Libertarian Commentary on the News, 7 - 13 May, 2006 -- Page 2

TX: Houston woman fatally shoots intruder
Houston Chronicle
"A northeast Houston woman fatally shot an intruder early this morning after the man broke into her house, police said. She shot the man about 3:30 a.m. after he forced his way into the home in the 6000 block of Bender near Kurt, police said. The woman left the house with her child but later returned after officers arrived at the scene. The man she shot was found lying in the kitchen." (05/09/06)

So why didn't the paper brand this woman a "vigilante"? Could it be because she is a woman? Or was it because she only shot one man, unlike Ken who did it to three?

PA: 19 year old shot by resident
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A 19-year-old man was shot in the chest yesterday when he allegedly broke into an apartment and got into a dispute with the resident about money, Carnegie police said. .... Around noon yesterday, a man living in the 900 block of Charles Street called Carnegie police to tell them that someone had broken into his apartment and they fought about money. He fired a shot, but didn't know if he'd hit the intruder. When police arrived at the residence, they found a .22-caliber rifle, but no gunshot victim. Then, officers learned that someone who'd been shot had just been found in front of the fire station in nearby Scott." (05/07/06)

A .22-cal rifle? Surprised the guy had to get help at all. People, don't use pop-guns to defend yourself and your family.

Mama's Note: Any gun is better than none. Having the proper self-defense training is just as important. It doesn't matter what kind of a cannon you have if you don't know how to use it effectively. This guy was lucky all around.

VA: Newspaper carrier shoots, wounds youth trying to rob him
Norfolk Pilot
"A Virginian-Pilot carrier who was delivering newspapers early today shot and wounded one of two youths who tried to rob him, police said. .... The carrier, who is an independent contractor and not an employee of the newspaper, had just started his route when he encountered the two youths. The carrier is not facing charges, Burruss said."They were trying to rob him and he defended himself," he said." (05/11/06)

Good for him. I hope a certain relative of mine will take this incident to heart. Delivering papers at 4 AM in Hampton Roads area is NOT always as safe as you'd like.

WA: Armed clerk saves city councilman
Tacoma News Tribune
"Tacoma police were looking Wednesday for the driver of a late-model black Jaguar who attacked Tacoma City Councilman Rick Talbert in the parking lot of a downtown dry cleaner. Talbert, 40, said he was hit in the face and back and pushed into his pickup during the altercation shortly before noon Tuesday. The attacker threatened to kill Talbert and was reaching behind his back as if for a gun when an armed clerk came out of the cleaners and ordered the man to back off, Talbert said." (05/11/06)

This story, of course, is generating mixed emotions. It is hard to be that sympathetic to a Tacoma politician. Still, the clerk did the right thing, as I think I would.

Stupid Government Tricks
Again, a bumper crop of stupidity, from both sides of the aisle. As I talk about in the first story comments, neither one of the old parties can be trusted except to be crooked and liars.

Dems Promise Changes 'The First Day' They're Back in Charge
CNSNews.com
Democrats are ready to regain control of Congress, and they'll start making changes as soon as they do, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday. But she refused to be pinned down on how Democrats plan to pay for a higher minimum wage, "affordable" health care, lower-interest student loans, among other initiatives...

Unfortunately, I believe them a wee bit more than I've believed the GOP through the years (like in 1994). Of course, they'll just speed up the slow, creeping hyper-socialism that the GOP has been fobbing off on us. And do we really need to ask HOW they will pay - today, you don't even need a printing press to borrow or inflate, just the same computer you are reading this on.

Mama's Note: Since I don't (and never did) trust any of them, this is not news. Just remember that those who are sincerely interested in "doing good" are the most fearful tyrants of all. Beware Greeks - or politicians - bearing gifts...

NSA Spying Program Debated by Constitutional Experts
CNSNews.com
National security is more important than privacy, a top constitutional scholar argued Friday in defending President Bush's domestic surveillance program. But another constitutional expert disagreed, insisting that if the president didn't like the legal limitations in place, he should have asked Congress to change the law instead of going ahead and breaking the law...

It is a good argument, summed up in the famous quote, "The Constitution isn't a suicide pact." However, the question is WHEN one trumps the other, and WHO decides. It has to be both an immediate danger AND a clear connection, and that is why we are supposed to have juries (and judges). And however important national security is, it has to be done in the right manner, or it is, literally, self-defeating - for it will destroy our nation.

Three Years and One Hearing Later, Kavanaugh's Back
CNSNews.com
Judicial nominee Brett Kavanaugh, nominated to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia three years ago, faces an unusual second hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today...

Will much else happen? As long as the GOP continues to behave like a minority party, and as long as we have a president that is a bully to everyone else but refuses to stand up to Congress, not likely.

Ex-congressional aide pleads guilty in lobbying probe
CNN
"A former top aide to an Ohio congressman pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge in connection with the ongoing investigation of a Capitol Hill lobbying scandal. Neil Volz, a lobbyist and former chief of staff for Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, appeared Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Volz negotiated a plea deal in which he agreed to cooperate with Justice Department prosecutors and the FBI." (05/08/06)

When this happens, we always need to ask ourselves why the plea bargain? Is it because he realized he could not fight the false charges? Or is he lying, like Moussaoui? Or is he being paid off to take a fall?

FBI: Unapproved marriages top priority
Christian Science Monitor
"Small polygamous groups have existed in the southwestern US under the watchful yet fairly benign eye of authorities ever since a sect known as the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) separated itself from mainstream Mormonism in 1890. That year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints banned 'plural marriages,' a move declared to be based on a 'revelation' from God. The decision was also required for Utah to become a state. Now, FLDS leader Warren Jeffs has been added to the FBI's list of 'Ten Most Wanted Fugitives,' a move that caps law enforcement's dramatic change of approach toward the polygamous group in recent years." (05/09/06)

It is not the polygamy that has bugged people (including the FBI, who could go after a lot of polys very easily), but the other rather nasty aspects of FLDS life and theology: the child abuse (especially the sexual kind), the wholesale welfare fraud, the racketeering and local tyranny that seems to accompany this group wherever they are.

Former NSA chief assails Bush spy plot
Wired
"Former National Security Agency director Bobby Ray Inman lashed out at the Bush administration Monday night over its continued use of warrantless domestic wiretaps, making him one of the highest-ranking former intelligence officials to criticize the program in public, analysts say. 'This activity is not authorized,' Inman said, as part of a panel discussion on eavesdropping that was sponsored by The New York Public Library. The Bush administration 'need(s) to get away from the idea that they can continue doing it.'" (05/09/06)

Unlike the foofoorah about the vast database, this IS a serious criticism from a serious critic, and should be taken to heart.

NH: Senators fail Real ID cojones check
Portsmouth Herald
"A rebellion against national rules for driver's licenses failed to take hold in the state Senate on Thursday, derailing efforts to bar the state from participating in the federal Real ID Act. Many senators said they were uncomfortable rejecting Real ID outright and voted instead for a study commission that would examine the costs and benefits of participating or opting out of the tighter identification requirements. The study commission proposal passed 14-9. 'The reason I brought this forward is because I have great concerns on both sides of the issue,' said Raymond Sen. Jack Barnes. Barnes said he was willing to give up some of his rights in a time of war and suggested lawmakers take time to consider the implications of opting out. ... Those who favored a rejection of the program argued it was seriously flawed. 'If we get drawn into Real ID, tens of thousands of New Hampshire citizens are going to be denied their right to get licenses because of the bureaucratic nightmare that will descend,' said Sen. Peter Burling, D-Cornish. Exeter Sen. Maggie Wood Hassan, also a Democrat, said the federal law gives the secretary of homeland security too much control over the requirements for obtaining a driver's license." [Editor's note: Live free or die, eh - MLS] (05/05/06)

Oh my, I see that all those porcupines are really, really making a difference. Sigh. Gutless. Like the rest of the Union.

CDC wants HIV tests for everyone
CNN
"Testing for the AIDS virus could become part of routine physical exams for adults and teens if doctors follow new U.S. guidelines expected to be issued by this summer. Federal health officials say they would like HIV testing to be as common as a cholesterol check. The guidelines for routine testing would apply to every American ages 13 to 64, according to the proposed plan by the U.S. Centers for Disease control and Prevention." (05/09/06)

This is indeed a stupid waste of money, and more about convincing people that "anyone" can get AIDS rather than a serious attempt to identify carriers and those who are truly at risk.

Mama's Note: Sounds like a real good time to find another way to stay healthy. Western "medicine" is deadly enough as it is without more BS like this. Do you know how many people die each year from PROPERLY (so-called) prescription medicine? Add that to the many thousands who die from medical errors and you might begin to think twice about trusting you life to these people. And yes, I'm speaking as one who worked in the medical field for 20 years. Don't go there...

Harper's editor: Six congresscritters in scandal
Raw Story
"The Washington Editor of Harper's magazine, Ken Silverstein, continues to allege that six members current and former members of Congress attended parties sponsored by Brent Wilkes, the man named as an unindicted conspirator in the case of Rep. Duke Cunningham, who was sentenced to eight years in jail for accepting bribes. These nebulous parties are said at the very least to have involved 'occasional card games with friends' (according to the lawyer for recently resigned CIA #3 'Dusty Foggo,' also implicated in the scandal) or at worst, were venues for prostitution and bribes. Formerly an editor for the Los Angeles Times, Silverstein has previously reported on intelligence, political corruption and ties between oil companies and repressive foreign regimes." (05/09/06)

Only six? Seems we ought to launch a serious attempt to indict as many kongrus-kritturs as possible.

HUD secretary's blunt warning
Dallas Business Journal
"Once the color barrier has been broken, minority contractors seeking government work may need to overcome the Bush barrier. That's the message U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson seemed to send during an April 28 talk in Dallas. Jackson, a former president and CEO of the Dallas Housing Authority, was among the featured speakers at a forum sponsored by the Real Estate Executive Council, a national minority real estate consortium. After discussing the huge strides the agency has made in doing business with minority-owned companies, Jackson closed with a cautionary tale, relaying a conversation he had with a prospective advertising contractor. 'He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years,' Jackson said of the prospective contractor. 'He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something ... he said, 'I have a problem with your president.''" (05/05/06)

An example of poor reporting, indeed, although the DBJ is usually not considered part of the "mainstream media" - since the minority status of the guy (or the HUD Secretary) was not the reason he didn't get the contract. At the same time, Jackson's attitude is morally unacceptable - a person's political dislikes should not be involved in a decision like this, even by a political appointee. Oh, and funny, but hasn't Bush only been president for, what, five years? So which president was there a problem with, in ten years of trying to get a contract? What is the DBJ's motive in this story?

UN Rights Forum Includes 'Some of the World's Worst Abusers'
CNSNews.com
A majority of the world's governments decided Tuesday that China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Russia should be among the group of countries making up the United Nations' primary forum for human rights...

If you think that government of ANY kind is your friend.

UK: 2p coins now worth 3p
Ananova [UK]
"Britain's 2p coins are now actually worth 3p - thanks to the soaring price of copper. Any 2p coins made before 1992 are now more valuable as scrap metal than loose change. Earlier 2p coins contain 97% copper which has hit an all-time record price of $8,000 a tonne. It means that 145,000 2p coins would be worth £2,900 at the bank - but about £4,400 as scrap. One penny coins from the same period are also worth roughly 50% more than their face value. In 1992, the Royal Mint introduced new 1p and 2p coins made of steel with just a thin copper plating." (05/11/06)

And you thought inflation was dead? Why is copper so costly today? As with fuel, the answer is four words: low supply, high demand. We have the same problem here in the US, although a one-cent piece is only worth about 1.25 cents right now, because our money has been debased longer than theirs.

Mama's Note: Supply, demand, and government distortion of both - along with taxes and other incentives that lead to inflation and worse. Giving government control of the money was one of the biggest mistakes made in the Constitution - not that it would matter to them now.

House passes tax bill
CNN
"The House Wednesday passed a bill sought by President Bush to deliver tax cuts worth $70 billion to investors and to keep 15 million taxpayers from being hit by the alternative minimum tax. The House passed the measure by a 244-185 vote. The Senate is expected to clear the bill Thursday. The bill provides a two-year extension of the reduced 15 percent tax rate for capital gains and dividends, currently set to expire at the end of 2008." (05/10/06)

Who are investors? Anyone who owns a 401K or an IRA, plus the usual suspects. Who would be hit by the AMT? Try families earning as little as $70K a year - often punished for donating "too much" to church or charity. Expect this to be fought by the usual suspects (GOP and Demo) in the Senate, however, as the election draws near.

"Security" smokescreen blocks spy plot inquiry
MSNBC
"The government has abruptly ended an inquiry into the warrantless eavesdropping program because the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department lawyers the necessary security clearance to probe the matter. The inquiry headed by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, sent a fax to Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., on Wednesday saying they were closing their inquiry because without clearance their lawyers cannot examine Justice lawyers' role in the program." (05/10/06)

Nice deal, eh? Nah-nah-nah-nah! Sounds like an internal problem: our government is getting creakier and creakier, and we need to be planning for what happens when things really get messed up.

Bush admits "disquiet" in nation
Chicago Tribune
"President Bush, his approval ratings at a record low, acknowledged Wednesday that war in Iraq and rising gas prices have created 'battle fatigue' among many Americans. That anxiety, Bush said, has settled over much of the nation as people worry about whether the United States will succeed in Iraq and how they'll afford to fill up their tanks. 'There's a sense of disquiet because of the war in Iraq,' said Bush, in an hour-long interview with the Orlando Sentinel and six other Florida newspapers. But the president insisted his Iraq strategy will work ..." (05/11/06)

We start to see the hand of new press secretary Snow in these things, and in the President's swift counterattack on the NSA phone records "revelation."

Stupid People Tricks
How on earth do we keep from killing ourselves off? If Darwin supported the idea of survival of the fittest, what we have today is clearly the strongest proof that he is wrong: we have more stupidity today, seemingly, than at any other time in history.

No crime: woman kills own child by shooting herself
The Virginian-Pilot
If an assailant had shot Tammy Skinner in the stomach on the day she was to give birth, killing her baby, he could have been prosecuted. Because she shot herself earlier this year, however, General District Court Judge James A. Moore decided Monday that she can't be tried for producing a miscarriage or abortion, and he dismissed the felony charge. "We can feel all of the moral outrage in the world for what this woman did," he said in court, " but the facts in this particular situation are that this statute does not apply."

Even for the most eager of abortion supporters, this has to be a sick and hideous situation. But this does show that many, MANY evil things cannot be punished by human law - it is God that she must answer to, and in the presence, surely, of her murdered son. For law or not, what she did was premeditated murder, killing her child on the day he should have been born.

Mama's Note: Stupid woman! She'd already gone through all the hard part! But at least they could be consistent about it. If she had taken drugs or drunk enough alcohol to damage or kill her baby, they would have had no problems prosecuting her to the maximum. The law, then, is not about killing or endangering the baby, but simply prohibition of things they don't happen to like that she does to herself. Hypocrites all!!

Moussaoui asks to withdraw guilty plea
Indianapolis Star
"Convicted Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui says he lied on the witness stand about being involved in the terrorist plot and wants to withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial. The judge turned him down. Moussaoui said he was 'extremely surprised' that he was sentenced to life in prison instead of execution and now believes he can get a fair trial from an American jury. In a motion filed Monday, Moussaoui said he testified on March 27 that he was supposed to hijack a fifth plane on Sept. 11, 2001, and fly it into the White House 'even though I knew that was a complete fabrication.'" (05/08/06)

How droll! So now he admits to perjury? The man, as I have said repeatedly, is a nut case - what a wonderful example of a terrorist!

Beatles' Apple Corps loses trademark suit
Los Angeles Times
"Apple Computer Inc. is entitled to use the apple logo on its iTunes Music Store, a judge ruled Monday, rejecting a suit filed by Apple Corps Ltd., the guardian of The Beatles' commercial interests. Apple Corps, which claimed that the computer company had broken a 1991 agreement in which each side agreed not to enter into the other's field of business, said it would appeal. Judge Anthony Mann of Britain's High Court ruled that Apple Computer used the fruit logo in association with the store, not the music, and thus did not breach the agreement. 'I conclude that the use of the apple logo ... does not suggest a relevant connection with the creative work,' Mann said in his written judgment. 'I think that the use of the apple logo is a fair and reasonable use of the mark in connection with the service, which does not go further and unfairly or unreasonably suggest an additional association with the creative works themselves.'" (05/08/06)

Oh, too bad. Frankly, I have no sympathy for either Apple or the Beatles, but this kind of frivolous lawsuit is stupid and shows the foolish way that trademark and copyright laws have been changed in the past 50 years.

Time to sink or graduate
Boston Globe
Seven days before the test, Stephanie Yeh stood in her sorority house and cried. An electrical engineering and computer science major, she was set to graduate near the top of her MIT class next month and start a six-figure job as a Wall Street analyst. Just one test, terrifying to her, remained. ... She had to swim 100 yards, four lengths of a pool, without stopping. ... At Cornell, Dartmouth, and Columbia, where swim proficiency also is required, it is time to sink or swim. For students like Yeh, who has aced virtually every exam in her 22 years, it is time to face demons under the surface. College swim requirements, which sprang up after World War II, have been in decline since the 1970s. One criticism: The test was biased against those who grew up away from the water." (05/08/06)

These are, last time I checked, private schools, and have the right to determine whatever requirements they wish for graduation. It was clearly stated in the student handbook, a de facto (if not de jure, most likely) part of the student's contract with the college. She doesn't pass - too bad, so sad, but she could have gone to somewhere else. Stupid person, indeed. (Can you tell I have no sympathy for Yeh?)

Lawsuits say Yahoo violated ad deals
San Francisco Chronicle
"Yahoo Inc. has been sued for allegedly overcharging clients by farming out their online advertisements to purveyors of spyware and other malicious Internet destinations. The two lawsuits, filed in federal court last week, accuse the Sunnyvale Web portal of misrepresenting its advertising program by promising that ads would be highly targeted and appear only on quality Web sites. 'In short, the advertisers were not getting what they paid for,' said Ben Edelman, a Massachusetts attorney who represents the plaintiffs in both lawsuits. 'If the advertisers had an opportunity to negotiate for prices, they would negotiate lower prices.' A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment other than to say the company will vigorously defend itself." (05/09/06)

Sounds like a wonderful way to make money - for the lawyers.

Mama's Note: There may be rare exceptions, but the bottom line is that the only ones who actually win lawsuits ARE the lawyers. The wonder is, therefore, that so many people remain so eager to start them!! Mass hypnosis?

Theft by Government
How many ways can government find to steal from the people that are supposed to run it, and be served by it? Served, as on a platter, no doubt.

TN: Senate fakes it on eminent domain limits
Maryville Daily Times
"After weeks of working through amendments, the Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday that sponsors said would limit the power of cities and counties to seize private property. The legislation had stalled because lawmakers couldn't agree on more than a dozen amendments. But they eventually reached consensus in committees and senators voted 31-0 in its favor. ... The legislation is among the least restrictive of about three dozen measures lawmakers proposed on eminent domain following last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling to give a Connecticut city the authority to seize property for a private development project." [Editor's note: The bill is a really, really poor excuse for an alleged "limit" on eminent domain -- almost entirely window dressing - - TLK] (05/09/06)

Frankly, too many of the bills up are just "faking it." Prohibition - taking this power away from government - is the only long-term solution.

Social Security shortfalls suspect
Christian Science Monitor
"'Seriously underfunded and financially unsustainable in the long run.' That's how US Treasury Secretary John Snow described the nation's Social Security system last week. To New York actuary David Langer, Mr. Snow's statement paints the finances of the nation's public pension system as 'more dire than it is' in order to scare the public into approving the Bush administration's advocacy of partial privatization of Social Security. Actually, Social Security finances are in good shape, argues Mr. Langer. He's become something of a pest to top Social Security officials with his finding that, in the past, the most optimistic of three annual projections of the financial future of Social Security for the next 75 years has proved the most accurate. Social Security might work fine unchanged for the next 75 years, able to provide pensioners their full monthly checks, the disabled their disability payments, and widows and orphans their needed funds." [FND Editor's note: The fascinating part about this fellow's analysis is that he uses the arguments about potential human innovation, so familiar to free marketers ... to describe the future of a purely GOVERNMENT-driven program! - SAT] (05/08/06)

I know who I am going to believe, and it is NOT Langer or the CSM - and probably not Snow, either: this Ponzi scheme is ripe for collapse. Yeah, if we accept the current 20 million illegal immigrants in the country and they start paying "their fair share" and we continue to grow to hit 400 or even 500 million Americans, it might stave off collapse a bit longer, but sooner or later.

Mama's Note: Their own public records prove this is a terrible lie. See some of the articles by Ed Henry on this subject.

County won't allow worship on farm
World Net Daily
A county in Virginia has cited a farmer there because he hosts Thursday night worship services in his barn on a 900-acre farm. According to a statement from Liberty Counsel, which is representing the man, Garland Simmons recently received a Notice of Violation from Bedford County stating that his barn cannot be used for religious services. Simmons' 900-acre piece of property apparently isn't zoned for such meetings.

This is another example of the tyranny of local government, and of just plain buro-ratic stupidity. But it increasingly common - there is at least one county where it is a high-class misdemeanor (just short of a felony) to have an assembly of more than 50 people outdoors ANYWHERE in the county without a permit. And remember the raid on a rave last year, in Utah?

Tech and Medical Issues
The tech stories are kinda hard to distinguish from the "Stupid Government Tricks" and "Stupid People Tricks" this week.
Still, at least we HAVE technology, and isn't it nice not to have to watch your family starve to death because your area is in a drought or got flooded out?

Polluter China Plans Big Expansion of Aviation Sector
CNSNews.com
China is planning to build 48 new airports in the next five years, at a time when the world's most populous country already accounts for some of the biggest increases in emissions of pollutants.

China is clearly pursuing the American model rather than the European model, in which trains are a key part and replace much in the way of aircraft - as well as using less energy in the long run.

Mama's Note: The trains in any country are no beacon to liberty or economy. If the market were left to work freely, who knows what kind of transportation might arise - or combinations we can't even dream of today. I love trains, but I'd hate to be limited to them, especially by government meddling.

'Cyberblackmail' On The Rise
SpaceWar Express
London (UPI) May 10, 2006 - As illegal moneymaking schemes go, it's certainly not a new one: Crooks steal something of value from their victims and then demand ransom for its safe return. The 21st-century twist in the tale is that now it's not just loved ones and pets being kidnapped, it's also the contents of your hard drive.

Look out, folks! See it more and more, as the crooks and their mentality worm deeper and deeper into society. Especially the guvmint-type crooks.

Mama's Note: You DO back up your important data to CDs, don't you? If not, why not? Then regularly wipe the hard drive of your personal information and files. Cyberthieves and other nasties can't find a thing then. Tee hee. Oh, and label your CDs after old TV movies and series or something similar. Nobody's going to look through all that!

20-year-old "Botmaster" sentenced
ZDNet
"A 20-year-old who prosecutors say highjacked computers to damage computer networks and send waves of spam across the Internet was sentenced on Monday to nearly five years in prison. Jeanson James Ancheta, a well-known member of the 'Botmaster Underground' who pleaded guilty in January to federal charges of conspiracy, fraud and damaging U.S. government computers, was given the longest sentence for spreading computer viruses, federal prosecutors said. He was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner, who also ordered him to pay $15,000 in restitution to the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., and forfeit to the government some $60,000 in illicit gains." (05/09/06)

I know nothing of this case except what is in the news story, but it appears that a nasty computer thug is getting a little bit of what he deserves. I would like to know why the people he stole it from aren't getting the money, instead of going to the feds.

Web 2.0 offers niche careers for a clever few
San Francisco Chronicle
"In an echo of the first dot-com boom, a growing contingent of individuals is wringing a living out of the Internet without doing much, if any, work. In Boom 1.0, it seemed like everyone was getting money for nothing online. If people weren't playing foosball at dot-coms for mountains of stock options, they were sitting home and getting paid to cruise the Internet or type their opinions of the latest video they watched. Nowadays, a few lucky folks are living a low-work lifestyle thanks to Internet advertising. Two Bay Area men whose short workweeks comfortably support them recently shared their secrets with The Chronicle." (05/08/06)

No kidding? The new priesthood, lording it over the rest of the population.

Orbiter 2006 Freeware Space Flight Simulator Released
SpaceWar Express
The release of Orbiter 2006, the latest version of this comprehensive freeware space flight simulator, has been announced. Orbiter offers accurate physics, excellent 3D graphics, astronomy features, and a first-person astronaut's perspective. Created as an educational project by Dr. Martin Schweiger of University College London, Orbiter has been in development since 2000. Orbiter allows users to virtually experience many aspects of space flight, including launching to orbit, orbital maneuvering, rendezvous/docking with the International Space Station, deploying satellites from the space shuttle, and even flying to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Sheer fun to include this - be the first in your web-community to enjoy Orbiter 2006!

Paladin acquires SOME Loompanics titles
Paladin Press
"The news that Loompanics Unlimited had decided to close its doors after 30 years in business caught us as much off guard as it did everyone else. Founder Mike Hoy chalks up his decision to increased competition from such giants as Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as simple burnout. He is ready to retire. We at Paladin Press have always admired the fearless Loompanics. After all, there just aren't that many publishers in the country who produce books that even we wouldn't touch! But when we heard the news, it didn't take long for us to strike a deal to acquire the rights to publish 40 titles we considered good fits for the Paladin catalog. Paladin welcomes Claire Wolfe, Eddie the Wire, and all the other Loompanics authors to our house, and we extend our best wishes to our good friends Mike Hoy and the entire Loompanics staff. Here is a complete list of Loompanics titles being revived by Paladin." (05/07/06)

Worth browsing to see some old friends. Hopefully, a new startup or someone willing to expand (hello, Javelin Press? Anyone else?) will get the others, or the authors or copyright holders will be willing to publish electronically on line, as Baen has done.

DNA Test Confirms Polar-Grizzly Bear
AP
A DNA test confirms that a bear shot in Canada's North West Territories last month is indeed a cross between a polar bear and a grizzly. It may be the first "hybrid" documented in the wild, press reports said.

Clearly a very nasty case of an illegally genetically-modified organism! No doubt the product of a secret FBI-CIA-RCMP experiment to destroy New Orleans and deal with "illegal immigrants" once and for all. Our northern frontier is protected now, at least.

Mama's Note: Heaven knows how many other wogs and woosies are running around in the wild. How dare those animals cross breed that way! At least they killed this evil specimen of the devil's work! (Sarcasm, please note.)

I just read some drivel about how the "butterfly" count is 40% lower in parts of California, all blamed on "habitat loss," of course - when anybody can see that there are literally millions of acres of wildland in California, and all over the west. Nobody bothers to mention that all of nature ebbs and flows with the seasons, natural climate changes and many other factors. 40% compared to what that is meaningful? Such nonsense.

The War on Some Drugs
Yes, indeed, the battle against the evil Boskonian drug lords continues, at all levels. Sadly, even the Grey Lensman would be better than what we have today: clowns helping clowns - evil clowns.

Chinese, US drug thugs join in bust
USA Today
"Chinese and U.S. agents seized more than 300 pounds of cocaine smuggled from Colombia -- the country's largest ever cocaine bust -- and arrested nine people involved in a drug ring in southern China, authorities said Tuesday. The case illustrates how South American drug gangs are aggressively moving into Asia to exploit new markets and expand their global distribution chains, said William Fiebig, a Beijing-based agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 'It's a market, a huge market,' he said." (05/09/06)

And where is THAT authority given to the DEA in the law? I would think that getting the drugs going someplace OTHER than the US would be a good thing, from the DEA's point of view. Prices rise not just with demand, but with reduced supply, and if oil prices rise because China is buying lots (or cement prices), then wouldn't the same thing be true of drugs?

Mama's Note: You silly person! The DEA don't want any reduction in the amount of stuff coming in! They want to find enough of it to keep their names in the papers, of course, but they get their kicks out of an ever expanding bureaucracy and confiscating the property of luckless victims - all over the globe now. That's where the game truly is played. They need MORE drugs for that, not fewer. What makes you think they care about the price - of any of it?

TN: High-tech pot palace mind-blowing in scale
Tennessean
"The cave had it all, everything Fred Strunk and his work crews needed to grow 100 pounds of marijuana every two months. Row after row of white-bright grow lights were powered by 'free' electricity via an illegal splice into utility lines. An indoor irrigation system was nearly an engineering marvel. A ventilation system controlled humidity, while a security system featured a bank-vault-like entrance, with security cameras placed everywhere. Strategically located were escape hatches should lawmen come knocking. And there was the cave itself, a rock fortress shielding the illegal activity. Strunk's pot harvests, without a doubt, replaced tobacco and vegetables as Trousdale County's biggest cash crop, investigators said." [FND Editor's note: And, of course, if the stuff was legal it could have had a positive economic impact instead of requiring additional, REAL crimes to operate - TLK] (05/09/06)

How many hundreds of places are there like this, across the nation? What did these guys do, not pay off the locals enough? Stealing the electricity might have been what gave them away.

Mama's Note: Stealing electricity was his real crime. Of course, in a free country he probably wouldn't have though of it. Buying electricity for something like this now would also be a giveaway. Too bad he didn't take his genius a little farther and go for solar or wind power.

Debate far from over for Mexico's drug bill
Christian Science Monitor
"Welcome to Mexico, a paradise of beaches, Mayan ruins ... and methamphetamines? Much to the relief of many in Washington, Mexican President Vicente Fox decided last week not to sign into law a bill that would drop criminal charges for possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. But Mexican lawmakers pledged Monday to keep pushing for the decriminalization bill, saying they could override Mr. Fox's veto. The bill has proved controversial, sparking debate in both the US and Mexico over how best to battle drug trafficking and use. Fox helped design the bill, and when Mexico's Congress initially passed it at the end of April, presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar called it 'an advance in combating narcotics trafficking.'" (05/10/06)

The bill is NOT the libertarian-leaning idea that some have touted it as, but simply a way to reduce the need for rapid judgment on the part of the cops. It will probably create more problems, and HELPS the war on some drugs.

Mama's Note: Those who think they can go live in Mexico and enjoy their pot more easily should take a good, hard look at the Mexican jails first. They only think they've got it bad here. Lots of people DIE in Mexican jails, especially gringos.

NJ may legalize medical marijuana
NBC 10 News
"New Jersey would become the 12th state to legalize marijuana for people with debilitating medical conditions under a bill slated to be discussed next month by state lawmakers. Sen. Joseph Vitale, chairman of a Senate health panel, said he's scheduled a June 8 discussion to hear from experts on the bill proposed by Sen. Nicholas Scutari. Vitale said he supports the concept, but has questions."It's really an effort to provide some sort of relief for people and some compassion," said Vitale, D-Middlesex. The legislation has long been proposed by Scutari, D-Union, but has never received a legislative hearing." (05/10/06)

What will happen if we have a majority of states? Or even more, 38 states (the majority needed for a constitutional amendment)? Will the feds wake up? Don't hold your breath. SD is also likely to face a ballot choice on this issue this year.

Mama's Note: You've got to be kidding. Trusting a doctor to prescribe this stuff is like spitting into the wind. They are so terrified of the DEA and their own witch hunting boards, that they won't prescribe much of anything for chronic pain or other chronic conditions for which MJ is perfect medicine. A Constitutional amendment might help, but I doubt it is possible anyway. There are simply too many do-good puritans who have already decided that they know what's best for everyone.

The World at War
(Except Culture Wars - see the beginning of the column.) Still a mess out there, folks. But don't worry, your governments are taking care of you and won't let ANYTHING happen to you that isn't supposed to. Now, how much more ammo did you want to buy, sir? Yes ma'am, we can gift wrap that nice little rifle and pistol combo.

EU urges American unity
BBC
European leaders have expressed concern at the mixed signals coming from Latin America, as tensions over energy overshadow a summit in Austria. With some Latin American and Caribbean nations keen to expand trade, the European Commission president urged the nations to present a common vision. Some American countries, like Chile and Colombia, favour free market economics and are keen to attract investment from Europe, . But others, led by Venezuela and Bolivia, are moving towards greater state control of their economies. Images of troops occupying European-run gas installations in Bolivia have made the EU wary"

Funny, funny! The EU can't or won't see that the natural result of their socialism is what is happening in Bolivia and Venezuela, just as the US also sends mixed signals down south. The South American socialists (like most of their ilk) also don't understand the consequences of their attitude: they want socialism at home and capitalism in the rest of the world. If the developed nations took the same attitude that their "resources have been stolen for the last five hundred years" and nationalized them, it would be the Latin and African countries that suffered the most, both from losing markets and from losing the fruits of industry, directly and indirectly.

Catholic Leader Ponders Violence in the Koran
CNSNews.com
Australia's top Catholic churchman is taking flak for a speech he delivered in the United States three months ago. Muslims in his home country accuse him of being misinformed about a religion they insist is peaceful...

Sadly, it is they that are misinformed heretics - as the Koran easily proves to anyone who is willing to read it with an open mind. It is just that this cardinal has the guts to say it.

Mama's Note: Bully for him! It's nice to see someone in the church with some courage for a change. Most of it has become about as irrelevant as possible - and the shrinking parishes are living proof.

South Korea Wary As US Accepts First Refugees From North
CNSNews.com
A decision by the United States to accept North Korean refugees for the first time may further strain relations with the liberal South Korean government, which is uneasy with what it regards as Washington's provocative policy towards Pyongyang...

Clearly this is intended to be a provocation, since refugees from the north are commonly welcome in the Republic. But I expect the US-ROK relation to survive it easily, as that relationship is far stronger than the one between the US and Germany or Japan; if not quite as close as the US-UK.

Cuba, China Hope for Less 'Politicization' on UN Rights Body
CNSNews.com
Members of the new U.N. Human Rights Council will be elected Tuesday, and a representative of the Cuban government - which hopes for a seat - said the council will be effective only if it tackles issues such as the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay...

Sounds a lot like "less politicization" to me. Yes indeed.

Fiddling With Nigerian Constitution Could Affect Regional Stability
CNSNews.com
An attempt to amend Nigeria's constitution to allow President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third five-year term could have disastrous implications for West African stability, African political analysts have warned...

The argument is convoluted and passionate, but it seems to me that the approach more likely to succeed would be to disestablish the Nigerian federal and state governments entirely, and allow a little bit of freedom to come back to that part of Africa.

Mama's Note: If they threw out the governments at all levels, there might be a chance for real freedom indeed, but don't forget the long history of tribal tyranny - which would no doubt leap into the void. I'd love to see them try it, of course, but I wouldn't want to live there during the process. South Africa is a good example of an exchange of one kind of tyranny for a worse one..

Russian President Vows to Boost Russian Military Might
CNSNews.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that U.S. defense spending is 25 times higher than Russia's, says his country needs to catch up so it can resist foreign pressure.

He used the US as a model to follow for Russia, a big difference from past speeches.

Russia: Putin bids for new Cold War [sic]
Business Day [South Africa]
"President Vladimir Putin appealed to nationalist sentiment in his annual Kremlin address yesterday, saying Russia faced growing military competition with 'fortress America,' and offered financial incentives to boost Russia's falling birthrate. In his seventh annual keynote address to the nation, Putin said Russia would develop a stronger army and that the US cared more about its own interests than for democracy or human rights. Russia, which has amassed almost $300bn in savings in the past eight years, was rearming its military to meet growing global threats as defence spending by former Cold War foes soared, Putin said." (05/11/06)

This is bizarre, because I read the same speech (possibly even the same translation - BBC) as this outfit in South Africa did, and I did NOT see any USA-bashing - rather, he was presenting the US as an example which should be emulated by Russia. (Something we libertarians might just disagree with.) It seems as though it could even be taken as a desire for closer cooperation with the US against common threats (like Islam and China).

Canadian Spy Agency Admits Terrorist Attack 'Now Probable'
Ottawa CNSNews.com
Canada's top spy agency -- the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) -- admits that a terrorist attack on Canadian soil is "now probable," but adds that such an attack is more likely to target Canadian interests abroad.

About time, eh? O'course, they could be wrong - the Canadian intel system has as good a track record as its neighbor's does.

UK Medics Weigh In Ahead of Crucial 'Right to Die' Debate
CNSNews.com
Medical opinion appears to be shifting against legalizing suicide in Britain, ahead of a critical debate on Friday over "right to die" legislation modeled after an Oregon law.

The Oregon law (bad in itself because it did much much more than recognize a private right to die) coupled with the National Health Service in the UK should scare more than doctors!

Mama's Note: Indeed! Soon comes the "duty" to die and get out of the way. Trust me when I say that nobody really needs the help of a doctor to die, even intentionally. When people are truly ready to go, they will do so - no matter what anyone does to them or for them. Leave them alone to die in peace with their families or friends. Government simply must stay out of it.

Sri Lanka: Tamil Tigers sink navy gunboat
ABC News
"Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels sank a government navy attack boat and attacked a troop transport vessel off Sri Lanka's northern tip, Nordic truce monitors said on Thursday, but there was no word on fatalities. Military sources said the Air Force scrambled fighter jets and helicopter gunships to the area, which is around 30 miles away from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's northern stronghold." (05/11/06)

Truce? Any claim that there is a truce in Sri Lanka is a sick joke.

Somalia: UN council rejects sanctions
Jackson News-Tribune
"The U.N. Security Council U.N. Security Council ignored recommendations for targeted sanctions and a tighter existing arms embargo in Somalia, despite a spike in violence and fears that Islamic fundamentalists have gained strength in the chaotic nation. The council committee said in a report that the influence of the Islamic fundamentalists was great now that they are a 'third force' on par with the transitional government and an alliance of groups in the capital, Mogadishu." (05/11/06)

Apparently the UN understands that there is really nothing they can do, with nothing but a bogus, Potemkin-village "government" in the area. The capital alliance of groups sure aren't going to pay attention to more arms embargos OR sanctions.

Mama's Note: As discussed above, the absence of official type government does not insure freedom if there are enough old tyrants around to fill the breach - and people so used to tyranny that they don't know how to live free. Sad.

Iran: Ahmadinejad "unconcerned" with sanctions
Indianapolis Star
"Iran's president said Thursday he was ready to negotiate with Western powers over Tehran's nuclear program, but warned that threats would make any talks more difficult. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his comments after key U.N. Security Council members agreed to present Tehran with a choice of incentives or sanctions in deciding whether to suspend uranium enrichment. The Iranian leader told Indonesia's Metro TV station that he was unconcerned about the possibility of U.N. sanctions, saying the West would be the big loser if his country was isolated from the world community." (05/10/06)

If even Somalia's un-government can ignore sanctions, you don't think the radical Iranians are going to pay attention, do you?

UK AG: law adviser: Gitmo should close
CNN
"The U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay discredits the American tradition as a beacon of freedom and justice and should close, Britain's attorney general said Wednesday. Attorney General Lord Goldsmith called the Guantanamo camp's existence 'unacceptable,' the strongest condemnation of the prison by a British government official. 'The existence of Guantanamo Bay remains unacceptable,' he said in a speech." (05/10/06)

Hey, who should know better than a Brit Attorney General? After all, everyone agrees that the Brits invented the modern concentration camp in Sud Afrika over 100 years ago. I wonder if a Brit firm lost the contract to operate the place?

US Trade Deficit Unexpectedly Low
BBC
Record exports to China helped produce a surprise fall in the US trade deficit for March - hitting $62bn (£33bn), its lowest level in six months. The Commerce Department said the gap narrowed 5.6% from February, its biggest decline in a year. Market watchers had expected the trade shortfall to grow to about $67bn as a result of higher oil imports. The politically sensitive deficit with China grew to $15.6bn, but US exports to the country hit a record $5bn.

Of course, the way the trade deficit is calculated has about as much tie to reality as inflation rates do to real inflation, as you might have noticed the last time you filled your tank. But still, this sounds like good news.

Mama's Note: Maybe. One of the things that drives this is the growing prosperity and "middle class" in places like China. With higher incomes, they are demanding more goods themselves and prices will rise as the supply is stretched. A recent story told about a growing problem in China for manufacturers who want to hire "cheap labor!" They can't find enough workers anymore and the wages are rising! The chicken littles won't have to worry about "cheap Chinese imports" for too much longer.

If trade was truly free, all would prosper and grow. We live in interesting times...

Al Qaeda Uses Web as 'Virtual Sanctuary,' Experts Say
CNSNews.com
Experts agree that the al Qaeda terrorist network is using cyberspace as a "virtual sanctuary" in order to distribute propaganda, train attackers and gather intelligence on targets. However, those analysts sharply disagree on what -- if anything -- should be done to stop that from happening...

The range of garbage on the Web, including al Qaeda's is amazing. But it can be ignored or sifted through, as we do every day.

Filmmaker Probes Britain's 'Forsaken Promise' to the Jews
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Britain's broken promise to the Jewish people to establish a homeland for them in the early 20th Century contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jews in the Holocaust, the producer of a newly released documentary said...

Speaking of garbage.

Iran Seeks Islamic Nations' Support for Nuclear Stance
CNSNews.com
Iran is looking to a summit of eight key Islamic states on Friday to support its campaign for nuclear technology, while calling for solidarity against Western "hegemony."

I suspect that this is the next step in Iran's little dance to prove to the rest of the Muslim world (the Ummah) that only they are mean and nasty enough to stand up to the Great Satan (the US) and therefore lead the rest of their co-religionists.

Mama's Note: Fortunately, they are all so busy being nasty to each other that there is little danger they'll actually cooperate in this or anything else.