Stranger Than Fiction

A couple in Canada is keeping their baby's sex a secret as "a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a stand up to what the world could become in Storm's lifetime (a more progressive place? ...).”  Canadians.  It figures.  When I read the headline, I was sure they were going to be Swedish for some reason.

Storm is their third child; he/she/it has 2 brothers -- Kio and Jazz.

We get a little background on their parents:

Both come from liberal families.  [Gee, ya think?]  Stocker grew up listening to Free to Be ... You and Me, a 1972 record with a central message of gender neutrality. Witterick remembers her brother mucking around with gender as a teen in the ’80s, wearing lipstick and carrying handbags like David Bowie and Mick Jagger.

Then I got to the below paragraph and decided it was my favorite part of the article:

Witterick practices unschooling, an offshoot of home-schooling centred on the belief that learning should be driven by a child’s curiosity. 

 I think I have now heard it all.

File This Under "Poor Taste"

Looks like somebody put on their bad idea jeans and decided to put a United Airlines ad at Ground Zero which reads, "You're going to like where we land."  Smooth.  Apparently, some New Yorkers are miffed and find it "insensitive".  Ya think?


I hear they've delayed plans for a similar billboard in Shanksville.

More Cops Behaving Badly

In yet another instance of being presumed guilty before proving innocence, a couple of Philadelphia cops harass a private citizen legally carrying a firearm.  Be sure to listen to the audio to get a taste of their professionalism.  Remember -- only cops are uniquely qualified to carry guns and it's in our best interest to trust thugs like this to defend and protect us.  Yeah, right.

Rights? What Rights?

As long as you have a badge and a gun in this country (or at least in Indiana), you can do whatever you want.  The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that citizens no longer have the right to defend themselves against unlawful entry into their home.  The money quote:

"Justice Steven David writing for the court said if a police officer wants to enter a home for any reason or no reason at all, a homeowner cannot do anything to block the officer's entry."

So, a cop can storm into your home for ANY reason and there's nothing you can do about it.  They could be coming to rob you, rape you, plant evidence in your home -- nothing you can do about it.  I thought we were all supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.  This ruling presupposes inherent guilt on the part of all private citizens.  We're not exactly a free country anymore, are we?

Good News, Or Rumors Thereof

Firstly, the Wall Street Journal brings us speculation from a Huckabee insider that the former Arkansas governor will NOT be running for president in 2012.  Phew.  I don't know if I stomach finding out how many of my fellow Americans would support him.

Secondly, we hear in an article from RealClearPolitics that Mitch Daniels would prefer Condoleezza Rice as his running mate if he were to run in the 2012 election.  Run, Mitch, run!*

*This is not necessarily an endorsement of Mitch Daniels -- at this point, the more the merrier.  But I should say that I'll endorse Ms. Rice for just about anything she wants to do.

Obama and the Economy

Demonstrating a fundamental misunderstanding about how the economy functions, "President Obama urged businesses to 'step up' and hire workers ."  That's not exactly how it works, sir.  Companies are not charities and they exist to make a profit.  In the recession, many (most?) companies learned that they could do more with fewer employees and thus, those eliminated jobs aren't coming back.  And I can't blame the companies for that.  One of the problems is that these companies are now sitting on huge cash reserves that would otherwise be invested in the economy in one way or another and would inevitably lead to new jobs, but with the uncertainty surrounding healthcare, tax rates, the value of the dollar, government regulations, etc. those companies are holding onto to their cash because they're not sure how to invest or even to invest.  The government can encourage growth by setting a clear policy on the issues under its control -- even if the policy is something that is traditionally understood to be detrimental to business growth.  At this point, we all just need to know what to expect.  

The economy and unemployment rate will improve on the backs of small business owners.  Unfortunately, the small business owners in this country are often the same "rich" people vilified by the administration for not paying their fair share.  You see, the Obama administration wants control -- they want to confiscate money through taxes and then redistribute it how they see fit.  They do not want businesses -- particularly small businesses who don't have strong lobbying power in Washington -- to control their own money and drive the economy through the free market.  The free market marginalizes government and puts power in the hands of the people and that is unacceptable to most people involved in government -- both Democrat and Republican.  Remember, they're fighting for their livelihood too and that's a powerful motivation for maintaining the status quo.  

Well, Good Riddance

Some random thoughts on the killing of Osama bin Laden:

• Obviously, this is a good thing.  But we need to remember that the fight continues.  This isn't like Zelda where you kill the ringleader in Level 5 and all the other bad guys magically disappear.  
• It's interesting seeing the people celebrating in the streets over this.  Eerily reminiscent of some of the people in the Middle East celebrating after 9/11 -- Palestinians, I'm referring to you.  I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it is good to see that people haven't forgotten what and why we're fighting.
• Also interesting that a lot of the people I see celebrating look young and were probably young children on September 11, 2001. 
• I'm relieved that President Obama seems to have acted in accordance with his role as Commander-in-Chief and gave the go-ahead for this operation.  I really wasn't sure if he had it in him.  So, for probably the first and last time you'll hear me say this:  well done, Mr. President.
• Hats off as well to President Bush -- politics aside, I think ol' George W. would have given a pretty entertaining press conference about this news had it happened on his watch.