The DVD is out. Get it already, or turn in your geek card.
I've already written about the greatness that was Futurama, so go there and read that if you don't know what I'm blathering on about.
Berke Breathed was one of the pillars of my childhood. I followed Bloom County with the devotion most people devote to soap operas or presidential campaigns (which, really, are pretty much the same). I daresay I learned more about politics from his strips than they ever taught in school, and the ensemble cast was both endearing and deeply-etched.
Yep, it's an election year.
The [2nd] amendment is an ambiguous, mealy-mouthed compromise that conveniently leaves for another day (like 2008) a legal resolution of the debate between gun rights enthusiasts and gun control advocates - a fight that is older than the country itself.
This from Andrew Cohen, CBS legal analyst. He's one of those who subscribe to the Clinton notion that he Constitution is a "living document," something to be tinkered with and altered to fit the mood of the times.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear DC vs. Heller. Until now, the gun control lobby has been very confident, and almost cocky in their press releases.
Then came this release from the Brady Campaign.
If the Supreme Court does not reverse the federal appeals court decision, gun laws everywhere could be at risk…
…from the long-standing machine gun ban…to the 1968 Gun Control Act…to the Brady background check law.
…to your local and state laws…like the ones in California and New Jersey banning military-style Assault Weapons…and many more.
Well, I'm not seeing a downside. They smell pretty desperate, though.
California Governor Schwarzenegger has signed off on bill AB 352, which requires all new handguns manufactured for sale in his state to be "microstamped." This involves an expensive, untested and unverified technology (corporate boilerplate doesn't count as verification) designed to imprint the serial number of the weapon on the spent casings it fires.
Of course, it's a proprietary technology, so we mere citizens don't get to know the details, but it apparently uses engraving on the breech face and firing-pin to "stamp" the fired casing, thereby making it easier to trace guns used in crimes. The bill also requires all ammunition to be serialized.
More proof that it's hopeless:
Also, 70.5 percent said they believe that one vote can make a difference, including 70 percent of the students who said they'd give up their vote for free tuition.
This from an NYU survey in which 2/3 of students said they'd give up their right to vote in exchange for a year's tuition. 20% would give it up for an iPod. 50% sould be willing to give up their right to vote for life in exchange for $1,000,000.
Turn signals are for the weak, but if you feel the need to use one, make sure you don't use it until after you've begun the maneuver. Remember: announce your decision, not your intentions! Keep 'em guessing.
When an officially-marked vehicle …
Download this chart. Live by it. It will help you.
Dennis Marschalko made these wonderful grips for Katya, my Bulgarian Makarov: