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August
25, 2004
The views
expressed herein are solely those of the writer, and subject to challenge
at any time. No one else necessarily claims them, and sometimes he doesn't,
either!
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1- U.S.
gov gets active reservists' pay right 5% of the time
Sun-Sentinel
No matter how patriotic (or deluded) a soldier is, messing with their
pay is a major error and can lead to massive problems, especially once
they get home. Pay is normally messed up, but this is a worse situation
than any since about 1941. Of course, we won't discuss the fact that the
entire system is so complex and byzantine that the miracle is that even
5% got it right!
2- TSA
welcomes over 150 more flying sheep
Washington Times
All I can say is, these guys are nuts. Not only are they giving up more
and more freedom, but they are literally making themselves targets for
future hijackers and terrorists - I will bet that someone (other than
gov-goons) took their pictures and got names and addresses for future
use -what if, demonstrating how worthless our security is. Someone suggested
that these volunteers be given weapons and made auxiliary air-marshals,
but really, these are the last people you want to give the only weapons
- they are so pathetic that they'd probably just hand their gun over to
a terrorist.
3- Supreme
Court won't reopen Pledge case
Washington Times
I guess even the Nine get tired of some things? Amazing how they can tap
dance out of these things, like they've been doing on RKBA for decades!
Of course, if the guy really cared about what his child was learning,
this wouldn't have been an issue - they'd have moved to a private school
a long time ago.
4- Military
tradition still used to discriminate against women?
Arizona Daily Star
These people, including the "illustrious" squadron commander,
have way too much time on their hands and need to start paying attention
to their jobs - which is taking care of their soldiers or airmen. To claim
that sex-specific clothing is a sign of discrimination is as silly as
both the men's and women's overseas caps themselves - a piece of uniform
that has been deemed as ridiculous since about 1930 when they were invented.
It distracts from real issues of discrimination that DO need attention.
5- Abu
Ghraib problems began at the top, report finds
Houston Chronicle
The language is telling here - "created an environment" in which
abuse could take place. It is a safe claim for this commission to make,
and obviously plays well - anytime something like this happens, there
has been a "failure of leadership." Obviously. Unfortunately,
this has about as much usefulness (except for political ads) as a diagnosis
of "gastritis" - true, but not helpful! Of course, this will
be used by the defense counsel to excuse the actions of those who actually
did it.
6- U.S.
border guards demoralized
GovExec.com
Just like the rest of us, who see all this "activity" and loss
of liberty and see it making not a gram's worth of difference in actually
doing anything to reduce terrorism and preserve freedom. These guys will
be ignored just like the rest of us.
7- EPA
drags feet on grant oversight reform
GovExec.com
Well, it is not through lack of trying to stay on schedule, as I've seen
myself - EPA has been calling in markers all over the place and threatening
legal action against the various grantees - who just go to their congus-crittur(s)
and EPA is told to turn the heat down. Once more, as CBO and other "watchdog"
agencies are prone (and designed) to do, this is treating the symptoms.
The way to "reform" grant (pork) programs is simple - eliminate
them! Let local communities and private people decide how to spend their
money to fix problems.
8- U.S.
colleges use bandwidth police to help in RIAA intimidation
San Francisco Chronicle
Once more we are reminded that fascism is first and foremost an alliance
of government and business, aimed primarily at ECONOMIC freedoms and secondarily
(however it may be) at PERSONAL freedoms. State-owned and -operated colleges
are of course natural shills for this alliance. Naturally, this will give
some incentive to coming up with new ways to circumvent the RIAA and government!
9- The
Hunter's case ends with misdemeanor firearms plea deal
Mansfield News Journal
Hey, it is great that at least in his home town paper, the Hunter's case
is reported. At the same time, the condescending nature of the prose bugs
me. For those familiar with the case, remember that the errors made in
this story by the reporter (both of omission and commission) are NOT unique
to this story - virtually EVERY story in a modern American media outlet
is as inaccurate and biased as this one!
10- Five
Utahns convicted of 'cheating' IRS
Salt Lake Tribune
Anytime you start to have kind thoughts towards the court system (see
#9 above or #11 below), just go back and review a few recent IRS cases
like this one, and compare it to other matters before the courts, then
consider "impartiality."
11- Texas
state rep. fails at child-snatching attempt
Houston Chronicle
This is a strange case, and I don't know if the headline is really accurate
- sorry, but I can't trust the word of the pro bono attorneys any more
than I can trust the word of a legislizard, and it appears to be one of
those sad cases where no one wins - especially not the kid. It shows how
important it is to have a good justice system, starting with good judges
- and also how our system is a failure, even if sometimes a good judgment
sneaks out. And it shows even more how the refusal of people to take responsibility
for their actions (the now-divorcing parents) harms them and others -
and how government is helpless to solve these problems.
12- Arizona
tax thugs target online tobacco sales
Arizona Daily Star
Virtually every state has laws like this on the books, and anytime there
is a budget "crisis" or more money is needed for welfare, the
revenoors get all excited and "crack down" on the horrible,
illegal, and obviously anti-government actions. This is followed by a
few well-publicized busts, usually of really stupid college kids buying
for their buddies or a couple of grandparents bringing back a couple of
cases from the outlet malls in North Carolina for Uncle Ted, and very
very seldom a bust of some trucker with a semi-load who forgot to bribe
everyone he should. Then things settle down again until the next budget
"crisis." The more power the guvgoons get to monitor the net,
though, the easier to find and make examples - so be careful anyway! Really,
isn't it easier to just cut the budget, than to pay for silly games like
this?
13- Confusing
law means Alaska judge puts Green Party on ballots
Anchorage Daily News
The difference between a democracy and a republic, in part, is based on
who is allowed to have a voice, no matter how hated they are - it appears
that despite every effort, Alaska still has some vestiges of a republic
left.
14- Indiana
county to regulate taser sales?
Indy Star
This appears not to be just regulation but a move straight to prohibition.
Question - are tasers covered under the Second Amendment? Notice the appeal
to "protecting cops" - funny, when was the last time you heard
of a cop being tazed? When was the last time you heard of a cop tazing
(and killing) someone?
15- Wisconsin
local govs steal over 20% of individuals' incomes
Capital Times
Given the socialist nature of Wisconsin government, especially on the
local level, what shocks me is that they are only #16 nationally. Let's
see: 20% for local, 25% for state, 35% for feds (if that's enough): hey!
that leaves 20% for someone else to take! Wow!Funny, God only expected
10%, and ancient tyrants rarely went over 1 in 5 bushels (20%). but we,
yes, we are CIVILIZED!
16- Montana
gov wrangles with welfare handouts
Independent Record
Montana only has a million people, and they've got $22 MILLION in SURPLUS
welfare funds burning a whole in the buro-rats' pocket? Wonder what their
total welfare budget is, if this much is surplus. Hmmm. Let's say that
10% of Montanans are on welfare - which I assume is a safely high number.
That means that each one of those would get $220 from this "windfall"
- not bad, and no wonder the welfare lobbyists are up in arms - that is
almost their hourly billing fee! Frankly, Montana would be better off
giving everyone in the state a $22 tax refund - shoot, they'd be better
off BURNING the money, than supporting either the edu-medi-crats or the
attorneys and lobbyists.
17- California
beach-smoking ban flames out
San Diego Union-Tribune
But it will be back! Of course. All that secondhand smoke drifting inland
with the sea breezes, turning the pristine air of California's beautiful
cities and vast forests into a life-threatening haze, oh! It makes me
sick just to think about it. Why doesn't the legislature just pass a law
requiring that the wind always blow AWAY from shore?
18- Finnish
gov rejects mandatory phone, internet contact records
Helsingin Sanomat
Typically European, and I hope that the legislature's "need to study"
is just a polite Finnish way of telling the cops to take a hike. It's
bad enough that we can't figure out everywhere that Microsoft has hid
our messages and browsing lists - now we have to save them and give them
to some cop!
19- Kenyan
police disperse Maasai tribe protest
BBC
The farmland crisis continues, and the ante goes up. With one dead, several
wounded, and a hundred or so tear-gassed, it is time for Kenya's govmint
goons to make the obligatory speech about how they love the Maasai and
their people, and that is why they'll all be herded into nice safe villages
to protect them. "Ya want your land back? Wait until we take half
of what you have left for "national parks" to "save"
the environment, and then complain."
20- Ontario
police likely to get photo radar for local roads
Globe and Mail
We must remember that not all tyranny comes from DC or Ottawa - too much
of it starts in the local townhall and police station. If municipalities
want photo radar (oh! the profits!) then maybe what Ontario needs isn't
to have the provincial police buy them, but to outlaw their use by ALL
police forces, period. That way, they won't have to listen to the whining.
21- Manitoba
to ban riding in back of pickups?
Canada.com
We are seeing this more and more in the States as well - no doubt it will
be the next thing (after 'cycle helmets, 0.08 DUI, and such) to give DC
an excuse to withhold Highway Trust Fund payments. There is always some
crisis out there just crying for proper nannying, isn't there?
22- Russian
gov sights in on another Yukos production unit
Moscow Times
Hey, when's the best time to kick someone? When they're down - it's harder
to miss, and you don't have to strain as much. And if it kicks the price
of crude up another $5 or so, more profit for the looters! I hope that
by now, Yukos employees are looking at ways of changing their government
in the most expeditious manner possible. When it comes to so-called tax
bills versus paychecks, we all know how that will turn out, right?
23- Iraq
forces move in on separatists at Najaf shrine
Reuters
What more can be said? Pathetic attempts at negotiation have ended, and
the blood is flowing. The US might be blamed for setting a match to the
fuze, but this is an internal Iraqi and Islamic fight, and what it tells
us about Iraqis AND Muslims is no surprise, but should remind us again
of how stupid we are to get mixed up in the whole thing. It is hard to
picture something in the bloody religious wars of the Reformation and
Counter-Reformation to even compare to this - not even the St. Bartholomew's
Massacre in France. It would have to be something like a 16th Century
Presbyterian army fighting their way through Canterbury (supported by
Papal ships offshore providing fire support) against an army of fanatic
Episcopal parsons around Christ Church Cathedral. Or maybe a modern force
of fanatic Baptist death squads besieging Temple Square in Salt Lake as
LDS commandos die gloriously to shoot down attack helicopters - see, it
just doesn't make sense!
24- Major
Mexican drug free-marketeer arrested
San Diego Union-Tribune
Gee, and if this gang comes to its "end," then we can all have
a War on Drugs victory parade through Times Square, right? Let's see,
that would be, ah, V-D Day? Seriously, in an era of NAFTA "free trade,"
given basic (and unrepealable) economic laws of supply and demand, what
moves across the border from Mexico to the US? Things that are in demand
- regardless of legality. All this does is make room for some advancement,
and an opportunity for some fresh blood, in a customer-driven and government-subsidized
industry.
25- Drugs
or 'far-right' groups to blame for Sao Paulo killings?
BBC
Obviously one doesn't accuse anyone who might be a "friend"
or political supporter, even if it is just street people getting killed.
But the cops are missing an opportunity to get their funding and manpower
raised, aren't they?
26- Chinese
gov to 'limit and legalize' meddling?
XinhuaNet
Actually, apparently in this case "legalize" means "restricting
the government's scope of power" - an admission that what the government
has done in the past is not legal. It's not much of a step to no longer
require getting police permission to hold an auction, but it is a good
step in the RIGHT direction: getting government to STOP meddling at all.
27- Israel
apartheid 'worse than South Africa'
Haaretz
This guy is certainly writing to please his audience, and one has to question
the objectivity of his reporting - in a time when not allowing unlimited
testimony in opposition to a mining permit is compared (unfavorably) with
the mass murders by the Third Reich, such broad claims need to be challenged.
I'd want to see a lot of fair and unbiased documentation. Even then, what
good will it do? Israel is the creation of the UN, and its favorite whipping
boy, and any local attempts to resolve the problems will be torpedoed
in New York, leading to more deaths, more abuse, and more claims like
this one.
Nathan Barton is a libertarian, engineer, family man, and far too opinionated
for his own good, as he kibitzes from the Black Hills.
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