Deserving an ass-kicking at the polls, part 342345

Seems a Republican congressman has decided that porn is the biggest crisis facing the military, and he wants to ban it.

Not aging SAR choppers, not tankers bought when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, not the fact that we are in need of troops for a surge in Afghanistan, but the fact that Playboy and Penthouse are available at the local PX.

Talk about stuck on stupid...

When the troops have the gear they need, when we've won the Global War on Terror, when we don't have other problems, then we might be able to talk about whether Playboy should be available.

Until then, while our troops are fighting, let them have the latest Playboy and Penthouse issues.

With screw-ups like this... no wonder people don't respect the law

It seems that the folks who decide on legal immigration have bollixed things up once again. This time, they are refusing to grant a visa to an interpreter who helped our troops in Iraq, even though he and his family are clearly facing death or physical harm from terrorists.

The bureaucrats at INS would not even take note of the letters in the file from Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter and General David Petraeus. One would think any reasonable person would take note of said letters, the medal awarded, and the fact that this guy is facing the very real risk of physical harm.

This is not the only situation. I became aware, via a second-hand account, of a Colombian family who faced a somewhat similar dilemma. They didn't translate for the US, but they had heard of a FARC "recruiting campaign" that was to take place at the school where one of their sons attended. They tried to get here legally, but ultimately, when faced with the likelihood of their son being kidnapped and used as cannon fodder by a terrorist group, they came here on tourist visas and overstayed.

We don't know why the INS decided not to approve this, and to even label him a terrorist. And that is the problem with that bureaucracy. With screw-ups like these, it is no wonder a lot of otherwise good people are deciding that the law is fouled up.

This is why I reject the whole Malkin/Tancredo approach on immigration. Ultimately, we are dealing with people. It's not numbers, it's not about culture, it's people - individual persons who deserve to get equal treatment under the law.

The Marine Corps would be perfectly justified in bringing this translator and his family home, providing them with support, looking after them, and daring ICE to come after them. This man had more than earned American citizenship for himself and his family by coming to our aid in helping liberate Iraq. They should also assign their top JAGs to this and similar cases where the fouled up immigration system is causing problems for them. Other services should do the same. The Army, for instance, had an illegal immigrant who took part in the liberation of Iraq - doing the defense of our country that the likes of Reverend Wright have vehemently opted out of (yes, I know Wright served in the Marine Corps - but that service does NOT cancel out "God Damn America").

But this calls for a total revamping of immigration law in this country. It also means that we pass common-sense reforms that will deal with the real problems. Big Lizards has made a number of good posts on this issue, and the discussion should start there. There needs to be some penalty for breaking the law. But contrary to the assertions we hear from the right, it is not a choice between deportation and nothing. There are ways to ensure that those who broke the law pay a price for their actions. If they are fined, and agree to a form of probation, they have not received amnesty, contrary to the assertions from Michelle Malkin.

It is hard to respect laws when they are applied very poorly. Scrap the system, and start over.

It's the law...

Remember how all these food cops went crazy, and are now micro-managing vending machines?

Maybe people need to read this Victorville Daily Press article, ideally with Ice-T's "I'm Your Pusher" from his album Power is playing (it should be readily available via Amazon.com or iTunes for those who are not fortunate enough to have it).

Seems black-market sweets have managed to find their way into the schools. It's not that hard to imagine, when a box of 36-48 candy bars goes for about $15. Then keep in mind that the black-market candy bars usually go for $2 a pop. So you get anywhere from $72 to $96 per box of candy.

These candy pushers have it made. And they owe it all to the food nazis.

Just remember, "supply and demand" is not just a concept... it's the LAW!

Food Gestapo in the schools...

It seems that now, we have Food Gestapo in the schools. An eighth-grade honor student got suspended because he bought a bag of Skittles. I guess the schools in New Haven don't have any drug or gang problems if they can crack down on candy.

Michael Sheridan claims he was in a school hallway after lunch Feb. 26 when a classmate asked if he wanted some candy. The student had a lunch box filled with candy and a wad of money, he said.

And so, a principal decides to put a big black mark on a student for buying a freaking bag of Skittles with his money, simply because the school district established a "wellness policy" sans input from parents. The kid's mom has every right to be pissed off about this. The principal apparently decided to make an example.

This is what frosts me about a lot of people on the left and right. It's not enough that government practically rapes my wallet, not government is getting into people's refrigerators. What's next? Government in the john?

But the other lesson is what the vending machine bans have wrought. In a day and age where a kid can get to Costco or BJ's and buy a few boxes at about $15 each. Each box usually holds 36-48 candy bars. Sell them at $2 each, and you got yourself the makings of a thriving business.

It would serve the principal right for this suspension to not only be lifted, but for that school's black market in sweets to suddenly take off.

LA micromanages pet owners,,,

It seems that Los Angeles has decided that they have time to micromanage pet owners.

I can accept the notion that a pet owner should be held responsible for the life, health, and happiness of the pet. But with that responsibility needs to come the right to make the decisions. Spaying/neutering is surgery, and surgery has risks.

I had a guinea pig who suffered an injured leg. To set said leg would have required that he be anesthetized. Only guinea pigs sometimes have adverse reactions to anesthesia, or at least they did back in the 1980s. That had to be taken into account.

But I had the right back then to make the calls. The City of Los Angeles clearly feels that they have the time and resources to boss pet owners around.

After all, it's not like Los Angeles didn't have bigger problems to deal with.

Another dumb idea from San Francisco...

OK, we shouldn't be surprised... but San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is now proposing a soda tax.

Is there anywhere the left wants to stay out of? They're in my wallet, they're trying to get into my gun closet, they're in a tug-of-war with the hard right over what gets to decide my choice of listening... and now the left want to get into my fridge.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Isn't this still America?

More nanny-state nonsense...

Schools sending obesity notices to parents.

Watch - in the future, there will be charges filed against parents whose kids who do not have the "approved" BMI (which, incidentally, labels NFL All-Pro middle lineback Brian Urlacher obese).

Another Round of Immigration Stupidity

Eduardo Gonzalez, a petty officer second class with the U.S. Navy, is about to be deployed overseas for a third time. Making his deployment even tougher is the fact his wife may not be around when he comes back.

Essentially, Petty Officer Gonzalez's wife managed to put one foot wrong while dealing with the insanely complex immigration laws of this country. The instant she married her husband, she technically became an illegal immigrant.

OK, that is messed up.

But wait, there's more . . .

A judge in June granted her a one-year extension to remain in the United States. If her legal status does not change by June 8, 2008, she will have 60 days to voluntarily leave the country or face deportation.

That's just fine, according to Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which lobbies for tougher laws on illegal immigration.

"What you're talking about is amnesty for illegal immigrants who have a relative in the armed forces, and that's just outrageous," he said. "What we're talking about here is letting lawbreakers get away with their actions just because they have a relative in the military. ... There's no justification for that kind of policy."

Yes, there is, Mr. Krikorian. The justification is that Petty Officer Gonzalez, unlike you, has shown that he is willing to sign a check for anything, up to and including his life, to defend this country--even down to utterly worthless oxygen-wasting dirtbags like you.

OK, immigration hardliners, justify this.

Heck, while you're at it, justify the law you were demanding last year:

Remember that big, tough immigration bill the House passed last year but failed in the Senate? It would have made harboring, in your home, someone without legal status a felony. The husband would be facing jail time. If it was base housing, then whatever officer made the decision to grant the base housing to her would also face felony charges, too. That's what the House Republicans wanted in their get tough immigration bill.

(Hat tip to doc30 at Darwin Central, the Conspiracy that Cares)

I don't want to hear "Well, I didn't mean that." That does not feed the bulldog. I want to hear you justify the law as written. I want you to justify your braying "Enforce the law!" in this case, or y'all can have yourselves a big helping of STFU.

The society that does not show loyalty to its warriors has no call on their loyalty.

Stuck on stupid in Atlanta

It seems that Atlanta may pass a law that is stuck on stupid.

They must have solved a lot of other problems if they think they can spend the time to ban baggy pants.

Hoepfully, this councilman won't be a councilman after this term is over. Folks who waste time with stuff like this outta be voted out on general principle.

Kids as cops? BAD MOVE!!

Liz Mair reports on just how badly the Brits have messed up their crime-fighting efforts.

Now, they are throwing 16-year-old kids into the breach. Over there, that's not really old enough to drive a car.

This program will last no longer than the moment the first 16-year-old cop is killed in the line of duty. Hopefully, it get shelved before then.

Suing gangs?

OK, let me get this straight: You have a problem with street gangs. And the solution to the problem is to sue them?

Initially, I quoted Chris from Team America: World Police and I really got into trouble. Sadly, there's just no other appropriate reaction to reading about this sort of thing. It's so absurd it is begging for Matt and Trey to turn their awesomely profane comedic genius on it.

You stop gangs by putting them away for committing crimes, not with frigging lawsuits.

NOTE: This is the one and only time this blog will EVER be edited due to complaints about language.

Whacked-out priorities...

We have al-Qaeda plotting to attack the United States again. We all remember the last one, don't we? On a sunny, Tuesday morning that looked so good. I remember that day very well - complete with starting the process of mentally composing a protest letter over a decision that had been made by Secretary of State Colin Powell - a decision I couldn't really understand.

By the end of that day, I put off that letter - it was very obvious that he was going to be dealing with a much bigger fish to fry, and I could raise my objections at a later time, which I did - and I have voiced those objections elsewhere.

And so, I need to ask why we are getting off track by chasing down a dogfighting ring, or raiding meat-packing plants. OK, I don't like dogfighting - and yes, people should not be hiring illegal immigrants, but when al-Qaeda's trying to attack, I think we can agree that these are minor issues that divert resources from the more important task.

This is more than a little aggravating.

Micro-management defeated...

It seems the pet-ownership micromanagement bill in California has gone down in flames.

What grates on me - and probably most pet owners - is the fact that this was a coercive bill, and one that would have met with massive civil disobedience. I don't deny that there are bad pet owners - that is true in any ownership group (guns, cars, etc.), but the best option is to focus on the bad apples, and not pass such blanket measures that are little more than collective punishment.

Deutschland ist nicht richtig hier...

Germany does seem to act kinda weird at times. For instance, their refusal to allow Tom Cruise into the country because he's a Scientologist.

Folks, I don't care for Scientology. I am perfectly happy as a slightly-lapsed Mormon (in other words, I drink Mountain Dew, enjoy movies like Die Hard and Broken Arrow, and read the occasional issue of Maxim - for the articles, of course). But Germany seems to have trouble with the concept of religious freedom.

Maybe I'm being oversensitive. Then again, considering what happened to some of my ancestors, some folks might understand why I get touchy about this issue.

DOJ's gone too f***ing far...

It seems that Microsoft cannot release a new product without having to run it by the DOJ, 17 state AGs, and its competitors.

Seriously, folks, we need to make sure we don't run into an abusive monopoly situation, but this anti-trust stuff has gone to f***ing far. Let Microsoft improve its products - and don't make `em tell the secrets to competitors.

Has the world gone mad?

LCS hang-ups...

Galrahn at Information Dissemination discusses the latest hiccups in the Littoral Combat Ship.

Now, the mission modules are being delayed. It seems as if the LCS is having one problem after another, including the cancellation of LCS-3 (the second of Lockheed Martin's monohull design for the LCS).

Can readers say, "Flight II Perry-class frigates"? That's what we ought to start looking into ASAP.

Wisconsin to gas station: Raise prices

It seems that good deeds must be punished. A Wisconsin gas station owner was giving senior citizens a break - and helping youth sports teams - through discount cards.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture's reponse? STOP NOW. They even went so far as to threaten to sue him. I hope my dear mother will pardon my language, but the conduct of the state of Wisconsin in this matter has but one two-word phrase to describe it: Pure BULLSHIT.

Myspace is free speech...

At least, that is the court ruling. I do not hold with what the teenager did. That said, there was a clear overreaction by the authorities that has been set down.

Waxman's fishing expedition...

Hnery Waxman has gone fishing. This has the potential for serious mischief. It is, in essence, a the legal equivalent of Watergate, only Waxman is using subpoenas instead of burglary tools.

How can the RNC be sure that those e-mails which have confidential data in them won't be used for the advantage ofthe Democrats? If any confidential information leaks - the RNC needs to clam up and refuse to cooperate.

EU mugs Microsoft...

It seems the EU has decided that it, and it alone shall determine how much Microsoft's intellectual property is worth according to a document acquired by the Financial Times.

This is not ensuring competition. This is, for all intents and purposes, a legal mugging - and in this case, it is a foreign government doing this to an American company. It would be like the Commerce Department requiring that Airbus hand over the full design documentation of the A380 to Lockheed and Boeing. What do you think the folks at Skunk Works would be able to do with that?

This cannot be allowed to stand. Quite frankly, this sort of thing requires retaliation. The EU's also trying to push ITunes around as well.

Two can play.