Massachusetts Almost Ends Income Tax
A soup a day keeps the chilis away.
From brad:
The Foundation of Company Policy
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, and then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not?
Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here. And that, my friends, is how company policy begins.
Greg Swann - Where there's smoke, there's firepower - a short story, dramatizing the absurdity of the behavior of the smoking nazis. [smith2004]
Corey Dade at The Boston Globe - Repeal barely beaten back - 47% of Massachusetts voters chose to eliminate their state income tax (with 89% of precincts reporting). The tax remains, but this must have given some of the socialists conniptions.
Steve Young at The Argus Leader - Juries will not rule on merits of laws - The South Dakota constitution will not be changed to allow criminal defendents to argue the merit of the law. Only 23% of the voters chose to ratify this amendment. Sad. Very sad. Note that juries still retain the right to acquit because the law is bad How jurors decide to vote on the verdict is nobody's business, but few jurors know this, and most judges nowadays will lie to them and say they don't.
Steve Young at The Argus Leader - Voters say "no" to measure legalizing hemp - only 38% of South Dakota voters chose to legalize industrial hemp, marijuana's non-psychactive cousin.
Ed Vogel at The Las Vegas Review-Journal - State voters reject legalizing marijuana - Only 39% of Nevada voters chose to remove the ban on smoking a nearly harmless vegetable.
Jeff Johnson at CNS News - FBI Agents 'Miffed' that Gun Owner Contacted Media - one Maryland resident's experience with the local dickheads. [geneice]
Brown's apprehension prompted him to contact an attorney, who instructed him on preparing for the visit. So, when FBI Special Agent Greg Metzger and his partner arrived at Brown's home for their scheduled meeting, they were greeted by Brown and his wife, Mary, along with reporters and photographers from various media outlets.
As Brown described the situation, the agents were "a little bit miffed."
"They were not happy," he observed. "They just were not interested in being around any cameras."
Liz Michael - The Real Lesson of the DC Sniper - Muhammad wanted to get caught. He wanted to show other U.S. Islamists what to do.
I believe the DC Sniper killings were one of those harbingers, and it is a lesson we ignore at our own peril. A lesson that our children are not really safe after all. A lesson that we cannot unilaterally disarm ourselves and think others will respect that. A lesson that the police and the FBI cannot, after all, protect us. A lesson that not everyone loves America, not even many born here. And a lesson that we need to be ever vigilant against potential enemies, not only enemies from half a world away, but enemies which may be in our own midst. Helter Skelter can be brought to our door at any time.
Tanya Andghuladze and Yuri Maltsev at LewRockwell.com - The Forgotten Nation - Some history of Chechnya's oppression by imperialist Russia. [lew]
In Moscow 750 people were held hostage on October 23 though 26. Nearly 50 hostage- takers under the command of Basaev demanded the end of Russian genocide in Chechnya. The Russian government was given three days to comply with this demand, but never gave it serious consideration. Instead it spent these days planning the attack that was conducted in the early morning of 26th of October. A poisonous gas was used to incapacitate the hostage-takers inside the building. The military entered and killed almost all terrorists. The gas incapacitated hostages as well and killed 118 of them [unofficial sources say the real figure is more than 200].
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During the takeover, the hostages were allowed to talk to the media. One woman called Echo Moskvy (a well-known radio station) was talking at the moment when the attack started. She said they could feel the gas in the building and they were trying to protect themselves by holding wet cloths at the mouth. But so could the terrorists. Women hostages speaking in Moscow Hospital Number 13 to RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir correspondent asserted that the terrorists knew about the gas, could smell it, and did nothing to blow everything up even though there was plenty of time. The Russian government also fabricated the information that the terrorists started shooting the hostages earlier than promised if their demands were not met. Officials kept saying that terrorists were shooting people and they had to go in.
The doctors and hostages are forbidden to talk to the Russian press and say what everyone suspects: this was another action of the Russian state against its own people in pursuit of political interests.
Stephen Gibbs at The Sydney Morning Herald -
Handguns to be banned, buyback likely 
- Idiots! Australia, say
hello to a big black market in handguns. This is what happens when you
allow the Brady Bunch to convince the sheeple that the only valid uses
of firearms are sporting and hunting. Not! We have the right to keep
and bear arms for three major reasons, in order of importance: 1)
protection from tyranny by our own government, 2) protection from
invasion, 3) self-defense. We get sporting and hunting for free, but
the second amendment has nothing to do with them. [kaba]
Most semi-automatic handguns and all large-calibre revolvers will be banned from all but military, law enforcement and security purposes.Feedback on this article is here
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A list of handguns to be banned is yet to be formalised but it would be likely to include semi-automatics in calibres of 9mm, .40 and .45, and revolvers chambered for .44 and .357 rounds.
, mostly aggreeing with the new ban, with a couple of notable
exceptions:
Gun Control is not Crime Control!I am insulted to think that the Prime Minister, would be inclined to limit my access to any type of Firearms, especially handguns, for my chosen SportHobbyRecreation.Let me explain my background...I am a qualified Electrical Engineer, with status of Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. I deal most days with High Voltage Electricity, but I have never had the urge to electrocute anybody!I own several Farms and have used gelignite, mixed with Fertilizer and Diesel, to blow out tree stumps, but have never even thought of using that mixture to blow up a nightclub!I have a collection of matches and lighters, to start my BBQ and occasionally light my pipe, but have never felt the urge to set fire to a Back Packer's Hostel.I design and make knives, having studied under one of Japan's renowned Custom Knife Makers, and carry a multipurpose knife set every working day, yet never once have I been tempted to stab a Policeman (or anybody, for that matter)! I also have a collection of Championship Racing Axes (my late Father's), as well as numerous chainsaws, yet have never felt the urge to settle an argument with one.I have held a Private Pilots Licence since mid 1970s and for 10 years owned a light aircraft, which I used for business and pleasure, to fly to most parts of mainland Australia (excluding W.A.). Yet, with such a powerful force at my disposal, I never even considered flying into an office tower full of people!I drive a high powered 4-wheel drive motor vehicle, but have never had the desire to use it to run down and kill people, nor to try and steal an ATM, nor even to drive in an unsafe or dangerous manner!So, please explain to me exactly what the Prime Minister hopes to achieve, by carrying out by limiting my choice of type, number or calibre, of handgun I may own?Does he really think it will have any affect on criminal activity? (History proves that it won't) Does he really believe that I might suddenly commit some gruesome crime? If the P.M. is successful in limiting my access to a Handgun, won't he be concerned about the other lethal weapons at my disposal?Would the P.M., or any other anti-gun nut, kindly nominate, in view of my above stated easy access to many other Dangerous items, exactly which ones they believe I might choose to use, so that I may alert my Family, Friends, Staff and Business Associates, that I am under suspicion, by the Prime Minister and Minister of Police, as a Potential Murderer.DON'T LIMIT HANDGUN OWNERSHIP.Regards,P. Whelan
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The ease with which Australians are willing to give up every hard won freedom (gained with weapons including firearms) is actually frightening.It's as if much of the population wants to be owned by the lords and masters who would protect them from all evil within the castle walls.They seem to really want to be the chattel of those demogogs who wouldbe King.John Howard is a leader all right. He is leading us to hell.
James Armstrong
