Posted by Anthony on March 30, 2009
In a recent entry I bemoaned the fact that a law was coming down the pike that could make it a Federal crime to collect rocks on Federal land. Punishment includes jail time and the confiscation of certain assets. ‘Casual collecting’ may be permissable- what kind and to what degree will now be decided by the Secretary.
The 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act is being reported on CNN as being signed by Obama but Thomas shows that it hasn’t yet. I’m assuming that Thomas hasn’t been updated yet? At anyrate I guess its possible that CNN got it wrong.
In case you’re wondering, the ambiguous language that allows for tyrannical application remains in what appears to be the final version.
Naturally, CNN didn’t report on that.
Posted by Anthony on May 28, 2008
I must at the outset admit that I haven’t delved into the data that I am told substantiates the view that the earth is steadily warming. That is one reason why I have not said anything about Global Warming. I shall say that here in Wisconsin we just came off of a mighty cold spell with snows as late as April, and last year was about the same. As Wisconsin is part of the globe, I feel I can anecdotally chime in that to this point I am skeptical about the Global Warming argument. Moreover, there clearly are several different parts of the question: even if we establish that the earth is warming, it doesn’t follow that humans are causing it, and even if it is warming, it doesn’t follow that a warming earth would be all that bad (did I mention the cold Wisconsin winters?).
I won’t speak to the science of Global Warming, but I have been paying attention to the debate. In particular, I have been noticing how Global Warming proponents treat dissenters. Some Global Warming proponents have said that denying the ‘fact’ of Global Warming (or that humans are causing it) is like denying the holocaust. This is eerily reminiscent of Richard Dawkins taking aim at those who dissent with evolution with statements such as, “It is absolutely safe to say that, if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that).”
Nice.
There have been incidents where those who did not toe the Global Warming party line had their careers thrown in jeopardy. Hmmmm. That sounds a bit like what that Ben Stein movie, Expelled, was all about! Read the rest of the entry… »
