the same one who won the 2002 Jack Webster award for "Excellence in Legal Journalism".

Remember that old line about what 4 bits and a journalism degree will buy you . . . ? ! ? :-)