"HawaiianBioDiversity" - "local humor" and "equal opportunity racism."

Hawaii's the best.  At least it was when I was there.  [Damn, 16 years ago.]  Hawaiian libertarian: HawaiianBioDiversity: "We got a special word for you melanin-deficient and solar-sensitive folks here in Hawaii: Haole (pronounced "How-Lee").  Most folks that have never been to Hawaii, or who have only visited briefly on vacation, have usually only heard of the word haole associated with only negative, racist connotations... the equivalent of the "N-word" for white folks. That's simply not true. It's a very versatile word and can be used as a simple adjective, a term of endearment or employed as a provocative epithet. As a fair-complexioned (but not totally pale) hapa-haole mutt, I've had the term used on myself in all of these contexts at one time or another. Yet, whenever haole folks come to Hawaii and find themselves being referred by that term, they almost always take immediate offense... To the credentialed classes, haole is it's own Hawaiian word, and it simply means foreigner: So if we are to literally go by the textbook, haole really doesn't have anything to do with white skin. In theory, yes, but in practice, no. Thanks to the deluge of immigration from all corners of the globe mixing and miscegenating for a couple of centuries, Hawaii is the so-called ideal "melting pot" our modern day SJW's and progressives say they are supposedly working towards with the rest of the world. In such a chaotic environment of so many different skin tones, hair and eye colors, race is the first way we immediately identify each other, and in that context, haole means white.

I do believe Hawaii is the ideal "melting pot" society....but there are two distinct features about what we have here that makes it much different from the progressive/SJW ideal. First thing that makes it "work" is we are all race realists, race conscious and racist to the core. It's the only way we can all get along. We don't try to uphold some unrealistic, mystical feeling of holiness attributed to the supposedly ideal paradigm of  "color blindness." In fact, we have the exact opposite. We're more color aware, we're all equal opportunity racists. We LOVE our stereotypes and our racist jokes. At least that was the Hawaii I grew up in. Because of this, we all have similar words like haole that are used to designate all the various races that call our islands home. We got similar words for the Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Samoans, Micronesians, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, Vietnamese, and Hispanics. Most of these terms are just like haole - they can serve as simple adjectives or spitefully intended perjoratives. In most cases, you just add the word fuckin' in front, and the harmless adjective turns into hateful, bigoted and racist invective."

"For decades, local stand up comedians made entire careers out of night club routines and television specials making fun of all the races that made up the multi-ethnic society of 20th century Hawaii. There were no sacred cows. We were all fair game...and it had us all laughing our asses off. Yeah, we may have been laughing at you...but then one minute later, it was my turn and you were now laughing at me too. And thus, we were all both laughing at and with each other."

Andy Bumatai!  Haven't seen him in years.  Awesome.

"Andy Bumatai, was one of the most popular stand up comedians and local tell-a-vision personalities of the 80's. In 2015, this kind of comedy is increasingly coming under fire. Note his disclaimer at the beginning of the clip. Even 5-10 years ago, such a disclaimer would not have been necessary. Times they are a changin'. More and more of the younger generations of Hawaii's locals have been assimilated into the PC-SJW Borg by globalized mass media programming and public education brainwashing. No siree, it's the 21st century, and we can no longer hurt anyone's FEEEEEEEELLLLLIIINNGS.  Everybody is so fuckin' sensitive. It sucks. I want my openly racist society back.

More and more we see letters to the editors and magazine articles and tell-a-vision programs pushing the "colorblind" paradigm and that all of the racist stereotypes that bonded us all together in common racism in 20th century Hawaii, are now being considered more and more to be  thoughtcrime and badthink that must be expunged from our consciousness.

...here in our island paradise, we embraced bigotry and race-based differences whole-heartedly and without reservation.  Our code word for it nowadays is "local humor" I've been to parties where people asked if it were okay to tell "local jokes," basically asking permission from all present if it's okay to tell race-based stereotypical jokes. Most are still down with the program...but more and more people are starting to reject what was once a proudly and openly racist society...and from where I sit, we 'aint better off for it. See...one of the reasons our society of mixed races "works" is because no matter what race you are or what culture you come from, we have this overriding culture of  "ALOHA SPIRIT" that most people quickly assimilate to. 

In many ways, it's similar to how all the different pale face crackers assimilated into the AMERICAN DREAM in the 19th century. Anglo-Germanic-Iberian-Mediterranean-Slavic-Aryan-Nordic migrations all arrived with different cultures and languages, with the only thing in common being melanin-deficient and solar-sensitive skin. But buying into the American dream eventually gave us what many now consider simply as white Americans (or Canadians)...

"Just as the miscegenation of all those Euro-strains of paleface resulted in a generic, homogenized race called "white" we have the same thing here in Hawaii....but it 'aint called Hawaiian. Only those of us with actual Half-Savage Aboriginal blood in our veins can be called Hawaiian. Those who are born and raised here, but have no Hawaiian blood, and are for the most part the Oriental descendents of the plantation workers imported by the haole sugar barons as third world serfs, they are something else - "local." 

...The "melting pot" ideal can only work when their is a common ideal that various racial stocks strive to assimilate to.  As the comedian stated in the preceding clip, there are two kinds of haole, local haole and haole. I believe it actually goes further than that. In terms of use as a harmless adjective, haole just means white skin. No more, no less. As a perjorative, however, it really means a white skinned person who doesn't conform to local norms aka "No more aloha." Most of us mixed race mutts and half savage racists of Hawaii got no problem with local haoles...or even haoles who are not born and raised, but demonstrate an affinity for the Aloha spirit ethos.  For real kine...some of my best friends are Japs, Pakes, Soles, Kanaks, Pordagees, Buk Buks, Yobos, Haoles and Popolos. I also know folks of all said races who I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire. I once got into a scrap with a filipino kid in middle school, because he called me a fuckin' haole. I told him to fuck off, I'm Hawaiian, and that he was a dumb flip buk buk whose parents came here to pick pineapple for $.05 a day and that he should take his ass back to the Philipines. We punched each other in the face a few times, the teachers broke us up, and we later became friends when we had to serve detention together. He would often greet me as "haole boy" and I'd call him buk buk, and we'd laugh as we shook hands. It's pretty much how we roll here in Hawaii. In summation, racial awareness plays an important role in Hawaiian society, but it's not the be all end all. If you "get" what Aloha means, you can fit and find a comfortable space amongst others, regardless of your race. "

"The history of the world is not people making friends."

Trying to Set the Record Straight on Hawaii's History | Al Gonzales: " The foundation for our protests is often based on half-truths, innuendo, naiveté, hate, hysteria and ignorance of our Hawaiian history. We need to base our claims on the truth...

Unlike what many people believe, the "old days" were not paradise. It was only "paradise" if you were Ali`i. The Ali`i owned everything, the land, the people and the resources. If you didn't work or were unproductive, you were either killed or banished. There were no "lazy Hawaiians" allowed back then. Most Hawaiians that I speak to feel that we are "owed" what was "taken away" from us. The White Man, with the help of the U.S. government, they feel, "stole" our land. Don't get me wrong, the U.S. government should step up and give us the same recognition and consideration that has already been bestowed on other indigenous peoples -- the American Indian and Eskimo. However, we still need to get the facts straight before we make claims that aren't based on the truth...

The White Man and the U.S. government were just another conquering entity that took control. This happened all over the world; the early Hawaiians were no different. When the first Hawaiians arrived in these islands, there was another race of people living here, already. These people were, probably, what are now known as the "Menehune," the "little people." These people coexisted in peace and harmony for decades. Then the Tahitian migration came to these Islands. The existing people were enslaved, killed, tortured and abused for almost a thousand years by the first "Hawaiians" from Tahiti. Before the White Man came, who else tried to take control of these islands and finally prevailed? Kamehameha I, of course. For years, he tried to conquer Kahekili to become the sole ruler of the Hawaiian Islands. He only succeeded after the White Man came. Kamehameha I captured two Englishman and appropriated muskets and cannon. We all know what happened then. Why doesn't anyone say how terrible Kamehameha I was? If he was white and did what he did, he would be the most hated figure in our history. 

Why is Kamehameha I, who killed more Hawaiians than anything else -- excluding disease -- now known as the "conqueror of the islands" who became a famous hero? Back in those days, the people living here did not consider themselves as one entity. They were one race of "Hawaiians." There were three distinct groups. There were the people from the Big Island led by Kamehameha I. There were the people from Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu and Molokai who were under the rule of Kahekili. Meanwhile, Kauai had its own king and the people there were very different from people on the other islands, especially in physical stature and language."

Can we believe that the other "Hawaiians," not under Kamehameha I, really wanted to be "united" and brought under one rule? Of course not. Especially, when they all knew that the price for this "unity" would be paid for with their own blood. Remember, Kamehameha and his army had tried, previously, on several occasions to conquer Kahekili who, along with his people, knew very well from past experience how brutal and ferocious Kamehameha I, his war chief Kekuhaupio and their warriors were. They already knew first hand the price of "unity." Let's quit trying to glorify the slaughter of thousands of Hawaiians and turn it around as though it was a "good thing." It happened because Kamehameha I was just doing his thing as the "Warrior King" that he was. Kamehameha I was a remarkable man of "his time" and should not be judged, revered or immortalized using present day parameters of reason, justice, ethics, morals, and that sort of thing. Think about this: Did you know that Kamehameha made John Young, Ali`i Nui and gave him rule over most of the Big Island? He remained Ali`i Nui until he died after a long, long life. And what if, during the battles involved in Kamehameha's quest to "unite" these Islands, the king had been severely wounded? On his death bed, would he have gathered all his war chiefs and made them swear allegiance to Ali`i Nui John Young? Imagine the invasion that would have continued after Kamehameha's death with Ali`i Nui Young as the supreme commander! Remember, John Young and Isaac Davis were a very integral part of Kamehameha's success in defeating the chiefs of Maui and Oahu.) Would we be celebrating "John Young Day" instead of Kamehameha Day? I don't think so, do you?"

Another thought to consider: We want the U.S. government to pay repatriations to us Hawaiians. What about the descendants of Kahekili? Shouldn't the descendants of Kamehameha I reimburse those displaced descendants of Kahekili and the other Hawaiians not from Kamehameha I and his legacy? Who gets paid reparations, first, and from whom? Forget about it, move on! Before the White Man came, there was a very strict caste system in place. Do you know from whom you are descended? Where would you be now if we were still a monarchy? Look around, you can see for yourself who the descendants of Kamehameha are -- Campbell Estate, Bishop Estate, Parker Ranch and others. How big are your land holdings? Most of us are, probably, descendants of (lower castes)."

Buffy always got it.  Well, Spike did, at least.  

"You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That's what conquering nations do. It's what Caesar did, and he's not goin' around saying, "I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it." The history of the world is not people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story."

Training Progress - "The body dictates everything."

7/24 - deadlifts, squats [light/deload] - PR/1RM attempts starting Sunday...

Given all the 'before & afters,' 'progress' and 'transformation' photos I've posted up on the blog over the last few years I kind of figured at some point I was obligated to post up one of my own eventually...

On the left, summer 1994, just before graduating USNA and heading into the USMC.  On the right, this week.  Back in the day, IIRC, about 175lbs and a 32" waist [I kind of remember my measurements from uniform fittings and the weight I checked in at Quantico] and now, on the right, 203/34.  I've experimented with a bulk & cut over the last 10-12 months, and I'd hoped to have leaned out more before I posted this up, but it just didn't happen.  I can blame 2 week Australia/New Zealand vacations, the ease with which Carl's Jr delivers in Bangkok or the ubiquity of delicious weekend brunch buffets and icy cold beers in this town...  but the truth is that I just didn't exert the dietary discipline needed to meet the ambitious goals I had in my head.  And with visitors coming in this weekend and travel and comradery [and gluttony & libation] heading to the forefront for the next month, bodycomp goals take a backseat.

You might think, "Eh, so what?  Not much of a 'transformation.'  Relatively in-shape college aged dude turns into relatively in-shape middle aged dude.  No big deal."  

If only that were true.  It'd be nice to say that the two pics show a gradual progression of slowly putting on some muscle and mass over the course of 20 years.  

Alack and alas, the last 3.5 years actually looked like this:

On the left, Sad Fattie is Sad.  But I'm feeling much better now.

 So how did I get from 'there' to 'there' to 'here'?  After that college pic I stayed in pretty good shape for about 8-9 years, then got on the roller coaster of fatfuckery for about 4-5 years, got myself back into decent shape over the course of a couple years, then backslid into being a fattie until I finally had my 'Seriously, Get Your Shit Together/Come to Jesus' moment.

Since then, for the last 3.5 years, I've scratched and clawed and fought and busted my ass to get into shape and stay there.  Taking exercise and training from something that I did, or was a hobby, and instead making it into an integral part of who I am.  If I go a few days with no workout now, I feel 'off' and I'm a bundle of nervous tension until I can get a workout in.  It's an addiction almost, but a good one that improves the quality of my life.  It keeps me feeling sane and balanced.  It's become mental as much as physical.  Training was one of the few things to helped me to cope and get through the death of my Dad a few years ago...

Anyways, that twenty year long road, in more detail:

- After that first pic was taken, for about the next 8 years or so, I stayed in pretty good shape.  Five years in the Marines, where a culture of physical fitness and excellence is the standard, it was easy.  Throw into that mix a good lifting partner for a couple years [shout out to H.W. Wilson, wherever you are] and starting to train JKD/MMA, and I was never at risk of getting out of shape, always in pretty good condition.

- Then out of the military and to Japan for the next two where I had ready access to a basic gym + training in Daido Juku karate and a little submission wrestling/BJJ.

- Back to the USA & NC & DC.  For about a year I maintained pretty well... and then that's when things start coming off the rails.  For a wealth of reasons - nutritional, psychological, emotional - I started eating terribly and exercising hardly at all.  So, of course, this happened: 

Here you see a fat-fuck in his native environment.  Notice, if you will, how it grows out the facial hair in an attempt to cover up the chin rolls.  The baggy clothes, which fool absolutely no one.  And, if you look closely enough, the self-loathing in the eyes.

The saddest part?  That wasn't even as bad as I got.  It took, give or take, another two years after this pic for me to even begin to get my shit together.  [I think that pic is from around winter 2004.]

- Moved back to Japan in 2005.  Tried to get back into MMA & Karate training, but of course: fat and out of shape.  Which led to a litany of injuries.  Which made training all the harder and infrequent.  Which led to my all time "Peak Fat Fuck" - stats I remember to this day - 227lbs & a 41" waistline.  Pathetic.

But, after about 2 years in Japan I started to slowly, slowly improve my diet and start exercising again.  God, sooooo slowly.  But I trained regularly - started P90X twice, didn't finish, but I was building momentum - and started eating relatively intelligently again.  Got back under 200lbs and achieved reasonable, human-like proportions.  

- And then, the big backslide.  The six month lead up to leaving Japan in 2010 - oh, the farewell drinking and partying that was had - and the couple months it took to catch up w/my wife in West Africa, and the couple months to settle into Liberia, and suddenly it was Jan 1st, 2011 and I hadn't worked out or paid attention to my nutrition in damn near 6-8 months.  The result?  224lbs and a 40" waist.

Lazy. Fat. Fuckery.

- This was the 'Come to Jesus' moment for me, to crib a saying from the goofily religious.  I saw pics from an Xmas 2010 shindig I attended and...  I knew I'd put on weight, but holy fuck, it was bad.  Can't even find those pics in my photo archive because I'm fairly certain I've shame-deleted them.  I hit that wall, that moment when you just have absolutely had enough and won't tolerate from yourself the behaviors that led you to wherever you are.  When you start asking of yourself "Seriously?  Is this who I want to be, how I want to look and feel and live and behave for the rest of my time on planet Earth?  Really?"  And it's not, you know it's not, because there is absolutely nothing about your life that is better when you're in shitty physical condition.  Being in shape doesn't automatically make you smart, or emotionally stable or psychologically healthy *BUT* it does make you smarter, more stable and healthier than you'd be otherwise.  The studies on biochemistry bear that out.  And most importantly - for me - my personal experience bears that out.  Your body is your vehicle for all of your experiences on this planet, you absolutely have to make it work, feel and look as well as you possibly can.  You must absolutely decide to fucking do something about it.  Get angry, harness that anger and no longer accept from yourself all the bullshit laziness, excuses and rationalizations that have been part and parcel of the you that got yourself to this point.  

So here's the last 3.5 years, step by step:

January 2011 to Summer 2012:

Left to Right:
- Jan 2011, 224/40.  Wildly Unacceptable Fat Fuckery.

- April 2011, 210/37.  3 months of random workouts.  Just getting back in the groove with exercise. Mostly bodyweight exercises and dumbbell work, with the Bas Rutten MMA CDs for shadowboxing & conditioning.  Started cleaning up my nutrition.

- July 2011, 194/34.  Finally completed a full round of P90X.

- April 2012, 182/32.  The lightest and leanest I've been since college.  Even lighter than when I left the Marines.  From Sep 2011 til April 2012 I did a combination of hypertrophic bodybuilding - high volume, light weight - plus bodyweight exercises, Bas Rutten MMA workouts and conditioning workouts 2-3x week with friends [PruFit!]  And I really tightened up the nutrition.  Indulgences/free/cheat days were limited to one day a week and it was pretty strict otherwise.  There were trips and travel and the special occasion indulgences, but overall, I was really consistent, nutritionally.

Fall 2012 to Now:

Left to Right:

- Feb 2013, 190/33.  Kept up the PT from April through the summer, left Liberia, transitioned back to the US, backslid just a little and then did a round of P90X+ from November to February.

- May 2013, 185/33.  Completed a round of P90X2.

- Jan 2014, 215/35.  Huge change in training protocols & nutrition.  Moved to Thailand in June and for the first time since getting my act together had ready access to a barbell and a good amount of weight.  So I wanted to see if I could put on some size and muscle mass.  The base of my training became Wendler's 5/3/1 [with not a whole lot of conditioning.]  And my nutritional protocol shifted from what it'd been the last 2.5 years - a low carb'ish/Primal [Paleo+dairy] template [with CKD&Free/Cheat/High Carb Day/s on the weekend + occasional IF] to, well, eating a lot.  Of everything.  Or as I called it, the "Eat All The Things and Drink All The Beers" diet.  Which, I have to be honest, was fun as hell.  And I got bigger, putting on weight and muscle mass.  20-30lbs in six months.  Not all of it muscle, of course.  A good chunk of fat.  But I got stronger and was moving more weight in the gym almost every trip there.  Which was cool.  I get why guys eschew vanity for strongfat performance.

- Jul 2014, 203/34.  So, bulking was fun.  But, honestly, too much fat came with the muscle.  Some vanity in that call, but I was also losing mobility, flexibility and seemed to be getting injured more often.  [My guess to the cause of that is that the higher inflammatory diet played a fairly big role.]  So I started dialing the nutrition back in.  Low carb'ish Primal 5-6 days a week [too often it was 5, not 6] and adding in conditioning work again.  5/3/1 is still the base of training, but I did a round of P90X3 (Mass Schedule) in there as accessory/conditioning work as well, and did a little bit of occasional running stairs and the treadmill.  And I keep working and trying to get rid of some elbow tendonitis I picked up [that has, over the course of the last year, healed in one elbow and started up in the other... madness!] so that I can try to get in some shadowboxing and heavy bag work.

So, that's where I'm at now.  Visitors from this coming weekend, for about a month, including some fantastic training partners, so during the visit/vacation we're gonna take a run at some PRs and 1RMs and keep the training up regularly.  But the diet will be, how shall we say...  indulgent.  [Yay Beer!]

Come Sept when they're out the door I'm still thinking 5/3/1 as the foundation but less volume on the weights and working in more bodyweight work.  More conditioning.  More flexibility and mobility work.  The bulk was fun, but at age 41, unless I get the hookup from Vinny at PlanetMuscle or they make TRT available OTC, I'm never gonna be hoooooooge.  But I'm good with that, actually.  I've always gravitated a lot more, aesthetically speaking, to the Stallone/Rocky/Rambo physique than the Arnold/Conan one.

So Sep to Dec I'm going to try and lean out as much as I can, tighten up the nutritional intake, maintain/increase my strength gains and get rid of some of the nagging injuries I've built up over the last year, year and a half.  That way I can take advantage of living in Thailand and hit up some Muay Thai/MMA gyms while I'm lucky enough to live here.  And I'll try to keep up with these progress posts & pics, let's say, every six months or so.

Anyways, posting on the blog is going to be more intermittent over the next few weeks.  Visitors and travel and the hazards of having a real life.  See ya as time permits.  Onwards.

You know, I particularly like how my back has come along...

 Deadlifts, pullups, chins and rows...  yep.

"It is always about you and your body. It's how you see yourself, and as a result, how you see the rest of the world. The body dictates everything. It's where it all starts. What you can make it do. What you can make it endure. How quick you can be. How precise. How quiet, and strong, and flexible and still... It is at the heart of eveything you do, and you must be able to trust it absolutely..."

- from "Critical Space" by Greg Rucka

"Crazy Seems Good To Me."

"All statements are true in some sense, false in some sense, meaningless in some sense, true and false in some sense, true and meaningless in some sense, false and meaningless in some sense, and true and false and meaningless in some sense.  And if you repeat that 600 times you will receive enlightenment.  In some sense."

"

"

They get it.

He knows.  He has the documents.

House Approves a Weakened Surveillance Reform Bill After Co-Sponsors Turn Against It - Hit & Run : Reason.com: 

"Today the House of Representatives approved a watered-down version of the surveillance reform bill known as the USA FREEDOM Act by a vote of 303 to 121. Revisions to the bill demanded by the Obama administration were so troubling that several prominent supporters, including Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), ended up opposing it.

...the bill was so weakened in behind-the-scenes negotiations over the last week that the government still can order—without probable cause—a telephone company to turn over all call records for "area code 616" or for "phone calls made east of the Mississippi." The bill green-lights the government's massive data collection activities that sweep up Americans' records in violation of the Fourth Amendment."

Of course, that's just what they want you to think.   ​The Military Is Shutting Down Its Weather-Controlling Death Beam:

"The official objectives of HAARP are to "identify, investigate, and, if feasible ... serve to enhance future DOD Command, Control and Communications capabilities … Research areas that will be explored include generation of very low and extremely low frequency waves, generation of geomagnetic field-aligned irregularities, electron acceleration, and investigation of upper atmospheric processes." But, earlier this month, the military gave official notice to Congress that it intends to dismantle HAARP this summer. David Walker, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for science, technology and engineering, said this is "not an area that we have any need for in the future" and that research funds would be better spent elsewhere. "We're moving on to other ways of managing the ionosphere," Walker explained...  It's that sort of language that has inspired conspiracy theories since HAARP's inception"

Patton Oswalt is Awesome.

 Coup needed for Thailand 'to love and be at peace again' - army chief | World | The Guardian: 

"Thailand's army seized control of the country and suspended the constitution on Thursday after rival factions failed in talks to end six months of political turmoil, causing the nation's 19th coup in 82 years. While General Prayuth Chan-ocha, head of the army and now acting prime minister, did not use the word "coup" in his televised announcement to the nation, he said the takeover was necessary "in order for the country to return to normality quickly, and for society to love and be at peace again".  The coup became apparent during Thursday's negotiations when Prayuth asked the caretaker justice minister, Chaikasem Nitisiri, whether the government was ready to resign. "As of this minute, the government will not resign," Chaikasem allegedly answered, according to the English-language Nation newspaper. "So, as of this minute, I decide to seize ruling power," Prayuth retorted. An electoral commissioner who was at the negotiations said that Prayuth had told the assembled company: "Everyone must sit still."

...The military's seizure of power has become routine and a sad reality of Thai politics," said Karim Lahidji, of the International Federation for Human Rights. "Two days after it publicly declared that it was not going to stage a coup, the military seized power and plunged Thailand into a deeper political crisis." Observers say Thailand's next move will depend on just how well the various factions, and the public, respond to the military takeover. "This coup looks like many others going back to the 1970s: the language used, the seeming solidarity among the main branches of the security forces," said Michael Montesano, co-coordinator of the Thailand studies programme at Singapore's institute of south-east Asian studies. "They've inherited a mess and how they're going to manage it depends on how much resistance there is to the government that they attempt to install." Connors said, though, that the fact that there had been so much talk of resistance proved this coup was different from all the others. "They've never had a coup like this, in which this potential of mass resistance is so strong," he said. "It's only imaginable that this coup will be incredibly repressive as a response.""

Martial law threatens new blow to beleaguered Thai tourism | Reuters: 

"Tourism officials put a brave face on the latest twist in the long-running civil strife, saying it was too early to gauge the impact on tourist arrivals, which already dipped nearly 6 percent in the first three months of the year. "It might look scary and to outsiders it might sound violent, but if we look at it from another angle it should bring more security and peace which should reassure tourists," said Supawan Tanomkieatipume, vice-president of the Thai Hotels Association. But some travel agencies said they expected a further fall in bookings after Tuesday's news, especially from corporate travelers, who can be more sensitive to political risks."

Coup, Curfew Cause Bangkok to Shut Transit, Malls Early - WSJ.com: 

"Despite the chaos, people on the street have welcomed the military's action. "It's good that the military came out so that everything will be over," said 29-year-old Panatda Butsopha, a street merchant who has been unhappy with prolonged political turmoil and street protests. "I'm not surprised to hear the military staged a coup," said Chatchai Leethahan, a 36-year-old motorcycle taxi driver whose stand is at the center of the commercial district of Bangkok, which has been the backdrop of several government-related protests. "I think where a conflict between two groups continued unresolved, having someone come in to put an end to it is good," said Tueanjit Putipongpokai, a 29-year-old in downtown Bangkok, who came to the city's commercial area to look for soldiers with whom to take selfies. "I don't think the situation can be any worse than it has already been, although I didn't expect the coup to take place this soon."" 

Hugh Jackman FTW.

"I want you to be nice..."

How ‘good faith’ creates bad policy: 

 "What a tidy but self-defeating fiction the “good faith” presumption has revealed itself to be over my 25 years in the law. The more I study criminal justice, the clearer it is to me that public officials on every level of our justice system are wholly unworthy of the benefit of the doubt the law ascribes to their actions. To even say this, I realize, is to cross some sort of decorous boundary that proper lawyers and judges are still conditioned to observe. But here we are. I am no longer a believer in the presumption of “good faith.” I’ve simply seen too much evidence of bad faith...

Much of this boils down to a failure to understand and appreciate the trappings of public choice. We tend to assume that public employees always act in the public interest — or at least we write our laws and structure our government in a way that assumes it. But there’s nothing transformational about a government paycheck that turns the name on the “payable to:” line into an altruist. This isn’t to say that government employees are especially evil or awful or terrible, only that they’re just as human and fallible as anyone else. Yes, some areas of government attract and reward certain traits and personalities, and that in some cases this is a bad thing. For example, I think that the profession of politics in general attracts and rewards the very sorts of people we should least want running the country...

The fact that the criminal justice system is run by fallible human beings wouldn’t be such a problem if we recognized it, made sure that the system was governed by checks and balances to compensate for it, and structured internal incentives in a way that ensured we were delivering just and fair outcomes as often as possible. But that isn’t what has happened, mostly because our political discourse hasn’t allowed for it...

Progressives tend to be dismissive of public choice theory in general. Conservatives tend to buy into it, except when we’re talking about criminal justice. For whatever reason, conservatives have long believed that while EPA or FDA bureaucrats are susceptible to the trappings and corruption of power, somehow cops and prosecutors are immune to it...

Unfortunately, it’s the politicians who make policy. Naturally, most politicians are either skeptical of public choice theory or oblivious to it. After all, every politician is himself a public servant, and believes he or she obviously got into the profession for only the noblest of reasons. These are the people who make the laws that govern the system, and the people who are supposed to provide oversight and accountability when things go wrong. Throw in the influence of the police and prison guard unions and prosecutors’ associations, and the massive law-enforcement pork available for congressmen to bring home to their districts, and you remove any political incentive for an elected official to position himself as a criminal justice watchdog....

The courts are reluctant to second-guess the motivations of law enforcement officials. The most notorious example of this is the collection of cases that provide a “good faith exception” to Fourth Amendment violations. Instead of guarding the rights of citizens not to be subjected to illegal searches, the courts have chosen not to “punish” police who unintentionally violate those rights. But if a police officer says the violation was unintentional, the courts have put the burden on the plaintiff to prove otherwise. The practical result of many these decisions is to draw a roadmap for rogue cops to violate the Fourth Amendment. Just claim that you made a mistake. And since cops tend to be rewarded for making arrests that lead to convictions, the cops who follow the roadmap have a professional advantage over the cops who don’t...

Not only do courts and bar associations fail to adequately police and punish rogue prosecutors, a prosecutor’s performance is generally measured exclusively on his or her ability to put lots of people behind bars. Yes, there are conscientious prosecutors who decline to charge someone in the interest of justice all the time. But deciding not to charge someone isn’t the sort of thing a prosecutor boasts about in a press release, touts when running for reelection, or that attracts headhunters from high paying white-shoe law firms. Every incentive nudges prosecutors toward charging as many people as possible with the most serious charges possible to seek the longest sentence possible. Between impotent bar associations, courts reluctant to sanction, and prosecutors’ absolute immunity from lawsuits, there’s little to no risk of punishment for going to far. Yes, there are lots of good prosecutors out there. But why should we make it hard on them?"

My love/hate relationship with Hawaii Five-0.

I despise the trite "cops breaking the law and violating civil liberties to serve justice" cliche, but goddamn do I love seeing the visuals from Oahu.  The four years I lived there rank among the best ever.  And while not the best job I've ever had - still the JET Programme - it was the best place I've lived.  Miss the islands... and if I turn off my brain, the actors are good and really get after their characters and chew some scenery, and I can dig on the show.

Bing Crosby - Marijuana Advocate. Certainly explains that laid-back crooner song styling, dunnit?

Bing Crosby smoked pot:

"A 2001 biography of Crosby by Village Voice jazz critic Gary Giddins says that Louis Armstrong's influence on Crosby 'extended to his love of marijuana.' Bing smoked it during his early career when it was legal and 'surprised interviewers' in the 1960s and 70s by advocating its decriminalization, as did Armstrong."

And, of course, my favorite Bing song, appropriate to the holidays...

"We do hope your stay is enjoyable, memorable and totally unaffected by the recent hotel murders."

I'd almost forgotten how damn funny Rap's Hawaii is.


The wife's favorite bit.

NC no longer the greatest state.

You know, in my personal pantheon of US states, NC has long ceded the #1 spot to Hawaii, but honestly, now... in NC, what will you mix with fruit punch? I am sad for America.

Texts From Last Night:

"(910):  NC is no longer selling 190 proof Everclear. We are officially no longer the greatest state."

Another reason to miss Hawaii/Hawaii is awesome.

Via Fun-Filled Friday: TSA, Yoga, Jump, Statins, Cholesterol, Hawaiian Atkins, Nourishing Diets, Thanksgiving « Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low Carb Blog

Missed this/times are a changin' - "Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam."

BRAC is still going on, apparently.

The Associated Press: Historic Oahu military bases now a joint base:

"Two historic Oahu military bases have formally merged.

Naval Base Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base on Friday finished their consolidation to become one installation.

They're among 26 installations across the country that are combining to become 12 joint bases as the military strives to become more efficient."

Watched - August.

So despite traversing from Japan to the US, and running up and down the East Coast while jumping State Dept hurdles and visiting family, through the magic of the internets and my trusty laptop I was duly entertained.

The Daily Show, Burn Notice, Penn & Teller - Bullshit, Eureka, Sherlock, The IT Crowd, The Boondocks, Leverage, Lie to Me, The Closer, Louie, The Next Iron Chef [even though I already knew who won, I love me some Iron Chef America when I can find it], Breakthrough w/Tony Robbins, Pioneer One & Better Off Ted.

In the theaters - The Expendables, Scott Pilgrim Vs the World - both of which rocked pretty hard.

Lord of War - I'd watched this years ago and remembered it as pretty good and for some reason had been jonezing to catch it again.  Been on my radar to do it for a while now...  And having rewatched it - still a really good flick - but the kicker, maybe subconsciously I remembered it, but a good portion of it is about running guns in Liberia, featuring pastiches of former Liberian president Charles Taylor and his son.  Watched it today...  and I leave for Liberia tomorrow.

True fact.  Crazy.





Conquest of Hawaii - excellent documentary on the history of the islands...  wow, did they get screwed over by the US.  American imperialism, maybe not at its worst, but still...

Iz + Glee FTW.

Man, I miss Hawaii sometimes - new "Hawaii Five-O" trailer.

I'll end up watching this just to see places I recognize. Hawaii is awesome.