After reading my post on Nuclear launch protocol and timing, you may be wondering why the United States built these,
Minuteman II on static display at March Air Base Museum. Photo by James Ulvog.
and why we built 550, 450, and 50 of these,
Minuteman II, Minuteman III, Peacekeaper ICBMs on display at Warren AFB. “Ywwrn_1b” by gvgoebel is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
as well as why we had 1,000 of these spread across the country for several decades:
Posted by Jim Ulvog on October 20, 2017, 8:24 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2017/10/20/why-is-it-necessary-to-have-a-nuclear-defense/
Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
The Supreme Court issued a major ruling in favor of religious freedom, finding that a religious preschool may not be prohibited from a program helping private schools merely because it is a religious based school.
I would like to give you a flash introduction to the ruling. If you are interested in this case, you must spend time in further research.
The case, referred to as Trinity Lutheran, is focused on a state program that paid for private schools to resurface their playgrounds with rubber from recycled tires. The state held that merely being run by a religious entity disqualified the preschool from participation in the program. (If you need a more precise cite, look up Trinity Lutheran Church vs. Comer)
Posted by Jim Ulvog on June 26, 2017, 7:43 pm
https://freedomismoral.com/2017/06/26/major-ruling-on-religious-freedom-from-supreme-court/
Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Marxism, or communism, is fundamentally opposed to every form of freedom. At its core and in its every expression in history it is immoral.
A new blog series at Declination is exploring Marxism and Morality, Part One.
The first post in the series addresses the common defense of communism/Marxism, which is the claim that every single attempt at Marxism wasn’t a “real” effort. If it had just been tried correctly it would have been a stupendous success.
Amongst the problems with that false argument is that if every single effort to attempt something is a failure there’s something wrong with the theory.
Posted by Jim Ulvog on June 13, 2017, 7:23 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2017/06/13/on-the-lack-of-morality-in-marxism/
Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Those of us living in the United States are blessed with religious freedom, political freedom, and economic freedom because those who went before us fought for freedom.
Many of those fighting offered up their life for freedom and the offer was accepted.
I am humbled and grateful to God that some of my ancestors are included in the long list of those who fought. I am especially humbled that a great, great grand-uncle is in the list of those who died in the defense of freedom.
Because of their sacrifice, I get to enjoy this kind of freedom:
Posted by Jim Ulvog on May 29, 2017, 8:15 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2017/05/29/land-of-the-free-because-of-the-brave/
Consider merely the way that your favorite bread is always available, usually from many bakeries. And at the time you want. The bakery doesn’t know whether you will stop in on your way to work, during lunch, or after having dinner.
How can it be that several bakeries know to have your choice of bread available, whether sourdough loafs, whole wheat biscuits, rye rolls, croissants, or cranberry bagels? How did they know to order enough yeast, oil, and flour? How did they know what mix to bake before the sun came up?
How did the wholesalers know enough to deliver the right amount of flour to all the pizzerias, bakeries, and pastry shops?
How did the farmers know enough to plant the right amount of wheat, oats, barley, and rye last spring to harvest enough this fall to satisfy all those bakers?
Hmm. What could be getting all those people working together to make sure my favorite and your favorite bread is available when you or I want it?
Ponder these and many more questions just in terms of having bread on the shelf in this video, called “It’s a wonderful loaf:”
The answer of how all that happens is readily available for all who want to find it.
Posted by Jim Ulvog on May 4, 2017, 8:02 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2017/05/04/magic-without-wizards-or-why-is-your-favorite-bread-on-the-shelf-when-you-want-it/
Death on a cross Friday isn’t the end of the story. The tomb is empty on Sunday, because HE IS RISEN! Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Since the purpose of this blog is to celebrate and advocate for freedom, I shall exercise my God-given right to religious freedom. I heartily encourage you to do the same in whatever form you choose.
Or don’t do anything if you choose. That is the point of freedom!
The following is a repost of my comment four years ago on Easter morning.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
This morning my wife and I attended a sunrise service. Haven’t done that for many years. A wonderful way to celebrate this day. On our way to celebrate with our church family momentarily.
Here’s a selection of 4 videos to help your celebration:
Posted by Jim Ulvog on April 16, 2017, 5:00 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2017/04/16/he-is-risen/
Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Why have I cross-posted this article from my other blog, Outrun Change?
Because freedom is expensive. It costs the bravery of so many heroes. Some we know, many we won’t ever hear about.
The quote in the title is from Bill Crawford, then a janitor at the US Air Force Academy, when asked by cadets if he was the person described in a history of WWII as having been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery under fire.
Before one of the cadets noted the similarity of names between this WWII hero on the page of the book and the janitor who kept the cadet squadron dormitory clean, Mr. Crawford was unobtrusive, doing his job diligently without any fuss.
The response of a real hero is someone who says some variation of he was just doing his job.
What was ‘his job’?
Well, here are a few articles to check out. I’ll then give some highlights. (more…)
Posted by Jim Ulvog on January 2, 2017, 8:09 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2017/01/02/how-a-real-hero-responds-when-his-medal-of-honor-is-mentioned-that-was-one-day-in-my-life-and-it-happened-a-long-time-ago/
The cost of freedom. Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
This freedom stuff is not just some abstract concept. The lack of economic, political, or religious freedom is ugly and painful.
If you want to see what the lack of economic and political freedom looks like, consider Venezuela today.
5/20 – Yahoo News – Venezuela, where a hamburger is officially $170 – That hamburger priced at 1,700 bolivars is US$170 at the official exchange rate. At black market exchange rates it is about a buck and a half.
Article reports that the middle class is sliding into poverty. Keep in mind people are essentially paid at the official exchange rate.
Stores that sell anything other than food are closed. Article says nobody is buying anything other than food.
What is going on in Venezuela?
5/28 – New York Times – Venezuela Drifts Into New territory: Hunger, Blackouts and Government Shutdown – The New York Times notices the devastation afflicting the people of Venezuela.
Government offices are only open two half-days each week.
Article says protests at empty grocery stores are turning violent.
The bottler producing Coca-cola products cannot find sugar so it is halting production.
Other suffering this article doesn’t mention:
No toilet paper on the grocery store shelf and no international phone service.
The country’s largest beer producer can’t get enough foreign currency to buy hops so it has stopped making beer.
Water is rationed.
Electricity is only available sometimes and randomly at that.
Infants are dying in hospitals because of lack of medicine and respirators.
Back to the NYT article.
When water is on, people are gathering some in spare buckets for use later. The water (when available) is brownish and is making members of one quoted family sick. Many people say either lack of washing or the water itself is causing illness.
What is the cause of this suffering?
Posted by Jim Ulvog on May 30, 2016, 10:00 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2016/05/30/this-is-what-the-lack-of-freedom-looks-like/
The future is so bright we need sunglasses. Image courtesy of DollarPhotoClub.com
The number of people working in manufacturing has been declining for many years. Those job losses will continue at the same time as technology disrupts other industries causing the loss of more jobs.
This is not a new concept. Technological advances have devastated farm employment over the last 150 years.
(Cross-post from my other blog, Nonprofit Update.)
Prof. Thomas Tunstall pondered Where the New Jobs Will Come From. Sub headline on his 11/4/15 article said:
In 2007 iPhone application developers didn’t exist. By 2011 Apple had $15 billion in mobile-app revenues.
Consider the percentage of the population employed in agriculture over time: (more…)
Posted by Jim Ulvog on December 31, 2015, 9:24 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2015/12/31/why-i-am-so-optimistic-3/
200 years ago brutal poverty was the norm across the planet. Not so today. Photo courtesy of DollarPhotoClub.com
Previously mentioned when I look at long-term economic trends I am incredibly optimistic. When I look at the headlines this morning or news from the political world, I am very discouraged.
(Cross-post from my other blog, Nonprofit Update.)
To see one illustration of why I am so optimistic for the long-term, check out a column by Glenn Reynolds at USA Today: Actually, things are pretty good / Free markets and free inquiry have changed the historic ‘norms’ of poverty and violence.
Earlier post summarized in one paragraph what caused this radical improvement.
Here are a final two points from the article I’d like to highlight:
Second, it is possible for us collectively to turn back history.
Posted by Jim Ulvog on December 30, 2015, 9:09 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2015/12/30/why-i-am-so-optimistic-2/
200 years ago brutal poverty was the norm across the planet. Not so today. Photo courtesy of DollarPhotoClub.com
When I look at the political news or any news in general I get very pessimistic about our future.
In contrast, when I look at the amazing things happening beyond the headlines in today’s newspaper I feel incredibly optimistic.
Consider that private companies are developing the technology for space exploration. Consider the energy revolution created by hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. Consider radical changes in technology that are making so many things easier, faster, and cheaper. Consider that anyone that wants to do so can publish their own book, distribute their own music, or create a feature movie.
As a tiny illustration, look at my company and pastimes. Technology allows me to run a high quality CPA practice without any staff. In my spare time I am a publisher and journalist. Anyone in Europe or North America or most of Asia could easily do the same and at minimal cost.
(Cross post from my other blog, Nonprofit Update.)
When I look at long-term economic trends I am incredibly optimistic.
For yet one more explanation of why that is the case, consider a column by Glenn Reynolds at USA Today: Actually, things are pretty good / Free markets and free inquiry have changed the historic ‘norms’ of poverty and violence.
Until relatively recently, an illness-filled short life of dirt-eating poverty was the normal condition for practically everybody on the planet. In the last 100 or 200 years life has gotten radically better for practically everyone.
Posted by Jim Ulvog on December 29, 2015, 7:41 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2015/12/29/why-i-am-so-optimistic-1/
After you celebrate that the average level of income has increased radically in the last 200 years, ponder how that happened.
10/18 – Max Roser – Economic World History in One Chart – Mr. Roser is superb with data visualization. Tweet from Max Roser @MaxCRoser :
(Cross-post from my other blog, Outrun Change.)
Click here to see the very cool graph. Keep in mind it is on a logarithm scale, roughly meaning that each marked increment on the horizontal axis is an increase of 50% or 100%.
Posted by Jim Ulvog on December 7, 2015, 9:57 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2015/12/07/everyone-everywhere-has-gotten-far-richer-in-the-last-200-years-hmm-i-wonder-how-that-happened/
What could possibly go wrong with giving a leader the power to fix all our problems? There is a great chance said leader will use that power to force people to fix things. You could wind up being told in microscopic detail every single thing you can do.
That would merely cost you your freedom and make you a serf.
In musical terms, that might be called, oh, perhaps something like Serfdom USA:
Posted by Jim Ulvog on December 1, 2015, 7:39 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2015/12/01/do-you-really-want-to-give-up-your-freedom-and-become-a-serf/
Cover of Prof. Deaton’s book, used under fair use for this review, courtesy of Amazon.com
Prof. Angus Deaton won the 2015 Nobel award in economics. Mentioned this earlier. (Cross-post from my other blog, Outrun Change.)
His contribution to expanding the frontier of economics knowledge is to study development and poverty from the consumption side instead of income side. This approach looks at what can people buy instead of what income they have.
Fun article talking about some of his ideas was in the Financial Times on October 12: Nobel Prize winner Angus Deaton shares 3 big ideas.
Inequality
Posted by Jim Ulvog on November 13, 2015, 9:42 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2015/11/13/more-comments-from-winner-of-this-years-nobel-award-in-economics/
Capitalism does a better job providing freedom and equality than any other system. It is a far better option than feudalism.
Capitalism has been allowed to flourish in India since 1991. The results have been to release large numbers of Dalits from bonded labor. Previously those individuals were restricted to the most dirty, dangerous jobs.
Check out the results in this article by Swaminathan S. Ankelsaria Aiyar, writing at Cato Institute: How Capitalism Is Undermining the Indian Caste System.
(Cross-posted from my other blog, Outrun Change.)
Article is reprinted in full under a Creative Commons license granted by the author: (more…)
Posted by Jim Ulvog on July 23, 2015, 8:49 am
https://freedomismoral.com/2015/07/23/capitalism-undermines-feudalism-and-offers-economic-freedom-to-dalits/
