By Nathan Barton

Today, the natural theme of the stories that are catching my eye seem to be stupidity on the part of government officials and policies, various and sundry people, on a wide variety of topics.  Bad as things can be, human stupidity can make them worse.

A grand jury recommends no criminal charges in the Habersham County (Georgia) SWAT raid that critically injured a toddler who spent weeks in a burn unit after a SWAT team’s flash grenade exploded near his face.  Grand juries exhibit all the symptoms of groupthink stupidity more and more.  But the alternative is worse: lawyers in black robes (Nazgul) are stupid enough to be their own committee!

Meanwhile, the DEA once more shows its lawlessness AND stupidity, stealing a drug offender’s identity to suck in other offenders.  This is an absolutely stupid and even insane behavior for an agency that supposedly is upholding the law.  This was discovered. How many other people have also had this done to them?  And when will they not bother to use people already convicted and just pick people at “random?”

More stupidity due to government actions.  We are told, just because you can talk to your car doesn’t mean you should. Two new studies have found that voice-activated smartphones and dashboard infotainment systems, though hands-free, may be more distracting than picking up your phone. An AAA/University of Utah study found that In-dash phone systems are overly complicated and prone to errors, as are voice-activated functions for music and navigation.  Of course, government mandates pushed these “safety features” without bothering to find out.  And compared to wrestling with a paper map (I know, ancient tech), sloshing coffee, yelling at the kids to stop fussing, and all the other things, I take studies like this with a very large grain of salt.  (For those of us with old cars that we can’t talk TO, I guess this is a moot point.)

More stupidity: isn’t Canada supposed to be a gentler, kinder, more sensible cousin or sibling of the Fifty States?  Yet, Canada’s Parliament voted Tuesday to authorize airstrikes against the Islamic State following a U.S. request, joining a dozen other nations.  Ottawa is more shaken by its Muslim minority than they are willing to admit, it seems.

Coroner Doug Wortham of Sharp County, Arkansas, used a Defense Department giveaway program for law enforcement to stock his office with an assault rifle, a handgun and a Humvee. Another example of the stupidity of the FedGov – AND the people of Sharp County. He got this stuff two years ago and no one asked if he needed it?  Who knows, maybe he is concerned about what might be turned into a part-time job if he doesn’t get enough business and intended to make some new customers?

The guy who confronted four armed robbers in a bar in Texas, killing two and protecting the business and customers, likely will face charges because he used his concealed-carry gun in a gun-free zone.  Stupidly, no good deed goes unpunished; no doubt the grand jury will decide “an example must be made” – IF they identify the guy  (the stupid cops want to know why he left… duh).  Of course, the legislature could change this unconstitutional law in a heartbeat.

Here is a humorous look at the Fuehrer’s consort’s royal decree on school lunches. She is promoting convenience stores and large scale composting of thrown away food products: natural food products to boot!  More stupidity from DC.

Dwayne Perry of Cartersville, Georgia was was awakened by a helicopter flying low over his house Wednesday and then some heavily-armed deputies and a K-9 unit showed up at his door. They were from the Governor’s Task Force for drug suppression and they were out looking for marijuana plants. What they had seen, apparently, were Perry’s okra plants and a shrub at the end of his house.  Are they stupid?  Admittedly, okra is pretty nasty for most people (even I can’t stomach it except when it is fried), but seriously!

The man who lied and “escaped” to Texas because he had contracted Ebola did not save himself, and died today (Wednesday) after kidney failure and respiratory collapse.

How stupid can people be?  Well, it seems it is a “cruel hoax.” The story of dead Ebola victims supposedly rising from the dead has been discredited as a cruel hoax. A story titled “Africa confirms 3rd Ebola victim rises from the dead, shows a picture of the first ‘Ebola zombie’ captured,” has been shared online thousands of times.  What more will people be willing to believe?  This isn’t cruel, just stupid.

Four people have been hospitalized in Spain to try to stem the spread of Ebola after a Spanish nurse became the first person in the world known to have contracted the virus outside of Africa, health authorities said.  Is this wise or panic?  How many hundreds more in Europe have been exposed and are incubating the disease because basic principles of contagion prevention have NOT been followed, or have even (as in the US) been prohibited from being used?

The United States sent helicopters into combat against Islamic State targets west of Baghdad on Sunday, the first time low-flying Army aircraft have been committed to fighting in an engagement that the Obama administration officials has promised would not include “boots on the ground.”…A few feet ABOVE the ground, perhaps.  At least these pilots probably know the terrain pretty well.  But what use is this?  Will we shore up yet another Mesopotamian regime for a few more weeks?  Or just waste treasure and accomplish nothing important?  I do expect there are already really boots on the ground, and that (as usual) DC is lying.  Not many, admittedly, but some.