I have moved.

Originally, I had intended to keep up two blogs, this one, and one located at michaelnix.net which was to hold my techie posts. What I have found is I am barely able to maintain one blog, much less two; as a result I will no longer post anything new on this blog. I will, however, keep it here in case I change my mind in the future.

I should have posted this long ago; I just never thought about it, to be honest. This blog has moved to my own domain, and can be found at http://www.michaelnix.net/. Please visit me there.

Bush needs more time to craft Iraq plan - I'm shocked....

Bush taking more time to craft Iraq plan " CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush worked nearly three hours at his Texas ranch on Thursday to design a new U.S. policy in Iraq, then emerged to say that he and his advisers need more time to craft the plan he'll announce in the new year. " To me that translates to: Moron (I mean President) Bush drank coffee with his cronies at his ranch for three hours telling jokes about how we have allowed him to get away with his stupidity for so long. As I am a republican let me explain why I call Bush a moron. It isn't that I necessarily think he is overall a bad guy. In fact I am sure he truly believes he is doing the right thing. However, only a moron would have ever invaded Iraq to begin with, especially with the flimsy evidence Bush had at the start. I have been against the war from the start, and (as I have said before) it never took rocket science to see from day one that the result of an invasion could only result in the mess we are currently in. Whatever the case, Bush will probably not give us any kind of a new strategy until after they have murdered (I mean executed) Saddam Hussein. More than likely he is waiting to see what the repercussions of the execution will be. In any event I have this gut wrenching feeling that he will send more troops which will only make matters worse.

Hussein's lawyer says US should not hand Saddam over to Iraq to be executed.

AMMAN, Jordan Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer implored world leaders on Thursday to prevent the United States from handing over the ousted leader to Iraqi authorities for execution, saying he should enjoy protection from his enemies as a "prisoner of war."



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I found this article on foxnews.com which, in my opinion, brings up an interesting question. Should the US hand Saddam over to Iraq for execution? My first gut reaction to the question is no; however, I feel this way for the simple reason that I do not believe in capital punishment. If they (Bush, Shiites, whoever) wanted him dead they should have shot him on the battle field. However, as he so cowardly allowed himself to be captured and he no longer posses a threat to anyone it is now our obligation not to kill him. What gives us the right to execute him, and how would that make us any better than him? Don't get me wrong, I have no respect for the man; and he certainly deserved to be stripped of his power. However, no matter what he may or may not have done I do not believe anyone has the right to execute him, or anyone else for that matter.



Of course there are other factors which weigh in on this as well. Albeit I will be the first to admit I am not exactly up on my understanding of international law or any of the various treaties we (the US) have signed governing prisoners of war; it seems to me Saddam's attorney has a point. Out of all of the treaties we have singed I am fairly sure at least one would prevent the US from handing over a POW to his or her enemies. While one could argue we would simply be returning Saddam Hussein back to his native country, as would be customary with POWs, it could easily be argued that Iraq as it is today is no longer the same Iraq from which Saddam is from. Yes this argument dances around pins and needles; however, in my opinion it is worth mentioning.



On the flip side of the coin is of course another argument. Saddam is from Iraq, is an Iraqi citizen, and he committed his crimes in Iraq. While he may currently be in US custody the current acting government of Iraq has every right to ask the US to extradite Saddam to Iraqi custody so that he can answer for his crimes. This of course begs the question; was he tried according to the current laws governing Iraq or the laws in place during his leadership of Iraq? Whichever the case Iraq is (somewhat) of a sovereign nation and has already tried and convicted him according to their laws and will expect the US to hand him over to be executed; which begs the question, "How would Iraq receive and respond to the US refusing to hand him over?



I will leave it up to you, the reader, to answer these questions and to draw your own conclusions. But, you must admit, it does make you think.



-MichaelN

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How far can the government invade your privacy for evidence.

I came across this article (Texas Teen Fights Removal of Bullet From His Forehead) on Fox News which raises some very interesting questions.



[From Article]

PORT ARTHUR, Texas In the middle of Joshua Bush's forehead, two inches above his eyes, lies the evidence that prosecutors say could send the teenager to prison for attempted murder: a 9 mm bullet, lodged just under the skin.

Prosecutors say it will prove that Bush, 17, tried to kill the owner of a used-car lot after a robbery in July. And they have obtained a search warrant to extract the slug.

[/From Article]



To what lengths should the government be allowed to invade a person's privacy to prove guilt? Here in the USA we are considered innocent until proven guilty. While on trial, for the most part, we have the same freedoms awarded to any citizen including that of privacy and self, and that is where the problems start. Obviously the government has to be able to invade a suspects privacy to some degree to gather evidence which is why we have search warrants etc. However the question being raised in this case is how far is too far?



Depending on how one may look at the word "privacy" a DNA test very well could be just about as private as you can get. However, a DNA test requires only a quick cotton swab and not surgery under general anesthesia which opens an entirely new can of worms. It seems to me, from the way the article is worded, defendants are making the argument as a clear cut fact. Their concern, as well as the concern for many who are against allowing the surgery, is that if the prosecutors are allowed to to force this man to have the bullet removed it will open the door for the government to force more invasive surgeries onto suspects in the future.



While that may be a valid concern there is an argument on the other side of the coin that I do not feel should be ignored. Taking this case for example, removing the bullet could prove Joshua Bush's guilt (or innocence), and should Mr. Bush be innocent of the charges having the state pay for the bullet to be removed (saving him the expense) should be no problem for him. His refusal to allow the state to pay for the bullet to be removed is, in my humble opinion, additional evidence of his guilt.



I do understand the argument for those against allowing the prosecutors to remove the bullet. In fact I fully agree with it. However, rather than creating a clear cut stance that the government can't do something perhaps laws should be set in place to clearly dictate what circumstances it will be allowed. This circumstance, for instance, would be just one of those in which the state should have the right to have the bullet removed. The bullet, from what the article says, is in an area where it can be easily removed with no danger to Mr. Bush. On the other hand if the bullet where lodged in an area deeper in his body were there could be some risk to Mr. Bush then this would be a clear cut example saying the state could not force the removal of the bullet.



Privacy is important, and the government should always have clear and good reasons to invade it. It is unfortunate that cases which are not clear cut and seem to exist on both sides of a boundary such as this one come up from time to time. We, however, can not be blinded by either the need to gather the evidence or the protection of one man's rights to be held to as an example. It is unfortunate that people on both sides of the issue are trying to make this into a larger issue than it actually is. Sometimes abnormal things happen which can't be governed by the common law and must be handled as a one of a time thing. Obviously lawmakers can not foresee every possible outcome when they create laws, and from time to time we will have to be able to adapt to a one of a kind situation such as this one.

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Funny Politics

I saw this on another blog and thought it worth reposting. Original here: http://tum123.multiply.com/journal

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A little girl asked her father,"Daddy, do all fairy tales begin with 'Once upon a time'?" "No, sweetheart," he answered, "Some begin with 'If I am elected.'"

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There was a fellow who applied for a job as a press aide for a politician. Not long after he submitted his application he received word from the official's office: "Your resume is full of exaggerations, distortions, half truths and lies. Can you start work on Monday?"

Your email isn’t safe!!!

I came across this article on slashdot.org Government Has a Right to Read Your Email? which points to this article Lawsuit challenges government’s right to read your e-mail. The article covers the current lawsuit filed against the US Government by a seller (Steven Warshak) of the “natural male enhancement” products (Enzyte for those who haven’t seen the commercials). Basically Warshak is suing the government for reading his email without his permission, which (incidentally) is how they gathered evidence against him for their fraud case.

As the current laws stand the government must obtain a search warrant to go through an individual’s snail mail; however, email (it seems) is fair game. My personal opinion on this is that email should have the same protections as snail mail. I would go as far as to say that since it is illegal to intercept snail mail it should also be illegal to intercept email. By intercept I mean using any means to get a copy of an email as it travels through the system to it’s destination. The purpose of the laws protecting snail mail is to protect people’s right to privacy. People send the same sort of information through email as they do through snail mail: personal thoughts, ideas, etc. Those thoughts and ideas should be protected as they are private and generally meant to be seen only be the recipient.

As an example lets take a divorced couple with children, and the parent with primary custody chooses to keep his or her ex-spouse updated on the children’s well being by sending the other parent an email everyday letting him or her know how the kids are doing. That is private information and reading those emails is an invasion of privacy. You may try to make the argument that it is common knowledge that email is not a safe way to send sensitive or personal information. I am not arguing that point, only the point that the government should do everything in its power to make it a safe transport of information. You may also make the argument the person should use the phone instead as it is a more secure form of communication. Ok, in the event you didn't know, you can build a scanner to pick up phone conversations from cell phones etc; although I do believe this is illegal now, my point remains the same. The conversation can still be listened to.

In the end if the laws are not updated to keep up with the times we are destined to be stuck in a slower era. This is the computer age where everything is moving at the speed of light and information travels the globe in mere seconds. People should not have to depend on snail mail to get their sensitive information from one location to another.

Election Day - Please Vote

Today is election day. Personally I don't care which party or candidate you vote for; the important thing is to vote. Express yourself and make your opinion known through your politician of choice. It is a simple fact that only a small percentage of the people eligible to vote actually do so. It is a sad fact indeed. Think of it like this. If only twenty percent of all people eligible to vote exercise their right to vote are we actually getting an accurate representation of how the nation feels about the issues? And lastly think of it like this. If you don't exercise your right to vote you don't actually have the right to complain about the results of the elections or the consequences resulting from placing the elected officials in office. So go vote. It is important.

Carry on Irak

 

I couldn't pass up blogging on this.. :)  Whatever Kerry actually meant in his ever so famous speech I believe this response to his remarks is the best I have seen. 

Washington Woman Unaware of Pregnancy Until Day Before Baby is Born

Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,226983,00.html [From article]

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Amanda Brisendine attributed the 30 pounds she gained in the past year to an abandoned smoking habit and rich food. So when she went to the hospital with sharp stomach pain, she wasn't expecting to leave with a newborn son.

"I don't know how I didn't know. I just didn't know," Brisendine said Tuesday from her bed at Overlake Medical Center's Birthing Center, where she delivered Alexander Joseph Britt by Caesarean section.

[/From article]

Talk about a surprise... Go to the hospital with abdominal pain and leave with a newborn. One must wonder if it is a cause to celebrate or show sympathy. I honestly do not know how I would react if that happened to me; well it can't happen to me (I am a guy) but to my significant other. Don't get me wrong, children are great. I love kids and wouldn't trade my three for anything in the world.

However, sometimes it takes time to adjust and to get used to the idea. It takes time to get prepared. Cloths and a crib must be bought among other things.

Really, could you imagine going to the hospital with stomach pains and walking out with a baby?

Kids are great...

So here I was on my computer doing the usual things (checking email, looking on the news websites, etc) when my daughter walks in the room and just sits down on the couch. After a minute or two of her just sitting there talking to her self I suggested that she go play in her room with her brothers. Now this is where the great comes in. She says, "No daddy, I don't want to." This of course begs the question why. And the response that made my day, "I want you daddy" in her ever so sweet little voice. :) That is what she tells me when nothing else in the world is important to her and all she wants to do is sit beside me, give me a hug, and talk to me about those things that interest three year olds. Mainly the subject of tonight's conversation was wormy (that is it's name today anyway) her purple rubber worm that goes everywhere with her. I must say, she really loves wormy (formerly snoopy). But, as you know the substance of the conversation isn't important, or not nearly as important, as the great feeling from knowing that you mean so much to your children that being with you and talking to you is more important than anything else in the world to them. As many parents know, sometimes getting the kids to just sit and spend time with you is like pulling teeth. Children, by nature, love to run around playing with things and using their imaginations. They like to color and play; and rather than stop playing to spend time with you they want you to play with them. That is how my children are anyway. So when I get an opportunity such as that one, of course I will drop everything to sit down and spend time with them just talking about our days, and of course wormy.

Hillary Clinton Joins Criticism of Kerry as Dems Call for Apology

LINK to FoxNews.com: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,226584,00.html Ok, Sen. Kerry messed up his wording and everyone mis-understood him. Even I wrote about it yesterday I believe. Yes he is a moron, but that is beside the point. This is a few days old now; isn't it time for everyone to drop it. You know, seeing as everyone has had time to sit down and think about things, time to figure out what he really meant to say and that it was meant for the President not the troops. I don't know about everyone else, but for me politics just get old after a while. Democrats trying to tie all of the GOP candidates to Bush in an effort to get people to vote democratic. As if any two people are alike. Just because a GOP candidate running for office in some State is a republican does not necessarily mean he or she holds the same ideals as Bush or will react the same way as Bush in any given situation. And now here are the Republicans trying to tie all of the Democrats to Kerry just to swing the votes towards the GOP. Um, just because Kerry is an idiot and can't phrase things in a simple enough manner for the general public to understand doesn't mean every other democrat is just as much an idiot. O-Well life goes on and the world keeps spinning.

Kerry's..... Well, stupidity.

LINK: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,226490,00.html UPDATE BELOW:

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," - Kerry

I want to know what Kerry was thinking. Could anyone tell me. A person can't make a comment such as that one and then refuse to apologize saying everyone mis-understood his "botched joke" and that he meant the people in the military no dis-respect. Well excuse me Mr. Kerry, but there is only one way to take that statement on first impression and that is at face value. So the real question is, do you feel that way about everyone in the military? UPDATE: I thought I should update this before I look stupid. :) Don't want to be put in the same class as Kerry you know... I do understand what Kerry meant to say. That is something along the lines of, "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don't, you send troops to Iraq where you find yourself stuck". Where I think he is a complete and utter moron is that, rather than clarify himself, he chose to refuse to apologize for the bad phrasing that confused so many people and simply say it was a "botched joke". As I said above most people will simply take his statement at face value, and at face value first impressions are that he is talking about the military. So what he just said was, "Hey, all of you idiots out there are morons for taking what I said wrong." Perhaps there may be some truth to that. Perhaps not, but being a political figure such as he is he can not afford to come across in such a manner. It reminds me of when my children come to me asking where "that" thing is. My first question is, of course, what thing? I spend time every day trying to teach my children to be clear about things they are trying to convey in conversation. Perhaps that is a skill Kerry never learned. And, while I will grant you I am not always understood myself I am also not a public figure nor do I ever have any intentions of running for any kind of public office.

Techdirt: Do Counterfeit DVDs Smell Different From Regular DVDs?

Techdirt: Do Counterfeit DVDs Smell Different From Regular DVDs?: "Last week, the MPAA got some press for taking a couple of "DVD sniffing dogs" on a road show. We're not really sure why the MPAA wants to even more closely associate their "war on piracy" with the "war on drugs," as neither seems to have been particularly successful, but just like cocaine-sniffing dogs, the MPAA has dogs trained to sniff out counterfeit DVDs. Or so they claim. First of all, it's only two dogs. You'd have to imagine they're not going to be able to sniff very many packages entering the US. Second, since when do private company interests get to inspect shipments and luggage? The TSA may have that right, but the movie industry? That doesn't seem right. However, the biggest problem with the dogs is pointed out by the Washington Post: "Pirated DVDs smell just like legally obtained ones." Seems like that might be a problem." I read that and had to laugh... First, all CD's smell like plastic. My first thought would be dogs couldn't tell the difference. But, just for a moment, lets say that put something in their CDs dogs could smell. In that even the dogs would be looking for their CDs. Lets, however, take it a step further. If they, being a private entity, ever stopped me on the street to let one of their (two) dogs smell my bag I would have a fit. I don't think so, they are no arm of the government. The lengths some people will take their stupid propaganda to cry their way through the system.

Al Qaeda and the Pope

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,214318,00.html CAIRO, Egypt — Al Qaeda in Iraq warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that its war against Christianity and the West will go on until Islam takes over the world, and Iran's supreme leader called for more protests over the pontiff's remarks on Islam. . . . "You infidels and despots, we will continue our jihad (holy war) and never stop until God avails us to chop your necks and raise the fluttering banner of monotheism, when God's rule is established governing all people and nations," said the statement by the Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups in Iraq. ------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so let me get this straight. The Pope quotes a "very" old document which described "some of the Prophet Muhammad's teachings as 'evil and inhuman' and calling Islam a religion spread by the sword" And what do Muslims do about it? They act in a manner which supports what he said. Am I the only person that sees the irony in this. They are going to "continue [their] jihad (holy war) and never stop until God avails [them] to chop your necks and raise the fluttering banner of monotheism, when God's rule is established governing all people and nations."

I suppose that means they are going to keep up with the terror, killing innocent people, until they have taken over the world. And what is their plan for those who do not accept Islam? Well according to that particular Muslim they will chop off our heads. Sounds like a loving and accepting people to me.

Children and SLEEP!!!

So there I was sleeping away at around 3AM a few nights ago when I tried to roll over. Now, I say tried to roll over as I was unsuccessful. This woke me, as you know it isn't often that something blocks you from rolling over. So half asleep and very groggy a lift myself up on my arm to look down and see what was blocking me. And what do you think I find? My three year old daughter, Nichole, wide awake who looks up at me, "Hi Daddy," with her great big smile. Now, you can't just send something that cute back to its own bed right? So I figured I would just role over the other direction. NOT. On the other side I find my two year old son, Jonathan, who was also wide awake. Ah, children make for some interesting nights, and difficult sleep. :)

The Peanut-less Flight-plan....

LINK: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060603/ap_on_re_us/brf_us_airways_peanuts So, I came across this article this morning. Basically it says that due to requests/concerns/fears from various peanut allergy groups US Airways will no longer be serving peanuts on their flights. OK, I don't really care much for peanuts anyway, but it does leave me curious... If you are allergic to peanuts just don't eat them on US Airways flights. Personally it just appears to be one of those "No Duh" situations. And don't start emailing me that the person may not know they are allergic to peanuts. The risk of someone unaware of their peanut allergy eating peanuts on a US Airways flight is no greater than that of someone not aware of their allergy to yellow food colouring eating the cheap corn dog on the same flight. If all of the commercial airlines try to cater to every allergy we will all by flying in plastic bubbles on a plane with no windows in case someone has an allergy to sunshine.

Your an Asshole

Someone sent this to me months ago and I find it so funny each time I read it I thought I would post it in a blog... When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don't know. I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying "Hello." I politely said, "This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?" Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear "Get the right f***ing number!" and the phone was slammed down on me. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude. When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits. After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again. When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled "You're an asshole!" and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word 'asshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, "You're an asshole!" It always cheered me up. When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic 'asshole' calling would have to stop. So, I called his number and said, "Hi, this is John Smith from the telephone company. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?" He yelled "NO!" and slammed down the phone. I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're an asshole!" and hung up. One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking Spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn andyelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a "For Sale" sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number. A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshole (I had his number on speed dial,) I thought that I'd better call the BMW asshole, too. I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?" He said, "Yes, it is." I asked, "Can you tell me where I can see it?" He said, "Yes, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd, in Fairfax. It's a yellow rambler, and the car's parked right out in front." I asked, "What's your name?" He said, "My name is Don Hansen," I asked, "When's a good time to catch you, Don?" He said, "I'm home every evening after five." I said, "Listen, Don, can I tell you something?" He said, "Yes?" I said, "Don, you're an asshole!" Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too. Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call. Then I came up with an idea. I called asshole ..1. He said, "Hello." I said, "You're an asshole!" (But I didn't hang up.) He asked, "Are you still there?" I said, "Yeah," He screamed, "Stop calling me," I said, "Make me," He asked, "Who are you?" I said, "My name is Don Hansen." He said, "Yeah? Where do you live?" I said, "Asshole, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd, in Fairfax, a yellow rambler, I have a black Beamer parked in front." He said, "I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers." I said, "Yeah, like I'm really scared, asshole," and hung up. Then I called Asshole ..2. He said, "Hello?" I said, "Hello, asshole," He yelled, "If I ever find out who you are..." I said, "You'll what?" He exclaimed, "I'll kick your ass," I answered, "Well, asshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now." Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Oaktree Blvd, in Fairfax, and that I was on my way over there to kill my gay lover. Then I called Channel 9 News about the gang war going down in Oaktree Blvd. in Fairfax. I quickly got into my car and headed over to Fairfax. I got there just in time to watch two assholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead news helicopter and surrounded by a news crew. NOW I feel much better. Anger management really does work.

Birthdays

For those of you who know me you also know that today is my birthday. Now I have been doing some thinking. Should I be happy that I am a year closer to death. I mean really, it is one of those things like when children want to be adults and then when you are an adult you want to be a child again. Ok, so I am not really that cynical.. :) Actually I am very happy today. Life is going good. My insurance is about to go down more; you know, because the insurance companies feel I drive a little safer know that I am a year older. Although I suppose my life insurance will gladly make up the difference. They always get you at some corner.

Diet and Children

You know... Like everyone else in this country I have been meaning to go on a diet. Finally today I realized you can't diet and raise three children at the same time. Just not possible. Now, I know that sounds like an excuse, but just give me a minute to explain. Things go good between meals. It is the leftovers. That right, the leftovers. You know, the stuff the kids leave uneaten on their little plates. I mean, it isn't much there, and you really wouldn't want to waste the food. Think of all of the starving children who doesn't have food. Do you really want to be throwing food away. :) So anyway, after you are finished eating your food and their leftovers you have had two meals. Now that isn't good. I think from now on I am just not going to eat.

SCO seeks to shut down Novell Linux | News.blog | CNET News.com

SCO seeks to shut down Novell Linux | News.blog | CNET News.com I have one thing to say about this (and excuse my french). SCO just pisses me off. I would say more about this but everything that could possibly be said about SCO has been said at http://www.groklaw.com/ or maybe it is .org. Can't remember right now.

MySpace.com - We Are Upgrading

MySpace.com - We Are Upgrading I am not one much for complaining. Ok. Maybe I can be. Anyway that isn't the point. You will find that when I do complain it is often about, you guessed it, myspace.com. So how often can they upgrade their servers in any 30 day period. This gets REALLY annoying. Then there are the stupid things about myspace, you know the little annoying things. I will post those later.

Myspace.com

I really wish Tom could get things working over there. It seems like something goes wrong every time I am on that site. I get tired of the Unknown error screen. LOL, perhaps if he chose to write myspace.com in php instead of coldfusion they wouldn't be having those problems. Sorry to you coldfusion programmers out there. I simply like PHP more. And on top of that it is free. ALL THE WAY AROUND. How can you argue with that.