| Friday,
May 27, 2011 Steve Sailer
I quoted your "Liberalism is a philosophy of
consolation for western civilization as it commits suicide"
and was berated by this comment:
LOL, Pournelle is friends with Steve Sailer < The-Refudiator
<http://westslope.craigslist.org/forums/?act=su&handle=The-Refudiator>
> 05/24 21:06:37 Craigslist, politics USA
You're quoting from a guy who is friends with the
founder of VDare, a white supremacist group.
I'd appreciate your comment; I'm a veteran SF fan and
think highly of you and your work.
Caz
I have many friends, including unabashed liberals
like Francis Hamit. I am not very familiar with VDare (I think I went to
the site once when something there was cited as a source). The Wiki
description of VDare says it is "is a website that advocates reduced
immigration, especially illegal immigration, into the United States." That
is a position I would agree with. The Melting Pot works, and the US can
assimilate all sorts and kinds of people (and has done so), but the system
can be overloaded and in my judgment has been. I've said so fairly often.
I am also friends with Charles Murray, one of the
authors of The Bell Curve, which I am sure horrifies your friend. I
suspect I have other friends your commentator would find unacceptable.
Heck, I have friends that some of my friends find unacceptable: as Larry
Niven often says, I do not insist that my friends like each other.
The quote is from the late James Burnham, a
National Review editor and author of The Managerial Revolution as well as
The Machiavellians, both important books. His dictum that Liberalism is a
philosophy of consolation for western civilization as it commits suicide
was formulated at a particularly bleak time during the Cold War, and was
quite accurate at the time; it may still be so. Its truth is not affected
by who is or is not my friend.
===========
Immigration
Jerry
Recent discussion of illegal immigration leads to the
following random thoughts.
A. Technically, there was no "illegal immigration" at
the time, since there were no immigration laws as such, but when the parents
of my grandfather's grandmother came over during the Hunger, the Know
Nothings acted as a sort of informal immigration control. Because the US had
imposed various port fees while the British were subsidizing transit to
Canada, a lot of the Irish who fled in 1846/7 went to Canada up the St.
Lawrence to Gross Isle Quarantine. But crossing into the US was a problem.
Consequently, steamboat captains in Lake Champlain would make some money
smuggling Irish across the lake. Consequently, my grandfather's grandmother
was born in Burlington VT, "six days after her parents reached the New
World." I guess nowadays she would be called an anchor baby.
B. Of the 9004 students in the public schools of
Northampton County [PA] for the school year ending 1 June 1858: 4,537 spoke
German Only 3,149 spoke both English & German 1,318 spoke English Only The
Superintendent reported: “But the difficulty lies not therein, as some
superficial observers seem to think, because our children speak German, but
because they do not speak English. It is not the presence of the German
language which causes the difficulty, but the absence of English.” So geht's
im Leben. When my mother was in parochial school in the 30s, German was
still a required course in grade school. Even years later, she could recite
the Vater onser in a broad Swabian dialect. Our parish had its last
native-born German pastor when I was in grade school. As late as my
grandfather's time, there were as many German-language newspapers as English
in town.
C. When I was a kid, the Italians in town were still
speaking Italian among themselves and the Lebanese were speaking Arabic
among themselves, but English with everyone else. I notice the same thing
among the Spanish-speakers at church. They will speak Spanish to one
another, but with everyone else they will use English with greater or lesser
facility.
IOW, I think the melting pot is working fine in my
part of the country, mainly because i) folks ain't stupid and aren't all
that eager to sequester themselves in a linguistic ghetto and ii) television
and pop culture pretty much does what comic books and penny dreadfuls did in
earlier ages. Then too, PA doesn't have as many institutions promoting the
opposite as perhaps other states have.
D. Someone once asked on an internet message board why
everyone should have to learn English, so I responded: "Weil alle Amerikaner
moechten einander verstehen." She responded: "I don't understand what you
wrote." And I said, "Exactly."
E. The Edison NJ schools had so many students from
India that they tried to put them all in ESL classes taught in Hindi. That
sound you hear is hundreds of Indian mothers stampeding to the school to
protest. "This is America," they said. "They should learn in English! In
fact, English is a national language in India, and we are all Gujaratis and
Marathis and Tamils and Punjabis. We don't even speak Hindi." The schools
got federal aid based on the number of students enrolled in ESL classes.
F. A friend of my daughter was born in Argentina, so
in middle school she was put in Spanish ESL. The mother was outraged. She
had brought her daughter to America at age 2 and she did not speak nor
understand a word of Spanish. They told this Argentinian mother that it was
terrible that her daughter had lost touch with her native culture; and the
mother said the US was her native culture. Nevertheless, it took months to
get her out of the Spanish language instruction. See E for reasons.
G. When my daughter was living in Yonkers NY a number
of years ago, MacLean Avenue was called "Irish Broadway" and the quickest
way to clear out the Irish pubs along the street was to walk in and holler
INS! There is also an open border at JFK airport arrivals, although these
usually come on visas and then stay on. Weirdly enough, the other end of
MacLean Avenue was mostly Arab, and mostly legal.
H. A good friend in grad school was from Iran. (He now
teaches physics in San Mateo.) He had been in the country for a while and
had applied for citizenship, but had been awaiting disposition for years.
Then he learned that there was a fast track system for minorities, so he
applied for that only to be told that there were not enough Iranians in the
country to be eligible for minority status. The idea of not being big enough
to be a minority puzzled his mathematical soul. So he joined the Army. And
while his eyesight eventually got him a medical discharge, his enlistment
did get him his citizenship.
Enough rambling.
Mike
The Melting Pot works quite well when it is not
overwhelmed. Bill Buckley used to say -- indeed to boast -- that America
was unique in that anyone could study and learn how to become an American.
You can learn Swedish, but that does not make you a Swede, you can live
your life in France and not become a Frenchman, but in America you can
learn to become an American. It's one of the great things about America.
And of course your point F points to the
vulnerability of the America system: if assimilation is not the goal, the
Melting Pot has a lot more difficulty.
============
Engineering student cracks major riddle of the
universe,
Jerry!
Stop the presses! Missing mass found:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/05/24/oz_
undergrad_finds_the_missing_matter/
And it’s not even dark.
Ed
Great Heavens!
===========
Marmite has been made illegal in Denmark:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/
foodanddrinknews/8533896/Marmite-
made-illegal-in-Denmark.html
Sure, they had lots of good reasons. After all, the
strongly flavored dark brown spread made from brewer's yeast has joined Rice
Crispies, Shreddies, Horlicks and Ovaltine prohibited in Denmark under
legislation forbidding the sale of food products with added vitamins as
threat to public health.
A spokesman for the Danish Veterinary and Food
Administration said: "I cannot comment on the Marmite case because our
expert is away until Thursday."
And Obama holds the Europeans up for us to emulate.
Ed
I prefer Vegemite myself. Of course the Danes
don't have the same traditions of freedom as we do. Well, the Vikings
did...
=========
Japanese Superquake...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/
article-1389247/Japan-earthquake-
Ocean-floor-moved-79-feet-sideways.html
Japanese Superquake Moved Ocean Floor 79 Feet Sideways
and 10 Feet Up – and New Data Shows Region Is Under More Strain
Charles Brumbelow
==========
Sarah Palin: Barack Obama's Disregard for Ally's
Security Begs Clarity
Jerry,
Agree or disagree, this FB post demonstrates the level
of sophistication that one normally expects from Gingrich. Palin is
certainly not a policy wonk, but she is obviously getting tutored by
someone.
http://conservatives4palin.com/
2011/05/barack-obama%e2%80%99s-
disregard-for-ally%e2%80%99s-
security-begs-clarity.html#
Jim Crawford
==========
For "jeff"
Jerry,
This is in partial response to your e-mail from "Jeff"
in response to your equation of Mr. Gingrich to a corporate Chief Scientist.
This regards my personal experience in a couple of positions where I've held
that title; other's mileage may vary.
In my experience, the Chief Scientist may have either
a staff role (and a "regular" job in addition to duties as Chief Scientist)
or be a managing scientist on a research team.
In the staff position, the Chief Scientist is a
broadly knowledgeable and moderately senior person trained in a scientific
discipline relevant to the work; a Ph.D. is not indispensable but I can off
the top of my head think of only one person I've met with the title who
didn't have one. I generally had a "regular job" but would periodically be
called on to perform independent reviews of business ideas and technical
proposals from the standpoint of ensuring overall scientific accuracy. In
other words, I was a BS detector, and I think I did a moderately good job of
it most of the time.
As a managing Chief Scientist I was responsible for
planning and coordinating laboratory work by others (thank goodness they
didn't trust me around hazardous chemicals :) and compiling the results, and
assisting in the concept-level design of systems to implement the results. I
also had a view towards hazards assessment and backed up the safety staff.
I hope this helps.
J
============
Subj: James Burnham's _Suicide
of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism_
You mentioned James Burnham's _The Managerial
Revolution_ and _The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom_, but I think
_Suicide of the West_ is actually the source of the characterization of
Liberalism as "a philosophy of consolation for western civilization as it
commits suicide". It was first published in 1964.
http://www.chiltonwilliamson.com/books
/the_conservative_bookshelf_suicide_of_the_west.html
Rod Montgomery==monty@starfief.com
Yes, I should have cited that. The other two were
better known works, and Managerial Revolution was once widely taught in
universities back when there was a diversity of opinion in those
institutions.
===========
Job Opening - Psychic Ability Required
Dr. Pournelle --
Upon reading this, at first I thought I was gobsmacked,
then I realized I was depressed.
Italy earthquake experts charged with manslaughter
Risks commission members to face trial over failure to give sufficient
warning about L'Aquila earthquake in 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/
may/26/italy-quake-experts-manslaughter-charge
I have it written above my desk: "Despair is a sin."
Sometimes it's hard to remember.
Pieter
Words fail me...
=========
: Mercury and the WSJ
(Continuing a discussion that
began in View)
the authors of the WSJ article on Hg and power plants
have a article online with more detail and footnotes (some links no longer
work)
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/
stories/papers/originals/mercury_fact_sheet.pdf
L. Nettles
Thanks
==
What US EPA thinks or once thought about global
mercury emission
These estimates are highly uncertain.
http://www.epa.gov/hg/control_emissions/global.htm
-Joe
Interesting...
==
Additional data on mercury:
USGS:
http://www.usgs.gov/themes/factsheet/146-00/#sources
non-quantitative discussion
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629081932.htm
Considerable interesting data leads to this concluding
<snip>
'That one vent of one volcano can produce 7 tonnes of
mercury a year is astounding,’ said Oxford’s Dr Melanie Witt, ‘that’s
considerably more than total industrial emissions of mercury from the UK –
recorded at about 5.5 tonnes in 2000. It confirms our suspicions that
volcanoes are an important part of the global mercury cycle: what we need to
understand next is where this mercury ends up and what effects it may have
on the environment.’<snip>
M
==
Re: WSJ claim about mercury
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/mail/2011/Q2/mail676.html#Thursday
I question the validity of the chart shown on this
date.
First, the chart conflates data from a 1991 [ice?]
core and a 1998 [ice?] core. [These could be tree cores.] Are these cores
comparable? Were they taken from the same location?
The data on the chart suggest not. There is an overlap
of about 3 years (approximately 1945, 1946, and 1947). For those years, the
data from the 1991 core and the 1998 core differ.
Second, data has been withheld. Data from the 1991
core ends in the year 1947. Why? Data from the 1998 core were given for the
years 1945 to 1998. Why did the analyst choose to withhold data from the
1991 core for the years 1948 to 1991?
Third, the analyst's choice of data evidences
prejudice. During the years 1945 to 1947 -- when the data from the 1991 and
1998 cores overlap -- the analyst took the *higher* line; that is, the line
from the 1991 core.
Fourth, the analyst's history is incorrect. The graph
attributes an increase in mercury levels in the mid-19th century to 'Gold
Rush' [Gold Rush (circa 1850-84 AD)]. The Wind River Mountain Range -- where
the cores were taken -- lies in Wyoming. The Wyoming gold rush began in
1867. How does the analyst account for the increase in mercury levels from
1850 to 1866? Is he suggesting that the gold rush in California is
responsible for an increase in mercury levels in Wyoming? By what mechanism
was this accomplished?
Fifth, ... well, I have tired of this. I won't even
deign to discuss the irrational conclusions the writer of the text reached.
Correlation is not causation.
You took the better line of reasoning: this is a
debate, not a foregone conclusion. But we cannot reason together if we
cannot agree on the data.
This chart, too, is a lie. The choice is which
God-damned liar will you listen to.
Trust everyone, but cut the cards.
Live long and prosper
h lynn keith
PS Please note that I have said nothing about the WSJ
article. I have not read it and do not intend to. It may be a lie, which
implies deliberate deception. Or it may be a mentira (Spanish), which
implies an untruth rather than an attempt to deceive (enganar). Perhaps the
WSJ article cannot withstand scrutiny. But neither can this chart.
Actually, it's not even a debate. Until we have
some mutually agreed data, there's little to discuss. You can prove
anything if you get to make up your data, and nearly anything if you get
to select it. Science needs to consider all the data, and I don't think we
have it all.
Moreover, I have seen too many policies based on
selective data in this wicked world.
==
local vs global mercury volcanism etc
Hello Dr. Pournelle,
I saw Greg Cochran's chart and was struck by a couple
things. I'm not in favor of more mercury than necessary, but I'm not
convinced that an icecore from Wyoming (which is comparatively close to
Northern California and the Gold Rush) is indicative of atmosphere in
general. You've mentioned Los Angeles smog back in the day, which I'm sure
was awful locally, but it's unclear of it's global effect.
This reminds me of the measurements question: "how to
we determine the global temperature with disparate measurement locations,
systems, placements (shadow/shade etc.)?". Can I determine Global Warming
from my backyard.
Just looking at Cochran's chart of the Wyoming
ice-core, it shows a larger mercury volume from Mt St. Helens than from
Krakatoa. However according to the Volcanic Explosivity Index at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_Explosivity_Index]
Krakatoa ejected ~ 10 times the volume of Helens (from the other side of the
world).
So can we deem the Wyoming ice core to be absolute
proof of atmospheric mercury at large? Or are the Wyoming heightened Mercury
levels perhaps due to West Coast Industrialization? I'd be curious to see if
Arctic, Antartic, Himalayan, Kilamonjaro ice core samples reflect similar
mercury emission lines. Or is mercury-measurement, like politics, local?
Also, the mercury emission at the end of the 20thC
appears to be in decline. Is this part of that idea that technology gets
dirtier until it gets cleaner? Are we doing better? If it turns out the
chart is perfectly reflected in every ice-core from around the world,
should we establish regulatory standards for 2011 et seq, based on a peak
emissions from 1980 that have been declining for 30 years?
I think the source for the original chart was this
USGS site
http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-051-02/ The site does mention the
mercury decline over the last 20years. It states that the mercury baseline
is on par with cores obtained from other geographies. However, the opening
section says "Atmospheric mercury concentrations in these cores are not
likely influenced by local anthropogenic sources" which seems too conclusory
to be in 'background information'. Factsheet also availalbe in a one-page
pdf
http://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-051-02/pdf/fs-051-02.pdf
Michael Crow
[Emphasis added ]
In general, in the West at least, industry does
get dirtier before it gets cleaner, and as we discover more effective
techniques the trend to cleaner continues. But for rational decisions on
how much to spend for how much cleaner we need some agreement on the data;
I do not think we have that.
============
Subj: Must be Global Warming
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/
US_MEMORIAL_DAY_SNOW?SITE=AP
&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
&CTIME=2011-05-27-04-51-12
DENVER (AP) -- Ski resorts are bustling with activity.
A key highway into Yellowstone is closed because parts of the road have seen
more than 25 feet of snow. And campgrounds are feverishly removing snow from
campsites to clear the way for visitors.
Welcome to Memorial Day weekend in much of the West.
The traditional kickoff of the summer season will have
a decidedly wintry feel in the Rocky Mountains, as well as California's
Sierra Nevada, because of a lingering record snowfall.
<snip>
J
=============
More Barbarians
Reporting from Sacramento -- Computer errors prompted
California prison officials to mistakenly release an estimated 450 inmates
with "a high risk for violence" as unsupervised parolees in a program meant
to ease overcrowding, according to the state's inspector general.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/
la-me-prisons-20110526,0,6293602.story
-------- Most Respectfully,
Joshua Jordan, KSC
Percussa Resurgo
=========
Farming in Central California
Dear Dr. Pournelle,
Dr. Victor Davis Hansen is a classicist and a National
Review contributor who also owns a farm in central California -- not far
from where I was born.
He has a troubling tale to tell about his last six
months.
" I think I have a clue to what’s ahead. Here is an
aside, a sort of confession of my last six months in the center of our
cry-the-beloved state: December 2011: rear-ended by a texting driver; I
called 9/11 and the police; she called “relatives” who arrived in two
carloads. You get the picture. Luckily the police got there before her
“family” did, and cited her. Still waiting to fix the dented truck.
March 2011: riding a bike in rural California, flipped
over a “loose dog,” resulting in assorted injuries. Residents — well over 10
in various dwellings —claimed ignorance about the dogs outside their homes:
no licenses, no vaccinations, no leashes, no fence. Final score: them:
slammed door and shrugs; me: ruined bike, injuries, and a long walk home.
May 2011: two males drive in “looking to buy scrap
metal.” They are politely told to leave. That night barn is burglarized and
$1200 in property stolen.
Later May 2011: a female drives in van into front
driveway with four males, “just looking to rent” neighbor’s house. They
leave. Only later I learn they earlier came in the back way and had forced
their way in, prying the back driveway gate, springing and bending armature.
Later May 2011: shop is burglarized — both bolt and
padlock knocked off. Shelves stripped clean. It is the little things like
this that aggravate Californians, especially when lectured not to sweat it
by the academics on the coast and the politicians in Sacramento.
NB: I have been hit three times in the last 10 years:
1) driver ran stop sign, slammed into my truck, limped off, was run down and
detained by me until police arrived; 2) speeding driver hit a mattress in
the road (things such as that are rarely tied down by motorists in
California), swerved, was hit, did a 180, braked, but still hit me at 45 mph
head-on (survived due to the air bags of the Honda Accord); 3) rear-ended as
explained above. But this time your wiser author, when the car rear-ended me
at 50 mph, was driving a four-wheel-drive Toyota Tundra with huge tow bar in
back; the texter was driving a Civic. Nuff said.
Such is life 180 miles — and a cosmos away — from the
Stanford campus."
How can we put a stop to this?
Respectfully,
Brian P.
Hansen has written on this before. He is a
professor of classic history as well as a farmer.
This is not "migration" nor is it immigration;
this is invasion, and it is the task of the National Guard to protect us
from this sort of thing. Of course that is unlikely.
============w
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