When Hitler Got a BMW

Pretty funny. 3:50.

Ron Paul on CNN - "I'm a Good Republican"

7:56

Comment Rescue from The News Journal

I love this comment, made on Ron Williams' column today, "Copeland coup might do trick with Lee":

"......but the Republican hierarchy in this state want one of their own as nominee, so here we go again the same old blue-blood, country club crowd having their way. Keep it up and I'm going to register as an independent because I can't continue watching this charade take place all of the time and I'm sure as heck not going to register as a democrat because I still have some self-respect left."

LOL, thanks for the laugh, stokeskid.

Politicizing Pain

Ron Paul's Weekly Column, Texas Straight Talk.

K.K. Forss does not claim medical marijuana solves all his problems. His pain from a ruptured disc in his neck is debilitating. He is unable to go to work or to the First Baptist Church he used to attend because of the pain and muscle spasms. Taxpayers through Medicare spend over $18,000 a year on his various medications. Half of those drugs are strong narcotics. The other half address the various side-effects brought on by the first half, such as nausea, heartburn, heart palpitations, difficulty sleeping, and muscle spasms.

No, marijuana would not completely address all his pain, but it made a tremendous difference in the quality of his life when he tried it for over a year. It helped him regain 38 pounds he had lost. It calmed his muscle spasms and helped him sleep. In short, it alleviated many side effects and greatly reduced his need for other expensive medications. Mr. Forss estimates that being allowed to use medical marijuana would save taxpayers at least $12,000 a year in medications he would no longer need. He would also be able to work occasionally and attend some church services.

Scientists at the University of California at Davis recently completed a study that backs up Mr. Forss’s experience, finding that cannabis demonstrates significant relief of neuropathic pain. Many in government call for more studies while people like K.K. Forss suffer. More studies will not change what many patients already know, and that is for some, medical marijuana helps their pain. But over-reaching government gets in the way.

K.K. Forss lived in constant fear of federal and state officials so he eventually stopped taking medical marijuana and switched to his more rigorous and expensive pill regimen. Presently, twelve states have passed legislation allowing marijuana, under certain conditions, to be prescribed legally by doctors for patients who could benefit from it. K.K. Forss lives in Minnesota, where it is not yet legal. However, even if it is legalized by the state, Mr. Forss will still have plenty to fear from the Federal government, as cannabis dispensaries and clinics that operate under these state laws are still under fire from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In other words, the federal government sees fit to use our tax dollars to raid state sanctioned healthcare clinics, to imprison and fine patients and operators, in order to compel people like Mr. Forss to be bedridden and overmedicated at great taxpayer expense every single day.

The Federal government should recognize that states have the authority to decide these issues. This affords all states the opportunity to see which policies are most beneficial. As a Congressman and a physician, I strongly advocate that healthcare decisions should be made by doctors and patients, not politicians or federal agents, which is why I am an original co-sponsor of the recently introduced “Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act” which would bar the Federal government from intervening in such doctor/patient relationships that violate no state law.

The bottom line is that K.K. Forss should be treated as a free American. Mr. Forss is one of many who would like to use marijuana medicinally because it helps him. Politicians and bureaucrats have no right to interfere.

Thought for the Day - The Cost of Education

"... by and large, those industries which are technically progressive produce commodities the price of which declines, such as agriculture and to some extent manufacturing; and those industries which are technically unprogressive, like education, have a price which constantly rises. This is why school fees are always rising..."

Source: "The Competing and Possibly Inconsistent Roles of the Price System," transcipt of speech at Western Michigan University March 23, 1966, p. 11. Kenneth E. Boulding Papers, Archives (Box # 38), University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries.

My Heart Bleeds

"According to the article above, Wall Street has laid off 34,000 people in the last nine months.

182,300 people currently work on Wall Street.

The article below estimates there could be another 36,000 layoffs. That would mean about 30% of Wall Street employees laid off since last June. These losses alone would wipe out 10.5% of New York City’s economy."

Comment Rescue:

Maybe now they’ll actually contribute something to society.
itnazrab @ 04/26/08 10:29:32

Poor bastards will have to get real jobs.
Science @ 04/26/08 18:57:47

Given their training and chosen disciplines what sustainable contributions could we speculate they might make in our future s? Used car salesperson?
HughMunBeane @ 04/26/08 19:03:32

FULL STORY FROM Guerilla News Network HERE.

Ron Paul is Down But Not Out

From Politico.com:

"Two candidates not named John McCain got a combined 219,913 votes in the Pennsylvania Republican primary Tuesday, and one of them is still in the race.

Sort of.

“I’m a real candidate, but I try to keep everybody living in the real world,” Ron Paul said in an interview, alluding to the exuberance of his supporters."

FULL STORY HERE

Good News on the Family Front

My niece Amanda will be graduating from highschool the end of May, and she has chosen the University of South Carolina as her college of choice !

I know she was accepted at a few places, but a USC Gamecock she will be.

This is good news for my sister, the transplanted Yankee who has been living in South Carolina for almost twenty years. Not only will she be only two hours away, but in-state tuition is a whole lot cheaper (Whew !).

Amanda is interested in Art History, and her dream is to be a museum curator. Who knows what twists and turns the path of life will present to her. Whatever they may be, she'll have my support !

Congratulations, Amanda ! I guess since you are a vegetarian a gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse wouldn't be in order. I'll have to think of something else.

He Does What Politicians Do

From Bill Moyers’ interview with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to be aired on PBS tomorrow:

“He’s a politician, I’m a pastor,” he said. “We speak to two different audiences. And he says what he has to say as a politician. I say what I have to say as a pastor. But they’re two different worlds.”

He added, “I do what I do. He does what politicians do. So that’s what happened in Philadelphia where he had to respond to the sound bytes, he responded as a politician.”

(LINK)

We Will Obliterate Them !

Thanks to Rusty of TalkDelaware for this heads-up.

Last Tuesday, Clinton warned that if she were president, we would totally obliterate Iran if they conducted a nuclear strike against Israel.

In an interview with the Montana Clark Fork Chronicle, Ron Paul is quoted as saying,

“She doesn’t understand the presidency if she’s making this type of commitment.”

The article goes on to say:

“Paul explained his core position through the lens of the current Iraqi conflict. He asserted that we are in the midst of an unconstitutional war that was never declared by Congress. He also expressed his distaste of treaties under which America is obligated to go to war.

When asked what his response would be under the same circumstances, Paul said Israel is safer without our presence and could sufficiently wipe out Iran on its own. He pointed out that Iran ‘may’ have been working on ‘a’ nuke since 2003, while Israel possesses 300.” (LINK)

The rest of the article focuses on Paul’s positions on abortion, education, and the decriminalization of marijuana.

The full article is HERE.

Serious About Saving Money on Gas?

I have seen a few of these around and they really tickle me. Just so happens a friend of ours has a Mini-Cooper for sale. We know the seller; he is good people.




Get details here. What a blast !

Texas Says: Wind Power Blows !

Another point of view from Depleted Cranium:

"Texas has been at it since the 1970’s and in the 1990’s, the “Texas Wind” program began building wind turbines at about the fastest that one could reasonably expect to build wind turbines. Countless billions have been spent on both the direct and indirect costs of the wind power projects. Indeed, simply building the transmission lines to carry the electricity from the dozens of scattered turbines is estimated to top three to six BILLION dollars in the next few years."

And:

"You might think that 3% is not very much of a state’s power generating capacity, and you’d be right. It’s rather pitifully small, especially when it’s cost billions upon billions of dollars and pushed manufacturing capabilities to their limit. However, it is just enough to cause some HUGE problems if you happen to lose that 3%, especially without much warning. And that is what has been happening recently in Texas."

READ THE FULL STORY (AND SOME INTERESTING COMMENTS) HERE.

Hey, and don't shoot me; I'm just passing it along.

Questionable Lawsuit May Result In Criminal Consequences for Prominent PA GOP Party Members

From the Pennsylvania Ron Paul Website:

April 22nd, 2008
For Immediate Release

Prominent PA GOP Party Members Sue GOP Delegates

Questionable Lawsuit May Result In Criminal Consequences for Prominent PA GOP Party Members

Philadelphia, PA – April 22, 2008, by: Andrew Pulaski – Chaos ensued in Philadelphia today as 2 prominent Pennsylvania GOP party members filed suit against 8 other GOP delegates. The case, filed by the lawfirm of McNichol, Byrne & Matlawski, P.C., was brought on behalf of Barbara Harvey of Broomall, PA and Alana Cervino of Springfield, PA, both prominent GOP supporters. The suit was brought against GOP Alternate Delegate Rick Lacey also names several other GOP candidates including David K Walter, Michael P. Boyle, Peter J. Manfra, Ryan Hodinka, John Savastio, John Pedley, Bernie Strain, Mike Noonan, and Marianne Loughran. Though none of the defendants were officially endorsed by the Pennsylvania GOP, all were Republican Party members running for Republican Party seats, and most if not all seem to be supporters of Presidential Candidate Ron Paul.

The official complaint alleges that sample ballot cards printed by the candidates violated campaign finance laws since the cards were not paid for by a political action committee. It is however common knowledge that campaign materials distributed for the purpose of securing a party seat are not subject to the campaign finance laws of a candidate seeking public office.

Though an injunction was granted to the plaintiff’s, a Delaware county Judge quickly reversed the decision after the error was brought before the court early Tuesday morning. The reversal was not quick enough however as Delaware county sheriffs improperly confiscated ballots from polls where they were being handed out, and promptly destroyed them without authorization.

Though the Ron Paul Campaign has not officially responded to the suit, state co-coordinators for the Ron Paul campaign and defendants have said that they are taking the incident seriously and are considering further legal action against the plaintiffs. They further stated that while a course of action had not been determined, they would not rule out filing criminal charges in the case.

Approved? No! Wait a Minute !

As recently as late February of this year, my buddy Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the final approval of a 28-mile virtual fence to be built along the borders of Arizona and Texas.

Now, less than three months later, it’s a no go, courtesy of the Government Accountability Office (they should be pretty busy nowadays), who told Congress it “did not fully meet user needs”.

Almost 300 miles of the virtual fence had already been built as a pilot. The cost? $20 million.

I wonder what will happen to that $860 million contract Boeing was awarded to complete the project. I wonder who was responsible for this Charlie-Foxtrot.

“A glaring shortcoming of the project was the time lag between the electronic detection of movement along the border and the transmission of a camera image to agents patrolling the area, the GAO reported.” (LINK)

My take? Boeing probably delivered according to the specifications they were given. The specifications were wrong. Maybe we should just be happy that only $20 million was wasted instead of $860 million.

Thank goodness for small favors.

Fingerprints No Longer Personal?

From Peter Swire of the Center for American Progress we get the amazing assertion from DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff that fingerprints are “not particularly private”.

As reported in the Canadian press: (LINK)

QUESTION: Some are raising that the privacy aspects of this thing, you know, sharing of that kind of data, very personal data, among four countries is quite a scary thing.

SECRETARY CHERTOFF: Well, first of all, a fingerprint is hardly personal data because you leave it on glasses and silverware and articles all over the world, they’re like footprints. They’re not particularly private.

It seems that I was not the only one donning my tinfoil hat. The Privacy Commissioner of Canada (who knew they had a Privacy Commissioner?), Jennifer Stoddart, elaborated on her own concerns in a letter to the Minister of Public Safety:

“I am writing to express my concern about remarks U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff made yesterday while in Ottawa, suggesting fingerprints are not “personal data”.

As you know, Canadian privacy legislation defines fingerprints as personal information. In Canada, we have traditionally taken a more restrained approach to the collection of fingerprints, largely restricted to cases where individuals are charged with or convicted of certain criminal behaviour.”

Her letter goes on to state that “Canadians rightly expect their government to respect their civil liberties and safeguard their personal information from abuse.”

What you think may be private, well, that’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?

h/t RC and Cowgirl

DC Bilks US Taxpayers Out of Millions? We’ll Never Know.

For years, the District of Columbia has received millions of dollars from the federal government for an education program designated for the children of migrant farmworkers.

The problem is, it appears that these children did not exist.

In order to avert a False Claims Action lawsuit which could have cost millions, DC has agreed to settle out of court for $1.75 million. They do so without admitting any fault.

In my mind, this is not sufficient and is a slap on the wrist for a multitude of sins. It is amazing the government malfeasance is treated so lightly.

h/t Cato Institute

Report from the Polls in Philadelphia

I work in Center City, so I had a chance to talk to some people who voted early this morning.

Both people I talked to gave me the same story. Confusion.

They were taken aback by the fact that not only were you to select the candidate of your choice, you were also supposed to vote for the superdelegates. The superdelegates were not listed directly under the candidate they supported; they were in some other obscure order. Although their candidate of choice was listed underneath their name, voters had to jump around all over the place to select the superdelegates that supported their candidate.

For the superdelegate selections, voters were instructed to pick “5 men and 4 women” (or the other way around). Quite bizarre.

The first person I talked to didn’t pick superdelegates because he didn’t understand it. Both people I talked to said they never had to vote for superdelegates before, and were totally blindsided by it.

The second person I talked to said that it would be quite easy for someone to vote for one candidate and inadvertently select superdelegates for another candidate. Both had the feeling that many would just not vote for superdelegates at all. I don’t know what impact that would have.

Is Barney Frank Really a Libertarian?

I posted last week how Barney Frank (MA) and Ron Paul (TX) teamed up on the internet gambling bill.

Now, the dynamic duo are at it again, as the sole sponsors of The Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008 (HR 5843), which would greatly decriminalize the personal use of marijuana.

Frank says:

“In a free society, there must be a very considerable zone of activity between those two poles in which people are allowed to make their own choices as long as they are not impinging on the rights, freedom, or property of others” (LINK)

I think hempman would be proud.

This Is Going to be Very Messy Indeed

As sensationalist and uncomfortable the situation with the FDLS compound in Texas is, and how much of a bureaucratic quagmire it has become, and not withstanding the numerous personal liberty issues involved, it may be that the actions taken by the Texas Department of Family and Protective services may have been based on a misguided hoax perpetrated by a woman by the name of Rozita Swinton who has a history of such actions:

“ROZITA SWINTON HAS never been a member of the FLDS, and the Colorado woman's known criminal record involves a history of hoax phone calls. When she was arrested last week in connection with the Texas case, Swinton was a fugitive wanted in a Denver suburb. Authorities there say she called an adoption agency in June 2005, threatening to abandon her baby and commit suicide. But there was no baby. Swinton has no children, the Denver Post reported, and she later pleaded guilty to filing a false report.” (LINK)

Another odd assertion (as yet unproven) is that Ms. Swinton is reportedly a pledged Obama delegate.

However creepy the FDLS lifestyle may be, no one has been charged with anything to date. Nothing has been proven, and the impetus for the entire raid may have been based on totally false premises. The ones who are suffering are the 400+ children who were torn from their families.

This situation is going to be very messy indeed.

"Do Whatever You Want" Doesn’t Always Mean Quite That

Agenda for Today

We're heading out soon to Just Mugs Saloon on Route 40 in Bear to attend a benefit for our friend Geno Mercante. Those medical bills have been building up, so we're all throwin' in a bit.

Geez.....a pig roast and all the fixin's...music....door prizes....basket of cheer and a 9-ball tournament. How better can it get? It all happens from 1-6 PM.

Yup, looks like rain later on this afternoon, but we're riding anyway. Meeting some folk up at Marsh Rd and Philly Pike around noon, and riding down from there.

Oh, and if you're wonderin'.....no, we don't ride impaired. That's just plain stupid. Being the passenger I can probably have a few beers, but Chainsaw will be loading up on that pig (yuck).

Looks like a bad hair day, but what the heck. It's good seeing friends out and about and all for a good cause.

Just Ordinary Folk

Just a Cup of Tea

It was a brain aneurysm that took her. Sudden and cruel. It’s been nearly five years, and even at my own ripe old age I still cry.

I still look at her picture and talk to her in my mind, sometimes (good heavens), even out loud. I still wait for her to call. To have a cup of tea, which was the last thing I did with her. For her to call me on my birthday, wherever I was, and sing “Happy Birthday” to me. To tell me to be careful and watch out for the icy patches, even in the summer. To worry, and when she was tired of worrying about whatever child, to call me to take over worrying for her because she needed a break.

I had the best Mom in the world. How on earth I got so lucky, I’ll never know. I miss her so.

When it happened, by some strange confluence in the universe, all of the siblings were in the same area. We stood around the hospital bed, where she was hooked up to some kind of machine that made her breathe. We had to make a decision, and it was clear. Her brain was smashed, like some kind of weird painting.

There was nothing to be done.

Mom always hated her feet. She thought they were ugly. So amid the whooshing of the machine and the sobbing of the family, I carefully covered her feet. Only a year before, after 50 years of marriage, my Dad had bought her a diamond ring. My Dad asked me to take it off of her, and I had to lick her fingers to do it. Somehow, I just did it. Mom wasn’t really into jewelry, but she sure was proud of that ring.

She was taken off of the machine. About ten of us huddled in the hallway and cried.

The last thing she said to me, about a week before on the way out of the door, full of health and vigor and Mom-ness was “Take care of Dad.” I don’t know why she said that. I am afraid that I have failed miserably with that charge. It seems as thought Dad can take well enough care of himself, but something is missing. Something is missing big-time.

My Dad can take a bunch of seeds and a bucket of dirt and feed a family for a year. Poor Mom, whenever she brought a plant into the room, we knew it was doomed. But she had many other talents, too many to mention. Tomato gravy. Jell-O for dessert. Cocoa and toast with luscious cinnamon-sugar topping. Afghans and quilts galore.

I think one of my favorite memories of my Mom was when she and I and another sibling were at the Del-Vets and were having a few. Mom swore that Dad was the only man she had ever been with and she was wondering how she could know if Dad was “normal”. How could she know? She had no point of reference. So my sibling and I asked her for details. She went on and on with great specificity. My sibling and I nodded our heads and could assure her that Dad was OK. Everything seemed to be in order.

Ellen Vandever, what a good and honest life you lead. If the good Lord is willing, I hope to be with you again someday.

I’ll make the tea, Mom. Just sit back and enjoy.

Representative Arrogance, Congressional Impotence

The Coconut Road earmark controversy is a prime example of how arrogance is enabled and protracted by impotence.

The arrogant? Representative Don Young (AK), of “bridge to nowhere” fame.

The impotent? United States Congress.

The Transportation Improvements section of the 2005 Transportation Bill contained a $10 million earmark for “Widening and Improvements for I-75 in Collier and Lee County”. When the bill was presented for the President’s signature twelve days later, the earmark had been reworded to read “Coconut Rd. Interchange I-75/Lee County”.

Who changed the language and when? It is a mystery that is yet to be solved. Laura McGann of Talking Points Memo was thwarted at every attempt to find out what happened.

Suspicion falls on Rep. Young. From the Taxpayers for Common Sense request for an ethics investigation into the matter:

“On the evening of February 19, 2005, local proponents of development along Coconut Road hosted a fundraiser for then Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Representative Don Young (R-AK). As a result, Rep. Young netted more than $40,000 in campaign contributions, mostly from southwestern Florida developers and builders. One of the donors that attended the fundraiser was Daniel Aronoff, who owns 4,000 acres adjacent to Coconut Road, including 1,200 acres directly east of the proposed interchange.”

Taxpayers for Common Sense's official complaint was sent to the House Ethics Committee in September of last year. Nothing has been done. Earlier this week, the Senate agreed to an amendment to the highway corrections bill that would have the Justice Department look into the matter. Alternatively, Senator Tom Coburn (OK) suggested a bicameral committee.

Oh, but no, says Nancy Pelosi. Those pesky people in the Senate shouldn't be messing around in House business. She seems to be saying, "We can take care of our own".

But can they? The request for an investigation by the House Ethics Committee has seen no action in seven months, even though, as Nancy says:

“I think this is something that the ethics committee should look at.”

So while the House and Senate jerk each other around, Senator Young, his supercilious confidence in his own untouchability intact, meanders still among the movers and shakers in the halls of the House.

The inability of our government to police their own and the unbelievable arrogance of those who serve us combine to produce a fermenting stagnation of putrid pus doused with a touch of rhetoric, the smell of which I am afraid we will never be able to escape.

Motorcycle Awareness Day - May 10

On Saturday, May 10th, there will be a Motorcycle Awareness Day Event and Parade. The event is presented by the Delaware Motorcycle Safety Advisory Board, chaired by Senator Bruce Ennis.

The parade begins at the William Henry School, Route 8 in Dover at 11:00 A.M., proceeding down Lockerman Street to Legislative Hall. A bike show, riding events, and vendors will all be part of the festivities.

From ABATE State Legislative Coordinator Gary Hilderbrand:

“This is the event to show our numbers, bring the motorcycling community together, have fun, and show the public what we are all about. Additionally, ABATE of Delaware will be presenting Senator Bruce Ennis with a plaque in honor of all the hard work he has done on behalf of the bikers of Delaware. We are helmet free, have a multiple tiered training program, an advisory program to keep the riders education program inexpensive and provided by the state, and an Awareness event every year to educate the public about motorcycles.”

Come join the fun and check out the bikes !

The Debate Around the Blogosphere

It's been pretty consistent out there.

The Economist: “bizarre”

Daily Kos: “deeply embarrassing to the nation”

Mother Jones: “the smallness of our politics on display”

Washington Post: “another step downward for network news”

Boston Dot Com: “a tawdry affair”

Politico Dot Com: “shoddy, despicable performances”

Talking Points Memo: “(an) unmitigated travesty”

Eschaton: “gang raping democracy”

An Act Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution Relating to Same Sex Relationships

Primary Sponsor: Still
Addition Sponsor: Venebles
CoSponsors: Sen. Bonini, Reps. Ewing, Hocker, Lee Thornburg

DELAWARE STATE SENATE
144th General Assembly

Introduced on 4/16/2008
SS1 for SB 156


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:


Section 1. Amend Article XV of the Constitution of the State of Delaware by adding thereto the following:





“Section 11. A marriage between a man and a woman is the only legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”.

Gonads Under the Gun in Florida

Senate Bill 1992, “an act relating to the Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles” is under consideration in Florida.

Section 316.191 is amended by Section 5 which adds the following language:

“Whoever willfully displays on a vehicle an obscene word, image, or device, including, but not limited to, reproductive glands, commits a noncriminal traffic violation, punishable as a moving violation as provided in Chapter 318, Florida Statutes”. (emphasis added).

So I guess these will be totally out of the question:

So Much Porn, So Little Time

TasteSpotting is the ultimate in food porn sites. Here is where all the food blogs meet to show off. Just browse, if you can, the luscious pictures and you'll be taken to a whole new world. The world of food porn. I can barely contain myself. It is an addiction, for which I'll soon need therapy.


Since the weather is about to break here (below freezing tonight, and the heat went out...we just need to last until tomorrow which will be in the 60's....Thursday the 70's.....Friday could reach 80 degrees !) I was struck by this Anelletti Pasta with Sausage and Greens from The Kitchn. Seems just right for a spring supper. A trip to Trader Joe's and Booths Corner Farmers Market is in order.

Frank and Paul Team Up

The banking industry is cheering a fresh assault on the 2006 federal crackdown on Internet gambling by an unlikely duo: House Financial Services panel Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).

Frank has teamed up with the libertarian-minded Paul, who crusaded against big government during his recent White House bid, on legislation to block that law by forbidding federal officials from writing rules to implement it.

(LINK)

Who's a Boy ?

Representative Geoff Davis (Kentucky) was recently reported as saying of Barack Obama (after participating with him in national security simulations):

“I’m gonna tell you something. That boy’s finger does not need to be on the button.” (LINK)

The lawmaker offered a written apology to Senator Obama for the remark.

Why? There may be some old negative connotations about use of the word “boy” (or “bitter” for that matter), but Representative Davis is a Suthna.

My VSO and Air Force brat Chainsaw was born in Massachusetts and lived in England and Colorado for a time, but most of his formative years and beyond were in Georgia and Florida, and he proudly refers to himself as a Florida cracker. He will often to refer to his male acquaintances as “boy” or “son”.

(Admittedly it sounds more like boy-ya or suhnnnnn).

It’s a mannah of speaking, kind of like “dem-air”. I learned that word while fishing in Lake Okeechobee a few years back and some old guy strolled by and remarked to me,

“I like dem-air boots y’all gattawn”.

I wouldn’t be too hard on Representative Davis. He’s probably just a good old boy.

Why Libertarians Should Support John McCain

Libertarian Republican has posted an article by PA blogger/activist Steve Maloney titled “Why Libertarians Should Support John McCain” (LINK).

In part:

“If Obama becomes President, we would become a society of “victims,” all of us clamoring for the government to bail us out of our misery. That would be a disaster not only for libertarians, but for all Americans. I hope all libertarians do the right thing: voting for John McCain. Also, ask your friends and family members to do the same thing. The future of liberty in this society depends on free people standing up and supporting a man who has devoted his entire life to defending American values and liberties. John McCain is the right man for our cause.”

Whether you agree or disagree, it is worth the read to get Mr. Maloney’s perspective.

Full article HERE.

Bailing Out Banks

Ron Paul's weekly column, Texas Straight Talk :

"There has been a lot of talk in the news recently about the Federal Reserve and the actions it has taken over the past few months. Many media pundits have been bending over backwards to praise the Fed for supposedly restoring stability to the market. This interpretation of the Fed's actions couldn't be further from the truth.

The current market crisis began because of Federal Reserve monetary policy during the early 2000s in which the Fed lowered the interest rate to a below-market rate. The artificially low rates led to overinvestment in housing and other malinvestments. When the first indications of market trouble began back in August of 2007, instead of holding back and allowing bad decision-makers to suffer the consequences of their actions, the Federal Reserve took aggressive, inflationary action to ensure that large Wall Street firms would not lose money. It began by lowering the discount rates, the rates of interest charged to banks who borrow directly from the Fed, and lengthening the terms of such loans. This eliminated much of the stigma from discount window borrowing and enabled troubled banks to come to the Fed directly for funding, pay only a slightly higher interest rate but also secure these loans for a period longer than just overnight.

After the massive increase in discount window lending proved to be ineffective, the Fed became more and more creative with its funding arrangements. It has since created the Term Auction Facility (TAF), the Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF), and the Term Securities Lending Facility (TSLF). The upshot of all of these new programs is that through auctions of securities or through deposits of collateral, the Fed is pushing hundreds of billions of dollars of funding into the financial system in a misguided attempt to shore up the stability of the system.

The PDCF in particular is a departure from the established pattern of Fed intervention because it targets the primary dealers, the largest investment banks who purchase government securities directly from the New York Fed. These banks have never before been allowed to borrow from the Fed, but thanks to the Fed Board of Governors, these investment banks can now receive loans from the Fed in exchange for securities which will in all likelihood soon lose much of their value.

The net effect of all this new funding has been to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the financial system and bail out banks whose poor decision making should have caused them to go out of business. Instead of being forced to learn their lesson, these poor-performing banks are being rewarded for their financial mismanagement, and the ultimate cost of this bailout will fall on the American taxpayers. Already this new money flowing into the system is spurring talk of the next speculative bubble, possibly this time in commodities.

Worst of all, the Treasury Department has recently proposed that the Federal Reserve, which was responsible for the housing bubble and subprime crisis in the first place, be rewarded for all its intervention by being turned into a super-regulator. The Treasury foresees the Fed as the guarantor of market stability, with oversight over any financial institution that could pose a threat to the financial system. Rewarding poor performing financial institutions is bad enough, but rewarding the institution that enabled the current economic crisis is unconscionable."

New Hampshire Libertarians Endorse Impeachment

From Third Party Watch (LINK)

"At their April board meeting, the Libertarian Party of NH officially endorsed NH House Resolution 24, which calls for impeachment procedures to start against President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

The resolution is based on rules from the Jefferson Manual of Parliamentary Practice, which states that impeachment proceedings may be initiated by the legislature of a state."

FULL STORY

TEXT OF LEGISLATION

Angry Bikes Save Lives?

“If you think the motorcycle approaching in the oncoming lane is glaring at you, you're not paranoid -- you're seeing cutting-edge safety research in motion.

Honda Motor scientists studying the way the brain reacts to different imagery found that motorcycles that resemble a human face -- especially an angry one evoked with diagonal headlights -- are "significantly" more visible to other drivers. Measurements taken with functional magnetic resonance imaging confirm that a more lifelike front-end design "elicits a response similar to that when a human face is seen," suggesting that other drivers will more quickly recognize the motorcycle's presence and react accordingly.”

(LINK)

Towards a More Homogeneous Society

We don't advocate killing, but when an unsavory individual finally leaves this world, life tastes better for the rest of us! Help us support safe living habits, cultural homogeny, selective language, and well-governed self expression!


T.E.A.R.T.S. Biker PSA

That Sweet Sweet Sound

The winter wrapping is off the bike, and Chainsaw has the motor running, getting ready to go over to Big John's house for a major wipedown.

To hear that sweet sound of the motor, even at idle, is enough to get this old girl goin', that's for sure.

Later on, weather willin', we'll be riding. Goodlawdahmighty, I need it bad.

Something's Not Right Here

In July of 2006, police responding to a burglar alarm at the home of Steve and Karen Faver in Berks County found five pot plants growing under a lamp.

The punishments doled out so far for this “crime” have been:

Steve spend a weekend in jail on $1 million bail
Steve received a felony conviction for drug manufacturing
Steve lost his driver’s license for six months
Steve expects to lose his job
Karen was arrested and jailed on $500,000 bail
Karen lost her job

Their attorney calls the handling of the case “overzealous”, while Steve, only nine credits away from his MBA, calls it “destructive and draconian”. There was no evidence of dealing.

Compare these measures to a recent arrest in Dover where charges included possession of and trafficking in crack cocaine. The bond was $35,000.

Let’s see…..$35,000 for dealing crack and $1 million for five pot plants?

I’m just sayin………………

Real ID to be Adopted in Canada

"The REAL ID practice is coming to birth in various Canadian provinces as a result of federal and provincial commitments to "North American integration" The new liberty stripping identification is being slipped into Canadian drivers' licenses in various provinces without a peep of dissent from media or any provincial or federal opposition..."

read more digg story

The “What People Like” Phenomenon Continues

There is Stuff White People Like (dinner parties, poorly read partners, bottles of water), Stuff Queer People Like (having emotionally unstable childhood best friends, all having the same haircut as each other) and even Stuff Nobody Likes (teenagers, paper cuts, laundromats that close early while your stuff is still in the dryer).

Now there is Stuff Hill People Like. The Hill is that somewhat vaguely incestuous and infinitely mysterious gaggle of congressional staff, interns, lobbyists, and assorted hangers-on that work in Washington DC doing what can loosely be defined as the peoples’ business.

The blogger describes himself in part:

“…I decided that my extraordinary talent would be best used in a career in public service. Plus, I couldn't get a banking job because I failed calculus. I told my parents that I was going to take a year off before going to law/grad school, and I moved to DC on their dime. I came to the Hill as an unpaid intern/lowly paid staff assistant…”

What do Hill people like?

Their Parents’ Money (in order to maintain other things they like, like brunch).

Blackberries
"Not issued to entry-level staff assistant, these life-consuming gadgets are worn on the hip as a badge of honor of the seasoned Hill Person.'

Gchat
"Because the high level of education most Hill People possess contradicts the mind-blowingly lame work they do every day, they will consistently put off their tasks in order to gchat various friends from college. They will justify their procrastination by occasionally gchatting coworkers about Obama's speech on how being black is awesome."

Check it out.

Verbal Missteps - Give It A Break

Ace of Spades HQ reveals Barack Obama’s inability to distinguish between Iraq and Iran during yesterday’s Iraq War testimony, and deliciously pounces on this “Oboner” with tongue-in-cheek maliciousness, ala the DNC’s orgasmic writhing over the recent McCain’s Shi’ite/Sunni slip.

Verbal missteps happen, and everyone has been a victim of them. For hardcore, blinded partisans to react with such pernicious glee is simply tiresome and does nothing to enhance the debate or to enlighten anyone about anything except per childishness.

I wish they would all just stop it. As Duffy recently commented, “Partisanship is boring. Less please.”

Beverly Hills Suffering in the Recession

"The effects of the struggling economy are finally trickling up. The LA Times reports that local resident Goldy Anthony has had to give up her regular botox appointments...."


read more digg story

Politicians Don't Think Like the Rest of Us

It is annoying to read that when Teamsters President James Hoffa pressed Barack Obama for an explanation of his senior campaign advisors alleged backroom assurances to Canada on Obama’s NAFTA position, the Obama campaign appears to dismiss the concern.

Why?

Because the advisor, Austan Goolsbee, was not acting “in his capacity as senior advisor to the campaign”.

Well, exactly what capacity was he acting in, then? He either is an advisor to the campaign, or he is not. He can’t change that fact willy-nilly when it suits him.

Why can’t politicians be who they are and say what they mean?

Try this real-life scenario: I am out with the girls in a bar and have a few too many drinks. Somebody asks me to dance, the night progresses, more drinks are tossed, and, ahem, an indiscretion occurs.

Besides being of diminished capacity, can I also claim that I was not acting in my capacity as a wife? That I was acting in my capacity as a drunken floozie, or some other capacity that I can come up with? The answer is no. I am who I am and I cannot change my role like a chameleon.

There is no situational responsibility. It either is or it ain't.

I just wish politicians were like the rest of us and would have the guts to say so.

The Balance Between Regular Joes and Fighting Terrorism

It is both interesting and aggravating to consider exactly where the tradeoffs are to be made when trying to balance the need for security against the need for a sane, decent, and relatively hassle-free life.

It seems to me that most government efforts tend to inconvenience regular citizens (who, by nature, tend to play by the rules and are therefore most subjected to them) rather than deter those who would harm us.

USA Today reports that a new Homeland Security regulation will require that fishermen on Lake Erie will be required to carry passports. There is that pesky little invisible border between Canada and the United States that they may cross. In addition to identification, if they have crossed into Canadian waters, upon their return to shore in the U.S. they will be required to:

FAX their name, date of birth, and government ID number (?) to the local Customs office one hour before they leave shore.

Report to the local border protection station after landing so they can call in by videophone to have their picture taken for Customs records.

What is the difference between how many terrorists will be caught by these methods versus how many citizens will be just totally pissed off, with their day of fishing turned into a surreal scene from a Kafka novel?

This story, along with Delaware Libertarian’s recent post on new warfare seem related somehow. Brian links to a U.S. Navy study on defeating terrorism which in its executive summary postulates that current strategies may focus “too much on the product of the system and not enough on the system itself.” I think that is exactly what is happening here. The product of the system in this case is a lot of pissed-off sportsmen. The system is overburdening itself to the point of having no effect at all.

Brian looks at this question from the perspective of those who may “dispute (policy) with reason and normal non-violent disobedience.”

I look at it from the perspective of a couple of guys on a fishing trip.

Change Rules or Face Lawsuit

Joey Vento, proprietor of Geno’s Steaks in South Philadelphia, will be holding a news conference today at 11:30 A.M. to propose changes to the Fair Practices ordinance.

For those that may not know, Mr. Vento’s business was charged with a violation of this ordinance for his infamous sign: “This is America. When ordering, please speak English”.

The charges against him were recently dismissed, but Mr. Vento claims that the bringing of the charges themselves violated his constitutional rights.

This should be one for YouTube.

The Emerging Surveillance State

Ron Paul's weekly column: Texas Straight Talk.

Last month, the House amended the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to expand the government’s ability to monitor our private communications. This measure, if it becomes law, will result in more warrantless government surveillance of innocent American citizens.

Though some opponents claimed that the only controversial part of this legislation was its grant of immunity to telecommunications companies, there is much more to be wary of in the bill. In the House version, Title II, Section 801, extends immunity from prosecution of civil legal action to people and companies including any provider of an electronic communication service, any provider of a remote computing service, “any other communication service provider who has access to wire or electronic communications,” any “parent, subsidiary, affiliate, successor, or assignee” of such company, any “officer, employee, or agent” of any such company, and any “landlord, custodian, or other person who may be authorized or required to furnish assistance.” The Senate version goes even further by granting retroactive immunity to such entities that may have broken the law in the past.

The new FISA bill allows the federal government to compel many more types of companies and individuals to grant the government access to our communications without a warrant. The provisions in the legislation designed to protect Americans from warrantless surveillance are full of loopholes and ambiguities. There is no blanket prohibition against listening in on all American citizens without a warrant.

We have been told that this power to listen in on communications is legal and only targets terrorists. But if what these companies are being compelled to do is legal, why is it necessary to grant them immunity? If what they did in the past was legal and proper, why is it necessary to grant them retroactive immunity?

In communist East Germany , one in every 100 citizens was an informer for the dreaded secret police, the Stasi. They either volunteered or were compelled by their government to spy on their customers, their neighbors, their families, and their friends. When we think of the evil of totalitarianism, such networks of state spies are usually what comes to mind. Yet, with modern technology, what once took tens of thousands of informants can now be achieved by a few companies being coerced by the government to allow it to listen in to our communications. This surveillance is un-American.

We should remember that former New York governor Eliot Spitzer was brought down by a provision of the PATRIOT Act that required enhanced bank monitoring of certain types of financial transactions. Yet we were told that the PATRIOT Act was needed to catch terrorists, not philanderers. The extraordinary power the government has granted itself to look into our private lives can be used for many purposes unrelated to fighting terrorism. We can even see how expanded federal government surveillance power might be used to do away with political rivals.

The Fourth Amendment to our Constitution requires the government to have a warrant when it wishes to look into the private affairs of individuals. If we are to remain a free society we must defend our rights against any governmental attempt to undermine or bypass the Constitution.

PGN Headline: Hillary Talks, Obama Balks

Philadelphia Gay News has published a recent interview with Hillary Clinton with a slap at Obama:

“The fact is that Obama has spoken with the gay press only twice, and one of those interviews…was in 2004, before he became a U.S. senator. The other limited interview [with The Advocate] occurred after controversy erupted when his campaign added an anti-gay minister to his tour of the South. It has now been 1,522 days since Obama has been accessible to our community.”

Mark Segal is apparently not an Obama fan.

h/t Queerty

Westboro Must Post Cash Bond During Appeal

"A federal judge has issued liens against a fundamentalist Kansas church and ordered two of its members to post cash bonds while they appeal a $5 million judgment resulting from the church’s protest at a military funeral.

The Westboro Baptist Church has filed a motion seeking to stay last November’s verdict, in which a jury found that the Topeka-based church intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Albert Snyder of York, Pa. Snyder’s son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, 20, was killed in Iraq in March 2006.

The church frequently pickets military funerals, arguing that the deaths of U.S. troops overseas are part of God’s punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality. Since the verdict, the church has protested at other high-profile funerals in the Baltimore area, claiming that “God hates Baltimore.” "

LINK TO FULLY STORY IN NAVY TIMES

I've run into these morons a few times as a member of PGR. My suggestion? They can sell their land to the city to make bond, and it can be resurrected as a Gay Pride Theme Park.

One of Our Own. Make It Stop.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Travis L. Griffin, 28, of Dover, Del., died April 3 near Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 377th Security Forces Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.

LINK TO PGR POST

April 29th is Mullet Night at Frawley Stadium !

I actually like mullets, so I’m sure to make the Blue Rocks game on April 29th which is being touted as “Mullet Night”.









All of you closet mullet-lovers should come out as well. From what I’ve seen around the State, this should be a fierce competition !







So get on out there and enjoy ! If you don't have a mullet, you can buy one HERE.

Blogger Protection Act of 2008

Representative Jeb Hensarling (TX) has introduced the “Blogger Protection Act of 2008” the post can be found courtesy of RedState HERE, with a link to the four-page PDF.

The purpose of the bill is to exempt blogging as a “contribution or expenditure” under the Federal Election Campaign Act, and includes “blogging” as being exempt just as the general media is exempt under the Act.

I found it amusing that a blogger, as defined in this Act, is an individual who performs “uncompensated internet activity”. That fits me to a tee, especially the “uncompensated” part!

What’s also interesting is that the Federal Election Commission issued similar protections over two years ago, but since the protection was simply regulatory and not a statute, it could be changed without congressional action. Thus, Rep. Hensarling’s efforts to make blogger protection permanent.

In a “Dear Colleague” letter, Rep. Henserling asserts (LINK courtesy of Weapons of Mass Discussion):

“This bill would not exempt monetary contributions to candidates from current campaign finance limitations merely because the contributions are made online. Rather, the bill would codify existing regulations protecting such things as linking in blogs to campaign websites and editorializing about candidates from being regarded as contributions to those candidates.”

Is this a good idea? Is it enough? Is it needed? I’m not sure yet. I’ve seen pros and cons. But it is definitely something to look at.

Drinking Freely

Just a reminder that the Newark Iron Hill Brewery's 1st Annual Cure for What Ales You Home Brew Fest is this Saturday, 4/5, from 1:00 to 5:00.

Besides all the interesting brews, the event is FREE ! What better economic timing than this ? It fits everyone's budgets.

Alan first brought this to our attention, and Duffy plans to be there. The ever-mysterious kavips recommends an apricot beer by Dogfish. We cannot attend, as life intervened, but hope that all with a taste for distinctive and unique brews can at least stop by on a dreary Saturday for a sip or two.

Grant Applications Ask for Sexual Orientation

A big hat tip to Nanny Knows Best for letting us know that big brother is watching, and now he wants to know what you are doing in the bedroom.

Quite a to-do arose over a recent London Times report that organizations applying for Arts Council grants are now asked the sexual orientation of its board members. The choices are bisexual, homosexual, lesbian, or “not known”. Why stop there? I am sure that Brian of Delaware Libertarian could come up with some more categories.

In typical British form, Sir Ian McKellen dryly commented, “It sounds quite extraordinary. It’s quite inappropriate”.





Ever-stately yet sardonic Vanessa Redgrave quipped, “Everyone should put down ‘trisexual. Britian has become the world’s leading population of trisexuals.”

Lowly commoner Maggi Hambling says, “It appears to be somewhat Hitlerian in its suggestion that grants will be given if, among the applicants, there is a nice smattering of dykes and queers.”

The Times piece describes the situation as a “row”. Indeed. There are 32 comments to the article, and I imagine they would be an interesting read.

On Money, Inflation and Government

Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk,

"These past few weeks have provided an unfortunate opportunity to discuss inflation. The dollar index has reached new all-time lows. The total money supply, M3, as calculated by private sources, is growing at a disturbing 17% rate. The Fed is pumping dollars into the economy at an alarming rate. Just recently the Fed announced new loan auctions totaling $100 billion. That is new money created from thin air. If these money auctions, combined with the bailout of Bear Stearns, continue to be the trend, we are in for some economic stormy weather. The explanation lies in understanding the basics of money, and why it is dangerous to give government and big banks control over it.

First, money is not wealth, in and of itself. You cannot create more wealth simply by creating more money. Wall Street bankers cry out for more liquidity, but what is really needed is more value behind the dollar. But the value, unfortunately, isn't there.

You see, the Fed creates new money and uses it to purchase securities from banks. Flush with funds, these banks seek to put this money to use. During the Fed's expansionary period, much of this money went to home loans. Through a combination of federal government inducements to lend to risky borrowers, and the Fed's supply of easy money, the housing bubble took shape. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were encouraged to purchase and securitize mortgages, while investors, buoyed by implicit government backing, rushed to provide funding. Money that could have been invested in more productive, less risky sectors of the economy was thereby malinvested in subprime mortgage loans.

The implicit guarantee from the Fed is quickly becoming explicit, as those institutions deemed "too big to fail" are bailed out at taxpayer expense. Wall Street made a killing during the housing bubble, reaping record profits. Now that the bubble has burst, these same firms are trying to dump their losses on the taxpayers. This approach requires more money creation, and therefore debasement of all dollars in circulation.

The Federal Reserve, a quasi-government entity, should not be creating money or determining interest rates, as this causes malinvestment and excessive debt to accumulate. Centrally planned, government manipulated economies always fail eventually. The collapse of communism and the failure of socialism should have made this apparent. Even the most educated, well-intentioned central planners cannot plan the market better than the market itself. Those that understand economics best, understand this reality.

In free markets, both success and failure are options. If government interventions prevent businesses, like Bear Stearns, from failing, then it is not truly a free market. As painful as it might be for Wall Street, banks, even big ones, must be allowed to fail.

The end game for this policy of monetary inflation is that the money in your bank account loses purchasing power. So, by keeping failing banks afloat, the Fed punishes those who have lived frugally and saved. The power to create money is a power that should never be granted to government. As we can plainly see today, the Fed has abused this power, and taxpayers are paying the price."

I Remember.

This Guy Shouldn't Be Hard to Find

From WDEL Online News:

A young Claymont man recovers after being robbed on Pennsylvania Avenue. Police say, the young man was walking up Philadelphia Pike, past the Burger King, where five men were standing. As he turned on to Pennsylvania Avenue, the five men followed him.

One punched him and pushed him to the ground as the others ran with his backpack and money.

One of the men had a strange hair style, in a grid pattern with rubber bands, which stuck up an inch above his head.

I Am Omniscient !

In my March 26, 2008 post "Statistical Katrina in the Making" concerning how the National Census Bureau was completely FUBAR, I predicted the following:

"My prediction: The hand-held computer aspect of the 2010 Census will be scrapped. More money down the drain. The next administration, whoever it may be, will inherit a nightmare of inefficiency, poor planning, and bureaucratic myopia."

Today, CNN reports:

"Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez was scheduled to tell a House subcommittee Thursday that the government will scrap plans to use handheld computers to collect information from the millions of Americans who don't return census forms mailed out by the government."

I'm not saying "I told you so". I'm just saying. I know these things. It's spooky.

Hempman Rocks !

With TNJ’s new online format, a number of people are trying their hand at blogging, with various degrees of success. One of the most prolific is hempman, and as his name suggest he (or she) has a cause.

Hempman is not only well-versed on the issue of medical marijuana, he appears to be a leader in the movement to decriminalize the use of cannabis. He is incessantly and moronically attacked by a few low-life cyberstalkers, but he seems to take it all in stride and handles it quite well. For example, on a post today titled “Mainstream Medicine has Endorse Medical Marijuana”, an incisive and enlightening comment was “GET A LIFE POT HEAD” to which hempman replied, “That’s your comment? What a moron!”.

A portion of hempman’s profile reads:

“…..laws must have a moral basis. However, morality should never be legislated, and all such moralistic laws are doomed to failure through unfair, selective enforcement.”

A quite interesting fellow (or gal, for all I know). If you are interested in this issue, I suggest to subscribe to his blog, as there are some activities coming up for the Delaware Cannabis Society as well as quite a bit of good articles to reference.

Peace Out.

Candidate Profiles A La The Onion

Ya gotta love The Onion. One of their features is War for the White House, which gives us an overview of each of the candidates’ positions.

Some examples:

Clinton on the Iraq War: “I would never have voted for the war had we known it would become unpopular.”

John McCain on torture: Doesn’t support stuff he couldn’t handle.

Obama on the economy: Will cut taxes, but occasionally hit up Oprah on behalf of the treasury.

Paul on health care: As a physician himself, and a fervent believer in individual self-determination, advocates just toughing it out with a rag in your mouth.

The former candidates are there as well, including our own Joe Biden:

Biden’s biggest campaign vulnerability: By now, media attention may startle him.

One thing about good satire is that it usually has a small grain of truth. See all of them here. It’s a quick read, and you’ll get a laugh or two no matter who your candidate is.

Helmet Laws Save Lives, But Not Very Many

From Reason Magazine:

"Although the researchers argue that their study reinforces the case for universal helmet laws, the impact they found looks pretty modest."

read more digg story

HJR 18 - Thank You, Bryon Short

Dear Representative Short,

I wanted to thank you for the introduction of HJR 18, “Relating to Reports in Electronic Format to the Delaware General Assembly”.

While recognizing that there are many opportunities for cost savings and efficiencies of an even greater magnitude, there are also probably hundreds such as this one to put a dent in the cost of doing the government’s business. The time, energy, and associated opportunity costs of assembling, collating, and mailing various reports is one area where immediate benefits can be realized.

This should be simple to administer. The technology is more than likely already in place or is easily and cheaply available. All that will be needed is a simple set of instructions and guidelines for submitting agencies to follow.

Again, thank you. It’s one small step, but I believe it is an important one.

Shirley Vandever

Helter Skelter X

(4:41)

Think about it.

Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Click here to go to the online, interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial. You can search by a specific name, or browse by category. The result is a picture of the name as it actually appears on The Wall. You can leave an online tribute.

All I can say is WOW. CNN story is here.

It's Not Discrimination, It's the Tattoos Stupid

A recent story about a hearing in Florida on a Senate Bill that would allow for the confiscation of motorcycles based on certain infractions, the reporter seemed more entranced by the fashion-sense of the speakers rather than the substance of the bill. (LINK)

“Discussion over a Senate bill aimed at motorcycle and moped riders brought out the jeans-and-boots, ponytailed Harley Davidson-riding kind of bikers.”

One of the speakers against the bill, and one of those “kind” of bikers was Richard “RC” Conroy who is a personal friend of mine. The news story continues:

"Robert Conroy wore eyeglasses on his face and sunglasses on his head. Baring his tattooed forearms, he grabbed hold of the podium in the Senate committee meeting and called the bill "nothing more than a thinly disguised attempt to discriminate against motorcycles and their riders."

It is interesting to note that the writer of the article felt the need to remark on RC’s forearms and his unusual grouping of eyewear.

This bill will allow civil seizure which does not provide for due process. If the property of motorcyclists is going to be seized for reckless behavior, the same should apply to automobile drivers. All or none.

Apparently the Florida Senate did not see it that way. The bill passed.

It must have been those tattoos.

The fight rages on.

Helmet Laws Don't Work

Note: The below is by Jeff Hennie, Vice-President of Government Affairs, Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF). I attended a legislative seminar in Maryland last year where Jeff was one of the presenters. I will have more on this in the future, dealing not just with statistics but on the matter of personal liberty.

Published in USAToday.

Government officials will tell you that motorcyclists make up 2% of the vehicles on the road and 10% of the fatalities, and they would be correct. That sounds like a major problem. But what they don't tell you paints a very different scenario.

Motorcycle registrations have more than doubled since 1997, and new motorcycle sales have quadrupled since then. Surely, when the population is increased one must expect the crash numbers to climb as well. Simple statistics.

The last time motorcycle deaths were as high as they are now was in 1986, when motorcycle registrations were slightly more than 5 million. In 2006, almost 6.5 million motorcycles were registered in this country. That's an additional 1.5 million motorcycles and the same number of fatalities. Maybe the motorcycle fatality rate isn't as out of control as some would like you to believe.

When motorcycle safety is addressed, it almost always revolves around one controversial issue: helmet laws. All but three states have a version of a helmet law on the books. Twenty-seven states allow riders to exercise choice when donning personal protective equipment, and the remaining 20 require all riders to wear a helmet of some sort. If helmet laws worked, there would be a sharp contrast concerning crash data between states that require universal helmet use and those that don't. That isn't the case.

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration August 2007 publication, two of the three states that had the largest increase in fatalities from 2005 to 2006 have universal helmet laws (Alabama and California). Of the three states with the largest decrease in motorcycle fatalities over that period, two (Illinois and New Hampshire) have no helmet requirement, and the third (Ohio) allows experienced riders to ride without a helmet.

The bottom line is that helmet laws don't prevent accidents. The best case scenario is to avoid the crash in the first place. How? Through proper, affordable rider education and widespread motorist awareness campaigns to educate the general motoring public to be aware of motorcycles.

Motorcycle safety requires a comprehensive approach, or we risk losing even more lives. Simply relying on a helmet law to reduce the number of fatalities has proved to fail time and time again.

LINK to USAToday Article

It's a Start - House Bill 346

One of my concerns would be the definition of the word "advocate" and that it could be too loosely interpreted, or almost undefineable and therefore unenforceable. Other than that, it's a start:

House Bill 346:

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LEGISLATIVE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

SPONSOR:
Rep. Cathcart & Sen. Peterson & Sen. Copeland;
Reps. Spence, Lee, Blakey, Booth, Carey, Ewing, Hocker, Hudson, Lavelle, Lofink, Maier, Manolakos, Miro, Oberle, Outten, D. Short, Stone, Thornburg, Valihura, Wagner, Gilligan, Keeley, Brady, Carson, Mitchell, Schooley, B. Short, Viola, Walls; Sens. Bunting, Sorenson, Bonini, Simpson


Section 1. Amend Chapter 10, Title 29 of the Delaware Code by renumbering “§ 1003” and “§ 1004” as “§ 1004” and “§ 1005” and enacting as a new “§ 1003” as follows:

Ҥ 1003. Legislative Anti-Influence Act, unclassified misdemeanor.
(a) A legislator cannot advocate for or cause the employment, appointment, transfer, advancement or discipline of any close relative as defined in this Chapter.
(b) The Superior court shall have original jurisdiction over cases under this statute.
(c) Violations of this Act shall be punished as unclassified misdemeanors.”.

Section 2. Amend § 1005(1) (Definitions) of Title 29 of the Delaware Code by striking the existing language and substituting as follows:

“(1) A ‘close relative’ means a legislator’s mother, father, brothers, sisters, spouses, live-in companion, sons, daughters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.”.

SYNOPSIS
This Bill will make it against Delaware law for legislators to use their influence to interfere in the State employment process on behalf of a close relative.

Mar 20, 2008 - Introduced and Assigned to House Administration Committee in House

Shades of Delaware GOP?

From RealClearPolitics, an analysis by Dennis Byrne of the Chicago Tribune on Illinois specifically, and perhaps the state of the Republican party in general:

“Meanwhile, the Illinois Republican Party continues to implode, becoming an ever greater national embarrassment. Many in the party seem to be in suspended animation, waiting in vain for the leadership, such as it is, to come up with credible candidates and campaigns. Meanwhile, potentially talented young candidates are discouraged from making the effort by the absence of party organization and money. Divides over ideology tear at the party’s seams. Vision is absent.”

Sadly, the story of Illinois is probably applicable in many other states, including Delaware.

LINK TO FULL STORY