Innocent Bystanders

Whence the Moral Authority of the Victim? February 24, 2018

Just wanted to say that being a victim does not give you any moral authority or particular insight into policy. But our media and academia have turned victimhood from a tragic human interest story into a license to grab a pulpit and start lecturing the rest of the country.

As many have pointed out, it’s particularly ironic in the case of the FL shootings, where the Anti-Gun crowd’s recommended procedures for safety were followed precisely:

1. Do not permit weapons in school
2. Alert authorities if you feel that a student represents a danger
3. If a shooting situation does occur, let the authorities handle it

There is also the unwritten rule: If the system fails and there are fatalities, trot out the survivors to blame gun owners and the NRA. [Because of their Cindy Sheehan-like absolute moral authority]

Though I’m not a member of the NRA, I’m terminally irritated with Symantec for dropping their NRA discount program on such an illogical basis. I’ve been a faithful customer of theirs for almost 30 years.

Time for another boycott.

Still Limping Along After All These Years February 19, 2018

[This is a repost of a June 10, 2007 post by Michael. I thought it was interesting that there was talk of closing IB over 10 years ago, but that the blog is still here. And no, I’m not thinking of quitting again (though my life is not leaving me much time for blogging).]

When Would You Quit Innocent Bystanders?

A rash of blog closings got me thinking about this: RWS, Feisty, HayZeus, All You Need Is Jack, Garfield Ridge.

Along with this comment by Geoff on his blog:

The unfortunate side effect of this proliferation of blogs is that the community at AoSHQ has lost some of its substance. And the same thing appears to be happening at Innocent Bystanders: comments are slowing down as people tend to their own posts and thread discussions.

Traffic hasn’t actually slowed down yet. If you adjust for Google Video hits on the infamous Jessica Alba pic, our “regular” traffic showed strong growth from inception until April.

In May, for the first time, we seemed to plateau, consistent with Geoff’s observation that recently a number of satellite blogs have launched that occupy people’s time.

So, when should we quit? We’re probably about to hit a summer traffic slump. Do we go out on top now? Do we wait until everyone is bored and traffic is rapidly trending down?

Innocent Bystanders started out as a joke by Retired Geezer.   It morphed into a continuation of the BlogWisconsin thread at Letters from Desolation Row, which was really kind of a chat room. Then it actually became a minor presence in the blogosphere, operating on the periphery of AoSHQ.

For me personally, IB was originally sort of a marketing experiment that I was very involved with. That experiment is over. IB started as Geezer and me goofing around. As it currently operates, IB will easily draw 25,ooo+ visits and 50,000+ page views per month, without anybody trying too hard. Now it’s a hobby, and a way to keep in touch with people I feel connected to. I put less effort into it than I used to.

It’s obvious that most small websites like Innocent Bystanders have a limited shelf life. So, Geoff got me thinking. When is the right time to quit?

I’m certainly not saying it’s now. I don’t really think we’re done yet. I’m just wondering — when?

A lot of you are involved in Innocent Bystanders, so I’m curious what you think.

When should we quit Innocent Bystanders?

Under Construction February 17, 2018

I’m dinking around with the IB stylesheet, and naturally disasters are occurring. So don’t be alarmed – it’s not the end times.

Yet.

Another Economic High Note February 17, 2018

Forgot to mention this a couple of weeks ago, but US monthly exports in December just set a record: the highest they’ve ever been.

Almost all of the $3.5 billion increase from November came from exports of goods:

Exports of goods on a Census basis increased $3.4 billion.

• • Industrial supplies and materials increased $1.5 billion.
    • Organic chemicals increased $0.2 billion.
    • Fuel oil increased $0.2 billion.
  • * Capital goods increased $1.2 billion.
    • Civilian aircraft increased $0.8 billion.
    • Other industrial machines increased $0.7 billion.

Chinese Military Tech Gets Competitive February 16, 2018

When I first commenced blogging nearly 12 years ago, I tried everyone’s patience with my constant harping on the emerging military/geopolitical threat of China. I eventually dropped the subject (for the most part), so as not to bore the IB gang. At the time there was a cadre of nay-sayers who raised the typical objections, “China’s military uses obsolete equipment,” “China lacks the industrial expertise to make state-of-the-art equipment, “China’s R&D is derivative, relying on copying the West.”

“But they’re modernizing,” said I, “and their high-tech industry is growing. And they’ve trained their scientists and engineers abroad, so they’re fully capable of innovation.”

And now, you can call me Nostradamus:

China’s rapid military modernization is “remarkable,” and is no longer merely “catching up” with the West, reports the International Institute for Strategic Studies in their annual report on global military capabilities.

“China’s emerging weapons developments and broader defence-technological progress mean that it has become a global defence innovator” says Dr. John Chipman, Director-General and Chief Executive of the London-based think tank.

It’s been sad to watch this happening over the course of 12 years, while the United States does nothing.

Super Bowl Reaction February 5, 2018

Great game. Fun game. Very enjoyable.

But the worst commercials ever. Smarmy, preachy, “We are the World”-type pablum.

Give me the funny.

Manufacturing Jobs, February 2018 Report February 2, 2018

I don’t think I need to say a thing: