Rory Christopher's blog thinger

All of us will get a monthly rebate that will reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line, so that we're not taxed on necessities. That means people below the poverty line won't be taxed at all. We'll be taxed on what we decide to buy, not what we happen to earn. We won't be taxed on what we choose to save or the interest those savings earn. The tax will apply only to new goods, so we can reduce our taxes further by buying a used car or computer. This segment is from Mike Huckabee’s campaign website , a portion of his “FairTax” tax reform plan. I read this surprised and impress. It seems like a more than reasonable attempt to revert to a constitutional taxation process. Excise taxes, or what is commonly called consumption tax, is what the constitution outlines as a fair way to tax. Only the earnings one spends is taxed says the founders. I read it again, “All of us will get a monthly rebate.” At this point I was inevitably forced to squirm with a joyf...

I spent my blog time on this video below, so give it a look see. But also watch the second one. This Ron Paul promo is awesome

If our votes are counted by a private corporation, then the vote can go to the highest bidder. You know, the US spend millions trying to create a pen that would write in space when the Russians used a pencil. Can't the system that has worked in the past, though not as "advanced," be the safest way to ensure accurate counting of the vote? Assuming the Diebold machines cost less than the paper ballots, we can still assume that the loss of democracy is a greater price we will pay. It's a price far greater than the inconvenience of accuracy.

Under the guise the anti-extremism law, Russia has chosen to give the title "extremist" to the group, Voice of Beslan . This group consists of mothers of children killed in the Beslan incident in 2004. They criticize the Kremlin for their handling of the terrorist swarm that attacked the school leaving over 300 dead, the majority of whom were children, and have now been deemed extremists for their criticisms. The full article can be found here . Though Russia is improving and has made significant strides in respecting and acknowledging human/civil rights; this is a dark stain and a sad moment in their progressing as nation as well as Putin's reputaiton as a benevolent leader.

"We need more democracy," was the final plea of President Bush as he tapered off his tour of the middle east. First, he praised the leader of Egypt who is known for extreme hostility toward opposition since the 80's, and then called for more "democracy." How can Bush praise him, then ask him to change? Obviously President Hosni Mubarak is doing something right if he is getting a personal visit from the US President as well as accolades about the civil and national progress under his reign. Bush also met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (below) whose human rights violations can be summed up in the picture to the right. What exactly is it about these dictators -- who have little to do with the American ideal-- that give Bush the loving tingles of adoration deserving a personal visit, or even a business deal involving laser guided missile technology priced above $120m. I think that Bush is hoping to inaugurate some sort of happy-go-lucky friendship with...

Six terrible experiences Aftermath of cheese grits from the Waffle House Playing with this snake Using Vista OS Experiencing the Candiru fish in the in the Amazon (video here ) Watching 28 Weeks Later Listening to Chris Cornell’s version of Ave Maria (much worse than the Candiru fish I am sure)

CD: Across the Wire - Counting Crows Movie: The Royal Tannenbaums - Wes Anderson Book: Oxymoronica - Dr. Mardy Grothe Website: Pandora Radio Book: Christ the Eternal Tao - Hiromonk Damascene CD: Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan TV Show: Arrested Development (Seasons 1,2,3) - Ron Howard Column: Dave Barry - Miami Herold Mac Application: Caffeine - Lighthead Book: Heretics/Orthodoxy - G. K. Chesterton Honorable Mention: CD: Sackoth n' Ashes - Sixteen horsepower

According to Angry White Man , an articulate attempt at a very cheap smear by The New Republic (Motto: Sticking it to the truth for quite some time), Dr. Ron Paul is, or at least was, a racist. America's political tone of voice, especially concerning issues of race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation changed dramatically over the last thirty years. If anything, Paul was writing to the libertarian mind in the parlance of the time. The libertarians of the 70's and 80's were not pursuing speech sensitivity training, but rather constitutional government. They wanted to prevent expensive illegal wars, fascism, and usury; not poor adjective selection. The Paul we see now is the same Paul as back then. But like any reasonable man, he has evolved to meet the logical sensibilities his position has demanded of him, while avoiding the political and philosophical nonsense of today. The rhetoric is actually quite tedious and often counter-productive, encouraging silly art...

According to this video , McDonald's is vying for a place in the gourmet coffee market. Given that I work in the gourmet coffee market, I cannot help but see this as a drastic distortion of a very delicate and under appreciated art form generalized by the word coffee. (Left: McDonald's being honest) “Poor Man’s Crack ,” or “Mud,” or “Joe” is as American as chaps and the obesity epidemic. Many know of the Boston Tea Party but few have been taught about the Seattle Coffee Soiree, where everyone dressed up like Indians, similar to the Boston event, but were more efficient from all the caffeine. This unfortunately led to a decrease in stability because everyone crashed afterwards. Waking up with awful headaches, the people started fighting with those wearing the color red leading to a scuffle with the British while planting the seeds for the USA’s long hatred for Communism . This historical tale will not be found in history books because of its very vague and unverifiable ...

There is a pseudo-virtue that I cannot help but see as necessary to make it through a successful workday. I don’t know what to call it except a collective mindset . Many tasks at any job can be done by one person but they are often time consuming and messy. If another person steps in the job runs smoother; we know this ad idiom, "two heads are better than one." The ethic is not complicated but it contradicts a very American sentiment, individualism. Where I work, if one person fails to do something, everyone fails. If one person succeeds, likewise, everyone succeeds. Though not commonly perceived, such is life outside of work. Independent of whether the society adapts the collective mindset , any single individual can have one making society a better place. I cannot consider this pseudo-ethic as a sane dictum of governance, I am a libertarian after all; though it would undoubtedly be pleasantly enculturated if each person took it upon him or herself to look after ea...

Much speculation about President Putin has plagued the media for a few years now. Putin was chosen as Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” and is often featured on the front page of publications worldwide. While regularly compared to Russia’s great leaders of the last one hundred years, the Russian President has been vilified as the next Stalin by many as they ignore what may in fact be an unfamiliar patriotism: pragmatic and devout. Writers, with tilted heads and curious pens, hypothesize as to his ambitions, hostilities, and credibility; they attempt to solve the strange riddle that is President Putin. Modern Russia has more than one hundred years of history; consequently, the riddle won’t be solved apart from a historical perspective. Though a Stalinist hue may refract on occasion, Putin’s authoritarian genius has a stride and manner that resembles more closely his personal hero, Peter the Great. By the end of the 20th century, Russia had crumbled. Her President, the gangster tu...