Bagging groceries isn’t that difficult, I did the job myself for three or four summers. I did it of course in the pre-plastic bag era, but I did it none the less. I worked in a small town where not only did you bag the groceries, you carried them to the car. I even had customers hand me their keys so I could stow their bags while they shopped elsewhere. They’d just stop by later to pick them up. I understand why large towns can’t do this sort of thing, but still…

I went to the store yesterday. The moron who bagged the merchandise managed to get one heavy item, one fragile item, one bag of produce and something frozen in every bag. My wife even sorts the food as she puts it on the belt to keep this sort of thing from happening. He had to go out of his way to sort things this way. Needless to say things were smashed, thawed, and otherwise damaged.

I find myself wondering what this guy was thinking about that took up all available brain cells. Maybe he was writing music in his head, or the next great novel. Maybe he was planning some big event, or worrying about his his classwork. What ever he was thinking about obviously had more of a priority than doing his job. I think he should follow whatever dream it is that keeps him so preoccupied. Son, whoever you are, please don’t keep your day job. Move on. Take that chance, follow your dreams… Whatever you do, please don’t help me at the checkout line any more.

This was interesting if you are one of those who has a carry permit and exercises your Second Amendment rights.

Because it is legal in most states to carry a handgun if properly licensed, a report that an individual possesses a handgun, without any additional information suggesting criminal activity, might not create reasonable suspicion that a crime is being or will be committed. 1 Where simply carrying a handgun is not in itself illegal and does not constitute probable cause to arrest, 2 it follows that carrying a handgun, in and of itself, does not furnish reasonable suspicion justifying a Terry stop. The same applies to persons in motor vehicles. An investigatory stop is only justified when the police have “a reasonable suspicion, based on specific, articulable facts and reasonable inferences there from,” that the subject “had committed, was committing, or was about to commit a crime.”

The whole article is worth reading. Quite well researched and written I thought. Not surprising from the source. (John M. Collins, Esq., General Counsel, Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association)

H/T GeekWithtA.45

This is just sad. Yale rushed to bring this guy to to their university because they were afraid Harvard would get him. Morons

OpinionJournal - John Fund on the Trail

Never has an article made me blink with astonishment as much as when I read in yesterday’s New York Times magazine that Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, former ambassador-at-large for the Taliban, is now studying at Yale on a U.S. student visa. This is taking the obsession that U.S. universities have with promoting diversity a bit too far.

Many foreign readers of the Times will no doubt snicker at the revelation that naive Yale administrators scrambled to admit Mr. Rahmatullah. The Times reported that Yale “had another foreigner of Rahmatullah’s caliber apply for special-student status.” Richard Shaw, Yale’s dean of undergraduate admissions, told the Times that “we lost him to Harvard,” and “I didn’t want that to happen again.”

When exactly does carrying an explosive gas in a child’s balloon sound like a good idea? I actually surprised by how lucky they were. The really funny part I thought though was that the police found them sitting at home as if nothing was wrong. Your car blows up and you just go home?

TheDenverChannel.com - News - Strange-Looking Car Leads To Explosives Charges

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office found a suspicious-looking car Sunday afternoon behind the old Duggan’s gas station in the 4500 block of South Santa Fe Drive frontage road. Passersby had called in to report some type of explosion or car accident.

When a deputy arrived to check it out, he found a white car that showed obvious signs of an explosion. All the windows were blown out, the vehicle doors were bent towards the outside and the roof was pushed about a foot higher than normal.

The deputy traced the license plate to a home in the 3600 block of South Grove Street in Sheridan. Sheridan officers talked to the people inside and a man and a woman admitted that they were in the car.

Deputies called in an ambulance, who took the couple to Swedish Medical Center for possible shrapnel wounds and broken eardrums.

H/T from Notes from the the Technology Underground by way of Boing Boing and Gizmodo.

Jay Tea at Wizbang calls Paul Trost his new hero for shouting out “Remember Chappaquiddick!” at a peech by Ted Kennedy. I would hav to agree. I wish I could say I would have done the same when I was his age, but I wouldn’t have. He’s a brave kid. I hope this turns out well for him.

Wizbang

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Chivas) made an appearance at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, MA Tuesday. After a typically glowing introduction by Congressman Peter Lynch (D-MA), Kennedy took the microphone.

Before he could start stammering and bloviating to the assembled youths, though, one of them — a constituent of Ted’s, one 20-year-old Paul Trost of Foxboro — decided he thought the assembled masses could use a two-word history lesson.

He stood and shouted “Remember Chappaquiddick!” from the crowd, then walked out of the auditorium amid the gasps of shock and horror of his incredible uncouthness.

Mr. Trost has been informed that he could face expulsion for disrupting the assembly with his two-word shout.

I particularly like his justification for he outcry.
WorldNetDaily: Student under fire for yelling: ‘Remember Chappaquiddick!’

Paul Trost, 20, a student at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Mass., says he was upset by an introduction of Kennedy given by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., in which the congressman noted how the long-time senator overcame hardship in life on his way to success.

“Lynch said Kennedy had overcome such adversity to get to the place he was, and that’s a bunch of bull,” Trost said of the introduction, which occurred in the school’s student center yesterday morning.

It’s amazing how mere money, political power and influence, and an Ivy League education can help people overcome all of that hardship. As James Taranto as said more than once “Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.”

Moron. By all appearances, this guy wrecks a million dollar Ferrari and can’t come up with a better story than a mysterious friend named Dietrich. He diesn’t even know this guy’s full name, and yet let’s him drive his million dollar car at 120 mph?
Ferrari Owner Had Other ‘Crash’ - Los Angeles Times

The investigation has also centered on exactly how the Enzo got into the United States and how Eriksson came to possess it, Brooks said.

“We have quite a few new leads on that,” Brooks said, but he declined to elaborate.

The crash occurred about 6 a.m. west of Decker Road when the Ferrari, traveling at 120 mph in the northbound lane, crested a hill and slammed into a power pole.

The car split in two, sending the engine flying and creating a 1,200-foot trail of debris, sheriff’s deputies said.

The power pole was snapped about halfway up and suspended by power lines like a half-chopped corn stalk.

The LA Times requests registering after a few minutes so read the article before it boots you. A number of of other news agancies hav ethe story is well.

Malibu Times reported the car was going a little faster.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies estimate the car was going faster than 150 mph-perhaps topping 200-when it began swerving on the highway at 6:06 a.m.

Still finding the “million dollar car” idea a bit hard to get my mind around. Why would you spend that kind of money on a car. Don’t get me wrong, I like nice cars, but a million dollars? Think of how many cars you could buy with that. A whole fleet of classic and custom cars. Makes my opinion of this guy that much lower, and after the Dietrich alibi it was pretty low already.

Dick Morris thinks Al Gore may be positioning himself for a run in 2008.
Look out, here comes Al

But Gore has three things going for him: A perception that he was robbed of the White House and Hillary’s possible stubbornness in continuing to back the war.

The third thing? The weather. As the evidence of global climate change impresses everyone who doesn’t work at the White House, Gore looks more and more like a man whose time may have come.

I don’t know how Mr. Gore can think he can win. His recent speaking engagements have not made him many friends either.
BREITBART.COM - Gore Laments U.S. ‘Abuses’ Against Arabs

Gore told the largely Saudi audience, many of them educated at U.S. universities, that Arabs in the United States had been “indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable.”

“Unfortunately there have been terrible abuses and it’s wrong,” Gore said. “I do want you to know that it does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my country.”

Mio Foro sums up my opinion of Mr. Gore nicely.
Al Gore! Ha!

It’s sad to see a man be so utterly consumed with bitterness and contempt for the current President. Sure, there is always the “robbery conspiracy” from the 2000 election; but with all the “what if’s” the fact of the matter is that this man’s words are nowhere close to being presidential or even American for that matter.

H/T to the Captain’s Quarters.

I laughed so hard I was crying, this is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time.
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah’s Military Guys..

The effects of the Taser were suppose to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety … WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button.

Spoons makes a rare appearance, all is apparently well.
The Spoons Experience: Guess you broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn’t ya!.

Just a note to all my peeps and/or homies in the hizzood.

I’ve been laughing about this all afternoon. Thanks Lady Heather.
Baby With A Message (LMAO)

The Virginia Blog Carnival for February 21, 2006 is up at New Dominion

I started following this chain of events late. I thought from the level of animosity that the argument had gone on a while. It’s quite amazing how fast something like this can progress when they’re all communicating on-line. Kind of like an old fashion feud, but with everyone on speed.
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah’s Military Guys..

You are officially a Moonbat.

Drudge has a link to a story about possible terrorist arrested in Ohio. I wonder who was involved with catching these guys. I’m also curious about the “unindicted co-conspiratory”.

WTOL-TV Toledo, OH: Toledo-Area Men Arrested for Terrorist Activity

TOLEDO — A federal grand jury has indicted three Toledo-area men for terrorist activities. Prosecutors say the three conspired to wage a “holy war” against the United States and coalition forces in the Middle East. The indictment was unsealed Monday.

The U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez is expected to release more details at a news conference this afternoon in Washington D.C.

Update: Others are on the story
The Counterterrorism Blog: New Arrests in Ohio for Support of Terrorists in Iraq (with indictment, press conference highlights, and suspects’ pictures)

Michelle Malkin is aware of the story too. I can’t wait for her to write something more comprehensive.

The American Thinker

I could not get through this photo slideshow of the commemoration of a fallen Lakota Marine warrior without blessing God for the men and women who lay it all on the line for the rest of us. These are great patriotic Americans.

Bands of warriors: U.S. Marines prepare to transfer the flag-draped casket carrying Cpl. Brett Lundstrom, 22, from a hearse to a wagon last Saturday on the road leading to Kyle, S.D. “He earns the American flag from his government,” says Vietnam veteran John Around Him. “He earns the eagle feather from his people.”

The words of the Vietnam Vet keep running through my head. “He earns the American flag from his government, he earns the eagle feather from his people.”

Update: Blackfive posted on this several weeks ago. I’m a little slow on the uptake these days. His post is good as usual.

Powerline has a great series of posts about questionable behavior in Minnesota politics.
Power Line: A case study

In Minnesota the Democratic Party has undertaken a campaign to suppress two advertisements giving voice to the sentiments of Iraq war veterans and Gold Star Families who support the war. Brian Melendez is the chairman of the Minnesota Democratic Party. This past Thursday Melendez called a press conference and condemned the first of the two advertisements — the one featuring the veterans — as “un-American, untruthful and a lie.”

Power Line: Listen to Col. Stephenson and Judge for Yourself

The Democratic Party has undertaken an organized campaign to drive Col. Stephenson, two fellow servicemen and the families of servicemen who were killed in Iraq off the airways. The Democratic Party has officially pronounced that Col. Stephenson and his ads are “un-American.”

Power Line: The Compleat Democrats’ Disgrace

Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman has now devoted two hysterical columns to condemnations of the advertisements. Coleman’s first column made a basic error of fact as a result of its reliance on a far-left Web site and cited the testimony of a Kerry delegate to the 2004 Democratic convention as a “nonpartisan” source.

Last time I checked Freedom of Speech wasn’t an un-American idea. These people want to support the troops, so let them. How can you disagree with these commercials. Sure you can disagree with the War on Terrorism, the troops in Iraq and President Bush, but this is people saying what they believe. Trying to suppress these peoples voices, now that is un-American.

H/T to Michelle Malkin THEY DON’T SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
and Blackfive - MN Democratic Party taking shots at supporters of Iraq war

Al at Cold Fury is still riding a fixie (fixed gear bike). He has a humorous post about accidentally learning to skid stop.
Cold Fury » The Accidental Skidder

I’m not a master yet, but it’ coming along. Mostly by accident and happenstance, but hey, I’ll take it any way I can get it. Accidentally acquired knowledge is just as useful as information acquired on purpose.

I’ve never ridden a fixie, but I had the “Accidentally acquired knowledge” experience a few times, mostly on horses. While his was inspired by missing his truck, mine have traditionally been inspired by fear or outright terror. I broke horses for a number of years, and while they all turned out good in the end, a few got a little out of hand along the way. Few things are quite as inspiring as riding on a horse that suddenly doesn’t want to be ridden. You find yourself remembering every riding trick you’ve ever learned, as well as three places you’d rather be and fourteen reasons you really really shouldn’t be in the saddle to begin with. Along with all of those random thoughts you sometimes think of something new.

A number of years ago I was working in Eastern Washington State when I had the opportunity to ride in a public demonstration. Everything went well until about half way though the ride. I and about ten other riders were in the middle of a serpentine pattern when my horse started to come unhinged. (The bicycle equivalent I suppose would be riding down a nice mountain road and noticing your handlebars rapidly loosening.) The serpentine pattern quickly broke apart as my horse shed all of her training and most of her common sense. Two or three jumps into the really interesting part of the ride I decided to let her continue on without me.

While the decision was sound, my timing was bad. Mere milliseconds after pushing off and abandoning ship I realized something important. While it was quite hot down on the ground where we’d launched from, it was a little chilly where the horse and I were now, and I could swear I could see my breathe condensing. Right then and there I learned a new trick, remounting a horse I’d just jumped off of, before she (and more importantly I) hit the ground. I didn’t finish that ride in the saddle. I landed on my feet though, and maintained control of the horse.

I’ve never (thank you God) had the opportunity to use that particular remounting technique again, but I learned something else that day. I’ve ridden a lot of horses since then, and had a few accidents as well, but that lesson has stayed with me. No matter what’s going on, no matter how bad it looks, stay calm and don’t make rash decisions that make things worse.

Thanks Al for reminding me of that “accidentally acquired” lesson, it’s been a while since I’ve thought of that ride. The horse I don’t need to be reminded of. Once she learned she could dump me if she really wanted to, she didn’t really want to any more. I will have owned her twenty-one years this coming August, and her daughter will be nine in June. Best horses I’ve ever owned.

Happy Third Blogiversary to Patterico’s Pontifications
Patterico’s Pontifications » Third Blogiversary

Today marks the third anniversary of this blog, which started on February 17, 2003.

This is the exactly why I wanted to leave Maryland, or as I like to call it “The Pave-it State”. This is the county in Maryland I lived in. It’s nuts. I don’t know if all of the nuts just migrate to Montgomery County Maryland or if they’re spread state wide, but this happening there doesn’t surprise me at all.
Policing Porn Is Not Part of Job Description

Two uniformed men strolled into the main room of the Little Falls library in Bethesda one day last week and demanded the attention of all patrons using the computers. Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden.

After the two men made their announcement, one of them challenged an Internet user’s choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside, according to a witness.

Blackfive has another great post on Cindy Sheahan.
BLACKFIVE: Univeristy Invites Cindy Sheehan to speak

Evidently, she is ignoring the fact that her son, Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, believed in what he was doing…enough to die attempting to rescue his fellow soldiers.

I’ve always been struck by how little Ms. Sheehan seems to have understood about her son’s motives for joining up. I hit on a simliar subject back in August.

True cost of gun registry will be upsetting, warns public security minister

Day said an auditor general’s report will show that a lot of money was needlessly lost.

“I think what will grab people is the fact it didn’t have to be this way, whatever the final number is, it could have been avoided.”

Going going, gone? It looks like the Canadian long gun registry will be going away. It’s about time. Hundreds of millions of dollars wasted, and there was never any real hope that they could get reasonable compliance numbers. Canadians have a long history of ignoring laws they disagree with. How about that handgun registry?

Canada & Gun Control by By Gary Mauser & Dave Kopel - December 12, 2002

Handguns have been registered since 1934. (11,000 registered handgun owners are currently missing from that system, and the non-compliance rate may be over 50%.)