Mexico swaps computers for guns

Sounds like they aren't any smarter south of the border than here in the US.

MEXICO CITY (AP) —Police in the Mexican capital have kicked off a campaign to exchange guns for computers and other gifts in an attempt to reduce firearm deaths.

On the first day of the program in Tepito, a neighborhood known for drug dealing and street markets rife with contraband, officers collected 29 guns Tuesday and gave out several desktop computers along with packets of food and cash.

Right. The drug dealers are so poor, and starved for information, that they'll give up their guns for a computer. Or maybe they will just become gamers.

The gun exchange program is part of a crackdown on crime by Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, who has sent in thousands of police to tackle crime gangs in Tepito and other rough neighborhoods.

Sounds like he might make a good mayor for NY, if Bloomberg ever retires.

Clinton promises universal health care if elected

Haven't we heard this song and dance before?

"We're going to have universal health care when I'm president — there's no doubt about that. We're going to get it done," the New York senator and front-runner for the 2008 nomination said.

However, while Clinton said the issue continues to be a high priority for her, she has not offered up a specific plan. One questioner at the town hall meeting held up a copy of a DVD containing a detailed description of Democratic rival John Edwards' plan for universal health care, asking Clinton if she will also offer specifics.

The reason she hasn't "set out a plan and said here's exactly what I will do," Clinton said, is that she wants to hear from voters what kind of plan they would favor.

"I want the ideas that people have," said Clinton. She said any health care plan must deal with the reality that there's a unique climate in the country.

"We are bigger and more diverse and people like their choice," said Clinton.

In other words, she hasn't got the slightest idea how she is going to make good on her promises.

I've seen how the government handles the VA, and that has nowhere near as many people as the whole country; there is just too many people to be able to manage something like that. For those who like to point to the Canadian system, remember this: there are about 32 to 33 million people in Canada; we have more people than that just in California; the US has more than 300 million people total.
And who would pay for all of this? Come back when/if you have some answers, Senator.

Tannerite

I once had someone make a comment in which they mentioned tannerite . Ever since then, I get several searches per week for "make tannerite". Just so these people do not get too frustrated, I recommend reading the Wikipedia link above, and going to http://tannerite.com/ for more information. Good luck, and I hope this has been helpful.

A sad farewell to an old friend

Friday was sort of a bad day; I had to attend the funeral of an uncle. He was a longtime companion to me, my dad, and sometimes my brother when we went deer hunting; he did a lot of camping and fishing with us at other times, also. I remember he and my dad and I fishing when I was small, and my brother was too little to go with us. He always had my cousin and me laughing, he was that sort of person.

The funeral was done well. It was at Camp Williams, and his ashes were put to rest with a military ceremony, since he was a WWII veteran (he saw action in the Pacific, while in the Navy). No matter how old you get, there is something about the bagpipes and the gun salute for a veteran that brings tears to the eyes. I did notice that he is being interred just a few feet from my dad, so if you believe in an afterlife, maybe they can keep each other company. So long, Uncle Wayne...

Chavez issues warning to political allies

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has told his political allies to join him in a single socialist party, or leave his government.

Sounds like King Hugo is consolidating followers to strengthen his throne.

Mr Chavez - who won a landslide victory in the December elections - has pledged to turn Venezuela into a socialist state.

And we know how well socialist states turn out.

One year

I noticed that yesterday was the one year anniversary of my blog. Over the past year I have been fortunate enough to have a lot of interesting people drop by here; a lot of my links that I have were people who stopped by and left comments,leading me to their blogs. To me, the quantity of hits were never as important as the people themselves, since I like meeting with others and sharing ideas. To those who have bothered to return after coming here, thank you, and I hope I can give you reason to return again. For those who stop by, but do not leave comments, please feel free to speak your mind, that is how we learn from one another, by communicating opinions and ideas.

The Brady Bunch is beginning to mobilize...

While cleaning out my spam this morning, I ran across a letter from the Brady Bunch; it looks like they're getting all excited about the recent court ruling on the Second Amendment. I'd like to paste a copy of the letter below. Has anyone else been getting spammed by these asshats?

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Dear Robert,

Last week, a Federal Appeals Court overturned Washington D.C.’s long-standing restrictions on handguns — a decision that endangers all of America’s gun laws.

This case is most likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court and we have a tidal wave of work to do before it gets there.

This battle — to its very core — is the most important battle we have ever waged. We need your help today to build a strong Brady Gun Law Defense Fund to save America’s gun laws.

This fight is so critical to the safety and sanity of our nation that an anonymous donor has extended his challenge and will match dollar for dollar all gifts to this Brady Gun Law Defense Fund. Your gift will be fully tax deductible.

The threat to all our gun laws is truly unprecedented. The hypocrisy of the ruling is astounding.

What is at stake for you and your community? An emboldened gun lobby will use the ruling to challenge strong local, state and federal gun laws.

We must prepare for an onslaught of lawsuits in which gun laws will be challenged under this new reading of the Second Amendment — a strategy the gun lobby rarely used because of past legal decisions … until now. And, if the U.S. Supreme Court reverses itself and adopts the “individual right to bear arms” view approved by the Federal Appeals Court, all good gun laws everywhere could be at risk …

... from the long-standing machine gun ban … to the 1968 Gun Control Act … to the Brady Background Check Law.

… to your local and state laws … like the ones in California and New Jersey banning Assault Weapons … and many more.

These and many other life-saving laws promoting public safety are at risk. And we need to be ready for an immediate onslaught of challenges and fight them tooth and nail. We need your help today with a tax-deductible gift!

Why is this ruling so radical? Because the decision defies almost 70 years of legal precedent. All courts before this — save one — have ruled that the Second Amendment is not an individual right to bear arms, and this is the first Federal Appeals Court ever to declare a gun law unconstitutional based on the Second Amendment.

In her dissent, Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson wrote that Second Amendment rights relate to “Those militia whose continued vitality is required to safeguard the individual state.” Unlike Judge Henderson, the two judge majority ruled against decades of legal precedent…

… And completely disregarded the democratically-expressed will of the people of the District of Columbia, depriving D.C. citizens of a strict handgun law enacted thirty years ago.

Talk about judicial activism! We can’t help but note the unbelievable hypocrisy here too. Conservatives cry and gnash their teeth about activism from the bench. This decision is judicial activism at its worst.

Judge Silberman, who wrote the majority opinion, is well-known for his close ties to the right-wing. Now — with quintessential judicial activism from the bench — the gun lobby threatens to achieve through the courts what it has been unable to do in Congress.

This is going to be a long, hard fight, but with your help we will save our nation’s gun laws. We will keep you up-to-date as we confront this extraordinary threat to our efforts to reduce gun violence. But right now, we need your support to build our Brady Gun Law Defense Fund. Remember that right now your gift to this fund will be doubled! Please act now.

Sincerely,
Your Friends at StoptheNRA.com

P.S. Your gift will be worth double when you give to our Brady Gun Law Defense Fund. Please give a tax-deductible gift today.

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I'll send them a "tax-deductible gift" when hell freezes over...

Do they have tinfoil hats in Iran?

Historical war epic 300 has been criticised as an attack on Iranian culture by government figures.

"American cultural officials thought they could get mental satisfaction by plundering Iran's historic past and insulting this civilization," he said.

"Following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Hollywood and cultural authorities in the US initiated studies to figure out how to attack Iranian culture.

"Certainly, the recent movie is a product of such studies."

This is an amazing case of paranoia; I'll bet half the people going to the movie don't even know that Persia and Iran are the same place, and probably don't know where it is located.

It's just a movie, people; just because it has some basis in history doesn't mean anyone is condemning a particular culture, though Persia was quite a bully, just like any large empire at that period in history. Everyone at that time was a barbarian.

I am getting real tired of people getting their panties in a bunch any time someone implies that said people's culture was not perfect. Iran has a lot more pressing problems than whether someone thinks that their 2000 year old ancestors were jerks. And looking at the country recently, they don't really have a real lot to brag about in the present.
Just my opinion.

It's finally starting to look less like winter

Some of these guys have been popping up from where the snow has melted.


Click pictures for full size.

The tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils all have foliage showing; it should only be a few weeks before the yard is full of color. I'm getting real tired of winter...

FBI admits abuse of Patriot Act

The Bush administration misused its authority and improperly obtained personal information about people in the US on hundreds of occasions, according to a report released by a US Justice Department watchdog.

Robert Mueller, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said he was to be held accountable for the abuses, which involved the improper use of so-called national security letters, which allowed the FBI to obtain personal information, including telephone, banking, and e-mail records.

Anyone who couldn't see this coming wasn't looking.
The federal government almost always abuses any power that is given to them; why should this be any different? Just about any governing body will try to evolve into a police state if you allow them to do so, that is why we have to keep on top of them all the time. Once the people give the state a certain amount of power, it no longer needs them to acquire more; it is as if there is a critical mass that is reached, and the state becomes a separate entity. It is because of this that the founders of this country attempted to limit the government by the enumeration of what the state could not do, these become the Bill of Rights. The government these days acts as if these are rights that they grant the citizens, rather than recognize them as a line drawn to show the limits of the state. It is time that people start holding on to these rights, before they are "redefined" and taken away.
Just my opinion.

Bush announces Latin America aid

US President George W Bush has unveiled a social aid programme to alleviate the plight of the region's poor, two days before a tour of Latin America.

Millions of dollars will be spent on education, housing and health care.

I don't understand this; why are we setting up an aid program for South America?

The Bush administration has been criticised by opposition Democrats for neglecting Latin America.

Correspondents say Washington is adjusting to the election of increasing numbers of left-wing administrations in Latin America, including some that are openly critical of the US.

Speaking at the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Mr Bush vowed to boost aid to Latin America, saying "helping our neighbours build a better and productive life" was a US priority.

Since when is this our responsibility? South America has lots of people, lots of land, lots of resources; yet the common people in many of these areas are living in poverty and squalor. The problem isn't that they need American aid, they need to get their heads out of their butts and run their countries like it is the 21st century, instead of a bunch of barbarians and savages from the Dark Ages. Nobody down there seems to want a government that gives people freedom; they only have a revolution so that the guy on the bottom can shoot the guy on top and be the next dictator. People only get a better government if they are willing to work and sacrifice for it. If the people can't pull themselves out of their political cesspool, then that is their problem. The only thing that happens when you try to help people like that is that they resent you, and try to take advantage of you. I think we should let them all run to their glorious leader Chavez, if that's what they think they want. Let him spend money and have headaches.
Just my opinion.