Sunday, July 1, 2007
Bill of No Rights
This counter argument to the ever creeping liberalism and ever growing list of so called "rights" was spot on when I first read it in the mid-90s and still nails it on the head today. The only "real" right this country gives you is the right to fail. You win or loose on your own in this country. That is the price of personal responsibility. The ability to make right and wrong decisions.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Well now, this is cool
Picture of the International Space Station and shuttle taken by high school astronomers.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Senate Blocks Immigration Bill
Update (6/29/07): Let us NOT forget who voted for this trash! This includes both Martinez (R) and Nelson (D) of Florida! Remember this when it is voting time at home!
Amnesty is dead for now? One can only hope.
Again, this was a poorly written bill that did nothing to actually fix the problem of countless numbers of illegal aliens coming into and staying in America.
Amnesty is dead for now? One can only hope.
Again, this was a poorly written bill that did nothing to actually fix the problem of countless numbers of illegal aliens coming into and staying in America.
Free speech update
FREE SPEECH UPDATE:
Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin got his long overdue comeuppance in the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. The court ruled the senator is not above criticism before an election, no matter what law Feingold may author.
And three justices even reminded him that Wisconsin is not Morocco. . . . A key provision of this "reform" is a restriction on political ads just before an election.
Oh, not on the ads of the politicians. Senators can run all the TV ads their fat-cat supporters are willing to buy.
No, the politicians restricted what ads the citizenry may run on TV before an election.
This "campaign reform" is like a drunk "curing" his alcoholism by telling his wife she cannot imbibe.
I hope that there's a lot of publicity in this vein, as I fear we're about to see another bipartisan effort by the inhabitants of Incumbistan to shut down criticism.
Glenn Reynolds is so right. This needs to get a lot of publicity (but sadly, most likely will not). This is just more of the "do as I say and not as I do" mentality that is so prevalent in DC today.
Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin got his long overdue comeuppance in the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. The court ruled the senator is not above criticism before an election, no matter what law Feingold may author.
And three justices even reminded him that Wisconsin is not Morocco. . . . A key provision of this "reform" is a restriction on political ads just before an election.
Oh, not on the ads of the politicians. Senators can run all the TV ads their fat-cat supporters are willing to buy.
No, the politicians restricted what ads the citizenry may run on TV before an election.
This "campaign reform" is like a drunk "curing" his alcoholism by telling his wife she cannot imbibe.
I hope that there's a lot of publicity in this vein, as I fear we're about to see another bipartisan effort by the inhabitants of Incumbistan to shut down criticism.
Glenn Reynolds is so right. This needs to get a lot of publicity (but sadly, most likely will not). This is just more of the "do as I say and not as I do" mentality that is so prevalent in DC today.
Orlando Centennial sure has their priorities in order...
Update (6/29/07): The Centennial ran yet another front page, above the fold story on Disney today. This one to talk about how the 4 teens that were "banned for life" from Disney really are not anymore. They did run a post immigration bill story that was actually on the front page too but this ran below the fold and was a column wide. Great priorities! A week old Disney story still front and center and the defeat of a poorly conceived and written bill gets below the fold mention.
I noticed the front page of the Orlando Centennial today and they were running yet another story on Disney and the Disney crack down on disruptive behavior. This headline was concerning if the new crackdown unfairly targeted black teens. This is the second or third front page article I have seen this week on this topic. I wish the paper had put this much effort into fairly covering the immigration bill working its way through congress as they have to this story. That would have been an important use of the paper, doing in-depth analysis of BOTH the pros and cons of this legislation that though is a national bill, will have local ramifications for generations to come. But no, that would be asking too much of the MSM. They would rather show flattering pictures of poor “undocumented” workers marching to protect “their” rights instead of highlighting the facts around illegal immigration and the costs both to our society and economy.
Yet another reason I prefer the web for any real news on important stories.
I noticed the front page of the Orlando Centennial today and they were running yet another story on Disney and the Disney crack down on disruptive behavior. This headline was concerning if the new crackdown unfairly targeted black teens. This is the second or third front page article I have seen this week on this topic. I wish the paper had put this much effort into fairly covering the immigration bill working its way through congress as they have to this story. That would have been an important use of the paper, doing in-depth analysis of BOTH the pros and cons of this legislation that though is a national bill, will have local ramifications for generations to come. But no, that would be asking too much of the MSM. They would rather show flattering pictures of poor “undocumented” workers marching to protect “their” rights instead of highlighting the facts around illegal immigration and the costs both to our society and economy.
Yet another reason I prefer the web for any real news on important stories.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sad, just sad (via Instapundit)
RAMMING THE IMMIGRATION BILL THROUGH FASTER THAN ADVERTISED?
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may be using an 'unprecedented combination of legislative procedures' to push through the controversial Kennedy Immigration Bill - today!"
He couldn't do that if the Republican leadership was determined to stop him. But it's not.
He is so right. The republican leadership has let down their base yet again. Just how long do they think they can do this and not face any consequences? Most likely up until the next election.
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may be using an 'unprecedented combination of legislative procedures' to push through the controversial Kennedy Immigration Bill - today!"
He couldn't do that if the Republican leadership was determined to stop him. But it's not.
He is so right. The republican leadership has let down their base yet again. Just how long do they think they can do this and not face any consequences? Most likely up until the next election.
Immigration bill news here
It looks like the closure vote passed. I can not figure out what congress is thinking on this one. It is a bad bill done poorly. It is NOT good for America or Americans. It is too light on screening and enforcement and makes a mockery of existing laws and safeguards. There is nothing in this bill to "solve" our immigration ills and does nothing to prevent us from having to go through this all again in another dozen years. This is already a repeat of the late 80s.
iPhone service plan details
The phone looks cool but I have heard that the hype exceeds what is delivered. I hope that is wrong. It looks to have a lot of nice functionality, integrated well. Is it a full featured PDA though? I have a Palm phone now and was considering a MS Mobile 5 as an upgrade. Is the iPhone good enough to stand in for Mobile 5?
Monday, June 25, 2007
A wooden mirror
This is very interesting. It would be even more so to see if this could be done with smaller, multi-faced wooden tiles where the extra faces are progressively darker. This would improve both the density and registration of the resulting image. In affect improving both the fineness of the image and the number of gray (or brown) shades in the resulting image.
Enough already...
I do not understand what Kennedy and Pres. Bush are thinking here. A majority of the public want our current immigration laws enforced. We want our borders protected and we want the pandering to illegal aliens to stop and THEY JUST DON'T GET IT!
Have you called congress to tell them enough? I have.
Have you called congress to tell them enough? I have.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Well, don't that beat all!
I am shocked, shocked I tell you to learn that this sort of thing goes on, in this country!
Watch the entire video and remember it the next time you hear about the shortage of qualified US workers.
Watch the entire video and remember it the next time you hear about the shortage of qualified US workers.
Guantánamo, the worst place on earth
Well, except for some other places.
The Center for Constitutional Rights in New York identified one of the Tunisians as detainee Abdullah bin Omar, 51, and said his return "put him at grave risk for torture and abuse." . . .
Human Rights Watch also raised concerns.
"Most of the detainees desperately want to go home. But there are a small number who are at such grave risk of torture that they would rather stay in Guantánamo," said Jennifer Daskal, advocacy director in Washington. . . .
She urged the Pentagon to establish a ``transparent process for this small set of detainees to raise fears of torture and have their claims evaluated, before the U.S. government sends people back to a fate worse than Guantánamo.''
I thought Guantánamo was the worst place on earth anyone could possibly be sent to and that the U.S. was cruel and inhuman for keeping these poor, poorenemy combatants people there against their will? So, as they are processed and determined to not be a threat or are no longer a threat, they are returned to their countries of origin. Now the government is evil to keep them and evil to return them. I guess these human rights groups will not be satisfied until all of the detainees are given beach side condos in Miami for the trials and tribulations that they have been put through. We should just ignore the fact that these "detainees" are being detained in the first place because they were CAPTURED either actively attacking US forces or were actively supporting those who were attacking US forces and that they have been given far more rights than is required by the Geneva convention and that the Geneva convention does NOT even apply to them because they are not an "enemy state" but are in fact terrorists that honor no rules of war. But let us not let that get in the way of our feelings for these poor peoples.
The Center for Constitutional Rights in New York identified one of the Tunisians as detainee Abdullah bin Omar, 51, and said his return "put him at grave risk for torture and abuse." . . .
Human Rights Watch also raised concerns.
"Most of the detainees desperately want to go home. But there are a small number who are at such grave risk of torture that they would rather stay in Guantánamo," said Jennifer Daskal, advocacy director in Washington. . . .
She urged the Pentagon to establish a ``transparent process for this small set of detainees to raise fears of torture and have their claims evaluated, before the U.S. government sends people back to a fate worse than Guantánamo.''
I thought Guantánamo was the worst place on earth anyone could possibly be sent to and that the U.S. was cruel and inhuman for keeping these poor, poor
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Seen on a man's tee-shirt in Orlando
If a man says something
and a woman isn't there,
is he still wrong?
Monday, June 18, 2007
Air lighter than lead and other obvious news...
It took the BBC a year long investigation to discover what the average person could have uncovered in just 4 hours of random viewing. I don't know which is the more curious, that they took a year to complete their report or that they actually did find bias? Media organizations are notorious for having a self blind-spot.
Sauce For the Gander
Makes a lot of sense to me too.
Would not hurt for all "celebrity greens" to follow this too. If it is good enough for the masses, it should be good enough for them (how about it Al?).
Would not hurt for all "celebrity greens" to follow this too. If it is good enough for the masses, it should be good enough for them (how about it Al?).
Friday, June 15, 2007
Post travel thoughts
I was traveling on business last week and as will happen on trips with lots of airline time, I ran out of things to read. You can only look through the SkyMall magazine so many times. A prior passenger had left a Harpers magazine in the seatback next to mine and so I flipped through it to help pass the time.
I stopped in the letters section and came across what is becoming a common reader comment in many newspapers and magazines. The gist of the comment was that people need to stop paying attention to the main stream media because they are all just parroting the administration on every issue. Let that digest for a bit. This person and he (or she) is by no means alone, thinks that the media in this country is bought and paid for by the Bush Whitehouse.
It takes a special kind of person to hold such a thought. That ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, AP, etc. all get their economic, civic and war reporting notes straight from Washington. The sort of person that can watch the nightly news or read a newspaper and make that sort of statement with earnest should not be allowed to operate motor vehicles. To be able to sit through endless “America is loosing the war” stories, the media reporting of the Plame debacle and all of the “Al Gore says the world is ending” stories and claim that the main media outlets are getting their talking points and stories straight from G. W. Bush is to admit to a level of self delusion that precludes one from operating anything mechanical.
If you happen to come across one of these folks and take the time to actually engage them in debate on this subject by asking for proof of this grand conspiracy, you will usually be told “Well look at FOX, everyone knows they are just reporting what the government wants them to.” I have heard this rebuttal often but have yet to receive more than that general comment. No proof of bias can be found but lets’ not let that stand in the way of our “feelings”. This is usually my cue that this person is a lost cause. To view FOX news, which has the most balanced reporting and highest track record for standards and integrity, as bias shows just how lost the commenter truly is. They have been listening to liberal bias for so long that “fair and balanced” now sounds like right-wing propaganda. You will not be able to have any sort of meaningful debate or discussion. You should just save your breath and move on.
I stopped in the letters section and came across what is becoming a common reader comment in many newspapers and magazines. The gist of the comment was that people need to stop paying attention to the main stream media because they are all just parroting the administration on every issue. Let that digest for a bit. This person and he (or she) is by no means alone, thinks that the media in this country is bought and paid for by the Bush Whitehouse.
It takes a special kind of person to hold such a thought. That ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, AP, etc. all get their economic, civic and war reporting notes straight from Washington. The sort of person that can watch the nightly news or read a newspaper and make that sort of statement with earnest should not be allowed to operate motor vehicles. To be able to sit through endless “America is loosing the war” stories, the media reporting of the Plame debacle and all of the “Al Gore says the world is ending” stories and claim that the main media outlets are getting their talking points and stories straight from G. W. Bush is to admit to a level of self delusion that precludes one from operating anything mechanical.
If you happen to come across one of these folks and take the time to actually engage them in debate on this subject by asking for proof of this grand conspiracy, you will usually be told “Well look at FOX, everyone knows they are just reporting what the government wants them to.” I have heard this rebuttal often but have yet to receive more than that general comment. No proof of bias can be found but lets’ not let that stand in the way of our “feelings”. This is usually my cue that this person is a lost cause. To view FOX news, which has the most balanced reporting and highest track record for standards and integrity, as bias shows just how lost the commenter truly is. They have been listening to liberal bias for so long that “fair and balanced” now sounds like right-wing propaganda. You will not be able to have any sort of meaningful debate or discussion. You should just save your breath and move on.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Powdered Alcohol
You may have already seen this, powdered alcohol. What will they think of next? I remember seeing the "solid" alcohol in the last Alien movie, the commander puts a solid cube in a class and places it under a dispenser, a "beam" hits it and turns it back into a liquid. This is in that ballpark.
Of course, since it is not a liquid, it appears that kids can order it over the Internet and it is not illegal. Go figure, once more technology has out-paced the law.
You can read more here and here. Am a little surprised I did not see a link from Slashdot.
Of course, since it is not a liquid, it appears that kids can order it over the Internet and it is not illegal. Go figure, once more technology has out-paced the law.
You can read more here and here. Am a little surprised I did not see a link from Slashdot.
John Stossel, telling it like it is
I wish more people understood economics better, especially reporters. It might just stop them from asking so many stupid questions and help them better question stupid statements and laws that affect the economy.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
Something else you might not see on the nightly news
Female pershmerga, the Kurdish security force, show off some moves during a hand-over ceremony from US forces to the Kurdish regional government in the northern city of Arbil. Reponsibility for security in Iraq's three northern provinces -- Sulaimaniyah, Arbil and Dohuk -- was given to the Kurdish regional government today.(AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye)
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Cool stuff
I thought that this article and related links with video on movable buildings was pretty cool and then I ran into this, a razor thin bendable TV. Now that has a lot of possibilities. TVs and computers that roll up into little tubes a-la the movie Red Planet where they used a flexible computer/communicator/navigation system that was way cool. Looks like it should be just around the corner now.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
There is nothing quite like a well executed smack down...
John Edwards is like most "modern" politicians in that he still thinks the MSM is the only ones who can fact check and can do research. As he is a Democrat, he knows they will give him a pass so what is there to worry about? The only other explanation is that he is so dimwitted that he actually does not remember what he has said in the past and so he sees no contradiction in what he is saying now.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
La Shawn Barber, "Speak no Truth", go read...
Over the years, truth telling has become something "polite" people don't do in public. By way of example, Klavan begins:
The thing I like best about being a conservative is that I don't have to lie. I don't have to pretend that men and women are the same. I don't have to declare that failed or oppressive cultures are as good as mine. I don't have to say that everyone's special or that the rich cause poverty or that all religions are a path to God. I don't have to claim that a bad writer like Alice Walker is a good one or that a good writer like Toni Morrison is a great one. I don't have to pretend that Islam means peace.
The thing I like best about being a conservative is that I don't have to lie. I don't have to pretend that men and women are the same. I don't have to declare that failed or oppressive cultures are as good as mine. I don't have to say that everyone's special or that the rich cause poverty or that all religions are a path to God. I don't have to claim that a bad writer like Alice Walker is a good one or that a good writer like Toni Morrison is a great one. I don't have to pretend that Islam means peace.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Where have all the fact checkers gone?
The following was "swiped" from OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today - April 26, 2007. The heading is "Big Lie" and includes current references by Reuters, MSNBC and the New York Times to the "lie" that Iraq tried to get Uranium from Niger.
As has been pointed out, discussed and documented on this blog and elsewhere like here, President Bush did not lie. A lie is more like "I did not have sex with that woman". In the case of President Bush, there was more than enough "creditable" evidence to support his statements. Unlike in the case of former President Clinton where the "dress" was more than enough "creditable" evidence to prove just the opposite.
How long exactly is it going to take the MSM to get off of their lie and report the truth? Do any of them have any fact checkers on staff anymore or are they all so blinded by partisan politics that they no longer recognize facts?
As has been pointed out, discussed and documented on this blog and elsewhere like here, President Bush did not lie. A lie is more like "I did not have sex with that woman". In the case of President Bush, there was more than enough "creditable" evidence to support his statements. Unlike in the case of former President Clinton where the "dress" was more than enough "creditable" evidence to prove just the opposite.
How long exactly is it going to take the MSM to get off of their lie and report the truth? Do any of them have any fact checkers on staff anymore or are they all so blinded by partisan politics that they no longer recognize facts?
More unbiased(?) news
Yep, that sounds about right, most in the press seem to think "let us ban together to change the world for the better since the common man just does not know what is good for them". They have long since given up on reporting "just the facts". Now even the simplest, most straight forward (usually incomplete) "story" includes commentary and bias.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
More stupidity from the network nightly news
ABC did another story on the “wage gap” tonight. I know, I don’t watch the news but my wife does and I did not have much choice but to sit through it tonight. The stupid report of the night was that some organization is now reporting the women continue to make less than men because of discrimination. The report “said” that but of coarse it did not offer any proof. Instead the report stated that having a child costs a woman about 7% in salary, per child. The report also claimed that part of the reason that women right out of collage do not earn as much money as men in the same situation is due to women not negotiating whereas men often do.
I do not understand how either of these items are based on discrimination nor do I understand how, if a company really can hire a woman for 8% of what they have to pay a man for the same work, why any businesses would hire men at all? A company could immediately cut 8 or more percent from their payroll, reducing their operating expenses and be able to reduce their prices and increasing their market share. If this were true, you would see businesses doing it. Even women owned businesses are not primarily to fully women staffed. Why, if everything else is equal but the pay is less for women? It just does not make any sense to say women make less due to discrimination.
I guess it is my own fault, expecting the nightly news to bother trying to make sense.
I do not understand how either of these items are based on discrimination nor do I understand how, if a company really can hire a woman for 8% of what they have to pay a man for the same work, why any businesses would hire men at all? A company could immediately cut 8 or more percent from their payroll, reducing their operating expenses and be able to reduce their prices and increasing their market share. If this were true, you would see businesses doing it. Even women owned businesses are not primarily to fully women staffed. Why, if everything else is equal but the pay is less for women? It just does not make any sense to say women make less due to discrimination.
I guess it is my own fault, expecting the nightly news to bother trying to make sense.
Monday, April 23, 2007
An Inconvenient Truth...or Convenient Fiction
An Inconvenient Truth...or Convenient Fiction: Sorting Out Sense from Nonsense on Global Warming
Give it a look. It runs about an hour and twenty minutes long but is worth the watch. The Q&A portion starts after the first 55 minutes. Some key points are 16 minutes in and again at 53 1/2 minutes in.
Give it a look. It runs about an hour and twenty minutes long but is worth the watch. The Q&A portion starts after the first 55 minutes. Some key points are 16 minutes in and again at 53 1/2 minutes in.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Whittle is Wild!
He hits it out of the park again! Bill Whittle, bringing sanity to an insane world.
Penn & Teller Expose the Fallacy of Gun Control
Try to watch the whole thing but if you are short on time, a good segment occurs 19 minutes into this video and runs for almost 2 minutes.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
U.N. goes out of way to prove own irrelevance
This body politic seams to be on a quest to see just how irrelevant and ineffectual it can be before it implodes. Even looking at just recent history with the food for oil scandal, the peace keepers sex scandal and now this. Why the US still supports this organization is quite the puzzler.
How much of an adult are you?
What was your score?
All politicians should be made to take this test and score at least 85% (if not 100%) across the board before taking office...
All politicians should be made to take this test and score at least 85% (if not 100%) across the board before taking office...
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
ABC News Wants Your Self-Defense Story
One hopes that this is on the up-and-up but knowing ABC and their track record for "fair and balanced" coverage I can not help but suspect of their motives and think that this is a setup for a hatchet job on gun owners.
Friday, April 6, 2007
HEH, he said "Dem Cong"
Which raises an important question. If it’s wrong for the president to fire political appointees over their politics, doesn’t that make it wrong for senators to oppose political appointees over theirs?
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