Border to Border

Ron Paul on The Daily Show

2009-09-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

Sam Harris on Real Time with Bill Maher

2009-08-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

Civil Rights Presentation by Attorney Scott Medlock

2009-07-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

CIVIL RIGHTS SEMINAR

THE PUBLIC IS WELCOMED

Monday, July 13^th, 2009 – 7:00 P.M.

San Pedro Salon, St. Joseph Church

555 West St. Francis Street

Brownsville

Scott Medlock of the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin

Power Point Presentation on Civil Rights

Followed by an opportunity to ask questions

The Texas Civil Rights Project promotes racial, social and economic justice though education and litigation. They strive to foster equality, secure justice, ensure diversity and strengthen communities. TCRP was founded in 1990 as part of Oficina Legal del Pueblo Unido, a non-profit community-based foundation located in South Texas. Attorney Scott Medlock has represented prisoners and their families in a wide variety of cases involving disability discrimination, medical neglect, wrongful death, jail suicide, free speech, excessive force and due process.

Sponsor: Civil rights Team of Brownsville, 2401 Wildflower

For more information: Joe Krause 956-831-4354

Ron Paul - Audit the Federal Reserve

2009-04-24T12:53:00.001-07:00

Yes Virginia, you can have a part-time law practice

2009-04-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

And apparently a part-time blog too!

When I graduated from law school ten years ago, the conventional wisdom was still, "there is no part-time law." I never really discussed the issue of balancing career and family with any of my female classmates, partly out of ignorance about the magnitude of change children bring to parents' lives, and partly out of a desire to avoid the vague, unsettling fear that I would be too old to get pregnant by the time my husband and I were in a position to have a family. Besides, we were all young and naive back then, and somehow we believed we would beat the odds and have it all. All of these women talking about "balance" were just not sufficiently dedicated and passionate enough about the law! Now, when's bar review again? (Note: in Wisconsin, "bar review" is a drinking party at the end of the semester, because Wisconsin law students don't have to take the bar exam to become licensed. Don't worry, I didn't get off that easy. I still had to take the Minnesota bar. But I digress.)

My worries about handling work and babies were eased a bit when we decided to move back to our hometown of Duluth, where both sets of parents still lived. I settled in with a little family-friendly firm, and after our son was born we managed to both work full-time with help from various combinations of grandparents (most important), working split shifts, limited flextime, and later, part-time daycare once our son reached toddler age.

After a few years, I moved to a less family-friendly, but more salary-friendly firm. By big city standards, the firm is medium sized, but it is the largest in the relatively small city of Duluth. They liked their billable hours just as much as any big firm. The quality of work and experience I got was, for the most part, great. But I began to feel torn in two. I felt guilty when our son's grandparents were always the ones to take him to his checkups. And for some reason, daycare providers always call mommy, not daddy, when kids are sick, even when mommy's in court. We did okay for a while. I took up smoking again to try and relieve some stress, hiding in a freezing garage after Erik was asleep with the Camel lights I'd quit in college. We hired Merry Maids to clean the house we felt like we never got to enjoy because we were both always at work. I knew that if we were going to have more kids, this crazy stressed-out lifestyle would simply not work.

By the time Steve accepted a new job here, I was exhausted and ready for a break. I spent the next 18 months hanging out with Erik and slowing down the pace of our lives a bit. Our daughter was born in 2005, and in 2006 I was ready to go back to work part-time. I had been a part-time municipal judge, but could I have a part-time solo practice? With no grandparents or other family here to back me up, this was my only option. (I now understand why women used to be encouraged to become schoolteachers. Between holidays, sick days, half days, and Charro days, it's the only full-time job that allows you to parent school-aged kids.)

I think the answer is yes, you can have a part-time solo practice. Right now, I prefer my home office, which although not luxurious, is much nicer than I could afford to rent. I also avoid the resentment I felt at working to pay a mortgage on a house where I spent few non-waking hours. I can now be with my kids or do a load of laundry whenever necessary. Technology makes running a low-overhead firm feasible, and I can be selective about the cases I accept when I don't have to meet rent. I can also be more responsive to clients when I don't have to count billable hours to pay for a partner's lake house. In short, a little less income, but a lot more freedom. Chuck Newton has a blog about "third-wave lawyers" and innovative variations on the traditional law firm. I'm not ready for a shipping crate office in the backyard yet, but maybe next year.

Obama's Treasury Secretary pick disappoints

2009-01-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

Timothy Geithner will most likely be our next Treasury Secretary while we face an economic crisis. It is my opinion that he also intentionally cheated on his taxes. Considering his background, his acceptance of reimbursements for payment of self-employment taxes, and his failure to pay after multiple reminders, this was not negligence, it was fraud.

I understand that it's not easy to find qualified individuals to accept lower pay in government. However, something has gone very wrong if we truly cannot find one honest, qualified person who wants to be a real public servant.

The cornerstone of Obama's campaign was to restore trust and integrity to government. So far, I'm not impressed.

For the Rush fans

2009-01-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

There must be at least a dozen or so in Brownsville, right?

Natural Science (Live 2007)

And a trip down memory lane:

Circumstances (Live 1978)

I'm ruminating on a post containing no videos and actual original content for Monday. I know you're all on the edges of your seats.

What 30 below windchills look like

2009-01-03T16:56:00.001-08:00

We just returned from a vacation to Duluth, with a side trip to Lutsen resort on Lake Superior's North shore.

A Grand Marais landmark:

We had a great time, but I for one am glad to be back in the land of heat and humidity.

By the way, I'm not running for mayor, nor have I ever thought of doing so. It was entertaining to watch certain bloggers searching for new material, though.

An oldie but a goodie

2008-12-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

This video is in celebration of the fact that we finally got our Christmas tree up last night, only about 10 days late. Next year for the kids, a Festivus pole and the airing of grievances.

The Gearhead Post

2008-12-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

I never realized how much work it is to hand wax a car. The object of my toil last week was our spare car, a 1993 Subaru SVX LS-L 25th Anniversary Limited Edition, with touring package in Barcelona Red.

The Subaru SVX was Subaru's attempt to enter the luxury/performance car category. Its prototype was designed by the renowned designer Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign. Subaru made about 25,000 SVXs from 1992 to 1997. About 14,000 were imported to the United States. There are about 600 of this 1993 25th Anniversary model.

Some specs for car nerds: AWD, 3.3 liter 6 cylinder 24 valve DOHC Boxer engine, 230 horsepower at 5400 rpm, torque: 228 @4400 rpm. Top speed is 154 mph. No, I haven't driven it that fast. My husband may have, at the Porsche Club track where it is legal and safe.

Obviously, this is not practical car for a household with two young children. However, despite its age and bad paint job, we've become too attached to this car over the past eight years to let it go. As far as I know, this is the only SVX in the RGV. If there are any other Subaru enthusiasts in this area, we'd like to hear from you in the comments.

Dilbert is too true sometimes

2008-11-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Onion on the National Money Hole

2008-11-17T21:02:00.002-08:00

In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

You have to laugh so you don't cry...

YouTube alternatives - Big Think & TED

2008-11-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

The Big Think and TEDtalks are two video sites to check out when you crave a little more substance than YouTube.

Congratulations to President-Elect Obama

2008-11-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

Although I voted for Bob Barr, I am satisfied with the election results. I am looking forward to more thoughtfulness, intelligence, and respect for the rule of law in our President.

Early Voting

2008-10-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

I voted early today at the Brownsville Public Library, and I highly recommend it. I waited in line for perhaps 5 minutes at 9:00AM. I forgot to bring my registration, but all I needed was my driver's license. They're open from 9 to 6 for anyone who wants to avoid long election day lines.

Jon Stewart on McCain's "Real America" strategy

2008-10-21T12:38:00.001-07:00

Has McCain just given up on courting independent voters? This new "real America" talking point only appeals to the egos of his base on the far right. Is the campaign so desperate that they're now worried about them as well? I can't wait for this election to end so I can stop hearing about a new sleazy campaign tactic each week. Having Palin conduct the attacks does nothing but make McCain look too weak to do it himself. McCain has neither the dignity nor the integrity necessary to be President.

One simple way to avoid stock market volatility

2008-10-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well, you obviously can't avoid volatility completely. But I use a simple system that reduces it. I don't have the risk tolerance or enough interest in stocks to buy individual stocks or even exclusively index funds. I wanted something I could set up and forget most of the time.

This simple system by former presidential candidate Harry Browne fits the bill. In his "permanent portfolio," investments are allocated as follows: 25% stocks (for prosperous times), 25% bonds (for prosperous times and deflationary times), 25% gold (for inflationary times), and 25% cash (for tight money/recessionary times).

The diversification allows you to ride out ups and downs with minimal risk. You evaluate and rebalance your portfolio only once per year. I also like to set stop losses so I can minimize worry even during days like today.

Check out the book if you want a nice, simple way to manage your investments.

New Rules for Sarah Palin and Her Witchdoctor

2008-10-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul - bailouts may cause a depression

2008-10-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

I don't want to be a scaremonger, but it would not hurt for people to stock up on some provisions and some extra cash. My guess is that the next 6 months to one year will be very rocky for the economy. If the depression doesn't come, you'll be very prepared for the next hurricane.

Back to work, slacker

2008-09-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am formally opening my law firm on October 15th. Although I enjoy blogging in relative obscurity, it's bad for business. So I'm going to step outside my introverted tendencies and introduce myself more. If nothing else, some of you may be wondering why I moved "border to border."

After spending most of my life in Duluth, MN and graduating from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and Marquette University Law School (Milwaukee, WI), I moved back to my hometown. I was in private practice there from 1998-2004, concentrating on employment law and general civil litigation. While at my firm, I was also a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee for Minnesota.

My husband's job as a design engineer at a maquiladora brought us to Brownsville. We moved here with our son, and our daughter was born here in 2005. After my maternity leave, I served as a municipal judge for the City of Harlingen from May 2006 to May 2008.

Although I have spent much of my career in civil litigation and employment, I hope to also build upon my municipal, criminal, and bankruptcy experience as I open my new firm in Brownsville.

I want to sincerely thank all of the lawyers I've met so far here. Everyone has been very welcoming and helpful to a complete outsider.

I also thank you for your indulgence. Tomorrow, back to blogging about guns, gold, and all things libertarian.

SOLD - THANK YOU!!

2008-09-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

FOR SALE - 1998 Honda CR-V mini-SUV. Has 4wd, automatic trans., 4 cylinder engine, AC, cruise, power windows/locks, security system, CD stereo. It has been in our family since 2002. 155k miles; well maintained.

Has nearly new tires, registration & inspection until 4/09, runs/drives great. Has a few little scratches/dings, as you'd expect after 10 years, but nothing to worry about. Windshield currently has a couple of cracks and chips, but nothing in the field of view.

The perfect practical vehicle for any looming financial apocalypse. Very reliable. $4000. Email me at rrsyck@gmail.com if interested.

NO TO BAILOUT

2008-09-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

I've emailed Senators Hutchison and Cornyn and Representative Ortiz on my opposition to the enormous, unprecedented, likely ineffective bank bailout plan; have you?

It's very easy. Go to: www.congress.org. Put in your zip code and your officials will come up. Select one and go to "web form." The position "oppose bailout" is already there, and you can add whatever message you want. Many eminent economists are against this plan and are urging extreme caution. It appears that Congress may be listening to them and to us. This may be one of the few times you can actually make a difference.

I don't know what else to say other than to take a page from local blogger El Rocinante's playbook:

NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!

This is only the beginning

2008-09-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

It looks like the (latest) bailout plan is passing, despite overwhelming public opposition (at least 80-95%). Get ready for more after this "works" for a few days or weeks.

From the CNBC website today:

THE BANKING SYSTEM NEEDS ANOTHER $500 BILLION to survive beyond the $700 billion rescue plan being contemplated by Congress, said Pimco founder Bill Gross.

Again, I really do hope this works, but I feel sick to my stomach.

Here's a link to a sampling of the alternative plans some have proposed. Congress doesn't seem to care enough to consider any alternatives, though.

The Big Picture - bailout plan alternatives

Good luck, comrades. We're going to need it.

Congressman Ron Paul Schools Bernanke on the Bailout Plan

2008-09-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Rumor is that the Paulson plan is dead and the Dodd bill or some variation is a foregone conclusion.

Ah, now the media are calling it a "rescue plan." Poor victim investment banks.

If this passes, you will be paying for the rich bankers' mistakes and losses while they enjoy their enormous profits. More inflation will further erode your buying power. If you disagree with this, contact your representatives and complain. The fix is probably already in, but it can't hurt:

Link to Congress.org

I hope that if a plan passes it works, but I'm not betting on it.

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

2008-09-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is circulating today; I found it on The Big Picture blog.

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

DEAR AMERICAN:

I NEED TO ASK YOU TO SUPPORT AN URGENT SECRET BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH A TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF GREAT MAGNITUDE.

I AM MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AMERICA. MY COUNTRY HAS HAD CRISIS THAT HAS CAUSED THE NEED FOR LARGE TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF 800 BILLION DOLLARS US. IF YOU WOULD ASSIST ME IN THIS TRANSFER, IT WOULD BE MOST PROFITABLE TO YOU.

I AM WORKING WITH MR. PHIL GRAM, LOBBYIST FOR UBS, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY. AS A SENATOR, YOU MAY KNOW HIM AS THE LEADER OF THE AMERICAN BANKING DEREGULATION MOVEMENT IN THE 1990S. THIS TRANSACTIN IS 100% SAFE.

THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT URGENCY. WE NEED A BLANK CHECK. WE NEED THE FUNDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE CANNOT DIRECTLY TRANSFER THESE FUNDS IN THE NAMES OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. MY FAMILY LAWYER ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD LOOK FOR A RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY PERSON WHO WILL ACT AS A NEXT OF KIN SO THE FUNDS CAN BE TRANSFERRED.

PLEASE REPLY WITH ALL OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, IRA AND COLLEGE FUND ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND THOSE OF YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO WALLSTREETBAILOUT@TREASURY.GOV SO THAT WE MAY TRANSFER YOUR COMMISSION FOR THIS TRANSACTION. AFTER I RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION, I WILL RESPOND WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT SAFEGUARDS THAT WILL BE USED TO PROTECT THE FUNDS.

YOURS FAITHFULLY MINISTER OF TREASURY PAULSON

Comrades,

I realize I'm no economist, and I just dabble on financial blogs, so can someone help me out here? How does any bailout plan do anything but delay the inevitable? It's my understanding that if this plan passes, the banks face very little moral risk. What's to prevent these smart investment bankers, once the current crisis has passed (IF this bailout plan works), from developing more creative investments, knowing that any risk is now socialized, and leading us down the same path again?

Our economy has to have cycles; the enormous credit bubble has to pop sometime. Doesn't delaying it just increase the size of the recession/depression in our future? No one in power has been willing to give any opinion on exactly how bad the consequences might be if we let the natural economic cycle run its course. Are we so addicted to credit that we can't see the need to let the cycle run its course and take a lifestyle hit in order to save our nation's long-term viability?

I've been listening to Paulson's testimony a bit, and it's just scary. No specifics, no oversight, just give us a blank check NOW and stop asking questions. We have to slow this down and ask MORE questions.

Hitler: Another trade, another margin call

2008-09-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Does the financial meltdown have you craving a little levity? Here's Hitler after a bad day in the market.

David Iglesias to speak in Brownsville on U.S. Attorney Scandal

2008-09-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

The Brownsville Herald reported that former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico David Iglesias will speak at 7:00 pm this Wednesday at the UTB-TSC Science, Engineering and Technology building about the U.S. attorney scandal.

His book In Justice is a pretty good read. Although U.S. attorneys are political appointees, they have traditionally received nonpartisan treatment in order to protect the integrity of the Department of Justice. Iglesias and others dismissed without explanation claim they were targeted for investigating certain Republican politicians and failing to investigate Democrats.

As usual, there's much more to this story than the mainstream press generally covers. Check it out if things like fairness and justice interest you.

Amateur Philosophy Corner

2008-09-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ed Stapleton's post about freewill a while back has had me thinking about this issue a lot lately. I've always been a big fan of freewill. But it's been a long time since I examined it critically.

I'm a materialist; I think that everything is composed of matter, and that there is no separate "mind" or "consciousness," just the interactions of billions of neurons firing. We don't understand all of the physical processes, but I've not seen any convincing evidence of a non-physical or supernatural force.

Assuming the above, a human being at birth is endowed with certain genetic attributes beyond his control. That baby is then thrust into an environment that is also beyond his control. Where does freewill come in? You could argue that a person makes decisions that affect his or her environment, but what influences each and every decision? Only the genetic material (beyond one's control), and the environment (ditto). If freewill exists, what is the additional force, beyond genetics or environment, that influences it?

Is freewill even worth studying in the first place, other than as an academic exercise? Determinists say that each and every event is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior events. Assume first that this is true, and that freewill as we commonly understand it does not exist. Assume next that theoretically, we could construct a supercomputer capable of processing all data from the beginning of time at the Big Bang. Given all the necessary information, the computer could predict the future down to wave of a blade of grass in the breeze. That technology could enable us to predict the future exactly, and would seem to be an incredible technological advance. But in the absence of freewill, we could not change one iota of the future and planning for the future would be useless. We should just mellow out and wait for the future to come instead of fretting about freewill.

Assume the second alternative, that freewill does exist. In this case, our giant all-knowing supercomputer would also be useless, because freewill must be some supernatural force above and beyond both nature and nurture. As such, it would be impossible for mankind to understand the supernatural force unless the force chose to reveal itself. By definition, the supernatural force would be beyond our understanding. We could not seek to understand it, we must just wait for it to reveal itself. In this case, philosophizing about freewill would also be useless, except as an enjoyable pasttime. Again, just mellow out and enjoy the ride, unless and until the supernatural entity responsible for some sort of freewill reveals itself.

In both cases, knowing whether freewill exists would be useless in terms of practical implications. We've designed concepts of law, crime, punishment, and responsibility so that the physical world makes sense to our currently evolved brains. If the criminal is not "responsible" for a crime due to an absence of "freewill," neither is the judge or jury that sentences him. If freewill causes one's actions, and freewill is some supernatural force we do not and cannot understand, is it fair to hold an individual responsible based upon it?

Although society needs freewill to function properly, the concept of freewill will certainly change and evolve. Compatibilists like Daniel Dennett propose that freewill and determinism can coexist. Others have suggested that some basis for freewill may exist in concepts we are only beginning to understand, like quantum mechanics.

Whether freewill really exists as an independent entity or not, mankind seems to need the concept of freewill to understand its role and thrive. I'm just going mellow out and agree with Geddy Lee when he sang, "I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose freewill..."

Bill Maher - Religulous

2008-09-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Ah, the Wall Street bailout is starting to make more sense to me now...

Antiques Roadshow

2008-09-19T18:32:00.001-07:00

Since the latest stock market charts are bearing eerie resemblances to 1929, let's take a step back in time and try to forget the current financial meltdown for a moment.

My in-laws recently moved to a condo and gave us, among many other wonderful things, a bunch of old cameras and other antiques. I usually have a very modern aesthetic. Our house is all clean, simple lines and contemporary decor. However, I do get a charge out of cool old things like the camera above. It's a Kodak Pocket (they must have had big pockets back then,) model 1A, on the market from 1917-1924, original list price $21. As far as we can tell, it seems to work. It's too bad we don't manufacture much in the U.S. anymore and, even if we did, it sure wouldn't last almost 100 years. I think our modern trend toward disposability has partly fed the "steampunk" movement and the modification of traditional PCs to look like this:

As I said, this would clash horribly with my office and would probably be impractical, but I'd like one of these. Quite the conversation piece.

Alas, I must revert to hard-nosed pragmatism and put the old camera and other interesting items on Ebay. Now that the government is bailing out Wall Street, I need all the money I can get to buy more:

Ron Paul on the AIG Bailout

2008-09-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

And the house of cards is getting higher...

The Folly of an "Assault Weapons" Ban - Part 2

2008-09-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Part 1 explained that the "assault weapons" ban that expired in 2004 applied only to certain semiautomatic firearms, commonly used for self-defense and sporting purposes. The clarification was necessary, because the ban supporters either did not understand the differences between semiautomatic firearms equipped with certain features and fully automatic weapons or, more likely, the ban supporters cynically manipulated people's unfounded fears of "scary looking" guns for political purposes.

The weapons previously affected by the expired ban are no more powerful than semiautomatic pistols and rifles used for self-defense, hunting, and competition every day. In fact, some supposed "assault weapons" are less powerful than many hunting rifles. A bayonet mount, folding stock, or flash suppressor does not provide any criminal with an advantage.

Moreover, these types of weapons are used in very few crimes, much fewer than crimes committed with other weapons, knives, and fists. Gun control advocates have been unable to demonstrate preferences by criminals for any particular firearms, whether "assault weapons" or "Saturday night specials" are the villains du jour. The only real distinguishing feature between firearms used for self-defense, sporting or competitive purposes and those used in crime is that criminals do not usually feel the need to comply with gun control laws, while the majority of Americans do.

Attempts to restrict gun ownership based on arbitrary criteria and irrationality are part of a scheme to gradually erode your rights until law abiding citizens are powerless against threats of all types. Now that Americans have a clear, individual, Constitutional right to keep and bear arms under Heller, we must protect those rights from attacks brought by those only interested in increasing their political power.

McCain Gets BarackRoll'd

2008-09-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

I promise I will return to some substantive and original content once my husband returns from his trip to Minnesota, and I don't have to run after the kids 24/7. However, it is possible that you may be subjected to pictures of exotic things from the trip like colored leaves, hills, and possibly snowmen.

In the meantime, YouTube and random Twitter-following allow me to find amusing things like this:

McCain Gets BarackRoll'd

Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot

2008-09-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a bit too cynical lately, so I watched this video as a sort of antidote. It always makes me cry and feel better at the same time. If you haven't seen it, you must. If you have, you'll probably want to watch it again.

Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot

Idiocracy

2008-09-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

The comments section of The Consumerist blog is not always known for its high quality content, but I do read the articles occasionally, because I am often a cheapskate when it comes to consumer items. Sometimes an article about consumer issues illustrates the worst things in modern society:

Charges Filed Against Bed, Bath & Beyond Manager Who Refused To Allow 911 Call

Now, one could perhaps conceivably argue about fine legal points such as the obligation to defend others, the appropriateness of mandatory reporting laws, and the like. The legal issues here are not what disturb me.

First, assume for the sake of argument that this couple who saw the toddler in the hot car adequately communicated to the Bed, Bath & Beyond clerk the life and death nature of this situation. The clerk, because of what she understood as a corporate policy to not get involved in matters in the parking lot, refused to allow this couple to use the phone to call 911 either out of blind obedience or fear of reprisal, or both.

This is not BB&B's fault. It should not have to explain that an employee should make an exception to corporate policy to save life and limb. Someone failed to teach this person morality and common sense long ago.

Maybe it's just the next step in the process of evolution by natural selection. The video below is not safe for work, and possibly other places.

Idiocracy Court Battle

Ron Paul/Bob Barr Poll results

2008-09-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

I'll post Part 2 of my Assault Weapons Ban article in a few days. In the meantime...

My recent poll results: 6 for libertarians are crazy, 5 for Ron Paul, 0 for Bob Barr. My questions:

1. Why no love for Bob Barr?
2. The fact that Ron Paul was competitive with crazy is encouraging to me. The traditional media have usually tried to marginalize libertarians. Is this one reason the traditional media are struggling?

And speaking of the media: Please, Weather Channel and National Hurricane Center, focus the Ike coverage by the likely landfall area a little more. You're scaring the hell out of my relatives.

Goodbye Kitty - Part 1

2008-09-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

Even though Sarah Palin is adored by many gun rights groups, she is not my political cup of tea at all. It seems that many of her admirers are one issue voters, and I respect their views, but I am not a one issue voter. (Yes, sooner or later I will write about other political issues.) With all the bikini and gun photoshopping of Palin floating around the internet, I feel bad for her. So I would like to address one of her pet causes. And yes, perform a public educational service.

One hears the terms "assault weapon," "AK-47" and "Uzi" thrown about quite a bit, usually with no knowledge of what these terms mean. In its technical sense, "assault weapon" refers to a weapon used in military assault operations. The key features of such weapons are that they are capable of fully automatic fire and lightweight. "Fully automatic" (a "machine gun") means that a weapon automatically extracts and ejects the fired cartridge case and loads the next new one, and that it will continue to load and fire ammunition until the trigger is released or the ammunition is gone. Semi-automatic firearms also extract and eject the fired case and load the next new one, but they fire only one shot per trigger pull.

The manufacture of new fully automatic machine guns for civilian purchase was effectively outlawed by part of the Firearm Owners' Protection Act of 1986. Machine guns properly registered prior to that 1986 Act are still legal, but they command a premium because of the small number available. Machine guns and submachine guns such as the Uzi, whether manufactured before or after the 1986 Act, are not the main subject of this post.

So why did I bother with this tedious explanation? Because when most people see the type of rifle above (even in pink), or hear the words "assault weapon," or "AK-47," they think of the last fully automatic rifle fire scene they saw at the movies. All of the gun control controversy today focuses on semi-automatic firearms as defined above. When I discuss a particular weapon below as an "assault weapon" in the non-technical, political sense of the word, no matter what it looks like, it is not in any way capable of "spraying" shots in a fully automatic fashion, unless it has been illegally modified. Illegal modification has also been addressed long ago, and is not part of any ongoing gun control controversy.

The AK-47 is a Soviet manufactured 7.62 mm automatic assault rifle (different from an assault weapon in very technical ways that would make this post even longer.) As discussed above, new fully automatic firearms like these are not legal for civilians to possess or transfer, except for very limited circumstances not at issue in current gun control debate.

In political discourse, "AK-47" usually means a semi-automatic rifle with a military appearance. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban passed in 1994 and expired in 2004. It prohibited the sale to civilians of some semi-automatic firearms that had certain features, such as a folding stock, a conspicuous pistol grip, and a flash suppressor, among others. It also banned the manufacture of magazines holding over ten rounds as "high capacity."

Tomorrow in Part 2 - Why the Federal Assault Weapons Ban was merely cosmetic and should not be reinstituted.

What Really Goes on at the Large Hadron Collider by Brian Cox

2008-09-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Although many people know that the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is scheduled to turn on this Wednesday, 9/10, I'd venture to say most non-physicists don't really understand it. I didn't really know anything about particle physics beyond my high school physics class and a physicist friend's valiant attempt to explain the Heisenberg uncertainty principle to me many moons ago. So I decided, along with about 1.3 million others, to check out the very popular Large Hadron Rap on YouTube. I think that rap makes more sense if you watch the entertaining talk below first. I also think it's well worth your 17 minutes to understand that the world is probably on the cusp of gaining vital new knowledge about the nature of the universe.

The main theory is that this collider will produce the famed Higgs boson, confirming the proposed Standard Model of particle physics and the nature of everything. Or not. Anyway, this could eventually shed light on all kinds of cool things, including perhaps evidence of other dimensions and mini black holes. Something good is bound to come out of this. After all, a guy from CERN invented the World Web Web, and without that you'd all just be watching TV right now.

Sunday lazy link that only current parents of toddlers will understand

2008-09-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

As the parent of a daughter almost exactly the same age as the toddler mentioned in the link below, this article is definitely relevant to my interests. Disclaimer: Only current parents of toddlers will find this funny. No, grandparents don't count; they get to have no rules and thus see only the good stuff.:)

I also must say that our daughter's extreme adorableness more than balances out her, shall we say, strong personality. I am also pleased that her stubbornness may foreshadow a budding lawyer.

Is he just 2 or...? Via Salon.

By the way, the picture is not her, but you get the idea.

The Beer Post #1

2008-09-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

There may be more beer posts in the future. Tonight we dined at the sublime Icehouse. Aside from having great, cheap food, the restrooms were exceptionally clean. (Do I get a link now, Cowen?) Clean restrooms are almost more important to me than great food.

We like going to Hurricanes bar on Boca Chica because between the early '90s grunge music and Crown Royal banners, it is like a little taste of home. Not a lot of gringos there, but it's sort of like being back in Milwaukee in '96 during my law school years. Now we just need a cheap gyros place nearby. I must say that the Baila Con Bud Light dancers there are quite entertaining. McHale, you should check it out, quite a few babes there. You could get some good pix.

I tried to do some Dance Revolution thing with one of the Bud Light dancers, but the result was quite pathetic. See bad picture above. I wanted to do a post asking about the 3 puzzles in our Lone Star beer bottlecaps that we could not decipher (trust me, they were hard), but apparently my new fancypants Blackberry phone is not up to this photographic task. So this lame picture of me is all you get.

End beer post #1.

Tech Miscellanea

2008-09-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Google Chrome

We've been playing with Google Chrome a bit, but don't yet see anything special enough about it to switch from Firefox/Opera. Anyone have an opinion on it? Is it any more stable? I need something where I can have 20 tabs open and lots of applications running at once.

Project Playlist

I like the Project Playlists many people have embedded on their blogs, but the whole concept worries me a bit. The RIAA is suing Project Playlist for copyright infringement. As I understand it, Project Playlist merely collects links to supposedly legal sources of the music and makes it possible for bloggers to embed it, so it is not like peer to peer file sharing. Moreover, the lawsuit may be simply a prelude to Project Playlist licensing the music.

But the RIAA has sued about 20,000 people for file sharing. Although many settled, one jury in my hometown of Duluth, MN awarded the RIAA $222,000 against a woman who shared 24 tracks in her Kazaa folder. (The judge in that case is expected to declare a mistrial soon.)

So I'm a little paranoid about Project Playlist. Are there any alternatives where you can compile and embed playlists of legal MP3s? I usually buy mine from Amazon.

Heller, High Emotions, and Consequences

2008-09-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

Controversy surrounding gun control issues seems to have dissipated somewhat following the demonstrated effectiveness of shall issue concealed carry laws and many states' adoption of the same. However, Second Amendment supporters still have a long way to go.

Even after SCOTUS recognized an individual right to keep and bear arms in District of Columbia v. Heller, 128 S. Ct. 2783, 2821-22 (2008), D.C. denied Dick Heller's attempt to register a semiautomatic .45, because the city's law defines any gun that loads from the bottom or is capable of holding more than 12 rounds at a time as a "machine gun." Mr. Heller later successfully registered a single-action Colt .22 revolver. Because the Heller challenge was narrowly tailored to address only the most onerous portions of the city's ban (and thus maximize the chances for success), a host of unreasonable restrictions remain. The meaning of those restrictions is unclear, but some have opined that they effectively prevent any use of a handgun for home self-defense. The Heller plaintiffs recently filed a complaint for Declaratory Judgment, Injunctive Relief, and Writ of Mandamus to force the city to comply with the SCOTUS ruling.

What's behind all of this? I may be a little biased, but I'm not a die-hard Scalia fan, and the Heller opinion seems clear to me. My position is that some people on both sides of the issue are caught up in too much emotion.

In my private law practice, I advised employers following Minnesota's adoption of its shall issue concealed carry law. That law correctly allows private employers and other private property owners the option to ban concealed firearms from their premises provided a particular warning process is implemented. Private property owners have the right to take into consideration their potential civil liability for acts committed on their premises by a permit holder (even though the data suggest that permit holders as a group are more law-abiding than the general population). But I propose that employers should also consider the reverse: What liability may result by an employer's denial of personal protection to a permit holder employee? The legal theory may be novel, but the factual scenario is not. Imagine a female employee who is working late and is assaulted on her way through the company parking lot because the employer prohibited her from exercising her concealed carry rights. Is this theory any more unusual than class action suits against firearms manufacturers and trans-fat pushing fast-food restaurants? I don't think so. But few people seem to find it convincing.

I think there is often too much emotion involved on both sides of the issue. Heller held that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to keep and bear weapons of the sort "in common use at the time" and allows the prohibition of "dangerous and unusual weapons." Of course, these two phrases leave a lot to future interpretation, but in general I agree with this approach. Some extreme gun-rights supporters would not. Similarly, gun control advocates sometimes seem to have a blind spot that prevents them from even considering the usefulness of a firearm as a tool, even when it could affect their own bottom line. The power of these tools causes some people to be too emotional in their analyses of the issues.

People smarter than me discuss Heller in depth here and here.

Your thoughts?

Diversion - Honest Introspection from Larry David

2008-09-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

(Slightly NSFW; one bad word.)

For some reason, I've been unable to focus on anything even semi-serious today. So here's a clip for any Curb Your Enthusiasm fans out there, or really anyone who is even slightly neurotic.

Tomorrow's topic: Important Constitutional law-talkin' stuff, or, if I feel like it, a critical review of tonight's episode of Project Runway.

Minnesota Goodbye to Mexico Hello

2008-09-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

The "Minnesota Goodbye" is when hosts and visitors, voluntarily or out of a sense of hyper-politeness, extend the normally brief process of ending a social call from about two minutes to anywhere to an hour and beyond. It starts with the first glance at a watch and "well, we really should get going," continues with multiple offers of leftovers, duplicate photos, and assorted gifts from your hosts and conversational detours regarding the same, and ends with the esteemed visitors edging cautiously out the door, almost afraid to offend their benefactors by actually leaving. Enthusiastic waving from the car, even by tired children, may be required, especially if it is a holiday visit.

MGs are more common among family and close friends; casual acquaintances do not usually receive the honor. I like MGs as much as anyone else, and as far as I can tell most Minnesotans enjoy them as well. Either that, or it's so ingrained on the Northern identity that they can't escape them.

Contrast this with the Mexico Hello, the kiss on one cheek. I'm not sure whether this is a purely Mexican tradition, or whether it may also be a Southern hospitality thing, because we have some Anglo friends from the South, and this custom seems to come naturally to them. Anyway, I was genuinely shocked the first time someone I had just met grabbed me and kissed my cheek! Was I in France? (I have actually slipped a couple of times and kissed both cheeks, to my dismay and embarrassment.) Nobody informed me of this tradition before we moved. I knew my kids' blond hair would get rubbed by strangers in malls, but there was no mention of kissing.

Consider the potential culture clash between the Mexico Hello and the Minnesota Goodbye. I visit your house, and you greet me with a kiss on the cheek. After drinks, a nice dinner and conversation, you want to boot me out with a two minute goodbye, like yesterday's newspaper? Hours ago you were kissing my cheek! To a Minnesotan it is confusing.

I have now gotten more accustomed to the Mexico Hello; I actually think it is quite charming. I am no longer as surprised by it, but I sometimes still don't see it coming. So if you see a flash of confusion in my eyes as you greet me with the Mexico Hello, please know that I am not at all offended, quite the opposite. I am merely dealing with the readjustment of my cultural wiring.

Any input from the 3 libertarians in Brownsville?

2008-09-01T20:44:00.001-07:00

www.ronpaulforpresident2008.com/">

I'm just going to come right out and say I've voted Libertarian since my first election. I was all set to vote for Ron Paul this time around, when the LP reminded me that Paul's technically a Republican by nominating Bob Barr. I'm not in total agreement with Ron Paul on every issue, but I know him, I like him, and I'm a little too lazy to get to know this Bob Barr character this late in the game.

Do any liberty-minded bloggers have opinions on either one? One of these two will be my choice. I've never bought or understood the "wasted vote" argument. I'm not fond of either McCain's or Obama's policies, but McCain's campaign is looking sleazier and more insincere with each passing day. I'll be happy enough as long as McCain stays out of the White House.

So for whom are libertarians in the Rio Grande Valley voting?

First post and some tech

2008-08-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hello world, this is my new blog about life in Brownsville for a native Northerner.

It's been 4 years since my family and I moved to the Rio Grande Valley, and I still don't speak Spanish, so as you can see I have not done a great job with assimilating into Mexican culture. We do eat a lot of tacos, though.

My son recently celebrated his ninth birthday, and we decided to buy him a laptop to replace the old, broken Gateway he'd been using. This 2goPC mini laptop has been permanently attached to him for the past week.

(Obviously pictured with boring full-size laptop for comparison purposes.)

The little handle is a nice touch, given that he insists on bringing it everywhere we go to get wi-fi. It runs on the educational version of Linux and, as far as I can tell, has everything he needs in a PC for quite some time. I kind of covet one of these things. Packing up a regular laptop for travel is a pain. My husband thinks it would get me laughed out of court, but I disagree.

I linked to my favorite blogs without asking anyone. If this is a breach of blogging etiquette, please let me know.