Libertarian War on the News, 20 - 26 April, 2008

World wars:
UN food chief urges crisis action
BBC News
The head of the UN World Food Programme has said urgent action is required to stimulate food production and help the poor cope with soaring food prices. Josette Sheeran told the BBC that an additional 100 million people, who did not need assistance six months ago, could not now afford to purchase food.

The BBC goes on to make all the usual claims: that biofuels are taking food away from the poor and hungry, that the West is cruel and evil, and that global warming is also (of course) to blame. No one wants to admit that the US dollar is in the toilet, and that it is no wonder that prices in dollars are bad. Nor can we dare discuss that it is government policies around the world that are finally coming home to roost in terms of vast amounts of farmland taken out of production, of farmers not able to do anything but feed pests, and of course, taxation that means that it is insane from a purely monetary point of view to maintain large stocks of grains. This humongous rise in food prices is a panic reaction: in many ways like the rise in fuel prices (which also contributes to it). So we also see panic even in the US, with claims of “rationing” in big-box stores for rice, flour, and other staples: all blamed (like global warming) on things that exist only in their imaginations. But even panic CAN destroy economies, so we need to prepare for it. See my column on food and biofuels this week here on TPOL.

New religions: peak oil
Oil running out as prime energy source: world poll
Reuters
On average, 70 percent of respondents in 15 countries and the Palestinian territories said they thought oil supplies had peaked. Only 22 percent of the nearly 15,000 respondents in nations ranging from China to Mexico believed enough new oil would be found to keep it a primary fuel source. "What's most striking is there's such a widespread consensus around the world that oil is running out and governments need to make a real effort to find new sources of energy," said Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org, a global research organization that conducted the poll.

What is amazing is how well the propaganda – and that is what it is, propaganda about “peak oil” – has worked so incredibly well around the world. It is also is amazing that as far as Reuters and the mainstream media in general is concerned, that TRUTH is established by polling – a natural outcome of our obsession with “democracy.” If 70 percent said that the moon is made of green cheese, well, then we MUST pass laws prohibiting the import of cheese from the moon in order to protect our farmers and dairy industry!

I’ve talked about it before, but here are the numbers:

That means that at current consumption and with no further discoveries we have somewhere around 150 years of reserves. Yes, population is continuing to climb but is expected to peak at around 8 billion 2050 and then start to decline. Even if we double and don’t get smart enough to start using solar satellites, nuclear power stations, deep-ocean thermal and wave-gen, we still have 75+ years assuming that there isn’t any more oil down there AND assuming that oil is not being generated deep in the crust. AND without ethanol, coal liquification, coal gasification, or fusion. And without going to the Asteroid Belt.

New religions: global warming:
UK: Biggest onshore wind farm plan rejected
Independent [UK]
“Plans for Britain’s biggest land-based wind farm were turned down by the Scottish government yesterday, in a landmark decision with wide implications for the future development of renewable energy in the UK. The 181-turbine development on the Hebridean island of Lewis was vetoed by Scottish ministers because it was at odds with tough protection for wildlife sites afforded by European law. ” (04/21/08)

They want their cake and to eat it, too. Like Teddy Kennedy and others clearly wish, we are not supposed to have ANY source of electrical power for the masses: just the rich and powerful.

New religions: global warming:
Climate “fix” could deplete ozone
BBC News [UK]
“Research has cast new doubt on the wisdom of using Sun-blocking sulphate particles to cool the planet. Sulphate injections are one of several ‘geo-engineering’ solutions to climate change being discussed by scientists. But data published in Science journal suggests the strategy would lead to drastic thinning of the ozone layer. This would delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by decades, and cause significant ozone loss over the Arctic, say US researchers.” (04/25/08)

We tend to mess things up more when we try to fix something that isn’t broken, than just leaving it alone. I wish we could remember that more often.

Mama's Note: It's also impossible to "fix" something when you don't have a clue what, if anything, is wrong or what actually COULD be done about it if you did know. Talk about shooting in the dark.

American front:
Latin American leftist leaders vow to fight food price hikes
Christian Science Monitor
“Leftist leaders from four Latin American countries vowed to work together to grow more food Wednesday, blaming capitalism and speculation for soaring world prices that are hurting many poor nations. The presidents of Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and Cuba’s vice president, launched a $100 million fund for staples such as rice, beans, and corn to mitigate sharp rises in world grain prices. The leaders said high prices, which have sparked riots from Egypt to Haiti, were largely caused by a United States policy to make ethanol fuel from corn.” (04/25/08)

I’ll let them blame the speculation, but capitalism? Far from it. Indeed, one of the major causes for food prices rising is government interference in the free market. And neither will I blame ethanol production, which is the current politically-correct target of choice. See my separate article on ethanol and food prices. I might point out, though, that these idiots better stop blaming the US: the US produces 40-45% of the world’s corn crop, but accounts for 70% of the exports of corn – and indeed, exports of corn from the US to primarily Third World nations are up significantly in both 2006 and 2007 and expected to be even higher in 2008.

Mama's Note: It is so sad to see the greater part of the world (including the US, of course) ignore the clear lessons of history. Every attempt to "control" the price of anything, especially food, results in shortages and rationing. There is simply NO example in recorded history which demonstrates any other outcome, yet people never tire of trying - and then placing the blame on the PRODUCERS for their failure!

American union:
Paraguay elects ex-Bishop to presidency
Los Angeles Times
“A former Roman Catholic bishop who championed the downtrodden and challenged the long-entrenched political elite was elected Paraguay’s president Sunday, ending six decades of one-party rule in this South American nation. Fernando Lugo, 56, dubbed ‘the bishop of the poor,’ was leading by 10 percentage points with more than 90% of the results in, electoral officials said. He had about 41% of the vote to about 31% for his chief opponent, Blanca Ovelar of the ruling Colorado Party. Ovelar called the margin of victory ‘irreversible’ and conceded defeat in the evening. … The election of Lugo was the latest triumph by a left-leaning leader in Latin America, where a so-called pink tide of democratically elected presidents has altered the region’s political map in recent years.” (04/20/08)

You’d like to think a man like this could do some good – but we know that won’t happen.

American union:
Cuba: Govthugs arrest Ladies in White
Christian Science Monitor
“When Laura Pollan’s husband, a journalist, hosted his colleagues at their house in Havana, she busied herself in the kitchen making coffee. When their talk turned ‘too political,’ she left. But since his imprisonment, the former high school teacher is now at the center of discussions, prayers, fasting — and a rare, impromptu street protest Monday. Ms. Pollan is a leader of the ‘Damas de Blanco’ (Ladies in White), a group of wives, mothers, and sisters of 75 dissidents, many of them reporters, jailed after a sudden sweep of arrests nationwide in March 2003. On Monday morning, Pollan and nine other Damas were roughed up by a mob and arrested near the offices of President Raul Castro.” (04/22/08)

Well, so things aren’t changing much under the rule of Raul, are they? Only the hopelessly optimistic really thought so, of course.

American union:
US scraps $20 million “virtual fence” prototype
Associated Press
“The government is scrapping a $20 million prototype of its highly touted ‘virtual fence’ on the Arizona-Mexico border because the system is failing to adequately alert border patrol agents to illegal crossings, officials said. The move comes just two months after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced his approval of the fence built by The Boeing Co. The fence consists of nine electronic surveillance towers along a 28-mile section of border southwest of Tucson. Boeing is to replace the so-called Project 28 prototype with a series of towers equipped with communications systems, new cameras and new radar capability, officials said. … A glaring shortcoming of the project was the time lag between the electronic detection of movement along the border and the transmission of a camera image to agents patrolling the area, the GAO reported.” (04/23/08)

A complete waste of money, it appears.

Baboons:
TN: Senate measure would ban lawyers from DUI advertising
Tennessean
“Defense attorneys would be banned from advertising their expertise with drunken driving cases under a bill advancing in the Senate. Sen. Rosalind Kurita, a Clarksville Democrat, successfully added the provision to a bill that would create an online registry of repeat DUI offenders in Tennessee. Kurita says officials have a hard enough time convicting drunken drivers without lawyers advertising their expertise in the field and offering discounts to DUI defendants. Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle, a Memphis attorney, argued that Kurita’s proposal would violate commercial free speech rights.” [Editor’s note: But this is unlikely to stop Sen. Kurita, who’s been a champion of authoritarianism throughout her sordid career; a libertarian challenge to fools who actually drive impaired would involve persuasion, arbitration … and legal action as the last resort - SAT] (04/22/08)

Exactly why free speech should be taken away from lawyers (tempting though it is: they should pay for speech like they charge US for their speech!) is not explained. Another example of stupidity masquerading as caring for people, and concealing evil nanny-state actions.

Culture wars:
Export More Female Condoms, Not Abstinence Programs, Report Says
CNSNews.com
The U.S. government must provide more funding for the worldwide distribution of female condoms while reducing the amount of money it spends on abstinence-until-marriage programs, according to Serra Sippel, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. The advocacy group pushing the U.S. Government to promote "sexual and reproductive condom rights within U.S. foreign policy.”

Notice that they don’t explain WHY the USG “must” do this – nor what AUTHORIZES the US government (or ANY government) to do this. We are fighting TWO battles here: the idea that “reproductive rights” is good (as defined by those who have defined it, to include abortion, libertine attitudes of complete lack of responsibility, etc.) and that government has any role whatsoever in this.

Mama's Note: And please forgive an old lady for being ignorant of such things, but what the heck is a "female condom?"

Government ruined, tax funded schools:
WA: Teacher suspended for refusing to give test
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“A Seattle middle school science teacher has been suspended for two weeks without pay for refusing to administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in his classroom. Union officials and education leaders say Carl Chew of Nathan Eckstein Middle School might be the first teacher in Washington state to be suspended for refusing to give his students the high-stakes test. ‘Every year, I said to myself this is the last time I’m going to do this,’ said Chew, 60, who has been teaching for about eight years and said he has seen kids struggle through the test with few positive results to show for the time and effort expended over two weeks each spring. He made a decision to stand up for his beliefs as he was walking down the hall to pick up this year’s test booklets.” (04/21/08)

Well, good for him. He will be punished, but perhaps next year it will be 10 or 12 teachers that follow his example, and the year after that, 100 or more… he should be able to get a position in the private sector where he can really TEACH.

Mama's Note: I know a good many teachers who complain about this and other things, but when I mention that they could teach in private schools, the immediate response is rejection of the idea because they would take a cut in salary. So much for principle...

Home front:
Earthquakes shake midwest US
Wabash Plain Dealer
“Kyle and Julie Smith thought their dog was having a seizure when they awoke early Friday to find their bedroom shaking. But the dog wasn’t on the bed — she was pacing nervously about as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake swayed the Midwest. The temblor, which struck at 4:37 a.m. Central time and caused minor damage in southeastern Illinois, was felt as far away as Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa, and Atlanta. … About six hours later, they were at work at downtown Indianapolis’ 38-story OneAmerica Tower when they felt a magnitude 4.6 aftershock — one of dozens that followed the pre-dawn quake.” [Editor’s note: We felt the 5.2 and the biggest aftershock here in St. Louis — or at least I did, shortly after getting RRND/FND out very early and heading back to bed - TLK] (04/18/08)

New Madrid II, here we come!!! If you thought New Orleans was fun, wait for this one: St. Louis, Chicago, Memphis, and a whole lot more, right in the heart of the nation.

Mama's Note: I was scratching my head that day, trying to understand what everyone was so upset about. That sort of earthquake is fairly common in Southern California and few even pay any attention unless they are at the epicenter. People do find the damnedest things to get themselves in a panic.

Home front:
Bush hails New Orleans “comeback” as summit opens
Houston Chronicle
“President Bush joined the leaders of Mexico and Canada on Monday to kick off a two-day summit that will touch on some of the most pressing issues in North America. Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper joined Bush to address free trade, border security, energy and other matters. They gathered in New Orleans in part to show that this storied city on the Mississippi is getting back on its feet. … Before private meetings, Bush stood by Calderon as the men unveiled a new Mexican Consulate, which reopened as a result of the many Mexican construction workers who have taken part in what is known simply as ‘the reconstruction.’” (04/21/08)

Evil times for New Orleans, and a bogus report: stories I am getting is that the city is still pretty much a ghost town, and hopefully will never be restored to what it was pre-Katrina. At the same time, more Mexican influence is the LAST thing that the US needs in New Orleans, considering that it was a key military objective in several major wars, and is the gate to the heartland.

Mama's Note: I don't know about that. Seems it should be open to anyone who wants to live in that vermin infested swamp - as long as they do it at their own expense. Doesn't matter to me who lives there, as long as they leave me alone.

Home front:
MA: In Boston, protesters make a big splash
Boston Globe
“Income tax foes dumped W-2 and 1040 forms into Boston waters. Angry Hawaiians hurled leis. Men wearing Colonial costumes tossed a tarred-and-feathered effigy of Richard Nixon into the water’s murky depths. It has been nearly 235 years since a band of Colonists, fed up with the British tax on tea and other goods, crept in darkness aboard three British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 45 tons of tea into icy black water. But in the centuries since, protesters have invoked the image of the Boston Tea Party again and again as they fling objects from bridges, wharves, and boats.” (04/20/08)

The most noticeable of many hundreds of Tax Day protests this year.

Home front:
US man charged with giving nuke info to Israel
Agence France-Presse
“US authorities have announced the arrest of a US Army veteran on charges he disclosed secret defense information, including on nuclear weapons, to Israel in a case linked to the huge 1980s Jonathan Pollard spy scandal. Ben-Ami Kadish, now 84, worked as a mechanical engineer at a US Army weapons center in New Jersey, from where he provided classified documents to Israel’s consul for science affairs in New York from 1979 to 1985, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. US authorities also accused Kadish of illegally acting as an agent for the Jewish state without notifying the US Attorney General’s office. Israel on Wednesday played down the impact of the espionage affair.” (04/22/08)

It is a known fact that Israel has more spies in the US, its biggest and best allies, than in any other country in the world. Periodically, some of them are found and everybody goes ape for a while.

Home front:
SC: Feds to charge student with WMD attempt
Raw Story
“An 18-year-old accused of planning to bomb his high school will be charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a possible life sentence, the top federal prosecutor in South Carolina said Tuesday. Ryan Schallenberger also will face two lesser federal charges stemming from what authorities say was a scheme to detonate explosives in a suicide attack on his high school in the small town of Chesterfield. The straight-A student will be charged in federal court in Florence on Tuesday afternoon, said Kevin McDonald, the acting U.S. attorney for South Carolina. McDonald said the federal charge comes into play mostly because Schallenberger ordered materials that can be used for bombs through the mail.” (04/22/08)

If they hadn’t had the excuse of the USPS shipment, they would have probably found something else. I suspect his straight-A student record is more a reflection of dumb-downed school standards than of his mental abilities. However, it sounds like he didn’t try too hard not to get caught. It sounds like the family is not particularly functional, and his personal problems are the cause, not some political cause, as the next story relates.

Home front:
SC: Bomb-plot suspect got straight As
Arizona Republic
“A young man accused of plotting to bomb his high school is a straight-A student whose parents sought help from mental-health experts when he slammed his head into a wall last week, authorities said Monday. Ryan Schallenberger’s parents took him to a hospital three days before his Saturday arrest after he made a 4-inch indentation in the wallboard, prosecutor Jay Hodge said at a court hearing. Schallenberger, 18, was not badly injured, but his parents also called a local mental-health clinic that offered no help, Hodge said.” [Editor’s note: One could comment about how the pressures of perfection, perhaps from parents or teachers, led this poor soul to snap … a few years earlier than many do in the middle of college … but we’ll refrain - SAT] (04/22/08)

Steve’s comments seem pretty accurate to me: this kid doesn’t need a trial and jail time, he needs assistance from the elders of his church or some similar surrogates. As do his parents. One more example of a family that cannot and probably did not try to control their own child, and resorted to the nanny state. And a “child” (18 is an adult, isn’t it?) who grew up in a twisted way thanks to parental failures which include depending on state-run schools to raise him.

Home front:
FL: Feds to make third try vs. Liberty City Seven
Los Angeles Times
"Federal prosecutors announced plans Wednesday to retry six Florida men on terrorism charges despite two consecutive mistrials in a case once trumpeted as a success in the government's war on terrorism. ... The most recent trial in the so-called Liberty City Seven case ended last week after jurors could not agree on verdicts for any of the defendants on any charges. The first trial ended Dec. 13 with one acquittal and a hung jury regarding the other six defendants." (04/24/08)

How many times can they try these people? It seems to me that constitutional protections are being trampled on, in spirit if not in the letter of the law.

Home front:
Tennessee budget may shrink by $500 million
Tennessean
“Next year’s state budget could face as much as $500 million in cuts as tax revenues continue to slow with the nation’s weakening economy, Gov. Phil Bredesen said on Wednesday. The state’s gloomy revenue figures mean that ‘I’m going to have to trim my sails everywhere’ in next year’s budget, Bredesen said, estimating that his $27.9 billion budget proposal from earlier this year would have to be slashed by $400 million to $500 million. ‘You don’t do that without some pain. I’m gonna do some sail-trimming, and maybe tossing some baggage overboard here to keep the ship afloat,’ he said.” [Editor’s note: Given that when I moved to Nashville in late 1993, the entire state budget was well under $20 billion, this doesn’t say much for “frugality” … and now we must watch out for the end run with yet another push for a state income-tax to cover the “revenue shortfall!” - SAT] (04/24/08)

Well, good! To me, rolling the budget back 15 years to $20 billion is just a start.

Home front:
MA: Bartenders serve up drinks, customs checks
Boston Globe
“All the 33-year-old illegal immigrant wanted was a beer. After nearly a decade in this country, the Irish national knew to steer clear of police and federal agents. But he was stunned this month when a bartender at the Orpheum refused to serve him because his passport lacked a US Customs stamp. The Boston Culinary Group is now checking for US customs stamps if patrons present passports as ID. The man grabbed his passport and fled, abandoning a $60 orchestra seat at a Ray Davies concert and igniting a debate over a new policy that one of the country’s largest concessionaires imposed at the Orpheum and at another popular live-music venue in Boston. Officials at the Boston Culinary Group said they started checking for customs stamps last year to ensure that passports are authentic, not to enforce immigration law. But critics of the policy say that the stamp is no guarantee of validity and that checking for it is frightening to immigrants.” (04/24/08)

Hey, this seems to be the right of the vendor to do so – or of any other business to pick or choose their customers.

Mama's Note: Very true, but we all know the bar isn't checking ID or passports because they find that helps their business, but because the law demands it. Then, living in MA has far more of that nonsense than a lot of other places.

Home front: the Texas War:
TX: DNA samples to be taken from abducted children
Associated Press
“More than 400 children taken from a polygamous sect’s ranch will undergo DNA testing this week, an attempt to determine who their parents are and if any sexual abuse took place. Officials plan to begin taking DNA samples Monday at the coliseum in San Angelo where the children are being housed, but may need three or four days to complete the job. … When the DNA sampling is completed, state officials will begin to relocate some of the 416 children from the coliseum and will separate the children younger than 4 years from adult mothers. … After two days of testimony, [Judge Barbara] Walther ordered that all the children swept up in the raid of the Eldorado compound remain in state custody.”

This Nazgul has sealed these children’s fate: what will happen the next time? And remember, that there WILL be a next time: except it won’t just be a marginalized and sick sect, it will be a Baptist children’s home or a Catholic St. Someone’s School…

Home front: the Texas War:
False abuse claim investigated in Texas polygamist raid
KEYE-TV 42 news
Officials say the Texas Rangers are pursuing Rozita Swinton of Colorado as a “person of interest” regarding telephone calls related to the polygamist compound in Eldorado, Texas. Colorado Springs police confirmed that on Wednesday they arrested Swinton, 33, at her home.

It seems possible that this Rozita is the mysterious 16-year-old “Sarah” that started the whole thing, which further strengthens my original idea that this was a bogus raid with no real justification. Yes, crimes have been committed under Texas law by the people at the “Yearning for Zion Ranch” but the enforcement is very selective.

Home front: the Texas war:
FLDS take their battle online
Deseret News
“In another stage of their public relations campaign to battle stereotypes and speak out against the raid that placed 437 children in state protective custody, the Fundamentalist LDS Church faithful are speaking out on the Internet. A pair of Web sites were unveiled Monday in an effort to explain the FLDS beliefs and rally public sympathy behind the polygamous sect.” (04/22/08)

I am finding that people are receptive to hearing their appeals: once more, as in situations like Ruby Ridge and Waco, the state may have won the battle and yet taken another step to losing the war against all our various splinter cultures.

Homeland politics:
MO: GOP machine bosses crack down on Paul supporters
St. Louis Post Dispatch
“Ron Paul’s local forces came armed with a portable copier and Robert’s Rules of Order as they marched Saturday into the cafeteria of Kirkwood High School. But that wasn’t enough to counter the tactics of Republican regulars at the party’s 2nd Congressional District convention. Within minutes, amid a mix of cheers and protests, district GOP leaders disqualified almost half of the convention delegates or alternates — most of them suspected supporters of the Texas congressman’s presidential bid. … [Convention chair Rich] Magee, mayor of Glendale, said the delegate purge complied with last-minute changes in convention rules approved by the state party, which placed credentials committee business atop the agenda.” (04/20/08)

Once again, we are seeing this happen: I have seen this sort of thing over and over again in multiple states: Republicans who are “too libertarian” – whether candidates or just party workers, are isolated and cut out of the herd and ultimately cast out. The GOP is as corrupt in its own way as the Democrats, and is as unlike to change.

Insane and absolutely stupid government tricks:
UK: Pipe down! Brussels slaps a noise order on heart of Scotland
Times Online
“THEIR high-pitched skirl has put fear into the hearts of Scotland’s enemies and sent sensitive tourists reaching for the cotton wool. Now, however, the bagpipes are to be quietened by an edict from Brussels. From this month, pipers must adhere to strict volume limits or risk breaking European Union health and safety laws. Bands have been ordered to tone down or wear earplugs to limit noise exposure to 85 decibels.” (04/20/08)

Oh, this does indeed take the cake! Perhaps we need to send a few regiments of Highlanders to Brussels and clean house. Obviously, they will run in fear – for their hearing if nothing else.

Mama's Note: After watching the nonsense going on in Scotland the last 40 years or so, I've come to the conclusion that all the Scots with brains and guts came to America a very long time ago (my family among them).

Massa-wannabes:
PA: Clinton scrambles to maintain waning lead
Los Angeles Times
“With just days to go before Tuesday’s crucial Pennsylvania primary, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton took aim again at rival Sen. Barack Obama’s rhetoric, suggesting that she is the more substantive candidate for the presidency. … Clinton, who once held a wide lead in Pennsylvania, now has a single-digit advantage, according to most polls. Nationally, Obama leads in pledged delegates as well as the popular vote, and Clinton needs a clear-cut win to fuel her bid for the presidency.” (04/20/08)

Oh, my oh my. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Massa-wannabes:
PA: Clinton wins pivotal primary
Voice of America
“U.S. Democratic Party presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has won the primary in the eastern state of Pennsylvania. The victory keeps her campaign for the White House alive. Despite Tuesday’s victory in the delegate-rich state, Clinton trails Democratic rival Senator Barack Obama in delegates needed to win the party’s nomination. The Democratic nominee will face the Republican nominee-in waiting, John McCain, in the November election.” (04/23/08)

She won, and now has more popular votes than Obama, even without the Florida votes, so the farce inside the Democratic Party continues.

Massa-wannabes:
McCain says NC Republicans out of touch over ad
Reuters
“Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCain accused North Carolina’s Republican Party of being ‘out of touch with reality’ over its refusal to pull an advertisement criticizing Democrat Barack Obama. In an NBC interview aired on Friday, the Arizona senator said he has done all he can to persuade the state party to cancel the television ad that criticizes Obama as ‘too extreme’ because of controversial remarks made by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. ‘They’re not listening to me because they’re out of touch with reality and the Republican Party. We are the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan and this kind of campaigning is unacceptable,’ McCain told NBC’s ‘Today’ Show.” (04/25/08)

I’ve seen the ad, watched it several times (on You-tube, not the boob tube) and I can’t see why McCain or anyone else that is not an Obama supporter should be upset with it: it tells the truth, it shows an authentic videotape of this idiot spouting off, and people can make up their own minds. But no one in politics today can stand to call the truth out loud. Of course, if the Dems started running the truth about McCain, they might still win.

Nazgul:
Border agents can search laptops without cause
Wired
” Federal agents at the border do not need any reason to search through travelers’ laptops, cell phones or digital cameras for evidence of crimes, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, extending the government’s power to look through belongings like suitcases at the border to electronics. The unanimous three-judge decision reverses a lower court finding that digital devices were “an extension of our own memory” and thus too personal to allow the government to search them without cause. Instead, the earlier ruling said, Customs agents would need some reasonable and articulable suspicion a crime had occurred in order to search a traveler’s laptop. ” (04/22/08)

It seems to me that it should be a judge or, better, a jury, to decide if there is “some reasonable and articulable suspicion.” I expect this to get appealed, hopefully quickly. But for now, this is one more reason NOT to fly. If you must, it is clear that the data files for your laptop need to be stored on DVD disks (not kept in the computer, and password protected) or on thumb-drives that will not trigger metal detectors (some do, some don’t) and placed in a briefcase or your pocket.

Mama's Note: Even better, the disks and thumb drives should be totally encrypted. Make copies and mail them to your destination as well. Preparation and a little effort will be a lot more productive than long, drawn out court cases. Even better is to boot your whole system from a CD or DVD to avoid key loggers and other nasties. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Nazgul:
NJ: Supreme Court rules Internet user has right to privacy
Star Ledger
“The state Supreme Court ruled today that under the New Jersey Constitution an Internet user has the right to privacy in the subscriber information maintained by the individual’s Internet service provider. Ruling in the case of Shirley Reid, a Cape May County woman who was charged with hacking into her employer’s computer system after police obtained her identity from Comcast by using a municipal court subpoena, the high court unanimously held law enforcement had the right to investigate her but should have, instead, used a grand jury subpoena. The court upheld a state appeals court ruling that overturned the conviction for second-degree computer theft.” (04/21/08)

Funny, isn’t it? The NJ Supremes say that we can have privacy on our Internet connections, but the stuff is subject to causal browsing at will by border cops, according to the federal court above, as soon as it is saved onto our computer hard-drive. Of course, this is only NJ, but still…

Nazgul:
KY: Judge sends woman to jail for son’s truancy
Fox News
“A judge in western Kentucky has sent a woman to jail because her son wouldn’t go to school. Samantha Kinney of Earlington pleaded guilty to failing to keep her son in middle school classes. The court in Madisonville sentenced Kinney to a week on jail on her second offense. She had pleaded guilty to a like charge in December. Records show the boy had 16 unexcused absences this school year, besides medical absences. Hopkins County Attorney Todd P’Pool said sending a parent to jail is the final alternative in a chronic truancy case. He said the case marks the first time it’s happened in Hopkins County.” (04/22/08)

More and more cities and states are making it illegal (sometimes a felony) for parents to spank, otherwise physically discipline, or even threaten to discipline their children, and children are being taken away from parents more and more even when there are no charges filed, but the parents are still responsible to the point of jail? Stinks, doesn’t it?

Mama's Note: Not to mention totally ineffective. And how is she supposed to support and supervise the child there? Sounds like an excellent excuse to kidnap the boy altogether. Wait, you don't think the "child protectors" gain anything by this assault on families do you? Read it and weep.

Nazgul:
NY: Cops who shot unarmed man 50 times acquitted
Times Ledger
“After nearly nine weeks of heated testimony and arguments by Queens prosecutors and the attorneys for Detectives Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora and Marc Cooper, Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman acquitted the officers of all criminal charges in the Nov. 25, 2006, shooting of Sean Bell. … Cooperman, who presided over the non-jury trial, agreed with the defense that the detectives were justified in firing 50 bullets because they believed their lives were in danger …. Prosecutors argued that Oliver, who fired 31 times and reloaded; Isnora, who fired 11 times; and Cooper, who fired four times; were reckless and did not stop to assess the situation when they mistakenly thought Bell was shooting at them.” [Editor’s note: Un. Friggin’. Believable - TLK] (04/25/08)

Where was the jury? Where was the jury? For once, I’ve not got a beef with Al Sharpton and those calling for civil disobedience and other action. As Tom says, this is unbelievable. NYPD has a license to kill – how many deaths is Cooperman going to answer for, either before a real jury trial or to God?

Mama's Note: Read what David Codrea has to say about this insanity. The thing to remember is what would have happened if 3 ordinary citizens had made the same claim after killing an unarmed person this way. Do you think the verdict would have been very different?

Nazgul:
IL: Legal victory in fight over terror list
Chicago Sun Times
“They’re not terrorists, they say. But something is causing them to be flagged as such. The two — and six other U.S. citizens with Middle Eastern or south Asian ancestry who have been repeatedly stopped — are hoping their ordeal may be coming to an end following a recent federal court ruling here. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to say whether Rahman, Jammal and the other plaintiffs are on the Terrorist Screening Database watchlist — a disclosure authorities have argued could compromise national security. The judge will also look at FBI files and decide whether Rahman, Jammal and the others may see them.” (04/24/08)

Nice to hear – now for the other thousands in similar situations to also be set free of this hideous list.

Nazgul:
Scalia: Abortion not prohibited in Constitution
Fox News
“The Constitution doesn’t prohibit abortion any more than it allows it, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says in a television news interview to be broadcast Sunday. Scalia told CBS News’ 60 Minutes that he may be conservative, but he is not biased on issues that come before the court. ‘I mean, I confess to being a social conservative, but it does not affect my views on cases,’ Scalia said in excerpts released Thursday. ‘On the abortion thing, for example, if indeed I were … trying to impose my own views, I would not only be opposed to Roe versus Wade, I would be in favor of the opposite view, which the anti-abortion people would like to see adopted, which is to interpret the Constitution to mean that a state must prohibit abortion,’ Scalia told correspondent Lesley Stahl. ‘And you’re against that?’ Stahl asked. Scalia replied, ‘Of course. There’s nothing [in the Constitution to support that view’ …” (04/24/08)

Actually, he is right: it is in the Declaration of Independence that we accept and adopt the idea of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” – but without life, the other freedoms aren’t worth much here on earth.

Mama's Note: The Constitution also doesn't mention such things as government controlled education, redistribution of wealth or the environment, to name but a few...

Our British cousins:
British ex-jihadis form ranks for tolerance
Christian Science Monitor
“They once plotted insurrection in Britain. Young, middle-class, and angry, they were the vanguard of a generation of disaffected Muslims that, at its most extreme, gave rise to the July 7, 2005, transportation bombers. But now, in one of the most visible assaults on political Islam from within the British Muslim community, a network of ex-radicals launched on Tuesday a movement to fight the same ideology that they once worked to spread. The Quilliam Foundation — named for a 19th-century British convert to Islam — aims to propagate a tolerant and pluralistic view of Islam among young Muslims who are the most vulnerable to radicalism.” (04/23/08)

These heretics will get theirs when the Islamists come to power and Britain is firmly a part of the Ummah, of course. Or rather, they will get shortened because they are worse than the ferengi and dangerous to Islam. Of course, a lot of them will not make it that far – their peaceloving Muslim families and neighbors will take justice on them under Shar’ia law and that will be that. Beheading later or stoning, bombing, or a quick stab with a knife on the pavement now. Some choice. But clearly, some of them can’t stomach their faith any longer.

Right to keep and bear arms:
Posters Seen As ‘Effective’ Tool in Keeping Guns Out of Schools
CNSNews.com
Posters reading, “Be Cool… Don't Let Guns Rule” are going up in all public schools in Hamilton County, Tenn., which includes the Chattanooga metropolitan area. “The initiative will aid in keeping guns out of schools, thus allowing students and teachers to focus on learning,” the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said..

Just as effective as those “no firearms within 1000 feet of school” zone signs, obviously. Why people think that killers, suicides, and criminals will pay attention to this is beyond me.

Mama's Note: Remember, these are the same people who think that a "warning label" on cigarettes will make people stop smoking, or a label on a hair dryer is necessary to prevent someone from taking it into the shower with them...

Right to keep and bear arms:
WI: Principal with guns in car dismissed
WSAZ News
”A Wirt County Middle School principal who left two hunting rifles in a vehicle parked on school property has been terminated. The county school board voted 3-2 late Wednesday to dismiss James D. Hoover. Superintendent Daniel Metz declined to comment on the decision. Hoover was charged in October with two counts of unlawfully and feloniously possessing deadly weapons on educational facilities. But Wirt County Circuit Court Judge Robert Waters later dismissed the charges, saying the case fell under an exception in state law involving unloaded weapons in locked vehicles.” (04/18/08)

Idiocy. He was acquitted but still sacked.

Right to keep and bear arms:
TN: UT students protesting gun laws
Knoxville News
“If you notice students sporting empty holsters on the University of Tennessee campus today, it’s likely the sign of a protest, not a lost handgun. The students wearing the empty holsters are protesting state laws and campus policies that prohibit concealed handgun carry license holders from carrying on campus, said Nathan Robinson, a UT senior. The protest is a peaceful, nationwide protest by a nonpartisan organization called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, he said.” (04/21/08)

The more the merrier! And it is making an impact – I’ve seen signs of an organized attempt by hoploclasts in comments on news stories to deride and mock these gals and guys – so it must be hitting some nerves.

Mama's Note: Visit Opencarry.org for news on this, in addition to many comments from students and others involved. It's exciting to see the young people involved!

Right to keep and bear arms:
MO: Missouri House OKs guns in cars at parking lots
New Journal
“The House gives first-round approval to a bill blocking store owners from barring guns in their customers’ parked cars. It’s designed to clarify a law allowing Missourians to carry concealed weapons. That law allows businesses to bar guns from their premises. It has sometimes been interpreted to include parking lots. Bill supporters say it’s possible for Missourians to be barred from taking their gun into a store and prohibited from leaving it in a vehicle while they shop. Employers could still prevent employees from having a gun in company-owned vehicles. The measure also includes a provision that makes it harder for someone who is injured during a crime to sue the store in which the crime happened.” (04/23/08)

Is this a reasonable compromise? I don’t know. I do know if a company wants my business (or wants me to work for them), they better not try and ban my ability to defend myself and others. We armed citizens need to communicate that more and more forcefully to businesses, on a daily basis.

Mama's Note: Indeed! The customer has to be the one to convey this, not government.

Right to keep and bear arms:
NY: Victim kills intruder
Daily News
“The victim of a robbery in Queens fatally shot one of the three intruders early Tuesday morning with a gun they left behind, police said. A man and his girlfriend were returning to their Middle Village apartment about 4:50 a.m. when they were confronted by three men, police said. According to the victim, the men forced the couple into the apartment, where they tied them up with plans to rob the place, cops said. Somehow, the victim was able to get loose and grab a gun one of the suspects had left unattended, he told police. He shot one of his attackers in the head, killing him. The other two fled.” (04/23/08)

The news story doesn’t really make sense, and appears to contradict itself, but if he was still in danger from the invaders, he was exercising self-defense.

Mama's Note: This one might well be appropriate for investigation and a coroner's jury or however they do it, but remember that it's asking a lot to expect a rational report from New York newspapers to start with.

Right to keep and bear arms:
MI: Clerk shoots back
WOOD News
“Three armed robberies occurred in less than 45 minutes late Thursday night, but police are not officially linking the incidents. Two suspects are in custody for one of the robberies, and are undergoing questioning. In the last of the three, shots were fired. One of the store clerks exchanged gunfire with the robber. The bullet pierced a metal cabinet wall and struck Hung Ngyn in the leg. Ngyn, 42, is being released from the hospital and is said to be doing well Friday. Two men, one with a gun, went into Gerk’s Party Works on 36th St. around 11:15 p.m. and demanded money. That’s when the exchange of gunfire took place. Police aren’t sure if anyone was hit. A police dog tracked the men after they ran from the store, but lost their scent in an area where investigators think they got in a car and took off.” (04/19/08)

Apparently, Hung Ngyn was a store employee or a customer, and it is the criminals that may or may not have been hit. However, at least one crime was prevented because a store clerk was armed and ready.

Right to keep and bear arms:
VA: State crime panel will study “gun-show loophole”
News Advance
“A limited look at Virginia’s so-called ‘gun-show loophole’ will be among a dozen issues the Virginia State Crime Commission will study this year. The commission agreed yesterday to study the applicable state and federal firearms laws so that General Assembly members will have a clear understanding of the law in any future legislative debates. But recognizing the political divisiveness of the issue, the commission decided it will not recommend any proposed laws of its own …. Legislation requiring criminal-background checks on all firearms transactions at gun shows was defeated at the most recent assembly session, and the crime commission was asked to study the matter.” (04/24/08)

It is not, of course, a loophole, but I doubt if this commission will view it honestly.

Right to keep and bear arms:
TX: Pawn shop owner shoots robbers
Houston Chronicle
“A robbery suspect is in critical condition at a hospital after he was shot by a pawn shop manager during an attempted holdup, Houston police said. The 17-year-old and two other masked men were holding pistols and rifles shortly before noon Wednesday when they forced their way into Mason’s Pawn Shop on Cullen near Bellfort, police said. ‘They immediately started yelling for everybody to get on the ground,’ said Houston Police Sgt. Brian Harris. The teenager jumped over the counter and threatened to kill everyone inside the store, police said. ‘The manager was able to pull a pistol and shoot the man,’ Harris said.” (04/24/08)

Proof that handguns are too valuable to claim that it is all right to ban them as long as long-guns are not outlawed. In close space, a handgun is essential to self-defense.

Right to keep and bear arms:
IN: Suspects shot during attempted robbery
WISH TV
“Two men were shot, another arrested, after police say the men attempted to rob an apartment on the city’s near north side. It happened just after 3 a.m. in the 4800 block of Park Forest Court. Authorities say three black males went into the apartment with a shotgun. Several shots were fired. However, it’s the suspected robbers who were injured. Two are being treated at the hospital this morning. Police say their injuries are not life threatening.” (04/23/08)

Good guys win again. Why weren’t the two men shot also arrested?

Stupid cop tricks:
Citizen’s arrest for scofflaw cop
Portland Mercury
A CITIZEN who watched a cop illegally park, then walk into a Chinese restaurant to wait for his food, has issued the officer a series of citizen-initiated parking violations. Now, using ORS 153.058, Bryant—as a private citizen—has initiated violation proceedings against Officer Stensgaard. Bryant alleges Stensgaard was in violation of state statutes on illegal parking, illegal stopping, obeying parking restrictions on state highways, and illegal operation of an emergency vehicle or ambulance—the violations carry fines totaling $540.

An excellent analysis and appeal on how cops are virtually immune from any action for their constant breaking of the law can be found here, where an investigation explains how a million California “public servants” scam their way out of millions of traffic tickets and tolls. “…one of 996,716 vehicles registered to motorists who are affiliated with 1,800 state and local agencies and who are allowed to shield their addresses under the Confidential Records Program.” Indeed, in the People’s Republic, some animals ARE more equal than others. But not Mr. Stensgaard, who has a court appearance where he is NOT the arresting officer.

Stupid cop tricks:
UK: Jails “too comfy” to merit escape
BBC News [UK]
“Inmates are so comfortable in jail that they do not want to escape, a prison officer union leader says. Glyn Travis of the Prison Officers Association says inmates are happy to stay inside because they can get hold of drugs, mobile phones and even sex. He said a dealer regularly broke into a Yorkshire prison by using a ladder to enter cell windows — but no inmate used the ladder as a means of escape.” (04/24/08)

Of course, we all know that “Crime does not pay.” Right. Just like “violence never settled anything.”

Stupid government tricks:
NM: Couple’s home 1st prize in $100 essay contest
Fox News
“A White Rock couple has this proposal: Write a 500-word essay and you could win their home. But the Gaming Control Board says the contest that has a $100 entry fee might not be legal under state law. If someone is truly raffling off their home, it would be illegal under the Bingo and Raffle Act because it’s not being done by a qualified nonprofit organization, said Gaming Control Board deputy director Greg Saunders. However, if the essay contest is deemed ‘a game of skill,’ he said the Tiffany and Todd Lovell are in the clear. ‘We haven’t made that determination yet,’ he said.” [Editor’s note: About ten years ago, I helped design a website for a local couple with the same intention; the trick is to hire an independent testing service to evaluate the essays - SAT] (04/20/08)

It sounds to me like a needless, indeed, foolish technicality. But Steve’s idea makes sense, to protect everyone from government interference, if nothing else.

Stupid government tricks:
Class-action suit against Veterans Affairs opens
Los Angeles Times
“The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs may paint a rosy picture of improving healthcare for veterans, but the agency has systematically denied benefits to sick veterans and delayed claims so long that many of them commit suicide, a lawyer for two advocacy groups argued in federal court Monday. ‘The court faces an agency that is in denial and a healthcare system and an adjudication system that are broken down and in crisis,’ said Gordon P. Erspamer, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, in an opening statement in the class-action suit against the VA. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of Veterans for Common Sense, based in Washington, D.C., and Veterans United for Truth, based in Santa Barbara. It does not seek damages, but wants the court to compel the department to improve the care of hundreds of thousands of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.” (04/22/08)

The problem is, it is CONGRESS that should be sued, first for getting us into the wars and occupations that led to the injuries, and not providing proper equipment for those serving; and secondly for not funding the VA adequately. The VA can do nothing unless Congress first authorizes it to do so, and this lawsuit will do little to help that. But that said, I’ve personally seen great improvements in VA care for veterans of all ages in the past six to ten years, and while there is much still to be done, and more than can be done by a government agency, things are somewhat better.

Stupid government tricks:
U.S. environment scientists report political meddling
Reuters
Nearly 900 scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency have experienced political interference in their work in the last five years, the Union of Concerned Scientists reported on Wednesday. The nonprofit environmental organization said its investigation of EPA was in line with previous probes of other U.S. agencies which found "significant administration manipulation of federal science."

Well, what else do we expect? Government science is as suspect as government education and government justice: they are all political and the interference is systemic.

Mama's Note: DUH!!!

Stupid government tricks:
UK: Young face ban on using sunbeds
BBC News
“People aged under 18 could be banned from using sunbeds in England under proposals from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).The HSE also wants to see tanning salons fully staffed at all times. The proposals come as a survey by Which? magazine estimates that 170,000 under-16s in the UK have used a sunbed. The Sunbed Association (TSA) supports a ban on under-16s, but argues there is no scientific evidence for a ban on young people aged 17 or 18.” (04/23/08)

One more example of the nanny state, based on a stupid distinction between natural and artificial. The 14-year-old beach cutie can bake her brains out and turn her skin to leather on an open beach or a park lawn, and the damage is the same. The only real difference I can see is that the kid can’t do that in January and February, as a rule.

Mama's Note: Not to mention that age has nothing to do with it. What is magic about being 18? Do people suddenly become mature, thinking adults who can make up their own mind? Wouldn't it be nice?

Stupid people tricks:
Russia: Priest blesses strip club
Ananova [UK]
“A Russian priest was left cursing after he was tricked into giving a sacred blessing to a strip bar. Father Nickolai blessed the Studio 74 strip club in the city of Chelyabinsk after he was told it was a ballet school. The Orthodox priest claims he had no idea it was a strip club and that he had been tricked by the owners - who told him it was a hall for training ballet dancers. Studio 74 spokeswoman Anna Usmanova said: “Ever since we had this sacred act performed on our premises customers say they have experienced an entirely new atmosphere here and more people are coming in. The blessing seems to be working.”" (04/21/08)

The gullible (and the con artists) we will ALWAYS have with us!

Stupid people tricks:
Limbaugh calls for “riots” in Denver
Denver Channel KMGH
“Talk show host Rush Limbaugh is sparking controversy again after he made comments calling for riots in Denver during the Democratic National Convention this summer. He said the riots would ensure a Democrat is not elected as president, and his listeners have a responsibility to make sure it happens. ‘Riots in Denver, the Democrat Convention would see to it that we don’t elect Democrats,’ Limbaugh said during Wednesday’s radio broadcast. He then went on to say that’s the best thing that could happen to the country. Limbaugh cited Al Sharpton, saying the Barack Obama supporter threatened to superdelegates that ‘there’s going to be trouble’ if the presidency is taken from Obama.” [Editor’s note: Ever since Olbermann began referring to him as “comedian Rush Limbaugh” … it’s all made sense - SAT] (04/24/08)

I heard this, and he did NOT call for riots, he simply talked about a dream and how it would not bother him if that were to happen. And obviously, unless the neo-cons and Conservatives and anti-Democrats that listen to his show get out and work for the GOP, a Democrat will win in November, but he did not call for his listeners to go riot. I’m glad that Steve has finally woken up to the truth: Rush Limbaugh is first and foremost an entertainer – he knows that he is, and anyone who listens to his show a few times with an open mind will realize that is the case. He is conservative, or at least neo-conservative, but he says, does, plays, and responds to things as much for their entertainment value as for their political value. Yes, he is an excellent comedian, and every time you hear someone scream about him, it shows how good a comedian and entertainer he is.

Stupid people tricks:
FDA examine Lasik side effects
Houston Chronicle
“Rare side effects reported with laser eye-correcting surgery will get a closer look from the Food and Drug Administration Friday. Millions of Americans have undergone Lasik surgery to improve their eyesight since FDA first approved lasers for the procedure a decade ago. But since then, the agency has received more than 140 reports of problems with the procedure. Lasik side effects include blurred vision, dry eyes and halos around lights when seen at night.” (04/25/08)

Folks, we aren’t made using a cookie cutter: people are different. We respond differently to medications, to treatments, to foods, to liquids, to sunlight and pollutants. 140 out of perhaps 6 million? Please. As the FDA website itself says “here are never any guarantees in medicine.” To ban such a procedure because it does not work for everyone is even more evil than not trying to figure out why.

Mama's Note: Indeed! And 140 out of the millions done is not even statistically significant, except to those 140 of course. And I can tell you the reason for many failures, in all kinds of surgical procedures. Patients do not follow the doctor's directions. If you are going to have surgery, do what the doctor says to prepare, and follow the post-op instructions to the letter. Then you will have the very best chance of a good outcome. Take it from an old nurse.

Stupid people tricks:
UK: Driver follows sat-nav into river
Ananova [UK]
“A Norfolk taxi driver ended up stranded after he followed his sat-nav system’s directions — into a river. The mini-bus driver was on his way to collect a fare in Castle Acre, near King’s Lynn, when he took a wrong turn into the River Nar. Fortunately he had no passengers aboard — but he did have the embarrassment of having to ring his bosses for help, reports Lynn News. Streamline Taxis owners Keith Jarvis and Pat Bowles took along a towrope, expecting to find the eight-seater minibus just off the ford. But Mr. Jarvis said: ‘It took ages to find him and we couldn’t believe it when we saw where he was — it was several hundred yards along the river! The vehicle still had its engine running and headlights on, and he was sitting in it with his trousers rolled up round his knees. I shone a torch in the river and there were fish swimming around the headlights.’” (04/24/08)

Funny how people will believe technology instead of their own eyes.

Stupid people tricks:
Wright: Controversy over sermons “unfair”
San Francisco Chronicle
“The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, former pastor to Barack Obama, said that publicizing sound bites of sermons in which he condemned U.S. policies was ‘unfair’ and ‘devious,’ and done by people who know nothing about his church, according to excerpts of a PBS interview released Thursday. Wright said that, as an activist, he is accustomed to being ‘at odds with the establishment,’ but the response to the sermons has been ‘very, very unsettling.’ The interview, scheduled for broadcast Friday night, is the first the pastor has given since video of his preaching gained national attention in March, putting Democratic presidential hopeful Obama on the defensive.” (04/24/08)

View the sermon and listen to the sound bytes for yourself, and see what you make of this man. Add that to his behavior, his writings, and this, and you will see that he is NOT anything but a racist and hater.

Mama's Note: "You will know them by their fruits..." "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I tell you?"

Theft by government:
CA: Farm groups split on land theft ban
Sacramento Bee
“When it comes to water, thirsty California farm groups normally fight as one. But it is water that is behind a growing split in the agriculture community over an eminent domain measure on the June 3 ballot. Proposition 98, backed by the California Farm Bureau Federation and an anti-tax group, would prohibit governments from seizing property, including farmland, for private use. But some farm groups — including the Fresno-based Nisei Farmers League and Western Growers Association — fear the measure would block use of eminent domain for construction of long-sought pipelines, canals and reservoirs, including one targeted for east of Fresno.” (04/21/08)

I still side with those who want to eliminate ALL eminent domain. I wish these farm groups would understand what they are doing by undermining this effort.

Theft by government:
MA: State Senate OKs doctor gift ban
Boston Herald
“The state Senate unanimously approved a first-in-the-nation law banning all gifts to doctors from pharmaceutical companies, but lawmakers removed a controversial provision that would have criminalized the practice. … health industry lobbyists battled to alter the legislation, arguing that it would go too far by restricting distribution of educational materials and would potentially hurt patient care. The bill still needs approval from the House of Representatives and Gov. Deval Patrick.” (04/18/08)

Explain to me exactly HOW this is supposed to benefit patients? If you have a doctor who is so twisted and warped that he or she will favor the supplier over the patient, you have GOT to go find a real doctor. And just WHERE in the Mass constitution is this sort of power given to the legislature?

Mama's Note: Ah, another "ban" to fix everything! Why would anyone think that a "ban" or another law would change the hearts and behavior of people from evil to good? There is simply no proof it does - and plenty to the contrary, yet so many persist in it.

Theft by government:
NY: Town pols may steal land for wind farm
WETM 18 News
“Some neighbors in Steuben County could be forced to allow a controversial wind farm project to move ahead. The [Prattsburgh] town board Monday night voted to use eminent domain if needed to get the job done. That issue is whether property owners should be forced to grant easements or permission for a cable to run underground connecting the huge wind turbines. The town board voted three to two to use the power of eminent domain, if needed. Wind Farm Developer UPC plans on building 36 wind turbines. 48 properties in Prattsburgh would be affected by the project.” (04/22/08)

Yet another example of an evil that cannot be justified in any way: If power cables cannot be run to these properties using existing or voluntarily-given easements and rights-of-way, they should fire the engineers who designed the system and hire some who understand what the proper limits of a project should be.

Mama's Note: Not to mention the fact that, as long as theft is a viable option, the real costs of such a project are not part of the planning to begin with. If they knew from the start that they would have to pay at or above market value to obtain the right of way, the project might never have been started at all.

Theft by government:
Hungary plans ‘tie tax’
Ananova [UK]
“Hungary’s culture minister has unveiled plans for a tax on ties.”Ties and bow ties are created by designers, who are artists, and therefore some of their earnings should support the arts and culture here in Hungary,” said politician Maria Schneider. She added: “Good design is after all a sign of culture, so it is right that the Culture Ministry should benefit from it.”People are just as keen on buying a Cabal tie nowadays as they were more than a century ago on buying a Dickens book.” Schneider wants a 0.8% tax on all sales.” (04/23/08)

Any excuse for more taxes. You can be sure that these ties are already subject to anywhere between 10% and 25% in sales and other taxes: this is just a way to get more money with an earmark on it to get support.

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