KenG, Author at Granite Grok

KenG

A Tragedy, and Some Questions

Last year in the wake of the chaos of post-Katrina New Orleans I wrote an article focusing on the "culture of dependence" that has gripped a significant portion of our population.  More on that in an upcoming post. I was reminded of the dangers inherent in systemic dependency when I read about last week’s tragedy …

A Tragedy, and Some Questions Read More »

And That’s The Way It Was..(Part 4)

Previous excerpts here (1, 2, 3)    The French Return to Lebanon The French government was heavily involved in the recent UN negotiations that led to the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But French President Chirac was widely derided when he then announced that France would contribute only 200 troops to the international …

And That’s The Way It Was..(Part 4) Read More »

From Mayberry, RFD to Maywood, CA

In addition to this post, this disturbing story was discussed at LimitstoGrowth.org in March 2006, but received little national attention.  The original news story in the LA Times is no longer available on that newspaper’s website archive.  Read here about this experiment in lawlessness, miles from America’s second-largest city. Welcome to Maywood CA, Where Roads …

From Mayberry, RFD to Maywood, CA Read More »

Lawyers!

Soon, "personal responsibility" will be considered a quaint phrase, like "Sunday best" or "two-parent family."  How goes the old joke?  "What do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?"  Answer:  "A good start." From Fox News: Professor: BlackBerry Addiction Lawsuits Likely in Future Friday , August 25, 2006 TORONTO — Keeping employees …

Lawyers! Read More »

The Kids are Alright…It’s the Teachers Who Have Problems

From the August 21st Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY): A Stuart Middle School teacher has been removed from the classroom after he burned two American flags in class Friday as part of a civics lesson, according to Jefferson County Public Schools officials. . Dan Holden, who teaches seventh-grade social studies, burned small flags in two different classes …

The Kids are Alright…It’s the Teachers Who Have Problems Read More »

A Bounty of Mutinies to Come?

The headline in the Daily Mail (UK) screamed:  "Mutiny as passengers refuse to fly until Asians are removed."  Leaving aside the minor matter that the British press uses "Asian" to describe anyone with an ethnic background from the region stretching from Turkey to Siberia to Japan to Indonesia – which, while geographically accurate is disingenuously …

A Bounty of Mutinies to Come? Read More »

The French – way to reinforce that stereotype!

This story from Fox News:  Countries Pledge 3,500 Troops to U.N. for Lebanon Peacekeeping Force Friday, August 18, 2006 UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations got pledges Thursday of 3,500 troops for an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, but it was unclear whether the soldiers represented the right mix of countries and units and could deploy …

The French – way to reinforce that stereotype! Read More »

And That’s The Way It Was..(Part 3)

Terror in London, Conflict Imminent, Public Unprepared  ("Eyewitness" Part III) History provides interesting parallels.  In September, 1939, United Press war correspondent Henry Tilton Gorrell arrived in London on assignment.  He found the British government unprepared for war.  The Germans were well on their way to overrunning Poland, and Britain had pledged to protect the Poles, …

And That’s The Way It Was..(Part 3) Read More »

Economics 101 – Big Oil Style

The laws of economics are not as certain as the laws of physics, but if we ignore them and substitute liberal political rhetoric instead,  we remain ignorant of the cause-effect relationships that effect our lives.  Supply-demand, the costs of regulation, labor, and capital infrastructure, market uncertainty…all of these go into the price we pay at …

Economics 101 – Big Oil Style Read More »