Lament

In my last post I said that blogging felt empty and hollow. It isnt blogging so much as me. I feel empty and hollow. Devoid of purpose. Devoid of a war to wage, battles to fight, frontiers to explore, pioneering to be done.

I admit that I still feel that boyish call to adventure, but all I seem to be able to feel or do is duty. It makes me unsatisfied with my life, with my job. Being yoked to the plow, and having to do it at a specific time every day kills me. There is no room for individuality or adventure in the modern world, the modern economy. There are no trades. No creating with ones hands. No danger beyond getting called into the bosses office. What is there to pit oneself against? To test oneself with?

When I was young I saw myself flying an F-15 of an A-10, today I'd still love to fly that A-10 or become a bush pilot. Bombers and (oddly) cargo planes appeal to me. I live directly underneath the airspace for a large airport and air force base. I am reminded of my desire every day. But the realities of life dont permit me to join them in the sky. I'm grounded, and there is no end in sight for that.

Who didnt want to be a cowboy? On one's own, wrestling against seasons and weather, living off the land. Or an astronaut. I just knew I would be the perfect astronaut. But not just for near-earth orbit. I'd be the one to explore the stars. See things no one had ever seen. Beauty untold and unimagined, except in my own head.

Last I was in Washington I lived off the mighty Columbia River. It is massive and moving. Jetskis, sailboards, sailboats, barges and even Navy vessels. Where I lived, PDX was right across the river and Patterson (IIRC) airfield was on my side. There was even a train right along the river on my side. Even something as silly as the houseboats (where the houses are on pontoons and the garage houses the family boat. And it is also the home of one of the oldest forts, an old trading outpost. And the Lewis and Clark trail, undoubtedly a boyhood dream, the adventure of seeing new lands far away from civilization. Talk about a little boy's dream! And yet all these things were always just out of reach for me.

Being wild. That is what it comes down to. I am duty bound. Sure it is largely self imposed as I have no doubt bought into the lie that a man must be tame and civilized to be a man. Even the church foists this lie upon us. But I am feeling trapped in duty now. Not to say that I want to shirk that duty because I most certainly don't. I love my wife and child in ways that I cant put into words and I want and need to provide for them however I can. But can duty live next to adventure? There must be a way to have both.

There must be a way to throw off the yokes of civilization (mine and societies) while doing those things I need to do. A way to find my heart again...

Apologia

Lately I havent had much time/interest/inspiration for blogging. This, despite the fact I sit in front of a computer for about 8 hours straight five days in a row. I'm bored with it. It feels like just another hollow, empty activity.

If you have withdrawals (and I am sure sooo many of my two readers will) there is always the archives. There is also the poetry (Manly poetry I, II, III, IV and the Heroic Female poem.

Spanish-American War Tax To End

Just how expensive was that war? Have we seriously been in debt for 108 years from that action? Or is it much more likely that the Gov is simply greedy and doesnt give up a stream of revenue no matter how little they have to stand on?

From the Denver Post.

Washington - The Treasury Department, conceding that it has no right to continue collecting a 108-year-old tax on long- distance telephone calls, announced Thursday that it will drop its legal battle for the tax and instead refund $13 billion to callers who have paid the tax in the past three years.

The 3 percent tax, enacted in 1898 to help pay for the Spanish-American War and revised in 1965, has been declared illegal by five federal courts of appeal during the past year as the result of challenges brought by companies forced to pay it.

Props to the Colorado Libertarian Party Blog for this.

And Everyone Laughs

at "slippery slope" arguments. But there is now a political party for Dutch pedophiles, called the Charity, Freedom, and Diversity (NVD) party. The NVD is looking to lower the age of consent to 12, with an eye towards eliminating it altogether, and legalizing child pornography and beastiality. To place this in perspective, the Dutch legalized gay marriage in 2001. Polygamous marriages are not allowed, but a 3-person civil union is.

May 30, 8:55 AM (ET)

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch pedophiles are launching a political party to push for a cut in the legal age for sexual relations to 12 from 16 and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals.

The Charity, Freedom and Diversity (NVD) party said on its Web site it would be officially registered Wednesday, proclaiming: "We are going to shake The Hague awake!"

The party said it wanted to cut the legal age for sexual relations to 12 and eventually scrap the limit altogether.

"A ban just makes children curious," Ad van den Berg, one of the party's founders, told the Algemeen Dagblad (AD) newspaper.

"We want to make pedophilia the subject of discussion," he said, adding that the subject had been a taboo since the 1996 Marc Dutroux child abuse scandal in neighboring Belgium. "We have been hushed up. The only way is through parliament."

The Netherlands already has liberal policies on soft drugs, prostitution, and gay marriage, but the NVD is unlikely to win much support, the AD quoted experts as saying.

"They make out as if they want more rights for children. But their position that children should be allowed sexual contact from age 12 is of course just in their own interest," anti-pedophile campaigner Ireen van Engelen told the daily.

The party said private possession of child pornography should be allowed although it favors banning the trade of such materials. The broadcast of pornography should be allowed on daytime television, with only violent pornography limited to the late evening, according to the party.

Toddlers should be given sex education and youths aged 16 and up should be allowed to appear in pornographic films and prostitute themselves. Sex with animals should be allowed although abuse of animals should remain illegal, the NVD said.

The party also said everybody should be allowed to go naked in public.

The party's program also includes ideas for other areas of public policy including legalizing all soft and hard drugs and free train travel for all.

America: From Freedom To Fascism

Here is the trailer for the upcoming movie. Release date is Jul 28th.

Why Am I Working?

Just what was I thinking? Here I am at work on a holiday. I should be at home with my Beloved! The extra pay will be nice and is needed and usually the work load is non-existant, but I still want to be home with her.

GRRR

Timeless Wisdom From Al

Put down your chainsaw and listen to me
It's time for us to join the fight
It's time to let your babies grow up to be cowboys
It's time to let the bedbugs bite

You better put all your eggs in one basket
You better count your chickens before they hatch
You better sell some wine before its time
You better find yourself an itch to scratch

You better squeeze all the Charmin you can while Mr. Wimpole's not around
Stick your head in the microwave and get yourself a tan

Talk with your mouth full
Bite the hand that feeds you
Bite on more than you chew
What can you do
Dare to be stupid

Take some wooden nickles
Look for Mr. Goodbar
Get your mojo working now
I'll show you how
You can dare to be stupid

You can turn the other cheek
You can just give up the ship
You can eat a bunch of sushi and forget to leave a tip

Dare to be stupid
Come on and dare to be stupid
It's so easy to do
Dare to be stupid
We're all waiting for you
Let's go

It's time to make a mountain out of a molehill
So can I have a volunteer
There's no more time for crying over spilled milk
Now it's time for crying in your beer

Settle down, raise a family, join the PTA
Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevyrolet
And party 'till you're broke and they drive you away
It's OK, you can dare to be stupid

It's like spitting on a fish
It's like barking up a tree
It's like I said you gotta buy one if you wanna get one free

Dare to be stupid (yes)
Why don't you dare to be stupid
It's so easy to do
Dare to be stupid
We're all waiting for you
Dare to be stupid

Burn your candle at both ends
Look a gift horse in the mouth
Mashed potatoes can be your friends

You can be a coffee achiever
You can sit around the house and watch Leave It To Beaver
The future's up to you
So what you gonna do
(Dare to be stupid)
(Dare to be stupid)
What did I say
(Dare to be stupid)
Tell me, what did I say
(Dare to be stupid)
It's alright
(Dare to be stupid)
We can be stupid all night
(Dare to be stupid)
Come on, join the crowd
(Dare to be stupid)
Shout it out loud
(Dare to be stupid)
I can't hear you
(Dare to be stupid)
OK, I can hear you now
(Dare to be stupid)
Let's go, Dare to be stupid
Dare to be stupid

And that, boys and girls, was Timesless Wisdom from Al. Tune in next time for more timeless wisdom!

Interesting Feminist Quotes

"I feel that 'man-hating' is an honorable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them." -- Robin Morgan, Ms. Magazine Editor.

"To call a man an animal is to flatter him; he's a machine, a walking dildo." -- Valerie Solanas

"I want to see a man beaten to a bloody pulp with a high-heel shoved in his mouth, like an apple in the mouth of a pig." -- Andrea Dworkin

"When a woman reaches orgasm with a man she is only collaborating with the patriarchal system, eroticizing her own oppression." -- Sheila Jeffrys

"All sex, even consensual sex between a married couple, is an act of violence perpetrated against a woman." -- Catherine MacKinnon

"The more famous and powerful I get the more power I have to hurt men." -- Sharon Stone

"The proportion of men must be reduced to and maintained at approximately 10% of the human race." -- Sally Miller Gearhart

"If life is to survive on this planet, there must be a decontamination of the Earth. I think this will be accompanied by an evolutionary process that will result in a drastic reduction of the population of males." -- Mary Daly, former Professor at Boston College, 2001.

"Men who are unjustly accused of rape can sometimes gain from the experience." - Catherine Comins

"All men are rapists and that's all they are" -- Marilyn French

"Probably the only place where a man can feel really secure is in a maximum security prison, except for the imminent threat of release." -- Germaine Greer

"Men's sexuality is mean and violent, and men so powerful that they can 'reach WITHIN women to fuck/construct us from the inside out.' Satan-like, men possess women, making their wicked fantasies and desires women's own. A woman who has sex with a man, therefore, does so against her will, 'even if she does not feel forced." -- Judith Levine

"All men are good for is fucking, and running over with a truck". Statement made by A University of Maine Feminist Administrator, quoted by Richard Dinsmore, who brought a successful civil suit against the University in the amount of $600,000. Richard had protested the quote; was dismissed thereafter on the grounds of harassment; and responded by bringing suit against the University. 1995 settlement.

"Women have their faults / men have only two: / everything they say / everything they do." -- Popular Feminist Graffiti

"I've reached the point where I'm no longer afraid of or irritated with men who are proud of their masculinity." -- Trille Nielsen

“Men are from another planet, sent here by spaceships to copulate with female earthlings and propagate the species—a task for which science has rendered them all but redundant. We need keep only a handful of donors on a sperm farm for that purpose, where they can subsist on pizza and beer” -- Columnist Rosie DiManno

“Only when manhood is dead--and it will perish when ravaged femininity no longer sustains it” -- Andrea Dworkin

"Perhaps the most compelling question these texts raise and leave unanswered is whether male violence can be eliminated without eliminating men..." -- Susan Stone-Blackburn

“We must startle them (flush them out) again and again and destroy them as a power, until even their last voice falls silent... when we have destroyed the cell of family, the heterosexual norm ... as our contribution to world events (world history)” -- Françoise d'Eaubonne

"I do want to be able to explain to a 9-year-old boy in terms he will understand why I think it's OK for girls to wear shirts that revel in their superiority over boys." -- Treena Shapiro

"In general, I support a girl's right to offend any member of the opposite sex who happens to cross her path. In fact, I'd much rather see a little girl wearing a shirt that mocks boys than one that turns them on." -- Treena Shapiro

What Famous Leader Are You?

I dont think I am going to say thanks to the Pebblechaser for this...

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Perhaps this will teach me not to take the short test!

Bear Eats Monkey

And a good time is had by all...

Actually, the visitors to the Dutch zoo, where the merciless devouring of an innocent monkey occured, were reportedly "horrified." But then, isnt part of the fun of going to a zoo seeing the animals act like animals? Guess not.

No word yet on if the monkey was a registered Republican. If he was we may well be invading Amsterdam soon.

Thanks to CrazyJo for the story.

Update: Bausch & Lomb ReNu MoistureLoc Contact Solution

From the AP we learn that Bausch & Lomb is permanently pulling their ReNu MoistureLoc which has been implicated in the fungal infections. No wrongdoing has been found on the part of the company. At this time it seems that the use of the product with it's "unique disinfecting and moisturizing agents" could have simply allowed the fungus to grow.

Bausch & Lomb Pulls Contact-Lens Solution
Product Linked to Fungal(sic) That Causes Blindness
By BEN DOBBIN
AP
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (May 15) - Bausch & Lomb Inc. said Monday it has permanently removed from markets worldwide a contact-lens solution that has been linked by health authorities to an outbreak of rare fungal infections that can cause blindness.

"Bausch & Lomb's top priority is the safety of our customers, and we want them to have complete confidence in our products," said the eye-care product maker's chief executive, Ronald Zarrella.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that the number of confirmed cases of Fusarium keratitis in the United States has climbed to 122, most of them contact-lens wearers who reported using Bausch & Lomb's newest cleaner, ReNu with MoistureLoc MultiPurpose Solution.

The company halted U.S. sales of MoistureLoc on April 13 after the CDC said it was investigating an unusual spike in infections in Americans using the product. The outbreak first surfaced in the Far East in the fall and infections have showed up most recently among contact-lens wearers in Europe.

The fungus is commonly found in plant material and soil in tropical and subtropical areas. Without eye-drop treatment, which can last two to three months, the infection can scar the cornea and blind its victims. At least eight U.S. patients have required cornea transplants.

Extensive federal inspections of its factory in Greenville, S.C., where MoistureLoc was made for U.S. and several Asian markets, have not turned up evidence of "contamination, tampering, counterfeiting or sterility failure," Zarrella said in a statement.

"That leads us to conclude that some aspect of the MoistureLoc formula may be increasing the relative risk of Fusarium infection in unusual circumstances," he said. "We are continuing to investigate this link, but in the meantime, we're taking the most responsible action in the interests of our customers by discontinuing the MoistureLoc formula.

"We are taking this action even in countries where we have seen no unusual trends in Fusarium infections, for example in China and the markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa," he added.

The recall is limited to MoistureLoc and does not involve other solutions in its ReNu line, including the older and more widely used MultiPlus brand _ which some victims reported using.

Of the more than 30 million Americans who wear contact lenses, about 2.3 million use MoistureLoc, which was introduced in late 2004 and accounted for $100 million in global sales last year. Another 11 million people use the MultiPlus solution.

While the CDC reiterated that the origin remains a mystery, some eye specialists theorized that MoistureLoc's unique disinfecting and moisturizing agents could have played a role in the outbreak.

AP Business Writer Wallace Witkowski in New York contributed to this report.

Why?

"Why" is the question. I dont have the answer.

Land Of The Free?

Hard to believe, but government is spying on you. I know I know. With Echelon and Carnivore they have been spying on us for years. But now we have one more layer of "protection".

The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans — most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.

"It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added.

So in other words, they are checking your behavior so that if you suddenly change it they can flag you and actively spy upon you. Change jobs? You might qualify. Move? you might qualify.

Isnt it great living in the land of the free?

Smoking Crack at the USDA

According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it costs a middle-income family $250,000 to raise a child from birth to age 17. In the first year alone, the costs of a baby can reach between $9,000 and $11,000, and most new and expectant parents don't realize the size of the financial burden they are taking on.

Using typical government efficiency they figure that wet wipes cost an extra $100 a month. Being vastly more efficient, and even using name brand wipes (Huggies), we spend about $15. Not to be outdone by their own stupidity, they also include maternity-leave in the cost and child care of $5,000-20,000.

The only useful/interesting bit of data is that babies consume approx 2.5 ounces per pound per day of formula (and by extension one would assume breastmilk.) IIRC one large can of formula makes 96 ounces. That means a 15 pound little one (like Little Bear) would go through one every 2.5 days. $21 at Walmart X 3 a week = $63. Now THAT is expensive.

Blogagerie

Some recent tidbits from some of the blogs out there.
Astrosmith writes on economics (always a favorite subject of mine.)

Our current system, while it allows great economic freedom in most things, has a support system that takes away the pain felt by people as prices rise or they make bad choices in how they spend their money. ... So, to best match human nature, stupid people must be allowed the freedom to do stupid things, and they must be allowed to experience the pain/loss from the consequences of their stupid actions! This is how people grow up. They will not be stupid forever.

Res Ispa enlightens us on the "benefits" of illegal immigration.

What exactly have the Mexicans done for us that we should celebrate their minor accomplishment?

1. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
2. 29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.
3. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
4. 36% of illegal aliens are on welfare. The cost of immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year.
5. The lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus services used) for the average adult Mexican immigrant is a NEGATIVE.

CrazyJo wonders if it is just her that is bothered by the commercialized Church.

I guess my problem is with the overall "slickness" of the package. And the fact that it's packaged at all.
It seems like all churches I've been to lately are getting more and more the same. What can we do for you? What program can we create to suit your needs? How can we be more current and "hip"?

And finally, Pink Kitty shows herself to be a heretic with her outrageous, spurious, and libelous claim that the beloved William "Captain Kirk" Shatner can't act!

Ben Affleck rumored to play Kirk in new Star Trek movie

OK... I know. It is actually kind of funny to think about it. Ben Affleck [who needs acting lessons (see Team America for the song)] would play Capt. Kirk, originally played by William Shatner... who can't act his way out of a paper sack.

One Big Happy

This one was just too good to not repost. One Big Happy has always been a favorite of mine as it depicts some of the cute things kids say. Just yesterday a 4 year old girl asked about our little boy "Is he going to turn into a girl?"

Grand Canyon Pic

This is a really poor stitching of 3 pics I took last summer at the Grand Canyon. The camera rather sucked and I did not yet know the technique for taking pics that you will later stitch together. (Basically you need a piece of equipment that will hold the camera in proper position.)

**Update**
Part of the reason for the color shift from left to right is there was a fire off to the right.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge was completed in July of 1940. At the time is was the third largest suspension bridge in the world. It was a marvel at the time, spanning 5,939 feet across Pugeot Sound and was popular with the locals. The reason it was popular with the locals was its ability to cut off a large drive time and its motion which earned it the nickname "Galloping Gertie." Galloping Gertie lasted for 4 months. On November 7th, 1940 Gertie was destroyed after it encountered a 42MPH wind which created a 30-hertz transverse vibration (or flutter) on the bridge. Flutter is an interesting thing which I may post on when I know more about it.

On the above video you will see a car was on the bridge. The car belonged to a reporter who abandoned it and crawled back to safety. To see just how much the bridge was moving check out this video which has stabilized the towers. Or you can see what it looked like from the point of view of the dog that was left in that car (a rescue of the dog was attempted but it was too frightened to leave the car and bit the would-be rescuer.)

Thought Menagerie

Thieves in Maryland are stealing gas without paying by using keys to open up the control panel of the pump.

From the Denver area (as is the items in the two posts below) a 14yo girl knocked out a grown man who "grabbed" her. Martial arts may have spared her a horrific ordeal (she is a brown belt.)

My sister-in-law has recently been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She could use your prayers (for salvation first and foremost.) As part of a fund raiser I am going to be doing the 150-mile Go For The Gorge ride. Last year this event raised over $2 million. Other fundraisers such as walks can be found at the home page for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Blogroll Additions
Morgan of the Lake Consistently interesting opinion even if you don't agree with her.
Res Ispa Dont forget to check out this post dogging on Bernanke. Priceless.

Teacher Fired For Protecting Student

A Denver area charter school fired a teacher (Polica James Houston) after he intervened when a cop was being "overzealous" in his interrogation of a 14 year old student.

Students from KIPP Cole College Prep in Denver protest the firing of a teacher who allegedly interfered with a police officer's questioning of a student. (Post/Brian Brainerd)

About 60 Denver middle school students walked out of class Thursday to protest the firing of a teacher who they say stuck up for a seventh-grader interrogated by police in a school hallway.

The principal called a Denver police officer to the school after a father "threatened physical violence" against him, Harrison said.

The officer talked to the principal, then tried to question the man's daughter - Nichelle Keys.

Keys, 14, said she ran down the hallway when the officer called to her. She says he grabbed her by the straps on her backpack, slammed her into a locker, pulled her hands behind her back and spread her legs.

The officer pointed his finger in her face and demanded to know where her father lived, Keys said. She doesn't live with her father and didn't know the answers to the officer's questions, she said.

"It was just scary," Keys said.

She said the principal called her father to talk about her behavior.

The girl was wearing a wrist brace and said the officer sprained her wrist when he grabbed her hands.

Denver police said Keys has not filed a complaint. Police spokesman Sonny Jackson said that the girl ran away from police and that the officer did not touch her. Houston, who intervened in the police investigation after students ran to him and told him what happened, said he was fired through voice mail Wednesday night.

Houston said Keys was "sobbing and could barely breathe."

The teacher said that he asked the officer for his badge number and that they had a heated verbal exchange.

So much for standing up for your students. This is a huge tragedy for the students at KIPP as this was no doubt a teacher the students trusted to stand up for them. Now this teacher is gone and there is little chance of him getting his job back.

Polica James Houston, I salute you for having done the right thing. You took the high and honorable road and unfortunately you have suffered for it. In the end you will be rewarded but lets hope and pray that you will be rewarded here and now. The world needs more men like you!

Catholics

Are a funny lot.
Just what is it that makes them think their idol worship is okay? And why do they flock in such large groups to see their idols? I mean, with wiccans and whatnot they simply buy/find/make theirs and bring it home to quietly worship, but Catholics go hundreds or even thousands of miles out of their way to worship an idol. Now I am sure that they dont call it worship, but in all honesty it is.

Take this latest example of the "Virgin Mary" appearing in a tree stump. This was just discovered so it will take a bit for the big crowd to come, but the local crowd is already coming. They are claiming miracles, they are bringing of flowers and candles and they are tying "holy cards" of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the tree.

Statements include "Now I am going back to North Platte and I have pictures of the Virgin and the tree. I am going to put one on my husband's grave so he will know what happened here," and "It's amazing that people don't believe in God's world," she said. "This is truly a miracle. People cry when they see it, they are so moved."

Perhaps the reason more people don't believe is because of the idol worship and abject silliness of these people.

Colorado Beauty

For those who dont live in such a beautiful place, I thought I'd share some of the beauty of Colorado. This first pic is a sunset from a few weeks back. Note the little ones with the kites. In the first picture the kites were all down.

This next one has a kite up.










And here is just a random pic from highway 67 back in January (not much snow at the time)

Reform Plan For Congress

Congress needs changing. Everyone knows it. The question is how to do it, short of starting all over? With such a small amount of people to buy (435 Representatives), special interests find it very easy to get into a congressman's pocket. On the other hand, it is also necessary for the would-be politician to court and accept their favors if they want to get elected. The cost of elections will continue to rise as the message has to get out to more and more people thereby making the problem ever worse. Politicians needs money, special interests are able to raise money and influence and, make no mistake, Constitution-eroding "campaign finance reform" wont solve the problem. It wont even make a dent in it.

The Constitution says that representation "shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative" Currently there is one Representative for every 646,947 people. That is 21.5 times less representatives than the Founders envisioned. This is the reason that they are non-responsive to the Citizenry as well as beholden to special interests. You dont know your Congressman, and he doesnt know or care about you. How could he? How can you hold someone you dont know accountable for their actions? It simply isnt possible.

A quick and easy solution would be to get representation much closer to what the Constitution says. Granted, the Constitution doesnt require only 30,000 people to 1 Representative but our Founding Fathers were wise enough to know that much more would isolate the representative from the Citizens and make him something other than their Servant. Opening up the House to say 5,000 Reps would give us a representation ratio of 1:56,284 or if we went to 1:30,000 there would be 9,380 seats in the House.

Objections to the plan
Three objections would come up over this plan.
1) The increase in # couldnt be held in the House.
2) Representatives would be easier to buy.
3) It would be next to impossible to pass anything.

To this I would say, #1 is irrelevant. There is nothing keeping the House meeting where it does. A new building could be created to hold these new Representatives, the cost would be a pittance considering how much the Gov already spends. The second objection is rather ridiculous as Reps are extremely easy to buy now. But as they would be accountable to the Constituents back home it would be much harder to purchase influence and there would be considerable extra expense with the vastly greater number. Objection number three is my favorite. It is in fact, one of my reasons for supporting such an action. It would be hard to pass bills. There is a reason for that, it is because it would have to pass through a lot of people's BS filters as well as their conscience and beliefs.

To recap: increased Representation would provide for a more responsive (to the Citizenry) and accountable legislature. It would work to free the House from PACS and Special Interest groups (it is impossible to fully end the influence of the monied elite and it is foolish to try) It would result in more gridlock and at the same time legislation that truly represents the people would be easier to pass. As an added bonus, it would be much harder to pass the pork that is currently passed. It is highly unlikely that the 6-10 representatives from Colorado Springs would vote for a toe-nail clippings museum in Pennsylvania, nor would Pennsylvanian Reps vote for funding for our Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. This is just as it should be.

Speech Contraction

A recent ruling by the 9th Circuit (pdf) has ruled that a student cannot wear a message that may make "derogatory and injurious remarks directed at students' minority status such as race, religion, and sexual orientation." On the front, the T-shirt said, "Be Ashamed, Our School Embraced What God Has Condemned," and on the back, it said "Homosexuality is Shameful." This is of course hailed by the left in their rush to overthrow any Christian bonds this nation still has.

What isnt being thought of, is if speech can be limited in one way it can be limited in another. If today speaking against homosexuality is not allowed by courts and laws, what would happen if the Left's favorite boogeyman, Bible-thumping Christians actually took over the government? If, as the Left so vocally fears, those Christians install a theocratic government (hasnt happened yet, just what ARE the chances?) and outlaw gays and wiccans and the whole Kennedy Klan, then the Left's speech could equally be taken away.

Seems that the old saying is true, Never give any power to government that you wouldn't give to your worst enemy

Income Tax part II

I found an article today on DailyReckoning.com that is perfect considering my little series on the Income Tax. Laurence M. Vance wrote a review/rebuke of Steve Forbes's new book Flat Tax Revolution. Mr Vance takes Forbes to task over his proposal for a progressive "flat" tax, but they both agree on the following which is instructive of what I spoke about last time.

Forbes' description of the Federal income tax code:

* A monster of a system.
* Abominably, appallingly confusing.
* A multi-headed hydra of countless brackets, deductions, and exemptions.
* Our horrifically heavy, appallingly complex, corruption-inducing tax code.

In addition to his accurate description of the horrific U.S. tax code, Forbes also correctly points out the huge costs of complying with the tax code. Compliance costs in terms of time have skyrocketed from an average of 17 hours and 7 minutes fifteen years ago to 28 hours and 30 minutes today. Lost productivity is in the billions of hours. The cost in dollars is now about $200 billion.

The U.S. tax code - with its "nine million word mountain of verbiage" - is so complex and "littered with impenetrable passages" that a fictional tax return given by Money magazine to forty-five tax preparers resulted in forty-five different calculations of the correct amount of tax due. This is not surprising since IRS employees (Forbes says that there are 97,440 of them) don't even give the same answers to tax questions. Forbes mentions a 2003 Treasury Department study, which found that callers to the IRS toll-free help lines "gave the wrong answers to tax-related questions more than 25 percent of the time."

Take a good look at that. The income tax code is now over 9 million words (the 7 million I quoted was a number I knew was getting old, but I'm too lazy (or smart)to try and count them on my own.) And more to the point, one tax return given to 45 different preparers ended up with 45 different totals? You cant even begin to tell me this doesnt fall under the Void for Vagueness doctrine. And those IRS employees giving out wrong answers? Nothing you can do about it. You cant sue them or the department, nor is their wrong info a defense for you.

Income tax... Illegal through and through and through.

Abinitio

This letter was recieved by the lead "singer" of Abinitio, a small local denver band. I put singer in quotes because he is a screamer/growler who uses no lyrics.

I would like to start off by saying that your opinion
on our music is completely irrelevant to ours.(sic)
Honestly your 1 page analysis on our performance last
night is nothing short of hilarious to all of us. The
fact that we didn't sound like "the great" Project 86
doesn't and will not affect in anyway our sleep
patterns.
I have never listened to them and probably never will.
As far as we are concerned we played with August Burns
Red and the Showdown last night. If you had any sort
of knowledge about music whatsoever you would realize
that we OBVIOUSLY aren't targeting shallow minded
people such as yourself to listen to our music.
YES there are lyrics and they are posted on our
profile page.In fact I actually wrote a song about
individuals like you...but that's another story!
I truly hope that I never have to play in front of
anyone like you again(at least knowingly).
I find it very sad that you had nothing better to do
than write hate mail to us ,but if that is what you do
in your spare time...I guess your words speak for
themselves!

As for me..the vocalist...I wish you were standing in
front so I could have grabbed your hair and screamed
in your face. I just got a good laugh from my
girlfriend (the one who you were obviously glaring at)
& the gross face you made only further lessened your
appearance!!You write a direct personal "diss" to me
for purposes unknown to me. My only explanation is
that you were dumbfounded by mine & the other guys'
undeniably good looks and amazing sex appeal!
That or the hole in my underwear?
Whatever the reason be you took this way too far and I
really hope for your sake that you
GET A FUCKING LIFE!

fondly Abinitio

The letter sent to them addressed thei lack of showmanship, such as stating on stage "I hate small talk," lack of gratefulness for the venue and other bands that made their appearance possible and their striking shop before the show was even over. Also there was a question of whether or not there are lyrics to any of their songs (it ceratinly doesnt appear so) What is interesting is that the only thing Abinitio addressed was the lyrics. They state they are available on their myspace page, when in reality they aren't. Not once was the hole in his underwear mentioned (yes he had a hole in his underwear or perhaps an undershirt)

If you had any sort of knowledge about music whatsoever you would realize that we OBVIOUSLY aren't targeting shallow minded people such as yourself to listen to our music.
Is he serious? Shallow minded? His singing is nothing but growls. I would posit that it takes a less intelligent/shallower listener to put up with such tripe.

I just got a good laugh from my girlfriend (the one who you were obviously glaring at) & the gross face you made only further lessened your appearance!!
WTF? Where did this come from? His girlfriend? Never mentioned as she is irrelevant to the bands performance (who knew or cared that she existed?)

My only explanation isthat you were dumbfounded by mine & the other guys' undeniably good looks and amazing sex appeal!
What the writer claims as sex appeal was really an appalingly bad attitude and an apparent dislike for career opportunities. Project 86 headlined this show and as such the people at the concert came to see them. Abinitio claims they have never listed to them? Not even to check out the many available music clips online? How asinine is that? How lazy? P86 is not the biggest band out there to be sure, but when opening for any band it is grace, good style and plain common sense to treat the opportunity as just that. An opportunity.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear, the band was actually good. They are still young and have further improvements and refinements to make but they played just fine. It is their lead that makes them smell so bad.

To the band of Abinitio: If you ever want to go places with your music you are going to have to find another lead. No matter your talent, no matter how well you play, your lead speaks for the group. He is the one that the public sees and he personifies your group. He is your salesman. The lead you have now couldnt sell a life vest to a drowning man. Ditch him.

Income Tax Not Constitutional

As people are all pissy about the subject of taxation before the "due" date I decided to hold off on this until now. No doubt there are those who will simply accuse me of not paying my "fair share." (Note: the "fair share" argument is really just a whine and holds no weight in a discussion.) So here is the first in what is likely to be a topic on this blog for a while.

The current income tax was instituted in 1913 (not coincidentally the same year the Fed was created.) Now as a bit of history, Congress had passed an Income Tax as part of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act of 1894. This tax was decided by the United States Supreme Court to be unconstitutional in 1895. Why? Because it was a tax on "property" and it was a direct tax without respect to the census and therefore unapportioned.

Currently in the common vernacular we interpret "income" to be that which we take home from our jobs. That weekly paycheck (or for some of us, weakly paycheck) is not, in fact, income as defined by law, nor as considered by SCotUS. SCotUS has ruled that income in the legal sense arises from gain or increase arising from corporate activity. (Note 1) Now, in the abscence of gain there can be no "income" (Note 2)

SCotUS has also ruled that one's labor constitutes property (Note 3) and that "The property which every man has in his own labor, as it is the original foundation of all other property, so it is the most sacred and inviolable." (Note 4)

From these court cases it is easy to see that labor, the primary "income" for Americans (yes that includes office workers too,) is not taxable. This means that there is no "gross income" for which one would have to file a tax return. This also means that the FICA "Contribution" taxes also do not apply to you as you have no taxable income. This also means that there is no "fair share."

The current Income Tax code contains more than 7 million words. By way of comparison the KJV Bible has 791,328 words. Off the top of my head I can think of 8 different sects (Note 5) with differing opinions that these 791,328 words have spawned, learned men and scholars amongst them all. How many more opinions would 7,000,000+ words create? It is true, and been upheld in court, that even IRS employees and their publications cannot be counted on (or held liable) to give correct advice regarding the tax laws. The Void for Vagueness doctrine would seem to apply to this.

"It is a basic principle of due process that an enactment is void for vagueness if its prohibitions are not clearly defined. Vague laws offend several important values. First, because we assume that man is free to steer between lawful and unlawful conduct, we insist that laws give the person of ordinary intelligence a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited, so that he may act accordingly. Vague laws may trap the innocent by not providing fair warning. Second, if arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement is to be prevented, laws must provide explicit standards for those who apply them. A vague law impermissibly delegates basic policy matters to policemen, judges, and juries for resolution on an ad hoc and subjective basis, with the attendant dangers of arbitrary and discriminatory application." (Note 6)

"Criminal statutes which fail to give due notice that an act has been made criminal before it is done are unconstitutional deprivations of due process of law." (Note 7)

Furthermore, when tax laws are vague they are to interpreted in favor of the "taxpayer."
“...if doubt exists as to the construction of a taxing statute, the doubt should be resolved in favor of the taxpayer..." (Note 8) and " Where the construction of a tax law is doubtful, the doubt is to be resolved in favor of whom upon which the tax is sought to be laid." (Note 9)


To sum up, the Income Tax law(s) is too vague to be enforcable and doesnt apply to anyone anyways.



Note 1: Doyle v. Mitchell Brothers Co., 247 U.S. 179, 185, 38 S.Ct. 467 and Stratton’s Independence v. Howbert, 231 U.S. 399, 414, 58 L.Ed. 285, 34 Sup.Ct.136

Note 2: Stratton’s Indep. v. Howbert , 231 U.S. 399; Doyle v. Mitchell, 247 U.S. 179; So. Pacific v. Lowe, 247 U.S. 330 (1918); Eisnerv. Macomber, 252 U.S. 189; Merchant’s Loan v. Smietanka, 255 U.S. 509

Note 3: Doyle v. Mitchell Brothers Co., 247 U.S. 179, 185, 38 S.Ct. 467 and Stratton’s Independence v. Howbert, 231 U.S. 399, 414, 58 L.Ed. 285, 34 Sup.Ct.136

Note 4: Butchers’ Union Co. v. Crescent City Co., 111 U.S. 746, 757 (concurring opinion of Justice Fields)

Note 5: Nazarene, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, NonDenominational, Friends, Quaker, Mennonite

Note 6: Grayned v. City of Rockford, 408 U.S. 104, 108 (1972)

Note 7: U.S. v. De Cadena, 105 F.Supp. 202, 204 (1952)

Note 8: Hassett v. Welch., 303 US 303, pp. 314 - 315, 82 L Ed 858. (1938)

Note 9: Spreckles Sugar Refining v. McClain, 192 U.S. 397, 416 (1904); Gould v. Gould, 245 U.S. 151, 153 (1917); Smietanka v. First Trust & Savings Bank, 257 U.S. 602, 606 (1922); Lucas v. Alexander, 279 U.S. 573, 577 (1929); Crooks v. Harrelson, 282 U.S. 55 (1930); Burnet v. Niagra Falls Brewing Co., 282 U.S. 648, 654 (1931); Miller v. Standard Nut Margarine Co., 284 U.S. 498, 508 (1932); Gregory v. Helvering, 293 U.S. 465, 469 (1935); Hassett v. Welch, 303 U.S. 303, 314 (1938); U.S. v. Batchelder, 442 U.S. 114, 123 (1978); Security Bank of Minnesota v. CIA, 994 F.2d 432, 436 (CA8 1993)

VotM

Voice of the Mogambo

The other side of the damned coin is that the flood of new illegal immigrants will be spending all that money and consuming all those services, keeping demand going higher, thus further increasing prices.

As Vox has pointed out, increased supply of laborers pushes the value of labor down (which means lower wages for all) and as Mogambo wrote in his latest rant, the illegals are also pushing prices up. Seems to be the best of both worlds eh?

This Is Why...

You carry a freaking GUN!
This was a totally unnecessary death. Totally! Bears are not going to be moved by humans wielding sticks, but as noted later a small caliber gun was fired at the bear and it took off.

A word of advice, dont use your first shot on the bear, shoot to the side so that the noise of it might scare it off.

Pack Up Honey, We're Moving!

I found the perfect little town outside of L.A. It's called Vernon, city motto "Exclusively Industrial."

Looks like the city is ripe for some new politicians, and I am just the man to fill one of those. Per this article in the San Luis Obispo Tribune,there hasnt been elections in over 25 years, well till this much contested one. But more importantly, with only 90 registered voters and council pay over $600,000 a year, I think it is time for a move.

So long Colorado, you'll be missed!

Callin Evil Good

Malachi 2:17Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied [him]? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil [is] good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where [is] the God of judgment?

Everyone that does evil is good in the sight of the Lord.
This is a huge heresy that has taken root in modern culture and far too many churches. This is also known as "all good people go to heaven" or "there are multiple ways to get to heaven" or stating that all the religions are worshipping the same god (with the implication that it is G-d the Father.) This reasoning says that Muslims, Hindus, Pagans, Druids, Taoists, Wiccans, and Ancestor worshippers are all going to get to heaven (no mention of athiests and agnostics in this latter group.)

This is believed by many who call themselves Christian, despite Jesus' own words to the contrary. It is a wonder how so many can skip over such statements as "No man comes to the Father but through Me" and "he that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The belief so tickles the ears and allays peoples fears that a loved one might go to hell that even pastors state it or avoid the stating the truth so as to not offend. (we could name names but to what point?)

The solution, of course, is to read the Scriptures and apply them to our lives and change our beliefs to align with the Word of G-d. Stop worrying about offending people and start waking them up from their stupor. Pastors, your job isnt to comfort, it is to lead people closer to Christ. As one wit once said "to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Also to not be fearful of man or his opinions for we are told to not fear those who can kill the body, but to fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

Passover

I hope that you have a wonderful Passover. Whether or not you celebrate it, remember that out Lord Jesus Christ was our Passover Lamb, the sacrifice for our sins. Remember that death came for all, but the obedient were spared.

Remember that this is a bittersweet day. For tho the faithful were spared, there were thousands upon thousands dead, their families in anguish. The Hebrews were aware of this, we should be also. Remember, pray and act. Reach out to those in darkness, to those for whom the Destoyer comes, for time is of the essence and no one knows the day nor the hour when they depart this world.

Ethanol

With gas prices on the rise again alternative fuels are on the minds of the people, when they arent thinking of immigration that is. One of those alternates is Ethanol. It is already placed in our gas in an attempt to reduce air pollution (someone please explain to me how using 10% more gas equals less pollution?!)

I stumbled across a site called ZFacts.com, a liberal-leaning site (always watch the bias) that gives a great analasys of the stupidity of trying to use ethanol for a fuel substitute or even additive.

Per the site, Ethanol would cost us 7.87 a gallon (at the time of creation premium was 2.54) and that is using the most favorable numbers, those given by its proponents. To top it off, to provide the fuel consumed in 2004 would require that every single inch of ground in America, including Alaska) be used to grow corn. And then 50% more land.

Attention: Contact Users

Apparently there has been an outbreak of an infection which can lead to blindness, the greatest commonality at this time is Bausch & Lomb's ReNu contact solution OR one of the generic brands produced by them at their Greenville S.C. site. I think it important to note that it isnt the proven cause at this time, but why risk your eyes?

Officials Probe Eye Infection Outbreak
Apr 10 6:37 PM US/Eastern
By ANDREW BRIDGES
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON

Bausch & Lomb voluntarily suspended shipment of a contact lens solution after federal health officials linked it Monday to a fungal eye infection that can cause temporary blindness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 109 reports of Fusarium keratitis infection in patients in 17 states since June 2005.

Federal and state health officials have interviewed just 30 of those patients. However, of the 28 who wore soft contact lens, however(sic), 26 reported using Bausch & Lomb's ReNu brand contact lens solution or a generic type of solution also made by the Rochester, N.Y., company.

Bausch & Lomb said it would temporarily suspend shipments of ReNu with MoistureLoc made at its Greenville, S.C., plant.

"The CDC data released today are both troubling and perplexing, as there is an apparent disproportionate representation of U.S.- manufactured ReNu with MoistureLoc in the underlying data. The source of these infections has not been determined," company chairman and chief executive officer Ronald Zarrella said.

Without treatment, which can last two to three months, the infection can scar the cornea and blind its victims. Eight U.S. patients have required cornea transplants.

Soft contact users with eye redness or pain, tearing, increased light sensitivity, blurred vision or discharge should stop wearing contacts and contact a doctor immediately, said Dr. Malvina Eydelman, director of the FDA's Division of Ophthalmic and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices. The FDA also advises users to wash their hands well with soap and water before handling lenses and to follow cleaning and storage guidelines.

In addition, contact lens wearers who use ReNu with MoistureLoc should do so with caution, the FDA said.

Abortion Numbers

According to Planned Parenthood...

# of abortions per year. 1.31 million (2000)
or 3589 every day
or 358.9 every hour Planned Parenthood is open.

Costs per abortion
conception to 8 weeks = $372
8-16 weeks = $774
20+ weeks = $1179

Giving weight to the numbers PP gives, an approximate average of $561.09 per abortion

Per PP, taxpayer money is used for 13%
for an estimated total of $99,553,627.

The risk of death associated with abortion increases with the length of pregnancy, from one death for every 500,000 abortions at eight or fewer weeks to one per 27,000 at 16-20 weeks, and one per 8,000 at 21 or more weeks (AGI,2004). After 20 weeks gestation there is no statistically significant difference in maternal mortality rates between terminating a pregnancy by abortion and carrying it to term.
(for ease of use that is .2 per 100,000; 3.7 per 100,000; 12.5 per 100,000)

Compare the above rate to the maternal mortality rate of 7.7 per 100,000 pregnancies. Of those an estimated %88 to %98 could be prevented, leading to a %0.154 to 0.924 mortality rate for mothers who carry to term. (Source)

And then per PP, the black-robed priests gave a gem or a ruling when in Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists they ruled that when performing a postviability abortion, a physician must be permitted to use the method most likely to preserve the woman's health, even if it might endanger fetal survival.
Umm, isnt endangering "fetal survival" the entire point of an abortion?

With the one noted exception all info is pulled from Planned Parenthood's own website.

While You Were Sleeping

Gold is now at 597.30 and silver is at 12.42

One year ago it was at 426.50 and 7.14 respectively

Crude oil today is 68.19, one year ago (4-11-05) is was 53.71.

Increase over last year
Gold = %40.0
Silver = %73.9
Crude Oil = %26.9

Once again, it is a good time to have commodities. And if you were smart enough to have gotten some Norfed's before the price shot up you need to redeem those for the new $20s quickly.

Superheroes And Force

Found this essay written by Mike Godesky (slightly edited for brevity.)

A major theme of The Ultimates [a comic book] has been people’s failure to recognize the seriousness of the threat of supervillains and the need for an aggressive military response. Replace “supervillains” with “terrorists,” and the philosophy of The Ultimates is basically a defense of the Bush Doctrine. Even those superheroes not officially employed by the United States government are often depicted as agents of the government.

Comic book superheroes are not always recognized for their good deeds, though. Spider-Man is often mistaken for one of the criminals he has dedicated his life to fighting. This is thanks in no small part to Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson’s attempts to smear his character. However, it does bring to light an interesting question. There is very little difference between Spidey and his more patriotic counter-parts. In fact, he is often thought of as Marvel’s Superman. So why is Superman a paragon of American justice, while Spider-Man is a vigilante? For that matter, what gives any superhero the right to use the violent and destructive measures they so often employ?

The reader, however, knows that [the superhero's] actions were justified in order to serve the greater good.

And this idea of the greater good is how superheroes operate. The superhero is allowed to use any amount force to achieve his goals. No one else is. The idea involves what sociologist Max Weber called the monopoly of force. According to Weber, a state cannot be defined by its ends since there is no task both exclusive to and unique to the state. Rather, the state is defined as that body which has a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force. In other words, state sanctioned use of force is the only kind of force that is morally acceptable. Only the state and those acting with the permission of the state are allowed to use physical violence.

Superheroes, in their quest to uphold the law, often have either explicit or implicit permission from the state to use force. Therefore, Superman is not considered a criminal in spite of his actions that normally would be considered criminal because the government in Superman’s world has decided that he is allowed to use such force. Others, such as the Punisher, do not have such an allowance. As a result, they are regarded as vigilantes.

Perhaps unconnected is this report that Bush is considering nuclear strikes upon Iran's nuclear facilities (Thanks to Triton on the link)

A Moment Of Silence...

And a time for prayer!

Eaglewood and Birdie have lost their little one. Take a moment to lift them up in prayer.

Prisoners And Labor

Give the jobs Americans don’t want to prisoners not illegals
Body: Instead of giving prisoners luxuries such as in-cell televisions, pornographic materials, R, X, and NC-17 rated movies; personally owned computers,; in-cell coffee pots and microwave ovens; and expensive electronic musical instruments why dont we put them to work on the jobs American dont want. If youre in prison for a crime you did you should be busting your ass.

I got this today and felt that I should respond to this idea. Certainly the thought of putting prisoners to work has been tossed around in one form or another for quite some time. Various reasons are given but usually the whole matter isnt considered.

Why would we not want to give jobs to prisoners? The main reason is when these things have been done in the past (and are still being done) is that the State or perhaps the prison/contractor is the sole beneficiary of what amounts to slave labor. Moreover the State would then be making money on those they jailed, giving the State a perverse reason to lock up more people and hold them for longer.

It is possible to make such a venture work, be ethical and reduce recidivism rates all at the same time. Allow companies to set up shop and employ the prisoners in various trades which would be limited so as to not give a criminal the tools to become a better criminal (accounting and locksmithing are areas that come to mind.) The companies that come in would have to abide by all the same laws they would have to if the had hired someone off the street, most notably in the area of wages, so as to not provide any unfair competative advantage to said company. Obviously wages would be lower, but at least minimum wage. From these wages, 50% would go to reparations with most of the remainder being held in escrow so that when the prisoner is released he has some money (and a trade) to survive on without so much pressure to return to crime.

Once reparations have been made all the monies made would be placed into that escrow account. Alternatively, instead of being placed in escrow that money could go to the family of the prisoner in order to boost their ability to make it and not go on welfare or even turn to crime themselves. This would have the added benefit of ensuring a high percentage of prisoners willing to work as they would be able to provide something for their families as opposed to the State simply confiscating their labor to give to someone whom they have (likely) already shown they care little for.

Modern Women

Vaccines

On the topic of vaccines and autism. Pulled these randomly from the article.

The disease (autism) was unknown until 1943, when it was identified and diagnosed among 11 children born in the months after thimerosal was first added to baby vaccines in 1931.

Since 1991, when the CDC and the FDA had recommended that three additional vaccines laced with the preservative be given to extremely young infants -- in one case, within hours of birth -- the estimated number of cases of autism had increased fifteenfold, from one in every 2,500 children to one in 166 children.

In China, where the disease was virtually unknown prior to the introduction of thimerosal by U.S. drug manufacturers in 1999, news reports indicate that there are now more than 1.8 million autistics.

Infants who received all their vaccines, plus boosters, by the age of 6 months were being injected with levels of ethylmercury 187 times greater than the EPA's limit for daily exposure to methylmercury, a related neurotoxin.

In April, 2005 reporter Dan Olmsted of UPI undertook one of the more interesting studies himself. Searching for children who had not been exposed to mercury in vaccines -- the kind of population that scientists typically use as a "control" in experiments -- Olmsted scoured the Amish of Lancaster County, Penn., who refuse to immunize their infants. Given the national rate of autism, Olmsted calculated that there should be 130 autistics among the Amish. He found only four. One had been exposed to high levels of mercury from a power plant. The other three -- including one child adopted from outside the Amish community -- had received their vaccines.

"You couldn't even construct a study that shows thimerosal is safe," says Haley, who heads the chemistry department at the University of Kentucky. "It's just too darn toxic. If you inject thimerosal into an animal, its brain will sicken. If you apply it to living tissue, the cells die. If you put it in a petri dish, the culture dies. Knowing these things, it would be shocking if one could inject it into an infant without causing damage."

Suspect Wants $20 Million

Keith Clayton Brooks Jr. is looking for $20 Million and charges against him dropped. Brooks and an accomplice were burglarizing a home on the south end of town last October when deputies showed up on the scene. A shot was fired at the deputies who then returned fire, wounding Brooks. The article doesnt make clear if Brooks or his accomplice was the one doing the shooting. Brooks as much as admits his crime by his statement "I ultimately became a victim."

What is this? While I support clogging the court system (fight your traffic tickets people) this is ridiculous. No doubt it will be thrown out.

Cur Deus Homo

The text of Cur deus homo for those who care to read it.

Which Theologian Are You?

Anselm is the outstanding theologian of the medieval period.He sees man's primary problem as having failed to render unto God what we owe him, so God becomes man in Christ and gives God what he is due. You should read 'Cur Deus Homo?'

Anselm 100% Karl Barth 87% Martin Luther 80% John Calvin 67% Jonathan Edwards 67% Charles Finney 40% Friedrich Schleiermacher 33% J�rgen Moltmann 20% Augustine 20% Paul Tillich 0% Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com

I am going to have to read up on this Anselm.

America: From Freedom To Fascism

Here is an article from the Glen Falls, New York Post Star. A reporter from the paper was at the local screening of Aaron Russo's film America: From Freedom To Fascism. The reporter leads off with an ex-IRS employee who thought to cash in on the $50,000 reward for anyone who can provide a copy of the law that give the FedGov the authority to impose an income tax on American workers (noting that 7 years later she still hasnt found it)then goes on to note that former IRS Commisioner Sheldon Cohen admits on camera that the current law only call for "voluntary compliance."

The word is getting out, and it isnt favorable to our Government.

A new study released by Nature shows a difference in brains in children of differing intelligence.

As a child grows the brain goes thru several enlargments and "cullings". What the study found is that in children of high intelligence (121 to 149) the enlargement process didnt finish until age 11. "Children who were just slightly less bright reached that point at age 9, and those with average intelligence at around 6. In all cases, the cortex later thinned as the children matured."

The study goes on to say "Nobody knows what's happening within the cortex to make it get thicker or thinner, Shaw said, so it's impossible to say why those changes would be related to intelligence. Brain development is influenced by intellectual stimulation, so that probably plays a role, he said."

As with most anything I would say it is part nurture and part nature. The building blocks neccessary for building the brain (and the rest of the body) start shortly after conception, and obviously higher quality materials result in a higher quality construction.

But what if you build a park and no one comes? Thus the nurture side comes into play. BabyCenter gives a list of 8 things that can be done to help boost a child's intelligence. These include reading and talking to your child, stimulating all his senses (toys/play/foods), encouraging new challenges and simply showing your love.

Jereme Lamberth: Cop-Killer?

According to news reports, Jereme Lamberth did not know that the person he shot was a cop. Lamberth was sitting at a bus stop when he was “approached by an unidentified white male,” according to the arrest affidavit. Jensen[cop] “grabbed ahold of his left arm” and told Lamberth he was “going with him” or he would break Lamberth’s arm, according to the affidavit. As Jensen used both hands to hold Lamberth’s arm, Lamberth said he “drew a .44 caliber revolver from his waistband and shot the individual once,” court records show. “He said he was trying to shoot the individual in the arm.” After Jensen was down, Lamberth told investigators he waited “for between one and two seconds” before shooting Jensen again. Lamberth “had indicated he did not want any more problems from this individual and that was the reason why he had fired the second shot,” according to court records. Lamberth “made no statements that he was aware this individual who had confronted him was a Colorado Springs Police Department officer.”

Well doesnt that put a difference spin on the whole cop-killer case? When some unidentified person comes and threatens bodily harm physical force IS justified. Plain and simple. This is very similar to these no-knock raids the police do. No announcement, an overt and obvious threat posed and when things go wrong the defendant is charged with and usually found guilty of murdering a cop.

Muslim Idiocy

What a wonderful religion and law. Apparently if a man falls asleep and utters the word divorce 3 times (while asleep!) then the divorce is in full affect. More than that they must separate for a minimum of 100 days before they can get remarried, during which the woman must spend at least one night with another man who must then divorce her in the same manner.

Beloved

Thought I'd put up a pic of my Beloved
We were playing with some of the effects in Paint Shop and came up with this.

Democracy

3 years of fighting, dying and all around kicking arse and what have we accomplished? We are bringing democracy to muslim nations. Fat lot of good that is doing anyone.

Has anyone been paying attention? Democracy is NOT a good form of government. It ALWAYS leads to despotism/tyranny. Always. Say it with me now... "Democracy is not my friend."

"Western-style democracy" and "democratic reforms" are condemning an Afghani Christian to death because he converted from Islam. If everyone had been paying attention in class they would have known this was coming. If the world was paying attention now they would know that such things are not long in coming to Iraq.

And then the class would come to the conclusion "Hmmm, America has been transformed into a democracy too, so maybe bad things will happen here as well?" Rather, the class would come to that conclusion were they not all alseep.

8th Grade Science

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

The real question here is can the writer of this test pass 8th grade spelling? And just what IS the electrical charge of a neuron?

That Is What I Have Been Talking About!

Cop shoots and kills handcuffed man, people are asking for clemency/pardon.

Details of the case
2 cops arrive shortly after criminal kills his girlfriend, Cop 1 goes around to the back gets shot and is killed, Cop 2 in front of the house puts three bullets into criminal and then handcuffs him. Cop 2 finds Cop 1 dead then goes and executes wounded and handcuffed criminal. Cop 2 gets one year prison.

Clear case. Use of deadly force was in no way justified at the time of execution. Are we now to excuse him because he was acting for the state? Is "Executioner" part of the job description? Cop 2 knows the law, he has been a cop for 31 years. He knows quite well when use of force is justified and when it is not.

Sgt. Billy Anders stepped over the line from law enforcement to criminal. There can be no clemency for such an offender. Law enforcement is to be held to a higher standard or how else can the populace trust them. Anders faced a 7 year sentence but was given the lightest possible under New Mexico law of 1 year.

The world is a better place without Flippen (the criminal) but we slid right back and perhaps even worse when we allow those who are charged with upholding the law to cross it with no real consequence.

Fantastic Photography

Max Lyons the man who pioneered Gigabyte Photography with his photo of Bryce Canyon has some incredible photography available on his website. If you are looking for some art for the house this might be what you are looking for.

Check out the his galleries.

I can't decide which gallery is best, but I am leaning towards the Canadian Rockies


I set my background to this one

New WonderDrug

Apparently the FDA is stalling on this fantastic new wonder drug. It is an all-purpose drug to assist with psychologically influenced mental conditions and has no side effects.



Certainly a better deal than this drug.

Little Bear

I thought I would treat you all to a quick peak at my Little Bear. Here he is guarding his pacifier. The second pic is from his first day out of the womb, still at the hospital.

MPAA lawsuits coming to a town near you!

Movie Attendance down.

No doubt this is due to piracy and evil people downloading movies from the internet! It certainly has nothing to do with declining quality and overplayed storylines/plots. In fact this is very similar to declining sales for music. Again, nothing to do with declining quality.

MPAA lawsuits coming to a town near you!

Moon Landing a Hoax!

Google has this absolutely fantastic new tool. It is moon.google.com and with this tool you can prove there there never was a moon landing! Really. Check it out for yourselves. Just select any one of the selected points and then zoom in on that till it wont zoom anymore and you will see the proof for yourself!

Moon.Google.Com

Also available is Mars.Google.Com

P 86: Subject To Change

Relent, to the terror that distances you
Retreat, to the habitual grins
Regress to the deception, quiet and tame
Once was transformed, now exactly the same

Remember when you nearly plunged into embrace?
But instead you've chosen to keep it all at bay

it's tough to admit and admit and admit that
Your fate's still undecided

Return
Return
Return

From the latest album "...And The Rest Will Follow"

A good deal of their songs do call for us to "return" and, personally, I can't hear that message too much.

I've seen the face of redemption
And He isn't you
I'm through indulging the tastes of
My cruelest nature
So I think this blade better suits you [hinrance/heresy]

Since we're the ones
Who occupy this temple
We'll be the ones
Who'll show you out

Flesh Eating Bacteria

Last night I mentioned that I wanted to look this up and blog on it today. Lo and behold, here is a news article on it. Sharon Bishop died just three days after contracting an infection of the rare invasive form of group A streptococcal bacteria. Her initial wound was only a jammed thumb.

The diagnosis is Necrotizing Fasciitis and is usually caused by the invasive form of group A Strep but can be a combination of bacteria. Deadly in about 20% of the cases and tissue must always be removed, anything from skin to limbs and sometimes more.

What are the symptoms? The symptoms are varied, but often include:

EARLY SYMPTOMS (usually within 24 hours) :

1. Usually a minor trauma or other skin opening has occurred (the wound does not necessarily appear infected)
2. Some pain in the general area of the injury is present. Not necessarily at the site of the injury but in the same region or limb of the body
3. The pain is usually disproportionate to the injury and may start as something akin to a muscle pull, but becomes more and more painful
4. Flu like symptoms begin to occur, such as diarrhea, nausea, fever, confusion, dizziness, weakness, and general malaise
5. Intense thirst occurs as the body becomes dehydrated
6. The biggest symptom is all of these symptoms combined. In general you will probably feel worse than you've ever felt and not understand why.

When should I seek medical attention?

Any time all of the early symptoms are present, go to a doctor at once, and insist that this be ruled out. The vast majority of cases are misdiagnosed. People have been told that they had fallen, when they didn't, they have had casts put on bones that were not broken, have been given Tylenol for flu and been told to come back the next day; they have been told they have an ingrown toenail, they've been told they have arthritis; they've been accused of burning themselves...many of these people have gone back to the hospital two days later and died. Insist that this be ruled out if you have all of the early symptoms.

Why are so many cases of NF misdiagnosed?

Because the beginning symptoms look like so many other minor afflictions. None of the symptoms are exclusive to this, and until the patient is so ill that they are critical many health care workers don't consider NF. Although the disease is on the increase worldwide, it is still considered uncommon, so many emergency rooms may never have seen a case before.

More information can be found at the National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation. The info above is from there Facts Page

Living Fossils

Came across this site today. Lots of great info about the Coelacanth ("see-la-kanth") which is was once thought to have died out 65 million years ago. It was rediscovered in 1938 with the second sighting not until the 1950s.

Go visit www.Dinofish.com and before you leave dont forget to visit their souvenier shop here and here

Abortion Ramblings

Remember this picture? Little Samuel (a letter from his mother at the end of the page) was 21 weeks old when surgery was done to correct his Spina Bifida. Only halfway to birth and gripping the hand of the surgeon. This picture caused a ruckus when it came out as the Pro-Choice crowd wanted it supresses as it might push the undecided masses towards a pro-life stance.

The Pro-Choice (death) camp seems to make a fuss any time something like that comes up. The Laci Petersen Law comes to mind. Also the various attempts by the states to add laws that require information be given to a woman before an abortion or parental consent laws for minors (quick rant: Why is it the law allows a 16 year old girl to get an abortion but not to get her ears pierced? How ridiculous is that?) Anyways, no real point or coherent thoughts. Much too tired at the moment, I just felt that this pic should be posted.

*** Update ***
The Photographer of the Samuel pictures was Michael Clancy. He explains how this pic happened on this page. Mr. Clancy allows this picture to be reprinted for use "If the picture will be used in a respectful manner that does honor to the image" e.g. for counseling those seeking an abortion. Clancy continues by saying "[M]ake however many copies you want to hand out. [A]nd help me tell the story of how Samuel reached out of his mother's womb.

Project 86 Coming Back To Denver

They're back! Or well, they will be.
April 22nd at the Bluebird Theater.
Project 86 headlining with The Showdown and August Burns Red joining the show.

Can't imagine missing it, now to find a babysitter...

P.S. Heidi, P86 will be in Portland April 18th.

Brahminy Blind Snake

Came across this little critter in my wanderings. It looks like it is made of quicksilver. The snake is the only entirely female snake in the world (known I should say) and as such reproduces asexually (poor things)

Some pics here

Freedom To Fascism

Aaron Russo's new film is about to come out. In fact it is being previewed across the nation at the We The People's meetings. A trailer of the video can be found at the Freedom To Fascism site. If you are wanting to understand a bit more about the Tax Honesty movement this will give you an insight.

Sherry Jackson sums it up nicely with the question "Where is the law? Show me the law."

Bush Against Abortion Ban

Bush is against the abortion ban that South Dakota is now pushing in an attempt to topple the infamous Roe v. Wade. Bush is against it in part because he wants three exceptions to the ban, for 1) rape 2) incest and 3) life of the mother. The South Dakota ban gives an exception for the life of the Mother.

1) Rape
Arielle has posted on the issue of aborting the child of rape, as well as a letter she recieved from just such a child. She has done a fine job on those, so go read it.

2) Incest
What is incest? Sex between close familial relations. What is it about this that makes the child so monstrous? Is there a higher incidence of mutation/defect? yes. But realistically the risk isn't any higher than a (now common) 40 year old woman bearing children. And the other objection is that incest is forced, I mean, everyone knows that right? Where do people get that? Incest is either consensual or it isnt. If it isnt than it is rape. If it is rape then it falls under the rape argument which Arielle has already discredited. If it is consentual then who is to say that that child is unloved or unwanted? Or that the child of a consentual act deserves death? I am not sure a reasonable argument can be put forth for killing this child.

3) Life of Mother
Bush has this one right. Saying the "health" of the mother is simply to ambiguous. The way such things are interpreted today that could mean just about anything including the potential for post-partum depression. At the very least there needs to be a clear and compelling threat to the mother for any 'justification' of infanticide.

Thanks to Astrosmith for this item

Death and Rembrance of a Slain Cop

An observance. Officer killed midday Feb 22nd. The 6 following days, there are 8 articles on it, 6 of those on the front page the other two at the top of the Metro (News) section. To top it all off we had letters to the editor saying how it was a quasi-orgasmic "life-changing" event just to happen to see the funeral procession pass by. This of course has nothing to do with a different level of value being placed upon a cop's life.


Day 1: Three Front Page articles (Articles One, Two, Three)
Day 2: Front Page article
Day 3: Metro Page 1 article
Day 4: Metro Page 1 article
Day 5 Front Page article
Day 6 Front Page article

March 1st Letter to the editor (fourth down). In her words "I cannot fully describe how emotional, even life-changing, this experience was for me." Her experience? Watching the procession pass by.

Right to Petition Update and Primer

I have recieved quite a few hits so far today for the "Right to Petition For Redress of Grievance" so I figured I would add some more info on this site. Either there was a news article or broadcast I am not yet aware of, or Google moved me to the top of the search. Whatever the reason, I am posting a primer on the Right to Petition lawsuit.

The group leading the way is We the People. Spokesman Bob Schulz is a man dedicated to fighting to keep Government at all levels to their Constitutional bounds. Schulz has and is still fighting his local government and is a pro se litigant in the current RTP lawsuit at the Federal level. There are 1700+ other named litigants and literally thousands unnamed.

On November 8th, 2002, every single member of both the House and the Senate were served with four (4) Petitions For Redress of Grievance. On Nov. 12th the President (G.W. Bush) was served with these same four (4) Petitions. The Petitions address specific constitutional grievances relating to: 1) the War Powers Clauses of the Constitution and the Iraq Resolution; 2) the privacy, due process and free speech clauses of the Constitution and the USA Patriot Act; 3) the money clauses of the Constitution and the Federal Reserve System; and 4) the tax-related clauses of the Constitution and the federal Income Tax system.

As no substantive response has been recieved to date, the Petition that was furthest along, the Federal Income Tax Petition, has gone forward in the Courts. As of this writing this Petition is before the U.S. District Court of Appeals as case #04CV01211 (this was the case# at the District Court, I am assuming it stays the same for the Appeal.) WTP has already filed its Brief and the Department of Justice, representing the Government, has until March 24th to respond to the Brief. WTP will then have until April 7th to file a Reply Brief. From there the case will go forward. Regardless of who wins this case it will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court so a resolution is still a ways off yet.

The four (4) petitions can be read and signed here
Here are the 537 Questions that the Goverment has refused to answer. (PDF File)

Full color full page ads that have been placed in both the New York Times and USA Today can be found here. As a bonus if you had the money and wanted to take action you could submit them to your local paper.

Sexchange Teacher To Teach Again

Lily McBeth, previously William McBeth, will be allowed to teach again after a 4-1 vote by an Eaglewood Township NJ school district. 'Ms.' McBeth will be substitute teaching at an elementary. Seeing as it is an elementary school there are parents who seem quite upset about this turn of events. I would ask this question... How many of the parents would go to the 'extreme' step of pulling their students out of the school and either put them in private school or homeschool them?

I am willing to bet that the elementary school will not see a noticable change in enrollment from this decision.