Thursday, June 18, 2009

news you can use

1. Suppose you were considering attending a Mardi Gras parade in Louisiana next year, but were a tad concerned after reading that several of the locals were popped on St. Charles in the Garden District of NOLA this year. Worry no more, the state legislature has chimed in, and passed this momentous piece of drivel.

Bill would prevent firing guns at parades
by Ed Anderson, The Times-Picayune
Wednesday June 17, 2009, 3:54 PM
BATON ROUGE -- Barring a gubernatorial veto, it will be illegal to recklessly discharge a firearm within 1,000 feet of a parade or demonstration starting Aug. 15.


My suspicion is the operative word is "recklessly". I doubt seriously state troopers really want to get involved in a local matter. The Gov, recently released from Chinese quarantine, has not yet offered his two cents worth.



2. The Joad's may be moving again after all.


Calif. Aid Request Spurned By U.S.
Officials Push State To Repair Budget

By David Cho, Brady Dennis and Karl Vick
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Obama administration has turned back pleas for emergency aid from one of the biggest remaining threats to the economy -- the state of California.

Top state officials have gone hat in hand to the administration, armed with dire warnings of a fast-approaching "fiscal meltdown" caused by a budget shortfall. Concern has grown inside the White House in recent weeks as California's fiscal condition has worsened, leading to high-level administration meetings. But federal officials are worried that a bailout of California would set off a cascade of demands from other states.

With an economy larger than Canada's or Brazil's, the state is too big to fail, California officials urge.


Hold on to your hats boys and girls this is gonna get ugly. The state of California will eventually receive the money, but there will be a new Terminator in charge.

California census data suggests the population will add the equivalent of a city the size of LA within the next 20 years. I am willing to publicly predict there will be a MASSIVE outflow of citizens from the Golden State beginning later this year. I base this on a jump in the cost of living, continuing falling housing prices, crumbling infrastructure and lousy schools. Weather is not everything.

In the mean time:

3. PETA takes exception to Obama fly-swatting

WASHINGTON — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the fly-swatter in chief to take a more humane attitude the next time he’s bedeviled by a fly. PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a housefly and then release it. During an interview Tuesday, a fly intruded on Obama’s conversation. "Get out of here," the president told the insect. When it didn’t, he put his hand up and then smacked it dead. — The Associated Press


Wanna bet the Katcha Bug never makes it past security?

End of my rant.

Toad

8 comments:

ADG said...

Toad...nice rant.

1. The first week I moved to New Orleans, a Tulane Med student was shot point blank on St Charles Ave...broad daylight during the week. Right in front of the mansion whose servants quarters I'd signed a lease on the week before. So much for my Garden District-Street Car Named Desire living in NOLA notions. I decamped to Old Metarie poste haste.

2. I've always loved visiting California and have always enjoyed leaving.

3. A fly swatter was de rigeur in my kitchen growing up. My Buddhist sensibilities be damned....death to the flies.

ADG

longwing said...

Proposition 13 continues to cast its long shadow.

skorpeo said...

1) while the term "reckless" is certainly cause for concern, it's even more alarming that it appears that "to recklessly discharge a firearm" seems to be perfectly legal in the case of a gubernatorial veto....

2) the wife, child, and i shall be accompanying the joad's this fall back to the greener pastures of the midwest.

3) after watching the news clip of obama flysmacker, my first thought was he should have said something along the lines of "it's time for you to go, grasshopper", but then he probably would have caught hell for making an offhand remark of stereotyping asian immigrants blah, blah, blah. i guess it's in my best interest i don't run for public office....

Gail, northern California said...

I really believe water, or lack of it, will be a major concern for California. I live in a subdivision that was created in 1962. Acres and acres were carved into tiny lots by a developer from Beverly Hills and a water treatment plant built to serve only 1,300 before the State Dept. of Health Services clamped down with a water moratorium. Six years later and not one house has been built. Good for those of us who live here and have grown accustomed to a little more elbow room but it will continue to be a mighty expensive place to live. I really think water, reservoirs, storage tanks, and water treatment will determine California's future.

Dickie said...

What's even more interesting about that LA bill, is that when was it ever "legal" to discharge a firearm at people? Especially amongst a larger crowd? Did we really need a law to restate the obvious? Maybe the law should be about gun control and who should be allowed to have them!

Toad said...

Seemingly NOLA has the appropriate ordances in place to discourage those kinds of ocurances. Witht he new bill, satae legislators can pound their chests and crow about how THEY got tough on crime. Pure BS.

preppyplayer said...

I guess I won't be bringing firearms to parades anymore.
No fun.

Toad said...

preppyplayer, remember the operative workd is reckless.I do believe you may shoot carefully.