Basic Human Rights

American Student, Freed From Russian Jail, Is Home

``It's great to be back in the land of the free ... and a country where basic human rights are respected,'' an exhausted-looking Tobin ... told reporters at a press conference in an airport hangar.

Is that a fact, Jack? Wise up, sport. If you had been arrested by federal agents for marijuana possession here, "in the land of the free", you would still be in jail!

BTW, Jack, seeing as how you and your father are such good buddies with Pres. Bush, maybe you could ask him to put a good word in for some other wrongly imprisoned folks here at home?

Father Narc Update

Thursday, July 19th,House OKs Faith Initiative 233 to 198. more

Oh my Stars and Garters!

They're at it again!

Salon.com Politics | House to vote on flag protection amendment

The proposed amendment, sponsored by Reps. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., and John Murtha, D-Pa., states simply: "Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States."

First, the nit-picking. May I draw your attention the the phrase physical desecration of the flag? Yes? Thank you.

How, pray tell, can you desecrate that which is not sacred to begin with? If there is a religion which regards the flag of the United States as sacred, then the flag is already protected by the First Amendment. Well, at least regarding the flag as sacred is protected, just as the act of burning the flag is protected. Ironic, isn't it?

Thus endth the nit-picking.

So, what makes this piece of cloth so special? Some people tell me it's because men die for it. A piece of cloth? Why? Because of what it represents. Ah-ha! Now, we're getting somewhere. What does it represent? Oh, uh ... Liberty, Freedom, Democracy ... all that stuff. Well! I'll certainly lay my life on the line for Liberty! But, exactly which part of the flag is Liberty, and which part is Democracy? Uh ... that's stupid!

No, it's not stupid, I'm just making a point: the meaning of a symbol (in this case, a flag) is derived from its context, it is not intrinsic to the symbol itself.

Sorry to break it to you like this, but to some people, burning the flag of the United States is the symbolic destruction of tyranny, and act of Liberty. To some people, "desecrating" the flag of the United States is the Democratic voicing of an opinion. Support Liberty! Desecrate a flag today!

Tenant Rights

Tenant Activists Win Market Street Building, Media Yawns, by Randy Shaw

A Declaration of Independence

For what purpose does society exist if not for the individuals composing it? If it is not for the individual, then he should withdraw from it. If society refuses to look out for his welfare, then he should oppose it. The reason for society is that it gives the individual some advantage that he does not possess alone. But when those advantages cease, then his relation with it should cease.
—Charles T. Sprading, Freedom and its Fundamentals

As a human being, I have certain elements of being which serve to define my temporal existence.

1. I have a mind, capable of rational thought, for the most part.
2. I have a body, hindered by only a few infirmities, capable of performing labor.

These definitive elements are inseparable from my self, a human being. It follows then, that my thoughts and my labor are themselves inseparable from my self.

As a human being, I find it in my best interest to keep these aforementioned elements in some functional state. This requires me to meet certain needs:

1. I need food, essential for the functioning of mind and body.
2. I need shelter, useful as protection from the elements and to promote healthy sleeping habits.
3. I need companionship, social interaction to keep my thoughts rational.

To meet these needs I choose a strategy of cooperation, I am willing to use the labor of my mind and body to produce items and services for others in exchange for items and services of equal value.

Now comes the nasty part.

When I present myself to make this exchange, I am forbidden to present myself as myself. The labor of my mind and body, inseparable from my self, is treated as a thing, separate from my self, available to be bought and sold like any other thing. This is "business as usual." It is also an insult to me as a human being.

This constant insistence that I be a thing and forego nearly half my earnings in the form of "taxes" for the privilege, is intolerable. I further contend that the constant grinding pressure of this system that demands that human beings are things is the source of the moral erosion and sudden violence in these United States.

Therefore, while my mind is still demonstratively rational, I withdraw my mental and physical labor from the system, and encourage all rational people to do the same.

BTW: Happy X-Day!

Dole vs. Bush

(That's Elizabeth vs. Jenna!)

So, what happens when the "three strikes law" collides with the president’s daughter? One more margarita for Jenna and we'll find out. Economist.com takes a good look at the fires being lit for a new American witch-hunt.

(But then again, who cares about the drinking habits of a third-generation spoiled little rich kid anyway?)

Tools of Satan!

In honor of July 3rd, Decriminalization Day, I've added a link to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to my sidebar.

Warning! This site contains tales that will shock and terrify you! Shudder with revulsion as you witness:

• A Texas store clerk arrested for selling adult comics to ... adults!
• Florida artist Mike Diana sent to jail for ... drawing pictures!
• An Oklahoma store owner hounded into submission for selling adult comics to adult ... policemen!

These are not tales for the faint of heart!

And absolutely not for children!

Question of the Day!

Do you like seeing ads on websites? To vote Yes, scroll over to the ads, click on them, and buy stuff! To vote No, click on the PayPal button. When the donations exceed the revenue from the ads, the ads come off. I estimate that to be about 3 clicks. Take your pick.

Holiday Update

Only 3 more shopping days to go! more

For another "drug war" success story visit JustSayBlow.com and let the White House know where you stand on the issue of federal funds and drug abuse.

Yes, and...?

Hey! Look everybody: "GOP OKs Change to Faith-Funds Bill!" Well, isn't that nice of them. According to the article "Under the deal, participants in social-service programs will be allowed to sit out any religious aspects" How considerate! Now our nation's religious leaders can report the activities of thier clients without a single qualm.

Yup! No more of that messy "confidentiality" crap! No more "silence of the confessional!" Chalk up another great victory for the "war on drugs!" more

Well ... damn.

You know, despite all the cool stuff it promises, I'm really starting to dislike CSS 2.

Domestic Terrorism

The media has been instructed to use the phrase "the worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history" and are dutifully pounding the words into our ears (see: Prayers, Quiet As Oklahoma City Bomber Faces Death and McVeigh Apologizes for Deaths in Letters to Paper if you haven't heard the phrase already). I protest this discounting of two centuries of history in a single sweep of self-serving statist propaganda. For accuracy's sake the phrase should be "the worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history of the 20th century."

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy might be considered for the top spot in domestic terrorism for the 20th century. In contrast to the Oklahoma City bombing it had better planning and a well-chosen target. Tim McVeigh's planning wasn't too bad, but his target certainly was "the worst" (Gore Vidal suggested a better one.) The effects of the assassination are still felt today, the event was clearly a turning point in U.S. history. But in terms of loss of human life and sheer atrocity, Tim McVeigh's sludge bombs, and whatever other devices were used, take the lead – for the 20th century.

"The worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history?" Well, if Timothy McVeigh is to be accepted as the standard then the best choice would be (envelope please ...) John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, October 17, 1859 – gateway to the United States' Civil War. Like Tim McVeigh's bombing, John' Brown's raid was conducted in protest of a de-humanizing and repressive social institution, the exploitation of human beings by human beings, and the denial of basic human rights. Like Tim McVeigh's bombing, John' Brown's raid targeted a federal building. John Brown scores points over Timmy McV by having the sense to pick a "hard target," a federal armory, and for staging the raid at night when the armory was guarded by a single watchman. As for loss of life, John Brown exceeds Tim McVeigh's numbers through sheer tragic irony, the first man killed in the Harper's Ferry raid was Hayward Shepherd, a free black man riding past the town on a train.

As for the aftermath, John Brown's friend and fellow abolitionist Frederick Douglass asks: "Did John Brown fail? John Brown began the war that ended American slavery and made this a free Republic." while Gore Vidal contends that if McVeigh had blown up FBI headquarters in Washington when no-one was in it, he'd "be a national hero." In terms of historical impact, John Brown is clearly the winner. The Oklahoma City bombing is clearly not the "Harper's Ferry" of the 20th century, but it might be considered yet another bloody skirmish in our current replay of the Kansas-Missouri War of slave-holder vs. free man.

Season's Greetings

Get Ready! My favorite holiday season is coming up.

Starting with Decriminalization Day, July 3rd! A day to gather with your loved ones and celebrate everything that makes life worth living.

Next, the high point of the season Independence Day, July 4th! Without this day, the rest of the year seems meaningless to me.

Finally we wind it all up with 4XDay, July 5th through July 8th! It's the End of the World, enjoy it while it lasts!

It's getting too depressing in here. Let's lighten the mood.
Dark Planets May Orbit Strange Nearby Objects

According to this article:

"These would be very, very cold planets," said Charles J. Lada, an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. "They're probably not really great places to have life."

Brown dwarfs emit very little energy, and a world in orbit around one would afford days no brighter than twilight. Any potential life would have to play by biological rules we don't currently know of.

Nonsense! Everybody knows that these planets are ruled by alien hive-mind societies who live in underground cities (because it's so cold outside!) and breed giant monsters to invade Earth with.

Oh, yeah! And they need women. (It's really cold out there!)

You want fries with that?

Obesity Tops Smoking As Health Risk

You know what this means don't you? Yup! A whole bunch of new, compassionate laws and lawsuits!

• Mandatory Fat or No-Fat seating in resturants
• Mandatory Fat sections in airports
• Lawsuits from Second-hand Fat Victims
• Counter-suits
• Massive protests from pro-life organizations. "Don't eat that! You're killing your baby!"
• Massive counter-protests from pro-choice organizations.

Think for a second here: just how long have humans been eating, smoking and even heaven forbid drinking? What fraction of the human race do you think over-indulges in these pastimes? I mean to the point of becoming a "danger to themselves or others?"

Compared to the mass of humanity that manages to get on with its collective life without excessive indulgence, the over-indulgers are a tiny fraction, a true minority.

The most telling sentence in the news story is "The survey found that 59 percent of Americans are at least overweight." 59%? And what is the criteria? "Obesity was determined by finding a respondent's body mass index, a figure derived by calculating a person's weight in pounds by 703 and dividing that result by height in inches squared." Whatever that means.

And where did this information come from? "The telephone survey, which was conducted in 1998, asked 9,585 adults about their weight, height, smoking and drinking habits, income and quality of life. They also were asked if they had any of 17 chronic health problems, including asthma, cancer, diabetes and heart problems." A telephone survey? Public health officials are advised to "intensify their fight against obesity to levels that at least match the public health campaign against smoking." based on a telephone survey?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau the population of the United States is 284,374,349 people. Let's see, 9,585 over 284,374,349 = 0.003% Is that statisticly significant? Is my math wrong? It is 2:30 in the morning ... maybe I'd better let that point slide ...

Am I Surprised?

The Oklahoma City Bombing and the Politics of Terror, by David Hoffman

When I first saw the pictures of the truck-bomb's asymmetrical damage to the [Alfred P. Murrah] Federal Building, my immediate reaction was that the pattern of damage would have been technically impossible without supplementing demolition charges at some of the reinforcing concrete column bases... For a simplistic blast truck-bomb, of the size and composition reported, to be able to reach out on the order of 60 feet and collapse a reinforced column base the size of column A-7 is beyond credulity.
General Benton K. Partin (ret.)

Why does this not surprise me? Former military man takes up radical politics and commits atrocity ... don't tell me ... it's right on the tip of my tongue ...

Analyze this:

It's 11:30 from where I'm sitting and I'm wondering if I'm going to have the nightmare again. No, not the old one where I'm melting like swiss cheese, the new one. The one with the doors behind the walls and the black and red earth.

Yeah, well, it's a little confusing, there are these two guys in the entry way. They've been stealing my stuff, I know they have, but they build these mounds of earth so I can't find what's missing.

I pushed one of them through a window. I had to. Don't worry, it was on the first floor. But I bet the broken glass didn't feel good at all.

No sir.

This post is about Tim McVeigh, Ted Kaczynski and the way things can just come apart in your head and instead of hurt feelings and bloody noses you start leaving bodies behind you. Hey, I identify with these guys! Tim McV is the poster boy for "Joe Average!" But somewhere along the way they ran out of the moral force of will that keeps people from blowing each other up.

Matthew Rossi's post on Zero Tolerance at Once I noticed I was on fire, I decided to relax and enjoy the fall... scores a direct hit with me, jabbing steel needles into some of the red, raw nerves of my distant, distant youth.

But in a good way.

His observations on the social constipation closing off our much needed outlets for aggression and frustration really hit the mark. Go read it. Now. I'll wait...

Just finished my Econ final, praise "Bob"! One step closer to that precious piece of paper that says to the world: "Yes! I CAN sit on my ass for four straight years!"
A new post and a new look should be up around mid-Juneish.

It looks like Blogger is back up! Outstanding!

BTW: if you haven't tried it yet, Newsblogger is a great site! I use it to build a clipping file while I'm researching my Blog.

Next month: Timothy McVeigh and Domestic Terrorism.