Subtle Rantings

Found this free inmate locator website today: http://inmatesplus.com/

So if you’re looking for that long, lost cousin of your’s, check there, because hey, you never know.

Popularity: 8% [?]

A Tucson homeowner, alerted of an impending home invasion by his home security cameras, arms himself and takes matters into his hands last Thursday when four armed suspects attempt to break into his home.

I’m sure all four of these criminals purchased their weapons legally right? If only we had stricter gun control laws then maybe they wouldn’t have these awful firearms. /sarcasm

Popularity: 9% [?]

I am by no means an Obama fan, but I also don’t wish harm upon him, much less that he was aborted. This is the verbiage from the YouTube submission:

NBC Sacks Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad

Network Nixes Commercial Celebrating Potential of Life

CHICAGO, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — NBC has rejected an uplifting and positive pro-life ad submitted for its Super Bowl broadcast this Sunday. After several days of negotiations, an NBC representative in Chicago told CatholicVote.org today that NBC and the NFL are not interested in advertisements involving “political advocacy or issues.”

Brian Burch, President of CatholicVote.org reacted: “There is nothing objectionable in this positive, life-affirming advertisement. We show a beautiful ultrasound, something NBC’s parent company GE has done for years. We congratulate Barack Obama on becoming the first African-American President. And we simply ask people to imagine the potential of every human life.”

“NBC told CatholicVote.org that they do not allow political or issue advocacy advertisements. But that’s not what they told PETA,” said Burch. “There’s no doubt that PETA is an advocacy group. NBC rejected PETA’s ad for another reason altogether.”

According to an email posted on PETA.org, Victoria Morgan, Vice President of Advertising Standards for Universal, said: “The PETA spot submitted to Advertising Standards depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards.” Morgan even detailed “edits that need to be made” in order for the spot to run during the Super Bowl.

“NBC claims it doesn’t allow advocacy ads, but that’s not true. They were willing to air an ad by PETA if they would simply tone down the sexual suggestiveness. Our ad is far less provocative, and hardly controversial by comparison,” said Burch.

“The purpose of our new ad is to spread a message of hope about the potential of every human life, including the life of Barack Obama,” said Burch. “We are now looking at alternative venues to run the ad over the next several weeks.”

The ad aired on BET in Chicago on Inauguration Day. It has become an Internet hit with over 700,000 views in seven days. The ad was in the top 10 “most viewed” category on YouTube on Inauguration Day last week.

The ad reads: “This child’s future is a broken home. He will be abandoned by his father. His single mother will struggle to raise him. Despite the hardships he will endure…this child…will become…the 1st African-American President.” The ad concludes with the tagline, “Life: Imagine the Potential.” The ad is the first of several ads in new campaign launched by CatholicVote.org.

The ad can be viewed at www.CatholicVote.org — a project of the Fidelis Center for Law and Policy.

SOURCE Fidelis Center for Law & Policy

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This is a post by guest author “Subnet”. This post has been edited somewhat to change the language and fix some obvious typos and such.

Stop asking the police to fix things. I’m serious.

“When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”

I’ve come to the realization that we’ve really fu***d up. I was reading the thread about the women in Stark county that were forcibly stripped naked, and I realized this is our fault. We keep asking the police and the government to solve our problems, and the fact is…they can’t. They shouldn’t. They’re ill equipped to do it. Every single time a statistically rare incident occurs, we scream “Do something! Fix this!”. And they eventually do, except it tends to create new problems. And when these new problems surface, what do we do? We blame them again, and scream “Fix this!”. And so it goes.

A woman hints that maybe she’d like to off herself, after she’s taken into custody. The subtle hints are dismissed or ignored. She eventually uses her clothes to hang herself. What do we do? We scream “FIX THIS! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!!”. We cheer loudly when the police department is sued, for not protecting someone in their custody. In response to this “problem”, the police reaction is predictable – “We will carefully evaluate your mental state, as best we can. If you so much as HINT or even JOKE about harming yourself…screw it. We’re not taking any chances. You’ll be wearing a paper suit, whether you like it or not”. Well eventually, this means a few women get forcibly stripped against their will (for their own safety…remember, we’re asking the police to solve a problem), and the result? Videos of women screaming as their clothes are being torn off. And our response? “FIX THIS!” Ugh.

We all hate drunk drivers. Every single time a drunk kills an innocent person, we scream for blood. We demand that the police fix this. Over the years, how have they (the government) attempted to do this? By forcing you to accept breath and blood tests, as a condition of having a driver’s license. By setting up road blocks to catch drunks (and anything else that happens to crop up, since they’ve got your attention). By lowering the BAC limit to catch even more. By following you on the way home from the bar. By making it illegal to operate while intoxicated on private property. By withholding federal highway dollars if you don’t enact certain laws. By making it illegal to drive stone cold sober with an open beer in the car. By making it illegal for a passenger to drink, even while the driver hasn’t had a drop.

Don’t like any of this? Tough. You keep asking for it. With each story of a drunk driver killing an innocent person, you keep asking the government to do MORE. MORE. MORE. I’ve got news for you – ~16,000 people a year die in alcohol related motor vehicle crashes. Statistically, this is pretty insignificant. My favorite aunt was killed by a drunk driver running from the cops, while her children watched from the living room window, so spare me your personal stories. And there is only ONE way this number is going to go down – the further erosion of your liberty. I’m telling you as sure as I’m sitting here, the government can nearly eliminate DUI deaths, but you’re not going to like what they’ll have to do to make it happen. You’d have to shred the Constitution to pull it off. Your call.

We all hate what drugs do to the people around them. And again, over the years, we’ve DEMANDED that government fix this. And they’re ordering the police to “do something” to appease the never ending cry to eliminate drugs in this country. When you get pulled over and the officer is asking to search your car, do you know what he’s looking for? Contraband. Drugs that shouldn’t be illegal in the first place, and guns that shouldn’t be illegal in the first place. When you’ve got a LOT of cash on you, and you’re asked to prove where you got it, do you know why? It’s because you’re suspected of selling drugs. When you’re sitting there refusing to allow your car to be searched, and you’re waiting until the K9 shows up, do you know why? Drugs. Do you think they’re looking for a stolen toaster?

Do you know why doors are kicked down, with no announcement made? Drugs. Do you know why virtually EVERY new exception and interpretation of the 4th amendment came about, by necessity? Drugs. Do you know why the police seem inclined to search a home, based on the shaky word of an anonymous letter? Drugs. Do you know why ghetto gobblins shoot each other up over financial disagreements, causing people to call for the further restriction of your gun rights? Drugs. Do you know why asset forfeiture laws have become so liberalized? Drugs. Do you know why you have to sign a piece of paper to get fucking cough medicine? Drugs.

The courts are CONSTANTLY having to redefine the original intent of the Constitution, and they’re doing this out of necessity. We keep asking them to, and we’re getting what we’ve asked for. It is a fact that you cannot be free, while at the same time not allowing *some* people to be free to do things that piss you off. It is a fact that you can not interpret the Constitution strictly with religious fervor, and ask that the government solve the drug problem – or most any problem. The two are completely incompatible. If your freedoms are “kind of” eroded, then the drug problem will be “kind of” fixed. There are very simple ways to completely (or close to it) eliminate drugs in this country, but it is absolutely impossible to do this, and allow the citizenry to live in any way that even remotely resembles freedom.

Decide how much freedom you think you can part with, in exchange for safety. Because you can not have liberal amounts of both. At some point, you’re going to have to declare that you and your family are “safe enough”. You’re going to have to decide how much risk is permissible. But know this – if your answer is “not safe enough yet”, and you ask the government to “fix this”, I promise you they WILL, and I’m reasonably certain you won’t like the results.

You made your bed, now lie in it. Or, hear my plea – STOP asking the government to solve what you perceive to be wrongs in society. Because they just might do just that.

I can absolutely guarantee the safety and security of a slave. The only person who would be able to harm him…is me.

Popularity: 9% [?]

“The typical individual is addicted to low quality leisure. He watches prime time television. He reads very little. He does not subscribe to economic newsletters or spend much time on financial web sites. He does not think about the distant future, which he defines as anything beyond this month’s paycheck.” – Dr. Gary North

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In typical common sense is dead fashion, a new federal law could outlaw all sales of used toys, clothing and other baby items. The new law mandates that all products sold for children ages 12 and younger must be tested for lead and other harmful chemicals.

What does this mean? From an LA Times article:

Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children’s clothing.

Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater! In this economic downturn, now is the time to be penalizing the cash strapped lower and middle class by getting rid of thrift store bargains?

Another perspective is what this does for consignment shops and handmade goods dealers like Etsy. This new law could completely shut down Etsy, who has been serving as an eBay type of marketplace for handmade goods. Which brings up another question: where did this law originate? Is it simply consumer protection gone awry? Or is there a little more to it?

With the recent news of eBay’s former president and CEO Meg Whitman preparing to run for governor in California, could she in some way have used her political ties to introduce and push legislative approval for this law? You might ask what’s the incentive or motivation for her to do this? Simple, eliminate the competition. Etsy and other online marketplaces are popping up left and right which are taking customers and revenue away from eBay daily. Conspiracy theory? Most likely, but still worth noting.

On the other hand, barring the prohibition of handmade “non-certified” goods, couldn’t consignment sales keep selling clothes that were already certified? Once a piece of clothing is certified, it’s always certified right? There still exists the major issue though that this will literally shutter tons of mom and pop shops who make handmade custom goods who can’t afford the cost prohibitive certification testing. Talk about killing capitalism and the pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps mentality. Oh well, that actually goes well with the mentality of the new administration that’s coming into office on January 20th.

For more information see the following links:

LA Times – New safety rules for children’s clothes have stores in a fit
Baby Cheapskate – End of Second Hand Clothing and Toys?
Simple Dollar

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My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary.

Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary for Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsening his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their spoiled and self-important children. It declined even further when schools were required to get written parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to students, but were restricted from informing parents when their child became pregnant and skipped class to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, schools were forbidden to fail students who couldn’t read and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a severe beating when home owners were forbidden from using force against an attacker in their own home but the burglar was legally allowed to sue a home owner if he was injured on their property during the commission of the crime. NOTE: Has been “fixed” in Texas.

Common Sense finally died after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was actually hot and, when spilled in her lap while she was trying to drink and drive at the same time, was burned and promptly awarded a huge financial settlement in court.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I’m a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Popularity: 8% [?]

This quote from a founder of a company that partnered with Washington Mutual. If you don’t know WaMu was one of the failed banks that you’ll find on the FDIC Failed Bank List.

“It was the Wild West. If you were alive, they would give you a loan. Actually, I think if you were dead, they would still give you a loan.” – Steven M. Knobel, a founder of the appraisal company Mitchell, Maxwell & Jackson, that did business with Washington Mutual (WaMu) until 2007, as quoted by The New York Times

They assumed the risk by making shady/greedy lending moves to risky people. That was stupid. That was a mistake driven by greed. Let them fail. It’s called personal accountability and responsibility.

Popularity: 8% [?]

In other example of complete government bureaucracy and inefficiency, staff at the New York Daily News effectively “stole” the Empire State building in 90 minutes.

The New York Daily News drew up fake documents, created a bogus notary stamp and filed paperwork with the city and successfully took ownership of the $2 billion property on Monday.

It seems the clerks of New York City aren’t required to actually verify any information when certain requests are made. Just 90 minutes after first walking in the door, the newspaper managed to get the Empire State building transferred from the Empire State Land Associates to it’s fake company, Neolots Properties, LLC.

One quote from the newspaper states that “Of course, stealing the Empire State Building wouldn’t go unnoticed for long, but it shows how easy it is for con artists to swipe more modest buildings right out from under their owners.”

Source: Fox News

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“Let them fail; let everybody fail! I made my fortune when I had nothing to start with, by myself and my own ideas. Let other people do the same thing. If I lose everything in the collapse of our financial structure, I will start in at the beginning and build it up again.” – Henry Ford. February 11, 1934

Popularity: 10% [?]