Violence against police

Chicago police warn violence against law enforcement possible after shooting video released

By issuing this memo, the Chicago police are implying that the release of such videos endanger officer lives. However, this is not the case. When the police are prompt in their release of evidence, and take appropriate action against suspect officers in a timely fashion, the public sees that the law applies to all – even the police. Such actions legitimize law enforcement and bolster public confidence that justice will eventually be done. This serves to minimize the desire (or need) for the public to take it upon themselves to exact revenge.

On the other hand, withholding video for more than a year and releasing it only upon order of a judge,  waiting to charge an officer until only after being forced to release the visual evidence of their crime, and hiding a concerted effort by police officers to mislead the public – well, that is a very different set of circumstances.

The prompt release of video evidence and the timely prosecution of rogue officers will reduce the potential for violence against officers. To imply otherwise is irresponsible.

Sorry, dude, but…

…it’s not your money.

From Fox news: Teen says he was fired from Jack-in-the-Box for serving free tacos to veteran

I believe in supporting our veterans – they have a tough job to do in keeping us safe. However, such support is voluntary and it is inappropriate for you to force someone else to support your cause. What if I took money out of your wallet to support my cause? How would you feel then? And it does not matter that your employer can afford such a donation, so don’t go down that route…

It would have been appropriate to petition your employer to provide such benefits to veterans, but it is not your right to unilaterally volunteer their support. In the end, you are nothing more than a thief. Get off of your soapbox and apologize to all involved.

Ask and you shall receive….

Back in January, the 3rd Circuit recognized that in bankruptcy it is sometimes more important to preserve jobs – even in a reduced capacity or at reduced compensation – than lose them entirely. In their words:

“It is preferable to preserve jobs through a rejection” of the expired contract “as opposed to losing the positions permanently,” the judges wrote.

However, the union disagreed. “If we don’t get it (a new contract), shut it down.”, they exclaimed, as they walked out on strike. Well, today they got exactly what they wanted as it was announced that the iconic casino would close.

The reality is that a business concern can’t lose money and remain a viable vehicle for union employment. If the union wants compensation higher than the business can pay, given alternatives where investor money can be better spent, then it must close. It’s simple economics that the union seems to have a hard time understanding. As a result, approximately 1000 union employees are out of work.

In any event, be careful what you wish for….. your wish just might be granted.

Laws selectively enforced

The reverend Jeremy Lucas is alleged to have unlawfully transferred a firearm to another individual in Oregon state. However, since it was in the furtherance of a “liberal” goal (the destruction of the gun) it is unlikely he will be charged. If an otherwise law-abiding citizen had made the same mistake… well, you get the idea.

It is imperative that the law be applied equally to all. Otherwise, laws become the tools of those in power for targeting those with whom they disagree.

Washington state vs. environmentalists

The state of Washington has this one right: they want to shift taxes to help push carbon emissions in the desired direction. Kind of like pruning your yard to promote  desired growth, while simultaneously suppressing the undesired. However, the environmentalist groups seem to believe that they should instead increase taxes so as to fund their desired outcome – more government.

It is not the government’s responsibility to create “government” jobs. In addition, the carbon tax – if successful – will already drive jobs (at the expense of the carbon producers) into cleaner industries without government intrusion or support.

First, destroy the press…

Turkey shuts down 130 media outlets after failed military coup

“…In all, nearly 16,000 people have been detained for questioning over suspected links to the coup attempt, and about half have been arrested to face trial…”

“…Such detentions have raised concerns that people could be targeted simply for criticizing the government…”

Really? You think so? Nah… they wouldn’t do that,  would they?

One of my favorite blogs

One of my favorite blogs is Walter Olson’s Overlawyered at the Cato Institute. His commentaries on current legal issues are very informative, and written for normal people as well as lawyers. He frequently points out examples of government gone awry, or the effects of bad legislation. Very interesting blog; usually one of my first stops of the day.

Walter is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank in Washington, DC. The Cato web site can be found here.

An act of espionage…??

OK, so on a slow news day it turns out that a joke can become a major cold-war event.

By now everyone has heard about Donald Trump having “…encouraged a foreign power to conduct espionage against his political opponent…” , or so claims Hillary for America senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan. Sullivan went on to say that , “This has gone from being a matter of curiosity, and a matter of politics, to being a national security issue.” A number of press organizations latched on and repeated this claim here, here, and here to name a few. However, the truth of the matter is quite different.

What Trump actual said (according to this article) is:

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’ll be able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he said, referring to deleted emails from the private account Hillary Clinton used as secretary of State. “I think you’ll probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

He also tweeted:

If Russia or any other country or person has Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the FBI!

This is pure tongue-in-cheek, not a call for espionage. Jake Sullivan should be embarrassed for even attempting to make the claim. Such an act of absurdity on the part of the DNC shows how desperate they are to draw attention away from Hillary’s own email problems, or the leaked DNC emails showing bias against Bernie Sanders.

To make matters even more surreal, former CIA director Leon Panetta made the claim that “Donald Trump, who wants to be president of the United States, is asking one of our adversaries to engage in hacking or intelligence efforts against the United States to affect our election.” He went on to say that, “…I think that kind of statement only reflects the fact that he truly is not qualified to be president of the United States…” Really, Leon? I think the facts actually show only that you and the DNC  can’t take a joke.

Let it go, people, before you embarrass yourself further.

To hell with what the law says…

Let’s ignore the 2nd amendment issues for now. When a lawmaker decides to effectively change a law by interpreting it in a radically different way than it is written, then laws becomes an unstable foundation upon which to build a business or household. Actions such as these are a good reason to look for somewhere else to live – someplace where laws are interpreted as a clear text reading would suggest.

The Massachusetts AG has decided to interpret their “assault weapon” law as they would see fit, rather than based on what the law actually says. Their actions effectively ban all “assault” rifles, whether as described in the law as written or not. Note that the firearms in question have been considered legal since the law’s inception and widely sold in the state. It is also important to note that Massachusetts had zero  murders last year  committed with any rifle, let alone an “assault” rifle, making their expanded interpretation of the law solely an act of political grandstanding.

Air Conditioners vs. ISIS

I am aware of the dangers of CFC’s and HFC’s. However, when I read this I assumed it was a diversion  – maybe another email scandal (they seem to be common these days….).

Kerry: Air conditioners as big a threat as ISIS

The trick is that there are rational means available to deal with HFC emissions (we can phase them out in favor of more environmentally-friendly refrigerants, like we did with CFCs). However, ISIS – that’s another story. Rational solutions might not be available…!