Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

March 4, 2005

Insanity at the FEC

Filed under: Government,Politics — Bunker @ 10:42 am

Sorry. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees me, and everyone else on the internet, freedom of speech. If McCain-Feingold makes political discourse on the internet illegal, then McCain-Feingold is, itself, unconstitutional.

The judge’s decision is in no way limited to ads. She says that any coordinated activity over the Internet would need to be regulated, as a minimum. The problem with coordinated activity over the Internet is that it will strike, as a minimum, Internet reporting services.

I have placed a link to a local politician’s web site on my local news blog. I did it for free. He called two nights ago asking me for an “in-kind” value so he could report it as a campaign donation. He wanted to be sure nobody came back to him later and claimed he didn’t report all contributions.

Okay. Ads are probably something that may need to be reported, even when posted free of charge.

But my personal freedom to write what I want to write will not be infringed.

Come and get me.

March 3, 2005

Using a mouse?

Filed under: General — Bunker @ 5:36 am

Kev has a sad piece which all you DOS-heads will appreciate.

March 2, 2005

The Supremes

Filed under: Government — Bunker @ 7:13 pm

We need to consider the 5-4 decision by the US Supreme court in slightly different tones than does Deacon. His concern in this post is about numbers and words. I look at it in what some would say are simpler terms.

Our nation was formed, and our Constitution written, in direct opposition to the way things were done in Europe. Now it appears we have Supreme Court justices who want to impose the will of European elites on the American people.

Does that make any sense at all?

Clothes Horse

Filed under: General — Bunker @ 4:02 pm

Dave has some fashion tips today:

When you go out to buy some pajamas to blog in be aware that not all pajamas are created equal. While there are many fine pajamas out there, watch out for imposters of inferior quality and materials and keep in mind that price isn’t always an accurate measure of quality.

Success

Filed under: Education — Bunker @ 12:28 pm

Our public education system has been driving toward one goal in regards to students for many years now: Everyone gets a college education.

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? In this push, all else has been relegated to the background. And there is a single, obvious problem with universal college education–not every job requires it.

So, how many jobs do? More important, how many don’t?

We’ve all heard stories of the college graduate that can’t find a job. What the story was really about was a college graduate who couldn’t find a job doing what he/she studied in college. Regardless of degree. I don’t have a solid idea of how many jobs there are in this country which don’t require a college education. There are quite a few that don’t require even a high school education. But if 90% of the people in this country graduate from college, most of them will find they have to work in a job that doesn’t require all that education.

How many truck drivers do we need? How many dry cleaners hire college grads? Most technicians have no college, even though most are doing demanding jobs. Think about the plumbers, electricians, air conditioning repairmen, roofers, masons, carpenters, landscapers, glaziers, welders, automobile repairmen, and machinists. Hanging sheetrock isn’t a glamorous job, but it can pay well, and requires experience to do well. I would venture to guess that your average college graduate cannot do any of those jobs well. I’m a mechanical engineer and can do a lot of those jobs, but in no way are my skills at the same level as theirs. When I need that kind of work done, I hire someone with the skills. And they charge me the going rate. Entrepreneurs.

The only way to become a millionaire is to own and operate your own business, and/or be extremely fastidious. College helps, but isn’t the total answer.

So how do you measure success? The Education Establishment measures success in college diplomas. Ask the guy running his own music store how he measures success.

Special Report

Filed under: General — Bunker @ 5:49 am

Happy Independence Day!

March 1, 2005

Has the World Really Begun to Change?

Filed under: International — Bunker @ 6:30 pm

Back in August I wrote about where the invasion of Iraq might take us. I laid out my personal view of what the outcome would be if we stayed the course, and I expressed my hope that all in this country would support the effort that we had. Being for or against going into Iraq should have made way for a unified America working toward the goal of success. The potential for change in the Middle East was, in my opinion, enormous.

Later, in October, I wrote an imaginary history of this time. Dubya understands his own legacy will be written long after he is gone. I took some license.

The changes in the world dynamic were a direct result of America’s decision to end Islamofascism. Beirut is once again a thriving international city. Iraq has become the economic center of the Middle East with oil and food exports supporting the entire region. Jordan’s agreement with Israel to build a pipeline and desalination plant promises to turn the desert area east of Amman into a green zone. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are now having to make some tough decisions, and are moving more toward the model in Turkey. Iran has redirected its nuclear efforts toward energy generation, and now exports more oil than any country in the region while still providing adequate electricity for its own consumption and sale across borders to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Syria still struggles with no oil and little farm land, but is considering water importation through a pipeline to mimic Jordanian efforts.

I’ve not written anything about the events in Lebanon and Egypt, but have been watching closely. We send a lot of money to Egypt each year, still making payments on the agreement Sadat made with Carter. Lebanon is a sad tale–a once-thriving nation overcome by civil war and takeover by Palestinian terrorists and the Syrian army. Things are changing in both countries.

The Bush Doctrine. It is on the threshold. It can still fail. Some in this country and abroad–“allies” I think they are called–still want to see it fail. If it fails, the imaginary history I wrote will not come to pass. Instead, a much greater war will ensue. For those of you who are still anti-war, consider that potentiality.

I have no claim to prognosticative power. But, I hope I was right in my guess and assessment of the situation in both of those posts.

****UPDATE****

And now I find this. I think the answer to my question is “Yes.”

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