No One Gets In Karl’s Way

Read this story about Karl Malone’s efforts to volunteer in helping Katrina victims. Apparently FEMA didn’t have any better success in their attempts at stopping him than Dennis Rodman ever did.

Vat Grown Meat

I was following up on the story below at Hit and Run when I came across this post.

Vat grown meat is the creepiest coolest idea I’ve heard in a while. Read the above linked post.

The Republicrats

From The Washington Times:

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an “ongoing victory,” and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget.

One popular TV commentator (who asked for anonymity) pointed this idiotic statement out to me and opined:

…he’s insane saying that there is no fat in the federal budget. I don’t know, why is there an HHS, Department of Education, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, PBS, etc?

I agree with my friend’s comment. None of these departments or agencies belong in a government that is “fat free”.

Even if we were to assume these programs are necessary rather than wasteful does Delay really think there is nothing the government is spending money on right now that couldn’t be trimmed? Did he read the recent transportation bill he and his party pushed through?

I could go off on a rant here about recent examples of government waste we’ve all seen in the news or examples I saw every day as a government contractor with the State Department for five years but I won’t.

Hopefully the absurdity of this stands out without me getting all wordy on you…

Questions for Judge Roberts

A lot of people are upset that Roberts will almost certainly follow the precedent set by earlier nominees to the surpreme court of not answering questions posed to them in their Senate confirmation hearings regarding their interpretation of the Constitution. I am among those people.

I wish 6 Republican senators would realize the importance of their responsibility and tell the President that this tradition is over…that they won’t vote for Roberts if he doesn’t answer all questions posed to him in his confirmation hearings. If this were to happen the Senate could be more than the grumpy rubber stamp it will most certainly be for Roberts, it could truely perform is function of advise and consent.

Update:

Here are some awesome questions Roberts should be required to answer. To bad he’d dodge these the same as he is dodging the questions that the baby killers pro-abortion senators want him to answer.

Update 2:

It turns out that a lot of the credit for these “learn nothing about the prospective justice” confirmation hearings goes to one of my least favorite Senators. Thanks again Orrin.

Needless Refugees

In New Orleans soldiers and police are forcefully removing people from their homes…even in areas where the homes and streets are undamaged from the hurricane. Troops are also ordered to confiscate all weapons…even those legally registered (I’m betting those were the first to be taken) so that only troops and police are armed.

Here is the Washington Post’s account.

Outside Kajun’s Pub, between the relatively dry French Quarter and the heavily flooded Ninth Ward, bar owner JoAnn Guidos loaded up her 1991 Ford Econoline van with clothing, liquor and other necessities Thursday morning. After holding out for 10 days, Guidos and her friends were finally leaving New Orleans and heading to high ground.

The beer was still cold, thanks to a working generator, and hopes for customers were strong as the flood-ravaged city fills with thirsty soldiers and emergency workers.

But on Wednesday night, Guidos said, armed federal agents identifying themselves as U.S. marshals confiscated her weapons and ordered her and six friends to leave by noon Thursday.

“When you get 15 M-16s pointed at you and they line you up against the wall, it’s kind of scary,” said Guidos, 55.

With floodwaters continuing to recede and cleanup efforts beginning in earnest, police and the military set out on an aggressive door-to-door campaign here Thursday, urging remaining residents to leave or be removed by force.

What is the point of removing people from their homes and businesses when they aren’t in the way?

Can you imagine being evicted from your home at gunpoint and told to leave town…even though your home was still intact and you didn’t have any other place to go? Even people with water and food storage who have no need of the public utilities are being forced from their homes and businesses to become refugees. Who does this benefit? What public good does this serve? I think its pretty creepy.

9/13/2005 Update:

Here’s some video footage Radley Balko posted at his site of someone being forcefully removed from her home.