My arrogant opinions about politics, culture, science fiction, and whatever else I feel like talking about.

Today's Hysteria

        Go hide under the bed!  We will soon be prayed upon by killer robots!

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        Hmm, Apparently I won't have to decide whether to vote for Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife for President.

Posted by: saintonge at 00:43 | link | comments (1)

Ugly Little Truths Peak Out

        What is socialized medicine for?  It's not, as you might have thought, for providing health care to people.  It's about giving bureacrats power to harm.

        It seems that, in Britain, some people don't think they will get enough from the N.H.S. when faced with a particular medical problem.  So they are willing to spend extra money, their own money, to improve their health care.  This, say the bureaucrats who run the system, is wrong.  You must take what the National Health gives out, and nothing else.  Spending your own money on additional treatment is verbotten.

        The Treason story is interesting for the editorial comment buried in it (and the fact that a "news" story has editorial comment buried in it is also interesting, but that's another subject).  The N.H.S. is supposedly "devoted to the principle of free medical care for everyone," but its "founding philosophy" is being "tested . . . to its very limits."  A philosophy of improving people's health wouldn't have the slightest problem with some people adding cash to whatever the government spent on them.  It's only when try to combine the idea of 'improving health' with 'making everything equal' that you have a problem.  Some people can't be allowed to make themselves better off.

        This story exposes the evil at the very heart of "leftism."  People are diverse, some being more capable than others.  People make choices, with consequences.  The inevitable result of these facts is unequal outcomes.  It's a necessary part of the human condition.

        But inequality of condition and diversity of outcome are anathema to "leftists."  They claim to want to help people, but what they really want is to force them into Procrustes's bed.  Individuals must be remade in the image of their rulers.

        And when you get right down to it, remaking someone is akin to killing them.  The really existing person must be destroyed, an imitation person must be substituted.

        So Debbie Hirst is likely to die of breast cancer, killed by Britain's National Health Service.  Don't forget this case.  It's seldom that the real issues are so clearly revealed.

(Hat tip: Betsy ).

Posted by: saintonge at 08:40 | link | comments

Some Stuff I Originally Posted On Baen's Bar

        Lately, I've found myself writing little essays on Baen's Bar. This is one, from a thread debating the proper evaluation of St. Joseph (the drunken) McCarthy.

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        Here's St. Onge's quick and simple answer to why most commies became commies: the 'monkey' theory of human politics.

        Human brains are essentially the brains of monkeys, enhanced by extra reasoning ability, but retaining monkey motivations and behavior patterns.

        Every monkey is born knowing that it's destiny is to live in the trees, which have been there forever, will be there forever, and which provide all the necessities of life.  The only important questions in life are 'How many trees does my group control?', 'Can I be the head monkey, or at least higher in the group?', 'How do I steal that monkey's fruit/sex partner/position?' and 'How do I get revenge on that evil monkey who's trying to steal my fruit/sex partner/position, or worse, already has?' Anyone who insists that there are other important questions is just a monkey scam artist, trying to steal the more desirable fruits, sex partners, and positions from you.

        And to give him his due, the monkey is about half right.  There is a great deal of ruin in a civilization, your own influence on the future is slight, where you stand in the group will determine many of your rewards in life, and the biggest threats to your group's future, short term, are other groups.  Your monkey brain is very well suited for guiding you through life in a hunter-gatherer group, and human beings seem to be very happy in such groups, even though about one member in three dies by violence inflicted by other groups' members.

        From the point in pre-history where people settled down in fixed dwelling locations, as farmers, until the Age of 'Reason,' which wasn't very rational, the question of where you were in the group hierarchy was mostly determined by birth, and your fortunes were determined by your group's fortunes.  Marx was wrong to think all history was the history of class struggles, but a lot of it was, and most of the rest was the history of tribal struggles.

        But the philosophers of the Age of 'Reason' realized that picking someone for an important position because of his ancestors wasn't a very good procedure.  (It didn't occur to them that there might not be any good procedures for this question, but that's another story.) There was no reason someone else shouldn't be in charge . . . and that's when their inner monkey looked up and said 'Me, me, I SHOULD BE THE HEAD MONKEY!' The history of the modern age begins then, in the realization that we, the vast majority who were not born to high hereditary position, could get rid of the system of choosing the head monkeys by birth, and replace it with one where we got a shot.  (Detweiler and Co. in the Honorverse are just the fruit of generations spent breeding supermonkeys.  It never occurs to them ask 'If we're so much better than the rest of the human species, why are even interested in ruling them?' Their inner monkeys won't allow such heresy.)

        What would be called 'left-wing' politics was born in the seventeenth century, as members of the philosophical class tried to come up with 'reasons' why they should be head monkey, while hiding the fact that there isn't any reason they should get the job.  The big success stories in this contest are variants of Rousseau's con job: 'We don't need any head monkeys, one day there won't be any head monkeys, and the people who are presently head monkeys should all resign in shame at their evil presumption, but . . . this present evil society has screwed up most people.  So we, the rational ones who know better, have to temporarily take on the onerous duty of being the monkeys on top of the group, so that we can lift up the rest of the populace, and teach them how to not need head monkeys.  That day will come Real Soon Now, but till then, we need to be the head monkeys, and anyone who opposes us or our policies is evil, by definition, and must be destroyed.  In seeking to do this job, we can compromise on many things, but the one point on which we can never give an inch is the power to destroy everyone and anyone once we obtain power.  For the good of all the human race to come, we must preserve the Revolution, which means preserving our position as oh-so-temporary head monkeys.'

        The left-wing story works so well because it has everything going for it.  Is there no good reason why some should be on top and exploiting the others?  Well hey, we said that!  Do you feel a bit guilty because you were born into a better place in society than most?  We can assuage the guilt!  Do you have some shreds of genuine, altruistic desire to see others better off?  Friend, helping others is what we're all about!  And do you, down in the dark reaches of your soul where that you don't want to acknowledge, desperately crave to have much more privilege and power than you already possess?  Is your inner monkey driving you to get higher in the tree, where you can crap on the other monkeys?  Is there a huge swirling ball of hate in you, because you realize that you'll never reach the top of the tree in present society?  Comrade, present society is evil, and must be destroyed, welcome to the Revolution!

        When you look at the world from this perspective, you have no trouble understanding most politics.  But it's a truth that really tends to make you sick for a long time.  Kind of hard to love your fellow-monkey when you've gotten a really good look at him Even harder to come to terms with the fact that the most ridiculous monkey you'll meet in your life is the one that stares at you every time you look into the mirror.

        And worst of all, it doesn't help you become head monkey!  In fact, if you really believe it, it hinders your quest to move up the tree.  Obviously, it's a plot by some other monkey to distract you from seeking your rightful place as head monkey . . .

        This is all over-simplified, of course.  for instance, I've left out the fact that some monkeys prefer to be followers, as long as they figure they're tight with the head monkeys.  But I think it captures the key points of human political life.

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        Am I gonna have to vote for Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife for President?

Posted by: saintonge at 14:27 | link | comments
politics, leftists, would-be greasy pole climbers, and now for somthng compltly dif

Why We Should Have Government-Run Health Care

        The government has mastered much harder jobs, like counting votes.

(Hat tip: Betsy Newmark ). 

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        Am I gonna have to vote for Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife for President?

       

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         End of Exhibit.

Posted by: saintonge at 14:12 | link | comments

The Urge to Civilizational Suicide

        The British Laborites have decided that, although it is illegal to engage in polygamous marriages in Britain, if you're Muslim, you can get away with it.  In fact, you can not only get away with it, you can get government support for it!

        The British government, instead of arresting Muslims in polygamous relationships, which is what it's supposed to do according to the law, largely ignores the issue if the people are Muslim.  If they are poor, they get welfare.  And if there's polygamy involved, they now get extra welfare.

        Legally, Muslim men can't bring extra wives into the country — if, that is, they get up on their hind legs and identify the women as multiple wives for legal purposes, with no other reason to be there.  But not to worry.  A Muslim man can marry a woman under British and Islamic law, divorce her under British law only, and then marry another under British and Islamic law.  He can also bring in them in, probably, using work permits, travel visas, and student visas.  Only a spousal visa for a second wife is forbidden.

        There may be something to be said for legalizing polygamy.  There may even be something to be said for subsidizing polygamous relationships.  But there is nothing to be said for making polygamy illegal, and then subsidizing it.  Or perhaps I should say, there's nothing to be said for it that they'd have the balls to say out loud.  For the true "reasoning" behind it is, 'Our culture is evil and inferior to Muslim culture, and must be destroyed.'

        And if they keep such things up, their culture will be destroyed. (Hat tip: Betsy Newmark ).

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        Am I gonna have to vote for Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife for President?

Posted by: saintonge at 01:26 | link | comments
islam, insanity, dishonesty, britain, i am not making this up, cultural suicide