Finally...

I'm so happy that this happened... if only we could find a way to keep her there...

Paris Hilton sentenced to jail | Reuters

...The Chlorine Institute, a trade group that represents more than 200 companies that make and distribute chlorine, recently alerted the FBI to several thefts or attempted thefts of 150-pound chlorine tanks from water treatment plants in California...

...There is no intelligence indicating such an attack is imminent or that terrorists have stolen any chlorine from the nation's chemical or water treatment plants, which use chlorine to purify drinking water...

Err, am I the only one confused by this article?

Why isn't anyone looking for Liquid Hydrogen, Liquid Oxygen, and other liquid/gas explosive vehicles as well? one would think that a tanker truck full of LOX would make a very nice smoking hole in the ground.

Chlorine bombs pose new terror risk - USATODAY.com

Decius wrote:

"Talking" CCTV cameras that tell off people dropping litter or committing anti-social behaviour are to be extended to 20 areas across England.

They are already used in Middlesbrough where people seen misbehaving can be told to stop via a loudspeaker, controlled by control centre staff.

About 500,000lbs/sterling will be spent adding speaker facilities to existing cameras.

Shadow home affairs minister James Brokenshire said the government should be "very careful" over the cameras.

Just when I think my country is driving over a precipice jolly old England is there to remind me that it could be a hell of a lot worse. Thanks, guys.

Without a doubt, the dumbest waste of money I've seen in quite a long time... Instead of actually having people be responsible, Great Britain is going to badger people into throwing things away... for over $1 Million Dollars? hell, hire the homeless to badger them to give up their trash, so they have some paper for insulation, and cans to collect for recycling... oh, and give them the $$ too...

RE: BBC NEWS | UK | England | 'Talking' CCTV scolds offenders

skullaria wrote:
Oh, I totally agree!
My point - probably grossly misunderstood - was that all political sides HAD to engage. IE - Right now there's some pushing for gun control. Those of us against that, HAVE to push back.

There are many sides to a political agenda. Trying to keep freedom - from gun control, forced mental health screenings, forced medication of people not judged a danger to self or others - THAT is as much a politcal agenda as those that would seek to curtail rights that we all enjoy right now.

Which is why I think they have to happen. What would you have people do? All just shut up? Or just one side shut up?

I'm not asking anyone to shut up, I believe in the freedoms that were set out by our forefathers, and I personally have no qualms about anyone speaking freely. Therefore, I think every voice should be heard, no matter how weak, or thin, and until that freedom is revoked (along with others) I will still continue to support our nation. I know that there are politicians who will try to use this tragedy to their ends, and they should be called out as the ambulance chasing charlatans that they are, in an openly public venue.

We need government that is FOR the people, not FOR the government. Otherwise, we become [not so] "great" Britain all over again.

That's my 2¢, YMMV.

RE: Why the Shootings Mean That We Must Support My Politics

Catonic wrote:
Awesome. Now other things that can kill you and don't go away.

This always makes me wonder; almost as if the cosmic design to shrink our numbers involves disease to a large part -- AIDS, etc. It's relatively easy to pass on, and highly prevalent.

The nature of nature, is to distribute life. Energy is a (somewhat) constant, and as living beings, we all have a fixed amount of energy that we can use/produce, so the natural order is to distribute that energy.

Not all life, is good.

Therefore, yes, it is natures way of keeping our numbers down. Survival of the fittest (smartest, or most intelligent)

RE: CDC Says Gonorrhea Is Drug-Resistant

Rattle wrote:

Kurt Vonnegut, the satirical novelist who captured the absurdity of war and questioned the advances of science in darkly humorous works such as "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle," died Wednesday. He was 84.

RIP.

My your head rest in peace, as it does in the hearts and minds of your readers...

Thank you for your enlighted skills. We'll remember you fondly.

RE: Kurt Vonnegut Dies at 84 - washingtonpost.com

GO NEW HAMPSHIRE!!!

I just saw this news today!

New Hampshire is banning the Real-ID act... I just may have to move!

Now if we can get others to do the same!

Great move! :)

Representatives BAN Real ID - A Concord Monitor Article - Your News Source - Concord NH 03301

Mike the Usurper wrote:

The head of a California company hired by the U.S. government to help build a fence along the Southwest border to curb the flow of illegal aliens into the United States has been sentenced on charges of hiring illegals for the job.

And now from the irony department...

Of course they hired illegals, who else does skilled labor in the Southern States these days?

RE: Fence firm hired illegals - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

I recognize that there may sometimes be a need for secrecy in certain national security investigations. But I've now been under a broad gag order for three years, and other NSL recipients have been silenced for even longer. At some point -- a point we passed long ago -- the secrecy itself becomes a threat to our democracy. In the wake of the recent revelations, I believe more strongly than ever that the secrecy surrounding the government's use of the national security letters power is unwarranted and dangerous. I hope that Congress will at last recognize the same thing.

Even I, have a timeline on what I can talk about, from when I was in the military. While I understand and honor the secrecy that I was sworn to, I can also understand the frustration with receiving a gag order, without any judicial oversight.

I feel that these NSL's are wrong, and it's about time that someone brings them to light. We need to let our legislators know, it's time for a change... draconian laws that allow this type of abuse are not the American way.

My National Security Letter Gag Order - washingtonpost.com

Palindrome wrote:

Gov. Charlie Crist persuaded Florida’s clemency board Thursday to let most felons easily regain their voting rights after prison, saying it was time to leave the “offensive minority” of states that uniformly deny ex-offenders such rights.

The change is a major step for Florida, which bans more people from the polls than any other state, but it did not go as far as Mr. Crist had hoped. Two of his fellow Republicans on the clemency board rejected his original plan to grant speedy restoration to everyone except murderers and sex criminals.

Under the new rules, the roughly 80 percent of ex-offenders whose crimes were not considered violent will win automatic rights restoration after the state makes sure they have paid any restitution to victims and have no pending criminal charges.

Florida has as many as 950,000 disenfranchised ex-offenders — far more than any other state — the vast majority black. Other states have repealed or scaled back similar bans in recent years, but roughly five million felons remain barred from the polls nationwide.

So, let's change everything, and let criminals help guide the legislation... what a great idea.

I think that a felon that has stayed out of jail for 7 years, without re-offending should have their rights granted them, but if they continue to offend, they shouldn't get any rights... when you break the laws, you shouldn't get the ability to change the laws... that's a bit of the wolf watching the hen-house.

RE: Florida May Let Felons Vote