Monthly Archives: August 2013

View 784 Saturday, August 03, 2013

“Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.”

President Barrack Obama, January 231, 2009

Sable had a good day. We were able to do a longer walk than before, nothing like what she is used to, but at least a few b\blocks, and there were people to admire her. She likes being with us. So far she’s still a happy dog. Of course every day is a blessing.

Baby deer vs. Wisconsin

Who knew baby deer were such a threat to society? I wonder if it’s full name wasn’t Giggles Malone.

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/1/13-wisconsin-officials-raid-animal-shelter-kill-ba/

Two weeks ago, Ray Schulze was working in a barn at the Society of St. Francis no-kill animal shelter in Kenosha, Wis., when officials swarmed the shelter with a search warrant.

“[There were] nine [Department of Natural Resources] agents and four deputy sheriffs, and they were all armed to the teeth,” Mr. Schulze told WISN 12. “It was like a SWAT team.”

The agents were there to retrieve a baby deer named Giggles that was dropped off by a family worried she had been abandoned by her mother, the station reported. Wisconsin law forbids the possession of wildlife.

“I said the deer is scheduled to go to the wildlife reserve the next day,” Mr. Schulze told the station. “I was thinking in my mind they were going to take the deer and take it to a wildlife shelter, and here they come carrying the baby deer over their shoulder. She was in a body bag. I said, ‘Why did you do that?’ He said, ‘That’s our policy,’ and I said, ‘That’s one hell of a policy.’"

The bunny inspectors save us from Bambi

Dear Dr. Pournelle,

I don’t know about you, but I for one sleep better at night knowing that there are rough men standing on the walls ready to do violence to Bambi on my behalf. Especially when Bambi is awaiting transfer to a wildlife center.

http://www.wisn.com/news/armed-agents-raid-animal-shelter-for-baby-deer/-/9373668/21272108/-/wvh1n7z/-/index.html#ixzz2aiuk1wGs

Some conclusions I draw from this article and from others:

1) The greatest impact of the War on Drugs is the militarization of our police.

2) A corollary to the Iron Law: If you buy toys for bureaucrats they will find some way to use it, in order to justify it on the bottom line. No doubt this incident , suitable scrubbed, will find its way to a PowerPoint slide at some point explaining why the budget of the Department of Natural Resources needs to be expanded. There’s a lot of deer in the woods after all.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

I think your conclusions are on target. The Iron Law applies.

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About Star Wars

Dr. Pournelle:

Two things in America go by the name “Star Wars”. One of them is a childish fantasy of magical warfare, spectacular but incoherent, whose obvious flaws are thinly disguised by pseudoscience. The other one involves wookies.

Sincerely,

paradoctor@aol.com

That is a remarkably uninformed view. Of course it is what Senator Ted Kennedy wanted you to believe when he said it following the President’s announcement of the SDI policy, but since those who say that seldom have knowledge of the facts nor any desire to acquire them, it is hardly astonishing to hear it said.  And of course a clever turn of phrase often is thought to be as convincing as actual analysis.  Fortunately neither President Reagan nor the Soviet Politburo held Senator Kennedy’s uninformed views.

It’s late. I have not had a productive day.