Science Fiction Authors' Nests

I got this link from Neil Gaiman's Twitter thingy (a tweet?)

Where I Write

The Stimulus Bill

I just found a link to the final version of the Stimulus Bill, wish I had seen this earlier (not that there's much I could have done, Congress pretty much does what it wants anymore). The link was posted on the National Taxpayers Union site.

It's recommended reading, what you can stomach of it.

I Really Embrace The Trends

So I'm on Twitter now.  I'm spread pretty thin these days, with MySpace, Facebook, not one, not two but three blogs and now Twitter.  I like Twitter because everything is short sweet and to the point.  As with most of the (well I was going to say new, but we know better) trends I started this one while drunk one night.  And as with most new trends I undertake while drunk, I had to go back and make sure I didn't say or do something completely inappropriate.  I did not.  I did however sign up to follow Ashton Kutcher for about five minutes, his entries were just so much gobblety gook.

There you have it, if you can't get enough of the Big B follow me at Twitter too.

My Niece Rachel

My Niece Rachel
Originally uploaded by soldierant

I want to wish my nice a happy graduation. She graduated with a 3.5 GPA, something to be proud of.

Giant Blob Found Deep Beneath Nevada - Science News | Science

Giant Blob Found Deep Beneath Nevada - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com

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I saw Penn Juliette on Glenn Beck's show the other day and I have to say the more I hear him talk, the more I like him. He's about as effective a speaker as the Libertarian Party has. I think someone should give him a radio show and make him our Rush Limbaugh. Of course I don't agree with Penn 100% of the time or maybe as high as 80% but that's alright. I also heard Jesse Ventura on Sean Hannity's radio program a few days later. What stood out to me, besides the fact that Libertarians are everywhere these days, is what articulate speakers Libertarians are. Both Glenn Beck and the usually overbearing Hannity were engaging and allowed their guests to talk all the way to the end of his thought. I don't watch either host much but I have watched enough Hannity to know it's a rare interview when someone gets to finish a sentence besides the host.

The joke I've always made is that the Libertarian Party consists mostly of people that believe in little or no government therefore it's a little hard to polarize and excite people about politics that would just as soon see all politicians disappear. Penn Juliette said, "If you could get all the gun nuts and potheads to agree we would be unstoppable" which is also apt.

Part of what I loved about Juliette's talk with Beck was a point he made about global warming. He mentioned that when someone asks him about it his response is usually that he doesn't believe there has been enough discussion about it, is it man made, is it necessarily a bad thing? All of these things we should be discussing and investigating. He said when he talks like that he's treated like a Holocaust denier. I think he's spot on. I know I'm guilty of talking in provocative little sound bites just like everyone does. I've pissed more than one of my liberal friends off by claiming that global warming is a hoax. I don't believe that (well, yeah I do) but it's easier to put it that way than to try and persuade someone otherwise. Another thing I really found interesting was Juliette questioning Beck on his stance against gay marriage. Penn told Beck that many of his liberal friends believed Beck was just a homophobe. It was telling that Beck denied that and made a sincere objection to gay marriage. Although I cringed a little with the line "I have some working on my staff". Like that's the epitome of open- mindedness.

One of the criticisms Beck leveled at Libertarians is we can't take these huge steps back and do away with everything all at once. I think that might be a misconception that a lot of people have. I believe most of us don't want to throw everything out, but we believe that government expansion should be slowed if not stopped completely. Only the most naive of us believe there should not be an impartial regulator (impartial being the key word).

Of course I know this is all a big pipe dream. I hope and pray our country was laid out by our founding fathers to weather the types of power grabs we see increasing with the past few Presidents but history shows that once it's done it's nearly impossible to get it undone. But like all Libertarians, I'm bursting with optimism. After all we Libertarians believe that individuals are smart enough to take care of ourselves for the most part, without anyone looking out for our best interests.

 
Here is a link to an article written by Penn Juliette in which he articulates much better than I'm able to about why he's a Libertarian. Why I'm A Libertarian Nut, Instead Of Just A Nut

The Obama Years

In which Brian remains drunk (hopefully) through most of it.

So those rum and coke things are pretty good huh?

On The Road Again

It's been a long dry season so far for the motorcycles.  I got the FZ1 licensed and a fresh tire on the rear finally.  It's been so long because the move and getting settled in has taken most of our money the last six months.  We're finally catching up so now I can stop enviously watching others ride by on their bikes and get out and go.  It was like Christmas this morning, I got up at 6:00 am, got down to the DMV at 8:00 and was ready to ride by 10:00.  Of course today it's overcast, foggy and 47 degrees out.  That's okay, that's what leather is for.

Woo-Hoo!!!

Jesus Wept

Here's an old old post I just came across, it was saved as a draft and for some reason I never posted it. It's a little out of date. You don't hear much about westboro church any more but I know they are out there still so I thought I would go ahead and post this.


I saw a report on the morning news as I was getting ready for work. It was a story about a group protesting at soldiers' funerals. The protesters had signs saying "Thank God for IEDS" and other non-sense. "God hates your tears", I wonder how God feels hearing that? I was curious who these idiots were so I did a search and it turns out they're members of the westboro baptist church from Topeka, Kansas. Their website, which I won't provide a link or a name for, is full of the filthiest, most vile, hate-mongering b.s. this side of Nazi Germany. I don't have the words to describe my thoughts. My initial reaction was disgust of course, but than it was disbelief. I was sure it had to be a sick joke the kind frat boys, who don't know better yet, would pull. There were statements the sole purpose of which seemed to be for nothing but to provoke a fight. Apparently anyone who has never come out publicly against homosexuality is burning in hell. I'm not violent by nature but I hope some day I come across one of these guys in an alley. Fortunately, it seems to be mostly the preacher, Fred Phelps and his family. Probably inbreds.

On the opposite side are the Patriot Guard Riders. Their story is pretty interesting, they formed over night as an answer to those idiots, the wbc (as they call themselves). They might be a little awkwardly named but on the list of "Who Rides With Us" you'll see several church organizations as well as non-secular groups. I'd like to think that means they are doing it not only for the GIs but because of the message of the wbc. Makes me proud to be a motorcyclist. For as depressing as the existence of the westboro baptist church is it's good to know that just as quickly there even more people willing to stand up against these idiots.

05.09.09

Last week was a busy one.

Lisa and I saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine which I thought was pretty decent despite the reviews.

My old boss from St Louis came out to the Springs on business.  We spent a day at the range and then got to tour Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station.  That was impressive.  I've never seen anything quite like it.  They have a sign that says Stargate Operations Office which they move around the base as a gag.  

Well I didn't have as much to write about as I thought I would.  Since I've made a pledge (to myself) to not write about politics it's hard to come up with any good subject matter.  I'll just sign off by saying have a good week.

Puppy Mills

I've always loved The Dog Whisperer just because I admire people that make it look easy like Caesar.  Now I admire him because he's a class act as well.

Warning:  If you're a dog lover some of the scenes are hard to take.

Yes, More Whining About Swine Flu

I love the title of this article. I'm not sure what they mean. It may be a Freudian slip or maybe it's explained in the text and I just don't get it. I can't wait until this one is over so we can get on to the next Government/Media catastrophe.

May 3, 2009
Outbreak in Mexico May Be Smaller Than Feared
By LIZ ROBBINS and DENISE GRADY
The World Health Organization announced on Saturday an increase in the number of confirmed cases of swine flu, but said there was no evidence of sustained community spread outside of North America, which would lead to raising the pandemic alert.
“At the present time, I would still propose that a pandemic is imminent because we are seeing transmission to other countries,” Dr. Michael J. Ryan, the director of the World Health Organization global alert and response team, said in a teleconference on Saturday from Geneva. “We have to expect that Phase 6 will be reached. We have to hope that it is not.”
The organization said that 15 countries had reported a total of 615 cases of the infection, officially known as influenza A(H1N1), up from 367 cases late Friday. Dr. Ryan said that several countries in Europe reported additional confirmed cases on Saturday, including France, Germany, Spain, Great Britain, Israel, but he added: “There are a very small number of cases, it is very limited. At this stage it would be unwise to say that those events are out of control.”
In the United States, the number of confirmed cases rose to 160 in 21 states, up from 141 cases in 19 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Saturday morning.
But even as Mexico, believed to be the epicenter of the outbreak, found that a little more than half of its suspected cases subjected to detailed tests so far did not actually involve the virus and health officials there believed that the spread of the virus was stabilizing, officials in the United States were more cautious about saying the health risk had decreased.
“Apparently the rate of infection is not as widespread as we might have thought,” José Ángel Córdova, Mexico’s health minister, said on Friday.
Of 908 suspected cases that were tested in Mexico, only 397 people turned out to have the virus, Mexican health officials reported on Friday. Of those, 16 people have died. Initially, Mexico had reported as many as 2,500 suspected cases, but the number of actual cases could turn out to be less than half the suspected number if further testing follows the same pattern as the original round.

The rest of the article is here.