A.R.B.R. ain't dead yet??????

"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
Freewheeling wrote:

Didn't start it, Ace.

No, but you changed the subject from oil to taking potshots at those who
disagree with your OPINIONS on market capitalism and US military
intervention in foreign countries.

Like I invented the notion that oil and US "imperialism" are related.

Bottom line, there are a set of tropes that the left always invokes whenever
they want to feel especially righteous, and that have no real empirical
basis. The first is that the Civil Rights Movement continues with all of
its old moral ferocity and that they're the lone guarantors against
backsliding into wanton racism, sexism, what-have-you. Another is that US
power is inherently dangerous to others and to the US itself. But a third
is the notion that they are the sole guardians of responsible environmental
policy, and that sanity involves acceptance of the global warming thesis as
well as the notion that real "sustainability" involves emulation of a
neolithic ethic about energy usage. These are all connected in the minds
and hearts of those on the left, and discussing one invariably leads to
discussion of others because they always lose the argument on empirical
grounds and need to change the subject to something that's more "obvious."
You might say I engaged in anticipatory retaliation.

Now, I'd really like to move into a discussion about Hunter S. Thompson, and
the accepted wisdom that he was so despondent over the resurgence of
conservatism that he offed himself. But it seems to me that we know of no
suicide note, and that for such a literary person to eschew such a note
seems uncharacteristic. So it's just barely possible that he did, in fact,
write a suicide note... and it didn't happen to be very politically correct,
so was squelched.

Pure speculation, of course. But my speculation is that the election in
Iraq led to a recognition that he had devoted most of his effort and
treasure to the wrong side of the debate, and that writing a Sartre-like
repudiation would have entailed the loss of nearly all of his friends, since
the withdrawal of friendship is about the only real power threat that
political correctness retains in an open society. But it can be weighty
indeed, in the midst of a personal crisis. It's a threat to be reckoned
with.

But again, that's all pure speculation, based on the observation that there
was no note as far as we know. It's at least equally likely that the note
was purely personal, and that his reason for suicide had more to do with his
physical health than any existential "naked lunch."

Yeah, it's off topic. This is an off topic thread, thanks to Zach. You can
talk about oil usage if you like.


--
Tom Sherman - Earth

"Dave Larrington" wrote in message
...
Freewheeling wrote:

Well, there are countries experimenting successufully with privatized
road systems. I can direct you to some literature if you like. But
I seriously doubt that such a non-subsidized or minimally subsidized
system would have much room for bicycles.

I am, however, reliably informed that following King Ken the First's
introduction of road pricing in central London, "traffic" dropped by
15-18%
while cycling increased by 33%. Admittedly we actually had a summer in
2003
but even during the dismally damp winter which followed, cycle usage was
20%
higher than before, and Brompton are laughing all the way to the bank.

I've also read a fairly well-documented study suggesting that the net
welfare from road pricing is usually negative (a cost). But it's an open
question. Demand for roads seems to be pretty inelastic in the short run,
but significantly more elastic in the long run. So apparently it just takes
time for people to accomodate a different transportation strategy. Anyway,
who is "King Ken the First?"



--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
World Domination?
Just find a world that's into that kind of thing, then chain to the
floor and walk up and down on it in high heels. (Mr. Sunshine)

Freewheeling wrote:

...Anyway, who is "King Ken the First?"

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, England.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Freewheeling wrote:

...
Pure speculation, of course. But my speculation is that the election in
Iraq led to a recognition that he had devoted most of his effort and
treasure to the wrong side of the debate....

I feel sorry for Iraqi chess players. See http://sistani.org/.

However, His Eminence Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Husayni Sistani has yet
to comment on the morality of recumbent bicycles.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

rocketman wrote:

Wrong newsgroup, pal. Take it elsewhere. Don't bother responding; I won't
see it.

But how do you feel about integrated headsets and ISO 587-mm (700D) tires?

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
Freewheeling wrote:

...
Pure speculation, of course. But my speculation is that the election in
Iraq led to a recognition that he had devoted most of his effort and
treasure to the wrong side of the debate....

I feel sorry for Iraqi chess players. See http://sistani.org/.

However, His Eminence Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Husayni Sistani has yet
to comment on the morality of recumbent bicycles.

Shows what you know. In point of fact it's the rare Arab adult male who
would be caught alive or dead sitting on a bicycle of any kind. It would be
the modesty equivalent of walking around nude in public.


--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Freewheeling wrote:

"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...

Freewheeling wrote:


...
Pure speculation, of course. But my speculation is that the election in
Iraq led to a recognition that he had devoted most of his effort and
treasure to the wrong side of the debate....

I feel sorry for Iraqi chess players. See http://sistani.org/.

However, His Eminence Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Husayni Sistani has yet
to comment on the morality of recumbent bicycles.


Shows what you know. In point of fact it's the rare Arab adult male who
would be caught alive or dead sitting on a bicycle of any kind. It would be
the modesty equivalent of walking around nude in public.

Yawn - I was simply bringing recumbent bicycles into the thread. I will
be shocked, however, if you can find a public comment by Sistani on
recumbent bicycles.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

"skip" wrote in message
news

"rocketman" wrote in message
news:z_USd.43912$tl3.20581@attbi_s02...
Wrong newsgroup, pal. Take it elsewhere. Don't bother responding; I
won't see it.

R

p-p-p-plonkage

"Freewheeling" wrote in message
...
I'm curious as to why you didn't attempt to redirect or hijack the
thread at a point where someone on the left had made some lame
observation about blood for oil, or something? That doesn't seem to
catch your attention.

My point is very simple, and I thought rather nonpartisan. I can,
frankly, find no reason why the notion of national sovereignty seems so
sacrosanct to the left only when the "intruder" is a democratic regime
change, but they apparently haven't raised much of a stink over the fate
of Lebanon all these years, which is, even by their standards, an
illegitimate occupation without even the pretense of national
determination. I've watched various people on the left and it seems to
me that although a very small minority are consistent on this sort of
issue (Kouchner and Hitchens, for example) most are not. Now it seems
to me that if democracy were really as important to the Democracy Now"
folks as they claim, they'd be able to tolerate the kind of intervention
by the US that deposes a tyrant, at least to the point that the citizens
of that country make what appears to be a reasonably uncoerced choice.

But they don't.

And I therefore have to conclude... am forced do conclude, that
"democracy" is only considered a good thing if it makes politically
correct choices. Otherwise its some sort of "false consciousness."

So anyway, the topic of this thread is what it is. If you don't like
it, you don't have to read it.

--
--Scott
"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
Freewheeling wrote:

If we can't agree that it's time to end tyranny and totalitarianism
it's doubtful that we'll ever be able to coordinate resolution of any
of these other "wicked problems" that face us.

The real threats are integrated headsets, ISO 587-mm (700D) tires, and
top posting to Usenet groups.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth






Fortunately or unfortunately, however you might view it, I find myself
slipping into this schadedfreude thing by having warm fuzzy feelings about
the misery of
Rocketman/Sherman.

Heh. Instead of ignoring a thread he views as off topic Tom feels the
compulsion, for some reason, to post meaninglees, but on topic,
non-sequitors. As though the meaning of a post is, irrelevant.

Political correctness has three components:

a. An impossibly narrow scope of what are permissible topics for discussion.
(i.e. even mentioning that men are better at math, or that the ends of the
IQ distribution are predominantly male, is, by definition, not only not open
to discussion, but prima facie evidence of moral corruption).

b. Even this narrow range is centered on the irrelevant. (The "central"
question isn't what males and females prefer, or what the relative
distribution of their gifts actually is like, but how successfully we can
jam the sciences with women for the sake of some abstract concept of
"equality.")

c. Impossibly harsh consequences that are justified by the obvious
impropriety of violating a. and b.. (Larry Summers, and more importantly
any other faculty who fail to toe the PC line, must not only suffer the
removal of their source of livelihood, but as much humiliation and disgrace
as can possibly be heaped on.)

http://www.fredoneverything.net/FOE_Frame_Column.htm

Comrade, this is all politically incorrect. Sorry.


skip

skip

Tom Sherman wrote:
Freewheeling wrote:

If we can't agree that it's time to end tyranny and totalitarianism
it's
doubtful that we'll ever be able to coordinate resolution of any
of these
other "wicked problems" that face us.

The real threats are integrated headsets, ISO 587-mm (700D) tires,
and
top posting to Usenet groups.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

What's wrong with integrated headsets? The HP Velotechnik Grasshopper
uses an integrated headset.

Zach

Zach wrote:

Tom Sherman wrote:

Freewheeling wrote:


If we can't agree that it's time to end tyranny and totalitarianism

it's

doubtful that we'll ever be able to coordinate resolution of any

of these

other "wicked problems" that face us.

The real threats are integrated headsets, ISO 587-mm (700D) tires,

and

top posting to Usenet groups.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth


What's wrong with integrated headsets? The HP Velotechnik Grasshopper
uses an integrated headset.

Will the parts to service them be readily available at any decently
stocked LBS in 20 years time? The general consensus seems to be that
proprietary parts are unfavorable for this reason.

Disclaimer: Of course, I happen to own a bicycle and a trike from a
defunct manufacturer that used plenty of proprietary parts.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth