My latest FOX News/ifeminists column "False Rape Accusations May Be More Common Than Thought" has drawn interesting responses from those in the law enforcement area. I include four of them as a representative samples and I preserve the anonymity of the responder in doing so.

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A friend of mine is taking his two young sons on a trip across a few provinces to visit his father/their grandfather this summer. It will be a "guy thing" with his wife and two daughters going for a comparable visit to her family. While making plans, however, their travel agent advised him to carry along a letter from his wife verifying that she authorized him to journey with their sons. She was not similarly advised. My friend has a happy and traditional marriage; he has no criminal record or complaints outstanding. The advice was based on nothing more than he is a male who will be traveling alone with two young children. (I don't believe the sex of the children is/was a factor.) He plans to travel with the letter in his wallet because, as he says, "why look for trouble." Our society is so paranoid about child molestation and so anti-male that a father can no longer take his children on an innocent family trip with impunity. He needs the woman's/the mother's permission 'on tap' in order to deflect society's 'guilty until proven innocent' view of him.

Riot slime. From the New Scientist Blogs, Rioters could soon be in for a slippery surprise. Researchers at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, US, are working on a new non-lethal weapon that could quite literally bring them to their knees – by sliming them. The institute has developed a super-slimy substance. When fired at an unruly mob it causes rioters to simply slip over.

Of course, it also would work on protesters.

I occasionally watch CNN, so it's unavoidable that I would hear about the Americans who are getting in a lather about -- and the politicians hoping to capitalize upon -- people singing the national anthem in the wrong language.

To those über-patriots, I say: cease immediately any singing of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", and learn the original lyrics, "God Save the Queen."

Hypocrites.

I heard an interesting item on the radio news yesterday. The Canadian dollar is at a 28-year high (now over US$0.90), but cross-border travel is down in both directions.

Americans are visiting less because suddenly Canadian products and services are a lot more expensive. This, we expect. But the last time the loonie was this strong, Canadians flocked across the border to shop in U.S. stores. Not this year.

Why? The reason given was that it's now too difficult for Canadians to cross casually over to the U.S. What with the hassle of added inspections and more-obnoxious-than-ever border guards, Canadians are voting with their dollars and shopping at home.

Just one more consequence of the National Security State.

Just when you think the behaviour of District Attorney Mike Nifong in the 'rape' allegedly committed by Duke Lacrossee team members could not become sleazier, he jumps out of the crazy closet at you in a suit emblazoned with a Giant "S". (No, it doesn't stand for Superman.) An article in the National Ledger entitled Duke Rape Prosecutor Shares Evidence with Black Panthers explains,



The Black Panthers are holding protests; they are part of what may well cause rioting to break out in the streets of Durham, N.C. Why the hell is Nifong sharing pre-trial information with them or any other non-party in the case?

Ah, yes. He is campaigning in the election through which he can continue deposit his behind in his formerly appointed seat of D.A. He did win, by the way. And upon winning, Nifong announced "The case continues to go forward." But, of course, the election was not a referendum on the rape case. Congratulations Mike. You are D.A. again. All it cost was your soul.

Warning: the video of Stephen Colbert's roasting of President Bush is available as a free download here and here along with various free porn videos. For many of you, I know this will be a plus. For the rest of you...Danger, danger Will Robinson!

Lesser quality video for those without a fast connection or the requisite higher tech plug-in is available in several parts here.

The competing headlines capture the conflict.

From CNN, U.S. confident of Iran sanctions. The U.S. diplomat heading crucial talks on Iran's nuclear ambitions has predicted full European support for a U.N. Security Council resolution that would allow sanctions or even force.

From IranMania, Iran confident of Russian, Chinese support. According to AFP, Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki expressed confidence that Russia and China would prevent any sanctions being imposed by the UN Security Council over his country's nuclear programme, in comments published Tuesday.

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Jim Peron goes on a terrific rip against the thugs who masquerade as "airport security", After going through seven different "safety" inspection on one flight I write down my thoughts regarding the travel Gestapo in the US: "You have fondled us without our consent. You have probed and scanned us without mercy. You have stripped off our shoes, laid bare our underwear for the world to see. You have ordered us about, dictated to us, rifled through our belongings. You get away with it because you are armed and you can and will do nasty things to us if we fail to obey the commands you bark out at us. But please don't insult us by pretending that our reluctant obedience is cooperation and our acquiescence is understanding."

For the full text, click here.

FYI, there is an interesting discussion of global warming = bad science and bad politics on the libertarian BB associated with this blog. Please feel free to browse or join that discussion or any other thread.