Lighting the Fuse...

Well, looks like Michael Moore got to write his column for USA Today. Guess he wasn't fired like Ann Coulter. And he's really done it this time.

He's bleating "tax cuts for the rich".

I warned him. I warned all of you. Now it's on.

Let's take a look at this handy chart and accompanying article courtesy of our good friends at the Detroit News, and the Congressional Budget Office.

Looking at the chart, it appears that the tax burden has not, in fact, shifted toward the lower and middle class. In fact, despite the tax cuts, the bottom 60% of American households seem to be paying proportionately less of the total tax burden than they were pre-tax cut. The 20% above that seems unchanged in their relative burden, and the top 20% are actually paying proportionately more, making up the difference for the bottom 60%. And the top 20% of Americans seem to be paying, on average, 16% of their income in taxes. (Down from 19.4%).

What excites me is the possibility that the top earners will find ways in a growing economy to earn even more money. And what happens then? More taxes. Remember, it's not a zero sum game. If someone makes 1 million dollars and we get 20% of that, we get $200k. If taxes get cut and we take only 15%, and that person finds a way to make 1.5 million? Now we get $225 thousand. A net gain on a tax cut? Only in America, baby!

The top 1% of Americans (again, just going off the chart), saw a dramatic drop in taxes - almost 5% - from 24.5 to 19.6. Back to Ben Affleck, who complained about saving over a million in taxes last year, which just didn't seem right to him. Let's call it an even million to make the math easier on me, and let's pretend he's in the top 1% of American earners. If he saved 1 million dollars, he must have made about $20m, paying 3.9 million dollars. Pre tax cut, he would have paid 4.9 million dollars. So, if Ben really, really feels bad about the drop in federal revenue, he can get someone to pick him some good scripts, and he can bust his butt, and make an extra 5 million. Not only will Ben have saved the universe (in whatever movie he was in), not only will he have saved the federal budget (hooray!) not only would he have saved his own personal conscience (lousy guilt), he will have earned himself about an extra 5 million dollars to do with as he pleases. He can use that money to feed and clothe the poor, to buy a couple of new cars (I'll take that one AND that one...), or to buy Big Macs. He'll be incentivized to make more, because he can keep proportionately more of what he makes. Enough people get incentivized like that, and we'll make the money to take care of the deficit. Enough people get incentivized like that, and we'll have people with enough money that they won't have to rely on social security. Enough people get incentivized like that, and we'll continue to have an economy that is the envy of the world.

So, Michael Moore, with all due respect, take your whining about tax cuts for the rich, and deep fat fry that bad boy with your next peanut butter/banana sandwich. Or I might have to come back and explain it all again.

And I'm sure nobody wants that.

UPDATE: Forgot to mention that Bill O'Reilley reported tonight (as his most ridiculous item of the day) that Michael Moore has had enough, and will not be attending the remainder of the RNC. Coulter fired, Moore quits, I guess we'll call that one even. Maybe Moore just wanted footage of himself being booed for his next movie, and now it's mission accomplished.

Advice

While this has applications outside law school, and in the greater world of professional life, a few words of advice for those who care to listen.

First and foremost, for law school students: realize that you are entering a world where you are known, you live and you die by your reputation. The reputation you get will largely be up to you. So when you're on the phone with someone, and you pull out that "I'm going to law school, so you'd better do what I say because I'm going to law school, and I know the law, and you'd better toe the line or else..." card, realize a couple of things. First, you have just justified every lawyer joke ever written. People mistrust lawyers, and believe that they're arrogant and rude. You've just proven them all correct in that assumption. The only way you could do more to prove lawyer jokes right is to go out and literally chase ambulances.

Second, pulling a move like that makes it very difficult to deal with you. It's the equivalent of the old wild west move of placing your hand on the holster, and calling the other person a coward. You've shown that you are unwilling to negotiate, and probably unreasonable to boot. You've also probably destroyed any good-will that may have existed in the first place, and in a professional context, you may find yourself taking a client to expensive, time consuming litigation when a handshake deal or a negotiated settlement would have sufficed. That's going to cost you clients, and clients talk.

Third, clients aren't the only ones who talk. The reputation you get with your fellow students can come back to help or hurt you in the future. Some day, I or another one of your fellow students may get this: "Hey, this applicant, (blank) went to school at (insert name of law school here). Ricks, you went there, right? Did you know this guy?" To be followed with a "What did you think of him/her?" You want your fellow students to think highly of you, not to think that you're going to be a headache. The choices you make in the here and now will have consequences in the there and then, some of which may not be readily apparent to you. And the bottom line is: if you act like a jerk, it's going to reflect badly on you, and on the school, which is no good for any of us.

So, while there is a time and a place for zealous advocacy, there is more often a time and place for manners, consideration, and thoughtfulness.

That's enough talk about law-school grumpiness. Now for another bone I have to pick. I've been to my local Hollywood Video a couple of times, looking for 'Cube games to rent, and any time I've mentioned that I have a 'Cube, I've gotten the unsolicited comment "Ah, man, the GameCube sucks. Xbox is much better." Never freakin' mind the amount of time and effort I've invested in making a decision in which next gen console I'd be breaking a long-held promise to my wife over. Never mind the availability of games I think I'll actually like and play. Never mind the fact that I have a kid in the house. Never mind the thought that the games I want to play on Xbox are on the PC as well (Halo, Advent Rising, Knights of the Old Republic). As someone in customer service, you NEVER tell someone that what they have is stupid unless you really, really, really don't want that customer. (sigh). More when I'm feeling up to it.

I guess maybe you CAN go home again...

Heading home from Austin - is turning out to be a lot less hectic than the trip there was. Made the Austin airport in good time, and Reeta and I had a couple of giant brisket sandwiches from an airport restaurant called "The Salt Lick". There is nothing in this world that can compare with the taste of authentic Texas brisket, I kid you not. Claire decided she didn't want a sandwich - she got some ice cream. A couple of hours later, in Phoenix, she wanted more ice cream (they had a TCBY there - so Reeta got me a great big chocolate vanilla swirl yogurt - mmmmm). And Claire was acting really crazy. Now, on the way to Portland, she's crashing on the plane. Despite a small delay in Phoenix (our plane was late getting up to the terminal for reasons unknown), we're making good time back to good ol' OR.

Reeta and I had a great time in Texas. I got to get acquainted with an adorable little nephew - Nicolas. We got to eat a ton of great food, complements of Reeta's grandparents, and Reeta herself (far from being a slouch in the kitchen, Reeta's cooking is legendary in the family) made fajitas one night with some left over roast beef. Also grilled onions and peppers, guac, sour cream, all kinds of great cheeses, etc. Yum.

Now to find out what's happened at the apartment complex while we've been gone. New windows are up in our apartment, my wireless network beckons with the promise of new episodes of Samurai 7 and Naruto. (I can't for the life of me figure out why that isn't licensed - the manga and the anime are both incredibly well done).

Finally, a bit of good news. As I was able to access a wireless network from where we were staying (I never did get over to the neighbors to discuss wireless security issues with them - I'm glad I'm running a 128-bit encryption at home), I got an e-mail from the school registrar this morning, telling me that I got in to the CIS class for Spring semester. Why is this important, you ask? Because CIS means that I will get experience working with local businesses. It'll be good for a resume, it'll get my feet wet in the industry, and some people have actually been hired by the companies that they work for. I had to interview with the professor and submit a resume and everything. I thought I would hear something by the end of last week, before we left for Texas, and when I hadn't heard anything, I was sure I hadn't gotten in. I was so happy today to hear that - it really gave me a sense that everything is going to be all right - school, life, it's going to work out. And that's something I'll admit I've had my doubts about in the past. Decent grades over the summer, exciting new semester, things are looking good.

Movies, Movies, Movies! And Presents!

Lessee... yesterday, we went to the movies. Reeta and the rest of the ladies went to see Princess Diaries 2, which they described as sweet, and kind of silly. I abandoned the ladies and went to see something else, the title of which escapes me at this point, which is probably a good indication of how much impact it had. Oh yeah... it was I, Robot.
While it was better than I thought it was going to be, and it was closer to Asimov's ideas than I thought it was going to be, the Asimov fanboy in me a) couldn't accept the essential problem being posed as early in the robot history as the movie was set (the brains shouldn't have been that advanced yet); b) figured out what was happening just before the demolition bot started up; c) was incensed by the bastardization of the good doctor's thinking - the three laws never would have led to the result reached by the machines; d) was frustrated with the existence of a positronic brain unbound by the three laws - a result NEVER reached by Asimov. Despite all that (and because I liked the fact that they prominently featured Dr. Susan Calvin, one of my favorite Asimov characters), out of a possible +/- 2, it gets +1.5 Coke. Good action, not a good application of the three laws of robotics. For the non-Asmiov fanboys out there, a good distraction.

Then today, Reeta and I went on a hot date, and saw Jet Li in Hero. My comment to Reeta during the course of the movie was, "I like a little plot with my kung fu movies". It struck me as more of a parable than anything. A story retold and retold and retold yet again not from different perspectives, but with differing degrees of truth. It struck me as an exploration of myth and legend more than anything. Reeta said it was prettiest movie she's seen in a long time. I wanted more of a traditional a, b, c, etc... x, y, z story, but what I got was a, b, c, d, a, b, c, a, c, d, ... repeated in various forms. Still, it is Jet Li. Not as good as his awesome Once Upon a Time in China, much better than The One. I personally give it +1 Coke.

Oh, birthday presents abounded also. With the money for Best Buy, I picked up Madden 2002 ($4.99 - I couldn't pass it up), Tony Hawk Underground, and Metroid Prime all for The Evil (the 'Cube), and Futurama Season 4 on DVD - the highest numbered Futurama Season ever. Finally have the episode where Fry gets the Robot Devil's hands. And the second appearance of Al Gore on a Futurama episode (though the first one was much, much funnier). Reeta got money for clothes, and picked up some really cute things, and Bandits on DVD.

Mistaken Mistakes and the Mistakers who make them.

So, apparently Bush has said that he's going to seek an injunction against soft money groups such as Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, as well as (I'm sure) MoveOn.org, and Americans coming together.

I don't think a court will allow it, and I think it's a problem for Bush to pursue it. The courts will (should) deny the injunction because political speech, particularly unpopular political speech is a core value of the 1st Amendment. And now we can finally point at something Bush has done and claim that it's a stifling of free speech. Ugh. And the liberal press will stay hush hush about the free speech elements, because it eliminates the embarassing Swift Boats guys and the retractions they've caused in the Kerry campaign.

While I think the Swifties should have vented their ire years ago, and while I think that MoveOn is playing every cheap shot they can think of, denying either of them the right to speak now is a step backwards for everyone.

Questionable efficacy

I hear that MoveOn.org is about to start a new ad campaign slamming Bush. Reports say that they've spent millions of dollars in anti-Bush campaign commercials. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, however, has spent about $250,000.

Bush has now said that these kinds of ads are bad for the system. Will Kerry denounce the MoveOn ads when they start airing today, the 24th? I'm not holding my breath. I'm also going to feel sorry for anyone taking voting advice from celebrities.

Nod to Captain's Quarters for the story.

UPDATE - I find that someone else has summed this up better than I could.
Hat tip to LGF.

Being on vacation

Is nice. I haven't had too much of a break over the summer, between Con Law II, work, and whatnot. So, being able to just relax and (finally) read Cryptonomicon is nice. Hanging out with my ol' homie, Sam, and Grandma and Grandpa (mostly Sam), had some good conversations, and tonight we went for barbeque.

Now, Texas Barbeque is a wonder to behold. I hesitate to order barbeque in other places, because usually I get something that is ALMOST there, but ultimately fails to satisfy. Not tonight - we went to a place called the County Line, where we had all you can eat ribs, sausage, and brisket. Mmmmmm... brisket. And the sauce was great. And the ribs (beef) were gargantuan. All in all, a hearty repast, thought I hardly did it justice. I find I am unable to eat as much as I used to. Not that I'm sad about that. Quite the contrary, it gives me hope for continued survival (and a death to my gut!)

Someone then told me that there were turtles in the river out behing the restaurant. And as soon as Claire heard that, we had to go. So, we went out, saw some turtles, and I ran back for a camera and some quarters (for turtle food).



Here's Sam, Claire, and baby Nick down by the river.



And here's what a turtle feeding frenzy looks like.

And we made it!

Phew. After frantically getting ready (I vacuumed my apartment AND a pool!) we barely made it to the bus, only to find that we were a nickel short on fare, only to find that the fare box was busted - so we got to ride free to the Max station, where we were able to break a bill, and buy tickets. Got to the airport. Walked THE LENGTH OF THE TICKET COUNTERS... WITH BAGS... because I'm too cheap to rent a cart. Made it to the plane. Flew to Vegas. Got off the plane as our connecting flight was calling final boarding - not even time to pull a slot, and they were five feet away. Flew to Phoenix. Claire got bored, so we played "I'm thinking of a Pokemon". (A game at which I rule! And Claire is pretty good.) Flew to Austin. Reeta and Claire napped on the plane. They turned up the heat when I asked for a blanket. That plane was not even half full - so we went quick.

Anyway, we're here in Texas for one week. My eBay auction looks like it'll go for a flat $100.00 plus shipping. (Search for SpaceOrb). Which is okay. I was hoping for the $270.00 fairy to strike again, but okay.

UPDATE: Also just opened presents - three gift cards to Best Buy ($95.00 in total), and the biggest box of Cheddar Pretzel Combos I've ever seen. Yum!

Good for the 9th!

This decision came down yesterday. Thank goodness the 9th didn't get in the way of technology. And forcing content owners to go after those truly responsible for the violation - the end user - is the right thing to do. More on this when I'm not frantically getting ready to get to the airport.

Unpopular Speech

Why Kerry would attempt to get Bush's campaign sanctioned for the Swifties speech instead of responding to their accusations honestly escapes me. Maybe he feels it's too personal to talk about, maybe he thinks it's something that shouldn't be brought up now, thirty years after the fact. Some people say that it's because he can't respond to the substance of the accusations.
Personally, I don't know. If what the Swifties are saying is true, and it's not being paid for by Bush, then I think they should be allowed to continue.

I also hesitate to make the assumption that the Swifties are pro-Bush so much as they are anti-Kerry. I've heard some people imply that "one call from Bush, or Karl Rove, and this would end". Maybe, maybe not. I've also heard in interviews some of the Swifties say that they aren't necessarily crazy about Bush - they just feel that what they perceive as Kerry's lies need to be brought to light. The fact that it's helping Bush is a side effect.

And according to Hugh Hewitt today, the Swifties are really hurting the Kerry campaign amongst veterans - with a more than ten percent drop in veterans support according to CBS (as Hugh is saying over the air). No wonder he's trying to shut them up.

One Last Hurrah for Summer!

Well, the popularity of the SpaceOrb may have been insufficient to support its continued manufacture, but it's been enough to boost bidding on mine (being sold without drivers or original packaging) to $100.00. I'll have to ship from Texas, as we'll be leaving tomorrow. After paying through the nose for parking last time, this time we'll take the Max to the airport. Granted, we've got to take the bus to the Max, but if it gets us to the Airport for under $5.00 one way, sign me up.

Possibly light blogging next week, possibly heavy, depending on how many discussions I get into with Reeta's grandparents, and what my impressions are of this newfangled idea of having "air conditioning" in one's home. Stay tuned, true believers, for Intrigue! Adventure! Tamales! And what should be a lot of fun for everyone - both of Reeta's sisters are there, Sambo is there, Nephew Nick is there, we'll have pictures, and it should be loads of fun!

Tax Cuts (warning: Bomb!)

"Tax cuts for the rich", "Tax cuts for the rich". If I hear one more freakin' person say "tax cuts for the rich", I am going to go completely, totally Voldo on them.

What is this obsession with redistributing wealth? Do people really believe that wealth is a zero-sum game? That if Ben Affleck (that poor, poor man) has millions and millions of dollars from making appearances in mediocre movies, that means some kid in America, or someplace else, has to eat boiled shoes? That if Ben had not made that money, that hypothetical kid would be able to afford, say, a cheese and baloney sandwich?

I call shenanigans on anyone who assumes that tax cuts for the rich are a bad thing. Let's break it down.

First, A tax cut = a tax cut for the rich, too. When taxes get lowered, they don't just get lowered for people on the bottom. Nor do they just get lowered for people in the middle. They get lowered for EVERYBODY, which plays out to be a pretty good thing. Why? Why should those despicable capitalists get to keep so much money when they have so much already? Come here. Lemme whisper this in your ear. Because it's their money, and chances are, we gave it to them. More on this in a second.

Second, who says the government knows better than I do how to spend my money? This is a bone to pick with Hillary and Ben, both. First of all, Hillary says at a fund raising dinner, "We're going to take things away from you, for your own good." Does anyone else besides me think that's a particularly scary thought? America is one of the most beloved (and hated) countries on the face of the earth in a large part due to our freedoms and our economic success. When you threaten in one sentence to impact both of those things, you either show that you don't understand how the system works (and I give Mrs. Clinton more credit than that), or you think the system is wrong. Hillary may honestly believe that running health care through a massive national bureacracy is an improvement, but glancing north at our neighbors convinces me that isn't the case. Ben Affleck recently proclaimed at a press conference that he had a tax cut that amounted to over a million dollars, and he asked if that seemed right. I suppose I'd respond with a couple of questions. First, if you saved over a million dollars in taxes, how much did you pay? Probably a lot more than a million dollars, right? Second, what did you do with the million dollars? If you think that the money should have been used to feed, clothe, and shelter the poor, that's fine. Who's stopping you from using it to feed, clothe and shelter the poor? If you think the money should have been used to provide health care, who's stopping you from starting a foundation that provides health care to disadvantaged people? The truth is that million dollars represents an opportunity for him to improve the lives of those around him. More than that, it places the responsibility on him to do what he wants done with it. And he'll be able to make sure it gets where he wants it to - it's his money.

But let's say he decides to blow it all on Big Macs. So what? That million dollars gets pumped into the economy, paying the checks of poor, pimply faced teenagers who then use the money to buy their first car, save for college, or go see a ridiculously overpriced movie starring... someone else. (Sorry, Ben, you've been really striking out lately!)

But let's take a look at history. Armageddon, a movie starring Ben which I really liked, cost approximately $140M to make, according to imdb.com. How much was that movie worth? Again, according to imdb, it made over $201M, with another $104M in rentals. So, it cost $140M, and it was worth over $300M? Where did that extra $160 come from? Was it stolen from kids in Ethiopia? Of course not. Where did it come from? It's taken me a while to get this through my relatively thick skull, but there is no magic number of dollars available in the economy. Money is an arbitrary value that we assign to things. The value isn't in the money itself, the value is in the movie Ben & Co. made. The movie was worth more than the cost of making it. A lot more. Making that movie created wealth to the tune of about $165 million. No zero sum there, folks. Just added value. Let's look at Gigli. It cost $54m to make Gigli, according to imdb. What was that movie worth? According to imdb, about $6m. We say that movie "lost money". Where did it lose money? Where did it go? Reduced value. Non-zero-sum works both ways.

I'm picking on Ben Affleck here (poor guy), but it's only because he seems like such a nice guy, a personable, warm, lovable guy, and I just want to take him by the shoulders and show him how utterly, horribly wrong he is when he complains about saving money on taxes. (Besides, someday I'm going to BE one of those rich people, and I'd really prefer he not ruin things for the rest of us) ^.^'

Rant fuse lit by Michele at asmallvictory.net, who has an unhealthy fascination with Ted Rall.

Change is good, right?

Changed the format of the blog again. I've been thinking about condensing it to two columns, and this just looked good. Yeah, it's mostly a generic Blogger template, but at least this way I get the search bar at the top (which I think looks cool). And quick edits for the posts. And blogger will e-mail me when someone comments. All good things.

The Trek UCC

Odd connections - I'm doing research for a professor for her contracts text, and I seem to recall that Star Trek has it's own version of the U.C.C.. (Sorry for the lawyer in-joke). Yes, the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. This probably isn't a definitive list, but it's long enough and detailed enough to be close enough. So far, my favorite is Rule 162: "Even in the worst of times, someone turns a profit." In my mind, it narrowly beats out Rule 49: "Everything is worth something to somebody." Pithy statements, these.

Also, it turns out that one of my cousins is teaching law in Houston - something I found out as I was doing the aforementioned research.

Ain't it Insane?

Jurassic Park 4?

You know, even though I firmly believe that Harry is slipping deeper and deeper into irrelevant insanity, something keeps pulling me back to Aint it Cool News. Mostly it's "Moriarty", Harry's partner in crime (and the better writer, IMHO). And holy, holy, holy cow. Every now and then, they come across something that just makes me grin. Like this. Now, bear in mind that it's a screenplay review, and that nothing has actually been filmed yet. Heck, nothing's probably been modeled in CGI, or anything. But it's an insanely appealing idea, at least to me. After all, I really liked Returner. (I think from now on, I'm just going to Four Letter Acronym that - IRLR).

Random Treasure...

Light blogging the last few days, I know. I've been busy. Life. Just won't stop. To let me blog.

So, my birthday came and went, and now I'm officially 32. Chocolate cake, money from the folks (on both sides), and grandparents. Saturday, we fly to Texas for a week before school starts. I'm thinking that when things calm down a little (and the tax return gets here - darn processing times and extensions - okay the extension was all me, but processing times!) I finally will upgrade the home PC. We'll wind up getting the $400.00 Dell Special, or whatever the equivalent is. And one of these, just because I love gaming peripherals. I bought "Forsaken" for the PC largely because it came bundled with a nifty controller - the SpaceTek Spaceorb 360. Good luck finding one of those in working order. Let's check out eBay... looks like three of them, all being bid on by the same guy, and he's paying... $270.00 a piece? Hmmmm... I need to test it and make sure it's working, then put this bad boy on eBay. Tonight. On a three day listing. And find the driver disk... I can ship from Texas if I have to... Yeah... that'll work...

Quick update.

Reeta bought a "She-Ra Crystal Castle" on eBay, and she and Claire are playing with it and a bunch of figures in the other room. Simple pleasures, what can I say?

In a perfect world...

Cold Fury: Someday, some way

Holy cow. Some of the best rantage I've seen lately. Hat tip goes to Bill at INDC.

Happy what?

It's my birthday, but I don't feel any older. Too much going on today to really celebrate - I'll get to it tomorrow. To be honest, I've been thinking that I'm 32 for about a year now, so it's not like I think I'm older. And I need a nap.

Finished Zelda: Wind Waker last night. Started again - but this time he isn't wearing the classic green. Wierd. Link needs to comb his hair. Or get a hat. After a few minutes of that, I made Claire a bet that if she could beat me at a game of Soul Calibur II, she'd get to stay up as late as she wanted. But if I won, she had to go to bed right then. Extra Team Battle Vs. - Claire picked eight guys, I picked four. I let her win a couple of matches, and it all came down to one final fight - Xianghua (Claire) v. Kilik (Me).

After kicking my butt, and parading around the room in a victory pose (both hands held high above the head with the wireless "wavebird" controller), Claire retired to my room with her Mom, where she promptly fell asleep. Ah well. (Kilik is still The Man, in my book, even though I think Talim is as close as you get to an ultimate weapon in that game).

The Kilik Smilie is property of soulcalibur.com

Standing in Holy Places

Marines are currently moving in on one of the holy sites of Shi'ite Muslim belief, the Imam Ali Shrine. Reporters warn that this may set off a "firestorm" in the Shi'ite Muslim World, that we're treading on 'Sensitive Ground' according to the L.A. Times.

Know what? That's just so much fertilizer.

When the Shi'ite Muslim cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr started using the site as a base of operations for a militia, why wasn't he treading on 'sensitive ground'?

When the Mormons moved out to the Salt Lake Valley, they began to build a temple. If you go there today, you can see it standing in the middle of downtown. Quite an imposing edifice to have been built in the 1800's. In 1857, James Buchanan sent an army to "restore order", and forcibly remove Brigham Young as the territory's governor. Apparently, he had received false reports from federal agents who had abandoned their posts that there was widespread rebellion. 2,500 well-armed men marched to Salt Lake City.

The foundation of the temple was largely complete, and was easily the most well-fortified structure in the city. Was it the site of an armed rebellion? No. Instead of using the site as a fortress, Brigham Young and the Saints buried the foundation, and plowed it, to make it look like a farmer's field. Upon arriving, Johnson's army found a group of people who were not in revolt, but who were prepared to burn their own city to the ground and move on if necessary. Satisfied that the reports were false, the army left. (Incidentally, Brigham waited until 1860 to uncover the foundation, at which time they found that it had been cracked. The entire foundation was removed and replaced - not with sandstone and mortar, but with precisely cut granite blocks with no mortar at all). See Here.

Holy sites are not fortresses to fight from. If anything, a site may be revered for the sacrifice of men who died defending their freedom, their loved ones, their way of life (I'm thinking about the Alamo, and Gettysburg, and other sites of great battles in this country specifically), but they are not places to stage armed rebellion.

al-Sadr took this fight to the shrine. If we have to fight him there, then we'll fight him there. I'm sure we'd rather not have to fight him there. Heck, we'd rather not have to fight him at all. People on the ground there have decided that this fight is necessary, so we'll fight it. And we'll win. There's no American glee that a holy site may be destroyed in the process. And there should be no recrimination toward the Americans or the Iraqi government for making it a battlefield. We didn't make it so. You don't blame the hunter for where the cobra makes its den. You blame the hunter if he allows the cobra to strike again and again without response. Anyway, that's what I think.

Shameless begging

You know, I remember when I first saw someone begging for presents on the internet. It was legendary fan-boy Harry Knowles asking for pwesents for his birthday. At the time, I laughed it off. As I watched what appeared to me to be a slow slide into insanity, I saw it as a cry for help.

So, no begging for presents. Even though my birthday is Friday (the 13th!), and I've put a link to my Amazon wish list up (hopefully that works), it's not a request for presents. But if anyone wants to know what kind of things go on my own wishlist (a delightful insight into my own personal tastes, I'm sure...) feel free to peruse.

Terrorists! The Low Carb Alternative!

Now, THIS is the Philippines that I think terrorists should have to deal with. Not the wussy, namby, pamby, "ooh, you've kidnapped one of our citizens and are threatening to cut his head off, we'll pull out troops early" Philippines.

The "You tripped and touched my daughter's bum at her wedding, I'm gonna freakin EAT YOU FOR DINNER!" Philippines. How many terrorists would mess with Filipinos if they knew there was some chance, however remote, that in the future, they'd be eaten? NOTE: Not for the faint of heart. Also, please note that the vast majority of Filipinos are kind, loving, gentle, giving people.

And I wouldn't mess with them for anything in the world.

Anime update:

Naruto still rocks. Episode 94 and counting. We've been watching Naruto for almost two years now, and it just keeps getting better and better and better. I love the fact that Naruto is considered by and large to have absolutely no talent, and yet he keeps going anyway, and finds a way to overcome - a theme I find strangely comforting in my career as a law student. A popular series in Japan, spawning several video games and toys, a now available in English.

Also, I'm watching Samurai 7, an anime retelling of the Akira Kurosama film "Seven Samurai" (which was the basis for the most excellent Western epic, "The Magnificent Seven".) Incredible graphics, a great story, and a touch of sci-fi. (The bandits in this version are giant cyborgs).

Reeta and I are still waiting for a new episode of Aishiteruze Baby. Word is that is going to run 24 episodes, we're up to 16, so just eight eps left of cute Yuzuyu. This is the series that convinced me to experiment with making a new Japanese food for me - Onigiri! (I'm sure mine isn't as good as the real thing, but it's fun to make! And to eat!)

Just finished the fourth Last Exile DVD tonight, and by some strange coincidence, the fifth one comes out tomorrow. Heck yeah! Thank goodness for Netflix.

Still waiting for Gundam: SEED to catch up to where I was in the series. And waiting for the release of FullMetal Alchemist and Kenran Butoh Sai: Mars Daybreak. I need a well-paying lawyer job to support my anime and gaming habit! (And my family).

The Lowdown on the Smackdown

Heck yeah. Better than Godzilla 2000. Good stuff. Fun, fun, fun! +1.5 Cokes. Of course, I liked Returner. Still, the best part of the movie for me? The "Out Of Control" display on the computer display.

Who creates a computer program that actually displays "out of control"? And it came up TWICE! Cool moments. Robo-Mecha-Ninja-Godzilla! Fonzie-Fu.

La la la!

There's a long, time-honored tradition of making sarcastic comments while watching cheesy monster movies. It's the kind of thing that made Mystery Science Theater 3000 great.

So, tonight I'm watching Godzilla x Mechagodzilla. I'll have an actual review up later, but so farit's looking like at least +1.5 Cokes. I mean, how can you argue with a movie that has GIANT ROBOT GODZILLA! and a computer display that reads "Out of Control." One that inspires comments like "Remember, seatbelts save lives!" And "Mr. Fujiwara, your three o'clock is here." And we're only about halfway in. Men in rubber and metal suits RAWK!

Missouri...

I'm not up on the actual procedure in Missouri, but it appears that they've just changed their constitution to ban same-sex marriages. And some people have said that's a real shame that they can't be tolerant. Personally, I feel that there's a difference between tolerance of someone's lifestyle and putting a legal stamp of approval on it. Last I looked, Missouri isn't rounding up homosexuals and herding them out of the state. Nor are they issuing extermination orders calling for the execution of all homosexuals in the state. Tolerance is there (Something Missouri has had a difficult time with in the past).
But legally sanctioning same-sex marriage goes beyond tolerance to approval, something the voting population of Missouri seems unwilling to do. We may not agree with the decision, but we must respect and accept their right to make the decision themselves, lest we be regarded as being intolerant ourselves.

All this doom and gloom, yet good stuff abounds

No beer and no tv make Homer something something........

I am so looking forward to this year's SciFi channel lineup. It's not quite to the point where I'll have to set up tapes to get each night, but we're close. What's so good, you ask?

First: Stargate. SG:1 has new eps, and the new series has been decent (after two episodes, we'll see more tonight).

Second: Battlestar Galactica. I've been watching the old series via Netflix, and I'm looking forward to seeing the new one. While I had a few issues with the re-invention (You made Boomer a girl? I mean, Starbuck AND Boomer? Women? There were strong women in Galactica - Athena, Serena, Cassiopeia were all strong women), but the limited series was powerful and really good. Now, will they retain the LDS theology overtones? Probably not.

Third: Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars. The return of John Crichton and Aeryn Sun? After having been reduced to burnt slag? That'll be interesting to see... And I'll enjoy every minute of it.

Turnabout (apparently) gets you a C&D letter...

Bush urges immediate end to 'soft money' ads - The Washington Times

Man, is this getting to be an ugly fight or what? You've got MoveOn making ads that refer to Bush as Hitler, and you've got Al Gore calling conservative bloggers "digital brownshirts" (at another MoveOn event - hmmmm, I'm seeing the outlines of a trend here...). And, of course, you've got people claiming that Bush lied, is using terrorist warnings as a campaign tool (Howard Dean), etc., etc., etc. (And F 9/11, which seeks to portray Bush in a negative light, putting it mildly). What has Bush's response been to all of these attacks? It's been pretty quiet.

Now you've got the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth alleging in an ad and a book that John Kerry lied to get his medals. And a picture of Kerry in a blue jumpsuit visiting NASA. What's the response been? Immediate, loud, and pointed... It's all Dirty tricks! The pictures were leaked! The swifties are lying! Those darn Republicans! The swifties are a front!

Interpret this how you will. Personally, I agree with the Captain. Kerry's been supported by third party organizations like MoveOn, who got no official response when they aired their ads. Now as soon as one takes a shot at Kerry, his response allows Bush to take the high road, distance himself from the Swifties, and pull a bit of carpet out from under Kerry, all at the same time. A dirty fight, to be sure (but from here, it sure is entertaining).

This is really the first presidential campaign I've really looked at issues, done research, watched the news, etc. I'm looking forward to the debates. (That feels weird just saying it).

Coming up for air...

Light blogging for the last few days - I've been sequestered with work, and with a particularly scary Con Law II final that turned out to be not quite as scary as I had feared, but more scary than I hoped. Here's hoping the grade I get will be good. And later today my work sequestering will be largely completed, so tonight I'm hittin' the pool. Reeta has been awesome during the last week, and has put up with a lot, Lot, LOT of stress from managing the apartment complex, and with Claire, and with my tendency to stress and freak out. Now it's time to kick back and re-lax. (And for me to do some dishes.)

Reeta has booked tickets for the three of us to fly to Austin. I must admit to being a little nervous whenever I fly, more so in recent years. And the timing isn't particularly good for work, but it will be a lot of fun once we get there. And things here will work out. Before that, I've got to go downtown at least once and play some Halo CTF on the PC with some friends, and Reeta deserves a steak. Hmmmmm... next weekend should be fun. (This weekend will be popping corn at home, and maybe some board games).

Shove what?

[Killing the questioner - PittsburghLIVE.com]

Dirty pool all around. Posting private contact information? Calling and abusing the man's daughter? Death threats? Just how thin skinned ARE THK's supporters?

Read.

Tip o the hat to Michelle Malkin.

Some Interesting Articles...

USS Clueless has a really interesting article today about the definition of "terrorist" and how he thinks the war in Iraq has changed.

Captain's Quarters refers to a USA today/CNN/Gallup poll that shows that Kerry's numbers post-convention may have actually dropped rather than jumped. (strangely comforting, that thought)

Wierd, Wild Stuff.