James Kim is a hero to me and to countless others who have learned his heartbreaking story. Mr. Kim is the California man who died while trying to find help for his family in the snowy wilderness of Oregon. Wearing only a light winter coat and extra pairs of pants, it is now believed that Mr. Kim walked some 16 miles before succumbing to hunger, exhaustion and the elements. When I first heard this story, Mr. Kim was most likely still alive. They had just located the other members of the Kim family, and when I heard that Mr. Kim had gone out searching for help, I got down on my knees and prayed. As a husband to a fantastic wife and father to 4 wonderful children, I know what was driving Mr. Kim. As we all know now, my prayers and those of so many others were not to be answered for this husband and father of two. It will most likely seem strange to many of you to read this, knowing that I had never met James Kim, but I miss him. I miss him because of the words of his friends and family that testify to his devotion and passion for his family. I miss him because it is always a loss to the world when someone like James Kim leaves us. In case he is able is somehow able to know my thoughts, I want to say, "Thank you." Thank you for loving your family so much that you were willing to pay the ultimate price. Thank you for being the kind of friend that everyone would like to have. Thank you for living a life full of passion and being a person of principle. By doing these things, James Kim, you inspire me to be the same kind of person. You can view CNet's tribute to James Kim here.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Saturday, December 02, 2006
One More "No Confidence" Vote On Voting Machines
I strongly urge you to watch the video "Hacking Democracy" after reading the article below. Hopefully it will disturb you and anger you to the point that you contact your Congressperson and Senators to demand complete accountability in our voting system. Also demand that our tax dollars spent on these defective machines be returned immediately.
Updated: 12:47 AM EST
Federal Agency Doubts Electronic Voting Machines
Draft Report Says Machines 'Cannot Be Made Secure'
WASHINGTON (Dec. 2) - Paperless electronic voting machines in widespread use across the country may be vulnerable to errors or sabotage and cannot be made secure, a draft report by a federal agency said.
Robert Sullivan, AFP/Getty Images
A man casts an early ballot on an electronic machine in Miami, FL., two weeks before election day.
Talk About It: Post Thoughts
The report by researchers at the influential National Institute of Standards and Technology said the paperless voting machines - essentially notebook computers programmed to display ballot images and record voter choices - "in practical terms cannot be made secure."
"Many people, especially in the computer engineering and security community, assert that the (voting machines) are vulnerable to undetectable errors as well as malicious software attacks," the report said.
A key weakness is that there is no audit mechanism or paper trail to verify election results other than what the machine itself reports, the report said.
"Potentially, a single programmer could 'rig' a major election," the report said.
After examining the issue, including volunteering as election workers at polling sites, NIST researchers said in their report that they concluded that they not know how to write "testable requirements" to make the machines secure and it is their recommendation that the machines "in practical terms cannot be made secure."
Many states bought the paperless electronic voting machines with money provided by Congress after the 2000 presidential election, whose disputed results went all the way to the Supreme Court.
Gail Porter, NIST's public affairs director, emphasized that the draft report is a "discussion document" whose conclusions and recommendations could change.
The report will be discussed at a meeting Monday by NIST's Technical Guidelines Development Committee at the agency's headquarters in Gaithersburg, MD. The committee is tasked under a law enacted by Congress in 2002 to advise the Election Assistance Commission on developing guidelines for voting systems.
Election experts applauded the report's findings.
"The new NIST report is confirmation that the mandatory verified voter trails the DNC and its Voting Rights Institute have championed are vital to restoring the confidence of the American people in their own democracy," Donna Brazile, chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute, said in a statement Friday.
12-02-06 00:31 EST
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Dennis Prager - Conservative Moron
Are there any conservatives in this country who still understand the purpose and meaning that our founding fathers had in creating the Constitution of the United States? I wish I could find one. Prager recently attacked newly elected Representative Keith Ellison for saying that he wants to take his oath with his hand on the Koran.
Prager wrote:
"He should not be allowed to do so, not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American culture."
Concerning the Bible, he wrote, "America holds as its holiest book. … If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
Obviously, Prager does not understand the whole idea behind the separation of church and state. Freedom of religion is not interpreted as "freedom for Christians only."
Show me where in the Constitution it states that a member of Congress must be sworn in over a Bible. Where? It's not there. And where does he get off stating for all Americans what we hold as our "holiest book?" It is sickening to me, as a Christian, and as an American, that so many neo-cons are trying to create their own version of Christianity - a version that very often contradicts the very words of Yaohushua (Jesus). Ideas such as "turn the other cheek" and "love your enemies" seem to be lost to them.
Thankfully, Christians who believe differently than the neo-cons are speaking out. We are forming groups that have political clout and are no longer allowing the ultra-conservatives to walk all over us. For more information, check out the following links:
Why I Hate Mortgage Companies
A few years ago we refinanced our mortgage with Quicken Loans. Initially, we were very happy with the service. The representatives that handled the processing of our loan were very courteous and professional and we were happy with the rate that we were getting. Things quickly changed after our loan was processed. It was sold off to 2 separate companies within 2 months. From the very beginning, we had problems with the holder of our smallest loan. That company is EMC out of Texas. I am beginning to think that Texas is the Scumbag Business Capital of the United States. EMC was VERY SLOW in sending us notice that they held one of our loans and letting us know what our payment schedule was to be. Yet, they attempted to charge us "late fees" for not paying them on time. How exactly were we to pay them on time when they did not let us know the amount or due date of our payments? Unfortunately, relations have not improved from that poor start.
The company holding the larger loan is Countrywide Home Loans. Although we have had a much more positive experience with Countrywide, we have had our share of troubles with them as well. Today I received a notice from them stating that they were going to be opening up access to my account information unless I called a toll-free number to request that they limit access. There was no special notice on the envelope letting us know the importance of the mailing, and since we have our mortgage payments automatically sent from our account each month, I usually tuck our mailings from them into a drawer. Luckily, I opened this one. However, after opening it, reading it, and calling the toll-free number, I was greeted with one of the most mundane, drawn-out, annoying messages I have ever encountered. I think the idea is to have you hang-up before you choose to opt-out. Their loss - I stayed on the line until I got to the option to opt-out. We really need to stand up as consumers and tell companies like those in the mortgage business that we are not going to be bullied anymore. I will be writing to my state's Attorney General and Banking Commission in addition to those of the states in which Countrywide and EMC are headquarted. Something makes me think that I may not even receive a response from Texas.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Lieberman: Spoken Like True Hypocrite
While watching CNN Pipeline today, I caught part of a hearing being led by Senator Lieberman on video games and their effects on children. After seeing a sample of some violent and disturbing video game content, Senator Lieberman made a comment about how "cruel" some of the content was. I would certainly agree that some of the content was cruel. My question to Mr. Lieberman is, "What about the women and children who have been killed and maimed in Iraq? What about the thousands of American soldiers who have been killed and the tens of thousands wounded there? Is this not 'cruel'?"
Can you be anymore openly hypocritical than that? He is worried about the effects of video games on our children but wants to continue the war in Iraq. Connecticut should be ashamed.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
It's Safe To Kill Anyone If You're A Cop
The number of innocent people killed by cops continues to climb every year. Yet, it seems that fewer of them are being punished or even disciplined for it. An innocent, elderly grandmother is gunned down in her home while trying to defend herself from some gung-ho cops. Apologies? nah, no need for remorse. They were cops doing their jobs. Hey, they thought they were at the right house, so it's not their fault, right?
Today's story - some drunk guys coming home from a bachelor party at a strip club ram their car into an unmarked police minivan. Are the men ordered to exit their vehicle? Do any of the men inside the car pull out a weapon? Are there any shots fired at the police? NO. NO. and NO.
What does happen? Fifty rounds - yes, 50 rounds are fired, 21 hitting the car, killing the groom and injuring 2 others. Now, 2 children will grow up without their father's care, attention, and love. A woman will mourn the loss of her lover - soon to be husband - and become embittered toward the police. A community will further lose trust in the people sworn to protect them. Most likely, a police department will escape public scrutiny and accountability to the people that put food on the tables of the officers from that department. We need to bring an end to this abuse of power NOW. Personally, I would like to see demonstrations in the streets of every city across the United States calling for full accountability from law enforcement. No more blank checks to police departments who want to play Rambo. The sickness has to end, and we have to end it.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Funny Quotes in the News...
Gotta love these quotes from today’s news…
My state’s senior U.S. Senator, Arlen Specter, said the following:
"And if Rumsfeld had been out, you bet it would have made a difference. I'd still be chairman of the Judiciary Committee."
Awww… should we throw Arlie a pity party? Too bad, so sad, Senator Specter… Here’s a tissue.
Then there is this quote from David Tovar, spokesman for Wal-Mart:
"We are deeply sorry that this happened, and we are in the process of pulling all of these T-shirts from our stores. Respect for the individual is a core value of our company and we would never have placed this T-shirt on our shelves had we known the origin and significance of this emblem."
Really? Respect for the individual is one of Wal-Mart's core values? Hmmm... He must be talking about a different Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart that I know about keeps minorities from attaining positions of leadership within the company, does not offer an affordable health-care benefit to its employees, destroys the economies of rural communities, and has been known to purchase products manufactured in 3rd world sweat shops. Exactly WHO is the individual that they respect? Their CEO?
Thursday, November 09, 2006
HBO SPECIAL Hacking Democracy
A documentary showing how DIEBOLD has cheated United States voters. Every U.S. citizen has a right and responsibility to view this video. If you care anything about securing our democracy for future generations, you need to see this. It is about an hour and twenty minutes long, but well worth the watch. You can view it in pieces on YouTube by clicking here.
Monday, November 06, 2006
How Does FOX Get Away With This?
Attorney General Phill Kline, a staunch abortion opponent, said that he subpoenaed the records in order to see if there was any evidence of rape or illegal abortions which had gone unreported. My guess is that this is more of a "witch hunt" aimed at Dr. George Tiller, the attending physician of the clinic from which the records were obtained. Whatever the situation, if those records were shared with anyone outside the court, Kline should be held responsible, and O'Reilly should be given his walking papers for accepting information which is so obviously private - information that never should never have been placed in his hands.
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Friday, November 03, 2006
Latest Casualty Totals From The War in Iraq
Here are the latest figures:
Deaths: 2829
Non-mortal Casualties: 44,779
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Glenn Beck - Another Republican Mouthpiece
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Friday, October 27, 2006
Limbaugh & Lauer - Twin Boneheads
Is NBC trying to groom Lauer as some kind of serious conservative pundit? Now, that’s laughable. The man is not believable unless he is goofing off on camera. He needs to stick to the fluff of morning TV. And what was this comment about Limbaugh’s attack on Michael J. Fox?? “Didn’t Rush Limbaugh just say what a lot of people were privately thinking?” So, Lauer also thinks Fox was faking? This whole thing is going beyond ridiculous. Apparently, idiots like Limbaugh and Lauer think that people with Parkinson’s only have quick pulsating tremors like those evidenced in Katherine Hepburn’s case. These morons need to become educated on the disease before opening their mouths.
As for Limbaugh and his Exorbitant Incompetent Bovines network, they should be permanently put to pasture. Limbaugh has no credibility – at least not with intelligent people who weigh what others say against the facts. Perhaps that explains Rush’s audience – they do not want to put their minds to work.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
WHEN WILL WE DO SOMETHING TO STOP THIS?
This is the greatest tragedy of George W. Bush's "War on Terror." -me
I very strongly urge you to visit this link to the 60 Minutes piece done by Scott Pelley. For the first time that I am aware, a prominent American TV journalist has documented the horror of Darfur. I ask the question in the title of when we will act as a nation to stop the murderous Sudan government from completing its quest to eliminate all non-Arabs in that country. As yet, there is no answer to that question. However, Mr. Pelley finds the answer to "why" we have not acted to stop the Sudanese. It is because this administration is in bed with the very people who began this genocide in Darfur. Hard to believe? - not when you know the facts. The leaders of Sudan are providing piecemeal information to our government about Al Quaeda and supposedly Osama bin Laden. Apparently, the Sudanese were hiding Mr. bin Laden previous to the 9/11 attacks in New York. So, now - in order to stay alive and in power - those who protected bin Laden are ratting him out. The problem is that we still do not have Mr. bin Laden and hundreds of thousands lay dead at the hands of the Sudanese because our government refuses to act. How many innocent people have to die for the sake of the Bush & Co. drive for more power? Six figures does not seem to have reached the mark. Mr. Bush must want to be the "million body man."
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Power Is Shut Off Over One Cent - Netscape News
This is a sin... absolutely outrageous. CMS Energy Corporation should be fined heavily for this action. Leaving a senior citizen without power for 7 hours over a penny? Sick - it's just sick. Utility companies are monopolies, make ridiculous profits and have some of the worst customer service records. Why do we allow them to kick us around? The time has come to take a stand against this economic rape that is occurring at the hands of companies that supply our energy. They can interview as many energy company CEO's and run as many sappy stories on the oil companies as they want, but the media does not have me fooled. The folks in the lower 2/3 of this economy are being financially drained.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Sprint Local Switching Pains??
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Guru's Corner - MarketWatch
“Uncle Sam says the official inflation rate is...in the vicinity of 3%-3.5% per year. We don't buy it... Silver is at a 22-year high... Orange juice costs about 70% more... Crude oil has more than doubled... The 10-year Treasury note...is only a hair or two away from 5%. If these are not inflationary signals, then we don't know inflationary signals."
-- E-Money Digest From BARRON'S Market Watch
This quote sums up what I have been telling my friends for the past 2 years or more. The U.S. has seen energy prices more than double in less than 48 months. The average family has seen grocery bills double in the same amount of time. In addition, housing costs and practically every other family expense has risen faster than incomes. The effect is that the average family is poorer than it was 3 years ago. Bush's economic mafia can lie all they want to about the numbers, but people know the truth. Bush's approval rating shows that we know the truth. His mafia can cut oil and gas prices in half for the election (and they will), but it won't put his cronies back in office.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
No Such Thing As "Liberal Media"
Anyone who claims that there is a liberal media bias is either stupid or a blatant liar. When a conservative pundit working for a large television network is hired by the most right-wing administration of the past 100 years, there is certainly no liberal bias. Of course, Fox has never hidden its conservative bias, but even CNN and MSNBC are now showing their conservative bent by hiring NeoCon commentators and refusing to fully cover stories that are damaging to the G.W. Bush Whitehouse. Just watch the Sunday news commentaries, and you will quickly learn which direction the major networks lean politically.
Monday, April 17, 2006
AboveTheInfluencecom
I just visited a site that on first glance looks like it is designed to help young people become self-assured individuals who are not affected by the social pressures to have sex, smoke, drink, abuse prescription drugs, or use marijuana. In fact, the site is primarily an anti-marijuana site. It has a section called “Mythbusters” that contains some questionable material of its own. For example, there are the following “myths”:
“Pot is harmless.”
“Marijuana cures cancer.”
“Everyone’s smoking pot.”
Ok, let’s address each of these.
- “Pot is harmless.” Is there anyone who actually believes this? I don’t believe that this is a valid “myth.” I think just about everyone knows that if you inhale unfiltered plant smoke, there are going to be health risks. However, despite the site’s lies, there ARE benefits to smoking marijuana that very well might outweigh those risks.
- “Marijuana cures cancer.” What?? Again, I do not believe this is a valid “myth.” I have never heard any person or organization make this claim. In fact, the groups who are fighting to have marijuana legalized for terminally ill patients do not make this claim. The claim is, and I have witnessed the proof, that marijuana helps greatly reduce the negative effects of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. The benefits include the reduction of nausea and increase of appetite in these patients. There are also benefits for patients with chronic illnesses like MS, Crohn’s, epilepsy, spinal cord injury and migraine headaches by reducing muscle spasms, seizures and pain. Reduction of pressure within the eyes of glaucoma patients is another reported benefit. For more on the science behind medical marijuana use, please visit MedmjScience.org.
- “Everyone’s smoking pot.” This one is just ridiculous. Everyone knows that a minority of people are smoking pot. This just gives groups like the Office of National Drug Control Policy (the agency responsible for the “abovetheinfluence” site) a reason to spout statistics.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Cindy Sheehan: A Markerless Grave in Vacaville
I strongly urge you to read this article by Ms. Sheehan. It is important if you have a cynical view of her campaign to end the war in Iraq. She continues to follow her heart dispite the voracious, interminable attacks by the warmongers of the current administration and the rest of the military/industrial complex. Here is a short excerpt from her article.
"I will tell the world why Casey has no marker yet. In the first place, does anyone who is attacking me know how Casey was brought home from Iraq? We picked him up in the United loading dock in a cardboard box and he was off-loaded into a hearse without one honor guard. We had to wait for about a half hour on a curb near the United freight area for his one escort, who rode from Dover Air Force Base in a seat, while Casey was treated as an over-sized piece of luggage. Has anybody held her other sobbing children who are sitting on a curb in San Francisco, waiting for the remains of their big brother to be carried over to the dock by a forklift?
Our so-called, illegitimate president has never attended a funeral, nor can families see the pictures of their loved ones as they are hauled like freight with flags on them from an immoral war zone. WE don't see them because Mama Bush doesn't want to 'bother her pretty mind' with the images. America doesn't want to be bothered, either. We had a Casualty Officer who abandoned us when our mortuary refused to pay the cemetery and told us that the 'government sent the money to the mortuary, so now it is your problem. You may have to sue the mortuary.' Our government discards and dishonors its own."
Does that make you proud to be an American? Knowing what little regard this administration has for the men and women dying to protect and increase their profits? Not me. I am disgusted with the outrageous actions of Bush and his gang.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Feingold's Popularity Surges on Censure Stand
The RNC says in a recent ad, "Call Russ Feingold and ask him why he's more interested in censuring the president than protecting our freedom." The question should be, "Why is the president more interested in fighting a war that has nothing to do with terrorism than he is with protecting our freedoms?" Once again, the Rethugs are proving that they are more interested in controlling us than in obtaining the truth or protecting our liberties.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
The Actions of This Administration Could Bite Us All Very Hard
A well thought and written piece by William Rivers Pitt of TruthOut.org, "The Boomerang" takes a profound and poignant look at why the UAE ports deal has become the focal point of Democrats and Republicans alike. I urge you to follow the link and read the article. Let me know if you can find any "holes" in the reasoning of the author. I found none.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Court Allows Government Fishing Expedition
We can all rest happily now that the Justice Department has decided that the government can request as much information from a company that it wishes, so far as the information is not personally identifying. Does the government need a search warrant? No. Does the government need to pay the company for the hours manpower it will take in compiling the information? No. Does the government need to explain in depth why they want or need the information? No. So, if you own a company, be prepared. You could be next on the government's fishing expedition list.
I believe that Google tried to defend this case from the wrong direction. Instead of "protecting customers' privacy" they should have taken the position the government was making an unlawful search and seizure. The request from government for information on a week's worth of searches without suspicion of any person or company being involved in unlawful activity certainly does not fall under the "reasonable doubt" area of searches and seizures. I equate this request by the government to a request for information on all the activity of families from a certain neighborhood for the period of one week. This would include any phone calls made and received, any mail sent and received, usage of the Internet, all movement into and out of the house, usage of vehicles, pictures taken, converstaions within the neighborhood, etc. Suspicion of crime committed? None. Persons suspected of criminal activity? None. This is just a random sweep to see if the government can find evidence that might imply illegal activity and therefore prove that there is a need for further searches - with or without a warrant. "1984" was a not fiction - it was a prediction. It is coming true.
Bush is a Thief - Not President
Voting machines are proving - just as many warned - that Bush stole the elections. He did not win them. How many citizens, reporters, Representatives, Senators, and law enforcement personnel will continue to sit on their hands dispite the appearance of this new evidence? If you care anything about our country and the freedoms we are afforded under the Constitution, please do not let this news pass quietly.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Is Kinkos/Fedex Plug-in Spyware?
I just recently uninstalled what I thought would be a very useful plug-in for my Windows Office Suite (on Windows XP Pro - SP2). It is the Kinkos/Fedex Printer driver. However, after installing it, I had nothing but problems with the software, and so I called Fedex for help with it. The representative was very courteous and instructed me to uninstall the old version (1.0) and install the new version (2.0). I figured they had worked out some bugs, so I obliged. No go... after ridding the machine of the first version and installing the second, I had more problems. In fact, the the installer would not even finish the process. I called Fedex once more for help and was eventually told that I would have to manually remove the software by getting rid of the program files (very easy) and the registry entries (not so easy). I was told to do a search in the registry under the "local machine" entries for anything with "kinkos" in it. I found the entries and deleted them - over 30 of them. My question is this, why does a small plug-in program with one system dll file need over 30 registry entries? I have much larger, more complex programs on my computer that have only a few registry entries. My hope is that a "super geek" will investigate this and report on the purpose for all those entries. My advice on the plug-in? Skip it. Go to http://docstore.kinkos.com and save yourself the headache.
Monday, January 09, 2006
US Troops Seize Award-winning Iraqi Journalist
What is Bush hiding now? Ordering troops to storm the home of an award-winning journalist to seize tapes that could be damaging to his administration hits a new height in the abuse of power by this president. Bush has committed more impeachable offenses than were even implied against Clinton, yet the U.S. Congress does NOTHING. Instead, our elected representatives disgrace us with their acceptance of bribes for votes. Say goodbye to self-governance and welcome the New World Order. This is the beginning of the end.
