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Clayton Cramer's BLOG |
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Clayton's commentary on news and events of the day. Broadly speaking, I'm a conservative with libertarian sympathies (getting more conservative as my children get older).
 Never forget! I'm running for Idaho state senate I've written a number of history books, as well as scholarly and popular articles, (see my web page).
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Saturday, March 22, 2003
Back On My Own Blog Again It turns out that there was a style inconsistency between The Volokh Conspiracy and your wonderful self. That's life. Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Where's The Blog? In case you are wondering, I am currently blogging as part of the Volokh Conspiracy. This might last a month, or a day, or however long it takes to wear out my welcome over there. The really outrageously offensive stuff I may post here. If for some reason you want to see only my postings, click here. UPDATE: Not any more. Monday, March 17, 2003
Partial-Birth Abortion Bans Belong At The State Level Instapundit points out that there are strong arguments against a federal law banning partial-birth abortions, because the Supreme Court has increasingly recognized that Congressional authority to pass laws is subject to the limitations of the Constitution. I agree. Partial-birth abortion is a horrifying procedure--as even many pro-choice sorts will agree. Roe v. Wade (1973) doesn't guarantee a right to third trimester abortions. The states are free to ban this procedure, with only a few restrictions, and that is where these laws belong. The federal government's authority is quite a bit more limited, unless Congress can demonstrate that partial-birth abortion impairs interstate commerce. Any federal ban on partial-birth abortions needs to be limited to the territories, the District of Columbia, and perhaps when these procedures are performed with federal funding. Taking short-cuts to end an offensive procedure is not a good idea. Labels: abortion Sunday, March 16, 2003
The Al-Qaeda/Iraq Connection Interesting article from the London Observer (the Guardian's Sunday newspaper), reporting that Spanish prosecutors now allege that Yusuf Galan, who organized the 09/11 attacks, had contacts with the Iraqi ambassador to Spain: An alleged terrorist accused of helping the 11 September conspirators was invited to a party by the Iraqi ambassador to Spain under his al-Qaeda nom de guerre, according to documents seized by Spanish investigators.While the American government and media have done their best to downplay the report of connections between Iraqi intelligence and Mohammed Atta (perhaps for fear that Americans might demand we do something to Iraq), this article reiterates the Czech government's position on this: The evidence in support of the 9/11 damages claim cites several examples of this alleged co-operation. They include the terrorist training camp at Salman Pak near Baghdad, where former Iraqi intelligence brigadier Jamal al-Qurairy has said that non-Iraqi Islamic radicals were trained to hijack aircraft using knives. I Knew It Would Happen Eventually Opponents of liberalized concealed carry permit laws insisted that if permits were readily available, there would be shootouts in the streets over the most trivial of disputes. It turned that this was not the case. There have been a very small number of murders committed by permit holders throughout the U.S. under these new laws, and overwhelmingly, these were cases involving premeditation--where without a permit, the murder would still have taken place. A concealed weapon permit holder getting into a stupid fight, drawing a gun, and murdering someone. I knew it had to happen eventually here in Idaho. From our local paper: Vincent Craig Olsen, 21, surrendered to Boise police at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Witnesses told police the two men exchanged a few words at the party, and then Davis threw beer onto Olsen. Olsen pulled out a handgun and fired two shots. One bullet struck Davis and the other hit a basement wall, police said.Something's wrong with this article, because sheriffs issue concealed weapon permits in Idaho, not police departments. I checked Idaho Code 18-3302 (concealed weapon permit issuance) and 18-8004 (driving under the influence statute). DUI is a misdemeanor, and it is not one of the disqualifying crimes for a concealed weapon permit here. Even before this incident, I would have been inclined to think that a DUI conviction should be at least a three year or five year disqualifier for a concealed weapon permit; at a minimum, DUI shows a remarkable lack of judgment. Since the dead man's father is Bart Davis, the State Senate Majority Leader, there might be some hope of making a correction to the law. Interesting Study on the Effects of Ecstasy From the Independent: A two-year research study carried out by psychologists from London Metropolitan University found that people who had tried ecstasy on only a few occasions had depression levels four times higher than those who had taken a range of other drugs but not ecstasy.The report also discusses a study of animals given ecstasy: suggesting that even small doses of ecstasy destroyed brain neurons that produced the important chemical messenger serotonin, which is closely linked to mood. Seven years after the initial damage there was no sign of the neurons repairing themselves.Just something to think about, those of you who think that drug abuse is harmless. Internal Opposition to The Iraqi Government Increases; A Reminder of What The Antiwar Movement Is Protecting This article in the Telegraph describes how Iraqi opposition forces are engaging in acts of sabotage and petty vandalism against the Iraqi government: The most blatant act of sabotage took place 20 miles south of the north Iraqi city of Mosul when members of the Iraqi opposition blew up a stretch of track on the Mosul-Baghdad railway, causing the derailment of a train.For all you liberals out there who don't think we should intervene in Iraq's internal affairs--after all, the U.S. has weapons of mass destruction, too, and you believe that our governments are morally equivalent--consider this: The only area where Saddam can rely with confidence on the loyalty of his security forces is in the Ba'ath party's heartland around Baghdad. In an attempt to reassert his authority Saddam last week issued a directive ordering Iraqi officials not to give up their positions and flee the country.Barbara Streisand is still making noises that, while they make little sense, are the result of a deluded brain, not a dislocated tongue. This Is The Weirdest News Story of the Day Take it seriously--or laugh at it--at your own risk: An obscure Jewish sect in New York has been gripped in awe by what it believes to be a mystical visitation by a 20lb carp that was heard shouting in Hebrew, in what many Jews worldwide are hailing as a modern miracle.I generally don't eat fish of any sort, because of a traumatic experience with one when I was very young. |
