The Grumpy Pundit

Thinking Point #13

Robert M. Brown — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:10:46 +0000

If all gun owners share collective guilt over the Sandy Hook shooting, do all Muslims share collective guilt over the Boston Marathon Bombing? If not, why not?

Welcome To Reality, America

Robert M. Brown — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:26:13 +0000

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing, we’re hearing the usual refrain, about how unimaginable it is that someone would do something like this. How could someone possibly murder innocents? Nothing like that has ever happened before! It’s completely …

Dirty Water

Robert M. Brown — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:08:54 +0000

I never lived in Boston, but I did grow up in Massachusetts. I haven’t been back in years, and probably never will, but Massachusetts will always be a part of me. I remember the trees and hills, and the long, …

What Goes Up….

Robert M. Brown — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:16:26 +0000

James Shelley talks about Ibn Khaldun and history. For Khaldun, the symptom of society’s decline is people’s incapacity to act for themselves. When people (presumably distracted by luxury to the point of complete apathy) fail to take concern for the …

A Political Philosophy

Robert M. Brown — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:33:17 +0000

Back in the days of my youth, I was a libertarian, and Libertarian. I believed in as little government as possible, leaving everyone free to run their lives as they wished. (I also, somewhat paradoxically, believed in the ruthless crushing …

It Could Never Happen Here

Robert M. Brown — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:22:19 +0000

German gun control laws in the pre-WWII period respected the rights of sportsmen and hunters, but took strong action to control and confiscate any weapons that might have a military use. Special permits and authorization were required to buy and …

Harsh Numbers

Robert M. Brown — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:32:20 +0000

Bruce Krafft runs the numbers and busts a few myths. A whole lot of interesting studies and statistics to bust all the myths about more guns equaling more crime, and the US having a higher rate of violent crime than …

Land Of The Free

Robert M. Brown — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:18:20 +0000

Security guards assault someone for taking pictures of railroad tracks. This goes on all the time. Police and security guards pretend that there is a law against public photography and harass or arrest photographers. Isn’t security a wonderful thing? As …

Is Justice Served?

Robert M. Brown — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:44:18 +0000

Army veteran Nathan Haddad has been arrested in upstate New York for having some 30-round magazines. The charge is ‘criminal possession of a weapon’ which I find very interesting, considering that there was no actual weapon involved. (A magazine without …

Risky Business

Robert M. Brown — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:26:55 +0000

Bruce Schneier is beating the risk analysis drum again this time with some help from Famous Author Jared Diamond Diamond: Consider: If you’re a New Guinean living in the forest, and if you adopt the bad habit of sleeping under …