A Victory for Women......and Men

Finally, a court opinion I can agree with.

Police in Daytona Beach, Florida arrested a woman who was protesting the inequity of anti-nudity laws by appearing topless in public (oh, the horror).

An appeals court, however, ruled that protesting topless as part of a legitimate political protest (heh) was allowed by law.

Like I said, a victory for women AND men.

Love those protesters.

U.S. Bans Internet Gambling

Yeah, like that's going to work. Remember Prohibition?

An informative article in the Washington Post provides some of the pro's and con's of internet gambling.

My opinion: It would be less expensive and more effective if the Department of Health and Human Services had a section charged with monitoring online gaming operations and providing warnings to the public of the dangers. An educational campaign can make a lot of difference in people's behavior, and it seems to have worked pretty well in changing people's attitudes about smoking.

The last thing we need is the government, through draconian measures, protecting people from themselves.

Yes, I know there is a lot of precedence for that type of social engineering (seat belt laws, helmet laws, drug laws, etc.), but can't we at least try to discourage our lawmakers from further eroding our civil liberties?

Weight-Watchers Advertisment

Imagine the chagrin. Getting stuck in a tunnel while trying to enter the country illegally.

The San Diego Union-Tribune brings us this explanation of why thin is "in."

Think about it next time you find yourself in line behind El Gordo.

Primal Urges

Technology can be frustrating, and frustration can lead to trouble with the law.

That fact was learned the hard way (to the tune of $1286) by a local Walmart customer who says he only "tapped" a Self-Checkout machine he was trying to use.

He has our sympathy.

Quote of the Day

This AP report in today's Star-Telegram provides us with the quote of the day.

Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who pleaded guilty to corruption charges in the Jack Abramoff scandal, is quoted from a written statement as saying:

"I allowed myself to get too comfortable with the way things have been done in Washington, D.C., for too long."

Not only did he confess to dishonoring himself and his office, he issued a rather scathing indictment of the political culture in this country. Seldom does a politician confirm our suspicions that corruption is, and has been, rampant in our government.

I wish that Will Rogers had only been joking when he said that we have the best politicians money can buy, but hardly a day goes by that doesn't bring additional proof that it is, in fact, true. Bribery, sex scandals, manslaughter, and just about any other crime you can imagine have been committed by politicians who often get reelected to office rather than receiving punishment for their acts.

Will Congressman Ney's comment stir people to demand that politicians clean up their respective acts, or will everyone just yawn and continue accepting the status quo? I fear the latter.

Paraphrasing Joseph de Maistre, "Every country has the politicians it deserves."

Unbelievable....Simply Unbelievable

A 14 year old schoolgirl arrested for racism? I don't think I would last a minute as a student in the UK.

This news item from the Daily Mail makes it quite clear that the first Amendment rights we enjoy in the U.S. are not agreeable to some liberal leftist societies.

The story needs no further comment from me, but if I lived in England, all I could say would be: "So long and thanks for all the fish."


[H/T: LGF]

"Gun-Free" School Zones

The Star-Telegram ran an opinion column on Friday by Alan Gottlieb and Dave Workman that claims that so-called "gun-free" school zones are a sad joke and do nothing to protect children.

Their's is not a novel argument. Ever since the beginning of the anti-gun hysteria in this country, it has been argued that criminals are encouraged in their activities when they think that there's little chance that their intended victims will be able to fight back with a firearm.

I've read several reports of increased firearm-related crime wherever the legal possession of guns is prohibited, and a corresponding decrease after the passage of concealed-carry laws. I cannot vouch for the validity of those claims, but it does seem reasonable.

Think of any of the instances in which some lunatic rather casually, and with impunity, walked about shooting people in a school or a Luby's cafeteria. If only one responsible person had been there with a gun, the incident could possibly have been terminated early with a happy ending.
There's no guarantee of that outcome, but at least the victims would have had a reasonable chance of survival.

If you have a gun, do yourself a favor and attend a firearms safety class. Just don't attend a class conducted by this guy, or this guy, and especially not this guy.

I Just Don't Get It

Canadian police informed the U.S. that a Syrian-born Canadian, Maher Arar, was suspected to be involved with Al-Qaida. The U.S. deported the Canadian to Syria after he was apprehended at a JFK Airport on a return flight from Tunisia to Canada in 2002.

Arar claims that the Syrians tortured him before allowing him to return to Canada in 2003 where he was cleared of any connections to terrorist organizations. His side of the story can be found at his website.

What I don't get:

Why would the U.S. deport a Canadian citizen to Syria? Did Canada OK the deportation?

Why would the Syrians, of all people, torture someone the U.S. considered to be a terrorist? You would think that the Syrian government would proclaim Arar a hero. Perhaps they thought he was a U.S. spy posing as a deported terrorist? (Wacky Conspiracy Theory Alert! - could this be an elaborate ruse by the Syrians to remove suspicion from Arar so he can maintain his "cover?")

Why would Syria even accept a deportee from the U.S.? I thought they didn't cooperate with our government on any issue.

Canadian PM Stephen Harper is demanding an explanation from the Bush Administration. I'd like to know what the heck is going on, too!