As we read the updates from the incident where lacrosse players from Duke University allegedly raped an exotic dancer, it is interesting to note that there may be a LOT more to the story than we were initially told. Of the 46 players tested, it seems, there was NO DNA evidence found on the stripper matching ANY of them. In an interesting twist, the district attorney, who seems to be so dependent on DNA results to obtain a conviction, refuses to accept the absence of DNA evidence as proof of t...
Link I want to tell you all about a brother I never knew. His name was James McMorries, and he was a volunteer firefighter for the small town of Howardwick, Texas. On March 12, 2006, James McMorries suited up with so many of us in the Texas Panhandle and rolled out to face the worst wildfires in Texas history. The truck he was in rolled, with two other occupants. All were hospitalized, two are still recovering, but on Sunday, April 9, 2006, McMorries lost his battle against the injuries...
I am stoked. This is the kind of fuel someone needs to keep them "on the path" as a blogger. Some time ago, I wrote an article on Theodora "Tonie" Nathan, the 1972 Libertarian vice presidential candidate who, due to the independent principles of elector Roger McBride (the party's 1976 Presidential candidate), cast his electoral vote for the Libertarian ticket of John Hospers and Ms. Nathan, making the latter the first woman in US history to receive an electoral college vote. The article posed...
Link In testimony this past week, Alberto Gonzales left open the possibility that President Bush could order warrantless wiretaps on domestic conversations, in direct defiance of the fourth amendment and multiple high court rulings. When the wiretap story broke, we were assured that the only warrantless wiretaps that were allowed in America were international calls that included a terror suspect on one or both sides of the conversation, despite the fact that under FISA law warrants can ...
An interesting bit of news came across my desk the other day. Seems there is an independent who has filed to be considered on the ballot in my race. Because he filed as an independent, though, he needs to gather 500 signatures to get on the November ballot (harder than it seems--those 500 cannot have voted in either of the primaries or in a third party convention, such as Libertarian). He filed under the impression he was the only other candidate on the ballot. I called him and spoke with him...
In the recent discussion on the resignation of Texas Representative Tom Delay, I expressed a frustration with the status quo that preserves the GOP's place on the ballot, no matter what. I had to file, and every other candidate had to file, by January 2 to be on the November ballot, and I believe that the same should be said for Delay's replacement. Heck, we're even a month and a half past the Texas Ethics Commission's deadline for Personal Financial Statements (the biggest barrier to candidates...
As a baseball fan, and primarily, a Seattle Mariners fan, I go back to the days when the Mariners' highest attendance occured at a "funny nose and glasses" promo, inspired by outfielder Tom Paciorek, where Groucho Marx glasses were handed out to everyone in attendance. The M's were less than a laughinstock; an SI story detailed hotel booking complications where the desk clerk couldn't even pronounce the team name right. Ken Griffey Junior changed all that, along with a stellar supporting clas...
Link Massachussetts lawmakers are pushing a bill that would make health insurance mandatory in the state. Premiums would be subsidized for low income wage earners, and those who can afford insurance but don't obtain it could face stiff tax penalties. I believe it's time we begin rethinking our approach to legislation. The government's power was meant to be EXTREMELY limited, as the founding fathers expressed repeatedly within the Constitution, as well as other published documents surro...
The following information was copied from a Libertarian candidates newsgroup, of which I am a part. My comments follow at the bottom: With news that Tom DeLay is withdrawing from his House reelection contest, the question is what happens now in his race. It appears that the following is the applicable Texas law (putting aside any caselaw that might affect interpretation of these chapters): Under Texas Election code section 1.005(7) , DeLay was running in a 'General electi...
I'm sitting just short of 1500 blogs in my tenure on JU, and I don't know where I'll go from here. I did not get out to blog at all yesterday, due to feeling pretty lousy, and after perusing the forums today, have to admit, I'm not in much of a mood to blog at this moment. Now, that may all change even before my time online ends, I don't know. But let's just say that I'm in a less than generous mood for communicating online, especially when reading a number of less than civil posts or comments t...
I am a storm spotter. Occasionally, what I do requires me to place myself in the path of an oncoming storm to gather vital information for the National Weather Service. What I am dealing with, routinely, are some of the most awesome forces of nature. What I do is extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Let's suppose for a second that I position myself to spot an approaching tornado. The tornado is on a clear path and I am observing it. Sudenly, the tornado shifts its path...
Duke University, a prestigious institution of higher learning, is going through a very public shame right now. Several members of its lacrosse team are being investigated for the rape of an exotic dancer they hired to perform at a party they were attending. Now, before I proceed, let me be VERY clear. The actions of the Duke lacrosse team, if true, are completely and utterly inexcusable. These vermin (I refuse to call them men; they proved themselves unworthy of the title and disgraced...
I surf BlogClicker frequently to bring traffic to my blog. While I appreciate BlogExlosion, BlogClicker has at least brought in a small revenue stream. What gets me, though, are the contests. See, there are two contests on BlogClicker every month. One is for sites surfed via BC, the other is for referrals. While I surf as much as I can to earn credits (I have a paid membership, both to make a little extra money and because I get more credits for each blog surfed), I do it in streaks. I still ...
Imagine this scenario: You have just arrived at your favorite buffet. Armed with utensils, you proceed to fill up your plate. You finish your meal and go back for seconds. A man from the table next to you approaches you, cuffs you, and arrests you for public gluttony. This scenario might seem like something that would play out in a bad, unbelievable science fiction novel, but the simple truth is, we're already headed in that direction. When we gave police officers the power to go into strip c...
Link As far as I know, this is still on, so until I hear otherwise, I'm going to flame away. The first thing you should know is, I'm not Catholic. I'm as quick to crack a joke about some of the dogma and traditions as the next guy. But not being Catholic has nothing to do with the deep and abiding respect I have for the work Mother Theresa did over her lifetime among the poor. So the idea of Paris Hilton portraying the icon in an upcoming movie is, to say the least, appalling. Al...