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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 15 -21 July 2007
Did anyone remember to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the first
landing of humans on the Moon this week? Sadly, most of our attention
was on things here on earth, where it was pretty much business as usual.
Personally,
I’ve had another week of getting jerked around by government agencies
at several different levels, for several different projects and reasons,
so if my comments about government seem a bit nastier than usual, you
readers will know why!
City slickers:
NY:
Steam pipe blast shakes Manhattan
Guardian [UK]
“A massive geyser of steam and debris that erupted through a midtown
Manhattan street left asbestos in the dust that settled, but city officials
said Thursday that tests indicated the air was safe of the carcinogen.
Tests were continuing, but the city’s Office of Emergency Management
said in a statement that long-term health problems were ‘unlikely.’
Streets around the crater left after the 83-year-old steam pipe ruptured
near Grand Central Terminal were still closed Thursday morning, creating
near-gridlock. Streams of New Yorkers walked down Park Avenue, some wearing
masks to filter the air. Clumps of office workers, BlackBerries in hand,
huddled on street corners for word on whether their offices would open.
The loud, rumbling eruption broke windows and rattled buildings as the
broken pipe spewed steam, dirt and debris into the air. One woman died
of an apparent heart attack, and about 30 people were injured, at least
four seriously.” (07/19/07)
You want
to believe the NYC government? Good luck. Of course, I have very little
sympathy for anyone who still lives in NYC after all these decades; you
are everyone’s target in the most blatant police-state of any large
city in the nation.
Culture
wars:
Islamic creationist’s book sent
round the world
New York Times
“In the United States, opposition to the teaching of evolution
in public schools has largely been fueled by the religious right, particularly
Protestant fundamentalism. … Now another voice is entering the debate,
in dramatic fashion. It is the voice of Adnan Oktar of Turkey, who, under
the name Harun Yahya, has produced numerous books, videos and DVDs on
science and faith, in particular what he calls the ‘deceit’
inherent in the theory of evolution. [Atlas of Creation] … is turning
up, unsolicited, in mailboxes of scientists around the country and members
of Congress, and at science museums in places like Queens and Bemidji,
Minn.” (07/17/07)
Muslims
(like the LDS) ARE people of the Book, after all – they just believe
that THEIR book (the Quran) supplants the Bible; so this is perfectly
logical. What I am curious to see is if the public schools and courts
treat Islamic teaching of creationism differently or the same as the abuse
they heap on creationism when it comes from Christian voices and sources.
After all, in school district after school district where traditional
Christian practices such as Christmas, Easter, quoting of Scripture, etc.
is forbidden under penalty of law, traditional Islamic practices are tolerated,
and indeed, in some cases, encouraged.
Economy:
Wal-Mart tests Bible action figures
in stores
CNN Money
“Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Tuesday it will test sales in some
stores of biblical action figures whose makers say they are aimed at Christian
parents who prefer their children play with Samson, David or Noah rather
than with a comic book character or Bratz doll. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa
O’Brien said the toys made by One2believe, a Valencia, Calif., company,
will be offered in 425 of Wal-Mart’s 3,376 discount stores and Supercenters.
One2believe Chief Executive David Socha said his products were part of
a ‘battle for the toybox’ with dolls and figures that he said
carry negative messages. ‘If you’re very religious, it’s
a battle for your children’s minds and what they’re playing
with and pretending. There are remakes out there of Satan and evil things,’
Socha said.” [Editor’s note: … No on second thought
… no comment needed - SAT] (07/17/07)
This strikes
me as very silly, especially when you start talking about Samson and Delilah
action figures: what is next, Sodom and Gommorah action figures? At the
same time as we will see the rapid commercialization of still more of
the Bible, we will see that mass merchandising will have the same negative
effect as it has on everything else it corrupts.
Mama's
Note: Yes, silly and ultimately destructive. My sister and I had mostly
home made rag dolls as youngsters, and most of our play was with things
we invented or cooking and sewing with our mother. We played cowboys and
indians with the neighborhood children, and street or vacant lot baseball.
My own boys were blessed with a small farm full of animals and good, healthy
work to help produce the good things they ate. Commercial "toys"
have replaced all that for most children now, and we all are much poorer
for it.
Freedom
to travel:
‘Social
Mapping’ Comes to Cell Phones
C NS News
Sprint customers who sign up for a new “social mapping service”
will be able track their friends using GPS capabilities. The service "even
sends an alert when a friend is near, putting an end to missed connections
in the mall, at the movies or around town,” the press release said...
Sounds
to me like they are signing up for “Little Brother.” Sometimes,
you don’t want even your best friends or families to know that you
are in the vicinity, after all. And often that feeling is mutual. But
at the same time, if “Little Brother” can find you, then so
can “Big Brother,” cameras or not (see the London story below).
Mama's
Note: Gosh, we used to be able to find and keep track of children and
friends without all this nonsense. You made an agreement to meet at noon
at the coffee shop for lunch, and everyone who had the integrity to show
up got to eat! Very simple.
Government-run,
theft-funded schools:
MI: School administrators forced out
over crime lies
Hickory Daily Record
“Three Eastern Michigan University administrators, including the
president, have been forced out, months after top school officials were
accused of covering up the rape and slaying of a student by publicly ruling
out foul play. President John Fallon was fired, and Vice President of
Student Affairs Jim Vick and Public Safety Director Cindy Hall lost their
jobs at the 23,500-student public university, the chairman of the school’s
governing board said Monday.” (07/16/07)
Admittedly,
while a private school administration would be tempted to make a similar
“soothing response,” it is not as likely to have gotten into
such a situation in the first place, and the administrators would almost
certainly be facing criminal charges.
Government-run,
theft-funded schools:
Kiwis may authorize prostitution courses
New Zealand Herald
“Funding for tertiary courses in prostitution could be considered
under changes aimed at boosting quality and relevance in the sector, education
officials say. But MPs on Parliament’s education and science select
committee were told today that although courses in the world’s oldest
profession might be considered if providers put them forward, they would
still have to meet tight criteria to get funding. The questions on prostitution,
posed by New Zealand First MP Brian Donnelly, surfaced as MPs were quizzing
Tertiary Education Commission officials on changes to how tertiary education
was funded.” (07/18/07)
Gee, NZ
is getting a lot of coverage this week. If I understand right, “tertiary”
is what the US calls “Higher Education:” primary being K-8,
secondary being 9-12, and tertiary being college. On the one hand, this
implies they already have courses in prostitution at the secondary level,
if not both primary and secondary (although I suppose general sex education
at the primary level might be a feeder course). But the real utility of
either a degree program OR a vocational program in this field would seem
to be low: it would seem to be best suited for on-the-job training (OJT)
– perhaps some form of apprenticeship. I didn’t realize that
New Zealand’s Parliament was so short of qualified candidates.
Mama's
Note: Sort of like teaching a pig to sing... wastes your time and annoys
the pig...
Home front:
White House rejects a moderate GOP
effort to curb Iraq mission
CNN
“The White House is holding firm on its Iraq strategy in the face
of yet another effort to curb the mission, proposed this time by moderate
Republicans the Bush administration can ill afford to lose. President
Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said Sunday the
administration’s ‘very orderly process’ for reviewing its
Iraq plans should be allowed to play out despite a hurry-up initiative
from two respected GOP senators.” (07/15/07)
The thugs
are running scared, and it ain’t of Al Qaeda, at least not directly.
They are so afraid that the propaganda about the voters being opposed
to the Mesopotamian occupation is true that they are willing to sell their
souls – again. Of course, they aren’t going to get much for
things as dirty and high-mileage as those things. But meanwhile, they
can’t wait to distance themselves from the Bush Administration.
Home front:
Execution of Georgia man near despite
recantations
Washington Post
“A Georgia man is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection
on Tuesday for killing a police officer in 1989, even though the case
against him has withered in recent years as most of the key witnesses
at his trial have recanted and in some cases said they lied under pressure
from police. Prosecutors discount the significance of the recantations
and argue that it is too late to present such evidence. But supporters
of Troy Davis, 38, and some legal scholars say the case illustrates the
dangers wrought by decades of Supreme Court decisions and new laws that
have rendered the courts less likely to overturn a death sentence.”
(07/16/07)
I do not
see how the Nazguli and the various laws have facilitated a travesty of
justice when such recantations and claims are simply ignored; most of
the overturned sentences which so anger people are based on technicalities
like “the accused was forced to blow his nose on his bare arm because
the cops didn’t give him a tissue and he had short sleeves”
or “the prosecution witness only said ‘mother, may I?”
twice.” This is a horse of an altogether different color.
Home front:
Feds OK $1 billion to
fix 9/11 radio problems
MSNBC
“The government announced Wednesday it will distribute nearly
$1 billion to states and cities to fix communications problems that still
plague police and fire departments six years after the Sept. 11 terror
attacks. The biggest state recipients are California with $94 million,
Texas with $65 million, and New York with $61 million.” (07/18/07)
It is incredible
but true that we are still playing with games like this – that with
everyone’s fingers in the pie, the entire communications system is
fouled up completely. I think billions have already been flushed into
the pork barrel, and now here comes some more.
Mama's
Note: The other question that comes to my mind is: What communications
are really necessary? All the radios and so forth in the world won't turn
the keystone kops into anything else, and won't really help ordinary people
in the event of any real emergency. If individual citizens and their voluntary
organizations are prepared and have solid plans to work together, they
certainly don't need the swarms of state or federal "officials"
for anything. Not to mention how much better they could be prepared and
function if half their productivity wasn't stolen for the "officials"
to waste.
Home front:
FBI analyst sentenced for spying
CNN
“An FBI analyst and former vice presidential aide was sentenced
Wednesday to 10 years in prison for espionage after he admitted supplying
classified documents to Philippine nationals in an effort to overthrow
that country’s government, federal prosecutors said. Leandro Aragoncillo,
48, a former U.S. Marine and Philippine native who worked as a military
aide to Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney before joining the FBI
as a civilian employee, pleaded guilty to four charges of espionage in
May 2006.” (07/18/07)
One crime,
one good deed (maybe): It seems to me this should have been handled through
the military, if our system was properly organized. While it is hard not
to feel sympathy for a “native son” who tries to help his homeland
overthrow a corrupt government, he DID betray his oath to his present
nation.
Imperial
courts and the culture war:
CA: Judge OKs $660 million clergy
abuse settlement
Marysville-Yuba City Appeal-Democrat
“Sobs and a moment of silence for those who died during years
of negotiations punctuated a Monday hearing at which a judge accepted
a $660 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los
Angeles and alleged victims of clergy sex abuse. ‘This is the right
result,’ said Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz.”
(07/17/07)
This just
plain sounds outrageously excessive and unjustified, no matter what the
idiot of a judge says. I’d like the see the same standard applied
to another institution, the US Congress, which has certainly got a track
record as bad or worse than LA Archdiocese priests.
Mama's
Note: Just remember that at least half of all "abuse" claims
are totally false and many more are wildly exaggerated. Lots of folks
riding the gravy train here. This doesn't mean I condone any real abuse
for a moment, but there is no excuse for this shark feeding frenzy.
Imperial
courts:
Study: Blacks imprisoned 5 times rate
of Whites
Arizona Republic
“Blacks in the United States are imprisoned at more than five
times the rate of Anglos, and Hispanics are locked up at nearly double
the Anglo rate, according to a study released Wednesday by a criminal
justice policy group. The report by the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based
think tank, found that states in the Midwest and Northeast have the greatest
Black-to-Anglo disparity in incarceration. Iowa had the widest disparity
in the nation, imprisoning Blacks at more than 13 times the rate of Anglos.
Such figures ‘reflect a failure of social and economic interventions
to address crime effectively,’ as well as racial bias in the justice
system, said Marc Mauer, the Sentencing Project’s executive director.”
(07/19/07)
It is not
a question of race, but of whether these people actually committed the
crimes for which they are imprisoned AND whether the crimes really should
be crimes. “Studies” like this distract from the real issues:
there will always be differences that can be detected in racial makeup
and economic level of various groups. The conclusions of the study are
even more suspect than the way the data is analyzed.
Imperial
courts:
NH: Supreme Court says RKBA not “absolute”
Foster\'s
“The State Supreme Court has ruled against local resident and
city critic Edward Bleiler, who appealed former Police Chief William Fenniman’s
revocation of his permit to carry a concealed weapon all the way up to
the state’s highest court. Stating that the revocation did not impinge
upon Bleiler’s state and federal constitutional right to bear arms,
the court affirmed the prior decision of a Dover District Court judge.
‘As numerous courts in other states have recognized with respect
to their state constitutional right to bear arms … the New Hampshire
state constitutional right to bear arms ‘is not absolute and may
be subject to restriction and regulation,” says the ruling, handed
down this morning.” (07/18/07)
It seems
like this kind of news is coming out from New Hampshire about once a week
– and so much for the “Free State Project,” which apparently
has turned into a Exodus INTO Egyptian slavery instead of escape from
it. As long as judges and courts like this exist, freedom is a transitory
illusion.
Insane
government tricks:
Couple fights loss of
home over $1.63
MSNBC
“A $1.63 property tax bill that never reached its destination
in 1996 has turned into a nightmare for Kermit and Dolores Atwood, who
are now trying to keep from losing their home over the unpaid notice.
Dolores Atwood calls the events that followed the wayward bill, including
the eventual sale of their home at a sheriff’s tax sale, ’seven
years of emotional hell.’” [Editor’s note: Are we really
free? - rlw] (07/16/07)
Property
taxes are nothing but paying rent on something that we supposedly own,
and I am undecided whether they or income taxes are more immoral.
Mama's
Note: If you read the whole story, it's plain that the local courts have
made the right decisions and the case should be over, but the big company
that bought the thing from the sheriff just won't let it go and now wants
to take it to the Supreme Court, of all things. Evidently they never owed
this tax to begin with!!! In the meantime, these folks can't do anything
to rebuild their lives. What a crock.
Local tyranny
and kleptocracy:
AL: City
residents outraged at officials’ lawlessness
Fox News
“Now that two city council members have been arrested and the
city police department has been accused of harassment, the community naturally
turned toward their elected officials for guidance. The problem is the
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating how a car
from Virginia, which was reported stolen from Walker County, ended up
in Lipscomb and driven by Mayor Simon Speights. Speights called an abrupt
end to a public meeting Tuesday night, where Lipscomb residents let him
know their concerns.” (07/18/07)
My suggestion
would be to disestablish the entire city government, and maybe the county
government as well.
Local tyranny:
Woman
charged for obstruction
NJ Star-Ledger
A plea of not guilty was entered by the woman who briefly assisted
Roselle Park police in translating the Spanish spoken by a pedestrian
accident victim, and then was arrested while attempting to leave the scene
to pick up her daughter from school. Montoya said police officer Harold
Breuninger asked her to translate for him, and she did for about 10 minutes.
The woman said at that point she told the officer she had to pick up her
child from school, but he insisted that she remain on the scene. When
she attempted to walk away, Montoya said the officer grabbed her by the
waist and back of her head and clipped her legs to take her down to the
pavement. With her face flush to the ground, she was handcuffed and arrested
for obstruction and resisting arrest.
Thanks
to Scott for this one. Comments from another acquaintance (edited for
grammar): They own you until they decide you are finished helping them.
How many thousands of dollars will this good Samaritan have to spend in
her defense? She works at a Dunkin Donuts – how many quarters does
she have to spare? How many thousands of times is this happening in US.
There are over 3 million restraining orders, granted like candy on Halloween
in this country. My own: What we see here is a cop that acts like he is
a member of an occupying army in hostile, enemy territory – I dare
say that most of our troops in Iraq are more considerate than this goon.
Local tyranny:
NY:
Bloomberg pushes congestion plan as deadline nears
New York Times
“With the possibility of missing a deadline today to qualify for
$500 million from the federal government, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg hurried
to church pulpits in three boroughs yesterday to stump for his congestion
pricing plan. The proposal, which would charge drivers a fee to enter
or exit Manhattan below 86th Street, requires state approval, but the
Assembly has not shown any inclination to pass it. Since legislators outside
the congestion zone could be the mayor’s biggest obstacle, he spoke
in Brooklyn, Queens and Harlem yesterday morning about the health benefits
that he said the plan would bring and the money the fees would generate
for bus and train service. … The State Senate is expected to vote
today on a bill that would enact the congestion pricing plan so the city
can apply for $500 million in federal transportation money.” (07/16/07)
If it were
someone else proposing this, the common sense of the idea would appeal
to a lot of people.
Mama's
Note: But, since it's from the government, the fees and so forth will
simply be added to the tax theft so bureaucrats will have more of other
people's money to play with. The "fees" should be charged by
the private companies who own the road, used for building and maintaining
roads that people actually want. A hundred years of bus and train "service"
have proven that most people don't want them - which is why government
has to subsidize them.
Local tyranny:
MA: State to let drivers shop for
best rates
Boston Globe
“Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes yesterday said she plans
to give the 4 million drivers in Massachusetts a taste of auto insurance
competition next year, letting them shop around for the best deal for
the first time in 30 years. Instead of approving one set of rates that
every company must charge, which has been past practice, Burnes said she
plans to let companies set their own rates for 2008, under close supervision
from the Division of Insurance. The new rate-setting process will start
April 1. Burnes called the new system ‘managed competition,’
but offered few details about how it would work.” [Editor’s
note: Though this might sound good, it is likely to be about as effective
and long-lasting as “deregulation” (with “controlled”
conditions, and distorted “markets”) has been in many other
areas - SAT] (07/17/07)
Steve is
right to be concerned, but even a defective solution is better than the
current situation.
Mainstream
media:
Study finds “stealth ads”
in newscasts
Oregon Daily Emerald
“According to a study recently published in the journal Electronic
News, authored by two University professors and a former journalism doctoral
student, there is increasing pressure from advertisers to integrate ads
in newscasts, and small markets are most likely to promote advertisers
during news stories. The study was conducted over four months in 2004
and included 17 U.S. stations broadcasting early-evening news in a variety
of markets. The types of ’stealth advertising’ studied included
product placements, stories about a single business, segment sponsorship,
and using a specific business as the sole example of a news story’s
theme.” [Editor’s note: Although it’s long been the
practice in print media to “cover the advertisers,” it’s
only recently that the newscasters have been making it quite this obvious
- SAT] (07/18/07)
Ah, you
see, it is not all the mainstream media’s fault – it is the
“free market’s fault. Another reason to end capitalism, no doubt.
“Business and Industry” is corrupt and corrupts the poor, hardworking
media. The BBC (see story below) is a perfect example of this, according
to the apologists.
Mama's
Note: We must have the nanny state "protect us" from these horrible,
mean advertisers since we're too stupid and spineless to decide for ourselves
if we want to pay any attention to them or not. Sigh...
Medical
issues:
Genetics: A clinical conundrum
Orange County Register
“Like all new parents, Stacy and Mitch Brookhyser wonder who their
baby girls will grow up to be. Where will they go to school? What jobs
will they choose? Who will they marry? But there’s one question they
don’t have to ask — whether the girls inherited a defective
gene from their mother. The Brookhysers went through in-vitro fertilization
and genetic screening of their embryos to ensure their twins, Roxanne
and Laurel, now 9 months old, would not develop Huntington’s disease.
‘We cared about our kids before we ever had them,’ said Stacy
Brookhyser. ‘Doing this doesn’t mean our children are perfect.
It just means this is one less thing to worry about.’ Hundreds of
babies have been born across the country through pre-implantation genetic
diagnosis — selecting certain embryos over others to weed out genetic
abnormalities from muscular dystrophy to hemophilia.” (07/15/07)
The problem
is, this is NOT a solution – this is not eliminating the “bad”
genes: this is just killing off those children which test positive for
the gene roll of the dice.
Mama's
Note: Oh, if done long enough and with enough care over large portions
of the population, it WOULD tend to weed out at least some of the "bad
genes," but how often are those genes present along with the genes
for all kinds of genius in engineering, math, music, art, statesmanship,
and all of the other wonderful things that make us human? How many Einsteins
and Galileos are being aborted and tossed into the trash this way?
Panicked
government acts:
Human ashes
cause airport bomb scare
Chico Enterprise Record
“A Miami International Airport terminal was briefly evacuated
early Monday after authorities found what appeared to be an explosive
device but turned out to be a box containing cremated human remains. A
watch, the ashes and other items were spotted in the box, which at first
appeared to be part of an explosive device, said Transportation Security
Administration spokesman Christopher White. The box was in an X-ray machine
scanning checked luggage near a United Airlines ticket counter, he said.”
(07/16/07)
What a
bunch of idiots. Like banning eight-year-olds who seem to be on the “do
not fly” list, throwing off 19-month-olds who wave their hands and
say “bye, bye, plane,” and mothers who get frustrated with the
TSA goons and throw their child’s water cup down instead of drinking
it to prove it isn’t a deadly poison…
Panicked
people acts:
Japan: Quake toll rises; nuclear leaks
found
Bloomberg
“Japan’s government said the death toll from yesterday’s
earthquake rose to nine, with one person missing, as a second leak of
radioactive material was announced at a nuclear plant near the quake’s
epicenter. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe criticized Tokyo Electric Power Co.
for being slow to announce details about damage at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa
nuclear plant. The company said today it found a second leak of radioactive
material it described as ‘very minor.’ Authorities are checking
whether there was a third leak of radioactive material after about 100
drums of nuclear waste fell over at the plant during the quake, Kyodo
News reported …” (07/17/07)
We are
so unbelievably paranoid about radioactive materials. There are at least
fifty problems the power station has, after the earthquake, but the real
news is that the design was basically proven to be robust enough to function
in a seismic zone.
Political
dead ducks:
AP Poll: “NOTA” leads Republican
field
Tennessean
“And the leading Republican presidential candidate is … none
of the above. The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that nearly
a quarter of Republicans are unwilling to back top-tier hopefuls Rudy
Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain or Mitt Romney, and no one candidate
has emerged as the clear front-runner among Christian evangelicals. Such
dissatisfaction underscores the volatility of the 2008 GOP nomination
fight. In sharp contrast, the Democratic race remains static, with Hillary
Rodham Clinton holding a sizable lead over Barack Obama. The New York
senator, who is white, also outpaces her Illinois counterpart, who is
black, among black and Hispanic Democrats, according to a combined sample
of two months of polls.” (07/17/07)
Just a
tiny mention of the 2008 election here – I hope my readers will forgive
me. But coupled with the next story, ‘tis too good to pass up: the
GOP field is about as bad as when they honored Bob Dole for his many years
of faithful napping by making him presidential candidate.
Political
dead ducks:
MA: Voters could get “none of
the above” option
Boston Globe
“Massachusetts voters sick of holding their noses on Election
Day could get another option: none of the above. The proposal would let
voters reject all candidates and demand a new election. ‘Occasionally,
when you get an application for a position, none of them are qualified,’
said William H. White , a retired systems analyst from East Dennis spearheading
the scheme, who testified yesterday before state lawmakers. The measure,
pending before the Legislature, would add the line ‘None of the Above;
For a New Election’ to every state and local race on the ballot.
If that option won the most votes, another election would be held in 60
to 80 days, and other candidates would be allowed to run. In a state where
70 percent of candidates ran unopposed last year, the bill would let voters
try to force competition by calling for a new election.” [FND
Editor’s note: However, getting the Bay State legislators to pass
this might be another matter - SAT] (07/19/07)
Occasionally?
OCCASIONALLY? Based on the usual run of politicians and government bodies
in the People’s State, I’d say that the vast majority of candidates
(especially SUCCESSFUL candidates) are woefully under-qualified. Now maybe
if Mass were governed by a “House of Underachievers” or a “House
of Metermaids” it might be possible to get a situation in which a
straight ticket would not be necessary (the straight ticket, of course,
being “NOTA”). But as Steve points out, since Mass allows the
legislature to decide what issues are “worthy” of being considered
by the people, this proposal is unlikely to see the light of day.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
TX: Man protects himself, is arrested
Dallas Morning News
“Charles Oxner doesn’t drink, smoke or dip, he says. He has
never been in trouble with the law. On Wednesday night, three men he worked
with forced their way into his recreational vehicle and began beating
him, he says. He shot one of them, and now he’s charged with murder.
Dale McGee, 46, died two hours later at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital.
Argyle police charged the other two men with burglary with intent to assault.
‘I never had no dealings with the law, not even a speeding ticket
in the last 15 years,’ Mr. Oxner, 38, said Thursday afternoon at
the Denton County Jail. ‘I walked out of that trailer of my own free
will. They handcuffed me and stuck me in a car, and here I am now.’”
(07/13/07)
Mama: The
story is pretty straight forward, and I'm sure an inquest would have been
plenty to settle this as a self defense case. Don't know why the cops
decided to jail the guy who got beat up. Why would he allow himself to
get in such a position in the first place -crowded into a small space
with 3 attackers? When he saw the confrontation coming, before he even
got to his door, I'd think it would have been smart for him to drive off
and maybe even go to the police to start with. Then, if something had
happened later, he'd be in even better position than he is now. Oh
well, just hope justice is done.
Nathan:
Obviously more to the story; I suspect that there were so many questions
that they decided to take the coward's route. This again is why
we need proper inquests and coroner's juries to meet and decide on such
things within hours, not months. This case is going to cost this county
and state a couple hundred thousand dollars, plus Mr. Oxner’s costs;
it should cost (at most) a couple of hours’ jury time and the cost
of an internment in Boot Hill.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
TN: Store owner shoots robber
Eyewitness News
“After two previous hold-ups 67 year-old Boonie Crawford decided
enough is enough. Crawford went out and got a permit and bought a gun.
On Sunday, July 15, 2007, that weapon came in handy. His store is KC’s
Market and Deli in the 4900 block of Austin Peay Highway just outside
Raleigh. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says Crawford used his
new gun to shoot an armed robber. Police identified the guy as 24-year-old
Aaron Thomas. Thomas was rushed to a local hospital with a gun wound.
This is the third time this store has been robbed since last December
2006. The last time the store was robbed was on May 25, 2007.”
(07/15/07)
Another
example of an elderly man doing the wise thing.
Mama's
Note: And just imagine how the outcome might have been a whole lot different
if he'd had to "wait" a week or a month before he could take
the gun home. That happens far too late to do anyone any good many times.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
OH: Right to shoot law proposed
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Right now, Ohio law says that if you shoot an intruder dead in
your home, you have to prove self-defense. If someone barges through your
bedroom window in the middle of the night and you kill him, police and
prosecutors could investigate, said State Sen. Steve Buehrer. To justify
your actions, and avoid the chance of going to prison, you’d have
to prove you believed you were in imminent danger. Buehrer wants to give
[sic] you an automatic right to shoot. And if you do shoot, he wants to
shield you from lawsuits.” (07/14/07)
Expect
the opponents of THIS to swarm like moths to a night light in July.
Mama's
Note: Just what other motive could one suppose for anyone who would break
into a bedroom window in the middle of the night? What else would one
believe? I'm sure not going to play 20 questions with someone like that.
Glad I live in Wyoming, where that's not a problem either way.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
MT: Activists say gun ban dangerous
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
“Montana State University’s plan to restrict firearms and
ban concealed weapons from campus would actually make students more vulnerable
if a Virginia Tech-style gunman were ever on the loose, many gun rights
activists are arguing. … MSU received nearly 100 comments on its
proposed update of its weapons policy. Only about two supported the proposed
weapons restrictions. The overwhelming majority, about 70, agreed with
Marbut that banning concealed weapons and restricting firearms would make
the campus more dangerous.” (07/16/07)
Can you
believe this is happening in Montana, of all places? But perhaps this
will encourage MSU students to form a chapter of Hardyville Anonymous
and join Claire’s fight. But it points out that a sickening liberalism
has infiltrated the campuses of ALL of the United States, no matter how
traditional and conservative or even libertarian a state might seem.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
MS: Wounded man faces charges
Mississippi Press
“Deputies discovered Shontile Leprice Keys, 24, 5119 Meridian,
Moss Point, with a gunshot to the stomach. Keys was take to Singing River
Hospital, Pascagoula. It was determined Keys had broken into the residence
to await the arrival of the homeowners, according to the report. When
the homeowners arrived, Keys attacked them but he was eventually shot,
the report said.” (07/18/07)
Sounds
like the homeowners were at least somewhat prepared to defend themselves
in a bad situation. However, this guy (when he recovers) will be another
statistic proving the court system and economy is biased against blacks
– ignoring his own personal decision to commit a crime.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
DC will take
gun ban appeal to Supreme Court
Fox News
“Washington’s gun law dating to 1976 bars residents from
keeping handguns in their homes and prohibits the carrying of a gun without
a license. Registered firearms must be kept unloaded and disassembled.
The city’s sweeping gun ban is matched only by Chicago among large
U.S. cities. If the high court takes up the case, it would mark the first
time in 70 years that justices will consider the breadth of the Second
Amendment. In 2003, the court chose not to take a case that challenged
California’s ban on assault weapons.” (07/17/07)
I’ve
read several analyses of this, and a lot of people properly fear what
the Supreme Court will do: many think that the SCOTUS Nazgul will do something
similar to what their New Hampshire counterparts did this week: further
gut the Bill of Rights.
Mama's
Note: Entirely possible - in fact - probably so... but it might just help
a lot of people make up their mind that the government, and the imperial
court in particular, is NOT their friend and savior. Might motivate a
lot of people to take far more direct action toward individual liberty
than they might have otherwise.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
PA: Victim disarmament bill passes
legislature
Philadelphia Inquirer
“The state legislature last night passed a gun-control bill advocated
by Philadelphia lawmakers, a notable feat in a state so strong on the
right to bear arms and so hostile to the city’s efforts to regulate
them. The Senate passed the legislation, 50-0, following overwhelming
passage in the House last week. The two measures in the bill, called minor
by gun-control supporters, were nonetheless hailed as an important step
in a new working relationship between the National Rifle Association and
urban lawmakers.” (07/17/07)
I can only
assume that the opening paragraph of this story is meant to be sarcasm
– I’ve never found PA to be friendly towards basic human rights
like this.
Mama's
Note: No, not so's you'd notice, but PA is supposedly an "open carry"
state. From Opencarry.org: Pennsylvania
is a traditional open carry state. There are 2 issues that prevent it
from being a "Gold Star" open carry state. First, you must have
a permit to open carry in the city of Philadelphia and second, you must
have a permit to open carry in a vehicle. However, PA recognizes the permits
of all 50 states for open/concealed carry in vehicles.
And
please note: The NRA sells out gun owners again by supporting "minor"
victim disarmament measures. There is NO rational compromise between people's
right to defend themselves and the "reasonable control" of the
fascists who want to rob them of it.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
SC: Hotel clerk
shoots suspect
Live 5 News
“North Charleston Police say a hotel clerk gunned down a would-be
robber. The worker at America’s Best Inns and Suites says the suspect
rushed into the lobby pointing something at him. Officials say that’s
when the clerk pulled out his gun and fired two shots. The suspect tried
to run, but collapsed on the floor.” (07/17/07)
Does sound
like a clear case of self-defense.
Mama's
Note: See the bias, however... the clerk "gunned down" the robber
- rather than the clerk defended himself successfully.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
FL: Neighbor
shoots naked man
CBS 4 News
“A naked man was shot to death in West Palm Beach as he …
lunged at a resident who was trying to protect a woman and her children.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Jonas Morisma may have
been under the influence of drugs when he ended up at the woman’s
apartment complex early Tuesday. Witnesses told police Morisma first attacked
a tow truck, banging on the driver’s windows and tearing off its
lights. He then reportedly began banging on apartment doors and punching
through windows. Police say Morisma was disrobing while doing all this.
A resident came out of his apartment with a gun and told Morisma to leave
as the woman and her children sought cover nearby. According to authorities,
that’s when Morisma lunged at the resident, who fired one shot.”
(07/18/07)
“Naked
come into the world, naked depart from it”? A good Samaritan who
responded properly.
Mama's
Note: Heaven knows what was going on with this guy, but I would certainly
not have tried to hold a dialog with someone who just attacked and damaged
a tow truck... with his bare hands!! Good shooting.
Our Right
to Self Defense:
FL: Store
manager exchanges gunfire with robbers
WSVN News
“Police say the suspects approached one of the managers of a check
cashing store, located at 140 W. Dixie Highway, as she attempted to open
the store Thursday morning. According to the store manager, as soon as
she put the key in the lock, the suspects approached her with a gun. ‘Some
words were exchanged and according to the victim, the black male holding
the firearm fired a shot at her,’ said Lieutenant Neal Cuevas of
the North Miami Police Department. ‘She returned fire.’”
(07/19/07)
Another
one of those statistics to prove how racist our nation is: she should
have shot a white attacker and not a black one, apparently.
Mama's
Note: I'm sure she's an equal opportunity defender like me and would be
willing to shoot someone of any race or creed who attacked her. Good girl!!!
Thank God she was prepared and armed!
Our Right
to Self Defense:
KY: Women with
guns discourage home invaders
Herald Leader
“Lexington police are looking for two men wanted for a home invasion
overnight and one of the suspects should be easy to spot. He’s wearing
only one shoe. Police say the two men kicked the door open and rushed
inside. Two armed women residents confronted the intruders and ordered
them to their knees. The shirtless men were not fools. They fled on their
knees as fast as they could crawl. That’s when one of them lost a
shoe. A police dog sniffed the shoe, but no arrests were reported as officers
searched the area.” (07/16/07)
Oh! What
a wonderful example of a grand use of a weapon without firing a shot!
But the weapons certainly served their purpose – no robbery, no rape,
and very likely the house will have mysterious “hobo” marks
placed to warn future criminals.
Stupid
(government) lawyer tricks:
FEMA lawyers nixed trailer
tests for toxicity
MSNBC
“The Federal Emergency Management Agency has suppressed warnings
from its own Gulf coast field workers since the middle of 2006 about suspected
health problems that may be linked to elevated levels of formaldehyde
gas released in FEMA-provided trailers, lawmakers said today. At a hearing
Thursday of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, investigators
released internal e-mails indicating that FEMA lawyers rejected environmental
testing out of fear that the agency would then become legally liable if
health problems emerged among as many as 120,000 families displaced by
Hurricane Katrina who lived in trailers.” (07/19/07)
Keep your
head in the sand, boys and girls, and the problem will all go away. Right.
Mama's
Note: Of course, those "health problem" claims fly in the face
of the fact that millions of those and similar trailers and "modular
homes" are built and sold each year. More nanny state insanity, nothing
else. I lived in one for 17 years, and the only real problem with it is
that it was installed in California!!!
Stupid
cop trick:
Woman
shoots cop with own Taser
Dallas Morning News
The woman [in Jeffers’ home] said she picked up the Taser, believing
it was a flashlight, while Jeffers was in the bathroom, according to the
police report. When Jeffers told her to put the Taser down, she was "startled
and accidentally pulled the trigger," the report said.
Don’t
know who is the more stupid. I am curious to see what the woman is charged
with – just because it is an accident is usually no excuse when the
victim is a cop, after all.
Mama's
Note: I don't know..... might be hard to pass up the opportunity to play
with lightning like that... Wonder what she was doing there in the first
place? Weird...
Stupid
government tricks:
Immigrants rush to beat higher application
fees
USA Today
“Immigrants are rushing to apply for citizenship, green cards
and other benefits before hefty fee increases kick in at the end of the
month. Starting July 30, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
will raise application fees an average of 66%. In many cases, the new
fees are hundreds of dollars higher.” (07/15/07)
And just
what will this do to the illegal immigration rate? It may again be cheaper
to pay a coyote than a bureaucrat.
Mama's
Note: And much, much faster. I've heard the INS has years worth of backlog
already...
Stupid
government tricks:
China takes
steps to curb passion
BBC News [UK]
“China is changing the way it runs compulsory dance classes, introduced
to tackle child obesity, because parents fear their children may fall
in love. Sports officials say they will now encourage students to dance
in large groups or by themselves. Some parents had expressed fears that
if boys and girls danced hand in hand they might fall in love and put
their studies at risk. The lessons will start in September amid concerns
over physical inactivity.” (07/15/07)
“Dance
or die?” What if the kids just want to sit and watch, or play video
games? The day after this was published, I heard on the radio (for all
THAT’s worth) that China is also setting timers on children playing
video games: after three hours, the infected systems shut down and a message
scrolls out: “Go out and do suitable physical activity.” Like
dancing, no doubt. Ah, the wonders of the ultimate Nanny-state, so concerned
about its possessions – I mean, citizens.
Mama's
Note: The eternal, irrational quest to have it both ways.... Unfortunately,
in much of China there are only a few girls for large groups of boys.
The silly idea that they're going to casually pair off would be funny
if it wasn't so tragic.
Stupid
government tricks:
Contractors fume over slow FEMA checks
Kerrville Daily Times
“Contractors hired to clean up after Hurricane Katrina are fuming
over delays in getting paid by FEMA, and some politicians fear the red
tape will discourage companies from bidding on the big rebuilding projects
that lie ahead for New Orleans. One company claims it is owed about $150
million, and some contractors have walked off the job or gone to court
to get the money they say they should have been paid for demolition and
debris removal completed as much as a year and a half ago.” (07/18/07)
I am sure
that FEMA claims that its delay in due in large part to actions taken
to prevent fraud, but for legitimate creditors, who have done the work
for which they contracted, this is a potentially deadly slap in the face.
I know personally what it is like to have government agencies owe me large
amounts of money (although admittedly NOTHING like $150MM), for work done
months or even years ago. It hurts.
Stupid
government tricks:
Malaysia:
Police red-faced as Porsche stolen — twice
Yahoo! News
“Malaysian police were left red-faced after a man who abandoned
the theft of a $280,000 Porsche for lack of fuel attempted the crime a
second time and drove the sportscar out of a police station, local media
said. The suspect had first attempted the theft on Monday at a luxury
car showroom in northern Penang state, local papers said. Dressed smartly
in a suit and tie, he asked for the car keys and promptly sped off, smashing
through the glass windows. The car was later found abandoned a short distance
away, its fuel tank empty. The New Straits Times said the man kept the
keys and returned with a canister of petrol to a local police station
where the car had been towed. He drove off with the Porsche, ditching
it later after he discovered roadblocks had been set up to stop him.”
(07/18/07)
Security,
security, security. If they can’t do it for themselves, will the
coppers be able to do it for anyone else?
Stupid
government tricks:
Bush
asked to weigh in on Border Patrol thugs’ fate
Houston Chronicle
“President Bush refused to say whether he would pardon two U.S.
Border Patrol agents convicted last year of shooting a drug smuggler and
covering up their actions while indicating he viewed the prosecutor in
the matter as ‘a fair guy.’ Bush rebuffed a question from an
audience member at a forum in Nashville about whether he would consider
acting in the case of former agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos.
… Anti-immigration groups have taken up the cause of Compean and
Ramos, lobbying lawmakers and the White House. Several members of Congress
also are urging the president to pardon the two former agents … Compean
and Ramos were convicted last year by a federal jury in Texas on civil
rights and weapons violations in the shooting of a drug smuggler near
the U.S.-Mexico border on Feb. 17, 2005.” (07/20/07)
The problem
here, as I see it, is not that the BP goons shot the man, in what seems
to have been a justified gunfight with a lawbreaker (no matter how foolish
some of the laws involved might have been), but that the agents tried
to cover it up and that people think that they are the good guys. However,
notice the flat-out lies: the groups who took up the cause of this pair
are NOT anti-immigration, but rather, anti-illegal-immigration: a very
large difference regardless of your political stance on the issue.
Stupid
government tricks:
Texas Secretary of State revealing
SSN numbers
Houston Chronicle
“PC World reports that an online database operated by the Texas
Secretary of State is exposing sensitive personal information — including
Social Security numbers — in searchable documents online. The story,
which looks at the state’s SOSDirect Web site, says the president
of a fraud prevention company was able to obtain private information about
some well-known Texans, including former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy
Aikman.” (07/19/07)
Once more,
we see the last people to trust with important information are government
workers and agencies.
Stupid
people tricks:
Feds say classified
material was stolen
Belleville News-Democrat
“A contract employee at a nuclear material cleanup site pleaded
not guilty Thursday to charges that he stole classified equipment used
in enriching uranium and sold it to an undercover FBI agent posing as
an official for the French government. Roy Lynn Oakley, 65, of Roane County,
was detained for questioning in January before surrendering to authorities
on Thursday.” (07/19/07)
French
government? The guy would have to be pretty desperate to sell to the French.
However, if this was a “clean-up” site, what was usable equipment
doing here?
Stupid
people tricks:
UK: Publishers fail to spot plagiarized
Jane Austen
Yahoo! News
“Even Jane Austen would have trouble finding a publisher today,
a struggling author revealed Thursday. David Lassman sent off to 18 publishers
assorted chapters from Austen novels in which he changed just the titles
and the names of the characters. … Seventeen publishers rejected
or ignored his bid for literary glory. Only one spotted the ruse and told
him not to mimic ‘Pride and Prejudice’ so closely.”
(07/19/07)
Styles
and fashions change – English lit teachers to the contrary.
Stupid
people tricks:
OK: Copyright
prison break
Ananova [UK]
“Four enterprising prison inmates have been accused of trying
to use copyright law to escape. They allegedly copyrighted their own names
and then demanded millions of dollars from jail [sic] officials for using
them without permission …. Russell Dean Landers, Clayton Heath Albers,
Carl Ervin Batts and Barry Dean Bischof sent demand notices for payment
to the warden of the El Reno federal prison in Oklahoma City, according
to prosecutors. They allegedly filed claims against his property, then
hired someone to seize his vehicles, freeze his bank accounts and change
the locks on his house.” (07/19/07)
I’m
not sure what these guys are in prison for, but if this is an example
of their pre-prison activities, it is no surprise that they are.
Theft by
government:
MA: Crime lab neglected 16,000 cases
Boston Globe
“Evidence samples from thousands of crime scenes across Massachusetts,
including nearly 1,000 homicides and other deaths and 6,500 sexual assaults,
were never analyzed by the State Police crime lab, according to an investigation
of the lab ordered by the state. The lab’s failure to process potentially
crucial DNA evidence from 16,000 cases means that killers and rapists
could be walking free, said two law enforcement officials who have seen
the report. The backlog of samples, found in a refrigerated room at the
Maynard laboratory, dates to the 1980s and is ‘of crisis proportions,’
the report said. The backlog is far greater than previously disclosed;
lab administrators had acknowledged a backlog of only about 2,000 cases.”
(07/15/07)
Why do
I term this theft? For decades, this lab has been living off the taxpayers,
supposedly providing a valuable service to solve crimes and help get perps
off the streets; but like the foolish servant who went out and buried
his master’s gold talent for fear he’d be punished for losing
it, these people squandered their skills and failed the people they were
supposed to serve.
Mama's
Note: I'm just wondering how in the world they could get away with it
for so long, no matter how inept the system in MA. How did all those cases
go forward without the evidence? Why didn't somebody notice, defense or
prosecution?
Theft by
government:
NJ: Lodi council ends land theft attempt
North Jersey Media Group
“Residents of two trailer parks rejoiced Tuesday after the Borough
Council ended an attempt to use eminent domain to seize private land for
use by a developer. At a Monday night meeting, the five-member council
voted unanimously to drop the appeal of a lower state court decision that
found the borough had no grounds to seize the land at Brown’s Trailer
Park and Costa Trailer Court. More than 40 residents live in trailers
at the trailer parks along heavily-traveled Route 46.” (07/17/07)
“Trailer
trash” are often the targets of such thefts, and this looks like
a perfect example of that: the amazing thing is that the town government
decided to back off, finally.
Theft by
government:
Bush threatens to veto “shake
down smokers for welfare” bill
USA Today
“President Bush on Wednesday reiterated his threat to veto Senate
legislation that would substantially increase funds for children’s
health insurance by levying a 61-cent-a-pack increase in the federal excise
tax on cigarettes. The tax increase would be used to subsidize health
insurance for children and some adults with incomes too high to qualify
for Medicaid but not high enough to afford insurance on their own.”
(07/18/07)
And let
us not forget a maximum $10 tax on each cigar. Could it possibly be that
Bush would veto such raw, outright theft just ‘cause it is the right
thing to do?
Thugs:
Antiwar
forces take aim at GOP lawmakers
Christian Science Monitor
“With the war in Iraq roiling Congress, antiwar groups are targeting
dozens of lawmakers — many facing tough reelection races in 2008
— in a bid to peel off enough Republicans to force President Bush
to end the war there. Organizers claim that breaks in GOP ranks over war
strategy in recent weeks are a result of more heat from home — and
that they helped to generate it. As debate resumes this week, they predict,
more defections will occur. ‘We’re running a political campaign
with a long horizon,’ says Tom Matzzie of MoveOn.org Political Action,
who is managing the ‘Iraq Summer’ campaign for Americans Against
Escalation in Iraq (AAEI). ‘We’ll gain more … momentum
over the next few weeks, and more Republicans will break.’”
(07/16/07)
Here we
see WHY the cowards are running so scared: they believe their own propaganda
about the power of the special constituencies. Never mind that the chances
of one of these MoveOn goons voting for the GOP candidate or incumbent
in 2008 are only a tiny bit higher than the chances of Abe Lincoln coming
back from the dead and winning the GOP nomination in 2008.
Thugs:
McCain tries to regain footing on
NH ground
Boston Globe
“His campaign broke, shedding staff, and sinking in the polls,
John McCain came back to New Hampshire yesterday, looking for that old
lightning in a bottle. This was the state, after all, where he bushwhacked
a cocky Texas governor favored by the Republican establishment in the
2000 primary. But much has changed since those heady days when McCain
sidetracked, if only briefly, George W. Bush’s ride to the party’s
nomination. The senator from Arizona, who turns 71 next month, is no longer
the fresh, straight-talking reformer. And the politics of the state are
much more complicated now for McCain because of his resolute support for
two unpopular causes in New Hampshire — the Iraq war and overhauling
immigration. Yet if there is a place for McCain to make his political
stand, New Hampshire may afford the aging warrior his best ground if he
can hang on for the next six months.” (07/14/07)
Speaking
of coming back from the dead… I almost always avoid commenting on
the so-called 2008 Presidential Campaign, but the tie-in is too good to
skip. McCain has only himself to blame – his record in the Senate
would make a whore blush in shame.
Thugs:
Democrats vow all-night session on
Iraq
Vineland Daily Journal
“The Senate this week will pull its first all-night debate on
the Iraq war in advance of a vote on whether to bring home combat troops
by next spring, Democrats said Monday. The rare, round-the-clock session
Tuesday night through Wednesday morning is intended to bait Republicans
into an exhaustive debate on the politically unpopular war, as well as
punish GOP members for routinely blocking antiwar legislation.”
(07/16/07)
What a
crock this is: C-SPAN must be exploding in ecstasy, of course: all those
ancient “conscript elders” (or is that corrupt elders) toddling
around on only what sleep they can get on a cot. The thought of Teddy
Kennedy in his pajamas showing up for a roll-call vote sends shivers (or
something!) down my spine. All heading for my stomach…
Thugs:
GOP senator to Rove: Bush legacy on
the line in Iraq
CNN
“A Republican senator says he warned top White House aide Karl
Rove that President Bush quickly needs to craft a workable plan to withdraw
U.S. Troops from Iraq in order to salvage his legacy. White House spokesman
Tony Snow insisted last week that Bush’s GOP allies in Congress are
not breaking with Bush over the war. But Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio,
told CNN that he warned Rove last week that ‘The president is a young
man and should think about his legacy. He should know history will not
be kind unless he can come up with a plan that protects the troops and
stabilizes the region,’ … Voinovich added that other Republicans
are close to speaking out against the President’s current strategy.”
(07/16/07)
A withdrawal
from Iraq now, all other issues besides, WOULD finish off the “Bush
legacy.” But more to the point, what Voinovich said is NOT what CNN
reported – par for the course for the mainstream media.
Thugs:
The strategy
behind Senate Iraq war vote
Christian Science Monitor
“The unused metal cots outside the Senate chamber were folded
away and the pizza cartons carted away. A rare all-night session leading
to Wednesday’s key vote about withdrawing troops from Iraq provided
high drama on Capitol Hill. Never mind that the amendment went down to
certain defeat. Or that the legislative marathon changed only a single
vote in the Senate. Washington’s political theater is part of a deliberate
political strategy aimed at living rooms across America. By presenting
the choice over the future of the Iraq war in the starkest possible terms,
Democrats hope to convince Americans of the need to change course and
ratchet up the political pressure on Republican lawmakers supporting President
Bush.” (07/19/07)
A silly
little play with no real purpose than to get press space and media time,
and a complete dud – no one got to get even a PEEK of Teddy Kennedy
in his PJs. I want my money back. Showboating and grandstanding of the
rawest kind. For once (in a very great while), CSM seems to recognize
this stunt for what it is: pure garbage. Assuming there is a Democratic
Administration in 2009 and a stronger Democratic Congress that same year,
the likelihood is that the US will STILL be occupying Mesopotamia, Afghanistan,
and have troops in a hundred other countries around the world. The “antiwar”
position is virtually nothing but a ticket to election, to be forgotten
as soon as they are in power.
Thugs:
Attorney General faces new questions
USA Today
“Attorney General Alberto Gonzales came under new questioning
Thursday about President Bush’s wiretapping program and the administration
response to congressional subpoenas. In a closed-door session, House Intelligence
Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes said members were especially interested
in the reasons behind Gonzales’ controversial 2004 visit to the hospital
bedside of John Ashcroft, reportedly to pressure the ailing attorney general
to endorse Bush’s surveillance program. Ashcroft, said to have been
barely conscious at the time, refused.” (07/19/07)
As a dear
friend has said, we ought to all be grateful that Congress is so obsessed
with whaling on the Bush administration about Gonzales, Mesopotamia, and
other things that they don’t have time to pass a lot of the new legislative
initiatives that their “leadership” wants to inflict on this
poor nation and the world.
Thugs:
House
panel approves farm bill
New York Times
“The House Agriculture Committee on Thursday night approved a
farm bill that would end federal subsidies for some of the nation’s
wealthiest farmers but would otherwise extend existing payment programs
for five years. The measure, acted on by a voice vote, stops well short
of the wide-scale changes called for by critics of current policies. The
bill, which is likely to be debated by the full House next week, eliminates
subsidies for farmers with more than $1 million in adjusted gross income,
while continuing subsidies to growers of certain crops including corn,
cotton, soybeans and rice, and additional aid should prices fall below
preset levels.” (07/20/07)
Hopefully
this reauthorization of a foolish program will be delayed along with everything
else.
Victims
of government:
AR: Anti-government activist
fears feds are watching him
KY3 News
“More than a decade after a deadly confrontation with federal
agents, a survivor of an incident known across the country as ‘Ruby
Ridge’ has settled into a quiet life in northwest Arkansas. Recently,
however, Randy Weaver’s calm was shaken up. Weaver now thinks his
trouble with the government isn’t over. Some of Weaver’s supporters
called KY3 News recently because they believed he was under siege again.”
(07/16/07)
Sadly,
I suspect he is right – his troubles will NEVER be over with the
government until one of them goes away.
War on
some drugs:
CA: Drug thugs, grand jury terrorize
alleged entrepeneurs
San Francisco Chronicle
“Two men have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges
that they operated chain of marijuana stores in seven California cities,
including San Francisco, Oakland, San Leandro and Ukiah. Larry Kristich,
64, and James Carberry did business under the name ‘Compassionate
Caregivers,’ and sales of marijuana products totaled more than $95
million, according to the indictment handed down Friday by a federal grand
jury in Los Angeles. From 2002 to 2005, Kristich operated a marijuana
store at 790 Tennessee St. in San Francisco and ran a business called
‘The Third Floor’ at 1740 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, the indictment
said. He also ran stores in Bakersfield, West Hollywood and San Diego,
authorities said. The businesses sold marijuana, marijuana plants and
food with drug’s active ingredient, THC — including candy bars,
cookies and soft drinks. Minors were among the customers, authorities
charged.” (07/18/07)
It appears
to me that these guys did what business is supposed to do: provide a needed
and wanted service at a reasonable price to meet market demand, and as
a result, were successful. Then comes in the politics and the fed-goons.
War on
some drugs:
UK:
Brown plans to abandon softer laws on cannabis
Independent [UK]
“Laws on cannabis are to be toughened by Gordon Brown amid claims
that stronger strains of the drug were causing an increase in mental illness.
In a further break with the Blair years, the new Prime Minister paved
the way to reversing the controversial decision to make possession of
a cannabis a largely non-arrestable offence. The drug was downgraded from
a class B to class C substance three years ago to enable police to focus
their attention on more damaging class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine.”
(07/19/07)
I suspect
that he might know – about the mental illness part, I mean. The High
Chancellor is either being supported by the importers and wholesalers
of the class A drugs, or planning for a massive increase in the number
of coppers involved in the war – or both.
Health
News:
Man
with tiny brain "normal"
New Scientist
A man with an unusually tiny brain manages to live an entirely normal
life despite his condition, which was caused by a fluid buildup in his
skull. Scans of the 44-year-old man's brain showed that a huge fluid-filled
chamber called a ventricle took up most of the room in his skull, leaving
little more than a thin sheet of actual brain tissue... "...a 50%
to 75% reduction," says Lionel Feuillet, a neurologist at the Mediterranean
University in Marseille, France. He is a married father of two children,
and works as a civil servant. Intelligence tests showed the man had an
IQ of 75, below the average score of 100 but not considered mentally retarded
or disabled.
Well,
no wonder he can be normal - for a civil servant, and in France, to boot.
Maybe more testing of more "simple serpents" is in order? And
at this level, I suspect that he might rank higher than the average US
congress-thug, based on recent events.
Page
2 Click HERE Link checked!
Lots of other good stuff on page 2!
Nathan
Barton is writing this from a wonderful place in the West, which might
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the Four Corners States. Exactly where it is, the breezes blow with the
scent of liberty, and the sound of the pines or the pinions is the sound
of freedom. For thousands of years, people have fought and died for the
liberty that Americans in the great spaces of the West enjoy, and he writes
these commentaries in the hopes that continued generations will be able
to do so, until the end of Time.
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Outpost.
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