Footblogging

7-2. Biggest comeback in Ravens history, and the first time to this record.

Looked flat in the first half, but put it together against a suprisingly good team.

3 games up.

The best possible thing to happen to Republicans

Happened on Tuesday.

Maybe now they'll remember how they got power in the first place.

For those of us who actually want to be free, however, Tuesday was also a good day on the Federal level, assuming the two sects of the mega party can't play in the sandbox together.

Here's hoping for some gridlock.

On a local note - If you voted for O'Malley, be proud that you are responsible for the coming increase in sales and property taxes. Because that's how you help the poor.

Don't take anything too seriously.

At least you aren't laying naked on a tree stump masturbating with a screwdriver up your ass.

Hey, it's in the newspaper, it has to be worksafe.

How does one explain this when friends/family/boss read the paper?

By the way, I would like to publicly thank my parents for raising me well enough that I know to avoid just this situation.

Republicans make this so easy...

By so clearly pointing out where they are completely wrong.

From an Op/Ed in the USA Today by Ken Mehlman, the GOP chairman. Hey, he wrote it...

Today, the Republican Party has learned the lessons of Sept. 11, and understands the importance of using every single tool at our disposal to win this war — but some Democrat leaders would take those tools away. Democrats in the House and Senate voted against re-authorization of the USA Patriot Act.

The UNCONSTITUTIONAL Partiot Act. The Democrats are just holding up their oaths of office. Score one for the Dems.

The overwhelming majority of House Democrats voted against legislation to make it easier to intercept terrorist communications. Democrats voted against tribunals that will help us get the information we need, and have time and again voted against missile defense.

Again, reference the Constitution, which doesn't say anything about who gets rights, just that we are all born with them, and clearly says everyone, even enemy combatants, get due process, and says the government can't listen to their phone calls without a warrant.

War on terror and Iraq

Even more dangerous is that Democrats truly seem to believe that Iraq is completely separate from the greater war on terror.

Gee, I don't know, because it had nothing to do with global terrorism?

Al-Qaeda's leaders are not confused about the importance of Iraq to their goal of global jihad. Osama bin Laden's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has said his goal is to use Iraq as a base to launch further attacks, with the goal of creating a new caliphate in the Middle East.

Of course, had the US not removed Saddam from power, the terrorists would be launching exactly zip from Iraq, since Saddam and Osama didn't exactly get along. But let's not let facts get in our way, right?

On Tuesday, we must ask ourselves: Would surrendering Iraq to the enemy so they can use it as a base from which to launch attacks make us more or less safe?

Too late.

Voters face another choice Tuesday: Republicans have cut taxes every year since George W. Bush was elected president. Democrats, on the other hand, have said outright that they plan to raise your taxes. If you're a typical American family with two kids earning $30,000 a year, the Democrats would raise your taxes by more than $2,000. They'd raise your gas taxes just as gas prices are finally coming down. Where would it end? Well, the man who would be in charge of tax policy in a Democrat-controlled House came right out and said it: No tax increase will be out of bounds.

We'll concede this point, although our friend leaves out the inability of the Republicans to stop SPENDING.

What the GOP wants

Republicans want to eliminate the death tax once and for all. Democrats want to bring it back. Republicans want to explore new sources of energy to bring gas and heating prices down. Democrats want to block domestic exploration. Republicans want small businesses to be able to band together to provide health care to their employees at a reasonable cost. Democrats don't believe entrepreneurs and their employees should have that freedom. Republicans want all parents to be able to choose where they send their kids to school. Democrats would limit that choice to the rich and powerful. The list goes on and on.

Really? Then why do the Republicans continue to enforce stupid CAFE standards? Why do they continue to expand the role of government in health care? Why have they yet to eliminate the Dept of Education, as they promised way back in 1994?

There is one more choice voters face Tuesday: The Senate has approved two superb new Supreme Court justices, John Roberts and Sam Alito. Republicans supported Justices Roberts and Alito because they understand that judges need to interpret the law, not invent it. Many Democrats, on the other hand, vocally fought — and then voted against — Justices Roberts and Alito. Why? Because they depend on activist judges to hand them the victories they can't win at the ballot box.

Or, it's because those two justices reinterpret the Constitution to expand federal government power how the Republicans like it, which isn't a good idea?

Tuesday, Americans will have the opportunity to choose between a party that wants to use every tool to keep us safe, or one that would take those tools away; between a party that wants to let you keep more of your own hard-earned money, or one that believes that money belongs to Washington; between a party that understands judicial restraint, or one that wants activist judges to fight its battles.

Two very different visions for America, and one very strong reason for the American people to help Republicans make history and maintain our majorities in Congress.

Actually, I see far more similarity than difference, and the difference I see is that the Democrats are closer to leaving me alone.

No one has been able to make the case otherwise.

Brilliant

This vid is fantastic. Show the government how stupid they are by following the stupid rule. Plus, they irritate the sheep.

Via Catallarchy.

Endorsements

The official Libertarian Lifter Endorsements for the 2006 election.

Like you care.

MD Senator:
Hold your nose, and vote for Kevin Zeese (G-L-P). Yes, he's mostly a Green, but the Libertarian, Green, and Populist parties all agreed to nominate him. It's a protest vote. Certainly there's no way I can vote for Cardin or Steele. A big part of me is pulling for Cardin, if only to ensure Republicans don't gain any ground in the Senate.

MD Governor:
Hold your nose again, but this time, you have to vote for Bob Ehrlich (R). Yes, he's a big government Republican. Yes, he raised taxes... but the possibility of Martin O'Malley as governor in this state at this time is horrifying.

District 3 House of Representatives:
Your nose is turning pink. Hold it yet again, and vote for John White (R). Yes, there is a 'Libertarian' running, but that 'Libertarian' is for raising the minimum wage and forcing people to use energy other than oil. I'm not sure how that happened, but since it did, this is a protest vote against the Libertarians, who continue to shoot themselves in the collective foot. Yes, I know we want the Democrats to take control of Congress, but I can't vote for Sarbaines. Sorry.

Comptroller:
Anne McCarthy (R), only because Franchot is a jerk.

Attorney General:
Abstain. There's no reason to vote for anyone.

MD State Senate, district 46
Hold that nose again, and vote for Keith Losoya (R). Feel good that you are one of about 12 people who do. We need to try to get rid of the rediculous power the Democrats have in this state.

MD House of Delegates district 46 (vote for 3)
Only vote for one. Peter Kimos (R). See above.

Against all Questions. Because that's how we roll.

The process makes my cynical, especially when my own damn party can't produce a single worthy candidate.

How did I miss this?!?!

I don't know how I went this long without having seen Clublife, but I'm glad I'm reading it now.

Absolutley fantastic. I can't wait for the book.

Footblogging

6-2, baybee, and 2 games up on Cincinatti.

Sweet!

BlogBerry

This post sent from my BlackBerry handheld.

Just what I needed

Update

As usual, work has me all turned around.

I finally got a Blackberry. Addicted already.

Training isn't happening. I read something inspiring today, hopefully it will stick.

Post Gap

Sorry. Had a few things that have kept me from blogging.

1) Work. Been busy. Real busy. At the beginning of this year, I took on more responsibility (more territory). I thought it would be no problem, and it's not, really, but I have weeks that feel like I spend all my waking hours working, except for the few that I have a cocktail and read a newspaper.

2) Wedding. Not mine. My mother in law got married this weekend. An out of town thing, we were in a hotel from Thursday to Sunday. Lesson learned: Don't put my wife and her sister in a flying metal tube without the means for one of them to get out. Otherwise, there WILL be an argument in the rental car. The guy she (my MIL) married is a good guy, and his kids and their families are good people. All in all, it was a nice time.

A note on training: I haven't been, again... due to 1 and 2 above, as well as that nasty cold I had a couple of weeks ago. This week at work is going to be tough again, but I'm going to train on Weds and Fri, and get the ship pointed in the right direction.

Or I'll take up mall walking or something.

Stupid? I think so.

I also think stupid is funny, so I'm sharing.

Some nitwit, namely David Perfect (David.Perfect@Jacobs.com) from Jacobs Engineering, sent the crack young staff at the Hatemongers Quarterly some feedback on an old post.

From his work e-mail.

Now, I do not pretend to be the smartest guy in the world. Top 5%, certainly, but not the smartest. But exactly how stupid do you have to be to send:

F*** you for your comments on miss [sic] Rohe

from your WORK e-mail address, and not think it just might get posted on Al Gore's World Wide Web, along with your real name and your e-mail address.

And that people like me, noting the stupidity, might further the spread of that information.

Who doesn't have a personal e-mail now? I've got 2 with my name (hotmail and gmail), one for the blog (libertarianlifter at gmail dot com), and one that's totally annonymous. All free, all easy as pie to set up and check. Sure, I get a lot of spam (especially at my hotmail address, which I now pretty much use as a spam dump), but no one will ever see my work e-mail address posted on the internet after I send a nasty little e-mail.

Perhaps I should send Mr. Perfect a gmail invite.

Keeping you safe from coins?

The Federal government is cracking down on the maker and user of Liberty Dollars.

Now, I want to make sure everyone understands this scenario: someone produces a coin (a round thing made of metal), and backs it with gold and silver. I buy some. I find someone who will take these coins in return for a service, and we voluntarily exchange the 'coins' for the service.

Why would this be illegal? Who, exactly, are we hurting?

Via Lew Rockwell at Mises.

US says, 'we own space.'

The Bush Administration's National Space Policy makes it pretty clear that, at least from a weapons deployment standpoint, Space belongs to the United States.

"Consistent with this policy, the United States will preserve its rights, capabilities and freedom of action in space … and deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests."


In other words, analysts say, don't expect the United States to sign any new treaties that try to keep weapons from being launched.


"Star Wars"-type programs, while hotly debated by policy wonks, have mostly been far-off notions. Most Americans have heard about Defense Department experiments with exotic weapons, but it's hardly been a front-burner issue.


Craig Eisendrath, a former State Department official who worked on the first treaty to keep space free of military activity in 1967, says things are changing.


"We're going to be testing weapons toward the end of this year," he says. "Deployment will follow. It's not that far away."

This raises an interesting question - who does own space? Typically, for a resource or property with no clear owner, the person who first lay claim and develop or use the resource owns it. But space is a pretty big place, yes?

I'm also wondering why we have a National Space Policy, but then, they regulate how much water I use when I flush.

I said, 'health care is not a right!'

Don Boudreaux says it better.

It's clear that with free access to food, too many people would take too much food, leaving many others with no food at all. Government would soon realize that food storehouses are emptying faster than expected. In response, it might hike taxes even higher to produce more food - raising the price that society pays for nutrition.

Stocking stores with more food, though, won't solve the problem. With food free at the point of delivery, consumers would take all that they can carry. People would quickly learn that if they don't grab as much food as possible today, the store might run out of the foods that their families need tomorrow. This creates a vicious cycle of moral hazard that unwittingly pits neighbor against neighbor.

Eventually, to avoid spending impossibly large chunks of society's resources producing food, government would start restricting access to it. Bureaucrats would enforce rations, such as "two gallons of milk per family per week." There might be exceptions for those with special needs, but most of us would be allowed to take only those foods that officials decide we need.

Food would be a universal entitlement in name only. In practice, it would be strictly limited by government rules.

Replace the word 'food' with 'health care'.

Remarkably Well.

That's Vice President Cheney's opinion of how things are going in Iraq. Even though this has lasted almost as long as WWII. Even though there's no end in sight (2010? Ha!)

The transcript is here.

Required Reading

Linda Schrock Taylor, and the One Question Test.

In 1812, the literacy rate (defined as 'read and do numbers well'), was 99.96%. Before public education. Before school lunches.

What is it now? Why doesn't anyone ask the question?

Welcome to your police state

And say good by to your human rights. President Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006

Please read this carefully...

`(a) Jurisdiction- A military commission under this chapter shall have jurisdiction to try any offense made punishable by this chapter or the law of war when committed by an alien unlawful enemy combatant before, on, or after September 11, 2001.

`(b) Lawful Enemy Combatants- Military commissions under this chapter shall not have jurisdiction over lawful enemy combatants. Lawful enemy combatants who violate the law of war are subject to chapter 47 of this title. Courts-martial established under that chapter shall have jurisdiction to try a lawful enemy combatant for any offense made punishable under this chapter.

`(c) Determination of Unlawful Enemy Combatant Status Dispositive- A finding, whether before, on, or after the date of the enactment of the Military Commissions Act of 2006, by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal or another competent tribunal established under the authority of the President or the Secretary of Defense that a person is an unlawful enemy combatant is dispositive for purposes of jurisdiction for trial by military commission under this chapter.

This bill says that the President can call you an enemy combatant. That's the rule. As such, you can be tried in a military tribunal, under unconstitutional rules, insted of in the Constitutionally established justice system.

I don't see how this can pass any judicial review test, but I'm not sure it will ever be tested, since the people it will apply to don't get to use the usual justice system. Nice.

Keep saying 'oh, they'll never abuse that power'. That will serve you well. Every day, we become more like our enemies.

Footblogging

I didn't see Sunday's game, but a tough loss to a great team. Good to see the offense put some points on the board.

I don't get the firing of Jim Fossel... I think the offense is starting to come together, and I don't think he's the problem, I think execution is. But then, I don't get paid to run a football team.

Electing a whiner?

Yesterday, the two major party candidates for Governor of Maryland squared off in two debates. One will be shown tomorrow night, one was shown live last night.

I'm no fan of Bob Ehrlich. I think he's just another big government Republican. A likeable guy, down to earth, and honest, but his politics and mine don't really jive. That said, I don't see how anyone could possibly vote for Martin O'Malley.

He was either whining or pontificating, with absolutely no substance during the debate shown last night. While Ehrlich made some points in his down home, talk radio manner, O'Malley blamed him for Enron (?!). Mr. O'Malley did seem quite proud of the Baltimore City School System's 50% graduation rate.

Wow.

The thing is, I think O'Malley will win.

Because if you play poker, the terrorists win

This bill is the reason I won't vote for a single Republican for Congress, and highlights once more the total lack of any spine of the current President... as he signs the port security internet gambling ban into law. You know, because online poker has so much to do with boats and stuff.

Everything that's wrong is wrapped up in one tidy little package.

Footblogging

Ravens lose to Denver on MNF. As expected, the defense was fantastic, with only a couple of (costly) mistakes. The offense needs to step it up. As was said at the beginning of the season, if the offense can put 13 points on the board, the defense can win the game.

Thing is, just one of three big mistakes (the interception at the end of the first half, the 10 yard punt, or the interception that lead to the Denver touchdown) don't happen, and I think I'm gloating about being 5-0.

On MNF coverage... this is the first Monday Night game I've watched. Is it just me, or are the commentators terrible? I can't really put my finger on what it is I don't like.

Carolina next week - another tough team. It's a big game, in that the Ravens need a strong showing against a tough opponant to really get momentum for the rest of the year.

The Yellow

Or 'Sweet B and the Yellow'. Or 'SFB'. Or 'What's Left of Unprovoked Moose Attack'.

Whatever their name, they rock. A wall of sound. Iggy Pop shoving Coltrane down the stairs (I wish I could say I came up with that, but it's from their myspace). Anger and jazz and noise and fuzz. The 20something girls with their Miller Lites dug it just as much as the old guy with the ponytail.

And I'm not just saying this because my brother is in the band. This is the real deal.

Check out their myspace.

People don't want spinach that makes them sick.

And they don't need the FBI to make sure that doesn't happen. Lew Rockwell puts it nicely here.

The companies that grow and distribute spinach have a vested interest in making sure that food is safe. Otherwise, they won't sell it. The government, on the other hand, only has a vested interest in getting more power. Who do you want regulating the spinach you eat?

The truth is that the people who buy and sell are far more interested in the well being of the public than lifetime bureaucrats who have no professional stake in the outcome of the enterprising process than the man in the moon. Their one and only interest is protecting their power and position. Increasingly, they seize on any and every headline to whip up public frenzy.

This is government in the Bush age, in which every turn of events becomes a matter for federal goon squads to crack skulls. People often claim that the government used 9/11 as an excuse to do what they wanted to do in any case, which was to trample on the Constitution's protections against violations of our personal liberty. Not only is that true; the government is now using even the smallest and most petty excuses to do the same.

But you might say: at what cost? What is the big deal as to whether the FDA and the FBI are involved in the great spinach case or not? Surely the only result will be that merchants will become more careful about guarding the health of consumers.

Actually, I don't think that is a foregone conclusion. Many more people die per day on government highways than became sick in this spinach scare, and I see no hysteria to prosecute road builders or bureaucrats at the Transportation Department. Far from protecting people, the government has a special skill associated with perpetually endangering people such as American soldiers in hostile foreign lands, not to speak of civilians. It is not at all obvious that government has the interests of our health at heart when it regulates and controls us.

There is also an ideological cost here. Whenever government demonizes merchants, it encourages the view that we must be forever on the lookout for dishonest business people who are seeking to make us sick, and from whom only the great civil servants in government can protect us.

This feeds right into the zero sum fallacy - that in order for a big mean corporation to have a profit, someone has to lose. Which, if you made it through ECON 101, you know is incorrect.

Right? You do know that, don't you?

Rockwell also nicely points out how much free enterprise has helped us, and compares it to the 'help' the government provides.

These sorts of investigations actually encourage the view that free enterprise is a source of danger and a health hazard rather than our source of service and health enhancement. After all, a century ago, people would have found it to be nothing short of a miracle that greens could survive a cross-country trek and land on your dining table in pretty much the same state as when they were picked.

Leftists will say the only reason it arrives safe is because of the government, which, is hogwash. it arrives safe because spinach producers make a profit doing it, and they know that killing their customers is generally bad for business. The government, on the other hand, doesn't have to worry about customers. Which makes the killing easier.

Hey, let's have a protest

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of our President. He mislead everyone into war, he's signed into law a number of bills that erode the Constitution (Patriot Act, REAL ID), has overseen grotesque government growth (TSA, anyone?), and he represents the socialist wing of the Republican party.

That said, there was a 'day of protest' yesterday, with people protesting everything from global warming to Iraq. I think it might be more effective to just pick on thing, but what do I know?

"We are turning the corner in bringing forward a mass movement of resistance to drive out the Bush regime," said organizer Travis Morales with the activist group World Can't Wait.

Some dressed in costume, including a hooded prisoner in an orange jumpsuit, a devilish rendition of President Bush and two grim reapers. One man wore a red cheerleader outfit with "Radical" emblazoned on the jersey.

This is how you get taken seriously, I guess. Of course, the White House response is equally stupid.

White House spokeswoman Nicole Guillemard defended the administration's Iraq policy.

"Our constitution guarantees the right to peacefully express one's views. The men and women in our military are fighting to bring the people of Iraq these same rights and freedoms," she said. "The president believes it is important to stay on the offense in Iraq."

May I suggest Ms. Guillemard read what the Iraqi Constitution says.

Good analysis of the internet poker ban

I. Nelson Rose on the internet poker ban legislation.

You know, the legislation those small government Republicans attached to a port security bill so if you voted against it you were against secure ports, the legislation the comittee never read... yeah, that legislation.

I'm actually looking forward to Democratic control of at least one of the houses of Congress.

Required Reading - Farm subsidies

Daniel Griswald at Cato writes about what farm subsidies really mean to the 98% of us who are not farmers in the United States. He nicely points out that not only is there an awful lot of money invovled, but these subsidies (that both Democrats and Republicans seem to love so much) harm the environment and raise the cost of food.

Trade barriers and domestic price supports also force tens of millions of families to pay higher food prices. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, U.S. farm programs transferred an average of $10.5 billion a year from U.S. food consumers to producers from 2003 through 2005. That amounts to an annual food tax of $140 for a family of four — a regressive tax that falls most heavily on poor families that spend a larger share of their budgets on food.

Artificially high food prices also drive up production costs for the U.S. food processing firms, reducing their competitiveness and jeopardizing jobs. A recent report from the U.S. Commerce Department shows that import quotas have cost thousands of American jobs in sugar-using industries. Tens of thousands of U.S. bakeries, restaurants, and other businesses suffer lost sales and reduced profitability because of artificially high prices they must pay for food commodities.

This is why government intervention = bad. Even when you think the outcome is good.

You do not have a right to health care

You can not have a right that requires someone give you something.

Put nicely by Bart Hinkle

Footblogging

Ravens are 4-0.

This
Team
Can
Win.

The defense did what had to be done. The offence sputtered, against what could be the best defense in the NFL. The last drive, though, showed this team has what it takes to win, even if it isn't pretty.

That's what matters.

The funniest thing you'll see today

Click here.

Safe for work, has sound.

I'm in tears.

Required Reading

If for no other reason than to say I told you so.

Tom Engelhardt with 21 Questions on Iraq.

I have a question: What, exactly, is victory in Iraq?

More on Trans Fats

When other people say it better, might as well just link to them.

And it starts...

In NYC, restaraunts will be required to reduce trans-fats over the next 18 months.

What's next?

Who thinks this is a good idea? That the government can tell a restaraunt what it can and can not serve. I would say it's unbelievable, except that I fully expected it.

Welcome to the new nanny/police state.

Airport stupidity, er, I mean security

Oh, thank the TSA, we can now take toothpaste and personal lubricant in our carryon!

Of course, only 3 oz containers, and only in a clear quart ziplock bag.

The FBI and other laboratories tested a variety of explosives and found that tiny amounts of substances so small they fit into a quart-size plastic bag can't blow up an airliner, Hawley said at a news conference at Reagan National Airport.

Because, as we know, the terrorists never work in teams

Passengers will have to take out the clear bags with toiletries in them so they can be checked separately by the X-ray machine. Though the machines can't identify whether a substance is an explosive, they can pick out anomalies that may indicate a substance is intended for use in a bomb.

Let me get this straight - we can't even tell if it's an explosive?

So this regulation exists so we all feel better? Or just because they can?

A musical comedy?

Generally not my thing. But I tell you, the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was fantastic. Very, very funny.

We have season tickets to the Hippodrome. Next up is 12 Angry Men, one of my favorite plays.

3-0!?!?

Oh my goodness!!

Two blowouts and a nailbiter. I'm a touch concerned about the offense, but a win is a win, and any win on the road in the AFC North is a good one.

I didn't get to watch, as we were at a play.

This kind of stuff drives me nuts

All around in health news, are headlines like this: "Smoking Increases Risk of HIV Infection."

But when you read the information on the study, all it does is show that many people who get HIV are smokers, which shouldn't suprise anyone. Why? Because one of the largest factors in smoking is having children, and people generally at risk for HIV infection don't have kids and aren't trying to have kids.

The article I link above even points it out, yet they still run the headline, I guess for the shock value.

The consistency of the findings is striking and represents a major strength of this review," Dr. Furber and colleagues said, noting that while the studies vary, many had large sample sizes and were of high quality.


On the other hand, the researchers said, the methodologies used -- epidemiological and observational -- can't make causal connections and are "prone to confounding."

So there isn't a causal relationship, and saying 'increases risk' would be, well, incorrect.

Has NASCAR jumped the shark?

That's Racin' reports that for all but two races this year, ratings are the same or down compared to last year.

I said in an earlier post that I'm not watching any more. Apparently I'm not the only one. Coverage is terrible, the points system makes most of the first 26 races irrelevant to the championship, and it's mostly now just a soap opera of drivers.

It's pretty clear when there are questions that pretty major operations are having trouble securing sponsors that the sport may be in a little trouble.

Wanna fix it? Go back to the old championship format, change the points so that you get more points for winning and eliminate points for low finishers (finish worse than 30th, get no points), and publish the rules.

I normally don't post stuff like this..

But this video is funny.

Should be worksafe, but it has sound.

There's hope!!!

A college admissions essay from a young Libertarian.

The basic moral premise of libertarianism is as follows: Every human has a right to life and property, and the initiation of force in violation of these rights is wrong. This is very simple.

And simple is good.

Find out about it quickly, Ben.

One of Ben Cardin's staffers got fired for being a racist moron. She's got a blog, and some of the comments on that blog didn't really reflect well on the Senate Candidate.

Now, she posts that an intern in the office was letting the office use his Wal Mart (a Democrat who shops at Wal Mart?) employee discount card.


When asked about the post on the blog, Cardin was befuddled.

The staffer, Ursula Gruber, who was fired by the candidate's campaign for making racially charged comments in her blog, also mentions in her blog a Wal-Mart discount card that she says was used illegally by people in the office.

"I am not sure of what you are talking about, I'm not sure of what you are talking about," said Cardin when he was asked by WBAL's Scott Wykoff if that allegation would be investigated by his campaign.

"I'll check out what you are talking about, I'm not familiar with what you are talking about," said Cardin.

The best quote of all time:

One day earlier, Cardin told WBAL's Chip Franklin and Clarence Mitchell IV on WBAL's 'The Buzz', "We know anything that gets out on a blog we are going to know about it immediately, and every other campaign knows about it immediately."

"Let me tell you something," said Cardin on WBAL on Monday. "When you put something out on a blog you find out about it pretty quickly."

Why is that such a great quote? Read the blog (it's been removed from Blogspot, but Wizbang has the cached page). You may note the post. Dated August 13, 2006.

From dictionary.com:

im‧me‧di‧ate‧ly  /ɪˈmidiɪtli/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[i-mee-dee-it-lee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–adverb 1. without lapse of time; without delay; instantly; at once: Please telephone him immediately.
2. with no object or space intervening.
3. closely: immediately in the vicinity.
4. without intervening medium or agent; concerning or affecting directly.
–conjunction 5. Chiefly British. the moment that; as soon as.

Or within 6 weeks or so. *chuckle*

2-0

With a victory over the Raiders, 28-6.

You know what happened the last time the Ravens went 2-0? They won a the Superbowl.

With Trent Dilfer.

Next week, the Browns. 0-2 or not, it's a road game in the division, and might be tough.

Training Update

Just finished my first full week of training, after an extended layoff. I'm not anywhere near where I want to be, but that's the reason for doing it.

Updates can be seen here.

Pay it forward

One of the most important aspects of the Iron Game is the responsibility of those in it to pass along what they have learned to others. It's one of the great traditions of people who train with weights, and even in today's commercialized climate, it continues.

But it doesn't continue as much as you'd like. Everywhere there are people claiming to be 'natural' 'professional' bodybuilders, when the last contest they won was in 1992 in a now defunct orgainization, just so they can promote their super special training protocol, which, when evaluated using a rudimentary level of physiological understanding is, well, crap.

Luck for us, there are still people out there who are giving back. Read this article by James Smith, and if you have the interest, participate in the conference calls.

James is moving the Game forward as it should be done... and he's still able to make a living doing it. How about that.

Missed opportunity.

Listening to K666 on the Sonos this evening, and in the midst of the Entombed, Judas Priest, AC/DC, COC, etc, they played Slayer - Necrophobic.

I should have named my blog that. Cool blog name.

Unfortunatley, Necrophobic.net is already taken. Gotta love the Swedish Death Metal.

Not good for the Maryland Democrats

They are going to end up with an all white male upper ticket, and not a single interesting close local race. Not much diversity there at all.

Might be good news for the incumbent Governor and Mr Steele.

Positive coverage

Here's a link to a video of some local news coverage of Bob Smither, a Libertarian running for Tom Delay's old seat. The guy the Republicans are not supporting in favor of a write in candidate.

It's nice to see coverage at all, and nice to see that it's positive. Smithers seems like a good face for the party.

Off to a great start

27-0!!

Ravens looked good today, all the pieces in place. I was sure this would be a closer game, but now I think the Bucs might be a little overrated.

Oakland comes to Baltimore next week. Sure would be nice to start off 2-0.

Losing something we never had

Radley Balko over at the Agitator posts about Libertarians losing the Right and the Left where our positions align with theirs.

We are losing the Right on the free market, and the Left on personal liberty.

Thing is, I don't think we ever had them. The key difference between Libertarians or Classical Liberals and Republicans and Democrats: Non Statists vs Statists.

Republicans and Democrats, first and foremost, are Statists. They may disagree on what the State should be doing, but they absolutley agree that the State should have more power, not less. We can talk all we want about winning the hearts and minds of Republicans with a free market, less regulation, more economic freedom position, but they don't really want to be free. Democrats love to hear about decriminalization of drugs, and civil liberty protections, but they want the government to take care of them.

You can clearly see this any time you talk to a Republican or a Democrat. Ask them where their rights come from, and almost without fail, they will say 'The Constitution'. Which is wrong. They all think they get their rights from the state, from their luck in life of being born in the US, or having met some arbitrary requirment to gain citizenship. And this is where we need to start winning them. Explain that our rights come from our humanity. That the Constitution simply explains what the government is allowed to do, not what we are.

Then move to the places we agree, and then explain how that leads to the places we don't, but why another option might be better than theirs.

I think it can be done. It'll take a while.

On Nascar

There was a time when, for about 11 months out of the year, my Sundays were spent watching either racing or football.

No more.

NASCAR has taken all of the interest out of their sport, at least for me. This year was really the tell tale year, as I think I watched 3 or 4 races (the Daytona 500, both Bristol races) from start to finish, and tuned in for parts of only a handful of others.

When NASCAR instituted the 'Chase for the Championship', I was pretty upset - I don't like it, I think it atrificially creates 'drama' where there is none, and I think it screwed up the sport. I became less interested in most of the season, and I'm more interested in who scores the most points in the season, not who scores the most in 10 races.

The held on to me last year because my guy, Rusty, was still around, and still competitive. This year, I have pretty much no one to root for. So interest has waned. (It doesn't help that NBC and TNT coverage is terrible.)

Last night's race at Richmond, a race I did not watch, determined that Tony Stewart, last year's champ (legitimatley so, by the way, as he scored the most points over the entire 36 races) is in 11th, and out of the 'Chase'. In years past, no one would care about this, and would instead be following the tight race between first and second in points, as well as watching who would end up in the top ten at the end of the year, which is quite a logjam.

Want me back, NASCAR? Get rid of the chase. Give more points for winning if you want. Take boring races off the schedule (California). Oh, and race in Darlington on Labor day weekend.

I told you so

Senate finally determines what I said 3 years ago... Iraq and Al Qaeda were not linked.

As a matter of fact, as I said then, Hussein was distrustful of Islamic exremists, as a secular leader.

If I knew this before the invasion, I'm pretty sure someone in the White House knew, too.

Training Update

Back in the gym today. Read the details here.

Please be quiet

We're trying to have an election here.

Welcome to your 60 days of suspension of the First Amendment.

So you and I can not purchase air time to discuss issues, only approved candidates can, unless you get clearance from a court ahead of time. Because THAT's freedom, dammit.

Tackling the important issues

On the one hand, I don't understand why Congress is debating the practice of horse slaughter. I mean, I like horses and all, but they are animals, and can indeed be used as food. I'm especially concerned by this line of reasoning:

"Horses are an integral part of our country's culture, and they do not deserve to be slaughtered under brutal conditions," said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif. "American horses deserve better treatment."

Debate began Thursday morning on whether to ban horse slaughter, and a vote was expected by evening.

"It is one of the most inhumane, brutal, shady practices going on in the U.S. today," said Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., a sponsor of the ban.

Sweeney argues that the slaughter of horses is different from the slaughter of cattle and chickens because horses such as Mr. Ed, Secretariat and Silver are American icons.

If only Betsy the cow had made it through the auditions.

On the other hand, the more time Congress spends on this, the less likely it is they'll ban internet poker.

Heavy

Sleep - Dopesmoker.

63 minutes of the heaviest music, ever.

Are Environmentalists causing climate change?

A very enlightened post by Warren Meyer over at Coyote Blog regarding Urban Heat Islands.

He asks an important question: Are the policies that environmentalists support which move us towards more urban living actually harming the environment? I wonder if they thought about it.

It used to be bad...

Gene Healy finds some old gems at Freerepublic. I heart teh internets.

Sucks that people can point stuff like this out, doesn't it.

Little Italy Dinner and Movie

Last night was the last night of the season for the Little Italy movie festival. Movies are shown on the side of a building from a projector in a guy's house. One of those great Baltimore things. J and I went early to get dinner at Amiccis.

Since we were in a hurry, we didn't do the usual cocktails and then order - I just got a Peroni. I had a Ceasar salad (OK, we had a ceasar salad) to start, quite good. I had Penne Amicci, penne with sausage, mushrooms, garlic, and spinach. It was OK, but not fantastic. J had the House Gnocci, which was very good, in an excellent cream sauce with proscuitto, spinach, and roasted red peppers. Large servings, quick friendly service, and a really nice casual atmosphere. If you are looking for a quick bite to eat in Little Italy, and don't want to make reservations or dress for dinner, this is a good choice.

Wine would have been better with dinner. Amiccis does have a very limited wine list, but it befits their menu.

The movie was "Big Night", which was pretty good. We enjoyed ourselves.

(As an aside, the usual end of the season movie is "Cinema Paradiso", in Italian, with subtitles. We went a couple of years ago with my brother and his wife, who speaks Italian and had lived in Italy for a time... it's her favorite movie, and became one of mine, too. I was a little dissapointed that it wasn't shown this year.)

On Beer

Stash over at the Spamwise Chronicles is a bit of a foodie. He posted recently that he's looking for some guidance on beer, and I thought I might as well put a little something up on the subject.

First off, if you are looking for someone to explain the different styles and methods of brewing, this isn't your post. There are lots of fine resources on teh internets for that information... this is more about my opinion of some different styles for a novice beer drinker (or someone who doesn't really have a taste for beer) to try.

On the megabreweries: I'm not a fan of American Megabrewed beer. I really don't like Bud (I think it's due to the rice used in the brewing process), and there are far better choices than Coors and Miller out there. That's not to say I'm a total beer snob when it comes to Big Beer. While the popular Light beers are never in my refrigerator, I've been known to buy a 12 of MGD for those hot Saturday afternoons spent washing the cars. (Mexican and Canadian big brewed beers like Molsen, Moosehead, Corona, etc all fall into this category as well).

My favorate everyday drinkable beer is by far Yuengling Lager. It's priced pretty much the same as the Buds and Coors, but it's far, far better. An excellent example of an American Lager. Drink it cold, have it on it's own, or with typical beer food (burgers, pizza, etc).

For a more interesting beer, move into the ale, and sample any number of IPAs, nut browns, English Ales, etc. For an IPA, give Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA a go. Sam Smith's Nut Brown is pricy, but well worth it. Bass Ale, while mainstream, is a pretty decent example of what an English Ale is going to be. (On Sam Smith's, pretty much everything they make is fantastic)

Want to try something a bit heavier? Go for a Stout or a Porter. I like pretty much any Irish Stout, and there are lots of fantastic microbrewed examples of both stouts and porters. For something different, have a Brooklyn Beer Black Chocolate Stout.

Speaking of different, there are a number of beers out there with fruit flavors brewed in. Lambics aren't for everyone, but they are the 'I don't drink beer' crowd's beer of choice. I also like Magic Hat #9, a fantastic sort of pale ale with an apricot flavor.

Back to Lagerland, I'm going to lump virtually all European Lagers into one batch. There are a host of excellent German, Czech, Polish, French, and Italian Lagers to try, some good, some not. Most have a tendancy to be very 'beer' like, so if you don't really like the 'beer' taste, you probably won't spend much time here. Pilsner Urquell is probably the best known in these parts, and certainly I would give it a try. I love it. Stella Artois is also in this category, and is one of the most overhyped, dissapointing beers I've ever had. It's really just not all that.

Wheat beers: I'm not a fan, just generally not to my liking... however, these, like Lambics, are often the beer choice of people who don't much like beer. Lots of examples out there, some more wheaty, some more citrusy. Give some a try. (I can't really recommend one since I don't like them much.)

Some others of note to try: Spaten Optimator (probably my favorite beer), Blackened Voodoo, Abita Turbo Dog, Sierra Nevada, Anchor Steam, and finally, find the brewery closest to you, and try everything they make.

Beth Vaughan

On August 18, one of my all time favorite people died.

Beth Vaughan was a storyteller. She spent her time devoted to perfecting her craft, entertaining people, and to passing that craft on to yougsters and adults.

The Upper Nodd Players, a group of kids from the Northern Harford County area, performed improvisational fairy tales for other kids, we rehearsed at her farm, built our own sets, and learned how to tell a story from our perspective, in a way our audience could relate. She also worked with the local schools, she was an advisor for my Senior Play at North Harford High in 1988. The skills I learned from her, from the basics of movement, mime, and the ability to tell a story, I carry to this day. She made me a better person.

Without a doubt, she was one of the most influential people in my youth, and I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to know her and learn from her. I hope I made her proud.

I'm confused

In Texas, the Republican party is backing a write in candidate in place of Tom Delay, who they could not get off the ballot, instead of a Libertarian who could actually win. In Connecticut, the Republican party is supporting Joe Lieberman's bid as an Independant, against a Republican on the ballot.

The Republicans I know are always telling me why I should vote for their guy, because they are the closest thing to what I think. If that's the case, why are they clearly acting to entrench statists, instead of supporting someone who can win a race who supposedly has similar views to them?

Is it because statists never like Libertarians? In both races, the Republicans may just help a Democrat get elected, and I think they are just fine with that, so long as no third party nutjob tries to rock the boat.

What unbelievable arrogance.

I guess I shouldn't be suprised, but this makes my blood boil. A judge rules the Executive branch can no longer violate the Constitution, the executive branch says... 'no.' Frankly, I think a judge should be able to remove the President from power if he ignores this order, and most certainly he should be impeached.

Where are all of the holier than thou Republicans who thought it terrible Clinton thought he was above the law, and that he thought the ends justified the means.

The President says his illegal actions save lives. How is that NOT the same thing?

Somehow, I doubt Rush is going to point this out today.

Dinner at Helen's Garden

Fantastic meal at Helen's last night with J.

I had the Pepper Cured Tuna Carpaccio as an appetizer, then the Blackened Beef Salad for dinner. Everything was fantastic, I would like to have had more beef on the salad, but for $12, I can't really complain.

Absolut martini with good conversation and the tuna, Estancia Pinot Noir ($9/glass) with the entree. Not a bad pairing, the wine was a bit overpowered by the food. Basic, not too dry, good fruit without too much sweetness, I guess you'd call it balanced. Probably better with a milder beef dish, and I'd bet it would go well with a stroganoff or pork.

But what do I know?

Very good news!

A federal judge rules in favor of Liberty, and against Tyrrany.

I think the 'state secrets' argument is something: We can ignore the Constitution, and as long as it's a secret, you can't stop us.

Too bad it happened on the same day they caught Jonbenet Ramsey's killer... 'cause that's WAY more important.

What if the flood was caused by wind?

I can't believe any lawyer worth anything would take this case this far, but thankfully, the ruling was correct.

Insurance contracts are VERY clear on what's excluded. Flood is excluded. Period.

When I worked for an insurance company, we used to joke that if you thought your house was going to flood, set it on fire.

We know it doesn't help, but we'll do it anyway.

Shocking news. Someone figured out you can't see liquid explosives on an X-Ray, which means the new TSA rule requiring the removal of your shoes to look for said liquid explosives, is, well, stupid.

There are three things mentioned in the linked article I don't get, though. The first is, why is there no mention of perhaps letting the passengers and airlines be responsibile for their safety?

Second, how can the airline industry expect anything but the cost to go up, and that they'll end up paying for it, somehow?

Third, who really thinks the TSA employees manning security checkpoints are anywhere near sophisticated enough to be able to use SPOT?

Just let me walk on the plane with my gun. We'll all be safer.

It's funnier when it's real

Although, I'd swear The Onion could run this story with the headline:

Ebay Power Sellers Cause Terror Alert to be Raised.

Could this be the beginning of the end?

As I'm sure most already know, Senator Joe Lieberman (CT) lost in the Democratic primary yesterday. This shows a couple of things - primarily that Democrats in CT may either be getting back to the real 'differences' between they and Republicans, or more likely, they are just so Anti-Bush that they had to vote for change given the perception that Lieberman agrees with the President on a number of issues.

Of more importance to those of us in 'third' parties, this could be the beginning of an encouraging trend in politics - moving away from the megaparty and actually pointing out and voting for real differences in policy. They still may all be statists, but this shows a powerful incumbent can lose, even if the process is designed to make that virtually impossible.

Now, all we can hope is that he runs as an Independent, and throws a wrench into the whole thing.

Bulwer-Lytton 2006

My favorite writing contest.
The first to make me chuckle

It was a day, like any other day, in that Linus got up, faced the sunrise, used his inhaler, applied that special cream between his toes, wrote a quick note and put it in a bottle, and wished he'd been stranded on the island with something other than 40 cases each of inhalers, decorative bottles, and special toe cream.

Another

Lisa moved like a cat, not the kind of cat that moves with a slinky grace but more like the kind that always falls off the book shelf when he's washing himself and then gets all mad at you like it's your fault (which it wasn't although it probably was kind of mean to laugh at him like that), although on the bright side, she hardly ever attacked Ricky's toes in his sleep.

The winner of 'Vile Puns'

As Johann looked out across the verdant Iowa River valley, and beyond to the low hills capped by the massive refrigerator manufacturing plant, he reminisced on the history of the great enterprise from its early days, when he and three other young men, all of differing backgrounds, had only their dream of bringing refrigeration to America's heartland to sustain them, to the present day, where they had become the Midwest's foremost group of refrigerator magnates.

Enjoy them all.

Isreal killing civilians?

Human Rights Watch is all upset, according to this Independent piece, because:

Although the Israeli government claims it is taking all possible measures to minimise civilian harm, Human Rights Watch said their detailed investigations revealed "a systematic failure by the Israeli Defence Forces to distinguish between combatants and civilians".

As is the case when someone takes on an organization such as Hezbollah (or Al Quaida, or Hamas), they can't really win. The cowards (who actually do intentionally target civilians), hide among civilians in hopes the Israelis won't come after them, or if they do, they further the cause by killing the innocent.

Frankly, innocent may not really describe the civilians, who might be better off pointing out the criminals in their midst.

Gaps

Sorry for the gaps in posts. I was out of town (in Atlanta on business) this week. Still busy as all get out with work, still working on getting settled in the new house. Closets are the next order of business. We have yet to organize/build our office/guest room, linen/washer dryer, and exercise room closets. We have an approaching deadline, as Columbia Oak is coming to measure the office/guest room to build the workstation and murphy bed set up.

I haven't driven my convertible since I got it back from the shop, what, two weeks ago?

Training is still on the shelf, although I think next week will allow me to get back to a normal schedule. Travel for work should die off now, too. I'm getting back to the Precision Nutrition plan as well. I've been drinking too much and eating too much crap.

On the good news front, there are some good things happening with work, so I feel like I'm starting to get the traction I needed to get. Now I need to spend some time doing some things I've neglected over the past few months to get them caught up.

Quick Update

Been really busy with work - was on the road all week last week. I'm recuperating from that this weekend, then another busy week next week. After that, things should settle down a bit - I think I may take a week off in September.

I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get back on track with training at the end of next week, but the way things have been going, who knows. I do know that I need to do something active, I can almost feel the aging process.

A Gathering

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Secaucus, NJ on Thursday night.

Apparently, there was a Lord of the Rings convention starting Friday.

Quite something.

On 'Overkill'

There are 6 raids in Maryland.

Search Results

These 6 results represent
The state of: MD
For the year: All
And the following type of incident: All





David Scheper and Sascha Wagner.

August 18, 2005—MD



On August 18, 2005, police in Baltimore, Maryland force their way into the home of David Scheper and Sascha Wagner. Thinking they are being robbed, Wagner calls 911, telling the operator, "There's someone breaking into my house." Scheper slams the door on the officers, who never announce they are police.

The officers then shatter the glass on the home's front door. Scheper stands just inside, holding his 12-gauge shotgun. He doesn't have ammunition, but he hopes that racking the gun within earshot of the door would scare off what he still believes are intruders. When they don't leave, Scheper retreats to his basement, and grabs the only functioning weapon in his house, a CZ-52 semiautomatic, what he calls a "piece-of-junk Czechoslovakian pistol." As Scheper struggles to load the weapon, it accidentally discharges, sending a round into the floor of his basement.

Police would eventually enter, and seize $1,440 in cash Scheper says he had recently withdrawn to buy a used pickup truck. According to the Baltimore City Paper, police also "...hit a 70-year-old art-deco-style metal desk with an ax. They took 18 of Scheper's guns--mostly inoperable antiques, he says--and some gun-shaped props he had built for movies. 'They threatened to blow up my safe,' Scheper says, so he opened it for them."

The police had made an error. They also had no search warrant. They were looking for a tenant Scheper had evicted weeks earlier. Nevertheless, police still put Scheper's antique gun collection on display for the local news as part of a "roundup" of illegal weapons they'd found in two local raids.

The only charge to come of the police visit to Scheper's home was one against Scheper for firing the weapon in his basement, which carried a $1,000 fine and a year in prison. Prosecutors eventually dropped that charge, but only after Scheper's lawyer successfully fought to get Wagner's 911 call admitted as evidence, over the objection of prosecutors.

Source:

Edward Ericson, Jr., "Breakin? All the Rules; Prosecutor Drop Case Against Man Who Says Plainclothes Police Tried To Force Way Into His Home Without Warrant," Baltimore City Paper, December 21, 2005.



Cheryl Lynn Noel.

January 21, 2005—MD


Baltimore County, Maryland police descend on a home in the Dundalk neighborhood at around 5 a.m. on a narcotics warrant. They deploy a flashbang grenade, then quickly subdue the first-floor occupants -- a man and two young adults.

When officers enter the second-floor bedroom of Cheryl Llynn Noel, they break open the door to find the middle-aged woman in her bed, frightened, and pointing a handgun at them. One officer fires three times. Noel dies at the scene.

Friends and acquaintances described Noel as "a wonderful person," who ran a Bible study group on her lunch breaks. One man collected 200 signatures from friends, neighbors, and coworkers vouching for her character.

Officers conducted the raid after finding marijuana seeds in the Noels' garbage can.

Sources:

Joseph M. Giordano, "Woman is shot, killed by police in drug raid," Dundalk Eagle, January 27, 2005.

Joseph M. Giordano, "Petition reflects anguish," Dundalk Eagle, March 31, 2005.



Desmond Ray.

December 11, 2002—MD


As police in Prince George's County, Maryland prepare for a SWAT raid on a suspected drug dealer, Desmond Ray--not the target of the raid--steps out of a parked car. Cpl. Charles Ramseur says Ray reached for his waistband upon exiting the car. Ray says he put his hands in the air.

Ramseur fires his weapon at Ray and strikes him in the spine, paralyzing him. Ray is unarmed, and would never be charged with a crime.

In April 2004, an "Executive Review Panel" found that Ramseur had no justification for shooting Ray, and recommended administrative charges against him for using excessive force. The recommendation was overruled when the internal police review board found no wrongdoing. Ramseur was reinstated.

County police later settled a civil suit with Ray for an undisclosed sum of money.

Source:

"Prince George's police corporal cleared in 2002 shooting," Associated Press, July 15, 2005.



The Lewis Cauthorne Raid.

November 19, 2002—MD



On January 7, 2003, prosecutors in Baltimore announce they will not press charges against Lewis S. Cauthorne for firing a .45-caliber handgun at police who broke down his door during a no-knock raid in November 2002.

Cauthorne, at home with his mother, girlfriend, and three year-old daughter at the time of the raid, heard screaming when police broke open the door to his home and began searching for drugs. The raiding officers never identified themselves.

Prosecutors later determined that Cauthorne, who had no arrest record and whose father had been robbed and killed as a cab driver, had reason to believe his life was in danger when he fired and wounded three of the raiding police officers. Police fired back, but no one inside the home was hit.

Police were acting on a tip from a confidential informant, and claim to have found six bags with traces of marijuana, empty vials, a razor with cocaine residue, and two scales in Cauthorne's home. But the ensuing investigation found peculiarities with the evidence that precluded Cauthorne from being charged even with a misdemeanor. For example, there was no record of where exactly in the home the drugs were found, and crime lab technicians were told by police not to photograph the evidence.

The officers who conducted the raid were also unavailable for interviews from investigators until days or weeks after the raid took place. Though never charged, Cauthorne served more than six weeks in jail before the charges against him were dismissed.

Source::

Allison Klein and Del Quentin Wilber, "Prosecutor to drop charges in shooting of four officers," Baltimore Sun, January 7, 2003.



Harry Davis.

February 3, 1992—MD



In 1992, police in Fort Washington, Maryland conduct a no-knock raid on the home of Harry Davis.

According to Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy, "Fifteen police officers, carrying assault weapons and dressed in black garb that looked like some kind of ninja outfits, stormed in, knocked Davis to the floor and held him there with a shotgun to his head." Police also pulled Davis' girlfriend out of bed in the nude, and performed a body cavity search.

Police then tore out the walls to Davis' apartment, smashed family photos in their frames, and confiscated his car.

A confidential informant had told police that Davis was laundering more than $100 million in drug money from his home. Davis' face was splashed all over the news as the mastermind of an elaborate East Coast cocaine cartel. Yet police found no drugs or weapons in his apartment, and later confirmed that they'd found no evidence of money laundering.

The assistant U.S. attorney in charge of the case later conceded, "The evidence did not have him in any actual drug transaction." Davis lost his car leasing business, and lost possession of his car, which police seized, then returned to the bank when Davis was unable to keep up on his payments. Davis found temporary work as a car salesman after his arrest, but was later fired after a customer recognized him as the man the TV news identified as a drug kingpin.

A year later, prosecutors dropped all charges against Davis. Davis said in court, "You break into my home, humiliate my friend, destroy my business, and after investigating me for a year, just drop the charges. What can you say to me?"

The judge replied, "You're free. Next case."

According to Milloy, Davis was never compensated, even for the damage to his home.

Source:

Courtland Milloy, "For Ex-Defendant, P Street Case Still a Nightmare," Washington Post, February 7, 1993, p. B1.



Sgt. Mark Murphy.

August 31, 1988—MD



On August 31, 1988, police in Prince George's County, Maryland conduct a no-knock raid on the home of Dion Smith, suspected of cocaine distribution.

As Sergeant Mark Murphy attempts to pry open the door to the second-floor garden apartment with a hydraulic pump, the officers around him hear what they believe to be a gunshot. Two officers behind Murphy open fire. Murphy is struck in the head by a round fired by one of his fellow officers, and dies six months later.

One police official would later say of the raid, "Unfortunately, there is no room for error in these kinds of situations."

Sources:

"NW Man Pleads Guilty in Drug Case," Washington Post, January 21, 1989, p. B4.

Craig W. Floyd, "Deadly Drug Raids," National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, October 6, 2003.

Hopefully this paper will get some attention, and maybe these six will be the last.

Required Reading

Radley Balko's paper on the overuse of paramilitary (SWAT) teams in raids.

Overkill.

Good title.

He makes a nice point here on his blog in response to critics:

If you're going to argue that there isn't a problem here because "only" 40 or so innocent people have been killed in paramilitary police raids since 1985, I wonder, what is a good number? At what point do you begin to get concerned? Seems like an odd sort of consequentialism. If we could keep the drug supply down (not that these raids are actually doing that -- which is another matter, also addressed in the paper) by having the government randomly execute one innocent person every six months, and randomly terrorize an innocent family once every ten days or so, would that be okay?

Well? Would it?

Frustration

I simply can not get any traction... on anything. I can't get to the gym, I can't get control of some things at work, and I can't get the house done.

And it's all a vicious cycle - if I could get to the gym, work wouldn't frustrate me so much. If I could get work under control, I could get to the gym.

Today was just one more day like this. Got in early, with the goal of getting a bunch of work done, get out mid afternoon, head to the gym, get home, cook some food, clean up a little, and still have some time to relax. Then the day goes to hell at about 2:30, and while I got out of the office at a reasonable time (3:30), I ended up on the phone the whole ride home, then had to log back in when I got home, and was on the phone and using e-mail until almost 7.

I really have to get a handle on things.

Tomorrow is another day. My brother and his wife are having baby #2, so it will be a good day for sure. I'm going to try to hit the gym after going to see them.

Lowes

I'm a Home Depot guy. Always have preferred shopping there, plus the big company I work for has ties to them.

But I have to give Lowes some big credit, and suggest anyone who is considering a large purchase look there.

I purchased 5 Coleman storage units for my garage - two 3 drawer units, two jumbo tall units, one tall unit. (They can be seen here.) Had them delivered.

The drawer units went together without too much trouble. When you buy these things, you know what you are getting - self assembly, particle board construction.. these are not high end cabinets. I started to put together the first jumbo unit, and when I got the doors out of the box, one of them was heavily damaged. I freaked out - I had visions of having to take everything back, or waiting two weeks to have another one delivered. Or worse yet, sending all of it back and getting something else, losing all the time I spent putting the units together.

I called the store, prepared for the worst. Within five minutes, they had set up a delivery for the next day (today, a Sunday) to come out and get the damaged unit and bring me a replacement. Buy 10 AM, they've been here and gone.

Well done.

My garage is still a mess.

I told you so.

Cenk Uygur on what is happening in Iraq. Nice post, and the comments are also very good.

Over and over again, we crazy Libertarians, painted as 'Anti war wackos', 'unpatriotic', and whatever else the mornic Right decided to call us, told you this was going to happen, and that we were better off letting it happen on it's own instead of having it happen with 150,000 of our troops (and how many billions of dollars now?) in the middle of it.

Iraq is a country containing 3 very distinct groups, all of which don't like the others very much. The only thing keeping the area stable was the oppression of Hussien, a member of one of the smaller groups. There is absolutley no doubt he's a horrible man. But there was never a reason for us to invade, and now that we are there, exactly what (some of us) thought would happen is happening. And we can't stop it.

What we had, though, was an oppressive secular government, that while not really our best friends, certainly not aligned with the militant Islamic maniacs who attacked us. What we are going to end up with, at best, is another Islamic state. Again, some of us knew this would happen... and if we knew it, I'm pretty sure someone involved knew it, too.

Couple that with Iran and North Korea rattling their sabres, and we're too busy in Iraq to be able to do much about it. Put what's going on in Isreal on top of THAT.

Found Osama yet?

And y'all want to blame Clinton.

And you all thought the Clinton Administration was fantastic late night talk fodder...

You simply can not top this.

LEAHY: The president has said very specifically, and he’s said it to our European allies, he’s waiting for the Supreme Court decision to tell him whether or not he was supposed to close Guantanamo or not. After, he said it upheld his position on Guantanamo, and in fact it said neither. Where did he get that impression? The President’s not a lawyer, you are, the Justice Department advised him. Did you give him such a cockamamie idea or what?
BRADBURY: Well, I try not to give anybody cockamamie ideas.
LEAHY: Well, where’d he get the idea?
BRADBURY: The Hamdan decision, senator, does implicitly recognize we’re in a war, that the President’s war powers were triggered by the attacks on the country, and that law of war paradigm applies. That’s what the whole case —
LEAHY: I don’t think the President was talking about the nuances of the law of war paradigm, he was saying this was going to tell him that he could keep Guantanamo open or not, after it said he could.
BRADBURY: Well, it’s not —
LEAHY: Was the President right or was he wrong?
BRABURY: It’s under the law of war –
LEAHY: Was the President right or was he wrong?
BRADBURY: The President is always right.

Another hat tip to The Agitator.

Welcome to your police state

We're so glad you could make it.

Most disturbing quote:

We are in the business of scaring people.

Hat tip: The Agitator

The world stops today.

For 90 minutes.

1 Billion people (not counting those watching in communal areas like bars and pubs), around the world are watching a game.

Training: Bench

It's hard to play it smart and take it easy at first. Normally I would have done this tomorrow, but I couldn't wait to get in the gym. Squatting on Sunday. Sad numbers, but they'll come up. Nutrition is going well.

Warmup: 5 mins elliptical

Bench Press
2x20 @ 45
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
Not happy with this, but I was working without a net, and have no idea what rep I can't do.

OH Press
2x12 @ 45
2x5 @ 95

Bent row
2x15 @ 45
3x8 @ 135

Rope pressdown
3x15 @ 80

Hammer curl
20s x 15
25s x 15

Workout time: 3:00 - 3:40

Coach X

Many of the folks who read this blog are interested in getting strong.

Give this interview a listen - good stuff from Dave Tate and EliteFTS!

Training: Update and ME Squat/Dead

One of the things Dr. John Berardi says in the No Nonsense Nutrition DVD is that lots of people overthink things, and they wait until everything is planned and perfect to start. Successful people start today.

I've always been the former when it comes to training and diet - the plan had to be in place, or there was no point in even going to the gym.

That stops. Now.

Speaking of nutrition and Berardi - I picked up his Precision Nutrition. He does a nice job of basically telling you to keep it simple, follow some basic rules and plan things out. I like the approach, and have been using it since Monday.

On to today's training, the fist session back in quite some time. Instead of coming up with a plan, breaking everything into phases and cycles, etc, I'm just going back to it. I'm going to use the basic WSB/conjugated/whatever you want to call it template - an ME Squat and an ME Bench, a DE Squat and a DE Bench, focusing on whatever is weak to make it strong. For now, I think the DE days may be RE days, since I just need to work on getting jacked, not worry about speed so much. But we'll see. For ME days, I'll keep the main lift for 3 weeks, working up to a 5RM in week one, a 3RM week 2, and a 1RM week 3, then changing the lift and repeating.

Warmup: 5 mins elliptical
Squat
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
This was hard, but not earth shattering. I do know not to go nuts my first day back.

Leg press
2 legs 90x12
1 leg 2x5 @ 90
Weak. Unilateral stuff is a huge weakness for me. I need to bring it up, so I'll continue to include it.

SLDL
3x15 @ 45
Be Smart!

45 degree hypers
3x10

Lying leg raises
3x12

Stretching

Workout time: 3:15 - 4:10

Explaining the World Cup

Here in the US, the World Cup is a passing interest. I'd be suprised if the TV ratings surpassed that of the WSOP.

But everywhere else in the world, it's the Superbowl. Times 10. People risk getting SHOT to watch.

There's a commentary here on freedom, too.

A perfect story for the holiday weekend

You'd think this was made up.

Steven A. Smith

The most important man alive.

Quite frankly, these guys should win an award.

Hat tip: The Agitator

The government violating the Constitution is fine...

Until it happens to you.

I'd feel bad for him, you know, except he supports the Government rooting through my phone records and financial information. Because you know the govnerment would NEVER use that information for political purposes, just to fight terrorists.

Kinda like they rooted through his medical records and his pockets. And this isn't political or anything, that everyone now knows Rush has a little, er, problem.... it's to protect us from drugs.
It's all the same, Rush, it's all the same. There's a reason the Constitution says they can't do this, and you are a prime example. Unfortunately, you support thier ability to do it, and you get to pay the price.

Ironic?

Is it ironic that I cant find the GPS I want?

I think Target might have it.

Also, on a related note: I found my valuation behavior interesting this weekend. I finally decided to buy a GPS - I'm on the road in unfamiliar areas a great deal, and Mrs Stagg could also use it on occasion. The one I picked has route optimization (the only one I can find), where you can plug in 20 stops, and the unit will optimize the route for you.

Anyway, the unit lists for $700. I found it online as low as $540 at a number of retailers, including places like Amazon.com, certainly well reputed. I've decided, however, given the risk invoved with online ordering, and the convenience of the return policies at B&M retailers, to pay about $100 more for the unit that I could in order to be able to just return it, instead of going through paying for shipping, etc, for a replacement if there is a problem.

Might be something to that, and the influence (or lack thereof) of online retailers on actual stores.

Your personal global warming experience

Oh, this should be good. That 1/10 of a degree a year has driven my A/C costs throught the roof!

I think I might send them my story. Global warming, while having not directly affected my life, has indirectly done so via the erosion of my individual (property) rights.

Somehow, I doubt they'll be interested.

Hat tip: Penn Jilette

Training: Week 1, Day 1

This is what will be Max Effort Squat/Dead, but I'm in no condition to do any max effort work.

Warmup: 5 mins elliptical, 1x10 stepovers
Squat:
45x10
2x15 @ 135

Band Goodmornings
light band 2x15

Bench situps
2x15

Lying leg raises
2x10

Lots of stretching.

Workout time: 3:20 - 3:55

A return to normalcy

At least, a version of it.

Getting back to training, and hopefully settling in to the new house and good habits. I posted a plan 6 weeks or so ago, the basics stand. For the next few weeks, I'll be working on conditioning and mobility, then get into working on hypertrophy along with some max effort stuff. Then we'll see where we go.

Nutrition is (for now) following Dr. John Berardi's 7 habits, with some very small exceptions (whole wheat bread is OK).

Required Reading

Balko on the 20th anniversary of Len Bias' death, and the other side.

Required Reading

Balko on the 20th anniversary of Len Bias' death, and the other side.

An excellent example...

Of how remarkably sad a state we are in with respect the the nanny state.

From some letters to USA Today regarding the stupidity of a certain Pittsburgh quarterback.

Time to change laws

In light of this week's motorcycle accident that seriously injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, I think states such as Pennsylvania have to take a serious look at their laws concerning the use of motorcycle helmets.

About 20 of the 50 states have full motorcycle helmet laws requiring riders of all ages to wear a helmet. In fact, four states — Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, and New Hampshire — have no laws requiring motorcycle riders of any age to wear a helmet.

The law in Pennsylvania, where Roethlisberger's incident happened, says riders 21 years or older are not required to wear a helmet. The motorcycle helmet law that was in place was repealed in 2003.

Even before the Roethlisberger incident, I always felt that Pennsylvania's repealing of the motorcycle helmet law was a mistake. Living in Pennsylvania, I see many riders going without helmets all of the time. While there is always a risk riding a motorcycle, not wearing a helmet is an even bigger risk.

As a resident of Pennsylvania, I would encourage Gov. Ed Rendell and the Pennsylvania Legislature to take another look at the repealed motorcycle helmet law.

I would also urge other states to look at their laws as well.

Wearing a simple helmet is definitely worth saving your life.

Craig Barto

Girard, Pa.

Well, Craig, driving a car is a risk, driving it without a helmet and 5 point harness is a bigger risk. So I guess that should be a law too? Working out is a risk, but lifting weights is more of a risl, so we should pass a law, I guess. Hell, motorcycles are so risky, let's just outlaw them all together.

Individual Responsibility. Deal with it. I can not believe people would rather the government protect them than protect themselves from their own stupidity.

What's the problem if you have nothing to hide?

Right?

I mean, that's what they want US to do.. but the military, not so much, when it comes to Gitmo.

Question

Why are the people who think it's OK to have red light cameras, speed cameras, and police cameras set up at drug corners so upset about the NSA getting their phone records?

It's all the same. It's all wrong, but we wanted it, didn't we?

Dimebag

Listening to Chronix Agression on the Sonos tonight. They played Damage Plan followed by Pantera.

It's remarkable just how freaking awesome Dimebag Darrel was.

What a loss.

Required Reading

Deirdre McCloskey on the virtue of the free market.

Hat tip: The Agitator

Quick Update

Been busy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

We settled on our old house yesterday - sold it to a really nice guy who was renting a house in the same development. I hope he gets as much enjoyment out of it as Jamie and I did.

Took the check to the bank today. Big check. Paying off the 15% line of credit on the new house to get us to just an 80% mortgage. The remainder is going to build our liquid cash back up to a more comfortable level, and everything left is going into our investment account. Not life changing money, but money that gets me closer to not having to work (or gets me a couple of 911 Turbos.)

Lifting is probably a week away. We are still getting settled in the new house. I've got the itch to get back to it, though.

I'm off to peruse teh internets to see if there is anything interesting to blog about.