Libertarian Commentary on the News, 30 August - 06 September, 2008

Well, FINALLY the last of the conventions are over; elections can’t come too soon for me, and we don’t even watch television to get screamingly bored and angered by the commercials. (Bad enough to hear the local SD, CO, and NM race ads and T. Boone on the radio stations…) Nonpolitical news, though, is very important this week, as you will see.

Culture wars and Government run, tax funded schools:
UK: White students “avoid maths and science”
Independent [UK]
“Thousands of high-flying white youngsters are giving up maths and science at 16 because they think they are not clever enough to succeed at A-Level, according to a report published today. The report reveals that white children who achieve A* and A grade passes at GCSE are far less likely than other ethnic groups to pursue the subjects to A-Level. According to what is being billed as a ’state of the nation’ report on maths and science by The Royal Society, white youngsters are ‘known to develop the idea that success in mathematics comes from being naturally gifted.’ By contrast, Asian and Chinese youths, says the report, are more likely to believe that success comes from hard work.” (09/04/08)

Does this mess with your mind? Well, this is what government-run schools and schemes like this do to the minds of youngsters – mess with them, and mess them up. Not saying that parents don’t do that to their kids sometimes, but it is one set of parents and a few (usually two or three kids) NOT one set of stinking government educrats and school-ruined teachers doing it to kids by the gross. Which way is more stupid? As for these generalizations, remember that the UK calls everyone from Pakistanis to Arabs “Asian” and the “Chinese” are mostly immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Hong Kong and the “overseas” Chinese of Singapore, Malaysia, and even India… As usual, government keeps trimming square pegs until they fit in a round hole, and vice versa.

Mama's Note: I would hazard a guess that, regardless of origin, those students most recently come to the UK are probably the ones most likely to believe in hard work. Those who have enjoyed welfare and the nanny state the longest are least apt to have that idea.

Culture wars:
NY: Judge upholds Paterson’s homosexual “marriage” directive
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
“A state Supreme Court judge ruled Tuesday that Gov. David Paterson’s directive in May to recognize same-sex marriages in New York that were performed in other states and countries is legal. Justice Lucy Billings in Bronx Supreme Court ruled that to ‘recognize same-sex marriages legally solemnized in other jurisdictions is consistent with New York’s common law, statutory law, and constitutional separation of powers.’ The ruling rejects an argument from the national Alliance Defense Fund that Paterson overstepped his authority by recognizing same-sex marriages because New York doesn’t itself allow for same-sex marriages.” (09/03/08)

So, according to this woman in black, New York’s common law defines words however the judges please. Right. Incredible. What good does it do to write down laws anymore, when people like this make them mean whatever they want, like Humpty Dumpty or the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland?

Mama's Note: All of that is very true, but neglects the point that marriage - or most anything else - is no business of government in the first place. "Laws" which attempt to dictate non-aggressive, personal behavior are null and void on their face.

Culture wars:
Anti-Scientology org aims at “sons”
Variety
“An anti-Scientology group called Anonymous has announced plans to stage a sidewalk protest timed to the opening night of the Broadway revival of ‘All My Sons’ Oct. 16. ‘Sons’ co-stars Katie Holmes in a supporting role. Actress is associated with Scientology through her marriage to Tom Cruise, one of Scientology’s big-name adherents.” (09/02/08)

It seems to me that this outfit has just become aggressors against a whole raft of people, including the entire cast and crew, the owners of the theatre, and everyone who wanted to watch this play.

Mama's Note: Exactly. What I can't figure out is what they expect to gain from this? There are literally dozens of nutty religions in the world, and many famous people who practice (or at least pretend) them. Why pick on this one?

Culture wars:
Monogamy may be in men’s genes
Arizona Republic
“Men are more likely to be devoted and loyal husbands when they lack a particular variant of a gene that influences brain activity, researchers announced Monday — the first time that science has shown a direct link between a man’s genes and his aptitude for monogamy. The finding is striking because it not only links the gene variant, which is present in two of every five men, with the risk of marital discord and divorce, but [it] also appears to predict whether women involved with these men are likely to say their partners are emotionally close and available or distant and disagreeable. The presence of the gene variant, or allele, also seems predictive of whether men get married or live with women out of wedlock.” (09/02/08)

Like most other claims that morality (or lack thereof) is built into the genes, this sounds like an incredible stretch. It also completely ignores the fact that humans can and DO constantly override their “human nature” by refusing to submit to baser urges and instead do what is right. In our modern “scientific faith,” this is the same “Satan made me do it” argument that bogus Christians have claimed for centuries.

Double standard:
Palin: Iraq war “a task that is from God”
Yahoo! News
“Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told ministry students at her former church that the United States sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a ‘task that is from God.’ … In an address last June, the Republican vice presidential candidate also urged ministry students to pray for a plan to build a $30 billion natural gas pipeline in the state, calling it ‘God’s will.’ … Palin told graduating students of the church’s School of Ministry, ‘What I need to do is strike a deal with you guys.’ As they preached the love of Jesus throughout Alaska, she said, she’d work to implement God’s will from the governor’s office, including creating jobs by building a pipeline to bring North Slope natural gas to North American markets.” (09/04/08)

I’ve spent a lot of time discussing this with various people, and have come to the conclusion that the media have completely misunderstood and twisted this woman’s words. She is a typical politician, but she is really freaking people out – including a lot of libertarians, especially those who do not understand her faith or her denomination. Clearly, if a person who claims to be a Christian is in office and is NOT seeking to “implement God’s will” in their daily lives, they are nothing but hypocrites, and such a statement does not mean that they are turning their position into some kind of theocratic or theonomic dictatorship, as so many of my acquaintances seem to automatically assume.

Mama's Note: The idea that she believes government "creating jobs" is somehow "the will of God" is all I need to know. I don't think she's really listening to God - in this case, at any rate.

Double standard:
Critics: Palin used “Bridge to Nowhere” for gain
Arizona Republic
“Gov. Sarah Palin was for the infamous ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ before she was against it, a change of position the GOP vice-presidential running mate ignored Saturday when she bragged about telling Congress ‘thanks but no thanks’ to the pork-barrel project. Federal funds for the $398 million bridge were tacked into an appropriations bill as an earmark, the practice by which members of Congress get special funding for pet projects. Sen. John McCain opposes earmarks as an avenue for pork-barrel and special-interest spending. After McCain introduced her as his choice for vice president on the Republican ticket, Palin talked about her reform credentials, and said she stopped the bridge project as part of an effort to end of [sic] earmarking in appropriations bills.” (09/01/08)

Gee, better to cool it on earmarks than continue to support them – but last time I checked, governors don’t get a vote on Congressional spending, or even a veto on it. It is quite amusing to watch all these attacks on Mrs. Palin, and the incredible hypocrisy shown by the attacks.

Double standard:
Barney Frank: Palin’s family life is fair game
Page One Q
“Rep. Barney Frank is among the first Democrats to publicly say Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s family background, including the pregnancy of her unwed teenage daughter, should be fair game for campaign discussion. ‘They’re the ones that made an issue of her family,’ Frank [D-MA] said Tuesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. Republicans stressed Palin’s conservative family values in announcing her selection as John McCain’s running mate on Friday. Frank says the recent disclosure about her daughter blunts conservative claims that liberalism harms family life. ‘Apparently she’s a great favorite with the conservative social movement,’ Frank said. ‘They have said that it’s liberalism and liberals who have undermined families — same-sex marriage has been a problem, they don’t want gay people to adopt … This helps undercut those arguments.’” (09/02/08)

So, let’s talk about Barney Frank’s own “family” life, eh? This baboon is the indeed the pot calling the kettle black and living proof of how humanism and liberalism harms humans, families,and societies. And I cannot see any logic or reason in his claims. If this man is a “libertarian” as some “libertarians” claim, then the movement is totally dead.

Double standard:
Noonan, Murphy in “hot mic” Palin trashfest
Telegraph [UK]
“Peggy Noonan, Ronald Reagan’s speechwriter, pronounced: ‘It’s over,’ in a conversation at the end of an interview on MSNBC. Co-panelist Mike Murphy, presidential candidate Senator John McCain’s campaign manager in 2000, said of his former boss’s pick: ‘It’s not going to work.’ Asked by the presenter Chuck Todd if Mrs. Palin, who has been governor of Alaska for 18 months, was really the most qualified Republican woman, Mrs. Noonan moaned: ‘Most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about narratives.’ Their ‘hot mike’ moment, just hours before Mrs. Palin’s vital nomination acceptance speech at the party’s convention, belies the public front put forward this week that virtual unknown mother of five is an inspired choice by Senator John McCain, the presidential nominee.” (09/04/08)

Excuse me, but what is with this woman? Can’t she keep a civil tongue in her mouth? She is supposedly a loyal party member and a “conservative” (well, probably neoconservative) but she is apparently either senile or has something personal against Mrs. Palin. I’d think that she would welcome perhaps the one opportunity that McCain has come up with to win this election, short of catching Obama with his pants down (and even THAT might not do it, given the sad state of the American electorate today).

Mama's Note: This "hot mic" stuff is becoming far too common to even resemble an accident anymore. What they are trying to accomplish is beyond me, of course, but it is not incidental.

East Asian front:
Envoys meet for North Korea talks
BBC News [UK]
“Negotiators from the US, South Korea and Japan are to meet in Beijing to discuss the deadlock over North Korea’s nuclear programme. The talks follow initial moves by North Korea to reverse steps to dismantle its nuclear plant at Yongbyon. North Korea accuses the US of failing to meet its obligations under a six-nation aid-for-disarmament deal. This week it began moving some disassembled parts out of storage and back to the Yongbyon reactor.” (09/05/08)

Step 2: everyone panics over North Korea’s temper tantrum and meets to figure out how to get the pacifier back in Kim’s mouth…

East Asian front:
Japan: PM Fukuda resigns
Sin Chew Jit Poh [Malaysia]
“Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Monday (1 Sept) night he had decided to resign in an effort to break a political deadlock, The Daily Yomiuri reported. The resignation came only days after the government announced a stimulus package to counter flagging consumer spending. According to wire reports, the embattled prime minister abruptly resigned after a yearlong struggle with a deadlocked parliament.” (09/02/08)

Gee, what does this make: ten PMs in fifteen years? Of course, the actual ruling class doesn’t change, just the front.

East Asian front:
Thailand: One killed in Bangkok anti-government clashes
Reuters
“At least one person was killed and 34 hurt in clashes on Tuesday between government supporters and opponents in Bangkok, the worst violence since a street campaign against Thailand’s prime minister began in May. Around 400 soldiers armed with batons and shields were sent to help police struggling to contain the skirmishes near Government House, occupied for a week by protesters demanding Prime Minister Samak Sundarevej resign.” (09/02/08)

Here we go again. However, please note that even in Thailand, deaths are virtually always associated with political activities: then notice how many deaths there were in Denver and Saint Paul… Things are not good in this nation, but they could be much, much worse.

East Asian front:
Thailand: PM resists push to resign
Wall Street Journal
“Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Thursday he would stay on in his post to defend democracy, despite growing pressure to resign after the army refused to break up a large group of demonstrators who seized his government headquarters in Bangkok. The army’s unwillingness to use force against tens of thousands of protesters who invaded Government House on Aug. 26 has weakened the prime minister’s authority. Army chief General Anupong Paochinda’s vow not to take sides to defend Thailand’s democratically elected government spurred speculation that Mr. Samak would have to resign or dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections.” (09/04/08)

Do I detect a bit of hypocrisy here? Condemnation of the Thai military for NOT getting involved in internal politics? Of course, we have to remember that the United States is (like the old dominions of the British Commonwealth) one of the few countries to pretend that we do not use our military for internal control – to shore up the government. The US and the Old Dominions instead have created internal police forces which we pretend are NOT military forces: the FBI, DEA, BATFE, state, county and local “patrols” and “police” that serve as the internal occupation force. Countries like Thailand and Mauritania don’t keep that distinction in place the way we do, so to the media, these soldiers are being disloyal to their government. Within a few years, expect to see the same attitude about American military and police forces.

East Asian front:
China: Experiment in democracy meets fierce resistance
Christian Science Monitor
“When Fang Zhaojuan began organizing her neighbors here to impeach village leaders whom she suspected of corruption, she had no idea that the challenge would lead her first to the hospital and then to jail. She was following the law, after all, and had launched legal petitions signed by a large majority of villagers. They believed they had been cheated of proper compensation when their village council had sold land for industrial development to the government of a nearby township. Mrs. Fang, her family, and colleagues on a recall committee, however, found themselves plunged into a violent political drama.” (09/03/08)

Once again, this shows the typical hypocrisy of most communist governments, and sadly, a tactic that has been adopted vigorously by so-called Western Democracies: what the law says (about impeaching local government officials, the role of the individual voter or citizen, etc.) is eyewash, and little more. The reality is whatever the “servants of the people” or the “party” or the elite do, hiding behind claims of legality.

Economic news:
US stocks flop after more bad economic news
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Wall Street plunged today, sending the Dow Jones industrials down more than 340 points as retailers and the Labor Department added to the mountain of dismal economic news that has all but dashed investors’ hopes for a late-year recovery. The market was already nervous as it waited for the government to release its August employment report Friday. So news from the nation’s major retailers that shoppers curtailed their spending last month because of higher gas and food prices came as a heavy blow. … Meanwhile, the Labor Department said new applications for unemployment insurance rose by 15,000 from the previous week.” (09/04/08)

This is still more panic than not – the numbers do not justify this kind of sell-off, but people are getting leery of the government’s claims, and the upcoming election doesn’t help in the least.

Economic news:
UK: Food prices rise 8.3% in 2008
BBC News [UK]
“Food prices in UK supermarkets and shops have risen by 8.3% since the start of this year, according to figures obtained by the BBC. Meat and fish registered the biggest price increases in the survey, compiled on behalf of the BBC by leading retail analysts Verdict Research. The figures come amid growing concern about the high cost of food, which is exceeding the official inflation rate. The figures show price rises of nearly 50% for some food items.” (09/04/08)

We see that the pound “sterling” (what a joke) is enjoying the same devaluation as the US dollar. Fuel costs are hitting home, government printing money is hitting home, and people suffer.

Economic news:
UK: Britain “in recession by end of the year”
Independent [UK]
“The first official warning that Britain is about to slide into recession has overshadowed Gordon Brown’s attempts to revive his political fortunes with a £1bn plan to kick-start the housing market. Yesterday’s gloomy forecast by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) contradicted declarations yesterday by the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, that he is ‘optimistic’ about the British economy. The OECD said that Britain would be the only one of the G7 group of leading industrialised nations to fall into recession during the rest of the year.” (09/03/08)

Sixty years means the lean post-WW2 years of the late 1940s, when the voters embraced Labor’s socialism to replace the wartime collectivism. It is actually amazing that the UK has avoided recession for so long as it has, given the way the government is sucking the lifeblood out of the economy.

Economics news:
Ospraie fund to close after 27% August slide
Reuters
“Hedge fund manager Ospraie Management LLC will close its flagship fund after it plunged 27 percent in August on losses in energy, mining and natural resources equity holdings, in one of the biggest ever closures of a commodities-focused hedge fund. The closure of the fund, announced by the firm’s founder Dwight Anderson in a letter to investors on Tuesday, could be more bad news for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc … which took a 20 percent stake in the hedge fund manager in 2005.” (09/02/08)

One more “victim” of our government-trashed economy – if hedge funds were run based on sound economic principles and not as legal forms of looting, this kind of collapse would be virtually impossible. Expect more.

Euro front:
Greece: “Robin Hoods” steal at the store, give to the poor?
Yahoo! News
“Greek anarchists stormed a supermarket on Thursday and handed out food for free in the latest of a wave of raids provoked by soaring consumer prices. About 20 unarmed people, mostly wearing black hoods, carried out the midday robbery in the northern city of Thesaaloniki, police said. Local media have labeled the raiders “Robin Hoods” following previous raids. They take only packets of pasta, rice and cartons of milk which they drop in the middle of the street for people to collect, a police official said. ‘They have never stolen money or hurt anyone. They ask people to remain calm but use ambush tactics, jumping over cash desks,’ he said. ‘When they attack without hoods, people are surprised to see that they are mostly women.’” (09/04/08)

“Anarchists?” Sound like plain old thieves to me. Actually, such attacks on supermarkets (who are at most middlemen and passing on most of the “soaring cost”) will drive food prices up further, as the stores have to make up the thefts, increase insurance payments, and take other measures. And the dumping of food in the middle of the streets leads to a jungle-law sort of situation in which bullies are likely to get the bulk of the supplies.

Euro front:
Monitors: IRA military wing “no longer operational”
Agence France-Presse
“The IRA’s military wing is no longer operational, independent monitors said Wednesday in a report on one of the main stumbling blocks to the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. ‘This groundbreaking report by the IMC (Independent Monitoring Commission) makes clear that the Army Council is now redundant,’ said Northern Ireland minister, Shaun Woodward. ‘The Army Council is no longer operational or functional.’ … The report, commissioned by the British and Irish governments, comes at a time of tension in the power-sharing administration of Catholic republican Sinn Fein — the IRA’s political wing — and the Protestant unionist DUP.” (09/03/08)

Perhaps the old is gone, but I wonder just how many “splinters” have survived and will make themselves known in the future – short-term or long-term?

Mama's Note: The invasion and subjugation of Ireland (and Scotland, etc.) by the English has old, deep roots. There is no easy solution now, and it won't be over until the English leave. The people of the US should be very glad that the indigenous people of this continent didn't put up a similar fight.

Euro front:
Denmark, Germany to build bridge
The Local [Germany]
“Denmark and Germany signed a treaty in Copenhagen on Wednesday for the construction of a giant bridge linking the two countries across the Fehmarn Strait in the Baltic Sea. The deal clears the way for the largest ever road and railway construction project in northern Europe and one of the biggest infrastructure projects on the European continent. … ‘This insane project, which will cost billions, is risky from a global warming perspective and when it comes to protecting the environment and different species,’ Leif Miller, the head of environmentalist group Nabu, told Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel. ‘We will stop the construction with all legal means available,’ he added. Denmark’s Christensen however insisted Wednesday that the new bridge ‘means a reduction in emissions of among other things CO2 (carbon dioxide) compared to if ferry traffic between Roedby and Puttgarden continued.’” (09/03/08)

Germany and Denmark are, of course, already connected by land in Juteland and Holstein; this bridge connects the island on which Copenhagen sits with the German mainland to the east of the Jute peninsula. For the life of me I cannot understand claims about threats to species, much less global warming. But Europe’s tranzi luddites are getting more and more powerful, and they may be able to stop it.

Government run, tax funded schools:
College orientations get political
Christian Science Monitor
“Welcome to college. Your first assignment: Register to vote. Politics is perhaps unavoidable for students arriving on campus during a major presidential race. But college administrators and student organizers are supersizing the efforts this year to encourage them to cast their ballots. ‘”Orientation is a huge opportunity to register new voters … [and it] sends a great message … that civic engagement matters if one of the first things [students] are asked to do is register to vote,’ says Sujatha Jahagirdar, program director of the New Voters Project, an initiative of Student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups). Many campuses are going beyond registration drives in an attempt to turn Election ‘08 into the educational opportunity of a lifetime.” (09/02/08)

I find it disgusting and immoral to get students to register to vote in the town where their college is located and not in their hometown (or home state) – voting is a responsibility, even in our corrupted and corroded culture and failed republics. Indeed, given the relative age of these students and the way they are treated for things like guns and drinking, is not this a form of child abuse and taking advantage of innocents by those in power? Not to say fraud, when they register students who are already registered in their home towns? Of course, for those who understand you can’t register to vote in two places (under the law), these PIRGs and related activists can always offer to help the student vote their absentee ballot to make sure that they vote “correctly.”

Mama's Note: "Voting is a responsibility..."? Says who and by what authority? Look at this excellent blog for some great thoughts on the subject.

Government run, tax funded schools:
IL: Organizers call off two-day school boycott
Associated Press
“Organizers called off a boycott of Chicago Public Schools Wednesday, saying they want students to return to class and for Gov. Rod Blagojevich to meet to discuss the state’s education funding system. … Meeks had threatened to prolong the boycott until state leaders, including the governor, take some action, such as supporting a $120 million program to pump funding into key ailing schools. Property taxes make up about 70 percent of school financing in Illinois, so rural and inner-city schools are usually less well-funded than suburban schools. Funding critics said the system constitutes unequal education between poor and rich, and black and white.” (09/03/08)

Too bad – until the option of stealing more and more money and throwing it away in the public schools is taken completely off the board (and a boycott might be one way of doing it), we will see the situation continue pretty much as is. Bringing race into it is nothing but a distraction.

Government run, tax funded schools:
UK: One on one lessons for thousands of failing students
Independent [UK]
“Thousands of primary school children struggling with literacy and numeracy skills are to receive one-to-one catch-up lessons, ministers announced today. Intensive early intervention projects will aim to stop youngsters from falling behind, which if not addressed, can impact on their schooling later on. Official figures published last month, based on national curriculum tests, show that one in five 11-year-olds are failing to reach the standard expected of their age group in English and maths. In writing, just 67 per cent reach this standard, in reading it is 86 per cent and in maths the proportion is 78 per cent. The new package of measures, designed to boost these standards, will see £169m invested in three programmes over the next three years. Ministers said 23,500 children would be covered by all the programmes from this month, rising to 100,000 a year by 2011.” (09/03/08)

Gee, isn’t this exactly why PARENTS should be in charge of their children’s education? Most of us don’t have a dozen children, so “one-on-one” is possible. No government-run school will be able to do that. But they are going to try, by throwing more money at it. And then they wonder why the UK’s economy is in such bad shape.

Government run, tax funded schools:
Croatia: Mozart to calm rowdy pupils
Ananova [UK]
“School heads are to play Mozart to youngsters before lessons to make them less rowdy in the classroom. The music will be piped over loudspeakers before classes when primary schools return from the summer holiday in the eastern Croatian town of Osijek. Mozart’s music, including his famous Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, was picked after teachers in the town read that scientific studies had shown his music was beneficial for kids. Studies carried out at the University of Berlin found students who listened to the composer for ten minutes before an exam did much better than those who had listened to other composers or no music at all.” (09/03/08)

Music does work like this – but all the classical music in the world is a Band-Aid on an arterial wound. The real problem is parents abandoning their role to the government.

Mama's Note: Of course I don't know much about children in Croatia, or the music they hear at home, but I can only imagine the result of playing Mozart overhead in an American government school. The boys and girls would go nuts! The whining would be deafening. They want to hear the latest popular music and nothing else.

Home front:
Thousands in exile as Hurricane Gustav hits US coast
Sarasota Herald Tribune
“Nearly 2 million people from Texas to Alabama fled the Gulf Coast ahead of Hurricane Gustav on Sunday, anticipating a storm expected to rival Hurricane Katrina in its destructive power. New Orleans was largely emptied of its residents after a mandatory evacuation order, and interstate highways across the region were jammed bumper to bumper in one of the largest evacuations in American history. … Hurricane Gustav, a Category 3 storm, barreled toward the central Louisiana coast Sunday afternoon, and it was expected to strengthen before it hit as early as this morning. Officials predicted devastation for towns in its path, tidal surges of up to 20 feet and possible destruction of parts of New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.” (09/01/08)

The response of Nagin is not the only major change from Katrina; as Four Corners Car Talk hosts pointed out, the shutdown of Gulf off-shore oil production and most of the refineries on the Coast did NOT cause the spikes in oil and fuel prices seen with virtually every storm in 2005, 2006, and 2007: apparently the mainstream media is no longer capable of maintaining the panic that pushed oil prices to near $150/barrel, and on Thursday, market glut had seen oil drop to near $107.

Mama's Note: Well, they'll get a chance to try the hysteria bit again this week as "Ike" bears down on the Gulf. Maybe this time New Orleans will be completely washed out to sea... and the area can go back to being swamp and wetland as it was intended. Funny how the envirowhackos get all worked up by a 2x4 foot "pond," but have totally ignored the largest misused wetland in the country. Of course, that was built a few hundred years ago. They couldn't get "permits" to build it now, I suppose. What they shouldn't be able to get, of course, is cheap insurance.

Home front:
LA: Caution over Gustav may backfire on New Orleans
Arizona Republic
“By universal consensus, this time, New Orleans got it right. Officials successfully emptied the city ahead of Hurricane Gustav, in stark contrast to the nearly 100,000 residents they left behind when Hurricane Katrina struck three years ago. And the newly fortified levees protecting the city held fast against the onrushing storm surge, unlike during Katrina when the floodwalls failed and 80 percent of the city was inundated. That’s the good news. But it could also be the bad news. That’s because many of the city’s 300,000 evacuees, spurred to leave by Mayor Ray Nagin’s dire prediction that Gustav would be ‘the mother of all storms,’ are distressed at being stranded hundreds of miles from home for what turned out to be pretty much a false alarm.” [Editor’s note: Ummm, lessee … People live in an area that is considerably BELOW sea-level, and are surprised when the water comes in over governmemt-built levees? Evacuation should be permanent, not just now-and-then - SAT] (09/03/08)

Nagin may have gotten it right, but he is still an idiot, obviously. Steve has it right, as many of us said 3 years ago: New Orleans needs to be one with Ninevah, Babylon, and Pompeii – a fascinating part of history. You are safer living on a drilling platform in the middle of the Gulf than in this putrid excuse for a city.

Local tyranny:
MA: Hub seeks more bans on tobacco
Boston Globe
“Cigarette sales at Boston drugstores and on college campuses would be banned under sweeping new tobacco control rules likely to win initial approval today from health regulators. The restrictions, which would give Boston among the toughest antismoking laws in the nation, could go into effect early next year. The rules would also stamp out smoking on the patios of restaurants and bars with outside service; tobacco use has been banned inside since 2003. And, after a five-year grace period, the city would shutter cigar bars, swank salons catering to tobacco connoisseurs, which were exempt from the earlier regulation. The measures — opposed by drugstore chains and tobacco companies, which argue that the rules unfairly limit businesses’ right to sell a legal product — place Boston at the vanguard of a campaign to further reduce cigarette smoking, especially among young people and the poor.” [Editor’s note: As usual, instead of penalizing unhealthy choices (say, with higher insurance rates?), they would “outlaw” it; how’s that War on (Some) Drugs working, anyway? - SAT] (09/04/08)

It sounds like Boston and San Francisco are in some kind of “Tyrant of the Decade” competition, doesn’t it?

Local tyrants:
MI: Kilpatrick pleads guilty, resigns as mayor of Detroit
Chicago Tribune
“Mired in a sex scandal that crippled the governance of Detroit all year, the city’s troubled mayor chose Thursday to walk out of office, rather than run the increasing risk of being heaved out. The tawdry drama of Kwame Kilpatrick, the once-promising 38-year-old mayor of the nation’s 11th largest city, ended in a wood-paneled courtroom when a subdued Kilpatrick, after months of defiant claims of innocence, meekly pleaded guilty to reduced felony charges and agreed to serve four months in jail and pay up to $1 million in restitution. ‘I lied under oath,’ Kilpatrick told the court, conceding what growing numbers of Detroiters have suspected for months –he covered up an affair with his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, as part of a lawsuit settlement that cost the city $8.4 million.” (09/04/08)

Sic simper tyrants. Yeah, I know that it is “sic semper tyrannus” but Kilpatrick simpers a lot. I hope he gets to serve time in jail with some of the people put into jail by his cop thugs. This guy gives OCP a good name. Now, Mr. Kilpatrick, what about the other 7.4 million?

Massa wannabes:
Obama, Biden May Pursue Criminal Charges Against Bush
Now Public
Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden says that if elected, he and Obama may pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration to investigate the alleged misdeeds committed by George W Bush, the current president of the United States.

I don’t read Biden’s words as strongly as this reporter, but it would be interesting. Author Tom Krautman has already written (in a political science fiction novel) about such happening, and his take isn’t pretty.

Massa wannabes:
FL: Boston Tea Party files presidential slate
PRLog
“Florida’s libertarian voters received representation in this November’s presidential election today as the Boston Tea Party filed paperwork to put its slate on the ballot. BTP representatives presented the names of 27 electors and 19 alternates, pledged to support Charles Jay of Hollywood for President and John Wayne Smith of Leesburg for Vice-President, to the Secretary of State this afternoon.” (08/29/08)

More amusement to distract us from the follies of the Dems and GOP.

Massa wannabes:
RNC: Palin mocks Obama; McCain officially nominated
Hendersonville Times-News
“Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin claimed her historic spot as the Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee Wednesday night, uncorking a smiling, sarcastic attack on Barack Obama and winning cheers of acceptance and approval after a tumult-filled first week on the national stage. … McCain joined her on stage, to even bigger cheers. In an anti-climactic roll call vote, the delegates then awarded him the presidential nomination he has sought for a decade — propelling him into the fall campaign. At 72, the Arizona senator is the oldest first-time nominee in history.” (09/03/08)

It seems to have been a great speech – she is clearly a polished politician and should do well – even though we libertarians should trust her no more than Obama, McCain, or Biden.

Massa-wannabes:
McCain accepts GOP nomination, vows to shake up DC
CQ Politics
“Citing his past as prologue, John McCain called for a future of nonpartisan reform in Washington, promised to keep the country secure and urged Americans to ‘fight with me,’ as he accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday night. In wrapping up a four-day convention interrupted at its start by Hurricane Gustav and electrified by surprise vice presidential pick Sarah Palin, a vital political newcomer with her own reform-oriented narrative, the four-term Arizona senator had a message for his own partisans and Democrats alike about what he intends to do if elected.” (09/05/08)

The stage is now set for the final two months. Please let them pass quickly. Please.

New religions: fear of genies:
China OKs importation of GMO soybeans
St. Louis Business Journal
“Monsanto Co. has received regulatory approval in China for the importation of its Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans, the company said Thursday. … China imports accounted for approximately 38 percent of U.S. soybean exports in 2007, making it the largest purchaser of U.S. soybeans. These soybeans are designed to be resistant to Roundup herbicide, another Monsanto product, and have larger crop yields.” (09/04/08)

Oh!!! Those evil, evil Communists, destroying the lives of their people by using genies. Will their perfidy never end? And they are buying the genies from capitalists – even worse, EVIL mad-scientist, anti-environmentalist capitalists!

New religions: global warming:
Australia: Climate advisor urges 10% emissions cuts
Agence France-Press
“Australia’s chief climate advisor Friday urged a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 but conceded this may not save the country’s natural assets such as the Great Barrier Reef. In an assessment of the targets required to manage the harmful effects of air pollution on climate, Professor Ross Garnaut said Australia should cut its emissions by 10 percent of 2000 levels by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050. This would be Australia’s share of the burden if international agreement was reached to limit carbon emissions in the atmosphere to a concentration of no more than 550 parts per million molecules, Garnaut said.” (09/05/08)

Even IF global warming was real and really caused by man, this is completely worthless: Australia’s drop will be completely negated by the increases by China and India. Instead, if they REALLY believe in this, the money could be invested in ways to directly protect their treasures like the Great Barrier Reef. Of course, how can we expect politicians to even understand the scientific issues involved, when the press obviously cant, as this story’s first paragraph demonstrates.

New religions: global warming:
Canada: Massive ice shelf breaks loose in Arctic waters
eFluxMedia
“The summer of 2008 brought massive ice shelf reductions in the Canadian Arctic, which accounted for 23 percent of the area. According to a recent report, in addition to the July calving from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the shelves along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island had a similar fate one month later, when the entire Markham Ice Shelf completely broke-up and drifted away in the Arctic Ocean. … Over the past 3 years, the Canadian ice shelf continued to break off the northern coast of Ellesmere Island: in August 2005, the Petersen Ice Shelf lost over one third of its area; the entire Ayles Ice Shelf calved in August 2005, forming an ice island; in July 2008, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf calved and formed two ice islands; in the same month, the Serson Ice Shelf lost 60 percent of its area. The most recent calving is that of the Markham Ice Shelf, which completely collapsed last month.” (09/04/08)

We’re all gonna die, we’re all gonna die. We’ll be cooked to death by global warming, after we all drown because the melted ice has flooded all the land, and after we all asphyxiate from too much CO2. Weather changes, people, one year is DIFFERENT from other years – doesn’t mean the world is coming to an end when we have five or six years of drought in one place, or melting ice in another. Get over it!

Mama's Note: And meanwhile, at the South Pole the ice is getting thicker and colder. Can't wait until the popular media grabs this and decide that we're all going to die in another ice age soon. Change is inevitable. Those who adapt, survive.

North American Union:
Dissident Cuban rocker fined , freed
Yahoo! News
“A Cuban punk rocker known for his raunchy lyrics criticizing Fidel Castro was convicted of public disorder Friday, but freed after a court dismissed a more serious ’social dangerousness’ charge that could have sent him to prison for four years. Following a two-hour trial, the court ordered Gorki Aguila to pay 600 pesos (US$28) and released the 39-year-old singer. … The fine is big money in a country where nearly everyone, Aguila included, works for the state and takes home an average of 408 pesos (US$19.50) per month. But Aguila would have faced far more severe punishment had he been convicted of ’social dangerousness,’ which the government defines as violating ‘communist morality.’ That charge is often used to detain would-be offenders before they have a chance to commit a crime.” (08/28/08)

Ah, communist morality! A delicious oxymoron, that. Of course, we all know that Cubans, led by their beloved comrade Raul, really don’t NEED any money since the benevolent government provides all their real needs…

North American union:
Mexican police uncover upscale tunnel to US
Fox News
“Police investigating suspicious activity at a home just south of the U.S.-Mexican border found a group of men digging a secret tunnel to the United States — complete with lights, an elevator and air-conditioning. Acting on a reports of armed men outside, cops raided the house in the border city of Mexicali and found eight workers 20 feet underground digging a tunnel with picks and shovels, according to Baja California state police spokesman Agustin Perez. The narrow passage — only about 3 feet wide and 3 feet high — stretched some 100 yards toward Calexico, Calif. But the tunnel still had another 100 yards or so to go until it reached the U.S, Perez said. The sophisticated tunnel is one of 70 discovered since 2000.” (09/02/08)

Sounds like someone failed to pay their protection money, doesn’t it? Frankly, using the term “sophisticated” seems a bit out of place for this crude and failed effort.

North American union:
Mexico: Police arrest 20 competitors
CNN
“Federal officers rescued two kidnap victims and arrested 20 members of a major kidnapping gang in a daring operation Tuesday near Mexico City, Mexican federal police said. The arrests, which included the leader of what authorities said was a top kidnapping gang in the country, comes about two weeks after Mexican President Felipe Calderon met with the country’s 32 governors to create a plan to combat the nation’s staggering rise in kidnappings.” (09/02/08)

What can be done to stop these kidnappings? Well, arming potential victims would be a GREAT first step…

Politics 2008:
Fake soldiers used in RNC video
CBS News
“It was a video that was supposed to elicit soaring patriotism and real emotions about the Pledge of Allegiance. But to do that, it used fake soldiers and a staged military funeral instead of the real thing. … A three and a half minute video, a visually stirring montage rolling over Victoria’s words about sharing the Pledge with Americans who have stood at important moments in history. There’s the Continental Congress … A real WWII vet … Photos of workers at Ground Zero … A close-up of a folded flag presented to a grieving widow at a military funeral … profiles of soldiers swelling with pride in slo-motion. But CBS News found that the footage of the ‘funeral’ and soldiers is what is called ‘stock’ footage. The soldiers were actors and the funeral scene was from a one-day film shoot, produced in June. No real soldiers were used during production.” [Editor’s note: Dumbass move, even for the Reprocrats! - SAT] [Editor’s note: Of course, if they had used real soldiers, they’d be accused of exploiting them for political purposes - TLK] (09/04/08)

Tom’s point is exactly right, and Steve is out of line on this one. It is probably just a no-win situation, fueled by excessive and misplaced patriotism. Why isn’t Hollywood condemned for not using “real soldiers” and staging “fake battles” and “fake family moments?”

Politics 2008:
MN: Ventura endorses 9/11 “Truth” activist for Congress
Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has endorsed a Sept. 11 conspiracy theorist for a congressional seat. Ventura came out Thursday in support of Kevin Barrett, a Libertarian running against incumbent Democrat Ron Kind for western Wisconsin’s seat.” (09/04/08)

An interesting endorsement, to say the least. Ventura proved himself to NOT be a libertarian, but…

Politics 2008:
McCain directs GOP to scale back convention
San Francisco Chronicle
“Acknowledging the inappropriateness of partisan attacks and lavish celebrations as Hurricane Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain directed party officials to drastically scale back plans for the convention set to begin Monday and refocus their efforts on helping potential victims of the storm. … Only Monday’s events have been scaled back for now, and McCain campaign and party officials will decide future events on day-to-day basis. The original convention plan included a host of party stars scheduled to speak over four nights.” (08/31/08)

A wise AND politically correct move – and apparently appreciated even by the media. Will wonders never cease? Later in the week, as fears and troubles seemed to subside on the Coast, they returned to their spendthrift ways. Chuck Muth, in particular, had hoped that the convention was reduced by 2012 to a single evening session concerned mostly with the platform – don’t know what he’s smoking; how can we do without our quadrennial pre-coronations?

Politics 2008:
Obama calls for hurricane crusade
New York Daily News
“Menacing Hurricane Gustav loomed heavily over the Democratic presidential ticket’s day, forcing Barack Obama and Joe Biden to step on their own economic message tour and focus on the storm. After attending church Sunday morning, Obama declared he would marshal his army of supporters to help in any way they can if the monster storm delivers on its threat. … While John McCain jetted down to Jackson, Miss., for a formal briefing, Obama said he had no plans for a similar trip, to avoid getting in anyone’s way. But he declined to criticize McCain directly for going.” (09/01/08)

Oh? Remember how Bush was condemned by the mainstream press and the Islamic world for a “crusade” against the terrorists? Double standard, indeed. (And of course, it seems that Obama’s crusade fizzled, like a lot of what he is doing this week…)

Politics 2008:
MN: St. Paul march protests Iraq war
USA Today
“Thousands of protesters marched on the Republican National Convention on Monday, chanting for an end to the war in Iraq and demanding Republicans be denied the White House in November’s election. Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan helped lead the mostly peaceful march, which started at the state capitol building and weaved its way to within a block of the Xcel Energy Center, the site of the GOP convention. Dwayne Baird, a spokesman for the police agencies patrolling the route, said the crowd was no more than 8,000. Mick Kelly, a spokesman for the Coalition to March on the RNC, said the crowd was closer to 30,000.” (09/01/08)

Interesting how so many more showed up for the GOP protests than in Denver – shows how many people pay attention to rhetoric and ignore deeds. In deeds, the Demos are no more peaceloving than the GOP. As for numbers, frankly I don’t believe either spokesman. Point is, what do things like this accomplish?

Politics 2008:
MN: Five arrested in GOP convention protests
Associated Press
“Thousands of protesters descended on the city hosting the Republican National Convention Monday, some smashing cars, puncturing tires and throwing bottles in a confrontations with pepper-spray wielding police who arrested at least five people. Police said the size of the crowd shifted during the day before estimating it in the range of 8,000 to 10,000, many of whom marched peacefully. The arrests occurred in confrontations several blocks from the Xcel Energy Center where the GOP gaveled its convention to order in late afternoon. A handful of people were arrested for lighting a dumpster on fire and pushing it into a police car, said St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh. Instead of a single coherent march that organizers had hoped for, fringe groups of anarchists and others wrought havoc along the streets between the state Capitol and the convention site. Some anarchists who had started the trash bin fire later tried to block a major intersection. Police quickly dispersed the group, then shot two tear gas canisters at the fleeing anarchists.” (09/01/08)

Five? Five! Evil cops, tyrannizing these protesters. Poor protesters., punished for childish pranks like stealing and destroying property from others and endangering people with it, trying to block traffic, and other minor little peccadilloes. Oh, and slandering honest and peaceful people by claiming to be anarchists. What did this accomplish? Besides getting them in trouble?

Politics 2008:
Ron Paul Nation: The other convention in town
Christian Science Monitor
“If some John McCain supporters suffer from what pollsters have called an ‘enthusiasm gap,’ those of GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul might be accused of an ‘enthusiasm surplus.’ More than 10,000 members of the Ron Paul Nation paid $17.76 (get it?) to attend a convention in Minnesota to celebrate the Texas congressman’s candidacy and advance his antiwar, antigovernment, pro-Gold Standard agenda among Republicans at the official GOP convention in nearby St. Paul. ‘Ronvoys’ of chartered vans have been streaming in since the weekend. Supporters are camping at an organic dairy farm in Goodhue, Minn., that is home to ‘Ronstock ’08,’ a six-day culture-fest where the farmer’s neighbor has reportedly donated a cow to the food offerings. And thousands are expected in downtown Minneapolis Tuesday for the 10-hour marquee ‘Rally for The Republic,’ featuring speakers from former governors Jesse Ventura of Minnesota and Gary Johnson of New Mexico to antitax activist Grover Norquist and MSNBC correspondent Tucker Carlson.” (09/02/08)

I’m hearing some very good things about what Dr. Paul did here – and what might be coming from it. If there were any chance whatsoever of saving the Republic, the good doctor might have been the one to do it. Unfortunately, even he cannot raise the dead. My hope is that this event and his movement will bring more and more people to the point of being true friends of liberty and move to Wyoming or Montana or a nearby state where there is some hope of restoring freedom when the rest of Western Civilization crumbles.

Mama's Note: Well, we might be able to shoehorn a few more in to the great state of Wyoming... <G>

Politics 2008:
MN: Boston father of fallen Marine leads protest
Boston Globe
“The father of a Boston Marine killed in Iraq led thousands of antiwar protesters yesterday in a boisterous but largely peaceful demonstration outside the Republican National Convention, while riot police and National Guardsmen clashed separately with a collection of small fringe groups that smashed windows and damaged public property. Police using pepper spray arrested a total of at least 56 people. In one dust-up, police fired what appeared to be tear gas canisters to disperse a dozen members of the so-called RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist group that has vowed to shut down this week’s events and was targeted in police searches over the weekend that resulted in six arrests.” (09/02/08)

Once more we have to ask what good any of this does? These cops will proceed to make life more and more miserable for the people of the Twin Cities, using these “anarchists” (nihilists) as the excuse for a further tightening of the police state, and not a single person of importance at the GOP convention knew or cared about their protests. Or those of the peaceful demonstrators.

Politics 2008:
MN: Marches continue, but violence ebbs
Minneapolis Star Tribune
“A third day of rallies outside the Republican National Convention took aim at the plight of the poor. Police and marchers clashed again, but arrests were way down. A vocal group of demonstrators took to the streets of St. Paul again Tuesday evening, voicing their anger about economic justice issues on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention. The number of protesters and arrests were way down from the 10,000 who marched and the nearly 300 who were arrested Monday, but police and demonstrators did clash briefly. Trading choruses of ‘Who’s streets? [sic] Our streets,’ more than 500 people started marching at Mears Park through downtown before their numbers swelled at the Capitol. The march ended near the Xcel Energy Center about 8 p.m., but hundreds of stragglers disbanded only after police fired smoke bombs and concussive grenades.” (09/02/08)

It used to be that political marchers like this got worse and worse as an “incident” went on because they were whooped up on more liquor, but this example of mobocracy seems to be high on their own moral superiority. I notice it seems that someone came up with some kind of “issue of the day” routine. No wonder numbers were down – “plight of the poor” just doesn’t have the mass appeal of “anarchy [sic] now” or “end the war.”

Right to keep and bear arms:
Ads make guns “attractive”
BBC News
Two posters for an Angelina Jolie film have been criticised by advertising watchdogs for making guns attractive. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the Wanted posters were not suitable to be seen by children. The ASA received 17 complaints in all, with seven of them also concerned about the posters being unsuitable for children.

Stupid, eh? This isn’t coming from government, but from hoplophobic parents. Thank you, democracy.

Mama's Note: The purpose of ads IS being "attractive." The purpose of PARENTS is to guide their offspring into appreciating that and dealing with it rationally. This goes beyond stupid.

Right to keep and bear arms and stupid cop tricks:
PA: Gun rights group protests arrest at Obama event
Pittsburgh Tribune
“A gun rights group is calling on Gov. Ed Rendell to ‘order a halt to unlawful police-state tactics at presidential campaign events’ after a Beaver County man was arrested Friday for openly carrying a gun near where Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama later made an appearance. The group, OpenCarry.org, accused state police of suspending the right to bear arms in Beaver by arresting John Noble, 50, of Industry. … OpenCarry.org says Noble was not at the Obama event, did not attempt to enter the event area and broke no law.” (09/01/08)

Pennsylvania is hardly a bastion of freedom, these days, of course. But this seems to be a bit juvenile even for PA cops. I hope (like the guy in LA) that John Noble gets a large enough cash settlement from these cops that the terms are left hidden for fear of embarrassing the authorities.

Our right to defend ourselves:
LA: Police settle open carry lawsuit
The Advocate
“Mark Marchiafava says he’s earned the right to wear his .357-caliber Magnum pistol in a hip holster in Gonzales. And, he says at a local mall, city residents paid him to demonstrate that right. ‘I wish the taxpayers of Gonzales knew just how much money it is,’ the 55-year-old Marchiafava adds. In January 2006, the longtime Baton Rouge resident was at the same mall, wearing the same pistol, when a Gonzales police officer asked him why he was carrying a gun. Marchiafava says he told the officer that non-felons can legally carry firearms that are not concealed. That exchange led to Marchiafava’s arrest on a count of illegal carrying of a weapon. … But the case later was dismissed, and Marchiafava’s bond and weapon were returned to him. Marchiafava didn’t let the dispute fade away. He sued for violation of his constitutional right to bear arms. The city recently settled the case by paying Marchiafava an undisclosed amount of money.” (08/31/08)

Apparently, he got enough to “buy a really nice motorcycle,” – bravo! I cannot count the number of times I, family, or friends, have been carrying openly and we’ve gotten harassed for it. This will hopefully make people like this idiotic cop think twice. Fortunately, many western cops ARE different. (I like the fact that this took place in Gonzales – it was the sister town in Texas that made famous the “Come and Take It” flag during the Texan War of Independence: the white flag is popular today in reproductions. For its story see this.)

Mama's Note: Everyone reading this who believes that they should have the right to openly carry their gun needs to go strap it on NOW. Carry it, use the "hassle" to teach your friends and neighbors about their rights and the benefits to society from ordinary people going armed. More guns, less crime. Don't wait for someone else to fight for your right to defend yourself and your loved ones.

Our right to defend ourselves:
MD: Garage owner fatally shoots would-be robber
WJZ News
“Baltimore police say the owner of an auto repair shop fatally shot a man trying to rob his business. It happened around 6:30 p.m. Friday at Joe’s Garage in northwest Baltimore. Police spokesman Sterling Clifford says this was the second time that owner Joseph Goldman has shot someone trying to rob his business, but he did not have further details about the first shooting. In Friday’s incident, police say two men entered the business and displayed a handgun, but Goldman grabbed his own gun and fired at the men, hitting one.” (08/30/08)

Open protection rackets like this are not uncommon anywhere in major urban areas, though it sounds like the Baltimore version features both more stupid enforcers and a lot more openness about going in and demanding the pizzo.

Our right to defend ourselves:
IN: Homeowner holds man at gunpoint for police
Indy Channel
“A Muncie man whose home was burglarized Monday held a would-be robber at gunpoint after waiting in the dark for two hours to see if the burglars would return, police said. Michael Angel returned home Monday evening to find his back door open and several items missing from his home, 6News’ Jennifer Carmack reported. He said he called police to make a report and then talked to neighbors, who said they’d seen a few people and a black pickup truck near his home that day. Angel said he wanted to see if the burglars would come back, so he sat in a back room in the dark with his gun. After two hours, Angel said he saw a pickup truck that matched his neighbors’ pull up to the back of the house. ‘I heard the guy enter the house and he was shuffling through stuff in my room,’ he said. Angel said he walked down the hall with his rifle, cocked the gun and turned on the light. ‘I started screaming at him and he dove onto the ground,’ he said. ‘I didn’t want to shoot anybody, but I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if the guy had a gun or not.’ Angel said he called 911 and held the man — later identified as Michael Boykin, 50 — at gunpoint until police arrived.” (09/02/08)

Entrapment? Hardly – just a man who knew the cops couldn’t/wouldn’t do what was needed.

Our right to defend ourselves:
NC: Homeowner kills burglar
WBTV News
“Police are investigating a shooting that happened Tuesday afternoon in northwest Charlotte. Reports suggest a man came home to find Timothy Michael Quinn inside his house. Police say Quinn broke into the home through a side door. The homeowner confronted Quinn, telling him to get on the floor. He told police Quinn came towards him instead. That’s when the homeowner shot Quinn at least one time with a handgun.” (09/02/08)

A clear warning, followed by action when the warning was ignored. Good.

Russian front:
Cheney backs Georgia for NATO membership
International Herald Tribune [France]
“Vice President Dick Cheney flew [to Tblisi] on Thursday to deliver a forceful American pledge to rebuild Georgia and its economy, to preserve its sovereignty and its territory and to bring it into the NATO alliance in defiance of Russia. Cheney spent only four and a half hours in Georgia, but the visit included a strong rebuke to Russia’s behavior and a highly symbolic visit to American troops unloading humanitarian supplies at the airport here within sight of an airplane factory that Russian bombs had damaged. He arrived a day after the United States pledged $1 billion to help Georgia recover from its defeat by Russia’s armed forces, which continue to control two breakaway regions, as well as buffer zones in Georgia.” (09/05/08)

The US is clearly trying to blunt the impact of Russia’s coup in the Russo-Georgian War. I don’t know if it will be successful or not – too many Europeans are once more afraid of Russia and will do anything to appease Moscow (except something that would make the Arabs mad at them, of course).

Russian front:
Russia: Kremlin critic killed by police
United Press International
“Colleagues of a critic of Kremlin politics Monday called for a massive protest of his killing by police in southern Russia’s Ingushetia Province. Magomed Yevloyev, who ran a Web site on government corruption and police abuse, was shot in the head Sunday in a police car taking him to a station for questioning, the Washington Post reported.” (09/01/08)

Sounds like the Russians are quickly going back to the future.

Russian front:
Georgia: Giant crowds stage anti-Russia protests
The Age [Australia]
“Huge crowds of Georgians rallied today against Russia’s occupation of parts of the country in what officials said was the biggest protest in the ex-Soviet republic’s history. The rally coincided with an emergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels deciding how to respond to Russia’s actions. ‘Georgia is united as never before. There are one million people on the streets,’ President Mikheil Saakashvili told a crowd on Freedom Square in central Tbilisi, part of a ‘human chain’ that stretched for kilometres.” (09/02/08)

“Parts of the country” include those two evil little provinces who wanted only the same freedom to secede from Georgia that Georgia wanted from the Soviet Union. Mobocracy is no good, anywhere it happens, and especially not when it is promoted by demagogues

South Asian front:
Pakistan: US drone attack kills five
ITV [UK]
“At least five Islamist militants have been killed in a missile attack by a suspected US drone in Pakistan. ‘Two drones were flying in the area. They fired three missiles,’ said a witness in the North Waziristan region, near the Afghan border. It is the second such attack in the area in as many days. A missile strike on Thursday by a suspected US drone killed four Islamist militants and wounded five others, Pakistani security officials and witnesses said.” (09/05/08)

I am amused (in a grisly way) by the language of the Paki officials: if civilians are killed, it is ABSOLUTELY an American aircraft or attack that is responsible, but if it is “militants” that are killed or wounded, it is a “suspected US” piece of equipment. Right.

South Asian front:
Pakistan: US confirms escalation to ground ops
Houston Chronicle
“Helicopter-borne U.S. Special Operations troops attacked al-Qaida militants in a Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan early Wednesday in the first publicly acknowledged case of U.S. forces conducting a ground raid on Pakistani soil, American officials said. … the commando raid by the American forces signaled what top U.S. officials said could be the opening salvo in a much broader campaign by Special Operations forces against the Taliban and al-Qaida inside Pakistan, a secret plan that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has been advocating for months within President Bush’s war council.” (09/03/08)

There is, of course, some question as to exactly where the border is, but I do not think that the US would have done this without at least SOME tacit approval or acceptance by the Paki government. I don’t know if this is a clear sign of spreading the conflict in Afghanistan or not, but given the instability in Pakistan, it is not unlikely.

Stupid cop and people tricks:
CA: Tensions high at KPFA after volunteer arrested
San Francisco Chronicle
“Unrest is brewing at Berkeley-based KPFA radio after a dispute between management and a volunteer ended in the staffer, who is pregnant, being forcibly removed by police. Nadra Foster, an unpaid producer at KPFA, was injured by Berkeley police officers after refusing to leave the station on Aug. 20. Police say that at least six officers used force on Foster in order to arrest and remove her. The incident is the latest source of tension between management and volunteers at the station. In 2007, KPFA derecognized its Unpaid Staff Organization, the council that represents about 200 volunteers. The staff has long squabbled with the parent company, Pacifica Radio, saying it’s attempting to make the network more corporate and soften its voice of dissent.” (09/01/08)

Ah, peace in the peace movement… The love lost between leftist activists is awesome.

Stupid cop tricks:
NE: Nebraska man sues prosecutor to get his leg back
My Way News
“After being shot five times, a western Nebraska man had to go to court to get his prosthetic leg back from prosecutors. The Box Butte County Attorney’s office gave Val McCabe’s leg back Wednesday after a judge ordered it returned. McCabe’s prosthetic left leg had been held since Friday’s shooting because prosecutors wanted to run tests on it and a bullet lodged inside. The 58-year-old McCabe, who lost his leg below the knee in a railroad accident roughly 30 years ago, filed his lawsuit Tuesday. McCabe lawyer argued it wasn’t practical for him to replace the specially built, $28,000 prosthesis.” (09/04/08)

Close to home, this one. Even in the Nebraska Panhandle, there can be stupid cops and more stupid lawyers. So much for victim rights, eh?

Stupid cop tricks:
New “syndrome?” Sudden death after cop-bust
Yahoo! News
“Young men who die suddenly after being arrested by the police may be victims of a new syndrome similar to one that kills some wild animals when they are captured, Spanish researchers said on Tuesday. Manuel Martinez Selles of Madrid’s Hospital Gregorio Maranon reached the conclusion after investigating 60 cases of sudden unexplained deaths in Spain following police detention. In one third of the cases, death occurred at the point of arrest, while in the remainder death was within 24 hours, Selles told the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.” [Editor’s note: Uh, yeah … mysterious deaths after an arrest have been happening for years … mostly to beating-victims! - SAT] (09/02/08)

As with the above “genetic basis” for monogamy, this claim of some illness (“syndrome”) sounds very much like a way to make an excuse for brutal and cruel cops. Is it Sudden Arrest Death Syndrome (SADS) when it is a chokehold for ten minutes, or just when they are repeatedly tasered or kicked a few dozen times?

Stupid government tricks
The King too good for trash sacks
Fox News
SEATTLE —  More than two years after his face was adopted as the official logo for King County, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s profile is on voter ballot envelopes, on metro buses, at the county council chambers, and prominently displayed on the county's Web site. But officials were concerned about one place they felt wasn't appropriate for the slain civil rights leader's likeness — the county's trash bags.

Part of the politically-correct rewriting of our history.

Mama's Note: I can't think of a single reason I'd want to see his (or anyone else's) mug anywhere, especially if I was forced to help pay for it!

Stupid government tricks:
UK: “Free loans” offer to homebuyers
BBC News [UK]
“The government is to promise first-time buyers in England ‘free’ loans of up to 30% of their home’s value, in an effort to reinvigorate the housing market. Households earning less than £60,000 will be offered loans free of charge for five years on new properties, co-funded by the state and developers. The move comes as Gordon Brown attempts a political fightback, amid an economic downturn and poor opinion poll ratings.” (09/01/08)

Oh, yeah, and where does this money come from - the printing presses? And how will THAT help?

Stupid government tricks:
Lawyers: Gonzales mishandled classified data
Raw Story
“Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales mishandled highly classified notes about a secret counterterror program, but not on purpose, according to a memo by his legal team. The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, acknowledges that Gonzales improperly stored notes about the program and might have taken them home at one point. Removing secret documents from specially secured rooms violates government policy. Gonzales’ lawyers wrote in their memo that there is no evidence the security breach resulted in secret information being viewed or otherwise exposed to anyone who was not authorized.” [Editor’s note: Do you suppose we ‘ll EVER reach the point where one of these slimeballs (from either party) goes to trial trial BEFORE leaving office? - SAT] (09/03/08)

Frankly, what good would a trial do?

Stupid people tricks:
AZ: Phoenix Suns going solar to power arena
Arizona Republic
“The Phoenix Suns plan to use solar panels for power at the US Airways Center, becoming one of only a handful of professional sports teams that get a portion of their energy from renewable sources like sun or wind. The new photovoltaic system will consist of more than 1,100 panels and be installed on the fifth level of the center’s parking garage at First and Madison streets in downtown Phoenix. At 194 kilowatts, it will produce enough energy to reduce the team’s power usage by the equivalent of 26 home games each season, Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. The system is expected to be operational next year.” (09/04/08)

Eyewash. Estimates are it will take 100 years for this to break even. If it were their own money, that would be fine. But the US Airways Center, like most big pro sports venues, is almost certainly heavily subsidized by local (and maybe even state) governments (the “circus” part of “bread and circuses” public policy).

Stupid people tricks:
Four more years — for Abramoff
Washington Post
“Jack Abramoff, the onetime powerhouse Republican lobbyist whose influence peddling led to one of the biggest public corruption investigations in recent history, was sentenced by a federal judge today to four more years in prison. The sentence handed out by U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle comes nearly three years after Abramoff pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion, fraud and conspiracy for plying public officials with gifts in exchange for official actions. It means that Abramoff probably will remain in prison until 2012, regardless of whether his sentence in a separate Florida fraud and conspiracy case is reduced.” (09/04/08)

It must be really nice to be a scapegoat. Just how many of the politicians that played footsie with him are in jail together with him right now?

Stupid people tricks:
Germany: Neo-nazi forum hacked
The Register [UK]
“German anti-fascist hackers have broken into the secure forum server of one of the world’s largest neo-Nazi groups, Blood & Honour, and copied more than 30,000 pieces of data. Blood & Honour, founded back in 1987 in the UK by Ian Stuart Donaldson, leader of the notorious skinhead band Skrewdriver, has been banned in Germany since 2000. The Spanish division was closed in 2005 after the arrest of many of its main leaders. Last week, members of Daten-Antifa managed to break the access codes of the forum and copied roughly 800MB of data, including information that was only available to members.” (09/01/08)

Seems to me like the Daten-Antifa are just as evil and thuggish as the people that they are attacking.

Stupid people tricks:
Romania: ID pics too sexy, say police
Ananova [UK]
“Police chiefs in Romania have ordered women to cover up after receiving saucy snapshots on identity card applications. Officers claim some of the pictures are so revealing they can’t even tell if the women are wearing any clothes. Now officials in Iasi, central Romania, have told women applicants that their pictures must be ‘decent.’ ‘We had many cases when ladies came wearing very sexy tops so that from the picture you believe she’s naked. But this is official ID, so it should be decent,’ said police chief Viorel Scutaru.” (08/31/08)

Seems like a silly, somewhat stupid stunt myself, but why should it make any difference to the cops? Seems the more skin showing, the easier to identify the cardbearer, right?

Stupid people tricks:
TN: Former UT prof guilty of passing military secrets
Tennessean
“A federal jury convicted a retired University of Tennessee professor Wednesday of passing sensitive information from a U.S. Air Force contract to two foreign research assistants from China and Iran. Jurors deliberated about six hours before finding plasma physics expert J. Reece Roth guilty Wednesday on 18 counts of conspiracy, fraud and violating the Arms Export Control Act. Prosecutors in the Knoxville trial said Roth gave the two graduate students access to sensitive information while they researched a plasma-guidance system for unmanned aircraft. Roth, 70, testified last week that he didn’t break the law. He faces up to 160 years in prison and more than $1.5 million in fines. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7.” (09/03/08)

He seems to be all too typical of research scientists who do not like, do not want, secrecy and ignore rules about it, but then refuse to stand up for themselves in court. It did him no good to claim that he did not give the information out.

Stupid people tricks:
ID: Condom coupons censored in Boise
Arbiter Online
“The condom ad has left the building. After multiple complaints from students, parents and faculty, condom coupons were removed from the coupon booklet handed out to students entering The Boise State Bookstore. The coupon was for 20 percent off any purchase of $5 or more at The O!zone condom shop located on Broadway Avenue. ‘I had at least five [complaints],’ Bookstore Director Mike Reed said. ‘And I know a couple of the other managers had more than that as well.’ Reed notified Brooks Publishing, publisher of the coupon booklets, of the complaints and suggested alternative distribution sites. … Brooks Publishing then made the decision to remove all condom coupons from the remaining booklets.” (09/03/08)

It seems to me that Brooks made the only possible decision, but I am completely without understanding as to why the students and others didn’t just tear the coupon out themselves if it so offended them, instead of making such a case of it? This O!zone shop is apparently a legal business and they would seem to have a right to advertise how they please, and entered into a voluntary agreement with Brooks. It seems to me that the University was in the wrong on this.

Stupid people tricks:
NJ: Dentist polluted beach
Philadelphia Daily News
Thomas "Tim" McFarland, who owns a Main Line dental practice, was charged last night with unlawful discharge of a pollutant and unlawful disposal of medical waste, authorities said in a press conference this afternoon. Officials did not offer a motive on why McFarland dumped the waste or where he was being held. The Avalon case is not related to other recent beach closings. McFarland, who owns a summer house in Avalon, allegedly took his Boston Whaler into the Townsend Inlet on Aug. 22 and dumped a bag of dental debris into the waters, said Attorney General Anne Milgram. More than 250 needles, 180 cotton swabs, and scores of blue and white plastic capsules washed ashore along a mile-long section of shoreline just south of the inlet. The discoveries put a chill into the town's end-of-the-season celebrations. "It's clear to us that the people of New Jersey and all those who enjoy the shore can be assured it was an intentional act and not a testament to unhealthy water, said Milgram. If convicted of the charges, McFarland faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a total of $125,000 in fines. A wrapper for a dental drill bit was picked up on the sands of the upscale beach resort during an Aug. 23 beach sweep. The wrapper was traced to a dental supply company in Georgia which told investigators the drill bit wasn't a commonly purchased item, according to court documents filed Tuesday in Montgomery County.

People who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions are so common – and have such a great example to follow in their "leaders" and politicians and government agencies.

How very strange! Of course, he's innocent until proven guilty. It's hard to imagine why a successful dentist would even contemplate such stupidity. His waste disposal bill has to be a microscopic fraction of his investment in education and his practice, not to mention the rest of his life. He'll never practice again if he's convicted. Doesn't make any sense at all. ...but then, lots of things people do fall into that category!

Stupid politician tricks:
NYC: Comptroller blasts Bloomberg over term limits
New York Daily News
“A fedup City controller says he’s had it with Mayor Bloomberg’s public dickering over term limits and called on him to, well, rule or get off the throne. ‘Is he in favor of term limits? Is he not? Does he want to see a change?’ asked mayoral candidate and Controller William Thompson, who Monday accused the mayor of perpetuating a ‘charade’ on term limits. ‘There’s been rumors and off-the-record comments and I just think that really the mayor has not made his position clear,’ Thompson said. ‘The public is owed an explanation.’ After sparking a political frenzy by hinting last month that he’s open to extending term limits, Bloomberg has refused to confirm or deny reports that he’s quietly engineering legislation allowing him and other elected officials to stay longer in office.” (09/01/08)

There is every reason for Bloomberg to be coy about this – the man shows signs of megalomania anyway.

Technology:
Dutch venture plans cheap, powerful electric cars
Associated Press
“A Dutch-based company announced plans Tuesday to produce affordable electric cars by the end of 2009, promising they will be much more powerful than existing models and have zero emissions. Detroit Electric is in negotiations with Malaysia’s national auto maker, Proton, to produce the car in this Southeast Asian nation and is also talking to a German and a U.S. carmaker, said the company’s chief executive, Albert Lam.” (09/02/08)

“Zero emissions” of course, means from the vehicle directly, and ignores the fact that the power station furnishing the electricity to fuel it will most likely be coal-fired systems belching out lots of stuff.

Technology:
MA: Efforts turn to storage for renewable energy
Boston Globe
“Deep within a mountain here, the state’s eighth-largest power plant kicks into action with a thunderous clatter. A reservoir at the summit drains through a pipe in the mountain, loosing a torrent of water that spins two massive turbines, and then flows into the Deerfield River. \At night, the plant flips into reverse and pumps river water back to the top of the mountain, using more energy than it makes. This hydropower system may seem more like a failed attempt at a perpetual motion machine than a power plant. But the Jack Cockwell Pumped Storage facility is state-of-the-art bulk energy storage, an underappreciated technology that will be essential if renewable energy generation is to increase dramatically.” (09/01/08)

Yes, there is always a loss of energy in things like this, but it is more than just the actual energy at stake here – it is the cost of the energy that makes the difference. Pumped storage like this can take advantage of non-peak rates and costs, or such things as wind or solar can be used, to balance out calm and cloudy days with the pumped capacity. And as the article points out (amazingly, given it is the Boston Globe), pumped storage or something similar (giant banks of batteries?) is essential if poorer quality power sources are used.

Mama's Note: I'm lost here. If this thing uses more energy than it produces... I just don't understand what good it is.

Technology:
Comcast caps bandwidth, others expected to follow suit
Axcess News
“Comcast has decided to limit the number of downloads customers can make in a month, capping the bandwidth limit of Americans who access the web through the cable provider. Now other Internet Service Providers are expected to follow suit. … With advances in technology, such as AT&T’s 3G network, the growing use of online video and high-speed Internet access now making up the bulk of American web user accounts, bandwidth levels are at an all-time high. Comcast, Warner Cable, Frontier and Charter Communications are all looking to cap customer downloads that will limit the bandwidth provided customers.” (09/01/08)

I suspect that this will not last very long, as the companies desperately work to swell the size of the pipe, because in a (relatively) open market, people will soon jump to competitors who WILL allow them to download.

Technology:
Google to release open source “Chrome” browser
PC Magazine
“Google announced Monday that it has been hard at work on an open-source browser known as Chrome, a beta version of which will be released in 100 countries on Tuesday. New features will included[sic] ‘isolated’ tabs designed to prevent browser crashes and a more powerful JavaScript engine. ‘Why are we launching Google Chrome? Because we believe we can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web,’ Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, Google engineering director, wrote in a blog post. … Tuesday’s beta release will be available for Windows users. ‘We’re hard at work building versions for Mac and Linux too, and will continue to make it even faster and more robust,’ Pichai and Upson wrote.” (09/01/08)

It is, we found, Vista and XP only: W95 and ME (poor sods) need not try. Still much as I like Firefox, and much as I distrust Google for its politics and invasiveness (I use www.Scroogle.org a lot, as a result), I am glad to see more and more competition. Competition means innovation, reduction of prices (direct or indirect), and less power for providers.

The African collapse:
Kenya: From rubbish dump to cabbage patch
IRIN News
“Rubbish is everywhere in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, just a few kilometres from the centre of Nairobi. It lies not just between the ramshackle dwellings, but often underneath them, rendering them vulnerable to collapse in times of flood. But the face of the slum is beginning to change as fresh vegetables spring up where trash once lay rotting. The youth in Kandimiru, one of the villages within the slum have, through a self-help group, established the first organic farm on what was once a garbage dumpsite. “We wanted to keep the area clean so we saw it fit to have a garden,” Augustine Oramisi, the chairman of the Kibera Youth Initiative for Community Development, a local umbrella body for self-help groups in Kibera, told IRIN. Most of the youth involved in the project were involved in the post-election clashes that rocked the slum earlier in the year, Oramisi said. ” (09/03/08)

Anyone who has been in ‘third-world’ countries or poorer areas even of the European nations or the United States understands that dump sites are endemic: there are thousands and thousands of them. I understand things were similar (and are similar) in the Communist ‘second world.’ It is a fact that good waste disposal is a luxury that can only be afforded by wealthy, capitalist or semi-capitalist societies. Little projects like this do NOT solve the overall problem, no matter how good they make people feel. It is much like ALL foreign aid – it hurts more than it helps, for multiple reasons.

The African collapse:
Mauritania: Junta unveils cabinet
Wire Dispatch
“Mauritania’s military rulers unveiled a new government on Monday, nearly a month after their Aug. 6 coup, but some politicians in the Saharan Islamic state as well as key donors France and the United States rejected it. The announcement of the 22-minister cabinet followed difficult negotiations with political parties and came in the face of widespread international condemnation of the bloodless overthrow of President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.” (09/01/08)

Ah, more good news for the Dar Al’Islam (the land of peace and submission to Allah) – so good that the will of Allah and the freedoms of the people are so protected. Of course, like Pakistan and many other Islamic states, the army is the glue that holds the “nation” together, willingly or not.

Theft by government:
EPA limits lawnmower emissions
Associated Press
“Gasoline-powered lawnmowers that are a big cause of summertime air pollution will have to be dramatically cleaner under rules issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The long-awaited regulation requires a 35 percent reduction in emissions from new lawn and garden equipment beginning in 2011. Big emission reductions are also required for speedboats and other recreational watercraft, beginning in 2010. The reductions will be the equivalent of removing one out of every five cars and trucks on the road, according to Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.” (09/04/08)

The “dramatically cleaner” situation will result in dramatically more expensive machines. The anticipation of this action by EPA has actually INCREASED pollution from these small engines in the past couple of years, because manufacturers have been afraid to introduce new technologies that would establish a lower baseline. And don’t believe the “one in five” cars business either: the assumptions used to come up with THAT claim don’t stand up in a high school physics class.

Mama's Note: An older lawn mower or garden tractor can be kept going for a very long time with minimal effort and a few stockpiled parts. Time to stockpile those parts NOW, I think.

Theft by government:
MO: Court says orgs can pile on to preserve land theft
Forbes
“A state trial judge on Tuesday allowed the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Municipal League to join a lawsuit concerning an eminent domain ballot measure. They are seeking to keep the proposed restrictions off the November ballot. The secretary of state’s office last month announced that supporters of two proposed state constitutional amendments to limit the use of eminent domain had not collected enough signatures. The measure’s backers have sued to challenge that finding.” [Editor’s note: Last time around, then State Auditor, now US Senator Claire McCaskill intentionally screwed up the required “impact statement” so that Missourians could be prevented from voting to limit land theft. This time, the Secretary of State simply threw signatures in the trash. Apparently the BALLOT isn’t for “public use” any more - TLK] (09/02/08)

As bad as democracy is, outfits like this don’t believe in it much at all. Supposedly the Municipal League is made up of members who are in turn elected by their communities to lead them. Right.

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Nathan Barton is writing this from a wonderful place in the West, which might be in the Black Hills of South Dakota or Wyoming, or might be in one of the Four Corners States. Exactly where it is, the breezes blow with the scent of liberty, and the sound of the pines or the pinions is the sound of freedom. For thousands of years, people have fought and died for the liberty that Americans in the great spaces of the West enjoy, and he writes these commentaries in the hopes that continued generations will be able to do so, until the end of Time.

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