Live Free or Die in NH, but Do It on Candid Camera

So much for New Hampshire’s motto, “Live Free or Die”. Seems like law makers now want to invade the Granite state citizen’s privacy with Big Brother cameras.

So what would be the reason of such cameras? Safety? Hardly. New Hampshire is one of the few states that not only does not make it mandatory for adults to wear seatbelt, but there is a no helmet law for motorcycle riders as well.

So when a bill came up in early April to consider allowing robotic traffic cameras at the busiest crossroads, mocking laughter from the gallery preceded the measure’s demise.

“The idea that we were going to be photographed [by the government] was anathema to most of us,” says Neal Kurk, a Republican from Weare, N.H.

Here is an interesting example of the law of unintended consequences. So the cameras are supposed to prevent accidents, right?

… and studies showing that while T-bone accidents are reduced, the numbers of rear-end accidents tend to rise as motorists slam on their brakes to avoid tickets.

The Granite stater’s are a unique breed and take their personal freedoms and right to privacy very seriously. I would be very surprised whether this is allowed to pass in any form that would be of any useful significance. When NH residents are asked about camera cops, it probably ranks right below sales and income tax. Does not quite have the same ring, but Don’t mess with New Hampshire.

Some are Small in Size, OTHERS ARE JUST SMALL MINDED

Everybody is supposed to serve a purpose in life. Unfortunately many are just put here to be bad examples. From the files of … some people are just miserable excuses for human beings comes this story thanks to James Hudnall.

The midget mother and daughter who were allegedly terrorized by their neighbor stood tall yesterday as they faced the grand jury to testify against him.

Neither 3-foot-8 Debra Shea nor her 3-foot-6 daughter, Concelean Pegues, would comment on their testimony as they left Brooklyn Supreme Court, saying prosecutors asked them not to talk while the case is still pending.

The two were testifying against their longtime neighbor, Joseph Izzo, who was busted last week for spray-painting a yellow line leading up to their house and telling them to “follow the yellow brick road.”

Izzo, 40, who is facing hate-crime charges, is also accused of hurling racial slurs at Pegues and cruelly singing, “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go.”

Izzo was not in court yesterday, and his lawyer, his brother Richard, declined to comment.

A man who said he was Izzo’s friend said that over the past few weeks, Izzo and Shea would get into drunken fights and the two would often call the authorities on each other.

What a special individual Mr Izzo must be. As I have always said, “there are small people and small minded people.” Which would you rather be?

Jumping Jim Jeffords, Jumping Ship for Good

The 1754 blog has a great scoop. “Jumping” Jim looks like he is jumping into retirement according to National Review Beltway Buzz.

However, this time his altering of the Senate will not make any difference to the make up or control. Funny how that never panned out for Jim. You reap what you sow. However, think its great news that Jeffords is leaving? Think again?.

The buzz from the Socialist Republic of Vermont is that Bernie Sanders will run for Jefford’s Senate seat.

Although Jeffords says he plans to seek re-election, he could change his mind, and Sanders wants to be first in line for the job, Davis said.

Sanders has indicated he would run for the Senate seat should Jeffords retire.

Whatever he’s running for, Sanders has one clear advantage: He is on a first-name basis with most of Vermont.

What the hell ever happened to the state I was born? It is hard to imagine that Vermont was solid Republican; they even voted for Ford over Carter in 1976. It was not until 1992 that the state was forever lost.

If anyone wonders why Blue States are losing population and electoral votes one just needs to take a good look at Vermont and the joke that it has become. Its pretty easy to take over a state when there are barely 600K people in it.

Wherever he goes, from Brattleboro’s funky, retro-hippie downtown to upscale Woodstock, Sanders is greeted by Vermonters who shout “Give ‘em hell, Bernie” out their car windows and give him a thumbs-up sign.

Wizbang has more on “Turncoat” Jeffords and his memorable tin foil hat conspiracies.

UPDATE: OTB has the AP and NY Times links as well. I ditto Jame’s remarks regarding Jefford’s wife and her battle with cancer.

We Needed a Study to Figure This Out

Private workers perform better than Government employees. Really? Go figure. Who would ever have thought? According to AP: Private Screeners Outperform Government Workers.

A congressional investigation found airport screeners employed by private companies do a better job detecting dangerous objects than government screeners, according to a House member who has seen the classified report.

The Government Accountability Office found statistically significant evidence that passenger screeners …

“You get a statistically significant improvement if you go to federal supervision with private screening companies,” Mica said.

Private enterprise with some Governmental oversight would always be the answer in a National Security situation. Why would anyone think that a completely Government run system would ever be efficient? Maybe our Government can learn this lesson and implement the same philosophy with many other programs.

Your government money hard at work:

The Homeland Security inspector general also reported that the project manager and facility operating officer improperly purchased decorative and miscellaneous items for its new crisis management center in Herndon, Va. They kept the nature of the purchases hidden by charging them to the construction contract as “equipment and tools,” according to the report.

The project spent $252,392 on artwork, $29,032 on art consultants, $30,085 on silk plants and $13,861 on lamps and other equipment, the report said.

Pretty easy to spend money when its not yours.

Has The SCOTUS Been Drinking Hallucinogenic Tea

With all the cases that the US Supreme Court has refused to hear, now they have decided to hear and decide whether the federal government must allow the U.S. branch of a Brazilian-based religion to import a hallucinogenic tea for use as a sacrament.

This would actually tend to make sense as many believe that with some of their rulings lately, like removing the death penalty option from minors, that the SCOTUS have actually been drinking Hallucinogenic Tea.

The high court agreed to review a U.S. appeals court ruling that said the government could not prohibit the sacramental use of the tea because of a 1993 religious freedom law.

The U.S. Justice Department said that under the ruling the government must allow the importation and possession of hoasca tea for religious services, even though it contains an illegal, controlled substance that can be potentially dangerous.

There is something seriously wrong in this country. Under the cry of “separation of church and state” we have religious and historical symbols like the 10 Commandments taken out of Court Houses. Yet, it would appear that Courts have no problems with Non-traditional religions to allow illegal substances to be brought into the US in the name of a religious sacrament.

So what’s next? Anyone can form a religion and have as their sacrament the date-rape drug? How in God’s name is a law written that would protect religious freedom at the expense of the harm to individuals? What part about the fact that the ingredients in the tea are banned substances in the US? Why does it appear that the only time the Courts interpret such a law is when there is a perversion of the intended meaning of protecting religions? I hardly think it is right to allow one law at the breaking of another.