Plato Had A Code

Plato so feared for his safety that he invented a way to hide some of his ideas within his writings. That code has been cracked.

“Plato’s books played a major role in founding Western culture but they are mysterious and end in riddles,” Dr Kennedy, at Manchester’s Faculty of Life Sciences explains.

“In antiquity, many of his followers said the books contained hidden layers of meaning and secret codes, but this was rejected by modern scholars.

“It is a long and exciting story, but basically I cracked the code. I have shown rigorously that the books do contain codes and symbols and that unraveling them reveals the hidden philosophy of Plato.

“This is a true discovery, not simply reinterpretation.”

Of course in today's United States we have free speech and would never have to fear to publish our thoughts, or do we?

The Oil Spill Solutions Not In Use

Winston Groom wrote Forrest Gump, and now he has a story to tell that is not fiction, just true horror!

And frustration.

And what were the responsible parties doing all this time—those institutions that are supposed to be protecting citizens from this kind of nightmare? From all appearances, they were doing squat!

I expect he would feel better if these ten solutions were enacted, NOW!

Including the use of the ship, SS A-Whale, a uniquely efficient oil skimmer.

The S.S. A-Whale skimmer is a converted oil tanker capable of cleaning 500,000 barrels of oil a day from the Gulf waters. Currently, the largest skimmer being used in the clean-up efforts can handle 4,000 barrels a day, and the entire fleet our government has authorized for BP has only gathered 600,000 barrels, total in the 70 days since the Deepwater Horizon explosion. The ship embarked from Norfolk, VA, this week toward the Gulf, hoping to get federal approval to begin assisting the clean-up, but is facing bureaucratic resistance.

On The Black Panther Voter Intimidation Dismissal- No Justice

I and other Justice attorneys diligently pursued the case and obtained an entry of default after the defendants ignored the charges. Before a final judgment could be entered in May 2009, our superiors ordered us to dismiss the case.

We must say, CORRUPTION!!!

More evidence:

Most corrupt of all, the lawyers who ordered the dismissal - Loretta King, the Obama-appointed acting head of the Civil Rights Division, and Steve Rosenbaum - did not even read the internal Justice Department memorandums supporting the case and investigation. Just as Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. admitted that he did not read the Arizona immigration law before he condemned it, Mr. Rosenbaum admitted that he had not bothered to read the most important department documents detailing the investigative facts and applicable law in the New Black Panther case. Christopher Coates, the former Voting Section chief, was so outraged at this dereliction of responsibility that he actually threw the memos at Mr. Rosenbaum in the meeting where they were discussing the dismissal of the case. The department subsequently removed all of Mr. Coates' responsibilities and sent him to South Carolina.

Grand Rants Has A Fly In The WH

Funny stuff.


And this one too.....




Images borrowed from Grand Rants

Then Brits

I know many a Brit nowadays, the local English Pub here in Naples, Florida is full of them. And, I think Michael Moynihan has it about right, they are more Ameriphobes than we are Anglophobes.

His citation of how the Brits dwell upon the American pronunciation of aluminum is right on mark; they obsess over it. And his claim that they are dismissive of all things American is real.

Having spent large amounts of time in the United Kingdom—most of it greatly pleasurable, excepting the interminable pub conversations about silly Yanks who demand ice in their beverages and don’t properly pronounce aluminum—it strikes me as a little bizarre that this banal bit of political populism has engendered such hurt feelings.

Mark Steyn Blisters the One

In a piece entitled Gulf War 3 Mark Steyn makes us laugh at the too serious fraud that the Left has discovered Obama to be.

From his rewrite of the song about the Battle of New Orleans:

“I fired off a speech
But the British kept a-spillin’
Twice as many barrels as there was a month ago,
I fired off a speech
But the British kept a-spillin’
Up the Mississippi from the Gulf of Mexico . . .”

To his classic one liners:

(from a previous article he describes Obama as) the very model of a modern major generalist,

(Or Hillary should get her campaign going because) It takes a Spillage

To his surgical dissection of Obama's image:

Excellent. The president directed his Nobel Prize–winning Head of Meetings to assemble a meeting to tackle the challenge of mobilizing the assembling of the tackling of the challenge of mobilization, at the end of which they directed BP to order up some new tackle and connect it to the thingummy next to the whachamacallit. Thank you, Mr. President. That and $4.95 will get you a venti oleaginato at Starbucks.

Steyn does not dissapoint; too bad we can't say the same for our President.

Society Is Not Ready To Act Fair In The Aftermath Of Removing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

It started to become clear to me as I read the comments associated with an article about murder in Louisville, Kentucky. The gist of the story is that a gay man confessed to police that his estranged lover had killed a third gay man and buried him in the basement after the three of them had sex. The two that remain alive have a history of crime.

The comments that resulted from that article were peppered with apologies for gayness.

The only reason this paper is making such a big deal out of this issue is the alternative lifestyle of those involved. Theres (sic) no crime in being gay! The bashing aimed at us is not fair! Stop it!!!

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Gay bashing is pretty awful, granted. To separate out gays from the rest of our population is ignorant and cruel,..........

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Wow...some real ignorance in these forums (as usual - this post is just one of many). An "alternative lifestyle?" I hope you're referring to the drug lifestyle. Being gay is not a lifestyle any more than being straight is. One's sexuality is only one part of a person's life.

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If you actually believe that foolishness, chances are you are a bigot.

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I'd bet it has more to do with being a meth head

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Is it only perverted group sex because they're gay? This seems to be mostly about drugs and drug money, not sex. I'm sure that all sorts of variations of sex happen on a regular basis between all sorts of combinations of people and nothing this crazy comes out of it.

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That gayness is protected in the politically correct segments of our culture is well understood.

Public universities seems to be in a rush to embrace alternative lifestyles and consequently seem to hire more than their fair share of outright freaks and criminals.

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Doesn't matter what horrible crime they commited. If they are gay and you say anything then you are a bigot. It is the world we live in now. Special treatment for some.

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Are you serious? A body buried in the basement for six months, murder, drug use - none of this would be news if these guys weren't gay? The fact they are gay just adds another element to this bizarre story.

The usual annoying rehash of the two side's positions in the snafu that is the homosexual debate. Though, to make an earnest parallel to the gayness apologists I should cite those who found humor in the situation, they are the ones who truly bring truth to the matter with brevity.

One of them was the instigator and the other one just got sucked into it.

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This takes stabbing you in the back to a whole new level.

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You only hurt the ones you love . . . to death. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

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Again we understand the old adage, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!"

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Gayngstas

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Arrested Thursday night? Darn, that means they had to miss the parade.

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What's this world coming to when you can't even trust your boyfiend with your deepest, darkest secrets?

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Maybe they will try the "three's a crowd" defense.

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Sounds like somebody must have get rubbed the wrong way!

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Out of the closet and into the tub.

Sure they are dark, and insensitive, but so is murder. If you can't take the line, don't do the crime!

And, after seeing the number of comments that were deleted by the newspaper I have to say to them, stop trampling on our First Amendment rights!

I feel especially victimized in this regard, I posted a comment which was removed so completely that it doesn't even have the "comment has been removed for violating the terms of service" tag that appears throughout the list of comments. I really got under somebody's skin;, which is a particularly uncomfortable way for me to put it since I can only assume that the editor who took down my remarks is gay, yuck! Why else would a common sense analysis which contained no personal attacks, or even a bias against being gay.

My remarks simply stated the case that we are not ready to allow gays to serve openly in the military because we are not capable, as a society, of judging when someone is discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. Further, we face the same situation when religion is in the mix, and I cited the case of Nidal Hasan at Ft. Hood as evidence. Hasan went unchallenged, in spite of multiple people feeling he was not right, because of his Muslim religion; folks were afraid to offend. The same thing happens with gays, often we are encouraged to treat them as saints as a way of counteracting a perceived bias against them even though there is other cause for concern, it is assumed that it is always a discrimination when it may be a healthy survival reaction. Until, and unless, we can see a person's negative reaction to another person for what it truly is, be that irrational hate or well founded fear; we are not ready to accept the openness that gays demand. Not in society at large, especially not in the military where trust in your fellow soldier is a life or death matter.

My response was, this response, was initiated by a 'straight's kill too' remark posted to the article. That post and my reply follow:

Replying to GtownGuy:

About a year ago I met a really creepy straight guy who was nice-enough looking. But something about him made the hairs on my neck stand up & shiver. Tommy & his girlfriend were being evicted from their rental home, so a gay friend of their gay nextdoor neighbor took them into his South End home. Hey - the straight couple then MURDERED their gay benefactor. Trial coming up.

To which I said;

Wonder what point you think you are making?

Sounds to me as if someone dropped the ball and let their friends take in a creepy guy. I hope someone will think twice next time and act to warn the community about the danger someone sensed.

Now, it isn't clear to me that all fear of homosexuals is irrational, or even unnatural (for avoidance of homosexuality may be a biological imperative as much a part of a straight person as is the claim by homosexuals that they are born that way), but, it is clear to me that we can not now discern between bias, rational/irrational or natural/unnatural, in a quantifiable way and that until we can measure it precisely we can not judge when it is well placed and when it is abnormal. Thus, leaving it out of the equation, to the extent that such is possible, is the best way to proceed when people's lives are at stake. This applies to other special interest groups too, following up on Hasan would have saved lives but fear of offending Muslims got in the way, same happens with race, and gender. We already know how complex it is to deal with those obvious differences, adding another protected class only creates an additional burden for our soldiers; and one they don't need in the time of war, i.e. now! Protecting our nation is not a liberal arts symposium, it is deadly serious stuff. Full attention to the task at hand may be the only way to stay alive. Wondering whether you are offending someone has to take a backseat at serious times. Second guessing is like taking a mulligan on every golf shot, it is cheating! Don't ask, don't tell; stay on message and identify yourself as your nation's best defense. Sacrificing to accommodate someone's personal life is a distraction from duty.

A Friend's Plea To Selfish Smokers

Sure smoking is your choice, and you have the right to do it you wish, but as my friend Steve says you are hurting more than yourself. The following essay is his plea for you to stop. He asks this of you on behalf of those who love you and will miss you.

This is the email I sent to my co-workers on Friday. Feel free to send it or use it in any way you want. As one of my friends who responded said, if only one person quits as a result of this email it would have been well worth the effort.

From: Johnson, Steven
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 2:58 PM
Subject: To my friends and co-workers...



Hello to all,



As you may or may not know, my father passed away on Monday. I state this not for sympathy, but to get your attention.



My father was 81, had lung cancer, and for the 12-15 years before that he suffered from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and bronchitis. He was a strong man, but our family was forced to watch as these diseases slowly robbed him of his ability to enjoy his favorite hobbies (boating & fishing), and then his ability to get around or even out of the house, and finally his life. My grandfather and great-grandfather both lived past the age of 95, and given the advances in medicine, my dad should have live to at least age 90. Unfortunately, these diseases combined to shorten his life by at least 10%.



But the worst part of this story is that while these diseases were the thieves, my father knew that he was the one responsible for letting these robbers into his life. He expressed to me on several occasions his profound regret that he ever allowed these thieves to influence his life – because they robbed and harmed not just him, but more importantly to him, his family. We are here, left to miss him… and while his passing was inevitable, it didn’t have to happen this soon.



The thieves that my father allowed in are the same ones that many of you allow in to your own lives today – cigarettes. As you all roll your eyes, I ask you to consider my plight today. My father is gone, and his whole family is hurt by that absence, because he indulged himself and didn’t think about others. That is how HE described the 40 years he smoked, not my interpretation.



And so, as your friend and co-worker, I will ask those of you who smoke one small favor… please stop. Don’t do it because I ask or even for yourself, please – PLEASE – think of your family, and spare them the pain of seeing what I have seen, and from accepting a loss that can still be delayed. Your life is precious – to me as a friend and co-worker, but most importantly, to your family who loves you and wants you to stay around as long as possible. We will all someday face the end of our lives, but there is no reason to hasten that day’s arrival. I know and understand that quitting is hard, but the alternative – for you and your family – is much, much harder.



Are those cigarettes really worth losing 10% or more of your life and the pain you and your family will be forced to endure? I hope the answer is no. Your family, friends, and the world would be much better off if you stuck around a while.

Boxing Bab's Ears

Received the following in an email Snopes confirms that it was sent by the man cited.

Do you remember the scene? The Senate. Barbara Boxer hearing from a Brigadier General? Silly General! He addresses Barbara as "Ma'm", and she CORRECTS him, telling him she's "worked SO hard to earn the title, "Senator", so please to use that when speaking to her.


Get a load of this letter!

Read the letter sent to Sen. Barbara Boxer from an Alaskan Airlines pilot below. Many of us witnessed the arrogance of Barbara Boxer on June 18, 2009 as she admonished Brigadier General Michael Walsh because he addressed her as "ma'am" and not "Senator" before a Senate hearing.

This letter is from a National Guard aviator and Captain for Alaska Airlines named Jim Hill. I wonder what he would have said if he were really angry. Long fly Alaska !!!!!

Babs:

You were so right on when you scolded the General on TV for using the term, "ma'am," instead of "Senator". After all, in the military, "ma'am" is a term of respect when addressing a female of superior rank or position. The General was totally wrong. You are not a person of superior rank or position. You are a member of one of the world's most corrupt organizations, the U.S. Senate, equaled only by the U.S. House of Representatives.


Congress is a cesspool of liars, thieves, inside traders, traitors, drunks (one who killed a staffer, yet is still revered), criminals, and other low level swine who, as individuals (not all, but many), will do anything to enhance their lives, fortunes and power, all at the expense of the People of the United States and its Constitution, in order to be continually re-elected. Many Democrats even want American troops killed by releasing photographs. How many of you could honestly say, "We pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor"? None? One? Two?


Your reaction to the General shows several things. First is your abysmal ignorance of all things military. Your treatment of the General shows you to be an elitist of the worst kind. When the General entered the military (as most of us who served) he wrote the government a blank check, offering his life to protect your corpulent derriere, now safely and comfortably ensconced in a 20 thousand dollar leather chair, paid for by the General 's taxes. You repaid him for this by humiliating him in front of millions.


Second is your puerile character, lack of sophistication, and arrogance, which borders on the hubristic. This display of brattish behavior shows you to be a virago, termagant, harridan, nag, scold or shrew, unfit for your position, regardless of the support of the unwashed, uneducated masses who have made California into the laughing stock of the nation.


What I am writing, are the same thoughts countless millions of Americans have toward Congress, but who lack the energy, ability or time to convey them. Regardless of their thoughts, most realize that politicians are pretty much the same, and will vote for the one who will bring home the most bacon, even if they do consider how corrupt that person is. Lord Acton (1834 - 1902) so aptly charged, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."


Unbeknownst to you and your colleagues, "Mr. Power" has had his way with all of you, and we are all the worse for it.


Finally, Senator, I, too, have a title. It is "Right Wing Extremist Potential Terrorist Threat." It is not of my choosing, but was given to me by your Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, and you were offended by "ma'am"?


Have a fine day. Cheers!

Jim Hill
16808 - 103rd Avenue Court East
South Hill , WA 98374

If you care about the way our Country is heading, please circulate this to remind every voter that the "cesspools" MUST be pumped out when we go to the polls in November, 2010

Bravo Jim Hill!

Congressman John Fleming Continues To Push HR 615 - Congress Should Use The Healthcare Forced Upon The Rest Of Us.

The latest email from Congressman Fleming introduces a new website they have set up to promote HR 615. Go to America Speaking Out to push the vote button in support of HR 615.

The Impending US/Mexico Demilitarized Zone Border- Further Evidence That It Is Inevitable

I mentioned before the possibility that the out of control border could result in a demilitarized zone on the order of that separating the North and South Koreas.

Supporting the need for real border enforcement, and perhaps foreshadowing an eventual demilitarized zone on our southern border comes the news that public land along the border have been deemed too dangerous for US citizens and put off limits to the people who own them.

The closed off area stretches 80 miles along the border and includes part of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge............

The refuge had been adversely affected by the increase in drug smugglers, illegal activity and surveillance, which made it dangerous for Americans to visit.

"The situation in this zone has reached a point where continued public use of the area is not prudent," said refuge manager Mitch Ellis.

“It’s literally out of control,” said Babeu. “We stood with Senator McCain and literally demanded support for 3,000 soldiers to be deployed to Arizona to get this under control and finally secure our border with Mexico. “

Of course you get to a DMZ after a protracted battle for the control of the territory results in a stalemate and both sides agree that while formally ending hostilities is not in the cards, it is in the best interest of all to create a no-man's land between the opposing sides to make clear when an infraction has occurred and to buffer the impact of future incursions. A DMZ provides an appearance of civility, a victory over the intruders would preclude the need for a DMZ and the perpetual militarization of the border.

The Singularity Is Near- A New Movie

The Singularity is a common matter of discussion in transhumanist circles. There is no clear definition, but usually the Singularity is meant as a future time when societal, scientific and economic change is so fast we cannot even imagine what will happen from our present perspective, and when humanity will become posthumanity.

Whatever is meant by The Singularity it is a term that I have found repeatedly on sites I visit. I always strain to understand. Now, we can see it and know it Hollywood style, in a movie. The Singularity Is Near is due out this year, and stars one of my favorite actors, Pauley Perrette.

It has been years since I blew my money going to a movie theater, this movie could be the film that brings me back.

The Overton Window- An Introduction

A political scientist named Joe Overton illustrated a way of understanding how the political winds change.

The Overton Window

You've probably had this experience at some point: You've read about a great new idea for reforming government policy and thought, "This makes so much sense; why don't lawmakers just do it?" But months pass, and you don't hear politicians even discuss the idea, let alone act on it.

There's a reason: Ideas take time to produce changes in policy. This can be frustrating, but it also means that ideas policymakers refuse to countenance now may yet — with patience — become law.

Overton tells that there exists a "window" of social acceptance into which change can occur without such change causing a public backlash against the politicians who moved the window.

When social and political forces bring about change, the window of political possibility shifts up or down the spectrum and can also expand to include more policy options or shrink to include fewer. The window presents a menu of policy choices to politicians: From their point of view, relatively safe choices are inside the window and politically riskier choices (or bolder ones, if you prefer) are outside.

Cameras That Capture Pics Of Illegal Aliens

Two sights which display pictures/video of illegal aliens crossing into this country.

Secureborderintel.org

borderinvasionpics.com

Hannity Presents Three Ways To Fix The Gulf

And, let's not forget that Bio-Remediation may be the solution when it does get to the shore.

We need to use the American ingenuity which made us the great nation we were to clean up this mess.

Update: There is also an invention pushed by the actor Kevin Costner which has promise. It reputedly can clean 250,000 gallons of water per day.

Coach John Robert Wooden Dead At 99

Coach John Wooden October 14, 1910 - June 4, 2010




Lauded as perhaps the best Coach, in any sport, of all time, John Wooden has died. As great as he was at coaching young men to play basketball, he was an even better human being. He will be missed, but he left so much behind for us to follow, a great man, an incredible example. Rest with love Mr. Wooden.

Come To The USA

Resolving The Border Crossing Nightmare- An Ordered List Of Steps

Someone needs to set down the things which must happen to end the chronic invasion across the United States-Mexican border. I shall make an attempt to construct that list adding my reasons for why each step is both necessary and why it must be done in the order I lay out. Further, I will suggest the methods to be employed to accomplish each step.

I find opponents of ending illegal entry to usually be unreasonable people, so I will effort to present my case in a reasoned manner, not to persuade those invested in continuing the illegal transit, rather, to represent myself so that other reasonable people will recognize my effort as a serious attempt to resolve a matter which has plagued the US and Mexico for over one hundred and fifty years. Correcting the situation will not be universally lauded, and no one should expect everyone to agree, it will be necessary to do the right thing in the face of heated opposition. I believe our cooler heads, coupled with a fair and steadfast approach will prevail; and that all fair-minded people will come to see the wisdom in our proposals and, later, our actions

I will present this proposal in installments, revising as I see fit, so the delivery of the proffered resolution will take some time. And, while I have promised an ordered approach, in some cases prior steps will not be completed before subsequent steps begin. In fact, some, if not all, subsequent steps will serve to accommodate the completion of prior steps. Sealing the border, for instance, will made easier by steps which make entry and residing in our country less desirable for illegals; the fewer people attempting to cross, the fewer resources it takes to control the border.

STEP ONE

Seal the border. And by "seal" I mean, end the illegal crossings by protecting against them. This does not include closing official border crossing sites, commerce and legal entry/exit must be maintained, so keeping the sites with Custom officials on duty open is a must.

Why seal first?- The stated problem is illegal entry, so the ultimate solution is to not have the border violated. By definition, a sealed border is one which is not violated, no violations means no illegal entries. To know if there are illegal entries occurring means monitoring and controlling the border, i.e. sealing it against permitted crossing. So, we first state that this is our purpose and our goal, and we show a serious effort to achieve this end from the beginning!

More to come..........

6-6-10: Here is an example of why it is important to do something at the time it comes to mind; my insight into this matter is diminished by attention to other things. Next time, I pledge, next time I have the inspiration i will write down a list with the intent to use it as an outline.

Galaragga's Perfect Game Done In By Umps Gag-a-Paloosa Call

At least the umpire admits and regrets his mistake.

First baseman Miguel Cabrera fielded Jason Donald's grounder to his right and made an accurate throw to Galarraga covering the bag. The ball was there in time, and all of Comerica Park was ready to celebrate the 3-0 victory over Cleveland until Joyce emphatically signaled safe -- a decision he soon regretted.

"It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the --- out of it," Joyce said, looking and sounding distraught as he paced in the umpires' locker room. "I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay."

Detroit manager Jim Leyland immediately argued the call and was joined by several of his players after the final out. Galarraga (2-1) was trying for the 21st perfect game in major league history and third in a month.

Galarraga looked stunned after the botched call, then quietly went back to work as the crowd of 17,738 started to boo.

IT WASN'T EVEN CLOSE!



Gretchen Carlson, Miss America 1989, had a good solution which could have resolved the umpire's error; she said, "he (the runner) should have called himself out". He point being that the runner knew he was not safe, he could have preserved the perfect game by acknowledging that the umpire was wrong. I am not sure that the rules of baseball would have allowed the ump to change his call even when the overturned call is endorsed by the opposing player; but I like the concept. In fact, I have argued more than once for letting basketball players call their own fouls, taking the referee out of the game. Of course, neither in basketball, nor in baseball would such a system work, the greedy aspect of human nature would prevail, and differences of opinion would supplant sportsmanship; referees and umpires were invented because players have no perspective during the course of play after all. Later Carlson accepted the implausibility of her proposal and the use of replay was mentioned as a realist manner to avoid officials errors.

Oil Spill Response Found In Bio -Remediation: Oil Eating Microbes

The Miracle Grow method.

Indeed, the equipment and people used to remove the oil in traditional ways could instead drive the crude down into the muck, where it could stay for decades, poisoning plants and marine life.

But one tool could help build on the Earth's own defenses -- and it was pioneered by University of Louisville professor Ronald Atlas. Called bioremediation, it essentially increases the appetite of oil-eating bacteria and other microorganisms already in the Gulf of Mexico.

"What will happen, naturally, over time, is the microorganisms will (digest) the oil," Atlas said. "You can speed it up by adding nutrients."

Finally a voice which speaks to solutions rather than casting blame. And, a very interesting solution too.