Carved in stone

David Kopel:

...A perfect example of the importance of inscribing in stone the noblest statements of public virtue, so that those statements will be known to future generations, and will be used to encourage liberty and responsible self-government.

How an article from the Northwest Ordinance made its way into an amicus brief.

Posted by: Old Grouch in Linkage at 15:58:12 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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MSNBClinton

“This is the second time in a month we've caved to a political campaign, kowtowing under pressure for what were basically legitimate observations... We're not even pretending to be journalists anymore.” - “MSNBC insider,” quoted at TV Newser

Advice for talking heads: Next time, call President Bush “a monkey” instead. It's safer.

Backstory here and here.

UPDATE 080211 19:04: (Via IP) The grovel continues. Reality trumps fiction, again.

Posted by: Old Grouch in The Press at 20:27:21 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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Prayers for Tigger

Meryl's Tigger has been having a rough time of it...

...but he's still hanging in there. (And isn't he gorgeous!)

Go send some good wishes.


UPDATE 080209 21:03:  March 15, 1997-February 9, 2008

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TSA strangeness

Strange story via Slashdot:

“hhavensteincw” writes:

"Less than a week after it launched a new blog aimed at gathering suggestions from air travelers to improve airport security processes, the Transportation Security Administration changed a practice where some screeners were requiring passengers to remove all electronics, including Blackberries, iPods, and cords from carry-on luggage. Seems the TSA didn't know this was going on, and after the question was raised on its blog, it clamped down on the practice...”

Incredible?

It's an embarassment that the TSA does not know what's going on it its own house without this blog. Rogue screeners have been creating their own rules since the inception of the TSA, yet this is hailed as a major victory?

Please, figure out what's going on in your own house, clean it up thoroughly, then come brag to us about it. This is nothing more than a public relations stunt in which you've allowed things to deteriorate to the point where enforcing your own policies on your employees is considered an improvement. - anonymous comment

If this is a true picture of the level of management at the TSA, (1) it’s just as bad as some of us suspected, and (2) we’re in more trouble than we thought.

Posted by: Old Grouch in Linkage at 17:38:37 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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Want to feel *really* old?

The VW Bus is 60 years old this year.

DDB Paris nods to Bernbach's Classic Volkswagen campaign with this one, which celebrates the Volkswagen van turning 60 years old.
- Adland, February 3, 2008

Five more “tribute” ads (including full-size versions for the optically challenged) at the Adland link.

Via: AdPulp

Posted by: Old Grouch in Linkage at 22:53:04 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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Not that we believed them before

The RIAA is asking the Copyright Royalty Board to cut “mechanicals” – the per-copy royalty paid to publishers and songwriters^[1] when a CD is sold or a song is downloaded – from the present 9¢ per song (about 13%) to “8% of wholesale revenue.” Meanwhile, the Digital Media Association wants the rate set at... 4%.

But remember, kiddies, it's all about the “creators” of music. Just keep telling youself that.


Via: Slashdot
-----
^[1] of which the songwriter gets about half.

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The case for ending civil-service protection of federal employees

...is made by stories like this.

Some people don’t just need to be fired. They need to be fired, and then horsewhipped on their way out.

Via Tam.

Posted by: Old Grouch in Linkage at 22:23:45 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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Good question

“Why do bloggers succeed on policy -- say, with porkbusting, immigration, and other issues -- and not with candidacies?”

The key question in this post by Ed Morissey.

Posted by: Old Grouch in Linkage at 23:31:46 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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What might have been

How things should have played out:

All of the victims -- ranging in age from 22 to 37 -- were herded toward a back room of the store, he said. At that point LaShanda Quantrell took her licensed .38 caliber pistol from her purse and shot the gunman five times, killing him instantly.

Quantrell, 26, told reporters “Everybody knows that the place they are taking you to is the murder scene. I waited until his back was turned and no one else as in danger. No way was I going to just let him kill us. United 93, motherf*cker.”

Unfortunately...

Via Tam.

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Parallel universe?

Peggy Noonan:

Rudy Giuliani, the Prince of the City, is out because he was about to lose New York, John Edwards is out, the Clintons are fighting for their historical reputations, and the stalwart conservative New York Post has come out strong and stinging for Barack Obama.

And Mr. Spock has a beard.

Posted by: Old Grouch in Linkage at 19:54:15 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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