End o/t World

The Market

2011-10-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

One of the arguments that conservatives and libertarians like to bring up is that government regulations do not belong in a free-market economy. Such an economy would be inherently self-regulating by the market forces of supply and demand, and any outside interference would only hinder the control that the average consumer has on the market. This argument makes several assumptions in order to be considered valid.

The first assumption is that all participants in the market process are honest, or at least stupid enough to get caught in their deception. The consumer is not always aware that they have purchased an inferior product, or paid a premium price for a sub-premium product. Without the support of government regulation, the individual consumer's only recourse would be to withhold their business from the offending producer or vendor, and to make other consumers aware of the deception. In a very large economy such as ours, the loss of a few disgruntled consumers has little impact. Also, is it practical to research the background and honest value of every good and service we purchase? Not every consumer has that kind of time available.

Another assumption is that no consumer is coerced or influenced to purchase goods that they do not need. The modern science of consumer psychology used by advertising agencies is a powerful tool. Enough people are exploitable by the use of suggestion to make almost any product profitable, if it is pushed hard enough and broadcast over a large enough medium.

"Let the buyer beware" is often the supporting argument for free-market economics. This is a bit like blaming the victim of a con artist for being fooled by the scam. When someone takes advantage of human nature for their personal gain, should we answer that we need to be less human? And which is the more practical course to deal with the problem: Educate all consumers to avoid all possible deceptions from all producers and merchants? This information is freely available and there are many advocacy groups who promote intelligent and informed consumer practices. Still, the greedy and corrupt always seem to find a new way to take money from the consumer without providing an equitable product or service. Also, the larger corporations have the advantage of wealth, power, and influence - all of which the average consumer lacks by comparison - so that, even when caught in a deception, the corporation can simply bury the whistle-blowers in litigation, preventing further knowledge of their abuse from becoming wide-spread enough to effect the market.

The other option is create government oversight, in the form of consumer-protection regulations, to balance the power of the corporations with the power of law. This is also an imperfect solution, and there is still a need for consumer education and awareness, but the power of law gives the consumer a fighting chance, when the need arises. This serves to increase consumer confidence, which, in the long run, helps create a better environment for the market as a whole to prosper.

Occupy

2011-10-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

The Occupy Movement is over a month old, and showing no sign of slowing down or losing momentum. I believe this is, partly, because the majority of protesters are unemployed and angry about it, and therefore have nothing better to do. But, more significantly, there are also a lot of people who are fed up. Fed up with the lack of accountability of Wall Street and big business in general. Fed up with being lied to by politicians and the media. Fed up and frustrated by stagnant wages, rising prices, and lack of benefits, while watching the top 1% getting richer and richer - "The economy is doing fine, just not for most of us."

People are fed up with a lot of things, and taking this opportunity to express that feeling. This is why some people find it easy to say "I don't know what they want". There is not just one thing that people are angry about. There is a lot of problems that need to be addressed, that nobody seems to be interested in addressing. That's what the movement is really about. It is not a giant finger pointing out a single problem. It is a lot of fingers pointing at a lot of problems.

Adding to the confusion are the occasional anarchists and others who are there to generate chaos for its own sake. So far, these people have been held back by the more rational protesters, who want to keep things peaceful and non-violent - and are doing a better job at this than the police, who can't seem to tell the protesters apart.

Overall, the Occupy Movement is not about creating solutions to the problems it is pointing out. It is just the beginning. It is "Step One: Identify the Problems to be Addressed". Next comes "Step Two: Work Together to Solve the Problems."

Step Two is going to take some work.

Judgement

2011-05-21T05:58:00.000-07:00

According to some, today all those people who have been judged worthy will be swept up into the clouds to have a meet-and-greet with Jesus. The Rapture.

I remain skeptical, as usual. More importantly, I remain.

Amazing

2011-05-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

Grasp the top of your head with both hands. Beneath that thin sheath of scalp and brittle shell of cranium is your cerebrum. That part of your brain where thoughts reside. Smaller than a basketball. More complex than a supercomputer. That is you. Or, at least, the part of you that is processing the information contained in this sentence. That little pinpoint of self-awareness that realizes that this is about YOU, and not your hamster, is swimming around within that semi-spherical object beneath your fingers.

Amazing, isn't it?

The organ of thought is not perfect, and anything so incredibly complicated is prone to malfunction on occasion. But, honestly, how can you tell? Sure, you have made mistakes in the past. Who hasn't? But right now, this very second, you are in complete control and are fully rational. Really? How do you know? If the very instrument you use to judge your rationality is, itself, irrational, how do you judge how rational you are? You can't. It is impossible.

But, having said that, you know how easy it is to tell when other people are being irrational. Have you ever tried to tell someone they are behaving irrationally? If so, have they ever believed you? That would require a huge amount of trust on their part, or a great deal of credibility on your part. I can tell you that any time I have ever said, “You are behaving irrationally,” to anyone, regardless of how intoxicated or insane that person was, they denied it, and became very insulted that I would even suggest such a thing.

So, if you were insane, how would you know? I'm not talking about the legal definition of insanity, but, let's say, a slightly biased and incomplete understanding of reality.

We are, at best, the centers of our own unique universes. Think about that for a minute. A universe inside that jelly-like mass of neurons inside your skull. At least a model of a universe. An imperfect model of as much of a universe as you can think of or imagine. Still, that is amazing.

Every child that is born is the creation of a new universe. A new viewpoint, perspective and personality. One that has never been seen before, nor will be duplicated any time thereafter.

For every person that dies, a universe falls. Not just the accumulation of knowledge, experience and wisdom that is unique to each one of us, but that individual viewpoint, perspective and personality. Gone forever.

Are we any less significant because there are about seven billion of us? Seven billion unique individuals. Seven billion universes. Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

Maybe we are all crazy to some degree. Some days I'm amazed that we can all manage to get through the day without wandering into traffic or bouncing off each other on the sidewalk. We manage, somehow, most of the time, to get things done. Sometimes we do really well. Every once in a while we do something terrific. When that happens, every one of us benefits.

We are amazing, indeed.

Death of a Terrorist

2011-05-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

On Monday, May 2nd, 2011, a joint operation of the CIA and Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden.

The politicians and media personalities will shout and point and brag and accuse the other side of hypocrisy and everyone will lie about what this all means.

There is no doubt that he will be replaced as a leader of al-Qaida, and he was most certainly not the only dangerous terrorist with a hate-on for America. Revenge, I suppose, is the only reason to feel good about his death. A bit of closure for those who lost loved ones on 9/11.

That's good enough for me.

Well, It's About Time!

2010-08-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Iraq: What Will Last 50,000 U.S. Troops Do?

To be fair, the official end of combat activity in Iraq by US military forces will be August 31st, 2010. The troops left behind are scheduled to pull out January 1st, 2012.

Still, to the Army's 4th Stryker Brigade coming home to Fort Lewis, WA: Welcome home!

Hottest

2010-08-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Have we passed the tipping point for runaway climate change?

The evidence is still "hotly" debated. (Ow! Pun damage!)

The biggest clue will be a massive release of methane into the atmosphere, due to the melting of permafrost and ocean deposits of ice. Once the methane starts to bubble up from the continental shelves in large amounts, the process escalates on its own. At that point, nothing we do can stop it.

We know what will happen, because it happened before. The PT Mass Extinction Event. (Note: there is a lot of information about this on the internet. Google it and read as much about it as you can stand. It is worth knowing.)

The part about the greenhouse-like warming of the atmosphere and oceans is not hard to grasp. But what caused the oxygen to go away? The O2 content at the end of the Permian was close to 30%. Within a million years it had dropped to 10%. This means it was not the heat or climate change or habitat change that killed off more than 99% of all life on Earth at that time. Most creatures just suffocated, or at least became so weak from lack of oxygen that they could not survive.

Again, methane is the key. When you release methane into an oxygen-rich atmosphere, it degrades over time, becoming CO2 and water vapor.

Huh? How does that happen? And what does that have to do with oxygen?

Methane molecules are the simplest form of hydrocarbon. CH4. That means 1 carbon atom plus 4 hydrogen atoms. The free oxygen in our atmosphere is in the form of O2, that means 2 oxygen atoms bound together to make a molecule. In order for methane to change into carbon dioxide and water, it needs to suck up 2 oxygen molecules. That means each molecule of methane will take 2 molecules of oxygen out of our atmosphere.

Both CO2 and water vapor in the lower atmosphere also act as greenhouse gases, so just because the methane eventually goes away does not mean things go back to normal.

But this whole scenario will take about a million years to play out, right?

Burning fossil fuels has been converting O2 to CO2 since the start of the industrial age, so have seen some loss of oxygen already.

When the methane surge hits, that process will be accelerated.

And remember, once the atmospheric oxygen drops below 19.5%, people will start passing out on the street from hypoxia.

That's not a 20% drop. That's only half a percent.

We don't have a million years.

Culture Shock

2010-04-24T05:07:00.000-07:00

Anthropologists are taught to study different cultures without judgment or bias.

The rest of us don't have to put up with this crap.

If your culture, legal system, tradition, or religion advocates or encourages the abuse of women, then it is WRONG!

If you see people stoning a woman to death, for whatever reason, MAKE THEM STOP!

If you see people hanging a woman as an "honor killing", MAKE THEM STOP!

If you see a husband beating his wife, MAKE HIM STOP!

Stand up and say something!

My culture (North American) has been guilty of the same sick mentality for a very long time, but we are getting better. We are trying to change. We are still a long way from true equality, but we have come a long way in a relatively short time.

It would be great if the rest of you could make the same effort.

Remember

2009-11-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

This is a day to remember those who served. Those who fought and came back, as well as those who did not return. All sacrificed something, if for many it was only a few years of their lives spent wearing a uniform in a strange place, when they could have been at home with their families. Some sacrificed everything. We honor them all.

There is a special honor, however, for those who have no names carved into stone. We don't know who they were, or where their families live, or why they signed up. We only know one thing about those represented by the Tomb of Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery: They died in service to their country.

We can't thank them by name. We can't thank their families. In many cases we don't even have remains to enshrine.

All we can do is what members of the Army's 3rd United States Infantry Brigade do every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in sun and rain and snow: Honor them.

Made in China

2009-03-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

see more pwn and owned pictures

Confrontations with the PRC seem to be on the rise, which is a problem compounded by the fact that we owe them so much money. A lot of money.

This is one of the many issues that President Obama needs to address, as much as a part of our economic recovery as our national security. There is an increasing global perception that our economic problems are weakening our military, and therefore leaving us vulnerable.

As China's economy improves, it is investing heavily in its military. Eventually, they will want to challenge our position as top dog. When that happens, and it will be at a time when we are most vulnerable, the only outcome that is certain is that the effects will be felt globally.

We can hope it doesn't come to that, but we should also prepare for the worst.

Alone?

2009-02-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think it is necessary to remember what we are and how we got here. It is so easy to get caught up in the details of living that we need to occasionally take a moment to step back and look at the larger picture, and put it into the greater context of humanity as a whole.

We are, by nature or design, social animals. What does that mean, exactly? Ants and wolves are also social animals; that is, their principle means of survival is to cooperate as a group. Our skill with language gives us a capacity to cooperate that is unprecedented in the animal kingdom, and when combined with the tool-using abilities of our hands and the unlimited imaginative capacities of our brains, our dominance of this planet was inevitable.

We lack the strength and natural weapons of a tiger or bear, but any individual human can easily defeat either of these predators using brains and hands, combined with the tools that these advantages can provide – such as a stone-tipped spear or a high-powered rifle. As individuals we are mighty, and it is easy to seek the path of the lone hunter. Indeed, the romance of wilderness survival alone is a strong motivator for many of us to think that we don’t really need other humans at all.

As individuals, we can survive. Not always well, and certainly not as well as we can when cooperating with others as a group. Alone, with only the tools and supplies we can make with our own hands, we cannot make a jet airliner, or a modern hospital, or even an Egyptian pyramid. These things require a group effort.

It is still possible to find people living a stone-age lifestyle in the more isolated places on our world. Deep in the jungles of the Amazon, the Congo or Borneo, there are villages that still practice the old ways. Naked children run free and laugh and play. Elders sit by the fire to discuss issues of the day or tell stories of days past. The crippled and infirm are cared for, because they too contribute to the survival of the group in their own way. The wisdom of this is obvious to everyone in the village.

Caring for the sick and injured is part of our survival strategy. It is one of the things that make us human.

I live in the United States of America, which is one of the richest and most technologically advanced nations on Earth. Ironically, it is not a good place to be poor. Of all the Western nations, it has the least accessibility to medical care for those unable to pay for it. As a result, one of the leading causes of death in the USA is, directly or indirectly, poverty.

Why? I think it has something to do with that romanticizing of the lone hunter that I mentioned earlier. Or, the updated and uniquely American version of it, the lone cowboy. In our national pride of our freedoms, and our emphasis on individual achievement over group effort, we sometimes forget that we can only do such great things as a society through cooperation with others. And part of the social cooperation strategy involves a group effort to care for the sick and injured.

We need to get past the idea that a universal health plan is leading us down the slippery slope to communism. It is not. We can retain our hard-won freedoms and still ensure that every child has a chance to grow up, every elder can pass on their knowledge to future generations, and the sick and injured can recover to rejoin society. Even the permanently maimed and crippled can contribute to our group survival, and are worthy of care.

We must remember that caring about others is not a weakness, but our greatest strength.

End of an error, indeed

2009-01-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

While I am as happy to see W go the way of the dodo as the next liberal, there are a few things that I need to thank him for before he rides off into the sunset.

Thanks, George, for increasing the sales of shoes in many parts of the world.

Thanks, George, for helping to make Wal-Mart the success that it is.

Thanks, George, for making the environment a priority.

Thanks, George, for all your efforts in the war on terror, regardless of how wrong they may have been.

Thanks, George, for redefining what it means to be free.

Thanks, George, for uniting most of the free world in a mutual dislike for you and your administration.

But, most importantly, George... Thanks for leaving.

Don't let the oval office door hit you in the ass on your way out.

EDIT: Oh, and Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart need to thank you for their careers. Making fun of you has made them rich.

I Can Haz Moar Guns?

2008-11-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

more animals

There has been an increase in gun sales since Barack Obama has been elected President. While this is great news for guns manufacturers and sellers, it makes the rest of us wonder wtf people are thinking.

Apparently, there is a belief among 2nd Amendment advocates that Obama will not fight tooth-and-nail to protect the rights of gun owners. Clearly, that implies that he has an agenda to take away all guns from private ownership.

Huh?

Aside from the absurd leap of logic from that statement, how would he accomplish such a task? I mean, the 2nd Amendment is not going away anytime soon, is it?

Its not like any President in recent history has ignored the constitution in any major way, right?

Alright, that's not a very good example.

Still, it seems a bit paranoid to think that all guns will be banned the instant Obama takes office. The same thing happened when Clinton took office the first term, with gun sales going through the roof, yet there were no jack-booted storm troopers from the ATF going door-to-door to confiscate legally-owned firearms during his eight-year administration (don't laugh, that's precisely the scenario some people are afraid of).

More importantly, I would hope Obama has more important things on his plate for the first few months.

Gratz

2008-11-05T00:49:00.000-08:00

Obama wins! - NY Times

Obama wins! - Guardian

Obama wins! - AP

Obama wins! - Reuters

Cool.

Of Course I'm Voting

2008-10-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

In my humble opinion, any US citizen that has chosen to not vote in this presidential election is just not paying attention. Shame on you.

Fear not, I am here to educate and illuminate. To make your voting choices clear.

Let's sum-up, shall we? (Warning: extensive use of YouTube links.)

First, this man has spent the last eight years making a shambles of this country. It is a mess, no doubt about it.

To fix the nation, repair the damage and get us back on track, we have a choice of these two individuals: Barack Obama and John McCain.

Assisting them will be either Joe Biden (for Obama) or Sarah Palin (for McCain). (Note to Matt Damon: The not-so-divine Sarah scares the crap out of me too.)

Did you follow all the links?

Good.

DON'T VOTE!

2008-10-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

...unless you care about your world.

Oil Strip

2008-08-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

Warning: Not Office Safe!

Maybe this will get their attention...

Paying for it

2008-08-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Got a new movie trailer for you. Yes, it is a movie about money. No, Tom Cruise is not in it.

Interested? Go visit the website for more information.

http://www.iousathemovie.com

Don't be fueled...

2008-08-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

Summer gas prices are down - falling below $4/gallon for the first time in months at many local stations.

This does not mean we are not still in a peak oil situation. It just means we are using less gas and diesel, and the laws of supply and demand are still in play. Simple economics.

Keep using less, and the prices will stay low. Go back to burning fuel like there is no tomorrow, and it will go up again.

Happy 232nd Birthday, USA!

2008-07-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

There are many Americans who believe that this great country has changed a lot since it was first conceived. Indeed, many things have changed, some for the better and some for the worse. Our Constitution has been updated with 17 amendments since the Bill of Rights was added. Some people think that is too many, others say it is not enough.

But, that's one of the principles the United States of America was based upon, and mentioned (more or less) in the first amendment - The freedom to disagree.

Some might say we have refined disagreement to a high art. And, as it has been since the beginning, there are those who think we disagree too much.

The Pilgrims who journeyed on the Mayflower to Plymouth in 1620, followed by a boatload of Puritans in 1629, and more during the "Great Migration" in the years following, were seeking a land free from the inflexible dogma of the Church of England. Actually, they had their own inflexible dogma, but it disagreed with the Church of England's on several key points. These people referred to themselves as "The Holy", not "Puritans" (that was a term of derision coined by the English people who thought they were all batty).

And, yes, they did, literally, believe they were Holier than thou (or anyone else who was not one of them). A good example of this was Puritan minister Cotton Mather, who was particularly influential on early America, having published more than 450 books and pamphlets which were widely read throughout the English colonies.

They never constituted a majority in the early colonies, but their influence was unmistakable and they have always been a part of us (whether we like it or not).

To find the heirs of the Puritans today, you need only seek their most visible leaders: Pat Robertson and Randy Brinson. There are others, of course, but those two have that unique brand of fundamental conservative Christianity that is particularly American.

Other heirs of "The Holy" might include (but are not restricted to): the Texas FLDS Church, the Westboro Baptist Church, Christian Identity, and even scarier groups.

One of the things all of these people share is the unshakable belief that the rest of us should not be disagreeing with them.

I really really really enjoy the fact that I can still disagree.

Up yours, Puritans!

Doomed, I say!

2008-05-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

I was catching up with JJ's blog when I found a post from the 13th of May that caught my eye. That post had a link to another blog's post, which in turn lead me to yet another blog. Finally, I ended up reading an op/ed piece from the Wall Street Journal that started the thread.

Have you read the piece by Mark Steyn yet? Yes, it is over a year old. It is also rather long and rambling, so let me sum it up for you:

Islamic jihadists are taking over the world.

I know... right now you are saying to yourself, "That can't be right. Dez must be misreading the article."

Go. Read it for yourself. I'll wait.

(Hot today. Think I'll get some pineapple juice with lots of ice. Ahhh. That hits the spot.)

Done yet? Okay.

He doesn't come right out and say it, and he tends to rant on unrelated subjects a bit, but if you read carefully you can see where he's going.

White people are in danger of extinction in about 30 years or so, to be replaced by Islamic extremist Arabs, who are breeding faster than we are.

He's not talking just about Christians, since there are plenty of them in Mexico and the rest of Latin America, and their birth rate is keeping up with their death rate just fine.

He's not talking about Western European or North American culture, since we export that at a horrendous rate and it shows no evidence of going away anytime soon.

And he thinks this is of major importance, clearly. More important than climate change or the oil crisis (which, by the way, he does not see as important at all) or even the threat of terrorist attack by nuclear or biological WMDs.

So, it's not just "We're running out of white people", it's more like "OMG! WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF WHITE PEOPLE! QUICK! ALL OF YOU START BREEDING NOW!"

Oh, but that's not the scary part. Read the comments section after the article. Not a lot of dissension, is there? Then read what the Girl on the Right said about it.

Yup, there seems to be a lot of agreement. Even hero-worship.

So. Are Islamic Jihadists invading your neighborhood? Are we running out of white people? Sorry, but I'm not seeing it.

And what if we are? What difference would it make to the world?

In order for it to make a difference, especially at the end-of-civilization-as-we-know-it level that Mark was ranting about, you would have to assume that white people are better than Arabs.

That, in turn, would mean Mark Steyn is a racist, and all the people who agreed with him are racists.

No wonder he didn't make his point clearer.

(Oh, and if you agree with Mark's article, too, don't tell me. I don't want to know you.)

(Want to read some opinions by a pro-Western Islamic Egyptian? Go here. Just because people belong to a certain faith or racial group does not make them extremists.)

Burning the Future

2008-05-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

Coal supplies over half the electricity used in the United States. Where does all that coal come from?

There is a movie you need to see:

Burning The Future: Coal in America - Trailer from coalmovie on Vimeo.

If you're interested, more information can be found here:

Appalachian Voice Front Porch Blog

Coal Moratorium Now!

Portal: Coal Issues - SourceWatch

700 Mountains

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition

Fossil Fuel Power Plant

How Stuff Works: How much coal...

We need other ways to make electricity than burning hydrocarbons!

The Price of Rice

2008-04-25T05:34:00.000-07:00

Food prices are going up, in step with the rising prices of fossil fuels. This is not due to any shortage, but is tied to the overall economic situation worldwide.

This has been predicted by many experts for many years. It will get worse.

Maybe not the end o/t world, but the end o/t world as we know it.

Believe us yet? Stay tuned.

Mass Graves of Canadian Children

2008-04-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

28 grave sites have been reported, each associated with an Indian Residential School. In other words, these were native children that were taken away from their tribes and families to be raised in a religious school where they were given English names and denied their original language, culture, religion, and identity. When they died, for whatever reason, they were denied even a Christian burial, much less one of their people's faith. Their parents were not even told they had died.

Ancient history, you say? The last of these "schools" closed in 1998.

What is the word for a systematic attempt to wipe out an entire people and their culture? Oh, yes: Genocide.

Oh, and before we dump all the shame on Canada, let's not forget that we did the same thing in the USA.

We need to remember these things, as horrible as they are, lest we do them again.

NEVER FORGET!

Thanks to Stageleft and JJ.

War on the Installment Plan

2008-04-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

I've been a member of Move On for some time now, but I don't usually use my blog as a platform for their ads. Having said that, I'd like to post a little video they made. I think it makes a point worth thinking about.

Bio-Fuel FTL

2008-04-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

The two biggest problems currently facing humanity are Peak Oil and the Climate Crisis.

These problems would appear to have a similar solution: stop burning fuel.

It doesn't get much simpler than that, right?

There are ways to do that, like investing in solar and wind power, and drive electric cars.

Some people think that bio-diesel and ethanol, used as fuels to replace petroleum-based fuels, are viable solutions as well. Not so.

Millions of acres of rain forest are being cut down to make room for palm-oil and soy bean plantations - to make bio-diesel and ethanol for fuel. But, since we need the rain forests for their photosynthesis (CO2 -> O2), destroying them just makes things worse.

And, in the end, you are still burning fuel that produces carbon dioxide.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells are another power source being proposed. This is great, as long as you don't make the hydrogen out of petro-chemicals, which makes more carbon dioxide during processing. In any case, hydrogen is considered an energy carrier, rather than an energy source, because it requires energy from other sources to produce it. You might as well be running on batteries.

Which brings us to electric cars. Check out these manufacturers:

http://www.teslamotors.com/
http://www.zapworld.com/

and, of course:

http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/

Order yours today.

Conspiracy Overload

2008-02-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's hard to tell the facts from the opinions, truth from speculation, data from smokescreen.

For example: Alex Jones, at Infowars and in his video Endgame, talks about a conspiracy to kill or enslave most of the human race.

"For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology."

(Seriously. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tryed.)

Lots of information given, but it looks to me like the conclusions are based on flawed logic and paranoia. (My question is: With only the rich "elites" left, who's mowing the lawns, fixing the plumbing, washing the windows, installing the cables, building the summer homes, paving the streets, building the SUVs...? In other words, where is the infrastructure that supports the wealthy lifestyle? The whole concept is asinine.)

He's also a major promoter of the 9/11 Truth movement, which believes that the attacks on the WTC were actually staged by the Bush administration to allow the virtual takeover of our government and facilitate the war in Iraq.

Again, lots of carefully chosen information supporting wild speculation. No proof, just more fearmongering. (Bush obviously took advantage of the situation, but orchestrate it? Nonsense.)

This kind of thing is not helping. All Alex Jones is doing is promoting Alex Jones, and spreading mindless fear.

Get the facts, people. Dig down to the core data and draw your own conclusions, don't let people with their own agenda feed you their insanity.

That goes for me, too. Don't follow what I say blindly. Do the research, then decide for yourself.

Roy Zimmerman

2008-02-06T02:07:00.000-08:00

A music video about how much our soldiers appreciate our support.

That's a Budget?

2008-02-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new Bush Budget Plan, 2008.

In a nutshell, the idea is to spend more money on the war, preserve the tax cuts for the rich, while cutting back on human services like Medicare and Medicaid. In other words, more of the same crap he's been doing for the last eight years.

Are you tired of this? I am. And I'm looking forward to 01/20/09.

This is going to be a long year.

Moral High Ground

2008-01-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

Does the US still have it? Are we the good guys?

First, the news:

Do we have the right to torture people? If so, do we still have the right to lecture China or North Korea on human rights? Shouldn't we practice what we preach? Or should we stop preaching?

This is why we have no credibility with the rest of the Western World.

Still waiting on the black hat order...

Some Quotes

2008-01-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

Subject: Democracy...

“The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it.” - Edward Dowling.

“Our government teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.” - Louis Brandeis.

“Where some people are very wealthy and others have nothing, the result will be either extreme democracy or absolute oligarchy, or despotism will come from either of those excesses.” - Aristotle.

“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group,” - Franklin D. Roosevelt.

“Information is the currency of democracy.” - Thomas Jefferson.

“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” - John F. Kennedy.

“A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy” - Theodore Roosevelt.

“Democracy means the organization of society for the benefit and at the expense of everybody indiscriminately and not for the benefit of a privileged class.” - George Bernard Shaw.

“Democracy! Bah! When I hear that I reach for my feather Boa!” - Allen Ginsberg.

I could go on, but that seems to fulfill my intended message in a nutshell.

Blame Peak Oil

2008-01-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, I have been wondering why. What are we doing there? Osama was not in Iraq, nor was Al-Qaeda. The inspectors never found any WMDs.

The continued occupation of Iraq is costing us a lot of money, but it looks like we have no plans to leave. Ever.

Why?

I went looking deeper for the answer, but nothing made any sense. Bush might be an idiot, but you don't commit the resources of the most powerful nation on the planet without a good reason, or nobody would go along with it.

I looked at the background of the President and Vice President, reading about their ties to the oil industry. Was it really all about the oil?

The answer I found was: Yes. Yes, it is all about the oil.

First, a little research. Check out these sites:
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
http://www.theoildrum.com/
http://www.oilcrisis.com/
http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbert_peak

That should be enough to get you started, anyway...

The oil companies are aware of the problem, which means Bush and Cheney are aware of the problem of Peak Oil. They are lying about the reasons for the war because they don't want anyone to know the real reason.

The problem is that oil production is maxed out, and has already begun to diminish. All the cheap oil is already gone, and what is left is harder to reach or harder to refine. In other words, it will get more expensive. Many experts are predicting that there will be a fight for the remaining oil reserves, largely focused on the middle east.

The plan of the Bush administration, and the reason for the war, was to establish control over the middle east before the problem becomes obvious. They intend to control the oil until the last drop is gone. By whatever force is necessary. Whatever it takes.

They could have been using our nation's resources to find alternative energy sources, find a way to ease us out of our oil dependence. If we have enough of a head start we could change over to electric cars, solar and wind power, alternative fuels... We might have had a chance to get through this with our economy intact.

But that is not going to happen. It was never about doing what was best for the country. For the people. It was all about securing the incomes of the most powerful corporations in the world - the oil companies - for just a few more years. Eventually the oil will be gone, but by then the current CEO's will all be retired.

It was all about the oil. Still is.

For all Bush and Cheney care, the rest of us can GO TO HELL.

How badly have they screwed us? We have the largest national debt in history. The American dollar has become worth less than the Canadian dollar for the first time in about 40 years. Gas prices continue to rise. Global warming has finally been recognized as a serious problem, but the United States is still doing nothing about it.

And more American soldiers are dying in Iraq. Not for our freedom. Not to make America safer. But for the OIL.

And they will get away with it, because we will let them. They will leave office in 2009 and retire to their fortified mansions, secure with their oil company incomes. Mission Accomplished.

The Immigration Issue

2007-12-30T16:54:00.000-08:00

I think we are getting just a bit paranoid over this whole illegal alien thing. I agree that there are problems with criminal aliens that need to be addressed, but I believe the majority of illegals are not a danger to our society. Are you willing to flip burgers, trim hedges or dig ditches for a living? Most of them just want a chance for a life. A bit of compassion needs to be applied to policy.

What's more, the way we control our borders needs to be carefully assessed. How far are we willing to go? Sure, we could build our own "Iron Curtain" and construct a wall along the Mexican and Canadian borders that is so massive it could be seen from space, much like the Great Wall of China. Some people have embraced the concept of a "Fortress America" and all that it implies. I just think that our own freedoms and civil rights would be the baby that gets dumped with the bathwater.

I am a 6th generation American, descended from an illiterate Frenchman trying to escape Napoleon's tyranny and make a new life for himself in the new world. He married a woman of English descent, also a recent immigrant, and together they produced eight children. He lived to see two of his youngest sons come home from the Civil War in caskets. Serving in the US armed forces has been a family tradition ever since, and I put in my seven years as well.

I'm not interested in hearing anyone question my patriotism, or my right to live in this country.

However, I know there are a few people who's ancestors have been here longer than mine. Most of them live on reservations, and can trace their roots back to the last Ice Age.

Did we get their permission before we moved in? With rare exceptions, that answer would be no. We took it by force of arms. In their eyes, we are the invaders - illegal aliens and worse.

Have we become a compassionate nation? Or do we still do business at gunpoint?

We need to give this issue a lot more thought, I think, before we become something other than the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever, have a great day.

Pink song

2007-12-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Got a video for ya...

I never thought much of Pink before. Now, I'm a fan.

Adding injury to insult

2007-11-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

This is getting ridiculous.

First a cartoon, now a teddy bear's name.

And let's not even talk about the women who are punished for being raped.

There is no need for a vast "Western Conspiracy to Discredit Islam". Islam is doing a fine job all by itself.

EDIT 12/05/07:
I am relieved to hear that Gillian Gibbons, the teacher with the teddy bear, is now home and safe. I noticed that the local Islamic communities in Great Britain have been very supportive of her, and swift to condemn the actions of the Sudanese government.

In perspective, the problem is not with Islam, as I seemed to imply with my statement above. The problem lies with the extremists, regardless of their religious posturing. Calling for the death of an individual for a perceived insult is in no way religious. The pious do not hate. The faithful do not call for anyone's death. They speak of tolerance and forgiveness.

Those who hate often use a mask of religion to cover their actions. The hood of the KKK and their burning crosses are no different. They use the Word like a weapon, but take it out of context. They bend and twist their faith to fit their human anger, and have lost the meaning.

Faith can be a powerful weapon in the hands of madmen. This is not the fault of the faith or the faithful, at least not directly. The problem is that it is often hard to tell the difference between the true faithful and the madmen.

Let's see if we can simplify the issue: Anyone who uses the word "hate" in regards to... well... anything, is not a religious person, and should not be allowed to protect themselves under the mantle of faith. Don't be fooled by the number of beads they carry or the robes they wear. How many times they pray is irrelevant. The true test of faith is in their words and deeds.

The task falls upon the faithful themselves. Stop tolerating madmen speaking for you. Don't let them get away with it. Speak up!

2007-11-21T00:52:00.000-08:00

Saw this book in the store last week, bought it on impulse (I've enjoyed most of Dr. Crichton's work so far), and spent the next 3 consecutive nights reading it. Since then, I've been swishing the concepts back and forth in my mind.

I'm not sure I agree with all of the conclusions he comes to, and the style of writing was a bit confusing to me at first, but overall I think the story was good. It certainly sparked thought.

My first conclusion: I fully support his argument to ban all gene patents. This is a trend which can only lead to disaster.

Second: I do not want a puppy that never grows up.

Third: I would like to learn more about African Grey Parrots. I don't think I would like to own one, since they require as much care as a human child, if not more. But, the idea of a bird with intelligence as great as a chimpanzee is intriguing.

Again, a good read. I recommend it.

Remember

2007-11-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

Here in the USA, we call this Veterans' Day. In Canada they call it Remembrance Day.

For most people, it is just another National Holiday. Some will get to take the day off. Sometimes there is a parade that blocks a street. Whatever. It is just another day.

For those who wore the uniform, or wear it today, or had a loved one that wore it, this day is a special one.

We remember.

Got Gas? (Part 2)

2007-11-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Veteran's Day, gasoline prices have again risen above $3.00/gallon.

As usual, prices in Bellingham are higher than most other places.

Some people see this as a sign of impending doom.

Some see it as a blessing.

I think we need more research on the subject. Stay tuned.

Civilized Behavior 101

2007-11-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

One of the fallacies of "Political Correctness" is that all cultural traditions and religious practices should be respected, regardless of what we think of them.

That's fine for the most part. I really don't care what you sing or dance or pierce yourselves with (though, frankly, looking at facial piercings makes me nauseous).

But, religious advocation of spousal abuse is just barbaric, and is not even supported by all Islamic scholars. Christian men have tried using certain passages of the Bible to support wife beating for many years, but today it is generally seen as bad behavior. Barbaric, indeed.

Killing dolphins, likewise, is a traditional practice that should today be considered barbaric. The fact that the Bush administration doesn't support marine mammal protection, I think, further supports my statement.

And, in the light of recent studies concerning the global climate, I would like to nominate the driving of most Sport Utility Vehicles as being barbaric and uncivilized. Bigger is not always better.

Finally, please cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Spreading disease is barbaric.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled war.

Worst. President. Ever.

2007-10-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post thinks... maybe. And they have a poll.

The Nation says, "well, its possible, but what do you think?"

Discourse.net just wants to talk about it.

Various blogs have some graphs and charts they want you to look at. Some don't bother with them.

And, Donald Trump just flat out says it.

You don't get to be that rich by pulling your punches.

So, Jimmy. Don't feel bad. You're not alone.

The Earth is Not Enough

2007-10-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

Too many eggs for this basket.

Let them eat omelets...

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See!

2007-10-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

What's so scary about a geek with a whiteboard?

Nothing.

What's scary is that column B is still being chosen.

(Note: want more? This guy did a whole series of videos. Google "wonderingmind42" and see them all.)

Political Update

2007-09-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Summer hiatus is over. Time to get back to the ranting...

Do you remember when they told us that there was a connection between Al Qaida and Saddam Hussein? THEY LIED!

Did Congress do anything about that? Did Congress say anything about the blatant mudslinging against Senators John Kerry or Max Cleland? Did they speak up when Colin Powell lied to the UN about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq? How about when President Bush ordered unconstitutional phone tapping?

They don't seem to have time in their busy schedule to stop the war in Iraq, but they do have time to vote on rebuking a newspaper ad that criticizes General Petraeus.

Is it still a free country when private citizens can't speak their minds? Is the government so fragile that it can't take a bit of criticism?

George Bush is telling you to sit down and shut up, and Congress is agreeing with him.

All of you.

Everyone.

Yes, even you.

Just take a seat and let them run the country as they see fit, with no backtalk from the peanut gallery. You need to pay more attention to what Britney and Paris are doing, and let the old white men do as they please with your country.

Rights? Yes, you have rights. You have the right to remain silent. That's it.

What's that? Did I hear you say something?

The President and Congress just want you, all of you, to just SHUT THE FUCK UP!

What are you going to do about it?

Chimera's Cavern: Deadly Sincerity

2007-07-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

With the collapse of our social structure, and the falling economy, crime is running amok. Breaking and entering is becoming commonplace. The end of the world draws closer with each assault to our bodies and property.

A friend of mine and fellow blogster, Chimera, was recently the victim of a break-in.

What the thugs who trashed the place and took stuff don't realize, yet, is that they are about to become the victims.

At the best of times, Chimera is outspoken, opinionated, and stubborn.

Right now, well, a monster walks the earth.

I am unable to feel pity for thieves, but I will give them a warning:

Don't look behind you. Feel the hot breath on the back of your neck? You are being stalked by a creature of Legend and Myth, feared by the Gods of Olympus, brought to life by your actions.

If you are not already running, it is too late.

Too much trouble...

2007-07-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

Oh, I'm sorry. Are you too busy to save the planet, America?

Live most Americans, I got cable TV, with more channels than I can flip through in ten minutes. (FUCK! My thumb hurts!)

So, the Live Earth concert, 24-hours of live music from top performers all over the globe, for the sole cause of alerting people to the danger of global warming, should be all over the dial, right? RIGHT??

Let's do a quick scan: I can see it on the Sundance Channel (you'd expect that, obviously), BRAVO (another artsy-fartsy channel), and Canadian TV. Canada, in fact, is covering the event with six channels at once, only one of which I can get down here.

I guess American corporate-controlled media thinks the planet is just going to take care of itself, and the only viewers who give a damn are the artsy-fartsy intellectuals.

Does that mean the entire population of Canada is smarter than the people of the USA?

No, only the ones with cable TV.

Al-Qaida in Iraq?

2007-07-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Ironic it is, since one of Bush's arguments for the war in Iraq was to combat terrorism, even though the terrorist organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks (namely Al-Qaida) was never based in Iraq, nor had any major power in that country.

But, that's how enemies are. When you stop chasing them, they start coming after you.

What's even more ironic, if you read further down the article, is that some of the militant Iraqi groups that are fighting the US are also being attacked by Al-Qaida, and some have teamed-up with the Americans to combat Al-Qaida's aggressive attempts to insert their influence in the country.

Let me restate that last point for clarity: There are, apparently, Iraqi militant fundamentalist groups that hate Al-Qaida more than they hate the American military forces that invaded their country.

At least now, at long last, we are finally fighting Al-Qaida in Iraq!

Too much irony for one day...

Its a Disaster!

2007-07-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

In this case, I am referring to the U.S. Government, specifically the Bush administration, not a disaster of natural origin.

But, that does not mean that FEMA is not involved. The agency responsible for managing emergency situations seems to be, itself, one of our biggest disasters. According to CREW, this agency is unable to follow its own instructions.

The latest abuse of power from the White House involves the "Scooter" Libby case. This is the report from http://www.reuters.com/. Here's a report from http://www.smartmoney.com/. Sources not respectable enough for you? How about this one from Fox?

My favorite comments on the situation, oddly enough, come from MSNBC. Good opinion pieces, Keith and Michael, respectively.

Thanks!

Got gas?

2007-05-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Memorial Day weekend is coming up, and the annual raising of the price of gasoline has begun. Has it ever! Here in Bellingham, prices are higher than the national average.

Congress has finally taken notice of the situation, and some steps are being attempted.

I will be posting a special message when the local price exceeds $4.00/gallon.

Under Siege

2007-04-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

As you may already be aware, the White House, in particular Karl Rove, is currently under investigation.

Of course, they are fighting back, through the usual channels. Their tactics are the same as always: "If you can't dispute the facts, discredit the accuser."

I'm curious to see where this all will lead.

The Gun Control Issue

2007-04-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Every time there is a shooting, expecially when it involves young people, the debate over gun control heats up. In the case of the Virginia Tech shooting, the issue is particularly divided.

On the one hand, the killer was able to roam and kill freely on a college campus that had a No Guns policy. The pro-gun factions are quick to point this out. If any of the students had been carrying a legal concealed firearm, the incident could have ended quickly, with fewer deaths.

On the other hand, there is evidence that the killer had a long history of mental illness. Those on the anti-gun side of the issue are asking how he was able to obtain firearms so easily. And why were the campus police so ineffective at stopping him?

The debate will not be resolved here, and I have larger issues that I would like to address.

The real issue is about FEAR, and what it takes to make us feel SAFE.

The pro-gun lobbyists are afraid the government will take away their guns. They need their guns in order to feel SAFE.

The anti-gun lobbyists are afraid of the wrong people carrying guns. They want to restrict the sale of guns to only sane, responsible people. The fewer the better. This is so they can feel SAFE.

With global warming such a serious issue, why are sales of massive SUVs still on the rise? Do soccer moms like to go off-roading in the mud before picking up junior after school? No. They think that the extra ton of steel around them will keep their families SAFE.

Everyone is afraid. FEAR has been the epidemic of the twenty-first century.

The media pushes FEAR because it sells. FEAR is sensational and draws attention.

At this rate, within another twenty years we will all be living in underground bunkers, living virtual lives through the internet. Afraid to leave our homes.

I have said this before, and I will keep saying it. STOP SELLING YOUR FREEDOM FOR A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY! The only real safety in this world is your Freedom - the freedom to take action to protect yourself whenever necessary. The more resticted you are, the more vulnerable you become.

Guns are not the issue. The issue is FEAR.

Get a grip, people.

Legacy of War

2007-02-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

The things we do in times of war tell us something about ourselves. As individuals, that we are capable of acts of unspeakable evil, or unselfish courage.

But, as nations, war is only a tool. A means of forcing our policies upon others.

But, let's see what smarter people than I have to say about it:

"War is much too serious a matter to be entrusted to the military."
Georges Clemenceau, French politician (1841 - 1929)
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
Albert Einstein, US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)
"You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake."
Jeannette Rankin, US pacifist & politician (1880 - 1973)
"War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing
each other's children."
Jimmy Carter, US diplomat & politician (1924 - )
"Either war is obsolete or men are."
R. Buckminster Fuller, US architect & engineer (1895 - 1983)
"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it."
Robert E. Lee, US-Confederate general (1807 - 1870)
"War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace."
Thomas Mann, German writer (1875 - 1955)
"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"
Mahatma Gandhi, "Non-Violence in Peace and War"
Indian ascetic & nationalist leader (1869 - 1948)
"If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known."
George C. Marshall, US general (1880 - 1959)

Enjoy the Season

2006-12-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when my family gathers to exchange gifts and consume too much food and drink. Call it what you will: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, the Winter Solstice, whatever. The reasons for the festivities are not important to us. If they are important to you, great. Just keep it to yourself, please.

For us, this season is about family.

That makes it the best time of year, as far as I'm concerned.

Enjoy!

San Francisco Treat

2006-12-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

The good people of San Francisco, California, appear to be fed up with Bush, according to Proposition J, which requests that their representatives conduct an investigation with the purpose of impeaching President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney.

It also appears that they are not alone. There seems to be some support for the idea.

What do I think? I think I'm going to be holding a sign on a streetcorner of downtown Bellingham on December 10th.

What are you going to do?

Over-reaction

2006-12-03T07:33:00.001-08:00

Having the right to keep and bear arms does not mean you can shoot people who annoy you.

That goes for NYPD, as well.

Granted, people can get very annoying. In most parts of the world, shooting them would be seen as an extreme over-reaction.

But, the United States is an extreme place. Here's an example:

To date, the number of US casualties in Iraq since the war began is 2886. The number of Iraqis killed is much higher, probably over 50,000. But we're not sure. After all: "We don't do body counts".

According to the CDC, the number of firearm-related deaths in the US in 2002 was 30,242. The number of people in the US who have been killed by gunfire since March 19th, 2003 (when the Iraq War began) is speculative, since we apparently don't do body counts in this country either. But, if we assume a steady average rate of 30,000 a year, it will be about 82,500 this month, give or take a few thousand.

I'm not going to insult your intellegence by suggesting that it is safer to live in a war zone than the USA. However, there are places in this country that are a lot like a war zone. You probably don't live in one of those places, or maybe you do, but you have learned to keep your head down and stay close to cover. You probably know better than to throw eggs at passing SUVs, too.

How about tomatoes? Can we throw tomatoes?

End of the World (The Flash Movie)

2006-11-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Do not let the similarity of the title deceive you. I had nothing to do with this.

But it is funny. So click on the link already.

Going Commercial

2006-11-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

I've decided to add some Google ads to my blog. This will have 2 positive effects for me:

1. It will encourage me to post more often. More content will make my blog more interesting and, with any luck, attract more readers.

2. If the traffic to my blog increases to the point where I can quit my day job and blog full time, I will never again have to leave the comfort of my home just to earn a living. My output should then increase considerably.

These benefits will effect you as well. The more readers I attract with my daily output of useful information, the better our chances to make a difference in the world. Our survival may depend on working together to save our planet, and for that we need to know what problems need to be addressed.

Knowledge is power. My goal is to empower you, so that we might save the world together.

I have tried to make the ads as minimal as possible. If you find them too offensive, please let me know.

Weather or not...

2006-11-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

The Bellingham/Northwestern Washington area has been beset with some serious snow. The majority of it fell on Sunday, just in time to hinder people coming back from Thanksgiving vacation. Here it is Wednesday, and the white stuff is still here.

Boredom is setting in for the snowbound. Cabin fever, I think it is called.

There is only so much cable TV one can watch. Only so much World of Warcraft one can play.

Maybe I'll post something on my blog...

Nah.

Democrats in Congress

2006-11-10T00:04:00.000-08:00

It is a small step, but at least it is in the right direction.

I am really curious to see what they do.

More later...

Election Day is coming...

2006-10-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Time to think about another election. Mmmm.

So many issues to think about.

It is important, I believe, to keep things in perspective.

I have found that it is often easier to find someone to vote against, than to find a suitable candidate to vote for.

This time is no exception.

My favorite bumper sticker recently is: "Someone Else For President".

update 10/23/06: Just to clarify, this is not a presidential election year in the USA. That would be 2008.

But, 2006 is one of those years for electing certain members of Congress - typically 1 Senator and a House representative from your district.

So, you might ask, what does that have to do with President Bush and his lackeys?

Let me explain: for the past 6 years, the House and Senate have been controlled by a majority of Republicans. The GOP, as they are often called (it means Grand Old Party), are a close-knit group. In fact, their loyalty would be admirable if they were not actively supporting a serious incompetant as President.

The effect of this monopoly of power in Congress has been to give a "blank check" to President Bush - allowing him virtually complete freedom to do whatever he likes, without any threat of accountability or consequence.

There are a large number of people who think Bush should be impeached (myself included). But, that just isn't going to happen as long as his party controls the Congress.

So. we are faced with 2 choices: We can wait patiently for 2008 (assuming we all survive), and see what our choices are at that time. Or, we can VOTE THE GOP OUT!

I don't care who you vote for: Democrat, Libertarian, Green, or the Freakin' Hippopotamus Party. Just vote AGAINST the Republicans!

TAKE BACK OUR GOVERNMENT!

(I'm nobody in particular, but I approved this message.)

The State of Marriage

2006-07-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my state decided to continue living in the Dark Ages.

I am not gay, but what does that have to do with it? Keeping people from entering into a legally binding contract with each other because other people don't approve of their lifestyle is wrong.

People keep bringing up religious reasons for the gay marriage ban. Again, why does that justify anything? The ban does not prevent people from getting married, in the religious sense, only from acquiring the documentation that makes their marriage legally binding. This is a legal issue, not a religious one.

There are a large number of people in this state who seem to think that gay people will just go away if they just keep denying them their rights long enough. This is not just stupid, it is stupidity on a massive scale and against all evidence to the contrary. Similar to the belief that the War in Iraq is part of the War against Terrorism.

I'm starting to wonder what we should be doing about the real threat to this nation: the vast herds of stupid people that wield so much power. They will destroy us all, I fear.

Power Corrupts

2006-07-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am a 6th generation American, and proud of it. Growing up in the United States of America, I was fed the usual patriotic propoganda, and have found over the years that not all of it was a lie. Most of it, in fact, may have been true at one time, but much has changed since the days of our founding fathers.

Personal freedom and liberty, for example, have taken a big hit in the last few years. We also used to believe that this was a classless society, but that has proven to be false from the very beginning.

Still, this is the most powerful and wealthy nation on Earth, more so now than it was when I was born in the late '50's.

But, according to historian Lord Acton: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

We can see that the effects of that corruption have already begun. The question is: How far will we allow it to go, before we act to stop it? And, will it be too late?

There are 3 choices that I can see:

1. Stay and fight. This will take considerable courage and resources, for the corruption is already widespread and entrenched in the system. But, I don't believe we have passed the point of no return, so there is hope.

2. Get out while you can. For those who chose not to fight against the odds. Canada, I hear, is a very comfortable alternative, but they have their own problems as well. Not the least of which is a very noisy neighbor who is steadily going insane.

3. Stay and adapt. Even Nazi Germany was an okay place to live until the end, if you were a Nazi.

Make no mistake. We are very close to Fascism right now, and getting closer daily. Going against the rising tide of corruption will take a lot of people working very hard.

I'm not advocating revolution, and rioting in the streets will not solve anything - it just gives them an excuse to take away more of your liberties.

Start by using the system as it was meant to be used. Vote the bastards out. Stop believing the lies. Question authority - and keep asking questions until you get a real answer.

And, most importantly, do not EVER sell your freedom for a false sense of security. The media is going to do everything possible to frighten you - and the herd mentality will instinctively look for a leader to follow, to lead you away from the danger. That is how dictators are born. Don't let fear determine your actions - ACT, don't REACT. If you let those in power push your buttons (and they know which ones to push - that's how they got the power in the first place), then you are lost.

THINK! Don't follow blindly. If you keep giving away your freedom and power, the day will come when you have none.

On that dark day, the United States of America will exist in name only.

Poverty and Depression

2006-03-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

According to Prof. Elizabeth Gould, of Princeton University: "We have found that stressful experiences inhibit the production of new neurons in the hippocampus of adult rodents and primates. Moreover, developmental stress (either prenatal or early postnatal) persistently diminishes the production of new neurons, even into adulthood."

The social implications of this research, according to an article by Johah Lehrer in the Feb/March issue of Seed Magazine, are that: "If boring environments, stressful noises, and the primate's particular slot in the dominance hierarchy all shape the architecture of the brain - and Gould's team has shown that they do - then the playing field isn't level. Poverty and stress aren't just an idea: they are an anatomy. Some brains never even have a chance."

Poor people are not poor because they are lazy. The growth of their brain cells has been limited by their environment.

If you take a man or woman who was raised in an environment of wealth, and take away that wealth, they are very likely to rebuild their fortune and return to their previous status within a year. Part of the reason why, is that they know how to handle money and they understand what is needed to be successful. But a larger part is that they have a brain capable of working on the problem.

If you take a person born into poverty and give them several million dollars (let's say they win the lottery), what will they do with it? It is a very rare individual who will invest their winnings and build it into a sustainable base. Most of the time, they just blow it and end up right back where they started. In some cases, they end up worse off than before.

That may be old news, but this part is not: the condition may be treatable.

Page 65 of the Feb/March issue of Seed Magazine, in the above-named article: "The theory that depression is caused by a lack of serotonin is mostly wrong; Yale's Ronald Duman is showing that Prozac triggers neurogenesis."

Poverty kills. The Canadians, at least, seem to understand this. The United States seems to find it baffling.

I'm not suggesting giving free Prozac to the poor (though Eli Lilly and company could sure use the positive publicity), but, once we know we can do something to repair a problem in our society, shouldn't we be working on it?

Congratulations!

2006-01-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Survived another year? Good for us!

That's for the glass-half-full crowd. For me, I look at it as another year closer to the eventual end of the world, not to mention one year closer to death for me.

We still have things to worry about:

-- A rampaging budget deficit that shows no sign of slowing the United States' descent into national bankruptsy.

-- We still have a President who lacks any resemblance of common sense or decency. They tried to impeach Clinton for less (Getting a bj in the White House, and lying about it, has no comparison to starting a war on false pretenses - and then lying about it).

-- The media still seems to be more focused on Hollywood gossip than hardline reporting of events that effect the nation. Where are the Woodwards and Bernsteins for this generation?

-- The poor are still getting poorer and the rich are still getting richer. Granted, this has been the way of the world since the days of Babylon and Sumer, but the rate seems to be accellerating at an unprecidented pace.

-- We have 6 more years before the start of the next Mega-Ice Age, unless it is counter-acted by Global Warming (though there is some evidence that Global Warming might actually trigger an Ice Age - the debate continues...).

This is just my opinion, of course. You don't have to worry about any of this stuff.

Have some more bread, and enjoy the circus.

Would You Send Your Mom To Jail To Make Money?

2005-09-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

Should we not demand that China clean up its civil liberties act before we start selling them our technology? Apparently, that is not a major concern for most American businesses.

Further evidence that the end o/t world is near...

A Good Read (If a bit long)

2005-09-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

Click on the link above for a bit of commentary from the Toronto Globe and Mail.

Welcome to September 11, 2005.

I woke up this morning to a power outage. I distinctly remembered paying the electric bill, so I was a bit puzzled as I went about the place flipping light switches to no avail. I wandered down the stairs to my front door - no tag left by PSE - then out back to the meters - all four apartments showed blank. Mmmm. Same with the neighbors.

Clearly the entire city was without power - no doubt due to a terrorist attack!

I called Puget Sound Energy with my cell phone to get the scoop, while scanning with my car radio for any news on the attack. (Who knew there could be so many classical music stations in one city?) A service representative came on line and explained that a wayward balloon from a church festival this morning had broken loose and caused a transformer to short out, leaving over 900 citizens without power. Crews were at work and should have power restored within a few hours.

Indeed, power was restored - along with my internet connection - within the hour. No terrorists bombing Bellingham.

I am almost disappointed, but mostly relieved.

Thanks!

Do I have to say it?

2005-09-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

IMPEACH
BUSH
NOW!

On the other hand...

2005-09-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

I did not mean to imply that New Orleans should not be rebuilt. Sorry if that's what came across.

New Orleans should be rebuilt BETTER than it was.

Start by bulldozing the buildings ruined by water, wind, fire, and toxic mold. Then, make those places that were below sea-level into sanitary landfills - to raise them up to a safe level to avoid such further flooding. THEN rebuild on the site.

No more shanty-towns, people. No more substandard housing for the poor. Build low-income housing that is up to code and fit for people to live in.

oh, and strong enough to survive a hurricane, if you please.

Between blows...

2005-09-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Katrina was the worst hurricane to hit NOLA in a very long time. So far.

I've been saying for years that the overall effect of global warning will be to make our weather more energetic - particularly hurricanes, which are essentially heat-driven.

The hurricane season is not over for this year. And what about the next?

New Orleans was a very pretty little city. It will take a lot of money to rebuild it. Even more the next time. And the next.

At what point do you give up and move the tourist traps to Baton Rouge (which is French for red stick)?

Gas Attack

2005-08-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the price of gasoline lately? I know where you can buy whole milk for less than that. Now I just need to find a car that will run on milk.

Supply and Demand, people. Because there are so freaking many of you driving V-8 SUVs and beefy pickup trucks, the demand is higher than ever, and the price goes up.

I can also blame the airline industry, or the trucks that carry our goods on the freeway, or even the freight trains that move cargo across the country. But, honestly, there are a lot more of us than there are of them.

Fine. Drive what you like. Just stop bitching about the price of gas as long as you insist on driving a vehicle that gets less than 30 miles a gallon - and driving it more than 10 miles an hour over the speed limit - driving slower also saves gas.

Me? I'm buying a Honda Civic. And I drive like an old lady.

Because I care.

Freedom?

2005-07-23T00:54:00.000-07:00

Let me throw some quotes out there:

You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free.
-- Clarence Darrow

When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered.
-- Dorothy Thompson

We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
-- Edward R. Murrow

The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.
-- H. L. Mencken

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free.
-- Goethe

The point I am making is this: We in the USA are a people with a strong belief in the fact that we are free, and a strong sense of national pride in being more free than any other on earth. I believe that the freedom we are so proud of no longer exists - we gave it away over the course of many years, a little at a time, until it is now only a ghost, an illusion, a memory of glories long past and become dust.

There is no doubt that we are powerful and rich. But the appellation of "free" is no longer accurately applicable to a citizen of the United States of America, unless banks start giving them away with new checking accounts like toasters.

That's just my opinion, which I think I still have the freedom to express. For now.

Too long without posting

2005-07-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

Life has been relatively good to me lately, so I have not felt the need to vent, which is, after all, the point of this blog. I shall try to find more to be gloomy about and post more regularly in the future.

In the meantime, here is an essay written by my daughter for a school project:

Does the Media Have a Liberal Bias?

Does the mainstream media have a liberal bias? Like Al Franken said “On a couple things, maybe.” Occasionally a news station will take a different side on an issue or try to be fair or truthful on an issue. Which might make some conservatives distrustful because they are not showing the side they wish to see. And it’s usually the conservatives that are doing the accusing. Most of time you could rarely consider news media liberal.
A lot of issues come into hand with what the media covers and why. Advertising, the news media company holders, and what’s marketable are some of the main things they have to keep in mind. Advertisers and the men who own the media are conservative. And those are two sets of people you don’t want unhappy with you. Truthful or not, you still need to be able to pay your bills.
And then there are the American people. If they are unhappy everyone else is going to be unhappy. And as last election showed, the majority of people tend to be conservative. So if CNN had someone come on to talk about the revolutionary technology seen in sex toys today, they would have a lot of upset people calling in. And not because they’re favorite toy wasn’t mentioned.
So yes, I would have to say that the media is conservative rather than liberal because it’s safer. Liberals encourage change, and change is scary and unsafe. The conservatives have a system set up for success. Their uncontroversial way is profitable and keeps most of America happy. So like the saying goes “don’t rock the boat”.

Rich People Suck

2005-03-14T15:58:00.000-08:00

I will never be a rich man.

That may appear to be sour grapes, but it is a statement of fact nonetheless.

I cannot imagine having so much money that I am unable to give most of it away to those who need it more than I. That is not really an issue at the present time, since I am among lower 10% of the economic biomass of the USA. But, if that situation ever changes, however far-fetched that may seem today, I am confident that it will not last very long. I am morally incapable of retaining wealth in the presence of poverty.

It is a sad fact that not everyone feels that way.

Greed is not a word you hear very much anymore. At least not in negative terms. Amercians seem to be proud of their greed, as though it were a right granted by the constitution.

It no longer surprises me that the rest of the world hates us.

I feel like the protagonist in Falling Down, when he finds himself in the sights of a retiring police detective, and he looks around and realizes that he is not the righteous innocent victim of society that he always thought he was. "I'm the bad guy..."

We are the bad guys, people. All of us. Everyone who supports the "American Dream" in all its gas-guzzling, SUV-driving, chain-smoking, cheeseburger-munching, Nike-wearing, two-car-garage-ranch-style ultra-consumer glory.

WE are destroying the rain forests and the ozone layer.

WE are killing off more species than the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs.

WE are responsible for the famines and plagues - the deaths of millions of innocent people.

Why is it our fault? Because we have the power to do something to stop it, and we don't.

Your black hats are on order.

Myself, I'm thinking about moving to Canada...

Diamonds are NOT forever!

2005-01-26T08:15:00.000-08:00

Diamonds are very hard, but they are not immune to harm.

Diamonds are carbon. They burn at 1560 degrees F. The solder holding it on the ring melts at a higher temperature than that, which is why jewelers coat a diamond with boric acid to protect it when they mount it on a piece of jewelry. The boric acid seals the diamond from the air, so it can get hot without burning. Then, after the diamond has cooled so it doesn't shatter when they put water on it, they just wash the boric acid off.

Next time someone tells you that "Diamonds Are Forever", tell him

NOTHING

LASTS

FOREVER!

Buh-bye 2004

2004-12-31T01:13:00.000-08:00

This was not the best of years.

It was not a particularly good year for Democrats, members of our armed forces, or poor people everywhere.

It was an especially bad year for people living along the coastal regions of the Eastern Indian Ocean.

Members of the Republican party did rather well for themselves, and the wealthiest 10% of the world's people generally became richer, even as the rest of us became poorer. If you were fortunate enough to be a Republican AND rich, you probably think 2004 was a pretty good year - assuming you managed to avoid buying that waterfront timeshare in Sumatra.

I like to think that 2005 will be better. It probably won't - in fact it could well be worse. Global Warming is going to be demonstrating itself to us in new and interesting ways, I'm sure. But more immediate is the problem that most of the people on Earth think that we, in the United States of America, are EVIL!

I want to assure you all that we are not EVIL. At least not all of us. Okay, some of us are greedy, selfish bastards who drive SUVs, drink lattes and send our kids to private schools while we cheat on our taxes and oppress minorities with undisguised glee. But not all of us are like that.

At least I'm not. So, don't blow me up.

Please.

Thanks...

Between Holidays

2004-12-28T19:40:00.000-08:00

After Christmas & before New Year's Day is one of the most depressing weeks of the year. People yell at each other more. More divorces start. More people commit suicide, or homocide.

Think about it: You've just spent a pile of money on cool stuff for other people, and received, in return, stuff they obviously thought was something you might like but actually wish you could take back so you could have some money for yourself.

And then you have to wait a week before you can get drunk enough to get over it.

I think people should spend this week getting drunk, then spending New Year's sobering up. That way you can look at the past year with a clear head, and plan your revenge for the year to come...

Last Daze

2004-11-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

"It's the end of the world as we know it..." - R.E.M.

What.

Were you looking for something meaningful? Did you have some kind of expectation that life was going to be fair?

It's not.

The bad guys win. A lot. Most of the time, even. And when they die, their minions carry on their unholy work.

And there is no shortage of more bad guys.

The reason for this, is that greed is a survival characteristic. Those who collect the most stuff (and keep anyone else from getting any of it) can pass their genes on to more offspring, as well as their stuff when they die. Thus the cycle of greed continues.

Greed has universal appeal. Everyone can see the benefits of greed. Recruiting minions is not a big deal. Bad guys rarely need to advertise

When good guys die, more people show up at the funeral, and everyone cries. But the funeral is much more modest, the casket isn't solid gold, and no one has the balls to carry on their holy work in their stead. Good guys have no minions because they do the work that no one else wants to do, and they prefer to do it themselves. That's why they are good guys.

If you think this is a recruiting ad for more good guys, you're wrong.

I wish I was a bad guy. The pay is awesome. They get laid all the fucking time. And everyone wants to be like them, or at least have their stuff.

But I can't. I'm a good guy. I do the work nobody else wants to do, and I do it alone because I can't ask anyone to make the sacrifices I have to make to do the work that needs to be done.

The work sucks. Thankless doesn't even begin to describe it. It also doesn't pay very well. And you have to take a lot of showers just to feel clean again.

Do I sleep well? Sometimes. Most of the time I lie awake wondering if I'm doing enough. The answer is no, of course, because there is always more to do than one man can ever do in a lifetime.

But, sometimes, the bad guys don't win. When the bad guys don't win, everyone else wins. They aren't usually aware of it, but they do.

And when that happens, I sleep fine.

Thanks.

End o/t World

The Market

Occupy

Judgement

Amazing

Death of a Terrorist

Well, It's About Time!

Hottest

Culture Shock

Remember

Made in China

Alone?

End of an error, indeed

I Can Haz Moar Guns?

Gratz

Of Course I'm Voting

DON'T VOTE!

Oil Strip

Paying for it

Don't be fueled...

Happy 232nd Birthday, USA!

Doomed, I say!

Burning the Future

The Price of Rice

Mass Graves of Canadian Children

War on the Installment Plan

Bio-Fuel FTL

Conspiracy Overload

Roy Zimmerman

That's a Budget?

Moral High Ground

Some Quotes

“The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it.” - Edward Dowling.

“Our government teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.” - Louis Brandeis.

“Where some people are very wealthy and others have nothing, the result will be either extreme democracy or absolute oligarchy, or despotism will come from either of those excesses.” - Aristotle.

“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group,” - Franklin D. Roosevelt.

“Information is the currency of democracy.” - Thomas Jefferson.

“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” - John F. Kennedy.

“A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy” - Theodore Roosevelt.

“Democracy means the organization of society for the benefit and at the expense of everybody indiscriminately and not for the benefit of a privileged class.” - George Bernard Shaw.

“Democracy! Bah! When I hear that I reach for my feather Boa!” - Allen Ginsberg.

Blame Peak Oil

The Immigration Issue

Happy Holidays!

Pink song

Adding injury to insult

NEXT

Remember

Got Gas? (Part 2)

Civilized Behavior 101

Worst. President. Ever.

The Earth is Not Enough

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See!

Political Update

Chimera's Cavern: Deadly Sincerity

Too much trouble...

Al-Qaida in Iraq?

Its a Disaster!

Got gas?

Under Siege

The Gun Control Issue

Legacy of War

Enjoy the Season

San Francisco Treat

Over-reaction

End of the World (The Flash Movie)

Going Commercial

Weather or not...

Democrats in Congress

Election Day is coming...

The State of Marriage

Power Corrupts

Poverty and Depression

Congratulations!

Would You Send Your Mom To Jail To Make Money?

A Good Read (If a bit long)

Do I have to say it?

On the other hand...

Between blows...

Gas Attack