Baker’s dozen links dump
After oral surgery yesterday (which went swimmingly. Thank you, nitrous!), I’m finally getting back into the swing of things today. Like always, enjoy!
- In response to the “no one should have to go broke because they get sick” Facebook meme, a bunch of conservatives and libertarians started with a “no one should have to go thirsty because they can’t afford good beer” which led to this video by Reason.tv. Full disclosure: I have not watched it, but based on the accompanying commentaries I’ve seen, it’s problematic for a lot of reasons. (It’s called nuance, guys!)
- Philadelphia Free Library is closing every single branch. Apparently, all the libraries in the state are also fighting to stay open. I’m so thrilled that the library is getting closed down, but the last time I checked, there were NO cuts to the Philadelphia Police Department.
- Roderick Long breaks down the major theses of left libertarianism.
- For a not-cliched, but still 9/11-y link: Will Wilkinson wishes for a return to a 9/10/01 America.
- In “wtf”news: While this case is certainly horrifying, I love how the commenters, the shrink, and the reporter are all acting like it’s super duper extra special worse than what happens to little girls and teenaged girls every single fucking day. I guess that’s just normal, expected rape, right?
- The state of Texas destroyed an elderly couple’s lives and wiped out their life savings by having the division of “Adult Protective Services” deem them unfit. But guiz, the gubment is totes not gunna fuck up health care!
- In “duh” news: Oh, lookie here! Apparently it wasn’t that evil, chinky chang bitch Yoko Ono who broke up The Beatles, but stifling taxes on the band. I’ll bet that a lot of teenaged guitar playing white guys are pissed that they’re just racist and sexist.
- Oh man, this 9/11 post is too fucking awesome to not share. And by “awesome,” I mean as fucking awesome as a Fat Elvis velvet painting: April Winchell Presents The Second Annual Mother of All 9/11 Posts. I feel like I should dust off a blink or marquee tag for this shit.
- Hi, Joyce Slaton, I agree wholeheartedly. Chopped is the best food tv show on the air. I am ADDICTED to that show.
- In more fucking “duh” news: sports venues are not a great way for cities to bring in cash money. Question: why can’t the corporations whose names are splashed all over the damn stadiums actually pay for this shit instead of taxpayers?
- This is slightly old, but necessary. Since Cash for Clunkers went so well, the government is now thinking about running a Cash for Appliances program.
- In even more fucking “duh” news: an Atlanta gay bar was raided last night. Don’t worry, I’m not holding my breath that we’ll see any coverage of this incident on Reason.
- And wrapping things up: Lulu may be one hell of a dog, but the very surly looking and adorable little girl English Bulldog is one lucky pup.
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If you’re reading this from my Facebook notes, please go to the original blog post (located here) to comment.
I found your number 3 (the thesis of left-libertarianism) link to be interesting, but I really have to quibble with one of its points.
5. A genuine policy of non-intervention and free markets, if conservatives actually tried it, would work, since free competition would empower ordinary people at the expense of the elite.
First off, I'm gonna go ahead and say that a TRUE free market is, by necessity as near as I can tell, regulated. Otherwise, you get all the guilds and collusions and monopolies that stifle all of the competition.
Secondly, I'm far from convinced that unregulated competition between elites and ordinary folks will decide in favor of the ordinary folks.
Also, truth be told, I'm fine with libertarians not fitting in preconceived ideas of politics. So long as they still mostly fit in the preconceived category of "wankers".
Also:
1.) Seriously sucks about the libraries. I mean, how many folks use that as, say, their source of internet access? Let alone the ESL and other classes. That's a nontrivial hardship to a lot of folks.
2.) As an adoptee, that rape story kinda hit home. And yet, yeah, the fact that little girls being raped by their fathers or stepfathers as an everyday occurrence doesn't hit as hard IS pretty telling.
3.) That collection of 9/11 images was…. pretty horrifying. I've gotten dulled to the intentional stuff, but the unintentional stuff was pretty damn bad.