« September 25, 2005 - October 1, 2005 | Main | October 9, 2005 - October 15, 2005 »

October 2, 2005 - October 8, 2005 Archives

October 2, 2005

EVERYONE YOU KNOW IS WRONG

Bill Bennett made an ass out of himself, ergo everything he says is wrong and all conservatives are Klansmen in suits. Jayson Blair made stuff up, so everything in the New York TImes is a fraud and you can't believe anything the liberal press ever prints. George W. Bush was a partier/drinker/alleged druggie, and that means he can't ever be right on anything again. CBS got caught trying to claim forgeries were real, so anything on that network's obviously fiction. Tom DeLay's charged with conspiracy to funnel illegal donations, so every position he's ever held is wrong and all Republicans are corrupt. Ted Kennedy left a girl for dead in the water at Chappaquiddick, so his positions on economic issues are invalid and all Democrats are drunks who kill women.

See? See how we've exposed you? Gotcha! All (name of political afffiliation)s are (random pejorative).

I hate politics.

Lately, it's become such noise on both sides that I feel like I need to take a break from it. I won't, of course, but it's just stupid now.

And that's how I feel BEFORE the week starts. By Thursday, I should be extra well done.


  Share

October 3, 2005

COMPUTER FUN

Having to edit and send sound files tonight. It's taking forever. I'm getting annoyed. I am contemplating breaking something.

Happy Rosh Hashonah!


  Share

October 4, 2005

AND IT'LL ALL FALL APART TOMORROW

Everything's working.

The other web site, for the most part, is working.

The cable is finally working better- turned out that a squirrel or raccoon had chewed through the cable on the pole out back. The HD is working in time for the Angels game. The Internet connection's working.

The Benadryl's been working- I'm almost back to normal. Coughing not too bad, congestion lessened. Just a vestigial headache.

The audio files are working- finally edited and converted and shipped.

My last-second, emergency Photoshop skills were working- I got a new graphic for the other web site done in a matter of minutes. The weekly newsletter went out, too (thanks, Matt Shapo). I'm just about caught up with work.

I'm feeling a sense of accomplishment now.

Wait a minute.

Why am I still working, then?

Let's put a stop to that right now.


  Share

October 5, 2005

UNHEARD WITNESS

The first thing that comes to mind when the stories about Oregon's assisted suicide law at the Supreme Court come on the radio is last winter.

It was late in 2003 when the pain became unbearable. My father had mesothelioma, and as the cancer progressed, the sharp pain became incessant, debilitating. He took morphine, but after a while, it stopped having enough of an effect- the pain was still there, and it blocked his intestinal tract up as well. If he got a good hour or two in a day- just a short time when the pain subsided enough to let him concentrate on a book, or on a TV show, or maybe walk around the block- that was a good day. But the good days became fewer and farther between, and then the disease blocked him from even being able to eat or drink or swallow.

And as this progressed, he read about ending it all. He began to get mail from groups that offered advice, groups lobbying to change the laws in Florida, groups that told of the Oregon law and how the Justice Department was fighting it.

And he would tell me how he couldn't live with the pain anymore. He would look at me and say "what kind of life is this? I can't eat, I can't walk, I can't sit or lay down or stand up. This is no life." But he would not- could not- bring himself to end it himself. If it was legal, he may have done it, but he couldn't. And that's why he had to endure several last months of agonizing pain, unable to enjoy anything, able only to writhe in agony as the morphine didn't have enough effect.

So when I see the objections to assisted suicide, I can only think that the people fighting it tooth and nail- the people likening it to murder, to abortion- have never seen a loved one die in agony. They trot out the extremes- Kevorkian, people who are merely depressed, people who aren't terminal, people who aren't in pain- and they ignore or avoid those who they sentence to an extended period of the most intense physical pain known to man.

And I think of my father. He was a good- no, a great man, a man whose life's work helped countless children survive the inner city and get an education and prosper. He was a wonderful, loving father and husband. He did not deserve to have to spend the last few years of his life in an increasing state of torture.

I wish he was here today, not to suffer but to tell the court what it's like to suffer, what it's like to be terminal and without hope of a cure and in intense pain yet not permitted to end the agony. In the debate over Oregon's law, someone should be there to tell his story.


  Share

October 6, 2005

IT'S DANGEROUS DOWN THERE. GO IN AND TELL US WHAT YOU SEE

Threat in New York:

    There were indications that a terrorist attack on New York's subway system is possible "in the coming days," said New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Both he and Bloomberg declined to give further details, citing security concerns. No arrests have been made in Manhattan, but operations continue outside the city, Kelly said, without mentioning where. And Bloomberg said that officials "do not have any reason to believe" that any of the plotters "are in New York at this point in time"

    "There is a possibility that this particular threat may be resolved in the coming days," said Mark Mershon, assistant director of the FBI's New York field office.

    It was the first specific threat against the city's subway system, Bloomberg said. But the threat did not mention specific subway stations, he said. "It was more specific as to target," he said. It was more specific as to timing, and some of the sources had more information that would lead one to believe that it was not the kind of thing that appears in the intelligence community every day."

    Bloomberg urged New Yorkers to be vigilant.

    "If you see something, say something. Call 311 or 911, if it's an emergency," he said, urging vigilance. (311 is New York City's phone number for government information.)

Okay, if there's a real threat to the subway system and you know it's a possibility, WHY WOULD YOU TAKE THE SUBWAY? Why would you go down there to be vigilant KNOWING that something could happen? Why would you NOT just take the bus? Or walk?

But there WERE explosions in New York today. In fact, they're still going on. Maybe it's just me, but fart humor stopped being funny, oh, 30 years ago. Except for Stewie, but that's different.


  Share

October 7, 2005

FCC COMMISSIONERS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS

Here's the FCC's new indecency complaint website.

And here's their handy one-stop site for all of the indecency cases they've handled, including explicit transcripts.

Yes, they fine people for saying the same things they're happy to let anyone- including children- see on the Internet.

They've likened the broadcasters they've fined to pornographers. But that makes the FCC pornographers, too.

And while the FCC will claim that this is merely instructional, to show everyone what they've done on indecency, there is no warning label, no disclaimer, no content rating to protect children. And there's no safe harbor, either- the kids can access this stuff at any time from any computer. In fact, the FCC's indecent material is MORE pervasive than a local radio show, because unlike a radio show that can't be listened to in school and can't be listened to in mom's car without parental permission and guidance, this stuff can be looked up on any computer at any time, and no filtering program is going to block a government agency's educational website, is it?

You might believe that the two situations- raunchy radio shows and a government website with raunch- aren't the same. You're right. The FCC website is worse. Doesn't the FCC have a part of the same website designed to appeal to kids? Why, yes, it does.

Come on in, kids, and learn about the Cleveland Steamer! Maybe we'll throw in some Rusty Trombones for you! Unca Kevin and his Kommissioner Klowns are here to entertain you!

Maybe they just ought to fine themselves.


  Share

October 8, 2005

SHAMELESS PLUG FOR FRIEND'S BOOK AND CD

It's Saturday. You shouldn't be online Saturday.

What should you be doing Saturday? Shopping. Buy this. And pre-order this.

There. Now you can go do something else.


  Share

About October 2005

This page contains all entries posted to PMSimon.com in October 2005. They are listed from oldest to newest.

September 25, 2005 - October 1, 2005 is the previous archive.

October 9, 2005 - October 15, 2005 is the next archive.

Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.

Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under a Creative Commons License.