By now, you know the story of Randy “Duke” Cunningham, the now-former Republican Congressman who received millions of dollars from at least two defense contractors in exchange for special consideration on certain defense contracts. Let me say from the outset that I know nothing about Cunningham’s Congressional record. His resignation and admission of wrong-doing are, to me at least, shocking for two reasons.
First, Cunningham is a navy fighter ace. He flew F-4 Phantoms (America’s proof that, with enough power, even a brick will fly) off of aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War and was credited for making five kills, one of them a reputed North Vietnamese ace. There were only two American aces during the war, so his record is an amazing achievement. I guess it’s just my outdated sense of something or other, but I would like to think that someone who worked so hard in defense of his nation would be a stand-up guy. Consider a scenario where a defense contractor who makes questionable armor for tanks is given a contract because of a bribe to a Congressman. Thus, there are tankers running around in M-1As with crappy armor that could very well get them killed. The tank commanders have made the assumption that they have the best equipment their nation can provide, but in this case they are wrong. Who would do stand for that? I guess everyone has their price, but I can’t imagine letting the nation’s defense possibly suffer because of my greed.
Second, this whole thing was sloppy. I read about the possibility of Cunningham’s duplicity several months ago, but I dismissed it as nothing more than another internet rumor. The reason I didn’t take it seriously was because of the way the bribes were handled. These contractors bought him a house, a yacht, etc., and it seemed to be so far out in the open as to be ridiculous. I guess the stuff was in other peoples’ names, but that’s a thin cover. To top it off, Cunningham deposited bribe money in his account at the Washington credit union used by Congressmen!
I would like to think that Cunningham was an honorable man who was corrupted by the Washington environment. If that’s so, then surely there are other Congress Critters (to borrow a term from Kevin M.) who are on the take. Is it an epidemic? The cynical would say yes, but I certainly hope not. I guess it’s better to think of Cunningham as a weak-willed man who saw the opportunity to make some quick cash. The thought of that makes me sick.
WASHINGTON (AP)-
If it's a spruce tree adorned with 10,000 lights and 5,000 ornaments displayed on the Capitol grounds in December, it's a Christmas tree and that's what it should be called, says House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Hastert, R-Ill., in a letter to the Architect of the Capitol, recommended that the annual Capitol Holiday Tree, as it has been called the past several years, be renamed the Capitol Christmas Tree.
"I strongly urge that we return to this tradition and join the White House, countless other public institutions and millions of American families in celebrating the holiday season with a Christmas tree," Hastert wrote to Architect Alan Hantman.
His office said the tree began to be referred to as the Holiday Tree in the 1990s. Spokesman Ron Bonjean said the reasons were unclear.
On Dec. 8 Hastert will flip the switch to light the tree, a 65-foot Engelmann Spruce from the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. On Tuesday workmen were erecting the tree on the West Front of the Capitol.
Let's settle this thing once and for all:
1. Most Americans, religious or not, celebrate Christmas.
2. While some Americans don't celebrate Christmas because they're Jewish, Muslim or just don't believe it it, they are a small minority.
3. While the wishes of a minority should be considered, majorities rule in a democracy.
4. If you don't celebrate Christmas but you have a problem calling the tree erected on White House lawn a Christmas Tree, you have a problem with your self-esteem or you need to get a life.
5. Better yet, just shut up and keep it to yourself.
6. This started on Clinton's watch. Are you surprised?
I, for one, have been going out of my way to wish people a Merry Christmas (NOT Holidays) for several years now. No negative responses yet, but I live in fly-over country where people just aren't as sophisticated (or lost) as people on the coasts.
If you're pro-choice (a cushy euphamism that tries to make abortion sound like any other decision), take a look at this LA Times article.
Remember the Roman Empire. We are spiraling down the same drain hole for some of the same reasons. And very few people seem to care.
On ’60 Minutes’ last night, there was a segment concerning the ever-increasing size of the average American home. Over the past thirty years, the size of an average new home in the United States has grown by fifty percent. In that same time, the size of the average American family has shrunk to 3.6 people. There are two economic factors which help explain the McMansion trend. First, interest rates have been at 40 years low and financing has become more “creative” with the introduction of interest-only ARMs and such. This results in people being able to afford homes that would’ve been unthinkable a generation ago, although I personally believe we are going to see a run of bankruptcies should the economy ever turn south for an extended period of time.
Second, most of the salary gains made in the US in the past 20 years have gone to people who are already solidly in the upper middle-class. Basically, this means that people who could afford big homes in 1985 can afford even bigger homes now. This trend can be seen firsthand in neighborhoods in which people are actually buying houses with the intention of tearing them down and building a much larger home. If you haven’t seen this happen in your town, just wait.
I believe there is a final reason for the huge house boom and it goes back to something I learned a long time ago. We have always had the ultra-rich in our society, those with names we recognize: Astor, Rockefeller, Carnegie. But until the second half of the 20th century, the middle class was tiny and, at times, virtually non-existent. It is my contention that many of the middle-class homeowners of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were the children of people who had known true poverty and, thus, saved a lot of money when they had it and lived more modestly than their children have.
Modesty is dead in this country. We see it every day in movies and on television, but it has also become part of our economic life as well. When I was a teenager, clothes and cars were what made people think of themselves as cool. On top of those two items, we now add cell phones, computers, the neighborhood, the colleges you apply to, etc., etc., etc. It’s expensive to fit in with the “right” people and that extends far into adulthood. As I heard someone say, “Adulthood is junior high with bigger bodies.” So when I see a couple with a 5,000 square foot home and two children, I know that they are not just buying a home that suits their needs---they are buying a statement.
You may say that there is nothing wrong with this, and you may be right. But on some level, the obnoxiousness of it all bothers me. After all, anyone who thinks other people judge him based on where he lives also judges people that way. I have believed for a long time that anyone who judges me based solely on what I look like, where I live or what I do for a living is not deserving of my time or friendship. It makes me wonder what will happen when this economic house of cards in which we are all living comes crumbling down.
I have returned from my podcasting vacation as of this evening. The topic: the Tehran Conference of 1943, where the US and Great Britain began giving away Eastern Europe to Josef Stalin. Oh, a proud moment for sure.
I am angry! It usually takes a lot to upset me, but this story has done it. Check this out...http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1375502.php
The article deals with some of our troops in Africa who found two young cheetah cubs, one of whom was blind in one eye after being kicked by poachers, that were being forced to fight each other for the amusement of people in this small village.
The story gives details of the cubs' treatment. After watching the cubs being drug by children around a yard by ropes tied to their necks, the troops demanded the owner turn over the cubs to them. They did not receive permission from the owner, so the cubs were left in his custody.
In my opinion, anyone who can mistreat a animal could just as easily mistreat women and children. This owner is no better than an animal himself and as such should have been detained and the cubs forcibly removed from his care.
Mistreatment of women, children and aminals is enough to send my blood pressure through the roof and lead me to ramble aimlessly on this blog...thanks for allowing me to vent!
Kelli
I have had a great interest in astronomy for my entire life. I recently purchased an inexpensive pair of binoculars made for skygazing and this morning is the first time I've had a chance to use them. It's cold here now, the kind of cold (18 degrees F) that enforces stillness and calm on the morning. The sky is cloudless, so I knew that I would have a few minutes of viewing before the sun peeked over the horizon.
The first object I found was a bright morning star that turned out, according to my astronomy software, to be Jupiter. Once I was focused in, I could tell that the object was, indeed, a bright disc and not a star. Amazing. I then gazed at my old friend the Moon and saw the Sun peeking over the rim of an enormous crater near the light-dark line on the planetoid (I don't remember what that line is called). The sun was brightening the entire sky by then and I was getting cold, so it was time to retire and start the day.
I still have a childish fascination with space and I hope I never lose it. Mornings like this are filled with the same wonder I knew as a little kid waiting for the school bus. In this way, at least, I never want to grow up.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States (and, I believe, a few other places as well). Most of us will eat too much and look forward to a Friday of shopping chaos. But in the spirit of the holiday, I have put together a list of things for which I am thankful. Please feel free to add your own list in the comments section.
First, I am thankful that I was born in the United States. I believe this is the greatest nation in the history of man. The founding fathers took a tremendous risk on the concept of democracy, and the experiment has been more successful than anyone could have imagined. We have our share of problems, but never has one nation done so much to make the world a better place. We are the light.
Second, I am grateful for those closest to me, especially my wife. She has put up with a lot from me, and I can’t imagine what I would be without her. We are both blessed to have loving families (both biological and otherwise) with whom we enjoy spending time. I took this for granted until I saw, once I saw more of the world, how rare a good, loving, loyal family can be.
Finally, I am grateful for all of those who work nights, holidays and weekends so that we can live in comfort and safety. My first thoughts run to those serving their nation both at home and overseas, but we also need to recognize the people close to us whose work we rarely acknowledge. While I work through a plate of food tomorrow, policemen will be on patrol in our neighborhood and the fire station near our house will be manned. The crew at the power plant down the river will be working to keep the lights on. I will never know their names, but they are working so we can have a relaxing holiday.
I no longer have a copy of it, but there was an e-mail making the rounds several months ago which listed things we should all be thankful for. For example: if you are tired in the morning because you have to go to work early, be thankful you have a job. If your joints ache because you worked hard today, be thankful you are healthy enough to have full use of your limbs. The text went on and on, but you get the point---we are surrounded by good things that we so often take for granted.
I will try to remember.
Drudge is all over a story concerning a graphical ‘X’ that appeared over an image of Vice President Cheney on CNN. Evidently, the image appeared more than once, but was shown so quickly that it was hard to see with the naked eye. Subliminal message? We’ll probably never know.
Why does anyone care about this? It has been the top story on Drudge for about 12 hours now, which has certainly contributed to the blogosphere firestorm. But those of us who are acutely aware of the MSM’s bias have to be careful here, for making a bonfire out of a spark like this, even if intentional, can get one admitted to the tinfoil hat brigade in a hurry.
And even if some crafty producer pulled this stunt on purpose, does it do anything other than prove what clear-thinking people have known for years? CNN, MSNBC and their ilk have lost the news channel war to Fox News specifically because people who bother to pay attention to what’s going on in the world grew tired of liberal spin. Does Fox have a conservative spin? In comparison, yes. But, according to the Pew Center, professed conservatives watch more news on TV than professed liberals (or progressives or whatever touchy-feely word they’re using today), so it makes sense that, when given an alternative, viewers will move away.
As their situation becomes more desperate, you will see the old news giants try more and more stunts to win back ratings. It’s not an occasion to get angry---it’s more an occasion to point and laugh.
It’s been a hell of a week. The move hasn’t been bad at all, for I have discovered the joy of doing work in a home that we own. Most of the stress has come from both moving and trying to keep everything balanced at work while my manager is out of town. Now you understand why I haven’t been posting or even uploading the podcasts that Jason has been doing. Mostly, my manager being gone has been the biggest source of stress---I appreciate him now more than ever. His is a well-reasoned, highly intelligent man who never comes unglued, qualities I noticed early on. But it wasn’t until this week that I realized how good a leader he is. Boys and girls, never doubt that there is a difference between managing and leading. Managing can taught, but you either are or are not a leader.
To make up for my lack of posting, I’m going to try to catch you up on my life with some short musings:
THE HOUSE
-Painting: 90% of Phase I is complete. Only small touch-up jobs remain. Phase II (bathroom, kitchen, office) will commence at unspecified future date.
-Master bedroom and office flooring: 25% complete. Will be 50% complete this evening. Office floor may be delayed due to time constraints.
-Furniture move: new couch and loveseat are in place, as is new TV. Remaining heavy items will have to wait for weekend after Thanksgiving (instead of this weekend, as originally planned).
-Other (non-furniture) items needing to be moved: this is a tricky assessment. The kitchen is the priority, followed by the dining room, since we are hosting Kelli’s family on Thanksgiving. Do you remember the song Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald? There’s a line that goes something like “loaded with 26,000 tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty”. That’s about how much stuff we still have in our old place. And don’t get the idea that we own a lot; most of it is just junk that’s too good to throw out. I’m glad we don’t have kids; I’d be pulling my hair out by now---if I had hair.
-Animal adaptation: Tigger is doing well after about 12 hours of hiding between the dryer and the wall. She discovered the basement last night (because her father is a dolt) and has developed a strange obsession with it. Kahlua is still at the old place---she isn’t eating, so she knows something is up. She’s really too old to adapt well to a new place. My hope is that she will do what she does now: sleep on our bed and only get up to eat and visit her litter box.
POLITICS/WORLD EVENTS
-Bird Flu: It’s made the jump to humans. Does anyone else think that someone, somewhere, may use this as a power play?
-The Senate and Iraq: being a veteran makes you worthy of honor and respect; it doesn’t make you an expert on foreign policy. Regardless of what you think about our presence in Iraq, leaving now would cause anarchy. Let’s try to make at least a decent ending to this so all those who died won’t have done so in vain.
-UN control of internet domain naming, etc.: The internet is a US gift to the to world. Would there be an internet without the US? Maybe, but it wouldn’t be the life-altering force it is now. Do you want China and Saudi Arabia to have some say in Web governance? Do you think that the internet needs to be overseen by “the world”? If so, you are woefully ignorant of the graft and corruption that makes the world turn. Give the internet to the UN and it will shatter within five years.
Be well, and please continue to stop by. One day I’ll be back to normal.
If this becomes a reality, hold on to your backside:
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As
United Nations (UN) officials meet tomorrow in Tunisia to plot strategies for a new worldwide Internet governance structure, an "Issue Brief" from the 350,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) warns that such schemes could choke political freedoms and soak taxpayers.
"After so many conspiracy hoaxes over the years, there is now a serious, ominous effort to replace the efficient and adaptable non-profit entity guiding the Internet with a new UN-sponsored agency," said NTU Government Affairs Manager and Issue Brief author Kristina Rasmussen.
Rasmussen's study traces the push for a government-dominated online environment to the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG), created by the UN in response to detractors of the current, US-based International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (
ICANN). As the author notes, the advertised reasons for this proposal - increasing access and receiving global input -seem to be masking some less noble motives and outcomes:
-- Censorship. Despite having made a declaration of support for freedom of speech, many WGIG members come from nations that severely curtail this right; China, for example, has one of the most restrictive and sophisticated Internet control mechanisms in the world. Just as other UN bodies have been "co-opted" by non- democratic governments, "an 'International Internet Commission' chaired by China might not be far off," Rasmussen observed.
-- Taxes. Since the Internet's infancy the UN has crafted detailed proposals to tax online traffic. Rasmussen calculates that one 1999 plan for a "bit tax," adjusted for today's number of Internet users, would raise 12 trillion dollars this year - roughly equal to America's Gross Domestic Product. Even less ambitious money-raising models such as the independent, Switzerland-based "Digital Solidarity Fund" could feasibly be transformed into future collectors of compulsory Internet taxes and fees.
-- Bureaucratic Corruption. Given recent oil-for-food scandals, UN-style Internet agencies would present the inherent risk of "giving ruling members of regimes in the developing world shiny new computers rather than furnishing the poor with Internet access," Rasmussen said.
Although the US State Department (and more recently federal lawmakers) are moving to oppose a UN Internet takeover, and ICANN officials are advocating privatization, the author contends that vigorous opposition to WGIG's plans from taxpayers around the world is vital.
"Manipulating Internet content through an internationalized, tax-funded structure may be an attractive outcome for politicians seeking to suppress dissent and prop up financially ailing bureaucracies, but not for friends of economic and information freedom," Rasmussen concluded. "The concept of international Internet governance should be rejected, and the proposals of the WGIG report moved to where they belong - the 'trash' bin of every policymaker's computer."
"President Bush has authorized the Joint Chiefs to begin drawing up a
battle plan to pull France's ass out of the fire again. Facing an
apparent overwhelming force of up to 400 pissed off teenagers Mr. Bush doubts France's ability to hold off the little piss ants. "Hell, if the last two world wars are any indication, I would expect France to surrender any day now", said Bush. Joint Chiefs head, Gen. Peter Pace, warned the President that it might be necessary to send up to 5 marines to get things under control. The general admitted that 5 marines may beoverkill but he wanted to get this thing under control within 24 hours of arriving on scene. He stated he was having a hard time finding even one marine to help those ungrateful bastards out for a third time but thought that he could persuade a few women marines to do the job before they went on pregnancy leave.
President Bush asked Gen. Pace to get our marines out of there as soon as possible after order was restored. He also reminded Gen. Pace to make sure the marines did not take soap, razors, or deodorant with them. The less they stand out the better."
I don't write 'em, I just pass 'em on.
I drove by our house tonight. It's right down the street from where we live now, so it's not a painful journey. On Tuesday, we will sign dozens of documents making us owners of a mortgage, through which we will be able to say, for the first time, that we own a home.
We are pretty old to be first-time home buyers, at least compared to the people I know. But we didn't want to buy a home with the intention of selling it later and buying the home we really wanted. Instead, we wanted that first home to be one in which we could comfortably live for the rest of our lives. We wanted an old house that wasn't too large because, at this point, it is doubtful that children are in our future and all that excess space still has to be cleaned, heated and cooled. And while I'm talking about size, I never wanted our home to be something that we bought to impress other people. There's a lot of that going around in this area (and maybe yours as well) and it makes me a little quesy.
Our house is about 100 years old, a fact that my history-laden mind loves to contemplate. How many people came into the world or left it in that house? On how many Christmas mornings were toys scattered on the hardwood floor of the living room while the air was full of happy voices? How many times has the front door flown open to reveal a loved one who hasn't been seen in years? How many times has it been slammed in anger?
Getting approved for a home loan is probably easier now than it has ever been. Thus, our home purchase is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But if you had told me ten years ago that I would buy a house in downtown Jeffersonville two blocks from the Ohio River, I would've laughed you out of the room. But things change and I grew up.
My posts will probably be short and sporadic between now and Thanksgiving due to this move. Please check back daily as I will post when I can. This move falls during the vacation times of two of my co-workers (one this coming week and the other the following week), so there will be no short work days or significant periods of down time. Once everything is up and going at the new address, I will set up some pictures online somewhere so you can have a look at our little abode. Until then, be well.
Today is Veteran’s Day. This day, November 11, was originally a commemoration of the end of the first World War (which ended at 11:11AM on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918) and those who died in that war, but with the coming of subsequent hostilities it was decided that all veterans should be honored. There is some confusion as to who should be honored on this day. Memorial Day honors those who have died in service to their nation. Veteran’s Day is meant to honor ALL veterans regardless of whether or not they served during wartime or times of peace. It has always been my belief that those who do not serve during a war help to prevent them by showing the strength that can be called down upon an aggressor. War, while encompassing a greater sacrifice, is a failure of the ambassadors, presidents, etc.; it is never the failure of the soldier, sailor, airman or marine.
I am thinking about a particular type of veteran this morning: those who were called from civilian life during times of war. Some were drafted; some, like my father, volunteered before they were drafted so they would have the choice of which service to enter. A lot of these men would never have joined the military under different circumstances; duty called and they went. They put their lives in hold, something that is incredibly difficult. Many men, like my father-in-law, were already married when they were drafted. Some had children. Imagine leaving them behind.
What amazes me about my father and my father-in-law is that there is no bravado in their former service. They did not have a burning desire to go to war or any particular hatred for the North Koreans or the Viet Cong and NVA. They went because that’s what men do when their nation calls. As my father said once, the idea of trying to avoid the draft was unthinkable in the early 50’s; the thought never crossed his mind.
There is a famous line from “The Bridges of Toko-Ri”: “Where do we get such men?”. They are us; our neighbors, our cousins, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, father and mother, grandparents. Every war has found the United States with a small military, necessitating the use of civilians. Every time, without fail, the American people have come through.
Have a good day. And thank you.
November 10th marks the 230th anniversary of the Marine Corps. I put together a podcast about that this evening. Thought you'd like to know.
I swore that I was not going to see the film, "Jarhead" for two reasons: first, 21st century Hollywood doesn't "get" the military, so their war films tend to be full of storytime accounts of overly aggressive officers and the like. "We Were Soldiers" was a noteable exception, but Mel Gibson drove that bus around the track, so I knew it would be good.
Second, I loathe Anthony Swofford, the author of "Jarhead". He writes for 'Details' magazine now and his columns are so self-serving and swarmy that no self-respecting veteran would take him seriously. After reading his prose, I wouldn't go near his book.
And, now, I find that I am NOT alone. Mr. "Froggy" Heidt is the real deal, a SW Navy operator. Please take a moment and check out his review of this crapfest.
I received an interesting e-mail last night from someone who listens to my podcast. His question was related to tech, not history (on my Blogger profile, I list IT as my day job). He was of the opinion that the spyware epidemic is being blown out of proportion by companies that stand to make money by selling anti-spyware utilities.
Assertions such as this did not begin with spyware. For years, conspiracy nuts have been telling us that companies such as Symantec are creating viruses in order to create demand for anti-virus products. Now that we are seeing arrests and convictions or virus writers, it’s pretty obvious that, other than the Russian mob and maybe the North Korean government, there is no central, organized attempt to create anarchy on the web.
I work on PCs for people when I have the time, and I find that 90% of the problems I encounter are caused by spyware. Viruses show up as well, but not nearly as often since I think people are getting smarter about updating their AV definitions (those of you who work on PCs full time may have a different opinion on this; please comment!). As many people know, spyware can quickly render your PC unusable; thus the attention. My e-mailer also asked what I use to keep spyware and viruses from invading my PC. This is old stuff for some of you, but maybe some of you can glean something useful from my suggestions:
1. I use three free utilities to look for spyware on my system: Spybot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org), Ad-Aware (www.lavasoftusa.com) and Windows Defender (formerly Microsoft Anti-Spyware Beta: www.microsoft.com/spyware ) . There are other products out there, but these are the three I recommend. They must be updated just like anti-virus software or they are useless.
2. I always recommend AVG (free.grisoft.com), a free anti-virus application that is as good (or better) than some you have to pay for. My only complaint is that my installation never seemed to update itself correctly. I tried Avast 4.6, another free one, for a while, but I found that it slowed my web browser down to a crawl at times (it scanned all incoming data). I was able to get a hold of the corporate edition of Symantec Anti-Virus (the people who make Norton’s products). We use it at work and it doesn’t have the add-on crap that makes the retail product such a dog performance-wise. I’ll let you know what I think.
3. I use Firefox and if you’re not, you should be. It is safer than Internet Explorer (despite the spate of security flaws found in Firefox recently) and seems, at least to me, to be faster. In addition, it is highly customizable with extensions that do everything from checking your web-based e-mail automatically to telling you if Abe Vigoda is still alive (he is, I think).
4. I don’t go to questionable websites. I don’t click on ANY popup ads (even Firefox doesn’t stop them all). Some sites that are popular with teens (especially boys) are rife with spyware: sites offering free ringtones, screensavers and pRon are especially suspect. If you have a teenager at home and a spyware problem, find out where he’s been going. You probably won’t like it.
It always amazes me that people who wouldn’t dream of trying to spread a cold or the flu will blow off trying to keep their PC safe. We are all connected now in ways that were unimaginable 20 years ago. With that freedom comes a responsibility to be alert, aware and educated.
Sailors who had served in Norfolk were still telling this story in the early 1990's (often saying that it happened in the 70's, and always to someone else). Having been to Norfolk, I always believed it.
Damn you urban legends people!!!
The rioting in France continues. The British are telling their citizens to avoid traveling in the country, saying that violence could break out anywhere. At least one person had died in the conflagration and at least a thousand vehicles have been torched every night for the past three or four days. The federal government has given local authorities more leeway in dealing with rioters, which makes one wonder how the police powers in France are organized under normal circumstances.
These riots will either die out naturally or they will be ended by force (police or military). But these outbursts are merely a symptom of a larger disease, a sickness rooted in European socialism and political correctness. I have written here before about my belief that Old Europe has no future as a collection of democracies. To my mind, these riots are the beginning of that end.
This began in mainly Muslim neighborhoods. It is important to note this, not because of their faith, but because most of these men do not identify themselves as members of the French community. They are, mostly, from former French colonies in North Africa and their only identity is as Muslims. The local imams are well aware of this and play that separation to the hilt. Radicals have always existed among Muslims in Europe, but countries such as France and England will not crack down on even the most extreme preachers of hate because they want to maintain freedom of worship. Some would argue that the same hate exists here among religious groups, but there is a radical difference between what remotely may be bigotry and what we are seeing now in the suburbs of Paris: sedition. In that way, the French authorities allowed this monster to grow right under their noses, their politically-correct leanings never allowing them to take the bull by the horns.
It’s time to face a hard fact: Islam and democracy can not co-exist. You can point to riots and the insurgency in Iraq and say that those men are radical Muslims who do not represent the mainstream. Really? Nothing I’ve seen convinces me of that. More and more, I believe that extremism is the norm and that moderates are in the minority. We don’t have to look at the Middle East in order to see this. In places such as Malaysia, where there is at least freedom of worship in theory, non-Muslim citizens are openly discriminated against. There is, in fact, no Muslim-dominated nation on this planet where that is not the case.
With immigrant Muslim populations on the rise, the violence we are witnessing in France could take place anywhere in Europe. It’s not a matter of if, but when.
This blog has been down most of the evening, so I lost my chance to post something deep, meaningful and useful in your life (as if I've ever done that). Anyway, tomorrow is another day.
For those of you who think all Christian denominations are comprised of and run by fundamentalist hicks (you know who you are):
A Vatican cardinal said Thursday the faithful should listen to what secular modern science has to offer, warning that religion risks turning into "fundamentalism" if it ignores scientific reason.
Mark Russinovich, the man who first told the world about Sony's use of a rootkit in order to hide DRM software from users (see my post from Thursday for details) is now saying that the software also "phones home" in order to update album art. From the post:
I dug a little deeper and it appears the Player is automatically checking to see if there are updates for the album art and lyrics for the album it’s displaying. This behavior would be welcome under most circumstances, but is not mentioned in the EULA, is refuted by Sony, and is not configurable in any way. I doubt Sony is doing anything with the data, but with this type of connection their servers could record each time a copy-protected CD is played and the IP address of the computer playing it.
The only Sony product I own is the DVD burner in our desktop PC; it will be the last Sony product I buy. If a hacker was found distributing rootkit software to people's PC that reported back to a server, he/she would be looking at prison time. This is no different. When are media companies going to wake up?
This infuriates me. If it was not for the "alternative" media (blogs, tech sites and the like) we would probably never have heard about this. What's worse, there are politicians in Washington (like Utah's Orrin Hatch, Republican) who probably wouldn't see anything wrong with a business practice such as this. After all, he was the asshat who said that record labels should have the right to destroy an offender's PC remotely if he/she is found sharing copyrighted material---judge, jury and executioner.
You may think this doesn't concern you. It may not today, but it will. The consumer should have a right to ownership of the copyrighted material we buy. I'm not supporting piracy, but if you buy a CD, you should be able to make a copy to play in your car or rip it so that you can put it on your MP3 player. If you buy a DVD, you should be able to copy it to a hard drive or make a backup copy of it. Yet, all these things are now restricted. If the RIAA and MPAA have their way, you won't own any copyrighted material; you will lease it for a short period of time and you'll pay over and over again to enjoy it.
There is a such a thing as being a good corporate citizen. If you find one, please let me know.
I've added a new link in the "Links" section. The site is called "People Who Changed the World" and it's a biography a day sort of thing. The gentleman who runs it has linked to my podcast site, so I am returning the favor.
I am a supporter of anyone who wishes to educate people accurately about our history, so please take a minute and go over there. Thank you.
Courtesy of some anonymous author:
NEW RULES
New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for Classmates.com! There's a
reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't
particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days: mowing my lawn.
New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless
you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout? Luckily, it was only a finger! If it was a whole hand, Congress would have voted to keep it alive.
New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot,
blonde teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: lucky b@stards.
New Rule: If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards,
you're gay. If you're a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols If
you're a grown man, they're pictures of men.
New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care
about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.
New Rule: There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket: water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.
New Rule: Stop f***ing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that's square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.
New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the
asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low and one NutraSweet," ooh, you're a huge @sshole.
New Rule: I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN number, pressing "Enter," verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don't want cash back, and pressing "Enter" again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy. Paper, plastic? I don't have time for that. I've just been called to do a cleanup on Aisle Nine!
NewRule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your @ss. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.
New Rule: Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the US Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting? Oh wait. They're already doing that. It's called "The Howard Stern Show."
New Rule: I don't need a bigger mega M&M. If I'm extra hungry for M&Ms, I'll go nuts and eat two.
New Rule: If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old television shows,then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.
New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for
weddings. Now it's for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking up the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the white people version of looting.
New Rule: and this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants. After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex with George Michael. I can't even tell if he's supposed to be there, or just some freak with a fetish. I don't want to be on your web cam, dude. I just want to wash my hands.
NewRule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to know in
months. "27 Months." "He's two," will do just fine. He's not a cheese. And I didn't care in the first place.
Anyone who works in the IT field knows how frustrating it can be to battle viruses and spyware. We don’t often know the individuals or companies that write this crap, but I always assume the individuals are very smart losers with no social life and the companies are fly-by-night concerns running out of someone’s garage.
Not this time. The culprit this time is SonyBMG, one of the largest record companies in the world. If you bought one of the label’s CDs during or after March of this year and played it on your PC, you probably have spyware on your machine that the CD placed there without your knowledge. While annoying, this normally wouldn’t be a big deal. You can run any number of anti-spyware utilities (the best ones, IMHO, are free) that will deal with almost anything out there. Except, this isn’t just any type of spyware; it’s a rootkit.
Rootkits have been around a long time in the world of Unix systems, but until recently most home PC users didn’t have to worry about them. Rootkits are dangerous because they have the ability to hide their files from the host operating system. What this means to you is that Spybot Search & Destroy, Ad-Aware and the rest of the anti-spyware utilities out there can’t detect and remove them. Even if you’re diligent as hell and don’t go to any questionable sites or use P2P software, you could have a rootkit on your machine right now.
Due to public pressure, Sony has released a “patch” that, supposedly, reveals the files to Windows. However, removal of the files can cause your CD-ROM drive to no longer be recognized. All this because you legally bought a music CD and wanted to listen to it on your computer. I guess you surmised that you wouldn’t be treated like a criminal, didn't you? Foolish consumer (insert evil laugh here).
So, to summarize: a multi-national corporation hid software on an audio CD that installs itself on your PC without your knowledge. This software disables some of your PC’s features and is invisible to scanners. If you do manage to remove the software, it can disable hardware on your PC. This is done in the name of “copy protection”.
Let’s imagine SonyBMG sold wine. On my way home from work, I stop by the liquor store and buy a bottle of SonyBMG to go with dinner. As I get back in my truck and head down the road with the bottle in a bag on the passenger seat, I notice that my truck will not exceed 35 miles per hour. I try to push the gas pedal to the floor, only to find that it no longer controls the flow of fuel. When I get home, I discover that I can’t remove my seatbelt and the bottle of wine is permanently attached to the passenger’s seat.
Silly? You bet.
Oliver Stone is filming a movie about 9/11 starring Nicolas Cage. I'm not enthusiastic. Just a guess, but do you think they'll take a swipe at the White House? Maybe Michael Moore could have a bit role as a homeless man---he already looks the part.
Wes Pruden knocks one out of park this AM:
The first volley at Samuel Alito is that he dissented when his colleagues of the 3rd Circuit declined to evict the nannies of Planned Parenthood from the bedrooms of strangers, ruling that a wife doesn't have to tell her husband when she aborts their child. A generation ago, cries that the Democratic Party had become the party of "abortion, acid and amnesty" sank George McGovern and set up decades of Republican dominance. Acid and amnesty are but dim echoes of that vanished era, but "abortion" is the rallying cry that unites what's left of the party of FDR, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy.
Now, if he could only get some column space in the NY Times...sorry, I forgot where I was for a second.