Global Warming: How long can you tread water?

This week’s global warming predictions included oceans rising by one meter (about 39 inches) in the next 50 to 150 years, regardless of any future actions to curb greenhouse gases.

Thankfully, down from earlier predictions of 30 feet and more!!

The article is accompanied by this picture. (If not with the article anymore, go here and look for the article Rising Sea Waters To Wash Away US History.)

Apparently the rise of one meter will drown the Statue of Liberty and New York City will fight some sort of Armageddon lightning storm.

Between the global warming, terrorists, illegal aliens, obesity and "the gays," Rights Boy is getting scared shitless.

What else should we be scared of?

When onions are outlawed, only outlaws will have Onions

A Des Moines man, James Izzolena, went to jail this week for throwing an onion and beaning his wife, Nicole, in the back of the head.

“It made my head hurt,” Nicole told police.

Izzolena admitted throwing the onion and was charged with domestic assault causing injury. He is being held without bond.

This reminded Rights Boy of an incident many years ago when he was suspected of something similar. He had just returned from the market and was unloading groceries. The Rights Wife was napping on a couch and their son, Lil’ Mike, three years old at the time, decided to start playing with a bedroom telephone. Within minutes, three policemen were pounding at the door and Rights Boy rushed to answer it.

“We got a 911 call from here that went silent,” they stated demandingly.

Rights Boy laughed and said it must have been Lil’ Mike playing with the phone; 911 was speed-dial 1. But Rights Boy answered the door with a bag of onions in his hand, so the police had to come in, check around, wake up the Rights Wife and make sure he wasn’t in there bludgeoning everybody with the onions.

Back to Mr. Izzolena, because of this charge, he will no longer be able to own a gun! (The Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban, 1996) That’s quite a right to give up for throwing an onion.

Oh, well. The Chicago Cubs need a closer. Maybe Izzolena could apply.

Happy Constitution Day!

Put 220 candles on the U.S. Constitution’s birthday cake. Our great political experiment in freedom and democracy is alive and well in the 21st century.

It is important for everyone to occasionally review this great document. My favorite online reference is the U.S. National Archives here in a great series called the Charters for Freedom.

Another great resource is the USConstitution.net which includes background information on our government and age-appropriate teaching materials.

Our founding fathers were pretty inspired. Read the Constitution today!

Monday is Constitution Day

This coming Monday September 17 is Constitution Day, a great day to think about the rights and freedoms we enjoy in America. Next week, public schools all over the country are legally required to teach something, anything, about the U.S. Constitution.

The recent survey by the First Amendment Center illustrates how Americans view the Constitution and our rights. Among the results:

- 55% believe the Constitution established a Christian nation. (75% among Republicans and evangelicals)

- 50% support using the Bible as a text in history class.

- 28% say constitutional protection of religion does not extend to extreme or fringe groups

- 74% would ban students from wearing a T-shirt with a message or picture that might be offensive

- 42% would ban musicians from singing lyrics with an offensive message

- 34% say the press has too much freedom

- 37% believe the press should not be allowed to freely criticize the U.S military about its strategy and performance

Gene Policinski, vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center commented, “To me the results of this year’s survey endorse the idea of more and better education for young people — our nation’s future leaders — about our basic freedoms.”

Rights Boy couldn’t agree more.

PATRIOT Act Smackdown

Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act, giving the government the power to access your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely.


On Thursday, a federal judge declared a key part of the USA Patriot unconstitutional sighting the need for more judicial oversight. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero stated, “The Constitution was designed so that the dangers of any given moment could never justify discarding fundamental individual liberties,” adding that the PATRIOT Act made possible “far-reaching invasions of liberty.”

Judge Marrero immediately stayed the effect of his ruling, allowing the government time to appeal.

Oh, well.