Rapid-Fire Q&A with Alex Epstein on Energy and Climate Change
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2_PlEBNms4Alex Epstein, the author of "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels" and the founder and President of the Center for Industrial Progress, discusses with Aaron Harber the meaning of the term “Climate Change” from a controversial perspective.Epstein challenges the validity of climate prediction models and posits the benefits of Climate Change on a distributional basis versus those who focus only on the negative effects.Other topics covered in the fast-paced program include the proper role of government, human rights violations, and human consumption of resources --- with a historical focus on what the benefits of relatively inexpensive energy resources have been and will be versus the costs of using those resources. Epstein also uniquely emphasizes the relationship between energy and freedom from a cost-benefit perspective.The Gods of the Copybook Headings
By Rudyard KiplingAs I pass through my incarnations in every age and race, I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market-Place. Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn. That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn: But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breath of Mind, So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace, Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market-Place; But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come That a tribe had been wiped off its ice field, or the lights had gone out in Rome.With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch. They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch. They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings. So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace. They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease. But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life (Which started by loving our neighbor and ended by loving his wife) Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith, And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all, By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul; But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy, And the Gods of the Copybook Heading said: "If you don't work you die."Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew, And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true That All is not God that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four- And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man- There are only four things certain since Social Progress began:- That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire; And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins, As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn, The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!Dershowitz: Mueller’s Suggestion That Trump Might Be Guilty is Non-Objective
Alan Dershowitz, a former Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School, has penned a scathing editorial on Robert Mueller's comment that “if we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that.”As a prosecutor Mueller is not in a position to determine guilt or innocence -- that decision "requires a full adversarial trial with a zealous defense attorney, vigorous cross examination, exclusionary rules of evidence and other due process safeguards.According to Dershowitz "prosecutors can only conclude whether there is sufficient evidence to commence a prosecution."Writes Dershowitz in The Hill:
By putting his thumb, indeed his elbow, on the scale of justice in favor of impeachment based on obstruction of justice, Mueller has revealed his partisan bias. He also has distorted the critical role of a prosecutor in our justice system.....No responsible prosecutor should ever suggest that the subject of his investigation might indeed be guilty even if there was insufficient evidence or other reasons not to indict. ....federal investigations by prosecutors, including special counsels, are by their very nature one-sided. They hear only evidence of guilt and not exculpatory evidence. Their witnesses are not subject to the adversarial process. There is no cross examination. The evidence is taken in secret behind the closed doors of a grand jury. For that very reason, prosecutors can only conclude whether there is sufficient evidence to commence a prosecution. They are not in a position to decide whether the subject of the investigation is guilty or is innocent of any crimes.That determination of guilt or innocence requires a full adversarial trial with a zealous defense attorney, vigorous cross examination, exclusionary rules of evidence and other due process safeguards. Such safeguards were not present in this investigation, and so the suggestion by Mueller that Trump might well be guilty deserves no credence.No prosecutor should ever say or do anything for the purpose of helping one party or the other. I cannot imagine a plausible reason why Mueller went beyond his report and gratuitously suggested that President Trump might be guilty, except to help Democrats in Congress and to encourage impeachment talk and action. Shame on Mueller for abusing his position of trust and for allowing himself to be used for such partisan advantage. [Dershowitz: Shame on Robert Mueller for exceeding his role | The Hill]
His new book is “The Case Against the Democratic House Impeaching Trump.”
Salsman and Bernstein Speak Live at TOS-Con
Richard Salsman and Andrew Bernstein will be speaking live at TOS-Con this August in Park City Utah.If you are in the area don't miss out on a chance to hear these amazing speakers.Dr. Salsman will be speaking on “Democratic Socialism”: The Whitewashing of Evil and Dr. Bernstein on The Trader Principle and the Harmony of Rational Values. Here are the descriptions:“Democratic Socialism”: The Whitewashing of Evil by Richard Salsman Socialism has been proposed and practiced in numerous forms since the 1830s, including “utopian” socialism, Marxian socialism, national socialism, Christian socialism, and agrarian socialism. In its most virulent forms—as enacted in Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, Red China, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela—the result has been mass misery, mass poverty, and mass murder. Some dismiss such cases as unrepresentative of “true” socialism, claiming that “real” socialism is peaceful, progressive, and morally correct. Many socialists in America today aim to enact it slowly, consensually, and electorally, calling their version “democratic socialism.” This ruse has taken hold already in Europe and is now fast-gaining adherents in America, especially among the young. In this talk, Richard Salsman will examine the means by which so-called “democratic socialism” is gaining ground. He will also zero in on the fundamental principles that people must understand and embrace to defeat it and to advance the only genuinely moral and practical social system: laissez-faire capitalism.
The Trader Principle and the Harmony of Rational Values by Andrew Bernstein An important moral principle underlying civilized society is that of trade: All exchange of values must proceed by mutual consent and to mutual advantage of all parties involved. This principle applies not only to material values, such as food and medicine, bt also to spiritual values, such as friendship and romance. To the extent that people understand and uphold the trader principle, they can live in harmony. To the extent that they don’t, they suffer discord and sometimes violence. In this talk, Andrew Bernstein will examine the trader principle from multiple perspectives, concretizing it in myriad ways and showing its ubiquity in rational relationships. Whatever your current understanding, you will leave with a greater ability to apply the principle in your own life, to articulate it to others, and to advance civilized society.
Link: TOS-Con 2019Below are videos of talks by the dynamic duo of philosopher and economist from last year's conference.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siOQpNYl6mACrawford: “Natural Resources” Are Anything But
Writes Jason Crawford on One man's junk in his insightful Roots of Progress blog:
“Natural resources” are anything but.
I have said this before in the sense that everything we get from nature comes in an inconvenient form: metals must be extracted from their ores; grain must be milled or threshed and the wheat separated from its chaff; crude oil must be refined into its constituent weights.
But the more philosophical point is that all resources are the product of the human mind. A “natural” resource is only a resource at all in the context of a particular technology. It is only a resource to someone who can look at it and understand its use and value. And it is only a resource to someone who has the technology and the capital to extract it from its environment and put it to that use.
You can see this in the stories of the early development of industries.
Before the oil industry, there were known places where oily sludge or tar would seep out of the ground; people might skim some of it off a pond to light a torch, but no one was drilling it and no one considered it “black gold”.
The Marquette Iron Range near Lake Superior, which disrupted compass readings and attracted lightning, was known to local Chippewa tribes only as the home of a thunder god, until miners arrived to prospect and extract the ore.
The Chinchas Islands off the coast of Peru, covered in seagull droppings, were for a time the most valuable real estate in the world, owing to the value of guano as fertilizer—but before that discovery I can only imagine that sailors literally steered clear of them, owing to the overpowering stench.
But you can see the principle perhaps most starkly in the stories of valuable resources that were once considered waste products of industrial processes.
Crawford then goes on to list and elaborate on resources that were once waste products: natural gas, portland cement and cast iron.
Crawford: “Natural Resources” Are Anything But
Writes Jason Crawford on One man's junk in his insightful Roots of Progress blog:“Natural resources” are anything but.I have said this before in the sense that everything we get from nature comes in an inconvenient form: metals must be extracted from their ores; grain must be milled or threshed and the wheat separated from its chaff; crude oil must be refined into its constituent weights.But the more philosophical point is that all resources are the product of the human mind. A “natural” resource is only a resource at all in the context of a particular technology. It is only a resource to someone who can look at it and understand its use and value. And it is only a resource to someone who has the technology and the capital to extract it from its environment and put it to that use.You can see this in the stories of the early development of industries.Crawford then goes on to list and elaborate on resources that were once waste products: natural gas, portland cement and cast iron.
A Little Candle: A Tiny School with Big Ideas About Education
"A Little Candle" is a documentary about VanDamme Academy, a tiny school in Southern California with big ideas about education. If you are interested in learning more, go to www.alittlecandlemovie.com.The Extraordinary Grassroots Revolution of Low-Cost Private Schools
Without numbers, a great many myths about education and educational provision would go unchallenged. Before James Toohey started his work (with colleagues) on low-cost private schools, the accepted wisdom was that only government education could provide for the poor in developing countries. In this talk James explores these myths and shares his findings. He has been described in the pages of Philanthropy magazine as “a 21st century Indiana Jones” travelling to “the remotest regions on Earth researching something that many regard as mythical: private, parent-funded schools serving the Third World poor.https://youtu.be/XuYFgkYZfvU“The Beautiful Tree”: How Entrepreneurs are Revolutionizing Education for the Poor
After its release in 2009, The Beautiful Tree drew widespread praise. The book tells the remarkable story of author James Tooley’s travels from Africa to China, and of the children, parents, teachers, and others who showed him how the poor are building their own schools and learning to save themselves.See full video here.EU Debt Crisis was Created by Politicians and Central Bankers
Godfrey Bloom MEP on how the EU debt crisis was created by politicians and central bankers.https://youtu.be/OnGxfrWaqP8Victor Davis Hanson on “The Case For Trump” Over Clinton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEXL5USuDGIFrom the video description:"How did blue-collar voters connect with a millionaire from Queens in the 2016 election? Martin and Illie Anderson Senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson addresses that question and more in his newly released book, The Case for Trump. He sits down with Peter Robinson to chat about his motivation to write a book making a rational case for those voters who chose Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. Hanson and Robinson, the Murdoch Distinguished Policy Fellow, discuss how voters connected with Trump’s “personal authenticity” during the campaign and how the media has a “historical amnesia” of the bad behavior of past presidents when talking about President Trump. The president, Hanson argues, was always an outsider from elite society in Manhattan, which helped him to better to connect with voters who felt like outsiders. He analyzes President Trump’s platform agenda, which was composed 80% of traditionally conservative views with the remaining 20% being radical ideas that fit with many of the views of the midwestern states. He breaks down why, in the end, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich didn’t appeal to voters in the way that Trump managed to. Hanson turns to talk about his background and life growing up in California’s Central Valley and how different the area feels now compared to when he was younger...."
Hanson argues that the political "outsider" Trump is not merely the lessor of two evils, but putting aside his anti-intellectuality, pettyiness and crudeness, in some policy areas he is good. For a contrasting view see Onkar Ghate: Why Ayn Rand Would Have Despised a President Trump. The era of the Trump Presidency is an interesting test for America's constitutional republic and rule of law.Related:- Ghate: What the success of the Trump campaign reveals about the United States
- What Do Donald Trump and Bill Clinton Have In Common?
- Onkar Ghate: Why Ayn Rand Would Have Despised a President Trump
- 8 Tactics Trump Used To Become President
- C. Bradley Thompson: Trump Won Because of the “Forgotten Men and Women”
Elan Journo Debates on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Soho Forum hosted a debate about the Israeli - Palestinian conflict and whether the Palestinian movement has a right to exist. Israeli author Elan Journo, the Ayn Rand Institute’s research director, debated U.S. Army Strategist Major Danny Sjursen at the Subculture Theater in New York City.Comments Elan Journo at New Ideal:The debate vividly brought out an important contrast between my opponent’s approach to the issue and mine. In my own remarks, I highlighted my book’s distinctive approach to the conflict: a secular, individualist moral framework. I take the principle of individual freedom as a standard for evaluating the adversaries. Central to my view is that we must evaluate the nature of the Palestinian movement. The evidence shows that this movement is hostile to freedom; its main factions strive to establish militant authoritarian and theocratic regimes. To resolve the conflict, then, we must start by taking seriously this movement’s ideological aims. My opponent, by contrast, challenged the premise that there’s any coherence to the “Palestinian movement,” denied the importance of its ideological outlook, and urged a return to solutions that have demonstrably made matters worse.Link: Soho Forum Debate on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | C-SPAN.orgFor further reading: What Justice Demands
Elan Journo Debates on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Soho Forum hosted a debate about the Israeli - Palestinian conflict and whether the Palestinian movement has a right to exist. Israeli author Elan Journo, the Ayn Rand Institute’s research director, debated U.S. Army Strategist Major Danny Sjursen at the Subculture Theater in New York City.
Comments Elan Journo at New Ideal:
The debate vividly brought out an important contrast between my opponent’s approach to the issue and mine. In my own remarks, I highlighted my book’s distinctive approach to the conflict: a secular, individualist moral framework. I take the principle of individual freedom as a standard for evaluating the adversaries. Central to my view is that we must evaluate the nature of the Palestinian movement. The evidence shows that this movement is hostile to freedom; its main factions strive to establish militant authoritarian and theocratic regimes. To resolve the conflict, then, we must start by taking seriously this movement’s ideological aims. My opponent, by contrast, challenged the premise that there’s any coherence to the “Palestinian movement,” denied the importance of its ideological outlook, and urged a return to solutions that have demonstrably made matters worse.
Link: Soho Forum Debate on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | C-SPAN.orgFor further reading: What Justice Demands
Doublepeak On Mueller Report: From Non-“Collusion” with Russians to Obstruction of In-“Justice”
Writes Matthew Walther on Obstruction is the new collusion inThe Week:
"Obstruction of justice is the new, even lamer sequel to collusion."
[...]
"Instead we have moved in the space of about five minutes from theorizing about Trump's 30-plus years of experience working for the KGB to arguing that his unwillingness to pretend that he really enjoyed having his presidency undermined for half of his first term was a pleasant experience makes him guilty of something called 'obstruction of justice.' "
"What kind of person do you have to be to spend two years insisting on the basis of no evidence whatsoever that a crime occurred and then, virtually the minute your baseless assertions are proven false, start banging on about how the suspect's attempts to prove himself innocent are themselves criminal?"