Any of you that use Hosting Matters, might want to read this.

This quiz has six questions, when one clearly would have done.

Which Country Are You From ??

(Quiz via Owen)

The guy comes back from the combat zone carrying his duty firearms, and they call it armed to the teeth. Here is what makes the Brits cower in fear:

He was carrying a standard British Army-issue SA80 automatic rifle, a pistol and six full magazines of bullets.

Gosh! He must have had a few hundred rounds of ammo on him! Meanwhile, it takes me at least three trips to load up the car every time I go shooting.

Although this story is still developing, I hope it's not true.

Here is today's friday five:

You have just won one million dollars:

1. Who do you call first?
My accountant.

2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
A beer.

3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
A beer.

4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
Aside from the 50% that Uncle Sam seizes at the point of a gun, I don't give shit away.

5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
Probably a mixture of stocks, mutual funds, and class III assault rifles. The rifles will undoubtedly net the highest return.

President Bush plans to push for a dramatic increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. The $120 Million program uses taxpayer funds (seized at the point of a gun) to purchase "art" that has no monetary value on the free market.

Administration officials, including White House budget experts, said that the president would propose an increase of $15 million to $20 million for the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. That would be the largest increase in two decades and far more than the most recent increases approved by Congress, about $500,000 for 2003 and $5 million for this year.

The funding increase is part of the "dollars for votes" program that President Bush has been implementing during the first three years of his term.

The NEA uses the threat of lethal force to seize money from American taxpayers, to give it to people like Ernesto Pujol, who created masterpieces like these.

Since nobody on the free market wants to buy crap like this, the NEA has to step in and throw cash at starving artists. Otherwise these beauties might never be created.

UPDATE: Owen actually posted Mapplethorpe photos.

Kevin also features a wonderfully sad story about asset forfeiture. Cash hungry politicians in El Cajon, Californiastan made changes to the law to allow police to seize a person's car if they are accused of soliciting prostitution (a misdemeanor).

Police responded to the new found powers by happily going out and setting up an entrapping sting, whereby female officers posed as women of the night. Twelve men were busted for trying to purchase something that is perfectly legal to get for free, and the lucrative haul netted 12 cars. They were valued at more than $90,000. Not bad for a night's work.

Of course Johns do have some legal recourse. Although the police can seize and take ownership of their car for the mere accusation of prostitution, defendants have a whopping two days to appeal the matter to a judge.

Isn't California great?

Kevin at The Smallest Minority points to British hysteria surrounding the MOST TERRIFYING GUN IN THE WORLD that Scotland Yard recently discovered in South East London.

THE first fully automatic handgun to surface in the UK - capable of firing 1,100 rounds a minute - has been seized in a police raid.

It is a Glock 18, banned from sale in the US and described as a "monster of a weapon" that fires bullets with the intensity of a high- pressure water hose. [...]

A Met firearms expert said: "It's extremely worrying that such a weapon is here. I can't stress enough just how dangerous this gun is.

"If it was fired on the streets of London by someone unused to its immense firing capability, there could be a massacre.

"Why even a criminal would want to own such a gun is beyond me. It would probably bethe ultimate in gun status-symbols." The Yard has warned front-line officers about the discovery, which followed a a raid on a residential address in Norwood, South East London.

It's no wonder these folks were ripe for the Nazi pickings when the U.S. saved their butt 60 years ago. They are TERRIFIED over a 9mm full auto Glock pistol. I would think that the 9mm Mac 11 would be just as terrifying. (You can buy one here.) The Mac 10 is available in .45 and the rate of fire is just as high. Of course if you want some real firepower, try a full auto AK-47, or better yet a belt-fed 1919. Although the import of all machine guns for civilian use (not just the Glock) was banned in 1986, the guns are still available legally in the U.S..

Check out the scare quotes the Euro-weenies heap onto the ignorant public:

The report said the Glock can fire "armour-piercing ammunition". It has a compensation device to keep it straight during firing. [...]

US arms expert Walt Rauch said: "Shooting the G18 full-auto is just like turning on a high-pressure hose." [...]

Det Insp Martin Ward said: "This is something of a monster of a weapon."

Hoplophobia is abound in England.

Suffering from the fallout at the Beeb, journalist Andrew Gilligan tries to explain that reporters should not be held to the same "standard of perfection" that they hold for heads of state. In a bout of 'rules for you but not for me' syndrome, Gilligan claims:

"There has to be a latitude -- a margin for error. It is important to have in mind that in the context of political reporting, it can be right to report matters, even if it later turns out that they are untrue."

Andrew Gilligan's report that Prime Minister Tony Blair "sexed up" intelligence on Iraq has resulted in the resignation of several of the Beeb's top brass. Gavyn Davies and Greg Dyke both left the BBC in disgrace, after an independent British investigator criticized Gilligan's report as completely unfounded. The source for the BBC's report, Dr. David Kelly, committed suicide last year.

Category:  Blaming the Media
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You may have noticed a genuine lack of posting today. It would appear that the Staff Writers of Ravenwood's Universe have been struck ill. While the cause of the illness is still not completely clear, it would appear that the likely culprit is the soporific after effects of an accidental overingestion of the hydroxyl derivatives of hydrocarbons.

As soon as the illness passes, posting should resume to normal.

The AP reports that a pair of Democrat Senators want to ban all matches and lighters from airplanes. Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota are concerned that a terrorist could use matches or a lighter to ignite a makeshift bomb a la alleged "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.

"Richard Reid was one good flare-up away from blowing a hole in the side of a jet and taking 200 people with him," said Wyden, referring to the convicted terrorist who tried to light a bomb in his shoe on a trans-Atlantic flight in December 2002. It was the smell of sulfur that alerted a flight attendant to Reid's attempt.

"The FBI said the belief is if he had a lighter instead of a match, it would have detonated," Dorgan said.

To the best of my knowledge when Reid boarded his flight, shoe bombs were already banned on airplanes. Amazingly, the anti-bomb policy didn't prevent nor discourage Reid from sneaking one on board. Yet for some reason, these Senators think that a ban on matches, would have made a difference.

You do know who (and only who) this is going to impact? Smokers, and other members of the law abiding public. It will do nothing to stop terrorists, who are already trying to sneak guns, knives, bombs, etc. onto commercial airliners. Adding matches to the list does nothing to combat terrorism and everything to harass smokers.

"It seemed incongruous when former Vice President Al Gore gave a speech on global warming on a bitterly cold day in New York City this month. But in fact it was an appropriate topic: New Yorkers may be able to blame the city's current cold spell -- the most severe in nearly a decade -- on global warming." -- Paul R. Epstein, New York Times.

He should have said that it was an appropriate topic, "in theory".

Related articles:
Global Warming to cause Global Cooling II -- 01/28/2004.
Global Warming to cause Global Cooling -- 01/22/2004
Globlal Cooling -- 09/20/2002

"Blood and guts of 17-meter long 50-ton mammal splatter sidewalks, automobiles parked nearby."

Apparently the terrorists are using sperm whales as suicide bombers now.

(via Spoons)

UPDATE: Reuters has a photo.

The New Hampshire primary is over, and the votes have been counted. By now, you've heard that John Kerry won. As Neal points out, if you take a look at the results, there were two politicos that garnered a few write in votes.

President George W Bush (WI) 113
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (WI) 54

John Lott offers more on the NFL's bias against guns.

Last year it was estimated that Virginia school districts would need an additional $525 Million under the new budget. Then in December the estimate was raised to an additional $1.1 Billion. Since the commonwealth is strapped for cash, the current budget proposal allocates only a $774 million increase in education funding, and school boards are still whining and complaining that it's not enough.

A Hollyweird actor is proposing a boycott of the love story "Cold Mountain" because it is set during the civil war, but doesn't dwell on the evils of slavery. A writer for Raleigh's The News & Observer, Barry Saunders, agrees with the actor's cause, and in doing so shows everyone that he probably failed History. "All during the movie, I ruminated on our absence from it, even though the main backdrop -- the Civil War -- was ostensibly about us. For black people, the movie, one could conclude, was like having a party thrown in your honor -- and not being invited." So the Civil War, and all movies set in America from 1861 to 1865, are "all about" these two jackasses.

With both Mars rovers experiencing problems, NASA is conceding that it was probably a mistake to use Microsoft's Windows operating system to power the rovers. A NASA engineer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that at the time Microsoft's software was the only game in town. He also said that although NASA has tried rebooting the rovers several times, the problem doesn't seem to be going away.

A few engineers had recommended using an Apple based system, but after it was realized that the rovers would only work with 10% of the rocket propulsion systems, the idea was scrapped.

Following Al Gore's global warming speech on one of the coldest days of the year, "scientists" are going out of their way to lend credence to the wacky theory. First they claimed that North America and Europe would actually get colder as the global warming worsens. Now take a look at what Britians top government scientists are claiming.

Britain is likely to be plunged into an ice age within our lifetime by global warming, new research suggests.

That's right, we're supposed to believe that global warming will cause an ice age. Are they serious?

A study, which is being taken seriously by top government scientists, has uncovered a change "of remarkable amplitude" in the circulation of the waters of the North Atlantic.

Apparently so. And the theory is so ludicrous that they have to emphasise that it is being "taken seriously".

A report by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme in Sweden - launched by Nobel prize-winner Professor Paul Crutzen and other top scientists - warned last week that pollution threatened to "trigger changes with catastrophic consequences" like these.

I see. By using a spray deoderant or refusing to recycle, you are destroying the Earth. That gas guzzling SUV you're driving around could be the end of the world as we know it. By the way, don't forget that PLO terrorist Yassir Arafat is also a Nobel prize-winner.

To bolster their claim, the "scientists" claim that the global warming trend "has accelerated since 1990, during which time the 10 hottest years on record have occurred." Of course what they don't mention is that they've only been keeping records since 1860. On the scale of climate changes and ice ages, 140 years is nothing. Plus they don't seem to factor in any measurement error from using 140 year old technology.

Even if they can prove that 10 of the last 140 years are the hottest on record, is that really enough evidence to justify the freedom grabbing?

Democrat Presidential Candidate Howard Dean claims that we are no safer now than before removing Saddam Hussein from power. Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi says otherwise.

An American plane carrying components of Libya's nuclear weapons program has arrived in the United States as Moammar Gadhafi follows through on a pledge to dismantle the program.

The plane landed in Tennessee, where the equipment will be unloaded and evaluated, probably at the Oak Ridge nuclear weapons plant, an administration official told The Associated Press.

Gadhafi, trying to break out of diplomatic isolation and seeking a lifting of U.S. economic sanctions, has promised to end development of nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction.

My guess is that it probably had something to do with this.

And it led to a bloody civil war. John 'F-ing' Kerry has written off the South as being unimportant on his path to the Presidency. Indeed, the Senator from Taxachussets, and former Vietnam war protestor is making the claim that he doesn't need to woo southern voters or even care about issues that are important to southerners, as long as he's got a strong foothold with the northern states.

"Everybody always makes the mistake of looking South," Kerry said, in response to a question about winning the region. "Al Gore proved he could have been president of the United States without winning one Southern state, including his own."

While technically Kerry is correct, had Gore one just one more Northern state, he would have won the election. But it's pretty indicative that Kerry's goal is to make just enough people happy so that he'll be elected, and not what's good for America.

Who says women can't play football?

(via Peoria Pundit)

Progressive Auto Insurance needs to seriously consider changing their name. I don't know about you, but the word 'progressive' makes my skin crawl. Every time I see one of their commercials I automatically think of the freedom grabbing political progressives. It's not something that makes me want to give them my money.

Also, to a lesser extent I think of the Chicoms whenever I see any company called People's.

Remember Republican Senator Rick Santorum? He was the congressman who said that a SCOTUS decision overturning a state ban on sodomy would start us down the slippery slope. He took a lot of heat over these remarks.

And if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society?

Well, whaddaya know, he was right. The AP reports that Utah's ban on polygamy is being challenged.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Lawrence (sodomy) case, arguing that overturning the Texas law would open the door to challenges of Utah's polygamy ban.

Shurtleff said he believes Barnard's case is headed for the Supreme Court, and predicted the justices would uphold the polygamy ban.

He's probably right. The SCOTUS doesn't seem to have any problems with giving rulings based on social whims rather than the rule of law.

"We have a long line of cases saying that the institute of marriage is the bedrock of society. Therefore, states have a compelling interest in regulating and controlling marriage," he said.

Personally, I disagree with that notion. As long as all parties are consenting adults, what is the big deal? Also, it is precisely because marriage is the bedrock of society that states should NOT have the power to regulate and control it. Controlling... augh. Why should you need permission from the state to get married to anyone?

My personal libertarian beliefs aside, in light of the Lawrence v. Texas case, where the SCOTUS essentially ruled the Texans were too stupid to govern themselves, I don't understand under what legal argument the SCOTUS could use to NOT overturn polygamy. Unless of course they are going to finally recognize that issues like that are best left to state legislatures. That is a point I made months ago.

George Will points out that the city of San Francisco is like a biosphere for extreme liberalism. If you have ever wondered what would happen if greens and liberals had complete government control, you need look no further. High homeless populations, terrible public schools, low rates of home ownership and very few families with children. Plus there is the coveted "LGBTQI constituency". (You don't want to know what the 'I' stands for.)

I don't get it.

(CNSNews.com) - Vice President Dick Cheney is "the Republican Party's Jesse Jackson," according to Sen. Ernest Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat. In his Jan. 26 column, journalist Robert Novak quotes Sen. Ernest Hollings as making that remark at a Saturday rally for Democrat John Kerry in New Hampshire. According to Novak's column, Kerry has stuck to a "risk-free and symbolic" series of events as he seeks to protect his lead in New Hampshire. Said Novak, "The only mishap in the carefully scripted [Saturday] performance came at the veterans rally when the irrepressible Sen. Ernest F. Hollings of South Carolina, brought in as a Kerry backer, referred to Vice President Dick Cheney as "the Republican Party's Jesse Jackson." Hollings was hustled back to Washington," Novak wrote.

It comes as no surprise that violent crime continues to rise in "gun free" Europe. But check out this exerpt from The Sun.

Britain dominates the top five in the crime league of Western countries, with only Sweden above them.

England and Wales have 10,608 crimes for every 100,000 citizens, followed by Scotland and Northern Ireland with 8,315.

Germany has 7,734, France 6,880 and America -- known for violent crime -- just 4,157.

Violent crime in England is more than double that of the U.S., yet we are the ones "known for violent crime".

Gun grabbers in Missouri continue to make the claim that the Missouri state constitution forbids the carrying of concealed firearms, even with approval from the legislature. Speaking for the gun fearing wussies, Burton Newman, a St. Louis lawyer claimed that the Missouri Constitution clearly bans the carrying of concealed firearms He even called them an incalculable evil.

Judges also asked Newman whether police officers would be prohibited from carrying concealed weapons if the language in the constitution prohibits concealed weapons.

The constitutional language "is addressed to citizens, not persons serving in an official capacity for the state, such as law enforcement officers," Newman said.

Kudos to the judges on the Missouri Supreme Court for posing a question that I asked last year. In doing so, they have forced Newman to argue before the state supreme court that the Missouri constitution reins in the rights of the people, but not those of the state.

With a straight face, Newman claims that the constitution is in place not to protect citizens from an oppressive government, but instead to protect an oppressive government for civil unrest. As a Libertarian I find his attitude deeply disturbing, and can only hope that the supreme court does as well. Unfortunately, the attitude is all too familiar to those on the far left, who seem to think that 21st century oppression is impossible, and that government can solve all of life's problem.

I finally got around to setting up the trackbacks. I may fool around with the templates a little bit, but I think I did enough testing to go ahead an implement it. Let me know if you experience any bugs.

If you need a good laugh, check out this exchange between President Bush, and some pesky reporters who were apparently following him around at lunch time.

(link via Tiger)

Full text below:

Remarks by the President to the Press Pool
Nothin' Fancy Cafe
Roswell, New Mexico

11:25 A.M. MST

THE PRESIDENT: I need some ribs.

Q Mr. President, how are you?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm hungry and I'm going to order some ribs.

Q What would you like?

THE PRESIDENT: Whatever you think I'd like.

Q Sir, on homeland security, critics would say you simply haven't spent enough to keep the country secure.

THE PRESIDENT: My job is to secure the homeland and that's exactly what we're going to do. But I'm here to take somebody's order. That would be you, Stretch -- what would you like? Put some of your high-priced money right here to try to help the local economy. You get paid a lot of money, you ought to be buying some food here. It's part of how the economy grows. You've got plenty of money in your pocket, and when you spend it, it drives the economy forward. So what would you like to eat?

Q Right behind you, whatever you order.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm ordering ribs. David, do you need a rib?

Q But Mr. President --

THE PRESIDENT: Stretch, thank you, this is not a press conference. This is my chance to help this lady put some money in her pocket. Let me explain how the economy works. When you spend money to buy food it helps this lady's business. It makes it more likely somebody is going to find work. So instead of asking questions, answer mine: are you going to buy some food?

Q Yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, good. What would you like?

Q Ribs.

THE PRESIDENT: Ribs? Good. Let's order up some ribs.

Q What do you think of the democratic field, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: See, his job is to ask questions, he thinks my job is to answer every question he asks. I'm here to help this restaurant by buying some food. Terry, would you like something?

Q An answer.

Q Can we buy some questions?

THE PRESIDENT: Obviously these people -- they make a lot of money and they're not going to spend much. I'm not saying they're overpaid, they're just not spending any money.

Q Do you think it's all going to come down to national security, sir, this election?

THE PRESIDENT: One of the things David does, he asks a lot of questions, and they're good, generally.

END 11:29 A.M. MST

Try sending this Dancing Hillary link to a friend at AOL. It won't work. Apparently AOL knows what's best for their users, and this ain't it.

(via Taranto)

The Virginia Citizens Defense League is finally starting to get some press for a gun banning issue here in Northern Virginia. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) is a joint body set up by Congress, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the District of Columbia to manage and oversee both of Virginia's DC area airports. Since both airports are located entirely within the Commonwealth of Virginia, they are supposed to abide by Virginia law. However, the pencil pushers at the People's Republic of MWAA just don't see it that way.

At issue is the MWAA's ban of firearms on any property that it manages. That not only includes the airports, but also the Dulles Access Road, routes 28 and 606, and the Metrorail station at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The Dulles Access Road stretches 28 miles from Arlington to Leesburg, and the MWAA manages at least 6 miles of SR 28.

Both of those highways are major thoroughfares, and heavily traveled by non-airport traffic. And there are no signs indicating that you are subject to MWAA regulations, even though a violation several miles away from the airport could land you with 12 months in the pokey and a $2500 fine. When asked about the regulations, MWAA was notably defiant.

The authority, which operates Dulles International and Reagan National airports, says it is not bound by "the more general" state laws and that the ban is necessary to maintain airport security.

Apparently they are claiming sovereignty over not just their land, but all the roads surrounding it.

The Virginia Citizens Defense League claims MWAA is overstepping state and federal laws to purposely conceal the "obscure and unknown" ban, essentially "trapping" law-abiding gun owners who travel across authority property. [...]

"Can they have their own military? Will they print their own money?," [VCDL President Philip] Van Cleave asked. "The federal government, Virginia and D.C. laws all say the Virginia law is supreme at the airports."

Of course, this isn't the first time that the MWAA claimed they were above the law.

Van Cleave said another problem with trying determine the intent of the regulation is the lack of information MWAA has provided about arrests and prosecutions.

MWAA rejected a Virginia Freedom of Information Act in October, again claiming that they were not subject to state laws, Van Cleave said.

How dare you make such a request from the Soveriegn Nation of MWAA?

The VCDL requested a ruling by the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, which determines who and what is subject to a Virginia FOIA request. The council said "it appears" that MWAA is subject to a state FOIA.

Oops. Maybe they are on the hook. Time to do some backpeddling.

[General counsel for MWAA, Edward Faggen] said while MWAA is not subject to the Virginia FOIA request, it does have its own FOIA policy, which is very similar to Virginia's.

How convenient. They went from "no" to "Okay, but not because you're making us."

However, to produce stop and arrest reports, court case names and related documents since 1987, MWAA estimated it would cost the VCDL $12,480, according to an Oct. 31 letter to the VCDL from an MWAA attorney obtained by the Journal.

Nice. They want citizens to cough up 12 G's for the privilege of viewing "public" information.

MWAA officials said their automated data bases only go back to 2001 and it would take at least 240 hours to manually recover the documents at $52 an hour for police time and $60 per hour to have a lawyer review the documents to determine to what can be disclosed.

Oh, so I have to keep my tax records for 7 years, but they only have to keep arrest records handy for two. And apparently cops only make $8 an hour less than lawyers.

Of course, all this wouldn't even be an issue if it weren't for Virginia's pre-emption law that says local yokels cannot supercede the laws of the Commonwealth. And bureaucratic fiats like this are exactly what pre-emption is all about.

VCDL will continue to fight the good fight, and the way the law reads, they will prevail. Until then, of course, many Northern Virginians will probably continue to inadvertently break the law when traveling anywhere near either of the metro airports. I have personally violated their law dozens of times, as most recently as this weekend.

UPDATE: Link has been corrected. Thanks to reader, Pete.

Next time some holier than thou network executive or TV news personality starts feeding you a line about journalistic ethics, give them a swift kick in the nuts. The fact that Barbara Walters, arguably the first lady of network news, is leaving 20/20 because of pressure to appeal to teenie boppers and Gen Exers (the key demographic, by the way) should be proof enough that ratings are what really set the news agenda.

The "get," the grab of a celebrity interview subject, is an increasingly important part of network news operations and Walters, along with ABC News colleague Diane Sawyer and NBC's Katie Couric, has been among the fiercest competitors.
[...]

Walters told The New York Times that she's become uncomfortable with the pressure to find interview subjects appealing to young people who are less interested in news.

Although most news bigwigs admit that ratings are a necessary evil, not many will admit that they are the primary focus. They would have you believe in some journalistic ethics mumbo jumbo on one hand, all the while hawking George Foreman Grills and 'Made for TV' movies with the other. What it comes down to is that their sole purpose is to keep you tuned in long enough to sit through their commercials. It's all about advertising. Unless of course you have the fortitude to watch or listen to Public Broadcasting. In which case it's all about "sponsorships" and "donations."

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just wish they'd have the guts to admit it.

"My client stands accused of a very serious crime. There is lots of history about black men being falsely accused of this crime by white women." -- Pamela Mackey, defense attorney for Kobe Bryant, playing the race card.

You knew it would come out sooner or later.

"I don't think the biggest problem ...two biggest problems in America are that too many people want to commit their lives to one another till death do us part and steroids in sports. I don't think those are our two biggest problems." -- Meryl Streep, taking pot shots at the President's State of the Union address during her acceptance speech for Best Actress in a Mini Series or Movie. She received a luke cold response.

Meryl Streep thinks the State of the Union Address is like an awards ceremony, with all the important goodies coming at the very end of the night.

What surprises me most is that she actually stayed awake for the whole thing.

In an article about 'metrosexuality', USA Today featured this humorous quip by John Henson of the "John Henson Project" on Spike TV.

In the premiere episode, Henson preyed on overly precise preening as exemplified by the Schick Quattro razor: "What am I, the Wolfman? Do we really need four blades? I think five is a cheese grater."

The Virginia Citizens Defense League has been fighting with Wachovia to get them to remove their "No Guns" signs. Much to their chagrin, pleas from honest law abiding gun owners have been met with a Wachovia form letter informing them of how much safer they are if guns are not permitted inside the bank. Of course the only persons really made safe by Wachovia's anti-gun policy are the bank robbers. And that is proving to be the case, considering three Virginia Beach/Norfolk area Wachovia banks have been robbed in the last 10 days.

Apparently the robber does have the courtesy to obey Wachovia's policies, though, as the perpetrator of all three robberies doesn't even appear to have been armed.

Steven Milloy at Fox News is taking anti-smokers to task for the dangers of their rhetoric. He says that their my way or the highway attitude, where they claim that the only way to keep from dying of lung cancer is to quit smoking altogether, is reckless and malicious toward the health of some smokers. Last week a "study" was released that made the claim that smokers are no better off for cutting their smoking habit rather than quitting altogether. The "researchers" claimed that cutting back smoking (known as harm reduction) won't due, and that quitting smoking completely is the only answer.

The University of Minnesota study was accompanied by a Journal of the National Cancer Institute editorial hailing its results and concluding that there are "certainly insufficient data to support the practice of encouraging smokers to pursue reduced smoking as a harm reduction strategy."

That statement is demonstrably false.

Milloy notes that it has long been shown that smoking dangers increase as smoking increases, and it stands to reason that smoking less would lessen the dangers. Since some smokers are unable to quit completely, telling them that cutting their intake is not good enough is not just a lie, it's a deadly lie; something that anti-smokers have for years been accusing tobacco companies of telling.

The anti-smokers are pushing their temperance agenda so hard, that they don't care what the affects are. Milloy notes, "It's a disturbing attitude that seems to be driven more by a blind hatred of the tobacco industry than concern for the health of smokers."

Another Hollyweird self-aggrandizement awards ceremony is almost upon us. The Golden Globes (a/k/a Oscar jr.) will be on NBC in a few hours, and I cannot help but wonder what anti-capitalist, anti-Bush, anti-American tripe they will be shoveling tonight. No matter what the "liberal elite" have to say, remember that you cannot criticize them. That would have a "chilling effect" on their freedom of speech, which we all know was intended by James Madison to be the right to make a complete ass of yourself without facing any consequences what-so-ever.

In observance of tonight's festivities, I want to point out something I said back in October of 2002.

My overall thoughts are that celebrities need to know when to keep their fucking mouths shut. Many celebrities never even finished high school, and their greatest achievement is looking pretty, or learning to read a cue card. Sure, you may have a good set of lungs, but your fame and fortune don't lend credence to the garbage you spew. In fact, I think just the opposite. Your incoherent ramblings and off-stage antics actually detract from any acting/singing/looking-pretty ability that you may possess.

Now shut the hell up and dance for me, you trained monkey.

As if you had any doubts about Hollywood intellect, Lay Lines and King of Fools, offer us some evidence.

Okay, so perhaps I went a little overboard with the graphics...

The AP provides some of the tallies on this year's movies, and from the looks of it, it is going to be a bad year.

Sequels
Harry Potter 3
Spider Man 2
Shrek 2
Barbershop 2 and spin-off Beauty Shop
The Princess Diaries 2
Kill Bill 2
Bridget Jones 2
Bourne Identity 2 (Bourne Supremacy)
Meet the Parents 2 (Meet the Fockers)
Blade 3 (Blade: Trinity)
Agent Cody Banks 2
Scooby Doo 2
The Ring 2
Get Shorty 2 (Be Cool)
Oceans-11 2 (Oceans 12)

Remakes
Manchurian Candidate
The Stepford Wives
Starsky & Hutch
The Ladykillers
Walking Tall
Flight of the Phoenix
Van Helsing
Dracula
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Shall We Dance
Dawn of the Dead

Cliches
Cinderella
13 Going on 30 (Kid in a grownup body a la "Big")
Connie and Carla (Cross-dressing a la "Tootsie", "Victor/Victoria", and "Some Like it Hot")

While I'm not saying there is a moral equivalence, I do want to point out that these are the same people that claim that you are taking something that isn't yours if you copy a CD or DVD.

Hey... Ya...

Mirrors:
http://files.funfreepages.com/videos/heyyacb.mov
http://www.jozjozjoz.com/heyyacb.mov
http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/vault/heyyacb.mov
http://www.tuekistan.com/heyyacb.mov
http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~dmdagost/heyyacb.mov
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~dance/heyyacb.mov
http://nikki.screamingmute.com/heyya.html

The prosecution of Rush Limbaugh is starting to look more and more like a witch hunt every day. So far, they've offered immunity to his housekeeper, who was allegedly extorting thousands of dollars from him. ([sarcasm]Gee, she sure sounds credible.[/sarcasm] When is her book coming out again?) They have also gone on a fishing expedition with his private medical records to see if he's done anything wrong. (So much for the Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.)

Now the AP reports that prosecutors have turned down a plea deal with Limbaugh. Instead of putting him in a drug intervention program (to treat his illness) they are instead asking him to plead to felony charges. And of course, they are also deliberately leaking information to the press. I'm trying to keep from sounding biased or sound like I'm being soft on Limbaugh, but considering they have yet to even charge him with anything, the prosecution's zeal seems rather fishy.

Jonah Goldberg notes that conservatives are cooling to George W. Bush. While we generally support him on the war, his domestic agenda is driving the diehards away.

For some it started with his plan to offer amnesty-lite to illegal immigrants. For others, it's his fence-sitting on gay marriage. For others, like me, it was his signing of the campaign finance reform bill even though he thought it was unconstitutional. Or maybe it was his support for steel tariffs. Or the farm bill. I forget.

Of course, there is also his lack of commitment to limited government.

...compassion doesn't come cheap at the Bush White House, on whose watch overall spending from 2001 to 2003 grew at 16 percent and discretionary spending went up 27 percent. That's double Bill Clinton's rate.

Bush's defenders are eager to point to the war on terrorism as an excuse for increased spending. Fine. But that's only a small part of the story.

Under Bush, spending on education has gone up 60.8 percent, on labor 56 percent and on the Department of the Interior by 23.4 percent . The price tag for the president's Medicare plan alone starts, but won't end, at $400 billion. The farm bill was a pork horror show, pure and simple. More people work for the federal government now than at any time since the end of the Cold War.

Sure, Bush has been pushing a Democrat agenda, and has taken away issues that were once owned solely by Democrats. Medicare, immigration, farm spending, education spending, "professionalized" security workers, etc. But what Goldberg fails to mention is that all of this "compassionate conservatism" hasn't gotten Dubya very far. Bush is still hated and demonized by the left. No matter how much he's increased spending on education, for them it wasn't enough. No matter how much he's kowtowed to the unions, they're still endorsing the democrats.

When it comes down to it, other than the war on terror and tax cuts, Bush is basically a Democrat. And even though they don't have much to complain about, they're still complaining. And as long as they are out of power, they always will.

Fox News reports that a hapless would-be armed robber barged into a 7-11 store with an unloaded rifle in an attempt to rob it. He tried loading the rifle once he entered the store, but found it difficult to cram the .40 caliber rounds into a .22 caliber chamber. Not to be disuaded by the laws of physics, he continued with his armed robbery only to suffer the wrath of three of the stores customers.

"He's trying to cram a .40-caliber bullet into a .22-caliber rifle," Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Leljedal told the newspaper. "It's like twice as big as the gun will fit. It won't go."

Despite his weapon's lack of deadliness, the teen pointed the gun again at the cashier and said, "Give me the money -- don't make me do this."

Three customers saw their chance and jumped on the gunman, tackling him, kicking him and finally standing on him until police showed up.

It would have been a better story had it read "kicking him until the police showed up."

In direct response to the Supreme Court decision that allows for 25 years of race based discrimination, Washington State is working on a bill to permit descrimination at state universities and colleges.

The bill would permit admissions policies to consider an applicant's race, color, ethnicity or national origin to promote diversity as long as no enrollment slots are set aside based on race, all applicants are judged on how they would contribute to campus diversity...

This is a huge step toward collectivism. To the state, you aren't an individual; you aren't the product of your knowledge and experiences; instead you are a member of a larger group. You're white, black, Asian, Jewish, Arab, or whatever, and it is according to this group identity that you shall be treated.

Do you remember how certain someone's on the left criticized President Bush for his refusal to subjugate the U.S. to the International Criminal Court? At the time, the feeling in Washington was that it could be used as a tool for politically targeted prosecutions. That would never happen, we were told.

Well, golly gee look what's happening to the Brits, whose government did ratify the ICC. As Spoons points out, British troops may face "war crimes" for some of the collateral damage in Iraq.

Back in 2002, I criticized the practice of hyphenating Americans as a means of describing physical appearance. Rather than refer to someone as black or white, politically correct people demand that black people be hyphenated, as if they all came from Africa, or all people from Africa are black. Neither is true. (I've known black people from Africa, Europe, and even Virginia and New York.) At the time I wrote about how confusing it must be to some people, when others describe someone's natural origin, but they are really referring to stereotypes about their race.

I believe that we are all Americans, and hyphenation only creates confusion and superfluousness under the guise of sensitivity. Hyphenation is best deserved to describe people that are actual immigrants to this country, and not people that are born here. Even then, it should be used to describe where they come from, not the color of their skin. Forty years ago, an Irish-American was somebody who had come over from Ireland. If you wanted to know what color they were, you had to look at them.

Well, it turns out I was right. This week, several students were disciplined by their school, because they made the mistake of assuming African-American meant African-American, rather than just referring to black people.

A small group of Westside High School students plastered the school Monday with posters advocating that a white student from South Africa receive the "Distinguished African American Student Award" next year.

Apparently the school really wanted to just honor black students. But rather than creating an award just for black kids, they created an "African-American" award that appears to be based on natural origin. Unfortunately for the kids, their confusion led to suspension when they expressed support for their white South-African friend. On top of that, a fourth student was suspended for circulating a petition that criticized the school for creating an award that was based not on a person's character, but on the color of their skin.

The sad part is the message this sends to children.

- Recognizing black student achievement: good.

- Recognizing white student achievement: bad.

- Criticizing a school that would discriminate based on race: bad.

- Exercising your First Amendment rights: bad.

And to top everything off, all this occurred on the day honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, a great American who championed the notion of not judging a person by the color of their skin.

About a week after Al Gore gave his anti-capitalist global warming speech on one of the coldest days of the year, some "scientists" are now claiming that global warming will actually make North America and Europe colder. Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany claims that global warming could "trigger a regional cooling, but not an Ice Age."

Of course, we have been hearing this nonsense since the 1970s, when Kenneth E.F. Watt claimed during a 1970 Earth Day celebration, "If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder by the year 2000...This is about twice what it would take to put us in an ice age."

"I'm delighted with Michael Moore, I really appreciate his support. He's a fantastic leader. I thank him tremendously for being here." -- Deposed General Wesley Clark, praising assclown Michael Moore.

As if you needed another reason not to like Wesley Clark.

With John Kerry taking the lead in Iowa, conservatives are already digging up dirt on the Senator. For all of his posturing about being a patriotic Vietnam veteran, apparently he quit the Army during the war to join the anti-war movement, galavanted around with 'Hanoi' Jane Fonda, and cozied up to the Chicoms a just few years after the Tiananmen Square massacre.

While UHaul decided to ban our Staff Writers from renting there, they don't seem to have any policy against their vendors and employees joining in newsgroup flame wars with potential customers. Considering it is UHaul's own forum, you would think they'd police it better. It's one thing to refuse my business, but when you provide a forum for your employees to mock me, it gets personal.

John writes to give me hell about celebrating Lee-Jackson-King Day. He wants to know a little more about how Lee-Jackson-King Day came to be.

Why should two confederates and Martin Luther King have ever shared a holiday? I would like to know who the geniouses were that created a holiday shared by these three individuals. MLK deserves his own and should have always been that way.

Well, let's look back at the history. Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was born January 21, 1824. Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15, 1929. As you can see, coincidence seems to have brought their birthdays together. If you still aren't convinced, lets dig a little deeper.

Robert E. Lee's birthday has been celebrated as a Virginia holiday since 1889. In 1904, the legislature added the birthday of Stonewall Jackson to the holiday, and Lee-Jackson Day was born. Eighty years later, Republican President Ronald Reagan declared the day in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Virginia, who since 1978 had celebrated King's Birthday in conjunction with New Years Day, made the change and simply tacked him onto Lee-Jackson Day. Thus Lee-Jackson-King Day was born.

In January of 2000, Virginia's Republican Governor James Gilmore asked the Legislature to move Lee-Jackson Day to the previous Friday, which would give Martin Luther King, Jr. a holiday of his own. The Legislature agreed, and the holidays were shuffled around, giving Commonwealth of Virginia employees a nice long 4-day weekend.

I made the personal decision to keep the three men together on one day, as a symbol of unity, justice, and a warm snuggly feeling inside. Okay, not really. Actually, I do it out of simplicity. Plus I don't see the point of having two separate holidays back to back.

(src, src, src, src)

A British cash cow speed camera safety camera nabbed a speedy motorist doing an astonishing 406 miles per hour in a 60 mile an hour zone. The Sun reports that Peter O'Flynn received a citation for speeding in the mail. Mr. O'Flynn claims the camera is slightly inaccurate, considering the nancy little french made Peugeot that he was driving has a top speed of 129 mph.

What really makes the whole event an oddity, is that rather than admit the camera is fallable the government still plans to press charges against Mr. O'Flynn. The Sun reports:

But the Cheshire Safety Camera Partnership, which issued the fine, said they would still take action despite the blunder.

A spokesman said they would be applying to magistrates for a summons.

What will the prosecution say? Apparently he was going so fast, he broke the camera. Or perhaps they'll just bump the ticket down to 129.

Deposed General and Presidential Candidate Wesley Clark admits that guns give him the heeby jeebies. Campaigning in New Hampshire, Clark said, "I don't feel right about concealed weapons. It's OK if you're a detective on the police force, but I don't see a requirement for ordinary citizens to carry concealed weapons."

He's right, we shouldn't require citizens to carry concealed firearms if they don't want to. But the idea that policemen are super citizens and should have rights that ordinary citizens cannot enjoy is ludicrous.

Scott Norvell reports that feminazis at Michigan State University unilaterally vandalized a bookstore over an advertisement they disagreed with.

The windows of Ned's Bookstore were covered with graffiti saying "resist patriarchy" and "womyn unite."

The offending ad featured men walking down the street turning their heads at the sight of women coming toward them, as well as women fawning over the Ned's gorilla mascot. They have been pulled from the air and Ned's has apologized.

You would think that after losing $500,000 in the first robbery, this joker would stop carrying thousands of dollars in cash around with him.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has started their own weblog. While professional weblogs are nothing new, what I find interesting is their first topic. Apparently Plain Dealer editor Doug Clifton has been feeling some heat over their plans to publicize the personal information on Ohio's new concealed carry permit holders.

I wonder if it had anything to do with this.

How far have we come in restoring America's gun rights? As this illustration shows, we've come pretty far.

Of course in some of these states like Wisconsin an Missouri, there is still work to do. Also, we need to start aiming for more green states.

Spoons blogged the State of the Union Address. I thought about doing it, but I wouldn't have been able to get up and get a beer as often. Besides, why should we do the work when Spoons will do it for us. Here are a few things that made me think "Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Of course, these are just some of the highlights, so please go read the rest.

Afghanistan: Businesses, schools, rights for women. I wish he's hit the women more (er, you know what I mean). The treatment of women in Islam is barbaric. If we manage to fix that anywhere, it's a great thing. Bush shouldn't be shy about taking credit for it. [...]

Very effective listing of the countries that supported us. Good to say, "and the seventeen other countries," rather than listing ones that public-school edumacated Americans have never heard of. [...]

"America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country." Awesome. [...]

Only Republicans going to cheer good economic news? Makes sense, I suppose.

"These numbers confirm, that the American people are using their money far better than government would have, and you were right to return it." That'd be a better line if Bush's government hadn't gone on spending like a Democrat. We can't both spend the same money. [...]

Are those BOOOS for making tax cuts permanent?!? Have I heard boos at the SOTU before? I think maybe but it's rare. Don't Donks worry that voters might, you know, like, be watching this?

Stop junk lawsuits. Possibly the most important domestic policy initiative that no one's really pushing. Don't hold your breath.

Personal retirement account. That might be tied for most important. [...]

"A governemnt run health care system is the wrong prescription!" If it were possible to die from Irony, Bush would have just murdered 50 million people. [...]

$300 million for ex-cons? I want to hear more about this. Just don't give the fuckers the vote. [...]

I just figured out something. Jesse Jr. brought his kid so he wouldn't have to be caught standing or not standing at times when it could be politically dangerous. Expect to see at least 500 infants and toddlers in the chamber next year.

Of course, this is just a taste. Spoons had plenty of other good stuff and some more zingers. Please click the link and read the rest.

I think this about sums up what is wrong with government and politicians in general. Fox (search) News reports that South Euclid (Ohio) politicians are upset because Rebecca Jemison will get to keep more of her own money. Apparently her $162 Million lottery winnings are not subject to local tax under the current law.

South Euclid city officials were stunned to learn that they can't collect $1.4 million in income taxes from the winning Mega Millions ticket since the city charter wasn't updated to include lottery winnings as taxable income.

"It's not a good day for the city," Mayor Georgine Welo said Monday. "We were all excited until we went to go for the money and learned that we are not entitled to it. We are very saddened by the news."

Not entitled to it? So apparently they think they are entitled to what they already seize from people. How long do you think it will take them to amend their tax code to provide for lottery winnings? If it hasn't been done already, my guess is it will be by lunch time tomorrow.

I have a feeling of dread about tonight's State of the Union Address. There are grumblings that Bush will announce all sorts of big dreams, and the federal spending increases that go along with them. The Wall Street Journal notes that the drunken GOP sailors have even managed to outspend Bill Clinton. And with this year's appropriations bill, it is only going to get worse.

Steve Moore of the Club for Growth calls this bill a pork-laden monstrosity worse than any ever produced when Congress was controlled by "tax-and-spend" liberals. There's federal money for the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and one traffic light somewhere in upstate New York. There's $50 million for an indoor rain forest in Coralville, Iowa. (For that price we could send the whole town on a rain forest vacation.) There's $2 million for a golf awareness program in St. Augustine, Florida. The number of such earmarked federal expenditures has quintupled in the past five years to about 10,000, worth $23 billion, for 2004.

Our two party system is a miserable failure. Republicans want to keep writing checks without having the money to cover them, while Democrats want to keep writing checks and raise everyone's taxes (especially the evil, hated, "rich") to pay for it.

The party that gets my vote in November will be the party that promises to put away the checkbook. And if neither party will commit to that, then neither one will get my vote. As Neal frequently points out, the only difference between Democrats and Republicans right now are tax cuts and the war on terror.

So, just what is so bad about Charles Pickering? What has he done to really get John 'F-ing' Kerry's panties in a bind? Well, Neal Boortz provides the scoop:

In a statement last week John Kerry called Pickering "a forceful advocate for a cross burner." Is that the case, or is Kerry playing a big race card here?

Here's your reader's digest version of the story. Three men get snockered and decide to burn a cross in the yard of a racially mixed couple in Mississippi. Here's your cast of characters:

* Mickey Herbert Thomas. 25-year-old with less than a room-temperature IQ
* An unnamed 17-year old with a history of racial hatred. He was the ringleader for the cross burning incident and had previously been arrested for firing a gun into the home of the same mixed-race couiple.
* Daniel Swan, a 20-year-old with no previous problems with the law and no history of racial hatred.

The actual cross-burning was the work of Thomas and the 17-year-old juvenile. Swan sat in the truck and did not participate.

Thomas and the 17-year-old accepted a plea bargain and pled guilty. They were sentenced to probation. Swan claimed that he was drunk and was not didn't really know what was happening. He wanted a trial. He was found guilty at the trial. Federal sentencing guidelines said that Swan should get seven and one-half years in federal prison.

So ... here is Pickering's crime. The ringleader gets probation. The other person who helped to erect the cross, douse it with gasoline and set it on fire ... probation. The man who sat in the truck, seven and one-half years. Pickering merely talked to the Justice Department about bypassing the sentencing guidelines to get the truck driver a lesser sentence. This is what Charles Schumer calls "glaring racial insensitivity". This is what John Kerry describes as being a "forceful advocate for cross burners."

By the way, do you know that immediately after Mississippi schools were desegregated Charles Pickering took his kids out of a majority white school and made a point of sending them to a majority black newly integrated school? How's that for a display of Pickering's " glaring racial insensitivity."

It's election time. Beware of the demagogues.

Neal also notes that Clinton tried the same recess appointment trick when he was President. Only his appointment lacked the 50 votes needed for confirmation. (Pickering got 54 votes.) Clinton also ignored the law by not calling for a vote when the next Congressional session took office. Were the dems crying about that?

The Washington Post continues their anti-smoking agenda. Take a look at the first two lines of this "news" story.

Martha S. Jones has asthma, so whenever her husband, Bob, lights up at their Woodbridge home, the agreement is that he steps outside.

She used to think that protected her from exposure to the more than 4,000 chemical compounds found in cigarette smoke, 43 of which are known to cause cancer in humans or animals.

Gee, plagiarize anti-smoking literature much? Or do the tobacco wackos just mail in their propaganda so that the Post can publish it as "news". What's worse, is that they go on to tout some second hand smoke pee test device.

The manufacturer, Nymox Corp. of Maywood, N.J., says the $15 test can be used to measure the secondhand smoke exposure of employees in smoky workplaces and people who live with smokers. One expert says it could be used in child custody cases.

Great, scientific legal testimony that costs $15 and fits into your pocket. How many lawsuits and bogus nanny laws is this little device going to spawn? They way they hawk it, I wonder if the Post owns stock in the damned thing. They stopped short of saying "call now, while supplies last". Oh, wait. Here it is on page two.

It is being sold by Drugstore.com and CVS.com...

The Post goes on to claim, "Secondhand smoke is well established by scientists as a cause of disease in nonsmokers." 'Well established' in the same way that 'global warming' is a scientific fact. Nowhere in their sales pitch did they mention that despite the best efforts of the CDC and WHO, scientists have been unable to find a conclusive link between second hand smoke and cancer.

D.C. Democrats have are trying to recall Democrat Mayor Anthony Williams. Apparently Williams' support of school choice for poor families is annoying the big government Democrat base. The leader of the recall, Barbara Lett Simmons, lashes out at Williams' support of school vouchers and claims, "This guy does not care about people or any people's issues."

What, no blaming the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy?

"I worry about bringing up a child in America. At the moment there's a weird, over-patriotic atmosphere over there, like, 'We're No. 1 and the rest of the world doesn't matter.'" -- Gwyneth Paltrow, who likes to rudely park on the sidewalk, on her decision to raise her child in "gun-free" London, where even the Mayor doesn't feel safe.

I'd much rather wave an American flag than a white one.

Kittywood?

As a boy growing up in Virginia, this Monday was always Lee-Jackson-King Day. We celebrated the birth of two great Virginians and Civil War Generals Robert E. Lee, and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson; and of course the great American Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 2000, Lee-Jackson Day had to be moved to the Friday prior to Martin Luther King day to accomodate some federal government mandate that Dr. King get his own day. Actually I think it had more to do with forcing other states that didn't give kids the day off from school to comply, but I still thumb my nose at the fed, and celebrate the multi-holiday on Monday, unlike our very own governor weenie who refuses to celebrate Lee-Jackson Day at all. Don't worry, in all likelihood there will never be a Mark Warner day, celebrating the Virginia governor who, at this very moment is trying to raise taxes on all Virginians.

So Happy Lee-Jackson-King Day, everyone... (except to Mark, who'd better not j-walk in front of my car.)

"I met this gun enthusiast. As research for my new novel, I asked him many questions, all the while voicing my disgust. My character might use a gun, but I never would. "Come to the range," the gun guy said. "I'll teach you to shoot."

I expected a dungeon full of men missing teeth and wearing T-shirts decorated with Confederate flags. Instead, I found a sunny, wood-paneled lobby and guys who looked like lawyers on their lunch break." -- Diana Wagman, LA Times.

"Let me tell you: anyone who feels more comfortable among lawyers than among rednecks doesn't deserve to own a gun." -- Kim du Toit.

If you're buying into the Atkins craze, Lileks finally figured out what seems so 'familiar' about it. (scroll down 2/3) If you still don't get it, here's a hint.

Have you ever seen groups of rowdy young teens hanging out on the weekends? They don't really have much to do, so they tend to just congregate and raise hell. Well, if you live in Montana, you'd better not yell at them or you could end up going to jail yourself. Apparently even yelling at teens is a crime now.

Of course by now, you've probably heard about Al Gore's anti-capitalism speech on Global Warming. I thought it was ironic that he picked one of the coldest days of the year to give the speech, but others thought it was Devine Intervention (second item).

Then again, I found out that I'm not the only one who thinks Al Gore sounds like the Unabomber. Take the quiz and see if you can you tell the difference?

President Bush selected long time nominee, judge Charles Pickering to serve on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. He purposely timed the nomination during the Congressional recess, to avoid the Democrat filibuster. It's all legal, but Democrats will undoubtedly cry foul. (Can they/will they sue?)

John 'F-ing' Kerry has already started to unravel: " It is outrageous that yet again, one day after laying a wreath on Martin Luther King's grave, George W. Bush is unilaterally installing a man on a federal appeals court who advocated tirelessly on behalf of a cross-burner. Yet again, this Bush Administration is ignoring the will of the people and threatening civil rights on behalf of right wing ideologues."

Kerry follows the Gore-like argument that the side that got less votes is the "will of the people". While I'm pleased to see Pickering take the bench, I would still like to ask "Where's Estrada?"

Kevin at The Smallest Minority writes about a Texas Oklahoma man that was able to use a gun to reclaim his property from a burglar.

I just wanted to point out that while this incident turned out okay, you must remember that it is never recommended to take the law into your own hands. You are much better off calling 9-1-1. It's best to leave matters to the professionals, who should respond within a few hours, and give you plenty of paperwork to turn over to your insurance company to file a claim. Assuming, of course, that you are still alive.

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams announced that the District would apply for statehood in 2004. Williams said his concern arose after U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ruled that the Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution don't apply to the District because it is not a state.

"I want my constituents to have freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and protection from the quartering of British soldiers just like every other American. Besides, judical rulings shouldn't apply to D.C. because the courts were intended to serve state citizens and we're not a state," said Williams.

Williams' plea for statehood was immediately criticized as a silly fantasy. One Congressional staffer said under the condition of anonymity, "Congress has already gutted or repealed the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments. What's the point in making them a state now?"

Judge Walton stood by his decision, claiming that the Constitution clearly says, "We the people of the United States..." It doesn't mention anything about "districts" or "columbia".

1) Carol Moseley Braun just announced she was dropping her Presidential bid.
2) The NFL extended the season by three more weeks.
3) They heard Judging Amy was being cancelled.
4) They were just served with a lawsuit by the RIAA.

Actually, they are upset because the Seattle City Council decided that the Greatest Show on Earth is still allowed to come to town.

-- Link via reader David D.

If you ever decide to streak through a Denny's restaurant, don't leave your car unlocked and running in the parking lot.

Three hijinking hot shots ran buck naked through a Denny's restaurant in North Spokane, Wash., early Wednesday morning -- only to find a harsh surprise waiting for them in the parking lot.

Their car, which they'd left running in order to make a quick getaway, had been stolen. And, of course, their clothes were inside the car.

"Our President has emphasized the urgency of eliminating these weapons and weapons programs. I strongly support his efforts to encourage the United Nations to act on this problem. And in taking this to the United Nations, the President's clear determination to act if the United Nations can't provides strong leverage undergirding further diplomatic efforts." -- Retired General Wesley Clark, testifying about the danger posed by Saddam Hussein, before the House Armed Services Committee on September 26, 2002.

Drudge has more.

Something tells me that Rob will never leave his web site in the hands of a blogsitter again.

For years, Washington D.C. residents have cried about taxation without representation. Now they have something else to boo hoo about. In a landmark legal ruling, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ruled that the Bill of Rights only applies to states, and that District residents have no legal protections under the Constitution.

Walton started off by putting a double whammy on the Second Amendment, ruling that it only applies to members of the government (like the National Guard), and that it could only be used to protect people from the government (like the National Guard).

But then Walton went a step further by adding, "the Bill of Rights does not apply to the District of Columbia because it was intended to protect state citizens, and the District is not a state." This is a sharp contrast to the generally held belief that all American citizens are protected by the Constitution, not just those living in one of the 50 states.

The fallout from the ruling is not yet clear. The British Monarchy have already gone on record as saying that they won't quarter any soldiers in the District, but they have not ruled out sending them to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, or some place tropical.

Meanwhile, the Bush Administration is elated at the decision. They had been pressured to give Constitutional protections to citizens and non-citizens being detained at Guantanimo Bay in Cuba. A spokesman for Bush quipped, "Now that we know the Bill of Rights only applies to people within the 50 states, we don't have to worry about giving fair trials to all those 'Johnny Taliban' types we keep running into in the war on terror." Let the cruel and unusual punishment begin.

Here are today's leftovers.

An Indianapolis woman is facing felony charges and up to 3 years in prison for a provocative image she had airbrushed on the trunk of her car. In prosecuting the case, Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said, "I would concede it probably is a First Amendment issue, but not all First Amendment cases mean that you can't restrict the speech."

Zero-tolerance is proving to be an embarrassment for Rio Rancho (NM) after a 13 year old student was suspended for 5 days after being caught with heartburn medicine.

Michelle Malkin covers the war against home schoolers.

Democrat Senator from Georgia Zell Miller doesn't just support George Bush, he's going to actively campaign for him.

Liberal radio signed their leading man; Lying Liars and the Lying Lies they Lie (or whatever) author Al Franken. He's been signed to only one year, they have only one radio station, no name, and no launch date, but Franken is promising to be the Great Left Hope of talk radio. Who's taking odds on how long it will last?

"The foundation describes itself as a moderate organization that is committed to educating Americans about gun rights and responsibilities." -- The Indianapolis Star describing the gun ban group Americans for Gun Safety Banning.

Virginia Governor Mark Warner is continuing his push for a Robin Hood style tax system where money is taken from "the rich" to give to "the poor", reports the Washington Post. Warner and his accomplices at the Post call the tax plan a "reform", but it amounts to seizing money (at the point of a gun) from the rich to give to the poor. Warner remarks:

"To me, it just doesn't make any sense that someone earning only $17,000 a year in Virginia should pay the same tax rate as someone earning $500,000 a year."

If the Virginia tax tables are to be believed, Warner is lying. A person making $17,000 a year pays $721 in income tax, or a rate of 4.2%. A person making $500,000 a year would pay $720 on the first $17,000 of income, and 5.75% on the rest of their income. That amounts to more than $28,490, or an effective rate of 5.7%.

Warner also plans on raising cigarette taxes and the state sales tax. All this comes after he won election by making a 'no new taxes' style campaign pledge.

Catherine Bosley, a news anchor in Youngstown (OH), got a little free spirited during her vacation to Key West last year. What started out as an innocent little wet T-shirt contest ended up with her dancing and parading around naked. She didn't think much of it, until photos of the even surfaced on the internet. Now she's out of a job. While it was originally reported that she was fired, apparently she "resigned" over the controversy. [read 'asked to resign']

Personally, I think the whole thing is being blown out of proportion. Call me sexist if you want, but I think a woman with nice assets should be encouraged to show them off. While I would never do it myself, as long as she is comfortable with it what is wrong with a little nudity amongst adults? We live in a society that shows death and violence routinely on the nightly news and in video games, but the moment you show certain parts of the female anatomy or use "bad" words, people start getting fired. Sure, I may be called a pervert, but you must admit that this is truly a victimless crime.

(Photos definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK.)

Once again, I am pleading with bloggers to code their sites so that they do not publicize email addresses. In case you didn't notice, while the comments section on this site asks for an email address (so that I can reply) it is never ever published to the website. In fact, I have diligently removed all email addresses from this site, and even make use of a feedback form rather than publish my own address. The only place I ever put my email address is in people's comments section, and because of that, I have once again started getting "business proposals" from Nigeria.

I am considering a personal boycott on comments on web sites that do not take similar measures. Before I take it that far, however, I will once again ask system operators to remove public email addresses from their comment pages. For the good of us all.

"Since it is clearly no longer possible to take action in conjunction with NATO and the United Nations, I have reluctantly concluded that we must take unilateral action." -- Presidential Candidate Howard Dean, in a 1995 letter to Bill Clinton pressuring him to take unilateral action in Bosnia.

Of course that was different, because the Democrats were in power.

Here are a few articles I didn't have time to get to today. You might find some of them interesting.

Some 15-year old in Denver wants to ban the circus. He already collected enough signatures to get a ballot referendum, so majority rule could keep Ringling Bros. out of Denver.

Oscar screeners were just sent out, but one of them has already been pirated to the internet. Given the gestapo tactics of the MPAA and RIAA, I would expect them to throw the book at the guy it had been sent to. To do any less would be hypocritical. How can they expect every day folk to obey copyrights when they can't even keep their own house in order?

The SCOTUS gave the green light for random government road blocks. I tend to agree with Justice Stevens who, in his dissent, said that while pedestrians can cross the street to easily avoid a police hassle, motorists are pretty much forced to go through them and will be detained until the officer releases them. I don't care how many thugs are caught, this steps on too many people's rights and has way too much potential for government abuse.

If you can stomach the vitriol, check out Matt Drudge's reporting of the Moveon.org hatefest extravaganza.

A new legislative session in Virginia means here come the GFWs. While the VCDL is pushing to allow concealed carry in eating establishments that serve alcohol, the gun grabbers are trying to ban open carry of guns in bars. (Since concealed carry is already banned, open carry is currently the only legal option.)

Of course, the phrase "guns in bars" is the liberal media's way of hammering their agenda of more gun control. To tell the truth, Virginia doesn't have any bars at all. You don't believe me? Take a peek at the Virginia ABC regulations (Page 8). You see, bars are establishments whose primary products are liquor, beer, and wine, which is illegal in Virginia. It is common knowledge of many Virginians that the Commonwealth requires that all establishments that serve alcohol also sell food. In fact, food and non-alcoholic products must make up at least 45% of their business. That leaves us with no clubs or bars like Heaven and Hell, and lots of restaurants like Applebees and Chilis.

Now I'll agree that carrying a gun to a bar is probably not the best idea. Especially if you are drinking. I am a firm believer that guns and alcohol don't mix. However, there are plenty of people in restaurants that don't drink. Since Virginia requires that at least 45% of sales be non-alcoholic, that is a lot of people the gun grabbers are targeting with their proposed "gun free" zone. And really, what is the alternative: leaving your gun in the car for some hoodlum to steal?

Changing gears, the gun grabbers also hope to close the non existent "gun show loophole", by requiring private citizens to get permission from the government prior to selling a firearm. Some legislators also want school property to be able to be turned into a "gun free" zone by bureaucratic fiat. Currently school officials are not permitted to ban students (many of whom are hunters) from bringing firearms to school and leaving them in their vehicles. They also have no jurisdiction over concealed handgun permit holders (which the AP erroneously calls a concealed "weapons" permit).

Also, Del. Al Eisenberg is reported to be working on a bill to ban .50 caliber "assault rifles". They don't clarify whether or not he is talking about just semi-automatic rifles, or the heavily regulated fully automatic assault rifles. Either way, it's a "feel good" law. The full auto models have been heavily regulated by the federal government (ATF) since the 1930s. Regular rifles could include muzzle loaders and large caliber civil war relics. Presumably, they are talking about the .50 caliber BMG rifles which are so popular to ban these days. The cheapest you can find ammunition for these rifles is usually about $1.50 to $2.50 per round. I don't see these rifles being used to hold up 7-11 stores too often.

For the record, the .50 caliber BMG starts at about $2400 and weights about 25 pounds. It's not something you're going to carry around too much. That doesn't stop the AP from crying, "They fire the largest bullets allowed under federal law, and some manufacturers boast that they are capable of penetrating the cockpit windshiled of a jetliner." Ooo. Big, mean, scary.

If the ban looks like it may pass, I'm pulling a few thousand dollars out of my stocks and buying one (or two). Who knows, they may appreciate at 10% or more a year like some class III firearms.

The Washington Post reports that with $235 Billion in tobacco money up for grabs, states are lining up to protect tobacco companies from competition.

Numerous states are considering or have adopted legislation aimed at increasing the price of discount cigarettes and protecting the market share of the "Big Four" tobacco companies -- Philip Morris, Lorillard, Brown & Williamson and R.J. Reynolds. [...]

"We need to guarantee a continuing flow of revenue that we use to help balance Virginia's budget and pay for health care and economic development in the tobacco-dependent regions," said Sen. Charles R. Hawkins (R[INO]-Pittsylvania), who plans to introduce legislation targeting the independents.

The legislation they want to pass would be an artificial price increase on generic and off brand cigarettes, aimed at reducing the market share of the major brands. The National Association of Attorneys General figures that the proliferation of generic cigarettes has "cost" states $600 Million.

In reality, they have only themselves to blame. The tobacco settlement and the prohibitive increases in state and local cigarette taxes are driving smokers away from the major brands. As Owen Courreges so elequently writes, "How morally bankrupt can you get?"

Joe Canason at Salon is starting to sound a lot like the nuts at Democrat Underground.

When President Bush inspires us onward and upward to Mars this week, his political calculations may be more earthly. Expanding space exploration is a wonderful aspiration for America and humanity -- and also quite promising for the Houston economy, the national aerospace industry, and one company in particular that has long pondered exploration of the red planet: Halliburton.

Canason has it all wrong. For Mars, the real money is not in the oil, but in building the pipeline.

"[Michael] Moore... is the Susan Lucci of idiotarians" -- James Taranto, on Michael Moore's second consecutive runner up finish in LGF's Idiotarian of the Year Award.

"I intend to vote in 2004 to reelect President Bush. I will do so despite the fact that I do not agree with him on any major domestic issue, from tax policy to the recently enacted prescription drug law. These issues, however, pale in importance beside the menace of international terrorism, which threatens our very survival as a nation. President Bush has earned my vote because he has shown the resolve and courage necessary to wage the war against terrorism.

The Democratic presidential contenders, unfortunately, inspire no such confidence. With the exception of Senator Joseph Lieberman, who has no chance of winning, the Democrats have decided that in order to get their party's nomination, they must pander to its radical left wing. As a result, the Democratic candidates, even those who voted to authorize the war in Iraq, have attacked the Bush administration for its successful effort to remove a regime that was a sponsor of terrorism and a threat to world peace." -- Life long Democrat, and former New York City Mayor, Ed Koch.

"Americans need a new, modern, 21st-century version of health care delivery, based on the premise of information in the hands of the right people at the right time." -- Hillary Clinton, Junior Senator from New York, proposing that doctors be required to submit patient data to the government for safe keeping.

As Neal says, "I wonder if she'll find a way to threaten to put people in jail if they try to go to a doctor somewhere who will try to keep your medical records private".

Is security of our classified documentation so lax that a former official could show one on TV? Whether or not former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill was permitted to take home documents, the federal procedures for handling classified material is very clear. First of all, classified documents usually remain classified for at least 10 years. Second, they are kept in secure storage areas, under the control of a security officer. And, they are only permitted to be viewed in secure areas. In other words, you wouldn't exactly check out a classified document and then carry it back to your cubicle at work. They should be viewed in closed wall rooms with windows and doors shut. It is also generally illegal to reproduce classified material without authorization, and there are also regulations about keeping classified documents unsecured. Generally speaking, you cannot keep them out of the safe overnight.

Since documents are supposed to be logged in and out of a safe, if these are indeed original classified documents, they should have been reported "missing" from somewhere. Otherwise they could be classified documents that were supposed to have been destroyed but weren't, or classified documents that were reproduced (probably illegally) via fax or photocopy. Of course there is always the possibility that they aren't classified at all, and the stooges at CBS simply stamped "Secret" on them as a marketing ploy.

Of course if they were shown clearly on CBS, it should be relatively easy to see if they were properly marked. Each page of a classified document should be clearly marked at the top and bottom with the highest classification level. Also, each passage should be clearly marked with the classification (usually in the margin).

While we'll have to wait and see what the investigators find, I wonder how long it will take the conspiracy theorists to claim that Bush is retaliating against O'Neill for speaking out against the Administration. (Quick, someone check DU.)

Thanks to all the folks for picking up on my Naming Names piece. I've seen it making the rounds at damnum absque injuria, Dustbury, Publicola, Says Uncle, and Smallest Minority.

And of course, thanks to reader Ralph Gizzip for plugging me on Keep and Bear Arms.

Sorry if I missed anyone. Leave a comment or send feedback, and I'll throw some linkage your way.

UPDATE: Add Everlasting Phelps and The Ville to the list.

The folks at FARK are trying to figure out what NASA is hiding in the cropped out corner of their Mars photo.

Here are my two favorites.

Here's something to remember. If you ever steal a truck, steal some license plates, and load your stolen truck up with stolen merchandise, you probably ought not call the highway patrol for assistance with your flat tire.

Kevin Whited takes a look at this absurd proposal from "centrist" Democrat Presidential Candidate Joe Lieberman.

Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman yesterday said he would limit insurance company profits to 2 percent a year in order to reduce the cost of health care. [...]

"I think if you put a reasonable profit limit, which is what this is, a reasonable profit limit, then that will have the effect of lowering costs underneath," he said.

So now the government wants to be able to control what a "reasonable profit" is? This guy doesn't even understand basic economics. Rather than try to explain it myself, I'll leave it to the great Dr. Walter E. Williams, who notes that free markets depend on mutually beneficial transactions.

Market allocation of goods and services depends upon peaceable, voluntary exchange. Under such exchanges, the essence of our proposition to our fellow man is: If you do something I like, I'll do something you like. When such a deal is struck, both parties are better off in their own estimation.

Billions of these propositions are routinely made and carried out each day. For example, take my trip to the grocery store. My proposition to the grocer is, essentially: "If you make me feel good by giving me that gallon of milk you own, I'll make you feel good by giving you three dollars that I own." If my proposition is accepted, the grocer is better off, since he values the $3 more than the milk and I'm better off, since I value the milk more than the $3.

Contrast the morality of market exchange with its alternative. I might go to my grocer with a pistol and propose: give me a gallon of milk or I'll shoot you. Or, I might lobby Congress to take his milk and give it to me. Either way I'm better off but the grocer is worse off.

What Leiberman is proposing is to force insurance companies to sell their product for less than what the market will bear. On the supply side, investors and shareholders would be limited in the profits they can take from the insurance industry. The result will be a decreased demand for investing in insurance as investors put their money into more lucrative stocks. (Would you invest in insurance if you were capped at a 2% return? That isn't even enough to keep up with some savings accounts, or the rate of inflation.)

Of course when investors leave a market, competition will follow suit. With less companies out there providing insurance (less competition), there will likely be higher insurance prices not lower. Of course then the goverment will have to step in again, and spend big tax dollars (seized from "the rich") to bail out the American public.

Political correctness has sunk to a new low. James Lambert reports that now even sports referees are starting to worry about hurting the losing team's feelings.

While attending his team's first basketball game after the Christmas holiday, I noticed that the referee disallowed a number of baskets in the fourth quarter of the game. Also, on numerous occasions, when my son's team should have been given possession of the ball, the referee decided to turn the ball over to the opposing team because the score was, in his opinion, "too lopsided."

Why even keep score at all?

Fox News is calling out big spender Bush. Apparently he's increased the size of government at twice the rate of Bill Clinton.

In the three years since Bush took office, discretionary spending -- money that is not tied to long-term entitlements, including defense, domestic security, education and transportation -- has grown by 31.5 percent. [...]

Overall, federal spending grew on average by 7.6 percent in each of the last two years, more than double the 3.4 percent average annual growth under the Clinton administration. [...]

Total federal spending in 2003 topped $20,000 per household for the first time since World War II, Riedl said, and is set to grow another $1,000 per household in 2004.

For all my anger at tax and spend Democrats, Bush is turning out to be a tax cut and spend Republican. I've heard some grumblings that perhaps a Democrat president is what we need for fiscal responsibility. The theory holds that with a Republican Congress and a Democrat in the White House (or vice versa), there is less of chance of huge spending increases because of all the gridlock. The GOP holds both Houses of Congress and the White House, yet they seem to have the door to the federal treasury open wider than any President since the 1960s.

As a Libertarian, in 2000 I bought into Bush as being the lesser of two evils. Now I'm having buyer's remorse.

What kind of mailing lists am I on? On the same day, I received both a solicitation from the Republican National Committee, and an advertisement for a $10 (Liberian) Bill Clinton commemorative coin.

Both of them found their way to the trash can.

I've never really watched CSI, but I keep hearing rave reviews about it. Sooo.. I decided to try watching CSI Miami tonight. A guy in a parking garage gets into an argument over a fender bender, pulls out a pistol, and ends up getting blown away himself. Sounds like justifiable self defense to me, but they started investigating it as a murder. They find the dead guy's pistol laying on the ground, and the investigator chick picks it up and pulls out the magazine. She says it couldn't be the murder weapon because the mag was fully loaded. It sounds reasonable, although I couldn't figure out how she could tell the mag was completely full without trying to cram another round in there, but I digress.

Investigator chick number two claims that even though the mag was full, there could have been a round in the chamber. Investigator chick number one opens the chamber, and shows that it is empty. Based on this, they conclude that the only way to tell if the gun was the murder weapon is to look for a shell casing.

So, setting aside the fact that any trained investigator should be able to smell whether or not the gun had been fired recently, what's wrong with this?

When I first read about this over at Brian J's (crappy Blogger permalink no worky) I thought it was a joke. Apparently not, reports LA Weekly:

Though no guns were brandished, the bust from a distance looked like classic LAPD, DEA or FBI work, right down to the black "raid" vests the unit members wore. The fact that their yellow stenciled lettering read "RIAA" instead of something from an official law-enforcement agency was lost on 55-year-old parking-lot attendant Ceasar Borrayo. [...]

"They said they were police from the recording industry or something, and next time they'd take me away in handcuffs," he said through an interpreter. [...]

The RIAA acknowledges it all - except the notion that its staff presents itself as police. Yes, they may all be ex-P.D. Yes, they wear cop-style clothes and carry official-looking IDs. But if they leave people like Borrayo with the impression that they're actual law enforcement, that's a mistake.

Yes, the Recording Industry Ass. of America has resorted to FBI style police raids. This one happened out on the street where there is a little more lattitude, but how long before they start pounding on doors and demanding entry? If it does go that far, my guess is that they'll test the waters in places like "gun free" New York, rather Alabama or Texas.

Of course as Mr. Noggle points out, this only serves to dilute the effectiveness of the real police force.

If a citizen's got a bunch of surly looking men with dark vests bearing an acronym ending in A standing on his property and acting menacing, he's got to wonder if they're surly looking men with dark vests bearing an acronym ending in A who are illegal trespassers whom he can shoot or if they're surly looking men with dark vests bearing an acronym ending in A bearing legal warrants. Does law enforcement win whenever it puts someone who guesses wrong into the ground? Hardly.

My guess is that it'll never get that far. The police won't stand for someone cutting in on their action for too long. They already don't take too kindly to rogue citizens driving around with blue lights fastened to their car. Just because you don't explicitly say you're a cop, doesn't mean you can go around pulling people over.

Owen Courreges takes a devilish look at the differences between the European and American space programs. While there is plenty of Martian bad luck to go around for everyone, it still made me chuckle.

It looks like coalition troops have found weapons of mass destruction, reports the AP.

Danish and Icelandic troops have uncovered a cache of 36 shells buried in the Iraqi desert, and preliminary tests showed they contained a liquid blister agent, the Danish military said.

The shells look like chemical weapon leftovers from the Iran-Iraq war which means that should they turn out to be genuine, the anti-war Saddam apologists will claim that they didn't matter.

Way back in November, 2002 I wrote an essay on progressive taxation and Communism. Over a year late, and several dollars short, a Brit named Neil tries to make the case that America is "a million miles" from Communism. Neil's argument centers around three premises: democracy would have to be abolished; there would have to be an end to free speech; and private enterprise would have to go.

While he is right that we may be quite a ways off from Communism, I cannot help but notice that we seem to be inching in that direction. Lets just take a look at some of the pillars of Communism and see how we're doing.

These are not steadfast rules, but some of the basic pillars of Communism include: the denial of religion or the existence of God; denial of property rights; denial of firearms rights; denial of freedom of speech; denial of free enterprise and commercialism; elimination of the upper class.

Denial of religion or the existence of God - Religion has been under attack in this country for years, from suing to remove the words "under God" from our Pledge of Allegiance, to the denial of displaying religious symbols in public. In a society where Christmas parties have become "Holiday Events", it's hard to deny that freedom of religion isn't slowly being eroded away. Lately, freedom of religion has become freedom from religion.

Denial of property rights - Eminent domain abuses are definitely on the rise. Local governments have been increasingly citing eminent domain to seize private property from homeowners. Eminent domain is supposed to be reserved to necessary public works like roads or schools, but it has been expanded to include anything that might increase tax revenues. If the government can get more tax money from building a Wal-Mart built on your property than from your measly property taxes, your home could be in jeopardy.

Denial of firearms rights - Do I really need to mention anything here. Actually Second Amendment proponents have had a lot of victories lately, but gun rights are always under fire. Senator Feinstein openly admits that if the votes were there for an outright ban, she would push for one.

Denial of freedom of speech - Need I mention McCain-Feingold? Recently the Supreme Court of the U.S. ruled that Congress could make a law abridging the freedom of speech, despite the fact that the First Amendment says "Congress shall make no law..". Specifically, they said that political issue ads are banned 60 days prior to an election. If banning political speech isn't the nullification of the First Amendment, I don't know what is.

Denial of free enterprise and commercialism - With all the advertising and stadium naming rights, commercialism seems to be doing just fine. However, there are still persistent attacks and demonization of corporate America. Plus, just about every cash strapped governor and every single democrat presidential candidate wants to raise corporate income tax (as if corporations actually paid taxes).

Elimination of the upper class - There are movements in today's society to get rid of socio-economic classes. Success is not just penalized, it's demonized. Not only do high income earners face 40% progressive taxation rates, but then they are accused of not paying "their fair share." When it comes to raising or cutting taxes, upper income earners are said to not "need" the money. (Progressive taxation: From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.) Indeed, each one of our democrat presidential candidates wants to raise taxes on upper income earners and distribute the money to the "less fortunate".

This is by no means comprehensive. I'm sure there are plenty of other tenets which I have failed to mention (like free elections). When you talk to the wacko left, they think that we lost free elections in 2000. When you look at the systematic removal of the majority of voters from the tax rolls, staying in power becomes much easier. You need not dismantle free elections, rather just control more than 50% of the vote. Progressive taxation is but a useful tool for useful fools.

Is America becoming a Communist state? I certainly don't think so. But in some respects, we do appear to be inching in that direction.

Well, they are all being sued for slave reparations.

Bob Brown, a former Black Panther and co-director of Pan-African Roots, filed a 183-page class-action lawsuit yesterday, claiming that 71 defendants owe reparations for slavery.

The suit names the king of Spain, the queen of England, the pontiff, President Bush and Jaques Chirac; the governors of Illinois, Virginia, Louisiana and Texas; nine ports; several major sugar, gun, tobacco and railroad companies; many, many banks and even Bacardi Rum.

Newsmax reports that the rocket scientists at the Chicago Tribune agree that the lawsuit will be "difficult" to win, considering that slavery was legal, all the slaves and slave owners have long since died, and no one mentioned in the lawsuit ever owned slaves.

For the record, slavery was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment, in 1865.

Here's more proof that a fool and his money are soon parted. A company called Q-Ray is selling "ionized" bracelets for hundreds of dollars a piece. Just how the bracelets are ionized and how it helps is never expressly stated. I presume that by ionized, they mean that atoms on either end of the bracelet have lost or gained electrons to create an electrical charge. They don't really say how this is supposed to be beneficial or even how the electrical charge stays put rather than zapping you like the static electricity on your door knob. Personally, I think the whole thing is dubious.

In their marketing, Q-Ray seems to imply that it gives you some sort of increased physical prowess. They don't come out and say it, but they quote all sorts of athletes who seem to have an overly positive reaction to wearing the bracelet. They also offer a warning to pregnant women and people with pace makers, but do say that wearers shouldn't have any trouble operating a microwave. (Well that's a relief.)

I'm reminded of those "ionized" washing machine balls that were supposed to take the place of detergent. The idea was that throwing an "ionized" floating ball in with your laundry would actually clean your clothes better than using some "harsh" detergent or "chemicals". Independent tests seemed to illustrate that the devices, which cost anywhere from $20 to $100, succeeded in separating people from their money but didn't actually clean clothes better than plain ordinary tap water.

For the Q-Ray bracelet, they don't actually make any claims of any kind. Instead they just offer up a series of non sequiturs, like some runner who won some marathons. (Implying that if I buy one of those bracelets, my fat ass can win a marathon too.) And of course there are the generic testimonials which just say things like "AMAZING" and "We love your product." (They seem overly careful not to say why they love it.)

Well, this fool isn't buying. I think I'll pass on this one.

This is just disgusting. Even more so coming from the regional head of a Latino political group.

Steven Ybarra, a Democratic National Committee official and regional coordinator of Latinos for Dean, called Rosario Marin, the former U.S. treasurer under President Bush who is now seeking the GOP nomination to compete against California Sen. Barbara Boxer, a "house Mexican for the Republicans." The attack was sent out in a mass e-mail to political activists, community leaders and a number of journalists this week.

Once again, according to some Democrats, if you pull yourself up by the bootstraps, and make something of your life without the help of government programs you are a traitor to your race.

Last weekend, I purchase a nearly new Haier BrewMaster. A buddy of mine wasn't getting much use out of it, and offered me a good deal on the 6 month old unit, so I took the plunge. For the price of a tall cold one, he even rode with me and helped me move it in.

"It is this newspaper's intention to obtain this information and publish it. Our readers deserve to know the identities of those who obtain permits to carry their guns in public. We hope other news organizations will do the same in their communities." -- Reaction of the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial staff, to Ohio's passage of legislation permitting the concealed carry of firearms.

"The editors of this newspaper can expect a taste of their own medicine. As soon as they publish permit holders' names, we'll publish the names, phone numbers and home addresses of every single person on staff at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Same goes for any other newspaper that singles out gun owners in this way." -- Reaction from the staff of Keep and Bear Arms to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's policy on naming names.

I say, why wait. Lets start at the top. The Editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is Douglas Clifton. Here is his address and telephone number:

Douglas Clifton
19 Shoreby Dr
Cleveland, OH 44108-1161
Tel.: (216) 761-6577

Here is his bio. For a map to his home, click here.

Yesterday, I pointed out that a school in Canada was discouraging snow ball fights. In my headline, I asked rhetorically, "Zero tolerance for possession of snowballs?" Well, according to the Seattle Times, I almost spoke too soon.

Julie Miles has two kids at A.G. Bell Elementary in Kirkland, a school with a zero tolerance for snowballs. Students there say they were told they can't even touch the snow, much less pack and hurl it.

I wonder if kids caught with snow in liquid form can be suspended for possession of paraphernalia.

Here is a gift for the man who has everything. His own personal vending machine.

(click image for NFL version)

For years, I've been saying that NA$A is a make work organization. I've said that while exploration of space is a noble cause, some of the missions hardly justify the expense. Today, a news reporter said that since it would require a new space vehicle and lander, this planned moon mission could cost $1 Trillion by itself.

And keep in mind that government programs rarely (if ever) are kept on budget.

Here's one for overlawyered. A man gets fat watching TV, and then sues his cable company. Get a load of what he's asking for in damages.

Timothy Dumouchel of West Bend wants $5,000 or three computers, and a lifetime supply of free Internet service from Charter Communications to settle what he says will be a small claims suit.

The real kicker is that he wasn't even paying for the cable. Apparently he's had an illegal cable hookup (that he says they refused to remove) for four years.

My free Playstation 2 should be on it's way.

Hey kids! If your Mom and Dad didn't buy you a PlayStation 2 for Christmas, you can still get one FOR FREE! Have you ever heard of Jesus Christ? Well, He's heard of you! And He wants you to have all the cool toys your parents are too cheap to buy! In fact, the Lord Jesus is very upset with your parents that they didn't give you all the latest stuff that every kid in America deserves! And Jesus has got your back, because He is your homeboy! If you've never heard of Jesus, He is an invisible cloud-dwelling deity (infinite lives!) who loves you very much and wants nothing more than to give you a free PlayStation 2!

Gary Aldrich notices a double standard in the way the media portrays the children of Presidents.

The mainstream media chooses to portray our country's First Children either negatively or positively, depending on the political party of their parents, the President and First Lady.

To me, this just sounds like two girls out to make a little extra milk money. I've been offering $5 to get these two to kiss each other for years.

For some reason I think this reader comment is pretty funny.

Who wrights this stuff and how old are you? like are you a kid or what?

Um.. like.. I'm like only a kid at heart.

Almost three years ago when I lived in Atlanta, the Falcons pulled off an NFL draft coup by trading for the San Diego Chargers coveted first pick. The Falcons used the pick to draft Michael Vick from Virginia Tech. At the time, Vick was the hottest thing to hit college football, and the buzz around Atlanta was magical. I remember the day like it was yesterday. Atlanta citizens were downright giddy with excitement over a team that would usually only sell out one home game (Tampa Bay). I never thought I would experience anything like it again. Until now.

The Washington D.C. area is absolutely ecstatic over the return of Coach Gibbs. Gibbs represents everything that went right with the Redskins. When I was growing up, he was the coach. Joe Gibbs is a respectable man who everyone looks up to. His return brings promise to a team that has only been to the playoffs one time since he left the team in 1993. Expectations are high, but not unrealistic. Everyone knows the challenges that Gibbs will face, and we can only assume that he will rise to meet them, as usual.

Glad to have you back, Coach.

Riverside California is banning smoking for all employees who wear a badge. The smoking ban is being pushed through for the bullshit reason of lowering insurance costs, which is one of the most bogus of all pleasure police claims. What's more, Riverside thinks that since 17% of all Californians smoke, they will see a 17% reduction in their workers compensation claims, which is a total pipe dream (no pun intended).

Since the ban is for "insurance reasons", it includes not allowing employees to smoke in their own home, on their own time. Anyone caught smoking will be fired. What isn't provided, is documentation to show that this is nothing more than a government attempt to run people's private lives. There are no statistics and no studies presented to even show that workers compensation claims are being filed for smoking related illnesses. Instead, it's just a "fire everyone who smokes" mandate.

Today it is smokers, tomorrow it will be some other activity that you enjoy. I'll repeat something I first said back in October 2002. Under the guise of decreasing insurance premiums, here are some other regulations they should impose:

No skydiving, water-skiing, motorcycling, hang gliding, or bungee jumping.
No reading or watching TV in the dark.
No going to loud rock concerts.
No running with scissors.
No burning candles after 9 PM.
Employee's homes must be properly equipped with bath mats.
No electrical outlets without a safety cover.
Employees must always use the handrail on the stairs.
Employees must wash hands, regardless of whether or not they are returning to work.
No frayed extension cords.
No answering the door without knowing who it is.
No talking to strangers

Anyone caught participating in the listed activities should be fired on the spot.

Related articles:
The Unprotected Minority -- 08/19/2003

Category:  Pleasure Police
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