Stupid Psychopathic Git
"Americans have different ways of saying things. They say 'elevator', we say 'lift'...they say 'President', we say 'stupid psychopathic git'...." -- Alexi Sayleand:
"When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained." -- Edward R. Murrowand:
"Happiness is an imaginary condition, formerly attributed by the living to the dead, now usually attributed by adults to children, and by children to adults." -- Thomas Szasz
Bob Wallace at LewRockwell.com - The Irresponsibility of Nerf World - some examples from Mr. Wallace's life of things kids used to play and learn at that they're no longer allowed to do. The world's not safer, just dumber. [lew]
Charley Reese - Homeland Schmomeland - some thoughts on the new bureaurocracy. [lew]
The new Department of Homeland Security will merge 22 federal agencies and 170,000 federal employees into one monstrous bureaucracy. It will not make America safer.
After all, the key agencies most directly involved in fighting terrorism are excluded. They are the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Defense Department, not to mention the National Security Agency. So, if the most important intelligence agencies are left as separate agencies, what do they hope to accomplish by consolidating less-important agencies?
Carol Norris at CounterPunch - 4th Amendment R.I.P - a eulogy for the right to be secure in our persons, houses, papers, and effects. [lew]
The 4th Amendment will be sorely missed.
It is survived by 26 sibling amendments. The besieged 1st, 6th, and 14th amendments are also fighting for their lives. And the 2nd continues to be held hostage by special interests.
The surviving amendments ask that in lieu of flowers, you send your congressperson(s) your heartfelt sentiments.
David Cole at CounterPunch Secret Court Takes the Fourth - more on the murder of the fourth amendment. [market]
The Fourth Amendment requires probable cause of a crime before a phone can be tapped or a home searched. On Monday, a special federal appellate court, meeting for the first time in its 24-year history, ruled that the government may conduct secret wiretaps and secret searches of U.S. citizens without probable cause of criminal activity.
Jeff Cooper's Commentaries - December 2002: Thanksgiving - lots to be thankful for, C Stories text complete and awaiting illustrations, "The Steyr Scout was like cheating", 1911 slide considered too difficult for some couch potatoes, slave mentality amongst the ragheads, don't dignify a dim-witted murderer by calling him a "sniper", the wheel gun niche, bench rest considered an obstacle to good shooting, the increasing rarity of Outdoorsmen, "A creep is a creep is a creep, regardless if whether he is old enough to buy a package of cigarettes", "The Moslems' idea of peace is the extinction of Christianity", the practicallity of sighted fire, precision assassination from on high, "The tidal wave of firearms ignorance sweeps along", defense can never win, almost no result from the sociology questionnaire, Principles of Personal Defense = "ALERT, DECISIVE, AGGRESSIVE, COLD", why people write books, NRA analysis of the election just past.
Henry the VIII, quite reasonably, sought to encourage skill-at-arms among his subjects. At one point he decreed that both bows and arrows must be sold to young men between 14 and 18 at half price. Now there is an aspect of gun control that had not occurred to me. Let's tell Schumer about it.
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The 108th Congress begins with the following NRA ratings: 230 A's, twenty-one B's, thirteen C's, twenty-two D's, and a 141 F's.
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Our political position is far from perfect, but it could be much worse. The cause of personal liberty in the United States may not be completely safe, but it is strongly in the lead, for which we may be honestly thankful on this occasion of Thanksgiving.
Eric Goldscheider at The Boston Globe - FBI focus on Iraqi professor sparks a protest at UMass - a former Iraqi, now a U.S. citizen, was questioned by the FBI because of his purported "anti-American views". He's an artist who does traditional Islamic calligraphy. He came to America to get away from this kind of thing in Iraq. [market]
Lauren Weinstein at Wired - Is Microsoft Truly 'Trustworthy'? - Microsoft is making noises about forcing people to install security upgrades. Be afraid. Better yet, switch to Linux. [leor]
