Tomorrowism Blog

Ta, for now

My schedule has gotten a bit busier lately and, as one can tell, I've stopped blogging. I've had impulses of late, it's just that I haven't been following up on them.

Normally, when I leave town for the weekend, It takes me a while to get back into the flow of writing. With so many breaks in blogging, I just haven't been getting back into the flow. There a re other factors I won't get into here.

Thanks for stopping by.
Alan on 08.28.04 @ 08:17 PM CT [link]

Edumacate me

Learn about the 53 states, the four branches of government, and matemathics; via The Smoking Gun.
Alan on 08.12.04 @ 10:24 PM CT [link]

Factcheck.org

While I don't recall where I got the link, on August 2, I started subscribing to Factcheck.org. They review ads from both sides and (get this) fact-check them. They are equally harsh to both sides.
Alan on 08.11.04 @ 07:04 PM CT [link]

Sudanese Genocide

From Command Post,

In July, the US Congress declared the situation in Darfur a “genocide” and threatened sanctions against Sudan.

At least that's a definitive statement, better than The Arab League could muster.

Yet I would not so readily send troops there as I was to Iraq. Oil wealth matters. With oil wealth, the evil murderous bastard Saddam had the potential to project serious mayhem abroad. Impoverished Sudanese murderous bastards don't. That doesn't mean that I like genocide in Sudan or want to see it continue (I don't and I don't). It just means that Saddam had the disposition and potential to hurt me, which gives me some right to preemptively react to his increasing criminal activity.
Alan on 08.11.04 @ 09:38 AM CT [link]

Halliburton KBR Application

I'm in the process of applying to work in Iraq with Halliburton KBR. Here is one question:

QUESTION 3:
Living and Working Conditions

• You will be working and living on a Military style camp.
• You will be confined to the base at all times.
• You will be living in tent city….in an 8-10 man GP Medium tent. (like on the show MASH)
• You will be issued a sleeping bag and cot.
• Weather is EXTREME….During the summer time it can be as hot as 150 degrees and as low as 0 degrees and snow in the winter.
• It is a VERY dusty and dirty environment, so expect be dirty a majority of the time.
• Sand and dust storms are VERY common and you will get dust and sand in your eyes, mouth and nose. Expect to have a layer on your clothes, food and in your living quarters. There is no escaping the sand and dust!
• Showers are cold; when you do get a shower….and sometimes you might take a shower by the same water bottle that you drink from.
• You can expect to see a lot of mice, rats, snakes (cobras), scorpions, ticks, sand fleas, and camel spiders in the camp and living quarters.
• The camps or bases can be potentially dangerous. (example: random gun fire, rocket propelled grenades, mortar rounds and land mines)
• All positions are very hands on regardless of your position/title, and every employee must be able and prepared to do physical labor.
• You will be provided with 3 meals per day. This may consist of hot meals and MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat).
• Working schedule is 7 days a week….8-12 hours per day (possibly more depending on position).
• If there is a Biological or Chemical attack and you are a casualty your body will be CREMATED and sent home.

Do you accept these conditions and wish to continue?
YES
NO

Call me an excitement junkie.
Alan on 08.09.04 @ 10:26 PM CT [link]

One Evil That Lawyers Hath Wrought

I know of a person in a hospital. In that context, "Fall Prevention" is not a white sale at Hudson's. It is a very real concern that the patient has trouble not only with remaining upright, but also with judgement. Such a person should not get up to go to the bathroom alone.

Being in a hospital in such a situation is a traumatic event for all involved. The person I know did not go to the hospital because it is a pleasant alternative to fresh sea air. There is a brain tumor and an unavoidable life long loss of independence. Again, this is a traumatic event for a proud person.

As a nation, we should want a health care system which helps ease this traumatic situation. The patient should be able to retain maximum independence. Nobody, not even brain damaged hospital patients, wants to mess themselves. Unfortunately, hospital policies make self defecation unavoidable. Patients bearing the "Fall Prevention" label are not allowed to stand without hospital personnel present. It does not matter is a competant competent family member is present. What matters is that if the patient falls and hurts themselves, the hospital is open to a huge lawsuit.

What I would prefer is a policy where the patient may also walk if assisted by a person deemed competent by the patient or, if applicable, the patient's durable power of attorney. If the patient falls in such a situation, then the hospital is held blameless for the incident. Allowing such assistance gives the patient a chance to use the restroom in a respectable manner. It avoids the embarrassing messing of oneself. It avoids the embarrassing cleanup by a third party.

Unfortunately, hospitals cannot afford to grant such permission. Courts will not honor such liability waivers. Afterall, it's about helping "the little guy" and forcing hospitals to take every possible precaution to prevent injury. And, to some lawyers, it's about winning their percentage of large cash settlements.

The solution is tort reform. Pass laws which demand that courts respect waivers. Pass laws which cap oversized settlements. Greedy trial lawyers game the system to get laws they want. Lawyers tend to donate to Democrats. John Kerry, politician, relies on donations not all legal from lawyers.

So it is overly simplistic to say that a vote for a Republican is always a vote for tort reform, though that does tend to be the case. It is not simplistic to suggest that a Kerry presidency would be bad for tort reform. So please, vote for George Bush. Old people should **** on lawyers, not themselves.

Alan on 08.09.04 @ 09:51 PM CT [link]

Kerry on Iran?

Does this Day By Day cartoon accurately reflect reality? If so, geez. Iran is an evil state. They brutally killed a Canadian journalist. They are interfering with democracy in Iraq. They are devoloping nukes against international pressure. Yes, I should include links; maybe later.
Alan on 08.08.04 @ 11:56 PM CT [link]

Battle for Iraqi Hearts and Minds

Via Command Post, Reuters reorts that Iraq has ordered Al-Jazeera to shut down for a month. "[Iraq's interim] Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said this week that Arabic satellite channels were encouraging kidnappings by showing images of hostages threatened with executions."
Alan on 08.07.04 @ 10:47 AM CT [link]

Another War Movie

Way back when, I talked about the War on Terror and how many of the engagements would make good movies (link later). Command Post posted a plausible though unconfirmed firsthand skirmish account reminiscent of Black Hawk Down (link later).

Somehow, I don't think Private English, as then trained (link later), would have fared so well. Nothing against Ms. English; everything against President Clinton's approach to the military. The guys that battled in Mosul that day cared for their equipment and did not fall to their knees in the heat of battle.
Alan on 08.07.04 @ 10:42 AM CT [link]

Jessica Lynch Lies

While researching for the post below this, I Googled Jessica Lynch. While I was looking for information about her capture, most of the links were about her rescue. It seems the rescue was staged. Brits didn't like it. Neither did the Iraqi doctors. Follow the Google links; support for these indictments is hard to miss.

I know this is old news, but it's new to me and I haven't touched on it before. I can see how Democrats might see this as one piece of a larger pattern of Bush Administration deceit.

I could be misinterpretting this all. That said, I think that the Bush Administration, including Secretary Rumsfeld, should have disavowed portrayals of Private Lynch's rescue as heroic. Actions such as these make false accusations such as "WMD lies" more believable. Actions such as these make it less likely that President Bush's coattails will increase Republican congressional majorities, thus subjecting vital legislation to more severe political pressure.
Alan on 08.04.04 @ 10:21 PM CT [link]

Military Discipline Restoration Underway

Per Iraq Now, the Bush administration is repairing some of the damage from the Clinton era.

A 1997 quote:

Drill instructors are warned to avoid verbally stressing their recruits. [...] the military forces appear incapable of taking appropriate measures to restore rigor and common sense to basic training.

And from 1999:

[Many] small-unit leaders [agree with this] drill sergeant: "I hope we don't go to war and have to depend on what we are being forced to graduate. It will be ugly!"

The significance?

Again, the Times article misses the entire history of the problem.

But it's this problem which may have been a decisive factor in the lost convoy which nearly cost us Jessica Lynch--and DID cost us the lives of another of other soldiers, thanks in part to neglected weapons training and maintenance--something that ought to be unthinkable to any graduate of a quality basic training program.

For those who forgot about Jessica Lynch, this Wikipedia article does flatter the Pentagon. From "Lynch's Criticism", at the end:

She denied the claims that she fought until being wounded, reporting that her weapon jammed immediately, and that she couldn't have done anything anyway. Interviewed with Diane Sawyer, Lynch stated, [...] "I did not shoot, not a round, nothing. I went down praying to my knees. And that's the last I remember."

Her squad mates (?) were dying all around her, her equipment failed (probably due to her poor maintenance), so she dropped to her knees.

I do not trust Democrats with the military.
Alan on 08.04.04 @ 09:31 PM CT [link]

The Mesopotamian on the bombing of Iraqi churches

The Mesopotamian characterizes the terrorists that blew up the Iraqi churches:

These hate creatures are beyond redemption. We can perhaps talk about dealing with the root causes of terrorism etc. etc., but this will apply to preventing future growth of the cancer, but the present cancerous cells are incurable. The only fitting solution for these is amputation.

Heh, tell me how you really feel.
Alan on 08.04.04 @ 09:11 PM CT [link]

Loyal Opposition

I've been meaning to say nice things about Alex, a young Pennsylvania Kerry supporter. I'm not going to say that he's always right (um, he's not, IMO), but he strikes me as an honest individual that takes the time to grapple with the issues. He is a nice antidote to our nation's increasingly polarized political climate.
Alan on 08.04.04 @ 08:49 PM CT [link]

Must See DVD: Touching the Void

Via Marginal Revolution, Touching the Void, a real life drama about two mountain climbers that get into trouble in the Andes. Amazon readers rave.
Alan on 08.04.04 @ 08:42 PM CT [link]

Quote of the Day

Via Viking Pundit, Tom Delay quoted in The New York Times (registration required):

But the part of Mr. Kerry's solution to the terror threat that really got Republican eyes rolling was his call for a special session of Congress to consider legislation reorganizing the management of intelligence agencies.

"That's pretty tough talk from a guy who has fewer days at work this year than he has houses," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. "He's not been around here during our regular session; what makes anyone think he'll be here for a special session?"

Alan on 08.03.04 @ 09:09 PM CT [link]

Chief Wiggles vs. Atlas Scumwads

So a former military officer has a great idea. "Let's send toys to Iraq." He starts a blog. He solicits donations. He buys toys. He hires a shipper. He prepays shipping. He finds out he needs to pay an extra $30,000 deposit. He gets ripped off.

Follow the link for details.
Alan on 08.03.04 @ 08:36 PM CT [link]

Terror Arrests in England

Via The Command Post, British police "have arrested 13 people in anti-terrorism raids around Britain." (Quote from Sky News.)

What caught my eye came from a BBC eyewitness account; A neighbor "said the men had been dressed by police in white paper suits and their hands and feet covered with plastic bags before they were driven away." It seems the police want to preserve all evidence, including potential traces of bomb making materials on the suspect's hands and clothing.

Frankly (and forgive me if I go out on too much of a limb here), I don't think that Islamic Terrorists like us right now. If they could bomb us, they would. At some point, we need to look at the dog that isn't barking. If nothing happens; if there are no more successful terrorist assaults before the election; I'd have to say that this peace for our time is not due to any lack of effort, but because of successful prevention.
Alan on 08.03.04 @ 06:05 PM CT [link]

MeganJane's Chapter a Day club

Via Jane Galt, a new site dedicated to classic literature. She promises a new chapter every weekday. The first book is ClemenTwain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
Alan on 08.03.04 @ 05:37 PM CT [link]

Top al Qaeda Computer Geek Caught

Via Drudge, a New York Times article (registration required) states that we caught Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, "a 25-year-old computer engineer [...] who had used and helped to operate a secret Qaeda communications system where information was transferred via coded messages." Documents captured provide "a new window into the methods, content and distribution of Qaeda communications."

And although "Mr. Khan has told interrogators that even the top Qaeda commanders do not know" where bin Laden is, I wonder if this helped us find him ... if we found him?
Alan on 08.02.04 @ 12:04 AM CT [link]

IRS, RIP?

Drudge reports that President is going to propose eliminating the IRS. LGF readers are agog.

I like the idea, but I'm not sure it will fly.

First, the alternatives to our current tax system seems to hit poor people relatively hard. The tax rate on the rich is about 30%. The tax rate on the poor is about 0%; less, if one considers earned income tax credit.

Second, the current system offers breaks to many protected classes. New York homeowners, for example, get to write off their high property taxes. Loopholes tend to have a large number of people in mild opposition and a small number of people in strong support. Our tax system has a lot of loopholes. As people scan the long list of loopholes to be eliminated, they'll ignore the myriad of loopholes that don't help them and concentrate on the small number of loopholes they like. They'll ignore the overall good to themselves and oppose the plan.

Again, I like the idea. I hope and assume that the Drudge report is true. I like that President Bush is being bold. I hope to read more precise proposals.
Alan on 08.01.04 @ 09:42 PM CT [link]