*** April 2012 low content thread ***

[ClaytonB]

The words “Austrian economics” have probably been used on telecasts and news articles more in the last 4 years than in the prior 50 years combined. We owe a massive debt of gratitude to Ron Paul, he’s really shown the way out of this very dark place that the American leadership have lured us into.

Clayton -

[Wheylous]

@Heather

Nice! I am concerned a bit, however, about proper etiquette.

[gotlucky]

Make of it what you will.

[TheFinest]

[view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPhJrhVuMkg]

It made me laugh, but it also got me thinking if there is an economic explanation as to why Germans with their unions can make great cars that are adored world around while Americans with their unions generally produce crap (in comparison)

[HeathieAK]

@Whey - I agree and think that there might have been a classier approach to the matter but given the circumstances I actually don’t think this is too bad. I mean, there was so much shenanigans going on through the course of the convention that tension was so high for three days with not much rest and very few breaks.. And then this senator from out of town comes in a room full of a clear majority being Paul people who have paid hundreds of dollars in convention fees and flown a thousand miles to attend just for Paul and instead of holding his toungue he says that he endorses Romney. I don’t know what the man was thinking… that’s just looking for trouble. Once I sensed where he was going with it I pulled out the video camera. Anyway, I think he got the message that the revolution has arrived in Alaska.

[gotlucky]

Republicans prepare contempt citation against Eric Holder over Fast and Furious

(CBS News) – House Republicans investigating the Fast and Furious scandal plan to pursue a contempt citation against Attorney General Eric Holder, senior congressional aides told CBS News.

The resolution will accuse Holder and his Justice Department of obstructing the congressional probe into the allegations that the government let thousands of weapons fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels.

[ClaytonB]

Americans … generally produce crap

The American car is designed to sell off the lot and fall to pieces as shortly after the manufacturer’s warranty as possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have statisticians calculating the P/L of the service life-expectancy of the vehicle versus the length of the warranty. Of course, they could be paying people to actually make the vehicle better or cheaper or both. But, no, statisticians it is.

Clayton -

[ClaytonB]

@gotlucky: Great find.

the stings initially target suspects for pure speech … then woo them into relationships with informers, who are often convicted felons working in exchange for leniency

From an article on the Catholic inquisitions:

The Church had a very specific definition of heresy: A heretic publicly declared his beliefs (based upon what the Church considered inaccurate interpretations of the Bible) and refused to denounce them, even after being corrected by the authority. He also tried to teach his beliefs to other people. He had to be doing these things by his own free will, not under the influence of the devil.

Someone accused of heresy would almost certainly be found guilty - the Inquisition maintained somewhere around 90% conviction rates, comparable to those of modern American prosecutors. To avoid the worst fates, many “heretics” would “cooperate” with the Inquisitors:

A typical inquisition began with an Edict of Grace after a Catholic Mass, in which the inquisitors explained what constituted heresy and encouraged the congregation to confess any transgressions. Those that confessed escaped torture and extreme punishment but were forced to denounce any other heretics.

Heresy could be definitively proven if the accused was caught in a heretical act, but the goal of the inquisitor was always to extract a confession, or admission of guilt. Inquisitors were not only better educated and better versed in the Bible than their subjects; they were also specifically trained in how to question them in confusing or leading ways. Often, the accused wasn’t clever enough to answer the inquisitor’s questions and prove his innocence. But the inquisitor still needed a satisfactory confession. Accused heretics could be imprisoned for years until one was obtained.

Sound familiar? The War on Terror is no such thing. It is, in fact, a revival of the medieval Inquisitions. Anyone who thinks this is an exaggeration should read the NDAA and get a swift kick in the pants.

Clayton -

[skylien]

SInce theFinest brought up Top Gear. I just find this one really funny (and the car quite beautiful):

[view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ8xDia5RNY]

[fountainhead]

In case y’all didn’t already know about this, Krugman vs. Ron Paul in half an hour on Bloomberg TV.

[ClaytonB]

I don’t think Ron Paul should have agreed to appear with Krugman. Krugman is a slimy sleazeball who’s just going to use the opportunity to try to wrestle a particular sound-byte out of Ron Paul then spend the rest of the segment beating up on that sound byte as if he’s debunking the entirety of Austrian economics.

Instead, Dr. Paul should have asked Krugman to respond to this. No disrespect to Dr. Paul, but he’s not an economist - he should ask why Krugman can’t pick on somebody his own size (academically speaking)?

Clayton -