Denise, it is interesting that you bring up Dean Smith. Yes, he never raised his voice, but then he would screw people behind their back. This is the way corporate culture works today, avoid confrontation or any conflict, but then create a culture of fear, loathing and insecurity through the silent treatment or back alley power plays.

People criticized Bob Knight for his treatment of his players, but his players always stood by him because they knew he always had their back no matter what.  I think Dean Smith and Bobby Knight won about the same number of games and national championships.

Give me a confrontational boss any day over the quiet backstabbers.

Started it yesterday evening and finished it this morning. C.J.'s best book yet IMHO. Frankly I consider myself pretty up to date on Leviathan, but C.J.'s description of the mendacity of bureaucracy throughout the book was pretty chilling.

Excellent effort C.J. !!

Reading," The Elimination", by Rithy Panh, about the killing fields. I am simply speechless.

The origins and roots of the left are dealt with in minute detail in "Leftism Revisited, from deSade and Marx to Hitler and Pol Pot" by Eric von Kuehnelt-Leddihn

"Dupes", by Paul Kengor.

Roman, I throw in my kudos as well. Thank you for the picture that says a thousand words!

Earth to Rob!

Fantastic! I will have a smile going for at least a week.

James, what is the book on the "The War of the Roses" are your reading?

Maybe reading it will make me feel better about our current situation!

Cheers!

Being retired military I want an AR-15 because it is the firearm I am most experienced with in calibrating, firing and maintaining.

Incidentally, Southerners came back to the fold within a generation of the War being over. To equate my ancestors with Serbs, Arabs or any other group fighting for centuries is highly insulting and insensitive.

Ditto Skyler!

If Lincoln was so visionary why didn't he try an economic plan whereby the Southern planters, already at the mercy of Northern industrialists, would have been compensated for freed slaves by the Federal Government, the slaves would have been given working wages and education or land out west to resettle. Sure it might have cost $8-10Billion by what is that against the deaths of 600,000 Americans? Probably was an unacceptable price to Northern interests who thought nothing about utilizing child labor on a 18 hour, six day work load for pennies  a day.

By the way, if the War had not been fought, and the status quo remained, something Lincoln would have been happy with and accepted, then what would have happened in 20 to 30 years when steam and the tractor would have made the slave obsolete? What would have happened then? Kick 9-10 million people to the curb with no education, training or wealth? I think you would have seen a civil war that made the one we had seem like a bar fight.

I will add this Lucy and Judithann, you talk about protecting children, do you realize what a risk that men take today even being around a child not related to him or her? I have had many discussions with my male friend and many of us agree that we will not even  be in a room by ourselves with a female child niece or cousin, much less someone else. 

That is the state of chivalry today. If I see a small child in trouble, unless it is life threatening situation, I will dial 911 and drive on. Very sad but necessary.

This hit me between the eyes a number of years ago when the Boy Scouts employed the "two adult" rule, a scout could not be in presence of a single adult if a second adult was not in the area. Imagine my surprise when I was told that during Scouting activities I could not be alone with my own Son!

Reading these replies has boosted my morale a great deal. Thanks Ricochet Cohort! Murphy reminds me of the New York consultants that the Banks I worked for hired: plenty of consensus, plenty of cost, zero creative ideas.

Western or Southwestern Virginia; Lexington, Roanoke, Blacksburg or Bristol areas. On the TN side, no state income taxes. Wonderful people, great healthcare, beautiful mountains, plentiful lakes, big cities with 4 to 6 hours drive times, ditto on beaches, fairly moderate climate, major universities, inexpensive but quality land with privacy, history, tradition, not many blue stater types, and an Appalachian  culture of some of the most independent citizens in the US.

Albert, I get all of that. But my point is that I have been there before, not once or twice but several times. In 2003, I was without power for 17 days and over 100,000 trees fell in the Richmond area alone. Tempers flared and life was tough but for the most part we dealt with it and without any help from the Feds. I didn't hear anybody whine about global warming and asking the Feds to pick up the entire tab. The crew that fixed our power was from Georgia, sure didn't see any help from the Northeast utilities. Callous to the extreme maybe, but soft we are not. Best wishes to you.

No offense, but given who I see the fine people of MT sending to the US Senate Iam not sure they are either individualistic or very smart.