Just a really quick one:
- U.S. drone strike kills al-Qaeda’s No. 2 leader (WashPost) — He got the job after the last No. 2 was killed. Don’t look for any rational person to be applying for the opening, for a couple of reasons.
- Toal: DHEC’s approval of Savannah River dredging broke the law (thestate.com) — This was just in a comment from the bench, not a ruling. Yet.
- Court Won’t Revisit Gay Marriage Case; It May Go to Justices (NYT) — Nope. Kulturkampf definitely not fading away in this election year, to my sorrow.
- Unions flex muscle in early Wisconsin recall exit polls (WashPost) — You know what else I don’t hold with? Recall elections. Barring impeachable offenses, voters should have to live with their decisions until the next election.
- Transit of Venus (NPR) — At first, I had this confused with a dirty book, but it turns out to be an astronomy thing.
- Coroner: Two dogs killed 2-year-old boy near Mount Pleasant (Post & Courier) — Not the sort of thing I usually put on my front, but this was just so horrific.
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Not big on the recall election there either. Its very inefficient for government. As it basically puts the guy in campaign mode instead of working on what he elected to do.
Its effectively making every major decision a referendum as well. That’s fine but don’t be surprised if the next governor up there sits on his thumbs and cuts ribbons instead of making hard choices.
“At first, I had this confused with a dirty book, but it turns out to be an astronomy thing.”
Tropic of Cancer came to mind for me when you said dirty book.
#5–Steve is over in the Wardlaw parking lot at Main and Greene right now watching it–they’ll be there until sunset or clouding over.
Brad,
At what point does Kulturkampf become a real issue? I have friends, gay friends, who are married legally in DC, but can’t be on the same health insurance plan because the federal government does not recognize same-sex couples as legitimate. Its not KulturKampf to them. Its real money.
Saying it’s about money doesn’t help. Money talk makes my eyes glaze over…
I just don’t like the selection of our commander in chief to depend on how voters FEEL about how HE feels about social issues that don’t bear on the office. Hence what I said.
#1 – NEXT!!!
#2 – Toal’s an expert on breaking the law… even done it a few times herself.
#3 – Not news.
#4 – Shows you what happens when liberals don’t like fiscally conservative leaders.
#5 – Don’t care.
#6 – Where were the adults who were inside the house? One would think that a toddler getting mauled would create some sort of unusual noise or screaming. But it’s probably difficult to hear when you’re drunk or stoned.
Re: #6 The breed of dog isn’t mentioned in the article, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that they are pit bull or pit bull mixes.
I know, it’s not the breed it’s the owner – but in this case, there doesn’t seem to be an owner.
Not a lot of kids mauled/killed by Labradors, Australian Shepherds or Golden Retrievers. Just Sayin’
Actually, I just read a piece about a kid mauled by a Labrador. I live for dogs, but I would caution everyone that they are basically wolves and not to be left with small children unsupervised.
Also, pit bulls and other “scary” breeds tend are somewhat more likely to be owned by people who want an aggressive looking dog, and those people may not be as interested in training and supervision as Standard Poodle owners.
For the record, I own a German Shepherd Dog who has never bitten a human in 13 1/2 years, and an occasionally nippy Wiemaraner. Fortunately the Weim only nips and doesn’t do as much damage as a pit bull who “nips” a small child might do.
Another recent story about a mild-mannered breed killing a child was in the news.
When I was about 8, I was bitten by a dog on my left cheek and it took several stitches and a scar is still with me. The dog was very docile and friendly and when I touched him, suddenly, he twirled around and bit me. Immediately, he went into a submissive position. It was the first and last time he ever bit anyone. No, he wasn’t put down but was watched closely and no more touching unless I called his name first.
Point – you never know how an animal will react. Always pays to be careful, even with a long-time pet.
I had a guy defend pits to me once saying that a Chihuahua is far more aggressive.
Unfortunately its the ability to due significant damage and their aggressive tendency that make pits potentially dangerous.
Labs actually bite more people than any other dog breed, but that’s cause they are the most prevalent/popular breed in the US.
My childhood bite (non-physical scar leaving) was from a Visla.
Glad to see the dog comments are fair and measured. A relative owned a registered pit bull terrier. He was absolutely one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever been around. I’ve noticed that almost every newspaper or internet story about any person being bitten by any dog usually leads to many comments calling for the eradication of the pit bull. I find such comments cruel and absurd. Like most of the problems in the world, a modicum of education, training, and common sense for the human beings involved would lead to intelligent and workable solutions.
Kudos to the owner of the dog who bit Bart. The dog was allowed to live, and Bart learned an important, though painful, lesson. My daughter had a small scar on her face for years. She was around three years old when she decided to ignore my previous lessons and pull the cat’s tail. I don’t believe she has pulled another kitty’s tail since then. I have actually heard of idiots having a cat euthanized for defending himself from a child.
I’ll state the obvious: The “babysitters” in the article don’t appear to have the awareness necessary to watch a two-year-old. It’s really rather amazing that so many children make it to adulthood with the lack of supervision so many experience.
People misunderstand animals. Shriek in fear of snakes and pitbulls that are usually rather harmless.
One thing I came up with for my nephews was that when a dog came up to you, and you’re scared, stand very still, close your eyes and give yourself a hug. It helps calm the worst impulse–to run screaming and waiving your arms. It also doesn’t give the dog much to grab onto. Finally, it reverses the challenging posture many people take.