I blogged about this this morning, but the real scope of the ruling is just now being fleshed out, and a few things have occurred to me.

First of all, as I said earlier, this is a complete victory for common sense.  It just makes simple sense that if voting is the precious right and responsibility we think it is, it should be protected and cherished, and one facet of that is to ensure that only those eligible are allowed to vote, lest the franchise be corrupted by people who are not.

Some say that is exclusionary, but the fact is that voter criteria exists to protect the validity of the votes of all.   Protecting it by what seems to be the simplest method, checking ID, is a complete no brainer.

And yet there are the critics who decry this as unfair, as disenfranchising people, and targeted to eliminate minorities, also known as the race card.

Courtesy of Reuters/Yahoo News:

Senate lawmakers in
Florida have voted to ban the fake bull testicles that dangle
from the trailer hitches of many trucks and cars throughout the
state.

Yes, you read that right: Fake Bull Testicles. But why?

Republican Sen. Cary Baker, a gun shop owner from Eustis,
Florida, called the adornments offensive and proposed the ban.

First of all, I don’t understand what Sen. Baker being a gun shop
owner has to do with this, unless it’s to A) prove that he’s REALLY a
Republican (i.e. gun nut, and unstable in general), B) denigrate all
gun shop owners by tarring them by association with this legislator.

My personal issue with Sen. Baker is that he wants to ban something
just because HE finds it “offensive”. In particular, I find the misuse
of government time and resources even debating such an issue as
offensive.

Peter Davies reports at Blogger News Network, that Chinese troops are backing up Robert Mugabe in his quest to to remain Dictator of what is left of Zimbabwe.

Recent headlines have focused on the “cargo of death” shipped from China to Zimbabwe last week, but in an even more sinister development, Chinese troops have been seen on the streets of a Zimbabwe town… (Daily Mail)  Chinese and North Korean troops were also in evidence alongside Mugabe’s own troops when he attended a rally in Harare recently.  I believe the Chinese and North Korean troops are now needed to stiffen Zimbabwean military support for Mugabe.  There are increasing signs that not all the police, or the military, are still willing to enforce Mugabe’s murderous rule. 

More from the Daily Mail:

Zimbabwe and China have close military ties involving equipment and training.

I have long been opposed to ethanol (and many bio-fuels) on many grounds, not the least of which is that I feel it immoral to use foodstuffs to create fuel while millions starve in the world.

Many others have noted that as the population increases, along with standards of living in the developing world, that the most basic resources will become scarce, including the two most basic: Food and Water.

I will leave speculation on the coming water wars for another time, as shortages of food are far more pressing today.

I had not given much thought to food shortages in the past, as, like most Americans, I was content that the Breadbasket of the World (in which I include the US and Canada) could easily produce enough to feed not only the North America, but the world. 

I thought this was pretty appropriate.  Today while many people watch the Pennsylvania primaries, it is also a holiday:

Patriots Day.  While it is a little known holiday that is only observed in Massachusetts and Maine, the roots of the holiday seem more important today than ever before.

Jules Crittenden starts this off with a long but fascinating series of accounts about Patriot's Day:

April Morning

Patriots Day may be  the least knowwn American holiday, and the day  mostt deserving of our recognition. Observed in Massachusetts and Maine only. Don’t know it? It marks the day, April 19, 1775, on which Americans took up arms agaiinst their kiing, and bled, at the crack of teerrible dawn.

Orders from Gen. Thomas Gage to Lieut. Col. Smith, 10th Regt. Foot, 18 April 1775:  

…

 Paul Revere’s account: 

The post contiues with many more accounts and I urge you to read it thoroughly.

So,  I walk outside this morning to take my son to the bus stop, and hear a helicopter.

Not a starnge sound, as Frederickson is near Thun Field, McChord AFB, and Fort Lewis.

Then I realized that it was TWO helicopters.  As I squinted up into the sky (this is at 6:30am; pre-coffee) it took me a few seconds to realize that they were News Copters.

When I got back to the ranch, after making sure the young one actually go onto the bus, and was not kidnapped, run over, or otherwise dealt injury, I saw the wonderous footage from the sky cams, showing the remains of a house, just a few blocks away.

Seems that a young man with (at the least) anger management problems had detonated a bomb, most likely killing himself, as well as leveling about 80% of the house.

The Latin American Press and some in Congress are calling Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's refusal to bring the negotiated trade agreement between Columbia and the US up for a speedy vote the "Hugo Chávez Rule". Although Speaker Pelosi's intention may be to kowtow to powerful US Trade Unions, the consequence of not ratifying the treaty after Columbia jumped through various hoops required by members of Congress in order for it to be considered may be severe.  Continue reading here. 

NW fruit producers are among those who would benefit from the free trade treaty.

_{Reposting this from 2006.}

The world of politics is never pretty and often very ugly.

One of the most ugly features is how the politicians switch facts around to protect their argument.  They determine a conclusion that fits their needs, and then find the facts that support their conclusion, almost an intellectual reverse engineering.

It's not all that hard, we teach it in every school that has a debate team.  You are assigned a topic, and have to develop an argument to support it.  The validity or accuracy of the facts you present is unimportant unless they are challenged by your opponent.  Preparation becomes the driving factor: are you able to anticipate the challenges and overcome them?  The bottom line is that in the end, the facts don't matter.  Just the Feel.  Can you offer convincing sincerity?  Confidence?  Can you sway them with an emotional plea?  All powerful weapons.

Answer:

You still have some money, and they want it.

Alternate answer:  Because they think you will let them.

Exit question:  Are we people or sheep to be shorn at every opportunity?

Nuff Said.

Charlton Heston was an iconic actor, with a voice rivaled by Alex Hailey.  He was the star of many of Hollywood’s most memorable films, from the Ten Commandments, and Ben Hur (which endeared him in the American Heartland), to Planet of the Apes (the original, not the schlock that followed).

A statement from the family is available here.

The BBC (curiously) seems to have the best, and most respectful obituary of this screen legend:

Charlton Heston’s life story reads like a film script. From the backwoods of Michigan, he became one of the world’s most famous faces, a high-profile campaigner for Civil Rights and an unapologetic president of America’s National Rifle Association.

Of course, while the Hate-mongers and smear merchants to the left of the political spectrum in the US will never forgive Heston for his term as president of the NRA, this WWII Army Air Force veteran was a very public and vocal supporter for Civil Rights, at a time when most Democrats (including Al Gore’s father) were opposed.