Magnifisyncopathological

Dave and Ruth share a moment

Posted by drizzten at 09:35 PM | Permalink

[Updates below.]

AP via Breitbart.com: 'View Tax' Triggers Revolt in Rural N.H.

By KATHARINE WEBSTER
Associated Press Writer

ORFORD, N.H.

The one-room cabin David Bischoff built in a cow pasture three years ago has no electricity, no running water, no phone service and no driveway. What it does have is a wide-open view of nearby hills and distant mountains - which makes it seven times more valuable than if it had no view, according to the latest townwide property assessment. He expects his property taxes to shoot up accordingly.

Bischoff and other Orford residents bitterly call that a "view tax," and they are leading a revolt against it that has gained support in many rural towns in New Hampshire.

State officials say there is no such thing as a "view tax" - it is a "view factor," and it has always been a part of property assessments. The only change is that views have become so valuable in some towns that assessors are giving them a separate line on appraisal records.

The change has stirred passions in Orford, a town of 1,040 that overlooks the Connecticut River and has views of neighboring Vermont and the White Mountains.

It's what want to hear. It's what ought to happen.

One big reason the reassessment has alarmed townspeople in Orford and beyond is that housing prices - and consequently property taxes - are shooting up in New England because of an influx of vacation-home buyers and retirees willing to pay top dollar for beautiful views.

The Orford Board of Selectmen, of which Bischoff is chairman, voted in September to set aside the revaluation by Avitar Associates of New England until the Legislature comes up with objective standards for valuing views.

I'm glad I keep my hair close-cropped because I'd have ripped it out by now.

UPDATED 11/1/2005 2:22pm
I wonder what the Free State Project folks think about this? I see nothing on their front page or in the news section of their forum.

In other news on the subject...

New Hampshire Union Leader: View tax fight splits Orford

Town Treasurer Carl Cassel said Selectmen Chairman David Bischoff and Selectman Paul Carreiro have a conflict of interest because they own view properties.

Franklin responded that every town has similar conflicts they need to rise above, since selectmen are the ultimate assessing authority.

Bischoff said Avitar relied on a few big land sales to set the value of views across the entire town. That led to flawed results that increased one parcel's value by a factor of 14, he said.

"Someone will have to prove to me that a two-acre lot in Orford is worth $350,000," he said.

BTLA member Michele LeBrun noted that if the town undervalues views, average homeowners without views will pay artificially high taxes.

Avitar President and CEO Gary Roberge said that view values on 108 of 131 parcels ranged from $25,000 to $50,000. One was set at a town high of $300,000. View properties are jumping in value the way waterfront property did in the 1990s, he said.

"It is market value that everything is governed by, and I believe we've captured that market value," he said.

Franklin told Roberge he did not show enough of his analysis for homeowners to know whether their home is assessed correctly.

Copyright © 2005

Boston Globe: Orford defends decision to ignore "view tax" (October 17, 2005)

Selectmen for Orford went before a state board Monday to defend their rejection of a so-called "view tax" assessors recently assigned to mountain and rural views on 129 properties in their town.

The hearing revealed a deep divide between Orford residents whose assessments shot up because of a view and the approximately 500 homeowners without views.

Selectman Paul Carreiro said the assessment process was so deeply flawed and subjective the town could not defend the 2005 revaluation by Avitar Associates of New England.

[...]

During a break in the hearing, Carreiro vowed to defy any tax board order to use the 2005 assessments, saying he is unwilling to make unhappy taxpayers go through lengthy and expensive appeals.

"I will not sign anything," he said. "Civil disobedience is what this country was founded on."

Gary Roberge, president of Avitar, acknowledged that his assessors made some errors, but said his company re-assessed the view factor on all Orford properties after several people complained.

He suggested a big part of the problem lies in the state's heavy reliance on property taxes to fund nearly everything, instead of a general sales or income tax.

"Unfortunately, people who have lived there all their lives, whose property has gone down through their families, can no longer afford to stay there," Roberge said. "It's not fair market value that's the unfortunate part. The property tax system is the unfortunate part."

© Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Thus, I present to you in the Concord Monitor, an op-ed by a David Irwin: Thank 'Pledge' for the view tax:

The once proud Yankees of Orford have degenerated into a bunch of sniveling whiners.

[...]

Orford's an unlikely site for a debate over property taxes. It's the town that gave us Mel Thomson, and Thomson gave us New Hampshire politics as we know it, including the property tax as the primary source of government revenue.

[...]

Thomson gained the Republican nomination by defeating incumbent Walter Peterson, who had suggested the state might need additional sources of revenue. To Thomson, that raised the specter of a sales or income tax, and he went around putting up road signs, some handmade, displaying exactly eight letters: Ax the tax.

Opponents of the view tax generally make this argument: People whose properties have remarkable views are being assessed for something beyond their control, and the additional taxes levied on these properties often cause a hardship for farmers and others who occupied the land long before New Hampshire property values soared.

The argument is nonsense. Property taxes are based on market value, and that market value is always beyond the control of the individual property owner.

[...]

Owners of waterfront properties have seen their values increase exponentially in a market apparently fueled by the low interest rates, the maturing of the baby boom generation and speculative fever. Property owners on the southern tier have seen properties increase in value because of the spillover of population from Massachusetts.

None of those complex economic factors is any more under the control of the individual property owner than the turning of the foliage in the Vermont hills across the river from Orford.

You can also leave rusting cars and other junk out in your front yard, cracked foundations unrepaired, water wells caved-in, cracked windows facing the street, and legal entanglements unresolved.

Furthermore, the actual market value of a property is not known until it is sold voluntarily. Up to that point, it is all speculation based on guesses and comparisons. In a society that respects the private ownership of property (a society we do not live in), that property cannot be sold until the owner says so. No matter how many offers he or she gets, the final decision is theirs.

It is true that beyond the kinds of actions given as examples above, you still can't really force others to change their evaluation of a property. That's a process that belongs solely to the individual. It is also true that what happens on the and to the property of others adjacent to or involved with the property of the owner in question is rarely within direct control of the owner. From those perspectives, Mr. Irwin is correct.

And the hardship the view tax causes some of the people of Orford isn't imposed upon them by the assessors. It's a function of a political system that was cast in concrete in 1972 when Orford sent its school board chairman to the State House. They should stop sniveling and live with what they wrought.

Copyright 1997-2005 Concord Monitor and New Hampshire Patriot

On the other hand, there are those who did not participate in those votes, those who have changed their minds since voting, and those who didn't vote against income or property taxes. The analysis gets muddier here, but if this is a free society, then the consent of the governed can be revoked and modified.

In this case, these people who suddenly face thousands of extra dollars in property tax "liability" shouldn't be insulted as "sniveling whiners." They should be supported in their fight against the system and then educated to the fact that their anti-tax stance should include not just sales and income taxes (and what about the federal income tax?), but property taxes as well. All taxes should be opposed and for the same reason: they constitute theft.

Posted by drizzten at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

When I hear that the black community presents plans for quality of life to improve in Austin, the first thing I think of is:

Excellent! They are setting up goals and strategies to help reduce unwed teen pregnancy. They want to help pursue and fight the criminals in their communities. They seek to perhaps combine their resources to self-fund families on the edge, to perhaps move the ones worth saving out of dangerous and filthy apartments to proper homes. They might try to combat the prevailing glorification of violence, avarice, and irresponsibility in youth culture. They aim to assist blacks with their first-time business plans and support established companies by helping them with loans and investment advice. They are going to identify the rot in their neighborhoods and try to remove it. They are going to attempt long-term renewal projects that go beyond the superficial and provide lasting dividends.

Following months of forums and discussions, the group gave the city 58 recommendations. City officials then created subcommittees to reevaluate those recommendations. After months of compromise, community and city leaders have agreed on an implementation plan.

Austin NAACP President Nelson Linder said it's been a great effort between the community and the city, but "It's also been a challenge because, in reality, these issues that we're addressing require financial commitment and financial investment."

Culture and Arts Committee Cochair Lisa Byrd said the committee focused on six areas, including health, safety, employment, neighborhood sustainability, culture and police.

[...]

In the end, initiatives in all six areas were set. Some include developing a program to recruit more African-American health care professionals, examining psychological screening to ensure the police department does not hire individuals with patters of racist tendencies, promoting Austin's African-American culture, history, and restaurants on the Convention and Visitor's Bureau Web site and merging the African-American Chamber of Commerce with the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce on recruitment initiatives.

Copyright ©2005TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

• Do African Americans experience challenges different from others in Austin?
  
• What can local government do to retain & attract African Americans so that Austin maintains a diverse economy & culture?

"Name the theatre at the Carver Museum after the late Boyd Vance"?
"[R]ecruit more African American health care professionals...who will increase utilization and face-to-face patient consultation and education"?
"Ensure that input is solicited from African American businesses and organizations regarding the use of funds devoted to business and economic development"?
"Bring the physical environment of East Austin up to the level of the physical environment in other areas using the arsenal of tools available to the City"?
"Develop a page on city’s website that is dedicated to African American
educational issues and resources"?

This is a 51-page presentation and there are more ideas in it than the ones above, some of which do seem potentially effective. Of course, the bulk of them are to be financed through the various levels of government, imposing upon the rest of us additional tax burdens such as new city government jobs, grants, advisory committees, and low- or no-interest loans.

C'mon, folks. Don't turn to the government to force us to solve your problems. There are other ways.

Posted by drizzten at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

AP via ABCNEWS: Bush Stung As Miers Withdraws Nomination

There were fresh problems at mid-week, including the disclosure of a speech Miers delivered in 1993 that touched on the issues of abortion and voluntary school prayer. "The underlying theme in most of these cases is the insistence of more self-determination. And the more I think about these issues, the more self-determination makes the most sense," she said, remarks that sparked fresh criticism from conservative groups.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Because if the life someone chooses, if the actions taken by a person, if these and an individual's values are and ought to remain self-determined, you kick out a leg from the government justification tripod...the one carrying the most weight.

Posted by drizzten at 12:57 AM | Permalink

In the Middle East, in the period between 1968 and 1990, terrorism was used by secular transnational organizations from various regions such as the Palestinian Liberation Front, Black June of Palestine, the Red Brigades in Italy, the Basque Fatherland in Spain, First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Group in Spain, Peoples Struggles and People's Resistance Groups in Iran, the Irish Republican Army in Belfast, the Tupamaros of Paraguay and Argentina, and the Shining Path movement in Peru. These secular and socialist movements, with a few exceptions, almost disappeared in the 1990s.

-Understanding Terrorism: Threats in an Uncertain World, 2004, page 69

This is a question that I rarely see asked and answered during the thousands of hours/pages of talking-head/written journalism expended over the last four years. When I grew up in the 1980's, "terrorist" meant one of two things: either you were a European radical trying to scare the authorities into giving up imprisoned fellow travelers or you were trying to scare people out of Israel. The former have nearly gone silent. Why? The quoted passage is from an essay titled "Terrorism, 'True Believers,' and the Attack on Globalization" and was written by Sheldon Smith. He hits on something and attempts to explain it on the next page, but doesn't really satisfy.

You'd think that the near-total inactivity (or growing ineptitude or inability to find support) of a spectrum of violent organizations over a relatively clearly-defined timeline would generate more interest. After 9/11, we plagued ourselves with counter-terrorism questions.

The only reason I can think of that intellectuals and academics didn't tear open this subject is because they think what the world faced then is not the same as what the world faces now. If the two operate on vastly different premises, the solution for one isn't likely to be the solution for the other. For example:

• Secular vs. religious
  
• Keen on gaining popular support vs. apocalyptic indifference towards persuasion
  
• Politically ideological vs. emotionally results-oriented

If anyone has any resources on this idea, please send them this way.

Posted by drizzten at 10:52 PM | Permalink

This was a late-night job with utterly no prior planning, so if anyone has comments or suggestions or even complaints, feel free to post them here. I do like the three primary colors and how they work together so don't expect to get very far with requests to change them.

At some point I'll try to reduce these sharp edges and soften the rectangular shapes. A few well-placed graphics will liven things up somewhat. Of course, I'll have to obtain or create those graphics, so it might take a while.

Posted by drizzten at 01:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

News8Austin: Texas soldier was 2,000th war casualty

SAN ANTONIO -- A soldier who listed his official home as Killeen died over the weekend at Brooke Army Medical Center, becoming the 2,000th service member to die in the Iraq war.

Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr. died Saturday from injuries he suffered five days earlier. The Defense Department says that an improvised bomb detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Samarra.

Alexander, 34, was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga.

Officials at Fort Hood say Alexander was born in Virginia and was last stationed at Fort Hood in 1996.

The Pentagon also reported the death of Sgt. Jacob D. Dones of Dimmitt, southwest of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle.

Copyright ©2005TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

Posted by drizzten at 11:28 PM | Permalink

Rest in Piece, in a place where the bastards can't tell you how to live your life. Because that's what made you special in my mind: you believed you "had endured that kind of treatment for too long."

And even though the ultimate legal outcome of the struggle she participated in imposed laws that attempted to tell others how to live their lives, I can't fault her for the courage it took to tell that person, the prevailing attitude, and The Law "no" and mean it. Such people are in short supply.

Posted by drizzten at 08:23 AM | Permalink

The color scheme will remain essentially the same, as will the layout. The biggest change will be in the About the Author page. It is getting a substantial and functional overhaul. The current page will simply no longer do.

Posted by drizzten at 01:13 AM | Permalink

I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy foods. I'm 25 freakin' years old and it was only a few years ago that I started enjoying some salsas. I mean, I only first voluntarily put Tabasco on my food in 2004. Whenever my dad told me "c'mon, Chas, these are sweet jalapenos" I'd look at him with barely disguised scorn, the kind of scorn that can only be projected from bad experiences.

But one cannot remain skeptical of spicy foods forever when one lives in Central Texas, especially with the friends I have. So I've been pushing my envelope over time as mentioned above. At Freebirds, I'll dash on some of their hot sauce in addition to their mild green sauce on my burritos. I'm no longer totally apprehensive about containers filled with chunky red and green stuff next to tortilla chips at parties. Hell, I even sprinkle the chicken breasts I cook at home with crushed red pepper.

So I tried Schlotzsky's Louisiana Hot Sauce with my Double Cheese and Pepperoni pizza today. My verdict:

Meh.

The vinegar taste was more prominent than anything else. That died away somewhat quickly to reveal the spicy aspects, but I had to dab on more sauce to get the spice...which meant more vinegar to deal with. The peppers did emerge to leave a pleasant afterburn as I drive back to work, but it didn't stand up to a few sips of Sprite.

Perhaps it was the pizza? I haven't tried the sauce on anything else or by itself.

Posted by drizzten at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

TO DO:

1. gather anime for viewing tonight (perhaps Outlaw Star, or Samurai 7)
   
2. compile the next Federal Register Watch
   
3. finish my assignments for my latest St. Edwards University class, Terrorism/Disaster Preparedness (more on this later)

ONWARD!

Posted by drizzten at 03:44 PM | Permalink

...proves to me that the American system of Constitutional government is utterly fucking doomed.

Imagine this:

A natural catastrophe of unprecedented proportions strikes a large metropolitan area of the United States. More than a thousand are dead; hundreds of thousands are homeless; millions are directly affected; billions of dollars are estimated in damage. A junior Senator has offered amendments to a recent spending bill that would redirect hundreds of millions of dollars from five "earmarks" to go towards rebuilding devastated infastructure.

What do you think the Senate reaction is? Bipartisan support or a razor-thin bitter fight to the end?

How about bipartisan opposition?

I've been fairly convinced of this for some time, but reading the reactions of conservatives to the 86-13 and 82-15 "no" votes are just hilarious in their myopia, ignorance, and wasted hope. If I have time later today, I'll compile a list of the hysteria.

Posted by drizzten at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The second of two backlogged columns is up at Strike the Root.

Posted by drizzten at 08:36 AM | Permalink

[Updates below.]

Austin-American Statesman: 22 Austin leaders denounce gay marriage ban (link will rot)

Twenty-two elected local leaders, including Austin Mayor Will Wynn and Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe, pronounced their opposition Monday to a proposal before voters to ban same-sex marriage in Texas.

Proposition 2 on the Nov. 8 ballot would define marriage in the state constitution as between one man and one woman.

Wynn, at a news conference outside City Hall, said: "A fundamental cultural characteristic of Texas is that we mind our own business." He said Texans should avoid turning personal opinions into laws.

[...]

Six of seven Austin City Council members signed on in opposition to the amendment, along with four of five Travis County Commission members.

Copyright 2001-2005 Cox Texas Newspapers, L.P. All rights reserved.

"We mind our own business"? I wonder if anyone laughed out loud in the audience at hearing that. The quickest riposte to that drivel is called the Austin smoking ban.***

Such a statement might have passed the smell test a few generations ago, but I'm convinced it's roadkill these days. Let's put this supposed cultural standard to a basic test. From the City of Austin's website:

Code Compliance: Zoning & Land Use

Home Occupations

Home businesses are allowed on residentially zoned properties providing the following guidelines are followed:

• Business must be conducted entirely within the dwelling or one accessory structure
  
• No signs advertising the business are allowed on the premises
  
• One person only, who does not live on the premises is allowed to participate in the business
  
• No more than three vehicle trips per day of customer related traffic to and from the premises
  
• All materials used in business must be screened from ordinary public view
  
• Only two (2) garage sales are permitted in a twelve-month period

Code Compliance: Yards and Vacant Lots

Report the following problems on vacant or occupied properties to Solid Waste Services at 494-9400 or by email:

• Tall weeds or grass (over 12 inches)
  
• Accumulations of junk, brush, trash & debris
  
• Stagnant water, including improperly stored tires, neglected swimming pools or poorly graded areas
  
• Illegal dumping (but report illegal dumping "in progress" to the Austin Police Department's non-emergency number, 311)
  
• Improper storage of garbage carts

[...]

How It Works

After a complaint is made, an inspector visits the property in question. If violations are found, the property owner receives a "Notice of Violation" and has seven days, from receipt, to resolve the problem. Compliance is confirmed by a follow-up inspection. Violators will usually correct the violation and no further action is required.

When a violation on vacant property is not corrected, the City will clean the property at the owner's expense. If a violation on occupied property is not corrected, criminal charges are filed by the City of Austin in Municipal Court. Fines can vary up to a maximum of $2000 per day.

Code Compliance: Your Responsibility to Avoid Code Violations

Austin's City Codes are designed to protect the health and property of Austin residents.

Whoever is in charge of a property (owners, tenants, residents, etc.) is responsible for ensuring that property is being used appropriately. They are also responsible for keeping the property and any associated sidewalk, alley or street adjacent to the property free of trash, debris and tall grasses. Property owners must ensure that all structures on their property conform to the Uniform Housing Code and the Dangerous Building Code. Failure to comply with City codes may result in criminal charges being filed against you, a lien being placed on your property for the cost of clearance or repair, and/or demolition of dangerous structures.

*gritted teeth*

What a fucking hypocritical, soundbite-seeking prick.

How about an extended trip through the Austin City Code? Regulations galore! Here is just a sampling of the local laws and ordinances that I found attempting to prevent, ban, interfere, interrupt, disrupt, obstruct, forbid, prohibit, frustrate, meddle with and outlaw the affairs, property, and businesses of private individuals:

TITLE 3. ANIMAL REGULATION.

CHAPTER 3-2. RESTRICTIONS ON ANIMALS.

§ 3-2-3 COMMERCE IN LIVE ANIMALS.

1. (A) A person commits an offense if the person sells, trades, barters, leases, rents, gives away, or displays for a commercial purpose a live animal on a roadside, public right -of -way, or commercial parking lot, or at an outdoor special sale, swap meet, flea market, parking lot sale, or similar event.

§ 3-2-4 HUNTING AND TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS.

1. (A) Except as provided in Subsection (B), a person may not:
   
   1. (1) knowingly shoot, kill, or hunt a wild animal; or
      
   2. (2) use a steel-jawed spring trap or any other type of trap that could injure a trapped animal or person.

TITLE 4. BUSINESS REGULATION AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS.

CHAPTER 4-1. ADULT ARCADE.

§ 4-1-2 MINIMUM REQUIRED DESIGN STANDARDS.

1. (B) The owner or operator of an adult arcade must provide a minimum of one manager's station on the premises. A manager's station under this section shall allow an on-duty employee an unobstructed line-of-sight view of each area authorized for patron access, except a toilet facility.

CHAPTER 4-2. ALARM SYSTEMS.

§ 4-2-11 PERMIT REQUIRED.

1. (A) A person shall obtain a permit issued by the police chief before the person operates an alarm system.

CHAPTER 4-3. AMUSEMENT PARK, CIRCUS, CARNIVAL, ARCHERY, RANGE, OR SHOOTING FACILITY.

§ 4-3-1 HOURS OF OPERATION.

1. A person may not operate an amusement park between midnight and 8:00 a.m. or between midnight on Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

§ 4-3-22 PERMIT REQUIRED.
A person commits an offense if the person operates or exhibits a circus, carnival, itinerant theatrical show, ride, game of skill, or chance game booth without a permit issued under this division.

§ 4-3-43 PERMIT REQUIRED.
A person commits an offense if the person conducts or operates, or permits another person to conduct or operate, an archery range or shooting facility on property under the person's ownership or control, without a permit issued under this article.

CHAPTER 4-4. JUNKYARDS AND JUNK DEALERS.

§ 4-4-2 BOND REQUIRED.
Before a junk dealer may operate a junkyard, the dealer must execute a $1,000 bond payable to the city manager on a form prescribed by the city manager, with two or more sureties or a surety company authorized to do business in Texas.

CHAPTER 4-5. LARGE PUBLIC GATHERINGS.

§ 4-5-12 INSURANCE AND SECURITY DEPOSIT REQUIREMENTS.

1. (A) The promoter shall obtain a public liability insurance policy in a minimum amount of:
   
   1. (1) $100,000 for property damage;
      
   2. (2) $100,000 for personal injury to one person; and
      
   3. (3) $300,000 for personal injury to two or more persons.
   
   
2. (B) The promoter shall pay a security deposit that is equal to: the estimated number of attendees at the large public gathering multiplied by an amount established by separate ordinance.
   
3. (C) The city manager may deduct the cost of use of police, firefighters, emergency medical services, hospital services, clean-up, and other costs incurred in connection with the large public gathering from the security deposit.
   
4. (D) The city manager shall refund the security deposit to the promoter less the costs deducted under Subsection (C).

CHAPTER 4-6. PAWNBROKERS, JEWELERS, AND SECONDHAND GOOD DEALERS.

§ 4-6-3 RECORDKEEPING AND INSPECTION.

1. (A) A person who acts as a pawnbroker, jeweler, or secondhand goods dealer shall assign a number to each item received by the person.
   
2. (B) A person who acts as a pawnbroker, jeweler, or secondhand goods dealer shall maintain a record book, in which the person shall make an accurate daily record of each item received by the person including:
   
   1. (1) a description of the item;
      
   2. (2) the number assigned to the item;
      
   3. (3) the name of the person from whom the item was received; and
      
   4. (4) a description of the disposition of the item, including the name of each purchaser and the sale price.
   
   
3. (C) A pawnbroker, jeweler, or secondhand good dealer shall make a record book required under this section available for inspection a City employee on demand.

§ 4-6-4 SELLER IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED.
Except as provided in Section 4-6-15 (Exceptions to Logbook Requirements), a person operating as a pawnbroker, jeweler, or secondhand goods dealer commits an offense if the person purchases an item from a person without requiring the seller to present photographic identification including:

1. (A) a driver's license;
   
2. (B) a military identification card; or
   
3. (C) an identification card issued by a government agency.

§ 4-6-12 REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
[A person "who purchases precious metal or antique, used, or scrap jewelry for resale in its original form or as remounted, melted, reformed, remolded, or recast, or as scrap or in bulk" (among other things)] must register with the police chief on a form provided by the police chief, before the dealer operates a business under this article.

§ 4-6-18 TRANSACTION WITH MINOR PROHIBITED.
A dealer commits an offense if the dealer purchases or acquires an item of jewelry or precious metal from a person less than 18 years old.

CHAPTER 4-9. RESTRICTIONS ON ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.

§ 4-9-3 RESTRICTION ON SALE OR USE OF ALCOHOL.
A person commits an offense if the person sells, stores, handles for the purpose of sale an alcoholic beverage unless the use is authorized by and complies with the applicable provisions of the City Code and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code.

§ 4-9-4 MINIMUM DISTANCE FROM CERTAIN USES.

1. (A) A person may not sell or engage in the business of selling an alcoholic beverage at a place of business located within 300 feet of a church, public school, or public hospital except as provided by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code.
   
2. (B) A permit or license holder under Chapters 25 (Wine and Beer Retailer's Permit), 28 (Mixed Beverage Permit), 32 (Private Club Registration Permit), 69 (Retail Dealer's On-Premise License), or 74 (Brewpub License) of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code who does not hold a food and beverage certificate may not sell or engage in the business of selling an alcoholic beverage at a place of business located within 300 feet of a day-care center or child-care facility except as provided by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code.

§ 4-9-9 RESTRICTIONS ON SALE OR CONSUMPTION DURING CERTAIN TIMES.

1. (A) A person may not sell or offer for sale beer or a mixed beverage at on:
   
   1. (1) Sunday between 2:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon; or
      
   2. (2) Monday through Saturday between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
   
   
2. (B) A person may not consume or hold for the purpose of consumption in any public place an alcoholic beverage on:
   
   1. (1) Sunday between 2:15 a.m. and 12:00 noon; or
      
   2. (2) Monday though Saturday between 2:15 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
   
   
3. (C) A person selling, consuming, or possessing beer, a mixed beverage, or an alcoholic beverage is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local law. This section shall not be construed to permit or authorize an act in contravention of a federal, state or local law.

TITLE 5. CIVIL RIGHTS.

CHAPTER 5-1. HOUSING DISCRIMINATION.

§ 5-1-51 DISCRIMINATION IN SALE OR RENTAL OF HOUSING.

1. (A) A person may not refuse to sell or rent a dwelling to a person who has made a bona fide offer; refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of a dwelling; or otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to any person based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, family status, disability, or national origin.
   
2. (B) A person may not discriminate against a person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling or in providing services or facilities in connection with the sale or rental, based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, family status, disability, or national origin.

§ 5-1-52 PUBLICATION INDICATING DISCRIMINATION.
A person may not make, print, or publish or cause to be made, printed, or published any notice, statement, or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on [yadda yadda], or an intention to make such a preference, limitation, or discrimination.

§ 5-1-53 AVAILABILITY FOR INSPECTION.
A person may not represent to a person based on [yadda yadda] that a dwelling is not available for inspection, for sale or rental when the dwelling is available for inspection.

§ 5-1-54 ENTRY INTO NEIGHBORHOOD.
A person may not, for profit, induce or attempt to induce a person to sell or rent a dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective entry into a neighborhood of a person of a particular [yadda yadda].

CHAPTER 5-2. DISCRIMINATION IN PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS.

PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION means:

1. (a) an inn, hotel, motel or other lodging establishment for transient guests, excluding an establishment located in a building with not more than five rooms for rent or hire and occupied by the owner or operation as a primary residence;
   
2. (b) a restaurant, cafeteria, lunchroom, lunch counter, soda fountain, or other facility principally engaged in selling food for consumption on the premises, including a facility located on the premises of a retail establishment or a gasoline station;
   
3. (c) a movie theatre, theater, concert hall, sports arena, stadium, or other place of exhibition or entertainment;
   
4. (d) a bar, tavern, pub, drinking establishment, or facility where alcoholic beverages are served for consumption on the premises;
   
5. (e) a retail establishment that sells goods or services; and
   
6. (f) an establishment physically located in the premises of an establishment described in this subsection or containing within the premises of which is physically located a covered establishment, and an establishment which holds itself out as serving patrons of a covered establishment.

§ 5-2-4 PROHIBITED PRACTICES.

1. (A) A person is entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a public accommodation, without discrimination or segregation based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or disability.
   
2. (B) A person, including the owner, operator, or lessee of a public accommodation may not directly or indirectly exclude, segregate, limit, refuse or deny a person the accommodations, advantages, facilities, benefits, privileges, services, or goods of the public accommodation based on [yadda yadda].
   
3. (C) A person, including the owner, operator, or lessee of a public accommodation, may not circulate, issue, display, post, mail, or publish a statement, advertisement, or sign that indicates that the accommodations, advantages, facilities, benefits, privileges, services, or goods of the public accommodation will be denied to an individual based on [yadda yadda], or that the patronage or presence of an individual is objectionable, unwelcome, unacceptable, undesirable, or unsolicited based on [yadda yadda].

CHAPTER 5-3. DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT GENERALLY.

§ 5-3-4 UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES.

1. (A) An employer may not:
   
   1. (1) fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against an individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, based on the individual's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or disability; or
      
   2. (2) limit, segregate, or classify an employee or applicant for employment in a way which would deprive or tend to deprive an individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect the individual's status as an employee, based on the individual's [yadda yadda].

TITLE 6. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND CONSERVATION.

CHAPTER 6-1. AIR QUALITY.

§ 6-1-11 RELEASE OF REFRIGERANTS.

1. (B) A person may not knowingly or intentionally charge a refrigeration system:
   
   1. (1) unless the system has been tested for leaks within the previous three years; and
      
   2. (2) if a system test indicated a leak, the leak has been repaired.

§ 6-1-32 ASBESTOS PROHIBITED.
A person may not use asbestos or material containing asbestos in the construction or renovation of a building.

CHAPTER 6-2. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.

§ 6-2-11 PERMIT REQUIRED.
A person may not receive, produce, or store a hazardous material unless the person first obtains a hazardous materials storage permit from the director.

§ 6-2-22 PERMITTEE'S RECORDS.

1. (A) A permittee shall retain for a period of not less than three years:
   
   1. (1) a permit application;
      
   2. (2) a permit;
      
   3. (3) each inspection report;
      
   4. (4) each monitoring log; and
      
   5. (5) all other records required by this chapter.

CHAPTER 6-4. WATER CONSERVATION.

§ 6-4-11 SHOWERS.
An owner shall install and maintain in each shower a showerhead that:

1. (1) is designed to provide dispersed and reduced water flow and automatically clean debris from its water channels or pores;
   
2. (2) has an adjustable spray that produces a water cone not more than 42 inches wide in a six and one-half foot vertical drop;
   
3. (3) has a maximum flow rate of three gallons a minute at an inlet water pressure of between 20 and 80 pounds per square inch, measured with the adjustable spray in the fully opened position; and
   
4. (4) resists damage by water heated to 160 degrees Fahrenheit with an inlet water pressure of 125 pounds per square inch.

TITLE 9. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.

CHAPTER 9-2. NOISE AND AMPLIFIED SOUND.

§ 9-2-12 PERMIT FOR AN OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUE.

1. (A) The owner or operator of an outdoor music venue must obtain a permit from the director before using sound equipment at an outdoor music venue.
   
2. (B) Except as provided in Subsections (C), (D), and (E) a person may not use sound equipment at an outdoor music venue.
   
3. (C) A person may use sound equipment at an outdoor music venue that produces sound as measured at any point along the property line of the permitted venue not greater than 85 decibels between 10:00 a.m. and:
   
   1. (1) 10:30 p.m. on Sunday through Wednesday;
      
   2. (2) 11:00 p.m. on Thursday; or
      
   3. (3) 12:00 midnight on Friday or Saturday.

CHAPTER 9-3. NON-EMERGENCY CURFEWS.

§ 9-3-2 OFFENSES.

1. (H) The owner, operator, or employee of an establishment commits an offense if the person knowingly allows a minor to remain on the premises of the establishment during curfew hours.

CHAPTER 9-4. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.

§ 9-4-16 MANIFESTING THE PURPOSE OF ENGAGING IN PROSTITUTION PROHIBITED.

1. (B) A person commits an offense if the person loiters in a public place in a manner and under circumstances manifesting the purpose of inducing, enticing, soliciting, or procuring another person to commit an act of prostitution.

§ 9-4-41 RESTRICTION ON USE OF BARBED WIRE FENCES.

1. (A) Except as provided in Subsections (B) and (C), a person commits an offense if the person constructs or repairs, or causes to be constructed or repaired, a barbed wire fence.

§ 9-4-43 GRAFFITI PROHIBITED.

1. (C) An owner commits an offense if the owner fails to cover or remove graffiti on the owner’s property visible from public property or right-of-way, or other private property.

CHAPTER 9-5. RESTRICTIONS ON DRUGS, CHEMICALS, AND CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.

§ 9-5-11 OFFENSE.
A person commits an offense if the person knowingly requests, commands, or induces another person to donate, sell, transfer, or deliver a prohibited drug to the person making the request or to or another person.

§ 9-5-22 OFFENSES.
A person commits an offense if the person:

1. (1) sells or transfers possession of aerosol paint or glue to a person under 17 years of age;
   
2. (2) displays aerosol paint or glue at a business at which a person under 17 years of age is permitted to enter, if the aerosol paint or glue is:
   
   1. (a) unattended by an employee of the business; and
      
   2. (b) accessible to a potential customer of the business without assistance from an employee of the business;
   
   
3. (3) intentionally inhales fumes, odors or gases from aerosol paint or glue to become intoxicated, dizzy, imbalanced, or unconscious; or
   
4. (4) sells, offer for sales, delivers, or gives aerosol paint or glue to another person if the person knows or has reason to believe that the recipient intends to use the aerosol paint or glue to become intoxicated, dizzy, imbalanced, or unconscious.

§ 9-5-44 PURCHASER IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED.
A person selling nitrous oxide shall require the purchaser to present a picture identification at the time of purchase.

I can't single Mr. Wynn out too much, however. Hardly anyone these days consistently chooses to stick to his or her own affairs and leave others to theirs. Hardly anyone these days honestly advocates permit-free living. Mr. Wynn is just the latest guy who happened to speak the banal lie out in public.

***UPDATED 5:44pm
Yes, I'm aware Will Wynn was generally opposed to the smoking ban. That doesn't make my statement any less true. If Texans in general and residents of Austin in particular truly wished to mind their own business, it wouldn't exist and neither would the desire to ban an activity that is rightly the decision of the individual property owner.

Posted by drizzten at 02:24 PM | Permalink

One of two backlogged columns is up at Strike the Root.

Posted by drizzten at 01:40 PM | Permalink

I just heard about this today and have been tracking down the news to confirm if it's actually true.

The Scotsman, Wednesday October 12, 2005: Summary justice needed to fight crime says Blair

TONY Blair yesterday threatened to impose "summary justice" on people accused of offences including terrorism, organised crime and neighbourhood yobbery.

Claiming that the criminal justice system was "passing through a watershed," the Prime Minister suggested a radical and far-reaching shift in legal practice, hinting that many traditional legal protections could be swept away.

Mr Blair identified terrorism, brutal, violent, organised crime and antisocial behaviour as "new types of crime" that require new rules.

©2005 Scotsman.com

TONY BLAIR was heading for another clash with the judiciary last night after he said that the courts were too slow and cumbersome to protect the public from drug dealers and yobs.

Signalling a big expansion of what he called summary justice through on-the-spot fines and anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos), he said: “You cannot do it by the rules of the game that we have at the moment. You just can’t.”

Using words that will infuriate the legal profession, he said: “Half of them end up getting off at the end of it . . . It’s too complicated, too laborious. The police end up completely hidebound by a whole series of restrictions and difficulties. It doesn’t work."

Copyright 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd.

"If people want us to tackle the new types of crime today you can’t do it by the rules of the game we have at the moment.

"There is international crime, very brutal violent organised crime, anti-social behaviour.

"In every respect these types of crime are different from when I was growing up.

"People can write articles about going through this process. But it’s too complicated and too laborious.

"The police end up being hidebound by a whole series of restrictions. It’s too complicated. We have to put the duty to protect the law-abiding citizen at the centre of the system.

"If you are a police officer patrolling the streets and someone throws a brick through a window or abuses an old lady on the way to the shops . . . If you have to take that person all the way through a long court process, you are not going to do it.

"By the time you have filled out all the forms, done the statements, got them to court, three hearings, they have defence lawyers, all the rest of it, forget it.

"You may say ‘yes, we should do that if we are going to charge someone with an offence’. But if that’s what you do, you don’t get the job done.

"The reason I introduced fixed penalties was I said ‘we have had enough of that’. With serious crime, it takes two or three years. Heaven knows the millions they spend putting it together. We then have trials going on forever and half of them get off in the end. It’s ridiculous.

"If you want to change it you can change it but not by pretending the same system can be applied with a little bit of effort, because it doesn’t work."

© 2005 News Group Newspapers Ltd.

The Guardian, Sunday October 2, 2005: The R word in the gutter

The debate, though, has moved on from the cliche of yobs in hoodies. At issue is the rule of law itself. Last week, the Prime Minister promised new powers for the police, who may soon be able to issue on-the-spot Asbos and fixed penalties of £80 for disorderly behaviour, while cancelling late-night licences for rowdy pubs and clubs without reference to the courts.

Unpopular targets (anyone for crack houses?) obscure the risks of summary justice. The ancient precept that the state must prove wrongdoing is waning. In future, the onus will shift towards the suspect being guilty unless he or she can establish innocence. Turning justice on its head is meant, according to the Prime Minister, to help the frightened elderly. Which is where Walter Wolfgang so inconveniently butted in.

People do odd things in scared societies.

This news is making my reading of V is for Vendetta depressingly relevant.

Posted by drizzten at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Austin-American Statesman: Judge won't rule on citywide smoking ban until next week (link will rot)

A federal judge will not decide until at least next week whether to halt Austin's ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.

A group of bar owners sued the city shortly after the ban took affect Sept. 1, saying it is too vague to enforce and violates their constitutional rights. Their main goal is to get the ban permanently tossed out. But bar owners also want U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks to temporarily stop the ban because, they say, their profits have already dropped dramatically.

However, I have no doubt that if the ban is stripped down, the same assholes who proposed and supported it will just come back with another that ducks and dodges just the right ways to be legal enough.

This court challenge is fighting the symptom of a disease.

Health inspectors must cite a bar for three violations before the city can take it to court.

Austin has filed criminal charges against only one business, Clicks Billiards, for refusing to put away ashtrays and smoking-allowed signs after several inspections. Bar owners can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $2,000 fine.

Sparks took a few jabs at the ban and its supporters.

"That's what the problem is with zealots. They overreach," he said, alluding to the anti-smoking leaders who wrote the ban, then gathered petitions to put it to a vote in May. "The people who wrote this (ban) intentionally dropped the word 'reasonably' and put 'necessary.' That could mean shooting a person" if they refuse to stop smoking.

Copyright 2001-2005 Cox Texas Newspapers, L.P. All rights reserved.

Posted by drizzten at 01:38 PM | Permalink

[Updates below.]

Damn near missed this one.

I'm a newbie to Glass's work. Though I own Glassworks, "Low" Symphony, and Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass and I saw him perform Koyaanisqatsi live, I'm still treading in what I consider unfamiliar waters.

I hadn't heard of Orion until now. Here's what Glass had to say about the idea behind the project:

Orion, the largest constellation in the night sky, can be seen at all times of year, from both hemispheres. It seems that almost every civilisation has created myths and drawn inspiration from Orion. As the project advanced each of the musicians and composers, myself included, used part of this inspiration to aid us in our creative task.

Inspired by the challenge to create a work for a world audience on the occasion of the Athens Cultural Olympiad in Summer 2004, Philip Glass' new evening-length work contemplates the Earth's relationship to the constellations as interpreted by the world's many cultures. Commissioned by the Cultural Olympiad 2001-2004, Glass has envisioned a work truly international in scope, reflecting the very spirit of the Olympiad. This groundbreaking event features live performances by Philip Glass and the Philip Glass Ensemble in collaboration with a group of renowned composers and performers chosen for their unique mastery of a global musical tradition.

[...]

ORION begins with the low throbe of Australian Mark Atkins' dijeridoo, then Wu Man on Chinese pipa, Brazilian flute and precussions of UAKTI, Nova Scotian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac, Indian composer and sitar master Ravi Shankar (work to be performed by sitar virtuoso Kartik Seshadri), West African Griot Foday Musa Suso on Kora, and ends with the soprano of Greece's renowned Eleftheria Arvanitaki.

Tomorrow night should be very interesting. We got wicked seats, too: Row R, numbers 114 and 115. Nearly dead center on the orchestra level!

Doesn't hurt that my old UT ID card got me the tix for only $10 each.

Un-freaking-fortunately:

...due to copyright laws and in consideration of the performers, the use of photographic or recording devices of any kind inside the theatre is strictly prohibited. If you bring a camera with you, we will politely ask you to check it at our Patron Services window, or with an usher before entering the theatre.

UPDATED 10/18/2005 8:03am
Excellent performance. We had a great time. Each musician put out an impressive effort and the audience responded enthusiastically. I'm definitely buying the 2-CD set.

My biggest gripe was that Wu Man and the Uakti group occasionally suffered from quiet play drowned out by relatively loud accompaniment. Part of this is simply due to the subtle nature of their instruments and part of it was simply because at the end, there were at times 16 different people playing at once.

My biggest thrill was probably Ashley MacIsaac's wild ending performance. Wearing combat boots/Doc Martins, a kilt with sporran, a white muscle shirt, and sporting a hot pink/orange dyed hair, he opened with a mournful tune that was the meat of his participation...and then he exploded into an energetic jig. Halfway through this, he walked in front of the floor monitors and began dancing to the music. Even though Ravi Shakar's sitar stand-in Kartik Seshadri received the only entrance applause and of course everyone cheered loudly for Mr. Glass, I think MacIsaac earned the most enthusiastic response for an individual player for his accomplishment.

Posted by drizzten at 01:25 PM | Permalink

From the Knowledge And Wisdom MySpace group, an example of neither:

J.R. Wrote:

New Orleans following the hurricane is an example of failed socialist policies and the reason why the word anarchy has become a synonym of chaos. Without any leadership we saw what happens with people who are used to getting a free handout from the government.

If anything, what you are criticizing is not anarchy per se but one particular means towards a stateless society: the abrupt removal of the state's presence and authority in isolated locations surrounded by the prior society in an emergency situation. Just as you shouldn't expect Iraqis to suddenly understand and embrace a constitutional republic after nearly 100 years of monarchy and dictatorship (and thousands of years of tribal patchworks), you shouldn't expect the poor and sick (those who were most likely to remain behind after the evacuation) to respect a concept like property rights when their cultural environment disdains that respect and an emergency situation is quickly pressed upon them.

What would happen when two people had a disagreement?

Uh...work it out???

Generally speaking, people want to avoid pain and suffering. They want to live in peace with others and prosper. Given that, when conflict arises, the first impulse is to settle it privately among the parties involved. Simple discussion leading all the way to mediated arbitration can solve most disagreements.

But there are exceptional people who either are looking for a fight or refuse to back down from their demands. What then and what of the element intending to do wrong?

What would happen when Joe Schmoe down the street decides that while my neighbor is at work he is going to break in and rape his wife? How about when my neighbor finds out and decides to blow Joe Schmoe's head off with his shotgun?

The anarchy I advocate is that of a free market, individual rights society where aggression against people and their legitimate property is the only crime. Murder, rape, assault, theft, and vandalism would all be defined as instances and degrees of aggression. Mr. Schmoe would be a violent criminal and liable to face the reaction of your neighbor, his wife, or the people with which they contract to protect them and theirs.

In such a scenario, I have absolutely no say in whether the 12-gauge separation of Mr. Schmoe's head from reality is a fitting punishment - and neither do you - because it wasn't your body or your life that was tampered with. Physically interfering would be aggression and subject to response.

But what of wrongful retaliation? Simple: if I kick Mr. Schmoe's ass because I think he raped my wife and he can prove me wrong, then I am the aggressor and he'd have every right to retaliate against me.

All this is assuming neither of us have protection/insurance/arbitration agencies hired for us to meet negotiator-to-negotiator rather than us face-to-face. This opens up a large can of worms, but it can be simply said that solving disputes and settling injustice this way is more likely to be preferred and would probably be cheaper in the long run than fisticuffs. Again, most people (even in today's hashed-up culture) prefer to avoid conflict and act to keep their values. Wars, battles, and fighting is costly and companies would not want to waste their capital on pointless belligerence when a solution can be worked out over a table or telephone.

In essence, your question is no different than asking, "What if a bunch of people wanted cheeseburgers for lunch?" The existence of a demand will be met by a supply if the supply and the demand are allowed to meet. Substitute any service or good with "cheeseburger" and it remains the same. The key conceit to government advocates is that they think it cannot apply to "security" or "justice" when in fact there is little secure or just about the state.

I suppose when I too was a kid I thought ideas of no government were pretty cool, then I grew up and realized the consequences that such a wish would produce.

How about the "consequences" of a system of legal coercion that threatens you with police violence if you don't hand over X% of your income/sales/property value; that as a matter of boring routine ruins the lives of millions who dare to ingest substances for their pleasure and medicinal value; that assumes the right to dictate who can sell what, for how much, and where; that looks you in the eye and says you aren't smart enough to live your own life so just let the Officials take over this one aspect of it...and then another...and then another; a system that demonstrates the lie of We The People each time it acts against the objection of a citizen.

I'm not a cost-benefit analysis guy, but if you want to argue that way, I'll be more than happy to take that route.

Posted by drizzten at 03:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

AP via The Houston Chronicle: Gun in briefcase trips up McAllen senator at airport

A South Texas lawmaker detained by police after bringing a handgun through an airport metal detector said Monday he made a mistake and that he had a permit to carry the weapon.

Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, was found with a 9 mm handgun in his briefcase as he passed through security at Miller International Aiport in McAllen, Harlingen television station KGBT reported. Airport security discovered the weapon and Hinojosa was taken to the McAllen Police Department before being released.

Posted by drizzten at 08:46 AM | Permalink

"We will get a leader who will help us to go to school and who will give our parents work," said 19-year old student Willie Moore, who voted at a church in Monrovia.

-Reuters

"We need a president who can provide for our needs. Look around, we have no electrical current, no clean drinking water, no health clinics," said 42-year-old civil servant Joseph Parhmilnee.

-Associated Press

Posted by drizzten at 08:35 AM | Permalink

Message from John Edwards, Director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity:

Poverty is one of the great issues of our time. It cuts to the heart of America's great promise: that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules will have the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their family.

It's laughable when Mr. Edwards says America promises something. No, "it" didn't.

But, Drizz, what about the outcome of a democratic government process?

When a majority of eligible individuals (picked by a majority of eligible citizens who bothered to vote) in the House and a majority of eligible individuals (picked by a majority of eligible citizens who bothered to vote) in the Senate agree to pass a bill that first had to "leave committee" (each consisting of appointees and rife with political favoritism) to be "reconciled" (code for watered-down-to-general-acceptability) in order for one eligible individual (picked by a majority of eligible citizens who bothered to vote) to sign and execute, does that constitute the unanimity so often implied in political rhetoric? And that's assuming these Representatives even bothered to create legislation for which their constituents asked!

*laugh*

That isn't America speaking. That is the light breeze of a once stiff wind, forced through innumerable filters, channeled through miles of leaky conduit, and diverted around a growing number of dead-ends and loop-backs. The whole premise is fraudulent; political theater utilized to justify some truly abhorrent shit. Furthermore, there's nothing morally apodictic about that wind in the first place. Quite the contrary. Far more often than not, the pure desires expressed in the votes that lead to those who get placed into power are the desires to control others.

Millions of votes not only for taxation, but for increased taxation. Millions of votes not merely for the current regulatory scheme, but for regulation to the point private ownership loses its meaning. Millions of votes not just to hopelessly keep the central power status quo, but to further entrench it.

Back to Mr. Edwards:

It may seem like an impossible goal to end poverty, but that's what the skeptics said about all of the other great challenges we've faced as a nation. If we can put a man on the moon, conquer polio, and put libraries of information on a chip, we can end poverty for those who want to work for a better life.

This rhetorical collectivization just bugs the hell out of me.

AND IT'S EVERYWHERE.

Posted by drizzten at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The new column has been posted at Strike the Root.

Posted by drizzten at 03:54 PM | Permalink

[Updates below.]

Last weekend, I went with some friends to the Temple Academy Dragway. The Kontinentals hosted a vintage drag race and I brought my camera. I won't post all the shots I took, so here are a few cropped samples.

Times like these, I wish I had my father with me. He was a bit of a gearhead back in The Day and has hinted at the crazy shit he and his buddies used to do when younger. I sent him and my sisters a load of these pictures this morning. I'd expect to get damn accurate make and model year estimates if I asked.
	The weather worked out great. Lots of sun, a steady breeze, and though it was hot, it wasn't nearly as bad as it's been the last few weeks. We didn't even mind that we had to bring our own beer, contrary to the word on the website.
Somewhat surprisingly to me, many of the cars weren't trucked or hauled in. Given the location of the dragstrip (it's a tad off the beaten path), I expected to see more trailers. Then again, given how fun these cars are, weekend driving in one would be a hell of a thrill.
	The quarter-mile track has two sets of bandstands/bleachers. If looking down the strip from the staging area, one is set off to your right and the other is on the left near the 1/8th mile marker. I'd roughly estimate the crowd peaked at about 200-300.
Behind the second seating area was spot where tune-ups, pictures, and foot traffic occured. I didn't take any pictures of them, but several people had small (like lawnmower-engine-small) gas-powered motorcycles chugging around. A few had wheelie bars attached, which probably saved a few nasty asphalt-burned elbows.
	The competitors varied wildly in looks and performance. There was a spectrum of Ford and Chevy cars and trucks from the 1920s through the 1960s. Some hot rods ran the quarter in less than 12 seconds and broke 110MPH. Some acted like the monstrous boats they appeared to be. Many had bodies attached almost as an afterthought while others were waxed, shined, and ready for an award.
We were there from noon until 6pm and didn't witness any accidents or trouble. The big annoyance was the wait time between races. The time trials went quick but getting the drivers and their custom rides in line and then getting the track crew ready often took long enough to set eyes a-wandering. Though I doubt the waits topped 10 minutes, it felt at least that long at times.
	The combination of the wait times and the length of time we spent out there in total was enough to send us packing before the winners were announced. We hung around long enough to see the results of the semi-finals, but I wouldn't be able to mention the finalists if asked.
Despite that, it was an excellent day.

UPDATED 4/3/2006 11:03pm
Photos of the Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up

Posted by drizzten at 02:51 PM | Permalink

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

1. hardcover
   
2. 1440 pages
   
3. 22.5 pounds
   
4. 3 volume boxed, slip case collection of all the comic strips
   
5. $91.67 new at Amazon.com

Posted by drizzten at 01:15 PM | Permalink

I am apprehensive of this news: Habitat for Humanity builds a home in 7 days.

Here's why:

1. Volunteers are doing a great deal of the work.
   
2. They'll be "working around the clock" to finish the project.
   
3. "Habitat house usually take 10 weeks to build."
   
4. They'll be using materials obtained both from direct donations and purchased with cash charity.
   
5. "Houses are sold at no profit, with no interest charged on the mortgage."

Unskilled volunteers are trying to build a family home with donated materials as fast as they can to complete the project in 1/10th the normal time and are doing so without the economic discipline of a profit-seeking enterprise. That seems like far too much to chew. I am honestly worried this house will suffer from quality problems.

I'm aware the builders are supervised and some have done this in the past and have a good sense of what they're doing. I'm aware it isn't likely the donated materials that get used will be rotted, useless junk. I'm aware Habitat for Humanity does take some minimal steps to assure the homeowners can actually make their mortgage payments and therefore injects a little market reality into the process.

However, combining all of the above concerns into a single housing project seems to significantly raise the risk of a flawed home in my eyes. I hope Alexander Anyaehie and his kids get a good home, but I think it would pay to monitor the project at each step of the way.

Posted by drizzten at 10:25 AM | Permalink

[Updates below.]

News8Austin: City to consider removing curb islands

In May, the city installed 35 curb islands along Shoal Creek Boulevard in the Allandale neighborhood to reduce traffic.

Residents have been questioning the effectiveness since then. Fay Martinson says they're a safety hazard.

"I'm so afraid that a bicyclist is going to fall in front of me ... [The city] should've done their research before they put them in," she said.

Cyclists often ride close to traffic to avoid the curb islands. Neighbors worry the obstacles and speeding cars make a bad combination.

"This was a pilot project and I think there was intent to do something new and innovative and sometimes thinking outside of the box is a good thing and successful and other times it's not successful," Austin Public Works Director Sondra Creighton said.

"I just think it's a waste. The city has really made a mistake and wasted a lot of money," Martinson said.

Copyright ©2005TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

That's primarily because that money isn't legitimately theirs so they don't have the natural desire of a property owner to put their funds to the most important uses. That's further compounded by the "ownership" the city government claims over the roadways.

I know this particular section of Austin fairly well because a good friend of mine used to live in the area and taking Shoal Creek was my favorite route to get from my apartment to his. It is (or was) one of the nicest and most pleasant urban drives in Austin, shaded almost totally by big trees and lined with interesting houses. I hope they don't screw it up.

But, then, I hope "they" will also give up the roadways for the neighborhoods and/or interested individuals to run and own by themselves. And that's about as likely as the chances that Austin city government will stop imposing taxes on us.

UPDATED 3/22/2006 1:35pm
News8Austin: North Austin curb islands removed. The process began yesterday and is expected to take two weeks.

Posted by drizzten at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)