tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175041082012-01-17T15:50:50.732-06:00Militant moderate, unwilling to concede any longer the terms of debate to the strident ideologues on the fringe. If you are a Democrat or a Republican, you're an ideologue. If you're a "moderate" who votes a nearly straight party-ticket, you're still an ideologue, but you at least have the decency to be ashamed of your ideology. ...and you're lying in the meantime.rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.comBlogger1361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-35130329951719009002012-01-17T15:45:00.001-06:002012-01-17T15:50:50.743-06:00

Democracy’s Warts and Open Sores©2012 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Pakistan Taliban Leader Killed in US Drone StrikeArticle Synopsis: Hakimullah Mehsud, who the US claimed to have killed almost two years ago, was also reportedly killed on January 12th in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Radio transmissions overheard consisted of Taliban operative discussing his death in the recent attack, and also scolds to

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-17163345887179779092012-01-16T16:25:00.002-06:002012-01-16T16:32:47.148-06:00

Blowing Bubbles and Chances©2012 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Fed Missed Housing BustArticle Synopsis: In March of 2006, incoming Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke saw no evidence that falling home prices would have any major consequence to the US economy, according to Federal Reserve meeting transcripts released by the Fed this week. Within three months, Bernanke was convinced there was a danger,

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-45240954222843380152012-01-13T05:15:00.002-06:002012-01-13T05:31:45.367-06:00

Of Monkeys and Porches©2012 Ross WilliamsChicago’s Cardinal George, sometime before Christmas, made a comment to the Chicago media reaffirming the Catholic church’s stance on homosexuality, and during the course of that reaffirmation the good Cardinal likened the gay community to the Ku Klux Klan. He was referring to their ability, like the Klan one time had, of intimidating others into

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-50604720679549195872012-01-12T16:17:00.002-06:002012-01-12T16:39:57.378-06:00

Left and Right©2012 Ross WilliamsNearly everyone who insists on discussing politics has an extremely limited view of which politics even exist. As a result, whenever they discuss politics around me and I set them straight, they typically come away either very confused or adamant that I am their ideological opposite.I’ve said this before: I’m a lower-case-l libertarian. My ideological opposite is

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-16119957116578071802011-12-22T16:13:00.001-06:002011-12-22T16:16:21.673-06:00

Hi Ho, Quicksilver! Away!©2011 Ross WilliamsWay back in the 70s, when smoke-belching dinosaurs roamed the earth, a fledgling federal agency called EPA was given the authority to enforce the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Both pieces of federal legislation carried grandfather clauses exempting many then-operating manufacturing industries and utilities from having to comply with the law for

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-45349591511155853412011-12-19T19:13:00.002-06:002011-12-19T19:22:57.174-06:00

...I Just Work Here©2011 Ross WilliamsI can’t count the number of times that people who disagree with my politics, when learning what I do for a living, tell me that our nation is screwed. Often that’s the polite rendition.Working for the people who plan our wars doesn’t require that you like war. It only means that you understand that war is necessary from time to time – and it is. Working for

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-44621053279894645462011-12-10T11:55:00.005-06:002011-12-10T15:16:20.296-06:00

Welcome To the One-Percent©2011 Ross WilliamsHigh school was torture to me. I have few pleasant memories of any of it, to include the vast majority of the people, the general circumstances, and the events outside school. I’m quite sure being a teenager was the primary culprit, and having to deal with other teenagers – all of us being teenagery together – became the problem.As a result I’ve got

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-90446843768704145682011-12-10T10:28:00.003-06:002011-12-11T13:09:11.176-06:00

Sexual Predation Made Easy©2011 Ross WilliamsTSA has made the news a lot recently. Making the news is never a good thing, especially for TSA. They always have to dig out the Newspeak dictionary and get Blobber Bog to smugly explain that no matter how undignified, disrespectful or discourteous a person may feel TSA is, TSA is not and cannot be. Their rules say so ... so therefore the citizen is

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-63752449826396694412011-12-10T10:14:00.002-06:002011-12-11T07:46:29.902-06:00

Updates and Addenda©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Pastor Voids Ban on Interracial CouplesArticle Synopsis: The current pastor of the Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church has voided the recent 9-6 vote by a portion of its parishioners to ban interracial couples from joining the church or participating in its services. The Free Will governing conference ruled that any by-laws which violated local, state

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-61719409405497551082011-12-02T15:48:00.003-06:002011-12-02T16:45:35.714-06:00

Stuck on Stupid©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Seattle Reverses Ban on ‘Buy American’Article Synopsis: Mulligan! Do-over! Take-back!The Past Prologue: Seattle’s Metro public transportation system – read: city buses – sell advertising space on their sides. They rejected an ad earlier this week reading, in totum: “December is Buy American Month, Shop Locally, Join Seattle’s TAPamerica.org.” TAP is a

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-81361597046189410082011-12-02T15:26:00.003-06:002011-12-02T15:44:41.892-06:00

My God, Your God ... Oh, Dear God©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Kentucky Church Bans Interracial CouplesArticle Synopsis: The Gulnare Free Will Baptist church took a vote after service on Sunday at the prompting of member and former pastor Melvin Thompson; of the “35 to 40” people attending the service, 15 stayed to vote, and by a 9-6 margin voted to prevent interracial couples from becoming

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-37374843199846394042011-12-01T16:17:00.001-06:002011-12-01T16:20:26.291-06:00

Carving the Roast Beast of Burden©2011 Ross WilliamsThe last horse slaughterhouse in the US closed its doors in 2007. It was located in Illinois. It closed nominally because IL banned the slaughter of horses destined for human consumption, exclusively confined to the export market. But prior to the Illinois General Assembly making that move the USDA, by Congressional mandate, had ceased its horse

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-4119922268593067802011-12-01T15:55:00.002-06:002011-12-01T16:03:36.486-06:00

Getting Our Wish, and Other Misfortune©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Syria Condemns Arab League SanctionsArticle Synopsis: With only Iraq and Lebanon abstaining, the Arab League approved – 19-1 – sanctions against the Assad government over its repressive handling of “Arab Spring” protests in which thousands of Syrians have been killed. Syria, the lone ‘nay’ vote, called it a “betrayal” and said

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-43158518451363792892011-11-23T10:16:00.001-06:002011-11-23T10:30:21.127-06:00

How to Pass ‘Go’ and Collect $200©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Jail Time for Water ClaimsArticle Synopsis: European water bottlers will be prevented by a European Union ruling from claiming that water hydrates anyone who drinks it. A three year investigation by EU “scientists” finds no credible evidence that drinking water prevents or treats the medical condition of dehydration. Claiming so in

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-42098913992196322942011-11-16T15:43:00.002-06:002011-11-16T15:52:45.477-06:00

America the Awesome©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Supreme Court to Hear ObamacareArticle Synopsis: The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. This was widely expected by everyone. Supporters claim that requiring all people to buy health insurance is an allowable regulation of interstate commerce. Opponents claim that there is no

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-47031144076419791912011-11-16T15:32:00.002-06:002011-11-16T15:43:21.661-06:00

Some of the People, Too Much of the Time©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Chu to Testify on SolyndraArticle Synopsis: US Secretary of Energy Chu “looks forward” to the opportunity to dazzle Congress with plausible excuses why the Obama administration funneled $535 million to a solar panel manufacturer in California just in time for it to go bankrupt and lose it all.The Man Behind the Curtain: The

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-25868837862593780292011-11-16T15:17:00.002-06:002011-11-16T15:28:33.641-06:00

Easy Come, Easy Go©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: US Withholds UN Funding Over Palestine VoteArticle Synopsis: UNESCO, the UN’s “cultural” commission, held a vote of its members to admit Palestine as a full member. Palestine was voted in by a landslide. US law prevents the US from funding any organization that confers statehood on Palestine before the US recognizes it, and will cease providing $80

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-85202676615678792612011-10-27T15:20:00.005-05:002011-10-27T20:10:22.163-05:00

Un-Jackbooting the Thugs© 2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Charges Dropped Against ‘Lemonistas’Article Synopsis: Three women responded to a spate of arrests and forced closures of children’s lemonade stands across the country this past summer by setting up their own lemonade stand on the Capitol grounds in Washington DC; they were arrested. Capitol Police rationalized.They’ve got a point: They were

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-80491751039599429152011-10-26T16:18:00.002-05:002011-10-26T16:25:16.149-05:00

Arab Spring Allergies©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Afghanistan Would Back Pakistan Against USArticle Synopsis: Hand-picked by the State Department, Afghan President Karzai says that if the US attacks Pakistan he would urge Afghanistan to back their muslim brothers. Pakistan is being used by muslim hotheads and the Taliban to stage raids into Afghanistan against Afghan political targets and NATO

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-79711581888759130422011-10-26T16:07:00.002-05:002011-10-26T16:14:36.163-05:00

You Can’t Make This Up©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Strip-Search Demanded at Scrabble TournamentArticle Synopsis: A Thai contestant in the annual Scrabble tournament demanded that his British opponent be strip-searched after the Thai claimed that a ‘G’ tile went missing. Judges turned out pockets, but refused to strip down the limey; the Brit won the match by a single point. The tournament itself

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-45208944298452351412011-10-26T15:57:00.001-05:002011-10-26T16:04:59.568-05:00

Days of Atonement are Upon Us©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Sarandon Calls Pope NaziArticle Synopsis: Susan Sarandon referred to the current Pope, not the prior Pope, as a Nazi at a film festival in The Hamptons. The crowd didn’t mind; the crowd didn’t appear to notice. Catholics did mind, though, and demanded an apology. Jews also objected and demanded that Sarandon apologize to Catholics.Godwin’s

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-88672435656642301952011-10-13T16:54:00.002-05:002011-10-13T17:08:11.324-05:00

Long Live the King©2011 Ross WilliamsBeing a Cubs fan is difficult for all the well-known reasons. It’s also difficult for some not-so well-known reasons – particularly when the Cubs fan lives around St Lose. My wife spent a decade in Chicago, becoming a Cubs fan during that time, and always thought I was joking – or at least grossly exaggerating – when I told her what it was like to live

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-77653448968354966782011-10-13T16:24:00.003-05:002011-10-13T16:50:03.564-05:00

The Baby and the Bathwater©2011 Ross WilliamsWhile the Occupy Wall Street movement has no official set of demands, and only a rudimentary list of inarticulate, conspiratorial grievances, one among them has created a list of thirteen “desires”, let’s say, and posted it on the Occupy Wall Street web site. They are sternly noted as NOT OFFICIAL. Thank god. I guess.Those demands are listed here, with

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-75142159264540292102011-10-13T16:09:00.002-05:002011-10-13T16:15:40.090-05:00

The Immovable Megalith- versus -The Irresistible Angst©2011 Ross WilliamsIt’s getting tough to be a success in this country nowadays. First, it’s hard enough to accomplish to begin with and second, if success does come then there will be scads of people who are not, Not, Not envious marching on Wall Street with signs and slogans to ... something. It’s not really decided what the real problem is.

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-38900751534957565752011-10-06T05:41:00.001-05:002011-10-06T05:46:54.170-05:00

RAINNing on a Self-Pity Parade©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Greek Default ‘Inevitable’Article Synopsis: Greek debt is “unsustainable”, and no one who knows anything about sovereign debt is saying any longer that austerity can avoid Greek default. Greece has advised that they cannot make the budget for this year or next due to their recession, now five years long. European nations which share

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-90789636046916456212011-10-05T16:02:00.001-05:002011-10-05T16:07:12.105-05:00

Quarterly Gratuitous Anti-TSA Rant©2011 Ross WilliamsMy wife and I just returned from a week in Florida. We flew from St Lose to Orlando for a torturous weekend with brothers that I dislike and then spent the next week recuperating from it on the other side of the state. We flew back to St Lose from Ft Myers.We exclusively fly Southwest. Yes, they’re rather no-frills, but they’re cheaper,

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-557198303423057572011-10-04T16:02:00.002-05:002011-10-04T16:19:42.684-05:00

Reaping What Was Sown©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: US Scrambles as Israeli Ties with Allies ErodeArticle Synopsis: Turkey has expelled the Israeli Ambassador in part because Israel intercepted a Turkish ship bound for Gaza several months ago carrying weapons to Hamas Palestinians; these Palestinians are using Egyptian territory to stage raids on Israel using Turkish weapons and when Israel

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-90914361490765770752011-09-09T15:59:00.002-05:002011-09-09T16:08:53.123-05:00

We Have Met the Enemy©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Ex-al Qaida Terrorist Now Comic Book HeroArticle Synopsis: Nasir Abas, a Malaysian weapons expert with the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, has become a comic book anti-terrorism hero. Some of the hoodlums he trained blew up the night club in Bali, and Abas turned state’s evidence after he was caught. He has since become animated in “I Have Found

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-91318633178281746722011-09-07T19:35:00.003-05:002011-09-07T20:01:29.006-05:00

What If They Held a War of Words and No One Spoke?©2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Sun Unleashes Massive X-Class FlaresArticle Synopsis: Our sun is emerging from the quiet period of its 11-year cycle with major solar flares, some of which have been accompanied by coronal mass ejections. This is the star juice that, when it hits earth or, more likely, our satellites in orbit, wreaks havoc on our

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-80607690728073897802011-08-31T15:38:00.003-05:002011-08-31T15:48:05.566-05:00

Government in Action; Government Inaction ©2011 Ross Williams Headline: WI Labor Group Bans GOP from Holiday Parade Article synopsis: Wausau WI is going to have a Labor Day parade next week. The GOP is not going to be invited to participate by the parade organizers – apparently headed by labor unions – in the aftermath of Wisconsin’s public union hullabaloo last spring. The Mayor of Wausau

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-41742352373989609842011-08-27T08:06:00.003-05:002011-09-02T21:29:09.888-05:00

Policing Police ©2011 Ross Williams Headline: No Plans to Cut Obama Vacation Short Article Synopsis: With hurricane Irene bearing down on the entire US east coast between Charleston SC and Cape Cod, the National Savior is continuing to vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. He holds conference calls with his staff as needed, and the hardware stores on the island – which is within the forecast landing

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-2668333195356732022011-08-27T07:29:00.002-05:002011-08-27T07:35:20.628-05:00

The Last Refuge of a Dogmatist ©2011 Ross Williams A small college in northern Indiana has decided that they will no longer play the National Anathema before their sporting events. They had just decided a few years ago to play it at all. Instead of the National Anathema, they will play America the Beautiful. The college is Goshen College, a private, Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-699721080098259072011-08-23T15:39:00.002-05:002011-08-23T21:05:20.175-05:00

All’s Fair ©2011 Ross Williams Headline: Waters: Tea Party Can Go ‘Straight to Hell’ Article Synopsis: California Democrat Congressman Maxine Waters, among the multitude of Democrats whining for “civility” following the shooting of Arizona Democrat Congressman Giffords by a looneytune, informed a group of her constituents at a job creation forum near Los Angeles that “the Tea Party can go

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-51689617955950685802011-08-23T15:18:00.001-05:002011-08-23T15:20:53.665-05:00

From The Shores of Tripoli ©2011 Ross Williams Our third concurrent war is winding down now that Libya’s rebels have reached the capitol city. Khadafy’s son, ceremonial leader of Libya’s military, has apparently been captured – “arrested”, the news calls it; since when is war a law enforcement operation? This is the same affliction suffered by the ACLU and our brainless liberals which demand

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-11570832220638148872011-08-19T17:21:00.002-05:002011-08-19T17:26:29.296-05:00

You’re Not the Boss of Me ©2011 Ross Williams The federal government refuses to enforce immigration laws, so Arizona passed a law to do it themselves. The law allows them to check driver’s licenses during the course of police interactions with individuals. The federal government had a fit over it claiming that Arizona was usurping their authority to enforce federal laws [which it’s not] and

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-7092901323063691422011-08-18T16:00:00.006-05:002011-08-18T18:29:55.598-05:00

Into Each Economy a Little Market Must Fall ©2011 Ross Williams Two weeks ago Standard & Poors famously – or not, depending on which pocket you put your Keynes in – lowered the bond rating on US treasuries from AAA to AA+, signaling to the world’s markets what the world’s markets had known for quite a while: that the world’s largest economy was operating in an unsustainable manner. The Obama

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-81049230875184254902011-08-18T15:32:00.001-05:002011-08-18T15:40:17.040-05:00

The Enemy of My Enemy Can Be an Enemy ©2011 Ross Williams Headline: Pentagon Considers Scrapping Traditional Pensions Article synopsis: Soldiers who serve for 20 years can “retire” from the military after 20 years at 50% pay. This carries a huge long-term financial burden for the nation and the Department of Defense is considering going to the 401k-style retirement that other government

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-48946974550779509072011-08-13T15:14:00.002-05:002011-08-13T15:18:23.810-05:00

Brother, Can You Spare a Yuan? © 2011 Ross Williams Headline: Wisconsin Victory May Translate to Nation Article Synopsis: After Wisconsin went Republican in 2010 and attempted to correct their own state debt problems, Democrats who tried taking their quorum and going [to someone else’s] home but lost the battle anyway pouted and tried to win the war by forcing recall elections on the

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-23458470000536747172011-08-08T20:08:00.002-05:002011-08-08T20:15:45.951-05:00

Can You Hear Me Now? © 2011 Ross Williams From the news you’d think aliens had landed and were busy frying the planet’s major cities with their death rays, but all that happened is what had been both predicted and threatened for months. One of the bond rating agencies had warned the United States that if they didn’t stop spending money like water in a flood that they’d find their bonds

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-84171326518794191312011-08-03T18:48:00.001-05:002011-08-03T18:51:49.075-05:00

A Non-Pregnant Pause© 2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: One Dead, 76 Ill Due to Ground TurkeyArticle Synopsis: Salmonella from ground turkey is responsible for these figures between March 7 and June 27 2011 – three and a half months – and over 26 states, according to the CDC. An academic worry-wart is complaining because this outbreak has spawned no USDA recalls when public safety is its primary

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-62774657470016340742011-07-30T10:24:00.001-05:002011-07-30T10:29:04.838-05:00

Your Money or Your Life© 2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Did Humans Crowd Out NeanderthalsArticle synopsis: British anthropologists studying hominid settlements in southern France have opined that early modern humans out-reproduced the Neanderthal and simply squeezed them out of existence in the same way dandelions take over a lawn. Other anthropologists criticized the research calling it an old and

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-83550661098548148122011-07-13T15:04:00.002-05:002011-07-13T15:17:43.200-05:00

Stunning Revelations© 2011 Ross WilliamsAlright, so there was this guy in New York City who wanted to get to Los Angeles a few weeks back, so he stole several boarding passes over the course of a few days, and used one of them – in conjunction with a college ID – to get through TSA security at Kennedy Airport in New York. The guy is Nigerian, living in the US, vaguely affiliated with a software

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-17929456577726114762011-07-13T06:36:00.004-05:002011-07-13T08:40:04.705-05:00

Penny-Wise, Pound Sand© 2011 Ross Williams“A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you’re talking real money.”- Senator Everett Dirksen, R, ILThe US is about $15 trillion in debt – $14.3 but who’s counting? …apart from the foreign governments which own almost a third of it. We’ve been in debt since FDR’s days and have added to the national debt each year since with very few exceptions. We

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-10499313907603840692011-07-08T15:14:00.002-05:002011-07-08T15:41:44.790-05:00

There Oughtn’t Be a Law© 2011 Ross WilliamsI’m going to side with everyone else in the country outraged that Casey Anthony was acquitted. But I doubt that many will appreciate my agreement. Too many people already don’t like my form of agreement on this subject.Like everyone else, I believe that she killed her child – accidentally or otherwise. But it’s important to distinguish, here: I believe

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-5965885809058088732011-06-30T15:24:00.001-05:002011-06-30T15:29:58.502-05:00

Big Brother is Phoning You© 2011 Ross WilliamsHeadline: Bad Gums Linked to Erectile DysfunctionArticle synopsis: A series of conjectures proposed by doctors and dentists drinking heavily at a medical convention to explain the correlation between ED, heart disease, and periodontitis arrived at this less-than-coincidental conclusion.How’s this instead: Women don’t always mind men grunting and

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-15474877820569329582011-06-15T08:49:00.001-05:002011-06-15T08:57:56.902-05:00

None of the Above© 2011 Ross WilliamsDespite my best efforts I couldn’t avoid the headlines this morning.Politics is a waste of time and effort. The Republicans-who-would-succeed-Barama had a get-together last night to explain to us what was wrong with each of them, but to mostly gang up on Barama. They have plenty of ammunition for both activities, and I’m a little surprised they could yack and

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-90862577808067621642011-06-15T06:37:00.002-05:002011-06-15T06:43:36.301-05:00

They Fought the Law© 2011 Ross WilliamsMy most recent airport encounter with the blue-shirted Brown Shirts was uneventful. In some ways this is disappointing. If it ever comes down to it, I am an opt-outer. And a bump-n-grinder. The whole process is phenomenally offensive, insulting, degrading and humiliating anyway, what’s better than a little one on one time to return the favor?My wife, also an

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-8356030438511234052011-03-24T16:20:00.003-05:002011-03-24T16:50:59.443-05:00

Let Them Eat Cake© 2011 Ross WilliamsI’ve gotten a ration of shit lately from some hard-core Organics because I’ve dared to say that hard-core Organics are inappropriately full of themselves.Actually, what I’ve said is that if their notions were to be implemented the way they want, it would result in the 95% of our nation’s population who are not involved in farming going hungry, and a large

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-75519340807632552082011-02-24T07:40:00.002-06:002011-02-24T07:52:04.338-06:00

Mandates and Their Consequences© 2011 Ross WilliamsMemories! What a sweet bit of nostalgia is the spring of 2010 now to liberals around the country. That was the last time liberals in their democrat party tent could believe, with any amount of conviction, that they had a mandate from the election of 2008.And they did. That mandate was to not be Dubya. The country was tired of him. Spendthrift

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-79757129857719071002011-02-19T07:46:00.002-06:002011-02-19T07:59:40.813-06:00

An Alternate Future Essay© 2011 Ross WilliamsThe era of Positive Rights hit what many thought was the pinnacle of Progressiveness in the spring of 2017 when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals – long the main Progressive court in the nation – ruled that persons below the poverty line were entitled to “certain vehicle repairs and maintenance” pursuant to their educational and employment-seeking

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-65446967657476025472011-02-14T15:53:00.002-06:002011-02-14T16:05:43.162-06:00

Commentary on Playing to Our Short-Suit© 2011 Ross WilliamsAlright, so does Barack Obama have anyone in his administration who knows diplomacy? Does anyone even have the talent for it? I mean, besides the manipulative liar Hillary Clinton? Diplomacy is the patriotic art of lying for one’s country [Ambrose Bierce, Devil’s Dictionary] as well as the art of allowing someone else to have your way [

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-66936419033213204662011-01-25T15:25:00.003-06:002011-01-25T15:38:53.937-06:00

To Your Health if it Kills You© 2011 Ross WilliamsMy battles with the company’s health insurance carrier are legendary. From bawling out the computer-generated voice that pleasantly informs me, “I didn’t quite catch that ... did you say ‘Fuck you, you brainless automaton’? I don’t know how to do that...” to demanding to speak to a supervisor before the first level real-person nincompoop can have

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-90377709519396759292011-01-20T15:48:00.002-06:002011-01-20T16:13:18.631-06:00

Wagging a Civil Tongue© 2011 Ross WilliamsOld news by this point. Six dead, 14 injured in Tucson. Among the dead is a federal judge; among the injured [and presumably permanently incapacitated] is a US Representative. I know nothing about the federal judge, but chances are I would not have approved of his ability to match the law against the Constitution and decide which to give prominence. Most

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-78370075457163730432011-01-07T15:45:00.003-06:002011-01-07T16:07:25.642-06:00

To Hell in a Bushel BasketBuilding In-Roads with Safe, Organic Pavers© 2011 Ross WilliamsThere’s a few community farmers markets near me where the farmers bring their wares and sell it to the gawking, gabbling masses to whom “farmers market” is a stamp of authenticity. There’s another farmers market near me which is run by a single farm, but which buys produce from the wholesaler in the city, and

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-64519619663542387302011-01-06T15:39:00.002-06:002011-01-06T15:47:06.409-06:00

Save Us From the Planet-Savers© 2010 Ross Williams In an effort to reduce the amount of electricity we use in the US, we’ve embarked upon a crusade of truly benighted self-deception. We’re going to be unable to use anything but CFL bulbs starting in 3 years. 2014. That’s the drop-dead date for those incandescents. Hundred watt incandescents die in 2012, seventy-fives in 2013, all the rest in

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-51241301365266756052010-12-05T12:45:00.003-06:002010-12-23T06:48:19.971-06:00

Dancing on the Pinheads© 2010 Ross WilliamsTwenty years ago, when I was being re-investigated for one of my many security clearance extensions, I had to sit down in front of a DIS investigator and answer “No” to a whole passel of questions. Was I a member of the communist party. No. Was I a member of a church. No. Did I go to church. No. Was I a registered Democrat. No. ... Republican. No. Did I

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-79094289359740951372010-12-02T14:28:00.008-06:002010-12-02T14:59:42.835-06:00

One Man’s Junk© 2010 Ross WilliamsJanet Napolitano wants us all to “play” our “important part” of a “layered defense” against a “determined enemy”. I couldn’t agree more.I would merely disagree with her about who that enemy is.Janet Napolitano, ex-democrat governor of Arizona and part of the idiot-cabal who wept huge tears and emptied multiple bladders full of wee-wee in public over the tactics

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-47941231124344079652010-11-09T16:37:00.003-06:002010-11-09T16:57:25.319-06:00

Anti-Social NetworkingThe Sociopathy of the Information Age© 2010 Ross WilliamsLate last week I got an email at home from one of the very few “social networking” sites I participate in. Somebody I knew had posted something and the email was imploring me to look at it. Fine. I have two seconds to spend. It was some cheesy, partisan hissy fit over the election a few days before. Sore losers

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-52988526032450054152010-09-08T19:01:00.002-05:002010-09-08T19:10:55.076-05:00

Ask Not for Whom the Liberty Bell Tolls, It is Not Thee© 2010 Ross WilliamsMuslims are all in a tizzy. First, they want to build a mosque and community center on part of the land destroyed on 9-11 in lower Manhattan. Most Americans – around 200 million – don’t want them to.Of course some Americans, predominantly the sympathy junkies, do. And a few of these people, those who had once been to

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-27626473641467497092010-07-10T06:37:00.002-05:002010-07-10T06:48:25.895-05:00

Picking the Wrong Battle© 2010 Ross WilliamsBoy, Arizona sure stepped in it, didn’t they?The nerve of them, wanting to have their southern border controlled so badly that they are willing to do it in place of the Feds. How dare they!And of course, a portion of the rest of the country – including the Feds – are falling all over themselves in histrionic panty wetting because what Arizona has done

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-41369686596526024502010-06-25T17:13:00.002-05:002010-06-25T17:35:43.272-05:00

Yes, Virginia, There Are Stupid Questions© 2010 Ross WilliamsPart of the problem with being reasonably intelligent is that so many of the people you run into are not. And there’s always more of them than there are of you.Another part of being reasonably intelligent – and outnumbered – is that those who outnumber you have grown up in a democracy and believe that matters of factual accuracy and

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-86166324128132359592010-02-06T07:30:00.002-06:002010-02-06T07:39:36.901-06:00

Seeing the Light© 2010 Ross WilliamsThere’s an old, old joke I bring out from time to time about a little kid sitting under a streetlamp in the dark, crying over a lost nickel.This was from the time when a nickel was real money. Hey, I told you it was an old joke.Another clue that it’s ancient is that a man comes up to the kid and asks him what’s wrong, and no one, not even the kid himself,

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-14836594501290785052009-08-15T07:27:00.003-05:002009-08-15T08:04:36.682-05:00

If it Quacks Like a Mutt…© 2009 Ross WilliamsThe first thing needed before getting too deep into this subject is a very precise understanding of the semantics involved. Far too often people use terms – or hear terms used in front of them – and they translate in their heads, make assumptions about what others meant in using them or what others will understand you to mean in hearing them, and what

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-27319823010403930172009-08-12T15:41:00.001-05:002009-08-12T15:44:49.141-05:00

Reacting Locally, Thinking Globally© 2009 Ross Williams There was a reorganization at work a few months ago. I won’t bore anyone with the details, but another layer of management was added into the organization, and the guy who makes up this new layer is more or less generally despised. His preferred method of management is by spreadsheet. Unless you can quantify what you do in ways that

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-88945638829607442652009-07-08T19:42:00.003-05:002009-07-08T20:03:59.265-05:00

Bottom’s Up© 2009 Ross WilliamsThe wife and I, and my son and newly minted daughter-in-law, are leaving on a cruise next week.Before cruising I go to a particular web site I know to discuss cruises with those who take cruises in order to find information I need to know about cruises. Like whether or not the coup in Honduras is going to prevent us from docking at Roatan, or whether the knee-jerk

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-65655670056796335982009-06-04T17:29:00.002-05:002009-06-05T05:25:19.963-05:00

The History of My World, Part I© 2009 Ross WilliamsI don’t like to write about work, much. First, writing about work tends to remind me of work when the time I spend away from work is filled thinking about work, and I don’t like being reminded of work. Second, I’m reminded of work often enough whenever I hear any news about tinpot tyrants getting all bossy and petulant[1], not to mention whenever

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-73478023802082698802009-05-29T16:55:00.002-05:002009-05-29T17:09:07.496-05:00

Hogan’s Heroes, Revisited© 2009 Ross Williams With the change of Administration came a renewed call for trials and charges and habeas corpus and Due Process for the Detainees [incorrectly termed “Prisoners of War”] at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station. Those making these renewed calls are those who wish to advertise that they know nothing about the applicable international conventions which apply,

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-4404503944121015932009-05-11T16:29:00.001-05:002009-05-11T16:36:37.635-05:00

I Know Why the Free-Range Cock Crows© 2009 Ross Williams Roosters are mean.They are territorial.They are aggressive.Worse, they are single-minded aggressive[1].They are arrogant, have no discernable memory and no known ability to comprehend reality.It is only because we want to have some protection from critters for our hens while they roam the yard during the day that the rooster we have has

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-48406948370883098112009-05-09T10:03:00.002-05:002009-05-11T16:37:40.700-05:00

Saving the World from Democracy© 2009 Ross WilliamsEvery so often I get an email – usually from my mother – about how some history professor, or political science professor, or other expert in the field has just proven that US democracy is about to fold up its tent and hit the road. It’s normally based on some ancient Athenian history professor, or political science professor, or other expert in

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-65432801332938988242009-04-25T15:12:00.003-05:002009-06-06T17:23:23.268-05:00

Cat Fight at the I’m Okay, You’re Not Corral© 2009 Ross WilliamsSo have you heard about this? The runner up to the Miss America title gave a politically incorrect answer to the live-action essay question and it “may have cost her the crown”?Miss California. I could have sworn that the term “Miss”, when used in reference to a female, was formally banned in California … Maybe not. They’re full of

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-4451464114301741312009-04-24T15:54:00.003-05:002010-06-29T16:44:32.931-05:00

Going to the Dogs© 2009 Ross WilliamsJust over four weeks ago, my Main Dog Earnest[1] took a walk with my wife down to the corner to get the mail. My wife went for the mail, that is; our dog went for the excitement. This jaunt goes right past the territory – plotted out in urine spots and not conforming to any county plat – of the neighborhood bully dog. Marble.Marble is of indeterminate sex, but

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-90781528109746491122009-04-19T11:13:00.004-05:002009-04-19T13:06:29.373-05:00

Nothing Flat© 2009 Ross WilliamsMy wife and I travel to Chicago several times a year. Most of our time there we’re in the neighborhoods. Those parts of the city cram-packed with three story brick walk-ups [condo or otherwise] among which small shops, corner bars, and restaurants are jammed.In these parts of the city there are many, many people who ride bicycles. Bicycles are quicker point to

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-7255823255138288402009-04-19T10:07:00.002-05:002009-04-19T10:21:12.901-05:00

The Good Ol’ DaysorThe Short Shelf-Life of Modern Political Nostalgia© 2009 Ross Williams Remember when it was prima facie proof of Republican and Bush corruption that many of the advisors collected around Bush and into his inner circle – frequently referred to as his "handlers" – were millionaires? Remember how those who disliked Bush and Republicans not for stated desires or enacted policies

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-71582885947180555772009-01-21T17:49:00.003-06:002009-01-21T18:10:31.167-06:00

Liar, LiarA Libertarian Challenge to our False Political Dichotomy© 2009 Ross WilliamsI got into a brief email discussion with a lady at work a few weeks ago. She's a city councilman, er, -woman, for the town where my office is located, and she had sent out an email notification to everyone that her town was going to participate in one of the many state and/or federal programs by which cops

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-29914149671314676542009-01-15T16:09:00.004-06:002009-04-19T12:13:08.817-05:00

Government Bait-n-Switch© 2009 Ross WilliamsMy state just decided it was time to get super-serious about drunk driving. We tend to get super-serious about certain things in this state from time to time[1]. A few years ago we got super-serious about the manufacture of methamphetamine, and went all overkill about it. Of the dozen or so ingredients necessary to manufacture meth, only one is a widely

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-87860810998735181192008-05-08T16:34:00.002-05:002008-05-08T16:58:25.518-05:00

Atmosphere Pollution© 2008 Ross Williams There’s a reason restaurants wanting to make money don’t serve food in large rooms with bare cinder block walls under fluorescent lighting. Something about it smacks of prison cafeteria or, worse, school cafeteria dining.A vase full of poesies won’t even help.Take the same food, though, and serve it under ambient light, in smaller rooms with wood panel

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-58412917555944360952008-03-26T05:32:00.001-05:002008-03-26T05:39:02.536-05:00

Citizen Raising Cain©2005 Ross Williams Of, By and For the PeopleI was summoned for jury duty way back in January, and told to report in late February. They were fairly snotty and officious in their summons; I don't like that. They work for me. They need to remember that.The first day of jury duty rolled around and I showed up on time. Early, actually. I don't like being late.

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-62293015642831490982008-03-19T15:40:00.001-05:002008-03-19T15:48:01.160-05:00

The Sob-Sisterhood of the Wet Panties© 2007 Ross Williams Chalk up another win for the faux-enlightened.In the continuing quest to promote style over substance, those opposed to the use of a human-image icon for a college sports program have won. They’ve hectored and badgered and wept and wailed and nagged and thrown themselves to the ground kicking and foaming at the mouth for long enough that

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-59582902049408085302008-02-05T16:58:00.000-06:002008-02-05T17:03:08.661-06:00

North by Southwest© 2006 Ross Williams I hate flying. Not because I'm scared of having my feet 30,000 feet off the ground. I'm afraid of having my feet thirty feet off the ground. Thirty thousand doesn't even register.Not because I'm scared of the [extremely remote] possibility of some pan-islamist yahoo trying to turn the plane into a makeshift guided missile either. We've learned to refuse

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-52629267421782283552008-01-01T12:00:00.000-06:002008-01-01T12:28:23.649-06:00

Deconstructing Natalee© 2007 Ross Williams Due to popular demand [sic], not to mention being somewhat bored with having my essaying being done scattergun in various other fora and in less than well-rounded literary styling, I’m going to address the rampant criticism my commentary on the renewed-and-dropped “Aruba Incident” has received over the past several weeks.For the record, I have no idea

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-43935583975001487032007-03-24T07:03:00.000-05:002007-03-24T07:08:08.641-05:00

How’s This for Word of Mouth?© 2007 - Ross WilliamsWe ran out of stamps last weekend, and on the way home from the farm store I stopped at the post office for a roll of the conveniently-priced first class stamp. I used my debit card, which I had signed on the back like a good little do-bee. The postal clerk took my card, looked at the back of it, and asked me for identification.This annoys me.

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-14014377430735473482007-03-21T12:22:00.000-05:002007-03-21T12:28:59.617-05:00

Open Wide and Say "Duh!"© 2007 – Ross Williams I was reading online news last week when I came across an article by the junk science guy: Steven Milloy. If you're a liberal you hate him; if you're a conservative you love him.Personally, I like him in small doses.Last week he was lauding "The Great Global Warming Swindle", which is a BBC film, ostensibly as retort to Al "Internet" Gore's

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-90341601429070940722007-03-07T20:10:00.000-06:002007-03-07T20:18:36.768-06:00

Talking the Double-Talk- or -The Iceman Cometh and Goeth At Will© 2007 Ross Williams I was looking up a reference last week when I happened upon a quote relating to the belief common among, um, "climatologists" of the sixties and seventies. This common belief held that the planet was quickly descending into a period of global cooling so drastic that within the lifetimes of many people then

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1170514620863527152007-02-03T08:36:00.000-06:002007-02-03T08:57:00.883-06:00

You Sat ToMAHto, I Say Illiterate© 2006 Ross Williams I sent an email earlier this week to a local radio station, trying to be helpful. They were reporting on the recent school shootings in the Amish region of Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County, and just down the road a piece from Lancaster PA. The news announcer on this radio station pronounced the city and county in Pennsylvania Lan-CAST-er.

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1158879849792505462006-09-21T17:57:00.000-05:002006-09-26T06:54:43.013-05:00

Abort This© 2006 Ross WilliamsI just don't get all the ruckus over abortion. What's there to wrangle about? We're a democracy, and the vast majority of Americans want to have legal abortion. You'd think that would settle it, wouldn't you?It doesn't. For some reason it only inflames the issue. You see, about 15% of Americans want to have no abortions allowed at all. Normally, this would be the

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1158413655092914292006-09-16T08:32:00.000-05:002006-09-16T08:34:15.106-05:00

As if On Cue…© 2006 Ross Williams Just about a year ago, a Danish newspaper commissioned Danish cartoonists to depict the prophet Mohammed to test the theory that western liberal freedoms were cowering under threats from islamist – um – fascism. So twelve cartoons were printed, a few of which depicted islam as an inherently violent religion, and muslims in most of the world responded by saying

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1158407626310560432006-09-16T06:49:00.000-05:002006-09-16T06:53:46.333-05:00

When Serendipity Knocks© 2006 Ross WilliamsBeing right for the wrong reasons doesn't make you smart; it makes you dumb and lucky. That sums up the loyal opposition's common position on Iraq: vacate the premises.Holding foursquare to a plan that is working ... kinda ... while reality is changing all around is blockheaded. That sums up the administration's position on Iraq: stay the course.I'm

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1154686916226099912006-08-04T05:16:00.000-05:002006-08-04T08:15:43.026-05:00

Political Science Practicum© 2006 Ross WilliamsThe Middle East is all agog, possibly even Magog as well, over its latest developments. Hamas terrorists raided Israel, killed an Israeli soldier or two, and kidnapped another. Then demanded an exchange of the one Israeli soldier for a couple hundred Hamas terrorists currently in the Israeli pokey. If that doesn't set the value of Palestinians low on

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1154118373705112472006-07-28T15:13:00.000-05:002006-07-28T15:26:13.730-05:00

Swimming Against the Riptide© 2006 Ross WilliamsI am an essayist. I see something in the news, or in the real world, that irks me, I look it up and down to find out why it is irksome, I research the matter, and I write essays that describes the irksome item in unflattering detail. My talent lies in unflattering the nonflatterworthy. Then I slap these essays into a free, public, electronic

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Suddenly Sudan© 2006 Ross WilliamsIt reads like the plot of a Tom Clancy novel. Old intrigues resurfacing to inflict new intrigue upon another generation long since intrigued-out. Or possibly Tom Clancy-meets-Three Stooges, where old intrigues are slapsticked into a farce.No matter; as always, "somebody" must do "something" about it. If only "someone" knew what that "something" might be...

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1151616300463040662006-06-29T16:17:00.000-05:002006-06-29T16:25:00.486-05:00

Revenge of the Hate Speech© 2006 Ross WilliamsOzzie Guillen doesn't have a nickname that adequately describes his baseball-related talents. I don't mean his baseball talents; he was a darn good shortstop while he played and he's a darned good manager now that he doesn't.But his baseball-related talents – the skills that are associated with, but not directly involving, baseball. Leo Durocher

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1151009459469480962006-06-22T15:46:00.000-05:002006-06-22T15:50:59.490-05:00

Billions for Remedy, Not a Penny to Monitor© 2006 Ross WilliamsI've worked for the government[1] or on government[2] contracts almost non-stop for going on three decades. I've got a clearance. I have "access".I only use my "access" when absolutely necessary, and only after taking every possible effort to avoid it. The problem with "access" is that the information you get with it is often

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1150907545580599742006-06-21T11:25:00.000-05:002006-06-21T11:32:25.603-05:00

Hating Hate-Crime© 2006 Ross WilliamsSomeone started a small fire in a small library a few blocks from where my wife lived in Chicago.[1] The small library which hosted the small fire is in the city's gay neighborhood – locally known as Boys Town. The small library, being situated in Boys Town, held a large collection of gay and lesbian books, around 1,000. Of these thousand gay-themed books,

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1150309124051342612006-06-14T13:14:00.000-05:002006-06-14T13:18:44.076-05:00

Winning Without Whining© 2006 Ross WilliamsThe Senate won't be passing any "gay marriage ban" amendment any time soon. This is good news for any number of reasons.First, the whole subject is a phenomenal waste of time and effort – which translates into taxpayer dollars. As a taxpayer who pays more taxes than most, I object first for financial reasons, and my objection therefore ought to carry

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1149764104434711042006-06-08T05:51:00.000-05:002006-06-08T05:55:04.663-05:00

USDA Prime Manure© 2006 Ross Williams The government wants to keep our food supply safe from a terrorist attack. Good for them. It's a great idea. ...which, coming from the government, is conspicuous in its rarity.The government also wants to maintain the credibility of our beef exports from the damage – real and imagined, er, rather, "in image" – of BSE. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy. "

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1149247626333609082006-06-02T06:26:00.000-05:002006-06-02T15:59:53.810-05:00

The Future's all Yours, You Lousy Bicycles© 2006, Ross WilliamsIdeologues are funny, funny people.That's the cynic's code for "clueless hypocrites".Robert Redford wrote an op-ed piece about E85, and which was pasted on cnn.com this morning[1]. Having just written about E85 myself, I read his bit to see what he had to say on the subject. He's academically correct, of course. Being dependent upon

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1148681097345784322006-05-26T17:01:00.000-05:002006-05-27T06:26:13.996-05:00

Worship Gaia, if You Dare© 2006, Ross WilliamsMeet the Messiah of the Church of Gaia[1]. As with any true messiah, he's unassuming. And humble. He's got legitimately humble roots. He's got roots, period.He, of course, is Corn. Another messiah we are familiar with, Joshua, has a Greek name – Jesus. Not to be outdone, Corn has a Latin name – Zea mays.Every good messiah worthy of worship has its

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1148554624899842432006-05-25T05:48:00.000-05:002006-05-25T05:57:04.930-05:00

When in Doubt, Blame the Mirror© 2006, Ross WilliamsWhy does anyone still listen to this man? He's a rich-kid dilettante with no real skills, just a lot of family money and an ideology to die for. He played soldier once, but managed to avoid any real combat. He bought his way into faux-"leadership", but the brains of the outfit belong to someone else. He just provides a figurehead; he’s the

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1148469909508001132006-05-24T06:20:00.001-05:002006-05-24T06:25:09.516-05:00

The Full Nancy© 2006 Ross WilliamsHigh and tight is just as valid a pitch location as low and away, and the mixture of both makes a pitcher imposing. But in the creeping nancification of baseball, high and tight – once called a "purpose pitch" – is viewed largely as an attempt to hurt the hitter. It would seem that the purpose of such a pitch is presumed, and the presumption is universally

rwilymzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12179741030391993495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17504108.post-1146845247538185402006-05-05T11:02:00.000-05:002006-05-05T11:07:27.570-05:00

Crime-Fighting by Proxy© 2006 Ross WilliamsI pay a lot in taxes. More than most, not as much as some. Taxes on income, taxes on purchases, taxes for living on a piece of land. Taxes to the county, to the state, to the federal government. Fees to drive a car so that I can go to work and earn the income that gets taxed. Fees to avail myself of specific government services....which has never,

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