… until I saw this.
This video obviously focuses on the controller, which I hadn’t even heard much about. Some of the uses demonstrated are pretty hokie, but others look pretty amazing. Worth checking out anyway.
Now, if we can just get them to stick to their $250 price tag, I’ll be a happy boy … and would consider picking one up long before I blow $600 on a PS/3.
After a mere six weeks of hiatus from our far-from-legendary-but-still-interesting (at least to me) discussion about how to win the war on terror, I would like to return to the topic with step 7. It’s interesting to me (certainly not lost on me) that while we’ve been away from this topic, the US has actually implemented several of the suggestions I made. Obviously there’s no connection, probably not even worth mentioning, but I did so anyway. So there. Kinda makes me feel good. 🙂
We started out long-term and strategic. So far, we’ve talked about ridding the nation of our dependence on oil as a dominant fuel source (step 1). Second, we talked about getting more human intelligence on the ground in the Middle East (step 2). Then we shifted to the more tactical… From fervent prayer (step 3), to making sure our leaders are casting a clear vision (step 4) for our involvement in the conflict (step 4), to cyber warfare (step 5), to getting much tougher in Iraq by declaring marshall law and cleaning up the insurgents (step 6). Maybe these aren’t so much “tactical” as they are “immediate”. Certainly, the next step is going to take awhile.
Without further adieu, it’s time to move on to step 7… Restoring America to a place of true economic strength. Why do I think we’re not already at that point? Well, several reasons. Here they are…
1) We are managing an insane level of debt
Both personally and nationally, America is way too far in debt. We use credit cards like they’re water, have a negative savings rate as a people, and can’t seem to get our government (either Republican or Democrat) to stop spending like there’s no tomorrow. I submit that the average household in the average suburb has a mortgage totalling > 80% of the value of their home, 2 car payments, a few thousand on a credit card, several department store cards, and 2-3 pieces of furniture on buy-now-pay-later plans. If we don’t bring down the national debt, tear up the credit cards, and start putting some cash in the bank, I fear for how it will eventually weaken our country.
2) We are absorbing Mexico’s poverty problem
Illegal immigration is totally out of control. This is, of course, a matter of some debate, and contains more than enough punch to stand as its own blog entry. And maybe someday I’ll address it directly. Until then, an abbrievated discussion will do…
As a nation, we need to gain control of (notice that I didn’t say “stop”) the flow of people across the border and return order to the chaotic immigration situation. There are too many drugs, too many diseases, too many criminals, and too many people who aren’t loyal to our country (who just want our money even without assimilating into our culture) pouring across the border at record levels. Of course, there are some great people making their way here as their always have been — hard working, honest folk. But there’s too much unwanted baggage coming with them. Plus, it’s both our government’s duty and right to secure its borders and control the flow of immigration across them.
The fact is that we’re absorbing Mexico’s poverty problem (because their “government” doesn’t want it). All you have to do is make it here, and social services galore are yours — to say nothing of the kids that immediately become citizens when born here. Not enough taxes are being paid, too many social services are being taken for granted, and the system is getting worked a bit too hard for my taste. Add to this that these hard working people are afraid all the time of getting caught and are being exploited by workers who have no reason to give them a fair shake, and I’m forced to conclude that we have to do something … immediately.
America simply cannot absorb endless streams of foreign-borne, mostly poor people. No economy can, no matter how strong it is.
3) We are too focused on entitlement
We’ve talked about this before, but America’s entitlement system is hugely broken. Way too much money gets spent (exacerbating #1 above) on way too many people who don’t need it or who don’t deserve it (in the case of illegal immigrants). Some do, of course (both need- and deserve it), and we have an obligation to care for them — since we are indeed a very wealthy society. But unfortunately, the effect of our entitlement mindset in America does far more harm than good. More than anything else, it saps the iniative of people who would otherwise have to work to survive. It drains them of their motivation to work hard, to innovate, to appreciate what they have, to be generous. And on and on. And what’s worst is that it does so generationally — creating entire classes of people who have only known living on the public till.
This fundamentally weakens the nation, and makes us vulnerable in the face of enemies like Al-Qaeda. While the terrorists will do absolutely anything to see America defeated, far too many of us would sacrifice NOTHING to defeat them. Many of us think that we deserve to have whatever we want, whether we work for it or not. Frankly, this is where the negative savings rate and the credit card problem (again back to #1) comes from too … “I deserve it! How dare anyone tell me that I have to wait to have it, or (God forbid) that I can’t have it!” It’s the same mindset that allows someone sit at home watching reality TV on the Social Security dime. (Obviously this isn’t everyone, but you can’t deny that too many of those folks are out there.)
If everyone in America thought like JFK (“Ask not what your country can do for you! Ask what you can do for your country!”), we’d have far fewer problems.
4) We have a failing education system
This is huge. We are spending record cash on education in this country, and it’s quite disheartening to realize that our school system is getting worse not better. The option to discipline kids has been taken away from teachers. Parents are too busy making money to even police their kids, let alone effectively raise them. The value system that made our country great is eroding (we want less and less to do with God; I guess we’re assuming kids will pick up civility and virtue from the TV, right?). The television and daycare raise kids more than parents do. And kids have absorbed the same message adults have — that the world owes them whatever they want. There are other factors, but I’m getting a headache. At the end of the day, one (in my mind) undeniable result of all this is that the education system is failing. Most teachers try hard, and certainly work a LOT, but too many kids make the classroom situation impossible — especially in the big cities. Got any friends that teach in the inner city? Ask them what they think about education.
Where this leads us…
There are many important results of these factors. But the one I’m focused on today is economic instability. Our nation’s great industrial, creative, entroprenurial engine is losing steam. In time, we will be more like Western Europe — with a stagnant economy, high unemployment, few values, and generally quite weak … and probably a socialistic perspective on how to fix things which will just make matters worse, if Europe is any model.
If this indeed becomes our fate, then we will be in no position to defeat the blood-thirsty terrorist killers we’re facing. Without strong moral fiber, deep integrity, an industrious work ethic, and a willingness to sacrifice, we simply can’t defeat an enemy like this one.
Technorati tags: war on terror, debt, welfare, entitlement, immigration, education
On two separate days last week, North Korea apparently test-detonated a nuclear device of some kind as the latest step in their pursuit to develop weapons of mass destruction. How significant is this?
Let’s consider some context / background…
Point 1: This nation is run by a madman
Kim Jung-Ilrules North Korea with an iron fist behind an extremely dense wall of secrecy and seclusion. This wall keeps everyone on the outside in the dark about what he’s doing inside and keeps everyone on the inside both from leaving and from realizing that he’s lying about how their poverty and oppression is the fault of Western civilization. North Korea is your somewhat-typical modern military state run by a tyrannical madman. Jung-il absorbs all the nation’s resources (even aid sent in the form of food and medical supplies from outside nations) into his own personal power center / war-chest. Pretty much the only thing on his mind is dominating his people and feeding his own megalomania.
If the people of North Korea ever saw their leaders for who they really are, their reign of terror would be over. They could never be who they are without the loyalty of the people. (It’s a whole different ball game to suppress people with an iron fist while they continually rebel vs. using them to increase their power base.) So, let the brainwashing begin. North Korea is totally and completely cut off from the outside world. Without televisions or newspapers or the Internet or carrier pigeons from anywhere but government-controlled sources, the average North Korean from the age of zero can be programmed to believe that their stark poverty and oppressive circumstances are all to blame on the evil west. “The great white satan in America and Europe (yada yada yada) are responsible for all your problems, not me. Not your benevolent leader.” Of course, the spin is that Jung-Il presents himself as their savior, the great champion of their cause, the one around which they must rally in order to ever change their circumstances … when in truth, he’s a greedy, megalomaniacal, murderous thug.
And the people flock to him. They join the army in droves, because that’s how they can fight the great western oppressor — under the banner of their great and benevolent leader. They’ll make any sacrifice. They practically worship the monster who’s kicking them in the teeth and laughing both behind closed doors and at the UN. You think “The Man” is “keeping you down” here in America? “The Man” in North Korea would eat “The Man” in America for lunch in the who-can-keep-who-down game. Five minutes of study of a place like North Korea should make it apparent that I don’t have one single problem.
Lisa Ling, a reporter for National Geographic, recently under-cover’d her way in to North Korea under the false pretenses of being a medical coordinator. She believes she was the *only* American in the country at the time, and was followed everywhere she went (even to her hotel at night) by 6 armed men from the government. She has been telling her story to everyone, so it’s easy to find out more. Here’s a link to her video interview with Oprah, as well as an interesting perspective from another blog called “Seb’s Random Thoughts“. He would totally disagree with me, I think (having read his entry), but he has a YouTube video of an interview with Ms Ling posted (including video from her trip), so I thought I’d link.
If you doubt that North Korea is what I’m claiming, even after having listened to Lisa Ling’s personal up-close experience, check out the Voice of the Martyr’s perspective.
Point 2: They don’t just want nukes, but a delivery system.
For years, North Korea has been working on improving their missile technology. Up until this year, their threat level has been high only to the Japan’s and China’s of the world, who are their next door neighbors. However, in July of this year, they graduated to “world class” with their test firing of the Taepodong-2 intercontinental ballistic missile, theoretically capable of reaching almost any target in the United States. Although these tests were miserable failures, they obviously got the attention of the entire civilized world.
Point 3: He’d sell to anybody.
Kim Jung-Il hates the United States, and I believe that if he perfects nuclear weapons technology (or even long-range missile technology), that he would sell it all day long to anyone who wanted to hurt the US or the West in general.
So, if Hezbollah or Hamas or Al-Qaeda want it, no problem.
What about Hugo Chavez? Rock on!
Or, Iran or Syria? The only question is, “Do you want fries with that?”
Setting aside that he’s working on his own intercontinental delivery system, the idea that every thug in the world could suddenly have access to nukes on the black market — paid for by our oil dollars, no doubt — is just too scary to comprehend. Just how long in this environment would it take for us to see Philadelphia turned into a pile of radio-active rubble?
Conclusion
The question on the table is whether or not a nuclear test by this country is significant. Given the context that the country is run by a psychopathic power monger, that they are making progress toward a delivery system, and that they’d be willing to share deadly technology with anyone who wants it (especially those who hate us), I’d say the answer is a resounding yes.
The good news is that their tests have been flops. Their ICBM is a piece of crap — not even close to working. And their nuke tests reportedly didn’t go that much better. So, it’s not like he’s armed to the teeth tomorrow. But if we don’t do something, this already-scary scenario could go from bad to worse.
So the natural next question (the one on everyone’s mind) is, “What do we do about it?” Now that we’ve established some framework, we’ll come back to that.
Technorati tags: north korea, kim jung-il, nuclear proliferation
On September 12th, Rosie O’Donnell — the new host of “The View” on ABC — claimed that “radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam“. Her general point was that in America there are radical Christian forces that deviate from the core tenants of Christianity just as in the Middle East, there are radical elements of Islam that deviate from the core tenants of Islam. Essentially, in Ms O’Donnell’s mind, the two are equivalent. To use a social buzzword… “morally equivalent“.
There is a grain of truth to her comments, but not a very large one. Where she has a point is in two places… 1) historically broadly, and 2) recently very rarely.
1) Yes, hundreds of years ago, there were Christians who en-masse invaded nations to wipe out religious groups that were different from them (the Crusades), formed inquisitions and burned people at the stake. BUT… that was hundreds of years ago. Muslim terrorists are blowing stuff up today, right now, in modern day societies. If we were to tak their weapons away from them, there’d be peace. If Europe and America (arguably somewhat Christian, but the closest equivalent) suddenly got rid of all our weapons, they’d do their best to slaughter us in the streets.
2) Yes, Nazi Germany and the Ku Klux Klan did and do many of the things in the name of Christianity that Jesus would have nothing to do with. For that matter, there are mainstream everyday Christians that don’t act like Jesus. They’re everywhere. But it’s pretty obvious that these mainstream folks aren’t killing anyone or blowing anything up, and the Nazis and Klan are universally denounced, shunned and marginalized by Christians, Muslims and atheists alike. Compare this to the reality of modern-day terrorism, and I think it’s pretty hard to draw a comparison. And even if you drag in the “Christians” who blow up abortion clinics or haul up in Waco, which are legitimate concerns — obviously bad ideas and deplorable — you still have to admit that these whack-jobs are outnumbered 1000-to-1 by the Islamic fanatic ready to blow themselves up in the Jihad against the great white devil in the West.
So, I’m not sure where Rosie gets off. The crusades of 700 years ago are the same as the invasion of Iraq today? Hardly — for a hundred reasons. Christians blowing up abortion clinics once every 5 years are the same as Muslims blowing up hospitals, churches, cafes, and embassies every other day? Right.
What I really want to do is disect Rosie’s comments and define “radical” for a second. That’s where I think the interesting conversation can be found. I think she has the definition of “radical Christianity” all wrong. Here are my thoughts… please respond if you feel the need.
“Radical” Islam— This is what happens when you get a Muslim all hopped up on religious zeal… He blow stuff up. Allah has told you to, and a couple dozen virgins await. You are fighting in the battle, the great cause for Islam by ridding the world of the infidel. We see it every day.
“Radical” Christianity — This is what happens when you get a Christian all hopped up on religious zeal… He leaves his job and income behind and moves to Africa to feed the poor. Or he gives everything he has to start a hospital. Or he gives up Saturday mornings to go into the inner city to serve the poor. Or he starts an orphanage. Or maybe a school. Or, maybe if he’s really really really whacked, he goes to the mall and hands out really annoying tracts — that say that God loves you and wants you to spend eternity with Him. Or he might even stand on a box and preach about the end of the world and about how we need to be right with God, or that God judges sin, or that there is still right and wrong.
So let’s stop all the nonsense that there’s somehow an equal sign between the two “radicals”. There isn’t. Even when Christianity is at its worst, it’s 10 lifetimes ago or so rare that you can fit 10 years worth of news about Christians blowing things up in America on a single page … and half of them will be in the Klan.
Sorry, Rosie, I just don’t buy it. It’s not the same.
Technorati tags: rosie o’donnell, christianity, islam, jesus, war on terror, moral equivalency
Earlier this year a 23-year-old teacher named Debra Lafave has convicted of having sex with her 14-year-old student on school property. It was a long-lasting “relationship”, in which she claimed that the child was her boyfriend, even though by her own admission, they had little in common (duh!). When they were eventually found out, she was arrested, tried and pleaded insanity to the charge of “committing lewd or lascivious battery on a person under age 16”. A Florida judge gave her 3 years of house arrest followed by 4 years of probation. Florida has instituted Jessica’s law, which dictates mandatory 25-year minimum jail sentences for child sex offenders when the victim is 12 years old or younger. However, even though there were mitigating circumstances that should have worsened the crime and lengthened her sentence — she was the boy’s teacher, which is an authority figure — she was given only three years probation.
Recently, Lafave appeared on the Today Show and a few others programs claiming that she was raped as a child herself (at the age of 13 by a 13-year-old boy in her school) and that she is bipolar. She claimed that she was telling her story in order to raise awareness of the disease (which is in fact very serious). And there are now surfacing rumors of a potential book deal about the whole sorted affair.
So, I have several thoughts, comments and questions about this case…
First, this sentence was incredibly light. This woman should be in prison, not on the Today Show. She should be considered a criminal sex offender who raped a young boy and destroyed his life, not glamorized on television and signing book deals. If this woman were a man, she’d be in prison for 30 years. But because she’s an attractive woman (see picture, not to mention that she was in Playboy back in ’91 — not that I looked that one up…
… a flagrant double standard kicks in and here she is talking with Matt Lower about how she’s the victim.
This is just plain wrong, and my question is why? Why is there a double standard? Why can a beautiful woman like this get off the hook? Why do so many people think that this boy should be lauded as macho for “getting some” from his hot teacher, rather than pitied for the reality that he more than likely faces a lifetime of therapy and difficult relationships? After all, his parents have made it very clear that he was severely emotionally traumatized over the whole thing. Has our society been so over-sexualized that we are now inclined to let people get away with this stuff as long as they look good in front of the camera?
My second question is whether or not anyone buys the insanity plea? She blames it on being raped herself (although her story there is full of holes). And althogh that would be horrible, sad and traumatic (if true), it still doesn’t excuse her choices as an adult. And the evidence doesn’t really support her bipolar claim either. Even if she does have the disease (which I doubt), that also doesn’t excuse her. She should be in a hospital getting help, not on the Today Show getting legitimized — arguably even glorified.
My third question is about the judge and the justice system. How can these judges get away with these kinds of light sentences? Have our standards of conduct disintegrated so far that we no longer think stuff like this is a big deal? Do we really worship sex so much that we admire for the kid for doing something about being “hot for teacher”? Do people even realize that this kid was raped!? That his life has now been turned upside down by something that should never have happened to him? It’s not cool. It’s not macho. It’s horribly sad.
Lastly, what’s with the blatantly obvious double standard? I guess we also worship sexy people to the point that being in Playboy in ’91 is enough to get you off the hook (3 years house arrest vs. 30 years in the slammer = off the hook, as far as I’m concerned) for royally screwing up a kid’s life? No pun intended. What’s up with that? Womens’ rights groups should be going crazy with anger at how this woman was treated differently than a man in her position, right? Just like human rights groups should be furious about what happened to this poor kid, right? Where are they?
So, the summary (and I know this will come as a shock) is that I’m appalled … by all of it. What do you think?
Technorati tags: judicial system, debra lafave, children, child sexual pretators
I came across this article, and I was floored. I can’t tell you how angry I am that national security could be compromised in such a flagrant, careless way. I may finally be warming up to the idea of impeachment…
CIA Asks Bush To Discontinue Blog
WASHINGTON, DC-In the interest of national security, President Bush has been asked to stop posting entries on his personal web log, acting CIA director John E. McLaughlin said Monday. [Read More]
Breaking Away: Jeff Block's Blog 