Alberto Gonzales gets tossed under the bus? Michael Chertoff is apparently going to be nominated as the replacement, papers and torture enhanced interrogation techniques for everyone?
Category: Just Stupid (page 10 of 12)
I love this statement.
“For terrorists, travel documents are like weapons,” Chertoff said. “We do have a right and an obligation to see that those licenses reflect the identity of the person who’s presenting it.”
CNN.com: Federal ID plan raises privacy concerns
The government had the identity of each of the 19 hijackers; Real ID is not a solution, it is only a way to implement more control and pretend it is security. Forcing states and the Federal government to cough up millions does not make it security.
Let’s do this instead: Let’s make a system for passports needed for traveling between cities. If you have the wrong papers you go to jail.
We can also encourage neighbors to inform on each other, pick people up off the street and strip them of their constitutional rights (citizens only and don’t worry they’re all bad guys). Best to have them picked up at night.
We can treat immigrants like illegals despite their actual status. One infraction and poof, bye-bye.
Add a little “state secrets” as a shield for holding anyone accountable and we’ll all be better off that way.
I feel safer already.
This will leave a mark. SCO’s price is down over 60%. See this Google chart.
SCO should have done more shooting and less talking.
I can’t wait to read SCO’s official response to them not being the owner of the UNIX copyrights.
If SCO had gone after IBM in a reasonable fashion and with actual proof (as opposed to just whining about what their selective experts claimed) then they may have come out ahead. Instead they tried to extort a really huge user base and alienated what could have been their customers.
Their claims were just silly. I am sure that SCO can now buy up some electric typewriter company and try to sell licenses for the QWERTY keyboard. Assuming they have any money left after this.
I attempted to update the drivers for my XPS 700 using the Nvidia nforce web site drivers. After a few reboots, the BAD thing happened. I lost all the data on my workstation and I am not able to re-install Vista.
Ubuntu works well off the Live CD but that’s about it. I’m using vLite 1.0 to build a new Vista install DVD but so far what I have created is not working.
Sigh.
This is the original speech, here is the same text with some search and replace. The poster took out the words he disliked to make a point. It’s a good point, and a shame that Karl Rove can’t come up with better talking points.
Wow. All this for a GunBound password. My nephew plays that game too, need to make sure he stays out of Sao Paulo.
The funniest part is that the kidnapped player did not give up the password to his account.
When I was in high-school I read lots of Robert A. Heinlein. The stories were very “good guy versus bad guys”, with the help of a lady who was much smarter that the good guy and knew the real score.
Great stuff and a collection of his was updated in 1980 to include new material and updates. That collection was called “Expanded Universe“. It’s a great look into what people thought in the 40’s through the 60’s. R.A.H. was a great American patriot, never trusted Communists, and would work hard to put the science into science fiction.
Buy the book or go to the library. Read the short story “Pravda” Means “Truth”. Now go to the New York Times online article titled “Youth Groups Created by Kremlin Serve Putin’s Cause“. Here is an excerpt from the begining of the article.
“Tell me, what achievements of Putin’s policy can you name?” she asked, referring to Russia’s president since 2000, Vladimir V. Putin.
“Well, it’s the stabilization in the economy,” the girl answered. “Pensions were raised.”
“And what’s in Chechnya?” Ms. Kuliyeva asked, probing her knowledge of a separatist conflict that has killed tens of thousands and, although largely won by Russia’s federal forces and Chechen loyalists, continues.
“In Chechnya, it’s that it is considered a part of Russia,” the girl responded.
“Is this war still going on there?”
“No, everything is quiet.”
It’s a scary read. In the short story of the Heinlein’s trip to Russia “Pravda” Means “Truth” they visit a class and see some school kids with their guide. This is the text I typed from the book (page 414 on my copy).
Our guide translated nothing so, superficially, it was the sort of beguiling performance one sees in any American kindergarten.
However, my wife understands Russian:
The poem recounted the life of Lenin.
The prose recitation concerned the Seven-Year Plan.
The group singing was about how “we must protect our Revolution.”
These tots were no older than six.
That is how it is done. Starting at the cradle, never let them hear anything but the official version. Thus “pravda” becomes “truth” to the Russian children.
The Heinlein’s trip was in 1960 when the U-2 spy plane made an unscheduled landing. At that time Khrushchev was in charge. Apparently Putin and his pals know full well that the old tricks really do work best
I’m not sure if the tag Just Stupid should really be replaced with Just Scary.
“Court dismisses suit challenging domestic spying“. That was pretty obvious. The journalists and ACLU could not demonstrate that they were targeted. Today such lawsuits can’t prevail. Right now breaking the law is the rule. (But it’s okay, they are only targetting “bad guys” right?)
So Lily and I are at my mother-in-law’s house with the kids. It’s hot and the kids are watching cartoons. I’m hanging out with Lily’s nephew talking about the BlackBerry Pearl when I hear yelling from downstairs.
Lily is on the phone getting upset with someone named “Jessica”. Jessica called and is insisting on speaking with Ma. Lily is trying to explain to this person that Ma does not speak English at all. Jessica wont even tell Lily why she is calling and what is this about and keeps insisting on talking with Ma.
Even when Lily started speaking to her in Chinese Jessica still does not get it.
Lily has had it and I get a turn. So I get on the phone and try to explain that
- Ma does not speak English, and
- until we know what this is about we’re not going to be discussing anything.
After a couple of minutes I just say that I need to speak with her manager. She of course says that she can’t transfer me until I give MY name. So I give her my name and wait.
After being put on hold for a few minutes I hung up and called the 800 number that Jessica gave Lily. Bingo! I got Jessica again. I told her right off I need to speak with her manager, and right on cue she wants my name.
By now it’s obvious that it was a collection agency. I am sure that the delay was that she was trying to look up my name. I am also sure that she could not spell it and that’s what the delay was. I repeated my name and waited on hold. A couple of minute later I hung up and called back again and this time I asked “why does MY name matter?” So I told her that my name is John Doe and she should get her manager NOW.
She snorted and hung up on me.
Now this person is not the brightest in the world. I called that number a few times already and each time she picked up. Now I’m a little pissed off and she’s apparently the only one operating the phone bank. She knows I am going to keep calling until I get someone pretending to be her boss.
Next call she just puts me through to a person claiming to be her manager named Ryan. I tell him that Ma does not speak English and that they are to stop calling her number immediately. I also tell him that Jessica is unprofessional and as hard headed as a door nail.
Yes, I really do say things like that.
Ryan plays the high road card and says “I’m not going to be unprofessional like you and resort to name calling”. I point out that she hung up on me and I think they owe me a couple. He actually says sorry and wants to know if I know some person’s name. And if I do can I get in contact with that person.
I explain that I am not a public assistance service. This silliness goes on for another minute and I just cut in and say
Me: “Ryan can you confirm that this number will not be called again?”
Ryan: “Yes and we will not call again, but it would be helpful if-”
Me: “Thank you and you have a nice memorial day weekend.”
And hung up on him.
Any collection agency (they were not calling for ME) has a dirty job. But when they start to cold call people who may come into contact or live in proximity with the guy they want then they are doing something wrong. They are then harassing, obtuse, and sometimes out right liars.
My mother-in-law is not in good health and speaks no English at all. For them to harass her (her number is on the national do-not-call list; it’s harassment) is just unforgivable.
Lily and I saved the name of the company, the names of the people we spoke with, the 800 number, and the time and date that they called. We looked up their company on the Internet and will report them to BBB if they harass my mother-in-law again.
