…New Rule: Liberals must stop saying President Bush hasn’t asked Americans to sacrifice for the war on terror. On the contrary, he’s asked us to sacrifice something enormous. Our civil rights.
Now, when I heard George Bush was reading my emails, I probably had the same reaction you did: George Bush can read?! Yes, he can. And this administration has read your phone records, credit card statements, mail, Internet logs. I can’t tell if they’re fighting a war on terror or producing the next season of “Cheaters.” I mail myself a copy of the Constitution every morning just on the hope they’ll open it and see what it says.
So -so when it comes to sacrifice, don’t kid yourself. You have given up a lot. You’ve given up faith in your government’s honesty, the goodwill of people overseas, and six-tenths of the Bill of Rights. Here’s what you’ve sacrificed: search and seizure, warrants, self-incrimination, trial by jury, cruel and unusual punishment. Here’s what you have left: hand guns, religion, and they can’t make you quarter a British soldier. If Prince Harry invades the Inland Empire, he has to bring a tent.
You know, in previous wars on the home front made a very different kind of sacrifice. During World War II, we endured rationing, paid higher taxes, bought war bonds, and in the interest of national unity, people even pretended Bob Hope was funny. Right, like you laughed at him.
Okay, women, donated their silk undergarments so they could be sewn into parachutes. Can you imagine nowadays a Britney Spears or a Lindsay Lohan going without underwear? Bad example.
But, look, George Bush has never been too bright about understanding “fereigners.” But he does know Americans. He asked this generation to sacrifice the things he knew we would not miss: our privacy and our morality. He let us keep the money. But he made a cynical bet that we wouldn’t much care if we became a “Big Brother” country that has now tortured a lot of random people.
And yet no one asks the tough questions like, “Is torture necessary?” “Who will watch the watchers?” “And when does Jack Bauer go to the bathroom?” I mean, it’s been five years. Is he wearing one of those astronaut diapers?
In conclusion, after 9/11, President Bush told us Osama bin Laden could run but he couldn’t hide. But, then he ran and hid. So, Bush went to Plan B: pissing on the Constitution and torturing random people.
Conservatives always say the great thing Reagan did was make us feel good about America again. Well, do you feel good about America now? I’ll give you my answer, and to get it out of me, you don’t even have to hold my head underwater and have a snarling guard dog rip my nuts off. No, I don’t feel very good about that.
They say evil happens when good men do nothing. Well, the Democrats prove it also happens when mediocre people do nothing.
Archive for March, 2007
Bill Maher, you’re my hero
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007Windows Genuine Advantage Notification
Sunday, March 25th, 2007For many, this post is about beating a dead horse. But I haven’t gotten my licks in, so hand me that club.
When I upgraded to WindowsXP, I had a choice. Use a pirated copy or buy a legal copy. I decided to go the legal route because I wanted the peace of mind that comes with having a lawful copy, as well as the possibility of product support should something go awry.
Now there is a Windows Update waiting to be installed. It’s called the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification. It is described as follows:
The Windows Genuine Advantage Notification tool notifies you if your copy of Windows is not genuine. If your system is found to be a non-genuine, the tool will help you obtain a licensed copy of Windows.
My reaction? Fuck you, Microsoft. I know that my copy of Windows is genuine. If you, Microsoft, can’t figure out your licensing, that’s not my problem. I bought your damned software with my own hard-earned cash, and in return you treat me with suspicion, like a criminal. By installing this, I run the risk of getting a false negative and all the hassle that comes with it. By not installing it, I get a popup every time I log in that says I have an important Windows update to install. So fuck you. Go take your Windows Genuine Disadvantage software and cram it up your stinky, hairy, shit-stained asshole.
EDIT:
Apparently this appears to be Microsoft’s response to a license key crack that you can read about here, a brute-force method to obtaining a product key in which software creates random keys until one works. The downside to this brute-force method is that it effectively “steals” a key from a real licensed copy, so that it is possible that if you buy a fully legal and licensed copy of Vista, someone else may have already stolen and used your key, rendering your copy useless.
A handy reference
Friday, March 23rd, 2007When I first saw this I was like meh. But its usefulness is growing on me and now I think it’s totally cool. How many times have I searched the web for unit conversions, and how many times have I thought to myself “I need to put a handy unit converter thingy on my website” but never got around to doing it?
Well this page has your unit conversions. It has your dictionary, your thesaurus, your language translator, your wiki lookup, and your literary citation builder. And of course your Google.
schoolr is a compact and powerful little internet resource.
Bush Administration just doesn’t get it
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007If you haven’t heard the news, go check it out and see why our government is failing.
The Bush Administration’s conditions that his advisers speak only without transcript and without taking an oath are an insult to democracy and Americans. The secrecy of his administration is appalling. Given that he has taken our country to an unjustified war in Iraq for 4 years by misleading the American public with both spin and downright false information, Americans should be demanding that his administration deliver the truth in all matters. And the only way we can be reasonably assured that we get the truth is by having his advisers speak publicly, under oath, with a transcript, answering the critical questions that have been lacking during the course of Bush’s presidency.
This affair brings to mind lyrics from Stevie Wonder’s song “You Haven’t Done Nothing”:
It’s not too cool to be ridiculed
But you brought this upon yourself
The world is tired of pacifiers
We want the truth and nothing elseAnd we are sick and tired of hearing your song
Telling how you are gonna change right from wrong
‘Cause if you really want to hear our views
“You haven’t done nothing!”
International Pi Day
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007Well I missed it by a few days but if you’re geekier than I am then you didn’t miss International Pi day on March 14th.
And I’m probably late with this YouTube video but if you have not already seen it I command thee to turn up thine speakers and enjoy the fruity goodness of pi.
Just checking in
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007Here is a vapid post to fill the space between less vapid posts.
The plum tree is blooming like crazy. I took some pictures this weekend, but the sky was overcast and white flowers against grey* sky is not so impressive. Last year it produced 2 plums, the first year in which it actually bore fruit. This year’s flowering is much more bountiful, and there are bees buzzing, so here’s hoping that this year’s crop will be much more, um, bountiful. Sweet sweet plums. When I was a kid I have a memory of riding home from swim team practice and stopping in front of a house with a plum tree and raiding its, um, bounty. I have never been able to choke down a store-bought plum since then. Like tomatoes, plums are fruits that absolutely must ripen on their host, otherwise they’re not worth eating. And unlike tomatoes, plums are actually worth eating.
The boy is gaining interest in talking. He has been mimicking “All gone” and “night night” though we don’t think he understands their proper context. He has been saying “no” a lot, mostly just to say it, but I’ve noticed that when he begins to get frustrated he starts to say “no.” So I think he understands the context of “no” to some degree. God knows he hears enough of it from his parents. But the fact that he’s listening and attempting to mimic is a very big development.
Developments such as this have been frustrating in the past. Just when I think he’s on the verge of expressive language, nothing happens. So I’ve been reticent to post on this new development because I don’t want to stir up my expectations.
* Ok I’m so pissed. Well not so much pissed as annoyed. And not so much annoyed as mildly amused. Firefox has an automatic spell-checking feature for when you’re writing in text boxes like the one I use here to post on this here blog. Apparently it objects to the proper spelling of the color grey. I absolutely refuse to publish anything with that abominable other spelling. Here I go to find out how to alter Firefox’s dictionary. Ok Crisis Averted.
50 states in 10 minutes
Tuesday, March 6th, 2007Here’s a challenge: can you name the 50 states in 10 minutes? I got 45 on my first try.
50 States quiz