Opaque Lucidity

Cindy In The Brig

Cindy Sheehan was arrested before the President's State of the Union speech because she was trying to unfurl a banner in the House chamber. Has she been around long enough that I can finally stop feeling guilty for wishing she'd STFU and disappear? I might actually respect her if she didn't sound like a moonbat every time she opens that hole in her face.

State Of The Union

I'm listening to the President's State of the Union address while I type this. Two things stand out: ending our dependence on foreign oil and encouraging children to take more math and science. The problem, in my opinion, is that both of these things are going to require cultural shifts by the American people.

Americans are and have been in love with their automobiles. If we are ever going to end our dependency on foreign oil, we not only need to develop domestic sources of oil (ANWR, anyone?), but we need to curb our use. We can do this by developing new technology, but we also need to develop an appreciation for public transportation. I, for one, would not mind paying a little more in state taxes if it meant that money would be used to underwrite a major expansion of the bus routes in this town and in Louisville. I could ride the bus to work now, but it would be a long, painful process involving multiple bus changes and over 90 minutes each way. That's simply too long if we are to expect people to adopt public transportation as a legitimate alternative.

My brother Jerry has traveled extensively in China. He is a mechanical engineer and has had opportunties to spend a lot of time with his Chinese counterparts. His impression of them can be summed up by saying that young Americans would be well-served by waking up and realizing that a nation full of smart, hard-working people is on the verge of eating our lunch, not just in terms of production but in terms of R&D as well. Innovation is one of our few economic advantages; if we lose it, we run the risk of becoming an economic also-ran.

Overall, a pretty impressive State of the Union address, as far as such things go. I'm a pretty big political geek, but ranking a speech like this is like judging a pep rally---it only matters if you win the game later.

Handel On The Law, Onto The Truth

I don't like Bill Handel for two reasons. First, his legal show "Handel On The Law" is run locally on WHAS and, well, it blows goats. Second, that Sunday afternoon time slot was occupied by "84Online", a computer show that yours truly and a lot of other more knowledgeable and talented people were a part of until a certain host went and got himself fired because of his unchecked ego (we'll take that up some other day). It's not Handel's fault that the management of our 50,000 watt Clear Channel monster decided to stick him on Sundays from 3-6pm, but I took it a little personally and that puts Bill Handel two strikes down.

Until today. Unbeknownest to me, Bill Handel also has a Los Angeles-based (KFI) morning radio show. I'll let Drudge take it from here:

Los Angeles's top talkradio station is under fire from a Muslim group because of comments made earlier this month by morning man Bill Handel. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has demanded an apology from Handel for making fun of a stampede that killed hundreds of Muslims during an annual pilgrimage.

KFI-AM does not condone making light of the deaths of people engaged in religious observances. We regret that listeners found the comments of one of our on-air hosts to be insensitive. KFI does not censor its hosts, nor does it tell them what to say or not to say. KFI is a strong and passionate believer in 1st amendment rights and that is at the very core of this radio station.

I have mentioned here on several occasions my confusion about the Muslim clergy in the US and their apparent refusal to publicly condemn terrorism. It's about time they were put on the spot about this and, for once, I want to give Bill Handel a pat on the back. But I still want the time slot back, Bill.

Well, Well, Well

Samuel Alito is finally going to get an up-and-down vote in the Senate, despite the efforts of Teddy "Where's My SCUBA Gear" Kennedy, John Kerry and Hillaboy Clinton to get a filibuster going. And, as if to pour salt in the wound, Geena Davis's show "Commander-in-Chief" was put on hiatus until later in the year (get your resume' up to date, honey). To quote Hugh Hewitt, "It's been a bad day to be a Democrat."

I don't mention this as something earth-shattering since those of you who pay attention know that Alito's approval was all but a foregone conclusion two weeks ago. Instead, I mention the Alito story because of the reaction it brought out over at Daily Kos, that greasy drain where the hair, dirt and dandruff of the blogsphere ends up. Make a visit to the cloture vote thread and you'll see what I mean.

By the way, these are the people who the Dems seem to be taking their cues from these days. Is this where you are? Think hard; much depends on your answer.

One Man's Win

I've been listening to the unabridged audio version of Sarah Vowels' "The Cloudly Patriot". If you listen to NPR, you've probably heard Vowels: her Lisa Simpson-like voice is unique in broadcasting. She is an unabashed "big D" Democrat (her characterization, not mine) and one of the book's essays deals with her visit to Washington in January, 2001, to witness President Bush's first inauguration.

If you had no other reference point, you would think that Vowels is describing the German Army's march through Paris in May, 1940. She and her traveling companions are at their smug, cynical, crying liberal best as they help boo the President into office. There are several mentions of the disputed election and it quickly becomes apparent that revisionism is already well underway on the Left.

The debacle in Florida happened more than five years ago. Even if your guy didn't win, you have to admit that the system we have in place worked as it was designed. Vowels loves to mention the fact that Bush lost the general vote, but she never mentions that this is not unique in the history of this nation. The electoral college exists for a reason and it has served us well in dozens of Presidential elections.

I came away from this particular chapter of Vowels' work with this thought: liberals love the process of our constitutional republic as long as their candidate wins. When they lose, it is not enough to simply keep driving home their opinions and work for the next election. Instead, they work to make the incumbent seem evil or stupid or both. This has always amazed me: the talking heads on the other side of the aisle like to make GW out to be a moron, but yet he and Dick Cheney are also more diabolical than any Bond bad guy.

Which is it?

"Mr. President, I'm Overdue For Retirement"

From Drudge:

BUSH SNUBS HELEN THOMAS [AGAIN]
Thu Jan 26 2006 15:42:32 2006

Developing...

So does Helen Thomas consider her questions relevent or deserving? They are obviously pointed, biased and pretty disrespectful. I'd ignore her, too. If you look back at her performances in the Press Room at the White House, then you know what a curmudgeon she has become. It's not all about you, Helen; go home.

My Favorite Wife

If I haven't mentioned it here before, let me do it now: my wife is wonderful. I still need to sell the PC, but last night as I was drifting off to sleep, she ordered a new 20" iMac. To say I'm jazzed is an understatement, although I do feel guilty----it's a Catholic thing, I guess. It may not make me a better podcaster, but it will make for more professional podcasts.

Your comments on yesterday's post were interesting, especially Troy's mention of future 64-bit Duos and Dual Duos. I will be using almost exclusively "iApps", so I'll see the Intel advantage right away. As far as the future is concerned, I have learned that, when it comes to Apple or video card companies or Intel or AMD, something faster is always on the way. I have spent more money than I want to think about upgrading PCs in the last decade and I'm done with it. My Mac-addicted friend Hash has had the same iBook for years and it's still a great machine. Anything we buy will be outdated by the next MacWorld in 2007, but at least I will have the comfort of knowing that this iMac will run the newest version of the MacOS for years to come. That's not something you can say about every Wintel box being sold today.

Shameless Sales Pitch

If you are bothered by crass appeals to buy things, you may want to skip over this post. I won’t mind.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to what I do on our home PC (not the laptop, but the desktop machine) and I’ve really come to question why I haven’t switched to a Mac. I used to defend my continued use of Windows by saying that I like to game on my PC, which is true. However, I find that I really don’t have time for much of that these days since I try to put out a podcast three or four evenings during the work week and still post here occasionally.

The other roadblock to Mac ownership has been money. The machine I really want now, the new 20” iMac, is $1699. That’s a lot of dough compared to the PC that can be built for that money. What draws me to the machine is not the hardware specs, but the included software, mainly iLife ’06. I need to take my podcast to the next level of professionalism if I am ever going to cross that divide to some sort of underwriting and I believe the new features in iLife can help me do that. Yes, all of the same things can be done with a Windows machine, but not without spending some real money.

So here’s my plan: sell my current PC and buy an iMac. I think my current setup (see below) would sell for the price of the entry level iMac (the 17” version) and I’ll get one of those if need be. I’ve considered asking my podcast subscribers to donate, but I can’t help feeling a little sleazy about that. I DID ask for contributions to help pay for bandwidth (as problem that still exists, but I have made some cost-saving changes), but a lot of podcasters do that so at least I’m not alone.

I will miss PC gaming, but I have more constructive things I should be doing with my time. And, for the record, X-Plane (one of the greatest flight sims ever produced), runs on OS X. So who knows!

Specs:

Antec Lifestyle II (I think) black ATX case with 380W Power Supply
AMD 3700+ Processor (San Diego core, I think)
2 GB PC3200 RAM
74GB Western Digital 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive
120GB Western Digital 7,200RPM IDE Hard Drive
NEC DVD/CD Burner (dual-layer capable)
eVGA Nvidia 6800GT Video Card 256MB RAM
SoundBlaster Audigy 2ZS Sound Card
Floppy Drive
19” Samsung 191T LCD Monitor (1280x1024 native resolution)

Everything is gently used in excellent like-new condition. Nothing has been overclocked or otherwise altered.

If you are seriously interested, please drop me a line and I’ll send photos. I’d like to get $1500 (or best offer) for the entire thing and I’d rather not sell it in pieces. I’d like to sell it to someone local, but I will ship it if need be (we will have to discuss the shipping costs, but I think it may be around $60 UPS ground to most areas).

This is not a casual PC; it’s meant to do heavy-duty work or serious gaming. I say this because some of you who are not tech-savvy will compare this to a $500 machine from Dell---there is no comparison and if you just want something to surf the web with, this is not the machine you need.

Or, if you just want to kick in a couple bucks to the cause, please visit my podcast site and click the donation link on the left. If everyone who subscribes to the ‘cast pitches in $3, I’ll be in tall cotton---as someone says.

One For Honesty

I'm going to give Joel Stein credit for being honest in his LA Times column today. He says that he doesn't support the troops because he can't support people who abandon their morality and pull triggers in this war. Please take a moment and read his column.

This hardly surprises me. At some point, someone on the Left was bound to admit that they have what Bill Clinton called "loathing for the military". Stein moves more towards pity, as if our fellow citizens in uniform are unlucky puppies forced to spend their days in kennels. But this opens the door in ways that Michael Moore and his handmaid Cindy Sheehan never dreamed of. Soon enough, but not yet, they may even dig up the phrase "baby killer" from the basement of 1973.

Thank goodness Stein opened the door because I, for one, was getting tired of the hypocrisy coming from the other side. The anti-war protestors DID learn something from Vietnam: blaming the soldiers turns off most Americans. Instead, they are portrayed as hapless victims of circumstance, as if becoming a deliverer of death to America's enemies never occured to them (especially the ones who joined after 9/11) when the stopped by the recruiter's office.

I have some personal experience here. I was never a foot soldier, but I knew very early on that my training would eventually place me in a position of responsiblity aboard a warship. That warship might've been an aircraft carrier with the capability to level a nation all by herself or a ballistic missile submarine with the capability to fire the shot that brings about the end of the world as we know it. Either way, I knew my job could lead, indirectly, to the deaths of people who had personally done nothing to me. And I was, and still am, perfectly OK with that.

What Joel Stein and other pseudo-intellectuals of his ilk fail to understand is the mentality of those who are willing to serve a noble cause larger than their own needs. Stein would laugh at the simple patriotism and morality of the 19-year old kid packing a weapon in Iraq. He doesn't need, nor does he receive, a briefing on the finer points of the Iraq war. He is fighting for his buddies and they for him. Together, they fight for their nation because they believe it will make a difference one day that terrorists were killed in the streets of Bahgdad and Kabual and not on the broad avenues of Manhattan or Washington, DC or Los Angeles. He knows that those who oppose the war can't support him because he can not be seperated from the war---it is his purpose right now. He can't quote Noam Chomsky and he may not pen eloquent missives every night, but he is intelligent and thoughtful in ways that little boys like Joel Stein could not possibly fathom.

And once again we see the difference between serious America and the Left. In one corner sits a soft columnist who would pee on himself at the sight of violence who thinks himself better in every way than the hapless saps in the military. In the other corner stand the better men than him, the men who are the future of this nation for they already know what it's like to stand in the ring, get beaten to a pulp and jump back in for more.

Asshat, you're not fit to shine those men's boots.

The New Almost Famous

If you subscribe to podcasts via iTunes, you know that each podcast is put into a category. Mine, for example, is found under the “Education” category. One can easily find the top 100 podcasts in each category instead of overall, which is something I do from time to time. Why? Because I know that my podcast will never be able to compete with podcasts about sex and the ones that are re-packaged terrestrial TV or radio shows. Thus, I think it is only fair to compare the popularity of my ‘cast to others of the same genre.

With this in mind, I am now number 57 on the list of most popular education podcasts registered with iTunes. I don’t know how many podcasts are in that category, but I’m sure it’s at least 400 or so. I’m proud of that, but I don’t mention it for praise. I’m one guy with a fairly cheap headphone microphone setup and a broadband connection. Yet, hundreds of people give me between five and eight minutes of their day each time I post a new episode. Little guys like me with something to say are changing what is considered popular media, but we are also redefining what it means to be famous.

I’m not anywhere near what I would consider famous, but there are plenty of people just like me who are. When I say “like me”, I mean from the perspective of entry into the public space: a podcast or other internet-based medium produced from home with technology that is available to anyone who makes even a modest income. The most famous and successful podcasters, Dawn Miceli and Drew Domkus, do their show from their living room with a PowerBook and a $20 microphone. But they have turned that into a full-time gig because hundreds of thousands of listeners subscribe to their ‘cast. They are not household names, but they are very well known by a certain demographic.

What I see in the future is the death of movie star-like fame. With the growing availability of niche entertainment, we will see people with tiny audiences who are considered famous by 500 people. This has been going on for years in music, where unsigned bands have large numbers of local fans but are unknown on the national scene. I can’t help but wonder if this is one of the reasons why the RIAA and the MPAA have been so slow to embrace digital downloads. Consider that fact that Brad Pitt’s face is known the world over and is a guaranteed check in the bank for any movie studio and distribution company. But Matt D. is only known to a few hundred history geeks and no one in Japan knows who he is or cares, so he’s not going to turn a profit for anyone. What will happen to the powerful execs when anyone can be a movie or rock star to a dozen or a hundred people?

Warhol’s famous prediction that “in the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes” is coming true. Was this what he had in mind?

The China Syndrome '06

I like 'The West Wing'. You may be surprised to hear that, but the show is smart, well-written and deals with issues outside of the usual crap presented on television. The fact that conservatives are shown as being Neanderthal-like dolts who have occasional run-ins with goodness is something I can overlook, since I know how reality works.

Tonight's episode dealt with a nuclear power plant incident in California. The technical explanation of the problem was pretty good (considering some of the gross military-related errors that have been made on the show), but the emotion surrounding the incident and the White House response bordered on end-of-the-universe hysteria. It was an interesting window into how the Left reacts to the very mention of nuclear power.

Fourteen miners have died in West Virginia this month bringing coal to the surface so we can all recharge our cell phones. Uranium must be mined as well, but not in quantities measured in thousands of tons. An average coal-fired plant puts more radiation into the air per kilowatt than an average American (I can not speak for any other nation's plants) nuclear power plant because of the minute amounts of radioactive material present in coal. Furthermore, those of you worried about greenhouse gases should get behind nuclear power's pollution-free method of electricity generation.

But what about accidents? Good question. Our Navy has been operating hundreds of nuclear reactors of various sizes and designs for over half a century without an accident. This perfect record has been attained by good training, good training and good training. Furthermore, those who manage naval reactors are genuinely held accountable for any flaws in the system---a mistake WILL ruin a career. On top of the human factor, reactor design is a crucial factor in the Navy's record. A reactor placed aboard a submarine must operate in environments never dreamed of ashore. Right now, each land-based reactor is designed separately and is nearly unique. Why not standardize a design that could be easily modernized?

Unfortunately, nuclear power will not catch on in the United States during my lifetime. The MSM and liberals in general have done a great job of demonizing the industry and it will take generations for that slander to be undone. In the meantime, the Left in this country will do what they have done for the past 35 years: complain, shoot down ideas and solve nothing.

How 'Bout A Nice Cup Of STFU?

From Drudge tonight:

Star Jones has told viewers that the war on terror is nothing more than a clash of male egos between President Bush and Osama bin Laden, the NEW YORK POST reports.

"You know what, I'm a little tired of posturing back and forth," Jones replied.

The phrase "dumber than a box of rocks" comes to mind. No wonder Kerry was such a hit in some places.

Right To Know / Right To Snoop

More and more, we live in a world in which privacy is a fantasy. As I write this, much of my life resides in dozens of databases all over the United States (and maybe overseas). Every public accomplishment and failing of my life is out there somewhere. With enough time and money, you could find out about my credit rating, employment history, education level, military record, criminal record (if I had one), insurance history and on and on and on. If you were willing to bend and/or break the law, you could learn about past relationships, possible frailties and personal vendettas. The only privacy any of us really has is in our own mind.

Many of you reading this have agreed to a background check in order to be considered for a job. This has been routine for years in many industries, but it's becoming the price of admission almost everywhere. This and drug testing have become the two things a potential employer can do to try to weed out the less-than-ideal candidates from the running. Thus is our world; to live in it, we have to accept these realities.

How much does your employer have the right to know about you? When I was in the Navy, I applied to change rates and become a type of cryptological technician. This job required an extensive background investigation and it wasn't long until I learned that the local FBI office spoke to my parents' neighbors and some of my teachers about me. It made me feel sort of naked, but I understood that this was a necessity when the DoD was going to trust me with things that are classified above Top Secret. After all, we're talking about national security and the Navy had been burned rather badly in the Walker spy ring a few years before.

But what about civilian employers? Do they have the right to know that you use illegal drugs on the weekends? Do they have the right to know about your credit score? What if you and your spouse are swingers? What if you're gay? What if you owe back taxes? The list goes on and on.

Some of these questions have seemingly simple answers. For example, I think we can all agree that we don't want airline pilots and truck drivers sucking down a spliff or a gram of coke before work. Also, I think it's OK that employers make sure daycare workers aren't formerly jailed child molestors. There's common sense at work here, but as you move further and further away from the obvious, a fog begins to descend on the question.

So I ask you, mister and misses reader: what's your comfort level with this kind of thing? How much do you think your employer knows about you? Do they know too much? Should there be limits applied to all employers, or should some industries have more leeway than others?

The First American

Today is the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birth. The Matt's Today in History episode for tonight is a little different in that it was actually a team effort discussing the great man's life; take a visit over there to find out the details.

It was raining hard when I left work today and traffic was at a standstill. As I waited for my turn to climb the long ramp to the Kennedy Bridge, I wondered aloud (I was alone, which probably looked strange to the other drivers): what would Mr. Franklin think of his United States today?

I ask myself questions like this quite often when I'm stuck in traffic or in a really boring meeting (which doesn't happen very often anymore because my manager has as little patience for long meetings as I do) as a way to make myself recall all the little details of an historical event or person. To start, we have to look at the man and see what he was interested in. Franklin was an inventor, diplomat, writer and much, much more. Basically, there was no part of colonial life to which he did not lend something.

Let's look first at technology. I don't believe Franklin would be the least bit surprised by any of our technological acheivements. In fact, he might berate us for not accomplishing more.

Second, there is government. I think Ben would be aghast at how large government at all levels has become. He said once (I'm paraphrasing) that a resourceful and hard-working people could be governed cheaply. He might see the size of the federal tit as commentary on how lazy we've become or how we've come to expect so much to be handed to us.

When he learned of how many wars we've fought in the past two hundred years, he probably wouldn't be surprised. He came of age in a time when warfare was a given and peace was a temporary situation at best. I believe he would have a problem with our level of involvement in so many places; I imagine he would see it as a sort of imperialism.

Finally, I can't decide what he would think of the character of the American people. One night of the evening news might leave him shaking his head, but a quick look at some economic numbers would tell him that we are some of the hardest working people on the planet, a quality for which he had an immense amount of respect. He would see how much we give to charities and to other nations and he would know that we are kind and compassionate. He would look at our civil rights history and know that, although racism is still alive, we have made great strides. But I can't help but wonder what he would think of our culture and its fixations.

The great part about this sort of thing is that we will never know.

Gus

My Uncle Gus died Friday morning. He was my father's youngest brother. I was at work when it happened, but my mother was kind enough to spare me the news until I got home. He had been fighting lung cancer for two or three years marked by improvements and setbacks. He died at home. He was 69.

You probably didn't know Gus, but you knew people like him. He worked at a local trucking company as a mechanic for years and became a handyman when the firm went under while he was still too young to retire. Like my dad, he never really retired; he just no longer got paid for the work he did.

When I saw him for the last time, he looked good for a man who had two heart attacks and a major battle with cancer within the past four years. He moved a little slower, but he still had that same easy way about him that I had always known. He loved to tell stories, as men of that age almost always do, but they were rarely stories centered on him or his achievements.

Gus and Betty lived around the corner from my parents when I was growing up, so they were a pretty constant part of our lives. In fact, their two sons (both more than a decade older than me) were often thought to be the brothers of my four older siblings. After Gus began working as a handyman, he seemed to have more time to do the things he enjoyed. He would ride this restored Schwinn bike over to my house and stand in the driveway talking to dad while he worked on something or washed the car. They talked politics, or about the past, or about any of a thousand things. He was very well read, as is my dad, so I never knew where the conversation was going to end up.

My dad has seven siblings and my mom one. Before now, we had only lost one: my Uncle Tony, dad's oldest brother. I cared for Tony, but he was much more distant. We only saw him on rare occasions, mainly when the entire family was together. Gus was always a presence in my life. After I started high school and mom and dad felt comfortable going out of town and leaving me alone, they would always say, "If anything happens, call Gus." This was reassuring to me because Gus was the "cool" uncle. By that, I don't mean he had an IROC-Z and wore too much gold. Where my dad could have a bad temper, Gus always seemed a lot less worried about things. Of course, I wasn't his child and I'm sure his sons would probably have something to say on the matter.

One thing that he said to me when I was little has stuck with me to this day. He and my dad were talking about the '37 flood, the most devastating flood in the history of this region. Gus couldn't remember it and dad was barely four, but they knew the stories. I remember Gus laughing about how older people always seem to refer to past decades as the good old days. He looked at me and said, "THESE are the good old days."

The time has arrived for me, the time when my uncles, aunts and even my parents will begin to pass away into whatever comes next. Statistically speaking, they will all be gone in 10-15 years. Then my generation will lead the family, but I can't imagine it being the same. We are not made of the same stuff as they, the hard parts made by struggle that we never had to endure because they wanted better things for us.

He will be buried on Monday after a short visitation at the funeral home. These days, these next few days in which I, my brothers and sisters and my cousins reflect on this man who I loved but did not spend enough time with in his later years, will be tough. Sometimes, these are most definitely not the good old days.

The Man Code

A little light-hearted humor for Friday the 13th (and I think there's a full moon as well). I have a weird sense of foreboding since yesterday for some reason. I'm beginning to think I'm superstitious. You may have received this in your inbox already.

Short of a heart attack or bleeding to death, no man shall ride on
the back of another man's Harley.

If a tire gets flat and you don't know how to change it, pretend
your back is in spasms and lie on the road.

It's a medical fact that if you ask for directions before driving
around aimlessly for less than 30 minutes, your testicles will
shrivel and fall off.

It's also a medical fact that going to too many chick flicks has a
negative effect on youtestosterone level. And movies with
subtitles can cause your breasts to swell.

If you have a Barcalounger, a TV and beer in the fridge, you are a
success, my friend.

Before dating a buddy's ex, you are required to ask his permission
and he, in return, is required to grant it.

Real men don't eat tofu.

Real men still don't eat quiche.

Women who claim the "love to watch sports" must be regarded
dubiously until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the
ability to pick a buffalo wing clean.

If a man's zipper is down, that's his problem.

When stumbling upon other guys watching a sports event, you may
always ask the score of the game, but you may never ask
who's playing.

It is permissible to consume a fruity chick drink only when you're
sunning on a tropical beach.....and it's delivered by a topless
super model....and it's free.

Tinfoil Hat Time

I recently installed the free version of Zone Alarm. This is the first time I've installed a software firewall on my PC in several years and I thought that, with spyware seeming to pop up everywhere now, it would be nice to know if anything was jumping out on the web without my permission.

I was in for a shock. MSMoney 2006 tries to reach out to somebody (I can only guess who), even though I have turned off every online option. Windows Media Player tries to reach out every time it loads, even though I have it set to check for updates once a week. Here's a surprise: Word 2003 tried to visit God knows where once. Hmmm.

I don't want you to think it is only Microsoft products with a sneaky side. Adobe, DivX and many other programs try to access the outside world despite the fact that there is no visible reason to do so. I turn off automatic updates whenever possible (except in Windows itself), so it's not something that simple.

So I ask all of you: am I paranoid or am I just misunderstanding something basic? Have you experienced the same thing?

Tears For Character Tarnished

I have read much about the Kennedy clan. Almost every biographer agrees that Teddy Kennedy was the most troublesome of the three sons of Joe. He wasn't quite as smart and not as polished, but he learned early to push his way into advantageous positions. Thus are some Senate careers made.

Kennedy's arrogance and lowdown tactics were on full display today as he not only berated Samuel Alito, but even fought with Senator Arlen Spector, the chairman of the committee. I don't know if Teddy means to sound like a moral elitist, but that's how he comes off. This from a man who was kicked out of Harvard for cheating, cheated on his first wife almost immediately after their wedding day and let a woman drown in his car so he could avoid political damage. Outside of the Washington beltway and without his family wealth, Kennedy would be nothing.

This from Drudge earlier today:

Judge Samuel A. Alito’s wife Martha left the confirmation hearing room in tears this evening, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

One senior Republican in the hearing room said of the situation: “After three full days of attacks against her husband’s character, Mrs. Alito had enough. Democrat behavior during this hearing has not only been wrong, it’s been embarrassing. Ted Kennedy is nothing but a bully.”

Judge Alito will be confirmed. Will Kennedy and his fellow travelers have accomplished anything? My first response may be 'no', but that's not really the case. The truth is that the Dems on that committee have shown this nation (at least those who are paying attention) how they really operate: smear and destroy. No solutions, no facts, just an emotional shotgun trying to make something stick. Bully, indeed.

How Many Ways?

Well, I was certainly way off in my predictions; all MacWorld SF brought us was an Intel-based iMac (same price as old ones) and a new MacBook ($1999 or $2499----that's a lot of money for "cool"). There won't be an Intel-based Mac in the Dattilo household any time soon.

MacWorld Guesses

Steve Jobs famous (infamous?) MacWorld SF presentation is going to be today (Tuesday) a few hours from now (7:50AM EST). Since everyone seems to have an opinion about what new items will be introduced, please allow me to make my own pie-in-the-sky predictions:

1. Intel-based iBooks. The iBook and PowerBook line both need serious upgrades, but the iBook will come first. Also, I see a 12" iBook, sort of a portable Mac Mini, for $699. Just a hunch.

2. True media center. Apple will offer some sort of wide-screen, living-room ready device that is both TV and Mac with PVR functionality. It will be touted as the center of a digital home. The rumors about a Mini Media Center may be true, but my guess is that it will be integrated into a huge screen.

3. Shuffle with a small screen. This is the big complaint about the iPod Shuffle and I think Apple would be wise to listen. The Shuffle doesn't need a big screen; one or two lines would suffice.

Some of these I have read about (like the Shuffle), some are my own theories (the $699 iBook). Why should you care? Because Apple is a style leader. Whatever they introduce today will be driving the look of everything that rolls out this year.

The Senior Balloon Fires First

Senator Teddy "I Thought The Car Would Float" Kennedy got in the first shot against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito by reading his opening statement on the first day of confirmation hearings today. Here are some gems:

In an era when the White House is abusing power, is excusing and authorizing torture, and is spying on American citizens, I find Judge Alito’s support for an all-powerful executive branch to be genuinely troubling. Under the President’s spying program, there are no checks and no balances. There is no outside review of the legality of this brazen infringement on the civil rights and liberties of the American people. Undeterred by the public outcry, the President vows to continue spying on American citizens.

Just out of curiosity, were there any checks and balances to the secret program that trained a Cuban exile army in 1961, the same army that tried, unsuccessfully, to invade Cuba on John Kennedy's watch? Kennedy talks of Alito's support for an "all-powerful executive branch" and then does nothing to back up his statement. Instead, the rest of the paragraph is an attack on the President.

In an era when America is still too often divided by race and by riches, Judge Alito has not written one single opinion on the merits in favor of a person of color alleging race discrimination on the job. In fifteen years on the bench, not one.

Teddy should know a great deal about divisions caused by race and riches. After all, when was the last time anyone of African descent entered the Kennedy compound on Cape Cod by the front entrance? This man talks about wealth as if it is foreign to him. His Senate seat was bought and paid for by his father, as was his brother's Presidential election. Furthermore, Kennedy's assertion here is a lie---Alito has written opinions in favor of plantiffs in race discrimination cases. Will he back off his statement? Don't count on it.

Judges are appointed “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,” and it is our duty to ask questions on great issues that matter to the American people, and to speak for them.

No, it's not your duty to ask "great questions". Furthermore, a Supreme Court nominee is under no obligation to even appear before the Senate, much less answer any questions. "Advise and consent" should be just that. What Kennedy means here is that he intends to show that Alito is conservative and then beat him to death with his rulings.

Ted Kennedy has become the junkyard dog of the Senate Democrats; his career is nearly over and he has nothing to lose. But Samuel Alito has much to lose in his confirmation---his credibility, the fair representation of his character, his career path. I would like to think that some in the Senate would respect these things and give the man a fair hearing and then an up or down vote. But as long as liberals are in the chamber, don't count on it. After all, the end always justifies the means and the character assasination of one man means nothing in terms of getting your way. Just ask the long string of victims the Dems have left in their wake.

The Thinking Southerner

I added a new blog to my list on the left-hand side of this page. Christy's "The Thinking Southerner" blog is well-written and thought-provoking and is worth a daily visit (or two). She has also recently started a podcast and will be contributing to Matt's Today in History in February if all goes according to plan.

Thoughts On Mortality

It's Friday night. In 30 minutes, it will be Saturday. We are all sitting on a huge sphere spinning on its axis at more than 1000 miles per hour. Our home sphere is also hurtling forward in its orbit around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour. The collection of spheres known as the solar system is rotating around the center of the galaxy, making one orbit in something like 200 million years. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is moving outward from a point in space that can never be known. In short, we will never be here again.

At some point during this century, I will cease to exist in this form. I hope I have another 60 or 70 years before that happens, but the statistics say that I have about 45 years left. When my final day comes and I close my eyes for the last time, the universe will not change. A small circle of people will feel sadness, but our home planet will spin and orbit just as it has for billions of years. In her orderly, cold way, Mother Nature will not care.

I don't think much about my own mortality anymore. I used to, though. When I first starting working at night, there was something about the darkness that made me fixate on death more than was probably healthy. I questioned everything: what if there is no afterlife? what if there is, and I don't get to go to the pleasant side of it?

Kelli answered the first question for me one night: "If there is no life after death, you'll never know it." I had never really looked at it that way. Since I can not imagine NOT exisiting, the thought of winking out like an old candle was unimagineable. This line of thinking always leads me to question religion in general. Could it be that the concept of God was necessary in order to give us faith that life would go on? Or was He created to give a select few mortals more control?

Every influence in modern society tells me that there is no God and no afterlife. I have had days when I agree with them. But there is something in me, something that makes me feel as if I am being looked over by a higher power. I can't point to any one thing and say that proves the existence of a creator. In fact, we may one day discover that our concept of God is controlled by an explainable cosmic force that has an effect on us.

When I spend enough time on this, it always comes down to the same series of questions. First, why would a loving Father not reveal himself to His children? Why would He demand blind faith? Why would He not give us a more evident path in life? Some of you can point to the Bible as a guidebook; I say to you that many horrible things have been justified with the Good Book. And why would a loving Father condemn some of His children to eternal suffering, regardless of their crime or sin? Or, is it that our concept of a merciful God is wrong? Is He, possibly, vindictive and power-hungry? I don't mean to be blasphemous, in case it sounds that way.

I envy my mother's simple, strong faith.

The Horrible Truth

If you were up late last night, you heard the news that 12 of the 13 coal miners trapped in a West Virginia mine had survived their ordeal. The small town around the Sago Mine celebrated as even the state's governor spread the word.

It was not to be. A few hours later, news reached the surface that, in fact, all but one of the still-missing 12 miners was dead and the man found alive was barely clinging to life. Chaos broke out in the church where residents of the town were holding their vigil. The news of the miracle and the following sorrow were carried live on every major news outlet in the country.

This is not the first time we have seen mistakes like this play out in real time, but I can not think of a sadder instance. Part of the blame must rest on our 24-hour news cycle, in which the slightest whisper of an event is reported as gospel. I am reminded of the slow-motion OJ Simpson case when a prank caller talked to Peter Jennings for about 15 minutes, convincing him that he was hiding in the bushes across the street from OJ's house. The news vultures were so eager to break a new story that no one questioned the man's claims.

My heart goes out to the families of the fallen, but also to the man who may survive. He will deal with the guilt all survivors of tragedy feel and will serve as a constant reminder of loss to those who live with him in that little town. His life will never be the same.

Grim News In WVa.

The body of one miner has been found in that West Virginia coal mine and rescuers are growing desperate trying to reach any possible survivors. They've been down there 36 hours and while no one is saying it publicly, I doubt there's a significant chance of finding anyone alive. If there's going to be a miracle, now would be a good time.

Off To Starboard

Another controversy is brewing in DC tonight: the guilty plea of Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist who did things the old-fashioned way: he offered stuff to politicians in exchange for votes on topics of interest for him. While this has been going on since the days of Washington and Jefferson, it is illegal, and should remain such. But between now and the weekend, this story will begin to carry the weight of an act of genocide.

If you think I'm exaggerating, consider this:

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Abramoff's confession in court was "not a surprise because this Republican Congress is the most corrupt in history and the American people are paying the price."

If a Republican were to make the same blanket accusation against any SINGLE Democrat, he would be lambasted as a reckless criminal by the mainstream media. But Nancy Pelosi, who is America's proof that even someone lacking the mental capacity of a snail can get elected to Congress, will never be called down for her assertion and will even be lauded in some circles.

The fact is that all politicians of every stripe spend a large percentage of their time trying to raise money for the next campaign. It's time to do away with laws that do nothing but make it difficult for anyone who's not well-connected to gain office. Anyone, anywhere should be able to give any amount of money to anyone running for public office. All of these donations should be a matter of public record. Anything less creates a situation like the one we saw in 2004: millionaires and billionaires like George Soros hid behind the loopholed 527 committees while you and I are limited to giving $2000.

While those on the Left scoff at the idea, money IS free speech and we should be able to choose how to spend it.

Other Tales, Part Two

I've found some more information about the Windows WMF "vunerability". My post last night was not correct in that updating your anti-virus software is not enough. Furthermore, you do NOT have to download anything to be infected by a Trojan using this exploit---you just need to visit the wrong website.

Steve Gibson, perhaps one of the most knowledgeable security experts out there, has a great write-up on his site that doesn't get into the technical details but does offer a solution (see the green box further down the page). I normally wouldn't recommend downloading and installing a third-party Windows patch, but Microsoft doesn't have anything out yet and this has the potential to be a crippling exploit. Gibson reviewed the source code of Guilfanov's patch and declared it well done; that's good enough for me.

My old advice still stands: keep your AV software up-to-date, etc. But sometimes, as in this case, it's not enough.

And Other Unbelievable Tales

Sit down: Microsoft has announced another major security flaw in Windows. To make things even better, this one affects every version of the product put out since 1990.

There's a lesson here: if you use Windows, keep it patched and up-to-date. Keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. Don't open strange e-mails. Or use Linux. Or buy a Mac.

Ancient

As I write this, 13 West Virginia coal miners are trapped deep beneath the earth. While they may be found alive, time is working against them. I can't imagine what I would do if someone I loved were trapped in a mine and I could do nothing but wait.

A great percentage of the power used in the United States is generated by coal. No matter how advanced our technology and how big our economy, we still rely on people who go deep underground and bring up chunks of black rock that are pulverized and burned. I've worked some fairly crappy jobs in my lifetime, but none of them compares to the danger and pure filth of working in a mine. I have known people from the eastern Kentucky/West Virginia area who say that most of the miners do it because their towns offer little else that pays a living wage. There's a sort of perverse economic logic to the whole thing: if living conditions improved in the area, I suppose fewer people would work the mines.

I was going to make this post a rant about nuclear power, but it doesn't seem appropriate right now. Hopefully, we'll see 13 dirty and smiling faces soon.

Shameless Self-Promotion For January

While you're nursing your hangover today, please visit Podcast Alley and cast a vote for "Matt's Today in History". If you do a search for Matt's (apostraphe and all), you'll find it. Give them a real e-mail address because you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing a link you must follow. If you would like extra credit, leave a creative, but tasteful, comment.

If you could see me now, you would see me on my knees, begging. I have no pride.