There was a recent shooting in Tyler Texas, which Geek has covered pretty well.

David Hernandez Arroyo Sr., embroiled in bitter child support dispute dresses for war and opens fire on ex wife, son and bystanders.

He is engaged by police and at least one, possibly two CHL holders.

He kills 2 wounds many, is killed by police after car chase.

Now, there is no doubt that the intervention of Mark Allen Wilson saved the life of Mr. Arroyo's son. Wilson, who was lawfully carrying a concealed handgun, was able to draw fire from Arroyo long enough for Arroyo's son to escape. Mr. Wilson paid for his good deed with his life.

But the gun control lobby knows that acts of heroism and bravery with a firearm must never be recognized. Perhaps that is what prompts Marsha McCartney, the Dallas Chapter President of the Million Mom March, to dance on his grave.

"Concealed Handgun carriers sometimes commit crimes and sometimes are heroes. Unfortunately, the hero part doesn't happen very often and what if he had hit a bystander while he was firing?"

The Million Mom March is a tax-exempt gun ban group organized in part by felons convicted of violent crimes.

Now that demand for legal file sharing is on the rise, driven largely by the success of Apple's iPod devices, the music execs want to try hiking the prices. CNN reports that unnamed music executives are unhappy about the cheap price of music.

The Financial Times, quoting unnamed music executives, said wholesale music prices, thought to be around 65 cents a song, were originally set artificially low in a bid to stimulate demand. The executives noted the success of Apple's hugely popular iPod digital music players, the report said.

The executives noted that prices to download mobile phone ring tones are roughly 10 to 15 percent higher than song downloads, according to the newspaper.

Sure, ringtones cost between $2 and $3 a pop, but how many people download hundreds of ringtones to listen to over and over again? And aren't these the same people who recently settled a lawsuit for price-fixing?

When it comes to market economics, the RIAA still doesn't get it. This is something I have been saying for years now. Even as album sales start to rise, there are still problems with the industry. Take this as an example that they just don't get it:

The Big Easy Movie on DVD -- $5.99
The Big Easy Soundtrack on CD -- $15.99

It was predicted to start snowing heavily last night and in to today. But instead this was a morning of dry pavement and easy commutes. Every school in the area is shut down, and most governments are on liberal leave policy. But there is not a flake in sight.

Now scientists on Channel 5 are predicting a regional cooling event starting sometime in the late morning and continuing into the afternoon. Snow, rain, and more snow are on the menu, but not nearly in the doom and gloom depths that they were promising yesterday. The temperatures are still 20 degrees below average, but I blame global warming.

Here's a neat project for next weekend. A borelight made from a spent .357 round.

British school children will soon be indoctrinated with Global Warming propaganda from Albert Einstein in the animated Einstein's Pants TV series.

The aim is to raise awareness of energy and environmental issues - particularly global warming and destruction of the ozone layer - and to promote good citizenship.

The 50-minute performance uses a cast of three and a fun approach to engage the audience and encourage emotional involvement with the story.

Pupils are often 'switched off' by adults telling them what to do - but a secret message scribbled by legendary science genius Einstein onto his Y-fronts proves a different matter altogether.

With his theory of relativity, the adolescent Albert Einstein proved global warming is possible.

Peaceniks have been decrying the U.S. Army for using so-called torture techniques to extract information from the terrorists and combatants being held at Guantanimo Bay Cuba. The alleged torture was even a hot topic during Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' confirmation hearings.

But how bad could the torture have really been, considering British Channel 4 will be airing a reality gameshow featuring Gitmo torture techniques.

As part of its so-called "torture season," Channel 4 - the same channel that brought the reality TV hit "Big Brother" to the world - plans to broadcast "The Guantanamo Guidebook" on Monday.

The four-part series will recreate torture techniques apparently used by U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.

That's right people will actually be volunteering to experience the so-called inhumane treatment and humiliation subjected to Gitmo detainees.

I still think a better name for the show would have been The Happy Smile Super Challenge Family Wish Show.

The Oscars are tonight, and the usual suspects trot out their perennial anti-smoking campaign. The anti-smokers are using billboards to chide Hollywood for having the audacity to portray smokers in their films. They claim that kids that watch movies with smokers are much more likely to smoke than kids that don't. Whether or not that is true is up for debate. I mean heaven forbid that parents and children be held accountable for their own decisions.

But I find it very interesting that of all the gripes you could have about Hollywood smoking would top the list. I mean movies and television are rampant with drinking, drug abuse, sexual activity, homosexuality, murder, and a various sundry of other sins. While I personally enjoy watching all of those things, it still strikes me as odd that smoking would be considered the most wicked activity for pleasure police have to go after.

Try hanging a billboard that chides Hollywood for their portrayal of sex (or worse yet homosexual sex), and watch them brand you as a conservative nutcase.

Riverdog has the details on the memorial service for Sgt. Plumondore and his compatriots. The Nation of Riflemen are grateful for his service and sacrifice. Thanks to Kim for sending an arrangement.

After a House committee killed the bill reauthorizing their use, the Virginia Senate is trying a backdoor reauthorization of "photo red" cameras reports WAVY-TV news.

Four days after a House of Delegates committee killed local pilot programs that use cameras to catch red light runners, the Virginia Senate revived them as a floor amendment to related legislation.

After adopting the amendment, the Senate voted 29-9 to pass the bill. The measure now goes directly to the House floor, bypassing the committee that had refused to lift the July 1 expiration date for the programs.

We should have known better than to expect tax and spend politicians to let one of their cash cows die so easily. If the real goal were traffic safety, increasing the yellow light is the easiest and most effective method. Instead, some localities across the nation have been caught shortening the yellow to maximize revenue.

The American Automobile Association (AAA), which originally supported the cameras, has switched positions in recent years after research suggested that cameras actually cause more accidents due to people slamming on their brakes unnecessarily.

More and more companies are refusing to hire smokers, in the name of rising health insurance, reports Newsweek.

Now, citing rising health-insurance costs and concerns about employees' well-being, a growing number of companies are refusing to hire people who smoke, even if they do so on their own time and nowhere near their jobs. An estimated 6,000 employers no longer hire smokers, according to the National Workrights Institute, an affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.

While I enjoy having the competitive advantage over my smoking brethren, I cannot in good conscience support such a policy. For one thing, I don't think it looks out for the best interests of the company. Health insurance costs are rising, but I wonder how much money can really be saved by firing all your smokers. And even if there is significant savings, will companies soon start refusing to hire people who are overweight, or have a history of cancer? I mean, where do you draw the line?

What's more, I think it drums up bad publicity and destroys employee morale. Who wants to work for a company that says you aren't allowed to enjoy a beer on the weekend, or go scuba diving? And of course it limits your talent pool significantly. If a company is so interested in pinching pennies they should just stop offering health care as a benefit altogether, which it appears that many companies are already doing:

There were at least 5 million fewer jobs providing health insurance in 2004 than in 2001, according to the survey, in part because of soaring costs. Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance have been rising at about five times the rate of inflation and workers' earnings.

Of course from 2001 to 2004 there were a lot of people out there looking for work. Mass layoffs were daily stories in the newspaper. As the unemployment rate continues to drop, companies are going to have to start offering more perks to prospective employees to attract top talent. And lets face it, making people agree to not smoke or eat donuts (in the privacy of their own home, mind you) isn't the way to attract quality people. And I have no use for companies that don't even make an attempt to hire the best employees they can afford.

I'll repeat something I first said back in October 2002. Under the guise of decreasing insurance premiums, here are some other regulations they should impose:

No skydiving, water-skiing, motorcycling, hang gliding, or bungee jumping.
No reading or watching TV in the dark.
No going to loud rock concerts.
No running with scissors.
No burning candles after 9 PM.
Employee's homes must be properly equipped with bath mats.
No electrical outlets without a safety cover.
Employees must always use the handrail on the stairs.
Employees must wash hands, regardless of whether or not they are returning to work.
No frayed extension cords.
No answering the door without knowing who it is.
No talking to strangers

Anyone caught participating in the listed activities should be fired on the spot.

Related articles:
1984: Fired for being a smoker -- 01/26/2005
All your vices are belong to us -- 01/08/2004
The Unprotected Minority -- 08/19/2003
Pleasure Police, literally -- 10/22/2002

Last November, a Marine Corp soldier got into some hot water for shooting a mostly dead terrorist. The media was in an uproar, claiming that our Marines were not properly looking out for the well being of terrorists. Despite having been shot the day before by a mostly dead terrorist, he was not even given the benefit of any doubt by the mainstream media. Some on the left were accusing our boys of committing war crimes. The good news is that it looks like he will not face a courtmartial.

Oh his TV show last night, Bill O'Reilly wanted to know why Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who stands accused of plotting to assassinate President Bush, is being given the benefit of the doubt, while our soldiers who put themselves in harm's way are not.

In the late 1960s, the United Nations predicted that the world's population would reach nearly 12 Billion people by the mid 21st century. They warned of starvation and a strain on natural resources. Fast forward 35 years and we are no where near 12 billion, and obesity is said to be reaching 'epidemic' proportions in the developed world. But that doesn't stop the chicken littles at the U.N. from sounding the alarm.

The world's population will increase by 40 percent to 9.1 billion in 2050 but virtually all the growth will be in the developing world, especially in the 50 poorest countries, the U.N. Population Division says.

The division's revision Thursday of earlier estimates said the population in less-developed countries is expected to swell from 5.3 billion today to 7.8 billion in 2050. By contrast, the population of richer developed countries will remain mostly unchanged, at 1.2 billion.

"It is going to be a strain on the world," Hania Zlotnik, the division's new director, told a news conference.

She said the expected growth has "important and serious implications" because it will be concentrated in countries that already have problems providing adequate shelter, health care and education.

If we enroll all these people in Social Security, maybe I'll get my 'guaranteed' benefits after all.

Even al-Jazeera is lashing out at the Great Satan for refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol.

As the 141 countries attempt to 'cool up' the greater than ever global warming the two countries' rejection to the Protocol basically, stems from that, it aims at banning greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming as the U.S. and Australia are the main users of these unfriendly gases to global environment...

Before this earth becomes hell to live in at least after 1000 years from now we humans of these days must before it becomes too little too late take the necessary actions and measures to sustain lives on earth.

Do Middle Eastern countries really want us to stop using oil?

They claim there is no problem with Social Security, but steroid use is an imminent threat.

A senior House Democrat urged Thursday that Jose Canseco and others the former baseball slugger accused of abusing steroids, including Mark McGwire, be called before Congress to testify on use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California, the top Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, said representatives from Major League Baseball and the players' association also should appear before the panel to explain how they plan to stop the use of dangerous drugs by baseball players.

A California lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at the name change of the Anaheim Angels.

The proposed legislation by Umberg, D-Anaheim, would require professional sports teams to print disclaimers on their tickets, advertising and promotional materials if they do not play most of their home games in the geographic location used in their name.

Moreno changed the team's name last month from Anaheim Angels to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Of course the literal translation of Los Angeles - whose real city name is "el pueblo de nuestra senora la reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" - is 'The Angels', making the team name altogether redundant.

On a side note, how long before atheist headline whore Michael Newdow sues Los Angeles for violating the mythical "seperation of church and state"?

Senator Jon Corzine and 147-year old Comrade Frank Lautenberg, both Democrats from New Jersey, hope to pass an assault bill banning the assault use of assault pistols. Specifically, they are targeting the Belgian Five-SeveN assault gun made by FN, and the assault bullets that it uses.

New Jersey's U.S. senators plan to introduce a bill that would make it illegal for anyone, except a police officer or military official, to purchase or use an assault pistol that fires bullets capable of penetrating a bulletproof vest.

The Five-SeveN gun made by FN Herstal of Belgium has already been denounced by three national police organizations and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The handgun is small and lightweight and easily concealed in a person's pocket, the groups said.

Last month, the Brady Campaign released a videotape of its staff test-firing one of the handguns it had purchased from a Virginia gun dealer. The bullets penetrated a police Kevlar vest.

Of course, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATFags) did extensive tests on the guns and determined that they do not defeat body armor.

Because of the hysteria drummed up by the gun grabbers, last month the ATF issued a press release emphasizing that the FN 5.7 cannot penetrate bulletproof vests.

Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. I think he may have had New York in mind.

All of the gun control in the state couldn't prevent some nut case from shooting up a shopping mall. So what do New York Democrats propose to do? Why, more gun control of course. This time they want to ban so-called assault ammunition.

"I realize you can't stop somebody from committing a crime, or committing a heinous act if they're really intent on doing it, but maybe you can slow it down," said Bill Reynolds, majority leader of the Kingston Common Council. "Obviously, real strict gun control doesn't make a lot of sense, but perhaps there is some wisdom in at least slowing people down from getting their hands on weapons of war and the ammunition for them."

Authorities say 25-year-old Robert Bonelli Jr. of Glasco purchased three boxes of 7.62-caliber ammunition for his Hesse Model 47 semiautomatic assault rifle at the Wal-Mart store next to Hudson Valley Mall in the town of Ulster an hour before he fire 50-60 shots inside the mall, wounding two people.

Authorities have said both the weapon, purchased at a local gun show, and the ammunition were obtained legally, but Reynolds and Ulster County Legislator Brian Shapiro of Woodstock said there should be tighter restrictions on the availability of the semiautomatic rounds used in the shooting.

Augh! Rounds of ammo are not semiautomatic. GUNS are semiautomatic. The rounds are the same for revolvers, semi-auto guns, and fully auto guns. It's a bit like saying we're having trouble with speeding so we're going to ban fast gasoline.

"These are assault weapons. They're meant for killing human beings, and ammunition for these types of weapons should not be available at Wal-Mart," Shapiro said.

What a crock. Guns are designed to expel a small projectile really really fast. Whether that means through a sheet of paper, a deer, or another human being is entire dependent on the person using it. And banning ammo is just another attempt at a backdoor gun ban. Especially considering the many different guns that use the same cartridge.

Apple is catering to Windows users with the latest version of their iPod music player and that has Apple purists upset. At issue is their support of the widely used USB 2.0 standard and scaling back of the Firewire technology which Apple pioneered. Apple users have responded with a whiny petition:

"We, as dedicated users and supporter of your hardware and software are completely dismayed at your recent decision to discontinue standard FireWire support for the iPod music player line," the petition states, going on to note that "It is very unfortunate that you have left your faithful out in the dark on this one."

In trying to cut costs, they will no longer be selling iPods with a firewire cable included, although the player will still support the technology. Apple users that want to use Firewire will need to purchase a cable seperately.

Oh the humanity.

Ann Coulter takes a look at the Jeff Gannon witch hunt. Just think, all of this was started because Gannon had the audacity to ask Bush an easy question.

To do their part to combat so-called Global Warming, the blue state of Maine - whose border with Canada is twice as long as the border with the U.S. - is adopting their own version of the Kyoto Protocol. The Portland Press Herald reports that potential changes include "the sale of more fuel-efficient cars and energy-efficient appliances, requirements for more energy-efficient construction and the use of more renewable power sources that don't pollute the air"

Maine's Legislature has already committed to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2010, and 10 percent below that by 2020...

Proposals include measures to fight sprawling development, a trend that leads to more automobile travel and pollution, and to promote forestry practices to maintain trees, which take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Most proposals would increase energy efficiency and, as a result, reduce carbon-dioxide pollution.

Meanwhile, scientists at the University of Manchester (UK) are studying ways to use sea salt to make England even more cloudy.

Professor Choularton, said: 'What our simulation shows is that if you artificially inject sea salt into clouds it not only increases the amount of heat which is reflected back into space, creating a cooling effect, but it also inhibits the formation of drizzle, which means the clouds last longer, more heat is reflected, and the cooling effect lasts longer.'

I wonder what we'll all drink when it's raining salt water.

You would think that Andre Agassi and Roger Federer would draw a bigger crowd. In case you are wondering, that is a converted helipad at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. They are more than 700 feet up.

Is anyone else having a Tron flashback?

UPDATE: Fox Sports has a slideshow with pretty good photos.

Wendy McElroy takes on the wage gap between men and women. She quotes Warren Farrell's latest book, Why Men Earn More, and refutes the feminazi insistance that rampant male chauvinism is to blame. Instead, blame is largely based on women's free market choices.

...women commonly prefer jobs with shorter and more flexible hours to accommodate the demands of family. Compared to men, they generally favor jobs that involve little danger, no travel and good social skills. Such jobs generally pay less...

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, full-time men clock an average of 45 hours a week, while women put in 42 hours. Men are more than twice as likely as women to work at least 50 hours a week...

Men represent 92 percent of all occupational deaths. Why? Because if you look at a list of the most hazardous occupations -- fire fighting, truck driving, construction, and mining -- they have 96-98 percent male employees, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics...

They also show that starting salaries for women actually tend to be higher than for men. That statistic also supports the notion that women are far more likely to interrupt their career to raise a family. Women from the ages of 25 to 35 are much more likely to use maternity leave. And sometimes rather than come back to work when their leave is up, they simply quit their job and stay at home. Even those that choose to go back to work after their youngest children have started school are looking at a 5 year setback in their career.

Of course, none of these life choices are necessarily bad decisions. But they certainly have an impact on the statistics.

From Best of the Web:

[Rep. Maurice] Hinchey: They've had a very very direct, aggressive attack on the, on the media, and the way it's handled. Probably the most flagrant example of that is the way they set up Dan Rather. Now, I mean, I have my own beliefs about how that happened: It originated with Karl Rove, in my belief, in the White House. They set that up with those false papers.

Why did they do it? They knew that Bush was a draft dodger. They knew that he had run away from his responsibilities in the Air National Guard in Texas, gone out of the state intentionally for a long period of time. They knew that he had no defense for that period in his life. And so what they did was, expecting that that was going to come up, they accentuated it; they produced papers that made it look even worse. And they--and they distributed those out to elements of the media. And it was only--what, like was it CBS? Or whatever, whatever which one Rather works for.

They--the people there--they finally bought into it, and they, and they aired it. And when they did, they had 'em. They didn't care who did it! All they had to do is to get some element of the media to advance that issue. Based upon the false papers that they produced.

Audience member: Do you have any evidence for that?

Hinchey: Yes I do. Once they did that--

Audience: [murmuring]

Hinchey: --once they did that, then it undermined everything else about Bush's draft dodging. Once they were able to say, "This is false! These papers are not accurate, they're, they're, they're false, they've been falsified." That had the effect of taking the whole issue away.

Audience member: So you have evidence that the papers came from the Bush administration?

Hinchey: No. I--that's my belief.

Audience member: OK.

Hinchey: And I said that. In the very beginning. I said, "It's my belief that those papers, and that setup, originated with Karl Rove and the White House."

Audience member: Don't you think it's irresponsible to make charges like that?

Hinchey: No I don't. I think it's very important to make charges like that. I think it's very important to combat this kind of activity in every way that you can. And I'm willing--and most people are not--to step forward in situations like this and take risks.

Audience: [clapping and cheering]

Hinchey: I consider that to be part of my job, and I'm gonna continue to do it.

When President Bush was inaugurated, he spoke of the "untamed fire of freedom" reaching the darkest corners of the world. But in today's media, most of the talk is about spreading Democracy. In fact, Bush only mentioned Democracy once when he said, "The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat." (The word 'free' or 'freedom' was mentioned 34 times.)

The words are not interchangeable, nor should they be. Democracy is a form of government, and one which is not necessarily free. People can be tyrannized by the majority just as easily as they can be by a ruthless dictator. That is why America was established as a Republic and not a Democracy. Our Founding Fathers even warned about the dangers of a Democracy, noting that the many could exploit the one.

But the word freedom means independence. Freedom is the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, and as long as you do it without harming your fellow man, without fear of persecution. That is why people that promote big government and nannyism, often exchange words like 'freedom' and 'independence' for 'democracy'. Freedom runs counter to their agenda, and they are hoping you won't notice the newspeak.

It would appear that some people are upset at black immigrants horning in on the racial preferences racket. Courtesy of the New York Times: (emphasis mine)

"African-born and Caribbean-born brothers and sisters have realized that the police don't discriminate on the basis of nationality--ask Amadou Diallo [an immigrant from Guinea who was accidentally shot by police in 1999]," said Professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr., who teaches at Harvard Law School and has warned colleges and universities that admitting mostly foreign-born blacks to meet the goals of affirmative action is insufficient.

"Whether you are from Brazil or from Cuba, you are still products of slavery," he continued. "But the threshold is that people of African descent who were born and raised and suffered in America have to be the first among equals."

Notes James Taranto, "In other words, in the name of "affirmative action," he is calling for discrimination against black people who were born outside the U.S.

The trouble with this is that the argument the Supreme Court has used to justify racial preferences in university admissions is "diversity." Favoring someone from the Bronx over an African-American from Burkina Faso is hardly a way to achieve that goal."

All of the usual suspects in the gun-blogging world have been closely following the CNN story, wherein in trying to illustrate how lax firearms laws are (in proposing their latest ban), the gun grabbers unwittingly committed several federal felonies. Kudos to GeekWithA.45 for also taking the time to debunk CNN's claim that the .50 BMG rifle can penetrate the exterior of a commercial aircraft door.

Oh, and by the way, since you're so good at shooting stationary targets 1000 yards away, what's the holdover and windage for an object mile away, traveling 500 mph at a 45 degree angle to your position at 2000 feet in a 10mph westerly wind? You're not going to hit shit in flight without that information, even assuming the solution exists within the performance envelope.

It's one thing to take careful aim at a stationary object. It's quite another when that object is moving several hundred miles an hour.

UPDATE: On the subject of CNN's alleged felonies, Countertop notes that the ATF's supposed sudden concern about "intent" is bullshit, and if they refuse to act would amount to selective prosecution.

It would appear that President Bush's call for the expansion of freedom didn't fall on deaf ears in Lebanon.

"Syria out. Syria out," they shouted as Arabic pop music blared, amid calls for a "peaceful intifada" or "uprising" against a government that was put into place and remains controlled by neighboring Syria.

"We are with the Muslims, the Druze, together for a free Lebanon," said one member of a Christian militia. "Tell America we are waiting for them to invade, all of us."

"It's early yet, but at this point we'd say the most likely next president of the United States is Hillary Clinton." -- James Taranto, Best of the Web, February 22, 2005.

Very scary indeed.

India is experiencing record cold temperatures, and scientists claim (with a straight face) that Global Warming is to blame.

The temperatures across the globe are changing with parts of the globe witnessing coldest or hottest temperatures in a 100 years.

Cliche alert: Use of time frame to tie GW to the industrial revolution

Global warming conversations have shifted from whether climate is changing to how we will deal with the inevitable consequences.

Cliche alert: Subtly trying to change the buzzwords from 'global warming' to 'climate change'.

And the price you pay will depend on where you live and how well you prepare, even as US and Australia refuse to sign the Kyoto Protocol.

Double Cliche Alert: Gratuitous Kyoto reference combined with blaming those damned Americans.

The main reason for Global Warming is cited as Greenhouse effect and United States is the main culprit accounting for one fourth of the total greenhouse emissions.

Cliche Alert: Blaming those damned Americans, again.

In the last few days, India was hit by the changing global climate as Kashmir witnessed a snow wave killing more than 100 people. The snow's fall out affected far flung areas 1500 km away in the city Mumbai,India's commercial hub, recorded the coldest February morning in 40 years.

Wow, the climate just swept in and dumped a "wave" of snow. In the United States this is called 'weather'. We have professionals that devote their entire lives to predicting it.

Temperatures dropped across north India and chilly winds swept the region - including the national capital - forcing residents to dig out their warm clothes from the closet.

Oh, the humanity!

According to 'Health India'Global warming may not just affect your immediate environment, but could also increase the number and scope of climate-related health crises, ranging from killer heat waves and famine, to floods and waves of infectious diseases, an expert has warned."

First snow waves, now heat waves and infectious disease waves. They are trying to say that they have more waves than the Tsunami.

Today's Global Warming SoD comes from the land down under. If one trade association of water professionals is to be believed, Australians are going to get awfully thirsty in the years to come, reports ABC News (Australia).

The International Water Association (IWA) estimates up to 20 per cent of Australia's water supply is lost from underground pipes.

Tim Waldron is a member of the IWA Water Loss Task Force and will be part of an international workshop on the Gold Coast in Queensland this week.

He says global warming is expected to impact heavily on water availability in the coming decades.

"One prediction is that by the year 2080 Australia will only have 50 per cent of the surface water that it has at the moment," he said.

"If that's anywhere near true, we are going to have to conserve water and manage the water systems in a far, far better way than we do at the moment."

I guess you have to provide your own gratuitous Kyoto reference. The article doesn't mention it, but Australia has also stubbornly refused to sign the Kyoto Treaty.

I can only speak for myself, but in Chris Rock's defense I think there is a lot of truth to what he says.

Chris Rock wants to clarify what he meant when he said straight men don't watch the Oscars.

"I did not say that. I said only gay people watch the Tonys," he joked Monday during an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

But later he stuck to his guns.

"I really don't know any straight men who aren't in show business that have ever watched the Oscars," he said.

I am both straight and don't watch the Oscars. In fact, I have never watched the Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, or any other self-aggrandizing award show.

While I have every intention of not watching them again this year, I think his off the cuff remarks can only help their sagging ratings. They probably won't hurt his career either.

Rock on.

There is a big kerfuffle over a security breach at Choice Point. It seems that identity thieves have gained access to thousands of records containing personal information like social security numbers, credit scores, and the like.

So just what is Choice Point, and why do they have all this personal information? Why do we, as a society, allow our personal information to be gathered and collected by companies like this? My gut reaction was that companies like Choice Point should be prevented from collecting personal information in the first place. I wouldn't make what they do illegal, but perhaps we should do more to make all those public records private. But then I started looking into just who this Choice Point company is.

Well, they are a data mining company that was spun off from Equifax. Basically, they drum up public data from public records and sources and build profiles of consumers. Choice Point "has grown from the nation's premier source of data to the insurance industry into the premier provider of decision-making intelligence to businesses and government."

Okay, so what does all that mean? Well, whenever you go to get insurance, they are the ones who provide background information to the underwriters. When you apply for that Macy's card to get 10% off, companies like Choice Point are the ones that provide the information used to grant you instant credit. When you apply for a job, they give your new employer a relative peace of mind that you aren't going to embezzle funds or sell secrets to China.

Basically, they are in the risk mitigation business. Without them, you wouldn't have 0% financing deals at car dealerships, and cell phones given out to every member of the family without a deposit. Without them, prospective employers might be much less likely to hire you. They are part of the backbone to the entire credit/background/pre-employment screening process.

It's easy to divine a "right to privacy" and to say that we should prohibit companies like Choice Point from collecting personal information. But keep in mind there is a price to be paid. When your kid goes off to college and you're unable to get them a cell phone so that they can call home; when it takes you just as long to close the deal on your car as it does your house; or when it takes prospective employers three weeks instead of two days to make you an offer; you might just reconsider.

One of the pillars of a free society is property rights, so you may want to pay attention to this eminent domain case coming before the Supreme Court. Abuses seem more rampant in recent years, with land being seized from private citizens to build a Wal-Mart or new shopping center. Their justification for seizing land is that the new owner will pay more taxes than you, thus creating a greater "public purpose".

In the New London case, city officials there argue that eminent domain also should apply to "economic development" even if done privately since it would increase tax revenue and improve the local economy.

Susette Kelo and six other homeowners have said the move is more about enriching well-connected developers.

"It's obvious they don't want us here, and they've done everything in their power to make us leave," Kelo said. "They are simply taking our property from us private owners and giving it to another private owner to develop."

Keep in mind that this is land that is seized at gun point. Land-owners are promised "fair" compensation, but it's still the guys with the guns who are setting the price. If you don't like it, tough luck.

If the SCOTUS doesn't put a stop to such seizures, it's only a matter of time before we have a WACO-like standoff between stubborn property owners and an oppressive government.

"You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people of color in a single room? Only if they had the hotel staff in here." -- Incoming DNC Chairman, Howard Dean.

UPDATE: Star Parker has more.

If your Social Security benefits are guaranteed, as many Democrats and some Republicans would have you believe, why then do they put a disclaimer on the Social Security statement?

Your estimated benefits are based on current law. Congress has made changes to the law in the past and can do so at any time. The law governing benefit amounts may change because, by 2042, the payroll taxes collected will be enough to pay only about 73% of the scheduled benefits.

Remember, without ownership of accounts, your Social Security benefits are subject to the whim of Congress.

I can only hope that none of my friends have secretly taped my conversations with them in hopes that I might some day become President.

Of course, the media is dwelling on the marijuana statement of the now infamous Bush tapes, probably because their guy was ridiculed for claiming he "didn't inhale". Contrast that to then Governor Bush who said, "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried." I would imagine that most Woodstock-generation parents would take a similar approach to try to set a good role model for their children. Bush also admitted that he wouldn't discriminate against gays.

As for his former friend, the delightfully named Mr. Wead claims that he didn't want the tapes to go public and stir up controversy for his soon to be released book. He apparently had no idea that the New York Times would air such an inflammatory story about President Bush.

Kevin Baker points out that in their zealotry to point out how easy it is to legally obtain firearms, CNN commited at least one, and possibly several, federal felonies.

UPDATE: Triggerfinger has a good rundown.

When it comes to Global Warming and the demonization of the Sport Utility Vehicle, I have to ask rhetorically: Why are SUVs demonized while Minivans get a pass?

The Naples Daily News reports that police are being put on the defensive as they come under fire for their increasing use of TASER guns. They report that "of 269 occasions on which deputies discharged their Taser guns last year shows the weapon also has been fired to stop prisoners from kicking at windows of a car, urinating on a deputy's laptop and yelling. Those shocked by Tasers ranged from teenagers to octogenarians." Some instances the perpetrators are shocked several times.

Part of the problem seems to stem from the classification of the potentially lethal device.

Law enforcement agencies break down their responses to the people they are arresting on a sliding scale of what is commonly known as a "continuum of force." In Lee County, it starts at level one, which is the officer's presence. Five is deadly force.

Use of the Taser falls under "level three," the same as pepper spray. That placement puts Lee County roughly on par with what recommendations on Taser use exist statewide and nationally.

In a position paper, the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois agreed Taser use is appropriate at level three, or even at level two when resistance is passive, so long as a warning is issued by an officer, either verbally or by activating the Taser.

While pepper spray is pretty much an ineffective irritant, the TASER has a much greater potential to kill someone. They were sold as an alternative to shooting a suspect in the chest. Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott even admits, "The whole point of using the Taser is to avoid lethal force." That is, they were meant to be a level five device.

But in practice, officers are using them whenever people are disruptive or uncooperative. Sometimes the devices are used when subjects are already restrained or in custody.

Locally, two men died shortly after being shocked last year, one in the Lee County Jail and one by Collier County sheriff's deputies, though their deaths have not been conclusively tied to the Taser...

...a deputy shocked Joachim Schaible, 48, of Naples after the 6 foot, 5 inch, 225-pound man became "agitated" and refused to stay seated, according to a Sheriff's Office report. [...]

The most common reason leading to a Taser shock listed on arrest reports was resisting or fighting. Frequently, the reason the Taser was deployed was to stop someone from injuring themselves or county property, often from kicking at squad car windows or banging his or her head against parts of the vehicle...

...several 15-year-old people were shocked. The oldest was an 83-year-old man in an assisted-living facility who threatened deputies with a pen...

The Fort Myers man [Byron Black] was shocked by Lee County Sheriff's Office employees on two occasions: while being arrested on Nov. 23 and again in his jail cell on Nov. 27. He died not long after.

Now, I have little sympathy for people who fight with the police. But there is a line somewhere between a dope addict holding a knife and an 83-year old man armed with a ball point. I think that walking that line requires reclassification of the gun to level five, so that it is only used when potentially lethal force is warranted.

The headline reads Man shot dead in Wyandanch. If you read the fine print though, you'll find out that the "man" who was shot dead was climbing through someone's window at 2:30 in the morning.

And of course since it happened in the People's Republic of New York, the householder is being charged with criminal possession of a firearm.

Government agents who use them say they are perfectly safe. But politicians in California think they're deadly and have proposed a bill to ban them. A civilian caught carrying one could get a year in jail. Using one could get them three years. So, what are they?

They're TASER guns and naturally, they would still be legal and acceptable for police to use. Just not the regular California peons.

So on one hand we have the enforcement branch of the government telling us that TASER guns are perfectly safe to use as cattleprods. On the other hand, the legislators are saying they are so deadly that law abiding citizens cannot be trusted with them.

Liberal talk radio is catching on.

Today's GWSoD has "researchers" claiming that global warming trends will cause pollution to stagnate in America's cities, reports Reuters. This will obviously have the largest effect on minorities and the poor.

Global warming could stifle cleansing summer winds across parts of the northern United States over the next 50 years and worsen air pollution, U.S. researchers said on Saturday.

Further warming of the atmosphere, as is happening now, would block cold fronts bringing cooler, cleaner air from Canada and allow stagnant air and ozone pollution to build up over cities in the Northeast and Midwest, they predicted.

The gratuitous Kyoto reference notes that the "United States, which produces the most pollution of any country, has refused to sign" the treaty. Perhaps we are the World's biggest polluter because of states like Washington, whose biggest polluter is also a top attraction marketed by the state board of tourism.

Red Light Cameras will be going away in Virginia reports the Washington Post. The law authorizing their use is set to expire this Summer and has not been renewed.

A House committee on Friday rejected legislation that would have allowed Virginia communities to continue using surveillance cameras to ticket red-light runners, signaling the impending end of the state's 10-year experiment with the technology.

The House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee defeated five Senate bills to extend permission to use the cameras beyond July 1. [...]

"We have a responsibility to balance public safety against liberty," said Del. William R. Janis (R-Goochland). "Our job is to figure out where the lines cross for reasonableness between the compelling need and the absolute requirement to defend individual liberty."

While there was some grumbling coming from the pro-camera crowd, missing was the "blood in the streets" inflammatory rhetoric. Of course if the goal were really safety, increasing the yellow light is the easiest and most effective method. Instead, some localities across the nation have been caught shortening the yellow to maximize revenue.

The good news for the rest of the nation is that the anti-camera trend is increasing, and the victory in Virginia should help nationwide efforts.

I just wanted to take a moment to try to put the Social Security tax into perspective. If you earn $90,000 a year or more, you are paying $930 a month in Social Security tax. It's a flat tax of 12.4% (excluding Medicare), so if you make $45,000 a year, your payment is still a hefty $465 a month.

If you weren't forced (at the point of a gun, mind you) to pour your money down the Social Security rat hole, you could buy a pretty nice ride. Dump that into any retirement or investment vehicle and you are likely to take care of all your retirement needs. Or you could send your kid to a pretty nice college. Personally, I'm already taking care of my retirement, so I like to think of all the neat guns I could buy with that money.

But the point is that we don't have a choice. We don't have the individual freedom to decide what to do with that money. The government is stealing 12.4% of your income because they think you are too stupid to spend it yourself.

Spoons teaches us about Jimmy Carter. Those that say he never met a dictator he didn't like are not exaggerating.

My condolences to the Plumondore family. Adam Plumondore of Kim du Toit's Walter-Adam Fund was killed by a Mosul car bomb last week.

Future support given to the fund will continue to go to the men of his unit.

For all of you naysayers out there, 'experts' are re-emphasizing that Global Warming is real.

Studies looking at the oceans and melting Arctic ice leave no room for doubt that it is getting warmer, people are to blame, and the weather is going to suffer, climate experts have said.

New computer models that look at ocean temperatures instead of the atmosphere show the clearest signal yet that global warming is well under way, Tim Barnett of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said.

Speaking at an annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Barnett said climate models based on air temperatures are weak because most of the evidence for global warming is not even there.

"The real place to look is in the ocean," Barnett told a news conference.

And if you are thinking that global warming is a myth, you are just an irrational ignoramus.

"The debate over whether or not there is a global warming signal is now over, at least for rational people," he said.

And if you think that increasing global temperatures are a natural phenomenon, perhaps caused by the fact that solar output is higher now than in the past 1100 years, think again.

"Could a climate system simply do this on its own? The answer is clearly no," Barnett said.

The planet is simply incapable of warming on it's own. If it weren't for the invention of the SUV 20,000 years ago, we'd still be stuck in an ice age.

And if you have any doubt about the mission of the Scripps Institution, check out this statement from the Director.

I'm traveling this weekend, so enjoy your President's Day. Posting to resume to normal on Tuesday.

Prominent Democrats are calling for changes to the nation's voting laws. For starters, they want to give all federal employees the day off so that they are sure to vote, writes the AP:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a possible White House candidate in 2008, joined 2004 nominee John [Rodham] Kerry and other Democrats Thursday in urging that Election Day be made a federal holiday to encourage voting.

She also pushed for legislation that would allow all ex-felons to vote.

Just what is an ex-felon? If such a law were to pass, it would no doubt help the Democrat's chances. But do they really want to be known as the party of rapists, murderers, and child molesters? Oh and of course big labor unions.

VT 67, Duke 65.

UPDATE: Of course we still don't get any respect. SI thinks we're Virginia.

UPDATE 2: The Roanoke Times reports after sinking the winning goal and beating Duke, Tech's Zabian Dowdell pulled a Brandy Chastain.

Tech students rushed onto the court and surrounded the Hokies.

Dowdell emerged from the throng of students without his jersey.

"I was so happy I just threw the shirt in the air," said Dowdell, who had 11 points. "It'll probably be on eBay."

If he were still alive today, Sweaterman would be proud.

On his radio show yesterday, El Rushbo played a clip where Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld was butting heads with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez over the number of trained Iraqis. This is a perfect illustration of why I love Rummy.

RUMSFELD: We're scheduled to have 200,000 in September or October of this year. When the elections take place with respect to the constitution, and the program takes it to 270,000 by June of '06.

SANCHEZ: The numbers that you bandy around about how many troops we really have out there that are Iraqi police, et cetera, et cetera.

RUMSFELD: You say we bandy around numbers. They're not my numbers. I don't invent them. They come from General Petreus. There's no bandying at all.

SANCHEZ: I have Petreus' numbers. They're different than your numbers, by the way.

RUMSFELD: Well, what is the date? They're not different if the date's the same. The date on my paper here is February 14th. What's yours?

SANCHEZ: December 20th.

RUMSFELD: Not surprising there's a difference.

Hehehe. Sanchez' figures were nearly 2 months old; Rummy's 2 days.

With a new budget coming down the pipe, there's going to be a lot of bitching and moaning about reckless and dangerous budget cuts proposed by the Bush Administration. But you should look a little closer when examining those cuts, says Larry Elder.

Cuts in Washington usually mean lowering the projected increases. Take, for example, NASA, the U.S. Space Agency. The president proposes $16.45 billion for NASA in 2006. That's a 2.4 percent increase over what the government is spending this year on the program. But it is $500 million less than what the space agency was expecting for 2006. So, NASA is listed as one of the 154 programs facing extinction or "drastic spending reductions." Only in Washington does a decrease in the proposed increase equal a spending cut.

This is how Washington works. They automatically plan on at least a 4-6% budget increase. When they only get 2-3%, they call it a "cut". The erstwhile Senate Majority Leader Tom "Puff" Daschle once griped that his 3.1% pay increase (which he gave himself) was actually a pay cut. In an interview with Greta van Susteren Daschle called it "not a raise".

I recommend you read the rest of Mr. Elder's column. He offers wonderful insight into the Constitution, and notes that we should learn from some of the former Eastern Bloc nations who know what it's like to live in a socialist welfare state.

Global Warming stories have kicked into high gear lately. The AP reports that an environmentalist wacko group is hoping to have polar bears put on the endangered species list, to protect them from global warming.

The Arctic sea ice habitat polar bears use for feeding, mating and maternity denning is breaking up earlier each spring and forming later in the autumn, said Kassie Siegel, lead author of the petition submitted Wednesday by the Center for Biological Diversity.

Siegel also says that if polar bears are to survive, future CO2 emissions in the United States must be cut to a "small fraction" of what they are now.

According to the mission statement on their website, the Center believes that "Beyond their extraordinary intrinsic value, animals and plants, in their distinctness and variety, offer irreplaceable emotional and physical benefits to our lives and play an integral part in culture. Their loss, which parallels the loss of diversity within and among human civilizations, impoverishes us beyond repair."

If it weren't already taken, the CBD should change their initials to CBS.

An 82-year old San Francisco woman has overstayed her hospital visit by a year. Sarah Nome admits "there is no reason she should be racking up unpaid medical bills - which have now topped $1 million - but says she has nowhere else to turn" reports the AP.

Now Kaiser Permanente's San Rafael Medical Center in California is suing her for the cost of her stay and trying to show her the door.

"The thing is, I have no medical problem. I've been here more than a year, never had any medication, never had any treatment, never had a fever, have a perfect heart, blood pressure is like a teenager," Nome said in a telephone interview from the hospital north of San Francisco. "It isn't that I'm not ready to go. I just have nowhere to go."

Exasperated hospital officials persuaded a judge to approve her eviction. But because Nome is bedridden and cannot walk, they have no intention of wheeling her onto the street. Instead, they hope the ruling encourages her to pack her bags. [...]

Nome's troubles began, her daughter Jane Sands says, in 2002 when she broke both her legs while living alone. After several operations, Nome could no longer care for herself and was admitted to the first of several nursing homes.

Here's an idea. Roll her out front and then call her daughter to come pick her up before the bums get her. If that doesn't work, call the police and have her arrested for trespassing.

Eco-terrorists from Greenpeace had hoped to paralyze oil trading at the exchange in London. But they were met with some not-so-passive resistance.

WHEN 35 Greenpeace protesters stormed the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) yesterday they had planned the operation in great detail.

What they were not prepared for was the post-prandial aggression of oil traders who kicked and punched them back on to the pavement.

"We bit off more than we could chew. They were just Cockney barrow boy spivs. Total thugs," one protester said, rubbing his bruised skull. "I've never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view."

Another said: "I took on a Texan Swat team at Esso last year and they were angels compared with this lot." Behind him, on the balcony of the pub opposite the IPE, a bleary-eyed trader, pint in hand, yelled: "Sod off, Swampy." [...]

Last night Greenpeace said two protesters were in hospital, one with a suspected broken jaw, the other with concussion.

Many more protestors spend the night in the pokey. James Taranto notes, "It's pretty clear who the thugs are here, and it's not the Cockney barrow boy spivs."

Reader Craig writes about a cigar problem. He bought them last summer and never put them into a humidor, so they have probably dried out. Craig will be purchasing a new humidor, but first he wants to know what steps he can take to restore the cigars to their proper state.

Craig,

I am happy to offer what advice I can. First of all, lets talk about humidors. When you prime your humidor and put solution into the humidification device, the humidor should stablize around 70%. That's because the solution contains an inert chemical (Propylene Glycol) that maintains a 70% relative humidity. The water will evaporate much faster than the chemical, but as long as you keep the humidification device charged with distilled water it should maintain 70% or close to it. By the way, you can buy a gallon of PG solution for about $10-$20 at any chemistry store to make your own solution. Just mix it (not all at once) with DISTILLED water, which costs about 50-cents a gallon at any grocery store. (It makes you wonder why Aquafina costs so much doesn't it?) You must use distilled water, because it is pure H20. Spring water or tap water has other chemicals and impurities in it that will clog the pores of your humidor and ruin it.

That said, the process of rehumidifying your cigars will depend on a few things. First of all, you need to plan on doing it over a period of a few weeks to a few months depending on how badly dried out the cigars are. It is a slow time consuming process. If you try to rush it or speed it up, you are likely to ruin the cigars.

You are correct that you don't want to just drop them into a hyper-humidified environment if they are completely dried out. The reason is because the different types of tobacco absorb moisture at a different rate. The filler tobacco (the stuff in the middle) will tend to absorb more than the wrapper. That can cause the wrapper to crack or split as the cigar slightly expands. You also don't want to overhumidify the cigar and risk mold.

Your best bet will probably be to ease the cigars back into a humidified environment over time. Try to find out what humidity the cigars are at now. I'm guessing they are probably probably 30-40% depending on conditions like where you live, and your home heating system. (I used to have a house with a gas furnace that would drop the humidity like a stone whenever it kicked in. The warm dry air used to keep the house at a paltry 10%. It was so low, I had to wrap a trash bag around my humidor during the winter to keep it from sucking humidity right through the wood. Unsightly, but effective.)

Now, if you don't have a digital hygrometer, buy one, because you need to keep an eye on the humidity. What you need to do is not prime the humidor right away. Place the cigars into the humidor at one end, and your humidification device at the other. Since the humidor is not primed, the wood pores should absorb a lot of the humidity from your humidifier. That means that instead of maintaining proper humdity, your humidor will be on the low side. If you started about 30-40%, you want to aim for about 50%. You can manage this by adding distilled water as needed. Remember to keep your cigars at one end and the humidifier at the other. If you can't get it high enough, try lightly sponging the side of the wood to help the humidor out. Not too much. You aren't trying to create your own wetlands in there.

Once the cigars get acclimated to the 50% environment, gradually take them up to 60% or so. Once again, let them get acclimated for a few weeks before taking them up to 70%. This is not an exact science so you need to do some guesswork. Keep an eye on the hygrometer and try to make an educated guess as to when it's okay to raise the humidity to the next level. Once again, patience is key here.

Once you are ready to maintain 70%, prime your humidor and add fresh solution to your humidifier. Also, keep an eye on your digital hygrometer to keep it from dipping too low in the winter. And never let the humidity get too high or you risk having a mold problem, which will outright ruin the cigars.

Best of luck restoring those cigars.

KdT expresses his rage over Sen. John McCain's plan to be the national program director. McCain, a Republican, is proposing legislation that will compel broadcasters to give more airtime to local politicians running for office.

The Senator thinks that local politics isn't covered enough so he's going to use the police power of the government to force broadcasters to toe the line.

Kim points out:

Lest we forget, McCain once sponsored a measure which would have coerced TV stations into donating ad time to election advertisements, on the basis that this would "only" affect about 1% of profits.

So, according to Senator Asswipe: Theft is okay, as long as it involves stealing just a little amount.

Reader Raina from Illuminaria's Voice emails this disturbing article from USA Today.

Next week marks the 15th anniversary of smoke-free domestic airline flights, but frequent fliers may still be getting a dangerous dose of secondhand tobacco smoke.

Most of the USA's large hub airports continue to allow smoking in some areas, says a recent report by private health experts and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Ron Davis, co-author of the report, says the air inside most large hub airports is unhealthy, putting travelers and workers at elevated risk for cancer and death from secondhand smoke. Public health experts say the smoking lounges available at several airports - regardless of the type of ventilation system - don't contain all smoke.

They are literally claiming that you could die from merely walking by an airport smoking lounge. Now, I've been in my share of airports. (Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Belfast, London, Munich, San Francisco, Oakland, New York, Newark, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Atlanta, Norfolk, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, and New Orleans to name a few). In those airports, I've probably seen only one (maybe two) smoking lounges per terminal. They are usually glass enclosed with a door. What little smoke that could possibly leak out is miniscule. It's akin to the amount of exhaust fumes you get from the car in front of you while sitting at a stop light. But wait, there's more:

Dean Burri, a cigar smoker in Clearwater, Fla., who owns a health insurance company, says smoking should be allowed "inside closed, ventilated rooms" at airports. "The non-smokers don't have to breathe the smoke, and the smokers have a place to smoke," he says.

That logic doesn't work with many non-smoking business travelers who believe secondhand smoke endangers their health. They're calling on airport authorities to ban smoking everywhere inside their facilities.

Bob Johnson, an Orlando-based software instructor for a home-building company, says he quit smoking 20 years ago, and it shouldn't be allowed in airports. "I have to hold my breath when walking through smoking areas," he says.

And I have to hold my ears when listening to people like Johnson whine about smoking. Just because he's dumb enough to believe he'll keel over and die from a whif of second hand smoke, is no reason to trample the rights of property owners to cater to the smoking public.

A lit cigarette emits 250 toxic compounds, including more than 60 carcinogens, says co-author Terry Pechacek, an associate director at CDC. Davis and Pechacek warn that even a single exposure to secondhand smoke can be harmful.

Uh oh. If you've been exposed to any environmental tobacco smoke at all, you could drop dead tomorrow. That sounds pretty damning. That is until you read about what's in our drinking water.

Over 2,100 contaminants have been found in drinking water. Of those 2,100, 190 are known to cause adverse health effects. In total, 97 carcinogens, 82 mutagens and suspected mutagens (cause cell mutations), 23 tumor promoters and 28 acute and chronic toxic contaminants have been detected in U.S. drinking water.

So according to the people that sell water filters, drinking water has 50% more carcinogens than secondhand smoke. They appear to have one up on the people who sell temperance.

What's really at issue is the total prohibition of smoking. Like I said before, it won't be long before cigarettes and tobacco are banned outright in some cities and states. A national ban won't be far behind, and soon tobacco will be treated as an illicit drug.

When that happens, everyone will just stop smoking, right? Wrong. Cigarettes and tobacco products will go underground. As enforcement increases, prices will skyrocket and trafficking will be a lucrative business. It will also lead to more serious crimes, like murder, and money laundering. In general, crime will increase, and rather than profiting with tax revenue, governments will be spending millions to try to keep our streets tobacco free. Ironically, instead of being less accessible, cigarettes and tobacco will be more accessible than ever; especially to young children.

Bush may increase the Social Security tax for people who make more than $90,000, reports the AP:

Under the current system, payroll taxes are paid only on the first $90,000 in wages. Bush has repeatedly said that he opposes raising taxes, but his advisers have been intentionally vague about whether he would also rule out subjecting a greater share of pay to the existing tax.

Asked directly, Bush said that he would not rule out raising that cap, though he does not want to see the payroll tax rate go up. The rate is now 12.4 percent of pay, split between workers and employers.

"The one thing I'm not open-minded about is raising the payroll tax rate. And all the other issues go on the table," Bush told a roundtable of regional newspapers, according to an account Wednesday in the New Haven (Connecticut) Register.

Now, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that would love to sock it to the evil, hated, rich. (If you could call $90k a year "rich".) But this does absolutely nothing to solve the Social Security problem.

You see, the benefits are tied to income, so raising the income level just means you have to pay more benefits. Sure you'll start taking in more money, but you also start paying out much more money. Unless they cap the benefits or tie them to inflation rather than income, the problem is only going to get worse.

Social Security is a ponzi scheme. It pays current beneficiaries with money seized from current taxpayers, and plans to pay future beneficiaries (the current taxpayers) with money seized from future taxpayers. There are several problems with this type of scheme. First of all, we are all living too long. In 1950, there were 16 taxpayers per retiree. Today there are 3, and soon there will only be 2. That means the system will soon be asked to pay out much more than it takes in.

Another problem is that the benefits are tied to income and not inflation. That means that as income has risen sharply, so have benefits. Since the number of people paying tax is decreasing while the number collecting benefits is increasing, the system is doomed to go bankrupt.

Ideally, all accounts would have ownership. If you put in $100, you get back $100 plus any interest. The interest rate would be tied to whatever investment vehicle you put it into. If you chose a stable value type fund, you'd get your 1.5% rate of inflation. If you chose something a little more risky, you might get 10-15% over time. Of course you could also lose money, but for a long term retirement vehicle that isn't likely. You may lose money in the short term, but overall you are better off taking on a little risk.

Now, you could just say that the middle class and up don't get any benefits. But then you do the communists proud by turning the program into a 12.4% wealth transfer tax.

I don't know why, but I have high hopes that something will be done about the Social Security boondoggle. Hopefully it won't be raising my taxes while cutting my benefits. I would prefer to just opt out of the system altogether, but absent that, I'd settle for private ownership of accounts. Anything else is just income redistribution and vote buying.

From James Taranto's