DC: Resident 'fires back' at anti-gun rally
Washington Post

"Amid the rapid clip of anti-gun speeches last night, Eric Wright fired back. The five-year city resident stepped before a microphone and said he had been attacked three times by homeless people and shot at as he drove through Rock Creek Park.'I deserve the right to defend myself. I deserve the right to carry a weapon by my side,' Wright said at an anti-gun town hall meeting at Shaw Junior High School in Northwest Washington. 'I'd like to know why people believe I don't have that right.'" .... Overwhelmingly, residents, some of whom had lost loved ones to gun violence, delivered passionate speeches .... Resident Margaret Hollister recalled the day an armed robber entered her home. He knocked her teeth out. He forced her to kneel before a toilet. He ran off with her valuables. "What good would it have done for me to have a gun in the house?" she asked." [Editor's note: This wins the prize as the dumbest statement of the week-MLS] (07/28/05)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/27/AR2005072700034.html

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Supreme Court's Kelo decision not good for blacks
Heartland Institute
by Lee H. Walker

"Kelo v. City of New London, the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a case involving the economically deprived city of New London, Connecticut, should be a wake-up call to all politicians representing low-income communities and property owners regardless of neighborhood. The issue is eminent domain and the term 'public use,' which the court is re-defining very broadly. The Kelo decision gives state and local governments permission to use eminent domain to condemn one person's private property and turn it over to other private owners, in the name of promoting economic rejuvenation in distressed areas of the city." (for publication 08/01/05)

http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=17526

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On campus, only some free speech protected
LewRockwell.Com
by Wendy McElroy

"On March 7, Arlene Holpp Scala, chair of the Women's Studies Department, sent Daniel an unsolicited e-mail announcement of an upcoming film event: ''Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House,' a lesbian relationship story.' Scala advised those who wished to respond, 'Please do not hit reply, click here,' thus directing messages to her university e-mail address. On March 8, Daniel clicked to privately reply, 'Do not send me any mail about 'Connie and Sally' and 'Adam and Steve.' These are perversions. The absence of God in higher education brings on confusion. That is why in these classes the Creator of the heavens and the earth is never mentioned.' [His message is quoted in full. No other communication with Scala ensued.] On March 10, Scala filed a complaint with the university claiming Daniel's message sounded 'threatening.'" (07/28/05)

http://www.lewrockwell.com/mcelroy/mcelroy85.html

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Privacy guru locks down VOIP
Wired

"First there was PGP e-mail. Then there was PGPfone for modems. Now Phil Zimmermann, creator of the wildly popular Pretty Good Privacy e-mail encryption program, is debuting his new project, which he hopes will do for internet phone calls what PGP did for e-mail. Zimmermann has developed a prototype program for encrypting voice over internet protocol, or VOIP,which he will announce at the BlackHat security conference in Las Vegas this week." (07/26/05)

http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,68306,00.html

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Wisconsin: Woman convicted of reciprocity with TSA thug
Tampa Tribune

"A woman who was upset over being searched bodily at an airport was
convicted Tuesday of assaulting a security screener by grabbing the
federal officer's breasts. A federal jury heard the case against
retired teacher Phyllis Dintenfass, who also allegedly shoved the
screener during the search at the Outagamie County Regional Airport in
Appleton in September 2004. Dintenfass, 62, faces up to a year in
federal prison and $100,000 in fines. The judge set sentencing for
Nov. 1." (07/26/05)

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBFBL7WMBE.html