Bizzle likes him some Dunkers

Huge win for freedom

There are some, among them a certain troll who likes to hijack my blog’s comments for his small-minded rants, who are of the opinion that journalists must be accredited and licensed in order to hold that “lofty” title. I disagree wholeheartedly; had that sort of constraint been in place 250 years ago, individuals such as Patrick Henry would have been proscribed from publishing their treatises against the King of England, and we might still be no more than ragtag pommy colonies.

Apologies in advance to any Brits offended by the preceding paragraph. I was just being cheeky.

No, the tradition of the citizen-journalist is at the very bedrock of rights the founding fathers held most dear. Troll-boy’s protestations to the contrary, the reporting of news and spouting of opinion by mere commoners is of vital importance to the health of a republic.

And now a federal judge agrees.

Boston lawyer Simon Glik was arrested on October 1, 2007 when he used his cell phone to record officers making a drug arrest, and later sued the city and the officers for violating his rights. After the officers tried to having the lawsuit dismissed on the basis of qualified immunity, a Federal Appeals Court denied the motion last week and ruled that filming and photographing police is in fact protected by the First Amendment. They also note that the rights extend not just to professional news gatherers, but ordinary citizens as well:

“[…] changes in technology and society have made the lines between private citizen and journalist exceedingly difficult to draw. The proliferation of electronic devices with video-recording capability means that many of our images of current events come from bystanders with a ready cell phone or digital camera rather than a traditional film crew, and news stories are now just as likely to be broken by a blogger at her computer as a reporter at a major newspaper. Such developments make clear why the news-gathering protections of the First Amendment cannot turn on professional credentials or status”.

How big is this news? Beyond big.

As I reported well over a year ago, it is a felony crime in the State of Maryland People’s Republic of Maryland to take video of the Maryland State Police Schutzstaffel in the course of executing their duties (such as shooting pet dogs, for example). Or, should I say, it was.

Now that we can confidently record the jackbooted jagoffs in action, I’m willing to bet that their behavior toward we mere commoners might just be a little less strident. We can only hope.

The inimitable Lyle, on the confessions of a desperate house cat

Via Tim Blair (who warns, DON’T TRUST THEM), a cat gets caught barking by a human and resumes meowing:

Via blog poet laureate lyle in comments:

Secrets of a Desperate House Cat

The houses and the streets grow dark 
And I sneak out to stroll the park 
Where all the rough dogs like to play 
And me, too; I was born that way.

My daytime friends are unaware 
And would be shocked but I don’t care, 
For only in the darkened park 
Can I be who I am, and bark.

You might think that it’s sex – it’s not – 
That draws me to Spike, Rex and Spot, 
But with my dogs I know I’m free 
To be a slob, and drool and pee.

And with them I don’t have to act 
With catlike cool, reserve and tact; 
When I’m around my dogs I’ve found 
I can express my inner hound.

lyle
Tue 28 Jun 11 (01:43am)

Just so.

The Best Australian Mining Ad Which Has Nothing Much To Do With Mining

…But About The Human Faces Of Those Involved With It.

Earlier this morning, Tim Blair posted one of the several “Australian Mining: This Is Our Story” pieces which are being put out to raise awareness of the importance of the mining industry to Australia, and to all Australians.

Although I like that one, it’s not my favourite.  My favourite is a story Ken and Val Lamb told during the filming of this one:

Now below is the story of Ken Lamb’s dog Ernie, as related by Ken and his wife Val.  This is the one that’s my favourite.

If you get a chance, please pass your favourite “This Is Our Story” pieces around as best you can, to demonstrate to the industry’s critics that Australian mining isn’t all about the ALP’s & Greens’ cartoonish caricatures of the rich greedy Gaia-raping mining magnates they love to hate (Gina Rinehart seems to be the one singled out for this month’s Two-Minute Hate) but about the 750,000 ordinary Australians the mining industry provides work for and the entire  communities all across the country it supports.

The people who want to end or cripple “Big Mining” either out of misguided Green idealism or for reasons rooted in not much more than base envy of the “rich bastards” (and “bitches” – good on Gina for bringing the gender equality!) they’d like to see taken down a peg or two need to understand that they’re not going to hurt the mining magnates (and baronesses – again, Gina!).  They’ve already got a lot of money, money they can pull out and invest elsewhere.  It’s the hundreds of thousands of ordinary Australians and ordinary Australian communities – including Indigenous communities – who are dependent on the mining industry for their livelihoods who are going to cop it.  People like Len Thong, Bruce Chater, Ken Lamb, and their families and communities.

Oh, and don’t watch the backstory on Ken’s dog Ernie anyplace where you’re going to be embarrassed to get a tear in your eye.

UPDATE: And on that subject, Ron Hardin, whose own dog features heavily in his photo blog, suggests “check out the best advice on dogs Vicki Hearne Oyez a Beaumont (pdf).”   Do.

Abandoned puppy update.

As I posted a couple of weeks back we picked up a couple of abandoned new born pups at one of my clients houses.

Both had been left abandoned in a caravan out the back while the mother (and any other pups) were taken 550 km away.

We were told they would be put down as they were too expensive/time consuming for the local vets to raise (fair enough for them, they do a lot of cost price only work for the local dog rescue).. My missus decided she’d/we’d have a shot at raising them. We were told the first 2 days were critical, and neither was expected to live.

After being fed every 3 hours for the first 2 days they both began to guzzle the milk properly, and a couple of days after that were a pair of butterballs.

Full as a tick

 

They are now both starting solids and we will look after them for a few weeks more before they are rehomed through a local dog rescue organisation.

So the only thing left for them to do is track down their original owners and exact terrible revenge….

They wont see it coming...

Hey you kids, get off my porch

Spot, do you want Obama to lose or not?

It’s really that simple: Back Trump, or Obama wins, and that’s the Realpolitik of the situation.

Related.

Dog, bed; dog, bed.

Ain’t it always the way.

via @GavAtkins

Moo-Dog

That is all.

via the wonderful @LATunleashed. CLICK