3Horn.Org

First, let me say that this is going to piss some people off, it won’t be the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

PHOENIX — A proposed law that would erase registration requirements for certain sex offenders convicted of less violent crimes will likely go no further this legislative session.

Yes, it seems that some Arizona politicians realized that perhaps forcing people convicted of various crimes to be listed on publicly accessible rolls for the rest of their lives might be a tad much, so as the article states they pushed for some changes:

As written, the bill allows sex offenders to stop registering if they’ve finished jail and probation and can prove to a judge that they’re no longer a public safety threat.

See, that’s how the law is supposed to work, you finish your “debt to society”, and you’re allowed to move on with your life. Hell, you can murder a child in cold blood, but as long as you do your time, all is forgiven. But piss on a sidewalk? Fuck you sex offender, we’re going to publicly humiliate you until the day you die. We’re also going to prohibit you from living anywhere but under a bridge like a god damned troll, and then we’re gonna’ forcibly remove you from there as well. Oh, and if we feel like it, we’re also going to incarcerate you for life, even though you’ve served your sentence. Sucks don’t it? Too fucking bad.

So, back to Arizona and this bill: The bill has bi-partisan support. And lawmakers said sex offense laws in Arizona treat all cases virtually the same whether it’s a 19-year-old having sex with a 16-year-old, a person caught urinating in public, or a child rapist.

Wait, so bipartisan support? Okay, why isn’t it moving forward?

Just a few hearings into the bill, he was faced with opposition from several groups, including N.A.I.L.E.M., a group that tracks state laws.

“Let me tell you, if once a sex offender, always a sex offender,” said Diane Neill, the group’s director. “

Ah, so some group with a catchy name is gonna’ claim that anyone who supports this is soft on crime and hates women and children. And who is Diane Neill anyway? You’d think with her forceful declaration about sex offenders that she’d a degreed mental health or criminal justice professional. Truth is, she’s a housewife with a high school diploma and her own cover story in the Phoenix New Times back in 2001. And as you might expect, it isn’t exactly flattering.

To clarify, this is no way meant to apologize for or condone the actions of sex offenders, but I personally believe two things:

1. It is unconstitutional to treat sexual crimes differently than other crimes, due to their nature. In other words, unless you require murderers and grand larcenists to publicly disclose their locations after their release from prison and end of parole, you shouldn’t force sex offenders to either.

2. There are varying degrees of “sex crimes”. Someone who got so drunk that they decided that it was a good idea squat down and piss in an alley is not comparable to a serial rapist, and we shouldn’t treat them like it.

No matter which way you lean on this matter, I invite you to join me in visiting the Tea Bagger festivities in front of Dallas City Hall, Saturday at noon:

For those of you who think that I’m particularly hard on the Tea Party folks, I invite you to join me in partaking in another one of their love fests:

The Dallas Tea Party 2010 Anniversary and Get-Out-The-Vote Rally!!!

February 27, 2010

Dallas City Hall

12:00 noon – 2:00 pm

Dear Apple, did you really just release a final version of Aperture that incorrectly rotates Nikon RAW files? Seriously?

Listen, I know I haven’t always been kind to you, but over the past few years, you’ve grown on me, I’ve even started to recommend you to people. But now?

Now you’re giving me things like the iPad, which really wasn’t the game-changer that Steve tried to make it out to be. No multitasking and no Flash support on a device that would cost me two to three times what a good netbook would? Did you really think that people wouldn’t notice the blue Lego blocks every time they tried to visit…Well, just about anything on the web anymore?

And Aperture 3, you know how much I hate Nikon’s Capture NX2 for its workflow, but love the results it gives me. Aperture 3 could have made me happy, great results with a trademark Apple user experience. But no, right out of the box you had to screw up my photos.

I know that sometimes there are little issues that pop up at the last moment, but c’mon, all you had to do, was import some photos and the problem would be noticeable. You and I both know that my little D90 has been on the market for a year and a half, so it wasn’t that you didn’t have time for a little QA.

Nikon and Canon together make up what percentage of the market you’re gunning for? I’d hazard a guess of at least 80%, and I’m sure that’s conservative. Think of the market share: People who need more than Photoshop Elements or Lightroom, but can’t afford a full version of Photoshop. That could all be yours, and probably a new car too!

Now I realize that you’re probably thinking “What’s the big deal, all you have to do, is rotate the photos yourself!”, and while that’s true, it leaves me wondering “what else is missing or not-quite-right”. What’s that they say about second chances for first impressions?

C’mon guys, maybe it’s time to lay off the Humboldt imports, or if you haven’t been smoking lately, maybe it’s time to pick the pipe back up again.

Since Republicans are always claiming how they’re anti-tax, and friend to the little man, I’d like to take a moment to remind everyone of last March, when Rick Perry decided to reject $556 million in additional federal funds for unemployment because it had “too many strings attached”. What those strings were for of course was to provide unemployment for more people and using a better measure to determine pay. Oh, and that half a billion dollars? It was an interest free loan.

Fast Forward to today, when CNN has run the following:

Texas is one of the hard-hit states. Though its unemployment rate is a relatively low 8.3%, jobless claims have soared. In December, Texas paid 330,000 residents a total of $325.7 million, up from 228,000 people claiming $216.8 million a year earlier.

The state began borrowing from the feds in July to pay unemployment benefits and now owes Washington $1.6 billion, said Ann Hatchitt, spokeswoman for the Texas Workforce Commission.

So employers in the Lone Star State will have to pay at least $64.80 in tax per worker this year, up from $23.40 a year ago. This is the highest rate in 20 years.

“After having a period of high demand on the unemployment trust fund and rising unemployment, we had to set the rates for 2010 to replenish the trust fund,” Hatchitt said.

So, to recap: Rick Perry who says that taxes are bad mmmkay turned down $556 million for jobless Texans because he didn’t feel that more Texans needed to be able to eat,provide for their families and have a roof over their heads. As a result, Texas has had to borrow 1 and a half billion dollars from the federal government, all of which we’ll owe interest on. Oh, and to cover our shortage? We’re gonna almost triple unemployment taxes on businesses.

Now I know that conservatives like to forward on to their families, friends, enemies, people they once talked to on an elevator lots political emails. Well, I’m asking everyone to pass around this one. I want to see the outrage that comes from a man screwing over Texas workers, families and businesses to garner favor with the Tea Party crowd. Anyone who professes to believe in honesty and lower taxes should realize that they cannot in good conscience vote for this man.

AIG is giving out another 100 million in bonuses.