Bait and switch

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Hitchhikers,

A warning on my thought process. I am not playing poker much, I've even cleared out my online bankroll. But when Nobel or another site throws some money at my account to draw me back, I'll play around with it, blow it or build it up enough to take out. If you have an RSS from me, you may want to remove it.

For those of you that want poker content, there will probably be less in the Hitchhiker then there was. I may use some weak reference to poker to pretend to stay true to the site's origin, then wander off on a rant. This has been a "Truth in Blogging notice." As an example:

In both finance and poker you have a few solid rocks that grind out a living, a few creative types that play psychology and the odds, and even some that are willing to take a lot of short term small losses based on the implied odds of a major payoff if the small percentage play works. The rest probably fit on a continuum of the maniac, and may flash bright for a season, but will explode eventually.

It is the same with nations. Most nations bluff way to much, and most are maniacs to one degree or another. One of the precepts of "self ownership" is to find a nation that treats what you like to do as normal. If you like to drive fast, go to Germany to live. If you smoke dope, don't live in a state that gives life sentences for possession of a single joint, move to Amsterdam. If what you most enjoy is a crime where you live, odds are it is a virtue somewhere else, go there. This is like picking your table in poker, or selecting your market in finance.

The Dutch seem to value personal freedom as much as anyone in the EU. They also tend to be straightforward about things in which they don't have an interest. It is worth Paying attention when there is (there was a story here, the link is now dead; the Dutch said that all terrorist cash flows in private channels, not through "money laudering" and banks. All those new reporting laws are about taxes, not safety. They just sell the laws by fear.) from the Netherlands, it may not be propaganda.

Since the Dutch value personal freedom, and general liberty, they do not try to bluff the table on weak hands. What they are saying is that all the bank and financial center information that is being gathered does not catch terrorists. What is implied is that it is being gathered for other reasons.

This is a general garment, while I have not pointed to where it might fit, each of you will come up with your own answers. There are far too many nations where it might fit for me to limit it's tailoring. What I would suggest is to see if you can get a "read" on the nation or province where you live, just like poker; ignore your emotions and play solid.

My rant is thus condensed to this. Privacy is a basic tenet of freedom, one reason free countries limit search and seizure. If your privacy is being limited, for any reason, it is decreasing your freedoms. If your privacy is being eliminated under a specious excuse, there may be serious problems in route. Perhaps you live in a nation going, or already on tilt.

If you have heard of "personal ownership" before, you probably already have your opinion set as to its value or error. If not check out the flash link to see one side of the debate, you have heard the other side since the day you first started in a public school, in any nation.

Perhaps you need to change tables.

Best to all,

Allan
BFU Rector
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