Libertarian Commentary on the News, 27 April - 03 May, 2008

Our British cousins:
UK: Elections “vulnerable to fraud”
BBC News [UK]
“Elections in the UK fall short of international standards with the system vulnerable to fraud, a report by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust claims. Measures to improve choice for voters — such as postal and electronic voting — are actually risking the integrity of the electoral process, it said.” (04/28/08)

If this is the case in the UK, similar problems are faced here in the US. Just as many people have pointed out.

Our British cousins:
UK: Smith faces fresh pressure on 42-day terror detentions
Independent [UK]
“Pressure on Jacqui Smith to back down over plans to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge intensified yesterday after leaked documents suggested ministers were considering allowing suspects to be held under house arrest. Home Office documents are said to propose giving judges powers to order ‘alternatives to detention’ such as electronic tagging or house arrest if police want to hold terror suspects beyond the current 28 day limit.” (04/28/08)

This is a rather bizarre proposed compromise that will probably fail. Brown wants this extended detention, and if Smith doesn’t get it, he’ll get a new Home Secretary that will.

Our British cousins:
UK: Worst losses in 40 years for Labour
Associated Press
“Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Labour Party was headed toward its worst local election defeat in four decades on Friday, fueling doubts about Brown’s ability to lead his party to victory in a general election. The Conservative Party made strong gains across the nation in balloting on Thursday, according to partial results. Crucially, the Tories looked set to wrest control of London’s coveted mayor position, with indications that eccentric former magazine Editor Boris Johnson stood a good chance of defeating incumbent Ken Livingstone, the city’s first elected mayor. … The British Broadcasting Corp. projected the Conservatives would take 44 percent of the vote in England and Wales, putting it 20 points ahead of Labour. Brown’s party was running neck-and-neck with the Liberal Democrats, the country’s third-largest party.” (05/02/08)

Even the most deluded of voters sometimes can’t be fooled.

Our right to defend ourselves:
NY: Union officials support gun ban
Valley News
“The unions representing Oswego County employees supports the proposed weapons ban that would prohibit bringing firearms into county buildings. Legislature Chairman Barry Leemann said Tuesday that he had recently met with the representatives and that they are in support of some kind of ban on weapons. The legislature’s Government and Strategic Planning Committee is expected to address the matter at Monday’s meeting.” (04/26/08)

As usual, the hoploclasts are very successful in creating fear and anxiety among groups as necessary to disarm potential victims.

Our right to defend ourselves:
KY: Man shot during attempted break-in
Lexington Herald-Leader
“A man trying to break into a Lexington home early Tuesday died from injuries after a resident shot the man through the front door, Lexington police said. … The resident, who has not been identified, told police that he was home with his girlfriend and brother when he heard someone trying to kick in the front door. Armed with a handgun, the resident shot through the front door, striking the man once in his upper body, Curtsinger said. The man was lying on the front porch near the home’s entrance when police arrived.” (04/29/08)

The first of many examples this week of people who did the right thing and of situations which turned out for the best.

Our right to defend ourselves:
TX: Homeowner kills burglar
My San Antonio
“Police said a homeowner shot and killed a burglary suspect inside a Northeast Side home this morning. The 18-year-old man male suspect was shot about 2:30 a.m. in the 5800 block of Midcrown after a male homeowner noticed the youth inside the man’s house. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released this morning.” (04/29/08)

Excellent job.

Our right to defend ourselves:
IL: Chicago police to get assault rifles
Chicago Tribune
“Mayor Richard Daley said Saturday Chicago police officers will he armed with high-powered assault rifles when they’re on the streets fighting gangs and other criminals. ‘Many times they’re outgunned, to be very frank,’ Daley said at an event in the Englewood neighborhood. ‘When they come to a scene, someone has a semi fully-automatic weapon and you have a little pistol, uh, good luck.’ The city’s police officers carry pistols, and Daley suggested they will start carrying ‘M4 rifles.’” [Editor’s note: Anyone care to guess what the h*** a “semi fully-automatic weapon” is supposed to be? Ah, well, like Daley’s dad said, the police are here to preserve disorder - TLK] (04/26/08)

We hear these claims all the time, but there are so few cases where use of either “semi-“ or “fully-“ automatic weapons have been used against police, I don’t believe this is really valid. But if the Chicago government and cops want to return their city to the bad old days of the 1920s and turn it into a war zone, they just need to further militarize their occupation force as they are doing.

Our right to defend ourselves:
CA: Clerk fatally shoots would-be armed robber
Mercury News
“Los Angeles police say a mini market clerk has shot and killed an armed man who was trying to rob the business. Officers responding to a shooting call Saturday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley found 30-year-old Marvin Sanchez lying on a sidewalk shot to death. Investigators say Sanchez walked into the Del Gaudio mini market, pulled a handgun and demanded money. The male clerk grabbed a handgun and shot Sanchez.” (04/27/08)

The way these things should end.

Our right to defend ourselves:
TN: Would-be robber shot and killed in liquor store
Tennessean
“A would-be robber at an Inglewood liquor store was shot and killed Saturday night after a customer opened fire, Metro police said. Two men entered Sinkers Wine & Spirits on Gallatin Pike around 10 p.m. and attempted to rob the store with handguns, Capt. David Imhof said. During the robbery, a customer took out a handgun of his own and began a shootout, Imhof said. One of the robbery suspects ran away, but the other collapsed outside the store, Imhof said. He was taken to Skyline Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.” (04/28/08)

Great show.

Our right to defend ourselves:
TX: Restaurant owner shoots intruder
Click2Houston
“A restaurant owner fatally shot a man who broke into his east Harris County business on Sunday, officials told KPRC Local 2. Harris County sheriff’s deputies said an alarm company notified the owner of 4 Corners BBQ that someone may have been inside the restaurant on Decker Road shortly before noon. Investigators said the owner went to the business and found a broken window and a man inside. The owner fired one shot inside the building, fatally wounding the man. … Detectives said the case would be referred to a Harris County grand jury without charges.” (04/28/08)

Good show.

Our right to defend ourselves:
GA: Atlanta mayor, others call for gun bill veto
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Three weeks after it slipped through the Legislature, a bill to permit licensed owners to carry concealed firearms in parks, on public transportation and in booze-serving restaurants has resulted in a delayed storm of protest urging Gov. Sonny Perdue to veto the measure. MARTA bus drivers already have 1,000 signatures on a petition demanding bulletproof shields … The Georgia Restaurant Association, wondering how waiters and waitresses are to keep patrons from both drinking and packing, is prepared to go to court. And on Thursday, led by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, a group of two dozen political, business and community leaders warned of increased violence and citizens-turned-enforcers.” (04/25/08)

The hoploclasts clearly messed up but are trying to spread panic and fear now, and doing so quite successfully. As experience has shown in state after state, these fears are irrational and without ANY foundation.

Our right to defend ourselves:
ND: Decision to be made on firearm policies
Dakota Student Online
“In Sunday’s Student Senate meeting Jae Baker, president of a new student organization aimed at empowering women and their second amendment right, Females for Firearms, made a statement in response to UND’s gun control policies, including the current issue of the forbiddance of weapons in on-campus apartments. A decision for the policy will be made later this week. ‘The function of the club right now is to educate people on all different aspects of firearms, which include what type they are and what they are used for,’ she said. ‘Some people don’t even know the difference between shotguns and protection pieces.’” (04/25/08)

Obviously a sister group of both Second Amendment Sisters and Students for Concealed Carry, this group seems to be effectively fighting for restoration of individual liberties, even in semi-socialist North Dakota.

Mama's Note: Either the reporter is goofy or the club spokesperson doesn't know much about it either... just what is the difference between "shotguns and protection pieces?" A lot of folks have successfully protected themselves with shotguns.

Our right to defend ourselves:
AZ: Homeowner pursues suspected thief, shoots him
Arizona Republic
“Police are sorting out a shooting that took place early Friday in northwest Phoenix, resulting in the wounding of a suspected auto burglar and the closing of 43rd Avenue south of Bell Road. The injured man, who suffered wounds that were not life-threatening, was shot by an irate homeowner who told officers he gave chase and fired after somebody tried to break into his vehicle, police said. There were no immediate arrests as investigators gathered evidence and tried to determine whether the shooter, under the facts of the case, was justified in using deadly force, said Detective Stacie Derge, a Phoenix police spokeswoman. … The homeowner told police that his car alarm sounded and he stepped outside to see what was happening. He said somebody tried to break into his car and he saw a man walking away from the vehicle. The suspected auto burglar stepped into a pickup truck and drove away, while the homeowner got into his vehicle, a Pontiac, and gave chase, following the man through surrounding neighborhoods. Eventually, police said, they ended up on 43rd Avenue south of Bell Road, where the homeowner fired several rounds into the pickup truck, wounding the driver at least twice.” (04/25/08)

The homeowner was in the wrong, based on the facts as presented in the article. He was NOT, in my opinion, justified in either pursuing the man who tried to break in, or in shooting him.

Mama's Note: This kind of thing SEEMS to be increasing - gun owners who do not demonstrate a basic understanding of self defense and the moral/legal use of deadly force. While I would never advocate any kind of state mandated anything, it would seem wise for EVERY gun owner to seek out high quality training in both gun use and proper self defense. The best gunfight is the one that never happened. This one should not have happened.

Our right to defend ourselves:
Court dismisses NYC’s frivolous anti-gun suit
MSNBC
“A federal appeals court Wednesday tossed out New York City’s lawsuit claiming the gun industry markets weapons with the knowledge that they could be used illegally. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. law provides the gun industry with broad immunity from lawsuits brought by crime victims and violence-plagued cities.” (04/30/08)

A breath of fresh air from an otherwise dismal court system: OF COURSE guns can be used illegally. As can cars, telephones, pencils, toilet paper, and spray cans of paint. Guns should NOT need special laws of immunity: but we do have them. Until the votes dictate otherwise.

Our right to defend ourselves:
FL: Manager recounts shooting in West Palm Beach grocery
Palm Beach Post
“Grant was a daily customer who’d never been a problem, said Hernandez, who manages the large supermarket at 1000 36th St. On Monday afternoon, Grant and Hernandez argued after he tried to enter the store through the exit. ‘I said, ‘You know what? Take your business elsewhere,” Hernandez said. Grant then drew a handgun. Assistant manager Roberto Espinal, behind a side counter, drew his gun. When Grant turned that way, Hernandez pulled his gun. It was 5 p.m., and the store was jammed with customers, loading up for dinner on their way home, who hadn’t counted on a three-way standoff.” (04/29/08)

In other words, it isn’t just armed robbers that storekeepers have to be prepared to protect themselves, their businesses, and their customers against.

Mama's Note: How strange that a previously good customer would do something like this. I've got a strong feeling that there are large chunks of this story missing. But Nathan is correct, for sure. We can never know for sure from where or whom danger may come.

Our right to defend ourselves:
KS: Burglar greeted by gunfire
Kansas City Star
“Overland Park police are investigating a business burglary where an employee fired shots at a suspect. But the suspect, who may have been hit, was able to get away. … Police said a company employee had been sleeping in an apartment inside the business when he heard a loud crash coming from the garage area. The employee grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and went to the garage area to investigate. The employee saw the garage door partially open and then saw a man inside near one of the company’s trucks. He then fired a shot and heard the man yell. The intruder then ran towards the garage door and the employee fired again. Police found blood on the garage floor but could not find the intruder anywhere.” (04/30/08)

Nice as it would have been to catch the thief, I think he will be unlikely to return!

Our right to defend ourselves:
Interior Department would allow concealed guns in national parks
News Tribune
“The Department of the Interior proposed a rule change Wednesday that would allow people to carry a concealed firearm in a national park or wildlife refuge. The new rule says park visitors would need a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and the state where the park is located must allow guns in its own parks. Concealed weapons are allowed in Washington’s state parks. Current regulations require weapons to be temporarily inoperable or stowed so they are not easily accessible. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced the proposed change. The announcement begins a 60-day public comment period.” (05/01/08)

A start, however, pitiful, to fixing a bad situation. Anyone interested in seeing an improvement should send a comment to support this (although it is far from perfect): you know that the hoploclasts and hoplophobes will post thousands of antigun comments. If you wish to do so, start at Regulations.gov and enter 1024-AD70 under "Comment or Submission" to get to the page where you can both view the proposed rule change and enter your comments.

Consider stating something to the effect that this is a “good start” but doesn’t go far enough: both open- and concealed-carry should be allowed and encouraged on ALL federal lands, whether allowed in state parks or not. It won’t hurt to mention that this is a given, because it restores Bill of Rights’ freedoms that too long have been taken away without any authority to do so.

My own comments as submitted today: “As a US Army Reserve officer, a member of numerous local emergency management and response organizations, and an environmental engineer, I have always felt that the NPS prohibition on bearing weapons in National Parks and Monuments to be both a deeply offensive violation of the Constitution and insult to myself and millions of other Americans who serve and have served their communities, states, and the Union by bearing arms in their defense; as well as exposing my family and myself to increased criminal activities from those who will obey no regulation or law as they seek to steal from or harm others for their own pleasure; and exposing my family and myself to harm from wild animals that are an important part of many such properties. I believe that recognizing the right of peaceful and honest people to bear arms for the defense of others and themselves on our own property and to carry those arms concealed is an important first step in restoring rights of the people of these United States to defend themselves against criminals and threats of nature. This change should be made immediately and followed by others which bring Interior Department rules into compliance with the US Constitution and State Constitutions.”

Mama's Note: My comment is posted. Said pretty much the same thing, just fewer words. <G>

Persian front:
Gates: Second carrier in Gulf a “reminder” to Iran
MSNBC
“Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that sending a second U.S. aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf could serve as a ‘reminder’ to Iran, but he said it’s not an escalation of force. Speaking to reporters after meeting with Mexican leaders, Gates said heightening U.S. criticism of Iran and its support for terror groups is not a signal that the administration is laying the groundwork for a strike against Tehran.” (04/29/08)

How can cruising in international waters be an “escalation of force” – intimidation maybe, a warning, definitely, but there is no force or threat of force involved. Of course, it does tempt that popinjay and his “Supreme Leader” (one of the Ayatollahs) in Iran to strike out against the Great Satan, but it isn’t like it is hard to find a US merchant or warship near Iran to attack.

Persian front:
Iran calls for ban on Barbie doll
BBC News [UK]
“Iran’s top prosecutor has called for restrictions in the import of Western toys, saying they have a destructive effect on the country’s youth. The Prosecutor General, Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi, said that toys such as Barbie, Batman, and Harry Potter would have negative social consequences. Mr. Najafabadi wants measures taken to protect what he called Iran’s Islamic culture and revolutionary values.” (04/28/08)

If the US and its many special interest groups were not attempting to do virtually the same thing in dozens of cases (see the article on MADD and Grand Theft Auto VI elsewhere in this column), we would be less hypocritical in condemning this stupidity. Of course, I get a chuckle out of this – it isn’t often you see The Batman, Harry Potter, and Barbie mentioned all in the same breath!

Stupid government tricks:
TX: DNA testing frees man after 27 years in prison
Raw Story
“James Lee Woodard could have been out of prison long ago, had he just confessed to a parole board that he was guilty of killing his girlfriend in 1980. But the convicted Dallas man eventually stopped attending those hearings rather than admit to something he said he didn’t do. Instead, he waited 27 years until a judge on Tuesday made him the nation’s longest-serving inmate to be freed as a result of DNA testing. ‘It says a lot about your character that you were more interested in the truth than your freedom,’ state District Judge Mark Stoltz told Woodard after making his ruling, which must be formalized by an appeals court or a pardon from Gov. Rick Perry.” (04/29/08)

How many more are there like Mr. Woodard?

Mama's Note: I'd like to know just why this should have to wait for some formal hearing or a "pardon?" How much more of his life must be sacrificed to the inept and insane bureaucrats? And why should one need a "pardon" at all for something he did not do? Personally, I'd like to see the transcripts of the trials reviewed and any hint of suppression of evidence prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. When these courts are actually held accountable, this kind of thing will not be so common.

Stupid government tricks:
Tajikistan: People urged to chip in for hydroelectric project
Yahoo! News
“The impoverished Central Asian nation of Tajikistan urged its people on Tuesday to give up their salaries to help build a new hydroelectric plant. … Makhmadsaid Ubaidulloyev, speaker of the upper house of parliament, said on Tuesday the government could raise about $10 million for its construction if all residents of the capital Dushanbe were to give up half their wages in May and June. ‘Makhmadsaid Ubaidulloyev appealed on all companies to transfer 50 percent of employees’ salaries to help Rogun’s construction,’ said Shavkat Saidov, a Dushanbe city spokesman. One of the world’s poorest countries, where the average monthly wage is about $63, estimates the cost of completing Rogun at between $1.3 and $3.2 billion.” (04/29/08)

A refreshing change in idea. IF it will be truly voluntary on the part of the workers. The problem is, WHY does this have to be done by GOVERNMENT? Why can’t a private cooperative sell shares? Why aren’t private investors interested? I suspect that it is government regulations and similar barriers that prevent it, possibly starting with a state monopoly on electrical utilities.

Stupid government tricks:
Witness: Hastert linked to alleged Rezko plot
Chicago Tribune
“The name of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert was added Monday to the roster of political heavyweights linked by witnesses to an alleged plan to dump Chicago’s top federal prosecutor and kill a criminal investigation into a top fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich. A witness at the corruption trial of Blagojevich insider Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko testified that Rezko told him in February 2005 about an effort under way to fire U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and replace him with someone more compliant to be hand-picked by Hastert, then the top Republican in the House.” (04/29/08)

More corruption in high places.

Stupid government tricks:
Doan resigns as head of GSA
USA Today
“The White House has forced out the head of the General Services Administration amid allegations she used her position to help Republican candidates and tried to steer government business to friends. Lurita Doan resigned after less than two years leading the GSA, which manages thousands of government-owned buildings and handles billions of dollars in federal contracts. The White House asked for her immediate resignation last night.” (04/30/08)

One corrupt official gone – only a few million left.

Stupid government tricks:
FDA to hire 1,300 as criticism grows
USA Today
“The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday said it will hire more than 1,300 biologists, chemists, medical officers and others over the next several months. The hiring announcement comes as consumer advocates and lawmakers blast the agency for lax oversight, the drug industry pushes for swifter approval of their products and medical experts decry the lack of regulatory resources.” (04/30/08)

More “government scientists” to turn more science into politics. It seems to me that more use of third-party, independent organizations like Underwriters Laboratories, and the American Society for Testing of Materials, would do a better job.

Stupid government tricks:
Proposal would limit increases in credit card fees, rates
USA Today
“In a far-reaching effort to rein in abusive credit card practices, federal regulators have proposed restricting the ability of card issuers to sharply raise interest rates and fees. The proposal, released Thursday by the Office of Thrift Supervision and the National Credit Union Administration, would: Bar issuers from raising interest rates on existing debt, except under certain conditions, such as when a promotional rate expires or when a borrower pays 30 days or more late.” (05/01/08)

For decades, we have known about and had to cope with abusive credit card practices, just as for centuries, we have known about abusive banking practices in general. Many, perhaps HUNDREDS of, attempts have been made to “rein in” these problems, but they never seem to work – the credit card companies and banks always seem to find a way around them. Maybe it is time to try something else besides more regulations? Like reforming the monetary system that allows this sort of situation to develop?

Mama's Note: Such abuses would not be possible if each person took responsibility for themselves. As long as people accept "easy credit" and sign on the dotted line for these schemes, I have no sympathy for them. Government should have no part in the monetary system.

Stupid people tricks (trips?):
Sparks fly over ethics of air travel
Christian Science Monitor
“Travelers troubled by rising airfares, canceled flights, and overcrowded tarmacs are hearing yet another reason to reconsider air travel. Some say it’s unethical to fly. Earlier this month, neighborhood and environmental activists staged events across Britain to dramatize concerns about commercial aviation. Donning masks of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and waving cardboard airplanes, they called on government to keep track of carbon emissions from planes and raise fees to discourage frequent flying.” [Editor’s note: If interminable waiting-lines and jackbooted strip-searches couldn’t stop folks from flying; we doubt this will - SAT] (04/28/08)

Steve is undoubtedly right, but this may be just a way of demonizing air travel for anyone but the elite. You know that Gore and others aren’t going to give up aircraft.

Stupid people tricks:
VT: Hoping the wells won’t run dry
Christian Science Monitor
“With Lake Champlain, snowy peaks, and 40 inches of rain a year, the Green Mountain State isn’t exactly parched. But don’t tell that to Annette Smith. Six years ago, a mining company pumped 2.7 million gallons of water from an underground well near her Danby, Vt., home. The local springs were so dry she had to spend more than $4,000 to dig a new well. When water eventually returned to the springs, the levels weren’t what they once were, she says. Such episodes have Vermonters so worried about unregulated water withdrawals that on Friday the state legislature passed a bill that establishes a water-permit requirement. There’s just one problem.” (04/28/08)

The blame is often placed on the nearest company with big pockets, while the proof that the mining actually caused the problem is seldom there. And instead of addressing the issue here: damage to a neighbor, the state has imposed a regulatory scheme that will hurt the entire state. It goes back to treating groundwater as a common resource, instead of a privately-owned resource.

Stupid people tricks:
CA: San Diego GOP chairman co-founded international piracy ring
Raw Story
“Any job applicant knows that background checks are routine — especially for jobs involving authority or oversight of money. So why didn’t the San Diego Republican Party do a simple Google search before naming Tony Krvaric as its chairman? Online research reveals that Krvaric is the co-founder of Fairlight, a band of software crackers which later evolved into an international video and software piracy group that law enforcement authorities say is among the world’s largest such crime rings. After co-founding Fairlight in Sweden, Krvaric established U.S. operations for the organization, including an arm headquartered in Southern California — a major center for the computer and video game industry.” (04/30/08)

Gee, couldn’t happen to a nicer group of people!

Stupid people tricks:
MADD attacks “Grand Theft Auto IV”
San Francisco Chronicle
“Mothers Against Drunk Driving wants a stricter rating on Grand Theft Auto IV. The organization is calling on the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, the independent organization that assigns video-game ratings, to reclassify ‘GTA IV’ as an Adults Only game. The action-driving game, which includes the ability to drive while intoxicated, is currently rated ‘M for Mature.’ ‘Drunk driving is not a game, and it is not a joke,’ MADD said in a statement released Tuesday. ‘Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable.’” [Editor’s note: MADD would look a lot better in this arena had it focused its attention on removing repeat-offender drunks from the highways, instead of on lowering legal limits on alcohol to where a glass of wine with a heavy dinner is considered over the line - SAT] (04/30/08)

MADD’s hypocrisy is showing. It would be interesting to compare MADD’s and SADD’s (Students Against…, the youth front for the group) membership address list with the registration data for GTA IV.

Stupid people tricks:
Web sites promote “hypermiling” to save on fuel
Yahoo! News
“As U.S. gasoline prices hit records on almost a daily basis, an increasing number of motorists are following a radical driving technique designed to eke out every last mile from a tank of fuel. Known as ‘hypermiling,’ the method can double gas mileage, even in gas-guzzling vehicles that would normally get less than 20 mpg. Promoted on a growing number of Web sites, hypermiling includes pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of a low viscosity, and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag — a practice begun a few years ago by truck drivers.” (04/30/08)

Be very careful before trying things like this.

Stupid people tricks:
Estonia: Blind drunk driver
Ananova [UK]
“Estonian police were shocked after stopping a car in a city centre and finding the driver was not only drunk but also blind. Traffic police in the southern Estonian city of Tartu said Kristjan Gradolf, 20, who is completely blind, was being given directions by a pal in the passenger seat. A breath test revealed Gradolf was two and a half times over the legal drink drive limit. Both men face a £700 fine and Gradolf is also facing a jail sentence on charges of endangering public safety. But Gradolf said: ‘Despite the fact that I am blind, driving is something I enjoy, and I am in fact very good at it.’” (04/30/08)

People are… insane. But now we know who all that Braille lettering on drive-up ATM machines are made for.

Theft by government:
UK: Sisters lose European tax battle
BBC News [UK]
“Two British sisters have lost their final battle to avoid paying inheritance tax when one of them dies. Joyce and Sybil Burden, aged 90 and 82 respectively, have lived together in Wiltshire all their lives. They appealed to the European Court to gain the same tax rights as married couples and civil partners, which do not apply to cohabiting siblings. In a 15-2 vote, Human Rights judges in Strasbourg ruled they did not face unfair discrimination.” (04/29/08)

If they’d just married, they’d surely have won – to say nothing of all the support they’d have gotten in their battle from the pervert-lobby. Who knows, maybe its not too late!

Mama's Note: I don't know about the UK, but in the US there are a number of things they could do, such as trust funds and other bequests. Or they could just move it all out of the country as illustrated in the next story.

Theft by government:
UK: Darling tries to stem tax exodus
Independent [UK]
“Just as the trickle of major companies deserting the UK for more tax-friendly foreign climes threatens to become a flood, the Chancellor reached out to the business community yesterday with proposals for a high-level forum to address the long-term competitiveness of the corporate tax regime.” (04/30/08)

There is a simple solution: stop stealing.

Theft by government:
Canada: Tensions rise in land protest
CTV News [Canada]
“There is heavy police presence in Deseronto, Ont., near Belleville, after an escalating land dispute in eastern Ontario calmed following a heated confrontation between native protesters and police. Members of the Mohawk First Nation who live on a reserve in the area occupied a chunk of disputed land Monday morning and refused to co-operate with police who asked them to leave when they arrived to remove a barricade blocking the road. Natives occupying the area say they are protesting in an effort to halt plans to develop land, which they say belongs to them.” (04/28/08)

“Natives” and “First Nations” of course means American Indians in this article.

Theft by government:
Students protest beer tax
CBS 13 News
“About four dozen Republican college students are raising their voices in protest over an issue near and dear to them: a new proposed tax on beer. Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, has proposed a tax on beer makers that would add almost $2 to the price of a six pack to help eliminate the state’s budget deficit. But 21-year-old Leigh Wolf, a member of the San Francisco State University Republicans, says the tax unfairly burdens poor college students, who often drink beer to relax at the end of a long day of school and work. Others students protested outside of Beall’s office waving signs that read ‘No taxation on intoxication!’” (04/26/08)

Compare this to the New Jersey proposals to tax fast food as another evil sin to be milked for government profit.

Mama's Note: This will go on until people realize that theft by the state for ANY reason is stupid and counterproductive, not to mention evil. I do think the students need to think up a better slogan. How about, "Give me liberty or give me death"?

Theft by government:
MA: Junkyard holdout fights to keep land
Boston Globe
“By most accounts, William Allen has been masterful at acquiring junk. Now, the feisty 79-year-old is learning about fighting for his land. Allen has battled the town of Essex for three decades over a junkyard at his Southern Avenue house, set amid a string of antique shops near the picturesque downtown. A dilapidated refrigerator, pile of tires, overflowing dumpster [sic], and several heavy trucks mark the front and side of the property these days. Officials are not sure what else is behind them. Over the next week, Allen will challenge a petition to place another Essex property he owns up for sale to pay for cleanup of his Southern Avenue homestead. He also will face the auction of a house he owns in Ipswich. Bills have come due for years of unpaid taxes on one front and for mountains of disputed debris on the other.” (04/30/08)

And a lot of stupid people tricks, too. This man seems to have irritated his neighbors to a truly amazing degree, and now they are supporting tyranny in order to get back at him. I am sure that they are claiming “public health” threats from his Dumpster but it is unlikely that he is trespassing on his neighbor’s property: rather, they are now trespassing on him.

Mama's Note: I suspect few or none of those neighbors has ever offered to help the man clean up things either. In most places, such big things are not accepted at landfills, cannot be taken away by the trash people, and must be hauled away to who knows where by the land owner. Maybe he isn't able to do that, and has no way to dispose of them himself. Of course the real story is in the "unpaid taxes." They want to steal his land, and this is a golden opportunity.

War on some drugs:
FL: Cops battling homegrown highs
Fox News
“Officers fighting networks of indoor marijuana factories took out what they called a major operation Wednesday in a secluded back room of a house where a nice older lady sold ice cream to kids. The raid targeted a sophisticated pot-growing operation that could net more than $300,000 a year, authorities said. The woman, Juana Betancourt, sat drinking coffee, appearing calmly resigned to the bust, as local police and federal agents carted away the crop. She wouldn’t comment. Bad luck found Betancourt on a quiet suburban street, the kind that often leaves neighbors dumbfounded when officers show up. Yet it was a case in point in the battle between law enforcement and organized crime syndicates that have moved into the indoor-growing business. Law enforcement officials from Seattle to Miami are grappling with the spread of sophisticated indoor marijuana farms, often run by ethnic gangs, that produce hundreds of pounds each year.” [Editor’s note: Leave it to Faux Snooze to call this a fight with “organized crime syndicates” — haven’t they seen “Weeds” yet? - SAT] (04/30/08)

“Organized crime syndicates” are in the eyes of the beholder.

War on some drugs:
Mexico: Tijuana drug war threatens hospitals, schools
Arizona Republic
“Soldiers held Tijuana’s main hospital in a virtual lockdown Tuesday, as doctors treated eight drug traffickers wounded in shootouts in this border city. Even in Mexico’s most violent city, jaded residents feel caught in the crossfire between drug smugglers and federal troops sent in to stop them. Hospitals, schools, and even taco-and-beer tourism are on the front lines of a turf war. The latest bout of violence exploded on Saturday, with rival gang members killing each other all over Tijuana in simultaneous, pre-dawn attacks that left at least 13 dead.” (04/30/08)

Mexico’s occupation of its own cities seems to be creating more problems than it is solving.

World wars:
Bush freezes assets of state-owned Burmese companies
CNN
“President Bush on Thursday froze the assets of state-owned companies in Myanmar propping up the nation’s military junta, which has been condemned by the international community for suppressing pro-democracy dissidents. ‘These companies, in industries such as gems and timber, exploit the labor of the downtrodden Burmese people, but enrich only the generals,’ Bush said of Myanmar, also known as Burma.” (05/01/08)

Good move or bad? I don’t know: it is a form of boycott, but with the power of government behind it. I question whether the US government has any authority to actually do this, however pure the motive.

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