Belmont Club

I frequently link to the Belmont Club, where Richard Fernandez writes on many subjects. I found two of his recent posts and comments especially interesting, and thought that readers here would appreciate them. Both of them touch upon the decline of Christianity in the West in competition with other world-views.

The Lighting of the Beacons

Alone

Clever

More at Zombie Time

Protecting Assets Against Hyper-Inflation

Glenn Reynolds share's some thoughts on protecting assets against hyper-inflation.

Click Here.

Real Estate and Natural Resources (Gold) rank high - but surprising to me - stocks. Perhaps related - the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed over 10,000 points yesterday? Is this in anticipation of a recovery or of inflation?

Register Non-Gun Owners

Vermont State Rep.. Fred Maslack has read the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as well as Vermont's own Constitution very carefully, and his interpretation of these documents is popping some eyeballs in New England and elsewhere.

Maslack recently proposed a bill to register non-gun-owners and require them to pay a $500 fee to the state. Thus Vermont would become the first state to require a permit for the luxury of going about unarmed and assess a fee of $500 for the privilege of not owning a gun.

Maslack read the "militia" phrase of the Second Amendment as not only affirming the right of the individual citizen to bear arms, but as a clear mandate to do so. He believes that universal gun ownership was advocated by the Framers of the Constitution as an antidote to a "monopoly of force" by the government as well as criminals.

Vermont's constitution states explicitly that "the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State" and those persons who "conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms" shall be required to "pay such equivalent." Clearly, says Maslack, Vermonters have a constitutional obligation to arm themselves so that they are capable of responding to "any situation that may arise".

Under the bill, adults who choose not to own a firearm would be required to register their name, address, Social Security Number, and driver's license number with the state. "There is a legitimate government interest in knowing who is prepared to defend the state should they be asked to do so," Maslack says.

Vermont already boasts a high rate of gun ownership along with the least restrictive laws of any state - it's currently the only state that allows a citizen to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. This combination of plenty of guns and few laws regulating them has resulted in a crime rate that is the third lowest in the nation.

Body Language

SCENE: Emerging from the White House following a meeting of Congressional leaders with President Obama on his deliberations over the recommendation from the generals that troop levels in Afghanistan be increased.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: .......Democrats and Republicans said that, whatever decision the President makes [on Afghanistan], we'll support it.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Rolls her eyes.

Reflections of a Christian-Conservative-libertarian-environmentalist-lunatic-farmer

Bull-Hockey Stick

Read how a..

dogged Canadian mathematician, acting practically alone with the help of his trusty readers, forced the establishment back step by step to explain where the conclusions upon which a trillion dollar public policy came from and insisted on reproducing the results. If ever there was a tale of triumph over dauntless odds — almost to the point of comparing it to breaking the bank — this is it.

Click here.