“Merchants have no country": Pat Buchanan on free trade agreements [American Conservative]

Cleaning up other people's landscaping efforts when you buy a house [Claire Wolfe]

Statistics Unmask Phony Online Reviews [MIT Technology Review]

Serial killers are not just a white male phenomenon [Amazon.com]

Love for Detroit doesn't pay the bills [The Detroit Shoppe]

"Vagina". If you can't say it, then don't legislate it. [MLive]

Speaking "truth to power" redux

"Seriously, where does he get off thinking how many bullets’ are in my magazines is any business of his? Vobis non me dux, Ed* — you ain't the boss of me. That's why I own guns in the first place: to make sure nobody, from the mugger on the corner to the King of England to some washed-up political has-been from the Keystone State can come force me to do things against my will without me at least having a chance to shoot back.” [Claire Wolfe @ Paladin Planet blog]

And so there it is.

(H/t to Bill St. Clair)

* Former Philadelphia mayor, ex-Pennsylvania governor, and ex-Democratic National Committee Chairman Ed Rendell being the "Ed" referred to here. Here's a YouTube clip of Rendell explaining his views to a TV reporter. Note the nuance and logical deductive skills evidenced by Rendell's remarks.

The English sure have become pussies

A decade plus run of horrendously anti-social behavior toward his neighbors and no one ever thought to pull on a ski mask and some gloves, grab a baseball bat and give this bloke the beat-down of a lifetime? Sheesh. Whatever happened to  English society that they would let this kinda shit go on for so long? [h/t: Claire Wolfe's blog for the link]