Put a plastic bag over the Statue of Liberty?

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/17/a_glimmer_of_hope_on_immigration/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+–+Op-ed+columns

A glimmer of hope on immigration
By Derrick Z. Jackson, Globe Columnist  |  May 17, 2006
***Begin Quote***

PRESIDENT BUSH slipped just enough humanity into his national immigration address to show this is one issue he sees with complexity. After saying he will send the National Guard to the borders and build new fences and walls, he acknowledged that millions of people are here to stay and millions are still going to try to come here to stay.
***End Quote***

We are no longer welcoming immigrants to the US. "Illegal Aliens" is like Jumbo Shrimp.

If they are draining "our" social program (I didn't institute them), then let's eliminate the welfare. At the very least, require people seeking benefits to prove they are a citizen.

Seems simple to me. Fix the problem. Not bandaid the symptoms. 

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Posted by reinkefj

Montezuma’s revenge

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

The Universe gave me a time out for I guess something I did wrong. It took a day out of my life. Inopportune but not a disaster.

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Posted by reinkefj

Spammers kill Blue Frog! Now we know who runs the internet!

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/74524

Spammers Defeat Blue Security
Shutting down operations after Russian DDoS attack
Posted 2006-05-17 11:44:57

**Begin Quote***

Anti-Spam outfit Blue Security posted a statement on their currently off-line website stating they were ceasing their war on spam and shutting down, after a Russian spammer essentially DDoS'd the company to death. The outfit had some half-a-million of their members recently bombard spammers with e-mails requesting they cease operations. While some spammers complied, one outfit launched a denial of service attack on the company they simply couldn't overcome, claims the company in a statement:
"Over the past few months we were able to leverage the power of the Blue Community and convince top spammers responsible for sending over 25% of the world's spam to comply with our users' opt-out list. We were making real progress in eliminating spam from the lives of our users.

However, several leading spammers viewed this change as a strategic threat to their spam business. The week before last, these spammers launched a series of attacks against us, taking down hundreds of thousands of other websites via a massive Denial-of-Service attack and causing damage to ISPs, website owners and Internet users worldwide. They also began a relentless campaign of email intimidation against many members of the Blue Community.

After recovering from the attack, we determined that once we reactivated the Blue Community, spammers would resume their attacks. We cannot take the responsibility for an ever-escalating cyber war through our continued operations."
The Washington Post has a good read on the company's lost battle against spam.
***End Quote***

Well, I think we now know who runs the internet. It's not the ISPs, the gummamint, or the users. It's the spammers!

We have to very quickly get a strategy that works — verified senders, a mail "tax", or whatever. 

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Posted by reinkefj

Medicare Rx Plan Deadline

Monday, May 15, 2006

Arghhh, I had to sign up three old folks for Medicare Part D today. PIA! I used the AARP plan since it seemed the "best". Not that I understand the nuances of what's going on. $25.month is like playing the lotto. And, they were talkign about paying penalties if you didn't pick one by today. So it's done. All the old folks hate taking drugs anyway. What part of "non compliant" do these docs not understand. If'n' I was a doc and I had one of these geezers I was tryin' to help, I would not prescribe anything other than once a day in the morning pills. No joke, I had one doc rx my mom with a sequence of pills during the day. First up take a 25, at 11am take a 50, at 3pm take 25, and at bedtime take a 50. I know fromt he drug bills that she's taking ~ one 50 a day. When I brought it do the doc's attention, "no big deal" and "any improvement from the drugs would be marginal at best". Arghhh, I should have made the doc take the pills. Another quick horror story. Another geezer, my aunt, love dearly but would love to strangle sometimes, goes to her regular doc, who KNOWS how she hides pills under her toungue to spit out later. He rxs her with 90 day supply rx that cost 800 $!!!! Those pills are STILL sitting on top the refigerator. Arghhhh!! I hate: the gummamint, docs, and pharmacies! It's a conspiracy. Why do I need to pay a doctor to get a drug. The drug war. It's absurd. It's like having to bring a note from your parents. Mommy Gummamint! What a system.

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Posted by reinkefj

A Libertarian solution to the “illegal immigrant problem”!

Sunday, May 14, 2006

http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2006/tle367-20060514-03.html  

***Begin Quote***

The simple solution is to require welfare recipients, public school students and recipients of government medical care handouts to PROVE that they are US Citizens.
***End Quote***

It's obvious to any Libertarian (defined as: I don't support the use of force to achieve social or political goals.) that the problem is the government "services". You know those things that they do TO us for our own good that we'd rather they not do. I find it amusing that I can't opt out of their "services". And, that I am force to pay for them.

One quick example. I use sugar. The government "protects" the sugar growers in the US with a high tariff which is essential a tax on me. I don't want to protect sugar growers. Look at a truly free market. Division of labor. The cheapest producer is the best producer. If I wanted to "protect" US Sugar Grower, then I could just "Buy American". My choice. If "protecting" US Sugar Growers was important, I coudl do it. I'm sure some smart advertiser could announce "made with only the best US sugar". They could put little American flags on the boxes. But in the end the US consumers woudl vote with their pocketbook imho. Government "protection" at the point of a gun. Government protection = no freedom; market protection = you choose. 

So when someone says  "illegal immigration problem, we have to immediately fire back "end government welfare". The freedom solution.

But if we eliminate welfare (i.e., checks; publik skooolz; hospital subsidy), everyone will starve, be stupid, and die! Yeah right. There will be no charities: feeding those that deserve help,  helping the poor, teaching those who want to learn, or caring for the sick. Hey gang, wake up, those things were originally done by other than the government before some one fell for the idea that the gummamint could do it better.

We have to recognize that Government Socialism kills. It did in the Soviet Union, a 70 year experiment in misery. Greed is good. It motivates people to help each other. We are a good and charitable people. Look at the 911 fund, the tusamni, and the Katrina efforts. The Government is inept, corrupt, and stupid. Let's trust ourselves. Who do you want to rely on WalMart or FEMA?

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Posted by reinkefj

Strange things happen to my linksys network this moring

Sunday, May 14, 2006

When I arrived on duty this morning (i.e., got up and went to check my email), I discovered that LUGGABLE was disconnected from my wifi net. First thing I did a repair and opened up wifi icon. My faithful OREGON wasn't there. Hmm. I wnt to OLDLAP and it do was disconnected. Now I know Comcast is in their Mother's Day freeze so it's unlikely that it was them. SO I went and restarted the linksys wap.

I checked my UDP forwards that Azureus was griping about while I was there. They all were all their as I thought. udp 5000 – 5099 maps to 100, 5100 – 5199 maps to 101, you get the idea.

WAP restarts and I see the blinking lights on the WAP, the WAN, and the cable modem. SO I return OLDLAP is now connected. AND now to LUGGABLE, it too has reconnected.

Sort of. Look around and everything seems OK but it's running like mud. Lookout seems to be taking all the cycles. Blue Frog is offline and won't come back. Azureus is griping about UDP settings. No choice reboot. Argh! Reboot takes for ever because nothing is shutting down. Everything has to be closed out. Rebooted.

All coming up OK. Except blue frog. It takes a runtime error and says call hq. Call hq and they are offline for maintenance. Good service blue frog! There's a strike against them. Argh.

Everything else seems RTN (returned to normal) but how can you ever know with windows.

Takeaway: I would like to find a Flight Data Recorder for the PC. Something as trivial as ping a know good site (i.e., yahoo, google) say every 15 minutes and record the results. It runs routinely and logs when external connectivity is lost. If I had that on all my boxes, I might be able to trace the culprit. By know precisely when connectivity was lost, you'd at least have a fact. Now all I know is that it dies between bedtime and wakeup. Arghh, arghh!

Takeaway: Blug Frog still down. 

Comments? Ideas? 

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Posted by reinkefj

Homeland Security took this fellow’s site and whole bunch more

Saturday, May 13, 2006

http://grigorioneurope.wordpress.com/2006/05/13/homeland-security-stole-my-site/

***Begin Quote***

I go to my web host's site – 2MHost; after this ordeal I won't give them the honour of a direct link – and look for a phone number. None to be found. I suddenly lose all my faith in the up until now fairly reliable host. I get onto their Live Chat, wait for about 10 minutes for the guy to tell me what the hell has happened. Then get a canned response to the effect that the US Department of Homeland Security (there it is, oh {Expletive Deleted}!) has confiscated their hard drives. 'Objectionable material'. Possibly terrorist documents? 'We don't think we will get them back in a timely manner so we have restarted all logins with blank accounts …. 3 months free hosting to compensate'. Oh thanks. Three months hosting what? I have no files.

*** AND ***

Thanks for that watercooler. It does look like that Democrats site was hosted by the same company, 2M Host.

Hopefully they can put some pressure on the DHS or ask some questions. I completely agree with what those guys said about giving reasons for the seizure. Of course I understand what needs to be done needs to be done – if it was some kind of terrorist data or child porn – but a reason would be nice.

***End Quote***

See Big Government Law#3, "Big Government Programs create new problems (aka Unintended Consequences)"!

For anyone involved in technology as a provider or user, backup, backup, and then backup again. For content creators not to have all their content stored all over the place, local and onnet and offsite and in lots of places is inexcusable.

See in my mind the villians of this piece is into DHS or whatever unnatural disaster that happened. No the bad guys are the author and the service provider. Either or both could have made this a non-event.

In my mind, you would think that one service provider would have a reciprocal agreement with another for recovery.

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Posted by reinkefj

Are Condi’s actions inconsistent with BC’s values, Catholicism, and Jesuit traditions. (WWJD?)

Friday, May 12, 2006

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/12/condoleezza_rice_at_boston_college_i_quit/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+–+Op-ed+columns

Condoleezza Rice at Boston College? I quit
By Steve Almond  |  May 12, 2006

An open letter to William P. Leahy, SJ, president of Boston College.

***Begin Quote***

DEAR Father Leahy,

I am writing to resign my post as an adjunct professor of English at Boston College.

I am doing so — after five years at BC, and with tremendous regret — as a direct result of your decision to invite Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be the commencement speaker at this year's graduation.

Many members of the faculty and student body already have voiced their objection to the invitation, arguing that Rice's actions as secretary of state are inconsistent with the broader humanistic values of the university and the Catholic and Jesuit traditions from which those values derive.

But I am not writing this letter simply because of an objection to the war against Iraq. My concern is more fundamental. Simply put, Rice is a liar.

She has lied to the American people knowingly, repeatedly, often extravagantly over the past five years, in an effort to justify a pathologically misguided foreign policy.

***End Quote***

Well, this fellow is a great exemplar of Catholic values (i.e., charity, forgiveness, humility, temperence, honesty).

Now I am not so sure that there might NOT be whole bunches of liars in Washington. Socialist and Statists by the boatload sure! But, "liars"? I think one has to be very circumspect about calling anyone a "liar". Now I have no use for politicians of either ilk in general. Having said that, the last time I thought a politician was a "liar" was when Bill Clinton parsed the word "is". And he gave that testimony himself!

If a politician says X Y or Z, then I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt as far as lying is concerned. Stupidity, incompetence, and immaturity should be self-evident. Truth is not.

As far as memos and papers and emails and conversations, I am willing to bet that "stuff" gets lost. Leadership in business and government has the attention span of a 4 year old. Get them to read a memo and they zone out. When I make a presentation to them, I try and make it only one slide. AND, even that they'll forget. Tell them your opinion and they'll go right out an do the opposite. We are an error prone species.

Liar? That verdict I'll leave to the accused and the Intelligent Designer.

Too many of the accusers have forgotten Jesus and the adulteress tale.

"Let he, who is without sin, cast the first stone."

It sure isn't me!

Sorry, Steve. I think you're making a mistake and I hope you unemployment checks may teach you a little about humanity.

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH: “SYNCURA” online

Friday, May 12, 2006

20060512 @ 133 zulu

I see that it's back. It don't need it right now but one has to remember it's a free beta. Can't depend on what you don't pay for.

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Hey Governor Corzine … … still wanna hear about state cars an speeding? (continued) … …

Thursday, May 11, 2006

TO BAD!

Today 11 May 06 at 0710 edst white car sg 20337 zipping down route 1 with what I assume is one state worker commuting to work in a car I am paying for. (Ain't I generous?) Anyway, speeding at I guess 65 to hurry to get to I assume trenton to protect and serve me. Thankfully the driver only got out of the left lane once while I could see it disappearing into the distance. I like the rest of the serfs can't afford a "revenue collection agent" giving me a receipt for services rendered protecting me form the dangers of speeding. No, the rest of the serfs on Route 1 have to pick our way thru West Windsor's routine radar traps. We can't speed like our rulers. But any way, I said "thankfully" because the driver of said state car doesn't signal. Not that unreasonable; no driver signals any more cause, someone will just close up on you. But the efficient police would ticket you if they ever saw a serf do it cause it's a nice "revenue enhancement".

Also, you might inquire of President Bush why also today the driver of Amtrack white truck G63-12513 thought it necessary to speedingly tailgate me in the middle lane. I guess he too, it was a he, was rushing to get to work to make the trains run on time. Of course as a serf, I recognized my place and got out of his way. No seriously, I just thought it was wise when the grill filled my back window. It was until after he zoomed by that I saw the amtrack logo and the white federal plate. I am sure glad I didn't hold up the important work of Amtrack by delaying this dedicated civil servant. There were probably meetings to go to and dougnuts to eat.

Arghhhh!

No I didn't think so. Let them eat cake! Let them drive to the right so the empire can expand. Maybe I can get a state car to go to work? No silly rabbit, that's for the ruling class.

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Posted by reinkefj

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