October 24, 2002

Big Act, Big Consequences Fox News has an opinion piece by blogger Radley Balko advocating for the passage of Ballot Initiative 1, "The Small Government Act" in the state of Massachusetts. This act supported by the state's Libertarian Party candidate for governor would ban use of income taxes by the state, therefore cutting the state budget from $23 billion to $14 billion. In the editorial piece there is no mention of what would be cut from the state if the act were passed. It’s easy to say that one third of the budget is waste and can be cut, but to be honest you should define what you mean by waste and provide a list of areas to be targeted. 10:00:14 PM

In an entry on his widely popular weblog, Glenn Reynolds makes the following quotation and comment. NEW YORK WANTS TO BAN TOY GUNS. Here's the "money quote:" "Our legislation seeks to remedy the constant deadly results that happen because of toy guns," said Vann, a Brooklyn Democrat. "Whether the gun is real or not, a death is still taking place, and that is unfortunate." As someone once said, what a terrible thing is is [sic] to lose one's mind, or to waste a mind, or to never have a mind at all. On the surface Vann, clearly identified, as a Democrat sounds crazy by suggesting toy guns can kill, however this quotation is separate from the context in which it was made. The article states: Councilmen David Weprin and Albert Vann said the city's existing law, which allows the sale of only brightly colored toy guns constructed of transparent material, is not enough because some buyers simply stain the toy guns black, making them appear real. In August, police fatally shot a man brandishing a toy handgun in Brooklyn. "Our legislation seeks to remedy the constant deadly results that happen because of toy guns," said Vann, a Brooklyn Democrat. "Whether the gun is real or not, a death is still taking place, and that is unfortunate." Vann is not stating that toy guns are deadly but that if a person alters a toy gun to make it appear real and they are killed as a result, it did not matter that it was a toy, they are still dead. Debating the role of government in preventing such a death or the problems realistic looking toy guns can cause police is not helped by selective quotations. 9:38:06 PM

Not good enough Free all of the Jews of Iran! 9:01:47 PM

I’m sure the people of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia want to know the answer to this question: Will both members of the arrested sniper murder team face the death penalty? 9:01:13 PM

Not anti-Semitic. I guess denial really is a river in Egypt. 1:06:38 AM