Category: snivelry

update 1 February 2021

The proposed State of “Washington-Douglass Commonwealth” (nee District of Columbia) is another bad idea whose time may have come. The idea that a territory that cannot police itself, support itself, nor defend itself should be considered a “free and independent state” defies reason, history, and the Constitution. How good an idea this might be for the Democrat party, and how bad an idea for the rest of humanity, have been belabored elsewhere.

Instead, I’ll point out that this is another case of right problem/wrong solution. “Taxation (with or) without Representation” is indeed tyranny, and it is embarrassing that not all American taxpayers are permitted a voice in the House charged with spending their money. It’s embarrassing now, and it was embarrassing when I was an earnest congressional candidate.

Amending the Constitution, part 29
29 June 2002

Well, I’m not one to leave well enough alone. People don’t run for office if they don’t think they have better ideas than the people who are already there, and on that score I am certainly no different.

There has been a great deal of talk for the last several years on the subject of Statehood for the District of Columbia. I think that that is a thoroughly awful idea. In addition to its microscopic geography, and complete lack of any practical resources, it is a hotbed of liberal Democratic sentiment. It would be bad enough to send two more Democrats to the US Senate, but the typical DC politician makes Senators like Tom Daschle and Paul Wellstone seem positively moderate. On the other hand, it remains a national embarrassment that half a million American citizens are denied a voice in the People’s House. The Twenty-third Amendment, which granted DC residents three Electors for President was a small step in the right direction, but Statehood would be a huge step in the wrong direction.

In the interests of full disclosure, I think now would be a good time to point out that I am in favor of Statehood for Puerto Rico. It is long overdue. Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or Green, two new delegates from America’s last colony deserve their place in the United States Senate. (But Senator Marion Berry? Senator Jesse Jackson? Please. We might as well elect Senator Fidel Castro or Senator Robert Mugabe.)

On the other hand, the people of DC, and also those of Guam, Saipan, Samoa, , and all across the Pacific deserve their voice in the government. Toward that end, then, I propose that DC cash in its three Presidential Electors (as granted by the Twenty-third Amendment), in favor of a more equitable arrangement for all Americans outside of the Several States.
To wit:

Territorial Suffrage Amendment

Section I: The twenty-third article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section II: The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second year by the People of the Several States, and of the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States, and of all Possessions, Provinces, Commonwealths, and Territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

Section III: Representatives shall be apportioned among the Several States, and among all Districts, Possessions, Provinces, Commonwealths, and Territories according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of Persons in each State, District, Possession, Province, Commonwealth, or Territory. For purposes of apportionment, the Congress shall have the power to consolidate the populations of any Provinces, Commonwealths, or Territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, but not of the Several States, nor of the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States.

Section IV: All Districts, Possessions, Provinces, Commonwealths, and Territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States shall appoint, in such manner as Congress may direct, a number of Electors for President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Representatives to which they are entitled, and they shall be considered, for the purpose of the election of the President and the Vice President, to be Electors appointed by a State.

Do I think this will quell the campaign for DC Statehood? Not likely. Nevertheless, it is still the right thing to do. From the Marianas to the Virgin Islands, all Americans deserve to be heard. Taxation without representation is tyranny. For that matter, taxation with representation isn’t so terrific either, but at least this way people will have a little more say in their own destiny.

update 180128: There may be a few more years of life left to the Grand Confederacy. To comfort its passing, and to spare ourselves the danger of its death throes, I like to offer notions to mitigate the offenses of democracy. For one, let’s blow up the Congress! (No Madonna, I don’t mean with dynamite, I mean with Reps.). Presently one congressmember “represents” about three quarters of a million of us. Expanding their ranks to (at least) a thousand would bring them each closer to their constituents. In fact, let’s make that the minimum formula.
Give me a few weeks to tweak the language, but the gist:

The Congress shall consist of one thousand Representatives, and upon the admission of each new State, that number shall be increased by twenty Representatives, the sum to be apportioned among the several States, Districts, Possessions, Provinces, Commonwealths, and Territories according to their numbers as provided by law.

update 210201: I continue to believe that Puerto Rico deserves their places in the Senate (or their independence), even as I recognize the obvious advantage that it gives the Democrat party. To that I say, “I’ll see your two Puerto Rican Senators, and raise you eight Texans!”

Don’t confuse that “29th Amendment” up there with the more dystopic model presented in my recent novel, The H.E.R.O. Act. Get it now!
The HERO Act – The Greigh Area

28 June 2002

I know, every politician runs for office swearing to uphold the Constitution, and as soon as he finds out that it doesn’t authorize his pet schemes, he either ignores his oath, or proposes to amend it. Maybe I’m no different. You be the judge.

Our Federal Constitution had a few problems from the get go. That noxious business about three fifths of a person was a bit of an embarrassment, but that was taken care of by the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, and, on paper at least, all men have stood equally before the law. And then there’s that statement I just made about “all men,” and that problem was addressed by the Nineteenth Amendment which gave women the vote in 1920. Better late than never, I reckon. So we have made some progress since the Bill of Rights was tacked on in 1791, and I sure wouldn’t want to monkey with that.

On the other hand, there have also been some mistakes along the way. I have serious problems with the Sixteenth Amendment and the odious income tax, and I’d be happy to see that one go. And the Eighteenth Amendment, which brought us America’s First War on Drugs was a complete disaster, but that was taken care of by the Twenty-first Amendment, which nevertheless granted to the States the Authority to conduct their own Wars on Alcohol, but at least Prohibition was no longer a national disgrace, merely a local one.

So there’s been some progress, some missteps along the way, and a few mid-course corrections, but by and large our Constitution (including its amendment provisions) has worked fairly well. But, like all would be statesmen, I’m not quite satisfied. As I said, the Income Tax has got to go, and with it the Sixteenth Amendment which arguably grants it some measure of legitimacy.

Another big problem I have is with the Seventeenth Amendment. Prior to its ratification in 1913 the US Senate stood squarely in the way of the federal juggernaut and its intended encroachments on the Rights of the States. It was designed to be the brakes on the federal engine. Our bicameral national legislature was brilliantly conceived as a balance between transient popular opinion, and legitimate State authority. The House of Representatives was the People’s body, and the Senate stood up for the States. That’s why a Senator’s term is six years, whereas mine would be only two. The Senate was to be the senior deliberative body, holding back the House from its natural pandering proclivities. As it stands now, there are no significant differences between the philosophies or outlooks of the Houses of Congress. Elected Senators are merely Super-Representatives, and are beholden to the same ephemeral interests that drive the House. Originally, a Senator was a respected member of a State body, typically an elder State Legislator or Governor who would go to the District of Columbia to represent the larger interests of his entire State, rather than the more parochial concerns of a Congressional District. Now, I’m hardly inclined to denigrate the House of Representatives, particularly as I’m running for that same body, but I am keenly aware of the differences, and wish to restore the balance that our Founders intended. Hence, as a member of the House, I will offer for consideration this proposed

Restoration of the Confederal Senate Amendment

Section I: The seventeenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section II: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen in accordance to the laws thereof, for six years, and each Senator shall have one vote.
When vacancies occur in the representation of any State in the Senate, the Executive Authority of such State may make temporary appointments until the People, the Legislature, or the Executive Authority thereof fill the vacancies in accordance with State Law.

Section III: This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the term of any Senator elected before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

This puts the power squarely back where it belongs, in the hands of each individual State. If one State wishes to continue letting the people elect their Senators, then they will have that authority to do so. On the other hand, if a State prefers to return to the original method of charging the state legislature with that authority, then that too would be the prerogative of that particular State. And if a State would rather that its Governor be responsible for appointing its Senate Delegation, then that State’s wishes would also be respected. The authority would be returned, in any event, to each State to function as it sees best. The united States were never intended to be an homogeneous flock of interchangeable administrative districts, but a Confederation of unique Sovereigns, each following its own lights.

update 180121: I should clarify my use of the term “legitimate State authority,” which may seem a little discordant coming from an alleged anarchist. I might plead cynical opportunism. I was running for office in 2002, after all, albeit as a Losertarian. But I’m too much the weasel for such a bald confession. Instead I’ll explain that I place it into the context of a compact between states. In continuo, the state has legitimate prerogatives, just as, in other continua, green kryptonite is a legitimate danger to Kryptonians.

update 210204: Unknown correspondents address the issue of States’ continuity of representation in the Senate, complaining that it can often take months to fill a vacant seat. Well, of course it doesn’t have to in today’s world of rapid communication, but it appears to still be a State’s prerogative. However, if Americans wish to “streamline” or “nationalize” that process, they might consider this instead:

Section II: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen in accordance to the laws thereof, for six years, and each Senator shall have one vote. When vacancies occur in the representation of any State in the Senate, the Executive Authority of such State may make temporary appointments until the People, the Legislature, or the Executive Authority thereof fill the vacancies in accordance with State Law. In the event that a State’s Executive fails to make such a temporary appointment within forty-eight hours, the vacancy shall be filled by the State’s senior delegate in the House of Representatives, who shall thereupon surrender his seat in the lower House.

These comments are sponsored by The Confederate Mint (purveyors of metallic securities in gold, silver, copper, and lead). For sample sheets of Metallic Certificates (total face value One Tenth Silver Dollar) send One Silver Dime plus a self-addressed stamped envelope; or Four United States Legal Tender Federal Reserve “Dollars” in scrip, check, or money order, to Greigh Area Associates, c/o Gene Greigh // 401 Rio Concho Drive, #105; San Angelo, Texas; 76903

9 January 2021

I expect we cannot really know such a thing until long after the fact. With our faces pressed up still too closely to the recent awful siege of the Congress, many are having difficulty finding dispassionate perspective or meaningful context.

I am grateful for this thoughtful guest analysis by correspondent NT:

I don’t think this pathetic excuse for an “insurrection” was anywhere near well armed, organized, or popularly supported enough to represent any kind of threat to the power of the ruling government the way the Revolutionary War threatened the power of the British Crown in North America. As such, my answer is: no, I don’t think that’s a very apt comparison.

Ashli Babbitt feels more like another Jorge Gomez to me. Another rioter in the season of coronavirus killed by law enforcement for behaving very aggressively towards them. Two of, not very many actually, as far as I can tell. I was both annoyed and surprisingly relieved to discover that my research did not easily discover many people matching that description in order to make that comparison. I had not heard the name Jorge Gomez before doing that research, and I doubt Ashli Babbitt’s death will be remembered as especially any more or less important than his.

(Jorge Gomez was shot by Las Vegas Police on June 1st during a “mostly peaceful” demonstration protesting the death of George Floyd.)

curious addendum:
Tachycardia is an accelerated heart rhythm disorder, typically greater than 100bpm. In addition to possible organic defects, it can also be caused by tension, anger, exertion, or chemical stimulant.
I CAN cut back on the caffeine, and Mr Floyd COULD have foregone the fentanyl.

20 May 2019

Childhood for me was an intermittent horror show. 

The Thug was born in 1953.  I was born in 1956.  For most of our time growing up I was his favorite punching bag.  In 1962 our mother remarried (after divorcing our “boring” father) and began thirty-five years of excitement under the dominion of The Submariner.  Fortunately, lacking vaginas, my brothers and I weren’t all that interesting to him, so his attentions, when we did receive them, were delivered with his fists rather than his ecumenical erection.  Our baby sister, born later, was not so lucky.

Those who believe that I can’t admire the accomplishments or desire the cool stuff of others without resenting them, will likely also suspect that I was cheered by the prospect of The Thug’s coming in for “his share” of physical abuse.  Sorry, but I don’t “envy” that way.  Just because The Thug could delight in my pain, I was unable to appreciate his.  Or our other brothers’.  Or even, much later, our sister’s, whose suffering may well have eclipsed all of ours.

I may take righteous satisfaction from the punishment of the guilty, but sadism and revenge leave me cold.  Yet another of my defects (just like my lack of jealousy, resentment, loneliness, or boredom.)  But making everything WORSE for everybody (beatings all around!) didn’t make anything better for anybody.  Except Mom, maybe.  The serotonin must have been especially rich for her to forgive his raping her daughter.  My greatest regret is not killing him (The Submariner, not The Thug) when we lived together all those years ago.  It probably would have been easy.  Just jump on him from off a staircase or rooftop or tree, land on his shoulders, and quickly slit his throat, and my sister could have been saved.  But I’m a sniveling coward, so I didn’t think it through.  Upon reflection, most likely the State of Connecticut wouldn’t have gassed a twelve-year-old boy.

update 210107: I neglected to mention above that killing The Thug might also have been a kindness. Or redundant. As an enthusiastic bully, he was also, naturally, a coward, and quite possibly a sociopath as well. He hanged himself in 2009, leaving his body for his wife and dogs to discover. Abusing and betraying those weaker or dependent on him was perfectly consistent with the rest of his miserable life. I was sorry for his wife and his daughter and his grandchildren and for our Mom and for our older brother, whose birthday he picked to do himself in. I am less sorry for him than I am relieved for those he can no longer hurt.

Firehair, Bat Lash, Pow Wow Smith, El Diablo, and Johnny Thunder are all properties of Detective Comics and Warner Communications.  Their images are reproduced by Piracy Press for purposes of analysis and scholarship.  If anything, their use here constitutes free advertisement for DC‘s properties at the considerable expense of Piracy Press and Greigh Area Associates.

21 November 2020

As an avid amateur actor, I have developed two things.  A hatred of stage make-up and an affinity for tribal traditions.  My “tribe” in this case is obviously the “dress up and make believe” crowd, and by extension, the professionals.  As a consequence, even though I never had a “dog in that fight” I enjoyed reflecting on the Oscars and the Emmys and the Tonys as they were handed out.  Of course, I never took any of it “seriously” because it is, by design, trivial fun.  However, as leftie zealots took the opportunity to hijack the events to bang their own drums, the show lost some luster.

By the time Sonny Corleomo picked up his Emmy, I was completely unimpressed.  It had devolved into an obvious insiders’ club generations ago, so I no longer nursed any illusions.  When the motion picture academy declined to give Ronald Reagan a lifetime achievement award, I thought that it was no oversight, just proper benign neglect.  While I have enormous respect for Ronald Reagan (as an ACTOR) I realize that his greatest artistic achievements took place on the small screen.  From guest appearances on Wagon Train and hosting Death Valley Days, to his magnum opus as “The President,” he touched millions of viewers with his skill, his poise, his humor, and his presence.  An award from the television industry would not have surprised me except for the obvious fact that most in the entertainment biz are spiteful commie twits.  Republicans aren’t much better, but at least they give superior lip-service to freedom.  When the Emmys declined to so honor such a fitting recipient, they surrendered the remains of their tattered credibility.

Which is why Sonny’s Emmy didn’t bother or surprise me. 
Actually, come to think of it, it’s kind of cool. Once again Sonny’s “accomplishments” eclipse Fredo’s fumbling attempts.

update 201226: My “conservative” friends, whom I often tease as leftie sympathizers, have as hard a time picturing me hanging out with other amateur actors, as “community players” have understanding my toleration of the “extreme” views of Evil Orange President. I don’t blame either group. I am an outlier almost everywhere I go. But as an actor… Well, it’s a good thing I’m so talented. Otherwise, this cadre of (generally) the leftiest, paisliest, patchouliest bunch of spiritual statists you could ever dread to encounter, wouldn’t have put up with my anarcho-materialist blasphemies.