Sound Familiar

Thomas Sowell's article on Building,Development and Selfishness

All sorts of lofty talk about "open space" or "saving the green foothills" is used to disguise the plain fact that those who already have theirs want to keep other people out, especially other people not as upscale as themselves.

Easily one of the most inane articles I have ever read

And so I'll subject you to it also.

And Jimmy Carter didn't need any help contributing to his political undoing.

When will people realize that the thing about Smoking Guns...

Is that they require dead bodies?

Here is a perfect illustration of my point.

If you are going to use the innane and stupid analogy of foreign affairs as a criminal court, at least remember that detectives look for more than smoking guns. they look for motive and opportunity.

For motive, look to their rhetoric against Israel, the time they spent with first madman Saddam Hussein, and now a Shiite dominated Iraq on their border.

(side note: We need to dispel the idea that because Iraq will be dominated by shia it is a natural ally of Iran. Not true. This is not the way revolutionary totalitarian states work. Iran will not abide even the possibility of a pretender to the throne of Shiite Islamic Revolution. This is why the Soviet Union had an almost 30 year border conflict with Beijing. The Soviet Leaders' and Mao could not stand the idea of the other being the Prettiest Comrade at the Ball.)

You can also look towards the defeat their ally Syria took in being forced to back out of Lebanon.

Not to mention the fact they are a huge oil producer in a region of oil producers. Could they use uranium for nuclear power. Yes. But they don't NEED nuclear power. It's like a vegan telling you he's carrying a gun because he's going hunting.

So yeah... If you spot a guy walking down the street dripping with blood and wielding a cleaver, is it possible he's a butcher? Yes.

If he's doing it while shouting, "Death to Israel, Death to the Great Satan?"

Something about that probably isn't kosher...

I've got an idea

Instead of Bickering over this:

Swear on a copy of this.

This is the historical document which forms the basis of the laws in our country. Its a document our government, armed forces, and brand new citizens all swear to protect. I can never quite understand why no one else finds that as telling and important as I do. While the discussion about to what extent Christianity forms a part of our culture is an interesting and relevant one, it needn't become involved in discussion of the law. Our Constitution arises out of thousands of years of western culture, influenced by judeo-christianity, Greek, Roman, Celtic and Germanic influences. But relying on the bible for our legal decisions is like using the original DOS instead of Linux. One is old,unclarified, and comes with no technical support, while the other one is entirely customized for our system.

So why don't we go with the set of laws given to us by These Guys.

Which doesn't mean we can't still respect This Guy. It just means we have something a little newer, and especially made just for us.

Mom said there'd be days like this...

What she didn't say was that essentially every day is like this, until the sweet release of my merciful demise.

So after doing my rounds, (total news gathered: Nada) i stop by Mcdonalds in an effort to sample their new chicken sandwiches, largely because the voices in my head (or at least office) told me too. So after waiting in line to place my order. I am informed by the Minimum wage powers that be that it is BREAKFAST time (In a voice informing me, that, I, THE VOICE OF JOURNALISM IN GREATER RABUN COUNTY, am a huge dumbass) which reminded me that while I have already been hard at work for 4.5 hours, everyone else was sleeping (lazy peons). So I can't have a chicken sandwich. So I order a breakfast burrito meal. ( i don't really want the meal, and am kind of turned off by the whole idea of fast food at this point, but I would feel stupid NOT ordering something, So i spend about 4 dollars to NOT feel stupid... Not money well spent as it turns out.)

I get a diet coke, and put it in the DRINK HOLDER (Irony to follow) and turn out, where I am promptly cut off by some whack job. Before I can even unleash a few choice words you can most certainly NOT say on the radio, the diet coke sails out of the poorly titled beverage retaining device, on to the floor, where it proceeds to dumps what seemed like 1200 fluid ounces of nutrisweet laden watered down soda onto the SKY Rider carpet.

A roll of Bounty later, I sit at my desk, failing to enjoy my consumption of what probably amounts to the calories delievered to famine starved africa by US military C-130s. And not enjoying a morsel of it..

Well, maybe the hash browns.

Better not get beat

I've gotta call the Attorney AND Main Street Station, to find out if they've made a decision yet regarding the Agreement with Clayton City Council. The paper comes out tommorrow, and if someone gives it to the paper, before I have it, I will have to commit Seppuku, because this is MY story.

Juvenile Justice...

As most around here know, the city of Clayton is in a twist after a public hearing where the city discussed revoking or suspending a local business' alcohol license, because of allegedly serving alcohol to a minor. The parents of the children in question brought the matter to police, who in turn brought the matter to the city, for the civil process which is necessary to take an action against a businesses license. I'll have more comments on that process when I've finished reporting on it.

But because of this event, councilman Mike Smith brought up the C-word at a city council meeting... That word? Curfew.

Now I am truly and violently opposed to any curfew. Curfew laws presuppose guilt based on age, and are a despicable violation of the right to assemble. Children traveling to or from extracurriculars, or even to the corner shop to buy milk for their mother are made violators, and treated like drug dealers and gang-bangers.

If I was still below the age of consent, I would make it my business to stand on the street after curfew every day, assembling with my peers in a political discussion. I would than sue the city or county into the stone age, if they infringed on my right to engage in a political assembly. The headline would read, "Councilman's wages garnished by Middle Schooler." Now I know that children do not have the same rights as adults, and with reason. I believe however that those rights which are not possessed by a child are held in trust by their parent. It should be up to the parent to determine when their child may or may not be on the streets, and for what purposes.

The answer to preventing children from taking up a life of crime is not to treat them like criminals. This is becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead the goal should be to empower children to act like adults, and understand rights and responsibilities. Something like this:

Jury of your Peers