When you read this, remember that 100 Pounds equals $200

Nanny Knows Best makes me laugh as often as it outrages me with its chronicle of Statist intrusion into everyday life in Great Britain, and I really do have to resist the urge to link to virtually every story posted there.

But three days ago in my deed-restricted community one of our neighbors ran out into the street screaming at my wife that she was not allowed to put out a sign supporting the upcoming Red Clay referendum. [I think this was the same one who finked on me for leaving an empty trash can out in front of my garage door one night.]

So maybe you'll understand why this one resonates with me.

Nanny has found another nice way to screw us for money, that's nice!

Nanny has instructed local councils to fine householders for putting out a single bag of rubbish at the wrong time.

Nanny has produced an "enforcement manual" (pass the sick bag someone), which will be distributed to local councils. The manual instructs local councils to implement a "zero tolerance" policy on waste collection.

On-the-spot penalties of around £100 must be levied on those who leave their rubbish out early, or fail to close the lid of their wheelie bin properly.

Oh yes, this is going to go down so well!

So far, Nanny has fined 44,000 people £100 for "crimes" such as leaving their rubbish out on the wrong day or putting out black bags next to their wheelie bins.

The thoughtful State has even provided a manual of proper conduct for bin inspectors:

The document tells bin enforcers to be alert for the signs a person is getting angry.

According to the Environment Department, these include "changes in breathing patterns, the throbbing vein in the temple, the opening and closing of their fist, increased tension in the face or body".

The document advises staff:

"Let them know that this behaviour is not acceptable, e.g. 'I am not prepared to carry on this interview whilst you are calling me a w***er and a jobsworth. Are you prepared to stop doing this/I am requesting that you stop this behaviour'."

It adds:

"You will probably meet plenty of barrack room lawyers when you are going about your duties.

As a matter of course, you will technically be interfering with an individual's freedom, but this is not the same as infringing their human rights.

After a confrontation, staff are told that it is "important to offload what has happened".

"You can do this by screaming and shouting (in a safe place)."

I tend to do a lot of screaming and shouting these days. But there also seem to be a lot fewer safe places.

Comment Rescue (?) and child-related gun violence in Delaware

In my post about the idiotic over-reaction to a New Jersey 10-year-old posing with his new squirrel rifle , Dana Garrett left me this response: One waits, apparently in vain, for you to post the annual rates of children who either shoot themselves or someone else with a gun. But then you Libertarians are notoriously ambivalent to and silent about data and facts and would rather talk abstract principles and fear monger (like the government will confiscate your guns). It doesn't require any degree of subtlety to see why you are data and fact adverse. The facts indicate we have a crisis with gun violence and accidents in the USA, and Libertarians offer nothing credible to address it. Lives, even the lives of children, get sacrificed to the fetishism of liberty. That's intellectual cowardice. OK, Dana, let's talk facts. According to the Children's Defense Fund , which is itself only querying the CDCP data base, fewer than 10 children/teens were killed per year in Delaw

The Obligatory Libertarian Tax Day Post

The most disturbing factoid that I learned on Tax Day was that the average American must now spend a full twenty-four hours filling out tax forms. That's three work days. Or, think of it this way: if you had to put in two hours per night after dinner to finish your taxes, that's two weeks (with Sundays off). I saw a talking head economics professor on some Philly TV channel pontificating about how Americans procrastinate. He was laughing. The IRS guy they interviewed actually said, "Tick, tick, tick." You have to wonder if Governor Ruth Ann Minner and her cohorts put in twenty-four hours pondering whether or not to give Kraft Foods $708,000 of our State taxes while demanding that school districts return $8-10 million each?

New Warfare: I started my posts with a discussion.....

.....on Unrestricted warfare . The US Air force Institute for National Security Studies have developed a reasonable systems approach to deter non-state violent actors who they label as NSVA's. It is an exceptionally important report if we want to deter violent extremism and other potential violent actors that could threaten this nation and its security. It is THE report our political officials should be listening to to shape policy so that we do not become excessive in using force against those who do not agree with policy and dispute it with reason and normal non-violent civil disobedience. This report, should be carefully read by everyone really concerned with protecting civil liberties while deterring violent terrorism and I recommend if you are a professional you send your recommendations via e-mail at the link above so that either 1.) additional safeguards to civil liberties are included, or 2.) additional viable strategies can be used. Finally, one can only hope that politici

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