Why Do People Dispute What they Are Told?

I suppose it's possible that a religion could be both dominant and peaceful, but to me the terms dominant and peaceful conflict.

Chicago Islamic scholar: 'Islam did not come to coexist. Islam is always superior and should never be surpassed.'

Religions often have conceptual conflict, the adherents interpreting scripture in different manners. Christianity touts supplication, charity, but there are countless contradictions. 

We see many examples of the the expressions of dominance sought by Islamists. If Islamists seek to dominate all religions and their scripture advocates killing of non-adherents, why all the effort by secularists to describe Islam as a peaceful religion? 

The code of Islam is segregationist by the scripture. 

I do wish them any ill will, but I also do not see this being solved in my lifetime.

That's Just Wrong

 

What's the difference between Amy Winehouse and Captain Morgan?  Captain Morgan comes alive when you add coke!

A Half Million Miles of Road Trips

This summer I had reason to call an old friend with whom I had become estranged.

Not having his contact information, I called his older brother whose whereabout I did know. 

That brother is Sam Allen, and he did put me in contact with his younger brother.

Sam and I talked some of motorcycles, me proudly sharing that I had finally stepped up and purchased a Road King with which I am still becoming familiar.

Anyway, Sam described to me his YouTube channel about Route 66 and talked of a couple of books he had written.

A Half Million Miles of Road Trips is the first of these two books. It reads like the diary of man that wants to share how he has loved life.  The diary includes many vignettes of experiences had, places visited and persons that made impressions.  Primary focus was on good places to visit on Route 66.

Sam and his family have been important people in life, his parents and brothers are all dear to my heart. 

If you are a motorcycle person, a Route 66 aficionado, or seeking a fun read, order the book  

Rikki

I heard that the Steely Dan song was about Rick Derringer.

Not sure about that, to me the song smacked of being about a homosexual relationship.

Here is Rick’s other hit.

https://youtu.be/xQPqbUaNH_U?si=XXHzQkYVdvS7lstx

My grandmother bought me the 45 rpm record of Rock and Roll, Hootchie Koo.

At the Center of It

At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats.

 ~ P. J. O’Rourke

Richard Dean Zehringer, RIP

Better known to the world as Rich Derringer passed away yesterday, 26-May-2025. He was 77 years old.

When I was in high school, my grandmother gave me a two 45 records, one of which was Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo which I thoroughly enjoyed. The other 45 was the Carpenters' Top of the World, so there's that. Derringer had already achieved majors success as the front man for the McCoys and their hit single Hang on Sloopy, to which the following link is worth a glance, he looks so young. The students at Ohio State should be in mourning today.

After his solo hit single, Derringer worked with many well known performers such as such as Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter Group, Steely Dan, Bonnie Tyler, Cyndi Lauper, Barbara Streisand, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, B.B. King, Roger McGuinn, and Leslie West.

Rest in peace.

The War on Warriors

Bought the book about a year ago after watching him on television discuss his work and hinting at how his military career was torpedoed by politicians and sycophantic officers. I started the book immediately, got bored, but then the author chosen and confirmed as the Secretary of Defense, so made quick effort to read the darned thing.

Fully titled The War on Warriors, Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, the book is short at only 256 pages.

A majority of the book focuses on how public political theories creep into and corrupt proven military processes. Particularly how the Obama and Biden regimes inserted DEI dogma into many facets of military operations and training. 

I suppose that this is the nature of politicians in times of peace, and the nature of military leadership to relax at the simultaneously. They cling to their positions more than reality, often until it's too late.

The book itself started weakly but did recover and end well.

If you like Pete Hegseth, it is a nice short read.

The Creature from Jekyll Island

The Creature from Jekyll Island is a book that, for me, a wonderful gift from my brother Kye. Written by G. Edward Griffin, the book was published in 1994.

As said the book was a gift, a couple of years ago. At roughly 700 pages and being somewhat technical in nature, it took me a couple of months to read, amongst other books.

The author is not loved by academia or media types, but it does present a reasonable theory as the way banking works in the world.

Basically, the process is this banks love for governments, and not just the United States to spend more than they bring in. This motivates governments to generate revenue by increasing the money supply, aka inflating the currency. The revenue is supplied by, in the US, issuing notes to the Federal Reserve, who intern lend that money to commercial banks, who in turn can lend the money out to whomever why maintaining, theoretically 10% in reserve. The commercial banks can now leverage that remaining 90% into multiple or the original amount. Essentially creating money that is never printed. 

The book in depth discusses fiat money and how the true value of money should be tied to gold or similar. Anchored currencies are the safest, but the politicians hate being tied to a commodity and the bankers can't profit on reserves not in play. So, we are likely doomed to a future of more of the same.

I might add that most financial systems are subject to dynamic forces, no system is perfect, all have had booms and failures.

Loved the book, recommend it highly. Don't be too public with it, you might be judged a right wing not rather than a financial scholar.

Enjoy

The Last Lion

The Last Lion is a segment biography written by William Manchester. Published in 1988, the work covers nearly 700 pages, detailing events for Winston Churchill (WSC), beginning in 1932 and closing in 1940. 

During most of this period Churchill was alone in public opposition to Hitler and developments in Germany. Out of favor with the politicians that happened to be in power, WSC spent the eight years fostering sources of intelligence, writing essays and books for the public. Winston's connection to the general public was much greater that that he had with the ruling class. The English political regime, and the monarchy had strong historical ties to German royalty via marriage and a common hatred of Communists.  In that posture, they resisted recognition of German aggression in favor of a misguided hope that it would end at the doorstep of France. They were wrong, WSC was right and it took Hitler invading Poland and the lowlands of Belgium to declare war, war which they were unprepared for.

At the point war was inevitable, the PM and his cabinet were still clinging to control. The public and correspondingly the House of Commons wouldn't have it. Churchill then became the Prime Minister, which was basically the end of the book. 

The book affirms my belief that in times of peace, politicians waste military capital by allowing equipment to become obsolete and diverting money to social objectives. Their actions and inactions tend to make us weak, confirming my belief that politicians, by and large, suck.

I'm a fan of William Manchester's biographies, in part because for a time he lived in my hometown which was adjacent to the city where he was a professor.  This biography is no different, I'm pleased to have added it to my pile.

Hillary Clinton Never Fails

To reach new heights of audacity.

Hillary Clinton is the Last Person to Lecture Trump on Foreign Policy

Had an acquaintance that was an aide to a Georgia Senator. A democratic Senator. Said that he was in an elevator, and she was blessing someone a blue streak. This former aide, now a lobbyist, said she scared the shit out of him, suggested she was possessed. 

To me, Hillary Clinton acts like a scorned wife out to punish the world, never, ever considers herself even possibly culpable.