Author: Eric Scheie

A lot of people keep talking about the young libertarian who had the unbridled temerity to stand up to police who had pulled him over without cause and who searched his car. Earlier I linked this, but it’s gone viral on YouTube now, so here it is. Frankly, that officer and his attitude would scare…

For some time, I have been lamenting the fact that no matter what the police state apparatchiks do, or how publicly they do it, there never seems to be an available remedy for the victims. This story of a dog shot in its own yard — by officers who ignored a BEWARE OF DOG sign…

I recently learned from a friend about a man in Pennsylvania who is being charged with the crime of keeping pet ducks: A Pennsylvania man is facing a fine of $500 a day for having four pet ducks. Delmont resident Jim Kistler was notified that having his web-footed pals, Larry, Moe, Curly and Fred, is…

I don’t keep up with modern art as I should. In fact, the way I carry on against Abstract Expressionism, most urban sophisticates would consider me a backward troglodyte, if not a metaphysical innuendo. My problem is basically a very selfish one. I know what I like, and I don’t like Abstract Expressionism. I tend…

I’m not much of a techie, and one of the reasons is that I don’t have the patience to be a shopper. Going into stores to look at new products and have chats with sales people is just not my thing. However, occasionally I will stumble onto a cool tech gadget purely by accident, and…

In a comment to my last post, I expressed what appears to be a naive hope: Are cops soldiers? I hope not! I have been reading about so many police state outrages lately that it has become mind-numbing. This morning I read about a young woman from affluent Millburn, New Jersey who was treated to…

It seems as if rarely does a day go by that I don’t read about another police horror story, and the latest one is especially awful. Police in Henderson, Nevada brutally invaded a home, used chemical weapons on the residents, and arrested them. Not for any alleged crimes they had committed, mind you. The police just…

I just found out a neighbor runs a web site (which must remain linkless lest I get in trouble) devoted to the advocacy of a fascinating old practice: Human placenta consumption. It is rare, but apparently gaining in popularity: Modern practice of placentophagy is rare, as most contemporary human cultures do not promote its consumption.[1]…

That sixteen year old boys can and do father children is not especially newsworthy, but this news item seems to have caught the attention of the public because the mother is 28, and was the father’s high school teacher: A 28-year-old teacher in California was placed on administrative leave after she gave birth to a…

I have not been following events in Egypt as I perhaps should, but I have been too damn busy. (Who knows? A military coup there may be an improvement over a “democratically elected” fundamentalist hardliner.) Still, photos like this intrigue me: Hope things work out over there, and while I am anything but an Obama…

Earlier I read about a new police tactic in the war on drugs. “Fake” drug checkpoints: An Ohio law enforcement agency’s decision to use fake drug checkpoints to search drivers and their cars for drugs has some residents wondering if it could violate the Fourth Amendment against unlawful searches and seizures. Police in Cleveland suburb of…

A friend sent me his thought for the day, which I thought was pretty good. Thought for the Day……… “We are told NOT to judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few crazies…. But … We are told TO judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few crazies.” I don’t judge all…

Like many other newspapers, the Detroit Free Press has decided that it is time to declare all out war on climate change. In an editorial titled “A war on climate change,” they assert that because the scientific community “speaks with one voice” Obama should violate the Constitution by issuing Executive Orders to circumvent Congress no…

The other night it occurred to me that the following headlines were related: This one: IRS auditor reaffirms that conservatives, not liberals, were targeted And this one 26% of Obama Supporters View Tea Party as Nation’s Top Terror Threat Had to read that again. Here’s the explanation: …among those who approve of the president’s job…

And if you look at the mug shot of the female suspect who got arrested for having sex in a city park, you will understand why. These cops needed this image burned into their minds like a fish needs a bicycle. […] Around 4 p.m. yesterday, the bicycle cops were finishing up their daily ride in…

An article in the Huffington Post got me to thinking about forgiveness. The topic was whether the founder of Exodus (“cure” gays through religion) should be forgiven now that he has publicly apologized. I have no problem forgiving him for what he has done to me, for the simple reason that he did nothing to…

Here’s a man in San Francisco who behaved so heroically that I think the story deserves more media attention: A man whose home in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood was invaded by three robbers early Tuesday managed to wrestle away one of the assailant’s guns and use it to critically wound him, police said. The chaotic incident…

Glenn Reynolds linked a very amusing Buzzfeed piece with the following title: 7 Things Democrats Would Have Freaked Out About If Bush Had Done Them Obama’s national security policy has continued some of the most controversial moves of the Bush administration. Silence from the left. Check out the pictures. Obama is not only getting away with…

A Twitterer calling himself “Kris_Mexicanese” has been having fun testing the limits of the First Amendment. The FBI has been all over him, and I’m sure Homeland Security is watching his every move. Reason? He joked about the Boston bombing and predicted that it might happen again in Miami. MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As the Miami…