H L Mencken, quoted by David Friedman in the December issue of Liberty
In nothing did the founders of this country so demonstrate their essential naïveté than in attempting to constrain government from all of its favorite abuses, and entrusting the enforcement of these protections to judges; that is to say, men who had been lawyers; that is to say, men professionally trained in finding plausible excuses for dishonest and dishonorable acts.
Mark A R Kleiman says a number of sane things, but also this:
Requiring everyone who wants to have a gun to apply for a discretionary permit . . . serves no good purpose that I can see. The same is true of making a national registry of firearms and their owners. . . .
If and when it becomes technically feasible, we also need a database of ballistic signatures so that a bullet or shell casing found at a crime scene can be linked to the gun that fired it, and that gun in turn to its last lawful purchaser.
I deleted three paragraphs between, during which perhaps he changed his mind.
Kleiman also mentions Social Darwinism and Herbert Spencer together, vaguely enough that I can’t tell whether or not he means to repeat the slander refuted by Roderick Long.
. . is totally swell. I shall have to see it again.
Fannish notes: In one brief shot we see what looks like the personal fliers of L Neil Smith’s Pallas. Two bystanders could be Lee & Kirby, or not.
Astonishing language for children’s television. I knew British television was more liberal, but really! (cited by Nev Dull)
Later same day: Er well sorta. Here’s the straight dope.
I’ve added a background to my front page. Does it make the text harder to read?