I didn’t know airports could fire the TSA and hire their own screeners. Did you? Apparently one of the poly-tick-ans who helped create The Sexual Assaulters is now urging airports to do so. Gotta love this, though: “When the TSA was established, it was never envisioned that it would become a huge, unwieldy bureaucracy which was soon to grow to 67,000 employees.” Because, you know. Stuff like that never happens. A heartwarming story. But more than that; a tale of complexity. And quiet individual initiative. This one’s just plain heartwarming. Also an example of dubious math. But what the heck.…
13 CommentsMonth: November 2010
I’ve been thinking this week about boundaries. Personal boundaries — how we set them (or fail to) and how, even when we think we’ve established our boundaries firmly, other people try to override them. I got onto this topic while writing my current S.W.A.T. magazine article. (Shameless plug: It’s called “Charles Manson, Me, and the TSA,” and if that title intrigues you, you’ve got time to subscribe to the ‘zine, because the piece is scheduled appear in March (in the April 2011 issue). If you’ll remind me, I’ll post the article here once it’s appeared in S.W.A.T..) Manson bent —…
19 CommentsWell, golly. Maybe this explains why Ben Bernanke’s economic concepts are so … um, oversimplified. Upcoming: This Friday is (once again) National Ammo Day. Maybe you could buy yourself a box of Glasers or other frangibles. You know. Just in case the airline doesn’t supply them. Good question: If you owe uncomfortable amounts of money, should you pay off debt first? Or should you set aside a fund to tide you over in case of emergencies before getting aggressive about your debts? Sierra Black of Get Rich Slowly has her thoughts. Bovard on the biggest threat to freedom. Wow. these…
9 CommentsWell. That’s something. TSA administrator John Pistole tells Matt Lauer that children under 12 will not be groped. (Video; the comment comes about 4 minutes in.) Your 13-year-old daughter, OTOH … I’m not entirely hopeful the TSA will stick to this policy, or that all those infamously uninformed screeners will follow it. I also notice that Pistole utters not one word about exempting children from pedophile porno-scoping. One thing for sure: even if they do stop molesting the youngest children, let’s hope the public stays angry-angry-angry to the point of resistance. ADDED: Reason TV prepares us for next year at…
5 CommentsMillions long for immortality who don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. — Susan Ertz It’s one of those days that isn’t exactly rainy, but not exactly not rainy, either. Mists swirl between here and the hills. The pavement gleams. A raincoat might be a good idea during a dog walk. Or maybe not. (No unbrella, of course. People in the NorthWET don’t do umbrellas. We may own them, but when you see somebody actually using one, you know they’re foreigners.) After a good, but semi-hectic week, I promised myself a sabbath day. I’m just…
12 CommentsIn these once-great united States of America, one state long ago led the way toward freedom. (No offense to you, Virginia; you produced magnificent radicals. But Massachusetts was first to kick ass.) More recently, that state has been leading the way toward third-world status — beginning with plundering the productive and promoting corrupt cronyism. I have friends who are unfortunate enough to live in Massachusetts and who, for various reasons, can’t leave. One of those, a small business owner, wrote me two doleful emails last week about his problems with both the local plunderers and those national vandals, the IRS.…
12 CommentsSomebody launched a missile. From the sea off California. Who? Who dunnit? Ain’t nobody sayin’. However, “It could be a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile from a submarine … to demonstrate, mainly to Asia, that we can do that.” Uh huh. And they say us little gun owners are obsessed with making “phallic” statements. “Hey, China baby, take a look at my … er, projectile.” * The IRS re-affirms Radley Balko’s libertarianism. And Politico — not known for its right-wing slant — excoriates Obama in stronger-than-ever terms. Appears that this is a White House insider attempt to wake the…
12 CommentsWell, the first review, anyhow. But if this were the only review The Bad Attitude Guide to Good Citizenship ever got, I could die happy. Okay, it’s by somebody I know. But he didn’t have to be so nice. Speaking of books, we’ve all been subjected this week to our former decider-in-chief boasting about how he personally approved war crimes. Anything to make bux off his new memoir, of course. The photo on his new and endlessly-touted tome has a conventional shot of the ex-pres (attempting an expression of gravitas but succeeding only in looking as if he needs a…
9 CommentsThe Department of Homeland Security is in a rapid process of “regionalizing” its emergency supplies. If a private organization or a family were doing this, I’d say it was common sense in action. Given that it’s the fedgov … dunno. Gotta keep in mind that the federal government’s emergency preparations are, and always have been, focused on preserving itself and its operatives. (Tip o’ hat to Sam.) The full text of Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s closing statement in his new trial. Substitute “United States” for “Russia” and much of it could be said — nay, shouted, here. Scary chart. Especially for us…
7 CommentsJust when you think a killer cop might actually get something more than a slap on the wrist … There are Nepalese soldiers? In Haiti??? This has nothing to do with the earthquake. But possibly everything to do with the cholera outbreak that’s sickened thousands and killed hundreds. The world. It’s a very strange place. Nepalese “peacekeepers.” In Haiti. But the world can be a strangely moving place. What sweet people. Hm. You don’t really suppose execs at MSNBC thought Keith Olbermann was unbiased, do you? This is the way some libertarians think the Internet should operate. Uh uh. Not…
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