Libertarian Commentary on the News for the week of 23 July to 29 July , --Page 2

WI: Driver won't be charged in shooting
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
"A 35-year-old pizza delivery man who shot a 14-year-old boy he said was trying to rob him won't face criminal charges. Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Irene Parthum, who reviewed the July 14 incident, said Andres Vegas of Cudahy was acting in self-defense when he shot the boy, who himself was wielding a BB gun pistol. Police said at the time that the 14-year-old suffered non-life-threatening wounds to the shoulder, hand and buttock. Parthum also said Vegas, who had been delivering a pizza in the 2400 block of N. 34th St. at the time of the shooting, won't be charged for carrying a concealed firearm because he had been robbed during a delivery last year and, under state weapons law, had a reasonable belief he needed to protect himself." (07/24/06)

Ah, a couple of common sense decisions!

MI: Weekend shooting self-defense
WWMT News
"A weekend shooting that left a Battle Creek man dead appears to be a case of self-defense, police have confirmed. ... Police received a 911 call from a resident saying he'd shot another man. Officers arrived and found 38-year-old David Bailey of Battle Creek dead. Detectives say the 58-year-old homeowner, whose name is not being released, told them Bailey had come to the house with a hammer, looking for money. Neighbors say Bailey attacked the resident with the hammer and a struggle ensued. The resident then shot Bailey in the chest with a .50 caliber muzzle loading rifle." (07/24/06)

Man. Being attacked with a hammer is bad enough. But to have a black-powder rifle as your only self-defense. Whew! I hope the 58-year-old has learned his lesson and gets something a bit easier to handle in a fight. But I'd love to learn the details of just how this fight went.

Mama's Note: I second the motion... A .50 caliber at close range is something else! But I wonder just how many people who own muzzle loaders keep their weapons charged and loaded? That's the weird part.

Who knows?
The Web (anonymous)
(anonymous)
When a man pulled two guns on convenience store clerk Wazir Jiwi and demanded money, Jiwi asked how much he wanted for one of the guns. He said $100, which Jiwi paid him. Then Jiwi offered to buy the second gun. The robber handed it over, grabbed the cash and headed for the exit. But Jiwi had pushed a button under the counter that automatically locked the door. "He turned to me and asked what was going on," Jiwi says. "I told him to bring the money back and I would let him go. He brought the money back, and I opened the door."

This is an apocryphal story that I can't substantiate but is just too good not to share for my usual section on our right to defend ourselves. It could also go into "stupid people tricks." It is just plain a hoot.

CA: Neighbors save boy from roaming dogs
Free Lance Star
"Charges are pending against the owners of two dogs that attacked a 5-year-old boy in Stafford County, authorities said yesterday. Sheriff Charles Jett said the boy suffered bite wounds Sunday, but escaped more serious injury because of the intervention of two neighbors, a federal air marshal and an Alexandria police officer. ... According to Jett, the child was playing in his front yard on Confederate Way in central Stafford about 1:45 p.m. when a German shepherd and the mixed lab began biting him. It was not clear yesterday how long the dogs had been running loose. The air marshal came outside after hearing the child's frantic screams and saw what was happening. He and another neighbor, the Alexandria police officer, kicked the dogs away from the child, allowing him to get into his home." (07/26/06)

Too bad that they didn't have weapons and kill these beasts - having briefly been a dog owner (care giver to you all in California), I see even less reason to allow a dog that will attack a human to live, or even run loose. Wild dogs are a problem in much of the nation, due in large part to a limitation on carrying and discharging weapons (humans are really the only predators these animals face in most areas without large cats or wolves), and to a lack of responsibility on the part of pet owners. I've known people to arm their children as young as 9 or 10 with handguns (not just .22 rifles) to protect against packs.

Mama's Note: As a lifelong dog owner and one time breeder, trainer, I see little difference between irresponsible pet owners and criminals with weapons. Both are immoral, and both give a bad name to an otherwise benign possession. If all such animals were destroyed by their intended victims, there would be far fewer of them in short order.

KY: Man accused of murder cleared
WKYT News
"A Floyd County man accused of murder is cleared after a grand jury did not hand down an indictment. Police say former Luv Homes Manager Mike Kirk shot and killed a man at the dealership in March of last year. Kirk claimed the man, Ronald Dillon, was breaking into the business. Kirk said Dillon told him he had a gun, but police didn't find a gun on Dillon after the shooting. The grand jury report says they think Kirk shot Dillon out of self-defense because he believed his life was in danger." (07/25/06)

I'm glad to hear this. Again, though, I bemoan the fact that it took 16 months! That is criminal in itself.

SC: Store owner fires gun for her safety
WSAV News
"Another dangerous encounter for the owners of a Hardeeville package store resulted in a gunshot Friday. It's the second time in just over a month they had to fire. On June 19th, Greene's Package Shop worker Herb Tolar was robbed at gunpoint and then fired at the man as he ran away. Back then, Tolar told WSAV, 'I thought he was going to kill me. So I was going to kill him. I pursued him outside and I shot to kill. If I see him again, I will blow him away.' And now, the same store, which is on Highway 17 in Hardeeville was the site of another shooting. This time, it was the wife who fired. 'They knew I meant business,' Florence Tolar said, as she remembered the Friday morning encounter." (07/26/06)

Lightning can strike twice, and all people interested in protecting themselves, their homes or businesses, should remember this event.

Mama's Note: I wrote to Claire Wolfe about this interesting similarity in names. She said she actually knew the people in this one, but agreed with me that they need to get serious about self-defense. In her "Hardyville," the clerk would not have missed and would not have waited until the robber was running away. (See Backwoods Home for more of her Hardyville stories.)

House votes to block "emergency" gun thefts
San Diego Union Tribune
"The House voted Tuesday to prevent law enforcement officers from confiscating legally owned guns during a national disaster or emergency. ... The House voted 322-99 in support of the bill. Senators voted 84-16 earlier this month to include a similar prohibition in a homeland security funding bill. The limitation would apply to federal law enforcement or military officers, along with local police that receive federal funds. ... The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed the measure. ... 'A law-abiding citizen who possesses a firearm lawfully represents no danger to law enforcement officers or any other first responder,' Canterbury wrote. The National Rifle Association also supported the bill and has been asking police chiefs and mayors to pledge they will not forcibly disarm law-abiding citizens." (07/25/06)

A tiny touch of wisdom, from a place usually noted for the lack thereof. In a nation where we are trying to form thousands of CERT (Citizens' Emergency Response Teams) the last thing those teams or communities need is a constant nagging fear that some hopped-up cop or bureaucrat is going to decide you shouldn't have your sidearm or rifle..

Mama's Note: And just how will this "law" be enforced? Who is going to actually prevent the local police from confiscating weapons or shooting homeowners who resist? All this can do is sort it out after the fact, perhaps, if the truth is ever really known. Put not your trust in princes... or legislators.

NC: Shooting "may" have been justified
WSOC TV News
"Burke County investigators are trying to determine whether a shooting that left a man dead was in self defense. Authorities said they were called to Wakefield Avenue west of Morganton just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday. They pronounced 30-year-old Neal Michael Cochran dead on a bedroom floor in the home he shared with his wife, Amy, and their two children. He had been shot multiple times, deputies said. Family members said they are surprised that police say Amy Cochran is responsible. ... Deputies said they found Cochran at a neighbor's house suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. She was taken to Grace Hospital by paramedics. Preliminary talks with authorities revealed that Cochran came home around 12:30 a.m. and was confronted by her husband, deputies said. Detective Sgt. Tim Corriveau of the Burke County Sheriff's Office said Neal Cochran began physically assaulting her, and a neighbor witnessed the abuse. He said there was also evidence of a struggle inside the home, which led to the bedroom where Amy Cochran got a handgun. 'It appears that Mrs. Cochran was shot in the leg while she and her husband struggled over the gun,' Corriveau said. Then, Neal Cochran was shot to death. ... Authorities had been called to the house at least three times before. In October 2004, Amy Cochran obtained a domestic violence prevention order against her husband. Then, just two weeks ago, she took out a warrant against her husband for assault on a female. Investigators said she allowed him to return to the residence." (07/27/06)

It may have been self-defense, from the sound of things, but it sounds like this woman was being absolutely stupid - brain dead, even. How could she hope to do anything to protect herself when she invites the jerk back in?

UT: Deadly shooting in RV probed
Deseret News
"Police said about 9:47 p.m. Tuesday, a man had knocked on the door of an RV that was parked overnight in the store parking lot. A family of four from Cane Coral, Fla., was inside. Investigators said the man forced his way into the motor home. 'The tourists inside were in fear for their life,' Sgt. Jerry Womack told the Deseret Morning News on Wednesday. 'There was a scuffle inside the motor home and the man shot (the intruder) in the head with a shotgun.' On Wednesday, detectives were questioning the family, who had been traveling through the area and stopped for the night. ... The Cedar City Police Department said Wednesday it was investigating if the use of deadly force is justified." (07/27/06)

Ugh. Messy. The criminal element seems to be preying on travelers in tourist areas more and more as they seek easier pickings, especially in states like Utah with a strong tradition of gun ownership.

Mama's Note: Seems these folks might just rethink their defensive weapons a bit. A shotgun inside an RV? Whew! They might also rethink how they answer a knock on the door, especially at night. This guy should never have been able to "force his way in."

Stupid Government Tricks
As usual, a good selection of examples comes down this week.

Park Service Repeatedly Warned of Too Few Police Officers
CNSNews.com
U.S. Park Police are "reallocating resources" and asking citizens to "be vigilant" after a series of armed robberies on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. But expert evaluations dating back as far as 1956 have repeatedly warned the National Park Service that its police force did not have enough officers to protect visitors to the nation's historic monuments...

This reminds me of the time that my pocket was picked in front of the Coliseum, in Rome - I got the wallet back from the ten-year-old who tried to filch it, and it was the "public" one anyway, but it should remind us that cops can't stop crime - or even slow it down much. Visitors to the Mall should really be armed themselves, and ready to defend themselves and others. Police wouldn't be needed, if DC gun laws were abolished.

Mama's Note: How many pickpockets do you suppose you'd find at a gun range...?

Group decries Bush's law interpretations
Cambridge Daily-Jeff
"President Bush's penchant for writing exceptions to laws he has just signed violates the Constitution, an American Bar Association task force says in a report highly critical of the practice. The ABA group, which includes a one-time FBI director and former federal appeals court judge, said the president has overstepped his authority in attaching challenges to hundreds of new laws." (07/23/06)

Another voice chimes in - but how can we view the ABA as any more moral or trustworthy than the Bush administration?

Mama's Note: The "hundreds of new laws" are every bit as much a violation of our liberty and justice as anything Bush is doing. The pot calling the kettle black...

Inquiry: Secret bills aided Cunningham
CNN
"An independent investigation has found that imprisoned former Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham took advantage of secrecy and badgered congressional aides to help slip items into classified bills that would benefit him and his associates. The finding comes from Michael Stern, an outside investigator hired by the House Intelligence Committee to look into how Cunningham was able to carry out the scheme." (07/23/06)

The only thing we can trust politicians to do is to be untrustworthy and crooked.

Specter preps bill to sue Bush
Kannapolis Independent Tribune
"A powerful Republican committee chairman who has led the fight against President Bush's signing statements said Monday he would have a bill ready by the end of the week allowing Congress to sue him in federal court. 'We will submit legislation to the United States Senate which will ... authorize the Congress to undertake judicial review of those signing statements with the view to having the president's acts declared unconstitutional,' Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said on the Senate floor." (07/24/06)

Excuse me, but if it takes a law to let Congress sue the President, what are they going to do if he just vetoes the bill? This seems like another example of grandstanding - when a simple request from his committee would be all that was needed to go to the Supreme Court.

Mama's Note: All that would be needed to bring Bush to heel is for congress to quit funding his insanity. Without the money, he's powerless to do anything. Of course, they are not about to do any such thing because it would cut their own throats as well. A pox on both their houses.

Congressman jokes about cocaine on TV
Kankakee Daily Journal
"Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler says he was just playing along with the joke when comedian Stephen Colbert prodded him in an interview to say: 'I enjoy cocaine because it's a fun thing to do.' The Florida congressman who is unchallenged for reelection appeared on Colbert's Comedy Central show and was asked to say a few things that would 'really lose the election for you if you were contested.'" (07/24/06)

AND Stupid People Trick, too. Guy is an idiot.

MA: Big Dig chief sues to block ouster
Kokomo Tribune
"The head of the agency that oversees the troubled Big Dig highway project filed suit Monday seeking to prevent the governor from ousting him from his $223,000-a-year job. In the lawsuit, Matt Amorello asks a justice of the Supreme Judicial Court to block Gov. Mitt Romney from demoting him as chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. The suit also seeks to prevent a hearing from taking place where the governor would act as judge and jury in seeking Amorello's ouster." (07/24/06)

Are civil servants entitled to "due process" when being fired? Especially when they are incompetent and nasty things happen on their watch? I don't know, but I think the solution in this case would be to extend the investigation of the woman killed by falling concrete right to the MTA's head office - and arrest him and charge him with conspiracy to murder.

Probes may test Bechtel's clout
Boston Globe
"Bechtel Corp., one of the world's largest construction and engineering firms, has few equals when it comes to wielding political power and fending off enemies. The company and its management partners on Boston's $14.6 billion Big Dig hired a team of deeply connected lobbyists and lawyers to help it influence local and state officials. It enjoyed minimal state oversight and denied responsibility for cost overruns and leaky tunnels. When Bechtel finally faced scrutiny from state officials in recent years, the company was accused of stonewalling investigators and sued to block release of negative information. Now Bechtel faces the biggest test of its political influence and legal strategies in Massachusetts, after concrete ceiling panels collapsed in the Interstate 90 connector tunnel and killed Milena Del Valle, a motorist." [Editor's note: How about a cage-match between Bechtel's CEO ... and Halliburton's ... with ticket proceeds going for reparations to Iraqis and repairs on the "Chunnel?" - SAT] (07/24/06)

Second story this week about this long-running sore in Mass. Big contractors (like Bechtel or Halliburton or GE or Boeing or GM or.), and big government (like Mass or DC or the Feds), are naturally incestuous and mutually parasitic, and just a single death is seldom enough to even temporarily disrupt the relationship.

Marines recognize new kind of fighting
Los Angeles Times
"To the outside world, it may seem but a bit of brightly colored ribbon. But to Marines, the Combat Action Ribbon is greatly prized as proof they were in the fight, rather than in the rear with the gear. 'It's a badge of honor,' said attorney Paul Geitner, a former Marine. 'A Marine can wear it on his chest, and he doesn't have to say a thing. The ribbon says it all.' The rules for awarding the ribbon, which also can be given to sailors and Coast Guard personnel, were written in an era when war meant firefights -- unlike the Iraqi insurgency, which employs roadside bombs and mortars and hides among civilians." (07/24/06)

As near as I can figure out, this is the USMC equal of the US Army's Combat Infantry Badge and similar things - something I didn't really think the MarCorps was into or needed.

Mama's Note: My late husband, a 20 year Navy veteran in the 50s and 60s, had a drawer full of such trinkets, and he despised them all in the end. I'm sure this "ribbon" is a tremendous comfort to the parents and families of those who have been killed or maimed for life in this insanity.

House approves India nuclear deal
MSNBC
"The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow U.S. shipments of civilian nuclear fuel and technology to India, handing President Bush a major victory on one of his top foreign policy initiatives. Rep. Tom Lantos said the proposal, which reverses decades of U.S. anti-proliferation policy, is 'a tidal shift in relations between India and the United States.'" (07/26/06)

I don't know who is more stupid - the Administration, the Congress, or New Delhi.

Dean calls Iraqi PM an 'anti-Semite'
APN
"Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean on Wednesday called Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki an 'anti-Semite' for failing to denounce Hezbollah for its attacks against Israel. Al-Maliki has condemned Israel's offensive, prompting several Democrats to boycott his address to a joint meeting of Congress and others to criticize him. Dean's comments were the strongest to date." (07/26/06)

Bizarre - but then what do you expect coming from Dean?

Family plans lawsuit in tunnel tragedy
Boston Globe
"The family of Milena Del Valle will soon file a wrongful death lawsuit against the state agencies and private companies that designed and built the Big Dig tunnel where she was killed when concrete ceiling panels plummeted onto her car, the family's lawyers said yesterday. Del Valle's husband, Angel, has hired a prominent Boston lawyer, Jeffrey A. Denner, while Del Valle's three children, who live in Costa Rica, have hired Florida lawyers Alan Goldfarb and David H. Gold. The lawyers met in Denner's Boston office yesterday to map out a common strategy. 'There will be a collaborative effort,' Denner said. He said that Angel Del Valle hopes money from the lawsuit could finance a foundation in his wife's memory that would help make sure no one else is killed under similar circumstances." (07/26/06)

I do get sick of greed masquerading as benevolence, which seems to be the case here. I also find it odd that the news stories initially played up the "Mother of Three Killed" only to find out that her children are grown and live in Florida - where they too seem to be quite greedy.

Senate takes up Bolton confirmation
Fox News
"The Bush administration and GOP leaders on Thursday renewed their push for Senate approval of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador. Democrats maintained he is too brash and ineffective to be confirmed. The sharp division all but guaranteed that lawmakers were headed toward another partisan showdown in the full Senate, although Democrats would not say whether their opposition would amount to a filibuster, as it did last year. A Senate vote on Bolton could come as early as September, just as election season heats up with Bush's foreign policy a major issue for voters." (07/27/06)

No lover of the Bush Administration, I think it is kind of neat to have a feisty guy like Bolton in this position, and wish he would be even more brash.

Don't ask, don't tell, even in Arabic
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"A decorated sergeant and Arabic language specialist was dismissed from the U.S. Army under the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, though he says he never told his superiors he was gay and his accuser was never identified. Bleu Copas, 30, told The Associated Press he is gay, but said he was 'outed' by a stream of anonymous e-mails to his superiors in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. ... The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, established in 1993, prohibits the military from inquiring about the sex lives of service members, but requires discharges of those who openly acknowledge being gay." (07/27/06)

The policy doesn't limit "don't tell" to superiors, and if he'd denied the charge, he'd have been able to confront his accuser (assuming he was identified), under the UCMJ: his admission was NOT in his own best interest if he wanted to stay in the service.

House: More urgency needed in intelligence
Murfreesboro Daily News Journal
"Sweeping reforms to the nation's intelligence system after the 9/11 attacks have done little to improve information-sharing or generate a greater sense of urgency among U.S. intelligence agencies, a House report concluded Thursday. The report by the House Select Intelligence Committee also gave National Intelligence Director John Negroponte a tepid review after 15 months on the job, noting he 'is trying to do a little of everything, which slows down improvements in key areas.'" (07/27/06)

How about a little intelligence to go along with their urgency? Sounds too much like panic to me.

Mama's Note: I'm sure it would be impossible for anyone to seriously reform any such government agency or group of them. There are too many fannies to be kissed, and any real action to clean up things would step on too many toes. Anyone who truly was willing to get something serious done in this kind of situation would find himself tossed out fast, or possibly dead. There is no way to "reform" government, any more than there is a way to spice up rotten meat to be wholesome. You might cover the taste, but the rotten mess is just as deadly - or even more so.

House GOP pressing vote on minimum wage
Fremont News-Messenger
"House Republican leaders, giving in to political reality, plan a vote to raise the $5.15 minimum wage before leaving Washington this weekend for a five-week recess. 'Whether people like it or not, we need to go ahead with it,' said Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., who supports the idea. 'There's a general agreement among Republicans (opposing the raise) that maybe we don't like it much, but we need to move forward with it just for political reasons.'" (07/27/06)

Have you ever read a more foolish-sounding argument? Especially in a so-called democracy?

Mama's Note: The "democracy" is exactly the problem here. These people are able and willing to provide the "bread and circus" even though they know very well the damage it will do to those they are pretending to "help."

Japan lifts ban on US beef imports
Mattoon Journal Gazette-Times-Courier
"Japan on Thursday announced the resumption of U.S. beef imports, ending a ban imposed over concerns about mad cow disease and removing a strain in relations with Washington. The U.S. Ambassador immediately welcomed the move, which reopens Japan's lucrative market to a select list of U.S. meat exporters, saying that it resolved an issue of primary importance to the United States." (07/27/06)

So maybe a crisis is resolved, but it was a crisis caused by panic and a lack of knowledge in the first place.

Stupid People Tricks
People are funny - and we cannot, it seems, direct our own steps in groups bigger than a nuclear family (and even then, it is a major challenge to do so. And we have to abide by the electoral decisions of these folks? Please!

Political flap dents size, not enthusiasm, of Chicks' crowd
Tennessean
"Gino Lalli of Lincoln Park, Mich., wore a shirt that read, 'Git-R-Done,' a souvenir from a concert involving favored red-state comedian Larry The Cable Guy. 'To me, the politics and the music should be separate,' said Lalli, an avowed country music fan, just before the Dixie Chicks took the stage Friday night at Joe Louis Arena. The occasion was the first North American stop on their Accidents and Accusations tour, which is slated to dock in Nashville on Oct. 3. The politics and the music, of course, are not separate. If they were, even a concert by the Chicks - one of the most popular female groups ever - would not be a particularly notable event. But since Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines criticized President Bush from a stage in England in 2003, in the days before the Iraq war, the Chicks have been the biggest country act to go unheard on country radio. Programmers don't want to offend listeners' sensibilities, whether musical or political, and so the Chicks have been brushed aside." [FND Editor's note: Thereby demonstrating both the myopia and the sheer idiocy of commercially packaged radio.- SAT] (07/23/06)

I have to disagree with Steve's assessment - despite the increasing polarization in this country, the commercial radio stations know that there are enough supporters of the government and the Iraqi occupation to kill their advertising revenues with some relatively small boycotts. Thus, avoiding a group like this is not shortsighted, just the same sort of risk-avoidance that any multinational practices every day, when the next quarter's revenues are the bottom line. If, IF, there were a free market in radio programming, there would be a few brave or quixotic souls willing to play and pay - but that is not the case.

Peace prize winner "could kill" Bush
The Australian
"Nobel peace laureate Betty Williams displayed a flash of her feisty Irish spirit yesterday, lashing out at US President George W. Bush during a speech to hundreds of schoolchildren. Campaigning on the rights of young people at the Earth Dialogues forum, being held in Brisbane, Ms Williams spoke passionately about the deaths of innocent children during wartime, particularly in the Middle East, and lambasted Mr. Bush. 'I have a very hard time with this word 'nonviolence', because I don't believe that I am nonviolent,' said Ms Williams, 64. 'Right now, I would love to kill George Bush.' Her young audience at the Brisbane City Hall clapped and cheered. ... Ms Williams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 30 years ago, when she circulated a petition to end violence in Northern Ireland after witnessing British soldiers shoot dead an IRA member who was driving a car." (07/24/06)

If you ever had any doubts about the Nobel Peace Prize, this ought to cap the lot - of course, Arafat got it, and I think Kissinger got it, and the blood on their hands is in the millions of pints. What I want to know is, if this woman, who has just made a credible threat against the US President, is going to show up on the no-fly list - or will it simply continue to be people taking pictures in airplanes? Actually, for that matter, I wonder if the US is going to file extradition papers to get this woman brought here and tried, as others who have threatened the president far less explicitly, have been tried. (And of course, will Whitehall cooperate?)

Mama's Note: So, what kind of "peace" does this idiot propose? There is the peace of mutual respect and liberty, the "peace" of slavery (such as the Romans imposed), and the peace of death (at least for the dead).

Which one of you is doing this?
Living the Scientific Life
"Police in Germany are hunting pranksters who have been sticking miniature flag portraits of George W. Bush into piles of dog poo in public parks. 'This has been going on for about a year now, and there must be 2,000 to 3,000 piles of excrement that have been claimed during that time,' said Josef Oettl, parks administrator for Bayreuth. The series of incidents was originally thought to be some sort of protest against the US-led invasion of Iraq. But then when it continued, it was thought to be a protest against George W. Bush's campaign for reelection. But it is still going on and the police say they are completely baffled as to who is to blame." (07/24/06)

And also a stupid government trick - why waste the time of the cops, who surely have donuts to eat and coffee to drink? Such childish acts do nothing except to discredit serious opponents.

UK: Hooked on handsets
Ananova [UK]
"Eight out of 10 adults are so addicted to their mobiles they can't turn them off during sex. The majority of adults questioned said they could not get through a day without their phone. Social anthropologist Kate Fox said: 'They have restored our sense of community and provided a highly effective antidote to the pressures and alienation of modern life.' Most of the 18 to 40 age group said a mobile has improved their lives reports the Mirror. A quarter of the 16,500 questioned said they would feel isolated if they lost their mobile and nine per cent said would be unable to carry on normally." [FND Editor's note: This may well be the most depressing story in today's news - MLS] (07/24/06)

I don't know if depressing is quite the right word. In fact, the need to be in constant contact with friends and loved ones is generally considered to be a good thing - and since people listen to the radio, leave the TV on, and do all sorts of other weird things during sex, how is leaving the cellphone on a bad thing. (Come to think of it, how many people go around and disconnect their land-line phone or turn off the doorbell to their house when they are "getting frisky?" Not many, I suspect.) I know that for work AND family (not that either are normal for me), not having a way to get hold of or be contacted by family for much of the day would be a bad thing. Technology is not wrong or evil.

New Zealand: Dressing up for court
Ananova [UK]
"A male New Zealand lawyer has started wearing a skirt and blouse in court in protest at the male-dominated judiciary. Bald and moustachioed Rob Moodie, 67, also carries a handbag to complement his outfit at Wellington's High Court. He told the Dominion Post: 'I will now, as a lawyer, be wearing women's clothing. The deeper the cover-up, the prettier the frocks.'" (07/26/06)

A real nutcase, indeed. Fortunately, he isn't like at least 2% of his colleagues.

Mama's Note: I don't see how this moron's choice of clothing will influence young women to take up the practice of law, or inspire them to pursue a judiciary career, let alone change the "good old boy's club" of the current set up.

TX: Sheehan buys land in Crawford
Fox News
"War protester Cindy Sheehan has purchased a 5-acre plot in Crawford with some of the insurance money she received after her son was killed in Iraq. The group she helps lead, Gold Star Families for Peace, says on its Web site that it will return next month to the small town near Waco where President Bush has a ranch. Like last year, Sheehan will again demand to meet with the president. 'We decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's resignation or impeachment, which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world,' Sheehan, whose oldest son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004, said in a newsletter set to be sent to supporters Thursday. 'I can't think of a better way to use Casey's insurance money than for peace, and I am sure that Casey approves.'" (07/27/06)

Hmm. You would think with all her supporters, she'd not have had to use the insurance money to do something like this.

Theft by Government
I started this section by talking about eminent domain (which is still an issue and on which I have an article this week) - but I've expanded it to address tax issues and lawsuits and other actions that governments do that steals money from either their own citizens or others.

Bloomberg mob wants its protection money
Klamath Falls Herald and News
"[New York City] sued seven tobacco wholesalers on Monday, claiming they distributed cigarettes on Indian reservations without collecting tens of millions of dollars in taxes. A complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn alleges that the wholesalers -- six in New York state and one in Vermont -- routinely sell cigarettes at about a 50 percent discount by excluding $35 per carton in taxes. New York state and local governments estimate they lose [sic] more than $500 million a year from untaxed cigarettes." (07/24/06)

This doesn't even make sense! I suppose he'll sue them for selling cigarettes in SD or KS or NC or Cuba next, where taxes are only a fraction of the thieving New York City rate. Why, NYC might be "losing" BILLIONS!

Mama's Note: This is an example of the politician's belief that all of the money and productivity in the country actually belongs to the "state," first and that those who produce it should be happy with whatever they are allowed to use. Can you imagine the squealing of the pigs if every smoker in New York decided to quit rather than continue to feed this monster? Suppose they all voted with their feet and just left NY altogether? Dream on...

540,000 New Yorkers at risk of identity theft
MSNBC
"The names, addresses and Social Security numbers of as many as 540,000 injured workers have been lost, and the state and a contracted company are trying to protect the workers from identity theft. In New York, company and state officials said Monday that the data was on computer hardware that is missing from a secured facility of the company, Chicago-based CS Stars, an independent insurance brokerage." (07/24/06)

Once more, government regulations and immoral, if not illegal, use of social security account numbers, have placed the lives and wealth of thousands of people at risk, thanks to carelessness. Carelessness we will always have with us, but the need to keep this data is quite squarely the government's fault.

Mama's Note: It would be a moot point if nobody gave them this information in the first place. They can't be "careless" with something they don't have.

Court ruling says city can't take property
USA Today
"The city of Norwood cannot take property by eminent domain to give to a private developer, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. In holding parts of Ohio's eminent domain law un- constitutional, the state's highest court set a different course than the U.S. Supreme Court did in its Kelo v. New London decision last year. There, the Supreme Court ruled that a Connecticut city's taking of property for economic development was constitutional -- but made clear that state constitutions could set different standards." (07/26/06)

This appears to be due more to the wisdom of Ohio's Founders than of this current court and governments - especially in Ohio, which is certainly in the top 10 of "unfree states."

Mama's Note: Just as with "Prop 13" that limited California property taxes for a little while, government will always find a new way around such minor blocks eventually. The people of this country will not have ANY true property rights until they take back complete responsibility for their own lives. Take a look at what the UN and your governments have cooked up to control your property. Control is ownership.

Chicago city council OKs 'living wage'
Sharon Herald
"Brushing aside warnings from Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the City Council approved an ordinance Wednesday that makes Chicago the biggest city in the nation to require big-box retailers to pay a 'living wage.' The ordinance, which passed 35-14 after three hours of impassioned debate, requires mega-retailers to pay wages of at least $10 an hour plus $3 in fringe benefits by mid-2010. It would only apply to companies with more than $1 billion in annual sales and stores of at least 90,000 square feet." (07/26/06)

Gee - wonder how many of those type "mom-and-pop" stores Chi-town has? After the way Daley's thugs have treated businesses like Wal-Mart, I think that the businesses ought to boycott the city - shut down their stores and move out of the City. I suspect that Daley and cronies might look at Wal-Mart and company a bit differently.

Mama's Note: I suspect they will probably close eventually, but in the meantime they'll most likely have to let go all of the old folks and "developmentally delayed" young people who previously rounded up carts and greeted people at the door. WalMart will have to go "do it yourself" for such things as customer service. What a shame, especially for the newly unemployed...

Technology and Medical Issues
Let's look at a wide variety of issues this week.

High-tech cloning
Reuters
"With the debate over genetic cloning in full swing, hackers could not have cared less at a conference in New York City, where two presenters demonstrated the electronic equivalent of making a copy of an implanted RFID or radio frequency ID chip. The point was to show just how easy it is to fool a detection device that purports to uniquely identify any individual." (07/22/06)

Action and counteraction. Good. Now maybe we can drop this stupid idea of using RFID to track anything that is more important than a crate of breakfast cereal.

Mama's Note: Oh good! There are a lot of things you just can't put in the microwave. I wonder how soon it will be before such "chip zappers" are on the market? I'll buy one.

Healing power of electricity raises hope of new treatments
Guardian [UK]
"Scientists have found how the body harnesses the power of electricity to heal cuts and grazes -- an effect they manipulated to speed up wound healing dramatically. In what amounts to the modern rediscovery of an old medical curiosity, the finding raises hopes for revolutionary treatments to patch up injured patients in hours instead of days. In preliminary lab tests, researchers showed that by controlling the weak electrical fields that arise naturally at wound sites, they could direct cells to either close or open up a wound at the flick of a switch. By making the cells move faster, they were able to speed up wound healing by 50%." (07/26/06)

Although this is reported in the UK, they seem to be unaware of the use of such treatments in Germany for decades.

Mama's Note: They also seem unaware that the Chinese were using this, without machinery, at least 5,000 years ago. We have an even more efficient and user friendly way to health and healing today, again without machines. Take a look at this.

Google opens the window on click fraud
San Francisco Chronicle
"Google Inc. said Tuesday that it plans to be more transparent with advertisers about a problem known as click fraud, reversing a policy of secrecy that left many advertisers in the dark about whether they were victims of scammers. The change by the Mountain View Web giant is intended to combat increasing fears that advertisers are paying -- in some cases thousands of dollars -- for bogus clicks on their ads. Click fraud occurs when scammers repeatedly click on ads to cause a rival company to be overcharged by Google, the world's most popular search engine. In another incarnation, the ads are placed on Web sites, where site operators click on the links to increase what Google pays them as part of an arrangement to share revenue." (07/26/06)

This smells very much like fraud to me, and clearly, the company should 'fess up if they think it is happening, especially when it is on their customers' dime.

Mama's Note: If this is truly a problem, the market will evolve a better way to handle things - if left alone to work, of course. If Google or the others refuse to fix the problem or cooperate, they will simply lose their share of the market. That's the way it is supposed to work everywhere.

Ethanol's rise prompts worries of a corn crunch
Christian Science Monitor
"Iowa's corn fields may seem like endless green oceans, but if dozens of new corn-to-ethanol biorefineries now in development are all built, they could swallow most of the state's corn crop. Amid America's rush to replace gasoline with homegrown alternatives like corn-based ethanol, some researchers worry that the results may benefit motorists at the expense of higher food costs and fewer US crop exports. It also raises ethical and environmental questions about the best uses of crop land. Fresh signs of ethanol's new economic impact are expected soon. After languishing for years, corn prices are projected to rise about 25 percent from around $2.00 a bushel currently to $2.45 a bushel this next crop year, reports the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). But as ethanol demand for corn kicks in, prices could go much higher in the future depending on gasoline prices. Meat and grocery prices could eventually rise as well, some analysts say." (07/26/06)

Considering that we have, as a nation, been paying corn farmers in Iowa, Nebraska, and elsewhere NOT to grow corn, I think this little article is another example of CSM doing a poor job of reporting and concentrating on fearmongering.

Mama's Note: I suspect those farmers would much rather continue to be paid for NOT farming. Why work that hard if you don't have to, and it will keep the price of the stuff they do grow going ever upward without any effort as well. The same goes for a lot of industry in this country, of course. Such a deal!

Glaxo: Human bird-flu vaccine by 2007?
Fox News
"GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday that it may be able to produce a human bird flu vaccine in mass quantities by 2007, following encouraging results from a clinical trial. The prototype vaccine, which could potentially be used during a pandemic caused by H5N1, uses low doses of its active ingredient, meaning that greater quantities could be produced. The vaccine uses an inactivated strain of H5N1, isolated in Indonesia. ... Using a proprietary adjuvant -- one to which it own the rights -- GlaxoSmithKline has apparently succeeded in producing an effective vaccine using a very low dose of antigen." [Editor's note: Note the last sentence. While there continues to be no proven link to human-to-human transmission, and scientists say mutation would be required for such, these Big Pharma goons (with the help of their media handmaidens) continue to plot how they can profit from the fear. - SAT] (07/26/06)

This may be the opposite of fear-mongering: exaggerating the possibility of resolving a major issue. Of course, the entire panic over bird flu sounds fairly panicky as it is: there are some serious questions that have NOT been asked regarding the threat and whether it really exists, as Steve points out? We should remember that just as advertising and media campaigns have gotten amazingly sophisticated over the past several decades (look at an old Jack Benny show and the ad segments and compare to a typical 30-minute slice of 2006 Network TV), so have scams - especially those by government agencies and big business.

Mama's Note: Since it would take a mutant virus to actually threaten human populations, it seems obvious that any vaccine produced BEFORE this mutant evolves is a total waste of time. Fortunately, you don't have to wait for that to happen to begin to protect yourself. Your own immune system is by far the best protection you can have from any infection, and the better you prepare it now, the longer you will live in good health.

The War on Some Drugs and other Drug Issues
Lets discuss some disturbing news in this area.

VA: Teen faces forced medication by gov-goons
World Net Daily
The father of a Virginia teen seeking an alternative treatment for his cancer says a social worker has threatened to use force to take the boy away from the family for court-ordered chemotherapy. Appearing on Sean Hannity's national radio program, Jay Cherrix said, "When the social-service worker came and interviewed me, I told him how Abraham felt and about how we had met a person who had been cured by this [alternative treatment] and how we were supporting Abraham's decision. I said, 'What will you do with my little boy? [sixteen years old] Will you take him somewhere and strap him down and put duct tape on his mouth and pump full of this stuff if he doesn't want it?' "He said, 'No, I will come to your house with a uniformed officer, and I will take your son by force if he resists. And I will take him to somebody who will do that.'

The rights of a child to refuse forced medical assistance had, I thought, been well established in this nation, but apparently not. Hannity says he can't believe it: but believe it, Sean, that IS the kind of country we live in, where a government bureaucrat can forcibly seize you AT GUNPOINT and force medication into your body, just as they can seize you and lock you up for taking medicine without their blessing.

Mama's Note: A follow-up story indicates that this story isn't finished. Click here for updates on the situation. A judge has canceled the forced medication, for now, and has reversed the "shared custody" order as well. The national attention this story received is most likely the reason for the changes, but don't hold your breath...

62 charged in smuggling of African plant
Arizona Republic
"Federal prosecutors charged 62 people Wednesday with smuggling more than 25 tons of the African plant khat into the United States, where it's used as an illegal stimulant. The group is accused of smuggling bundles of the plant from Africa through Europe into immigrant communities in Minnesota, Washington, Illinois, Ohio, Maine, Massachusetts, Utah and Washington, D.C., from December 2004 to July 2006. Federal agents are investigating allegations that the group may have links to warlords in the Horn of Africa region, which covers Somalia and Ethiopia. By late Wednesday afternoon, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI had arrested 45 people, including 10 in Minneapolis and 12 in Seattle. Users chew the plant, experiencing euphoria and side effects that can include hallucinations and outbursts of violence, according to the DEA."

Twenty-five tons? That is quite a bit. As are the claims of "outbursts of violence" - a claim which has accompanied virtually EVERY ethnic group and unusual stimulant introduced into this country. If tobacco hadn't become so widespread in Europe BEFORE the BATF was invented, no doubt it would be blamed for the massacres of settlers by Indian raiders. I can picture the headlines: "Indians Hopped Up on Tobacco Kill Brazos Settlers" and "Braves Stoked Courage and Rage with Tobacco Binge Before Massacre" (Dateline: Bismarck, D.T. The distinctive smell of burning tobacco drifted above thousands of Sioux and Cheyenne lodges as they prepared to lure General George A. Custer and 500 men of the Seventh Cavalry to their dooms.)

Mama's Note: ROFL!!! Gee, I've been drinking chamomile tea for many years and have never had an "outburst of violence" yet... I wonder how you manage euphoria and rage all at the same time??? I must not be doing it right.

Colombia cracks down on cash smuggling
Christian Science Monitor
"For Colombian police, detecting travelers smuggling drugs to the United States and Europe has become routine. But now they are turning their attention to travelers coming into Colombia, not with drugs but with hundreds of thousands of dollars and euros, believed to be profits from the illegal drug trade. Last week, police at Bogota's international airport nabbed a man arriving on a flight from Mexico who had strapped $748,000 in crisp $100 bills to his body inside a formfitting Lycra girdle. It's part of a new trend known as bulk cash smuggling, and may signal growing difficulties drug traffickers have in laundering their proceeds from the US and Europe, where regulatory agencies have tightened controls on large-scale money transfers, according to the US embassy in Bogota." (07/27/06)

I guess you do have to be pretty desperate to try and hide three-quarters of a million dollars on your body. Chalk up another "unintended consequence" of the War on Some Drugs - people smuggling money. If the Dutch had laws like this back in the 1600s, Manhattan would still be an Indian reservation - Pete Minut wouldn't have had enough legal money to buy it.

The World Wars in General
Around the world, liberty is at stake on front lines in a dozen different ways, in a hundred nations.

The man who tracked Cambodia's war crimes
Christian Science Monitor
"Youk Chhang has come a long way since the day he stood outside the Texas A&M campus in College Station waving a cardboard sign that read 'Stop the Cambodian Killing.' Back then -- it was 1987 -- if Chhang could convince just three people to listen to what he had to say about the crimes of the former Khmer Rouge regime, he was having a good day. ... His life's work has come to fruition with the swearing in this month of 17 Cambodian and 10 international judges to form the Khmer Rouge tribunal. As the investigative phase gets under way, the judges are expected to begin indicting the surviving leaders -- one of whom died Friday -- for the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians during the 1975-1979 Pol Pot regime." (07/24/06)

Sometimes it takes a very long time to get the ball rolling. And despite this man devoting his efforts to this for much of his life, you have to ask: are the people of Cambodia more free as a result of his work? Or could he have done something that would more directly help his people find and keep liberty? Revenge does little for one's liberty.

Mama's Note: The same is true of every ethnic group that has ever faced tyranny and oppression - almost every person on earth at one time or another. History can't be replayed and fixed to suit anyone, however righteous their grief. The only good we can do is to work together to prevent more of the same from happening in the present and future. As always, only the careful observance of the non-aggression principle and acceptance of personal responsibility for our actions can make this happen. We can't be responsible for what others do, but we MUST take responsibility for our own actions and choices, no matter what happened in the past.

Global trade talks collapse over farm aid
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake
"WTO members called a halt to more than five years of commerce liberalization talks Monday as differences over farm aid proved unbridgeable. Pascal Lamy, director-general of the World Trade Organization, said a deal billed as a recipe for lifting millions of people worldwide out of poverty would not be reached by the end of the year and there was no new timetable for completing the round." (07/24/06)

I don't believe either side of this argument.

Mama's Note: Just as with the farmers being paid not to grow corn in Iowa, such things are going on all over the world. In their mistaken efforts (even where they are honestly mistaken and not totally corrupt) they have no understanding of how the truly free market would bring peace and prosperity to everyone. Socialism and welfare have distorted the whole economy of the world so much that few people have any idea of the truth. Hopefully, they will learn as the world economy collapses and it can be renewed in peace and freedom. But don't hold your breath...

UN to US: Shut down gulag
Scotsman [UK]
"A U.N. human rights body told Washington on Friday that any 'secret detention' centres the United States was operating abroad violated international law and should be shut immediately. Saying it had 'credible and uncontested' reports of such jails, the Human Rights Committee said the United States appeared to have been detaining people 'secretly and in secret places for months and years.'" (07/27/06)

This sounds just as much like propaganda as anything the FedGov puts out. But when you consider who is on this so-pure committee, you have to admit that they are certainly likely to be experts on secret detentions and prisons.

US ready to talk, North Korea not
Houston Chronicle
"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, brushing aside North Korea's latest statement refusing to take part in multinational talks on its nuclear weapons program, said Friday the United States is 'ready at any time' to go back to negotiations in that format. Appearing before reporters at a summit here of Asian nations not long after North Korea served fresh notice here of its position, Rice reiterated the Bush administration view that a series of missile launch tests in early July was 'a dangerous act.'" (07/27/06)

Apparently not enough money is on the table yet for North Korea to "reluctantly" agree to be bought off by the world community again. As one analyst pointed out, these missiles are not really a serious threat even to Japan - even our relatively primitive and untested BMD are probably capable of dealing with them. Nor are "suitcase" nukes or nukes in MILVANS (shipping containers) a real threat - they are too easy to get lost or be found. If North Korea were really serious about attacking the US, they'd be developing a warhead for the many SCUDs they have, and planning to launch them from a commercial ship or trawler 200 miles off the US coast. This is still about extorting money, not really attacking the US or even Japan.