Category: government

McCain – I hate the gooks

On By Rick McIn governmentLeave a comment

Presidential nominee John McCain openly admits that he has “anger management issues”, confessing that it’s a problem he’s had to work on for many years.

From the year 2000:

… “I hate the gooks,” McCain said yesterday in response to a question from reporters aboard his campaign bus. “I will hate them as long as I live.”

McCain, a former Navy pilot who spent five years in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp, was questioned about the language because of a story last month in the Nation magazine reporting his continued use of the slur.

…

“I was referring to my prison guards,” McCain said, “and I will continue to refer to them in language that might offend some people because of the beating and torture of my friends.”

McCain made it clear that his anger extends only toward his captors. As a senator, he was one of the leaders of the postwar effort to normalize U.S. relations with Vietnam. …

McCain Criticized for Slur
He says he’ll keep using term for ex-captors in Vietnam – SF Gate

popeye-yam-spin.png

This troubles me.

I don’t want an “angry” old man with his finger on Nuclear annihilation.

who to believe about oil prices

On By Rick McIn economics, government, product complaintsLeave a comment

A superb audiocast called Supply and Command by On The Media is essential listening for anyone angered.

It explains why and how the media has been duped by Big Oil.

portfolio-oil.jpg

Also recommended is this article by Howell Raines. (He’s on the Big Oil hit list, for sure.)

When it comes to the cost of gasoline, who should we believe? Here are some nominees and their viewpoints:

1. The oil companies: It’s supply and demand at its most basic, just like your professor outlined in your freshman economics course.
2. The petro-toadies in Congress: All we have to do is open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the waters off Florida and California.
3. The Department of Energy: OPEC has to pump more, and we’ve got to allow more refineries by rolling back environmental restrictions.
4. King Abdullah: OPEC pumps plenty of crude but “despicable” oil-futures speculators in the West are driving up the prices due to their “selfishness.”
5. Senator John McCain: Exxon Mobil has done such a good job of demonstrating the magic of the marketplace that it deserves another $1.2 billion in tax breaks.
6. Senator Barack Obama: Impose a windfall-profits tax to remind American oil executives that price gouging can backfire politically.
7. About 90 percent of the print and TV reporters in America: See No. 1. It really is that ol’ devil supply and demand.
8. The White House: Never mind. Nobody’s home.

For my money, a sounder answer as to whom to believe is Don Barlett and Jim Steele, the investigative reporting team that has won two Pulitzers and two National Magazine Awards for exposing government theft and corporate greed. Their 2003 series for Time magazine on oil economics remains required reading for anyone who wants a better understanding of how gas at $4 to $5 a gallon represents a carefully arranged screwing of consumers. “The bottom line for the oil people is, How much can I make while spending the least I can get by with on refineries, synthetic fuels, and for exploration and drilling on the vast, unused acreage in existing oil leases?” Barlett says. He notes that Canada has become the United States’ No. 1 oil supplier by funding joint government-industry exploration of the tar-sand fields of Alberta. “The most chilling statistic is Exxon Mobil’s. It spent twice as much last year to buy back stock as it did on exploration.”

As journalism has passed from a hungry to an elite profession, there’s no shock value in the fact that Exxon Mobil paid only $5 billion in U.S. income taxes last year while it paid $25 billion to foreign governments. …

Portfolio magazine – Crude Reporting

Click through. You are getting screwed.

gaspriceseb1.jpg

how good is your internet?

On By Rick McIn government, internetLeave a comment

Ten years ago, the United States had the fastest and cheapest residential Internet service in the world. Today U.S. residential Internet service, especially broadband, is among the slowest and most expensive. Fortunately, this is likely to change as U.S. broadband Internet services become decidedly more competitive, both in terms of cost and available bandwidth. …

Japan went from being among the most expensive countries for residential Internet bandwidth a decade ago to absolutely the cheapest today. While some of this change can be attributed to technology improvements, most of the change can be attributed to competition, specifically the entry of Softbank BB into the Japanese broadband market. Softbank BB entered the Japanese market early this decade with loss-leader pricing that forced all the incumbent broadband suppliers to respond in kind, leading to a dramatic expansion of the Japanese broadband market where today residential 100-megabit-per-second service costs less than $20 per month. …

Korea, as it is often wont to do, followed Japan in terms of bandwidth pricing. More importantly the government of Korea made it a national priority to build out the residential Internet infrastructure at government expense. This was, ironically, in part inspired by the U.S. National Information Infrastructure plan, which was intended to accomplish the same end but failed miserably. Though they took full advantage of $150 billion in tax credits, the U.S. telcos simply did not build the network they had agreed to build, yet their model inspired more successful efforts in Korea, Singapore and other Asian markets.

Of the 30+ nations that can be judged to have residential Internet service superior to the U.S., in case after case that superiority can be attributed to government funding of infrastructure, to largely urban (short-distance) topologies, or to aggressive competition. …

I, Cringely

If you want improvements in your internet, likely you need increased competition or government support.

Personally, I’d prefer increased competition.

Yet the ISPs do everything they can to stifle competition. Lobbyists buy off politicians.

What we really need is governments to encourage competition. Free enterprise governments.

Let’s check the speed of my current wireless connection using internetfrog.com

speed-www.jpg

Not bad!

stand down Minister Jim Prentice, bill C-61 sucks

On By Rick McIn governmentLeave a comment

I just complained to my MP through this convenient link:

After months of hesitation, Industry Minister Jim Prentice has finally revealed his re-write of Canada’s rules of copyright, Bill C-61. As expected, the bill contains major concessions to the American entertainment industry. Prentice’s bill forbids Canadians from engaging in ordinary practices such as ripping DVDs onto video iPods, unlocking digital phones for use with a competitor’s services, and paves the road for US-style consumer lawsuits for file-sharing. Tell your MP to represent you in the forthcoming copyright debate, and stop Prentice from steamrolling a bill that’s worse than America’s DMCA through Parliament without listening to Canadian voices.

Copyright for Canadians

copyright-for-canadians.jpg

Canada has been reasonably intelligent in the transition from analog to digital media. Until now.

Somehow the Canadian Conservative government has been bought off by the old big media. (Movie industry, record industry, etc.) Though almost anyone who looks at the issue objectively would tell Prentice his pandering to special corporate interests is bass ackwards, he’s still chugging ahead with this bad bill.

Canadians don’t want it.

Why is Prentice persisting?

I don’t know.

I wrote him personally and threatened to egg his garage if he doesn’t back down. As he did last Fall.

Read Michael Geist’s Blog if you want to know more about this issue.

Event: Jim Prentice – 2008 Stampede Breakfast

What: Rally
Host: Fair Copyright for Canada – Calgary Chapter
When: Saturday, July 5 at 8:50am
Where: Osteria de Medici parking lot

voted myself a 40% raise

On By Rick McIn governmentLeave a comment

I’ll be more motivated. More likely to stay in my current position. More likely to do a good job.

I’m worth it.

If you can’t vote yourself a raise, that’s your problem.

A spending watchdog blasted my decision, however.

Scott Hennig, Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said said this:

“You should take this to the people. Have them make a decision on this. Have a independent citizens commission review this stuff,” he said.

eddies.jpgYa right, Scott. Like the taxpayers are going to approve a 40% raise! I’ll make decisions like this in future behind closed doors. As I did this time.

Related:

  • Alberta’s premier gives himself $54,000 raise – National Post
  • Taxpayers jam Alberta premier’s phone over raises – Calgary Herald

    • tell Ed what you think: Premier Ed Stelmach

    Charlie Wilson’s War – XLNT

    On By Rick McIn government, movies, product endorsementsLeave a comment

    Watched this terrific and informative “entertainment” with Dave and Lisa Adlard. For a Hollywood movie, I think it captures the flavour of how things get really done in politics.

    Charlie Wilson’s War is a 2007 biographical drama film based on the true story of Democratic Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson, who conspired with a “bare knuckle attitude” CIA operative named Gust Avrakotos to launch an operation to help the Afghan mujahideen resist and ultimately defeat the Soviet Union’s military occupation of the nation.

    The film is adapted from George Crile’s 2003 book Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History.

    It is directed by Mike Nichols, written by Aaron Sorkin, and stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Ned Beatty. It was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, including “Best Motion Picture”, but did not win in any category. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Supporting Actor,” but did not win.

    Hoffman was fantastic, as usual.

    Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

    To oversimplify the plot, it’s the story of how the USA eventually and reluctantly delivered Stinger missiles into the hands of illiterate tribesmen. That weapon turned the tide in the campaign against the brutal invading Soviet Army.

    George Crile, author of … the book on which the film is based, wrote that the mujahideen’s victory in Afghanistan ultimately opened a power vacuum for bin Laden: “By the end of 1993, in Afghanistan itself there were no roads, no schools, just a destroyed country — and the United States was washing its hands of any responsibility. It was in this vacuum that the Taliban and Osama bin Laden would emerge as the dominant players. It is ironic that a man who had almost nothing to do with the victory over the Red Army, Osama bin Laden, would come to personify the power of the jihad.” …

    Wikipedia

    Clinton Obama in 2008

    On By Rick McIn governmentLeave a comment

    It’s difficult to predict what dumb side story will derail a political campaign. Reverand Wright? What?

    There’s only one reasonable way out of the Democratic mess. Clinton for President. Obama for Vice.

    clinton-obama.jpg
    CafePress

    I know that’s not perfect.

    But what’s the alternative?

    moblogic.tv

    On By Rick McIn economics, geek babes, government, videocastsLeave a comment

    When yet another geek babe online videocast arrived, it got some negative buzz on the internet.

    MobLogic is a web show that covers news, politics, and pop culture. Every day host Lindsay Campbell hits the streets to find out what issues are on the minds of Americans.

    “Streeter” interviews are “easy”. You can always find people to mock.

    Yet now, moblogic.tv is one of my favourites. It’s evolving into quite a personal soapbox for the appealing host. Samples that are not street interviews:

    Hawaiian sovereignty movement

    On By Rick McIn government, travelLeave a comment

    Respect is a word you see and hear a lot in Kauai.

    I assume it to mean newcomers should respect the original Hawaiian culture.

    respect-kauai.jpg
    original

    The biggest problem in Kauai, so far as I could tell, was resentment on the part of “Hawaiians” for mistreatment on the part of invaders, like myself.

    Hawaiians of European background tell tales of racism against the Whites.

    The Hawaiian sovereignty movement consists of organizations and individuals seeking some form of sovereignty for Hawai’i.

    Generally, the movement’s focus is on self-determination and self-governance for people of whole or part Native Hawaiian ancestry or, in some cases, for “Hawaiian nationals”, without regard to race or ancestry.

    In some instances the focus also includes redress from the United States for the 1893 overthrow of Queen Lili’uokalani, and for what is seen as a prolonged military occupation beginning in 1898 with the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii to the United States, and continuing until the present day. The movement generally views both the overthrow and annexation as illegal, and holds the U.S. government responsible for these actions. The historical and legal basis for these claims is one of considerable dispute.

    Wikipedia

    Sadly there are perhaps no pure blood indigenous Hawaiians left. But some of those who identify themselves as “Hawaiians” have taken up the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. Thugs and vandals use Hawaiian pride as an excuse for misdeeds, at times.

    I went to visit the spot where Captain Cook first stepped on to Hawaiian soil in 1778 on Kauai, the mouth of the Waimea river:

    waimea.jpg

    It’s a rundown hangout for local kids. There’s very little mention of Cook in this rural town. I could not even find the one statue they have of the great seafarer.

    Some have no regrets that Cook was later killed by Hawaiians.