Scion
A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie. -- Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
# Angel blessings to you and yours: [tom]
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# Internal Revenue Service = Organized Crime is a second episode in the Liberty Round Table's Google-Bombing the War on Freedom project. It equates the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with organized crime, which, frankly, is an insult to the mob.
# Fred Reed at LewRockwell.com - Anybody Seen America? - Fred didn't leave America. It left him. [kaba]
In the country where I grew up, if you found a naked intruder in your daughter's bedroom with a Bowie knife and a hard-on, you shot him and arranged to have the rugs cleaned. The sheriff wasn't greatly interested and the country prosecutor didn't see anything to prosecute. The scum floating on the gene pool wasn't a protected species. It wasn't the driving engine of the culture. It was just scum.
Today you would be charged with the use of excessive force. The cadaver's family would sue. They would end up with your house unless they just ran you broke with legal bills. The outcome would depend on the racial make-up of you, the intruder, and the jury. Your daughter would be married with grandchildren before the courts reached any conclusion.
...
In the country I grew up in, you got on an airplane by walking up these funny little steps with wheels on them. Then you sat down. That's all you did. I know, I know: You don't believe this. It's true. You just walked on. Further, the stewardesses were not merely civil but -- so help me -- friendly. Flying was actually enjoyable. The seats were big enough that you didn't sit with your knees beside your ears and your feet in your pockets.
Now, getting aboard is like going into max security at some ghastly penitentiary. I once flew a bit around the old Soviet Union, as distinct from the new one, on a junket. Security was less oppressive, though the food was marginally worse unless you liked green chicken. The service was just as sullen.
# Information Clearing House - U.S. Charged With War Crimes - the evidence file for a war crimes case in Brussels against General Franks. Unfortunately, I doubt that we'll see justice in our lifetimes. [stanleyscoop]
In defiance of the people's will, the Bush administration violated international law by attacking Iraq without the permission of the Security Council and refusing to respect the ban on the use of force included in the UN Charter. In the field, U.S. troops also committed many war crimes, as attested by many sources.
The plaintiffs demand an independent inquiry to identify those responsible for the war crimes of which they were victims. They are also asking for those guilty to be brought to justice.
The complaint was filed in Brussels on the basis of the Belgian law on "universal jurisdiction" as amended on May 7, 2003. The law, as amended, gives the Belgian government the option of filing a case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) or forwarding it to the country of origin of the accused.
The United States, however, has not ratified the Statutes of the ICC, thus rendering a transfer to this court impossible. As for referring the case to the courts of the country of origin, the law demands that the latter afford guarantees of impartiality. That is not the case with American lawcourts for the moment for a number of reasons...
# R. Lee Wrights at Liberty for All - The Sanity of Self-Defense - nobody can defend you but you. Realizing this stark reality does not make you a gun nut. It just proves that you're sane. Anyone who would prevent you from owning and carrying whatever self-defense tools you decide you need is stupid, insane, or evil. [stanleyscoop]
Now, while I was busy learning life's lessons the hard way about everything from facing down bullies intent on relieving me of my milk money to dealing with thugs that were determined to do me harm, my father was teaching me something else. Dad was tutoring me in the means by which I could protect myself. He taught me the importance of the ability to meet force with force while avoiding force whenever humanly possible. He taught me to use my wits instead of weapons when it was appropriate, but made sure I knew how to use a weapon when left with no other alternative. Dad also taught me that an unmolested firearm, even fully loaded, is harmless. Ah, there's the rub.
It is this simple fact that trumpets the safety of firearms. Guns do not kill people! They are not animate with the ability to remove themselves from their hiding places and discharging without external manipulation. The truth is people kill people. Sometimes they use guns; sometimes they use blades; sometimes they use baseball bats; and sometimes they use their hands. The fact remains that more gun legislation, leading to stricter gun registration, does not and will not stop the killing. People were killing each other long before the first black-powder device was invented (remember, Cain killed Abel with a rock); and, they will continue to kill each other even if you were able to remove every firearm from the face of the planet. It is insane to disarm ourselves only to be left at the mercy of criminals who are no more troubled by the State's new laws than they were with the old ones
# Scion is a new automobile brand from Toyota. The "xA", a five-door compact, and the "xB", a minivan similar to the Honda Element, are available now in California, this month in the east and south, and June for the rest of the country. The "tC", a two-door sports coupe, will be available in June. Very nicely done Flash site. I wouldn't buy any of these since I like a four-door sedan, but it's neat marketing: no haggling, customization encouraged. [madogre]
