Michael not Mike

As I flipped between channels watching a variety of news programs this morning, I paused for a bit on the Fox News show.  Like always, people were standing behind the anchors looking in through the studio windows that look out on the street.  Last year, the guy I was dating and I were in New York and walked past the Fox studio.  Hannity and Colmes were doing their bit.  My idea was that my (then) boyfriend and I would position ourselves between Hannity and Colmes and kiss.  That would have added quite a bit to the show.  Unfortunately, the b/f wasn’t up for it.

Maybe next time.

By the way, this is what a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere looks like:

Oklahoma City is unburying a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere buried half a century ago under this city’s courthouse lawn.  The story is interesting on a variety of levels.  But the detail that caught my eye was in this sentence:

Also buried with it were 10 gallons of gasoline – in case internal combustion engines became obsolete by 2007 – a case of beer, and the contents of a typical woman’s handbag placed in the glove compartment: 14 bobby pins, a bottle of tranquilizers, a lipstick, a pack of gum, tissues, a pack of cigarettes, matches and $2.43.

Apparently, in 1957, the typical woman was carrying a bottle of tranquilizers in her purse.  That must have helped quite a bit in maintaining peace at home.  Sometimes I feel like I’d support the widespread distribution of tranquilizers.

This is just wrong. Nothing about this outfit works. And those Crocs! Now, I’m on board. Impeach Bush!!

My office looks out on the corner of Commerce St. and 6th Ave. N., with Legislative Plaza in the background.  In the summer, it’s pretty common to see really attractive guys jogging by, often shirtless.  I keep a small pair of binoculars in my desk for those special moments.  I used to be  a bit embarrassed about that.  But, my (straight) boss recently told me he also has a pair in his desk so he can ogle the girls.

I wonder how many other downtown workers do the same thing?

58 National Guard members were forced to strip to their underwear so they could be inspected for tattoos.  Everything about how that came to happen was pretty stupid.  On the other hand, Army guys in their underwear is a great mental image.  I hereby volunteer to conduct all future military tattoo inspections (at least of the male troops).

I don’t give a rat’s ass about Paris Hilton.  As a lawyer, I care very much that our justice system treats everyone equally, or at least that should be the goal.  No one has said exactly what Paris’ medical condition was, but it appears to have been psychological.  She cried and wouldn’t eat and didn’t take her meds.  Then, the sheriff let her go home to her mansion where she could party with her friends.  The sheriff was a moron for falling for this.  As others have pointed out, people have died of AIDS in that same jail; people have suffered grotesque staph infections in that jail and not been allowed to go home.  Based on what we know, Paris should not have been let out.  But it’s not her fault the sheriff fell for it.  She should be treated like anyone else and allowed out after the 23 days that she would have served originally.

Celebs shouldn’t get off easy.  At the same time, they should not be made an example of.  Apply the law to the facts and make a determination without respect to the person’s station in life.  That’s how it’s supposed to work.

State Sen. Rosalind Kurita, D-Clarksville, successfully added 2 cents to the tax on cigarettes and promised that it would raise $10 million for trauma centers across the state.  By my calculations, it would take the sale of 500 million packs to raise that $10 million dollars.  According to the Tennessee Dept. of Health, approximately 26%, or 1.5 million, Tennesseans smoke.  Those 1.5 million smokers need to consume just over 333 packs each to reach Sen. Kurita’s numbers.

When I started this, I thought 500 million packs was unrealistic.  But, it appears we really are sucking down enough carcinogens to raise the money.  Who would have thought it?

Chris Wage, over at Metroblogging Nashville, has reignited the discussion over the smoking ban about to be imposed upon us by government officials better qualified to run our lives than we are. Unlike Chris, I never have a hankering for “a cigarette, black coffee, and gravy, dammit.” I only smoke if I’m drinking and then usually only when I’m at a bar.

This smoking ban is government nannyism at its worst. As a conservative with strong libertarian leanings, I find it appalling that the government would step into the private contractual arrangement between a business owner and his customers and regulate this particular term. Nothing compels the customer to choose a particular restaurant, hardware store or other private business. It is only that individual’s desire that makes him a patron. If you don’t want to be around cigarette smoke, go somewhere else, work somewhere else or just suck it up.

What’s really annoying are those who say they are libertarian, but on this issue, they support legislation. Baloney. This issue is a good litmus test for how much of a libertarian you are. The non-libertarian libertarian view is well encapsulated by one of the commenters at Chris’ site:

Making my point more clear…hopefully…I am normally more libertarian in my thinking. I don’t like legislated morality, even when i am personally against something. But in the case something that effects those around you this much (not to mention is an addictive substance) i reluctantly support controlling legislation, and personally look forward to being free to go more places without as much personal risk or personal inconvenience.

Posted by: Paul Nicholson at June 5, 2007 11:21 AM

Paul advances two main reasons for letting his libertarianism turn to ashes. First, smoking affects those around you. But, this is the ultimate in free choice. I can chose whether or not to smoke. The business owner can chose whether or not to allow me to smoke in his establishment. And Paul can chose whether or not to patronize that establishment. It only affects you if you chose for it to affect you.

Second, smoking is addictive. Lot’s of things are addictive – alcohol, sex, porn, gambling, etc. Declaring something bad for you is the liberal gateway to telling you that you can’t do it. (This argument for regulation is improved only by invoking “the children.” Anything can be regulated if you can somehow say that it is bad for “the children.”) Being a libertarian means letting people make their own decisions, even if they are bad ones.

Justifying a law forbidding behavior based simply on “I don’t like it” is bad policy. Unfortunately, too many people are willing to let government make their decisions for them. That makes it good politics.

I will never understand why people are willing to turn over their free will to government. Government is made up of individuals who are no more qualified to make decisions about your life than you are. Take responsibility for your own life and allow others to do the same.

From PlanetOut:

Samuel Alexander Garrison III, who defended President Richard Nixon in impeachment hearings in 1974 and later became a gay activist, has died. He was 65. Garrison died Sunday after a long battle with leukemia, said Mark Harris, his partner of 17 years.

Garrison was the deputy minority counsel for the House Judiciary Committee and later also was the chief Republican counsel.

Two things stand out to me in this story.  First, Mr. Garrison was a prominent gay Republican, something of a rarity.   Second, he and his partner had been together for 17 years.  That means they got together when Mr. Garrison was 48.  At my age, that’s encouraging.  It is also good to read of a gay relationship that lasted 17 years.  I wish more of those relationships were well known.  We need the role models.