Musings from Brian J. Noggle
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
 
You Don't Say
Story: Legal bills drain money from public coffers: $100 million paid to attorneys in past 5 years:
    Lawyer bills ate up close to $100 million in local tax dollars over the past five years in the five-county metro area, and legal spending by municipalities is on the rise, a Journal Sentinel analysis shows.
Of course, the Journal-Sentinel wants to point the finger at greedy lawyers who suck up all that public money. Personally, since the Journal-Sentinel tends to like spending public money and suing your way to justice or retribution, I find it disingenuous that the paper makes an issue of the combination. But it does.

You want to know what really burns up the people's money when it comes to legal expenses? Governments suing governments, whether municipalities suing each other, local governments suing regional governments, state governments suing the federal government, or peer agencies suing each other. Such as: Nah, that's not wasting the people's money on legal fees. Not if there's a chance for a higher office for the right-thinking sort of person involved.


- posted by Brian J. @ 11:19 PM   0 comments
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
 
Compton Heights Takes Extreme Anti-Emu Measures
To emus from overrunning the neighborhood at up to 35 miles per hour, the neighborhood of Compton Heights has taken extreme measures:
    This kid's pet was not the typical dog or cat, but the world's longest lizard, a rare - and, to some people, beautiful - animal called the crocodile monitor. It looks like a tiny dinosaur with teeth like razors and a bullwhip for a tail. It is very aggressive. It dines on birds and medium-sized rats.

    Now it is missing.

    The crocodile monitor escaped from its cage and is assumed still to be roaming the streets of St. Louis' Compton Heights neighborhood, fending for itself and potentially scaring people.
The introduction of a predator to take care of the largely bulletproof flightless birds will likely save the police department money on ordnance it would spend on dangerous emus, which can act aggressive and elusive to anyone they meet. Carbondale police are watching with interest to see how the Compton Heights program works on controlling the emu population, as well as small yippy dog population, before unleashing exotic predators, anaconda or perhaps dingos, in the small university town.


- posted by Brian J. @ 4:24 PM   1 comments
Monday, July 03, 2006
 
Anti-Property Rights Legislators, or the IRA
It's getting hard to tell them apart, with philosophies like this:
    The surgeon general's recent report on the hazards of secondhand smoke could spawn the next big summer sequel: Smoking Ban II.

    Last year a controversial attempt to ban smoking in all public buildings died a slow, public death in the St. Louis County Council.

    But the failed ban's author, Council Chairman Kurt Odenwald, R-Shrewsbury, says the new report has led him to consider another run at the issue.

    "After this report, I don't think anyone can say this is not a health issue anymore," Odenwald said. "The dangers of secondhand smoke are real. They are not hogwash, and I think we need to address them."
When it comes to keeping a check on the government's regulation of individual property rights, our elected leaders and the unelected agitators for legislation usurping personal dominion over personal property seem to espouse the philosophy: Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once. You have to be lucky always.

- posted by Brian J. @ 11:58 PM   0 comments
 
Two Words: Falun Gong
L.A. yoga guru accused of running illegal studio:
    Los Angeles prosecutors charged "hot yoga" guru Bikram Choudhury with operating a yoga studio without a permit and other violations that could land the controversial instructor in jail.

    Choudhury, his landlord American Sunroof Corp. and company president Christian Prechter were each charged on Thursday with 10 criminal counts including operating without a certificate, overcrowding the yoga studio and not maintaining emergency exits. Each faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail for each count, and/or a $1,000 fine.
As his attorney would tell you, that's a weak set of twigs to bind together into something with which to beat this instructor.

But, ladies and gentlemen, our activist, "Doing Something!" legislatures have given prosecutors with agenda the ability to legally beat upon the "criminals" using a bunch of lilliputian laws that could bind any one of us.

Sure, this prosecutor isn't actually beating nor killing this fellow, but it's just close enough for the Chinese to say that they're dealing with their oddball religions/exercise programs the same way.

And just close enough that our own consciences will pull up short when it comes to sanctioning the Chinese. After all, we're no different.


- posted by Brian J. @ 12:05 AM   0 comments
To say Noggle, one first must be able to say the "Nah."