Let's Pass on the Inaugural Celebration!

A recent article in Citizen-Times got me to thinking about the money our government spends to celebrate itself. I have always thought the inaugural Celebrations were always a bit excessive for my tastes but perhaps I could be convinced that they were even needed at the beginning of a new President's first term. However, I have always felt the these types of celebrations of a sitting president's second term was wasteful and redundant especially considering our current and increasing national debt, tens of thousands of service members in combat areas overseas constantly in harm's way, returning veterans and their families who need our support and Indian Ocean tsunami tragedy.

I intend on writing our Vermont congressional delegation and expressing my opinion that we should forego the celebration and get back to work on the urgent and immediate problems at hand.

If you support these inaugural celebrations, you should write your congressional delegations and tell them.

Whatever your thoughts or opinions, you should participate in the various political processes in a respectful & thoughtful manner.

Linux Advocacy

Linux Advocacy by Joe Shaw is a good article on general technical advocacy. However, I will suggest that it is a good overview of advocacy in general.

Real Player/Real One ... Yuk!

I have been truly disappointed in Real Player/Real One. I find the "free" Real Player installation to be akin to malicious "AdWare".

This blog Link has a comprehensive article and summarizes my thoughts and feelings on the whole "Real Player" issue. If WinAmp can do this without being malicious or annoying, why can't Real One? In many ways, Real One is becoming more like Microsoft every year which is the ultimate irony considering Real One's history.

I will not miss AG John Ashcroft

The Ashcroft Raids

AG John Ashcroft's use of "preventive detentions" in the fight against terrorists yielded zero convictions out of almost 5000 detentions.

I will not miss AG John Ashcroft.

The Quest for a Recumbent Bicycle

My quest continues. On the back of a jeep, I spied a Burly Cantos recumbent bicycle. Its design peaked my engineering interest & eye. Simple, direct, and lazy...I like it. The Burley company is quite interesting as well. I am not sure if I will buying a recumbent soon, but I will certainly be looking at Burley recumbent bicycles.

Just another one of those quotes...

John Adams wrote his wife, Abigail, from Philadelphia:

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, and naval architecture ... in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, tapestry, and porcelain".

The founding fathers seemed to have a very keen and timeless grasp of the fundamentals.

-jmc.

Justice for All Act of 2004

Justice for All Act of 2004