February 2006 Archives

Say, I know I once had a list of recommended software on a page (which I may either update or get rid of soon) and I know some of you used it as a reference. So, here's an attempt at an update at that kind of info.

Google has thrown together the Google Pack of software for ya. I recommend Firefox, Picasa, and Google Earth specifically. I like Trillian as well, but use the full version so no clue what your experience will be there.

The Open CD project also has some good open source and free programs to check out. Download, burn, and pick something to use.

For those looking to build a new PC - all others might as well call the fine folks at Dell (hi Jamal!) - ArsTechnica gives you some good guides based on whether you want an extreme budget box, one of a good range of PCs, or a media center.

"I Never Thought I'd Miss Nixon..." - bumper sticker seen today

The Federal Reserve reported today that incomes fell between 2001 and 2004. This news comes on the heels of reports concerning the widening gap between rich and poor and that the wealthiest of our citizens are the ones that benefit from Bush's capital gains cuts.

Yeah, so much for conservatives taking care of the bottom line. Like Bush spending $1.6 BILLION dollars on spin, advertisement, and general propagandistic smoke screens to either push his apocalypse agenda or to obfuscate some felony performed by his administration. Or the third of a billion spent on dealing with the "Don't ask, don't tell" rules. Then again, both parties are guilty in that one.

Can't trust the GOP on the economy. But I'm sure they are great at national defense, right?

Oops. In an apparent effort to make the military reflect the White House, the Pentagon has increased the amount of waivers it gives to criminals, drug dealers and other fine, upstanding lawbreakers from which to make soldiers. Nothing like drunks, liars, thieves, and random felons running around with guns defending America. Then again, we are led by warmongering draft dodgers. So I guess we deserve what we've got.

In big news, BushCo has authorized the sale of an English company in charge of six of our major ports to a government-owned company in the UAE. The above link also has some disturbing factiods about the UAE and it's ties to terrorists. Bush swears this is an above-board deal. Considering the national security issues, you'd think Rumsfeld would have been consulted. He wasn't, even though he also sits on the board of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, which "unanimously" approved the sale on February 13.

And depending on which reports you want to believe, either Bush himself was - I know, cheap shot - clueless about the whole deal or he was part of a shady, dirty, unsafe, and likely illegal secret agreement with the UAE to give them almost no accountability in taking on the ports job.

Personally, I'm not sure why ANY foreign country is in charge of our ports. That seems like one thing we shouldn't be actively outsourcing. I also question why no one seemed to know this was happening: not Congress, not the Defense Department, Bush, and most certainly not the cities involved. So why the rush? And why just hand the keys of our cities to a nation that, yes, lets us keep bases on their soil, and yes, was one of three nations to recognize the Taliban as the once-official government of Afghanistan?

Doesn't appear to be sound national security to me. Sounds more like the same quasi-legal, un-American, reckless cronyism we've come to expect from Bush.

Just in case you forgot: the GOP is trying to make Bush president forever. It's an old submittal but word is that they may push for it again soon. So much for strict Constitutionalists.

Hey, I know I need to work on a post and I have a slew of info to cover, but I did want to pass along that I've been a Zogby poll taker for the past year or so and am now being given the option to invite others to take the polls. I already sent EvilNed an invite and presume I can invite others. Pop me an email if you are interested and I'll pass you a join link too.

As you might have heard, Cheney shot one of his buddies, the White House tried to hide - or joke about - the incident, and now the guy's had a heart attack due to the lead lodged in him. There's not a whole lot to add to this other than, you should know better than to give a chronic draft dodger a weapon.

Moving from chickenhawks to fried chicken, random angry Pakistanis have burned down a KFC. This all stems from the Mohammed cartoons run by various European newspapers depicting the Prophet in sometimes ill fashion. The main problem is that you aren't supposed to denote Mohammed in any satirical form.

That said, the overreaction is just plain silly to me. I know that fundamentalists on both sides are fomenting a clash of cultures, but come on. At some point, these are just angry people with no one they can vent their frustrations out on except whoever their government and religious leaders tell them they can. Hell, it's why we "hate" the French right now; it's the only protest allowed by the GOP. Same problem, just less burnt embassies.

Sure, the cartoons are offensive, but they are a LOT more offensive things going on in the Middle East to worry about. Case in point: the Iranian response to all of this is to (beyond funding terrorist organizations) publish anti-Semitic cartoons. Talk about missing the point of free speech by regressing to your usual hate-filled response.

I've been busy with work lately, sorry about the lack of updates. I have a bunch of links getting less and less relevant every day but will scrounge what I can and post them for all of you.

In the meantime, work has been kind enough to assign me to a job in Puerto Rico. Leslie is coming along and we leave tomorrow. So, if you don't get a post until later next week, realize I'm probably on the beach.

"How cool would it be to give a State of the Union address in a Porter Wagoner outfit?"
- Bush, ever respectful about his job as our leader

Bush gave quite a performance last night. If he was onstage at the Apollo, I might have laughed instead of shuddered.

I find it odd that he calls anyone who questions one invasion of a nation, even one run by a sadistic butcher, and turning into Terrorist Recruitment Center Prime can be considered an isolationist. Now, some of you GOP drones may latch onto that as gospel as you usually do; but let's parse this a bit. Bush, who ignored the rest of the world's opinion, pushed aside the UN, cobbled together a coalition that continues to unravel, invaded a nation based on doctored intelligence and outright lies, has the audacity to call people isolationists for questioning his motives and actions?

Wait a minute, is he a Republican? The party pretty much had isolationism as it's primary party platform? The party that didn't want us fighting Germany in BOTH World Wars? That wouldn't let us put ground troops into Yugoslavia to stop ethnic cleansing? Or to send ANY resources into Africa to stop the same thing from happening? A REPUBLICAN gets a free pass to label people isolationists? That's utter BS kids.

The other thing that got me to cringe was Bush's "America is addicted to oil" line. Look, this guy holds hands with Saudi despots. He's a failed oil baron himself. He creates national policy with the help of energy felons. He's against damn near any kind of science we've got. Yet, he dares scold us for our energy usage, which his cronies help design. It is exactly like a drug pusher telling his customer, "Say, it seems you have a slight crack habit."

More on the SOTU, including a primer for translating Bush's NewSpeak, plus an open letter to Bush from Rep. John Murtha.

More on the loss of our freedoms, including a collection of stories about T-shirts and free speech and one librarian who stood up to the FBI. Plus, another story about WalMart being its usually draconian self when it comes to denying birth control to women.

One more sign of these modern times: Western Union no longer sends telegrams.