Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange wants to pass a law in North Carolina -- and not just a law, but a Constitutional Amendment that would guarantee and require "Health Care for All." Yes, this person actually believes that there should be a North Carolina Constitutional RIGHT to health care.

This shows how incredibly insane some people are. It shows that they absolutely do not comprehend how the real world works. I have mentioned this before, but it obviously needs to be mentioned again -- you cannot have a right that requires someone else's labor -- it's not possible.

You might think it would be nice for everyone to have health care. I agree, it would be nice. But it simply cannot work. Every time socialism is tried, it fails. Yes, some people will get better health care than others in a free society. If you don't like that, get up off your lazy rear and do something about it -- other than taking from me.

If you want to open a free clinic, you go right ahead. If you want to give your money to pay the medical bills of those who cannot afford it, you go right ahead. But you simply have NO right to force me to work for someone else -- and that's what "Health care for all" really is.

If everyone gets health care for free, then I am forced into slave labor to pay for their health care. Of course, then government will then dictate the cost. And then people will not work for that amount, and government will have to force people to provide that health care against their will.

Health care for all might sound nice, but it is an absolutely horrible idea that can only lead to slavery.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:19 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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They just keep making these available. There's a new image from the movie on the site (click the image below). The scene for this one (Image #6), is pretty neat, but kinda dumb. It shows Tom Cruise leaning out the door of a moving vehicle and shooting at the people following him.

That's the cool part. Now the weird part is that he's leaning down so that his head is just above the ground. If they were in NC, he'd be sure to hit it on a pothole. But hey, click the image below and take a peek yourself.

Posted by: Ogre at 07:09 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Oh yes! Who could EVER forget Chantilly Lace?

"Oh Baby, you Knoooooow what I like!"

And for total, utter silliness, how can you do without Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor? No, really! I also got attached to Little Red Riding Hood. Good stuff, there, good stuff.

Posted by: Ogre at 06:09 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Another of those who was lost to Rock 'n Roll that fateful day was Ritchie Valens.

A lot of people know his music from the movie "La Bamba." Of course, that was based on his song, "La Bamba." But he had so much more music. I really liked Donna, even though I've never known anyone actually named Donna.

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Buddy Holly. A nice collection. One of my favorites of his is Peggy Sue. I remember singing along with that one so many times: "Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty Peggy Sue, uh-oh Peggy. My Peggy Sue-uh-ue."

Well All Right... is another classic. And who could forget That'll be the day? Great, great stuff.

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Are you a North Carolina blogger? Have YOU made your submission this week? The Tavern is going to be hosted HERE, so come on! Surely you posted SOMETHING worthy of the great Tarheel Tavern carnival?

Heck, even if you're not IN North Carolina, but you're blogging about something that happened in North Carolina, you can submit!

Saturday afternoon, I've got some plans, so the carnival won't be posted until late Saturday or early Sunday, but it's coming, and it will be here. If you're from or about North Carolina, you need to send your post to me (click the email link over there on the left).

Posted by: Ogre at 03:07 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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There's a comment on my post Money in NC Politics. It was one of my daily posts on the workings of Democrats in North Carolina government. This particular post pointed out the problem and the solution to money in government, specifically mentioning the $3,000,000.00 already raised by Democrats for the 2008 election for governor.

The comment said:

The Big O is correct (again). All levels of government are awash with contributions and lobbyists' money because that is a rational response to the leviathan that now reaches into every nook and cranny of our economic lives. Any one of us would be making maximum contributions out to politicians if those politicians could, with one line in the tax code, put us out of business. By dramatically reducing the size and scope of government, you also reduce the need for businessmen and women to protect themselves using campaign contributions and lobbyists from that government.

So, if you're interested in supporting a real conservative, this is one that you can support. Head on over and see if you agree with his platform!

Posted by: Ogre at 01:01 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Today is the anniversary of the Day the Music Died. 47 years ago today, on February 3, 1959, three absolute greats in music were killed in a plane crash in Iowa. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson died. They were true pioneers in the Rock 'n Roll world and will always be remembered.

I'm not old enough to remember the day, as I wasn't even born yet. But I'm still powerfully moved by their music. I've also heard the tribute to that day from Don MacLean, "American Pie" about 10,000 times. I'm going to listen to it yet again today.

"Bye bye Miss American Pie..."

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In North Carolina, a father has zero say in their child's life -- if he's not married to the mother. Keep that in mind, potential fathers. In the decision, the courts ruled that a father could not object to a child being put up for adoption the mother supported.

In addition, the court ruled that the alienation of affection law (utterly HATED by liberal Democrats) could be applied to someone who steals a spouse even after the date of divorce.

The alienation of affection law, for those not in NC, says that if one person "lures" another into adultery, the person not in the marriage can be sued for financial and other damages. In this case, the relationship started, then the couple got divorced. And folks, that's against the law. Keep that in mind, if you're visiting the this state.

Posted by: Ogre at 10:07 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Ktreva, from The Reality Ranch decided to post a quiz, and for some reason thought of me when she did, I have NO idea why.

I figured I had a spare 12 seconds, so I went and took the quiz.

your a llama! you are uber cool but you just don't

know it O_o you tend to be a little random at

times but you don't seem to care.


o_O What weird creature are you? O_o
brought to you by Quizilla

I don't get it. A llama is a weird animal?

Posted by: Ogre at 07:04 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Kretva????? What am I German now? Don't you complain about the media not checking their resources?? I am so making sure that Contagion is not your Thrall after this!

Posted by: ktreva at February 03, 2006 03:50 AM (e8b4J)

2 Ring-tailed Lemur? Always did like those critters. As for Llamas, outfitters in Colorado have a saying, "The best way to pack a llama is on a mule!" You, a Llama? NAH! You're much too HUN-ish! ;-)

Posted by: DagneyT at February 03, 2006 04:19 AM (lu4Wi)

3 Anyone who spells their name with three consecutive consanants is required to have their name spelled wrong at least 3 times a month. Them's the rules! And Dagney? I've never heard that about llamas! ... Or Huns...

Posted by: Ogre at February 03, 2006 10:41 AM (+Gl1m)

4 How many times did you have to take it until you got llama?

Posted by: vw bug at February 03, 2006 07:34 PM (OD3ab)

5 Just the once, oddly enough...

Posted by: Ogre at February 04, 2006 12:19 AM (+Gl1m)

6 Thanks for fixing my name

Posted by: ktreva at February 04, 2006 01:55 AM (e8b4J)

7 Well, cher up. I am an 'evil kitty'. Talk about redundant!

Posted by: Peter Porcupine at February 04, 2006 04:58 AM (tKnUK)

8 Now kittys ARE evil. Everyone knows that.

Posted by: Ogre at February 04, 2006 03:25 PM (+Gl1m)

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Well, why not? They support anything that would oppose goodness and laws. In this case, they are seriously questioning a HIGH SCHOOL that is administering breathalyzer tests to students. The ACLU claims that it's not right and not OK because they school is not profiling and is administering the tests to everyone.

So the ACLU opposes profiling, and they oppose checking everyone. In other words, the ACLU opposes ANYONE from being checked.

In case you missed it, this is at a HIGH SCHOOL. Last time I checked, there weren't a lot of 21-year olds in high school (of course this IS a government school...). Therefore, if anyone is attending the school dance (that's the only time they test) and is drunk, they are breaking the law.

But then, that must be why the ACLU opposes this test. The ACLU believes these students, aged 15-19, apparently have a right to not only drink alcohol, but to attend a public function on taxpayer property, while intoxicated. Keep that in mind next time the ACLU asks for your support.

Now if the ACLU were to win this lawsuit, who do you think would be the first ones to start screaming when a student attended the dance drunk and got in a car crash on the way home? The ACLU is a pile of crap.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 150 blogs already on-board.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:01 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Thank you, Denmark, for not caving in to terrorists. Welcome to the global war on terror. The French, however, as expected, have surrendered. For the original cartoons that caused all the problems, see RottWeiler Puppy.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:02 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Happy GroundHog Day!

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The election for NC governor is not until 2008. So, how much will it cost if you want to be governor? So far (and there's over 2 years left), 3 Democrats have raised over $3,000,000.00. The candidates? Lt. Gov Perdue, Treasurer Moore, and Atty General Cooper. All 3 are current office holders who were re-elected to their current positions in 2004.

So why so much money? Why is so much money paid to people to run for governor? Shouldn't it cost less? Wouldn't it be great if non-professional career people could run for office? What's the solution?

The solution is NOT to limit freedom of speech. The solution is NOT to stop people from donating or spending money. The solution is to get the money out of government -- if government weren't spending tens of billions of dollars, people wouldn't pay millions to politicians.

If government didn't have ultimate control and millions of regulations controlling every aspect of business and personal life, people wouldn't need to bribe politicians to get freedom. Freedom would be owned by the people, not by the government.

Get cash out of government -- by NOT by taking away freedom of speech.

Posted by: Ogre at 10:03 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Hey look -- the Mission Impossible: III web site has more stuff. They've got two more images that you can steal view and use. And yes, they do have Tom Cruise in them, so if you don't like him, just ignore me, it, and this.

They've also announced their new Super Bowl ad. It's not going to be on the internet until Feb 6th, but when it is released, I'll have it for you here first! The ad will also reveal one of the first clues in their global treasure hunt they're doing to promote the movie.

For more on the treasure hunt, just click the image below and see what's going on with the movie!

Posted by: Ogre at 07:01 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Usually I think the Electronic Frontier Foundation does some good work. This time, they've just gone off their rocker. The EFF has filed suit against AT&T. For what?

This case challenges the legality of DefendantsÂ’ participation in a secret and illegal government program to intercept and analyze vast quantities of AmericansÂ’ telephone and Internet communications, surveillance done without the authorization of a court and in violation of federal electronic surveillance and telecommunications statutes, as well as the First and Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

I think these people aren't quite aware of the Constitution. If there's a violation of "freedom of speech," it's difficult and almost impossible for an individual company to do so. If a company tells you to shut up about something, there cannot be a free speech violation.

If you're employed by them, you either shut up or get fired. If you're not employed by them, feel free to ignore them. Either way, there's no violations. It's the same with the fourth and other alleged violations here -- they're WAY off base with this lawsuit.

In addition, they're intentionally ignorant of the law. They list zero people who were harmed. If no one has been harmed, if there are no victims, what damages can they sue for? There are none! The lawsuit simply lists some people who have called long distance.

The lawsuit also claims that AT&T violated the law by giving database records to the government. Hey loons, unlike Google, perhaps AT&T is actually complying with law -- when the government subpoenas documents that may contain evidence of terrorism and acts against the government, you're supposed to provide them. Don't like it? Elect someone else.

I could go through each point of the lawsuit, but why? The lawsuit goes on for 28 pages. Each section lists the law that's allegedly been broken. And nearly every one has a section at the end that is similar to this:

(6) on demand of other lawful authority.

The lawsuit should be dismissed for various reasons, very quickly. There is no basis for the lawsuit. There is no evidence of any damages. The people listed in the lawsuit as suing and the lawyers who filed the suit should be heavily fined to discourage such lawsuit abuse.

But, in all likelihood, this is just a publicity stunt, being paid for with tax dollars (for court and document processing fees). Then again, AT&T might just give them some money to shut up -- again paid for by all customers to AT&T.

Posted by: Ogre at 05:06 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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It seems there's an attempt to infuse a slight bit of common sense into South Dakota laws. The lawmakers there have passed a bill (out of committee) that would remove drunk horseback riding as a crime -- and drunk bike riding.

Yes, it sounds stupid, but I actually know someone in Minnesota who got a DUI while riding a bicycle. That's right, hundreds of dollars in fines, community service, massively increased AUTOMOBILE insurance, police record, and all the associated stigma -- for drinking 3 beers and riding his bicycle.

The new law would allow people to ride a horse or bicycle home when they're drunk (keep in mind these days "drunk" means you had as little as ONE beer with the moronic 0.08 BAC laws). And as a side effect, this might actually decrease "drunk" driving -- since before there was no advantage to riding your bike home -- you might as well drive you car -- the penalty was the same!

This could also help businesses (since that's one of the primary purposes of government today). For example, I often consider going to the local pub for a beer. However, I realize that I cannot, because if I drink one beer and leave, I could get a DUI. Instead, I just buy a case and stay home.

If I could ride my bike to the pub, have a beer, and then ride home without fear of worse punishment than committing murder because of a DUI on a bicycle, I could actually visit the pub more often. Sure, I might scratch up a knee on my way home, but government would have more of my money, so they'd be happen.

Posted by: Ogre at 03:02 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Ok, for those who aren't interested in the details, a quick summary of president Bush's state of the union address:

War on Terror -- we're winning, and we're not stopping.
Iraq -- we're winning, and we've almost won.
Tax cuts -- good, but not enough, and they need to be permanent.
Federal spending -- Bush will cut everything but "security" spending.
Social security, Medicare, Medicaid -- Spend more.
Immigration -- stronger borders, allow more people in via "guest worker programs."
Health care -- government to "confront" higher costs.
Medical liability reform -- wants Congress to pass it.
Energy -- HUGE increases in government spending on research.
Automobiles -- gigantic increases in research spending.
Education -- enormous increases in federal spending.
Crime -- down is good.
Human cloning -- wants it banned.
Juvenile delinquents -- give them money.
New Orleans -- even MORE money.
AIDS -- spend piles of cash on it.

Well. I'm not sure that doesn't contradict itself, but there you have it. I'm not quite sure how he's going to cut spending while increasing spending, or how to tighten the borders while welcoming more "guest workers," but that is what it is.

And as a side note who like to attack conservatives, if Bush were a fiscal conservative, everywhere you see "increased spending" above, it would read "decrease spending." So no, he simply is not a fiscal conservative. But then, I'm not sure any elected officials are, since they're so busy buying votes with my money in the form of giveaways.

If you want more, check Eidelblog, Combs Spouts Off, Louisiana Libertarian, Below the Beltway, and Q and O.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:02 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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In case you thought North Carolina was a state with self-government, I have yet another example to show you why it is not. And no, this isn't about government "official" who is ignoring the will of the people -- at times, that should happen. This is about how the government is set up in North Carolina.

There are just 7 states in the entire US that allow involuntary annexation. That is a process by which any city or municipality can decide they want land nearby to be theirs, and they just take it. Of those 7, only 3 do not allow citizens to vote on the annexation.

So, in North Carolina, if you live in the country and want to have nothing to do with a nearby city, you have absolutely, literally, no say in the matter -- you don't even get to elect the people who are annexing you!

This is how the city of Charlotte gets to claim it is a fast-growing city -- it's not because people are moving to the city, it's because the city has been involuntarily annexing surrounding people at a rate of over 20,000 people per year.

So, what's the hope of getting back to self-government? Elect people to the North Carolina legislature that will change that law. Allow property owners an actual say in what happens to them and the land they own. If you're opposed to that, it can only be because you don't trust people. I'm sorry, I trust people. I believe they will do what is best for them -- unlike the government.

John Hopkins has more.

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