Environmental leader: Criminalize insufficiently "green" homeowners

Scottish environmental activist prepares
to educate a neighboring homeowner on the dangers
of uninsulated cavity walls.

Scotland's proud history of witch hunting, clan wars, and hammer tossing may soon add un-green persecution to its list of accomplishments. (Tip of the hat: The Devil's Kitchen.)

From The Scotsman:

HOMEOWNERS who do not to take action to improve the energy efficiency of their properties should be treated as criminals, one of the country's most influential environmentalists said last night.

Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, believes tough measures are needed to force people to cut their use of fossil fuels and thinks governments should consider making it a crime for members of the public not to take measures such as installing cavity wall insulation.

Rubbish. My uninsulated cavity walls bother no one but my dentist.

He also said he thought failing to put in energy efficiency measures was "as antisocial as drink driving".

Dr Dixon said: "I think it should be a crime to be wasting energy. It's clearly a moral crime against the climate, and I think we should be having a discussion about whether it should become an actual crime."

Okay, Dr. Dixon, let's do an experiment. You can ride home tonight as a passenger in a car driven by a laddie who's crocked to the eyeballs on Scotland's best-loved product, or spend the same amount of time next to a house whose cavity walls are uninsulated. Think it over, take as long as you need, but then be prepared to live (or not) with your choice.

Make fuel waste an offence, demands climate expert, the story is headlined. This is so nonsensical and so conflicts with the actual meaning of its vocabulary that it calls out for ironic quotes around nearly every word: Make "fuel waste" "an offence," "demands" "climate expert."

Dr. Dixon and mental cases like him are the environment's worst enemies, almost daring those with self-respect and a healthy distaste for bullying cranks to send forth, in his direction, a large emission of greenhouse gas from any convenient orifice.

An "offence"? I'll show you offence.

There is a character in a Kingsley Amis novel who daydreams of newspaper stories about an anthropologist acquaintance he can't stand. He envisions reading: "Ancient tribal ceremony … forced to eat … cut off his … " etc.

I hope Dr. Dixon likes haggis. You know, the Scottish delicacy made of sheep's stomach, heart, liver, and that. Right now I'm thinking: "Ancient Scottish ceremony … forced to eat … "

ACLU to defend pirates

Somali House, a former Palm Beach luxury resort,
has been refitted to accommodate alleged Pirates awaiting trial.

Mark Steyn writes:

Once upon a time we killed and captured pirates. Today, it's all more complicated. Attorney General Eric Holder has declined to say whether the kidnappers of the American captain will be "brought to justice" by the U.S. "I'm not sure exactly what would happen next," declares the chief law-enforcement official of the world's superpower. But some things we can say for certain. Obviously, if the United States Navy hanged some eye-patched, peg-legged blackguard from the yardarm or made him walk the plank, pious senators would rise to denounce an America that no longer lived up to its highest ideals, and the network talking-heads would argue that Plankgate was recruiting more and more young men to the pirates' cause, and judges would rule that pirates were entitled to the protections of the U.S. Constitution and that their peg legs had to be replaced by high-tech prosthetic limbs at taxpayer expense.

He probably thought he was joking. The FBI, however, has obligingly turned itself into CSI: Somalia.

FBI Begins Building Criminal Case Against Somali Pirates

WASHINGTON — FBI agents planned to interview the crew of a U.S. cargo ship Saturday as the bureau began building a criminal case against Somali pirates who attacked the ship and took the captain hostage. ...

"The FBI has informed us that this ship is a crime scene," John Reinhart, president of Maersk Shipping Line said Saturday, explaining why crew members cannot immediately leave the ship.

I can't wait for tomorrow's announcement from President for Life Obama.

"I'm here to tell the world: the United States of today is not the arrogant United States that committed aggression against the Barbary Pirates back in, er, er, the days of Abraham Lincoln. Under My administration, we recognize our obligations to international opinion, including that of the Pirate community.

"I regret that it may be necessary to take action against a few Pirates who are alleged to have taken premature possession of the international cargo ship Maersk Chicago and detained its captain for negotiations. My press secretary will issue a strongly actioned statement later this afternoon.

"In view of the difficult situation allegedly caused by the actions of a few extremist Pirates, who have hijacked the profession of the vast majority of moderate Pirates, I have ordered -- uh, consulted with My Director of Immigration to fast-track the transfer of the entire nation of Somalia to the United States, and place them on a path to citizenship. The mayor of Minneapolis has strongly backed the move, which will assure all moderate Pirates that we seek their safety first and foremost.

"Meanwhile, the alleged perpetrators will enjoy the fullest protection guaranteed them by the Emancipation Proclamation and the U.N. Declamation of the Rights of Persons."

Lawyer up, everybody.

It turns out that Obama & Co. did what needed to be done — whether out of conviction, or because various parties told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't the country would turn decisively against him, who knows? Nevertheless, I'm happy about the outcome, glad to give credit where it's due, and am a little embarrassed about the tone of the posting above.

But once everyone is no longer basking in the afterglow, let's see how long it takes before the usual mopes start worrying about a dangerous precedent having been set, how the rescue's tactics will only fuel a cycle of violence, and how Obama caved in to the "extreme right wing."

[A few minutes later] Not long at all. The Telegraph, which passes for a conservative paper in the U.K., already Views With Alarm, saying: "The dramatic rescue of an American cargo ship captain kidnapped by Somali pirates may have put the lives of hundreds of other hostages in danger and raised the stakes for future hijacks, experts have warned."

Look, once the captain was taken hostage, there was no course without current and future risks. Prolonged negotiations and an eventual payoff for his release would almost guarantee more piracy and raise the price of future demands, while further making the U.S. look like a weak, supplicating opponent.

U.S. merchant vessels should at least be permitted to carry defensive weapons and counterterrorism crewmembers, and the Navy should maintain a very visible presence in the waters where piracy is a problem. And if we don't already have it, we should gather intelligence posthaste about the pirates' bases, supply sources and financing. Then arrange a little surprise for them.

Yes, the pirates may bluster and vow revenge to save face. But watching a few more of their lot taking bullets in the brain pan or finding a smart bomb in their Wheaties could encourage them to switch careers.

Death shall have no dominion

Beautiful homes for books

Our increasingly post-literate age honors books possibly less than ever in Western history: the ruling Greek family's library at Alexandria, Egypt, collected books (which were scrolls at the time) from all over the known world. Rich Roman senators prided themselves on their personal collections. Public libraries once had a mission to enlighten and uplift the public, and some librarians still believe they carry the torch of knowledge, but must be frustrated by the tendency to devote increasing shelf space to best sellers, popular magazines, and DVDs.

Those of us who are avid readers also enjoy libraries, but can be dismayed by sterile, businesslike (or occasionally showily offbeat) modern designs. Except for the contents, many are newly built libraries are indistinguishable inside from bank branch offices or grocery stores.

These photos (tip of the hat: graphic art site FFFFOUND!) were built in old times for people who considered books to be treasures. Point conceded in advance: they are not comparable to public libraries, since they were associated with aristocrats or august private institutions. But anyone whose spirits rise a little when entering even a humble neighborhood branch library can enjoy in imagination what it would be like to have any of these spaces to read or browse in.

FFFFOUND! — what an awful name for an interesting site — unfortunately doesn't include identifying captions for the photos. I recognize the location pictured above, though, having visited it. It's in Prague, designed in the 18th century for the Strahov Monastery.

Some other artistically designed libraries:

I'm less sure about this one, but it reminds me of the library in the monastery at Melk, Austria, which I saw decades ago.

No idea where this is. Judging from the somewhat severe neo-Romanesque style, I'd date it to the late 19th century.

This job ran over budget, so as you can see they had to cut back on the decoration.

Late Victoriana in excelsis. The influence of the machine age has already left its mark. But dig the staircase and railings.

This, too, looks familiar. Is it the library at King's College, Cambridge?

The West has never been the redistributionist, egalitarian paradise that President for Life Obama would like America to Change into. If it had been, I doubt any of these libraries would exist.

When did the English surrender their liberty?

England's St. George flag:
"Racist symbol"

An English football supporters' club had its banner confiscated because it included the flag of St. George, which represents England and is part of the Union Jack. The officials who took the flag said it "could be viewed as a 'racist symbol.'" (Tip of the hat: Dennis Mangan.)

The Arsenal [football team] spokesman said: “Arsenal as a club prides itself on being inclusive with respect to all nationalities, cultural and ethnic groups.

“We have therefore decided that in order for all of our fans to enjoy their experience at Emirates Stadium, we are asking that only flags without any national emblems, are displayed within the stadium.”

There is nothing in the news story to indicate that the people whose flag was taken had any response, other than the usual grumbling. It's the typical reaction to every heavy-handed official act against English or British national pride. The beaten-down mopes mutter "political correctness gone mad," etc., and wait for the next insult. Rinse, repeat.

While a body might well get into trouble for flying the St. George flag, rest assured you can trash it to your heart's content, provided you belong to a sensitive, protected group.

The nation whose empire once extended around the globe now apologizes not only for the empire, which on the whole improved life everywhere it operated, but for its own existence. How has it come to this? Let's work backward in time, looking for causal factors.

We can start with the "New Labour" government that came to power in 1997. The "New" meant basically that, while a hard-left party in other ways, it dropped its overt socialism and made nice with corporate capitalism.

And instead of waving the bloody shirt on behalf of The Workers, who showed a disconcerting tendency to put revolutionary ideals to one side, the canny Labour tacticians instead opted for the latest, and most effective, Marxist ploy: recruiting a new population from the Middle East and Africa including huge numbers of Muslims, a perfect clientele of "disadvantaged minorities" for the all-encompassing nanny state. One of the results was a further marginalizing of the indigenous working class into a permanent non-working underclass.

But while the New Labour regime has been, in my view, devastating for English self-respect, it was only the culmination of a long process. Immediately following the country's victory in World War II, it showed its appreciation to Winston Churchill by replacing him with a socialist prime minister and parliament. Key industries were nationalized, bureaucratic control reigned. Margaret Thatcher's government undid most of the overt nationalization, but Mags was neither a social conservative nor a proponent of limited government.

Further back in time. Before the war, communism and socialism were all the rage in academic, artistic, and ruling class circles. A ring of Cambridge University graduates (the most famous: Burgess, Maclean, Philby, and Blunt) was recruited to spy for the Soviet Union from their positions in the Foreign Office and MI-6, the secret intelligence agency.

But English leftism's vogue didn't begin in the 1930s, either. As long ago as the late 19th century, the Fabian Society of socialists was influential, and included such luminaries as George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells.

Why did socialism magnetize them in the first place? Aside from the usual psychological factors you find in artistic-intellectual culture — a need to rebel, to feel superior to the dreary conventional bourgeoisie — the industrial revolution had destroyed what there was of a social safety net for the rural population now forced to work in factories. It bred terrible slums and working conditions. Further, there was almost no way to escape from the working class if that's what you were born into.

I admire Victorian and Edwardian England in many ways, especially its artistic climate. It was one of the more genuinely civilized times and places in world history. But there is no denying it had a dark side. Social class differences will (I think) always exist, but they shouldn't be insurmountable. The wretched condition of most of the urban and rural poor of the time led to a reaction that is still with us, having been transformed into multi-culturalism and political correctness, and a government addicted to rules, numbers, and bureaucracy.

So, for over a hundred years, with minor time-outs for world wars, the statist left has been on the march in England. And it has been wildly successful, especially once it dropped the idea of nationalizing the means of production and substituted a strategy of regulation, regulation, and more regulation; subservience to the European Union (another nest of authoritarian collectivists); plus in recent years population replacement.

I don't wonder that the English character has been transformed into a complaining, ineffectual submissiveness. Tell me it won't happen to Americans under President for Life Obama. No. Show me.

Beware of pickpockets. Especially in government

Revenue Department SWAT team prepares for
action in suspected illegal right turn incident.

The Washington Times reports that three suburbs of Washington, D.C. plus Virginia Beach "are preparing to stimulate public spending with new red-light camera programs. This is part of a push to fill government budget shortfalls by ramping up tickets for moving violations."

It's no news that states and municipalities count on fines for infractions of regulations, ostensibly designed for public safety, as cash cows. But many people are not aware how big a business this is, and how it has become a form of stealth tax. And, for any leftists who chanced on this site, you should be especially aggrieved — it is a highly regressive tax, stomping the poor more heavily than the rich.

With the possible exception of "gotcha!" red light cameras, most of the regulations are reasonable, and in better financial times the discretion of police added a further check against abuse. But with the country's economic graveyard spiral continuing, and dragging localities with it, governments are relying on fines to make up what they don't collect in tax revenue from people and businesses no longer making money.

I had my own epiphany on stealth taxation recently when I was clocked for having an inspection sticker on my car that was out of date. By six days. I was in violation of the law and the officer had every right to issue me a ticket. Had it been for, say, $25 I would have considered justice done. In fact, the fine was nearly four times that, which I don't think is reasonable. It was official larceny.

Here is a list of violations of traffic and similar offenses in Fairfax Country, Virginia (one of the locations that will soon have cameras seeing red) along with their associated fines and "processing fees." The processing fees are in many cases way in excess of the fines. It figures that the state or county government set the penalties "too low" for the authorities' needs, so they topped up the fines with these additional fees.

Some examples of what you can be nicked for in Fairfax County: "Drinking in public" (aren't restaurants and bars public places?), $97; "Trespassing at [sic] cemetery at night," waking the dead I guess, $107; "Impeding traffic by slow speed," $92; "Causing or permitting vehicle to be driven more than 13 hours in a 24-hour period" (depriving the vehicle of its rest?), $92; "Failure to obey traffic lights," $162 — this is why the revenue hawks love red light cameras; "Failure to dim headlights on parked vehicle" (If your lights drain your battery, we'll drain your wallet!), $82; etc., etc.

I am not suggesting that improper driving should be tolerated, and a fine commensurate with the act uses Professor Edward L. Thorndike's Law of Effect to drive home (pun intended) the lesson. But when the fines degenerate into highway robbery (pun intended again — help! How can I stop doing this?), a generalized, cynical disrespect for the law is one consequence.

A republican form of government speeds into a danger zone (ultimate fine and processing fee, unlimited) when it starts to look on its citizens not as people to whom it has a duty of care, but as marks who are there for bureaucrats to shake down. Should that happen on a wide scale, as looks likely in the economic debacle, we will lose something even more important than money.