Politics, Government & Public Policy: July 2006 Archives
Here's the results of the Pacific Research Institute's study of economic freedom for 2004. Reassuringly, I moved from California, the 49th most free state, to Missouri, the 10th most free state. The rankings take a variety of factors into account and prefer low regulation, low taxes, and low spending (fitting with PRI's free market perspective on goodness).
Considering how much blame guns get for what humans do with them, it hardly seems fair for the USA Today to completely ignore the role a gun played in stopping a man on a knifing rampage. At that link Clayton Cramer quotes a version of the newspaper's story that I can't find online but which states:
ARLINGTON, Tenn. (AP) — Eight employees were stabbed Friday by a co-worker at a Memphis suburban grocery store, and four were seriously injured, police said. The victims were identified only as six females and two males who worked at the Schnucks grocery.Memphis Police Sgt. Vince Higgins said the man suspected in the attack was in custody after the incident that was reported at about 9:25 a.m. The suspect, whose name wasn't immediately released, was complaining of chest pains and was sent to the hospital. ...
The suspect was tackled by a witness as he tried to run from the building and was held until officers arrived, Higgins said.
However, as other news reports indicate, the attack wasn't stopped by a tackle.
Ingram, chasing one victim into the store's parking lot, was subdued by Chris Cope, manager of a financial services office in the same small shopping center, Memphis Police Sgt. Vince Higgins said.Cope said he grabbed a 9mm semiautomatic pistol from his pickup truck when he saw the attacker chasing the victim "like something in a serial killer movie."
"When he turned around and saw my pistol, he threw the knife away, put his hands up and got on the ground," Cope told The Associated Press. "He saw my gun and that was pretty much it."
The link Mr. Cramer provided to the USA Today article (actually to news.scotsman.com) now mentions the gun, so I'm not sure if the article was updated or if the link is wrong. In any event, it's interesting that the AP and the USA Today both quote Memphis Police Sgt. Vince Higgins but have him saying different things. Perhaps, also, Sgt. Higgins learned more about the event as the investigation unfolded.
Despite facing a primary challenge for the Senate seat he's held since 1988, Connecticut's Joe Lieberman is in an enviable position. Sure, there's a risk he might lose his seat, but the primary challenge has also created a slew of opportunities for him if he manages to win, either as a Democrat or an Independent.
Lieberman is collecting petition signatures to get on the November ballot as an independent if he loses the primary. The Quinnipiac poll found that in a three-way race against Lamont and a Republican, Lieberman would win by 24 points, although his margin has shrunk 14 points in the last month. ...A Lieberman primary loss might cause more heartburn for Democrats nationally than for the candidate. Democratic primary voters have different views and values than even the larger number of Democrats who vote in the November election, not to mention independents and Republicans. All of which explains the string of Republicans White House victories. ...
That independent candidacy would complicate life for Democratic big-wigs, who would likely back Lamont against Lieberman in November. Among the 2008 presidential candidates who have said they would do so are front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, and 2004 nominee John Kerry. That would almost certainly drive a wedge between Lieberman and the Democratic hierarchy if he is re-elected.
If Lieberman were to win as an independent it would give him great influence, not just in the Senate, but as the face of a new politics that transcends party labels.
Although he has pledged to caucus with the Democrats if elected as an independent, he would be a bigger player than even today as the party's former vice presidential candidate.
And he would be an awfully attractive running mate for McCain, not to mention other potential Republican White House hopefuls.
Although I disagree with many of his political positions, I have a lot of respect for Joe Lieberman, and I hope he wins as an Independent (even if just for the entertainment value).
(HT: Real Clear Politics.)
