Flying Pig Moment...

Steve Clemons, writing at the (notoriously, fatuously liberal) Puffington Host, said this:

If current trends continue, this once mesmerizing Camelot-ish operation will be be seen in the history books as the presidential administration that -- to distort slightly and inversely paraphrase Churchill -- never have so many talented people managed to achieve so little with so much.

And he's talking about the Obama administration!

Technology History: Toilet Paper...

Did you know that toilet paper was invented in 1857 – and initially was plagued with splinters?  Do you know what people did before 1857?  Read all about it in this very humerous – and informative – post...

John Murtha: Best Obituary...

This exactly expresses my sentiments, but with writing skills I can't match...

Abraham Lincoln Said...

Some quotes from Abraham Lincoln, via my mom.  They've not lost a whit of their truth in 150 years...

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

A Climate Skeptic Defends Amateur Science...

Interesting post.  It contains my quote of the day:

Making a distinction between professional and amateur in science is artificial: what matters is the 'what' of science not the 'who'.

Subversive Activities Registration Act...

The state of South Carolina has a new law on the books: the Subversive Activities Registration Act.  Basically it says that if in any way you support the notion of violent overthrow of the government at any level (even dog catcher), you must register with the state.  There's a $5 filing fee.  And the punishment for failure to register is pretty stiff: fines of up to $25,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years.

I hope – really, I hope – that the South Carolina legislature is not so naive as to believe that such a law will coerce hardened terrorists into registering themselves.  I'm guessing that what they were really after was a “hook” to let them file criminal charges against someone that law enforcement discovered who was engaged in such activities.

But here's the problem: the language in the statute is so vague, so open-ended, that almost anybody could be ensnared by it.  Just think: have you ever jokingly said something like this: that we'd be better off if a moderate sized metorite smashed the Capitol while both houses were in session?  That'd do it – you're a criminal under this statute (unless you had actually registered!), and you might be going to jail. 

This just begs for a Constitutional challenge on first amendment grounds...

Rain...

Yesterday afternoon and (especially) last night, we got a total of just under one inch (23 mm) of rain.  That brings the storm total to 2.32 inches (59 mm).  The forecast for today has a 40% chance of rain through noon (though it doesn't look like it outside), so we might even get a little more.

The total rain for the year right now stands at 8.66 inches (220 mm) – just about at the 100 year average.  And we're not quite done with the rainy season yet!