Browse the archives:

The "private sector" of the economy is, in fact, the "voluntary" sector; and...the "public sector" is, in fact, the "coercive" sector. -- Henry Hazlitt

WE ARE GOING STARK, RAVING NUTS

Now we have some "activist" (oh, how I'm getting to hate that word) in Denver who has managed to use a petition process to place an item on the ballot requiring the city of Denver to take actions to reduce stress in the city population. This nut-case actually thinks that it's the government's responsibility to take active measures to reduce stress in the population. Maybe the government could pipe soothing music into public places. Who knows what he has in mind. The "activist" does say that the city has a duty to relieve the stress of its citizens under the Constitution. He cites the Constitutional mandate to "ensure domestic tranquility." If voters pass the measure the city of Denver will have to conduct research into how government can reduce stress among its citizens. Are the citizens of Denver this stupid? Hey ... they vote Democratic, so the answer is yes.

THE TALK RADIO DILEMMA IN CALIFORNIA

The FCC has a pesky little rule called "equal time." It applies to political candidates. The equal time rule is why talk show hosts have to quit their jobs to run for political office. The FCC would require stations to provide candidates with equal time to match that of the host/candidate.

Under the FCC's equal time provisions radio and television stations in California are going to have to provide equal time to any candidate who wishes to match any time given another candidate. If a TV station runs an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie they would be required to give the other candidates their equal time. News shows and interview programs such as "Meet the Press" are exempt. But what about talk radio? Can a show featuring the personal opinions of the host and callers be a "news show?" Do talk shows qualify as interview shows? My guess is that the FCC is going to have to find a way around this impossible equal time rule in order to allow talk shows to schedule the leading candidates without having to put fringe candidates like Gary Coleman and Arianna Huffington on. Once those rules are established it could work to the benefit of talk radio across the country.

OK .. DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE DEATH PENALTY NOW?

The FBI has arrested three men in connection with a plot to smuggle a surface to air missile into the United States.

You do understand what a successful strike with a surface-to-air missile would do, don't you? Not only would it kill the 100+ people who happened to be on the targeted airliner, it would also instantly destroy the air travel industry in the United States. Within 24 hours Americans would signal their fear by ceasing almost all air travel. Within one week after people start flying airlines would start laying off workers by the tens of thousands. Businesses which support the airlines would follow with tens of thousands of additional layoffs. Wall Street would register its fears with an immediate and alarming drop in stock prices.

We're talking a near economic paralysis here folks, all because one Islamic goon managed to bring down a commercial airliner with a missile.

Some think that this surface-to-air missile might have been intended for Air Force One. Air Force One has defense mechanisms for these devises ... and the Islamofascists know this. Nevertheless, the same scenario would apply if such a missile were fired at our president while in flight.

The people who were arrested are not U.S. citizens. They are enemy combatants in World War IV, the war between Islamic terrorism and the United States. As enemy combatants they are not entitled to any access to American courts or to the protections of the U.S. Constitution. We're told, though, that the suspects are going to appear in a federal court today. They are enemy combatants found on our soil with weapons that they intended to use against our people. The man who is charged with actually selling the missile reportedly said that "Americans are bastards." Fine, let's show him what "bastards" we really can be. Slam these SOBs into the military justice system, try them, and then execute them.

HE KNEW IT THEN. WHY DON'T WE KNOW IT NOW?

This quote from Thomas Jefferson caught my eye. Why don't we realize today what he instinctively knew over 200 years ago?

"Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread."

HERE COME THE CHADS

There are about six counties in California that will be using punch card ballots in the upcoming recall election. The ACLU, naturally, is suing. The ACLU says that the punch card ballots discriminate against minority voters.

OK .. .noodle time. Just why would the ACLU say that punch card ballots discriminate against minorities? Is there some physical difference between white voters and minority voters that makes it easier for white voters to take that little punch tool and punch out that chad? I can't think of one. Since the actual physical act is the same for all races, the answer must lie elsewhere. How about reading? You have read instructions and names on those punch card ballots. But then you have to read instructions and names on the other ballots as well. So, reading can't be it. But yet we're told by the ACLU that these ballots discriminate against minorities. The only angle I can come up with is that the ACLU must believe that only white voters can actually read the instructions and then follow them by using that punch tool to punch out the proper chad. That must mean that the ACLU thinks that whites are, in some way, smarter, more intelligent and more capable of following mindlessly simple instructions than are voters from various minority groups.

So ... where are the demonstrations against the "racist" ACLU?

SOAK THE CALIFORNIA RICH

Normally I'm not in favor of "soak the rich" tax plans. I realize that this road is a smooth one for politicians because the targets of their tax-extortion plans don't generally have enough votes to retaliate. California Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante is proposing some "soak the rich" taxes as a way out of California's budget crisis. (God forbid he should propose that prison guards shouldn't be making $100,000 a year.)

This time it doesn't sound all that bad, does it? To me, the "rich" in California are the Hollywood liberals who have been supporting the likes of Bill Clinton and his so-called "wife," The Hildabeast. The "rich" in California are fond of announcing their intentions to leave the United States if voters dare to elect a Republican to higher office.

Soak 'em. Maybe they'll decide to honor their promises to pack up and leave.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

This is probably the most important story of the day. Some great work, and a little bit of luck, has led to the arrest of an international arms dealer trying to sell a surface-to-air missile to terrorists in the Untied States.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030813-120408-5099r.htm

Why Democrats are depressed. Read Taranto's Best of the Web .. it pretty well spells out the dismal hopes for a Democrat in the White House after in 2005.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110003877

If you're in Gray Davis's office and he suddenly shoos you out .. it might be because Bill Clinton is on the phone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/13/national/13CLIN.html?ex=1061352000&en=e292b52468b9adc3&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

Here you are trying to set a record in domino toppling .. and along comes this cockroach. Some days just ain't your day.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/weird_news/6514371.htm

The Australian government has a suggestion for lonely older woman who have lost their husbands. Become lesbians. No, I'm not kidding.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6908932%5E421,00.html

Those urban outdoorsmen with those "Homeless, please help" signs? Here's the ugly truth about those bums.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/frontpage/MGBK28DS7JD.html

Schwarzenegger can't be a good governor because he doesn't have any experience? So what? Gray Davis has all the experience in the world, and look what a disaster he's been.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/debrasaunders/ds20030813.shtml

Do you have any idea what a "subsidy collector" is? It's a private business that exists for no other reason than to suck up taxpayer money. What an amazing story.

http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20030812-100647-7842r.htm

What's this? The Gillette company is secretly taking pictures of people who remove their shaving products from store shelves? And we thought those grocery store "preferred customer" cards were bad.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34051

Ann Coulter has been taking no small amount of heat for her book Treason. Here's David Limbaugh's review.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/dl20030813.shtml

Here's a great excerpt from a Thomas Sowell column: "... California's politicians are following a strategy which has worked well politically in New York City -- milking the productive people in order to support the unproductive, whose votes count just as much and are easier to get." And here's the rest of the column. It's a must-read if you want to get more insight into what's wrong with this once golden state.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20030813.shtml