Parents Sue McDonald's Over Son's Fatal Fight

Now this has got to be one ridiculous lawsuit; a guy starts a fight with someone at a McDonald's drive-through, gets killed, and now the family is suing McDonald's because instead of going out and stopping the fight the manager called the police. Sounds like someone is just trying to make some quick money to me.

Vacation was good

Got home from vacation yesterday afternoon; now I am getting over a bit of some bug that had me down with just under a 103 degree fever when I got home, so I didn't do any blogging until today. The weather down in southern Utah was pretty good, though it got a bit cool Sunday. The weather in southern Colorado was also good; we dropped in on Durango and also made a quick trip to Mesa Verde. For anyone interested, here are some pictures, I may upload more if anyone is interested. Click on image for larger view.

Going on vacation

Will be getting things packed for a vacation trip; tomorrow we will be leaving for Moab in southern Utah. Hopefully the weather will be good in order to indulge in hiking, photography, driving the Jeep down old roads, etc. For those who enjoy desert country and scenery, it is hard to beat that area. We may also drop in on Durango, Colorado, as that is only a couple of hours away from Moab.

I'm a little confused about the weather...

We have one article here, and another one there, each giving us opposite forecasts for the hurricane season. If this is the state of meteorology, how am I supposed to believe all of the arguments for the causes of global warming from these people? I'm starting to believe more and more that most of the weather predictions (including some of the reasons for global warming) are nothing but SWAG's.

911 dispatcher misuses database, kills ex-girlfriend

I keep hearing people say "You don't need personal protection, that's what 911 is for".
And who will protect you from your protectors...?

Senate votes English 'national language' for federal services, communications

It's about time; a country needs to have a common language for official purposes.
Now if the ACLU will just keep their hands off and worry about the rights of citizens for a change, rather than "cherry-picking" people's rights to match their own agenda and philosophies.

Customer service

Gullyborg at Resistance is futile! has an interesting experience with customer service that is becoming more common than people think.

Robertson says God told him that storms will lash U.S. coastline this year

Do you ever get the feeling that his doctor has prescribed the wrong medication, or that his tinfoil hat is a little too tight?

Keyboard and mouse hybrid

For people who love gadgets for their own sake. I would think it would be awkward as hell and tedious while learning.
This looks to be a solution in search of a problem...

Government interference

This is a good article on the politicization of business, and why it is bad.

From the article:

The tragedy is that the most important factor in America's economic future - in raising everyone's standard of living - is not land, or money, or computers; it's human talent. And some part of the human talent at another of America's most dynamic companies is now being diverted from productive activity to protecting the company from political predation. The parasite economy has sucked in another productive enterprise.

UN elects new human rights body

China, Cuba, Pakistan, Russia and Saudi Arabia were elected to the Human Rights Commission? What collection of idiots put THAT bunch on a Human Rights Commission? Oh yeah, the UN...
Isn't it about time to give up on the UN? It is about as useful as the League of Nations was. Currently it seems to be nothing but a corruption filled group of bureaucrats all trying to jockey for power, and nobody really gives a damn about people, just power and prestige for themselves and their countries. I would think that all of the money and resources could be put to better use actually helping people with problems.

Chevron Memo Raises Suspicion

This answers a few questions about gas prices.

Under the bandages King Tut is all man

That's pretty bad when they have to use a CT scanner to find that thing...LOL

Rep. Patrick Kennedy blames car crash on medication

Sounds like we'll never know:

"Louis Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustang into a barrier on Capitol Hill.

Cannon said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home and no sobriety tests were conducted at the scene."
(Italics are mine)

This sounds a bit familiar...

Not a bad weekend

Went to a gun show on Saturday and met up with Nate and a friend of his, Loc. They ended up getting a lot of ammo for themselves and some friends (they both had shopping lists), but I ended up not picking up anything this trip. Everything I was interested in was way out of my present price range. Unfortunately, I am not this guy. Well, maybe I'll have a little more saved up for next time...

You need to check this out...

Regardless of how you feel about the present day war, this is one of the most moving presentations about our people in uniform I have seen in a long time; hat tip to Annika.

Woman goes after husband with SUV

I've seen some bad relationships, but this is ridiculous. Good thing she didn't have a gun.

Senator plans Net taxes but no Net neutrality

Trust a greedy politician senator to try and find something else to tax; they can't seem to leave anything alone, always wanting to tax one item so something else can be subsidized by the nanny state. If they want to do something useful, try keeping the neutrality of the net intact, that will do more people more good in the long run.

Man Robs Bank Then Hails A Cab To Make His Getaway

The crooks seem to get dumber every day, don't they? Some of these people must be embarrassed when they tell their fellow inmates how they were caught.

Double homicide committed by 12-year old

This is quite a disturbing article; I remember kids having tantrums, but to kill a sibling and parent? And a 12-year old doing it by stabbing and beating? That sort of violence is up close and personal, not like a shooting; many adults are incapable of such action, so I have to wonder what brought it out in a child?

Attempted suicide with nail gun

I've been following this for a couple of days now; does this mean we are going to see triggerlocks and a law that nail guns and nails must be stored in separate areas? Will there be a limit on how large of nails can be used (perhaps a special license for anything over a 10-penny nail)? Not to sound insensitive, but you'd think that if someone wanted to commit suicide, they could at least do it right...

Feds pledge to get tough on companies employing illegal immigrants

It's about time; but I'll believe it when I see it. I suspect it will more likely be a few examples to make people think something is being done, and then fade away when people become apathetic over it, or when there is some new scandal in the entertainment industry to distract them.

Study reveals most vehicle accidents are caused by distractions

I wish I could get in on some of these studies; it seems like the government is willing to fund some of the most no-shit-Sherlock studies you could ever imagine. Is there a Department of Obvious Facts somewhere in Washington? Next we'll get a new study that discovers that (drumroll, please):
Governments Tend to Waste Money.
As long as it's OUR tax dollars you're spending, how about studying something we don't already know?

Are you getting as tired of Tom Cruise and family as I am?

It seems like I can't look at the news anywhere without running into news about them; isn't there more important stuff happening in the world? As writer Robert Heinlein once said:
"The United States has become a place where entertainers and professional athletes are mistaken for people of importance."
For those who are avidly following every bit of news about them, GET A LIFE! Even a Trekkie takes a break once in a while...

Mexico slams Georgia migrant law

And what business it is of theirs concerning what laws we pass here?
"Since becoming Mexico's president in 2000, Vicente Fox has been pressing for reforms that would allow more Mexicans to work legally in the US."
Why don't you worry about your own country? Maybe then you wouldn't have so many people bailing out of Mexico. I hate to burst your bubble, President Fox, but the United States is not here for the benefit of your citizens; that's YOUR job.