Cigar Tax = $10 per cigar

Yep, you read that right, friends. The socialist scumbags running Congress right now have proposed a tax of up to $10 PER CIGAR to help take care of the poor in America.

Congress -- meeting in smoke-free rooms -- is looking for an extra $35 billion to $50 billion for the state children's health insurance program and hopes to raise most of it through excise taxes on products like tobacco.

Notice how they neglect to say "Democrat controlled" before Congress...

There is currently 4.8 cents-per-cigar tax cap but under the proposed bill, taxes on "large cigars," a category that includes all but the tiny cigars sold in packs of 20 like cigarettes, would rise to 53 percent.
A version of the bill being considered by the Senate Finance Committee sets the maximum tax per cigar at $10.

Hi, I'm from the government. I'm here to help.

Clearly, the government is out to get us. Between coming after our guns and coming after our cigars, it ain't looking to good for ole Catfish and his crew.... What's next? Beer? Steak? Boobies?

A weapons cache found?

Ok, this local story has me pretty hot under the collar.

Apparently, there's a leak in an apartment. Maintenance man goes in to fix the leak and finds an assortment of weapons in the apartment. The weapons found are:

2 AK-47 rifles
1 Uzi 9 mm submachine gun
1 TEC-9 submachine gun
1 40 mm ordnance launcher
Handheld ordnance launcher
About 500 rounds of ammunition.

However, even tho these weapons are all perfectly legal, the police confiscated them anyway.

Federal investigators said weapons found in a downtown Dallas apartment are legal and they might be returned to the owner.

They MIGHT return the weapons? MIGHT? Does anyone else have a problem with this?

We have a homeowner who apparently was doing nothing illegal. The weapons "seized" by the Federal government are legal to own. And they MIGHT give this guy back his guns.

In a related story, the news media in all its brilliance, calls the 4 weapons and the grenade launchers (which you can buy legally and fire smoke grenades out of...) a "large" cache.

Federal sources tell CBS 11 News that law enforcement officers have confiscated a large cache of weapons found in an apartment near the federal building in downtown Dallas.

Shit, there's been plenty of times when I've had more guns IN MY CAR than were found in this guy's house.

Again, there's another reference to the statement that the guns were obtained legally, but the cops took them anyway.

Police seized the weapons even though they say they may have been obtained legally.

If that doesn't send chills up your back, I don't know what will.

Now, a couple of caveats:

1. There was suspected child porn found in the guy's apartment - if he's a pedophile, then by all means, he should go down. But that has nothing to do with having a "cache" of weapons found in a house. Owning guns does not make you a criminal.

2. There have also been conflicting reports that the apartment owner is an Arab, and goes to Saudi Arabia frequently; although terrorism has not been mentioned, the North Texas Terrorism Task Force has been called in. If that's the case, then by all means, take a closer look at this guy.

But to go into someone's house and seize their weapons without cause is about as unconstitutional as you can get. Anyone ever heard of Lexington and Concord?

Great Letter to the Editor

I found this letter to the editor quite amusing.

"CAPITOL SHOOTING
Incident will likely trigger more calls for gun control"

After Monday’s attempt by an obviously deranged man to enter the state Capitol on a self-described mission to take over state government, I feel it is about time something be done to better protect the people of this great land (“Armed man killed at state Capitol,” The Gazette, July 17).

According to reports, the man entered a clothing store, rented a tuxedo and then went to the Capitol with a gun and knife. Fortunately, a state patrolman took appropriate action.

State lawmakers must immediately place a cooling off period on the rental of tuxedos. Why should the deranged and armed be allowed to dress better than the rest of us? I know many out there will say if we outlaw tuxedos, then only outlaws will wear tuxedos. They will also say that tuxedos don’t kill people; well-dressed dandies kill people. I, however, disagree.

For evidence that this will work, let’s look at gun-control efforts in this country. During the assault weapons ban no one was killed with an assault rifle in this country. And efforts in many major cities to outlaw handguns have removed these weapons from the hands of criminals.

Oh, wait. Now I remember. Those efforts were futile and actually counterproductive. Nevertheless, I know some well-intentioned legislator will call for tighter controls in Colorado. As always, these efforts will be just as effective as banning the rental of tuxedos.

Ken Cluck
Colorado Springs

Jaw-dropping Photosynth demo (video)

Wanna see something really nerdy and cool? Click on the link above.

Indeed, Photosynth might utterly transform the way we manipulate and experience digital images.

You can try to install the software at http://labs.live.com/photosynth

Some people just deserve to die - immediately

And instead of a nice humane death by lethal injection they should drive him out to alligator alley, wipe his naked body down with some pig's blood, tie his hands and feet together and drop him in the water. Damn, people suck sometimes.

Godzilla!

I hate to bring this up, but isn't this similar to how Godzilla was created, some sort of nuclear test gone awry?

TEPCO had initially said the earthquake had not caused any leaks, but it revealed on Monday night that 1,200 liters of radioactive water had sloshed into the sea from its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata.

Lady Bird buried next to LBJ

I never had the pleasure of meeting Lady Bird, but if the children are a reflection of the mother, then she was surely a very nice person. I did have the pleasure of flying from Dallas to D.C. on occasion, and in one instance was seated next to Linda Johnson Robb, Lady Bird's daughter. We struck up a conversation, and discussed her husband's politics (just a little). I was reading a Stephen King book at the time, and she inquired about it. Trying to be polite, I asked what she was reading. I think the title of the book was "Leaves of Grey" or somesuch, a book about menopause.

Smooth, JR. Really smooth.

She was very gracious, didn't miss a beat, and put me at ease. Of course, I mentally punched myself about a dozen times, but she was really cool about it.

I told her that we really liked her mom in Texas.

Obama Calls for Permanent Assault Weapons Ban to Combat Inner-City Violence

The sad thing is not that Obama wants to ban evil assault rifles. The sad thing is that every candidate currently in the race today, Republicans and Democrats, would likely agree with this tripe.

I really hope Fred enters the race.