👤 Stories by me

I should create a vanity or "pride" topic. Anyway, It's hard to find a good, trustworthy charity to give to. At least, when you are as skeptical and untrusting as me. I.e. when one understands that, in the words of T.S. Elliott, [At least] "Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm -- but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves" So I've decided to list a couple that I like. In ascending order: 1) American Refugee Committee. (though I get a lot of paper mail from them despite requests not to send). They have good ratings on the charity watch site and seem to be a good .org. 2) Water for People. I really like these guys. They take NO government money and have a very smart/reasonable approach to giving. (Standard "teach a man to fish" stuff, but also a basic understanding that people value things they have worked for more than things they are just given). give today:

TerrorBall and The politics of Cowardice. Nice. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704130904574644651587677752.html

Think privatizing the Jails is a good idea? How's this for an argument against: http://boingboing.net/2009/02/02/judges-jailed-for-ta.html

Is Boxer so stupid that she doesn't understand that these amendments are opposed to one another? Or is she owned (like the rest of the Senators pretending to be afraid of drugs reimported from Canada) by the pharmaceutical industry and just tyring to hide it? ("Hey, I voted for that amendment"!) http://www.capwiz.com/aarp/issues/votes/?votenum=378&chamber=S&congress=1111 http://www.capwiz.com/aarp/issues/votes/?votenum=377&chamber=S&congress=1111 Hey, 19 Billion in government savings and untold billions in U.S. Citizen savings, that's not important right, not compared to the terrible risk that comes from getting drugs made in.... oh wait, they are made here. Scumbags and Morons. They can't get the simplest, most obvious cases right, and yet you have hope for them fixing the entirety of health care. I'm afraid there is no hope on that front. -t

or legalization. Doesn't seem like a tough choice, but we will clearly not be picking correctly. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/16/mexico-drug-shootout.html

At least according to this study, which seems to have been well done: Rats that aren't in such bad environments actually don't like narcotics at all: http://www.metafilter.com/79100/Rat-Park-and-Other-Childrens-Stories

http://www.cato.org/raidmap/

And tell me if there is something that mitigates this craziness. I had to stop reading out of fear for the safety of those around me. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/opinions/x2002510532

Ron Paul 91) NO 92) NO 93) NO 94-97) YES My City prop A) NO

I may have to stop watching Frontline, lest I be driven to patronize Eli Lilly. If you have a high tolerance for the depressing you should watch this episode: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/whenkidsgetlife/view/ It's funny there was a ballot prop in CA a number of years back that gave prosecutors the independent power to try children as adults. I voted that year specifically to vote against that proposition. It passed 66 to 33 % (of course). Another interesting thing is my continued belief that parenticide should not be punished as harshly as a normal murder (I mean, jeesh, if someone is going to kill someone, I'd think that their parents are probably, ipso facto, deserving).

This holds even more true if you are a libertarian. All libs should be registered republican this Election and then go back for the next one.
Ron Paul Girl - Register Now! - Her site is livfilms.com

Wow, just wow. "Honor roll student with no prior disciplinary problems" strip searched after another female student claims she got, get this, ibuprofen: http://vlex.com/vid/30095402 The dissent (of course) makes for good reading.

Is lameness a vice? How 'bout geekiness? I consider myself a bit of a trekkie (see geek code on left side), but this is taking things a bit far: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070914/20070914005036.html?.v=1

This cop definitely passed the IQ test: http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/13291990/index.html "We made brownies and I think we're dead"

I used to argue that Fascism ala Germany or China's Cultural revolution, was something which could happen just about anywhere, given not so unlikely changes in the culture/political climate. Now, though, I think I may be coming around to the (nice and racist) idea that, in fact, Germans - like Walt Disney and Mayor Quimby's nephew - simply have the evil gene.... http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/139 2 quotes if you don't want to read the whole thing: "a court in the Westphalian county of Gütersloh sentenced a couple to imprisonent, six days for the mother followed by six days for the father, because the parents had refused to let their children attend a Christmas school play" "politician Ute Schäfer ... stated that the obligation to attend a government approved school follows from the “right of a child to free education and maturation.” "

John stossel doesn't exactly inspire confidence for some reason I can't quite put my finger on (Maybe it is his tv-magazine tendency to make statements I know he can't back up, or maybe it is just the mustache), but when you are right, you are right.... http://youtube.com/watch?v=pfRUMmTs0ZA pretty much sums it up.

sell MXO 5.25 Buy WDC 12.89 (prices at close today). WDC is underpriced and MXO is getting a deserved reputation for being unreliable.