Ourobourous
Google's logo celebrating the turn-on of the LHC kind of looks like the tail-devouring world snake.
I'm just saying.
I'm just saying.
2008-09-10
Police State
For the first time since January 2007, I was asked to check my bag for an unwarranted search at the subway turnstile. I was only carrying my laptop case - not a large bag by any stretch of the imagination, clearly it was only big enough to contain a laptop and cord (and that's all it contained).
I replied: "I do not consent to being searched," and put up my palms. The response was "Okay, you have to leave the station." So I proceeded to leave. And I walked three blocks over to the next train station and took the train in to the city anyway. I have to admit, I was paranoid that I was either going to be followed by a cop, or that they were going to radio in to another cop to harass me at the other train station. The thought even crossed my mind that my laptop and iPhone - my livelihood - would be seized for no reason whatsoever, because the government supposedly gave itself the right to do that now.
What the fuck?? When did I start getting worried about police and government corruption like that? When did I move to a third world banana republic - or am I in the USSR now? Clearly had I been carrying a weapon of some kind, I still succeeded in getting on the subway despite the "random" search request. So what was accomplished besides freaking a law-abiding citizen out for no reason? Random searches benefit no one. A terrorist is not going to get caught by a random search; at best the police are just going to catch idiots who carry illegal substances in their bags. Why is so much time and effort being wasted just to instill fear and subordination into people?
I replied: "I do not consent to being searched," and put up my palms. The response was "Okay, you have to leave the station." So I proceeded to leave. And I walked three blocks over to the next train station and took the train in to the city anyway. I have to admit, I was paranoid that I was either going to be followed by a cop, or that they were going to radio in to another cop to harass me at the other train station. The thought even crossed my mind that my laptop and iPhone - my livelihood - would be seized for no reason whatsoever, because the government supposedly gave itself the right to do that now.
What the fuck?? When did I start getting worried about police and government corruption like that? When did I move to a third world banana republic - or am I in the USSR now? Clearly had I been carrying a weapon of some kind, I still succeeded in getting on the subway despite the "random" search request. So what was accomplished besides freaking a law-abiding citizen out for no reason? Random searches benefit no one. A terrorist is not going to get caught by a random search; at best the police are just going to catch idiots who carry illegal substances in their bags. Why is so much time and effort being wasted just to instill fear and subordination into people?
Hookers and Blow, After All!
Well, would you look at that. How many of these folks were Republican appointees?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/washington/11royalty.html
"Hello, we're reps from ExxonMobil. Here's some coke, and here's a whore's ass to snort it off of!"
(okay maybe it didn't happen exactly like that... but still...)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/washington/11royalty.html
"Hello, we're reps from ExxonMobil. Here's some coke, and here's a whore's ass to snort it off of!"
(okay maybe it didn't happen exactly like that... but still...)
President Mom
When I look at Sarah Palin, I see my mom.
I'm not trying to draw a negative comparison to my mother, not a million years. And my mom is certainly a more intelligent person than Sarah Palin is, at least in the sense that she doesn't believe the world was brought into being 6000 years ago and that dinosaurs lived besides humans and that evolution is "just a theory". My mom actually thinks the scientific method is a bit more useful than Sarah Palin does, and that kind of puts her many pegs above that woman.
No, what I'm really saying is that Sarah Palin is the demographic profile of an "average American" - A white woman near baby boomer age with kids and a career. The truth is, she isn't a pit bull; she's a groomed and pedigreed poodle. She's been elevated to her current position by her party, as a reward for being a good crony-picker and an oil company shill. She is all style and image and no substance; she's a "pop star" candidate, like a manufactured recording artist!
We've already seen what a snobby, rich, overprivileged, coked-up frat boy can do to the country (thanks a lot, "dubya"). Do you really want to see how badly an average mom can mess things up? The next president is going to inherit a destroyed economy, ongoing conflicts in two countries, terrorist threats (domestic and foreign), peak oil, and the next Cold War (probably with ALL of Asia). We can't afford to elect an average mom - we practically need a fucking superhero genius to get us out of this incredible mess.
Look, John McCain is a ticking time bomb. He's going to fucking keel over any day. For all intents and purposes, he is practically irrelevant in this election. Which means Sarah Palin is the one running for president; that's what you need to consider.
How can Sarah Palin direct the entire U.S. military? How is she going to fix the economy? How will she protect you from terrorism?
Do you really believe that an "average" person is the best choice to perform these really complex jobs? Wouldn't it be better to have an ABOVE average person to fix things? Someone who has studied the law? Or someone who has advanced degrees from very competitive universities? If you go to see a doctor, wouldn't you rather be diagnosed by one who got all A's in medical school instead of the doctor who got all C's? Average is NOT a good thing. You want to do better than average, believe me. You don't want Dr. Nick.
I'm not trying to draw a negative comparison to my mother, not a million years. And my mom is certainly a more intelligent person than Sarah Palin is, at least in the sense that she doesn't believe the world was brought into being 6000 years ago and that dinosaurs lived besides humans and that evolution is "just a theory". My mom actually thinks the scientific method is a bit more useful than Sarah Palin does, and that kind of puts her many pegs above that woman.
No, what I'm really saying is that Sarah Palin is the demographic profile of an "average American" - A white woman near baby boomer age with kids and a career. The truth is, she isn't a pit bull; she's a groomed and pedigreed poodle. She's been elevated to her current position by her party, as a reward for being a good crony-picker and an oil company shill. She is all style and image and no substance; she's a "pop star" candidate, like a manufactured recording artist!
We've already seen what a snobby, rich, overprivileged, coked-up frat boy can do to the country (thanks a lot, "dubya"). Do you really want to see how badly an average mom can mess things up? The next president is going to inherit a destroyed economy, ongoing conflicts in two countries, terrorist threats (domestic and foreign), peak oil, and the next Cold War (probably with ALL of Asia). We can't afford to elect an average mom - we practically need a fucking superhero genius to get us out of this incredible mess.
Look, John McCain is a ticking time bomb. He's going to fucking keel over any day. For all intents and purposes, he is practically irrelevant in this election. Which means Sarah Palin is the one running for president; that's what you need to consider.
How can Sarah Palin direct the entire U.S. military? How is she going to fix the economy? How will she protect you from terrorism?
Do you really believe that an "average" person is the best choice to perform these really complex jobs? Wouldn't it be better to have an ABOVE average person to fix things? Someone who has studied the law? Or someone who has advanced degrees from very competitive universities? If you go to see a doctor, wouldn't you rather be diagnosed by one who got all A's in medical school instead of the doctor who got all C's? Average is NOT a good thing. You want to do better than average, believe me. You don't want Dr. Nick.