Ancient Car Security System

In yet another reason to drive a stick (on top of MPG, better control, better acceleration, less maintenance, cost, and fun), it seems that some car thieves have trouble stealing a car with a manual transmission.

 

Recently on FJcruiserforums.com, someone asked why the FJ is not available in California with a stick.  The best answer: "I'm sure this is because 90% of people who drive in California don't have testicles."

 

 

Tony Lives?

Update: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19236576/
Maybe he didn't live afterall. I think it was deliberately a vague ending, I can see the argument either way.

In a very brilliant season finale, not so many loose ends were tied up, but the star of the Sopranos and his family lived on. The 86th episode of the Sopranos was not the best episode of the series, but it was pretty good. I will miss Tony and his family, looking forward to new episodes. A great show has ended.

Monday Dover 400

I skipped work today to go to the "Autism Speaks 400 Presented by VISA", the 400 mile/lap June NASCAR race at Dover International Speedway.

Originally we were going to go on Sunday but tropical storm Barry was in the area. A quick check of the weather forecast made our decision for us. They postponed the race that afternoon. After vacillating on whether to go to the race or work on Monday (even if it meant going by myself to the race), the decision ended up not being very difficult. The day I let work get in the way of an event I've looked forward to for almost a year is not something that would fill me with pride or happiness.

I ended up finding someone to go to the race with, we left at 8am and got home about 12 hours, 250 miles, and 14 gallons later. Rain threatened the race, we were in a downpour on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

The picture you see here was taken shortly before the race began. Almost on cue, after the invocation/prayer, and the national anthem (there was no fly by), it was almost as if the hand of God parted the clouds, because sunshine spilled across the track as soon as the green flag waved. I must say, if God was to choose a sport to watch, it would probably be NASCAR ;-)

#12 (my personal favorite, Ryan Newman) made a strong run all day, never getting much lower than fourth and settling for a second place finish. Martin Truex, Jr. the savior of DEI, ended up winning his first race, by many, many car lengths. And this is saying a lot, because Newman was pretty far ahead in the second spot.

Kurt Busch also re-ignited his villain image by almost running over one of Tony Stewart's crew while crashing into Smoke on pit road to tell him off. He was not allowed to complete the race.

The sad news for the sport today is that Bill France Jr. the man who made NASCAR what it is today, has died. Had it not been for him there would definitely be less fans of the sport and I probably would never get to see it on TV.

Private Discrimination

eHarmony is being sued because it does not allow gay match making on its service. A user is suing, claming that this is against a California anti-discrimination law. These kinds of suits are not constitutionally valid and that's the way it should be. eHarmony and other dating services do not have to offer their services to anyone. The website was founded by an Evangelical Christian, and any users should be willing to play by his rules.

Nobody is forcing people to use eHarmony, it is a matter of choice. Anti-discrimination laws were made so people couldn't be denied basic services due to their race, creed, etc.

Nobody is being denied a dating service, this service just happens to appeal to certain users. There are plenty of gay matchmaking websites out there that don't do much to serve straight people.

Also, eHarmony seeks to differentiate itself by using a kind of dating algorithm developed by the founder (a doctor of some sort) that he says only applies to straight people. He says he simply does not understand the dynamics of same sex relationships.

The private sector should be free to discriminate, especially in areas like this where there is clear choice, such as personals in a newspaper, a gay website, or a gay bar.

Bullshit Lawsuits

A lawsuit has been filed against a bar, its manager, a tow truck company, a tow truck company driver, and the driver of a stalled car over the death of a St Louis Cardinals pitcher who was driving drunk, speeding, and not wearing a seatbelt. I think that it is pretty clear where blame is due, on the pitcher. His family thinks otherwise. The restaurant should not have served him if he was drunk and the tow truck driver took too long to tow another car. Not to mention someone is getting sued because his car stalled!

Its these types of lawsuits that make everything from cars to healthcare so expensive. We need to reform our legal system. One easy step we could take is to pass a simple law: if you sue someone and lose, you must pay ALL of their legal costs.

Bush Defeats Democrats In 5 Months

A lame duck has just defeated the democrats.

Remember that war funding bill I recently posted about? It seems that the "tough democrats" who were elected "for change" back in November have officially been castrated. A new bill is being introduced that would not schedule a withdrawal timeline for the troops in Iraq.

So basically the democrats, who were elected to end the war, got into a fight with GWB and he most decidedly won.

Now, the democrats were in a tough position, they basically had two options:

1. Introduce this "compromise bill" which is basically the same type of bill that the republicans have been passing for years.
2. Keep passing a bill with a withdrawal timeline, Bush will keep vetoing them, the war will not get funded, and will end immediately.

They were very afraid of option 2, because if any troop died after that bill was passed, they would be blamed for it, even though with thousands already dead it would be a proverbial drop in the bucket.

Lastly: support Ron Paul, http://www.ronpaul2008.com/

Falwell

Jerry Falwell is dead. I don't have much to say about him, except that he took a noble political movement, championed by liberty minded individuals from Ron Paul to Pat Buchanan to even Ronald Regan and perverted it into a religious movement, something that has no place in government.

Ron Paul Quote

"If we ignore (blowback), we ignore that at our own risks. If we think we can do what we want around the world and not incite hatred then we have a problem. They don't come here to attack us because we are rich and free, they come to attack us because we are over there."

Ron Paul Is Right

Giuliani, potentially the worst republican nominee for president in a generation is all smiles now because Ron Paul told the truth and Giuliani was able to perpetuate the ultimate lie.

Paul said: "Have you ever read about the reasons they attacked us? They attack us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for 10 years."

This is the truth. The United States has made many enemies the world over for getting our nose in other people's business. We screwed around in Afghanistan and gave Osama training, weapons, and money to fight the Soviets. We get involved in the Middle East conflict, when we should just let Israel and the rest of the area duke it out instead of jumping in the middle of it with no coherent strategy except for standing behind Israel like Hillary stands behind Bill.

These things all contributed to our being a target 6 years ago and more so now.

Giuliani and his ilk (along with most of the democrats too) would have you believe that we were attacked "because they are jealous of our freedom." Or they will say "they hate our freedom." New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan, Sweden, and many other countries are also free. Are they the targets of terrorist attacks? No. Because they have the policy to not get involved in the Middle East.

Paul is right, but the Republicans have all but austracized him for these comments. It is too bad that the American people are stupid enough to believe the greatest lie of all, that we were attacked for our freedom when we were attacked for our policies.

I am glad that The Nation has pointed out that Ron Paul's assessment is coming straight from the 9/11 Commission's report. As he said, he's the only one who bothered to read the report.

In case you want to support this great man: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/

US Consitution Article II

Article II of the US Constitution establishes the Executive Branch, the President of the United States of America. In our balance of power, the President is the most powerful single person in the United States. He (no woman has been elected president) is able to appoint officials and veto or approve laws.

Section 1 Clauses 1 & 2: "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector."

The first two clauses establish the President and Vice President and the term of four years. They also create the Electors, the Electoral College. There has been a movement in recent years to make the popular vote decide on who is the president. This would be quite an abboration of our great nation. Currently, each state is guaranteed at least 3 electors, but under a popular vote system, a state such as Wyoming would have the equivalent of fewer than that. Since the State's give the power to the federal government this would create a tyrany of the federal government.

Clause 3 has been made obsolete by an Amendment.

Clause 4 and 5: "The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

Congress is able to regulate the day of voting. Only natural born citizens can be President. There has been talk of changing this to include people such as Arnold Schwarzenegger who have been citizens for over 20 years. The argument against this is that these people will still have more allegiance to their home country than a first generation individual would.

Clause 6 has been made obsolete by an Amendment.

Clauses 7 & 8: "The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
The president will be paid for his service which will not vary during his term. Clause 8 establishes the oath of office, to which most presidents have added "so help me god" to the end (hopefully this ending will itself end soon...).

Section 2, Clause 1: "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."
The president is the commander of all armed forces within the nation, but only when called into service, such as through a declaration of war.

Clause 2: "He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments."
The President has the power to make treaties with 2/3 of the senate concurring. He can also nominate various public officials (the most important being the Supreme Court) if a majority of the Senate approves.

Clause 3: "The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session."
The President can fill offices without the Senate's approval if done when they are on break. This is called a "recess appointment" and the official will only be in that position temporarily. John Bolton was nominated as Ambassador to the united nations this way.

Section 3: "He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States."
This section requires that the President give a "state of the union" (now a speech filled with ceremony and pomp) to the Congress. He may also bring both houses together to speak with them and most importantly "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed" which establishes the "executive orders" in which the President can direct the interpretation of the laws.

Section 4: "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
Does lying about a blowjob count as "treason, bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" ?

You be the judge.

Bush's Vetoes

It looks like GWB is going to veto another Iraq spending bill. The first he vetoed actually set a timeline for withdraw. The new bill would with hold funding until after progress is checked during the summer. These two bills are pretty big, as the democrats have been real pussies on this issue for a while. Most of them voted for "the war". That term is awful. This is not a true war its an unconstitutional operation. The only way the United States can go "to war" is for the Congress to vote to declare war, not hand the Executive Branch a carte blanche to do whatever they want. Those of you who read my blog will remember that in Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 that "Congress shall have the power... to declare war." Only Congress.

The only candidate with the balls to say he was wrong is John Edwards. Hillary Clinton blames Bush, saying she was misled. Do your fucking home work before you vote to give the president a war!

Here's what I think should happen: if this bill gets vetoed, don't pass another. Cut off all money from the war, the troops, everything. The quickest way to end a government project is to cut funding. People may die on the way out but a lot more are going to die if we don't do something.

I Wouldn't Bet On It

Barney Frank, the self described minority of minorities (a "left-handed, gay Jew") usually presses for very liberal ideals. I find myself agreeing with him on some issues (civil rights) while disagreeing with him on most other things.

Today he introduced a bill to legalize internet gambling. This form of entertainment (which your correspondent happens to enjoy) was turned from a grey-area to a much darker shade of grey last year when the law was signed forcing credit card companies to not accept payments to these services.

Frank remarked, "People have said, what is the value of gambling? Here is the value. Some human beings enjoy doing it. Shouldn't that be our principle? If individuals like doing something and they harm no one, we will allow them to do it, even if other people disapprove of what they do."

While I doubt Barney would agree with everything I do at least his principles seem right on.

Unfortunately, there are assholes in Congress, such as the representative down the road from me, who believes that even the state lottery is Satan's tool.

Say Goodbye To Good TV

The Federal Censorship Commission (FCC) wants to ban violence on TV.

Don't watch NBC?

They want to ban violence on cable too, meaning The Shield and shows like it could face government censorship. The FCC was asked to submit a report 3 years ago and are just releasing it now to Congress. Someone in Congress will undoubtedly introduce a bill to ban violence, sex, etc, on all TV channels that are not HBO, Showtime, etc.

This is not a republican/democrat issue. Hillary Clinton loves to talk about banning violent video games so she will probably be all over this issue. Politicians are also hoping people will blame the crazy Korean at VA Tech on TV and things like that instead of deep-rooted psychological issues that have nothing to do with entertainment.

As soon as the bill is introduced in Congress I'll post it here with a way to contact your Congressman.

Lots Of Blame To Go Around

Monday's tragic shooting at VA Tech was shocking and horrifying. Many components of the system broke down, and they deserve to be scrutinized.

But a quick check on any New York Times message board will reveal who our top 10% liberal citizens wish to blame: guns and more specifically the National Rifle Association. They claim that the NRA has "blood on its hands." I am a proud member of the NRA and resent these comments. There is no blood on my hands nor guilt on my conscience. Both of these items belong solely on the nutjob who killed all these people.

However, there were times at which the system failed to adequately address this issue. Besides the 2-3 hour police delay in alerting the students, a judge had ruled that Cho was at the very least a danger to himself and sentenced him to some type of residential mental treatment which most likely included some kind of medication.

Whatever happened to the proverbial rubber rooms? People said that was not civilized, but is letting these types of people go to an outpatient psychiatrist and pop some Prozacs a viable option? Maybe we need to lock some people up when they are mentally ill.

Everyone saw it: fellow students, teachers, the state police, but nobody did anything. All it would have taken is for someone in authority to say that this person is crazy and may do crazy things. This warning never came out.

Some issues have been floating around on talk radio today. I don't necessarily support all these opinions but I think they are worth considering:

1. Does the fact that he was Korean have anything to do with this? He might not have learned English until he 10 years old and had trouble socializing with others. In their culture mental illness might be stigmatized as it is in many parts of the world. They might have been reluctant to seek treatment if these problems had appeared in high school (former classmates indicate that they had) out of fear of losing face. Lastly, are his rants against "rich kids" part of a North Korean mindset?

2. Should his roommates/classmates have brought him to the attention of some type of authority before this happened? Can we lock someone up for writing crazy plays? Or should we at least evaluate them?

3. Why did the judge rule him a danger to himself but not to others? A month before the incident he had been accused of stalking.

There's lots of blame to go around. I think we need to re-evaluate the way schools and the courts handle mental illness and what people in the community can do to bring these bad eggs to the attention of authorities.

Just remember: Gun's didn't kill people, Cho Seung-Hui did.

More On VA Tech Shooting

Since my last post, I've had more time to read through the reports coming from the mayhem in Blacksburg. The authorities still seem to have no idea what they are talking about, and from what I gather the FBI, ATF, VA State Police, and many other law enforcement agencies are involved in the chaos.

Regardless of the outcome, two things are evident.

1. The VA Tech Chief of Police should resign. If the school had learned anything from a shooting incident last year on campus, it is that information is key to protecting people. By not shutting down classes when a gunman can be roaming around campus is idiotic.

2. These types of tragedies can never be prevented. People remarked to me before knowing the details that this must be some "pissed off white redneck." Turns out it was a Chinese guy on a student visa. Others try to blame the gun. If not a gun, this guy could have used a bomb or something else. Do your part in preventing situations like this: keep alert, learn how use and purchase a gun to protect yourself.