Another Myth Debunked

I guess there goes that whole "Jobs Americans won't do" argument.

The sub-headline: Applicants line up to fill jobs left empty by Swift plant raid

You can't go to school here son, because...

This is why I get upset with stupid infringements on freedom. By the logic of liberals, circumcision could become a requirement for boys to attend government funded schools. Gives new meaning to the concept of an entrance exam....

This is particularly egregious when the government service in question and the infringement aren't even correlated. Tell me why school attendance and STD-prevention requirement go together?

PETA hates your favorite charity

In a lame/bold move to draw attention to themselves; selfish, animal rights terrorists, PETA bought a "dinner with Beyonce at Nobu" from a charity auction. Then, as she sat down to eat, unaware of their agenda or intention, they got aggressive with her about her clothing line. MSNBC has the article.

Besides proving nothing, this has a few seriously bad side effects. Think about this - you are a star, you want to support a cause and "make a fan's dreams come true" (remember, you are a star and you think this way). So, graciously, you donate your time and privacy to the cause and put an expensive dinner with you up for auction - you know, for the children with cancer, etc. Now - you have to worry that some idiot with a PR agenda is going to pull some crap like this and get national attention.

So - do you still want to donate your time? Didn't think so. Thanks PETA.

Quick! Before I violate the "use a paper product to remove mucus from nose" patent

I have to tell you - while I respect the rights of people to have their work protected - like software source code, drug development, songs (for a short while) or trademark design, patenting obvious stuff (like "One-click Ordering" and "use of menus to display available functions in software") completely stiffles innovation. There are hundreds of examples of completely stupid patents that are just lawsuits waiting to happen. I think Schick or someone has the "4 safety blades in parallel for shaving" patent - which is why Gillette went to 5 on this latest shaving blade arms-race product.

Excerpt from Engadget, read the whole source article here.

Patent system changes in the works?

...and it seems most agree that there needs to be a new system to allow challenges to patents shortly after they're approved in order to avoid costly litigation later on. Tech and financial service companies are also pulling for a second "window" to allow them to dispute patents once a patent infringement suit is filed

Texas Republican Lamar Smith is out front on this trying to get something going to fix the system.

Excerpt from CNET, source article here.

"The bill will eliminate legal gamesmanship from the current system that rewards lawsuit abuses over creativity," said Smith, a Texas Republican.

The Business Software Alliance was quick to praise the bill, saying in a statement that it goes a long way toward "improving patent quality, making sure U.S. law is consistent with that of other major countries and addressing disruptions caused by excessive litigation."

Pre-emptive strikes, the New Monroe Doctrine and Iran

I am a big fan of the Monroe Doctrine circa 1823. Paraphrasing, it says, if a European Nation attempted to intervene and exert influence and power in our hemisphere (meaning the Americas), we would not allow it.

Two things to consider about this:
1. When this came out, European nations were still mucking around in Central and South America significantly - including in Mexico on our border (no surprise - this was Napolean). Europe contained the only nations with any power that could have threatened us (in any meaningful way) at that time.

2. In a 21st century world, when everyone is less than a 20-hour plane ride away, the hemisphere component of this is no longer relevant. Every place on earth is in our hemisphere. A terrorist sitting in Tehran can pick up his nuclear suitcase and be on our shores faster than my commute when the Mass Pike has an accident on it.

The Monroe Doctrine has been a philosophically critical reason we have not had sustained war on inside our borders (excluding the Civil War for obvious reasons). Recast, what it now means to me is that if your nation or organization (such as Al Qaeda) has the means and desire to unduly influence or threaten the US, we have the right and obligation to our citizenry to preempt and DISable the threat - using the best means at our disposal.

Given this, I am mentally prepared to take on the burdens of preventing another 9/11 on our shores or any of the other increasingly viable threats being hurled by saber-rattling Iranian mullahs and their leader -- even given what the consequences of that may be.

This seems to me to represent another angle on the "means" to hurt us. I am not very well convinced they lack desire.

Please let this be true.

Via Drudge and the Hartford Courant, please let this be true.

I love this because every time the Dems run a Yankee-accent wielding New England Senator, ( at least in the last few elections) they lose. Plus, just one more person to absorb money, beat up on Hillary and generally push the crowd further left.

When the Feds fail, this is how things get done

There is going to be a lot more of what's going on in San Bernadino coming across the country if the Senate doesn't get close enough to the House version of an immigation bill.

Here is the most bizarre two paragraphs from the San Jose Mercury News (AP):

Roberto Arreola, 30, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, addressed the council before the decision.

"We are not criminals and it doesn't make sense for the city to pass a law against us," said Arreola, speaking in Spanish with a translator.

Emphasis mine.