Why Can't We Be Friends
The title for today's entry comes from the song by War, and it's a natural lead-in to discuss the issue of Syria and whether or not the U.S. needs to act. Actually that the U.S. needs to do something is no longer in question, the issue is, what to do?
It is also appropriate to discuss the roles of the Congress and the Executive Branch since some are trying to say that the President needs Congressional approval to act. He does not. Every president since 1973's passage of the War Powers Resolution has taken the position that this action by Congress is not constitutional. No one has been able to take a legal action against a president who is "violating" this resolution as the courts have refused to take a position on the law's constitutionality.
Even within this law that presidents do not adhere to because they believe it to be unconstitutional, the president has the authority to send troops for up to 60 days, with a further withdrawal period of 30 days.
If President Obama were to order one of the two submarines near Syria to launch cruise missiles against targets in Syria, this would not be an open declaration of war. When was the last "formal" declaration of war anyway? The United States hasn't issued a formal declaration of war since World War II. It is also worth noting that the long history of our nation includes wars that were not declared wars. These include the Quasi-War of 1798, the two Barbary Wars and others. The U.S. has been waging war and defending itself without formal declarations for over two hundred years.
It is in the best interests of everyone in the world that our world leaders make it abundantly clear that anyone using chemical, nuclear or biological weapons will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Mostly because of the incredibly lethal nature of these weapons. 10 milligrams of VX will kill 50% of the people whose skin comes in contact with a dose that small. Three times that dose will kill 50% of the people who inhale it. That means that just one pound of VX would kill tens of thousands of people. Many more would suffer permanent neurological damage and be crippled.
I'm all for sending a message out that we as a planet will not tolerate anyone trying to use this kind of weapon against anyone.
* * *
The last day I went to work was on Monday of this week. Aside from a meeting that will take up an hour on Tuesday morning, and an hour or two on Wednesday, I won't work again until September 9th. That week is when my teaching duties begin. I've set aside Monday and Tuesday as days to be focused on initial preparation for the class. Now in truth I've been preparing all along, writing up my handouts for the first day, preparing my master notes for teaching the first classes and so on.
Normally I'd be chomping at the bit to be at the office. Instead I'm trying to enjoy this respite because I'm going to be quite busy after class begins. A load that will be made moderately more difficult because I'm having that defibrillator installed the week after classes begin. It's supposed to be an outpatient procedure, with a possibility that I may have to spend that night in the hospital. But they tell me I can't do any heavy lifting for a couple of weeks afterward. Considering the heaviest thing I try to lift these days is a bag of groceries, I'm not too worried about that.
I am very grateful to have a boss who understands my physical limitations and is almost as invested in making sure I don't exceed them as I am.
* * *
The Border Patrol has seized nine tons of pot, with an estimated street value of $14 million. That's roughly $777 per pound.
If that's not the best argument I've heard yet for complete legalization and regulation, with the same rules as cigarettes to at least attempt to keep it out of the hands of minors, what is? How cheaply could marijuana be grown, harvested and sold as a legal product in the U.S.? And better still, be taxed. Considering what people are paying now to buy it, they would have no objection to a stiff tax on it, with prices cut to a fraction of what they pay now.
I'll vote to legalize it.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
What will it take to get people to keep quiet during movies? The couple sitting near me today must have thought they were in their living room. Either that, or they don't know how to whisper.
Allen Iverson's ex-wife wants the next 14 years of child support now, to be put into trust. Well, people in Hell want ice water and they're going thirsty. I suspect she's going to get the same answer from a judge.
How interesting is it that the Congress will almost certainly be debating the use of force in Syria on 9/11 of this year?
Has the use of email and texting become so prevalent that using the phone as a tool for talking is becoming obsolete?
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, a self-proclaimed bi-sexual have entered into a dating "pact" where reportedly she can have sex with other women as long as she provides the details to Depp? Is this a fair and equal agreement if he is proscribed from sleeping with other women (or men for that matter)?
Please read this extract from a Yahoo Sports story:
"Add the names of Tim Tebow, Vince Young, Jimmy Clausen and Matt Leinart to the list of college star quarterbacks who have not been able to replicate their magic in the NFL. All three were cut Saturday as teams whittled down their rosters to the 53-man limit at the 6 p.m. ET deadline."
If you don't see what's wrong with the paragraph, count the names again. The awkwardness was caused by the addition of the name of Matt Leinart to the list, because he was actually cut on Friday.
By the way, if you read the word "final" in the stories about these roster cuts being made today, think about this for a moment. The "final" roster for the Cleveland Browns does not have a placekicker on it. Their punter did kick field goals back in his college days, but is he going to do double duty? Probably not.
Facebook's new Terms of Service is just one more indicator that I made the right choice in removing the photos of me from my FB profile.
* * *
This Date In History:
On this date in 1056, the Macedonian dynasty ends when Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless.
On this date in 1422, King Henry V of England dies of dysentery (two monarchs dying on consecutive days in different years of that?)
On this date in 1803, Lewis and Clark set off on their famed expedition when they depart from Pittsburgh, PA.
On this date in 1864, General Sherman's forces launch an attack on Atlanta.
On this date in 1888, Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. She was the first confirmed victim of Jack the Ripper.
On this date in 1895, German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his Navigable Balloon.
On this date in 1897, Thomas Alva Edison invents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.
On this date in 1936, Radio Prague begins broadcasting.
On this date in 1943, the USS Harmon is commissioned. It is the first U.S. navy vessel to be named for a black person.
On this date in 1958, a mail bomb sent to King Norodom Sihanouk by the younger brother of South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem fails to kill the King.
On this date in 1980, the government of Poland signs the Gdansk agreement, which allows creation of the trade union Solidarity.
On this date in 1997, Princess Diana and two others die in a car crash in Paris.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Caligula
Commodus
Maria Montessori
Emperor Taisho of Japan
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Fredric March
Arthur Godfrey
William Shawn
Richard Basehart
Daniel Schorr
Buddy Hackett
James Coburn
Jean Beliveau
Noble Willingham (I never knew until today the reason he left the TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger" was to run for Congress. He lost.)
Eldridge Cleaver
Frank Robinson
Itzhak Perlman
Bob Welch
Lowell Ganz
Richard Gere (don't buy him a gift gerbil)
Julie Brown
Edwin Moses
Gina Schock
Jessica Upshaw
Hideo Nomo
Debbie Gibson
Chris Tucker
Jeff Hardy
Movie quotes today come from 1997's "Jackie Brown" in honor of Chris Tucker who has a role in it:
Ordell Robbie: I got this young nineteen year old country girl named Sheronda. I found her on a bus stop two days outta Georgia, barefoot, country as a chicken coop. I took her to my place in Compton, told her it was Hollywood.
Louis: She believed you?
Ordell Robbie: Hell yeah! To her dumb country ass, Compton is Hollywood; closest she's ever been anyway.
#2
Louis: Who's that?
Ordell Robbie: That's Beaumont.
Louis: Who's Beaumont?
Ordell Robbie: An employee I had to let go.
Louis: What'd he do?
Ordell Robbie: He put himself in a position where he was going to have to do ten years in prison, that's what he did. And if you know Beaumont, you know ain't no god damn way he can do ten years. And if you know that, then you know Beaumont's gonna do anything Beaumont can to keep from doing them ten years, including telling the federal government any and every motherfucking thing about my black ass. Now that my friend is a clear cut case of him or me. And you best believe it ain't gonna be me.
#3
Max Cherry: If you've got time, you think you can find out where he's staying?
Winston: Cops can't locate him, huh?
Max Cherry: They don't have your winning personality.
It is also appropriate to discuss the roles of the Congress and the Executive Branch since some are trying to say that the President needs Congressional approval to act. He does not. Every president since 1973's passage of the War Powers Resolution has taken the position that this action by Congress is not constitutional. No one has been able to take a legal action against a president who is "violating" this resolution as the courts have refused to take a position on the law's constitutionality.
Even within this law that presidents do not adhere to because they believe it to be unconstitutional, the president has the authority to send troops for up to 60 days, with a further withdrawal period of 30 days.
If President Obama were to order one of the two submarines near Syria to launch cruise missiles against targets in Syria, this would not be an open declaration of war. When was the last "formal" declaration of war anyway? The United States hasn't issued a formal declaration of war since World War II. It is also worth noting that the long history of our nation includes wars that were not declared wars. These include the Quasi-War of 1798, the two Barbary Wars and others. The U.S. has been waging war and defending itself without formal declarations for over two hundred years.
It is in the best interests of everyone in the world that our world leaders make it abundantly clear that anyone using chemical, nuclear or biological weapons will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Mostly because of the incredibly lethal nature of these weapons. 10 milligrams of VX will kill 50% of the people whose skin comes in contact with a dose that small. Three times that dose will kill 50% of the people who inhale it. That means that just one pound of VX would kill tens of thousands of people. Many more would suffer permanent neurological damage and be crippled.
I'm all for sending a message out that we as a planet will not tolerate anyone trying to use this kind of weapon against anyone.
* * *
The last day I went to work was on Monday of this week. Aside from a meeting that will take up an hour on Tuesday morning, and an hour or two on Wednesday, I won't work again until September 9th. That week is when my teaching duties begin. I've set aside Monday and Tuesday as days to be focused on initial preparation for the class. Now in truth I've been preparing all along, writing up my handouts for the first day, preparing my master notes for teaching the first classes and so on.
Normally I'd be chomping at the bit to be at the office. Instead I'm trying to enjoy this respite because I'm going to be quite busy after class begins. A load that will be made moderately more difficult because I'm having that defibrillator installed the week after classes begin. It's supposed to be an outpatient procedure, with a possibility that I may have to spend that night in the hospital. But they tell me I can't do any heavy lifting for a couple of weeks afterward. Considering the heaviest thing I try to lift these days is a bag of groceries, I'm not too worried about that.
I am very grateful to have a boss who understands my physical limitations and is almost as invested in making sure I don't exceed them as I am.
* * *
The Border Patrol has seized nine tons of pot, with an estimated street value of $14 million. That's roughly $777 per pound.
If that's not the best argument I've heard yet for complete legalization and regulation, with the same rules as cigarettes to at least attempt to keep it out of the hands of minors, what is? How cheaply could marijuana be grown, harvested and sold as a legal product in the U.S.? And better still, be taxed. Considering what people are paying now to buy it, they would have no objection to a stiff tax on it, with prices cut to a fraction of what they pay now.
I'll vote to legalize it.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
What will it take to get people to keep quiet during movies? The couple sitting near me today must have thought they were in their living room. Either that, or they don't know how to whisper.
Allen Iverson's ex-wife wants the next 14 years of child support now, to be put into trust. Well, people in Hell want ice water and they're going thirsty. I suspect she's going to get the same answer from a judge.
How interesting is it that the Congress will almost certainly be debating the use of force in Syria on 9/11 of this year?
Has the use of email and texting become so prevalent that using the phone as a tool for talking is becoming obsolete?
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, a self-proclaimed bi-sexual have entered into a dating "pact" where reportedly she can have sex with other women as long as she provides the details to Depp? Is this a fair and equal agreement if he is proscribed from sleeping with other women (or men for that matter)?
Please read this extract from a Yahoo Sports story:
"Add the names of Tim Tebow, Vince Young, Jimmy Clausen and Matt Leinart to the list of college star quarterbacks who have not been able to replicate their magic in the NFL. All three were cut Saturday as teams whittled down their rosters to the 53-man limit at the 6 p.m. ET deadline."
If you don't see what's wrong with the paragraph, count the names again. The awkwardness was caused by the addition of the name of Matt Leinart to the list, because he was actually cut on Friday.
By the way, if you read the word "final" in the stories about these roster cuts being made today, think about this for a moment. The "final" roster for the Cleveland Browns does not have a placekicker on it. Their punter did kick field goals back in his college days, but is he going to do double duty? Probably not.
Facebook's new Terms of Service is just one more indicator that I made the right choice in removing the photos of me from my FB profile.
* * *
This Date In History:
On this date in 1056, the Macedonian dynasty ends when Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless.
On this date in 1422, King Henry V of England dies of dysentery (two monarchs dying on consecutive days in different years of that?)
On this date in 1803, Lewis and Clark set off on their famed expedition when they depart from Pittsburgh, PA.
On this date in 1864, General Sherman's forces launch an attack on Atlanta.
On this date in 1888, Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. She was the first confirmed victim of Jack the Ripper.
On this date in 1895, German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his Navigable Balloon.
On this date in 1897, Thomas Alva Edison invents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.
On this date in 1936, Radio Prague begins broadcasting.
On this date in 1943, the USS Harmon is commissioned. It is the first U.S. navy vessel to be named for a black person.
On this date in 1958, a mail bomb sent to King Norodom Sihanouk by the younger brother of South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem fails to kill the King.
On this date in 1980, the government of Poland signs the Gdansk agreement, which allows creation of the trade union Solidarity.
On this date in 1997, Princess Diana and two others die in a car crash in Paris.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Caligula
Commodus
Maria Montessori
Emperor Taisho of Japan
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Fredric March
Arthur Godfrey
William Shawn
Richard Basehart
Daniel Schorr
Buddy Hackett
James Coburn
Jean Beliveau
Noble Willingham (I never knew until today the reason he left the TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger" was to run for Congress. He lost.)
Eldridge Cleaver
Frank Robinson
Itzhak Perlman
Bob Welch
Lowell Ganz
Richard Gere (don't buy him a gift gerbil)
Julie Brown
Edwin Moses
Gina Schock
Jessica Upshaw
Hideo Nomo
Debbie Gibson
Chris Tucker
Jeff Hardy
Movie quotes today come from 1997's "Jackie Brown" in honor of Chris Tucker who has a role in it:
Ordell Robbie: I got this young nineteen year old country girl named Sheronda. I found her on a bus stop two days outta Georgia, barefoot, country as a chicken coop. I took her to my place in Compton, told her it was Hollywood.
Louis: She believed you?
Ordell Robbie: Hell yeah! To her dumb country ass, Compton is Hollywood; closest she's ever been anyway.
#2
Louis: Who's that?
Ordell Robbie: That's Beaumont.
Louis: Who's Beaumont?
Ordell Robbie: An employee I had to let go.
Louis: What'd he do?
Ordell Robbie: He put himself in a position where he was going to have to do ten years in prison, that's what he did. And if you know Beaumont, you know ain't no god damn way he can do ten years. And if you know that, then you know Beaumont's gonna do anything Beaumont can to keep from doing them ten years, including telling the federal government any and every motherfucking thing about my black ass. Now that my friend is a clear cut case of him or me. And you best believe it ain't gonna be me.
#3
Max Cherry: If you've got time, you think you can find out where he's staying?
Winston: Cops can't locate him, huh?
Max Cherry: They don't have your winning personality.
posted by me at 5:21 PM
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