tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132797432024-02-28T07:17:39.069-05:00Curses! Foiled Again!The story of my ongoing struggle for world domination. Or whatever other insanity is running through my head at the time.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-38913201425528652382010-04-05T20:55:00.003-04:002010-04-05T20:59:00.344-04:00Move completed!I have now moved over to Wordpress. Point your links to: "<a href="http://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/">http://cursesfoiledagain2.wordpress.com/</a>".<br /><br />I'll leave the old one up, but all the posts and comments should have been migrated successfully to the Wordpress site.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-36937531189985443062010-04-04T14:03:00.006-04:002010-04-05T10:34:08.634-04:00An experiment<span style="font-weight: bold;">Update 2010-04-05: </span><span>After some consideration and experimentation, it looks like I'll end up migrating to Wordpress. It seems to have more and better features built in. I'll keep posting here for a little while, till I get things set up at the new site and can notify anyone who has me blogrolled that I know about (which may even be before my next real post).<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Status Update</span>: Redirect temporarily disabled while I work on things.<br /><br />I've been looking for a while now for a way to make my blog more mobile-friendly. I've noticed that, while the layout I'm using works fairly well with my Palm Pre, it's not really optimal. Then one day I went to <a href="http://gunnuts.net/">Gun Nuts Media</a> on my phone and saw they have a mobile version that comes up automatically on my phone and realized that was what I was looking for. Alas, it turns out that Gun Nuts Media is on WordPress, and Blogger doesn't have that option. It seemed I was out of luck.<br /><br />Looking into it again, in the vain hope that Blogger had joined the 21st century, I found a link to <a href="http://flurp.siruna.com/">Flurp</a>. Flurp converts a blog to a mobile friendly format (with a couple of different layouts for different phones). You can either insert code in the blog header that redirects mobile browsers to the mobile site automatically, or you can add a link to the mobile version. It's still in alpha, but it seems to work pretty well (though it does cut titles short after only about 15 characters on the iPhone version).<br /><br />Right now, I've set it up to automatically redirect. I may change that in the future, depending on how it affects my usage and depending on any feedback I get from you, my readers.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-26839049674841166352010-04-01T12:57:00.003-04:002010-04-01T13:11:49.542-04:00Update on Westboro Protest<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2d82Ra8pY1vuxg5oN6AO7luudYWWu0yb6gDBru60oLxByzSErbIc8UKDfWQlV8E71dwPyOjmwpqoABHFnDGqSNQuCn5ji9iOsXm-yYHElpyKSIDLV-ZTHmixDez3FOztHH1Q/s1600/rageOMeter.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2d82Ra8pY1vuxg5oN6AO7luudYWWu0yb6gDBru60oLxByzSErbIc8UKDfWQlV8E71dwPyOjmwpqoABHFnDGqSNQuCn5ji9iOsXm-yYHElpyKSIDLV-ZTHmixDez3FOztHH1Q/s320/rageOMeter.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454597390320366434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Image by <a href="http://blog.robballen.com/Default.aspx">Robb Allen</a><br /></span></div>Updating <a href="http://curses-foiled-again.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-rage-o-meter-is-pegged.html">the situation</a>:<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/15285/students-vote-on-westboro-protest-response">There will be a counter-protest</a>.<br /><blockquote>About 30 people circled together inside Owens Dining Hall Saturday afternoon to discuss a unified response. The meeting, led by Student Government Association president Brandon Carroll, tossed around several ideas in handling the church.<br /><br />“We want everybody on the same page,” Carroll said.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />The group voted, agreeing that a counter-protest will be formed.</blockquote>It looks like the main victim of their protest will be Morgan Harrington.<br /><blockquote>Church officials said they were not protesting the 2007 shootings, saying they were “coming for the event that happened last month,” referencing slain student Morgan Harrington. A 20-year-old education major, Harrington was found in late January 2010 after going missing in October 2009 while attending a Metallica concert in Charlottesville, Va. </blockquote>I still find it strikingly coincidental that this will be exactly one week before April 16.<br /><br />Tech's LGBTA community has taken the opposite approach - ignore them and don't give them the reaction they're looking for.<br /><blockquote>The LGBTA community has also shown outrage about the church’s protest. Aimee Kanode, a senior humanities, science, and environment major at Tech and president of Tech’s LGBTA said she would not attend the protest, as she has work on the day of the protest.<br /><br />“These people are awful, appalling, despicable,” Kanode said. “My method is to just ignore them. Me wasting energy on those people is not worth my time.” Kanode said that while the group would not officially organize for the protest, several members and officers would be in attendance. Kanode said she advised her members to “be smart about it.”</blockquote>The bastards are probably hoping to distract from other events, too.<br /><blockquote>Another concern for community members is the potential for the protest to take away from other events for the day. Among the events scheduled for April 9 include a memorial for David Seth Mitchell, a US Marine killed in Afghanistan and Tech’s Relay for Life event, which is a fundraiser for cancer research.</blockquote>They're trying to get their money's worth out of this trip, it seems. Scum.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-2561354078169658182010-04-01T12:35:00.002-04:002010-04-01T12:49:16.693-04:00A Good Start<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100401/ap_on_re_af/af_piracy">This</a> is how you fight piracy<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p>NAIROBI, Kenya – Suspected Somali pirates fired on a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1270139649_0">U.S. Navy warship</span> off <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1270139649_1">East Africa early Thursday</span> in what appeared to be a ransom-seeking attack on an American <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1270139649_2">guided missile frigate</span>, officials said.</p> <p>The USS Nicholas returned fire on the pirate skiff, sinking it and confiscating a nearby mothership. The Navy took five pirates into custody, said Navy Lt. Patrick Foughty, a spokesman.</p>[...]<br /><br />The U.S. Africa Command said the five pirates seized Thursday would remain in U.S. custody on board the frigate for now. The Nicholas is home-ported in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1270139649_7">Norfolk, Va</span>.</blockquote>Seizing or sinking the mothership and taking the pirates prisoner works a whole lot better than <a href="http://curses-foiled-again.blogspot.com/2010/03/stupid-stupid-stupid.html">just letting them go</a>. Hopefully, these pirates will go to jail for a long time.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-61738142331454546642010-03-30T20:57:00.004-04:002010-03-30T22:13:30.558-04:00My Rage-O-Meter is Pegged<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2d82Ra8pY1vuxg5oN6AO7luudYWWu0yb6gDBru60oLxByzSErbIc8UKDfWQlV8E71dwPyOjmwpqoABHFnDGqSNQuCn5ji9iOsXm-yYHElpyKSIDLV-ZTHmixDez3FOztHH1Q/s1600/rageOMeter.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2d82Ra8pY1vuxg5oN6AO7luudYWWu0yb6gDBru60oLxByzSErbIc8UKDfWQlV8E71dwPyOjmwpqoABHFnDGqSNQuCn5ji9iOsXm-yYHElpyKSIDLV-ZTHmixDez3FOztHH1Q/s320/rageOMeter.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454597390320366434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Image by <a href="http://blog.robballen.com/Default.aspx">Robb Allen</a><br /></span></div><br /><br />The Westboro Bastards (I refuse to call them Baptist, or a church) are (supposedly*) <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/241180">coming to Blacksburg</a> on April 9 to protest.<br /><blockquote>Phelps' followers notified town officials in a letter Monday that the group planned demonstrations at three locations around town, including the Blacksburg Jewish Community Center and Blacksburg High School. <p>Another location, near the Virginia Tech campus, was also identified.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Demonstrating near the high school seems pointless - it's been closed since the gym roof collapsed in February.</p><p></p><blockquote>After the April 16, 2007, shootings at Tech, Phelps threatened to protest at the funerals of the 32 students and faculty slain that day. Then-Attorney General Bob McDonnell, now the governor, issued a warning that anyone willfully disrupting funerals in Virginia could face charges. Those protests never materialized.</blockquote><p></p><p>As I remember it, <a href="http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=7297248">a radio station bought them off with an interview</a> - giving them airtime in exchange for them canceling the protests. While I despise the idea of giving scum like that airtime, it was probably the best thing to do for the sake of the families. (I also think that if they had tried to protest those funerals, someone would have been killed. The pain and grief in town then was a hair's breadth from flashing over to rage as it was - there's a good possibility these bastards would have started a riot just by being there.)<span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><img src="img/blank.gif" alt="Link" class="gl_link" border="0" /></span></span></p><p>It looks like one protest is planned to be across the street from a gift shop operated by a gay couple. I wonder if that's deliberate (they may not know)?</p><p>This warms my heart, though:</p><p></p><blockquote><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=108660875826758">A Facebook page</a> advertising a counterprotest organized by Tech students and others had drawn more than 4,500 members by Thursday afternoon. More than 1,500 of those members indicated they would attend a counter-rally.</blockquote><p></p><p>To those planning to attend: Be careful. They have a history of provoking people and then suing anyone who acts out against them, and they carry video recorders.</p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">(* They have a history of announcing protests and then not showing up. Looking at their schedule, I think they do plan on being here - their schedule (I won't link to them. If you want to see it, you'll need to Google it.) puts them in Charleston, WV in the morning, Lawrence, KS from 1130 to 1200, then three separate protests in Blacksburg starting at 1300. I doubt they would go from WV to KS for just a 30 minute protest and fake the 2 1/2 hours planned here. Also, it doesn't leave them enough time to get from WV to KS - it's a 12+ hour drive, and I doubt that group could get through airport security and fly there within the roughly 4 hours the schedule allows. Charleston to Blacksburg, on the other hand, is only about a 2 1/2 hour drive. It's much more likely the Charleston and Blacksburg protests are real, and the KS one is a red herring.)</span><br /></p>Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-30602950589392014642010-03-28T11:11:00.004-04:002010-03-28T11:40:08.600-04:00Our efficient, well-run government<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_energy_star_fraud">Phony products by phony companies get government Energy Star approval.</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Fifteen phony products — including a gasoline-powered <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269634565_0">alarm clock</span> — won a label from the government certifying them as energy efficient in a test of the federal "Energy Star" program.</blockquote><blockquote>Investigators concluded the program is "vulnerable to fraud and abuse."</blockquote>Really? It's "vulnerable to fraud and abuse?" No kidding!<br /><blockquote>But the <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269634565_4">General Accountability Office</span>, Congress' investigative arm, said <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269634565_5">Energy Star</span> doesn't verify claims made by manufacturers — which might explain the gasoline-powered alarm clock, not to mention a product billed as an air room cleaner that was actually a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269634565_6">space heater</span> with a feather duster and fly strips attached, and a computer monitor that won approval within 30 minutes of submission.</blockquote>So, in a program involving tax credits and rebates (i.e. taxpayer money), the government doesn't bother to actually verify the claims those credits and rebates are based on. Even worse they don't even bother to find out what it is they're certifying!<blockquote>"EPA officials confirmed that because the energy-efficiency information was plausible, it was likely that no one read the product description information," GAO said.</blockquote> And they lie about it!<blockquote>According to the GAO, the EPA and Energy Department told investigators in briefings that although the program is based on manufacturers' certifying their products meet efficiency standards, that efficiency is ensured through aftermarket tests and self-policing.</blockquote>Remember, this is the same government that is now in charge of our health-care system. Be afraid, be very afraid.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-50289395542940346412010-03-22T13:21:00.002-04:002010-03-22T13:29:04.432-04:00You'd almost think they were prepared, or something<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100322/pl_nm/us_usa_healthcare_states">Another Health Care Bill story</a> that warms my heart.<br /><blockquote><br />Less than 24 hours after the <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_0">House of Representatives</span> gave final approval to a sweeping overhaul of healthcare, attorneys general from several states on Monday said they will sue to block the plan on constitutional grounds. <p> Republican attorneys general in 11 states warned that lawsuits will be filed to stop the federal government overstepping its constitutional powers and usurping states' sovereignty.<br /></p><p>[...]</p><p>Ten of the attorneys general plan to band together in a collective lawsuit on behalf of Alabama, <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_1">Florida</span>, <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_2">Nebraska</span>, <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_3">North Dakota</span>, <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_4">Pennsylvania</span>, <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_5">South Carolina</span>, <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_6">South Dakota</span>, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_7">Texas</span>, Utah and Washington.</p></blockquote><p><br /></p>It's good to see quick action on this. And Virginia isn't left out, either.<br /><br /><span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_13"></span><blockquote><span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_13">Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli</span>, who plans to file a lawsuit in federal court in Richmond, Virginia, said Congress lacks authority under its constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce to force people to buy insurance. The bill also conflicts with a state law that says Virginians cannot be required to buy insurance, he added.</blockquote>The governor must have signed that bill in the last day or so - the last time I checked, it hadn't been signed and therefore wasn't the law. Other states are doing the same.<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p> In addition to the pending lawsuits, bills and resolutions have been introduced in at least 36 state legislatures seeking to limit or oppose various aspects of the reform plan through laws or state <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_15">constitutional amendments</span>, according to the <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_16">National Conference of State Legislatures</span>.</p> <p> So far, only two states, <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_17">Idaho</span> and <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_18">Virginia</span>, have enacted laws, while an <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_19">Arizona</span> <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_20">constitutional amendment</span> is seeking voter approval on the November ballot. But the actual enactment of the bill by <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269276892_21">President Barack Obama</span> could spur more movement on the measures by state lawmakers.</p></blockquote><p></p>Maybe this massive government expansion will be killed in the courts.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-87992886951088929502010-03-22T08:33:00.003-04:002010-03-22T09:16:11.418-04:00Health "Care" RoundupWell, they did it. The Democrat Party bucked the voters, opposed public opinion, and inflicted a massive socialist health insurance system on us.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_politics_analysis">This</a> story warms my heart. The media is already talking about how this will hurt the Dems.<br /><br /><blockquote>The initial blush of <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269245917_0">President Barack Obama</span>'s health care triumph immediately gives way to a sober political reality — he must sell the landmark legislation to an angry and unpredictable electorate, still reeling from the recession. <p>Voters may not buy it.</p> <p>And that could mean a disastrous midterm election year for <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269245917_1">Obama</span> and his fellow Democrats.</p></blockquote><p></p>Some are saying that after the Repubs get control of Congress back, they can repeal this insanity. While I agree that they could, I think pigs growing wings and joining the avian family is far more likely. Obama will never sign a repeal, and I doubt they'll get the numbers to override a veto. By the time we have a President who may be receptive, there will be a massive bureaucracy in place, working against repeal in order to protect itself. Let's face it - when was the last time the government made itself <span style="font-style: italic;">smaller</span>?<br /><br />And now, here's a quick roundup of coverage by the bloggers I frequent. They'll probably say anything I could, and do it much better.<br /><br />Nicki at <a href="http://thelibertyzone.com/2010/03/21/congrats-traitors.aspx">The Liberty Zone is rightfully furious</a>.<br /><br />Robb at Sharp as a Marble has <a href="http://blog.robballen.com/2010/03/21/p4003-this-isnt-the-end.post">a simple reminder for us</a>.<br /><br />Sebastian at <a href="http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/">Snowflakes in Hell</a> has several posts, reminding us that <a href="http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2010/03/21/yes-we-can/">there should be consequences</a> for those who voted for this monstrosity, that <a href="http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2010/03/21/opposition-continues/">it's not completely over yet</a>, and starts looking to <a href="http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2010/03/21/post-health-care-getting-back-to-liberty/">what the next steps should be</a>. He shows us that some are looking to present <a href="http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2010/03/21/hope-and-change-3/">a united fight</a> against this even after it's signed.<br /><br />Another rightfully angry post, this one by Atom Smasher at <a href="http://menrnotspuds.blogspot.com/2010/03/thanks-congress.html">Men Are Not Potatoes</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://conservativeshemale.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/we-lost-the-health-care-vote-today/">A Conservative Shemale</a> reminds us that it's not the end of the world, or even the country, and offers us some comfort. I'm not quite as confident about this as the person she quotes, but that's more due to some of the specifics of the bill than the principle that is quoted.<br /><br />Brigid at Home on the Range has <a href="http://mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-long-until-november.html">a simple message</a> that we should all remember eight months from now.<br /><br />Tam at <a href="http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2010/03/hey-come-in-here-and-watch-death-of.html">View From the Porch</a> give us a little (but only a little, in my opinion) hyperbole.<br /><br />Michael Bane posts <a href="http://michaelbane.blogspot.com/2010/03/sad-night-for-america.html">a quote that shows that wisdom can come from any source</a>, and gives us some <a href="http://michaelbane.blogspot.com/2010/03/sunday-musings.html">other words of wisdom</a>.<br /><br />That's all I have for the moment, but it's still early this morning. I may do an update later, if I have time.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-12498098957300309782010-03-18T11:55:00.004-04:002010-03-18T12:03:48.836-04:00Stupid, stupid, stupid!Somali pirates attack a Dutch warship:<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100317/ap_on_re_af/piracy">Troops aboard the Dutch warship HNLMS Tromp fired warning shots Wednesday off the coast of <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268841720_0">East Africa</span> as suspected Somali pirates in two small skiffs raced toward their warship, the EU Naval Force said.</a></p> <p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100317/ap_on_re_af/piracy">After the pirates realized they had made what spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour called a "rather silly mistake," they turned around and fled. EU Naval Force personnel tracked down the two skiffs and a third suspected mothership, finding ammunition and <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268841720_1">rocket-propelled grenades</span> on board, said Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.</a></p></blockquote><p></p>But that's not the stupid part. This is:<br /><br /><blockquote>The two skiffs were destroyed and <span style="font-weight: bold;">the pirates were set free on the mothership</span> after it had been cleared of weapons. [emphasis mine]<br /></blockquote>Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over?<br /><br />Do they really expect that to stop - or even slightly discourage - these human cockroaches from going right back out and attacking another ship? They probably had replacement skiffs and weapons before the end of the day! If you want to stop piracy, you have to actually <span style="font-style: italic;">punish</span> the pirates! Hanging from the yardarm is a good start.<br /><br />One of these days, someone is going to get really serious about fighting pirates. Until then, well, we have this idiocy.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-2688011656772836872010-03-15T14:08:00.002-04:002010-03-15T14:13:46.879-04:00RIP Capt. OveurActor Peter Graves dies at 83.<br /><br />Victor has your vector, and you have clearance, Clarence.<br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/15XlSbGzGTk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/15XlSbGzGTk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="272" width="448"></embed></object>Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-88888893057171872972010-03-13T16:03:00.008-05:002010-03-15T19:33:14.477-04:00Another reason DADT should be repealedShe followed the rules and stayed in the closet - and someone else outed her to the military, so now she's been discharged under DADT.<br /><br /><blockquote><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_lesbian_sergeant_discharged">Jene Newsome played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant: She never told anyone in the military she was a lesbian. The 28-year-old's <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_0">honorable discharge</span> under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy came only after police officers in <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_1">Rapid City</span>, S.D., saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_2">Ellsworth Air Force Base</span>.</a><br /><br />[...]<br /><br />Newsome was at work at the base at the time and refused to immediately come home and assist the officers in finding her partner, whom she married in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_8">Iowa</span> — where <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_9">gay marriage</span> is legal — in October. <p><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_10">Police officers</span>, who said they spotted the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_11">marriage license</span> on the kitchen table through a window of Newsome's home, alerted the base, police Chief Steve Allender said in a statement sent to the AP. The license was relevant to the investigation because it showed both the relationship and residency of the two women, he said.</p><p>[...]<br /></p><p>In the complaint filed last month with the department, ACLU <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_12">South Dakota</span> said police had no legal reason to tell the military Newsome was a lesbian and that officers knew if they did, it would jeopardize her military career.</p> <p>Newsome, who was discharged in January, said she didn't know where the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268509999_13">marriage license</span> was in her home when police came to her house on Nov. 20 and claims the officers were retaliating because she wouldn't help with her partner's arrest.</p></blockquote>This was blatant retaliation, despite the police department's claims that once they knew they "had" to tell the military. They knew that giving that information to her superiors would destroy her career - it's not like DADT is a secret. Telling the military she's a lesbian could do nothing to help them bring in her partner, the only possible goal was to hurt Newsome for not cooperating.<br /><br />This is another example of why DADT is just wrong. You can follow the rules, staying deep in the closet and keeping any relationships a deep, dark secret, but if someone else outs you to the military, your career is destroyed anyway.<br /><br />We already make gays and lesbians hide who they are for their entire military careers. Should we also make them take a vow of celibacy and eschew all romantic relationships for as long as they serve? I might support that - but only if we require heterosexuals to do the same thing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:</span> A little research prompted by <a href="http://conservativeshemale.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/say-it-isnt-so-ny-times-reports-china-is-manipulating-their-currency/#comments">a debate</a> going on over at <a href="http://conservativeshemale.wordpress.com/">A Conservative Shemale</a> has revealed that we actually <span style="font-weight: bold;">do</span> effectively make gays and lesbians take a vow of celibacy when they join the military. From the actual DADT law (<a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/10/654.html">10 U.S.C. 654</a>)<br /><span class="enumbell"></span><blockquote><span class="enumbell">(b)</span> <b class="labelleader"> Policy.— </b> <span class="ptext-1">A member of the armed forces shall be separated from the armed forces under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense if one or more of the following findings is made and approved in accordance with procedures set forth in such regulations:<br /><br /></span> <div class="psection-2"> <a name="b_1"></a> <span class="enumbell">(1)</span> <span class="ptext-2">That the member has engaged in, attempted to engage in, or solicited another to engage in a homosexual act or acts </span><br /><br />[...]<br /><br /></div> <div class="psection-2"> <a name="b_2"></a> <span class="enumbell"></span><span class="ptext-2"></span> </div> <a name="b_3"></a> <span class="enumbell">(3)</span> <span class="ptext-2">That the member has married or attempted to marry a person known to be of the same biological sex.<br /><br />[omitted sections deal with exceptions to the law]<br /></span></blockquote>So gays who join the military can't have a romantic relationship (after all, even kissing or holding hands by two men can be considered "a homosexual act or acts"). I stand by my original conclusion: I might support that - but only if we apply it to heterosexuals, too.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-41630829677033883672010-03-10T17:56:00.004-05:002010-03-10T18:04:07.124-05:00What?<a href="http://www.saysuncle.com/2010/03/10/us-department-of-education-needs-27-short-barreled-shotguns/">Here's news to me</a> - the U.S. Department of Education has "combat training and protocol[s]" that <a href="https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=cb68cf9f3fa2fe18a83d1c3dee0039b2&tab=core&_cview=0">require short-barreled shotguns</a>. What the heck does the Dept. of <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Education</span> need combat training and protocols for? Raids on unauthorized homeschoolers?<br /><br />(h/t <a href="http://www.saysuncle.com/">SayUncle</a>)Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-3368414247947724712010-03-09T14:29:00.002-05:002010-03-09T14:45:56.518-05:00Oh, HELL No!<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954904575110124037066854.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5">Real ID 2.0</a>, anyone?<br /><blockquote>Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain.</blockquote>Can you think of a better way to unite large numbers of conservatives and liberals than this? I mean, Real ID has states passing laws making it <span style="font-style: italic;">illegal</span> for state agencies to comply with parts of the RealID Act. Why?<br /><blockquote>Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card to the worker.</blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Potentially</span> controversial? What planet were they living on when Real ID was being debated? Do they really think Americans have changed enough that quickly for this to not stir up a rain of fecal matter?<br /><br />Also, unless there's a central database that the information is checked against every time the card is read, I predict it will take less than six months for criminals to crack the code on the cards and start making fakes that read with biometrics matching whoever they decide to give the card to. Less than a year to spoof it, if there is a database (unless some .gov idiot leaks the whole bloody database on a 'lost' laptop, sooner).<br /><blockquote>"It is fundamentally a massive invasion of people's privacy," said Chris Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "We're not only talking about fingerprinting every American, treating ordinary Americans like criminals in order to work. We're also talking about a card that would quickly spread from work to voting to travel to pretty much every aspect of American life that requires identification."</blockquote>Exactly. Just like social security numbers were only supposed to be used for Social Security purposes. It will spread to everything.<br /><br />(h/t <a href="http://conservativeshemale.wordpress.com/">A Conservative Shemale</a>)Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-24005040090428868902010-03-05T13:56:00.003-05:002010-03-05T14:04:28.155-05:00Yet more Climate Change shenanigans<a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2010/03/02/climategate-this-time-its-nasa">Now it's NASA/GISS</a> cooking the numbers.<br /><br /><span><blockquote>Now a new "Climategate" scandal is emerging, this time based on documents released by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in response to several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suits filed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). The newly released emails further demonstrate the politicized nature of climate science, revealing a number of questionable practices that cast doubt on the credibility of scientific data provided by NASA.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />In another email, he reveals that NASA had inflated its temperature data since 2000 on a questionable basis. “[NASA's] assumption that the adjustments made the older data consistent with future data… may not have been correct,” he says.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br /><span>Unfortunately, it seems that the discrepancy privately highlighted by Dr. Ruedy was not coincidental, but part of a broader pattern of misrepresentation on the part of GISS. Between 2002 and 2005, GISS chief James Hansen issued press releases headlined "2005 Warmest Year in a Century;" "2006 was Earth's Fifth Warmest Year;" and "The 2002 meteorological year is the second warmest year in the period of accurate instrumental data." In other words, global warming is happening and that immediate action is necessary.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br /></span><span>In fact, further corrections revealed by the emails indicate that U.S. temperatures on average had only increased by 0.5 degree Celsius since 1934, rather than 1 degree, as originally claimed.<br /></span></blockquote></span>There's more - you should go read the whole thing. Remember - even in science - where there's money involved, there's politics involved.<br /><br />(h/t <a href="http://www.saysuncle.com/2010/03/05/more-global-warming-data-stuff/">SayUncle</a>)Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-50644762813937253052010-03-02T18:05:00.003-05:002010-03-02T18:16:52.487-05:00Repeal of Virginia's restaurant CHP ban passesAccording to the <a href="http://blog.vcdl.org/index.php?/archives/863-VA-ALERT-Senate-Restaurant-Ban-Repeal-PASSES-HOUSE%21.html">VCDL Blog</a>, <a href="http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+SB334">SB334</a>, repealing the ban on concealed carry in restaurants, passed the House today unchanged with a vote of 72 to 27! It should be in front of the Governor McDonnell in a week or so. He has indicated in the past that he would sign such a bill, so it's pretty much a done deal.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-89256015697617956012010-03-02T09:30:00.005-05:002010-03-02T12:17:44.122-05:00McDonald v. Chicago - Oral arguments today<span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:</span> <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/2010/03/analysis-2d-amendment-extension-likely/">Analysis: 2d Amendment extension likely</a> (from <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/">SCOTUSBlog</a>)<br /><br />This is troubling, though:<br /><blockquote>The dominant sentiment on the Court was to extend the Amendment beyond the federal level, based on the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of “due process,” since doing so through another part of the 14th Amendment <span style="font-weight: bold;">would raise too many questions about what other rights might emerge. </span>[emphasis mine]<br /></blockquote>Why is that relevant? Or, to echo <a href="http://www.chicagoguncase.com/2009/12/02/reason-chimes-in/">a point Mr. Gura made</a> at one time, the SCOTUS should be concerning itself with what the Constitution means, not whether it’s a good idea to follow it.<br /><br />-----<br />Just a reminder, <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/2010/03/today-at-the-court-131/">oral arguments</a> in <a href="http://www.chicagoguncase.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">McDonald v. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Chicago</span></a> are at 10:00 today. Apparently, <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/2010/03/no-audio-release-on-mcdonald/">SCOTUS has decided they will not release the audio</a>, but the transcript should be available later today.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-78345753782182177212010-03-01T23:50:00.006-05:002010-03-02T09:26:08.604-05:00Holy Bullshit!<a href="http://thelibertyzone.com/2010/03/01/you-make-men-want-to-be-sinful.aspx">This</a> fills me with a sick rage.<br /><br /><blockquote>They ride around seeking out girls who they feel sinned by wearing revealing clothing (anyone who isn't dressed in an ankle-length skirt with a shirt buttoned up all the way and a kerchief covering her hair, apparently), and pass out repugnant pamphlets blaming rape victims for the actions of deranged lunatics who seek power by sexually violating women!</blockquote>One passage from the pamphlet reads:<blockquote><br /><em><span class="article_font">“Scripture tells us that when a man looks on a woman to lust for her he has already committed adultery in his heart. If you are dressed in a way that tempts a men to do this secret (or not so secret) sin, you are a participant in the sin,” the leaflet states.“By the way, <span style="font-weight: bold;">some rape victims would not have been raped if they had dressed properly.</span> So can we really say they were innocent victims?”</span></em> [emphasis mine]<br /></blockquote>Nicki hits the nail on the head:<br /><blockquote>The only difference between these drooling, frothing zealots and their Taliban counterparts is that they haven't gained enough power to start stoning women to death for provocative dress yet.</blockquote>I hope I never run into one of these idiots. Testing the limits of my self-control is not a good thing, and I really don't need to deal with an assault trial - but someone who tries to tell me a rape victim brought it on herself because of the way she was dressed stands a good chance of losing many teeth. Though I would push for a jury trial if I lost that battle, since I doubt the jury selection process could find 12 people around here who would vote to convict.<br /><br />Oh, and on a separate note (from the same post at Nicki's) - Pat Robertson, you really need to drink a big tall glass of STFU, you evil piece of revolting buzzard excrement.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-32734480478308948962010-03-01T23:31:00.002-05:002010-03-01T23:34:33.413-05:00Quote of the Day - 1 March 2010From <a href="http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/">Tam</a>, remembering <a href="http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2010/03/reply-hazy-ask-again-later.html">her office's first Win95 install</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"You mean all the machines in the office have a browser icon on the desktop?"<br /><br />"Yes," she replied.<br /><br />"And a fat pipe right to the Web?"<br /><br />"Uh-huh."<br /><br />"And this seems like a good idea to you?"</blockquote>If only we knew.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-22985554046747425732010-02-23T22:49:00.004-05:002010-02-24T08:36:54.102-05:00A School Shooting, and a Heroic TeacherThere was a <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100224/ap_on_re_us/us_colo_school_shooting">school shooting</a> in Colorado today:<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p>One male and one female were shot at about 3:30 p.m. outside <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1266980245_3">Deer Creek Middle School</span> in Littleton, Jefferson County Sheriff's office spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said. Both students were taken to a nearby hospital and were expected to survive.</p> <p>Student Steven Seagraves said he was about 10 feet away when an adult approached students and asked them: "Do you guys go to this school?"</p> <p>When the students said they did, he shot them, Seagraves said.</p> <p>Seventh-grade math teacher <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1266980245_4">David Benke</span>, a 6-foot-5 inch former <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1266980245_5">college basketball player</span> who oversees the school's track team, tackled the suspect as he was trying to reload his weapon.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Nobody could have blamed Mr. Benke for running for cover. He was unarmed, against someone with a rifle. He saw an opening and took it - at great risk to his own life - to protect his students.</p><p></p><blockquote>"He was trying to rack another round. He couldn't get another round in before I got to him so I grabbed him," Benke said, recalling that he didn't have time to fear for his life.</blockquote><p></p><p>They don't say what kind of rifle it was, other than "high-powered" - of course, to the MSM, <span style="font-style: italic;">any</span> rifle is "high-powered." The story says he was reloading, but it sounds more like it may have jammed. I suppose we'll find out later, though I don't expect the media to get it right without getting it wrong at least three different times.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">[<span style="font-weight: bold;">Update Feb. 24, 2010</span>: NPR says this morning that it was a bolt-action rifle.]</p><p>At this time, the shooter appears to have no connection to the school, and no motive has been released.</p><p>Good job Mr. Benke, it sounds like you prevented a massacre. Any praise I can offer will fall infinitely short of what you deserve for your courage and quick thinking. Don't beat yourself up because you couldn't stop the first shots - when you have no reason to expect an attack, the attacker will always have the initiative, and the advantage of surprise. You overcame that, and took advantage of a single moment pure, blind luck to save many children.</p>Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-80712818169768986352010-02-22T17:52:00.004-05:002010-02-22T18:40:22.602-05:00More Climategate, and other thingsJenn over at <a href="http://conservativeshemale.wordpress.com/">A Conservative Shemale</a> gives us a great <a href="http://conservativeshemale.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/yet-another-climate-related-retraction/">multi-subject post</a> today, starting with more problems for the whole global warming/cooling/climate-change thingamabob:<br /><br /><blockquote><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/21/sea-level-geoscience-retract-siddall">Scientists have been forced to withdraw a study on projected sea level rise due to global warming after finding mistakes that undermined the findings.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />“One mistake was a miscalculation; the other was not to allow fully for temperature change over the past 2,000 years. Because of these issues we have retracted the paper and will now invest in the further work needed to correct these mistakes.”</a></blockquote>They didn't "allow fully for temperature change over the last 2,000 years." Doesn't that cover the <span style="font-weight: bold;">entire</span> period where any <span style="font-weight: bold;">man-made</span> climate change would actually have occurred? That's some "mistake"!<br /><br />She then links us to an article where the AGW pushers are trying to defend their claims.<br /><blockquote><a href="http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2010/02/19/environmental-group-hits-back-at-climate-skeptics.aspx">[N]one of that gets at the question du jour, which is how big a role humans are playing. Until later on. Lashof and Deans say it’s a big one, and their source for saying so is a government report compiled by the nation’s top science, defense, and diplomatic agencies—NOAA, NASA, the Pentagon, the National Science Foundation, the Department of State (none of which have been marred in scandal)—over the course of two decades, through four presidential administrations.</a></blockquote>Notice their source is a government <span style="font-weight: bold;">report</span> - they don't say where the agencies got their <span style="font-weight: bold;">data</span> for the report. Remember, most of the problems cropping up recently in the whole AGW theory are about problems with the <span style="font-weight: bold;">data</span>. It doesn't matter how "nonpartisan" the report is if it's based on corrupted, compromised, cherry-picked, or imaginary data.<br /><br />She also hits on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, taking us to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/world/americas/22gays.html?partner=rss&emc=rss">an article</a> about a study showing that other militaries have found allowing openly gay soldiers to continue to serve has not been disruptive even with rapid transitions.<br /><br /><blockquote><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/world/americas/22gays.html?partner=rss&emc=rss">A comprehensive new study on foreign militaries that have made transitions to allowing openly gay service members concludes that a speedy implementation of the change is not disruptive. The finding is in direct opposition to the stated views of Pentagon leaders, who say repealing a ban on openly gay men and women in the United States armed forces should take a year or more.</a></blockquote>Remember, a lot of the people pushing for a "slow" repeal of DADT are the ones who don't want it repealed in the first place - or would prefer to go back to the complete ban that existed before DADT.<br /><br />She has more, too, but you should <a href="http://conservativeshemale.wordpress.com/">go to her blog</a> to read it all.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-83692867000418350312010-02-19T13:42:00.004-05:002010-02-19T14:09:58.006-05:00Bread and CircusesJay G, who is <a href="http://stuckinmassachusetts.blogspot.com/">MArooned</a> in the Volksrepublik of Massachusetts, brings us word of the sorry state of public interest, noting that with all the important issues facing the U.S. today, the top headline is <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/19/tiger.woods/index.html?hpt=T1">Tiger Woods' apology</a>.<br /><blockquote><br /><a href="http://stuckinmassachusetts.blogspot.com/2010/02/priorities.html">As long as we've got our bread-and-circuses, we'll ignore the signposts saying "Hell: 200 miles" all along the way. Distract us with a salacious story of a talented sportsman brought down by his reproductive organs, we'll forget all about the evil in the world, all the crazy, all the many ways our government fails again and again to do what it is supposed to do. </a><p><a href="http://stuckinmassachusetts.blogspot.com/"><em>It gets discouraging when you realize that the vast majority of your fellow Americans know the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" but can't name their own Representative...</em></a></p></blockquote><p><em></em></p><p>One of the signs leading up to the fall of Rome was the distraction of the people from important issues and events through the use of rewards and entertainment. This is the origin of the phrase "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_circuses">bread and circuses</a>."</p><p></p><blockquote>… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: <b>bread and circuses </b>(Juvenal, Satire 10.77–81)</blockquote><p></p>Roman politicians would attempt to secure votes with cheap food and entertainment, rather than by pursuing sound policy. Eventually the great Republic (and then Empire) declined and fell.<br /><br />Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. The state of the U.S. is starting to look pretty familiar in some ways.Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-67302315970584497552010-02-16T14:25:00.004-05:002010-02-16T14:35:48.546-05:00Crazy...It's 27 degrees F, there's still nearly a foot of snow on the ground, but Blacksburg's most enthusiastic bike cop is not only out patrolling on his bicycle, but he's wearing SHORTS!<br /><br />He's a great guy, but he's absolutely nucking futs as far as this goes (and yes, I <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> told him that to his face. Many times. Usually when I see him riding his bike wearing shorts in 10 below <span style="font-style: italic;">omg it's freezing</span> weather.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >He's also one of my favorite cops in town, so this is really nothing more than good natured ribbing.</span> :PJake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-43363777033232449352010-02-14T16:58:00.004-05:002010-02-14T17:04:12.650-05:00Wow.I knew the "science" behind global warming was sketchy, and the data questionable, but... <a href="http://www.alphecca.com/?p=2076">Wow</a>.<br /><br />Just one quote:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>“We concluded, with overwhelming statistical significance, that the IPCC’s climate data are contaminated with surface effects from industrialization and data quality problems. These add up to a large warming bias,” he said.</p> <p>Such warnings are supported by a study of US weather stations co-written by Anthony Watts, an American meteorologist and climate change sceptic.</p> <p>His study, which has not been peer reviewed, is illustrated with photographs of weather stations in locations where their readings are distorted by heat-generating equipment.</p> <p>Some are next to air- conditioning units or are on waste treatment plants. One of the most infamous shows a weather station next to a waste incinerator.</p> <p>Watts has also found examples overseas, such as the weather station at Rome airport, which catches the hot exhaust fumes emitted by taxiing jets. </p></blockquote>This really has gone from bad science to a farcical cover-up. Read the whole thing.<br /><br />[h/t Robb, at <a href="http://blog.robballen.com/2010/02/14/p3942-quote-of-the-day.post">Sharp as a Marble</a>]Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-56804777842889102592010-02-14T10:51:00.003-05:002010-02-14T11:05:33.108-05:00Bill further restricts sex offendersFrom the Roanoke Times:<br /><br /><blockquote>Legislation that would further limit where sex offenders can live and expand the list of convictions that activate those restrictions has drawn the ire of civil libertarians and advocates of reforming those laws.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br /><p>If enacted, Athey's House Bill 1004 would bar individuals ordered to register as sex offenders for crimes involving a juvenile victim from living within 500 feet of multiple places children are known to frequent.</p> <p>It would add school bus stops, community parks, playgrounds, recreation centers, public pools and private, parochial and Christian schools to state law, which applies to day care centers, public schools and adjoining public parks.</p></blockquote><p></p>I have just two comments on this right now:<br /><br />1) In addition to my next objection, I would have to object to adding school bus stops to the list. They can change from year to year without notice (unless it affects your own kids). What happens to a sex offender who wakes up one morning and finds out they've moved a school bus stop in front of his house? Does he have to move? Can he be charged with a violation immediately even though he wasn't notified? If he does have to move, how long does he have before he can be charged?<br /><br />2) This objection is actually the most important - even beyond Constitutional considerations. It is, of course, the perennial objection to sex offender registration/restriction laws: If they're so dangerous we have to continually track where they live, and restrict where they can live, work, and travel,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">WHY ARE WE LETTING THEM OUT OF JAIL IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div></div>Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13279743.post-36033709748120666122010-02-12T09:00:00.004-05:002010-02-13T12:54:33.421-05:00State Censorship<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Update</span>: <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/236426">VT administration rejects Commission on Student Affairs' stance</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Any effort to end Tech's contract with the Collegiate Times or its parent company, or to ban student organizations from advertising in the newspaper, "is not in the offing," [university spokesman Larry Hincker] said. "That is not the position of this administration."</blockquote>Good.<br /><br />----------<br /><br />Virginia Tech is <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/236289">threatening to pull funding</a> from the campus paper (the Collegiate Times, or "CT").<br /><br /><blockquote>The dispute centers upon a CT policy that allows online readers to post anonymous comments at <a href="http://collegiatetimes.com/">collegiatetimes.com</a>. The [Commission on Student Affairs] and others who support its proposal have objected to reader postings they characterized as racist or otherwise offensive.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br /><p>Despite its independence, the newspaper receives free office space and $70,000 annually from the university, Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Spencer said.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The commission would further seek to ban student organizations from using university funds to buy ads in the CT, the letter stated.</p> <p>Such a move could cripple or shut down the newspaper, which derives the majority of its revenues from ad sales. The newspaper's leadership pushed back publicly Thursday.</p></blockquote>Essentially, the university wants to ban all anonymous comments on the paper's website because of some "racist or otherwise offensive" postings (ignoring, of course, the question of just who decides what is racist or offensive). The company that owns the CT is standing its ground, and doing so rather aggressively at this point.<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p>The commission has requested another meeting with CT representatives.</p> <p>But in a response to [commission chairwoman Michelle McLeese], [Kelly Wolff, general manager of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, which owns the CT] wrote: "We have advised the Collegiate Times staff to discontinue discussions with CSA members, individually and collectively, on the topic of online comments. ... This is no longer a dialogue; it is coercion.</p> <p>"We will wait to hear what the commission says. ... But if they are going to pursue this course of action, then we will take legal action," Wolff said in an interview Thursday.</p></blockquote>In a purely private enterprise, this would not be a problem - a sponsor can provide or withdraw funding, facilities, or services at will and for any reason (within the limits of existing contracts). Virginia Tech, however, is an agency of the state (which is why they <a href="http://www.vaag.com/OPINIONS/2006opns/05-078.pdf">can't ban firearms on campus</a> for anyone other than employees and students, or for specific events).<br /><br />Note the sentence that I put in bold in the first quote. This actually goes farther than the university just pulling funding and support, they're also seeking to restrict where <a href="https://banweb.banner.vt.edu/ssb/prod/hzsksorg.P_DispStuOrgs">student organizations</a> (the <a href="http://www.fencing.org.vt.edu/">Fencing Club</a>, the <a href="http://www.lgbta.org.vt.edu/">LGBTA</a>, etc.), would be allowed to advertise.<br /><br />Should an agency of the state be allowed to dictate terms about content to a newspaper? Should they be allowed to restrict where student organizations advertise? Or does this become a First Amendment violation? My first instinct is that this goes to far, and is an unallowable government coercion of media, but I'm not 100% settled yet - I really haven't had time to give it good, thorough, consideration. Opinions?Jake (formerly Riposte3)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.com0