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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 ran for Idaho state senate in 2008--didn't win I've written a number of history books, as well as scholarly and popular articles, (see my web page).
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Saturday, February 17, 2007
Back Home Must fill ScopeRoller orders first--then some of my backed up emails will get answered. I don't even want to think how many emails I have at work, after being out a week. Almost Home! I'm in Denver, waiting for my flight home to Boise--and am I ever ready to go home! (I keep waiting for the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" to work with my daytime job--that doesn't seem to happen.) However: the good news about how widespread Internet access is now is that I can continue to get some useful work done while sitting at the gate. In particular, I've been looking into the history of Maryland's concealed weapon statutes--and they are substantially more complex than I would have expected, with lots and lots of changes every few years--and periods where it appears that concealed carry was only regulated in some cities. It's a bit early to draw any conclusions, but the dates and nature of this confusing mess looks like Maryland may well fit into the traditional Southern state reason for such laws. Friday, February 16, 2007
Incredibly Busy Last night I met with Cam Edwards of NRANews.com and the blogger BitterBitch for dinner at a very good and unpretentious BBQ place in Alexandria, then went back and recorded a couple of segments for NRANews.com which don't seem to be up on their site yet. I had a 10:00 PM interview with Jim Bohannon deep in DC, so I stopped and picked up a native guide (or close enough), a reporter for the Washington Times, who knew where the studio was, and guided me to it. Jim Bohannon spent an hour talking to me about the book, and mentioning the book signing at the Books-A-Million in Dupont Circle this evening. While Bohannon's audience is about four million listeners, most of it isn't in DC. I arrived a bit early for the G. Gordon Liddy interview, and part way through, he asked if could extend the interview from thirty minutes to sixty minutes--which I guess was a good sign. I had a good time; Liddy doesn't look a lot different from when he played Captain Real Estate in those several episodes of Miami Vice in the mid-1980s, where he was playing a retired (or was he?) CIA officer--an acting job that quite surprised me with how well it was done. Liddy apparently enjoyed playing the bad guy because he said he didn't have to act! Anyway, here's Liddy holding my book:  Click to enlarge And the two of us together:  Click to enlarge Yes, I need to replace the suit--I've actually become too muscular for it, rather than too fat. Then I made a mad dash (as mad a dash as is possible in DC traffic) out to the state capital at Annapolis to have lunch with several members of the state legislature and several gun rights activists to discuss strategy for this coming session. And no, I won't tell you what was said. "The walls (of the blogosphere) have ears." Then the even more mad dash back to my hotel when I realized that I didn't have my speech with me! I talked one of the local activists is to giving me a ride down to DC so that I could navigate while he drove. The staff at Books-A-Million were very helpful--and I was surprised at how interested they were when I started to explain the connections between race, arms laws, and citizenship. One of them was an African-American young lady, and the other was a white South African--and I could tell that I had them hooked. It turned out that in spite of all the promotion on Liddy's show, and Bohannon's show, and press releases that were actually carried in some media, that only a few people showed up--but I inflicted my speech on a number of people in the cafe there who hadn't realized what they had gotten themselves into--and to my surprise, some of them actually turned around a few minutes in to listen. I would like to think because what I was saying was startling. (Free blacks could vote in Virginia and Maryland in the seventeenth century? A black man was elected to the Maryland legislature in 1641?) Anyway, we didn't sell a lot of books, but they are adequately stockpiled to do so.  Click to enlarge  Click to enlarge I suppose holding this event in DC--the most gun-hostile city in America--was perhaps not terribly wise. As the manager observed, pointing to former Governor McGreevey's tell-all about his life as a "homosexual-American" (no, I'm not making that up--yet another "hyphenated American"), if McGreevey had done a book signing on Dupont Circle, there would have been a crowd. I didn't realize that Dupont Circle leans that way! UPDATE: Just so you don't get the wrong impression about my meeting with these Maryland legislators--I'm not really as important as that description makes me sound. I threw out some information about how other states have dealt with legal and political issues related to certain gun control questions, and suggested some possible historical questions that might have some impact on how some of these proposals might be dealt with politically. Thursday, February 15, 2007
How Bad Was The Weather in Chicago? Both of these pictures came out a little blurry because it was so dark, and the little Photosmart tried to adjust with longer exposures, and so the blowing snow didn't show.  Click to enlarge I believe this gadget is a deicer--at least, it was behaving like I would expect one to behave, squirting on the wings just before took off:  Click to enlarge Wednesday, February 14, 2007
It Snows in Maryland, And They Shut Down The State Or so it seemed at first. Research at the University of Maryland library? Nope! Closed because they had a snowstorm. So I drove up to Fort McHenry near Baltimore--you know, the place where the Star Spangled Banner flew during the War of 1812--and they were also closed. Everywhere I drove--gobs of traffic accidents. This isn't particularly astonishing snow compared to Boise. Oh well, I was looking forward to enjoying some of the local cuisine. There was a very authentic looking barbecue place near Fort McHenry--but they were closed, too. So I drove back towards Laurel, Maryland, where I am staying at the Hampton Inn--and there seemed to be very few restaurants (other than a very few chain fast food places). In desperation, I picked a place called Pasta Plus. My first reaction was, "Maryland must be expensive" because the Meatball Submarine sandwich was $8.95--but what arrived was more like a fleet of submarines! Plenty of food. Anyway, while the original meeting at Montgomery Citizens for a Safer Maryland had to be canceled because of a snow delay, at least some of them showed up this evening and we had a pretty good time. Tomorrow, I drive up to Philly to swap this Enterprise rental for a Thrifty rental that I can drop at Baltimore-Washington International, and then do lots of radio interviews in the evening. Another Reason That Spammers Are Evil The tech support guy for Hampton Inn's free high-speed internet service explains that the reason that most of the hotel services don't allow you to send outgoing email through your SMTP server is not that they block packets going to port 25, but that most ISPs refuse connections from IP addresses that they don't recognize, in order to block people that are trying to use their SMTP server to send spam. The HostRocket support page seems to confirm this. This means that I can't send email without going through a web-based email program--which makes replying to emails a bit more of a chore than it should be. Tuesday, February 13, 2007
"Clear if dry" No, that's not a description of Boise weather, but of my writing in my new book. This is the second review, in the Washington Times. UPDATE: I'll try not to be hurt by that description, especially because so much of the rest of the review is really quite positive. You see, there came a moment, a year or so ago, when I found myself kidding (or at least, quarter kidding) my wife that the only prospect of getting all this research published was to turn into a historical fiction bodice-ripper. "Nathaniel, you know I love you, but before I give myself over to your lusts, how can I be sure that you will be able to keep me in the manner to which my previous lovers have accustomed me? I know that you are having trouble meeting your contract commitments to the Maryland Committee of Safety," Elizabeth coquettishly cooed.Well, maybe not. Labels: my books Mentally Exhausted Doesn't Even Begin To Describe It My flight to Philly arrived about 8:30 PM. It turns out that Enterprise doesn't do one-way rentals, so I am going to have to either rebook my flight home from Baltimore Airport so that I leave from Philly--or I am going to have to drive this car back to Enterprise on Thursday (since the day is largely free), and pick up a one-way rental in Philly that I can drop at BWI. The drive down here in freezing rain and darkness was about as fun as you might expect. I had an early but light dinner (a really unimpressive turkey and provolone sandwich on foccacia bread, or however you spell it), and the gal in the seat next to me handed me a snack left over from a business conference from which she was returning--one of those ideas that sounds better than it tastes, Kar's Sweet 'N' Salty Mix. Imagine peanuts, M&Ms, raisins, and sesame seeds (I think). Each component works okay by itself, but all combined? Taste bud overload! "Minimum Wage is Good" is to Economics as "Evolution is Unproven" is to Biology This is an intentionally provocative statement to provoke thought--but there are some very interesting similarities. Economists overwhelmingly believe that raising the minimum wage is destructive to low-wage jobs: 77%, according to a survey of economists cited in this news release. Among biologists and chemists, the percentage who agree that evolution is more than a theory, but a fact, is probably higher. Still, just like the small minority of economists (650, according to this leftist think tank) who think raising the minimum wage is a good idea, there are scientists who think that evolution has some room to go to be proved. This list of over 600 PhDs subscribes to the statement: We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.Now, some of these scientists may be operating out of their area of specialization. I see some astrophysics professors in there, and a fair number of computer science professors--although there is an argument based on information theory that argues against the random selection mechanism, so perhaps this isn't as far off as it appears. Still, there are a lot of PhDs in Genetics, Biology, Bacteriology, Entomology, and related fields on that list--people that are clearly knowledgeable about the subject. Now, professional opinion in the field of economics is clearly on the side that minimum wage laws are destructive nonsense--something that you tell ignorant and foolish people (i.e., the majority of the population) to make yourself popular. Doesn't that sound awfully similar to how the High Priests of Darwinism portray those who are skeptical of evolution as proven fact? Anyway, to my point: imagine if a school district or a state legislature passed a measure requiring that economics teachers discuss the minority idea that minimum wage laws are a good thing. Do you suppose that the ACLU would file suit to have such a law declared unconstitutional? Labels: economics, intelligent design Maybe I Will Be Spending the Night in Chicago? It turns out that I am number seven on the standby list for the flight to Philly--so i am beginning to wonder if I should find a place in Chicago for the night. At least I will know early enough to cancel the hotel reservations in Laurel, Maryland without penalty if I am not going to make this flight. Random Shooting in Utah Mall Five dead, plus the 18 year old who was shot to death by police. And people wonder why I have concealed carry permits for 38 states? I shudder to think what the death toll would have been if those police officers (some of them off-duty) had not been present. I implore those of you with concealed carry permits would carry them more often--in the hopes that these spree killers get stopped before they have run up the score. (Unfortunately, I am visiting states where I don't have permits--Minnesota, Maryland, and the ultimate insanity--the District of Criminals.) And remember: video games in which kids play at shooting people can't possibly have any influence on why some messed up young men go into a school or a mall and start shooting people. No. Complete coincidence. No connection. Yet Another Flight Cancelled The Montgomery Citizens for a Safer Maryland meeting can only be met if I rent a flux capacitator Delorean at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Philadelphia. Why Are We Still Covering the Death of Anna Nicole Smith? My wife and I are both just driven crazy by the continuing coverage of Anna Nicole Smith. She wasn't nationally important when she was alive; her death, and that of her son, weren't nationally important. The legal struggle over her inheritance from the aged Texas oilman she married was only of very minor importance because it went to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was not important! And yet with all the important things going on in the world: North Korean and Iranian nuclear weapons development; the War in Iraq; how much global warming is there, and how much of it is anthropogenic; what should we do about illegal immigration--these are important questions. And yet Anna Nicole Smith has either led cable news broadcasts for several days, or at least been a major story. Why? Because there is a large population of Americans who apparently have found that reading trashy tabloids like the National Enquirer and Star to be just too taxing--and so they want this meaningless, soap opera trash on news programs. The Madness Continues My flight into Ronald Reagan Airport has now been cancelled. I get the impression that a shortage of snow clearing and deicing equipment is what is causing airports at both the sending and receiving ends to curtail flights. I am now scheduled to fly into Philadelphia Airport, arriving about 4:30 or so. Then I have a two hour drive to Laurel, Maryland, throw on my monkey suit (unless my luggage ends up in DC), and show up for a 7:00 PM meeting. (I may be a few minutes late.) Indian Glaciologists Questions Claims Concerning Global Warming This article from the Hindustan Times is written in that curious variant called Indian English. Once you get past the somewhat odd style (to an American), there's some important points being made here: Believe it or not. There are only about a dozen scientists working on 9,575 glaciers in India under the aegis of the Geological Society of India. Is the available data enough to believe that the glaciers are retreating due to global warming?This article also gives reason to wonder if some of the assumptions being made about the Greenland glaciers are completely warranted: BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests two of Greenland's largest glaciers are melting at variable rates and not at an increasing trend. Labels: global warming Shocking Display of Cooperation and Customer Service This Morning Yesterday evening, United Airlnes called my home to announce that they were cancelling my flight this morning from Minneapolis to O'Hare (because of snow), and they were rescheduling my flight for Wednesday morning. (The flight from O'Hare to Baltimore was on American.) This wasn't going to work for me, because I need to be in Maryland for a talk this evening. I tried calling United Airlines, but as you might expect, the line was continually busy. So I booked a flight through Travelocity from Minneapolis to O'Hare last night. At Minneapolis Airport this morning, I explained the situation to the American Airlines agent, and she informed that the American Airlines flight from O'Hare to Baltimore was also now cancelled--but she was able to get me on a flight from O'Hare to DC Reagan Airport, which lands at 4:25 PM today. Next, I went to the United Airlines gate next to my American Airlines gate, and the agent walked over with me to the American Airlines gate, and arranged with them to: 1. Cancel the United flight for tomorrow. 2. Refund the American Airlines ticket I bought on Travelocity. 3. Convert the United ticket into an American Airlines ticket for the flight that I just took to O'Hare (where I am now on layover for several hours). I am just so pleased with how hard everyone at United and American have worked to minimize the cost and trouble that have been imposed by the snowstorm outside. The contrast with Northwest Airlines both attitude and ability to deal with my luggage is quite astonishing. UPDATE: A picture out the window here at O'Hare. Days like this are an argument for only building indoor airports in the Midwest--you know, tall enough that the runways would covered, and the planes could get off the ground before leaving the building!  Click to enlarge Monday, February 12, 2007
Do You Remember the Movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? Where two business travelers are trying to get home to Chicago during a mixture of snow storms and strikes? Well, it is beginning to feel a bit like that. The snowstorms caused United to cancel my Minneapolis to Chicago flight for tomorrow--and they offered to have me fly on Wednesday. Well, then I miss my connection on Tuesday morning from Chicago to Baltimore (not to mention the event that I am supposed to speak at in Maryland on Tuesday evening). I've booked an American Airlines flight instead that leaves at 7:30 instead of 8:30 -- but now I am sitting on hold waiting for a chance to tell United that I don't need the Wednesday flight. Flying cars? I just want videoconferencing to be cheap enough, and common enough, that no one bothers to fly. Slow Responses on Email It turns out that the Internet service here at the Hilton (which costs $9.95 a day) doesn't allow connections to port 25, so I can read my email, but I can't easily send email. There's a clumsy way using SquirrelMail (a web-based email system) to do so, but unless it is critical email, those who are writing to me may have to wait a day or two for responses. The Continuing Sage of Lost Luggage; Pictures From the Tour So Far Northwest Airlines managed to deliver one of my bags during the night, but the other? I can't even tell that they are aware it is missing. This is the one with my underwear and 22 copies of Armed America. Nor can I get through to a human being at the delayed luggage office--just too busy responding to other upset customers, I guess. Just east of Boise:  Click here to enlarge  Click here to enlarge Approaching Denver International from about two miles up, you can see what I believe was largely Thomas Jefferson's rectangular vision of America, first introduced in the Northwest Territory:  Click here to enlarge  Click here to enlarge This is quite apparent from infared satellite photos of the U.S., even from 800 miles up. Approaching Minneapolis, it looked very cold, and appearances were not deceiving:  Click here to enlarge Dinner with Professor Joe Olson of Hamline University and several local gun rights activists:  Click here to enlarge Some views from the 9th floor of the Hilton in Bloomington, Minnesota. You can see (if you look cafefully) that it isn't really flat as a board. This area is gently rolling hills. But if you are used to the somewhat more varied topography of the Rocky Mountain states, it sure looks flat:  Click here to enlarge  Click here to enlarge Sunday, February 11, 2007
The Event Scheduled For Wednesday Evening With the Monocacy Pistol Club... It appears that the person who set this up may not have gotten everyone else on the board of directors onboard with this. It appears that this is not happening. How Much Fun Can Flying Be? Even though the United flight from Boise to Denver arrived a few minutes early, and there was a fifty minute window between the scheduled arrival of that flight, and the departure of the Northwest Airlines Denver to Minneapolis flight, I barely made it to the departure gate in time. This means that lunch ended up being a can of Pringles and a ginger ale. Pringles are fine, but they aren't lunch! And it appears that my luggage didn't arrive in time. The luggage claim office of Northwest had two people working in it, one who cared, but couldn't figure out where it was, and one struck me as capable of figuring out where it was, but didn't much care. It now appears that it will be delivered to the hotel I am at by 10:30 PM--which is actually a few minutes ago, so I hope to hear from the front desk soon. Otherwise, I will be speaking at Hamline University School of Law tomorrow in a very loud Hawaiian shirt. I had a very nice dinner with Professor Joe Olson and some of the local gun rights activists. I first tried to find my hotel, but that wasn't very easy to do. Is it so difficult to put numbers on either the buildings or the street signs? One or the other, or even both? Yes, I'm tired and crabby. The Airport Wireless Network Performance isn't as snappy as I am used to at home (which is a little surprising). But hey, it's free, I'm no position to complain. I'm Sure Many of the Recent Arrivals in Vermont Are Horrified Apparently, Vermont has lately had a spate of armed robberies of stores--something that isn't part of their tradition: Some small store owners say they are armed, waiting, and willing to shoot if they are targeted by a gun-toting robber.So catch them! When someone threatens you with death if you don't hand over your money, the robber has demonstrated that he considers a human life less important than money. As far as I am concerned, a robber has therefore forfeited any reason to treat him nicely--and certainly any right to argue that his life is worth more than the contents of the till. Things You Don't Want To See At The Airport The party ahead of you in line to check-in has a woman wearing a full burkha. Okay, maybe I shouldn't worry too much about that--I wouldn't expect al-Qaeda to use a group that is this obviously Islamist--but it didn't make my day! I'm blogging from the departure lounge, gate B21 of Boise International Airport. |
