Monthly Archives: March 2017

In 1868, on this day, after a bloody conflict, we ratified the 14th amendment.

A fundamental statement of America, it defined equality of all individuals under the law.

Today we fight a movement who uses division, favoritism and demonization to redistribute freedom and wealth from one group to another  while espousing the principles won with the lives of many.

Conservatives seem to have gotten their image of equality under the law wrong for many , while being the true believers in it, while their adversaries oppose it while having the image of embrace.

I would suggest that our side embrace this principle for real, make it the sword and shield for all things in the future. Citizens equal under the law. No special rights by birth, victimhood or … Continue reading →

Today, I’ve posted the project on which I’ve been working (and hence hunkered down and largely invisible) for the last month: the 2017 edition of The Analytical Engine.  In the 19th century, Charles Babbage imagined and invented a steam-powered mechanical apparatus which anticipated almost every aspect of modern computers.  In 1997, I published on the Web a collection of original documents about Babbage’s invention, along with an emulator, written in Java, which allowed people to experience programming this machine, which was never actually built.  (It is the founding member of the Victorian Brass Vapourware Club.)

Well, foolish me, I happened to buy into a vapourware … Continue reading →

When a Turkish government official threatens to send 15,000 ‘refugees’ a month to Europe as a punishment, is he not admitting that ‘refugees’ are weapons, not ‘potential good citizens’ of the host country? Does this not open wide the discussion that the countries bleeding ‘refugees’ may well be engaged in a soft invasion of other nations?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4325328/Turkey-s-minister-threatens-blow-mind-Europe.html

I see a collision of wills happening with the District Courts grabbing executive power. At this point, the President is in two critical struggles that will define his success, replacing OCare and getting the tax system fixed. He cannot ignite a media storm about judicial fights while they are underway.

Sad as it may by, I believe the strategy is the following:

• Wait for the SCOTUS nominee to get on the court
• Slow walk the appeals until then
• Hope no incident of terror or heinous crime occurs in the meantime by a refugee or visa holder from one of the countries in the order
• Maintain the rallies and label the judges as overreaching

If there is an incident , I expect he will either declare the … Continue reading →

The title refers to the iconography of the KGB. The shield signified protecting the country and the sword to smite her enemies. Mention the KGB and you immediately elicit a response from people about these heavy-weight Russian types who kicked in doors and sent people to the gulag.

Born in 1922, one Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin became a Soviet foreign intelligence officer in 1948, at the time with the MGB. This organization would eventually become the KGB. His initial service was during the Stalinist paranoia. In 1953 Khrushchev ousted Beria from the control of the MGB. A new era arrived.

Vasili Mitrokhin thought things were going to improve. They did, but hardly enough to allow for some of his more outspoken criticisms of the service. In retaliation he … Continue reading →