The LA Times has a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-carona26jul26.story"
target="_blank">feature on the terrific job done by OC Sheriff Mike
Carona in the Samantha Runnion case.



Although everyone would have prefered a happier ending, Carona did a great
job of managing the investigation. Throughout last week, I was amazed at
how well he conducted the case. What struck me was how differently the case
would have been handled had it ocurred in L.A.. I'm afraid that had it all
been centered a little further to the north, PR spin would have overwhelmed
the primary job of getting Samantha back safely. Spin would have also dominated
the subsequent murder investigation. But that wasn't the case with Sheriff
Carona.



Carona did a brilliant job of keeping the case the top story of every local
news outlet. This was important because it is what got literally millions
of eyes looking for Samantha and then her killer. Were Carona to have sent
out a flak to produce a few lines of happy talk, as I'm sure that the L.A.
authorities would have, then the case would have slipped from view and perhaps
never have been solved. Instead, Carona kept everyone focused on the case;
even at the risk of frightening people. A little fright is something that
we'll all get over. An unsolved case is not.

Now that John Magaw's out at the Transportation Safety Administration, things
are looking up. They are now going to " href="http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28383"
target="_blank">study" the idea of arming pilots. This is opposed to
the former policy of launching into a hoplophobic tizzy at the thought of
pilots with guns.

face="Palatino, Book Antiqua, Times New Roman, Georgia, Times">"It is under
discussion in terms of should we take another approach," Mineta told the
House Transportation Committee's aviation subcommittee during testimony on
Tuesday. "I have asked [TSA Administrator James Loy] to take a look at this
to see whether or not there is some alternative, even if it is lethal weapons."

A definite improvement. As FReeper FR_addict notes, href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/721402/posts?page=3#3"
target="_blank">Barbara Boxer's defection to the pro-gun side on this
issue is probably the straw that broke the camel's back. "I think the politicians,
both Democrats and Republicans, finally figured out the public wants their
pilots armed."

Good news for those of us who fly: John Magaw has resigned from the Transportation Security Administration. Magaw is one of those who felt that the only weapon that should be in the cockpit of a hijacked plane should be the AMRAAM missile flying through the cockpit of said aircraft. Now, with a little help from Barbara Boxer, perhaps we'll have pilots who are armed with more than harsh language.

---

OK... OK... OK... So I haven't been keeping this up to date. The truth is that I didn't notice anything that seemed, at the time, to be worth the bandwidth. I could probably go back and fill in what I neglected; but why? It would be old news.

To the Left of Barbara Boxer...

Deroy Murdock points out that the Bush White House is now to the left of Sen. Barbara Boxer when it comes to arming pilots. I never, ever thought that I'd agree with Boxer on any issue. I agree with her on this. The idea that an AMRAAM missile should be the first, last, and only line of defense against terrorists entering a cockpit is absurd. Murdock picks off the arguments against arming pilots like an IPSC shooter knocking down plates.

Michael Bellisiles is at it again and Eugene Volokh finds Bellisiles' view of "history" interesting to say the least.

---

Matt Drudge is reporting that Rep. Dick Gephardt (D) may have gotten some sweetheart loans from DNC bagman Terry McAuliffe.

---

Does CNN know something about Pasadena, CA, where I grew up, that I don't? Like the presence of OIL REFINERIES?!?

There's yet another unsubstantiated, vague threat warning issued by the Feds of a possible terrorist strike on the oil refineries of Pasadena TEXAS. But CNN just now had a reporterette going off about the refineries in my old home town. And it wasn't simply a case of her getting confused and substituting the name of the well-known home of the Rose Parade; the chiron at the bottom of the screen also said "Pasadena, Calif." as she spoke. In other words, a copy writer and then an editor blew it. But, it's the poor reporterette who is now probably going to be the butt of a Texas-sized crop of jokes.

An Update: CNN seems to have caught on to the rest of the story. That being the part where Federal and local officials in Pasadena, realizing that there aren't a whole lotta oil refineries in town, call Pasadena, Texas to warn them.

Spin City...

Compare these three headlines and lead-ins. Notice anything strange?
Would you believe that all three are for the same story?

---

align="center">

face="Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif"> Davis ekes out 7-point lead over Simon Field Poll shows voters against hopeful rather than for governor href="mailto:lgledhill@sfchronicle.com">Lynda Gledhill, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau	src="http://www.sfgate.com/templates/types/gatemainpages/images/clear.gif" width="10" height="1">	face="geneva,arial,sans-serif" size="1" color="#990000"> Thursday, July 11, 2002 href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/07/11/MN184694.DTL#sections"> src="http://www.sfgate.com/templates/brands/chronicle/images/chronicle.gif" width="150" height="36" border="0">
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object.cgi?object=/chronicle/pictures/2002/07/11/mn_pollgraph.jpg&paper=chronicle&file=MN184694.DTL&directory=/c/a/2002/07/11&type=news" target=""> src="http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/pictures/2002/07/11_t/mn_pollgraph_t.gif" alt="Click to View" vspace="1"> src="http://www.sfgate.com/graphics/homepage/blackdot5x7.gif"> href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/07/11/MN184694.DTL&type=chart">chart attached Sacramento -- Despite Gov. Gray Davis' problems with a state contracting scandal, a budget deficit and criticism over his fund-raising tactics, California voters reluctantly give him a 7-point lead over Los Angeles businessman Bill Simon, a Field Poll released today shows.

href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/07/11/MN184694.DTL"
target="_blank">Link

---

Davis keeps lead on Simon

Despite unfavorable ratings, the governor edges his GOP rival.

By Amy Chance -- Bee Political Editor

Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Thursday, July 11, 2002

Buffeted by budget struggles, critics' focus on his fund raising and
lingering concerns over his leadership on energy issues, Gov. Gray Davis
nevertheless maintains a lead over Republican challenger Bill Simon as he
seeks re-election in November, according to a Field Poll released Wednesday.



The Democratic incumbent remains unpopular with voters, however, and his
advantage over Simon has slipped since a post-primary survey taken in April.

href="http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/3528410p-4554552c.html"
target="_blank">Link

---

align="center">

Posted on Thu, Jul. 11, 2002	src="http://www.bayarea.com/images/component/topstory_fromthe_txt.gif" width="46" height="13" border="0"> src="http://www.bayarea.com/images/logos/site/bayarea/mercurynews/archives_title.gif" alt="story:PUB_DESC" border="0">	src="http://www.bayarea.com/images/common/spacer.gif" width="15" height="1">
src="http://www.bayarea.com/images/common/spacer.gif" width="1" height="10">
Simon cuts Davis' lead in half By Laura Kurtzman Mercury News align="right"> class="body-content"> Republican Bill Simon has cut Democratic Gov. Gray Davis' lead in half -- to 7 percentage points -- but voters are becoming disenchanted with both candidates, according to a new Field Poll. Half the electorate disapproves of Davis, and a growing number of voters views Simon in negative terms. Some are turning to third-party candidates, whose support has reached 9 percent, the highest level in 10 years.

href="http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/3641463.htm"
target="_blank">Link

---

Yup... All three are covering the same Field  Poll. This is what's meant
by "spin". Two writers make bad news for Davis look good, while the third
takes bad news and makes it look worse. (Yes, this poll really is bad news
for Davis. He should be doing  much better at this point in the game.)

IT MUST BE THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!

BARBARA BOXER SAID SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE!!

An Update: The House has passed the bill to allow trained pilots to carry firearms. Let's hope that Sen. Boxer can help find enough votes to get this through.

---

Is Daniel Pipes making a " target="_blank" title="Earth to FBI...">rush to judgement"? I think
not.

Blame it on bin Laden?

There's still more info suggesting a link between the LAX terrorist and Al Qaeda. I wonder if the FBI is reading any of these stories.

---

Jonah Goldberg goes after the PoMo Virus. More specifically, he takes the Postmodernists to task for their contribution to the truly stupid and obnoxious things that some people have said since 9-11. The effects of that non-value system are, of course, broader than that. Thanks to the PoMo virus, we have millions who cannot seem to tell right from wrong. And we wonder why we get behavior like at Enron or Worldcom? If there is no distinct right or wrong, then who's to say that shredding documents or faking financial records is really bad? Perhaps the corporate values at Worldcom were merely "different", but not wrong. There's a saying: "As you sow, so shall you reap." We've taught several generations that there is no objective right and wrong. They seem to have learned their lessons well.

---

Eugene Volokh is wondering about those City of LA recycling cans.

This makes me wonder: Has anyone tried to figure out whether the recycling program requires more trucks and more truck trips? It's possible that it doesn't, but it seems possible that it might -- I just don't know. And if it does require extra trucks and extra trips, then I wonder how one would balance the supposed environmental benefits of the recycling program stack up against the costs -- the financial costs, the environmental costs of the extra fuel consumed, the environmental costs of the extra exhaust produced, and the traffic burdens caused by the extra trucks.

He goes on to speculate as to the efficacy of government sponsored (read: politically motivated) environmental programs in general. He points out that, while he's not really an expert on environmental matters, there's something fishy about the whole thing. He has good reason to be skeptical of the "blue cans". The last I heard, the City of LA wasn't selling any of the collected recyclables. The reason? The price they'd get for the material doesn't cover the cost of collecting it. They're holding onto it in hopes that the price will rise one day.

And speaking of the FBI, when will they get around to admitting the obvious? They are currently the lead investigators in the LAX case because, as they said at the outset, this could be terrorism. But they've since all but ruled that out. The LAPD is now asking why the FBI is still claiming to be the lead agency if it wasn't terrorism. A good question.

---

More curious behavior from the FBI vis-s-vis leads to terrorists.

So has this been a fun weekend or what?!?

First, we get the Egyptian terrorist shooting up the El Al counter at LAX. Then we get the FBI trying to paint this as anything but a terrorist incident. ("Maybe it was a Mexican.") Then we get the FBI admitting that, surprise surprise, the gunman killing Jews at LAX is indeed an Arab. ("OK... so he's not some Vato who left his lowered Impala double parked outside the terminal.") But of course, that doesn't mean that he's a terrorist. He got in a tiff with a neighbor about that neighbor's American flag flown post 9-11. But he's not a terrorist. FReeper Auntie Mame reports from Irvine that the terrorist troubled limo driver is alleged by neighbors to have spent hours watching PA propaganda via satellite TV. But he's not a terrorist. And the Egyptians point out that this sort of thing "happens all the time in the US", so he's not a terrorist. An employee (?), who also happens to be Arabic, reported in TV interview that the terrorist troubled limo driver would fly into a rage at every report of IDF incursions into PA territory. But he's not a terrorist. He'd narrowly escaped deportation a few years back. But after having been in the US for ~10 years and raising a family, he looked like just another immigrant. Hey... Just because he sent that American family back to Egypt, that doesn't meant that he was planning a terrorist strike incident at LAX. What? Do you think that he's a terrorist?!? I mean c'mon... it's not like he was meeting with Ayman Al-Zawahiri of Al Qeada or anything.

Jill Stewart also writes about Hahn's "Tin-ear-itis".

---

Jill Stewart from NewTimesLA.com writes this feature piece on Li'l Jimmy Hahn's attempts to keep the Valley part of LA. I suppose that I can understand why he doesn't want us to leave. Most vampires object to dinner getting up and leaving.

---

Sleazier things have happened in Sacramento, but not much sleazier. The Democrats pulled a fast one in the dead of night. One of the loonier bills in the hopper this year was AB1058; the so-called SUV tax. This bill would allow faceless bureaucrats to impose taxes "as necessary" to curb CO₂ emissions. (Never mind that there's really no proof the CO₂ does any of the harm listed in the bill!) AB1058 ignited a storm of protests from the "rabble". (Most politicians would refer to this group as their constituents, but this is California!) So AB1058 went down in CO₂ -laden flames. So do the whackos in the Democrat Party back down? Of course not! They gutted an unrelated bill, AB1493, and transplanted the guts of AB1058 into it. This legislative Frankenstein then passed the State Senate. On the Assembly side, a hearing was required to pass the bill. So to meet this requirement, the Assembly Dems held the hearing in a broomcloset of an office. The Creature passed and is on its way to Gray-out Davis' desk. Perhaps if we all pitch in for a large enough bribe donation, he'll veto it for us.

Link to the FreeRepublic.com thread.