Libertarian Commentary on the News, 19-25 February 2006-- Page 2

The 2006 Political Campaign
Not much this week, but expect a lot more soon. Right now, everyone is nipping at everyone else.

Libby moves for dismissal of indictment
CNN
"Lawyers for Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide asked a federal judge Thursday to dismiss his indictment on grounds that the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case lacked authority. In a court filing, lawyers for I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby said his indictment violated the Constitution because Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald was not appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate." (02/23/06)

Well, it is an interesting claim, but one I am sure that they can find a easy way to get around.

OR: Court upholds ban on political work
The World
"A federal appeals court panel Wednesday upheld Oregon's voter-passed ban on paying gatherers by the signature on initiative and referendum petitions, saying any minor free speech issues were outweighed by a greater benefit. ... By a three-to-one margin, voters passed the ban as Measure 26 in the 2002 general election. The challenge was filed by the nonprofit Tigard-based Oregonians in Action. In addition to free speech issues, opponents of the measure argued that it essentially restricted the signature-gathering process to labor unions and other large organizations that could afford to pay by the hour or by the day." (02/24/06)

This really does put a crimp on things in Oregon, and other states are sure to follow. I'm not sure exactly what the "benefit" was to the ordinary Oregonian, but I can see how their professional politicians would benefit tremendously from having to worry less about what the voters might come up with.

Mama's Note: As one who once worked on such campaigns, this is indeed a blow to the smaller efforts, but if people truly believe in what they are doing, nothing prevents them from using volunteers to gather signatures. They will just have to work a little harder at it, that's all.

Abramoff ties to Russians probed
Boston Globe
"The federal investigation into the lobbying activities of Jack Abramoff has broadened to examine his dealings with the Russian government and a pair of high-profile Russian energy company executives, according to documents made available to the Globe. A subpoena in the case, issued this month to an Abramoff associate, says the US government is seeking information on Abramoff-related activities with 'any department, ministry, or office holder or agent of the Russian government.' The subpoena, which has not been made public, was given to the Globe by a person who is involved in the case. Abramoff's work on behalf of Indian tribes has been widely scrutinized, but his work for Russian interests has received far less public notice." (02/23/06)

Oh, my~ has anyone checked to see if Fidel was one of this guy's contacts? Or maybe Chavez, down in Venezuela?

Privacy and Related Issues

In electronic ID tag game, when will you be it?
Charlotte Observer
"An Ohio firm has implanted silicon chips in two of its workers in what is believed to be the first known case in the United States of electronic tagging of employees for security purposes. The employees volunteered, but the move by CityWatcher.com, a private video surveillance company in Cincinnati, raises a question: When will you be tagged? Probably not ever, say workplace experts. But it could become increasingly common for employees to be required to carry electronic chips on their person, with keys or around their necks, said Kenny Colbert, president of The Employers Association, a Charlotte firm that advises 700 companies on human resource issues. 'But that is a radical thought -- to have the chip implanted,' Colbert said. "I just don't see this being a wave of the future by any stretch of the imagination.'" [FND Editor's note: Well, that's a cheering thought ... we'll just have to carry the tracking devices, not be implanted. Whew. - MLS] (02/19/06)

This kind of prediction is often very quickly proven wrong - especially if there is any possible link to reducing employee theft or wasting of time - look at such innovations as lie-detector tests, time-clocks, and various computer monitoring programs.

Houston Police Chief wants surveillance cameras in private homes
KTEN News
"Houston's police chief is suggesting putting surveillance cameras in apartment complexes, downtown streets and even private homes. Chief Harold Hurtt today said it's another way of combatting crime amid a shortage of officers. ... Scott Henson with the American Civil Liberties Union calls Hurtt's proposal to require surveillance cameras as part of some building permits -- 'radical and extreme.' Houston Mayor Bill White hasn't talked with Hurtt about his idea, but sees it as more of a 'brainstorm' than a 'decision.'" (02/16/06)

Arrgh! This takes cop thuggishness to a new level!

Mama's Note: Where I come from, that kind of "brainstorm" is called a brain FART. The part that really scares me is how easily people could accept this kind of thing. Just convince them that they will be "safer" and many will fall for it.

Indiana: Court rules warrantless seizure OK
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
"Police investigating a credible report may legally enter outdoor private property and seize evidence of a crime if it is within public view, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled. The ruling Tuesday stemmed from an animal neglect case but could have wider implications. The state Court of Appeals had overturned Robert Trimble's conviction, accepting his argument that a Jennings County sheriff's deputy should not have taken evidence -- a dog -- from his fenced-in yard without a warrant." (02/22/06)

Talk about unintended consequences! Or are they really unintended. Just what is public view (go to Google Earth or Terraserver-USA.com and you'll see what I mean)?

Our Right to Defend Ourselves

FL: Homeowner kills intruder
Florida Today
"A homeowner fatally shot an intruder Tuesday afternoon after the man had approached four homes and kicked in the front door of one home, police said. Melbourne resident Pete Frink told police he feared for his life when the man approached him 'aggressively' and 'irrationally' in his Colbert Circle home. He used a small-caliber handgun to shoot the man once near his rib cage, Melbourne police Cmdr. Jim Gibbens said in a statement. Witnesses said the man approached four homes: First on the west side of Colbert, then headed north on the road's east side. He approached homes, banged on or broke windows, jumped over chain-link fences and ultimately broke through the Frinks' front door. ... No charges have been filed and an investigation continues. Pete Frink said he initially tried to get the man, whom he described as out of control, to leave his house, Gibbens said. When that failed, he fired." (02/22/06)

Another example of bizarre behavior that required the use of deadly force.

Congress told of ATF seizures, threats to gun buyers
Town Hall
"Agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), allegedly acting without warrants or legislative authority to do so, seized firearms from at least 50 gun show patrons in Virginia according to congressional testimony and an agency document made public Wednesday. Witnesses also testified that African-American and female gun buyers in Richmond, Va., and Pittsburgh, Pa., were profiled based on their race or sex and some in Pittsburgh were threatened with arrest by ATF agents for alleged actions that are not violations of law." (02/19/06)

As pleased as I am that people are complaining to Congress about the behavior of BATFE, I do hope that none of the people testifying expect the Congrus-kritturs to do anything about it.

AZ: Bill forbids taking of weapons during emergencies
Daily Sun
"State lawmakers want to make sure that state officials do not take your guns the next time a hurricane strikes Arizona. Or an earthquake, flood, invasion or pandemic. The Senate Government Committee approved legislation Thursday that would specifically make it illegal for the governor or any official to confiscate legally kept firearms during a state of emergency. The 5-2 vote sends the measure to the full Senate." (02/17/06)

Sadly, laws like this are needed - and sufficiently panicked local govmint thugs and power-stoned officials are still likely to ignore it.

SD reduces limits on right-to-carry and self-defense
South Dakota Gun Owners Association
The concealed carry in parks bill (HB 1173) was signed by the Governor on Tuesday, Feb. 21. This bill limits the authority of state agencies to promulgate rules restricting concealed carry by pistol permit holders. Under the current administrative rules, not even folks who have a permit are allowed to carry a handgun for self-defense in any state park, campground, lakeside or recreational area. A change that would partially remedy this situation has been proposed. By requiring the individual to obtain a government license before he can exercise his right to bear arms, this language stops short of recognizing the Right to Carry. However, it is definitely a step in the right direction. The rule change will be considered at the Game, Fish and Parks Commission meeting on Thursday, March 2. He has been compiling the public input on this issue and will present it at the Commission meeting. Governor Rounds signed the self-defense bill (HB 1134) on Friday, Feb. 17. As many will recall, HB 1134 strengthens South Dakota's existing self-defense laws and explicitly states that you do not have a duty to retreat from any place you have the right to be.

These laws help, and are similar to those being fought for in many other states, but as SDGO points out, are still a long ways from what they should be. Still, my congratulations to the SDGO and many libertarians in South Dakota who worked to accomplish this.

CA: A neighborhood reborn
San Francisco Chronicle
"Patrick McCullough still looks each way whenever he steps out his front door and walks down 59th Street in North Oakland. But it's no longer out of fear. These days, he feels safe enough to take those walks more often with his wife and son. Instead of the cold stares of angry young men, McCullough is greeted by strangers who thank him for taking a stand against the drug dealers who used to rule Bushrod Park and the surrounding streets. ... A year ago, 59th Street was the scene of a series of violent incidents and confrontations between McCullough and young men police believe are drug dealers. The tension culminated last Feb. 18 when McCullough shot a 15-year-old boy after 15 young men surrounded him in his front yard, shouting 'Kill the snitch.' Some residents say the street is quieter in part because homeowners and police shut down several drug houses in the neighborhood. Others credit a new staff at a nearby recreation center for driving away loiterers and welcoming young children. But many agree that McCullough's stand made the biggest impact. Milton Simpkins, a 30-year resident of the street, says McCullough 'is the best thing that ever happened for this block.'" (02/18/06)

A good example of how one person willing to act in self-defense CAN make a much larger difference - not that this should be an excuse; even one life saved (even your own) is justification enough for keeping and bearing a weapon.

VA: Self-defense ruled in fatal shooting
Times-Dispatch
"A murder charge against a Virginia Commonwealth University student in the shooting death of a 19-year-old Richmond man was withdrawn after authorities determined the student acted in self-defense. The Richmond commonwealth's attorney's office confirmed yesterday that Omari Al-Qadaffi, a VCU senior majoring in computer science, has been cleared in the Dec. 10 shooting death of Lawarren Arkeis Williams on Mosby Street. At the time, Al-Qadaffi's father insisted his son had shot Williams in self-defense after being confronted outside a coin laundry by Williams and another man, one of whom had a gun." (02/18/06)

Another example of where charges should have never been filed. In this case, did prejudice have a part in the filing of charges? Of course, this man's clearing will not be viewed as evidence that Americans do not hate all Arabs, and that many Americans are of Arab descent and able to function fine in the United States.

VA: Aiming to arm all
County Observer
"Although he lives in the peaceful Woodlake subdivision, Philip Van Cleave almost always has a gun at his side. He says he thinks you should, too. ... Van Cleave calmly explained his mission over lunch at a restaurant on Hull Street, just a few miles from his home. As he has done with other reporters, he started off the interview complaining state law didn't allow him to conceal his gun where alcohol was served. He wore a small handgun on his right hip. His leadership of VCDL is strictly as a volunteer. The organization has no paid staffers. 'Fortunately, I'm self-employed,' Van Cleave said, explaining he has worked as a software designer since 1984." (02/19/06)

There are hundreds of activists like Van Cleave across the nation, doing good work like this.

KY: Bill would restrict access to concealed weapons permits records
Challenger NKY
"The public would lose access to the names of people with concealed weapons permits as part of a bill passed by the Kentucky House on Wednesday. The measure, supported by the politically powerful National Rifle Association, would clarify that police cannot seize lawful gun owners' firearms during emergencies and disasters. The bill cleared the House on an 89-7 vote and heads to the Senate. Much of the debate centered on a provision that would make confidential the names of the thousands of Kentuckians who obtain concealed weapons permits. The Kentucky Press Association opposed the proposal during a recent committee hearing. Currently, only the names of people with the permits are available. Their addresses and other identifying information are private." (02/19/06)

Similar to the Arizona bill, but with a step further. Many states are finding that the lists of concealed weapons permit holders are being misused by police and other agencies. Of course, the simple solution is "Vermont Carry" - allow anyone entitled to bear a weapon to carry concealed: that is, all of us.

Most Americans believe US has enough gun control laws
Angus Reid
"Many adults in the United States believe the current regulations regarding firearms are adequate, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 52 per cent of respondents believe the U.S. does not need stricter gun control laws. The U.S. Constitution's second amendment guarantees Americans the right "to keep and bear arms." ... Does the U.S. need stricter gun control laws? Yes 39% No 52%." (02/18/06)

Could it be that the message is getting through? Of course, the truth is, we have TOO MANY laws and regulations, and need to get rid of most of them.

Mama's Note: The only "law" we need is that of non-aggression. Anything else opens the door for the next one and the next one - each to "fix" some perceived flaw in the last one. Repeal them ALL.

NY: Food mart co-owner foils robbery try
Buffalo News
"The co-owner of a Bailey Avenue food mart pulled out her handgun to foil a robbery attempt at the deli late Thursday night, Ferry-Fillmore District police reported Friday. Two would-be robbers, both dressed in black, entered the Fiya Food Mart, 2021 Bailey, at about 11:05 p.m. Thursday. One of the men pointed a handgun at the woman and threatened to shoot her if she didn't open the cash register. The woman, who owns the store along with her husband, pulled out her pistol, forcing the two men to flee north on Bailey and east on Doat Street. Police said the couple has a valid permit for the handgun." (02/18/06)

Thugs often panic when faced with someone who has their own weapon. This is another example of where shots were not fired and no one was injured, but a crime was prevented. The cops couldn't do this.

FL: Burglar dies after robbery attempt
Florida Today
"A homeowner fatally shot a man this afternoon after the man broke into his home. Melbourne Police say a man was attempting to break into homes on Colvert Circle this afternoon. He approached one home's window and walked on when spotted by its occupants. He jumped a chain link fence and proceeded to the next house. Witnesses at the scene said he broke that window, but moved on. He jumped another chain link fence and this time got into that home. Residents Pete and Emily Frink were home at the time. Emily Frink fled the home, running towards a neighbors house yelling for help. Her husband stayed in the home with the intruder, police said. Moments later police say Pete Frink shot the unidentified intruder." (02/21/06)

I think it might be time for Florida to put the bodies of these home invaders on display in the windows of local mortuaries and publicize that people can and will defend themselves. Or perhaps just string the body up on a light pole on a nearby corner.

NC: Authorities investigate deadly home invasion
News 14
"Robeson County authorities are investigating a home invasion that killed one man and left a homeowner in the hospital. Officials say Mario Sosa was at home with his wife and two young children about 8 a.m. Sunday morning when he heard gunshots. The Robeson County sheriff says a gunfight broke out between Sosa and three armed men. Sosa shot and killed one of the three men but not before he was shot himself." (02/21/06)

Too bad, but at least he knows his family is safe.

Official reports clash on whether IRA still has guns
Independent [UK]
"The full extent of IRA disarmament is the subject of two jarringly contradictory reports by two official bodies in Northern Ireland. One report, from the Independent Monitoring Commission, suggested the IRA had not, as it declared last year, decommissioned its entire arsenal, and some members may have retained weapons. The other, from the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, headed by the Canadian General John de Chastelain, reported differences between intelligence agencies on either side of the border but concluded decommissioning had been complete." (02/02/06)

Why shouldn't individual members of the IRA or any other organization retain their weapons for self-defense?

Mama's Note: There is no way in hell that these people have actually disarmed themselves - or ever will voluntarily. Take that one to the bank.

Australia: Gun ownership explodes
Courier Mail [Australia]
"Gun ownership is on the rise in Queensland with evidence the tough restrictions introduced after the Port Arthur massacre nearly a decade ago are losing their effectiveness. Despite bans on certain types of weapons and a successful buyback and amnesty, police figures show there are more firearms in the community now than three years ago. Police Minister Judy Spence yesterday foreshadowed possible changes to the Weapons Act, to be reviewed this year, saying she was 'aware of some operational suggestions from police and these will be considered as part of this review.' Queensland police Weapons Licensing Branch manager, Inspector Mike Crowley, said gun ownership applications had increased 30 per cent since 2002. Up to 11,000 of last year's 26,000 applicants were first-timers. 'There has not been a decrease in the number of firearms, but an increase. It shows they do not really depreciate and are a resilient commodity,' Insp Crowley said." (02/22/06)

Of course this isn't what they expected, because the people who passed this law are hopeless idealists and believe that deep down, all people are good and kind and loving - a fact that they surely didn't learn from the real world or the Bible. These numbers are just the legal weapons - from people who are still playing the game. How many more never could force themselves to deny themselves and their family a way to defend themselves and never turned theirs in or got a permit - and how many people who decided that they needed to be able to defend themselves didn't try the political way, but instead found a nice dark alley?

WY: Retreat bill amended
Casper Star -Tribune
"The necessity of a bill that would specify that people have no duty to retreat from an attacker before using deadly force was questioned in a House Judiciary Committee meeting Monday. Despite negative testimony from the public, the committee decided to further consider the bill later in the day. Tom Jubin of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association testified that years of case law had clarified the issue in Wyoming. He said Wyoming citizens already had the right to defend their homes without a duty to retreat. ... The bill was amended so a person would have the duty to retreat in a public area. Byron Oedekoven, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, suggested the amendment because law enforcement was worried that shootouts might start occurring in the middle of the street if the bill became law. ... The committee also heard testimony on two bills related to concealed weapons during its morning meeting. The first would allow [sic] anyone in the state of Wyoming -- as long as they are over 21, are not alcoholics, on drugs or not a felon -- to carry a concealed firearm without a permit." (02/21/06)

However, in SD a very similar bill pretty much sailed through (see separate story above) - perhaps an indication that there are too many Yuppies in Jackson Hole and Albany County (home of Laramie and U-Wyo), and too many govmint employees hiding in Cheyenne.

Mama's Note: Too bad someone didn't point out that there are no running gun battles going on in the streets of Vermot, or anywhere else. If you are attacked in a "public place," your life is just as much in danger as anywhere else - and probably a lot of other people as well. Again, the law of non-aggression and some common sense are all that is needed.

MI: Bill allows use of force in cases of self-defense
Lansing State Journal
"If your home is your castle, can you use force -- even deadly force -- to protect it without getting sued or arrested? The answer would be yes, under legislation to be discussed today at a hearing before a state Senate committee. The bill has sparked debate: The head of the Michigan Sheriffs' Association says the concept raises questions about taking another person's life, and gun-control advocates contend it's too broad and could apply even to bar fights and playground squabbles." (02/21/06)

This is similar to what was already the law in Wyoming and South Dakota, where they are now going beyond it.

LA: Man saves cop
Advocate
"No arrests will be made in the death of 24-year-old George Temple II, a local businessman shot and killed by a witness during a scuffle with a Baton Rouge police officer on Friday. ... Perry Stephens fired a shot to Temple's head after witnessing a fight between Temple and Officer Brian Harrison ... Stephens walked out of the AutoZone and got his weapon after hearing Harrison, who was fighting with Temple on the ground, yell for help. As Stephens, who was wearing a neck brace and using a cane, walked toward the men, he heard shots and Harrison again call for help. At that point, Stephens asked Temple to get off Harrison, Phares said. When Temple did not comply, he shot Temple four times in the chest. Stephens ordered Temple again to get off Harrison. When he did not comply, he shot Temple in the head, killing him, Phares said." (02/21/06)

In other words, a handicapped man saved a police officer. Of course, whatever he was using seems to have been pretty ineffectual.

FL: Guns at work bill fails after heated debate
Tampa Bay Business Journal
"Legislators and business leaders could not reach an agreement on a proposed bill that would have allowed employees to keep firearms in their vehicles at work. A tentative compromise two weeks ago had suggested that house bill 129 was on the track to passage, but Wednesday, a one and a half hour debate led to the bill being temporarily postponed. When it came down to the specific language, no agreement was reached, said Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, who had sponsored the bill. 'I feel very strongly about property rights and about my responsibility for safety, but I also care deeply about the second amendment,' he said. Some opponents saw the outcome as a defeat for the NRA." (02/22/06)

Why is it that Florida has such a problem with this? Most other states have resolved this successfully - free speech is not generally limited to your own property, for example; nor is freedom from unwarranted arrest or many other rights conditional on whether the owner of the property believes you should exercise that right or not.

Stupid Government and People Tricks

VA: Sheriff takes the sex out of stings
CNN
"A Virginia sheriff said Friday he will no longer allow detectives to receive sexual services while investigating suspected prostitution. Spotsylvania County Sheriff Howard Smith made the announcement after his officers spent $1,200 at massage parlors last month and sparked a public outcry. Smith defended the practice as necessary to obtain a conviction but told his department he was suspending it. 'As sheriff, I understand the feelings and concerns the citizens of this county have expressed,' Smith said in a statement on Friday. 'And I empathize with those feelings,' he added. 'Because of the public's express response, I have suspended this practice.'" (02/17/06)

As with many "attempts" to enforce laws like these, the only result is even more corruption in the ranks of the police and their politician bosses. One suspects that the priority assigned to such "investigations" is based on the fringe benefits.

Mama's Note: Now they just need to mind their own business and leave non-aggressors alone to make their own mistakes. When non-aggressive behavior is criminalized, we all lose, no matter how disgusting that behavior is.

CA: SF stance on military gains enemies
San Francisco Chronicle
"The faded sign outside Kay's Cafe in the city of Highland sports a cartoon caricature of a grinning chef holding a frying pan. City officials, who use the drab yellow diner as a kind of impromptu town center, are looking a lot like the diminutive chef on the sign these days as they hold San Francisco's feet to the fire. The prod that woke this bedroom community at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, whose 2005 population city officials estimate at 50,860, was a decision by San Francisco voters to pass an advisory measure banning military recruiters from schools. Calling San Franciscans a bunch of 'kooks and nuts' and castigating supervisors for their 'tomfoolery,' the City Council unanimously approved a resolution 'prohibiting the expenditure of city funds for attending conferences, training seminars and/or workshops to be held in the City of San Francisco.' It was a bold move for a city that is virtually unknown outside of San Bernardino County, but it turns out little Highland was simply the first to pile on." (02/19/06)

Even as the number of students and schools opting out grow, this kind of backlash is also growing increasingly. Most opponents of the military and pacifists do not understand the depth of patriotic feeling in most American communities, and therefore do not approach the people of these communities in the proper way necessary to get them to see that true patriotism sometimes demands resisting the policies of the current administration, regardless of what they claim to be doing.

CA: Helpful Amtrak conductor fired
San Francisco Chronicle
"Amtrak conductor Rebecca Gettleman never so much as got a thank you for keeping a tipsy passenger from stumbling down the train stairs. She did, however, get fired. ... As the train pulled into the Emeryville station, the man started to stumble down the stairs to the doorway. 'Me and another passenger grabbed him to prevent him from breaking his neck,'' Gettleman told us. Another passenger joined in to steady the inebriant and to help escort him off the train, where he was handed off to a pair of station agents. In the process, however, Gettleman wrenched her right arm and scratched her wrist. ... It took a month of physical therapy before her doctor cleared her to return to work. But before she could set foot back on Amtrak property, her bosses mailed her a letter in mid-September informing her that she was being brought up on Railroad Labor Act safety charges -- namely, allowing herself to get hurt in helping the passenger." [FND editor's note: Quick, some smart private enterpriser: Hire this woman! - SAT] (02/20/06)

The stupidity of bureaucracy and "risk management" is once again demonstrated.

Mama's Note: What a crock! And I'd like to see her job performance report if she consistently refused to help passengers! She was supposed to be clairvoyant, know she would be injured - and so consciously choose to let the guy fall? Yeah, right.

Legislation aims to outlaw tunneling under border
Arizona Republic
"In the post-Sept. 11 world, building a tunnel under the border to sneak into the United States is obviously illegal, right? Well, maybe not illegal enough. On Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., plans to introduce a bill that will spell out, specifically, that such burrowing is a federal offense in this era of heightened border security and terrorism concerns. Her bill, which Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., is co-sponsoring, is to be unveiled at a news conference at the warehouse near the Otay Mesa port of entry in Southern California, where authorities in January uncovered a tunnel from Tijuana. ... Laws exist to prosecute people for illegally entering this country, as well as for smuggling drugs, people, weapons or other contraband. But Feinstein wants to add specific anti-tunneling legislation." (02/20/06)

This is the same woman who wants to make the life of illegal immigrants easier? Her hypocrisy is astounding - she apparently thinks a silly piece of legislation like this will keep people from remembering her stand on immigration in general?

Groups request rules to allow ads in elections
Washington Times
"Groups ranging from the AFL-CIO to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are asking the Federal Election Commission to write new regulations that would let them lobby federal officeholders through TV ads in the days before a primary or general election. If the FEC does, it would be the first time the agency set standards for how groups can lobby without running afoul of the 2002 campaign-finance changes in the McCain-Feingold Act, named after Senate sponsors John McCain and Russell D. Feingold. In January, the Supreme Court ruled in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC that grass-roots groups have ways to lobby and mention the name of a federal candidate without being seen as actively campaigning. In their petition to the FEC, submitted last week, five groups said the court's ruling lets the FEC write regulations in time to govern the 2006 election. The groups involved, in addition to the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, are the National Education Association, OMB Watch and the Alliance for Justice." (02/20/06)

How ironic! And how many people predicted this is exactly what would happen, when these groups supported that assault on Free Speech called McCain-Feingold. (To those who applauded Feingold's "bold" one-man stand against the USA PATRIOT Act last week, remember this piece of garbage he sponsored and got passed into law - the man is NO friend of freedom, rather, one of its sly haters.)

ME: Clean-water activists take aim at Androscoggin
Boston Globe
"The Androscoggin River that served as the putrid inspiration for the federal Clean Water Act three decades ago has long been cursed with a bitter irony: It has never met the minimum standards of that law. Now, government officials in Maine stand accused of negotiating with two riverside paper mills to weaken pollution standards along a 14-mile stretch near Lewiston-Auburn that is so foul, oxygen must be pumped in to enable fish to survive. The chief of the state Department of Environmental Protection resigned in December after environmental groups charged that she and her staff held improper negotiations about pollution limits with International Paper and Rumford Paper Co. A state ethics commission is meeting Thursday to decide whether a state representative who works as an environmental manager for the International Paper mill exploited his position to lower river pollution standards for his employer." [FND editor's note: It may not be as pristine as they had hoped, but upriver from Lewiston, it's gone from filthy to canoe-worthy. I know; I grew up there - SAT] (02/21/06)

Many of us (myself included) have long condemned the entire federal-state environmental regulatory and permitting program as nothing but licenses to pollute, and "standards" are either established to satisfy environists who believe that even ocean water should be drinkable, or by politicians who know no science and think everything can be legislated. This also seems like a convenient excuse to end citizen-legislators in Maine, as has been done in many other states.

CA: Execution delayed as doctors walk out
CNN
"The planned execution of a man convicted of raping and murdering a 17-year-old girl was delayed until Tuesday night after two anesthesiologists refused to participate because of ethical concerns. With the execution scheduled for 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, defense lawyers requested a stay from the federal judge who last week ordered San Quentin State Prison to have an anesthesiologist on hand to minimize Michael Angelo Morales' pain as he was put to death by lethal injection. A second anesthesiologist was retained as a backup. Although U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel denied the motion, both anesthesiologists withdrew, citing ethical concerns raised by his ruling. ... The American Medical Association, the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the California Medical Association all opposed the anesthesiologists' participation as unethical and unprofessional. Prison officials rescheduled the execution for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and said they would employ a different technique: administering a fatal overdose of barbiturate in lieu of the three-drug cocktail typically used in lethal injections." (02/21/06)

It makes you appreciate the noose or a bullet in the back of the head - this scumbag is allowed to live because he must not die in pain, unlike his victim.

Mama's Note: I don't even understand the supposed problem. A lethal injection doesn't hurt any more than any other kind, and we all go through that from time to time. It's a slight sting, no more, and certainly doesn't require an anesthesiologist! A little lidocaine gel on the skin would remove even the slight sting of the injection.

This is a non-issue blown up to cloud the very real questions about capital punishment. We need to address the real problem, not play silly games over it.

CA: Execution postponed indefinitely
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"State officials on Tuesday postponed indefinitely the execution of a condemned killer, saying they could not comply with a judge's order that a medical professional administer the lethal injection. Prison authorities called off the execution after failing to find a doctor, nurse, or other person licensed to inject medications to give a fatal dose of barbiturate, said Vernell Crittendon, a spokesman for San Quentin State Prison." (02/21/06)

So this man can continue to live and be a threat to other 17-year-old girls, because a judge has decided it must be a medical professional, in violation of their oath, that kills the scumbag. Once more, I suggest a rope or a bullet.

Lethal injection on trial across US
San Francisco Chronicle
"Lethal injection, firmly established as the method of execution in the United States for the last decade, now appears to be on shakier ground. San Quentin State Prison officials' inability to meet conditions laid down this week by a federal judge for the execution of a rapist-murderer makes California the fourth state in which the future of lethal injections has been thrown into doubt. No executions can take place in California at least until May, when the judge will hold the state's first-ever hearings on whether injections are constitutional. A separate challenge in federal court in Missouri has at least temporarily halted lethal injections in that state. The U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked a Florida execution to consider how inmates should be allowed to challenge lethal injection methods. In New Jersey, a state court barred lethal injections in 2004 because of questions about the state's procedures." (02/23/06)

Listening to the debates, it appears that medical knowledge and truth take a backseat to emotion and rhetoric. But then, what's new? Sounds like going back to the old noose and trapdoor might be a good idea. Or perhaps we should take a page from the French and use Dr. G's humane invention. Of course, for some people it might hurt to get down on their knees, but I'm sure something could be worked out.

Mama's Note: Nathan! Have you been snacking on thumb tacks again?

Thousands of documents reclassified in government tail-chase
Indianapolis Star
"In a 7-year-old secret program at the National Archives, intelligence agencies have removed from public access thousands of historical documents that had been available for years, including some already published by the State Department and others photocopied years ago by private historians. ... because the reclassification program is itself shrouded in secrecy, it continued virtually without outside notice until December. That was when an intelligence historian, Matthew M. Aid, noticed that dozens of documents he had copied years ago had been withdrawn from the archives' open shelves. Aid was struck by what seemed to him the innocuous contents of the documents -- mostly decades-old State Department reports from the Korean War and the early Cold War. ... After Aid and other historians complained, the archives' Information Security Oversight Office began an audit of the reclassification program, said J. William Leonard, director of the office. Leonard said he ordered the audit after reviewing 16 withdrawn documents and concluding that none should be secret." (02/21/06)

Bureaucracy as usual - perhaps triggered by some congressional staffer who, once they doctored Wikipedia, decided that they needed more to protect their boss's ancestors or relatives.

Feds move to protect dairy welfare
Chicago Tribune
"[Hein Hettinga] bottles the milk from his Arizona farms and trucks it to stores in Arizona and Southern California. At one of them, Sam's Club in Yuma, two gallons of Hettinga's whole milk sell for $3.99. That's the same price as a single gallon of whole milk in Chicago, which is second only to New Orleans in the cost of milk. ... In the highly politicized world of dairy, efficiency could carry a price. Major dairy cooperatives and milk processors successfully persuaded federal regulators to write new rules that would prohibit the business practices that Hettinga has so successfully put in place. Under the proposed regulations, Hettinga could continue to process his own milk only if he agrees to participate in a federally regulated pool of milk revenues, which would essentially require him to pay his competitors to stay in business. A bill that would have a similar effect is working its way through Congress." (02/19/06)

It is more than the "welfare" that is supported, it is the power of local and state and federal regulators to rule what should be free markets. Complex regulatory control favors big processors and big cooperatives, who can afford to maintain the staff shysters, specialists, and internal regulators that are required. And of course, donate the campaign money to control the controllers.

Medicare to pay for variety of obesity surgeries
MSNBC
"Obese elderly or disabled patients are now eligible for a variety of surgical weight-loss procedures under the U.S. Medicare health insurance plan, U.S. government officials said on Tuesday. Patients must have tried but failed with other weight loss options, have at least one weight-related medical problem and have a high body mass index, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said." (02/21/06)

No doubt to be followed by Medicare funding for breast enhancement, eyebrow shaping, and hair dye. Once you start paying for any medical procedures, there is really no limit.

Mama's Note: Another sad point is that these surgeries are seldom very successful for lifelong control of weight, but many of them leave permanent scars and damage overall function - and are seldom reversable. Surgery is a very bad idea for behavior problems. Remember the lobotomy?

Poochie-poo power
San Francisco Chronicle
"In the future, we might be heating our houses with dog poop. As San Francisco, Oakland and other Bay Area cities strive to reach self-imposed goals of keeping every bit of trash out of landfills by 2020, even animal waste is being scrutinized to see how it might be reused or recycled. And so San Francisco has become the first city in the country to consider turning Fido's droppings into methane, which can heat homes, cook meals and generate electricity. 'Poop power? Yes, it's possible to produce electricity, natural gas and even fuel from Rover's poop and other waste material,' said Robert Reed, a spokesman for Norcal Waste, which carts away the waste San Francisco, San Jose and a dozen other Northern California cities generate." [FND editor's note: Please forgive the cutesy euphemisms; they came with the article - SAT] (02/21/06)

How stupid, indeed! Besides the fact that animal and human waste has been composted and returned to the soil for, well, since creation, the idea that government must get involved is insane.

Lawyer group criticizes new bankruptcy law
Indianapolis Star
"A new law making it harder to erase debts in bankruptcy has failed to stop abuses and has stymied people who have legitimate reasons to file, a group representing bankruptcy attorneys contended Wednesday. A report released by the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys was based on an analysis of 61,335 people who have gone to credit counseling agencies, the required first step before filing bankruptcy under the law that took effect on Oct. 17." (02/22/06)

I'd be very curious to see how these shyster's incomes have changed - I'd not be surprised to see a drop. The new law is bad, but I just question their motive in crying about it.

UK: 21 rescued after floor collapses
BBC News
"Twenty-one people were rescued after becoming trapped when they fell nine feet as a floor collapsed during a health and safety meeting at a firm. A Greater Manchester Fire Service spokesman said a mezzanine floor collapsed at Findel Education in Hyde Buildings, Ashton Road, Hyde. ... The meeting began at about 1000 GMT on Tuesday with the 21 safety officers sitting around a large wooden conference table. Staff in the ground floor office underneath noticed the ceiling moving and ran out of the room seconds before it collapsed. More health and safety officers arrived later from Tameside Borough Council to investigate the cause of the incident." (02/21/06)

Yeah, shoeless children of the shoemaker.

GA: Obscenity law struck down
First Amendment Center
"A federal appeals court has ruled that Georgia's obscenity law unconstitutionally limits the free-speech rights of businesses to advertise. Attorney General Thurbert Baker alerted Gov. Sonny Perdue about the decision by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a lawsuit brought by a Smyrna tobacco accessory shop that also has sold sex toys. The store filed suit in U.S. District Court after Cobb County granted business licenses and permits, but threatened to prosecute the store for violating the obscenity law." (02/23/06)

Libertarian opposition to obscenity laws are often very hard to explain to people, especially when you are both a lover of liberty and a christian. But this illustrates exactly what is wrong with those laws: everyone has a different definition of "obscenity" and the laws are generally abused to beat up on people and businesses.

Is used nuclear reactor fuel headed for the reservation?
Christian Science Monitor
"It's a question that has dogged the nuclear industry since the 1970s: What can it do with spent fuel rods? The radioactive waste, eventually slated for permanent storage at a still unfinished site in Nevada, has been piling up, mostly at the nation's 65 commercial nuclear power plants. Late Tuesday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) gave its blessing to a solution: a storage site on a barren patch of a reservation in Utah that's home to some 25 native Americans, next to a proving ground for chemical and biological weapons, and near an Air Force bombing range. The NRC licensed what would be the nation's largest -- and only private -- nuclear-waste storage facility. A consortium of utility companies would store for up to 40 years some 40,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel for an industry rapidly running out of space." (02/23/06)

Oh, you should hear how "Lo, the poor Indian" cries by environists (who faun over the "Native American" ethos of environmental stewardship before they were ruined by the Anglos) have turned into calls for termination and an end to "Native" sovereignty so that they can be forced to refuse this waste by Great White Father sitting in the capitol in Salt Lake City! Now, 40 KMT sounds like a lot, but even with the containers, it's really a very small amount: figure about 2 tonnes in a cubic yard, and you have 20,000 CY of material: about what a VERY small sand and gravel pit might sell a year: a single acre of land stacked 3 feet high. (An acre is roughly the size of a football field inside the boundaries.)

Cannabis smoker complained to police
Ananova [UK]
"A cannabis smoker has been arrested after complaining to police that he was sold bad weed. Hans-Juergen Bendt, 52, from Darmstadt, lodged a complaint about his dealer with police after he sold him seven ounces of 'completely un-enjoyable' hash. Bendt complained the dealer refused to refund him the £270 he had paid for the drugs. But despite the official complaint, in which Bendt described himself as a victim of 'fraud' involving drugs of 'absolutely mediocre quality,' the officers failed to act upon the allegations and booked the complainant instead. He is now being charged for the illegal purchase and possession of narcotic substances." (02/17/06)

This is the kind of behavior supposedly associated with being high - except that this guy seems not to have been stoned.

Alleged pyramid scheme offered kinship, a dream
Boston Globe
"She arrived at their homes in the back of a black Mercedes S500, her hair swept into a neat chignon, her fingers sparkling with diamonds. They had never seen a Cambodian woman like Seng Tan before. She was an immigrant, just as they were. She had fled the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, as they had. Her life in America was once as hard as theirs, she said. She knelt in their temple, offering incense and promises. Don't tell anyone, she warned them. People grow jealous. We have suffered long enough. Now it is our people's time to be rich. The immigrant families scraped together money from relatives and equity loans on their homes, and signed it over. Right away, the investments brought returns. Checks came every month, just as Tan had promised. They bought giant televisions, quit jobs, drove Mercedes of their own. And then, after five years, the payments stopped, and everything collapsed." (02/19/06)

Sounds like the Social Security system to me.

Army teaching troops how to avoid picking wrong spouse
Arizona Republic
"They are the Pentagon's new 'rules of engagement' -- the diamond ring kind. U.S. Army chaplains are trying to teach troops how to pick the right spouse, through a program called 'How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk.' The matchmaking advice comes as military family life is being stressed by two tough wars. Defense Department records show more than 56,000 in the Army - active, National Guard and Reserve - have divorced since the campaign in Afghanistan started in 2001. Officials partly blame long and repeated deployments, which started after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and stretched the service thin. Troops also are coming home with life-altering injuries. Many come back better people, others worse off. But either way, they are very changed from who they were when they wed. 'Being in the military certainly raises the stakes when you choose a mate,' said Lt. Col. Peter Frederich, head of family issues in the Pentagon's chaplain office. The 'no jerks' program is also called 'P.I.C.K. a Partner,' for Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge." (02/19/06)

This is an enhancement to a series of existing programs - divorce has always been considered a significant problem for the military due to duty pressures, and the current over-extension and casualties make it worse. Why in Stupid People Tricks? Because too many people don't properly choose a mate, in or out of the service, and don't think about their mate in enlisting or reenlisting.

Mama's Note: Expecting anything from government to actually help these young people is really sad. Most of them are not going to listen to anything but their hormones anyway.

Poll finds readiness for female president
Houston Chronicle
"Growing numbers of Americans oppose a presidential bid by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in 2008 - and favor a run by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - amid broad public willingness to elect a woman as president, according to a nationwide poll released Sunday. The Presidents Day survey conducted for Hearst Newspapers by the Siena Research Institute of Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., covered 1,120 registered voters and was completed Feb. 10." (02/20/06)

Can anyone point out to me (1) what difference having a woman as elected massa for 4-8 years will do? And (2) what real difference in RESULTS (not rhetoric) it will make if it is Rice instead of Clinton elected? To answer the first, I ask the student to explain the real difference that Lady Thatcher, Golda Meir, or Indira Ghandi really made for liberty in their respective countries, or how a single woman governor has changed the course of freedom in their state? As to the second, it of course relates to the difference (in reality, not perception) between Liberal Democrats and NeoConservative Republicans.

Mama's Note: About the same difference as being attacked by a female, rather than a male cobra. You will still be very dead if you don't do something serious to prevent the attack! Both of these women are deadly snakes, and every bit as deadly as their male counterparts.

CA: TV ads put focus on Reiner
Los Angeles Times
"Police sirens wail as a scruffy teenager, clutching a bag, runs frantically through the streets. Entering a schoolyard, he reaches into the bag. Out comes . a graduation gown, which he dons to receive a diploma. The scene is from a television ad, paid for with tax money and made by consultants close to Hollywood producer Rob Reiner. It aired across California this winter, touting the benefits of preschool. 'When kids go,' the narrator says, 'we all benefit.' The release of the ad, and two others, by a state commission Reiner heads coincided with his launch of a ballot initiative that would tax the rich to fund preschool for all California 4-year-olds. Although Reiner did not directly approve the spots, their timing and substance highlight ties between the public commission and his private political campaigns and raise questions about whether the state-funded commercials were used to boost the initiative's prospects. State law generally prohibits the use of public funds for campaign activities. Reiner's campaign attorney said the ads were legal and not political." (02/20/06)

The claim is that being confined to the prison two years earlier will ensure that they spend the full 15 years in the prison and get a piece of paper (which may or may not be worth anything) at the end of the confinement. Statistics are used to lie once again, with the idea of stealing more from the taxpayers, first in cash, and then in time.

Questionable liens hit Arizonans
Arizona Republic
"A financial setup orchestrated by a convicted criminal has left more than a thousand homeowners in Arizona and California facing illegitimate liens on their homes. The liens are being used to force people to pay thousands of dollars to a California collection agency. In order to get the liens lifted, homeowners are told by the agency that they must pay credit-card debts that, in many cases, have already been paid, written off in bankruptcies or aren't actually owed. ... The owner of Pacific States [Credit Co.], Jeff McCoon, has a criminal record for defrauding businesses in Colorado, where he is wanted for arrest, accused of violating the terms of his probation. He also is awaiting trial in California on 148 felony counts of attempted extortion, forgery and filing false documents over liens he filed against homeowners in Orange County. But authorities in Arizona were unaware that McCoon has been operating here since 2004, filing liens, threatening people with lawsuits, demanding payments for questionable debts and, in at least one case, forcing someone to sign over the deed to his home." (02/22/06)

Supposedly the reason we put these people behind bars is to keep them from doing things like this. The chances of his paying any restitution back seems very small, as well. How do we protect society from this kind of criminal, short of the death penalty? All I can suggest is Coventry, but THAT is deemed as cruel and unusual punishment.

Mama's Note: The protection against this kind of thing is pretty simple. Keep good records and know your rights. Many people are pushed into paying these bogus claims because they don't know any better or don't stand up for themselves. This kind of thing is another reason families must monitor the financial affairs of frail elders. Ideally, their money should be put into a trust and administered by a trusted family member or other by the time they become incapable of protecting themselves. Of course, the easiest way is simply not to encur such debts at all. A tar and feather party for this crook also comes to mind... Thank you, Nathan - those thumb tacks are delicious...

Spying and other Campaign 2006 issues

Utah: Hatch defends Bush's domestic surveillance
The Spectrum
"Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, boldly defended President Bush's warrantless surveillance program and the war in Iraq on Saturday at an invitation-only luncheon with Iron County political and business leaders. While addressing a group of about 50 people, including Cedar City Mayor Gerald R. Sherratt, Enoch Mayor Bob Rasmussen and county commissioners Dennis Stowell and Wayne Smith, Hatch stressed that Bush was acting in the best interests of the country and doing so within the confines of the U.S. Constitution. 'This president is doing everything in his power to help us and everything he can to protect us,' said Hatch, who will seek to win his sixth term in the Senate later this year. 'I have to tell you, this president has guts and he deserves your support.'" (02/18/06)

Hatch is smooth, no doubt, and clearly the voters of Utah have succumbed to his charm at least five times. His claims are harder to swallow this time, though.

Specter eyes measure to curb spying
Washington Times
"Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter is drafting legislation to curtail President Bush's warrantless surveillance program that the president touts as a tool to stop and capture terrorists. While it is not clear how such a law would work -- or even if Congress has the authority to pass such legislation -- Mr. Specter said he hopes to offer something in the coming weeks. The Pennsylvania Republican is among several members of his party who have expressed reservations about the program, which monitors the international communications of suspected terrorists. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle worry that the program allows for electronic surveillance of Americans without warrants." (02/21/06)

It might not happen, it might not work, there might not be authority for it, but Specter is going to milk it for all he's worth to keep his name on the front pages - taking advantage of a serious problem for political gain and not from any real desire to end the situation.

Theft by Government
This week was the first anniversary of the arguments on Kelo vs. New London, and the results of that foolishly-decided case are still coming, both good and bad.

Supreme Court to hear swamp cases
Bradenton Herald
"Two cases that could have major implications for Florida's vanishing wetlands will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court today. Both out of Michigan, the cases focus on how much power regulators have to protect wetlands under the federal Clean Water Act. ... The arguments will mark the first high-profile environmental cases confronting new Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. ... Property rights advocates complain that the [Army Corps of Engineers] requires permits for destroying wetlands that were never intended to be covered. Federal jurisdiction extends only to navigable waterways and wetlands that are connected or adjacent to them. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in an Illinois case that the property rights advocates were right." (02/21/06)

However the SCOTUS decided the Illinois case, the Congress has made it clear to the Corps that more regulation is still required, regardless of constitutional authority.

KY: Transit thugs will steal land, but not raze building
Cincinnati Enquirer
"Preservation Kentucky has added the historic Dickerson-Fennell building to its 'Most Endangered' list, fearing the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky might demolish it. But a TANK spokeswoman said there are no plans to raze the building. 'The original concept (of moving the building eastward along Fourth Street) is still what we're operating with today,' said spokeswoman Gina Douthat. TANK wants to build a transit center on the site. Those plans have been called into question because Crescent Springs attorney Steve Martin, representing TANK, in 2003 told then-Campbell Circuit Judge William J. Wehr the transit authority might tear down the 1800s structure at 7 E. Fourth St. to save money. Demolition would reverse a 2001 promise to move the structure rather than raze it. When those comments were made public last month, TANK officials and Martin declined to comment. ... TANK and the family of William Fennell Sr. of Fort Thomas have been locked in a legal battle over whether the transit authority can legally force the family to sell the property, using eminent domain." (02/22/06)

How long will we permit any organization that claims to be somehow related to government or "public service" to go out and pretend to be King John and steal all this land, buildings, and history?

NM: City considers stealing property for ditch
Clovis News-Journal
"City of Clovis officials want to build a drainage ditch on Daniel Griego's property. But the life-long Clovis resident said he doesn't want to sell. Today the City Commission will discuss [steal]ing the property anyway under the power of eminent domain. The city proposes a 30-foot drainage ditch be built along an alley of Rodeo Drive to Humphrey Road. Clovis would [steal] 1.13 acres of Griego's land and replace a fence for $22,750, according to the city proposal. 'Naturally I don't want to give my property up. ... I think it's wrong that they can just take it,' Griego said." (02/23/06)

This is why the problem is NOT just stealing property and turning it over to other private owners, but ANY exercise of the "royal prerogative" which is based on the bizarre and evil idea that the king (government) really owns everything and can take what it NEEDS, sometimes even what it WANTS.

Tax thugs slam theft self-assessment software
Arizona Republic
"Using a computer program to figure income taxes takes longer than doing it by hand, the IRS claims, infuriating the tax-preparation software industry. The accounting profession also is protesting the agency's estimates of the costs of having a professional calculate various types of returns. The outcries are in response to what the Internal Revenue Service introduced in its latest tax instruction booklets as a new, 'more accurate' method of estimating the time and cost of filing. The figures are based on a survey of 15,000 taxpayers and 400 tax professionals, IRS spokesman Raphael Turino said. Since publishing the figures, the IRS has issued a statement online saying they are all but useless. Calling the data 'fatally flawed,' a trade group representing the makers of such programs as TurboTax and TaxCut urged this month that the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board investigate 'this genuine mess.'" (02/23/06)

You don't suppose they'll just eat each other, like the Kilkenny Cats? I guess that would be too much to hope for. Whatever we pay in income taxes, figure that the great beneficiaries are the millions of "tax professionals" including the IRS and their state counterparts, tax attorneys, accountants, and the people who write and sell this software.

Tech and Health Issues

Bush: US on verge of energy breakthrough
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"Saying the nation is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that would 'startle' most Americans, President Bush on Monday outlined his energy proposals to help wean the country off foreign oil. Less than half the crude oil used by refineries is produced in the United States, while 60 percent comes from foreign nations, Bush said during the first stop on a two-day trip to talk about energy." (02/20/06)

Of course, anyone can notice this is the case - we have a half-dozen different concepts that have the potential to do tremendous benefit - IF government doesn't legislate them out of competition or even existence.

Companies offer to send remains to space
Detroit Free Press
"Scotty will be blasted into space - not beamed up - and Gordo is returning for his third flight. The planned launch sometime in March of a rocket carrying the ashes of actor James Doohan, who played chief engineer Montgomery Scott on 'Star Trek,' and Mercury program astronaut Gordon Cooper will give a fitting send-off to two men who helped popularize human space exploration." (02/20/06)

It seems like an episode from Banner of the Stars, but is it more than just conspicuous consumption?

Taser tests new shotgun device
Bryan-College Station Eagle
"The nation's largest stun-gun manufacturer is working on a new way to deliver electricity to the human body: through 12-gauge shotgun shells. Though it's still being developed, Taser International Inc. says the new product will allow police officers and U.S. troops to hit someone from a much greater distance than its current line of Tasers, which Amnesty International has cited in more than 120 deaths. The eXtended Range Electro-Muscular Projectile, or XREP, will be a shotgun shell designed to combine the blunt-force trauma of a fast-moving baseball with the electrical current of a stun gun. 'It will truly cause incapacitation,' company spokesman Steve Tuttle said. Taser hopes to release the product in 2007. The Office of Naval Research funded the approximately $500,000 it took to develop the shotgun shells, Tuttle said." (02/22/06)

Sounds pretty ghastly, but I really do support non-lethal (even generally non-lethal) response, if it is possible. Although we certainly do have the right to kill in self-defense or to defend others, it is NOT something to be taken lightly, and if someone can develop a better method that allows for more options and WORKS, then I am all for it.

Bye-bye, Blackberry?
CNet News
"A federal court hearing scheduled for Friday that could lead to the shutdown of BlackBerry devices throughout the United States is forcing longtime BlackBerry users to think about life without their mobile gadgets. ... At the hearing in U.S. District Judge James Spencer's Richmond, Va., courtroom, lawyers for NTP, RIM and the federal government will argue over whether to issue an injunction on the sale and support of the wireless devices on American turf, as well as the amount of damages due to NTP from RIM. Spencer's ruling could come as early as Friday afternoon, but it's more likely to be handed down early next week. NTP has already said it will wait 30 days before shutting down the service, though it's not clear if that grace period starts on Friday or the day the decision is made public. " [FND editor's note: Incoming reports indicated that the Patent and Trademark Office has rejected one of NTP's patent claims and is re-examining the other four, which may void the case - TLK] (02/23/06)

As of Noon on Saturday, I had not heard or seen anything further - it could be a problem for a lot of people (although several people have said that they could enjoy a break from their BlackBerry enabled gadgets!) for weeks or months, if there is someway that they can't get things reactivated.

Google loses first round of image copyright fight
Computer Weekly
"A US court has ruled that Google's Image search service breaches copyright by displaying thumbnail photographs, in a case brought by an adult content magazine. Judge Howard Matz ruled that 'Google's creation and public display of 'thumbnails' likely do directly infringe P10's copyrights,' after a preliminary injunction hearing of the case brought by Perfect 10, which produces a magazine and website featuring nude models. Google's display of thumbnails in image search results pages would not be likely to fall within a 'fair use' exception to copyright law, he said." (02/23/06)

I despair - it would seem that the site would WANT Google to display their wares in small versions, to encourage browsers to go to the site (and pay, I'm sure). Neither do I understand Matz's logic, which would seem to apply to, say, a store displaying the magazines, even the covers, where they could be seen without buying them.

Trade and Economic Issues
A few items, including several related to the war on drugs and some stupid government tricks. When will people learn?

US officials talk tough on China trade
CNN
"The administration's new get-tough approach with China could involve filing trade charges against the Asian giant over auto parts and copyright piracy and branding the Chinese as currency manipulators. But the betting is that the harder line won't have much impact, at least right away, on the soaring U.S. trade deficit, which hit an all-time high of $726 billion last year." (02/20/06)

Talking tough and really doing anything are two different things - I'm going to wait and see. It is not so much the trade deficit, which is a misunderstood and poorly calculated number used to scare people, as it is the theft and other crimes that should be dealt with - but probably won't be.

Japan wants assurances for US beef
Cincinnati Enquirer
"Japan will resume imports of U.S. beef only if Washington can convince Tokyo that it will implement effective safeguards against mad cow disease, a top Japanese official said Tuesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said the government was still examining a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on the faulty veal shipment that prompted Japan to close its markets to American beef last month." (02/20/06)

Both the US and Japanese governments are approaching this wrongly - from a bureaucratic mindset rather than from a common-sense and free-enterprise point of view. Japan, in addition, fails to understand both the size and nature of the US.

TN: Error in anti-drug mailer sends kids to phone-sex line
Tennessean
"A mass mailing intended to warn young people about the dangers of methamphetamine inadvertently included a hotline number that rings to a telephone sex line. The mailing was part of a statewide anti-meth campaign sponsored by a prosecutors' group. 'It's an unfortunate mistake when somebody types a 9 when there should have been an 8,' said Coffee County District Attorney General Mickey Lane, whose office received several complaints. 'What are the odds (of) it being a business such as this. I'm told that it's been corrected.' Lane's office didn't put out the brochures. It just so happened that a parent from Coffee County called a television news station to complain." [FND editor's note: This is just too funny in too many ways! -SAT] (02/23/06)

Sounds like a successful monkeywrenching activity to me.

World Wars
I finish up, as usual, with a few items from around the world in the fighting over various things, and the war against threats to liberty.

OZ: 'Shari'a Law Has No Place Here'
CNSNews.com
An Australian politician's comments about Muslims wanting to live under Islamic (shari'a) law has focused attention on the push by Muslim minorities in some Western countries to establish enclaves where Islamic norms and laws hold sway...

I would say that ANY country's Muslims will include a good number of faithful Muslims who will push for shari'a, and this is a threat both to liberty in general and to religious liberty in specific - not to forget the fact that women in Islam are third-class subjects (not citizens by any stretch of meaning), and that there are many other practices that are abhorrent to western views.

Venezuela's unrealized revolution
Christian Science Monitor
"Seven years after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez first took office, an event commemorated earlier this month, Juan Francisco Rivas is still waiting for the 'revolution.' His 24-square-meter makeshift house, currently inhabited by nine people, sits at a 45-degree angle atop one of the city's worst hillside slums, Petare. His roof is a single metal sheet. There is no hot water. Mr. Rivas voted for Mr. Chavez in 1998 but today, while showing his often-flooded living room, says, 'Look at this place and tell me honestly that Chavez is for the poor.' During the 1990s, Rivas worked as a carpenter and even had social security. Today he is grateful to get three days of work per week, all in the underground economy." (02/21/06)

24 SM is about 260 square feet, ¼ that of the average US house or ½ that of the average US one-bedroom apartment: most of us have garages larger than this. At the same time, CSM demonstrates its incompetence - there is no "single metal sheet" that could possibly cover 24 square meters unless it is in multiple stories, and I seriously doubt it sits "atop" the slum - maybe at the top of the hill the slum is on. Given this, can we believe any of the rest of this story?

Philippines: Military says coup plot foiled
Scotsman [UK]
"The Philippine military has crippled a suspected coup plot by identifying and investigating 14 officers who were allegedly involved, the army chief said. Some of the men have renounced their membership in a breakaway group and were allowed to go back to work, said Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, while others are being restrained. The officers had planned to mobilise at least 200 soldiers to remove President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo by force, Esperon said. While he felt the alleged plot had been undercut, he said he was not sure if other officers may be involved. Esperon said seized documents outlined the alleged plot. The government earlier called coup rumours a feeble attempt by Arroyo's opponents to grab attention and destabilise the country." (02/22/06)

How can they possibly allow some to return to duty, when they have betrayed their oath? These men have demonstrated that they are wolves, not sheepdogs.