I'm Calling My Shot

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

I'm not sure when the Supreme Court ruling on the Washington D.C. hand gun ban is suppose to come down. However, I'm calling my shot now.

The Supreme Court will rule the ban unconstitutional. At least that's my landmark decision. Screw what everybody else says. I'm right, everybody else is wrong.

In reality this is one thing I've turned over and over in my mind. I've read legal opinions, articles and just about anything I could read on both sides of the issue. Does the Second Amendment apply only to a militia or to private citizens? After reading I still came to the same conclusion. Nobody really knows.

Some claim the intent of the original writers was to have state militias. Others make the argument that the arms should stay in the hands of the citizens to guarantee against the tyranny of government.

I think in this case, the Court should come down in favor of the people. I think the key phrase is "the rights of the people." The rights of the people should supersede all other rights. The law of Washington D.C. infringes on those rights.

Instead of outright bans the laws should be written to say who cannot own a gun. The target of laws should be on who lost the right to own and bear arms. Felons, mental patients, violent offenders should not be allowed to own guns. The Washington D.C. ban just eliminates the right for all in it's jurisdiction. The Fifth Amendment states that "no person shall be...deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law." In this case a blanket is thrown over everyone and the liberty stated in the Fourth Amendment is taken away. If a person breaks a law, is tried and convicted of breaking the law and the law punishes that person by taking away the right to own a gun then due process is served. Otherwise the outright ban is taking away the liberty to own guns from all citizens. Due process is entirely bypassed.

I have no legal training. I maybe entirely wrong on my understanding of due process and how it applies to this case. This is just something I've tried to come to an understanding about and make my own conclusion by following logic.

The decision of the Court is anticipated to be historic. It could have far reaching implications on laws that limit or ban guns. Or the Court could punt and make a narrow ruling with out effecting other standing laws.

HIllarly Clinton Done, Natural Disasters, Misbehaving Mom

The Monkee Cage has been quiet lately. Not much has caught my attention to write about.

Hillary Clinton finally stepped out of the presidential race. I was pulling for her to win the nomination over Barak Obama. I think she brings more to the table than Obama. Albeit that experience comes via her husband and the people that served under his presidency. However Obama is running his campaign as he's the candidate of change. Democratic voters have spoken and cast the parties lot with Obama. My hope now is that Clinton supporters get behind Obama and put him in the White House. I'm still not sold on him completely but I think he's a better alternative than John McCain. In the future I'm have to study McCain's positions versus those of Obama. I'll post more blogs as the race progresses.

Midwest storms

What is going on with the midwest? I've lost track of how many tornadoes have ripped through the region. I don't think there is a state in the interior that doesn't border the Atlantic that hasn't been spared a storm or tornado.

Then the horrible news comes two nights ago that a tornado hit a Boy Scout camp and killed four of the scouts in Iowa. Then as the news settles in a "500 year flood" hits the state.

From the Midwest tornadoes to the China earthquakes to the Myanmar cyclones, it appears that the number of natural disasters is unusually high. According to a Fox New article there is nothing out of the ordinary. All these disasters are in line with previous years.

The article sites a metric used to measure criteria to disasters:
"EM-DAT, the OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database, tracks natural disasters in which either 10 or more people were killed, 100 or more people were affected, a State of Emergency was declared, or there was a call for international assistance."

Since 1960 there has been an uprise in the number of natural disasters measured by the above criteria. However the increase has been attributed to better reporting and monitoring methods.

I can some what buy into the argument. Science and technology has increased exponentially since the 1960s. The rise of the internet and other forms of communication also contribute to the perceived increase in disasters. We no longer have to wait for the nightly news or the newspaper the next day to find out what's going on in the world. One click of an internet browser to any news site provides near instantaneous information. Camera phones and wireless internet options have turned almost anyone on the scene as a reporter.

Most people think economic factors when the term globalization is mentioned. The same concept can be applied to news and communication. When disaster strikes Japan we get the news faster and with more sources. People on the ground are adding to the flow of information streaming in.

Teen Sex Romp

In the what were they thinking category, two women stand accused of throwing a sex party. Sex romps are nice but when the involve 14 to 16 year old boys. The Smoking Gun reports, that Angela Honeycutt assaulted teen boys at the home of Lynne Long. Honeycutt is 28 and Long is 45. The party was held at Longs house. Long allegedly approved of Honeycutt's behavior. Honeycutt allegedly stripped and danced for the boys while talking dirty with them. The charges also allege that Honeycutt engaged with sex in the shower with a 15 year old and had sexual contact with a 14 year old. Furthermore, Long is alleged to have encouraged the boys to listen in on the bedroom door where Honeycutt was engage another boy in sex.

I just have to wonder what's going on through these women's minds. What on earth were two women doing having sex with kids. How can a mother, Long's son was the host of the party, encourage sex for her kid's friends. We all know teen boys are walking hormones but that they are not mature enough to handle being assaulted by older women. The may be horny kids but mentally they can't handle what's going on. I know men are thinking "yeah if the was me I wouldn't say a thing." I seriously doubt when any of us was 14 we could handle having sex with an older woman. What's worse is the mother of one of the boys condones the behavior in her house. She intentionally wanted a woman to come into her house be a sex show for her son and his friends. There's no other word to describe this behavior other than twisted.

Something isn't clicking quiet right in these women's heads. If they want young men there are plenty of 18 plus year old guys who would jump their bones. I'm all for two consenting adults having sex all they want. What they do in the privacy of their own home is there business. Kids is another story though. People need to show some common sense and responsibility in what they do.

Pakistani makes deal with militants, Nepal politics and Hillary stand down

Head line from an AP release:
Pakistan: New Peace Deal with Militants

When was the last time a militant group lived up to their end of a deal? All the Pakistani government did was give the militants free reign to do what ever they want without interference. The article states the the government wants to end extremism. All the Pakistani government is doing is promising not to attack the militants. The militants are now free to focus their hatred else where. No doubt they will turn their attacks across the border into Afghanistan.

These deals do nothing but get the Pakistani forces off the back of the militants and vice versa. Pakistan has pretty much seceded control of the tribal areas. In these areas, Pakistan exerts no control. The Taliban, Al-Qaida and other Muslim militant tribal groups run the show. Pakistan also forbids the U.S. to hunt terrorists in these regions. Many speculate Osama bin Laden is hiding the Pakistani tribal lands.

Nepalese Evict King

Nepal's national assembly will evict King Gyanendra after they declare Nepal a republic. After the declaration he will have 15 days to move out of the imperial palace. The ruling family has been in place for over two hundred years. In the recent past, the King stayed out of politics. However after King Gyanendra ascended to the throne he took full control. The royal family was massacred in a shooting at the palace.

Nepal has been unstable for years. Maoists rebels fought an insurgency with the goal of creating a communist state. The King was forced to relinquish absolute control after widespread protests two years ago. The Maoists agreed to cease fighting during a peace process that allowed for elections.

The Maoists hold the most seats in the assembly but are having trouble forming a government. Now that they are in power I wonder how they will handle it? Will they continue to allow elections that put them in power? Or will they try to take absolute control and turn Nepal into a socialist state?

Give it Hillary

Will Hilary Clinton please stand down? The time has come for her to step aside and allow the Democratic Party focus on winning the White House. She's put up a good fight but odds are long that she will win the nomination. Obama Barak leads in the delegate count and more of the so called super delegates are moving into his camp. While the Dems continue to eat their own, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has started to focus campaigning and fund raising for his presidential bid. The Democratic infighting is costing valuable time and money. So come on Hillary, give it up.

Samar Saed Abdullah

This time last year there were articles and news stories about Samar Saed Abdullah awaiting execution in Iraq. Now that a year has passed, I've been looking for any news of Abdullah's fate.

She's awaiting execution for murdering three relatives. She had a one day trial and she claims her confessions were coerced under torture. Execution day in Iraq is Wednesday. Every Wednesday the condemned are called out of their cells and taken to the gallows. A prisoner never knows in advance if they will go to the gallows that Wednesday.

As for Abdullah, I cannot find any information on her ever since her story broke last year. I find it sad that for one day or week news agencies were reporting on her fate but there has no follow up since. I've scoured the net for information and nothing has come up. I don't know if she's alive or been taken to the gallows.

A website that existed about her case is in gone. The online petition to save her life is gone. Did she go quietly to the gallows? I can't find any information to her fate.

I've contacted Amnesty International for information about her. Hopefully I'll get a response.

What Are You People Thinking?

I'm cruising myspace.com checking out the models. Hey, I like to look at beautiful, sexy women. I added this model to my friends just for laughs. I think she's nice looking but that's about it. Miss Priss. Now scroll down to "About Me" section and there is an Amazon wish list. It's a list of things Miss Priss wants people to buy for her. She wants her fans to go to Amazon and buy her presents. I'm not hating on her. If she gets fans to buy her stuff then more power to her. I however didn't actually think people would buy things for her. Some of the things she wants are not cheap. She actually has LCD TVs listed. Big expensive TVs.

I thought nothing more of it until today. That's when I saw her blog titled "This is why I love myspace friends..." Evidently fans bought her stuff for her birthday. I didn't see any of the expensive items. Then again I don't know how much the shoes she got go for. Here's what I don't understand. Why would any joe shmoe average myspace user buy her gifts? It makes absolutely no sense. Are they hoping to meet, date or sleep with her? I don't think she's going to track any of these fans down and personally thank them. Why would you buy a complete stranger gifts? She's a complete stranger. Sure she posts items about herself but do we really know anything about her? I'm positive she's a model and a good looking one at that. But we just don't know if all the stuff she writes about herself in her myspace is true. She may be the sweetest person in the world but we just don't know.

I'd actually be scared of any stranger that bought me gifts. The internet is full of weirdos and psychos. I'm going to take a wild guess about fans sending gifts. They aren't normal. They probably don' t have both oars in the water. Something just doesn't click in my mind about this. I imagine a nerdy introvert sitting in front of a computer thinking,"If I send her these things she'll like me." It isn't going to happen freak. She, on the other hand, has nothing to lose. She's not posting personal or contact information where she can be tracked down. She gets some free loot and thinks nothing more of it. It's a nice racket on her part.

I'll keep her on my friend list cause she posts funny shit but I'm not sending her shit.

The other night on Comedy Central's The Root of All Evil the topic was myspace friends. The argument of one debater was that myspace friends demeans the definition of "friend." He argued that they really aren't friends. Can you call them up in the middle of the night? Will they come and bail you out of jail? Will they come pick you up from the airport? Sure Tila Tequila will counsel you through your break up.

In light of this argument, I decided to take inventory of my friends list on myspace.

• Real living friends - 4, old high school buddies
• Guitars - 1
• Cartoon characters - 8
  
• Figments of someone's imagination - 6 (Phil Hendrie characters), 1 (Borat)
• Actual people that I know only through myspace and not in person - 3
• Actress/model (non porn category) - 7
  
• Porn stars - 3
• Schools - 2
• Musicians/bands - 3
• Business - 1
• Comedian - 1
• Newspaper columnist - 1

I'm sure I left something or someone off. I was just interested to see how my friends broke down after watching the Comedy Central show.

Judas Priest, Sick Twisted Austrian Man

The much talked about rumored Judas Priest album is finally coming out. They announced the released date of June 16 in Europe and June 17 for the US. It's a concept album on Nostradamus. It's a double CD since they said they couldn't fit all they wanted onto one disc.

I'm a big Judas Priest fan but somehow I get a sinking feeling about this project. First off Judas Priest has never done a concept album. When a band departs from their sound or tries something different it's usually a recipe for disaster. Second, just how much material can you write about Nostradamus? He is fascinating and the debate rages if his writings really predicted the future or if we are just looking at events and fitting them to vague predictions. Finally, as much as a fan of the group, let's be honest. Their latest releases haven't been up to snuff. I never let "Angel of Retribution" grow on me. The Ripper Owen stuff is okay but not classic Priest. I'll probably break my CD buying moratorium and purchase the CDs. It's been years since I bought a CD but since I'm a fan I will plunk down the cash.

How sick is Josef Fritzl? I can't get my mind around how twisted Fritzl is. He imprisoned his own daughter for 24 years in a windowless cell. He raped her and fathered seven children of hers. Three of the children lived upstairs with their father/grandfather and grandmother. Three of the poor souls lived with the mother and had never seen the light of day. God only knows how messed up those children are. One of the seven died in infancy and Fritzl admitted to burning the body. The children were 19, 18 and 5. Fritzl claimed that his daughter left the other three children with him and ran away. He forced her to write letters that said she ran away and didn't want to be found.

The depth and consequences of this horrible story just boggle my mind. Here is a man, for lack of a better word, that imprisoned his own daughter. He then raped her repeatedly and fathered children with her. The CNN article I linked to described her, Elisabeth, as disturbed. Disturbed is probably the understatement of the decade. Destroyed emotionally, physically and mentally is a more appropriate description. I use the word destroyed because I can't comprehend how it is possible that she will ever recover from this ordeal. There is no way her psyche can be repaired. No amount of counseling and therapy will restore this poor woman to what she was before this demon locked her away. I only imagine she will have nightmares for the rest of her life. She will relive all those horrible days she was locked up forever. Nothing will probably relive her of that experience.

Imagine the children that were locked up with her. They had no interaction with any other humans other than each other. Locked up in a dungeon without knowing what it is to play with other children. They never even saw the light of day. I only can guess about what state they are in. They have to be so stunted emotionally. The 18 and 19 year old probably have severe mental disorders. There may be some hope for the 5 year old. Maybe since he's still young that he can he can rebound from this. I don't think he'll be completely normal but with counseling and therapy he can grow up to function in society. The older ones probably have the mental and emotional make up of young children. I haven't read anything about their state yet. It will be interesting to find out what they are like.

I can't even think of a fitting punishment for Fritzl. Nothing that can be done to him could compare to the pain and suffering he inflicted on his own daughter and children.

3:10 To Yuma

Great movie until the end. What the hell was that ending. The writer really expected me to believe that a nasty outlaw like Ben Wade all of a sudden wants to go to jail where more than likely they are going to stretch his neck? He gives up just so the hero will look good in the eye's of his kid. I can suspend belief to an extent but that is just asking too much. I could have lived with just about any ending but that one. I wanted Christian Bale's character, Dan Evans, to turn Wade in. I could even live with Evans dying to achieve his goal. I could even live with Evan's kid killing Wade to rescue his dad. I could live with Wade's gang killing Evans to rescue him. I could Wade killing Evans but Wade caught by Evan's kid. I just can't live with the idea that Wade would go freely, kill his own gang and turn himself end. Goes to show a great movie can be ruined by a horribly unbelievable ending.