Has California Lost Its Mind?

I really cannot believe today's news headlines. I didn't even know where to start when choosing a topic for the blog. This one in particular is just begging for a response. Read this story. Don't you just have to ask yourself, what exactly is going on over there in California? The said immingrants referenced in the article are in this country ILLEGALY. It is not racist, it is not anti-Latino. The article says that other than driving without a license the immigrants obey the law. Oh yes, except for that ILLEGAL border crossing. So in order to avoid offending a vocal minority (in the case of this article, it is the Latino/immigrant community) DUI checks are being suspended. And not sure if everyone caught this gem: Latino community centers should be provided with advanced warning, so as to direct illegal immigrants away from the DUI check. I think we have to concede California to the wackos. (Sorry Mom and Dad).

Bryan Taylor

Heinz-Kerry Shows Her Dark Side

An article today linked from The Drudge Report (Original article here if Drudge doesn't have the link anymore) reviews comments made by Teresa Heinz-Kerry regarding the capture of Osama bin Laden. It is the opinion of Mrs. Heinz-Kerry that it would be no surprise if the terrorist were caught before the 2 November election. The only logical interpolation of her statements is that somehow the Bush campaign has organized the future capture of bin Laden. It is a powerful accusation, but as is typical, there is no fact to back up this assertion. In fact even claiming something so ourageous, besides massively insulting to the President and his party, is a clever political gamble. Hold on now, hear me out. What are the two possible outcomes between today and Election Day? 1) He is captured. 2) He is not captured. So she basically has a 50/50 chance of being correct. If she is not correct, simply by spouting her assertion, it puts the meme in people's minds (those who are likely to take anything she says seriously).
Of course we all know that if Osama is captured before the election, there is no chance for a Kerry victory. More important than this however is that we should all -- we, meaning Americans -- hope for his capture as soon as possible and not secretly hope that it can wait until November 3rd.

Bryan Taylor

Bias in the Workplace

First, let me caveat what I am writing (or refraining from writing) by citing the usual nonsense about the privacy of corporate email. The source for today's news was an email sent around the office by a person (who can remain anonymous, lest I lose my job). This person sent out this email to the largest possible distribution list we maintain. EVERYONE got it. Since I can't republish it here, I paraphrase:
The Bush administration is attempting to sneak a bill past the public that would reinstate the draft by June 2005. It affects everyone. Don't let the government force you into participating in an unjust war. Write your congressman (etc...)
So, being the nosy researcher I am, I had a look first at the so-called bill (here HR 163). OK, the first thing I noticed is that it was spnsored by a Democrat (Charlie Rangel). So I became immediately suspicious.
I headed over to Snopes and found this.
What is so ridiculous about the whole thing is the display of total ignorance on the emailer's part. Ignorance on so many levels.
First there is the ignorance of corporate policy.
Second there is the ignorance of not seeing the bill itself.
Third there is the ignorance of the process of legislation.
Fourth there is the ignorance of the history of the bill's sponsor.
Fifth and most importantly, there is an ignorance of the world at large. This is why it is so easy for some to be swayed by advertising, particularly political ads. To the poster, all this person could understand is that he or she was about to be drafted, and this person probably pictured themselves in a foxhold by next summer.
Please, fellow independent-minded thinkers, I appeal to you. Help those that cannot help themselves.
Oh, and I hope that as careful readers, you will have understood what is really going on here after having read the relevant links. If not, drop me a comment and I will explain in a future post.

Bryan Taylor

Bias in the Media

And
this is unbiased reporting? Placed prominently on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) News page, it leads to a CNN story.
The CNN story begins with, "Millions of U.S. citizens, including a disproportionate number of black voters, will be blocked from voting in the Nov. 2 election because of legal barriers, faulty procedures or dirty tricks, according to civil rights and legal experts" (Elsner, Reuters 2004).
The story then goes on to explain that the voters who will be "blocked" are felons, who have been "deprived" of the right to vote. The insinuation is clear in the paragraph that the majority of these felons are black.
The article continues, depicting strong arms tactics of discouraging black voters, such as...
asking for photo ID! The nerve of them! They must have gotten these damn polling people right out of the Abu Ghraib prison staff!
Spencer Overton, a professor of law at GWU, says that blacks are "four to five times less likely than whites to have a photo ID."
The charges in this article are thoroughly ridiculous. The final portion of the article questions why felons can't vote? Umm, because us voting, non-felons say so! Because there is an incentive there NOT to commit a felony. If a particular community is having its "voting power diluted" because of felonies committed, that community ought to encourage others not to make the same mistake. As I learned in the military, fix it on the lowest level possible.
I believe that the issues raised in this article are truly only a problem for the Democratic elite, who are looking to a) play the race card and b) get more votes for having "stuck up" for blacks.