Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.
Plautus
Obama's Quote of the Day
“ It is easy to be generous with other people's money. ”
Latin proverb
First Nominee for Shyster of the Year:
Federal Attorney Carmen Ortiz
I've been flirting with the idea of expanding my annual tongue-in-cheek blog awards to include lawyers and Republicans behaving badly (as well as my JOTY for Democrats: I've flirted with the idea of using 'White Elephant' for Republican). Ortiz is the 2011 Bostonian of the Year federal attorney whose bullying prosecution of Internet activist Aaron Shwartz resulted in his suicide, which I briefly reviewed recently, and more recently she was fighting to seize the hotel owned by the Caswell couple because dug transactions took place on the property without their knowledge or consent and lost.
It's bad enough this abuse of power took place at all, but do you think Ortiz was chastened by her loss? Think again:
“This case was strictly a law-enforcement effort to crack down on what was seen as a pattern of using the motel to further the commission of drug crimes for nearly three decades,” Ortiz said in a statement. “We are weighing our options with respect to appeal.”
Federal prosecutors first sought to seize Caswell’s property in 2009, citing multiple drug arrests on the property. But Caswell’s legal team found there was actually more drug activity at surrounding addresses and suspected the government was going after Caswell, who has no criminal record, because his mortgage-free property is worth more than $1 million.
How Cheap is Shale-Source Natural Gas?
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| Look at Bakken flare-off visible from space Courtesy of the Financial Times via CNBC |
The volume of unwanted gas being flared off in North Dakota, the state leading the shale revolution transforming the outlook for US energy, rose about 50 per cent last year. The volume of gas flared in the US has tripled in just five years, according to World Bank estimates and is now fifth highest in the world, behind Russia, Nigeria, Iran and Iraq. The flaring is a result, in large part, of the low price of natural gas in North America, which can make it uneconomic to build pipelines and tanks to handle the gas released by oil production. Flaring is often the safest way to dispose of it.Mark Perry of Carpe Diem likes to cite how much C02 reduction is due to the shale gas revolution. But we don't need to email Richard Windsor to figure out that the Obama Administration is concerned. The Financial Times continues:
Flaring has been attracting attention from environmental campaigners because of its consequences for greenhouse gas emissions, local air pollution and disturbance to nearby communitiesVoting and Cost-Benefit Analysis
Take a highly informed libertarian/conservative blogger whom lives and votes in a blue state. Heaven knows how much my blog costs if I factor in my own billing rate...Or my own readers if they calculate their time in reading me...
Do You know "Cato" of "Cato Institute"?
One can easily understand why a fierce defender of small-r republican ideals, an utterly incorruptible public official, a principled stoic, might fit a libertarian standpoint. But I've found it peculiar because of the circumstances of Catiline's conspiracy. This incident is briefly discussed in the video in explaining the start of the divide between Julius Caesar and Cato. Roman law required the due process of a trial before execution. (Hence, for example, why Jesus Christ went through a trial before His crucifixion.) Rebel forces were planning to overthrow Rome. The consul Cicero got evidence but at first Roman citizens accused him of fear-mongering and fabricating evidence. Additional evidence became available and some conspirators caught. Caesar basically argued for lesser punishments of property seizure and life imprisonment. The tribune Cato argued immediate executions were necessary to send a demoralizing message and warning to treasonous conspirators and the delay of trials risked an interim, perhaps fatal assault on Rome. In fact, Cato Institute has been critical of Obama Administration kill lists, especially of American citizens abroad without due process of a trial and conviction.
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Steely Dan, Reelin' in the Years
