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Category: Official thuggery, bad prosecutions, and bad law

Thursday miscellany

Real world disaster preparedness. The other day in comments, clark posted this link to a Katrina survivor’s experience and observations. Very much worth a read. I particularly liked this page that sums it all up. Simple, clever experiment reveals why we need to keep moving for health’s sake. One of the reasons, anyhow. Murphy’s Law. Your chances of a screw-up can now be calculated. Except … er … doesn’t Murphy’s Law ensure that the calculations are likely to be screwed up? “Hijacking the General Welfare Clause.” Historical research from wonderful new blogger AgoristDon. Better than a cop? Deer saves woman…

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Wednesday miscellany

We may need eight hours of sleep, but maybe not in the way we’ve been told. Two related from NPR: The “right to be forgotten” threatens free speech and how much does the cloud know? (Tip o’ hat to PT.) An open letter to the MPAA’s Chris Dodd from Eric S. Raymond. You might save this one for when you’ve got plenty of time, but here’s a special report from ShadowStats on our prospects for hyperinflation. Yoga. And sex. About those FEMA camps … (Can anybody tell me why we’re going to need camps for “displaced citizens” now when we’ve…

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Monday miscellany

Shy? Grieving? You sicko, you. (Tip o’ hat to P.) This came from D. with the disgruntled comment, “Most of the people I know who got medals got shot.” It’s so much tidier being in the elite. Too bad hackers had to do this. Should be standard procedure. (Tip o’ hat to M.) Remember the cop who got fired for hanging and kicking his K9 partner? Well, it seems that the firing was a problem; the hanging and pummeling were just as the trooper always claimed — yes, standard procedure. (H/T to Fred.) A 12-year-old boy saves his grandma’s house…

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Thursday links

Did you know there’s an organization called Dogs Against Romney? And that one of its members just got stopped by a cop for doing (in effigy) what Romney once did to his family dog? A courageous colonel busts hierarchy to tell truths about Afghanistan. (Tip o’ hat to M.) “Take that, Hobbes!” “Less lethal.” Yeah. In other words — more likely to be casually fired at people who irritate the cops. Help wanted at the TSA. 🙂 Oh, what to think? It’s a crime and a shame when innocent owners have their assets seized. But can they be called “innocent”…

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Wednesday links

Recreational cannabis soon to see widespread legalization? Let’s hope Time magazine isn’t as wrong on this as it often is on so many other things. “We the People” is rapidly losing its appeal around the world. No surprise. (Tip o’ hat to MtK.) Can’t you just picture Obama in a Joe Arpaio jail? Chortle. (And thanks, JS.) Poetic justice. Obama vs the Catholic church. And vice versa. If you had any doubt that copyright overreach had sunk to absurd lows, you can become a true believer now. Another state legislature takes on the NDAA. (How much would you like to…

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The silence of the non-consenting

Most likely you haven’t been following the FBI’s so-called “African Sting” case. It’s a huge, expensive operation, but so obscure and technically complex that nobody but dedicated fiskers of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) pays much attention to it. I know about the case via Rich Lucibella, who knows and likes one of the defendants. At his instigation I wrote an article about it for S.W.A.T. a year or so ago. I don’t believe the article is online, but I can sum the case up in a couple of lines: The fibbies entrapped a bunch of small business people…

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Wednesday links

Good for people who’ve suffered brain injuries that affect speech. Bad in the long run for privacy. National Geographic is usually pretty good. But it appears their new series, which starts next week, sets out only to portray us all as loons. So much for progress. (Tip o’ hat to H.) Here’s a perfect example of the long arm of the U.S. government. Might not agree with this guy 100%. But bless his noble heart. (Nice backgrounder on him, too.) I’ll soon be reading his book. And here’s another doctor with courage — though it may be too little, too…

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The natives are more restless than they may appear

The following was sent to me by a long-time reader with the subject header “I HATE Flying.” But it says more than that. Thus my headline. What follows is all from reader JP: —– Hey Claire, Due to financial issues, I surrendered, and took a contract because I need the money. Part of the work requires me to travel to Austin, Texas; and Eugene, Oregon. Yesterday, I came back from Austin, and went through the TSA portal. I have flown exactly six times since the TSA was created. The last time was 5-1/2 years ago. EVERY SINGLE TIME I have…

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Wednesday miscellany

It just had to happen eventually, didn’t it? Ron Paul action figures. I like the man. But seriously, I agree with Joel. It’s getting a little nuts. Okay, maybe the superhero action figure is sorta funny. But since when do free people set up idols to worship? The dog: man’s best friend for more than 33,000 years. If this is a “minor infraction” I’d hate to see what serious violence is. But of course, if the cop loses his job over this, some other PD will consider him prime material for their wrong-house-puppykittyciding-drug-raiding SWAT team. (Tip o’ hat to C^2.)…

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