EDITORIAL MATTERS:
We had a big scare last evening, TLE vanished from the 'net.
Something about money. We're back (for now anyway!).
The illustration up there is the cover for the new, un-censored
edition of Tom Paine Maru by L. Neil Smith, which is going to
be published very soon. You'll hear about it here first, so be sure to
stay tuned to ncc-1776.org.
This issue's Motto comes from "Congress Loves Baseball",
by Jonathan David Morris, our resident humorist. Well, not
resident, but regularly-appearing.
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Ken Holder
editor@ncc-1776.org
Editor
ARTICLES
Letters to the Editor
Letters from E.J. Totty, Jay P Hailey, and Rex Curry
FULL STORY
Uncommon Sense
by Lady Liberty
You've doubtless heard the old saying that resolves extremes by finding
the "happy medium." And we all know about "shades of grey" as opposed
to issues or problems of a purely "black and white" nature. But if we
understand and acknowledge these thingsand we typically dohow is it
that so much of what's happening in today's society represents the
extreme instead? It seems to me much the result of yet another old
saying, or more accurately, the absence of it. You see, common sense
apparently isn't.
FULL STORY
What National Debt?
by Abe Clark
Politicians love budget deficits. They can spend as
much as they want, avoid unpopular spending cuts, reward their supporters,
and claim credit for holding the line on taxes. The number of voters who
might hold them accountable for deficit spending is insignificant, and the
politician in the other major party has similar plans anyway. The downside
to deficit spending is, of course, the large and growing national debt.
FULL STORY
Stephen King is a Felon
by Francis A Ney, Jr.
I wonder what would happen if Stephen King decided to
have a book-signing in Lexington, Kentucky this weekend?
If the events of two weeks ago are any indication, he would be arrested,
handcuffed, fingerprinted and thrown in jail, charged with felonious
possession of terrorist material. That's what happened to 18 year old
William Poole, a high-school junior. Apparently, the Kentucky legislature
has made it a crime to write or possess any material involving "violence
directed at a public institution" which makes the works of Stephen King,
Tom Clancy (among others) and even the Bible, illegal.
FULL STORY
Congress Loves Baseball
by Jonathan David Morris
Apparently our national pastime is now a matter of
national security. Last week, the House Committee on
Government Reform called on several players to testify
about the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. If
you ask me, this scandal is getting to be about as
stale as the gum in a pack of baseball cards. (If
nothing else, it's at least as stale as those old
stale gum jokes. Hey, I like that gum, though.) But if
steroids are all the rage on Capitol Hill these days,
then what the hellI'll talk about 'em, too. Let's
start by taking a quick look at ten problems Congress
won't be solving the day Jose Canseco comes to town:
FULL STORY
SELF-defense
by Ron Beatty
A judge in US District court recently ruled against
citizens in a lawsuit arising from the celebration of Mardi Gras in Pioneer
Square in Seattle four years ago. One person died, and several others were
severely beaten. Eleven of the victims filed a lawsuit, alleging that the
police chief's decision to pull officers out of the turmoil of the square
placed innocent citizens in danger. Citing case law, the judge ruled against
the citizens, stating that "a state's failure to protect an individual from
private violence, even in the face of grave danger," doesn't violate
constitutional rights."
FULL STORY
I'm The Government And I'm Here To Steal Your Property
by Charles Stone, Jr.
The folks at Wal-Mart are at it again. In Alabaster,
Alabama; North Bergen, New Jersey; Denver Colorado and Ogden Utah, America's
Store is using the power of government to do its dirty work when it comes to
acquiring property upon which to build new stores.
FULL STORY
Muslim Woman's Courage Sets Example
by Wendy McElroy
Last week, Pakistan's Federal Shariat Court—the
nation's highest Islamic court—vacated an appeals court decision that
had outraged the world. In essence, the appeals court had acquitted five of
the six men convicted in the 2002 "honor rape" of Mukhtar Mai. Her ongoing
story may well foreshadow the future of Muslim women who suffer under tribal
law and other oppressive traditions. Hers is a savage tale of brutalization
and courage, with confusing twists and a resolution that is uncertain. But
it is a story of hope, which provides reason for optimism.
FULL STORY
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Back to 2005 Issues Archive