The Peaceful Gnome

From Veterans for Peace: The United States government crossed a line by killing an American citizen who had not been charged or convicted of any crime. The Fifth Amendment states that "No person shall be deprived of life without due process of law." The disregard that our government shows for the constitution makes a mockery of the concept that our “soldiers are fighting for our freedom.” If our government ignores the Fifth Amendment what amendments will they observe? How long will it be before the killings start in the United States? Once the president is allowed to kill an American on his word alone no one is safe anywhere in the world. Are we safer now that Anwar al-Awlaki is dead?   This killing marks a seminal moment and unless Congress takes steps to force the administration to observe the Constitution and the Bill of Rights the future of America looks very dark indeed.     Phillip P. Pflager ==========================================================   htt...

I posted this back in December of last year but feel like it should be posted every few months just as a refresher :-) http://youtu.be/PGMQ ZEIXBMs Also, the New York Times has a piece in today's paper called As Scorn for Vote Grows, Protests Surge Around Globe that talks a lot about how people no longer believe in the political classes ability to solve problems.  I don't think it will be all that long before Voluntaryism edges out the inherently violent methods of "governments" around the world.  Spontaneous self organization is easier with today's communication technologies.  The future looks good to me.

So true all too often.  HT to Bizzaro.

Bah.  I have to write because it is what I do.  If I do not write I only read and that would be to make me merely passive in this world, and so I write, even though as is obvious this morning, I have nothing of any significance to say.    Perhaps I could look on the news and discover something to write about, but I already know what is there.  There will be stories of wars and famines and disasters of various sorts.  There will be corrupt politicians and thuggish police stories.  There will be stories of Islamic insanity and Christian obtuseness and it will all get me wound up and pissed off until I embark on some inane long winded rant that no one wants to hear including myself.  And so I won’t bother to read this news this morning at all.  Later on today my resolve will weaken and I’ll go on and glance at Boing Boing and that will have clever stories about technology interspersed with things about freedom of expression and censorship and ...

Ah, yet another case of our Big Brave Boys in Blue protecting... well their own quivering cowardly selves as as far as I can tell, along with a couple of hyper vigilant and overly paranoid soccer moms. How pathetic, of course our local Bay Area Police shot a fawn that looked a lot like Bambi last year because they were in fear for their lives so this is really no surprise. Police, who needs them? San Mateo cops kill dogs in park; family outraged (09-27) 14:29 PDT SAN MATEO -- A San Mateo family expressed outrage today that police shot and killed their two dogs after they escaped and started barking at children at a park. Police countered that the animals were vicious and that one of them hadn't been slowed even after being jolted with a Taser stun gun. Carla Torres, 38, said her two boxers, a female named Bella and a male named Jordan, may have been loose and loud at Laurie Meadows Park on Monday, but that there was no reason for officers to shoot the animals. ...

I just read that Amazon and the State of California have come to a compromise about the sales tax issue.  Amazon will have a year to get Congress to pass a nation-wide law on the subject and if they don't Amazon will start collecting loot on behalf of the State of California to support the multitudes of prisons and vast numbers of paper pushing government "workers" who suck up most of the tax money stolen by the state. I will never voluntarily pay any tax.  Any time there is the least chance of avoiding a tax I will most certainly take it.  All taxes are theft.  Hey, I’m an anarchist and don’t buy into your government in the first place.  All I ask of government is that they leave me alone.  Oddly enough, beyond stealing my money and restricting my options in life, that is exactly what they have done.  I’ve never derived any concrete benefit from their much vaunted police " protection " for example, though I’ve been assaulted, and had my property st...

Wow, I thought Facebook was weird.  Now that I have a Google + account I'm thinking Facebook is not actually all that bad after all :-/  I can see the potential in Google + but so far virtually no one I know seems to be on it so it's rather pointless for me to be posting on it.  I like the layout, less busy than Facebook for one thing.   But with no one to talk to what's the point?  So, anyone who reads this on Google +?

I have been working on this post in my mind for a long time, while this may seem abrupt, it really is not. I have been holding two contradictory belief sets in my mind for most of the last seven years and I have now decided that I can no longer continue to do this.  The two contradictory belief sets are on the one side Christianity and on the other side science and reason.  I am well aware that many people are able to reconcile these things, I cannot. Seven years ago I was coming out of a twenty five year long period of being an avowed atheist, interspersed with brief flings with Baha'i and various eastern philosophies.   Being lonely and confused about life I went to several churches seeking “spiritual fulfillment and community.”  I tried Roman Catholic churches and E...

Found this on Wrong Planet and it was so good I thought I would post it here, especially since he gave permission to use it anywhere.  (FYI I have actually failed to recognize my mother in an airport, walked right past her :-/) Dude I'm an Aspie! My name is Matt and I have Asperger’s syndrome. What’s that mean, you ask? Well, you’re in luck, cause I’ve made this helpful guide! Asperger’s is part of the autism spectrum. It has many characteristics, but generally we have difficulty knowing what someone is thinking, explaining our thoughts verbally, and interacting socially with our peers. It is sometimes described as having “a dash of autism.” Asperger’s is not a disease, it is a genetic variation and a neurological condition. Though I’ve just recently discovered I have it, I always have and always will. Some say it is a gift, and even vital to human evolution. Asperger’s is sometimes called Wrong Planet syndrome. This is because we feel like we come fro...

My symphony benefactor has given me two tickets to the Opening Night of the San Francisco Symphony's 100th Season tomorrow night! The Program: Classical superstar Yo-Yo Ma performs “with searing poise” ( The New York Times ) as well as eloquence and insight.  He and the Orchestra join forces in Hindemith’s Cello Concerto, a powerful pairing of orchestral and solo virtuosity. Completing the program is the first symphony Brahms was willing to share with the world, his soaring Symphony No. 1, which provides listeners with a taste of music’s Romantic past and its direction to come. Oh My God!  YO-YO MA!   I'm so psyched.   Looks like Serenity will get exposed to some mighty fine Cello playing! My apologies for all of the exclamation points but I'm really that excited!! :-)