Metal Dad - Hardcore for Life

Not Surprised And Not Sympathetic

The current unrest at some colleges does not surprise and confirms that I made a wise choice in passing on the university experience. Academia is merely reaping the harvest they began sowing in the Sixties. Congratulations to the spoiled, self-important children of the barricades of Chicago, Berkeley, etc. Welcome to your Cultural Revolution. Better get a head start on your self-criticisms.

Bent Cold Sidewalk

I'm not referring to the storm bearing down on the East today but to the passing of Edgar Froese last week. I did not get into Tangerine Dream back in the day but was familiar with them. It was a few years ago when I started delving into Krautrock in a big way. Amon Düül II, Can, Ash Ra Tempel, and Agitation Free are mainstays on my playlists as well as Tangerine Dream.

The Log In My Eye

"How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye."

I take these words from the Inscripturated Word of God seriously so if I level a charge of hypocrisy I must look at and deal with my own hypocrisy as well. But all these hashtags and declarations of "I am Charlie" strike me as disingenuous especially coming from quarters which have worked tirelessly to enforce speech codes in institutions of learning, the workplace, the media ,etc.

If Your Worldview Can't Handle Being Mocked...

maybe you need to examine your worldview.

I am a christian. I believe "there is a single and simple spiritual being, whom we call God -- eternal, incomprehensible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty, completely wise, just, and good, and the overflowing source of all good."

I have opinions, informed I hope by biblical truth, about creation, eschatology, law and liberty, sexual ethics, money, etc. But for me the fundamental issue is the Person of Jesus Christ and His substitutionary atonement on the cross. I also know that some may think me a fool for holding to faith in things unseen. I hear and read mocking of my worldview every day but don't feel the need to kill those who mock. The God who spoke all things into being by the power of His word can handle disdain and disrespect without my help.

Ambivalence

I'm not sure swapping spies for a jailed American is a great idea but methinks making steps to end the immoral anti-Cuban embargo is a positive thing. You know, free trade, good relations with a nearby nation, etc.

Hopefully if I decide to start smoking cigars I'll be able to pick up some Cubans at a reasonable price.

The State Is Your Enemy

Pretty typical for probably the most corrupt of the 50 states.

Make No Mistake

"Government is not a benevolent authority working bloodlessly behind the scenes to ensure seamless social harmony. Government is a guy giving you orders about what you can’t do—with a gun on his hip, handcuffs at the ready, and a muscular arm to wrap around your neck if you resist."   - Robert Tracinski

Not A Good Week For Rock'n'Roll

First, Bobby Keys and now Ian McLagan. I saw the Faces back in the early Seventies in one of the oddest bills I've ever seen. The Mahavishnu Orchestra opened. They were great but many of the Faces' fans didn't know what to make of them especially when John McLaughlin asked for a moment of silence before they started their set.

I Bet Your Mama Was A Tent Show Queen

RIP, Bobby Keys.

Mexican On My Mother's Side, Anglo On My Father's

And me stuck in the middle. My maternal grandparents were illegal aliens (I refuse to participate in the semantic foolishness such as undocumented immigrants, etc.). They came from Mexico and settled in West Texas where my mother and her siblings were born and raised. I suppose since they stayed, worked and paid taxes they became immigrants. They were undocumented because they were here illegally.

I have no dog in the immigration fight. I believe both sides have cynical motives which inform their positions. One side is positively salivating at the prospect of millions of beholden voters and the other side is scared shitless at this possibility as well as playing to the fears and prejudices of some of their more vocal constituents.

Odds And Sods

I was watching news with Mrs. Metal Dad the other morning and of course all they were talking about was Ebola. Now I'm not too worried about it which I'll elaborate on in a bit. I said to my long suffering wife, "Think of it as population control." She was not amused. Oh well, a prophet is without honor in his own country.

Mrs. Metal Dad and I out for a stroll the other evening.

Quarantine for thee, gourmet soup for me.
So I'm thinking if the chief medical editor for NBC who was in the middle of the danger zone felt confident enough to break a voluntary quarantine after returning home maybe she knows something we're not being told. Of course the possibility remains that (a) she's really stupid or (b) she's just incredibly arrogant.

Mises Quote Of The Day

"History has witnessed the failure of many endeavors to impose peace by war, cooperation by coercion, unanimity by slaughtering dissidents. . . . A lasting order cannot be established by bayonets."

Omnipotent Government, pp. 6–7

Or by air raids or drone strikes.

Here We Go Again

From the Drone King's speech to the UN:

"Nor do we intend to send U.S. troops to occupy foreign lands. Instead, we will support Iraqis and Syrians fighting to reclaim their communities. We will use our military might in a campaign of air strikes to roll back ISIL. We will train and equip forces fighting against these terrorists on the ground. We will work to cut off their financing, and to stop the flow of fighters into and out of the region. Already, over 40 nations have offered to join this coalition. Today, I ask the world to join in this effort."

Sounds very familiar.

 

Same Song, Slightly Different Lyrics

Some media pundits say the recent murders of American journalists and the fear of of a terrorist attack here are the reasons for growing support of increased U.S. military action in Syria and Iraq. I think the odds of being killed by an over-militarized thug of the state are greater than being killed in a terrorist attack.