News and Politics

Apparently, toy maker Playmobil thinks there’s a burgeoning market in toys for a police state including this roadblock setup.  According to the description, they have stop signs, maps and pistols.  Of course, if they were really going to do this right, I think they need black cloth bags, zip cuffs and truncheons.  Via Hit n’ Run.

In the strange bedfellows department, folk-singer Arlo Guthrie has thrown his political hat to Ron Paul with this ringing endorsement: “I love this guy. Dr. Paul is the only candidate I know of who would have signed the Constitution of The United States had he been there. I’m with him, because he seems to be the only candidate who actually believes it has as much relevance today as it did a couple of hundred years ago. [Read More]

Al-Qaida threats against the Dakar Rally and an attack in Mauritania forced organizers to cancel the annual race on Friday, the eve of the 5,760-mile trek across North African desert scrubland and savannah.

Dakar Rally canceled after terror threat - Yahoo! News

An editor must have fallen asleep because this gem of an article appeared in yesterday’s New York Times: You’re in for very bad weather. In 2008, your television will bring you image after frightening image of natural havoc linked to global warming. You will be told that such bizarre weather must be a sign of dangerous climate change — and that these images are a mere preview of what’s in store unless we act quickly to cool the planet. [Read More]

Ayn Rand’s massive work Atlas Shrugged turns 50 this year and the editorials are starting the flow in. The best so far has been from, ironically, the former editor of National Review, Maggie Gallagher. Included in the editorial is one of the best descriptions of why Rand continues to appeal after all of these years: The key to Ayn Rand is that she pictured America largely from early films from Hollywood. [Read More]

It’s always horrible when The Onion’s humor is so close to the truth that it hurts:

For a majority of likely voters, meaningless bullshit will be the most important factor in deciding who they will vote for in 2008.

Source: Home | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source

Nice to see that the seven words you can’t say on television were at least quantified in law:  HR 3867. 

Before you have a coronary about gasoline prices, check out this chart from the very informative inflationdata.com:

Even at today’s peak, in terms of real dollars, gas is really not more expensive than it has in the past.  It will be ok, the world is not coming to an end . . .

There is an interesting case in Ohio working it’s way through the courts. An employee was fired by UPS when he was discovered to have a dissembled firearm in his car which was parked in a public parking lot shared by both employees and non-employees. The court has ruled that the company’s action was a violation of Ohio’s policy allowing citizens to bear arms. (You can read more details about the case at The Volokh Conspiracy. [Read More]

Rep. Mark Souder R-Ind. makes the assertion on the Tucker Carlson program that not only is today’s marijuana like cocaine, but that thousands of people have died from marijuana and that 65% of emergency drug abuse admissions at hospitals are due to marijuana.  Who knew?

See the video here.