My Errant Mind

So President Bush calls for a new stimulus package and the House passes it readily. The economy should get back on track soon if it passes in the Senate, right? Wrong!

The plan to get the economy back on track includes giving tax rebates to illegal aliens!

Any illegal alien with a Tax ID number given to them by employers (how the hell they have ever gotten away with that in the first place is bewildering), will be eligible for a tax rebate under the new House Stimulus package. It’s time for Americans to stand up to these crooked damn politicians we have put in office and tell them we are tired of them allowing illegal aliens in our country and tired of them doing nothing about it.

Isn’t it funny how these same politicians who cannot seem to find the time to deal with the issue of illegal aliens can find time to write legislation which specifically makes provisions for them to get money from the American government?

House Stimulus Package Is A Deceptive Amnesty Offer By Congress

What is most alarming is that this is an attempt by Congress to make it easier for illegals to obtain legal status in the USA. How? By granting them “resident alien” status. That means they have been in the USA for a substantial time without being deported. By conferring a status other than “illegal” to these illegal aliens, they will make it harder for them to be deported.

This is Congress trying to sneak an amnesty provision by the American people and offer illegals a fast-track to citizenship ahead of all those immigrants who come to the country legally. Illegal aliens shouldn’t have a Tax ID number. They shouldn’t be here in the first place. Why are our politicians too lazy to address the issue and protect Americans and the American economy?

It is the American economy that is in need of stimulus, after all—not the economy of Mexico!

This is insulting, ridiculous, and yet another example of how our politicians and special interest groups do not want to solve the problem with illegal immigration or secure our borders.

Hey, how about we find some way we can encourage Al Qaeda and supply them with weapons? It would be the same stupid logic that Congress seems to love using, and would have the benefit of keeping us supplied with an enemy to fight into perpetuity. [NOTE: There is a growing belief in Afghanistan that this is precisely what the USA is doing. This directly reflects the need for greater commitment of economic aid and troops by NATO countries.]

Sort of like this insane legislation will do the by supplying illegals with more incentives to keep coming to the USA.

Call Your Representative In Congress

Go to Grassfire.org and sign a petition. Get involved.

And call your Congressman. In Oklahoma:

Sen. Inhofe 202-224-4721
Sen. Coburn 202-224-5754

UPDATE: It appears that pressure from constituents made Congress rush to correct the issue. Fantastic! There is a bill being authored to address the issue, but keep on Congress and let them know that they need to not only not create stupid legislation, but to actively pursue the illegal immigration problem.

NOTE: To those coming from the DelawareOnline Forums… I noticed someone there posted a suggestion that people should check their sources in reference to this post. That person pointed out that Nancy Pelosi issued a statement on January 31st suggesting the loophole had never existed. I received the information about the loophole myself the day before I posted the blog about it. My post came out before Pelosi’s statement, you may note. On January 30, Senator Ensign released his statement saying that he had authored legislation to close the loophole.

The same day as her statement, I received an update stating that pressure had indeed forced Congress to close the loophole from Grassfire.org. That’s why and how the Internet—and especially blogging—can have an impact.

People share information and create high-tempo pressure campaigns often of very short duration that necessitate a response. I posted on the issue as soon as I received it and feel it was timely. Until Congress gets the message that we are tired of illegal immigration and illegal immigrants, I will keep posting timely information. Even if it is only valid for a few hours, that’s enough time for someone to read it and call their representative in Congress.

The suggestion that the House Stimulus package did not make provisions for illegal aliens is quite possibly correct, however.

As Speaker Pelosi said:

“The legislation that we authored, and which passed the House Tuesday with overwhelming bipartisan support, would not allow any taxpayer funds to be distributed to illegal immigrants. In fact, the bill includes language similar to the provisions included in the 2001 and 2003 tax relief bills to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving any benefits. We will take legislative action to clarify and underscore this prohibition so we can expedite the rebates to millions of eligible Americans.”

[MEM Note: bold emphasis mine.]

She was probably right. They weren’t going to give tax rebates to illegal aliens, but to “resident aliens” instead. If there were no such language in the legislation to begin with, they wouldn’t have had to be scrambling to draft an amendment to it—which Senator John Ensign finally did—now, would they? Those who dismiss accusations of shady practices by politicians out of hand, especially when their source is Nancy Pelosi, ought to be checking their sources.

As to the suggestion that one should check a non-partisan website, I concur. I’m neither Republican nor a Democrat. I’m voting for Ron Paul because of his Libertarian views, even though he’s running as a Republican. Non-partisan? I give both parties equal amounts of hell here on my blog. You can easily find posts where I take Bush and McCain to task just as I do Hillary Clinton.

There is only one side I’m on: the side of the Constitution and the American people.

If it wasn’t before, it is now—thanks to the Dutch company Optiver. The company is “active in a broad range of arbitrage activities” according to their corporate website. Now they are also active in some sexy social marketing.

Any financial company whose business model depends on bleeding edge IT and constant innovation is likely to want to target young males. I discovered the ad the relatively new video site Break.com, which is aimed at the 18-34 male demographic. Did Optiver do a good job with it?

I think they did. The ad came out about a year ago, but I’m just now discovering it. I wonder how the ad worked out for them, financially speaking? Was it a winner?

Every young male investor who chose to give up his dream of being a rock star to work in the financial sector will remember this ad for years to come.

I submit that someone in their marketing department has both a sense of humor and firm understanding of two principles: (1) sex sells, (2) keep it simple. I think the company managed with this ad to project the edgy attitude that a young male investor can relate to. If nothing else, it should make rounds in a lot of offices.

For your viewing pleasure…and any future marketers taking Rock Star Marketing for the Financial Sector 101 this semester…

NOTE: For some reason the embedding of the video from Break.com doesn’t want to work so I include the link below. The video above is from YouTube.

Who Wears Short Shorts? - Watch more free videos

The Kennedy family’s endorsement of Senator Obama suggests that the Democrats are tired of carrying around the extra dead weight of the Clinton era. I don’t think too many Americans really think Hillary has done anything since becoming a Senator that would leave any but the most desperate and nostalgic of Americans considering her for the Presidency.

Well, women’s groups would like to see her elected. They don’t care about her qualifications, her constant changing of positions and lack of any true leadership whatsoever—just as long as a woman gets into office.

Then again, the Kennedy endorsement is all about nostalgia.

For Hillary to not get an endorsement from the Kennedy’s suggests that perhaps the Democrats are looking for change, and not the kind you would get from a Hillary Clinton or some of her cohorts (like Nancy Pelosi). Then again, who knows if it even matters in the long run. After all, the Kennedy legacy includes The Bay of Pigs fiasco, Viet Nam, brushes with the mob and various embarrassing scandals.

If the Democrats want change, the old guard certainly ought to step back and retire. Then again, the same is needed on the Republican side. I just find it odd that the Kennedy family—that has almost nothing in common with the average working class family in America—seems to think that after they have made careers out of maintaining the status quo, that people will somehow see them as agents of change.

In this day and age, I suppose it no longer matters if you actually stand for change and fight for it. You just have to say you endorse someone that says they do. But why does that matter, and what does it mean?

When things seem bleak, as they do with Bush’s well-intentioned but misguided policies, people will cling to any little bit of hope they can find and let it take them where ever it is headed.

Let’s just hope Ted isn’t planning to hop in a car with Obama, tie one on, and then drive the country off a bridge.

The hacker group Anonymous has declared war on Scientology after the so-called church went into its customary litigation mode against a video posted on YouTube.

Here’s the video announcement released by Anonymous….

I got a kick out hearing the news—just as I did hearing of Germany’s recent decision that Scientology is a threat to their nation and refusal to grant them status as a religion. Other European countries are considering similar action it seems. That means they must continue paying corporate taxes as a for-profit corporation in Germany, at least. Scientology has fired back, angry at a German paper for comparing Tom Cruise to Nazi propagandist, Joseph Goebells.

The war is under way. Already there have been innocent victims in this cyber war. Also, the IT company Prolexic has chosen to side with Scientology, agreeing to defend them against the hacker attack. The company will now either sink or swim on how well they can defend their client.

Even if the company goes down, they’ll make a lot of money in the process. However, what is troubling to some is the thought that Prolexic also protects banks and credit unions. Do you want your bank money protected by a company defending cults that have been accused of brainwashing and murder and other not-so-nice things? There are a lot of what-if scenarios centered around ‘guilt by association’ that could cause not only Prolexic but its other clients difficulty.

I like underdogs myself and dislike cults, so I’m betting on Anonymous and against Prolexis and Scientology. Hey, if you bet, bet to win, right?

I am reminded of how my old band wrote a pro-hacker song called Crack Daddy years ago. About the same time, we also joked about the idea of a song focusing on Xenu and the whole space-warlord-exiles-people-to-Earth (which was called Teegeeack back then) thing…which ends with people strapped to volcanoes being blown up with hydrogen bombs. Most Scientologists will deny anything related to Xenu and suggest it is an auditing level. Google it and find out what that’s about.

Thankfully, Dianetics is a horribly written book, or else my mortal soul could have been in danger for reading it over a decade ago. Wiser for having read it—in that I know now that I should treat any Scientologist as I would any other person with mental health issues—I hope that if I’m ever in an auto accident Tom Cruise is nowhere near, so that I don’t have to worry about him stopping to offer his help. (I’m snickering really bad here…sorry…)

You can stay up to date on this war and get a frontline seat by checking out Project Chanology, the sort of command and control center for the effort.

Scientologists like to deny their organization has been anything other than a devoutly religious church, but evidence suggests otherwise. Like Mary Sue Hubbard (L. Ron Hubbard’s wife) and other Church leaders’ criminal convictions. You can read about those over at The New York Times web site.

I am particularly interested in this cyber war because of its relevance to assymetric warfare. In fact, if you aren’t aware of the implications this particular war might have and what other similar wars are being waged, you might want to check out a fantastic blog called Global Guerrillas. Billed as “An open notebook on the first epochal war of the 21st Century” it is a fascinating blog that I discovered a while back.

I’ve added a link for it in my blogroll (not sure why I didn’t think to do so long ago) to help spread the word about it. Some of the stories on it are fascinating examples of the broad spectrum of new conflict the world is experiencing. You think you know the face of warfare in the 21st century? Think again.

The interesting backdrop to all of this is what it means for all people of the world in terms of maintaining their liberties. Strange to say so, but it is true. Such warfare as Anonymous is waging may become one of the major tools in the arsenal of the discontent masses should more governments become totalitarian in nature. Given the trend around the world, that isn’t far fetched at all.

In fact, it is the likely outcome due to the continued push for globalization and the destruction of sovereignty of nations by the United Nations. Those who are unhappy with the direction of globalization, with the thought of global government, with the notion of Big Brother, and with the current measures seeking to take away personal freedoms and liberties under the guise of homeland security ought to be following this war between Anonymous and the Church of Scientology closely.

I saw one comment by an Anonymous member (if I am not mistaken) to the effect that this was the war that their previous efforts had prepared them for. That is an interesting comment as it suggests there are those interested in actually waging war against the establishment for purposes other than the fun of it, or just because its what one can do. To many, the war on the establishment is a war being fought to preserve freedoms for all people.

And yet, most such groups are seen as terrorists, criminals and whatnot for those types of actions. That is what will make this truly interesting to watch. How Anonymous comes out of this whole thing. Will they be seen (by the masses, not governments…we know how they will view Anonymous already—as a threat) as criminals and cyber-terrorists, or as champions of intellectual and spiritual freedom. And will they shoot themselves in the foot if they come out of it in a positive light by returning to causes viewed by the masses as simply malicious and not so noble?

The litigation and the denial of service attacks, propaganda war and hilarity of celebrity videos on YouTube are the least interesting aspect of it, when you consider it in that context.

In the meantime, you can see the video that makes you hope you never have to meet Tom Cruise and get information on what to do if the Church of Scientology comes after you and tries to assassinate your character or sue you into debt at the Suppressive Person Defense League web site. Weird that you have organizations dedicated to defending you against litigation by a supposed church, isn’t it?

Not really, if you’ve ever read the works of L. Ron Hubbard. I once owned the entire Mission Earth series in hardcover. His fiction was alright. Too bad there are people that can’t see the difference between science fiction and reality, though.

It isn’t just politicians in bathroom stalls, or TV evangelists with their hookers. Judges have their own problems. Nice to know those who are responsible for making judgment calls are as screwed up as the people they sentence.

Oklahoma had its penis pump-wielding judge who was making noise on the bench (and exposing himself) while sentencing sex-offenders. Now we see another judge doing his perverted thing in Tennessee.

Nice to know those putting people behind bars are so upstanding, isn’t it?

Another Muslim honor killing, only this time in Texas.

Two teenage girls shot by their Muslim father for no good reason. This is a perfect example of why Islam sucks. This is a perfect example of why Europe is starting to see the beginnings of a movement that is the result of backlash against the growing Islamification of the continent, and seeing discussion on how to preserve European culture. The same concern is starting a conversation about the issue here in America.

Sharia law needs to stay where it is welcome—in the barbaric, backwards Middle Eastern places where they have no respect for life or the rights of others and believe in enslaving women.

I hope they catch this bastard and do him the honor of killing him.

UPDATE: Laura Ingle has updates on the story as they break. Read the latest…

Want to make your own parabolic mirrors at home to experiment with solar energy? Want to learn how to cut circles on your tablesaw? Here are two great videos that will help both woodworkers and alternative energy experimenters.

I discovered the first video some time ago on YouTube, and it shows a great way to cut circles with your tablesaw. It is by “The Wood Guy” George Berry. Check out his website at www.woodguy.com if you get a chance. This may already be familiar to many woodworkers, but I developed a serious interest in woodworking only three years ago. Before that, I mainly had an interest in carving and whittling which I have done off and on since they were introduced to me as a kid by my now departed great-uncle, Calvin McMillan.

Enjoy…

The second video demonstrates a second technique for cutting circles on a tablesaw. It also shows you how to apply that to cutting mirrored plexiglass and then turning the resultant circle into a parabolic mirror. This video has me stoked and wanting to try it myself.

I list both videos here because while I like both methods of circle cutting, I don’t want to drill holes in the top of my table saw and I bet there are others out there who don’t either. By watching both videos, you ought to be able to adapt the first technique to the second and make use of a cross-cutting sled or a sled/jig of your own devising.

You can find this and other cool solar energy related ideas on the Green Power Science website at www.greenpowerscience.com. I can’t wait to make a parabolic mirror of my own! Enjoy…