East Indies Trading Company Still has Influence

Council bans boy, 6, from flying Jolly Roger at pirate party - because it is 'unneighbourly' | the Daily Mail: "A six-year-old boy's birthday plans were thrown into disarray when council officials told him he could not fly his pirate flag."

I am not clear on how the dad ended up talking with the town council about birthday party preparations.

The picture kinda gives me the creeps. The red, white, and blue costume reminds me of the SUV-driving anti-pirates that we have here in the United States.

I like the cutlass, though.

General Discharge Recommended for Anti-War Marine

LocalNews8.com � Idaho Falls, Pocatello - Weather, News, Sports - Discharge suggested for anti-war Marine: "KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A military panel in Kansas City, Missouri, has recommended a general discharge for an Iraq war veteran who wore his uniform during a war protest."

The article says Adam Kokesh won't lose any military benefits. That's not completely correct. I know that you have to have an Honorable discharge for Montgomery GI Bill benefits. Kokesh is currently a graduate student at George Washington University, so he might miss the $1,000 a month payout.

This is still a whole lot better than the Other Than Honorable that was under discussion. An OTH would have cost him many more benefits.

Brand New Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat: Carpentry Against Climate Change - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

Brand New Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat: Carpentry Against Climate Change - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News: "Greenpeace likes to think big -- its latest publicity stunt is the recreation of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat. The idea is to focus the attention of world leaders on the need to address climate change and to prevent major catastrophes -- including floods -- in the future."

They released 200 pigeons. They lost my support right there. I hate pigeons.

First seen on Foreign Policy.

House Elf has Delusions of Grandeur

‘I’m a pure and absolute democrat. It’s a tragedy that I’m the only one’ News World Europe TimesOnline: "“Of course, I am a pure and absolute democrat,” he said. “But you know what the problem is – not a problem, a real tragedy – that I am alone. There are no such pure democrats in the world. Since Mahatma Gandhi, there has been no one.”"

I was going to say that President Putin has more in common with Dobby the House Elf than Mahatma Ghandi, but Dobby had good intentions and Vladimir Putin does not.

Russia is not obliged to be a Jeffersonian democracy. There's no single perfect system of government that all countries must adopt. But Russia's government, in whatever form it takes, must be responsive to the needs of the people and take care that the people possess the means to assert those needs.

I would think that freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and some form of an elected government would be the standard for any first world country.

Vladimir Putin disagrees.

Vladimir Putin is the guy who closed an opposition newspaper. [here]

Vladimir Putin is the guy who closed the last independent television station in Russia. [here]

Vladimir Putin is the guy who had an opposition leader arrested before a political rally. [here]

Vladimir Putin is the guy who banned direct election of governors as a "counter-terrorism" measure. [here]

If one standard is good then two standards must be better

BBC NEWS | Europe | Putin warns Europe in missile row: "Moscow may target weapons at Europe if the US builds planned missile defence facilities in the region, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said."

I like to pretend I know everything, but I don't. One of the things that I don't know is how missiles attained their special status. We have tanks, and we have anti-tank weapons. We have combat aircraft and we have anti-aircraft weapons. We have ballistic missiles and somehow anti-missile technologies are destabilizing.

Russia is upset about anti-missile technology because the Strategic Rocket Forces are the only remaining component of Russian armed forces that anyone respects. Anything that reduces the threat of their ICBMs directly reduces Russia's perceived military might.

There are two countries with deployed Anti-Ballistic Missile systems. The United States is one, and Russia is the other. That's the same Russia that goes nuts anytime anybody else tries to field a defensive system. Apparently Russia is the only country that has the right to defend their soil.

Andrew Speaker should talk to this guy

County violated rights, law, ACLU says: "Earlier this week, Daniels said he was told that his TB bacteria may be developing resistance to all antibiotics, and a portion of his lungs might require surgical removal. He said he was advised to write letters to his child in Moscow so the boy would have communication before his father's death."

This is a snippet out of an article discussing a 27 y/o male who has spent 10 months in jail for no other reason than to ensure that he takes his TB medications. He had been in a county sanitarium for indigent TB patients but was non-compliant and health officials upped the ante.

The ACLU is involved, trying to get Daniels out of the jail.

I learned about this on Slate.

Well other than that Mrs Lincoln, how did you like the play?

ABC News: TB Quarantine Raises Legal Questions: 'I'm a very well-educated, successful, intelligent person,' he told the newspaper. 'This is insane to me that I have an armed guard outside my door when I've cooperated with everything other than the whole solitary-confinement-in-Italy thing.'

Speaking as someone who has done a lot of stupid stuff in his life, explaining does not make things better.

I just hope he didn't infect anybody and there isn't somebody out there with a life threatening disease who doesn't know it.