Disqus - Latest Comments for georgedonnelly

Re: The New Contraband Has Arrived

georgedonnelly — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:23:51 -0000

redgar that would not play well to the new bureaucrash's conservative bent. See fr33agents.com instead.

Re: Atlas Shrugged: Skewering Collectivists

aaronpowell — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:38:39 -0000

I'm enjoying it -- at times. But it's slow going. I'm not tearing through it and am taking considerable breaks to read other things, namely the remaining works of James Ellory I haven't read before his new book comes out in September. Given that Ellroy's the best living writer in the english language, though, it makes going back to Rand sometimes difficult... Anyway, I'm appreciating the importance of the book, but finding it dreary. It's also too damn long. I'm hoping the plot picks up soon.

Re: Atlas Shrugged: Skewering Collectivists

georgedonnelly — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:45:09 -0000

Atlas is an excellent book, but it doesn't do her philosophy of objectivism justice. Read her shorter, more accessible philosophy books for that.

And even then, objectivism has its own issues. I prefer voluntaryism as the most consistent liberty-oriented political philosophy, without the personality disorders of objectivism. ;)

Have fun. :)

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

Greg — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:58:57 -0000

I really, really rather wouldn't.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

georgedonnelly — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:40:49 -0000

If you'd like to contest my definition of what a state is, pls share your definition of 'state'.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

Greg — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:31:24 -0000

The fact that the agency has a limited role doesn't mean it wouldn't qualify as a state. And protection agencies would likely be subject to heavy network effects, such that the "competition" wouldn't be terribly robust after some number of citizens went with one firm. So while there would be competition in theory, in practice it probably wouldn't matter much. I can call myself a "sports agent," and even register with the NFL. But there's no way I'm competing with, say, LMM Sports Management.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

georgedonnelly — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:02:07 -0000

Ok. I see. It's not though because it would be open to competition and it would have a limited role. hth.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

Greg N. — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:31:58 -0000

I meant "a security agency" ... "one that protects" ... "your city" sounds like a state.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

georgedonnelly — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:47:15 -0000

Since a state is an organization that has an exclusive power to dictate the rules in a given geographical area, no, it would not be a state because there could be multiple security agencies operating in the same geographical area and they would just be service providers, not givers or enforcers of laws. You could hire Phoenix Security while your next-door neighbor could hire AnCap Defense Network and all would be merry. In fact, Phoenix and AnCap might have some kind of cooperation agreement and be very friendly with each other.

Re: WMUR answers complaint of one-sidedness

georgedonnelly — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:36:08 -0000

Two problems:

(1) I can't find a link here to the video.

(2) upon logging in to disqus it opens the article in a frame.

Let me know if I can be of assistance.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

Greg N. — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:30:34 -0000

Isn't that just a state, though?

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

georgedonnelly — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:21:37 -0000

(1) If that's the way you think, that's fine, and you'll suffer the consequences and/or reap the benefits of that line of thinking and the actions that arise from it.

If it were my block, and security problems were serious enough, I would propose shifts and/or days. IOW, I'm on watch duty Fridays from noon to midnight and you've got Mondays from midnight to noon, etc.

If security problem weren't that serious and an incident just occurred and no one but me chose to respond, I'd want to move. Personal safety is a basic prerequisite for life and if I can't count on my neighbors for mutual defense, I'm not sure I want to have them as neighbors.

Also, the neighborhood could just hire someone or contract with a service to have one or a couple of guys from say 8PM to 6AM patrol the neighborhood, on foot, bike and/or car. That practice is very common in Colombian cities and it works very well.

(2) It needn't be the _only_ form of self-defense. There is a whole gamut, from being in shape, getting trained in martial arts and carrying a weapon to subscribing to a nation-wide defense agency (network).

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

georgedonnelly — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:15:10 -0000

I know you're capable of making the conceptual leap from a security agency that protects your house to one that protects your block, your neighborhood or your city. It could work in a very similar manner.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

Greg N. — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:00:40 -0000

This is something I could get behind, but it faces the same incentive problems. What incentive do I have to leave the comfort of my home to catch the guy, when I know all of my neighbors will just do it instead. I can claim to have been away on business that night, or out to dinner, or in the shower at the time of the attack to avoid the social ostracism associated with shirking my neighborhood watch responsibilities, and besides those, why would I put myself in harm's way?

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

Greg N. — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:59:03 -0000

Sure, that seems to work well on a given person's property for that particular crime. But for the kind of thing that happened here the other night (i.e., stranger walking on a public street), I'm not sure that's relevant.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

georgedonnelly — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:12:10 -0000

Another thing: does a system of competing home security systems/agencies _already_ work? You know, the ones where they wire your windows and doors and you get a keypad near the front door. If it goes off they call you and if you can't give them the password they send out the cops, etc.

Re: Can competing protection agencies prevent rape?

George Donnelly — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:06:08 -0000

Imagine if the block had its own trained peace officer(s), its own neighborhood watch on steroids. Imagine if that person was you, or one of the other people nearby. Imagine if you could dial a number and alert all the neighborhood peace officers and one walked out his front door as the attacker was running by. Now that is something for criminals to be scared of. And the outcome would have been better because the attacker would have been caught.

Re: More from the “Sovereign Movement,” and a judge oversteps his authority.

George Donnelly — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:41:55 -0000

Driving while drunk IS asinine.

Considering yourself a sovereign individual is NOT.

Re: Pistols in hand, libertarians shooting for Free State

George Donnelly — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:36:43 -0000

Sir, perhaps FSPers are not propagandists and don't wish to fool you or hide their propensities from you? Maybe they are direct, honest and straightforward people who care about preserving everyone's rights, including your right to hold your opinions and act on them (as long as you don't initiate force), even when they are different from theirs.

To be armed is a statement that you will not allow yourself to be intimidated, that you will defend your own life if someone attacks you. Given all the nutty and unpredictable violence breaking out, you may want to follow their example, if not for your own sake then for that of your loved ones and neighbors.

Re: Karaoke Quintessence: Chapter 2: Tweens

aaronpowell — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:24:08 -0000

Thanks for the feedback, George. I think you may be right on this
one, though I'll need to think about it a bit more. Of of the
interesting things I've come across while writing is the disconnect
between the characters in my head (where I'm wholly aware of their
inner workings -- sort of) and on the page, where only their language
and descriptive text shows their motivations. What makes sense to me
doesn't necessarily make sense on the page.

I'll keep this in mind when I head back -- eventually -- for the
second draft.

Re: Karaoke Quintessence: Chapter 2: Tweens

georgedonnelly — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:00:16 -0000

The detective's motivation is weak. That he was curious doesn't seem like enough to outweigh the objections he voiced earlier.

Re: Karaoke Quintessence: Chapter 1: Juju

George Donnelly — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:09:45 -0000

I mean the parts between the paragraphs that start with the following fragments, inclusive:

The driver smiled at him

</li>
<li>

The streets were empty

</li>
</ul>

I'm not saying it's all bad, just saying it drags a tad compared to the paragraphs before and after it.

hth

Re: Karaoke Quintessence: Chapter 1: Juju

George Donnelly — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:32:52 -0000

The ride on the bus drags a bit. I found myself wanting to skip over it.

The part in the bar carried my attention.

It's an interesting start. So far it seems like a rather unique concept.

Keep up the good work.

Re: Part 2

George Donnelly — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:35:05 -0000

A suggestion. Make it available in Kindle format. I prefer to read stuff on my Kindle now, and I bet a lot of other Kindle owners do as well. It's a lot more pleasant. Thanks!

Re: Part 1

George Donnelly — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:27:21 -0000

Your first paragraph grabbed my attention. Well done! I'm going to keep reading.