If there were a Heaven, would that its receivers understood the intrinsic evil of the State, whose livelihood is war and tyranny:

If we attempt to formulate [C.S.] Lewis’ religion into a universal ethic, we might call it the universal soldier’s ethic, worded such as this: It is justified to do whatever commanded by a government authority even if the act would otherwise be a terrible evil, such as murder, and individuals do not have the authority to judge which governments are legitimate or not.

Well, kind of.

“Maybe the people who think there’s a conspiracy out there are right,” [Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security Peter] DeFazio said.

As set forth in the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, there exists a clearly defined order for the continuation of government in the United States. Some people are worried, however, that the Bush administration is keeping classified “double-secret” a unilateral plan. Some of those people have voiced their concerns:

Constituents called Rep. Peter DeFazio’s office, worried there was a conspiracy buried in the classified portion of a White House plan for operating the government after a terrorist attack.”

As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, DeFazio, D-Ore., is permitted to enter a secure “bubbleroom” in the Capitol and examine classified material. So he asked the White House to see the secret documents…

We’re talking about the continuity of the government of the United States of America,” DeFazio said. “I would think that would be relevant to any member of Congress, let alone a member of the Homeland Security Committee…

This is the first time DeFazio has been denied access to documents.

The first time in six years that he’s been denied access – you really, really have to ask yourself: “What could possibly be in those documents that even he isn’t allowed to see? What is so top-secret that the guy in charge of Homeland Security doesn’t get access?” It boggles the mind. Actually, it’s downright frightening.

My brother asks: “It couldn’t be that Bush’s plans don’t involve congress. Could it?”

Crazy conspiracy theorists…

Being somewhat in the market for a new car, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at various makes and models on the web. When I put nissan.com into my address bar, I was surprised not to find the website for Nissan Motors, but rather, something else. Take a look for yourself, or read Mr. Nissan’s story.

Presently, a court order prevents him from using his family name on his website to promote his business(es) that he owns, because Nissan Motors somehow acquired a superior right to the use of the brand name “Nissan.” Even though Mr. Nissan’s businesses were incorporated when Nissan was known as Datsun, and he has been doing business ever since.

Seems pretty ridiculous, if you ask me.