Craig's Corner

In December 2013 the world shook its collective heads as Russian President Vladimir Putin  dissolved the State News Agency and replaced it with an outlet that will provide even friendlier coverage.   The new agency is reminiscent of Pravda , the official newspaper of Communist Russia.   Just this week Putin has replaced the longstanding head of Radio Russia with somebody who will not air dissenting voices.   Western media and devotees of freedom tsk-tsk over the crackdown, but largely shrug it off as it is expected of the Russian leader.   President Barack Obama’s administration took similar steps to control the U.S. media, provoking dissent at home. In May 2013 the Federal Communications Commission (made up of 5 members, all chosen by the President and approved by the Senate, with only 3 members being of one party) issued a 78-page study by Social Solutions International that designed research to identify the critical information needs (CIN) of the ...

I’m not a fan of insurance companies.  In concept it actually makes a ton of sense – pay a regular amount in (premium), and in the event that something happens, the insurer covers replacement/repair.  It's a great way to mitigate risk.  The companies do well, accumulating cash, investing it, and there’s a good percentage of people who will never need a payout.  I liked the idea so much that as a child I had my own insurance company, charging my parents friends $0.25 a month on the life of their pets.  Seems I only insured cats “because they had 9 lives” reads one of my journal entries.  I’d write on the bills “Hope kitty will have a long life!”  The whole enterprise came crashing down when one of the insured did actually die – and my parents made me pay out from allowance since I had been spending premiums along the way.  Too bad I didn't have President Obama set up my plan – that way the government would have bailed me out and I'd still have m...

The National Day of Love is upon us again.   It’s a holiday with roots in the Christian tradition (Saint Valentine) and its relationship to romantic love  can be traced  from the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.   Hallmark and American capitalism has evolved the day into a 14.7 billion industry.   Today you can even use a service MyFakeValentine.com to trick your friends into thinking you have a special someone! For years my dearest friends and I would go to one of the fanciest most romantic restaurants in town and sit on the patio and mock couples (politely and amongst ourselves).   We would do so all the while saying "Next year with boyfriends..."   This charming tradition was deeply rooted in jealousy as I’m the sappiest most romantic putz around. When I’m in a relationship I use all of the traditional (and not so traditional) accoutrements available:  flowers, candy, tri...

New Hampshire’s motto “Live Free or Die” has always appealed to the libertarian in me...philosophically.  Taken literally and it’s a lot more complicated.  In Missouri inmates on Death row are now being executed before all appeals are completed.  In one instance, the final ruling came 20 minutes AFTER the execution began, and 10 minutes after the inmate was already dead.  Federal prosecutors announced this week they will seek the death penalty against 20-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston Marathon bombing.  Many in town cheer the decision.  Not me. In October 2012 I wrote about the pros and cons of death.  “Government should not be in the business of killing people.  The U.S. system is based on justice, not vengeance.  It’s really that simple.”  There are many arguments for the death penalty – and Amnesty International dispels them rather easily.  Those arguments are not the focus of this blog. Capital Punishme...