JABbering Stooge

Because apparently, we really WANT a theocracy. (yeah, right!)

FORT WORTH, Texas - In a ceremony filled with religious references, Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill at a church school gymnasium Sunday that imposes more limits on late-term abortions and requires minor girls to get written parental consent for abortions.

Yeah, way to show you really care about religious freedom, governor!

CNN reported recently that some goofball named Gregory Despres was waved through the U.S.-Canadian border, in spite of the fact that he was "carrying a homemade sword, a hatchet, a knife, brass knuckles and a chain saw stained with what appeared to be blood."

Despres was later implicated in a brutal dual-slaying in his hometown of Minto, New Brunswick.

For the record, this is the official photo of Despres released to the press:

So, apprently, because he’s the "right race" and doesn’t answer to Muhammed, Ackbar, or Osama, he gets waved through without so much as a second glance - never mind the bloody chainsaw or the various stabbity implements that should’ve brought on numerous weapons violations. Good ol’ white, Christian boys couldn’t possibly be responsible for random acts of terror - or so the Ann Coulters and Michael Savages of the world would have you believe.

‘Tis to make one roll one’s eyes.

Note: Yeah…you’d think I’d have learned by now not to trust CNN’s web material to stay up for more than a few days…Anyway, here’s the link at MSRNC…

(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted Jun. 9, 2005 3:25 AM)

MSRNC…I mean, MSNBC posted a Reuters story on its web site entitled, "Gasoline: One of the best bargains around."

The story cites, and accepts at face value, a study by oil industry research firm John S. Harold, Inc., which concludes that "the price of gasoline is cheaper by volume than many other household products, and the cost has not risen as quickly over the years."

Of particular relevance is this quote:

"On a per-barrel basis, gasoline is America’s bargain liquid: 10 percent cheaper than bottled water, a third the cost of milk, a fifth the cost of beer, and less than 2 percent the cost of a bottle of Jack Daniels," the study said.

Great. But what’s important here isn’t unit price, it’s usage cost that matters (because even a small price adds up as usage increases).

Let’s assume for a moment that the gasoline usage cited in the study is accurate:

Gas: 10 gallons/wk.

Now let’s assume, using an educated guess based on the volume of product that goes through the grocery store I work for, the average usage of various commodities:

Milk: 2 gallons/wk.

Beer: 2 12-packs of 12-oz cans/wk. = 12 x 24 = 288 fluid oz./wk. = 2.25 gallons/wk. (according to onlineconversion.com’s volume conversions)

Bottled water: 1 24-pack of 20-oz bottles/wk. = 480 fluid oz./wk. = 3.75 gallons/wk.

Totaled up together, usage of the sample non-gas commodities is 8 gallons/wk. - 80% of the gas usage cited. Over the long haul, that 20% difference can add up fast. But as a percantage of overall usage in this sample, gas is by far the worst offender.

Gas: 10 gallons / 18 gallons = 55.56%

Milk: 2 gallons / 18 gallons = 11.11%

Beer: 2.25 gallons / 18 gallons = 12.5%

Bottled water: 3.75 gallons / 18 gallons = 20.83%

So, let’s suppose that gas is $2.16 per gallon, milk is $3.49 per gallon, a 12-pack of 12-oz. beer is $10.99,and that 24-pack of 20-oz. bottled water is $5.69.

Then the following happens:

Gas costs 10 x $2.16 = $21.60

Milk costs 2 x $3.49 = $6.98

Beer costs 2 x $10.99 = $21.98

Bottled water costs 1 x $5.69 = $5.69

Notice that the only commodity in this sample set that costs more than gas, based on usage, is beer.

Total expenses for the week: $56.25.

Gas represents $21.60 / $56.25 = 38.4% of the week’s expenses.

Milk represents $6.98 / $56.25 = 12.41% of the week’s expenses.

Beer represents $21.98 / $56.25 = 39.08% of the week’s expenses.

Bottled water represents $5.69 / $56.25 = 10.11% of the week’s expenses.

So on a usage basis, gas is the second most expensive commodity in this sample set, and only because beer was set at an arbitrarily high value (though one that reasonably approximates the price of beer - the prices of the other commodities are also assumed to be reasonable approximations of their respective prices).

In other words, for an oil industry research frim to use a "price per barrel" comparison with non-gasoline commodities to argue that gas is actually a bargain is one more example of lying through statistics, because the average household isn’t going to be using barrels of oil in one week, much less even one barrel of any other commodity.

Or as fellow Bartcop poster "retroper" put it: "Yes, Gas in the US is the cheapest of any industrialized nation but don’t tell me what a great bargain it is by comparing it to Windex and Summer’s Eve."

If MSNBC and Reuters want to maintain any semblance of credibility, they would do this sort of analysis (albeit in a much more rigorous fashion) on any claims made by any special interest group.

"Liberal" media bias, indeed.

(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted Jun. 9, 2005 3:15 AM)

Okay, I’ve been sitting on this long enough. It’s time to do my A-kon report.

A-Kon 16: Report from the trenches

You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men, right? Well, that’s what happened to us at the start. Originally, we had planned on having an acquaintance from Kuk Sool Won drive a whole group of us up to Dallas in his SUV. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it, and neither could most of the people we had planned on taking. It ended up being me and the two friends who had helped plan the whole thing. And, oh yeah, I got saddled with driving everyone up there in my Honda POS.

If you’ve been reading my blog lately, you can kind of guess that one of my little addictions is Japanese animation (anime). Anime has developed a bit of a cult following here in America, much like, say, Star Trek, Star Wars, or Babylon 5. Commensurate with this, several conventions devoted to anime fandom have been organized. So, being the anime fan that I am, I am planning on going to one such convention, A-kon 16, in Dallas on Saturday with a couple of friends who are also anime fans.

Interestingly enough, Austin has its own anime convention, Ushicon, that usually takes place on the last weekend of January. Thus far, I have been to three of the last four Ushicons, but this will be my first trip to A-kon, one of the largest anime conventions in the country. Should be fun. I’ll make sure to get some choice pics and post them to the blog.

Note: Due to legal issues, January, 2006 was the last time that Ushicon would ever be held.

(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted Jun. 2, 2005 5:50 AM)

24 hours ago, a fire broke out at one of Austin’s top tourist spots - the Oasis restaurant. According to eyewitness reports and the local news station’s meteorological data, it appears that a lightning strike set off the fire which ripped through the popular eating establishment. Much of the restaurant was gutted, with the exception of about 90% of the kitchen and the main stage where live events are held. The owner has already announced plans to rebuild from the disaster. JABbering Stooge wishes him the best of luck in getting the restaurant back on its feet.

(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted Jun. 2, 2005 4:58 AM)

The assault on freedom of speech continues. This time, Bill Maher - no stranger to controversy, for sure - committed the crime of joking about the Army missing it’s recruitment goal for April by 42 percent. As a result, Rep. Spencer Bachus (R - AL) has called for Maher’s show, Real Time with Bill Maher, to be cancelled because of the remarks.

"I think it borders on treason," Bachus said. "In treason, one definition is to undermine the effort or national security of our country."

Forgive my utter ignorance - I know I’m just a stupid, evil, terrorist, traitor, spawn-of-Satan liberal, but how is showing concern for the problems our military is facing, albeit in a satirical fashion, in any way at all "undermining the effort or national security of our country?"

I guess Congressman Bachus is going to have to provide a list of state-approved jokes, because I’m a bit confused as to what sorts of jokes are patriotically correct. I am sure of the following, though:

• Laura Bush joking about her husband’s penchant for masturbating horses is high comedy.

• Bill Maher satirizing the sorry state of our military is high treason.

I’m going to have to defer to an objective, independent source for comment on this development. Take it away, Ruri-chan!

He’s a baka.

(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted Jun. 2, 2005 4:49 AM)

I know it’s been a while since I posted,so let’s just dive right in to some stories that drew my attention - continuing on the thread of our ever more insidious creeping theocracy.

Judge to divorced couple: non-Christian belief systems have no place in privacy of one’s own home:

Our first story today comes from the Indianapolis Star.

Judge: Parents can’t teach pagan beliefs

Father appeals order in divorce decree that prevents couple from exposing son to Wicca.

By Kevin Corcoran

An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge’s unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals."

The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth.

Although the order doesn’t specifically spell out what constitutes "mainstream religious beliefs and rituals," it ought to be pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain what the judge has in mind. Naturally, the parents objected to this, and the judge is refusing to remove the order. So how did the order get put in there in the first place?

The parents’ Wiccan beliefs came to [Judge Cale J.] Bradford’s attention in a confidential report prepared by the Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau, which provides recommendations to the court on child custody and visitation rights. Jones’ son attends a local Catholic school.

Now, it’s important to note that neither of the parents requested that their son be raised in accordance with the local Catholic school’s beliefs, and that the boy enrolled as a non-Christian. But that doesn’t matter to Judge Bradford - he thinks he knows best and explains as such in his ruling (while looking down his nose at the parents, I’m sure):

"There is a discrepancy between Ms. Jones and Mr. Jones’ lifestyle and the belief system adhered to by the parochial school. . . . Ms. Jones and Mr. Jones display little insight into the confusion these divergent belief systems will have upon (the boy) as he ages," the bureau said in its report.

In other words, kids can’t be trusted to sort out for themselves their own belief systems - they need the guidance of a judge (and the school they’re attending), as if having more than one option is too confusing (and conservatives complain that we liberals are elitist!).

The other implication of this ruling is that if the belief system underlying a parochial school conflicts with the belief system of the parents, the parochial school wins.

So much for freedom of religion.

Convicted of a drug/alcohol offense? Get thee to a church!

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Kentucky District Judge Michael Caperton has an unusual idea of alernative sentencing: ordering the offender to attend worship services.

The sentence has only been issued about 50, and only to repeat offenders, so it’s too early to tell what sort of effect it will have. That said, I’m not sure that this is such a good idea. First of all, this sort of thing carries the unspoken assumption that the offender is not religious at all, and that is why they’re on drugs - a faulty assumption at best. Secondly, the whole point of church/state separation is to keep each institution uncorrupted by the influence of the other, thus enhancing our liberties.

James Madison would concur:

The Civil Government, though bereft of everything like an associated hierarchy, posesses the requisite stability, and performs its functions with complete success, whilst the number, the industry, and the morality of the priesthood, and devotion of the people, have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the church from the state.

Letter to Robert Walsh, March 2, 1819

The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries.

James Madison, 1803

I would also like to direct those interested to a December 2004 article by J. Brent Walker on the subject. It says what liberals have been trying to say about church/state issues far better than I could ever hope to accomplish.

(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted Jun. 2, 2005 3:51 AM)

In honor of Kenneth Y. Tomlinson’s purge of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, here’s a cartoon by Mark Fiore.

(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted May 18, 2005 3:32 PM)

CNN is reporting that the Air Force is begging President Bush "Please, pretty please, can we put weapons in space? Pretty please, with a cherry on top?"

NEW YORK (Reuters) — The U.S. Air Force is seeking President Bush’s approval of a national security directive that could move the United States closer to fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing White House and Air Force officials.

Great. Just great. First we’re sinking billions of hard-earned lucre into a ground-based technology that doesn’t work right half the time, even when we cheat and put a transponder in for the test target to say "Here I am! Hit me! Hit me! Hit…awww…c’mon! You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn!" And now we want to sink billions more into SPACE-based technology? We can barely afford to keep the ISS aloft - what makes us think we can afford to put the military’s expensive toys up there, as well?

Any deployment of space weapons would face financial, technological, political and diplomatic hurdles, as well as almost surely opposition from U.S. allies and potential enemies alike, fearing an arms race in space.

Yeah, diplomatic hurdles like THE OUTER SPACE TREATY!

*sigh*

Note: The link from CNN has since gone dead. NOW do you see why I stopped linking to articles on CNN after a while? Granted, it happens on MSRNC sometimes, too, but not to the extent that it does on CNN. Anyway, I found another link to the story at Common Dreams here.

(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted May 18, 2005 8:51 AM)