My Thought on The New York Times

The New York Times does not have the best interest of the country in its corporate heart. In publishing the bank tracking story, despite pleas from both sides of the aisle, showed that it put its own interests ahead of all others. In effect, they have acted in the semblence of the worst of corporate governance. Something to remember for the progressive defenders of the Grey Lady.

The Problem in a Nutshell

One of the reasons that I took the lay-off from the site was that I was getting bored with the tone of debate. It is one thing to say that someone is wrong, a whole 'nother to say that someone is evil.

While this comment at Balloon Juice doesn't actually use the word evil, it does go to the personalization of political discourse. Please, can someone liberal please step up and debate in such a way that I can have a civil drink with them? Not too much to ask, is it?

Implications Not Thought Through

At least that's what I thought when I saw this new style of door flyers.

Sure, let's block the view of the peep holes for burglars. Also, can you imagine the damage that the glue might end up doing? Finally, it would seem to be rather labor intensive to get the folds and placement just right.

Link via Dave Barry

A Bad Day for Security

Someone's head had better roll in response to the case of three men dressed as clowns breaking into a Minuteman III missile facility in North Dakota. There must have been guards somewhere, but there certainly aren't any in that picture. The name of one of the men: Greg Boertje-Obed, makes me think that Jedi mind tricks may have been used. That fact will have to wait until trial to be determined.

A Bad Day for Security

Someone's head had better roll in response to the case of three men dressed as clowns breaking into a Minuteman III missile facility in North Dakota. There must have been guards somewhere, but there certainly aren't any in that picture. The name of one of the men: Greg Boertje-Obed, makes me think that Jedi mind tricks may have been used. That fact will have to wait until trial to be determined.

Too Unusual for Justice

Following on the heals of the child molester found too short for prison comes a case where the defendant is too old to get a jury of her peers:

A 79-year-old woman set to be tried on charges that she fatally shot her 85-year-old ex-beau is being deprived of her constitutional right to a fair trial, her attorney said.
[snip]
Driskell is nearly a decade older than the legal age for exemption as a juror in the state of Georgia, which is 70.

Call this one a loser. The idea in America is that every citizen is equal under the law. Therefore, there is only one status in America, and all are peers by definition. Her lawyer should be looking for jurors who have been jilted in relationships. Those folks would be the peers he should want on the jury.

Forget Vinegar and Baking Soda

Take a gander at the Extreme Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment. (Requires QuickTime). The video demonstrates not only the amazing combination of Diet Coke and Menthos but also that of two guys and way too much time on their hands. Makes me wonder how much they shelled out for all of the Coke and Mentos.

US/Italy Tie

Just finished watching the Italy vs United States Cup Game.
Count me in with everyone else, the referee sucked big time. Interesting thing about that guy, he had been suspended before after complaints from fellow referees. Let's hope it happens again.

Update to Saw This One Coming

Hooters pained by champagne report
Good to see that someone with at least peripheral responsibility in the Katrina aid mess stepping up to do the right thing. I'd like to see that lawyer who took $1,000 make the donation of such funds.

Insert lawyer joke here.

One Terrorist Game

Instapundit.com offers a multiply updated post that includes a commentary on how, as Glenn puts it, "Terrorism is an information war disguised as a military operation." He then quotes from an economist report on how terrorists and the media feed off each other:

It's a macabre example of win-win in what economists call a "common-interest game," say Bruno S. Frey of the University of Zurich and Dominic Rohner of Cambridge University.

"Both the media and terrorists benefit from terrorist incidents," their study contends. Terrorists get free publicity for themselves and their cause. The media, meanwhile, make money "as reports of terror attacks increase newspaper sales and the number of television viewers."

I think that there needs to be some responsibility on the part of the marginal increase of reader/viewership who seem only interested in carnage. Come on people, don't be such news vultures.

Saw This One Coming

I'm sure you can recall the hurry to get emergency funds to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Well, time to reap what was sown, namely hundreds of cases of fraud.

The GAO uncovered records showing that $1,000 from a FEMA debit card went to a Houston divorce lawyer; $600 was spent in a strip club and $400 was spent on "adult erotica products," all of which auditors concluded were "not necessary to satisfy legitimate disaster needs."

You put out money on the honor of the populace in general, you're going to find the bad apples. Too bad it costs so much to bring them out.

Bust Your Diet in Style

Who wouldn't want haute fast food? Just be warned that while you are biting down on your food, you're going to be feeling another bite elsewhere:

A Kobe beef hot dog ($14) pairs well with fries topped with Asiago cheese and truffle oil ($4.50).

And who said that in the future there would only be McDonald's?

I Sincerely Apologize

For posting this. I liked that song, only to see it desecrated. Hell, I probably could have done better down at karaoke.

Forgive me for sharing the pain, but it was too much to bear on my own.

Color Me Confused

The premise behind this contest
is to prove

that a much-publicized prescription for defeating aging by biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey was "so wrong that it was unworthy of learned debate."

So some people are going to use learned debate to prove something is unworthy thereof? Sounds a bit self-defeating to me.

Link via Instapundit.

Who Feeds on Whom?

Perry de Haviland writes Libertarian Democrats? for Samizdata about the idea floated at the Daily Kos that one could be a libertarian on the left side of the American political aisle. The idea is that the corporation has to be counted with the government and the criminal as a threat to individual liberty. Perry points out that the problem with that is that corporate power only becomes corosive when coupled with governmental power. The Kelo immanent domain decision comes readily to mind.

In short, a corporation can only exert influence over and by what it owns. If you let the government have too much power, it becomes something worthwhile to buy. Check my last entry for a tongue in cheek take on that idea. But seriously, a corporation can only influence what it owns. People may have griped about Microsoft acting like a monopoly, but you certainly weren't looking over your shoulder for Bill Gates when you were last getting a physical. Nor would Wal-Mart have much to do with the cost of milk, what with the subsidies in effect. But in both cases, the government is right there, or threatens to be there. So why wouldn't corporations want to buy some of that?

Government influence is the ultimate contraband, and the only way to fight it is to cut off the production of it.