Archive for April 2008
April 30, 2008
But conventional thinking in Washington lined up for war. The pundits judged the political winds to be blowing in the direction of the President. Despite - or perhaps because of how much experience they had in Washington, too many politicians feared looking weak and failed to ask hard questions. Too many took the President at his word instead of reading the intelligence for themselves. Congress gave the President the authority to go to war. Our only opportunity to stop the war was lost. ~ Barack Obama
For years now, the Democrats have said "Bush lied on Iraq!" Senator Obama has said he will bring the troops home within 16 months if elected; John McCain has said he'll leave them there. What's woefully shameful is that the Democrats are missing a key opportunity here - to really hammer the Republicans on Iraq, and on the real reasons why going in was a bad idea. Continue Reading...
7:59 am | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Election '08, Politics
April 25, 2008
Take the following scenario: a relatively inexperienced, young, attractive Presidential candidate of ethnic decent with a young family runs for President against a party establishment. He wins a number of contests, some unexpectedly, but trails his establishment colleagues, forcing the Democratic convention into deadlock.
Sound like the Democratic race to this point? It was also the plotline in the 6th and 7th seasons of the West Wing. Continue Reading...
8:51 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Election '08, Politics
April 21, 2008
A few weeks ago, someone who was important to me said some very hurtful things regarding my hopes and dreams. They told me that my political aspirations would essentially amount to nothing, and that I'd be better off doing something else. To hear that hurt a lot, especially from someone I counted as important in my life.
But last night I had a chat with my friend Candice. It was a great chat. She encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams regardless of what this person said to me. She said if God made me to do something then somebody misinformed couldn't stop me from doing it. It was a pretty profound conversation.
Friends like Candice are important to helping us get up off the dirt. With an encouraging word they can set right what was knocked off track. Good friends are hard to find and I'm lucky to have lots of them.
To those of you who believe in me, thank you. It means more than you'll ever know.
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same."
- Elbert Hubbard
10:26 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Friends
April 20, 2008
It's raining today.
A lot.
They say that April showers bring May flowers. They forgot to mention the lightning and the thunder, though! Continue Reading...
8:01 pm | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Washington, DC, Weather
April 19, 2008
The Third Way Middle Class Program has issued a "receipt" to taxpayers detailing spending for each family. The report takes the median income tax paid by a family ($13,000) and calculates the amount spent on various government services by each individual taxpayer. The results are quite interesting.
Continue Reading...
4:14 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Washington, DC
April 15, 2008
Monster Cables, maker of high-def cables that are sold at outrageous markups, has a history of suing smaller cable makers and then getting a licensing deal out of them for "infringed patents." It's a typical picture of corporate greed and the abuse of our patent system. Unfortunately for them, they picked the wrong company when they wrote a Cease-and-Desist letter to Blue Jeans Cable. The owner is a former litigation attorney who sent back a terse, well-written response. Here's my favorite part...
Continue Reading...
5:18 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Funny, Law
April 14, 2008
Yahoo now offers web hosting for $8.98 a month! And they even offer PHP 4.3.11! Wow! Never mind that Zend has announced PHP 4's End of Life. And don't they have PHP 4.4.8 out now? Oh well, what do you expect for $9 bucks a month?
5:55 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Technology
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8:25 am | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Good Ideas
April 12, 2008
The New York Times today wrote on a bill that would require textbook printers to notify professors of the actual cost to students to purchase the textbooks they're recommending. Additionally, it would require the unbundling of textbooks from their accompanying materials (CDs, notes, etc.) and finally, it would require schools to publish the list of required materials long before students need to purchase them, so that they can shop around rather than be forced to buy them at the campus bookstore for the sake of expediency.
Continue Reading...
4:02 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Education, Law
April 10, 2008
A Lake Vanishes In Chile ~ Scientists blame global warming. Meanwhile, skeptical Republicans on Capital Hill weren't sure the lake existed in the first place. Said one senior aide, "there is no scientific proof that the lake exists. We don't embrace the junk science of satellite photography and catography."
American Airlines Cancels 570 More Flights ~ Feeling charitable, American decided that hotels needed some extra business and promptly spent millions to house the stranded passengers...happy passengers thanked the airline by flying on any carrier they could other than American.
Castro Qualified for "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" ~ Hugo Chavez reported that Fidel Castro "predicted" the decline of the dollar many years ago, meaning that he can read a basic supply and demand diagram. Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez tried to take Ben Bernake's job by announcing that the economy here is only to get worse. Oh Hugo, we needed a good laugh.
The news may be real but the analysis isn't.
10:08 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Funny
April 9, 2008
The Washington Post is reporting that a criminal attempted to rob a police officer at gunpoint...while the officer was in uniform.
Cordell said the officer was still in uniform, and filling up his personal vehicle at the gas station, when the man approached and pulled a gun. The officer responded by drawing his weapon and firing several shots.
An interesting question is whether or not the officer was breaking DC law by carrying his service weapon off duty. Officers are supposedly subject to the same handgun ban as ordinary citizens, and the case heard by the Supreme Court was a security guard who wished to take his weapon home for personal protection.
Still, that makes for a stupid criminal.
Off-Duty Officer Shoots Robbery Suspect ~ Washington Post, 4/9/2008
9:48 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Bizarre, Crime
April 8, 2008
In chess, an end game is a period of time where there are few pieces left on the board and you have limited means with which to win. A well positioned end game can mean the difference between winning and losing.
A friend of mine made me sit down and strategize my "end game" for my life. She made me sit down and work out four major goals, and then milestones in reaching those goals. Accomplishing them is my "end game" - my life well lived.
The goals that I set are as follows:
- Earn a law degree.
- Run a successful technology-focused business.
- Bring honesty into politics.
- Maintain a healthy, happy, loving family.
A shout-out to Erin for her help on this!
5:12 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Business, Jobs, Politics, Relationships
April 6, 2008
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. ~ Edmund Burke
China is a humanitarian disaster, shooting protesters, spying on Americans, and is just generally cruel and mean. In London today, a number of protestors attempted to extinguish the Olympic flame with fire extinguishers. China doesn't have a right to hold an event that hails world peace and stability. They deserve to be embarassed in San Francisco Wednesday. In honor of the first protestor to extinguish the Olympic torch and be arrested as a result, I will make a $50 donation to International Campaign for Tibet, honoring that protester by name.
The donation will be made in honor of that person, not for that person, so as to not condone criminal activity. I reserve the right to determine the actual wording of the donation, including the names (if any) of single or combined protester action resulting in the extinguishing of the Olympic flame and subsequent embarrassment of the brutal Chinese regime.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said that "... an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law." Anyone in San Francisco have the guts to stand up for what's right?
5:35 pm | Comment (5) | Print | Categories: Politics
April 4, 2008
If you're from Tennessee you had better get on defending your southern border! No, not from an influx of illegal immigrants but from the grabby hands of Georgian politicos who are hell-bent on stealing part of the Tennessee river to relieve their drought.
Continue Reading...
11:30 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Bizarre, Funny, Politics
Switching trains at Metro Center I noticed that there was a train scheduled right behind the one pulling up to the platform. Stepping back, I observed a quite hillarious scene: people running and cramming into a train like it was the last train on earth, not realizing that the train behind it was a minute away. What was the end result of their efforts? Ultimately, they had to stand, crowded into a train, while I'm writing this from a comfortable seat on the next train, sparcely populated with passengers. Had they waited and split up, everyone would have a seat. The mob mentality strikes again...
6:22 pm | Comment (2) | Print | Categories: Mobile Post
April 1, 2008
3:40 am | Comment (7) | Print | Categories: Holidays