The Last Ephor

The Smallest Minority shows point by point how the state is, in no way, responsible for your safety and well-being. To me, this is the ultimate weapon to use in the courtroom for the right to bare arms. If the state has no compulsion to defend me against those who mean to do me harm, the state cannot deny me the right and the means to defend myself. I spent a lot of time in NYC where gun control reigns supreme. Naturally, there was tons of shootings and gun related crime. The only upside is that it gave me a really good "spidey sense". Which, to this day, is still pretty sharp and has saved me more than once. Contrast that with my time in Deep South where guns are ubiqitous. I felt much safer there than in NYC. (Yes, I know the two are not analagous, but there are enough similarities to draw a comparison.)

This is simultaneously hilarious and correct. I've always been enraged by games that require jumping over cliffs and the like when I can't see the edge. How the @#$% am I supposed to time this without plunging to my death over and over and over. Bravo!

Hollywood has been obsessed with serial killers for over a decade now. Pretty much since Silence of the Lambs. It's been done to death (pardon the pun) and it's simple ground that has been trod very flat. I understand the need to make the villain intelligent, even a genius to make the film better and the killer thing adds the twinge of fear and the ultimate crime. The problem is the utter depravity depicted over and over and over. Is there a point? Half or more of these movies wouldn't have suffered in the least if the criminal was a serial art thief, bank robber or what have you. That said, actual serial killers are far less glamorous albiet usually intelligent. They are also severely disordered people and in many cases abjectly evil. The infamous BTK killer was one. He killed many many people (over 50?) during his "career" and suddenly vanished. Some investigators were convinced he had died. He hadn't. He simply stopped. How? Well, one expert

The Rock . This is my favorite bit of graffiti of late. Kudos to the artist.

Touche! That took alot less time than I expected.

Touche! That took alot less time than I expected.

Ugh. Number 1 son has had a nasty stomach bug for about 10 days now and it's finally giving up the ghost. Actually, it looks like it's found some new hosts: Son's #2 and 3. Lovely. Yesterday The Wife took #2 and #3 shopping and I stayed behind (pardon the pun) with #1. I figured it would be too crowded and he gets REALLY unhappy in large crowds. We were watching some Elmo and such and he had a metldown for unknown reasons. After much ado, I realized he wanted to go swimming. As soon as I pulled out a Swimmy diaper, he pulled off the one he was wearing and tossed it in the garbage. He ran back to me and hopped into the new one. We were out the door and he was happy as a clam. He splashed around and I read "Fatherland" by Robert Harris. A little while later, #2 and #3 came to the fence separating front yard from back. "Knock knock" says #3 "It's me!" shouts #2 (he thinks I can't see him through the split rail fence. #2 does

Lawmakers like what they see on Gitmo tour : "Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) is one of many Democrats who have called for an independent commission to investigate abuse allegations and said the facility should close. She stopped short of changing her position after the visit, but acknowledged, ''What we've seen here is evidence that we've made progress.'' " My neck hurts from all these pols changing their positions so fast.

Male-targeted ads found to be in no man's land I, for one, am sick to death of the way men, particularly fathers are portrayed in popular culture. On TV, every single father is a buffoon who haplessly botches everything he touches until ever wise Mom can fix it. Hilarity ensues. Look, I know from personal experience being a father is building tracks in front of an oncoming train. The kids are there and they're learning and growing up every minute of every day. I don't have a manual so I make it up as I go. Of course you're going to make mistakes. My wife and I often find ourselves questioning what to do in particular cirumstances. That does not mean that my life is like Everybody Loves Raymond. Wherein I (Raymond) am clueless and cower in fear of my wife (Debra) who is ever humorless and frowning. In commercials men are either sex crazed maniacs or, again, objects of ridicule and mockery. Some may think me a humorless killjoy for ranting about these things

Here's what our future looks like after Kelo. Sadly, it's going to take something just shy of armed insurrection to stop it. I think the guy who's taking Souter's house has the right idea. Any politician, local, state or federal who tries this kind of garbage should be targeted for exactly what he preaches.