The Price of Ignorance

 “To the degree we are ignorant of the way our adversary thinks and operates - of his plans, plots, schemes, and devices - to that degree he will gain on us, prey on us, defraud us of what is ours, and have or hold the greater portion.”

Quote of the Day

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." 

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.


 Describes our current political arguments quite succinctly.

Life Overseas: Amazon Is Our Friend

A liberal airhead college student (but I repeat myself) was asked, earlier this week, about her preference for President. She told the reporter, "If Trump wins, I'm leaving the country. I'll move to Alaska!"

Quite a few Alaskans might wish that it were true, but we're part of the United States ... like it or not. Never mind the Lower 48 businesses that won't ship merchandise here, because - in their words - a) we're overseas, or b) outside of the US, or c) not part of the "continental U.S."

That one floors me, every time.

We're not part of the contiguous States, I'll grant you, but Alaska is part of North America ... at least the last time I checked.

On the other hand, people aren't famous for thinking. Go back to the first paragraph, if you need proof. However, I doubt that anyone reading here will be of that low-information crowd.


So why do I go on about this?

Because it's a continuing source of frustration for those of us who shop on-line. Amazon has no problem with shipments to Alaska; I get them every week. We have the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx all making daily deliveries. A first-class stamp sends mail here, just fine.

But some retailers refuse to accept that. "It costs more to ship to Alaska," they claim, and perhaps that's true. But we're willing to pay for it, so where's the harm ... exactly?

A perusal of most shipping policies reveal a statement to the effect that prices are higher "in Alaska and Hawaii". Yes, Hawaii and Alaska are both accessible by air and sea. But we also have ground transportation, which is more than Hawaii gets.

Ever tried driving to Hawaii? You get a flooded engine ... among other things. :)

One retailer selling through Amazon told me he wouldn't ship here because "Alaskans are too fussy." Apart from what was probably a federal discrimination case awaiting trial, I read between his lines. He meant that we don't like items crushed or damaged by the transport in which they travel.

Go figure.

So we go on, reading shipping policies carefully when ordering from a new supplier. But those items marked "fulfilled by Amazon" are worry-free.

At least that company knows where we are.

To The Confused Guy in the Hallway

Dude, three things:

a. Suite 200 has never been located between Suites 208 and 212.

b. No amount of spinning in circles will make it suddenly appear.

c. Go back, and try it again.

"That's a Moron"

The Problem, Explained

Over 100 years ago, the Progressive Movement decided that the nation's school curriculum emphasized history, the Founders, and the Constitution too much. Made the proletariat all feisty & such.

So they deliberately dumbed it down, started teaching case law instead of Constitutional law, and so forth. The proles won't know to protest, if they don't know what the law says the elitists can/can't do.

The problem is that the nation's schoolchildren included the kids of the elitists. Now the bobbleheads in Congress are just as ignorant as the voters they're supposed to represent. And now the voters are starting to wise up, studying the Constitution, the Founders, and such.

The elected elite continues look down from their personal & self-appointed Mt. Olympus, disdaining the protests of the electorate. Ignorance may be pandemic, but stupidity is a personal choice.

Quote of the Day

Property is the fruit of labor. Property is desirable, is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise ... I take it that it is best for all to leave each man free to acquire property as fast as he can. Some will get wealthy. I don't believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich; it would do more harm than good.

~ Abraham Lincoln (quoted in The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty)

Friday Morning Odd & Ends - UPDATED

Good morning.

* "(Soldotna, AK) ... It was Aug. 2, a little after 11 a.m., when he headed down Dirks Lake Road, a quarter-mile from his home, taking three dogs for some exercise in preparation for hunting season. Brush talked to his animals as they walked past homes on one- to five-acre lots.

The slightest noise -- a twig snapping -- prompted Brush to glance over his shoulder. Less than 20 yards away, a brown bear was charging, "ears back, head low and motorin' full speed.

"Came with zero warning," Brush said. "No woof, no popping of the teeth, no standing up, nothing like what you think."

Brush said he wears a pistol on his walks because bears have chased his dogs in the past.

He drew a Ruger .454 Casull revolver." Read the rest here.

* Due to events beyond our control, MOBro and I were unable to make a scheduled trip to Seward yesterday. Oh, well.

We have been making day trips around Anchorage, and I believe he is thoroughly enjoying himself. We'll do a little shopping for a couple of souvenirs that he wants, this afternoon. I'm going to take him to Kincaid Park, too, as he'd like to see a moose & I haven't seen any in quite awhile. Maybe we'll get lucky today.

* It's raining and 52 degrees this morning, and rained most of the night. AccuHunch says it will continue throughout today & tomorrow. So that means we'll either get drowned, or have a sudden drought. You can never tell, with them.

* A couple of local, apparently brain-dead teenagers beat a homeless man, and posted a video of the assault on YouTube. They've been arrested, and the video removed. That sort of thing makes me want the parents to be publicly flogged. Am I being too harsh? Or not harsh enough?

Yes, of course I'm aware that we are to pray for our enemies, and forgive those who sin. But that's only the spiritual side of things. There are natural consequences for criminal behavior - including prison and other punishments - which still apply.

* I saw a story on Fox News this a.m. about a 2,800-acre wildfire in California which threatens some 1,000 homes. That's a shame, and I hope the brave firefighters are able to quickly bring it under control. But where is the coverage of the nearly 3 million acres which have burned here, and threatened the city of Fairbanks?

There has been rain in the area over the last few days, and conditions are much improved. But where are the cameras and reporters for us? Oh, that's right: Alaska is a foreign country, don'tcha know ... either part of Canada, or an island off the west coast of Mexico. You know, in that little box. (sighs)

That's my mini-rant this morning. Thanks for stopping by.