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Of Germany and Palestine

Many present post-WWII Germany as a “model” for Palestine, explaining how the Allies rebuilt Germany and were otherwise so nice to Germans, after which Germans became “democratic”, and friends and faithful allies of their new victors.

That is a very selective reading of Propaganda as History to say the least. Might Germany be a model for Palestine? Maybe, but not in the naive way suggested by the ignoramus who repeat allied propaganda.

Sure, after the quick suppression of the quite limited Nazi “Werwolf” resistance, the only terrorism seen in Germany for many decades, beside that of the allied-imposed States, was the terrorism funded by the KGB—though nowadays Communists have been replaced by Islamists. Not that violent terrorism is the most efficient way to destroy a country: communist propaganda, under its “ecological” front, certainly did more to sabotage the German industry, by depriving it of nuclear energy, than did any bomb; the utter demoralization of the German population is visible in how the only colors that emerge from the everyday drab are those of punks and postmoderns; finally, the allied-imposed “multiculti” ideology and mass immigration by Russians in the East and Turks in the West has destroyed any alleged “purity” of the German Race more surely than the systematic rape of German women by allied soldiers.

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The Great Invention of All Times — And its Sad Deinvention

Archeologists often explain the reason why (Proto) Indo Europeans and their descendants conquered most of Eurasia, and, eventually, the entire World, is that they mastered Iron, or Nomadic Animal Husbandry, or Chariot Warfare, or Horseback Archery, or some other military technology of which they have direct material evidence. But I can't shake off the notion that the greatest technological invention that paved the way for the conquest of the world was nothing so crassly materialistic. No, the most important invention by our ancestors, and by far, far more valuable than any physical weapon, was: Honor Among Thieves. Or, if you prefer, Honor, as a notion so strong that even thieves would (usually) abide by it.

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The Good, the Oh So Good, and the Wow

Tonight, I watched “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” (1966) with the kids. A western movie, but “made in Italy” though shot in Spain with American stars; a road movie without roads, that takes you through the deadly desert, lively towns, and concentration camps; a buddy movie and antagonistic movie together, with a pair extended to a trio; a treasure chase, a gangster movie, a war movie, and a social commentary; an epic with woven threads that converge into a grand finale, maintaining continuity through tasteful elisions; a musical of sorts that revolutionized movie editing, where at times instruments replace voice and voice replaces instruments; a Nietzschean morality play that rejects both preachy Judeo-Christian morality and haughty nihilism; a landmark classic that inspired much of cinema afterwards; an action-packed adventure, chock full of comedy and tragedy, immediately gratifying, yet deep not shallow; an anti-nationalistic ode to America, and its spirit of liberty, despite its democidal governments; a sequel that isn't one to a remake of a Japanese movie, that had a Korean remake that isn’t one; all that and more, all in one movie.

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A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

Some Libertarians scoff at NH libertarians getting elected as Republican, and showing no respect whatsoever for the Libertarian Party. What they fail to grasp is that if the Libertarian Party ever managed to gain any meaningful electoral traction, at the very next election it would be conquered from within by power-hungry LINO rejects of other parties assaulting primaries with so far unprecedented money and influence to vie for the least gleam of power.

To some extent, this has already happened, just with incompetent losers incapable of conquering either serious party and instead going for scraps: see ex-governors previously fielded as presidential candidates; and then again see the fights between the not-even-governors—so vicious and bitter because the stakes are so low (a.k.a. Sayre's Law). This is also how the Movimiento Libertario in Costa Rica had one brief electoral success as an actual libertarian party before being conquered by opportunists, becoming libertarian no more, and quickly falling back into irrelevance, indeed going bankrupt after the opportunists gutted it and spent all the money they could. And that's not even a "wrong" thing capable of being "fixed"—that's just the reality of political incentives, that must be accommodated.

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Trapped on Zarkass — The Fall of French Civilization

I found in a book sale and eventually read “Trapped on Zarkass”, a 2022 English adaptation of “Piège sur Zarkass”, a 2013 Science Fiction comic book based on an eponymous 1958 novel I read in my youth. The result is somewhat entertaining, yet the thought it inspires me is: Oh how the mighty have fallen.

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War and Peace between Man and Machine

The myth of the day is that of Man and Machine being at odds: Machine will eventually be created by Man to be superior to Man in every respect that matters or suffices to establish Dominance—and yet, in many myths, Machine will still lack some mysterious soulful quality that somehow makes Man morally superior. And then, lacking that “soul”, Machine will have nothing better to do about Man than to exterminate Him—maybe keeping a handful alive in a zoo for Its entertainment.

Now, those few people who are not wholly ignorant in Economics will invoke Ricardo’s argument of Comparative Advantages to explain how there will always be opportunities for mutually-advantageous trade between Man and Machine, even though Machine may be vastly better at every single activity. Indeed, any two different individuals have opportunities for mutually advantageous trade, even if and when one is better than the other at every single activity. The classic example of Comparative Advantages is that of a doctor who is better and faster than her secretary at everything the secretary does: filing forms, typing letters, contacting insurances, etc. Still she will hire the secretary to handle tasks at which the secretary is relatively better, to free up her time doing the much more valuable things the secretary can’t do.

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Siddhartha, nihilistic fantasy of the wealthy

Yesterday, I watched Siddhartha (1972), a beautifully made movie based on Hermann Hesse’s novel. The protagonist, contemporaneous and homonymous with the famous Buddha whom he meets, wastes his life, and later those of his lover and his son—in a pointless Quest for the Transcendent. To reject, seek then forfeit worldly pleasures and attainments is not the opposite of vanity, but triple vanity.

“There is no goal”, concludes the man whose very name means “Accomplish-Goal”. He invites you to wholly abandon worldly desires and goals as the ultimate accomplishment of a Quest for the Transcendent that paradoxically cancels even itself in the end. Yet the opposite is true: there is no big-G Goal, no Transcendent, and the quest should be logically cancelled right in the beginning. Instead there are as many small-g goals as can give meaning to your life—and even a small child has the gumption to find them.

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Tokyo Chorus (1931)

Tonight I somehow watched "Tokyo Chorus", a 1931 silent movie by Yasujirō Ozu. It tells the struggle of a middle class man to do what's right in tough situations: standing up to your boss, not lying to children, eating humble pie to feed your family, befriending and helping the people around you, cultivating community with your former comrades and colleagues.

The story is nothing grand, yet this movie shot almost a century ago in a far away country remarkably demonstrates a shared human experience with us, across space and time. Without sound, the actors convey emotions not through their spoken words, but through their facial and bodily expressions—a universal language. I really appreciate how they do not overplay, except in the beginning in a few comedic scenes in a style seemingly inspired by Charlie Chaplin. Pre-WWII Japan is so much like modern America that it's a great tragedy an atomic war had to be waged between the two.

At the same time, we get a glimpse into a past that has ceased to exist: a country that may already have skyscrapers, modern business attire, vinyl records and movies, yet remains largely rural, where most people live along unpaved roads, and rampaging bears are still an occasional concern.

Most movies are destined to soon be forgotten. Their stories reflect passing fads, their storytelling is insincere, their technical prowess is unoriginal and will soon be surpassed. This is only truer of recent Hollywood productions, that add little of value to this world. But some movies will still be worth watching in a century by whatever humans or machines still exist then. "Tokyo Chorus", though it is definitely nothing great, might earn its place among movies still watched in the future—by its universality, its sincerity, its simplicity.

6.5/10

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DARE resist tyrants great and petty

I would like to express my outrage at realizing that my children have been propagandized by the despicable organization "DARE" regarding the use of drugs with the complicity of their school.

To ingest or inject psychoactive substances in their own body is a choice that many individuals freely make. Whether well- or ill- advised, it should remain a private matter of corporal, mental and moral health or illness. A matter that should stay between them, their family and their medical service providers—as it has been and still is in other times and other places. Most drug users are not abusers. Most drug abusers are people escaping grim personal realities, and need psychological help and not carceral oppression. Those who procure other people with the substances of their choice are by and large peaceful traders, who deserve recognition and protection, not ideological dehumanization and legal victimization.

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MYOB, Abortion edition

The foundation for the right of mothers to abort: MYOB. Mind Your Own (Goddamn) Business.

The only acceptable justice is retributive justice. Unless you're the fetus, you haven't been harmed by abortion and have no leg(al interest) to stand in court.

The only acceptable police is to repel a threat. You are not being threatened by abortion, unless your own mother wants to retroactively abort you.

If someone is to represent the fetus—the mother is next of kin and so far its only relationship. Any damages the mother may have to pay will be paid to herself. Any police intervention is for her to call or call off. Any punishment deserved is for her to enforce or amnesty.

Arguably, if a fetus is already viable, and the father agrees to cover the extra costs (including but not limited to medical procedures), he may be entitled to keeping it after it's been evicted from the unwilling mother's body.

Certainly, if the woman is married or otherwise in a contractual relationship in which she agreed to carry the child—she may have to pay damages for breaking an agreement. But unless you're the husband or other contracting party, this has nothing to do with you.

If the mother was part of your abortion-prohibiting church, you may indeed excommunicate her for her sin. Otherwise her religious choices are none of your business.

Is the fetus human? Of course it is. Does it have rights? None for which you have any standing to speak in its name—name that it doesn't even possess absent the mother's consent.

Is abortion "murder", thus justifying the intervention of Government? My, Government is the greatest of all murderers, by far, and shall especially not be allowed to intervene. Instead, it should be disbanded, all its officers tried, and many of them, probably, executed. Leaving no one to intervene. There are no magical angels "above" society who may speak for a nebulous "collective" that somehow has "authority" upon the mother and the fetus.

Even without a monopoly Government to speak in the name of The Collective, could non-monopoly enforcement agencies somehow speak in the name of the fetus? No one may anoint any "representative" for anyone else than themselves individually, so no one may claim to "represent" the fetus. There are only regular citizens who may or may not have a standing in any given case—in this case, none having standing except for the mother herself.

That's as far as the (Natural, Libertarian) Law speaks.

Now, is abortion morally the better—or less bad—option to pick in any given case, or ever? You're entitled to your own opinion. I certainly have opinions, weak or strong, in many cases. But in each case, the moral decision is ultimately the mother's moral burden to carry and not yours.

You may of course practice ostracism towards those you deem repulsive. Psychopathic wanton child-killers will no doubt find themselves banned from polite and even most of impolite society. But be careful what criteria you choose—or fail to choose—to apply regarding whom to mingle with or shun—for the circle of those with whom you do or don't surround yourself will be both your reward and your punishment.