On August 23, 1989, two million people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania stood on the Vilnius-Tallinn road, holding hands, as part of the “Singing Revolution” that helped set the Soviet Union to its implosion.
In principle, a self-organising system cannot be constructed, since its organisation and behaviour cannot be prescribed and created by an external source. It emerges autonomously in certain conditions (which cannot be prescribed either). The task of the researcher is to investigate in what kind of systems and under what kind of conditions self-organisation emerges.
Rein Vihalemm, “Chemistry as an Interesting Subject for the Philosophy of Science,” Estonian Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, Rein Vihalemm, ed., Dordrecht / Boston / London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001, p. 195.
“If he governs consistent with some of the things he’s said as a candidate, I would be very frightened,” former CIA Director Michael Hayden says about Donald Trump.
These are the words that begin an ominous television spot from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The advertisement concludes that Mr. Trump is “too dangerous.”
Hayden was director of the National Security Administration under President George W. Bush, before becoming the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and then moving to head the Central Intelligence Agency. He served at the CIA for only a few weeks into President Obama’s first term, but obviously Mrs. Clinton wouldn’t broadcast his negative view of Trump before millions of us in TV Land if she didn’t respect Mr. Hayden’s opinion.
Funny, yesterday on John Catsimatidis’s New York City radio program, Hayden declared, “I’m uncomfortable with the nominee of both of the major political parties.”
“John, a lot of my friends are saying that’s nice, Hayden, but you have to vote for one of them,” the former top spy offered, “but I’m not so sure I do.”
He doesn’t. Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson will be on all 50 state ballots and Green Party standard-bearer Jill Stein will be on most. And there are others.
“Somebody is going to win, but . . . I’m hoping they don’t think they’re sweeping into office with some powerful mandate,” Hayden continued. “And for people like me . . . to vote for some other choice, might deny them that sense of mandate, which would make, I think, things even worse.”
I’m no fan of Mr. Hayden, but regarding this? I agree.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Photo of Michael Hayden Credit: TechCrunch on Flickr (CC License)
On August 22, 1952, France closed its penal colony on Devil’s Island.
At first a leper colony, it had been transformed by the end of the 19th century into a prison tasked primarily with housing enemies of the French state.
Every one who has taken the trouble to inquire into the actual state of society a few centuries ago knows that the condition of the laborer was about this: He lived in a hovel with hardly any thing which we would call a window, with the fire (if he ever had any) in the middle of the building, or perhaps in a chimney-piece at one end. This hovel he occupied in common with the pigs and poultry. His staple article of food was a kind of black bread which a negro of to-day would hardly offer his dog, with a few vegetables from the neighboring garden. The clothing of himself and wife was coarse, scanty, and dirty almost in the same proportion.
Simon Newcomb, Principles of Political Economy (1886), p. 514.
We know that progressives will allow all sorts of enormities to be committed just so they get their precious programs. High taxes? No matter — someone else will pay! Continued wars? Well — at least we’ve got Obamacare! And rape? Well — that was long ago, and in another state. Besides, the victim is over 70! And she says bad things about our guy!!!
Click on over to Townhall.com. And come back here. And ask yourself: do feminists make sense any more? Or is the problem just partisanship?
On August 21, 1831, Nat Turner led slaves and freed black Americans in a rebellion that was quickly suppressed.
This is a very interesting encounter:
https://youtu.be/11Wb1QCSuMg
One could write several books just to cover what is raised in these few minutes. In fact, there are many such books! We here at ThisIsCommonSense.com think Mr. Shapiro does a great job. What do you think?
Note: a key concept not mentioned is freedom of association.
Discuss.
On August 20, 1991, Estonia issued a decision to re-establish independence on the basis of historical continuity of the Baltic country’s pre-World War II statehood, sloughing off Soviet rule since 1940.
On August 20, 1935, Ron Paul was born. Paul is now famous for his heroic congressional record, his several presidential campaigns, and for books such as End the Fed and Liberty Defined.
“The movements of a race horse afford a better model of improving exercise than those of the ox in a tread-mill.”
Simon Newcomb, Henry Burchard Fine, Florian Cajori et al. Report of the Committee [of Ten on Secondary School Studies Appointed at the Meeting of the National Educational Association July 9, 1892: With the Reports of the Conferences Arranged by this Committee and Held December 28-30, 1892]. p. 108.