Yesterday when I posted on the supposed slow death of socialism in Europe, I noted we as conservatives cede far too much ground already on the proper role of government.

It's not just on the big issues like health care that we do this, but little, everyday things as well.

Consider these two data points.

First, Michigan wants to regulate the hell out of child care.

Each day before the school bus comes to pick up the neighborhood's children, Lisa Snyder did a favor for three of her fellow moms, welcoming their children into her home for about an hour before they left for school.

Regulators who oversee child care, however, don't see it as charity. Days after the start of the new school year, Snyder received a letter from the Michigan Department of Human Services warning her that if she continued, she'd be violating a law aimed at the operators of unlicensed day care centers.

"I was freaked out. I was blown away," she said. "I got on the phone immediately, called my husband, then I called all the girls" — that is, the mothers whose kids she watches — "every one of them."

Snyder's predicament has led to a debate in Michigan about whether a law that says no one may care for unrelated children in their home for more than four weeks each calendar year unless they are licensed day-care providers needs to be changed. It also has irked parents who say they depend on such friendly offers to help them balance work and family.

See, you don't need friends, family and neighbors to get by in life, you need government licensed professionals. If you don't rely on government approved professionals the state will come down on your ass. Hard.

Yes, the Governor is getting invovled and trying to restore some common sense to the law but the fact that it has gotten that far is a sign of how out of hand things have gotten.

In NY, they are even nuttier (no shock there).

A school district in Saratoga Springs says they can tell parents how their kids get to school and according to the district walking and biking are out.

"Supervised, parent/guardian bike riding may be permitted at specific sites in the future," (Superintendent Janice) White said in an interview Friday. The school has no legal responsibility over what occurs on Route 9, she added.

The biking debate started last spring, when school district officials told Kaddo Marino that Adam was violating school rules by biking to class. Walking to the school also is not permitted.

Kaddo Marino challenged the policy and asked the school board to change it. The district charged a committee to review the rule, which was instituted in 1994.

At the start of school in September, Kaddo Marino thought that she had a nonverbal agreement with school officials to allow her son to ride his bike until a new policy was resolved. But on the night before classes started, school authorities called parents to say that walking and biking to school would not be tolerated.

When the pair stuck with their plan, they were met by school administrators and a state trooper, who emphasized that biking was prohibited, Kaddo Marino said.

They brought in a state trooper to tell a parent she and her child couldn't walk or ride their bikes to school? Really?

Who the hell do these government apparatchiks think they are to dictate to parents how they get their children to school?

Yes, I know these are two examples but you can look around any community and find ridiculous laws that interfere with the ability of people to act like adults without the governments approval and it's getting worse.

At some point we have to accept that life is dangerous and filled with uncertainty. Relying on government at every step of the way is not going to change that, it's simply going to allow others to determine how we deal with those challenges.

If you are thrilled with the way DMV handles your issues or think the IRS is a model of fairness, then you are probably pretty happy to have government run your life. If you aren't, then be prepared to fight millions of little battles like these to roll back some of the infringements we've seen in recent years.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:00 AM | Comments (5)
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I love when the legacy media catches on to a story and they pretend that something most sane people have always known is actually a major intellectual discovery.

Today's entry in that category is the Washington Post. After almost a decade of dealing with Iran's nuclear program they have suddenly discovered that China is a stumbling block to international action. I guess previously the problem was that mean Bush guy but now that he's out the way it must be something else.

Turns out, much to the WaPo and Obama administration's surprise, China has interests that don't coincide with ours, interests they aren't willing to walk away from just to make Obama happy.

Shocking, I know.

In its effort to muster support for sterner action against Iran, the Obama administration will have to overcome China's reluctance to punish a country that is one of its top oil suppliers and a major beneficiary of its energy-related investments.

The administration's frustration with Beijing is growing. U.S. officials have noted that China has appeared even more reluctant than Russia to take action against Iran after disclosures about its nuclear program. U.S. officials said they are particularly concerned that China has blocked their efforts to target freight-forwarding companies based in Hong Kong that reship goods, including prohibited weaponry, to Iran.

The Chinese "have not displayed a sense of urgency" on Iran, said a senior administration official. Instead, the official said, China has attempted to "have it both ways," preserving its relationship with Iran while also working with the United States and other countries involved in the effort to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

So after 8 whole months of Hope, Change and Supplication, Team Obama is frustrated by the fact the adults in China haven't been won over. Obama is also "impatient" with the Israelis and Palestinians.

Oh and that big meeting tomorrow with Iran to talk about their nuclear program? It's going to be AWESOME except for one minor thing...Iran won't talk about its nuclear program.

Damn, being President is so frustrating! Don't they know who He is?

What the hell is the matter with these people? Didn't they hear the appologies?

As for China, they will never help on Iran because, well, it's not in their interest to.

Iran is China's second-biggest supplier of oil, and imports are rising. In a country where more people are expected to buy cars this year than in the United States, China's appetite for oil is unquenchable.

Furthermore, China's rapid economic growth is the ruling Communist Party's single most important claim to legitimacy. Tougher economic sanctions against Iran would probably cause the price of oil to spike in China, threatening its economic juggernaut.

China's investments in Iran also lessen the likelihood that Beijing will support enhanced sanctions. China's state-run oil behemoths have committed so much money to Iran -- an estimated $120 billion over the past five years -- that analysts estimate that its engineering firms will not be able to handle all the work.

None of this is new and yet Obama and his sycophants in the media kept selling the idea that it was all just personalities, once we got a 'smart' guy in the White House who was willing to defer to others and be a team player, everything would be alright.

Unfortunately, Hu of China, Putin in Russia and the mullahs of Iran (to name a few) aren't soft touches like 52% of American voters. They are major league hitters and we sent the captain of a high school debate team out to face them.

Maybe we just need to offer more cookies and milk.

Posted by: DrewM at 06:18 AM | Comments (2)
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Senate Democrats unveil their chapter and verses in the growing Anthropogenic Global Warming mythology today, with a Cap and Trade bill written * by Barbara Boxer & John Kerry.

John McCain for once has taken the bull by the horns and proclaimed his opposition in no uncertain terms.

McCain complained that the Democratic bill merely paid lip-service to the nuclear power industry. Republicans want to encourage the building of new nuclear generating facilities with additional government aid in the climate bill. They argue it is a necessary tool in expanding "clean energy."

If John Kerry and his magical Cap and Trade Commandos have lost the cover McCain would have provided for the Blue Dogs, have they lost the battle?

This close to the 2010 campaign season, I suspect moderate Democrats in competitive races will be hesitant to don the green AGW robes and vote for a giant tax increase. Even the Democrats wouldn't be tone-deaf enough to pick this up again next session, right?

If the Senate cannot manage to pass a climate bill this year, Democrats would likely take up the debate again in 2010.

You will never go poor betting on the obliviousness of a Senator.

* And by written, I of course mean it is largely unfinished, a recurring theme in this Congress.

In coming weeks, Boxer's Environment and Public Works Committee will have to plug in key details still unresolved in their draft bill.

CORRECTED: steevy & Li'l Miss Spellcheck are all up in my grill. Although anthropomorphic works as Satire. Yeah, That's the ticket! I was using the word satirically. You know, kind of like all that "Kill Bush" porn so prevalent the last decade.

Posted by: Open Blog at 05:33 AM | Comments (3)
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Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:23 AM | Comments (4)
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Via Dahlhalla, via Andy Levy, one of the hottest reviews I have ever had the great erotic pleasure of reading.

Hannah Montana: The Movie is like an erotic daydream dealing with lust, taboo, and human nature. On the surface the film is a simple morality tale, but its depths surpass understanding. Over the past month I have watched the film more than 30 times, and I have analyzed it shot by shot. But the more clearly I see its physical manifestation, the more I am stirred by its erotic mystery.

...

Enter Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a charming brunette nymphet in her early teens. Like most girls her age, Miley is trapped in a sexual purgatory; she has the innocence and wonder of a child coupled with the budding desires and feminine charms of a woman.

More Seriously... Ann Althouse has some questions for a supposed philosopher defending the erudite, elegant child-rapist Roman Polanski.

Posted by: Ace at 09:02 PM | Comments (7)
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Good even all. It's leftover Tuesday. Yum.

Random Links
These are things I meant to post but never got around to it. So I'm getting them out here before they start smelling funny.

Drunk Chick Vs. Gun - Gun, alcohol win
Kush Breast Pillow - For the 'endowed' moronettes. Such a deal for only $55.
Bloody Torso Doll - WTF?
John Wayne Toilet Paper - if you're man enough
Bacon Bra - NSFW-ish
Top 10 Useless Limbs
Japanese Company Sells Ice Beer Mugs - By mail
Sex Counter - for those into metrics

Oktoberfest Updates:
Boris Becker Attends Even With Injured Hip, Pregnant Wife
Claudia Schiffer Joins In
How To Speak Oktoberfest
Islamist Suspects Held Until Oktoberfest Over more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:59 PM | Comments (4)
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We've begun compiling a list, which I stupidly started on Twitter, though I'd meant to do a post.

Hit "More" at the bottom to see the start of the list. If you click @AceofSpadesHQ in upper right, you can see others contributions.

Here are a few:

Vince Vaughan: Frankly, can get away with a murder or two. Killing a girlfriend is fine. Hasn't made a bad movie. We owe him a murder.

Matthew McConaughey: Can get away with shoplifting a Mars bar, but only a Mars bar, because no one likes that shit anyway.

from Marshall Stack: Tom Cruise can jaywalk on secondary suburban streets.

from Dave in Texas: Vin Diesel: Should be able to transport any live plants he wants to across state lines unmolested.

and

John McTiernan: Zoning ordinances and health code violations.

from liberocky: Ben Stiller can stab a Medal of Honor winner (NOTE: Stab but not kill. He's not that good. -- ace.)

Metallica: May gang-rape choice of 1) two of-age groupies; 2) one underage groupie; or 3) Winger.


Robert Downey Jr.: Can go back to smack. Also, might be able to punch a pregnant woman in the face, depending on Iron Man 2's grosses.

Adam Sandler: May urinate on three elderly women.

So that's the gag.

Posted by: Ace at 06:02 PM | Comments (5)
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Courage (yes, I've always wanted an excuse to use that).

The ruling on Tuesday by a panel of judges of the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division said Rather's $70 million complaint should be dismissed in its entirety and that a lower court erred in denying CBS's motion to throw out the lawsuit.

Rather claimed he had been made a scapegoat to "pacify the White House" (seriously, he claimed that), and lost business opportunities because CBS didn't release him soon enough.

Of course, when they did, those offers sure came rolling in baby, didn't they?

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 05:47 PM | Comments (2)
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Thought this glimpse into an alternate universe was worth a share. It begins "IN THE EVENT OF MOON DISASTER." Not a bad speech, but it's difficult for me to imagine what another Apollo disaster would have done to the space program.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:31 PM | Comments (3)
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Via Andy Levy, this charming interview from 1979, when I was still younger than the girl he drugged, raped, and sodomized.

HereÂ’s a section of the first quote it contains from Polanski.

“If I had killed somebody, it wouldn’t have had so much appeal to the press, you see? But… f—ing, you see, and the young girls. Judges want to f— young girls. Juries want to f— young girls. Everyone wants to f— young girls!”

...

Later in the interview, Polanski says he likes Paris, to which he’d fled, because it’s “very grown-up”.

Paris understands that sometimes you just have to diddle a toddler.

By the way, did I mention she was 13? Yeah. Thirteen. So even if she "looked older," she looked 15 and most and therefore still looked 3 years under the age of consent.

Incidentally, as he had gotten permission from the mother to photograph her (supposedly for Vogue, but I think we now know better what he had planned for those pics) he knew exactly how old she was. He had to get legal disclaimers for it. He had like three legal documents in front of him, each in triplicate, stating she was 13.

Oh, and also incidentally -- his legal team floated the defense that the girl wasn't a virgin before he raped her, so he was willing to go full-on Whore Deserved Exactly What She Got on the little girl he raped.

His defenders don't talk much about his artistry in that respect.

And he drugged her, and even as she resisted, he raped her. And then, figuring, I guess, "Ah, what the hell, gone this far, might as well run the table," he sodomized her.

13.

But he made The Pianist. So -- no biggie.

More: Among the signatories of the petition demanding the freeing of a rapist is Wes Anderson, director of Rushmore.

Why is that significant?

He just completed a children's film called The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

So, when you're deciding whether or not to bring your kids to see that movie, bear in mind, Wes Anderson wouldn't mind if one of his director-buddies raped your kids. Maybe that will take some of the magic out of the film.

George Clooney plays Mr. Fox, by the way, so... yeah, more of a reason to stay clear. Wes Anderson himself plays "Mr. Weasel." Fitting.

Maybe it's better not to give Wes Anderson this "in" with your kids. Just saying. He seems very comfortable with child-rape and all.

Thanks to Z as in Jersey for that tip.

Posted by: Ace at 03:59 PM | Comments (7)
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