What we can learn from the Israel/Gaza conflict

A ceasefire has been declared in the Israel/Gaza conflict...for now.

A lot has happened over the past 2 weeks and we can learn much.  A few takeaways:

1.  Civilian casualties on any side are unacceptable.  Israeli's were killed and injured by rockets fired from Hamas and Palestinian civilians (including an Israeli trained doctor's children) were killed by poorly(?) aimed Israeli mortars.

2.  Ceasefires with an end-date should not be entered into.  It pre-supposes that at the end of the ceasefire, hostilities can and should resume.

3. In the Middle East conflict, the United States' interest is for their not to be a conflict.  We do not have any good allies in the Middle East.  Period.

4.  There is enough blame to go around, and the only people who get hurt are civilians.  As a friend of mine so rightly said on facebook: "don't you see what your stupid religions cause?  Fuck you Israel and fuck you Hamas" or something along those lines.  So rightly said.

Never underestimate the power of the Schwartz

The Lions hire the Tennessee Titan's defensive coach Jim Schwartz.

May the Schwartz be with you.

A summary of the Bush years

Obama shows his class with McCain dinner

An editorial worth reading, about the graciousness of Barack Obama in having a dinner in honor of John McCain, for his continued bipartisanship.

I think that the old, good McCain will likely return now that the campaign is over, and will probably be one of the strongest republican allies of the Obama administration.

The first e-president?

Obama plans to keep his Blackberry while President, likely ending the policy in place for the last 2 administrations of not letting the president send email.  

AR Democratic leader does not reflect my values

In a very telling article in today's WaPo, the thoughts of the rural, white population of Arkansas population on our new president are presented.  While most of the people interviewed throw out the same junk: Obama hates religion, guns, etc, there was one quotation that really caught my eye, and made me very angry:

Robert Serio, chairman of the local Democratic Party for 30 years, says Obama was viewed as too liberal in Monroe County. "We don't look at national Democrats as being family-oriented," says Serio, a lawyer. "The multicultural thing would be something we are opposed to. The homosexual question would have an impact."

This viewpoint is not something we need today in America.

Now, I understand that the simple folk are afraid that some "gay agenda" is going to make their kids turn into homosexuals.  That comment likely comes from a failure to ever know or be friends with a gay person and to get most of your information from the church.

That comment is not what got me.  It is the "multicultural thing" that is really disturbing.  Here we have a leader in the more progressive party in America saying that multiculturalism is not a good thing.  In this context, I take that to mean that he disapproves of the fact that Barack Obama is half white and half black.  I would also like to know how Mr. Serio "opposes" multiculturalism.  Does he discourage African Americans from joining his local party?  Does he encourage his children not to be friends with people from other races?  That isn't clear.  What is clear is that this man does not truly reflect the principles of the Democratic party (which I am not a member of) nor does he reflect my values.

The best way to end conflict is through mixing of cultures, races, and religions.  Sometimes I think a good solution would be for the races and religions to mix and fuck at every opportunity, for eventually we'll have a nation of people that can't be categorized through into the old labels that have resulted in countless conflicts.  

Healthcare workers should not have the right to say no

I'm in full agreement with Ronald Bailey on this issue.

One of Bush's last acts in office is to allow healthcare workers to refuse treatment that they morally object to without losing their jobs. So a Catholic pharmacist could refuse to dispense birth control, or Plan B. This would also allow a nurse at a doctor's office to refuse to help with an abortion.

While at first this issue would appear to be helping individual freedom, it does not. A private employer should have the right to demand that employees perform certain tasks, since those employees can quit at any time. Don't want to dispense Plan B? Then don't become a pharmacist.

Thankfully, soon-to-be President Obama is in agreement with Ronald, me, and the ACLU and will strike this down fairly quickly.

Just another example of the Bush administration mixing church and state.

Understanding the Financial Crisis

For those of you who have trouble understanding how increased home ownership led to bankruptcies of even non-financial companies, like Circuit City, which is going under as of today, here is a nice visual graph depicting what led us down that road.

My own take is that we generally have two types of people to blame:
1. Mortgage officers who let standards slide and put people into houses they could not afford.
2. Homeowners who requested loans on houses that were obviously out of their price range and budget. These same people, through their ignorance, chose to go with financial products such as interest only loans, that had a great potential to increase their monthly payments. Failure to hedge against this risk by taking out a fixed mortgage was

The Best Cheap Booze

Esquire's February issue lists the best booze for these tough times.  

I won't break down the whole list, but I have to say I agree with their winner: Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon.  A spirit I've enjoyed on and off for several years.  Probably as good as you can get for under $20 a bottle.  

If I'm going to buy a Whisky its either Evan Williams, or to splurge Maker's Mark.

Cheers!

Holder Rejects Torture

Eric Holder, Barack Obama's pick for attorney general, today rejected waterboarding as torture saying that none are above the law.

This is already quite a positive change in direction from the Bush years, which will likely go down as the dark moment in American history.

Miracle in New York

Truly amazing that no one was seriously hurt when a US Airways Airbus A320 ditched into the Hudson River after striking multiple birds.

They were able to evacuate the plane within 90 seconds. Rescue boats were on the scene immediately.

There have been no fatalities among the major US airline carriers since 2006. Today was a close call. Luckily, in this case the pilot was a veteran of 28 years with the airline and is an expert in catastrophic risk management.

Finally an end to Don't Ask

Foxnews is reporting that the Obama administration will end the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy that forbids openly gay people from serving in the military.  It is about fucking time.

The federal government prosecutes companies for discriminating against sexual orientation yet it continues to do so itself.  As the saying goes, it doesn't matter if you're straight as long as you can shoot straight.

As military recruiting gets tougher and tougher, why should we tell people they are ineligible just because of what sex they are attracted to?  

This is a truly great decision, undoing an unfortunate act from the Clinton Administration.  I think that this will make our military stronger and more accepting.  Public opinion polls do show that most Americans support this type of resolution

The Palm Pre: My Thoughts

In my last post, I discussed Google's phone operating system, Android.

A very well-informed reader brought a few things to the table about Palm's new phone, the Pre, that will be released sometime in June.  This phone was just announced at CES, about 10 days ago.

I have performed more research and must say, I am quite impressed.  This phone may have a better OS than either Google or Apple and is something I seriously consider.

What I like:

1. Synergy: this supposedly will take all of your contacts from IM applications, Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, etc. and aggregate them.  This is a great feature.

2. It has a keyboard, which some Android phones will have, some won't.  The iPhone does not have one.

3. Good calendar synch with Google calendar.

4. Multitouch.  

5. GPS - so far the Android phones do not have it.  Apple does not give turn by turn directions.

What I don't like:

1. It seems the apps developed for it may be weak.

2. No GSM support for worldwide use, at least when using Sprint.  I know, I know, Sprint and Verizon are CDMA.  However; the Blackberry Storm on Verizon's network has a built in SIM so it can be used abroad.  

All in all, I'm glad I made the last post, for I had not heard of this phone yet due its relatively new announcement and the fact that I've been working a lot lately.  I am actually leaning towards the Palm Pre now.

Thanks for the tip Josh.  By the way, do you happen to work for Palm?  Just wondering.  :-)

Awaiting Android's release on Sprint

After 7 years as a Verizon Wireless customer, I will likely switch to a near carrier in June, when my contract is up.  Why?  Quite simply, they are not competitive with data plans, nor do they have a phone that carries the operating system I am interested in, Android, by Google.  At first, I considered T-Mobile because their voiceplans are somewhat interesting, and they already have the G1, which I discussed several months ago.  However, their service is still somewhat limited and spotty.  I am looking for at least 700 minutes and unlimited data to share between two phone lines.  With Verizon and T-mobile, that costs $150 a month + fees.

Sprint offers the Everything Plan for about $200, but I don't need unlimited minutes.  So I'll downgrade to their 1500 shared minute plan, with unlimited texts, emails, and web usage for $130 per month.  They also throw in free GPS navigation, something that Verizon charges $10/month for.  Also, unlike the other three carriers, Sprint has their night and weekend minutes start at 7pm, not the usual 9:01pm, so you actually have access to an extra 2400 off-peak hours per month, should you use them.

The phone that will be released is likely a modification the Samsung Instinct, one of the top rated phones on the market today, if you trust CNET (I do).  

Obama to close GITMO soon

Soon to be President Obama will issue an Executive Order very soon into his presidency to close the unconstitutional, illegal prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I enthusiastically welcome this news as it shows that we will soon have a president who does not feel he is above the law. Also, it shows a willingness to work with the international community and will hopefully be the first step to repairing our damaged image abroad.

Now if only we could fix the problem in the Middle East...

Criminals benefit from weak economy

States across the country are releasing nonviolent criminals in large numbers, due to lower tax revenues.  The number could reach the hundreds of thousands.  These releases are probably a net positive, since there is a large tax burden to keep these people in prison.  Most were convicted of drug related offenses, and in many cases, simple possession.  

The United States has the highest prison population in the world.  We need to hand the title of World's Biggest Jailer back to someone else.