Sunday, February 27, 2005

Crying Out For Voluntary Cooperation, But Willingly Voting, I Bet

If only they could stick to their stated principle…

Yesterday, the local paper had an article about an impending energy code the State of Michigan desires to enforce on home builders.  As I perused the article, the following comments by Lee Kitson, Vice President of the Michigan Home Builders Association, caught my eye.

"Home builders say they have nothing against energy conservation—many already exceed guidelines slated to take effect Monday.

They just don’t like having the rules force-fed, said builder Lee Kitson, an expert in energy-efficient houses.

My view personally is there are pieces of this that make sense, but they ought to be voluntary,” said Kitson, vice president of the Michigan Association of Home Builders. “This code is not voluntary. We object to that process and to the options."

Can’t see the forest for the trees.

“Energy code frosts builders"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/27 at 12:56 PM
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Rest, Pause, In, Pause, Peace

Intermittment wipers, they’re everywhere…

Robert Kearns, the inventor of intermittment wipers, has passed away.  I enjoyed his daughters comments regarding his funeral.

"Kearns died Feb. 9 at his home in suburban Baltimore and was buried in Michigan on a misty Valentine’s Day.

“It was going just enough to have the wipers going on intermittent. I thought, ‘How appropriate,’” Kearns’ daughter, Maureen Kearns, told the Detroit Free Press for a story published Friday."

“Robert Kearns, inventor of intermittent wipers, dies at 77"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/27 at 12:41 PM
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Muslim Disclaimer

“Hi. My name is Kiefer Sutherland...”

I don’t watch alot of teevee, news or shows, so I’m a couple weeks behind on this one.  Anyway, yesterday evening, while playing Euchre, a good friend told me about FOX airing a disclaimer, prior to the show 24, in which Kiefer Sutherland has the following to say about the make believe characters playing counter-terrorism agents who are chasing make believe characters who are Muslim terrorists.

"Hi. My name is Kiefer Sutherland. And I play counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer on Fox’s 24. I would like to take a moment to talk to you about something that I think is very important. Now while terrorism is obviously one of the most critical challenges facing our nation and the world, it is important to recognize that the American Muslim community stands firmly beside their fellow Americans in denouncing and resisting all forms of terrorism. So in watching 24, please, bear that in mind."

I can almost hear the “American Muslim community,” and the 72 virgins, denouncing worldwide acts of Muslim terrorism from here.

“Fox’s ‘24’ airs Mulsim disclaimer"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/27 at 07:55 AM
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The "I" Must Stand For Imbecile

Not your average bank robber…

Here in West Michigan, there have recently been a rash of bank robberies.  I’m surprised that some do-gooder group has not utitlized this fact to decry disparities in income or in calls for more government handouts to alleviate individuals’ desperate economic conditions.

But the real reason I’m posting about these recent bank robberies is because the FBI is involved in the investigation of these robberies, and their silly pronouncements regarding one particular robbery wherein the dapper bank robber used, as his weapon of coercion, a rifle.  Here’s what FBI Special Agent Sean Burns had to say on the teevee news about this particular robbery.

"For a person to bring in a rifle, that ratchets it up,” said Burns. “We consider that a little more violent than your average bank robbery."

How does the use of rifle “ratchet it up,” or make a bank robbery “a little more violent than your average bank robbery,” wherein a handgun is used?  Don’t they both shoot bullets?

“FBI Investigates String Of Bank Robberies"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/27 at 07:34 AM
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