Have You Decided Yet Whom to Vote Against?
"Don't become a novelist; be a statistician, much more scope for the imagination." -- Mel Calman
Mike Luckovich at Marc Brands Liberty - Blow Against Terrorists - cartoon commentary on the real effect of Bushnev's war. Hehe. [smith2004]
# The Onion - Poll: Many Americans Still Unsure Whom to Vote Against - The Onion does it again. Hehe. I intend to vote for Michael Badnarik, if I vote at all.
According to Gallup Poll results released Monday, 6 percent of Americans are still undecided about whether to vote against President Bush or Democratic challenger John Kerry in November's presidential election.
"At first, I was really leaning toward voting against Kerry, because the way he tried to hide his ambivalence about his military service made him seem like a political operator," poll participant and Trenton, NJ resident Amber Barthelme said. "But then, the Bush Administration's mishandling of the Iraqi prisoner-abuse scandal got me thinking that there's a lot to not like about the current administration. It's almost impossible to decide which side I don't want to be on."
According to the poll, 46 percent of the registered voters surveyed would vote against Bush if the election were held tomorrow, while 45 percent said they were ready to vote against Kerry. Factoring in the 2 percent margin of error, the two candidates are essentially deadlocked in the race to determine which candidate America doesn't support.
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Added Barr: "We have to remember how close the 2000 election was, when we voted against Gore. Actually, to be fair, when I voted against Gore, I was voting against Clinton."
# Ron Paul at AntiWar.com - Fresh Failures in Iraq - Dr. Paul reminds America to remember its roots and avoid entangling alliances. [grabbe]
It's time we reconsider the advice of the founding fathers and the guidelines of the Constitution, which counsel a foreign policy of non-intervention and strategic independence. Setting a good example is a far better way to spread American ideals than through force of arms. Trading with nations, without interference by international government regulators, is far better than sanctions and tariffs that too often plant the seeds of war.
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Instead of the incessant chant about us forcing democracy on others, why not read our history and see how thirteen nations joined together to form a loose-knit republic with emphasis on local self-government. Part of the problem with our effort to re-order Iraq is that the best solution is something we have essentially rejected here in the United States. It would make a lot more sense to concentrate on rebuilding our Republic, emphasizing the principles of private property, free markets, trade, and personal liberty here at home rather then pursuing war abroad. If this were done, we would not be a militaristic state spending ourselves into bankruptcy, and government benefits to the untold thousands of corporations and special interests would be denied.
# The Second Horseman of the Confederacy - Presidential Politics: Reagan and the Rest... - advises Michael Badnarik to be a straight-shooter salesman, like Reagan, not a wheeler-dealer, like Clinton. Good advice. [smith2004]
# Teresa Hampton & Doug Thompson at Capitol Hill Blue - Where Big Brother Snoops on Americans 24/7 - Total Information Awareness (TIA) is alive and well and living at 3701 Fairfax Drive in Arlington, Virginia. Funded through a "black-bag" account. [claire]
# U.S. Senate - S. 2498, "To provide for a 10-year extension of the assault weapons ban," was submitted by Dianne Feinstein last Friday. A last ditch effort to preserve the ban on certain ugly semi-automatic rifles and newly-manufactured regular-capacity magazines. The text wasn't available when I reported on it earlier. Today, it is (at the link). Copied in its entirety below. It was snuck onto the Senate calendar through a rule that allows this because it is substantially similar to a bill that was already approved. It will likely be added to some unrelated legislation, in the dark of night. Communist swine!
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2004'.
SEC. 2. 10-YEAR EXTENSION OF ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN.
Section 110105 of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act (18 U.S.C. 921 note) is amended to read as follows:
`SEC. 110105. SUNSET PROVISION.
`This subtitle and the amendments made by this subtitle are repealed September 13, 2014.'.
# John Dodd at Japan.com - The Techno Maestro's Amazing Machine: Kohei Minato and the Japan Magnetic Fan Company - a new electric motor that runs on 20% of the power of existing motors. Far out! [smith2004]
# P.A. Luty - The Home Gunsmith - an in-depth advertisement for Mr. Luty's book, Expedient Homemade Firearms, available for purchase from Paladin Press for $20 or at iKobo for $40. The book details construction of a 9mm submachine gun. I've linked to this site before, but there's now a new 12g Pistol page, linking to a PDF file (509K) with full instructions for building a single-shot twelve gauge pistol. A lathe is required for machining the breech block, and the lathe will also be useful, though not strictly necessary, for drilling some of the holes, but it's made out of readily available materials. [smith2004]
