Category: Touchy Subjects

The things that should never be discussed much less published by non-professionals.

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The US House of Representatives Is Run By Predators

“Social networking sites such as MySpace and chat rooms have allowed sexual predators to sneak into homes and solicit kids,” … [Source]

NO! It is NOT the social networking sites and chat rooms that have allowed the sexual predators to sneak into homes…It is the parents! The parents the parents the parents! You cannot legislate parenting or morals.

Secondly, does anyone fact check anymore! (ironically, I am not going to fact check my next statement) I bet that the above quote is sensationalism and that if you measure the actual rate of incidents concerning sexual predators that you will find it to coincide with the real world. People naively continue to think of the Internet as a game or a book. It is not a game. It is not a book. The Internet is a reflection of the real world! If your 13 year old daughter said, "I’m going to go hang out at a bar near the college." would you give her your credit card and shrug her off in a taxi so that you could focus on all that busy stuff you need to attend to? Of course not! Then why are you doing the same thing with the Internet? Do not allow the greatest technology, the convergence of world knowledge, be crippled by some scared, power hungry technology ignorant people manipulating your vote with hype.

A free society remains free because of the unhindered exchange of information. Burning the books is how to control knowledge and remove freedoms. Filtering software does not work. It filters the wrong information, allows for unfair competition, and is often easily circumvented by those seeking to ignore the filtering.

We have real world predators attacking you right now. Those predators are your senators, lawyers, your president, and other people in government seeking to remove your freedoms and change America forever in the name of leveraging their own beliefs and powers. A government of the people and for the people is only of and for as long as the people keep the government in check and the moment people become too busy to worry about it and being taking sensationalism and generalizations as fact is the moment that the foundation of our society begins to crumb. We are at that moment now!

Contact your representative and ask them just what they were thinking!

Thank you Tom for the link!

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Look Ubiquitous or Be Watched

Travelling? Think twice about taking a picture out the window at 30,000 feet. Don’t shift those eyes at the security gate! Definitely do not joke with the staff. These are things that could get you on Homeland Security’s watch list! Just like those annoying end of the month traffic violations that aren’t given to you to match a quota, federal air marshals "don’t have quotas."

The air marshals, whose identities are being concealed, told 7NEWS that they’re required to submit at least one report a month. If they don’t, there’s no raise, no bonus, no awards and no special assignments. [Source]

The top dogs deny it of course.

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Of Being Poor

A nice article explaining why our system keeps the poor down.

So, let’s have a little less talk about how the poor should learn to manage their money, and a little more attention to all the ways that money is being systematically siphoned off. Yes, certain kinds of advice would be helpful: skip the pay-day loans and rent-to-pay furniture, for example. But we need laws in more states to stop predatory practices like $50 charges for check cashing. Also, think what some microcredit could do to move families from motels and shelters to apartments. And did I mention a living wage?

If you’re rich, you might want to stay that way. It’s a whole lot cheaper than being poor.

See also (exact same text as the link above).

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Adding a definition of marriage to the state constitution is stupid

For those of you about to vote to add the definition of marriage as "a man and a woman" should look at these other marriage situations from culture and history.

As you vote about making changes to your state’s constitution, you should consider the definition of constitution:

constitution – The system of fundamental laws and principles that prescribes the nature, functions, and limits of a government or another institution.

Having considered the definition, ask yourself does defining marriage within the constitution have anything whatsoever to do with the "nature, function or limits" of our government? Of course not! It has to do with trying to force your moral beliefs on others. Government has no business trying to legislate morals! As you place your vote, recognize that your decisions today determine the future of our country. Are you making decisions that keep this country a free, democratic society or are you making decisions that move us toward an autocratic, Orwellian society?

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For the love of Mr Rogers find your war funds elsewhere!

Apparently congress is once again trying to cut funding to NPR and PBS. Folks, National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service are your voice.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans yesterday revived their efforts to slash funding for public broadcasting, as a key committee approved a $115 million reduction in the budget for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs.
…It would reduce the corporation’s budget by 23 percent next year, to $380 million, in a cut that Republicans said was necessary to rein in government spending. [Source]

Can you imagine having your household budget cut by 23 percent?! They tried doing this last year and with MoveOn’s help, it was stopped.

in a defeat for House leaders, 87 Republicans joined unanimous Democrats in bucking an attempt to cut funding from the stations.
…
Markey expressed confidence that supporters of public broadcasting would have more than enough votes to stop a cut again this year.[Source]

There is still time to stop this one!

The reduction, which would come in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, must be approved by the full Appropriations Committee, and then the full House and Senate, before it could take effect. [Source]

Sign the petition at MoveOn and contact your Representative!

Is the real issue here that Republicans see PBS and NPR as having a liberal slant? With this current administration we have seen a great of loss of freedom with people being arrested for wearing "Veterans for Peace" t-shirts while drinking coffee and an introduction of propaganda bias as demonstrated in Kentucky with the blocking of liberal media while allowing conservate media. Here is a picture of the offending t-shirt. I would not have to shield my child’s eyes from that unlike some of the non-protest shirts I see in public and wonder why the wearers are not embarassed for themselves.

A similar move last year by Republican leaders was turned back in a fierce lobbying campaign launched by Public Broadcasting Service stations and Democratic members of Congress, in a debate that was colored by some Republicans’ frustration with what they see as a liberal slant in public programming.
…
Republicans attacked the PBS for programming they said represented out-of-the-mainstream viewpoints, highlighting in particular a "Postcards From Buster" episode that featured lesbian couples and their children in Vermont. [Source]

I don’t want to lose Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me!

Paula Kerger , PBS’s president and chief executive, said in a statement that the cuts would force the network to "drastically reduce the programming and services public television and public radio can provide to local communities." [Source]

I made my quotes from a single source but there is a lot of chatter about this! See also Stupid Evil Bastard for several comments, The 2002 Oversight of PBS, MoveOn’s Petition, and remember contacting your representative is easier than ever! Other references to this issue include Environmentalists Against War, delraysteve (interesting comments), Washington Post (2005), Wikipedia, and Where PBS Gets Funding. Use Blingo to find much more!

Thanks to Brainstream for the alert!

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Want to try some breast milk?

I have a couple of references to breastfeeding in my posts. I am an advocate of breastfeeding and think that there should be more advocacy and encouragement of breastfeeding particularly in public. That does not mean women running around flaunting their bosoms but that women should feel comfortable tending to the needs of their children in public without being told to go to the bathroom or scolded.

If you are in Ontario tomorrow, Jess Dobkin (that link should be work safe but I’ll tag it work questionable) will be doing a performance art piece called "The Lactation Station Breast Milk Bar" at The Ontario College of Art & Design Professional Gallery from 5pm to 8pm with an artist discussion at 8pm. This could be construed into breastfeeding awareness but to me the artist appears to like trying to shock the public. None the less, if you have ever wanted to try breast milk, Ontario is where you need to be tomorrow night.

…the pasteurized and culture tested by-product of six women would be available for tasting at the OCAD Professional Gallery on July 13 [Source (work questionable photo)]

Jess Dobkin received a $9000 grant to produce this piece! She will be tending the bar.

See also (no photos – work safe).

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Offsite backups are a good thing

You know… in light of the growing Orwellish government we’ve got going. And when I say offsite, I mean like burying backup copies in the yard at a friend’s house…just in case.

‘Cause knowledge is power!

After lecturing at two Chinese universities "[a] retired University of Tennessee professor is under investigation of potentially violating a federal law barring the transfer of sensitive technology to other countries, according to interviews and documents obtained by the News Sentinel." [Souce]

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Study shows higher speeds make safer highways

The reason Knoxville wants to (or has..I don’t know) lower speed limits along I-40 is not for safety but in an attempt to reduce emssions so they can acquire federal funding for that stupid Orange Route. The air is too polluted to qualify for federal funding to destroy Harden Valley..I mean, build the useless road.

June 2005 is the deadline for air quality issues. The Long-Range Plan (LRP) must be met in order to get Federal funding. The LRP is updated every three years. [Source]

Wonder if they made it. Hey! Knoxville was part of the 1914 Dixie Highway. It befuddles me why Knoxville is so shortsighted as to try to steer commerce away from this wonderful downtown everyone wants to create. Not really, I understand that the 5 interchanges planned along I475 will make some political good ol’ boys some big cash while destroying some beautiful scenic countryside and historic caves for a matter of 24 miles of road. Think about the fortune we are spending to reduce travel time by about 15 minutes.

Hmm. Having read over the Knoxville Parkway information I can see why some of the arguments for the Orange Route are compelling. Still, I think it probably will turn out to be one of those things that looks better on paper than in reality. Let’s hope I’m just not turning into a curmudgeon because I think I’m too young for that. Anyhow, back to my point! Higher speeds make safer highways!

In 2005, according to new data from the National Highway Safety Administration, the rate of injuries per mile traveled was lower than at any time since the Interstate Highway System was built 50 years ago. The fatality rate was the second lowest ever, just a tick higher than in 2004.

As a public policy matter, this steady decline is a vindication of the repeal of the 55 miles per hour federal speed limit law in 1995.
…
Of the 31 states that have raised their speed limits to more than 70 mph, 29 saw a decline in the death and injury rate and only two–the Dakotas–have seen fatalities increase.

Source provided by Tom Maszerowski.

Questions and Answers from Knoxville Regional Long Range Transportation Plan Meeting

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Dead for 19 months without investigation

It appears the TBI is willing to investigate a murder if the district attorney’s office will request the investigation. Attorney General Randy Nichols refuses so a walk has been planned in Knoxville on July 14 to publically ask Nichols to make the call to the TBI. Les Jones has posted the details at No Silence Here.

I have not followed this case and do not understand the politics behind the difficulty; however, if my child had been murdered, I would be ever vigilant in seeing a proper investigation executed. I would want the support of my community in my walk on July 14.

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Yesterday’s poster updated

So rather than report on North Korea’s fireworks show, I thought I’d have fun with some allusion to where these actions could lead. How about great tv! So I remade a movie poster.

I started with the original movie poster and rushed through the title trying to pull as many words from the original as possible.

“‘M*A*S*H’ is what the new freedom of the screen is all about!” -Richard Schickel, Life

became

“‘M*A*S*H:THE SEQUEL’ is what losing freedom in America is all about!” -http://blog.siliconholler.com/

But I was really stretching. Now it reads:

“‘M*A*S*H:THE SEQUEL’ Bush’s next repeat operation!” -http://blog.siliconholler.com/

Incase a little explanation is in order, operation both refers to MASH being a medical offit with surgeons and that we call our wars "operations" now. The 1991 Persian Gulf War was Operation Desert Storm. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was called Operation Iraqi Freedom. Next of course refers to the fact that GW enjoys the power of the oval office too much not to leave office without doing something in addition to Iraq. Repeat refers to Bush’s inclination to not doing anything original. Iraq, did it in 91 but he did it again in 03. Ok, N Korea? Did it in 50 but Bush is going to do it again! Come on. Let’s do something original with this administration. Let’s invade Canada! Oops. Apparently we did that in 1775 and 1812. Steve Burgess at Salon says we should do it again and right now!

It didn’t support the war, it’s soft on pot and gays, its economy is rolling and U.S. troops are bored. Anyway, reasons to invade countries are no longer needed!

Someone has asked me to explain the first quote on the poster.

"Because you were too young for Nam and too old for the Gulf but thanks to new legislation this is the perfect war for your midlife crisis!"

This quote is totally about the legislation to allow new recruits as old as 42 into the Army. See where the numbers fall. Of course this raises concerns about the draft but so did Operation Desert Storm. Here are the typical accepted recruitment ages. As for the quote, if you are 42 you should be deeply entrenched in a midlife crisis. Plus you were definitely too young for Vietnam and, although technically eligible, you were probably older than the demographic fighting in either of the Gulf Wars.

The "Coming to a country soon" reference should be self-evident. I will go ahead and mark the date. January 13, 2007 the United States begins strategic bombing raids on North Korea.

Why associate a comedy with something as dark as North Korea? Understand that North Korea is crazy.

The poster.