Elvira Arellano, perhaps America’s most famous illegal immigrant, was arrested earlier today in Los Angeles. Arellano had been holed up in a Chicago church for nearly all of the past year after defying the Homeland Security Department’s deportation order and fleeing to Adalberto United Methodist Church instead. Since then Arellano has been a vocal public…
Author: marc
Marc is a software developer, writer, and part-time political know-it-all who currently resides in Texas in the good ol' U.S.A.
Romney on Education
Mitt Romney had some good things to say about education yesterday: Romney said he would work hard to improve schools but did not elaborate. When a woman asked him about how he would support arts and music programs that often are the first to be cut from tight school budgets, he said he was wary…
Religious Expression
In Texas this week, Governor Perry celebrated the June passage of the state’s Religious Viewpoint Anti-Discrimination Act in a ceremonial signing with schoolchildren at Clements High School in Sugar Land. According to Perry: “In a society where lawsuits long-ago replaced honest discussion, a culture of fear has led to limitations on our freedoms,” said Gov….
Space Non-Race
I received an email from a friend today that made the following claim: Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting in August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will culminate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sure…
Newark Follow-up
It seems that Jose Carranza, suspected of being one of the Newark killers, is an illegal alien already known to the justice system and had been indicted for the sexual assault of a 13 year old. (Carranza turned himself in, causing Mayor Booker to say that he thought he’d be safer in prison.) Do I…
Newark Executions
Earlier this week in Newark, 3 college students were executed in a neighborhood schoolyard. Another student was shot was through the back of the head, escaping death by fractions of an inch. Killed in the attack were Terrance Aeriel, 18, Dashon Harvey, 20 and Iofemi Hightower, 20. Aeriel’s 19-year-old sister was wounded and is expected…
The "3 P’s" Blog Award!
Pete Abel over at Central Sanity recently listed Black Shards as one of his picks for the Pissant Partisan Provocateur award and I couldn’t be happier about it! (Well, actually, I wouldn’t mind having a Techorati a bit higher than the present 280,190, if we’re telling the truth and all…) At any rate, Pete is…
Nutrition Gap
The Chronicle ran a story last month about Americans and how we’re losing our height advantage over the rest of the world. Like many human traits, height is determined by a mix of genes and environment. Experts agree that, aside from African pygmies and a few similar exceptions, most populations have about the same genetic…
Protecting America
Congress recently passed another security-related bill that may potentially infringe on American’s rights. In reference to the current Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the bill states, among other things, that: Nothing in the definition of electronic surveillance under section 101(f) [ed. of the current act] shall be construed to encompass surveillance directed at a person reasonably…
Toxic Food
The Houston Chronicle recently reported some disturbing environmental news: For the first time, Texas has generated its own “dead zone” in coastal waters, scientists say. The 1,750-square-mile area of oxygen-depleted water, stretching from Freeport to Matagorda Bay, is potentially deadly to marine life. … Until this summer’s heavy rainfall, Texas A&M University oceanographer Steve DiMarco…