Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Reaching the Incorrect Conclusion

This morning, The New York Times, not content to worry and befuddle their readers about perceived wrongs in the United States, is worrying about Muslim prisoners, in Europe, with a concentrated emphasis on France.  Comment gentil.  The article, which expresses this concern, is titled “In Europe’s Jails, Neglect of Islam Breeds Trouble,” and purports to express a concern over those incarcerated, peace loving Muslims’ lack of spiritual guidance of a more organized nature.  Meaning they’re concerned because the Muslims in prison aren’t getting enough organized Muslim religion, versus disorganized Muslim religion via the Islamofascist screed.

It isn’t neglect of Islam that is breeding trouble, it’s Islam itself.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/08 at 06:48 AM
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San Francisco Continues Its Descent Into Madness

San Francisco.  What to make of this city, and the individuals who inhabit it, is beyond me.  The politicos who wield their pens, for the people of course, continually trash personal responsibility, look to pad their voting rolls with any warm body, and generally dumb down the individuals who reside in this city by the bay in the name of their socialist agenda.  Today I see that San Francisco, yielding to animal activists, has decreed that if a zoo is to keep an elephant for public viewing, said elephant must have at least 15 acres of space.

“Elephants must receive hundreds of times more space to live at San Francisco’s zoo or not be kept at the facility, city legislators said on Tuesday in legislation that could effectively bar pachyderms for good.”

San Francisco’s politicos know what’s best for you, and elephants too.

“San Francisco Rules Could Bar Elephants from Zoo”

Posted by John Venlet on 12/08 at 06:23 AM
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Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Mark the Date

It’s not that often that I find myself in agreement with The New York Times, especially when it comes to their op-ed page.  This morning, though, I see that Helen Cooper has penned an op-ed titled “Getting the Government Out of the Madison Avenue Ad Business,” which correctly chastises the government for forcing cattlemen, cotton growers, and other producers of goods to pay for industry feel good ads, over which they have no control.

Instead of mouthing platitudes to smaller government, Bush and Company need to step up to the plate, and walk away.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/07 at 06:32 AM
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Vocal, Minority Controlled, Television Complaint System

“Through early October, 99.9 percent of indecency complaints—aside from those concerning the Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl halftime show broadcast on CBS— were brought by the PTC, according to the FCC analysis dated Oct. 1. (The agency last week estimated it had received 1,068,767 complaints about broadcast indecency so far this year; the Super Bowl broadcast accounted for over 540,000, according to commissioners’ statements.)”

You know what they say, the squeakly wheel gets the grease.

“Activists Dominate Content Complaints”

Posted by John Venlet on 12/07 at 06:21 AM
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Monday, December 06, 2004

This Makes Me Sick

Private businesses, which rely on the government to protect them from competition, are not really businesses, but rather more like leeches which rely on strong arm protection in order to remain successful.

Private businesses which desire to enforce the government’s tax laws, by going after deliquent taxpayers, well those businesses are nothing more than thuggish traitors to the whole idea of free markets and capitalism, and quasi-governmental enforcers with big stick.

“Private Firms to Chase Delinquent Taxpayers”

Via Drudge.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/06 at 09:38 AM
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Sunday, December 05, 2004

It’s Disturbing That It Even Needs Being Stated as Some Sort of Public Policy

Two separate posts at Samizdata, one by Jonathan Pearce titled “Sanity in the Police at last,” and the other posted by Antoine Clark titled “A shift in the public mood,” note that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir John Stevens, has publicly stated that homeowners should be able to utilize lethal force to protect themselves in their own homes, rather than fear being prosecuted for protecting their lives and property from nefarious burglars.

This should simply be a given.  It does not require a statute.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/05 at 11:27 AM
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Saturday, December 04, 2004

Very Cool

“Researchers have successfully tested injections of a liquid polymer to heal spinal injuries in dogs in an experiment that also offers hope for preventing human paralysis.

The liquid, called polyethylene glycol (PEG), if administered within 72 hours of serious spinal injury, was able to prevent three out of four dogs in a test group from suffering permanent spinal damage. Even when the spine was damaged to the point of paralysis, the PEG solution prevented nerve cells from rupturing irreversibly, allowing them to heal themselves.”

It’s a shame this advancement was too late to assist Christopher Reeve.

“Study on dogs yields hope in human paralysis treatment”

Via Google News.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/04 at 06:33 PM
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Wasn’t He In a Movie?

Colby Cosh relates a funny tale regarding a Toronto band first called Val Kilmer, and then, due to circumstances beyond its control, its name morphs into The Val Kilmer Tagging Caper. 

The story includes the band, stickers bearing the likeness of Val Kilmer, and cops.

I would’ve laughed as long and as hard as the band.

You can read some additional background on the band here.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/04 at 03:51 PM
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What the Heck is Going on in Pennsylvania?

Judas Priest.  Gary Cruse informs me that Pennsylvania toll collectors, frickin unionized toll collectors, reject a contract which would pay them 21 bucks per hour, unreal, plus all kinds of other perks which amount to nothing more than highway robbery in broad daylight, with a crowd of witnesses, who do nothing, and who actually are probably wishing that they were getting a piece of the action. 

Then, after reading Gary’s post, Ally, at Who Moved My Truth, provides some additional commentary on PA state workers, in a post titled “Enemies of the State.”

These people actually aren’t enemies of the state, they’re parasites sucking their livelihood from the pockets of those who actually work for a living.  There is no symbiosis involved.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/04 at 05:53 AM
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I Guess I Set My Sights Too Low

Since the age of sixteen years, I’ve been saying that I am going to live until I turn the age of 103.  I may have to revise that, upward.

“I think the first person to live to 1,000 might be 60 already.”

That statement has been uttered by one Dr. Aubrey de Grey, of the University of Cambridge, a Methuselah looking character, and geneticist.  de Grey also states,

“It is not just an idea: it’s a very detailed plan to repair all the types of molecular and cellular damage that happen to us over time.”

Hm, I wonder if de Grey is aware of Rod Nibbe’s resveratrol theory?

Link to de Grey piece via Fred Lapides.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/04 at 05:18 AM
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Friday, December 03, 2004

I Would’ve Thought It Preferred Gin

Tired of your Christmas tree dropping needles?  An Oregon man states that giving your Christmas tree a shot of vodka not only helps stem this dropping needles problem, but keeps the branches “shiny and perky.”

A toast to Christmas.

Via Aaron P. Bailey at The Corner.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/03 at 07:24 AM
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China Gets Down with Submarines

Reporting for The Washington Times, Bill Gertz informs us of China’s newest offering for their submarine warfare program.  The 094-class submarine.  The sub is an SSBN type sub, meaning it is designed to throw nuclear ICBM missles from the ocean to land based targets.  Interesting.  What will also be interesting, is obtaining its sound signature.  Based on what I have experienced, regarding Chinese made goods, it’ll probably be easy to detect as it rattles around in the ocean depths.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/03 at 06:22 AM
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Thursday, December 02, 2004

False Charges of Racism

In an unsigned op-ed, natch, in USA Today, some do-gooder dunderhead is attempting to fan into life the dying embers of racism, charging that Black football coaches are not hired at colleges due to underlying currents of racism.  Let’s take a look.

“In 1998, just eight African-Americans walked the sidelines as head coaches at the 117 colleges playing big-time college football. It was, perhaps, the most striking symbol of racism entrenched in American life.”

The most striking symbol of racism entrenched in American life?  Bullshit.  The most striking symbol of racism entrenched in American life are the KKKers, hidden behind their hoods like a bunch of fricking tricker treaters.

Further into the op-ed, you can read this.

“But the overall situation is scandalous and can be explained only by racism.”

This comment is written after giving an obligatory nod toward the fact the other factors may come into play when a coach is hired or fired, but, since there are so few Black coaches, it’s gotta be racism.

The op-ed continues in this vein, spouting generalities regarding the lack of Black coaches, which, of course, must be caused by racism, and no other factors, and then ends on this note.

“Colleges like to see themselves as bastions of enlightenment. They brag about the diversity of their student populations. But on the football field, they project an embarrassing symbol of America’s past. Too many might as well hang out a sign: Whites only need apply.”

Yeah, well, the majority of MSM’s, and colleges, might just as well hang out a sign stating: “Bleeding heart, left leaning, Socialist utopians, with a penchant for creating false impressions of doom, need only apply.”

“Black football coaches are going, going, almost gone”

Posted by John Venlet on 12/02 at 06:27 AM
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Libya Travelogue

I enjoy an entertaining travelogue.  Here’s Michael Totten’s Libya travelogue.

Via Billy Beck.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/02 at 06:19 AM
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Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Interesting

Via Greg Ransom’s PrestoPundit, a post at PoliPundit titled “Young People and Gay Marriage.” Do they favor it?  Do they oppose it?  The results of the Gallup poll are interesting.  My quick informal poll of this age group, a small group of five young people in the age groups mentioned, was four against one.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/01 at 07:50 PM
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