Free Republic

I just completed my annual (modest) donation to my undergraduate college. I am comfortable in doing so as it was a pure engineering institution when I attended and it remains a private STEM institution. It has adopted the Chicago Statement on Freedom of Expression and I know of no instances where it has disregarded that statement. Of course, being a STEM institution, it has a student body less inclined to leftwing ideas of intolerance. I do not contribute to my law school, which is connected to a very liberal private college; I have no faith that tolerance to competing ideas will be shown.

Those who beat their swords into plowshares shall plow for those who do not.

Woody was truly one of the class acts of college football, aside from his disaster with the Clemson player that cost him his job and his career. Years ago, I read a book called "I Remember Woody." It was a book containing brief recollections of Woody form coaches, players, opponents, and anyone else who had experiences with him. Tales of him getting his players into grad school and jobs, his lack of concern with his paycheck, his total concern for his players. He should be cloned and then replace dozens of the self-centered jerks who coach today.

I have long felt that the ACLU should change their name to the American Civil Rights Union, because civil liberties is not what they care for anymore.

When the ACLU aggressively pursues the separation of church and state, they always assert the "wall of separation" as its basis. Yet, this phrase only apears in one private letter from Thomas Jefferson, written many years after the Bill of Rights. Since one remote letter is such proof of intent, think of all the writings of the founding fathers, both before and after the Bill of Rights, asserting the need for the peple to have weapons. If one remote letter is so sacred to the ACLU, all of the writings on the right to keep and bear arms simply must mean something. Yet the ACLU ignores these.

"Abbas condemned the bus blast, saying it "does not serve the interests of the Palestinian people."

Notice his objection is only that it does not serve the interests of the Palestinians. When are these bastards going to simply say "IT'S WRONG." Probably never, because they don't think it's wrong.

"The biggest cause of decline in civility in America has been because the average man is now afraid to do his part to enforce "the code".

We all have to take the blame for this. When I was growing up, if I got out of line, neighbors, teachers, etc. got the word to my parents. Now, too many people believe that we should not judge - nonsense. I was at an amusement park, and a group of kids tried to cut in line in front of my family and others, and I stood in the way. They were verbally challenging, but when I stood my ground, other adults then joined me and blocked their way. They left and cut in line elsewhere, where no adult was prepared to be the first to stand up to bad behavior. Unfortunately, too many people are willing to just stand aside and then privately grumble.

Attempts to get firearms regulated as a consumer product have been pushed by the Violence Policy Center for years. Josh Sugarmann of the VPC wrote the following in Mother Jones magazine years ago:

"Such human and economic costs are not tolerated for any other product. Many consumer products from lawn darts to the Dalkon Shield have been banned in the United States, even though they claimed only a fraction of the lives guns do in a day. The firearms industry is long overdue for the simple, regulatory oversight applied to other consumer products. For public safety, the ATF must be given authority to control the design, manufacture, distribution, and sale of firearms and ammunition.

Under such a plan, the ATF would subject each category of firearm and ammunition to an unreasonable-risk analysis to weed out products whose potential for harm outweighs any possible benefit. This would result in an immediate ban on the future production and sale of handguns and assault weapons because of their high risk and low utility."

http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/JF94/sugarmann.html

The proponents clearly expect unelected board members to do what elected officials will not do, ban guns.

The Oregonian newspaper years ago stopped using the Indian nicknames in their stories. In defending this decision later, they acknowledged that they continued to print the Indian logo for the Portland Winterhawks, and defended this decision, not with any logic, but by admitting that they were being inconsistent but it's their newspaper and they can do what they want. Reality: it's about the MONEY (local ad dollars).

The Oregonian has never had a problem with all of the auto ads, Cherokee, Pontiac, etc. Reality: it's about the MONEY.

One of the Oregon Indian tribes runs a huge casino near the coast called the Spirit Mountain Casino. Seems to me that Spirit Mountain has a sacred context, yet it's flashed around on a gambling facility. Reality: it's about the MONEY.

Editorial: "Let's take another stab at explaining why it is a big deal. Indian culture is rich and nuanced, and Indians are fiercely protective of it. All they have left is their identity, and they emphatically do not want it expropriated by the white community, especially for commercial use."

Casinos are "rich and nuanced"?

I've had the same experience. My old Toyota car had the distributor fail after the warranty expired. Cost $300 to repair. Later got a letter from Toyota stating they had a bad batch and wanted me to bring it in for checking. They reimbursed me the full $300.

My Chevy pickup had the engine fail at 50k miles. When I called a dealer and asked about cost and if they had replacements in stock, he replied that they had the engine, since they replace a lot of them. I told him that I know, they fail a lot, and will Chevy pay to replace it. He laughed - I didn't.

The difference in service between the Japanese and American companies is huge. But I think it is getting better. Just not good enough.

You being from Michigan, any idea if your governor has issued a proclamation honoring the Boy Scouts? February is the anniversary month for BSA, and I would hope that she issued a suitable proclamation. But I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't.

BTW, I'm also from Ohio originally, and my wife is from Michigan. But we got out.

I would hate to see this considered a hate crime. It is free speech, however much we may disagree with it. That said, the church itself should take steps to stop it on the church's private property. The article said that they soon left, but if they had not, they could be ordered to leave, and if they did not, then they could and should be charged with criminal trespass. They should also be forbidden to come on any diocese property again. Then, if they again try this they can be immediately arrested for trespass. I just believe that we should get away from most of these hate crimes. Most are real crimes and should be so prosecuted. Then we don't have to worry about the free speech issues.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/28/license.veil.ap/index.html

An article on CNN.com had the following summary on driving and ID photos in various Muslim countries:

"Driver’s identification rules in Muslim nations:

Saudi Arabia: Women aren't allowed to drive
Iran: Women wear a traditional chador, which does not cover the face.
Egypt: Women do not cover their face in I.D. pictures
United Arab Emirates: Women do not cover their face in I.D. pictures
Oman: Women do not cover their face in I.D. pictures
Kuwait: Women do not cover their face in I.D. pictures
Qatar: Women do not cover their face in I.D. pictures
Bahrain: Women do not cover their face in I.D. pictures
Jordan: Women can drive if their faces are covered but do not cover their face in I.D. pictures"

In NONE of these countries are ID pictures done with the face covered. This, in the heartland of Islam.

If her choir makes many national and international appearances, you can bet that either she or other students from her school have had absences approved in the past. This will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for his decision to stand.

If it had been my child, as soon as I was told that the absence was unapproved, I would have sat down with the superintendent, and "politely" demanded a complete list of every absence that had been approved for any student in the previous two years. I further would have made it clear that if any approved absence in the past came close to being political in nature, then I would move mountains to have the idiot reprimanded at the very least.

I am an active Scouter, and I hope you will reconsider your position. I can understand the emotion from the name change, and I will not try to defend the Council. We recently had a emotionally charged meeting when two of our districts were combined into a new district. Because of longstanding traditions, people were upset about the change. However, after a bit of time, I noticed that all the volunteers were still involved and the anger gone. The reason - we all remembered why we are here. IT IS FOR THE BOYS. In your Council, assuming you intended your contributions to benefit the scouts, they are still there! And they need your contributions. I firmly believe, as a Scouter for a dozen years, that most of the problems we find in scouting are the result of adults and their agendas, and forgetting why we are really here, which is for our scouts.

One approach that should be considered is to pass laws forbidding anything being named after politicians still in office, or even still alive. Look at how many things are named after Robert Byrd in W. Virginia. Congress continues to create monuments to themselves, with our money. I would love to see a bill proposed that would first remove the names of any living politicians from everything funded with public (our) dollars, and forbidding it in the future. Maybe without the free publicity and ego boosting, some pork might not happen (I can dream, can't I?).

Ben, your comment: "My reaction and that of many friends to the shooting was "It's about time."

Those that died were not in the rock throwing crowd. One of those that died, Bill Schroeder, was a ROTC student on his way to meet with his instructor. I was friends with his younger brother in junior high school, and we were in boy scouts together, in the same troop that Bill was an Eagle Scout. Your comment that "it's about time" is disgusting to those of us who knew a victim and also know the facts. It was NOT about time.

"It's time for gun owners to disassociate ourselves from the extremists who argue that any attempt to sensibly regulate firearms takes us down the slippery slope toward confiscation."

Do you ever notice that only gun rights supporters are labeled exremists by the mainstream media? The ACLU is very aggressive on a number of issues, as are NARAL and NOW on abortion. None of these organizations compromise. Yet I have never heard them described as extremists. We will know that we have a fair and balanced media when either the extremist label is gone, or when all such groups are labeled extremist. I hope for the former, but will not hold my breath.

I agree that the ACLU is not a civil liberties group, but a civil rights group, and should rename itself the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU). Civil liberties involve a protection of the people from intrusions by government. As an example, The ACLU should side with, not against, the Boy Scouts, as the right of association is a civil liberty. Likewise, the ACLU should support Augusta National in staying all male, if it decides to do so. But the ACLU has become a liberal/left political organization instead.