rant: November 2001 Archives

Good people are concerned about:

homelessness
the environment
pollution
global warming
AIDS
equality
recycling
violence
corruption
moral decay
the state of youth
sexual deviancy
representation
inflation
servitude
enlightenment
embarasment
speech
nutrition
eloqution
faith
preservation
and the definition of life

Right?

I said right?

How the hell am I supposed to accomplish anything?

Thankfully I am above such things as good and bad. But what about you mere mortals? Can you manage to do more than pay lip service to 'the list'. Can your consience be satiated by the truley dedicated pursuit of just a single or few of these causes.

Can you put away the soma long enough to do something, no matter what it takes, about anything?

Apply a little mental energy to this one and tell me what you come up with:

In order to prevent telemarketers from calling you and harassing you, companies are now selling you a devise to erase your number from their systems.

*insert mental strain here*

40,000,000.

40 million.

okay... just shut the fuck up. We don't need a world trade center eulogy at the beginning of the freakin Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

These disasterS (with three s's) will not haunt our lives because they were especially tragic. They aren't going away because you won't shut up about them.

There is a time for all due respect and mourning. But when my family is killed in a car crash, you don't discuss it with me before everything I do.

You shut up and learn to get on with your life.

Fuckin hell. I just wrote a long article on filtering software and decided I needed to erase it. Cause it was crap. The whole thing is pretty simple.

Filtering software, and the companies that make it, are lying to you.

I'm not talking about goofy glitches like when CyberPatrol banned part of the WHite House's web site.

I'm talking about banning access to Amnesty International information. Banning access to human rights articles and web sites. Banning access to religious sites. And even shooting it's own foot off by banning any web site, from small sites like Peacefire, to huge corporations like Time magazine, when they call into question the effectiveness and ethics of these software packages.

These site's wont coorupt you're children or grow hair on your palms. They might challenge you topull your head out of the sand (you thought I was gonna say ass, admit it).

Every major software package in this field claims that every site they specifically ban is first reviewed by a human being to ensure applicability. So who is the warped SOB who decided people shouldn't know about The AIDS Quilt, the Vatican, youth soccer leagues, and breast cancer research?

And if for some reason mom and dad decided not to be the lazy slobs most corporations assume them to be, and they actually monitor their children's habits, you may still be blocked from some sites. Because there are now Internet providers who are filtering out some sites before they even get to your computer. (And you thought you were paying for the whole internet, silly rabbit). And these arent small fry providers run by religious zealots in East Bumpafuck, Wisconsin. These are internet backbone companies like AboveNet and Teleglobe, who provide access to potentially millions.

Do yourself a favor. If you are at all responsible for computers in a public space, be it libraries, schools, offices, or otherwise, find out what you're being protected from. Visit Peacefire.org. Read Access Denied, published by GLAAD. And check out the Internet Free Expression Alliance.

That is, unless some software blocks you from doing so.

'My Fellow Americans, Let's Roll'

You're a sick fucker, George.

Taking the words of a man who gave up his life, with no training, no orders, and no hope, so that other people wouldn't die. And using those words to gloss over all the heinous acts the American government has commited in the name of safety and security, in an effort to sustain support for a war on Afganastan. (Does anyone remember any more that Afganastan was not the one who directly attacked us?)

You're a sick fucker.

Ah h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h

I can't even find any election results for the NYC mayoral race. Pretty sad. Though it's looking to be another one of those "none of the above" choices.

I saw both of the main candidates on one of the morning culture shows today. I can tbelieve how much utter asshoels they were so openly. One openly admitted to trying to buy the election, while the other excused his downright disgusting attacks on his opponents with "well he's worse!" and "I've been at this for 12 years" (and you still haven't gotten it right).

Should we really be concerned about two wanna-be politicians who couldn't get their heads out of their asses long enough to to talk about the issues, when they are simply taking over where a wanna-be Nazi left off?

Guliani, the great white hype. Hideing maniacal power grabs and wet dreams about Big Brother behind the feel-good facade of "cleaning up" NYC (Disney in Times Square?!). Man, what is the city without it's crack addicts and prostitutes. And don't forget the crime some people commited of being homeless.

And now the buzz is his move to Washington. Whether in front of the cameras or behind, they expect him to continue his same agenda's here in the armpit of politics.

"Freedom," Giuliani argued, 'Is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do and how you do it."

-- New York Times 3/17/94