Current Affairs

It has nothing to do with the presidency or who we need in the job, but one side benefit of electing Barack Obama is that it would leave race-baiters like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton with no reason whatsoever for a public stage, and we might hope they sink into the oblivion they so richly deserve:

Yes, this is a real story, not something that was in The Onion:

Sheriff's officials were astounded Thursday by a letter requesting the man accused of murdering his girlfriend and possibly participating in cannibalism be placed on a vegetarian diet to keep him from being "involved in any senseless killing" while incarcerated.

Since birthright citizenship is such an obvious contributor to the growing number of illegal immigrants, that would be a good subject for a presidential debate, and I would like to know where the candidates stand. Would any of them, for example, like to challenge Mike Huckabee's position?

The political pundits I've been watching on TV lately have been trying out a new word (the way it usually works is that George Will does it first, then everybody else jumps on the verbal bandwagon): dispositive, as in, "Well, the results of the voting tonight were certainly interesting, but probably not dispositive." I think that's their way of acknowledging they've been talking through their hats in hopes that we won't notice that they're still going to be talking through their hats.

Great moments in speech -- "I have a dream," "Ask not what your country can do for you," "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" and, of course, this:

In a bid to overturn his guilty plea, Sen. Larry Craig's attorneys are arguing the alleged hand swiping in a Minneapolis bathroom stall is constitutionally protected speech.

The attorneys also say the actions don't fit under the state's "disorderly conduct" law because it didn't involve multiple victims.

I grew up in Kentucky among people who were dirt poor and largely uneducated. But most of them knew enough to make sure they had the mineral rights to property they bought, lest they wake up one morning and find a coal company strip mining in the front yard. They were apparently smarter than Mars Candy multi-billionaire Forrest Mars:

However, in recent years, exploration began pushing north into Montana. Mars' ranch soon began to push back, with lawsuits against the companies involved.

The concept of privacy continues to "evolve," i.e. the trend of everybody wanting to know where everybody else is all the time continues to strengthen. Fort Wayne Police Chief Rusty York wants to put GPS chips in all patrol cars:

It will allow officers, dispatchers and managers to see where the vehicles are located across the city. The chief said this will help in officer safety because it will better locate officers calling for help.

The concept of privacy continues to "evolve," i.e. the trend of everybody wanting to know where everybody else is all the time continues to strengthen. Fort Wayne Police Chief Rusty York wants to put GPS chips in all patrol cars:

It will allow officers, dispatchers and managers to see where the vehicles are located across the city. The chief said this will help in officer safety because it will better locate officers calling for help.

"Banishment" is generally thought of as an inappropriate punishment from our less-enlightened past, but that doesn't mean it isn't being tried here and there:

Though Georgia's judges are technically outlawed from banishing offenders, some have skirted the rule by restricting them from all but one of the state's 159 counties. Now, one convict is challenging the practice, claiming it is unconstitutional.

Today's "well, duh" observation:

The first on-the-scene study of college drinking behavior shows that parties with drinking games result in higher blood alcohol levels, while themed parties encourage college women to drink more heavily than men, new research suggests.