Slashdot Commentary ??True or Not??

As a conservative I wonder offten if Ihave sided with the “Knee Jerk” reactionism usually espoused by people who are running for office. As a matter of fact it often amazes me that otherwise intelligent people can follow the sheep so well. A case in point:

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday April 29, @05:43PM
from the lets-get-this-cleared-up dept.
An anonymous reader writes “One of the provisions of the infamous USA PATRIOT Act is the ability for the government to force companies that hold personal information, specifically in this case, ISPs, to turn over their records without a court order. MSNBC is reporting about a lawsuit filed by the ACLU in secret because of another provision in PATRIOT that prevents public disclosure of these matters. The gag order was dropped when the Justice Department agreed to not take any action against the ACLU.”

Be conservative! The freedom of the USA is what made the masses flock here and work hard to make a future – the flocking still exists today – and a lot of people are working hard these days. This same freedom makes us vunerable to demagogues inside and out. So what do we do? Vote to you hearts content. Your vote does matter and the “general politician group” does listen if they think the status quo is going to be changed. Be intelligent and unemotional in your voting – who is going to really give you the best deal? If it is too good to be true then – guess what? – it is!

Be conservative! You need to evaluate carefully. Do what is best for everyone for the long haul. If you do not believe this then watch the stock market go up & down -you believe when you bought on an up and then watch the ride down, WOE IS ME, I am down. If you think you are smarter than Wall Street think again as they are using YOUR money?

Be conservative! It may be better to wait for a decade than to spend a TRILLION $now. Put up or shut up. I have paid the price and have rent my clothes. Where are we going?

Have I said enough? Or am I just a voice int the woods? Maybe – but the voice is growing without focus. So where does that lead us great smart intelligencia?

THE CASH

The total truth of it results in a TRUE
The subliminal Truth of it results in R U GOING TO FOOL WITH MOTHER NATURE
The secondary truth is that is you get older it matters less & less.
The secondary subliminal Truth is that WE TRY TO IGNORE THE OBVIOUS.
The third truth is that any one person can truly love more than a million people on this planet.
The third subliminal Truth is most, but not all, go for THE CASH.

10 best pig out places.

Ok, this is the second time and I have no patience. The number 1 place in the USA according to Travel.com. It is the Lambert Cafe. It does look good and a nice place to be entertained.

The Law

from a web site…………….i think amnesty international….

Commission on Human Rights, 60th Session (15 March – 23 April 2004)
The human rights scandal of Guantanamo Bay
Amnesty International welcomes consideration by the UN Commission on Human Rights of the situation of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. This is long overdue.

More than two years after the first of the detainees arrived in the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Camp X-Ray and its successor Camp Delta, the United States Government continues to exert unfettered executive power in total disregard for the rule of law. Hundreds of detainees remain held in tiny cells for up to 24 hours a day without any legal process.

International law has been flouted from the outset. None of the detainees was granted prisoner of war status nor brought before a competent tribunal to determine his status, as required by the Third Geneva Convention. None has been granted access to a court to be able to challenge the lawfulness of his detention, as required by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 9) to which the United States is a party. Detainees have been denied access to legal counsel and their families. When a state, let alone one as powerful as the United States of America, adopts a selective approach to international law and standards, the integrity of those standards is eroded.

While welcoming that the Commission will consider the arbitrary detention of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Amnesty International is concerned that the Commission has not been asked to consider other human rights violations involving the detainees. These include the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees and refoulement to countries where released detainees are in danger of torture or other serious human rights violations.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has taken the unusual step of going public about the deterioration in mental health it has witnessed among many of the detainees as a result of the indefinite and isolating incarceration regime. Amnesty International considers the totality of the conditions in which most of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay are held amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

According to a statement by the Department of Defense on 2 April 2004, 146 prisoners have been transferred from Guantanamo Bay to their countries of origin leaving “approximately 595″ detainees in the base. Most have been released upon return, but at least 12 have been transferred for continued detention in their home countries. While welcoming releases, Amnesty International is concerned that some detainees may be at risk of serious human rights violations if returned to their home countries for continued detention. Amnesty International considers that the US authorities have a responsibility to ensure that the human rights of the detainees will be fully respected after their transfer.

Guantanamo Bay is a human rights scandal, and Amnesty International believes that the Commission on Human Rights must urgently address this situation in all its aspects. Amnesty International considers that draft resolution L.88 on the question of arbitrary detention in the area of the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo is a welcome development, but it does not go far enough.

My Buddy Pete! – NOT or Maybe

Pete went and did it. He had called last week complaining about his computer crashing – really I think he opened a email with one of those nasty things in the wild these days. So, indeed, his computer was toast. His trusted local computer fixer wanted $150 to “correct” the situation – I went to the guy one time and he tried to sell me a UPS for the general rates one could purchase one from the internet but this is a story for below or a next day.

Anyway, Peter went and did it when he purchased a WEB TV unit. I told him I had one for free and then he was really depressed. He said some things and I said he was a P…… and it got interesting from that point. So much so that he was still bending (I should say melting) my ear after 17 Min 31.5 Sec. Understand I was on my very small mobile and it was getting real hot! So I told him I had to go and would talk to him sometime in the undefined future. Needless to say, I could not let it pass without a parting shot so I emailed him at his WEB TV address and called him a “P….” again. Man. would I love to give his WEB TV address out!

It’s Rainin’ Again!

The earth is a bit parched around here and we are wondering if April showers will bring May flowers. I am not too sure what the records show but a walk through the woods indicates it is below normal rain fall for this time of year. So hurrah for the rain that is falling – be it ever so slightly.

Tim & I drove to Detroit today and we saw a lot of friends there: It was good to return to the System. We performed several site surveys and covered a lot of ground in a hurry; however, when our appointment of the morning did not materialize so we filled the time well. We were tired on the return trip to Grand Rapids.

Free Wheelin’

On the road again……..As The Old Song Says: Road trip with Tim today to Detroit. Tim is a good driver and one of the first I have seen in Michigan. I always thought those guys from MI were crazy drivers and I held that belief until today. Wow, what a change of mind. Then on the way home with Marc it was the same thing. I was almost stupified. I can never again say all those MI drivers are crazy.

The day was warm and sunny – a first for me this year in MI. The joy that sunshine brings is undescribable. I have often pondered why those that live in perpetual sunshine seem to have a laid back attitude. Today it just dawned upon me. It must be the joy that all those days of sunshine bring to the people of the sun that somehow dull the senses and leads to sort of a lathargic mode that manifests itself as a “tomorrow” attitude. Whereas, we of the frozen North find very little sun and that leads to a frenzied devotion to time and the need to accomplish a lot in a short period of time that the sun shines. Since it does not shine a lot this leads to a vacuum that can only be filled by a more frenzied attempt. Who is correct? The North or the South Clan? Beats me but I like to average the year and be laid back in the winter and frenzied in the summer – strange it does not usually work out that way.

BFN…Charlie – The Frenzied..

Here we are – toothing problems

Ok, people I have a real problem! Last night I was eating my salad at a local establishment and I felt a crunch. A few more bites confirmed my loss of half of a premolar on the upper right. NO PAIN so far but an interesting thing was cold sweats – I had them all night. WHY? The loss did not result in mortal pain or even a dull ache. Mr. Tongue however, decided to probe the situation and discovered a huge problem. Now, Mr. Anticipation entered and created a sort of drama and expectation; however, he opened the door to Ms. Fretnwoory and, I am sad to say, I was awake for the rest of the night.

Therefore, I went in early and totally expected to have to go back to Indiana for tooth repair. At this time Mr. Fixit entered and gave me the name of a good Dr. Toothrepair so I went and he actually took care of the immediate problem – I cannot wait for the charge however – plus scheduled another more extensive procedure. Be that as it may, no more cold sweats and the better half did not have too much to say except it is less expensive elsewhere.

The rest of the day went well and I made up all the time missed this morning – they look at my time sheet now so I have to toe the line.

Sail Ho! – What am I reading tonight?

Now this is a real cool adventure of a man at sea – called Sea Trial. I like this sort of stuff and from an arm chair (or hotel room) live the adventure of the open sky and sea. Back to reading so BFN….Charlie.

Golf – Don’t you Love it?

THE NATURAL LAWS OF GOLF

1. If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a
much earlier age.

2. The game of golf is 90% mental and 10% mental.

3. Since bad shots come in groups of three, a fourth bad shot is actually
the beginning of the next group of three.

4. When you look up, causing an awful shot, you will always look down
again at exactly the moment when you ought to start watching the ball if you
ever want to see it again.

5. Any change works for a maximum of three holes – - or at a minimum of
not at all.

6. No matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse.

7. Never try to keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during
your swing.

8. When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one
more club or two more balls.

9. If you’re afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome
ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can
immediately shank a lay-up, or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball
halfway there.

10. The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas
about the golf swing.

11. The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the instant elimination of
the one critical unconscious motion that allowed you to compensate for all
of your many other errors.

12. If it ain’t broke, try changing your grip.

13. Golfers who claim they don’t cheat, also lie.

14. Everyone replaces his divot after a perfect approach shot.

15. A golf match is a test of your skill against your opponent’s luck.

16. It’s surprisingly easy to hole a 50-foot putt when you lie 8.

17. Counting on your opponent to inform you when he breaks a rule is like
expecting him to make fun of his own haircut.

18. Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts.

19. It’s not a gimme if you’re still away.

20. The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a
straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large
tree.

21. There are two kinds of bounces: unfair bounces, and bounces just the
way you meant to play it.

22. You can hit a 2-acre fairway 10% of the time, and a 2-inch
branch 90% of the time.

23. Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two
triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe.

24. If you want to hit a 7-iron as far as Tiger Woods does, simply
try to lay up just short of a water hazard.

25. To calculate the speed of a player’s downswing, multiply the
speed of his backswing by his handicap. Example: backswing 20 mph,
handicap 15, downswing 300 mph.

26. There are two things you can learn by stopping your backswing at the
top and checking the position of your hands: how many hands you have, and
which one is wearing the glove.

27. Hazards attract; fairways repel.

28. You can put “draw” on the ball, you can put “fade” on the ball, but no
golfer can put “straight” on the ball.

29. A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours.

30. If there is a ball in the fringe and a ball in the bunker, your
ball is in the bunker.

31. If both balls are in the bunker, yours is in the footprint.

32. Don’t buy a putter until you’ve had a chance to throw it.