I'm not ignoring you all...

... for some reason, I can no longer comment on my own blog. I do read and appreciate what few comments you folks make; I just can't respond to them in the comments section.

Lisberger... a prophet?

I watch the 1982 movie Tron with my kids last night. They'd never seen it, and I hadn't seen it for probably 20+ years. It wasn't nearly as good as I remembered thinking it was when I was a kid, but it also wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. There was, in fact, one exchange of dialogue that was rather prophetic:

Dr. Walter Gibbs: ...computers are just machines; they can't think.
Alan Bradley: Some programs will be thinking soon.
Dr. Walter Gibbs: Won't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop.
(from IMDB)

AP Lets Loose With Both Barrels

Arctic Patriot has a pair of posts from yesterday and today that I must pass along.

Yesterday, he posted and commented upon a link to an exposé of the murder by the police of Jose Guerena. AP's comments echo my own convictions regarding the liberty that our Founding Fathers clearly claimed were granted by the Creator:

I do not intend to dishonor and insult The Giver by throwing away His gifts.

Then, yesterday, he posted an excellent piece on the wholesale slaughter of innocents perpetrated by this nation over the past 40 years or so. Excerpt:

If America was utterly destroyed and erased as a nation solely for this genocide / holocaust / extermination, I would consider it nothing more than pure justice.

I'm beginning to think AP and I were separated at birth.

My Thoughts Exactly

I've long held that the love affair that conservatives have with Sarah Palin is based on two things: she's cute, and she says what they want to hear. In some ways, she's the conservative version of Obama; he made all sorts of vague promises on the campaign trail that fell by the wayside once he was elected. I have no reason to believe that she'd be any different once in office. After all, she acted all starry-eyed for Juan McAmnesty in 2008.

When it comes to substance, I'm not sure anyone can make the case that she's a good candidate, which presents a challenge to those that argue we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I'll admit, she's more attractive (as a person, not necessarily a candidate) than Herman Cain; and it would be sort of cool to say I've bought guns at the same store as the President of the USA. But please don't tell me she's for a return to Constitutional government. She is demonstrably not.

Karl Denninger has a post on the subject that hits the nail on the head.

Alaska DNR Land Sale

Undeveloped parcels are available all over Alaska. DNR just released the Spring 2011 Alaska State Land Offering. Here's your chance to snag some real estate, and some of it (like the parcels over by Glenallen) aren't taxed. I am of the opinion that real estate, particularly that which is not subject to property tax, is a good way to store your wealth. In any case, it's a far better vehicle than any bank account.

The view from Parcel #1208, and 8.5 acre lot with lake frontage.