End the War on Freedom

"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- unknown

From smith2004:

"Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice." -- unknown

From jomama:

"Democracy, a euphemism for voting for someone else to do your killing and looting for you by his rules and not yours." -- jomama

# John in Central Texas at Lonestar MVPA - Hurricane Katrina - Labor Day 2005 - a vet who drove his deuce and a half into Beloxi and New Orleans shortly after the hurricane, and delivered food and cleared debris. This would be an amazing story from a young guy, but John has some medical problems. God bless you, sir. [kimdutoit]

I was trying to untangle some of the two by fours in the street when my back gave up on me. At this point, I had better clarify my medical condition. During one of my many overseas vacations with Uncle Sam, I suffered multiple explosive impact traumas against my spine. T his left me with multiple broken vertebrae and a lifetime of prescription painkillers. After years of poking and prodding by the Veterans Administration, the federal government declared me 100% disabled and I now became an official burden to society. Whatever you say, Doc. Driving, standing and sitting is painful, but walking is agony. Bending and lifting is torture beyond belief...

# John Ross - Thoughts on Tragedy, or JR Doles Out "Tough Love" in the Wake of Katrina - can you say "target-rich environment"? Thought you could. Good story.

# John Ross - Thoughts on Large-Scale Tragedy II, or Is Nature More Devastating Than Terrorism, and If So, Why Don't We Act Like It? - good question about the difference between our responses to man-made and natural destruction.

# Neil Alexander - Traffic Accident - a parable. [clairefiles]

# Carl F. Worden at Sierra Times - So Where Is The NRA??? - the "authorities" are going door to door in New Orleans confiscating guns, and the National Rifle Association hasn't yet filed papers in federal court. Can't say I'm surprised. And I agree 110% with Mr. Worden's take on what will happen if they try this in his neck of the woods. [clairefiles]

If any government agency of any kind, be it local, state or federal, ever tries to come in to Southern Oregon and disarm our citizens of their firearms in their homes, we'll be sending you all back to Mommy in bags. That is a solemn promise.

# Kurt Nimmo - Katrina and the Constitution: the Rules Have Changed - the government no longer has to follow any rules. A bullet to the head will still stop their minions, however. I doubt it will take more than a few thousand dead federales before they turn tail and run. Don't let them take you alive. [grabbe]

Brian Williams, writing for MSNBC: "While we were attempting to take pictures of the National Guard (a unit from Oklahoma) taking up positions outside a Brooks Brothers on the edge of the Quarter, the sergeant ordered us to the other side of the boulevard. The short version is: there won't be any pictures of this particular group of Guard soldiers on our newscast tonight. Rules (or I suspect in this case an order on a whim) like those do not HELP the palpable feeling that this area is somehow separate from the United States."

Williams may not know it, but New Orleans is "separate from the United States." It is now a testing ground for the sort of incremental military dictatorship our elitist rulers have in mind for us. In the new New Orleans, parts of the Bill of Rights were hacked off over the last week--first the Fourth Amendment (cops and National Guard kicking in doors) and then the Second Amendment (same bunch confiscating guns) and, as Williams reveals, finally the First Amendment.

# Dave Kopel at Reason - Defenseless On the Bayou - on the confiscation of arms in New Orleans. [geekwitha.45]

# Pawpaw - Gun Confiscation? - a retired central Louisiana cop recommends that New Orleans allow the gendarmes to disarm them and go along with the evacuation, then sue them till their noses bleed. Interesting idea, but if it were me, I'd prefer to shoot the bastards. [geekwitha.45]

# Cindy Sheehan at LewRockwell.com p What Kind of Extremist Will You Be? - Ms. Sheehan intends to be a relentless extremist, until every American soldier comes home from Iraq. [smith2004]

# Peter McKnight at The Vancouver Sun - Cotler caught in a web of hemp - some analysis of Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler's choices in the U.S. attempt to extradite Marc Emery. Bottom line: selling marijuana seeds, though officially criminal, is defacto legal in Canada. Hence the extradition treaty does not apply. [loretta]

Say what you will about Marc Emery, but in getting himself indicted on marijuana charges by a United States grand jury, the Prince of Pot might well achieve what he's failed to realize through decades of activism -- his life ambition of legalizing marijuana.

# Jason Cherniak - Tommy Chong came before Emery - a review of the documentary a/k/a/ Tommy Chong. It shines a bright light on the entrapment the drug enforcement assholes pulled on a comedian. [pole]

# Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Smith & Wesson's .460 XVR Magnum Revolver - includes experimental handloads with a variety of bullets and powders. [gunblast]

# Eric S. Raymond - Microsoft tries to recruit me - a clueless grunt from the evil empire attempts to hire Microsoft's worst nightmare. Hehe. [smith2004]

# PCHelp.org - How to Obscure Any URL - some little known obscure details about web addresses.