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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The World Economy in a Nutshell
Illuminating
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Rep Clyburn, Final Arbiter of All Things Racist
Jim Treacher at The Daily Caller has the details. I will be using the hashtag #faatr when I tweet about this in the future.
h/t Instapundit
h/t Instapundit
Comment Re: Jeff Goldstein
I was flipping through my new phone (Motorola Backflip) when I came across this Glenn Reynolds post.
Glenn quotes the beginning of the paragraph, but my attention was drawn to the last sentence.
I began to wonder about the use of the phrase "shouting fire in a crowded theater." I can see the logic of not causing a panic that leads to deaths, but today we have these rules called fire codes: dictating the number of exits, the number of people allowed to be present and mandating technology to provide illumination for public venues. One might argue that under these fire codes, the charge of falsely crying fire in a crowded theater is relegated to the the level of other incendiary rhetoric and no longer prohibited.
Glenn quotes the beginning of the paragraph, but my attention was drawn to the last sentence.
But that isn’t the case: instead, Kiteley objects to the content, and sees Darleen’s cartoon as the online equivalent of shouting fire in a crowded movie theater.
I began to wonder about the use of the phrase "shouting fire in a crowded theater." I can see the logic of not causing a panic that leads to deaths, but today we have these rules called fire codes: dictating the number of exits, the number of people allowed to be present and mandating technology to provide illumination for public venues. One might argue that under these fire codes, the charge of falsely crying fire in a crowded theater is relegated to the the level of other incendiary rhetoric and no longer prohibited.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Sunday light reading
Victor Davis Hanson On Receiving another Request to Protest, Write a Letter, Give Money—Anything to Save the State Worker and His Program
Read the whole thing, especially the conclusion:
Read the whole thing, especially the conclusion:
Statism and spiraling public sector employment and entitlement (once again cf. southern Europe) alter the public mindset (see Aristophanes’ Knights or Wasps).
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
AT&T Customer Service knows nothing about AT&T's initial Android offering
AT&T Wireless announced that they will sell the Motorola Backflip with MotoBlur and Android starting March 7th. The website offers those interested an opportunity to check upgrade eligibility. I did. No Luck. So I took the opportunity to chat with an agent. Turns out they knew nothing about it.
You are now chatting with 'Susheel'
Susheel: Welcome to AT&T Premier Support. I am reading your question and will be right with you.
Stewart: Sure
Susheel: To clarify, you want to upgrade your service with motorola backflip. Is that correct?
Stewart: Yes
Susheel: I'd be more than happy to assist you with this.
Susheel: For security purposes, can you please provide me with your full name, the account holder's name, and the last 4 digits of the account holder's social security number? You can also provide the account password if you have one in place for verification purposes.
Stewart: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxx
Susheel: Thank you for the information.
Susheel: Do you want to upgrade this wireless xxxxxxxxxx?
Stewart: Yes
Susheel: Thank you.
Susheel: I am currently working to research your concern. Please hold and I will be right back with you within 2 to 3 minutes.
Stewart: sure
Susheel: I am still searching the required information for you. I will be right back with you.
Stewart: Sure
Susheel: Thank you for your patience.
Susheel: I have checked your account and found that you are eligible for an upgrade.
Stewart: Cool
Susheel: As a valued AT&T customer, we can offer you a discounted iPhone upgrade with a new 2-yr commitment and waive the $18 upgrade fee.
Susheel: I have checked your account and found that there is no motorola backflip in your account to upgrade.
Stewart: I do not want an iPhone
Stewart: ATT will offer the backflip on March 7th
Susheel: I understand your concern.
Susheel: Unfortunately, we do not have such information about the motorola backflip.
Stewart: It is on the website along with an opportunity to check for upgrade
Stewart: but the upgrade thing doesn't work
Susheel: It is not available with us yet.
Stewart: I see
Susheel: Have I resolved your concern today?
Stewart: Actually, no
Susheel: Thank you for using AT&T Premier Support. We appreciate your business.
So I guess those little hyperlink thingys are just for show...
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Saturday Morning Reading
I started with a nice column by Melissa Clouthier, "Sarah Palin Strikes Back" - a worthwhile read.
I then chanced upon this article by Dan Riehl. (via the miracle of Google Reader - this link is the feed I call my Daily Briefing.
I have a number of problems with Dan's article, but I lack the knowledge of how things are done in New York; I will reference my own experiences in NW Louisiana as I respond to Dan.
Please read Dan's article, "Scozzafava Candidacy: Not the Fault of DC GOP" first.
My summary. DC is not to blame for the Scozzafava candidacy because the DC GOP doesn't or shouldn't pick candidates for them. According to Dan,
I have no idea how my local Republican Party operates. I am registered as a Republican, but the local party makes no effort to contact me, either to solicit my help as a volunteer or to request financial support. Nor am I invited when they hold a forum or debate. Furthermore, they seem to engage in almost no activity whatsoever to recruit or promote the party's ideals.
I am most familiar with the group "Republican Women of Bossier" who do make an effort to promote the party, but the elected officials - not so much. I also have no clue how the state GOP officials are elected and it seems that the National GOP would love to keep it that way.
In the years that I have been a "member" of the Republican party, there has been no attempt to educate me on how I can help make the GOP better - just monthly solicitations and presenting me with plastic "platnium" cards as a way to help me ease my angst over the monthly request for donations. In short the GOP makes no effort to communicate the "value" of my membership, neither the value to them nor the value I derive. I am treated, by the Republican Party at the national level, as nothing more than a debit card. So, while I have sent money to the GOP in the past, I will no longer do so.
Now, Dan tells me that the money I sent to GOP has no strings attached when it is used on behalf of a person who was chosen to represent the GOP in the NY-23 race. In business, each franchisee derives value from the organization as a whole and the entirety suffers when a single franchisee doesn't conform to the values of the whole. Obviously, the GOP isn't a franchise - but doesn't it need to act like one?
Dan doesn't tell me how Scozzafava was chosen (was it a primary election or a choice by committee?) Nor does he tell me the process by which a local GOP organization gets ratified by the National GOP establishment (is it first come, first served or is there some vetting process that actually occurs?) How does the GOP know who represents them at the local level? In short, Dan exhorts us to "show up" but he gives no insight where / when this should occur.
Contrast this with my local Tea Party. http://www.redriverteaparty.com/
They hold a membership meeting every other Tuesday. Board meetings are twice monthly. They hold rallys, picnics, and sign-waving protests. They publish a weekly newsletter, maintain a twitter feed, and are active on Facebook. They endorse no candidate, just ideas and most importantly, they are accessible - something the GOP needs to fix if they want conservatives to, "Show up and do the work if you really want to make a difference." Something tells me, however, that the GOP wants no part of that.
Disclosure: I vote Republican, and I provide strategy and technical support to the Red River Tea Party.
I then chanced upon this article by Dan Riehl. (via the miracle of Google Reader - this link is the feed I call my Daily Briefing.
I have a number of problems with Dan's article, but I lack the knowledge of how things are done in New York; I will reference my own experiences in NW Louisiana as I respond to Dan.
Please read Dan's article, "Scozzafava Candidacy: Not the Fault of DC GOP" first.
My summary. DC is not to blame for the Scozzafava candidacy because the DC GOP doesn't or shouldn't pick candidates for them. According to Dan,
"It is not the D.C. GOP’s job to stab a state or local organization in the back, no matter what you may think."Additionally, he posits a couple of very good questions.
"Why is the state GOP chairman, at least potentially, an old Nader guy at heart? Why did the local county chairmen think that Scozzafava would be a better candidate than Doug Hoffman might be? "He then summarizes what he believes to be the core issue,
"Obviously, New York conservatives simply didn’t show up when it mattered most, and over a long period of time at that. If they had, the state chairman would be a rock-solid conservative. The same is true for the county chairmen."He ends with the injunction
"Show up and do the work if you really want to make a difference. Otherwise, you might just as well shut up for all the good effect you’ll have influencing the political future of this great land."Stew's View - from my own experiences in NW Louisiana:
I have no idea how my local Republican Party operates. I am registered as a Republican, but the local party makes no effort to contact me, either to solicit my help as a volunteer or to request financial support. Nor am I invited when they hold a forum or debate. Furthermore, they seem to engage in almost no activity whatsoever to recruit or promote the party's ideals.
I am most familiar with the group "Republican Women of Bossier" who do make an effort to promote the party, but the elected officials - not so much. I also have no clue how the state GOP officials are elected and it seems that the National GOP would love to keep it that way.
In the years that I have been a "member" of the Republican party, there has been no attempt to educate me on how I can help make the GOP better - just monthly solicitations and presenting me with plastic "platnium" cards as a way to help me ease my angst over the monthly request for donations. In short the GOP makes no effort to communicate the "value" of my membership, neither the value to them nor the value I derive. I am treated, by the Republican Party at the national level, as nothing more than a debit card. So, while I have sent money to the GOP in the past, I will no longer do so.
Now, Dan tells me that the money I sent to GOP has no strings attached when it is used on behalf of a person who was chosen to represent the GOP in the NY-23 race. In business, each franchisee derives value from the organization as a whole and the entirety suffers when a single franchisee doesn't conform to the values of the whole. Obviously, the GOP isn't a franchise - but doesn't it need to act like one?
Dan doesn't tell me how Scozzafava was chosen (was it a primary election or a choice by committee?) Nor does he tell me the process by which a local GOP organization gets ratified by the National GOP establishment (is it first come, first served or is there some vetting process that actually occurs?) How does the GOP know who represents them at the local level? In short, Dan exhorts us to "show up" but he gives no insight where / when this should occur.
Contrast this with my local Tea Party. http://www.redriverteaparty.com/
They hold a membership meeting every other Tuesday. Board meetings are twice monthly. They hold rallys, picnics, and sign-waving protests. They publish a weekly newsletter, maintain a twitter feed, and are active on Facebook. They endorse no candidate, just ideas and most importantly, they are accessible - something the GOP needs to fix if they want conservatives to, "Show up and do the work if you really want to make a difference." Something tells me, however, that the GOP wants no part of that.
Disclosure: I vote Republican, and I provide strategy and technical support to the Red River Tea Party.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Obama's Pay Czar and Slavery
The Obama Administration's "Pay Czar" compels Ken Lewis (Chairman of the Board for Bank of America) to work for free. Sounds like government forced labor (e.g. slavery) to me.
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