Creeping Totalitarianism

I've slacked off on the blogging over the past couple of months because I've been kind of busy, but I'll try to speed up again. Google Analytics claims that I have about a dozen or so regular readers, so to you folks, I apologize. Unfortunately, the story that the NSA is getting all our call records has me nearly speechless. I fully support government surveilance of known or … [Read more...] about Why Do They Hate Us?

One of the big stories in the news these days is that the National Security Agency (NSA) is apparently collecting information about millions of telephone calls made by Americans since 9/11. They're apparently trying to get source and destination phone numbers as well as call time and duration for every phone call made in the United States, presumably to do some kind of data … [Read more...] about A Letter To ATT

I'm no fan of celebrities receiving special treatment from law enforcement, but this seemed a bit silly: LAS VEGAS - Paula Abdul was allowed to board a plane at the Las Vegas airport without passing through a security checkpoint, prompting all passengers and luggage to be screened when they landed in California, officials said Friday. It's like they think she's some sort of … [Read more...] about What Kind of Name is “Abdul” Anyway?

"If you are not doing anything wrong, why should you worry about it?" —Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt He's talking about his idea to install security cameras all over Houston, including in private businesses and apartment buildings. A fellow named Matt Asher has an interesting response: The Hurtt Prize is a $1120 (and growing) reward for the first person who can … [Read more...] about Doing Things Wrong In Houston

No smarmy title here, just this: A 12-year-old Aurora boy who said he brought powdered sugar to school for a science project this week has been charged with a felony for possessing a look-alike drug, Aurora police have confirmed. ... Two other boys asked if the bag contained cocaine after he showed it to them in the bathroom Wednesday morning, the boy's mother said. He … [Read more...] about Shameful Prosecution of a 12-Year Old