And in Other News

[dai bread]

Then again, a robber killed a guy in a dairy shop yesterday.

[Haggis@wk]

Dai,
With the current crop of remorseless juvenile offenders in the U.S. (Juveniles being the most potentially violent among any age group) it is now a coin toss whether you should cooperate or not during a robbery.

This became especial troublesome after the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles cannot be executed for capital murder in the U.S. which essentially gives the kids an incentive to eliminate witnesses because even if they are caught the worst that will happen to them is jail time.

Even the famous 7-11, "anyone resisting a robbery will get fired” rule has been ruled unconstitutional in court when a worker who resisted and was fired, sued 7-11. The judge said that the inherent right of self protection trumps arbitrary rules imposed by employers.

After 9-11, the conventional wisdom of going along with your robber/hijacker has been called into doubt.

Another trend from 9-11, which I applaud, has been the increasing number of states passing "right to carry" laws, that in essence states that anyone is entitled to carry a conceal weapon unless the state's authorities can show that an applicant shouldn't get a license; i.e. prior conviction with a firearm, violent crimes, etc.

As statistical evidence mounts that those states that permit "conceal carry" don't have a higher incident of crime by licensed carriers you'll see other states pass similar laws.

In Texas, crimes against women has declined since the law was passes; a young lady blew away a convicted rapist after he grabbed her in a parking garage, raising interest in firearms among women and increasing the number of application from women.

An armed populace tends to be a more polite populace

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by Haggis@wk:
An armed populace tends to be a more polite populace

Is that a Heinlein quote?

[haggis]

Yup, I think it's from the "Quotes from lazarus Long' book.

I can't see the book on my bookshelf as I type to confirm it, but I'm pretty sure that was it or close to it. I'll check later and let you know

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

"Notebooks of Lazarus Long" excerpts from "Time Enough for Love"

Has Lummie been raising Haggises, as well as John Thomases?

[piqaboo]

Haggises are hard-boiled, not raised. Just check your cookbook!

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

(I'm still yearning after one of John Thomas's personal helicopter backpack thingies. Can you imagine the multilevel traffic reports?)

I share one thing with the fictional Lazarus Long. I (regretfully) dispose of a lot of material that's already been read. It's dispose, or be immobilized by the tonnage of paper. I don't think that I have Time Enough anymore. May have to reacquire, now that there's more bookspace again. I'm pretty sure most of my older (paperback) Heinlein is gone. May be some hardbounds left.

[piqaboo]

I'm disposing of books too.
Reading them one last time then off to Goodwill or the Used Paperback store they go.

Maybe Altoid will pick some up some old fav;s in the used book stores in a few years, and I'll get to reread them.

<small>[ 06-20-2005, 08:14 PM: Message edited by: piqaboo ]</small>

[haggis]

Guys,
look at the PB's and make sure you NEED to get rid of them....there's gold n them thar hills, and dumping first editions of paperbacks is a "VBT"


Very Bad Thing

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Sorry, Haggis. I'm pretty sure you're too late with that very good advice. Possibly too late by several decades.

If I find any of the Heinleins that I bought with lots of hours of babysitting money, many many many years ago, what should be done with them? Don't sprain anything answering, I'm pretty sure they're one with the Woodbine pine, the dodo, and the Permian sea. But just on the off chance...

[Haggis@wk]

SNORT ALERT!!! DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING WITH A MOUTHFUL OF ANY LIQUID VISCOUS ENOUGH TO SQUIRT OUT YOUR EYES!!!!!!!!

The Onion, 2056

My favorite is

"HNG KONG LUNA—Hans Snetterling of the Interplanetary Olympic Committee announced Monday that the search for Irish pole vaulter Mei-Ling Kryscynski, last seen clearing the eastern rim of the Tycho Brahe crater at supraorbital velocity, will continue until 90 days have passed. "We regret the lack of foresight that led to this accident, as well as the shot-put and javelin events that led to 12 deaths in Spain."

In response to the Lunar Olympic problems, the IOC is considering a high-gravity site such as Jupiter for the 2060 games, a suggestion that was protested by the judo, gymnastics, and powerlifting delegations."

heh heh, "Irish pole vaulter, Mei-Ling Kryscynski" had me on the floor, my eyes are still tearing.

Plus, most of OT's worst predictions come true!! That'll keep him happy for most of the afternoon!!!

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Secretary of HyperAgriculture Roald McDonald

<SNORT!>

theonion is a dangerous, dangerous site.

[Haggis@wk]

And in the best tradition of bounty hunting…..

Wood's fellow hostage hires bounty hunters

“June 26, 2005 - 7:18PM
A hostage held alongside Australian Douglas Wood in Iraq has hired bounty hunters to track down his former captors, promising to eliminate them one by one.

Swede Ulf Hjertstrom, who was held for several weeks with Mr Wood in Baghdad, was released by his kidnappers on May 30.

Mr Hjertstrom has since claimed he shared information with US and Iraqi troops about Mr Wood which led to the release of the 63-year-old Australian engineers two weeks ago, after 47 days in captivity.

Now, he wants to find those responsible.
"I have now put some people to work to find these bastards," he told the Ten Network today.
"I invested about $50,000 so far and we will get them one by one."

I just wish he took Paypal

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I've always heard that encouraging small business is good for the peace process. I don't think this was what the peace activists had in mind but, hey, if it works...

I've always claimed that Swedes are practical people.

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by Haggis@wk:

I just wish he took Paypal

Yeah, me too.

[piqaboo]

If global warming increases, will penquins need to be put on birth control???
Emperor Penguins

[Haggis@wk]

So, where are the "Empress Penguins"? Or at the very least "Emperor Consort penguins"?

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

No Empress penguins. But there are Adelie penguins and Macaroni penguins and they're both really cute!

[Shapley]

OT:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8389834/

We're doomed!

V/R
Shapley

[OperaTenor]

I wonder how millisieverts convert to millirem. Sounds to me like my total career dose of 782mr won't even register on their scale.

Anyway, gotta die of something, because die we surely will!