Darth Apathy

Moving

2006-03-22T11:20:00.000-06:00

The new blog is up and running, and can be found here.

I will be leaving this blog open as a backup.

Battlestar Blogging

2006-03-13T08:14:00.000-06:00

Timothy Sandefur over at Positive Liberty has an excellent exposition about the BSG season 2 finale.

What are our children learning? Part Deux.

2006-03-10T16:19:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of Cox and Forkum

AZ governor orders troops to the border

2006-03-08T17:14:00.000-06:00

About damned time.

Ariz. Governor Orders Troops to Border

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 43 minutes ago

PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano on Wednesday ordered more National Guardsmen posted at the Mexican border to help stop illegal immigrants and curb related crimes.

National Guard troops have worked at the border since 1988, but Napolitano signed an order authorizing commanders to station an unspecified number of additional soldiers there to help federal agents.

Once the funding is approved, the troops will monitor crossing points, assist with cargo inspection and operate surveillance cameras, according to the order.

"They are not there to militarize the border," the governor said. "We are not at war with Mexico."

About 170 National Guardsmen are already posted at the nation's busiest illegal entry point, where they assist with communications, fence construction and anti-drug efforts.

Napolitano did not say how many additional troops would be stationed at the border and referred questions to the National Guard, which did not immediately return a call.

Napolitano has asked the military to pay for her plan, but said she would commit state dollars if necessary.

The governor declared an immigration emergency last summer in Arizona's four border counties, citing security shortcomings by the federal government.

LEGO Aircraft Carrier

2006-03-06T14:10:00.000-06:00

LEGO Aircraft Carrier.

Rachel Corrie Memorial Pancake Breakfast

2006-03-06T11:41:00.000-06:00

No, this isn't a joke. Nor is it a conservative-sponsored event. The left is celebrating Corrie's martyrdom by having a "pancake breakfast".

Sometimes, the jokes just write themselves.

From Indymedia:

The Rachel Corrie Memorial Committee of Victoria Invites you to a pancake breakfast at Denny’s Restaurant Sunday March 12 , 2006 10 am.

The Public is invited to a memorial pancake breakfast at Denny’s Restaurant on Douglas Street near Finlayson, 10 am, Sunday March 12, 2006 to celebrate the life and untimely death of Rachel Corrie, Peace Activist with the International Solidarity Movement.

There will be a reading of selections from Ms. Corrie’s letters and diary, followed by a ceremony at Topaz Park, where a stone cairn will be erected in her honour.

Attendees are encouraged to wear their keffiahs, and to dress in black.

No weapons, drugs, or alcohol please.

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/

ISM offers many ways for you to get involved in the struggle for Palestinian freedom. Whether you’re thinking of traveling to Palestine to work with us, or you’d like to work to educate your community about the reality in Palestine, we welcome your involvement.

Update on Star

2006-03-05T23:34:00.000-06:00

For the last week or so, Star has been steadily getting worse. She was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, and hasn’t made any improvement.

My sister-in-law, Tammy has been married to my brother for almost 6 years now, and has been taking care of Star every day since we got her moved to Abilene at the end of September. Since Star was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, she’s been getting more confused and forgetful as the days go by. Today, Star didn’t recognize Tammy at all. She barely remembered Mike, who has been her boyfriend for more than three years now.

With my background in the medical field, I can immediately identify two things that could be wrong with Star, nether of which is pleasant. The first is a CVA, or stroke. The second, and the worst, is that the cancer has finally moved up into her brain. Both of these have been major concerns, especially since a tumor was found on the spinal cord in her neck.

I think we might be coming up on the end of this ordeal very soon. In a way, I’ll be glad when it’s over; Star’s long suffering will finally be done. But then, who knows; she’s already proven me wrong about this twice.

Gun rights leader needs your help

2006-03-03T22:26:00.000-06:00

I got this in an email from Nicki.

Folks, most of you know how decent, passionate, intelligent and dynamic Angel Shamaya is. He has committed himself to freedom, and I know of few people who are as dedicated to the cause of freedom as Angel. He is also a personal friend to many of us, and now he needs our help.

Today he was arrested, and he is currently in jail. Please read the link below and take a few minutes to write the judge on his behalf. I have National Drill this weekend, and I'm sending this from my hotel room. I won't be around much until Sunday night, but I'm counting on you guys to spread the news and help Angel through this. Please!

This link includes an address where to send your letters of reference. Please do so as quickly as you can!

Then, I urge you to pass this email to everyone you know. Post it on your websites and blogs, pass it on to fellow bloggers and help us ensure that this gets the widest possible dissemination. Yes, this is about freedom -- but right now, we need to ensure he is, first and foremost, released and that charges are dismissed, so please toe the line on this one. For Angel.

Thanks!

Nicki Fellenzer

What are our children learning?

2006-03-02T09:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I posted about the horrendous lack of knowledge American citizens have about the most fundamental rights as enumerated in and protected by the US Constitution. This, of course, begs the question of "what exactly is being taught in our schools?"

Michelle Malkin has at least part of the answer. Here's the audio.

Iraq is just like Vietnam

2006-03-01T11:11:00.000-06:00

I know what you're thinking, but it's true. After all, let's look at the similarity:

Dead soldier's home vandalized

David MacAnally/Eyewitness News

Kokomo, February 27 - For the family who lives in a modest home in Kokomo, the fatal Iraq attack came last week.

Then the attack at home followed.

Vandals defaced the home of Sgt. Rickey Jones' family. Eggs were thrown and flags were stolen. Sgt. Jones, a Kokomo High School graduate, was one four soldier's with the 101st killed west of Baghdad last week.

So who, one week before his burial in his hometown, would vandalize a fallen hero's house?

Neighbor Robyn Ousley is at a loss to explain. "I have no idea, somebody pretty, pretty awful."

Another friend, Bill Swaggerty, says there is more than vandalism for the family to deal with. They're calling here and saying, 'I'm glad your son is dead' and it's wrong."

The family's neighbors have closed ranks, bringing food and flying flags at half-staff. All are signs of respect for Sgt. Jones.

But there is a threat of disrespect from out of state.

The same Kansas church group that has been picketing soldier's funerals around the U.S. and Indiana will be in Kokomo too. The group claims U.S. soldier deaths are punishment for U.S. tolerance of gays.

Kokomo Police will have extra security and are running extra patrols at the house. Swaggerty, a veteran himself, says he convinced Rickey Jones to join up. He can't believe Sgt. Jones' memory would be attacked in this way. "It's wrong. He would come home on leave. His friends (were) very respectful to my wife and my family. He was a very good kid."

Swaggerty supports a move in the legislature to keep protesters back from military funerals.

Neighbor Ousley agrees. "He just went over there for us. I think it is awful."

Services for Sgt. Jones are set for next Monday. In the meantime Kokomo Police have increased patrols around his family's house.

Malkin comes out swinging

2006-03-01T10:47:00.000-06:00

Michelle Malkin lays it all on the line in her latest post, entitled We Are All Bigots Now. For the last week or so, Ms. Malkin has been at the forefront of the charge to get the Bush administration to reconsider its sale of US ports to a company based out of the United Arab Emirates.

I've remained silent on this issue because there isn't enough information to properly form an opinion on the matter. However, as Ms. Malkiin states in her article, the race card is being played against those who are criticizing the deal. For many years, I've had the belief that whomever plays the race card (or sex card, or religion card, etc.) first loses the arguement. Playing the race card against the critics of the port deal, the administration has pushed me closer to wondering exactly what they are trying to hide with this proposed deal.

From her Article:

Now, all the proselytizers who tell us to collect the dots and connect the dots want us to throw them all away lest we give offense?

Perhaps Bush should consult with his own Justice Department, which understood the need for heightened scrutiny of Middle Eastern illegal aliens in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, and instituted temporary targeted fingerprinting and registration policies for Middle Eastern tourists, businessmen, and students.

Bigots!

Perhaps he should ask his own Border Patrol, which is on heightened alert for illegal Middle Eastern border-crossers.

Bigots!

Perhaps he should ask his own FBI, which is zeroing in on mosques and Muslim charities instead of Lutheran churches and the March of Dimes in the domestic War on Terror.

Bigots!

(But don't bother asking Transportation Department Norm Mineta anything — well, other, than "Why the heck are you still here, Normie?")

I couldn't have said it better, myself.

People are stupid

2006-03-01T09:23:00.000-06:00

Yes, I said it. And, yes, I meant it.

In popular American culture, the moron is upheld as an example to which people should aspire. In fact, an entire section of American culture is emphatically dedicated to the glorification of the idiot.

Case in point, A large portion of Americans know more about The Simpsons than they do the First Amendment.

The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just one in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms.

I find it utterly appaling to see that people know more about an imaginary family than they do the basic freedoms upon which America was founded. This is also a gross indictment of our public education system, which is allegedly charged with ensuring our young have at least a basic knowledge of our rights and responsibilities in our society.

Appalling though this situation may be, I can't honestly say I'm surprised. This is something I've seen coming for some time now. Unfortunately, as it stands now, it looks as though it's only going to get worse.

Of Fish and Company

2006-02-28T08:43:00.000-06:00

Six months. That’s how long it’s been since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Six months since Houston stepped up to the plate and provided shelter to many refugees who needed that shelter. Many Houstonians opened up their homes, their hearts, and their wallets without asking for anything in return.

Six months have passed, and some of the evacuees have moved on; they’ve gotten new jobs, new homes, and new lives here in our fair city. Some have even moved on to other cities to be with family, and have made new lives for themselves there. However, there are still a large number of evacuees who are looking to play the victim and get others to keep paying for their government-funded apartments and lifestyles. Quite a few times, I’ve heard the phrase “but I’m from New Orleans” come from the mouths of those trying to get something for nothing, and it annoys me. And I’m not the only one. There are many Houstonians who are starting to feel that our hospitality is being abused.

Since September, jobless claims in Houston have skyrocketed, and the vast majority of those claims are from refugees who have chosen to remain in Houston instead of returning to New Orleans and rebuilding their homes. In addition to the rising jobless claims, crime has skyrocketed as well. In the last quarter of 2005, violent crime rose so sharply that it pushed the annual average up by 23%.

Houston is a wealthy city with plenty of opportunities for those who need work. We have one of the largest seaports and international trade hubs in the United States. We have oil refineries that need workers. We even have a booming tech industry that is hungry for new talent and new workers. Houston is quite literally the Land Of Plenty for those with the desire to earn a descent lifestyle.

It’s been said, quite accurately, that fish and company start to stink after three days. It’s time for New Orleans refugees in Houston to start to earn their own keep, or to move on. Our patience is waning.

Moonbats plan to storm the White House

2006-02-27T15:46:00.000-06:00

And I'm going to be standing by with popcorn.

Via Malkin.

Storm the White House

Multi-Day Event, Beginning March 15, come when you can and stay as long as you can - we are taking over the White House until they leave. Torture, Occupation, Genocide - Must End Now.
Wednesday, March 15th 2006 12:00 AM
Washington, DC USA

TAKE THE WHITE HOUSE BY STORM - Stop Genocide, Torture and Occupation

U.N. SOS - We need your help to end the reign of international criminals.

It is our duty and the duty of the United Nations to rescue the people of the world from the U.S. dictators. Murder for occupation and theft of land is illegal. Murder of journalists is criminal. Remove the traitors who have stolen the U.S. budget and used it to commit international crimes against humanity.

If we were being bombed and our journalists were being murdered here in the U.S. by a foreign country's military, we would hope that the people of that country would stop what they are doing and go to their president's office and demand that it was stopped. If we were the ones burying thousands and thousands of our family members and watching the destruction of the homes, schools, churches and offices that we had worked for decades to build, we would hope that someone, somewhere would care enough to do something for us. We must stop the criminals in our government NOW. There is no meeting with Congress that is going to change what they are doing. We must put the power of the people into action and stay there until they leave!

Inviting everyone to the White House for a protest rally to show that we do not accept the criminal government, illegal wars and the permanent occupation planned for Iraq and Afghanistan. For Nat Turner, For Martin and Coretta, For all the Torture and Assassination in Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and many others - We will not allow the Slave Holders that Still Prevail in this Country to Rule us any longer. Imprisonment and torture based on race, religion, resources or region is no different than the slavery we sought to abolish years ago. The Administration is Criminal and if they will not step down, we must storm in, show them how many of us do not accept a criminal government. How can we stand by and watch them kill our brothers, sisters, journalists and friends for their dollars?

...Location:
White House, Washington DC Starting March 15th, come for as long as you can and bring signs that say U.N. SOS and "Leave Now" or whatever you would like to say. Ride Share and Room Share Plans can be made here: http://www.citysites.com/travel/tiki-view_tracker.php?trackerId=3 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington DC 20500

Contact:
Darrow Boggiano
admin@politicalcooperative.org
415.409.2611

Sponsored By:
We are requesting participation from all members of the United Nations, PFAW, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Code Pink, police, soldiers, ACLU, CIA, NSA and International Courts of Justice/World Court. http://www.PoliticalCooperative.Org

Cyber Jihad

2006-02-23T11:08:00.000-06:00

It seems the followers of the Pedophile Prophet™ (Piss Be Upon Him) are following up on their threats to attack weblogs who have been publishing the allegedly offensive cartoons and those who have been questioning the so-called Religion of Peace™.

Michelle Malkin's blog has been experiencing DoS attacks originating from TurkTelecom in Turkey.

Attn. graphic artists

2006-02-22T14:22:00.000-06:00

I have an idea.

As everyone here knows, I have a penchant for finding ways to piss people off. My latest endeavor requires some artwork which I can't do, since I lack any artistic talent.

The idea is for a new product called Jihad™ brand bacon, with an image of Mohammed frying up some delicious bacon.

Thanks. :)

Update on Star

2006-02-22T11:43:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted an update recently, as until the last couple of weeks or so, she's been fairly stable - not getting any worse, but not getting any better, either.

Recently, they discovered two new tumors in her left breast, both are about 4cm each. Biopsies have revealed both tumors to be malignant. Currently, there's no word as to how her previous treatments have affected these tumors, or if there's a possibility of performing another mastectomy.

C&F

2006-02-22T11:15:00.000-06:00

QOTD

2006-02-17T15:18:00.000-06:00

"One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us."

-Kurt Vonnegut, "Cold Turkey", In These Times, May 10, 2004

Big Brother, Where Art Thou

2006-02-17T11:05:00.000-06:00

Let's take a look at what Houston's Chief of Police would like to do:

Police chief wants surveillance cameras in Houston apartments

HOUSTON Houston's police chief is suggesting putting surveillance cameras in apartment complexes, downtown streets and even private homes.

Chief Harold Hurtt today said it's another way of combatting crime amid a shortage of officers.

Houston is dealing with too many police retirements, too few recruits and a population increase of about 150-thousand hurricane refugees.

Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf coast in late August.

Rita hit southeast Texas about one month later.

The Houston City Council is considering a public safety tax to pay for more officers.

Scott Henson with the American Civil Liberties Union calls Hurtt's proposal to require surveillance cameras as part of some building permits -- "radical and extreme."

Houston Mayor Bill White hasn't talked with Hurtt about his idea, but sees it as more of a "brainstorm" than a "decision."

Many of us in Houston pretty much expect the local cops to be corrupt and inept. In fact, the phrase "corrupt Houston police" is much like "crooked politician" or "raving moonbat"; it's simply redundant.

Take this in conjunction with Nicki's post, which I reproduced earlier, and taking a look at the manner in which cops all over the nation are acting, it's becoming even clearer that many police organizations see themselves above the concerns of the paltry and irrelevant rights of us mere citizens.

~~Emperor~~ Mayor Bill White, best known by readers of this blog to be the orchestrator of the "Cars for Kickbacks" scheme known as SAFEClear, says this is only "brainstorming." I couldn't help but notice that every time ~~Emperor~~ Mayor White gets involved in brainstorming, those policies have a tendency to get passed into law without the ~~subjects~~ citizens ever being informed until the law has been passed.

It makes me wonder how long it will be until something like this gets passed, then how much longer until it's not shot down by the Supreme Court.

Update

HPD may add video cameras to its ranks

Feb. 16, 2006, 1:09PM
HPD may add video cameras to its ranks

Officer shortage leads city to look at surveillance of streets, malls — even some homes

By ALEXIS GRANT
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Facing a shortage of police officers, Police Chief Harold Hurtt called Wednesday for a new type of patrol: surveillance cameras on downtown streets, apartment complexes and shopping malls — and in extreme situations, private homes.

"If you're not doing anything wrong, why should you worry about it?" Hurtt told reporters.

His remarks came as the City Council approved a financial-incentive program to help the Houston Police Department recruit officers.

The department is struggling with a manpower shortage as well as a spike in violent crime. To supplement officers on patrol, HPD is considering installing five video cameras downtown, Hurtt said. He also suggested that new apartment complexes and malls be required, as part of the building-permit process, to provide security cameras.

And when asked whether the need for cameras extends to private homes, he said, "If they're putting a burden on the criminal justice system and cheating the other residents of Houston, yes."

He did not elaborate on how police would accomplish such surveillance or when it would be appropriate.

Source of funds
The downtown-camera project already has a group to fund it: the Houston Downtown Management District. Once the cameras are installed, the project would be carried out by HPD. Officers would monitor video feeds from a new storefront office planned for downtown.

"It's going to be a lot less expensive than having officers standing in those locations or responding to all those calls," said Hurtt, who wants to have the cameras up by the end of this year. "What we need is a combination of technology and human resources to deal with this issue."

The Downtown Management District, which works to improve the central business district using taxes paid by downtown property owners, has proposed five sites for cameras at intersections on and around Main. They are high-pedestrian-traffic, not high-crime, locations, said Bob Eury, executive director of the district.

Mayor must approve
"The goal is for people to feel safe," said Eury, who compared the cameras to those at shopping malls. "We're finding new ways to make it basically safer in reality and perception."

The program would cost tens of thousands of dollars, Eury said, declining to estimate more precisely since the project will be put out for bids.

The emphasis on new police and surveillance is part of the city's response to a recent spike in violent crime.

It was up 2.3 percent through November 2005, compared with the same period in 2004, though the overall crime rate was down 2.2 percent.

Mayor Bill White, who must approve the camera program for it to go into effect, said he had not yet discussed it with Hurtt.

"There's a legitimate right to privacy," White said. "On the other hand ... if there are some crime hot spots, then we want something where we don't have to have uniformed officers staring at a particular spot 24 hours a day."

The City Council's Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security will consider the program Feb. 28.

Some privacy concerns
Some privacy advocates questioned whether apartment owners should be required to install cameras.

"It's radical and unheard-of," said Scott Henson, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Texas Police Accountability Project.

But on city streets, it's a different story. Cities across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, already use surveillance cameras in public places. In London, where cameras are commonplace, the technology helped police solve last year's transit bombings.

Technology isn't the only tool HPD is using to fight crime. The understaffed department hopes to entice experienced officers nationwide to work in Houston by offering a $7,000 bonus and increased pay under a program approved Wednesday by City Council. By hiring 700 new officers every year for the next three years, Houston would have 2.8 officers for every 1,000 people, the national average, instead of the current 2.2 per 1,000 people, Hurtt said.

Under the incentive program, HPD officers who have less than five years' experience will also get a pay raise.

"I don't care what the laws or the Supreme Court say. WE are NOT going to have people running around, wearing guns..."

2006-02-17T10:03:00.000-06:00

Shamelessly stolen from Nicki at The Liberty Zone via Constitution Death Pool.

I wish there was something I could add to this, but Nicki pretty much says it all better than I could.

Mark Edward Marchiafava did not break the law in Gonzales, La. on January 28, 2006. But nonetheless, he was handcuffed, arrested, and his firearm, which he was legally carrying in the open on his side was confiscated and not returned.

I don't know Mr. Marchiafava very well. We have had several email communications, but nothing more than that. We have not always agreed, and sometimes our discussions got heated. But what I do know is that Mr. Marchiafava's right to keep and bear arms and his property rights were violated by the Gonzales, La. police.

When I deployed with the National Guard to New Orleans in support of relief and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina, I remember a meeting on an abandoned tarmac (where we slept the night before inside our humvee) with the Louisiana JAG. We were informed, in no uncertain terms, that open carry was legal in Louisiana, that we were there to help enforce the laws of Louisiana, and the law stated the people had a right to keep and bear arms. He were told that unless we witnessed a crime being committed, under no circumstances were we to relieve people of their firearms if they were carrying them in the open.

The Army and Air National Guard understand this. I wonder how brainless the Gonzales cops have to be to not get this simple concept.

In Mr. Marchiafava's own words:

After meeting my youngest daughter, Christie, and my adopted daughter, Kelly, along with Kelly's 2 year old daughter, Isabella, Kelly drove us to Gonzales, La. to visit my oldest daughter, Michelle. Needing to pick up something, I asked Kelly to drive into Tanger Factory Outlet. She dropped me off in front of the store, I ran in and out in less than 2 minutes while Kelly circled the parking lot.

While waiting to check out, I noticed an older guy standing right outside, staring intently at me. I KNEW he was either an off duty cop or he had just CALLED the cops on me. Yes, I WAS openly carrying a gun, which is quite legal in Louisiana. The state constitution CLEARLY states so. It does, however, retain the right by the state to regulate concealed carry, something that doesn't come into play here.

Sure enough, as I was paying, a Gonzales police car came cruising by slowly. After exiting the store with my purchase, I got into Kelly's car and within seconds, the cop turned on his lights and blipped his siren. Kelly exited and the cop told her it was ME he wanted to talk to.

Carefully, I approached officer Rome, and he asked why I was wearing a gun. After telling him EVERY citizen had that right, he just stood there, speechless.

I asked if he was aware of that, but STILL there was no answer.

It took THREE further queries before he finally answered, "No, I didn't know that."

Seemingly satisfied, he handed my driver's license back to me, and I heard him tell headquarters to print him out a copy of my driver's license info. At that point, I knew "they" were about to do "something." I got back into Kelly's car, not wanting to alarm them.

Sure enough, as soon as we exited the center's parking lot, FOUR Gonzales cop cars swooped in and, in true TV cop fashion, with guns drawn and lots of loud shouting.

I slowly exited the car, hands away from my side. Yes, I was roughly handcuffed to the point of having red marks on both wrists 3 hours later. I was transported to Gonzales Police headquarters. There, Officer David Breaux was trying to figure out just what to charge me with. Since he was holding Louisiana revised statutes, title 14 (criminal code) in his hands, I suggested he read 14:95, "Illegal carrying of weapons," which he did.

I tried, in vain, to explain to him there is nothing in the entire book which prohibits anyone from openly carrying a weapon in Louisiana.

His response: "Tell it to the judge."

Another "officer," Billiot, transported me across the Mississippi river to the jail in Donaldsonville. On the ride over, I tried to explain to HIM what the law states and the rights of any citizen.

He said, and I quote, "I don't care what the laws or the Supreme Court say. WE are NOT going to have people running around, wearing guns, with women and children everywhere."

I was fingerprinted, photographed and released on a $200.00 bond. Yes, all this for a MISDEMEANOR and a $200.00 bond. I am still trying to retrieve my gun at this date.

Now, let's take a look at what the law says.

Louisiana state constitution
Article 1 sec. 11 Right to Keep and Bear Arms
The right of each citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged, but this provision shall not prevent the passage of laws to prohibit the carrying of weapons concealed on the person.

Louisiana Revised Statutes
Title 14 sec. 95
Illegal Carrying of Weapons
A. Illegal carrying of weapons is:
(1) The intentional concealing of any firearm, or other instrumentality customarily used or intended for probable use as a dangerous weapon, on one's person, or
(2) the ownership, possession, custody, use of any firearm, or any other instrumentality customarily used as a dangerous weapon, at any time by an enemy alien, or
(3) the ownership, possession, custody or use of any tools, or dynamite, or nitroglycerine, or explosives, or other instrumentality customarily used by thieves or burglars at any time by any person with the intent to commit a crime ; or
(4) the manufacture, ownership, possession, custody or use of any switchblade knife, spring knife or other knife or similar instrument or having a blade which may be automatically unfolded or extended from a handle by the manipulation of a button, switch, latch or similar contrivance.
(5)(a) the intentional possession or use by any person of a dangerous weapon on a school campus during regular school hours or on a school bus. "School" means any elementary, secondary, high school, or vo-tech school in this state and "campus" means all facilities and property within the boundary of the school property. "School bus" means any motor bus being used to transport children to and from school or in connection with school activities.
(b) the provisions of this Paragraph shall not apply to:
(i) a peace officer as defined by RS:14:30(B) in the performance of his official duties.
(ii) a school official or employee acting during the normal course of his employment or a student acting under the direction of such school official or employee.
(iii) any person having the written permission of the principal or school board or engaged in competition or in marksmanship or safety instruction.

United States Code, title 42, chapter 21, subchapter I, sec. 1983
Civil action for deprivation of rights
Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom or usage, of any state or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, priviliges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer's judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable. For the purpose of this section, any act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District of Columbia shall considered to be a statute of the District of Columbia.

UPDATE FEB. 6TH, 2006

District Attorney, Tony Falterman, obtained a copy of the arrest report and, after reading it, dismissed the charge. According to his assistant, Melissa, "Mr. Falterman has read the report and considers it complete BS."

A local reporter, Steve Ward with the Advocate, contacted chief of police Bill Landy concerning my arrest. According to Steve, the chief stated "We have a policy of arresting anyone carrying a gun without a permit. We don't care what Mr. Falterman says or does."

I attempted to retrieve my gun, only to find out the Gonzales police department has a "policy" of sending all seized weapons to the state police crime lab for ballistics testing.

So let's get this straight. A man broke no law. He is arrested. His property is confiscated. The prosecutor recognizes this case as complete crap. The police will not give back property, even though no crime was committed.

Check out the letter Mr. Marchiafava received from the prosecutor in the case below.

What kind of circus are they running down there in Gonzales?

Should you want to contact the fascist nazis on Mr. Marchiafava's behalf -- and on behalf of our constitutionally guaranteed rights -- please do so. The Gonzales Police Chief's name is Bill Landry. You can email him here: gonzpd@eatel.net

Or if you're feeling particularly angry about this, give him a call and demand to know why a man who has committed no crime has been relieved of his property by his tyrannical staff, and why his officers have no respect for the laws they have sworn to enforce. His number is: 225-647-2841

The Internet is for Porn - NSFW

2006-02-14T01:28:00.000-06:00

The Internet is for Porn.

NSFW

35

2006-02-10T12:31:00.000-06:00

The 35th birthday came and went fairly uneventfully yesterday. This coming weekend, however, is booked solid with people wanting to have birthday parties/dinners, etc. We'll see how that goes.

Sometimes, being right can be such a bitch.

2006-02-06T23:24:00.000-06:00

I have to admit: I like it when people prove me right. It's even more entertaining for me when those who most often tell me I'm wrong turn around and prove that my assessment is indeed correct. The events of the last few days, under ordinary circumstances, would make me as giddy as a schoolboy who had just made off with a double armload of candy.

Unfortunately, though, sometimes being right can be downright disenheartening.

People who have been reading my blog for a while, and people who know me in real life know that I have issues with religious fanatics. That is, of course, to put it mildly.

Blind fanaticism is a dangerous thing. Religious fanaticism is even more dangerous in that the fanatics are absolutely convinced they will go to Heaven (or Paradise, or Vahalla, or whatever you wish to call it) should they die in the persecution of their specific "holy" crusade. I've had this opinion for more years than I care to count, only to be told that I'm wrong.

To the naysayers, I direct your attention to the events unfolding between Denmark and the cult of Islam. In case you haven't been paying attention, Michelle Malkin has oodles and oodles of links and pictures - far more than I am willing to chronicle on my own humble little blog.

Many practitioners of the so-called "Religion of Peace" are up in arms - often violently so - over a few poorly drawn cartoons of an alleged "prophet". Personally, I am unable to comprehend how such poorly drawn caricatures can create such a massive and vulgar response. Hell, even the Secretary General of the Useless Nitwits has said things have gotten out of hand (not that the UN would actually attempt to bring about a lasting peace). Frankly, I've seen many things in much worse taste than these depictions of Mohammed, though I have to admit that it takes some serious effort to offend me.

As I mentioned, I usually enjoy being proven right. This time, however, I can only shake my head and utter those four words I really don't like to say: I told you so.

Hmmmm

2006-02-05T01:33:00.000-06:00

Lucifer. The most misunderstood of all the

ArchAngels, you're most like the ArchAngel of

Light. You've seen the darkside and have

opted for something better. You need better

press, though chances are no one will really

understand your motives.

Which ArchAngel are you most like?
brought to you by Quizilla

Moderate Muslims Wanted

2006-02-03T16:35:00.000-06:00

Does such a creature exist? Apparently not around here.

Via Malkin.

Fuck the system

2006-01-31T16:14:00.000-06:00

As many here may remember, my nephew got put into a halfway house after his grandmother lied to his probation officer. Well, things just got worse.

Our wonderfully enlightened state government has passed a law saying that cold remedies containing pseudephadrine, a key ingredient for methamphetamine, have to be dispensed by a pharmacist, and the buyer has to sign a statement stating that they won't use the cold remedy in question to make meth. Essentially, and cold remedy containing peudephadrine is a controlled substance.

Well, last month, my nephew had a cold, so he took some Sudafed. When his routine drug test showed signs of pseudephadrine, the nitwits immediately started to process him on charges of using meth.

I just found out about this today. Needless to say, I'm rather pissed, and that some heads will most definitely roll.

The point here, however, is that our liberal government is more interested in keeping crime statistics up - even if they have to create the criminals in order to do so.

I believe Ayn Rand said it best:

There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

RIP

2006-01-31T13:30:00.000-06:00

Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., dead at age 78.

Attn Firefly fans

2006-01-26T03:42:00.000-06:00

Firefly video.

Battlestar Blogging

2006-01-24T16:59:00.000-06:00

This past weekend's episode of Battlestar Galactica has proven once again that writer/director/producer Ron Moore's idea of taking real-world events and applying them to his show is producing interesting results.

In this episode, two major issues were addressed: abortion and treason. In the first case, President Roslin decides that should Sharon and Helo's Human/Cylon hybrid child come to term, it might prove a grave danger to the fleet and orders the pregnancy terminated. A last-minute epiphany by Dr. Baltar saved both the child and the cancer-ridden president.

The second issue, that of treason, was interestingly played out. At the beginning of the episode, it is discovered that someone has sabotaged the ammunition used by the Viper squadrons. After an investigation, it is found that the sabotage was perpetrated by an organization of peace protestors who want Admiral Adama to surrender to the Cylons to stop the fighting and bloodshed. In the meantime, another saboteur almost destroys the tyllium refinery ship, which is responsible for providing fuel to Galactica, Pegasus, and all the other ships in the fleet.

It is eventually revealed that the principle organizer of the peace protestors is a Number Six model Cylon - the same Cylon who killed Admiral Cain after being freed by Baltar.

In many ways, there are vast parallels with real-world situations. Many of the peace organizations today receive funding and aid from enemy organizations and nations. International ANSWER, for example, receives money from the World Workers Party, which in turn, has recived funds from various anti-American nations, such as North Korea and Cuba. The founder of International ANSWER, Ramsey Clark, is currently serving as Saddam Hussein's defense attorney in Iraq.

It will be interesting to see what other real-world events play out in Battlestar Galactica.

Seavey on CNN

2006-01-24T16:26:00.000-06:00

This weekend, Sgt. Mark Seavey, an acquaintence of mine and a close friend of Nicki whose name and antics have been making rounds though the blogosphere for the last few weeks, had an interview with CNN.

Here's the video.

Big surprise here

2006-01-24T12:36:00.000-06:00

Hat tip: Memento Moron

It seems writers at the LA-LA Times don't support the troops, but then, we already knew that, didn't we?

Yes, GOP, I'm looking at you

2006-01-20T22:31:00.000-06:00

Once again, the ministrations of representatives of the so-called "party of small government" proves that it has abandoned the principles of Ronald Reagan.

Man awarded $1 for 105 acres Port condemned

By: DANA BURKE, Citizen Staff01/19/2006

For years, Seabrook residents have said building the Bayport container facility north of town would hurt property values.

They might be surprised at how much one man got for his tract of land - $1 for 105 acres.

Pasadena land owner Glenn Seureau, II, thinks he was robbed of his by the Port of Houston Authority. He plans to continue an uphill battle with the Port until he is paid fair market value for the land.

One civil court judge, on the other hand, seems to think $1 is compensation enough for Seureau's land, located just north of Seabrook.

Seureau fought for nearly three years to protect his property, in his family for more than 150 years, from the Port's power of eminent domain, only to lose his case in May of last year in the court of Harris County Civil Court Judge Lynn Bradshaw-Hull.

The judge ruled that having paid Seureau $1, the Port now owns the fee simple title to the property. Seureau was also ordered to give back the Port's previous payment of more than $1.9 million at 5.75 percent interest and pay the Port's court costs at the same interest rate.

Seureau has appealed the ruling, and he and his attorneys are currently in negotiations with the Port.

Port officials declined to comment on the case, but confirmed that they are working with Seureau to reach an agreement.

The conflict began in September 2002, when a special commission held a hearing regarding the Port's request to condemn Seureau's land. Seureau did not attend the hearing, and the commission ordered the Port to pay him approximately $1.9 million for the property.

The Port deposited the funds into the registry of the court, taking constructive possession of the land, but Seureau refused to take the money or relinquish the title to the property.

"I didn't think (the Port) had the right to take the property," he said, adding that the Port's need for the land seems to be based on private rather than public interests.

The Port plans to build a portion of the Houston Cruise Terminal on the property.

Seureau also believes $1.9 million is less than the market value for the land, which he had planned to develop with multi-family residences.

He was later advised by an attorney that he did not have the right to contest eminent domain and withdrew the $1.9 million to pay for further appeals regarding the market value of his land.

The Port brought Seureau to Bradshaw-Hull's court on May 16, 2005 to obtain the fee simple title that Seureau had withheld until that point.

On May 17, the judge excluded the testimony of both Seureau and his only expert witness, Louis Smith, saying that neither man could provide evidence that was relevant or reliable regarding the market value of Seureau's land.
According to court documents, the judge's final ruling was based on a lack of evidence to support Seureau's argument.

Seureau also made a motion to exclude the testimony of one of the Port's expert witnesses, Matthew Deal. The court denied that motion.

Seureau, who lives in his 180-year-old family home next door to the recently condemned property, said that although he is not familiar with the judge's intentions, he sees Bradshaw-Hull's ruling as a "punishment" for trying to challenge the Port.

"I was forced to settle for less than market value," he said.

Bradshaw-Hull declined to comment on the case since it is on appeal.

Judge Bradshaw-Hull is seeking reelection on the GOP platform.

You know what I hate?

2006-01-19T11:32:00.000-06:00

Writer's block.

In two hours, I can write a paper for school and get the highest grade in the class. In fact, I routinely help others edit and revise their papers in order to improve their grades. It's something at which I happen to have some talent.

At work, I can devise, plan, and write a new training program from scratch in less than a day. I know this because I've accomplished this very feat just last week.

Lately, however, when I attempt to write something of personal interest to me, my brain seizes up like a Yugo with bad RaceTrack gasoline. Much like Salma Hayek's character Serendipity in Kevin Smith's Dogma, I have a zillion and one ideas running around in my head, but can't seem to grab hold of any of them and keep them for myself.

Take this past week as an example. I've had muses running around in my head like ADHD-afflicted children who have been loaded up with caffeine, sugar, and crystal meth. Unfortunately, those muses - and the ideas they generate - are as difficult grab as the aforementioned hopped-up hellions. When I try to latch on to one of the many ideas buzzing around in my brain, they all scatter like politicians threatened with an ethics investigation.

The time-tested method of keeping a notebook present at all times has proven futile. As soon as hand touches pen or fingers touch keyboard, my brain goes quiet. It's infinitely perplexing and annoying. The only thing missing here is Nelson Muntz spouting his trademark "HA! HA!" at my failed efforts.

I swear if this keeps up, I'll probably end up going mad.

Meme

2006-01-12T19:12:00.000-06:00

You are Captain Malcolm Reynolds, aka. Mal or
Captain Tightpants. You saw most of your men
die in a war you lost and now you seek solitude
with a small crew that you are fiercely devoted
to. You have no problems being naked.

Which Firefly character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Politics of Battlestar Galactica

2006-01-10T00:04:00.000-06:00

Ron Moore, Navy veteran and creator of the current incarnation of the SciFi television series Battlestar Galactica, has said he wanted to draw parallels between the War on Terror and the Second Cylon War - the holocaust from which the Galactica and the fleet she protects are currently fleeing. All the while, the fleet is pursued by Cylon fleets bent on destroying the last of humanity.

Over the weekend, I was watching some episodes from the first half of Season 2. In one episode, President Roslin and Commander Adama ask a reporter (played by Lucy Lawless) to do a piece on the crew of the Galactica. Naturally, the reporter tries to spin the story that paints the crew in a negative light.

After taping an incident which could compromise security aboard Galactica, Adama tries to confiscate the tape. When the reporter was reluctant, Adama makes a comment about doing what's right. The reporter relplies "I'm sick of people like you questioning my patriotism." Of course, she hands Adama a fake take, having hidden the real one in her bra.

The reporter, D'Anna Biers, continues to make her expose, doing everything she could to ambush the crew in uncomfortable settings, or to find a way to lay blame of some bad command decisions on certain crew members (such as Colonel Tigh).

Then end of the episode reveals that the reporter is a Cylon infiltrator.

Does this sound a little familiar?

Sometimes....

2006-01-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

...the jokes just write themselves.

Sen. Kennedy to Publish Children's Book

NEW YORK - Meet the latest children's author, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and his Portuguese Water Dog, Splash, his co-protagonist in "My Senator and Me: A Dogs-Eye View of Washington, D.C."

Scholastic Inc. will release the book in May.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to create a book for young readers and their families that will deepen their understanding of how our American government works," Kennedy said in a statement Monday issued by Scholastic.

According to Scholastic, Kennedy's book "not only takes readers through a full day in the Senator's life, but also explains how a bill becomes a law." Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, was inspired to write the book from his work with a Washington-based reading program, "Everybody Wins!"

Kennedy's net proceeds will be donated to charity.

Books are a Kennedy family tradition, from John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Profiles in Courage" to the poetry compilations edited by Caroline Kennedy. Books about dogs are a Washington tradition, thanks to the best-selling "Millie's Book," by then-first lady Barbara Bush.

Ted Kennedy's book is 56 pages and includes illustrations by David Small, winner of the 2001 Caldecott Medal for his pictures in Judith St. George's "So You Want to Be President?"

I want my B...S...G!

2006-01-06T15:51:00.000-06:00

The best show on television, Battlestar Galactica, returns tonight!

Ariel Sharon Dead? Scroll down for updates

2006-01-06T09:18:00.000-06:00

Ariel Sharon dead?

Update

Fox News and CNN are reporting that Sharon was rushed into emergency surgery and is still alive.

It seem as though no one knows what the hell is going on.

Again.

Update II

Stable, but serious.

Update III

Doctors say Sharon has slim chance

Man gets 60-day sentence for child rape

2006-01-05T12:31:00.000-06:00

Hat tip: Malkin.

A Vermont man was sentenced to 60 days in jail for repeatedly raping a child over a span of four years. You read that right: 60 days. Let's look at the article:

Rapist's Prison Sentence Triggers Outrage

Burlington, Vermont -- January 4, 2005

There was outrage Wednesday when a Vermont judge handed out a 60-day jail sentence to a man who raped a little girl many,many times over a four-year span starting when she was seven.

The judge said he no longer believes in punishment and is more concerned about rehabilitation.

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.

Read the rest here.

One could argue that punishment and rehabilitation are often the same. For example, if a man rapes a child, and I cut his balls off with a dull, rusty chainsaw, I'd say that he's being punished and rehabilitated at the same time. Not only is he paying the price for his crime, assurances are being made that the perpetrator will never again be able to rape another child.

Miner tragedy. Media Fiasco

2006-01-04T14:58:00.000-06:00

There was a lot I wanted to say about the media's grotesque minshandling of the recent tragedy in Tallmansville, WV, but Laurence Simon of TBIFOC beat me to it.

Laurence hits the nail on the head with this statement:

Welcome to the Age of the Global Misinformation Sausage Factory.

Once upon a time, they actually appeared to give a damn. They either had the sources or they admitted they didn't and busted their asses to get them.

But these days, instead of getting more meat in our hotdogs from the sausage factory that is news, we are getting more and more sawdust and filtler. And every time we get a peek into the sausage factory, such as the incidents with Jayson Blair and Judy Miller, we are revolted at the reeking conditions under which this piss-poor quality product is being manufactured, packaged, and marketed.

And yet, like the fools who wolf down the anonymous casings full of pureed pig-parts, we gulp down this infocrap without a second thought

Attention Men

2006-01-03T15:13:00.000-06:00

Hat tip: Nicki.

Guys, do you ever have that not-so-fresh feeling in your groin? Does the smell of ball-sweat make you gag when you drop trou?

If so, then we've got just the product for you: Balla Powder.

Product Information

• 3.5 oz
• Lightly fragranced
• For "nether region" freshness
• Also great for sweaty buttocks, armpits and feet

Description
Ball powder. We're not kidding.

Balla Powder for Men is the ideal anti-chafing and anti-wetness solution for clammy sacks. Guaranteed to prevent the dreaded "bat wing" syndrome, Balla Powder for Men is lightly scented with a masculine fragrance, for anyone else who plans to work in your close quarters. Can be sprinkled into your fudgies for all-day-long comfort and dryness.

A fabulous post-workout treatment, Balla Powder for Men can also be used between your cheeks, as well as on fetid feet and aromatic armpits.

Non-Asbestiform Talc
Balla Powder for Men contains Non-Asbestiform Talc. That is, talc which DOES NOT contain carcinogenic asbestos fibers. FDA considers non-asbestiform talc to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) for use in cosmetics.

Ingredients
Talc, Zinc Stearate, Fragrance.

We're from the government....

2006-01-03T14:34:00.000-06:00

...And we're here to fuck things up even more than they already are.

1M cans of donated water dumped
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.01.2006

DALLAS — One million cans of drinking water donated for hurricane relief have been emptied and recycled because the water was never used at Texas and Louisiana hurricane shelters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
FEMA hauled the 400,000 liters of water, or 18 truckloads, to a scrap-metal business in the Dallas area last month. The water was dumped into a sewer and the cans sent for recycling.

FEMA spokesman Don Jacks said the cans were given by Coca-Cola and other donors in response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. After the evacuees left, the shelters gave the unused water to FEMA, which stored them at its Fort Worth regional distribution center.

"We didn't need it anymore," Jacks said.

In addition, expiration dates stamped on some of the 12-ounce, unpainted cans had expired, said Joe Perkins Jr., foreman of Lake June Scrap Metals.

Water doesn't spoil, but it can take on the taste of its container, said Ray Crockett, a spokesman for Coca-Cola. The company donated about 40 million drinks, mostly water, during the relief effort, he said.

FEMA is grateful for the donations, but they can be a mixed blessing because the agency must pay for transporting and disposing of leftover goods, Jacks said.

Crockett said Coca-Cola was pleased that most of the products it donated reached people who needed them.

Well, since everyone else is doing it....

2006-01-02T11:33:00.000-06:00

...I'm going to make predictions for 2006.

Here goes my prediction:

2006 is going to suck just as bad as, if not worse than, 2005.

Crappy New Year, everyone.

Photo Blogging

2006-01-01T22:36:00.000-06:00

I took these pictures on Friday, and wanted to take a few moments to share them.

The End of the World is Nigh!

2005-12-28T15:15:00.000-06:00

Pac-Man. Coming to a theater near you.

Group tries to silence Christian 1st Amendment Rights

2005-12-28T10:54:00.000-06:00

How dare these commie atheist pigs try to silence these poor persecuted Christians' right to freely express their religion! All true Christians should rise up and smite these Godless heathens.

Foes of Phelps fight ire with ire
By SCOTT CANON
The Kansas City Star

SOUTH HAVEN, Kan. — The Phelps family hoisted the same old laminated gay-bashing placards.

They made their same tired chants taking glee in a soldier’s death.

Another funeral, another round of pickets from the minichurch fixated on homosexuality.

Yet now that the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. has moved on to flinging epithets at military martyrs, a few politicians have begun trying to silence him. Their success will depend on how carefully they mind free speech as they write their laws.

In the meantime, noise is met with noise.

Whenever the few protesters from Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church shouted or sang Wednesday in South Haven, the earth trembled.

Any time they spoke up, the wrists of biker veterans twisted on dozens of throttles to strike the thundering chords of Honda and Harley-Davidson.

More than 200 bikers had made themselves into a chrome-and-black leather barrier. The 10 anti-gay picketers stood on one side, drowned out by the noise. Mourners arriving for the funeral of Army Sgt. Evan Parker passed on the other side.

“We’re supporting the family of a fallen soldier,” yelled Don Barr of American Legion Post 138 of Caney. “And we’re telling these jokers” — he jutted a thumb in the direction of Phelps’ picketers — “to get lost.”

Were the protesters concerned that the spectacle might upset a grieving family?

“No,” Fred Phelps Jr., said. His 75-year-old father is increasingly absent from the picketing. “The (soldier’s) family has made a public spectacle of things. There’s nothing private here.”

People have hoped for years that the obsessively anti-gay protesters would go away. Yet the Phelps clan travels the country, and even overseas, to protest anything it deems not hostile enough to homosexuality. (The Kansas City Star, and the funerals of former employees, have been picketed at times.)

Most recently, the peculiar Phelps logic has shifted the pickets to funerals of Americans killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Phelps’ church says the deaths are the penance of a nation too accommodating of homosexuality or, alternatively, that the deaths of U.S. servicemen and woman are divine retaliation for a small bomb that caused about $1,800 damage in 1995 outside the Topeka home of one of Phelps’ daughters.

Legislators in two states are pushing laws to bar protests at funerals. At least one Tennessee county has adopted a resolution to keep picketers away from mourners.

That has triggered warnings of a First Amendment showdown. While Phelps family’s message strikes many people as offensive (one of their signs reads “Thank God For Dead Soldiers”), it is decidedly political.

In 1995, a federal judge threw out a Kansas law that prohibited picketing outside funerals because it was too vague. With Phelps in mind, legislators quickly adopted a law specifically barring pickets an hour before and two hours after a funeral. (Missouri has no law regulating picketing at funerals.)

The Kansas law bars pickets only near a funeral, and in planning for Wednesday’s demonstration, Sumner County Attorney Shawn DeJarnett looked at lower-court rulings that said the state law effectively allows people to protest from across the street.

“We came to the conclusion to avoid confrontation” and decided against arrests, DeJarnett said. Officials elsewhere have taken the same approach.

The U.S. Supreme Court repeatedly has upheld laws that establish protest-free buffer zones around abortion clinics — laws that specify the distances and apply to everyone.

Before memorial services in 1998 for Matthew Shepard, a man singled out for a brutal robbery and murder because he was gay, officials in Casper, Wyo., adopted a 50-foot no-protest zone. The action earned them a letter from Phelps that described it as an “ideal arrangement.”

But in September 1998, the city of Lincoln, Neb., passed an ordinance in response to protesters who staked out a church attended by a doctor who provides abortions. The courts tossed out the law saying that in protecting children from upsetting messages the ordinance also kept those messages away from adults.

Tim Butz, a Vietnam veteran and executive director of the Nebraska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he thinks similar efforts to muzzle the Phelps protests will be doomed.

“It may be obnoxious as can be,” said Butz. But “we don’t just protect popular speech in this country.”

One legal argument, however, holds that the right law could keep Phelps from tossing insults at funeral processions.

“The regulation has to be content-neutral,” said Michael Fenner, a First Amendment expert at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.

Fenner said a law might stand up if it is related only to time and place of funeral pickets — limiting protests to within so many feet from a service or so many hours before or after a service begins. Even if lawmakers obviously intend to push away Phelps, Fenner said, the law might survive. He noted a 1960s law aimed at stopping protesters from burning their draft cards by requiring young men to always carry the cards.

“Everybody understood this was a way to jail people who burned their draft card,” Fenner said. “It didn’t matter. It stood up.”

Likewise, Fenner said laws aimed at Phelps might withstand court challenges precisely because of whom they are intended to control.

“Judges are humans,” he said. “They’re not going to have any sympathy for this guy.”

Oklahoma Rep. Paul Wesselhoft makes clear his sympathies lie with military families. A retired Army chaplain, Wesselhoft has introduced a bill that would ban any protest within 500 feet of a funeral site from two hours before the service starts until two hours after it is over. Violators would face a mandatory 30 days in jail.

“This comes when a family is in its most vulnerable state,” Wesselhoft said of the protests. “We can protect them a little without trampling free speech.”

Clay County, Tenn., adopted a ban on picketing funerals, and Indiana state Sen. Brent Steele has drafted similar legislation.

“In my family, if somebody had done that at one of our services, it wouldn’t have been pretty,” Steele said. “No family at their lowest emotional ebb should be put into this trick box of (being provoked into) clocking these guys and then getting sued.”

For years, the Phelps protesters stuck to waving placards at the funerals of people who died of AIDS or harassing public officials in Topeka and elsewhere who dared condemn them.

“For our folks, the shock value has mostly worn off,” said Ron Schlittler, deputy executive director of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. “The answer to abuse of freedom of speech is for other people to speak up more vigorously.”

Vanda Neely, a doughnut shop employee who lives in South Haven, said of Phelps, “I think this bunch needs to go home. They’re not making any friends.”

Rather, they draw regular confrontations with American Legion bikers.

Bill Logan of Wichita was at his fourth funeral to counter the picketing. Each time, the veterans check with police and the family of the deceased to make sure they are welcome, Logan said.

“It’s the least we can do,” he said.

Inside the South Haven High School gymnasium, Sgt. Parker’s family and friends recalled an energetic and competitive 25-year-old father of two who died in Germany a few days after a roadside bomb went off near Balad, Iraq.

“He was not a victim,” Brig. Gen. Vern Miyagi said. “He was an American hero.”

Outside, men such as “Grizzly” Bob Jeter, a 51-year-old Army veteran from Wichita, stood vigil.

“If those losers are going to be somewhere,” Jeter said of the protesters, “there will be a whole lot more of us.”

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T01:19:00.000-06:00

There. I've said it.

You may now resume celebrating your materialistic holiday.

Talk about missing the point....

2005-12-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

There's a big panic amongst theater owners these days because of free-falling box office receipts. Apparently, for some unknown reason, people are attending movie theaters in less-than-staggering numbers these days. So, what is the proposed solution to this problem? Why, lobbying the FCC for permission to jam cell phones, of course, because the only reason people go to theaters is to escape their homes and watch a movie in a cellphone-free environment.

Naturally, the box office slump has absolutely nothing to do with, say, the garbage that gets put on the big screen these days. Just like it has absolutely nothing to do with exhorbitant ticket prices, and the requirement of having to sell one's children into slavery in order to afford a bucket of popcorn and a soda.

Nope. It's all because of the cellphones.

Freeman: "Black history is American history."

2005-12-16T15:20:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman, an incredibly talented actor whose Oscar was a long time in coming, came out swinging against racism. His major premise was that racism is fed by the ones who wish to celebrate what divides Americans as opposed to celebrating what unites Americans. In this case, he says the concept of Black History Month is "ridiculous." For what it's worth, I believe Freeman is teling the truth when he states "Black history is American history."

Freeman is the latest black celebrity to go on record as opposing the seemingly innocuous events that cause serious damage to the black community in America. Previous celebrities are Bill Cosby and Carl Eller.

Freeman Criticizes Black History Month

Thu Dec 15, 2:40 PM ET

NEW YORK - Morgan Freeman says the concept of a month dedicated to black history is "ridiculous."

"You're going to relegate my history to a month?" the 68-year-old actor says in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" to air Sunday (7 p.m. EST). "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."

Black History Month has roots in historian Carter G. Woodson's Negro History Week, which he designated in 1926 as the second week in February to mark the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Woodson said he hoped the week could one day be eliminated — when black history would become fundamental to American history.

Freeman notes there is no "white history month," and says the only way to get rid of racism is to "stop talking about it."

The actor says he believes the labels "black" and "white" are an obstacle to beating racism.

"I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man," Freeman says.

Freeman received Oscar nominations for his roles in 1987's "Street Smart," 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy" and 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption." He finally won earlier this year for "Million Dollar Baby."

King Kong racist?

2005-12-15T15:40:00.000-06:00

It is, at least according to the race hustlers who can somehow manage to see racism in a bowl of Cheerios.

Big black and bad stereotyping
By Kwame McKenzie

Most black men I know will think twice about going to see King Kong. First because of the story, second because of Peter Jackson's other recent blockbuster movies.

The story feeds into all the colonial hysteria about black hyper-sexuality. This imagery has a long history and is difficult to shift.

It was so pervasive and prevalent even in the 17th century that Shakespeare could write Othello knowing that his audience would understand the Moor stereotype. As Kristin Johnsen-Neshati, Associate Professor of Theatre at George Mason University notes in her writing on the subject: "Moors were commonly stereotyped as sexually overactive, prone to jealousy and generally wicked. The public associated 'blackness' with moral corruption, citing examples from Christian theology to support the view that whiteness was the sign of purity, just as blackness indicated sin."

It is so pervasive that after fronting a pop psychology TV series a decade ago as a psychiatrist I was offered a 20 part series on sex.

The story also touches the raw nerve of the Darwin-based association between black men and apes. Though the monkey noises and the discussion about whether Africans are the missing link between apes and humans may be out of the classroom, it still has to be endured by black footballers when they travel to away games.

Peter Jackson used the same hackneyed stereotypes for the Lord of the Rings triology. The most fearsome baddies were big black and just a bit too Maori looking, the good guys - well white.

So when King Kong unfolded and the 1930s New York crowd scenes were almost devoid of black faces, rather than the 15 per cent you would have expected, and when the first black actors had small non-speaking parts - dancers and the only major black character was the strong caring second officer to the ship's captain - the good and dutiful slave stereotype - I was squirming in my seat. If I had not been at a premier with my transfixed son I would have been out of the door soon after the wide eyed, homicidal, half dressed, blacker than black natives of Skull Island started cavorting one hour in.

I was lucky that my paternal instinct to stay and explain this to my son at the end got the better of me, because the next two hours were fabulous.

Though it was always impossible for the film not to endorse the black male stereotype, and one has to ask why Jackson so wanted to make King Kong as opposed to anything else, his attempt to shelve the lust angle and portray the relationship between Kong and Darrow (played by Naomi Watts) as owner and favourite pet - in that order - worked. The cinematography was excellent and my worst fears were not realised.

But I could not help but feel that if Jackson had put as much thought into the rest of the racial imagery as he did into the relationship between Kong and Darrow this could have gone down as a much less offensive film. As it is it leaves a bitter sweet taste in my mouth and a complex discussion on negative stereotypes that I have had to have with my son.

It left me thinking, that if censors look at violence, sex, and sexual violence when giving a certificate why do they not look at negative racial stereotypes?

Dr McKenzie is a societal psychiatrist, specialist in causes of mental illness, racism and social capital.

The So-Called “War on Christmas”

2005-12-14T13:44:00.000-06:00

This year, the religious reactionaries are whipping themselves into a masturbatory frenzy over the alleged “war on Christmas”. It’s gotten to the point where they’re veritably foaming at the mouth in simulated rage whenever someone mentions the phrase “Happy Holidays”.

“How dare you try to take ‘Christ” out of Christmas!” they screech to all within earshot.

Y’know, I’m 34 years old, and as far back as I can remember, the phrase “Happy Holidays” has always been used. As I understand it, Christmas isn’t the only holiday that takes place during the month of December; it is merely the most high profile. So, naturally, the phrase “Happy Holidays” can be looked at as the recognition of the other holidays that other people celebrate, as opposed to an attempt to “take Christ out of Christmas.”

This brings me to my next point – “taking Christ out of Christmas.” Please. Spare me your mock anger. Christ hasn’t played a large part in Christmas for as long as I can remember. The absolute most attention the vast majority of people pay to the birth of Christ during the Holiday Season (“Aaaaaaahhhhhh, no, he’s attacking Christmas again!”) is when they say “Praise Jesus, now pass the Playstation.”

This is not to say, of course, that all Christians surrender to the materialistic nature that has come to embody the Holiday Season (“Ack! He said it again!”). In fact, I know a few (and only a few) who generally try to keep true to the spirit of Christmas, but their quiet belief gets buried under the cries of “gimmegimmegimme” that echo through the Hallowed Halls of American Consumerism.

And, there’s the other side of the coin: the secular reactionaries who, like the religious reactionaries, work themselves up into an impotent tizzy when they hear someone say “Merry Christmas.” To these people, all I can say is “shut the fuck up.” These folks are even worse than the religious reactionaries, in my opinion, because they’re trying to prevent people from celebrating an allegedly religious holiday in a manner they deem appropriate. Sure, I criticize what I see as mass stupidity that’s pervasive at this time of year, but I never actually make an effort to stop people from “celebrating” their “holiday.”

I’m not a Christian, and haven’t claimed to be one for more than 20 years. As such, I do not celebrate Christmas, nor any other religious holiday. However, when someone says “Merry Christmas” to me, I return the sentiment. Same thing when someone says “Happy Holidays.”

Does this make me a hypocrite? Not at all, because it causes me neither grief nor pain to politely utter two words in response to someone else politely muttering those words to me.

The Great Sucking Sound, Hollywood Style

2005-12-13T15:38:00.000-06:00

Hat tip: Tammy Bruce.

A few months back, I made a post about what I termed to be the Vast Vortex of Suckitude. I made that post after having become disgusted with the serious lack of both originality and quality of films being turned out by Hollywood over the last few years.

It seems I'm not the only one making this observation. Hollywood is reporting its worst box office receipts in 15 years. The reasons being observed for this slump are the exact same reasons I mentioned in my previous post: remakes, sequels, video game themes, and big-screen bastardizations of 1970's television shows.

Maybe Hollywood should wake up to the vast amounts of horse manure it's putting out, and actually make an original flick for a change.

Governator: "Hasta la vista, Tookie."

2005-12-12T14:50:00.000-06:00

Stanley Williams, aka "Tookie", is scheduled to be executed tonight in the state of California. Tookie Williams is one of the co-founders of the bloodthirsty and violent gang known as the "Crips." He was convicted in 1981 for the murder of four people, and was sentenced to die for his crimes.

In the last 24 hours, the California Supreme Court has refused to grant a stay of execution, and California Governor Arnold Shwarzenegger has stated that he will not grant clemency to Williams.

Schwarzenegger Won't Spare 'Tookie' Williams' Life

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has refused to spare the life of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the founder of the murderous Crips gang who awaited execution early Tuesday in a case that stirred debate over capital punishment and the possibility of redemption on death row.

Williams, 51, was set to die by injection at San Quentin State Prison after midnight for murdering four people in two 1979 holdups.

A federal appeals court Monday rejected a stay of execution for Williams.

With the clock ticking down to the scheduled execution of Williams, officials made final preparations at San Quentin State Prison.

Guards have been watching Williams for unusual behavior and are recording his activities every 15 minutes.

The death chamber, where as many as 50 people are allowed to witness executions, has been cleaned. It's also been stocked with fresh supplies of medical tape, syringes and chemicals.

The California Highway Patrol is preparing security measures for outside the prison, where hundreds of people are expected to rally Monday night.

A team of defense lawyers for Williams is busy with a last-ditch federal appeal to call off his execution.

The California Supreme Court has already refused to grant a stay of execution. Williams is scheduled to die a minute after midnight tonight by injection at San Quentin State Prison.

Williams co-founded the Crips gang. He was condemned to death for the murder of a man during a robbery in February 1979 and the slayings of a couple and their daughter at a South Los Angeles motel the following month.

Opponents note that Williams has never acknowledged killing his victims and insists someone else did it.

RIP: Richard Pryor

2005-12-10T15:43:00.000-06:00

Comedian Richard Pryor dies at 65

Saturday, December 10, 2005; Posted: 4:32 p.m. EST (21:32 GMT)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Richard Pryor, the caustic yet perceptive actor-comedian who lived dangerously close to the edge both on stage and off, has died, his ex-wife said Saturday. He was 65.

Pryor died of a heart attack at his home in the San Fernando Valley sometime late Friday or early Saturday, Flyn Pryor said. He had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system.

The comedian was regarded early in his career as one of the most foul-mouthed comics in the business, but he gained a wide following for his expletive-filled but universal and frequently personal insights into modern life and race relations.

His audacious style influenced an array of stand-up artists, including Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Damon Wayans, as well as Robin Williams, David Letterman and others.

A series of hit comedies in the '70s and '80s, as well as filmed versions of his concert performances, helped make him Pryor one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood. He was one of the first black performers to have enough leverage to cut his own Hollywood deals. In 1983, he signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures.

His films included "Stir Crazy," "Silver Streak," "Which Way Is Up?" and "Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip."

25 years ago today...

2005-12-08T14:56:00.000-06:00

John Lennon was put out of our misery.

A date which will live in infamy

2005-12-07T14:02:00.000-06:00

Transcript of Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Japan (1941)

Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives:

Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Transcription courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Attention Brat Owners

2005-12-06T14:39:00.000-06:00

Your drooling, dripping, screeching, whining "darlings" aren't cute. They are neither lovable nor special. What they are is "annoying."

It is not funny to let your offspring run rampant through the mall/stores, etc. It is not polite to sit and eat dinner at a restaraunt while your little hellions are tormenting the other patrons with their ear-splitting screeches as they run up and down the aisles.

Control your little brats before some fed-up third party remembers that duct tape is roughly $1.50/roll.

Don't Call It "Spyware"

2005-12-02T10:30:00.000-06:00

Gator, also known as the Scourge of the Internet has gotten itself a makeover, and worse, it has gotten a government green-light to continue it's malicious practices.

Don't Call It Spyware

By Annalee Newitz

Back in 2002, Gator was one of the most reviled companies on the Net. Maker of a free app called eWallet, the firm was under fire for distributing what critics called spyware, code that covertly monitors a user's Web-surfing habits and uploads the data to a remote server. People who downloaded Gator eWallet soon found their screens inundated with pop-up ads ostensibly of interest to them because of Web sites they had visited. Removing eWallet didn't stop the torrent of pop-ups. Mounting complaints attracted the attention of the Federal Trade Commission. Online publishers sued the company for obscuring their Web sites with pop-ups. In a June 2002 legal brief filed with the lawsuit, attorneys for The Washington Post referred to Gator as a "parasite." ZDNet called it a "scourge."

Today Gator, now called Claria, is a rising star. The lawsuits have been settled - with negligible impact on the company's business - and Claria serves ads for names like JPMorgan Chase, Sony, and Yahoo! The Wall Street Journal praises the company for "making strides in revamping itself." Earlier this year, The New York Times reported that Microsoft came close to acquiring Claria. Google acknowledges Claria's technology in recent patent applications. Best of all, government agencies and watchdog groups have given their blessing to the company's latest product: software that watches everything users do online and transmits their surfing histories to Claria, which uses the data to determine which ads to show them.

Read the rest here.

Mooooo-Rah!

2005-12-01T12:04:00.000-06:00

Once more, it’s time to gird ourselves up for battle as the 1st Cattle Brigade starts its annual march to war. Of course, by “war,” I really mean “Christmas shopping.”

Naturally, some people think I’m giving in to hyperbole and exaggeration, but in fact, I’m not. Let’s take an example this past weekend at a local Brawl-Mart. Several people were arrested as holiday shoppers started a knockdown, drag-out battle over toys of no significance whatsoever. The release of Microsoft’s new game console, the XBOX 360, has merely added fuel to the fire.

These are but the latest incidences in a long line of holiday shopping nightmares. A few years back, when I was living in California, the big must-have toy of the year was the Furby. Jeff & Jer, the morning show at a local radio station almost started a riot at one of the Brawl-Marts. Their little Go-Fer, Helper Boy Randy, accessed the store’s PA system, and announced the arrival of a large number of Furbys. The “shoppers” practically killed one another to get the beloved Furby before the toys were all gone.

The Tickle-Me Elmo doll, the must-have toy that shoppers were brawling with each other to acquire, dominated the year prior to that.

This year, however, the battles have started early. The first holiday shopping weekend hadn’t even gotten into full swing before the fur started to fly. For those of you going out into the fray, whether for Christmas shopping or simply to run errands amidst the madness, I have only this advice: Armor up, gear up, and Moooooooove out!

Gallows humor

2005-12-01T10:05:00.000-06:00

Ok, some people just need to lighten up.

Lakeside Mall demands 'blue roof' Christmas display be taken down

07:31 AM CST on Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Stacey Plaisance / Associated Press

METAIRIE -- Frank Evans thought the tiny blue-tarped roofs, little toppled fences and miniature piles of hurricane debris he included in the Christmas display he builds every year for a suburban New Orleans shopping mall struck just the right humorous tone.

Mall management decided otherwise and told Evans, a landscape architect from nearby Gretna, to dismantle it.

"Although most people did enjoy the decorations, a few customers found the display to be in poor taste," said a statement issued Tuesday night by Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie.

Evans videotaped the display before dismantling it. The creation had sat since mid-November among a grand, more traditional display of gleaming Christmas trees, colorful gifts wrapped in holiday paper and Santa's elves on carousel horses.

Situated in a large open plaza in the heart of the mall, the display was 60 feet long, circled by a miniature train that children rode after sitting on Santa's lap. Plush stuffed animals sat atop hills with model trains running on tracks and through tunnels -- and a rescue helicopter circling above.

Bob and Jill Patin of Gentilly liked the "You Loot, We Shoot" graffiti on one of the ruined refrigerators.

"It's priceless," Jill Patin said. The couple, who are rebuilding their home that had wind and flood damage, came to the mall just to see the display, she said. And they weren't alone.

Kim Koster heard about it and brought her camera. "It's like putting Christmas lights up on your FEMA trailer. It just makes you feel better," said the Uptown New Orleans resident, whose home was inundated.

As children rode by on the motorized train, Ray Smith and his wife, Marcia, chuckled at the "Caution -- Operates Only in Good Weather" sign next to a model of a Jefferson Parish pumping station. It was a wry reference to a decision by Jefferson Parish president Aaron Broussard to evacuate pump operators before Katrina hit on Aug. 29, inundating the area.

"At times like this, you need a little humor," Ray Smith said.

Evans has long thrown political humor into his displays. "It's fun for the adults," he said.

When former Gov. Edwin Edwards was facing racketeering charges in 2000 (he's now serving a 10-year sentence) Evans' Christmas scene included a model of a federal prison with a sign that read: "Louisiana Politicians' Retirement Home." It also featured sharks walking upright carrying briefcases.

Following the 2000 presidential race, Evans included two model trains representing each candidate. "The Bush train crossed the finish line, and the Gore train was derailed," Evans said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

I'm all for free-market capitalism...

2005-11-30T19:40:00.000-06:00

...but this is just fucking insane.

Latest news

2005-11-30T16:01:00.000-06:00

Star was let out of the hospital today.

Mom's still in the hospital, and she's going stir crazy.

Update

2005-11-28T12:52:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, my sister was taken to the hospital to because she wasn't doing well at all. Turns out she's contracted pneumonia, which is a bad thing to have while undergoing chemotherapy. Add to this the fact that Star has cancer in her lungs, and you end up with a recipe for a serious medical problem. She was admitted to the hospital there in Abilene about the same time that my dad, my sister's boyfriend, Mister Priapus and I were leaving Houston.

When we got to Abilene on early Thursday morning, my mother asked me to take a look at a sore on her back. The "sore" turned out to be a massive staph-infected boil from which greyish-green puss was draining freely. It took both me and my sister-in-law (who's a nurse) to convince her that she needed to see a doctor right then instead of waiting for her next scheduled doctor's appointment.

We took her to the doctor, who drained the boil as best he could, then packed it with gauze to help draw out the infection. He also prescribed some antibiotics to help fight the infection. When we took her back on Saturday for a follow up, the doctor was not satisfied with her improvement, and admitted her to the hospital. Currently, she's in the same ward as my sister.

That's pretty much how my Thanksgiving holiday went.

15:30...15:31...15:32...

2005-11-28T12:22:00.000-06:00

What if a socialist propaganda tool and unapologetic attention whore had a book signing, and nobody showed up?

And we're off

2005-11-23T20:38:00.000-06:00

As soon as Mister Priapus gets off work, he and I are headed out of town to visit my sister, who's staying with my brother and his family. As this will probably be the last Thanksgiving I'll have with my sister, I intend to make the most of it.

We should be back in Houston sometime on Sunday, though I'm taking my laptop, so I might be able to make a post between now and then.

I'm also taking a computer I built primarily for my brother and his family, though Star will probably make more use of it than they will. And, yes, I'm gearing up for my newly reprised role of "Family Tech Support Representative."

Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy

2005-11-22T11:29:00.000-06:00

This is an abstract for a soon-to-be published article examining the dangers of an overbearing bureaucracy.

Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy

This Essay examines what the Harry Potter series (and particularly the most recent book, The Half-Blood Prince) tells us about government and bureaucracy. There are two short answers. The first is that Rowling presents a government (The Ministry of Magic) that is 100% bureaucracy. There is no discernable executive or legislative branch, and no elections. There is a modified judicial function, but it appears to be completely dominated by the bureaucracy, and certainly does not serve as an independent check on governmental excess.

Second, government is controlled by and for the benefit of the self-interested bureaucrat. The most cold-blooded public choice theorist could not present a bleaker portrait of a government captured by special interests and motivated solely by a desire to increase bureaucratic power and influence. Consider this partial list of government activities: a) torturing children for lying; b) utilizing a prison designed and staffed specifically to suck all life and hope out of the inmates; c) placing citizens in that prison without a hearing; d) allows the death penalty without a trial; e) allowing the powerful, rich or famous to control policy and practice; f) selective prosecution (the powerful go unpunished and the unpopular face trumped-up charges); g) conducting criminal trials without independent defense counsel; h) using truth serum to force confessions; i) maintaining constant surveillance over all citizens; j) allowing no elections whatsoever and no democratic lawmaking process; k) controlling the press.

This partial list of activities brings home just how bleak Rowling's portrait of government is. The critique is even more devastating because the governmental actors and actions in the book look and feel so authentic and familiar. Cornelius Fudge, the original Minister of Magic, perfectly fits our notion of a bumbling politician just trying to hang onto his job. Delores Umbridge is the classic small-minded bureaucrat who only cares about rules, discipline, and her own power. Rufus Scrimgeour is a George Bush-like war leader, inspiring confidence through his steely resolve. The Ministry itself is made up of various sub-ministries with goofy names (e.g., The Goblin Liaison Office or the Ludicrous Patents Office) enforcing silly sounding regulations (e.g., The Decree for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans or The Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery). These descriptions of government jibe with our own sarcastic views of bureaucracy and bureaucrats: bureaucrats tend to be amusing characters that propagate and enforce laws of limited utility with unwieldy names. When you combine the light-hearted satire with the above list of government activities, however, Rowling's critique of government becomes substantially darker and more powerful.

Furthermore, Rowling eliminates many of the progressive defenses of bureaucracy. The most obvious omission is the elimination of the democratic defense. The first line of attack against public choice theory is always that bureaucrats must answer to elected officials, who must in turn answer to the voters. Rowling eliminates this defense by presenting a wholly unelected government.

A second line of defense is the public-minded bureaucrat. Some theorists argue that the public choice critique ignores what government officials are really like. They are not greedy, self-interested budget-maximizers. Instead, they are decent and publicly oriented. Rowling parries this defense by her presentation of successful bureaucrats (who clearly fit the public choice model) and unsuccessful bureaucrats. Harry's best friend's Dad, Arthur Weasley is a well-meaning government employee. He is described as stuck in a dead end job, in the least respected part of the government, in the worst office in the building. In Rowling's world governmental virtue is disrespected and punished.

Lastly, Rowling even eliminates the free press as a check on government power. The wizarding newspaper, The Daily Prophet, is depicted as a puppet to the whims of Ministry of Magic. I end the piece with some speculation about how Rowling came to her bleak vision of government, and the greater societal effects it might have. Speculating about the effects of Rowling's portrait of government is obviously dangerous, but it seems likely that we will see a continuing uptick in distrust of government and libertarianism as the Harry Potter generation reaches adulthood.

Let's look at this last sentence again:

Speculating about the effects of Rowling's portrait of government is obviously dangerous, but it seems likely that we will see a continuing uptick in distrust of government and libertarianism as the Harry Potter generation reaches adulthood.

Like that's a bad thing...? People should distrust the government.

Why?

The answer is extremely simple: if the public gets too comfortable (read: "complacent") with the government, then the government begins to run the people, as opposed to the people running the government. Every time the people aren't watching, the government gives itself more power.

FEC rules that bloggers are journalists

2005-11-18T10:42:00.000-06:00

Read the ruling here.

Score a small one for the First Amendment.

Of course, this wouldn't even be an issue if the USSC had struck down the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Anti-Free Speech Act as unconstitutional.

Country(?) Music Awards

2005-11-15T21:55:00.000-06:00

Tonight is the Country Music Association Awards in New York. The list of performers include:

Dierks Bentley
Big & Rich
Bon Jovi
Kenny Chesney
Sara Evans
Rascal Flatts
Faith Hill and others

As the old Sesame Street song goes: "One of these things is not like the others." Can anyone find it?

"African-Americans" rioting in France

2005-11-14T15:27:00.000-06:00

Hat tip: Newsbusters via Michelle Malkin.

More PC silliness run amok: check the video from CNN.

Update on Star

2005-11-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, my sister had been seeing this new doctor who'd reportedly the best oncologist in the region where she's staying. This new doctor is known to be very aggressive in his treatment style. He's also been reluctant to use the word "terminal" to describe Star's condition.

As of today, he's no longer reluctant to use that word. He's been holding back to see how Star reacted to her chemo treatments. Well, she's reacting, but no where near as well as he had initially expected. He's admitted that he can slow down the spread of the cancer but he cannot stop it.

According to his estimates, if she continues to respond as she has been, Star has about two years. If she stops reacting to the treatment - something the doctor admits is highly possible - then the time is measurable in months.

QotD

2005-11-11T14:02:00.000-06:00

"The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself."

Sir Richard Francis Burton

Has Dubya finally found his balls?

2005-11-11T13:32:00.000-06:00

Or is this just a fluke?

Hat tip: Malkin.

"While it is perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs. They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein.

They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his
development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. Many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his
position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: 'When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security.' That's why more than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate, who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power.

"The stakes in the global War on Terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges. These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who send them to war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our Nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory."

Envirophobia

2005-11-10T23:44:00.000-06:00

Coward Party strikes out again

2005-11-10T18:26:00.000-06:00

So it looks like the GOP has adopted the French method of dealing with Democrats - by surrendering unconditionally.

House GOP Leaders Scuttle Budget-Cut Vote

Nov 10, 7:07 PM (ET)
By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Republican leaders scuttled a vote Thursday on a $51 billion budget-cut package in the face of a revolt by moderate lawmakers over cuts to Medicaid, food stamp and student loan programs.

The episode marked a setback for Republicans on Capitol Hill. They had hoped to use the budget debate to burnish their deficit-cutting credentials with the public and their core political supporters, many of whom are disappointed with their party's performance on spending.

The decision by GOP leaders came despite a big concession to moderates Wednesday, when the leaders dropped provisions to open the Arctic National Refuge to oil and gas exploration, as well as a plan letting states lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

But moderates countered that the spending cuts in the House budget plan were a separate issue from Arctic drilling. The cuts were too severe, moderates argued, especially when compared with a significantly milder Senate budget plan that passed last week.

Democrats mounted a furious attack on the GOP budget plan for its cuts to social programs and pounded home the message that the overall GOP plan would increase the deficit when coupled with a subsequent tax cut bill.

"The Republican Congress is about to slash more than $50 billion from investments in our children's future in health care and education," said Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the campaign arm for House Democrats. "And yet, because of Republican priorities, they are going to actually add $20 billion to our budget deficit. ... Only in a Republican Congress."

Republican leaders said the postponement of the vote was simply a modest setback and that the budget effort would get back on track next week.

Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt said it was a "disappointing deadline to miss," but said the leadership was short a "handful" of votes and faced uncertainty about absenteeism as lawmakers looked ahead to a long Veterans Day weekend.

Read the rest here.

Lessons

2005-11-10T16:34:00.000-06:00

Pat Robertson is trying to teach us unwashed heathens how to be real Christians. You know, by doing things like praying for people to get cancer and die - sorta like he did for a former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.

Pat Robertson Tells Dover Residents They Rejected God

POSTED: 2:59 pm EST November 10, 2005
UPDATED: 4:31 pm EST November 10, 2005

DOVER, Pa. -- Pat Robertson had a special message for residents of Dover, Pa., today after voters there elected to boot the current school board, which instituted an intelligent design policy that led to a federal trial.

Robertson made the comment after Lee Webb of CBN News delivered a report on how residents in Dover voted in eight new Democratic board members, replacing all eight current members who had voted for a policy that required students in ninth-grade biology classes to hear a statement on intelligent design before hearing lessons on evolution. Webb then asked Robertson what he thought about the vote.

Here was Robertson's response.

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected him from your city. And don't wonder why he hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for his help because he might not be there."

The new school board members have said that they are not against intelligent design, but that they just don't want it taught in science class.

Intelligent design backers have consistently argued that the teaching is purely scientific and has nothing to do with religion.

Speaking of cowards, revisited

2005-11-10T14:00:00.000-06:00

Michelle Malkin, as usual, is all over this.

Here and here.

It also turns out that the "Main Street Republicans" repsonsible for this act of cowardice are funded by none other than George Soros.

Someone please explain to me why Republicans are any more worthy of my vote than Democrats. I've said for years that there's not a lick of difference between the two parties. This is yet further proof of that belief.

"A fool and his money...."

2005-11-10T12:01:00.000-06:00

Would you pay $23.8million for this?

It's so much easier when they don't fight back

2005-11-10T10:05:00.000-06:00

This is why I support Pink Pistols.

Posted on Tue, Nov. 08, 2005

Man charged with killing alleged attacker in gay-bashing

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - A 21-year-old man was charged with stabbing to death one of four teenagers who allegedly attacked him near his home, a fight his parents said erupted because their son is gay.

Lucas Dawson was walking from his home in the city's East Mount Airy neighborhood on Oct. 29 to catch a bus downtown, where he intended to meet with friends to discuss his audition for "American Idol" the day before.

The aspiring singer crossed the street to avoid the four teens, but they rushed him, said his stepfather, David Dawson.

"One of them punched him in the mouth," David Dawson told the Philadelphia Daily News for a story Tuesday. "They knocked him to the ground. They kicked him. They stomped him. They called him faggot."

Lucas Dawson pulled out a small pocket knife and waved it at the teens to push them back, David Dawson said. He then ran but was grabbed by Gerald Knight, 17, who was fatally stabbed in the chest in the ensuing struggle, his stepfather said.

"Because somebody died, I can understand he might have to do some jail time," David Dawson said. "But at the same time, let the truth be told about what really happened."

Knight's family declined to comment.

Lucas Dawson, who is charged with voluntary manslaughter, has remained in prison because his family could not raise the $30,000 for his bail. He could face a maximum of 30 years in prison if he is convicted.

His mother, Lisa Dawson, said she fears for her son's safety even if he is acquitted of the charges because the other three teens threatened him.

Lucas Dawson told his family he was gay nearly four years ago.

"That's always been my biggest fear," his mother said. "That someone would attack him just because he is gay."

The day before the attack, Lucas Dawson, who works as a clerical temp, had performed in front of the "American Idol" judges, his family said. He was cut after the third round.

"He and Randy (Jackson) got into a little argument over something," his mother said. "But it was all just show business."

Update

11/10/05, 10:05am

Charges tossed out by judge.

Speaking of cowards....

2005-11-10T05:10:00.000-06:00

The Coward Party has caved in (yet again) to Democratic pressure and has dropped the plan to allow drilling in ANWR.

House Drops Arctic Drilling From Bill
By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer
Thu Nov 10, 2:50 AM ET

WASHINGTON - A solid phalanx of Republican moderates drove House GOP leaders to drop a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wilderness area to oil drilling as a sweeping budget bill headed toward a vote Thursday.

A plan to allow states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts was also axed.

Still, passage of the broader plan cutting $54 billion from federal benefit programs through the end of the decade remains a challenge, even after the provision permitting oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was dropped.

The Senate has included ANWR drilling in its budget bill and GOP leaders are likely to push hard for the final House-Senate version of the bill to include it.

Many of the same moderates opposed to the drilling plan remain opposed to the bill's provisions curbing Medicaid's growth, tightening eligibility for food stamps and cutting student loan subsidies.

"I have to represent my district," said Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill., who represents farmers opposed to cuts in commodity payments as well as the University of Illinois campus, which is upset about cuts to student loans. "At this point, I am very, very skeptical."

The overall bill is a top Republican priority. The Senate last week passed a milder version of the bill to curb the automatic growth of federal spending by $35 billion through the end of the decade.

The House plan cuts more deeply across a broader range of social services, though Republican leaders say the effects will be modest to programs like the Medicaid health system for the poor and disabled. It will still grow much faster than inflation even after beneficiaries face increased copayments and the likely loss of some benefits.

"We are not cutting Medicaid for those truly in need," said Rep. David Dreier (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif.

Top Republicans such as Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, and Majority Leader Roy Blunt, R-Mo., worked into the night Wednesday refining the bill in an attempt to bring uneasy lawmakers on board. Florida Republicans were especially active, helping kill the offshore drilling plan and loosening proposed restrictions on food stamp benefits for legal immigrants.

The decision on the Arctic refuge was a big setback for those who have tried for years to open a coastal strip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, to oil development. It was a victory for environmentalists, who have lobbied hard against drilling. President Bush has made drilling in the Alaska refuge one of his top energy priorities.

The House Rules Committee formalized the change late Wednesday by issuing the terms of the debate when the House takes up the budget package Thursday.

The decision to drop the ANWR drilling language came after GOP moderates said they would oppose the budget if that language remained.

Protection of the Alaska refuge from oil companies has been championed by environmentalists for years. The House repeatedly has approved drilling in the refuge as part of broad energy legislation, only to see the effort blocked each time by the threat of a filibuster in the Senate.

The budget bill is immune from filibuster, but drilling proponents suddenly found it hard to get the measure accepted by a majority of the House. That's because Democrats oppose the overall budget bill, giving House GOP opponents of drilling in the Arctic enough leverage to have the matter killed.

Twenty-five Republicans, led by Rep. Charles Bass (news, bio, voting record) of New Hampshire, signed a letter asking GOP leaders to strike the Alaskan drilling provision from the broader $54 billion budget cut bill.

The moderates knew they had leverage, given the narrow margin of GOP control of the House. It only takes 14 Republican defections to scuttle a bill, assuming every Democrat opposes it.

Still, removing the Arctic oil drilling provision may incite a backlash from lawmakers who strongly favor it, which is a big majority of Republicans. House and Senate GOP leaders are likely to push hard for the final House-Senate version of the bill to include it.

Marnie Funk, a spokeswoman for Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said Domenici considers the Senate-approved ANWR provision "one of the most critical components" in the budget package.

The food stamps change was the only concession to lawmakers upset with a spate of cuts to social programs. GOP leaders bowed to pressure from Cuban-American lawmakers from the Miami area to loosen new restrictions on food stamps benefits for legal immigrants.

Immigrants who are disabled, over the age of 60 or applying for citizenship would be exempt from proposed rules extending the waiting period for food stamp eligibility from five to seven years.

Redefining political parties

2005-11-10T05:05:00.000-06:00

Every night, between the time I lay down in bed and the time I actually fall asleep, my brain literally becomes a storm of activity. Tonight, after dosing myself up on anti-imflammatory medications and while I was futilely trying to find the least painful position in which to sleep, the usual random thoughts danced around in my brain.

One of the thoughts that seemed to stick was the concept of redefining existing words or concepts. My idle brain then began to find new ways to apply this line of thought.

Here are some of the ideas that played out in my brain in regards to redefining political parties based on their current platforms.

Democratic party redefined:

National Socialist Democratic Abortion Party (symbol: a swastika made from aborted fetuses)

National Marxist Party (symbol: red star)

Dred Scott Party (symbol: a burning cross)

Cookoo Party (symbol: a straightjacket)

Republican party redefined:

Christian Socialist Party (symbol: cross and sickle)

Coward Party (symbol: either a giant chicken or a cat with a yellow stripe down its back)

Theocratic Party (symbol: American flag, with crosses in the place of stars)

Democratic Party (symbol: a great big jackass)

Update on Star

2005-11-09T14:29:00.000-06:00

My brother PJ had to take Star to the doctor today as she developed a high fever and a nose bleed that wouldn't stop. They're saying that she might have to be admitted to the hospital again for overnight observation.

PJ will call me later once he has more details.

11/9/05, 4:35pm

Just got off the phone with PJ. The doctor is pushing IV antibiotics for an infection, and she's going to be admitted to the hospital for further observation.

France Surrenders

2005-11-08T23:21:00.000-06:00

Read it here.

Prop 2 passed

2005-11-08T21:12:00.000-06:00

Not that anyone is surprised. The anti-freedom zealots teamed up with their old pals in the KKK. The result was a foregone conclusion.

Proving the lie

2005-11-08T13:51:00.000-06:00

Today is election day, and Texas Republicans are going to the polls to vote on Prop. 2, the constitutional amendment regarding same sex marriage. This is yet more proof for the lie that Republicans stand for a smaller, less-intrusive government.

Like their alleged political opponents, Democrats, Republicans fail to see the hypocrisy in advocating smaller, less-intrusive government while, at the same time, voting to give the State the power to interfere in personal relationships between two consenting adults.

It's obvious, now more than ever, that the late Ronald Reagan's mantra "keep the government poor and live free" is no longer part of the Republican party's ideology.

Pondering

2005-11-07T10:29:00.000-06:00

I was pondering the possibility of riots occuring in the US on the scale in which they're occurring in France. So far, the riots in France have been going on for 11 days now, and have expanded to 300 towns.

As I was pondering the possibility, the following words echoed in my brain:

A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The primary reasons these riots have had such longevity is that the French people do not have the inherent right to self-defense. Well, actually, they do, but it's been taken away from them by their government.

Case in point, in 1991, there were riots in Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict. Angry people rioted, destroying homes, shops, cars, etc. The places left untouched by the rioters were the ones where the owners camped out on the roofs of their homes/shops/etc. with their firearms. Places that were not similarly protected were looted, smashed, or gutted with fire.

Despite the screed of the Brady Bunch and the other bedwetting gun grabbers, the right to keep and bear arms has proven time and again to be an effective tool in defense of life and property, and firearms have proven to be the most effective tool used in exercising that right.

I doubt France will realize this any time soon.

Chirac fiddles while France burns

2005-11-07T09:55:00.000-06:00

Let's round up all the latest news regarding France. In case you haven't been paying attention, France is currently experiencing it's 11th day of muslims rioting in the streets. Oh, and to no one's surprise, the majority of the MSM is mum about this being the obvious result of France's uncontrolled immigration and appeasement policies.

Rioting Spreads to 300 Towns in France

Paris police fear rioters' heavy arms

French riots worsen; beaten man dies in hospital

Newsweek asks Will the riots swell the ranks of jihadists in Europe?

Reactions to Malkin's new book

2005-11-03T15:52:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, I blogged about Michelle Malkin's new book, Unhinged, being released. Lo and behold, liberals are determined to prove her point. Check out the reviews on Amazon.

Democrats: the party of free speech

2005-11-03T09:14:00.000-06:00

Riiiight.

Here's the House roll call of Representatives who voted on the measure to exclude blogs from government regulations.

Notice that less than one-quarter of Democrats voted to uphold the concept of free speech on the internet.

Spin it any way you want, liberals; the numbers tell the real truth.

Hat Tip: GayPatriot.

Family Picture

2005-11-02T23:25:00.000-06:00

From left to right: My brother PJ, his stepson Willie, Star, Me.

To see how far we've fallen....

2005-11-02T23:08:00.000-06:00

Hat tip: Robbie at The Malcontent has given us something to think about.

Racial and political rhetoric has gone from this:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

to this:

Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.

With this in mind, it's easy to see why the efforts of Bill Cosby and Carl Eller are demonized for wanting to improve black society in America.

in edit

Malkin has more.

QotD

2005-11-02T16:08:00.000-06:00

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks."

- Thomas Jefferson

Don't steal bread in Iran

2005-11-02T01:49:00.000-06:00

The consequences are painful.

Where is the outrage in the TSM (Terrorist Supporting Media)?

Where is the UN Human Rights Committee?

Where are all the other professionally-offended "human rights" bozos?

Oh, yeah. This didn't happen in the US or Abu Ghraib, so it's a non-issue.

Update

Apparently, this wasn't a form of punishment. In fact, it was far worse. This is the Islamic equivalent of a Benny Hinn "sermon" where the man with the microphone was trying to use the power of his faith to spare the young boy from serious harm.

Another new book released today

2005-11-01T14:19:00.000-06:00

The New American Revolution.
by Tammy Bruce.

Michelle Malkin's new book launches today

2005-11-01T10:53:00.000-06:00

Here's her blog post about it. Read and laugh. Or shake your head at the rampant stupidity.

Update

2005-10-31T15:24:00.000-06:00

Star has been released from the hospital today. She'll be staying with my brother and his family until her house in Lake Charles is repaired. The house was severely damaged by Hurricane Rita.

Still here

2005-10-31T14:11:00.000-06:00

I'm still here. I just haven't really had the desire to write about anything over the last few days.

gaaackkk

2005-10-27T03:00:00.000-05:00

gaaackkk....thud

World Series, Game 4 tonight

2005-10-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

Waiting in the wings with her ham sandwich.

From the Apple website

2005-10-26T12:52:00.000-05:00

Darth Apathy

Moving

Battlestar Blogging

What are our children learning? Part Deux.

AZ governor orders troops to the border

LEGO Aircraft Carrier

Rachel Corrie Memorial Pancake Breakfast

Update on Star

Gun rights leader needs your help

What are our children learning?

Iraq is just like Vietnam

Malkin comes out swinging

People are stupid

Of Fish and Company

Moonbats plan to storm the White House

Cyber Jihad

Attn. graphic artists

Update on Star

C&F

QOTD

Big Brother, Where Art Thou

Update

"I don't care what the laws or the Supreme Court say. WE are NOT going to have people running around, wearing guns..."

The Internet is for Porn - NSFW

35

Sometimes, being right can be such a bitch.

Hmmmm

Moderate Muslims Wanted

Fuck the system

RIP

Attn Firefly fans

Battlestar Blogging

Seavey on CNN

Big surprise here

Yes, GOP, I'm looking at *you*

You know what I hate?

Meme

Politics of Battlestar Galactica

Sometimes....

I want my B...S...G!

Ariel Sharon Dead? Scroll down for updates

Update

Update II

Update III

Man gets 60-day sentence for child rape

Miner tragedy. Media Fiasco

Attention Men

We're from the government....

Well, since everyone else is doing it....

Photo Blogging

The End of the World is Nigh!

Group tries to silence Christian 1st Amendment Rights

Merry Christmas

Talk about missing the point....

Freeman: "Black history is American history."

King Kong racist?

The So-Called “War on Christmas”

The Great Sucking Sound, Hollywood Style

Governator: "Hasta la vista, Tookie."

RIP: Richard Pryor

25 years ago today...

A date which will live in infamy

Attention Brat Owners

Don't Call It "Spyware"

Mooooo-Rah!

Gallows humor

I'm all for free-market capitalism...

Latest news

Update

15:30...15:31...15:32...

And we're off

Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy

FEC rules that bloggers are journalists

Country(?) Music Awards

"African-Americans" rioting in France

Update on Star

QotD

Has Dubya finally found his balls?

Envirophobia

Coward Party strikes out again

Yes, GOP, I'm looking at you