A follow up on circumcision

Wichita Falls, TX - Back in June of 2008 I found this guy on the side of the road in Tallahassee, FL. Under the heading of "there's something you don't see everyday" the need to stop, take a picture and hear what he had to say was overwhelming.

I wrote about it in this blog post: Circumcision causes brain damage! That post is in the top three for most comment counts. Go figure.

This morning's USA today is running a story about a ballot proposal in San Francisco that would ban circumcisions.

City elections officials confirmed Wednesday that an initiative that would ban the circumcision of males younger than 18 in San Francisco has received enough signatures to appear on the ballot. The practice would become a misdemeanor.
USA Today - Circumcision ban to appear on San Francisco ballot

Only in San Francisco…

Based on President Obama's insistence that we have to find ways to save money in healthcare a valid argument could be made for the other side of this proposal. Numerous studies from around the world show significantly lower rates of sexually transmitted diseases in circumcised males. So perhaps the government would have a vested interest making male circumcision mandatory.

Clearly the government has no place in this decision one way or the other. The thing that bothers me about this is that San Francisco is the only place in the United States where a ballot initiative like this has more then a snowball's chance in Hell of passing.

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As they say around the Texas Legislature, if you can't drink their whiskey, screw their women, take their money, and vote against 'em anyway, you don't belong in office.
- Molly Ivins

Disgusting.

Toronto, Ontario, CA - Things were much worse then I knew when that last post was made. On this page is a video that puts a much darker face on things. Find the video labeled CTV Toronto Extended: Anarchists Target Yonge. Unfortunately the page is set up in such a way that I cannot directly link the video.

Is this the image they want on their cause what ever that may be? A bunch of thugs destroying private and public property?

Those aren't protesters. Those are criminals and thugs in serious need of a righteous ass kicking. Just watching them made me want to take up arms and defend the property they vandalized. Had any of that been my property I can assure you they would have had a war on their hands. I freely admit the odds of me winning are not all that good. But I would have cracked a few heads before I lost.

That brings us to another question. Where in the Hell were the police? Where was that nifty APC with the water canon and pepper spray options? Why were these self righteous little brats allowed to wander unchecked up Yonge street without so much as one policeman in sight?

I'm not sure which frustrates me more. The protesters or the lack of police action to stop them.

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"Was that the Starbucks we stopped at this morning?"
- A reporter in the press center watching these videos.

Game on in Toronto!

Well now, lets total up the score so far.

• Scratch two police cars.
• Scratch two news vehicles.
• Add two urine soaked members of the media.
• Scratch a few windows in private vehicles.
• Scratch a dozen or so large windows.
• Add several discharged tear gas canisters.
• Add roughly a hundred gagging, choking, half blind protesters.
• Toss in a few more that were trampled my mounted patrols.
• Finish off the tally with many, many arrests.

It's game on in Toronto.

You have to wonder who is coaching this bunch of twits. If you don't want to be portrayed as worse then the unruly bunch of asshats that you are, the news crews and their accoutrement are hands off.

Have a good 15 minutes, boys and girls. Hope the police record is worth it.

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The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
- William Shakespeare

'twas the night before trial...

Port Huron, MI - The fates allowed me to witness Peter Watts' trial. Once the proceedings are over I will sit and start writing. My goal is to give an unvarnished account of the trial. After which I may or may not post my own thoughts and feelings on the matter.

It will be interesting to see if Cory Doctorow shows up. He helped make Dr. Watts' bed, he should be there when the doctor has to lay in it.

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A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.
- Robert Frost

An update on Peter Watts' boot lesson

Dr. Watts has been bound over for trial by jury:

A March 16 jury trial has been scheduled for a 51-year-old Toronto author charged with assaulting a Customs and Border Protection officer Dec. 8.

Peter Watts’ last chance to plead guilty to a charge of assaulting a police officer is March 5.
The Times Herald: Trial scheduled in Watts case

I would give a great deal to be there for the trial. In fact, if the fates and vacation Gods allow, I might even do that very thing. That way I can experience the trial first hand and then read about it on Boing Boing and other blogs.

It will be interesting to see if we all attend the same trial. That alone is worth the expense and vacation time.

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There are three sides to every case. The plaintiff's complaint, the defense response and what really happened.
- Judge Robert. F. Phipps

A follow up to yesterday's post on Dr. Peter Watts arrest a tthe Port Huron Border

Indianapolis, IN - Have you ever read something and said to yourself, "Oh how I wish I'd written that?"

Allow me to recommend this blog post by someone I've never heard of, but makes an incredible amount of sense.

The Scriptorium: jamie mason's blog - Why Peter Watts Got Boot-Fxxxed

Anyone really interested in figuring this mess out should give it a full read.

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The problem we are dealing with at the border is not a Democratic problem. It is not a Republican problem. It is an American problem.
- J. D. Hayworth

Cory Doctorow and a story just too good to fact check

Indianapolis, IN - I got to meet and talk with Cory Doctorow at Penguicon a few years ago. At the time I knew there many things we would disagree on. His politics lean somewhere just to the left of Nancy Pelosi. Doctorow's stance on copyrights and freedom to share anything digital, music and movies included, are immature and unrealistic. But even with all those differences in it was still a pleasant and fascinating chat.

I used to believe Doctorow was way out of left field but pretty much straight up when it came to his facts and his arguments. It is possible to disagree with someone and still respect their position on the matter.

Doctorow's reaction to a recent incident at the Port Huron border now leads me to believe otherwise. His friend, Canadian author Dr. Peter Watts was pepper sprayed and arrested after an altercation with border guards while trying to leave the country.

So far, everyone can agree on the following facts:

• Dr. Watts drove a rental car to the Port Huron border crossing.
• The US border patrol selected him for extra screening.
• Dr. Watts exited the car to ask why he was being singled out.
• Border patrol officers told him to get back in the car.
• A struggle took place, Dr. Watts was pepper sprayed and arrested.

The above facts are outlined in news reports:

Jones said Watts was crossing into Michigan from Point Edward when he was selected at random for a secondary Customs inspection. Watts exited his vehicle "angrily" and border officers began checking the black sport utility vehicle he was driving, Jones said.

Border officers ordered Watts back into the vehicle, and when he refused, officers attempted to handcuff him, Jones said. At that point, Watts began to resist and pull away from the officers "and became aggressive toward officers," Jones said.

Jones said a border officer used pepper spray to subdue Watts. Jones said Watts "choked" an officer during the struggle.

Jones said Port Huron police were called to the scene after the scuffle and took Watts into custody.
The Times Herald: Writer faces assault charge

And in Dr. Watts own blog:

Along some other timeline, I did not get out of the car to ask what was going on. I did not repeat that question when refused an answer and told to get back into the vehicle. In that other timeline I was not punched in the face, pepper-sprayed, s___-kicked, handcuffed, thrown wet and half-naked into a holding cell for three f___ing hours, thrown into an even colder jail cell overnight, arraigned, and charged with assaulting a federal officer, all without access to legal representation (although they did try to get me to waive my Miranda rights. Twice.).
Dr. Watts' Blog (Not work safe for language)

I was concerned that Doctorow might be over looking the extreme possibility there may be more to this then being told on Dr. Watts' blog. (The Times-Herald story had not hit the street by that time.) I suggested through a comment on BoingBoing that Doctorow have a look at the reports and video of the event:

Cory, you made part of your career out of gaining access to public records. I would like to see the arrest and detention reports published here unedited.

Additionally, in the post 9/11 world our border crossings are bristling with recorded video cameras. If I remember the rules correctly, that video will also be public record.

All I'm asking is that the entire story be told. It would trouble me deeply to see some use you and your reputation to complain about a spanking they actually earned.
BoingBoing

Doctorow's response was that he was speechless at my use of the word "spanking" in reference to what happened to Watts. He rightfully pointed an error I made in writing that leaving the country is a privilege. (I meant entering, but for some reason typed "entering or leaving.") Then he more or less told to file my own FOIA because he didn't approve of my statements.

This shows me that Doctorow is not interested in what really happened. Like almost all of those who delight in bashing the United States Government, he is only interested in promoting the cause. Confusing the validity of their complaint with facts is something to be avoided at all costs.

There is no getting around it. For these people, this is one story that is just too good to fact check. They are going to get all they can out of it. What Dr. Watts really did or did not do is irrelevant as long as the incident can be used to further bash policies and laws they disagree with.

I think this story needs telling for a couple reasons. BoingBoing has a huge following. It is troubling that other comments saying pretty much the same thing I did were deleted from the article. My last response to Doctorow suggesting this story was "too good to fact check" was deleted as well. It is their board, the moderators have that right. But it shows where the moderators and/or Doctorow are coming from. That reflects badly on everything else written there.

The other is equal time. Maybe the half dozen of you reading this will take a minute to think over the actual facts we have as of right now. We all know there are bad cops out there. But 99% of the time, the pepper spray and smack down come out only after numerous ignored warnings. Logically, the events do not make sense as described by Dr. Watts. When adding to the equation all the cameras now present at border crossings, it makes even less sense. The Border Patrol agents know their actions are being recorded.

So what is the truth here? Did the Border Patrol from Hell assault Dr. Watts for having the tenacity to politely and respectfully question their authority and motives? Or did he come flying out of the car cussing a blue streak, ignore repeated warnings to get back in his car before he got run over and then attempt to resist arrest with violence after the border patrol ran out of patience with his antics?

I don't know. I wasn't there. Neither were Cory Doctorow or all those people looking to lynch the Border Patrol agents and various government officials including George W. Bush to avenge this outrage. (Yes, several blamed the whole thing on President Bush.)

I suspect the truth is somewhere between those two extremes.

Last note: If Dr. Watts is truly an innocent victim here I will be at the front of the line to help protest what happened to him.

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If your mother tells you that she loves you, check it out.
- Painted on the wall of the old Chicago News Bureau.

National Health Care Lies: Part 2 - All Anti-Health Care Protestors Are Professional Rabble Rousers

The August break for Congress is traditionally used so representatives may return home and meet with constituents. This year the constituents are not just asking to be heard, they are demanding it. At meetings across the country, the prospect of government run healthcare is bringing out lots of people for lots of reasons. Most of them are pissed off beyond belief over one or more aspects of the plan. They are are not being shy or even tactful when personally delivering that message in town meetings.

Democrats are attempting to paint everyone showing up at town hall meetings as agitators from out side the district and Tea Party Patriots. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (Twit-CA) coined a new term for these protestors, "This initiative is funded by the high end. We call it "Astroturf," it's not really a grass roots movement. It's AstroTurf by some of the wealthiest people of America." 

Nancy and the rest of the people making these claims seem to think we, the American public, are going to be diverted form the real issue by this verbal slight of hand. But fortunately this particular magic trick is so bad that even the most wide eyed innocents are laughing at it.

A few of the people showing up for these meetings are coming at the behest of e-mailed requests, web postings and talk radio shows. So what? The point is these people do not believe the brand of government run health care being proposed is good thing for them or their country.

Most of the people are showing up on their own volition without the extra prodding. They do so because they believe the proposed health care plan is so bad that it is worth going to the meeting to be heard in person.

All of the people showing up for these meetings have a reason for being there. Many are worried about the cost, the effect on the federal budget and their taxes. Many know their existing health insurance will eventually dry up under government competition and are gravely concerned about what will replace it. A large number of older constituents are very concerned about what will happen when free health care over loads the system and the federal budget. Everyone wants to know where the lines will be drawn when the resources eventually run out. A few are even more concerned over who will be drawing those lines.

The idea that all the people showing up at these meetings are rabble rousers out to torpedo Democrats is pure political fantasy. It is so fantastic that only the most fanatic "The US Bombed the World Trade Center" believers are buying into it.

That leads us to one of two possible conclusions:

• The Democratic leadership actually believes that this is nothing but semi-pro rabble rousers making trouble at the town hall meetings. In this case it means the Democratic Leadership is so far disconnected from the reality of what their constituents want that they have no place making laws and spending decisions over them. We are talking a disconnect so severe that even the "we know what's best for you" elite are becoming concerned.

Or…

• The Democratic leadership believes the American public is stupid enough to buy that load of fertilizer they are shoveling. If that's the case they have proved themselves to be snake oil salesmen and con artists with no place in making laws and spending decisions over any of us.

I recommend that anyone reading this seek out the nearest town hall meeting and be heard. It doesn't matter which side of the debate you are on. What does matter is the badly needed reality check for our representatives. It never hurts to remind elected officials from time to time that their cushy jobs still depend on the unwashed masses that vote for them. Who knows, they may actually listen to we voters instead of those high priced lobbyists.

Well, at least for a while. 

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"It is kinda funny, though, having a professional neighborhood organizer [President Obama] crying "foul" because those of us upon whom this abomination will be foisted may be organizing to protest."
- My Cousin