Evil Musings

Liar!!!!

2006-08-23T08:46:00.000-04:00

This is from a Presidental press conference.

"THE PRESIDENT: What did Iraq have to do with what?

Q The attack on the World Trade Center?

THE PRESIDENT: Nothing, except for it's part of -- and nobody has ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a -- the lesson of September the 11th is, take threats before they fully materialize, Ken. Nobody has ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. I have suggested, however, that resentment and the lack of hope create the breeding grounds for terrorists who are willing to use suiciders to kill to achieve an objective. I have made that case.

And one way to defeat that -- defeat resentment is with hope. And the best way to do hope is through a form of government. Now, I said going into Iraq that we've got to take these threats seriously before they fully materialize. I saw a threat. I fully believe it was the right decision to remove Saddam Hussein, and I fully believe the world is better off without him. Now, the question is how do we succeed in Iraq? And you don't succeed by leaving before the mission is complete, like some in this political process are suggesting."

Other bloggers have thrown this back, I think Daily KOS does it as one of the best.

I want a President I can look up to. I want a President that is more intelligent than I am. I want one that isnt so absent minded that he cant remember what he said 2 years ago.

You owe 3.8 Trillion...

2006-08-04T07:51:00.000-04:00

Congress in its shady wisdom has its own accounting rules. This means they can tell you that the deficit isnt that big.

Using the standard rules, we are over 3.8 trillion in debt. Some debt is understandable in a country this big and with as many calls on the money that we have. The article is here.

Maybe this is another reason to change our tax structure. We can eliminate transfer payments and other items as well. I think states should be prohibited from taxing commerce and the US government should only tax commerce.

Just some random thoughts.

Activist Judges...

2006-06-26T17:49:00.000-04:00

Just for the record, activist judges is a crock in Virginia. ALL judges are only appointed for either 4; 6 or 12 year terms. Judges are reviewed closely by the legislature and every judge who has shown any tendancy to "activism" has been removed post haste.

Someone says activist judges are the reason for laws limiting judicial authority and discression, mention that too them and ask them to name one case of activist judicial ruling in Virginia. They cant.

As for other states impacting the code of the Commonwealth, this happens but only in that Federal code changes. Federal law always and ever will trump state law.

Why it is important...

2006-06-22T09:19:00.000-04:00

Another good editorial. This scares me.

Time Marches Backward...

2006-06-20T11:27:00.000-04:00

Well, this is more proof of how I am viewed by my government.

Register and Vote...Register and Vote...If you think this is wrong, we have to change Congress and other offices. Otherwise, after me who is next?

Quote of the Moment

2006-06-15T08:49:00.000-04:00

I read Daily KOS periodically and thought this was a great quote and as the polical advisor pointed out the author of KOS, it is his sound bite.

"... science is the study of reality, make a habit of ignoring reality for wishful thinking, and you will effing die."

Real issues

2006-06-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

Now that we might be nearing the end of the political pandering for the election year in Congress, maybe we can push some real issues.

1 in 8 Americans lives below the poverty line. While poor is relative. We need to work on some improvements.

Real Income for middle class families has declined steadily for the last 5 years. There are more jobs but the money isnt there.

At least 18% of children are raised in poverty and have no way out. But we cut headstart and other programs to help children.

6 million more people than in 2000 live without health insurance.

Costs for perscription drugs has gone up at twice the rate of inflation for the last 5 years.

Adjusted for inflation, College costs have gone up 40%.

We have soldiers fighting and dying overseas and their families are starving at home. Those that are wounded that return are running out of money and losing their homes.

When can we expect to have folks talk about the real issues? We need to send people to office that will deal with it. No matter the party.

We need to tell the Christian Right that they dont speak for all Christians. We need to remind them of "what you do for the least, you do for me" and "let he who is without sin cast the first stone". We all have issues but we are still called to help and serve others.

Marriage Amendments

2006-06-07T11:28:00.000-04:00

Well, the Federal Marriage Amendment went down to defeat again. It added a couple senators from last time that voted yes. Seven Republicans crossed the aisle, but no suprises in those that did. The sad thing is that Republican candidates will use it to beat up the opponents in the election and use it to motivate evangelicals.

There was a great report on CBS website that showed how much this matter plays with the Evangelical movement and how successful it is for motivating them to the polls. That is the purpose of this.

Next up for us will be the November election, which has a Constitutional Amendment for the Commonwealth of Virginia to prohibit marriage recognition or any other equivilant ceremony that grants the same rights. Hopefully folks will defeat this, but unless those that dont like it get out and vote it will pass.

2004 Election Oddities

2006-06-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

Interesting article in Rolling Stone.

I am not sure of all of it, but I would love to see some independant investigation of all the election issues.

Marriage Amendment

2006-05-29T21:53:00.000-04:00

Another good article.

Married!

2006-05-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

Back in Town and now my co-applicant and I are married. Applicant or Co-Applicant is what they have on the marriage papers in Toronto.

Why equal marriage matters...

2006-05-04T09:21:00.000-04:00

Thought I should put this somewhere.

This is the GAO report on just Federal rights granted by marriage in the United States. Be ready to see a huge listing.

Urge Your Senator to vote NO on the Federal Marriage Protection Amendment. Discrimination should not be in the US Constitution.

Comic Fun...

2006-04-28T09:24:00.000-04:00

Finding this site at 2am may be part of the reason that I found it so funny, but it is a great site to see some old comic covers and scenes. Most are done for humour, but the WW2 covers and text are a good bit disturbing.

I like that he doesn't alter the comic but makes commentary.

And no Batman isn't... :)

Old but good

2006-04-21T14:07:00.000-04:00

This article and its second part are really good. I find alot of what the writer says is fantastic insight to why we have the political mess we have now.

Sad that we have to legislate fairness in media, but it is time for it to come back. Human nature is human nature.

Some Articles to look at...

2006-04-20T08:27:00.000-04:00

I have seen some news and other articles that I wanted to post out and pass on for others to look at.

Carl Bernstein has written a really interesting commentary for Vanity Fair. It is well worth a read. It is long, but it is one of the best arguments that I have seen for a real investigation into what has been going on with the Bush Administration.

In other news, Congress seems to be rolling back Civil Rights. They are considering revising the Higher Education Act to allow discrimination on religious and moral grounds. Now, dont get me wrong they have the right to limit who they want, but they cant take government money if they should have to allow all. They dont take a dime from the government for anything they can do as they wish. I dont think that the government should change to allow them to take money and discriminate.

Virginia continues to ratchet up the discrimination as well. There is no reason to put discrimination into the Virginia Bill of Rights, which is where this amendment would go. Even the governor feels that it would jepordize contracts between members of the same sex, no matter who they are.

Finally, in the well I knew that catagory. Time has announced that Jamaica is the worst place on earth to be gay. This is not new for any part of the Carribbean. I hate to say it but the best thing that gays can do is vote with their wallets here.

Anyway that is my round up.
NOTE: I edited this to take out some venom that I put in this morning.

Who have they been talking to...

2006-04-19T10:55:00.000-04:00

So Monday, we get Chinese and this is my fortune.

"Versatility is one of your outstanding traits."

hrm...makes you wonder...

Love is...

2006-04-19T08:10:00.000-04:00

(WARNING: Sappy and probably more information than anyone needs to know about my thoughts)

As I ramp up to our day, I have been doing the wedding ceremony and thinking alot about what love means to me and how I love my partner.

Here are some random thoughts on love.

Love is hard.
Love is painful.
Love is worth it.
We dont use the right words to describe it.
Love doesnt follow rules or norms.
Love doesnt involve sex, but sex with love is better.
Love is not always patient, but patience can make love grow sometimes.
Love makes the days better and wipes away the tears.
Love changes the way you view things.
The best love is one that gives of who you are to the other person. The Greeks called it Agape.
Love is sharing - the good, the bad, the ugly.
Love can be between friends; spouses; family.
Love means you are not alone even if you think you are.

That is it for now.

Doors closing...

2006-04-17T13:34:00.000-04:00

A very interesting article on the changes that might come from the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

I think it is interesting that most likely over 30% of the abortions performed in the US will not be affected by these changes other than woman will have to resort to back alleys.

I cant find a link on it, but there have also been some interesting articles lately on abortion laws in El Salvador which is the strictest in the Western Hemisphere and criminalizes the doctor if he doesnt report that a woman tried to end her own pregnancy. Although El Salvador also has the most progressive birth control program as well and does alot of free distribution to women and men.

Nail on Head...

2006-04-10T13:35:00.000-04:00

Your Scholastic Strength Is Evaluating

You are great at looking at many details and putting them all together.You are talented at detecting subtle trends, accuracy, and managing change.
You should major in:
StatisticsSpeechConflict studiesCommunicationFinanceMedicine

What Should You Major In?

At it again...

2006-04-10T11:13:00.000-04:00

So the leaks start again about what we are planning to do about Iran. Who thinks that this will bring them to the table or get them to comply faster? One way to make a people stiffen their necks is to threaten them with attacks. I understand it is a negotiating tactic in some ways, but dont you think the Iranians will only stiffen their resolve.

On the other side, if Russia and China think that aiding Iran will make them immune, they are sadly mistaken. Extremists with nukes should be feared by everyone.

Ah well...

Not so freedom of religion...

2006-03-24T15:18:00.000-05:00

As this story in CNN shows, the West gravely underestimates Islam again. I hate to say it, but I increasingly see where Western ideals and values just dont work in conjunction with how Islamic states want to world to work. I think we are really heading to a culture clash that will leave only one side or the other.

This is not to say that Christianity; Hinduism and others dont have problems too, but Islam seems to only want to exist within itself. Until all the world is Islamic or until Islam has its own Great Awakening I think we are headed for a some major cultural wars that will leave alot of people dead.

Congratulations!!!

2006-03-21T11:02:00.000-05:00

Best Wishes to Matt and Sharon!

May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your futureBe no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped in friendshipAnd your hearts joined forever in love.
Your lives are very special,God has touched you in many ways.
May his blessings rest upon youAnd fill all your coming days.

With love. Chris

Words are better than swords...

2006-03-17T07:44:00.000-05:00

Today's post is a tribute to the art of using language to put folks in their place.

1. 100,000 sperm and you were the fastest?

2. Your so narrowminded you can see through a keyhole with both eyes.

3. I dont have a war of wits with the unarmed.

4. People like you prove that the gene pool needs some chlorine.

more later...

Regrets....

2006-03-16T17:30:00.000-05:00

Dont know why, but I cant get some thoughts out of my mind today...

I really regret not being able to talk to my parents about Chris. I wish they knew. I wish I could share this with them. So much of my life, they know nothing about because I have to censor everything.

I regret that they wont be there when I am married.

I regret that I never had the children they wanted me to have. Even if I did, how could they interact with the child given my other truths.

I regret that they view me(what I am) as the source of evil in the universe.

Oh well, as they say, life goes on...

Snuggling is Evil

2006-03-15T13:29:00.000-05:00

At least if it is 2 guys. A high school student made a student movie called Brokeback High School. He showed 2 guys snuggling in one scene. No sex, just holding each other in bed. He is now expelled from school.

Ah well, guess they never did Pippin at that school either.

Great Quote

2006-03-14T14:37:00.000-05:00

With Kudos to Andrew Sullivan's blog. I love this quote.

"Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible," - Jamin Raskin, getting to the point, in a debate over a proposed constitutional amendment to the Maryland state constitution to prevent gay couples from having legal marriage rights.

Wwwweeeee....

2006-03-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

After 12 years, I am finally going to marry the person who means more to me than anything else. May 20th cant come soon enough. Whatever happens after this I dont care. I will have my time to stand somewhere and declare to all and in front of God that I am happy and I will cling to him till death do us part.

Guess I am a romantic, but being married means so much to me. It does make us a bit of an activist, but I want to be an activist for this. I know it is not legal here, but it matters most to me that we will do it and declare that we love each other.

I think what has struck me even more was the love that poured from my friends after I started telling them. I am so lucky to have friends like these. They are my family and I would move heaven and earth for them. One of my friends mom who is very dear to me made me feel so wonderful. I cant share this with my mom and dad. She made up for it though. Her enthusaism and happiness for us made me feel like everything was alright and good. I always called her mom2, but now it means more than ever.

Frightening...

2006-02-28T08:50:00.000-05:00

So accurate...

October 13

Your Birthdate: October 13

You're dominant and powerful. You always need to be in charge.While others respect your competence, you can be a bit of a dictator.Hard working and serious, you never let yourself down.You are exact and accurate - and you expect others to be the same way.
Your strength: You always get the job done
Your weakness: You're a perfectionist to a fault
Your power color: Gray
Your power symbol: Checkmark
Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Hershey Bears

2006-02-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I went up with some friends to see a Hershey Bears game. It was great to see 2 long missed friends and their spawn. She has grown so much. I had a fantastic time and would love to do it again.

After watching the game, we hung around for the special jersey auction. It was nice to see the players come out sign the jerseys that they had worn during the game. The proceeds from the auction were to benefit the teams charity.

One of the things that I loved about the game was the heart that the players showed. So often when I have watched NHL games, the players and others seem to be phoning it in. I watched these AHL players sign autographs and get their pics taken with fans. When they were announcing the top players of the game, they came out and handed out hockey sticks to kids that were autographed by them. They seemed to care about the fans and were there to play the game because they loved it. All these things are missing from what I have seen of the NHL players.

The NHL only seems to be in it for the money. I am sure the AHL players want to make money too, but at least for me I left the event like I had a good time and gotten my moneys worth. I plan on trying to see more AHL games if I can.

WOOT, I could do this.

2006-02-16T11:17:00.000-05:00

You scored as Babylon 5 (Babylon 5). The universe is erupting
into war and your government picks the wrong side. How much
worse could things get? It doesnâ��t matter, because no matter
what you have your friends and youâ��ll do the right thing.
In the end that will be all that matters. Now if only the Psi Cops
would leave you alone.

Babylon 5 (Babylon 5)

94%

Deep Space Nine (Star Trek)

88%

Moya (Farscape)

88%

SG-1 (Stargate)

88%

Enterprise D (Star Trek)

81%

Serenity (Firefly)

81%

Bebop (Cowboy Bebop)

81%

Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix)

81%

Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica)

75%

Millennium Falcon (Star Wars)

69%

Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda)

63%

FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files)

56%

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

Random Thought on Congress...

2006-02-14T15:02:00.000-05:00

Late last year, unbeknowst to me and others it appears that Congress voted down an increase to the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.25. It would have been the first increase in 10 years. This while they have approved $28,000 in pay raises for themselves.

Boggles the mind doesn't it...

Our Vigilant and Perceptive Congress...

2006-02-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

CNN is reporting that Congress will say that both Federal; State and Local governments mismanaged the response to Hurricane Katrina. Shocking...

What is even worse in my mind is that FEMA had rush built 11,000 nice 3 bedroom mobile homes, but wont let them be deployed in Southeast Louisiana. Why you ask? Because they cannot be deployed in a flood plain area. Will they waiver it so people have a place to live? No. But they will kick people out of hotels.

And we pay these people for what???

Hrm...

2006-02-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

You are Form 7, Gryphon: The Wyrm.

"And The Gryphon displaced the balance of
the world in his favor. With grace and
control, Gryphon deceived mankind and ruled
over civillization. But even he realized
that all good things must come to an
end."

Some examples of the Gryphon Form are Satan
(Christian) and Baphomet (Assyrian).
The Gryphon is associated with the concept of
control, the number 7, and the element of
wind. His sign is the gibbous moon.

As a member of Form 7, you are a very in control
individual. You maintain your coolness in
most situations and always seem to be
prepared. Though some may say you are a bit
of a control freak, you know that you really
do make the best leader even if others can't
see it. Gryphons are the best friends to
have because they have a positive influence
on people.

Which Mythological Form Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Satire and Islam

2006-02-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

Enough is enough. I understand that Islam considers it to be sacrilege to do a picture of Mohammed, but it is a picture. They can do protests and marches and letters. Burning buildings and killing folks is another story. I think it is odd that there is almost a 3 month gap between when the cartoons were first published and all these protests. Now granted that a Norweigen newspaper printed them in early January, but still.

Islam needs to realize that people will say or do things you dont like. You can protest them civilly or you can act like a 2 year old (see the Joint Chief's civlized protest about a Washington Post political cartoon).

Where was the outrage we see here against killing women and children? Where was the outrage at people being executed by brutally having their heads chopped off? Where is the outrage at using children as bombers?

We repeatedly hear how Islam is not to blame, but when you dont hear them speaking against these actions or making as strong condemnations as they do on these issues I find myself to be increasingly less sympathetic.

Satire is one of the hallmarks of an open society. If you cant poke fun at the human condition, then you cant make commentary on it to improve it.

Furthermore, I think it is poor taste that the United States didnt stand by Denmark. Andrew Sullivan has some good posts on it. Freedom of the Press is one of the signatures of a free republic. We are on the wrong side here. Another good commentary is found here.

We should not apologize for having freedom of expression.

Article on John Danforth...and the quote of the week.

2006-02-03T07:18:00.000-05:00

Well, most most remember John Danforth, but he appears to be making news again. Or least he drew the interest of the Washington Post (not hard if you are against the administration or the republican party).

The article really reminds me of how the Republican Party has changed. From when I was in college and watching the likes of Jerry Falwell; Pat Robertson and Morton Blackwell sink an earlier Republican governor election because they wanted to purify the party and twist it to their own ends. I will admit that Land makes a point, people want divisiveness. They want someone to point at and look at as the enemy. I have to say that the Republicans have made the transition to looking at a new enemy better than the Democrats. They have labelled and cornered every group that they can to draw people to them and say they arent like US, we have to protect US from them. Part of me wonders if we would have the same issues if the Communist Bloc hadnt fallen apart. Instead of an enemy without, we are choosing our enemies within.

I just hope that others decide to speak and act against this rising tide. These people who proclaim their virtue but are as crooked as any that walk the earth. Someone needs to remind the Christian Right of Romans 3:23 and Matthew 7:1-5. Unfortunately, I think they dont want the God of the New Testament, they want a God who will let them do terrible things and say God said I could. Ah well, there is hope as long as someone stands there and proclaims that God isnt like that.

.......

Quote for the Week: "A nation of sheep begets a government of wolves. " Edward Murrow

Senators and the RIAA

2006-01-30T15:06:00.000-05:00

Got this link from a friend. It is a really good article.

I can see both sides to some extent. On one hand you have folks who make money by creating stuff, they should get the money they need to survive. The other hand is that the industries that control this process are charging so much, people cant afford the product.

Movies are a great example. I love going to the theatre to see a movie. I love the large screen and the experience of seeing something with people around me. I hate the price of tickets now. I think they are way over inflated. I think everyone wants too much money for it. I hate that I pay a fortune and have to sit through commercials. I hate that food prices are like I am buying a gourmet meal. I understand why all these elements exist, but I dont have to like it. More often than not, I am voting with my feet by not going. I constantly debate going to see a movie or waiting to rent it. More and more often, rent it wins.

The movie/music/art/game industries have gotten greedy. They need a dose of reality otherwise, they will continue to see their products stolen. If they dont get a handle on their greed, the situation will only get worse.

Conversely, we need to stress that stealing isnt really acceptable. I understand it goes on and people do it, but when we steal media others can lose their jobs. It isnt the fat cat lawyers and executives that get hurt. It is the artist or roadie or key grip who loses their jobs and careers. The top of the chain never hurts and the bottom always does. Nor do the Senators and Lobbyists care because they still get their money.

Republican Bob Hall on Marriage...

2006-01-27T08:02:00.000-05:00

This article was a really pleasant suprise. With Virginia preparing to enshrine in its state constitution discrimination, I thought this would be a refreshing read.

Harkening back to beginning of the conservative movement I would quote Barry Goldwater who said, "Everyone knows that gays have served honorably in the military since at least the time of Julius Caesar." He also said, "You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight."

Marriage is between a couple. It is their affirmation to others and to God that they are one. From the standpoint of the state, they are now one corporate entity. To their neighbors and friends, they have made a vow to cleave unto each other and support each other. Their friends are called on to support this couple. For those of faith, the same is testified and exalted before God. God is called upon to aid the couple and allow them to grow together.

Marriage doesnt impact those outside that union other than they are called on to respect those peoples wishes and to treat them with liberty and justice.

Makes you wonder...

Imperial President

2006-01-26T14:20:00.000-05:00

More and more we are seeing Bush transform the US from a Republic with at least 2 parties to one of One Party state headed by a dictatorial leader.

Lets look at some of the stuff that is happening in the last few years.

1. The increased use of Presidental Signing Statements. Bush has used these more than any President in recent memory. These statements are basically Presidental instructions to the Executive Branch on how to interpret and use the law he is signing. Bush has increasingly stated in these that these new laws dont apply to him as Commander in Chief. Here is a rather good article that goes into more detail.

2. Bush has repeatedly attacked people for being Unpatriotic if they dont support his views. Patriotism is not blind obediance.

3. Bush repeatedly views himself more and more as Commander in Chief and uses this as the pretext of waving civil liberties. Another good article on Slate.

4. Bush has used his office to further the goals of a small group of people, who are opposed to the American Way of Life. More than any other President, Bush's supporters have profited at the expense of everyone else.

5. Corruption and Nepotism are rampant in the Bush Administration. Look at the appointees. Since the new Chairman of the Fed has come in, more and more of the Fed staff is leaving. Our UN ambassador is a personal friend, who was appointed without the Advise and Consent of the Senate. We repeatedly see people elevated to jobs that they are not trained to do or understand.

6. World Perspective - Lets be honest, the world is increasingly viewing the US not at the Beacon we should be. Do we run our country to please the world, no but we need to realize that we are not being the Light on a Hill. We cant critique others when we act as bad as they do.

We need to restore the American Republic. We need to return to practicing Liberty and Justice for ALL. We need to return to the rule of law, not whim.

Using Children...

2006-01-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I was visiting my partner's brothers house. They were talking about heading down for the anti-Roe V. Wade rallies today. The children attend a Catholic school. The children are being let out of school to attend a mass and then go down and protest. All of the kids said how they were happy that they were getting out school. They were not talking about the issue or how they felt about it. When I asked the parents spoke for the kids.

I have a real problem with this. I dont think any cause should use children. They are not voters. They cannot express their opinion. They are expected to follow what their parents want and do. While I understand that they attend a private school, the school and the school system is using the children for a political end. I find that distasteful.

Once a person is 18, they should participate in the political system. Before then, they should be allowed to learn and hear all sides of an issue. Certainly, parents will influence their children I know mine did me. As will religion and other factors.

If you are going to protest or state an opinion, make sure you make your own not somebody elses.

Another Quiz

2006-01-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

The Picto-Personality Test

You are a person who is very calm and kind. You go out of your way to help people who need your help.

When alone, you appreciate being able to do nothing if you want to, and setting your own pace for things.

You are romantic, and when you are with your partner you like to woo them with your imagination.

In the future you will be happy and live richly.

Take this Test at QuizGalaxy.com

Quiz

2006-01-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives
are probably the newest group to enter this realm.
You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away
from organized religion but still feels as if there is something
greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you
are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.

Cultural Creative

81%

Romanticist

81%

Idealist

69%

Existentialist

56%

Postmodernist

56%

Modernist

50%

Fundamentalist

44%

Materialist

13%

What is Your World View? (updated)
created with QuizFarm.com

Some fun quotes by Jefferson

2006-01-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

Thomas Jefferson spoke often and eloquently about the establishment of religion and the role religion should play in the American body politic. I thought I would share a few quotes.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State. -Thomas Jefferson, letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT., Jan. 1, 1802

Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear. -Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787

Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination. -Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom

Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. State churches that use government power to support themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of the church tends to make the clergy unresponsive to the people and leads to corruption within religion. Erecting the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society. Speech, 1808

for your own enlightenment...

Marriage/Union/Whatever....

2006-01-13T12:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, here goes.

The whole marriage/union/whatever debate will never be settled. One side sees it as this moral imperative and they are once again defining the terms (see the debate over fetus abortion).

Here is an argument to try with folks.

1. Economic: Any economist will tell you people in long term relationships are more steady economically and contribute over the long term more to the economy and allow it to grow. These long term relationships allow people to acquire property and invest. It allows them to increase their capital expenditures. Some of this is back to psychology in that we are seeking safety and security. When that happens, we can invest more. Allowing homosexual couples to marry will increase economic investment and planning. The homosexual community will have more people buying houses, setting up joint retirement funds; planning ahead and investing the economy rather than living day to day. This will mean that wealth will grow, generating more jobs and so and so forth. This accumulated wealth will be turned over to organizations or willed out at death further infusing the economy. Death and Property distribution is a big business and only gets bigger as our nation ages.

2. Legal: From the Nations standpoint, marriage acts as a legal contract between to 2 individuals to treat them as one person for many functions. It grants them the rights to handle property; financial assets and other elements a certain way. At the core root, the state wants society to allow people to build contracts that nurture the growth of the middle and upper classes. This reduces the chance of revolution. The French and Russian Revolutions were not accomplished by a content middle class that felt that had some buy in to the system. Allowing Homosexuals to enter into contracts in this manner adds them slowly to the middle class and further stabilizes society. They feel that they have an investment in the nation as a whole. When that happens, they broaden the range of support for the Commonwealth.

3. Religious: The religious objection is one that will never be overcome. The thing is that faith and religion are personal. Neither side is bad and yet neither side is good. The core here is that marriage is in many ways different from the legal or political aspects of it. While one feeds to the other, it does not mean that you cant have marriage without a religious basis. First off, which religious basis do you accept. Islamic, if I understand correctly, allows a man to have 4 wives. Aso does some branches of Mormonism allow multiple wives. Some primitive tribes allow multiple husbands. Other religions consider this bad. For many people, marriage is not about love or caring, but about property/breeding/money. If marriage was just to promote the growth of religious values, then no one should be allowed to marry outside their particular sect. Given that we allow marriage between different religions and allow those religions to define marriage in their eyes, there are religious groups that support and accept homosexual marriage. Thereby because you can find a religion to support it you should allow it. (This is the dumb argument I know, but it is an exercise increasing absurdism, which opponents use to say that if they allow homosexual marriage people will start marrying turtles or somesuch. Basically, their argument twisted back on them and played at high speed.)

Cultural: Our Declaration of Independence says that we have the right to pursue happiness. A person's ability to enter into contracts with who they want as long as it causes no measurable harm allows them to pursue happiness. The key here is that we are talking about consenting adults of legal age. They are not juveniles and they enter into the agreements freely and of their own free will. Second point, we state in our Pledge, we are for Liberty and Justice for all. How is declaring one segment of society to be less worthy of protection and nourishment to be Just. Now the retort to that is that we dont nourish pedophiles and such. See my above comment about consenting adults and free will.

Free Will: Oh now I have said it. This touches alot of areas. People have free will. From a Christian understanding, we can talk and encourage and show, but people have to make up their own mind. If we take the choice away, we are no better than those who persecuted Christ. From the legal side, Free Will allows us to do as we will as long as we dont damage anyone else. Your right to do as you will ends at my nose.

So basically, yes I am saying that the Commonwealth(State) should allow homosexual unions. There is no reason to deny it and over the long haul, it will benefit the state. Simply saying that the majority should rule on an issue is too simplistic. The majority thought Separate But Equal was fine, but now we know better. The majority often sees nothing wrong with genocide, because it is not them that is being killed. Someone said, that you judge a society by how it protects the rights of the minority not of the power of its majority. There are many people who feel drinking is terrible and should be prohibited. We saw how that ended and the path it blazed across the country. So now we exist in a society, where we say you can drink but only once you reach the age of consent (dont get me started on the draft and drinking argument). If you dont want to drink, you dont have to. If your faith prohibits it, you dont have to. Free Will.

Judicial Activism!?

2005-11-14T13:20:00.000-05:00

Well, this will cause a stir.

I find it really amazing that the Republicans decry judicial activism, but are now trying to engage in it to overturn an interpretation by the court made 30+ years ago. I mean if Roe v. Wade is bad, then is Brown v. Board of Education? Where do you draw the line? The sad thing is that in many ways, I don’t think they understand how Common and Judicial law work.

Now I will admit to being a novice, but my understanding is that the law evolves over time as there are differing understandings of how it is to be interpreted. I think that the Constitution and our interpretation of it has to change as we change. It is a living document.

The dichotomy here is the same I notice with them and Abortion/Death Penalty. They use the Bible to condemn murder, but then support the death penalty. If it is wrong to kill, then it is wrong to kill. One does not excuse the other.

Hunger in America...

2005-10-30T05:01:00.000-05:00

Well, more and more my distaste for our administration explodes into full blown anger.

Science Daily just reported that hunger in America has increased 43% in the last 5 years. This is includes 14 million CHILDREN, who go to bed hungry. What is Congress' response?

Here it is.

The poor let them eat cake. What is the saying? If you arent pissed, you arent paying attention.

History will repeat itself. Food is a security issue and societies have been overthrown for that.

2000+ Lives

2005-10-27T15:21:00.000-04:00

This week it has been announced that we have given 2000 souls to the endeavor in Iraq. It has really caused me to think and here is what I believe.

- That the intelligence that took us to war was made up or deliberately constructed to allow the war to happen.
- That the President and his advisors intended to launch the war on Iraq with deliberate intent regardless of what the facts showed.
- The leadership of the nation is not equipping or protecting its soldiers effectively enough. When a soldier of this nation has to buy his own flak jacket, we are failing them. When they have to armor their vehicles with makeshift plating , then our leadership is failing them.(NOTE: By we, I mean the leadership of this nation and the people for not pushing our leaders to ensure that our military is adequately equipped.)
- Our leadership is allowing torture and other things that violate the core ideals of what it means to be American. We should never allow or condone torture. Just cause others do it doesn’t make it right. We should hold our military accountable for how prisoners are treated. To say that no senior officials knew what was going on is criminal either way. If they didn’t know, then they are should be dishonourably discharged because they are criminally negligent. If they did then, they should go to jail for the other. How can we expect others to treat us well if we don’t do them, and even if they don’t then we are in the right. ALL people are entitled to a just and speedy trail. To say that our standards only apply when we want them to is a shame upon us.
- We are in the thick of it in Iraq and cannot withdraw. We have to stay our course now or we will do worse to those people and to the world. We set upon the course of empire and we have to see it to the end. This sadly means that more soldiers will lose their lives, but we have the burden and I don’t think we can honourably lay it down till it is done.
- Our leaders owe it to the families of the fallen servicemen to ensure that their families are provided for properly.
- It annoys me to no end that people feel that supporting the President or not is a critique of the troops. It is not in anyway. I support our troops and think they are doing a difficult job and should be honoured for what they are doing. I also think that those that act dishonourably should be held accountable. My main problem is with the Administration because they have abandoned honourable action.
- War is not pretty or fair. I think there is a way to conduct yourself though that doesn’t lose your soul. I don’t think our leaders are conducting this war with honour or integrity. I think this was brought upon us by a need for vengeance but not over 9/11. I think it was brought on for greed. This is not a just war. Afghanistan was a just conflict. While Sadaam was a bad man and a bad ruler, we did not have good casus belli.
- I fear that we will abandon the people of Iraq and Afghanistan because like many things Americans don’t take the long view. We only live in the short time. We must stay there or others will come in and quite honestly they might be worse than what we knocked out of power. - Attacks against civilians is not insurgency. It is terrorism. It is also cowardice.
- Finally, I am tired of 9/11 being used as excuse for every treading of civil liberty or failure of service. When Bush invoked both 9/11 and terrorism after Katrina, he showed once again a lack of integrity. He has no concept and has beaten that horse for all it is worth. Get over it, if you cant lead without invoking this then you cant lead.

Detestable...

2005-10-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

I really find the current campaign by Jerry Kilgore for Virginia Governor to be detestable. While I dont like everything about Tim Kaine, I respect that he is opposed to the killing on moral grounds. He is opposed as equally to abortion as well as the death penalty. He doesnt feel it is right to take a human life other than in times of war. Kaine has said that while he is opposed to the death penalty he will respect the law of the land and the will of voters who have repeatedly supported it.

What Kilgore is doing because he doesnt have another real issue to pound on he has started negative ad campaigns on this issue. It is his way of branding Kaine as a liberal. What it really does is brand Kilgore as a shiftless slime.

Another year older...

2005-10-13T10:02:00.000-04:00

Wow, yet another year passes.

Time keep on tickin' into the future...

What If Series by SciFi

2005-09-07T14:20:00.000-04:00

Here is hoping that this series becomes reality. If they do it right, it holds great promise. I would love to real speculative what ifs done.

Lego PC

2005-08-31T08:52:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know this might be a little old, but I just found it. I think this is very awesome. Wonder if you could do a Lincoln Log one too.

New Harry Potter film

2005-08-26T08:03:00.000-04:00

Looks really good. There is a French site with the latest trailer and it is quite stunning.

Credit where Credit is due

2005-08-24T08:34:00.000-04:00

Well, I bash the President when he screws up and so I have to make comment when he says something intelligent.

Bush reminded folks that making a Constitution is not an easy or a done once process. Constitutions get amended all the time. He makes a very good point. The USA lived under the Articles of Confederation for about 11 years before our Founders decided that wasnt working and drew up the Constitution. Even that document had to be amended right after it was drafted and accepted to add the Bill of Rights.

I still think we will be in Iraq for at least another 5 years or more. We have toppled their government and we owe it to the people there now to stay and enable them to bring a stable regime into place. Ah the joys of empire...

l33t Speak for Parents

2005-08-23T11:14:00.000-04:00

Microsoft has stepped in to help people understand l33t speak better.

People are Stupid - Part 3

2005-08-23T10:59:00.000-04:00

Pat Robertson once again opens his mouth and inserts both feet firmly.

I find it very disturbing that a person, who claims to be a preacher of the Gospel would call for anyone to be assassinated. What is worse is that people within his organization will not decry what he has said and they should.

Funny!

2005-08-17T10:14:00.000-04:00

Okay this is funny. I cant imagine my mom doing it, but that is just hilarious.

People are Stupid - Episode 2

2005-08-11T11:01:00.000-04:00

This story proves again that people dont think.

What rational can anyone provide that makes it seem like a good idea to try to juggle 3 wives?

I think they should let him remain married to them. They will punish him more than any government could.

People are Stupid

2005-08-08T13:51:00.000-04:00

Okay, Highlander was just a SHOW. People like the person mentioned here are why I worry about civilisation some times.

Bush Strikes again

2005-08-05T14:58:00.000-04:00

Dan Froomkin from the Washington Post reported the following:

Kim Curtis writes for the Associated Press: "Convicted murderer Stanley ' Tookie ' Williams has received an award for his good deeds on death row, complete with a letter from President Bush praising the notorious gang founder for demonstrating 'the outstanding character of America.'
"Williams, co-founder of the notorious Crips street gang, has been an anti-gang activist during his many years on death row at San Quentin State Prison, where he was sent after being convicted in 1981 for killing four people. He's authored 10 books, mostly warning young people to stay away from gangs. . . .
"It was doubtful that the president, who oversaw 152 executions during his six years as Texas governor, knew that Williams had received a congratulatory letter bearing his signature."

Glad our President thinks before he acts.

Yet more on Congress

2005-08-05T14:07:00.000-04:00

While the Post is not a fan of the Republican Party, I think they hit the nail on the head here.

So much for being fiscal conservatives. They are blowing away any chance of balancing the budget in the quest for more graft. They dont seem to care about the American people anymore. Unfortunately, they may be right unless folk get out and vote it is doomed.

Congress As Usual

2005-08-03T16:34:00.000-04:00

Well, if there is one thing that is consistent it is the greed of Congress.

This story just proves that everyone gets a piece of the pie. I think the best are the 2 congressmen that didnt want anything.

You should also take a look at the Taxpayers for Common Sense page.

I think Reagan and Goldwater are rolling in their graves right now.

You know you visit a someplace too often...

2005-07-28T13:53:00.000-04:00

When you go into a food establishment and they ask if you really need menus.

Humans Bad

2005-07-22T09:05:00.000-04:00

Well, like most of what we already knew. Humans are helping speed up Global Warming. The question is there anything we can do about it??? 7 billion people create alot of waste.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/07/21/global.warming.ap/index.html

What is even worse is this quote, "Just three senators -- David Vitter, R-Louisiana, Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, and Ted Stevens, R-Alaska -- were at the hearing. All three shared concerns about coastlines disappearing."

Unless, the powerful care nothing can or will be done.

New Supreme Court

2005-07-20T08:07:00.000-04:00

Well, at first blush I think the new supreme court nominee will be an interesting change. He has a lot of business background, which means that the Supreme Court will probably weigh in more on labor and business issues. I am not entirely sure that is a good thing. I fully expect to see a challenge to Roe v. Wade in the next term as one of his first test cases. I think it will be overturned. We might also see an end to collective barginning if it hits the courts.

I am sad to O'Conner go cause I think she cut her path and was a good Justice. Sadly, I think we will never again have a Court like that had Marshall; Frankfurter; Bremer or other highlights. None of them could survive the nomination process. I can hope that they will mature into it, because once you are on the bench it is near impossible to get you off so they might have a mind of their own after the process is done.

I think the timing of the announcement makes good cover for Rove, which is what Bush wanted. Bush needs to keep his word and fire Rove even if he made mention vaguely. We should not allow people with that casual disregard for those folk who routinely gather needed intelligence to serve in the White House.

Ken MacLeod's blog

2005-07-12T08:42:00.000-04:00

Ken MacLeod is one of my favorite science fiction authors. His works are very well written. He blends politics; science and history to make an interesting world. He recently posted an opinion about the bombings in London that I thought was priceless. You can check out his blog here.

Saturday, July 09, 2005
Posted 11:24 AM by Ken
Revenge of the nerdsIt's cold comfort, but the London bombings could have been much worse. With exactly the same resources, far more people could have been killed and more lasting structural damage done. The opportunity of a Madrid-scale massacre was dissipated in a headline-grabbing bid for 'Al-Qaeda attacks across London'. The lesson is that the war against jihadist terrorism is being won. Respect is owed to the emergency services, to the people of London, and to unknown spooks and cops; solidarity and support to the victims; and to the perpetrators of the atrocity, contempt. We spit on their manifestos, their deluded boasts, their claims to be Muslims, and their pathetic inadequacies.

Imagine creationist electrical engineers taking up abortion-clinic bombing. That's the level of people we're dealing with here. The Sekrit Jihad Organization of Al Qaeda in Europe most likely consists of speccy, spotty nerds whose sole reading is the Koran and computer manuals, whose only chance of getting laid is an arranged marriage, and who don't even allow themselves a wank to ease their zits. In a better life they would have found science-fiction fandom.

One area where the self-professed followers of the Carpenter have shown some superiority over those who abuse the name of the Prophet is in the creativity of their terrorism. Christian terrorists have invented or perfected the car bomb, the no-warning bomb, the false warning bomb, the secondary bomb, the proxy bomb, the VCR-timer bomb, the dump-truck bomb, the fertiliser bomb, the litter-bin bomb, and the on-camera hacksaw beheading. Even the airliner hijack was invented by (presumably Papist) Cubans. The world record for suicide bombing was until quite recently held by the Tamil Tigers, who are godless communists raised as Episcopalians. In terms of bang-for-a-buck and political effectiveness, the Christian fascist terrorist McVeigh accomplished more at OKC than Osama achieved at the World Trade Centre.

Osama, who fancies himself the Che Guevara of the counter-revolution, must be turning in his cave at the incompetence of his European admirers. Admittedly, the haiku elegance of fly airliners into skyscrapers was a hard act to follow, but, you know, come on. We're talking London here - multicultural melting pot, global capitalist centre, imperialist metropolis, Babylon incarnate - the ultimate target-rich soft target.

And they blow up the fucking Tube?
They can go to hell.

My apologies in advance if I have violated some unwritten rule, but I loved this post.

Update

2005-07-12T08:17:00.000-04:00

Well, I keep wanting to get back to this, but it never seems to happen.

Things have been busy. I had a great vacation to Alaska. The rugged beauty up there was amazing. It is something I will always remember.

Work has been busy too. Since one of the Marketing folks left, I have helped pick up the slack.

Weight loss has been so so. I am now recommiting myself to it. I will lose the weight. I have come to far to fall off now. One source of pride for me is that I have kept fairly stable even with the cruise. So I am adjusting to the way my body is now.

Personal life has been okay. I am lucky that I have some great friends that I can count as family. I worry about them and have hopes for them, but it is all good. My relationship is great. I am blessed with a fantastic partner and friend.

Watch this space for more as I get back into this.

Things that make you go hrm...

2005-06-07T11:53:00.000-04:00

Why is always devil's advocate? Why not God's advocate?

Revenge of the Sith and an Update

2005-05-13T06:40:00.000-04:00

Well, I had an awesome time yesterday. I went with a very dear friend and saw the Charity premier of Revenge of the Sith. The movie was FANTASTIC. I could not believe how good it was. I cant wait to see it again. There are so many little details and he makes so many links. The audience was really into it, which helped immensely. Oh and in the audience was none other than Carrie Fisher and her mom! There was also Queen Noor of Jordan.

All I can say about the movie is: LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!

Anyway off to E3. All the work for the last couple months comes down to this. Chat with everyone more from the show and later.

P.S. Thanks again Mike. That rocked.

Founding Quotes on A religious nation...

2005-05-05T10:45:00.000-04:00

Been listening to some stuff on NPR asking whether we are a Christian nation or not. Thought I would work on finding some quotes from the Founders on it. Here they are...

In Favor:

"[I]t is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue." -- John Adams (letter to cousin Zabdiel Adams, June 21, 1776)

"While just government protects all in their religious rights, true religion affords to government its surest support." -- George Washington (address to the Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church in North America, October 9, 1789)

"[O]ur citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion." -- Noah Webster, author of the first American dictionary (writing in History of the United States, 1832)

"Our liberty depends on our education, our laws, and habits… it is founded on morals and religion, whose authority reigns in the heart, and on the influence all these produce on public opinion before that opinion governs rulers." -- Fisher Ames, Federalist party leader (An Oration on the Sublime Virtues of General George Washington, 1800)

"[T]he… law established by the Creator… extends over the whole globe, is everywhere and at all times binding upon mankind… [This] is the law of God by which he makes his way known to man and is paramount to all human control." -- Rufus King, signer of the Constitution (letter to C. Gore, February 17, 1820)

"I concur with the author in considering the moral precepts of Jesus as more pure, correct, and sublime than those of ancient philosophers." -- Thomas Jefferson (letter to Edward Dowse, April 19, 1803)

"The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." -- Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence (Of the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic, 1798)

Opposition:

"Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion." -- John Adams (letter to Benjamin Rush, June 12, 1812)

"[T]he number, the industry, and the morality of the Priesthood, & the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the Church from the State." -- James Madison (letter to Robert Walsh, March 2, 1819)

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." -- Thomas Jefferson (letter to the Danbury, Conn. Baptist Association, January 1, 1802)

"The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent national gifts. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support." -- George Washington (letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, RI, August 18, 1790)

"The Constitution of the U.S. forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion." -- James Madison (Detached Memoranda, ca. 1817)

"We should begin by setting conscience free. When all men of all religions… shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for honors and power… we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society." -- John Adams (letter to Dr. Price, April 8, 1785)

"As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of government to protect all conscientious protesters thereof, and I know of no other business government has to do therewith." -- Thomas Paine (Common Sense, 1776)

I will put my thoughts in another post.

Unitarian Jihad Name

2005-04-27T11:35:00.000-04:00

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Neutron Bomb of Compassion.

Get yours.

I am wear this new name with pride and humility.

Tooting Horn...

2005-04-18T08:57:00.000-04:00

Well, time to be a little self congratulatory. I have now lost over 100lbs. Somewhere there is another person that has vanished. I have lost about 9 inches around my waist. My hope is to be at 10 inches by the time I go on the cruise.

I need to start doing some stomach tightening exercises. Anyway, back to my regular Monday.

Anachronism?

2005-04-15T08:11:00.000-04:00

Lately, I think I am some sort of anachronism. Either that or way out of touch with reality.

I do things and people dont understand. I say things and people dont see the same things I do. I act as I think a person should to another and I am told I am fool or wrong. I wish I knew what the hell to do.

Not to be too introspective, but I am really getting tired of it.

Yet more robots

2005-04-12T12:25:00.000-04:00

The Japanese continue to advance robotics. Is it fluff and a toy, sure. More and more though the Japanese are developing robots. I think they will continue to lead the way in robotics to compensate for their rapidly declining population. The population projection for Japan is also very sobering. It mirrors our own in many ways. Currently, we have 12 people working for every person on Social Security. By 2020, we will have 5.

I hate to make generalizations too broad, but if you look at the declining population of the Western world(and oddly enough Japan is firmly tied itself to the Western world) the only way they will continue to remain competitive will be advances in productivity. Robots and AIs will allow that in ways that sheer manpower cannot.

Change is coming...

hrm, I might want one of these sometime

2005-04-11T13:47:00.000-04:00

This looks cool. Not sure how practical it is, but it still looks cool.

Food of Doom

2005-03-29T10:55:00.000-05:00

With the latest from Burger King, that makes them the king of deadly breakfast. Since I am doing Weight Watchers, I did a quick calculation giving them one fiber point, so the meal comes out to 18 points.

That is just insane.

People are Stupid, part 2

2005-03-29T10:31:00.000-05:00

Oddly enough, part 2 relates to part 1 in a strange way.

As this article shows, people dont understand that people with problems have them before they get involved with gaming.

That any public official, would make the following statement "I mean, you have many, many stab wounds and those 'Dungeons and Dragons' fantasy games involve swords and knives and daggers and things of that nature. There may be a connection but I can’t say for sure.” shows how much they dont know.

DANGER! Supidity Alert.

Education Failure

2005-03-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

Well, this article just goes to prove my feeling about sports in schools. Even sports overall.

Schools need to be about education. When you can use athletic ability to open the door to getting an education that is a good thing. When sports takes priority over education, that is a bad thing.

No athlete should be allowed to play who does not maintain a C average. Teams must graduate 90% of their athletes. Harsh I know, but it needs to be done.

Otherwise, take the money from these spoiled children and give it to people that really want an education.

People are stupid, part 1

2005-03-09T16:34:00.000-05:00

In my ongoing quest to chronicle the stupidity of the human race, I thought I would start a series.

Today's offering is two fold. On one hand, we have the Israeli Defense Force, who mentioned in this article, catagorize Dungeons and Dragons players as "detached from reality and susceptible to influence". People in the military who play are considered security risks and might even be kicked out of the military or have their security clearances demoted is the impression that the article gives. My response: Stupidity Warning! The stability of a person is not determined by games. I think it could be a factor in determining creativity or group interaction, but using that as a test of connection to reality is just dumb.

Second, we have the writers of the article itself. My response: Stupidity Warning! Linking DnD playing to LARPing is dumb as well. I would hazard to guess that over 90% of Pen and Paper players do not LARP (live action role play). People that LARP are no different from re-enactors; SCA or other people who take their private time to relax by doing some role acting. No one thinks that a person who acts with their local theatre troupe is not in touch with reality because they like doing theatre. Once again making broad generalizations has reduced the argument to the absurd on their part.

People's connection to "reality" is different per the person. Most people that follow these pastimes that I know use them the way someone does a book or a movie. It is to provide them a mental break or let them stretch other mental muscles that they dont normally get to stretch. Let us also not forget what I think is a core human desire to tell a story or be a part of one.

Anyway, that concludes People are Stupid for today. I return you to your "reality".

Candorville

2005-03-08T14:21:00.000-05:00

The Comics pages have become really not all that funny, but sometimes you stumble on one that is both witty and yet has something that makes good social commentary. Candorville is one of those. No comic is on 24/7, but they do a good job. Here is one that hits the Science Fiction community right on the head.

Anyway take a gander at it when you have the chance, you should find something funny there.

Robo Dino

2005-03-08T13:03:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is too cool. I have no clue how much they cost, but I really want one. I think it would be cool to have tool around the office.

You can find an article about it here.

Dumb poll questions

2005-03-08T12:51:00.000-05:00

You know, polls are mostly worthless and this one proves the point. So WHAT??? I cannot see this as more than a statistical irrelevance. Sure there are cultural differences, but I think overall what language someone speaks doesnt matter all that much.

Sure enough you can make a poll say anything.

Finally a perfect divorce gift...

2005-03-03T09:09:00.000-05:00

I saw this and instantly thought wow, this would be a great gift for a breakup or divorce gift.

2 movie updates

2005-03-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

Okay 2 movie updates to share.

1. Star Wars - The newest trailer for episode 3 will air on March 10 around 9pm during Fox's "The OC". After that it will appear on their Hyperspace website. Finally, you can see it on the big screen if you go see Robots. More info can be found here.

2. Serenity The Movie - We have a release date of September 30th. I cannot wait to see this movie. I just finished watching the episodes again and I still think it is one of the most interesting series in the last couple years.

Woot! Invisibility :)

2005-03-01T14:12:00.000-05:00

Cloaking devices possible? I can see it now. The ultimate in privacy screens.

Funny Bumper Stickers

2005-03-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

I happened to stumble across the Angry Left shop and found some really funny bumper stickers. I have ordered a few of them and thought I would post here so others can browse their selection.

Two of my favorites are this one and this one. The first for obvious reasons and the later because my group of friends quotes this movie all the time and that line in particular. Alan Rickman for the win!

Grocery Store love

2005-02-17T11:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I think I have found a new favorite grocery store. Wegmans just opened near work. It is so awesome.

Went there at lunch and then for dinner yesterday with Spyke. The sushi was very good and the wasabi tuna for dinner was fantastic. There is so much stuff there I think I will be trying things for a while to come. Of particular note were the tea selection and the meat counters. I also think it will be nice to walk there for lunch a couple times a week.

Life on Mars...

2005-02-16T15:12:00.000-05:00

Well in my vein of adding alot of science stuff to this blog, here is an announcement made today about the possibility of present life on Mars.

I will state again that we need to push for more exploration and colonization of space. This article and the one I posted earlier only reinforce my opinion that we belong out there.

Ad Astra!

Climate Change is Here

2005-02-16T10:49:00.000-05:00

Well, this site shows that there is a definite change going on. Whether you think one way or the other about the cause, we need to be aware that it is happening and start paying attention. We only live here.

Papers please...

2005-02-11T08:07:00.000-05:00

Well with the House passing the Real ID Act, we take some large steps to having some sort of National ID card and losing more freedom. I think it is funny that this is coming from the Republican party, who long criticized Democrats for wanting to implement these kind of things.

I also wonder how the Christian Right is going to feel. I know that family members of mine always viewed the government putting out one of these kind of cards as a stepping stone to the Apocolypse. Many of the "Chick" publications extol this as a tool of the Beast. All this from a President that they put in for "moral" issues.

Reminds me of the quote by Benjamin Franklin..."Those who would give up essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security."

New Computer Chip

2005-02-07T10:53:00.000-05:00

The Financial Times posted this article. Computers keep moving forward. With a 4 core chip, the potentials seem really good.

Chris

Ice on the move...

2005-02-04T09:17:00.000-05:00

Some interesting environmental news has been springing up lately.

Here is a piece regarding the Antarctic Ice Shelf. Some scientists contribute it to global warming, others dont. We shall see. It could be totally natural. We have to remember that there are alot of factors we dont understand that could make our planet a very unhappy place to live.

Here is one talking about the Arctic ice melting away too.

Whatever the cause, we need to pay attention to what is going on. Since we have not pushed out into space, all our eggs are in one basket and that is a bit too dangerous for my taste.

Poor Taste

2005-02-04T08:29:00.000-05:00

Statements like these really tick me off. No one should say these things. I wont deny that people think bad things about other people, but we need to watch what we say. Every officer that I ever met from growing up here in DC would probably be cringing right now at the stupidity of these remarks.

I think what is worse that people defend it. If you haven't learned tact and risen to the rank of general, perhaps you dont need the rank.

I dont deny that to put yourself in a place where you can go out and kill another human, you have to set them apart so you dont consider it murder. War is killing, but unless you are pathological you need to be able to step back from that mindset when the time is done.

did someone feel the earth move?

2005-01-21T13:52:00.000-05:00

Sony admits that it was too propriety. The key is will they change.

WHFS bites the dust

2005-01-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

Well,

further proof that I am getting old. WHFS is gone. When I was in junior and senior high, that was the station to listen to. They were the first to really turn me on to Peter Gabriel. When I was coming home from college, I knew I was getting close when I could pickup the station. I will grant that they had really gone down hill, but I will still miss that part of my childhood.

Time marches on...

Ignorance must be bliss...

2005-01-06T18:12:00.000-05:00

I have stated in the past that I am a Christian, but other believers like the persons mentioned in this article make me wonder if we are reading the same book.

It is not suprising that they are opening the "Museum of Creation" in Kentucky. After all, many of the people down that way are opposed to internal combustion engines as being too radical. ;)

I would like to know where in the Bible it mentions dinosaurs chasing Adam and Eve after their eviction from the Garden of Eden. I mean afterall if this happened, we should show Spielberg because he could make a great movie about it.

The full multimedia nature of the Flood exhibit fascinates me. You will actually get to hear the screams of people being drowned. How charming...what a wonderful thing to have to explain to your children.

But the best piece out of this is that the Columbine Massacre was brought about by the teaching of evolution. What a shocking piece of news!!!? What a load of horse hockey! I hope that some of the survivors or the victums families respond to this.

The sad thing is that people who will visit this museum will accept it for the gospel truth, because they dont want to think for themselves and question what they are seeing.

Kyrie Elision

Spring TV Season

2005-01-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

Well, the spring TV season is starting off. Here are some of the shows that I will be following.

MI-5 on A&E: This is really cool BBC series called Spooks that has been brought over. One of the things that I love is that the series really shows up the differences in our legal and political structures. This returns on Sunday, with a lead off marathon showing the first season. If you like spy dramas, I really recommend this.

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis on SciFi: Starting at the end of the month, the 2nd half of both seasons should be interesting. I am particularly fascinated by the announcement that Ben Browder will be joining SG-1 for its 9th season. I am assuming that they will lead up to his character being introduced maybe as the 4th for the SG1 team. Atlantis hasnt done all that much for me, so I hope they are going to kick the show into high gear(and maybe get over repeating some of the tired character elements from the first half).

Battlestar Galactica on SciFi: While originally I wasnt interested in this series, speaking with a co-worker of mine has made me curious. Evidently they have incorporated quite a bit of religion into the series. I respect this persons opinion quite a bit, so I will be looking to see what they bring from the European version to the American.

Carnivale on HBO: The first season left more questions than it wrapped, but I am a sucker for supernatural storylines. I am very curious to see where it goes. I like the main character and also the carnival director.

Queer As Folk on Showtime: Not starting till around May, this show is cutting it close to the be in the spring mix. While I enjoy the series, I think they need to consider wrapping it up. They have taken the characters alot of places and I would like to see them wrap it on a positive note. Not every gay storyline has to end in heartbreak; death or ostracism.

Iron Chef America on Food Network: With Alton Brown doing the commentary, I think this will be a very good successor to the original series. My only problem is getting any firm information about when the new shows start. Food Network does a terrible job of communicating this.

That is some of the shows. I will keep up both West Wing and Las Vegas as well. Since a friend lent me their old Replay, I have been watching more TV than I ever thought I would.

Good News

2004-12-14T13:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I havent posted in a while and I do plan on correcting that. Here is a news story that I really hope pans out. It would be awesome to see this terrible disease erradicated.

A neat toy..

2004-11-30T08:39:00.000-05:00

Man if I was 20 years younger and in better shape. I would try this in a heartbeat. It looks so cool!

Great Quote from Theodore Roosevelt

2004-11-21T06:09:00.000-05:00

This quote came from a response he wrote to the Kansas City Star during World War 1.

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
"Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star", 149May 7, 1918

I thought I would also append 2 of my favorite Roosevelt quotes.

"There are good men and bad men of all nationalities, creeds and colors; and if this world of ours is ever to become what we hope some day it may become, it must be by the general recognition that the man's heart and soul, the man's worth and actions, determine his standing."Letter, Oyster Bay, NY, September 1, 1903

"The object of government is the welfare of the people." "Conservation means development as much as it does protection. I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.""The New Nationalism" speech, Osawatomie, Kansas, August 31, 1910

Voting Recap

2004-11-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been over a week and I keep forgetting to post here.

I really enjoyed working election day. It was great to help people vote. I worked with a great team at the polling precinct. It was funny the hardest thing I had to do was to get people to turn off cell phones and blackberrys. We also had to tell people to take off buttons and other political items. I was amazed at how busy we were. We did not have a let up till around 1:30pm. The precinct I worked at had 83% voter turnout for the precinct. That is not including absentee ballots that had been recieved and logged prior to election day.

In regards to the results, I have to commend the Bush campaign staff. They judged what would motivate the electorate better than the Democrats did. I dont agree with the tactics, because as a student of history they strike me too close to those used by Goebbels and others of that ilk. I think it is poor way to get votes.

We shall see what happens in the next 4 years. I hope for the best, but realistically I have fear that we will not have a good future. My biggest hope is that those that I care about stay safe during that time.

Election Day

2004-11-01T15:29:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow is the day. Make sure you vote. Vote for or Vote against. Just Vote. Vote because you can.

For all its problems, we have a chance to make even small changes to our government that others cannot. Nothing is perfect, but having been in other countries I wouldnt want to live anywhere else.