Geek-Fest 2007: Round 1

This blog does not usually deign to drooling over new technology, but Microsoft has really caught my eyes this time around. The Surface computer has just captured my imagination over the last two days, and it has been a long time indeed since something in the tech world has done that.
It just seems so Sci-Fi, as to not even be real. But if these videos are only half true, it still seems like a fantastic advance in User Interface.

Microsoft Surface: The Possibilities



Ahem. This concludes the first round of geek-fest 07.

Hilary the Socialist, and how the left has fallen

Story: ""I prefer a 'we're all in it together' society," she [Hilary Rohdam Clinton] said. "I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none."

That means pairing growth with fairness, she said, to ensure that the middle-class succeeds in the global economy, not just corporate CEOs.

"There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets. But markets work best with rules that promote our values, protect our workers and give all people a chance to succeed," she said. "Fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies."

And so, we have the unintentional unveiling of Clinton's true nature, that of a socialist, if not communist, economic policy. We've come back to the 'village'.
Why is it liberals frown so hard, and beat down individual achievement? Show me one example where liberal economic policy, such as outlined above, has aided society.
Show me one example of where the government, of all things, restricting the market, has aided society as a whole.

This could go without saying, but I feel compelled, and someone has to. The hypocrisy of her statement is of the Richter scale.
"There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets."
Yes, indeed. Now:
"Fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies."
Pardon me, but how does striking down the great force for good help?
AND WHO SAID LIFE WAS FAIR? AND SINCE WHEN DID THE GOVERNMENT BECOME THE GREAT EQUALIZER???







I miss the older school Democrats, who believed things like this...
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. -John F. Kennedy

A side by side: US vs Al-queda

Dick Durbin on the United States Military Detainee Policy:
" On a couple of occasions, I entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food or water. Most times they urinated or defecated on themselves, and had been left there for 18-24 hours or more.
On one occasion, the air conditioning had been turned down so far and the temperature was so cold in the room, that the barefooted detainee was shaking with cold....On another occasion, the [air conditioner] had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room well over 100 degrees.
The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.

If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."

Couple of things:
1. These are enemy combatants, dressed in Civilian clothes, and hiding amongst civilians. This is a direct violation of the Geneva convention. As such, they are not covered under the Prisoner of War arrangements.
2. These are Islamic Terrorists, who when captured, were in the midst of planning and/or executing attacks against civilians of the United States, The United Kingdom, and other western nations.
3. These are not US citizens, and are thus not subject to our justice system. See point one for why they should not be expecting fair treatment.
4. Why would you rip your hair out after being left in a room without AC, and with loud rap music playing? I'm sure I'm not the first to point this out, but thousands of American youth are in the same circumstances, (no AC, loud music) on a daily basis.

In summary, the US 'torture' techniques, for which our soldiers are referred to as Nazis and soviet executioners:
1. Chained to the floor.
2. No chair.
3. No food or water, for up to 24 hours.
4. So cold, the barefooted terrorist was shivering.
5. No AC, so he was sweating
6. He pulled his hair out.
7. Loud Rap music

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And this brings us to the other side of this war. Al-queda.

The Smoking Gun reports this (Hat tip to Little Green Footballs)
"MAY 24--In a recent raid on an al-Qaeda safe house in Iraq, U.S. military officials recovered an assortment of crude drawings depicting torture methods like "blowtorch to the skin" and "eye removal." Along with the images, which you'll find on the following pages, soldiers seized various torture implements, like meat cleavers, whips, and wire cutters."

And here is a picture of the room. (Probably among the least gruesome of the photos)

"It was there, during an April 24 raid, that soldiers found a man suspended from the ceiling by a chain. According to the military, he had been abducted from his job and was being beaten daily by his captors. In a raid earlier this week, Coalition Forces freed five Iraqis who were found in a padlocked room in Karmah. The group, which included a boy, were reportedly beaten with chains, cables, and hoses."

Again, a few things:
1. These were regular citizens of Iraq, just trying to go to work every day. They were Muslims, taken by other Muslims, and subject to serious torture. If you want to see the results of the Islamic terrorists handi-work, click here, here, here, and here.
2. Regular guys, taken and tortured. To what end?
3. Not only were these civvies tortured, but the military recovered an Al-queada handbook, detailing how to apply these sick treatments to other captives.
4. Is this any surprise, after what they did to Nick Berg?

In Summary, a sample of Al-Queda torture techniques:
1. Beatings with Chains
2. Beating with cables
3. Beating with Hoses
4. Blowtorches to the skin
5. Eye removal
6. Removal of limbs with a meat cleaver

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


We are at war with an enemy who shows no quarter, who will inflict punishment on the innocent for no apparent reason, hide amongst civilians, kill reporters with reckless abandon, spread their religion by the sword, and kill women and children with no compunction.
God help us, because as a nation, to few of us are willing to fight.

This is Memorial Day weekend ya'll. Let us not forget the great men who have paved the way for us to go swimming and enjoy a hot dog this weekend. Men of all manner of backgrounds, men like Washington, Issac Hull, Jedidiah Smith, Old Hickory, William Travis, William Sherman, Wyatt Earp, Teddy Rosevelt, Alan York, Raoul Lufbery, George Patton, Joe Foss, and thousands of others. If it was not for the actions, and deaths of these men, I would not be writing this tonight, and you would not be reading this today. It is for them we celebrate, and the freedoms they have helped to endure through the trials and storms of history.
And it is because men like this exist in this world, and men who will rise to the occasion in the future, that we will win this War. Freedom triumphs over tyranny, liberty over oppression, Right over Wrong.
Enjoy your weekend, and God Bless America.

O'Reily on the Fort Dix Terrorists

Video Headline: Talking Points: 5/10

Message to you: The 3 terrorists the FBI stopped in New Jersey? The 3 illegal immigrants had 54 different criminal spots on their records, and yet they were kept in the country.
Shameful.

Video

Isreal strikes at Hamas

Story: "The Israeli Army and internal security agency arrested 33 prominent West Bank Palestinians, including a minister, three lawmakers and three mayors, in raids early this morning, army officials said.

In a statement, the army described those arrested as "senior members of the Hamas terror organization," which it said "exploits governmental institutions to encourage and support terrorist activity." Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel, said, "We have information that connects all those arrested to terrorist activity." Another senior Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the arrests came "on the heels of concrete and genuine indications that these individuals - all of them - pose a clear and present danger to the lives of Israelis.""

Good. Go after the terrorists. Particularly those that are killing your citizens, in this case, Israelis.

And of course, Iran's Muslim-Nazistic leader sounds off:
"Ahmadinejad said Friday that "there is a group occupying the young Palestinians while the latter are defending their mothers and fathers, and presenting them as terrorists.

"Do these criminals believe in God and in the Bible? They are like beastly persons; they have no faith in God. We object to the crimes making bad use in the name of Judaism," he added in a speech to the Iranian people.""

Beastly persons... And why we are even considering using Iranian cooperation to exit Iraq is beyond me.

China goes after the babies, villiagers strike back

IHT: "According to villagers and witness accounts posted on the Internet, officials in several parts of Guangxi mobilized their largest effort in years to roll back population growth by instituting mandatory health checks for women and forcing pregnant women who did not have approval to give birth to abort fetuses.

Several people said officials also imposed fines starting at 500 yuan and ranging as high as 70,000 yuan, or $65 to $9,000, on families that had violated birth control measures any time since 1980. The new tax, called a "social child-raising fee," was collected even though the vast majority of violators had already paid fines in the past, the people said.

According to an account published on a Web forum called Longtan, officials in Bobai County of Guangxi boasted that they had collected 7.8 million yuan in social child-raising fees from February through the end of April.

Many families objected strongly to the fees and refused to pay. Witnesses said in such cases villagers were detained, their homes searched and valuables, including electronic items and motorcycles, confiscated by the government.

"Worst of all, the gangsters used hammers and iron rods to destroy people's homes, while threatening that the next time it would be with bulldozers," said a local peasant, who identified himself as Nong Sheng and who faxed a petition letter complaining of the abuses to a reporter in Beijing.
...
Villagers and visitors to several counties of the Guangxi autonomous region in southwestern China said rioters smashed and burned government offices, overturned official vehicles and clashed with the riot police in a series of confrontations over the past four days."


This one-child policy is disgusting. It takes away one of the most basic freedoms of a family, punishes those who are trying to create more Chinese, and makes a massive bureaucracy of petty tyrants.
Surprise! When you repress peoples freedoms, this is what happens. They fight back. Now I do fear for these villagers lives, but at least they will go out standing for freedom and their own way of life.

And it seems every time I post on China, I get this question. "When will we be at war with the Chinese?"
Any thoughts? Because I don't think we will be at war with them.
You don't fight with whom you trade.

The Failings of a President

Amnesty
Energy Policy from Lennin
Farm Policy from Marx
Education Policy from Ted Kennedy
Steel Tariffs from the Unions
Signing of McCain-Fiengold Campaign Finance Reform into law
Medicare from the Democratic handbook

I am really getting sick of this. Out of all the major issues, I can support the Presidents action on 3.
1. The War on Terrorism/National Security
2. Tax Cuts
3. Stem Cell reaserch

Apart from that, I have a very hard time supporting this president. While I do think he is far better then Kerry, it is becoming difficult to see the difference between Bush, and a Hawkish Democrat.

Al Gore: Saving the Enviroment

Captions?

EDIT: Anons comments reminded me of this song.

Blair on America

Story: "Despite the crippling cost that his support of Bush inflicted on his popularity at home, Blair insists that he did the right thing.

"I believe our country should be a strong ally of America, and I've never had any problem with that," he said in an interview with US network NBC recorded Tuesday.

"I think it will be a very dark day for my country when we do have a problem with it," Blair said.

"The biggest danger is if America disengages, if it decides to pull up the drawbridge and say to the rest of the world, 'Well you go and sort it out.' We need America engaged."
...
"And if we back away, if we give up on it, if we show any signs of retreat at all, then the enemy we face worldwide will be strengthened.""

This is why I like Tony Blair. He makes his decision, and then sticks to it. To me, at least, he seems to be a man of character, and while I disagree with most of his policy decsions, I love his resolve in the War on Terror.
He's sorta like Bush in that respect. His domestic policys are lousy, liberal, and destructive, but his Foreign policy is excellent.

And in Honor of this man, I've got some fireworks to show ya'll.

Dirk is MVP

Its about time.

In other news...
How about them Spurs?

A diplomat I agree with

Story:"John Bolton, ... told The Daily Telegraph that the European Union had to "get more serious" about Iran and recognise that its diplomatic attempts to halt Iran's enrichment programme had failed.

Iran has "clearly mastered the enrichment technology now...they're not stopping, they're making progress and our time is limited", he said. Economic sanctions "with pain" had to be the next step, followed by attempting to overthrow the theocratic regime and, ultimately, military action to destroy nuclear sites.
Mr Bolton's stark warning appeared to be borne out yesterday by leaks about an inspection by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of Iran's main nuclear installation at Natanz on Sunday. The experts found that Iran's scientists were operating 1,312 centrifuges, the machines used to enrich uranium. If Iran can install 3,000, it will need about one year to produce enough weapons grade uranium for one nuclear bomb."

Destroy the enemy before they can destroy us. The problem is America, and at least half of this country has no stomach for fighting to save itself.
Still, it would prevent a lot of problems, for both Isreal and us, if we took down the Iranians now, rather then when they do have a nuke.

Head 'em, move 'em out...

Story:
"An al-Qaida front group, the Islamic State in Iraq, claimed Sunday that it had captured U.S soldiers in a deadly attack on a U.S. convoy the day before in Sunni area south of Baghdad that is known as the "triangle of death" - a longtime al-Qaida stronghold.

Meanwhile, 4,000 U.S. troops backed by aircraft, intelligence units and Iraqi forces were scouring the farming area around Mahmoudiya and the nearby town of Youssifiyah for the third day, as the military promised to make every effort available to find the missing soldiers.

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said the military could not verify the claim by the Islamic State of Iraq but "it would not surprise me if ... al-Qaida in Iraq is involved in this because there are similarities to what they've done before.""

Ah, this is what we should hearing more often, the US Army taking the fight to the terrorists.

And Just as a reminder of who we fight:
"On Sunday, five civilians were killed execution style on the streets of Baquoba by gunmen who appeared to be accusing them of collaborating with the U.S. led coalition."

Thugs, murderers, and terrorists. This is not our fathers war, but I am not sure which I prefer.

When Government gets to big, round 3

Story: "A service station that offered discounted gas to senior citizens and people supporting youth sports has been ordered by the state to raise its prices.

Center City BP owner Raj Bhandari has been offering senior citizens a 2 cent per gallon price break and discount cards that let sports boosters pay 3 cents less per gallon.

But the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says those deals violate Wisconsin's Unfair Sales Act, which requires stations to sell gas for about 9.2 percent more than the wholesale price.

Bhandari said he received a letter from the state auditor last month saying the state would sue him if he did not raise his prices. The state could penalize him for each discounted gallon he sold, with the fine determined by a judge."

Ah, and there we have it. A government panel doing its best to protect you and me, the consumers. If I was in Wisconson, I'd be saying 'NO THANK YOU' to an enforced price on gasoline, be it a floor or a ceiling.
When the government steps in to help, a lot more will be broken in short order.

FBI foils muslim terrorists, illigel aliens

Story: "The three brothers being charged as part of the alleged Fort Dix terror plot may have been smuggled across the border, FOX News has learned.

Dritan "Anthony" or "Tony" Duka, 28; Shain Duka, 26; and Eljvir "Elvis" Duka, 23, were in the United States illegally. Federal investigators were exploring whether they were smuggled into the country or entered as stowaways.

Because the three men entered the United States without inspection, there is no legal record of their entry.
The six being charged in the alleged plot — Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, 22; Serdar Tatar, 23; Agron Abdullahu, 24; and the Duka brothers — were ordered held without bail for a hearing Friday.
Five were charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. military personnel; the sixth, Abdullahu, was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigrants in obtaining weapons."

Bravo to the FBI.

So these guys are illegal immigrants. Huh... Funny how a lot of people have been wailing about the terrorist threat through the open borders down south? A lot, myself included. Perhaps we'll be taken seriously now.

And, if you will notice, they are Muslim. As was the Guy in Seattle, the Guy in Utah, and the Guy in LA.
These are not Muslims, who planned attacks and were funded from outside our country. No, these were people, who are often referred two as 'peace loving Americans' or in the case of the illegals, 'Good people who just need a chance'.
Now I'm not saying all Muslims are terrorists, but it is odd that the vast majority of terrorism happening in the US is connected a Religion of Peace.

Sarkozy for the win, Royal down for the match

From the BBC: "Conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy has won the hotly-contested French presidential election.

The final count gave Mr Sarkozy 53.06%, compared with 46.94% for socialist Segolene Royal, with turnout at 85%. "

Sarkozy ran on conservatism, and won. Royal ran as a socialist, and lost.
And of course, the socialist party there is now looking around in bewilderment, saying 'ce qui l'estacade à claire-voie?'

Fresh from the keyboards of the Financial Times:
"It is the party’s third consecutive presidential defeat. The Socialists now face the question of whether they can ever regain power without ditching their anti-capitalist rhetoric, as the mainstream left has done across almost all of Europe. ... It is the party’s third consecutive presidential defeat. The Socialists now face the question of whether they can ever regain power without ditching their anti-capitalist rhetoric, as the mainstream left has done across almost all of Europe."

So campaigning against capitalism: Doesn't work.
Small wonder. The best, and pretty much only way to raise a countries standard of living is through a free market, capitalistic system.

So, how does this affect you, me, and the rest of the US?
CNN: ""The French people have called for change. I will carry out that change, because that's the mandate I have received from the French people."

Sarkozy added that he wanted to tell his "American friends that they can rely on our friendship ... France will always be next to them when they need us."

But, he added, "Friends can think differently."

He then called on the United States "not to impede" in the fight against global warming. "On the contrary, they must lead this fight because humanity's fate is at stake here.""

Interesting...

Iranian Minster afraid of Condi

Story: "Iran's foreign minister walked out of a dinner of diplomats where he was seated directly across from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on the pretext that the female violinist entertaining the gathering was dressed too revealingly.

"I don't know which woman he was afraid of, the woman in the red dress or the secretary of state," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday, regarding the actions of Iran's Manouchehr Mottaki."

Fascinating. The real story of this is buried on the second page, but I found it. :D

"After lunch, Egypt's Aboul Gheit told the Associated Press he would try to arrange a further informal meeting between Rice and Mottaki at a gala dinner being thrown by the Egyptians Thursday night on the beach of a nearby resort hotel. "Why not?" Aboul Gheit said. "It is only one table."

But asked if he would seat Rice and Mottaki next to each other, he said, "No, no." As it turned out, Mottaki's place was set directly across the table from Rice. When Mottaki entered the dinner and saw the arrangement, he immediately told his hosts that he had to excuse himself and leave, said a U.S. official who accompanied Rice."

Apparently, sitting next to Condolezza Rice is a frightening prospect. I guess because she's an infidel woman from the satanist west, it is impossible to match her in a battle of wits at dinner.

Sarkozy extends lead in France

Story: "French conservative Nicolas Sarkozy extended his lead after a television debate with Socialist rival Segolene Royal and stayed on course for victory in Sunday's election, opinion polls showed on Thursday.

A poll for the Opinionway institute showed 53 percent of viewers found Sarkozy more convincing during the sometimes fiery debate, against 31 percent who judged Royal better.

A separate survey by the same polling organization gave Sarkozy, who has come out on top in over 100 opinion polls since the start of the year, an eight point lead with 54 percent support, versus 46 percent for Royal. "

I write this as my Beloved Dallas Mavericks begin a downward slide, and its depressing. And its late.
But this story caught my eye.

Because this race fascinates me. The far left, socialist, liberal candidate has been loosing ground. This debate exacerbated this even more, because every time conservatism is explained side-by-side with liberalism, people pick conservative positions. (Even in France.)


As I was writing that, I remembered something. 'A news story polls do not make.'
We'll see how the election turns out.

Homosexual protectionist agenda moves forward

Story: "The bill (HR 2015) would force organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Veterans of Foreign Wars, day care centers, Christian business owners, adoption agencies, public schools, municipalities and a host of other businesses and organizations to hire homosexual applicants.

ENDA would make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on his or her sexual orientation or "gender identity." Such acts would be considered crimes subject to severe penalties."

Anti-Discrimination laws are such an egregious breech of the free market. And I say that for all of them, not just homosexual ones.

This hasn't passed the house, and it probably won't, but these things don't go away. Give it a few years, and it will come back.

EDIT: When I refered to anti-discrimination laws above, I am referring to anti-discrimination laws pertaining to employment.

Hat tip: Kingdom Advancing

Ha-ha

The Democratic-controlled House failed Wednesday to override President Bush's veto of an Iraqi war spending bill with timetables for troop withdrawals.

Story

Mavericks win!

Mavericks: 118
Warriors: 112
Video Highlights

YEAH!!! Loudest basketball game I've been to.

Fuzzy Feelings don't mean safe

Michael Barone: "When Florida passed its concealed-weapons law, I thought it was a terrible idea. People would start shooting each other over traffic altercations; parking lots would turn into shooting galleries. Not so, it turned out. Only a very, very few concealed-weapons permits have been revoked. There are only rare incidents in which people with concealed-weapons permits have used them unlawfully. Ordinary law-abiding people, it turns out, are pretty trustworthy.
...
Virginia has a concealed-weapons law. But Virginia Tech was, by the decree of its administrators, a "gun-free zone." Those with concealed-weapons permits were not allowed to take their guns on campus and were disciplined when they did. A bill was introduced in the House of Delegates to allow permit holders to carry guns on campus. When it was sidetracked, a Virginia Tech administrator hailed the action and said that students, professors, and visitors would now "feel safe" on campus. Tragically, they weren't safe. Virginia Tech's "gun-free zone" was not gun free. In contrast, killers on other campuses were stopped by faculty or bystanders who had concealed-weapons permits and brandished their guns to stop the killing."

As I suspected, but I was waiting until this issue cooled down to say so. Virgina Tech Campus would not allow students or faculty to carry a handgun. And as always, when it is a criminal offense to carry a gun, then only criminals will carry guns. Most people do not wish to violate the law, but a criminal won't care.
So, how do you stop those who are criminals?

Rick Perry has the answer:
"Texas should consider allowing licensed, law-abiding citizens to carry their authorized weapon anywhere in the state.

"I think a person ought to be able to carry their weapon with them anywhere in this state if they are licensed, and they have gone through the training," Perry said.

When Perry said anywhere in the state, he meant it.

"Whether they're in church or whether they're on a college campus or wherever they are," Perry added. "The last time I checked, putting up a sign that says, 'Don't bring your gun in here,' for someone who has ill intent on their mind, they could (not) care less."

All handguns, licensed or not, are currently banned from bars, restaurants, schools, sporting events, correctional facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, amusement parks, places of worship, governmental meetings and courthouses."

Very True.