Archive for: ‘May 2011’

PATRIOT Act Renewal Means We Need to Vote the Bums Out

May 31, 2011 Posted by zachary

Thursday, May 26, 2011, the US Senate and US House of Representatives passed by a large margin the renewal of the PATRIOT Act. Both of Oklahoma’s Senators and All of Oklahoma’s Congressmen, with the exception of Sullivan, voted to renew it with no debate and no amendments. Sullivan did not vote so his inaction is just as bad if not worse than those who voted for it.

The PATRIOT Act is the worst violation of the people of the United States’ rights to be secure in their persons and be given due process. The renewal of the PATRIOT Act continues the ability of the US to violate the rights of the people by searching and monitoring the communication and purchase history of guns and other objects of interest without any court oversight.

Local law enforcement is required to get a warrant before performing any kind of search or wiretap even in cases of clear evidence of wrong doing. But the US government has granted themselves the power to bypass the courts when all they have is a hunch or a gut feeling.

When will the people of this nation stand up for their rights? When will the people of this nation realize that the specter of terrorism is nothing more than that, a specter? When will we vote in people who understand the Constitution this nation was founded on? I tried last election and will again this next election. (more…)

Coburn Fails to Understand Technology

May 26, 2011 Posted by zachary

Senator Coburn today voted to move the PROTECT IP act out of committee and into a floor vote. This move shows just how little he understand technology and his unwillingness to listen to those who do. He shows that all he cares about is listening to and propping up failing industries rather than letting innovation thrive in the US.

The following is the letter I wrote to him in response to this vote:

I wrote to you just the other day about the PROTECT IP bill and the current state of copyright in general.

Today I learn that once again the Senate, and you sepcifically, have voted to move forward with PROTECT IP (formally known as COICA).

This legislation is a horrible mess. The powers it grants the government and private interests is enough to destroy the stability of the internet and move the US to China like censorship.

I am disappointed that you did not listen to those from the technology industry who voiced their concerns about this bill and instead listened to those in an industry whose only goal with legislation like this is to prop up failing business models.

It was my impression that Republicans were not in favor of propping up failing businesses as shown by many Republicans displeasure about the TARP bailouts and other government bailouts of failing industries.

I would hope that you would change your mind and look at the issues and details more closely before making your final vote on this bill. I hope that as you actually look at it and listen to both sides to the debate equally, that you will see just how damaging this will be to information technology and free speech in the US. I hope that your final vote will reflect that and you will vote NO.

With this move and your recent vote on the PATRIOT ACT, I am looking less and less likely to vote for you when you are next up for election.

Tornado Experience

May 25, 2011 Posted by zachary

Last night was interesting. Power went out around 5-ish. We had our emergency radio out and listening to the weather news.

I went around the house and turned off all the electronics. We cleared out the cleared out our “storm shelter” (the closet at the end of the hall) and prepped it for our occupation. We let the dogs inside. Kelsie came running in but Diamond took a little more coaxing. She wanted in, but her radio collar has trained her to stay away from the back door so I had to drag her.

We climbed into our “storm shelter” (the closet at the end of the hall) Two adults, four kids and a puppy makes for a very crowded closet. We were in there for about 20 minutes while we listened to the news about the tornado. Once it passed, we climbed out to still no power.

Our home was pretty much fine. So were all of our neighbors. The storm had passed a few miles north of us. There was some small debris in our yard, but we were otherwise fine. (more…)

Kill the PATRIOT Act

May 24, 2011 Posted by zachary

This is a letter I wrote to my senators after reading that they allowed the PATRIOT Act to continue through the senate without a vote. Senator Tom Coburn voted for the motion. Senator James Inhofe did not vote.

I am disappointed to see that you have allowed the PATRIOT Act to continue through the senate without debate. The fact that the US government saw fit to violate the privacy and due process rights of its citizens is bad enough, but to continue to allow this breach of our Constitutional rights is an even worse infringement against the American people.

I would certainly hope that when it actually comes to voting for this extension that you will vote against it. I am getting sick of every move by this once great nation as it becomes more and more of the totalitarian state that we claim to despise in other countries governments.

It is time to stop treating every citizen of this nation as if they were a terrorist. We need to end the PATRIOT Act, the TSA and the DHS. They are doing nothing but providing the illusion of security at the cost of the privacy and due process rights of the people.

If you have actually suspicion that would convince a judge to issue a warrant against specific individuals of interest, so be it. But do not think that the people of this nation will continue to roll over and have their rights stripped from them.

If you continue to support moves such as you did with the PATRIOT Act, I will be voting against you in the next election and actively encouraging other to do like wise. We need people who honor, support and uphold the constitution, not people who toss it out with the trash. We the People deserve better than that. (more…)

Copyright is Out of Control

May 23, 2011 Posted by zachary

Google CensoredThis is a letter I sent to my US Congressman Tom Cole and my US Senators Tom Coburn and James Inhofe. Interestingly enough, Senator Coburn was the only one who had “Intellectual Property” as one the possible issues. Representative Cole was the only one with an editable subject line.

I am writing to you today about the “PROTECT IP” act and ACTA that is currently circulating the capital these days.This bill would grant sweeping power to the government and private interests to suppress speech and destroy innovation in the information technology sector. To this I must ask the following:

What benefit does the average person get from expanding upon the already bloated Copyright laws in this nation? What benefit does a small time musician, writer, independent film producer or independent game developer get from these expanded “protections”?

As an independent game developer and an independent writer, I see no benefit to being granted sweeping authority to suppress speech, especially when I do not have the resources to exercise the authority granted to me. As an independent creator, I do not even have the resources available to exercise the authority granted to me under the DMCA. So again I ask, what benefit do I get out of these expanded “rights”? (more…)

Government Welfare: Theft or Charity?

May 15, 2011 Posted by zachary

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread (Genesis 3:19; King James Bible)

And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. (Mosiah 4:16; Book of Mormon)

As Latter-day Saints, we have an obligation to care for those who are in need. To this end the Church has established a number of programs to assist those in need. Chief amongst these is the Fast Offering program. Every month, the members of the church fast for 24 hours and take the funds that would have been used to purchase food for those meals and donate to the Fast Offering program. This money is then used to help those who do not have money to get food for their families and pay for other things. Other notable programs are the Perpetual Education Fund and the church Humanitarian Relief.

However, even with these funds available, those who are in need are still required to do all they can to provide for themselves. For as God commanded Adam after the Fall, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.” This commandment holds as true today as it did then. We are obligated to provide for our own needs. (more…)

Wally Hates Paywalls – Goes One Step Further

May 12, 2011 Posted by zachary

Someone at the Tulsa World needs to actually read the comics section of their paper. Yesterday’s Dilbert Comic Strip was about paywall systems such as the one the Tulsa World recently introduced.

Wally Kills the Pay Wall

It is so strange that the big wigs at the Tulsa World don’t understand how adding a paywall to their website will not make them any more money. What it is going to do is cost them money and lose them readers.

I am not one to criticize anyone’s political view points (okay, maybe I am a little) but it seems to me that if the Tulsa World is losing money it is not because of a lack of a paywall. I think the issue is with their overtly Liberal  bias in their news reporting in an ever growing Conservative state.

Creating a paywall is not going to suddenly make those Conservative news readers want to read their news. It will move them faster to competing news sources like the Daily Oklahoman that actually understands the need to freely distribute the news to the people.

So come on Tulsa World, get rid of the paywall already.

Abortion and the Right to Life

May 11, 2011 Posted by zachary

About a month ago, a man I admire, Danny Ledonne, wrote a blog post about why libertarians should support a woman’s right to seek an abortion under any circumstance. As he points out, this is a contentious issue that the Libertarian Party has punted on.

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration. (Libertarian Platform 1.4)

In Danny’s defense of a woman’s right to seek an abortion, he uses what he admits to being an imperfect analogy of an unwelcome house guest:

If I am the owner of a property, I decide who is welcome and who is not.  If an unwelcome person persists in remaining on my property (an “intruder”), I have the right to use every means up to and including deadly force to remove this person from my property.  Naturally, I am going to seek out non-violent means to resolve this conflict first, however at some point if the person refuses to leave my property (“like it or not, I am living in your dining room for the next nine months”), I may choose to use physical confrontation to remove this person.  You see where I am going with this; if a woman has self-ownership over her body, then clearly she is the sole decision-maker as to whom is welcome inside her body.

Now I have a problem with this. This analogy, while written in good faith, is not an accurate representation of pregnancy or abortion. (more…)

Re: Abortion and Libertarians

May 10, 2011 Posted by zachary

About a month ago, a man I admire, Danny Ledonne, wrote a blog post about why libertarians should support a woman’s right to seek an abortion under any circumstance. As he points out, this is a contentious issue that the Libertarian Party has punted on.

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration. (Libertarian Platform 1.4)

In Danny’s defense of a woman’s right to seek an abortion, he uses what he admits to being an imperfect analogy of an unwelcome house guest:

If I am the owner of a property, I decide who is welcome and who is not.  If an unwelcome person persists in remaining on my property (an “intruder”), I have the right to use every means up to and including deadly force to remove this person from my property.  Naturally, I am going to seek out non-violent means to resolve this conflict first, however at some point if the person refuses to leave my property (“like it or not, I am living in your dining room for the next nine months”), I may choose to use physical confrontation to remove this person.  You see where I am going with this; if a woman has self-ownership over her body, then clearly she is the sole decision-maker as to whom is welcome inside her body.

Now I have a problem with this. This analogy, while written in good faith, is not an accurate representation of pregnancy or abortion. (more…)

Seek an Education That Glorifies God

May 9, 2011 Posted by zachary

O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. (Alma 37:35; Book of Mormon)

And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and by faith. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118)

Latter-day Saints are commanded to learn wisdom and gain an education. We are to seek out the best institutions of education available to us. Not only are we to seek an education, we are to seek one that glorifies God and builds on our faith in him. (more…)