Thursday, May 31, 2007

Writing Troubles

I was reading Hugh Hewitt's latest piece on Town Hall and I was really struck by this sentence:
Senator Brownback, Governor Huckabee, and Congressman Hunter are fine men and serious public servants, but if you can’t get over 10% in even one state poll from among the first four states in which contests will be held –Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida and South Carolina—you shouldn’t be in the first tier, and only the first tier should be taking up prime time in the months ahead.
Now is it just me or is that sentence a mess? It's like some sort of prepositional pileup with commas and additional punctuation that adds nothing to clarity. Good Lord man, list one thing at a time.

Oh and Hugh likes Romney and Rudy in the primaries. He thinks McCain has too much baggage. He thinks Thompson lacks both commitment and long term appeal to the general populace, especially the blue staters. Maybe he's right. But I live in a Blue State and I wouldn't vote for Romney or Rudy unless the only other option was the devil herself. Which looks increasingly likely.

Anyway back to some of my posts that have been sitting in the old writing queue forever.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Start the Happy Dance

Fred Thompson is announced he would begin his campaign for President in July. Right now he's setting up the organization he needs to do it. This should be fun.

UPDATE: Professor Bainbridge has a list of good reasons to like Thompson. Besides enjoying the fact that Fred annoys Dobson, he also lists Thompson's cigar smoking as a plus. Maybe, but the last time a president's use of cigars came up in major public discourse, I seem to recall it being less than positive. But then again Fred only smokes his.

Iraqi Reporting

JD Johannes confirms Michael Yon's reporting that there is a major turnaround occurring in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. The Sunnis in several towns are fighting back against the Sunni Insurgency and winning. For the time being, this is a good thing. He also says something very intelligent.
When I get home in a few weeks people will ask me, "how's Iraq?"

I will tell them, "I don't know, but I can tell you about the areas that I saw first hand and spent a few weeks living in."

Each area of operation is different. Khalidiyah is only 35 kilometers from Kharma and Kharma is only 33 kilometers from West Rasheed, Baghdad, but they are nothing alike.

Anyone who says they can speak with definitive knowledge about all of Iraq is a fool or a liar or both.

A person with definitive knowledge of Iraq would have to discuss the situation in terms of 4 or more general areas of operation and then break those down even more to Battalion by Battalion areas.
Even then, the information he knows may soon be out of date.

Frankly, it may be possible to get a current wide-ranging picture of what is going on, but it isn't easy. What you have to do is sit a whole lot of people like JD down and have them talk about their individual areas. Hopefully the military is doing this through their reporting processes.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Virus Spreads

Despite higher pay than the members of the UAW last year, there are rumblings of unionization at Toyota's Kentucky assembly plant. I suppose I shouldn't blame the workers too much themselves, they are almost certainly on the receiving end of a lot of FUD from the UAW. The union is well aware that domestic auto sales have been shrinking and their representation in the marketplace has been dropping with it. As a result, they have been trying to break into the non-domestics for several years now without much success.

Purple Haze...

Ever have the feeling that you're not firing on all cylinders? My day has been like that so far. Four day weekends are great, don't get me wrong, but they play hell with my sleep cycle when it comes time to go back to work. Morning came too early and my normal doses of caffeine just don't seem to cut it.

UPDATE: Some generous soul brought in fudge brownies. Refined sugar is currently putting pep in my step. I should crash and be ready for a nap just in time for my regular teleconference.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Memorial Day Regulars

So it's Memorial Day and every chat show I switched on this morning had advice about women's bathing suits. They would trot out these models in a "variety of body types" and give advice on what they should wear to the beach. Of course all the models essentially have the same body type - tall and skinny. Because they're swimsuit models. And they all looked great in bikinis.

If you're going to do one of these shows, why not grab some people that might plausibly look like your viewership? You know someone that isn't 18 with single digit body fat percentages.

Happy Anniversary to Me

Amybear and I were married one year ago today. One year down, many more to go...

I must say that getting married on Memorial Day has its advantages. Not only is it difficult to forget that your anniversary is coming, but we're probably going to get have the day off about half the time.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Innovations in Steam Power

Bruce Crower has an interesting idea for a six stroke engine that uses both gasoline and steam. His motor uses the standard four strokes of a modern gasoline engine, but adds two more steam strokes in an attempt to scavenge more useful work from the engines waste heat. On the fifth stroke, he injects water into the cylinder which then flashes to steam upon contact with the hot metal. The sixth stroke exhausts the steam to a condenser track where it would be reused.

The problems? Well flashing water to steam using the surfaces in the cylinder sounds like a bad idea to me. It just seems like a good way to promote oxidation and corrosion. More importantly though, you're unlikely to get a perfect scavenge from the transitions between the gasoline and steam cycles. This means the steam stroke is going to pickup exhaust components from the gasoline cycle and vice versa. The steam side will need to try to filter these components out or they'll break down and cause problems. Having a little steam in the fuel to air mixture probably won't cause too much trouble but you can't run a closed steam system if you are constantly exhausting steam like that.

If you wanted to do a gas-steam hybrid, you probably want to use the coolant and exhaust systems of the internal combustion engine to provide heat instead of going directly for the combustion chamber itself. Then use a separate steam motor to keep the loop closed. But of course then you run into problems with the additional weight of a motor, etc.

Open Carry

These kids are unusual, but I think I like it. I may have to purchase a good holster and open carry more. I'm sure Amy will love that, but we would like to go for a walk after dark without having to worry the rising crime rate.

I really need to look into Delaware's open carry laws. Delaware passed a preemption in 1985, but all laws passed prior to that are still legal and binding. I've heard the City of Newark (along with Wilmington and Dover) is one of the places with such a law, but the municipal code seems to indicate problems with concealed carry and "threatening display." The problem is some jurisdictions have been known to regard a holstered weapon as a "threatening display." They don't usually don't get away with it for long given a legal challenge.

How Did I Miss It?

Jeep is taking their Wrangler JT concept to the SEMA show this year. The JT is a compact pickup variant based on the Wrangler Unlimited chassis. Autoblog has pictures of the concept vehicle.

Excellent move by Jeep. If they get the spare tire out of the bed and produce a diesel version, I'll buy one.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

ACLU Partisanship

Wendy Kaminer, an attorney for FIRE and the Massachusetts ACLU, takes the ACLU to task for the strong leftward tack they have taken over the past several years. This revelation comes as no surprise to gun owners. The ACLU's Second Amendment stance is a collectivist one. They support gun registration and licensing and have been notably silent on gun confiscations and outright bans. For that matter when was the last time you saw the ACLU ride to the rescue of Evangelical Christians or College Republicans? I wouldn't hold my breath.

Cat Blogging Across Teh Internets

Evangelical Outpost is posting on cat macros also known as lolcats. I don't know from whence this trend came, but it just proves that cats are kooky, funny, animals. I think they are made all the funnier because, unlike dogs, cats have dignity.

Via Tamara, it's a seasonal adventure with a great pictorial payoff that still makes me glad Milo is a shorthair.

Over at Incoherent Ramblings, Risawn once more exposes the lie that is the "free" cat. Even if you don't adopt an animal with serious health problems like Ruth, you're still going to pay out the nose for quite a while if you care about the animals well-being. We adopted Milo for $80. Getting treatment for his ear mites and fleas, bringing his shots up to date, and then treating his urinary crystals probably cost us several hundred dollars. That isn't even looking at how much we've spent on kitty litter, toys, electronic food/water units, cat beds, etc. But he is a great cat and he's worth it.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The New Legalism

Because what is Pharisaical legalism, really, but self-help with bad p.r.?
That is probably the best, but not the only great quote one of the Thinklings examination of the failings of 21st century spirituality. Here is a bit more:
And people love this stuff. They want to be told religion is not about rules and regulations while at the same time being told each week which four steps (with helpful alliteration) they need to do in order to achieve maximum what-have-you. They want to be reassured that works don't merit salvation while at the same time convinced salvation is about trying really hard to do things that unlock the power or secret of God's such-and-such.
Christianity is aptly named because it isn't about me or you. It isn't about what we can do. It is about Jesus Christ. The Good News is not "be excellent to one another." That's Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. It isn't "don't screw up" or even "preach boldly." The Gospel is that God loved you so much that created a way that your screw ups wouldn't matter. What does he ask for this? Just that you love him back. That's it. Love him back.

Dieting to Death

Instapundit is linking to criticism of Veganism by Nina Planck. The Vegans aren't happy. Cry me a river.

I'm willing to concede that it is possible to be a healthy Vegan. But I'm also willing to assert that it isn't that easy to do without taking dietary supplements that probably defeat the whole social message behind Veganism. I've seen some leading Vegan advocates that look awful. They had very little body fat, so they looked fit but their skin looked horrible. Not because of acne horrible, but mottled and unhealthy.

Flying in a B-25

The Collings Foundation brings WWII aircraft around to airshows. The prospect of getting a ride in a B-17 or B-25 seems like a lot of fun. Depending on the cost and when these things get around to the east coast, it might be nice to buy one of these things for my dad.

Now if only they had the Mosquito.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Why I Stopped Reading Papers

When a gunman opened fire in his bank, Chris Chappell ran to his car and got his Glock. As Chappell took a position outside the bank's front door to prevent the gunman's escape, the robber transitioned to murder by killing two tellers. Chappell kept the man from leaving the scene until police arrived.

Who does USA Today give top billing to? The cops of course. To them Chappell is little more than a witness. What utter crap.

Makes you wonder what else you don't hear about, doesn't it?

Friday, May 18, 2007

The Manly Cat

I must admit that when Amy and I first got Milo, I wasn't too sure about this whole cat owner deal. My family went through three dogs growing up and I had all ways been a dog person. Cats just seemed girlie to me.

Milo has done a lot to change my mind. There is something that is just cool about cats. Mostly I think it has to do with their killer instincts. Living with a cat is like living with the sniper of the animal kingdom. Milo was great when we had crickets last year. He'd just wait outside of that little crevice they were chirping from. Then he'd pounce on them repeatedly or bite them in half. Thankfully he didn't eat them and then barf them back up.

With dogs, you play very contrived games like fetch or tug or whatever. They're like your sloppy, slobbery buddy. Despite a working relationship with humans for millenia, cats show a blessed lack of this form of domestication. Sure Milo wants his belly rubbed or some good scratchings, but all the games I play with Milo are just variants on Kill It. What is that flittering bird-like thing? Orange furball must kill it! Is that a mouse? Feline fist of death! A big bug? I will Stalk It. Closer. Closer. Yes. Yes. Now kill it!

And that literary device about catlike reflexes? Really true. I've thrown something across the room only to have Milo streak out of dark recesses of my apartment and intercept it before it hit the ground. He's like Milo Cat, the Ginger Jedi.

All in all, Milo has proven the value and coolness of his entire species to me. Especially since his automatic feeder has now gotten him through the stage where he wakes me up at 5am every morning.

Scottish Games

I know that I mentioned them months ago, but this is just a reminder that the Fair Hill Scottish Games are tomorrow. I will be there with my kilt on. Yes it is supposed to rain, but it wouldn't be Scottish if the weather was warm and sunny now would it?

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Carbon Debits

Carbon credits always seemed like poor idea to me. Recent comparisons to indulgences seem about right. You're essentially paying someone else to be extra ecologically friendly for you. Unless you're Al Gore. Then you're paying yourself to be ecologically friendly for you. I guess that is the advantage of being the EcoPope or whatever his job title is. Lord High Nutjob? Grand Gaian Poobah? Eh...

Which is what makes the Carbon Debit site funny. The only thing they missed is that after you fly to Arizona to cut down and shred a tree, you need to burn said tree in order to increase your carbon footprint even more.

Gay Marriage Across State Lines

Via Hugh Hewitt, a Massachusetts judge has ruled that the same-sex marriage of two New Yorkers is valid despite New York having a law that says it isn't. Hugh opines:
But clearly those who argued that the federal Defense of Marriage Act would stop the export of same-sex marriage were wrong, and that basis for opposing the Marriage Amendment revealed as threadbare.
I wouldn't go that far yet. As far as I can tell, this is a bad legal ruling. Not bad as in "I disagree" but bad from a point of law. The July 6, 2006 ruling by the New York Court of Appeals did not establish a marriage prohibition in the state of New York. Instead it upheld an existing same-sex marriage prohibition which would indicate all prior same-sex marriages were illegal.

To say that DOMA has proven insufficient is inaccurate since we have yet to see same-sex marriage enter a federal court where DOMA would apply. This may be the case if New York refuses to recognize the Massachusetts decision.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Classification Levels

Most people are aware of the US levels of classified information: Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret. An odd bit of trivial I discovered over lunch today is that the NATO levels are slightly different. NATO levels are generally marked the same as the US levels, but with "NATO" stuck in front of them. There is NATO Restricted, NATO Secret, etc. The only difference is that Top Secret becomes "Cosmic" Top Secret. Cosmic. That got some giggles around the lunch table.

Why Cosmic? What exactly does NATO have in those files? The current location of Galactus? Correspondence from the Vulcans or the Greys? Perhaps some NATO functionary just thought the name sounded cool after doing too much LDS in the sixties.

Gun Comedy

Clayton Cramer recounts the travails of an average guy buying lots of ammo at a local sporting goods store. His only problem is that he seems to live in the Bay Area of California.
WOMAN IN LINE (looking at the 10 boxes of ammo I'm carrying): I can't believe they let you just carry that through the store.
ME: Well, the last time I drove up to the ammo counter they told me to leave my car outside from now on.
I buy a lot of my bulk paper-punching ammo at Dick's. The prices are great and, unlike our unfortunately Bay Area resident, I hardly ever get any crap.

Like Athiests in Foxholes...

Ohio State Representative Michael DeBose (D) came to regret his vote against concealed carry reform when two armed men jumped out of a car and attempted to mug him a few feet from his home:
"I was wrong," he said Friday.

"I'm going to get a permit and so is my wife.

"I've changed my mind. You need a way to protect yourself and your family.

"I don't want to hurt anyone. But I never again want to be in the position where I'm approached by someone with a gun and I don't have one."

DeBose said he knows that a gun doesn't solve Cleveland's violence problem; it's merely a street equalizer.
Perhaps, but there is something to be said for equalizers. Even if criminals and citizens take equal losses, in most places you will run out of violent criminals long before you run out of honest men.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

An Economics Primer

Sometimes the best way to tell the truth is with humor. So it is with the Geek's latest post:
Colleague: "Hey, whats the definition of oligarchy?"

Me: "Government by the few and elite."

Colleague: "No. That's not the word I was looking for. What's the word for when the government owns everything?"

Me: "Um....that would be communism. You know, Marx, from each according to his means, to each according to his needs, workers of the world unite, the only thing you have to lose is all your stuff, er, chains, etc."

Colleague: "Oh, right. Of course." {mild laughter}

Me: "Classical Capitalism, on the other hand, the government owns nothing, except for some buildings, some ships for the navy, and a pile of cannons for the army."

Colleague: {Increased laughter}

Me: "Socialism is when the government owns only the stuff worth owning, leaving the unprofitable sectors for private ownership"

Colleague: {Yet more laughter}

Me: "And finally, we have modern capitalism, which is the inverse of my flawed description of socialism: the profitable sectors are privately owned, and the unprofitable sectors are government owned, necessitating a tax increase."

Colleague: {Full out incoherent laughter}

Jerry Falwell, Dead at 73

Falwell has gone to meet his maker. The really question is what his maker actually had to say to Jerry when he got there.

Hoons

This old Jalopnik poll has a pretty impressive list of people doing silly/stupid stunts with various vehicles including bigwheels and powerwheels. I've linked to some of them before, like the Geo Storm that didn't quite emerge from a snow bank in one piece. But they're still funny anyway.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Website Blocking

Hmm... well, I can still see youTube and Photobucket. I wonder how long that will last?

Automotive Divorce

Well we have a Big Three again. Daimler-Chrysler has split into Daimler and Chrysler. Early reports indicate that Daimler was unsatisfied with Chrysler's *ahem* inability to perform. Chrysler was sick of being routinely abused by its partner.

No word on who gets the house corporate headquarters, but it appears Daimler will keep most of the debt.

Ranger Isn't Leading the Way

I have a soft spot for the Ford Ranger. I don't need or want a full-size pickup. Midsize pickups seem to have most of the large truck's negatives, like gas mileage and crappy ride, with few of the positives, like power and hauling capacity. Which leaves me with compacts. Which leaves the Ranger because there isn't anything else.

Unfortunately, Ford hasn't updated the Ranger in forever. This is good in that the bugs are worked out and the truck is cheap. People with over 150,000 miles on their Ranger are common and lots of people have a quarter of million on them. It is bad in that they don't seem to know where to go next. Autoblog has suggestions. I agree with the main theme of their suggestions: keep the truck small.

Outside the US, Ford sells a new model Ranger. It's a larger truck with diesel engine options that might do well here in the states. But it would also steal sales from the F150 which Ford doesn't want. Autoblog's idea of an Escape derived Ranger is kind of interesting. It makes the "truck" really compact and with the hybrid engine, it might get some new customers. And it's too small for comparison to the F150 which they want.

I-95 Construction

For every living in Newark (like me) and commuting to Wilmington (thankfully not like me), the coming road work on I95 is going to be a big deal. In the short term the commute north is probably going to suck, but hopefully the long term effect will be to alleviate most of the trouble through Churchman's Marsh and the Rt. 7 interchange by Christiana Mall. Here's hoping.

Deldot has a website for the Fifth Lane Project. Unfortunately it sucks. I have a PDF brochure that has more details and was ironically made by Deldot, but unfortunately I have nowhere to host it.

Fred Thompson

I have to second Miss Anonymous: Just Run Already, Dammit!

I spent some time this weekend reading through Fred's archives over at Townhall, and I'm finding a lot to like. Compare that to Rudy or McCain. I think I loathe them more every day.

Two Beers?

From LawDog's latest and greatest:
I want to see the two beers that can give a 270 pound man a BAC of 0.27%.

Seriously. Do they come in buckets, or what? Is there a secret non-cop beer mug measured in gallons behind the bar?

Kitten or Husband?


For this woman it wasn't such an easy question...

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The Mac Beard

Tired of your make looking wimpy and fruity? Are your PCs mocking it incessantly? Get the VictorSystems Ruggedized Mac Mini.

The problem with this thing is that it's a fashion statement. Not only does the military generally use PCs, but field computers are ruggedized laptops because they're actually portable and you're in the field. They don't use a multicomponent system that has lots of pieces for GI Joe to lose and also weighs twenty pounds without the printer. And of course underneath all that armor is a commercial grade circuit board which isn't particular shock resistant in the first place.

Zombie Squad

Are you worried about shambling masses of the walking dead? Zombie Squad is here to help. Not only do they have useful targets for practicing those all important brain shots, but they have suggestions for creating a bug-out bag and other useful gear for the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse.

For some reason they also have information to help people get through tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Yeah, like those are going to happen in this modern age.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Hate Crimes

Anna Venger is discussing hate crimes and protected classes of citizens:
So why is it more wrong to hurt certain classes of people than others? Isn’t it just wrong to hurt people? Period?

Obviously, some groups of people are more favored than others in the eyes of certain members of Congress. For example, some Republicans had tried to include additional classes of citizens—children, members of the military, the elderly, the homeless—but their attempts were shot down. So sexual identity gets a pass, but children and the elderly don’t. I guess all people are equal, but some are more equal than others.
I'm not a big fan of hate crime law. I fail to see why killing a man for being gay is worse than killing a man for, say, wearing a colored T-shirt in the wrong gang's neighborhood. Or for having the wrong skin color. Why should some people be more equal in the eyes of the law than others?

I have a bigger problem with it because judging hate crimes is almost always a matter of judging intent of the perpetrator. I think courts can do a great job at judging a person's actions. "Your Honor, the forensic findings show that it was Colonel Mustard in the Conservatory with the Candlestick." I can handle that. But judging what is going on inside someone's head is something else. I don't trust courts to read minds.

And that isn't even touching on "hate speech" which has magically turned citizens free expression rights on their heads.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Official Directives

As an employee of the US Army, I have been given strict instruction not to comment on stories like this one. Frankly I'm really surprised that the EOD officer was even allowed to talk to the press like that, even blogger press like Pajamas Media.

Holding a Pistol

Thanks to Tamara for linking to this Google TV clip of competitive shooter Todd Jarrett teaching handgun technique. He specifically focuses on grip which really is the place to start. I have to admit that this isn't how I hold a handgun, but since I don't have a beavertail 1911 that might not be a bad thing.

Movie Reviews

Hube has a review of Spiderman 3 at Colossus. Be forewarned, he gives spoilers. Amybear and I rented a couple of movies for the first time in a while, here were our perceptions.

Marie Antoinette

Kirsten Dunst is cute, but frankly the movie is boring and neither of us really liked it. Marie is shown as the ultimate spoiled rich girl who is ignorant of just how spoiled she really is. For most of her early years she is lonely even with the eyes of the entire nation upon her. Finally that nation just falls apart. Initially I had some sympathy for her, but it faded as the movie ground along and was replaced with a desire to do something more fun in another room. Like read an encyclopedia article on Marie Antoinette.

Flyboys

This is a film about the pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, Americans who flew for France prior to the US entering the First World War. While most the main characters are based on historic figures, the film generally has the historical accuracy of Snoopy and the Red Baron. The uneven historical accuracy of the movie generally reflects the unevenness of the film as a whole.

The aerial dogfight scenes were quite enjoyable, if not exactly accurate. Lots of pilots don't make it home which is good. Unfortunately everything else was forgettable or poorly constructed. Why did James Franco's character need a romantic interest? Why did everyone who survived the movie live through the war? Some of the characterizations were good and the fight scenes were enjoyable, but they should have just stuck to making a war movie. Don't try to make Flyboys a war movie and a romance and something else. It winds up being both too much of too little.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Delaware Wind Farming

The Volokh Conspiracy is covering effort to construct a large windfarm off the Delaware coast near Bethany or Rehoboth:
As the Delaware shore is where many Beltway-types spend their weekends during the summer, this could be a real test of Washington's willingness to promote — or even allow — alternative energy sources.
Honestly I think efforts to get this off the ground will involve not only politicos in Washington but also our own politicians in Dover. I have to wonder what kind of problems the Delaware Coastal Zone Act is going cause. It was already used to scuttle New Jersey's plan for Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) pier in the Delaware River. Would a windfarm be considered Heavy Industry and if so wouldn't it be prohibited under the terms of the Coastal Zone Act?

Not that particularly like the Coastal Zone Act. The current wording of the Act essentially prohibit any redevelopment along the Delaware waterfront for industrial use. I don't consider this a good thing. We're killing off coastal industry through unreplaced attrition. Reforming the law to allow new industry to occupy old sites is a good idea.

Cross posted on the DCBA Blog.

Splitting Time

For the next couple of weeks I'll be guest blogging here and on John the Methodist's Locusts and Honey blog while he is away on training. Any suggestions on how I can make those heathens see the true light of Christ are certainly welcome.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Young Life Fundraisers

Town Hall blogger Mary Katherine Ham will be biking 100 miles this week to raise money for Young Life.
I will be putting my butt on a bicycle seat every day this week in order to ride 100 miles, so that you guys will consider my feat of exercise worthy enough to toss me a few bucks.

Why? Because I'm a Young Life leader with a bunch of high-school girls who would LOVE to go to Young Life camp this summer at Lake Champion for a week. But they're gonna need some money
Her post gives details on both her Young Life ministry (along with guilt arousing pictures) and how give her support.

LOL Trek

The reference to the Trouble with Tribbles DS9 episode really did it for me. Via Tam.

Not Exactly Scripture

But Terreal Bierria's statement is probably more biblical than "God helps those who help themselves" or many other forms of pseudo-scripture.

When I was in college we had a shorthand for such sayings, we called them quotations from 1st Hesitations.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Mental Illness

Bernard Harcourt is examining the relationship between institutionalizing the mentally ill and the overall homicide rate over at the Volokh Conspiracy. His first post contains a pretty amazing graph demonstrating correlation between the two. The second builds on the first.

It has also come to my attention that some states do not tie their mental health records into their firearms background check systems, nor do they support the FBI's attempts to do the same with the Federal system. I realize that they do this out of concern for the privacy of others. But that doesn't make it a good idea. If someone has been adjudicated to be a danger to themselves and others, then the public has a right to know. The public is "and others." I don't want crazy people or convicted criminals to have legal access to weaponry.

Wow me supporting a gun control measure, who'd have thunk it?

The Last Stand

Fun stuff found via John the Methodist. Shoot zombies, fortify your position, find survivors, shoot more zombies! Wonderful, but a bit short and easy.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

A Page 18 Story

Former Tennessee Senator Bill Frist has been exonerated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York. Neither are filing charges against him for his sale of HCA, Inc. stock. Accusations against Frist were front page news. His exoneration? It doesn't even make the back page of the New York Times.

I have to wonder what is happening with Curt Weldon. Weldon lost his congressional race in Pennsylvania largely due to lobbying scandals involving family members. I haven't heard much about him since, except that he has paid out over $100k in legal fees on his defense. My parents were in his district and we were hesitant to vote against Weldon. He had an excellent record working for the district and we were all pretty sure the charges against him would disappear once they were no longer politically expedient.

Darth Vader's Car

Leave it to German manufacturer Maybach to make a car for the truly evil, the Excelero.