https://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/05/17/earth-to-california/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usThu, 11 Jun 2026 07:50:18 -0400<![CDATA[If California didn&#8217;t exist, some wicked parodist would have to invent it. I have always loved those little labels on various cosmetics, food stuffs, and children&#8217;s toys advising the public that said item &#8220;is known to the state of California&#8221; to cause cancer, rickets, or whatever. A long, lazy afternoon might be spent pondering the onion-like mendacity of the word &#8220;known&#8221; on those labels. What it really means is something closer to &#8220;asserted without evidence.&#8221; But there haven&#8217;t been many long, lazy afternoons lately. Besides, California is a state that keeps the rest of us on our toes. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which presides over California, Hawaii, and other Western fastnesses, is a reliable source of loony-left judgments on matters ranging from the Pledge of Allegiance (the judges find the phrase &#8220;under God&#8221; deeply upsetting) to the Patriot Act (they don&#8217;t like that, either).]]>Sat, 17 May 2008 05:50:26 -0400<![CDATA[Roger Kimball]]>https://pjmedia.com/roger-kimball/2008/05/17/earth-to-california-n114831