The Angry Gnome

Steal this comic

2008-10-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

Copyright is a stupid idea anyway, once I buy a book or recording or painting or sculpture, it's mine to do with what I want... or so I figure... People did still write and make music before copyright, that whole copyright thing was nothing more than a scam by the publishers to increase sales. Not that much goes to the average artist. Sharing is a "good thing"®. :-)

Money? We ain't gots no money...

2008-10-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

That's what congresss says when faced with helping out the common folk.

As I ponder the economic meltdown/collapse that is going on around me I am struck by the rapidity with which the elites, through the "Best Congress Money Can Buy", are able to somehow find trillions of dollars of tax money to bail their own fellow pluotcrat thieves out of the pits they themselves have dug. These are the same elites that can never find money for things like filling potholes in the street, maintaining parks or giving financial aide to low income students trying to attend college while working full time. These are things that cost next to nothing compared to the bailouts we've seen in the last few days. I'd say it's amazing but it's not really, it's just disgusting. Of course they will not be held accountable for their evil, not in this life anyway. Nothing will improve for the American people without armed revolt because the electoral system is totally rigged. Yet that won't happen any time soon either, because the American people no longer believe in liberty. It's sad and pathetic but I don't see a way out of it really. We are left with only one way to help our nation, PRAY.

Oh, and go ahead and vote for the Anti-Christ, lets get this thing over with :-/

Vote for the Anti-Christ!

2008-10-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

If the pentecostal and fundamentalist and evangelical dispensationalists who believe the "Left Behind" and "Late Great Planet Earth" misinterpretations of the end times teachings in the Bible with the "secret rapture" of the church and the 7 year tribulation and the reign of the Anti-Christ and all of that stuff, follow things out to their logical conclusion they will be forced to vote for Obama!

RefTagger

2008-10-11T13:02:00.001-07:00

RefTagger is making some changes so I'm testing here to see what happens...

Ephesians 2:8-9

The Serenity Salon

2008-10-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

I got a haircut yesterday from the best and newest stylist in town.

A few more pictures are here.

In the end I was going to buzz it all off anyway so I figured what the heck :-)

Diplomacy

2008-10-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Ah, now this makes perfect sense, diplomacy between nations IS like a bunch of junior high school boys squabbling, it's really too bad there is no adult supervision at the UN.

United Socialist States of America

2008-10-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Cool, the USSA is almost completed now. With the upcoming election of a true Marxist to the Presidency things will really move fast as "emergency" after "emergency" is announced and is dealt with by new socialist programs. Sadly our grandchildren will be living in a suffocating totalitarian state as a result. There is nothing short of armed resistence that can change this in my opinion, because it's not the Democrats alone, it's both parties who have done this to us, clearly they are both the same party in reality, the election "contests" are mostly for show. The USSR fell apart but I'm sure the USSA will do way better! Government ownership of, well pretty much everything, is communism guys, this story from the New York Times shows us how it will be:

October 9, 2008

U.S. May Take Ownership Stake in Banks
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS and MARK LANDLER

WASHINGTON — Having tried without success to unlock frozen credit markets, the Treasury Department is considering taking ownership stakes in many United States banks to try to restore confidence in the financial system, according to government officials.

Treasury officials say the just-passed $700 billion bailout bill gives them the authority to inject cash directly into banks that request it. Such a move would quickly strengthen banks’ balance sheets and, officials hope, persuade them to resume lending. In return, the law gives the Treasury the right to take ownership positions in banks, including healthy ones.
Read the full story here.

Sign of the Times

2008-10-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

From the BBC:

US debt clock runs out of digits

Until last month, the clock had enough digits to measure US debt levels

The US government's debts have ballooned so badly the National Debt Clock in New York has run out of digits to record the spiralling figure.

The digital counter marks the national debt level, but when that passed the $10 trillion point last month, the sign could not display the full amount.

The board was erected to highlight the $2.7 trillion level of debt in 1989.

The clock's owners say two more zeros will be added, allowing the clock to record a quadrillion dollars of debt.

Douglas Durst, son of the late Seymour Durst - the clock's inventor - hopes to replace the Manhattan clock with its lengthier replacement early next year.

For the time being, the Times Square counter's electronic dollar sign has been replaced with the extra digit required.

For its part, the digital dollar symbol has been supplanted by a cheaper version - perhaps a sign of the times for the American economy.

Some economists believe the $700bn bail-out plan for ailing US financial institutions could send the national debt level to $11 trillion.

Too big to tell the Truth!

2008-10-07T21:01:00.001-07:00

This is a great bit on why the mainstream media has hyped the huge Govco Rip-off they call the $800,000,000,000.00 bailout plan, or as Mad Mac likes to call it, "The Rescue Plan". Read it, it's not long and makes several excellent points about who owns the big news outlets and what their interests in getting the rip-off money are.

700 Billion Dollar Bailout And The Mainstream Media: Too Big To Tell The Truth?

On Race

2008-10-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

From Greg Laden's Blog:

There is no such thing as race (biologically), race is a social construct used as a political and economic tool, even efforts to use race in a "positive" way such as in medicine or forensics are doomed to failure because of the lack of biological validity of the concept, and so on and so forth.

Here, the idea of the exhibit is really to help people to realize that well formed thoughts about their fellow humans that are based on the race concept are like well formed thoughts about the world they live in that are based on the flat earth. But more destructive.

It is just amazing the number of people I talk to who can't seem to get thier minds around this simple concept. Race is a phony issue, a human is a human, period. That doesn't stop me from thinking in racial and to my shame at times, racist ways, but when I stop and ponder the reality of our world I know that race is not a physical reality, it's all in our heads ;-/

Pete Seger

2008-10-07T04:38:00.000-07:00

Cool, Pete Seger is still around at 89 years of age and still singing!

The Mad Bomber

2008-10-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

William Grigg on McCain and the "Focus on the Family" gang led by James Dobson. "Focus on Fascism" would be a more accurate description I've always said:

Blessing the Mad Bomber: Gary Bauer (the gnomish figure in the center of the assembled Republican luminaries) puts in face time at a John McCain campaign event as a representative of Dr. James Dobson. McCain is a foul-tempered, abusive serial adulterer and unabashed warmonger, so naturally he received the support of Dr. Dobson, the nation's foremost Christian family counselor.

I'm voting No

2008-10-05T05:55:00.000-07:00

I have said many times that I think John McCain is not totally sane... well actually I've called him Mad Mac more than once. I initially based this on nothing more than looking at his eyes when he was speaking. I know it's horribly subjective and probably unfair, but when I look at someone's eyes I sometimes feel I can tell something about that person's mental state. Over the years I have been right far more often than I've been wrong when deciding to get away from a person based on nothing other than the look in their eyes. Then again maybe it's a case of forgetting the misses, like those who believe in psychics do, I don't know for sure.

But with Mad Mac there is actually more to it than that. There are the strange angry outbursts he is famous for, and there is the bomb bomb bomb Iran incident as well.

But the most telling thing is his Vietnam experience. I don't think John McCain is a bad or evil man, but I do think he was damaged by what he went through there. I think it is dangerous to have such a man in charge of the most powerful military the world has ever seen. Fred Reed agrees and has a pretty good piece about the issue:

"I frankly don’t believe John McCain’s medical records, or at any rate the portions released to the New York Times. The man was held in solitary for years, tortured until bones fractured, until he confessed to war crimes, until he tried to hang himself.

That he broke can’t be held against him: Almost anyone would have. (In my view GIs should be told to confess to anything whatever right from the start.) But the assertion that he came through unscathed, warm and humorous and psychically sound, just isn’t plausible. It doesn’t happen that way...

...For what he went through in Vietnamese jails he deserves sympathy and admiration. It isn’t qualification for the presidency."

Read the whole article here.

So I am back to where I was months ago. I believe that a vote for Mad Mac is a vote for war and destruction on a scale we can not really imagine today. On the other hand a vote for the neo-communist Obama is a vote to finish destroying the last vestiges of freedom in America. So, do I vote to destroy America with Obama or wipe out the whole world with Mad Mac? Or do I vote for the neo-Republican/Libertarian Barr who is likely to get about 1% of the vote, if he's lucky? Or do I stand in the street and set fire to my ballot?

I'm thinking that I might skip all of the federal positions on the ballot and just vote on the state and local guys and the propositions. To vote for federal government implies I approve of thier existence when in truth I think the United States ought to be dissolved for the good of America and the world. Yes, I think that is what I'll do.

I'm voting NO for president, senate and representative.

The Rip Off is On!

2008-10-03T10:47:00.001-07:00

Oh Happy Day when I get to PAY for the folly of Wall Street Bankers!

Thank you Obama, thank you McCain, thank you Pelosi and freinds... may you all get what you so richly deserve.*

On the joy of learning through play

2008-10-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

This is from Peter Gray's Psychology Today blog this week:

"We come into the world as little scientists, pre-programmed to try to understand everything around us. Nobody has to tell us to explore and learn about our environment; we do it naturally, all our lives, in increasingly sophisticated ways, unless someone turns it into work by trying to make us do it."

So true! There is no better way of taking the joy out of learning something than telling me there will be a test on it later ;-)

Con game

2008-10-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

The whole financial mess, indeed the whole financial system the Empire operates under, is nothing but a con game. Con is short for confidence, and if you read this article in the SF Chronicle you will notice that everyone who is in favor of the bail out of Wall Street makes statements like this "We need to take drastic steps to restore confidence." That is because without confidence in the phony money and the phony system the whole thing will unravel! It's all a big con.

How not to ask for a $700 billion bail out...

2008-09-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

and

Martial Law?

2008-09-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hey, why didn't they tell me we were under martial law? Man, I had to find out about it on YouTube, how lame is that?

Rick Warren, Roman Catholic?

2008-09-29T06:11:00.000-07:00

Faith alone, or faith + some work of mine?

$700 Billion bail out...

2008-09-28T15:34:00.001-07:00

BOHICA!

Bi-Partisan support always means the little guy is getting the wrong end of the stick, again.

Weekend Report

2008-09-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Serenity and I went to Pinnacles National Monument on Wednesday afternoon, we didn't do much Wednesday beyond setting up camp and hanging out at the pool in the campground, you know Serenity and water! :-)

On Thursday we went on a hike on the Moses Spring–Rim Trail Loop, as the web site says this is a 2.2 mile loop, 1 1⁄2 hours elevation gain: 500 feet Moderate This loop is a good choice for rock formations, talus caves, and the reservoir on a short hike and also a good choice for children. Flashlight required in cave.

Along the way we saw a tarantula:

We also saw numerous lizards, rare California Red Legged Frogs in the reservoir, a half dozen striped snakes hunting the frogs, and a bat that flew at me inside the cave. It was a fun hike!

Click here for some more pictures of the hike.

On Friday morning we were awakened by a raccoon raiding our camp. We were sleeping outside on the ground, I had placed my shoes by my head and put my wallet and watch and keys inside of them. I woke up when a raccoon was rummaging through my shoes in search of food. I was startled to see a pair of eyes about 10 inches from my face! Yikes!

After that we were off to the Renaissance Faire Institute at the Nor Cal Ren Faire at Casa de Fruta, very cool and fun!

Here was what we did:

9:00 Village meeting in Joust area (Maureen)

9:25 Meet the Noble Horse who Serves A Knight (Lisa)

9:45 Workshop 1

Bell Ringers Herbal Lore (Mary, FoF Stage area)

10:45 Workshop 2

Bell Ringers Dressing in the Renaissance (Janine, Tickle Thy Fantasy booth)

11:45 Lunch

12:15 Workshop 3

Bell Ringers Visit the Military (Sgt. George Hall/Peter, Scots'Encampment), learning about weaponry and the life of a soldier in the Renaissance.

1:15 Workshop 4

Bell Ringers Climb the Castle Wall (Derek, Castle Wall)

2:15 Village Meeting – A Strange Visitor (Will Wood, Sir Frances Drake)

Click here to see more pictures of the RenaissanceFaire Institute.

Cured of Palinmania

2008-09-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

The closer the "election" (yeah, like they really count votes, don't make me laugh) gets the less I feel like I'll be able to cast a vote. Palin sounded OK in that first speech but as time has gone on I've heard more of her views and liked her less each time. As a full tilt pre-millennialist she has an unfortunate attitude toward Israel, like most pentecostal fundamentalists she sees the current nation state of Israel as somehow fulfilling biblical prophecy, this is just plain wrong.

The end result of this belief system is that Israel can do no wrong and the United States must fight all of Israel's enemies, with no questions allowed about whether or not those fights are actually in the best interest of the United States.

Today I read a speech she was going to give to an anti-Iran rally in New York. This bizarre pack of half truths and distortions is such a hate filled screed that it has finally cured me of any lingering effects of the brief Palinmania I suffered when I first heard her speak.

Which leaves me with no candidate for president or vice president that I'm willing to vote for, they are all traitors to America and the constitution as attested in their own words.

Guess I'm back to burning the ballot... or just skipping president... or ?

Ron Paul - I told you so!

2008-09-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

From Ron Paul's official site: Texas Straight Talk

A weekly column

Posted by Ron Paul (09-22-2008, 02:12 PM)

Predictions vs. Reality in Iraq

On September 10, 2002 I asked 35 questions regarding war with Iraq. The war resolution passed on October 16, 2002. Now today, as some of my colleagues try to reestablish credentials regarding spending restraint, I want to call attention to my 18th question from six years ago:

“Are we willing to bear the economic burden of a 100 billion dollar war against Iraq, with oil prices expected to skyrocket and further rattle an already shaky American economy? How about an estimated 30 year occupation of Iraq that some have deemed necessary to "build democracy" there?”

Many scoffed at my “radical” predictions at the time, regarding them as hyperbole. Six years later, I am forced to admit that I was wrong. My “radical” predictions were in fact, not “radical” enough.

I warned of a draining 30-year occupation. Now, politicians glibly talk about a 100-year occupation as if it is no big deal. On cost, according to estimates from the Congressional Research Service, we have already burned through around $550 billion in Iraq, at a rate of about $2 billion per week. Economist Joseph Stiglitz’s estimates are even higher, at $12 billion a month. It is a total price tag quickly heading into the trillions, if we don’t stop bombing and rebuilding bridges in Iraq that lead us nowhere but bankruptcy! Bridges in this country are crumbling along with our economy, while some howl about earmarks. Earmarks are a drop in the bucket compared to war and occupation.

Yes, I was wrong about Iraq. I knew it would be bad. I didn’t know it would be this bad.

The American people deserve better. Being asked to endorse such a farce is beyond insulting. Clearly, the rosy predictions of the neo-Conservatives from before the war are not coming true. Far from it! With a straight face, one official estimated the TOTAL cost of reconstruction in Iraq would be just $1.7 billion. Turns out that we spend more than that in ONE WEEK. Our friends are not pitching in to cover the cost. Expenses are not being covered by oil from a grateful and liberated Iraqi people. Rather, big corporate interests are benefitting, the price of oil has more than quadrupled, and the American economy is on its knees and sinking fast.

No one predicted the exact course of this war before it started. But to continue to listen to the foreign policy advice of those that were the MOST offbase will only lead to more foreign policy disasters. We need to keep this in mind as we think about Russia, Iran, Cuba and other countries. Keep in mind - the doomsday predictions on the Iraq War from six years ago, sound like a cakewalk today. While what leaders in the administration had predicted, reads like a fairytale. Ask yourself, when listening to the same foreign policy “experts” explaining situations around the world and suggesting policy positions: In light of the facts of today, and the predictions of yesterday, how expert have they shown themselves to be?

Passing HR 2605 to sunset authorization for the use of force in Iraq is the first step to stopping this bloody war, and the consequent bleeding of our treasuries. Serious fiscal conservatives will support it, as will those who have been paying attention to foreign policy predictions and reality.

Wine 2 (or 3 or 4...)

2008-09-23T04:52:00.000-07:00

The other day I was talking about how good wine is, but I left out the prime passage used by the anti-booze folk:

Proverbs 23:19-21, 29-35

Moderation though is what is taught, not total abstinence.

How it really works in the Empire

2008-09-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

William Grigg says it well on his blog, Pro Liberate:

Picture the world financial market as a hugely overbuilt skyscraper resting on a badly compromised foundation. The core pillars supporting the structure are rotten and about to collapse, and the failure of any one would rapidly induce failure in all of them.

The sensible approach would be to get as far as possible from the impending collapse. The Power Elite's approach is to force the commoners to work in the basement shoring up the mortally stricken building while the Important People evacuate.

That won't work, of course, and the inevitable collapse will wipe out those left in the basement -- but, hey, that's just the price that has to be paid to save the Important People, who are, after all, more Important than the rest of us.

Deranged financial commentator Jim Cramer didn't take refuge in metaphor to express -- and endorse -- the perspective presented in my illustration. "Frankly, I don't really care if my community bank is doing well," insisted Cramer . "I care about AIG and the fate of Western banks, all of which have relied on AIG at some point for a risk transfer."

Let banks fail across the length and breadth of the land; let millions be left destitute, and misery be poured without mixture on the heads of the common folk -- the FED must protect the interests of super-rich criminals at AIG and kindred institutions.

Full story here.