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September 30, 2005

DeLay is Indicted - Will it Stand?

So, Tom Delay has finally been indicted in this long, drawn out, political case in Texas. My question is, will this indictment go away like so many other politically motivated actions by this same prosecutor have before? Will the prosecutor offer to drop the charges in exchange for contributions to his political activism as he has done with other charges related to this case? Will the charges be dropped by a judge due to lack of evidence?

Perhaps, this time, the charges will stick.

We'll see.

Posted by Lockjaw at 9:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 25, 2005

Back From the Festival

I'm back from an extended weekend event. The wife, cub, and I spent the last few days in Buena Vista Virginia, at the "Nothin' Fancy Bluegrass Festival." This is an annual event at which the wife has sold her jewelry for the last few years, and this was my first year being able to attend since the first year, before it had its current name.

The Bluegrass Brothers are one act that I'd love to see again. They put on a fantastic show, with lots of energy and drive. They know how to work the crowd like some of the best in the music business. In their final show of the weekend, they brought out Johnathan Dillon. Johnathan is a young musician (11 or 12) who made his first CD at age 10, performing all vocals and instrumentation. I met Johnathan after hearing some of the most amazing bass-thumping from nearby the jewelry stand. I walked around the corner to see a kid, smaller than the bass, thumping and slapping on some fantastic fast grass. I stood in awe (as a former standup bass player myself) and bought a copy of his CD on the spot. He played banjo for the Bluegrass Brothers, and brought down the house.

Michelle Nixon was another act I thoroughly enjoyed, and I picked up a copy of her latest CD at the benefit auction Saturday morning. Meeting many of the performers was another treat. Talking to people who are among the best at the things they do is always a joy. Nothin' Fancy's fiddle player, Chris Sexton, is destined for greatness in the industry. The bassist for Bluegrass Brothers showed his stuff on many occasions. Johnathan Dillon is a name to watch.

So, after a trip spanning hundreds of miles, untold songs (from many genres, mind you), five days, almost an entire SF novel, and two tanks of gas, I'm home. I'm tired. I'm sore. I'm happy.

Be happy.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 21, 2005

Slower posting of late

I know, my posting on the blog has slowed down a lot in recent weeks. This is likely to continue for a while. I've got idea after idea running through my head for the posting, but I've been busy on other things. Working all week, and busy all weekend has been the usual routine. Some weekends, like this past one, have had me on the run morning to night. Monday, I took a short nap after coming home from work and woke up hours later. This coming weekend, I'll be attending a bluegrass festival. Of course, there's also been the work on no less than 5 websites, amateur radio, chores, and the occasional video game. I also work with the church's youth group. I'm having a blast, but man does living life take a lot of time.

Through all of this, posting on the blog is hardly impossible. My latest position at work, though, has me leaving the house at 6:40am, when I'm normally in prime writing mode. I'm starting to settle into my new morning routine, though, so more activity should happen soon.

Well, 15 minutes to liftoff. Time to finish.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 16, 2005

Blanco Ignores Non-Blancos Making LA Mas Blanco

Why is it that George Bush gets called a racist for heading up the federal government that came to the rescue in Louisiana almost immediately? It seems to me that the local governments managed to do a poor job of taking care of their own. In fact, many of the poorest citizens have now been shipped out of the state under conditions that has them saying they will not return. Since Louisiana is one of those states in which the poorest are more likely to be black, we have an end result of Louisiana having fewer black people.

So, Governor Blanco doesn't let the non-blancos out of the area until conditions are so bad that evacuation turns into escape. These non-blancos are then loaded onto the busses and shipped out of state, where someone else can worry about them. Will the end result be that there are fewer non-blancos in Louisiana? Will Louisiana finally be more blanco? (mas blanco)

The big question, though, is was all of this an accident, or a plan?

What are your goals, Governor Whitey?

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 8, 2005

Rock Star - No Need to Watch Now

I wasn't addicted to the show, but I was enjoying "Rock Star: INXS" quite a bit until this week. Not being a fan of INXS for the last 20 years, I thought it might be possible to be a fan in the future, if they chose the right lead singer. Unfortunately, they've now kicked off the two people I thought were worthy of the job. Ty and Jordis were fantastic. The rest of the current group are okay, but I'd have bumped the whole group weeks ago, cancelled the show and hired Ty and Jordis as the two leads for a new lineup.

Jordis is gone this week. I'm not counting on much from the new INXS, whenever they release a new CD. I am, however, looking forward to Jordis' sure-fire solo effort, undoubtedly soon to be in the works.

Posted by Lockjaw at 4:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hate Politics Doesn't Tell Truth About Katrina Relief

I'm getting quite tired of listening to the constant accusations from the left over Hurricane Katrina. In an ongoing attempt to hurt President Bush and the Republican Party politically, Katrina is the latest in a long string of situations for which George Bush should be blamed. I've seen Bush blamed for the hurricane itself, which is such a stupid idea that I would normally be amazed that anyone would make the connection. In the aftermath, the accusations have been just as baseless, if not as stupid.

One point of accusation is the slow response of the federal government. I can tell you from personal knowledge that the federal government responded in exactly the timeframe that can be expected in a disaster. I volunteer as an emergency communications specialist through ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Communications). Should a disaster hit my local area, I will deploy with other amateur radio operators to fill the gaps in communication, from police and fire needs to operating stations in our emergency shelters. Because of our specific task, we are involved in the planning for the local handling of natural disasters.

The single most important point we must remember in a disaster is that WE are the first response. Should a major disaster hit the area, our first job is to ensure the security and safety of ourselves and our families. Our second job is to look to our immediate community for its needs. If we have a neighbor in need of emergency medicine, we must do what we can. Once that is done, we deploy as needed to serve the needs of the city and county in rescue and recovery. The reason for this is that we cannot expect outside help to arrive immediately.

I can't say how many times I've heard from representatives of our local Emergency Operations Center that the earliest we can expect federal help in a major disaster is 3-4 days. We can expect state agencies to begin responding AFTER 24 hours, because first responder agencies such as police, fire, and rescue can simply drive to the area on demand. More state help will begin to arrive later, as those responsible for the response mobilize and deploy. Federal help takes longer. It's nobody's fault. It's the nature of the job. The right people for the particular situation must be mobilized. Equipment and supplies needed for the task are gathered. Travel time must be factored in. With all this considered, a three day response is realistically the best you can ask for.

Because of the slow response time of state and federal authorities, local emergency management and government officials KNOW that the earliest jobs of rescue and recovery are theirs and theirs alone. They should have emergency management plans to deal with the worst realistic disasters. These plans must be tested through drills and constant re-evaluation.

Note that I said "realistic disasters." Hurricane Katrina was a storm on a scale only measured twice before, in the age of modern weather science. New Orleans officials had plans in place to deal with the results of a much weaker storm. They SHOULD have designed their plans for a storm of this magnitude, but that's easier said than done.

With all this in mind, I can see where errors did occur. New Orleans did not follow its own emergency preparedness plan in preparing for this storm. With plans in place to evacuate the city, entire steps were ignored completely. In a city run by Democrats, the poorest of the city were left to fend for themselves while those with means were allowed to go to safety. The emergency plan included a 72 hour timeline for full evacuation, but mandatory evacuation wasn't put into place until well within the 48 hour landfall estimate. City and school buses were in the plans as a means to evacuate the poorest and most needy citizens, but the Democrats in power showed complete incompetence in leaving those people in danger.

State officials should have responded better and faster. They didn't. Although they undoubtedly have detailed emergency plans, and could have begun deployment within 24 hours, they didn't. The Democrat Governor of the state seemed quicker to provide blame than help. This, of course, is only my perception, but state response was inadequate in the earliest days.

The Federal Government responded right on time. 3 days after the event, the Coast Guard was well into its efforts. The US Army was arriving and providing assistance in many ways. FEMA officials and workers were arriving. In addition, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other private organizations were setup and providing help to the needy.

Disaster preparedness and recovery is a big, complex business. There are many thousands of people in this country working every day to make sure that YOU stay as safe as possible should the worst occur. These people deserve respect, and assistance when you can provide it.

When natural disaster occurs, though, one thing you can count on from the Democrats is attempt after attempt to use the deaths and needs of others for political benefit. It's sad. It's sickening. To those on the left who have repudiated such attempts to use this disaster for political gain, I can only say thanks.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:42 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 4, 2005

How NOT to React to Impending Emergency

One common thread among (nearly) all local and state governments, as well as the federal, is disaster preparedness. Virtually every city, county, parish, metro area, and state has detailed emergency preparedness plans that involve many facets. Regular drills take place to determine how effectively the authorities can react to different situations. I'll be taking part in a small drill this afternoon, in fact, so I'm somewhat familiar.

That said, here's a quote from The Southeast Louisiana Evac Plan Supplement, most recently revised in 2000.

5. The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating.

With that in mind, look at this photo of unused school buses, leaking fluids into the flood waters.

I'm sure some drills were taking place. One drill that could have happened on paper, at least, was a full city-wide evacuation of New Orleans. Had such a drill taken place, even just on paper, this weak point would surely have been identified and fixed.

This is why the emergency preparedness drills should be undertaken regularly. The government officials should be doing it. Companies should be doing it. Churches should be doing it. You should be doing it. When was the last time you had a fire drill at your home?

Don't take things for granted. Do a drill. Analyze the drill. Fix the drill. Hope you never need the drill.

Posted by Lockjaw at 7:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 3, 2005

"Officially" No Longer Libertarian

Well, it's official. For the first time in years, the Libertarian Party of North Carolina is no longer an "official" political party in the state of North Carolina. Since failing to receive enough signatures within a certain number of days after the 2004 elections, the NC Board of Elections has decertified the party. Yes, I signed the petition. Unfortunately, however, the decertification of the party has resulted in the thousands of voters registered as Libertarian being converted into "unaffliliated" voters. This includes me. For the first time in my life, I'm an "unaffliliated" voter, and I don't like it. I'm no fan of choosing "unaffliliated" on your voter registration form. I consider it a form of cowardice, though definitely a lesser one.

For now, though, I'll stay "unaffliliated" in an official sense. Once the LPNC gets enough signatures and is again considered an "official" party in this state, I'll re-register as a Libertarian. The Republicans don't deserve me, and I've long since smartened up enough to escape the Democrats.

Posted by Lockjaw at 12:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 1, 2005

Oil Company Boycott? Not Workable

I've just gotten another one of those viral emails calling for a day of boycott against the oil companies. These things seem so reasonable, on the surface. Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on your economic knowledge), the whole concept is unworkable.

The standard line starts out something like this. "If we all used no oil for one day, the oil companies would run out of storage space for their stockpiles." It would be easy to say that this statement leaves an important detail out. It leaves a LOT of details out. The whole statement is flawed, unworkable, and plainly false.

Oil and gas don't work the same way other products do. The stockpiles of gasoline from which we purchase are counted in many locations. There are huge storage tanks. There are smaller storage tanks. There are trucks, train cars, ships, and pipelines full. All of this is counted in the stockpile. The gasoline in the storage tanks at your local station are also a part of the stockpile. At many points in the supply chain, slack space is available.

Note that because the local gas station's tanks are included in the stockpiles, the price you pay at the pump is actually the replacement cost. You're not paying to buy from the tank. You're buying from the stockpile. That's why price increases at the wholesale level almost immediately pass down to the gas pump.

With that said, why couldn't we simply boycott the oil companies for one day and show them we don't need them? The answer to this one is even simpler. We DO need them. Far from being the evil corporate greedmongers that some would like you to believe, the oil companies are providing a necessary product on a massive scale at a reasonable price.

We need the oil companies because we need gasoline. We need lubricants. We need plastics, tars, and other petroleum products. To not purchase gasoline for one day would be ineffective, if we still used petroleum products for that day. If we drove to work on that day, we'd just buy the same amount of gasoline the day before, or after, thus negating any effect. We would have to avoid using/purchasing drinks in plastic bottles, Vasoline, WD-40, paint thinners, many paints, shingles, electronics, and electricity. The list goes on, of course, but you get the idea. We also don't want to use any products or services that require the oil industry to exist, which rules out pretty much everything. Don't drink water, because the pumps require electricity, which is created by burning oil or another fuel that is transported using an oil-driven machine.

To effectively carry out a boycott on the oil companies, the process would be quite simple. Flip the main breaker on your house to the off position. Seat yourself on the couch and stay still, to reduce food and water needs. Go to the bathroom in a jar, if you can't hold it in for 24 hours. Eat nothing. Use nothing. Drink nothing. Buy nothing. Produce nothing. Do nothing.

Oil impacts every aspect of our lives in this modern age. Instead of complaining about fluctuations in prices on one product of the industry, try considering how the oil industry has made our lives better in almost every way. Be careful that your immediate dislike of market-driven price increases don't drive you to be a luddite.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:11 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack