Give me back my Republic.

The pre-convention protesters yesterday had a couple of recurring chants.

One was "Fox News Sucks." Apparently the brain trust of the Left consists entirely of Beavis, Butthead, Bill, Ted, Wayne and Garth.

Another was "This is what democracy looks like."

Apparently, democracy is fond of whistles. And it looks like a guy wearing a giant penis costume, a sign conveying the deep thought "Peace is sexy," a large inflatable pig, a bat puppet on a stick, and a burning tissue-paper dragon.

Happy B-day Cooter!

Today is the birthday of Ben Jones, who played Cooter, the thirty-something "bachelor" on The Dukes of Hazzard.

"Bachelor," of course, is in the same sense that George Michael and Boy George are bachelors.

Skipped the tailgate party last night.

Watched the Busch race instead. Hooray Junior!

And one more thing -- if Tony Stewart behaved the way that "bug-eyed dummy" (Sterling Marlin's characterization of Greg Biffle) has lately, he'd be suspended.

Coast to Coast prediction.

Some time ago, I was listening to the late-night UFO-whacko talk show Coast to Coast AM. The host was having listeners call in with predictions.

One such prediction was that Osama bin Laden would be captured August 28th. Tomorrow.

Let's just see.

If it DOES happen, that's not entirely a good thing.

Because another, very ominous, prediction came for the week of September 15th.

Can't blame this one on George Bush OR those evil swift boat vets . . .

John Kerry. Laundered money. Chinese communists.

Navel-gazing.

Jason of Positive Liberty indulges in a lengthy bit of navel-gazing about struggling with the love-hate relationship he has with his inner Objectivist here.

I think he's overthinking it a bit, and relying too much on labels.

Know a kid with liberal parents?

Here are some free educational comics from the Federal Reserve that you can give them.

I'm thinking about passing these out for Halloween, if they come in time.

Preseason Football.

Tailgate party at Thayer school tonight.

How tacky would it be to show up at all home games this year and cheer for the teams whose schools are NOT making me pay through the nose every year in the form of property taxes?

Have you missed me?

I've been neglecting my duties here at the blog lately. In case you've been wondering where I've been, I've been checking out SlickDeals. It's very addictive.

I've put in for a buttload of free T-shirts and other things. I know my absence causes you so much pain, so to make it up to you, here's a link for you to get a free sample of Stetson Unlimited.

The Springfield Diablos.

So, the Queen City's getting a minor-league baseball team.

How long before the Holy Rollers of the city (I remind you, it IS the worldwide headquarters of the Assembly of God,) raise such a stink about the name of the team that it's changed?



[Update]:

"The Diablos name was not part of the sale," Miles said. "What they are buying is access to the Texas League."

Nader off ballot in MO.

Story here.

I wonder who the Democrats will blame when they lose this "battleground state" anyway.

Even an evil Cardinal can have good taste in literature.

From the Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic comes this Scripps-Howard story:

Rolen can hit books and ball
By GORDON ENGELHARDT ~ Scripps Howard News Service

ST. LOUIS -- Reading is second nature to Scott Rolen, the son of two schoolteachers from Jasper, Ind. Long before he fell out of favor in Philadelphia, writers who covered the Phillies were impressed when they saw him reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. He said "The Fountainhead," also by Rand, was his favorite book.

"A lot of people make a big deal out of the fact that I read," said Rolen, who seemed incredulous that they can't comprehend that he can be an All-Star third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals and a bookworm.

"I like to read. They play it like it's a big story. I play baseball and I like to read. What makes that odd? What's the matter? It's not crazy."

Not only is Rolen literate and cerebral, he's considered a throwback player who thinks about the Cardinals first, himself a distant second. He doesn't complain about the chronic stiffness in his left knee, which has become such a story in St. Louis that television cameras zoom in on him to see if he's grimacing when he lands on the bag with his left leg.

After a torrid first-half pace, Rolen cooled slightly in July but bounced back to go 14-for-34 (.412) with five home runs in the seven games before Wednesday night's meeting with Montreal. Overall, he has 25 home runs and is second in the majors with 96 runs batted in. His .335 batting average is 53 points higher than his career mark. He is close to his sixth 100-RBI season.

Rolen's defense is exceptional, too. A six-time Gold Glove winner, he already is regarded as the finest third baseman in Cardinals history. He also is a Most Valuable Player candidate.

He seems to have found a way to focus on every at-bat and works not to waste an at-bat no mater what the circumstance is.

It takes more than the raw kind of talent that the 6-foot-4 Rolen obviously possesses to succeed. "Focusing is one of the most important things to do and probably the hardest to do," he said. "If you're 0-for-2, you can't go up on your third at-bat thinking about your last at-bat. You have to think about trying to get a good pitch to hit. The mental part is so hard. The more pressure you put on yourself, the less chance you have of success.

"Hopefully, the results will take care of themself. If you go to the plate and say, 'I have to get a hit right now,' I believe that puts too much pressure on you."

Like many players, Rolen's father, Ed, was his Little League coach. But instead of an overzealous figure ranting and raving and trying to live vicarously through his son, Ed got out of coaching when the level of play became too competitive, Scott said.

"I had a pretty strong family environment," he said.

Despite his wealth, Rolen remains grounded because of his upbringing and didn't consider himself spoiled.

"We had everything we needed," he said. "We did not go without. My parents were both school teachers, middle-class school teachers in Jasper. We weren't rich. They bought us (the children) a car and they went without a new car."

The only words of advice Rolen offers to young players who look up to him is try and be a good person. "That's the only thing you have control over," Rolen said. "Help other people and work hard for what you get."

My old college buddies'll appreciate this.

From an Australian bar receipt
Originally uploaded by Tom Coates.

BANWATCH 3: Let them eat lawn darts.

Things proposed to be banned in places in Amerika today:

Car alarms.
Personal watercraft.
Central Park protests.
Right turns on red.

I guess he doesn't Feel Their Pain anymore . . .

"But I CARE about the homeless, y'all! Honest!"

Take a look at the story here.

Coverup.

This story of Jane Pauley's bipolar disorder broke yesterday.

Not a peep about it on the NBC Nightly News.

Poll Results: Tighter than an Olsen Twin.

Arkanssouri Blog readers are of three minds when it comes to the question of whether or not stock car racing should be an Olympic sport.

Poll Results:

Yes - 33%.
No, it's not a sport - 33%.
No, it would interfere with the NASCAR season. - 33%.

Once again, I am called upon to exercise Blogmaster's Prerogative.

If it was considered a Winter Olympic sport, it would not interfere too much with the NASCAR season, so the answer is YES, stock car racing should be an Olympic sport.

New poll up today.

Why am I not surprised?

This is from mediabistro:

Ratings Reflect Zahn's Technical Glitches

Paula Zahn's ratings were higher for the 15 minutes when her show suffered technical glitches than for the next 15 minutes when she was back on the air. Between 8 and 8:15pm—when thunderstorms interrupted the live feed twice and CNN aired seven minutes of commercials—Zahn earned a 0.6, with 516,000 households and 577,000 viewers. The show resumed at 8:12pm. But between 8:15 and 8:30pm, CNN dropped to a 0.5, with 468,000 households and 526,000 views. Her numbers improved during the second half of the show, rising to a 0.7, and she averaged 626,000 viewers for the hour. And the show still nearly doubled MSNBC's Countdown. (It averaged 341,000 viewers that hour.)

Missouri plates 376 RN6.

Yellow Dodge Dakota Sport.

Please learn the following concepts:

The AWOL Machine.

Dear Santa:

I have been really good this year.

All I want for Christmas is one of these.

John

I even have an advertising slogan:

"Think of it as a crack pipe for alcoholics."

Banwatch : Viva la lawn darts!

What's being proposed for banning in Amerika today?

Toy guns. Not ACTUAL guns, mind you, but TOY guns.
Billboards.
Skateboards.
"Outdoor Activities."
Being outside from 9 PM to 6 AM.
This month's Greek edition of Playboy.
Mobile homes.
Smoking IN FREAKIN' PRIVATE CLUBS!
Brothels.
Peanuts and Peanut Products.


Long live Lawn Darts!

Wrigley Redux.

It seems the clean bill of health for Wrigley may have been only a momentary reprieve.

Buildings Commissioner Stan Kaderbek said he ordered the review after a reporter noted during an interview Wednesday that some repairs at the ballpark were "shoddy."

Did the reporter have any expertise in construction? Did he work for a competitor to the Tribune? Why is a reporter's untrained, subjective characterization enough to instigate an investigation?

If Chicago demolishes the field, and somehow manages NOT to run the Cubs to another city in the process, my suggestion is to rebuild it from the original blueprints at the same location.

kvb

kvb
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

I found this on the Hammer of Truth, who apparently found it on Doctor Recommended.

I'm posting it through flickr so I don't unnecessarily steal bandwidth.

google

google
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

This is a screenshot of my message to Google employees.

I plan to do the same to alltheweb.com, hotbot, and any other search engines I feel like.

One must be creative if one is to find ways around that horrendous piece of anti-free-speech legislation, McCain-Feingold.

The Gay Galt's Gulch.

Story here.

BANWATCH

What's being proposed to be banned in places in Amerika (formerly America, Land of the Free,) in the last two days alone?

Stickers.
Gas-powered boats.
Wading in fountains.
Silly String.
Grassy swale parking.
The word "Redskins"
Watering "Nonfunctional Turf."
The AWOL Machine
Leaf Burning and Leaf Bagging.
Dirty movies.
Convenience stores selling beer.
Hog-dog rodeos.
Genetically-engineered crops and animals.
ATVs.
Spaghetti straps.
Cul-de-sac parking.
Political signs.
Scooters.
Automatic Deer Feeders.

What will they ban when they run out of things to ban?

Dap to the Invidians.

Absit Invidia has a great post on the tactics the Republicans USED to compare to those of "jack-booted thugs" here.

agitproparnold

agitproparnold
Originally uploaded by filchyboy.

What's sad is, in today's world, this may NOT be a photoshop creation.

"Jokes," "Recreation" and "Entertainment" are now banned by MOREnet.

Take a look.


{Update:} And we see here, that "Hate" and "Discrimination" are also banned.

Can you say Thoughtcrime?

Better not say you hate child molesters, or that you intend to discriminate against convicted felons. Those statements are now banned by MOREnet.

Email MOREnet and demand an explanation of their standards. If you get the same runaround bull$hit that I got, call your Congressman.

closeup

closeup
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

This is a closeup of the hairy armpit of Misty May, Olympian.

mistymay

mistymay
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

I guess they wouldn't let her bring her razor on the plane to Athens.

But surely they sell razors in Greece, don't they?

Or DO they?

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, You Don't Exist.

The Sun-Herald has a good story on the struggles of gay military families here.

Lee Kuan Yew: Tiananmen Massacre was a good thing.

Story here.

My response:

Go to Hell.

Crime Lab Corruption.

Story here.

Bellefontaine Habilitation Center

If true, this is disgraceful.

Chain of Assumptions and Suppositions

It seems to me that this story on the discovery of what may be John the Baptist's cave contains an awful lot of "maybes" and "could bes".

In other words, it requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, and of accepting things on faith alone.

But then, our Christian friends are good at that.

Parcells

Parcells
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

Nope, Kevin. He's definitely NOT smiling!

Here's an interesting resource . . .

... for me and my fellow agitbloggers out there.

Right here.

Remind me to put it in my left column sometime.

"What should we ban today?"

From The Daily Journal Online:

By TERESA RESSEL\Daily Journal Staff Writer

They look like something you'd see a Shriner clown ride around on in a parade.

But these miniature motorcycles with small lawn mower engines are popping up in the community and are causing a bit of concern on the part of police officers.

In Bonne Terre, like other cities in the state, there is no ordinance prohibiting these often noisy motorized toy scooters, which are becoming more and more popular among adults and their children.

City Clerk Tina Miller said there is no ordinance forbidding these 49 cc two-cycle engine, two-wheeled motorized bikes from the street. She said there have been several complaints in Bonne Terre, especially in the area which she resides in.

The motorcycles start out at about $200 on the Internet. They are also available at retail stores such as Target and Farmington AutoZone for $350 to $500.

Operators aren't required to license the vehicle or wear a helmet. The only requirement by the state is the driver must have a driver's license.

"They look like fools on them," said a Bonne Terre woman who saw an adult male riding on one. [Oh, well THAT'S certainly a reason to ban them . . . NOT!]

The mini motorcycles which have a small seat and tube frame are also referred to as mini choppers or pocket bikes.

Another Bonne Terre woman said she almost hit a woman who was riding on one. She was concerned about the safety of these vehicles.

During the August city council meeting, Bonne Terre Police Captain Doug Calvert said the problem in Bonne Terre was minor until now. He said it is becoming a nuisance and an annoyance. [And BY GOD, we should outlaw all things that annoy us or are nuisances! . . . Again, NOT.]

Calvert said their officers will be meeting with the city prosecutor and possibly the city's attorney, and the public safety committee in an effort to take care of the problem. And he believes there will be a way to take care of the problem.

He said currently they can issue citations to individuals for driving without a license on the streets, driving erratically or obstructing traffic. The vehicles also must be equipped with lights.

Calvert's concern was also safety and that other motorists wouldn't be able to see these small motorcycles.

"It's a danger for the rider and for the public," he said.

It has also become a problem in Farmington.

Police Chief Rick Baker has been looking at the issue for several weeks.

"Our main concern in talking about it is for safety," he told the Farmington Press last week. "These things are so short that there's no way they can be safe in traffic.

"And besides, people have called us wanting to know if and where they can ride them before they buy one."

When people come into the department, he shares his concerns about safety with them. He said the motorcycle is so low that the operator's head and shoulders do not clear about the hoods of most vehicles. [WTF!!?!]

Baker added their ordinance prohibits more than one person from being on a motorized bike.

Park Hills Lt. Doug Bowles said he has seen several of the miniature motorcycles and they have issued some citations for violations of ordinance.

It has not become a problem in Leadington. Chief Cledith Wakefield said he has not seen the motorcycles on the city's streets.

A motorized bicycle does not have to be registered with the Missouri Department of Revenue. However, operators must have a valid driver's license. They are not allowed on federal interstates.

A "motorized bicycle," is defined by state statute as any two-wheeled or three-wheeled device having an automatic transmission and a motor with a cylinder capacity of not more than 50 cubic centimeters, which produces less than three gross brake horsepower and is capable of propelling the device at a maximum speed of not more than 30 miles per hour on ground level.

Some of these mini motorcycles can operate at speeds faster than 30 mph.

In California, these motorcycles are prohibited from streets because they do not meet the state's equipment and safety standards. Some cities in Missouri are also considering ordinances to ban these vehicles from the roadway.

Poll Results: You suck, Paul.

Last week's poll, asking who is your favorite Beatle, returned some surprising results.

Paul got no votes. Zip. Zilch. Nada. None. Squadoosh.

John, George, and Ringo tied at the top with 33% each.

I am excercizing Blogmaster's Prerogative and casting the decisive, tie-breaking vote.

George wins. George is the favorite Beatle of Arkanssouri Blog readers.



New survey up today. Cast your vote.

This one's been kinda under the radar.

Scotty has Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, and lung fibrosis.

Little Revolutions

From the Billings Gazette:

Man blames city, so he uses its bathroom
Associated Press

NAUGATUCK, Conn. (AP) - A man who believes the town crushed his sewer line says he'll use the bathroom in Town Hall every morning until the problem is solved.

Robert Antidormi has accused the town of recently laying a storm pipe over his sewer line, causing backups that prevent his family from using their bathroom.

While his wife, Lisa, and three young sons have opted to stay with family out of town, Antidormi is staying put.

"It's not my fault," he told the Republican-American of Waterbury. "It's the town's place to make good on their mistake."

Mayor Ron San Angelo disagrees, saying town residents are responsible for their sewer lines.

Antidormi, who was digging in his front yard trying to fix the problem Saturday, said he uses the bathroom closest to the mayor's office.

"They laugh, but what are they going to do," Antidormi said. "I just go in, say good morning to the secretaries. If he's there I say hello."

If you have a major purchase to make in Missouri ...

...like a car, computer, or TV, make it this weekend.

So why do they sell them at Wal-Mart in Thayer?

Story here.

Oregon County primary results.

Here.

There are nine or ten Libertarians in Oregon County, and 434 people of conscience who voted against amendment 2.

Database Nation.

Media Daily News wonders about the difference between spam and political free speech, while missing the larger problem of Big Brother databases.

But if you MUST concern yourself with the difference between spam and political free speech, ask yourself one thing.

Can you make a fried political free speech and cheese sandwich?

It's a dog. No, it's a deer. No, it's . . .

. . . CHUPACABRA!

Stories here. (with pix)

And here.

And here.


Are you paying attention, Callie?

chupacabra
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

Missouri v. Brenda Self

From the Southeast Missourian:

Area woman challenges law on school attendance


By Marc Powers ~ Southeast Missourian

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Pemiscot County woman is challenging the constitutionality of a state law that holds parents criminally liable for failing to ensure their children regularly attend school.

In October 2003, Brenda Self was convicted of a misdemeanor after her 15-year-old daughter was absent 40 days during the 2003-2004 term at Caruthersville Accelerated Middle School. Pemiscot County Associate Circuit Judge Byron Luber sentenced her to 15 days in the county jail, which was suspended pending completion of two years of unsupervised probation.

The Missouri Supreme Court has agreed to hear Self's appeal of the conviction on Sept. 15.

Self contends Missouri's compulsory school attendance law is unconstitutionally vague in that it doesn't specify how many absences can trigger criminal charges. The law says the parents or guardians of a child between the ages of 7 and 16 "shall cause the child to attend regularly" a public, private or home school and may face criminal charges for failing to do so.

The Caruthersville School District's student handbook states that the county prosecuting attorney may be notified and potentially file criminal charges if a student is absent 10 or more times in a school year.

In written arguments submitted to the high court on Self's behalf, assistant public defender Garrett Anderson says the vagueness of the law can lead to arbitrary enforcement.

"This ambiguity leaves the definition of this penal statute in the hands of school district employees," Anderson wrote. "No ordinary reasonable person could ever read [the law] and discern exactly what act is being prohibited."

Assistant attorney general Shaun Mackelprang counters that the law, which dates to at least 1963, is clear and supports the long-standing state policy that parents have an obligation to educate their children.

"Compulsory school attendance is not a novel concept in the United States, and it has long been enforced by parents, principals, teachers, truant officers, and a host of other people who are charged in one way or another with the care, custody and control of children during the day," Mackelprang wrote. "Indeed, it has long been recognized that compulsory education laws are vital to our society."

Mackelprang notes the 40 days Self's daughter missed took place over 102 school days, meaning the child had an attendance rate of only about 60 percent during that period. Mackelprang says any reasonable parent would conclude such a rate couldn't be called regular attendance.

The case is State of Missouri v. Brenda Self.

Cowboys & Eminent Domain

From the Star-Telegram:

Cowboys, Arlington say a deal is close

By David Wethe
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


ARLINGTON -- In a move that pushes Arlington closer to the goal line in a stadium deal with the Dallas Cowboys, the City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to send a resolution to the state comptroller to put a tax increase proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot.

The city and the team still must finalize a master agreement to equally share the costs of a $650 million stadium.

Both sides say they are close to a done deal.

"It looks like the major obstacles have been overcome," Mayor Robert Cluck said Tuesday night. He added that seeing the results of the cost-benefit analysis, which will be presented to the council in a closed-door session Friday, is key.

"It wasn't as optimistic'' Monday, he said. "Today, it's more optimistic."

Cluck declined to say what the major obstacles were, but he said there now are only minor details to work out.

The two sides are racing to meet a deadline of Aug. 24, the last day Arlington can put an item on the Nov. 2 ballot. Tuesday's resolution is the first step toward getting the item on the ballot. Next Tuesday, the council is expected to vote on whether to add an item on the ballot that would ask voters to raise five taxes to pay for the stadium.

The city is looking to add a half-cent sales tax, a 2-cent hotel occupancy tax, a 5-cent car-rental tax, a $3 parking tax and a 10 percent ticket tax.

"We're making a lot of progress," said Stephen Jones, vice president of the Cowboys. "It's coming down to the wire, and we're optimistic we can meet the deadline."

Also during Tuesday's council meeting, residents spoke out about the stadium proposal.

Southeast Arlington resident Tim Raiter said he wasn't against the Cowboys' coming to Arlington.

"What I am against is the tax burden against Arlington residents," he said, wearing a sticker that campaigned against a "Jones tax," referring to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Carl Oehler said he thought the city was handling the stadium search properly.

"I like the way you're standing up and making good decisions and not bowing down," said Oehler, who lives in central Arlington. "I think the Cowboys stadium will be a tremendous asset to Arlington."

The primary tract that city officials are examining for a stadium sits in a neighborhood that's increased its taxable value 75 percent to $67.5 million over the past decade according to a Star-Telegram analysis of county tax records.

The land is north of Division Street, east of Collins Street, west of Stadium Drive and south of Randol Mill Road, according to sources close to the negotiations.

That area -- with about 180 acres of single-family homes, apartments, shops, gas stations and a miniature-golf course -- sits just southwest of Ameriquest Field in Arlington.

While the city has identified this area as a primary site, two other locations are still being considered. As many as four sites had been considered, but the Cowboys discarded one last week, Cluck said.

But the Cowboys are not so specific. Brett Daniels, a team spokesman, said only that the land being looked at is south of Ameriquest Field and Six Flags Over Texas.

Officials for both sides remain mum on the other two sites.

Land costs would be included in the $650 million price tag, Daniels has said. The city would split the stadium's cost with the team, 50-50.

In June 2001, Jones broached the idea of moving the team from Texas Stadium in Irving when its lease expires in 2008. Since then, the team has also talked with officials in Dallas, Irving and Grapevine.

When the team considered building a stadium at Fair Park in Dallas, the Cowboys planned to spend $50 million to put up two parking garages, he said. There would be no land costs because the site is owned by the city of Dallas.

In Arlington, the opposite is true. Garages wouldn't be needed, but paying for land would be.

As a result, the two are almost interchangeable, Daniels said. The two sides are still negotiating who would actually buy the land, he said.

Charlie Scott, who owns 20 houses and 10 vacant lots in the primary stadium neighborhood, said he and his neighbors are eager to sell, for a fair price.

"I'm not in the business to gouge Jerry Jones or gouge the city," said Scott, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1980. "If we get treated fairly, we're 100 percent committed to the stadium coming here."

Scott, who serves as the unofficial spokesman for about 45 people who own 96 parcels in two subdivisions just southwest of Ameriquest Field, said he has the support of his fellow property owners.

The subdivisions make up about 30 acres, just the size that the Cowboys have said a stadium would need without parking.

Neighbors in the Stonegate Pines mobile-home park are more divided.

Opinions range from strong support to disapproval for the city to buy property at market value to build a stadium.

Robert Neel, 32, recently bought a trailer in the subdivision and wouldn't mind paying an increase in sales taxes to get the stadium. He is also interested in selling his property.

"Everybody should be willing to pay for part of the cost," he said.

Cluck hasn't ruled out using eminent domain to acquire stadium property, but he said that would be the last option.

Brenda Parker, who has lived in Stonegate Pines for 15 years, said she needs more information before deciding if it would be good to sell her home for a Cowboys stadium.

"You're uprooting family ties and history," said Parker, a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan whose home is trimmed in purple. "I know it seems easy for us to move our home because it's on wheels."

What's next

In a closed-door meeting Friday, the City Council will hear results of a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed stadium.

Staff Writer Jennifer Floyd Engel contributed to this report.

The Republic of Arkanssouri, nation-state.

The Republic of Arkanssouri just became a member of Nation States.

It's like SimCity on steroids.

Resources

Republicans For Badnarik

Democrats For Badnarik

Fay Wray 1907-2004

Story here.

FortWayne.com has a great article on the history of eminent domain in America here.

Remember Ebbetts Field.

Just in case you need ANOTHER reason to boycott Coca-Cola...

... other than the taste, of course.

In a far cry from the high-minded ideals of humanity and tolerance embodied by the Olympics, the organizers of the Athens games have warned spectators that they could be barred for taking a surreptitious sip of Pepsi or an illicit bite from a Burger King Whopper. That and this report from The Sunday Times' Mark Franchett.

Strict regulations published by Athens 2004 last week dictate that spectators may be refused admission to events if they are carrying food or drinks made by companies that did not see fit to sponsor the games.

Sweltering sports fans who seek refuge from the soaring temperatures with a soft drink other than one made by Coca-Cola will be told to leave the banned refreshment at the gates or be shut out. High on the list of blacklisted beverages is Pepsi, but even the wrong bottle of water could land spectators in trouble.

Read the whole article at Sports Business News.

An interesting tidbit . . .

...from MediaDailyNews:

According to Web traffic measurement firm, Alexa, the number of users reached by the Badnarik.org site yesterday (40 out of one million users) exceeded that of VoteNader.org (15 out of one million users), and VoteCobb.org, the site dedicated to the Cobb-LaMarche '04 Green Party presidential campaign which reached a negligible amount of users per one million). In addition, while Badnarik.org's reach is up 642 percent in the past three months, and VoteCobb.org's has risen 583 percent, VoteNader.org's reach has dropped 41 percent in that time period.

Messrs. Whited, Hanna & Tyra, get your resumes in order.

From the Neosho Daily News:

SMSU to search for new president

From staff reports
SPRINGFIELD -- Advertising for the new president at Southwest Missouri State University will begin in September, and to be fully considered, applicants will need to submit materials no later than Nov. 8, the SMSU presidential search committee decided recently.

On Wednesday, the committee agreed to run ads in several national publications and on several web sites targeted to the higher education committee, including The Chronicle of Higher Education and higheredjobs.com beginning in early September and running through October. Ads will also be placed in several publications directed at minority groups, including Black Issues in Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook and Women in Higher Education. An ad will also run in The Wall Street Journal. Total cost of the ad campaign is estimated at $12,000 to $15,000.

"This advertising plan is consistent with our desire to cast the recruitment net as widely as possible," said Mike Franks, chair of the search committee, and a member of the Neosho R-5 Board of Education. "We believe our advertising needs to be national, broad-based and inclusive. This plan accomplishes that."

To be fully considered, applications must be received by Nov. 8. Applicants will be asked to submit a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae or resume, the names of five professional references and a vision statement regarding the university's mission. Additional information will be requested as the process progresses. In the next few days, the ads will be finalized by a small work group.

The next meeting of the presidential search committee is Aug. 18.

The presidential search web site is www.smsu.edu/presidentialsearch/ .

I hope they pick someone not evil this time.

Jesusbaby

Jesusbaby
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

Fun with picture tools.

John Kerry/Anton LaVey

This image is too big for me to post, or it will eat my sidebar column.

So take a look here.

It's probably a hoax, but it makes a good story, anyway. If it was true, at least he'd be a little less dull.

Dead Heat in last week's poll.

What should you do if your mailman's too ugly?

Avert my eyes - 33%
Complain at the Post Office - 33%
Suck it up & bear it - 33%
Give him a makeover - 0%
Move somewhere else - 0%

New poll up today.

Dems slim hopes of recapturing the House just got slimmer.

Story here.

Well, Okay, ONE post . . .

Oh, dear.

Screwed up day.

No posts today. If you need to keep yourself busy until tomorrow, try taking a look at fluffypuppies.

The John Galt model versus the Francisco D'Anconia model.

For more than 15 years, I have been following the John Galt model to protest the collectivist policies of the government. But one person on strike doesn't accomplish anything. You need a large number of the prime movers to be on strike with you. And even then, I think you need some Franciscos and maybe even some Ragnars.

The John Galt model in short is this -- withhold your ability. Don't do anything to further enable the machinery of collectivism to succeed. But even Atlas Shrugged's John Galt didn't entirely follow this model. He did, after all, have a job at Taggart Transcontinental. A menial job, yes, but a job that produced taxable income all the same. Whether he did it to make ends meet or to spy on prime mover Dagny Taggart and her collectivist brother Jim is up for interpretation.

Francisco, on the other hand, engaged in the system and exploited it's flaws to bring about the inevitable collapse of collectivism. He did what collectivists wanted him to do -- employed people at the mines with no return for himself. I'm wondering if maybe I should switch to this model -- sign up for every government program for which I am eligible.

Then there's the Ragnar Danneskjold model, which I'm not prepared to consider. Yet.

And the Hank Rearden model -- do your best in a corrupt system and hope someday things get better. It never gets better, Hank. You learned that lesson by the end of the book. And Dagny, another adherent to this model, abandoned it as well.

Wolves 3, Lambs 1. Notes from a second-class citizen.

Unamerican : adj., contrary to the principles which distinguish the United States of America from all other countries.

One of these uniquely American principles, embodied in the slogans "Don't Tread On Me" and "Live and let live," is that as long as your neighbor isn't violating someone's rights, what he does is none of your business, and CERTAINLY none of the government's business. And as I've previously noted, there IS no right not to have neighbors who call themselves husband and husband.

This morning I awoke with my status as a second-class citizen firmly entrenched in the Missouri Constitution.

I do not use the term "Unamerican" lightly, and unlike Teresa Heinz-Kerry, once I use the word, I stick by it and do not backpedal. This amendment is Unamerican. And those who voted for it suffer from an Unamerican mindset, a mindset that says community expectations outweigh individual rights and freedoms.

It is a mindset with which both major political parties are afflicted -- the Republicans in social matters, the Democrats in economic/fiscal matters. And that's just in theory; in practice, Democrats often limit social liberty and Republicans limit economic liberty as well. And they do so in ways that more often than not punish success and innovation and reward failure and stagnation. All in the name of community standards.

Libertarians have long held the belief that the two major parties are flip sides of the same coin -- less liberty, more government control. Libertarians have long referred to the two parties as one -- Demublicans or Republicrats. This treats the major parties with much too much genial generosity. I suggest a new name for those who choose to run for office under the Democrat or Republican banner -- the Unamerican Party.

What's that? You say there are SOME good Democrats and SOME good Republicans? That is like saying there are some good gangsters and some good Mafia members. While their individual actions may be noble, their willingness to belong to, and to run for office under the banner of, a corrupt organization disqualifies them from being "good." Their membership in these organizations points out that they do not truly believe in the American principle of individual liberty.

"Health Nazis" may be a more accurate term than I realized.

[Update: If the picture won't come up, here is a link to it for you to see.]

Primary Day.

Wanting to be the first one to cast a ballot, I woke up at 6:30, quickly showered, threw on denim shorts, my "dress" sneakers, and my Outright Libertarians T-shirt. I skipped my daily walk at Mammoth Spring Park so I could get to the polls right at 7:00.

This, of course, will throw my year-long weight-loss plan into Code White. I'll explain the color codes, and the weight-loss plan, at some point in the future.

But when I got to the polling place, I found the polls had been open since 6:00. I was voter #27 for the day.

Someone please tell the poll workers that it's not very polite to stare at voters who request Libertarian ballots as if they were some exotic species of bug.

I voted for all the single-candidate races, and the long-named candidate in the one race where there were two candidates. I think the other one in that race didn't have a website.

On Amendment 1, Yes.
On Amendment 2, No.

I fully expect to lose on both.
But my hands are clean. I will not provide the rope for my own lynching.

Seat belt snags man, drags him under truck.

Since this site is one of those "Registered Users Only" bastiches, here's the story.

'Last of mountain men' killed
Hayfork resident lost his life in a freak roadside accident

By Christina Lucarotti, Record Searchlight
August 3, 2004

HAYFORK -- The art of hunting was not lost on one Hayfork man who died Sunday in an automobile accident.

Larry Gene Smith, known as "Heavy," took joy in teaching his friends and family how to snare a meal the old-fashioned way.

"He was the last of the true mountain men," said his granddaughter, Krystal Eddis, 15. "He could take a bear bare-handed if he wanted to -- that's how tough he was."

Smith, 65, was killed Sunday evening while picking up discarded aluminum cans along Big Creek Road north of Harrison Road.

He was trying to retrieve a can in a ditch using an extendable grasping tool that allowed him to stay seated in his pickup, said California Highway Patrol officer Lorne Atwood.

Smith had opened the door of his truck and leaned to his left when he lost his balance and slipped under the vehicle, Atwood said.

He became entangled in his seat belt, and the truck, which was in reverse, ran over him as he hung out the door, trapping him between the vehicle and left front wheel, Atwood said.

Smith's wife, Ethel Rose, 65, was with him in the truck.

"She tried to do everything she could," Atwood said. "She tried to run for help."

The road, however, is seldom traveled and lacks cellular service.

About 40 minutes passed before Ethel came across a trucker who drove her to a house where she called for help, Atwood said. It was nearly an hour from the timeof the accident before emergency personnel arrived, the officer said.

Smith probably died almost immediately from his injuries, Atwood said.

Patrick Smith, 44, of Fortuna said his parents, married more than 40 years, took a drive almost every day, making it a point to look at apple orchards or watch birds and sometimes pick up cans.

Smith had a fondness for hummingbirds and would attract them to his porch with feeders, along with other wildlife.

Krystal said her grandma names the deer near their home, but her Grandpa Heavy would call them lunch and dinner.

"They were a pair," Krystal said.

Smith began teaching Krystal how to skin deer and bear when she was just a toddler. For her 10th birthday, he gave her a skinning knife he had made.

He taught her and her brother, Matthew Eddis, how to read animal tracks, fish and hunt.

"I witnessed him shoot a buck running at 200 yards," said Matthew, 19. "He broke his neck with a one shot."

Smith would show up for his grandchildren's softball and football games and offer words of encouragement when needed, Krystal said.

She said one of her favorite things was when her grandfather would call her and Matthew his "buddies," a name he reserved for his closest friends.

Pick a side, James.

James Goodwin of the dreadful News-Leader laments the fact that in primaries, voters have to pick a side, and in so doing, may not be able to vote for all the candidates they want.

This gripe points out Goodwin's obvious lack of understanding of the primary system.

Man up, James. Get off the fence. You can split your ballot in the general election.


Maybe he's one of those indecisive wimmen from today's first post. Gawd help us if the elections turn on his vote.

Tech Central: "Regressive" is good.

Tech Central Station takes on Hastert's idea to abolish the federal income tax (an, in so doing, the IRS).

They seem to have questions about how to replace the revenue.

My suggestion is to restore the federal government to it's constitutional limits and fund what's left through a combination of a sales tax and user fees.

Regressive? You bet. Equal protection often is.

But it's a hell of a lot better than punishing success and rewarding failure.

Mannies: Our Fate May Be In The Hands Of Indecisive Wimmen.

Jo Mannies of STL Today has a piece on the probable swing voters of today's primaries, and maybe of the general election in November.

Good week for the Cubbies.

Wrigley gets a clean bill of health AND the Cubs get Nomar.



Maybe too late for this season, though.

Damn Cardinals.

Very Few People Will Get This.

But here is my friend Kevin's review of Lukas Foss' music.



Sample music here.

Decision time, folks.

Tomorrow is the election to decide whether or not the government should dictate the sexes of people who can enter the marital contract together.

Story here.

Kerry To Conservatives: I'm A Regular Guy.

Story here.

Murray's on the Gold Kick again . . .

. . . or is it 'still'?

Either way, it's an entertaining read.