Showing posts with label Patriotism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patriotism. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Blogs I like: th3j35t3r @ Wordpress
Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action. - Benjamin Disraeli
Taking a page out of th3j35t3r's book, I started this post with a quote.
Somewhere between greyhat and patriot, you'll find this slightly off-beat hacktivist who went on an extensive anti-jihad campaign and took down the Westboro Baptist Church websites for more than 1 month.
Some say that he doesn't actually take down sites, but simply claims responsibility for such things as maintenance.
I'm unsure of (and have no way of directly verifying) how he takes websites down from a relatively low-spec computer, but I would presume that he uses his expertise for the greater good (of America, at least).
Patriotically speaking, I'm glad that he took down WBC, because I'm not particularly fond of their hatespeech. While it is their right to be assholes (see: Amendment I), they don't have the right to be liked by me.
I'm also appreciative of his campaign against the enemies in the Middle East- it's a war I'd like to win, and shutting down their electronic campaign brings us a step closer to that goal.
Information is power- this, I'll admit. I think that information wants to be free- everyone should know everything about everything (or should be able to learn everything about everything), but I draw the line when it endangers people who are wagering their life on my behalf.
th3j35t3r seems like a relatively educated neighbor, to say the least.
I actually like the whole quote-before-a-post thing, I might continue this.
He doesn't explain much about how he does what he does- but in that sense, no information is probably prudent (to prevent someone from pre-emptively erecting defenses against his attacks).
( I assume that th3j35t3r's male. )
also of note: Slowloris. Information, power. Power, responsibility. Responsibility, strength.
Taking a page out of th3j35t3r's book, I started this post with a quote.
Somewhere between greyhat and patriot, you'll find this slightly off-beat hacktivist who went on an extensive anti-jihad campaign and took down the Westboro Baptist Church websites for more than 1 month.
Some say that he doesn't actually take down sites, but simply claims responsibility for such things as maintenance.
I'm unsure of (and have no way of directly verifying) how he takes websites down from a relatively low-spec computer, but I would presume that he uses his expertise for the greater good (of America, at least).
Patriotically speaking, I'm glad that he took down WBC, because I'm not particularly fond of their hatespeech. While it is their right to be assholes (see: Amendment I), they don't have the right to be liked by me.
I'm also appreciative of his campaign against the enemies in the Middle East- it's a war I'd like to win, and shutting down their electronic campaign brings us a step closer to that goal.
Information is power- this, I'll admit. I think that information wants to be free- everyone should know everything about everything (or should be able to learn everything about everything), but I draw the line when it endangers people who are wagering their life on my behalf.
th3j35t3r seems like a relatively educated neighbor, to say the least.
I actually like the whole quote-before-a-post thing, I might continue this.
He doesn't explain much about how he does what he does- but in that sense, no information is probably prudent (to prevent someone from pre-emptively erecting defenses against his attacks).
( I assume that th3j35t3r's male. )
also of note: Slowloris. Information, power. Power, responsibility. Responsibility, strength.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Important: Patriotism, War.
Go and read this: [ http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/gc5lb/iama_ex_military_whistleblower_who_turned_in_most/ ]
We're lacking in good people, these days. making hard decisions like that is difficult and oftentimes a trial of heart. We need to strive to improve ourselves all the time, even if it's not the easiest thing to do.
I'm no fan of war (as I've already stated), but if it comes to it, I'm enlisting.
Failing that, I think that military contractors should be honored for their contributions- if we're sending people to fight, I want them to leave the battlefield alive. Every soldier is someone's son or daughter, and potentially a husband, wife, uncle, aunt, father, or mother.
Warmongering is a terrible thing and ought to be punishable, in my opinion.
If we commit to a fight, though, I think we ought to fight to win. Overwhelming force and a swift crushing of opposition is (in my opinion) how we should run things.
Furthermore, protect the women and children if they're not enemy combatants. Don't demonize the enemy. Don't become an ignorant, human-hating individual.
We could stand to learn from folks like Justin Watt, who deserves to be honored for his courage.
We're lacking in good people, these days. making hard decisions like that is difficult and oftentimes a trial of heart. We need to strive to improve ourselves all the time, even if it's not the easiest thing to do.
I'm no fan of war (as I've already stated), but if it comes to it, I'm enlisting.
Failing that, I think that military contractors should be honored for their contributions- if we're sending people to fight, I want them to leave the battlefield alive. Every soldier is someone's son or daughter, and potentially a husband, wife, uncle, aunt, father, or mother.
Warmongering is a terrible thing and ought to be punishable, in my opinion.
If we commit to a fight, though, I think we ought to fight to win. Overwhelming force and a swift crushing of opposition is (in my opinion) how we should run things.
Furthermore, protect the women and children if they're not enemy combatants. Don't demonize the enemy. Don't become an ignorant, human-hating individual.
We could stand to learn from folks like Justin Watt, who deserves to be honored for his courage.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Placeholder post (and minor newspost).
I'm going to be heading out with the family later this week for a long-awaited vacation into some Utah mountains for skiing and snowboarding. With any luck there will be no injuries this year and I will continue to carve slopes without making a huge fool of myself.
A few news-clippings of interest:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f04a88b8-48ea-11e0-af8c-00144feab49a.html#axzz1FzHT0OJx
I'm kinda interested in upgrading to a Droid phone from my steadfast Motorola SLVR L7, but the still-blossoming market and bleeding-edge tech could use a bit of refinement, in my opinion. It's also worrisome that (in the article linked above) it's noted that Google pulled an unusually stealthy maneuver by removing some malware from phones without first notifying anyone. Not that I don't mind proactive antiviral software, but it seems to add a bit of character to my previously ubiquitous perception of Google's policy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9411955.stm
Palin's been a figure of note in the media for the past few years- I'm not entirely sure why everyone's so up-in-arms about this lady, either. She seems well-intentioned, if somewhat uninformed. Haters gonna hate, yeah?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/7/government-posts-biggest-monthly-deficit-ever/
FEELS GOOD TO BE AN INDEPENDENT when I think about how I didn't vote for Obama- and then I realize that I'm still stuck with this ridiculous debt just like everyone else in the US of A, and it makes me cringe more than a bit.
I think that the whole economic system (at the moment) is messed up, sure, but I can't think of a significantly better solution besides being more conservative about how we do things. I'm sure to catch some flak for this next bit, but I think that Glenn Beck may have a point (more like lots of points), especially when he's talking about finances.
I might also suggest that we move away from the entire theoretical-assets-have-value system and return to the empirical-assets-have-value system. What I mean by this is that we don't have paper money unless we also have physically valuable items (a la precious metals and minerals) to match their value. I think this would probably have a catastrophic effect on the "American Way of Life", what with the idea of paying 200 USD for a widescreen plasma/LCD television now and thirty dollars a month for the next thirty years- but something needs to happen to change the INSTANT GRATIFICATION*** mindset- where the three asterisks indicate the subsequent indentured servitude required in exchange for services rendered.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libya-Gaddafi-Forces-Unleash-Air-Strikes-In-Fierce-Counter-Offensives-Against-Rebels-In-Key-Towns/Article/201103115946929?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15946929_Libya:_Gaddafi_Forces_Unleash_Air_Strikes_In_Fierce_Counter-Offensives_Against_Rebels_In_Key_Towns
Man, that's a long link. The whole middle-east thing is coming to a rolling boil, in my opinion. Something needs to be done, and simply "liberating" a country - whatever that may entail - isn't going to suffice. I'm thinking something along the lines of a more-than-stern talking-to is going to be required.
We could also go all British-colonial era on the collective middle-east and deliberately cause suffering to improve the nation long-term. Just kidding, that's a terrible idea.
That's all for now, folks. I'm flying out on Thursday the 10th, so there may (or may not) be posts from the 11th to the 18th.
A few news-clippings of interest:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f04a88b8-48ea-11e0-af8c-00144feab49a.html#axzz1FzHT0OJx
I'm kinda interested in upgrading to a Droid phone from my steadfast Motorola SLVR L7, but the still-blossoming market and bleeding-edge tech could use a bit of refinement, in my opinion. It's also worrisome that (in the article linked above) it's noted that Google pulled an unusually stealthy maneuver by removing some malware from phones without first notifying anyone. Not that I don't mind proactive antiviral software, but it seems to add a bit of character to my previously ubiquitous perception of Google's policy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9411955.stm
Palin's been a figure of note in the media for the past few years- I'm not entirely sure why everyone's so up-in-arms about this lady, either. She seems well-intentioned, if somewhat uninformed. Haters gonna hate, yeah?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/7/government-posts-biggest-monthly-deficit-ever/
FEELS GOOD TO BE AN INDEPENDENT when I think about how I didn't vote for Obama- and then I realize that I'm still stuck with this ridiculous debt just like everyone else in the US of A, and it makes me cringe more than a bit.
I think that the whole economic system (at the moment) is messed up, sure, but I can't think of a significantly better solution besides being more conservative about how we do things. I'm sure to catch some flak for this next bit, but I think that Glenn Beck may have a point (more like lots of points), especially when he's talking about finances.
I might also suggest that we move away from the entire theoretical-assets-have-value system and return to the empirical-assets-have-value system. What I mean by this is that we don't have paper money unless we also have physically valuable items (a la precious metals and minerals) to match their value. I think this would probably have a catastrophic effect on the "American Way of Life", what with the idea of paying 200 USD for a widescreen plasma/LCD television now and thirty dollars a month for the next thirty years- but something needs to happen to change the INSTANT GRATIFICATION*** mindset- where the three asterisks indicate the subsequent indentured servitude required in exchange for services rendered.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libya-Gaddafi-Forces-Unleash-Air-Strikes-In-Fierce-Counter-Offensives-Against-Rebels-In-Key-Towns/Article/201103115946929?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15946929_Libya:_Gaddafi_Forces_Unleash_Air_Strikes_In_Fierce_Counter-Offensives_Against_Rebels_In_Key_Towns
Man, that's a long link. The whole middle-east thing is coming to a rolling boil, in my opinion. Something needs to be done, and simply "liberating" a country - whatever that may entail - isn't going to suffice. I'm thinking something along the lines of a more-than-stern talking-to is going to be required.
We could also go all British-colonial era on the collective middle-east and deliberately cause suffering to improve the nation long-term. Just kidding, that's a terrible idea.
That's all for now, folks. I'm flying out on Thursday the 10th, so there may (or may not) be posts from the 11th to the 18th.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Newsworthy: February 1st, 2011
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Qaida+brink+using+nuclear+bomb/4205104/story.html
If there's another attack on such a scale as that of 9/11, it will cement my decision to join the military. I don't care what the hell their reasoning is- nuclear war is pig-disgusting. I don't mind having to shed my ideals and transform myself if it means everyone else can live in peace.
Speaking of which: war sucks. It's never a good option. People die- and even worse, that means there are people who kill. Most folks have trouble with the responsibilities of just their life. When you're responsible for someone's death, a righteous individual will assume responsibility for all of their responsibilities. This adds up over time and produces the jaded, disturbed folks who develop the ability to compartmentalize and block and otherwise shut out the thoughts and responsibilities that come with taking lives.
No bueno. Heavy stuff, too.
In other news:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8296860/WikiLeaks-FBI-hunts-the-911-gang-that-got-away.html
I'm glad to have the FBI on my side, to be honest. I'm also glad that they're doing so much work behind-the-scenes, too. I hope they catch everyone they're looking for and see success in their machinations.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/02/01/american-airlines-shuts-down-at-ohare/
Man, I thought that Texas had it bad. This cold front is chilly.Whatever happened to global warming? Oh, right. It's anthropogenic climate change, now. Whatever, I'm just stupid, right?
I could use some warming of any sort right now, actually. I broke out the heavy blanket for this evening.
Nothing much to see here, just posting some news and my opinions.
For reference, I typically get most of my news from Drudge Report. No, I'm not a conservative. No, I'm not a liberal. I'm a little bit of both, but I prefer to go by "independent" rather than an incredibly wide-sweeping generalization of a name.
If there's another attack on such a scale as that of 9/11, it will cement my decision to join the military. I don't care what the hell their reasoning is- nuclear war is pig-disgusting. I don't mind having to shed my ideals and transform myself if it means everyone else can live in peace.
Speaking of which: war sucks. It's never a good option. People die- and even worse, that means there are people who kill. Most folks have trouble with the responsibilities of just their life. When you're responsible for someone's death, a righteous individual will assume responsibility for all of their responsibilities. This adds up over time and produces the jaded, disturbed folks who develop the ability to compartmentalize and block and otherwise shut out the thoughts and responsibilities that come with taking lives.
No bueno. Heavy stuff, too.
In other news:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8296860/WikiLeaks-FBI-hunts-the-911-gang-that-got-away.html
I'm glad to have the FBI on my side, to be honest. I'm also glad that they're doing so much work behind-the-scenes, too. I hope they catch everyone they're looking for and see success in their machinations.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/02/01/american-airlines-shuts-down-at-ohare/
Man, I thought that Texas had it bad. This cold front is chilly.Whatever happened to global warming? Oh, right. It's anthropogenic climate change, now. Whatever, I'm just stupid, right?
I could use some warming of any sort right now, actually. I broke out the heavy blanket for this evening.
Nothing much to see here, just posting some news and my opinions.
For reference, I typically get most of my news from Drudge Report. No, I'm not a conservative. No, I'm not a liberal. I'm a little bit of both, but I prefer to go by "independent" rather than an incredibly wide-sweeping generalization of a name.
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