Lots of hard talk between the Bush administration and Nancy Polosi's House of Representatives about a wire tap (FISA) bill. Bush wants the bill and Pelosi doesn't want to pass it. The bill would prohibit suing the telephone companies (telco's) for cooperating with the intelligence community (actually the National Security Agency, NSA for short). That's necessary, the telcoes are as patriotic as anyone, but they aren't going to expose them selves to expensive lawsuits just for helping Uncle out. The telco management has a responsibility to their stock holders, and they can't do things that get them sued, cause it costs like crazy to defend your company at law. So unless Pelosi is owned by the tort lawyers, she shouldn't have a problem with immunity for the telcos.
Beyond that, the bill ought to allow NSA to tap the phones of the enemy, and require a warrent for cops to tap US citizen's phones. Probably ought to say that wiretaps without a warrent are not admissable in court, except in cases of spying and terrorism. Should allow warrentless tapping of foreign calls even if the foreign calls are routed thru US telephone equipment. I'd also be willing to allow warrentless tapping of international calls, i.e. one party is located overseas.
The newsies haven't really reported on what the bill would contain, probably because they don't understand the issues. US citizens don't want Big Brother tapping their phone, but they do want Big Brother tapping Al Quada's phones. We ought to be able to write a law t hat says that in 2000 words or less.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Metric cheating. 12 mm is NOT 1/2 inch
Been making the benchwork for the HO train layout. Purchased some 1/2 plywood for the layout top. Cut 1/2" dadoes in the frame to accept the plywood. Damn, the fit is loose. So loose that the glue is gonna have to work overtime to take up a gap that big.
Question, what's off? The plywood or the dado set? Some measuring with a vernier caliper finds the 1/2" plywood measures only 15/32", or 1/32" shy of true, where as the dado set measures 1/2" like it should. Great. Must be plywood exported from some metric armpit, 15/32 is 12 mm pretty much dead on. Must be selling metric 12 mm plywood to the gullible Merkins and calling it 1/2" . That's only about 1/32" shy of what it should be. I've been cheated out of 7 percent of the plywood I paid for, and what's more annoying is I can't cut a 15/32" dado to get a good tight fit, my dado set only adjusts in steps of 1/16", I can do 7 /16" or 8/16" but I can't do 15/32", not with this dado set anyhow.
Things like this make me anti-metrification. It's as bad as when they changed the whiskey bottles over to metric, reduced the size and kept the price the same.
Question, what's off? The plywood or the dado set? Some measuring with a vernier caliper finds the 1/2" plywood measures only 15/32", or 1/32" shy of true, where as the dado set measures 1/2" like it should. Great. Must be plywood exported from some metric armpit, 15/32 is 12 mm pretty much dead on. Must be selling metric 12 mm plywood to the gullible Merkins and calling it 1/2" . That's only about 1/32" shy of what it should be. I've been cheated out of 7 percent of the plywood I paid for, and what's more annoying is I can't cut a 15/32" dado to get a good tight fit, my dado set only adjusts in steps of 1/16", I can do 7 /16" or 8/16" but I can't do 15/32", not with this dado set anyhow.
Things like this make me anti-metrification. It's as bad as when they changed the whiskey bottles over to metric, reduced the size and kept the price the same.
Judith Miller on reporter's shield law
Judith Miller, the ex NYT reporter who was jailed for contempt of court for refusing to name sources in the Valerie Plame affair, wrote an Op-Ed piece in the Wall St Journal, advocating a federal shield law that would allow "reporters" to keep their confidential sources confidential.
Current federal law gives no special rights or privileges to reporters. They are just plain ordinary citizens in the eyes of the federal law. When a judge demands a citizen testify in court, he can compel testimony with the threat of a contempt charge. Contempt is a crime that carries a jail sentence, and the judge can impose same purely on his say-so, no jury, no appeals. The only exceptions are clergymen do not have to reveal things learned in confession, lawyers do not have to testify against their clients, doctors do not have to testify against their patients, wives do not have to testify against husbands (and vice versa), and the citizen does not have to testify against himself (5th Amendment).
These exceptions have been part of common law since Blackstone's time (or before) . The law allows one to keep intimate conversations with very close relatives and advisers secret. The protection against self incrimination is an American innovation to prevent extraction of confessions by cruel and unusual methods.
Problems arise with a shield law. Who's a reporter anyhow? With the rise of blogs just about anyone (like me) can claim to be a journalist. I would resent a law that gave privileges to NYT reporters that were denied to me. If a broad definition of journalist is used, then nearly anyone in the country can refuse to testify on the grounds that they are journalists.
Then I have reservations about "confidential sources" in the news business. A news story based upon confidential sources is most likely a smear. Ask John McCain about that. Or the confidential source fears prosecution for compromising classified information. CIA officers leaked highly classified information about tapping bin Laden's satellite phone, reading electronic financial transactions, tapping Al Quada cell phones, and wire tapping international calls. All of these leaks did grave damage to US intelligence. Far as I am concerned, those sources ought to be revealed and then prosecuted for espionage against the United States.
So, no shield law. If the judge says "testify", you testify or go to jail.
Current federal law gives no special rights or privileges to reporters. They are just plain ordinary citizens in the eyes of the federal law. When a judge demands a citizen testify in court, he can compel testimony with the threat of a contempt charge. Contempt is a crime that carries a jail sentence, and the judge can impose same purely on his say-so, no jury, no appeals. The only exceptions are clergymen do not have to reveal things learned in confession, lawyers do not have to testify against their clients, doctors do not have to testify against their patients, wives do not have to testify against husbands (and vice versa), and the citizen does not have to testify against himself (5th Amendment).
These exceptions have been part of common law since Blackstone's time (or before) . The law allows one to keep intimate conversations with very close relatives and advisers secret. The protection against self incrimination is an American innovation to prevent extraction of confessions by cruel and unusual methods.
Problems arise with a shield law. Who's a reporter anyhow? With the rise of blogs just about anyone (like me) can claim to be a journalist. I would resent a law that gave privileges to NYT reporters that were denied to me. If a broad definition of journalist is used, then nearly anyone in the country can refuse to testify on the grounds that they are journalists.
Then I have reservations about "confidential sources" in the news business. A news story based upon confidential sources is most likely a smear. Ask John McCain about that. Or the confidential source fears prosecution for compromising classified information. CIA officers leaked highly classified information about tapping bin Laden's satellite phone, reading electronic financial transactions, tapping Al Quada cell phones, and wire tapping international calls. All of these leaks did grave damage to US intelligence. Far as I am concerned, those sources ought to be revealed and then prosecuted for espionage against the United States.
So, no shield law. If the judge says "testify", you testify or go to jail.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Who has more creds, McCain or the NYT?
The New York Times threw some mud at McCain in the form of a front page story insinuating McCain had a sexual relationship with a lady lobbyist, eight years ago. As a pay back for favors rendered, McCain wrote letters to the FCC prodding them to settle a station license case. The NYT story was weak, no named sources, no solid accusations of wrong doing, just innuendo, and eight years old.
McCain responded vigorously, derided the editorial judgment of the NYT, denied any involvement with the lobbyist (with his wife standing next to him on the podium) and his campaign organization called and emailed all his important (and not so important) supporters. Heck, I got an email about it, and I'm more of a well wisher than an important supporter. Then, somehow, Rush Limbaugh dropped his anti McCain stance and lit into the NYT for running a smear.
Far as I can see, McCain has more credibility with the country that the Times does, and the event is going down as a vicious smear by the left wing MSM rather than an accusation of wrong doing by McCain. I guess the Times has finally managed to discredit them selves with the electorate.
McCain responded vigorously, derided the editorial judgment of the NYT, denied any involvement with the lobbyist (with his wife standing next to him on the podium) and his campaign organization called and emailed all his important (and not so important) supporters. Heck, I got an email about it, and I'm more of a well wisher than an important supporter. Then, somehow, Rush Limbaugh dropped his anti McCain stance and lit into the NYT for running a smear.
Far as I can see, McCain has more credibility with the country that the Times does, and the event is going down as a vicious smear by the left wing MSM rather than an accusation of wrong doing by McCain. I guess the Times has finally managed to discredit them selves with the electorate.
Who to point the finger at? Microsoft or HP?
Andrew Garcia, blogging for E-Week, gives a luke warm review of Vista SP1. He finally installed Vista onto his everyday use PC, as opposed to the magazine's lab machines that he doesn't have to face up to every day. Andrew finds the Vista won't work his HP Laserjet 1000 printer. "The HP website had a note from December 2006 saying Vista drivers were coming soon, but there has been no further news in the intervening 14 months. It's disappointing, but I can't blame Microsoft for HP dropping the ball."
Well Andrew, I do blame Microsoft for making unnecessary Windows changes that broke a working driver. Every couple of years Microsoft changes Windows and everyone in the industry has to redo all the drivers for their products, just 'cause Microsoft changed the way Windows works, again.
Well Andrew, I do blame Microsoft for making unnecessary Windows changes that broke a working driver. Every couple of years Microsoft changes Windows and everyone in the industry has to redo all the drivers for their products, just 'cause Microsoft changed the way Windows works, again.
Heparin from China
The Wall St Journal has an article about a Chinese heparin maker. Exterior photo shows a beat up one story garage like building, surrounded by piles of junk. Description of the raw material (pig gut) and processing steps (concrete fermentation tank) are disgusting. The thought of feeding anything coming out of that yucky place into a live patient, anywhere, is stomach turning. Patients ought to beware of heparin, since it might have come from there.
The reporter then veers off into fantasy, suggesting putting in a paperwork system that would allow back tracking from a bottle of heparin to the serial numbers of the pigs it was made from, pig by pig. Three thousand pigs go into each kilogram of purified heparin. After a patient curls up and dies from bad heparin, does he care which pig from China killed him? Especially as said pig long ago became pork fried rice? Effort should go toward inventing a more sanitary method of making heparin, not doing paperwork to document how dirty the current product is.
The reporter then veers off into fantasy, suggesting putting in a paperwork system that would allow back tracking from a bottle of heparin to the serial numbers of the pigs it was made from, pig by pig. Three thousand pigs go into each kilogram of purified heparin. After a patient curls up and dies from bad heparin, does he care which pig from China killed him? Especially as said pig long ago became pork fried rice? Effort should go toward inventing a more sanitary method of making heparin, not doing paperwork to document how dirty the current product is.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Spiderwick Chronicles
Enjoyed it last night in the newly remodeled Jax Jr theater up here in Littleton. It's a fine kid's fantasy movie, with a mostly child cast. I figure watching kids movies helps keep me young. I won't spoil it by rehashing the plot here. The hero is very well played by Freddie Highmore, a boy about the age that Daniel Radcliffe was when he started playing Harry Potter. Actually he plays a twin brother (Simon) and himself (Jared) and the Hollywood magic makes both twins show together in the same scene as slick as Disney was with Hayley Mills playing both twins in The Parent Trap many years ago. It's a better movie than The Golden Compass, nearly as good as the Disney Narnia movie, but not up to the level of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings.
It's a proper movie with a brave hero who faces his challenge squarely and defeats it. Kids aged four to fourteen will love it, along with grownups who can still get in touch with their inner child.
It's a proper movie with a brave hero who faces his challenge squarely and defeats it. Kids aged four to fourteen will love it, along with grownups who can still get in touch with their inner child.
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