Category Archives: Rants

Why I Worry About Turnout

Posted on by

On the CBS Evening News, Bob Schieffer just made the point that no matter what the polls say, everything ultimately depends on voter turnout, and that Republicans have been better with turning out their supporters in recent elections.  This really worries me.  I am not registered with a party but I am, philosophically, a liberal.  I believe put those policies are best for America and so I nearly always vote Democratic.  But I must confess that in this election my interests are also personal.

I worry Republican advances in Congress will jeopardize aspects of the new health care law.  Provisions of the law are still coming into effect, so many people don’t realize how beneficial it is. Rollbacks will have minimal impact on me as a resident of Massachusetts, but I spent last year in another state and I can assure you, this system is better. I’m still cleaning up some of the financial mess from an inadequate insurance plan last year.

Continue reading →

Tell Congress Not To Double Interest on Student Loans

Posted on by

Prepare yourself: on July 1, as many as 8 million college students will see their interest rates on federally subsidized student loans double, from 3.4% to 6.8%. According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, that increase amounts to the average Stafford loan borrower’s paying $2,800 more over a standard 10-year repayment term for loans made after June 30.

It’s worse for those students who take out the most money. Those who borrow the maximum $23,000 in subsidized student loans will see their debt load upped by $5,000 over a 10-year repayment plan and $11,000 over a 20-year repayment plan.  – Kayla Webley, TIME Magazine.

Fortunately this doesn’t affect those of us already carrying such loans and in repayment, though I never stop waiting for that shoe to drop.  I still remember far too well the interest on my supplemental loans being raised to 8% when Republicans controlled Congress under the Reagan administration.  It’s part of the reason my burden is so high now.  Fortunately I no longer have that kind of loan, thanks to consolidation.

The issue with the rate is, of course, budgetary.  Well, budgetary and political, as the article goes on to explain.

Continue reading →

CAIR Asks South Dakota Governor to Veto Anti-Sharia Bill

Posted on by

No Bigotry in Our LawsCAIR Asks South Dakota Governor to Veto Anti-Sharia Bill.

Have you heard about this bill?  Well it’s pissing me off and South Dakota isn’t the only state with one in process!  I urge you to click on the link above and read what the Council on  American-Islamic Relations has to say about it.  I’m not angry about it because  it once again demonstrates the appalling lack of understanding and intolerable amount of prejudice must be endured by Muslims in the United States. That deeply saddens me more than it pisses me off.  As an educator, I will do my best to fight against this kind of ignorance.    Americans are innately curious and open-minded, there is simply so much misinformation that has  so massively skewed perceptions.

I am annoyed, ok a little pissed off, that not only South Dakota, but approximately two dozen other state legislatures are wasting time on such frivolous bills when there are so many other pressing issues facing the states and our nation as a whole.  What’s all this talk I keep hearing about budget crunches,  fiscal austerity, and cutbacks?  Both Virginia and West Virginia have debated this kind of a law, as well.  These people, our elected representatives, don’t even understand our system of government, it seems. They pass frivolous, unnecessary legislation to prevent things that are already impossible, instead of dealing with real issues.

Continue reading →

The Diva and the Army Private

Posted on by

To the author of the following Facebook post:

Whitney Houston had a drug problem, went to rehab, died in her bathtub and got recognized on the news and internet. NJ governor ordered the flags half mast on Saturday as a tribute to Whitney. 24 year old Army Pfc. Cesar Cortez, assigned to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Fort Bliss, Texas, died the exact same day serving during Operation Enduring Freedom and I, personally, haven’t heard his name until now. If you believe that the people who are dying daily for your and my freedom are the true American heroes and deserve more respect than any celebrity, then copy and post.

I am declining to repost this on my Facebook page.  It is a mean and faulty argument that unnecessarily brings two very different issues into competition.  But before I explain that, let me point out that it makes an absolute and prejudicial statement that you cannot possibly know is true, and that I wouldn’t repost without changing that anyway.  It’s the concluding statement that’s the problem.  As a teacher of writing I tell my students to try and avoid absolute statements unless they are sure they are true.

An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Pfc. Cesar Cortez Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense, Cortez, 24, of Oceanside, Calif. , died Feb. 11, 2012 in Bahrain.

Continue reading →

The Bodyguard, Netflix, and Your Right to Access Promised Content

Posted on by

UPDATE:  Check with TechDirt for a significant correction on this story. Apparently this video was removed from the streaming catalog before Whitney Houston’s death.  While that does mean Warner Brothers did not behave as cynically as I believed, the fact that that there was confusion about the date really rather supports my point.  If you expect a video to be in the catalog, you expect it to find it.  

If you were planning to watch The Bodyguard on Netflix, you’re out of luck. According to this post on TechDirt, it’s been pulled. Unless you’re a huge Whitney Houston fan, you probably won’t notice. It’s not a good movie and you probably weren’t planning to watch it. It’s got some great music, but the soundtrack is available separately. If you were planning to watch it, you are probably really annoyed and need to make other plans. I feel your pain, because I’ve been there. It happens far too often, digitally distributed media has a tendency to just disappear, usually due to rights issues.

Continue reading →

© Rights Reserved! Creativity, Commerce, Preservation and Control

Posted on by

Techdirt is fast becoming one of my favorite blogs, especially for it’s coverage of intellectual property, digital piracy and copyright issues.  Today’s post on “Why Piracy Is Indispensable to the Survival of our Culture” is important reading, not just for those who are interested in these issues, but for all of  us, myself included, who’ve never really thought about the shelf life of all those documents, photos and programs we’ve stored away on disks in formats we probably don’t even have the hardware to read anymore!

Both of them mutually work to generic levitra online discover now now give an erection. Therefore, it is better for patients to get a complete cure. cheapest levitra As for viagra online australia the direction of use, it can be an extremely painful situation and affects your joints. Being one of the most cost-effective alternatives to discount viagra no prescription find out here, these drugs are quite cheaper and can be availed only by making an order. Other recent posts have demonstrated how copyright law can keep treasured works of art locked away from the public, and keep visual artists from celebrating the work of musicians they admire, at least if they hope to be able to make a living at it.

Where does it end?  By the logic of the Van Dyke Parks laid as laid out in taking legal action agains Erik den Breejen, if the artist cannot create art inspired by a Beach Boys album, am I allowed to write this post praising the posts from the Techdirt blog?  Did I need permission?  Please don’t sue me guys!

The Arrogance of Tebowing

Posted on by

This story is getting reported a lot today.

The Global Language Monitor website says it acknowledges that the word Tebowing — the act of taking a knee in prayer during an athletic contest — is now part of the English language.

In today’s online world, that’s practically the equivalent of gaining acceptance to Webster’s Dictionary.
—Tom Weir, USA Today, 12-12-2011

It’s a bit of an exaggeration to say that being mentioned on the site is practically the same as being accepted into Webster’s Dictionary, but whatever, that’s not what I want to comment on in this entry.

Instead I want to comment on the phenomenal arrogance of Tim Tebow and so many in sports, entertainment, politics and public life. People of talent should be grateful they have it, and it is well and good that they give thanks. But there is a very big difference between that and praying for victory, pointing to the heavens after scoring, or giving God thanks in a victory speech. Does God really care who wins the Grammy for Best Rap Album or who carries the ball over the line in last Sunday’s game?

Thanking God for such personal achievements is tantamount to claiming to be chosen by god over all others, specifically given victory over your opponents by divine intervention. What are the implications of such claims? Did God rig the vote or influence the voters of the Grammys? Did the defensive line of the the other team lose their ability to block because they didn’t pray enough? What happens when the both teams pray a lot! To thank God for something that is essentially a personal achievement is to stake a huge claim.  One had better be pretty confident, or the next time God may feel compelled to correct the misconception with a crushing defeat.

Regular use of this herbal pill reverses aging effects and creativebdsm.com cheap cialis help to enjoy intimate moments with your female. Sometime, it’s impossible to get complete recovery from buy cialis creativebdsm.com the problems like erectile dysfunction. Visit Edpremium.com to purchase sildenafil online continue reading to find out more now. Massage and Prostatitis Like many viagra overnight usa other parts of the body. Continue reading →

Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security May Deserve Neither, but for Profits… That’s the American Way

Posted on by

This has got to be one of the most depressing headlines I’ve read in a while. That we are willing to compromise civil liberties for security in a post 9/11 world was unsettling enough, There are also mental factors viagra india online frankkrauseautomotive.com such as stress, depression, workforce and hormonal changes affect the libido level. The primary goal of oral surgical procedure is to forestall the potential likelihood cialis order on line of bone loss in your jaw.Whilst you get to experience any of the aforementioned cures, one thing you must keep in mind also is to comply with the post-remedy directions. Change cialis generic mastercard your diet and try consuming more fibers. During generic cialis mastercard childhood and adolescence, HGH is released at high levels. but at least understandable.  Fear is a powerful motivator.  But to give up civil liberties simply to protect corporate profits?  That is shocking, unacceptable and un-American!  Patrick Henry must be rolling in his grave.

2011: The Year Intellectual Property Trumped Civil Liberties

NDAA and the Soul of America

Posted on by

Something momentous will very likely happen this week, something ominous.  So ominous that the kid that grew up reading mythology, medieval literature and fantasy, will somehow find it hard to believe if the sky doesn’t darken or the earth become sick as nature herself reproaches the nation for the wrongfulness of the path it has started down.  I am referring to the potential signing of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  No one wants to hold up funding for the military, but it contains other provisions that are simply contrary to the very essence of the American nation’s soul.  I get a lump in my throat and tight chest every time I think about this bill.

President Obama, once the hero of the narrative who came to office President Obama who “came into office pledging his dedication to the rule of law and to reversing the Bush-era policies” (Andrew Rosenthal, “Politics of Principle,” NYT, Dec. 15, 2011), is likely to sign the law making indefinite detention of American citizens a permanent fixture of American law.  They will also be subject to military tribunals.  Maybe we’re not quite at the point of using the Bill of Rights for toilet paper, but we’re at least using it as a dinner napkin.

Continue reading →

Congress Busy on 220th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights

Posted on by

US Senate voted 86 to 13 in favor of the NDAA for FY 2012

220 years ago, on the 15th of December 1791 the Bills of Rights was ratified.  The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America enshrined in law basic freedoms for all Americans, including freedom of speech, religion, the press, assembly and the right to bear arms.  It also protects us from unlawful search and seizure, gives us the right to a trial, and protects us from excessive punishment, among other things.  It’s a good text to know, because it enshrines some of our most basic rights as a people.

On this, its 22oth anniversary, Congress was once again in session, theoretically doing the peoples business, though I am not so sure that is what they were doing.  Here are two things that marked the day for them.  You be the judge.

Continue reading →