They did WHAT?

South Dakota loves you.

2006-02-23T06:29:00.000-08:00

I'm annoyed. Very annoyed. Now I may be opening up one big bag of oogie here. But let me get this out first.
I will always support legislation that protects a woman's right to an abortion. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is not easy reached. And every woman's experience is not the same. This is a decision that should be made by the people affected with the help and advise of a medical professional. This is not a decision that the government should make for us.
I also think that if we want the decision to be ours, then the entire process, including the cost, should also be our responsibility. There should be no government aid to pay for an abortion. Birth control should not be a prescription drug that can be withheld from us by pharmacists.
I am tired of looking at pictures of sixty year old men talking about my uterus as if they have any concept of what its like to lie awake all night wondering if your period is actually late.

South Dakota is about to ban all elective abortions.

This means that unless the mother is in grave danger, abortion will be illegal in South Dakota.
So what happens if they pass the law? There's a thousand possibilities. Women seeking to terminate will just go outside the state, they will seek out home-made solutions, they will turn to each other, to backroom surgeries, to doctors who decide to ignore the law.

Of course, if these women win their suit, desperate South Dakota girls might be able to run to Wal Mart.

This is a serious issue that deserves complete attention. But somehow, I just do not feel like women are represented fairly when it comes to sexual & reproductive issues.
How messed up is it that some insurance companies will cover an abortion but not birth control? It is cost effective because insurance companies figure that most women will pay cash for the procedure to keep it off of their insurance record. Just to avoid the "stigma". That same insurance company is all to happy to shovel viagra down the throat of every middle-aged man who wants it.
Pharmacists can refuse to fill what we call "the morning after pill" because they are morally opposed to it.

What's your telephone number?

2005-12-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

Just a few disturbing tidbits I have noticed online as of late.
I've pulled the lines that caught my eye and added the link to the complete article... I'm just too swapped in holiday madness to deal...

Government Eavesdropping

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said Saturday he has no intention of stopping his personal authorizations of a post-Sept. 11 secret eavesdropping program in the U.S., lashing out at those involved in revealing it while defending it as crucial to preventing future attacks.

Why do they want my phone number?

"We don't have very good privacy protection in law in this country, so there aren't very many clues in the marketplace as to what's being done with the information, where does it end up ultimately, how does it flow," said Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego.

Honey, we need to talk...no wait, I'll just email you.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Los Angeles County health officials have opened an internet website on which users can anonymously notify their sex partner of having been infected with a sexually transmitted disease.

The Bill of Rights (2 of 10...duh)

2005-10-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

If you don't understand why I'm on 2 of 10, flip on over to the archive.

Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Wow, this Amendment has afoundation, too. I am going to be very upset if there isn't one for all ten.

What a sticky wicket we have here. And I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. I don't think I would want a gun in my apartment. But I grew up with guns in my basement & it never bothered me. Then again, I have no recollection of my father pacing the deck with his rifle at the ready. Nor do I have any memory of British soldiers marching through the town square. Come to think of it, my hometown doesn't have a town square.

Obviously, gun ownership was much more important in the 1700's. I'd say it was probably of significant importance up until the 20th century. I can't really think of what might be as important today. Maybe we should have an amendment granting everyone the right to a car?

I guess it boils down to common sense. We have the right to arm ourselves. We do not have the right to saunter down mainstreet, rifle at the ready, enforcing our will simply because we're armed. There is an unwritten resposibility that comes with gun ownership. I think the real problem is that there are entirely too many people who don't understand this responsibility.

Bringing the ACLU to the prom...

2005-10-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

I pulled this off of the AP...

Calif. School to Test Teens for Drinking

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - Students who attend homecoming dances on Saturday will be doing some heavy breathing - into Breathalyzers.
At Santa Barbara High School, officials will screen every third or fourth student who arrives and anyone who appears drunk, said Principal Paul Turnbull. Dos Pueblos High School administrators will use the Breathalyzer only if they suspect a problem, said Principal Quentin Panek.
``There's a lot of heavy drinking going on,'' said Penny Jenkins, executive director of the local nonprofit Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. ``Something's got to be done.''
Jenkins said she has seen preliminary results of a RAND Corp. study showing that a higher percentage of Santa Barbara students drink alcohol that the state average. The study is scheduled to be released in a couple of weeks.
Santa Barbara High students offered mixed reactions to the testing.
``I think it's a good idea if they check randomly, but I think they'll probably target some students'' including those who show up in limousines, said sophomore Kelsea Peace.
Senior Alexander Argyropoulos said alcohol testing encourages students to use drugs that cannot be detected with the Breathalyzers.
``(Drinking) is kind of part of growing up, something all kids are going to do,'' Argyropoulos said. ``It's better than possibly trying cocaine.''
Possibly up next for local high schools: drug-sniffing dogs.
Panek said that dogs made surprise visits five times a year to Carmel High School when he worked there. The idea will be considered later this month by a committee made up of principals, students and a member of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Information from: Santa Barbara News-Press, http://www.newspress.com

OK. Let me start off by saying that if I were a teenager, I'd be mad as all get out. Because the man's trying to impede my fun time. But you know what? That is EXACTLY what the school SHOULD be doing. At my high school, our SADD president died when driving home from a party. Yes, he was drunk. We used to joke that in May you bought your pink dress for prom, your white dress for graduation & your black dress for all the funerals you would be going to before, between and after propm & graduation. When I was 18, I told this joke flippantly. I think about it now, how freaking stupid were we?

Curbing teenage drinking is not what interests me here. You gotta be 21 to drink, that's the law, the school has the right & responsibility to see that the students aren't breaking the law while attending school functions. Drugs are also against the law. And while I am totally in support of the legalisation of several "recreational" drugs, at the moment, its against the law. So I think the school can and should run the drug dogs thru the halls.

Here's what's got my undies in a twist.
The school district officials want to bring drug dogs into the school. They're going to meet to discuss it, in committee. WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE ACLU.

What business does the ACLU have here? NONE. NONE. NONE. NONE. Let me say that again. NONE!

According to their own web site, the mission of the ACLU is to "preserve all of these protections and guarantees:
Your First Amendment rights-freedom of speech, association and assembly. Freedom of the press, and freedom of religion supported by the strict separation of church and state.
Your right to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin.
Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs."

Apparently, the ACLU is also very concerned with making sure that our teenagers can stash their dope in their locker without fear of the principal busting them.

Every student in Santa Barbara has been given CLEAR WARNING. There are going to be breathalizers at homecoming. Only a complete moron would ignore this warning & show up drunk. Sure, the teachers might target the known partiers & send them into the test line. Duh. Is this discrimination? Nope. Its common sense. You want it to be fair, OK, test every one. So you best be sure to get to the dance a few hours ahead of time cause the line's gonna be pretty freakin' long.

Every student in Santa Barbara has been given CLEAR WARNING. There might be drug dogs walking the halls one day. Leave your pot at home. Your locker is not your personal private property. Its a metal box, inside your school, there for the purpose of storing your books and your coat and your backpack. Its the school's property. Not yours. What the heck are you doing bringing your dope to school for anyway? Gonna smoke a fatty in the bathroom after gym class?

Our civil liberties should be protected. They're precious. A lot of societies don't have much liberty at all. But I also think its high time we all take a look at what our liberties REALLY are and quit worrying about whether or not our kids can drink or smoke without getting sent to detention.

Its like rubber necking past a car crash.

2005-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

I just an't get enough media tittilation. There's just so much mud slinging and yelling and venting and OOOOH!

I think I'm in love with Anderson Cooper. I hope the gods smile on us all & CNN puts out a compilation DVD of Anderson Cooper 360's greatest moments. Earlier this week Cooper interviewed Senator Mary Landrieu (D) and completely lamb-basted the Senator and politicians as a whole. I can't provide a link to CNN's official transcript because I CAN'T FIND IT! And I'm too fired up to keep hunting, so here's a rough version:

COOPER: Excuse me, Senator, I'm sorry for interrupting. I haven't heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very upset, and very angry, and very frustrated.
And when they hear politicians slap -- you know, thanking one another, it just, you know, it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now, because literally there was a body on the streets of this town yesterday being eaten by rats because this woman had been laying in the street for 48 hours. And there's not enough facilities to take her up.
Do you get the anger that is out here?

Wow! Sure, he got a little bit hysterical but I think he expressed what we all feel. We're stunned. People are in serious trouble and we want it to stop but nobody seems to know how to do that. And we're not getting the LEADERSHIP we need from our LEADERS.

Then there's the Bill O' Reilly Factor. In his

current column

he chastises each and every one of us. And we deserve it. We've become complacent and we've allowed that complacency to grow in younger generations.
I think his idea that middle schoolers should be forced to watch video of Katrina aftermath seems kinda creepy. But then I think back to the World War II and Holocaust films that we watched in my 8th grade history class. Which films are more disturbing? When I think about the war footage, I am horrified but I somehow get the impression that we are better than the people on those films. We would never allow such awful things to happen. We're so advanced. Boy am I wrong. But its an easy impression to get. I can't relate to the marching armies, the crazy uniforms, the black and white picture, the captions instead of news anchors. I'm nothing like those people. And that's exactly what horrifies me about the Katrina footage. I can realte to those images, I can imagine the Superdome, I recognize those soldiers, that's my President talking, I am just like those people. This chaotic aftermath is our doing.

I am in awe of Oprah's influence. Her book club, her favorite things, her Hermes scarf, her diets, her Dr. Phil. The woman has power. She has the ability to get people up off their feet and into action. I think she might be the only person who could have single-handedly injected some spirit and action into our collective outlook I think she could have changed the entire direction of the game. And I think she blew it in New Orleans. Even though she helped a lot of people, even though she donated a lot of money, she focused her attention on the blame game. And there is no one person to blame. Past generations built a city in a geographically dangerous area, weather conditons were just right and a natural storm hit, theoretical evacuation plans didn't work, the dominos fall one after another until the blame is so spread out it becomes useless.

Now is not the time to plan investigations of the Katrina relief effort. Now is the time to provide the effort. The more time we spend trying to place blame, the less time we spend cleaning up the aftermath of the storm. When things start to look better in the South, when Mardi Gras parades are in swing, then we can take the time to really look at what happened. Not to hang villans or create martyrs, but to find a better plan of action. So that next time, we're better prepared. And there will be a next time.

I know its tough to turn away but for one second, mute the TV and take a look at this website, maintained by GuideStar.org. It provides a list of several charities working to help.

If you are able, I strongly encourage you to find a way to help everyone affected by Katrina.

Now I gotta go...Geraldo's on.

This post has nothing to do with Hurricane Katrina.

2005-09-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

Actually, it does. Because the media is so busy covering Katrina that we missed a truly idiotic piece of legislation.
The California State Senate voted to offer illegal immigrants LEGAL DRIVER'S LICENSES.

That's all I've got right now. I can't even comment on this. Talk amongst yourselves.

2005-09-04T00:52:00.000-07:00

Statement by Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg:
William H. Rehnquist, the 16th Chief Justice of the United States, died this evening at his home in Arlington, Virginia surrounded by his three children. The Chief Justice battled thyroid cancer since being diagnosed last October and continued to perform his duties on the Court until a precipitous decline in his health in the last couple of days. He is survived by his three children: Janet Rehnquist of Arlington, Virginia, James C. Rehnquist of Sharon, Massachusetts and Nancy Spears of Middlebury, Vermont; his sister, Jean Laurin of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and nine grandchildren. His wife, Natalie Cornell Rehnquist, died in 1991.
Chief Justice Rehnquist was appointed to the Supreme Court as an Associate Justice in 1971 by President Nixon and took his seat on January 7, 1972. He was elevated to Chief Justice by President Reagan in 1986.
Plans regarding funeral arrangements will be forthcoming.

****
Instead of pondering potential candidates or picking holes in past rulings.
Political opinions should be laid to rest for an evening.
33 years on the job is a long time.
May he rest in peace.

You want acrylamide with that?

2005-08-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

California's Attornry General Bill Lockyer has been such a busy little butthead. He's spending my tax dollars on a lawsuit against Burger King,Cape Cod Potato Chips, Inc. Frito-Lay, Inc., PepsiCo, Inc., H.J. Heinz, Inc., Kettle Foods, Inc., KFC Corporation, McDonald’s Corporation, Procter & Gamble Distributing Co. and Wendy’s International, Inc.

Apparently, these manufacturers are in violation of Propsition 65, which requires businesses to provide "clear and reasonable" warnings before exposing people to known carcinogens or reproductive toxins.

Here's the press release

Here's the actual suit

Of course, none of the defendants are California corporations. In N Out Burger, which is based in Irvine, isn't named. Apparently, San Diego's Jack In The Box is safe as well, so is Fatburger of Santa Monica.

Drop Bill Lockyer a note. Let him know how much you appreciate his hard work. Better yet, send him a case of Pringles.

Gasoline.

2005-08-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

s much as I appreciate everyone's desire to fill up their tank for less than $50 (after all, I own a Jeep Wrangler, not exactly a frugal engine) I've received a "boycott Exxon" email many times and I send this response to everyone who orginally sent it to me.

Please do not misunderstand my intentions. I think as consumers we do have a great deal of power and I support intelligent use of that power. I think it is our responsibility as consumers to understand the entire picture and use that power wisely instead of going off half-cocked. I did a little digging and I am sure I only scratched the surface. So here are just a few more things to think about while you're filling your tank, at whatever station you choose.

I hope that you'll do more digging and if you find something interesting, please, send it onward.

Price is determined by supply and demand. Supply is affected by the cost to produce. So in fact, cost to produce does affect price. US Consumption of product accounts for less than half of Exxon Mobil's COMBINED Up & Downstream net income. Emerging economies in nations such as India & China are increasing the demand for oil and taking up a larger share of the consumer market. Various oil company corporate records show an increase in production/exploration/research costs of at least 40% over the last 3 three years but the expected increase in US demand for oil & gas per year hovers around 2%.

I don't know if we're running out of oil or not. There are studies & reports that say we have 10 years of oil left. There are just as many studies out that say we have 100 years of oil left. There are just as many studies that say that there is no way to determine how much oil is left. And then there are studies that say there's more than enough left.

We are not ENTITLED to affordable gas. We want our gasoline but we don't want to be responsible for everything that comes with gasoline. We want the oil company to be responsible. Let them pay to send equipment and people to remote locations. Let them pay to find a vast oil field in Alaska, which we will then decide is a piece of land that is a national treasure and you just can't drill there. Let them pay for new facilities that conform to our clean-air standards. And then we wonder why the price of oil goes up. We accuse them of making too much profit. Go back and read that statement again. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH PROFIT. Profit allows companies to research newer methods, to search new locations, to develop better distribution lines. To find more economical solutions, which will increase supply, meet demand and lower the cost of the product.

According to the American Petroleum Society, the average "profit" made from the sale of $1 of gasoline is 7.9¢.

How much are you paying in TAXES on gasoline?
Federal tax is 18.4¢/g for "regular" gasoline and 15.4¢/g for "blended" gasoline.
California State Tax is 18¢/g for all gasoline.
In addition, you have local & state sales tax which can total anywhere from 7.5 to 9.5 %. So lets say 8% - that's 24¢/g.
So, for a gallon of gas at, lets say $2.75, which is what it is at at my local station, I pay upwards of 60¢ in TAX. Exactly where does that tax money go?

Government regulation of gas prices DOES NOT WORK. Neither does government investigation of gas prices.
Hawaii has just passed a cap on wholesale gas prices. They want the price of gas in Hawaii to be closer to the price of gas on the mainland. In other words, the people of Hawaii do not want to pay the cost of transporting fuel from the mainland to Hawaii. How does THAT make sense? This price cap leaves gas companies 2 options. Stop selling gas in Hawaii or raise prices EVERYWHERE to cover the cost of transporting gas to Hawaii.

Senator Boxer (CA) can be depended upon to demand an investigation of the oil companies every time there's a severe increase in the price of gasoline. The fact that previous investigations have turned up NOTHING doesn't stop her from trying to use our tax dollars to pay for another fruitless investigation.

And while we're at it, we have Congressional elections coming up next year. And then there are all the Congressional members who hope to run for President in 2008. And gas prices are likely to be a hot topic. Every idiot on Capitol Hill will be screaming about how their "solutions" will solve all of our problems. These will most likely be the same ideas we saw in the 1970's, they'll just have pretty new ribbons dressing them up. Remember the gas lines in the 1970's? Those were the direct result of government meddling in the form of price controls & raised mileage standards. When President Reagan got rid of price controls, what happened? The market CORRECTED ITSELF. There was more production of oil. In fact, there was an OIL GLUT. Gasoline prices fell.

Consolidate your errands. Put base camp closer to set & cut a maxi-van. Walk to Starbucks or buy your own coffee maker. Take the metro downtown & explore the city on foot one Sunday. Buy from catalogs or online retailers instead of driving to the mall for one thing. When your friends all want to meet for dinner, ride together. Go online and find the best gas price available. But don't drive 30 miles out of your way to get it :) And don't vote for someone simply because they put lovely new gift wrap on a new form of price regulations.

Then take whatever money you save to buy stock in whichever oil company you choose. Just make sure you put it in your IRA so you're not TAXED on it.

The Bill of Rights (1 of 10...duh)

2005-06-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

When I was in 8th grade, we had to take the 'Constitution Test'. Legend had it that if you failed the test, you couldn't graduate from Middle School. Your entire academic career would be flushed down the toilet & you wouldn't be allowed into the high school. I don't know if that's true or not. But its been that long since I took a good look at the Bill of Rights. I passed the test & pretty much forgot about it. So I thought, if I'm gonna get up on my blog soap box, I better re-read some of this stuff.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

First Amendment Center

As I understand it, the first amendment protects PERSONAL religious freedom. Tomorrow morning, I will not wake up to discover that I am now, as an American citizen, required to be Roman Catholic. Can't happen. At the same time, if I happen to be Roman Catholic, I will not wake up tomorrow and discover that I am now forbidden to practice that religion. Can't happen.

The only drawback I can see here is that it protects Tom Cruise's right to practice Scientology.

As I understand it, the first amendment protects PERSONAL opinion. I am allowed to voice my beliefs. I can publich this blog. I can write letters to the editor, I can get a bunch of people together in the park & tell them my opinion. I will not wake up tomorrow to find that my favorite newspaper is now censored by Congress. Can't happen. Now, I cannot run around putting up bumper stickers on every light post that says "Scientology Kills". I have the right to say I THINK Scientology kills. But putting bumper stickers on public light posts is vandalism. I can, however, put my "Free Katie" sticker on my car, cause its MY car.

The only drawback I can see here is that it protects Tom Cruise's right to tell me about Scientology.

What exactly is my right to petition the government for a redress of grievances?
We have the right to tell our government what we want. They might not pass a new law in our favor, but we're allowed to ask them to think about it. I HAVE THE RIGHT TO BITCH.

I can't see any drawback here. Except it gives Tom Cruise the right to join a lobbyist group formed by Scientologists.

Do I make you horny, baby?

2005-06-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

The statues at the Justice Department are finally back in the buff.
Back in 2002, the Attorney General had drapes installed (costing the tax payers $8,000) because he didn't want pictures of a breast floating over his head in newspapers.
Maybe we should send the drapes to Italy so they can cover up the Statue of David. I know my life was made ever so much better when I was protected from the blatant pornographic nature of that art deco breast, imagine the stress the Italians feel, always having to divert their eyes from David's member...
Write your Congrssman. Drapes for Italy!

A Look at Remaining Supreme Court Cases

2005-06-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

TEN COMMANDMENTS: The constitutionality of Ten Commandments in public buildings and on government property, under the First Amendment's ban on an ``establishment'' of religion. (Van Orden v. Perry, 03-1500, and McCreary County v. ACLU, 03-1693)

FILE SHARING: Whether the entertainment industry may sue technology manufacturers over consumers who use their products to steal music and movies online. (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios v. Grokster, 04-480)

INTERNET ACCESS: A test of the tight control cable companies hold over high-speed Internet service in a case that will determine whether the industry must open up its lines to competitors. (National Cable & Telecommunications Assoc. v. Brand X Internet Services, 04-277; FCC v. Brand X Internet Services, 04-281)

DEATH PENALTY: A look at courts' flexibility to reopen cases, in an appeal that asks if an appeals court was wrong to order more study of a Tennessee death row inmate's claims. (Bell v. Thompson, 04-514)

RESTRAINING ORDERS: Whether police can be sued for how they enforce restraining orders. (Castle Rock, Colo., v. Gonzales, 04-278)

06/25/05 12:36

© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

This used to be the greatest civilization on the planet.

2005-06-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Keep ignoring the real news & someday the White House could look like this...

Term Limits

2005-06-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

I was talking with my dad the other day. It seems that our nation's finest politicians aren't too happy about term limits.
According to a

Washington Post

article, those who are comfy in their federal offices are worried because term limits mean that the new guys don't have enough experience. Apparently in a government for the people & by the people, the people don't have enough experience to work in the governement.
Dad made a good point.
The politicians say it takes 4 years to learn how to be effective in Washington.
If you were being interviewed by a company & you told them that you could do the job, but you wouldn't be able to for four years so you could get up to speed, do you think they would hire you?

Do your income taxes in 30 seconds or less...

2005-06-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

You might have missed this little piece of info.

The

President's Advisory Panel on Tax Reform

missed their deadline. Sure, the deadline was originally at the end of July, but on June 16th, the President gave them an extension.

It would all be MUCH simpler if they even CONSIDERED a

Flat Tax

. But so far, it isn't even in the running.

Agents raid pot dispensaries

2005-06-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

By Mary Anne Ostrom

Mercury News

Federal agents raided at least two San Francisco medicinal marijuana dispensaries and arrested at least 10 people on Wednesday, in connection with what authorities described as a large scale and long-term criminal investigation into drug trafficking.

Agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency searched and confiscated marijuana supplies from the Herbal Relief Center and a second dispensary five blocks away. Search warrants were served and arrests made at more than a dozen homes and businesses in the city, according to Bloomberg News.

Authorities released few details about the operation, which began in the morning and lasted through the day. Indictments involving the actions are under federal seal. More details are expected at a news conference todaythursday. The U.S. Attorney's Office, DEA, and IRS criminal division are involved.

As word spread of the action, advocates for medicinal marijuana use gathered at the clinics as DEA agents hauled out marijuana. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that users of medicinal marijuana are subject to federal prosecution, even in states like California that allow the use of marijuana on a doctor's recommendation. Federal law says there are no exceptions to the ban on cannabis sales.

The actions also come on the heels of a recent moratorium on dispensaries imposed by San Francisco elected officials as they grapple with the explosion of marijuana sales locations and study new rules.

Advocates of medicinal marijuana use were careful not to immediately condemn the federal actions, after learning organized crime and drug trafficking might be involved.

Yet, they said they will be vigilant to make sure that Wednesday's raids did not mean the federal government was declaring ``open season'' on the state's marijuana dispensaries.

prop 215

Some people are so STOOPID...

2005-06-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

I overheard this DINGBAT and her friend talking about the war in Iraq.
She actually said..."I'm in favor of attacking Iraq because we will finally rid the world of communism."

2005-06-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

When I grow up, I wanna live off of social security.

So you wanna buy a house?

2005-06-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes

By HOPE YEN
WASHINGTON (AP) - A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights.

The 5-4 ruling - assailed by dissenting Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as handing ``disproportionate influence and power'' to the well-heeled in America - was a defeat for Connecticut residents whose homes are slated for destruction to make room for an office complex. They had argued that cities have no right to take their land except for projects with a clear public use, such as roads or schools, or to revitalize blighted areas.

As a result, cities now have wide power to bulldoze residences for projects such as shopping malls and hotel complexes in order to generate tax revenue.

The case was one of six resolved by justices on Thursday. Still pending at the high court are cases dealing with the constitutionality of government Ten Commandments displays and the liability of Internet file-sharing services for clients' illegal swapping of copyrighted songs and movies. The Supreme Court next meets on Monday.

The ruling in Kelo v. New London is available at:
Kelo v. New London

Cato's Comment

This wil go down on your PERMANENT RECORD.

2005-06-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Pentagon Hires Private Firm to Create Student Database
By VOA News
23 June 2005

The U.S. Defense Department has begun working with a private marketing company to compile a database about teenagers and college students - a move aimed at identifying potential recruits as the military faces dwindling enlistment.

Word of the database has generated strong criticism from privacy groups who say the Pentagon is circumventing laws that restrict the government's right to turn private information over to private industry.

Officials say the new database will be filled with the personal information of high school students ages 16 to 18, as well as all college students. They say information will include social security numbers, addresses, e-mail addresses, grade point averages and ethnicity.

Some branches of the U.S. military are reported to be falling short of their enlistment goals - a problem many say is due to the ongoing violence in Iraq.

Reason

2005-06-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

I was skimming the news today. What I came across, stunned me. It seems to me that we are slowly being stripped of our liberty & we don't seem to notice.
So here are some things to think about.