This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again

For the past few months I've felt like I've been spinning my wheels with this weblog. I'm proud of the way it's taken off and settled into a groove. I never once expected to reach more than 2.3 million on the hit counter.

It's been a good run. As you may have noticed, I haven't had much to say in the past few weeks. In part, that's because I haven't exactly been home that often either. Work and social demands have kept me quite busy.

Someone recently asked me when was the last time I took a vacation. I thought about it a little bit and came to realize that not counting Christmas with the family or long weekends, the last real vacation I took was in 2001. It's been more than 5 years since I really just relaxed and enjoyed life; enjoyed the fruits of my labor.

That's why, after more than 44 months of official "weblogging", it is with great regret that I must walk away. I must take a vacation, at least for now. I know what you're thinking. He'll be back. It's too hard to stay away. Just like those that have quit before him, Ravenwood will eventually return. That may happen. But for now, I'm looking forward to the time off.

So what now? Well, the site will probably stay put, at least for a little while. But I may make it less public and more private. I still store photos online, and will continue to do so. But if the weblog content doesn't disappear completely, it will at least be archived.

To all my loyal readers and friends, I say goodbye at least for now. I may be back eventually, but for now I really need a vacation.

Very Respectfully,

Ravenwood.

You need look no further than Idaho to see just what politicians will do to hold on to political power. Take a look at the timeline of their term limits law.

In 1994, Idaho voters instituted term limits through a voter referendum. The measure passed with 59% of the vote.

Stunned, lawmakers put the measure on the ballot again in 1998. Despite a brutal campaign of political rhetoric and lies, the Idaho voters reaffirmed the measure with 54% of the vote, in favor of term limits.

Not to be dissuaded, lawmakers sued to overturn the term limits in 1999, on the grounds that term limits unconsitutionally denied voters the right to suffrage. The Legislature won their lawsuit, and term limits were struck down.

The decision was appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court, which ruled that the term limits law was indeed constitutional, and term limits were upheld.

Just days after the Idaho Supreme Court affirmed the term limits referendum, the Legislature drafted a bill to override the term limits. Naturally it passed, and term limits were repealed.

Enter the Governor. The Governor sided with the will of the people, and vetoed the legislation. Term limits were upheld.

Within 36 hours, the Legislature overrode the Governor's veto. Term limits were repealed.

Down but not out, the citizens of Idaho have put a referendum on the 2002 ballot to restore term limits AGAIN.

However adding insult to the Idaho voters, the legislature used taxpayer dollars to fund a misinformation campaign, and thanks to confusing wording on the ballot referendum (a "no" vote meant "yes"), term limits were defeated at the ballot box.

Best of Ravenwood's Universe, originally posted 10/19/2002.

According to the Washington Post, 99.99% of handguns are not used to kill anyone. Of the estimated 65,000,000 handguns owned, 64,988,000 of them didn't spring to life or emit evil mind control rays. The devices sound extraordinarily safe, compared to "weapons of mass destruction" like the Sport Utility Vehicle, cigarette, or McDonald's cheeseburger.

So you can imagine my surprise that the Post editorial staff (in an article entitled "Killing Made Easy") called for a totalitarian ban of the relatively safe devices.

There's an obvious thread here that members of Congress choose not to see: The all-too-free flow of handguns, a warped way of life that cows presidents and members of Congress who ought to recognize that the availability of handguns is murderous. The problem is that Americans own 65 million handguns and the only effective safety measure would be a ban on these made-for-murder weapons. As writer Jenny Price noted in a Dec. 25 op-ed in The Post, only 160 of the 12,000 guns used to kill people every year are employed in legitimate self-defense; guns in the home are used seven times more often for homicide than for self-defense.

That's a staggering statistic. But if you look at the number of people killed each year by automobiles, I bet you'll find only a small fraction of them were jusifiably mowed down by other drivers. Maybe there's something to that, or maybe it's just bullshit. You decide.

(Via Say Uncle)

This Washington Post "news" article takes aim at Speaker of the House Dennis Hassert, R-IL. It also takes on a Goebbelesque tone by trying to hammer home the perception that all scandal in Washington is Republican.

With his affable demeanor and his open-door policy, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert remains unchallenged in the most powerful post in Congress, even as a growing corruption scandal roils the Republican leadership and more Congress-watchers say the speaker bears some responsibility for the troubles that have developed on his watch.

As details emerged about unsavory dealings between lobbyists and lawmakers -- including his top lieutenant, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) -- the House speaker stood on the sidelines. As DeLay's legal peril mounted, Hastert backed him at every turn, attempting to change House rules to allow an indicted leader to stay in power and even altering the leadership of the ethics committee, which had been exposing misconduct by the majority leader.

I've always had a soft spot for Fastback Mustangs. Perhaps it was the first time I saw Steve McQueen racing through the San Francisco streets in Bullitt. It is that fascination that draws me to the raw power and rarity of the 1969 Boss 429 Mustang. While this is not the 1968 Fastback GT that McQueen drove, the BOSS 429 holds a place of it's own in history, with only 859 units produced in 1969, and 500 units produced in 1970 (including the Cougars and Quarter-Horse). The Boss 429 World Registry notes that the cars featured "the stock NASCAR version 429 engine," and that each car was assembled by hand. In fact, the Boss 429 Mustang's very reason for existing, was to homologate the 429 hemi engine so that it could be used on the NASCAR racing circuit.

click to supersize

click to supersize

The Autochannel notes that the power plant is a large 429 hemi V8 that makes 375HP, and it has a 4-speed manual tranny which gives it a top speed of around 119 mph. The factory Mustang had to be heavily modified just to fit the large 429 engine. Although the appearance is described as 'understated' compared to a Mach 1 or Boss 302, I find the car to be endearing.

In case you are interested, a pony like this will set you back at least $100k. This one is priced at nearly twice that. (and it doesn't even come with an FM radio.)

Photos courtesy of Musclecarcalendar.com.

Best of Ravenwood's Universe, originally posted 05/09/2003.

Why doesn't Maryland just outlaw Wal-Mart? They don't seem to value them as one of the state's largest employers.

Maryland lawmakers bucked the will of the state's Republican governor and the nation's largest retailer yesterday, voting to become the first state to effectively require that Wal-Mart spend more on employee health care.

The bill will require private companies with more than 10,000 employees in Maryland to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on employee health benefits or make a contribution to the state's insurance program for the poor. Wal-Mart, which employs about 17,000 Marylanders, is the only known company of such size that does not meet that spending requirement.

Of course if Wal-Mart is required to spend more on health care, guess where that money is coming from. It's not just Wal-Mart shareholders who are footing the bill. Customers will be paying via higher prices, and employee's will be paying in the form of lower wages.

And when Wal-Mart looks to open up a new store or distribution center, they may decide that Maryland is a little too expensive. They may find it's more prudent to build in neighboring Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, or West Virginia.

I'm legally permitted to provide for my own defense in the following states. (Other states need not apply for my tourist dollars.)

(Hat tip Say Uncle, Countertop)

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.

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.

So Happy Lee-Jackson-King Day, everyone...

This is rich. Mexico is blaming the United States for the flow of illegal guns into Mexico. Shocked that you can buy guns in *gasp* Wal-Mart, Mexican officials are blaming porous U.S. borders as one reason guns are easily smuggled into the country.

Javier Ortiz Campos of the Federal Preventive Police says traces by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on weapons confiscated in Mexico often lead to the gun shops, gun shows and flea markets of Texas. The U.S. state has some of the most liberal gun laws in the country and a porous, 1,240-mile-long border with Mexico.

Perhaps a huge fence would help. Or maybe Mexico could help patrol their border with the United States to catch people as the cross back and forth.

Then there's this wonderful display of gun control futility:

There are fewer than 2,500 registered gun owners in the entire country. By contrast, Mexican police confiscate an average of 256 weapons per day from suspects, officials from the Attorney General�s Office said recently.

Gee, with numbers like that you might think that bans don't work.

"Why do I cynically suspect he wanted a drug deal, and they saw an opportunity?" -- David Codrea, January 4, 2006, theorizing that Marion Barry's robbery was the product of illicit dealings.

"Sources said [Marion] Barry tested positive for cocaine during routine screening in connection with his guilty plea to two misdemeanor tax charges in October." -- Washington Post, January 12, 2006.

Have you been wondering where all the froggies have gone? If so, scientists have finally solved the mystery. The world's frog population has been all but wiped out by (you guessed it) global warming.

The study, published in the journal Nature, provides compelling evidence that climate change has already helped wipe out a slew of species and could spur more extinctions and the spread of diseases worldwide. It also helps solve the international mystery of why amphibians around the globe have been vanishing from their usual habitats over the past quarter-century -- as many as 112 species have disappeared since 1980.

And I never had a chance to try my recipe for frogs legs.

Would you consider the installation of monitoring devices into personal property to be a huge invasion of privacy by the government? Well, some members of the Boston City Council don't think so.

Councilor Rob Consalvo wants to put a tracking device into newly manufactured guns and have legal gun owners retrofit their firearms so owners and police can locate and retrieve stolen guns the same way police use a computer chip to locate stolen cars.

''Let's use that same technology to track weapons so we know where they are when they're stolen or bought illegally," he said. ''I think it's a common-sense idea."

Of course we'd also have to require criminals to keep fresh batteries on hand, so those tracking devices on their guns don't run out of power after a few hours.

Washington is playing Washington this weekend in the divisional football playoffs. Countertop reports that Seattle reporters have been told that the Redskins Moniker will be verboten, lest they risk offending Native American Indians.

CHEAP SHOTS: To avoid insulting native American heritage, the Seattle Times decided to limit severely the use of the term Redskins in the paper -- even if a team with that name will dominate news coverage this week. The Times will not use the moniker in headlines or captions. Reporters can use it only once, as a first reference, in all stories. The Redskins will be referred to almost exclusively as Washington -- which could get a little confusing for local readers who also live in that state.

And the push to ban Native Americans marches onward.

Democrat's greed is ok.

Take a look at this CNN-AP article demonizing corporations, and praising Democrats. There are logic flaws o' plenty that need to be addressed.

"Democrats have made it clear: We're on the side of the American families, taxpayers, investors and businesses that pay their fair share and play by the rules."

Democrats have made it clear that they are on the side of confiscatory taxes for those that can "afford" it, to buy votes by giving benefits to those that "need" it. Karl Marx would be proud that Democrats want to play by his rules.

"We'll close the loopholes that allow the big corporations to avoid their responsibilities and shelter taxes overseas."

Since when is paying higher taxes a responsibility? Corporations are always portrayed by Democrats as nameless, faceless entities that have an obligation to pay more than anyone else. This idiotic statement is analogous to trying to shame homeowners for itemizing their deductions and reducing their tax burden. Shareholders are people too. Those who own the corporation, ONLY have responsibility to increase profitability and shareholder value. In fact, lower corporate taxes benefit everyone. Customers benefit with lower prices, employees benefit with higher wages, and shareholders benefit with increased profits and shareholder equity.

As a state senator in Maine, Pingree sponsored a bill creating the Maine prescription law, in which the state is authorized to negotiate lower drug prices with large manufacturers in order to reduce prices for 300,000 residents.

Ask any economist and you'll find out that there is NO FREE LUNCH. Somebody must pay. Customers outside Maine will pay higher prices. Customers inside Maine will pay with less availability of drugs. Employees will pay with lower wages, and shareholders will pay with lower stock prices. Also, all Americans will pay with less research and development of new drugs and drug treatments.

Democrats continue to assault and demonize American corporations, and hamper their ability to compete in the global market. Corporate profits are currently double taxed at a rate approaching 60%. American corporations that generate revenue in foreign countries, using foreign resources, developing foreign products for foreign markets, are double taxed in the US and overseas. When they try to separate these foreign units in an attempt to compete with foreign companies who are taxed at much lower rates, Democrats accuse them of trying to shirk their "responsibility" to pay high taxes. It has become very clear that Democrats are continuing to shift more and more of the American tax burden to a minority of the population. In return, this money is used to buy votes, keep Democrats in power, and keep people dependent on the government.

Best of Ravenwood's Universe, originally posted 08/26/2002.

Money is always a touchy subject. I never blame people for wanting to raise a dollar, but I understand how it can disturb some people. Especially when you start asking for handouts.

This is one reason why Ravenwood's Universe is fully funded by the Staff Writers and accepts no funding from outside sources.

Apparently I'm in the wrong business. This family claims to be making $300 a day and staying in hotels simply by begging for money on the streets of Oregon.

Pancoast refers to himself and his family as "affluent beggars."

"If you�re an affluent beggar you stay in a hotel and eat a continental breakfast," he says. "It makes it a lot easier to be philosophical about it."

Carrying her smiling baby in a navy blue front pack and pushing Adrianne in a green jogging stroller, Johnson stops people on the street and asks them for money to find shelter for her children.

"I ask the question and I move on," says Johnson, who adds that she is careful to be non-aggressive when she begs.

Of course it must all be undeclared income, because they also receive $500 a month in food stamps. I wonder if the IRS reads the Mail Tribune.

Did you see or hear about PBS' Frontier House. It was an American spin off of the British "1900 House", which I saw last year and thought had been produced very well. "Frontier House" is a "reality" show where an American family tries to live exactly as 1883 Montana homesteaders did. Although life for last years "1900 House" family in England was very difficult, the concept was ground breaking.

In the American spin-off however, an aura of political correctness came over PBS, and they decided to rewrite history. Gordon Clune, head of the Frontier family, had requested that he be allowed a gun to hunt for meat, but PBS denied him that liberty. Instead, Mr. Clune was severely restricted in the use of his only firearm to the warding off of hostile varmints. In addition, Clune was not allowed to actually use the gun for defense, only to try to scare wild animals away.

"We were supposed to give a predator two warnings," Clune told the LA Times. "'Excuse me, Mr. Coyote, please don't eat my chicken. Excuse me, Mr. Coyote, please don't eat my chicken.' Then, you were supposed to fire a warning shot."

Yeah, just like on the frontier.

Best of Ravenwood's Universe, originally posted 05/29/2002.

Bear Repellent?

Another comment on the PBS gun ban for "Frontier House".

PBS' rules state that "all participants agree to live as closely to the pioneer lifestyle of the 1880s as possible". They also list one of the ingredients of their "Emergency Box" as "Bear Repellent 'Pepper Spray'".

This gives me a novel idea for a 'reality' show that PBS may want to try. Lets lock a PBS producer in a cage with a bear and a can of pepper spray. At the same time, lock me in a cage with another bear and a 30-06 Winchester.

If I have enough rounds left, perhaps I'll put the PBS producer out of his misery before the bear finishes eating him.

Best of Ravenwood's Universe, originally posted 05/30/2002.

How much would you pay to sleep in a gym? How about if they threw in unlimited free bowling? If you said "I'd pay $50,000 a night," maybe you can stay at the stupidest hotel in Las Vegas.

(Click to Supersize)

(Click to Supersize)

The suites just opened on New Years Eve, but so far renters have included Hulk Hogan, Carmen Electra, Chris Webber, and Dennis Rodman.

I guess they don't mind sleeping in a room that smells like feet.

I was a huge fan of Top Gear, a British motorhead show that featured everything from exotic million dollar race cars like the Ferrari Enzo to average joe speedsters like the Pontiac GTO. It was filled with pithy English humour and charm, and just enough America bashing to be funny but not overbearing. It aired on the Discovery Channel until late last year when it suddenly disappeared.

Apparently the powers that be have decided that Americans are too stupid to understand the terms like petrol and wind-screen, so they are going to create a dumbed down American version for the U.S. mass audience.

Just like every other British show we steal, it's likely not going to be as good as the original.

Here's a new one. A British security guard successfully sued for being the beneficiary of affirmative action.

A BLACK police bodyguard who protected the Duchess of Cornwall has won [~$52,000 USD] compensation after suing Scotland Yard for "over-promoting" him because of political correctness.

Sgt Leslie Turner -- the first black personal protection officer to guard the royal family -- will receive the "racial discrimination" payout after reaching an out-of-court settlement with London's Metropolitan Police.

His representatives argued he landed the prestigious job as Camilla's bodyguard only because he was black.

It was claimed that as a result of being over-promoted and not receiving proper training and support, Sgt Turner made mistakes which led to him being re-assigned.

He argued that he was "over-promoted" into a job for which he was not qualified and could not succeed.

(Via Taranto.)

I ordered one of these Humidor/Cigar bundles for a buddy of mine. It was only $35 including shipping, and came with 25 hand rolled cigars. I haven't tried any of the cigars, but the humidor is a really nice starter model. It's well constructed of Spanish cedar, and has a great seal. It looks incredible, and has a beautiful cherry finish. I came very close to keeping it for myself.

The cigars are hand-rolled Dominicans that measured 6 inches with a 46 ring gauge. I'm sure they are decent smokers considering the price. It also came with a nice blow torch butane lighter which I did keep for myself (along with 5 of the 25 cigars).

I was so impressed with the humidor that I'm considering ordering another bundle for myself. It's not as large or as nice as my current humidor (pictured below), but it would make a great overflow model. Right now my humidor is a little over stuffed, with over 90 cigars in there. They are stacked three high on one row, and the shelf is a little full. I keep them rotated, and have an excellent humidification system, so I'm not too worried about it.

Those are shot glasses on the right. If you take a paper towel loaded down with PG (propylene-glycol) and distilled water, it will keep your relative humidity pegged at 70%. The PG doesn't evaporate, but should be changed every year. I use an eye dropper to keep the shot glasses full of distilled water, and it's by far the most effective humidification system I've ever used. (Not recommended for earth quake prone areas where they might tip over.) Those plastic sponges (see black thing on the lid) are worthless, and hard to tell when to fill. If you over fill them, they tend to drip onto your cigars. (nice).

Best of Ravenwood's Universe, originally posted 06/15/2003.

Long Ashes II

Since I have already mentioned my personally developed method for humidor humidification, I figured I'd offer up some of my expertise on the initial 'priming' of humidors. A collection of fine cigars can cost quite a pretty penny. With handmade cigars costing anywhere from $2 to $20 for the average stick, a full humidor can literally hold several hundred dollars worth of tobacco goodness. It is therefore very important that you take the time to care for your inventory properly.

When you first buy a humidor, and every year or so as part of routine maintenance, you need to prime it so that it will properly hold the humidity. Out of the 5 humidors that I've purchased or owned, only one has ever included instructions on how to properly prime it.

The tools you'll need are your humidor, of course, a supply of distilled water, and a clean sponge. Tap water and regular bottled water have impurities that will clog the pores of the wood in your humidor and leave hard water build up and stains. Distilled water, which is pure H20 only costs about $0.59 a gallon, and is the only water you should ever use. Similarly, your sponge should be absolutely clean. Try to use a new sponge, or have a few sponges that are solely dedicated to humidor maintenance. You don't want your cigars soaking up odors from last night's meat loaf, so leave your kitchen sponge on the back of the sink where it belongs.

Take your humidor, and make sure that it is empty. Pour about a half a cup of distilled water into the humidor, until it puddles up in the bottom about a quarter to half an inch. Use your sponge to completely soak the wooden inside of the box, including the lid. The Spanish cedar* will absorb the distilled water, and swell slightly. Also coat any removable trays or inserts that came with the humidor. Don't leave the removable pieces in the humidor, lest they swell up and become jammed, or warp. Once you have a good even coat over all the wooden areas, pour the water out. Set the humidor upside down, or on one side so that it can drip dry. You don't want standing water in the humidor, so wipe out the excess with the sponge if necessary.

Let the humidor sit open for a half hour to an hour, or however long it takes to dry or evaporate. Once the inside of the humidor is dry, take your damp sponge and coat the inside of the humidor again. You should add water to your sponge if necessary, but you don't need to pour water into the humidor again, like you did the first time. Once the wood is coated, let the humidor sit open again, until it is pretty much dry to the touch. If you had any internal shelves or dividers, give them the same treatment.

Next, take your sponge and make sure it is damp, but not dripping wet. Put the sponge on a plate, and set the plate in the humidor. You may use a plastic bag, or something else waterproof, but it is very IMPORTANT that you do not let the wet sponge touch the wood. BEWARE that if the humidor is still wet, or that if you let the wet sponge directly touch the wood, you could end up with some mold or mildew on the inside. If you have any internal shelves or dividers, wait for them to dry, and put them back into the humidor so that they don't touch the sponge. They may still be swollen, so don't force them. Close the humidor lid, and let it sit overnight, or for about 12 hours. The water vapor should soak into the pores of the wood and condition it overnight.

Remove the sponge and plate, and inspect the humidor. Fill your humidification device with distilled water or solution [a mix of Propylene Glycol (PG) and distilled water], and put it into the humidor. Also put a hygrometer in there, and add your cigars. Most humidors come with an analog hygrometer, which is sometimes not very accurate. You may want to invest in a digital hygrometer. Keep an eye on the humidity. If it spikes too much, leave the lid open for a few minutes to let some of it out. If you are using PG solution in your humidification device, it should start to regulate the inside humidity to about 70% which is where you want it.

Best of Ravenwood's Universe, originally posted 06/24/2003.

* Humidors should always be constructed of Spanish Cedar. That particular type of wood contains no sap or harmful odors that will pollute the taste of your cigars.

The Staff Writers at Ravenwood's Universe are now violating federal law. We post anonymous content that annoys the left under a pseudonym. According to CNet, that's now illegal.

Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.

It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.

In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name.

Via Say Uncle.

UPDATE: Then again, maybe it's all overblown.

A journalist was murdered in "gun-free" Washington D.C. recently. Countertop notes that gun banning Democrats are anti-choice:

Would a gun have helped Mr. Rosenbaum?

We will never know, but we can be certain of one thing, his inability to carry one prevented him from using it for his own defense. If he could carry one, if DC recognized that fundamental - god given - human right to self defense, perhaps he would have still chosen not to carry a gun. That, of course, would be his choice.

Another person - perhaps a gay man or a young lady or an African American taxi driver - might make the other choice, the choice of life.

But, the anti choice gun banning bigots who run Washington, D.C. and New York City and the New York Times and the Washington Post. . .have decided in their collective wisdom that they know how to protect you better.

Mark "I will not raise taxes" Warner, who pushed through the largest tax increase in Virginia's 400-year history is now crowing about having extra tax money laying around.

In Virginia, Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) is leaving a $1 billion surplus to his successor, Timothy M. Kaine (D), and the Republican-controlled legislature.

Kaine and the lawmakers have said they intend to spend much of that money on one-time projects that will not create permanent spending obligations that would be difficult to fulfill should the economy falter. Members of both parties have talked about road construction and cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.

Virginia's top Republican senator, Finance Committee Chairman John H. Chichester (R-Northumberland), has called for the surplus to be used for "non-habit-forming expenditures."

Notice tax cuts never seem to be an option. Economists are predicting that the economic boom won't last. (Now that's going out on a limb.) Of course the economic boom hit before Warner raised taxes, and his massive tax hike certainly won't help things.

Two words: Fag.

;)

We finally get to find out whatever happened to Euphegenia, thanks to Mrs. Doubtfire 2. (And Hollywood wants to know why less people are going to the movies?)

Ebay has everything:

After it was revealed that he had yet another run-in with the law, Marcus Vick was dismissed from the team at Virginia Tech. Apparently he's now fucking up at the professional level, because he's declared eligibility for the NFL draft.

The Florida Supreme Court struck down the state's school voucher program. Rather than rule on the traditional "separation of church and state" argument, they instead ruled that all Florida schools must suck equally.

In a 5-2 ruling, the high court said the program undermines the public schools and violates the Florida Constitution's requirement of a uniform system of free public education...

Chief Justice Barbara Pariente said the program "diverts public dollars into separate private systems parallel to and in competition with the free public schools," which are the sole means set out in the state constitution for educating Florida children.

Actually, vouchers raise the money available per student by removing a student, but only a percentage of the student's funding. (For instance if the state spends $10,000 per student and the voucher is for only $5,000 there is actually more money available per remaining student.)

But you have to love the Marxist reasoning that competition with the "free" schools is bad for the students that attend said "free" school. Instead of celebrating free markets where people have the freedom to choose the best schooling for the best price, government school advocates prefer to keep poor kids in underperforming schools where teachers swear off any measure of accountability and unions hold all the cards.

Everything you need to know about so-called "assault weapons" in a four minute video.

So where would be a good place to play with loaded guns?

Police in a Vancouver suburb reminded residents on Tuesday it was not a good idea to play with a loaded gun while using the bathroom, after a man accidentally shot himself.

You may want to remove some of the breakables before you read this one.

Prosecutors argued that confessed child-rapist Mark Hulett, 34, of Williston deserved at least eight years behind bars for repeatedly raping a littler girl countless times starting when she was seven.

But Judge Edward Cashman disagreed explaining that he no longer believes that punishment works.

"The one message I want to get through is that anger doesn't solve anything. It just corrodes your soul," said Judge Edward Cashman speaking to a packed Burlington courtroom. Most of the on-lookers were related to a young girl who was repeatedly raped by Mark Hulett who was in court to be sentenced.

The sex abuse started when the girl was seven and ended when she was ten. Prosecutors were seeking a sentence of eight to twenty years in prison, in part, as punishment.

[snip]

Judge Cashman. . .revealed that he once handed down stiff sentences when he first got on the bench 25 years ago, but he no longer believes in punishment.

"I discovered it accomplishes nothing of value; it doesn't make anything better; it costs us a lot of money; we create a lot of expectation, and we feed on anger," Cashman explained to the people in the court.

After being convicted for raping a 7 year old girl repeatedly over a four year span, Hulett was sentenced to just 60 days.

Well that didn't take long. Congressional Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Major Owens (D-NY) are blaming President Bush for not doing enough to prevent West Virginia Mining Accidents:

The Committee should investigate whether the Bush Administration has employed people with proper regulatory experience in leadership positions at MSHA [Mine Safety and Health Administration]. Many senior MSHA officials have come directly from the mining industry, raising concerns about their ability to effectively oversee the industry and protect its workers...

A 2005 report by the AFL-CIO found that "at MSHA, 17 standards to improve safety and health for miners have been withdrawn since President Bush took office, including the Air Quality, Chemical Substances and Respiratory standards...For the most part at MSHA, those standards that have been proposed during the Bush Administration favor industry by moving to roll back existing protections. There are no pending standards to protect miners from hazards on their job...

That's right Bush had the nerve to stock the Mine Safety and Health Administration with people from the MINING INDUSTRY! The horror! What's next, packing NASA with rocket scientists?

"I still think we're a better football team. They just made the plays in the end." -- USC Quarterback Matt Lienart after losing the National Championship Rose Bowl to the University of Texas.

By now you've undoubtedly heard about the armed robbery of Former D.C. Mayor and City Councilman Marion Barry. What you may not have heard is that the anti-gun politico is not blaming his assailants. He's blaming their guns.

"I hold no animosities. I don't even want you prosecuted, really. I love you," he said.

Barry vowed not to move from his home in the council district he represents. But he said he will push for tougher gun control laws. Last session he offered a bill mandating a 10-year sentence for those caught with a gun. So far, a hearing has not been scheduled, but Barry hopes to see action on it this year.

"Violence is everywhere in our city and our nation," Barry said. "These guns have got to go."

That's right. Barry wants a mandatory 10-year sentence for his armed assailants because they were carrying guns. That they robbed him, well. . .he's not even willing to prosecute that!

Say Uncle reports that some people think it was a drug deal gone bad.

Even those who don't hate celebrity news should wonder why this is newsworthy:

Lindsay Lohan suffers asthma attack

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is blaming Free America for New York's gun violence. It's the same old tired argument. Guns from Free States end up in New York (because you can't buy guns in New York, duh!). Somehow this is evidence that guns cause crime instead of the product of criminal enterprises trading in contraband.

NYPD officials say that 70% of guns used to commit crimes in the city in the first half of 2005 came from six states - Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Pennsylvania, all of which have looser gun laws than New York.

Maybe these cities and states with tough gun laws should be start thanking Virginia for providing self defense tools that their citizens have trouble obtaining at home. How many crimes are stopped using guns that liberal gun grabbers would prefer their subjects not have?

If guns cause crime, perhaps Bloomberg should give up the armed security escort that protects his ivory tower. Then there's this:

But Bloomberg yesterday showed no signs of backing down, expressing horror at how some bullets these days are marketed as "vest piercing."

I've gotta throw the bullshit flag on that one. I want to see the ad. I want to see the advertisement for "vest piercing" ammo. I don't think Bloomberg can produce it, because it doesn't exist.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of eating brunch with Master Chief Frank Welch, the highest ranking NCO in the Coast Guard. He and his wife are delightful, and she is an excellent host and cook. It got me to thinking about how the Coast Guard does a thankless job.

The Coast Guard was rolled under the Department of Homeland Security, while the other military branches are under DoD. But their job is no less dangerous. But the Coast Guard has participates in most major wars, including: the War Between the States, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and both Gulf Wars.

In Vietnam, the boats that patroled the countries 1200 miles of coast line and countless waterways and streams included Coast Guard vessels. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Coast Guard sent cutters, tenders, and patrol boats to provide port security and support. They also performed intercept and search missions which put them closer to the action that many naval units.

Of course this is in addition to their more prominent duties of drug smuggling interdiction, immigration enforcement, and answering calls of maritime distress.

Their contributions to National Security and Military Preparedness are invaluable and should be applauded.

(Hook 'em Horns, Master Chief.)

I've got family in town and don't have any time to post today. Things will probably return to normal tomorrow.

It's that time of year again. As football programs wrap up their seasons, the coaching carousel begins.

The University of Miami lost three games this year if you count their 40-3 Peach Bowl drubbing to a tough LSU team. In the past five years, Miami has lost a total of 9 games. That's unacceptable by Miami standards, and head coach Larry Coker fired four of his assistants, one of which had been there for all five of Miami's National Championship teams. I guess when it comes to Larry Coker, the buck doesn't stop there. Only time will tell if the blame really lies with Coker's assistants.

Meanwhile in the NFL, five head coaches were fired on what the media calls "Black Monday".

Four coaches were let go on "Black Monday," the day after the regular season ends and the traditional day for firing coaches. Martz, Capers, Mike Sherman of Green Bay and Jim Haslett of New Orleans were canned.

Mike Tice of Minnesota didn't quite make it to "Black Monday". He was fired Sunday night.

And speaking of hiring and firing football coaches, USA Today trots out the annual complaint that there aren't enough black coaches. They won't say what number is the right number, but they claim the NCAA is grossly under-represented.

College football's record is the product of the subtle biases and outright racism that permeate the hiring process While it is difficult to point to a single university decision and argue that racist attitudes were pivotal, it is impossible to look at the aggregate numbers and conclude they were not.

I'll admit that 5 out of 119 coaches seems like a low number. But to chalk it up to outright racism in the hiring process seems a little oversimplified. As if 114 collegiate Atheletic Directors attend an annual klan rally to discuss not hiring black coaches. And it's hard to believe that anyone in athletics would think that blacks are genetically inferior to whites.

Then there's this stunning admission:

Half of all college players are black. Many enter the coaching ranks, but few are given the opportunity to lead. The tier below head coaches - offensive and defensive coordinators - had only 12 blacks in Division I-A when USA TODAY counted the numbers in 2002. No one has a current tally, which says something about indifference.

Indeed it does. If USA Today cares so little about the issue that they don't bother to repeat their census for four years, why write the editorial?

Maybe they should have asked the AOL's Black Voices, the "premiere site for African-American culture and community". Back in September, they put together a Top 10 List for Division 1-A black assistant coaches. Not only did they profile 10 black assistant coaches to watch, they gave another 14 honorable mentions. Even if they included all of the black assistant coaches in Division 1-A football, that would mean the 2005 total was at least 24. That's a 100% increase over USA Today's 2002 figure of 12.

But I have a feeling the actual number is much higher. USA Today says the 2002 count of 12 coaches is Offensive and Defensive Coordinators. Black Voices list includes Assistant and Associate Head Coaches as well.

Not counted on either list are the position coaches (ie: Quarterbacks Coach, Wide Receivers Coach, etc.)

This meme comes via Say Uncle:

Four jobs you've had in your life: Ice Cream Scooper, Produce Clerk, Retail Store Manager, and Landscaper.

Four movies you could watch over and over: Full Metal Jacket, Office Space, Support Your Local Sheriff, and Unforgiven.

Four places you've lived: Atlanta, Las Vegas, Ohio (BFE), and Northern Virginia.

Four TV shows you love to watch: The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Top Gear, and Dirty Jobs.

Four places you've been on vacation: Oktoberfest (the real one), Mardi Gras (the real one), Manhattan, and Knob Creek Kentucky.

Four websites you visit daily: Boortz, Opinion Journal, CNN, and the Washington Post.

Four of your favorite foods: Chevy's smothered burrito, my sister's shrimp boil, mom's roast beast, and cheeseburgers in paradise.

Four places you'd rather be: tailgating at a Virginia Tech football game, tailgating at a Jimmy Buffett concert, sitting around someplace tropical sipping frosty beverages, and the gun range (not tailgating).

Four albums you can't live without: Jane's Addiction's Jane's Addiction, Enya's Paint the Sky with Stars, Jimmy Buffett's Songs You Know By Heart, and U2's Rattle and Hum.

Call me crazy, but I prefer my cars to have a name rather than the alphabet soup letters that are so popular now-a-days. I guess I just don't have time to remember all those letters. I don't own a Lincoln, although I did once take a look at the Aviator and other models. I would not have even considered buying anything called the MKX.

Company research suggested that Lincoln owners identified more with the specific model rather than with Lincoln as a brand, saying they drove a Town Car or a Navigator, the report said. The branding switch is an attempt to put the emphasis on Lincoln.

That's because a Town Car and a Navigator are completely different. Calling them both a Lincoln is dumb.

Lexus sells SUVs too, and uses some obscure numbering sequence that I've yet to decode. Instead I refer to them as the "Little Lexus SUV" and the "Big Lexus SUV". Lexus sedans are simply called "a big waste of money". Is that what Lincoln is going after?

As nice as it would be to show off, right now I have no plans to participate in Alphecca's Got Guns Meme. (check out the permalink number, by the way)

I did buy a few guns which I posted about throughout the year, but I'm a little too paranoid to post a list and photos of everything I bought in 2005. Not that there is anyone out there who'd want to make my life miserable or anything.

Developers are concerned that the house numbering scheme mandated by Alameda County is violates the ancient Chinese tradition of feng shui and will scare buyers away.

Under a numbering system established by Alameda County in the 1950s, addresses are assigned based on how far the homes are from downtown Oakland. The method puts five digits on almost every mailbox in Hayward and other cities in the county.

The numbers have always been hard to remember. But home developers recently raised concerns they may decrease property values because the odds are greater that an address will carry a combination considered unlucky by feng shui practitioners.

I'd think the farther away from Oakland the better.

French officials called in thousands of extra policemen for New Year's Eve. The New York Times reports on a disturbing French past-time that has police worried:

Hundreds of cars are set ablaze over the holiday every year and French officials fear that the arson could be even worse this year, mimicking the recent violence that destroyed thousands of vehicles and dozens of buildings.

I'm sure a ban would work here, but what? Cars, matches, or French youths? Better yet, how about making car burning illegal.

In Virginia we celebrated New Years without any car burning at all.

What more can be said about Maurice Clarett?

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett was accused of robbing two people at gunpoint in an alley behind a bar early Sunday, the latest trouble for the Buckeyes star who left the school in disgrace and failed to gain early entry into the NFL.

Clarett fled the scene and was wanted on two counts of aggravated robbery. According to police, he left in a white sport utility vehicle with two other men and took only a cell phone from his alleged victims, who weren't injured.

The 22-year-old Clarett fled when the bar owner or manager, who knew both Clarett and the victims, came into the alley and identified him shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, detectives said.

Beginning January 1st, all handguns sold in the People's Republic of California must contain certain "safety" features. Pistols firing rimfire cartridges must have both a magazine disconnect mechanism to prevent them from being fired AND a loaded chamber indicator. Pistols firing centerfire cartridges must have one or the other, until 2007 when they must have both.

The law was championed by state Sen. Jack Scott, a Democrat whose son was tragically shot to death by a friend.

Adam Scott, a 27-year-old law school graduate, died in October 1993 while attending a Los Angeles party with friends. The host showed off a gun that accidentally fired.

Guns don't just "accidentally" fire. People "accidentally" pull the trigger.

Jack Scott's Senate Bill 489 - a 2003 bill that takes effect Sunday - is touted by gun-control groups as first-of-its-kind legislation. It targets a specific kind of accidental shooting, involving a single unspent round fired from a handgun thought to be unloaded.

That's not an accident, it's negligence. Thinking a gun is unloaded isn't good enough. You've got to treat it as loaded until you PROVE otherwise. It's one of the four basic gun safety rules.

Of course laws like this aren't about saving lives, they're about making guns more expensive and more difficult to manufacture and sell. Whats more this law wouldn't even have saved the life of the guy who inspired it.

Adam Scott was killed by a shotgun, not a pistol, so the devices required by SB 489 would not have saved his life.

There are four basic gun safety rules.

- Assume every gun is loaded and treat it as such. Never assume a gun is unloaded. Always pull the magazine and then check the chamber to prove that it's unloaded.

- Always point the muzzle in a safe direction, even if it's not loaded. This is about good gun ettiquette. You want to create a habit of never pointing a gun at anything other than the target.

- Keep your finger off the trigger. Modern guns don't just "go off". So-called "accidents" happen mainly because the first thing people do when they pick up a gun is put their finger on the trigger.

- Be sure of your target. Never point a gun at anything you don't want to destroy, and be sure you know what lies in front of and behind your target.

Some people combine numbers 2 and 4 and just have the three basic rules. Regardless, had Scott's shooter not violated all of the rules Scott would still be alive today. Hell if he obeys any one of them: keeps his finger off the trigger, keeps it pointed in a safe direction, or makes sure it's unloaded; Scott would still be alive today.