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Issues in the News
(some serious, some not)

If you want to comment on anything here, please email me.

Credits: Much of this material first appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal (after 1999-02-16) or the Salt Lake Tribune (before).


"Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters." -- Daniel Webster

Erosion of Rights

Here is the R-J's Vin Suprynowicz' latest bit about gun control politics. Another column is about erosion of the Bill of Rights. Previously, he revealed some startling results from Australia's recent gun roundup, as well as insights into erosion of citizens' rights in Unintended consequences of gun control. Thomas Sowell expounds on erosion of rights while describing the California anti-Wal-Mart bill, similar to a local county proposal.

PEPCON's Henderson Plant Explosion

On May 4th, 1988, the Pacific Engineering & Production Co. plant in Henderson caught fire. After the plant's emergency crew failed to extinguish the fire, the plant exploded with a force equivalent to a 3.5 Richter-scale earthquake. It obliterated the facility, which produced ammonium perchlorate, a rocket fuel oxidant. Here's a link to an expert witness's video of the explosion.

Political Correctness

Here's John Leo's commentary on several recent, ridiculous, politically correct stories in the news.

Gun Laws

Comic Jackie Mason managed to get himself blacklisted years ago just for 'telling it like it is'. Now he and attorney Raoul Felder write a column on current issues; here is their take on gun laws.

Asset Forfeiture

Law enforcement agencies abuse our citizens' property rights with asset forfeiture laws, as described in Molly Ivin's column.

Hillary Excuses Bill

Once again, Cal Thomas bites deep into the Clinton soap opera, as he reviews Hillary's defense of BIll as it appeared in the new 'Talk' magazine.

Income Tax

Radical editor Vin Suprynowicz at the R-J relates the story of an IRS agent who now believes the federal income tax is voluntary for most people.

Beer!

Here are a couple of goofy beer pictures: One more for the road, and a beer-drinking pig.

Clinton's Growing China Scandal

Cal Thomas writes that Americans are getting bull while China shops for military technology.

ADA

Some people think the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is evidence of the federal government sticking its nose too far into -- and sticking it to -- private business.

Working For A Living

I couldn't stop laughing after seeing this picture, appropriately titled Not My Job.

International Space Station

Still searching for a real name, the multi-billion-dollar, internationally-built, gateway-to-the-future has come up against an unexpected problem ... as noted in this in-depth report by Frank and Ernest.

Polygamy and Mormonism

The Salt Lake City Weekly (01/28/99) ran a cover story about Mormon eternal marriage. It describes in detail the peculiarities of the Mormon 'sealing' ritual and the differences in its applicability (and its reversal) for men vs. women. Some of the official Mormon doctrine is presented as the basis for the ritual and its application. Hold onto your seatbelts; this stuff ain't for sissies.

Clinton's Principles

Here is one writer's quick summation of Bill Clinton's 'principles'. And I've been trying for months to find the text for Clinton's 1974 speech regarding that Nixon's upcoming impeachment; finally somebody quoted it in a letter to the editor on 12/20/98, to wit:

"Yes, the president should resign. He has lied to the American people repeatedly and betrayed their trust. He will serve absolutely no purpose in finishing out his term; the only possible solution is for the president to save some dignity and resign."
How about THEM apples, eh?

Well, it turns out that this great quote is fake. See the real story (it's almost as good) at this Snopes page and the referenced article from the Arkansas Gazette.

Clinton's Foreign Policy

The Washington Post comes out with some real insightful pieces on the foreign policy debacles of the Clinton administration. An example: A More Dangerous Place. Another example, from Universal Press Syndicate: Lack of Principle.

Free Thinking Not Allowed In Utah

An issue in the recent Utah election was a referendum to increase from 50% to 67% the number of votes required to change the state constitution in matters regarding natural resources and wildlife (a.k.a., hunting and fishing). Here's one guy's diatribe against the stupid voters who passed it.

Utah's Silly Liquor Laws

If you've been here, you know about 'em. Alan Mark's letter to the editor and an article about the drive to make Draper dry appeared in the Nov. 30 paper. On the other hand, here's a picture about a serious drinking problem.

Faith and Reason

Here's a letter to the editor about the dangers of faith, and another in response about the foibles of reason. And then a column about a third political camp besides the "right" and "left".

Kidney Theft

Although we all have received and passed on the emails about kidney thieves (and a band has even named themselves Kidney Thieves), the real story can be found at the Urban Legends website. Go to http://www.snopes.com, then select Horror, then Grave Robbers.

Last Word ...

And now for a closing quote from the intellectual mind of the late, great Frank Zappa:

"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline -- it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."



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