Widespread Radioactivity Monitoring Is Confirmed - New York Times
Secret monitoring programs. Can the administration spell fourth amendment? Here, let me help:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Friday, December 23, 2005
Scared Yet?
- Domestic spying without warrants, even though FISA allows for 72 hours of spying before a warrant is issued.
- Funding cuts for medicare, medicaid, student loans and early childhood education coupled with tax cuts for capital gains and on the top marginal rate
- A war justified on the threat of WMDs but the inability to find any
- Secret prisons in Europe where we sent people for interrogation
- An indictment brought against Padilla after 3 years, just as the case is headed to the Supreme Court for review, but absent of the sensational charges leveled when he was arrested.
- No bid contracts for Haliburton in Iraq
In the words of Ben Franklin
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. "
Worst part is we aren't giving it up it's being stolen and for reasons that escape comprehension we're allowing it to happen and asking for more.
- Funding cuts for medicare, medicaid, student loans and early childhood education coupled with tax cuts for capital gains and on the top marginal rate
- A war justified on the threat of WMDs but the inability to find any
- Secret prisons in Europe where we sent people for interrogation
- An indictment brought against Padilla after 3 years, just as the case is headed to the Supreme Court for review, but absent of the sensational charges leveled when he was arrested.
- No bid contracts for Haliburton in Iraq
In the words of Ben Franklin
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. "
Worst part is we aren't giving it up it's being stolen and for reasons that escape comprehension we're allowing it to happen and asking for more.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Amazing, just amazing
I'm sitting in my office at home this afternoon watching TV. Not on my TV mind you and not my local stations. I'm watching local news from New Orleans and Houston while writing this post. Now there's nothing new about this and those of you who might happen across this post on the net, or are under the age of say 30, are going to say "well duh!" Well, take it from an aging guy who grew up watching 3 channels, and served as a human remote control, this is amazing.
Now, the question becomes is it good? In general I believe more information is better than less information. That said, instant information can be a double edged sword. On the upside, anybody who cares can get all the information they desire from a variety of sources previously unavailable to them. However, instant access has degraded the quality of journalism and has clearly contributed to the sensationalization of journalism. It has created the concept of "scud studs" and "hurricane heros" and with the possible exception of NPR and PBS has all but eliminated in depth reporting.
That said, am I contributing to the dilution of news? I haven't watched this much TV news in some time and if it weren't for the storm I probably wouldn't be today. Are the media simply giving us what we've asked for?
Now, the question becomes is it good? In general I believe more information is better than less information. That said, instant information can be a double edged sword. On the upside, anybody who cares can get all the information they desire from a variety of sources previously unavailable to them. However, instant access has degraded the quality of journalism and has clearly contributed to the sensationalization of journalism. It has created the concept of "scud studs" and "hurricane heros" and with the possible exception of NPR and PBS has all but eliminated in depth reporting.
That said, am I contributing to the dilution of news? I haven't watched this much TV news in some time and if it weren't for the storm I probably wouldn't be today. Are the media simply giving us what we've asked for?
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Volunteerism
Last fall I volunteered to help out with my son's Cub Scout pack. Little did I realize that by volunteering I was to become the Cubmaster. You think after having volunteered for the Navy I'd know better.
As part of my work with the Cub Scouts over the last 9 or 10 months I've meet a lot of parents and concerned citizens. However, it has come to my attention that the leadership of all of the civic groups in my small town is the same.
Now somebody is going to tell me "yeah, it's Pareto." 80% of progress comes from 20% of doers. I know, I'm being naive and this is nothing new. It is however a curious thing that people complain about the doers but can't get off their butts to contribute. Which leads me to one of my favorite quotes:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
President Theodore Roosevelt (http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/quotes.htm)
As part of my work with the Cub Scouts over the last 9 or 10 months I've meet a lot of parents and concerned citizens. However, it has come to my attention that the leadership of all of the civic groups in my small town is the same.
Now somebody is going to tell me "yeah, it's Pareto." 80% of progress comes from 20% of doers. I know, I'm being naive and this is nothing new. It is however a curious thing that people complain about the doers but can't get off their butts to contribute. Which leads me to one of my favorite quotes:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
President Theodore Roosevelt (http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/quotes.htm)
An overhead conversation
Well, it's been many months since my last posting. I wanted to share a few things from my summer.
I had the opportunity to take my son to speech therapy a few weeks back. It was shortly after the bombings in London. We had an hour break between sessions so we went to McDonald's for some father-son bonding, and dinner. While there, two young ladies came along and sat at a table beside us. Their "conversation" went something like this:
Blonde1: Did you hear about London?
Blonde2: Yeah, are you going to the dance?
Blonde1: Yeah, did you see what she was wearing?
Blonde2: Yeah,.....
They talked for about 20 minutes on 20 topics, no one topic given any more thought than a single question. There wasn't a statement or response during the whole "conversation."
Am I getting old or is our society doomed?
Yeah, but did you see what your boss was wearing today?.......
I had the opportunity to take my son to speech therapy a few weeks back. It was shortly after the bombings in London. We had an hour break between sessions so we went to McDonald's for some father-son bonding, and dinner. While there, two young ladies came along and sat at a table beside us. Their "conversation" went something like this:
Blonde1: Did you hear about London?
Blonde2: Yeah, are you going to the dance?
Blonde1: Yeah, did you see what she was wearing?
Blonde2: Yeah,.....
They talked for about 20 minutes on 20 topics, no one topic given any more thought than a single question. There wasn't a statement or response during the whole "conversation."
Am I getting old or is our society doomed?
Yeah, but did you see what your boss was wearing today?.......
Friday, June 03, 2005
That 70's Politics
So my first post in May had to do with the 30 year anniversary of the fall of Viet Nam. Now we learn the identity of "Deep Throat." Anybody feeling a 70's flashback? I wonder if I can find my leisure suit.......
Monday, May 30, 2005
Experts: Petroleum May Be Nearing Peak - Yahoo! News
Experts: Petroleum May Be Nearing Peak - Yahoo! News
Sure, there are lots of doomsday types out there. This article may just be another one of those. However, I disagree that there's nothing that can be done for over a decade. We've had E85 (http://www.e85fuel.com/) capable engines available for years. Our government's Department of Energy is certainly aware of the technology (http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/e85toolkit/). Your SUV may be on the list (http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/models.html)
Why can't I get E85 for my car today without driving 50 miles? Mr. Bush and his cronies have been talking about an energy policy that involves drilling in ANWR. How about we spend that money to provide incentives for more E85 stations? There is limited oil in ANWR. How limited is our ability to grow corn?
At the risk of being a cynic, do you suppose the government is more interested in their oil company campaign contributions than actually solving the energy issue?
Sure, there are lots of doomsday types out there. This article may just be another one of those. However, I disagree that there's nothing that can be done for over a decade. We've had E85 (http://www.e85fuel.com/) capable engines available for years. Our government's Department of Energy is certainly aware of the technology (http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/e85toolkit/). Your SUV may be on the list (http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/models.html)
Why can't I get E85 for my car today without driving 50 miles? Mr. Bush and his cronies have been talking about an energy policy that involves drilling in ANWR. How about we spend that money to provide incentives for more E85 stations? There is limited oil in ANWR. How limited is our ability to grow corn?
At the risk of being a cynic, do you suppose the government is more interested in their oil company campaign contributions than actually solving the energy issue?
Thursday, May 19, 2005
The Nuclear Option
Top Stories Audio/Video - NPR on Yahoo! News
Republicans make me crazy. Almost as much as Democrats.
The whole design of the Senate is to provide a legislative body to protect the rights of the minority. That's why every state gets 2 Senators regardless of size! The point of the filibuster is to prevent the majority from over-running the rights of the minority. Mr. Frist, don't gut the very basis of the Senate and quit insulting our intelligence by asking for an "up or down vote." Nobody is stupid enough to believe that the important issues of the day are that simplistic!
Republicans make me crazy. Almost as much as Democrats.
The whole design of the Senate is to provide a legislative body to protect the rights of the minority. That's why every state gets 2 Senators regardless of size! The point of the filibuster is to prevent the majority from over-running the rights of the minority. Mr. Frist, don't gut the very basis of the Senate and quit insulting our intelligence by asking for an "up or down vote." Nobody is stupid enough to believe that the important issues of the day are that simplistic!
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Vietnam Marks 30 Years Since War's End - Yahoo! News
Vietnam Marks 30 Years Since War's End - Yahoo! News
I was only 12 when Saigon fell. Although I was in no real danger of being drafted into the war, I do have odd memories of the time.
I was in 5th grade during the election cycle of 1972. I remember the kids running around on the playground at school yelling about who they were for in the election. The area I grew up in was distinctly republican. My father was one of the few democrats in town. All the kids were saying Nixon was their man. I couldn't understand why they were "rooting" for Nixon when McGovern was the obvious choice. I remember asking my dad why and the expression on his face as he tried to explain politics to a 10 year old.
Vietnam put my father in a number of difficult positions. Again, the memories I have are odd. I remember watching the evening news with my family. When the anchorman would talk about Vietnam there was always a multi-colored map of southeast Asia with the day's body count. I asked my dad why we always saw a higher body count for the enemy but it seemed like we were losing the war. My poor father had to try and explain that one to me as well.
I'm not sure what to take away from this ramble. Looking back it's clear that America had already started to view elections for the presidency as a sporting event. How can we root for a candidate when the candidates for both parties talk in sound bites instead of discussing the issues in a detailed and rational manner.
I hope I don't have to explain these things to my son.
I was only 12 when Saigon fell. Although I was in no real danger of being drafted into the war, I do have odd memories of the time.
I was in 5th grade during the election cycle of 1972. I remember the kids running around on the playground at school yelling about who they were for in the election. The area I grew up in was distinctly republican. My father was one of the few democrats in town. All the kids were saying Nixon was their man. I couldn't understand why they were "rooting" for Nixon when McGovern was the obvious choice. I remember asking my dad why and the expression on his face as he tried to explain politics to a 10 year old.
Vietnam put my father in a number of difficult positions. Again, the memories I have are odd. I remember watching the evening news with my family. When the anchorman would talk about Vietnam there was always a multi-colored map of southeast Asia with the day's body count. I asked my dad why we always saw a higher body count for the enemy but it seemed like we were losing the war. My poor father had to try and explain that one to me as well.
I'm not sure what to take away from this ramble. Looking back it's clear that America had already started to view elections for the presidency as a sporting event. How can we root for a candidate when the candidates for both parties talk in sound bites instead of discussing the issues in a detailed and rational manner.
I hope I don't have to explain these things to my son.
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