Rule of Experts

Ilya Somin, writing at The Volokh Conspiracy, has an interesting post on the "rule of experts" advocated by some libertarian paternalists (for the record, that would not be me!). The lead:

Power to the Experts! - A Solution to the Problem of Political Ignorance?

As I noted in my last post, some advocates of libertarian paternalism try to get around the problem of political ignorance by suggesting that their policies be implemented by government-appointed experts rather than by elected officials. This is not a new argument. Totalitarians from Plato to Lenin have argued that the ignorance of the masses can be offset by concentrating power in the hands of an expert elite. So too have some moderate liberal scholars such as Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and even libertarian Bryan Caplan. Breyer, the libertarian paternalists, and Caplan would never think of taking the argument as far as Plato or Lenin. But the core logic is similar: the experts know better than the average person - and therefore they should make the decisions.

For advocates of limited government, the rule of experts is like the vampire that refuses to die no matter how often we drive a stake through its heart. We've been fighting it for 2500 years, but have never quite managed to finish it off. Nevertheless, I'm going to put on my vampire slayer hat, and take a wee little stab at it.

Then he proceeds to do a darn fine job of attempted vampire slaying. Given the aforementioned 2,500 years of history, however, I suspect the vampire will rise yet again...

Read the whole thing!

Chocola

Via Cute Overload, of course.

Very high cutiosity factor!

Thought for the Day

Well, for yesterday, really. Bravo Romeo Delta (writing at Protein Wisdom) echoes some of my thoughts, but adds a talent for writing:

I am very much of the opinion that the United States of America is a singular entity. I know of no other nation that is derived solely from a set of ideas and principles, rather than a long cultural and ethnic history, perhaps save Vatican City. One can argue the case for American exceptionalism, but the concepts upon which our nation was founded and has grown are so key to the American identity that it is remarkably hard for most people born in the US to really conceive of a national identity being something much closer to self-identification of Texans or New Yorkers. For that matter, it is equally difficult for many foreigners to understand that flying the flag, or the fits of patriotic fervor that occasionally sweep the nation are not the harbingers of some chauvinist nationalism, bearing the seeds of latent militarism or racism.

It is a unique and strange situation that being a foreigner - an outsider - in the US is not reason to be looked down upon or excluded. A Martian could arrive in the US and would be regarded as being American as soon as they became a citizen. Compare this to many other countries in which being a citizen for generations may not be sufficient to make one a “true” member of that nation. We like to believe that our assessments about people are based not “by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. It does say something that a person like Martin Luther King, who was jailed for his protests less than fifty years ago is now hailed as a Great American who embodied many of our best traits. In fact, it is even a bit more interesting that in most nations, such a change in perspective about someone viewed at the time as a trouble-maker would have almost only come about as a result of a coup or revolution.

I believe that we have done well for ourselves and have shown respect for the ideals on which this nation was founded, complaints from the left and right about the country’s slide into the abyss, notwithstanding. Rather, I tend to regard the complaints from the extreme wings of political discourse about the direction the country is heading to quite often be equivalent to the self-image of an anorexic supermodel. Those who complain aren’t trying to tear down the nation, but they lack a fair appraisal of how good things really are, and are possessed with an uncompromising desire for even further perfection. Granted, things are never perfect here, but they’re pretty damn good.

Read the whole darned thing, would ya?

His point about America -- uniquely -- being founded on principles and ideals (rather than geography, race, religion, etc.) resonates strongly with me. This fact truly does seem to separate America from the rest of the world that I have observed, and I'm a reasonably well-traveled man. The closest thing I've seen is Australia, but even there it isn't quite the same thing (although they seem to do a pretty good job of assimilating immigrants). Europe and Asia are quite radically different than us, though, in these foundations. I've had a few conversation with Europeans (English, Germans, Estonians, and Finns) about the notion of patriotism, and just as Romeo Delta says, it's a very alien concept for them ... and I think Bravo Romeo Delta is spot-on about the reasons...

Patio Flowers

While I was taking all the hummer photos in the preceding post, I had to do quite a bit of waiting on the patio. It was very pleasant waiting: the temperature was 72 F, the sun bright but not overwhelming, I had a mug of ice-cold lemonade, and my wife was only an hour or so from home after five days on the road. Plus I was surrounded by the flowers in bloom on our patio, which is what these photos are of:

Chaparral Hummers...

For several weeks now, we have had our summer population of hummingbirds -- hundreds and hundreds of hummingbirds at our feeders. Currently we're keeping 7 feeders out, each with 8 feeding stations -- room for 56 hummingbirds -- but every morning and every evening (the most busy feeding times), all the stations are full and hummers are waiting in line. There's a kind of "hummingbird cloud" all around the feeders. The hummers are quite accustomed to our presence, and we can go out and stand right in this cloud -- they dart and buzz all around our heads, sometimes even landing on our hats, our ears, or our glasses!

One diminutive female seemed to like perching in our pampas grass -- she liked it so well that I was able to get quite close to her to take her picture. My lens was only a few inches from her when I took this photo! When I finally did get too close for her comfort, she whisked off at a blinding speed, straight through the heart of the (very dense!) pampas grass -- then whizzed around to right behind my head, hovered for a few seconds, and then zipped straight back to her original perch!

Another female seemed to be particularly fond of our potato flower. She had a regular flight pattern from the feeder to "her" perch in the potato flower tree, where she'd rest for about 60 seconds, then zip back to the feeder for another tipple -- and then back to the potato tree. If you follow the individual hummers, you'll soon see that many of them have such patterns, for at least hours at a time. I haven't yet figured out if they maintain these patterns over periods of days or longer...

Some more hummer pictures for your enjoyment...

Back from the Show!

Debbie was up in Pomona, California for the past five days, with all three of our field spaniels (Lea, Mo'i, and Miki). Miki (our one year old) was just there for the practice; he needs to learn how to behave in crowds of people and dogs. But Lea and Mo'i were both competing in agility...

Lea was the star of the weekend -- in her eight runs (four standard and four jumpers) she had four qualifying runs, three first places, and a title. She runs with the twelve inch dogs (meaning that the jumps are set at 12" high). Three of her qualifying runs were on Excellent A Preferred standard courses, which earned her the AXP (Exellent A Preferred Standard) title. She also qualified on one Excellent B Preferred jumpers course. She took first place on three of her four standard course runs -- she beat the second place dog by 12 to 15 seconds!

Thyroid medication is a good thing!

Mo'i had just one qualifying run, but that's not as bad as it sounds. For starters, he runs in the most advanced category (Excellent B) and he runs with 20" dogs -- mostly border collies, which are your basic nuclear-powered sports cars. Mo'i had no problem with speed, which is a big improvement -- he used to "stall" on the teeter and the pause table. Those problems are history -- Debbie reports that Mo'i powered over all but one of the teeters, and just a second or so hesitation at the pivot point on the one that wasn't perfect. On the pause table, his "sits" and "downs" were crisp and fast. Where he fell down was on the weave poles, where he was slow on Friday and Saturday, but fast on Sunday and Monday after a friend helped Debbie figure out why he was fast on the weave poles at home, but slow at the show. And Mo'i had several "extra credit" events, where he took an extra jump or other obstacle -- still making qualifying time, but at his level the course deviation disqualifies him.

All in all, a good show. Debbie is all smiles and quite happy with how things went...

Maka Lea

Maka Lea ("twinkly eyes" in Hawaiian) is also a rescue cat. In his case, our veterinarian, knowing Debbie's weakness for "challenged" cats, prevailed upon us to take this little fellow. He had an infection and a very high sustained fever when he was a tiny little thing. As a consequence, he's got some neurological damage that makes him walk funny, fall frequently, and rely on his front paws for almost everything involving motion.

He climbs using one front paw to throw his weight up, while he grabs a higher point with the other front paw. He can't jump; he just doesn't have enough control of his rear legs. And his leaps from high places are the absolute antithesis of grace -- he's as likely to land on his head as he is to land on his feet. When he does accidentally land on his feet, he looks startled, like "What happened here? I'm supposed to be in pain on the floor, but instead I'm up and about!"

But Maka Lea's real grace is his personality -- he's as sweet, dependent, and affectionate as our dogs. He'll follow us all around the house, demanding attention just like our dogs do (only even more persistently!). He comes to us when we call him, just as reliably as our dogs do. And he'll nuzzle and kiss you exactly like the dogs do -- very unusual cat behavior, and impossible to resist...

Halala Pala

Halala Pala (Hawaiian for "big mellow") is a rescue cat, but we suspect he's all or mostly Maine Coon. His appearance and his behavior are completely consist with everything we've ever heard about Maine Coons, and several breeders have written us in the past to assure us that he is indeed a Maine Coon.

But really, who cares?

Note the grumpy look on his face upon being bothered by the photographer!

America the Beautiful

Ray Charles sings it:

In Flanders Fields

For Memorial Day:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Memorial Day

Today, as every day, our American flag is flying. But today we will spend some time remembering those brave Americans who died while defending this great nation and its principles.

Often these men and women were so very young -- I've read that the average age of our fallen soldiers is just 19. Often they died in distant, lonely, and strange places; there's something particularly discomfiting about dying so far from home.

Today is the day we remember their sacrifices. Today we salute the bravery and dedication of the American soldiers and sailors, past and present -- they have kept America safe and free for over 200 years.

Thank you, one and all.

Here are some Memorial Day links for you:

Wikipedia

Paralyzed Veterans of America

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Memorial Day Links Roundup

Memorial Day History

Memorial Day Thoughts

Cal and Jamie Johnson, Part II

Jamie Johnson left an extensive comment on my previous post, and once again I will let her comment speak for itself. I have made some trivial formatting changes to make it more readable:

Thank you for the opportunity to set a few more wrongs right.

Yes, my husband has lost weight. Partially from the addiction and partally from the daily stresses of being self employed in a city that is corrupt and immune from persecution. As to my weight loss. In August of 2004 I underwent gastric bypass surgery in an attempt to better my life and reduce the health related problems I was enduring as a result of being overweight for more than 15 years. To inadvertently imply I may have been using as well shows the ignorance of society and the "jump on the band wagon" mentality that I have tried to overcome.

Secondly, our children's health has NEVER been disregarded. I have always been the primary caregiver when it comes to our kids and that has not changed. Our family life was not one of anger and rage. Do we punish our kids for wrong doings...yes. We ground them, we take away possessions, we do not torture, beat, threaten or abuse our children. don't you think if the police saw evidence of abuse, my kids would be elsewhere instead of at home with me where they are.

I also believe that persons under the influence of drugs should be held accountable for thier actions. At no time have I insinuated that I think my husband should be treated with "kid gloves" because I have chosen to give him the chance to make a change in his life. I will stand up in court and tell the truth and when asked if I support my husband I will say that I do. does that mean I don't want him to take what he has coming to him for these acts. Absolutely not. He will be spending time in prison for this, I do not delude myself into thinking that I can stand up and ask a Juadge to go lightly on him.

On the other hand, he has 100% committed to entering himself into intensive residential treatment for however long it takes. He will have to prove to me that nothing like this can ever happen again before we can even begin to try to heal our relationship. I have to give him the chance to get better and heal himself and as a result I can heal as well.

Our children are our first priority and steps have already beenn taken to begin treatment for their mental well being. I will never let my kids think that it is okay to treat someone in this manner. It has to be said that our family is not crippled with a continuing pattern of domestic abuse. This incident is the one and only exception to domestic violence. I am not saying we have had a perfect 23 year relationship, but at no time has my husband abused me prior to this tragic day. Has he called me names, yes. Has he yelled at me or raised his voice, yes. Has he lost his temper and said things he later regretted, yes, but who hasn't. I have too.

We have worked very hard instilling consequences and values in our kids and if you really know my family, you would know that as well. I don't excuse my husbands actions and simply blame his addiction. I was merely trying to say that absent the addiction this would not have happened. My family will need time to heal and my husband needs time to heal as well. He isn't going to be in Jamul for a very long time. His treatment is going to begin immediately upon his release from jail and will continue for as long as it takes. Cal knows he screwed up and he also knows that only time and a genuine committment to himself will begin the road to recovery. I can only hope and pray that he will be successful.

Now to set the record straight as to the false reports from the press and Sgt. Mary Helman. First and foremost, my husband had NO weapons on him when he was arrested. Secondly, he was not "on the run" for days. He waited until he was able to talk to me so that I could meet him and we could go together to the police station and he could turn himself in. He wanted his soulmate by his side and I in turn wanted to be there to support him and to let him know he wasn't in this alone. Our children asked me to be with him so he would not be alone and afraid. Selfless acts are the wings of angels.

Third, my husband did not torture me over a week, as stated by the prosecutor, or even 3 days as stated by the press. This incident began on that tragic day and ended on that tragic day. Fourth, at NO TIME did my husband threaten to kill our children. My comment to the police was that if they were to arrest my husband in front of our children...IT would kill them.

If you noticed the news reports made no mention of my husbands addiction. Why you ask. If one were to find out that perhaps an addiction played a role in this it might not be as sensational. He may not be viewed as such a horrible monster. Well, enough said.

Those that think you are immune from addiction and the pain of a tragedy...think again. Meth isn't predjudiced. It will take ahold of anyone that chooses to partake of it. The only thing that I can say may be my saving grace in all of this is that if one women can be saved from being abused by having this tradgedy brought to light then the humiliation and pain that I feel every second of every day since this happened is worth it.

To the young women who stopped that morning on Proctor Valley Road...I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are an angel and I will never forget you.

God bless,

Jamie Johnson

Jamie, thank you for sharing this with the community. I am reminded once again (for the bazillionth time) just how different the same events can appear when viewed from a different perspective, or in a different context. I hope that in some small way it is helpful for you to have a public forum for your thoughts and feelings.

We wish you and your family all the best as you move on from this awful day -- you, your kids, and Cal all have some real challenges ahead. Feel free to contact me (email at right) if there's any way the JamulBlog and its readers can help...

Ivory Sector Rule

The beautiful old instrument at right is a very fine example of a "sector rule". These sector rules were computational tools, the equivalent of a calculator in their time -- the 1700s and 1800s. This particular sector is made from ivory and brass by the English instrument makers Nairne and Blunt; it dates from about 1790.

You can read more about this instrument at my collection web site.

Formidable People

Last November, the London Telegraph published this fine essay by Andrew Gimson. A comment I heard the other day reminded me of it, and this weekend seemed an appropriate time to share it. The essay concludes:

The Americans are prepared to use force in pursuit of what they regard as noble aims. It is yet another respect in which they are rather old-fashioned. They are patriots who venerate their nation and their flag.

The idea has somehow gained currency in Britain that America is an essentially peaceful nation. Quite how this notion took root, I do not know. Perhaps we were unduly impressed by the protesters against the Vietnam war.

It is an idea that cannot survive a visit to the National Museum of American History in Washington, where one is informed that the "price of freedom" is over and over again paid in blood.

The Americans' tactics in Iraq, and their sanction for Israel's tactics in Lebanon, have given rise to astonishment and anger in Europe. It may well be that those tactics are counter-productive, and that the Americans and Israelis need to take a different approach to these ventures if they are ever to have any hope of winning hearts and minds.

But when the Americans speak of freedom, we should not imagine, in our cynical and worldly-wise way, that they are merely using that word as a cloak for realpolitik. They are not above realpolitik, but they also mean what they say.

These formidable people think freedom is so valuable that it is worth dying for.

Read the whole thing.

And remember -- and give thanks for -- the soldiers and sailors who died making us a "formidable people"...

"Dr. Death" to be Released...

Dr. Jack Kevorkian (aka "Dr. Death") is about to be released from prison, after serving just over eight years of a 10-to-25 year sentence.

He plans to promote assisted-suicide enabling laws after he is released next week, but says he won't break any laws while doing it. In other words, he's pledging not to kill anybody himself, so long as it remains illegal to do so. Actually, Oregon has such laws, so presumably he could start plying his hobby (or whatever it is) there with impunity...

Whatever your beliefs about assisted suicide, this guy is creepy. My impression of him -- and I know I'm not the only one -- is that he just plain likes to kill people. Very creepy, he is...

I imagine him smiling as he pushes the button...

What's That Funny-Looking Thing Up There?

A reader asks "What's that funny-looking thing to the right of your blog's name?" The reader, by the way, is from Jamul himself.

That "funny-looking thing" is the trunk of a manzanita tree -- the most emblematic image of the chaparral that I could think of. Apparently it wasn't emblematic enough, if even another Jamulian didn't recognize it!

So I hereby announce a contest -- or maybe it's a plea -- for an image that evokes the chaparral, at least for people familiar with the chaparral of Southern California...

Day-by-Day

I always keep Chris Muir's excellent Day-by-Day cartoon posted on the sidebar. Today's is a great zinger on the lamestream media's awful coverage of the war in Iraq -- and Chris would know, as he was himself embedded a short time ago.

Just click on the small image at right, and it will zoom to readable size...

Blogger Update

Another 50 old posts imported, and once again Blogger said "STOP, SPAMMER"!

Sigh.

On the positive side, I believe I have figured out a way to re-insert all my old photos and images into the old posts (which now just have funny boxes where the photos are supposed to be). But I won't do this unless Blogger solves my import problem!

Cal and Jamie Johnson

I've posted twice (here and here) about the recent strange case of Cal Johnson, accused of holding his wife captive, beating her, torturing her (including with over 100 electric shocks), and threatening to kill her. The news reports have been very sketchy, and my earlier posts included a plea to the community for any information they might have about Mr. Johnson and his wife.

This morning I discovered that Jamie Johnson -- Mr. Johnson's wife -- added a comment to the second post. I must be careful to point out that this could be someone pretending to be Jamie, as I have no way to verify the authenticity of the commenter. The rest of my comments here will assume that this really was Jamie Johnson; you can judge for yourself (I have corrected some obvious and trivial spelling errors):

First let me say that Cal Johnson is not the person the prosecutors are trying to portray. I know this as I am his wife and the victim of this assault. My husband is the most loving, caring, giving person one could meet...that is until he became addicted to methamphetamines. My husband did not do these acts to me..the drugs did. I know some of you will say I am ignorant or just trying to protect the man I love and the father of my children. To a point you would be right, however I also know that he has to be held accountable for what has happened. He knows he has to be held accountable for this. The news did not report the facts as accurately as they should have. The actions of the reporters covering this case, particularly the reporter from channel 39 is deplorable. Seeing as this is being referred to as a sexual assault...what about my rights?!?! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who the wife of "Cal Johnson, 47 of Jamul" is. Why can't a personal and private family tragedy be kept personal and private. Those in this community that wish to pass judgment on us, on him, go ahead. I will stand by my husband every step of the way just as I have for the past 23 years. He is not a danger to anyone but himself and I am saddened and perplexed how anyone could judge another person until you've walked a mile in their shoes. Go ahead and scorn us and turn your heads and whisper when you see us about town, just remember...this could happen to anyone. I pray that no one would have to endure what we are at this point in our lives, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and we are definite fighters. I sincerely hope that our friends will still be our friends, but if not then you never really were.

God bless,

Jamie Johnson

This is certainly a far different context than the one reported in the news. While it's easy to understand Jamie's desire for privacy, reality is that the moment Cal committed a crime (which she is not denying), his actions became a public matter -- something for all of us to be concerned about. Her assertion that Cal is not a danger to anyone but himself is belied by her own experience as his victim, which she confirms. I'm guessing that she means that he is no danger to others going forward, but that is a matter that it is definitely in the public interest to ascertain.

I find myself reacting in several different ways to Jamie's comment, all at the same time. On the one hand, who could help but admire a loyal wife "standing by her man" in his time of need? On the other hand, her man's behavior and actions have caused her great pain, and apparently put her very life in danger -- would we admire her if she had been killed?

Jamie makes a clear distinction between her husband's actions and the drugs's actions, and she accuses the latter rather than the former. While she doesn't directly say this, one can infer that she would like to see her husband treated for the drug addiction, and gently punished for his actions while under the influence. This, of course, is a classic public policy question with lots and lots of baggage. From my own reading, the success rate of drug addiction treatment is not high -- there are great success stories, but there are many more stories of failure. Those successes seem well worth fighting for ... until you discover the costs (to individuals and to society) of the failures. My personal viewpoint is that people should be held accountable for their actions without regard to whether they were under the influence of some substance when they committed those actions. In this case, I'd argue that Cal should be punished for whatever crimes he is guilty of, without considering his methamphetamine addiction as a mitigating factor.

But my overriding reaction to Jamie's comments is one of sympathy. Just think what this poor woman has lived through! Even before Cal attacked her, I'm sure there much fear, anguish, and distress over her husband transformed by his addiction. Quite likely there were failed attempts to get him into treatment. Then the awful attack -- reading even the lightweight news reports about it gave me the shivers. Then there's the experience with the press, the appearance in court, her husband -- whom she obviously loves very much -- in jail, and in distress himself. My life seems like a complete cakewalk when compared with just her recent experiences. Whatever you feel about her and her situation, you just can't help but admire Jamie's pluck and courage...

Evening in Jamul

It's a lovely, quiet evening in Jamul. This photo is from the near-realtime camera on Lyons Peak. This particular camera is pointed due north; if our home was visible, it would be just right of dead center in the photo.

If you click on the photo to expand it, you can see the evening mists starting to gather in the valleys. Looking out my window, I can see the first tendrils of it wandering by in the evening gloom...