Friday, February 25, 2005

Busy, busy!

Sorry about the lack of posts, life has been hectic recently. I got a promotion at work, and it's the end of the month, so I'm learing a new job at the busiest possible time. Meanwhile, I'm working on my MBA degree, so yeah, I'm kind of busy! I'll try to get back into the blogging swing of things soon. Meanwhile, Radley Balko's blog has had some great posts recently on nanny laws and has been riling up some corners of blog land. Good times, good times.....

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

A Letter to the PTC

You anti-American people disgust me. The only thing worse than nannies like you are the spineless politicians who kowtow to your kind. This legislation only gives the government more regulation on people’s freedoms. Your whole website is disingenuous, your tactics are dishonest, you obviously have no respect for the Constitution and you are morally bankrupt. All in the name of “the children”. The only thing that keeps me smiling when I read things like this is that technology will continue to stay ahead of you prudes. Let me reiterate- you disgust me.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Where there's smoke, there's.... politicians

Here in the great state of Washington, legislators are following the nanny lead of California, New York and others and trying to ban smoking virtually everywhere. The fact that tobacco is still legal, businesses should be able to decide their own practices, employees can choose where to work and much of the "science" behind secondhand smoke health effects is flawed doesn't seem to matter much to politicians. From the linked article-

"Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, said the proposal was prompted by a group of fifth-graders from Terrace Park Elementary in Edmonds who said last year that they could smell smoke from people smoking around their school."

Well, lord knows, nobody is a better judge of how policy should work than freaking fifth graders! Are these people serious? Sadly, yes.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Damn right!

Radley Balko's post for the Super Bowl here makes the point that Boston fan are NOT long-suffering, and should quit whining. Pertinent quote-

"Even before the Red Sox won the World Series, Boston had two Super Bowl victories. And before that, two Super Bowl appearances. Even brushing those aside, Boston had the little matter of sixteen NBA titles. Where in the world does the suffering come from? Because the Red Sox couldn't beat the Yankees?"

He goes on to propose that you can only be considered "long-suffering" with no titles in 30 years and no respect from the national media. Can you say Seattle boys and girls? I knew that you could. One title ever for our pro sports (and no, the WNBA title from last year does NOT count). And as well as the Sonics are doing, how often do you hear more than a score update about them?

NHL CBA

Get your shit together NHL, or you may end up in the scrap heap of sports history with the folded ABA and AFL..... I NEED HOCKEY!!!!

Go Thunderbirds!


Wednesday, February 02, 2005

History repeating itself?

My dad sent me this little nugget from 1967-

U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror
by Peter Grose, Special to the New York Times
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting.
According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong.
....A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutional development that began in January, 1966, to which President Johnson gave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu, the chief of state, in Honolulu in February
.

Of course, we were in 'Nam 8 more years after this story came out. Hopefully, this was a history lesson learned by Bush and his crew.
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