March 14, 2008
Greets and Huggers. Posted the evening of March 14, 2008. Your Bar Dues at work: the Bar hired Woody Cozad of the Cozad Company and Randy Scherr of Scherr Winter LLC to help educate the public about the benefits of the status quo. Although, I must admit, I wonder how hiring lobbyists … fits into the Bar’s goal of “educating the public”? Aren’t lobbyists political operatives? Course, what do I know … I’m just a dumb old country lawyer.
In the past 40 years, as a society, we have evolved into a child centered culture: remember the television ads, “Is it good for the children?“ I do. And like you, I see the results. A generation of “me first” adults coming on-line. Share with me … why are our divorce rates so high? Why are so many grandparents raising their grandchildren? Share with me why: CHICAGO , Illinois (AP) — Study: 1 in 4 teen girls has an STD. “At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group. A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls — nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.” One out of 4 teen girls? Doesn’t “Just Say No!” work? And the most common STD is the virus that causes cervical cancer? There is a vaccine … so who is asking, demanding to know … “Is it good for the children?” … and demanding the vaccine? Perhaps historically, 1 out of 4 of our teenage daughters has suffered from an STD. But frankly, I doubt it. I know you love your children, but how we raise our children is not working. Share with me, 1 out of 4?? Time to take a look at how we are failing them … isn’t it? It doesn’t take a village to raise a child. It takes parents that parent, take time to spend quality time with their children and set limits, values and instill a sense of community. Teach, they are privileged to be part of a family, community, society that is “special”. Giving your kid a cellphone to text message, buying them a PSP2 or giving them unsupervised access to the Internet … is not a substitute.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AOL NEWS) - Is Salvia the Next Marijuana? “On Web sites touting the mind-blowing powers of Salvia divinorum, come-ons to buy the hallucinogenic herb are accompanied by warnings: “Time is running out!” and “stock up while you still can.” That’s because salvia is being targeted by lawmakers concerned that the inexpensive and easy-to-obtain plant could become the next marijuana. Eight states have already placed restrictions on salvia, and 16 others, including Florida, are considering a ban or have previously.” I have never heard of this stuff! “Modern research into Salvia divinorum started in the 1930�s. Salvia divinorum was first recorded in Western literature in 1939 by Jean Basset Johnson, who did research on the use of hallucinogenic mushroom in Mexico. He saw that the Mazatec Indians used the leaves of �Hierba Maria� to induce visions. R. Gordon Wasson continued research in the 1950�s and confirmed the psychoactivity of salvia. Together with Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD, and Roberto G. Weitlaner, he was the first to bring back live specimens back to the west. They sent one of those specimens to Harvard University in 1962, where it was analyzed by Carl Epling.” Ok. The effects range from uncontrollable laughter to intense and profound hallucinations, that last for a few minutes to an hour, (depending on ingestion method). “After-effects include an increased feeling of insight and improved mood, and a sense of calmness and increased sense of connection with nature.” There are no known adverse side effects. “Its primary psychoactive constituent is a diterpenoid known as salvinorin A, a potent opioid receptor agonist. Salvinorin A is unique in that it is the only naturally occurring substance known to induce a visionary state this way.” So you can get high eating or smoking this stuff to get “a sense of calmness and increased sense of connection with nature.”? No doubt, we need to criminalize it to protect our children! And what about tobacco and alcohol?
AOL NEWS — Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water. “A vast array of pharmaceuticals � including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones � have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.” Certainly explains the behaviors of folks in some parts of our America. “Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California,” they are so mellow there, aren’t they? – “A sex hormone was detected in San Francisco’s drinking water”, No comment! … and perhaps the least surprising: “The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.” The article didn’t say … but I’m betting one was Thorazine . Would explain many of the actions of our Congress.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) – Iraqis demand protection from crime. “Thousands of Iraqis have marched on the Basra police headquarters demanding better security for their crime-ridden city. Kidnappings, murders and thefts have risen in the southern oil-rich city since British troops handed over responsibility for the province to Iraqi soldiers and police.” In response, Presidential candidates Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton opined, Obama … “The British should not have been there to start off with. Whether or not Sadam made the trains run on time is not our business!” … Clinton: “I voted to have Iragi trains run on time, based on the lies told by the Bush Administration. Looking back, the Bush Administration lied about Sadam making the trains run on time.” Fact: The trains did run on time under Sadam. If they didn’t … anyone having anything to do with the trains not running on time, (and their families), were executed. I will vote for McCain … don’t agree with some of his or the Republican platform … but … McCain was honest, not pandering for my vote, when he stated, “I don’t give a sh*t about trains running on time”. Refreshing. I wonder if a candidate running in 1930’s Germany could/would have made the same statement?
(CNN) � Kevorkian to run for office. “Jack Kovorkian, the assisted suicide advocate currently on parole from prison, is planning a run for Congress, a Detroit newspaper reported Wednesday … Kevorkian has said he has helped well over 100 people die during the 1990s. In 1998, he was formally convicted on second degree homicide for assisting in the death of Thomas Youk, who suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease.” Kovorkian raised an interesting issue, (addressed by some states): “Do we have the right to decide when and how we will die?“ There are valid arguments for and against. And his constituents are … ?
FAIRHOPE, Alabama (AP) — Sculptor’s D-Day heroes to overlook Utah Beach. “Sculptor Stephen Spears is turning history into bronze with the first monument to the Navy’s D-Day heroes at Normandy and a statue of a World War I doughboy at the site of a landmark American victory in Cantigny, France. His three bronze figures of a Navy captain and two sailors will be installed on a bluff overlooking Utah Beach to remember the naval service’s role in World War II’s pivotal amphibious invasion, adding a new visual element to the landscape at the historic site.” I wonder if the French will allow it? I doubt it.
The Italians have a machismo culture with a softer side: BBC NEWS – Licence to lie for Italian women. “Italy’s highest appeal court has ruled that married Italian women who commit adultery are entitled to lie about it to protect their honor. The court gave its landmark ruling after hearing the case of a 48-year-old woman, convicted of giving false testimony to police by denying she had lent her mobile phone to her lover.” They also don’t have the benefits of the 5th amendment! … and … BBC NEWS – Women in jeans ‘cannot be raped’. “The Supreme Court of Appeal in Rome on Wednesday overturned a rape conviction, saying that the supposed victim must have agreed to sex because her jeans could not have been removed without her consent. A court in the southern town of Potenza had convicted a driving instructor of raping his 18-year-old pupil … The Supreme Court ruled that it was impossible to remove a pair of jeans “without the collaboration of the person wearing them”, and that the young woman must therefore have consented to sex.” Perhaps Italian jeans are sprayed on?
BBC NEWS – Alcohol ‘quickly’ cuts heart risk. “Middle-aged non-drinkers can quickly reduce their risk of heart disease by introducing a daily tipple to their diet, South Carolina researchers say. New moderate drinkers were 38% less likely to develop heart disease than those who stayed tee-total, a four-year study involving 7,500 people found. Those who drank only wine showed the most benefit, the researchers reported in the American Medical Journal.” There is a whole body of research showing, in essence, that a glass of wine at bedtime his heart healthy, (better than a sleeping pill.) There is also a bunch of research showing that more than a couple of glasses of wine per day … is not.
An in an update on the Avian Flu Virus, H5N1: MENS NEWS DAILY — H5N1 Avian Flu virus has mutated, study says. “Researchers involved in a study at the University of Wisconsin have discovered that the H5N1 Avian Flu virus has mutated into a strain that may make humans more vulnerable to the disease. Prior to the study, it was known that the virus could only thrive or live in a body which have temperatures of 106 F (41 C). A human’s normal body temperature is 98.6 F (37 C). This difference in the temperatures of bodies makes the virus less likely to infect a human, but the recent study suggests the virus has adapted to survive in bodies with temperatures lower than 106 F. “We have identified a specific change that could make bird flu grow in the upper respiratory tract of humans,” said Yoshihiro Kawaoka, the researcher in charge of the study.” The H5N1 is so lethal because it is your immune system’s hyper response to the virus that kills you. The young and healthy are most vulnerable. Human to human transmission in the past has been sparse because of two reasons: the virus kills every quickly, 3 - 8 days, limiting possible transmission. The other is that the virus did not do well below 106 F degree host temperatures. That apparently is no longer true: it has mutated. Scary stuff: BBC NEWS — HK schools close amid flu fears. “All kindergartens and junior schools in Hong Kong have closed early for their Easter holiday, after a flu-like illness killed three children … Almost 200 people had been affected, officials said. At one school, some 30 students showed flu-like symptoms.” There will be a pandemic … if the number of people who fell ill during this flu season are any indication, (even Susan and I were sick – and we are careful to wash our hands, etc) … there will be massive death toll world wide. The economic impact will be horrendous … and there will be an enforced quarantine for at least 90 days. Again … please … set up your quarantine stash.
I spent the afternoon designing and publishing my campaign website, (it is not finished, but I wanted to get something up and running.) Robert Helmer continues to maintain the best web hosting service available ANYWHERE!! (Want an on-line presence, Bob’s company GEEKNET costs $10.00/month – and Bob will help you set it up!!!) I used a REALLY, REALLY elegant little program to create it: CoffeeCup Visual Site Designer 5.8.5, ($49.00). It is part of a suite of webdesign software, (modules that allow you to set up an image gallery, on-line forms, website video and audio player, etc.) Well worth the time and money to learn how to use, (you can of course pay someone to do it for you!!) … (smiling) … you can visit the site and make a modest contribution … (chuckling) … consider it a Ramblings tithe!!
Sitting here editing these Ramblings, (with my editing staff .. still awake on the seat behind me), and thinking about what a Circuit Court judge does. The power he/she has. It dawns on me that after a trial on the merits, a Circuit Judge signs the death warrant for a person found, by a jury of his peers, to be such a threat to society, their death is necessary to protect other human life. Share with me … what qualifications should the Judge signing this order, in terms of character and life experience, have? I sold “Zelda”, (my 2002 Honda VTX 1800), yesterday. Susan was happy I did … she was afraid I would kill myself on it … she loves me and wants to see me around for awhile longer, (turning 60 has made me look at many aspects of my life). But the one aspect that remains constant, is my love for Susan and my gratitude for Susan being part of my life. And for that, as I am want to do, as I go to sleep holding her, I will say a prayer of thanks and a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?) Be and sleep well, the best America has to offer is on watch, so you can. If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent. As always …
A Warm Brotherly Hug.
Karl (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri … and the editorial staff, Willy, Karly and my ‘Lil Buddy)