We haven't had a Mark Steyn piece in a while. It appears he doesn't approve of the current economic situation.
The American Dream, 2011: You pay four bucks a gallon to commute between your McJob and your underwater housing to prop up a spendaholic, grabafeelic, paramilitarized bureaucracy-without-end bankrupting your future at the rate of a fifth of a billion dollars every hour.
In a sane world, Americans would be outraged at the government waste that confronts them everywhere you turn: The abolition of the federal Education Department and the TSA is the very least they should be demanding. Instead, our elites worry about sea levels.
The oceans will do just fine. It's America that's drowning.
#1
Read it all, and thank your lucky stars Steyn doesn't write for the Dims.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/11/2011 9:25 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Where have all the flowers gone?
Between Carter and Clinton and now Obama, we are enjoying the rotten fruits of their collective efforts. The Carter-era Community Reinvestment Act forced banks to lend to uncreditworthy borrowers, mostly in minority areas. Clinton, 1994, spoke before a national conference, and basically said everyone should own a house (chicken in every pot notion). James Johnson, from Fannie Mae, had come up with the machinery to do it (Currently he is attending the Bilderberg Conference). Regulators were told to stfu and get out of the way. Lobbyists were used with great skill. Laws and regulations were relaxed. The lines between Wall Street and national government got blurred.
The result: The greatest looting of money the world has ever known and the breaking of our economy. Obamacare is just the final straw to topple the remains of the economy.
All of these SOBs who have there fingerprints on this debacle shouldn't be allowed near government for the rest of their lives. Prison sentences ought to be considered. They are no different than Madoff IMO.
#9
Millions will die because of this POS government. The leaders thereof should be hunted down after the collapse and put down like dogs when we are all forced to live like animals.
Treat these leaders like Amalek - leading us back into slavery.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is from Knoxville. He was our mayor until he ran for governor. His family founded Pilot Oil Company after WWII. The family has contributed to the community and to the University of Tennessee.
Haslam's legislature veered right (Republican) after the 2008 Republican landslide. This was the first time the legislature went Republican since just after the Civil War--just to give an idea of the significance of the change.
The previous Speaker of the House, "Jimmy" Naifeh was awful, IMO. He was very anti-second Amendment and most legislation never made it out of committee.
#3
That still doesn't balance the idiocy of the stupid bill they just passed that makes it a crime to post an image that offends people, like a cartoon of Mohammed...
#4
OS, if they start trowing people who collect contributions for Hamas (or Lashkar-e-Taiba) into jail, I---for one---will be able to control the urge to post big M's pics.
#5
#3 That still doesn't balance the idiocy of the stupid bill they just passed that makes it a crime to post an image that offends people, like a cartoon of Mohammed..
Sometimes we don't get it right. A summary of the bill:
*HB 0300 by *Curtiss, Moore, Hardaway, Dean, Brooks H, Montgomery, Todd, Lollar, Hurley, Watson, Maggart, White, Sanderson, Eldridge, Camper, Lundberg, Womick, Wirgau, Shipley, Sexton, Powers, Halford, Miller D, Sargent, Favors, Brown, Elam, Gotto, Fitzhugh, Roach, Weaver, McDonald. (SB 0487 by *Ketron, Marrero , Barnes, Burks, Ford, Harper, Haynes, Stewart.)
Criminal Offenses - As enacted, broadens offense of harassment to include certain electronic communication with or about another person or transmission or display of certain images; in certain circumstances, allows law enforcement to access log files, images or communications posted on social network services' Web sites. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 3.
Fiscal Summary
NOT SIGNIFICANT
Bill Summary
This bill makes it a delinquent act, punishable only by fine of $100 or 20 hours of community service, for a minor to frighten, intimidate or emotionally distress a person by communicating with or about that person, or transmitting or displaying an image, by electronic device, without legitimate purpose:
(1) With the malicious intent to frighten, intimidate or cause emotional distress; or
(2) In a manner the minor knows, or reasonably should know, would frighten, intimidate or cause emotional distress to a similarly situated person of reasonable sensibilities.
Under present law, the conduct described above that relates to communications between an offender and a victim constitutes the Class A misdemeanor "harassment." Under this bill, harassment will continue to be a Class A misdemeanor when committed by an adult. This bill adds communicating about a person, or transmitting or displaying an image by electronic device to the types of conduct that will constitute harassment when done with the requisite intent as described above.
This bill requires that any Internet service provider that operates a social networking site and that has server computers located in Tennessee must make images and communications that have been posted to the social network Web site available for inspection by the district attorney based on a reasonable belief by the district attorney that the information sought is not privileged, the evidence sought is essential to the completion of an investigation or prosecution, and there is no other feasible alternative to obtain the information.
ON APRIL 21, 2011, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 300, AS AMENDED.
AMENDMENT #1 makes various changes to the bill, as described below.
Under the bill, the offense described in the above bill summary does not apply to a telecommunications, broadband or other similar service provider acting solely as an intermediary for transmission of electronic communications or images. This amendment instead specifies that such offense would not apply to an entity providing an electronic communications service to the public acting in the normal course of providing that service.
Under the bill, any Internet service provider that operates a social networking site and that has server computers located in Tennessee must make images and communications that have been posted to the social network Web site available for inspection by the district attorney based on a reasonable belief by the district attorney that the information sought is not privileged; the evidence sought is essential to the completion of an investigation or prosecution; and there is no other feasible alternative to obtain the information.
This amendment revises this requirement to instead require any electronic communications service provider that operates a social networking site and that provides services to consumers in this state to disclose images and communications that have been posted to the social network Web site to any governmental entity responsible for enforcing the offense under the bill, only if the governmental entity:
(1) Obtains a warrant issued using this state's warrant procedures by a court of competent jurisdiction;
(2) Obtains a court order for the disclosure; or
(3) Has the consent of the person who sent, posted or displayed any log files and images or communications on the social network service's Web site maintained by the electronic communications service provider.
This amendment specifies that no cause of action would lie in any court against any provider of an electronic communications service, its officers, employees, agent, or other specified persons for providing information, facilities, or assistance in accordance with the terms of a court order or warrant.
A court order for disclosure under this amendment may be issued by any court that is a court of competent jurisdiction and may be issued only if the governmental entity offers specific and articulable facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the contents of an electronic communication, or the records or other information sought, are relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation. A court order may not issue if prohibited by the law of this state. A court issuing such an order, on a motion made promptly by the service provider, may quash or modify the order, if the information or records requested are unusually voluminous in nature or compliance with the order would otherwise cause an undue burden on the provider.
ON MAY 12, 2011, THE SENATE SUBSTITUTED HOUSE BILL 300 FOR SENATE BILL 487, ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1 AND #2, AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 300, AS AMENDED.
AMENDMENT #1 specifies that the delinquent act created by the bill would be punishable by "up to 30 hours of community service", instead of by "a fine of $100 or 20 hours of community service".
AMENDMENT #2 revises this bill and expands present law by classifying as the offense of harassment the displaying of an image in a manner in which there is a reasonable expectation that the image will be viewed by the victim by telephone, in writing or by electronic communication, without legitimate purpose and:
(1) With the malicious intent to frighten, intimidate or cause emotional distress; or
(2) In a manner the defendant knows, or reasonably should know, would frighten, intimidate or cause emotional distress to a similarly situated person of reasonable sensibilities; and
(3) As the result of the communication, the person is frightened, intimidated or emotionally distressed.
This bill doesn't seem like it can pass Constitutional muster if challenged, but then you never know.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
