Kyle Still Free Press

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Nuclear News
Two stories relating to nuclear weapons should be related. First of all, the CIA announced today that North Korea has a missile that could hit the west coast of the United States (Click Here). This is perhaps one of the first times we have truly been vulnerable (knowingly, at least) since the Cold War.
Second, the CIA also predicted that a nuclear arms race will soon begin among small countries and terrorist groups (Click Here). CIA head George Tenet likened it to the domino theory of the 1960s.
Truly, these are scary times in the world.
posted by Kyle Still 4:24:48 PM

Supreme Court Speculation
So much speculation has been made of who the next new justice on the Supreme Court will be, which is odd in a way since no one has announced (or even hinted really) that they are planning to retire anytime soon. Of course, we can all infer that someone (anyone, for the love of God) should retire soon, especially since this version of the Court has been together longer than any other version in history. This article, found through Howard Bashman, lists Miguel Estrada, Emilio Garza, Alberto Gonzales, Michael Luttig, and John Kyl as possible nominees to the high bench.
posted by Kyle Still 12:06:12 AM

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

"Osama" Makes Some Threats
A new Osama bin Laden audio message was sent out today, the text of which can be seen here. I ask that only non-terrorists click that link. There is, of course, some question as to whether or not this is actually Osama. In fact, I saw some voice analysts on CNN tonight who were busy working on that very question. Of course, the fact that it was only audio, and not video (which Osama has done in the past), does raise some questions. Also, I was always under the impression that Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein had icy relations at best. In the new tape, however, "Osama" comes down behind Iraq. It's not unthinkable, but it's surprising. Of course, I'm still too scared to make bold claims that Osama is dead. As soon as I do that, a terror attack is sure to happen. It's just my luck, and I'm especially wary with the CIA warning today that they are receiving the most specific threats ever from al-Qaeda (Click Here).
posted by Kyle Still 10:07:46 PM

Oscar Nominations
Chicago leads the pack for Oscar nominations, racking up 13 of 'em (Click Here).
UPDATE: Here's a full list of the nominations (Click Here).
posted by Kyle Still 10:29:52 AM

Monday, February 10, 2003

I Bet His Mom Would Have Given Him an A+
A Michigan student is suing in order to get an A+ for a class in which he worked under his mom (Click Here). This case will probably turn out to be moot because the kid will probably graduate before the litigation ends (if the suit isn't dismissed early for being frivolous). Of course, I'm hoping that the court in this case bends the rules of justiciability to resolve this [ahem!] important issue.
posted by Kyle Still 11:54:32 PM

Dude . . . You're Going to Jail
Benjamin Curtis (a.k.a "the Dell Guy") was arrested in New York City today for trying to buy marijuana (Click Here).
Oh, sweet justice. This just proves that if you perpetrate heinous acts like the Dell commercials, you will be punished for it. If I was Carrot Top, I would watch my back.
posted by Kyle Still 11:14:08 PM

Thursday, February 06, 2003

Happy Birthday, President Reagan!!
President Ronald Reagan turns 92 today (Click Here). Let's hope he has a good one.
posted by Kyle Still 9:04:47 PM

Wednesday, February 05, 2003

Turkey Backs Iraq War Plans
The United States is set to receive support from a key country that will give us easy access for our planes to Iraq (Click Here). Turkey's support is crucial, and it's nice to get the support of Muslim country. Then Osama et al. can't claim we're just bombing Saddam because of his religion, rather than the fact that he has weapons of mass destruction (Click Here/Click Here), as Secretary of State Colin Powell claimed today.
In other news, the United States may be under great risk for a terror if we attack Iraq (Click Here).
posted by Kyle Still 8:58:07 PM

Frightening Addiction Data
Girls who experiment with drugs and alcohol are more likely to become addicted than boys (Click Here), says a new study. People need to hear this type of data. Drinking is not thought of as that big of a deal in today's culture. Maybe statistics such as these will give people, especially females, pause. I kind of doubt it, though; drinking for most people is not something they think too deeply about before they start doing it.
posted by Kyle Still 8:36:48 PM

Decline of Duke/UNC Matchup
The decline in the UNC/Duke basketball rivalry has been noted frequently (Click Here), with many claiming that it's not even worth watching anymore. And, frankly, that is an utter shame. When I was growing up, the most exciting day of the year (that's right, the year) was when Duke and UNC was playing against each other. As many of you know, I went to high school in Durham, NC, the heart of Tobacco Road. There were definite factions: some kids supported Duke, others supported UNC. And, believe me, you definitely knew where the lines were drawn; everyone knew who went for what team. In fact, if a new kid came to school from another city, one of the first questions posed to them would inevitably be: "Hey man, Duke or UNC?"
So, understandably, the decline is of serious concern to me, especially considering the fact that I am a UNC student. Hopefully with UNC's moderate resurgence this year the game will improve, although without Sean May UNC may be in some trouble at Cameron (the location of my high school graduation; believe me, it all ties together). At any rate, root hard for your respective team, and let's hope that the teams can give us a good matchup tonight.
posted by Kyle Still 1:37:19 PM

Saturday, January 25, 2003

Tracy Morgan: Sitcom Star?
Eric Olsen reports that Tracy Morgan might be in line for his own NBC sitcom some time (Click Here/Click Here).
posted by Kyle Still 10:14:16 PM

Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Does Bush Need to Watch His Back?
Is al Qaeda turning its attention towards assassination (Click Here)?
posted by Kyle Still 5:18:05 PM

Tuesday, January 21, 2003

America's Most Populous Minority . . .
Well, by golly, it's the Latinos (Click Here), as Census Data released today confirms. Of course, we could all glean that from the influx of Latinos in probably all of our cities across the nation. It will be interesting to watch over the coming years the inclusion (or lack thereof) of the Latinos in the political community. Let's hope that they're included much quicker and easier than minorities in the past. That would show the world that America has learned its lesson from previous discrimination.
posted by Kyle Still 6:30:23 PM

Wednesday, January 01, 2003

Happy New Years!
I hope you enjoy 2003 and the bowl games on television today.
I get back to UNC next Sunday. Once I get that high speed internet again there will be more posting. Until then, enjoy your holidays.
posted by Kyle Still 11:54:07 AM

Wednesday, December 25, 2002

Merry Christmas!!!
I hope you and your family have a nice holiday.
posted by Kyle Still 9:53:36 AM

Friday, December 13, 2002

Dahlia on Cross-Burning
Although you've all heard the ultimate authority's view on Virginia v. Black (ie, me), I thought that in order to preserve fairness I would post Dahlia Lithwick's comments on the case (Click Here).
posted by Kyle Still 9:41:31 PM

Thursday, December 12, 2002

Interesting Supreme Court Polling Data
Here's some interesting polling data about how the public views Bush's potential Supreme Court nominees (Click Here), as well as about the Supreme Court more generally.
posted by Kyle Still 10:43:22 PM

Iran Has Nukes???
Great.
I take a few days off blogging, and the next thing I know Iran is making secret nuclear weapons (Click Here). I'm not going to even mention that North Korea has promised to restart its own nuclear programs (Click Here).
Doesn't it seem like the world is falling apart sometimes?
posted by Kyle Still 10:08:00 PM

Bush Sets it Right
President Bush made absolutely clear today that his party does not support the dreamy-eyed comments Trent Lott made the other day, wishing for the past days of segregation (Click Here).
Two quick comments. First of all, and obviously, Bush did the right thing. There is no room for such thought in America anymore. America is truly on a path (although not there yet) of color-blindness. This is especially by members of my generation, who have attended grade school, middle school, high school, and college with members of other races and don't even think twice about it. Also, structural constraints are falling that once impeded black accomplishments. America will never be perfect, but it is much improved over its former days of racial discrimination. In such a climate, calls for a counter-revolution back to the days of segregation cannot seriously be tolerated.
My second thought is this: if Bush is calling Trent Lott out, his days in American politics may be numbered. Lott has said that he will continue to keep his seat, but if the leader of your party is publicly reprimanding you, the chance of possible negotiations between these two sides seems slim.
For a transcript of Bush's comments, Click Here.
posted by Kyle Still 3:26:29 PM

Sunday, December 08, 2002

The Constitutionality of Cross Burning
The Washington Post previews Virginia v. Black (Click Here), the case that will examine if cross burning is constitutionally protected speech.
Of course, all my readers already know the answer to that problem, having read my post from a few months ago (Click Here).
posted by Kyle Still 8:22:18 PM

Friday, December 06, 2002

My Favorite Headline of the Week
"Bakke to the Drawing Board" at Slate (Click Here).
I'm sorry for the lack of posting. It's exam week here at UNC, and I have been preoccupied with that. There will be more to come (eventually) so check back now and then when you get the notion.
UPDATE: Linda Chavez, President of the Center for Equal Opportunity, has an op-ed calling for color-blind college admissions (Click Here).
posted by Kyle Still 2:45:49 PM