AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 11:08 PM ----- BODY:

I am the king!



I'm a Lion!

For you, simplicity is the name of the game -

even your fur is uncomplicated. You're always looking for

an opportunity to relax, and you shy away from anything

that seems to be more than you can handle. Still, you can

really do whatever you want... After all, you're a lion!

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:57 PM ----- BODY:

WikiWikiWeb



Found this while doing pointless google searching. Very interesting and strange. It reminds of the weird things you'd find on the web back in '96.

Does anyone remember Death Patrol? -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 11:23 PM ----- BODY:

Al Quada



Well, the foundation is laid and the loan approved. Guess there's no turning back.



That's Sabrina, pointing at the baby. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 10:46 PM ----- BODY:

Everytime I try to get out, they pull me back in...



I left Cali because the idiots were driving the place into the ground. The nice thing about a federalist system is if the going gets tough, you can move accross the street. But now it seems like all the cool things about AZ that attracted me are being thrown out the window in an attempt to become "Eastern California".

Case in point: Unity a key to smoking laws . Seems Tempe has lost over 20% of their tax from Taverns. Hmmmm....of course, there are other issues, like a declining economy and...ummm....the economy is bad. Anyway, no one really knows why, but they do know that they need to pass a valley wide smoking ban to "keep cutthroat competition to a minimum". God forbid that customers are given the experience they want when they go out to spend money. I mean "if, for example, Peoria were to go solo and ban smoking in eateries and bars, there'd be an exodus of smokers to Glendale facilities. Business would be hurt. The tax base would be hurt. And Peoria services could be affected."

Except, of course, for Glendale facilities that let the customer and the business owner work out arrangements for themselves. Those people will prosper.

I've always held that if there was a real desire for non-smoking bars, bars that banned smoking would pop up, sans silly laws. Despite those silly laws, there will continue to be bars that dismiss the law and will continue to allow smoking anyway to keep their patrons happy, like a good business should.

When cigatettes are outlawed, only outlaws will smoke. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 7:05 PM ----- BODY:

Arrrgh!



Well, what a week. Planned a vacation, but had to cancel because I finally got a job. And then we went out and bought a house. Or, to be more precise, a plot of land for the house, which should arrive piece by piece over the next five months.






Boy am I glad I left San Francisco. Never coulda pull this off there. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 4:56 PM ----- BODY:

How did I spend the 1 year anniversary?



Today, for the first time, I heard the heartbeat of my unborn child. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 1:09 AM ----- BODY:

Cool Article



But I'd like to learn more about Jans:




The first person ever to receive this bill was Patient Alpha. His given name is Jens — pronounced "Yens." Twenty-two years ago, at age 17, while nailing down railroad ties, an errant splinter took his left eye. Then, three years later, this time fixing a snowmobile, a shiv of clutch metal broke free and took out his right.

He lives in rural Canada, where the winters are brutal. He makes his living by selling firewood. Working alone, he splits logs with the largest chain saw currently available on the market. During the high season, he'll manhandle 12,000 pounds of wood in a day. He helped his wife deliver six of his eight children at home, without a physician or midwife. Jens dismisses the whole hospital birthing process as rapacious big business.

Starting from scratch and without the aid of sight, Jens designed and built a solar- and wind-powered house and pulled his family off the grid. In his spare hours, he programs computers, tunes pianos, and gives the occasional concert. For a blind man to give a classical recital requires memorizing whole scores — a process that can take nearly five years. To cover his surgery, Jens gave quite a few recitals.

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 4:16 AM ----- BODY:

Government



Amygdala has a short, glib post on those who think "Government Can Do No Good".




I know I have readers who believe that, but they're wrong, and even the idea that Government Is Least Able To Help is something I strongly argue against. Which is, wackily, as every sensible person knows, not the same as arguing that Government Is Always The Solution, or Government Is The First Answer.



This is the "rubber, meet pavement" quote that neatly describes what everyone who has a political discussion is really trying to get at the meat of.

Me, I'm not necessarily against government, I just know that for most jobs large entities don't cut it. I think a really smart individual will solve just about any problem, anytime. The issue with "government as we know it" is that they don't typically hire "smart indiviuduals", and don't provide an easy mechanism for getting rif of folks who don't fit that mold (e.g. Norm Mineta).

More thoughts later...need sleep. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 1:52 AM ----- BODY:

Why didn't they think of that before



That's what my wife asked aloud when we saw the commercial for the new Dutch Boy Twist n' Pour Paint Cans the other day on TV.

I thought about it a second and figured they would have to re-tool they're entire process...every aspect of their process would have to be re-engineered. I figure it was an idea someone had a while ago, but was shot down because of the costs involved.

But then some market analysis was done and with the emergence of Martha Stewart and other female-centric remodeling-type shows, a new demographic has been born.

It also wouldn't surprise me to find out that Dutch Boy moved facilites overseas and since they were rebuilding anyway, this was a great opportunity to revive a pet idea.

Either way, it's a good thing. The emergence of women as an identifiable demographic whne it comes to DIY painting solutions shows overall equity within society rising (despite what the Women's Studies professors preach) or globalization has allowed for the cost-effective modification of an old process to improve overall effeciency within the home, while providing jobs in developing nations.

Of course, my usual response is "Why didn't you?" ;) -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 8:09 PM ----- BODY:

Roadmap to privitization of Social Security



So a thought occured to me today that Unemployment Insurance would be a nice thing to privatize. Fortunatly, I have the Internet, and was able to research it a little bit too. Once I learned that it is a part of the Social Security machine, the light went on in my head. It's a good first step, becuase it doesn't have the whole "scaring old people" stigma attached to it. Only lazy, good for nothing bums like me would be effected. I'd like tohave the choice, and when I think about how much I've put in over the last decade, versus what I'm getting out of it now, I either wish I had all the money I put it, or that I could have put it toward a nice private system with better premiums and better benefits.

And once that experiment goes through, it takes a bit of the ammo from the anti privatization crowd, I would think.

What I'd really like to know is why initiatives like this aren't the main thrust of the Libertarian Party. Why they keep concentrating on the war on drugs. If they slowly look to bleed the monster, it'll be easier to declaw it on bigger fronts in the long term. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 7:27 PM ----- BODY:

My $.02



Here's my feeling on providing false information to the supermarkets for their discount card programs:

The arrangment is based on providing my household purchasing information for a disounted prince on my purchases. They say the won't provide this information to other organizations (at least, not connected with my household information). If they change their policy at some point, I have little way to ensure after the fact that my information personal information hasn't been released along with my buying habits. I also have no way of ensuring that the law won't shift under my feet at some point, and that a lawyer can subpoena my persoal buying habits at any point in the future.

In theory, the supermarkets are only interested in the "buying habits" of a household in general...not mine specifically. I am willing to providing them with my buying habits, but the only way to truly protect the arrangment and ensure that somewhere don't the line they don't sell me out by shifting their policy is to provide false househodl information.

They still have "household purchasing data", which is still valuable to them and they have paid for rightly.

They just don't know it's mine, and therefore, neither can anyone else.
-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 5:47 PM ----- BODY:

This is Bullshit



Via Rand Simberg, Airlines are cutting back on flights for Sept 11. One excerpt says:


Unease about another terrorist strike is behind the decline in bookings, but so are patriotism and remembrance, according to interviews with consumers, travel agents and industry experts.




Patriotism, eh. Why, just about 10 months ago, flying itself was considered an act of patriotism and a slap in the face to those asshole motherfuckers.

I'm buying a ticket right now. Even if it's just for an hour to play slots in the Las Vegas Airport before coming back home. That's the way I'm going to remember. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 3:36 PM ----- BODY:

It's Official



It turns out I use my cell phone A LOT. I picked it up a few months ago because I was moving to Phoenix, and needed a local number for doing the job hunting thing. I just had to upgrade to the biggest package they offer, because I kept going over my limit.

I hate cell phones. How did this happen? -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 12:05 AM ----- BODY:

Posit



I was thinking at the pool after reading this post over at Ruffini. I wonder if Welfare Reform was mainly a play by the Republicans to limit the population growth, thereby limiting the voter bloc of potential, future Democrats.
-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 4:01 PM ----- BODY:

Gender Studies



How come the Gender Studies section of Amazon Calendars only has items on the topic of women? -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 12:05 AM ----- BODY:

One offs...



ok...been re-reading my last few posts trying to get back into swing againg..so here's where I think things are at:

The stimulus package didn't pass, the dems killed it and are hoping that the war will die down and the economy will stay daow. that's their only hope this election for taking control of congress.

If that pans out they'll be able to attack Bush and anyone who supports him...it's a long shot, but it's all they've got...

if they take control and can bring spend the budget into deficit or shutdown the governement, then a Democrat will have a chance in the '04 election, with the major soundbite being Bush acknowledging the "small" deficit this year, i.e. he's screwed if the economy doesn't recover, and the democrats are going to do everything in their power if they have control of the Congress to make sure this economy doesn't recover to get absolute power by January '05
-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 1:44 PM ----- BODY:

Lack of posting...



well, I suppose the cat should be outta the bag...havn't posted in the last month as I've been busy hanging out and living it up a bit in the real world culminating in getting married on Saturday the 23rd to the lovely Sabrina Ane.



Posting may resume it's previous sporadic schedule or it may not...I dunno... -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:49 PM ----- BODY:

SOTU



overall, I give the address about a 7, as far as these things go. It was skillfully delivered, and hit a lot of points that will resonate with the public. He also quite skillfully put the Democrates on the run...it will probably be about another two months before has to come out swinging too hard. Oh yeah...the stimulyus package still won't get passed.

Anyway, what I'm gonna try to do it go through the transcript with a comb now that it's available...I was driving home during the speech, so I couldn't take notes, but there were enough obvious points to hit on that I think I can do OK...so here goes:

The first one was toward the end:

"My call tonight is for every American to commit at least two years -- 4,000 hours over the rest of your lifetime -- to the service of your neighbors and your nation. "

which was falowed five paragraphs later by:

"No people on Earth yearn to be oppressed, or aspire to servitude..."

Calling us to servitude, and then saying no people on Earth aspire to it...what up with that?

And this, toward the middle:

"When America works, America prospers, so my economic security plan can be summed up in one word: jobs."

OK, but how, precisely, are those jobs to be found...the devil is in the details and this speech was heaviliy lacking in it. Andrew Sullivan has already noted that Bush out-Clintoned Clinton is co-opting the popular agenda of his oppoenents. In the middle of this speech, I felt he out-Clintoned Clinton by throwing too many one line zingers like this...words without substance.

"Good jobs begin with good schools, and here we've made a fine start. "

How's this? Testing? More money for unions? Where are the vouchers?

"I ask Congress to enact new safeguards for 401K and pension plans. "

I've got a great safeguard...tell people not to invest in the company they work for, and absolutly not to invest 100% of their retirement in one stock...there's your safeguard.

"yet as we act to win the war, protect our people, and create jobs in America, we must act, first and foremost, not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans."

great line...this keeps the opposition on the run...and it's almost square in the middle of the speech, there for, not an easy line to rememeber amongst the openers and closers, but an easy sentiment to remember...it will probably be in the back of the publics mind when ever ol' Daschle makes some silly comment over the next week or two.

"A terrorist underworld -- including groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Jaish-i-Mohammed..."

Four out of four terrorist groups agreee: Israel = bad

"But some governments will be timid in the face of terror. And make no mistake about it: If they do not act, America will."

This one should be handed over to Tarantino to rewrite for Sam Jackson.


Anyway, that's about the best I can do write now...I'm sure there will be enough of a buzz in the beltway to provide for large amount of comment over the next few days.




-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:53 PM ----- BODY:

Back to Healthcare



some may remember an article I wrote that turned into a bit of a personal argument. well, now....vindication.

To those who actually listen to what studies have to say comes this.

this gist is that Kaiser (which is payed for by customer dollars, and is the worst healthcare in the US) is actually better and cheaper than UK healthcare which is paid for by everyone regardless of use.

hmmm.....right....fuck y'all
-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 10:34 PM ----- BODY:

Observation...



So I'm at the Oakland Airport and noticing something, despite all the ramped up security. It's just after a Raiders game and the place is packed with LA folks who some up for the game, all decked out in Raiders gear...and so are the airline employees. I can't tell an employee from a passenger...they all blend into a sea of black and silver. This is a great opportunity for a security breach.

Now, I'm not a security expert, but I am capable of a bit of logic...who's fucking bright idea was this?

*sigh*

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:49 PM ----- BODY:

Whacked out hypothesis...



Remember Chandra Levy...young Washington intern? Disappearded before Sept 11, etc.

So, what if she is really a al-Queda spy sent to the capitol to infilitrate and gain as much inside information as possible, and then disappear just before the attacks to maintain her cover?

still needs some plot deveolpment... -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 7:00 PM ----- BODY:

OK...I'll admit it



via Instapundit comes this article

which reminds me of one of my favorite rants...I'm against Drunk Driving laws.

the reason is it's a law based on probabilites, not facts. If you get behind a wheel while drunk, you are more probable to be in an accident. But of course, if you get behind the wheel of a car after having been up for three days, you're also more likely to get into an accident, but there's no law against it. Police don't pull you over and asking if you've been getting enough sleep recently. I, myself, am a much worse driver during my morning commute before my first triple cappochino that I am at 2AM with a couple of pints in me.

this is the same logic that brings us racial profiling, gun registration, and income tax audits....and I'm sure most people are against at least one of those...but, of course, most poeple follow a party line and never develop a moral philosophy of their own, so the contradictions are as obvious.

My solution is to make the symptoms of drunk driving and other impairments carry steeper penalties...swerving in traffic, driving too slow, driving too fast, running stop lights/ signs, etc...this would also take care of driving while under the influence of a cell phone, or a make-up mirror, or even after having been up for three days. And one set of laws could tackle anything new that comes along....no special new law to ban handheld cellphones while driving

make running a stop sign carry a $500 fine and let's see what happens with all the "California Stops"...make exessive swerving carry the same penalty as wreckless endangerment and let's see what happens....as it is now, there are people pulled over for driving the speed limit and going too straight being examined for drunk driving...WHAT!?! I was obeying the rules of the road, and that's fucking probably cause?

anyway...yeah...right...time for another pint -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 1:46 PM ----- BODY:

Birthdays...



well...seems it's that time again for me.

my birthday is always a strange day for me. I try to be very self relflective, using it as a guage and evaluate the last year...how I've done, where I am..all that stuff

this one is an especially heavy one...I've known for a while that I'm going to start on some different life paths for a while, and now I'm forced with the decision of whether it will be this year or not...I feel I've accomplished just about all I can at this stage, so it's either a safe year of stagnation or kick out the jams mother fuckers

BTW...DOW's over 10000 again, with smaller stocks taking a beating today (at least the ones I watch) -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 8:20 PM ----- BODY:

The more things change...



The more they stay the same. Or so it seems if you venture too far into the world of established media. This has been true for a long time, but it's painfully obvious these days. I think I saw over at AndrewSullivan some quotes from Orwell regard a big problem with the established intellectual elite is their dulsional belief that things will always be how they are right now...

what's strange is seeing this compressed down to Internet time where they seem to think everything is going to be like it is during this 5 minutes for the rest of eternity. Today, I'm specifically talking about the market, and people like the ones over at cnn.com, talking about how it was a great rally going over 10000, but alas, we've contracted back and will probably never see it again...at least not for a while because we're in a deep recession...or so they say...today.

Problem is theres at least a bit of a pattern that's been going on over the last month, that overall has been a good thing. It's usually about 2 days of crap follow by 2 days of greatness, with the greatness winning out over the long term. They usually try to correlate it to whatever the report du jour is, but I think they're missing something. Market trading is a different animal these days, driven by millions of online practitioners, as opposed to a few in the know.

That dramatically changes the nature of the beast. So what you have are people reading cnn.com, and when they wring their hand after a rally saying it can't last, they sell off...once the sell off comes, they people who don't read cnn (or don't take it seriously) swoop in to make some purchases on the decline...2 days on/2 days off...with swings from big stocks to small stocks

anyway, just my observations from watching the market instead of the market pundits...

of course, I also didn't expect a rate cut, so perfection isn't my strong suit...

of course, I also think this rate cut is a bad idea, so maybe I should get back to ya on this one in a few months... -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 1:01 AM ----- BODY:

Don't mess with Dust Pipe...


-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 12:56 AM ----- BODY:

Travel...



just tried to book some travel info online. Decided to do some comparison shopping...evereyone but expedia wanted me to create an account....

it's not worth it to me...I know how to make hotel reservations, I know how to buy plane tickets....I really don't feel like filling out personal info just to see what the price du jour is....get a clue travelocity and cheaptickets...there's no money to be made in personal info unless your a doubleclick...

I'm looking for a website that proviides me with info for the best price...if you got it, then I may buy through you...but if it's a big fucking deal just to see the prices you offer, then fuck off...your not providing service, and I know where to go to get it -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:51 PM ----- BODY:

But on an awesome note...



Dust Pipe is number 1 on google for dust pipe

now if I can just get myself back into the top 10 ;) -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:26 PM ----- BODY:

Irony....



ain't it strange how the organization that has most sold my personal info to other organizations is the ACLU?

BTW...yes, mr-t, I know what Source Control is...why? -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:13 PM ----- BODY:

Taliban in our midst...



In the now In Vouge stlye of comparing anyone you don't agree with to the Taliban, I'd like to offer this one. People who open their car doors and slam then into the cars they are parked next to. This is a sneak attack, no credit is claimed, and there is a definate dollar damage to the wounded car(go do a Kelly Blue Book price comparision between a car in Excelent condition versus one in Good condition...one dent is the only difference)

I, myself, received three within the first month of owning my car. My friend, Eric, just got a ghastly one over the weekend. This is bullshit...have some fucking respect, people. Just try to be AWARE of your surroundings, for chrissake. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 5:43 PM ----- BODY:

National Philanthropy Day...



...is today. I made donations to OxFam and FIRE.

How 'bout you? -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 7:38 PM ----- BODY:

Back...



Let's see...I take three weeks to remove myself from general civilization for some R & R and prepare for the new job, only to come back and find that nothing has changed. I don't know why this always upsets me so much...I suppose it's where the idealist in me meets the realist, and they don't like each other very much.

I'm glad to see the good folks still holding their own, even though the media is getting just about everything wrong...I wonder what effect Sept 11 has had on when/where most people get news. I've noticed that most the the blogs are reporting hight activity, and are now starting to create linked netwrosk to each other...this is a good thing, and does make me happy. The more people start fine tuning their news gathering with a lot of independant voices, instead of just using a filter on the AP wire, the better informed opinin is going to be accross the board. I hate normal news channels, so I'm extatic now to have some informed, inteligent op-eds to feed myself with.

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 10:52 PM ----- BODY:

Vacation...



well, I'm off to my vacation. Last day at work was today, now off to the desert for a few weeks. maybe I'll have something important to say when I get back, but probably not.... -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 3:23 PM ----- BODY:

Don't do Shit!



I'm really hoping that the gov doesn't put this "Economic Stimulus Package" through...things are going ok, and it looks like things are going to work out...the market is doing ok, and the supply/demand thresholds are looking like they are about to fall into equilibrium again.

For fuck's sake don't monkey things up with artificial markets... -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 11:30 AM ----- BODY:

Terrorism 101



ok...so a couple of threads come together and it gets me thinking...with undoubtedly another wave of attacks on the horizon, and some bio threats sitting around as well...what would you use as the delivery mechanism?

We're seeing, I think, some proof-of-concpt going on right now...send some contaminated paper to a few targeted locations that if it hits, it will definatly get broadcast out for all to see/hear. There may have been a few other "Love Letters" sent out, each employing different methodologies.

So if we've seen a contaminated paper proof of concept, why not make the true bioattack using contaminated currency? Currency gets moved around a lot, handled by a lot of people, and in theory, richer, softer Americans handle more of it (not counting, say, cashiers or something)...

and, once again, it's using our own symbols of power and success against us...what happens whan Americans are affread to even handle money?


-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 10:20 PM ----- BODY:

Today not so bad...

as I noted before, I though today would be shit...but it wasn't...I got more done, there was no political battles, I had drinks with friends after work, the weather here in the Bay Area was awesome!

next week is the last one at the current gig...guess I'll see how that goes ;) -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:56 PM ----- BODY:

Gotta disagree with Glenn...



The solution to airport security does not lie in the hands of the federal governement, as noted here..

Obviously, Airport security should become more local...let mayors compete for "Safest Airport in America" to try to earn tourist dollars...those the run seemingly "unsafe" airports will lose dollars as no one will fly into nor out of thier city.

some may be lost in the process, but with some competition, in the end, we will probably see some great innovation in how to make an airport safe AND efficient without violating basic civil liberties....

add to that the issue the you'll never know the drill from one airport to the next, that'll keep "would-be's" off guard enough...instead of trying to build a big wall, we should be circling the wagons so that the aggressors will never know where the next shot will come from...

it also provides for one person to be directly accountable if anything like this ever happens again...we havn't heard nearly enough about whomever was in charge of security at Logan...I know it was some FAA flunky who is still is employed at the FAA, just not at Logan...

when things go wrong at the federal level, blame is dispearsed until it disappears...when something goes wrong at a local level, you know exactly who to look to....
-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 12:26 AM ----- BODY:

And I thought McNeeley was a libertarian....




This link is proof positive against the flip floppers who want less government in good times and more in bad times.

Fuck...pick a side and stick with it for christsake!

I give Sun about 3 years before they fall to HP level marketshare...Wintel may be a lion, but at least you know who your getting in bed with....

National ID system my ass! Hey Scott..Java's dead, get over it. (did I mention I'm a Java developer?) -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 10:08 PM ----- BODY:

Today was a good day...



I got most of the errors cleaned up at work, people left me alone, all the cars got out of the left lane on the freeway as I came barreling up on them, the stocks I grabbed two weeks ago shot up, and only six more days left with my current employer...

every once in a while it all comes together....this probably means tomorrow will be shit.... -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 8:20 PM ----- BODY:

Project "Complete"



well...the latest web project is at least complete enough for Prime Time....so This is Dust Pipe

*sigh* wrist is starting to hurt -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 8:15 PM ----- BODY:

"Lifes Lottery"



OK...so I heard this phrase again...it's always set me off a bit whenever I hear it, and it's been on the tip of my mind for a week now....and when I finally heard it it finally dawned on me what's wrong it.

By saying that the station you were born into in completely luck takes away all the work that other people put into life to provide a foundation for your arrival. People build countries and companiesto not only beter their lives but also benefit generations that come after them. Unless, of course, they are only interested in the now and short term benefits. Saying that the end result of that is winning a lottery gives no acknowledgment to everything that made it possible...

People win lotteries by luck and putting very little into it and no one else benefits...people win in life by putting everything they have into it, and the generations that come after benefit from it. -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 7:43 PM ----- BODY:

How to mend a wounded soul....



Start with a fire in the fireplace...add a bottle of Merlot to compliment spegetti w/meat sause and some garlic bread....

Final ingredient: A thunder storm with lightning strikes on the bay and high altitude lightning illuminating the clouds behind the cityscape...

I love lightning...always have...I'm not fixed...but I feel better

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:25 PM ----- BODY:

Nicely Done, Sir



I was actually impressed with Bush's speech. I was actually impressed with his oratory! I was mostly impressed with his speech writter, for the following line:

We have seen their kind before. They're the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions, by abandoning every value except the will to power, they follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way to where it ends in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies.


I'm sorry, but that is a great line! And he actually delivered it well...

Gone were the endless ramblings about our farms, malls, mainstreet america...ad nauseum listing of whatever variations upon whatever group he was speaking to/about. Present was a sense and grasp of the issue, and a somewhat outlined plan about what the next few years are going to entail.

The only thing I don't like the sound of is the "Office of Homeland Security" (how Newspeak is that?) This could be a) a very dangerous thing during wartime, and b) and even more dangerous thing during peacetime. I'm not very comfortable with a *new* governement office from and administration that was going to try to slim down governement. Shouldn't he remove one cabinet position to make room for this one?

*sigh*

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 9:05 PM ----- BODY:

Nonzero



Strangly enough, I'm recommending a good read of Nonzero by Robert Wright, especially Chapter Five ("War: What is it good for?"), to quote a line toward the end of the chapter:

All of this brings us back to Kant's emphasis on "unsocial sociability." The realm of "sociability" -- the geographic scope within which peace reigns -- has grown massive quantities since out hunter-gatherer days. And commensuratly massive quantities of unsociability have been overcome. Yet they are often overcome under the ironic stimulus of higher-order unsociability. To put this dynamic of cultural in the Darwinian language of natual selection: what is "selected for" is larger and larger expanses of non-zero-sumness, but one of the main selectors is the zero-sum dimention of war. In this sense, waging war, in the end, is waging peace.

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 1:00 PM ----- BODY:

Propaganda



so, all this about how these attacks are against our way of life, against libery, freedom, etc...you know, it's just not true...they didn't attack the statue of liberty (massive national sysmbol) and they didn't fly into a crowded stadium during a sporting event (massive body count, total terror)...

no...that makes a good rallying cry to motivate the people, but the issues really is that the attacks are against our military and economic policies abroad...specifically the middle east...and for a few moments, I though that maybe we should take a look and evaluate our position in the world...but you know what? Fuck that! if our policies are pissing off Bin Laden and poeple like him, then we must be doing something right...

if the influx of western culture and ideas is diminishing the capabilites of these regimes to exploit women, ethnic minorites, and dissent...awesome!
if the presence of our military forces keeps them from exterminating Israel and the true followers of Islam that threaten their skewed, misinterpreations...excelent!

let's pump up the volume a few notches...we're on to something, here...
-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 2:38 AM ----- BODY:

Rosh Hashanah



One thing that is passed over a lot...maybe too much...a main factor in the reasons that we were attacked is based upon our involvment/defense of Israel...that pisses some fools off (both here, and abroad)

as we enter this New Year, let's think about the strides we've made in the last 60 years and consider what it's really going to take to continue those strides.... -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 12:53 AM ----- BODY:

We kick ass!



this little blip seems to pass under the radar of everything else going on, the second self-contained artificial heart has been implanted, while the recipient of the first, over two months ago, is doing fine...

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 5:43 PM ----- BODY:

Non-Intrusive, Non-Violent Solutions



so, maybe instead of intrusive searches, background checks, and plastic steak knives, what if every airplane had a canister of general anesthetic tapped into the ventilation system that the pilot could activate at the first sign of trouble?

No one gets hurt, no one has their liberties taken away.
-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 11:13 PM ----- BODY:

Checks and Balances



also, guess I was wrong about the current set of hijackers...guess this one will take a little while to work out and pigeonhole

but it did get me thinking about some of the brilliance of our forefathers. not only did they engineer the checks and balances of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the government, they also successfully separated the state, church, and culture. We don't have a unilateral government, religion, and culture that's one in the same, which makes for a great release valve.

The culture can go in one direction while the religious aspect can go in another, and every once on a while the state steps in and says "no, you can't show tities in a public place" or "no, you can't just go and kill someone becuase they perform abortions". In the end, it creates a great escape valve for the pressures of what is the USA. the culture creates an outlet against the religious and state entities, the religious one put the culture and state in perspecive and try to provide a tenor for how things are discussed, and the state keeps em both in line.

The forefathers did a great job setting up the three branches of governement, and from their writtings, I think they were quite aware of the three branches of society they set upas well. Reminds me of the "Foundation" and "Second Foundation" plots from the Asimov novels.

of course, recently we've been seeing politicians becoming not only more religiously ouspoken, but also trying to participate more activly in the culture (Gore/Bush on SNL, Dole/Spears in Pepsi ads, Ashcroft as AG, Bush @ Bob Jobes)...while this isn't inheirantly bad, it's obvious that we need to make sure that things don't get blurred to much..especially considering current events...afterall, who want's the sitting presidient to be a a member of congress as well as a member of the supreme court at the same time?

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 8:57 PM ----- BODY:

...and Mr. B-2 bomber here is protecting my righteous ass...



I would just like to start a public campaign that if we do go to war, that Samuel L. Jackson is appointed the War Press Secretary, and becomes the official voice of American intent, action, and position in whatever theatre(s) we are involved in

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 8:30 PM ----- BODY:

Purge



OK...so I'm heading out for the weekend and need to do some quick thought dumps

first, I've noticed the "weak" part of "weak Americans" are starting to find their voice, and are speaking out against retaliation...talking about getting to root causes of why and all that...and that's great...I'm all over that, really...but the other side of the coin is that we can in no way allow this attrocity to go unanswered...if we are truly going to war against terrorism, then there is nothing stopping us from adopting a multi-pronged attack...culturally (ship over Salinger, Spears, and MTV like it's going outta style), diplomatically (yes...what has the US done in the past that is causing this resentment, and let's try to do a better job going forward), and last, but not least, militarily (we absolutly CANNOT let this act go unanswered, and economic sanctions aren't going to cut it....sorry for a lame ass reference, but what good do you think economic sanctions would've done against a Hitler?)

on an aside...notice how these terrorist had to go to flight school? why is that? if there was any true governement involvment, wouldn't they use already trained pilots from their military? Do they not use military trained pilots because it's too close a link to who they are, or does the education required to be a true pilot for more that a 1 hour death flight automatically preclude them from thinking suicide missions are a good idea? Or is it that true pilots have accuired a certain station and comfort in life....maybe both....

I've been noticing that as the days have gone by, my emotions are getting more complex and my rage is still building...one of the first ideas is that there is no easy venue to vent emotions from an event of this magnitude, the next thought is that even though I'm moving through the "12 steps of recovery" or whatever, I'm not leaving the previous stage behind...I'm still confused, I'm still angry, and still whatever step three and four are....but the key is that steps 1 and 2 never went away...closure needs to start coming soon, and for once I think closure can only be found with a really expensive missle.

consensus....short term: rip their fucking heads off, mid term: give em some good books to read, long term: get the world some education and green rectangles and let's move on...

I mean really, we're better than this...it's beneath us

-------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 8:54 PM ----- BODY:

People who don't "Get It"



So, I hear from some sources that at last nights candlelight vigil at UC Berkeley some of the more uncuth in the crowd used the open mike as an opportunity to speak out against the EMF, globalization, {insert cause du jour here}

this seems like the wrong place to spit out venom on whatever subject is tickling your fancy at the moment...a vigil should be about showing support for the people who lost their lifes and their families...save the rhetoric for the day after, at least...I don't see how attempting to blame the US for bringing this upon ourselves is going to bring any closure on this issue. but I guess some people are just one-trick ponies and if put in front of a microphone, only know how to regurgitate the venom they heard from someone else the day before.

The sad and ironic part is that these attacks are against the very rights that allow these people to get in front of a microphone and say whatever they want...I just wish they would use it a bit more wisely... -------- AUTHOR: TomCarr DATE: 7:59 PM ----- BODY:

...on the Fly



well...I guess I've decided to try to make it easy to make the content here a bit fresher and also provied a smaller scale soapbox than the (so-called) artciles allow...nothing much to say so far this eve in the wake of yesterdays events, except for my one statement that I've made since just after midnight:

I'm tired of the high road
I'm tired of trying to reason
I'm tired of trying to set an example
I'm tired of turning the other cheek
I'm tired of caring and having the rest of the world preach righteous indignation...to us!
I'm tired of trying to rationalize with people who can think of attrocities like this and the people who follow them
I'm tired of thinking they should be shown some higher level of justice than they can even imagine

It's time to show the world what's been said but hasn't been shown in a long time...we got the tools and we got the talent to lay your sorry asses to waste BECAUSE OF (it's not some weird accident) the ideals that this country was built on, that are being attacked.

There isn't enough time in eternity to effectivly punish whomever is responsible for the events of yesterday.

There's a time to be a lamb, and a time to be a lion.
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