MuD & PHuD

English Only

2006-06-13T09:57:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else see the humor in this controversy?

One of South Philadelphia's biggest names in cheesesteaks is in a bit of a legal pickle for a lunch-line political statement against immigrants who don't speak English.

The city's Commission on Human Relations yesterday filed a discrimination complaint against Geno's Steaks over signs that read: "This is AMERICA ... WHEN ORDERING SPEAK ENGLISH."

As yet I cannot find a picture of this sign anywhere online. However, in each and every published account I have seen, the same quote is given...in English. Am I the only one who finds this funny?

Bad News

2006-06-06T07:20:00.000-04:00

But not unexpected:

NEW LONDON, Conn. --City officials voted Monday night to begin eviction proceedings against residents who refuse to leave their riverfront homes, signaling the end may be near in an eminent domain dispute that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

The City Council approved the action 5-2, authorizing the city attorney to take the necessary steps, including possible court action, to evict the remaining two families and obtain the properties. A lawyer for the families said they are considering continuing their battle with the city.

At this point there are only two people still fighting this thing, Susette Kelo and Michael Cristofaro as William Von Winkle agreed to settle just prior yesterday's meeting (of all people, I don't blame him as his son was recently killed).

I don't know what's going to happen now. It's entirely possible that civil disobedience (as Scott Bullock suggests in the article) might crystallize. If it does, there will certainly be arrests (there's the potential for violence) and maybe, just maybe the city will relent.

But even if the city backs down, making it appear that Susette and Michael (and the rest of their countrymen) have won, I don't believe for a second that they'll get to live happily ever after. I think they've pissed off enough powerful people that someone with the means to do so will make their lives difficult. Just a guess, and I hope I'm wrong. Only time, and a few brave individuals, will tell.

More New London Craziness

2006-06-05T15:19:00.000-04:00

I am currently restraining myself from breaking things. Bizzyblog has the skinny:

Finally, Scott also brought up one incredibly important point from many years ago that I was not aware of: A building I previously did not know about, The Italian Dramatic Club, was exempted from eminent domain, and is staying. Accordingly I have added it to the map:

Head over there to see the location of this apparently indispensable club. Now, you might be curious as to why, exactly, this one club was allowed to stay while the peons were kicked to the curb. Wonder no longer (via Bizzyblog):

Among the Italian Dramatic Club’s patrons was former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, who helped direct much of the State funding for the NLDC’s work in New London and who resigned in June 2004 amid an ethics scandal.

Un-freaking-believable. The blaringly obvious question here is why, after following this story for so long, have I yet to hear about this little social club? Hum? What the hell The Day doing that's so important that they missed getting this juicy bit of into one of their many stories? Makes a guy think that the conspiracy theorists are onto something. (Just to prove I'm not just missing the boat, searching for "Italian Dramatic Club" new london via Google News gives zero results.)

I know I already said it, but this is absolutely un-freaking-believable. Our countrymen are going to have their property stolen from them under the (very credible) threat of physical violence while this pissant little group of 'politically connected' POSs get to keep their club. Does anyone out there still want to argue that this is anything other than an outright, egregious abuse of power?

Update:

There is a meeting this evening. If you're in the area go and support the last three homeowners standing up for liberty.

New London City Council Meeting
Monday, June 5, 2006
7 p.m.
181 State Street
New London, CT 06320

But We Only Want Your Guns!

2006-06-02T15:29:00.000-04:00

Well, at least until we have them. Then we'll get to work blaming other inanimate objects (for example) for the violence they so obviously cause:

A legal challenge has been raised against plans to for a total ban on glasses in Glasgow's pubs and clubs.

The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) has lodged papers at the Court of Session opposing the enforced use of toughened or plastic glasses.

The licensing board agreed on the ban, which will be rolled out in January, to reduce injuries from violence.

Glass was banned in pubs and clubs with late night entertainment licences earlier this year.

So, once they ban all objects that could cause harm (e.g., baseball bats, machetes, knives, chain saws, candle stick holders, etc.) what's left? Will those looking out for the serfs' safety require installation and 'safe storage' of all dentures so that no more tragic 'biting attacks' can ruin even one more innocent's life? Eh, why not.

Amazing. Amazingly sad.

(via The War on Guns)

Update From The Gov re: New London CT

2006-06-02T15:13:00.000-04:00

Here's some info I received today from the Institute of Justice via Michael Cristofaro. Not great news, but definitely better than Gov Rell's letter from the other day.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: John E. Kramer or Lisa Knepper
June 2, 2006 (703) 682-9320
Connecticut Gov. Rell Clarifies Her Statement:
She Supports Returning Deeds to Family-Occupied Homes
With Deadline Passed, New London Homeowners Fight On

Arlington, Va.-Heroes of the Fort Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Conn., continue to fight on for their homes and the rights of homeowners nationwide. Susette Kelo, Mike Cristofaro and Rich Beyer all turned down offers on the May 31, 2006, deadline given by the City of New London for them to accept offers to sell their property or the City will forcibly evict them and impose back fees and rent.

The owners of family-occupied homes got a much-needed boost today from Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Today, in a follow-up letter to New London Mayor Beth Sabilia, Gov. Rell clarified her previous position, stating that she supports giving deeds back to family-occupied properties, with full inheritance rights and ability to sell the homes. The City would have a right of first refusal if the owner decides to sell, something the homeowners said they support.

In a previous letter of May 31, Gov. Rell wrote that she wants everyone who is not an owner-occupant of Fort Trumbull to leave the neighborhood. (That includes both of Rich Beyer’s homes and two of the three Von Winkle homes.) In that letter, Gov. Rell also said she supported returning the deeds to the owner-occupied homeowners, but only if the deeds go back to the City upon sale or death of the title holder. That would have made them essentially meaningless pieces of paper and was no different than the "lifetime occupancy" proposed by the city.

"It is great news that the governor has come through and made clear that she supports giving real deeds back to the family-occupied homes, something Susette Kelo and her neighbors have fought for since day one of this battle," said Scott Bullock, senior attorney for the Institute for Justice, which continues to represent the homeowners. "It is disappointing, though, that the governor does not support the small businesses who are keeping rental homes in Fort Trumbull, and we ask her and the City Council to reconsider that position."

"Governor Rell has now made her position clear with regard to my home: I should have my deed back," said Susette Kelo, the lead plaintiff in Kelo v. New London. "I really hope that the New London City Council now votes in favor of this on Monday." On Monday, June 5, 2006, the New London City Council will meet for the first time since the May 31 deadline to decide the fate of the remaining homeowners.
-More-

Institute for Justice-Deadline Passes
June 2, 2006
Page Two of Two
"I thank Gov. Rell for her support in my fight to keep our home," said Mike Cristofaro, whose family has owned a home in New London for over 30 years. "Let’s hope the City Council now stands up and does the right thing or else this battle will continue."

"Small businesses are threatened by eminent domain across Connecticut and across the nation as witnessed by the threat to my properties," said Bill Von Winkle. "These rental properties represent my family’s livelihood. The government shouldn’t take what’s rightfully mine just to make way for other private owners. I’m glad to see the other homeowners may be protected, and I hope the Governor and the City Council will respect the rights of the small businessman, too."

The City gave Bill Von Winkle a two-week extension to decide in the wake of his son’s murder last week.

Due to the ongoing threat of losing his rental homes, small businessman Richard Beyer has been forced to continue negotiating with the State-appointed mediator and is close to reaching a settlement.

On the May 31 deadline, two of the other property owners settled with the City. Homeowner Byron Athenian settled with the City as he was not interested in relocating his house to where Susette Kelo and the rest of the homeowners are located, the only viable option aside from financial compensation being offered to the property owners. The Dery family also settled.

Matt Dery, speaking on behalf of his family, said: "My family circumstances have changed drastically since I started this battle to keep our family homes several years ago. My father is elderly and can no longer maintain his home on his own. My mother, Wilhelmina Dery, on whose behalf I was primarily fighting, passed away earlier this year. But she was able to spend the rest of her life at her home in which she had lived in her entire life. For that fact I am eternally grateful to the Institute for Justice and the many other people and organizations that have supported our fight. Even though I have reached a settlement with the City, I completely support the other homeowners in their fight to keep their homes. Moreover, I still firmly believe that what happened to me and the other property owners in Fort Trumbull was terribly wrong. No American should face the loss of their home so that other private interests may benefit."

Calling All Jackbooted Thugs

2006-06-01T10:44:00.000-04:00

If you're a jackbooted thug and want some hands on training, New London CT might just be the place for you come 15 June 2006. That's the deadline by which either a deal must be reached with the remaining Fort Trumble homeowners, or they will face eviction (oh, and thanks for backing out, Gov). Amazingly there have not been a heck of a lot of coverage around here and so I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what the city is planning. Are they going to bust down the door if someone refuses to leave? I'm guessing that once all the legal avenues are exhausted that's exactly what they'll do.

This whole thing is a freaking travesty against liberty and everything this country is supposed to stand for. What we are witnessing in New London CT is the forcible seizure of private property by the government who is then going to turn around and give that private property to a private company who will then use it for their own ends. This is absolutely tyrannical. I know, I know...the 'officials' will point out that everything went through all the legal channels. And you know what? I don't give a crap. This is BS, and everybody knows it.

So, what happens now? People will be removed from their homes. The only question that remains is whether they leave on their feet, or feet first. I know it's horrible to contemplate, but I fear this situation will end with bloodshed. The homeowners have held out for so long, faced down such powerful people and institutions that there is likely at least one among them who will not go quietly into the night. Let me state that I have no inside knowledge of anything in particular, and to some extent I hope I'm wrong...but I really fear for the life of anyone who refuses to leave.

A big part of me wants to tell them all to leave quietly. That they've been beaten in an unfair fight. At the end of the day, however, I don't have any idea what I would do in their place. Although now that we've established that a CT city can take your house to 'increase the tax base', we are all in danger of finding out just exactly what we'd do.

God help us.

No Such Things As A "Former Marine"

2006-05-30T13:02:00.000-04:00

Methinks this is was not the first time Mr. Autry had been faced with violence:

ATLANTA -- Five robbers picked the wrong victim in Midtown Atlanta last night and one of them paid with her life.
[...]
The five suspects pulled up in a car and confronted the victim in the 500 block of Penn Street just before midnight.

Autry began running down the street yelling for help. Residents who heard him called 911. While he was running, Autry pulled a pocket knife from his backpack.

Two of the robbers jumped from the car. When one of the robbers pointed a shotgun at him, the Autry kicked it out of his hands.

At that point two of the robbers jumped on the victim. During the struggle he stabbed both of them. One, a teenaged female who has been identified as Amy Martin, died of her wounds. Officials say Martin was pregnant. A second is in critical condition.
[...]
Thomas Autry, who is a former U.S. Marine, will not be charged since police say he was acting in self defense. Officials say Autry is extremely remorseful.

Guess some dirtbags picked the wrong Marine.

BTW, I agree with Uncle re: the Rambo reference.

Football or Patty Cake?

2006-05-25T14:41:00.000-04:00

Pansies:

In what some are referring to as the "Cochran rule," the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference football committee passed a score management policy to be instituted next season. The rule says if a team wins by 50 or more points, the coach is suspended for the next game.

I'm nearly speechless. At least the rule's namesake isn't a girly-man:

"It won't change anything with how I prepare for a game," Cochran said. "Where it's going to run into problems is when you've got your second team in or you've got your freshmen in; what do you tell them? One coach is saying he's just going to have his guys take a knee. I would never do that. I would never tell a kid to run out of bounds instead of scoring.

Getting beaten badly on any sports field sucks...but then that's a risk you take when you suit up. If you can't win, or even hold your own on the football field, give tiddlywinks a try.

This is just absolute crap. What does this teach kids? If you're really good, try to hold back to you don't hurt anyone's feelings. That's what.

I played baseball in high school and our team sucked. We tried real hard, but we just weren't that good. We used to get beat very badly. And remember, there's no clock in baseball. I distinctly remember being pissed when we lost...but I was absolutely insulted when the other team decided to be 'nice' and not take extra bases, force themselves to swing at every other pitch, etc. That got under my skin more than anything else. There's nothing more condescending than being offered pity like that. I didn't want it then and I don't want it now. The difference now being that the pandering is being codified by a high school athletic organization.

I'm sure this will help us breed real men to lead this country into the future. Lessons learned on the playing field will certainly serve them well. They'll be tough, just so long as nobody tries to run up the score.

Canadian Warriors

2006-05-22T18:51:00.000-04:00

I've lost an awful lot of respect for our neighbors to the north for many reasons, mainly their total abandonment of freedom. No time for that now because there may still be hope (pdf):

"It is one thing for someone to come back from seeing reality in a place like this and to say, `I'm a pacifist. I don't want Canada to have an army.' I can respect that, even if I don't agree," says Schamuhn.

"But if you're born in Canada and that's all you've ever known, your words mean nothing to me. Because you haven't seen the other side of the world. You haven't seen the necessity of conflict. There are people who are fighting against peace, against stable government.

"And Canada, whether they want to know it or not, has a very strong warrior class. I guess that is what the front-line soldiers really want Canadians to understand. We want Canadians to get on board, to realize we are out here and to allow us to do what we are prepared to do."

Read the whole thing. It's long but flies by. Well written and quite uplifting.

(via Michael Yon)

Liberty

2006-05-22T07:24:00.000-04:00

A short while back I ran into a great new blog, OK so I’m not really a cowboy. He's got a post up right now that really hits the nail on the head. Check it out.

Ex-Marine

2006-05-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

It's been said many times: There's no such thing as an 'Ex-Marine'.

As an outsider I am in awe of our warriors, whether they be Soldier, Seaman, Airman or Marine. I know enough only to know that the bond of brotherhood they share is something I will likely never experience, and that makes it all the more tragic in my eyes when a warrior betrays his own. Certainly discharge from the Service does not make one an Ex-Marine...but there are lines in the sand that to cross is unforgivable.

Don't take it from this life-long civilian, though. Ask Doc Russia.

How To Fight

2006-05-19T15:50:00.000-04:00

Over the past few months I've been giving a lot of thought to being prepared. For what, you ask? Well, just about everything. 'Everything' can be more or less broken down into everyday situations and extreme circumstances. Within each of these categories there are both personal/physical and material preparations that are important. As I work my way back into blogging I plan to discuss these topics both in theory and practice.

For now, however, I wanted to direct your attention to a truly great, and quite new, website that focuses on self-defense from the female prespective. Some of the pages are still under construction, but that really only serves to bring you back to see what's new. So, go pay Kathy at The Cornered Cat a visit. You won't be disappointed.

New Eminent Domain Abuse

2006-05-17T15:19:00.000-04:00

If you've read this blog over the past year you know how I feel about eminent domain abuse. Well, it's still going strong on the CT coast:

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -- A Superior Court judge has rejected an attempt by United Illuminating Co. to block the city's plan to take 11-acres of power company property for the planned Steel Point development.
[...]
"In weighing the equities, this court concludes that the condemnation proceeding will indeed expedite UI receiving just compensation for the property being taken and agrees with the city that a delay in obtaining this portion of land may, in fact, jeopardize this project, which the mayor considers the most significant in the history of the city," the judge stated.
[...]
Last November, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the mayor and the city's Redevelopment Agency to acquire UI's property on Steel Point to make way for apartments, shopping a hotel and a marina.

Oh, well I stand corrected. I mean if the mayor thinks it's really really important, than it's certainly ok to steal private land and give it to another private entity.

At the risk of repeating myself, this is government running roughshod over private individuals and companies and it cannot be allowed to stand. Period.

It's Been A While

2006-05-17T14:16:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure literally millions have noted, I've dropped off the face of the blogging earth of late. The reason is that life is busy. While it's not slowing down any, I plan to get back into blogging in the near future, albeit with a slightly different focus.

Railing against The Man in the abstract leads, for me anyway, down the road to apathy. So, the new focus (to go along with a new phase in my life, more on that later) will involve things a bit closer to home. There will still be a smattering of railing against The Man, but with hopefully a different flavor and more useful point of reference.

So, until the near future...

Distillery

2006-03-31T10:37:00.000-05:00

An intellectual distillery, that is. VDH kicks Leftist Buttarsky:

Sixth, we have not had another September 11. Two-thirds of the leadership of al Qaeda is dismantled. Fifty million people have voted in Iraq and Afghanistan. Syria is out of Lebanon. The Middle East is in democratic turmoil from the Gulf to Egypt and Libya, not mired in the old autocratic stasis. The Europeans are waking up to the dangers of Islamism as the Western world seeks to deal with a nuclear Iran.

You know what to do...

Bird Flu 'Preperation'

2006-03-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I certainly feel better now:

Doris Kurtz, superintendent of schools, said that the school administration addressed the issue of influenza to parents in a newsletter months ago, and has distributed anti-bacterial soap to teachers for students.

Yep, nothing quite like anti-bacterial soap to stop the flu.

Wait a second...

Liberty Comes To Kansas

2006-03-23T13:54:00.000-05:00

I've been pretty blogged out lately, but nothing makes me happier than the expansion of (even licensed) liberty:

Topeka — Qualified Kansans will be able to carry concealed guns as early as January under a bill put into law despite Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ veto.

The House overrode the veto, 91-33, today and the Senate, 30-10, on Wednesday. Both votes exceeded the two-thirds majorities needed to beat back a veto.

(Almomst) As it should be. Way to go Kansas. Welcome back to our (almost) free country.

(via Say Uncle)

Harold Hatley

2006-03-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

Mr. Hatley was definitely a sheepdog:

According to police, a surveillance video showed Harold Hatley, 73, leaving his seat at the counter and getting in the line of fire, which enabled others to flee.

"Like many brave soldiers and peace officers, Mr. Hatley was walking toward trouble rather than away from it," Police Chief Joe Cortez said.

I hope Mr. Hatley's family can find comfort and solace after this aweful incident. As a fellow American, I am proud of this 'old man' who did not freeze, did not flee, but rather moved to the sound of guns and saved innocent lives.

Godspeed Harold Hatley. May you rest in peace.

(via Gun Law News)

Top O The Mornin' To Ya, Laddy

2006-03-17T09:32:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy the day, and remember...

Guinness is good for you

Racial Designation

2006-03-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

Interesting:

And an angry anonymous letter, purportedly sent by aggrieved parents to city and state officials, complained that Genao and his former assistant principal called students to the office and pressured them to change their designation to white without parental approval.

So...we need parental approval for a 15 year old to have his/her 'racial designation' changed, but parents definitely don't need to be informed (let alone have a say) for their child to have an abortion.

Like I said. Interesting.

Out. Of. Control.

2006-03-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

A popular refrain from pro-gun types (myself included) is something along the lines of: After you ban guns, what's next? Sharp pointy objects?.

Well, maybe it's not so funny...if you're unfortunate enough to live in Massachusetts. And I quote:

Any individual who requires a machete for the purposes of cutting vegetation shall register the machete with the local police department on an annual basis and, upon payment of an appropriate annual registration fee as determined by the local granting authority, shall be issued a permit authorizing him to possess the machete solely for the purposes of cutting vegetation.

Finally, a real crime fighting law!

Idiots.

(via mAssBackwards)

Enemy Or 'Just' Incompetent?

2006-03-01T16:15:00.000-05:00

You be the judge:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Armed gangs dressed in military uniforms often illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border, providing cover for the trafficking of drugs and illegal aliens into the United States, a Senate panel heard on Wednesday.

U.S. government officials and sheriffs from border areas told lawmakers these intruders were becoming more sophisticated and ruthless, often clashed with U.S. Border Patrol agents and committed crimes in the United States.

"We are indeed aware of criminal organizations that wear military-style uniforms, use military-style equipment and weapons and employ military-style vehicles and tactics while conducting illegal activity in border areas," Border Patrol chief David Aguilar told a joint hearing of the Senate subcommittees on immigration and terrorism.

However, Aguilar said there was no proof that Mexican army personnel were involved or that the Mexican military had intentionally violated U.S. sovereignty.

No. Of course not. After all, that would require an armed response by the US, and we certainly wouldn't want to piss off any illegal immigrants.

So, given that there are Mexicans invading our country who look and act exactly like trained military, I'll ask again: Is our neighbor to the south an enemy, or 'just' incompetent?

Crunchy Conservatism

2006-03-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

Radley Balko has a great post on a new(?) movement apparently called Crunchy Conservatism. He really hits the nail on the head:

Only after crude, unabashed capitalism has taken care of a lot of other problems can we begin to have places like Whole Foods, or targeted products like no-chemical, no-additive, no-hormone, free-range chicken. Only after industry has knocked down a lot of trees and sullied a lot of streams on its way to feeding us, medicating us, and giving us reason to think we'll live past the age of forty do we get the luxury of beginning to worry about the health of the environment, and the survival of beings outside our own families, much less outside our own species.

This is the basis for the reply I have for any environmentalists or anti-animal research type I get into an argument with. All I have to say is: Fine, but then to be consistent you'd be willing to give up your car, all processed foods and (in the case of the latter), all medicine since no drug are approved by the FDA without prior animal testing. It generally shuts them up and I'd bet it would work with these Crunchy Conservatives.

Mark Wilson

2006-02-28T12:45:00.000-05:00

Take a moment from your busy Fat Tuesday to remember the brave men who put their lives on the line in trying to stop David Arroyo from killing his son and wife. While many law enforcement officers made a good account of themselves that day (in particular Smith County Sheriff's Deputy Sherman Dollison, although there were many others), one man stands out because he was a civilian who just happened to be a sheepdog who moved to the sound of the guns:

From his loft above Rage Salon and Don Juan on the Square, Mark Wilson, 52, has a bird's-eye view of the shootout between gunman David Arroyo and law officers in the street below.

Wilson, who has lived for about nine years in an apartment overlooking the Smith County Courthouse, is known to many who work or frequent the restaurants and nightspots in the heart of the city. A former firing-range owner and firearm instructor, he has taught people how to use a gun to protect themselves and others.

Armed with a Colt .45-caliber revolver, Wilson makes his way down to Spring Avenue and the east side of the square. Arroyo is firing his semiautomatic rifle at sheriff's deputies and others at the courthouse and apparently does not see Wilson move closer.

On the sidewalk in front of Levines Department Store, Wilson shoots at the gunman.

Arroyo slightly stumbles. A witness remembers seeing "white puffs of powder-like substance" come from Arroyo's clothing.

After taking his shot, Wilson crouches behind a Chevy truck parked in front of the store. The truck belongs to Arroyo.

When Arroyo walks to the driver side of the truck, Wilson, who is only a few feet away, pops up from the other side and fires.

Wilson does not know that Arroyo is wearing a bulletproof vest and other protective gear. Wilson's shots do not take down the gunman.

Instead, Arroyo "wheeled around to his left and fired at least one shot (at Wilson)," recalls witness John Allison, an acquaintance of Wilson. "Either Mark got hit at that moment or he stumbled back because he disappeared behind the truck out of my view (from Regions Bank building).

"The shooter immediately walked around the truck and I saw him aim his weapon to the ground (where Wilson lies) and shoot three times," continues Allison.

Wilson is shot in the head.

Mark Wilson proved that fateful day in Texas that he would not stand by and watch his fellow citizens be gunned down in broad daylight outside a courthouse. By engaging Arroyo he traded his life for that of Arroyo Jr who would have been finished off at point blank range if not for Mr. Wilson's actions (sadly Maribel Estrada was killed by her ex-husband's opening shots).

Read all six parts covering the day's events. Next time you think, "But something like that could never happen near me" remember, before 24 February 2005 no one had ever opened up with a rifle in front of the court house in Tyler, TX either.

Sensible Gun Control Saves The Day!

2006-02-27T12:38:00.000-05:00

Sure enough, sensible gun control protects yet another citizen:

Anthony Bennett of Detroit said he was just about to enter Zion Hope Baptist Church in Detroit when he heard an unholy sound from inside -- gunshots. Kevin L. Collins, 22, of Detroit had shot and killed a woman in the church, destroying the feeling of sanctuary as churchgoers panicked and crawled under pews.

He also wounded a girl in church and shot a man in an attempted carjacking nearby, police said. He later killed himself.

Oh wait, no it didn't. All Michigan's law against carrying weapons in Church did was to ensure that there were zero law-abiding citizens ready to save innocent lives. Way to go Michigan Legislature.

(via 2 Valuable / America, The World, and Us)

New London Update

2006-02-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've mentioned the eminent domain situation down in New London (links to some of my previous posts are at the top of the page). The reason is that it's been pretty quiet, at least judging by the lack of media coverage. Michael Cristofaro was kind enough to send along an update on his particular situation, and it's not pretty. Here's what's going on...

Mike owns a 2-family house in Ft. Trumbull (one of those targeted by the city of New London using eminent domain powers) in which he and his family occupy the 2nd floor. They have rented the 1st floor for the past few years to a woman (I don't know her name). Apparently she's been a problem and they finally had her evicted. However, when they did so Mike tells me that Michael Joplin (the president of the NLDC) allowed her to move into an apartment he owns, apparently not charging her rent (make of that what you will). He then allowed (by what means I'm not exactly sure) another person to move into the 1st floor apartment without Mike's consent. Mike tells me that the former tenant simply gave the keys to the new tenant, who is buddies with her boyfriend.

This is where the story takes a turn for the worse. Mike says, "[The] NLDC has sent me a letter saying I have no rights [to choose who occupies the 1st floor of my house] and that the only reason we are still there [on the 2nd floor] is that NLDC has not used there right to evict us from the property." The truly disturbing part is the identity of the person who moved into Mike's house. His name is Christopher McKenzie and here is why this is a serious concern to Mike and his family. That's right, as far as I can tell the NLDC allowed a convicted sex offender to move into the 1st floor apartment of the 2-family house owned by Michael Cristofaro against his will.

I have tried contacting the NLDC to get their side of the story, but I have not yet received a reply. If they do respond I will be more than happy to present their side of the story. For now, having not personally spoken to Mr. Joplin I cannot say whether or not he even knew of this individuals background, let alone what he motives are if he does. But I'll tell you, this situation really sucks. These homeowners didn't do a single thing wrong. It was nothing more than their misfortune to be living on a bit of land that the City wanted. When they refused to sell, the City simply decided to take it so they could 'increase their tax base'. This kind of thing isn't supposed to happen in America.

Support Denmark

2006-02-23T15:53:00.000-05:00

For what its worth, I want to express my support for the Danish people in general and those directly involved in the publication of the cartoons in particular. While I do not think that it's polite to insult one's religion (more on this below) I am a firm adherent to the philosophy expressed by Voltaire in his famous statement that, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

So, my bottom line is that had Muslims expressed their collective outrage by boycotting the entity responsible for the insult (the Danish newspaper), writing letters to the editor (including the Egyptian newspaper that originally published the cartoons) and generally found ways of making their opinion known that did not involve rioting, burning things and killing innocent people...I would have fully supported them. However, I will never support or concede to demands that I curb by right to free speech just because someone gets upset nor will I condone the craven response by many hypocritical MSM outlets in this country who found it in their multicultural hearts to publish images of Piss Christ and the like, but would never dream of insulting Muslims by republishing these stupid cartoons.

While my efforts in this space are admittedly but a mere ripple of a ripple in the blogosphere, let alone the world at large, I lend my support to the Danish publisher, cartoonists and citizens as well as all those who have been threatened with violence and/or death for exercising the basic human right of free expression. I second Michelle Malkin (and that of many others) in urging everyone to Buy Danish.

That's the positive part of this post. Ready for the negative half?

Like I said, I think it's rather rude to insult one's religion. Over the past few weeks (or however long this crap has been going on) I've been telling myself that I have not posted the cartoons for this very reason. However, as I've given the issue more thought it has occurred to me that I may very well be using politeness as a weak excuse. The thing that really brought this to mind was seeing this shirt (which I mentioned previously). I went through the thought process of I-want-one --> No-that-would-be-rude-to-innocent-Muslims --> Am-I-really-just-afraid-to-wear-it? So, while I may not spend the $19 to buy the shirt I will post the cartoons here because I think the principle of free speech, in this specific case*, trumps that of minding my P's and Q's. As things stand, if you are Muslim and offended by what follows please feel free to let me know that you're angry. But please include a statement that indicates that while you disagree with what I say you would be will to defend to the death my right to say it (and remember that the 'West' is not the first to produce such images).

Images borrowed from Michelle

---

* I say "in this specific case" because of the massive and widespread attempts by groups of Muslims to stop the exercise of free speech/expression by threats (and actual) physical violence. Again, had these riots never happened I would have expressed my disgust that anyone would wantonly insult an entire religion (as with Piss Christ, etc.) and that would have been the end of it. Alas, it is not so.

Port Ownership Flap

2006-02-22T15:02:00.000-05:00

Big Lizards has a modest proposal for taking care of the whole port ownership issue. From what I've seen, the Dubai government would only own and manage the day-to-day operations of the port and have nothing to do with port security. I agree with those opposed to the deal that it raises the possibility of terrorists using the set up to smuggle in things we'd rather keep out...but then I'm not sure that the current system is completely without holes.

Anyway, check out Big Lizard's proposal and give it some thought. I have to admit that I wouldn't mind seeing the Democrats painted as Arab-o-phobic phonies. Here's to hoping that the whole thing blows up (politically) in their collective faces.

(BL link via Patterico)

Don't Live In Denial

2006-02-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

The (previously mentioned) raping scumbag trucker who grabbed a woman on I-84 in CT has had bail set at $1 million.

This most recent article includes something for which I would like to publicly thank the unidentified woman who was victimized by this dirtbag. Thank you for sharing some of the details of your ordeal. I have no doubt that talking about it is an extremely difficult thing to do and so I hope you know that your candor is appreciated.

I also want you to know that nothing I write here, or anywhere, will ever be intended to disparage anything you may or may not have done before, during or after this assault. My sole purpose for commenting on this topic is to help people face reality, specifically that there are bad people in this world who absolutely cannot be reasoned with. Those bad people will take advantage of anyone who is unable to physically resist, and so it is incumbent upon all good people in the world to prepare to do just that.

It is the details of the account that I want everyone reading this to focus on. I know that it's a very uncomfortable thing to do, but living in denial is no substitute for being prepared mentally and physically to face such a situation. Here's what happened:

It was her first day at a new job as a buyer, a promotion at the company where she has worked for years. She had picked up Chinese food at a place in Tolland and was in plenty of time to pick up her two young daughters at day care.

When she saw the man waving, she stopped and rolled down her window. The hood of his white 18-wheeler was up, and it seemed he was having truck trouble.

"I was talking to a friend on my cellphone, and I said, `Call me back.'"

The truck driver told her he needed to use her cellphone, but first he asked her to help him with his truck by getting in and holding down the clutch.

"You're on your exit, you're almost home. You're comfortable. Life is good," she said, now shaking her head at the decision to help him. But everyone she knows has stopped to help a stranded motorist on that rural portion of the highway.

She got into the truck and noticed she could reach the clutch. Later, she would realize it was because her attacker was short, only 5-feet-6. A moment later, he attacked her.

"He pushed me in, and I was still holding onto the steering wheel," she said. "I could feel the pistol in my back."

She could hear cars driving by, locals on their way home from work. But no one else stopped. She hoped someone would recognize her car.

Meanwhile, her son called her husband and said, "Mommy hasn't picked up the girls from day care."

She was always meticulously on time, and her husband knew something was wrong. He got into his car and headed to the day care.

When the attacker forced her into the truck, the woman struggled with him, but he struck her on the side of the head and ear so hard she saw stars.

She pretended to be knocked unconscious. But opened one eye as she lay there.

Then she spied her cellphone, which had fallen in a crack of the center console during the initial struggle. She saw a pen and tried to grab it, thinking perhaps she'd stab him with it, but she fumbled it and it fell. Finally, she clutched the phone and dialed 911. She screamed for help.

He struck her in the face. He took the phone. And he blindfolded her and tied her hands and feet after that. She remembers the reek of a sickly cologne, and that the inside of his truck smelled like maple syrup.

Then, the truck began to move. It left the exit ramp before state troopers could get to the spot where the 911 call was made..

"OK, I'm dying," she thought to herself. "How is he going to kill me? Is it going to be torture?"

Her arms tied, she prayed.

When the truck stopped, her attacker took off her pants and sweater. She knew what was going to happen next.

"You try to think of someone else, anything," she said softly. "I told him I had AIDS and he punched me."

He put on a condom to avoid his DNA being detected, she said.

After the rape, he told her he was going to "dispose of you because I don't want to go back to prison."

"I bargained for my life. I told him I never saw him," she said. "I told him I won't tell anyone. You bargain."

He told her to go to sleep, and the truck began to move again.

"I just laid there. I prayed from that point," she said.

The truck stopped near the truck stop at Exit 71. She recognized where she was. She could hear trucks passing by.

Her attacker untied her feet, allowed her to put her pants and sweater back on. Then they walked up a hill to some trees. He tied her hands to the front of a tree, and warned her he'd kill her if she moved. But as soon as she heard the truck start, she began working on the rope.

It didn't take her long to get free. Shakily, she grabbed a cigarette from her pocket, lit it and began to walk down the hill for help. The first vehicles she saw were all tractor-trailers. She was terrified.

Finally, she saw a car coming down the road near the truck stop and she stood in front of the driver, waving crazily, the way her attacker had.

"I was just raped," she managed to blurt out. Then the tears came.

These words paint a terrible picture...but go back and read them again. Try to put yourself in her shoes. I know it's difficult not only because it really is an uncomfortable exercise but also that it's easy to think that something like this could never happen to you. You're not alone:

"It's like a movie. You think it doesn't happen to real people," she said. "But it does."

Pop Quiz

2006-02-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

Wearing which of these t-shirts is more likely to get you killed?

Anybody want to take a guess?

(Mohammad t-shirt, Flying Spaghetti Monster and FSM background)

Sheep, Wolves And Sheepdogs

2006-02-20T11:01:00.000-05:00

I mentioned this essay over a year ago, and yet every time I run across it I am deeply moved. I couldn't help but share a bit:

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

Where did you want to be that fateful day? It's a question we should all face becuase you never know if someday you will be on that plane.

Gun Safety In Schools

2006-02-20T10:36:00.000-05:00

Logistical issues aside, I like it!

Class, this is a gun. Let's learn how to use it.

An effort is under way to add a course on gun safety and marksmanship to the state's [OH] curriculum for high schools, in essence using the schools to familiarize children with firearms. The lesson would be offered as a one-semester elective that could be used to satisfy graduation requirements.

Sounds like a great idea. Even if you're against guns and think they should be completely banned, the fact is they are not. Therefore, there is the chance that your child will run across a gun (say, at a friend's house). What with your child do? Will s/he know how to be safe, or have you set your kid up for tragedy?

Do I even need to point out the irony in this statement?

"I really think it's something that's better left in the hands of parents," said Bob Scott, superintendent of Avon Lake schools. "Even couched as gun safety, it would be too divisive. I don't know if it's the school's position to get involved."

...unlike sex education, which is obviously something better taken out of the hands of parents by the government. Right?

(via Alphecca)

Best Of Homespun

2006-02-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

This week's Best Of Homespun Bloggers is up. Check it out.

Where Does It End?

2006-02-19T21:15:00.000-05:00

This is truly disturbing:

CHICAGO — Surveillance cameras — aimed at government buildings, train platforms and intersections here — might soon be required at corner taverns and swanky nightclubs.
[...]
"We require shopping centers to put railings on stairs and install sprinkler systems for public safety. This is a proper next step," says Baltimore County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz, who sponsored the ordinance.

Yeah, Kev. That's exactly the freaking problem. We allow the government to dictate what a private property can, cannot and must do on his own property and now where are we? I guess right where you want us, huh?

Can you imagine a more Orwellian quote than this:

"The safer we make the city, the better it is for everyone," says Chicago Alderman Ray Suarez, who first proposed mandatory cameras in some businesses. "If you're not doing anything wrong, what do you have to worry about?"

Oh, I don't know Ray you stupid ass. Maybe it's none of your freaking business where I go or what I do! Maybe I don't want my betters in the government keeping tabs on me if I decide to get a quart of freaking milk in the middle of the night.

I don't know. This whole surveillance thing is really starting to get to me. The underlying problem is not the surveillance, per se. Really, the thing that drives me absolutely out of my skull is the pitiful apathy that such intrusive abuses of government power are met by the 'public.' How many generations is it going to take for the 'adults' to know no different than being watched all the time?

Read 1984. It'll make you toes curl*.

Will it do the same to your children? How about your grandchildren?

Wake up Chicagoans. Wake up Londoners. Wake up, for the love of freedom.

Giving up freedom to a benevolent government does nothing more than insure that the table is set for the despot when he ascends the throne. Make no mistake about it, it will happen. Would you feel any better about it if it happens to your grandchildren rather than to you? If so, please see the asterisk below.

You want to know the answer to: Where does it end? I'll tell you. It ends where we draw a line in the sand...or it never ends.

---

* If you read 1984 and do not feel the bile rising in your throat please find another country in which to contribute to the loss of freedom.

Sergeant Brad Kasal

2006-02-18T13:49:00.000-05:00

Blackfive, as usual, has some great posts about a battlefield hero: Sergeant Brad Kasal. Read 'em.

Notice anything about this picture?

He's wounded, being carried out of a house in which he just killed some bad guys and take a look at where he has his trigger finger. I know it's a small thing. I just couldn't help but be (further) impressed.

(Photo borrowed from NPR)

Cheney's Got A Gun

2006-02-18T12:44:00.000-05:00

This is hilarious (since everyone lived, of course).

(via War On Guns)

Slight Of Hand Working Well

2006-02-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

Looks like Gov. Rell's little slight of hand that I've metioned twice before (the car tax/property tax switcheroo) is working out great for her. Here's the plan:

Rell’s proposal calls for the state to spend nearly $500 million a year to compensate municipalities for lost car tax revenue.

The compensation program would be funded by shifting $435.6 million the state gets each year in casino revenue and adding another $61 million out of the state budget.

To help cover the holes that would be left in state finances, Rell wants to end the property tax credit on the state income tax, to save $325 million a year. Anticipated increases in other tax revenues would add another $173 million annually to state revenue to cover the rest of the financing.

And yes, the voter of CT love the smoke and mirror act:

According to the poll, Rell would beat DeStefano by 70-16 percent if the election were held now. Her advantage over Malloy was almost exactly the same, at 70-15 percent.

In a hypothetical Democratic primary match-up, the poll found that DeStefano was preferred by registered Democratic voters over Malloy by 38-19 percent.

Although...

35 percent of all Democrats surveyed said they remained undecided.

The survey found that 59 percent of voters still don’t know enough about DeStefano to have an opinion about him, and 83 percent said they didn’t know enough about Malloy.

Campaign spokesmen for the two Democrats dismissed Rell’s massive lead in the polls as the product of her far greater name recognition and predicted that her advantage would certainly diminish as the 2006 election campaign moves into high gear.

Yep. Long, ugly campaign ahead. Sir Winston was right.

Another Argument For Self-Defense

2006-02-17T16:39:00.000-05:00

If only the victim had been prepared to defend herself this scumbag could have been arrested for attempted rape after being released from the hospital...or not charged at all upon arriving at the morgue.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) -- A Florida truck driver was arrested Friday and charged with the abduction and rape of a woman who was attacked earlier this month after being flagged down along Interstate 84 in Ashford.
[...]
He allegedly flagged down his victim on an Interstate off-ramp on Feb. 6. She told police that when she stopped to help, he dragged her into the cab of his truck, raped her, then left her tied to a tree in the woods.

Scumbag.

Fetal Surgery Pic

2006-02-17T11:29:00.000-05:00

Wow.

(Via Dappled Things)

Sonic Hedgehog Teenage Deterrent

2006-02-16T08:37:00.000-05:00

Does anybody else find this creepy?

Shopkeepers in central England have been trying out a new device that emits an uncomfortable high-pitched noise designed to disperse young loiterers outside their stores without bothering adults.
[...]
"The noise can normally only be heard by those between 12 and 22 and it makes the listener feel uncomfortable," she added.

Once in their early 20s, people lose their capacity to hear sounds at such a high pitch.

"It is controlled by the shopkeepers. If they can see through their window that there is a problem, they turn the device on for a few minutes until the group has dispersed," Davies said.

Totally aside from any potential abuse, this thing is just plain creepy.

Seems to me that there might be a better way of solving this problem, in just two easy steps: 1) enforce laws against, as they say, yobs doing yobby things and 2) stop preventing people from defending themselves. But hey, what do I know...I'm just an ugly American.

Election Year Politics

2006-02-15T10:23:00.000-05:00

The other day I had occasion to rip a bit of proposed legislation suggested by Gov. Rell concerning taxes. Now the powers that be have had a "summit" to address the issue of increasing violence in Connecticut, specifically gun violence. There were not a ton of details in the articles I found, but the general consensus appears to be that the black market has been "flooded" with guns, which is leading to violence (pay no attention to the violent criminals behind the curtain!).

From the info that's out there regarding this closed-door "summit", I have to give Jody Rell at least some credit (although that is subject to change if my fears are confirmed, as I'll discuss below):

The two mayors [New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy] called for the passage of legislation that would require the reporting by gun owners of lost or stolen guns, a measure that Perez asked Rell to endorse during their meeting.

Rell said she would study the measure, but sounded a skeptical note: "Most of the guns [traced to violent crimes] are not necessarily falling in the category of lost or stolen guns."

Exactly! Here's the thing. The make, model and serial number of handguns sold in CT (and long guns sold by FFL dealers in CT, although not private transactions) are already recorded and kept on file. I don't know whether there is a law requiring that lost or stolen guns be reported (I've never come across one), but even if there isn't, a gun recovered after the commission of a crime would be quite easy to trace if it had been legally bought in CT.

So...what's the deal here? This measure proposed by Rell's potential challengers is one of two things; either they're feel-good proposals meant to drum up support from the Left or they're just part of more comprehensive gun control measures these two favor but haven't talked about yet. Of course, Rell herself might be a gun-control wolf hiding in wolf-dog clothing:

Rell said at a news conference afterward that most of the discussion was about how to take guns off the streets and keep them out of the hands of children, including whether loopholes in the state's gun laws need to be closed.

Admittedly, these "loopholes" might just be the author's way of referencing proposals similar to the one mentioned above (mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns)...but since the phrase is used with respect to Gov. Rell specifically (who, according to the first article did not immediately endorse the mandatory reporting proposal) it makes me wonder. To add to my worry regarding what "loopholes" Gov. Rell is referring to, she also said this:

"In all candor, what we are seeing right now are a number of guns that are not registered. They are not necessarily stolen or lost," said Rell. "We don’t know where they’re coming from." The governor said renewed efforts are being made to track the weapons to their sources.

The only thing that might fit the bill as a "loophole" would be the lack of an official gun registration program in CT.* Other than that, the gun laws in CT (in terms of restricting access by children and buying and selling) are relatively strict already. Of course, I suppose we could always go to a '1-gun-per-month' or some other unfairly restrictive load of BS. Let's hope not.

If anyone figures out what she's actually talking about please drop me a line. Dang, I much prefer it around here when guns are not a topic of political conversation. The laws aren't all that bad right now...but this state is way too Blue for me to be comfortable if guns become a campaign issue. I'll be keeping my ear to the ground.

---

* As I mentioned at the outset of this post, gun sales are recorded and the pertinent info (buyer, make, model, serial number, etc.) must be maintained by the gun dealer for something like 10 years. There is, however, no government run registration database such as exists in NY, CA, MA, IL and maybe a few others. Don't be fooled by the rhetoric, this lack of registration is a good thing as they inevitably lead to confiscation. Just as [once] Great Britain and NYC.

Family

2006-02-15T07:42:00.000-05:00

Kevin at The Smallest Minority has a great (and quite long) piece about underlying cause(s) of violence in our country and others. It's an impressive bit of reasoning and research, as always.

My synopsis: Strong family guided by strong, traditional, morals is the single most important thing for the health of society and individuals therein.

There's much more to the post than that, of course. I just find it interesting (in a depressing sort of way) how much effort it takes to convince some people that their grandparents were right.

Good job Kevin. Keep it up.

Hey Rowland, Wanna Go Out For A Beer?

2006-02-14T09:15:00.000-05:00

Oh, never mind:

HARTFORD -- Ex-Gov. John G. Rowland returned to his West Hartford rental home Monday afternoon and checked in with federal probation officials to begin his four months of post-prison home confinement.

Although it's not mentioned in this article, I caught a news report this morning on the radio alerting me to the breaking story that Rowland claims his days in politics are over. Thanks for the update John.

More:

You know, this whole thing still pisses me off. I know politicians are generally slimy (with very few exceptions), but it still gets my blood boiling when I think about the betrayal of our trust and the pettiness of his crimes. If his post-confinement quotes are sincere, looking through the bars may very well have allowed him to see the light...but then he is a politician:

"The hardest part for me was knowing how hard it was on my family. Whatever day I was having was not nearly as bad as the effect it was having on my wife and kids," he said. "It doesn't matter what the food is, it doesn't matter what the routine is, it doesn't matter whether I can do something or not do something ... the hardest part is being away from your family and not being able to be part of their lives on a daily basis."

So...what you're saying is that a few 'free' vacations and a new deck (or whatever) on your cottage weren't worth 10 months hanging with the homies in the clink? Well, thanks for the update you POS. Turns out there are literally millions of people in this country (and world, for that matter) who have managed figure out right from wrong without the benefit of being a dirtbag.

For the record:

Technically, Rowland pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to deprive the state of "the intangible right to the honest services of its governor" and other public officials. In plain English, that means that he and Chief of Staff Peter Ellef steered more than $100 million in no-bid contracts to companies controlled by the Tomasso family. Tomasso, in turn, gave Rowland free and cut-rate vacations and improvements to his cottage in Litchfield County. Rowland also admitted to not paying more than $35,000 in federal taxes on that ill-gotten swag. Federal prosecutors indicted Ellef and the Tomassos in September.

Espionage To Firefighting

2006-02-13T15:48:00.000-05:00

Do you ever get an auditory hallucination of a needle bring dragged across a record when you're reading something and you hit a totally unexpected disconnect? This article will do that to you:

In 1951, Savage recalls meeting two men who took him to a nondescript location and presented him with an offer he couldn’t refuse. They offered him a job as a counterintelligence agent.

"They told me that they could offer me a career and all the education, adventure and travel, and money I could want. Of course I said yes," Savage said.

For over 20 years, Savage moved from country to country, not staying in one place for more than two years at a time, working as a "spy catcher."
[...]
"Espionage is a very serious business. It is a very dangerous job, being captured and capturing spies. But it was much more exciting than what you see on television."

Savage retired from counterintelligence in 1973, and began a career working on behalf of diversity.

Hey man, all I can say is: Don't mess with the Fire Board Commission. They will put your butt in a sling.

Goldstein

2006-02-13T13:20:00.000-05:00

Jeff Goldstein (Protein Wisdom) is one of the funniest bloggers out there...if you happen to share his sometimes odd sense of humor. I do. Do you?

[And for the record, no, I did not see it coming.]

Doc Russia

2006-02-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

There are only a few people in the world to whom I would trust my 6. Doc Russia is one, and I've never even met him. Read the post. You'll understand why.

More On The (Proposed) Repeal of the CT Car Tax

2006-02-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

Today's Hartford Courant has a follow up article on Gov. Rell's proposed ~~slight of hand~~ tax cuts. The majority of the discussion makes me realize I'd never make it as a politican. Well, maybe I could make it, but I'd have to find some public funds to pay for a personal assistant who could feed me by hand because there's no way my hands would ever again feel clean enough to touch my own food. Just read it, you'll see what I mean.

The article goes into some details about Rell's plan, but I think it's pretty much all summed up in the very last paragraph (but, of course, readers of this blog are ahead of the curve because you got the bottom line from yours truly two days ago):

"To characterize this new grant as a significant increase in state aid to municipalities is a bit curious, as the proposal really is a substitution of one source of revenue for towns [the car tax] for another [reimbursement of towns by the state for the loss of car tax revenue]," the group said. "The towns' financial position is not significantly changed" from the current system.

It took a "think tank" to figure that out? Welcome to election year politics.

Cartoons

2006-02-09T09:04:00.000-05:00

I haven't commented on the cartoon thing, but I wanted to at least help get the word out about this:

I promised you in my previous post to bring you the images of the Egyptian newspaper, Al Fager (as pronounced in Egyptian Arabic) that published the Danish Cartoons five month ago on Oct 17, 2005. Here is below the front page where the Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) cartoon from Jyllands-Posten was published.

The scanned images are right there. Assuming they're real, I seriously hope the whiners will just shut up now. I've had about enough.

(via One Hand Clapping)

Good News For Freedom...Potentially

2006-02-09T07:40:00.000-05:00

Could CT's smoking ban be struck down?

Restaurants and bars owners are subject to the ban. Casinos and private clubs - such as golf and yacht clubs, veterans’ club halls and orders of the Moose - are not.
[...]
The ban is titled "An Act Concerning Second-Hand Smoke in Work Places." It purports to protect employees in particular against the effects of secondhand smoke, which, during a typical eight-hour shift, can amount to ingesting up to 20 cigarettes' worth of nicotine. On that, both sides seem to agree.

What is at odds is the state's selective imposition of the ban.

Attorney Jan C. Trendowski, representing a band of bar owners, said the smoking ban has created a dramatically unequal playing field.

"Our ban allows smoking in a lot of restaurants and a lot of bars, and bars smoking in a lot of other restaurants and a lot of other bars," Trendowski said. "The only difference is who owns them."

So, we have a ban on smoking...but only in certain establishments. Attorney General Blumenthal would have you believe that this is a simple case of "line drawing" by the legislature. After all:

What we have before us on the table is a perfectly justifiable effort by the legislature to address a public health issue.

Really? So what about the employees of casinos and private clubs? Aren't their lungs important too? And where is the evidence that 2nd hand smoke is harmful. Yes, it can exasperate asthma and other respiratory problems. But does it actually lead to cancer or primarily cause lung disease in non-smokers? I don't think that question has been answered. Combine that with the fact that the people of CT have not specifically delegated to the legislature the power to 'address public health issues' and all this really amounts to is the government imposing its will on private business owners. Nothing new, but something that should be fought at every turn.

BS Meter In The Red

2006-02-08T15:25:00.000-05:00

This article starts out sounding absolutely great (if, like me, you happen to be a small government type):

Gov. M. Jodi Rell wants to eliminate municipal car taxes and cut the state's public utility taxes by 25 percent, two moves she says will save Connecticut residents millions of dollars a year.

I mean, jeeze. I only pay a few hundred dollars a year between car and utility taxes so I'm expecting a serious check.

All right, so maybe I only entertain myself. Anyway...here's where the hand waving comes in:

Under Rell's car tax plan, kept as a secret until moments before her address to a joint session of the legislature, the state would reimburse cities and towns for the money they would have received from residential car tax bills.

Just so we're clear. The state is going to force towns to stop collecting car tax...and then reimburse them for the loss of tax revenue. And that reimbursement will come from the money tree at the capitol. Or, my state taxes. Whichever turns out to be real. Boy, I feel better already.

Here's a telling quote from the Gov:

"Starting this July, you will no longer have to write a check for your car taxes. It will be a thing of the past," she said, receiving especially loud cheers from R[INO]epublican legislators.

I guarantee that is the most honest thing you'll hear from a politician this year. The point of this move is not to decrease the tax burden on CT residents. Rather, it is a move designed to make Gov. Rell (formerly second fiddle to former Gov. Rowland, now a convicted felon) look good in an election year. And you know, it'll probably work. One of the ways our government (state and federal) has managed to consolidate so much power is by instituting invisible taxes. How many people out there know how much they gross in a year? I bet 90% of our country's taxpayers have absolutely no concept of how much money the government skims off the top.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If every adult American had to sit down each spring and write a check to the state and federal governments for the exact number of dollars s/he is currently paying there would be armed revolution. There'd be no messing around with waiting until the next election year. There wouldn't be any recall votes. Nope, just straight up rioting. This car tax -cough-reform-cough- is nothing more than another BS, slimy, dirty slight of hand by a politician who wants to get reelected.

Now for the last little zinger:

The $497 million car tax plan, touted by the administration as the highlight of Rell's budget, would be paid for with casino revenues and by eliminating the property tax credit, the $350 deduction homeowners can take on their state income tax returns. Some Democrats groaned when Rell said the popular credit would be scrapped.

Genuario said he believes many more taxpayers will be able to benefit from the car tax elimination than the property tax credit. Renters are not eligible for the credit, and not everyone who owns a home receives the full $350 credit because it is based upon income levels.

Well, I'm with the Democrats on this groan. I've got no problem with tax cuts, generally anywhere they can be had (as long as they're real, of course). The question here is what we're really going to accomplish with the elimination of the property tax credit. As things stand, homeowners really do receive a benefit on their taxes and everyone pays car tax. Now, our esteemed Republican(?) Gov is proposing that we 'repeal' the car tax (without actually decreasing the tax burden due to the state reimbursement of municipalities) while pulling the proverbial landscaping out from under homeowners foundations by eliminating a true tax break.

Is it just me or some something seriously stink?

One final note. It seems that the only real tax reduction in Rell's proposal is with respect to the public utility tax (by 25%), the estate tax (which would be a good thing) and the corporate surcharge (which currently stands at an outrageous 25% on top of corporate income tax). I hope these measures make it into law, but this car tax trick sticks in my craw. Unless I'm seriously missing something, my opinion of Jody Rell just took a plunge. Of course, tax breaks are worth no more than the slime-spattered legislative letterhead they’re printed on (which, come to think of it is probably pretty expensive) unless they are combined with spending restraint. Somehow I doubt spending cuts are on the table. We'll see.

The Destruction of Our Government

2006-02-08T08:10:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not advocating any such thing but rather suggesting that it's already happened. I know, I know. Ours is the worst form of government...except all the others that have been tried (apologies to Mr. Churchill). Southern Pundit has a very well written post about the most neglected Amendment to our federal Constitution, the 10th. Check it out:

The federal government is bloated beyond all reason. The Founders, not even the Federalists who supported a stronger central government, would approve of the monstrosity we have created. Furthermore, the ideas the Founders had are so different from our own that I’m not convinced that if they were alive today to run for president that anybody would vote for them. Everybody on the right talks about returning to the values of the Founding Fathers, and I agree with that. But I wonder how many of us truly comprehend what that means. James Madison and John Adams both would’ve supported doing things that would infuriate both conservatives and liberals in our current modern context. From what I’ve read of the Founders, I can give a pretty good idea of what returning to their ideas would mean. Let’s make a list:

I am under no illusions that I will live to see anything like changes sufficient to our government that would satisfy me. And to a certain extent, I'm not even sure that going back to exactly what the Founders set up is a good idea. After all, had the Civil War gone the other way we might very well, as Bill Quick suggested, be talking about the battle of Baltimore and the chemical warfare attack in Cleveland.

Regardless, the current situation is disgusting and harmful to our nation. I, for one, have had enough of choosing the lesser of two evils. While I agree with Bush on many things in theory, he and I differ in the real world. To put it simply, his domestic policy makes me want to alternately puke and revolt.

So, what are my choices? Since Zell Miller won't be running for president, voting Democrat is out. Republicans? Hum. McCain. Not a chance in Hades. He might as well be a Democrat. Ditto Giuliani. Good on some topics, but might as well be a Democrat on others. I would go for Condi, but I'm not holding my breath that she'll run. The other choices are generally abominable. The Greens and Independents are generally nutjobs and the Libertarian party is essentially hyper-leftists who are for small government.

I guess that makes me a small 'l' libertarian without a Party that satisfies me. Unfortunately, our choices in government are pretty limited. Even if something completely different is desired by many people, the chance of that being provided are low because of the inertia that must be overcome for a new (unaffiliated and unbeholden) player to enter the race and actually compete.

All in all not the most promising of outlooks. Of course, this is still the best dang country in which to live...but it will only retain that title so long We The People manage maintain control. Let's not follow the example being set by our brethren across the pond.

Alternate Spellings Of L-O-S-E-R

2006-02-07T16:12:00.000-05:00

Alternate Spelling #1: L-O-W-E-R-Y

The outspoken Rev. Joseph Lowery, co-founder of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, ripped into President Bush during his short speech, ostensibly about the wife of Martin Luther King Jr.

Alternate Spelling #2: C-A-R-T-E-R

Former President Jimmy Carter later swung at Bush as well, not once but twice. As he talked about the Kings, he said: "It was difficult for them then personally with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretaps." The crowd cheered as Bush, under fire for a secret wiretapping program he ordered after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, again smiled weakly.

Later, Carter said Hurricane Katrina showed that all are not yet equal in America.

Well, it's not like this is a new thing from the Left.

Firefly

2006-02-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

Posting has been extremely light these days, and to the 3 or 4 people who noticed (and were upset) I apologize. It's been a combination of life being busy and getting fed up with certain aspects of the world.

Anyway...

I just finished watching the Firefly series the other night. In a word: Awesome. I'm not the biggest Sci-Fi fan in the world, but I have never seen better. I'm not going to give anything away other than a few very general comments.

First, they have satisfied my biggest pet peeve that is generally violated in movies and shows involving the vacuum of space. Namely, that it is a vacuum and, therefore, there is no sound. Something about the shot of Serenity accelerating at the end of the opening credits is just perfect.

Second, the characters are great. To some extent they could be viewed as hackneyed in the sense that they cover a somewhat typical spectrum of personalities and specialties. Of course, any barebones crew of a space ship would need at least (and probably not more than) one of each type of person (i.e., pilot, engineer, doctor, etc.), so it's all right.

Third, the show is brutally honest. By that I mean the level (and type) of morality is far more realistic than most TV shows and movies I've seen. Again, without giving too much away, there is a great scene when a truly evil man has been defeated and is on his knees. The good guys (including the ship's crew) are standing there, waiting. The woman the bad guy had primarily victimized walks up, says a few words (that would give away the scene so suffice it to say she's pretty straightforward) and then kills him with one shot. Frontier justice.

Fourth, the show gains all sorts of points (as was Joss Whedon's goal) by keeping the idea of space and travel through it "accessible". This is not Star Trek or Wars where there are a bunch of (oddly, oxygen-breathing) alien races, phasers and huge military-style spaces ships. Rather, the crew of Serenity flies a beat up old junker (although reliable) space ship and use recognizable guns that shoot bullets. One battle prep scene features a .357 magnum, lever-action rifle, some sort of semi automatic carbine, a 1911 (as I recall) and assorted other 'modern' (or rather 'ancient') weapons. Energy weapons are not completely absent, but they are used only by the oppressive government (the Alliance).

Fifth, the sad fact that Fox canceled this show means that the final episode leaves an awful lot of story untold. You'll definitely want to watch the movie Serenity, which was made as a direct result of Firefly's take off in (cult) popularity after it's cancellation.

So...I will soon be taking my own advice and getting my hands on a copy of Serenity.

"Racial Epithets"

2006-02-03T09:38:00.000-05:00

I would appear that insults are an arrestable offense in Connecticut:

Jennifer Farrelly, 19, of East Windsor, has been charged with ridicule on account of race, creed or color and second-degree breach of peace. Farrelly's boyfriend, Eric Satterlee, 22, of Ashford, was charged with breach of peace in the incident.

Oh, I guess it's not just insults, but specific insults against particular protected groups.

Now I'm as much against racism as anybody...but are laws like this really necessary, or even Constitutional (and here I'm referring to the Connecticut Constitution, since I'm not convinced the Federal Bill of Rights should apply to state law)? I realize that yelling "Theatre" in a crowded fire should not be allowed, but insulting someone...I just don't know. By way of analogy, do you think for a second that 'a person of African decent' would be arrested for calling me "White Boy"? Humm...

Aside from the theoretical implications of this alleged case of arrestable insults, it would appear that the facts might be a bit more complicated:

Farrelly denied using racial epithets when she was interviewed by police, saying Byrd caused the dispute by ridiculing her for parking her car far away from the drive-through window, the warrant states. Byrd's supervisor told police that Byrd should not have been working the drive-through because he had gotten into a similar incident with another customer, the warrant states.

Another Stein

2006-01-28T11:09:00.000-05:00

Read this right to the end. This one doesn't suck:

The most heroic, ethically courageous, morally resolute men and women in the world today are the Americans, British, and other forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are fighting the most evil men and women currently on the world scene. The American Army soldier, Marine, Navy sailor, Air Force warrior, and Coast Guardsman fighting in Ramadi or Mosul is fighting men and women who kill children and old people for sport. The men and women of the United States military are fighting the remnants of a regime so evil that it pioneered the use of torture against children -- just for the amusement of Saddam and his family. The men and women whom Joel despises rid the world of a dictator so twisted and murderous that he openly admired Stalin and Hitler and sought to match their level of atrocities. The men and women who wear the uniform fought, bled, and died to rid the world of the most dangerous man on the planet in the most flammable place on the planet. They died to save a slave people from the genocidal control of a mad killer who thought nothing of gassing his own people, of wiping out entire regions, of setting up special rape rooms to allow his henchmen and his sons to rape women at will, who amused himself by pouring gasoline down the throats of totally innocent people and setting them on fire.

This piece pretty much sums it up. Nice to see sanity every now and again.

(via Alphecca)

BB&T: No Soup For You!

2006-01-26T09:04:00.000-05:00

Before I received an email from the Castle Coalition yesterday I had never heard of BB&T. Well, assuming that this is the whole story, they just became one of my favorite companies. Here's the release from the CC:

Institute for Justice

901 N. Glebe Road Suite 900 Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 682-9320 FAX (703) 682-9321

Home Page: WWW.IJ.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: John E. Kramer or Lisa Knepper

January 25, 2006 (703) 682-9320

BB&T Respects Property Rights,

Won’t Fund Eminent Domain Abuse

Arlington, Va.-BB&T, the nation’s ninth largest financial holdings company with $109.2 billion in assets, announced today that it “will not lend to commercial developers that plan to build condominiums, shopping malls and other private projects on land taken from private citizens by government entities using eminent domain.”

In a press release issued today by the bank, BB&T Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Allison, said, “The idea that a citizen’s property can be taken by the government solely for private use is extremely misguided, in fact it’s just plain wrong. One of the most basic rights of every citizen is to keep what they own. As an institution dedicated to helping our clients achieve economic success and financial security, we won’t help any entity or company that would undermine that mission and threaten the hard-earned American dream of property ownership.”

“BB&T’s principled stand sets an example that should inspire other lenders and should become the new industry standard,” said Institute for Justice President and General Counsel Chip Mellor. The Institute for Justice litigated the Kelo case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the taking of private property for someone else’s private use in the guise of “economic development.” Mellor said, “You can and should accomplish economic development through private negotiation, not the use of government force through eminent domain. As far as we’re concerned, BB&T now stands for Best Bank in Town.”

The U.S. Congress is now considering bipartisan legislation that would federally de-fund eminent domain for private use. Although the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation that would block any federal funds going to private development projects on land taken through eminent domain, the Senate has yet to vote on companion legislation. Last week, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), however, commented on an eminent domain case that was argued before the Ohio Supreme Court. The case involves Carl and Joy Gamble, homeowners from Norwood, Ohio, who could lose their home through eminent domain for a privately owned mall and high-end apartments. Frist wrote in an op-ed published by the Cincinnati Enquirer, “I have some pretty clear thoughts about the [Norwood] case: The Gambles should keep their home and the developer should either build around it or cancel the development plans altogether. . . . Quite simply, no family should ever risk losing its home because a government wants to help a private developer.”

Scott Bullock, an IJ senior attorney who argued the Kelo case, said, “Eminent domain abuse is wrong and unconstitutional. BB&T has stepped up and recognized its corporate responsibility to not be a part of this shameful abuse of individual rights.”

Dana Berliner, an IJ senior attorney who argued the Gambles’ case before the Ohio Supreme Court, said, “Throughout the country, banks have been silent partners in the unholy alliance between local governments and private developers. Banks finance developers and cities that use eminent domain to take someone’s home or business and turn the land into new stores, condos, and office space. Others will hopefully follow BB&T’s courageous example.”

Every little bit helps.

Eminent Domain Outrage In CA

2006-01-17T07:40:00.000-05:00

This is absolutely beyond the pale:

A year after Los Angeles seized three acres from a private company to construct a public building, a city councilman wants to sell the land to another private firm for a commercial development.

Both companies are furniture manufacturers. But executives with the company that would buy the land have political connections and have made $17,600 in campaign contributions to key city leaders.

There are many more details in the article, but that's about all you really need to know. While I realize that 200+ years has probably dulled the psychological impact, I find it hard to believe that abuses of eminent domain can be much more tolerable than the things Britain was doing to her colonies here in America. Absolutely, without question, abuses of eminent domain must not be allowed to stand. I truly hope that the people of Los Angeles come together and fight in the same spirit as those on the east coast have.

(via The Agiator)

Starving Species

2006-01-16T08:35:00.000-05:00

Here's a question for you. If you had a dollar to donate to who would it go, starving cats, or starving kids?

Two organizations in New Britain CT provide an interesting contrast:

Animal Alliance Welfare League feeds over 500 feral cats in New Britain
vs.
Community effort joins others to feed hundreds of children

Reading those two headlines you might think: Well good. Both hungry cats and hungry kids are being helped. And you'd be right, but check out the source of funding for both projects:

Feeding Cats...

The trap, neuter and release program, referred to as TNR, is in part a coordinated effort between the city and AAWL. The city has set aside money to pay for neutering of the first 60 cats AAWL takes to a Hartford veterinary center, which gives the city a discount for their services. (emphasis mine)

Did you catch that? "The city" is paying for this fine service. If you read the entire article you will not find a single reference to any sort of problem that these cats are causing. That's not necessarily to say that there aren't any, but you'd almost think that a person in charge of such a program would at least provide some explanation of a problem that needs to be solved with money taken from working stiffs under threat of physical force. But maybe that's just me.

Although you can probably guess what's coming, here's a bit more from the other story:

Feeding Kids...

Before long, the program had three additional sponsor churches from the midwest and northwest parts of the country and were receiving help from outside organizations to raise funds. In Southington, the program has seen several generous donations from the Rotary Club and has had additional help from many of the school-based organizations and local students, Ellis added.
[...]
To aid the continued progress that the foundation has seen, the Church is now conducting a calendar drive to collect money for their cause. For $25, any member of the community may purchase a 2006 calendar and will also have their name entered into a weekly drawing for a prize.
[...]
"With the five participating churches, we are feeding literally thousands of children each day," Ellis added. "However, if we continue to work together, we could easily feed hundreds of thousands. We are far from done with this program."

Those who are interested in making a donation to the "Every Dollar Feeds Kids" foundation or who would like to purchase a calendar may contact the church office at (860) 628-6958 or stop by to receive a program brochure. (emphasis added)

Did I even need to add the emphasis? Now, I wonder which program is: 1) more efficient, 2) more worthy and 3) has a better return on the investment.

Just another example of a government officials spending money that's not theirs on programs to solve nonexistent problems and private organizations of individuals actually making a difference in the world. Just think what private individuals and organizations could do if government got out of the way…

Friday Late Afternoon Thoughts

2006-01-13T15:50:00.000-05:00

Al Gore lets loose a rhetorical volley against Bush's Police State and is then summarily executed by Bush's Police State police. Oh wait...

Have I ever mentioned that I'm not Algore's biggest fan, although I am grateful for the more colorful memories.

In other news...

So Clarence Ray Allen (age 75-soon-to-be-76) is too old and infirm to be put to death, huh?

"The spectacle of Mr. Allen being wheeled into the death chamber, unable to walk and unable to see those who have come to witness his execution, violates all standards of decency and would amount to nothing more than the purposeless and needless imposition of pain and suffering prohibited by the Eighth Amendment," said Annette Carnegie, one of Allen's attorneys.

For those who don't know, here's what he did to earn the death penalty:

He was sentenced to life in prison for commissioning the murder of his son's girlfriend in 1974. Then, in 1980, he was convicted and sentenced to death for ordering the murders of eight witnesses of the first murder from his cell. While killing the first of these targets, his hit man also killed two unconnected teenagers on the scene.

This guy is a grade-A scumbag and a cold-blooded murder for hirer. I do, however, agree with his lawyer in that we should avoid the "spectacle" of wheeling him into the death chamber. How about we send the appropriate officials into this comfy jail cell and just hit him on the head with a brick until the sentence has been carried out? Win, win from where I'm standing.

To end the work week on a lighter note, did I mention the Best Blond Joke Ever?

Hilarious

2006-01-12T11:16:00.000-05:00

Best Blond Joke Ever.

Tax Dollars Well Spent

2006-01-12T10:19:00.000-05:00

I'll piss and moan as much, and probably more than, the next guy about wasted tax dollars. Well, here's an expenditure of my state tax dollars that I absolutely support:

Connecticut State Troopers Escort Troops Heading to Afghanistan
[...]
I suited up yesterday, which was Saturday, my day off, belted 2 1/2 year old Aidan into his car seat in my State Police car, and drove to the National Guard Armory in Manchester to escort the 102nd Infantry Co. to the NY State Line. I had two other Troopers on this voluntary detail in their cars to assist.

Read the rest. Our troops deserve no less, and a hell of a lot more.

Four Dead In Ohio

2006-01-11T14:32:00.000-05:00

Not yet, actually. But abuses of power by our local governments are getting out of hand:

Ohio court hears first challenge to homeowner rights since Kelo

The short story, as I understand it, is that the town of Norwood, a Cincinnati suburb, wants to boost it's tax revenue by tearing down homes and putting up (or, more accurately, allowing to be put up) "offices and shops". The case sounds pretty similar to the one on New London CT, and as such stinks to high heaven.

Look folks. We cannot allow this to continue. The SCOTUS ruled in Kelo that while local governments have the power to take homes away pretty much whenever they feel like it, states also have the power to pass laws outlawing such actions.

While I think that the majority in Kelo ruled while taking a very close look at their various ileocecal valves, at least their decision did not further consolidate power at the federal level. What their decision did was give us all a chance to get out there and make a difference. So do it already! Write you state and local representatives. Make your voice heard now while the fight is still in the courts and legislatures and (not to put too fine a point on it), before the fight reaches the streets.

---

Sorry for that last link. I just couldn't help myself =).

Update:

Michelle is on the story too.

Update 2:

More from Ohio Guy in the comments.

God Non-Denominational-Multiculturalist-Non -Deity Save The Queen Big Brother!

2006-01-11T08:49:00.000-05:00

Yet another example of how far our British brethren have fallen:

Britain's Blair calls for respect then admits smacking kids
[...]
"What, you do smack the younger one?"

Blair said: "No, no, it was actually the other way round but... I think, look, this smacking... I think everybody knows the difference between smacking a kid and abusing a child."

Blair's government stopped short of a total ban on smacking in England and Wales a year ago. Smacks that leave marks are punishable by up to five years in prison.

What? A "total ban on smacking" was even on the table? I guess this just goes to show you how far the British government has intruded on it's ~~citizen's~~ subjects personal lives. They're not allowed to discipline their children, so their kids grow up to be punks...against whom they are not allowed to defend themselves. Hum. What a great deal.

Follow Up On CT State Police Murder-Suicide

2006-01-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

The New Britain Herald has a follow up story on the murder-suicide I blogged about a while back.

The article has a few new bits of info, mostly unsubstantiated statements that Victor Dias had a lot of problems including being a mean drunk. It's a sad story and I can't help but wonder what role his being a police officer played in ultimately leading to the tragedy of Ciara McDermott's murder.

I've Had Enough BS To Last Me A Lifetime

2005-12-21T08:02:00.000-05:00

Hey, all you gullible smucks on the Left. Listen up, I'm only going to link this stuff once. You think Bush is a Big Meany? Perhaps he's George Orwell's Big Brother? If you'd stop whining and crying like the little wusses you are for just a second you might be able to hear something that resembles fact. Ready?

George Bush is not the first president to order warrantless searches and surveillance!

Did you get that? Good. Now, for the proof...

Jimminy Carter:
EXERCISE OF CERTAIN AUTHORITY RESPECTING ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE

Slick Willy:
FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE PHYSICAL SEARCHES

With some commentary from NRO.

So, are you now willing to at least consider that maybe, just maybe, Bush is not some out of control, power-hungry, poopy-head monster? Could it be that he's actually trying to fight terrorism?

No? Well, I suppose it is easier to just sit back and wait for one of our magnificent cities to be reduced to a glowing pile of radioactive rubble and then Blame Bush^TM for not doing enough to stop it. But don't worry, I wouldn't dream of questioning your patriotism.

Update:

As usual, Goldstein provides some interesting information:

"COURT SAYS U.S. SPY AGENCY CAN TAP OVERSEAS MESSAGES”

A Federal appeals court has ruled that the National Security Agency may lawfully intercept messages between United States citizens and people overseas, even if there is no cause to believe the Americans are foreign agents, and then provide summaries of these messages to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Guess what. That story from from the NYT...in 1982. Humm...

The Coming Conflict

2005-12-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

Kevin over at The Smallest Minority has a great (and very long) post in which he seems to be looking for a way to define the opposing sides of what some see as the developing conflict within the US. The whole thing is quite involved so I won't try to summarize it further than that.

The point I want to bring up here is that I believe not only is there a developing conflict but that we are, at the very least, in the thick of the opening phase. As I mentioned in the comments, Thomas Jefferson recognized that societies have the tendency, if not the surety, to eventually fall from the Grace that is freedom and civil government when he said:

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

The biggest fear I have regarding the current conflict is that it is far more subversive than previous ones. In the past, fascism arose in Germany, Italy and Japan...which lead to WWII and the resulting 'peace'. Of course, that peace only lead the strange bedfellows that were the Allies into the Cold War, which was far hotter than our current situation. At least then there was an enemy, and he was outside our borders. (Of course, this is an oversimplification. The Cold War was hardly a time of unity against a commonly defined enemy.)

Today, we face the rise of Islamofascism and multiculturalism. The former movement knows no boundaries and does not seek natural resources or even land (unlike opponents of the post such as Nazis, Communists, etc.). Islamofascism seeks no less than the absolute destruction of all who oppose it, and total world domination. If you don't see this or actively disagree I suggest paying more attention.

You might argue that at least there is a definable enemy, and you'd be right to a certain extent. The real problem arises when the (largely) external threat of Islamofascism is combined with the internal rot of multiculturalism in this country and around the world. We've seen the results in France, Australia and elsewhere. A serious problem arises when multiculturalists convince enough of their countrymen that we must 'respect' the 'other' to the point that absolutely no criticism is allowed, and there is no expectation that immigrants integrate into the host society. This leads to separate societies within societies, with different customs, languages, etc. and no plans for peaceful integration. This creates tension that cannot be resolved with civil words, and so a spark is enough to ignite an inferno.

The situation in the US is, IMHO, somewhat different. While we certainly have minority groups that live largely confined in sections of cities and isolated from mainstream American society, it seems to be less drastic than overseas. The risk, I think, is that we might become more like the French or Australians and end up in their shoes.

Going to the extreme, that would results in a "hot death" of the country. While this would officially fall into the "Not Good" category, it would at least be up in our faces and we might, therefore, be able to handle it and avert serious disaster. The alternative, which I fear more than the "hot death", is "cold death". In other words, death by a thousand small cuts. I see it happening around me everyday. There are only two prerequisites to the "cold death":

1) The majority of people become unthinking, uncritical automatons who live from day to day, even paycheck to paycheck, caring for (and interested in) nothing more today and perhaps tomorrow, and
2) The minority of "good people" do nothing.

I look around in my daily life and I see both conditions all too often. However, rather than focus on the negative, I will point out three examples of people doing the right thing and standing up for what the believe.

First, the one with which I am most familiar: Kelo.

At stake in the battles being waged over eminent domain in New London, CT is no less than the very foundation of our country. While there are many things one could point to that distinguish America from the despotic regimes of the past and present (think Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia, Castro's Cuba, etc.) is that We The People of the United States of America, each and every one of us, has the God-Given Right to be secure in our Life, Liberty and Property. If we lose any of those three, we lose the soul of our country. It is for this that our countrymen have fought (and continue to fight) so long and hard from the coast of CT to the Halls of the Supreme Court of the United States of America. If you are a 'good person' and wish to do something other than 'nothing', go visit the Castle Coalition and help out.

Second, there is a battle being waged by our brethren to the north against the brutal, suffocating, socialist and otherwise idiotic monster that is the Canadian Universal Healthcare System. The story of Dr. Jacques Chaoulli should be an inspiration to us all. His future success, or ultimate failure, could have serious implications in the US. I don't currently have any information as to how we can support him directly, so if you do please send it along and I'd be more than happy to share it.

Third, and finally, there is a fledgling effort being undertaken by my favorite gun bloggers and all 'round patriots, Kim and Connie du Toit. The Nation of Volunteers (actual site here, still under construction) is their new effort to, in their own words:

We have launched a new website and a new company, The Nation of Volunteers Foundation. Unlike previous business endeavors, however, this is not a for-profit company. The purpose of this company is to continually raise enough money to fund salaries and endeavors that we believe will make America a better place. We will be calling on Americans to do all sorts of volunteer activities (without compensation), from helping new shooters to sharing their books, information and expertise with home educators. (Details below the fold.) The purpose of the Nation of Volunteers Foundation is to allow us to manage these activities full time.

Read the rest of the post to get up to speed if you've missed any of the story. The bottom line is that, despite serious financial woes, Kim and Connie are going to devote a significant amount of time to the distinctly American ideals of volunteerism and individual responsibility/accountability. Please help them get their effort off the ground in whatever way you feel appropriate.

This turned out to be quite a bit longer than I had originally planned, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. I guess the take home message is that as Americans we have a responsibility to take our heads out of the dirt, look around and actually think. We The People is more than just a pithy turn of phrase, it is the result of a vow taken by men who put their lives, fortunes and sacred honor on the line. Had they lost, they would have surely hanged as traitors against the British Crown. But they did not. Instead they repeatedly snached victory form the jaws of defeat and bestowed upon their heirs the worst form of government ever conceived...except all the other ones.

Given all that has been sacrificed by our forbearers that we might live in freedom, it is incumbent upon us to do the same for our own heirs. We are obligated to pass on not only the same freedom of which we are the beneficiaries, but we must bequeath to our children the same love for freedom that lives in our own souls. That love for freedom is the only thing that will ensure the America remains a warm, safe home for the liberty we so cherish.

I will close with a brief exchange from one the all time greatest movies, Open Range:

Mack: Shame what this town's come to.
Charley Waite: You could do something about it.
Mack: What? We're freighters. Ralph here's a shopkeeper.
Charley Waite: You're men, ain't you?
Mack: I didn't raise my boys just to see 'em killed.
Charley Waite: Well you may not know this, but there's things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.

We must all remember that it is each of us, individually, who is responsible for our Life, Liberty and Property.

Iraqis Vote...Again

2005-12-12T16:10:00.000-05:00

Hell yes!

CT State Police Woes

2005-12-09T08:24:00.000-05:00

I know full well that the vast majority of CT State Troopers are good cops, and I really feel for them because of all the craziness going on these days (here and here). Here's the latest scandal:

Arrest Jolts State Police
[...]
State Trooper Mary Buckley was arrested Thursday evening and charged with hindering prosecution, three counts of risk of injury to a minor, interfering with a police officer and failure to report sexual abuse by a mandated reporter. She was released on $250,000 bail. Information on her court date was not available Thursday night.
[...]
As director of the East Windsor emergency management department, Buckley supervised executive officer Peter Waraksa, 43, of East Windsor, who was charged with first-degree sexual assault, first-degree risk of injury, first-degree kidnapping and employing a minor in an obscene performance. His bail was set at $2 million. He is scheduled to be arraigned today in Superior Court in Enfield.

East Windsor police Capt. Bernard Duffy said they were contacted on Nov. 29 by the boy's family, who said the [12-year-old] boy had been sexually assaulted by a 43-year-old man. The assaults, said to have taken place in the suspect's home, occurred from sometime in May until early fall, police said.

Obviously, the investigation is ongoing and we should presume these individuals are innocent until proven guilty. Of course, if they are guilty I hope they are strung up from a pole by their toes for all to see.

Clarity In Iraq

2005-12-09T07:54:00.000-05:00

The next time Howie Dean starts to get inside your head and you being to think that maybe we really can't win in Iraq, go back to this post. Believe me, it'll help:

I am a student of history, (I'm no genius, but I know a thing or two) I have never seen nor read, nor heard of any nation's military at any time in the world's history whose members believed they were fighting for a better world. American armies have always fought for geopolitics, or resources, or even idealism, but this is relatively new. The military of today believes it is not only righteous, but just to bring freedom to oppressed people.

Misdirection On Tax Cuts

2005-12-08T14:12:00.000-05:00

This happens literally every time I see an article on tax cuts. Here's how the Washington Post puts it:

House Passes 3 Tax Cuts, Plans a 4th

The House passed three separate tax cuts yesterday and plans to approve a fourth today, trimming the federal revenue by $94.5 billion over five years -- nearly double the budget savings that Republicans muscled through the House last month.

So they want us to believe that by decreasing a tax rate, the tax revenue is decreased. That's not how it works. Taxation is not a zero sum game for the simple reason that when taxes are lowered, more people become successful and start paying taxes on a greater number of dollars. The relationship is known as a Laffer Curve. Don't believe it? Take a look at what happened when Russia adopted a flat tax of 13%.

Anyway, the WaPo saves an interesting bit of information for the end of the article:

Although the federal tax revenue has grown since the passage of the 2003 tax cuts -- from $1.9 trillion in 2004 to $2.1 trillion in 2005 -- the tax revenue measured against the size of the economy remains below the 2002 level and well below the level of 2001, when the first of Bush's five tax cuts was passed. "The argument that tax cuts will grow the economy and pay for themselves is very attractive, but it's just not true," MacGuineas said.

Hold on, hold on. I'd like to challenge the premise. Why is the tax revenue being measured against the GDP? Is it really important to maintain a level of tax revenue of some arbitrary percentage of the country's economic output? Why?

Wouldn't the budge deficit be a better gauge of the country's solvency? After all, the idea (for Conservatives like me) is to decrease the tax revenue and spending by my government. So to just assume that tax revenues of X% of GDP is "good" strikes me as, well, Liberal.

An extremely brief look at the numbers presented above indicate that tax revenues increased 9.5% in one year. That's a good deal more than inflation (usually 2-3%). So in reality, the US government has more money (in constant dollars) in 2005 than it did in 2004. Remember, that's right after Bush's tax cuts went into effect. Why, then, should we be worried about cutting tax rates further? If we go too far and start heading down the left side of the Laffer Curve have no fear, the Left will be more than willing to help us out getting taxes back up to where they 'should' be.

Moral of the story: Don't let anyone tell you that a decrease in any particular tax rate (especially federal ones) will necessarily lead to a decrease in tax revenue. They are two very different things and the relationship is often exactly opposite what the Left (and their media lackeys at the WaPo, in this case) would have you believe.

Coulter At UConn

2005-12-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

Sadly, I was right down the road and totally missed it:

Hecklers Disrupt Coulter's Speech At UConn
[...]
After waiting with her bodyguard on stage for several minutes for the music to stop while a section of the audience chanted "You suck, you suck," an irritated Coulter said she would not finish her speech. She said she would go straight to questions and answers, suggesting the disruption was the best the liberals could do to counter her.
[...]
Coulter, a well-known, conservative author and commentator, fielded questions ranging from the war in Iraq and Democratic leadership to abortion with the witty, provocative responses that have made her a frequent guest on such TV talk shows as "Hannity & Colmes" and "The O'Reilly Factor."

Ann got heckled. Blah, blah, blah. What's new? Here's the part of the story that maked me laugh through the vomit it induced:

Just before the event, Students Against Hate held an alternative event focusing on discrimination at UConn and intended to provide "balance" to the Coulter talk. During the talk several students from various racial groups and of various sexual orientations spoke about how harsh words have wounded them.

Hana Kim, 20, of Stamford, cried as she recalled her experience hearing two young men express shock and disapproval in a loud conversation that a friend was dating an "Asian chick."

Jerome Smith, a UConn graduate, talked about how he hid his homosexuality while at UConn, afraid his fraternity brothers and family would shun him.

"Words are sharp tools and certain people like Ann Coulter use them to hurt people," he said.

Oh boy. What even happened to the Sticks And Stones thing? Sometimes it hard to believe/admit that these people are my countrymen. But you know, I've always liked to slaughter Winston Churchill quotes, so: America is the worst place in the world to live...except all the other places.

It is also mentioned in the article that Cindy Sheehan was invited to speak this past Monday. Oddly, I can't find a single account* of the event that even hints at anyone on campus treating her with any degree of disrespect, let alone the disgusting level of vitriol spewed at Ann. Humm, could that be because liberals are afraid of losing arguments based on facts and so must resort to crying, yelling and otherwise acting like spoiled children. Hummm...

---

*As a matter of fact, the one "dissenter" mentioned in UConn's The Daily Campus asked Sheehan why she was charging $10,000. Woa. Calm down there buddy, take a lesson from the tolerant Left at Ann's talk.

The Day That Lives In Infamy

2005-12-07T12:41:00.000-05:00

Always remember, the Day that lives on in Infamy...

The USS West Virginia as she burned.

The memorial to the USS Arizona.

Great News For Cheese Heads!

2005-12-07T12:34:00.000-05:00

Good news from the frozen north!

Wisconsin State Senate Passes Right to Carry by 70 to 30%

The state Senate passed a bill tonight that would allow residents 21 and over to carry concealed guns if they passed a training course.

The measure passed 23-10 after five Democrats joined 18 Republicans in supporting the bill (SB 403). If that two-thirds majority holds, it would be strong enough to override a promised veto by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle.

(via Gun Law News)

Know What Makes Me Angry?

2005-12-07T07:10:00.000-05:00

Dumb, selfish hippies:

About two weeks ago, a male approximately 5 foot 9, 150 pounds broke and entered my house. (SIDE NOTE: This is funny because it is true.)
[...]
Lauren and I were freaking out. We grabbed butcher knives and head lamps and quickly turned on all the lights in my house.
[...]
We were standing in the hallway and the only barrier between him and us was the hall door. I began to call the police. In the middle of the phone call, my phone dies. I had just driven back from Austin that night and I had one bar on the phone all weekend. My phone wouldn't turn back on.
[...]
(SIDE NOTE: I am a pretty liberal hippie when it comes to life, a make-love-not-war type of girl. But I know enough about anatomy to know a butcher knife doesn't protect from a bullet. I have been an anti-hand gun person for years, mainly because they serve one purpose: to kill people. However, this has become a matter of self-defense. Damn it, this is Texas, and I'm gettin' a gun.)
[...]
Anyway, I begin my gun classes in January. I hear that with a shotgun, I won't miss much, so for the record, I also am buying a raffle ticket from the Texas Tech Polo Club.

Let me start by saying that I am happy these two women ended up unharmed and that I'm glad to see yet another person added to the ranks of (hopefully) responsible gun owners.

That said, Ms. Cobb is both...

Dumb: Never thought a gun could serve a good, useful purpose.
...and...
Selfish: Now that 'it' has happened to her, it's finally ok to be armed.

No offense, but the inability to recognize that something bad could happen just because it's never happened to you is, well, dumb. Then, to do a complete about-face in terms of personal opinion as a result of that thing finally happening to you is painfully selfish. After all, what about all those people whom you were trying, all these years, to deprive of the right to defend themselves and their families?

There are plenty of people in this world who miscalculate their actual risk and decide that guns just aren't for them. They're not the ones I'm libeling here. No, it's the people like pre-break in Ms. Cobb who I'm talking about. Self-described hippy liberals who think that guns are evil and could never serve a good purpose and, therefore, everyone must be prohibited from keeping and bearing arms. Of course, had pre-break in Ms. Cobb and her ilk been successful in outlawing guns (a la Britain, DC, IL, etc.) what would post-break in Ms. Cobb do? Not only would there be no guns to be had but, worse yet, there would be no one around with the knowledge and skills necessary to teach her to use a gun in the first place.

Need I even mention what the article would have looked like in the papers had Ms. Cobb and her housemate been hurt or killed by a gun-wielding criminal home invader? Her friends would have been quoted demanding more reasonable gun control laws. Humm...

All I ask is that people (read: anti-gun people) take a moment to sit down and think. Read Ms. Cobb's whole story, consider the fact that essentially zero legally licensed gun owners every hurt anyone, good or bad, and maybe, just maybe come to the conclusion that even if you choose to not engage in gun ownership yourself that others have the right to do if the they choose.

As for those of you out there in post-break in Ms. Cobb's shoes, take a minute some day and do your best to convince your anti-gun friends that guns can and do serve a good cause. Who better to carry the banner of freedom and our God-given right to self-defense than a convert?

(via Gun Law News)

Deuce Four

2005-11-28T13:50:00.000-05:00

Now here's a movie I'd buy multiple tickets for:

ANGERED by negative portrayals of the conflict in Iraq, Bruce Willis, the Hollywood star, is to make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy.

It will be based on the exploits of the heavily decorated members of Deuce Four, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, which has spent the past year battling insurgents in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul.

Gotta love the guy. Not only does he make great movies, but he's willing to stand up for our warriors.

Of course, the movie would be impossible without the excellent work of one Michael Yon:

He is expected to base the film on the writings of the independent blogger Michael Yon, a former special forces green beret who was embedded with Deuce Four and sent regular dispatches about their heroics.

The one little tid bit that the reporter leaves out that I really think should be included has to do with the wounding of Lieutenant-Colonel Erik Kurilla. The article states:

He [Kurilla] was injured in August after being shot three times by insurgents “in front of my eyes”, Yon recorded in his blog: “He continued to direct his men until a medic gave him morphine and the men took him away.”

While this is absolutely true, it is not the event that occurred directly following the Lt. Colonel's wounding. Mr. Yon has those details:

Both the young 2nd lieutenant and the young specialist were inside a shop when a close-quarters firefight broke out, and they ran outside. Not knowing how many men they were fighting, they wanted backup. LTC Kurilla began running in the direction of the shooting. He passed by me and I chased, Kurilla leading the way.

There was a quick and heavy volume of fire. And then LTC Kurilla was shot.
[...]
Kurilla was running when he was shot, but he didn't seem to miss a stride; he did a crazy judo roll and came up shooting.
[...]
With his leg mangled, Kurilla pointed and fired his rifle into the doorway, yelling instructions to the soldiers about how to get in there.

There is much more to the story and you should definitely read the whole thing.

Suffice it to say that the warriors of the Deuce Four are tough bastards and I'm damn glad their on our side. I fully expect that Bruce Willis will produce an accurate and appropriate movie that will bring the tales of our heroic warriors to their countrymen.

Homespun Bloggers

2005-11-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

Homespun Bloggers Radio, Program #11 is up and ready to stream.

Go check it out.

Crowds Clamor For Cindy's Signature

2005-11-28T08:53:00.000-05:00

Immensely Sad And Telling

2005-11-22T15:01:00.000-05:00

A Trooper's Rage

WEST HARTFORD -- A state trooper shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, a Newington police officer, then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide Monday evening.

Ciara McDermott, 30, was found dead around 6:30 p.m. in her house at 348 Ridgewood Road. Sources said she was killed by state Trooper Victor Diaz, who was scheduled to turn himself in to West Hartford police earlier Monday on charges he harassed McDermott.

First off, assuming that the facts made publicly available to date accurately represent the situation, the loss of Officer Ciara McDermott is a true tragedy.

Second, consider the situation in a nutshell: A female officer and male officer end a relationship. Male officer is arrested for a DUI after leading police on a high-speed chance that ended in him physically resisting arrest. He's given a 60-day suspension and told to turn in his service pistol (which we don't know for sure he did at this point). Then he starts making threatening phone calls to his ex-girlfriend and using police resources to run the license plate of a car he saw in her driveway. As a result he is issued a warrant to turn himself in on Monday. He does not and instead on Tuesday goes to his ex-girlfriend's home and kills her.

So I ask, if the police refuse/are unable to protect one of their own from a predator (also one of their own), how likely is it that they are going to protect you?

Update (11/28/05 7am):

It was suggested in the comments that I got the facts of this story wrong. While the corrected details were not provided, it is possible that the commenter was referring to this:

Less than three weeks ago, Diaz sat outside McDermott's house and copied down the license plate numbers of a car parked in her driveway. He asked a friend with the state police to run the plate through their databases to see whose car it was, he would later admit to West Hartford police.

He learned that the car belonged to West Hartford police Officer James DeLuca, McDermott's new boyfriend. Diaz began making harassing phone calls to McDermott until McDermott and DeLuca went to West Hartford police and filed a complaint.

But sources said McDermott decided not to follow through, withdrawing her harassment complaint because she said she could handle any problems with Diaz.

This information was not available at the time I posted this story and it certainly sounds like no one would have expected that Officer Diaz would ever want to physically hurt Officer McDermott. However, there is still some question considering this from the same story:

At that point Diaz must have known two things: that he was to turn himself in to West Hartford police on Monday; and that his once-promising career as a state trooper was probably over when that internal investigation - the second of his career - was completed.
[...]
Diaz was scheduled to turn himself in to West Hartford police at 6 p.m. on Monday. At 4:20 he left a voice mail message with Ment [Diaz's attorney], saying plans had changed. He thanked Ment for all of his help and for standing by him, sources said.

Ment, who spent the afternoon in court, retrieved the message at 5:40 p.m. and, sensing danger, immediately dialed West Hartford police and the Troop H state police barracks where Diaz worked and advised officers to go check on McDermott.

"My first thought was that he was going to go to the police station and try and take out a couple of cops along with himself," Ment said.

But his second thought must have been that Officer McDermott was in danger (unless the reporter got the facts wrong). The question is, Why?

We'll probably never really know the whole story. Regardless, the fact is that a police officer with a history of alcohol abuse and violence was active on the street carrying a badge and a gun. Now both he and an innocent woman are dead. The entire thing is a terrible tragedy that, with 20/20 hindsight, might have been avoided.

All The More Reason To Be Prepared

2005-11-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

Do you live in an area that's not usually hit with deadly storms? Figure there's no reason to 'be ready'? Try this on for size:

The United States is highly vulnerable to attack from electronic pulses caused by a nuclear blast in space, according to a new book on threats to U.S. security.
[...]
An electromagnetic-pulse (EMP) attack uses X-rays and gamma rays produced in a nuclear blast in three separate waves of pulses, each with more damaging effects, and would take months or years to repair, the book states. The damage to unshielded electronics would be irreversible.
[...]
An EMP attack would damage the national power grid, unprotected computers and all devices containing microchips, from medical instruments to military communications, and knock out electronic systems in cars, airplanes and those used in banking and finance and emergency services.
"An EMP attack potentially represents a high-tech means for terrorists to kill millions of Americans the old-fashioned way, through starvation and disease," the book said.

Of course, all you Matrix dorks out there already know all about this sort of thing =).

Seriously though, this sort of attack is not outside the realm of possibility. While we may not all have the ability to "shield" our electronics (whatever that would entail) the vast majority of us do have the capability to prepare to survive such an attack.

How? Stock up on water, nonperishable food and (assuming you'd like to keep those things when electronics-heavy cars, police communications and many other modern gadgets stop working and civil authority breaks down a la New Orleans) some means of physical defense (like, you know...).

Update:

I neglected to suggest the very important: like, you know...

Final Salute

2005-11-18T16:01:00.000-05:00

Remember them and honor them every day.

Only by the Grace of God and a Few Warriors do We The People sleep soundly through the night...

Deuce Four

2005-11-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

The Deuce Four story draws to a close. Check it out.

Exactly!

2005-11-15T19:45:00.000-05:00

Like I said...Exactly!

Ronald Reagan used his post-1984 political capital to great effect, against a Democrat-controlled Congress. GWB hasn’t even come close to The Gipper in that regard, and that with Republican control of both House and Senate. Quickly: when was the last time you heard GWB say anything remotely like: “I don’t believe in a government that protects us from ourselves”, or “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’ “?

Yep, yep and yep again. Check out the whole post. Pretty much sums up my own thoughts on the current state of the Party I once called my own.

The Other Iraq

2005-11-14T16:19:00.000-05:00

War never solved anything, huh?

Veterans' Day

2005-11-11T08:40:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all former and current military personnel. It is you rough men and women who are willing to violence on my behalf who allow me to sleep peacefully at night.

Thank you.

Semper Fideles

2005-11-10T07:35:00.000-05:00

...and Happy Birthday.

Islamism

2005-11-09T16:05:00.000-05:00

Donald Sensing has a great, if somewhat disturbing, post over at One Hand Clapping. Here's a bit:

...Muslims in Europe are living as a minority in a secular society, something that Muslims have never done before.

There is nothing in Islam that instructs Muslims how to do that. From Mohammed’s day until now, Islam has always assumed that it would rule the societies in which it existed. Indeed, correct Muslim living actually depends on living among a Muslim ummah.

It would appear that, at least given a strict understanding of Islam, that Muslims living in a 'Classically Western Liberal' country can choose to be separatist or dominating, but never coexisting and pluralistic.

The scary thing is that we 'Classical Western Liberals' will not likely decide to kick a group of people out of our country based on their religious beliefs, particularly if those religious beliefs do not appear to present us with a direct physical threat. So what's one to do when Muslims of the fundamental stripe become a numerical majority one's country? Not a happy thought.

Peace And Graveyards

2005-11-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

If you read nothing else today, read this post at Blackfive. It's long, but so worth your time that you will be forever greatful for this humble link.

If you're hesitating, consider these two brief quotes:

The "realists" among us would make a graveyard and call it peace.

...and...

In the time of Pericles, Aspasia of Miletus, a very wise woman, is rumored to have said, "Peace is for the graveyard."

Into which camp do you fall?

I say again: Read it.

Eminent Domain Vote In Preston, CT

2005-11-03T06:58:00.000-05:00

Good news:

PRESTON--Voters in Preston showed their overwhelming opposition Tuesday to the idea of private land being taken by the town for economic development. At referendum, voters adopted an ordinance against taking land by eminent domain.

This is certainly a set in the right direction. Here's the question that was put to the voters from Preston's website:

Notice of Referendum

To Be Held Tuesday, November 1st, 2005

Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes 7-7, and a Special Town Meeting of the Town of Preston, the following question will be put to a machine or paper ballot referendum vote to be held at the Preston Town Hall on Tuesday, November 1st, 2005 from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m.:

1. Shall the Town of Preston adopt an ordinance prohibiting the acquisition of certain property by eminent domain for privately held or controlled economic development purposes in the Town of Preston?

A “Yes” vote shall be in favor of adoption of the ordinance; a “No” vote shall be opposed to adoption of the ordinance.

Dated @ Preston, CT this 27th Day of October, 2005.

Of course, this still leaves open to interpertation just exactly what is meant by "for privately held or controled...development", but like I said, it's a move in the right direction. Hopefully other towns across and Connecticut and the entire nation will take similar action.

Eminent Domain Moratorium At Hand?

2005-11-01T07:14:00.000-05:00

Let's hope (subscription):

State lawmakers are close to a compromise on eminent domain reform that would put on hold any takings of private property for economic development or blight until the end of the General Assembly's regular session next year.
[...]
The proposed moratorium — which would make mandatory the voluntary prohibition of eminent domain seizures that legislative leaders declared in July — would forbid the city and the New London Development Corp. from forcing the remaining occupants at Fort Trumbull to surrender their properties.

But the deal faces angry opposition from New London's representatives, who see it as a clumsy intrusion into the city's legal battle with the remaining holdouts.

And to the people of New London, you might want to read this:

[Rep. Ernest] Hewett [D-New London] voted to approve the Fort Trumbull development plan as a city councilor, and [Rep. Ted] Moukawsher [D-New London] said he tried last week to talk House Speaker James Amann out of even bringing an eminent domain bill to a vote, saying it would only further delay economic revitalization in the city.

“It's an irrational response to this situation, driven by all this, I think, overblown rhetoric about what the implications of the Kelo decision were,” Moukawsher said. “What this does is create disorder. And anything you tried to do for the next nine months would be halted.”
[...]
“I can't believe that, without talking to any of the representatives from New London, that this deal is being made to mollify Bob Ward,” he added.
[...]
“We can't keep changing the law every time something happens,” Hewett said. “The law's good. It's been on the books a long time. Now all of a sudden we've got a few bleeding hearts, and we want to change the law.”

Actually Mr. Hewett, we can, in fact, change the law "every time something happens." We can change the law whenever we (the People) want to. If you'd rather oppose the will of the People, then I suggest you start looking for a day job.

I sincerely hope that residents of New London take note of their representatives' view of private property rights of their constituents. You may think that redevelopment of the Fort Trumble neighborhood is a good idea, but will you have the intellectual honesty to express the same opinion when they come for your home?

Please do us all a favor, send a clear and unmistakable message to the state, country and world, vote these guys out of office and replace them with people who will represent the rights of each individual citizen.

If you'd like to get in contact with either of the two New London State Reps, here is the contact info:

Rep. Ernest Hewett D-New London
In the District:
48 West Elderkin Avenue
Groton, CT 06340

At the Capitol:
Legislative Office Building, Room 5008
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
(860) 240-8585
1-800-842-8267
Edward.Moukawsher@cga.ct.gov

Rep. Ernest Hewett D-New London
In the District:
29 Colman Street
New London, CT 06320

At the Capitol:
Legislative Office Building, Room 4052
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
(860) 240-8585
1-800-842-8267
Ernest.Hewett@cga.ct.gov

Alito

2005-10-31T11:08:00.000-05:00

I don't know much about him, but if Pattrico is right, I think he's a great choice. Here's what he wrote in his dissent in Planned Parenthood v. Casey

Whether the legislature’s approach represents sound public policy is not a question for us to decide. Our task here is simply to decide whether Section 3209 meets constitutional standards.
That sounds like a guy who understands the limited role of the judiciary — wouldn’t you say?
[...]
Although the plaintiffs and supporting amici argue that Section 3209 will do little if any good and will produce appreciable adverse effects, the Pennsylvania legislature presumably decided that the law on balance would be beneficial. We have no authority to overrule that legislative judgment even if we deem it “unwise” or worse. U.S. Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz, 449 U.S. at 175, 101 S.Ct. at 459. “We should not forget that ‘legislatures are ultimate guardians of the liberty and welfare of the people in quite as great a degree as the courts.’” Akron v. Akron Center For Reproductive Health, 462 U.S. at 465, 103 S.Ct. at 2511 (O’Connor, J., dissenting), quoting Missouri, K. & T.R. Co. v. May, 194 U.S. 267, 270, 24 S.Ct. 638, 639, 48 L.Ed. 971 (1904).
Beautiful.

Agreed.

[emphasis in the original]

Unfair!

2005-10-31T10:43:00.000-05:00

This is just plain unfair! Who does this guy think he is? All he's doing is holding up progress. Hasn't anybody told him that he doesn't have the right to keep his property if rich people want it? Why doesn't the city just take it? You know, like they're trying to do here.

The Strength Of Conservatism

2005-10-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

In short, we can be honest about who we are. When we disagree we can say so and come out swinging. When the debate is over, we can all go back to loving each other.

Any questions?

If so, a bit longer (and infinitely more interesting) version can be found in Ann's column this week.

At the end of the day, I'm just happy to be a Conservative in America. I'm pretty sure I'd be politically depressed if I had to claim the Democrats as the party closest to my own ideology. To paraphrase Matt Stone (co-creator of South Park), "I slightly dislike Republicans, but I really don't approve of Democrats."

Miers Withdraws

2005-10-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

Since this is going to be all over the place, I'll just add one thought about a bit of misrepresentation in this article:

The nomination drew fire across the political spectrum and caused a rebellion among the conservative core of Bush's supporters who doubted her qualifications and wanted a nominee who they felt would be a reliable vote against abortion, affirmative actions and other hot- button issues.

Yes, it is true that many Conservatives "doubted her qualifications". However, while there were likely some Conservatives who wanted a "reliable vote" on their pet issues, real Conservatives were and are far more interested in getting a nominee who will exercise judicial restraint.

I know that a lot of people see the Supreme Court, and the entire Judicial Branch, as just another means to the end of attaining policy goals. That outlook is 100% wrong.

The Judicial Branch of our government should be in the business of strictly interpretating the laws and Constitution as they are written. If there really were, for example, an explicit right to abortion enumerated in the Constitution, Bill of Rights or any other amendment, then there would be no room for argument. As there is not, I would like to see the Supreme Court, and entire Judicial Branch, take the time and have the intellectual honesty to just read while refraining from inserting their own values into their rulings.

A dream? Perhaps today, but if Bush manages to find a worthy nominee, maybe I'll live to see a US Supreme Court that has rediscovered it's Constitutionally defined role in our Federal government.

Great Question

2005-10-27T08:20:00.000-04:00

Here is a really good question from post-hurricane Florida:

"This is like the Third World," said Claudia Shaw, who spent several hours in a gas line. "We live in a state where we suffer from these storms every year. Where is the planning?"

Well Ms. Shaw, let's see what your good governor has to say on the matter.

Mr. Bush, is it FEMA's fault?

"Don't blame FEMA. This is our responsibility," [Jeb] Bush said at a news conference in Tallahassee with federal Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who oversees the agency.

Guess not.

Was it the state's fault, perhaps?

"We did not perform to where we want to be," Bush said.

Fair enough, but does the state bear sole responsibility?

The governor added, however, that people seeking relief should have done more to prepare for the storm.

"People had ample time to prepare. It isn't that hard to get 72 hours worth of food and water," said Bush, repeating the advice that officials had given days before Wilma hit.

Dang Jeb, I like your attitude on this one.

You act like a leader (i.e., not passing the buck to the feds (are you listening Blanco?)). Admitting that the state could have been better prepared and then talkin' the truth that individual people in the state of Florida: 1) know dang well they live in the hurricane belt and 2) had plenty of time to prepare.

I guarantee that for every unprepared, whining Floridian waiting in a 5-hour line for gas there is at least one prepared, non-whining Floridian kickin' back at the homestead with a cold one in one hand, an MRE in the other and a generator humming away outside.

2 Great Posts

2005-10-27T08:07:00.000-04:00

Here are two posts that are great for different reasons. One will make you laugh and the other may bring a tear to your eye but don't be fooled, they most certainly share a common thread.

Reflexive Wussism... from The GeekWithA.45

...and...

Twenty three years ago from Toys in the Attic

Sense Of Humor

2005-10-26T15:15:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I do, but I sure hope I manage to measure up to this great combination of self-confidence and sense of humor.

Movies Made Worth Watching

2005-10-26T13:25:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe they really would be more boring, but I could go for a dose of reality every now and again:

A lot of movies would be pretty short when practical, real-world gun usage came into play. Consider the lack of suspense and drama if proper gun usage was depicted in the following movies:

Cujo: "Oh no, I'm trapped in my car by a large, rabid dog. Where did I put my Glock?"
[...]
Fargo: "Oh no, two men have broken into my house and are trying to kidnap me. How will I get their bloodstains out of my carpet???"
Friday the 13th: "If I can't actually kill Jason, he's going to look pretty damn funny walking around after I blow his head off with a 12 gauge."
[...]
Silence of the lambs: "Clarice, the man you are looking for is dead. He was shot by his last intended victim. Do you have any fava beans?"
The Fugitive: "Good thing my wife was able to shoot her one-armed attacker. He was trying to murder her and frame me for it."

And while we're on the topic, some good news today. Now let's see how effective the law really is. We'll see.

Loyalty?

2005-10-26T08:22:00.000-04:00

Triggerfinger is right on.

War, 2000 Deaths and Prespective

2005-10-25T16:43:00.000-04:00

Today we lost our 2000th warrior in the Iraq War. For all those who serve our county loved ones they left behind, whether for a year or forever, I will forever grateful.

Although the media would like you to forget it due to its overwhleming success, let us also take a moment to remember the fallen as well as those who have and contine to serve in Afghanastan.

---

I think that remaining true to the purpose of this war and seeing that the job gets done is the only fitting tribute to our fallen warriors. So, I am more than just a little incensed by the article Drudge linked. It presents us with an Orwellian historical prespective:

The grim milestone was reached at a time of growing disenchantment over the war among the American public toward a conflict that was launched to punish Iraqi President Saddam Hussein for his alleged weapons of mass destruction. None were ever found.

Really? Is that why we invaded Iraq? To "punish [I might add 'former'] Iraqi President Saddam Hussein for his alleged weapons of mass destruction"?

Maybe I'm confused, but I seem to remember a little thing called the "Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq" (and remember, it's called "Joint" because it passed both Houses of Congress). Take a gander at the document. You'll notice that while WMDs play a central role, there are plenty of other reasons given for going to war. Had the AP article simply added the phrase among other peace treaty violations they would have been accurate. As it is, they focus on the one thing we (probably) got wrong and ignore other things.

I will, however, give them credit for quoting Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, spokesman for the American-led multinational force (even if they just couldn't bring themselves to actually write anything positive about the US's efforts in Iraq):

"I ask that when you report on the events, take a moment to think about the effects on the families and those serving in Iraq," Boylan said in an e-mail. "The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone. It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."
[...]
"Celebrate the daily milestones, the accomplishments they have secured and look to the future of a free and democratic Iraq and to the day that all of our troops return home to the heroes welcome they deserve," Boylan wrote.

---

And, to close, prespective.

Horrible, but true. Each and every death is a tragedy, but so is every day that a tyrant brutalizes people, whether they be his own countrymen or not.

Even in the face of causalities, remember that these brave young men and women have volunteered to go to far flung corners of the world to take the battle to the enemy so that we might not face him here at home. Be ever mindful of their sacrifices and enjoy the sweet taste of freedom bought at such a terrible price generation after generation.

Honor our warriors.

Closing The Loopholes

2005-10-25T15:48:00.000-04:00

I just ran into a great piece outlining a few mistakes that pro-2nd amendment types make when arguing with anti-2nd amendment types. I have made of few of these mistakes myself, and I've recongized a few others when I heard them. Check out the whole list and you'll be better prepared to defend your views. Here's an example:

THEY SAY: “We’d be better off if no one had guns.”

WE SAY: “You can never succeed at that, criminals will always get guns.” (FLAW: the implication here is that if you could succeed at eliminating all guns, it would be a reasonable plan.)

WE SHOULD SAY: “So, you want to institute a system where the weak and elderly are at the mercy of the strong, the lone are at the mercy of the gang. You want to give violent criminals a government guarantee that citizens are disarmed. Sorry, that’s unacceptable. Better we should require every citizen to carry a gun.”

Lots more where that came from.