Amagi-Nation

This blog primarily blogs about austrian economics, history, science, philosophy and religion. I do occasionally talk about music, sports, outdoors, fitness and many of my other interests.

[amagi-nation]

Here Are the Cities Where Cops Are Allowed to Choke You

A look at city police department policies defining when and how officers can use force

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Hawaiians subsidize the Pro Bowl and the NFL keeps all of the revenue. 

https://reason.com/blog/2016/01/27/the-pro-bowls-impact-on-tourism

[amagi-nation]

(via The Feds Took 182,000 Tons of Raisins from U.S. Farmers. This Insane Flowchart Shows What Happened Next.)

[amagi-nation]

Imagine if the GOP really cared about limited government and freedom.

In Ted Cruz’s speech announcing his presidential bid, which surely had John Lennon rolling in his grave, Cruz posed multifarious ideas beginning with “Imagine.” The one that most stood out to me was “Imagine a president that finally, finally, finally secures the borders.”

However, I can’t imagine how a candidate preaching “limited government,” “fiscal responsibility” and “personal freedom” could secure borders without undermining principles. How is building a 2,000 mile fence along the Mexican border fiscally conservative? Is placing a military presence on the border really limited government? And is creating walls between people really freedom? I’m curious what proposed method of securing borders he has in mind and I can’t imagine how it would be consistent with limited government and freedom.

[robertmoorejr]

Guys, I wanted to let you know about a personal decision I recently made. I don’t really feel like discussing it, but I want to put my position out there. Please be respectful. This is a really long post, but please read the whole thing.

I’m taking the brakes off my car. This isn’t a rash...

[amagi-nation]

So great.

[amagi-nation]

Cards Against Humanity: Reason's State of the Union Version!

In rural communities, families deserve to have faster and cheaper access to...cocaine in vending machines?

[amagi-nation]

In the shadow of Charlie Hebdo

"Je Suis Charlie." "#jesuischarlie" The attack in Paris was a horrific event that took the lives of some very brilliant artists and provided a vexing reminder that free speech and freedom of religion can come with a huge price at the hands of groups whose fallacious beliefs outweigh their value of human life. I do not wish to downplay this attack, which was nothing short of detestable. But there have been 5 attacks in 2015 with more casualties including 2,000 civilians in Nigeria after a Boko Haram assault on an entire village. The Boko Haram attack is the largest since 9/11. Have you heard of it? Here are the 6 most deadly attacks in 2015 in order by deaths:1. Nigeria. 2,000 deaths. Boko Haram attack.2. Yemen car bomb. 37 deaths. Al Qaeda attack.3. Pakistan air strikes. 31 deaths. Pakistan Airforce attack4. Iraq suicide bombing. 25 deaths. ISIS attack.5. Bus attack in Cameroon. 15 deaths. Boko Haram attack.6. Charlie Hebdo. 12 deaths. Unknown attackers that are believed to be Al Qaeda Despite a larger death count, many people aren't aware of most of these other five attacks and if they are they certainly are not discussing them to the extent that they are Charlie Hebdo.

The Boko Haram incident is discussed on twitter at 576,507 tweets per day which is minuscule compared to the 2,794,681 tweets per day in regards to Charlie Hebdo. The Yemen car bomb was also carried out by Al Qaeda and happened on the exact same day as Charlie Hebdo, resulting in about three times as many deaths (37 total). Yet it's gained 0.03% the attention on twitter--a mere 8,756 tweets per day. Again, compare that to the nearly 3 million tweets per day about Charlie Hebdo and it's clear to see that either the number of deaths aren't the motivating factor behind conversation or that people aren't aware.And perhaps it is precisely that people just aren't aware. I suspect that many haven't seen any coverage on some of those attacks. I hadn't heard of the attack in Cameroon until I began looking into this. And it's easy to be unaware of incidents when they're significantly less covered by the media. CNN had about 210 articles on Charlie Hebdo between January 3 (start of Nigeria attack) and today. They only had 7 articles in that time span about the Boko Haram attack in Nigeria. Fox, New York Times, and others have similar disparities. So why the lopsided coverage? The short answer is that I don't know. These are mostly attacks carried out by U.S. enemies such as ISIS and Al Qaeda and Nigeria is a U.S. ally. So it doesn't seem to be an instance of ignoring non-allies. And it though it could be that the U.S. media cares more about Europe than Africa and the Middle East, the media has covered Boko Haram's terrorism in Nigeria in the past. When Boko Haram militants kidnapped school girls last year, there was a lot of buzz around it, including Michelle Obama's viral (and often parodied) picture. Perhaps there are more stories to tell than just death counts. For Charlie Hebdo, there are stories about free speech and freedom of religion. This was an assault not just on French cartoonists, but on some ideas that many Americans deem important. I wish not to discourage conversation on this topic, but to perhaps bring some others into the mix as well. If anyone can claim "je suis Charlie," it's the victims of these five attacks.

[amagi-nation]

Does Science Really “Make the Case for God?”

(spoiler alert: Nope!)

[amagi-nation]

United States of Emergency

What powers the president gains from having 30 national emergencies in effect.

[amagi-nation]

Some factual lessons about Christmas

Merry Christmas! People ask if I celebrate Christmas, now that I am no longer a devout Christian. My answer: An emphatic Yes! Christmas is fun - the decorations, lights, music, food, and joyous festivities. And it is almost entirely a secular holiday. Even intelligent Christians acknowledge that there is nothing Christ-like about modern Christmas. But, it is the time of the year when we have to endure mass amounts of ignorance.

•Jesus is not the reason for the season. The actual reason for the season is an ancient Pagan festival celebrating a good fall harvest. Biblical scholars acknowledge that Jesus was born in the spring. It was never stated in the Bible that Jesus was born on the 25th of December. It was Pope Julius the First who initiated this common belief - he declared in the year 350 CE that December 25 was the official Christmas date. Even Pope Benedict recently admitted that the Christian calendar was based on erroneous information. Early devout Christian sects even refused to celebrate Christmas as it was not Biblical nor respectful of their faith. Most of the season's trappings - Santa, tree, decorations, cards, feasting, parties, and endless shopping were swiped from other cultural traditions or added by retailers.

•The word Xmas is just as reverent as Christmas. It is not an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. In Greek, 'x' is the first letter in Χριστ?ς (translated as 'Christ'), an abbreviation for Christ. X is simply the greek symbol Chi which represents Christ. Xmas takes up less space so advertisers can put more into their ads. But, its not particularly disrespectful nor irreligious; its just different.

•Government Christmas displays are inappropriate. On property that is taxpayer-supported, there should not be displays that favor a specific religion over any other. No taxpayer should be intentionally and unfairly excluded and slighted by the government. There are plenty of places to display religious scenes and artifacts: churches (where it makes the most sense), private businesses, homes, etc. Public displays are okay if all beliefs are allowed to participate. However, when atheists or another religion posts a display on public property, Christians complain and ask that the non-Christian display be removed or that none at all be displayed (as it should be). •Saying either Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays is respectful. Since Christmas is more of a cultural season than a religious one, Merry Christmas doesn't have to be literal. There are no authentic Biblical Holy Days associated with December 25 but there are other religious holidays at this time, so Happy Holidays also has merit. Either one seems to work just fine. Many insecure and ignorant Christians get upset if someone says, "Happy Holidays".. Please enjoy the beauty, excitement, joy, and festivities of the Christmas/holiday season, but please don't mistake it for an authentic historical religious observance.

[conza]

The main achievement of economics is that it has provided a theory of peaceful human cooperation. This is why the harbingers of violent conflict have branded it as a dismal science and why this age of wars, civil wars, and destruction has no use for it.

Ludwig von Mises (via conza)

[amagi-nation]

Election Time!

Just a friendly reminder that regardless of how elections go today, little will change because both the republicans and democrats are full of shit.

[amagi-nation]

http://reason.com/blog/2014/11/03/reversing-authoritarian-marijuana-laws-b

[amagi-nation]

http://reason.com/blog/2014/10/16/4-ways-the-republicans-are-full-of-shit http://reason.com/blog/2014/10/16/4-ways-democrats-are-full-of-shit

[amagi-nation]

Coalition of the meh. Disappearing partners in Iraq. If your geography skills aren't speedy enough for the gif transitions, click here for a list of the coalition nations for each war. http://reason.com/blog/2014/10/08/disappearing-coalition-partners-in-iraq

[priceofliberty]

Lois Lerner Claims the IRS Did Nothing Wrong. The Data Says Otherwise

Read More:

At the Core of the IRS Saga: Tax Collectors as Political Hitmen

Unapologetic Lois Lerner Insists She’s Done Nothing Wrong

The Problem Isn’t That Lois Lerner Doesn’t Like Conservatives, It’s That the IRS Gave Her a Weapon Against Them

[amagi-nation]

My latest blog at reason. http://reason.com/blog/2014/09/15/the-sluggish-economy-slams-recent-colleg