Over in England, they love their CCTV.  Hasn’t done much to reduce the crime rate (the violent crime rate in England is about three times higher than the violent crime rate in the U.S.).  Yet still they persist in adding more cameras.

Now critics say the cameras don’t just undermine individual liberty, but society as a whole.  Which makes sense, since society is made up of, you know, a bunch of individuals. 

I’m not quite sure all the work has been done in getting the new design up and running, but it looks good to me, so I’m going to go ahead and start posting. 

I’ve decided to concentrate most of my energies here on the blog to talk about nanny-statism.  I might post two or three items a day, I might not post at all for a couple of days.  But rather than just post random stuff, I’m going to try and stick with this theme for awhile. 

Of course there will still be the random kid pic, but that just comes with the territory.  Besides, these kids are what we’re fighting for… the right they have to grow up, become adults, and actually be treated like adults. 

Anyway, thanks for putting up with the few weeks of silence.  We’re back and running now. 

… at least momentarily.  Jeez, I can’t believe I haven’t posted here since March 30th.  Honestly, it feels like only two or three days have gone by.  Guess I really did need that break. 

Posting might continue to be light the rest of this week.  I’m heading to the NRA Annual Meetings on Wednesday, and those are always long days with not much time to blog.  Speaking of the Annual Meetings, I received an email from Nuge over the weekend with his thoughts on what this time of year means.  Here it is:

The National Rifle Association is simply the largest American family grassroots organization in the world, and we insist on the self evident truth and God given right to keep and bear arms. We are conclusively convinced that self-defense is a critical and imperative ethic and responsibility for good, thoughtful people everywhere. Fortunately, America’s Founding Fathers, fresh from escaping and fleeing the horrors of enslavement by tyrants, dictators, emperors and kings in Britain, Europe, the Orient and Asia, wrote down a list of these conscientious, overtly obvious self-evident truths as a guideline for quality of independent life in this new land of the free and home of the brave, just in case anyone would be so foolish or evil as to forget. We like and believe in The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and with all due respect, don’t need anybody to translate them for us, thank you.

And so we gather once again in 2007, on April 13, 14 and 15, in beautiful St. Louis, Missouri, for the 136th time. We are moms, dads, sons and daughters, grandparents and neighbors, of every imaginable walk of life, celebrating with intense heart and soul and supreme confidence that we the people indeed have the individual right to keep and bear arms for every imaginable good, lawful use. The Nugent family tries to coordinate our family time each year to join in with these other fine, upstanding US Citizens for just such positive family time at the NRA annuals, sharing our wonderfully thrilling gun loving lifestyle as the barometer by which true freedom can be gauged. With 1000s of gun related exhibits including guns and gear for hunting, competition, law enforcement, military, collecting or just the joys of owning these profoundly intriguing life saving tools, we are proud of this four million member organization that clearly distinguishes America from every other nation or society. We love our freedom and our guns, and are dedicated to keep those at bay who would disarm us and force us into helplessness. Sarah Brady, eat your heart out.

I am not only a proud Life Member of the NRA, I am honored to represent our four million members who have voted me onto the NRA Board of Directors for five glorious terms. I am dedicated and committed to stand absolute in our fight to keep the gun banners exposed for the soulless, spineless antiAmericans that they are. Clearly to force good Americans into unarmed helplessness is to be complicit with the criminals who would more easily prey upon us. To be so ignorant of the overwhelming global statistics and evidence that gun bans actually help the bad guys is inexcusable, and we believe, not just stupid, but very dangerous. The NRA will not let that happen, thank God.

We invite our fellow Americans who believe in the good guys winning, and good over bad in general, to join us at the NRA Annual party. You will see good looking, friendly, caring, productive, law abiding families including heroes of law enforcement and the US Military who cherish the right to keep and bear arms. We happen to know of many, many such heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for such American rights and freedoms, and to hang out with them is truly an honor and a privilege. We welcome you all.

Sincerely, Ted Nugent

With that, I’m off for the day.  How can I ever try to follow Ted Nugent anyway?