Don't Sweat the Small Stuff 27

"The Donald" has "Feelings"
I have never been a big fan of Donald Trump. I did enjoy the first few seasons of The Apprentice, and he gained a little respect for his decisiveness. But the show, and apparently "The Donald", have turned into a worse joke than I previously thought he was. Loren Steffy provides this little tidbit from testimony offered by Trump when he sued a writer for understating Trump's wealth:

"My net worth fluctuates, and it goes up and down with markets and with attitudes and with feelings, even my own feeling," he told lawyers in the December 2007 deposition.

That Trump would even sue someone over such a trivial matter speaks volumes about his character. That he uses his feelings to determine his net worth must have government agents giddy with delight. If Trumps uses his feelings to assess complex financial issues, I am certain that someone at the IRS will be more than happy to use his feelings to determine that Trump has underpaid his taxes.

A Score for O-Bloggers
This week the Chronicle's editorial page linked to a post on this blog (twice), as well as Gus Van Horn. This was a first for both blogs, and each is now listed in the permanent link menu. Yay for me, and congratulations to Gus.

Pitching for Peter Brown
Peter Brown's web site offers us further evidence of his credentials to run the nation's fourth largest city:

On Saturday morning over 30 supporters and volunteers gathered at the campaign headquarters to walk in the Cinco de Mayo parade with Peter Brown. After a quick breakfast and tips on parade walking (throw candy underhand, not overhand) the group carpooled to the parade start. There they met the 20 other supporters who were already there.

I am not an expert on candy throwing, but I do know fast-pitch softball involves an underhand delivery. So, throwing the candy underhand will not necessarily reduce the velocity of the flying sweets. But what I really want to know is whether the supporters were taught to throw curve balls and change-ups. After all, politicians are very good at those pitches.

This is a Dangerous Idea
The Attorney General for South Carolina has threatened to sue Craigslist executives for aiding and abetting prostitution. According to the blog of Craiglist CEO Jim Buckmaster, South Carolina AG Henry McMaster ordered the company

to remove the portions of the Internet site dedicated to South Carolina and its municipal regions which contain categories for and functions allowing for the solicitation of prostitution and the dissemination and posting of graphic pornographic material within ten (10) days.

Buckmaster responded with a lawsuit of his own, seeking a restraining order to prevent prosecution.

First, prostitution should be legal. If someone wishes to offer sex for money, they should be free to do so. And if someone wishes to pay for sex, they should also be free to do so. So long as all parties are participating voluntarily, it is nobody's business but those involved.

Second, if Craigslist will be held accountable for what others post on its site, a very dangerous precedent is set. For example, Google could be held liable for the contents of this blog. The result will be the suppression of anything potentially controversial.

Third, nobody is forced to go to Craigslist, respond to any ad, or anything of the sort. Individuals who don't like porn can simply avoid sites that have it. It really is that easy.