The Sun Here on Earth

From the blog of Law Professor Ann Althouse we have this CNN clip on nuclear fusion experiments.

I am doing this just to show that (1) I can link to a link to CNN and (2) because I think nuclear fusion will be very interesting if the folks at Lawrence Livermore can actually create a nuclear fusion event some time this year.  Up until now, here on earth, we have done nuclear fusion only with a nuclear reaction driving it, or so I understand.

Regards  —  Cliff

Major Hasan and his Possible Punishment

The report is that the US Army will seek the death penalty for Major Nidal Hasan, the accused killer at Fort Hood, in Texas.  My understanding is that the Military uses lethal injection.

For the record, I am against the death penalty, except if we think some enemy agent has actionable intelligence that he or she might be able to pass to a confederate.  That position applies here.

On the other hand, a life sentence or series of life sentences will not be much comfort for Major Hasan, as he is, reportedly, paralyzed.  I say let him wait to meet his maker, allowing him time to consider his crimes, repent of his crimes and perhaps experience a form of metanoia.

And, there is always the possibility that he is criminally (or actually) insane, in which case the death penalty seems to represent an uncivilized reaction to his internal contradictions and distractions.

Some might think he should get the death penalty soon after a trial and conviction.  I would advise, given all the "Nazi" state talk WRT Arizona, that such an approach should be eschewed, as being too much like the trial and execution of the White Rose defendants and the 20 July conspirators.

Regards  —  Cliff

Strategy vs Regulation vs the Market

Strategy is about finding a way around constraints.  In military terms those constraints have to do with the political objectives chosen, the enemy and logistical constraints of all sorts.  The strategist is looking for ways to exploit opportunities to get around those constraints.  In the economic world and the world of finance it is still about looking for the edge.

Regulations are designed to prevent people from unfairly exploiting opportunities.♠  The thing about regulations is that there is always going to be someone looking for a way around them.  That is, right up to the point that regulations bring the market to a standstill.  In the mean time, the regulators will always be behind the smart men and women who are the strategists, the ones trying to find the holes in the regulations and the markets that they can squeeze through.

And, I think that is what Mr Paul Atkins is trying to say in today's Wall Street Journal.

As an aside, I am wondering if anyone has done any serious examination of the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  Being down in the corporate trenches, my experiencer is that it has created a great big bureaucracy, but has not really increased transparency or honesty.  But, it has irritated the little folks who make the corporation run and made their life worse.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Since this is in the context of the US economic system, I am going to assume that the US Congress is not going to be producing regulations that will distort the market to unduly favor one side over another or introduce corrupt practices.

Abuse of Illegal Immigrants

Yes, abuse of illegal immigrants and the denial of their rights is a hot issue these days.  It has even made the pages of The Washington Post.  Here is an article by AP reporter Mark Stevenson, Mexico acknowledges migrant abuse, pledges changes.

Of particular interest to me is this part of the article, talking to "Article 67 of Mexico's Population Law"

Authorities, whether federal, state or municipal ... are required to demand that foreigners prove their legal presence in the country, before attending to any issues.

The article goes on to say the Interior Department acknowledges the problems and notes that the legislature is working to repeal what is obviously a law offensive to ....

What is not clear is whose Interior Department was being quoted, although I am guessing it is the Mexican Interior Department, under Mr Fernando Gómez-Mont.

IMHO there is a lot of misinformation about the new Arizona Immigration Law.  Now it appears that some who are throwing stones live in glass houses.  Others are just not getting their own work done.

I would like to note that the US Congress has failed in its responsibility to the Citizens of this nation with regard to immigration.&nbp; Not the Democrats or the Republicans, but the US Congress.  It is a single entity and has responsibilities as a single agency.  Laying the blame off on this party or that is a sign of leadership failure on the part of the US Congress.  Further, this is not about the President.  We have a powerful Congress and I think we should expect more out of them than we are getting.  Let us not hear that the 535 members of the US Congress are whinging about the President not leading.  I am betting that deep down inside most of those 535 men and women think they can do as good a job, if not better, than the President.  Always have and always will.  OK then, lets see some of that attitude in action.

I have recently been pretty busy and haven't been able to scan all the local blogs.  Has anyone talked about the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 10 - 3 WRT the new Arizona Law?

Regards  —  Cliff

Yard Sales

At last week's City Council meeting, one of the items entered, from the City Manager, was to add a new Ordinance, Section 185-10, on Yard Sales.  The idea was to deal with a problem of some people abusing their neighbors by having, instead of a periodic attic cleaning yard sale, almost weekly yard sales, turning it into an enterprise.  There have been complaints from neighbors who believe things have gone too far.

The idea was to limit Yard Sales to three a year and to charge a $5 fee for a permit, which would have to be obtained three days before the Yard Sale, from City Hall, during the normal work week.

Councillor Rita Mercier immediately reacted to this idea, noting that for an informal activity in one's own driveway this was a pretty formal regulation and an inconvenience to the householder, who normally works during the time City Offices are open so a permit can be obtained.  And, after a $5 fee for a yard sale the profit will go down and maybe bring into question the value of time invested in a yard sale, thus leading to treasures being put out on the curb as trash.  Then, she noted, there is the question of the "slippery slope", wherein this fee for doing something in your own yard leads to other permits and other fees.  If some doesn't like outdoor BBQ, are we going to see permits for these also?

I believe Ms Mercier is on the money with this one.  We do need to prevent people from abusing their neighbors by having a weekly flea market in their driveway, causing traffic problems weekend after weekend.  An ordnance that does limit the number of Yard Sales, or things of that ilk, per year, is a good idea.  Enforcing it by having the police pay attention seems reasonable to me.  The police helped along by interested neighbors.  But, let us not impose extra burdens on the citizenry as a whole in order to easy the job of those who might be enforcing this rule.

Regards  —  Cliff

Splitting the Tab

Ah, generalizations about groups are rampant.  This blog post is from Dr Helen, talking about splitting the bill when out for dinner, drinks or both.  Actually, she is linking to another location, The Advice Goddess, found here.

Note that Dr Helen is the wife of the Instapundit, law professor Glenn Reynolds.

Regards  —  Cliff

Why I Still Work

I am officially retired and at 68 should be enjoying the good life.  On the other hand, I miss the folks from work and the challenges of doing new things.  So, I work part time. Unfortunately, some at my age have to work to keep body and soul together.

Now comes the IMF, the International Monetary Fund, telling us we all need to work longer.  In the words of The Washington Post, the IMF has tough words for Western nations.

To keep the global economy on track, people in the United States and the rest of the developed world need to work longer before retiring, pay higher taxes and expect less from government.  And the cheap imports lining the shelves of mega-chains such as Wal-Mart and Target?  They need to be more expensive.

So, I am working part time, trying to do my bit.

But, the issue is, each of the Western nations is heading toward the kind of crisis Greece♠ finds itself in right now.  The solution to Greece's problem seems to require the support of the other EU nations and it is not an easy answer.

So, still working seems to be the patriotic thing to do.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  To get a sense of where Greece fits in the jigsaw puzzle, it has a population of around 11.3 million (Massachusetts has 6.6 million).  The Greek GDP is about $333.5 billion ($29,881 per capita).  In contrast, Massachusetts had an 2007 estimated GDP of $351 billion ($47,702 per capita).