Author: wwducat

About: Writer, Technology guy, Photographer, Possibly EX-Software QA Engineer, Worker Bee. Interests: SCUBA, Working out, Friends, New Views, New Vistas, Photography
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When did America Head down the road to being a Fascist police state?

Apparently another memo I missed.

This first bit is so unbelievable that I at first thought it was a joke. Sadly, it’s no joke.

A man in Illinois is facing up to 75 years in prison because he recorded his conversations with Illinois police. (As an aside, remember that Chicago is the capital of some of  the most draconian gun laws in the country and oddly enough one of the most crime ridden cities in America.)

The bottom line is that Michael Allison recorded his encounters with the police. And the police apparently didn’t like it.

A follow-on piece reports that a judge has ruled the case against this man is unconstitutional

And predictably the state of Illinois has filed an Appeal

In the last piece they briefly put up a map showing the states that have anti-recording laws of law enforcement. Surprisingly, California has laws of this type in place.

When did our Law Enforcement get so terrified of the public? Most of the time they’re doing what they’re supposed to do and we, the public agree. Having the public watching your fellow officers means that any “Bad” officers get removed from duty before they give all law enforcement a bad name.

The concept that Law Enforcement is above the law… is what gets everyone in trouble. Unless of course your end goal is to create a Jack-Booted cadre of thugs that do the politicians bidding and not the peoples.

Of even further concern is this little piece from Jon Stewart.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Arrested Development
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The rest is here I think, sorry for the commercials but this is important to our future.

These kinds of amendments being added to necessary “MUST-Pass” legislation are without question one of the most damaging things happening to our country.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Arrested Development – One-Way Train to Gitmo
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The accumulation of these abridgments to our personal freedoms will eventually subvert the Constitution. Listen carefully to the description of “Potential Terrorists”!

These two pieces are long, and yes they’re done with Stewart poking fun at the situation but the legislation has passed and it is now heading to the Presidents desk.

We need to pay a lot closer attention to our politicians. If this insanity is passed…

Under the description of potential terrorists, Virtually all Mormons could be construed as terrorists. They could be arrested without access to due process and detained indeffinately.

Why? The tenants of their faith call for preparedness. Food should be stored, supplies, yes, even hunting rifles with ammunition.

By definition ammunition that is kept properly is in weatherproof containers. That’s two out of three terrorist criteria.

Does that mean if a Fundamentalist Southern Baptist Christian president is elected that he or she will be able to imprison Salt Lake City? Yep… And there’s not a damn thing anyone could do about it.

Interested in politics yet?

You really should be,.. 

Remember the Poem; (Thanks to Wikipedia)

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

“First they came…” is a famous statement attributed to pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. The text of the quotation is usually presented roughly as above.

Folks, this cautionary tale is relevant TODAY, right NOW.

It’s not some dusty old tome from history talking about things that only happened long ago, far away, in another country.

This poem / commentary is just one slippery slope from happening in our country.

Time to wake up America…

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Gay People Are Not…

…Looking to convert anybody

Why on earth would you seek to convert someone’s sexuality? Especially if you knew that you were condemning the person or persons successfully converted to a life where hatred, ridicule, violence (in word and deed), and where federally mandated loss of constitutional rights was all they had to look forward to. No one is that cruel. Especially not Gay people.

…Child Molesters

In the main, gay people do not molest children. Straight People do!! After all Jerry Sandusky isn’t gay is he? Nor is Bernie Fine. In fact, I defy you to find a significant number of gay people within the larger group of identified child molesters. Contrary to what the Christian Right would have you believe, once someone comes to grips with their gayness they tend to get over the guilt and put together a life that is positive instead of one where they simmer in self loathing. Fundamentalist Christianity has done more to harm in this area than help. Shame and Guilt are not useful controls of human behavior they only serve to create a dark shadow world fueled by self hatred.

…Always Effeminate, Hairdressers, Interior Designers, or Fashionistas.

Gay people are in every walk of life. They are scientists, doctors, lawyers, house painters, machinists, magicians, singers, dancers, truckers, pilots, steel workers, boat captains, and auto mechanics. Pick ANY profession and you’ll find a gay person there. What the media often portrays as representative GAY people is the equivalent of the wonderful “Crazy Eyes” photos of Michelle Bachmann. (except SHE IS Crazy)

…Weak

Perhaps the most important thing to understand is that Gay people are not weak.

Many Gay people are, or were soldiers. Just because the Government and Christian Fundamentalists like Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Mit Romney, Michelle Bachmann, Tony Perkins, and Fred Phelps convinced themselves that dishonorable discharges were the only fit punishment for Gay soldiers…
It in no way means that the training those soldiers received was erased when their military careers were.

Those men and women are a resource and they’ll train the rest of the gay community if necessary to defend themselves.

In the main, gay people are pretty peaceful and liberal. A segment of the gay population is downright anti-gun, anti-war, & anti-volience, at any price. BUT… and this is important… Gay people come from all walks of life, and every single state and community within this country.

So all you Christian Fundamentalists out there, Picture your redneck cousins from Arkansas in your uncles truck with rifles. Toss in a couple of Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. Sounds like a great time hunting Elk doesn’t it?

Now imagine them as ALL GAY. Scary?

If the fundamentalist, bible thumping, child molesting, sons of bitches, ever try to take basic rights away from Gay people or try something even more stupid like imprisoning people because they’re Gay…

Be assured that scary image is what they’ll be looking at. Think long and hard about it.

Oh, the Gays will be stylish, and will do you the courtesy of shooting your bigoted asses with the finest ammo money can buy.

But the bottom line is….

BRING IT BITCHES!


I can assure you that this is not 1939 Germany.

Demonizing a segment of the population for political gain won’t work with our political system.

We are not a theocracy. We separate church and state precisely to prevent the kind of religious purges we SAY we’re trying to prevent in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world.

So Please! Will all the presidential candidates stop pandering to the Fundamentalist Christian Fringe and start addressing the real problems of the Country?

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Technology STINKS!

“Please say your 10 digit phone number so that I may access your account information to better serve you….”


“One moment please…. Sorry, I didn’t get that. Please say your 50 digit account number  and recite the first 500 base pairs of your personal genome starting with Adenine so that I may direct you to the appropriate representative.”

“Sorry, I didn’t get that.  We value your privacy… Please say or type the primes of your social security number using those numbers to solve the following equation…” 


“Sorry, that is incorrect… Please try your call again later….” CLICK

Maybe I’m a luddite…

I’m finding that as time passes and more and more “Conveniences” are added to my life the more inconvenient and time consuming things are.

I’m from the South, I have no detectable accent under normal circumstances. The exceptions being when I’m drunk or PISSED OFF!

And perhaps that’s the problem, by the time I manage to actually get a LIVE breathing human being on the phone I’m seriously PISSED OFF by having to deal with shitty voice prompts!

I resent having to spend 5 minutes walking through a list of menus and options that make the challenges of World of Warcraft appear simple, when all I wanted to do was ask a question like “When is the service going to be restored?”

“The answers to many questions can be found on our web site at www.answerthefuckingphone.com Please stay on the line for the next available representative.”

I was on the phone bright and early with the satellite provider asking questions about my plan with an eye toward perhaps upgrading or downgrading the service in an attempt to save a few bucks.

At the same time I learn that because of changes imposed by our wonderfully protective government the provider must now list a monthly cost that is exclusive of the equipment, HD services, and a bunch of other fees.

The upshot is that the package costs 59.99 but the receiver access is an additional 14.99 and the HD access (a BOGUS charge BTW) is 6.99 etc.etc.etc.  and by the time you add it all up. You end up paying EXACTLY what I’ve been paying for the past 6 years.

It was a lot easier for me as a consumer to say 59.99? That’s it? No ups? No extras? Cool! And that was what my bill was every month.

In this age of infinite account agreement changes, Terms of service, License agreements,  User agreements, and itemized disclosures. I could literally spend an hour or more a day reading the legalese or simply stop dealing with the issue all together.

Apple was lampooned by SouthPark and with good reason.

Here’s a little tale of what I mean, I wanted to download a FREE application for my Apple iPad. I went to the app store on the pad & clicked on the “Install” button.

Then I’m presented with a login dialog I give the password. “Wrong password.” Oh yeah, my bad. Apple put the app store in it’s own bucket instead of using the iTunes payment process engine like they had been doing.

I enter the right password. “Your credit card has expired” So what? It’s a FREE application! I go dig out the credit card and that’s when it hits me.

The information that Apple was showing me was from the .Mac account purchase. Since they’ve moved all their shit to the iCloud Now I have to maintain 2 user IDs and passwords for Apple.

I update the credit card information. “You didn’t completely fill out the form” I recheck the information and see they’re demanding that I fill in a salutation. I select “Mr.” and click next 

“You didn’t completely fill out the form” The credit card security number had been wiped because I didn’t fill out the form properly the first time. I re-enter the security number and click next.

“Please read and agree to the terms of service and user agreement” 

A dialog box opens. The box is maybe 3×3 and tells me that I have 42 pages of legalese that I need to read, evaluate, comprehend, and that by agreeing to this bullshit I’m entering into binding contract with Apple, it’s subsidiaries, assignees, and distant relatives in Alpha fucking Centauri! 

Remember this is a free app…

I clicked cancel, I’d had enough… I’m not a lawyer, I’m not an accountant, and I don’t fucking want to be!

Apples shit isn’t worth so much to me that I’m willing to be constantly bombarded with notice after notice and change after change to their terms and conditions. Which BTW is why I’m not buying stuff from iTunes anymore. Well, that and the DRM that renders the purchase unplayable on any non Apple device. You know, Like my phone, or my car…

Verizon is another one.

I’ve been paying AND viewing their bill directly through my bank for years.
They’ve changed their disclosure / privacy agreement again.  

“We value your privacy and we’re going to keep your bill so private… EVEN YOU wont be able to see it…”

I can still pay the bill through the bank…  but I can’t actually view the bill.

If I want to see the bill, I have to have a Verizon assigned PIN number to enter into their web site in addition to my user id and password and then they’ll let me see my bill online.

I admire their definition of convenience!

Like most of us I don’t look at the detail of utility bills unless they’re out of the ordinary.

I was all for saving the postage and the trees. But since Verizon makes these kinds of changes about every six months. I’m chasing down the latest magic incantation that will allow me to actually look at the bill practically every time I need to look at the detail.

Verizon is a phone company… They’re already on my, and most of Americas shit list. Their marketing folks really need to re-evaluate the way they handle their customer base. Of course they don’t think so because they’re still living in the ’60s. Well It’s possible to not have to deal with the Verizon or any of the Bells if you’re living in a city.

Cable can give you Phone, Internet, and Entertainment on one pipe. I personally use my cell phone for ALL voice communications the land line exists only to provide DSL and fax service. And the first Cable provider that comes to my town… I’m going with them and dumping Verizon like 3 day old sushi.

Banks are the worst

I’m getting notices about every quarter from my banks detailing the changes to my account. I fully expect for one of those notices in the near future to read;

Dear Mr. Consumer,

We’ve fucked up the US and World economy so badly that we regret to inform you of the following changes to your account. 

1) What money you thought you had, is gone. 

2) You are now the property of Mr. Chang Fu Shin of Bejing. 

3) You have 3 days to surrender your home, possessions, and any negotiable instruments. 

4) You will deposit your spouse, and any children you may have at the nearest shopping mall where they will be auctioned as sex slaves to the emerging third world.

5) Please report to the nearest sterilization and re-education camp by the end of the week.

Please Note: Anesthetic is available during the removal of your balls… For an additional fee. 

We at the Bank of Fuck you up sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused you, and thank you for your business.

I thought all this technology was supposed to make our lives simpler. Instead, I’m maintaining a spreadsheet with something close to 150 individual passwords and website addresses just to deal with normal shit.

When did I sign on to become these companies BITCH?

How many times have you clicked on a link from Google News, only to be taken to a page at say, the Wall Street Journal? Then you read the first three paragraphs of an article and when you click to go to the next page you’re asked “To keep reading this article create a free account.”


My Choice is not to play.

Starting today. I’m working on closing each and every account, website, or service that I don’t absolutely NEED.

I’m also going back to Paper Statements on every account I have to keep.

Heck, I may stop the online bill pay altogether and start writing checks again!

This so-called age of convienience is just far too complex.

Maybe, I’m just getting to be an old fart!

As an aside, I’ve never played World of Warcraft. I’m an xbox first person shooter kind of guy. Call of Duty anyone?