From Self-defense instructor, and law enforcement officer Massad Ayoob comes word of an upcoming boycott of Starbucks due to their policy of following state laws regarding the legal carrying of firearms on their premises. Per Ayoob,

We discussed here in February, 2010 how the Starbucks chain, when gun haters demanded that firearms be banned from their coffee shop premises, stood up and said no, they would follow the laws of the given state, and those legally carrying guns would be welcome…

It seems than an anti-gun group has called for a boycott of Starbucks on this coming Valentine’s Day, February 14. As Dave explains, many of us in the gun movement will be buying something at Starbucks on that day, just to make sure that Starbucks has a profitable holiday despite being boycotted by the antis.

The boycott they refer to is being promoted by the National Gun Victims Action Council. Per their website,

A nationwide boycott of Starbucks stores and its products will be launched on Valentine’s Day 2012. Its goal is to eliminate the risk of guns in public places and ultimately to bring sane gun laws to the U.S.

Ayoob states that thehighroad.org, a firearms related forum, is promoting its own anti-boycott of sorts, encouraging supporters of the 2nd Amendment to make a special trip to Starbucks on Valentine’s Day. Also, sending an e-mail of support along the lines of,

I’ve just heard that there’s a planned boycott on Feb. 14 by anti-Second Amendment groups attempting to punish Starbucks for their decision to follow state and local law instead of changing company policy on law abiding customers carrying firearms legally. While I’m an occasional customer I’ll make a point of doing my share to offset any business Starbucks may lose due to this proposed boycott. I’ll see to it that my family and I are in Starbucks at least once on Feb. 14.Thank you for not caving in to the radical beliefs of a small vocal group of marginalized extremists.

Now that’s a good idea.

If you get the chance, stop by Starbucks today as well as e-mailing them a note of support.

Update:

I received this reply, from Starbucks –

Dear Rusty,

Thank you for your feedback regarding Starbucks’ policy on open carry laws.

At Starbucks, we deeply respect the views of our customers and recognize that there is significant and genuine passion surrounding the issue of open carry weapons laws. We comply with local laws and statutes in the communities we serve. Our long-standing approach to this issue remains unchanged and we abide by the laws that permit open carry in 43 U.S. states. Where these laws don’t exist, openly carrying weapons in our stores is prohibited.

As the public debate around this issue continues, we encourage customers and advocacy groups from both sides to share their input with their public officials. We are extremely sensitive to the issue of gun violence in our society and believe that supporting local laws is the right way for us to ensure a safe environment for both partners and customers.

Sincerely,

Matthew

customer service

Starbucks

Good morning.

1. Two books to note, one from here on a mix of faith and humor from Moscow.
2. And for fans of Sewer, Gas and Electric … Matt Ruff has a new book. So get it and read it.
3. About that “worst case” Iran  straw man scenario.
4. When you believe spending and income need not match … and people get too used to sucking on the government teat.
5. Either they (requiring viewing ultrasounds and requiring Catholic hospitals provide free contraception) are both totalitarian or neither are.
6. Speaking of which, an atheist libertarian is not impressed.
7. Speaking of that topic, Mr Obama’s so-called compromise. Frankly, calling that a compromise is an outright lie.
8. Also see this pdf, on this topic you’ll see the left whacking lots of straw men in this kerfuffle. That pdf links to some actual arguments, which alas you will not see mentioned by any Congressional or White House defense of their policy.
9. Al Qaeda merger.
10. Suicide and legality.
11. Of big “O” and calculus.
12. To avoid spoilage? Hmm. One recipe for great bacon is to take frozen bacon, fry it directly without thawing on a very low heat for a long time until crisp. It will melt in your mouth (hint: this is a good thing taste-wise).
13. Bike tricks (done by the bike not so much by the rider).
14. Waterboarding and Mr Washington.
15. Are the tea party and ows the nucleus of something that will emerge in decades?
16. Lots of links to this, Himalayan non-warming.
17. Our future in adventures in state medicine.
18. Not likely.
19. And it’s a bad thing.
20. What is tradition? (hint: not just a song in Fiddler).

The HHS Mandate Edition

Six Things Everyone Should Know About the HHS Mandate
Read the entire post,

1.The mandate does not exempt Catholic charities, schools, universities, or hospitals.

2.The mandate forces these institutions and others, against their conscience, to pay for things they consider immoral.

3.The mandate forces coverage of sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and devices as well as contraception.

4.Catholics of all political persuasions are unified in their opposition to the mandate

5.Many other religious and secular people and groups have spoken out strongly against the mandate.

6.The federal mandate is much stricter than existing state mandates.

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Message from Chuck Colson
If the administration does not back down, religious liberty—as clearly articulated in the Constitution and in court cases—will be gravely impaired. And your organization, like mine, will face the question of civil disobedience.

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Manhattan Declaration – Sign it

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Tightening the Screws
From the article,

Perhaps the Government’s own attempt to kick this can down the road until after the elections will be cited as evidence. In its announcement of January 20, 2012, HHS stated that “birth control… is the most commonly taken drug in America by young and middle-aged women.” If contraception is already the most commonly taken drug in America, then it seems hardly necessary to shove a requirement to provide it down the throat of the Catholic Church and other religious organizations.

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National Petition to Stop HHS Mandate – Sign it

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Obama Tries to Spin His Way Out
From Mere Comments,

Abstinence for 15-year-olds is considered impossible–how in the world can they possibly control themselves? But obesity is something we can fix by teaching them to control their appetites for certain foods and eating veggies. What a country.

California, like Greece, has been spending like there’s no tomorrow. And, like Greece, there may not be a tomorrow, if they can find $3.3 billion in the couch cushions.

Occupy Wall Street complained about how powerless they were against big banks and other members of "the 1%". Their solution was more government intervention to make things "fair". Ironically, their best success came when they themselves, the people, switched banks to protest fees and other things. In many cases, we don’t need government to act for us, we just need to act. The people already have the power. Use it!

James Taranto on the fallout from the Planned Parenthood / Susan G. Komen for the Cure dustup: "Planned Parenthood’s bitter campaign against Komen–aided by left-liberal activists and media–is analogous to a protection racket: Nice charity you’ve got there. It’d be a shame if anything happened to it. The message to other Planned Parenthood donors is that if they don’t play nice and keep coughing up the cash, they’ll get the Komen treatment."

Speaking of which, if even a New York Times columnist recognizes press bias in anything dealing with abortion, you know it’s getting much worse.

Speaking of which, while the media did report that donations to Planned Parenthood were up after the controversy, they conveniently didn’t report that Komen donations doubled.

Abortion pill via vending machine. Talk about changing the concept of "over the counter". What does it say about our society that a university finds it useful to dedicate entire vending machines to abortion pills? A cousin of mine commented, "These are the same people, of course, who will freak out at the presence of Chemicals In Food. But take a pill strong enough to abort before the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall? No biggie."

Churches using school buildings during weekends is not a church-state issue. It just isn’t. New York City politicians are evicting some because of fear of lawsuits, not for any actual legal reasons. As Ed Stetzer says, "Any constitutional concerns about church use of public school buildings can be answered by a religion-neutral approach. A government that is religion-neutral we will not discriminate based on the content of speech–even unpopular religious speech. Thus, I stand with my Muslim friends who wish to rent on Friday, my Jewish friends on Saturday, and my Christian friends on Sunday–all paying money to use space that belongs to us all."

Blue Corn Enchiladas, courtesy of The Range Cafe, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. What, you say? Blue Corn? Yes, there is a variety of blue corn.

New Mexico-style enchiladas are served flat, with cheese and meat (optional) spread inbetween the tortilla layers. The enchiladas on this plate were topped with white cheese, but true New Mexico-style enchiladas also have a fried egg topping them! Sides include pinto beans and arroz verde (green rice). Chile can be spread over the enchiladas or served on the side (as shown below), and you always have the choice of “green” or “red” chile (green, in this case). This is a killer meal and scrumptious to behold, especially after a long day of traveling and sightseeing.

Enjoy!

– image © 2010 A. R. Lopez

Your call is very important to us… [click]
It seems that the recession has hit California so hard that calls to the Employment Development Department sometimes go unanswered – to the tune of 9 out of 10 call! From the OC Register,

More than nine out of 10 callers who wanted to talk to a state Employment Development Department agent were unable to get through on the phone at the peak of layoffs in 2008-09, according to a state audit released Thursday.

Callers got so frustrated that they dialed in an average 23 times — and sometimes as many as 80 times — trying to get through to an EDD agent, according to a customer satisfaction survey last June.

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Man arrested after weapon is fired at apartment complex
What’s particularly interesting to note about this story is that, evidently, the man is had a restraining order prohibiting him from being at the apartment complex, and he is a felon – which prohibits him from possessing a firearm. But, hey, since when do criminals care about the law?

Meanwhile, it’s next to impossible for a law-abiding citizen to obtain a concealed carry weapon permit in southern California.

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Two men arrested after cache of weapons is found in their home
But owning weapons (of the legal variety) is not against the law. Oh, read further into the story and you’ll find out that both of these guys were also barred from possessing firearms. Dang! Are we noticing a pattern here? From the OC Register,

The search turned up a variety of weapons, including an AK-47, high-powered rifles, at least one assault rifle that had been altered to be automatic, a baton, flak jackets and ammunition, Bertagna said.

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Well, at least we’re safe from sex offenders
Nope. Not in Rancho Santa Margarita, anyways. Again, from the OC Register,

City officials on Wednesday approved an ordinance to keep sex offenders out of parks.

The ban, based off the County’s Child Safety Zone Ordinance developed by District Attorney Tony Rackauckas in April, is tailored for the city and its privately home owner association-owned parks. The ordinance would require sex offenders to receive written permission from the city’s chief of police to enter a park. A specific location, time and date would be required before permission could be granted. The city’s proposed draft has received approval from the District Attorney’s office.

The City Council unanimously approved the ban even though it may be largely unenforceable unless local HOAs come on board, City Attorney Greg Simonian said. All 25 parks in the city are privately owned. City officials have contacted the individual HOAs about the proposed ordinance but have been turned down.

President Obama may have picked the wrong fight when his administration announced they were forcing the Catholic Church to provide contraceptives including the morning after pill to their employees. In his unforced error, the President may have awakened the sleeping giant of the Catholic Church and set the wheels in motion for a permanent political shift. From the Daily Mail:

Prominent Catholic leaders across the U.S. have threatened to turn voters against President Obama over his controversial plans to offer free birth control.

The fight is over a provision of the health reform law announced on January 20 that would require health insurance plans — including those offered by institutions such as Catholic-affiliated hospitals and universities — to offer free birth control including sterilization.

According to estimates, there are some 70 million Catholic voters – and many could be posed to vote against the president in the crucial upcoming election.

Catholic League head Bill Donohue said: ‘Never before, unprecedented in American history, for the federal government to line up against the Roman Catholic Church,’ CBS New York reported.

‘This is going to be fought out with lawsuits, with court decisions and, dare I say it, maybe even in the streets.’ Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who was promoted to the status of a Cardinal just weeks ago, spoke out about the issue.

‘It’s not about contraception. It’s about the right of conscience,’ he told reporters. ‘The government doesn’t have the right to butt into the internal governance and teachings of the church,” he said.

‘This is not a Catholic issue, it’s an American issue. We’re strong on this issue of conscience, and that’s what’s at stake here.’

Catholic clergy on Sunday called on the faithful to write Congress to protest new birth control rules from President Barack Obama’s administration, stepping up a campaign that began a week ago with denunciations from the pulpit at Masses across the country.

Catholics are traditionally staunchly pro-life despite their tendency to vote for Democrats. But over the past couple of election cycles, Catholics have slowly begun to wake up to the fact that many prominent Democrats who also profess to be Catholics (think John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi) don’t hold the same values as those that the church endorses.

The Catholic Church is rising to the challenge because they realize this controversy is not just about abortion. It’s also about religious liberty. And they are finally realizing that Democrats that they have worked to elect over the past several decades are not their allies. It’s about time.

I think we’re going to be doing evening links posts this week. I’m leaving early in the morning each day to beat traffic to get from South of Chicago to North of Chicago to a job site.

Links?

1. Hard to amend, a bug or a feature. I’m leaning toward feature.
2. Well, that counters conventional wisdom I think.
3. Gun ownership and demographic opinion movement noted. So were you once “anti-gun” (or are now) and why did you soften your views (or have youfelt any notion to soften your views)?
4. Of unions and markets.
5. Geometry and 19th century land reform.
6. Another way to “hide the decline” …
7. If you don’t think moral trumps legal, that’s just one more thing you’ve got wrong.
8. On decency and public standards. Should public standards have scare quotes?
9. Speaking of scare quotes.
10. On the return from the depths.
11. So … do you agree? Will Mr Obama blink?

Always be wary of customer reviews at online shopping sites
Especially if customers are being offered bribes for 5 star ratings. From the NY Times,

In the brutal world of online commerce, where a competing product is just a click away, retailers need all the juice they can get to close a sale.

Some exalt themselves by anonymously posting their own laudatory reviews. Now there is an even simpler approach: offering a refund to customers in exchange for a write-up.

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They said “refurbished”, not “wiped clean”
From Engadget,

Usually, when passwords and personal information are exposed, it’s because someone hacked a company’s not-so-secure system. Motorola, however, managed to put people’s info at risk without such malfeasance when it failed to wipe the memory of a batch of refurbished Xooms.

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Tattoos – What happens when/if you grow up?
Or, like the popular philosopher Jimmy Buffet, tattoos are “a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling.”

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Christians making bad art

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If “truth trumps everything”, then does truth also trump faith?
From Revelation Movement,

In November 2011, I visited two classes at a Christian university in North America. I asked both: “How many of you would still believe Christianity if you found out tomorrow that Christianity was not true. That is: God never became a man; Jesus did not die for our sin; or, that he did not rise from the dead?”

Twelve hands went up in each class of about 25 and 45 students. These sincere and devout students had grown up in Christian homes, gone to church all their lives and studied in Christian schools. Some had been in that Christian university for three years! They respected their elders who taught them that Christianity was all about faith with little concern for truth.

I recently watched Rebel Without a Cause, for the first time, and decided to highlight a breakfast in Paso Robles because of it. Why Paso Robles? It’s near the spot where James Dean crashed his Porsche and died.

Vic’s Cafe is a little spot nestled away in the old town section of Paso Robles, a community with a rich cattle heritage that now also sports an upscale wine industry. The simple plate of bacon and eggs comes with hash browns and toast. Add the requisite coffee and you’re set!

Enjoy!

– image © AR Lopez

Well, morning it ain’t. Hope y’all had a good day.

1. A shot across the bows?
2. I can’t imagine how anyone thinks that is a good policy.
3. The Sec Council vetoes and why.
4. A book noted.
5. Another, very different.
6. And speaking of books, I read these all when I was younger.
7. More unanticipated consequences, green this time. Probably in more ways than one.
8. Data sets and warming.
9. Interesting tech? This is also interesting.
10. Midgely and another book to read (and re-read).
11. A font?
12. Assisted suicide, the B/P pair here and here.
13. Violence, America and numbers.
14. Whoops, Coptic variant.

Adoptions? That would be 0.26% of your business – that’s Zero-Point-Two-Six-Percent.

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Afghanistan – it’s over
From Michael Yon,

This war is going to turn out badly. We are wasting lives and resources while the United States decays and other threats emerge. We led the horse to water.

Importantly, there is no value in pretending that Pakistan is an ally. We should wish the best of luck to the Afghans, and the many peaceful Pakistanis, and accelerate our withdrawal of our main battle force. The US never has been serious about Afghanistan. Under General Petraeus we were starting to gain ground, but the current trajectory will land us in the mud.

The enemies will never beat us in Afghanistan. Force on force, the Taliban are weak by comparison. Yet this is their home. There is only so much we can do at this extreme cost for the many good Afghan people. We must reduce our main effort and concentrate on other matters. Time to come home.

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The Information Age, swallowed up by the Entertainment Age

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What?! Apple is greedy?

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Yes, Apple is greedy. And Ed Bott thinks they’re also saboteurs.

Recently jobs numbers came out … two data points are of interest and can be used, perhaps, to judge the bias of the sources. One set, points out that January job numbers are up and by one metric unemployment has dropped to 8.3%, getting firmly below 9. The other set, which is new as well, points out the divergence between two proxies which normally track but recently have diverged. Unemployment, as tracked by those applying for unemployment benefits and jobs, normally tracks well with the number of unemployed. Yet in the last 18 months this tracking has diverged. More and more people have (according to the second unemployment proxy) have given up seeking work. By that second metric, unemployment is above 10.5%.

Honest reporting would, I offer, report both points. There are many, who for political reasons, decide on or the other figure is more significant. Are there good reasons besides the nominally “bad” political partisanship ones for not noting both?

Oh, by the by, I’ve got to run early to get to a job site about an hours drive north. My links post will go out tonight.

Breakfast Burrito at Pepe’s, in Fullerton, CA.

We discovered this little gem about a year ago, after a photowalk at the Fullerton Arboretum. In my opinion, this is one of the best breakfast burritos in Orange County. A healthy mix of egg, along with potatoes, cheese, beans, bacon, and sauce / salsa. I usually hold the beans as I think they can overpower the handhold-ability of the burrito. And I typically order the salsa on the side. I really like the fact that these puppies have a generous amount of egg, not attempting to pass off a potatoe filled burrito as your breakfast. Also, the bacon is crisp and very evident.

Enjoy!

– image © 2010 AR Lopez

So… how’s that Facebook-led revolution in Egypt coming along?
Richard Fernandez comments on the not only the issues directly affecting Egyptians, but the incompetence in the Obama administration regarding such,

Remember when the Muslim Brotherhood was reckoned to be part of the movement for democratic change in Egypt? That was then. This is now. The New York Times reports that “Gaining Power in Parliament, Islamists Block a Cairo Protest”. Who could have seen that coming?

…

It’s a sad day indeed when President Obama has to hide behind the comparative resolution of Congress (only when compared to himself) to stiffen his spine. “They’re gonna make me do it!” he says. But the Egyptians have already got his number. They’ve got him figured out. Thus, they are probably betting that the administration will certify that Egypt has met every possible test of democracy and expression whatever they do since up until now he’s never missed a chance to stand up to Congress nor an opportunity to cave to foreign tyrants.

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And so goes American prestige

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As for the coming Global Warming crisis… oops
From a leading (one of many?) NASA scientist comes the conclusion…

The notion of another Little Ice Age, as happened in the last half of the 1600s, is no longer dismissed.

Dang! I just hate it when that happens!

For more, see here.

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Say what?
From one company’s website, regarding a corporate restructure,

In order to maximize [company department’s] contribution to the company’s strategic objectives for cost competitiveness, organizational efficiency, improved margins and continued excellence in execution – as well as to create new and innovative business opportunities, we are pleased to announce our new center-led [department] organization structure…

If such results are truly possible, one has to wonder why such a move wasn’t done long ago?

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Racism in South Africa
But not the kind you were thinking of.

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Ratio Christi
Looks good