Another month begins

Saturday, February 1, 2003

Had a dream last night that a nuke was set off at Pearson International Airport in Toronto… After the nuke, an obviously fake video claim released in partnership by Saddam and Osama was played over the media, taking full credit for the attack. This was then used by the US to drag Canada and the rest of the world into an apocalyptic world war.

Half way through this war it was revealed that the US had actually simply nuked Canada as a strategic move, but by the time the world figured it out, we were so deeply invested in war that there was no turning back, and the world was destroyed.

Some of you may have seen this comment on Phish's page, but I was wondering — how do the militant vegans on IAM feel about tattoos? After all, all tattoo ink has animal byproducts in it, so if you've got tattoos, you might as well be wearing leather… There's certainly a real irony to getting an animal rights tattoo using animal byproducts, isn't there.

That said, I don't think most people are even aware of this fact… I've been tossing around the idea of talking to some manufacturers and actually producing a line of fully vegan tattoo inks (assuming I'm not mistaken and someone else has already done so).

So Cheney recently spoke at a conservative luncheon, surrounded by vendors selling stickers like “No Muslims – No Terrorism“. I don't know about you, but if I was asked to talk surrounded by crap like that, I'd refuse. But, maybe it reveals some true colours.

This story is worth reading. A thorough debunking of the “Saddam gassed his own people” lie that we're told so often — not just because he didn't own the type of gas used in the attack (meaning it was either US or Iranian), but also because the Kurds simply got caught in the crossfire between Iran and Iraq — they were no more the enemy than the Canadian and other peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan that the drugged US pilots bombed.

The US is sending more troops to Korea, presumably in response to the heightened activity at the nuclear plant. Kaboom! Goodbye world, it was nice knowing you.

Remember, in 2004, if we're still alive, Vote Liberman:
     A new kind of Democrat. The Republican kind.

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End of January: Image update today

Friday, January 31, 2003

I woke up this morning from a dream that Rob's house was a giant warehouse space (but still located out here). When I got home, he was scribbling all over the walls and floor, building a giant skate ramp inside he house… If I've reached the point where I'm projecting my desire to build the skate barn onto other people even in my dreams, I think it's safe to say it's going to happen.

Anyway, I could tell you a scare story about how Japan lost 206kg of plutonium, and how al Qaeda (yeah, the guys Bush defeated in the “war on terror”) has a nuke now… Or I could explain the details of the fraudulent and misleading evidence that Bush plans to use to justify war. But you don't really want to hear that, do you?

There are (in some ways) greater concerns closer to home. The new “Big Brother” database system, the TTIC that Bush announced in his SOTU speech, represents the death of privacy in America. The fact is, if you know every website a person visits, every credit card purchase they do (Shannon predicts: cash will be made illegal or at least largely unobtainable within a ten year window in the US), and so on, you basically know their thoughts. Now, that tool in the hands of a benevolent omnipotent God might be appropriate, but we all know that no man should have access to that level of power over other men — it has never worked, and never will. I believe that we are inherently good, but we are also inherently weak. The temptation to corrupt this is too great.

I'm also rather concerned at Bush's announcement that the US government will start paying to have churches constructed — as long as a church is also used for social services (and very few are not; on the whole churches do good for the community, but obviously with extreme bias) it can be covered by these vouchers. Not only that, but drug addicts may be forced by circumstance to accept God in order to get treatment. I have no problem with private programs preaching — but it is utterly inappropriate for the government of a modern multi-cultural nation to make it the default.

Government must be unbiased to be fair. As soon as a government accepts religious overtones, it ceases to be fair. As soon as funding is given to a specific religious demographic, it is being given unfairly. No matter what one's faith, that should be obvious. Am I saying Christianity is wrong somehow? Of course not. I'm saying that in order to protect our own freedom in the long game, we need to ensure an even playing field for all.

The end effect of giving government backing to religious organizations is to amplify the power of the dominant religion in a given area (since they are who are eligible for these vouchers). This is a thinly veiled attempt — only a fool can't see it clearly — to financially drive Christianity back into a dominant sociopolitical role in the US, and, more importantly drive out all faiths “invading” on their territory.

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Newsfeed

Thursday, January 30, 2003

I just got around to updating the BME newsfeed for the day (sorry it's so late). Anyway, I wanted to draw people's attention to two main stories, and then one quick follow-up:

  • Does this mean we can't be drafted? The US Navy just released their new policy on body modification in the service, and to my surprise they specifically banned tongue splitting, implants, stretched piercing, and a number of other very niche activities. I guess this means we've really hit the mainstream, right?
  • Florida teacher fired for Wiccan tattoo (another and another link). I haven't seen the full details, but in some ways I agree with the schoolboard. I'm not entirely sure that it's appropriate to have a teacher with religious tattoos on their face, let alone one that's using the class as a forum to talk about his religious ideas. Separation of church and state, to me, implies that teachers can't use the classroom as a religious forum.
  • Reasons for banning piercings are unfounded. This is a follow-up to the current cover article on BME. Thanks to the person who wrote the letter!

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"You are stupid and evil and do not  know that you are stupid and evil."

Thursday, January 30, 2003

I justed added a “So you hate me” page (click here to see it) which I hope will address some of the complaints and issues that have been raised lately so people can go on with their lives with a minimum of hatred clouding their vision and their souls. I hope it helps…

Oh, and I just pushed Jason out of the ditch. He wanted to see just how fast he could back out of our icy driveway — of course he slid off the side and hit a tree… Makes his “Follow me to certain destruction” bumper sticker very fitting (Want one? The title of this diary is one of their latest stickers).

You've seen my comments below regarding the State of the Union address, now I'd like to mention a couple other people's feedback on it. MSN.Slate points out the obvious: the state of the union was never mentioned. It was just a bunch of shallow misdirections about the recent past, and then some giant empty promises about the future. The AP is carrying a story about how the speech was nothing but allegations without evidence.

The Green Party makes an even bolder statement:

Americans want security, not unending war. In its eagerness to invade Iraq, the political establishment has revealed its true purpose. Not security for Americans, but control over oil. Not peace in the Middle East, but military bases across the globe. Not rule of law, but violation of the Constitution. Bush is no reluctant warrior, he is a warmongering draft-dodger, and together with a weak and compliant Democratic Party in Congress, he is threatening American interests.

Along those lines, Ralph Nader adds,

The military economy drains the civilian economy and this trend has been accelerating ... The states and cities are reporting deeper deficits. This year, the states will be over $60 billion in the red. Taxes and tolls are going up. Necessities are being cut -- outlays ... for schools, libraries, fire and police departments, sanitation department, child welfare, health care and services for elderly people. But there are hundreds of billions for Soviet-era type weapons driven by the weapons corporations and their campaign cash for key members of Congress who decide the distortions of your tax dollars.

Patrick Buchanan accuses Bush of becoming an Imperialist:

Though Iraq does not threaten us, has not attacked us, cannot defeat us, and does not want war with us, the United States is about to invade and occupy that country. If we do, it will be the first purely imperial war in our history, a war launched to reshape the domestic politics and foreign policy of another nation to conform to our own.

Stormin' Norman, the 180 IQ “reluctant warrior” general that ran the first Gulf War says that it would be a mistake to lauch this war now, and that it was very important to wait until there is real evidence… He also made some carefully restrained comments about Rumsfield.

I think though that the most telling response is the US dollar continuing to crash… I also find it interesting that Comcast rejected any anti-war ads during the SOTU speech claiming they were “unsubstantiated claims” (I'm pretty sure the unsubstantiated part was during the non-commercial periods). Anyway, the part that really got me was that six thirty-second ads only cost $5000. That's a really good deal!

In some related stories, while Bush promised in his State of the Union speech that America would provide evidence before going to war (officials are already backing down on that claim), Senator Edward Kennedy says he will be introducing a resolution that will require Bush to present Congress with “convincing evidence of an imminent threat before we send troops to war with Iraq.” It doesn't seem unreasonable that if Americans are going to die for this “cause” that they at least know it's real.

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Yesterday

Thursday, January 30, 2003

Wow, go away for a day and all sorts of drama breaks out… One small-dicked guy even took it upon himself to start attacking Rachel when he didn't get a rise out of me (seriously, what kind of loser attacks a guy's wife when his main target proves unreachable?). I've said it a zillion times, but this is a free world — if you don't like the way things are set up here, move on. No one is stopping you… Consuming yourself in anger will simply make you and the people around you unhappy. Why make that a life quest?

Anyway, I'll quickly recap my yesterday in Toronto. I started out by going to my bank to deal with some things related to my move, only to find out that my “personal account manager” who I have never talked to in ten years of banking was moved to some branch out in the middle of nowhere and that I'd have to go there in person to make changes. Forget that.

So then I headed off to visit my automotive sponsors for the Gumball 3000 to see exactly what my options were. So much to choose from. Some of the options for what Team BME will be driving include the cars below:


This 450 HP Porsche 996 AWD was what I'd originally considered. Very fast, and a car I'm very familiar driving at high speed. Or maybe go with a modern classic, a Viper? Nah, that's probably considered in bad taste. It's like showing up at a porn shoot with a 24″ weiner. Too silly. How about a classic AC Cobra? Many would argue this is the greatest car America ever produced. Others would argue it's a British car. I have to admit being a little partial to the new SL500 but to be honest, it's a really small car. Probably too small for all our gear. Maybe a Ferrari 360? Or would that just be trying too hard? Now this looks promising — loads of power, and an overkill on luxury.

Let's take a closer look at that big AMG Mercedes — an almost identical car to the one that Kimble won the 2001 race in. So yes, it's a little dated, but still a very sweet car, and once you imagine it loaded with wireless internet tech, laser/radar jammers, and piles of communications and media gear, it gets a whole lot more interesting. Plus the seats massage you, definitely a plus on a 3000 mile rally.


After that I met up with Saira and Michael and headed down to Badur's martini party at the the Labyrinth. That was nice; got to see people I hadn't seen in some time, and I scored an awesome VX-1000 video camera for probably half to a third its street value.


Oh, and on the way back I read an awesome book by a bishop (John Shelby Spong) on the Jewish tradition of midrash (basically a way of integrating myth as a storytelling element into the events of the time) and its relevance on the Bible and the life of Jesus, and specifically his resurrection (or lack of physical resurrection). Amazing…

On the way to Toronto I read a book called I think The Victorian Internet, a book about the history and culture surrounding the telegraph… Also fascinating in its similarity to modern times. There were even chat rooms via telegraph. Anyway, it was very nice to be able to have a few hours just to sit and read, given that most of my time is normally spent working.

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