Happy Halloween

Mia already has an insane amount of candy from trick-or-treating at school (on a university campus where the kids visit various offices) and then the mall where I took her because I thought it would be to cold to go out tonight. But she still wanted daddy to take her around the neighborhood. I could get away with not buying any candy at all. I could regift from Mia's massive stash.

French Bus Burnings

When I read about the bus burnings in France last week, I figured it was only a matter of time before "the youths" stopped emptying the busses of passengers before setting them alight:

A group of teenagers set one bus on fire Saturday in the southern French port city of Marseille, seriously wounding a passenger. Three others suffered from smoke inhalation, police said.

No Pasaran says the wounded passenger was severely burned and is clinging to life. But never fear:

Six police were injured and 47 people were arrested, ministry officials said. Still the Interior Ministry described the night as “relative calm,” noting that up to 100 cars are torched by youths in troubled neighborhoods on an average night.

They're are on the verge of a busload of French citizens being burned alive and they call it "relative calm." Perhaps they're waiting for a "real" atrocity to do something about this problem. Or perhaps, there is nothing they can do. I'm afraid we're about to find out.

Islam -- Controversial Literature

While searching my local library's catalog for The Truth About Muhammad, I discovered a new (to me) subject heading. Islam -- Controversial Literature. They might as well have called it Robert Spencer -- Books By since he authored half of the books returned by that search.

There Are Always Two Sides To My Side Of The Story

Heard a good one today on NPR. North Carolina has a program to send elected officials to Mexico to help them understand the plight of illegal immigrants. They interviewed the program's director and program graduate that saw the light and changed his position from trying to get rid of illegals to trying to assimilate them. Next they covered the various assimilation efforts. Then they covered the "other side" of the story. "Yet, not everyone is impressed...."

As I'm sure you've already surmised, the "other side" was someone who felt North Carolina wasn't doing enough to cater to illegals. Apparently there is no one in North Carolina who wonders why poverty and corruption in Mexico should dictate local policy in the U.S. No one wonders why their elected officials are putting the interests of foreigners over the interests of the people who elected them.

Leave it to NPR to cover the range of opinion on illegal immigration, from those sympathetic to illegal immigrants all the way to open border advocates.

A Crunchy Con Thing To Do

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law and I ordered a pasture-raised, organic hog from a local farm. We picked it up yesterday. 97 pounds of pork. I think, at $3 a pound, it was competitively priced with regular pork, but I know it was vastly less expensive that organic pork from Wild Oats. Of course, you have to buy parts of the hog you might otherwise pass up. Pickled pigs feet anyone?

I recently read Real Food: What To Eat and Why which convinced me of the benefits of pasture raised (not necessarily organic) meat. These animals really are what they eat. But the price of organic meat in the store? Ouch.

Foley-induced Flashback

This Foley incident reminded me of something I hadn't thought about in over 20 years. When I was a young teenager, my grandmother had a boyfriend who was active in Democratic party politics. At some family gathering, he mentioned the page program, then looked at me and said "Hey, maybe you could be a page." Something like the following conversation ensued:

Me: Cool!

All my male relatives: No way!

Me: Why?

All my male relatives: {embarrassed silence}

My mother: Well, you can't trust those old men around young ladies.

A bunch of Midwestern small-fry knew this was standard congressional conduct 20+ years ago, but, by all means, let's pretend to be shocked! shocked! about Foley.