Loose Ends: Following Up and Following Down

WC famously fails to follow up on his posts. At highly irregular intervals, WC makes some effort to track down at least a few of the loose ends and see if there are developments. As always, the Magpie Principle applies.

Back in March 2011, WC asked if the far, right end of the Tea Party militia movements was dangerous. An Anchorage jury decided it was, and convicted Scheffer Cox and Lonnie Vernon of crimes that will put them in jail most of the rest of their lives.

At the suggestion of several readers, WC contacted Natural History magazine about publishing WC’s Fox in the Crane House post as one of its “Natural Moment” features. Natural History is in a financial jam, and has been published only irregularly. For whatever reason, there are no instructions in the magazine itself or at its web site on how to submit articles. An email inquiry to the general email address for the magazine went unanswered.

WC is on record regarding his distaste for software patents. WC is also on record describing his admiration for 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner. Now Judge Posner is on record expressing his distaste for software patents, many computer hardware patents and the bad effects they have on innovation.

Readers will recall alleged human being Charles Carreon filed a particularly stupid lawsuit against The Oatmeal‘s Matt Inman, the American Cancer Society and the National Wildlife Federation. The idiot complaint was in response to Inman’s clever fundraising response to Carreon’s extortion attempt. Carreon cooled off and dismissed his lawsuit. Technically, he could file it again but that’s not a bully’s pattern of behavior. The Oatmeal raised $220,000 – eleven times his goal – for the two charities. Cancer bad; bear love good. UPDATE: See the photos of the cash and the Oatmeal’s mailing to Charles Carreon.

The Heartland Institute, a hotbed of tin foil hat climate skeptics and related thinkers, continues to lose donors following the Kaczynski billboard equating its opposition to crazed serial murderers. Karma really does work sometimes. The Institute has announced it will not be able to to afford to continue to run its bogus anti-climate change conference. A small victory for civility and common sense.

Goose Creek Correction Facility, Alaska newest white elephant, still doesn’t have any prisoners in residence. But that may be about to change. Assuming no court challenges and the ability to find Wasillites willing to put up with a 38 miles commute to work, the first prisoners will arrive later this month. There are schedules, flowcharts and probably progress charters drawn up, with a goal of more than 1,000 prisoners housed there by 2013.

And after all that good news, we’re halfway through the baseball season, so let’s look in on the Chicago Cubs. Yep. The doormat of the Central Division of the National League, tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball. On track for a 100-loss season. Sigh. Maybe next year. Any team can have a couple of bad centuries.

That’s more than enough. WC resolves to look forward, not back. Except in the case of the Cubs.

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