I’d heard several references to President Clinton’s speech at the convention so I finally watched it. I usually don’t watch a lot of politics. My beliefs are firmly set, and I either nod my head in agreement wondering what else I could be doing, or get irritated with those I think are wrong. 
I’d forgotten how truly motivating Clinton is to listen to. I’ve heard Obama, and he is inspirational, but for me I’ll take ol’ Bill any day. I actually caught myself halfway through muttering “god, why couldn’t we have just kept you in office the last 8 years?”.
He is such a wonderful speaker. He comes across so incredibly intelligent. I’ve blocked out as much as possible the absolutely painful stumbling, meandering, random mutterings of the man who currently holds the office. Clinton gives me hope, and makes me feel comfortable that the world is in good hands…when he’s in charge! I am hoping Obama gives me the same feeling when he’s in office.
What turns me off to politics is it is so much of more of the same, one extreme to the other. President Clinton was truly a ‘uniter, not a divider’ in his politics (so his opponents had to turn to his personal life to find something divisive!). What we need are people who inspire us & motivate us. Clinton will still be that person for me over Obama, but I’m glad that he seems to be that person for many others. Perhaps he will inspire a new generation to vote, become involved, and make the world a better place.
Meanwhile, I’ll keep my ear out for any other Clinton speeches whenever I get down about the current state of political affairs. I mentioned the other day to someone that a good position for Clinton would be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Maybe it’ll happen. He would certainly go a long ways towards rebuilding our international reputation.
President William Jefferson Clinton’s speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention
My CodeGuild Java blog is now “Thoughts on Java“. Don’t ask. 
I’ve been published again! This is my first paid publication.
Scroll down to see it listed under short fiction. If you enjoy science fiction/speculative fiction, check out the other work published by Silverthought Press both online and in print form. I’ve already found some very enjoyable stories there by new talent in the genre.
I haven’t posted here in a while. I may begin posting again, I’ll just have to see. I’ve kind of settled into a groove in my life so not a lot happening. My views haven’t really changed, and I doubt I’ve changed many minds with my posts. So I may still rant here from time to time, but I suppose I’ve come to a certain level of acceptance about things in general. I’ll still work for the change I feel is right, I just don’t feel the need to repeat myself online as much.
The writing bug has left me as well for my fiction writing. I hope it returns, but it’s not exactly something you command. I do still wish to write though, and I’ve thought more about technical writing. With that in mind, I have decided to begin a new blog focused on Java, IT, and software design in general: Code Guild. If you are a software developer, technical lead, or architect in Java, JEE I encourage you to read it. Eventually once I’ve added a few posts I’ll submit it to some of the Java blog sites and hopefully begin participating in some conversations with others in the field.
This should come as a real shock (please note the sarcasm! ;-). When you take away the oversight built into our government’s spying/wiretapping programs to expedite the ‘war on terror’, no one will abuse the system, right? No, never!
FBI Tried to Cover Patriot Act Abuses With Flawed, Retroactive Subpoenas, Audit Finds
This is exactly why the FISA act created the appropriate oversight courts, and why a warrant is required for this type of activity. If the system isn’t fast enough, buy better technology, get more courts created with people who have clearance, etc. Don’t just bypass the system!
Dana at Apophenia summarizes best why I’m not a huge fan of Wal-mart. While they do try to do things for the community and have become more eco-friendly, they still benefit from outsourcing production to overseas in sometimes questionable work environments, and they destroy local businesses when they move in. Plus, you can drive around and see empty Wal-mart building all over the place, leaving an eyesore in their wake.
But the larger point Dana’s making is valid: cultural sustainability. I’m thrilled environmental sustainability has become a focus of late, and hopefully it continues (I think actually it will). But we need to think long term about the ramifications of our actions on society & culture. To me, it blends with social responsibility. Just because you can do something (as a corporation), doesn’t mean you should. We’re all responsible for the world we live in, in terms of society, the environment, and much more. People, schools, corporations, the media, the government. Every entity contributes and every entity should be held to responsible standards.
Anyone who considers waterboarding to not be torture should be waterboarded. Let’s see if it changes their minds then. I’ll be glad to be the one to hold ol’ Bushie down during the procedure. 
The ethics of torture to me, are much like conflict of interest. If you think there might be a conflict of interest, there is. It doesn’t matter if you really, absolutely feel there is one or not. That’s the general standard that’s used. If a reasonable person suspects a certain action could be construed as a conflict of interest, it usually is considered to be one.
If a particular action seems like torture, and some think it might be torture, then for all practical purposes it IS torture. Torture isn’t something with a solid black line that you can step right up to and feel clean about. There’s a grey area. Waterboarding is eitehr grey, or black in this analogy. I seriously doubt anyone considers it “white”. The intent of the Geneva Convention was not to say “don’t do something to a prisoner that every person on Earth considers torture”, its purpose is to outlaw governments from doing anything to prisoners that is ethically wrong. Even if that’s not in the wording, it’s what is meant. What are we if we result to torturing people to feel safe? How can we sleep at night knowing what we’ve done? On top of it all, torture has very low accuracy in its results. Under torture, people talk. They’ll say anything. So what are we really accomplishing doing this? I am ashamed of this government for continuing these horrific acts in the name of protecting America.
Well, we’ve reached a significant milestone in the adoption process. After months of paperwork and expenses, we are approved by the agency. They have copies of our birthmother letter to send out, and our site is linked from their website. Now comes the waiting game! It could be tomorrow, it could be a year from now. While the number of steps to this point has sometimes been daunting, there’s at least been a next small step. “Ok, I submitted that form, now let me get this form done”. There’s nothing left for us to do at this point besides wait. Well, we can “network” as they call it. And, we could go ahead and start shuffling rooms around. So I guess there’s a little to do to keep me busy!
Gary Gygax, creator of Dungeons & Dragons, the seminal tabletop roleplaying game passed away today at 69. I didn’t play D&D but for a few years in middle school (and loved it!), but it lead soon to GURPS, another roleplaying system. No matter what the system, Mr. Gygax created an entire genre of entertainment. One I have enjoyed very much over the years, and for that I thank him.
Tabletop roleplaying is an in person experience, and as such it stimulates conversation, social skills, and more. Being a game, it teaches about competition, leadership, and cooperation. And being an open-ended format as opposed to a book or boardgame, it inspires the imagination. Skinny teenage geeks who didn’t feel like they felt in growing up could (and still can) find an escape in the fantastical adventures roleplaying proposes. Swords and sorcerors, dungeons and dragons, the imagination could run wild.
Wil Wheaton of course summarized much the same more eloquently than I could, read his homage to Mr. Gygax here.
I suppose I should finish with the obligatory RPG reference. So, Gary, may 3d10+2 angels carry thee to thy rest.
I’ve always enjoyed Irish/Celtic music anywhere from traditional Celtic style ballads to Irish drinking songs & jigs. While I do like a lot of the genre, there’s a number of artists and songs that I don’t care for either. I particularly have to hunt to find an artist or band who I like most of their songs. That group for me used to be Clandestine until they broke up.
Well this weekend I went to the North Texas Irish Festival with my parents down at Fair Park. It’s a gathering for Irish (and Scottish) music, food, and more. The food side was a bit disappointing. One Irish pub downtown had a booth with good corned beef and cabbage, otherwise it was typical fair fare. There were a few interesting booths with celtic knot pendants and such, and a lot of booths that only barely had anything to do with the theme (Harry Potter hats, candle shops, etc.).
All in all though it was a nice day for it and I heard some good music. In particular I found a new band I really like. Surprisingly, they’re available on iTunes. The Town Pants are from Vancouver and have a great upbeat sound to them. So far everything I’m hearing sounds good, so maybe they’re that new Irish group for me. If you like this style of music, check them out!