I am not alone.

This more knowledgeable poster asks Google who apparently purchased Blogger/blogspot what their objectives might be. The comments provide some suggested alternatives. Check it out here.

Out! Out! Damn Spot. (Blogspot that is)

I don't know what Blogspot's problem may be but I am getting pretty fed up with losing posts and getting website not available messages. I just left 5 messages on a post - thinking that the error meant that the comment was not recorded. And, of course, they did not show up for 30 minutes. Since I just stumbled into blogspot through propinquity, I have no vested interest in sticking but I am so green to blogging that I don't even know the alternatives. What's a frustrated newby blogger to do? Help, anyone?

NorCal Musings

The voters in my county rejected the NIMBY arguments that having no county plan would preserve their idyllic environs and relieve the traffic congestion. Now it is back to the courts (why does this not provide comfort) to see if the county elected officials can return to authority over county affairs. There are many things needed, particularly in the southern area bordering Sacramento County, where the traffic volume has overwhelmed the on and off ramps to Highway 50.
I am accustomed to the beautifully designed interchanges in Los Angeles. All the street planning in Sacramento seemes to have been designed by the brain damaged. Nothing is logical or makes travelling around Sacramento easy until you have months of experience under your belt. My entrace to Highway 50 for the daily commute is not so much illogical as cheap, simple and overwhelmed. Currently, improvements are under construction which will eliminate one street from the mess. My community is currently a dead end requiring all traffic to return to the lone Highway access point. In a few months the parkway will cut through to another Highway access point which will help ease congestion.
What continues to amaze me it the viewpoint that the situation is improved by stopping any progress. Improvement always requires moving along and never happens by standing still. It was probably lovely here 10 years ago when my community was only a dream but its lovely still and we how have some resources to improve some of the badly designed infrastructure. The community we moved from was nestled in an outof the way corner of LA county, much denser than our new one although rural feeling for LA. It changed some during the 25 years we lived there but retained the appeal and feel which made it so attractive. Our new community is at no risk of becomming an urban wasteland but the old-timers are worried. Progress threatens them.

Hugh Poses a Question

Hugh Hewitt wonders if the courts have pushed too far. RadioBlogger provides the transcript.

HH: Now gentlemen, I want to pose the big question. You each get about a minute and a half. I believe we're entering into an era of extraordinary payback to the federal courts and the state courts because they've overreached. They have overreached by citing foreign law. They have overreached by overturning marriage. They have overreached by ignoring Congress. They have overreached and people are ticked. John Eastman, are we in an era similar to that, that led to the court packing plan of FDR?

Both smart guys finessed the question. I think when the facts of the Terri Schiavo case are revealed and if the suggestions of her husband's contribution to her brain damage are found true, there will be a revolt against court tyranny. I can't help but be fixated by Terri's case just now but I think that when it is over there will be much reflection about courts and judges and why they stand against the will of the people.

Sometimes I miss LA

Not quite rush hour blogging but you can almost smell those fumes. And the bad guy gets caught.

Glen Reynolds says Terri is distracting

Glen Reynolds says Terri is DISTRACTING us from important things - perhaps he refers to statesmanship or world domination. Who knows since his writing style is so terce.
Maybe, however, it is a wakeup call for a new approach to world problem solving. mass starvation. It's legal, court sanctioned (perhaps even world court) and humane.

MSM and Terri

Willisms has a thoughtful post on Terri Shiavo's death sentence. Selective reporting on the case by MSM has left the public misinformed about her state and easilly persuaded that killing her is humane. Did anybody watch the video of Terri on Fox last night. Could you kill that woman?

Terri Schiavo Killing - Too Good for Convicts

Thomas Sowell on the Terri Schiavo tragedy cuts to the heart of the issue for me. Read it here.

The Babe Theory!

P. J. O'Rourke may have originated the Babe Theory but Willisms fleshes it out nicely.

Right to Death?

The situation with Terry Schiavo is more and more troubling. Traditionally, it has been difficult to cut off life support for completely comatose people even when the family has decided that there is no hope for recovery. These days it is a completely different situation. Terri Shiavo's case seems much less clear. The woman has some consiousness. Seems to recognise family members and needs nothing more than a feeding tube to continue living. And yet the courts in Florida are fixated on her right to die with only some vague memory of the husband who abandoned her years ago to justify this position.
Morality has become so twisted lately. Instead of the sanctity of life, society is compelled to find reasons to kill anyone who might inconvenience others by living. If a reaon for killing Terri Schiavo exists, then a reason for killing anyone else can be found. We are now told that it is uncivilized to kill murderers but these same people who claim a moral high ground will kill unborn children and newborn children with disabilities and claim a "right" to death for Terri Schiavo who never asked for one and whose parents love and treasure the life she retains - for now.
Our new secular society has claimed all God's powers. How far is this from Nazi Germany or the Soviet Gulag's?

This calls for a road trip

Oakdale is more than just a gateway to Yosemite.

Public Favors Vote on Judges

New survey says the majority favors up and down vote on judicial nominations. Check it out here. You haven't seen this on MSM.

Two Views of Summers

No confidence from the Harvard faculty- reference here.
while the students have a different perspective.

Taking Mass Transit to a new level

P.J. O'Rourke looks at mass transit with a fresh perspective.

Harvard Notwithstanding

Regular Guy has some thoughts about the Fulton County shooting. Why was a 210 pound rapist escorted without handcuffs by a woman baliff? and other questions.

Thoughts on McCain

McCain over the top with bloggers?

Too Many Teachers?

Chester Finn in the Wall Street Journal -which won't let you view the article unless you subscribe- so I got my key from Betsy's Page says that teachers aren't paid more because there are too many of them. He says we have 50% more students in the last 50 years but three times the number of teachers. The mind boggles! The unions keep saying we don't have enough - or is that just money?

Fun with FEC

NZ Bear finds opportunities in Campaign Finance Reform.

Exclusive Interview with new Congressman from Sacramento

Why does Arnold believe redistricting is important? The recent congressional election in Sacramento is an example. The hand picked Democrat candidate (Pelosi told other Democrats not to apply) the widow Matsui handily defeated all comers Tuesday. Local pundit managed to catch her before she left for Washington.

Famous Mayors

The picture on Jerry Brown's blog looked familiar.
Mayor of Oakland 

I just couldn't figure out why until
Mayor of Doodyville 
now.

Eat an Animal for PETA Day

Do your part. Details here.

Peer Pressure?

Second Childhood 

France has a glorious military tradition

The French Defense Minister defends the French military in the Wall Street Journal AmericanFuture reports what he has to say.

Waste in Recycling

CheatseekingMissles links to an OC Register article which says that the legislated recycling of electronics is an unnecessary expense.

DON'T Take this with a grain of salt

Desperate regulators advocate desperate things.

SoCal NorCal - another view

Here is how a UCLA student sees the SoCal NorCAl thing.
And for good measure this is the USC view. Interesting that I can't find anything from NorCal. Perhaps they don't feel it is necessary.
Here it is - a defence of NorCal from USC. Go Figure.
AND UC Davis has a whole forum to deal with the difficulty SoCal students have adjusting to Davis.

Confirmation Central

Keep plugged in to the confirmation process here.

It Must Be the Oil

What have the Americans ever done for us?

Senator Byrd Finds Present Day Nazi's

Senator Byrd knows Nazi's when he sees them.

Curse those 9,500 year old SUV's

Ocean currents may be as significant as warming in eroding Antarctic ice shelves.

Supreme Arrogance

Justice Scalia on the Supreme's juvenile death sentence decree, "The court says in so many words that what our people's laws say .. does not, in the last analysis, matter."
We just want approval from those sophistocated Europeans. Loutish citizens be damned. Push the button Senator Frist!
Details about the juvenile here.

Is Wimp a Plank in the GOP Platform?

Jeffry Toobin, courtesy of Powerline reports that Republicans are leary of the Nuclear Option. McClellan did win the Civil War for Lincoln , right?

SoCal NorCal Redux

Son's SoCal decal produces double takes but no civil unrest so far. He speculates that the provincial northerners were caught off-guard having never thought that the very concept of NorCal implies the alternative SoCal. Incredible as this might seem, I think it is not impossible given the superiority complex underlying NoCal attitudes. SoCal (LA) is home to lower life forms - who want to take our water among other things.

Way Left Ideas Blocked

Liberal, er Progressive, blogger argues that way out ideas like this get no traction with the public because the corporate media blocks them. He worked in the Kucinich presidential campaign, by the way.

Steyn Again

Mark hates to say "I told you so."

Cascading Freedom

American Future catalogues the yearning for freedom breaking out around the world. These folks don't seem to know that MSM has determined that they are not ready - OR CARE.