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August
15, 2005
We start
out looking overseas, as more pressure builds in several different places
almost sure to draw in the US. But there is much more "stupid people
tricks" and "stupid government tricks" to read, farther
on!!
Mideast
Tarbabies and Related Problems
Gaza
Pullout the Beginning of the End?
BBC News
Thousands of Palestinians have held a fishing boat rally in the harbour
of Gaza City to celebrate the imminent withdrawal of Israeli settlers.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the crowds that the moment marked
a step towards an independent state. All 8,000 Jewish settlers in the
Gaza Strip, and hundreds in the West Bank, are preparing for evacuation.
"Today, our march to freedom begins. Tomorrow, it will be Jenin's
turn and after that Jerusalem," Mr. Abbas said. Residents are due
to start moving out of their homes in the Gaza Strip on Monday.
Well, Abbas
had made it clear that trading land in Gaza for peace (after Israel steals
it back from the settlers) is NOT his plan: he will stop for nothing less
than the "liberation" of Jerusalem - and undoubtedly the complete
destruction of the Jewish state.
Mama's
Note: It is obvious that there is no hope for real peace there. They have
only themselves to blame, of course, and their mutual hate will only lead
them all to destruction. What a shame.
Envoys:
Iran faces September deadline on nukes
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"The U.N. nuclear watchdog expressed 'serious concern' Thursday
over Iran's resumption of activities that could lead to an atomic bomb,
and diplomats said Tehran has a Sept. 3 deadline to stop or face another
possible referral to the Security Council. Iran, showing the defiance
it has increasingly displayed since its new president was inaugurated
last weekend, responded with indignation. Tehran's chief delegate here
vowed that Iran would become a nuclear fuel producer and supplier within
a decade." (08/11/05)
Doesn't
EVERYONE get tired of these meaningless, hollow threats? Saying "Bad
boy," is about all the UN can or will do: they can't even slap hands.
Tehran knows it, and is pushing.
Mama's
Note: Just what gives the UN any authority to "do" anything
anyway? Just as with a person who buys a gun, nobody has the right to
take it away from him, or tell him he can't have it unless he deliberately
harms someone who is not attacking him. Then, and only then, do others
have the right to intervene. It is no different with countries and whatever
weapons they choose to possess.
Twice in
two days I find myself bringing up commentaries. Last was Lady Liberty's
excellent commentary, but today, it is the opposite: a man who calls for
imperialism!
An
Argument for Imperialism?
By Erik Rush, WND
Am I saying that a program of culturally colonizing the Third World
in a systematic and deliberate fashion would have been an appropriate
course of action? Keeping culturally underdeveloped nations "down"
rather than allowing them the self-determination we so highly value? Yes
- that is exactly what I am saying. Societies that eschew slavery, mass
execution, stoning, rape as a criminal penalty, beheading and impalement
are - to be blunt - culturally superior to those that do not. It was the
West's moral obligation to see that overwhelming economic and military
power did not fall into the hands of culturally immature societies, but
lack of conviction, moral weakness and intellectual dishonesty caused
us to drop the ball.
What we
have here is the foreign affairs version of the local town blue committee,
so concerned about the spiritual welfare of the town's children that they
are willing to give government control of everything instead of taking
responsibility themselves for teaching children and parents. The "moral
obligation" here is that of Alexander, Antiochus, Julius Caesar,
and Bonaparte. My opposition to this is NOT based on a belief in cultural
relativism: for all of our faults, Western Judeo-Christian Civilization,
as exemplified by the United States, IS morally superior to the societies
of the rest of the world, because it is in part based on the ethics and
morals of the Bible - and through that, on liberty. My opposition is because
this idea is foreign to the Bible: that we have a collective obligation
to FORCE people to be free and to accept physical and spiritual laws that
govern the universe. This is the fallacy of the Islamicists: the way of
jihad and conversion by the sword. It is a way that Western Civilization
for the most part avoided except for a few sick cases like the Spanish
Conquest of the New World, and the Teutonic Order in northeastern Europe.
It is Kipling's sardonic "White Man's Burden" taken seriously.
Mama's
Note: We are obligated to lead by our example. The US has certainly not
done that in this century or the last. We can't teach freedom and moral
living if we don't practice it.
Theft
by Government
Zimbabwe
Situation Worsens
A senior US diplomat dealing with food aid has expressed deep concern
about the food situation in Zimbabwe at the end of a three-day visit.
Tony Hall said Zimbabwe did not appear to have enough food for the immediate
future and government policies were making the crisis worse. He said donors
trying to help were being hampered by delays in getting permission for
food distribution. The US is donating nearly 75,000 tons of food relief
to the region.
Too many
people think that Mugabe and his thugs are going to do what "international
opinion" encourages them to, and feed their people: they are more
likely to kill their people, blaming the West at the same time. I will
be surprised if more than 10% of this 75KT actually makes it to hungry
people in Zimbabwe: most of it will show up on the black market in a dozen
countries, including the illegitimate, racist, tyrannical regime in South
Africa.
PA
Voters Still Angry at Legislature
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Editorial writers and columnists have called it a mugging of state
taxpayers, the Great Harrisburg Caper of 2005, an act of legislative thievery.
"Greed gone wild," snarled one angry voter. Public outrage over
a hefty pay raise Pennsylvania lawmakers voted themselves a month ago
- in the dead of night - has nagged them throughout their summer vacation
and shows no signs of going away. Not only did legislators increase their
salaries 16 percent to 34 percent to at least $81,050 - more than any
state except California - they crafted the package in secret without debate
or public scrutiny, then left town.
Eminent
Domain, of course, is not the only way theft-by-government works: sometimes
the "lawmakers" just outright steal - legislative theft. (Speaking
of tyrannical regimes.) Good men died 142 years ago at Gettysburg to allow
this to happen? Better that Lee's men had taken the wealth of the state
back to Virginia.
Mama's
Note: And what are they proposing to do about it, besides "snarl"
in print? "Public outrage" is meaningless if these robbers are
allowed to get away with it. The taxpayers have only themselves to blame
if they don't take the steps needed to reverse this, and prevent things
like it from happening in the future. It's easy to gripe and cry, but
they're going to have to take action if they really care enough to change
things.
Aftermath
of the Bombings
UK:
Deportation fight looms as police arrest 10
Independent [UK]
"A fresh legal battle to deport suspected Islamic extremists from
Britain began yesterday as police detained 10 foreign nationals, including
a radical preacher. Human rights lawyers said the Government's actions
could result in innocent people being deported to Algeria and Jordan,
where they could face torture and other inhumane treatment. Lawyers are
preparing to challenge the Home Secretary in a renewed legal clash that
could drag on for years. Among those detained in a series of early morning
raids was Abu Qatada, a Jordanian cleric previously described as 'al-Qa'ida's
ambassador to Europe.' Mr. Qatada is one of seven men detained yesterday
who had been held at Belmarsh Prison in southeast London but freed after
a landmark House of Lords ruling. The cleric and the other six 'Belmarsh'
suspects -- all Algerians -- detained yesterday were being held under
the controversial control orders. The seven, plus three other men, were
detained after raids in London, Luton, West Midlands, and Leicestershire
and taken to different prisons." (08/12/05)
See also:
Alleged al Qaeda spiritual leader detained
Cincinnati Enquirer
"The detentions, only days after Prime Minister Tony Blair announced
tough new proposals to deal with Islamic extremists, were another indication
of the dramatic impact of last month's deadly bombings in a country once
regarded as somewhat of a safe haven for radicals." (08/11/05)
Raids are
a daily event in the police-state UK these days. But at the same time,
these appear to be legitimate: you don't let a burglar or a thief stay
in your house, and you don't let someone stay in your house who is trying
to convince your children to kill you and become part of his family, either.
US
IT Systems Highly Vulnerable To Attack
SpaceWar.Com
Our nation's information technology infrastructure, which includes
air traffic control systems, power grids, financial systems, and military
and intelligence cyber networks, is highly vulnerable to terrorist and
criminal attacks, according to an article in the August issue of IEEE-USA
Today's Engineer.
Like many
reports of this type, we aren't being told anything new - just that the
same old problems aren't being fixed. While our Congrus critturs spend
billions on "Homeland Security" pork to buy "neat"
gadgets and pay for fire engines, trash trucks, and things that cities
and counties should spend their own money on (or better, let private business
do) - really critical things are getting ignored. You would think that
Y2K hasn't been that long ago, and that they would remember!
Mama's
Note: So, why have there been no attacks so far? Very curious...
Our
Imperial Courts
Virginia:
Court sustains Pledge in schools
Washington Times
"A federal appeals court yesterday upheld a Virginia law requiring
public schools to lead a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Edward Myers of Sterling, a father of three, claimed the reference to
'one nation under God' in the Pledge was an unconstitutional promotion
of religion. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
disagreed, ruling that the Pledge is a patriotic exercise, not an affirmation
of religion similar to a prayer. 'Undoubtedly, the pledge contains a religious
phrase, and it is demeaning to persons of any faith to assert that the
words 'under God' contain no religious significance,' Judge Karen Williams
wrote. 'The inclusion of those two words, however, does not alter the
nature of the pledge as a patriotic activity.' Myers and his attorney,
David Remes, said they have not discussed whether to appeal to the U.S.
Supreme Court." (08/11/05)
Although
it is still a bad thing to make children say something that has as bad
a history as the Pledge does, the logic of the judicial panel is a refreshing
change from the usual religion-bashing of our Imperial court system. But
there are better reasons to challenge the pledge - and many OTHER reasons
to get your kids out of the schools anyway.
Arizona:
Challenge to law on illegals dismissed
Washington Times
"A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 200
in Arizona, which prohibits illegal aliens from receiving some public
benefits, has been dismissed by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit
Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The suit, brought by the Mexican American
Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and Friendly House, a Phoenix-based
nonprofit social service agency, was dismissed by U.S. Appeals Court Judges
Alfred T. Goodwin, Johnnie B. Rawlinson and Thomas M. Reavley, sitting
as a visiting judge. The panel said the plaintiffs had not shown they
had been injured by implementation of the new law. 'The appeal is dismissed
for want of jurisdiction. The district court record reveals that there
was no case or controversy between plaintiffs and the state of Arizona
when pleadings were before the district court,' the panel said."
(08/11/05)
Now this
comes as a surprise, even though it is on technical grounds. Now MALDEF
and FH just have to go find some shills that HAVE been hurt (or claim
to be): that shouldn't be too hard in AZ these days.
Mama's
Note: Of course, nobody mentions the taxpayers who HAVE been "hurt"
and will continue to be hurt by all this welfare, illegals or otherwise.
Where are the taxpayer associations bringing suit against the state for
this harm to them? This is like someone coming to your front door, demanding
money and your car, then filing a lawsuit claiming he was "harmed"
because you refused to give it to him! Insane.
Arkansas:
First Jonesboro Killer to be Released
ABC News
Mitchell Johnson, one of two people convicted in the 1998 Jonesboro,
Ark., schoolyard shootings that left five people dead, is set to be released
from federal custody today (11 AUG). When Johnson was 13, he and his friend,
Andrew Golden, then 11, stole rifles from Golden's grandfather on March
24, 1998. The boys, dressed in camouflage, hid in the woods behind the
school until lunchtime, when Golden ran inside to pull the fire alarm.
They opened fire as classmates and teachers filed out of the buildings,
killing four students and one teacher. The state had no way to hold Johnson
past his 18th birthday because of a since-closed loophole in Arkansas'
juvenile justice system. Federal prosecutors have used weapons laws to
keep Johnson and Andrew Golden locked up until age 21. Golden is scheduled
to be released in 2007.
Usually
you worry about kids being turned into hardened criminals in prison: these
two seem more likely to have done the teaching. But our courts will not
let society treat them as the dangers that they are.
Tech,
Science, and Economic News
Soylent
Green, Anyone?
BBC News
An international research team has proposed new techniques that may
lead to the mass production of meat reared not on the farm, but in the
laboratory. Developments in tissue engineering mean that cells taken from
animals could be grown directly into meat in a laboratory, the researchers
say. Scientists believe the technology already exists to directly grow
processed meat like a chicken nugget.
Gluggh!
I suppose a vegetarian could eat this?
Mama's
Note: And the advantage to this is supposed to be exactly what? It sure
won't be any less expensive, and the chance it would be free of chemicals
and toxins is just about zero. No thanks. I'll stick to free range eggs
and chicken, grown on my own property.
Glitch
stalls Mars mission
CNN
"NASA postponed launching a spacecraft to Mars on Thursday after
a glitch popped up in the computer software used for monitoring the fueling
of the rocket used for liftoff. The problem with sensors and software
that measure the amount of fuel being loaded into the rocket appeared
with just minutes left until liftoff. The launch was rescheduled for Friday
morning." (08/11/05)
Delays
like this happen all the time. What makes this news is the similarity
between it and the delays on the last Shuttle launch. NASA just can't
seem to fix its computer glitches: perhaps they are too high tech? (By
the way, the Atlas V DID launch successfully on Friday.)
Change
is blowing for wind power industry
MSNBC
"Even with oil prices marching toward $70 a barrel, most alternative
energy sources require heavy federal subsidies to allow producers to turn
a profit. Wind power, though it still enjoys subsidies, is one of the
few that is becoming economically competitive in its own right -- thanks
to rising electric power costs in many parts of the world and technological
advances in the design and manufacture of wind turbines. As a result,
total wind power generation capacity in the U.S. is expected to grow by
about a third this year. But developers of wind power have begun to confront
other barriers to the production this relatively cheap, clean renewable
energy source." (08/11/05)
Although
there are many claims that wind power is not economically feasible, the
numbers (according to friends in the industry) actually seem to be favorable,
in much of the nation. However, in some nations (Germany, for example)
there is growing opposition to it: "unsightly despoliation of the
scenery" and "massive killoffs of birds" being two major
reasons. I expect that opposition to grow here in the US: too many environists
are against ANY source of power except perhaps the human muscle. Perhaps
because that is what they have between their ears.
Labor
advocacy groups blast Wal-Mart
Boston Globe
"Attention, shoppers: A coalition of labor unions, healthcare
advocates, and workplace safety watchdogs wants you to boycott Wal-Mart
as you stock up on school supplies. Standing in front of the Boston School
Department yesterday, about two dozen labor activists, teachers, and politicians
blasted the retail giant as blocking workers from unionizing, breaking
child labor laws, and underpaying employees. The afternoon gathering was
part of a coordinated effort in 34 cities nationwide to urge parents to
shop elsewhere as they load up on backpacks and other supplies this month.
'Shame on Wal-Mart,' said Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers
Union. 'They want us to bring our kids to shop there, and they continue
to exploit our children.'" (08/11/05)
Well, unions
seem as mindlessly opposed as ever to Wal-Mart - but lets look at the
issues. (1) Blocking workers from organizing unions: yeah, Wal-Mart has
a simple policy: workers unionize in a store and the store closes. It
is their right to do so, isn't it? It isn't against the law (yet, in most
places) to close a store (especially when so many people seemingly hate
the store coming into town in the first place). (2) Breaking child labor
laws: IF this were true, the unions wouldn't have to resort to picketing
- there are hundreds of thousands of eager state's and district attorneys
out there just LOOKING for things like selling smokes or drinks to underage
buyers, to violating child-labor laws, and to anything else that would
let them get their name in the paper a few more times before the next
election (3) Underpaying employees. Oh! Nonunion wages, by definition
(of the unions) are underpayment, certainly: unless they can get the union
dues somehow, they are upset. But last time I checked, Wal-Mart hasn't
enslaved anyone: they aren't being FORCED to work at Wal-Mart: if they
want to go someplace else and get a higher-paying job, all they need do
is (a) learn some skills that will pay more, (b) put on a good "front"
to look respectable, and (c) quit at Wal-Mart and go looking.
Stupid
People Tricks
Oklahoma:
Man Arrested for Trying to Board Aircraft with Bomb
Reuters
An Oklahoma man was taken into custody after he tried to carry a bomb
on board an airplane on Wednesday in Oklahoma City, an FBI spokesman said.
Charles Alfred Dreyling Jr., 24, was detained on Wednesday morning after
a security screener using an X-ray machine saw the device in his luggage
as he tried to board a flight to Philadelphia at Will Rogers Airport in
Oklahoma City.
Assuming
it really was a bomb, why would he try? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Abortion
rights group withdraws Roberts ad
Indianapolis Star
"After a week of protests by conservatives, an abortion rights
group said Thursday night it is withdrawing a television advertisement
linking Supreme Court nominee John Roberts to violent antiabortion activists.
'We regret that many people have misconstrued our recent advertisement
about Mr. Roberts' record,' said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice
America." (08/11/05)
I've heard
the ad (too many times) and there was little chance of "misconstruing"
it - nor was it accurate. It was just a dirty political attack ad. Business
as usual for NARAL. Why they would even do this, when there is so much
else to build ads around, is beyond me.
UK:
Homosexual couple goes to court over marriage rights
Guardian [UK]
"Two British women who married under Canadian law are taking the
government to court today to demand equal rights with heterosexual married
couples. Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger, who are university professors,
were married in August 2003 after the province of Vancouver gave same-sex
couples that right. In Britain they will have the status of a civil partnership
when the relevant legislation comes into force in December. But in a challenge
thought to be the first of its kind in Europe, they will tell the high
court that this amounts to second-class recognition. A heterosexual marriage
conducted abroad would be recognised." (08/12/05)
Nice to
know that Vancouver is now a province - the rest of British Columbia has
some chance of establishing liberty now. But this is another example of
how the pushing of government into areas where it has no business have
turned the institution of marriage into nothing but a political football.
California:
Man arrested for shooting out car alarm
Fox News
"A man annoyed by a noisy car alarm fired at least three bullets
into a Toyota Camry, silencing the alarm and bringing out police who hauled
him away in handcuffs, authorities said. David Owen Rye, 48, was arrested
and booked for investigation of reckless discharge of a firearm and felony
vandalism, Sgt. John Adamczyk said. Rye allegedly told officers he grabbed
his handgun and went out to put a stop to the car alarm. The owner of
the Camry, a sailor whose ship the USS Theodore Roosevelt just returned
from an eight-month cruise, was visiting a friend when he heard the gunfire
at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, KCAL-TV reported. 'I mean, that's not a safe
guy. I mean, you get upset over an alarm, over a noise like that, [then]
there's some little kids making too much noise and he decides to do something
awful,' sailor Nicholas Moreno, 25, said." [RRND editor's note:
So how about people who bother to turn on their car alarms actually start
listening for them instead of wandering off and making everyone else listen
to them for half an hour? - TLK] (08/11/05)
Stupid
people tricks, all the way around.
FEC
finds misreporting by DeLay committee
Houston Chronicle
"A federal audit of a political fundraising committee founded
by House Majority Leader Tom Delay found that it failed to report more
than $300,000 in debts owed to vendors and incorrectly paid for some committee
activities with money from another Delay-connected political committee.
The Federal Election Commission's report didn't indicate whether it would
pursue enforcement action against Americans for a Republican Majority
Political Action Committee." (08/11/05)
Of course,
the laws are so complex that virtually ANY PAC can be found in violation,
but this is clearly news because people are looking for things to throw
at Delay; who richly deserves them. However, the difference between the
guy getting the clods thrown at him and those doing the throwing is not
significant. And a question no one is asking: why would they do this on
purpose? It makes no sense. The next story is more of the same.
GOP
heavy Abramoff indicted
MSNBC
"Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a key figure in investigations involving
House Majority Leader Tom Delay, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand
jury on fraud charges arising from a 2000 deal to buy casino boats. The
indictment, returned by a grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, charges that
Abramoff and an associate, 36-year-old New York businessman Adam Kidan,
used a fake wire transfer to defraud two lenders out of some $60 million
to finance the deal for SunCruz Casinos." (08/11/05)
Again,
the laws are so complex - it is impossible to tell if this was fraud,
or just (illegally) creative financing - like the Colorado Legislature
does when it steals money from trust funds to waste on pork. I suspect
this happens a lot, and it wouldn't be news except for the crook who is
doing it.
Mama's
Note: The difference is that the people selling the boats had the option
to make sure the money was real before they made the deal. Not only that,
but there easily could have been some language in the contract that would
stop the deal if the "check" was bogus. Anyone who gets ripped
off for $60. million in a business deal is a chump and deserves it. The
taxpayers don't have that leverage.
Cabbie
helps capture fugitive couple
San Francisco Chronicle
"The cabbie who picked up the couple suspected in a deadly courthouse
escape in Tennessee said Thursday he did not buy their story that they
needed to get to Ohio for an Amway convention. A tip from cabdriver Mike
Wagers led police to George and Jennifer Hyatte, who were arrested without
a struggle Wednesday night at a budget motel in Columbus, Ohio, authorities
said. Wagers said the pair told him they were headed to an Amway convention
and that he became suspicious because they didn't act like Amway representatives.
'Amway people are all about Amway, and when they didn't try any conversation
further about it, that's when I pretty much thought, 'Well, they're not
with Amway; they're doing something else.'" (08/11/05)
Stupid
people tricks! Know your cover story!
Mama's
Note: So, why did they have to tell the driver anything? Something missing
in this story.
Our
Right to Defend Ourselves
Alabama:
Bill to justify deadly force
Daily Sentinel
"Rep. Albert Hall and Sen. Jeff Enfinger are sponsoring a bill
that would expand [sic] citizens' rights to use self defense in the state
of Alabama. The bill has been pre-filed for the upcoming 2006 regular
session of the legislature. Hall said that 60 cosponsors have joined him
in support of this bill. 'Your home is the family castle and refuge; this
bill will give [sic] the citizens a right to protect and defend their
home from intruders and themselves from possible subsequent litigation,'
Hall stated." (08/10/05)
While it
is a shame that such laws are needed to recognize that God gave us these
rights, it is good to see such support, even of people like Hall who don't
know history OR liberty.
Oklahoma:
Pawn shop burglary under investigation
KOTV News
"Tulsa police are searching for a group of men suspected of breaking
into the Green Country Pawn shop near 31st and Mingo early Thursday morning.
Authorities say the business owner was notified by his alarm company and
went to check on things. He says he shot at four hispanic men as they
escaped through a hole in the roof. The suspects all got away."
(08/11/05)
I wonder
if they will be stupid enough to try again, and get plugged this time?
Worker
right or workplace danger?
Christian Science Monitor
"Jason Smith is in a tough spot. He works for a company he has
been asked to boycott. In an effort to keep weapons out of the workplace,
his employer, ConocoPhillips, is challenging state law and has forbidden
workers to leave guns in their cars in company parking lots. Now, the
National Rifle Association (NRA) is encouraging gun owners to stop buying
ConocoPhillips gasoline. The boycott is the latest skirmish in an expanding
battle over gun control. Now that many states allow citizens to carry
concealed weapons, the NRA is pushing to eliminate remaining restrictions
on where those guns can be taken. Gun-control groups -- and some employers
-- are fighting back." (08/11/05)
More than
the NRA is pushing, of course, and this brings me to an issue I've argued
with other libertarians on for years: yes, this plant and parking lot
are private property. Yes, normally we as private property owners have
the right to limit IN SOME WAYS the behavior of our employees, visitors,
employees, etc. Does that right extend to restricting such essential rights
as free speech, religion, or keeping and bearing arms? If an employer
can take one right away from an employee, can it take all rights, and
thus make them an obvious slave? My answer to these is "NO"
but I am apparently very much in the minority among libertarians, who
would let property right trump all other rights.
Mama's
Note: I don't see where this is a problem at all. Yes, private property
rights trump, but nobody can make you a slave on their property. It's
only slavery if you are forced to remain against your will. If an employer
wants to restrict ANY of your God given rights, it is up to you to decide
if you value them more than whatever the property owner is providing.
If you want a job with them more than your rights, it's your choice.
Stupid
Government Tricks
NYC
wants trans fat off restaurant menus
Yahoo! News
"New York City wants restaurants to narrow their list of ingredients
-- and maybe some waistlines -- by cutting out trans fats. The Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene said the voluntary change could also help
fight the city's biggest killer, heart disease. ... Some workers and diners
were skeptical of the city plan. 'Labeling is as far as you want to go.
You don't want to be telling people what to eat,' Brooklyn waitress Karen
Quam told The New York Times. The city's request came two years after
it outlawed smoking in bars, restaurants and offices, citing concerns
about the ill effects of secondhand smoke." (08/11/05)
And was
predicted by many of us: expect more "Food-cop" antics (Well,
in NYC, "the Health and Mental Hygiene Police" - how Soviet!)
to pop up all over the nation.
Mama's
Note: It's not about health at all, of course, but about control. Watch
for sugar, salt and other things to be added to this insanity.
High-tech
net to keep boats from off-limits areas
San Francisco Chronicle
"The U.S. Coast Guard, looking for ways to deter waterborne terrorist
attacks, plans to deploy a new law enforcement tool: nets designed to
tangle the running gear of boats entering restricted waters. The netting,
a floating line of 40-inch-long loops spaced 8 inches apart, would be
used primarily to temporarily cordon off a section of harbor or bay. 'It
would form a line of demarcation in the water. Think of it like the yellow
tape police use on land,' said Neal Armstrong, a nonlethal weapons program
manager for the Coast Guard at its Washington, D.C., headquarters. 'It
would be another tool in our tool bag.' ... The nets, which cost about
$32 a foot, would be used to create what the Coast Guard calls security
zones. The nets would be particularly useful to help protect large gatherings
such as a political convention, conference or sporting event."
(08/10/05)
Thereby
allowing the extension of "free speech zones" and other abominations
from the shore out into the water. And giving a false sense of security,
since jet-skimmers, fan-driven buggies, sailboats (without keelboards,
at least), hovercraft or anything able to submerge more than 40 inches
could still get past.
Indiana:
Motor vehicles bureau sick of the clock
CNN News
"The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles is taking a timeless approach
to customer satisfaction. Literally. The bureau is hiding from sight all
clocks in its 153 license branches statewide. 'Often times customers feel
they are in line longer than they are,' said bureau Spokesman Greg Cook.
'It's the whole 'watched pot never boils' thing.' .... But the action
isn't just aimed at placating antsy customers. It's also designed to keep
clock-watching public employees from, well, watching the clock. 'We wanted
the employees to be watching the customer,' said Cook." (08/09/05)
Anything
but actually trying to solve the problem. The only reason for DMV to exist
is to provide more revenue to the state and as an excuse to harass drivers
instead of concentrating on those who are truly dangerous to others on
the road: it is time to have it go away, or at least go electronic.
Mama's
Note: Are they confiscating all the wrist watches at the door then? This
kind of stupidity is beyond belief.
Critics
slam net wiretapping rules
Wired News
"An FCC ruling that internet telephony services must provide the
same built-in wiretapping capabilities as conventional phone companies
has civil libertarians feeling burned. 'I think a legal challenge is highly
likely at this point,' said John Morris, an attorney with the Center for
Democracy and Technology. The FCC announced last week that some voice
over internet protocol, or VOIP, companies are substantial replacements
for old-fashioned telephone service, and must equip their systems to respond
to federal wiretap orders. ... While the full text of the ruling has yet
to be released, critics say the announcement marks a significant expansion
of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or CALEA, which
drew a line between 'information services' and phone networks. 'The essential
compromise of CALEA was hands off the internet, and that promise has been
broken,' said Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Kurt Opsahl. (08/11/05)
Clearly
the FCC is wrong, but the fix will come through technology and NOT through
either our current court or legislative system (if there is a difference
today).
Bush:
Iraq pullout would send "terrible signal"
Houston Chronicle
"President Bush said today he understands and respects the views
of antiwar advocates like a California mother camped outside his Texas
ranch to mourn her soldier son fallen in Iraq, but said it would be a
mistake to bring U.S. troops home now. 'I understand the anguish that
some feel about the death that takes place,' Bush said." (08/11/05)
At least
on this issue he is sticking to his guns. Why won't he on so many other
things, like the highway pork bill?
Mama's
Note: It's really easy for him to "stick to his guns" since
he has nothing to lose by it. He doesn't have any children or relatives
in danger in Iraq or anywhere else, now does he?
Arizona
ranks last in road "pork"
Arizona Republic
"Arizona emerges nationally prominent -- or peculiar -- from a
controversial aspect of the six-year, $286.4 billion transportation bill
that President Bush signed into law Wednesday. A taxpayers group says
Arizona ranks last among all 50 states in its dollar amount, per capita,
of so-called appropriation earmarks. ... Such projects, ranging from roads
and bridge construction to snowmobile trails, hiking paths and horse trails,
are no small chunk of the overall transportation bill. ... The Washington,
D.C.-based Taxpayers for Common Sense has determined Arizona will receive
a total of $137.6 million for 41 such projects. That is $26.83 per resident,
the group says, the lowest amount per capita among all states. It is less
than half of the $84.94 national average. In terms of the total value
of their earmarks, only the small-population states of Wyoming ($135.8
million) and New Hampshire ($69.3 million) have lower amounts." (08/11/05)
Gee. Time
to fire all those worthless Congrus critters, you Arizonans! Of course,
maybe Arizona is getting a hefty dose of the other 261 BILLION in the
bill: the earmarks ONLY account for $25.5 billion, after all. And frankly,
I would say that 95% of the total 286B is "pork."
Nathan
Barton is a libertarian engineer and family man writing from the Black
Hills. The views in this commentary are his own, and not necessarily those
of FND, RRND, or TPOL or anyone else associated with them. News stories
are taken from the FND/RRND digest published by the International Society
for Individual Liberty, from leads provided by readers and friends, and
from Nathan's own search of the news feed sources available by radio and
on-line. Be sure to visit my blog,
Liberty's Outpost.
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