Flexibility is the Key

March 28, 2013

Previously I wrote about Idaho legislators trying to pass a bill that would punish law enforcement officers who complied with (as yet nonexistent) Federal directives to confiscate guns that were deemed to be held illegally. That’s because Idahoans Are Independent; we don’t take orders from The Government.

Well, most of the time.

Now the legislature wants to build a parking garage in downtown Boise to make access to the Capitol easier. The idea has merit, but the City of Boise has turned down the request for various reasons.

SO: The We Don’t Take Orders from the Government legislature is drafting a law to get around the city’s denial, to make the city comply with the state government’s whim.

Kind of like how they got freaked out when the Open Carry right they hold so dear meant someone could bring a gun into the Capitol.

Apparently they are not constrained by consistency.

Parental Guidance

March 26, 2013

A mother reports that at a recent Catholic Schools basketball tournament, the parents were behaving horribly. Parents of the 10-year-old players were screaming at the refs, screaming at their kids to push the opposing 10-year old players out of the way, etc. One father got threatened with ejection.

The final straw, said the mother, came when the woman beside her was screaming at the ref, and a boy behind her, whose sister was playing on the opposing team, pointed out that the woman hadn’t been abusing the ref when her daughter’s team was winning. The woman turned around and said, “You shut your mouth, little man!”

At that point, the appalled mother said, “Really? Today?” (It was Palm Sunday.) “Where is your faith?”

She said that there was a lot more she wanted to say, but she got her point across. The other woman turned red and squirmed and was quieter from that point on.

As I’m hearing this story, I’m hoping 1) That the parents aren’t pressuring their kids like that off the court about sports or anything else, and making their lives a misery; and 2) That the kids don’t grow up to be jerks.

Movie Notes

March 26, 2013

Remembering movies I liked in the 80’s: Chariots of Fire, The Neverending Story, Broadcast News, The Big Chill, Das Boot, Diner…Plus the fun ones like the Star Treks and Back to the Futures. There were so many good ones I can’t even begin to list them.

Now critics think a terrific movie is one where a woman goes poop in a sink.

Two Steps Back

March 11, 2013

The Idaho House advanced a bill that would punish law enforcement officers who help enforce federal firearms restrictions or registration requirements.

I doubt that the bill will pass, or that it wouldn't be declared Unconstitutional if it did pass.

I just hate feeling like our legislators are that out of touch with reality.

One Step Forward...

March 11, 2013

Idaho has started a Veteran's Court, to help veterans suffering from PTSD and other combat-related disorders who get in trouble with the law.

Offenders are offered counseling and other tools to help cope with life after combat, and to help keep them from getting into more trouble with the law.

We do so many goofy things here, that I thought I'd point out something we're actually doing right.

A Law Enforcement Merit Badge

Feb 20, 2013

I never thought about whether the Girl Scouts paid sales tax on the cookies they sell; but apparently in Idaho (and one other state) they do. Scouting officials say that they fork over about $140,000 each year in sales tax on the cookies.

In February 2011 I wrote that the Idaho State Police had requested an increase on the fee that people convicted of a felony pay, hoping to use the funds for its Training Academy. The legislature turned them down on the grounds that the fee was a tax, and we are opposed to taxes. (“No New Taxes for Felons,” Feb 2, 2011.)

If the Scouts can’t get the legislature to repeal the tax, maybe the state can shift that money to the State Police Training Academy. And the girls who sold the cookies could get a special, Idaho-issued “Law Enforcement Assistance” Merit Badge.

THAT'S Entertainment???

February 5, 2013

Note: If you’re straitlaced, don’t read this. I’m straitlaced, too, but I don’t use euphemisms.

So, I'm watching Beyonce do her stuff at the Superbowl, and this is what's running through my head (all thoughts pretty much simultaneously):

Dancing, excellent

Singing, not so much

Lights pretty good

What's with the underwear style of the clothing? That, combined with the dance, is clearly designed to arouse men. I wonder if it's working. We should survey the men in the stadium and the TV audience and see if they're actually aroused. If they are, why is this a good thing? If not, why is she carrying on this way? And what's in this performance for women? Sure, the dancing's good, but why is it so definitely aimed toward the men? Could she not have had great dance moves and still worn clothes? Is it true that teenage girls use performers as role models? If so, are they picking up the idea that no matter how talented you are, your career will do best if you make men horny?...