A Phony Stat That Will Never Die (But Is Killing Me)

Last week I turned a blind eye to Nick Kristof's head-scratching comparison of automobile regulation with gun regulation. But now the Times editors are goading me with supportive letters highlighting a ludicrous statistic:

To the Editor:

Re “Our Blind Spot About Guns,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, July 31):

Regulating motor vehicles, drivers and roads has saved countless lives. The same must be done for a product intended not to provide transportation but to kill people.

If we continue with business as usual, guns will kill more Americans than cars by 2015. They already do in 14 states and the District of Columbia. New York is not one of these states thanks to strong laws that keep guns out of the wrong hands.

There are roughly 30,000 gun deaths per year, of which about 20,000 are suicides and 10,000 are homicides or accidents. Auto deaths are around 30,000 but the suicide-by-car crash rate does not seem to be reported separately (this possibly credible estimate cites a 1.7% rate). I am not alone in thinking that including 20,000 suicides is a misleading use of numbers.

So, are these gun control advocates ignorant of the real stats, or simply liars? Per Slate, we can't rule out ignorance. On the other hand, the NY Times is all about homicides-only when it suits their agenda, such as advocating for the rights of the mentally ill.

Puzzling.

AND BACK TO AUTOMOBILE REGULATION...

From the original Kristof column:

That question is a reflection of our national blind spot about guns. The truth is that we regulate cars quite intelligently, instituting evidence-based measures to reduce fatalities. Yet the gun lobby is too strong, or our politicians too craven, to do the same for guns. So guns and cars now each kill more than 30,000 in America every year.

One constraint, the argument goes, is the Second Amendment. Yet the paradox is that a bit more than a century ago, there was no universally recognized individual right to bear arms in the United States, but there was widely believed to be a “right to travel” that allowed people to drive cars without regulation.

A court struck down an early attempt to require driver’s licenses, and initial attempts to set speed limits or register vehicles were met with resistance and ridicule. When authorities in New York City sought in 1899 to ban horseless carriages in the parks, the idea was lambasted in The New York Times as “devoid of merit” and “impossible to maintain.”

Yet, over time, it became increasingly obvious that cars were killing and maiming people, as well as scaring horses and causing accidents. As a distinguished former congressman, Robert Cousins, put it in 1910: “Pedestrians are menaced every minute of the days and nights by a wanton recklessness of speed, crippling and killing people at a rate that is appalling.”

Courts and editorial writers alike saw the carnage and agreed that something must be done. By the 1920s, courts routinely accepted driver’s license requirements, car registration and other safety measures.

That is an interesting bit of history, although a famous car guy observed that "history is bunk". Well. As a practical, the concept of "rules of the road" surely preceded the invention and popularization of the automobile. In any urban setting it is hard to imagine how vehicles, whether horse-drawn carriages or automobiles, could co-operate without agreed conventions on right-of-way, traffic signs, and so on. 

But even today, it would be entirely legal for a New Yorker who lacked a driver's license to own an uninsured car that lacked seat belts and air bags. Shocking? Hardly - leaving the car in a private garage would be fine; taking it on the street would violate several laws.

So how does that analogize to guns? Beats me. If an gun enthusiast tried to possess a scary unregistered "assault weapon" in his own home he could be violating NY State law, even though he would get a pass on an unregistered non "Street Legal" car left in his or her garage.

And of course, if I drive down the street I am denying the space I occupy to other drivers; if I walk down the sidewalk with a concealed handgun, the additional space I occupy should not impede another's progress. Mostly.

Comments

[boris]

Where does it say the "right of the people to ride around in automobiles shall not be infringed"?

[Comanche Voter]

Never be quick to attribute to malevolence that which can be explained by mere stupidity.

[jimmyk]

Boris, there's always this:

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

In any case, is Kristof seriously suggesting that guns are not regulated? Probably as much if not more than autos?

[Fen]

Its simple to see their motivation - they already admit they know cars kill more than guns, so where is their Bloomberg Driver Safety Initiative or similar nonsense?

ie. deaths are not really their concern. They have another reason. Why won't they share that reason with the rest of us?

[Ignatz]

Why the persistent false choice in the penultimate sentence?

[peter]

What the ruling class sees is if you have it, i can regulate it. We already see in NYC a new initiative with the utopian name of vision zero wherein Mayor Warren Wilhelm is lowering speed limits, increasing red light cameras, radar camera. If you own it, they will tax it, and regulate it and or seize it. Doesn't matter if it is guns, cars or soda.

[Miss Marple]

All of these regulations and taxes are based on the following:

Stopping resistance to their programs
Curtailing movement
Curtailing speech
Sucking any enjoyment out of life

I maintain that they are dreadfully unhappy people, and they are determined that the rest of us suffer with them.

[rse]

Agree with peter. Plus having armed citizens who are being lied to by politicians at every level is a powder keg. Since no one intends to end the deceit, must disarm the ungrateful serfs.

I was reading through the Career Pthways the feds were locking states into even before WIOA and the dominant role of working for government and policy planning and the language should give us all pause.

I also put up a bunch of links this morning showing why Texas had no need for CCSS participation. It had already quietly adopted most of the policies at the state level.

[NKtryin' tologin]

Ignatz@11:33-- fair enough. TomM is too subtle for me to know what he actually believes, but speaking for myself, people like Kristof and Bloomie have proven that they have no interest in facts and rational social policy. They know what they know and what they want, and what they want is no guns for the every man. Only for the cops and their personal bodyguards. Confiscate the rest by any means necesary. That's what they are about.

[Man Tran on iPhone]

A comment over at the Codevilla column:

However, it should also be noted that the Republican establishment (including most of its senators) would not remove Obama from office, even if it had the power to do so, because the Republican establishment simply is not partisan in the same way the Democrats are. They see their primary role as serving as lobbyists for their risk-averse, angle-seeking business donors, rather than exercising national power, find much of Obama’s agenda acceptable (e.g., immigration and even, truth be told, Obamacare), and have not the stones to do something that would make their donors nervous and would call down upon them the wrath of the harpies of the media, academia, and the legal establishment.

Sounds like anyone of our insightful JOMers.

[windansea]

another interesting statistic:

All Tennessee's Employment Growth Since 2000 Has Gone to Immigrants; Yet, Natives Accounted for 60% of Population Growth

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101890969#.

I work for a large developer in SW Florida, and all of the crews; cement, roofing, framing etc are Hispanic. These are pretty high paying jobs so the old saw that immigrants only take low paying jobs "Americans won't do" is a bunch of baloney. They take the highest paying jobs they can get.

[MarkO]

They lack the intelligence to make fine distinctions.

[cathyf]

it would be entirely legal for a New Yorker who lacked a driver's license to own an uninsured car that lacked seat belts and air bags.

Our family has noted with some amusement that my cousin who rebuilds antique cars had bought, restored and sold his first 2 before he was old enough to drive. He had his older brother (a mechanic) do the actual test drives when any were necessary.

[Miss Marple]

The advantage certain contractors find to using illegals is more than just pay.

They won't complain to authorities for safety or work condition violations.
They are hard workers.
They won't sue.
They rarely take a day off work.

[Ignatz]

All the talk of crime ans suicide and accidental shootings is a sideshow.
The left and the founders (and the NRA for that matter) see guns in exactly the same way. They both recognize widespread citizen ownership of firearms is the best and most reliable insurance against tyranny.

They only part company in whether that is desirable.

[lyle]

The stereotype about gun owners from the gun grabbers never fails to amuse me. The grabbers think all, or damn near all, the gun owners are...male. And, of course, white. And uneducated. And [insert all the icky other qualities the progs find distasteful]...

[Ignatz]

Relinking JiB's link demonstrating the staged "massacre" at the UN school in Gaza.
Do we know whether any or all of them were even dead or weren't killed by Hamas themselves?
How do you 'trust but verify' when there's no trust and no way to verify?

[lyle]

Little Nickie should come to the range with me some time. Or take a CWP class. But that might crack open his--what's the fashionable term these days? Oh, yeah--epistemic closure.

[NKtryin' tologin]

Ignatz@12:14-- of course the Left would never admit to being tyrannical, they claim to have the objective of an 'enlightened' society. "Enlightened', just like Stalin's, or Hitler's or Mao's or Big Brother's enlightened societies.

[Captain Hate]

McTurtle married well:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/05/in-kentucky-elaine-chao-endures-racist-attacks-from-liberals.html

[Rick B]

Why aren't gays subject to regulation based upon their lethality?

Should infecting someone with a terminal disease be classified as homicide or should the willing victim be classified as a suicide?

It sure appears that gays are at least 50% more lethal than guns.

[Miss Marple]

As we predicted:

http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/04/feds-placed-honduran-girl-in-care-of-illegal-immigrant-sponsor-who-sexually-abused-her-allegedly/

[NKtryin' tologin]

Prior thread mentioned Cuba. Here's a link to Senate charter air spending, makes me think of Senator Geary flying down to Havana to watch 'Superman' in action: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/07/31/senators-charter-1million-flights/13379561/

[Miss Marple]

https://www.breakingnews.com/topic/africa-ebola-outbreak-2014/

You can scroll and see updates. Suspected case in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Testing someone in Columbus, Ohio. British Air has suspended flights to and from Sierra Leone and Guinea. Etc.

Also, Secret Service has been briefed on symptoms. I wonder why?

[daddy]

Nancy Pelosi yesterday: 'This isn’t about the duration of the war. The war in Afghanistan is over.'”

Anybody know if the American Lt General killed in Khandahar today knew that the War in Afghanistan was over?

[NKtryin' tologin]

3-star general?

[DebinNC]

The WH isn't saying which African leaders will share the head table with BOzo tonight, but it's doubtful that Accra and Ghana delegates will have the dubious honor.

[Ignatz]

Powerful argument that if the DC court behaves properly they will not review Halbig en banc.

[Beasts of England]

Slightly off topic: I'm on my second day of returning and exchanging cable boxes at the lake, as Charter went all digital (whatever that means). Amazingly, I got at least two televisions working and the digital service has about 50 music channels. Listening to some beautiful jazz at the moment. Life ain't too bad...

[henry]

Deb, Accra sounds like a good place for the new UN HQ.

[Dave (in MA) (on a crappy Linux machine)]

daddy, if you google that Pelosi quote, you'll find that it's over 9 years old.

[Ignatz]

Since we know "if you like your healthcare plan you can keep your healthcare plan" was a sick joke can we follow up with "take my Obamacare plan, please."

[Marlene]

MM,the Bangor Daily continues to reassure us that the plane with the Ebola patient was not a risk to residents. OK,so the media and city officials should shut up now,the local angle of the story was over four hours ago. Honestly,do they think we're stupid? The patient was in an "Aeromedical Biological Containment System."

[daddy]

Well. As a practical, the concept of "rules of the road" surely preceded the invention and popularization of the automobile. In any urban setting it is hard to imagine how vehicles, whether horse-drawn carriages or automobiles, could co-operate without agreed conventions on right-of-way, traffic signs, and so on.

On my field trip to Darwin's home in Down England last month, the tall skinny bus that weaved for about a mile down a very skinny lane and dropped me at his house twice met oncoming vehicles. The road was way too skinny for 2 vehicles to pass, so both vehicles stopped and one vehicle would back up until there was a very slight opening on the side of the road that would allow each vehicle to just squeak past each other. The first time the other guy backed up and the 2nd time the Bus I was in backed up.

Discussing this a few days back with my Brit neighbor from York, England, she said that that was very normal. She said that stretches way back to the horse and buggy days. She said that whichever driver is closest to an area allowing a slight pull off is the guy who has to do the backing up and pulling off. She said that has been the rule for forever. She said it's obviously not such a big problem nowadays what with all the big roads, until you get in the old parts of the country where the rock walls built centuries ago limit the size of the lanes to those teeny tiny roads.

So there.

Good morning!

[Beasts of England]

Is that the first general killed in Afghanistan?

[daddy]

daddy, if you google that Pelosi quote, you'll find that it's over 9 years old.

Thanks Dave, I thought it was yesterday. Shows what I know:)

Never mind.

[Dave (in MA)]

daddy, it just makes Pelosi that much more stoopider.

[Ignatz]

--where the rock walls built centuries ago limit the size of the lanes to those teeny tiny roads--

Krugman would tell them full employment and massive national wealth wait just around the corner by pulling down the rock walls and reassembling them 10 feet further out. If they had to dismantle and rebuild homes along the lanes so much the better.
Perhaps they could also employ young toughs to use some of the rocks to break random windows.

[daddy]

FOX says the suicide/murderer of the General was wearing a military uniform. Sort'a like the 13 illegals picked up yesterday trying to cross the US Border wearing Marine Corp outfits.

Off on a big dog walk. later.

[Captain Hate]

Speaking of Kandahar, was anybody else amused when the smartest boy from Hope, Arkansas referred to it as a "little town"?

[Ignatz]

Relinking Angelo Codevilla's excellent impeachment essay which I may have posted on last night's thread after most everyone was on the new threads.

[Old Lurker]

Ya want DOOM?

Toothpaste, see Tube.

LUN

[Jack is Back!]

Gee, I don't know but maybe this lady is amused.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2716667/Afghan-princess-refuses-leave-390-month-rent-controlled-luxury-Manhattan-apartment-accustomed-certain-lifestyle.html

$390 a month for a 2 floor apartment worth $11 million - rent control on steroids.

[Jack is Back!]

OL,

Its DOOM™

There is also a DOOM® and a DOOM©.

But there are no plain DOOMs:)

[Old Lurker]

Darn, JiB, I would refer you to my lawyer at the Patent & Trademark Office, but he seems to be busy on his computer at the moment.

[GMax]

Oh MY! On the heels of Runt Silver tells the progs that a beat down was mostly definitely still on the table, and a Democrat strategist admitting that angry voters were a bridge too far for Democrats, we then get this RAS poll:

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending August 3 finds that 42% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 38% would choose the Democrat instead.

Understand that the generic ballot rarely ever shows plus Republican, let alone plus 4, and Republicans tend to do very well in elections even when the generic ballot shows a low plus for Democrats.

Once school starts back, and primaries are over, we may see a wave form that makes 2010 look puny. Not an absolute foregone conclusion, but its likelihood is growing...

[henry]

I believe OL has a license to ALL CAPS MODE from GUS INC which predates and is infringed upon by the DOOM variants.

[Ignatz]

Well, well; the illegal unaccompanied minors don't show up for their hearings so ICE issues a change of venue and the kid disappears, never to be seen again until he's just DREAMy.
Shocking.

[Old Lurker]

Thank you Henry.

[Beasts of England]

I got so caught up with my new jazz station that I forgot I had a point to make about something. The new digital boxes are rent-free for the first two years (don't know why, nor do I care). However, according to the paperwork, if you're on Medicaid, they're free for five years!

Not Medicare or Medicaid - just Medicaid! Sheesh. OPM - DOOM™©®!

[Ignatz]

--I believe OL has a license to ALL CAPS MODE from GUS INC which predates and is infringed upon by the DOOM variants.--

Finally, a lever against marko's tyranny.

[narciso]

Yes, Tarnak Farms is near Kandahar airport, which was Gary Berntsen, pointed out is the second largest city in Afghanistan, Soylent could probably tell you how big a whopper with cheese that was. he was as big a sitting duck
as when the ISI was serving as UBL's moving company

[Danube on iPad]

2-star.

[Danube on iPad]

"The border is secure."

Watch the video.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/08/164575-one-question-trucker-crossing-border-sums-illegal-immigration-crisis-become/

[Captain Hate]

Empire of Jeff is getting the Miss Marple treatment:

http://minx.cc:1080/?post=350968

[Miss Marple]

Captain Hate, has he been disappeared? I am not seeing what you are talking about.

[Ignatz]

Susanna Martinez or Scott Walker? Tough choice. New Mexico to reinstate work requirements for food stamps.

[Miss Marple]

Ignatz, why not both on the ticket?

I really like her.

[Captain Hate]

ace started calling him out after a perhaps ill advised comment. ace can do whatever he wants because it's his blog but he loses me completely when he starts making sarcastic following comments which are far away from the original offense.

Just delete it with a message why he's doing it and move on. I refuse to interact with him when he starts hectoring others but it's very frustrating to read; I felt the same way when he put MM on the sidebar although that was so over the top that I criticized it when he specifically solicited comments on whether it was right or wraong.

[Ignatz]

I hope that agent at 2:12 appreciates his new desk job in an unheated basement somewhere remote on the North Dakota border.

[Ignatz]

--Ignatz, why not both on the ticket?-

If she's the veep candidate I can just hear the Dems;
"Oh, the woman and Hispanic is in second place behind the privileged white male."
What's the answer to that for the mushes in the middle?

[Porchlight]

I like Susana Martinez, but New Mexico is teeny-tiny. She doesn't seem anywhere near as impressive as Scott Walker IMO.

[narciso]

So, re Brooks, does he mean to put a shovel, in front of himself to step on, the easiest way sadly to dismiss the legacy of the west,
the Tocqueville vs. Foucault/Fanon axis is to
make it exclusively white,

[NKtryin' tologin]

Congressional Generics-- if 2010 is going to be prologue, it was at this point that the LV polls in 2010 showed repubs beating Dems. In the final week of October 2010, Galupp had Repbs up 15%, RCP average was almost 10%: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/2010_generic_congressional_vote-2171.html

[Beasts of England]

@Captain: I wouldn't be surprised to see Ace go Full Johnson (and you never go Full Johnson) within the next few months. He has become so politically correct that both his feet are on the slide and his ass can't be far behind.

EoJ made a course assessment - that's all, in my sweet opinion - but his calculus will save more lives than the Ewoks.

[narciso]

Christian Adams tale of the deposition in the Sherrod case is chilling indeed, the zampolit
attitude in action

[Ignatz]

Not sure where I read it but the guy made the pertinent point that in 2010 the Reps were vastly underrepresented due to 2006 and 2008 and so had much more upside.
Now after 2010 they are far more close to their optimal number and so their "wave" upside is much more limited, which makes considerable sense.
His analysis did not apply to the Senate which has lagged the House in realigning since 06 and 08.

[Porchlight]

Ace is a real nannyish putz sometimes.

[Captain Hate]

Beasts, ace had been veering away from that type of behavior recently imo so this one was, if not "from out of nowhere", at least somewhat unexpected. I guess he can never not be that way.

I once wrote something in the morning thread that offended quite a few commentors and, in retrospect, I guess I shouldn't have written and subsequently apologized. The worst part of it was getting a lecture from Malor, a liar and hypocrite.

[Porchlight]

NK, you really didn't see a whole lot of LV generic ballot polling in 2010 until a little bit later in September. We still have a bunch of primaries and then it will start to get serious.

[Beasts of England]

Malor? I'd call that a compliment, Capt!

[Porchlight]

Me too, Captain.

[narciso]

what I was referring to:

http://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2014/08/04/exclusive-inside-a-deposition-in-shirley-sherrods-speech-chilling-lawsuit-v-breitbart/

I guess with the networks removing all doubt and calling it wisdom, I guess a 42/38 breakdown in support of Israel is welcome news

[lyle]

http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/comrade-rosa-delauro-colonial-sugar-tax-t14672.html

[Captain Hate]

I slept very well that evening iirc.

Btw EoJ has, unlike me, donated money to ace previously, which he pointed out when ace wrote something offensively dimwitted about Christianity, perhaps a subject he should leave alone. I'd think self interest might dictate a more conciliatory approach.

[clarice]

There are roads like that in Southern France, too, daddy. None were as bad as those in Portugal though where even one normal sized car had to squeeze thru. Often I wished for a deux chevaux --those cars had canvas sides.

[Marlene]

On topic,sort of. From the Bangor Daily..."driverless car travels 500 feet before crashing into another car and a building." Even without a driver a car can be lethal. Unlike a gun. No injuries,but thousands in damage.

[Jack is Back!]

I peek in Ace's from time to time. The commenters are a hoot especially some of their handles. But for some reason I can't take more than 5 minutes there - not as collegial or infromative as here - more sophmoric at times and then a spark of genius will show up at comment 156:)

[Ignatz]

If the Koch brothers gave The People's Cube $20million to expose the country to his brilliant propaganda,instead of to the godforsaken ACLU, conservative/libertarian ideas would see a huge surge in acceptance just from how he skewers the left.

[Ignatz]

Same here, JiB.

[Beasts of England]

Donated money to Ace? Is he a 501(c)(3) or something? lol

And that's a good reason for individual bloggers to be stinking rich, like TM - they don't have to beg and risk their editorial content.

[Captain Hate]

HOF baldilocks:

As a person who is more closely descended from Africa than most here, I'm forced to agree...with E of J.

In my opinion, Africa has been cursed since Nimrod.

Posted by: baldilocks at August 05, 2014 03:09 PM (36Rjy)

Difference: zionists don't drink blood. Many African tribes do behave in a barbaric manner.

Posted by: baldilocks is dedicated to the truth at August 05, 2014 03:12 PM (36Rjy)

[narciso]

So among the idiots who voted against the Iron Dome were Keith Ellison and Beto 'I'm s moron'
O'Rourke

[lyle]

I agree, Ig. But I linked that just so the clicker gets to behold the hideous visage that awaits. Yes, I have a teeny cruel streak: I should have given a trigger warning.

[Porchlight]

I don't have time anymore to read the comments at Ace's, but they're always amusing. JOM is my favorite of course, but Ace's comments have a special sharp something. Late at night, it's often laugh out loud funny.

[lyle]

Wretchard:

The world has been a ruthless place for a long time. The politically correct narrative is for the benefit of the Leftist rubes — strictly from hunger. The terrorists just laugh at it. If the world is ever to find peace, it needs the Sword of Justice back — that or God. Leading from Behind, Transgender Armies, Global Warming, etc … well maybe not so much.

[Beasts of England]

I agree, Porch. A few times per month they slatter like no other...

[Miss Marple]

I got banned right after I had donated to Ace.

Lesson learned. I no longer donate to blogs.

[jimmyk]

Agreed with JiB and Porch on Ace--I only really see it if it's linked here. The comments can be LOL funny but I don't have time to be a regular. That said, from what I've picked up here it seems like Ace was relatively restrained here. He registered a strong objection, but didn't ban him or even delete the comment. That's so far from Cahlres ("Where are the Strawberries") Jhnosno, there's no comparison.

[Ignatz]

--I got banned right after I had donated to Ace.--

Talk about biting the hand....too bad you couldn't put a hold on it. :)

[Miss Marple]

Oh, Ignatz, it was only 20 bucks. Just wish I had it back right now.

I figure I am better off here, anyway. I like the discussions here better, and truthfully, it's more interesting.

[DebinNC]

The idea of MM getting banned on a conservative site doesn't compute. OTOH, some of my favorite Freepers were banned for suggesting Rudy Giuliani was an acceptable candidate. I rarely check in at FR now, and when I do I usually regret it.

[Porchlight]

No, ace didn't ban or delete. Just made himself sound like the kind of self-righteous aggro dork he typically is (at least in the comments).

[Ignatz]

They don't really seem too much like discussions at Ace's usually.
More like a contest to see who can zing the subject of the post the best.
And there never seem to be any pics of Kardashian or Princess Kate culos so really what use is the place? :)

[Stephanie]

I got banned at Ace's during the Obama's girlfriend dustup. Ace posted a 'one more naming of her name and you're banned' and I was already typing when he posted that and I got banned for linking somewhere that had posted her name. Luckily I was old as Methusela in blog comment age at his place (Wicked Pinto days anyone) and had some backdoor communications with him on other stuff over the years, so he accepted my 'didn't see your post before I linked' and unbanned me. I don't comment there very much anymore, though. I look in daily and will occasionally read some threads if someone here mentions something particularly snort worthy. Lately, he needs to debride his mangina more frequently.

Plus, after the 08 elections, there has been waaaay too much estrogen in the ONT.

[lyle]

I used to comment all the time at ace's place. He even took a couple of mine and added them to his post. I rarely comment now but drop into the comments every now and then for a laff or two. His sidebar usually has a good link or two.

[Beasts of England]

I've only seen Captain Hate and rich's names over there. Y'all gonna give up your Horde nics?

[Stephanie]

Annnnd he's still justifying why he got all butthurt making a silly putdown of baldilocks comments noted above.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you, and I'll also have to dispute your characterization of my dispute with E o J.

We weren't discussing whether Africa is cursed by a truly terrible history.

We were discussing whether white men should feel quite so comfortable as they once did at characterizing Africans as "ignorant savages."

Idiot.

[Stephanie]

bmeuppls was mine back in the day. I noticed that after the last pixie crash, bmeuppls is back to the default again for posting there.

Lately, I've been posting there as I do here, though as Stephanie. Consistency/OCD whatever.

I miss Wicked Pinto.

[centralcal]

Just dropping in to say hi! Enjoying the news on Twitter that Murdock withdrew his offer to Time Warner. (Fox shares dropped a bit when he announced he was interested in acquiring TW - now today he withdraws and Fox shares are up, TW is down! Part of the strategy?)

danprimack ‏@danprimack 15m

Time Warner has lost nearly $8 billion in market value over the past 10 minutes.