And the Award for 'Best Implementation of a Double Standard' goes to ...

... the American Legal System! And I'm not just talking about judges, lawyers, law enforcement, no sir! I'm including regular American citizens ... specifically Minnesotans! Let me explain:

Supporting Case #1: PhotoCop

In an effort to cut down on people running red lights and causing accidents (like, for instance, the idiot that ran a light and crashed into a schoolbus injuring 6 people), Minneapolis installed automatic cameras at intersections that would snap a picture of any vehicle that ran a red light. The snapped license plate was then used to track down the owner of the car, who was sent a traffic ticket. Makes sense, and it netted the city around $2.5 million in fines ... until people whined and a judge declared the system illegal: Just because the car was breaking the law doesn't mean that the owner of it was behind the wheel and (therefore) should not be held responsible.

Ok ... thinking about that, I can see that logic ... to a point, though frankly, if you gave your car to someone who broke the law, are you really free from blame ... even if only to be blamed as an idiot? And what if you gave your car to the same offender again? How smart does that really make you? But, I digress.

The point: Because you can't see the person behind the wheel to verify that it is indeed the owner of the car, you cannot hold the owner responsible for anything that vehicle is involved in. Hold that thought.

Case #2: Jammie Thomas

In a recent decision by a Duluth, MN, jury, a woman was found guilty of illegally sharing music ... to the tune of $222,000 in fines (I would have linked to the Star Tribune, but they're expecting you to sign up for the content and I don't tolerate those retarded games ... nice one "STrib", you loose to the BBC). Why so much money? Because the RIAA (AKA "Music Mafia Run Amok") claims that the service they enlisted to track down evil music sharers traced illegal peer-2-peer sharing activity back to a certain IP address ... said IP address being further traced to the computer in Jammie's home. Can they prove that she either was physically sitting at the computer performing the illicit act? No. Can the prove that she set up the sharing software? No.

But, apparently, in this case, it's not necessary to be caught in the act. That you own the offending machinery is good enough?

Say what? Doesn't this strike you as even mildly contradictory? It's ok not to be accountable when your vehicle potentially kills someone, yet woe be unto you if the RIAA levels a claim against you they can't prove you physically did. I've always believed that the winters here in Minnesota have an adverse affect on the ability of humans to think rationally.

I can't help but wonder what that Duluth jury was thinking ... assuming they even thought at all about it.

"What's good for the goose ..."

"... is good for the gander." At least, that's the way the adage goes.

Apparently, the contemporary equivalent is "If it worked for the RIAA and they didn't get busted for extortion, then it should work for the MPAA with the same level of criminal immunity." I think I'm going to be sick.

Can we at least turn the tables? Can we demand that they stop paying Hollywood actors incredible sums of money for crap movies and we promise to still go see them from time to time?

And I thought the media was bad

Ok, so I absolutely detest the feeding frenzy the media's been in around last Wednesday's collapse of the 35W bridge here in town. I'm even disappointed with how MPR's gone FoxNews with inanely repetitve reporting, leading questions, and dubious "experts".

But ... that all pales in comparison to this joker, who further reinforces my comprehensive disgust with organized religion.

Fred, got a bit of advice for you: stay the $#@!% away from our city and our state. Your idiotic, moronic, childish, brain-dead, headline-grabbing, pathetic excuse for religious intelligence should stay right where you are, with the rest of the idiots.

Better yet, come on up! Bring your entire congregation of losers, so we can throw your sorry, stupid asses in jail!

I'm fine

I wasn't near downtown with this happened last evening. While my heart goes out to those who've either lost loved ones or just don't know yet, I'm growing more and more irritated at the media, even public radio, who apparently has decided that the Fox News method of reporting is the most effective way to go. Then again, they're no better or worse than the massive number of gawkers flocking to the site just to watch and hopefully witness a wee bit of carnage (and, even better, if they can film it and get it up on YouTube).

You want a good example of how low our species has started to stoop? Watch the media feeding frenzy, the litigation bloodlust, and the repetitive, inane mutterings of one "expert" after another over the next few weeks.

It's a tragedy, yes. Let's treat it, and those affected by it, with the dignity and respect they deserve, let the authorities get on with the unenviable task of sorting it all out ... and get on with life.

Parking Ramp Morons

Hmmm ... looks kinda tight:

And, it's not much better on the other side:

What to do? Simple ... climb out through the trunk.



I think SUVs should be banned from parking ramps.

Minnesota "Nice", as in "Nice job parking, idiot"

I tell ya, some people just have no appreciation for those around them:

I mean please. If you look in the lower left of the picture, the yellow you see below the SUVs bumper is the dividing line of the adjacent parking space. If there hadn't been a cement post on the right of the car (giving me extra room to climb in over the stick shift), I'd have to have gotten into my car through the trunk.

This is the making's of a real good week.

Just one more day

Man, these mid-term, mid-stream, mid-section, mid-whatever elections are almost over, and it couldn't come fast enough.  Hang on, everybody, we've got one more day of candidates berating each other before we can lapse back into the coma called "politics as usual".

I don't hear much about what a candidate stands for anymore, just about what their competition is either against (in case it's a "good thing") or for (if it's a "bad thing").  That may seem odd at first, but remember this:  if politicians never say exactly where they stand, they never have to be accused of lying when they change their minds:

"I never said I was (for/against) that ... I just said that my opponent was (against/for) it."

Makes perfect sense when you think about it.

If peanuts could fly ...

I know it's happened to you before. You hear something and it sticks in your head, hard. You find yourself humming some inane theme or jingle until you're about ready to gouge out your eardrums with a corkscrew. Lewis Black on his White Album ranted about this phenomenon, though in the context of "the dumbest thing you've ever heard". Maybe things stick because they're dumb ... inane ... I don't know. All I know is I'm there right now, with that idiotic Snickers jingle in my head:

"Happy peanuts soar, over chocolate covered mountaintops and waterfalls of caramel. Dancing nougat in the meadows, sings a song of satisfaction to the world ..."

I need therapy.

Gambling? That's ALL You Can Think of Fixing?

So ... while:

• In a Colorado school, a man shoots and kills a 16 year old girl before taking his own life, THEN ...
• In a Wisconsin school, a student fatally shoots his principal for reprimanding him for tobacco, THEN ...
• In Pennsylvania, a man shoots and kills 5 children in an Amish schoolhouse

All in less than a week. And, right smack-dab in the middle of this spree of school shootings, our ever-vigilant federal government passes legislation in an attempt to shut down internet gambling. In the midst of all the back-slapping and jockeying for sound bite coverage proclaiming their support of this "important" legislation ... you don't hear one word from these chuckle heads about anything else. I guess children being murdered in school isn't a pre-election priority (like it's any more a post-election priority ... yeah, right). Way to go, Congress! Woo Woo ... you're really going after the critical issues of our time! Society as we know it would cease to exist if it weren't for you.