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My Crazy Boss
Posted on 31 Dec 1969.
So, according to a recent survey, half of all Mexicans want to immigrate to the United States. My soon-to-be-ex-boss, upon reading this poll, apparently figured that a balance must be maintained, and is moving to Mexico.
Here's a little phrase he should find handy down there:
¡No tire! ¡No soy americano!
Good luck, Noah. If you need ransom money, I'm sure I have enough loose change in my pocket to meet their demands.
BTW, if you need cross country cars just search for it online.
________
Until I alienate everyone,
David Schumacher |  |
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For Free
Posted on 27 Jun 2003.
It has become apparent to me, as I track the progress of ATP Autosite, and hear from David just how few have ever donated to its continued existence, just how one-way this concept of free is. Oh sure, some have promised support, publicly, but of all who promised, a grand total of three have actually contributed. I guess the old saying 'Judge a man by his fruits, not his words' applies here.
Some take this a step further by removing the credit line for the script from their site, if they bother including it in the first place. This is not only getting something 'for free', it is rude as well. Especially when they claim it as their own work. It may be hard to grasp the concept of theft when David gives the script away for free, but if you deny him even the acknowledgment of his work while at the same time benefiting from that work, that is stealing.
Now, David knows all of this, and yet he still continues to offer this script for free, as well as updating it as often as possible, and supporting it as best as he can, given he is doing this all by himself. This does not mean that he is not bothered by these issues. He is. In fact, when he discovers a site that is stealing his script, it aggravates and depresses him. He cannot understand why anyone would deliberately remove or exclude a very innocuous byline. Yet, despite my recommendations that he put the script's download behind a Paypal button, David continues to maintain his selfless policy in regards to this script.
It was because of this that I agreed to help him with the Manual when he asked. It is why I have learned enough about php and Autosite to be able to start helping him with the support. I have free time, and I would like to see this script continue to advance. It is not much, but at least I am trying to help.
________
As always,
Michael Denson |  |
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Complacency and the Rise of Dictatorships
Posted on 09 Apr 2003.
The world is now engaged in the forced removal of yet another sadistic dictator, a sort of vicious and heartless person who is not even fit to rule his own family, let alone an entire nation. It's an unfortunate fact of life that persons of this type almost inevitably gain power, in some fashion, and then use it to ruin the lives of everyone they come into contact with. But is it truly inevitable, or is there something we all could do to prevent it?
I believe the latter is true. My theory on the matter is that dictators rise to power because people are, by nature, complacent. They don't like to "make waves," or seem to cause trouble when things begin to change, especially if the change is but a small one, or affects only someone other than themselves. Small and seemingly unimportant changes often lead to huge losses of personal freedoms, and every freedom lost represents one step in the road toward a dictatorial regime. Governments everywhere are guilty of sneaking in tiny changes that gradually restrict more and more of the freedoms of the populace.
Continuing, unnecessary tax increases are one example of how a government exercises more and more control over the citizenry, while at the same time, empowers itself to grow ever stronger. A tax or fee exists for almost everything a person can imagine, and every day, politicians strive to grab more funds from the people. If wages go up, then so do taxes, thus cancelling out the individual's chance to truly get ahead, financially, and gain more independence. Most governments want people to be dependent on them, because a dependent population is not capable of removing the incompetent or self-serving leaders and making changes to the system that are not necessarily favorable to the salaries of the remaining officials. This is especially true of socialistic and communistic administrations, but it occurs in all forms of government, at some point.
Dependence on the government is a subtle form of slavery, and it leads people into a position of not caring about politics, as long as they get their needs taken care of. Welfare and social programs usually begin as well-meaning and even laudable causes to ease the suffering of the less fortunate among us, but they are then allowed to devolve into lifelong crutches which remove the recipient's motivation to improve his own situation. Why should a person work, when the government will pay him to stay at home? Why should anyone start a savings for their elderly years, when the government will provide them with a small pittance, every month, regardless of their financial planning or lack thereof? Why should a person drive carefully, or take care to lock his car or home, or follow safety precautions, when his insurance (or someone else's) will pay for his mistakes?
These things may not seem to be among the foundation stones of a budding dictatorship, but think of how they all work together, and then project that combined function forward in time, compounded by more of the same types of dependency-creating changes in law or culture. When people will not even take responsibility for their own welfare or mistakes, how can anyone expect them to take responsibility for their government policy and act on that responsibility to make the necessary changes and preserve their freedoms and rights?
Add to this the good-intentioned but naive moves of some groups to deprive the common people of the right to arm themselves, and the result is an all-powerful government that is virtually immune to revolution, should that become necessary. Dictators easily take control, when the populace is thus castrated and unable to prevent the change of regime.
It is already too late for some countries to prevent themselves from falling toward dictatorship, but for most, the option still exists. In nations where a democratic vote is available, all people should put that voice to use, stand up for their rights and protect their freedoms and those of their children and grandchildren. If they don't, they have no right to complain when they gain a Saddam or Stalin of their own, someday, whom some other, stronger nation will have to spend their own people's lives and money to remove.
________
Kaichi Satake,
Kaichi |  |
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The End of the Dictator
Posted on 25 Mar 2003.
This is more an observation than a detailed account of why The US, UK and Australia have moved into Iraq.
* * *
This all starts with the Election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. It may even have roots in the Nixon administration and even have come from ideals planted during Eisenhower's time.
What started, in earnest, with the Election of Reagan is the movement away from Dictatorships and Suppression of populations by Criminals. The first target was the USSR and all it's allies and dominated satellites. It took only 8 years for the USSR to crack, buckle and then implode. During this time nearly 100 nations moved from dictatorship to open democracy. There were some failures: Zimbabwe is probably the most glaring.
What a lot of people fail to realise is that democracy was dying through out the world. Outside of North America and Western Europe the concept was in full retreat.
Reagan and his people realised the only way to take these dictatorships down was with money. Not just money though. It was the appearance of money and what the possibilities of having money. Not only was the promise of money a lure. There was also the denial of it to nations currying favour from the US. Aid from the imploding USSR was disappearing. The promises of Communism showed they paled in comparison to the money of a free market.
The prime move with a free market is democracy. You want money, open up your economy, get rid of government control and democratize. It was very effective. Even hard core China reallised they had to open the economy to survive the US's new front in the cold war.
With most of the 3rd world lost, the USSR's own economy and very social structure imploded. The US seemed destined to win the cold war. This was official when the bungled coupe of Gorbachev's rule not only ended Communist Rule, it swept the USSR into history. What once was the USSR broke into its constituent countries. New governments with nothing sought US help and got it, as long as they became open free market economies. Of all the former USSR republics, Only Belarus and Turkmenistan have yet to have a democracy. They did have them, only to have them snuffed out by short sighted people who elected dictators back into power.
All of this was done peacefully, or with little violence. The US was involved in none of the actions directly. This path changed when Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait. Hussain is a man who breaks the primary rule of war: KNOW YOUR ENEMY. This man didn't and to this day doesn't have a clue who he is trying to fight.
With little willingness to change the direction of it's democratizing the planet, the US under George Bush went to war with Iraq to liberate Kuwait. Other nations of the world were also shocked into this situation. They didn't want to go far enough to remove Hussain as the leader of Iraq. The policy of getting the people of a country to do the work was the policy and it was promoted. Bush's people under estimated Hussain.
What followed were half hearted ventures in Somalia and then the drawn out blood fest of Yugoslavia. Policy had to change.
However, with the election of Clinton the policy to Democratize the world was stalled. Clinton didn't care to continue this policy. He didn't continue anything. Nor did he try to do anything. Had there been a strong Dictatorial Superpower like the USSR to confront the US, in the 8 years Clinton was president, all the gains of the last 12 years would have been lost. Luckily for him and the free world there was no advisary.
Such evidence of the loss happened in Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Dictatorial regiems took over these countries under Clinton's watch. And, Watch is all Clinton really did. Under Bush or Reagan, the Tailban would never have got a foot hold there. Nor would the Al Queda organization have been allowed to form. Through the 90's a threat to world freedom gathered it's forces to go after the number one nation of the planet.
Two things happened that has led to Al Queda's destruction. One: they did not have any clue who the enemy was. Two: George W Bush was now President of the US. Al Queda took on a president wanting badly to have a reason to re start the democratizing of the world. Al Queda, for all it's thunder and bluster is nothing more than the sand lot kids (to use a base ball analogy). The US is the Major League World Series Champions. Now a bunch of sand lot kids decided to challenge the World Series Champs to a game. Who do you think will win ?
George W Bush's people had looked over the messes made in Somalia and The Balkans. Modifications had to be made to the democratizing policy. Intervention and direct use of US forces were going to have to be used. Afghanistan was the testing ground for this policy. It worked. And it surprised even the harshest critics.
What George W Bush was now confronted with were the hard core dictatorships of the world. Changing the governments of these nations was not going to be so easy as supporting opposition forces in those nations. A new modification was made to the policy. This involved direct intervention with US armed force. Iraq is the testing ground for this policy.
Of the dictatorships left around the world, there are a few who can be changed peacefully. They may change when confronted with the notion of direct military action. Some still remain who will only be changed by direct force.
As Iraq is dealt with, the US will look at the other hard core dictatorships. They will assess their vulnerability. They will directly deal with those nations they feel have to be changed by military action.
Many nations' governments have stood against the action of the US toward Iraq. Time will show them they were wrong. Political careers will be ended because of their decisions.
The next target after Iraq ? That will most likely be North Korea. I don't believe as many countries will oppose intervention there. After North Korea ? It will definitely be the less hard core dictatorships: Zimbabwe, Belorus, Syria, some others I don't immediately remember. After those it will be Iran's turn. Each dictator will, in turn, be told they have 48 hours to get out or face being removed. Iraq will be the example for any dictator in the US and Free World's sights.
How long will this take ? By the end of this decade there will be no more dictatorships. This will make the world more open, more free. With the removal of the dictator, there will be a massive and very swift cultural change through out the world. Ghost Dancers such as Al Queda and other fanatical terrorist groups will have their support fade as prosperity reaches all parts of the planet.
What will happen after 2010 ? There will be a cultural and social upheaval across the planet that will be incomparable in human history. This year, George W Bush is starting us on that road with the removal of one of the harshest hard core evil men the planet has.
________
something somewhere somehow somewhen maybe,
Lazy |  |
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A Brief Forward
Posted on 23 Mar 2003.
Something Howard Taylor said to me struck home harder than I would have liked. I was in his chat room looking for ideas for new Mental Health strips, Howard said, and I paraphrase, "Hey! I know! You could have one where there's these two guys and at the end, one of them gets blown away!". Now, I know he was being good natured about it, but it made me think hard and long on my comic. It turns out he was right. I kill someone in nearly half my strips, and most of the ones I don't, I indicate that someone is going to die. Now, while I have no problem with this, and plan on uploading new Mental Healths whenever I can think of new ones to draw, I figured that my messages were being lost amongst the violence. Yes, I was trying to convey messages. I know it's hard to imagine, but they are there. Anyway, as a result, I jumped at the opportunity to do this column when David offered it. I will try to communicate with it what I seem to have failed to in my comic.
That said, it is time to explain the title of this column. When I say Political Health, I mean it in the exact same way I say Mental Health. As in the political health of our nation, and our world, is fucked. Not that it has ever not been fucked. From the moment the aristocracy of the Confederated States of America decided to seize greater power in the "interest of making our country stronger" our civil rights were slowly and methodically stripped away until we literally have to fight for every last remaining one. We try to calm ourselves by reminding each other that no other peoples on Earth enjoy the number of freedoms we do, despite the stolen ones. The next time someone tells you this, tell him to shut the fuck up. All this does is justify the removal of more liberties, as a few less will still be more than anyone else has.
We claim to be anti-communist and yet we are steadily becoming that in this country. Welfare for those who are too fucking lazy to work, social security for the older idiots who don't know a retirement plan from their dog's anus, government mandated and enforced regulations to protect the stupid from themselves so that they don't have to think for themselves... The list goes on, like a date with a bleached blonde, seemingly forever. Of course, the state schools that churn out generation after generation of dependent suckers are one of the main reasons this horrid cycle of giving up liberty for government hand outs continues. The only way to end it is to battle the ignorance with information and real education.
Since I would not like to be accused of making accusations without a basis, my next article will examine key legislation from our country's past to point out exactly where we were fucked over. The article after that will examine another such document, as will the next, and the next, and so on in that fashion until enough fuckheads finally realize what wonderful marks they've been there whole lives.
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That's it for this time.
Be sure not to wake your neighbors while swearing at my statements,
Boo Bing |  |
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