I am sure that everyone here who has used the Orkut social network site has gotten to know at least one Iranian person there. I have gotten to know several and count them as friends. Now comes the news that the Iranian government (more accurately, the ayatollahs) are blocking Orkut, among other social networking websites, from being accessed by its citizens.

Ostensibly, this is to protect their innocent eyes from morally decadent speech and pictures like nudity, etc. but in reality I believe that it is because the Iranian people are discovering that Americans, and other people in the west, are not the devil incarnate. They are learning that we are people just like they are, and that we live with more freedom than they do.

This measure blocking Orkut is just one more in a long series of infringements on the liberties of the Iranian people. The ayatollahs have been passing death sentences on reformers, they've been disqualifying thousands of people for elected office because they are reformers. Recently a judge personally put the noose around the neck of a 16 year old girl he convicted of being un-muslim, for having the temerity of denouncing the behavior of the government. Whoever this girl is, she is a hero of liberty who should have a monument built to her, alongside Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine.

What can we do to help?
+ 'adopt' an Iranian?
+ send libertarian books to Iranians.
+ help Iranians immigrate

any other ideas?

To Iranians: you have our support and sympathy. We in the free world want to help you. This is, though, primarily YOUR fight. As Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." You will get the government you deserve if you stand up to demand it, but also if you do nothing. The future is in your hands to accomplish. If you lead, the world will follow.

I believe it is of utmost importance that the entire world stand up in solidarity with the freedom-seeking people of Iran, to let them know they have our support. If you know an Iranian in Iran, please take the time to let them know of your support.

Now that IBM has sold out its once-flagship PC operations to Chinese computer maker Lenovo, 'Big Blue' has become "Big Red". PC engineers are worried about being transferred to China and some are even getting their blood and DNA profiled in preparation for the Chinese organ farms in the event of a bad performance report... (ha)

I hear the official dress of an employee is no longer suit and tie but a baggy tan Mao jacket, with little red book in the breast pocket.....The new President sought to reassure workers, saying, "We won't be sending the workforce to China wholesale, but there will be some relocations." (read: some of you are going, some of you might be staying, and many of you are getting canned)

The word on the street is full of questions about how a company that even IBM couldn't make profitable is going to become profitable under the Chinese. The conclusion is that it won't. It will, instead, be used as a pillory by which the PC market will get dumped on, driving Dell, HP, and others out of business in a price war financed by Peoples Liberation Army bank accounts.

This could mean ever cheaper PCs for you and me, at the expense of any remaining US ownership in any large PC maker/seller. I predict PC prices under $150 within 2-5 years (provided my previous prediction on China doesn't also come to fruition.)

This journal entry appears also on my Xanga blog at: SadoMikeyism

I see more liberal congressmonsters ho-humming about how bad a draft would be, but "it's only fair", it's "more democratic" than just letting hick kids volunteer for all the glory, and because "failure is not an option", even though "Iraq was a mistake." Now they point out the risks if North Korea or Iran becomes another regional conflict issue, however, the real risks aren't North Korea, or Iran. Those are more mere distractions from the real risk.

China has $500 billion in US dollars in its vaults, being used to back their own currency, the Yuan. Over the last year, a number of other countries have detached their shaky currencies from the dollar and changed backing to the Euro, encouraged by the Chinese and other anti-US forces at work on the international stage. This means that many billions of dollars flowed out of the reserve banks of developing nations as Euros flowed in.

This devalued the dollar by up to 40%. This is the real reason oil is so expensive. If you adjusted for these exchange rate changes, the price of oil would be no different than it was prior to the Iraq war. I was looking at the price of Iranian crude yesterday: $34.00 weighted average between light and heavy crudes from Iran. Adjusted for the change in exchange rates prior to the Iraq war, that is equal to a pre-war price of less than $20.00/bbl, or $0.50 per gallon.

Now China is talking about shifting their own currency backing to a "mixed basket" of currencies, and is planning on dumping $200-$300 billion in US cash on the world currency markets in the next year. This will drop the value of the dollar even more, raising gas prices likely to about $3.50-$4.00 per gallon, unless other nations get creative about taking dollars off the market. These prices are reflective of the inflation adjusted prices we paid for oil during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. Some of you remember those days, of inflation, mile long gas lines, rationing, and Carter's failed assault in the Iranian desert.

It isn't about currency or oil. It is about war. Not war in Iraq, or Iran, or North Korea, it's about war in Taiwan. China is pissed at Taiwan and it's independence minded President. Encouraged by US sales of advanced weapons systems, Taiwan has been talking a tougher line about complete independence from China. Ticked off by US spy-plane flights offshore of Chinese military invasion exercises (you remember when our plane got forced down prior to 9-11), the Chinese know that the US is the final arbiter of any conflict between the island and the mainland. They want us out of that picture so they can have a free reign in determining the conflict for themselves.

For years China's military establishment has accepted as a given a major war with the US in the next few decades, over Taiwan ostensibly, and global dominance overall in the 21st Century. They see this scenario as their version of the Spanish-American War, where we are now the old and decadent Spanish Empire, ripe to be plucked of its prize fruits, on the road to recognition as a new global super-power.

Now, China is not stupid. After all, Sun Tsu, the general who united ancient China, is the author of the greatest war manual, The Art of War. This book is studied for years by Chinese officers. Sun Tsu says to strike where the enemy is not, where the enemy is weakest. He also says to win a battle before an arrow is fired. He was the man who perfected the art of the forking attack, of feints, flanking maneuvers, of taking the high ground and fading into the terrain.

China needs to neutralize the US as a threat in its plan to conquer Taiwan. They are now testing nuclear subs with missiles capable of striking any target in the US. Still, they need to neutralize our conventional forces capability.

This is why for many years, you have seen significant Chinese support for Islamo-Fascism. China supplied Pakistan with nuclear technology to counter the Indian nuclear threat to China. It also supplied the Pakistanis with weapons supplies for the Taliban and al Qaeda. It supplied Iraq and Iran with ballistic missile technology. Most Iranian nuclear technology comes from China, through Pakistan.

Why would China do this? This is a classic Sun Tsu forking attack. They are using Islamo-fascism to blunt the US military capability, to sap its strength and readiness, its morale and support around the world. We see the threat of islamofascist terrorism as the real threat to US national security, and so are distracted from what is really going on. This is the real reason for 9-11: we had started becoming aware of the Chinese threat when our spy-plane was forced down in international airspace by a Chinese fighter collision. They couldn't allow this.

Now that we are distracted, the next hammer is dropping: the devaluating dollar crisis will push oil prices out of the range of affordability for our military to keep the Strategic Oil Reserve supplied. Our Navy will not be able to fuel a significant supply convoy program to Taiwan, while those supplies that are shipped out will fall prey to the new ultra-quiet Chinese diesel-electric attack subs. Our Air Force will quickly fall short on aircraft fuel for supply transport convoys to Taiwan. The US Navy won't be able to support constant rotating aircraft carrier groups in the South China Sea.

What can the US do to alleviate this threat? It is risky, and unorthodox, but I think is the ultimate defense: when the Chinese drop the currency bomb on the market, and oil prices go through the roof, the US should respond by selling the entire Strategic Oil Reserve off at these newly inflated prices. After all, we bought that oil at $1.50 per gallon. If we sell it off at $4.00 a gallon, that will take a lot more dollars off the market than we had previously put into it, it will push oil prices back down, and we can then use the sales profits to purchase oil at cheaper prices for our military needs.

Thinking about a draft is the least of our worries at the moment. If and when China decides to let the other shoe drop, it will be far too late for any late surge of Monday Morning Patriotism to fix anything. A battle to re-liberate Taiwan would be a lot more costly in lives then, as well, in addition to likely insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq in support of Chinese aggression.

And when you hear griping from the left about a draft, keep in mind the documented fact that the Chinese used the American left in supporting the North Vietnamese Communist forces during the Vietnam conflict, with the left-sponsored anti-war movement.

First off, I didn't vote for him, so don't blame me. I voted for the other, other guy (Badnarik, even though I had to write him in here in NH).

Bush is in, and in the words of L Neil Smith's daughter Rylla, "America bent over, spread her cheeks, and asked,'Please sir, may I have another?'" (Quite a daughter L Neil is raising there, eh?)

Societies get the government they deserve, as someone else once said, and that means more than just the American people. Americans don't like socialist money men (Soros) trying to buy elections, or snooty French people trying to educate us. They don't like hefty ketchup-clad Mozamiquan heiresses funding anti-American terror groups (Ruckus Society, ALF/ELF), and they don't like flip-flopping double talking commie-coddling northeastern blue-bloods with faked up war records. They certainly don't like activist judges telling them what kind of families they have to be nice to, or anybody telling them it is their fault for 9/11.

I have said frequently and often since 9/11 that we should build a 200 story tower at the WTC, so the NYC skyline would look like a series of knuckles punctuated by one big middle finger to the rest of the world. America did just that electorally last tuesday, handing Bush both the electoral college and the popular vote by a margin of 3%. While certainly not a Reagan landslide, it is certainly far better than his fathers performance in '92 and his own in 2000. In fact, it was better than any Democrat performance since 1964.

Of course, there were reasons for this. Both major parties told the major media to black out Michael Badnarik, the only real anti-war, anti-draft candidate, or risk losing access in DC. The Democrats practiced a scorched earth policy in giving all possible anti-Bush voters only one choice in the election, by keeping third party candidates off the ballot in many states.

Now Bush is trying to make amends, announcing that privatizing social security is the primary domestic agenda item of his second term. He thinks that will keep the Libertarians happy. It will certainly pay off the libertarian base with one more excuse to continue to be the GOP's bitch.

However, the LP screwed up in its national campaign strategy. Fred Collins, the Badnarik strategist from Oregon, tried to fight a local race campaign on a national scale. Didn't work. He tried to focus ad dollars on battleground states in an attempt to flip states in the election and gain notoriety as Nader did in 2000. Didn't work.

What would have worked was to focus ad dollars on uncontested states, states where one or the other major candidates were considered shoe-ins for that states electoral votes: California, Texas, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New York, etc.... all states where either Kush or Berry had an overwhelming lead. I have found in my electioneering that people enthusiastically vote libertarian in races where they believe the lesser evil is a shoe-in.

Here in NH, I saw it with my candidate in the 2nd district, Rich Kahn, who had our best showing to date in that district, with almost 3.5% of the vote, when we normally take 2.3%. Not only that, but with a record turnout, taking a 100% improvement in raw votes than previous LP candidates there.

If we had gotten our other two candidates on the ballot in the first district (Dan Belforti for congress and Ken Blevens for Senate), where we historically do better than the 2nd, and seen similar improvement there, we'd have averaged over 4.1% statewide and attained major party status for the first time since 1996.

It is bittersweet to contemplate, as I just assumed the Vice-Chairmanship this past month in the 2nd district, but I'm hopeful for next election. But we need to start planning now....

--- Cory Colock wrote:

> Concerning the "old" GOP, I'd just like to add that I believe it was
> them who took steps to end segregation and racism Anyway, the reason
> I'm replying is just to say you hit the nail directly on the head.
>
> "this election year, only one issue is the most important, and that
> is the safety of our nation. Kerry is an EXTREME bleeding heart
> liberal, and he will dam the united states military, i have no
> doubt... thats why i am voting for pres. Bush, again....the lesser of
> 2 evils"

You know, I felt the same in 2000. I felt Bush was the lesser of two evils. I went to the polls, I held my nose and voted in disgust to protect the US and my 2nd amendment rights against Al Gore. It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Yes, Bush has led resolutely through the national security crisis we've lived through since 9/11. He has done well there.

However, as a veteran, I'm disgusted at how he has put our military men and women at unnecessary risk because he has steadfastly refused to magnanimously apply the Geneva Conventions to all prisoners we've captured. These conventions allow for determining if a combatant is legal or illegal. Bush has not even allowed prisoners the right to have this determination reached, according to retired Admiral John Hutson, (registered Republican and former Chief JAG of the Navy). When the hostile world sees that we don't recognise these laws, they do not feel bound in any way to observe them in kind, and our attempts to take them to task for war crimes become a mockery.

Yes, Bush has done what no previous president has done, in having an AG who explicitly declared that the 2nd Amendment describes individual rights, although Ashcroft turned around and stated that the words "shall not be infringed" have no real legal meaning. Bush has also supported reenacting the assault weapons ban, and has not fought to support the rights of our pilots, flight crew and other CCW equipped law abiding citizens to fly armed.

From unfunded mandates in education to fascist laws in the Patriot Act, the fascist forces of the police state have used the 9/11 crisis as a cover to totally override the Bill of Rights. I now have to give an SSN to open a bank account, in violation of my rights under the Privacy Act of 1974. Because of my religious objection to the inventorying of human flesh, I now must either lose my job and fall into poverty and homelessness because I cannot cash paychecks, or I must have my religious beliefs violated, in violation of my most sacred 1st Amendment rights.

Schools are using 9/11 to violate the free speech rights of its students who merely want their yearbook photos to show their involvement in shooting sports, and students who are involved in educational civil war reenactment activities.

DMVs and police agenies are imposing biometric and even DNA scanning technologies, RFID technologies, CCD, and other Orwellian systems into imposing a totalitarian police state here in the US.

We used to talk about how the statists use the 'lobster bake' tactics of incrementalism to slowly erode our rights without our noticing. The flood gates have now opened under the guise of 'fighting terror' and 'national security' as the founding fathers warned of. The major parties are seeing the apathy of the people and are becoming increasingly emboldened every day to ever greater encroachments via fear mongering and demagogery.

Admiral Yamamoto warned Tojo against invading the continental US saying, "there is a rifle behind every blade of grass." Our 2nd amendment saved us from asian invasion in 1941. It's erosion and abrogation is why 9/11 occured. Restoring the 2nd amendment to its full power is the only real solution to Homeland Security. It is entirely the fault of the major parties conspiring to erode the 2nd amendment that 9.11 occured. They need to be taught a lesson.

The only wasted votes are votes that are never cast, or votes cast for a candidate you don't respect. Voting for the lesser evil only results in more evil government. I won't do that again. I won't vote for evil government, I won't vote for a person I don't respect, and I won't cry about 'wasting' my vote. I'm voting for Michael Badnarik, and if more of you did the same, we'd be putting a real defender of liberty in the White House, not a mentally impaired toady of trotskyist neo-cons and his ventriloquist, or a banal opportunistic traitor and his Ketchup-laden wife.

"These are the times that try mens souls...." as Thomas Paine said. Don't be a summer soldier or a sunshine patriot actor. Don't let this be your winter of discontent. The time for compromising, backsliding, taking what you can get, cutting a deal, pleaing out, or cutting and running is over. This is possibly the most important election since the Civil War, yet you are surrendering the campaign to the two worst candidates in the last century, when one excellent man of principle is a legitimate candidate, who will defend ALL of your rights ALL of the time, and return our government to its constitutional limits.

Don't stand for it any more, don't let the big parties take you for granted, don't get played, and don't think you will 'waste' your vote. "If you were on death row, where you had a 50% chance of hanging, a 45% chance of lethal injection, and 5% chance of escape, would you vote for lethal injection just because it would be less painful? NO, you'd vote for escape no matter how thin your chances were." - Michael Badnarik, Libertarian Party 2004 National Convention

In trying to get LP presidential candidate Michael Badnarik on Dave Letterman, I came up with this:

Top Ten Reasons for Voting for a Minor Party Candidate,

number ten: To have one's opinion not just ignored, but officially ignored.
number nine: your wife might not, but you'll respect yourself in the morning
number eight: Badnarik and Cobb are much funnier names than Kerry
number seven: no matter who wins, you always have the excuse that you voted for the *other* guy.
number six: Voting for the lesser evil still results in an Evil government (picture of Mini-Me in the oval office).
number five: Who really wants the first lady telling people to shove it for four years?
number four: Legalize Cuban Cigars!!!!
number three: Who remembers when Free Speech Zones were wherever you happened to be standing?
number two: You get to claim instant minority status!
number one: STICK IT TO THE MAN!!!!!

Our Friend, Craig Benson, has been a big help to the FSP, the LPNH, and our movement in general. Now is the time where we need to show our appreciation for this support by returning that support in a big public way.

MONDAY, Oct 18th, is the WMUR Channel 9/Union Leader gubernatorial debate between Gov. Craig Benson and Democrat John Lynch. The debate starts at 7 pm, but the Benson campaign is launching a rally outside the station at 4 pm and they asked us for our assistance in getting as many supporters to this rally as possible.

The Lynch Mob is having a rally as well, and they are bussing in paid protesters from out of state.

The debate location is at the Channel 9 station on the south end of Commercial Street in Manchester. If you get off I-293 at the Granite Street exit and cross the river, you turn right onto Commercial St. and go a few blocks till you see the station. THere should be plenty of activity.

If you have your own signs or want to make your own, excellent, just keep them in good taste, though comments about "Lynch Mob Tactics" might be a nice way to bring attention to the dirty tricks being played by the democrats this year. There will be plenty of Benson paraphernalia on hand.

It is REALLY important that as many Porcupines and Libertarians show up as possible for this, okay folks? Thanks.

TUESDAY NIGHT:
This is the 1st District congressional debate between Jeb Bradley (R) and Justin Nadeau. They are following the same schedule: 4pm rally, then a 7 pm debate. The Bradley campaign reached out to us the other day for help in exchange for support for our local candidates in the March elections. As the debate is in the station studio, after the rally, Bradley's campaign guy, Andrew, says that they will be going down the street to Jillians for beers and to watch the debate on tv.

Nadeau is also getting out-of-state support in the form of bussed in paid demonstrators. The rent-a-mob tactics are really disappointing to see, but we need to show that we can put together a real demonstration of real people.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT:
2nd District Congressional Debate between Charlie Bass (R) and Paul Hodes (D). LPNH candidate Richard Kahn, who is on the ballot this year, has so far been excluded from the debate but we're trying some back channel work to get him in. As the debates this week are sponsored by the WMUR Channel 9 and the Manchester Union Leader, you can help get Rich in the debates by calling WMUR at: 1800-257-5151 and sending emails to the Union Leader at: response@theunionleader.com.

If you have any questions, call me at my office at 603-606-7811.
ALSO: There has been a lot of dirty tricks being played by democrats in this campaign. You've likely read about massive voter registration fraud occuring around the entire US by 'get out the vote' groups who are Democratic Party fronts, and you may have heard about how the front group "Clean Ballot Project" has been trying to keep third parties off the ballot this year to prevent any anti-Bush sentiment voting for anyone but Kerry. There has been widespread campaign sign vandalism here in NH by the Democrats (who have a history of such things, including an arrest of the Democratic Whip with a car full of Republican campaign signs several years ago), and the John Lynch campaign is shipping in paid protesters to help make things even worse.

We need to help expose a lot of this stuff, and we are going to need your help at the polls on November 2nd. Here is what you can do to help:

1) show up at the polls at least a half hour prior to them opening. Demand to see the tape of the ballot counting machine, and to see that the bin in the machine is empty prior to opening. Don't let anybody say you can't see it, it is your right by law to inspect them.

2) Keep an eye on parking areas by polls. If you see anyone park with out-of-state license plates, take a picture or film their car's plates if you can, and get into the polling place to challenge their registration. This is very important, as we expect a lot of border jumpers this year attempting vote fraud.

3) At the close of the polls, demand to see the tape of the machine count of the number of ballots cast.

Additionally, Congressman Jeb Bradley's organization has reached out to us for help at the polls with holding signs, etc. and has offered to help our local candidates at the polls in March. They are also seeing what they can do to help get Rich Kahn in the 2nd district debates. Jeb is a pretty libertarian republican: he's federally pro-choice, pro-gun, etc... You can contact the Bradley campaign through their office at 603-626-5300 or email Andrew at morris_ret04@yahoo.com. If you need to reach Andrew at night, his cell is 502-2859

LPNH candidate for congress in the 2nd District, Richard Kahn, needs help before and on election day too: putting out signs, holding signs at the polls, and writing supportive Letters to the Editor to your local newspapers. You can contact him at nv1z@aol.com or at 881-4172.

Someone I know, a rather irrational leftie, posted the following to an email list I am on:
> "...of 535 members of Congress, Michael Moore says that only one has a child serving with
> the military in Iraq.":
> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002058054_pitts10.html


In response, I point, instead, to this article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040913-9999-1m13duncan.html

To conclude:
There are as many as eight members of Congress with children who have served, are serving, or are on their way to, Iraq, including Joe Biden, D-NJ. One has three kids in the military, and another has a child on active duty and another at the Naval Academy.

While this is still less than 2% of the entire congress, it is above average for the general population, where the US population is currently 290 million and the entire US military is 1.336 million, less than 1/2 of 1% are currently serving in the military in some capacity. As there are now 120,000 US military personnel in Iraq, the per capita military people in Iraq is 0.0005. Even if only one member of congress had a child serving in Iraq, that would still be 0.0020, or four times greater than the US population's per capita committment as a whole. With 8 kids serving in Iraq, the Congress' personal commitment rises to 0.016, or 32 times greater than the commitment of the average American.

This analysis shows why agitprop radicals like Michael Moore are such lying bastards. Congress is doing more than 'its fair share'. Whether you think that Congress should do even more is another issue entirely.

Being the libertarian/ancap transhumanist that I am, it was inevitable that at some point I would bring up the topic of futures markets in some way. Don't deny it, you've been laying bets on just when it was going to occur... ;)

Building on my commentary on my main Multiply page, I would like to propose that a proper social network, for it to build and develop, both in user base and server/bandwidth base, in a stable manner that provides quality experience for the user and quality revinue for the provider, that users and the provider should enter into a form of futures contract with regard to invitations to new members to join.

In Charles Stross' novel "Singularity Sky", which you might, at this point, think I have been obsessing on too much of late, there exists a futures market of a sort, between The Festival and the denizens of Rochard's World. If an inhabitant "entertains" the festival with a bit of prose, poetry, a story, theory, or other original material, The Festival will rain manna from heaven in the form of whatever material or other object the person desires.

The Festival is of course betting on the future value of the knowledge presented to the wider galactic community, including the Critics community which rides from world to world with The Festival, and the storyteller is betting that the Festival will make good on the deal with something with hopefully more than a passing resemblance to the item the storyteller describes he or she desires.

How does this apply to social networks? Well, it turns out that, like The Festival, Multiply is trying to build out a communications network while at the same time creating demand for the information that is available to input into that network. Multiply is betting on the value of the information being inputted to capitalize the expansion of its network.

There are of course different sorts of information, in order of increasing value: user information, i.e. your demographic data; activity information, i.e. how you use the network and what sort of content you seek out; and original content information, i.e. content like this essay, your photographs, etc. which attract other users to expose themselves to advertising sold by Multiply and which is in some cases targeted by the type of content being viewed.

If there is too little information going into the system, there is too little value upon which Multiply can base its capitalization. If there is too much user information about people who are not high value consumers of advertising, the servers don't get capitalized to meet the demand for disk space. If there is too much activity information on people who do not generate original content, bandwidth gets overtaxed beyond the ability to capitalize it. In other words, it is the people who generate original content, content with lots of nice sellable key words, who are the high value users.

Yet you can't have an imbalance of any of the three, preferably they are all the same people playing the three roles. Users who do not add sellable user information, surf the network all the time socializing, and do not create original content are the low value users. Those who generate enough original content to balance their user info and activity are the most sought after. Other social networks, like Friendster, Orkut, Tribe, etc have not created mechanisms to encourage a balance in this use. Many do not even provide the tools for people to add original content. Multiply is unique in this, which is why I think it has the best chance of success, but it still must implement a means of encouraging adding original content.

The best way to do this, I think, is with a form of futures market. Each user not only has to invite other users to get in, but must pay a set bid on each invite. If the invitee winds up being a plus value user, the invitor wins the bet and receives a return from Multiply. If the invitee is a low value user, the invitor loses the bet and their bid.

A user who gets too negative in their bid bank must accept an increased amount of advertising exposure, answer consumer surveys.

How do you know what is good original content or not? Perhaps a rating system on it, which users can not only reply, but give a numerical rating.

This is the missing filter mechanism to produce a truly high quality social networking experience.

I just created the Free State Project group on Multiply. Any libertarians or lib-leaning persons are invited to join and participate.

To join the Multiply community for the FSP: http://freestate.multiply.com/

To join the FSP itself: https://secure.freestateproject.org/join.jsp