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August
29, 2005
While it
has been a quiet and peaceful weekend for me, around the world, exciting
things happen (as always). So we should jump right into the news items,
starting with several various looks at efforts to protect our entire nation
and people from outside and internal attack.
Border
Security and Homeland Defense
FEMA
Says 10-3
The Free Lance-Star (VA)
Federal Emergency Management Agency wants to eliminate first responder
code jargon. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is encouraging
police and other emergency organizations nationwide to give up the numerical
codes known as the "10-codes" that they use to communicate with
each other and with dispatchers. Instead of saying 10-50 for an accident,
FEMA wants law enforcement officers to simply say they're at an accident
scene. The idea is to create a system under which all police and emergency
personnel can understand each other, and reduce confusion in emergency
situations that involve numerous jurisdictions. Fredericksburg, VA-area
police and sheriff departments say they use plain English when possible,
but say 10-codes help keep officers safe and sensitive information confidential.
Fredericksburg police spokesperson Jim Shelhorse points out that many
people use police scanners to monitor emergency communication. Spotsylvania
County, VA, Sheriff Howard Smith commented that the vast majority of people
who listen to scanners are law-abiding, but police worry about the criminal
element who listens for the wrong reason; using the codes prevents some
information from getting out. Shelhorse said FEMA is asking many local
agencies to do away with codes by next September. "It's very difficult
to take something that's ingrained and say, 'You've got to change this
by next year,'" Shelhorse said.
Thanks
to Tim for this one. For those who don't know, "10-3" is code
for "Stop Transmitting." The traditional 10-code can be found
at http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/10codepfd.htm.
It is, of course, a pretty low-level form of communications; my fear would
be that most police departments would replace this with a more bizarre
method that would make radio traffic even more confusing.
Mama's
Note: I don't know of anything they would really need to keep "secret"
in radio traffic. Anything truly "sensitive" should be handled
over the phone anyway. If they think the silly "10 code" is
keeping anything secure, they are dumber than we've always thought they
were. Any bad guy would know exactly what they are saying already.
SCAN
technology to bring warnings to residents
The Daily Ardmoreite (OK) (requires registration)
Armed with new cutting-edge technology called The Safe Community Alert
Network (SCAN), the Marietta, OK, Emergency Management Agency (EMA) will
soon begin sending public safety warnings and emergency alerts directly
to the computers, mobile phones, personal data assistants (PDAs), pagers
and fax machines of local residents. EMA director Tracey Smithwick said
important alerts about sexual predators, neighborhood crime, local terrorist
acts and Amber alerts will now reach community members in a matter of
moments, no matter where they originate. This service is free, but residents
must register at www.scanusa.com in order to receive the alerts. SCAN
is the first national alert system that allows local public safety agencies
to broadcast localized emergency information directly to the computers,
mobile phones and PDAs of its citizens. Registered users can choose to
receive any or all types of alerts to one or more of their digital information
devices. Alert classifications include sexual predator, neighborhood crime,
public safety, fire, traffic, public health, environmental, severe weather,
cyber, Amber, Homeland Security and other miscellaneous warnings or emergencies.
SCAN is available at no cost to public safety agencies or taxpayers. SCAN
USA
I suppose
the good news is that this is Big Brother in reverse: them telling us
instead of the other way away. And for now, it would be voluntary.
Mama's
Note: Ok, if there is no cost to public safety agencies or taxpayers,
who is paying for it? I'll guarantee you that the Emergency Management
Agency is supported by the taxpayers. There is also a problem with such
information going out to every Tom, Dick and Harry this way, especially
if it is "hot off the press." There is a greater danger of incorrect
information being broadcast, with a very predictable increase in unnecessary
fear and panic over a lot of it. Most people are curious about this kind
of thing, naturally, but it serves no real purpose to provide a way to
scratch those itching ears just for the sake of curiosity. I think it's
a very bad idea and there is no way people are going to get a greater
amount of truth from government, this way or any other.
Lawmakers
Using Border Security as Political Ploy
By Diane M. Grassi
Michigan News
Freelance reporter Diane Grassi provides specific details on how the
recent declarations of emergency by New Mexico Governor Richardson and
Arizona Governor Napoliano are being used primarily as ways to justify
pork-barrel spending and hide their real track record regarding border
security and "illegal travelers" in their states. Worth reading
the full article, to see exactly how these (and many in the Congress)
are abusing public concern with their own agenda continuing to run in
the background.
We should
not be surprised - it is ingrained habit for politicos to act corruptly
and use critical actions as an excuse to entrench themselves, enrich themselves
and their clients, and otherwise make a mess of things.
California:
Illegals down Border Patrol chopper with rocks
Reuters
"A U.S. Border Patrol helicopter was forced to make an emergency
landing after illegal immigrants pelted it with baseball-sized rocks,
damaging a rotor, a spokesman for the agency said on Thursday. There were
no injuries as the helicopter's pilot was able to set the aircraft down
just north of the All American Canal on the border between the U.S. and
Mexico, Border Patrol spokesman Michael Gramley said. Authorities say
smugglers are becoming increasingly willing to use violence against border
patrol agents as their trade becomes more profitable, with smugglers able
to earn about $2,000 per person. The helicopter pilot was responding to
a call for help from agents on the ground on Tuesday evening when about
10 people on the south bank of the canal began hurling large rocks at
the aircraft." (08/25/05)
Whew.
Mama's
Note: Where do the totally impoverished Mexicans get $2,000.? Makes you
wonder... Unfortunately, this kind of thing will simply escalate and the
helicopters will probably soon be armed. All that will be missing are
the rice paddies and the agent orange. It just doesn't have to be this
way!
Britain
to expel for "hate" speech
Washington Times
"Britain outlined tough new rules yesterday under which 'preachers
of hate,' who promote or glorify terrorism, will be thrown out of the
country or banned from entering it. 'We have a number of names that we
are considering at the moment,' and the first deportations could come
'very quickly - in the next few days,' Home Secretary Charles Clarke said.
He itemized a list of 'unacceptable behavior' .. [that] includes any act
or speech that: * Foments, justifies or glorifies terrorist violence;
* Seeks to provoke others to terrorist acts; * Foments other serious criminal
actions or attempts to provoke others to commit serious crimes; or * Fosters
hatred that threatens to lead to ethnic violence." (08/25/05)
Is this
too broad? Knowing Clarke, I suspect that it is. Of course, that could
easily apply to more than a few Home Office officials, too, if taken at
face value (and if, of course, they are immigrants).
Hacker
Army to Attack US in Cyberspace
The Washington Times
A Web forum for Muslim extremists is calling on its members to organize
an Islamist hackers' army to carry out Internet attacks against the U.S.
government. The site has posted tips, software and links to other resources
to help would-be cyber-warriors. The Jamestown Foundation, a District-based
nonprofit with a history of extensive ties to the CIA, said that it has
monitored postings on a new section of an extremist bulletin board called
al-Farooq.
Of course,
enemies today do not HAVE to sneak into the nation, or live in it, to
do damage.
Homeland
Defense - Base Closings
BRAC:
Walter Reed makes base closure list
USA Today
"In a blow to the nation's capital, the base closing commission
voted Thursday to shut down the Army's historic Walter Reed hospital and
move about 20,000 defense workers miles away from their offices near the
Pentagon. The nine-member panel endorsed much of Defense Secretary Donald
H. Rumsfeld's broader plan to streamline support services across the Army,
Navy and Air Force. In many cases, it voted to merge programs scattered
around military facilities across the country to centralized locations."
(08/25/05)
South Dakota Base removed
from list by BRAC in a surprise defeat of the Pentagon proposal. Ellsworth
AFB was removed from the closure list to the joy of dozens of South Dakota
politicians in one of the first votes Friday morning, the last day of
review by the panel.
I listened
to more than an hour of self-congratulatory boasting by politicos in South
Dakota ranging from town councilmen through county commissioners and legislators
up to US Senators and the governor, about how wonderful they were in doing
this. The BRAC definitely IS a political process, but seems to work a
bit better than earlier methods of dividing up things. Medical facility
consolidation has been going on, really, for twenty-plus years now, and
so the Reed closure was justified and apparently a strong enough rationale
to make it through. The Ellsworth closure was, in my view, a dangerous
move which consolidated a very limited strategic resource into a single
juicy target. Similar arguments appear to justify the bases remaining
open in New England. Still, the military/strategic arguments for keeping
bases seem secondary to the panic of local and state politicos fearful
of losing pork.
Mama's
Note: I just wonder how many billions have been spent recently to upgrade
that hospital and if it will be sold as a hospital or left to rot and
fall down, as so many of these facilities are. If it is sold and used,
I'm all for it.
Tennessee:
GOP leaders won't support Bredesen in base lawsuit
Nashville City Paper
"Senators Bill Frist and Lamar Alexander said Wednesday they do
not support Gov. Phil Bredesen's lawsuit against the federal government
for removing a National Guard unit without his approval. Meanwhile, four
of the five Democratic congressmen from the state have supported the effort
and signed onto a legal brief in favor of the lawsuit. Only Congressman
John Tanner did not join the suit. The Bredesen Administration filed the
lawsuit Aug. 18 against the Department of Defense on grounds that moving
the 118th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard was without
Bredesen's approval. The governor contends that is a violation of federal
law. The 118th is based near Nashville International Airport. Bredesen
said Frist's lack of support was the Senate Majority Leader's decision."
(08/25/05)
Is this
loyalty to the President instead of loyalty to the state? Perhaps Tennessee
should begin action to revoke the Seventeenth Amendment, and get senators
that represent the state, and not their political party or a federal administration.
Frist also apparently can't read the law - scary in someone who is seeking
still more power. And he also does not understand the proper balance between
federal and state military power (but then, neither does Bush, a former
governor and ANG officer himself, nor much of anyone else inside the Beltway):
States ARE and SHOULD BE sovereign nations, and the right to have military
forces, including air, ground and (for those with access) sea forces,
is essential, or the consolidation of federal power will accelerate still
more, and the prospects for restoration of liberty grow even fainter.
Will
base closings sap support for military?
Christian Science Monitor
"Almost as far back as Don Russell can recall, planes from the nearby
naval air station have roared overhead, an audible assurance of security,
especially since the Sept. 11 attacks. Now that this Maine base [in Brunswick,
Maine] has been designated for closure, however, 'this is going to leave
a tremendous hole,' Mr. Russell says wistfully. New England's experience
is in many ways a barometer for the nation, as the military contracts
into fewer and larger installations. Despite Wednesday's dramatic decision
by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) to keep open a shipyard
in southern Maine and a submarine base in Connecticut, the region will
have less military presence going forward than at any time in recent history."
(08/26/05)
I am sure
that it will sap support from those who see military spending as nothing
but another form of pork, a common enough situation dating back to the
War Between The States. But it will not hurt support as badly as the FedGov's
use of the military for foreign domination and a neo-con or liberal agenda
that pushes imperial ambitions, instead of using it for the constitutional
purpose of defending the nation.
Tech
News
Web
Extortion Hits Businesses Hard
Infoworld
When the first extortion e-mail popped into Michael Alculumbre's inbox,
he had no idea it was about to cost his business nearly $500,000. The
note arrived in early November of last year, as Alculumbre's London-based
transaction processing company, Protx was being hit by a nasty distributed
denial of service (DDoS) attack. Zombie PCs from around the world were
flooding Protx.com (the company's Web site) and the transaction processing
server that was the commercial heart of the business. In extortion e-mail's
broken English, someone identifying himself as Tony Martino proposed a
classic organized-crime protection scheme. "You should pay $10,000,"
Martino wrote. "When we receive money, we stop attack immediately."
The e-mail even promised one year's protection from other attackers for
the $10,000 fee. A 2004 PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey of more than 1,000
businesses in the U.K. found that, on average, companies spent more than
$17,000 on their worst security incident that year. For large companies,
that amount was closer to $210,000, the study found. For companies of
either size, most of the loss was due to the disruption in their ability
to do business, with expenses for troubleshooting the incident and actual
cash spent responding to it accounting for considerably less.
A warning
- it can happen to anyone. Just as kidnapping is usually associated with
multimillion dollar ransoms, but is now being done for as little as 30
dollars US in some Third-World nations, so extortion doesn't have to be
a $10,000 deal.
UK:
Hamster-powered phone charger
Ananova [UK]
"A 16-year-old boy invented a hamster-powered mobile phone charger
as part of his GCSE science project. Peter Ash, of Lawford, Somerset,
attached a generator to his hamster's exercise wheel and connected it
to his phone charger. Elvis does the legwork while Peter charges his phone
in an economically and environmentally friendly way. He came up with the
idea after his sister Sarah complained that Elvis was keeping her awake
at night by playing for hours on his exercise wheel." (08/25/05)
My, oh
my! Hardly going to catch on too widely, I'm sure. But it should help
us remember that we seldom are using ALL our resources! And speaking of
needing a few watts.
California:
Power being restored after blackouts
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"Sweltering heat and the loss of power from a key transmission
line Thursday forced the utility serving Southern California to impose
rolling blackouts, leaving as many as half a million people without power
for about half an hour, officials said. The California Independent System
Operator, which operates the state's electric grid, declared a transmission
emergency at 3:57 p.m., said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle."
(08/25/05)
Still suffering
from government-controlled power systems, California doesn't seem to be
able to learn what is essential and what is not. Maybe they need some
hamster chargers. While there are definitely some people who live in the
LA Basin or San Diego or the Imperial Valley because they are forced to,
the vast majority could move someplace else if they can only live in 65
degree temperatures. If people had to pay the price that the power is
really costing, then there would be both an incentive to conserve AND
a reason for private firms to expand their power supply.
Mama's
Note: There is no good reason for it to cost so much. Current price in
California where I live is about 12 Cents a KWH average. It's a complicated
mess of rates with "lifeline" allowances and so forth, but that's
what mine usually comes out to. In Wyoming, the cost is between 2 and
4 cents a kWh The difference is that California has not allowed any new
generation in decades, so it all must be purchased and brought long distances.
With government out of it, the market would provide for customers just
fine, and the price would drop considerably in California.
The
Former Soviet Empire
Russia:
Ingush PM injured in roadside attack
Moscow Times [Russia]
"Two roadside bombs exploded in Ingushetia on Thursday, wounding
the republic's prime minister, Ibragim Malsagov, in an apparent assassination
attempt, officials said. The explosions in Ingushetia, which officials
said also killed a driver and wounded two others, were the latest sign
of growing violence across the restive North Caucasus. Malsagov was hospitalized
after the attack in the city of Nazran, but his life was not in danger,
Fyodor Shcherbakov, Kremlin envoy to Ingushetia, said. Malsagov, the republic's
second-highest-ranking official, was wounded in the hand and the leg,
said spokesman Nikolai Ivashkevich of the southern regional branch of
the Emergency Situations Ministry. Malsagov's driver was killed and two
others were injured, he said, but did not give further details about the
other victims." (08/25/05)
More problems
inherited from the Soviets.
Common
Interests Bring China And Russia Together
SpaceWar Daily
Moscow (UPI) Aug 25, 2005 - The first joint military exercises between
the Russian Federation and China end Thursday with a truly impressive
scenario: Terrorists who have seized the Shandong peninsular will face
an amphibious landing, and will then be decisively isolated by an airborne
assault.
Repairing
the old Soviet heritage, and not necessarily a good or bad sign for the
West: much still divides the Russians and Chinese, including the fact
that Communism still rules China. At the same time, many people look askance
at the entire idea of military cooperation between the two, strictly on
geopolitical terms, unlike the ideological alliance of the 1940s-1960s.
Stupid
People and Government Tricks
Oregon:
Libertarian pol defects to GOP
Oregon Live
"Libertarian Tom Cox, who has been cited as a spoiler in at least
two previous election cycles, has joined the Republican Party. Cox has
been tagged with spoiling three elections for Republicans, including the
2002 gubernatorial race between Republican Kevin Mannix and Democratic
Gov. Ted Kulongoski. In that instance, Cox received more votes than the
margin of victory. In a prepared statement, Cox said: 'I want to contribute
more to reforming Oregon and fixing its problems, and I feel I can best
do that in the context of a major political party.'" (08/24/05)
Mr. Cox
will undoubtedly discover what most libertarians who "defect"
do - that they are still shunned and kept out of power even within one
of the wings of the big parties. The exceptions to the rule are almost
one-hand's worth of fingers, starting with Dr. Ron Paul. At the same time,
I cannot understand how Mr. Cox reconciles the principles he claimed to
have with membership in an organization like the GOP.
Mama's
Note: He just proved that political ambition is more important to him
than principles. Plain as the nose on your face.
Arabs
vow revenge after Israelis kill five
Houston Chronicle
"Militants said today they will renew attacks on Israel, after
Israeli soldiers killed five Palestinians, at least three of them armed,
in a West Bank arrest raid. The killings and the threat of revenge ended
a lull that accompanied Israel's just-completed withdrawal from 25 Jewish
settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank." (08/25/05)
Two or
three days is hardly a "lull" as the Chron wants to make out.
"Waiting for another excuse" would be just as much a reason.
Oregon:
Forest Service admits blunder in logging of rare trees
Houston Chronicle
"The Forest Service admitted Wednesday to making a 'serious' mistake
that allowed the logging of 17 acres inside a rare tree reserve as part
of the salvage harvest of timber burned by a fire in 2002. The logging
inside the 350-acre Babyfoot Lake Botanical Area, created in 1966 to protect
Brewer spruce and other rare plant species in the Rogue River-Siskiyou
National Forest, was discovered last week by environmentalists after the
timber was harvested and a forest closure intended to bar protesters was
lifted." (08/25/05)
A few days
ago, on the National Park Service side of things, we talked about how
poorly our "crown jewels" are being cared for: the USFS has
the same problem, clearly.
Discipline
urged for CIA officials over Sept. 11
MSNBC
"The CIA's independent watchdog has recommended disciplinary reviews
for current and former officials who were involved in failed intelligence
efforts before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Associated Press has
learned. CIA Director Porter Goss now must decide whether the disciplinary
proceedings go forward. The proceedings, formally called an accountability
board, were recommended by the CIA inspector general, John Helgerson.
It remains unclear which people are identified for the accountability
boards in the highly classified report spanning hundreds of pages."
(08/25/05)
I suppose
that a good old Soviet-style purge is out of the question? At least they
aren't just being shoved up against a wall.
Mama's
Note: Off with their heads! Unfortunately, it wouldn't solve a thing.
There are simply far too many of these parasites.
Sheehan
plans antiwar bus tour
Detroit Free Press
"A fallen soldier's mother said Thursday that the antiwar vigil
she started nearly three weeks ago near President Bush's ranch won't end
when she and other protesters pack up their camp next week. Cindy Sheehan
said the day after she leaves Aug. 31, she will embark on a bus tour ending
up in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24. Then the group will start a 24-hour
vigil in the nation's capital." (08/25/05)
I understand
that she is motivating others to join the antiwar movement, but at what
cost to that movement? An organization whose most prominent members are
known for their lies, their bitter hatred of their opponents, and their
complete disdain for the people of the nation is, well, hmmm. That sounds
like Hollywood or Congress, doesn't it? Just what we need in this nation:
another dangerous, powerful, and out-of-control power center.
FBI
probes for Chinese cyber spies
CNN
"The FBI and the Pentagon are investigating whether Chinese spies
have been hacking into U.S. government computer systems, U.S. officials
said Thursday. Officials are trying to determine whether the continuing
hacking efforts are sponsored by Beijing or merely involve hackers using
Chinese Web sites to mask their origins, they said." (08/25/05)
Try "both,"
guys.
Air
Force scandal results in reforms
Cincinnati Enquirer
"As Air Force cadets return to classes this month, they are seeing
a new system for handling rape allegations - reforms put in place throughout
the military in response to the sex scandal that rocked this prestigious
school more than two years ago. The Defense Department is adding sexual
assault response coordinators at every major base around the world. Bases
also will have at least one victim's advocate, most of them civilians."
(08/25/05)
Why not
just appoint political commissars and have done with it? They could handle
this and all the other things that are "evil" about the system,
like "religious abuse" also claimed at the AFA, as well as "right-wing"
leanings. The best solution for dealing with potential sexual abuse, especially
in an institution populated SOLELY by young men and women in excellent
health and physical condition, is a good mix of self-defense tools, both
unarmed (hand to hand) AND deadly weapons. That, and telling them that
injuries sustained as a result of violating the honor code will be treated,
if at all, in a hospital in Colorado Springs or Castle Rock, and NOT at
the local base medical facility. One or two male cadets dying of blood
loss from crushed or ripped off gonads on the way to the hospital will
ensure that such things do not occur. But then again, dealing with even
attempted rape by a parade formation for the perp to dance the Danny Deever
(death by hanging) would also certainly get the point across.
India:
Police send in lions to deal with bandit problem
Independent [UK]
"Police in India say they have come up with a new weapon against
the bandits who plague large areas of the country: lions. Police in the
state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) are seriously proposing that a new lion safari
park will help rid the area of bandits. But Indian wildlife groups are
warning that the bandits will kill the lions to sell their skins. The
proposal comes months after it emerged that India's natural tiger population
has been sharply reduced by poachers." (08/26/05)
Even worse
than getting hung, I would think.
UK:
Witnesses feared terrorists were attacking train
Guardian [UK]
"Armed police officers fired at Jean Charles de Menezes for over
30 seconds when they killed him at Stockwell tube station, according to
a witness statement made to independent investigators and obtained by
the Guardian. The witness says the shots were fired at intervals of three
seconds and that she ran for her life fearing terrorists had opened fire
on commuters. . Much of the immediate eyewitness evidence after the shooting
proved to be wrong. But the witness correctly said that 11 shots were
fired - a fact which was not made public at the time. The account from
Sue Thomason, a freelance journalist from south London, gives new detail
of the shooting and of the terror witnesses endured. "(08/26/05)
It appears
to me that terrorists WERE attacking the train, or at least one person
in it. Sadly, the terrorists were in uniforms with copper buttons.
Our
Right to Defend Ourselves
South
Africa: New gun law chaos
News 24
"No new firearm licences have been issued in the Western Cape since
the new Firearms Control Act came into effect. And experts believe that
at the rate that renewals are now being handled, it will take literally
thousands of years to complete the process. The latest statistics on this
act paint a gloomy picture for firearm owners in the Western Cape. The
police's Phuti Setati said that up to 15 August only 16 firearm licences
had been renewed in the Western Cape and that no new licences had been
issued in the province. " (08/23/05)
Which just
strengthens the argument that the system is in existence only to make
gun ownership impossible to law-abiding people.
Texas:
Mom acquitted in shooting of boyfriend
Houston Chronicle
"A woman who shot her boyfriend and then allowed her 9-year-old
son to initially take responsibility was acquitted of murder today in
a Harris County courtroom. Jurors apparently accepted Erika Lynn Ruiz's
contention that she was protecting herself and her son from abuse when
she shot Jose Flores Martinez once in the head in her southwest Houston
apartment last year. . Ruiz, a former Sharpstown High School security
guard, told jurors that Martinez was physically abusing her when she grabbed
a pistol from the bedroom and shot him as he continued approaching her.
She said she thought he might assault her son, who witnessed the shooting.
After police arrived, however, the boy told them he had fired the gun
at the man he knew as 'Pepe.' After spending the night in police custody,
however, the boy recanted and told police his mother had shot Martinez.
Ruiz's son, now 10 and living in Kansas, testified this week that he saw
Martinez assault his mother and slam her to the floor before she ran into
the bedroom and grabbed her gun. She then backed into a corner, but Martinez
continued advancing toward her, the boy said." (08/25/05)
If she
had only told the truth in the first place.
Mama's
Note: They could have learned the truth from the fingerprints on the gun.
Don't police do any investigation at all any more?
Oregon:
Man charged in road rage case
News Register
"A 23-year-old McMinnville man faces a trio of criminal charges
after allegedly pulling a 9 mm handgun on a truck driver during a Tuesday
traffic dispute. According to Newberg-Dundee police, Kevin Forsman was
northbound in a white 1999 Honda Accord. They said he set off the chain
of events when he used a left-turn lane to pass a log truck as he approached
a red light coming into Dundee. At the light, the truck driver got out
and approached Forsman to confront him about the traffic maneuver. Police
said Forsman responded by pointing a Polish-made Makarov P-64 semiautomatic
at the man, who returned to his rig and called authorities. Police tracked
Forsman down at First and Edwards streets in Newberg. They seized his
highly concealable pistol and his concealed-carry permit, then cited him
on charges of menacing, reckless endangering and pointing a firearm at
another." (08/25/05)
There aren't
enough details to be sure, and the biased writing ("highly concealable"
and other language) don't help, but it appears that Forsmann (while in
the wrong on the traffic violation) may have been justified in believing
the trucker was a significant threat. I'm afraid this needs to go to court,
and I hope the young man didn't do anything wrong, but was merely responding
to a threat.
Mama's
Note: Anybody dumb enough to cut off a trucker, especially a logger, has
rocks in his head. One more proof that owning a gun is not nearly enough.
Unfortunately, there will always be some idiot gun owners. They need to
be educated, but the bottom line is that we need to be able to defend
ourselves against them as well as robbers and such.
Oklahoma:Shooting
said to be self defense
Channel 5 News
"Osage County authorities said a shooting northwest of Sand Springs
that left one man dead appears to be self-defense and no charges are expected.
Investigators said Larry Cunningham was shot and killed after pulling
a gun and firing a shot during an argument with men who had gone to the
home of Cunningham's girlfriend to pick up a motor home." (08/25/05)
Another
sad case, but one in which without a weapon to defend himself and the
women, there might be two dead by the hand of the attacker.
Louisiana:
St. Mary man killed after break-in
Daily Advertiser
"Deputies are investigating the death of a 31-year-old Jeanerette
man, who was shot when he attempted to break into his ex-wife's home late
Tuesday night, officials said Wednesday. St. Mary Parish Sheriff David
Naquin said Anthony Sparrow died from multiple gunshot wounds he sustained
during the confrontation. Naquin said the incident occurred shortly before
midnight in the 1100 block of La. 318 in Jeanerette. Sparrow, who was
armed with a gun, allegedly broke into the home and was confronted by
another man, who also was armed. 'It was apparent that there was an exchange
of gunfire. The guy in the house wasn't hurt,' Naquin said, and neither
was the ex-wife." (08/25/05)
A very
similar situation to the last story.
Alabama:
Gun trumps knife and baseball bat
Dateline Alabama
"A man armed with a fork found out the hard way it's not a good
instrument for a robbery. The man approached a clerk at a convenience
store after spending 40 minutes in their bathroom. 'He stuck his hand
under his shirt and said, 'This is a robbery. I got a gun,'' Shreveport
police Detective Russell Ross said. The clerk told the man she knew it
wasn't a gun, sparking a brief argument before the man went around the
counter, Ross said. 'They scuffled. And during the scuffle, she felt something
sharp poke her,' he said. 'She reached over and grabbed a baseball bat
she had behind the counter and started whaling on him when she realized
what he had under his shirt was a fork . which was no match for a baseball
bat.' The clerk chased him out of the store and continued to hit him with
the bat. 'A customer saw what was going on, took a pistol from his vehicle,
came over and fired his pistol into the ground,' Ross said. Then, both
the fork and the bat were dropped, Ross said." (08/25/05)
In this
case, it seems like the robber may owe his life, or at least avoiding
a severe, even life-threatening beating, to the shot fired by the customer!
General
News
California
sues 39 drug makers for inflated prices
Reuters
"California's attorney general said on Thursday the state has
filed a lawsuit accusing 37 more pharmaceutical companies of bilking the
state's Medicaid program of hundreds of millions of dollars by inflating
drug prices. Attorney General Bill Lockyer said he has added companies
including Amgen Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc to a 2003 complaint accusing
Abbott Laboratories and Wyeth of hiding the true costs of their drugs
so that payments from Medi-Cal would be artificially inflated. Medical
is the name for California's Medicaid program for the indigent, which
is financed by the state and federal governments. 'We're dragging these
drug companies into the court of law because they're gouging the public
on basic life necessities,' Lockyer said during a press conference."
(08/25/05)
Of course,
California has only pretended to have a free market in most "necessities"
for decades, but it is getting more blatant about government mandating
of prices, profits, and everything else. Thus one evil (state welfare
to the "indigent" - apparently defined today as everyone with
any political influence who has a below-average total income) generates
another: state interference in the market. That often creates more evils,
notably corruption, as businesses seek to protect themselves through bribes,
today often in the form of campaign contributions.
Mama's
Note: The "high cost" is a product of government from start
to finish. Take the basic morphine sulfate liquid we use so much of in
hospice. The cost of the raw materials for a 2 oz. bottle is not much
more than a few pennies. Add another dollar or so for the pharmacist to
make the solution - made in gallons - and the packaging. There is a little
cost in the shipping, of course, but the vast majority of the end user's
cost is government regulation and paperwork, insurance and security measures.
The little bottle of medicine that should not be more than three or four
dollars costs hospice $52. each (last I knew - might be higher now), wholesale!
That's just to the pharmacy. Now add the cost of all the nurse's time,
record keeping and phone calls by the doctor's office and the hospice
agency. Then, to add insult to injury, when the pt. dies or is unable
to use the medicine, even full, unopened bottles must be destroyed! Now
just multiply that by all the other medications and you'll see that the
government is the major reason for the high cost of drugs.
Estate
tax maybe not repealed for good
Fox News
"The unpopular estate tax is in the process of being phased out,
but under the current rules, one year after it is gone altogether, it
will come back at its original rate. When President Bush and Congress
get back from their summer break next month, one of the issues still on
the table will be the president's call to end the estate tax for good.
Flanked by his economic team, Bush recently pressed Congress to repeal
the estate tax, which has been dubbed 'the death tax' by its opponents.
But top congressional Republicans have abandoned the president's goal
of full repeal. Instead, they're negotiating with Senate Democrats for
a permanent, albeit much smaller, estate tax." (08/25/05)
In other
words, the GOP once again betrays its principles - or at least the GOP
leadership is. Greed and pork. In South Dakota, legis-gators played games
with the estate tax for so long that finally a voter-initiated measure
was the only solution: one we don't have at the federal level.
Mama's
Note: There are legal ways to get around this tax, I understand, with
trust funds and such. The trick is to hire a good lawyer and have it set
up long before you might need it. Of course, you'll spend a good part
of it on the lawyer, so it's going to be a matter of just how big a bite
it will be. But don't expect the pigs in government to pass up this easy
money. They won't be happy until they have it all.
Massachusetts:
Man accused of desecrating Civil War corpse
Boston Globe
"A 19-year-old man from Salisbury was supposed to be cleaning
up a cemetery last week as part of court-ordered community work after
he broke into an apartment building last fall. Instead, officials said,
Neil J. Goodwin Jr. invaded the tomb of a Civil War veteran, pulled apart
the 142-year-old skeleton, and then played with the bones, balancing the
skull on his shoulder and posing for pictures. 'It's bizarre, absolutely
bizarre,' said Lieutenant Richard Siemasko of the Newburyport police.
'I can't even imagine what was in his head. This is just a whole new level
of weird for me.' Goodwin pleaded not guilty yesterday in Newburyport
District Court to a charge of desecrating a corpse and breaking into a
tomb, both felonies." (08/25/05)
This is
hardly what comes to mind when hearing the word "desecration"
but into today's hypersensitive climate I guess it fits. I would agree
it is bizarre, at least to anyone who has not studied the history of humanity
and the way human remains have been treated (especially by young and immature
men). Of course, it is ironic that he did this while already on "Useful
Public Service" - a common (and usually beneficial) punishment today.
Mama's
Note: This young man needs to thank God he didn't try this in Alabama
or Georgia! He might not have survived being discovered playing his sick
little game. I'd call this plenty enough desecration, no matter who the
skeleton belonged to, but some of the folks south of the Dixie line feel
just a tad more strongly about it. Sick, sick.
California:
Schwarzenegger sinks in popularity poll
NBC 11 News
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to be in the Bay Area
Thursday just as a new poll shows his popularity with voters is slipping.
A survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, released on the
same day as Schwarzenegger's visit, shows just 34 percent of those asked
say they approve of the job he's doing." (08/25/05)
In today's
messed-up political climate, especially in a hyper-democratic socialist
state like California, anyone that is any good at being a governor is
going to have low (and dropping) popularity ratings, and will pay little
or no attention to them. I'm not saying that Arnold is a good governor,
because he has major problems. (As do the other forty-nine. His might
not be quite as bad, and certainly are not as bad as the last few previous
California governors.) But better to have a governor that isn't popular
than one that is. Sand in the gears of the State is always welcome.
New
Hampshire: Physician phaces phat phoophoora
Foster's Online
"Dr. Terry Bennett believes the direct approach works best when
confronting his 10,000 patients on such dangerous or life-threatening
conditions as obesity, anorexia, excessive drinking and smoking. . This
tendency has now received nationwide attention after the 67-year-old general
practitioner offered stern and blunt weight loss guidance to an overweight
woman who subsequently filed a formal complaint with the state Board of
Medicine on the matter. . 'I told a fat woman she was obese,' Bennett
said. 'I tried to get her attention. I told her, 'You need to get on a
program, join a group of like-minded people and peel off the weight that
is going to kill you.' ' . The board has asked for assistance from the
N.H. Attorney General's Administrative Prosecution Unit, which eventually
proposed that Bennett take a medical evaluation course and acknowledge
he made a mistake. 'It's unusual for a physician to speak out,' Bennett
said, adding it's even more unusual for a state to investigate bedside
manners of doctors. 'There's an agenda there's a subcurrent here I'm not
aware of,' Bennett said." (08/25/05)
Not my
headline! I cannot see why Bennett should be punished for speaking bluntly:
maybe if more medical practitioners did, we'd see people taking better
care of themselves. Of course, the thin skinned (metaphorically speaking)
woman deserves the most blame.
Mama's
Note: Until people are willing to take full responsibility for themselves
and their health, it wouldn't do any good. When you factor in the number
of doctors who are overweight and/or smoke, there isn't too much they
can say anyway. Most people who go to the doctor want magic pills and
relief from responsibility. They are not interested in the truth - and
most doctors know less than nothing about nutrition or natural health
anyway, so they are the last ones you should ask for "truth"
anyway.
Utah
- New Law Brings Homeschool Victories
Home School Legal Defense Association
Homeschoolers in Utah are celebrating the recently passed homeschool
law. Utah used to have an oppressive "approval" requirement,
but it now has of the best laws in the country.
Somehow,
in this nation, the "right" to an education "without tuition"
(as South Dakota's constitution puts it) has turned into a mandated "you
will be educated the way the politicians decide you will be." But
that is slowly changing, as choice is introduced in more and more states.
Utah is the latest, but don't think it is a perfect situation yet. Until
school and state are completely separated, we will not have the best educational
environment for the most children. That day is still a long ways off.
Michigan
School District Demands Illegal Form
Home School Legal Defense Association
A member family in the Calhoun Intermediate School District received
a letter that included a "Home School Report Form" and a memorandum
indicating the need to verify the courses being provided to their children.
Local tyranny
is sometimes the worst, especially when it comes to government-run, tax-funded
schools. Since most states base state aid (often funneled down from the
feds) on some form of attendance, the greed of school boards, administrators,
and even teachers makes them strongly opposed to home-schoolers, who are
(almost literally) taking money out of their mouths! So anything they
can do to discourage it, like requiring reporting and harassing the parents,
is going to be done. HSLDA is the major organization fighting this, and
they do a good job.
History:
The United States is not the first empire to be established on the North
American continent: people are aware of the bloody reign of the Aztec
and the mysterious civilization (but probably not empire) of the Maya,
but few realize that there is at least one empire which was centered right
in what is today the United States.
Military History Quarterly
The Cahokian site was the largest and earliest--five times the size of
the next largest Mississippian capital, Moundville in present-day Alabama,
and more than ten times the size of ordinary chiefly communities. Yet
there is little direct evidence of warfare of the sort practiced by later
tribes, as recorded by Spaniards in the sixteenth century. Few Cahokian
skeletons reveal obvious war wounds, and no dead bodies have been found
sprawled out in the ashes of incinerated buildings, as are found in remains
of some early societies around the world. How, then, could Cahokians,
in an archaeological eyeblink, consolidate thousands of formerly scattered
people and mobilize them to construct a planned capital of unheard of
proportions? Why did people living a low-risk, sedentary, semiautonomous
life in villages abandon their settlements, along with traditional forms
of housing and village organization, to live under a radically different
set of circumstances at Cahokia? The answer, now becoming apparent through
archaeology, is that Cahokia's inclusive politics (and the threat of warfare)
was sufficient to build a civilization. Cahokia, it seems, was founded
not as an aristocratic regime but as a large-scale coalition of high-
and low-ranking interests led by warrior chiefs.
The small
village of Cahokia, on the Mississippi River not far from modern St. Louis,
in a single generation about 1050 (just a few years before William conquered
England) transformed itself from a small agrarian community into the capital
of a vast empire. Do its methods ring bells? They should, and so should
its fate. As I read the article, I could see some direct similarities
between how these folks lost their empire and how modern Americans could
just as quickly do so.
Nathan Barton, now hiding again in the vastness of the Black Hills, is
trying to be a christian, libertarian, engineer, rabblerouser, and family
man. The comments herein and choice of news stories to cover are his own,
and not necessarily those of FND, RRND, any other organization, 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 in hardcopy, by radio and on-line.
Grouchiness is par for the course. Be sure to visit my blog,
Liberty's Outpost.
Special
Feature! Add your signature to the NEW
Declaration of Independence
By Robert Greenslade
Several
people have asked about buying Gadsden Flags (the rattlesnake "Don't
Tread on Me flags used by the June 23d Movement and other Property Rights
Organizations: you
can get them for $10.00 plus shipping here.
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