I was always amazed that TSA would take my nail clippers or pocket knife. Then, when I’d get on the plane, the flight attendant would hand me a can of beer or soda or juice. A can I could empty then tear open to make a bladed weapon. And I have also, when flying, made certain to keep in my carry on bag a bar of soap and a pair of socks. You know, just in case some one gets a case of crazy or Sudden Jihad Syndrome. Put soap in sock, hit, repeat. Sure, it’s not whiz-bang tacticool but one smack upside the noggin and it’s coloring books for Christmas.

Apparently the geniuses at the American Journal of Forensic Medical Pathology figured out that there are weapons all over planes. Like Marko said: Your weapon is that squishy grey mass between your ears—everything else is just a tool.

Update: As The Duck points out in comments, that doesn’t count the various office supplies that are in the bag.

Tracking everyone’s internet usage.

In elections, they get voted down 100% of the time. And:

One guy who lives outside of Phoenix, Dave Vontesmar, hated the cameras so much he put on a monkey mask to drive to work every day, to keep the front-facing cameras from identifying him. Racked up 37 tickets that could amount to $6,500 in fines. Says the state can’t prove it’s him, which it has to do in his state

Heh.

We must ban dogs because they are weapons. Weapon dogs? Seriously?

Fired for speaking the truth about marijuana.

In Cali, they’re looking to ban TeeVees.

Getting your neighbors to form a community terrorist watch list. What could possibly go wrong?

Where Great Britain Used to Be, they want to ban glass pint, err, glasses for plastic pint to prevent brawls. Stupid. And, of course, I hate those plastic cups that look like glass ones. They’re too light and I grab it thinking it’s heavier and spill my beer.

Via Bruce, we learn that Bloomberg is a hypocrite in addition to being a loon.

The War on Food Poor People Eat. Same as why the taxes on cigarettes are far higher than the taxes on cigars.

Dumbest thing I’ve heard of but:

An Arizona couple accused of sexual abuse after taking bath-time photos of their children and then trying to have them developed at Walmart are suing the state and the retail giant.

Hope they win.

My Fox DC:

At least 22 states that ban texting while driving offer some type of service that allows motorists to get information about traffic tie-ups, road conditions or emergencies via Twitter.

Kinda weird being here knowing everything in one of my chaecked bags is illegal. Except the flashlight.

Scouts no longer to get knives.

The nanny in your car took a long time to get there. But there she is.

In London, the police are teaching people they should lock their doors by stealing from them. I guess the next step is to beat people up and take their money if they’re out too late in a bad part of town? You know, for their own good.

In Ireland:

IFA inundated with complaints about new gun laws

UNDER new legislation, all gun owners are required to invest a huge amount of time, satisfying complex and confusing red tape requirements, according to IFA countryside chairman David Wilkinson. He called on the justice minister to rethink the newly introduced licensing system for firearms.

Where Great Britain Used To Be:

The British Medical Association (BMA) and Association of Chief Police Officers have discussed ways in which doctors can be made aware of patients who own firearms.

The BMA’s plan to “tag” – or highlight – the medical records of patients who have shotgun or firearms licences have received a mixed reaction.

A man and his family are in his sister’s funeral procession. A police officer pulls them over and writes them tickets for not wearing seat belts. They missed the burial.

Call poison control, lose your kids.

Seen at Pete’s:

California: a penal colony with a nice coastline

I know, they’re actually talking about prisons but it sorta fits the rest of the state too.

Feds look to regulate texting while driving and caffeinated alcoholic drinks.

Anti-gun hysteria in NY over water pistols.

I mentioned before the .gov’s plan could kill people by banning electronic cigarettes. Now, the FDA has stopped some shipments of them at the border. Jacob Sullum notes the weak testing standards of creation science:

It seems clear that the FDA already has decided to ban e-cigarettes and is now seeking evidence to back up that decision. This approach, which replaces science and consumer protection with puritanism and bureaucratic pigheadedness, sacrifices the interests—and possibly the lives—of smokers who could dramatically reduce their disease risks by switching to e-cigarettes.

Tennessee passed a law banning texting while driving. I called it stupid because endangerment already covers that and I said it would be unenforceable. Seems that most phones do other things. My phone is a word processor, data processor, camera, video camera, Mp3 player, web browser, GPS, data storage, email reader, RSS aggregator, other stuff I can’t remember and I think it’s even a phone too. So, if I am using a lawful application (like making a phone call since dialing is lawful, using my GPS, or hitting next on the MP3 player), how can officer friendly determine if I’m doing something lawful or texting? Well, he can’t.

Another case against nationalized/socialized health care.

Rich:

If the healthcare system proposed by Democrats in Congress is so good, why are they exempting themselves from it while forcing it on the rest of us?

Because they’re better than us.

Les Jones on simpler times:

In the permissive, litigation-free Seventies we campers used to walk down the country road (with no sidewalks or shoulders to speak of) from camp to Dude Cooper’s store to buy cokes and gum and candy cigarettes, back when there were candy cigarettes, our shorts filled with pocket knives that were part of the required equipment for attending camp. If you forgot to bring a pocket knife you could buy one after dinner in the camp store along with fountain cokes and ice cream and candy bars and comic books.

Seen at Marko’s:

Massachusetts has a mandatory seatbelt use law.

Massachusetts has a 67% seatbelt use rate.

New Hampshire has no mandatory seat belt law for adults.

New Hampshire has a 69% seatbelt use rate.

A puppy playing with a round of ammo is considered a bomb scare.

Where Great Britain used to be has the highest violent crime rate in Europe. Even more violent crime than the US. Unpossible, since we have all the guns.

Tennessee has a whole host of new laws that go into effect today. Some stupid. Some real stupid. And some inoffensive.

First up, is the no texting while driving law:

Rachel Nichol says reading or sending cell phone text messages while driving isn’t such a good idea — she’s had five fender benders, including one in a fast food drive-thru.

“I was texting and I rear-ended someone each time,” said Nichol, a 20-year-old Nashville bartender. “You’re not looking at the road. You’re only using one hand to drive and it’s really dangerous.”

That’s why she supports a law prohibiting the behavior. It’s among new Tennessee laws that take effect on Wednesday.

You see, because Rachel is an idiot, you must be one too. It only makes sense. For the children. I mean, if only it was illegal, then she wouldn’t do it. The law was unnecessary as our AG already said that it could be viewed as endangering others. It’s also going to be hard to enforce because your phone does other things too, like make phone calls. Ya know, my phone is also an MP3 player so if I’m changing the song by hitting the forward button and a cop sees me, he might think I’m texting.

Up next is a law designed to expand no-pedophile zones. You see, yesterday, pedophiles and sex offenders were required to stay 500 feet away from schools, parks, daycares, and playgrounds. Today, they must stay 1,000 feet away. That’ll help.

Also, a few more that aren’t bad.

We can now order wine and have it delivered. My wife already signed up for some wine club deal.

No more thumbprints for gun sales.

And it’s illegal to aim a laser pointer at firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Seems to me that, like the texting law, that would already be illegal.

Some politicos in DC are looking at putting an end to the arbitrary classification of knives by Customs. Good.

Affirmative Action:

Thousands of people are being stopped and searched by the police under their counter-­terrorism powers – simply to ­provide a racial balance in official statistics, the government’s official anti-terror law watchdog has revealed.

Gotta stop whitey too, I guess.

Where Great Britain used to be, comes the anti-stab knife:

The first “anti-stab” knife is to go on sale in Britain, designed to work as normal in the kitchen but to be ineffective as a weapon.

Ok, then.

One solution is to not let your clothes catch fire. But in their defense, you sometimes catch fire without noticing it. In other news, there was a time when I did posts longer than three lines.

Feds to regulate tobacco. Plenty of reasons why this is dumb but the most striking is that when regulation is supported by players in the industry (in this case, Phillip Morris), you have to wonder exactly what’s going on.

Bob Corker disappoints and supports the bill.

American Knife and Tool Institute:

AKTI has learned that U.S. Customs, at 5:00 p.m. eastern time on June 10, 2009, has denied AKTI’s request for a comment period extension.

Seems silly:

A Franklin woman will serve six months’ probation for leaving her 4-year-old daughter in a running vehicle while she went into a store.

Judith L. Rogers was charged with leaving a child unattended in a running motor vehicle, a class B misdemeanor.

My truck has one of those electronic keypads on the door so I can unlock it without a key. A few times I’ve had the kids in the car and realize that the place I stopped at for gas doesn’t have pay at the pump. So, I leave the air on, lock the door, and run inside to pay. The truck is locked and I always make certain that I can see my vehicle. It’s a lot more convenient than unstrapping two kids; taking them into a dirty gas station; then having to buy them a Slushee because once they see it, they must have one; herding them back to the truck while they’re under their initial sugary beverage rush; getting them back in their seats; and strapping them back in. I didn’t know I was breaking the law.

When you pry them from my cold, dead hands.

In England, a group of thugs threaten some golfers with planks of wood. The thugs want to steal the golf clubs. One problem with their plan is that a seven iron will do a number on a skull. Sounds like all ended happily, right? Wrong. This being England and all, guess who was arrested?

At Pelham Library, a teen did some research on the laws related to the concealed carry of a handgun. Someone at the library reported the suspicious activity. The teen was then called to the principal’s office and interviewed by police. Seems that reporting someone’s reading habits may also be a violation of the law. The library seems mostly unconcerned about this:

‘It is not our procedure to notify somebody,’ about the books people order, library Director Patricia Perito said Wednesday, the day after the incident. But, she said, she had to look into it. Since then, Perito has declined to provide any explanation of the incident or information on the instructions the library has regarding notifying authorities about questionable book choices.”

Is this weird, or what? Apparently, it didn’t stop there, but went on to the police. “Pelham Manor police Detective Ken Campion said the teen was doing research on gun carry and concealment laws, not on how to conceal a gun…. There was not anything to be worried about with regard to the teen, Campion said after interviewing him Tuesday. He did not break any laws.” He didn’t, but somebody did.

According to one of the comments on this article, the busybody in the library who called the school does this sort of thing all the time. It’s not clear if the person is actually a librarian, but it doesn’t matter that much. The director doesn’t seem too upset about it, and presumably she’s a librarian. She should have trotted out a high-minded speech about the ALA and privacy issues and told everyone she was going to fix this problem immediately!

So, Northamptonshire police wonder the neighborhoods with megaphones shouting at the residents to lock their doors. They call it innovative policing. And give themselves a pat on the back.

Ok, then.

Reason is reporting that the FDA has plans to ban electronic cigarettes. They deliver nicotine without smoke, combustion products, or the other stuff that causes cancer. Because:

Our concern is that this might introduce nonusers to nicotine use

Nicotine is, generally, not a major health concern. That’s why it’s mostly OK to use nicotine gum and patches and such. It’s usually the processing or, you know, the smoke that causes the health issues. These devices deliver nicotine and a smoking type experience but with far, far less risk. I don’t smoke cigarettes anymore but if I did, I’d imagine this might have satisfied my cravings without killing me. I have not ever actually tried an electronic cigarette. Though I still enjoy the occasional cigar.

Stupid.

Bad move: President Obama has nominated Mothers Against Drunk Driving CEO Chuck Hurley to head up the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A life-long anti-alcohol activist.

Cracked: The 5 Most Popular Safety Laws (That Don’t Work)

Girl suspended from school for taking her prescription birth control pills.

In the War on Drugs, Drugs are winning.

So, there’s an electronic cigarette that supposedly delivers nicotine and flavor without tobacco and its combustion byproducts. It is said that it eliminates virtually all of the health hazards associated with smoking. So, of course, there is a group of anti-smoking extremists who want it banned. I guess because it could save some smokers’ lives or something. Someone somewhere is always upset that someone somewhere else might be enjoying themselves.

In other news, we’ve all heard the justification that smoking should be banned because it costs so much in healthcare costs. Turns out, every pack of cigarettes smoked saves the country $0.32. After all, smokers die earlier than non-smokers so we don’t have to take care of them in their adult diaper wearing years.

Man, I miss the warm weather or tonight I’d having a Rocky Patel 1999.

Imposing high taxes on violent video games. To combat knife crime.

Only bad guys smoke.

If the former chief spook in England accuses the Government of exploiting people’s fear of terrorism to restrict civil rights, you may want to look into that.

Largo:

Police this week removed an unruly 7-year-old from his classroom and forced him to be hospitalized under the state’s Baker Act — against the wishes of his outraged parents.

The boy spent the night alone at Morton Plant Hospital before he was seen by a child psychologist the next day and discharged.

His crime: a tantrum.

In PA:

City officials warned residents Tuesday to remove items such as upholstered furniture, trash and debris from their porches within 24 hours or face fines.

Like David said, that’s like ordering potential rape victims to wear burkas.

The war on salt.

Accidents at intersections in Houston doubled after the installation of red light cameras. But Mayor Bill White argued that the cameras’ presence prevented even more collisions and that the study proves the monitoring program is keeping drivers safe. That may be one of the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

Looks like some states are cracking down on the asshats who drive slow in the passing lane. Get out of the way.

I’ve long argued that the problem with economic libertarianism is that it ignores basic human nature, more specifically the tendency of people to strongly value their short-term wants and needs over their long-term best interests, such that they will favor the former heavily over the latter, and do so in ways that are harmful not just to their own best interests, but to the best interests of the economy as a whole.

E-Mart makes the case far beyond my poor power to add or detract. Go read.

Bloomberg looking to get you to cut down on salt.

You can’t protect your garden with barbed wire because it might hurt thieves.

This is an excellent read from The American Prospect on just how we got into the financial mess we’re in today. It’s from an explicitly liberal magazine, but it’s very well argued, I think, and goes into a lot of detail. The kicker? It was published over a year ago.

Via Radley, we learn that MADD has outed restaurants that give money to the American Beverage Institute. These are the places that will be getting my money.

MADD has gone from a good cause to, basically, being prohibitionists.

Where Great Britain used to be, council chiefs look at taking obese children from their parents.

My body, my choice!

Via Dr. Helen, Reason Mag ranks the top 35 most populous cities by their relative nannyism.

Strangely, the supposedly least nanny city is experiencing population growth.

Guns, knives, pointy sticks and hats. Oh my.

In the evening, though, a curious incident took place. The train stopped at a station and two police officers, with M16’s, got on the car, one at the front and one at the back.

I have to confess that I don’t consider DC part of America anymore. Like Cali, NY, NJ, and Britain, it’s a whole other country. Still, men armed with machine guns should not be patrolling our streets. We expect that in Zimbabwe. Not the US.

Where Great Britain used to be, they’re looking to ban hats because they make it harder to identify you on CCTV cameras.

Bruce looks at the PSH over nail guns that I mentioned yesterday.

or maybe Nearth?

Then, we’d all be safe. For now, people keep hurting themselves:

Investigative Report: Nail gun safety under fire as injuries soar
Dangerous models sold despite years of warnings

Here’s an idea: Don’t point the nail gun at yourself. And next:

Medical know-how raises suicide risk for doctors

Last link via Robb, who says: First off, I say a 3 day waiting period to obtain prescription drugs is in order, as a cool off time to ensure the person isn’t going to commit suicide with them. Also, we need stricter background checks on doctors to make sure they don’t do these kinds of things.

Is this a joke:

Britain’s first ‘Safe Text’ street has been created complete with padded lampposts to protect millions of mobile phone users from getting hurt in street accidents while walking and texting.

There a picture.

Update: The dumbassery illustrated.

Seems a group aimed at stopping teen drinking is lying about Tennessee’s proposed bill to allow folks to order wine.

Roberta:

Freedom dies one worried Mother at a time, for the most high-sounding of ideals.

Back up at Dairy Queen. I repeat, officer needs assistance at Dairy Queen.

I noted the slippery smoking slope earlier, but this (also forewarned by us radical reactionaries) is fucking priceless:

We’re all aware that some jurisdictions have passed bans against trans-fat, in an effort to force people to eat healthier food, whether you want to or not (for your own good, you see). Well, it would seem the Mississippi Representative W.T. Mayhall wants to take it one step farther and just ban restaurants from serving fat people.

Remember, kids, I was just perpetuating my radical views what with my alarmist rhetoric and all.

Gene Patterson:

State Senator Tim Burchett is proposing a bill that would make it illegal to smoke in your car if there are children riding in it.

Tim Burchett has apparently never seen a matter the state shouldn’t regulate. Anyone remember when Republicans were the party of smaller, less-intrusive government? Neither do they. Any way, here’s how it goes. A bit back, when smoking bans at businesses were the rage, we people who opposed them (thinking rightfully that it is the right of the business owner to decide what otherwise lawful activity can occur on their premises) warned that the next step would be banning smoking in cars around children. We were told that was just crazy talk. And then, we said, after that there would be pushes to ban smoking in peoples’ homes if children were present. Doesn’t sound so far-fetched now, does it?

In TN, there’s a proposed law to add a bittering agent to anti-freeze so it doesn’t taste good to dogs and kids:

With the help of State Sen. Raymond Finney, Sevier County resident Haley Ham’s dream of keeping animals and young children safe from antifreeze poisoning may soon get a boost.

Or, you know, you could put the anti-freeze out of reach of children.

Bloomberg wants to micro stamp you too:

He advocated for a state law that would require gun makers to equip weapons with high-tech bullet tracking, but also pushed for DNA testing of anyone who is arrested.

In Cali, they want to put in thermostats that can be controlled remotely by the government. You can’t make this stuff up.

Zero tolerance is working its magic again.

A ten year-old girl was suspended for using a knife to cut her food.

And, in Tennessee, you can’t defend yourself at school:

In a video, a 17-year-old student is seen grabbing Rachel Davis from behind. The video shows Davis turn and walk away.

The video shows the other student follow and confront her a second time.

Again, Rachel Davis turned and walked away.

The girl then followed her out of camera range. That is when the incident reportedly escalates.

Davis said, “My daughter was struck in the face with either a back pack or a purse. She got a laceration on her jaw required a trip to the ER and stitches.”

So, the girl walked away. Twice. And fought back after being hit. For that, she was suspended.

You’re too fat and, frankly, our socialized healthcare just can’t bear the weight of it.

Abysmal.

Update: Err, no, the pun was not intentional.

Err, no I will not wear a ribbon because, well, wearing ribbons doesn’t result in any substantive social change whatsoever. And, well, I have no problem with dirty movies. I think I will try to get me a Debbie Does Dallas ribbon, though.

Tipping point. We getting close to the point of no return. We’re all going to die.

The UN has just released a “major report”. The fourth Global Environmental Outlook since 1997. It contains dire warnings. It seems there are too many people on Planet Earth. We are actually killing the Planet.

Now before you consider the source and scoff, know this, 388 experts and scientists describe this as “the final wake-up call to the international community.”

“Life would be easier if we didn’t have the kind of population growth rates that we have at the moment,” Steiner said. “But to force people to stop having children would be a simplistic answer. The more realistic, ethical and practical issue is to accelerate human well-being and make more rational use of the resources we have on this planet.”

What does that mean? It means that the 388 scientists theorize that you eat too much, require too much land, too much energy, and too many resources. So stop having children, eating meat, and driving your fat ass around in that SUV, you damn Planet killer.

All kidding aside, is there a purpose to this continual fear mongering from the United Nations? An endgame so to speak.

Could it be a World Wide tax administered by the United Nations?

Seen at Braisted’s:

Rena Doss, another 20-year-old bartender who lost her job this week, said the smoking ban has left her in a difficult situation.

“I chose to work there. I don’t smoke, and nobody was blowing smoke in my face,” she said. “This was a good-paying job for me, and I have bills to pay. What am I supposed to do now?”

Well, I hear there’s good money in slightly less taxed smokes and booze across state lines.

Wow:

Debbie is a mom from Uxbridge who was in the examination room when the pediatrician asked her 5-year-old, “Does Daddy own a gun?”

When the little girl said yes, the doctor began grilling her and her mom about the number and type of guns, how they are stored, etc.

If the incident had ended there, it would have merely been annoying.

But when a friend in law enforcement let Debbie know that her doctor had filed a report with the police about her family’s (entirely legal) gun ownership, she got mad.

Surely, that is some sort of ethical violation that warrants review of that guy’s license to practice.

And from the original story:

They’re watching you right now.

They counted every beer you drank during last night’s Red Sox game.

They see you sneaking out to the garage for a smoke.

They know if you’ve got a gun, and where you keep it.

They’re your kids, and they’re the National Security Agency of the Nanny State.

Kinda timely since, just yesterday, I was talking to a co-worker. Seems her young son (5 or 6) had been participating in D.A.R.E. Her and her husband were drinking beer while watching some game on TeeVee. Her son then screams at her and her husband that they’re both alcoholics. She didn’t know how to react. I understand that there’s a need to inform kids about drugs and alcohol and other things. But that’s ridiculous. Seems parents need to start discussing these things realistically with their kids before they go to school and get their brainwashing.

Schools should educate. Not turn our kids into little Nazis.

Ya know, if Joe Lieberman were to actually become AG, I’d ponder leaving the country. Last thing we need is a law and order guy who is also a big government nanny-statist in that office.

KDT wrote:

A long time ago, I responded to the question ”Why do you spend so much time looking at news from Britain?” with ”Because if we’re not careful, all that could happen here.”

Here’s hoping not. Notably, this bit about banning thinking about drinking (which Greg thinks is cause for shooting the bastards) is particularly scary:

People who even think about going for a drink face being banned from their town centre for up to two days under wideranging new police powers.

And here’s some scary bits:

The banning orders – called ‘directions to leave’ – can last for 48 hours and any breach can be punished with a fine of up to £2,500.

Fingerprints and DNA samples will be taken.

[...]

Police can act against someone for doing nothing more illegal than looking like they might cause alcoholrelated disorder, whether they have started drinking or not.

I can’t imagine living under such a police state.

It is outrageous but this quote is hysterical:

When I saw the Headline “Student Suspended for Drawing Gun,” (link) I first thought “he should keep it holstered during the schoolday”.

Sadly, a kid was suspended for doodling a pic of a gun.

Coal IS sequestered carbon. God bless them, without liberals our only source of comedy would be comedians.

Over at Progressiveville is a link to WhitesCreek Journal where we learn that the world’s greatest terrorist is not Usama bin Laden but actually Daniel Roling, the CEO of National Coal.

Yep. So says Steve, also known as Whitescreek. He is a middle aged hippie type who really believes coal should be left in the ground because it pollutes the air.

Steve does not say what we should use to generate electricity but I would imagine the usual suspects of solar, wind, and hamsters running on little wheels come to mind.

But wait, there’s more. Steve writes:

Mining coal is about the stupidest thing humans can do. Here we are worrying about climate change caused by atmospheric carbon dioxide, and we’re digging the stuff up out of the ground and burning it straight into our air.

Steve is a pal of Al Gore. Another great comedian.

Nanny Government isn’t happy with bottled water. Good little proletariates drink their water from the tap. They know better than to incur the wrath of the all knowing all seeing Goracle and his dominion over the Church of Gaia Mother Earth.

Nanny Government thinks for you. Life is better when your choices are restricted. You should not be allowed to make complex choices like drinking bottled water. Those bottles are made from oil. Then they are shipped to market which burns more oil and releases the Earth toxin C02 which causes forest creatures to die.

Plastic bottles should only be used for important things like Coca Cola. Nanny Science says so and Nanny Government complies because it is for the children.

Whenever you are reminded that “commonsense firearms laws” are the right way to go, remember to point them at that former bastion of common-sense, Britain.

I say former, because now that firearms are effectively banned from the law abiding, the laws and rules continue to slide into crazy-land.

The 47-year-old entertainer, also known as Tony Turner, has previously had to ditch his bubble-making machine because he could not get public liability insurance as companies assessed that youngsters might slip and hurt themselves.

He said he was also told by one venue he could not twist balloons into the shape of guns for fear of encouraging youngsters to commit violence, although swords were deemed acceptable.

As far as encouraging violence goes, have you ever seen what happens when a clown makes shapes out of balloons? While waiting for the little’un to get his fill of playing in the “tubes” at Mickey Dee’s a clown showed up and started making animals and such. Everything that was long and thin, such as swords and snakes were used by the kids to whack each other over the head. Those with twist shapes, such as dogs, ships and rabbits turned them into guns. and used them by standing back out of the way making “Kapow” noises.

Political correctness trumps reality when you let things slide too far.

But the kids understand…

It’s explicitly a liberal point of view, but some good conversation has cropped up surrounding this post of mine over at Lean Left.

It seems Uncle really wants to screw with his readership. Now he’s inviting the Nanny State Lib’ruls to post in his absence.

Don’t worry, though, I promise some gun pr0n next week…

You know, there was a time when MADD did a lot of good. Now, they’re just a bunch of hens trying to prevent everyone from having a good time:

Amtrak is trying to gin up new business by offering $100 in free alcohol to customers on some overnight trains.

The national passenger rail company is making the unusual offer to promote a new high-end service being offered on a trial basis for certain sleeper car trips. …

Mothers Against Drunk Driving questioned whether $100 in free alcohol was too much.

“This sounds like a lot of credit toward possible overindulging,” said MADD spokeswoman Misty Moyse.

But no one will be driving. I mean, it’s not like they load you up and let your drive the damn train. Should change the name to Mothers Against Drinking. This is similar to some gun control groups. They started out with a semi-noteworthy cause (background checks) and quickly bastardized them into a desire for total bans. Now, they just bleat.

She’s coming to Nashville. We don’t need her in Nashville, there are plenty in the capitol building.

via ac.

In light of recent outbreaks of nanny knows best in Tennessee, I’ll remind my fellow volunteers that Article 1, Sec. 1 of the state constitution says:

That all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness; for the advancement of those ends they have at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper.

As you were.

Update: Via AC, a bigger list of laws going into effect is here.

Seems the state of Tennessee will soon require ID for all alcoholic beverage purchases. Wow. Isn’t it already illegal to sell to underage people?

Apparently, it is only shocking to Michael Bloomberg that he was never a real Republican.

School officials snipped the weapons off of toy soldiers.