- The scores of ads for erotic services that are posted daily on Craigslist are taking a lot of time and effort for police in the Dallas area. And nationwide, for that matter. It’s a serious challenge for law enforcement. Oh so serious. But say, here’s a thought: how about stop wasting time criminalizing acts between consenting adults, and instead go after real criminals instead? Why the Sam Hill is it illegal to charge someone for something that’s legal if you give it away? The damn vice laws are downright anti-capitalist, by gum.
- Everybody panic! (Somewhere, Jane McGarry is jittery with excitement.) Me, I have my doubts. But the swine flu panic a perfect vehicle for governments to ban public gatherings, for knuckle-draggers to demand border closings, and for a run on surgical masks isn’t it? Hmmm. Chicken Little, meet Man-Bear-Pig.
- Gov. Coiffure, our unremarkable establishment rent-seeker, has his hand out to the feds once again. Poseur.
- Dallas DNA premiers this week on Investigation Discovery channel. It’s nice to have a DA focused on justice for a change, and not just phony conviction numbers.
better yet are the po-po agencies reviewing the personal ads in the various ODT newspapers?
I could be wrong, but the great swine flu scare is likely to go the route of the great avian flu scare – nowhere. Anytime the press and the politicians get excited and begin to hype something, you can bet there is precious little real meat to base it on, particularly in matters of science. The CDC, of late, gives the appearance of seeking epidemics in order to justify its budget.
Being “tough on crime” and sentencing innocent people to prison allows the guilty ones go free.
Trey…I’m expecting the “flu con carnitas” menu items to launch at Mi Cocina, Taco Bell, and the Pappas family of restaurants any moment now…It’s the nwq chipolte.
Yes, we are all going to die.
And, my issue with craigslist is only that it provides a super-creepy hunting ground for dark intent…vis-a-vis the Boston guy. And facebook? Don’t get me started on that. My child got a friend request with the personal message, “you have a pretty mouth” from a stranger this weekend. It just seems that technology is providing new outlets for some really bad stuff.
Finally, any DA with the cajones to allow widespread DNA testing coulda/shoulda/woulda been the next Craig Watkins. Good for him for being the one that did it.
* Could the prostitutes take a donation and then give an intimate gift as a reward for that donation? KERA and the Arboretum give me gifts and discounts for my donation. Solution: prostitutes need to become their own charitable organizations. Or just make it legal but regulate the heck out of it (for public health reasons, not some kind of sin tax).
*Swine Flu – another government scare tactic. More people died in the human / drug trafficking going on at the border last year than will die from swine flu. It is easily treatable here in the states.
* Governor Goodhair = Harvey Dent
* My prediction: Craig Watkins is going to use some of his good press to run for Texas Attorney General.
1. Dallas still has an extremely high crime rate, regardless of the DPD’s new policy of counting multiple crimes by the same perpetrator as only a single crime, and at times refusing to file police reports (if there’s no report, there’s no crime, right?). I would think that chasing old men that need some moderately priced lovin’ should be at the bottom of their to do list.
2. This one really could be a bad pandemic. We know it’s going to happen eventually, and the CDC is doing the right thing in being prepared. If it is a big one, it still won’t be as bad as 1918 because communication is so much better and CDC is much more prepared and has better policies in place to deal with it. Even if it turns out to be worse than 1918 it still doesn’t excuse the media for their atrocious fear mongering.
3. Since we don’t have a Texas Center for Disease Control, the only place for the governor to turn would be the CDC. There are a thousand good reasons to not like Governor Perry, this probably isn’t one of them.
4. As a hardcore fiscal conservative, that believes in being very, very tough on criminals, I am extremely happy that we have a DA that gives a damn about the guilt and innocence of those charged with crimes. It would be the only (D) on my ballot, but I will probably give him my vote for AG if he runs.
C’mon Trey,
If Libertarianism requires equating precautions against a pandemic with sticking the taxpayers with the long term consequences of accepting stimulus strings, no wonder the Party can’t get anywhere.
Apples and oranges, more like apples and jet planes.
Of course there is an epidemic in Mexico. My honeymoon is there in 3 weeks. Par for the course.
At a press conference earlier today President Obama suggested that if we took the first steps ourselves and stopped referring to them as “pigs” and “swine” the flu in turn might stop being so mean and we would see far fewer lethal cases. After eight long years of “battling” the flu it’s good to see some new thinking.
Meanwhile, former President Bush knows the proper course of action in the face of a possible pandemic: bomb Pakistan.
Seriously, though, I never have understood how the flu could kill anyone between the ages of 7 and 70. Dehydration? A fever so high it induces medical shock? Even the most modestly equipped hospital should be able to obviate or stave off those problems. But what the hell do I know, I’m just a spoiled American who’s been spared acquaintance with widespread suffering all my air-conditioned, microbrew-drinking life.
If I get it and die, please title my (fascinating!) biography Microbrews to Microbes: Daniel’s Delirious Descent. It’s guaranteed to sell in the dozens.
I would think the alcohol from the beer would clean the cooties clean out of you, Daniel.
@Daniel:
It’s your body fighting the disease that kills you. If you’ve never been exposed to that strain of virus, then your immune system goes into overdrive. Those with the healthiest immune systems are most at risk, which is why it tends to kill those aged between 20 and 45.
The good news is that if you live in your basement off of canned beans and boiled water, then you have a really good chance of surviving. Not so much if it’s your mom’s basement though.
@Dallasite: Good news for whom exactly? (And who in Texas has a basement anyway?)
Thanks for the clarification, though. I’m going to start shooting coke just to be on the safe side.
When asked whether this was overhype or should it be taken seriously, my sister, who has just a LITTLE bit of expertise in the area, responded thusly:
“Answer: All of the above.
This particular virus should be monitored closely and here is why….remember the bird flu that occurred in 1997? we were very fortunate bc that particular virus was able to go from bird to man but unable to spread man-to-man. so it was very easy to contain. this current virus is of swine origin and goes from pig to man and it also spreads man-to-man. that in itself makes this virus able to become the next pandemic, which is a scary thing. so to prevent the next pandemic, the “who” can’t take this lightly as they don’t want it become the next pandemic that has the potential to kill millions of people. so do you need to go out and buy a mask? NO. just wash your hands often and try not to put your hands near your face.”