New problem, easily solved...

...I hope. Back in January our hard drive crashed, taking all of our important documents with it: Tax returns and resumes, mostly. Not to mention some recorded audio of our kids being genuinely cute. And so I learned about the importance of regular backups.

Well last night the computer wouldn't start up at all (no fans, no hard drive, etc.) but the little LED's which indicate a network connection came on fine. I'm thinking it's the power supply, having been down this road once before several years ago. So I'll be picking up a new one for cheap tonight and crossing my fingers.

A hard drive and a power supply failing within 6 months of each other. That leaves the CD drives, the motherboard, and the RAM. So I guess we haven't replaced half the computer yet. Regardless, when the MB goes, it's time for a new unit.

Tag: computer problems

Test No. 3

18 out of 20. Genius, I say!

Well, actually it came from a third party. A completely objective, anonymous third party, whose credibility in measuring such things is not verifiable. So it must be true.

I couldn't get number 7 or 19, by the way.

Hat tip: Mac Stansbury, guest-blogging at Alabama Improper.

Tag: time-waster

Peace at any price

Captain Ed reported that United for Peace and Justice was protesting in front of the Pentagon today, in an attention-seeking effort to build opposition to the presence of American troops overseas. Normally, I'd ignore this sort of thing because it just doesn't interest me that much, except I noticed that one of the featured speakers is local rabble-rouser Mike Ferner of Veterans For Peace.

I almost regret posting this, because it continues to draw attention to him. (You see, Ferner likes to see his name in print.) When he isn't giving speeches, he's writing about people getting arrested in connection with their opposition to the war.

When that doesn't satisfy him, he seeks to be arrested himself. Earlier this month he was arrested for interrupting a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee. On New Year's Day, he was arrested for defacing a few bridges here in the area. Then he had the nerve to imply that the arrest was violating his freedom of speech.

Of local note: Ferner was the favorite candidate for mayor here in Toledo in 1992, but lost narrowly to current mayor Carty Finkbeiner. Sure am glad we dodged that bullet!

Michele Malkin was there and has some pics.

Tag: lunacy

This just in:

Bush may actually be Hitler. Mr. Right has the scoop.

Hat tip to the Jawa Report.

Tag:humor

OK, So I'm a geek

But I want my next sheet of stamps to be this one.

Freedom of speech (blah blah blah)

There was some hoopla last week about a poll (PDF) which indicated unsurprisingly that Americans are more familiar with elements of pop culture than the freedoms explicitly listed at the top of the Bill of Rights. Sad perhaps, but as I said, unsurprising.

Unfortunately, some people support those First Amendment freedoms so vehemently they'll attack anyone who disagrees with them on the interpretation. Case in point: Stop the ACLU's primary site has been taken offline by what is known as a denial of service attack (DOS). They're working on the problem, and have a secondary site up here.

Of course it's highly possible the people who did this aren't citizens at all, which means they probably can't even be prosecuted.

On the other hand, the folks at Stop The ACLU are in good company. Congratulations!

Tag: Denial of Service

Ears like a dog

So I'm driving home from a class last night with my wife, doing 60 mph on the expressway and carrying on a conversation about the topic of the night's class, when I hear this clicking sound. "What's that sound?"

She shrugs. "I don't hear anything."

I check the keys. They're swaying as they dangle from the ignition, but not banging into anything. "Is it your watch?"

She holds her watch up to her ear. "No. I don't hear anything."

I hold my wrist up to my ear to check my watch. It's clicking away the seconds. "Must be mine." And we went on with our conversation.

A few seconds later, the clicking is still bugging me because it doesn't sound like it's coming from my side of the vehicle. I grabbed her arm. She stopped talking in mid-sentence while I held it up to my ear. "It's definitely your watch."

I've awakened before to the sound of my own watch, clicking away a few inches from my face in the silence of the night. Who can hear a wristwatch from three feet away while carrying on a conversation in an automobile at expressway speeds? Just doesn't seem normal.

Tag: weird

Yikes

Sunday: KindHearts of Toledo was raided by Treasury agents as an alleged front operation for funneling money to terrorist organizations Hamas and Al Qaeda.

That's about four miles away from my house. I've driven past that place probably a thousand times (though I'm not sure how long they've been there.)

My first thought: it's unsettling to think there could be terrorist fundraisers that close to home, but I'm willing to wait for a trial to assume guilt. (It's not like I was giving them money, so whether I presume them guilty doesn't really contribute to anything.)

Yesterday: The FBI arrested three Toledoans on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts against Americans.

They showed the houses and street names of these guys on the local news, along with reaction from neighbors. One of the three lives about a half mile from the church where two of our children attended preschool.

My thoughts now:

1. Assume guilt. It's still true that whether I think they're guilty has no bearing on anything. In a court of law, they can be innocent until proven guilty. The court of public opinion doesn't work that way.
2. Interrogate the snot out of the SOB's, using whatever means necessary.
3. Two of them are American citizens. What's the penalty for treason again?

Side note: The Justice Dept. commended the local muslim community for its support in this case. But there were a number of community leaders on TV last night saying they expect a public backlash against law-abiding muslims following these events. They're right, of course. There will be, but there shouldn't be. There are honest hard-working muslim citizens in this nation who love their country and deserve the respect of their countrymen. Some have earned our respect this week, and we shouldn't forget it.

Tag: terrorism

Taxes on windfall profits

Why do we need them, since there are already corporate income taxes which (theoretically) are taxes on the profits made by a business? The idea that we should tax "excessively" large profits at a higher rate than others implies that there is such a thing as an excessively large profit.

It assumes one of two things:

1. Either that a corporation lucked into an exceptionally high earnings year without significant planning, preparation, or risk, and that's a dubious notion in itself,


2. Or that while the corporation may have laid the groundwork for its success, it isn't entitled to benefit from it.

It further assumes that larger profit values should be taxed progressively: the more a company makes, the higher the tax rate should be. It suggests that the purpose of a business enterprise is to generate revenue -- not for its owners or shareholders -- but for the government.

It changes the after-tax income from the reward for a wise investment of time and resources into merely the charitable indulgence of a beneficent government. In effect, it punishes successful businesses for an effective and efficient distribution of resources, which is a goal which should be in everyone's best interest. Such punitive taxes amount to a financial disincentive to invest in market segments where the demand is highest, potentially diminishing the supply and raising prices on the product -- oil anyone?

One more thing before I wrap up. I'm not suggesting here that taxes are bad, per se. But I do think there's a moral implication to tax policy. This nation has long recognized a strong right to property, and the idea that a corporation is in business to generate revenue for the nation (rather than for shareholders) represents a sharp retreat from a dearly held American value.

For more on the topic, check out Stephen Green's Monday post on Vodkapundit. (I know, I'm late in getting to this.)

Tags: economics, taxes

Cuteness, or From the mouths of babes

The small cross which hangs in our sons' bedroom falls off the wall with the banging of a door or the stomp of a 2-year-old's foot. It's a daily occurrence.

And while our kids recognize drawings or paintings of Jesus, and they know the Lord's prayer -- when I pray with OS at bedtime, YS chimes in with "Father...power...glory...amen" -- it's probably that cross that gives them most physical reminder of Christ.

Today, I'm told that little cross fell off the wall while our youngest was being changed. Deciding he'd caused Jesus to fall off the wall, he said "Sowwy, Jesus".

Tags: kids, faith