The gunny book business

I went shopping at www.gunbroker.com and searched "books." The engine returned a three-page list of 109 separate books or lots of books. The total number of bids is zero. I find that disheartening. As a hobby group are we really that anti-literate?

But one entry tickled me, a partial (13 out of 16) set of one of the several "complete" (sic) editions of Theodore Roosevelt's writings. One of the volumes was author-signed. Opening bid was $99,999.99, modified by a not astounding offer to accept land or a nice motor home in full or partial trade. Maybe even high quality doubles.

It was probably mean of me to poke around in a bibliographic database and discover another seller opinion that the complete set was worth $600. No volume was signed, but I tend to doubt the old Rough Rider's signature is valued at a hair over $99,000.

Liberties, so to speak

This week: ". .“The government may regulate corporate political speech through disclaimer and disclosure requirements, but it may not suppress that speech altogether,”

After McDonald? "The government may regulate firearms through registration and usage requirements, but it may not suppress the keeping and bearing of firearms altogether."

Jean Simmons

RIP. Age 80.

You guys couldn't believe how badly I wanted to be Sky Masterson.

Obama Speaks, sort of

If the AP has it right, and, c 'mon you guys, the AP usually does, on the simple stuff anyway, President Obama yesterday told the nation he can't imagine "anything more devastating to the public interest" than the Supreme Court's decision to ease limits on campaign spending by corporations and labor unions."

Lemme hep y'all out there, Mr. President. A mutant-strain bubonic plague outbreak. Nuclear war. A collision with Mars. All the women in the world suddenly looking and talking like Nancy Grace. That's four more devastating things, and I ain't even had enough breakfast yet to get my imagination kicked in good.

I have a dream. National leaders will one day address the nation in reasoned speech, the terms of which have actual referents.