Obama FTW?

A couple of days ago Obama took the South Carolina Democratic primary, winning 56 percent of the overall votes.  Clinton was in second place with 12 percent of the vote.  Twelve percent.  Epic win!

Next, Ted “Fatty” Kennedy unexpectedly threw his weight behind Obama, stunning Hillary and her supporters everwhere.  Kennedy has taken a very critical stance against the execution of the Iraq War, and Obama is the closest thing to an anti-War president we’re likely to get.  Kennedy is also very socially liberal, as is Obama.  w00t!

Obama also got a key supporter in John Kerry earlier this month.  Now, looks like the California Teachers Association is going with Obama.  They were expected to support Clinton, but have recently changed their minds due to a large outcry among the rank and file.   This is very unexpected and could portend a serious threat to Clinton’s campaign.

The tides are changing.  The media and pollsters were telling us it’s going to be Huckabee vs. Clinton, but it looks like the people disagree; it could just as easily be McCain vs. Obama.  Which would be nice either way; they would both make good executives.  Personally, I believe the Republican Party should FAIL for what they’ve done to this country, for the lives they’ve ruined and lies they’ve told.

Researching Scientology

On Friday 7 of the top 10 posts on digg.com were Scientology related. Right now the top post is some frat boys wearing “blackface”. Ahhh…the internet…traffic is capricious*. It’s very possible some sort of censorship or digg spamming is going on; either is more likely than a sudden drop in interest in Scientology.

Granted, Barrack Obama’s win in South Carolina is HUGE, and might save me from bitching about Hillary for four years. While I don’t think he is some kind of magic bullet, I still think he wouldn’t screw up the job too badly.

But War on Scientology is certainly not over.

Anonymous took a hit when “Regime” hacked 711chan.org and told everyone they fail, and that they were as lame as Scientology. Anonymous was pissed, and took back the board and published all the personal information of Regime. Currently the site is down. I’m confused, is this LULZ? It’s interesting that the first real hit back in the war was hacker on hacker, not Scientologist on hacker.

Regardless, Anon has already accomplished its first goal, which was the promotion of non-approved information about Scientology on the Internet. Copyright is not a good excuse when it comes to commentary and critique, and we are certainly critiquing! With a small amount of internet searching skills it is quite easy to find videos, documents, and detailed technical dictionaries all over the internet. Much of this was previously available, but now it is easy to find as well. Scientologies lawyers are scary, but I will not let that stop me from commenting on it as is my Constitutional Right. I too can afford lawyers; I will not break the law, but I also will not be intimidated.

I am continuing to research this corporation and will continue along with thousands of other bloggers. Scientology, we are your suppressive persons (SP), we analytically question your tech and your processes. We are alloying your affinity; we are communicating whether or not you desire it. You have been greatly deceived and we seek your gnosis.

The first place to start is with those who have intimate knowledge of the church and are willing to talk:

Steven Fishman Interview

Reject the “Wall of Fire” = Expulsion. Margery Wakefield’s tragic story.

Ex-Scientologist staff reports.

“Won’t somebody think about the children!?” propaganda.

High Level Scientologist breaks code of silence.

Appendix to Scientology Terms. Absolutely essential for the new guy; this group is HUGE on private vocabulary and acronyms. Reminds me of the computer programmers and programs that Scientology’s “Tech” mimics. The Admin and Technical Dictionaries would be a much better source of information, though.

Some of these people have mental health issues, and it’s possible they might have made all this stuff up. One might also think that the church’s message appeals very strongly to these types. Some of what they say is obvious fabrication, but most of the statements are backed up by released materials and/or similar cases. For example, Margery’s story of being “off-loaded” is backed up by the Admin Dictionaries definition of “Fitness Board”. The jury is still definitely out, but Steven Fishman’s account is incredibly informative for those who are seriously interested.

Will Wheaton has something to say as well. We love you, Will, Crusher is dead.

* see below

$8,200,000,000,000.00 and counting

Original Posted Date: March 7, 2006 – Tuesday – 10:21 AM

“Treasury Secretary John Snow notified Congress on Monday that the administration has now taken “all prudent and legal actions,” including tapping certain government retirement funds, to keep from hitting the $8.2 trillion national debt limit.

In a letter to Congress, Snow urged lawmakers to pass a new debt ceiling immediately to avoid the nation’s first-ever default on its obligations.” Link to full article here.

8.2 trillion…that’s a big number. For example if we divide this number by 295 million (the current US population), that works out to a debt of $27,800 PER PERSON!

From the article: “Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said last week that under President Bush the total of the deficits has increased by $3 trillion, a 40 percent increase from where the national debt _ the total of previous deficits _ stood when Bush took office in January 2001.”

So, 40 percent of $27,800 is $11,120; the amount of debt aquired per person since Bush took office.

You know, I remember a time when Republicans were fiscally conservative. I was able to relate, being economically conservative and socially liberal. This has definitely changed, though; no other president has every increased the deficit by even close to this amount.

Here is an interesting site on the federal budget. Per this site, the agencies that spent the most are Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, and the Treasury. Why is the Treasury spending so much? It’s this thing called “interest”, and it’s a bitch!

This is got to stop sometime; but the big question is “when?”.

Update 1/25/2008: The federal debt is now 9.2 trillion. The Euro is worth $1.46. Recession is coming, the feds dropped the interest rates by .75 in an emergency session. The economy is more important to American voters than the Iraq War (one of our biggest expenses!). Neo-cons are still spending at an unprecedented rate, and now everyone wants cheap healthcare, but nobody knows how to pay for it. The only fiscally conservative presidential candidate is Ron Paul, the darling of digg.com and believer in the Illuminati. Things are VERY depressing.

Word of God Copyrighted?

Original Posted Date: January 24, 2006 – Tuesday – 5:24 AM

Recently the Catholic Church has decided to impose copyright on all papal pronouncements.

Scary, huh?  Especially when you consider the dogma of Infallible Magisterium,which essentially says that the pope can speak for God..  Think about this for a moment; in a sense the Catholic Church has copyrighted the word of God.  Now try to tell me religion isn’t all about money and control.

Copyright is an extremely important issue right now, threatening many of our freedoms, free speech being the most important.  Here are some links that  provide more information:
EFF
Boing Boing
Corante

Update: Two years later and I’m reposting this on WordPress due to moving my blog.  These days copyrighting religion is a much more popular topic due to Scientology DMCA abuse.

Heath Ledger and Drug Interactions

Heath Ledger died a couple of days ago due to a tragic drug overdose. Although it is still inconclusive, it seems likely that this was an accidental overdose due to the patient not following prescription guidelines. I’ve seen pills used and abused, and I just want to warn everyone who might not know: Taking prescription pills in the wrong amount or the wrong combination can kill you!

For example, numerous times I’ve seen people at parties take a Valium and couple of Vicodin, then slam a few beers. Or a Xanax and a Oxycodon with a martini…same difference. Being the busy body that I am, I’ve tried to educate people on the dangers of taking multiple drugs that depress the central nervous system. You just might fall asleep and never wake up.

The best thing to do is not to take drugs without a prescription! But if you feel you must get high to relax, it is much more safe to take only one type of medication at a time. And be careful of mixing alcohol with anything, as it increases the effects of many drugs. Anti-anxiety medication, especially Benzo-diazepines like Xanax or Valium, can also be very dangerous; and are increasing in popularity as a recreational drug. Also remember that Hydrocodone (Vicodin) and Oxycodone are opiates, similar to Heroin or Opium. All opiates are addictive, many highly addictive in short amounts of time. So don’t take them, or if you must do so very sparingly. Kicking an opium addiction is not something you want to do (for a vivid example of this see “Trainspotting“)

At the very least, do some research before you experiment! Have fun, but please be safe.

War on Scientology

Scientology has been all over the Internet recently, due to the propaganda video with Tom Cruise on the benefits of Scientology. “Re-Reading KSW”, “Orgs”, and “Have you met an SP?”; the specialized vocabulary is punctuated by what seems to be uncontrollable laughter, although maybe he has to pee real bad.

“Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident, it’s not like anyone else, it’s, you drive past, you know you have to do something about it. You know you are the only one who can really help. That’s what drives me.“

Enter a hacker group called “Anonymous”, loosely centered around the /b/ random board on 4chan. They call themselves /b/tards, and are always up for LULZ. You won’t find much about these guys on Wikipedia, but Encyclopedia Dramatica has much to say if you are curious about this odd anarchic subculture.

A rough timeline of Project Chanology.

1. First it was the Tom Cruise video leaked to youtube, most likely by frustrated reporters who weren’t able to get it shown through a mainstream channel. Much mirth and merrymaking did occur.

2. This video was quickly taken down, as the CoS likes to abuse the DMCA in order to suppress free speech. Seriously, they have a long history of this. Uh oh. If you really want to piss off “the Internet”, try to shape reality by the suppression of information. You are guaranteed to get a violent reaction.

3. A group of hackers called Anonymous attack back with a DOS attack on the Scientology website that apparently brought it down for days. This was quickly followed by a video in which war on Scientology was declared.

   “Over the years, we have been watching you. Your campaigns of misinformation; suppression of dissent; your litigious nature, all of these things have caught our eye. With the leakage of your latest propaganda video into mainstream circulation, the extent of your malign influence over those who trust you, who call you leader, has been made clear to us. Anonymous has therefore decided that your organization should be destroyed. For the good of your followers, for the good of mankind–for the laughs–we shall expel you from the Internet and systematically dismantle the Church of Scientology in its present form. We acknowledge you as a serious opponent, and we are prepared for a long, long campaign.”

4. CoS, not really knowing how to sue a bunch of random kids on the Internet, decided to offer a $5,000 reward for information leading to those responsible for the Anon attack. This lead to even more mirth and merrymaking, as CoS had listed a bunch of anonymous proxies as “clues” to the hackers’ identities. When CoS realized their n00b error, they quickly took the page down, but not before internet archives could get it.

5. Anon somehow got their hands on a bunch of Scientology documentation, and made it available…well, everywhere. Really, you can’t plug these leaks, a search for “SECRETDOX.rar” on the file sharing networks pulls up plenty of torrents.

As I see it, it’s CoS: 1, Anon: 4. One crazy inbred group versus another, but my money is on Anon. This could get very ugly before it’s over, so be careful out there!

Link to Gawker article

Link to Wired article

“Knowledge is free.

We are Anonymous.

We are Legion.

We do not forgive.

WE DO NOT FORGET.”

Extra!! Exclusive! Tell All! Tom Cruise on Scientology!!

Ahhh…Scientology. Hubbard’s Prank on the World; ha ha ha, jokes on us! He knew that if a sufficiently large number of people got together and started believing something, then that thing they believe in becomes real. Maybe not real in a material sense, but quite real in a memetic sense.

Memes like these flood the earth, with mixed results. Democracy, Socialism, Christianity, Islam, Science; all started as concepts supported by small minorities who eventually became powerful majorities. And you can make money on it!

Watch this video of Tom Cruise on Scientology. Watch it soon, as the “church” is working hard to get it suppressed again; they claim “copyright infringement”, if you can believe that! Grrrr! But I digress….Ask yourself about the positive benefits of weird metaphysical memes, and the negative ones. Tom’s sincerity seems genuine, making the entire video depressing. I have been around people who become fixated on certain ideas, and they all have that fanatical gleam in their eye. You can make money on it!

Converting others to your cause is one of the most important aspect of viral memes. With greater numbers come greater power. Any idea that does not replicate itself is doomed to obscurity. The more outrageous and unsupported the idea is, the more explicit commands are necessary to propogate it. “Thetans” would be a quaint metaphysical concept if it weren’t for John Travolta and Tom Cruise working hard to spread the meme and make money for the church.

Hence the visits to my door from both Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons in the last stinkin’ week! Everybody is out there peddling their ideas about how to make the world a better place, and I’m sick of it. We all know inside how to make the world a better place…treat each other fairly, protect the weak and innocent, save for your grandkids, share with your community, help strangers, respect your elders, produce something useful for a living.

Why do we need to wrap these basic morals in metaphysical concepts in order to sell them to the public? Maybe it has to do with control. Or money…

PS: I am not actually “currently reading” “Tom Cruise; An Unauthorized Biography”, I only added it to my Amazon Wish List.

Huckabee on the Constitution

Posted Date: January 15, 2008 – Tuesday – 11:23 AM

“I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And that’s what we need to do is amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than trying to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.” link.

It’s important to understand what Huckabee is saying in his statement above. As scary as it is, when you actually dissect his meaning it becomes even worse. Huckabee started his career working with a Televangelist named James Robson, who had this to say about him, “His convictions shape his character and his character will shape his policies. His whole life has been shaped by moral absolutes.”

This is a strong endorsement coming from a TV preacher. By moral absolutes he means something else, something very specific, “ALL law must be based on BIBLICAL law“.

To explain: Evangelicals, especially the ones who are on TBN, believe that the Bible in its current form is perfect (completely inerrant and infallible). It contains within itself all guidance necessary for all people in all times. Any inconsistencies are due to improper interpretation; but the “Born Again” faith interpret the Bible correctly because of their special relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Most likely Huckabee truly believes that the Christian Bible we have today is the “perfect law”, and everything should be based on it. He would advocate a “literal” interpretation of scripture, and believe that every word and law in it is correct.

Of course, different parts of the Bible advocate different things at different times. This is very difficult for those trying to discover exactly what these “Biblical Principles” should be. Mass genocide must be acceptable in certain situations. But you should also love your neighbor as yourself. Homosexuality and Bestiality are wrong, but so is having sex with a woman on her period. All humans are equal, but the institution of slavery should be allowed. Men and Women are equal before God, but Men are in charge. Only a women’s sexual purity is important, or a man even looking at women can be impure. Charge a Gentile interest, but not a fellow believer.

Tribal law, ritual law, purity law, abstract law, common law, secular law, even the complete abolition of law; all are advocated at different times. All very confusing stuff, and extremely difficult to build modern civil law out of. To the sane among us, the idea that hermeneutics should be the basis of civil law is abhorrent. The final authority for all civil law is supposed to be you and me, not these new Protestant Priesthood.

The political group Mike Huckabee represents would in reality support some Biblical Principles and not others. They would not abolish Interest, bring back slavery, or attempt to rebuild Solomon’s Temple at the Dome of the Rock. But our law would not be based on the Constitution, it will be based on the whims of those who interpret scripture.

They would then use the Bible to support whatever it is they want to do, ignoring any parts that contradict their goals. When they think it appropriate, they will advocate loving your neighbor as yourself. And when they think it is appropriate they will advocate genocide. Civil rights will be allowed when they think it is OK, and when they think it’s not OK they won’t allow those same rights. Just like all leaders that are not bound by Democratic law.

 

Primary Thoughts and Saudi Arabia.

Posted Date: January 10, 2008 – Thursday – 5:58 PM

Since Dick Cheney has decided to step down, we’ll soon decide who to elect in ’08, clown on the left or joker on the right? But first we’ve got to figure out who that clown and joker will be.

The big issues are Civil Rights, “The War”, National Debt, Oil, and Radical Religion. Since radical Muslims provoked this”War on Terror”, our National Debt has doubled and civil rights have seriously eroded. We are a few trillion dollars away from insolvency, with no end in sight on Iraq. We are at the Hubbert Peak, and still don’t have a good alternative to foreign oil.

Watching “The Kingdom” gave me a renewed interest in Saudi Arabia. This is a country where all these issues intersect, and yet you rarely hear it mentioned by presidential primary candidates.

The 911 terrorists were Saudi.
Saudi is the only dependable source of petroleum.
It is controlled by a radical religion
There are few civil rights, especially for women.

The oil crisis of ’73 was instigated by Saudi Arabia, until we brokered a deal with them. This should have been taken as a warning, but Carter was ignored (and he’s pissed, LOL). Now we are facing the same crisis, only it’s physical resources, not politics, and there will be no negotiation.

So we can reduce environment, energy, oil, WOT, and radical religion issues into one question: “Mr(s). Candidate, what is your position on Saudi Arabia, and our relationship with them?”

Obviously there is much more to it than that, but Saudi serves as an excellent lens to view these things through.

It is clear that money we pay Saudi Arabia makes its way through Islamic “charity” organizations and into the hands of terrorists. We are supporting our own destruction.

Saudi will not be able to continue the current output of oil, so alternative forms of energy are not an option, they are a requirement. As is energy reduction.

We have spent trillions of dollars chasing down a motley band of Saudi radicals. We instead find ourselves invading a country that had nothing to do with it.

The War On Terror has actually CREATED more terror than it has stopped, making the entire campaign part of the problem, not the solution.

Intending to keep us safe, our own government has suspended basic principles of civil rights. People distrust the Federal government more than ever, a reasonable reaction to their behavior.

All of these issues combine, like one big knot. Whoever we pick as the next CEO, he is going to have to deal with this, and I do not envy that person.

Britain Drops War on Terror Label

Posted Date: December 30, 2007 – Sunday – 5:41 PM
This is very good news, for Britain if not for us.

“Sir Ken Macdonald said terrorist fanatics were not soldiers fighting a war but simply members of an aimless ‘death cult.’”

“‘The people who were murdered on July 7 were not the victims of war. The men who killed them were not soldiers,’ Macdonald said. ‘They were fantasists, narcissists, murderers and criminals and need to be responded to in that way.’”

“…Macdonald made a fresh attack on plans to extend beyond 28 days the length of time a terror suspect can be held without trial. He said that the evidence had shown that the existing limit was working well and he accused ministers of legislating on the basis of ‘hypotheticals’”

Wonderful.  Maybe we need new laws to combat terrorism, but we certainly don’t need to change the foundations of criminal justice.  I would love to see anti-cult legislation on the table in Washington, but I doubt that is possible in the current religious climate.