Virgina Tech And the state of the Mainstream Media…

Tuesday, April 17th, 2007

I’m sure you have all been waiting with baited breath to see what I have to say about this clusterfuck.

First and foremost:
My sympathies to the Family and friends of those who died. All of them.
Nothing I can say will ease your sorrow…

Second:
A big FUCK OFF to the university officials for choosing to notify students and faculty via email. WTF were they thinking? Yes, it’s a tech school. But, fuck, even I go a couple of hours at time without access to email.

Third:
A large fuck you to MSM for sensationalizing it. On the scene, breaking news, recapping, Eyewitness accounts, fuck you! Leave these people to their grief and shock. Ever hear of the copycat effect? The more you put it out there, the more likely it is that some other poor disturbed individual will climb a water tower.

Fourth:
Shut the hell up, you neo-hippy pacifist pantywaists who are using this as an example of why we need stricter gun control. Stricter gun control will mean that it is even harder to control access to guns. When things go into the shadows, there is no light to see.

Fifth: As a parent, I can’t imagine the pain. There is no safety anywhere. There never has been, and there never will be. All we can do is teach our kids as best as we can, and love them more than we can.

NYPD Intelligence Op Targets Dot-Matrix Graffiti Bike –

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

NYPD Intelligence Op Targets Dot-Matrix Graffiti Bike – : “”

From Boing Boing:
“Cory Doctorow: More information has come to light about the arrest of Josh Kinberg, the hacker who made a “dot-matrix bike-printer” to ride through the streets of New York during the RNC in 2004. The oversize bike had a laptop-powered array of chalk-sprayers that could print text messages as it was piloted through the streets around the RNC, as a means of breaking the free-speech embargo that New York cops and the Republican party created through the use of “free speech zones.” One of the bike’s messages was, “America is a Free Speech Zone.”

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Notes on Politics, Parenting and participation

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

Get Involved. That’s all there is to it. If you want your children to be free, work at it. Vote. Talk. Publicize. Throw Molotov cocktails. Practice sniping. (I’m kidding) (or am I?) Run for office. Take Back Your Government. Don’t let the bastards steal your freedom, and the freedom of your children.

“What signify a few lives lost in a generation or two? The tree of liberty must from time to time be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” Thomas Jefferson

“If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and measures you want to vote for… But there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong.
If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (if such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of time that truly intelligent exercise of the franchise requires. ” – Lazarus Long, AKA Robert Heinlein

“A managed democracy is a wonderful thing, Manuel, for the managers… and its greatest strength is a ‘free press’ when ‘free’ is defined as ‘responsible’ and the managers decide what is ‘irresponsible’.”

Prof. Bernardo de la Paz in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

And a final one to make you think about yourself:
“A rational anarchist believes that concepts, such as ‘state’ and ‘society’ and ‘government’ have no existence save as physically exemplified in the acts of self-responsible individuals. He believes that it is impossible to shift blame, share blame, distribute blame.. as blame, guilt, responsibility are matters taking place inside human beings singly and _nowhere_ else. But being rational, he knows that not all individuals hold his evaluations, so he tries to live perfectly in an imperfect world.. aware that his efforts will be less than perfect yet undismayed by self-knowledge of self-failiure.”

Prof. Bernardo de la Paz in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein