CombatEffective - I am the warrant and the sanction. (Ayn Rand)

...so I'm in Alaska. Who knew there was a North Pole here?

 

I could live in this state. Seriously.

 

What an odd nation we can be. On the one hand, the Supreme Court rules the gov't can reach in and take your land if Wal-Mart can pay more in property taxes (a notion I find ridiculous and antithetical to individual rights). On the other, the same court rules you have a right to own a firearm (presumably to defend that home and/or person and a notion I wholeheartedly support). Anybody see the conflict?

...then the gov't denies the obvious result: a decrease in the lack of donations. If you're a guy (or gal) just trying to earn a few extra bucks, the knowledge that you could be tracked down 18 years later would be a significant deterrent.

I figure, if they're going to name their water sewage plant after President Bush, they ought to rename all of their strip clubs "Clinton's Den" or some derivative thereof.

...it's good that he asked instead of directing funds already contributed to relieve her debt. Somehow, I suspect not many Obama supporters will contribute to Clinton's resolution of the $22M. Nor should they.

...this brave little girl was able to help her mom because she had the foresight to teach her a couple of rhymes to use in an emergency.

First up, our friends across the pond in the UK have been warned not to wear hats in pubs. A social norm? Sadly, no. The hat obscures the view of the numerous CCTV cameras Big Brother has installed, you see.

Next, Robert Mugabe says we're all liars. Somehow, the notion of a brutal dictator and thug calling me a liar doesn't bother me. What's the saying? To be damned by the devil is to be truly blessed.

Lastly, SayAnything's got a post up about a side of Cindy McCain I'd heard about but not read anything on...she seems like sort of an impatient humanitarian. Good, we need more of that.

...no, we never tortured him or any POWs. Those are all lies. LIES! But yes, I support him for the US Presidency.

Just a bit...odd.

...um, no, Karl. Asinine comments like this will not help your cause. Unless you're trying to get Obama elected, that is.

...28 Senators have declined to disclose any information about their mortgages. Should they be forced to? I don't think so, but in light of the markets right now, it would probably be a smart thing to do - unless they have something to hide. Their constituents should take notice - and hold them accountable.

...the SecDef has just nominated Lt Gen Ann Dunwoody to be the first four star general in America's military. Ever.

CNN's running a 'developing story' with the headline:

The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned Zimbabwe’s government for strife that has marred a presidential runoff campaign.

Which means that precisely NOTHING will now happen to punish the murdering dictator.

...by now, I am sure you have heard the story (might even have posted it already), but Alphecca's summation and his commenters subsequent words bear repeating. Alphecca points out that just ONE armed citizen may have been able to save the child's life. The blog also points out several people passed by while doing nothing. Others apparently stopped but did not confront this vicious man beating the life from a child. Experts aren't surprised, as that's apparently a common response. Is that really a country we want to live in?

Decade after decade worth of pacifist ideals coming to fruition there. I don’t care how the ‘experts’ try to spin it. Any society that intentionally or unintentionally grooms its people to do nothing in a situation like that needs a wake up call.

I think that pacifism is one aspect of the problem...the other is this:

The fear that life-altering legal consequences can be heaped upon an honest citizen for acting to stop a horrendous and heinous act is the real injustice in this situation.

Would that stop me? I should hope not. That it would be a consideration is beyond sad, however.

...of heart failure. As the man himself might have said, "Dammit."

 

"I didn't know what I didn't know when I didn't know it. It's all Bush's fault. That I know."

- Fake Scott McClellan

Link to story here.