Bloggers have rights too!

From arstechnica.com:

A recent federal decision from South Carolina does indicate that at least some bloggers are journalists. It’s not about the title, it’s about the content, said Judge Henry Hurlong, Jr.; a journalist turns out to be anyone who does journalism, and bloggers who do so have the same rights and privileges under federal law as the “real” journalists.

The judge noted explicitly that “some bloggers are without question journalists.”

I know that this will not apply to this blog because content at the Incontiguous Brick is far too biased, inflammatory, and devoid of legitimate content to qualify as journalism. On the other hand, lack of journalistic integrity seems to work for Fox News, so maybe there is hope.

FBI search likely to reveal Kevin Bacon as suspect

Guess what the FBI has been up to lately. They just released a document that says they have been watching far more people than they said before. By using a network approach to identifying potential bad guys, they have creating a “community of interest” that identifies people that have talked to terrorist suspects. Here is an excerpt from the New York Times:

By ERIC LICHTBLAUPublished: September 9, 2007 WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 — The F.B.I. cast a much wider net in its terrorism investigations than it has previously acknowledged by relying on telecommunications companies to analyze phone-call patterns of the associates of Americans who had come under suspicion, according to newly obtained bureau records.The documents indicate that the Federal Bureau of Investigation used secret demands for records to obtain data not only on individuals it saw as targets but also details on their “community of interest” — the network of people that the target was in contact with. The bureau stopped the practice early this year in part because of broader questions raised about its aggressive use of the records demands, which are known as national security letters, officials said.

So much for privacy. And be careful about who your friend’s friends are friends with because they might have talked to someone that is linked to a terrorist supporter in some way.

If there is one man who should be sweating this policy… it is Kevin Bacon.

Kevin Bacon, unavailable for comment, could stand to lose big with this form of investigation. It is well known that everyone links to Kevin Bacon in some way. Depending on how intrusive and dispersed this “net” actually is, could land the popular actor on the no-fly list. The F.B.I. did say that they only took this out to the first step of contacts, but who really knows? It is not like they have been consistently upfront about how they operate. It takes a lot less that 6 steps to reach the popular actor for most people.

Now for the bad news…

If almost everyone links to Kevin Bacon, that means the terrorists have links to YOU!

Earthquake!!!

Run for the hills!

No wait the hills are falling! Run for the wide open spaces with no tall buildings or sharp objects!

I lived not lived in California too long so this was my first real earthquake! Okay, I suppose there are earthquakes here all the time, but this one rattled the plates, caused the light fixtures to sway and vibrated the floor. Actually for a split second I debated whether I should run upstairs and grab the kids or just run outside and save myself. Is that bad? Should I have even considered grabbing the kids?

So it turned out to be a 5.6 magnitude about 85 miles away. So it wasn’t too extreme. But for me (and my first real shaker) it was pretty damn exciting.

Ron Paul’s second TV ad airing in NH.

Straw Polls vs “Real” Polls

Ron Paul has been dominating the straw polls for months. Many in the media have decried these victories as false indicators claiming they do not represent the actual views of the American population. This has become so extreme that many polls have been removed from websites after Paul has demonstrated an overwhelming victory to hide the results.

Perhaps the most blatant discrediting of Ron Paul’s support was when a commentator of FOX news called their own polls invalid to Ron Paul’s face.

I can see a legitimate complaint if these were only web based polls that could be hacked. However, Paul wins the text message polls that allow only one call per phone. Therefore 1 supporter = 1 vote.

This early in the race, there are a few things going on that may invalidate the “real” polls:

1. Many average people just don’t care yet and have not heard of all the candidates because it is still too early in the race.
2. Where do they get data on “likely republican voters” anyway? Bush supporters?
3. Most of the real polls that I have seen only give the results but not the question. There is a big difference between “Which candidate most closely fits your beliefs” and “Which candidate is most likely to win?”

What a straw poll represents is what a small group of people believe, not the majority. But that group is the small group of people that actually care enough to watch a debate and then vote for the candidate that they like. And if these are the polls that Ron Paul is winning, then I think he is doing pretty good in this race.

TSA Breaks Laptop, Threatens Owner With Arrest for Trying to File A Claim

I can’t write this better than the original so here is the link:

TSA Breaks Your Laptop, Threatens You With Arrest

I hate that I can be appalled but not surprised at the same time. I wish I could avoid airports forever.

recalls and stupidity

There was a new recall on kid’s stuff today.

Probably one of the greatest new baby items on the market is the Bumbo. It was a tremendous help with raising our second child after she turned about 6 weeks old.

The genius is in the simplicity. The seat is made from a polyurethane foam that wraps around a child to hold them in a cozy sitting position. It can be used as soon as they can support the weight of their own cranium. We used it so much it is in almost all of her pictures for the first 6 months.

The recall is due to some kids falling off tables (presumably when the seat was left unattended on a table with a kid in it) and cracking their little heads. Okay, so some people are idiots to leave their kids on a table without being able to intercede in a sudden bout of gravity. But is this really worth recalling a million seats? It is not even a design flaw! It is bad parenting!

If we are going to recall everything on the market that could cause a kid to fall down then maybe we should consider recalling the cause of most injuries… the ground.

This large, immobile object is the cause of countless injuries in both children and adults. It comes in a variety of dangerous outer shells from concrete, tile, stone, and brick. Out of the home these surfaces can be covered by water or even ice, making it significantly more dangerous and likely to cause a bad fall.

Both inside and out, the ground (or floor) is the most likely thing to cause a serious injury in the result of a fall. The greater the height, the more impact the ground has on its victims.

Most people can tell personal accounts of negative encounters with the ground. My child recently broke a tooth when she fell on some tile covered floor in Texas, but these dangerous items can be found almost everywhere.

This is an open letter to everyone…

RECALL FLOORS AND HARD GROUND IMMEDIATELY!

If this does not happen soon, I say we boycott all ground everywhere.

Colbert’s bid for the Presidency is a threat to National Unity

First of all, I would like to say that I am a big fan of Steven Colbert’s show. Hilarious.

And we have all heard about his recent announcement that he was running for President of the United States (but only in South Carolina).

If you support this effort and are in South Carolina you can help get petition signatures HERE.

But now there are some people at the FEC who think he is breaking campaign financing law. Good distraction from investigations into other more likely candidates breaking FEC campaign laws.

But the real issue is not about campaign financing. And it isn’t about making a mockery of the election process…

It is about the real possibility that he might win in South Carolina.

Let us not forget that South Carolina is a state with a history of rebellion and attempts to secede from the Union. If Steven Colbert wins in the only state he is running in, it could be a justification for a new secession movement. With a comical mastermind at its helm… it just might work.

Oil, China and global production

A new report came out from an energy watch group in Germany today. If the report is accurate, peak oil already happened last year and we can expect a 7% reduction in production every year from now on. How bad is this?

On the brighter side, it is about time we all move on and stop burning stuff to power our world. We have been burning stuff since the beginnings of civilization and maybe this is just what we need to move on to something better. It could be a little painful for a while but we might all be better off in the long run.

Unfortunately, the U.S. is not the only economy that depends on oil. Oil has been the great engine of modernization and economic growth in every successful economy in the last 100 years. The latest booming economy is China, but this time it is facing a dwindling oil market rather than expanding.

In 2004, the LA Times published an article titled, “U.S., China Are on Collision Course Over Oil.” Here is an excerpt:

Sixty-seven years ago, oil-starved Japan embarked on an aggressive expansionary policy designed to secure its growing energy needs, which eventually led the nation into a world war. Today, another Asian power thirsts for oil: China.

While the U.S. is absorbed in fighting the war on terror, the seeds of what could be the next world war are quietly germinating. With 1.3 billion people and an economy growing at a phenomenal 8% to 10% a year, China, already a net oil importer, is growing increasingly dependent on imported oil. Last year, its auto sales grew 70% and its oil imports were up 30% from the previous year, making it the world’s No. 2 petroleum user after the U.S. By 2030, China is expected to have more cars than the U.S. and import as much oil as the U.S. does today.

Optimists claim that the world oil market will be able to accommodate China and that, instead of conflict, China’s thirst could create mutual desire for stability in the Middle East and thus actually bring Beijing closer to the U.S.

History shows the opposite: Superpowers find it difficult to coexist while competing over scarce resources.

The article cites a possible conflict over Saudi Arabian oil because that is the largest supplier in the world and China and the US are both customers. However, that was before Hugo Chavez pledged to fuel China and turn away from the United States. Venezuela provides 11% of U.S. imports but is turning toward China as a new customer and partner. Now the US could be faced with a violent conflict much closer to home.

The article was also published with peak oil being a distant problem.  Now it may already be hear and China’s demand is already putting a strain on the world market.  There are a number of places where the battle over oil could be fought as the US or China becomes desperate.  Sudan, Iran, Nigeria all are major producers and have strong ties with China already.  Some have called for the US to get involved in one way or another with these oil producers already  over nuclear of human rights issues.  But the flashpoint could be oil when it comes to US and China…  and it could be soon.

James Madison

From whitehouse.gov:
Born in 1751, Madison was brought up in Orange County, Virginia, and attended Princeton (then called the College of New Jersey). A student of history and government, well-read in law, he participated in the framing of the Virginia Constitution in 1776, served in the Continental Congress, and was a leader in the Virginia Assembly.

Madison made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, the Federalist essays. In later years, when he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution,” Madison protested that the document was not “the off-spring of a single brain,” but “the work of many heads and many hands.”

In Congress, he helped frame the Bill of Rights and enact the first revenue legislation. Out of his leadership in opposition to Hamilton’s financial proposals, which he felt would unduly bestow wealth and power upon northern financiers, came the development of the Republican, or Jeffersonian, Party.

Madison was elected President in 1808.

 

Here is a selection of James Madison’s words:

Each generation should be made to bear the burden of its own wars, instead of carrying them on, at the expense of other generations. ~JM

I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. ~JM
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. ~JM

In Republics, the great danger is, that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority. ~JM

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood. ~JM

Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power. ~JM

No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. ~JM

Perhaps it is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad. ~JM

The Constitution preserves the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation where the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. ~JM

We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties. ~JM

Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions. ~JM

I think James Madison would have liked Ron Paul.

 

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