Magnifisyncopathological

Via Instapundit, a link to a Weekly Standard article pouring over an interesting detail regarding the current status of Saddam's mortal coil. From "Meet The Press":

RUSSERT: Mr. Ambassador, is Saddam Hussein dead or alive?

AL-DOURI: We start with that. I am here. I am in New York. I think that he is alive, of course, because we saw him several times on the TV.

RUSSERT: But on the TV, it could be edited or outdated footage. Why doesn't he appear holding a daily newspaper so people know for certain he is alive?

AL-DOURI: You know, anyway I think he is alive, but the question is not there because Iraq is Iraq and Saddam Hussein is the president of Iraq. Now we have to talk about the war against Iraq, against the people of Iraq, not against one person.

RUSSERT: But were Saddam Hussein or his sons injured?

AL-DOURI: I told you it is not a question of one person or two persons. . . .

The idea is based upon the assumption that the print media in the country is independent of Saddam and his government and can print their papers without interference. This is clearly not the case as many of Saddam's closest family and advisors run and control the media in the country, including the most popular newspaper.

Why is this important? Well, since we're talking about state-run media organs under the leadership of one of the world's worst tyrannical families and political systems, reporting the truth and attempting objectivity and maintaining journalistic standards are probably far down their list of priorities. They can print whatever they want, no matter how seperated from reality their stories are. This means they essentially know in advance what the frontpage of the newspapers will look like. It's up to them and however much pressure they wish to exert on the publishers.

So, I wouldn't automatically trust any video with Saddam holding up a "new" Iraqi newspaper and pointing out the headlines as definitive proof he's alive and kicking. Unless the video (or still, I guess) contained a recognizable AP/Reuters/etc. photo of recent date on the newspaper and it wasn't photoshopped in, of course. Given the quality I've seen of Iraqi TV, I doubt it would be easy to verify such a photo.

Posted by drizzten at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Affirmative:

adj.
1. Asserting that something is true or correct, as with the answer "yes"
2. Giving assent or approval; confirming
3. Positive; optimistic
4. Of, relating to, or being a proposition in which the predicate affirms something about the subject

n.
1. A word or statement of agreement or assent, such as the word yes.
2. The side in a debate that upholds the proposition

Action:

n.
1. The state or process of acting or doing
2. Something done or accomplished; a deed
3. Organized activity to accomplish an objective

It's amazing how the creative useage of language can cover things up. What is affirmative action, in the political sense? Does it have anything to do with the act of asserting a correct statement or any of the direct definitions above? No, it doesn't, not in a lexiconological sense.

In reality, it means legally supported arbitrary discrimination. In the twisted sense it means today, we use the power of government to interfere with the public/government job and education markets, with an emphasis these days on education and how students are accepted to public universities and colleges. We do this in order to atone for, make up for, and redress past wrongs, typically slavery and institutional racial discrimination. And to "rebalance" in a sense the system so more people in the Wronged Class can go to a place of higher education. Additionally, we do this in order to give the Disavantaged a better chance scholastically by making it easier to enter higher education.

But why were those wrongs "wrong" in the first place? Assuming we stick with the public/government sphere here (where most of these laws impact), the government decided it was wrong to discriminate people on the basis of their race. In brief, the disgusting arbitrariness of the choice to deny blacks from entering certain schools funded by taxpayer money. It is wrong to judge someone simply on the basis of their skin color and absolutely wrong to actively prevent them from furthering their self-interest.

So...why do we support affirmative action? On it's face, it is a system which actively discriminates against others based on their race. If the goal is to stop discrimination, why replace a previous discriminatory policy with another? Why should a black person get preferential treatment over other people of different races? And why should other applicants suffer in order to redress past wrongs?

I deeply hope the Supreme Court ignores all the politics and the bitching on both sides and simply sticks to this fundamental question: If it was wrong in the past, why is it right today?

Posted by drizzten at 04:56 PM | Permalink

I don't smoke myself. I quit back in October of 2000. I don't mind it when my friends smoke. But Christ, it gets old when we have to go out of our way to get cigarettes for them.

Posted by drizzten at 01:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Either that or he is deliberately lying

M de Villepin derided American hawks for believing that "democracy can be imposed from the outside" and that "international legal tools become constraints more than safeguards of international security".

Hawk: International legal tools are constraints.
Villepin: No they aren't. They are safeguards of international security.
Hawk: How is that?
Villepin: Well, international legal tools allow us to prohibit, outlaw, and focus attention on international issues which threaten security.
Hawk: Outlaw? As in, if someone does something against international law, they are arrested or punished for their actions?
Villepin: That sounds about right. For example, international law clearly describes what the United States is doing in Iraq as illegal. Therefore, the international community would be justified in punishing the United States Government for the invasion of Iraq. Hopefully, such repercussions would deter other countries from engaging in pre-emptive war in the future.
Hawk: But you just said that international legal tools shouldn't be viewed as constraints.
Villepin: Yes, I believe I did. Your point?
Hawk: My point is that what you described is a constraint. International legal tools, as you describe them, would place prohibitions and penalties on nations. By definition, those are constraints.
Villepin: No, you seem to have missed my point.
Hawk: Go on.
Villepin: International law exists in order to secure peace and prosperity. It allows societies to flourish and civilizations to grow, for they would be able to do so without the worry of external threat. Such conditions are not constraints.
Hawk: No, not those conditions. You miss my perspective, which is that from a nation whose activities you wish to prohibit and penalize. You would have a legal yoke placed on my country, assuming the responsibility of some duties and decisions. Moreover, if we were to make those decisions and assume the responsibility for our duties as we wish, your law would penalize us and threaten us with diplomatic, economic, and social sanction. If such a situation does not adequately describe a constraint, then I do not know what does.
Villepin: Now hold on. You can't demand total sovereignty for your nation. You don't exist in a vacuum. A nation's actions affect other nations and not always in a good or benign way. Some actions, such as war and aggression, the deployment of land mines, exessive greehouse gas emission, and so on have external consequences and therefore those kinds of actions should be illegal and punishable.
Hawk: That isn't what we are argueing. You said it is wrong to believe international law is a constraint. I have shown that it is. Either you didn't mean what you said, or you're just engaging in typical political overstatement in order to sound righteous to your constituencies.
Villepin: Thank you. No more questions.

Posted by drizzten at 11:41 PM | Permalink

Senator Jeff Wentworth wants to punish you for driving with your headlights off...but only if you're using your windshield wipers due to bad weather.

Currently, Texas law requires the use of automobile headlights at night, or when visibility is less than 1,000 feet. There is no requirement to use headlights in inclement weather that could obstruct a driver's field of vision. Texas law also requires that a motor vehicle be equipped with windshield wipers. As proposed, S.B. 204 requires the use of headlights when the operator of a motor vehicle is using the vehicle's windshield wipers and prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle when weather conditions cause obtructions on a window that materially impede the operator's clear view.

Failure to comply with the rule could result in a $1 to $200 fine, Wentworth said.

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, told lawmakers he would vote against the bill, saying it would bring government "to the front seat of our car."

Posted by drizzten at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Speaking of liberation...

Do homosexuals have the constitutional right to have sex?

This Wednesday, the Supreme Court will be called on to decide in Lawrence v. Texas whether homosexuals have the constitutional right to have sex. The appellants are Houston residents John Geddes Lawrence and his partner, Tyron Garner ? who were arrested and convicted of sodomy under a 1973 Texas statute criminalizing same-sex oral and anal sex. Last time the court considered this issue, in the 1986 case of Bowers v. Hardwick, it affirmed that homosexuals did not have the right to have consensual sex in private, either in Georgia ? where Hardwick was prosecuted ? or in any of the other 25 states with laws criminalizing sodomy.

One of many reasons to keep the religious and social conservative out of the legal.

UPDATE(noon)
Great news! The Supreme Court has struck down the law. It was a 6-3 decision, which means Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas have still got a lot to learn about individual freedom.

Posted by drizzten at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Russia's Foreign Minister doesn't seem to think so

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Wednesday poured scorn on claims by the United States that its forces were "liberating" Iraq, saying these assertions were far removed from reality.

Ivanov told Russia's upper house of parliament: "It is already becoming clear how far removed from reality are their attempts to present military action against Iraq as a triumphant march for the liberation of the Iraqi people with minimal casualties and destruction."

A liberation is an action that objectively adds to the overall freedom of someone or some people. A liberation can be as small and simple as repealing a bicycle helmet law or as grand and sweeping as defeating Nazi Germany and opening up the concentration camps. Calling the former a liberation is certainly misleading in the contemporary idea of the term, but it is technically correct. Most people believe a liberation, however, is of the latter variety; a large-scale de-suppression of people.

What Mr. Ivanov is saying here is this can't be a liberation because we're hurting civilians and destroying infrastructure. This doesn't address his claims, however. For this war to not be a liberation, it would either have to preserve the status quo or increase government opression. I have a feeling Russian government officials are familiar with how that kind of thing works.

It is, of course, undeniable that there won't be a full representative and liberal government in Iraq for some time. There is too much military work to be done before that can get put in motion. Even afterwards, what amounts to a public re-education campaign must be enacted in order to literally "free the minds" of the Iraqi citizens and get them to understand the new way of doing things. I have no doubts much of this work over the next few years will be done by Americans and foreigners rather than Iraqis.

The key question is whether temporary American regents are better or worse than Saddam Hussein and his government. Anyone who suggests such an interim administration would result in a overall decrease of freedom or a return to the status quo is simply blind or a partisan angling for a story. Such a claim requires substantial evidence to back it and that evidence is sorely lacking.

The first small steps have already been made. Southern Iraq is objectively a freer place than it was two weeks ago. People are speaking freely, tearing down the old power structure, and working towards ending the Ba'ath Party's system. Mr. Ivanov should keep his words in mind and take another look at them two weeks from now.

I have a feeling he wished he'd never said them.

Posted by drizzten at 08:50 AM | Permalink

$5,000 Victoria's Secret theft

Call it a $5,000 panty raid. That's the estimated value of 300 sets of skivvies taken from a Victoria's Secret store.

"It's very unusual. It's shoplifting to the max," said Marcia Harnden, a police spokeswoman in this suburb east of Seattle.

An employee noticed the panties in a variety of colors, styles and sizes were missing shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, Harnden said. Each cost $15 to $28.

Two display tables at the front of the store were cleared of the frilly, silky merchandise, and two other tables, one next to the cash register, were half-emptied, she said.

Behold: The Power of Panties and the Wymen Who Wear Them!

It's truely sad devout Muslim men can't enjoy things like this. Perhaps the US, UK, and Aussie troops brought enough porn over to change their minds...

Posted by drizzten at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yahoo News World Photos - Reuters

U.S. Major General Victor Renuart Jr. shares a laugh as he briefs reporters during a press conference at the Camp As Sayliyah media center outside Doha, Qatar March 25, 2003. Sandstorms, snipers and cynicism hampered the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq (news - web sites) on the sixth day of war Tuesday, and military analysts said the campaign could go on for two weeks to a month longer. REUTERS/Tim Aubry

It's been remarkable how this war has been portrayed in the media. Ralph Peters and Steven Den Beste hit the nails on the head in regards to this.

Posted by drizzten at 12:35 PM | Permalink

I can remember hating beer my entire childhood. I'm half German and half Canadian, and those are both big beer-drinking cultures, so it wasn't long before he offered me a sip out of his mug during a Monday Night Football game.

Fucking sick!, I thought.

"Uhm, no thanks. I'll stick with my Pepsi."

I don't remember what brand or kind of beer it was in that mug, but it didn't make a difference to me. Over the years following that first beery encounter, I tested and sipped a few more and the result was always the same.

Fucking sick!, I thought.

"Uhm, no thanks. I'll stick with my Mountain Dew."

Of course, the social nature of high school as it is, I knew in the depths of my teetotaling heart I couldn't pass up alcohol forever. I had to find some way to overcome my disgust with the way beer tasted and I had to do it before I went to a party and made an idiot of myself.

Lucky for me, my dad was an Army Colonel and a senior administrator at the Fort Knox base hospital. His duties not only included being a commander, but also as socializer (his boss tended to shrug these things on to him). Also lucky for me, I grew up far too mature for my age. I got along better with adults than kids my age. Even with my long hair and generally sarcastic demeanor, the soldiers warmed to me and we got along well. So when my dad needed help with the parties he had to throw, I had no trouble getting the spot as barkeep.

My mom was too busy with the food. Tee-hee-hee.

Now, my dad may be almost entirely German, but (judging by my current standards, of course), his beer tastes border on the lame. Coors, Bud Light, Red Dog, Lone Star, etc. were his typical beer purchases. (Well, he stopped drinking Lone Star once the plant was sold outside Texas, but that's unimportant.) Once he retired, he lifted his head up from the muck and came around and picked up some better choices from the New Braunfels area. But, that's getting ahead of myself.

The only beer which could be called premium which he bought back then was Heineken. Which I like now, sort of. Only in the big bottles.

My beer career started off in the slums, but it did get better. I learned how to properly open a can, the crucial difference between twist-off bottle tops and those which required a tool (or a brave set of teeth), and the very basics of how to pour beer into a glass. All self-taught, I might add. Enough of these parties passed where I could vaguely pick out the differences in taste among the brands. I usually passed it off as cigarette cravings run amok. I still had no idea what a lager was compared to an ale or a dopplebock.

Fast forward to my first semester in college. Being the anti-socialite I was in high school meant that my feared alcohol disaster didn't even get a chance to occur. My new scholastic situation was quite different. I learned more about this odd creature called "foreign beer" and how freakin' expensive it was compared to all the familiar American brands. (No, dad never let me near his Heineken.)

I also learned about the true challenge of collegiate beer...the cheap brands.

I didn't get past my second semester of UT-Austin. Beer had nothing to do with that...it was more of a motivational problem. I just hated going to class.

By now, beer was no longer a scary bubbly thing to be approached with caution. Beer...actually...kinda tasted alright. Graduating to drinks like Dos Equis and Ziegen Bock wasn't too hard, even factoring in the price. I didn't tell any family about this. They would have died from shock. And they never had anything good in the fridge whenever I dropped by, so the wake would have sucked major ass.

Fast forward to Now. I proudly maintain an perfect 100% vomit-free record of drinking. I've suffered a few hangovers and even a mild case of alcohol poisoning in South Padre, but my iron determination and my Spider Senses keep me from broaching my limit. My Canadian family has been more than helpful, offering new things like Alexander Keith's and Moosehead. I must say our buddies up north generally have a selection that puts us in the south to shame.

Today, the beers of choice have morphed from the banalities of Icehouse, Budweiser, and Shiner to the glories of Bass (and Harp), Red Stripe, Sapporro, Fat Tire, Rolling Rock and St. Pauli Girl (Special Dark!). Recently, a friend discovered a neat pub near his house and we've been going there regularly and have taken the Guinness plunge as well as tasting the house brews and the crazy microbrews the locals create.

I'm not very impressed with Real Ale or Texas Tornado.

Still not quite ready to call myself anything but a decent beer drinker who has a good idea what I like. There are a lot of beers out there waiting to be sampled. Just gotta wait till next weekend...

Posted by drizzten at 01:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

[Updates below.]

Chirac's 'War on Smoking'

President Jacques Chirac, himself a former chain-smoker, launched a high-profile anti-smoking campaign on Monday that will mean French smokers end up paying more for their pungent Gauloises.

Turning to his domestic agenda after months of diplomatic wrangling trying to prevent war in Iraq, Chirac declared a "war on smoking" as the main thrust of a fight against cancer, to which he pledged to devote half a billion euros over five years.

"The fight against smoking is a must, an absolute priority," Chirac said in a speech to health professionals and politicians. "This isn't about undermining individual liberties, but about doing everything to change attitudes and save lives."

France would continue to raise cigarette prices after a tax rise added about 15 percent to the cost in January, Chirac said.

In the broader fight against cancer, research would be boosted, access to treatment improved and more preventative measures taken. Screening for breast cancer would be made available to all women in France by the end of the year.

Allowed in many offices until recently, smoking is a part of everyday life in France. Lighting up after dinner or over a drink is common, and smokers can sometimes be seen sneaking a quick, illegal puff while waiting for the Paris Metro.

Either you peacefully convince people of some issue or you force them to comply and understand. You can't change minds if they are unwilling to be changed through debate. So, you force them to change. Don't worry, though. He's in in good company.

UPDATED 8/30/2005 2:00pm
Deadline for the Austin Smoking Ordinance

Posted by drizzten at 01:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

He's angry protesters trashed Rumsfeld's property

I'm not a big fan of cops busting protesters' heads, but in this case I'd have made an exception. People in government service, in time of war, particularly, should not have to put up with this sort of crap. The cops should have kicked ass and taken names.

War protesters trashed the grounds around a northern New Mexico home owned by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, placing "No War" stickers and throwing children's clothes around the property, authorities say.

No arrests were made during the demonstration Thursday, said Lt. Eddie Martinez of the Taos County Sheriff's Department.

The protesters were among 400 to 500 who began demonstrating at Taos Plaza and marched along U.S. 64 to two Rumsfeld properties at El Prado, a couple of miles northwest of Taos, Martinez said.

"They got onto his property, and that would be trespassing," he said. "There's issues and laws they need to understand. If their choice is a peace demonstration, then they should keep the peace."

But the protesters certainly don't deserve to be beaten, kicked, or have their "heads busted" as Cato desires. Nothing in the report says the protesters were violent or destructive to any serious degree. If the police encountered such unruly activism, then force would be fine.

Cato's comment bothers me because it sounds like he endorses police brutality to be used on protestors when they have the ability to distract, discourage, bother, or interrupt the work or private lives of important government officials, especially during wartime. Alone, that is not a reasonable opinion to hold as it could apply to almost any kind of demonstration of opposition. Public officials are not entitled to a bubble of immunity from the public eye and mouth. Certainly their property and privacy are to be defended, but petty action like this doesn't in any way necessitate police aggression.

Posted by drizzten at 12:30 AM | Permalink

The first anime to win and get nominated for an Academy Award

Sunday night at the 75th Annual Academy Awards, Spirited Away captured the “Best Animated Film” award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film prevailed against the competition of four other nominees: Ice Age, Lilo and Stitch, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Treasure Planet.

The award was accepted by the academy with no speech. Both Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki were unable to attend the ceremony.

On Feburary 11th, Spirited Away became the first Japanese animated feature to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film.” Despite grossing only $5.55 million since its limited release on Sept. 20th, the film received almost universal praise from critics.

Winning the Oscar marks the zenith of the film's long string of awards. Spirited Away’s previous awards include Best Film at the 2001 Japanese Academy Awards, Best Animated Feature (among other awards) at the 2002 Annie Awards, Best Animated Feature from Critics’ Awards in New York and Los Angeles, Best Asian Film at the 2002 Hong Kong Film Awards, and Best Film at the Cinekid 2002 International Children's Film Festival.

Posted by drizzten at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In town for Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce award

"It is really the height of cynicism to suggest that a president would take the awesome decision of sending people into harm's way for politics," Rove said Thursday night in New Braunfels, where he was honored by the Chamber of Commerce as its "Texan of the Year."

[...]

Rove, senior adviser to Bush, has contended that journalists exaggerate his influence.

In an 11-minute speech before answering a few questions afterward, Rove recalled his arrival in Texas at age 26 and spoke of the younger of the Bush presidents who changed his life.

In January of last year, Rove told Republican National Committee leaders gathered in Austin that Republicans could win the 2002 elections by running on the party's ability to prosecute the war on terrorism.

[...]

Republicans went on to regain control of the U.S. Senate and pick up a few seats in the U.S. House, which already was GOP-controlled.

Rove, 52, who grew up in Utah, became a Texan through his ties to President Bush's father, who recognized Rove as a talented Washington operative in the early 1970s.

Texan of the Year? Rove isn't all that.

Posted by drizzten at 03:28 PM | Permalink

Given the historical and technological context of this war, we can keep abreast of events almost as they happen. Three weblogs to check out for up-to-the-minute news are National Review'sThe Corner, The Command Post, and The Blogs of War.

Posted by drizzten at 02:02 PM | Permalink

Given all the attention to the idea that women are naturally more inclined to be more peaceful and peace-loving than men, I felt like adding a photographic anecdote.

Fri Mar 21, 6:57 AM ET
Iraqi Kurd women fighters cross a street in the front of Chamchamal's military headquarters near the frontline with Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s troops on March 21, 2003. U.S. and British armured forces thrust deep into southern Iraq (news - web sites), meeting only sporadic resistance on Friday, and the United States said it still hoped to topple President Saddam Hussein without an all-out war. REUTERS/Nikola Solic

Go get'em, gals.

Posted by drizzten at 10:44 AM | Permalink

Contrary to popular belief and modern science, microbes communicate with each other

The notion that microbes have anything to say to each other is surprisingly new. For more than a century, bacterial cells were regarded as single-minded opportunists, little more than efficient machines for self-replication. Flourishing in plant and animal tissue, in volcanic vents and polar ice, thriving on gasoline additives and radiation, they were supremely adaptive, but their lives seemed, well, boring. The "sole ambition" of a bacterium, wrote geneticist François Jacob in 1973, is "to produce two bacteria."

New research suggests, however, that microbial life is much richer: highly social, intricately networked, and teeming with interactions. Bassler and other researchers have determined that bacteria communicate using molecules comparable to pheromones. By tapping into this cell-to-cell network, microbes are able to collectively track changes in their environment, conspire with their own species, build mutually beneficial alliances with other types of bacteria, gain advantages over competitors, and communicate with their hosts - the sort of collective strategizing typically ascribed to bees, ants, and people, not to bacteria.

Posted by drizzten at 10:02 AM | Permalink

Optimus Prime joins the war effort

A member of Ohio's 5694th National Guard Unit in Mansfield legally changed his name to a Transformers toy.

Optimus Prime is heading out to the Middle East with his guard unit on Wednesday to provide fire protection for airfields under combat.

"On Sunday, we were awarded as the best firefighting unit in the Army National Guard in the entire country," said Prime. "That was a big moment for us."

Prime took his name from the leader of the Autobots Transformers, which were popular toys and a children's cartoon in the 1980s.

[...]

"I got a letter from a general at the Pentagon when the name change went through and he says it was great to have the employ of the commander of the Autobots in the National Guard."

Posted by drizzten at 10:47 PM | Permalink

Knee-jerk Austin protest

At the University of Texas, a crowd of more than 1,000 students and staff members began protesting the war at around noon Thursday.

The crowd walked to Guadalupe Street and many sat down. Yellow slips of paper describing how to conduct civil disobedience, including where protesters could place themselves to best avoid arrest, were distributed.

The leaflets feature the names of lawyers who can represent protesters if they are arrested.

The crowd, gathered in front of Tower Records, heard from UT Professor and longtime activist Bob Jensen who told them that the war will ruin millions of Iraqi lives and destroy that country.

"This war has nothing to do with the so-called liberation of the Iraqi people," Jensen told the cheering crowd. "And we say no."

Posted by drizzten at 08:28 PM | Permalink

I was listening to NPR tonight and during a break in The World, I heard a LTJ Bukem song playing in the background. I believe it was "Deserted Vaults," one of the jazzier, moodier tracks he has. It's off the Journey Inwards 2-disc release. For some reason, it fit the mood well.

Posted by drizzten at 12:12 AM | Permalink

The dire horror of "unilateralism"

ALBANIA -- Offered to send troops in a largely symbolic gesture.

AUSTRALIA -- Sent 2,000-strong force of elite SAS troops, fighter jets and warships to the Gulf.

BAHRAIN -- Headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

BRITAIN -- Washington's chief ally on Iraq has sent or committed 45,000 military personnel, planes and warships.

BULGARIA -- Offered use of airspace, base and refueling for U.S. warplanes; sent non-combat troops specializing in chemical and biological warfare decontamination.

CROATIA -- Airspace and airports open to civilian transport planes from the coalition.

CZECH REPUBLIC -- Sent non-combat troops specializing in chemical warfare decontamination in response to U.S. request.

DENMARK -- The government decided to take part in the military action with a submarine and a corvette and a medical team.

GERMANY -- Despite opposition to a war on Iraq, Germany has chemical warfare decontamination specialists in Kuwait which will be increased to between 200 and 250 troops.

HUNGARY -- Hosts a U.S. base where Iraqi exiles are trained for possible post-war administrative roles.

ITALY -- Offered logistical help and use of military bases and ports under longstanding NATO commitments.

JORDAN -- Opened its airspace to coalition planes; hosts U.S. troops carrying out search and rescue operations in western Iraq and manning a Patriot anti-missile defense system.

KUWAIT -- Hosts coalition forces massed for an invasion.

OMAN -- Base for U.S. planes used in Afghanistan, but says will play no role in war against Iraq.

POLAND -- To deploy up to 200 troops in the Gulf region, which will perform a non-combat role supporting U.S.-led offensive.

PORTUGAL -- Made available NATO air bases and an air base in the mid-Atlantic Azores islands.

QATAR -- Hosts a mobile HQ for U.S. Central Command; allowed Washington to expand an airfield to handle more combat jets.

ROMANIA -- Airspace and a base open to U.S. warplanes; sent non-combat specialists in chemical decontamination, medics, engineers and military police in response to a U.S. request.

SAUDI ARABIA -- U.S. and British planes use its Prince Sultan Air Base to enforce a "no-fly zone" over southern Iraq.

SLOVAKIA -- Sent non-combat troops specializing in chemical warfare decontamination in response to a U.S. request.

SPAIN -- Strongest ally of the United States and Britain. Promised use of its NATO bases for strike on Iraq. Spain will send a medical support vessel equipped with nuclear, biological and chemical treatment facilities. A back-up frigate and 900 troops also pledged.

TURKEY -- Parliament is likely to debate on Thursday opening its airspace to U.S. warplanes but would not allow them access to airbases even for refueling.

UAE -- Base for U.S. surveillance aircraft and refueling; host to an estimated 3,000 Western troops.

UKRAINE -- Agreed to U.S. request that it send chemical warfare and nuclear decontamination experts.

Posted by drizzten at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What a good time to remind our politicians!

An original copy of the Bill of Rights, stolen from the North Carolina statehouse during the Civil War, was recovered in an undercover sting, the FBI said Wednesday.

Authorities learned of the document after a broker contacted the National Constitution Center, a museum being built in Philadelphia's historic district.

Museum president Joseph Torsella thought it might be the copy belonging to Pennsylvania, one of five states that have lost their copies over the years. But during the talks, his staff came to believe it was the copy stolen from North Carolina, based on handwritten information on the back.

[...]

The handwritten document one of at least 14 copies made in 1791 for the first 13 states and the federal government is faded but in "reasonable condition," Torsella said.

Curators estimated its value at $20 million to $30 million, he said.

The Conventions of a number of the States having, at the time of adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added, and as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution;

Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two-thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States; all or any of which articles, when ratified by three-fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the said Constitution, namely:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Don't squander it in anti-liberty hypocrisy.

Posted by drizzten at 11:49 PM | Permalink

Maryland House of Delegates attempts to lessen medical pot penalties

The Maryland House of Delegates approved a bill today that would dramatically reduce penalties for Marylanders who use marijuana for medical reasons.

The bill had bipartisan support and passed 73 to 62. The legislation would allow people charged with possession of small amounts of marijuana to present evidence that they have a medical condition that is helped by smoking marijuana.

The maximum penalty for possession of marijuana for medical purposes would be a $100 fine. There would be no jail term.

"I am not for expanding drug rights," said Del. Gail H. Bates, a Howard County Republican, "but ... there are times when medications do not work. I don't see this as being anybody's first choice."

This is something far more fundamental. I am the sole owner of my body, just as you are the sole owner of yours. It is not my decision to tell you what to eat or drink, nor is it your decision to tell me what to ingest. Just as it's wrong for the government to prohibit certain speech (we own our minds and the thoughts from them), it is wrong for the government to prohibit us from partaking in certain substances.

I'm glad there is a large portion of Maryland politicos and their Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich who support medical marijuana to one degree or another.

But it feels so utterly demeaning and insulting that we have to almost grovel over these little scraps of semi-sanity. Fuck I hate how it looks like we must wait for some legislature, governor, or mid-leve bureaucrat to "approve" of how we handle our lives. Adding INJURY to the insult is the fact that medical pot users will STILL be punished for using it.

I mean, come on! This is the sickening middle-of-the-road, I'm-too-afraid-to-take-a-principled-stand, we-can't-rock-the-boat, don't-alienate-[interest_group], pander-to-the-ignorant-and-frightened, and all-too-typical political BULLSHIT that is too pervasive in the world today.

The choice is quite stark. Either you believe in the individual liberty of humans who have the right to dispose of their earthly coils as they wish, or they don't and someone else must step in to guide their lives. This kind of legislative dithering is a shining example of how horribly unfit for office the majority of our politicians are. They're alternately too scared to lose public support or too scared to lose election funding and those things themselves are damning evidence of the public's weak-willed mindset towards these issues.

I would have voted for the bill if I was in that delegation. It's a step in the right direction. But it's a small, minor step that remains chained in collectivism.

UPDATE(3:45pm):
And then there's Florida.

The ongoing legislative debate on the voter-approved constitutional amendment in Florida to ban public smoking has intensified.

Less than a week after a Senate committee passed a bill watering down the new amendment that largely banned indoor smoking in workplaces, a House committee Tuesday reversed course and approved a strict anti-smoking measure.

The House version actually would ban smoking everywhere, except private homes, designated hotel rooms and tobacco shops. It would eliminate smoking in all bars and restaurants.

Posted by drizzten at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sucking the government teat is driving some of them insane.

If you can't produce without begging for money taken from taxpayers, then don't fucking produce! It has long been the case that it doesn't make economic sense for individuals and small family or local buisnesses to farm for a living. Unless you serve a niche market or have simply outstanding quality goods, you aren't going to survive.

Thus march on the inevitable laws of human economic activity. I don't give one shit how important the farming legacy is in a town. It's as if they wish to deliberately hold themselves back from progressing past the early-to-mid 1900's. That legacy, combined with simple pity, electoral pandering, and an irrational fear of large business, is screwing the entire country. Not to mention making us look profoundly hypocritical in the eyes of every country we wag our fingers at if they have government intervention in their economy.

So screw this guy and his last-ditch effort to have his hat filled with taxpayer money. The DC police need to tranq this guy and get the city moving again.

Of course...adding more gridlock to Washington isn't necessarily a bad thing...

Posted by drizzten at 01:16 AM | Permalink

My previous comments on American Idol slanted towards appreciating the work Simon does. In this Slate piece by Rob Walker, I learned Simon has now taken a spot as a Vanilla Coke ad man.

This new Coke flavor made its debut last year and was pushed in a couple of spots featuring actor Chazz Palminteri as a mysterious, mob-like figure who dispenses samples of the drink in an obliquely threatening manner (see the old ads here on Coke's site). In the new ad, Cowell shows up alone at a dark and almost-empty restaurant. He is seated a table across from Palminteri, who, in full wiseguy mode, says that it would mean a lot to the Vanilla Coke brand if Cowell, "America's most notorious critic," liked the drink. Cowell tries it and starts to give his opinion, but Palminteri cuts him off. "Jimmy," he barks to a henchman, "tell him his opinion." The henchman holds up a cue card, which Cowell obediently reads. "We've got our first celebrity endorsement!" Palminteri says with a curt laugh, as Cowell's eyes dart about the room. The last shot has Palminteri with his arm around Cowell, who nervously says, "It's good."

[...]

Part of Cowell's appeal is that, like a soap opera villain, he's the type that people "love to hate." The goofy American Idol host regularly takes potshots at him, and when the guy he told to lose weight challenged him to a pushups contest, the audience went wild. But the rest of his appeal is best understood in the context of insult humor, from Don Rickles to the Conan O'Brien puppet Triumph. Even when cruel, the insulter can be funny, but more to the point he often says what others are thinking. On American Idol, the other judges always seem to look for something positive to say?they're full of BS, in other words. The result is that when Cowell says something nice, it actually means something. And perhaps on some level those tearful teenage wannabes got exactly what they deserved. Cowell, in other words, represents the asshole as truth-teller.

Sounds right to me.

Posted by drizzten at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"We are now seriously asked to accept that in the last few years, contrary to all history, contrary to all intelligence, he decided unilaterally to destroy the weapons. Such a claim is palpably absurd."

This is a brilliant speech and needs to be spread. Granted, a large portion of is uses the "UN defense," meaning it is heavily based on the idea that Iraq's violations of UN resolutions make it OK to invade. I disagree with that because it legitimizes the UN more than it deserves. However, for those who think the UN route is the one to take, Blair's speech takes a jackhammer and finishes that stance off for good.

He does attack from a position I do agree with more.

The truth is our patience should have been exhausted weeks and months and years ago. Even now, when if the world united and gave him an ultimatum: comply or face forcible disarmament, he might just do it, the world hesitates and in that hesitation he senses the weakness and therefore continues to defy.

What would any tyrannical regime possessing WMD think viewing the history of the world's diplomatic dance with Saddam? That our capacity to pass firm resolutions is only matched by our feebleness in implementing them.

That is why this indulgence has to stop. Because it is dangerous. It is dangerous if such regimes disbelieve us. Dangerous if they think they can use our weakness, our hesitation, even the natural urges of our democracy towards peace, against us. Dangerous because one day they will mistake our innate revulsion against war for permanent incapacity; when in fact, pushed to the limit, we will act. But then when we act, after years of pretence, the action will have to be harder, bigger, more total in its impact. Iraq is not the only regime with WMD. But back away now from this confrontation and future conflicts will be infinitely worse and more devastating.

Posted by drizzten at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

1931-2003

Born: May 15, 1931.

Career: teacher, 1952-66; federal law clerk, 1969-71; assistant district attorney for Nueces County, 1971-72; partner in Garcia & Rangel law firm 1973-83; Robstown city attorney, 1975-77; solo law practice after 1983; state representative, 1977-03.

Education: bachelor's degree, Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M-Kingsville), 1952; law degree, St. Mary's University, 1969.

Posted by drizzten at 02:07 PM | Permalink

What can be said that already hasn't?

Thousands of people are likely to die over the next few weeks. All the arguing, rationalization, and logic can't erase that. While I support a war in Iraq, the consequences of my support are not going to be pretty. Such is the way things work.

Here's hoping the casualties don't include biological, chemical, or nuclear victims. Here's hoping Saddam's military does the right thing and stays as out of the way as possible. Here's hoping the citizens of Iraq make the right choices in the coming months.

But here's hoping we obliterate Saddam and as many of his tyrannical sons and commanders in the first wave.

Posted by drizzten at 02:41 AM | Permalink

How much of this is necessary?

Lawmakers filed more than 800 bills Friday, the deadline for legislators to propose changes in state law. Ideas ranged from tying university tuition to family income to tripling the tax on French wines.

"It's a brisk pace," said House chief clerk Robert Haney. From Monday through Thursday, almost 1,600 bills were filed. Although the pace of bill filing was initially slow this session, lawmakers set a record Friday, filing more bills at the last minute than in previous sessions. A total of 3,550 bills and 100 joint resolutions were filed in the House, with 615 bills streaming in Friday. In the Senate, 1,859 bills were filed along with 62 joint resolutions. Joint resolutions are proposals to amend the Texas Constitution.

Some observers attributed the initial slow pace of bill filing to the large number of new members. Of 181 members in the House and Senate this year, 42 are freshmen.

Others pointed to the lack of money. The state is facing a $9.9 billion gap between expected revenue and the money needed to maintain services. Any bill carrying a large price tag probably does not have a high hope of passing, Gov. Rick Perry said. Taxes, insurance and higher education accounted for a large share of the bills filed this session. More than 460 bills sought to make changes to the state's tax code, and more than 470 were aimed at correcting insurance ills. About 315 bills addressed higher education.

Like a hen pecking away at her food.

Among the tax bills filed Friday was House Bill 3437, a proposal by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, to adopt a state personal income tax and abolish the corporate franchise tax and the share-the-wealth plan Texas uses to finance public schools.

Under House Bill 2570, filed Thursday by Rep. Paul Moreno, D-El Paso, Texans who earn more than $100,000 a year would pay a 4 percent income tax.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst laughed when told about the filing of an income tax bill.

"I absolutely do not think the people of Texas want to see increased tax burdens, and I think a state income tax is dead on arrival," he said.

The crush ofproposals introduced as the bill filing deadline loomed included the usual complement of measures that could be deemed less than pivotal.

Rep. Chente Quintanilla, D-Tornillo, on Thursday filed House Concurrent Resolution 92 to designate the sopaipilla as the state's official pastry. Concurrent resolutions are honorary in nature and do not have the force of law.

"The sopaipilla stands out among Texas pastries because of its historic origins and universal appeal," the resolution says.

Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, on Thursday filed Senate Concurrent Resolution 26, which would designate Round Rock the "Daffodil Capital of Texas."

The longest bill, filed Thursday, was House Bill 2922, a revision by Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Carrollton, of the state's insurance code. The 1,261-page bill describes the changes as "non-substantive."

At least two proposals dealt with license plates.

Posted by drizzten at 09:58 AM | Permalink

The bulk of this article is fine

But something jumped out at me that needs to be looked at further.

Before anyone advocates chopping down trees to clean up the air - forgetting, for one, that they give us the oxygen we breathe - scientists caution that whatever forests pump into the air is natural. They also provide shade and scrub many pollutants from the air.

This goes on until we get to the stage where Andrew Bridges' bit like the above sounds (ahem) natural. But the contradiction is evident in the statement because not all "natural" things are beneficial or good for humans. A plant that "naturally" emits high levels of chlorine gas certainly isn't good to have around. And I'm sure Mr. Bridges and the scientists he can tell the difference and know of the difference between good and useful "natural" things and those that aren't.

It's the unspoken assumption that bothers me. It's a lazy blanket statement.

Posted by drizzten at 09:48 AM | Permalink

The crazy MRSA staph infection thing I talked about is in good company.

UPDATE(3/19 12:50am):
Researchers have indentified the virus.

Scientists in Hong Kong have claimed a key breakthrough against a virulent form of pneumonia which is claiming more victims around the world.

Reports say the researchers have identified the mystery respiratory illness at the heart of a global health scare as a virus from the paramyxoviridae family.

Posted by drizzten at 09:24 AM | Permalink

Christopher Andrew Phillips turns himself in

A student at the University of Texas was charged by federal prosecutors today with hacking into the school's computer system and obtaining thousands of Social Security numbers.

Christopher Andrew Phillips, 20, a junior majoring in computer science, turned himself in to the U.S. Secret Service and was taken before a magistrate at the federal courthouse in Austin. He was released without having to post any money but would be liable for $10,000 if he violates any of various conditions, including a prohibition on the use of any computers without prior permission from the court.

Phillips is accused of two counts ? accessing a computer without authorization and using Social Security numbers without authorization. The maximum possible penalty is eight years in jail, $500,000 in fines and payment of restitution, said Matthew Devlin, an assistant U.S. attorney.

Phillips turned himself in to federal officials Friday morning and was released on personal recognizance after a court hearing in front of U.S. Magistrate Stephen Capelle.

Under terms of his release, if Phillips uses a computer, he will be required to tell authorities why he is using it, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Devlin.

Outside the courthouse, Phillips did not comment to reporters, and his attorney, Allan Williams, said "we're not going to make any comments today about guilty or innocence or how our plea is going to be."

"His position is that he is cooperating with the government in every way he can," Williams said.

[...]

The TXCLASS Web-based service that Phillips said he accessed was designed to track training classes attended by university employees but access to it also resulted in access to other information, such as names and Social Security numbers, the affidavit said.

According to computer logs, the database was hacked by a computer in Austin on Feb. 26 through Feb. 28, and again by a computer in Houston on March 1 and March 2. The university learned about the attack March 2.

Secret service agents carried out a search warrant at Phillips' Austin and Houston residences on March 5. They seized Phillips' personal computer from his Austin residence along with computer hardware, software, media and electronic devices. On the computer, they found a large file listing thousands of Social Security numbers and names and the program used to access the database, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Posted by drizzten at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

School vouchers are addressed in three new Texas House Bills: 658 and 293, both introduced by Representative Ron Wilson, Chariman of the Ways and Means Committee and a Democrat from the Houston area. The third is H.B. 2465, introduced by Kent Grusendorf, Chairman of the Public Education Committee and a Republican from Arlington.

Wilson's bills would establish a pilot voucher program in the largest six public school districts in terms of student enrollment, or average daily attendance (ADA). Those six districts, by the way, would be Houston ISD, Dallas ISD, Fort Worth ISD, Austin ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, and Northside ISD if based on the most current enrollment figures. This would therefore affect approximately 675,000 students, if we simply add the enrollments together. There are about 4.2 million students in Texas public schools, so this pilot program would potentially affect 16% of public school enrollment, not including colleges and universities. Of course, there are provisions in each bill which tilt the money towards the poor and disadvantaged, so the real number of student affected is very likely much lower.

Grusendorf's bill would limit the funds to districts with an enrollment over 40,000. Again using the same figures, those districts would be the above as well as Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, Arlington ISD, Brownsville ISD, El Paso ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Garland ISD, Lewisville ISD, North East ISD, Pasadena ISD, Plano ISD, and Ysleta ISD. Approximately 1.3 million students would be affect by this program, about 31% of the public school student population...but there are similar provisions which send the money to certain kinds of students, so this figure isn't the actual one to use for argumentative purposes.

While this is a step in the right direction, it still perpetuates the public funding of education, which I disagree with. This does give parents a much greater measure of educational choice, but it still constitutes forced redistribution of wealth. And of course, no legislation would be complete if it didn't unfairly slant the funds to certain socio-economic groups.

Just as I don't want to pay for someone's education in Comal ISD, I don't want to pay for someone's education at Awty International School. Similarly, the only people I want paying for my education (or helping to pay for it) are those I ask and those who consent. There is also the troublesome issue of public money going to religious schools. The recent Supreme Court ruling holds that voucher programs are not unConstitutional establishments of religion as long as parents can choose where to spend the money, but that doesn't change the fundamental issues. Our tax money is going to promote religious views.

UPDATE(11:08am):
Fixed some of the numbers and added the third bill.

Posted by drizzten at 10:22 AM | Permalink

There are some great quotes here

The United Nations is not a good idea badly implemented, it is a bad idea.

[...]

Beware of political entities absurdly named. Just as the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire, the United Nations is a disunited collection of regimes, many of which do not represent the nations they govern.

The United Nations is premodern because it is unaccountable and irresponsible: It claims power not legitimized by the recurring consent of periodically consulted constituencies of the governed. Inebriated by self-approval, the United Nations is grounded in neither democratic consent nor territorial responsibilities, nor independent fiscal means, nor the material means of enforcing its judgments.

[...]

With India already the most populous democracy and soon to be the most populous nation, with its population growing more in a week than the entire European Union's grows in a year, why exactly is France (population 60 million) a permanent member of the Security Council? What of the largest Latin American nation (Brazil, 176 million), or the largest East Asian democracy (Japan, 127 million), or the largest Muslim nation (Indonesia, 232 million)?

Reverence for the United Nations translates into resistance to change.

[...]

Liberals, who call conservative hostility to the United Nations "radical," disregard the recklessness, and the incoherence, of the United Nations' new presumption. The United Nations, a collection of regimes of less than uniform legitimacy, has anointed itself the sole arbiter of what are legitimate military actions. And it has claimed a duty to leash the only nation that has the power to enforce U.N. resolutions.

[...]

The war will be followed by a presidential election in which all candidates must answer this: "Do you believe that any use of U.S. military power lacks legitimacy unless approved by France, Russia and China?" The Republican candidate has already answered.

Posted by drizzten at 02:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

More intrusion (links rot after a day)

Installing a VCR or DVD player in a car with a screen visible by the driver of that vehicle would be illegal under Senate Bill 209. All 31 senators voted Tuesday to support the bill that updates current law to include new technologies. Existing law says that if video receiving equipment is installed in a car, it cannot be visible from the driver's seat.

Turn off the cell phone, remove your sunglasses, stop eating, buckle up, put that beer bottle down, don't mess with the stereo, forget about installing dark window tint, leave the books and magazines on the floorboard, don't mess with your exhaust system, and don't ever take your eyes off the road. Be a good citizen and don't think for yourself or take responsibility for your actions.

Fucking stupid.

Posted by drizzten at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Senate panel approves prompt payment bill

A Texas Senate panel Tuesday approved a bill that would force insurance companies to pay doctors within 45 days.

[...]

For their part, doctors would have to submit claims within 95 days of service. The bill also creates penalties for companies that don't pay on time.

This is an issue between service providers and insurance companies. If one is unhappy with the way the other conducts business, then they can terminate their relationship, sue to enforce a contract, or indeed put in place a contract stating terms of payment. Keep the state out of this.

Posted by drizzten at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

State chambers of commerce legal immunity? (links rot after one day)

The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would give members of the state's 600 chambers of commerce the same immunity from lawsuits now available to directors of charities.

People are staying off boards because of the risk of lawsuits, said Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, the author of Senate Bill 360. A similar bill passed the Senate two years ago but died in the House. Deuell said the Republican majority in the House this year was pro-business and more likely to support the bill.

These are social problems and giving people legal immunity both sends the wrong message and gives these now-protected people protection from legitimate legal action.

Posted by drizzten at 05:33 PM | Permalink

They better come armed

A land dispute could end up with several West Texas cities moving to New Mexico.

The New Mexico Senate unanimously approved a bill to sue Texas.

The senators want Texas to return more than 603,000 acres they say were wrongly placed in Texas. They claim a surveyor's mistake in 1859 caused the Texas-New Mexico border to be several miles too far west.

If New Mexico wins, the Texas towns of Farwell, Bledsoe, Bronco and Texline would change states and be in the Mountain Time Zone.

It's oily. It's grassy. And thanks to a bungled land survey, it fell into the thieving hands of a bunch of Texans.

It's a narrow strip of land just across New Mexico's eastern border. State Sen. Shannon Robinson says it's time Texas gave it back.

"It's pretty," the Albuquerque Democrat said of the land. "It's kind of vacant, but it's pretty."

Robinson has proposed giving the attorney general's office $100,000 to pursue the land claim, which he thinks the state can win.

In 1859, a surveyor established the nation's 103rd meridian as the border between Texas and New Mexico. But he then set the actual boundary too far west -- 2.29 miles in some places, 3.77 miles in others.

[...]

New Mexico's territorial officials protested the error in a 1910 draft constitution for statehood. Federal officials then redid the survey and ruled that the 1859 version had indeed botched it.

But Texas fought back. In 1911, the feds essentially told New Mexico to give up the land claim or forget about statehood.

New Mexico got the message. In 1912, it became a state -- minus 603,485 acres.

Robinson, a lawyer, calls that duress.

[...]

Robinson's bill won the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Saturday and headed for Senate Finance. If it passes from there to the floor, legislators will undoubtedly engage in one of their favorite sports, Texas-bashing.

Despite that, Robinson insists the bill's revival is no joke.

"I'm very serious about this," he said. "I've always wanted a piece of Texas."

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, however, vowed that New Mexico will have a fight on its hands if it tries the land grab.

"There's no amount of money that the New Mexico Legislature can appropriate to a lawsuit against Texas that will be enough to allow them to get any of our precious soil," Abbott said. "Texas is not for sale. We are not going to lose her in a frivolous lawsuit."

The U.S. Supreme Court is the arbiter of border disputes and has stepped in before when states quarreled over islands, or swaths of land created when border rivers change course.

Robinson said he'd like the high court to weigh New Mexico's claim.

His motives are not entirely whimsical, he said. Texas has "always acted in an oppressive manner towards New Mexico" in the seemingly endless water fights that the two states have had in the past.

It might be time for some comeuppance, Robinson said.

"There is no doubt that the people's lives in that strip would be vastly improved because they no longer would be Texans," Robinson told the Senate while urging passage of his measure. "I can see a great uplifting of their personal self-worth."

Posted by drizzten at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Maybe I didn't work off some unknown requisite of hormones when in high school and now I'm left with bewilderedness and angst every time a girl I like shows interest and things don't line up remotely how I expected them to.

It's been over a week. I wish she'd call me back.

Posted by drizzten at 01:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

[Updates below.]

Uninsured "deserve" coverage

Nick Manix didn't know that 41 million Americans lack health insurance or that 4.9 million of them are Texans. But he knows what it's like to be uninsured and desperate.

After listening to experts dissect the data and discuss the plight of the uninsured at a town hall meeting Monday night, Manix put his face on the problem. He uses the emergency room for primary care and scrounges pain pills from friends, he told the panel of experts and an audience of several dozen people.

He has been turned down by county and state government health insurance programs, and he has racked up $5,000 in emergency room bills since November. He'll probably never be able to pay them.

"I've been told I'm not old enough, I'm not sick enough, and I'm not wealthy enough to get help," Manix, 26, said.

The town hall meeting at the KLRU studios at the University of Texas kicked off Cover the Uninsured Week, which is being observed in cities across the country to draw attention to the uninsured. A report last week estimated that as many as 75 million people lacked health insurance at some point during the past two years, making the ranks of the uninsured much larger than most think.

"This is a problem that is big, that is getting bigger and that affects us all," said Paul Gionfriddo, executive director of the Indigent Care Collaboration, a coalition of health care providers in Travis, Hays and Williamson counties. It cuts across income levels and includes affluent people who lost their jobs when the economy soured, he said.

Manix said he is in constant pain from about 200 tumors caused by neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that can lead to hearing loss and cancer. He works about one day a week tending bar, he said, and has a roommate who allows him to live rent-free. His mother often brings groceries.

What we have is a very unjust system," said Dr. Ana Malinow, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and co-founder of Health Care for All Texans. "As long as medicine continues to be a business, we have no incentive to keep our costs down. . . . Medicine should not be a commodity you buy in a market. Medicine is a basic human right."

Dr. Malinow has no concept of (or respect for) the awe-inspiring success, progress, and advancement free-market economics has brought to medicine. Since he so disdainfully rejects capitalism applied to medicine, I'd like to see him take all his patients for free. Ya know, since it's wrong to buy and sell healthcare-related goods.

Neal Kocurek, president and chief executive officer of the St. David's HealthCare System, said people should take better care of themselves and employers should shift more health insurance costs to employees.

Texas families pay 50 percent more in premiums than families in other states, said Lisa McGiffert, a senior policy analyst with the Southwest Regional Office of Consumers Union. One reason is that the insurance industry is not regulated in Texas to the extent that it is in other states, she said.

Capping prices gives consumers more reason to consume goods and services. At the same time, companies can't make up the difference between their costs and their revenues. Regulation only addresses a short-term symptom of a larger problem: people aren't making enough money to afford healthcare or aren't employed where their employer offers a plan, legal costs in the form of frivolous "punitive damage" malpractice lawsuits continue to push prices up on the medical provider end, and state mandates requiring certain levels of involvement by employer/insurance companies/doctors in the healthcare system.

And besides all of this, the central moral issue remains. Do I have an obligation to pay for someone else's goods and services?

UPDATE(5/12/2004 3:21pm)
Pay for your own health.

Posted by drizzten at 01:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

*gasp* Private Houston schools not suffering?

The elite schools, which charge annual tuition of about $12,000 for high schoolers, say they are keeping a wary eye on income and expenses. Their endowment funds -- Kinkaid School apparently has the largest, more than $80 million -- have taken a hit from stock market losses. The cost of health insurance and other benefits for teachers keeps going up at the same time.

But while the public school systems in Houston and Pasadena lay off workers, and the Houston Independent School District targets its magnet schools for 20 percent budget cuts, the top private schools say they are not being forced to cut back on classroom instruction and enrichment programs. Nor is demand for admission fading, they report.

In other words, economic problems in Houston are not diminishing the number of families willing to pay the tuition, or seek scholarship help, for the highly respected education that is offered.

At Houston's best-known private schools, tuition and fees cover 70 percent to 85 percent of annual operating costs.

[...]

Many parents think of contributing to the school as a way of supporting St. John's as its $43 million endowment suffers the same stock market investment losses as private schools everywhere, he said.

At the school, which educates 1,220 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, tuition and fees cover 77 percent of costs. The endowment yields about 15 percent, and fund raising covers the remaining 8 percent.

[...]

"We are continuing to be very sensitive to the costs, to the economy," [Director of Advancement, John] Marshall said. "I think our parents would believe it would be a little bit strange if we were trying to do anything major in this economy."

[...]

"In general, we have been kind of shielded from it," [Awty International School Headmaster, David] Watson said of the economic gloom.

[...]

At all of these prestigious schools, small class sizes and experienced, prized teachers are among the main attractions. None of the schools said economic pressures are forcing them to change those factors.

Posted by drizzten at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dewhurst offers ways for state to raise money

The conversation about how to deal with the state's budget crunch is beginning to change.

After weeks of hearing doomsday predictions about potential state budget cuts, lawmakers are starting to look at the other side of the state's ledger and search for ways to bring in more money.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Monday laid out a half-dozen options for raising revenue without raising taxes, including taking money from the state's rainy day fund, selling part of Texas' future earnings from a lawsuit settlement with tobacco companies and using more money that is earned from investments in the state's Permanent School Fund.

He said those ideas could generate up to $6 billion that lawmakers could use to fill a $9.9 billion gap between projected income and the money needed to maintain current services during the next two years.

Dewhurst, Gov. Rick Perry and House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, asked all agencies to trim their budgets by 7 percent this year and to come up with ways to cut costs by 12.5 percent during the next two years.

Those proposals included dropping children from state-financed health insurance if their parents make more than 150 percent of the federal poverty level, eliminating home health care for the frail elderly and ending some rehabilitation programs in prisons.

Posted by drizzten at 12:33 PM | Permalink

What do you get when you mix nuclear weapons and religious fanaticism? Two great tastes that taste great together!

For the last several years, India and Pakistan have teetered on the very brink of nuclear holocaust. To the informed observer, it's clear that sooner or later, these bitter enemies are going to get in the ring again. (Remember, India and Pakistan have already fought three wars in the last sixty years.) Only this time, it's going to be one heck of a fireworks show. Their nukes are under the control of the military and can presumably be used at the discretion of one or more commander(s) in the field. Just one loopy officer who's willing to die for Allah, or Vishnu, or his own personal three-headed goat god, and BLAMO! It's on, Baby!

Seems it's not a matter of "if." It's only a matter of "when." Which brings us to The Indo-Pakistani Deadpool.

"But," you ask, "what on earth is a deadpool?" It's really simple. It's a "pool" (like a sports pool) in which one bets on the exact instance of death. All you have to do is guess when the first Indian or Pakistani nuclear device will be detonated in anger to win fantastic prizes!

Posted by drizzten at 01:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Billy Beck asks a question

Let's say that you woke up one morning and, looking out your front window, you observed a crowd of people at the end of your driveway. Let's say that you went out there to say "hi" and find out what's going on. On your arrival, you discover that this crowd of individuals was getting ready to hold a referendum on whether they should enter your house and take your things, to be put to their use.

Would you cast a vote?

Think about it.

Via No Treason, and whom I agree with regarding the bit about voting defensively.

Posted by drizzten at 01:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Robert Mugabe got punked

President Bush on Friday imposed economic sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and 76 other high-ranking government officials, accusing them of undermining democracy in the impoverished southern African country.

Following the lead of the European Union, Bush issued an executive order freezing their assets and barring Americans from engaging in any transactions or dealings with them. The sanctions take effect immediately.

"Over the course of more than two years, the government of Zimbabwe has systematically undermined that nation's democratic institutions, employing violence, intimidation, and repressive means including legislation to stifle opposition to its rule," Bush said in the order.

However, I can't agree with the method, the parts that are market intervention. Cutting off diplomatic ties is one thing, but barring Americans from doing business over there is wrong. Let Americans decide where to do business. If they think Zimbabwean companies and government agencies are worth doing business with, then fine. Consumers will make their choices.

Posted by drizzten at 09:39 PM | Permalink

This is outrageous

Two veteran FBI investigators say they were ordered to stop investigations into a suspected terror cell linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network and the Sept. 11 attacks.

In a dramatic interview with ABCNEWS, FBI special agents and partners Robert Wright and John Vincent say they were called off criminal investigations of suspected terrorists tied to the deadly bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. U.S. officials say al Qaeda was responsible for the embassy attacks and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

"September the 11th is a direct result of the incompetence of the FBI's International Terrorism Unit. No doubt about that. Absolutely no doubt about that," Wright said. "You can't know the things I know and not go public."

In the mid-1990s, with growing terrorism in the Middle East, the two Chicago-based agents were assigned to track a connection to Chicago, a suspected terrorist cell that would later lead them to a link with Osama bin Laden. Wright says that when he pressed for authorization to open a criminal investigation into the money trail, his supervisor stopped him.

"Do you know what his response was? 'I think it's just better to let sleeping dogs lie,'" said Wright. "Those dogs weren't sleeping. They were training. They were getting ready."

Perhaps most astounding of the many mistakes, according to Flessner and an affidavit filed by Wright, is how an FBI agent named Gamal Abdel-Hafiz seriously damaged the investigation. Wright says Abdel-Hafiz, who is Muslim, refused to secretly record one of al-Kadi's suspected associates, who was also Muslim. Wright says Abdel-Hafiz told him, Vincent and other agents that "a Muslim doesn't record another Muslim."

"He wouldn't have any problems interviewing or recording somebody who wasn't a Muslim, but he could never record another Muslim," said Vincent.

Wright said he "was floored" by Abdel-Hafiz's refusal and immediately called the FBI headquarters. Their reaction surprised him even more: "The supervisor from headquarters says, 'Well, you have to understand where he's coming from, Bob.' I said no, no, no, no, no. I understand where I'm coming from," said Wright. "We both took the same damn oath to defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic, and he just said no? No way in hell."

Far from being reprimanded, Abdel-Hafiz was promoted to one of the FBI's most important anti-terrorism posts, the American Embassy in Saudi Arabia, to handle investigations for the FBI in that Muslim country.

Via The Corner.

Posted by drizzten at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I really dislike Bush's manner of speaking. It didn't seem so bad in his first speeches. Things flowed better then. He seemed to have an energy and a drive that tonight's remarks almost completely lacked. It's disappointing he hasn't grown into his public role better.

He also either dodged the points of several questions or simply forgot about them as he rambled over the same issues with Iraq. Some people need to know how bad that country is, but it necessitates repeating only so many times before it becomes irritating.

The most important things he said, in my opinion, were that the US will act on it's own if the UN fails to enforce it's own resolutions. He said Turkey's status in our eyes remains unchanged, but I doubt that's entirely true. When talking about North Korea, I found it striking he mentioned South Korea almost as an afterthought when responding to a question about what the dangers the region faced are. He totally dodged a question about estimated casualty figures. He made scarce mention of the UK and Blair, which is disappointing after all he's done for us.

All in all, some of the things had to be said, but it was delivered poorly and the substance was repetative.

Posted by drizzten at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

55,000+ affected

Computer hackers have obtained the names and Social Security numbers of about 59,000 current and former students, faculty members and staff at the University of Texas at Austin in one of the largest cases of potential identity theft ever reported.

Authorities do not know whether the information has been put to illegal uses such as obtaining credit cards or withdrawing money from financial accounts.

Law enforcement officials were expected to obtain and execute search warrants late Wednesday in Austin and Houston at homes where computers are thought to have been used in the cyberspace break-in.

UT officials suspect the attack was carried out by a student or students, or by people living with students. They said the computer breach could easily have been prevented with basic precautions, adding that the incident will prompt them to redouble security measures and to accelerate a plan to phase out most uses of Social Security numbers on campus.

"We flat out messed up on this one," said Dan Updegrove, the university's vice president for information technology. "Shame on us for leaving the door open, and shame on them for exploiting it. Our number one goal is to get those data back before they get misused."

[...]

Besides names and Social Security numbers, the hackers obtained e-mail addresses and, for some current faculty and staff members, office addresses and phone numbers. No grade, health or benefit records were obtained, Updegrove said.

UT has set up a website for updates and general information. On that website, however, it says the number of people affected by this is actually 55,200. Additional news here and at Slashdot.

Posted by drizzten at 12:51 PM | Permalink

[Updates below.]

Previously, the story was how Texas schools were being hit with Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Now, the story is that this super bacteria is spreading quickly, hitting people outside the healthcare and prison systems.

From New York:

An ingrown hair under his left armpit developed into a "painful pimple" which within days had become the size of a golf ball.

A hospital doctor failed to recognise it as MRSA. The following day, after a visit to his own doctor, he was admitted to hospital with a "raging infection".

"It was incredibly scary. I had spider veining and redness going all the way down my arm," Mr Stephens said. "I couldn?t use my arm at all and it was incredibly painful."

It took six days before doctors found an antibiotic which was effective.

The puncture wound seemed innocuous, but because he's diabetic and wounds are hard to heal, [Fred] Bledsoe cleaned it carefully.

The Fort Wayne man never imagined the antibiotic-resistant bacteria that infected his foot would land him in a local hospital for 10 weeks of unsuccessful treatment, then send him halfway around the world in search of a cure.

The treatment that worked, called bacteriophage, is available only in Russia and parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia, is the world's center for development and use of these naturally occurring viruses that destroy specific bacteria.

It is where Bledsoe found his miracle cure.

He and his family now are spearheading efforts to raise awareness about phage treatment and assist U.S. research to get U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its use in the United States.

But the 46-year-old Bledsoe had to travel a difficult road before finding his cure.
He faced the bleakest of days in September, when, after 2 1/2months of intravenous antibiotics, doctors told him only amputation would stop the spread of staphylococcus. The bacteria was creating oozing wounds on his toes, foot and leg. Dead tissue slowly crept upward.

There is some hope for a slime found in Scotland.

Scientists may have found the answer to Britain's most dangerous hospital superbug -- in slime taken from Scottish rock pools.

Several types of bacteria found by the five-person team produce an antibiotic that acts against the notorious hospital superbug, MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.)

One in particular is so effective it is already attracting keen interest from the big drug companies.

Dr Jonathan David, technical director at the scientists' company AquaPharm Bio-Discovery Ltd, told the Press Association: "It appears to be very potent in terms of what concentration is required to kill MRSA.

"It completely stops them dead, preventing any further growth and killing the existing bacteria."

I'm not buying duct tape and plastic sheeting yet. Perhaps Stephen Green should. *grin*

UPDATE(4/5/2003 noon)
Various related posts can be read here and here.

UPDATE(5/11/2004 12:25pm)
Think it's bad in America? Try the UK.

UPDATE 9/23/2004 12:50pm
There's a case in Hutto ISD.

UPDATED 4/7/2005 2:30pm
New report up in the Los Angeles Times about the spread of the problem: Perilous Bug Is Creeping Onto the Streets

Once confined to hospitals, drug-resistant and potentially deadly staph infections are rising among general population, study finds.

By Charles Piller, Times Staff Writer

Drug-resistant staph infections, once largely confined to hospitals, are far more common in the general population than previously thought, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study examined more than 1,600 cases of the infection caused by a strain of Staphylococcus aureus in Baltimore, Atlanta and Minnesota. Nearly one-fourth of those patients required hospitalization.

In recent years, the potentially deadly infection has been detected in jail inmates, sexually active gay men and professional athletes.

The latest study, conducted by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several other institutions, confirmed that the organism was now circulating widely in the general population.

Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times

From 2001 through 2002, 1647 cases of community-acquired MRSA infection were reported, representing between 8 and 20 percent of all MRSA isolates. The annual disease incidence varied according to site (25.7 cases per 100,000 population in Atlanta vs. 18.0 per 100,000 in Baltimore) and was significantly higher among persons less than two years old than among those who were two years of age or older (relative risk, 1.51; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.19 to 1.92) and among blacks than among whites in Atlanta (age-adjusted relative risk, 2.74; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.44 to 3.07). Six percent of cases were invasive, and 77 percent involved skin and soft tissue. The infecting strain of MRSA was often (73 percent) resistant to prescribed antimicrobial agents. Among patients with skin or soft-tissue infections, therapy to which the infecting strain was resistant did not appear to be associated with adverse patient-reported outcomes. Overall, 23 percent of patients were hospitalized for the MRSA infection.

UPDATED 5/31/2006 6:51pm
A comment from reader Rita Lucero [NRLucero (AT) msn (DOT) com]:

I am just astounded by the lack of knowledge the community and the health field actually know about MRSA. This is my sisters story and she is 23 from Fremont Nebraska, married with three children; ages 5, 3 and 8 months:
About four weeks ago, my sister's brother-in-law came to their home to visit, hang out, etc. He had recently received a tattoo there in Fremont at Dr Jacks Ink Emporium. (There was a 'bur' on the needle and nearly half the tat was painfully done before the needle was changed and noticed the 'bur'.) My sister noticed it was infected and there was a clear liquid oozing from the new tattoo. He went to the tattoo parlor two times, the first time the apprentice/Manager (weird huh) said he needed to stop using the cream, that must be causing the infection. He did mention he used the cream on other tats and had no issue like this. He then came back the second time and saw the apprentice that did his tattoo and he blew it off, too.

Onto the Terrible Story...
The three year old boy had a painful absess near his groin and it was buldging out so they took him to the dr and said it was an absessed hernia. They admitted him immediately, put him on IV and did surgery to remove the absess. Later find out it was not a hernia but Staph Aureus. At one point my sister is told they were suppose to be giving him meds every 6 hrs but they were doing it every 12 hrs. He was in the hospital with that open/packed wound for six days and went home. While in the hospital we were never once told it was contagious, there were no isolation procedures followed and there were several family members that were in that hospital room to visit including his mother of course and his eight month old sister.

Then the eight month old had a case of diaper rash on her bottom and it seemed to get worse and worse and spread with immense redness. My sister paniced and took her to the dr where she was also admitted, put on iv and taken into surgery. They also cut a section from the inside of her thigh and left the wound packed and open to drain. We then hear from a friends mother who is an RN that this is contagious.... then we find out the little girl has MRSA, she contracted it from her three year old brother and it wasn't just Staph Aureus as first told. Still no isolation procedure was followed and my sister was being told so little that he had to leave notes for the dr to answer since he didn't come around much if at all. They then say, yeah it is contagious.

A few days later my sister develops a red lump on her stomache and it gets larger and larger. They give her a shot in the buttox and sends her on her way after simply draining the sore, without surgery. My neice gets released from the hospital and goes home and is still nursing from my sister. Then they are all home together finally after the last two weeks in the hospital.

Two days later my sisters stomache sore gets so bad she is admitted into the hospital and taken into surgery and of course put on an IV. After getting out of surgery several hours later the surgeon asks questions about being in the health care industry, etc. trying to find the cause for this SUPER BUG. The ONLY possible connection is the 'infected tattoo' and the MRSA the family members contracted so seriously. My sister is now out of the hospital but has only been out for a few days. She has severe pain, emotional and mental anguish not to mention the anxiety and paranoia of re-contracting this DISEASE. We did not know that it is something that can come back, we didn't know the seriousness of this. Why wasn't anyone told about the isolation procedures for this type of infection? We do not understand how such a serious issue is being kept so quiet, so hush hush.

We have contacted the tattoo parlor and did find out their location has yet to be inspected by the Health Department and that Nebraska does not have regulations on tattoos. This amazes me. Don't you think this did come from that tattoo being infected. Don't you think there is both negligence on the part of the tattoo parlor and on the hospital?

My sister is on Zymox now and her prescription is $1072.-- and that is only 16 pills. We are very concerned and are planning on continuing our research and making changes. Please contact me ASAP if you have any comments, input, suggestions, or ideas. Thanks so much, bless you all!!!!
Concerned Big Sis,
Rita Lucero
Eastern Nebraska

Posted by drizzten at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (355)

Stalin died fifty years go and yet some people still don't take him seriously

Some readers will find the comparison with Hitler offensive. In fact, Stalin was worse. Alexander Yakovlev, an expert on Stalin's crimes, estimates that his victims totalled more than 30 million. To give some idea of the scale of this: Stalin's body count is the equivalent to an army of 1.5 million Fred Wests, or 10,000 11 Septembers.

[...]

One anecdote will have to suffice to give some sense of Stalin's contempt for human life. His wife Nadezhda began in the early 1930s to teach courses in textile production in an attempt to escape the misery of life in the Kremlin. She and her students carried out assignments in the Russian countryside, where she witnessed the degeneration of the peasantry because of Stalin's policy of forced seizures. According to the historian Robert Conquest, 3.5 million people starved to death, and cannibalism became rife. Nadezhda's students were so shocked that they insisted on reporting back to the great leader Stalin. They did, and Stalin had them all arrested for "sedition". Nadezhda killed herself not long afterwards.

Posted by drizzten at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I was standing in line at a HEB to pay my SBC phone bill. Ahead of me was a man and his wife/girlfriend. From behind, it looked like he was wearing a baseball hat and it was twisted off-center. All I could see was the "back" of the hat and some team logo.

When they were called up next to the counter, I got a chance to see him from the side and the front. He wasn't wearing a baseball hat backwards or sideways or what have you...there wasn't a brim on the hat at all. The man was essentially wearing a baseball beanie.

I'd like to go back to the HEB and review their security camera footage of me in line. I'm sure my facial expression when I realized this is worth preserving. I've never heard of a brimless baseball cap, nor ever expected to see one. I mean, how are your friends supposed to run up and knock the hat off your head? Do you wear sunglasses when it gets bright outside? Is this some secret International Jewish Conspiracy to slowly deprive us of our shading headgear by eroding our All-American Traditions???

Or is this hat idea just stOOpid? I wonder how much the guy paid for it. If I saw them priced the same as normal hats, I'd be kinda miffed.

Posted by drizzten at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

"Including federal, state and local officials, our estimate is about 1,200 were involved, just on that day," Drug Enforcement Agency spokesman Will Glaspy says by phone. Among them, "easily hundreds" of U.S. agents were deployed "about 103 U.S. Marshals alone," Justice spokesman Drew Wade adds. "It was just exhaustive." The Feds responsible include prosecutors in eleven U.S. attorneys' offices from southern California to western Pennsylvania. Rather than guard America's docks and porous borders from the next Mohamed Atta, Customs and Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel joined the anti-pipe posse.

This federal overreach featured an unhealthy dose of rhetorical overkill. "People selling drug paraphernalia," said acting DEA chief John Brown, "are as much a part of drug trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide." Yes, and wineglass makers cause drunk-driving deaths.

"This is futile and foolish."

I couldn't agree more. Hopefully, the true small-government conservatives will stand up and demand the Republican posers back down on their anti-pot stance, which makes it illegal, which only drives up the price of the drug, which makes cartels flourish, which drives crime, and (most importantly) which takes away our fundamental right to our own bodies.

Posted by drizzten at 12:36 PM | Permalink

I agree with some the basic statements in this LewRockwell.com article, but I do have some opposing points.

TV, along with sugar, is one of the great evils in society.

the producers always manage to scour up some footage of debris from the bottom tiers of the urban social order.

Not including the programs available on cable:

FOX has 24, King of the Hill, That '70s Show, and John Doe.

NBC has Law & Order and Scrubs.

ABC only has Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

CBS has CSI and Everybody Loves Raymond.

I think these are all good shows that go beyond the bullshit reality fare and offer moral lessons, critical thinking tests, and humor that is more than slapstick. Of course, I'd rather finish reading Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand or Capitalism by George Reisman. I'd rather spend more time with this great gal I met. I'd rather read the news and post witty commentary. I'd rather sleep.

I don't watch that much TV. I don't have cable and my Wal-mart antenna only picks up FOX. Blurrily. When I watch television, it's at a friend's house. He doesn't have cable either, so we only get the basic networks. And after working all day and dealing with morons, idiots, buffoons, jackasses, dolts, and the rest of the Texas population, relaxing in front of the TV is a way of unwinding.

There's more than snobbery in being able to say you don't watch television – for example, there are practical benefits, such as being able to find the people you want to meet at parties. As soon as you admit you don't know any of the characters in Friends, indeed that you've never seen an episode, the Friends fans will begin to wander away from you, while the attractive, vibrant, professional person there will wander over and ask what you think of, say, the relationships between property rights and political freedom.

Who wants to deal with the collective, I-need-to-be-entertained mentality of the TV crowd day in and day out?

Our formerly intellectual American culture is sunk. Perhaps it is lost forever. The docile masses are in a perpetual trance from the daily absorption of TV, propaganda, and State edicts. They take anything and everything at face value. TV is a way for them to be led to the herding gates, waiting for the next order. TV keeps them entertained and at bay. It’s stunning how easily so many people are amused by the stupid and meaningless. The stupider the sitcom, the more people like it. As a matter of fact, we voted 2-0 on Friends being the most brainless TV series ever. Or should it be Married With Children?

The TV watching masses make up the perfect audience to take marching orders from the State. They love TV, and it often seems that some of them would give you their children before they'd give up their TV.

Posted by drizzten at 02:03 AM | Permalink

Human Rights Watch urges property rights

An international human rights organization on Tuesday urged Kenya's new reform-minded government to act decisively to redress the widespread abuse of women's property rights.

"This is a pivotal time for change," said Janet Walsh, author of the Human Rights Watch report that says the abuse of women's property rights in Kenya and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa perpetuates their inequality, stymies development efforts and undermines the fight against AIDS.

When her husband died, a woman identified only as Rose said she refused to adhere to her tribe's custom and be "inherited" by one of her dead husband's brothers after being ritually "cleansed" unprotected sex with a man outside the family.

"My brothers-in-law took everything because I refused to be inherited, and they threatened me," she said. "I didn't go to the authorities because I knew I couldn't win."

She was left with nothing for her and her five children.

Customary law often takes precedence over modern legislation in Africa, particularly in the areas of adoption, marriage, divorce, burial and devolution of property that most directly affect women.

Modern Kenyan law recognizes gender equality, but it bows to custom and tradition on nearly everything that affects women's rights to property.

Many male and some female legislators in Africa argue that custom and tradition serve to hold communities together and should be respected.

Posted by drizzten at 12:08 AM | Permalink

[Updates below.]

State Income Tax

One day the people of Texas will come to say those dreaded three little words and eventually come to accept them.

I probably won't be around to see it, but it will come.

[...]

Perhaps I should use the technique of the late Fred Rogers - the beloved sweater-wearing guy from that special neighborhood on PBS - to help me teach these new words to you.

All right, boys and girls, ladies and gents, politicians and taxpayers, get ready and repeat after me:

State ... income ... tax.

Can you say that?

Sure you can.

Let's try one more time.

State ... income ... tax.

See, I knew you could do it.

Kiss My Ass.

Bob Ray Sanders thinks that simply reducing the state budget and making government more efficient isn't enough to solve the state's money problems, specifically with education. He thinks Texas needs a way to take more money from us and give it to others. He wants the Grand Statist Hammer of an income tax to take us away into some dream world where it isn't theft to take money from me when I don't want that money to be taken.

Mr. Sanders states that Texas is one of the last seven in the United States which do not have an income tax, and he views this as a bad thing, an absurd thing. Of course, he may have the x% of his income to spare and may feel that x% is reasonable for all those in his income bracket to pay. Of course, the poor, destitute, disabled, and legally-shrewd won't be paying as much as everyone else and you can be damn sure "the rich" will be forced to pay more. Because they have more. Needless to say, even if I feel generous and declare x-y% of my income fit to be spent by the state, in the public forum my opinion is taken as meaningless at best and heartless, greedy, and cruel to the Unfortunate at worst. Depending on whom you talk to.

One of the reasons I do like Texas is that there is no income tax. I would think twice about staying here if one is implemented in order to solve the public education problem. If there was ever an instance of the "solution" being worse than the "problem," this is it.

UPDATE(4/15/2004 2:55pm)
It's Income Tax Day. Read it and weep. Also, keep an eye on Rep. Eddie Rodriguez's Texas income tax plan. Boo!

UPDATE(4/28/2004 9:26am)
The proposed solutions for Texas school financing aren't any better.

Posted by drizzten at 05:21 PM | Permalink

Am I punny or what?

Via GoodShit.

Posted by drizzten at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Following up my previous post regarding pot laws, here are the results of a Texas Statute search for "marijuana." The first thing I noticed was that the Texas Legislature and Consitiution spell "marijuana" as "marihuana." The second thing I noticed is that they really need to work on their seach system to cut down on these irrelevant seach matches. The third thing I noted was that there are a lot of fucking laws and regulations in Texas. I'll stick to discussing weed for now. I'll post exactly how these laws impact in a future post. Also, many of these laws reference the Controlled Substances Act, passed in the federal Congress in 1970.

As of 3/3/2003*, I got 68 matching documents, listed in order of relevance and linked to the document in question:

1. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 481, TEXAS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT
2. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 431, TEXAS FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC ACT
3. Agriculture - CHAPTER 61, INSPECTION, LABELING, AND SALE OF AGRICULTURAL AND VEGETABLE SEED (false positive, no actual matches)
4. Tax - CHAPTER 159, CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES TAX
5. Tax - CHAPTER 151, LIMITED SALES, EXCISE, AND USE TAX (false positive, no actual matches)
6. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 469, DRUG COURT PROGRAMS
7. Insurance - CHAPTER 3, LIFE, HEALTH AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE
8. Human Resources - CHAPTER 31, GENERAL LAND OFFICE (false positive, no actual matches)
9. Government - CHAPTER 76, COMMUNITY SUPERVISION AND CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENTS
10. Education - CHAPTER 37, DISCIPLINE; LAW AND ORDER
11. Code of Criminal Procedure - CHAPTER 18, SEARCH WARRANTS
12. Code of Criminal Procedure - CHAPTER 15, ARREST UNDER WARRANT
13. Code of Criminal Procedure - CHAPTER 13, VENUE
14. Agriculture - CHAPTER 78, NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL DISTRICTS (false positive, no actual matches)
15. Water - CHAPTER 26, WATER QUALITY CONTROL (false positive, no actual matches)
16. Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes - TITLE 112, RAILROADS (false positive, no actual matches)
17. Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes - TITLE 4, AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE (false positive, no actual matches)
18. Occupations - CHAPTER 1951, STRUCTURAL PEST CONTROL
19. Agriculture - CHAPTER 167, TICK ERADICATION (false positive, no actual matches)
20. Agriculture - CHAPTER 76, PESTICIDE AND HERBICIDE REGULATION (false positive, no actual matches)
21. Agriculture - CHAPTER 71, GENERAL CONTROL (false positive, no actual matches)
22. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 792, SMOKE DETECTORS IN HOTELS (false positive, no actual matches)
23. Water - CHAPTER 41, RIO GRANDE COMPACT (false positive, no actual matches)
24. Penal - CHAPTER 48, CONDUCT AFFECTING PUBLIC HEALTH (false positive, no actual matches)
25. Property - CHAPTER 92, RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES (false positive, no actual matches)
26. Natural Resources - CHAPTER 12, RED RIVER BOUNDARY COMPACT (false positive, no actual matches)
27. Water - CHAPTER 47, CADDO LAKE COMPACT (false positive, no actual matches)
28. Water - CHAPTER 46, RED RIVER COMPACT (false positive, no actual matches)
29. Water - CHAPTER 43, CANADIAN RIVER COMPACT (false positive, no actual matches)
30. Water - CHAPTER 42, PECOS RIVER COMPACT (false positive, no actual matches)
31. Water - CHAPTER 11, WATER RIGHTS (false positive, no actual matches)
32. Water - CHAPTER 7, ENFORCEMENT (false positive, no actual matches)
33. Transportation - CHAPTER 647, MOTOR TRANSPORTATION OF MIGRANT AGRICULTURAL WORKERS (false positive, no actual matches)
34. Transportation - CHAPTER 547, VEHICLE EQUIPMENT (false positive, no actual matches)
35. Transportation - CHAPTER 472, MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS (false positive, no actual matches)
36. Tax - CHAPTER 155, CIGARS AND TOBACCO PRODUCTS TAX (false positive, no actual matches)
37. Tax - CHAPTER 154, CIGARETTE TAX (false positive, no actual matches)
38. Tax - CHAPTER 1, GENERAL PROVISIONS (false positive, no actual matches)
39. Property - CHAPTER 94, MANUFACTURED HOME TENANCIES
40. Parks & Wildlife - CHAPTER 88, ENDANGERED PLANTS (false positive, no actual matches)
41. Parks & Wildlife - CHAPTER 71, LICENSES AND REGULATIONS
42. Occupations - CHAPTER 1702, PRIVATE SECURITY
43. Natural Resources - CHAPTER 134, TEXAS SURFACE COAL MINING AND RECLAMATION ACT (false positive, no actual matches)
44. Natural Resources - CHAPTER 87, REGULATION OF SOUR NATURAL GAS (false positive, no actual matches)
45. Natural Resources - CHAPTER 61, USE AND MAINTENANCE OF PUBLIC BEACHES (false positive, no actual matches)
46. Local Government - CHAPTER 352, COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION (false positive, no actual matches)
47. Insurance - CHAPTER 911, FARM MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANIES (false positive, no actual matches)
48. Insurance - CHAPTER 16, FARM MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANIES (false positive, no actual matches)
49. Insurance - CHAPTER 5, RATING AND POLICY FORMS
50. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 825, PREDATORY ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PESTS (false positive, no actual matches)
51. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 775, EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICTS (false positive, no actual matches)
52. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 438, PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES RELATING TO FOOD
53. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 432, FOOD, DRUG, DEVICE, AND COSMETIC SALVAGE ACT
54. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 382, CLEAN AIR ACT (false positive, no actual matches)
55. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 363, MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (false positive, no actual matches)
56. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 361, SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL ACT
57. Government - CHAPTER 511, COMMISSION ON JAIL STANDARDS (false positive, no actual matches)
58. Education - CHAPTER 88, AGENCIES AND SERVICES OF THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM (false positive, no actual matches)
59. Education - CHAPTER 51, PROVISIONS GENERALLY APPLICABLE TO HIGHER EDUCATION (false positive, no actual matches)
60. Agriculture - CHAPTER 201, SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION (false positive, no actual matches)
61. Agriculture - CHAPTER 161, GENERAL DISEASE AND PEST CONTROL (false positive, no actual matches)
62. Agriculture - CHAPTER 142, ESTRAYS (false positive, no actual matches)
63. Agriculture - CHAPTER 134, REGULATION OF AQUACULTURE (false positive, no actual matches)
64. Agriculture - CHAPTER 14, REGULATION OF PUBLIC GRAIN WAREHOUSE OPERATORS (false positive, no actual matches)
65. Agriculture - CHAPTER 12, POWERS AND DUTIES (false positive, no actual matches)
66. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 342, LOCAL REGULATION OF SANITATION (false positive, no actual matches)
67. Health & Safety - CHAPTER 343, ABATEMENT OF PUBLIC NUISANCES (false positive, no actual matches)
68. Transportation - CHAPTER 311, GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO MUNICIPAL STREETS (false positive, no actual matches)

*The website indicates changes made by the 78th Legislature won't be updated to this site until 2004, so for now, we get to use this search page to look for any affected bills.

Posted by drizzten at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Sick and out. Be back later.

Posted by drizzten at 11:32 AM | Permalink