I'm voting for THIS GUY

No, not that one...

This guy.

And I'm not really voting for him, I'm sending him $10. But if if I could vote for him, I would.

Bitter much?

I like to think that I am open minded. I enjoy discussing just about any subject and have friends on both sides of the political spectrum (although most are more likely Democrats or libertarians).

So on a whim I went to both the Democrat and Republican websites. If you have a moment, you should visit them for yourself.

The Democrat site features a happy and smiling Barack Obama, with links to joining the campaign and get email newsletters. There's news, policy links etc.

Now go check the RNC website. Oddly, it doesn't currently have ONE picture of John McCain. Maybe this is because he isn't the 'official' nominee yet. I would understand that. The are however at least SEVEN pictures of Obama. Each one is as unflattering as they can use (without resorting to darkening his skin like O.J. Simpson or putting a kafiyya on his head in photoshop). Each picture is accompanied my snide jabs, accusations, innuendo and claims of democratic party disunity.

While the Dem site lists news articles about the democratic party, Obama and links to getting involved (with some links to McCain policies and history) the RNC site is ALL about what's wrong with Obama. Not the democrats, JUST Obama. He flip flops, he knows a guy who did something illegal, his promise to limit lobbyist money has loopholes, he has bad judgment. There's even a counter showing how long its been since Obama went to Iraq. Because if he went to Iraq, everything would be better. Right? There's also a link to find and contact local talk radio stations so that you can spread the word to other fearful whites about the scary black man who will rape your women and OHNOEZZ HEEZ A MUZLIM!!!

Wow. The whole site is just plain bitter.

It's not just the content of the site, as a web developer the RNC seems to be going out of their way to make the site super serious. Deep red indicating danger. Want information? You must register with the site. While the Dem site has a subtle 'Contribute' button the RNC demands "Help elect a Republican President and congress. Support the RNC! DONATE TODAY!". Do it now!! The liberal hordes are at the gate to take our guns and institute communism!

This is the first time I have visited either site this year. I'm curious to see how they both evolve during the election season. So far McCain isn't winning any awards for originality by copying Obama's slogan. And with his record of voting pretty consistently with Bush it will be hard to declare himself a maverick or a reformer.

For extra credit I also visited the Libertarian site. It's simpler, but I like their slogan "The Party of Principle" and the Green party. It's very - green.

Am I crazy here? Tell me what you think in the comments.

Is it something in the water?

As of today it appears that the primaries are over. Obama has apparently won. Which makes the actions of Hillary and her supporters all the more unfathomable. I mean, have you heard some of the crazy shit some of her supporters are saying?

Please don't think that I hate Sen. Clinton. I do not. She seems to be a competent Senator and genuinely seeks to do all she can to help America. My initial nervousness at the Democrats two main contenders being a woman and a black was more than overcome by my pride that we in fact did such a thing and that they were both worthy of the chance. I don't believe we'll be seeing a woman or a black presidential candidate coming out of the Republican party any century soon.

And so the fight was on. And as the end drew nigh something very weird happened. When Michigan and Florida were punished for breaking the rules and holding early primaries her people flipped out. And when Clinton didn't get all the delegates from a state where Obama's name wasn't on the ballot and she agree'd not to count, she and her supporters somehow came to believe that a vast DNC conspiracy was afoot. People were being disenfranchised, theri VOTE wasn't being counted. And EVERY VOTE was somehow crucial to the survival of America.

This wasn't Obama's fault.
It wasn't the DNC's fault.

The state Democratic committee's did this. It's their fault. There are rules. You were TOLD the consequences of breaking the rules. You did it anyways. And when the Rules committee decided to seat their delegates but punnish them for breaking the rules, you would have thought that we were sicking dogs and firehoses on Hillary's supporters. Some actually compared the act to slavery.

She started repeating, at every opportunity, that she was getting the most votes. Of course, you had to jump through a lot of hoops to get her numbers, but that doesn't matter because that isn't how the primaries work. It isn't a straight popularity contest. Then the Hillary supporters turned on the media. But the media has been responsible for keeping the appearence of a real race alive for months when it was clear to most that Hillary wasn't going to win. They fought to keep the race alive for the sake of ratings.

Then came the charges of sexism. Sexism? Then it became about her 'electability'.

And when the end came did she concede graciously and make the case for party unity? No. And her most ardent supporters started screaming about fighting all the way to Denver and even voting for McCain rather than Obama.

Why would you do that? What good would that serve? How would that support the agenda and ideals espoused by Ms Clinton?

And the hate coming off these people, you can almost see it. They HATE Obama, for a multitude of reasons that sound only slightly more crazy than the 'He's a Muslim who hates America because he doesn't wear a pin' stories. They are furious because they believe we will loose the general election, all because the DNC and Howard Dean have somehow calluded to shove Obama down the Democratic parties throat. But what about all the superdelegates? Were they merely puppets? And the elections where he won? He must have some support. But to hear these people talk those people are mindless sheep and Obama some kind of cult leader who will kill us all.

I understand being devoted to a candidate, but this is getting ugly. There was a time when people talked about the 'Dream Ticket' of Obama and Clinton. And on the surface it sounds like a great idea for unifying the party. But now? Not so much. I don't think it would work.

Am I biased? Maybe. But it seems to me that Barrak has consistently taken the high road during this process. Even tonight during his speach, where Cinton gave him two lines and then talked about herself and her agenda. Barrak praised her in the highest terms and did not seem to take any jabs at her at all, instead calling for unity. Clintons speech sounded like a campaign speech. In places she took swipes at Obama, although these were couched politely and in general terms. And despite loosing the primary, she said she'd hold off on deciding what to do. What to do? Do what any 1st grader would do. Shake hands with the winner and learn from your mistakes. Work towards winning for the good of everyone, not just YOUR personal cheering section. Hillary is working towards being the new Ralph Nader here. A good person who blows it for everyone just so they can prove a point.

Customer Service = Boot to the goin...

Whenever we leave for a trip abroad my wife dutifully calls her credit card companies to to let them know where we're going to avoid the cards being flagged for foreign purchases.

I usually think about doing this and then just go on the trip without any incident.

But this time I actually wrote a note and called Capital One. After identifying myself I told the nice lady that I was heading off on a German adventure. She made a note and then for some reason transferred me to another department. This lady told me that the card 'needed to be re-activated' and that I had to answer several questions.

???

Re-activated? I checked the expiration date. No that's fine. And I used the card last week for a business purchase. Ooooooookaaaaay. I'll go along because I'm a sheep.

'First question: How much is the amount of your mortgage payment each month?'
I am given 4 possible answers.

Me: "Um, I'm not sure I can answer the question"

That was obviously the wrong thing to say.

"These questions are generated by the credit agencies. To verify who you are we need you to correctly answer these questions"

Me:"Well, there are two issues here. First, my mortgage is paid automatically each month by my bank. Second, it recently changed slightly and the amount might be answer B or C. I don't know. We set it up this way so that we wouldn't have to worry about writing checks every month. You know, to lover our stress level." I give a chuckle, there is no reciprocating chuckle.

Second question:"Your mortgage is held by which company?" Several choices are offered.

At this point it feels like this is some kind of fishing expedition. Why the hell do you need this information? I ask why I am being grilled about my Mortgage and she say only that I have to answer these questions. I ask for a supervisor.

10 minutes later I get an American voice. She starts explaining that the questions are needed to verify I am who I say I am because only I would know the answers to these questions.

I inform the woman that I was told I had to 're-authorize' my already active card and that I didn't think that my mortgage was any of their damn business thank you very much. She explains that the questions are random and might be as simple as "what color is your car?". Why the hell would my credit card company know what color car I drive???? By this time I am wrapping my head in an intricate tin foil hat/brainwave shield.

She tries to explain that they are simply trying to prevent fraud. That calling the credit card company and letting them know you are heading abroad is JUST the kind of thing that filthy criminals would do. Great. If I simply take off on a trip and buy a sausage alarm bells go off at Capital One, if I TELL them I am going to Germany as a courtesy I am obviously a criminal looking to game the system.

She then goes on to tell me that I am obviously not paying close enough attention to my credit cards and that my wife could go off and open an account and leave me with massive debt.

I am not kidding.

I put a halt to the conversation. "Ask me your questions. If possible I'd rather they don't involve inquiries about my mortgage."

"Why not?"

"Because there are three institutions people don't trust any more. The Government, the banks and the credit card companies. The order these institutions are mistrusted by me is quickly being rewritten based on this call".

"How do you pay the balance on this card?"

Wow. How do I explain the convoluted process by which we pay for stock? I try to explain that charge the card but then pay off the balance every month with a home equity line of credit that doesn't (as I delicately put it) 'Rape us so badly'. That payment is made, I think, by check.

"I need specifics sir. Who's name is on the checks?"

"Jesu Christu I just don't know, my WIFE writes them. I suspect both our names are on the checks."

"And what bank is this through?"

At this point I honestly don't know. My blood pressure is dangerously high and I am under my desk with the lights off because I think someone is outside my window peaking in. Is it the mortgage company? The bank? If I get this wrong will they nuke my account? Will the credit card company call homeland security to warn them that Al Qaida is attempting to import weaponized chocolate? I take a wild guess which must have been right. She gives me a number to call if I loose my card and thanks me for choosing Capital One. I hang up the phone and then beat it against my desk several times for good measure.

Customer service.

Wow.

The letter...

Three days ago I printed off a nine page letter and mailed it to an Army APO address. It was addressed to the son of a good friend. He is currently in Kuwait I believe, his final destination may be Iraq or Afghanistan.

It took me three months to write it, and despite endless revisions and re-writes it still didn't come out very well. Why did I write it? There are several reasons. I know that soldiers don't ever get enough mail. I know that email is available, but emails are rarely written with the same care of real letters and they have none of the permanency. A real letter means you took a little more time and effort to put down your thoughts.

Where many have no doubt sent him well-wishes and hope for a safe deployment I took a more practical approach. I outlined to him exactly why I felt we were in a wrongful conflict, why our presence in Iraq is not helping the cause of peace and what might happen when we remove ourselves from that area. It is, aside from a few bits of practical advice, a lengthy screed on why I feel his is in for a rough time and why he should not be there at all.

I am sure his parents spoke with him about this. I am sure they pointed out the risks and dangers of entering the service at this time. They are no Bush lovers. And yet he joined anyway. I truly wish I had been given the opportunity to speak with him while he was deciding whether to join or not. I don;t know if I could have changed his mind. I don't know his motivations. All I know if that this is a kid I used to see running around camp at Pennsic. We'd send him off on ice runs. He has always been, in my mind, a kid. And now he is an adult. He is in the Army, and he is now a small cog in the machine of war. The reality of that struck me so hard that I tried to blurt out all the things that I would have if I had been given the chance, even though its too late now.

While I respect the profession of citizen-soldier and know that it is a necessity, I can't just shut up and throw a yellow ribbon magnet on the back of my car. While the security of this country often depends on young Americans answering the call to arms THIS call was a wrong fucking number.

Why did I write this letter? Even after agonizing over it and finally sending it, I still cannot say. What am I hoping he will do with the ideas, opinions and flat out rants contained within its pages? I don't know. Part of me hopes that he will undergo some kind of epiphany, that he will find some way to get out without dishonor.

Why did I write this letter? I guess it was for the most selfish of reasons. Because I just do not know what I would do if I had to go to a funeral and see him in a casket. How could I possibly handle seeing his parents weaping over his grave? The simple answer is that I couldn't. When the concept rears it ugly head rational thought seems to evaporate. There is an anger, a rage. Who is to blame? Who is responsible? Why did this kid die when those who never served, and who's kids will never serve get to live out their comfy lives? I find myself with a headache, clenching my jaw. I have to take deep breath and go for a short walk to put such thought out of my mind.

I don't know how he'll take this letter. It might annoy or piss him off. It wasn't my intent to offend or insult him, only to make him think. Benjamin Frankin said that "Thinking is one of the most difficult things a man can do, which is why so few engage in it". Will I get a reply? I doubt it. He is from an age of emails, instant and text messages. But one can hope.

Technology...is there anything it CAN do?

Back on the road at the North Carolina Ren faire. This is the show we specifically bought a GPS unit for. This expensive bit of technology frankly has NO idea where the hell anything is. We justhad the unit repaired and I'm beginning to think that it was a waste of money. Of course, this area DOES have a lot of construction. We had to hit Walmart for some lights. My iphone got us the address.

But when we got to the area the store was literally hidden behind some low hills and scrubs. Bonus? NO SIGNS. I understand cities not wanting large ugly signs soaring into the sky. I do. But NO signs? We only found the place by sheer chance.

I would hate to be a business in this area. You could be giving away free bars of gold with complimentary steak diners and blowjobs but there's no way anyone will ever find you in this place of madness.

Other than that, all is well. Setup went fine. It will be cold tomorrow. Well, 60 degrees. That is considered cold around these parts. In Ohio we go out and play water polo in the freshly thawed lake. Go figure.

Related to absolutely nothing, GO SEE 'DOOMSDAY". It totally rocks. Don't think about it too much. Just enjoy the pretty pictures. Double bonus? The use of Frankie Goes to Hollywoods "Two Tribes" during a car chase straight out of Mad Max 2.

Like clockwork...

Tomorrow we head out on the road for Florida and MEGACON. The house is clean, Cat Nanny, Lindsey and our neighbor are looking after our hyperactive Cats. Van is loaded. Audio books procured.

And then the phone rings...

At this point you'd like I would have learned not to answer the damned thing. But I, like Pavlov's dog, am well trained.

It's my friend Rupp.

He's early. His site shouldn't crap out until I'm at least 500 miles from home. Preferably in another country. Surrounded by headhunters.

I fire off some emails to determine what's up with his website. Then another client calls. He's been dragging his feet for MONTHS on a project and now he has an overwhelming urge to get the thing done TODAY. I spend several hours on the phone with the client, more in a chat session with support people, another hour on hold before talking to a real human. All culminating with the certain knowledge that the pinhead at my clients bank ignored all the instruction we gave him months ago.

A developer call me back. We've been talking about trying to find out what makes my friend Rupps site crash. We settle on doing a pretty serious upgrade. Settle on a price.

Call Bank, bark at moron.
Call Rupp, get approval for project.
Call Developer, green light upgrades.

Clicky-clicky on computer. Set up everything.

And now, I leave. Tadaa!

I'm sure that nothing at all will go wrong.

Cake and Anarchy

I was geeked to have about 15 people come out to Dave and Busters to celebrate my Day of Birthening. This place is packed on Saturdays and it was looking like we would be waiting until breakfast to get served. But a few well placed bribes and we got a private room to ourselves.

Some of the games were a blast. The boxing game where you actually punch, well, that was too much like exercise. I mean really. The last thing I should be doing after eating a mess of food and cake is taking wild swings at a virtual opponent.

I did get some nice schwag. Thanks guys. It was good to see you all.


The weather started to turn, even as we drove home. By the time we hit 480 it was almost a white out. The temperature plummeted.

This morning it was 7 degrees with 45 mile an hour winds. You would have to be a fool to go out in weather like that to attend a Scientology protest. So I didn't.

But I do have 'friend' who did go. A guy named Erik. He hauled his fat ass out of bed and hit a WalMart for posterboard and a large sharpie. Then he drove to Parma. He got there a little early so he took the opportunity to make his sign "$cientology is a $cam - www.xenu.net" The other side said "Ask Questions" www.xenu.net.

By the time he stashed his car several blocks away so the COS people couldn't get his license plate number there were people out in front of the unmarked building. More people showed up and spirits were high. There were flyers but this area had zero foot traffic. What it did have was a lot of car traffic. People sounded their horns and gave us thumbs up (or looked on confused). At about noon a few cars pulled into the COS lot. We waved to them and held our signs. They all looked like seniors. I beleieve we outnumbered them 3 to 1. Someone inside kept looking out at us furtively. No direct picture taking.

Chanel 5 showed up, shot some footage and asked some questions. We stamped our feet to keep warm and tried to keep out signs from blowing away. This was a mostly young crowd. But smart and motivated. They knew about Scientology. Most wore masks, not just to keep the COS people from snapping their photos but because it was required to stay alive in the blizzard. If Anonymous can get 20 people out in the dead of winter, what will it be like in the Spring?

Most protest pics I have seen online have sucked, but there is a great collection here by someone who knows how to use a damn camera. Some great shots, like this:



There are a lot of important causes in the world. There are a lot of evil deeds that go unpunished. But today was a start. A small step.

Suddenly, spontaneously, a movement has arisen. It has no leaders. It has no authorities. This movement is self directed by each member's own moral compass, and every individual walks in the same direction because that compass points to what is right.

Strong Stuff..

A short but powerful article "Why I am an abortion doctor". It is a subject many would care to avoid. There are strong feelings on both side. I happen to feel many of the pro-life arguments are full of crap. It's amazing how they can scream about the sanctity of life and in their seal to protect it, they bomb, stab and shoot doctory.

You know, the people who spend a good chunk of their lives learning and then practicing medicine.

They are very keen to make abortion illegal, but have NO IDEA what to do with women who have them. Several studies have confirmed this. Check out this video that shows them absolutely stunned by the question "Should be prosecute women who get an illegal abortion?".

I'm tired of dumb people. We've tried letting dumb people run things. It didn't work out.

Lets give the smart people a try.

Take 2...

So two and a half days of reinstalls and XP still isn't working right. IE 7, windows update and other things just aren't working. The deal breaker is when I can't get any anti virus or Quicken to load.

I make some calls. I talk to some people who assure me that indeed I have to push the Big Red Button. They told me to do this originally but I though I could do this half-assed. Several friends admit that they do a re-install twice a year. I back up 72 GIGs of info onto a portable hard drive. I scan it with an online virus scan. I triple check for info I need to have. And then, I wipe the drive.

While the system formats I take a shower. It's a spiritual as well as physical cleansing. I have lost almost an entire week because of my mistake. And there is NO guarantee that my work, pictures, music or anything will still work when I restore it.

When it's done I start the reload. This time it goes much faster and workes much better. I get a LOT of hard drive space back. I download 82 security updates to XP. I restore my documents and so far (knock on wood) it all looks good. One of the most annoying things is trying to remember user names and passwords from various sites.

It is done. This system is clean.

I loose...

Well it looks like we won't be at Gulf Wars this year. (GW is the third largest SCA event around) Apparently we aren't good enough. We were good enough for four years, but in a terse email we were informed that our products didn't meet with the SCA pre-1600's time frame. It is true, our most popular selling corset is a Victorian pattern. We use period colors and material styles and make matching skirts, shirts and more. They look good. Also, many women wear then under their more period garb. We do make a more period design, but it doesn't as well because it's A) Not as pretty and B) Not as comfortable to wear.

I appealed to the Autocrat (the person who is in charge of the overall event) and asked for some leeway. But he seemed to have no testicles and meekly agreed with the period nazi who is in charge of merchanting. They claim that they are 'tightening up their standards' and I wasn't the only one who was reviewed. Really? I know at least one other merchant who sells stuff out of period and they haven't been given the boot. I think I will be sending my spies out to check on this situation to see if indeed anyone else is missing this year. I really suspect the reason we weren't asked back is that we had an argument with the Merchantocrat about a sheet wall she insisted we erect behind out booth last year. It was a stupid demand and we objected but in the end gave in. I try to be as polite and accommodating as I can.

And where did that get me? Hell I'm one of the most honest merchants I know. Really. I take my business very seriously. I bought a very nice tent to do this event specifically. I built a more period portable rack last year for this event. Meanwhile merchants who buy crap from China set up in barely disguised carports. Ahhhhrg.

I love the SCA and I have many friends in it, but sometimes people get way too high and mighty. It shouldn't bother me. There are other more profitable events I could do that don't involve two weeks on the road or camping. But I AM bothered. To be frank I take it as a personal insult. We own booths at three large Renaissance Fairs but aren't good enough for this event. Bah.

I am old

Warning! Geek Speak ahead

So I'm playing a Half-Life Mod called Insurgency online with some pretty cool people. An Aussie, a German some froggers and some Amuricans. Great. We kick the snot out of the enemy team and do a little victory dance. Cool. The game at this point should load up another map and we should continue to crush our enemies. But the game seems to just stall. It doesn't crash. But we're all sitting there waiting. We have voice chat and begin to wonder what's up with the server.

"Da suhrvur, eet must have locked up I zink" said the German.

"They're probably running some shitty P2" chimes in some kid who sounds like he's 9.

"No," I say "It's a it's a 486 with an add on math co-processor".

There is a moment of silence.

'What ze 'el is a math co-processor?" asks the Frenchman.

"I'm sorry to admit I do" said another American.

"That's because you sir, are 39 years old I'll bet. You are I are ancient ones here. We walked the earth on 640k of ram and got our pron over 14.4 modems from BBS's. We wrote our own autoexec.bat files to load our CD-Rom and sound drivers in to HIMEM. And none of you young bastards know what the hell I'm talking about do you?".

There was much laughing.

Then the next map loaded and we prepared to crush the other team.

"That was great mate" said the Brit. "But really, what's a math co-processor?"

Hot priest on priest action...

No, not THAT kind. It seems that there's a new Ultimate Fighting Organization forming right in the Holy Land. Several different Christian faiths share responsibility for maintaining the Church where Jesus was supposedly born. When some Greek Orthadox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceiling after the X-mas day mass, the Armenians claimed the ladders encroached on their part of the church.

The result? Holy land Iron Cage match.

To let you know how stupid this conflict was 20 Palestinian police came in to stop the fight.

The Palestinians were the calm voice of reason. Awesome.

Go read the article, there are even pics! So, whose side do you think Jesus would fight on?

Horay for Democracy!

Do they love us yet? No? Maybe we need to beat them harder.


Honestly. Is that what we've have become? Is this the America you are proud of? I want my country safe. But this is not making America safe, its destroying it.

War is a swell racket..

I know we don't need any more cynicism in this world. The past 5 years are enough to make anyone a bit disillusioned . But I just found this great quote about war. The amazing thing is the source. A Major General in the Marines. It's an older quote, and yet it is even more meaningful today than ever.



"War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.

There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.

It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."

-- Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.

Who are we?

I found this short film to be the most poignant thing I have watched in quite a while. If only we would embrace its simple truths, things would be a lot less messed up on this little blue planet.

We all loose...

I made no post on Sept. 11 this year. For me it was too horrible to wallow in the sadness and depression of recalling that day. But so much of our lives today is impacted by that day. So much about our country was twisted... So that we almost don't recognize it any more.

In the days after 9/11 a terrible mistake was make. I'm not talking about foreign policy or the start of the war drums. No. A simple mistake was made by a pilot who forgot a radio in his hotel room. Later, a hotel employee "found" the radio in another room. A room where an Egyptian man was staying.

And this is where things went very wrong. This is where men in good faith did something that changed America. The FBI believed they had a 9/11 conspirator. He denied the radio was his, but of course, a terrorist would do that. Never mind that the radio doesn't fit into any terrorism scenario. These were the first few days right after the attack and no one knew how it had been planned or executed. All the FBI agent knew is that an Egyptian national had a radio used by pilots. This was all the proof he needed. But when the Egyptian wouldn't give him what he wanted he threatened to sick the Egyptian Security forces on his family back home.

These guys wouldn't simply make life unpleasant, they would very likely torture those who they suspected might be associated with terrorists. Let me be clear. He didn't threaten the Egyptian with torture, this is before we started sending people to secret CIA facilities where we only used the most human and White House sanctioned torture. He told the man the Egyptians would get his family, and Egypt (A country I love and hope to visit again some day) does not fuck around with terror suspects. Like Israel and Syria they can and will do all the things the Geneva convention forbids. Beating the feet with steel rods, electrical shocks to the genitals, drilling into flesh or worse.

The man was in a catch 22. Confess to something he did not do and his life would be over, but his family might be safe, or insist is his innocence and risk his families torture. He confesses. The radio is his. "Where did you get it?" asks the FBI agent. But the man can't tell his because it wasn't his. He makes up several stories, which only makes him look more guilty.

Then the real owner of the radio showed up. There was no plot. There was no evidence. There was no terrorist. The man was released.

This was the first misstep. But it would be followed by many more. In our zeal to find and punish those we felt were responsible we threw out the investigation play book and started cutting corners. Taking shortcuts to get justice. The War or Terror looks like and episode of "24" where he will break our own laws, ignore treaties, even torture in pursuit of the 'enemy'.

A lot of people talk tough about fighting terrorism. They take that anguish from 9/11 and channel it into a focussed beam of hate and grim determination to do "whatever it takes" to stop it from ever happening again. Give these people a gun and tell them that "that guy over there is a terrorist" and they might well shoot the guy themselves.

"So we made a mistake with this Egyptian guy, it was all sorted out, no harm no foul" you say.

But if the owner of the radio had not come back for it the Egyptian would very likely have been sent to Gitmo , or worse. We would have put an innocent guy and likely his family as well, into the meat grinder we have created and we would have destroyed them.

Only a short time ago almost half the detainees at Gitmo were released. We simply didn't have ANY evidence they were Al Qaida. "Horay! The system works!". But we had imprisoned them in closet sized cells there for YEARS. If they didn't hate America before, they sure as hell do now.

Look, I want to stop terrorist plots just like everyone else. I just don't want to destroy the country I love to do it. I want us to THINK before we act. Political candidates these days are trying to make themselves out as "Men of Action". You know what, we have those guys. They're called Marines. What I want are thinking men. Because action without thought is folly. And when we act like animals we all loose.

What's your opinion?

No fatties or ugly chicks...

I present to you a story from across the pond where a woman was denied access to a club because her crutches (which she needs to walk) could be used as "Offensive Weapons". She seems a bit miffed and has contacted several disability advocates. She can't understand why the club didn't use some common sense. After all, as the article points out, any unfixed object can be used as a weapon. Purses don't seem to be searched there so you could bring in a whacking big knife or a tactical nuke if you were so inclined.

So how could this have happened? I'll tell you how. Go read the article. Or, if you're in a hurry just take a peek at the woman in question. Still not sure why she wasn't given access? I suspect that the doorman was simply weeding out fatties and ugly chicks and she didn't make the cut. I suspect if she had looked like this, she'd have walked right in. But we can't have imperfect people at our pleasuredomes. Go check out any TV show that shows a club scene. CSI Miami, Burn notice, anything. Ever see a normal looking person? Hell no. Ugly people should go to dark, seedy bars (unless that bar is Coyote Ugly, in which case you can just stay at home).

On the up side, if she gets a good lawyer, she could buy a nice new car with the settlement from the lawsuit. Awesome.

About Me...

A lot of people want to know "Who is Steve Pack?" Well I'll tell you.

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

Hacked!

I just discovered that one of my clients websites has been hacked. Needless to say, I am most displeased. How did this happen? Pretty simple. The client had a pretty easy to guess user name and password. Do YOU change your passwords regularly? Are they a combination of letters and numbers? Do you use the same user name and password on lots of sites? I bet a lot of you do.

Luckily the damage was minimal. They tried to redirect paypal payments to a disposable email account. A pretty unsophisticated hack. I immediately changed the user name and password to something much harder to guess, then I password protected the admin page itself with a different password. I then changed the FTP password. Then I tracked down the little bastards I.P. range. He's somewhere in Brazil most likely so I can't just drive to his place and mess with him personally.
My clients are my friends. And I don't like people fucking with my friends.

These are the times...

You may have heard me state at some point that I enjoy what I do. And most of the time that is true. I like what I do, I like to travel, I like Conventions and I like the people I meet at them.

Most of the time.

But the fact is, many of these events are run by volunteers or some other semi-organized entity. What I and my fellow merchants like to call Dumb Monkeys.

Dumb Monkeys are a threat to who I am and what I do. Why? Because they are DUMB. This is not to say that they are evil, they often have the best of intentions, but that doesn't help me when they fuck up a convention, and by extension, fuck over ME.

Let me explain. There are hundreds of cons, gatherings, tournaments and ren-faires held a year. We can't afford to attend them all. We can't risk spending a chunk of change to drive to Oregon only to find out that only 200 people are showing up and there are no guests and the hotel is a cesspool. So we screen every event we hear about. First, we visit the website. If the website sucks, we don't do the event. If it's an okay website that never gets updated? We don't do the event. Then we email them a question. Don't get a reply? We don't go. We talk to our fellow merchants and swap info. We search flickr for pictures of the event. Are there crowds in the picture? How does the site look? Is the vendor fee super low? That's a warning sign of a bad event. The process of finding good events is slow, tedious and very very time consuming.

I know it isn't easy setting up and running an event, but its a shitload easier than it used to be. But despite email and collaborative tools and years of experience and numerous resources some people still cock it up. There are a number of ways to kill and event. Poor planning, no advertising, spending too much or too little on guests, too narrow a focus, lack of staff, no financial backing etc etc.

And then there's the worst kind of fuck up. The management break up.

We did PyrateCon a while back and it was an okay event. It could be better but the guys running it had a lot of heart and put a lot of work into the event. Plus its PIRATES in NEW ORLEANS. I mean, they didn't have to twist my arm, I was keen to go again. Things seemed even better when we negotiated an exclusive deal to be the only vendor selling corsets at the event. I sent in my money and marked my calendar.

Then the shit hit the fan. Someone took over the PyrateCon Website. Accusations are made that the previous staff ran the event poorly. New Managament were now running things. Except they don't seem to know who I am. I hit google. Now there's another website claiming to be the REAL PyrateCOn, the others are thieves and frauds! Litigation is under way!

And just like that, this event is fucked. There is no way to fix it. Say one side does sue the other (not much chance because these people aren't running a for profit company or if they are they usually operate on very thin profit margins) most of their money will be eaten up by lawyers. Say they don't sue but fight it out online and in blogs and on myspace pages. Guess what, it hurts both events. Neither one flourishes. And again, I'm fucked.

I'm being told I have to contact the old management to resolve my "payment issues". Yes, I did make out the check to a specific person (i.e. Joe Blpw/PyrateCon) which in hindsight was a mistake. But these new guys are claiming they're pyratecon so I'm going to put their feet to the flame. I doubt the old management team has the money to refund to me (they're suing, remember?) The best I can hope for is a credit towards the new event and I'm not holding out too much hope of that.

Dumb Monkeys.

A waste of air...

I am going to spend a moment to talk about Paris Hilton. That's right. Paris Hilton. I didn't want to. But I am forced by events to comment on this walking bag of uselessness.

I was happily minding my own business, checking CNN to see the news of the day. There's lots going on in the world and I was hoping for some updates. How's the G8 summit going? Will the shuttle launch on time? Is Alberto Gonzales out of a job yet? But I couldn't get any information about these news items because Paris Fucking Hilton was there in all her file footage glory. I waited, but that sack of antlers wouldn't go away. Why not? I actually tuned in my brain for a moment.

It seems that Paris was going to jail. Why? Well apparently she was busted for DUI. She got probation, a fine and had to take a class. Then she got caught driving on a suspended license. They she was pulled over for doing 70 in a 35 zone while STILL suspended.

So a judge said,"You going to jail" and sentenced her to 45 days in the pokey. According to her loyal friends and fans, this was akin to sending her to Gitmo. She showed up, spent four days in jail, and was released, supposedly for "medical reasons" and would apparently serve the rest of her 45 days under house arrest.

I'd like to take a moment to clarify some things. First. It's very likely she would only spend 23 days in jail. The jails are very crowded in California and they was to save space for the violent offenders. Two. For anyone worried she was being raped or at risk of being shived. She wasn't. She was in a segregated section reserved for celebrities, police, politicians or anyone else is likely to be hassled while serving time.

By now you're saying "What the fuck?" and rightly so. The judge wasn't very pleased either and had her hauled back to court this morning. After that, she was thrown back in the pokey for the full 45 days.

I will admit that at this point, I'm hooked. I want to know what happens next to Paris Hilton. You've won, mass media. I can't help it. What should have been a simple life lesson about why we shouldn't drink and drive, and drive... and drive... has turned into a fiasco.

There is some confusion about who has authority with regards to early prisoner release. It may be that the sheriff has a certain amount of discretion in these cases. But the judge had specifically stated that she wouldn't be getting off with a suspended sentence, or house arrest. The prosecutor asked the judge if maybe the sheriff was in contempt of court. That's pretty serious. The prosecutors office fielded hundreds of angry calls and emails about this bullshit, and rightly so.

Luckily the judges order seems to be the final word. She's in jail and will remain there. She was apparently in tears and they took her from the courtroom saying "It's not fair!" and calling for her "Mommy".

I would like to point out that I have no problem with the segregated accommodations she got. And I am not so cold that I would insist a sick person remain imprisoned without medical attention. If she's sick, get her a doctor. If she's unhappy, well that's just too fucking bad. Jail isn't Disneyland.

And crying and screaming for her mom? This woman is 26 years old. Show some fortitude. You'll live. Consider growing up.

I am curious to know exactly how this situation went from routine to fucked up so fast.

It's easy at this point to swing right into a rant about what a stupid, spoiled rich slut she is. But I will refrain. It's wrong to hang your morals on someone else. Yes, she recorded herself having sex and then marketed it herself. Where some would se an opportunistic slut, others would see a market savvy entrepreneur. Maybe her parents have a more European view about sex. Fair enough. And her drug use? Same thing. Neither of my parents has berated me upon learning that I tried marijuana. Of course, that's all I have tried. Paris Hilton parents must be VERY European to be cool with cocaine, heroin or bulimia.

And it's certainly not a requirement that you do something useful with your life and the millions you get just for existing. It's weird. Paris stands there and is a beloved celebutante. Bill Gates has given away BILLIONS for charitable causes and is still viewed as the Antichrist.

So your life consists of a TV show that repeatedly shows you to be vapid, shallow and stupid. You are paid to be pretty. You incessantly party. You take drugs and engage in videotaped sex. You use racist terms a lot when you think people aren't watching.

Fine.

It's your life. But once you get behind the wheel of a car drunk, you've crossed a line. And when you ignore the rules and reality in general, you cross another line. So when you get sent to jail for breaking the law, you really have no reason to complain. You had your chance. You blew it. Sorry you got dicked around for a day, but oh well. Lot's of people get dicked around by the legal system every day. Some people spend years in jail on false evidence. Shit happens. You'll get over it kid.

This won't stop the circus of course. There are high priced attorneys to be hired, tearful interviews with her parents, lawsuits to be filed, scandalous tabloids to be printed. Protests, online petitions and a swarm of media gnats buzzing around every aspect of this case like flies around shit.

In all of this I really can't but wonder about the parents. I know parents love their children, even their fucked up ones. They often love and support them, even when they do stupid, illegal and morally questionable things. But at some point you have to realise you've fucked up. Yes, she may be genetically defective. But you raised her and so the finger points mostly to you. Maybe shielding her from the world isn't the answer guys. Maybe she needs to learn her lesson. It doesn't mean you don't love her. It just mean you won't be her enablers.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog

A Gentlemans wager

After catching the latest Pirates movie was had dinner nearby. The discussion turned to the show 'Lost', which has gotten a contract for three more years. I do not believe that it will go that long and have made a gentleman's wager of dinner with my friend Ed over this.

It's not that I don't enjoy Lost. It's a pretty damn good show. But it does have one serious fault working against it. These writers have no clear idea of where they are going. There is no set arc or master story. Anyone who tells you there is, is wrong. Oh there may be some broad, nebulous idea thingy in the producers mind somewhere. But a solid plan? No. JMS had a pretty damn solid plan for B5 that made it a great Space Opera. Even the X-files eventually settled down to a central backstory. Lost? Not so much.

And how long can this show continue to pull shit out of its ass? How much weird shit can happen on this island? How long can these characters continue to do dumb things and never ask intelligent questions? I believe that the show can have a good ending. But three seasons worth? We will have to see. I suspect it will go the way of several other shows that had similar motifs. Anyone remember John Doe? Or the Running Man show (I thank that's what it was called). Great premises wasted.

While pontificating on Lost I somehow blurted out that Lost isn't that original. It's basically The Prisoner with a warmer climate. Never saw the show? Don't worry, it first ran in the 60's on BBC. But the parallels are freaky:

Lost: People wake up to find themselves on mysterious island
Prisoner: Spy wakes up to find himself on mysterious island

Lost: Island inhabited by Black Smoke, that can kill
Prisoner: Island guarded by Rover, a mysterious device that can kill

Lost: Others controlled by no. 2 who answers to unseen no 1
prisoner: Island controlled by no. 2 who answers to unseen no 1

Lost: Main characters have secrets they don't want revealed
Prisoner: Main character has secret he doesn't want revealed

Lost: Areas of the island are under video surveillance
Prisoner: Areas of the island are under video surveillance

Lost: Other try to get characters to join them
Prisoner: No 2 tried to get No 6 to join him

Lost: Dead people occasionally show up alive.
Prisoner: Dead people occasionally show up alive.

One could go on and on.

Kicking Science in the Yam-Bag

Why do we do this to science? If you don't believe in Evolution, fine. But masking your whacked out religious beliefs under the flag of a "Science Fair" is not just wrong, it's counter productive in every imaginable way. These people aren't just ignoring reality, they are actively working to teach children the opposite of reality.

Check out this winner in the Middle School division:

2nd Place: "Women Were Designed For Homemaking"

Jonathan Goode (grade 7) applied findings from many fields of science to support his conclusion that God designed women for homemaking: physics shows that women have a lower center of gravity than men, making them more suited to carrying groceries and laundry baskets; biology shows that women were designed to carry un-born babies in their wombs and to feed born babies milk, making them the natural choice for child rearing; social sciences show that the wages for women workers are lower than for normal workers, meaning that they are unable to work as well and thus earn equal pay; and exegetics shows that God created Eve as a companion for Adam, not as a co-worker.

What...the...fuck?!?!?! We'll be seeing him on Jerry Springer one day no doubt.

You may want to go and see this train wreck for yourself. These people will some day be voters and work in government. I weep.

What's in a symbol?

When we moved Rossana's father to Ohio there was a box of old papers that was left in the trunk of our car. When I pulled it out I found old deeds, family pictures, immigration forms from Rossana's great grandfather. And a dagger.

It was old, the blade was about five inches and had a slightly rusty metal sheath. I pulled it out and noticed that it was made in Solingen. Good steel. It was dull, with no point whatsoever. I thought that with a bit of cleaning it would make a nice utility knife. I turned it over in my hands, wondering where it came from.

And then I saw the Swastika.

It was small, set into well worn and dirty handle. It seemed so incongruous. The knife didn't look particularly threatening at all. I googled 'Nazi Daggers' and found an image that matched it exactly.

The knife was a Nazi youth dagger, given to members of the Hitler Youth. When it was new, it would have had "Blood and Honor" etched on the blade.

I took it to my wife.

"I found this in that box in the trunk. Do you know where it came from?"

She looked at it and smiled. "I remember that, I think dad got it from Uncle Lou. I have some fond memories of that knife."

She saw the look on my face. I handed it to her and told her what it was.

"I don't remember the Swastika. We used to use it when we'd go to Atlantic city when I was a child. I used it to pry open Oysters. It was just a handy knife. I guess my Dad kept it because he thought it might be valuable some day."

I took it out to the shop and put it on a table. I looked at it. I honestly didn't want it in the house. I didn't want it near me. I checked militaria sites and found that in good condition it could be worth a bit of money. I considered selling it, but stopped myself.

Who would buy this thing? Who's hands would it go into? Some mild mannered military history collector? I know at least one person who collects and sells WWII models and toys, including a fair number of German items that have the same symbol on them. He's no Neo-Nazi. My own step-brother had a love of WWII era tabletop strategy games and German military models when he was a teenager. He certainly didn't turn out to be a racist or a holocaust denier.

But I didn't sell it. I couldn't.

Humans tend to imbue inanimate object with meanings and powers they simply don't have. We believe that items in close proximity to people are 'infected' by that persons personality. Their essence. Witness people who collect autographs, or items owned by famous people, or Christians. They believe that a piece of bone or a sliver of wood is holy and might even perform miracles, simply because Jesus, or someone who lived three hundred years after Jesus might have touched it, even when we almost certainly know that the item never came within a thousand miles of him.

So this knife, which very likely was never involved in harming anyone, is just a thing. It has no 'bad mojo'. Except that that's bullshit. The rational mind is over ruled by emotion all the time. Say someone killed your mother with a knife from your kitchen. Would you want the knife back? Hell no you wouldn't. I don't know the history of this knife, but I know the history of the Nazi's. I know very well what they did and the very symbol of that evil is set in the handle of this knife.

So what's in a symbol?

Rossana told me I could do whatever I wanted with it. That was six months ago. It still sits in the shop in a drawer. Do I sell it, praying that it doesn't end up in the hands of some fucked up skinhead? I could use the money right now. What if I sold it and donated the money to the Holocaust museum? Would that be wrong? Should I just destroy it? That way no one profits from it. The world isn't loosing anything important here. This knife won't add anything to our understanding or the war and its horrors. This should be a hard decision. But it is.

What would you do?

Yes, no,no,yes,no,ye-no YES!

This weekend Lindsey and I were supposed to attend Pennsic War Practice (an SCA event). It's not big, but it's close, I have some friends there and we made a podest profit last year. Rossana would be staying behind to oversee work being done at the house.

At 2am last night I had some kind of strange premonition and I checked the event website. In all previous years, you would just show up. All you needed was a valid PA sales license. Not this year. The property owners now demand that all merchants carry a 2 million dollar liability policy. Also, you had to pre-register for the event. I felt ill. I fired off an email to the merchant coordinator asking if there was anything that could be done. In the morning I tried to call the Autocrat (who runs the event). No luck.

Lindsey arrived and I explained the situation. It just didn't look feasible. Plus some guys never showed up at the house to do prep work and I might be of more use at the home front. We spent the day doing errands, writing off the event. Then I got a call from the merchant coordinator. It seems like we could do the event if we showed up with the paperwork. Crap. The insurance requirement had forced several smaller merchants to withdraw from the event. There were about half the normal number of vendors this year. Fewer merchants means fewer places to spend money. This can conceivably lead to increased sales.

So at 10:30pm we threw a show load into the van. Lindsey is doing the show solo. She's worked without us before, but with a minion of her own. We still don't know if our insurance will cover the event. It's a crap shoot. We're trusting that everything will go the way we hope and no one will be a dick. Keeping fingers crossed.

New Orleans Redux

I'm still writing up my recallections of Pirate Con in New Orleans last week, some of it is understandably a litle blurry. I didn't see any of the 9th ward this time, although I did find an old friend who I'd lost track of who now lives there with his wife. They spend six months in their own house while they gutted and rebuilt it. They had water but no official power. They hooked up an extension cord to a neightbors house. That's hard core.

So what do I read today? That most of the foreign aid for Katrina victems was uncollected, refused or wasted.

Do you know what a lot of the attendees did early morning Saturday at Pirate Con? They went to a grade school in the area with much needed school supplies. $60 million dollars and it isn;t getting to where it needs to. This is what makes my brain hurt.

People laugh at Denis Kusinich for trying to get Cheny impeached. Why is this crazy? If anyone focused on any ONE of the disasters this administration had been either responsible for or has exacerbated, they would quickly come to the realization that we and our country are being forced into a flaming nosedive by a corrupt idiot. It's just that there are SO MANY fuck-ups, mistakes, miscaculations, missteps and wrong turns thay we just can't catch our breath. You can't keep up! Is that their strategy?

BONUS ROUND

It seems seven of eight "Successes" in Iraq in fact, aren't. Have a read. Your money and blood at work.

Just Married

I alluded to this incident a few posts ago, but just now found my camera and got the picture off it. The scene, somewhere in Kentucky I believe. Tired from a long haul we search for a motel with reasonable rates. Our first two stops are a bust. Then we pull into a no-name budget motel. Rossana hops out to inquire what the rates are. I look out the van window and see the following:


There are no cans and no other signs of decoration. After a minute or two a young mans steps out of the motel office. He's dressed in a cheap windbreaker and a baseball hat and jeans. He gets in the truck and pulls up to a parking spot. Some kind of intense discussion is taking place.

Rossana comes out with a room key. The room rate must be acceptable. We pull ahead and park the van. As Lindsey and Rossana haul the overnight bags to the room I stare back at the truck. Who are these kids? One can create a pretty good narrative just looking at the situation. No friends or family with them, plain dress, and now debating whether they have the funds to get a cheap motel room. Part of me knows that these two are not in for an easy go of it. That they might well be divorced in a year, maybe less, but not before she gets knocked up and goes back to living with her mom. There was just something so sad about this little drama.

I walked back to the office, the young man had found a coupon from one of those travel magazines they have at the rest stops and was literally counting change.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but are you the man who just got married?"

The kid blinks at me and grins sheepishly. "Yeah, I am."

Man, this kid is what? 19? 20? I recall how I both had and knew jack squat when I was his age, but was smart enough not to consider getting married.

I looked at the motel manager. "I'll be paying for this gentleman's room for this evening. How much is it?"

The manager does a double take and looks down "Um, $51.85"

I pull out a fifty and a one. "Can you cover the eighty-five cents?" I ask the kid.

He's looking art me like I just grew a new eye on my forehead.

"Uh, sure. " he fumbled for a single "I must say sir, that's about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me" His drawl is thick and twangy.

If this is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for him, he's had a far shittier life than me. I've been blessed by good luck and a lot of help over the years from all kinds of people. Thanks to them I never had my gas turned off or a car repossessed or went hungry or had to sleep in my car. And I never forgot it. I never once have thought of myself as a 'self made man'.

"I've had people do nice things for me over the years. Someday you might be able to do the same for someone else."

I wanted to pass on some words of wisdom. Something that might bring about some epiphany or grant him some level of enlightenment or encouragement. But I couldn't think of anything. Besides, the lobby of a cheap motel is not the place to pass on life lessons, also, I didn't want to seem like some weird stalker type. I shook his hand and wished him good luck and safe journeys. Then I walked out.

As I walked back to our room a small part of my brain wondered if maybe this wasn't some kind of scam. Hang around a motel looking forlorn and hoping someone, either the motel manager or a passerby will take pity of you. Was I a sucker? If it was, it was a pretty clever scam. But no, they were already there when we pulled up, and the manager wasn't giving him any kind of break.

I think things were as they seemed. And my stepping in isn't going to change the course of their lives any. It's likely things will unfold as I predicted. But maybe not. Sometimes one small break can make a difference. That's good enough I guess. Anyone else done something strange like this?

About Ann Coulter

*Notice* Harsh language and strong opinions ahead.

If you're not familiar with conservative opinionista Ann (not a tranny) Coulter there is little I can say to bring you up to speed about this rather hateful harpy. Do a little googleing, and keep a trash can nearby for vomiting.

Her latest attempt at humor was at a Conservatives conference where she was the keynote speaker. And what was her crowning glory? Referring to John Edwards as a "faggot".

I'm not kidding. This is not taken out of context or a misspoken word. She outright called John Edwards a faggot.

Now I have a sense of humor. I love a good laugh and conservatives certainly have the right to make fun of the Democrats, the liberals, the Barbara Streisand's and Michael Moore's of the world. But if you're going to throw harsh language around, you better know how the fuck to do it. There are many great filthy comedians. And a well placed "motherfucker" can add a great deal of punch to a joke (just ask Samuel L. Jackson). But if you're idea of a joke is to say "John Edwards of a faggot" then you need to sit down and study the works of Richard Pryor or even Andrew Dice Clay. Comedy isn't about saying naughty words, it's about being funny. Calling someone a faggot isn't really funny.

I suppose you could have still tried the joke using some clever euphemisms. A deft double entendre'. But no Ann, you went right for faggot, just like last year you used the term "Raghead" to describe Muslims. Which is, admittedly, better than "Sand Nigger" which is what I am sure you were grasping for.

Maybe you are just lashing out. Striking back. After all, there have been some unkind things said about you. If I called Ann Coulter a scabby kneed, disease ridden cum guzzler, she might feel I had crossed a line. But this expression is an absurdly wild and obvious untruth. I am also not speaking to an audience of fellow liberals nor representing my joke as the opinion commonly held by said liberals. But humor is subjective. And I guess that your idea of a good yuck is to use one of the most hateful epithets still around.

And the most obvious thing is, you don't bill yourself as a comedienne. You are a pundit. An opinion giver. A representative of the conservative movement. Am I to believe that this is the common opinion of your fellow republicans? I am happy to have several conservative friends. Does this woman speak for you? Maybe you don't like John Edwards, maybe you don't like gays. But I have a hard time imagining anyone these days blurting out such a phrase. Honestly, I haven't heard the term "So and so is a faggot" since... I don't know, 1986?

In the end, they are only words. Stupid, hateful, biggoted words, but just words. And I would not stop her from speaking even if I could. Because Ann Coulter serves a purpose. The same purpose the Neo Nazi's serve. And the frothing at the mouth fundies. They are a powerful reminder of how far wrong ideas can go. Shining beacons of stupidity. Keep talking Ann. You're helping our country is ways you can't even imagine.

p.s. Check out Henry Rollins take on Ann here.

WTF??

For those of you who do not yet know of Wikipedia (all three of you) I urge you to visit the site and then bookmark it. It is a great resource for all manner of information. Editable by all, constantly growing thanks to user contribution and available in several languages.

But there is a dark side to Wikipedia. As Stephen Colbert once said "Facts have a well known liberal bias". So some creative people have make Conservapedia. It's like Wikipedia, but without all the whacko, liberal, fact-checking hippies.

There's little I can add to this review by, of all people, a conservative. It'll give you a good chuckle. And if you're really brave, go take a look at the site for yourself. I did. Check out this tidbit about kangaroos:

Like all modern animals, modern kangaroos originated in the Middle East^[1] and are the descendants of the two founding members of the modern kangaroo baramin that were taken aboard Noah's Ark prior to the Great Flood.

Wow.

Guns.

An interresting link can be found at http://www.armedamerica.org/

It is a collection of photos and short stories about gun owners and their guns.

It's strange. One thinks of photos of armed men and women as a product of the past. Civil War soldiers and square jawed lawmen. Or maybe smirking gangsters or on the lamb bank robbers. But there are just ordinary people who happen to own guns.

I myself remain on the fence about guns. On the one hand I was raised on really cool gun fights. I like the technology and the artistry of the gun. I just wish that they were somehow sm