The inquisitions, however, are predicated upon the wholly implausible notion that there are people out there willing to bomb the bejeezus out of 300 fellow passengers, yet unable to bring themselves to tell a fib. Either that or the increasing torment is just a canny plot by rabid environmentalists, hellbent on dissuading us from flying at all.

Personally, I find the second more likely. I also think they're winning.

Carol Sarler
May 21, 2006
Airport security is a farce... I rest my case
The Observer (UK)

From the Edmonton Sun, Gun control advocates lining up their ammo:

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe and Wendy Cukier of the Coalition for Gun Control accused the Conservatives of pandering to the gun lobby.

And the liberals are pandering to the gun control lobby.

We believe the evidence is absolutely clear on this.

This system is expensive and not effective. It's not the right way to spend dollars on both gun control and crime control.

Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
May 19, 2006
Harper tells Ontario, Quebec to butt out on gun registry complaints
[It's going to be a rough road getting rid of this dangerous encroachment on civil rights but Harper appears to be determined.  Good for him!--Joe]

Ms. Porter should walk in the shoes of those who couldn't fend off the strength of another, where using a gun would be the only means to stay alive. If it isn't a gun, then it would be a baseball bat, tire iron, piece of glass or just muscle.

As a woman, I deserve the right to defend myself the best way I can. Gun-control advocates don't seem to realize that gun control will adversely affect the rights of the easily-victimized, i.e., the elderly and young and, especially, females who can't throw a punch like men.

Celeste A. Morello
Letter to the editor.
Philadelphia
Apparently in response to this editorial.
[Ms. Morello should ask Just One Question.--Joe]

David Harsanyi
Denver Post Staff Columnist
Hate hotline puts speech on hold
Via Analog Kid.

Red asked a bunch of questions.  This post was only after I didn't answer a much more detailed email from her two days before.  It wasn't that was avoiding the questions it was that I was really busy with some other stuff.  I woke up at 3:40 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so I decided now was as good a time as any.  So here are Dr. Joe's answers to the publicly available version:

Q: What is sex? Is it the act of intercourse carried to its fullest extent of a man orgasming inside a woman?
A: Technically speaking that should be "ejaculating inside a woman" the orgasm doesn't really happen inside the woman.  But nit-picking aside, in this context it's called sex if it's a sexually motivated phenomena or behavior.  Hence "phone sex" is still sex even if you are using it as a communication device and not as a toy.

Q: Does the man pulling out right before he orgasms count as sex?
A: Yes.

Q: Does a man entering a woman once count as sex?
A: Yes.  Ask a rape victim.  Or imagine what one of your parents would say if their spouse used that argument as a defense against infidelity.

Q: Is any penetration of the vagina sex?
A: No. There has to be sexual motivation.  Hence the exam at the doctors office probably isn't sex even though there is penetration.

Q: Then that brings up hand jobs. Is that sex?
A: Yes.

Q: Does cyber sex count as sex? Does phone sex count as sex?
A: Yes and yes. It's called sex isn't it?

Q: Does thinking about sex with a man count as sex?
A: Now you have asked a more interesting question! No. This is actually more of the motivation for the phenomena or behavior, not the phenomena or behavior.

Q: Where is the line of virginity drawn these days?
A: It probably has always had a little bit of fuzzy definition.  But probably the clearest line can be draw with sexual intercourse.  Once the male has penetrated the woman's vagina with his penis, even a small amount, they are no longer virgins.

Q: What is cheating?
A: That is going to depend on the rules of the relationship. For some couples having lunch with a member of the appropriate sex with the intention of pursuing a sexual relationship is cheating.  For other couples having complete intercourse with everyone at the orgy is not cheating.  It's about breaking rules, not the acts themselves.  Those rules are defined by the people involved.  Problems can arise when different parties to the relationship are working from different understandings of what the rules are.

The rest of the questions, while important relationship questions, are beyond the scope of Dr. Joe's expertise (sex). The two things I will tell you are that: 1) you are 21 years old and at that age it is normal to be asking those type of questions; and 2) For the most part you will have to answer them yourself.

Bill Lockyer
California State Attorney General
Lockyer touts gun control Amid area visit, officials push bills
May 16, 2006
[You would think that someone smart enough to get themselves elected to such a high office would realize that government cannot actually prevent things.  Government can only punish acts that have already been committed.  Never mind the little "shall not be infringed" issue in the Bill of Rights which means Mr. Lockyer is actually admitting to a felony.  But as we already know, the law doesn't apply to 'them'.--Joe]

Our kids harass Barb and me whenever we mispronounce certain words.  "Wash" and "Washington" are two of the biggies (we grew up pronouncing "wash" as "worsh") but "creek" (it came out as "crick") gets a fair amount of attention also.  I actually appreciate being corrected and work at incorporating the corrections.  Barb does not appreciate it and at times threatens the kids (and occasionally me for agreeing that, technically, they are correct) with various types of retaliation and furthermore declares she will pronounce words just as she always has--which of course just means she told the kids they have a button to push almost anytime they want to use it.

It turns out it isn't just in our household pronunciation is sometimes an issue.  Heather Armstrong nearly had me falling out of my chair in laughter with her pronunciation (MP3) of "crayon" with which her husband disagrees with.  Her entire post on the topic is here and probably will get at least a chuckle from you.

Some videos of the plane that hit the Pentagon were released.  From the DOD FOIA Requester Service Center:

Video 1
Video 2

A year and a half ago I spent a little time debunking that it was actually an explosive charge rather than fuel from the plane that caused the flash on the previous images that were released.  These videos should help a little bit on that front.

No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

Thomas Jefferson
[Either Jefferson was wrong or we are not free.  Others may come to a different conclusion but I have concluded we are not free.--Joe]

Maine realizes the Federal mandate on Real ID is unrealistic:

AUGUSTA - Two years from now, Mainers wanting to fly for business or pleasure may be barred from getting on the airplane. The federal Real ID act takes effect May 11, 2008, and state officials say there is no way Maine can be in compliance with the law that mandates various security measures dealing with driver's licenses.

It would cost millions to implement, and new licenses likely would cost more than $100. "I don't see how we could possibly meet all its requirements. I don't see how any state could meet all the requirements by the deadline," Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said. "This is something that could cost a couple of hundred billion dollars to do."

Dunlap said the Real ID Act was passed a year ago as a result of the 9-11 Commission Report that was critical of the lack of security in obtaining identity documents such as driver's licenses. But, he said, the Read ID Act has unrealistic schedules and provides little federal funding.

"It is a huge, unfunded federal mandate," he said, "and it is totally unrealistic in its timelines."

For example, Dunlap said, Maine has spent years and more than $14 million to set up the new computer system in his office to handle license and motor vehicle registrations. He said the federal law requires that all the states share, through databases, the personal information needed for a driver's license.

"It simply can't be done in a couple of years," he said. Dunlap is joined in his criticism of the law by the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures, which issued a report last month critical of the lack of funding and unrealistic implementation schedule.

...

Dunlap said other states are as concerned as Maine. The New Hampshire House has passed a bill to opt out of the law, and its Senate has voted to study it. Other states are considering resolutions calling on Congress to adopt a more realistic implementation schedule.

All the states need to stand up and assert their constitutionally guaranteed powers on this issue.  The Federal government is way out of line on this as well as nearly everything they currently do.

I find this amusing.  The Puritans in society try to crack down on a victimless crime and the end result is they end up increasing the activity the very activity the were trying to stop.  From our neighbors to the north:

TORONTO -- A 2005 Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for swingers clubs appears to be bringing out Canada's more, well, adventurous side.

Those who prefer life closer to the edge of the conjugal bed say the high court's re-interpretation last December of the definition of indecency has fuelled a growing interest in private clubs that feature group sex, partner swapping, voyeurism and exhibitionism.

...

Five months later, their operators say more aggressive advertising and marketing efforts in the wake of the ruling have attracted significantly more people to their events.

"I think there's a great opportunity to provide a safe environment where couples can really enhance their sex life," said Linda Fox, who operates Club Eden in Vancouver.

The same thing happens when there is talk of banning certain types of firearms.  The sales of those models and accessories dramatically increase.

From the U.K.  When investigating a threat to yourself and/or your home it is entirely reasonable to arm yourself.  Too bad she didn't have access to better tools.  If the politicians had not disarmed her and her countrymen she might still be alive.

Special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri was stabbed to death with her own 13ins kitchen knife, detectives believe.(MON).

Nisha was found bleeding to death in her pyjamas and dressing gown on the doorstep of her semi in a quiet suburban street in Wembley, northwest London.

Police now believe that before going out to investigate a noise the brave part-time police officer picked up a kitchen knife to warn off would be intruders.

There is a different version of the same story here.

We've thought about that as an intimidation tool.  Some guy is hassling you on the street and you start putting your ear plugs in.  The guy says, 'What are you doing?'  You say, 'It looks like I'm going to be doing some shooting here pretty soon and I don't want to hurt my ears.'

Greg Hamilton
Self Defense Instructor
Nov. 19, 1995
When discussing self-defense equipment to carry and a student asked about earplugs.

In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.

Charles de Gaulle
[I'll bet Hillary Clinton uses this, or the equivalent, as a daily manta.--Joe]

Yeah.  I know my blog has been down for over 24 hours.  I don't know why.  This is the second time.  The first time was just before Boomershoot.  Both then and today I simply didn't have any time to work on figuring it out and bring it back up.  Both times it came back on it's own.  Probably something my hosting provider figured out and fixed.

Yesterday and today I was busy with graduation stuff.  My son, James, and his cousin were graduating from the University of Idaho--at different times.  Pretty much scrambled my entire day today--I hate ceremonies.  But James and I did go see Mission Impossible III tonight.  Pretty good flick.  Plot holes, of course, but still pretty good.

To get the bad customs of a country changed and new ones, though better, introduced, it is necessary first to remove the prejudices of the people, enlighten their ignorance, and convince them that their interests will be promoted by the proposed changes, and this is not the work of a day.

Benjamin Franklin
1781
[Gun rights advocates still have a lot of work to do.--Joe]

This is a war of civilizations. There is no room for negotiation. Islamofascism needs to be completely and utterly destroyed, both in the death of its adherents, and in the humiliation of a political theory that asserts it has a moral superiority that justifies being in complete control of the entire world.

Clayton Cramer
May 11, 2006
United 93
[Yes.  What he said.--Joe]