I’m told that the federal Gun Control Act of 1968 commanded that sales of ammunition be reported to police, and that that provision was repealed circa 1986 at the request of police who were weary of handling data that had never been useful. But when does the state of California ever learn anything? (Cited by Claire Wolfe)

Wo, Jim, catty much?

The ever-amazing Joshua Burton calls my attention to this song from someone I’d never heard of before.

Will Wilkinson / The Fly Bottle

The generally negative-sum struggle for fascist state power is diametrically opposed to the positive-sum logic of cooperation that is the very heart of capitalism, and the justification of democracy.

I’ve often mocked The Media for saying “former Italian prime minister” (what kind of prime minister is he now?) and so it is mildly disappointing that I won’t get to apply the phrase to Mrs Gandhi. The Agonist (cited by Brad DeLong) says:

News reports said she [Mrs Gandhi] would support Dr. Manmohan Singh, a former finance minister, as prime minister. A Sikh, he would be India’s first minority prime minister.

Nu? India has a majority?

When I disagree with Vin Suprynowicz it’s usually over the appropriate treatment of foreigners, but Vin’s Iraq policy is not without appeal.

He didn’t need to put it so spitefully, though. Secession is not a punishment.

On yet another hand, maybe the natural division of Iraq is not the obvious one. I’d split Iraq into the 18 provinces, if not finer, and hold plebiscites: “For each of the 17 other provinces, yes or no: shall your province federate with ________?” Merge the provinces into federations where 3/5 of the voters in each province consent to joining with each other province. Then hold another round of plebiscites allowing border districts to switch by simple majority.

Heather Mac Donald: The Diversity Taboo (cited indirectly by Eric Rasmusen)