The blogosphere is buzzing about Kelo v. New London. Last week the Supreme Court turned the “public use” clause of the Fifth Amendment on its head. Local governments now have the power to snatch private property for “economic development” whether such development benefits the public or not.
Nutshell: In 1996 the feds closed the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in New London, Connecticut, and a lot of people lost their jobs. The city’s unemployment rate was double that of the rest of the state. A private organization called New London Development Corporation came up with a “revitalization” plan, and a pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, said it would build a $300 research facility to create jobs. Situated on the new development would be a hotel, restaurants, stores, marinas, a riverwalk, 800 new “residences” (condominiums?), a museum and business offices.
In order to do all of this, the city needed to kick a couple of homeowners off their property. One plaintiff, Susan Kelo, had made improvements to her house, which has a great view of the water, and the other plaintiff, Wilhelmina Dery, was born in her house and has lived there for 87 years. They sued the city on the grounds that the taking would violate the “public use” restriction of the Fifth Amendment. They argued that the economic development plan is not a “public use” for the purposes of the Takings Clause.
The rationale behind this restriction on government is obvious. In fact, the whole Constitution is one big restriction on government, but you wouldn’t know it these days. Private property is a basic right in the United States, and the government is restricted from interfering with this right.
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The Pundit Review bloggers host a radio show on WRKO Sunday nights from 9:00-10:00 p.m. I’m scheduled to appear around 9:20. Call in number is 877-469-4322.
by La Shawn on June 24, 2005
in Bloggers
Should I turn LBC into a group blog? Why or why not?
Update (2:15 p.m.): I appreciate the responses from all. Trying to run a business takes a lot of patience, persistence, stamina, and creative energy. I had more time to blog when I was working a 9-5 job. 
Being self-employed is anything but 9-5. I’m working longer hours, but it’s worth it because I’m my own boss.
A combination of limited time and energy, hate mail, a lot of e-mail, active comment threads, trolls, and dealing with people who forget their manners when they visit my “house” has led me to rethink what I’m doing. I’m suddenly feeling the pressure of so many people wanting me to blog about this or that or don’t like the way I write about this or that. And this is coming from people who like me. You can imagine what the haters say. Some of you may wish your blogs were high-profile, but what I have to deal with, I wouldn’t wish on the liberal blogger who hates me the most.
Last year I thought seriously about disabling comments but realized I’d miss the little community. Giving up this blog seems extreme. Guest bloggers might be the way to go. I’ll keep you posted.
Rest easy, everybody.
by La Shawn on June 24, 2005
in Liberals
Of course not. Apologize for what? Telling the truth? Only a backward-thinking fool could come up with something that hare-brained. Karl Rove said what is obviously true: Democrats are soft on terrorism.
Most Democrats, at least the ones in Congress, are opposed to taking a hard line against terrorism simply because George Bush is in the White House. They’re generally anti-military, but military force didn’t seem to bother them when Bill Clinton bombed Serbia in a blatant attempt to deflect attention from his nasty romps with Monica Lewinsky. Unlike Iraq, Serbia posed no threat to the U.S.
And when Slick Willie bombed an aspirin factory (another “wag the dog” scenario) and killed civilians, on the premise that Osama bin Laden was connected to it, which he wasn’t, they had no harsh words for their feckless and faithless master.
I was on the dump-Karl-Rove bandwagon because of Bush’s immigration policy. Not that’s something to be sorry about. But who really cares? It’s all a twisted political game. This is why I couldn’t be a politician or political appointee. I’d tell them all, including the Congressional Black Caucus minstrel show, what they could do with their “demands” for an apology.
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Scrappleface: “Just two days after White House political adviser Karl Rove said so-called ‘liberals’ wanted to respond to the 9/11 terror attacks with legal action and psychological counseling, Democrat party chief Howard Dean announced creation of a fund to provide Mr. Rove with anger-management therapy.”
by La Shawn on June 23, 2005
in General
Since I ragged on Lionel Tate, the 18-year-old who killed a little girl when he was 12, it’s only fair to report the latest developments.
Last month he was accused of robbing a pizza delivery man at gunpoint, but the 13-year-old kid who said Tate did it recanted his statement:
Lawyer James Lewis said the boy, Taquincy Tomkins, has told private investigators that a 16-year-old whom Taquincy knows only as ”Willie” committed the May 23 robbery.
Taquincy said he blamed Tate under pressure from sheriff’s investigators and because ”Willie” threatened to kill him, according to a transcript provided by Lewis….But Tate was arrested last month and charged with armed robbery. Police said Tate’s print had been found on a pizza box delivered to the apartment where the holdup occurred. (Source)
Whatever’s going on, whether he did it or not, Tate needs some serious intervention and direction in his life. He should be removed from that element (his neighorhood and friends) so he can have at least half a chance for a decent life. The way things are going, he’d better get used to standing in front of judges.
Previous post: Young Idiot Tate
Addendum: Apparently the pizza guy didn’t or couldn’t identify Tate if the whole thing rested on the kid’s statement. Who knows…
by La Shawn on June 23, 2005
in General
I love old time radio.
Forget Tom Cruise and his new movie, War of the Worlds. Listen instead to the 1938 radio broadcast based on the 1898 novel by H.G. Wells. Download the broadcast here. If that link doesn’t help you, try this one, although it takes forever to download. Or you can read the script.
The radio show about aliens from Mars landing on earth to wipe out earthlings, performed by director Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater on the Air, produced mass hysteria. I’ve listened to the show and find it difficult to imagine why it caused people to panic. The immediacy of radio at the time and pre-WWII jitters probably had a lot to do with it.
So save your money and listen to old time radio. But if you’re compelled to part with cash, buy the book.
Sources: Screen shot of the New York Times front page and the story itself below; Orson Welles’s obituary; more links; and Wikipedia, of course.
Speaking of radio, don’t forget to tune in to Pundit Review radio this Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
Addendum: Read about Citizen Kane (with Orson Welles), considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time. Also visit the Internet Movie Database and Wikipedia, of course.
Readers know by now that I’m a blogger’s blogger, a staunch advocate of the new medium (and marketing tool). We’ve witnessed the power of a blog swarm and the reluctance of leftist media to report objectively about scandals involving Democrats.
It was the blogosphere that forced Sen. Richard Durbin to apologize for comparing American interrogators to Nazis and Soviets, not Democrats or the media.
It’s now common knowledge that mainstream media tend to downplay Democrats’ shenanigans and overplay whatever bone-headed thing Republicans may say or do. Sometimes the bias is blatant, other times subtle. You might not be able to pinpoint it exactly, but as Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote about obscenity in a landmark case: “[I] know it when I see it.”
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by La Shawn on June 22, 2005
in General
I know how to trace the path of an e-mail, but is it possible to track down the sender’s IP address through the e-mail? Contact me with the technical info.
Update: I figured it out. 
Now I’m going to try to get somebody fired. Stay tuned…
Third world slums coming to a neighborhood near you.
(Along with more irritating web site registrations.)
by La Shawn on June 22, 2005
in General
Whenever I tell men that I’m a “traditional” woman, they laugh. Yeah, right! They see a modern, outspoken, ambitious, professional woman supporting herself and taking risks.
They assume I’ve chosen this life over that of wife and mother. I explain to them that since I’m unmarried, I must support myself. Who else is going to do it? With no children, I don’t have to worry about starving them if my entrepreneurial ventures fail, so I can afford the risk. And my ambition is an effort to make a contribution to the world and create something of value.
The kind of man I’d marry would want his wife to stay home and raise his children instead of committing them to the institutionalized “care” of people who couldn’t possibly care for them as much as I could or know them half as well, while he works outside the home. My roles would be godly wife, partner, homemaker, teacher (for homeschooling), and whatever else God assigned. If I expect my husband to be the main breadwinner, he’ll have certain expectations of me.
Too often women say they want to be treated a certain way by men but consider reciprocal treatment “old-fashioned” or beneath them or contrary to feminism. Hogwash. Throw that out with the rest of the trash.
I was delighted to read another good article by Darryl James, “Chivalry & Tradition”:
[F]eminism taught women that displays of chivalry were, in many ways demeaning and condescending. The new idea was that since men did not hold doors for each other, why would they do so for any other equal? The image of the chivalrous man protecting the weaker “damsel in distress” did not fit well with the evolving image of the woman as equal, strong and independent.
Strangely, many people today who speak of chivalry and tradition frequently fail to spell out the woman’s obligations during the medieval institution, and in many ways romanticize yesterday’s chivalry far deeper than the post-Crusade poets. The newer romanticized version has recreated the woman’s role, so that she is far less than weak or in distress, but still deserving of favorable treatment, specifically when it comes to who will pay for dinner.
In short, after an arduous program of attacking and seeking to re-write both chivalry and tradition, today’s so-called “modern” woman is now attacking men for moving away from so-called “old-fashioned” standards. Now, let me bring this thing home: The truly sad part for African Americans is that neither the historic nor the romanticized versions of tradition debated in most of today’s open forums actually belong to us.
The whole article is refreshing, especially coming from a black man. About my marital state: While I love to write and hope I never have to give it up, it would be a distant second if I were married with children. If I managed to squeeze in a tiny bit of writing time, it would be icing on an already rich cake.
by La Shawn on June 21, 2005
in Liberals
I haven’t been following the Dickie Durbin controversy, but I’ve been told he’s apologized, with tears and all, for comparing the American interrogators at Gitmo to Nazis and Soviets. Let’s go to the videotape.
More at Yahoo! news.
And here’s a little Dr. Seuss for the senator’s cooked goose.
Update (6/22): From Michelle Malkin’s latest column:
Gitmo-bashers attack the Bush administration’s failure to abide by the Geneva Conventions. But as legal analysts Lee Casey and Darin Bartram told me, “the status hearings are, in fact, fully comparable to the ‘Article V’ hearings required by the Geneva Conventions, in situations where those treaties apply, and are also fully consistent with the Supreme Court’s 2004 decision in the Hamdi v. Rumsfeld case.”
Treating foreign terrorists like American shoplifters — with full access to civilian lawyers, classified intelligence, and all the attendant rights of a normal jury trial — is a surefire recipe for another 9/11. That is why the Bush administration fought so hard to erect an alternative tribunal system — long established in wartime — in the first place.
Read the rest.
by La Shawn on June 21, 2005
in Faith
I don’t blog enough about Christian bloggers and sites. I’m stuck on the one-note political posts, and I’ve got to get out of the rut. Look for a few format changes at LBC.
I blogged about Stacy Harp and one of her businesses, Mind & Media, last week. Stacy promotes Christian products, including books and DVDs. She always needs book reviewers, so if you’re inclined to do more reading and writing, contact her and request a review copy. Your payment will be a growing library of good (and free) Christian books and improved writing skills.
Stacy also hosts Christian Persecution Blog, which provides news about persecuted Christians around the world. American Christians, including myself, complain about media bias against Christ followers and the hostility of the godless, but we don’t know what persecution is.
Last Sunday my pastor talked about a Bible study class he taught in some Middle Eastern country (can’t remember which). He said his 21-year-old interpreter became a Christian when she was about 17, and her Muslim father beat her repeatedly to get her to reject her belief in Christ. She refused.
The pastor added that most of the people in class had similar or worse stories, but they still believed and risked their lives to study the Bible. The class was discussing a passage in 1 Peter about persecution, and he looked around the room, questioning his authority as an un-persecuted America to tell them about persecution. But all Christians are called to share the Gospel and help each other understand God’s word. We have the God-given authority to do so. The pastor knew this, of course, but he felt the way he did nonetheless.
God has foreordained a path for each of us, and most western Christians will never cross paths with real persecution. But we should always be aware of the suffering of the saints and pray, knowing He will be glorified. One day soon the suffering will cease forever. I look forward to that day, crying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
Update: You know what I was thinking? That the world would be a better place if trolls spent time reading good books (starting with the Bible) instead of trying to comment here. What’s the attraction, man?
Anyway…check out James White’s blog, pastor, Christian apologist, debater — excellent stuff for “fundamentalists” to read and hear. You can buy his debates and radio clips on his site, but he also directs readers to The Strait Gate to download free pre-2005 audio. I’ve listened to at least 75 percent, and you will learn a lot no matter how seasoned a Christian you are.
Highly recommended: Audio clips from September 15, 2001, and September 22, 2001. He discusses you-know-what from a biblical perspective. Can’t say enough good things about James White.
Mark La Roi on how to pray.
by La Shawn on June 21, 2005
in Bloggers
Today is Tuesday, isn’t it? Now that I’m not going out to work every day, the days seem to blend together. Here’s a list of blogs and announcements:
Update: Be sure to check the Daou Report for the latest posts from the left and right sides of the blogosphere.
- Liberal blogger Axinar dug up one of my old photos (with part of my nephew’s head in the shot) and says that I can save PBS!
- Also visit the Homeschool Mom Blog.
- Dems demonize Christians? Do tell!
- J.D. Wetterling ponders Great Britian’s history and sees something prophetic as America approaches another birthday.
- Julie Neidlinger is trying to plant a Google bomb for Governor John Hoeven.
Do you have announcements or provocative posts? Trackback if you’re a blogger, and I’ll put the link in the post when I get a chance. Others can leave comments.
Have you ever wanted to be a programmer? I did. Back in 1984, I was “afraid” of the Apple computers sitting in the back of the classroom gathering dust. They seemed so complicated. At the same time I thought it would be cool to write computer languages, but I didn’t think I was smart enough.
Writing computer code for a living probably lost prestige a long time ago. Now it seems those and other tech jobs are being outsourced to the point where college kids are rethinking their career plans:
As an eager freshman in the fall of 2001, Andrew Mo’s career trajectory seemed preordained: He’d learn C++ and Java languages while earning a computer science degree at Stanford University, then land a Silicon Valley technology job. The 22-year-old Shanghai native graduated this month with a major in computer science and a minor in economics. But he no longer plans to write code for a living, or even work at a tech company.
Mo begins work in the fall as a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group, helping to lead projects at multinational companies. Consulting, he says, will insulate him from the offshore outsourcing that’s sending thousands of once-desirable computer programming jobs overseas.
More important, Mo believes his consulting gig is more lucrative, rewarding and imaginative than a traditional tech job. He characterized his summer programming internships as “too focused or localized, even meaningless.”(Source)
Programming used to be geek territory, but with open source platforms like WordPress, even I know how to write code. And I’m not even that smart!
This is a little off-topic, but the story reminds of a Dell commercial that left me flabbergasted. I have a Dell desktop, and I’ve had to call support a few times. The first time I called, I couldn’t understand what the guy (Indian?) was saying. I’d heard that American businesses were outsourcing these kind of jobs, but my ears were unprepared. The other times I called, I got someone who had a better grasp of the English language.
So when I see this Dell commercial, I’m wondering if I misheard the word “Dell.” The support person was a white, Midwestern-looking guy with an all-American accent answering questions and cracking jokes. For shame!, I said to myself. Why don’t these computer companies make commercials with the kind of people who really answer support calls? Who do they think they’re fooling?
