Author: Derek

*Midway*

The Wife and I went to see the new Midway flick over the weekend. I heard critics complaining about the first part of the movie that quickly goes through some of the major actions of the Pacific War up to the actual battle. Was it all just so that the director had a chance to show off nifty digital effects? I’m sure that had something to do with it, but based on The Wife’s reaction, I think it was a good introduction to the Pacific War. Especially for those who have a passing familiarity with the material.

Overall, the effects were great. The acting was believable. I enjoyed the heck out of myself. I have some quibbles, but since they involve spoilers, I will discuss those in the comments.

Plus, I get to post my favorite trailer for the film.

Are you really surprised?

Williamsburg Trip

Last week The Wife and I went up to Williamsburg. She had a work thing, so we did a quick combined vacation thing. It helped her cousin lives up there, so we had a place to crash.

  1. I did the musket event. It was the first time I’ve done black powder. I enjoyed the hell out of firing a Brown Bess and a colonial fowling piece. And yes, now I have a hankering for a black powder rifle. I will say, the only down side was my beard smelled like burnt powder for the rest of the day. If you are willing to spend the hundred bucks, I would recommend it.
  2. On Sunday, while The Wife was at an all-day work thing, her cousin and I went down to Norfolk. He’s a retired chief, so we went on base and went down to sight see at the ships tied up. It’s always neat to see those huge machines. From there, he took me downtown so we could go to the USS Wisconsin. This is an Iowa-class battle wagon turned into a museum ship. Another high recommendation.
  3. I’ve been listening to Max Hastings’ book on Vietnam. It doesn’t pull punches on any side. It’s a great companion piece with Ken Burns’ recent Vietnam documentary series. It’s been really good for someone like me who is trying to understand that conflict, since I didn’t live through those times. It’s scary how much the reasons the US failed to get out of Vietnam mirror why we haven’t left Afghanistan. Both the publicly stated reasons, and the true reasons of those in power.

Another Reason I Love My Wife

I need a new holster. I told her that I would take the funds out of my “Derek Stuff Fund”. At which point, she made a strenuous argument that it should come out of our shared clothing budget because it was a necessity. I’ll admit I didn’t argue the point as strenuously as she did.

Anyways, I have a new Bravo Concealment holster coming.

Monday Morning Thoughts

  1. It’s amazing how much relief I felt when I woke up and my first thought was “I don’t have to clean up all that cat puke.” Corollary- that was a weird dream.

  2. Just because I saved up all those calories for the brother-in-law’s birthday dinner, doesn’t mean I need to use them all. Even for the mother-in-law’s cake and the wife’s deviled eggs.

  3. I’m trying to remember why I thought it was a good idea to schedule a doctor appointment on my day off. Particularly when my doc is sixty miles from the house. Oh well, at least I’ll get to wear my kilt, since I’m not going there after work.

An-Cap Asymptote

It’s been said, that if you get three libertarians in the room, they will immediately begin determining who is the true libertarian. Unfortunately, we’re seeing this play out on the national stage within the Libertarian Party. Particularly between the anarcho-capitalist wing and the left-leaning pragmatist wing.

I have great sympathy for the an-caps. For those who do not live within the libertarian world, anarcho-capitalists base their worldview on the first principles of the non-aggression principle (no one should initiate violence on another, but may use violence in self-defense) and strong property rights. All exchanges and associations should be voluntary, which would inviolate the coercive force of a state.

It’s a great ideal, but an an-cap society will always be an asymptotic ideal. We can strive for it, and get as close as possible, but we will never actually achieve it. At least, not on a national scale. There might be some communities that could, but I doubt anything over a small town. Not in a country of 330 million people. Not with a two-hundred-year history of governments being perceived as neutral or even beneficial.

In the mean time, I think libertarians should strive for that ideal. Remove the coercive force of the state from our lives as much as possible and show people that the world will not come to an end if the state does not provide everything.