Multifarious Musings

Bush and fraudulent elections??!?

2006-03-25T08:59:00.000-05:00

I winced when I heard of President Bush's condemnations and call for possible financial sanctions against Belarus - because of their apparent fraudulent election results, and subsequent protests and arrests in their country.

"The United States condemns the actions by Belarussian security services on the morning of March 24, and we urge all members of the international community to join us in condemning any and all abuses and demanding that Belarussian authorities respect the rights of their own citizens to express themselves peacefully," sez Bush.

Hey, I personally hate to hear about any election that ends in question, in any country - 'cause nobody wants to have a leader in office whom shouldn't really be there, after all... (oooohhhhh, but I can be sooo predictable sometimes!)

...You probably see where I'm going with this one, eh???

Oh, hey - who am I kidding here, after all - we always hold honest, accurately-counted elections in the good 'ol U-S of A, and... peaceful protesters never get arrested in the good ol' U-S of A, when they question the results of an election.

Right??

R-I-I-I-I-G-H-T!!!!

Music Safe Haven???

2006-03-16T23:41:00.000-05:00

I admit it - I don't do the MP3 thing very well... I've lost more songs thru careless archiving, CDs that magically turned into coasters, and bad labeling... I believe the technical term for my losses would go under the label "carelessness".

I was amused to hear on the radio today, about a company that will allow you to store all of your MP3s on their server, so that if you drop or drown your iPod, or mistakenly reformat your hard drive, you won't lose all of those 99-cent songs you actually pirated thru Morpheus or LimeWire for free.

The service costs 40-bucks a year!!! Now, I was amused because, just this weekend I was putting the finishing-touches on our basement (my playroom/theatre), which got flooded in early February.

Shit Happens... Enaways...

In a fit of nostalgia, I decided to listen to my old Renaissance - Turn of the Cards album... Purchased in 1975 for $12.99 - It made it thru the latest flood (and all previous moves and tragedies) just fine, thank you, and it sounded just GREAT... we're talking pristine vinyl here - accept no imitations!!!

OK, so I got to figuring... 1975 to 2006 is 31 years (wow, am I an old fart!), Times 40 bucks (a year) ... to use the music locker safe storage method (if there were such a thing in 1975), that album would have cost me $1,240.00 in safe storage alone!!

Hey, now that's what I call progress!!! (I know, I know... I'm being ridiculus, I have hundreds of LP's... but can't a guy have fun?)

Martin, Moussaoui, Mistakes & Morality Musings

2006-03-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hi - I'm back!!

So, for some macabre reason, I've become really interested in the drama unfolding at the Moussaoui trial... seems that here's a whole lot of gnashing-of-teeth of late, because a lawyer for the prosecutor, one Carla Martin, decided to coach some witnesses for the prosecution, I guess in order to create greater impact to the jury, and thereby, hopefully(?) sending Moussaoui to his demise. Problem is... that's against the rules.... ya can't coach the witnesses, I guess.

....sooooo - ya gotta throw those witness testimonies out the window...

Oopsie!

I've gathered that there's a whole lot of people who are very pissed at the fact that Ms. Martins' follies may have tainted enough of the prosecutions case, so that they more than likely won't be able to kill Moussaoui, but instead just put him in prison for the rest of his (un)natural life... she pulled the plug on old sparky... retracted the needle of death... untied the noose, so to speak. I guess a lot of people want to see this guy dead, eh?

Now, I'm not one whose totally against the death penalty, and I'm certainly no fan of Moussaoui - I personally think he's a lower life form then pond scum - but that's besides the point. What I don't understand is - he didn't kill anyone, right? How can a just society like ours... a society that wants the world to look up to it (as far as human rights are concerned) as a shining example - kill someone who only thought about killing innocents? Am I missing something here???

Hey, there's no doubt in my puny mind that this is one bad dude, who could have very-well created a whole lot of hurt on America and Americans... but he didn't. Geese, can we murder this guy for a crime he may have committed at some time in the future? This to me reads like a really bad out-take from the movie Minority Report!

I digress.

Bottom line - I think in the end, Ms. Martins' follies may have accidentally forced our great nation into doing the right thing in the first place... lets not start killing people for their intentions (Oopsie - too late... but that's another story for another time!), lets save that for the bad guys that actually commit murder for real... lets just put Moussaoui's sorry ass in jail forever, and save the taxpayers a whole lot of money by dropping this death penalty thing!

Six-Hundred-and-Twenty

2006-03-10T22:16:00.000-05:00

"Six-Hundred-and-Twenty"... "What does this mean", you ask...

...The ultimate answer to life? (nope, that's 42)

... A classic yet really cheap twin-lens reflex camera?? (well, yeah, but that's not MY answer)

... you give up - right??

Well, I'll tell you, right now!

It's been 620 days since I last posted to this blog. What can I say - I've been busy - living the life. While alot has happened between those days, I'm going to start posting fresh, the logic being old news is boring news.

OK, so, this is all that I have to say, for right now... but I will be back!

Just gotta share this one...

2004-06-29T13:02:00.000-04:00

...From "News of the Weird":

Universal Health Care (for Prisoners): A judge in Wilmington, N.C., had to officially "release" accused murderer Shirley Spaulding in May, as a ploy, to get the state to start picking up her medical bills. Brunswick County was running out of money because it has paid nearly $400,000 to treat her respiratory illness while she awaits her death-penalty trial.

(Fortunately, she was too sick to depart custody.)

[Raleigh News and Observer-AP, 5-19-04]

...Gotta LOVE it, eh???

Get Your Kicks On Route 22

2004-06-20T19:57:00.000-04:00

I was amused to hear of an exhibit dedicated solely to Route 22, a road that's near-and-dear to your's truly. Now, I've never seen or heard of an exhibit dedicated to a road before (OK - maybe Route 66, out in the California desert - remember the song, sung in the 40's by Nat King Cole??? I digress!)... not that I've really been looking very hard, but I was attracted to the prospect, so I thought I'd share... Here's a link to the article.

Yeah, I live on route 22.

..... OK, I don't really live on the road, per-se (as the picture on the left may imply... By the way - I've entitled this picture "Highway Buddha"... pretty appropriate, eh? - enaways....), we happen to own a house located on the west side of it (you guessed it, behind me). Route 22 used to run about 30 feet to the west of where it now passes by my house - I still pull pieces of it out of my lawn each spring, relics pushed back up to the earth's surface by winter's frost heaves.

The Exhibit is located in Troy, New York, at The Arts Center of the Capitol Region, and the images were created by New York City -based photographer Bengamin Swett (go ahead, click his name, you can see samples of the Route 22 exhibit online).

I believe that the thing I find most interesting about someone being passionate enough about a road, to build an exhibit dedicated to it, is that I to, am a tad obsessed with it.

Look to the right... that rusty thing lying on the side of the road (Route 22) isn't a coat hanger, it's the ramains of one of the road flairs used to block traffic when my daughter got hit by a car and nearly died - right in front of our house, a little over 3 years ago.

I just took this picture today, by the way - those wires are still hanging out there, after all of this time... kind of creepy, since we get a whole lot of snow around here during the winter. There's still 2 of 'em out there, and they really should've disappeared a long time ago. I gotta tell you, I ain't gonna move them, they're a reminder... and, quite frankly, I'm a bit superstitous about this one!

I'm not going to get all morbid on you here, ohhh, no... far from it, I learned something very special about where I live, the people around me, and this road. My daughter was very, very lucky that spring day (what am I saying, we were ALL very, very lucky that day!), because even though she suffered a spinal cord injury, broken bones, serious internal trauma... the product of a car traveling at highway speeds hitting her, by some miracles, volunteer first aid workers that knew their stuff, very great doctors, seriously powerful medicine... and finally and most importantly, a wonderful community that pulled-together when they saw a family in crisis, she has enjoyed a nearly full recovery!

...Oh, So sorry about that horrible run-on (and on!) sentence, above!

By the way, gotta tell you, Alyssa was NOT happy about me taking that first picture up at the top of this musing... not happy at all!!!

Yup - I'm a really lucky guy... I live in a very special place, around very special people - right here, on Route 22.

Innocence Lost...

2004-06-17T23:28:00.000-04:00

I've posted at my neighbors, Farkleberries, USA - come read my 2nd. posting in one day over there!.

Revisionist History: Part Deux

2004-06-17T21:54:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm sure you've heard by now - the 9-11 committee has come down with their verdict - they see no evidence of any collaboration between al Qaeda and Iraq. Geee, what a surprise!! What seems like common knowledge in my world, seems to have come as a complete surprise to our illustrious leader of our free world...

"The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al Qaeda is because there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda".

Hey, wow... what a power-statement; that line just made a believer out of me, "W" - what eloquence, what deep truths - why can't the bipartizen, independent 9-11 committee see it all the way you do???

Now, just to add a little bit more of that now VERY expensive flammable petroleum product to the fire, "W" goes on to deny "accusations" that his administration made any attempts to link 9-11 and al Qaeda to Iraq.

How could have I misunderstood him to the extent that I did? I know in my world - I thought "W" was actually doing a pretty decent job in the war on terror - until he lost his focus, desperately (and I feel unsuccessfully) tried to tie the 9-11 attacks to Iraq, then bombed the hell out of them.

It was at about this time that "W" really started to scare me... but apparently, I once again misunderstood what he was saying - his very justification for the war in Iraq...

"This administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam and al Qaeda," Bush said. "We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda."

Holy-moley - wasn't that "W"'s cornerstone justification for the Iraq war!?!

OK - maybe I'm being a bit hard on "W", after all, the commission did say there was indeed some contact between Iraqis and al Qaeda members, but the panel concluded that Iraq never responded to a bin Laden request for help, and said there was no evidence of a "collaborative relationship." between the two.

So, who are you going to believe - The Commission, or Bush????

Ya know, this smacks of yet another example of Bush applying some more of his revisionist history in an attempt to muddle the facts. Remember last July, when he made some boneheaded statement, to the effect that Saddam wasn't cooperating with the intensified UN inspection teams, and that's why the bombs began to fall?

wait... ew,ew,ewww - I found the text of his words, here they are...

"Last July (7/14/03), Bush revised the history of the run-up to the Iraq war, claiming that Saddam Hussein refused to allow weapons inspectors into Iraq in late 2002: "Did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer was Absolutely. And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in."

In truth, Iraq did allow U.N. weapons inspectors into the country in November 2002; and the Iraqis were cooperating, to an extent, but the inspectors were withdrawn when war became imminent in March 2003.

It was NPR reporter Mara Liasson (7/17/03) who called it "revisionist history", and what an appropriate term for his comments at the time! It felt to me that, just when the UN was finally getting some backbone with regard to the Iraqi WMD matter (and to give him credit - that's because of Bushs' prodding the UN into some real action), is when Bush decides to alienate 90-percent of the civilized world and go into Iraq with guns-a-blazin'.

Call me paranoid - but I believe that "W" came to realize that the UN was actually beginning to be effective in their inspections, and also realized that even if they did have WMD's, chances were pretty good that the Iraqis wouldn't be able to get to them, and to use them (because of the UN's intensified inspections), and (I believe, in this particular paranoid vision, that) he had this takover planned well before 9-11, and saw his very justification for bringing this war on begin to fade - so he jumped into action, while he still could.

Paranoid, eh???

I'm Baaaacckk!

2004-05-15T22:12:00.000-04:00

How-Ya-Doing?

It's been a while, I know - I've posted over at FarkleberriesUSA, why not join me over there???

Biting remarks on responsibility

2004-03-13T08:43:00.000-05:00

I bet you've heard or read about this one - the story about the Florida school bus driver that agreed to stop her bus, in order to let several 14-year old boys out to wrestle, subdue, and bring a 4-foot alligator into their bus. If you read the story, you'll discover that the bus driver has been put on paid leave, since the incident - last Thursday. Two questions come to mind here...

1) What was this bus driver thinking?

I mean, I understand and appreciate the power of peer pressure, but - geeze, she's (the driver) 41 years old, and should be able to resist the pressures of a couple of 14-year olds, right? Hey, I'm 44, and I have a 12 Year-old daughter, I KNOW that I can resist her persuasiveness - at least when it comes to asking permission to wrestling a 4-foot gator, but I'm also pretty sure the issue would never come up in the first place.

2) Paid leave????

Seems to me like this isn't an issue of determining the motivational factors and the eco-social-political ramifications involved in the capture, and correlate Ms. Hattaway (the driver) current state-of-mind as juxtaposed with the phase of the moon, in order to determine whether allowing the capture of the alligator, and whether the students did the capture in accordance to the rules and regulations set forth by the National Wildlife Federation's bylaws, with respect to such a capture - not to mention the mental torment Ms. Hattaway and the alligator has experienced as a direct result of the capture.....

OK - I admit it, that last paragraph was bullshit, I was just playing around. But, we do know that she stopped her bus, and allowed the children (yup, children, because that's what they are!) out of the bus in order to capture the gator, then she drove the students and the gator to one of the child's home, to drop them off, right?

Don't put her on a paid vacation... FIRE HER SORRY ASS... Plain and simple!!

So I ask, who is dumber here, the children, for "doing the act", the bus driver, for "allowing the act", or the bus company - for awarding a paid vacation for their deeds???

Yet another final word...

2004-03-07T14:51:00.000-05:00

Ewwwwww, I just messed-up, and erased this entry wilst working on my latest - Sorry!
-Jon.

Lesson learned - back up the blog text!!!

Death and... That other thing!!!

2004-03-07T13:31:00.000-05:00

Hey, I've posted at FarkleberriesUSA, Why not read my musing over there???

Gay marriage, and the Bible... Reloaded!

2004-02-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

This was just sent to me - it's just too good not to spread this word!!! Thanks for sending this to me, W.D.!!!!!

BTW - Don't you just feel that Dr. Laura is just the pillar of morality??? 'Nuff said!

On her radio show recently, Dr. Laura Schlesinger said that, as an
observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to
Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The
following response is an open letter from Professor James Kauffman
of the University of Virginia to Dr. Laura which was posted on the Internet.
_______________________________________________________

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Law and how to follow them.

1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. The passage clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them?

Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14) I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan,
James M. Kauffman, Ed.D.
Professor Emeritus
University of Virginia

He's Baaaack!!!

2004-02-23T21:59:00.000-05:00

Hey, I've posted at my neighbors - Farkleberries-USA, click HERE to read my Muse over there!

Zonkers!!!!!!!!!!

2004-02-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

Oh, WOW - I haven't had these in about 20 years! There are 2 things I really, really miss about living in New Jersey... Pork Roll, and Screaming Yellow Zonkers - but they're here now!!! (Zonkers, that is.) In case you didn't know - Screaming Yellow Zonkers are these Yellow-Glazed popcorn snacks... No Nuts, No Caramel - just sugar, butter and popcorn. These things are great!!!

Not only are Zonkers great tasting - the packaging is just so much fun! It's covered with all of these pieces of trivia, so that you can learn worthless crap while rotting your teeth - life just doesn't get any better than that!!!

For Example - did you know that Little Ersatz, the world's smallest elephant can sit, fetch, roll over and bark like a dog... it's true - you can see the picure of the elephant in the picure that I took of my can (of Zonkers, that is). Now, where else are you gonna find information like this?

Ya know - everybody wants to tell you about how evil Sams Club is - but no matter how much debate, no matter how persuasive you can be - I know that Sams Club isn't evil - because they sell Screaming Yellow Zonkers!

Now if we can only get them to stock pork roll... but it has to be Taylor Brand pork roll - nothing else will do! Oh yeah, you can buy it over the Inernet - but they charge a fortune!! Nope - it's gotta be right there, in my local supermarket.

Then, and ONLY Then - will my life be complete!!!

Cracked Windows

2004-02-17T20:58:00.000-05:00

Now that a portion of the source code for the Windows NT platform has managed to escape the tighly clenched fingers of Microsoft - I suspect that it won't be too long before yet a new and exciting flurry of really nasty viruses begin to invade the sanctity of our PCs.

Have you ever wondered why there just doesn't seem to be the quantity of security issues with other operating sysems... I have.

You hardly ever hear about security leaks in OSX, or Linux. I always though that this is bacause Microsoft Windows is so prevelant... it's such a big, tempting target. but I could be wrong here.

Hundreds of millions of computers use Windows worldwide - so by hacking Windows - you can do the most damage to the most computers, with the least amount of effort ...More "bang for he buck", so to speak. Besides, people love to hate Bill Gates, Mr. Microsoft. He's soooo rich, so the pirate spirit in hackers want a piece of that booty. Now that Mr. Gates has done-pulled a Janet Jackson, hackers have a real opporunity to beat-up the big guy.

I had an interesting conversation with a new friend the other day, and he had a really different, and I feel, really interesing take on the "Kill-Bill" attitude towards Windows, with all it's security holes in particular - it really makes a lot of sense.

He's a real fan of open-source programs - his theory is, you'll never see securiy issues with an open-source operating sysem, like Linux, because people (would-be hackers?) actually have a stake in the program, and everybody is watching everybody else anyways, so here's more opportuniy to make a "bullet-proof" operating system, with all those eyes looking... The open source community probably wouldn't accept something as flimsy, and that needs the quantity of patches as Windows needs.

There's a whole lot of really great open source apps out here, also - OpenOffice is a very nice office suite (people complain about the database - but to be honest, I rarely use Access anyways, so the suite is just perfect for me!) You'll probably be able to find an open source application for pretty much anything you'd ever need.

Ya know - I kinda like Windows, it's too bad that Bill has so many enemys - the leak could have acually helped improve Windows, had he been better-liked. I have a feeling that the only thing the leak will do is make it a bigger target for hackers... Who knows, maybe the giant can be slain after all.

Gay Marriage Revisited

2004-02-14T23:35:00.000-05:00

I just don't get it - I compare gay marriage to minivans, and get no response!! I'm really finding it hard to believe that nobody out there isn't incensed by my comparison, or has an opinion about his gay marriage thing, one way or another! So, in yet another attempt to unbind some minds, I think I'll muse over his issue some more... Hey, how about he US Constitution?? Bet-cha heard this one before...

"The constitution (should) specifically state(s) that a marriage shall be between a man and a woman..."

REALLY... I consider myself of relative intelligence... So I decided to "go to the source, and ask the horse", I mean, the National Archives Experience Online. This here's the full Monty - The Declaration Of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill Of Rights... full, searchable text versions of all of the documents that our forefathers drafted way back in 1776. Well, I searched the documents, and came up with (drum roll please.......) NOTHING ABOUT MARRIAGE! So, I wonder just where that little misconception came from... So I decide to head on over to a document that deals with all of the additions and arguments to these documents... The US Constitution, Analysis and Interpretation - WOW, this sucker is huge, and confusing as hell!! But it is searchable also.

Go ahead - YOU search it and tell me if YOU find anything of relevance to hetro/gay marriage thang! Good Luck!!!!

So, to help his simple-minded person figure just what marriage is - I asked Mr. Google to define it for me...

...Hmmmmm, definition 1a) Legal union of a Man and a Woman... Husband and wife.... inplications of legal force...

Hey wait ... Look at 1d) A union between 2 people... WHAT - customary but no legal force??? THAT'S a "same sex marriage"???

And what's with 1c) A-common-law marriage? You mean to tell me that 2 people can "live in sin" long enough, and it'll be considered a legal marriage... As long as they happen to be a man and a woman? What's wrong with this picture? I know - it's the state trying to decree morality, and regulate who someone is to spend their life with.

WOW - I sure am glad I happen to be straight - because of this, I get state approval of my legal union... the state allows me to live with the one I love!!

Remember when I did my searches on marriage and came up empty-handed? There's a real reason for that - marriage is as much, and probably more a moral issue and less a legal issue - and our country needs to get totally away from the morality side of this. Our forfathers were pretty-darned smart in staying away from it... I bet it was intentional. People who are against gay marriage usually cite the word of god, or the bible - the state has no business dealing with these types of issues. Now, I'm Christian - I do my best to follow the word of (my) God - I want to be a good person and go to heaven, these are MY choices - I choose to believe in Christ, I choose to have a life partner of the opposite sex - this is what's right for me, but I can't imagine imposing my values overtly on anyone else.

"W", in past speeches, claims he wants to protect and preserve the sanctity of marriage... Problem with that, is the definition of sanctity is "The state or quality of being sacred or holy". Does anyone else have a problem with the head of our government talking like a priest?

I lied a the top of his entry (I've SINNED!!!) - I received a very eloquent response VIA email from a great friend, who's name shall remain anonymous (I'm inserting this without their permission... PLEASE don't sue me!) - here's what she, or he said...

Now; some religions; primarily the (edited) Church; consider homosexuality
an abomination, and I guess from their standpoint, they are indeed allowed
to do so.

I don't know that God feels that way, but I haven't personally
heard from him on the subject. In any event, the (edited) Church will do
anything to ensure that their will prevails. But wait a minute; if we
outlaw gay marriage because the "church" says to do so, isn't that a case
of the "state" legalizing a tennent of a particular religion? Isn't that
NOT a separation of church and state?

If there are churches that do not wish to recognize homosexual unions in
what they feel are the eyes of God; that is their religious business, and
it is ONLY religious business!

BRAVO!!!

In a nutshell - our government needs to get off of the pulpit and back to running this great country of ours!

Now - I've already stated my feelings on the actual label we use to call unions of persons of the same sex, that's not what's important here - what IS important, is that all couples of devotion to each other, must be treated with equal respect, and have equal force of law in the eyes of our government.

So There!

I've posted at my neighbors...

2004-02-12T20:38:00.000-05:00

....Why not take a stroll over to my (very short) Musing - at FarkleberriesUSA, and take a gander?

Wright's rights:

2004-02-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

So, you’ve seen those decals on the rear windows of cars – you know, the ones that show a Calvin (from Calvin & Hobbs) look-alike peeing, usually with the utterance “Fear This!” , or something equally inane, right?

Well there’s this intrepid dude, One Ted Wright, who sells “personalized” versions of this decal from a pushcart in our local mall. (Yeah, we’re a One-mall town.) Seems that there are some who find Calvin, wearing the logo of one local school, and pissing on the names of rival local schools… well, offensive.

Local educators are in a lather, they feel that it’s wrong for Mr. Wright to be able to sell the offensive decals in the mall, and want to send him a-packing, so they’ve taken it upon themselves to challenge the right for Mr. Wright's right to sell them… and, you know… they’re gonna win!

Plattsburgh City Schools Superintendent Michelle Kavanaugh says "I felt the sign offended our community values and undermines the hard work all schools are doing, and it also undermines our efforts under SAVE legislation to reduce actions of violence and disrespect between students…"
and
"We have no intent to run any vendor out of town as long as they understand there are clear values we are trying to teach our children…”

Compelling points, but I think that Mr. Wright also brings up a valid point, with his response…

"Isn’t freedom of speech taught at schools? Drugs and pornography offend me, but I don’t think this is offensive. It’s all in good fun." He also went on to say that School officials should worry about what is occurring in the classroom, instead of his stickers.

You can read the story - it’s Wright, er, I mean Right Here.

So... does the general public have the right to run any merchant, whose wares they find offensive, out of a (privately-owned) mall?

If Mr. Wright gets booted from the mall, by mall officials, shouldn’t those same mall officials give the boot to other mall favorites – like Spenser Gifts, bastion to such classics as canned farts, bullshit-repellent-in-a-can, candy pants and the ever-popular drinking boardgame Pass-Out??

Who determines who gets the boot, and who stays???

But first, with regard to the graphic itself…
I just don’t get it.

I admit, I instantly (and probably unjustly) equate people who desire to display the pissing Calvin decal, right along with those who display their sense of “individuality” by displaying mud flaps with the silhouette of the impossibly-endowed naked women, baseball hats put on backward, guys with the way-baggy pants who wear the beltline at-or-near the knee line, and piercings in bizarre places, as all within the same “class” of person.

Without!

Absolutely clueless… But that’s just my opinion, and you won’t find me (publicly and overtly that is) trying to judge these folks for others… although I do tend to shake my head and mutter “whatever” a lot!

I actually feel kinda sorry for them – Man, they’re gonna look back some day and cringe!!

But, you know, these chaps add color to my day – I’d get bored to tears if everybody looked and dressed just like me... I've got that early-American-younger-old-fart look. You’ve seen me: Dockers pants, Stafford shirt, balding, middle-age spread – boring as hell!

Okay, Back to what’s ~~Wright~~ right.

No, I think it’s wrong to kick Mr. Wright out of the mall – I mean, who’s the most dangerous… the guy who sells the dopey decals, the dope who buys it, or the autocrat who suppresses the right to do either? Anyone who feels that they have the right to (re) move whatever they deem offensive from the public, is well, just plain offensive to me. Yeah, the decals are just plain stupid, and a waste of money (eh-hem, in my humble opinion) – but they're not really hurting anybody here, are they?

At least Mr. Wright is employed – you know, he could be out of work, hanging-around the outside of Ms. Kavanaughs’ schools, relieving his own bladder instead!
//

Team-Tag Blogging!!!

2004-02-09T21:39:00.000-05:00

I'm new to this blog-thang, but I can tell you that I'm having a blast here! This short one is to tell you that I'm also writing as part of a group blog (kinda like a literary orgy... or not!) called FarkleberriesUSA. So click on the FarkleberriesUSA link to enter at the top of the blog, or, you can go right to my contribution - "When good logic turns bad", then come back here to tell me what you think, OK?

FarkleberriesUSA is the brain-child of Lenka, an incredibly creative and wonderful "old friend" who now lives half-way across the country. Lenka has her own blog, called (you guessed it, you're SOOOO clever!)... Farkelberries - check it out, you'll love her creative literary wit!!!
//

A gift for the person who has everything:

2004-02-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

Ohhhhh, Botox for my pits - thank you!!!! (Ya just gotta read this one)

....Check out the price at the bottom of the article, Oh - the cost of dry pits!!!
//

Space Missions and Sneakers:

2004-02-07T22:36:00.000-05:00

Isn't it just great, "W" is gonna put a space station on the moon, and have a manned exploration of mars, not because it's easy, but because it's hard!!!

I just love to read commentary on "W"'s vision in space exploration, Here's a few of my favorites for today... Dave Barry (I loved his book, Big Trouble - LOL funny stuff!), Wm. Broad, and some more serious words and insights by Yale professor Sabatino Sofia.

I'd like to add my very own insight, with regard to the "W" Mission to Mars...

I was just visiting my nieces' friends house - Now, I live in the frozen north, where once you go into a house, you usually take your shoes off, so not to track any slush onto the carpets.... enaways -

My niece holds up one of her friends shoes and declares "Here's the shoes that I want! - I really need these!!" She's holding a pair of white Etnies, a $50 sneaker (a price that strains my sensibilities - somewhat relevant here, but let's just move on anyways). Now, I look down at the shoes she just took off... White Etnies.

I look at hers again, then her friends again.... Same result.

I believe she at that point, must have seen my bewilderment, so she pointed out this thin band of color around the base of the sole, and the toppled E logo - hers were light blue, her friends - pink.
(Here is a link to the shoe in question - use the links in the upper left to change the colors - as I mentioned earlier, my niece's shoes are light blue/white, not navy/white, so you have to use your imagination here).

So it is With "W" and the space program!!! Don't you see????

Daddy Bush committed the international space station as a launching platform for deep space missions... his mars mission, but I've come to learn that Daddy's just don't know nothin'... so let's just toss that idea out (and to hell with our station committments to the rest of the world) and build us a station on the moon instead!!!

The Hubble Telescope has been making really great science for 14 years now, it's a platform that works - but let's shit-can that also, we need something with prettier (maybe pink?) trim, you know! Besides - to maintain the Hubble requires the space shuttle... and that's old, and sucks also, right???

Why put a machine on mars, when for billions more, we can send a man???

I'm all for the space program, I'd love to see NASA to receive more funding - because great things come from that great program... I just wish we (OK - "W") would allow the people who know the best way to gain the most knowledge using the most cost-effective methods write the game-plan.

I say let's put a man on mars - after we get our shit-together here, on earth!!
//

Screaming Media!!!!!

2004-02-06T23:27:00.000-05:00

So this company - Acacia, is going to sue some internet smut-streamers (read it here!) ... They claim that they own the concept of streaming media, and they are entitled to like, 3% of all profits from companies that stream media. I guess they figure that they'll give this "stream-scheme" a go with the porn folks (because we all know that they're not really legitimate businesspeople anyways, right??) and see what happens - and because, as the New York State Lottery commercials say... "Hey, you never know!".

Does anyone else find this concept absurd??

Does this mean that every time Domino's delivers a pizza, they should rightfully send a portion of the cash to the people who manufacture the tires (or car, or gas... this could go on forever!!) on the car that delivered the goods, Can you own a patent on the wheel? How about the color blue (I wanna own blue - I like blue!)

Can you patent a concept??

I can almost understand Acacia's gripe, if they have a certain algorithm, or compression scheme they lay claim to - but claiming patent rights to the concept of streaming media seems to me a bit like claiming patent rights to the English language.

The real kicker to this whole thing, is that they didn't invent streaming media - they're a holding company who bought... well, this:

"A system of distributing video and/or audio information employs digital signal processing to achieve high rates of data compression. The compressed and encoded audio and/or video information is sent over standard telephone, cable or satellite broadcast channels to a receiver specified by a subscriber of the service, preferably in less than real time, for later playback and optional recording on standard audio and/or video tape."

I'd like to know who the hell sold Acacia this!!! I wonder... Will the estate of Gene Roddenberry be able to get "A piece of the action" should transporter beams ever become a reality? Star Trek fans demand to know!

Personally - I really, really hope Acacia gets stomped on this one... but If they do get away with this - I'm not walking, I'm running to buy Acacia stock!!!
//

Revisionist History... er, I mean NEWS FLASH!!!

2004-02-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

The head of U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (George Tenet) says analysts never said Iraq posed an imminent threat before the U.S. led invasion last year.
Voice of America

"...we were almost all wrong" (about Iraq's weapons programs.)
Departing arms inspector David Kay

"The theory that weapons of mass destruction may not have existed at the start of the war - that's possible but not likely..."
Donald Rumsfeld

"Knowing what I knew then and knowing what I know today, America did the right thing in Iraq..."
---------- and ---------- "Either take the word of a madman or take action to defend the American people. Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time."
George W Bush

...and just who are the Madmen here?????

Oh, 1 Final News Flash...

Janet Jackson has breasts!!! (well, a least a right one)
//

Gay Marriage and Minivans

2004-02-04T23:37:00.000-05:00

OK - I'm probably gonna get myself in a world of trouble here, but I just read THIS article on the Massachusetts ruling on gay marriage... I'm a bit torn on this one.

Here's my take... I think I can equate gay marriage Vs. traditional marriage to minivan brands.

I drive a Dodge Caravan. Now, there's other Minivans out there... you got your Ford Aerostar, and your Chevy Venture, just to name 2 - They all have 4 wheels and hold a lot of kids, or stuff, and do a fine job at "getting it done", right?

I'm not going to tell anyone that they have a second-class minivan because it isn't a Dodge Caravan, my minivan of choice... and I'm not going to call their (non-Caravan) minivan a Caravan - if it isn't... that would be just plain stupid, right??

The point I'm desperately trying to make here is, we (I) have real issues with what the English label called "marriage" is... (I believe that definition is) a union between a man and a woman. I feel that gay unions should be considered as legitimate as heterosexual ones - but I also feel that the English label for that union should be something other then "marriage".

I have the honor of calling several gay-folk acquaintances friends. I haven't asked them, but I'm not so sure that they want to label their relationship with their lifemate a marriage. Can't we come up with a label that holds the same respect, recognition and benefits for gay unions, that "marriage" holds for heterosexual unions???
//