From T-Bone (Letter 11)
T-Bone - Radiating power and strength, this deeply-spiritual massively-built African American towers over most inmates. He is a prison gladiator with more stab wounds than Julius Caesar. A good man to have on your side.
How’s it going?
Man, you won’t believe the a-holes around this place, and it took the power of God to keep me cool and not do something terribly wrong to those two who attacked me.
As you may be aware, I’m doing OK. I didn’t write because I didn’t have any stamps, and, man, thank you so very much for the books. They are a godsend. I went through a lot to get them off the property officer, but I got them and that’s a blessing. Thank you!
Well, I’m down to 55 days and counting. You know the feeling and the feeling is unbelievable. I really don’t know where to start in this letter, so bear with me, man, and I’ll do my best to explain all that has taken place, and Shaun, I am sorry for not writing sooner. I know you care, brother. Let me say this, I am going to dictate a separate letter to you, so that I’ll be able to relate what happened [the attack] the proper way.
You mentioned writing a book about my exploits and life. Cool, I believe that’ll work because your style of writing is one that explains and gives insight and detail.
You stay strong and positive, and once again, I’ll be sending you the other letter, and I’m sorry for not writing.
Yours,
T-Bone
Each one teach one – Strength and honor!
Coming next week: the attack on T-bone and what happened
Here’s the link to T-Bone’s previous letter: http://jonsjailjournal.blogspot.com/2009/07/from-t-bone-letter-10-t-bone-radiating.html
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Email comments for T-Bone to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
And the Tea Parties are Organized Arms of the Republican Party?
I get the occasional e-mail from the remaining arm of Obama's campaign in that I signed up for it when he was running. What this shows is how it's "bad" when people organize to protest the government taking working people's money away from them, but if it's of a socialist stripe AND OBVIOUSLY ORCHESTRATED by the administration, then it's OK. Just like Bush's deficits are BAD and Obama's deficits are GOOD. Here you go;
It's late; I know you've gotten a lot of messages from us recently, and everyone here at OFA headquarters is pretty tired. But the last reports of calls and commitments are just coming in from events on the West Coast, and I wanted to share the news with you.
As you know, we set a big goal: 100,000 calls to Congress placed or committed to in a single day by OFA supporters and allied organizations. By 2:30 p.m., you had crushed it. So, we gulped and said let's go for 200,000, not knowing what would happen. But the calls just kept pouring in -- keeping phones ringing off the hook in congressional offices in D.C. and your representatives' district offices around the country.
Then, OFA supporters gathered in over 1,000 living rooms and community centers from Macon, Georgia to Missoula, Montana. You called hundreds of thousands of key voters in your community and got them to agree to call Congress and speak out for reform, too. President Obama joined in at a call party in New York -- and he had some amazing words of support for the folks like you who make this movement possible.
I'm looking at the numbers, and with almost all of the reports now in, the tally wasn't 200,000 calls placed or pledged -- it was 315,023. You did it.
Take a moment to watch the President's inspiring words to OFA volunteers on this incredible day.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/m/55c103cc/506a9e4d/d1f4f0ef/1188608c/2445921390/VEsE/http://my.barackobama.com/page/m/55c103cc/506a9e4d/d1f4f0ef/1188608c/2445921390/VEsE/
Your voice was overwhelming -- with reports in the media of congressional offices "completely crushed with calls." CBS News described your effort as an "onslaught." And a congressional aide was quoted with a common response, saying their office was deluged by "pretty much non-stop health care calls from OFA."
You set a new OFA record, you caught the national media's attention, and you certainly put Congress on notice. But you know that's not what really matters.
The message I sent earlier talked about a woman, Jenny U., whose insurance company cut off her coverage because they decided her kidney donation to her sick daughter counted as a "pre-existing condition." What really matters is that today you brought America one giant, irreversible step closer to being a place where no one will ever have to suffer that kind of injustice again. That's what all the messages, late nights, and phone calls ultimately add up to. It's what makes everything we do together worthwhile -- and it's why we'll keep fighting together until the job is done.
Watch President Obama's special message to you from a call party in New York:
http://my.barackobama.com/TTDreport
Thank you, so much, for being part of the team.
Sincerely,
Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America
Thursday, October 29, 2009
"Real Real" Gross Domestic Product
Because of all the federal stimulus money, Real Gross Domestic Product is no longer quite a reliable measure as to how much the economy is growing. Sure we adjust for inflation to get RGDP, but do we adjust for temporary stimulus spending from the government? Here's a break down of RGDP growth by category.
Notice the government alone accounted for .5% of that economic growth, but if you factor in cash for clunkers, home purchasing credits, not to mention ditch-digging-then-filling projects like this, RRGDP is more like 1.8%. Recovery? Yes. Booming? No. Enough growth to create jobs for the increasing population? Certainly not.
Alas, leave it to the bubble-addicted markets to drive stock prices up by 150 points on the DJIA on the nominal 3.5% growth rate and not the RRGDP.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
I Think I Had the Pig Flu
Actually, I'm being half-serious about this.
I got a HORRENDOUS cold last month, took three weeks to fully recover, a worse cold than the typical cold I normally get during the cooling months, but still not the "worst" cold I've ever had.
Slept in, had girls come over to pamper me (and do electrical work), ate well, and didn't work more than I had to. Sure enough, like all other colds in the history of colds, this one went away as the Captain's T-cells went to battle.
So I was thinking that it was too coincidentally timed with the pig flu epidemic as several cases were reported here in Minnesota (although who knows, maybe it was just the schools shutting down being overworried).
Regardless, I wondered, "Did I have the pig flu?" and so I looked up the symptoms here at the CDC.
Wow, the pig flu is just like the regular flu, BUT!!!! (drum roll)....
IT'S SPELLED DIFFERENTLY!!!!
Seriously, it wouldn't surprise me if I had the pig flu.
Since then Young Joie more or less explains my position of this flu as well as provides some informational links about Pig Flu.
Never let a crisis, real or fabricated, go to waste.
I got a HORRENDOUS cold last month, took three weeks to fully recover, a worse cold than the typical cold I normally get during the cooling months, but still not the "worst" cold I've ever had.
Slept in, had girls come over to pamper me (and do electrical work), ate well, and didn't work more than I had to. Sure enough, like all other colds in the history of colds, this one went away as the Captain's T-cells went to battle.
So I was thinking that it was too coincidentally timed with the pig flu epidemic as several cases were reported here in Minnesota (although who knows, maybe it was just the schools shutting down being overworried).
Regardless, I wondered, "Did I have the pig flu?" and so I looked up the symptoms here at the CDC.
Wow, the pig flu is just like the regular flu, BUT!!!! (drum roll)....
IT'S SPELLED DIFFERENTLY!!!!
Seriously, it wouldn't surprise me if I had the pig flu.
Since then Young Joie more or less explains my position of this flu as well as provides some informational links about Pig Flu.
Never let a crisis, real or fabricated, go to waste.
You Will Visit Alice the Camel
Alice has been a long time blog-friend and as I slowly update my blogroll (as I recently learned how to program one) I will be putting new folk up there.
Regardless, pay Alice a visit. Also send her pictures of camels.
Regardless, pay Alice a visit. Also send her pictures of camels.
Slim (Part 1 by Warrior)
Warrior - Serving fourteen years for kidnapping and aggravated assault. Half Hispanic and Scottish-Irish with family still in Mexico. Brought up by a family steeped in drug commerce. He writes some of the best prison-fight stories on the Internet.
Seven times around the dirt track was one mile. Everything else was centered inside. Seven workout stations. Two basketball courts. Four steel picnic tables. Just outside the track were eight phones, a water fountain, and a urinal. No grass, trees or any other greenery on our rec yard. Just concrete and steel, desert dirt, and the traditional gun tower.
The temperature was in the hundreds, the sun beating down, giving no leeway to the breeze trying to keep us company.
Some guys were working out, others playing basketball, the rest gambling or caught up in idle chatter.
My earphones were blaring as I muscled out my last set of pushups. I began to make my way towards the next station to do dips and back arms. I walked the track, by two Native Americans sat at one of the tables.
“Warrior,” shouted Day, waving at me to look in his direction.
I barely caught my name through my blasting Walkman. I walked over to Day and Red Hawk. “Wattup, chiefs! How you two doing?”
“Jus’ chillin’,” Red Hawk said. They both greeted me with handshakes.
Day was an old guy about 60 who I knew from other yards. Light skinned. Long hair. Standing around 5’6”. Missing a few teeth. His face lined with wrinkles like an old boot. He’d spent 20 years in the system. Red Hawk was in his thirties, 5’10” and dark complected. His face clearly showed his native ethnicity, especially his nose shaped like an eagle’s beak. Both guys were Pima, one of the native tribes in Arizona. We respected how we each carried ourselves.
“Getting’ ready to watch da show,” Day said.
I immediately knew something was going to go down, and they were giving me a heads-up. “Ah shit. Something’s gonna pop off, isn’t it?”
Both guys looked at each other and laughed. My eyes sharpened between the two, attempting to gauge who’d tell me first. To a certain degree a little anxiety rose in the back of my mind. Instincts can’t help but raise caution because the “show” may well include you.
“Be careful,” Day said, leering around to see who was in earshot. “They’re gonna get Slim.”
Slim was a character no one liked. A few of the guys were already waiting for him to screw up. He was Mexican, stood 6’ and 180 pounds, with a shaved head, and tattooed all over. Some say he had mental issues. In reality though he would get spun out on speed or heroin and think he had courage, throwing out threats at guys he knew he could intimidate, steering clear of those he knew he couldn’t. The longer he went without sleep, sometime days, the worse he became. Everyone was tired of him, including me. Slim had recently picked a fight with a guy everyone was fond of for no reason. It was time for him to go. He was going to get run off the yard.
“Who’s gonna get ’im?”
“The homies, Casper and Lumpy. Check ’em out. They’re trying to get close to ’im.” Red Hawk nodded in the direction for me to look.
Casper and Lumpy were walking laps, each lap inching their way closer to Slim who was at the pull-up bars. They knew he was spun, he’d been up for days and was paranoid. They were trying to make their way close to him without raising suspicion.
“Good,” I said, “Everyone’s tired of his fucking shit.”
“Yep, that’s why,” Day said.
“I appreciate the heads-up,” I said.
“It’s all good,” Red Hawk said, “We seen you working out and know you always at the pull-up bars, so we figured we’d give ya a heads-up, so you’d not get caught in the crossfire.”
“Right on. Good lookin’ out,” I said. “Well I’m gonna go finish up my routine. Thanks again.” I shook their hands, and headed back onto the track towards the next workout station.
I approached the dip bar. No one was there except me. This station was located in the northwest corner of the rec yard, resting on an area slightly elevated in comparison to the rest of the yard. The high ground afforded me a better view of everything taking place, causing me to wonder how good the view was for the guard stationed in the gun tower.
I began my routine, but not with much intensity. I figured it best to stay alert and keep my eyes on Slim, so he didn’t by chance make his way to my area to work out. I didn’t want to find myself in the middle of the chaos. Small situations can escalate into full-fledged riots within seconds. So being alert can be the difference between life, death or harm.
Three sets into my back-arm routine, my cellmate Charlie happened to walk by. “Wattup!” Charlie said.
“Nothin’. What you doin’?” I asked.
“Nothin’. Jus’ walkin’ laps.”
“Hey, chill with me right here.”
“Why? What’s up?”
“Some shit’s gonna go down right now.”
Charlie’s eyes animated, his attention picked up like the ears of a Doberman. We’d recently become cellmates, and got along great. We were both from the same hometown, and knew much of the same people. Charlie stood 5’4”, weighed 170 pounds and sported the customary fade haircut. He wore tortoise-shell designer frames a bit too large for his small round face. When he arched his back to look up at you through his lenses, it appeared as though his neck and face were struggling to uphold the weight of his glasses. I found this humorous as it was his signature.
“What? What?” Charlie asked with an anxiety that said he thought he might be the target.
Click here for a previous story by Warrior.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Email comments and questions for Warrior to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood.
Warrior - Serving fourteen years for kidnapping and aggravated assault. Half Hispanic and Scottish-Irish with family still in Mexico. Brought up by a family steeped in drug commerce. He writes some of the best prison-fight stories on the Internet.
Seven times around the dirt track was one mile. Everything else was centered inside. Seven workout stations. Two basketball courts. Four steel picnic tables. Just outside the track were eight phones, a water fountain, and a urinal. No grass, trees or any other greenery on our rec yard. Just concrete and steel, desert dirt, and the traditional gun tower.
The temperature was in the hundreds, the sun beating down, giving no leeway to the breeze trying to keep us company.
Some guys were working out, others playing basketball, the rest gambling or caught up in idle chatter.
My earphones were blaring as I muscled out my last set of pushups. I began to make my way towards the next station to do dips and back arms. I walked the track, by two Native Americans sat at one of the tables.
“Warrior,” shouted Day, waving at me to look in his direction.
I barely caught my name through my blasting Walkman. I walked over to Day and Red Hawk. “Wattup, chiefs! How you two doing?”
“Jus’ chillin’,” Red Hawk said. They both greeted me with handshakes.
Day was an old guy about 60 who I knew from other yards. Light skinned. Long hair. Standing around 5’6”. Missing a few teeth. His face lined with wrinkles like an old boot. He’d spent 20 years in the system. Red Hawk was in his thirties, 5’10” and dark complected. His face clearly showed his native ethnicity, especially his nose shaped like an eagle’s beak. Both guys were Pima, one of the native tribes in Arizona. We respected how we each carried ourselves.
“Getting’ ready to watch da show,” Day said.
I immediately knew something was going to go down, and they were giving me a heads-up. “Ah shit. Something’s gonna pop off, isn’t it?”
Both guys looked at each other and laughed. My eyes sharpened between the two, attempting to gauge who’d tell me first. To a certain degree a little anxiety rose in the back of my mind. Instincts can’t help but raise caution because the “show” may well include you.
“Be careful,” Day said, leering around to see who was in earshot. “They’re gonna get Slim.”
Slim was a character no one liked. A few of the guys were already waiting for him to screw up. He was Mexican, stood 6’ and 180 pounds, with a shaved head, and tattooed all over. Some say he had mental issues. In reality though he would get spun out on speed or heroin and think he had courage, throwing out threats at guys he knew he could intimidate, steering clear of those he knew he couldn’t. The longer he went without sleep, sometime days, the worse he became. Everyone was tired of him, including me. Slim had recently picked a fight with a guy everyone was fond of for no reason. It was time for him to go. He was going to get run off the yard.
“Who’s gonna get ’im?”
“The homies, Casper and Lumpy. Check ’em out. They’re trying to get close to ’im.” Red Hawk nodded in the direction for me to look.
Casper and Lumpy were walking laps, each lap inching their way closer to Slim who was at the pull-up bars. They knew he was spun, he’d been up for days and was paranoid. They were trying to make their way close to him without raising suspicion.
“Good,” I said, “Everyone’s tired of his fucking shit.”
“Yep, that’s why,” Day said.
“I appreciate the heads-up,” I said.
“It’s all good,” Red Hawk said, “We seen you working out and know you always at the pull-up bars, so we figured we’d give ya a heads-up, so you’d not get caught in the crossfire.”
“Right on. Good lookin’ out,” I said. “Well I’m gonna go finish up my routine. Thanks again.” I shook their hands, and headed back onto the track towards the next workout station.
I approached the dip bar. No one was there except me. This station was located in the northwest corner of the rec yard, resting on an area slightly elevated in comparison to the rest of the yard. The high ground afforded me a better view of everything taking place, causing me to wonder how good the view was for the guard stationed in the gun tower.
I began my routine, but not with much intensity. I figured it best to stay alert and keep my eyes on Slim, so he didn’t by chance make his way to my area to work out. I didn’t want to find myself in the middle of the chaos. Small situations can escalate into full-fledged riots within seconds. So being alert can be the difference between life, death or harm.
Three sets into my back-arm routine, my cellmate Charlie happened to walk by. “Wattup!” Charlie said.
“Nothin’. What you doin’?” I asked.
“Nothin’. Jus’ walkin’ laps.”
“Hey, chill with me right here.”
“Why? What’s up?”
“Some shit’s gonna go down right now.”
Charlie’s eyes animated, his attention picked up like the ears of a Doberman. We’d recently become cellmates, and got along great. We were both from the same hometown, and knew much of the same people. Charlie stood 5’4”, weighed 170 pounds and sported the customary fade haircut. He wore tortoise-shell designer frames a bit too large for his small round face. When he arched his back to look up at you through his lenses, it appeared as though his neck and face were struggling to uphold the weight of his glasses. I found this humorous as it was his signature.
“What? What?” Charlie asked with an anxiety that said he thought he might be the target.
Click here for a previous story by Warrior.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Email comments and questions for Warrior to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
American Labor Takes Too Long to Incubate
A real quick, but very insightful post, then I have to go.
I read this on Mish's blog and it got me thinking, "Dude, you're practically middle age by the time you get your doctorate and are ready to go into the labor force."
And then it got me further thinking as to just how much time we waste when we education our children and college students and how we could considerably shorten the time it takes to bring a kid from kindergarten to an employable adult.
First off a sheer improvement in efficiency by eliminating bad students that do nothing but distract those students with potential would certainly allow a teacher to cover an insanely higher amount of ground and impart an insanely higher amount of education. Along the same line would be getting parents to be real parents and force their students to study, to do well, and to do their homework.
Since both are politically incorrect because we champion losers in this country as well as it is a sin to accuse bad parents of...well...being bad parents, we have to focus on things that don't hurt people's feelings, especially morons at the expense of our future labor force.
This changes the focus to what I believe to be the inordinate amount of worthless "pre-requisite" classes that we force students to take to (put it simply) employ people who would otherwise be unemployable.
Why do we have phy ed?
Why do we mandate students take high school psychology?
How many of you took years of foreign language and never used it to this day?
It is these classes that need to be eliminated at the K-12 education level. They serve no purpose in training children into future workers, but they do employ a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise have jobs in the real world.
Then there is lord knows how much spent on "extra-curricular" activities that serve no purpose in helping a kid's future.
Admittedly, I teach dance. But this is recreational and for adults who have since graduated and are presumably in the working world. They have no illusions about going out and competing professionally. It is a veritable recreation. But I don't know how many women I've ran into who I could tell had previous dance experience. And when I asked them,
"Have you danced before?"
They invariably say,
"Yes, tap, jazz and ballet when I was a child."
"So are you a professional ballet dancer now?"
"Oh, no! *giggle*"
Well how much time, labor, effort, money and taxpayer cash was used teaching kids a dance they will never use? Line dance? Jazz? Ballet?
Music is the same way. Along the same line of sports (as well as I presume ballet), what percentage of students that take music and are in high school band go on to make careers in music? Less than 1% I presume. And this speaks nothing to the psychotic parents that (like my own) force their children at the insanely young age of 3 to take piano or violin or tennis.
Now these are all topics or hobbies kids pursue as kids during their k-12 days. However, when they graduate onto college, the pointless "jumping through hoops" classes do not relent.
Freshman composition is the perfect example.
I don't care how bad people's writing is. If it doesn't cut it, it doesn't cut it. But no matter if you had straight A's through k-12 in English, you still need to take this class. Why? Because a bunch of English majors in COLLEGE need a job.
But forget English, the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota require you not only take 3 years of a foreign language, but that you PASS A TEST before you can get your degree. I pissed away 2 years of college German that could have been spent on economics and finance which would have made me an even BETTER economist (if you can imagine that). Regardless, this is not for the students' benefit, this is to employ a bunch of people who majored in a foreign language and can't find a job at the UN.
Business school is just as guilty as any other college.
Why, if you are majoring in accounting, do you need to take HR or marketing? Again, it is not to make you "well-rounded" it's to employ otherwise unemployable "doctorates" in marketing.
And though I did not attend engineering school, there is no doubt a plethora of worthless and pointless pre-requisites in the arts and humanities you must have suffered that only postponed your graduation by a full year.
Now you may be asking "Captain, why are you so hard on people? Why can't you just let people enjoy life a little bit? Life is not all about math and science and engineering and economics."
You're right, that's what you do on your free time. But when you go to school, let us not kid ourselves, it's not for entertainment. It's to train you for a real job in the real world. It's to give you the skills so that you may work up enough money in a successful career so that you may afford pursue your hobbies in the future. Arguing otherwise is putting the cart before the horse, and no doubt you wish to make a living out of your hobby which is almost a guaranteed way to become a rent-seeker.
But there is a larger consequence, or perhaps "opportunity cost" for being so lackadaisical in the education and training of our future labor, and that is foregone production.
Consider this - it is in my estimation that a full 3 years could be cut out from the K-12 education by simply eliminating the worthless classes and activities as well as forcing our students to work harder. I also believe that if you get rid of all of fluff and forced-pre-requisite classes at the college level, you could scale an engineering degree down to 3 years and a liberal arts degree to 3 months (just kidding!). I also believe most masters degrees could be done in 4 years and doctorates (unless in a REALLY advanced field) could be done in 6. And in focusing our efforts on studying as well as eliminating the unnecessary classes, you could have online fully trained and qualified, labor ready to go to work.
Bringing this labor online 4-5 years ahead of schedule and you have some amazing benefits.
Most notably 4-5 years of additional production per graduating class. This alone would (assuming near full employment) more than pay for Obama's spending binge.
You worried about collecting social security when you're older? Well, if people were allowed to get to work earlier instead of rotting in a mandatory "Global-Warming and Why Bush is Hitler Sociology' class, the tax revenues might be there to actually shore up the SS fund.
And, of course, lest we forget, how about all the extra money those students make for themselves (assuming we don't tax them to death) with that extra 4-5 years income? Let alone less student loan debt they might have. Less debt and an extra 4-5 years of income, who knows, all those Gen-X'ers and Gen Y'ers could have actually AFFORDED the houses they tried to buy 3 years ago.
In short you would have a HUGE increase in generational production, GDP, tax revenues and wealth and the country would be immeasurably off.
But of course, there is one thing standing in the way of this;
Big Education.
For you see, such a streamlined educational system would mean a LOT less money for that industry, and no matter how noble and how prosperous a faster, more focused educational system would be for this nation, society must suffer a lower standard of living so we can employ some more theater professors and German teachers.
Enjoy Freshman Comp!
I read this on Mish's blog and it got me thinking, "Dude, you're practically middle age by the time you get your doctorate and are ready to go into the labor force."
And then it got me further thinking as to just how much time we waste when we education our children and college students and how we could considerably shorten the time it takes to bring a kid from kindergarten to an employable adult.
First off a sheer improvement in efficiency by eliminating bad students that do nothing but distract those students with potential would certainly allow a teacher to cover an insanely higher amount of ground and impart an insanely higher amount of education. Along the same line would be getting parents to be real parents and force their students to study, to do well, and to do their homework.
Since both are politically incorrect because we champion losers in this country as well as it is a sin to accuse bad parents of...well...being bad parents, we have to focus on things that don't hurt people's feelings, especially morons at the expense of our future labor force.
This changes the focus to what I believe to be the inordinate amount of worthless "pre-requisite" classes that we force students to take to (put it simply) employ people who would otherwise be unemployable.
Why do we have phy ed?
Why do we mandate students take high school psychology?
How many of you took years of foreign language and never used it to this day?
It is these classes that need to be eliminated at the K-12 education level. They serve no purpose in training children into future workers, but they do employ a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise have jobs in the real world.
Then there is lord knows how much spent on "extra-curricular" activities that serve no purpose in helping a kid's future.
Admittedly, I teach dance. But this is recreational and for adults who have since graduated and are presumably in the working world. They have no illusions about going out and competing professionally. It is a veritable recreation. But I don't know how many women I've ran into who I could tell had previous dance experience. And when I asked them,
"Have you danced before?"
They invariably say,
"Yes, tap, jazz and ballet when I was a child."
"So are you a professional ballet dancer now?"
"Oh, no! *giggle*"
Well how much time, labor, effort, money and taxpayer cash was used teaching kids a dance they will never use? Line dance? Jazz? Ballet?
Music is the same way. Along the same line of sports (as well as I presume ballet), what percentage of students that take music and are in high school band go on to make careers in music? Less than 1% I presume. And this speaks nothing to the psychotic parents that (like my own) force their children at the insanely young age of 3 to take piano or violin or tennis.
Now these are all topics or hobbies kids pursue as kids during their k-12 days. However, when they graduate onto college, the pointless "jumping through hoops" classes do not relent.
Freshman composition is the perfect example.
I don't care how bad people's writing is. If it doesn't cut it, it doesn't cut it. But no matter if you had straight A's through k-12 in English, you still need to take this class. Why? Because a bunch of English majors in COLLEGE need a job.
But forget English, the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota require you not only take 3 years of a foreign language, but that you PASS A TEST before you can get your degree. I pissed away 2 years of college German that could have been spent on economics and finance which would have made me an even BETTER economist (if you can imagine that). Regardless, this is not for the students' benefit, this is to employ a bunch of people who majored in a foreign language and can't find a job at the UN.
Business school is just as guilty as any other college.
Why, if you are majoring in accounting, do you need to take HR or marketing? Again, it is not to make you "well-rounded" it's to employ otherwise unemployable "doctorates" in marketing.
And though I did not attend engineering school, there is no doubt a plethora of worthless and pointless pre-requisites in the arts and humanities you must have suffered that only postponed your graduation by a full year.
Now you may be asking "Captain, why are you so hard on people? Why can't you just let people enjoy life a little bit? Life is not all about math and science and engineering and economics."
You're right, that's what you do on your free time. But when you go to school, let us not kid ourselves, it's not for entertainment. It's to train you for a real job in the real world. It's to give you the skills so that you may work up enough money in a successful career so that you may afford pursue your hobbies in the future. Arguing otherwise is putting the cart before the horse, and no doubt you wish to make a living out of your hobby which is almost a guaranteed way to become a rent-seeker.
But there is a larger consequence, or perhaps "opportunity cost" for being so lackadaisical in the education and training of our future labor, and that is foregone production.
Consider this - it is in my estimation that a full 3 years could be cut out from the K-12 education by simply eliminating the worthless classes and activities as well as forcing our students to work harder. I also believe that if you get rid of all of fluff and forced-pre-requisite classes at the college level, you could scale an engineering degree down to 3 years and a liberal arts degree to 3 months (just kidding!). I also believe most masters degrees could be done in 4 years and doctorates (unless in a REALLY advanced field) could be done in 6. And in focusing our efforts on studying as well as eliminating the unnecessary classes, you could have online fully trained and qualified, labor ready to go to work.
Bringing this labor online 4-5 years ahead of schedule and you have some amazing benefits.
Most notably 4-5 years of additional production per graduating class. This alone would (assuming near full employment) more than pay for Obama's spending binge.
You worried about collecting social security when you're older? Well, if people were allowed to get to work earlier instead of rotting in a mandatory "Global-Warming and Why Bush is Hitler Sociology' class, the tax revenues might be there to actually shore up the SS fund.
And, of course, lest we forget, how about all the extra money those students make for themselves (assuming we don't tax them to death) with that extra 4-5 years income? Let alone less student loan debt they might have. Less debt and an extra 4-5 years of income, who knows, all those Gen-X'ers and Gen Y'ers could have actually AFFORDED the houses they tried to buy 3 years ago.
In short you would have a HUGE increase in generational production, GDP, tax revenues and wealth and the country would be immeasurably off.
But of course, there is one thing standing in the way of this;
Big Education.
For you see, such a streamlined educational system would mean a LOT less money for that industry, and no matter how noble and how prosperous a faster, more focused educational system would be for this nation, society must suffer a lower standard of living so we can employ some more theater professors and German teachers.
Enjoy Freshman Comp!
The End Game of Leftist Policies
This is what happens when leftist policies are enacted. This is not hyperbole, nor rhetoric. This is just the truth.
The simple reason why is that you destroy any incentive to work. You do not promote nor protect the productive people. You punish investment and profit. And all you are left with are the degenerates of society living off of government hand outs TO THE POINT THAT LAND HAS A NEGATIVE VALUE.
The simple reason why is that you destroy any incentive to work. You do not promote nor protect the productive people. You punish investment and profit. And all you are left with are the degenerates of society living off of government hand outs TO THE POINT THAT LAND HAS A NEGATIVE VALUE.
Pig Flu Ala Charts
I like charts. Charts make things simple and provide relativity. From Herr Mueller.
OMG! AN EPIDEMIC!!!! RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!! SAVE YOURSELF!!!!!!
OMG! AN EPIDEMIC!!!! RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!! SAVE YOURSELF!!!!!!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Recession Medicine - Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is hands down the best show ever made. Certainly will get you out of those recessionary blues (of which you shouldn't have because you don't really control this economy anyway). Here is an episode that is bound to make your day go better.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
You Think I Make This Up
Minnesota, despite being flyover country, is honeycombed with incompetent, greedy, pathetic middle aged men posing as bankers. They have no skills, they have no talents, they only wish to "make the deal" no matter how previously-condemned to default and bankruptcy the deal is so they can skim their commission off the top. They then drive German-made cars and large SUV's as they pose as "successful businessmen" whilst behind closed doors beg for a taxpayer bailout like a bum with a cup in their hands. This is not "sour grapes." This is not "revenge." This is just the truth, people, and the future will bear me out (besides which I've had my revenge already).
Now I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Minnesota IS going to be one of the worst states in terms of bank closures and you will see it have its disproportionate share of bank failures compared to other states, adjusting for population. The primary cause is the likes of Riverview Community Bank, which was recently shut down by the Feds. "Community Banks" you must understand are these small town, local "community" banks that are basically the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the hierarchy of banks. While the likes of TCF and Wells Fargo were shooting down questionable real estate deals, there was no shortage of these second rate loser banks to sop up the deals and finance them while they played "imaginary real banker."
What's worse is that there are SCORES of these wanna-be-banks with wanna-be-bankers who financed "multi-million dollar real estate deals" so their impotent, inept middle aged bankers could say to naive 20 something girls, "Why I just finished signing off on a multi-million dollar real estate deal. I'm a multi-million dollar real estate banker!" (Little did the 20 something girls know they probably had a higher net worth as a waitress than these guys did with with their home equity line financed German car and overleveraged house.) Regardless, with so many of these petty, small time faux banks eating up the bad deals larger, more legitimate banks passed up on, you are going to see an increase in the number of Minnesota community banks come begging for a bailout.
But! Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine! The FDIC now assures us that they have the money to ensure our deposits at these Minnesota banks! (ht to Kate)
Of course never mind borrowing $500 billion would put the Federal government WAY over its debt limit already. And never mind we're already in the whole for $1.4 trillion this year anyway. The reason you should never mind is because Barack Obama is president and he's going to take care of everything.
Now you know why I installed my own wood burning stove and enjoy foraging for wood.
Now I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Minnesota IS going to be one of the worst states in terms of bank closures and you will see it have its disproportionate share of bank failures compared to other states, adjusting for population. The primary cause is the likes of Riverview Community Bank, which was recently shut down by the Feds. "Community Banks" you must understand are these small town, local "community" banks that are basically the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the hierarchy of banks. While the likes of TCF and Wells Fargo were shooting down questionable real estate deals, there was no shortage of these second rate loser banks to sop up the deals and finance them while they played "imaginary real banker."
What's worse is that there are SCORES of these wanna-be-banks with wanna-be-bankers who financed "multi-million dollar real estate deals" so their impotent, inept middle aged bankers could say to naive 20 something girls, "Why I just finished signing off on a multi-million dollar real estate deal. I'm a multi-million dollar real estate banker!" (Little did the 20 something girls know they probably had a higher net worth as a waitress than these guys did with with their home equity line financed German car and overleveraged house.) Regardless, with so many of these petty, small time faux banks eating up the bad deals larger, more legitimate banks passed up on, you are going to see an increase in the number of Minnesota community banks come begging for a bailout.
But! Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine! The FDIC now assures us that they have the money to ensure our deposits at these Minnesota banks! (ht to Kate)
Of course never mind borrowing $500 billion would put the Federal government WAY over its debt limit already. And never mind we're already in the whole for $1.4 trillion this year anyway. The reason you should never mind is because Barack Obama is president and he's going to take care of everything.
Now you know why I installed my own wood burning stove and enjoy foraging for wood.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Tent City (Part 4 by Guest Blogger Daniel Horne)
Daniel Horne spent almost a year in Tent City. He is a business executive, husband, and father of two. Following a car accident, Daniel was not charged with drunk driving, but with aggravated assault – in Arizona’s legal system a car can be classified as a weapon you assault someone with. He is the author of the book, Accidental Felons and blog
“Nothing, but it’s all part of their game, man. Almost everyone I’ve met in this place is here for using drugs, DUI, or a probation violation. So, what’s your story?”
“I’m here for Aggravated Assault.”
“You? Man, there must be something I don’t see. Who’d you shoot?”
“Nobody. I was in an automobile accident.”
“Was somebody maimed?”
“No, but the county attorney got pretty crafty with my case, too. I ended up taking a plea. I call it ‘Trial by Prosecutor’. The County Attorney charged me with crimes that carry mandatory minimum sentences. There was no way I could get a fair trial. It’s interesting how he does that. He holds a gun to your head and says ‘Sign here’. Then he hangs your reputation on his wall like it’s a trophy to prove how many bad people live here.”
“Trial by prosecutor... I like that,” William said. “That’s pretty much what it’s become these days with mandatory sentencing, hasn’t it? I’m sorry dude. How long are you going to be here?”
“A year, but I’m supposed to get Work Furlough. I’m worried about that. I don’t seem to be going to Work Furlough, unless this is a stop along the way, and I’ve been away from work for a week.”
“A year! Christ, dude, get yourself another attorney. You don’t want to be in this place a whole year. Why didn’t you go to prison? It’s safer in prison.”
“My family, man. I’d go through hell for them.”
“Well, that’s pretty much what you’ve chosen to do. This is as close to hell as it gets in America. I admire your courage.”
“No courage to it, William. I didn’t do it for me. If I’d gone away for ten years, it could have destroyed my marriage, and who knows what would have become of my children.”
“Man, that woman you ran into must have wanted your balls hung on a stick,” William said.
“No, actually she was quite gracious,” I replied. “She didn’t show up at sentencing, and she told the prosecutor that she didn’t want me to go to jail. They didn’t charge her with anything, so my guess is that she wanted to stay as far away from these people as possible. I can’t blame her, and I’m glad they didn’t go after her. She might have gone to prison if they had, and that would have been as wrong as this.”
“I know. This county has gone to hell.”
“It’s not just Andrew Thomas. This sort of abuse is growing all across America. People like Andrew Thomas are rising to power like weeds. It’s the damned mandatory sentencing that’s the problem. It provides a shield for political predators like him to hide behind. Almost everyone is afraid to go to trial. I know; I studied this shit for eighteen months while I was trying to figure out what happened to me. You and I are part of a bigger plan, my friend.”
“Speaking of plans, I have to go pick up the Lizard’s mail — Later.” William exited the tent to get the mail for the day.
‘Lizard’, I learned, is the male inmates’ affectionate term for women inmates. They call the women ‘Lizards’. Don’t ask me why. I can only guess what the women call the men — ‘Dumb Asses’ probably. The mail system in Tent City is clever. The mail is delivered each afternoon when the DO’s are changing shifts by tossing a sock filled with letters over the fenced barrier separating the men from the women. It starts off as a pen pal thing but often turns into a love affair between two lonely, desperate people who’ve never met, both of whom are saturated with feelings of helplessness.
William returned a few minutes later with a pink sock laden with tightly folded sheets of paper and some rocks for weight. Our tent was the mail tent, so there were plenty of visitors coming from across the yard to see if they had mail. Some of the men didn’t yet have a Lizard. They were hoping for a letter from a woman looking to hook-up or a reply to their inquiry tossed across the razor wire a few days earlier. It was an exciting time of day when William picked up the mail.
“Horne, get your gear and report to the bubble,” a guard’s voice boomed over the loud speaker.
“Dan, that’s you,” William said. “I guess you’re going to Work Furlough after all. Leave your blankets and sheets, okay?”
I gathered my few belongings to carry to the office. There wasn’t much. “William, I don’t know how to thank you enough. You guys saved my life. I owe you, but I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“Don’t worry about it, man,” William said. “You’ll help other people too when you get oriented to this shit hole. We help each other, dude. It’s for sure no one else gives a rat’s ass if we live or die in here. You’ll get your chance to pay it forward. Now go, or the bus will leave without you.”
Click here for Part 3.
Click here for more information on Daniel’s book, Accidental Felons.
Click here for more on Tent City by Pearl Wilson whose son was murdered there.
Jail Survival tips.
Survival Tips Video. BBC Video.
Post comments below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com.
To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Daniel Horne spent almost a year in Tent City. He is a business executive, husband, and father of two. Following a car accident, Daniel was not charged with drunk driving, but with aggravated assault – in Arizona’s legal system a car can be classified as a weapon you assault someone with. He is the author of the book, Accidental Felons and blog
“Nothing, but it’s all part of their game, man. Almost everyone I’ve met in this place is here for using drugs, DUI, or a probation violation. So, what’s your story?”
“I’m here for Aggravated Assault.”
“You? Man, there must be something I don’t see. Who’d you shoot?”
“Nobody. I was in an automobile accident.”
“Was somebody maimed?”
“No, but the county attorney got pretty crafty with my case, too. I ended up taking a plea. I call it ‘Trial by Prosecutor’. The County Attorney charged me with crimes that carry mandatory minimum sentences. There was no way I could get a fair trial. It’s interesting how he does that. He holds a gun to your head and says ‘Sign here’. Then he hangs your reputation on his wall like it’s a trophy to prove how many bad people live here.”
“Trial by prosecutor... I like that,” William said. “That’s pretty much what it’s become these days with mandatory sentencing, hasn’t it? I’m sorry dude. How long are you going to be here?”
“A year, but I’m supposed to get Work Furlough. I’m worried about that. I don’t seem to be going to Work Furlough, unless this is a stop along the way, and I’ve been away from work for a week.”
“A year! Christ, dude, get yourself another attorney. You don’t want to be in this place a whole year. Why didn’t you go to prison? It’s safer in prison.”
“My family, man. I’d go through hell for them.”
“Well, that’s pretty much what you’ve chosen to do. This is as close to hell as it gets in America. I admire your courage.”
“No courage to it, William. I didn’t do it for me. If I’d gone away for ten years, it could have destroyed my marriage, and who knows what would have become of my children.”
“Man, that woman you ran into must have wanted your balls hung on a stick,” William said.
“No, actually she was quite gracious,” I replied. “She didn’t show up at sentencing, and she told the prosecutor that she didn’t want me to go to jail. They didn’t charge her with anything, so my guess is that she wanted to stay as far away from these people as possible. I can’t blame her, and I’m glad they didn’t go after her. She might have gone to prison if they had, and that would have been as wrong as this.”
“I know. This county has gone to hell.”
“It’s not just Andrew Thomas. This sort of abuse is growing all across America. People like Andrew Thomas are rising to power like weeds. It’s the damned mandatory sentencing that’s the problem. It provides a shield for political predators like him to hide behind. Almost everyone is afraid to go to trial. I know; I studied this shit for eighteen months while I was trying to figure out what happened to me. You and I are part of a bigger plan, my friend.”
“Speaking of plans, I have to go pick up the Lizard’s mail — Later.” William exited the tent to get the mail for the day.
‘Lizard’, I learned, is the male inmates’ affectionate term for women inmates. They call the women ‘Lizards’. Don’t ask me why. I can only guess what the women call the men — ‘Dumb Asses’ probably. The mail system in Tent City is clever. The mail is delivered each afternoon when the DO’s are changing shifts by tossing a sock filled with letters over the fenced barrier separating the men from the women. It starts off as a pen pal thing but often turns into a love affair between two lonely, desperate people who’ve never met, both of whom are saturated with feelings of helplessness.
William returned a few minutes later with a pink sock laden with tightly folded sheets of paper and some rocks for weight. Our tent was the mail tent, so there were plenty of visitors coming from across the yard to see if they had mail. Some of the men didn’t yet have a Lizard. They were hoping for a letter from a woman looking to hook-up or a reply to their inquiry tossed across the razor wire a few days earlier. It was an exciting time of day when William picked up the mail.
“Horne, get your gear and report to the bubble,” a guard’s voice boomed over the loud speaker.
“Dan, that’s you,” William said. “I guess you’re going to Work Furlough after all. Leave your blankets and sheets, okay?”
I gathered my few belongings to carry to the office. There wasn’t much. “William, I don’t know how to thank you enough. You guys saved my life. I owe you, but I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“Don’t worry about it, man,” William said. “You’ll help other people too when you get oriented to this shit hole. We help each other, dude. It’s for sure no one else gives a rat’s ass if we live or die in here. You’ll get your chance to pay it forward. Now go, or the bus will leave without you.”
Click here for Part 3.
Click here for more information on Daniel’s book, Accidental Felons.
Click here for more on Tent City by Pearl Wilson whose son was murdered there.
Jail Survival tips.
Survival Tips Video. BBC Video.
Post comments below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com.
To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Going Galt Makes You Macho
October, it is in my estimation, will officially be henceforth known in my world as "Macho Month." And the reason I will consider it my own personal "Macho Month" is because I, your beloved Captain, has done no less than;
1. Replace a thermostat on my car
2. Replace a radiator in my car
3. Winterize 2 lawnmowers and a motorcycle
4. Install a wood burning stove and chimney at my house
5. Forage for at least 2 chords of free wood
All of which on my own.
Now you might say, "Cappy, I thought you were an economist and taught dance class? What's with all auto repairs and home improvement projects and everything? Shouldn't you adhere to the division of labor and specialize in economics and pay somebody to install a fireplace, fix your cars and store your motorcycle?"
And normally you would be right. But these are not normal times.
Understand that in these socialist times we live in today, it doesn't pay to work. The governments (state, federal and local) are estimated to expend 43% of GDP and this says nothing about the future promises of entitlements they've given to various special interest groups. Therefore if you're one of those working schmoes you're essentially slaving away for about half the year to pay taxes. And if you're one of those HIGH-EARNING schmoes, you're a veritable slave to the government for the majority of your working hours.
This is why you go Galt. Not that you choose to do this, but the government essentially makes any marginal pay you receive so marginal that it isn't worth the marginal time you must expend to earn what meager earnings the government will let you have. Therefore you find out how much you need, scale back your work and enjoy leisure time which (and this really pisses off the left) CAN'T BE TAXED!
Now the Captain has a fair amount of leisure time, but the problem in going Galt is that those who do go Galt are typically of the industrious sort and they soon get stir crazy. They're not the types to sit around and drink coffee at a coffee shop and then read THe Guardian while they talk to their liberal buddies about their manuscript for a play they wrote. They're people who know the value of work, have a strong work ethic and just can't sit still for more than a full day not doing anything.
The good news is that there are many things you can do that will not result in a paycheck, but will still improve your standards of living and essentially make it as if you have a tax free job. The most notable of these things are repairs and improvements.
If your car breaks down, you now face a problem. You have to give up some of your hard earned money to pay a mechanic to fix your car. The problem is doubled when the mechanic has to forfeit 43% of that money to the governments to pay taxes. In other words an exchange between you, the mechanic and the suppliers of any materials you might need, is now interrupted by a mafioso like government that insists you guys need "protection."
But if you've gone Galt, you have the one thing you need to avoid paying this unecessary protection money; time.
Oh, you may not be a great automechanic now, but just go on You Tube, look up what you want to repair or replace and usually there is a how to video ready and willing to hand hold you through the process. And in the end you've not only saved yourself a $400 repair bill, you also denied the government a $400 transaction which it cannot tax for it never happened.
There are also improvements to your household. The Captain is cheap. I have no problems letting the temperature in my basement go down to 32 degrees. I do this not to save the environment, I do this to save money. But as I thought about it, a nice wood burning stove would be nice to have. Not only would the basement stay warm, I'd save a LOT of money on gas, the pipes wouldn't freeze, AND I'd be emitting more carbon.
Again, I have a choice, do I spend the $5,200 I was quoted by the fireplace installation outfit? Or do I drop $1,500 on materials and do it myself? Sure, it took a week to properly install the flue, but in the end I saved myself $3,700 in labor therefore denying the governments the opportunity to tax that $3,700.
Now we could go on about how you can save money doing your own auto repair, improving your house, or doing your own computer repair, but the larger point is that to still produce while you "go Galt" the vast majority of your production is going to be in repairs and maintenance as these are things you can do on your own. You don't need the "double coincidence of wants" that is required for a barter exchange (besides which the government actually taxes you on the estimated barter transaction, not kidding, look it up). So while it is difficult for me to find say a dentist willing to trade dental work for dance lessons, I need no one to repair my house but me.
Now, since the majority of "Going Galt Work" is repairs and maintenance this practically forces you to become a macho guy. It's bumpy at first, repairing tires, changing oil, replacing a timing belt, but soon you're pulling out radiators, alternators, jerry-rigging things that were never meant to be but still work, installing fireplaces and cleaning out the carbs on your own motorcycle. You'll have grease and grit on your hands and under your finger nails. Women will look at you while you're dancing with them on the floor and say to themselves, "My goodness, not only is he a ballroom dancer, he repairs his own motorcycle and re-supported his house AND moded his own X-Box!" And soon not only will you be a rebel for going Galt and sticking it to the system, you'll be a macho Galt-Going rebel who will be able to do macho guy stuff with cars, the house, and the computer. And if they weren't already smothering you before, WOO HOO!!! Look out! THere's nothing more a lady likes and that going-Galt rebel who does auto repair, especially if he's an aspiring, junior, deputy or official economist.
1. Replace a thermostat on my car
2. Replace a radiator in my car
3. Winterize 2 lawnmowers and a motorcycle
4. Install a wood burning stove and chimney at my house
5. Forage for at least 2 chords of free wood
All of which on my own.
Now you might say, "Cappy, I thought you were an economist and taught dance class? What's with all auto repairs and home improvement projects and everything? Shouldn't you adhere to the division of labor and specialize in economics and pay somebody to install a fireplace, fix your cars and store your motorcycle?"
And normally you would be right. But these are not normal times.
Understand that in these socialist times we live in today, it doesn't pay to work. The governments (state, federal and local) are estimated to expend 43% of GDP and this says nothing about the future promises of entitlements they've given to various special interest groups. Therefore if you're one of those working schmoes you're essentially slaving away for about half the year to pay taxes. And if you're one of those HIGH-EARNING schmoes, you're a veritable slave to the government for the majority of your working hours.
This is why you go Galt. Not that you choose to do this, but the government essentially makes any marginal pay you receive so marginal that it isn't worth the marginal time you must expend to earn what meager earnings the government will let you have. Therefore you find out how much you need, scale back your work and enjoy leisure time which (and this really pisses off the left) CAN'T BE TAXED!
Now the Captain has a fair amount of leisure time, but the problem in going Galt is that those who do go Galt are typically of the industrious sort and they soon get stir crazy. They're not the types to sit around and drink coffee at a coffee shop and then read THe Guardian while they talk to their liberal buddies about their manuscript for a play they wrote. They're people who know the value of work, have a strong work ethic and just can't sit still for more than a full day not doing anything.
The good news is that there are many things you can do that will not result in a paycheck, but will still improve your standards of living and essentially make it as if you have a tax free job. The most notable of these things are repairs and improvements.
If your car breaks down, you now face a problem. You have to give up some of your hard earned money to pay a mechanic to fix your car. The problem is doubled when the mechanic has to forfeit 43% of that money to the governments to pay taxes. In other words an exchange between you, the mechanic and the suppliers of any materials you might need, is now interrupted by a mafioso like government that insists you guys need "protection."
But if you've gone Galt, you have the one thing you need to avoid paying this unecessary protection money; time.
Oh, you may not be a great automechanic now, but just go on You Tube, look up what you want to repair or replace and usually there is a how to video ready and willing to hand hold you through the process. And in the end you've not only saved yourself a $400 repair bill, you also denied the government a $400 transaction which it cannot tax for it never happened.
There are also improvements to your household. The Captain is cheap. I have no problems letting the temperature in my basement go down to 32 degrees. I do this not to save the environment, I do this to save money. But as I thought about it, a nice wood burning stove would be nice to have. Not only would the basement stay warm, I'd save a LOT of money on gas, the pipes wouldn't freeze, AND I'd be emitting more carbon.
Again, I have a choice, do I spend the $5,200 I was quoted by the fireplace installation outfit? Or do I drop $1,500 on materials and do it myself? Sure, it took a week to properly install the flue, but in the end I saved myself $3,700 in labor therefore denying the governments the opportunity to tax that $3,700.
Now we could go on about how you can save money doing your own auto repair, improving your house, or doing your own computer repair, but the larger point is that to still produce while you "go Galt" the vast majority of your production is going to be in repairs and maintenance as these are things you can do on your own. You don't need the "double coincidence of wants" that is required for a barter exchange (besides which the government actually taxes you on the estimated barter transaction, not kidding, look it up). So while it is difficult for me to find say a dentist willing to trade dental work for dance lessons, I need no one to repair my house but me.
Now, since the majority of "Going Galt Work" is repairs and maintenance this practically forces you to become a macho guy. It's bumpy at first, repairing tires, changing oil, replacing a timing belt, but soon you're pulling out radiators, alternators, jerry-rigging things that were never meant to be but still work, installing fireplaces and cleaning out the carbs on your own motorcycle. You'll have grease and grit on your hands and under your finger nails. Women will look at you while you're dancing with them on the floor and say to themselves, "My goodness, not only is he a ballroom dancer, he repairs his own motorcycle and re-supported his house AND moded his own X-Box!" And soon not only will you be a rebel for going Galt and sticking it to the system, you'll be a macho Galt-Going rebel who will be able to do macho guy stuff with cars, the house, and the computer. And if they weren't already smothering you before, WOO HOO!!! Look out! THere's nothing more a lady likes and that going-Galt rebel who does auto repair, especially if he's an aspiring, junior, deputy or official economist.
Economics Under a Democrat Senate
I am not a big fan of blaming one person or a small group of people for large economic issues that are obviously triggered by society. For example I do not blame GW for the current recession, just as I don't blame Barack Obama for the current recession or Bill Clinton for the previous recession (though the lethargic, painfully slow recovery circi 1990 Japan I will blame Barak and Bush for).
Regardless, I do believe congress is more powerful than the president as it is primarily their policies that are submitted to be voted on and implemented into law and therefore have more sway over a country, but I'm still not blaming democrats for all problems. Still, this chart suggests SOME correlation. I would prefer to see this going back to 1947 though.
Regardless, I do believe congress is more powerful than the president as it is primarily their policies that are submitted to be voted on and implemented into law and therefore have more sway over a country, but I'm still not blaming democrats for all problems. Still, this chart suggests SOME correlation. I would prefer to see this going back to 1947 though.
Thank you Mr. Brown.
From Iron Man (Letter 6)
Iron Man - A martial-arts expert and personal trainer whose crimes include smashing someone’s door down: "I didn’t hurt anyone. I just wanted my fuckin’ money." His workouts are brutal. "I’ll have you in the best shape of your life by the time you get out," he told me.
Shaun,
Hello, Brother!
I hope that things are going well for you, and you are seizing the day, every day.
That is exactly what I am doing. I’ve got a sweet gig here. I am the unit’s Personal Fitness Trainer, and I also teach a yoga class five days a week. The Iron Man Training program is in full swing here.
I’ve set up an Iron man Challenge, and it is scheduled for November 5th. It will be a timed event and quite intense.
The yard they have moved me to is located between some small mountains and large hills. Lots of saguaro cactus and desert foliage. It is a beautiful place.
I had my own room for a couple of weeks, and now I have a roommate who has a Master’s degree in Business Administration. We immediately worked out an exchange of knowledge, and now I am giving him intensive one-on-one physical fitness training, and he is giving me Business Management classes six hours a week.
All of my time is spent with extreme focus, and the pursuit of excellence in every area of my life.
Just a few more months and I will be breathing the free air once again.
So what is going on with you these days? Are you close to getting your book published? How is the martial arts training going?
My third grandson was born on September 17th. He entered the world at 9:30am and kept his eyes open most of the day, just looking around and taking in the world. He is growing steadily and is in perfect health. I can’t wait to stand holding him in my arms, a free man on February 17th.
It is going to be good to talk to you again. The Book of Proverbs teaches that “as iron sharpens iron, a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” The time you invested teaching me yoga was time well spent, and continues to benefit me and my students.
Take care of yourself, Brother.
Love and Respect,
Iron Man
Click here to read Iron Man’s previous letter.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Email comments for Iron Man to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Iron Man - A martial-arts expert and personal trainer whose crimes include smashing someone’s door down: "I didn’t hurt anyone. I just wanted my fuckin’ money." His workouts are brutal. "I’ll have you in the best shape of your life by the time you get out," he told me.
Shaun,
Hello, Brother!
I hope that things are going well for you, and you are seizing the day, every day.
That is exactly what I am doing. I’ve got a sweet gig here. I am the unit’s Personal Fitness Trainer, and I also teach a yoga class five days a week. The Iron Man Training program is in full swing here.
I’ve set up an Iron man Challenge, and it is scheduled for November 5th. It will be a timed event and quite intense.
The yard they have moved me to is located between some small mountains and large hills. Lots of saguaro cactus and desert foliage. It is a beautiful place.
I had my own room for a couple of weeks, and now I have a roommate who has a Master’s degree in Business Administration. We immediately worked out an exchange of knowledge, and now I am giving him intensive one-on-one physical fitness training, and he is giving me Business Management classes six hours a week.
All of my time is spent with extreme focus, and the pursuit of excellence in every area of my life.
Just a few more months and I will be breathing the free air once again.
So what is going on with you these days? Are you close to getting your book published? How is the martial arts training going?
My third grandson was born on September 17th. He entered the world at 9:30am and kept his eyes open most of the day, just looking around and taking in the world. He is growing steadily and is in perfect health. I can’t wait to stand holding him in my arms, a free man on February 17th.
It is going to be good to talk to you again. The Book of Proverbs teaches that “as iron sharpens iron, a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” The time you invested teaching me yoga was time well spent, and continues to benefit me and my students.
Take care of yourself, Brother.
Love and Respect,
Iron Man
Click here to read Iron Man’s previous letter.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Email comments for Iron Man to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Deaths in Iraq vs. Afghanistan
I just found the data interesting in that you "hear" Afghanistan is going worse, but you never really see the data.
I also like how the "surge" "didn't work."
Another Reason Not to Buy The Economist
OK, it seems my former magazine flame has not only decided to change politics on me, but has now decided to get fat as well. Does any aspiring economist see what egregious error The Economist did here? 
The answer is: "What does a country's GDP per capita have to do with time off?"
What they should have correlated it with is RGDP GROWTH. Just because previous generations busted their asses off for their spoiled children to enjoy high standards of living and take vacation has NOTHING to do with what they're implying. Economic GROWTH is what matters, not the nominal GDP per capita people pre-establishedly enjoy.
I Love How they Choose to Live in Europe
We want to make to make the countries we escaped to just as crappy as the ones we escaped from.
Enjoy the 72 virgins.
Oh, sorry, almost forgot the HT!
Enjoy the 72 virgins.
Oh, sorry, almost forgot the HT!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Marriage is the New Fad
I've often said today marriage is like being engaged back in the 1940's. And being engaged today is like going steady in the 1940's. And dating today is like being friends back in the 1940's. There is no severity or seriousness we apply to courting anymore and just like you could break off an engagement back in the 1940's without much hoopla, you can get a divorce today quite the same. Of course that means there is no modern day equivalent of a 1940's marriage because the seriousness and commitment that existed back then just doesn't exist today, but I digress.
Ice Cream for Breakfast
I can't believe I have to write this post, but here it goes.
I AM AN ADULT.
AND IN BEING AN ADULT I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!
Remember back when we were kids and our parents would say,
"Well, when you pay for your own food, and pay your own bills, and pay your own rent, then you can stay up will 4AM and do whatever you want?"
Remember that?
Yeah? Well guess what!
I
BUY MY OWN FOOD
I
PAY MY OWN MORTGAGE
I
PAY MY OWN BILLS
ERGO!!!!
I CAN EAT ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST!
Don't you remember that as kids? You wanting to do all this stuff that your parents would not allow you to do, simply because you were a kid?
Well, now that you are no longer a kid and now that you are supporting yourself (unless of course daddy is still subsidizing your college tuition, and paying for your car or insurance) YOU CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS YOU WANTED TO DO BACK WHEN YOU WERE A KID!
But what do I get instead?
I get my NOW-ADULT FRIENDS saying I "can't do this!"
It's like they got nabbed and brainwashed and turned into those old-stodigy adults we so feared becoming and traitored on me. No, no, I have to have "breakfast food" for breakfast. I need to eat muffins and eggs and tofu and bark and leaves.
So, let me explain to those of you who are my age and somehow think there's something wrong with me having ice cream for breakfast.
1. I can have ice cream for breakfast. There is no way you can stop me. I can go to the store, buy ice cream, come back home and you have no legal means or forcible means to stop me. Ergo it's not a question of "can" I have ice cream for breakfast, it's a question of "SHOULD" I have ice cream for breakfast.
2. YES I SHOULD HAVE ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST. This has been a communist plot of our elders to keep us ignorant as children. Studies show that ice cream for breakfast increases your IQ by 40 points. It also has immeasurable health benefits such as strong bones due to the calcium in the ice cream, endorphins are released early on in your day, and it's a well-known fact that ice cream cures the common cold and attracts members of the opposite sex. A whole plethora of health benefits come with eating ice cream. Ergo it is a moral imperative that you eat it during the morning hours.
3. Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do? Joseph Stalin? Mao Zedong? Barack Obama? And what do you care if I do these things? Not only do I have ice cream for breakfast, I have been known to have Rumpleminze for lunch AND stay up till 4AM playing video games on a school night (of course I didn't have school the next day, but I still stick my tongue out at you regardless).
So, the lesson we all need to learn from this is that it is OK for full grown adults to have ice cream for breakfast. If somebody can engage in vices where they smoke till they get cancer, drink till they have liver failure or marry so they lose half their net worth, then I can CERTAINLY have ice cream for breakfast.
I AM AN ADULT.
AND IN BEING AN ADULT I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!
Remember back when we were kids and our parents would say,
"Well, when you pay for your own food, and pay your own bills, and pay your own rent, then you can stay up will 4AM and do whatever you want?"
Remember that?
Yeah? Well guess what!
I
BUY MY OWN FOOD
I
PAY MY OWN MORTGAGE
I
PAY MY OWN BILLS
ERGO!!!!
I CAN EAT ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST!
Don't you remember that as kids? You wanting to do all this stuff that your parents would not allow you to do, simply because you were a kid?
Well, now that you are no longer a kid and now that you are supporting yourself (unless of course daddy is still subsidizing your college tuition, and paying for your car or insurance) YOU CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS YOU WANTED TO DO BACK WHEN YOU WERE A KID!
But what do I get instead?
I get my NOW-ADULT FRIENDS saying I "can't do this!"
It's like they got nabbed and brainwashed and turned into those old-stodigy adults we so feared becoming and traitored on me. No, no, I have to have "breakfast food" for breakfast. I need to eat muffins and eggs and tofu and bark and leaves.
So, let me explain to those of you who are my age and somehow think there's something wrong with me having ice cream for breakfast.
1. I can have ice cream for breakfast. There is no way you can stop me. I can go to the store, buy ice cream, come back home and you have no legal means or forcible means to stop me. Ergo it's not a question of "can" I have ice cream for breakfast, it's a question of "SHOULD" I have ice cream for breakfast.
2. YES I SHOULD HAVE ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST. This has been a communist plot of our elders to keep us ignorant as children. Studies show that ice cream for breakfast increases your IQ by 40 points. It also has immeasurable health benefits such as strong bones due to the calcium in the ice cream, endorphins are released early on in your day, and it's a well-known fact that ice cream cures the common cold and attracts members of the opposite sex. A whole plethora of health benefits come with eating ice cream. Ergo it is a moral imperative that you eat it during the morning hours.
3. Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do? Joseph Stalin? Mao Zedong? Barack Obama? And what do you care if I do these things? Not only do I have ice cream for breakfast, I have been known to have Rumpleminze for lunch AND stay up till 4AM playing video games on a school night (of course I didn't have school the next day, but I still stick my tongue out at you regardless).
So, the lesson we all need to learn from this is that it is OK for full grown adults to have ice cream for breakfast. If somebody can engage in vices where they smoke till they get cancer, drink till they have liver failure or marry so they lose half their net worth, then I can CERTAINLY have ice cream for breakfast.
Year of the Voodoo Bomb (by Polish Avenger)
Polish Avenger – A software-engineering undergraduate sentenced to 25 years because his friend was shot dead during a burglary they were committing. In Arizona, if a burglar gets killed, the accomplices get 25-year sentences.
Obvious question number 1: What the hell is a voodoo bomb?
Glad you asked! It’s an individually wrapped single dose of instant coffee. To prepare one of these little gems, take one square of single-ply toilet paper (used here in prison) and place a generous scoop of freeze-dried java (bought from the commissary) in the center. Wrap like an egg roll, moisten with tongue to seal, and stash in a little baggie. Four of these generally suffice for one day. When the time for a voodoo break rolls around, quietly slip one out, pop it in, and chase with a swig of water. The bomb bursts in the stomach and the caffeine express rolls on!
Obvious question number 2: Why the hell go through all of that?
Why not just drink a normal cup o’ bean like everyone else? That part is a bit more complicated. The bombs arose out of unfortunate necessity. Here in our beloved prison, we have a particular tribe of lowlife affectionately referred to as the mooch. I’m sure you know one also! The person who, despite being at work alongside you and earning the same paycheck – in my case, 36 cents an hour as a hazards materials clerk – or earning even higher – yes, some prisoners have been known to make up to 50 cents an hour – never has his own coffee, and he just has to have some of yours. It’s even worse here in close quarters as fellows make an entire lifestyle out of mooching. Of course you can just say no, but that puts you on the blacklist, which means the next time the mooch gets in trouble, he’ll be quick to throw an accusation your way to get off the hook.
And so, having become thoroughly fed up with those who spend all they have on drugs, and yet rely on everyone else for coffee among other things, there came the year when I made a public declaration that I was committing the unspeakable sin of quitting. You could hear several mooch hearts shattering at the news that Polish Starbucks was closed. Yes, I had gone underground, and my coffee fix was now a matter of voodoo stealth and subterfuge.
Sadly, it really had come to that.
I stayed under nearly one year. Never once was I caught doing the ritualistic bomb swallow. The only concern was the amount of bizarre chemicals I was ingesting via the institutional toilet paper. Doing the math at four squares per day. That’s 120 a month, or about one giant industrial roll in a year. That just can’t be good for a person! Were the blinding headaches and spastic colon somehow related? Am I supposed to taste blood when urinating? Is that a toe-nail fungus shaped like the Virgin? Nagging issues, to be sure!
Happily, in a drug-user dragnet 90% of our mooches got shipped out. A joyous day it was when I came out of the java closet and could openly express my coffee sexuality. No more bombing, no more sneaking. I’m here, I’m wired, get used to it!
My question to you is: would you have done the same? Which is better, to systematically poison yourself and live a lie, or continue to shove you hard-earned prison paycheck down the bottomless mooch hole?
There are no easy answers…
Click here for Polish Avenger’s previous blog.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Post comments and questions for Polish Avenger below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Polish Avenger – A software-engineering undergraduate sentenced to 25 years because his friend was shot dead during a burglary they were committing. In Arizona, if a burglar gets killed, the accomplices get 25-year sentences.
Obvious question number 1: What the hell is a voodoo bomb?
Glad you asked! It’s an individually wrapped single dose of instant coffee. To prepare one of these little gems, take one square of single-ply toilet paper (used here in prison) and place a generous scoop of freeze-dried java (bought from the commissary) in the center. Wrap like an egg roll, moisten with tongue to seal, and stash in a little baggie. Four of these generally suffice for one day. When the time for a voodoo break rolls around, quietly slip one out, pop it in, and chase with a swig of water. The bomb bursts in the stomach and the caffeine express rolls on!
Obvious question number 2: Why the hell go through all of that?
Why not just drink a normal cup o’ bean like everyone else? That part is a bit more complicated. The bombs arose out of unfortunate necessity. Here in our beloved prison, we have a particular tribe of lowlife affectionately referred to as the mooch. I’m sure you know one also! The person who, despite being at work alongside you and earning the same paycheck – in my case, 36 cents an hour as a hazards materials clerk – or earning even higher – yes, some prisoners have been known to make up to 50 cents an hour – never has his own coffee, and he just has to have some of yours. It’s even worse here in close quarters as fellows make an entire lifestyle out of mooching. Of course you can just say no, but that puts you on the blacklist, which means the next time the mooch gets in trouble, he’ll be quick to throw an accusation your way to get off the hook.
And so, having become thoroughly fed up with those who spend all they have on drugs, and yet rely on everyone else for coffee among other things, there came the year when I made a public declaration that I was committing the unspeakable sin of quitting. You could hear several mooch hearts shattering at the news that Polish Starbucks was closed. Yes, I had gone underground, and my coffee fix was now a matter of voodoo stealth and subterfuge.
Sadly, it really had come to that.
I stayed under nearly one year. Never once was I caught doing the ritualistic bomb swallow. The only concern was the amount of bizarre chemicals I was ingesting via the institutional toilet paper. Doing the math at four squares per day. That’s 120 a month, or about one giant industrial roll in a year. That just can’t be good for a person! Were the blinding headaches and spastic colon somehow related? Am I supposed to taste blood when urinating? Is that a toe-nail fungus shaped like the Virgin? Nagging issues, to be sure!
Happily, in a drug-user dragnet 90% of our mooches got shipped out. A joyous day it was when I came out of the java closet and could openly express my coffee sexuality. No more bombing, no more sneaking. I’m here, I’m wired, get used to it!
My question to you is: would you have done the same? Which is better, to systematically poison yourself and live a lie, or continue to shove you hard-earned prison paycheck down the bottomless mooch hole?
There are no easy answers…
Click here for Polish Avenger’s previous blog.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Post comments and questions for Polish Avenger below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Retronomics
Mr. Trum, some of you know, is a regular reader of Cappy Cap and has started his own blog; Retronomics.
Of course, there is just one minor problem.
It's in German.
He assures me that in the future there will be an English version, but in the meantime you will all be mandated to read German.
Compliance will begin immediately.
Of course, there is just one minor problem.
It's in German.
He assures me that in the future there will be an English version, but in the meantime you will all be mandated to read German.
Compliance will begin immediately.
Big Time!
For those interested and who happen to live in the North Twin Cities metro, the Capitalism vs. Socialism speech will actually be broadcasted in its final edited form on public access cable.
Yes, yes, I know, I am making it big time now, and I shall remember the little people.
Regardless, it is pared down considerably from its original format I put online and is more of a project a friend of mine wanted to work on to hone his editing/filming skills. Only about 55 minutes, but takes some of the finer points and puts them into a professionally done video.
The schedule is here for those in the north metro interested in viewing it.
Yes, yes, I know, I am making it big time now, and I shall remember the little people.
Regardless, it is pared down considerably from its original format I put online and is more of a project a friend of mine wanted to work on to hone his editing/filming skills. Only about 55 minutes, but takes some of the finer points and puts them into a professionally done video.
The schedule is here for those in the north metro interested in viewing it.
Insurance Industry Profits
It is claimed by the Obama administration as well as leftists who like to make You Tube videos that the reason health care costs are so high is because of the profits the insurance industry makes. And that if we were to just get rid of those profits then the savings could be passed onto everyday people like you and me.
And let us not kid ourselves kiddies, with the amazing efficiency of the government managing a health insurance plan, you damn well know it's going to gobble up more than that paltry 4% LIKELY COSTING YOU MORE THAN A PRIVATE HEALTH INSURER WOULD.
Oh, but it's not really about the cost, is it? It's the fact somebody else will be paying for it. And that's what this is all about. I just wish people would be intellectually honest about this.
I was excited about this prospect of paying lower health insurance and so to see how much in savings would be passed onto me I looked up Aetna, one of the larger publicly traded insurance companies out there. I did this on Reuters because Reuters will not only show you the profit margins for the company you are looking at, but the entire industry. That way you can see just how high of profit margins these companies have and how much you're going to save!!!
Wow! The past 12 months the insurance industry has had a profit margin of .94%. That's not 94% for those of you who majored in liberal arts and never took calculus, that's .94%, LESS THAN 1%.
Now I'll be kind and intellectually honest enough to admit the 5 year average has been 4% in the industry, but are you freaking kidding me? At maximum a savings of 4%?
And let us not kid ourselves kiddies, with the amazing efficiency of the government managing a health insurance plan, you damn well know it's going to gobble up more than that paltry 4% LIKELY COSTING YOU MORE THAN A PRIVATE HEALTH INSURER WOULD.
Oh, but it's not really about the cost, is it? It's the fact somebody else will be paying for it. And that's what this is all about. I just wish people would be intellectually honest about this.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Tent City (Part 3 by Guest Blogger Daniel Horne)
Daniel Horne spent almost a year in Tent City. He is a business executive, husband, and father of two. Following a car accident, Daniel was not charged with drunk driving, but with aggravated assault – in Arizona’s legal system a car can be classified as a weapon you assault someone with. He is the author of the book, Accidental Felons and blog
Sheriff Arpaio is quick to point out that inmates living in the tent jail are happier than inmates living inside the buildings. In many respects he is telling the truth. Some of the jails are old, and even inside a new one like Lower Buckeye jail, filthy air-handling units fill the air with particles of dirt-laden lint. The tents are polluted too, but they not as bad as the indoor jails. It is during winter and summer that Tent City’s population suffers to the point of danger and death.
Inside, the jails have their own dangers year round. A prisoner’s movement is restricted inside, and employees can harass prisoners freely without worry of a news helicopter or a large number of other inmates viewing. In the tents, there is freedom of movement and public viewing to ward off an employee’s errant behavior. Except for the extremes of climate, life in the tents is safer with more relative freedom than the indoor jails. Of course, there is a price to pay for that privilege. Every resident of In-yard is a slave. Prisoners who refuse to work are evicted and returned to the indoor jails.
In-yard prisoners prepare the food, clean the jails, clean the ancillary facilities such as the animal stables, and provide chain gangs to harvest fruit from local residents which is given (fresh or rotten) to the prisoners to eat. Chain gangs even bury the county’s indigent dead. Inmates work seven days a week to provide free services to the county for the less than sixty cents a day in food that is given to them by the sheriff.
The hard-hearted reputation of Maricopa County’s penal system has reached as far away as Ireland, whose government refused to extradite an accused child molester because of the dangers he faced if returned to Arizona. There are, of course, those who benefit from a jail the size of a small town. Inmate clothing which is sewn in Central America and toiletry products purchased from China export much needed tax payer dollars abroad. It is commonly believed among prisoners inside the county jail that the sheriff’s friends and family receive lucrative contracts as commissary and clothing suppliers, but no one has filed charges that such corrupt nepotism exists. Still, because of the ferocity that the sheriff attacks anyone who delves into his secretive activities, it made me wonder.
By the following afternoon, I was meeting new people and adjusting to the In-yard routine. William was on the local Inmate Council and had coordinated the effort that had saved my life the night before. I was sitting on my bunk absorbing the sunshine entering the tent from the sinking sun. William was sitting on the bunk adjacent to mine.
“I would have died last night if it hadn’t been for you guys,” I said.
“I know,” William replied. “Some people do die. We look out after each other as best we can. Sometimes we hang out in the Day Room at night, but the third shift DOs usually run everyone out who doesn’t have to be there. They’re not supposed to lock it down, but they do it all the time.”
“William, if you don’t mind my asking, why are you here? You don’t seem like a hoodlum.”
William laughed. He lowered his head, found a pebble, picked it up, and flipped it thoughtfully through his fingers. “I’m here because I was screwing around on my fiancé.”
“Come on; nobody goes to jail for that,” I commented.
“Seriously, Andrew Thomas paid to have me extradited from Louisiana for a case that had been thrown out of court twice.”
“All right. I won’t pry.”
“It’s okay. Sort of funny really,” William admitted. “My fiancé and I swapped vehicles for a week. She needed my truck to move some things, so I used her car. She came into a shopping center near my house the next Saturday afternoon and saw her car parked there. She pulled up alongside to say she was finished with my truck and saw me making out with another woman, a damned hot woman, too.”
“Okay, that might be a reason to shoot you, but even Andrew Thomas can’t find a law to prosecute that,” I said.
“My fiancé reported her car stolen, and the police arrested me. I explained it all to the officers, but they said they had no choice. Two different judges threw the case out of court. After that, I moved to Louisiana to get out of this stinking county and got a job working on an oil platform. It’s shift work, on a week — off a week, because they have to ferry you out to the rig in a helicopter. Anyway, I was on my week off when I got pulled over for speeding. The cop ran a warrant check on me and said I had a warrant outstanding for car theft in Arizona. I explained everything to him, but there was nothing he could do. He didn’t even arrest me. He had me follow him to the police station. Andrew Thomas is a crafty character; I’ll give him that. Apparently, he has people dusting off old files and re-opening cases like mine to prosecute them. This time I was indicted for ‘Theft of Means’. The prosecutor told me I would get probation and wouldn’t do any time if I signed a guilty plea. I was sick of fighting this county. I didn’t have the money to spend on a third lawyer, plus, public defenders really suck.”
“What’s ‘Theft of Means’?” I asked.
“It’s a weird law. I’d never heard of it either. Basically, it means I told my fiancé I was going to use her car to go to work. Since I went somewhere besides work, I’m guilty of the crime ‘Theft of Means’. It’s something like that.”
“Yeah, I’m on probation and doing time, too,” I said.
“Oh, I didn’t get any jail time,” William said. “Their trick was for me to sign an agreement for Intense Probation Supervision. I didn’t know there were different kinds of probation, and IPS is the worst. The guys in here call it ‘In Prison Soon’ because almost everyone on IPS gets busted for something sooner or later and ends up in here or in prison for a probation violation.”
“So what happened?”
“My probation officer made a surprise visit to check up on me. They do that. Well, some friends were helping me unload my stuff from Louisiana at the time and I had bought a couple of six packs of beer for us to drink while we worked.”
“People do that all the time.”
“I know. I didn’t think much of it either, but the conditions of IPS call for no alcohol. The probation officer took a picture of me with a can of beer in my hand and busted me for a probation violation. Now I’m doing six months in Tent City.”
“You have be kidding! What does alcohol have to do with car theft?”
“Nothing, but it’s all part of their game, man. Almost everyone I’ve met in this place is here for using drugs, DUI, or a probation violation. So, what’s your story?”
Click here for Part 2.
Click here for more information on Daniel’s book, Accidental Felons.
Click here for more on Tent City by Pearl Wilson whose son was murdered there.
Jail Survival tips. Survival Tips Video. BBC Video.
Post comments below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Daniel Horne spent almost a year in Tent City. He is a business executive, husband, and father of two. Following a car accident, Daniel was not charged with drunk driving, but with aggravated assault – in Arizona’s legal system a car can be classified as a weapon you assault someone with. He is the author of the book, Accidental Felons and blog
Sheriff Arpaio is quick to point out that inmates living in the tent jail are happier than inmates living inside the buildings. In many respects he is telling the truth. Some of the jails are old, and even inside a new one like Lower Buckeye jail, filthy air-handling units fill the air with particles of dirt-laden lint. The tents are polluted too, but they not as bad as the indoor jails. It is during winter and summer that Tent City’s population suffers to the point of danger and death.
Inside, the jails have their own dangers year round. A prisoner’s movement is restricted inside, and employees can harass prisoners freely without worry of a news helicopter or a large number of other inmates viewing. In the tents, there is freedom of movement and public viewing to ward off an employee’s errant behavior. Except for the extremes of climate, life in the tents is safer with more relative freedom than the indoor jails. Of course, there is a price to pay for that privilege. Every resident of In-yard is a slave. Prisoners who refuse to work are evicted and returned to the indoor jails.
In-yard prisoners prepare the food, clean the jails, clean the ancillary facilities such as the animal stables, and provide chain gangs to harvest fruit from local residents which is given (fresh or rotten) to the prisoners to eat. Chain gangs even bury the county’s indigent dead. Inmates work seven days a week to provide free services to the county for the less than sixty cents a day in food that is given to them by the sheriff.
The hard-hearted reputation of Maricopa County’s penal system has reached as far away as Ireland, whose government refused to extradite an accused child molester because of the dangers he faced if returned to Arizona. There are, of course, those who benefit from a jail the size of a small town. Inmate clothing which is sewn in Central America and toiletry products purchased from China export much needed tax payer dollars abroad. It is commonly believed among prisoners inside the county jail that the sheriff’s friends and family receive lucrative contracts as commissary and clothing suppliers, but no one has filed charges that such corrupt nepotism exists. Still, because of the ferocity that the sheriff attacks anyone who delves into his secretive activities, it made me wonder.
By the following afternoon, I was meeting new people and adjusting to the In-yard routine. William was on the local Inmate Council and had coordinated the effort that had saved my life the night before. I was sitting on my bunk absorbing the sunshine entering the tent from the sinking sun. William was sitting on the bunk adjacent to mine.
“I would have died last night if it hadn’t been for you guys,” I said.
“I know,” William replied. “Some people do die. We look out after each other as best we can. Sometimes we hang out in the Day Room at night, but the third shift DOs usually run everyone out who doesn’t have to be there. They’re not supposed to lock it down, but they do it all the time.”
“William, if you don’t mind my asking, why are you here? You don’t seem like a hoodlum.”
William laughed. He lowered his head, found a pebble, picked it up, and flipped it thoughtfully through his fingers. “I’m here because I was screwing around on my fiancé.”
“Come on; nobody goes to jail for that,” I commented.
“Seriously, Andrew Thomas paid to have me extradited from Louisiana for a case that had been thrown out of court twice.”
“All right. I won’t pry.”
“It’s okay. Sort of funny really,” William admitted. “My fiancé and I swapped vehicles for a week. She needed my truck to move some things, so I used her car. She came into a shopping center near my house the next Saturday afternoon and saw her car parked there. She pulled up alongside to say she was finished with my truck and saw me making out with another woman, a damned hot woman, too.”
“Okay, that might be a reason to shoot you, but even Andrew Thomas can’t find a law to prosecute that,” I said.
“My fiancé reported her car stolen, and the police arrested me. I explained it all to the officers, but they said they had no choice. Two different judges threw the case out of court. After that, I moved to Louisiana to get out of this stinking county and got a job working on an oil platform. It’s shift work, on a week — off a week, because they have to ferry you out to the rig in a helicopter. Anyway, I was on my week off when I got pulled over for speeding. The cop ran a warrant check on me and said I had a warrant outstanding for car theft in Arizona. I explained everything to him, but there was nothing he could do. He didn’t even arrest me. He had me follow him to the police station. Andrew Thomas is a crafty character; I’ll give him that. Apparently, he has people dusting off old files and re-opening cases like mine to prosecute them. This time I was indicted for ‘Theft of Means’. The prosecutor told me I would get probation and wouldn’t do any time if I signed a guilty plea. I was sick of fighting this county. I didn’t have the money to spend on a third lawyer, plus, public defenders really suck.”
“What’s ‘Theft of Means’?” I asked.
“It’s a weird law. I’d never heard of it either. Basically, it means I told my fiancé I was going to use her car to go to work. Since I went somewhere besides work, I’m guilty of the crime ‘Theft of Means’. It’s something like that.”
“Yeah, I’m on probation and doing time, too,” I said.
“Oh, I didn’t get any jail time,” William said. “Their trick was for me to sign an agreement for Intense Probation Supervision. I didn’t know there were different kinds of probation, and IPS is the worst. The guys in here call it ‘In Prison Soon’ because almost everyone on IPS gets busted for something sooner or later and ends up in here or in prison for a probation violation.”
“So what happened?”
“My probation officer made a surprise visit to check up on me. They do that. Well, some friends were helping me unload my stuff from Louisiana at the time and I had bought a couple of six packs of beer for us to drink while we worked.”
“People do that all the time.”
“I know. I didn’t think much of it either, but the conditions of IPS call for no alcohol. The probation officer took a picture of me with a can of beer in my hand and busted me for a probation violation. Now I’m doing six months in Tent City.”
“You have be kidding! What does alcohol have to do with car theft?”
“Nothing, but it’s all part of their game, man. Almost everyone I’ve met in this place is here for using drugs, DUI, or a probation violation. So, what’s your story?”
Click here for Part 2.
Click here for more information on Daniel’s book, Accidental Felons.
Click here for more on Tent City by Pearl Wilson whose son was murdered there.
Jail Survival tips. Survival Tips Video. BBC Video.
Post comments below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Monthly "Obscene Profit Break"
Friendly reminder to all Cappy Cap readers out there to patronize my sponsors...most of which is me.
Regardless, to show your love you can;
Regardless, to show your love you can;
1. Buy Ugg Boots! - Yes, the only official sponsor of Captain Capitalism! Christmas is coming, what a better gift than a pair of Ugg Boots to keep warm!
2. "Better gift" did you say? Well it's hard to beat Ugg Boots, but you could always buy the gift of WISDOM and take a class from the Captain! Take "The Analysis and Valuation of Stocks" OR if you have a teenage son or daughter take an INVALUABLE class titled "Stocks, Bonds and Investing, Oh My!" This class is THE class you WISH you had back when you were 17. Well worth the money. You can sign up for classes here!
3. You know you're out there! You procrastinators! I know you're out there because most of my friends have procrastinated as well. But like my friends, I know you still care about me, so I forgive you. Regardless, get off your behind and buy the book!
4. Natasha has a calendar coming in November, BUT you can make her happy by donating NOW! All proceeds go to my favorite charity - ME! Below is a graph showing you our fund-raising progress to meet our goal of raising enough money to pay off my mortgage;
Only $299,767 to go!
5. Local folk are more than welcome to take one of my dance classes, but that's only if you live in the Minneapolis area. But fear not intrepid aspiring junior, deputy, and official ballroom dancers of far, far away lands, you can buy instructional ballroom DVD's! Men, you can hardly go WRONG with this for the lovely lady in your life. Shoot the ole Captain an e-mail at CAPTcapitalism@yahoo.com and he can mail you whatever kind of instructional dance video you need (a different girl each video!)
And of course you can always;
6. Tell your friends about Cappy Cap. The Captain always appreciates you forwarding me to family, friends, enemies, and those you are generally indifferent about.
But no seriously, cash is much better.
For My RSS Readers
Just so you guys know I will be uploading some files that have nothing to do with posts, however, since you do have RSS feeds, these posts will still show up, but are irrelevant. I apologize for the incovenience.
Many thanks,
El Cap-i-tan
Many thanks,
El Cap-i-tan
Obama v Arpaio: Despite Federal Orders, Sheriff Joe Arpaio Continues Roundups
PHOENIX, Ariz. News - Sheriff Joe Arpaio,known for cracking down on people who are in the country illegally launched a crime and immigration sweep in northwestern metro Phoenix on Friday. His new secret weapon unveiled today - cameras to record everything his deputies do. Andrew Hasbun reports.
Meantime, Arpaio, whose sweeps have led to allegations of racial profiling, said the recent rebuff from Washington won't stop him. He said he can still arrest immigrants under a state smuggling law and a federal law that gives all local police agencies more limited power to detain suspected illegal immigrants.
"It doesn't bother me, because we are going to do the same thing," Arpaio said. "I am the elected sheriff. I don't take orders from the federal government."
The officers were participating in a federal program that grants a limited number of local police departments special powers to make immigration arrests and speed up deportation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stripped Arpaio of his power to let 100 deputies make federal immigration arrests, but renewed another agreement that allows 60 jails officers to determine the immigration status of people in jail.
The sheriff's sweeps in some heavily Latino areas of metro Phoenix have drawn criticism that Arpaio's deputies racially profile people. Arpaio said people pulled over in the sweeps were approached because deputies had probable cause to believe they had committed crimes and that it was only afterward that deputies found many of them were illegal immigrants.
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Arpaio's office over allegations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures.
"He is doing this to thumb his nose at the Obama administration," said Lydia Guzman, president of the Hispanic civil rights group Somos America.
The sweeps have discouraged some Hispanics who have witnessed or been victims of crime to refuse to call Arpaio's deputies, for fear of mistreatment, Guzman said.
Observers who are part of Guzman's group fanned out across the area of the sweeps with video cameras to record exchanges between deputies and motorists.
Kris Kobach, a law professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and an advocate of expanding local immigration efforts, said Arpaio's office -- like every other local police agency -- can detain people suspected of immigration violations for a day or two until federal authorities come to pick them up.
In the past, Arpaio could have held such immigrants for longer than two days and conducted investigations of smuggling rings, Kobach said.
"It's really a slight narrowing, but it's not much," said Kobach, who worked as an immigration law adviser to then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft from 2001-2003.
Dan Pochoda, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing people who filed a lawsuit over the sweeps, said Arpaio still can't pull over motorists solely because they are suspected of being illegal immigrants.
"He can't do it under the terms he is claiming. He has indicated that he can stop people without the suspicion, based on what they look like, what they sound like," Pochoda said.
Arpaio said the Bush administration had no complaints about his use of the special federal powers, but all that has changed with the Obama administration.
"What's changed?" Arpaio asked. "Politics has changed, because they don't like us going on the streets to catch illegals."
Email comments to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
PHOENIX, Ariz. News - Sheriff Joe Arpaio,known for cracking down on people who are in the country illegally launched a crime and immigration sweep in northwestern metro Phoenix on Friday. His new secret weapon unveiled today - cameras to record everything his deputies do. Andrew Hasbun reports.
Meantime, Arpaio, whose sweeps have led to allegations of racial profiling, said the recent rebuff from Washington won't stop him. He said he can still arrest immigrants under a state smuggling law and a federal law that gives all local police agencies more limited power to detain suspected illegal immigrants.
"It doesn't bother me, because we are going to do the same thing," Arpaio said. "I am the elected sheriff. I don't take orders from the federal government."
The officers were participating in a federal program that grants a limited number of local police departments special powers to make immigration arrests and speed up deportation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stripped Arpaio of his power to let 100 deputies make federal immigration arrests, but renewed another agreement that allows 60 jails officers to determine the immigration status of people in jail.
The sheriff's sweeps in some heavily Latino areas of metro Phoenix have drawn criticism that Arpaio's deputies racially profile people. Arpaio said people pulled over in the sweeps were approached because deputies had probable cause to believe they had committed crimes and that it was only afterward that deputies found many of them were illegal immigrants.
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Arpaio's office over allegations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures.
"He is doing this to thumb his nose at the Obama administration," said Lydia Guzman, president of the Hispanic civil rights group Somos America.
The sweeps have discouraged some Hispanics who have witnessed or been victims of crime to refuse to call Arpaio's deputies, for fear of mistreatment, Guzman said.
Observers who are part of Guzman's group fanned out across the area of the sweeps with video cameras to record exchanges between deputies and motorists.
Kris Kobach, a law professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and an advocate of expanding local immigration efforts, said Arpaio's office -- like every other local police agency -- can detain people suspected of immigration violations for a day or two until federal authorities come to pick them up.
In the past, Arpaio could have held such immigrants for longer than two days and conducted investigations of smuggling rings, Kobach said.
"It's really a slight narrowing, but it's not much," said Kobach, who worked as an immigration law adviser to then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft from 2001-2003.
Dan Pochoda, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing people who filed a lawsuit over the sweeps, said Arpaio still can't pull over motorists solely because they are suspected of being illegal immigrants.
"He can't do it under the terms he is claiming. He has indicated that he can stop people without the suspicion, based on what they look like, what they sound like," Pochoda said.
Arpaio said the Bush administration had no complaints about his use of the special federal powers, but all that has changed with the Obama administration.
"What's changed?" Arpaio asked. "Politics has changed, because they don't like us going on the streets to catch illegals."
Email comments to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun P. Attwood
Friday, October 16, 2009
US Federal Budget Deficit as a Percent of GDP
Well, it looks like the federal deficit has hit an all time high, as well as an all time NON-WAR high in the history of the US. Not even during the Great Depression did we spend this much more than we had coming in.
However, I have actually had conversations with several liberals who blame Bush for this recession AND in the same breath said he did the wrong thing racking up those huge deficits. Of course when I point out that Obama is doing EXACTLY what Bush did with bailouts and deficit spending, ONLY 2-4 TIMES MORE, they oddly enough don't have a response.
This is of course because deficits under Obama are "good" and deficits under Bush are "bad."
You see, it's all very complex, and you idiots who weren't community organizers don't understand you can't hold Obama up to Bush's standards, let alone any standards, because you'd be a racist then. So, to recap the leftist position on US fiscal policy, I've improved the chart so you'd all understand.
I'm glad we cleared that up. And if any of you disagree with it, you're a bunch of nazi's.
However, I have actually had conversations with several liberals who blame Bush for this recession AND in the same breath said he did the wrong thing racking up those huge deficits. Of course when I point out that Obama is doing EXACTLY what Bush did with bailouts and deficit spending, ONLY 2-4 TIMES MORE, they oddly enough don't have a response.
This is of course because deficits under Obama are "good" and deficits under Bush are "bad."
You see, it's all very complex, and you idiots who weren't community organizers don't understand you can't hold Obama up to Bush's standards, let alone any standards, because you'd be a racist then. So, to recap the leftist position on US fiscal policy, I've improved the chart so you'd all understand.
I'm glad we cleared that up. And if any of you disagree with it, you're a bunch of nazi's.
Another Reason Not to Move to, Or Invest in California
You just can't make it up.
What I love is how nobody in California seems to be capable of linking this to their 13% unemployment rate.
What I love is how nobody in California seems to be capable of linking this to their 13% unemployment rate.
What Utter Rubbish
I will bet my dachshund that this idiot had mom and dad pay her way through college.
You will notice no statistics, only 2 bits of anecdotal evidence (WOW, Sotomayor and an author! Wow! TWO WHOLE PEOPLE??? I'm game, let me major in philosophy!) and then stories that are just hilarious;
The CREATIVE WRITING MAJOR is (drum roll).....
WORKING CONSTRUCTION TO MAKE ENDS MEET!!!
Hey, guess what you freaking moron. You didn't have to go to school to become a creative writer! You just paid thousands of dollars and years of your youth to do something you could have done on your own and with just as much success.
And then of course the hyphenated name DEAN OF A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE plugs (drum roll)....
liberal arts majors!!!
Hey, guess what? I plug my book BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE FREAKING MONEY! I don't lie about it like saying getting a liberal arts degree is a wise investment or will get you a job. AND I DIDN"T HAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE A FREAKING BOOK!!! Something this moron presumably HAS YET TO DO!
"PUSH BOUNDARIES?"
"QUESTION CONSTRUCTS????"
You idiot, employers want you to program in C++!!!!
I can't write about this anymore, the whole this is just a freaking lie and is nothing more than losers trying to rationalize their majors (not to mention a liberal arts college trying to drum up business for a worthless product).
So here's what I'll do. Instead of write worthless drivel to make myself and millions of others feel good, I'm just going to provide ONE bit of economic data that will show this article for what it truly is - a lie.
STARTING SALARIES.
You will notice no statistics, only 2 bits of anecdotal evidence (WOW, Sotomayor and an author! Wow! TWO WHOLE PEOPLE??? I'm game, let me major in philosophy!) and then stories that are just hilarious;
The CREATIVE WRITING MAJOR is (drum roll).....
WORKING CONSTRUCTION TO MAKE ENDS MEET!!!
Hey, guess what you freaking moron. You didn't have to go to school to become a creative writer! You just paid thousands of dollars and years of your youth to do something you could have done on your own and with just as much success.
And then of course the hyphenated name DEAN OF A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE plugs (drum roll)....
liberal arts majors!!!
Hey, guess what? I plug my book BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE FREAKING MONEY! I don't lie about it like saying getting a liberal arts degree is a wise investment or will get you a job. AND I DIDN"T HAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE A FREAKING BOOK!!! Something this moron presumably HAS YET TO DO!
"PUSH BOUNDARIES?"
"QUESTION CONSTRUCTS????"
You idiot, employers want you to program in C++!!!!
I can't write about this anymore, the whole this is just a freaking lie and is nothing more than losers trying to rationalize their majors (not to mention a liberal arts college trying to drum up business for a worthless product).
So here's what I'll do. Instead of write worthless drivel to make myself and millions of others feel good, I'm just going to provide ONE bit of economic data that will show this article for what it truly is - a lie.
STARTING SALARIES.
Mass Demonstration and March Against Sheriff Joe Arpaio Today (by Stephen Lemons)
In case you haven't noticed, Maricopa County will be coming to a boil this Friday. Not only is it the day of Arpaio's announced anti-immigrant sweep -- his first without 287(g) field authority, but the Rev. Al Sharpton will be back in town for a civil rights forum in downtown Phoenix. And the world still awaits an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security as to whether or not Arpaio will keep his 287(g) agreement in his jails.
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In case you haven't noticed, Maricopa County will be coming to a boil this Friday. Not only is it the day of Arpaio's announced anti-immigrant sweep -- his first without 287(g) field authority, but the Rev. Al Sharpton will be back in town for a civil rights forum in downtown Phoenix. And the world still awaits an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security as to whether or not Arpaio will keep his 287(g) agreement in his jails.
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Now civil rights activist Salvador Reza has announced a march for Friday, beginning at the Wells Fargo building downtown, and stopping at the federal courthouse and the Fourth Avenue Jail, before heading back. Wonder if he could get Al Sharpton to join him? In any case, here's Reza's statement, sent out this morning. The march is sponsored by Reza's Puente movement, and is set to last from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. "End it, don't amend it," urges Reza of 287(g).
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Sheriff Joe Arpaio has decided that he will enforce immigration law with or without 287(g) agreements with Homeland Security. He has also assured his followers publicly that he will "personally" drive any undocumented worker he finds during his sweep to the border if ICE refuses to take them. His 287 (g) Agreements with ICE expire on October 15th thus he has called for a massive anti-immigrant raid disguised as "Crime Suppression Sweep" for the following day, Friday October 16, 2009.
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Ya Basta! We call for the repudiation of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and invite you to join us on Friday October 16th in front of Arpaio's Headquarters at the Wells Fargo Bank located at 1st Ave and Washington. We will walk two blocks to the Federal Court House to send a message to the Federal Government, Homeland Security and the President that we will not be deterred. Afterwards we will walk to the Fourth Ave jail and finish back at Wells Fargo. We have protested daily against Arpaio's racial profiling sweeps under the 287 (g) for over one year. We will continue doing so until this social nightmare comes to a halt.
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Email comments to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Email comments to writeinside@hotmail.com or post them below. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
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Shaun P. Attwood
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Natasha Calendar - Coming November!
Natasha is calling. And she is calling to let all of you guys know that she's coming out with a very Cappy Cap calendar. This is just a sampling of what you can expect (it is also one of the pictures we THREW AWAY! So just imagine what we decide to keep in the calendar!)
Photos done by my good pal, Vlad! Pay him a visit.
Code Talker Passes
I was very let down by the movie Windtalkers.
I like to call it "Nicolas Cage Fires His Magical Thompson Machine Gun" because instead of the movie being about the ACTUAL NAVAJO CODE TALKERS IN WWII it's 90% Nicolas Cage randomly spraying hillsides with his Thompson machine gun and "magically" every single bullet manages to kill, not wound, EVERY Japanese soldier.
Regardless, like the Tuskegee Airman, I wonder how many code talkers are left.
I like to call it "Nicolas Cage Fires His Magical Thompson Machine Gun" because instead of the movie being about the ACTUAL NAVAJO CODE TALKERS IN WWII it's 90% Nicolas Cage randomly spraying hillsides with his Thompson machine gun and "magically" every single bullet manages to kill, not wound, EVERY Japanese soldier.
Regardless, like the Tuskegee Airman, I wonder how many code talkers are left.
Job Seekers Per Job
Further convincing me this will be the lost decade of the US, the number of people looking for jobs vs. actual jobs has reached a ratio of 6:1.
Of course you know without the stimulus and Obama that ratio would be 12:1 AND puppies would be dying in the street! So you just shut up about that stimulus not working.
Of course you know without the stimulus and Obama that ratio would be 12:1 AND puppies would be dying in the street! So you just shut up about that stimulus not working.
Dollar Reserves as Percent of Global Reserves
You see, when the youth of your entire nation major in sociology or philosophy or women's studies, NOTHING OF VALUE IS PRODUCED OR IS GOING TO BE PRODUCED and therefore your currency has NO VALUE because what are you going to buy with that currency?
Social worker services?
A screed against men?
A 23 year old pontificating about trees falling in the forest?
Yeah, right, countries are going to just buy up dollars so they can get their hands on that!
You see the Yuan has value because in China they produce, well, EVERYTHING YOU WANT.
Computers, I-pods, cell phones, building materials, clothes, you name it. Therefore there is VALUE to their currency because the STUFF you can buy with the Yuan is stuff people WANT.
What do we produce of economic value here?
Nothing.
Just whiners and spoiled brats.
This Economic PSA brought to you by Captain Capitalism.
Recession Medicine - Digby Wolfe
If you have not seen it, I strongly recommend watching the movie "Father Goose." Not just because it is a good movie, but I can see myself, as well as many other men in the US just kind of throwing in the towel and giving up on society as Cary Grant's character, Walter Ecklund, does in the movie. Walter grows sick and tired of the rat race and politics in academia, buys a boat, and heads to the South Pacific (during WWII) where he more or less drinks and does nothing while occasionally and non-chalantly pilfering supplies from the Australian Navy.
This video is the opening scene and more or less explains everything, but the tune is amazingly catchy. I've been trying for YEARS to find this precise same accordion version (performed by Digby Wolfe). No luck. If anybody knows where I can get it, I would be most appreciative.
This video is the opening scene and more or less explains everything, but the tune is amazingly catchy. I've been trying for YEARS to find this precise same accordion version (performed by Digby Wolfe). No luck. If anybody knows where I can get it, I would be most appreciative.
From Two Tonys (Letter 12)
Two Tonys - A whacker of men and Mafia associate serving multiple life sentences for murders and violent crimes. Left bodies from Tucson to Alaska, but claims all his victims "had it coming." Recently diagnosed with liver cancer, and is in chemotherapy fighting to prolong his life.
Hey Shaun,
What can I say? Let me start with sorry I haven’t written to you sooner.
Now let’s move on with an update on my condition. Obviously I’m still kicking and fighting this cancer. I had a real bad time a while back with that chemo and shit. It’s a bad motherfucker. But I didn’t lay down on it. I’m still battling. Like your Liverpool lads sang, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” And you’re one of those friends.
I received all your mail and always intended to answer, but I’m pretty whacked out on this morphine, so let me try to make up for it. I’m glad to see you are moving up in the literary world. I knew you would as long as you kept your head and heart on the prize. This is good and I’m very proud of you.
Hey mate, Frankie and me kick it a lot. You’re with us and it’s all good positive rap. No bad shit do I allow to come to me. I’ve got PMA, and this is 10 months I’ve been in the fight, which was supposed to be over 6 months in. I know I can’t cure this, but I can do my best to hang out. I don’t want to make this a snivel letter. Me and Frankie will keep in touch. No more long spells of silence.
I’m sure up about my dawg Frankie being here. I catch him trying to baby me like I’m an old broke-dick cancer patient. Well, he’s right on one of them. 1 out of 2 ain’t bad. I check him. I tell him I’ll kick his ass if he keeps it up. He’s to treat me as always. No pity. No empathy, or any of that bullshit.
Yeah, mate, I’ve got good memories of you. You came along and enriched my fucked up life. I’m grateful for that. I’ll write you more because I seem to be doing a lot better.
I never heard from Jim Hogg. He sent me a postcard saying he sent me some $, but I never got it. No big deal. I never asked for him to do that. I hope he’s OK. I’ve still got love for him.
Hey bro, I’ve got this funny feeling I’m holding this cancer at bay by keeping my spirit up and not giving up. There’s something to that. I visit my Dr. for the big C in December. I’ll keep you posted.
So allow me to give a big shout out to you, your fam, and all of our blog readers who thought to give an old fuck such as me a nice thought and a prayer.
I quit the chemo, bro. It was too much of a robber on quality days. I’d rather have quality than quantity. The Grim Reaper ain’t shit. Good friends and good thoughts and memories along with a few prayers, and who knows, shit does happen.
I haven’t been reading too much. But I get this magazine, Vanity Fair. My kid sends it to me. I told her, “Hey! That’s a broad’s mag.” She laughs and tells me a lot of men read it. So I don’t give a fuck. If my kid wants me to read it, I read it. Now I’m enjoying it. Good articles.
Her and my grand babies are doing good. She’s got a good solid decent old man, and I’ll die happy and relieved because they’re all good and safe.
Hey, I’ll cut this short. You give my Love & Respect to Mom, Pop’s and baby sis, and keep a big slice for yourself, me lad from over the pond. I’ll write more next time.
You stay strong and healthy.
Two Tonys
Click here to read Letter 11.
Two Tonys is dying, and really appreciates your comments.
Post comments below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
If you would like to send Two Tonys a book or a magazine subscription, then please email me for instructions on mailing literature to the prison.
Shaun P. Attwood
Two Tonys - A whacker of men and Mafia associate serving multiple life sentences for murders and violent crimes. Left bodies from Tucson to Alaska, but claims all his victims "had it coming." Recently diagnosed with liver cancer, and is in chemotherapy fighting to prolong his life.
Hey Shaun,
What can I say? Let me start with sorry I haven’t written to you sooner.
Now let’s move on with an update on my condition. Obviously I’m still kicking and fighting this cancer. I had a real bad time a while back with that chemo and shit. It’s a bad motherfucker. But I didn’t lay down on it. I’m still battling. Like your Liverpool lads sang, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” And you’re one of those friends.
I received all your mail and always intended to answer, but I’m pretty whacked out on this morphine, so let me try to make up for it. I’m glad to see you are moving up in the literary world. I knew you would as long as you kept your head and heart on the prize. This is good and I’m very proud of you.
Hey mate, Frankie and me kick it a lot. You’re with us and it’s all good positive rap. No bad shit do I allow to come to me. I’ve got PMA, and this is 10 months I’ve been in the fight, which was supposed to be over 6 months in. I know I can’t cure this, but I can do my best to hang out. I don’t want to make this a snivel letter. Me and Frankie will keep in touch. No more long spells of silence.
I’m sure up about my dawg Frankie being here. I catch him trying to baby me like I’m an old broke-dick cancer patient. Well, he’s right on one of them. 1 out of 2 ain’t bad. I check him. I tell him I’ll kick his ass if he keeps it up. He’s to treat me as always. No pity. No empathy, or any of that bullshit.
Yeah, mate, I’ve got good memories of you. You came along and enriched my fucked up life. I’m grateful for that. I’ll write you more because I seem to be doing a lot better.
I never heard from Jim Hogg. He sent me a postcard saying he sent me some $, but I never got it. No big deal. I never asked for him to do that. I hope he’s OK. I’ve still got love for him.
Hey bro, I’ve got this funny feeling I’m holding this cancer at bay by keeping my spirit up and not giving up. There’s something to that. I visit my Dr. for the big C in December. I’ll keep you posted.
So allow me to give a big shout out to you, your fam, and all of our blog readers who thought to give an old fuck such as me a nice thought and a prayer.
I quit the chemo, bro. It was too much of a robber on quality days. I’d rather have quality than quantity. The Grim Reaper ain’t shit. Good friends and good thoughts and memories along with a few prayers, and who knows, shit does happen.
I haven’t been reading too much. But I get this magazine, Vanity Fair. My kid sends it to me. I told her, “Hey! That’s a broad’s mag.” She laughs and tells me a lot of men read it. So I don’t give a fuck. If my kid wants me to read it, I read it. Now I’m enjoying it. Good articles.
Her and my grand babies are doing good. She’s got a good solid decent old man, and I’ll die happy and relieved because they’re all good and safe.
Hey, I’ll cut this short. You give my Love & Respect to Mom, Pop’s and baby sis, and keep a big slice for yourself, me lad from over the pond. I’ll write more next time.
You stay strong and healthy.
Two Tonys
Click here to read Letter 11.
Two Tonys is dying, and really appreciates your comments.
Post comments below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com. To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
If you would like to send Two Tonys a book or a magazine subscription, then please email me for instructions on mailing literature to the prison.
Shaun P. Attwood
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