To All Those Mad As Hell about the Zimmerman Case —

July 17, 2013 by TheDougem 9 Comments

Please for the love of all that is good and holy:

KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT.

Article includes several myth debunkings and links to several more. Some critical things to keep in mind about this trial:

  • Racism was not involved. This is supported by an FBI inquiry.
  • When Zimmerman was told “we don’t need you to do that” by the police dispatcher, he replies “ok”. 90 seconds of conversation follow, the start of which  Trayvon is nowhere to be seen and is effectively disengaged from the initial confrontation.
  • The prosecution’s job was to prove 2nd degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt, not introduce doubt into the self defense theory which was essentially their trial strategy.
  • Following someone suspicious, contrary to popular belief, is not illegal and does not, by itself,  justify the followee committing assault.

The amount of willful ignorance about this trial is mind blowing. As mentioned on the show (Part 1, part 2), it seems this explosion of fury is people latching onto their precious narrative because they so badly want it to be true. If you’re upset about the verdict, have an actual reason beyond baseless speculation! This trial has been talked and analyzed to death, yet the narrative orienting almost entirely around bad reporting and outright lies somehow is dominating the popular sphere at the moment. It’s unbelievable. Hit these people with facts and you get called racist or ‘pro zimmerman’ or they simply laugh at you. Nevermind the rule of law or the basic human right to self defense.

If they were so concerned about human lives being lost they would get this upset over the 61 murders that took place in Chicago during the trial itself. Why these activists are so fixated on repelling ‘stand your ground’, which has nothing to do with this case, blows my mind. What is there to be gained by removing a powerful tool that allows people to defend themselves from violence? 

Bonus reading: The Marissa Alexander Case. Because somehow this got revived and, again, the facts are being bent to support the Almighty Narrative.

Update: In case you’re wondering why this matters, this is the kind of thing incitement leads to. As well as vague, aimless ‘we gotta do something’ protests.

Interesting Links, Political Opinion, The Almighty Narrative
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Skeptic Conservative Revival — Take Two

July 7, 2013 by TheDougem 3 Comments

Hello!

Many of you stumbling onto this website likely came from the Sunday test show on Right Side Media Network. Happy to have you on the blog, and unfortunately the test show probably was NOT saved into an archive. Darn 😦

The long time audience is probably scratching their heads wondering what the heck I’m up to – Never fear, I’ll explain in detail tomorrow. But what I will say now — I am back, I will be doing weekly one hour shows, and I am very pleased to be working with Right Side Media Network.

You can hear the show every tuesday at 3pm EASTERN time here. That’s Eastern. Not pacific. Which would be noon. It will run for an hour, I won’t be taking calls the first round, but I will be watching a chatbox and encouraging comments here on the blog.

This show will be styled more like a traditional radio show — there will be commercials, less content on the hour (roughly 40 minutes for every hour) but I fully intend to maintain my style of being responsive to -you- and open to comments.

I’ll be circling back to the themes I just covered in today’s intro on tuesday — that of the struggle conservatism faces in the coming years. After Tuesday? It’s open season on topics, and I would love to hear from you.

New to the site? Here’s a few of my greatest hits from the past:

Occupy San Diego Day 1 March Coverage

The Conclusion of the “Drysift Saga”

Occupy CLICS — Radicals Occupying UCSD Library

Why It’s Hard to Remain an Optimist

TheDougem Quick Take: Gun Control

Thanks for dropping by, and pardon the site being disorganized! I’ll fix it. Soon. Maybe. Eventually.

Now I’ve been up since 5am and this is the friday of my work week. My post show high is quickly fading and I -really- need some darn sleep.

 

-Doug

 

Announcements

Mark Levin on the Immigration Bill

June 22, 2013 by TheDougem 0 Comments

Mark Levin is one of the more fiery hosts on the AM dial, with a rather unique voice to boot. I haven’t always been a fan of his, but there are times where he makes excellent points — and much like Rodger Hedgecock, he leverages his audience to make things happen to pursue reform, which is something I wished more talk hosts did!

This monologue was spurred during a break, apparently, and not only is an excellent sum up of the primary fronts of this latest immigration amnesty push, but is an excellent example of great impromptu material.

Listen here.

Please listen to the whole thing.

Perhaps this sounds like overarching rhetoric, but the stats he cites regarding American’s general opinion on immigration reform aren’t made up. This bill still being drafted has been proven to be misleading, and much like Obamacare places an enormous amount of decision making powers into the hands of un-elected regulators. People, not equal treatment under the law, will be the decider behind whom gets favorable treatment or not under this new system, which further opens the door for unfettered political gamesmanship.

I have never been a proponent of amnesty because it spits in the face of every person who attempts to immigrate to the US legally and rewards flagrant lawbreaking. A surge of millions of new american citizens at a time when the economy is so fragile and unemployment is chronically high is going to do a great deal of harm and overburden the system. No-one wins including the new citizens — only the politicians reap what they think will be a bountiful harvest of new voters.

This is the only thing this bill is about for the political class. New voters. Democrats want a horde of new democrat voters to tilt the scale even further in their favor. The Republican establishment is tired of dealing with the tea party and their supporters, and thinks that throwing Hispanics a bone will win them voters because that’s the “moderate” thing to do. Rather than focus on reforming their party, they just want to play to demagoguery. Worked out really well back in the Reagan years, didn’t it? (it didn’t. hispanic share of vote for Republicans DECLINED in the wake of the Reagan amnesty).

This bill will be a disaster. Mark Levin puts great voice to why. This is by design. To quote a line referenced frequently by Instapundit, “They’ll turn us all into beggars ’cause they’re easier to please”

Yes, there’s quite a bit else happening right now. But this should get more attention.

Interesting Links
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The Very High Cost of Government Regulation and Red Tape

June 22, 2013 by TheDougem 2 Comments

Because when smart people make great arguments regarding the burden of regulation, I feel it should be spread around.

International Liberty

In prior posts, I’ve shared some remarkable numbers on the cost of regulation.

But the long-run damage may be even worse than any of us suspected. Here are some details about a new study, as digested by Reason’s science expert.

The growth of federal regulations over the past six decades has cut U.S. economic growth by an average of 2 percentage points per year, according to a new study in the Journal of Economic Growth. As a result, the average American household receives about $277,000 less annually than it would have gotten in the absence of six decades of accumulated regulations—a median household income of $330,000 instead of the $53,000…

View original post 429 more words

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Michael Walsh: The Scandalanche

June 15, 2013 by TheDougem 0 Comments

Winner of the best name for what’s been happening the past month in my humble opinion.

Please read. All of it.

Not much more to add, other than it should be pretty clear to everybody why the past month has been such a rollercoaster to those paying attention!

Also: Martin Bashir once -again- pulls the race card, because clearly questioning the administration’s integrity right now is racist. Roger Simon dubs it projection and I happen to agree.

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Spring Cleaning Complete

June 10, 2013 by TheDougem 7 Comments

…mostly.

I spent today skimming through every single post on this site. Fun times.

I trashed a sparing few, discarded all drafts, and applied some polish here and there. This wasn’t a -complete- spring cleaning; I haven’t caught all dead links (though I did get a few) but it’s what needed to get done. Excerpts for each post is something I really should do but is not worth my time at the moment. (it’s a wordpress thing).

But it’s done for now. Without getting into too much detail, I’ve been given a rather compelling reason to resume activities on this blog and they orient around something I may possibly doing every Tuesday at a certain time in the afternoon for an hour involving the spoken word. No, it’s not the revival of the Invisible Voice but it is something I’m going to be excited to tell you lot about once I am able to.

I also have a very serious question to ask directed at the long time listeners and readers of mine.

I could use, but do not -need- a small amount of seed money. To make a long story short I have positioned myself so that I can break-even budget-wise and largely I’ve succeeded. My side project however changes things just a little, and while I expect to do fine long run — in the short term I’m going to have to play my cards very close to my chest to make it through.

I know that in the past some have expressed discomfort with the paypal donation button — and for the time being, that button is gone. I’m toying with the idea of a very small scale kickstarter (goal $100-$300) to help step around those concerns and have a little fun and practice with fundraising. I don’t entirely expect such a thing to succeed or raise a substantial amount, and that’s fine. I merely could use a little push to get me started.

The donation button will return, I need to settle a few things with paypal first.

I will extend details once I can — I hate playing coy, and I -really- hate asking for money. Just consider this me gauging interest with the expectation of getting nothing.

In terms of actual content, I will be recording a quick-take tomorrow afternoon. The first person to suggest a topic via the comments will likely have theirs selected for me to take to pieces, with the goal of a 20 to 30 minute segment.

Also, it has literally been years since I’ve touched livestreaming. Any quick opinions on which websites these days offer the best streaming service are welcome!

Announcements, Audience Participation

Short Notice Skeptic Conservative: Late April Wildcard Show — 4/27/13

April 27, 2013 by TheDougem 3 Comments

UPDATE: In my infinite wisdom I failed to sound check my microphone again at the start of the show and was talking to dead air for twenty minutes. Kudos are due to user “W Dean Shook” for poking his nose in and pointing this out so the show was not a complete loss. It goes without saying — skip twenty minutes ahead of the complete dead air and relish in the mess until I have the time to go back, edit, and repost the show. As I’m prone to saying, I bring you only the finest in broadcasting excellence!

 

It is what the title says it is. Because my friends bugged me to and on my whims…Have a show!

Still figuring out exactly what I’ll be addressing, but suggestions are welcome. I know, this is really short notice but sometimes it’s best to roll with inspiration when it strikes.

I also need to test my new recording space and set-up, and testing shows always feel like such a waste of time and effort. So this will be rough around the edges! And heck, I have to start churning out content again, somehow, and I’m not getting any younger…

Rough Show Itinerary:

  • Where the F have you been?
  • Who the F are you and what do you stand for?
  • Why the long silence?
  • What the F is up with Boston and surrounding events?
  • Open floor for questions.
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April 2013 Announcements; Boston Attacks Mention

April 22, 2013 by TheDougem 1 Comment

Alright folks, I DESPISE doing announcement posts but it’s necessary, given that I’ve gotten a number of people interested in my work as I have been merging from one job to another.

 

First: I know, I’m slow getting things started again. Life always takes priority, but thankfully that attitude is bearing fruit as I type this. I am shifting jobs and my future is looking increasingly more in my control then it did just a few months ago. The apartment has been moved into, I have gotten a few pieces of equipment, and I am in the midst of letting some budget milestones get struck along with putting all my energy into training for my new job. (high expectations, but a great company. It’ll be worth the effort and focus.) I will share what I am able to when appropriate. I need to clarify a few legal liability issues.

Second: My goal is in roughly two weeks to begin at the very least twice-once weekly Dougem Quicktake shows. Mixture of explaining philosophy and addressing current events. The bombings in Boston and the surrounding crap have thrown a wrench into these plans, particularly as the story has developed. I have a lot I want to say about the attacks but they must wait for now.

Third: A heavy round of spring cleaning is necessary on my content. Don’t worry — I will not be deleting posts unless there are any I feel are completely worthless (old announcements and the like.) Old formatting errors, defunct content, etc. I want my work to stand polished, and it will help get me back into blogger mode. It may take awhile, this is something I’ll chip away at for a few months. Until I mention otherwise consider any information on here potentially out of date or incorrect!

 

I know, I was over ambitious with my last post. I usually am with my plans, but always with the caveat of no promises. At least until I actually am completely financially independent. That time table I laid out is still very realistic once I pull the trigger on the first step, and that is going to wait until my training for the new job is done, sometime mid/late May.

Regarding Boston:

History was made last week. Never before has such a monumental crisis played out live via social media, police scanners, and traditional media. I was among those listening to the Boston police scanner while watching updates roll in via twitter feeds and reddit information compilation threads along with the occasional dose of The Blaze radio network. It was incredible in terms of the implications to the power and influence of old media vs. new media, and in terms of the average joe schmuck’s influence in critical events.

This story is not over.

As I have maintained to those who have asked me in person, there is a layer to the events in Boston that we the public haven’t been told yet — at least officially — by our government. As to what this could be or the implications, I am holding my piece but I encourage you to investigate on your own. Ignore the obvious conspiracy theories; as the saying goes the real conspiracy theories are the ones that hide in plain sight. This isn’t Bilderburgs, New World Order types, or lizard people — just simple international corruption, graft, influence peddling and cover-your-ass tactics that can, have, and will get people killed for the sake of placating certain interests and promoting political correctness.

The Boston attacks showed us that the American people are still a brave people. Many people ran toward the blasts in the immediate aftermath, and despite horrific injuries the death toll stands at a mere three people when it should arguably be a dozen or more, thanks in no small part to quick action and advanced medicine. While I am saddened to see the flag once again flying at half mast, I am proud of my countrymen and thankful for those who offer their support and thoughts to the people of Boston.

As always, remain skeptical, take nothing for granted, and continue to pay attention. And for heaven’s sake shun cable TV news media — they do not deserve your time or money.

Announcements

Republicans and Technology

February 19, 2013 by TheDougem 2 Comments

A rather timely article from Legal Insurrection.

The GOP sucks at the internet. Libertarians, tea partiers, young republicans, and others are learning, but they are nowhere as coordinated or connected as the democrats are.

As stated on the last Invisible Voice show of the Fall, there is a lot of work to be done.

 

I’m hunkering just a little bit longer, folks.

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2013 — Site Goals for the New Year

January 11, 2013 by TheDougem 2 Comments

I know folks, I have a tendency to do these posts too much compared to normal content. I’ve cut back, as long time followers will notice, though! Feel free to disregard this post if you find this kind of thing boring/frustrating.

But this is important enough for me to drop a small note. Listeners of the podcast (2,000 hits on the last show) on what was supposed to be the End of the World show got a taste of where I’m trying to steer the ship of TheDougem long term. Please pardon me getting a bit wordy as we continue.

Way Back When

I started off my online ‘career’ for real just over three years ago with this small testing video. Since then I started and “retired” Total War Tracker, ran a slightly successful livestream channel of the same name, worked with Slaguth and VonGreyson for near two years, discovered the wonderful world of podcasting – I’ve got quite a bit under my belt, a lot of fun time and experience spent with too many people to list!

I had a lot of energy and passion as I ran through these different projects. But always, as now, my worry was that I was taking on too much at one time, promising too much, spending too much time on what wasn’t really giving me much of a return other then the satisfaction that comes with getting Fun work done. So this past year has been a relatively quiet one for me – and to be honest, it’s been more like a year and a half.

Why?

This video, the effort involved in making it, and the reception it drew clarified a number of things for me and also confirmed a number of ideas that had been spinning in my head since the time the Total War Tracker livestream was drawing a consistent viewer-base.When I focus on a project, put my all into it, make a plan to turn it around quickly, stick to it, and work with at least one other person – the quality of my work changes drastically.I felt that I had reached a point where because I could, I should hold myself to a higher production standard.

I also figured out very fast that time is extremely valuable, and that if one’s serious about being an online content producer one has to have money, time, and a stable life. So I took a step back, began to focus on personal things, and take some time to grow. And now is about the time that I feel comfortable sharing a few of my goals for this year, as well as long term. I passionately call for transparency as part of my political commentary – why should my own professional conduct via a hobby I dearly love be any different?

Framing

The biggest reason I am posting this tonight is that I am about to cross a significant benchmark in my life that I set two years ago – a small degree of independence. If all goes as planned, a good friend of mine and I will soon have an apartment of our own that we will pay for entirely with our own income and without crippling ourselves financially. It will be our space – and most importantly, it will be a -small- production space for my efforts that is dedicated almost entirely to creative pursuits and being my little corner of the universe – something I’ve been missing for way too long!

It’s a modest start. It’s supposed to be. Those who know me well know that I like to make moves that are more careful and stable long term. The floodgates on Stuff won’t part when we move in, but the path will start moving again. I will have a studio again – a place where I can reliably record without interruption and without bugging the other people I live with, and without feeling I’m burdening others by spending time on it. I refuse to -beg- for money – I want to earn it IF I get it. As I work on in my current job, settle financial issues, and make this move – I will be putting myself in a much happier place, and I will have the freedom to simply -work- again.

That paired with how listens on the podcast have been lately – a larger audience dictates I take my work much more seriously, which means I have to be taking life seriously and maintain that attitude!

Nutshell:

To put it simply: I had a time where I was making stuff like crazy. Then I learned I could do better. I wasn’t comfortable with the life position I was in, so I did things to change it. Those changes are bearing fruit and will continue to, so I can now safely be a dreamer again while being responsible and not pestering you, the audience, for Stuff because seriously nothing is more annoying then constant fundraising.

Rough Goals

You should not take any of these goals as promises, they are what they are: Goals.

January

  • Either Skeptic Conservative (one hour once weekly) or Invisible Voice (two hour once weekly) resumed
  • This current blog cleaned yet another time to be more useful
  • One commentary piece a week (starting week of the 13th)

February

  • Maintain once-a-week current events show
  • Maintain once-a-week writing
  • Start ‘TheDougem Quick-takes’. Podcast/youtube segments on a single topic. Roughly half hour, variable pace.
  • Pair show with active production efforts once more
  • Populate soundboard for the show (bumper music, break clips, intro/outro)
  • Explore modern streaming options

March

  • Once weekly podcast fully produced (no webcam)
  • TheDougem Quick-takes twice weekly
  • Revive Imperial Gaming with SupCom retrospective and Planetary Annihilation prep/beta/alpha footage (if able), youtube + streaming

April through August

  • Maintain above
  • Re-establish with Slaguth and VonGreyson, at least two collab works by end of summer
  • Focus on Planetary Annihilation – strengths, weaknesses – overall how interesting it is to watch a Kickstarter funded game be made.

September

  • Back to school – drawdown to:
  • Once weekly podcast
  • More quick-take segments
  • Less gaming content, less full article writing

October to December

  • Maintain above
  • Small streaming of PA development as time allows.

Overall:

A steady small trickle of stuff, gaming and current events (and some pure-writing content). Learning how to publicize without being a pest. Accomplishing all of the above with minimal advertising/monetizing.

What’s Missing:

  • Tournaments
  • Game-a-thons
  • Total War Campaign Tracking
  • Dedicated Let’s Plays of depth
  • Minecraft server (I have the save files still!)
  • Insane/aggressive focus on gaming

Unfortunately, some things WILL be too much when living on a budget, and a lot of my more ambitious ideas have to wait until I have a staff. Period. That requires me drawing much more income then I do now, and also means that I will be running or part of some sort of production group.

I can’t quite say when podcasting will resume precisely, nor when the -real- end of the world show will happen, except for saying that I hope it will be soon(c). 

As always, I cannot thank all of you enough for being patient and understanding, and continuing to stick around as long as you have. You are a great – quiet – audience, and that’s fine.

-Doug

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