No "special" rights for journalists.

From his arguement against shield laws for journalists, Frank Cagle:

There is a false argument raging on the Internet about whether bloggers are “journalists” and whether they should be accorded the same rights and privileges. This is idiocy. The rights and privileges belong to every American citizen, whether they work for a newspaper or whether they even have a blog. For it to be any other way the government would have to be able to define what constitutes journalism. Any takers?

I am an extremist on this issue. I find it appalling that citizens have to turn out their pockets and subject themselves to a search to enter public buildings. Often, security people vet journalists and give them entrance ID’s—just like the lobbyists, the bureaucrats or the office holders. Instead of taking the ID, the journalists should be asking why lobbyists have a “get in free” card every day while average citizens “lobbying” have to be searched. Are you one of “us” or one of “them?” There are 500 lobbyists in Nashville. The assumption is made every day that they aren’t a security risk—that they don’t have a pocket knife or a can of mace. There is an assumption no legislator is “packing” a firearm, a dangerous assumption in Tennessee. But the citizens are suspects until proven innocent.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to look stupid. Part 2.

This time from a soon to be ex-congressional candidate.

From The News-Dispatch

Zirkle confirmed to The News-Dispatch on Monday he spoke Sunday in Chicago at a meeting of the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party, whose symbol is a swastika.

Wait, it gets dumber.

He also told WIMS radio in Michigan City that he didn’t believe the event he attended included people necessarily of the Nazi mindset, pointing out the name isn’t Nazi, but Nationalist Socialist Workers Party.

(via Little Green Footballs, via Ed Driscoll, via Instapundit)

Major correction to earlier post.

A recent post of mine has portions of it than have been proven to be wrong.

An update has been attached. Read here

Those who do not learn from history are bound...

... to look stupid.

Germany hosted the 1936 Olympics. Lots of drama revolved around that choice, just like China's games this year.

If the current controversies with the torch relay lead to the end of the torch relay tradition, like some are saying might happen, it would provide an interesting symmetry as the torch relay was created for the 1936 Berlin games.

Who were those masked men and women?

When the vengance of villans violates the virtues of free vocalization, one must veil their visage via the mask.

All alliteration aside, Scientology has a history of harassing its critics in and out of the courts. So now there is a movement of protestors illuminating problems with the Church of Scientology that is remains masked. Electronically distorted voices narrate YouTube videos about Scientology,. Demonstrations outside Scientology facilities have been manned by people wearing masks (and playing "Never Gonna Give You Up" on boom boxes, creating the largest public Rick-Rolls).

I doubt they were trying to emulate comic book vigilantes, (in spite of the frequent appearances of Guy Fawkes masks, as used in V for Vendetta), but the theatricality of it all captures all the trappings of them (without the fighting, of course).

Normally I find anonymous speech less persuasive and a touch cowardly. But knowing Scientology's tactics with critics. It's justified, and highlights some of what is wrong with it.

I also usually find protest movements pointless as they often do not educate or persuade anyone, and are more to make the protestors think they are actually doing something. But I the unique flair that's been brought to this anonymous campaign I think has a chance of attracting the attention of people who will then seek out the more substantive arguments against Scientology.

Maine's big in the blogosphere today for all the wrong reasons.

1. Dr. Helen alerts us that it's now a felony to look creepy in the vicinity of children in Maine.

2. Jacob Sullum at Hit and Run notices that Maine (and specifially Bangor) is leading the way in nanny-statism.

*Sigh*

Soon, you won't be able to show your face in public in Maine without violating a few laws.

UPDATE!!! : Apparently, item #1 is overstated. Dr. Helen followed up by contacting a Maine legislator's office who clarified that,...

the bill never punished mere staring or leering -- the defendant has to be touching or exposing himself, or doing something like looking over a bathroom stall wall.

a commenter in Dr. Helen's post links to the actual text of the bill confirming this.

So the law in question is not overly broad, just merely clarifying existing law as to indecent exposure to minors.

The source Dr. Helen originally learned of the law, Seacoast Online, was very sloppy in characterizing the law, and the reasons for it's passage.

Item #2 however, still stands.

Life Imitates The Plain Janes

Megan McArdle:

The background: twenty people were at the Jefferson Memorial, dancing to the private groove of their own iPods so as not to disturb anyone. Apparently cops showed up and ordered them to disperse anyway, despite the fact that they were not doing anything obviously illegal. One of the libertarians joyfully (yet tastefully and quietly) celebrating the birthday of a favorite founding father questioned why they should have to move along--at which point one of DC's finest shoved them up against a pillar, cuffed their hands behind their back, and hauled them away.

My contribution to the comments thread:

If this was fiction I'd say this story was a ripoff of The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg.
This book is about a bunch of high-school girls who get together to sneak out at night and create artistic, and mostly harmless acts of 'vandalism'. (Rearranging construction debris into pyramids, putting soap into fountains to make bubbles, etc.)
The authorities overreact at every step. At times I think the possible flaw in the story is the degree to which certain authority figures seem to take it all too seriously. Then news stories like this one come along, reminding me that the book had it all to true to life.

The Plain Janes is available at In Stock Trades and Amazon.com

DC vs Marvel = Hillary vs Obama ?

A discussion in the comments at the Absorbacscon:

Does the kind of comic books one likes correspond with ones political leanings or how one chooses a candidate?

The highlight of which is the inspirational vs. asparational observations.

The Marvel Team-Up you NEVER expected: RiffTrax: Spider-Man 3

Mike Nelson, formerly of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, continues to provide smart-alec commentary to films at RiffTrax, where you can buy MST3K-style mp3 commentary tracks to play along with your own DVD's at home.

On some of the tracks he's accompanied by either some of his former MST3K alumni, or special celebrity guests. But I never expected this:

The biggest Spiderman movie of 2007 is now the biggest Spiderman-based Rifftrax of 2008! All your favorite characters return (Hoffman, Mr. Ditkovich, Ursula) and new favorites join in the fun (Crane Operator, Emergency Room Doctor, Kid in Central Park)!

And joining Mike is writer/ newspaperman/ radio guy/ blogger extraordinaire/ podcaster/ best-selling author and uber-fan of the Spiderman series James Lileks! Just what will his reaction be when he sees what they've done to his beautiful series? Will he freak out and begin hitting Mike with a folding chair? Yes, he did, but we edited that out of this ArachnaRiffic Rifftrax and left only the funny!

(emphasis mine)

Let the Riffing (and the Bleating) begin!

You can buy the RiffTrax here.

You can (and should) read James daily at his blog, The Bleat.

Apparently she's a Cylon, and it took a while to get downloaded to the Ressurection Ship.

For quite a while now, a sizable portion of this site's traffic has been from people searching for Jocqueline Mackie Paisley Passey, as her blog disappeared from the Internet.

My mentions of her on prior occasions attracted various web searches for her, as people were looking for where she was online, and what happened to her.

Well, my favorite Libertarian/Girl-Geek/Economist/World-Traveler/Poker-Player is doing fine, and has resumed blogging.

My guess is that the return of Battlestar Galactica forced her hand. ;)

Book your flights to Earth-2 today!

Legal Crisis on Earth-Prime!!!

from Cheeseburger Gothic (emphasis mine):

There was a great story doing the rounds of the sci-tech sites that leaped across into the mass media this week. A guy in the US had gone to court in Hawaii to get an injunction against the new super collider at CERN in Europe.

He was concerned that when the collider fired up we'd all be reduced to strangelet soup. Or sucked into a black hole. Or, and this was got my attention, suddenly exposed to alternate universes.

(Via Instapundit.)

Hey, congressman Allen, what's your position on the Do Not Call List?

(The following was written on the evening of February 27th)

As I type this I'm listening to a phone call.

Apparently Tom Allen's office (either his congressional office or his campaign, I don't know which) called me with a recording announcing that I was being immediately connected to a "town hall meeting" conference call with the Congressman in progress.

I'm now listening to him answering questions (screened, of course) from other people on the call. If they are using some demographic data, or are just calling people randomly in the 1st district.

It probably is the 1st district only because they just promoted his ".gov" web address which means this isn't the senate campaign running this. Which of course means, our tax dollars are paying for this telemarketing town hall.

I really don't like unsolicited phone calls. Too many scams make use of them. (insert stock joke about big government being a scam here.)

Now the concept of a conference call town hall meeting is actually a good idea. But not trying to press-gang people into it. If I was feeling more subversive, I'd see if I could get a question about the Do Not Call List. But I just don't have it in me.

I know that the Do Not Call List is just for commercial activity, but you'd think that they'd respect the wishes of a potential voter.