Because Government knows best

Is it Time yet?

From Wired.com:

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration asked a federal appeals court Friday to restore its ability to compel Internet service providers to turn over information about their customers or subscribers as part of its fight against terrorism.

The legal filing with the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New York comes amid a debate in Congress over renewal of the Patriot Act and whether to expand the FBI's power to seek records without the approval of a judge or grand jury.

(Found via Slashdot)
George is sounding more and more fascist every day, and the vast majority of Americans don't get it--the Republicans assure themselves that he's fighting terrorism, and since there's an "R" next to his name, he's A-OK with them; while the Dems fight every thing he does, just because there's an "R" next to his name.

Why does the FBI need this info? Why can't they just get a warrant? I think it is because the definition of "terrorist" is going to be stretched and expanded to include any who dare challenge the authority of those in power: It will be done slowly, one class of people at a time--gun owners, Christians, Libertarians, homeschoolers, and so on. The group will be demonized, possibly due to one individual in the class doing something "horrible", but most likely a story will be twisted or outright fabricated in order that the public be outraged.

Laws will be passed, good people will be arrested.

Who will be first? Will you stand up for them?

It's coming.

Expatriation

Time to start thinking about moving

I've started thinking about moving. Out of the country. (Pending my wife's support and agreement, of course. I think she reads this blog every so often. Hi, Pookie!)

Two or three years ago, this would have been all but out of the question: I have no desire to learn the idiosyncricies of another culture--much less another language. I do love America, but I find myself loving it for what I imagine it to be, not for what it is. I no longer live in The Land of the Free.

I'm fairly certain this won't be necessary for three to five years, at least.

I simply won't be told how to live. I won't be attached to a National ID card. I won't be told how to raise my children. I won't be denied my rights--they are not negotiable, nor are they subject to the whims of politicians. I won't be pushed around.

The country is rapidly sliding into totalitarianism, and it is really pissing me off.

I'm not the first to enumerate these complaints, and I certainly won't be the last-- more and more folks will realize the direction the country is heading, and they just may be smart enough to be really, really pissed.

Question is: Will enough people reach that stage--the "I'm not going to take this anymore" stage--to make a difference, before it's all gone?

If my friends and acquaintances are an indication of the percentage of those aware of what's going on and willing to fight for freedom, then it's pretty much a lost cause.

I hope my new country has internet access. Where to go, where to go...

Me want-y

My next hobby

Extreme Tech's 2nd Annual Crazy Case Mod contest--you've gotta see some of these computers--hamsters, fish, one made to look like a teddy bear, and the list goes on. These guys are really creative, talented, and obviously have a lot of time on their hands.

Wow.

Since I'm building myself a PC, (likely to be sold; I'm just doing it to say I did it) these really caught my eye.

I think I may have just found me a new hobby.

Deep fried RAM

Check this stuff out...worried about your computer overheating? Scrap the case, get you an old aquarium, fill it with vegetable oil and drop in your motherboard.

Fry at 450 degrees until golden brown, salt to taste.

Oil-cooled PC.

(Found via Slashdot.)

Sweet, Sweet Music

There's nothing like the violent crackling of a bug zapper on a warm spring evening.

Ahhh...makes me feel all warm and gooey inside. I can't stop smiling.

Fred saves the country...

From Fred on Everything:

To begin, we have much too much democracy. We need to discourage people from voting. In fact, the gravest obstacle to the restoration of civilization in North America is universal suffrage. Letting everybody vote makes no sense. Obviously they are no good at it. The whole idea smacks of the fumble-witted idealism of a high-school Marxist society.

At least eighty percent of the electorate lives in blank medieval darkness regarding any matter of public policy or history. They might as well vote on the incisions needed in cardiac surgery as try to govern themselves. Poll after poll shows that even graduates of America’s pathetic Halloween universities (where the young disguised as students are hornswoggled by mountebanks disguised as professors), which means most of the universities, do not know who fought in WWI, or within a century when the Civil War took place, or who Galileo was. These are the better informed. The rest barely know what century they live in.

Unalloyed ignorance is not an obvious qualification for governing, despite all appearances.

Fred goes on to opine that only foreign correspondants should be allowed to run for the presidency, due to their more complete view of the world. He had me until then. There are about two foreign correspondants that are qualified: Fred himself, and P.J. O'Rourke. (Is Mr. O'Rourke still alive?) America needs to keep itself to home a bit more, perhaps fixing the leaky roof and oiling that front door hinge that always squeaks, before jaunting off to save the world.

Maybe he was kidding...

How to survive the police:

A primer.

Lately there have been a landslide of stories featuring overtly cheeky citizens failing to bow down and worship every time they see a shiny badge, as required by the Policeman's Code Book of Shut Up and Obey, Dog, forcing the officer attached to the badge to either:
1) Tazer you (if you're pregnant) or;
2) Shoot you, your vehicle, other officers, and the surrounding area full of holes (if you're unarmed, and have led the police on a wicked fast 35mph chase).

Therefore, I've decided to construct this guide to surviving any confrontation with your friendly local police officer. (You do know that he's only here to help, and you can always trust him, because he's morally superior to you, and he know's what he's doing, right?)

Here we go:
When you first spot a policeman/woman, whether or not they've decided to communicate with you, you must immediately:

1) Kneel on the ground, prostrate toward the officer, arms outstretched in the classic pose of humble worship. Do not make eye contact, as this will be interpreted as an intent to attack the officer.

2) Should the officer deign to speak to you, taser yourself. You should always carry a taser for this purpose. This will save you both some time.

3) If the officer decides that you're still a bit too uppity for your own good, offer to shove his/her nightstick into your own rectal cavity, to avoid his/her having to put the latex gloves on and risk acqiring one of the many diseases that We the Chattel are infested with. It may be necessary to use some long tweezers at the conclusion of this process, to extract any stray bits of the Baton of Discipline and Protective Service left behind in your colon.

4) In the likely event that the preceding have not produced the desired results, (Those results being that the officer decides that you are obviously humble and insignificant enough, and it is readily apparent that you know who the boss is, therefore he/she can strut off arrogantly, secure in his Superior State of Being, to find some donuts or submit himself for a medal of bravery.) then you are as good as dead. Reach for your wallet: The brave officer will shoot you (or try to--officers don't have time to learn to be good at shooting, they're too busy "protecting" and "serving"), and everything else within twenty-five feet of you, emptying three 15-shot magazines of 9mm.

This concludes the Guide. Good luck!

(Links to stories found at Nate's Blogger Blaster)

Your kid was in a bus accident...

...stay away!

From BaneRants:

Why would you trust your future to a stranger that you wouldn't let drive your child in your own car, even with seatbelts?

From the article:

A school bus slammed into two vehicles as it approached an intersection Monday morning, killing two people in the cars and injuring 23 elementary students.

Read on...

Add one more to the list of reasons why you're retarded if you send your kids to the assembly line welfare (public) schools: The buses.

Ever wonder why there are so many laws about buckling you kids in seatbelts, making them wear helmets while riding bikes, etc, etc, etc; and yet the buses they're hauled to school in have no seatbelts or safety devices of any kind, and are pretty much just big 'ol tin cans? I have...

Diptards.

Racist?

Anyone else disturbed by "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC? The normal reaction of the family to their new house bothers me--they usually respond as if they've just won the lottery (which, essentially, they have), but I would think that a more proper reaction would be of overwhelming gratitude. Would someone who truly needed it, react as if they had just won a contest?

Maybe I'm being a bit pessimistic about this; after all, at least they aren't using tax dollars.

Another thing: anyone else notice the racial makeup of the vast majority of the families on the show? Just something I noticed...

Bouncing off the walls

I think...lemme check...Yep! Just wet myself!

I ordered me a package deal from Tigerdirect.com; it includes the various components to build my own desktop system. It arrived yesterday. I'm like a 9-year old on Christmas morning after 3 bowls of Fruit Loops.

I'm a bit worn this morning, as I was up until nearly midnight beginning the assembly process--the motherboard, CPU, and CPU cooler are installed--and I think the most difficult part is yet to come. It almost seems too easy, but then I haven't fired it up yet, either.

More of the same...

Along the same thread as the post below, here's "How to Break the Law," by Duncan Frissell

Arrest etiquette can be complicated for the arresting officers but it is easy for the arrestee. There are only two rules: 1) Keep your mouth shut and 2) Cooperate physically with the arrest. Following rule two will help preserve your kidneys, limbs, and skull but following rule one is the most important.

During the first two years after your arrest, there are only four words that you should speak to minions of the State in an official capacity:

"I want a lawyer"

Say nothing else.

Go there.

Just say "No!"

To Cops...

From The Claire Files (an online archive of privacy-advocating author Claire Wolfe's excellent writings, comes this bit of advice on dealing with police and other government agents--an oldie, but a goodie...

"My little brother's been arrested -- and I think it might be my fault!"

"Your fault?"

"Yeah. I was visiting my mother down in the City when this policeman came to the door, and he said he said he was investigating a break in in the neighborhood, and I let him in the house and. ..."

"You what?" demanded a voice from the doorway.

More required reading.

Remember, if you aren't initiating the contact, the police are most likely not your friend.

And if you haven't read any of Claire's work before, she's required reading. (If you didn't know, Claire is the one who originated the phrase, "America is at that awkward stage: It's too late to work within the system, and too early to shoot the bastards.")

Fred remembers...

How it was...

From FredonEverything.net:

I can’t say exactly why those long slow days of fishing poles and tired hotrods were special. We had no “organized activities.” There was little to do that we didn’t think of ourselves, yet little we couldn’t do once we thought of it, as we had few rules and less supervision. If we thought to go to the woods, we did, or to the broad brown expanse of Machodoc Creek or to the rougher waters of the Potomac—in boats, canoes, or inner tubes, or on skis behind a crab boat. Nobody worried or cared where we were, even our mothers. Water and forest were not viewed as hostile environments. Why would they be? In summer we spent half our lives in or on the water. We didn’t drown worth a damn...

...Kids were then allowed to be kids. I will forever be grateful.

I was just down near the Potomac yesterday, bicycle riding with the in-laws. I can picture well the setting of Fred's reminiscence...