Peter Hodges

Global warming gives you kidney stones. All this time I thought it was oxalate in tea and cola that did it. Let’s be real for a second, even if we do live in the Feminized Nanny States of America. We are all responsible for our own actions. Do you know what that means? It means that because I drink too much Dr. Pepper (when I’m naughty) and Coke Zero (when I’m nice), I am destined to have kidney stones. Do I have a right to complain when this happens? No. (Well, maybe a little; enough, at least, to get some sympathy from the wife.) But it’s still my fault. I can’t blame it on global warming. I can’t sue Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola.

Denver, the mile high city, once again makes news. This time, it isn’t a singer taking it upon herself to modify the national anthem, it’s the city police department and the safety council voting to outlaw pipes and chains in the hands of demonstrators. If your thought at the first was the same as mine, then maybe you’re thinking that it’s not a bad idea. Demonstrations are okay, provided they remain peaceful. However, weighted pipe and chain are not used as weapons. Upon further research, I discovered they are used to make a sleeping dragon, which is a device designed to make it difficult to arrest and remove protesters. An earlier draft of the ordinance endeavored to remove gas masks and bulletproof vests. That’s one thing I have a real problem with. If you want to know why, click this link.

The People’s Democratic Progressive Republic of Massachusetts is at it again. *sigh*

Could the International Space Station be used as a space craft? Color me doubtful, but it’s at least worth a feasibility study. One thing I do agree with the author about is the fact that we’ve wasted too much time playing in the cradle. It’s time to move outward. This could be an elegant solution, like using the interior of the first stage of a Saturn V booster as the first Skylab station.