:: walterindenver ::

:: Sunday, June 29, 2003 ::

Nothing to See Here, Move Along Now!

Walter in Denver is now found at walterindenver.com. Come on over!

:: Walter 7:56 AM [+] ::
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Open and Free Elections

Jeff Trigg is an Illinois Libertarian and he has first hand experience dealing with punitive ballot access signature requirements. He calculates the numbers, and it ain't pretty.
Let me add to his comments by noting that gathering petition signatures is very expensive and time consuming. A popular and well-funded candidate can wind up using all his cash and volunteers' efforts just to get on the ballot, and have none left over for the actual campaign.

Don't think that isn't exactly how the career politicians intend the system to work.

Here in Colorado ballot access was liberalized for the 2000 election cycle. The Libertarians and other parties ran quite a few candidates, with some success. Some legislators have been trying to restrict ballot access ever since.

:: Walter 7:40 AM [+] ::
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Or You Could Just Subscribe to Consumer Reports

Product testing results from today's Rocky Mountain News:

A Lakewood man died after he and his uncle tried to show two boys that a protective vest would deflect a knife attack.
It didn't.
Gabriel Aranda, 26, died at St. Anthony Central Hospital Friday of a laceration to the heart.
His uncle, Amando Aranda, 32, was being held without bond at Jefferson County Jail Monday on a first-degree murder charge.
Police were called Friday afternoon to a home in the 9900 block of West 20th Avenue where Gabriel Aranda was found bleeding from the chest.
Inside, they found Amando Aranda, along with a 14-year-old boy and a 4-year-old boy.
According to the arrest affadavit, Amando Aranda told police he and his nephew wanted to show the 14-year-old, a cousin of the victim, what the protective vest could do.
"Gabe told Amando to grab a good knife," the affadavit said. "In the kitchen, Amando grabbed a long, black handled knife and poked the vest worn by Gabe. The knife penetrated the vest and Gabe's chest."

That's a bulletproof vest, fellas.

Andy at the World Wide Rant scooped this story yesterday.

:: Walter 7:56 AM [+] ::
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Holiday Coming Soon

Fireworks are illegal in Denver. So in honor of the upcoming Fourth, I did not just now go out and set off a couple of loud firecrackers on my back deck. My dogs, big, ferocious Malamutes, did not go scurrying off in search of safety.

This makes me think of the time, a few years ago, when my brother came into town to visit right on the Fourth. His little boys and their mother came out to the golf course that night with him and on that occasion I did not light a bunch of illegal fireworks purchased in Wyoming. They did not thrill at the sight of big mortar shells, in vivid blues, greens, and oranges, exploding against the black sky. I did not launch various missiles over the pond at the golf course where the colors did not reflect off the still water for added effect.

None of this happened, because fireworks are very dangerous, and the wise city fathers and mothers have decided that it is not in my best interest to do such things. I strongly recommend that whoever you are, wherever you are, you do not go out and do these things to celebrate our freedom.

Especially if it's illegal.

:: Walter 7:39 PM [+] ::
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New Blogrollage

Please give a warm welcome to Dave Cullen. He's, like, a professional writer and all, so he writes real good, unlike some amateurs.
Seriously, he's a local writer who's been kind enough to talk with me about a piece he's writing for 5280 Magazine about local bloggers. I don't give spots on the blogroll away easily, and when I add a new blog I usually remove an old one. My blog doesn't get a huge number of readers and if I had hundreds of linked blogs they wouldn't even notice the traffic from my site. So I try to keep my blogroll under a couple of dozen, and I read each of those regularly so that I don't miss anything posted there. I tend to favor other small blogs that deserve more readers. The big guys and gals certainly don't need my help. The famous blogs in my blogroll are there for my reading convenience.

:: Walter 6:06 PM [+] ::
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A Fanboy's Notes

Jim Henley proves his worth and justifies his spot in the blogroll with this post. A sample:

For those of you reading these words I have one request:
COULD I GET A LITTLE ALARMISM HERE, PLEASE?????
What has the appeals court authorized?
Secret detentions.
Please say those words aloud. "Secret detentions." Now use them in a sentence:
The US government engages in the practice of secret detentions.

Of course you might want to read the whole thing.

:: Walter 7:00 AM [+] ::
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Congrats

to my friend Kelly Schaub. She has qualified to play in the U.S. Open, which will be played in Oregon the first week of July.
The best I could manage is the Denver Open. That will be played in late July, and I'm pretty excited about it. Y'all come out and watch.

:: Walter 6:12 AM [+] ::
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Please Engage Brain Before Writing

Today's Denver Post brings us this gem of a letter as a follow up on a concealed carry debate from last week:

...[T]he new concealed carry law does not prohibit permitted concealed weapons in Colorado's public colleges and universities.

A student at one of these institutions can legally stuff guns into their backpack. A student with a concealed-carry permit might "lose it" and shoot one of their professors for a failing grade.

Hillman also conveniently forgets to mention that the new concealed-carry law does not prohibit permitted concealed weapons in Colorado's public buildings, unless they have metal detectors. Any disgruntled customer could walk into a government building with their concealed weapon and start shooting up the place.

At the risk of insulting the intelligence of my dear readers, I'll point out what each of you are probably thinking already.

Lacking metal detectors, there's nothing stopping those people from wreaking havoc with guns right now. Legal concealed carry won't change that one iota.

The letter was signed, Tom Bell, Aurora, Barking Moonbat.

OK, I made that last bit up.

:: Walter 8:32 AM [+] ::
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No Blegging Here

Unlike some big blogs, this blog sees no need to beg for donations, no need to put a tip jar on the sidebar.
Instead, gentle reader, you may buy actual products from my wife. The men's products are really good, too.

:: Walter 7:49 AM [+] ::
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Legalize WATER!?!

I often write about the idiocies of the drug war, how many innocent people are killed, money is wasted, etc., but this one subject, the Rave Act, leaves me apoplectic. But even I didn't imagine it could be this bad.
First, a little background. Most of the readers of this blog will know about the Rave Act. The Act's proponents imagine that nightclubs and festivals that feature electronic dance music promote drug use. So they set out to shut down the electronic music business. Before my blood pressure hits the ceiling I'll just quote some other bloggers.
Don Watkins' Anger Management:

This is correct, but as Glenn notes, "the DEA has been after not just drug use, but the 'rave scene,' and electronic music in general, which it regards as part of a 'drug culture' that it sees as a legitimate target."
This is serious stuff, friends. This isn't just another insane drug law. The RAVE Act is an assault on a particular group of people defined, not by what chemicals they do or do not use, but by the music they happen to enjoy. I know a lot of people who make their living as club owners, promoters, or DJ's. These people are being targeted by power-hungry pols and police who have decided to make electronic music the latest scapegoat for America's drug problem, and unlike drug laws that (unjustly) punish a person for putting illegal substances into his own body, the RAVE Act is designed to punish a person for what other people put into their own bodies.

That article lead me to Eric Sheie's blog, Classical Values:

My biggest problem as a club owner was that the kids drank water. I was in the business of selling alcohol. Water is free in the bathroom, and cheap as hell in refillable plastic bottles. Imagine how I hated them for drinking water -- ungrateful little brats! I needed to pay my g.......ed rent!
Well guess what! Now I could be arrested for selling them water.
WATER!
...
I am absolutely not kidding. Congressional findings state explicitly the intent of the federal government to criminalize water:
"congressional findings" that, according to the Washington Post, declare bottled water, chill rooms and glowsticks to be drug paraphernalia. It also retains the crackhouse law sentencing guidelines: Party organizers whose patrons get busted with drugs can face fines in the millions and up to 20 years in federal prison.

OK, to recap for those unfamiliar with the rave scene, basically a rave is a non-stop dance party that goes to the wee hours of the morning. Party-goers dance until they're beat. Like any nightclub or concert crowd, some participants use illegal drugs, including ecstacy and other mild stimulants. These people, whether on drugs or not, tend to get dehydrated. Concerned club operators have been known to provide cool-down rooms, with cold water available, for the comfort and safety of patrons.
Which practice could now net the proprietor 20 years in the pen.

:: Walter 9:59 PM [+] ::
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Activism

I spent the afternoon working a Libertarian Party booth at the People's Fair in Denver. The Fair is a chance for city residents to showcase their wares, especially the artsy types. Bands play, restaurants sell food samples, and it's a good time. Every year a collection of non-profit groups host booths, and the LP gets in the act.
We get attendees to take the World's Smallest Political Quiz, and discuss libertarianism. Sometimes the debates are lively, and often we gain new members and activists. Whether people agree or disagree with our positions, I enjoy the interaction and discussing politics. It's fun to find folks who share my viewpoint, and it's also entertaining to challenge people's beliefs, watching their eyes grow wide when I say things like, 'Don't you think welfare programs create more poverty rather than help the poor?'
I've worked a number of events in a similar capacity, most of them gun shows, but the People's Fair is more fun. Gun show participants tend to score on the right-wing side on the quiz, but at Denver's People's Fair the results run solidly to the left. The funny thing is we have much more success at the People's Fair. At gun shows we might get a half dozen or so new registrations, but today we got close to fifty. Libertarians are often seen as ultra-conservatives, (a serious slander) but we have seem to have much more success with leftist crowds.
Adjust your prejudices accordingly.

Oh, and one more thing. Next to the LP booth some sort of gay and lesbian outfit had a space. Fair organizers thought it would be cool to give the spot across the sidewalk to a fundamentalist Christian church touting anti-gay literature. Somebody sure has a sense of humor.

:: Walter 9:06 PM [+] ::
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New Incoming Links

Thanks to Anticipatory Retaliation, The Smallest Minority, and Blog O' Dob, each of whom have seen fit to link to site in the last few days. This obscure corner of the blogosphere has become a little less so.
UPDATE: How could I forget Courtney?

:: Walter 8:37 PM [+] ::
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Quote of the Day

From Samizdata:

We can't change the way that newspapers are written but we can sure change the way people read them.
- Perry de Havilland

:: Walter 8:26 PM [+] ::
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Carnival of the Vanities

I entered a post into the weekly fray that is the Carnival, the first time I've ever tried it. The post recieved some very positive comments, and thanks to all who've visited in the last day. And thanks to Drumwaster for hosting.

:: Walter 10:24 AM [+] ::
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Good For Something

If nothing else the Libertarian Party is good for some inspired prose. This is from a press release announcing a new national party director:

WASHINGTON, DC -- The incoming executive director of the nation's
third-largest political party is issuing a bold appeal to the American
electorate: Help us fire the government.
"There are just two things standing in between the American people and
their freedom: Democrats, and Republicans," says Joe Seehusen,
incoming head of the Washington, DC-based party. "Government at all
levels has become too big and too bossy, and it's time to cut it down
to size."

Good luck, Joe.

:: Walter 7:36 PM [+] ::
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Walter Explains Everything

Eric Rudolph. What can you say about this guy? He hates women. He [allegedly] plants a bomb at a gay nightclub. What could motivate him? Religion? A disturbed childhood? Mental instability? I couldn't say.
Then I saw this picture, and it all fell together.

Eric. Freddie. It can't be a coincidence. Where was Freddie about 36 years ago?

Go ahead, sing along. We are the champions, my friend.....

:: Walter 9:53 PM [+] ::
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Obligatory Mayoral Campaign Post

It's hard to get excited about Denver's mayoral race, which will be decided tomorrow. It's a run-off between Don Mares and John Hickenlooper. The field originally was an incredibly diverse group. Seven Democrats. Six of them current or former office holders In other words, a bunch of insider political hacks. Hickenlooper was the only non-politician in the bunch. As a political outsider in that group he became the frontrunner, which speaks more to the level of dissatisfaction with government in this city than any charm Hickenlooper might possess.
The campaigns each of the candidates ran were standard boilerplate - more services for group X, more money to be spent on project Y. Hickenlooper managed to get in a few words about fiscal responsibility between pledges to expand funding for light rail, among other things. I haven't heard any knowledgeable observer who thinks any of them would shrink city government down to a reasonable size.
The most positive aspect of the campaign was the abysmal failure of one Ari Zavaras. As a former chief of police he was one of those most responsible for the spy files fiasco, (I've been writing about that for months) and although he was an early favorite he generated very little support, and didn't even come close to making the run-off. Sources tell me he had a very negative image in minority communities, and rightly so.

So here's the Walter in Denver endorsement: Vote for Hickenlooper! Or stay home. Might be a good day for golf. Probably doesn't matter. I don't think you can write in another candidate on a run-off ballot.

:: Walter 8:55 PM [+] ::
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Liberals vs Conservatives

Steven Den Beste discusses why those two labels don't adequately describe political differences in the U.S. He maps out political views on various other axes, conservative vs revolutionary, liberal vs autocrat, tolerant vs conformist.
Only one measure means much to me, and that's statist vs individualist. More on that in this space at a future date.

:: Walter 6:09 AM [+] ::
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More New Reading

A readable lefty blog, Badattitudes Journal. The author is a former newspaper reporter, but he seems to be able write pretty well anyway.
While politically I don't find right-wingers any more palatable than lefties, I have a hard time finding lefty blogs worth reading. I'm still trying to put my finger on why the left-wing blogs annoy me so. Blogs listed on the left side of this page include some notable exceptions.

:: Walter 10:15 PM [+] ::
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Walking the Talk

Pamela White, editor of the Boulder Weekly, wrote a story last August describing her own harrowing experience of being at home when two would-be rapists broke in, armed with knives. She called the police, and she was very fortunate that they made it in time to save her.
After pondering the incident for a decade, she wonders what might have happened if she were in possession of a firearm that night.

"If I'd had a gun, I'd have shot them both in the face," I told Gary.
I visualized myself doing just that-holding the gun, firing at the filthy, leering smirk on the men's faces, watching their heads split like melons.
Not long after the break-in, I shared those thoughts with a former professor of mine, now a friend and mentor.
"If I'd have had a gun, I'd have shot both," I told her.
While sympathetic and full of compassion, she wasn't impressed, so I explained further.
"I would be better for me to kill them then let them attack me."
Her response, to the best of my recollection, was this: "Certainly it would be horrible if they had done what they wanted to do, but if you had shot them it could have cost you your soul."

[long snip]

The nightmares have ended, as has the fear of being alone. The desire to buy a gun passed long ago. But I've never written about the handgun issue because in so many ways I'm a fence-sitter.
If someone tried to break into my house again, I'd probably still call the guys who pack heat for a living. I won't carry a gun. I let them carry one for me. Second Amendment supporters would say that makes me a hypocrite or even unpatriotic.

She writes much more concerning the spiritual reasons she wouldn't use a gun.

Ari Armstrong, of the Colorado Freedom report and contributor to the Boulder Weekly, thought she had an unreasonable fear of guns and of using them for self defense. He challenged her to learn more by taking a firearms self defense course.
She took him up on the dare. It was an emotionally challenging event for her, and she writes of her experience in this week's Boulder Weekly:

Ari tells me he hopes two things will come out of this weekend. He hopes first of all to demystify guns so that I come to see them as tools, as opposed to little metallic monsters, the embodiment of violence and evil. He also hopes to combat stereotypes I might have about people whom we in Boulder might simply call "gun nuts."

I won't tell you how it turned out. You'll have to read the article.

:: Walter 2:43 PM [+] ::
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In the News

"Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said he would be
willing to serve another term. Greenspan went on to say,
'Where else would I get a job in this economy?'"
--Conan O'Brien

:: Walter 9:33 PM [+] ::
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Drug War Talk

This post over at Talkleft generated an interesting debate in the comments section. The post concerns the Harlem no-knock drug raid that resulted in the death of an innocent woman. (I discussed that incident here)

Poster Cliff comments on the post on this blog:

Walter - Yes, good to know that there have been 19 screw-ups. How many were successful though? Like with cat food, you have to know the overall effect.
For example, I HATE DUI roadblocks. The courts have said that they are constitutional (depending on your state and how they're done) but I have to admit that the statistics show that they cut down on DUI related accidents and fatalities admirably.
As for the 'no one is endangered by drugs' argument, well, let's just say that though I basically agree with you, that's simply not how the law is written so it's not an effective argument.

To which I responded:

In the context of the war on drugs, no knock raids are a failure almost every time. I say 'almost' since there is a chance a raid will accidentally net an actual criminal, such as a murderer or burglar. Even when they go as planned they only contribute to the violence and elevated crime rate that drug prohibition brings us. So those nineteen dead were killed needlessly, really worse than needlessly. And that number is only a very imprecise count of one small category of drug war victims.

Cliff's rebuttal:

I already said I agreed with you on the drug laws. But you're simply not supplying any numbers, just a fair amount of emotion and some well crafted words.

Well crafted! You're too kind. Really. But you've mistaken my remarks as an analysis of the efficacy of no-knock raids. I don't care if they are effective in catching drug dealers. I'm discussing morality. And morally, I find it unjustifiable if one person is killed in the pursuit of a useless drug war.
I think it's telling that you use the DUI roadblock programs as an example of useful law enforcement techniques. Even if they do cut down on DUI cases, (and I tend to believe the decrease is because of a better informed public rather than roadblocks) they are still an egregious violation of the plain language of the fourth amendment, muddle-headed court rulings notwithstanding. Citing them as an example of good law enforcement is sort of like saying, 'Mussolini wasn't so hot, but he got the trains to run on time!'

As for drugs being a danger to people, I never said otherwise. Pretty much anything is a danger to someone, and illegal drugs are no exception.

:: Walter 9:19 PM [+] ::
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Here Ya Go

People seem to want an analysis of Annika Sorenstam's performance at the Colonial PGA event. I have to say it went about like I suspected it would. She is a tremendous ball striker, and proved it on Thursday when she hit the ball almost perfectly all the way around the course. She hits it well enough to play on the men's tour, I think. However, if a tour caliber player hits the ball that well s/he must be able to take advantage by scoring well, and she didn't. The one-over par 71 was disappointing when she was playing from the fairway most of the day. That inability to score wears on a player, and Friday when she didn't hit the ball quite as well it showed. A few mistakes off the tee and she wasn't able to scramble well enough to keep her score down.
There's a simple explanation for all that. Course conditions on the PGA tour are generally tougher than the on the LPGA. The greens are firmer and faster, the rough is taller. Additionally, Annika hits the ball so well she doesn't often have to scramble to win on her home tour. It would be interesting to see if she could adapt to PGA tour conditions if she became a regular player there, but she says she has no desire to do so.
I had predicted a score of 150 for her two rounds, and she was five better than that. The Colonial course played a couple of shots easier than in past years, witnessed by a lower cut line than the previous average. I don't know if that was because of wetter, softer course conditions or if they didn't set up the course as tough as they usually do. I'd hate to think the latter was the case. And I hope Annika changes her mind and tries it again.

:: Walter 12:11 PM [+] ::
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New-To-Me Blog

Silver Rights. A pro-civil rights blog, except for one important right. Guess which one didn't make the cut. That's not so remarkable, plenty on the left share that same blind spot. But in one case, while discussing the potential repeal of 'assault weapons' legislation, blogger 'J.' puts this in print, er, pixels:

But, ultimately, this will not be a laughing matter. The widespread availability of assault weapons results in incredible carnage. Instead of being allowed to lapse, the ban should be stiffened and extended to more guns.

Sorry, but availability of weapons of any sort and 'carnage' has no correlation in this country, except in reducing violent crime. I'm sure the blogger would disagree with me on several fundamental philosophical issues but when it comes to issues of fact, as in firearms = violent crime, we can debate actual numbers.

Professors John Lott, Yale, and William Landes, University of Chicago Law School, published a paper concerning right to carry laws and their effect on public shootings, including this passage:

[W]e find that deaths or injuries from mass shootings remain fairly constant over time
before the right-to-carry law is passed and falling afterwards (though the before law trend is only
significant for the number of shootings) ....[long snip]...
The other gun related law variables generally produce no consistent significant impact on mass
shootings. One exception is the impact of laws limiting a purchaser to no more than one-gun-amonth.
All the estimates imply that limitations on purchases increase multiple shootings, though the
statistical significance of this variable is driven solely by its impact on the number of injuries. The
point estimates on the waiting period variables are not consistent. In some equations, a longer
waiting period increases the risk of mass public shootings, in others it decreases the risk, and in
only one equation is the variable statistically significant. A safe storage law has no significant effect
in any equation. The imposition of additional penalties for using a gun in a crime significantly
reduces the number of murders, but the impact on injuries and the number of attacks is statistically
insignificant. Nor were any of the joint F-tests on the gun control variables statistically significant.
In sum, there is no evidence that these laws systematically reduce multiple shootings.

So, if gun control laws don't reduce mass shootings, why would the repeal of the same increase shootings?

(Lott & Landes paper entitled 'Multiple Victim Public Shootings' available here, PDF file. Quoted here from pages 10 and 11.)

:: Walter 8:06 AM [+] ::
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The FDA Story

Jim Babka of a group called Downsize DC (great name) documents how the FDA hurt more than it helps. His story is called How the FDA Helped Kill My Dad. Here's a teaser:


His cancer started as a renal cell carcinoma (kidney) that spread to a vein, and from there to the rest of his body. Carcinomas produce a tiny vascular system of their own that steals blood flow from the organ they inhabit. They also produce dramatically increased amounts of a substance called COX-2. Inhibiting COX-2 retards the creation of the cancer's vascular system and starves the tumor.
COX-2 also seems to play other key roles in the development of cancer cells, but no successful, cancer-specific COX-2 inhibitors are on the market. Instead, doctors rely on chemotherapy and radiation.
Alas, a COX-2 inhibiting cancer drug does exist. It started its clinical trials for FDA approval in 1999. In Phase I, the FDA concluded that the drug Endostatin (by Entremed, Inc.—NASDAQ: ENMD) has no apparent toxicity. Compare that with chemo or radiation. The drug is currently in Phase II of clinical trials. The research, much of which I studied in my father's final weeks, shows great promise, but the FDA wouldn't let my father have it.
This drug might have saved my father's life, and it almost certainly would not have killed him, but the cancer certainly did.

Babka goes on to cite studies that show tens of thousands have died while waiting for various drugs to be released by the FDA. It makes for worthwhile reading.

:: Walter 6:37 AM [+] ::
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I Missed One

While researching the story below I ran across a Cato Institute piece that lead me to this story about a Houston man who was shot to death in a botched drug raid in 1998. I suspect that I've missed many such stories. They don't seem to get much coverage in mainstream press.

Let me update the Drug War Bystander Casualty Count: Nineteen dead, four wounded.

:: Walter 8:19 PM [+] ::
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Another little oopsie

Police in Harlem executed a drug warrant Monday with a surprise dawn raid, breaking down the front door and throwing a flash grenade to stun the apartment occupants. One small error, though. They had the wrong apartment. Not surprisingly, the unfortunate woman who was the resident of the raided apartment went into cardiac arrest a few minutes after the raid and never recovered.

Drug war bystander casualty count: eighteen dead, four wounded.

:: Walter 4:24 PM [+] ::
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Wie to Play Boise Open

13-year-old Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor's exemption to play in a Nationwide Tour event in September. This is perhaps more remarkable than Annika Sorenstam playing in next week's PGA tour event. Wie is only in eighth grade, and she'll be on the course competing against grown men. Good luck to her.

:: Walter 8:56 AM [+] ::
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We Can All Sleep Easier Now

Because Tommy Chong has been busted and pleaded guilty to selling drug paraphernalia. As Talkleft notes, this will not make one whit of difference in drug use rates. In a perfect world, this prosecution would be considered a criminal waste of taxpayer money and the feds responsible would be facing lengthy prison sentences themselves. [ You just wrote 'feds responsible.' Isn't that some kind of oxymoron? -Ed.]

:: Walter 6:25 AM [+] ::
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Nigerian E-mail Scam Update

The latest version of the classic spam e-mail came to me a few minutes ago. I'm sure you'll get it soon, if you haven't already.

Dear Sir,
I have made this contact to you with the hope that you can help me out in this my dilemma / problem. I was the personal aide to the Iraqi minister of education and research. Dr Abd Al-khaliq Gafar. That died in the war. Before the war, we had traveled to France to negotiate a contract payment deal on behalf of the Iraqi government on procurement and payment of educational materials and components for the ministry, which entailed him to pay off our customers by cash for onward delivery of the goods via Turkey. Because of international / UN monetary restrictions /sanction on Iraqi. Since our entire operating bank accounts had been frozen.
In gust of this he had cleverly diverted this sum ($28.5m) for himself and secured it properly with a security vault in Spain for safekeeping. As he had kept these documents in hidden and secret with my knowledge. Now that he is Dead and I was able to escape to Egypt for safety on political asylum with this document with me now. Hence I am left with these problems of how to recover and collect this fund for re-invest in a viable venture in your country with your assistance and cooperation. Because of oblivious traveling restricts and sanctions as an Iraqi.
I would really want us to do this deal together if only you can be trusted with this information and project. For more details do reach me via my direct email : mustapha_el@mail2guard.com for further instructions and details. I most remind you that my entire life depends on this fund so please do not relay this top secret to a third party if you are not interested.
I await you immediate response.
Remain Blessed.
Regards
El - Mustapha

I was laughing so hard by the time I finished reading this that my first thought was this isn't real. It's a spoof on a scam. Whoever wrote it has my congratulations. Obliviously.

:: Walter 9:26 PM [+] ::
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No Surprise

Liberator Online, the e-mail publication sent out by the Advocates for Self Government, includes this news item:

In a surprise move that has shocked many conservatives -- and outraged gun rights activists -- the Bush administration has announced support for keeping the infamous Clinton-Feinstein-Schumer gun ban on the books.
The law, which bans common household firearms, is set to expire in September 2004. Most gun rights advocates assumed President Bush would let the law die. Though Bush said during the 2000 campaign that he supported the current law, it was unclear whether he favored extending the ban. Furthermore, he ran on a strong pro-gun-rights platform and may have won the election due to pro-gun voters in several close states.
But on April 12, White House Deputy Press Secretary Scott McClellan was quoted in the Washington Post:
"The president supports the current law, and he supports reauthorization of the current law."

Some libertarians continue to turn a blind eye toward this Republican administration, which is as anti-liberty as the previous Democratic one, and perhaps more so. On the other hand, I can't see why leftists are so unhappy with Bush. Aside from the war, they're getting everything they want out of the federal government these days. Instead of enjoying their good fortune they argue over irrelevancies like the tax cuts. It seems that partisan hatred runs so deep that they can't tell when they're winning. The same can occasionally be said for conservatives.

:: Walter 6:44 AM [+] ::
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Bill Bennett is a Hyp- well you know what he is

Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute hosts a weekend talk radio show on the most popular station in Denver. As I write this, he's discussing the revelation that Bill Bennett probably has a gambling problem. Eight million he's laid out in the casinos. Bennett claims he's mostly 'broke even.' (snort!) Caldara counts him as a colleague and political ally, and the mostly conservative callers are covering for Bennett, saying the story is a 'liberal media attack' and that the gambling is no one's business. That last bit is correct, of course. But none of that is the real reason this is an important story. I sent an e-mail to Caldara:

Here's crux of the matter, as far as this long time Bennett detractor is concerned. It's the hypocrisy of having a destructive vice, and when confronted he says it's no one's business. He's right. But when it comes to other people's vices, he isn't so lenient. In the case of drugs, he says 'get thee to jail, and quick.'
The bottom line is, Bill's vices are OK, everyone else with a vice can go to hell. Or prison.

:: Walter 10:06 PM [+] ::
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Great Moments in Statist History

David Carr recounts another one, the Road of Bones.

We will never know for sure how many lives were sacrificed to this 'glorious people's project', but by repute, every metre of the road cost one human life. The road is 2000 kilometres long.
There are still many people in the world today who subscribe to this terrible, anti-human, homicidal psychosis.
Never forget. Never forgive. Remain vigilant and, above all, never ever, ever apologise for fighting back. - from Samizdata.

:: Walter 9:27 PM [+] ::
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The World Wide Runt

Entered the world today, via C-section. Go ahead, send Nicky and Andy your best wishes. Everybody loves a happy ending.

:: Walter 4:49 AM [+] ::
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Jailed for Blogging

Iranian blogger/journalist Sina Motallebi has been arrested. Be sure to sign the petition protesting his arrest. Samizdata also has an interesting take on the situation, reminding us the USA doesn't allow writers and publishers free rein, either.

:: Walter 6:42 AM [+] ::
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New Reading

Found in the referrer's log for this site; Jay Solo's Verbosity, another fine weblog. Visit Jay and see what a blog looks like when it's updated regularly.

:: Walter 6:59 AM [+] ::
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More from the Augusta Protest

We trust our news reporters to be thoughtful and discerning. Some violate this trust. The following is from an actual published news report:

Throughout the morning, law enforcement officers stood on the perimeter of the five-acre field. At no point did the protest turn violent, though officers escorted Heywood Jablome away after he held up a sign directly in front of Burk that read "Make me dinner" before shouting "Oprah rules."

And if you didn't catch that, no I won't explain it to you. Especially if you write for a newspaper.
(link via Hit and Run)

:: Walter 8:34 PM [+] ::
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Friday Night

The Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash was a good time, of course. It's nice to put faces together with the writing. I had the pleasure of talking with Andy, Stephen, Matt, and Matt. I also met Zombyboy for the first time, and found out he has a blog. Forgive me, I'm kind of slow. I've seen his comments on other sites before, and now I have some catch-up reading to do.
There were a few others I did not get a chance to meet, so lets do it again, and sooner.

:: Walter 8:35 AM [+] ::
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Golf is Vile!

Martha Burk's Augusta protest brought out pro and con demonstrators, and this one:

One protester didn't support either side. He was just against golf.
The front of his T-shirt said, "All Golf is Vile." The back said, "Golf destroyes (sic) Houses, Farms and Forests." When told he had misspelled destroys, the man said, "Yeah, I misspelled apartheid in the '80s."

I gotta get me one of them shirts.

:: Walter 7:58 AM [+] ::
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Tonight!

The RMBB II.

:: Walter 7:15 AM [+] ::
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Well, Yeah

I missed this item in a Joe Bob Briggs column published April 4th.

When a bill to outlaw toy guns was introduced in the New York City Council, the Manhattan Libertarian Party announced a "Guns for Tots" drive, collecting water pistols and cap guns for the city's children. "Playing with a water pistol is one of the most cherished rites of childhood," said spokesman Jim Lesczynski. "We want to give that experience to New York's children before the spoilsports in City Hall take it away permanently." Once the Super Soaker is secured for the future, the Libertarians intend to turn their attention to the protection of toy firebombs.

Of course we do intend to do exactly that, after we secure the rights of drive-in movie theaters to show third-rate horror flicks.

This once, I'm not joking.

:: Walter 8:05 PM [+] ::
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Oh

Laurence Simon, the madman behind Amish Tech Support, is now posting at the World Wide Rant as well. I'm not sure this is a good thing. I can't post as often As I'd like on this site, and there's no way I could post at two sites at once. If Laurence is stretched too thin we'll all suffer. Not to mention this all too creepy. My wife is from Houston, as is Laurence. The World Wide Rant is based here in Denver. I like to think that I rescued my my wife from Texas, so a Houstonian taking over a Denver institution doesn't sound like a good thing. Maybe Laurence could move here.

:: Walter 7:58 PM [+] ::
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War, the Good, the Bad

As I've noted before, there are good reasons and not so good reasons to oppose the war. There are also undeniable benefits to the war. The anti-war Aziz Poonawalla gets it:

The images we all saw on television worldwide yesterday will be in our world history books as one of the defining moments of the 21st century. Alongside those of 9-11, yin and yang. I was and still am opposed to war on Iraq - not the idea of war per se, but like Howard Dean, by the route to which we justified and pursued war. But winning the war was never in doubt and my heart is is full of satisfaction at seeing the statues of Saddam fall at last.

I am however quite disappointed by the attitude of many who oppose the war - who seem to have a grudging attitude towards the liberation. IRAQ IS FREE. Regardless of your politics, your principles, your attitudes - this must be the shared event that we all celebrate.

:: Walter 7:08 PM [+] ::
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Pat Dinizio...

...has a very novel business plan to sell to investors. I have always been a big Smithereens fan, perhaps more so than Glenn Reynolds.

Back in the day I had a chance to interview Pat for a show I co-hosted on a radio station in El Paso, TX. As a Rolling Stone magazine critic said, if there were any justice in the world the Smithereens' album 'Especially For You' would have been the all-time biggest selling LP instead of some Michael Jackson recording.

:: Walter 9:51 PM [+] ::
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Out of Town

Will be at the state Libertarian Party convention. Back Monday.

:: Walter 5:26 PM [+] ::
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Good News!

Thirty-eight of the people convicted in the Tulia, TX drug sting have had their convictions vacated. (from Talkleft) There might not have been a guilty one in the bunch, and now they're all free. Some of them had been sentenced to ten years or more in prison.

You can read what I first wrote about this last July.

:: Walter 8:58 AM [+] ::
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Possible Terror Cell Arrested in Denver

According to the Rocky Mountain News.

Federal authorities are fighting to keep three local Pakistani men locked up because they might be terrorists planning to attack the United States.
They aren't charged with that, however.
Irfan Kamran, 32, and Sajjad Nasser, age unknown, both of Denver, and Haroon Rashid, 32, of Lakewood, are charged only with conspiring to hide an illegal immigrant.
They and three other family members allegedly lied to authorities to bring a seventh family member into the United States illegally from Pakistan.
But federal prosecutors contend that the three men are dangerous because they told others they supported the Taliban, the former rulers of Afghanistan, and the terrorist group al-Qaida.
The three allegedly said they wanted to join in the jihad, or holy war, against the U.S. Two said they traveled to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks, and one of them claimed to have killed U.S. troops there, according to government documents.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

:: Walter 8:38 AM [+] ::
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Strong Arm Tactics in Chicago

Mayor Daley wants to use Meigs Field airport as parkland. Naturally, some folks don't like the idea, and threatened a lawsuit. Hizzoner circumvented the possible suit by preemptively bulldozing the place.

“There’s no logic,” said Steve Whitney of Friends of Meigs Field. “They dug Xs into the runway all the way down.”
What’s more, a number of small planes remained parked at the airfield, with no runway now to leave, he said, adding a taxiway might have to be used. “From our perspective, this is a pure and simple land grab,’’ he said.
Friends president Rachel Goodstein called Daley’s methods “creepy,’’ and officials said their group is considering a lawsuit at the state and federal level.

Creepy is putting it mildly. As they say over at Samizdata, the state is not your friend.

(link via Amish Tech Support)

:: Walter 7:56 PM [+] ::
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Tancredo and Immigration

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R - Colorado) made national news last fall when he personally asked the INS to look into the status of an undocumented immigrant student who complained that in spite of being a Colorado resident he was not eligible for in-state tuition. Suffice it to say that Tancredo wasn't trying to get the student a discount.
Tancredo's point is well taken, that people here illegally should not be looking for breaks when it comes to government services. However, his mean spirited action made a much bigger impression than any debating point he attempted to make.
The Rep. was on talk shows all over the country at the time, and he was usually quick to point out that he's not anti-immigrant, but only anti-illegal immigration.
Well, now the veneer is off. Recently an ad has been airing on Denver radio stations, lauding Rep. Tancredo for sponsoring a bill that would decrease legal immigration from one million to three hundred thousand persons annually. The stated purpose is to make it harder for terrorists to get here, and reduce overcrowding.
I think it serves another purpose. It shows that Rep. Tancredo is against legal immigration as well as illegal. I think it's safe to say he's anti-immigration, period. That's about as un-American as it gets.

The organization sponsoring the ad is called United to Secure America. You can find out more about them, and hear the Tancredo ad, on their website.

:: Walter 4:24 PM [+] ::
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Privatization Saves Lives

Hit and Run reports on a study showing Argentine communities that privatized their water systems showed a decrease in infant mortality.

:: Walter 6:35 PM [+] ::
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Unanswerable Question

Will one find more vitriol in the comments on Little Green Footballs, or Eschaton?

Serious attempts to answer will be entertained here, send them via the comments button above.

:: Walter 10:25 AM [+] ::
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Free For All

Gary Hart has started a blog. Yes, that Gary Hart. And the blog allows comments, to boot. This is the first time, that I am aware, such a public figure has allowed himself to be subjected to free-for-all of the blogosphere.

I wonder how long that comments feature will last.

:: Walter 10:08 AM [+] ::
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Top Anti-War Slogans

According to The Onion:

1. I Support My Activist Girlfriend
2. I Oppose This War And I Vote. Wait, No, I Don't.
3. The International Socialist Organization Needs A Ride Home.
4. What Would Guevara Do?
5. Fooled By Liberal Media Bias.
6. The People, United, Will Usually Be Defeated.

:: Walter 7:08 PM [+] ::
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Golf War

Tiger Woods supports the war. I'm suprised to see him make such a statement. He's got nothing to gain by publicly taking sides like that.

:: Walter 10:53 AM [+] ::
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In Fairness
As long as I'm picking on anti-war protesters, let's hear from the other side.

Perfect.

(via Jared the Evil Queen)

:: Walter 10:19 AM [+] ::
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Four Bullets to the Head

And still smiling.

Via The Command Post.

:: Walter 8:34 PM [+] ::
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Warblog

War coverage and opinions haven't been seen on this blog, conspicuous by their absence, I suppose. I am frequently asked what I think of the war, but I haven't really made up my mind. I have strong opinions on the war, and I note some good reasons to oppose the war, but the central question in determining my opinion is whether it is of long term benefit to the US to prosecute this war. Will we be safer? Will world trade be more secure in the long term, enough to offset the cost of the war? I can't answer those questions, and those are the most important questions to my mind.

I can say I would be more likely to favor the war if this administration wasn't the one in charge of it. The Bush administration has demonstrated a tin ear toward civil rights, to put it charitably. I can say with conviction the war will not be worth a long term loss of personal freedom in this country.

I can also say the war is justified, that is, the Iraqi regime is one of the most brutal on the planet, and they deserve nothing better than to be crushed quickly and completely. Now that the war is underway, I watch the news like most everyone else, cheering our troops. I'm convinced the cost of the war to innocent Iraqi citizens will not be as great as the cost of another decade or more of rule under the Husseins.

I have to say, as one whose opinions are ambivalent toward the war, that the anti-war movement is its own worse enemy. I cringe every time I see another 'No Blood for Oil' sign, or worse, that widely circulated banner asking for 'Peace in Our Time.' Or, in two words, Michael Moore.

These protesters, however, take the cake. A banner that says, 'We are ready to fight, world peace is our right!' ??? And, yes, they do mean fight with violence. You can't make this stuff up. For a little sanity from the anti-war side I visit Jim Henley, or a handful of other libertarian bloggers. Sadly, those people are few and far between.

(link via James Morrow.)

:: Walter 7:27 AM [+] ::
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Fun in the Snow

Well, it was fun. The official snowfall measurement for Denver was 29.5", making it the second highest all time snowfall total. 47" in 1913, I think, is the record. I knew you wanted to know. This time some places in the foothills west of town received more than 80" and as of this writing some residents are still trapped in their houses.
Anyway, when the power went out on Tuesday morning I figured it might not come back on for a while. I made my way to the grocery store just before it closed up to allow the employees to get home. The plan was to buy some slow cooking items and let the gas stove warm the house.
The blizzard of '03 menu: Ham hocks stewed with lentils, (good, leftovers even better) slow roasted asparagus in olive oil, (very good) and BBQ pork ribs steamed in bourbon. (worth the inconvenience of the blizzard)
Wednesday morning the stuff was really piling up and the streets were more than axle deep in very thick, wet snow. The repair crew came to put a new power pole up and they couldn't get the truck into the alley to get the work done. They spent an hour and a half just digging a thirty yard path through the snow. We helped when we could and gave the the guys coffee and sandwiches as they'd been working non-stop since Tuesday afternoon.
Since most street traffic had stopped altogether the call went out over the radio for volunteers with four wheel drive vehicles to bring healthcare and other essential worker in to their jobs. I jumped at the chance. I have a Jeep Wrangler with good, wide snow tires and I figured I could move around better than most. Don't think that I was being altruistic - the governor had ordered all 'non-essential' vehicles off the roads and I wanted to get out and tool around by myself on deserted and snow drifted streets. I wound up carrying an ambulance driver and shuttling people to and from a Red Cross shelter. Several buildings had collapsed from the weight of the snow and the Red Cross set up the shelter to house the folks displaced from their residences.
I only had to dig the Jeep out twice. It was a great time.

UPDATE: Roverpundit has more pictures.

:: Walter 8:44 PM [+] ::
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Blizzard

Diana Hsieh's got the pics.

:: Walter 8:11 AM [+] ::
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Hip Deep

Snow, and how. Denver's had one of its all-time biggest snowfalls over the last two days. About two and a half feet at the house. It's been an adventure. The power pole in the alley burned and toppled on Tuesday morning, and we didn't get power again until last night, almost thirty-six hours later. The pleasures of indoor camping! Got the power back just in time to see the war start.
I'll have to write more about the last few days. One of things I missed was the first blogiversary of The World Wide Rant. Congrats to Andy and Tom.

:: Walter 7:58 AM [+] ::
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Jury Questions

It's nice to see that lawyer Paul Grant has an article in the paper again, this one part of a point - counterpoint debate on allowing juries to ask questions during criminal trials. His argument makes sense to me, and the counterpoint against it is laughably flawed. Of course you can read it yourself and come to your own conclusions.

:: Walter 7:39 PM [+] ::
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Ides of March

Today is also Eat an Animal for PETA Day. Mrs. In Denver and I enjoyed a couple of lovely aged ribeyes from a local family owned butcher shop, paired with an Australian shiraz. The malamutes contributed by giving the proceedings their undivided attention, and they were rewarded handsomely.
Typical of Denver, the weather is in the mid seventies, and we grilled the steaks on the Weber. Also typical of Denver, next week's forecast calls for snow. We'll probably have the Weber fired up then, too.

:: Walter 6:35 PM [+] ::
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Apologies

I'm embarrassed for the lack of new postings on this site. I've been extraordinarily busy at work, and that's a good thing. Also, I'm amazed at the number of people who visit this site regularly in spite of the gap in activity here. Thank you, all. I get no where near the number of visitors the well known blogs enjoy, but it's a wonder to me that some people make it a point to visit here. Summer's on its way, and that's my time to make money at work, but I'll try to keep this blog updated.

:: Walter 6:06 PM [+] ::
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Blogiversary

Arthur Silber celebrates six months as the most thoughtful debater online. Drop by, and if you can, hit the tip jar and help him out.

:: Walter 8:08 PM [+] ::
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Colorado House Bill 1142

...will force minor political parties to participate in the primary process. To their credit, the Rocky Mountain News editorial board thinks it's a bad idea. Scroll down to 'The Party of Principle' to read what I think about it.

:: Walter 9:07 PM [+] ::
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Mail Bag

My spouse has suggested that those who don't like meat could make a
contribution in PETA's name to some organization that helps improve human
health by experimenting on animals.

Arthur D. Hlavaty

Well, that's a marvelous idea!

:: Walter 8:00 PM [+] ::
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Eat an Animal for PETA Day!

March 15th! Count me in. In case you wonder, I'm thinking steak, grilled outdoors, no matter the weather.

(via Arthur Silber)

:: Walter 8:42 AM [+] ::
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Radley Balko,

...otherwise known as The Agitator, has a series of six posts detailing AG Ashcroft's anti-freedom actions. He summarizes:

Seems to me, one could have made one of two conclusions vis-a-vis Ashcroft at the time: either he's a racist, or he's a principled "states' rights conservative," willing to weather the racist label in order to uphold the principles of federalism.
Seems clear to me now that Ashcroft doesn't give two shits about states' rights or federalism (see the five posts below). Seems to me he's hellbent on imposing his morality on the rest of us, the Tenth Amendment be damned.
Draw your own conclusions.

As I've said before, there's no way anyone calling himself a libertarian can be happy with this administration. Balko's Ashcroft series is enlightening for those who think otherwise.

:: Walter 11:41 PM [+] ::
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The Party of Principle

One of the reasons I remain a registered Libertarian is it's the only party I see taking principled stands on anything. A Libertarian Party activist wrote this letter which appeared in the Denver Post today.

Re: "Mandated primaries, conventions sought," Feb. 21 news story.
The Post's report on HB 1142 was misleading. It suggested that the effect of HB 1142 would be to force minor parties to have primaries. While this is true, it is like forcing a child to eat ice cream. Minor parties will be pleased to accept free publicity afforded by a primary election forced on them by state law.
This new law also would force counties to have otherwise unnecessary primaries at county taxpayer expense. Can you imagine requiring a primary in every precinct for the sole purpose of choosing the Libertarian nominees for governor and U.S. Senate? This would have happened in August of 2002 if HB 1142 had been in effect at that time. Yes, some counties would have had primaries for other reasons. But HB 1142 would have required a primary in every precinct of every county, even if there were no registered Libertarian voters in the entire county.
The House has passed HB 1142 and we await the Senate's decision. Should this law ever force a minor-party primary on the counties of Colorado, we Libertarians hope that citizens will remember that Libertarians vigorously opposed this law. We detest the idea of requiring taxpayers to fund a primary to select our nominees. We are quite capable of doing this ourselves without taxpayer assistance.
NORM OLSEN
Golden

To summarize, this bill would provide an ENORMOUS amount of 'free' publicity for the Libertarian Party but they are opposing it because it uses lots of public money. If you think taxation is theft you ought to stand behind your principle, and in this case the LP comes through with flying colors.

:: Walter 7:02 PM [+] ::
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The Bell Curve

Atrios wraps up a five part discussion of the book by that name here. I added, in the comments (typos corrected):

I read the book. Or at least I tried to. I read through the first chapters as the authors laid out their case, and the more I read the more I found it to be irrelevant. So what if they were right? So what if IQ is an accurate predictor of economic achievement, or that IQ is largely hereditary? (I'm not arguing that any of that is true) What are the policy implications? They may have tried to make the case for dismantling the welfare state but it seems to me that they make the opposite case, that some people are less capable of caring for themselves and will need permanent state subsidized assistance.
Eventually I put the book down and wrote it off as irrelevant to intellectual debate or public policy.

That book certainly doesn't do libertarianism any favors.

You may remember the most controversial aspect of the book is the authors' attempt to tie racial disparities in IQ scores to genetic differences. To be fair this is a small part of the book, and I could never understand why they included it in the book at all. The most cynical explanation would be that the authors were racist and were trying to give racist theories a boost.

:: Walter 12:26 PM [+] ::
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Why Regulation Doesn't Work

It didn't take long for regulation experts to get on the tube yesterday talking about how lax enforcement of local fire and safety codes is a danger around the country. I fully expect city councils and county commissioners and any other regulatory agency you can find will be passing new codes, beefed up penalties and increased budgets for inspectors. Your local nightclubs will be jumping through hoops for some time trying to keep up with the new wave of inspections and nanny types nosing around their places of business. Ever wonder how many of these experts are consultants who will make money from this situation?
Will you be safer for it? Not much. Why? Because these sorts of regulations fall under the realm of the political process. Here's some more of the predictable dialog that follows this sort of tragedy: (from the Denver Post)

A deadly flash fire, like the blaze that destroyed a West Warwick, R.I., nightclub called The Station, killing at least 95 people late Thursday, is not likely to happen in Denver any time soon, city fire officials said Friday.
That is, as long as club and theater owners comply with the city's inch-thick set of fire-code rules, Gonzales said.
"We have a few problems, but the vast majority of the clubs in our city have responsible owners that follow the rules," said Gonzales, who runs the Fire Department's fire-prevention and inspection division.
That is partly because the city is vigilant about enforcing its fire code, and the spaces that house nightclubs are monitored carefully, from design and construction through opening of the clubs' doors.

All well and good, but do you think, if asked the same question earlier in the week, fire officials in West Warwick, RI would have answered differently?
Certainly nightclub managers will be looking at their clubs with a fresh eye on safety in the coming days. But if history is a guide, we can expect that in a few years the furor over club and concert safety will die down, and the situation will slowly go back to the way things were a few days ago. That is in part because the political pressure to regulate the clubs will die down as public attention is diverted elsewhere.
There is no perfect solution to such problems, but there are ways to alleviate them. One is to shift the responsibility of safety inspection from governmental bodies to the organizations that are financially liable for injuries caused by negligence. Financial liability does not wane with time, and encourages long term vigilance. For instance, if insurance companies were forced to do their own inspections they might be much more strict than local government. It's doubtful that any insurance company would allow the Chicago nightclub E2 to stay open, and the prospect of losing liability coverage might be more daunting to the owners than city imposed sanctions. Could irresponsible club operators still exist under such a system? Of course they could. Accidents would still happen, and both of the recent tragedies seem to involve individuals knowingly skirting safety regulation. But it is sobering to think that private sector safety enforcement might have saved quite a few lives over the last week or two.

:: Walter 6:45 AM [+] ::
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Turnabout

If Annika Sorenstam is allowed to play a PGA your event, Brian Kontak thinks he should be allowed to qualify for the US Women's Open. Sheesh.

:: Walter 7:28 PM [+] ::
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Drug War Casualty Revisited

Glenn Reynolds notices the drug war incident first mentioned here. Better late that never. This sort of thing should be brought to everyone's attention.

:: Walter 8:17 PM [+] ::
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Blog News

I've been considering moving this website off blogspot and to some competitor's hosting service. But now there's this news: Google has bought out Pyra, and Blog*Spot with it. The new infusion of cash might mean upgraded and more reliable service, I would think. I think I'll stay put here and see what happens.

:: Walter 8:50 AM [+] ::
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Sorenstam Will Play

Annika Sorenstam will play in the PGA tour stop at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth this May. Her men's tour debut will happen before Suzy Whaley plays at the Hartford open, so she'll likely be the first woman to play on the PGA tour in many decades.
San Jose Mercury News writer Barry Witt opines:

Though Sorenstam doesn't hit the ball as far as the average PGA Tour player, she's far more accurate. That means that on the tight Colonial Country Club course, a par 70 at 7,080 yards, her lack of length shouldn't be too great an obstacle. Nick Price won there last year, and his 272.7-yard driving average in 2002 isn't much better than Sorenstam's 265.6 mark this season on the LPGA Tour.

At 7080 yards and par 70 Colonial is by no means a short course. Sorenstam's driving distance average would put her at 172nd of 177 on this year's PGA tour stats, so she's at a serious disadvantage in that department. She hit fairways at a rate of .803 playing on the LPGA tour last year, which is better than anyone except Fred Funk on the PGA tour. The comparison isn't worth much, however, since PGA events are held on more difficult courses than the ladies'. Early odds in the clubhouse are 3-1 against Annika making the cut. I'd like to see it happen, though.

:: Walter 8:13 AM [+] ::
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Drug War Casualty

DEA agents stake out a San Antonio home, laying in wait for a suspected drug dealer. The suspect's 14 year old daughter decides to leave the house, and go for a drive. What would the federal agents do?

If you said, 'shoot the girl dead,' you win a gold star.

Here's the story from the San Antonio Express-News.

Drug war bystander casualty count: seventeen dead, four wounded.

:: Walter 9:39 PM [+] ::
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Heroes

Charles Barkley was right, athletes are not role models. Certainly not heroes. Not most of them. But these Zimbabwe cricket players are. How often do you see anyone risk a comfortable and wealthy lifestyle to make a political statement? I'm impressed, and I hope they live long, prosperous lives. But I wouldn't bet on it.

Via Instapundit.

:: Walter 8:31 PM [+] ::
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In a Bad Way

Q. What's the worst way to start your day?
A. You pull in to work and find the 60 Minutes crew waiting to talk to you.

Well, it's not quite that serious but my workplace has been in the news frequently of late. It's not all bad though. The practice range is open and and I'm still teaching. Drop me a line if you spend some time in Denver and you want to work on your game.

:: Walter 7:56 PM [+] ::
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Leftists and Libertarians

Atrios, while discussing Christians, manages to throw in an off-hand dis at Libertarians as well:

Likewise, I'm always a bit puzzled by the fact that for most libertarians, big or small L, the Bill of Rights begins and ends with #2.

To which I responded in the comments:

"Are you kidding? You need to get out more. Start at Jim Henley's blog, go to Julian Sanchez's, and Jesse Walker's. You might even try mine. I think these people pretty well represent libertarian thinking, and the 2nd amendment doesn't come up much these days, as the others are under attack from the left and right."

A little farther down in the comments, Atrios backtracks:

I said most libertarians, not all. Most blogger republicans are self-described libertarians.

Well, not exactly. He first said, 'big or small L.' For those unfamiliar with the vernacular, small L libertarians are those who share libertarian political leanings, big L means ones who are actually registered as Libertarian party members. They can't be Libertarians and Republicans at the same time.

I think the reason for Atrios' original comment is that like many leftists, he cannot fathom that someone may be entirely pro civil rights and not share his political ideology. Or worse, his ideology is at loggerheads with civil rights.

:: Walter 8:46 AM [+] ::
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Defense of Fully Informed Juries

Colorado lawyer and civil rights advocate Paul Grant defends the recent actions of a jury that caused a retrial in a murder case. In a letter to the Rocky Mountain News:

Jurors seeking information should not be viewed as a problem ("Rule-breaking jurors prompt new slaying trial for woman," Jan. 31 and the On Point editorial of Feb. 3, "Witless juries"). It is unavoidable and to be welcomed; it is responsible, not irresponsible behavior.
It used to be (when the Bill of Rights guarantee of jury trials was adopted) that jurors were expected to know something about the case and the surrounding facts and circumstances before they were selected. That's why jury trials are required (in most instances) to be held in the district where the crime allegedly occurred. It used to be common, and not a problem, for jurors to know some or all of the parties to the case.
When today's jurors seek information, they are responsibly seeking to get enough to do their job, i.e., try the case, correctly. A fair and honest trial by jury requires an informed jury. Efforts to keep them ignorant and subject to the controlled information flow from the judge and attorneys show major disrespect for the role of the jury.
And the battle against information is a futile one, anyway. Jurors always have important knowledge and experience they bring with them into deliberations; knowledge and experience that often escapes the awareness - hence the control - of the judge and attorneys. The Internet is going to take us a long way towards setting us free from controlled jury ignorance.
Judges and lawyers need to get used to it.

The editorial he cites can be found here. Well done, as usual, Paul.

:: Walter 3:44 PM [+] ::
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Drug War Victims

When the drug warriors aren't helping create a black market in illegal drugs, wasting tax money, diverting police resources from real criminals, or sending innocent people to prison in large numbers, they can occasionally be found killing innocent bystanders.

Who's an innocent bystander, you ask? Baptist missionaries in Peru mistaken for drug runners. Ismael Mena, a Denver resident at home one day when police mistakenly raided his house - they had the wrong address. Or these people here, and even more here. Total casualties listed at the links above :

16 Dead, four wounded. I didn't count the ones where the victims had some drugs, just the ones clearly uninvolved with the drug trade.

Inspired by Kim du Toit's goblin count.

:: Walter 8:08 PM [+] ::
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The Government You Deserve

The Manhattan Libertarian Party today protested a proposed toy gun ban by distributing toy guns to children as school let out. They may have made a tactical mistake picking a Harlem school. Parents showed up to confront the protesters, and even accused them of being (groan) racist. These people deserve the government they get. Read the story and see the sickening video here. I have have to admit that I chuckled on seeing the befuddled look on the Libertarians' faces when they were confronted by an angry mob - the people they were trying to help.

:: Walter 6:40 PM [+] ::
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That's a Hoot

Some readers may remember a little tiff between Jen and Wilde a few months ago. The second chapter of the story can be found at The World Wider Ant. It just keeps getting funnier.

:: Walter 8:20 PM [+] ::
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'Compassionate Conservatism' and Fascism

Arthur Silber has been writing about the underlying principles of 'compassionate conservatism,' and finds they are similar to the principles of fascism. He concludes:

And I have to emphasize again: it is long past time for people to think about political issues in terms of the fundamental principles involved. Does this government program acknowledge man's rights and protect them -- or does it attack and erode those rights? Does this new set of regulations, imposing even more restrictions on yet another industry, respect and encourage freedom -- or does it hamper man's productive ability, and deny man certain essential aspects of his freedom?
It will only be when a significant number of men learn to think in terms of principles in this manner that we might begin to be safe from the encroachments of an ever-growing, ever-more-powerful centralized government. Until that day comes, we will continue to drift toward a fascist-socialist state. That has been the slow trend of the last 50 years -- and these "compassionate conservatives" are doing all they can to speed up that trend, and to destroy what remains of your freedom. And do not forget that a number of these conservatives support a mandatory draft, and proclaim the virtues of censorship. If either of those measures were to come to pass, the future of freedom would be bleak, indeed.
But I will fight these trends in every way I can, and I know that there are a number of people also concerned with man's rights, and with liberty, who will join me in that fight -- and that a significant number of them have been fighting for this particular cause for many, many years.

Note how he describes our course as a 'drift toward a fascist-socialist state.' I think this supports my contention that the struggle isn't the false left vs right dichotomy, but a fight between those of us who understand and support freedom, and those who either don't understand or don't care about it.
A perfect example of the latter category is found in the comments section of Arthur's blog, asking:

Devoting more money to slowing the spread of AIDS in Africa is the leading edge of Nazism? Care for the aged, public education of gifted children, and the prevention of child labor are social evils simply because the Nazi party paid lip service to those goals?

As Arthur notes, it's not the German Nazis specifically but all fascist movements who believe that the rights of individuals are subservient to the greater needs of society. I won't pretend to do Arthur's argument justice, it's best to go read his entire article.

:: Walter 5:05 PM [+] ::
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Meet Steve Kubby

A drug war refugee.

:: Walter 7:34 AM [+] ::
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Art as Propaganda

Peking Duck has some very interesting, very disturbing examples of posters from North Korea.

:: Walter 7:58 PM [+] ::
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Clever

I just found his blog this morning, and already Glen has one of my favorite posts.

:: Walter 9:26 PM [+] ::
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Speaking of Blogs

Why doesn't David Boaz have one? He does have an article published yesterday on FOXNews.com concerning the logical disconnect in the pro-choice side of the abortion debate. An excerpt:

Too many people these days think "choice" only refers to abortion. I'd like to hear a presidential candidate say, "I believe in a woman's right to choose. I believe in a woman's right to choose whether to have a child. I believe in a woman's right to choose any job someone will hire her for. I believe in a woman's right to choose to own a gun. I believe in a woman's right to choose the school she thinks is best for her child, public or private. I believe in a woman's right to choose what kinds of art she will spend her money on, even if she prefers Madonna or Randy Travis and Congress wants to give her money to Robert Mapplethorpe or Luciano Pavarotti. I believe in a woman's right to choose to drive a cab, even if she doesn't have a license. I believe in a woman's right to choose the employees she wants for her business, even if they don't fit some government quota. I believe in a woman's right to choose the drugs she prefers for recreation, whether she chooses Coors or cocaine. I believe in a woman's right to choose how to spend all of her hard-earned money, without giving half of it to the government."

Yes, that would be logically consistent.

:: Walter 9:13 AM [+] ::
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Keeping up with the Blogworld

New to me: a blog by libertarian (why aren't they all?) economist Glen Whitman called Agoraphilia, which means a fondness for markets or open society. You were thinking it meant something else weren't you? Perv.

Also, Wilde, which had disappeared, has been replaced by the precociously named American Empire.com. Welcome back, Dustin.

:: Walter 9:02 AM [+] ::
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tbotcotw

The Blog of the Century of the Week is back. Let's hope it's permanent.

:: Walter 5:19 PM [+] ::
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Timely

With just an hour to go, I've found some vital information that will greatly enhance your appreciation of the State of the Union Address. (via Hit and Run)

:: Walter 4:58 PM [+] ::
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Common Sense

Talkleft reports a study showing that gun 'fingerprinting' in California would be impractical. The unstated side benefit is that's one less argument for gun registration.

:: Walter 8:25 PM [+] ::
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Service to the Community

I found this lovely passage at the Libertarian Rant:

Then there are the words of Rudolph Hess, who in a speech on 13 June 1936 at the launching of a training ship implored his fellow National Socialists (a.k.a. Nazis) to remember that "the greatest nationalism and the truest socialism are the same: the spirit of simple service to the community."

(From a discussion on the push to reinstate the draft in the name of 'fairness'.)

:: Walter 1:04 PM [+] ::
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Are Markets Inherently Moral?

That's the question Matt Miller asks on Tom Paine.com. Well, that's the headline to his article, and a silly question. A market is amoral, it's just an inanimate thing, a framework for action. Actions, of course, may be questioned on the basis of morality. Markets may then be used for moral or immoral actions. But Miller gets to the real question in the article:

Is the distribution of income produced by the free market presumptively moral?
People who say "yes" tend to believe there's a necessary connection between accepting markets as the best means of organizing economic life, and accepting the results that markets produce as making moral sense....
On this view, market outcomes reward virtues and qualities that it is right to reward -- things like work, responsibility, thrift, innovation and risk-taking. You can reject markets, they say, but you can't accept them (as most Americans do) and then deny that their distributional results have some claim to being considered presumptively fair.

Ah, yes I can. I will emphatically state that life, and markets, are unfair. Some people become wealthy without merit, some are poor without blame. But no one has come up with any economic system that guarantees completely merit based outcomes. Miller continues:

We also note the obvious: The distribution of income in free markets is affected dramatically by factors beyond the virtues cited above -- such as a person's inherited brains, health, talents, wealth and looks, as well as the family into which one is born and the early schooling one is given.
These are things for which people can't take credit or be blamed. Given how heavily these morally arbitrary factors influence the distribution if income, it's silly, we argue, to think that market outcomes could be presumptively moral.

Let me repeat, actions are subject to moral judgement. Outcomes are amoral, although outcomes may be greatly affected by the morality of the actions from whence they are produced. Let's examine, briefly, the actions necessary to circumvent free markets, namely, someone must forcibly curtail the free interaction of people. That is immoral in itself. The moral superiority of free markets is based on the morality of actions, not results. That means if the actors in a market are acting honestly, morally, interference in that market is immoral, as that interference constitutes a violation of the personal rights of the actors.

:: Walter 7:02 PM [+] ::
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Women V.S. Men on the PGA Tour

Last year Connecticut club pro Suzy Whaley won the local PGA section championship, which earned her a spot in this year's Hartford Open, a PGA tour event. She is the first female to qualify for a PGA event in many years. The odds of her being successful there are monumentally long, as women play from shorter tees at section events, but she will have to play from the back tees with the men at the Hartford Open. I wish her the best of luck, it took a lot of guts to agree to compete in Hartford.

Annika Sorenstam, however, is by far the best woman golfer out there. If any stand a chance competing against the men, it would be her. And now, she's expressing an interest doing so. As a professional golfer, I welcome the competition between the sexes, as I feel it can only strengthen the public interest in the game.

To add to the intrigue, a Hawaiian thirteen year old girl named Michelle Wie is doing things perhaps never before seen from a girl that age, including a credible attempt to qualify for the Sony Open. She fired a 73, not good enough to make it, but outrageously good for a female playing from the men's championship tees. Did I mention she's only thirteen years old? Sheesh.

:: Walter 9:58 AM [+] ::
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Retaliation

Libertarian candidates fared pretty well in Colorado in last November's elections. Not surprisingly, the result is a bill in the State House designed to make minor party ballot access much more difficult. The bill is designated HB03-1142 (PDF file)

A Green Party activist e-mails:

This change will supersede our bylaws and require us to implement many layers of organization, including having a county central committee for each county, a state central committee, a congressional central committee, a state senatorial central committee, a state representative district central committee, and a judicial district central committee, each of which has a prescribed membership and officers, to make a lot of organizational decisions. There are filing requirements for each and most of these committees have their own bylaws, as well. We won't be able to keep up with this,...

Libertarians will have similar difficulties. Only a party with thousands of involved activists can keep up with those sorts of requirements. Even the largest upstart political party will have trouble creating such a large organization. We'll fight it, of course. Letters to the editor, a campaign to write and call the legislators, whatever we can think of. But when we started to put together a strong Libertarian party we knew there would be consequences. Dems and Repubs don't like the competition.

:: Walter 10:09 PM [+] ::
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Justice Inches Forward

One Mr. Amini has been granted a new trial, according to The Rocky Mountain News:

A lawyer asked the interpreter if he remembered when the judge was questioning the defendant.
The answer: "I suppose if he asked him, yes the answer, but if he asked him a question the answer is yes, but if I remember vividly because basically Mr. Amini was not on the stand during the trial, that's because of that I say I don't remember that because he was not on the stand if I do remember."
Translation of that quality is why Mohammad Naim Amini, a native of Afghanistan who speaks Dali, won a new trial Thursday.

According to a December Westword article, the evidence against Amini wasn't very convincing and he didn't realize the charges were being taken seriously until perhaps it was too late. That can happen when you don't speak English and your translator is incompetent.

It's worth noting that Amini's appeal lawyer is Paul Grant, former chair of the Colorado Libertarian Party and a strong civil rights defender. Congratulations to Paul on a job well done.

:: Walter 4:02 PM [+] ::
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Socialism in Action

“It's one of the worst, if not the worst situation — human rights abuse situation — in the world today,” - Sen. Sam Brownback.

“They trained me not to treat the prisoners as human beings. If someone is against socialism, if someone tries to escape from prison, then kill him.” - Gulag guard Ahn.

Via Jim Henley.

:: Walter 10:04 AM [+] ::
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Mad About MADD

Them Durn Lib'ruls lists some of the sins of MADD. There's probably a lot of well intentioned folk who support MADD without realizing what they're up to these days. MADD is part of the problem, not the solution.

:: Walter 10:20 PM [+] ::
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David Bryant

The longtime Colorado Libertarian activist has a web page. I just became aware of it over the weekend. He's writing a synopsis of Ludwig von Mises' Human Action, just as a hobby. I wish I had so much energy, not to mention his expertise on economics.
He should have a blog.

:: Walter 9:57 AM [+] ::
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I'll Referee

As an anti-left, anti-right Libertarian, (and anti-Dems and Repubs as well) I'm a natural arbitrator to judge left vs right arguments. I can hear howls of protest from both groups now... but any way I'll do my best.

TalkLeft and others have noted that the Bush administration is packing the Justice Department with ideology based picks. This is probably not a good thing.
The left's protestations seem a bit much. The Washington Post reports:

The administrative changes have alarmed some current and former Justice employees, especially those who identify themselves as Democrats, who said the previous version of the program was highly regarded and had the crucial benefit of being separated from any hint of politics.

This just doesn't pass the smell test. I suspect Democrats were happy with prior administrations' hiring methods because it produced their desired ideological results. The Bush administration is unhappy with those hires for the same reasons.

Either way I'm not happy with the Justice Department.

:: Walter 9:26 AM [+] ::
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Two in Three Years

I'm sure a thousand blogs will link to this, but it warms my heart to report:

In a virtual repeat of a scenario played out less than three years ago, Adams shot and killed an armed man Thursday night who allegedly tried to hold up the store Adams has owned for a quarter century...
The Korean War veteran grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun with one hand. Using his other to guide his walker, he walked to the front of the store and fired a single shot.

War veteran, walker in one hand, shotgun in the other. A single shot that hits two bad guys. Truth stranger than fiction, yada, yada, yada. God is good.

:: Walter 9:40 PM [+] ::
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Peking Duck

Apparently, this site may no longer be viewed in China. There goes my readership.

Can anyone take the Chinese government seriously when they're afraid of any open discourse whatsoever?

:: Walter 9:22 PM [+] ::
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Matthew Edgar

...has one of the best blogs you've never read. He says he's going to post more often in the new year. Go offer him some encouragement.

:: Walter 8:02 PM [+] ::
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Charity Begins at Home

Diane Carman's Sunday column explains how Denver area voters are better than others in Colorado because we steal more from our neighbors.

Sunday, January 05, 2003 - This past week, Colorado achieved yet another dubious distinction as the worst state in America for public support of the arts. We spend 26 cents a year per capita on the arts. And that's before the legislature meets to hack another $80 million from the overall budget.
We also rank near the bottom in support for higher education, elementary and secondary education, libraries, indigent health care, mental health programs and a whole range of public institutions.
As a state, we aim low. Then we start cutting.
But not all of Colorado has been so miserly. For 15 years, voters in the Denver area have consistently supported public investment to enhance our quality of life, improve the state's economy and attract private investment.
Without us, Colorado would be a much different place. Picture Alabama with snow.

Heh, nice dig at Alabama.

Of course, Colorado residents support the arts financially at a rate much higher than 26 cents a head. Either that or I paid for 120 years worth last time I went to the symphony. In Carman's world, private money doesn't count. Denver's public arts funding supports a very expensive Center for Performing Arts that serves as a playground for the well heeled in the metro area. A subsidy for the entertainment of the wealthy, if you please. Colorado state government is in a budget crunch, and cuts have to be made somewhere. This seems a good place to start.

:: Walter 8:41 AM [+] ::
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Durn Lib'ruls

On said blog:

Well I finally went and done it. I added a link to Instapundit. Even though the Professor of Knox Vegas is an unrepentant right-winger,...

That's not all. There's also a new link to this blog. These two, mine and Instapundit, make up a catagory by themselves according to Durn Lib'ruls. I hope that doesn't mean they think I'm a right winger. Egads.

UPDATE: Lib'ruls has a created a new link category for libertarians titled 'Paul Revere.' Walter in Denver makes the cut. Cool.

:: Walter 11:28 AM [+] ::
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Guns and Golf

Occasionally I write about a subject I actually know something about. Readers may speculate how this would set me apart from the rest of the blogosphere, but I won't join them in that speculation. So, when David Kopel mentions golf in his bi-weekly Rocky Mountain News column that would be my cue.

A short item on the front page of the Dec. 24 News sports section announced that handgun manufacturer Smith & Wesson is introducing logo-branded golf clubs. The News claimed that "Marketing analysts said the move may carry risks," and supported this claim with a quote from a single marketing consultant who compared the program to "Philip Morris putting its brand on cheese."

That was indeed a silly piece of commentary on the part of the News writer. Golfers tend to be a rather conservative lot. (No kidding?) I doubt many of them will be put off by seeing a gun maker's logo on golf clubs. What the writer probably wouldn't know is that Browning was in the clubmaking business in the 1980's. They produced an innovative and popular line of clubs which sold well, but they got out of the business after a few years.(Golf club manufacturers have notoriously small profit margins.) It seems natural that a gun manufacturer could make golf clubs. They would have the necessary metallurgical knowledge in-house and access to the foundries needed for actual production.
My first set of new clubs were Browning 500's, bought in 1985. Good luck to Smith & Wesson.

:: Walter 9:57 AM [+] ::
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I Have Won A Major Award

OK, not exactly. Beanless Chili (chile!) wins the award. Still, I can hope for one of these.

:: Walter 7:45 PM [+] ::
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About Time

South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow has pardoned libertarian and AIM activist Russell Means. From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

The Means pardon deals with a felony conviction for riot to obstruct justice. The law was repealed by the Legislature in the late '70s, but with no retroactive provision for those convicted, Means said.
He recalls the incident in the Sioux Falls courtroom.
"I refused to stand up for Judge Joe Bottum. There is no crime for not standing up for a judge, but it is a polite show of respect. So he sent in the riot police to deal with us, and we (Means' supporters - W.) beat up the riot police," Means said. "I did my time, one year, three days, 22 hours in the Sioux Falls penitentiary."

Means probably committed other felonies in his younger days - his autobiography is full of sordid tales. The charge for which he was actually imprisoned is bogus. Federal and local authorities pulled out all the stops to try to convict Means of something, anything, but that was the only charge that stuck.

:: Walter 9:41 PM [+] ::
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