Songwriter Diane Warren penned a different ditty this week: an impassioned indictment of music “piracy” via MP3 downloads. If anyone is entitled to an opionion, Diane is. Read a bried bio on-line. Unfortunately, she is dreadfully wrong. Ms. Warren works in an industry in which barriers to entry, in the form of monolithic recording companies,…
Op-Ed Blog
Falwell Outbursts Inflammatory
Jerry Falwell’s stirring the pot of religious zealotry again, calling the founder of Islam a terrorist. Read the AP story on Yahoo.com. Luckily, one doubts if many Muslims take Falwell seriously, assuming they’ve heard of him. Muslim/Christian wars have been going on for centuries around the world. But they have little to do with worship;…
New Jersey Ballot Muddle
New Jersey’s Supreme Court unanimously decided that Democrats could replace Robert Torricelli on the Nov. 5 ballot. Read about it in the Star-Tribune. This despite the law prohibiting ballot changes close to the election. How can the state Supreme Court ignore the law? The disregard for ethics and standards of law in this case is…
Kids Murder Adult
A gang of children and teenagers beat a man to death in Milwaukee earlier this week. Read about it in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. As asked on NPR, where were these little monster’s parents? The MJS story is all sympathy for the killers. “He didn’t mean it,” sobs one culprit’s sister. That’s a lie. Ten…
CD Pricing Fixing Found
Universal Music Group, Sony Music, BMG Music Group, Warner Music Group, EMI Group, Musicland Stores, Trans World Entertainment and Tower Records settled a lawsuit alledging price fixing of CDs over a 6 year period. Read about it in the Yahoo News. Of course, they admit no wrongdoing – who does these days? But any tracker…
Senator Quits Race, Can Party Replace?
Robert Torricelli (D, New Jersey) renounced his re-election bid toady. Read about it at Yahoo News. The question is: should the Democrats be allowed to replace Torricelli on the ballot. The answer is clearly no. The law prohibits changing candidates this close to the election for a reason – to prevent party shenanigans like the…
Sports, Kids, and Parents
I recently had a chance to observe the goings-on at a YMCA roller hockey game for 8 and 9 year-olds held in The Woodlands, Texas. Be forewarned, I’m the parent of one of the visiting team’s players. However, as our team won at least 10-0, I lost count of the goals scored, so it’s hardly…
Farmers Insurance Group: No Class
Farmers Insurance Group is leaving the Texas homeowner’s insurace market. Read the story in the Houston Chronicle. In a move typical of the industry, the company has decided to not renew coverage for Texas after a recent rash of mold claims. Insurance is a simple business: collect premiums and avoid claims. After working the system…
Estrada Judicial Fight
President Bush has nominated another highly qualified candidate for a judicial post. By all accounts, Miguel Estrada’s a nearly ideal candidate. Read about the upcoming confirmation battle on CNN.com Very likely this will erupt into another idealogical, party-line embarrassment in the Senate. Let’s move past our petty party politics. This man is qualified to do…
Ted Williams’ Will
One more case of “Only in America”, this time in regards to Ted Williams, the last man to ever hit .400 in a baseball season. His family can’t decide if Ted wanted to be frozen or cremated, so they are in a legal catfight over the issue. Read about it on MSNBC.com Me, I never…