Burma, Monks,Demonstrations, Violence, Murder... Where's the outrage and responce?!

During these last few days the problems in Burma have really come to light for the whole world to see- again. The military government there has crossed the line with the recent massacre's and crackdowns on their citizens. Murdering, violence, arrests, human abuses, etc have escalated beyond anything that should be allowed or tolerated by other nations. We cannot ignore that the Burmese government has committed unforgivable atrocities and human abuses. Yes, many in our country and abroad have "taken the time" to give public comments to the world via media outlets, but that's not action. It's high-time that someone, anyone do something about this. We as a world are just standing on the sidewalk of life while watching as many thousands of others are being run over and killed in the street. Where do we draw the line? When is enough, enough? I am thinking a frightening thought- what if they had oil we needed? I think we would, then, have an excuse to go in and depose the leaders who are ordering these killings and crackdowns. Funny thought, really, that this may really come down to, "What do they have that we need?". If the Burmese had some kind of resource that First World countries needed or relied upon I think that we would be more prone to act on this. Another great example is North Korea. People are getting killed for the most ridiculous reasons, they are imprisoned for looking at the wrong person the wrong way, the masses are starving and have nobody to speak for them, but we just sit around and do nothing. Why? Well, what does North Korea have that we need? Nothing. So, let's just ignore them. Darfur and other atrocities caused by rebels and decades of inter-cultural/inter-tribal warfare. We have yet to intervene and quell the fighting with a mass immobilisation of troops to actively pursue the murderers. Iraq. They have oil. So, we go in to remove a dictator that can't begin to come close to the other leaders of the aforementioned atrocities, but Iraq does have oil. Interesting. Some of you will disagree with me on everything. Some will at least think about what I am saying. Still others will see the truth in what my thoughts are.


Good reading: Free Burma

Halo, Halo, Halo...

Halo is obviously has a world-wide cult following- this cannot be argued. I was playing Halo 2 the other day with some friends when it dawned on me- how do people get so good? I have been playing for a quite a while, but cannot imagine how much some people play to where they can run around with a sniper rifle and "no-scope" players right and left. If you are not too familiar with Halo then let me explain. "No-scoping" is when you run around with a big 'ole sniper rifle and don't need to use the scope to aim and pick people off with one shot. It's nearly impossible to do this accurately and efficiently yet some people are great at it. Amongst my friends I would say I am about in the middle when it comes to skill at Halo. One of my friends, Lockvine, is unbelievable when it comes to grenades. Plasma grenades, in particular, are his favourites. Plasma grenades, also commonly known "sticky grenades," essentially stick to a player or vehicle and have a few second delay before they blow your world to pieces. Lockvine can consistently lob a grenade at you from across the map or right in front of your face- it doesn't matter- he will kill you with one. Another favourite tactic of his is to beat you at your own game- by this I mean- he will figure out your tactic and use it against you. This is not to say that his tactic is dirty, but it does suck to be beat at your own game.

Lockvine has one fatal flaw- he sucks with energy swords. "Sucks" here is used loosely as he could kill about anyone with these wonderful, undulating purple blades of delight, but I have a sort of knack at owning people with these beautiful hand-held objects of death.

Our battles still rage.


On a second note, I found a terrific site- XBConnect.com. The creators of the site have written a top-of-the-line program that allows you to legally trick the Xbox into thinking it is playing a local LAN game when, in fact, you are connecting via the internet to other players around the world- and it is FREE! Yes, that's right- FREE! They have a Premium package (XBCONNECT PRO) that can be purchased for $14.95(US) that gives you a few extra features that the standard free package does not. I have heard of a couple of other "free" internet gaming tunneling titles for Xbox, but most of my friends said they pretty much blow. I find that XBConnect is fast, easy to use, and provides you with a multitude of gaming choices and options. I also believe that they can pride themselves with a great community. One of the reasons I did not end up purchasing Xbox Live was that most of the people I encountered in the Halo rooms were rude, arrogant, cheating, glitch-using pieces of garbage. I did encounter a few nice folks, but for the most part the previous statement holds true. XBConnect users have all been quite kind, albeit VERY skilled at Halo, and willing to put up with someone who does not have the time to play hundreds of hours a month and can't get to fifty kills in ten minutes. I would suggest this software to anyone looking to either get around M$'s stupid fees, the jerks in most of the community rooms, or if you are just wanting to join a better community (in my opinion). Also, I would say that the $14.95 is a small fee to pay for an awesome online gaming experience- also- XBConnect supports an array of titles (please see below). I, for one, am considering upgrading to the Premium package.


XBConnect Supported Titles

Iran, any other country+Nuclear Capability= Fair in my book.

I am quite sure I am going to take a lot of heat for my beliefs, but I don't really care. This is going to be quick today... Basically, I do not see a problem with other countries have nuclear capabilities. Before you start in on me- yes, I do see your side of the story- if a country demonstrates that they may use their nuclear weapons for ill-intent then we don't want them to have them. Blah, blah, blah. Personally, my belief is we have to see the world as one even playing field. If one country (i.e.: the U.S.) can have nuclear weapons then everyone else should be able to as well. I think that the U.S. and the joke that is the United Nations saying who can and cannot have weapons is completely ridiculous. I have heard it all before in regards to, "Well, we would not use them irresponsibly like they would..." I don't even want to hear it. Have you not seen the news or turned on the radio? Look at the Iraq invasion. That was irresponsible and pointless. What if someone decides they want to extend their empire and we don't want them to? Well, let's just whip out 'ole Big Bertha and shoot her at them. How the heck are they to defend themselves? We are extending our empire and sphere of influence. Seriously. If Iran wants to make bombs- let them. If you want to strike at them for doing so- well, that's your right. Either do something about it or sit down and shut up. There should not be some big Club of the Rich Guys (United Nations) telling the little guy what to do. It has always been about empires. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. Every empire wants more land and superiority. That's the way it works.

Please don't get me wrong- this is not just about Iran- quite frankly I don't care too much for Iran or the way they do things. I actually hope someone does attack them. I am just sick and tired of reading all about empty threats and countries whining about, "this guy did this, and they did that". Really, come on folks. If someone is doing something to you, your borders, or developing something with the intention of using it in an unfair or unbalanced attack- don't whine. Blow them sky high with what you have before they have what you don't or don't want them to. Stop crying to the lazies and crazies that are the United Nations. Just take matters into your own hands and find the guys that agree with you. Pick yourself a nice strong team and start playing Battleship with them.


Since we have already invaded Iraq and are still dealing with suicide bombers and other cowardly combatants we should just stop wasting time and level the place. Evacuate and search anyone who does not want to be a crispy fritter and just bomb the crap out of every city that has played a part in attacks, start the rebuilding process and then proceed to flatten any other city that attacks take place in. People can pro-create their population will eventually recover. Once this is done just hand the keys over to the Bush-installed government and let them sort things out. Simple, saves American lives, and if things continue we just blow up the entire country. Problem solved and nipped in the bud.

News article about Iran's developments

Cities of the Underworld

Okay, so- one of my favourite TV shows at present is Cities of the Underworld. The show, in short, is about literally just that- cities (or ruins) that are below ground that the every day person has no clue are there beneath their feet. The show started off on the right foot. It had great content, great locales, and an awesome host in Eric Geller. Eric was enthusiastic, exciting to listen to and watch, and had something about him that just fit the show and the crowd that watched it, at least I thought... Well, apparently, the History Channel higher-ups did not care for the host that at least 85% of the viewers liked and came back watching week after week. They decided to bring in "new talent" in Don Wildman. Yes, that's right- they brought in the Head and Shoulders guy to replace the incredible Eric Geller.

Sure, Eric sometimes became a wee bit loud and maybe even a bit forced in his words or acting, but I can't say that I would not act in the same manner! I am so captivated by history, other cultures, and the unknown that I, too, sometimes become over zealous.

I am not saying that I don't like Don Wildman, I am just saying that I don't think he is right for the part and that the History Channel could do well with leaving the programming alone for once. Or, at least listen to the majority of the people that post on their forums. I believe that forums are a great place for the decision makers (or at least information compilers) to gather a wealth of information. The people that post on forums are the ones that really keep the shows going and the opinions of the majority in a forum nine times out of ten represent 90-95% of the opinions of the viewing audience. I'm sure that any of you that are reading this and post on forums would agree. An entity, whether it be a TV station or any other company, should listen to the forums and model programming or products after what is wanted from the people in the forums. If this is done, I would be willing to bet the product or program would be successful.

Praise!

My little sister and her friend have pretty much settled into their new home in East Asia. They are there teaching and living their lives the way Dad wants them to. I am so proud of them! I ask that you all talk to Dad for them and ask that he send lots of good mail to them.

They are eating quite a bit of "unusual" food, but are managing well! My little sister is a coffee freak and just bought a Love Coffee shirt with a bunch of different cups of coffee all over it. If you knew her you would know how fitting that shirt really is for her!

Growing up in a town named after the big jolly guy...

Well, I was sitting on facebook earlier going through some profiles when I noticed that some of my friends from the town I grew up in created a group that I would have loved to have had when I was a kid. The group is called Yes, I actually live in a town named after a fictional character... and cracks me up. When I was a kid my friends and I that lived in the Village (Christmas Lake Village) were teased just about every time we left our general area and someone asked us where we were from. I hated people asking me this as I knew that I was going to have to put up with jokes and laughter. On occasion, I had to sit and explain to people that I was not kidding. I grew to hate the questions- I would avoid them at all cost. Sure, some of my best years were spent in Santa Claus, but I still hate the teasing and explaining that goes along with being from there. It's just a city name for crying out loud! Sorry- had to vent for a second. In all honesty, it was and is probably the best place to raise your kids. The city is gated, VERY low crime rate (if any at all), and it is one of the few places where you can feel safe leaving your doors unlocked. Kids can even ride their bikes around without parents having to worry about them...

Homeland Security or Homeland Spying? You be the judge.

Several of my friends and I are consistently debating just which it is- Homeland Security or Homeland Spying? My personal opinion is that there is no Homeland Security without homeland borders. Earlier, I spoke about Bush's new thrill- the Amnesty Bill. This, in a way, goes along with that. Please explain to me why we are spending billions upon billions of dollars on Homeland Security, yet if I go down to Nogales, Arizona I can just chill in a lawn chair and watch illegals running through the tunnels coming into the U.S. every ten minutes? I mean, come on. Is that Homeland Security? No, it's not. Homeland Security could give a flying flip about our border problem. They care too much about spying and potential terrorist threats than they do about actual homeland security. If the agency was really worried about homeland security they would take care of our borders. Let the CIA and FBI worry about terrorism. Get with the program people! I could run to Wal Mart and for $200 purchase a Remington knock-off and a box of shells and take care of the problem with our borders. I don't need the billions of dollars- though come to think of it I would like a new motorcycle... If the terrorists had half a brain (which I am glad they don't) they would come come through so easily like all the others- through our borders. Screw all the hard work of getting visas or passports- just come through our weak borders. I would love to take some pot-shots at them. Why don't we spend all that money on our trusty fence (preferably, a wall) and a few cheap guns at your local store.

Now, back to the subject- I, personally, have nothing to hide, but few things annoy me more than having people listen to my conversations. Not because of privacy, but because I am sure there is something better they could be doing. I have no expectation of privacy when I speak on the phone or when I e-mail anyone. I do, however, think it is completely stupid and a wast of my money that our government is paying people to listen to us. Even if it is just for keywords. I feel that if they want to listen to calls coming into our country from other marked places then- go for it, but you darn well better believe they should have a search warrant! There is a justice system and proper routes in place for a reason. They should not be able to just listen to anyone at anytime. There should be a proper investigation and all the "t's" should be crossed before they start to tap or listen. The President and his minions thinking they are above the law should be held to account. There should, in no way, be UNLAWFUL listening or SPYING going on, yet, that is what he promotes and stands behind.

A great news article that shows the depth and carelessness of Homeland Security spying is here.

I very much enjoyed this, "A spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection division said he couldn’t speak directly to Goodman’s case but acknowledged that the agency can, will and does open mail coming to U.S. citizens that originates from a foreign country whenever it’s deemed necessary."

So, who deems it necessary? Where is the search warrant? Do they need one? Many questions left unanswered in my book. What deems it necessary? Maybe the potential for a good love story so they pop open the envelope? Maybe they just want to know how little Johnny has been doing in his baseball games.

Apparently, Homeland Security is free to do whatever they want- with very little supervision. If they want to spy on me or anyone else in America- they can- when they have the permission of a PUBLIC court. Getting the permission in private does not fly. Things need to be done in the open.

Sorry for the rant, but this is just one of my hot buttons. Until Homeland Security is open to proper supervision and audits they are going to be known by most people I know as the Homeland Spying Agency and up for a lot of scrutiny. I don't care what they do outside our soil, but in the U.S. you can't just go around and do what you please. If a guy just says, "Hey, I think I will tap her phone because there may be something fishy going on." and does- he gets arrested and goes to jail. If Homeland Security does it just because they feel like it then it's just fine because they, well... apparently can.

Homeland Security breaking the law.

I support the CIA, FBI, and the Secret Service- I think what they do is good and they have proper direction. What I do not support is a complete and blatant slap in the face from my own government saying they will spy on us, open our mail, and infiltrate every part of our lives because they want to and can- with or without cause or reason. That is not right and that is not legal.

End of story.