Ogre's Politics & Views

August 01, 2005

Carnival, carnival!

I think I'm going to have to move my weekly carnival notices to Tuesdays or Wednesdays because there's more carnivals now starting to post later in the week.

No matter, I'll post what I've got so far for this week:

Tarheel Tavern #23 is up at Snort a Sprocket (no, really, that's the name of the blog!)

Harvey's got the Carnival of Kids (the Bad Uncle Edition).

Basil's Blog has got this week's New Showcase Carnival. The pickings have been rather slim for this one lately -- folks, if YOU see a blog that you notice is less than 3 months old, let the people know about the New Blog Showcase, or just submit them yourself with The Carnival Submission Form. This is a fun Carnival and we really want to keep it going!

There's more carnivals to come, but they'll be posted later in the week!

Posted by: Ogre at 09:46 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Duke Power Fixed Payment Plan

Every now and then I get one of these "offers" from utility companies. I wonder, is there anyone who actually takes them up on the "deal?" If so, let me know, as I've got some financial "deals" I'd like to offer you, too.

Here's how it works: Duke Power offers:

No Surprise...No Risk...No Settle Up...No Kidding payment plan... It's called Duke Power's Fixed Payment Plan... only select Duke Power customers may enroll... you get a guaranteed fixed monthly payments ... no matter how cold or hot the weather is outside... your [bill] amount won't fluctuate with the weather.

They go on and on about how wonderful the plan is. Then, way at the bottom, the numbers look something like this:

Your Fixed Payment Plan Monthly Amount: $200.00.
Your Average Amount*: $160.00.
Your Highest Amount*: $250.00.
Your Lowest Amount*: $100.00.

*Amounts were calculated using all available history, up to 24 months at this residence.

So let's see...last year I paid a total of $1,920.00 for electricity, and you're offering me a tremendous, limited time, limited scope deal where I can pay $2,400.00 instead! WOW! What a deal! To avoid paying slightly more in the summer months, I can pay an extra $480, spread out over the whole year! Man am I impressed.

Seriously, does anyone actually sign up for these things? Are people really that stupid or ignorant? Sorry, I forgot. They are.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:59 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

New Layout

So, how does everyone like the new layout? Oh. Yes, you're right, there was no change in the layout this month. Sorry, it's not coming soon, either.

The next layout I'm working on is relatively complex. I'm experimenting with quite a few features that will work behind the scenes, so don't worry, it won't be a diagonal layout or anything. It will be a pretty different layout, however.

The idea is to have a relatively informative "above the fold" section. From there, there will be links and teasers to articles. I know Harvey won't like it, at least at first, because it is going to be designed to make you click some, not just scroll. But it should be very user-friendly, unlike the horizontal layout.

I'm setting it up based on cookies and larger screen layouts. If you're one of the 15% viewing with 800x600 monitor settings, sorry, you're not getting the fancy stuff. I'm going to set up an auto-detect that will send small screen viewers to a different layout. I'm also considering having very primitive logins (optional, of course) and a few other features that "remember" your visits.

The big thing that will make a difference will be cookies and computers. I'm wondering how many people visit this site from more than one computer? I can only track cookies on a computer-basis, so if you visit from home and work, the cookies idea won't work, but logins might. So...

How many people visit this site from different computers -- and if so, would you be opposed to a login to remember your readings?

Posted by: Ogre at 12:00 PM | Comments (20) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Jury Nullification

Ever heard of it? Well, you should have. The Agitator writes about it in his weekly Fox column. Jury nullification is well defined by Clay S. Conrad in his book, "Jury Nullification: The Evolution of a Doctrine" as

"Jurors in criminal trials have the right to refuse to convict if they believe that a conviction would be in some way unjust."

And that's the truth, no matter what the judge or the lawyers say! When the judge tells you, the jury, that you "must" do something, he is outright lying. Why? Because he wants to retain his power! The primary basis of freedom and this country IS based on the idea that the people have the final say. As Mr. Balko says:

(1) Jurors can never be punished for the verdict they return, and (2) Defendants cannot be retried once a jury has found them not guilty, regardless of the jury's reasoning.

In other words, you can quite literally make any decision you want when on a jury, and you CANNOT be punished for it. If you ever get selected for jury service, know this and get informed! Check out the Fully Informed Jury Association and learn the REAL power of a jury -- but don't let the judge or lawyers know that you know you have power over them -- they won't like it one bit.

Serving on a jury may be the last, great hope for this country. If you are called to serve, serve -- but feel free to ignore the judge as YOU are the one in charge, NOT him.

Posted by: Ogre at 09:00 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ban Helicopters!

John Snow (D) has introduced a bill, S247 that would ban helicopters. Well, technically, it would only ban landing pads for helicopters. And, as any good Democrat bill does, it bans landing pads for helicopters where one already exists and has been in existance for many years.

What's so bad about this bill (which is highly likely to pass) is that the Democrats know that they absolutely cannot pass laws regarding airspace in North Carolina -- only the FAA can do that. So instead, they use zoning to regulate the company out of business! Yes, that same zoning thing used in Kelo vs. New London.

I do wonder how they can pass a law that applies retroactively to a business that is already in place. However, this wouldn't be the first time they've passed a law like that -- things like the Constitution are only obstacles to Democrats, not to be taken seriously.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:40 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

July 31, 2005

New Neighbor #24

Time once again to introduce a New Neighbor. This week I present for your reading pleasure,

A Ticking Time Blog

All sorts of interesting stuff over there. Now, I'm not exactly sure how often the site is updated, because the posts have no dates. Instead, it's a riot, because each post for a time/date stamp has something like "Posted by Byron when it was time for the after-dinner nap" or "Posted by Byron during the afternoon snack break." Fun stuff.

The blog is run by one Byron Harvey. Why is it named "A Ticking Time Blog?" Well, for that answer you'll have to read the site. However, numerous references on the front page to the "No Kool-Aid Zone" might give you a hint.

There's a nice list of books and videos down the right side, and you know the author of a blog is alright when the FIRST listed "Favorite Flick" is The Princess Bride. I mean, come on!

His most recent post is "Christian Hype," which include his first recipient of the first "Hypie" award -- an award given for individuals, groups, or organizations that go overboard in selling something in the name of Christianity -- usually to make a buck.

There's also an excellent fisking of Bob Stern's Documentary; a nice blasting of Trent Lott (deservedly so); and yet another example of the FMSM (Formerly MainStream Media) bias. Good reading all around.

So it's Sunday, and you've got some time on your hands. Why not head over to A Ticking Time Blog, have a read, and leave a comment or two?

Posted by: Ogre at 10:56 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Blog Crawl '05: Remains

Well it seems the Blogcrawl was a success...as much as such a thing can be successful or a failure... I'm pretty sure no one ended up in jail or eating charcoal, but I'm not too sure about That 1 Guy...

It seems someone was taking pictures of Contagion late in the evening. Some people posted other twisted pictures. Others just threw up on electric fans. Madfish Willie lost his pants early, while Susie crashed all over the place. Sissy's Place got TPed and the she lost her thong or something.

All in all, it seems like everyone had a good time.

Posted by: Ogre at 08:34 AM | Comments (22) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

July 30, 2005

Blog Crawl '05

It's time. I think I'm ready:

BlogCrawl 2005 has officially started!

Update 7:40pm EST: See that big bottle in the picture? I'm preparing to crack that baby open. It is Stone Old Guardian: Barley Wine Style Ale. This should be interesting. I've been to 12 blogs on the crawl so far. Cool.

Update 7:49pm EST: Rumor has it that Evil Glennn may Blogcrawling, too! Eeek!

Update 8:33pm EST: I've stumbled to quite literally every member of the Frizzen Sparks and the Bad Example Family. Whee!

Update 9:22pm EST: Stone Old Guardian is odd (that's the large bottle in the picture). It tastes like a cross between sweet wine and Guiness. It's totally indescribable.

Posted by: Ogre at 07:00 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Bedside Table Meme

Ah, carp with a side-order of fries. It seems I've been tagged by Boudicca (a short Celtic woman continually checking her watch outside the restroom) with a silly bedside table meme.

Most of my gentle readers know how I feel about memes. Then again, I am an Ogre, so I pretty much feel the same way about everything else in the world. But I am a truly optimistic Ogre -- no, really! Despite what you might think of what you read here, I almost always see the glass as half full. Anyway, on to the meme:

The first thing you have to do when answering a meme is read the rules in the post in which you were tagged. So, I headed over to post and looked for the rules -- no rules! Yay! One of the first rules of memes is that when no rules are posted, you may follow your own rules!

It would appear that the meme wants to know what's on my "bedside table." What is this "table" thing of which you speak? I looked up bedside in the dictionary, and it said, "The side of a bed." So apparently, some people have tables on the side of their bed. Ok, sounds like fun, I'll give it a shot:

I don't know how you people actually get things to stay on your bedside tables...

Posted by: Ogre at 11:58 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

People ARE Stupid

As some of my returning readers might remember, I occasionally complain when politicians do something that shows their utter contempt for people, and indicates how stupid they think you are. However, I think I'm learning that they really are right. Perhaps it's time for me to join them as the anointed and simply lord over people because they really are stupid.

According to a Fox News Poll, Americans really are dumb. The headline was "Bag Searches Yes, Racial Profiling No," but it could have been "People are just idiots."

76% of people believe random searches are "a necessary action" in "today's times."
60% of people believe random searches are effective ways to prevent future terrorist attacks.

Yet there is zero evidence that any random searches have actually done anything at all to prevent, slow down, or modify in any way any crime or terrorist act. In other words, they are completely, 100% for show.

65% of people think that personal safety is more important than liberty.
64% are willing to give up personal freedom to reduce the threat of terrorism

Wow. That's incredibly scary. It says the majority of people in this country are willing to give up quite literally anything for perceived safety. With that attitude, I'm afraid that we're actually moving closer to a civil war -- you see, I'm not giving up my firearms, no matter how safe it makes you feel for me not to have them.

49% of people disapprove of using racial or ethnic profiling in the fight on terrorism.

Sad. That's truly sad. Look, when ALL the terrorists fit an exact profile, why won't we actually look for them?!? It's absolutely assanine NOT to use profiling. If you local police chief took this view on crime-fighting, when a woman reported that she'd been raped by a 6'6" Asian male, they'd have to arrest and question 75-year old ladies and 6-year old kids!

I think America has indeed changed. If this poll accurately reflects the attitudes of Americans today, we are no longer the country that was formed in 1776, and we have no hope of ever being that great country again. This country was founded on individual liberty -- once that's removed, this country is not a representative republic. I think it's time to move to a compound in MT.

Linkly love for Mudville Gazette and Outside the Beltway.

Posted by: Ogre at 08:20 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

July 29, 2005

Blogcrawl 2005

It's here! The first (?) ever blog crawl, brought to you by Miasmatic Review!

What's a blogcrawl? Well, no one is really sure. Therefore, we get to make up our own rules. Actually, Contagion already has those made up, too. And Harvey's got 'em reposted, just in case. The idea is to drink and post. That's pretty much it. You're supposed to confine yourself to Saturday 7pm to Sunday 7am. And posting and linking in the Bad Example Family and Frizzen Sparks Family is also encouraged. I'm not technically "in" the family, so I'm just going as a house crasher (what else would you expect from an Ogre?).

So come along! Get ready to party! It's also Tammi's birthday party. Lots and lots of posting and commenting to be had for all! Non-drinkers are also invited. I think I might dress up in my pirate costume, just to set the mood...

Posted by: Ogre at 11:30 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Car Wax?

Does anyone ever wax their car?

I was just wondering if I'm the only person still actually buying car wax. If you look at the majority of cars on the road today, the paint processes used to paint the cars seems to be more and more improved, lessening the need for waxing. I should probably just ask Machelle.

It used to be, many years ago, when I waxed my car, I could see, as I waxed, one side get shinier after waxing, before I got to the second side. That doesn't seem to be the case today -- and the vehicle I'm talking about now is a 2002 model with 50,000 miles on it -- and it's bright red. Now when I wax it, the only way I can even tell is that the water beads up on it.

I wonder if there's any reason left to wax the car, other than being able to spend some time outside while listening to Cheap Trick.

Posted by: Ogre at 09:21 AM | Comments (18) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Legislature Pay Raises

This post is for the State Employees of North Carolina, and especially for those State Employees that support and endorse Democrat politicians. This year, 600 workers at the legislature building (state employees) got larger pay raises than other state workers.

How is that possible? Remember those slush funds of Jim Black, Richard Morgan, and Marc Basnight? They "set aside" some tax dollars for "operations" of the building, and then decided to use it for pay raises. Please note, I did not say the pay raises were VOTED upon. Instead, these Democrats used their power to give away tax money to some state workers, but not others.

Jim Black says it was too expensive to give raises to all state workers, so he simply picked out the ones he liked and gave THEM a raise. Keep in mind that the average salary of these workers is $45,000, while the average state employee salary is $38,000. Democrat state employees, I think you need to think again who you want to support in the elections.

And yes, this is the same Legislature that has cut spending "to the bone."

Posted by: Ogre at 04:32 AM | Comments (24) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

July 28, 2005

Brother Against Brother

Kit Jarrell of Euphoric Reality has completed Part 7 of the explosive series, "Brother Against Brother."

This is an incredible story about heroism and teamwork in the hostile jungles of Vietnam. If you haven't read any of this story yet, start with Part 1 and read it all -- it's well researched and a very powerful story.

Posted by: Ogre at 08:11 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

ACLU and Muslims

I know many of my good readers still believe in the ACLU. They believe the stories that the ACLU tells, and the claims that the ACLU actually believes in civil rights. I'm here to tell you, the ACLU wouldn't know civil rights if they hit them upside the head with a 2x4.

This month, the NC ACLU is suing North Carolina. Why? Primarily for money (despite what the press reports currently read). In this case, they are suing to put the Quran in courtroom for people to pray over, or swear upon. Keep in mind this is the same organization that wants to suppress any and all prayer or signs of religion, if that religion is Christianity.

Currently, NC state laws allows terrorists and other muslims the option to

They may lay their hand on the Bible.

* They may raise a hand if their faith does not allow them to swear on the Bible.

* They may affirm that their testimony is truthful if they have no religious faith.

In other words, they are already completely free to NOT swear on the Bible if they do not want to. In this case, the ACLU and the terrorists (and other muslims) want to force their religion on the citizens of North Carolina. Similar to the various "civil right" battles fought by gays, this is not about equal rights, it is about forcing their views on others.

Patrick said it best a few days ago:

In fact, the medieval doctrine enshrined in the Islamic hate manual—which is still interpreted literally by Muslims—is completely hostile to the rights and laws that our courts are charged with protecting and upholding. Whether or not you believe in the Bible’s spiritual components is, in a court of law, not as important as whether you believe in the democratic principles its moral teachings helped to forge. And Muslims do not believe in those principles.

Did you read that last sentence? Muslims do NOT believe in our government principles. Their "holy book" instructs them to KILL the people in our government. There is absolutely NO reason to allow a book, or a religion, into the courtroom that is actively opposed to the court room and the very system of government of the courtroom!

The mulsim religion has NO place in North Carolina's courtrooms. This is NOT about acceptance, diversity, or tolerance -- it is about destroying the uniquely American way of life and the American government system from within. That is the ACLU's mission today.

Part of the Stop the ACLU weekly Blogburst.

Posted by: Ogre at 03:59 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

No Free Speech Zone

In case you are a bit uninformed, I'd like to make a correction to "commonly accepted thought" in today's society. When asked where people have the most intellectual freedom, quite often the answer would be in higher education. While that may have once been the case (especially in the radical 60s & 70s), it is most certainly NOT a place that welcomes freedom today.

As Wendy McElroy, points out in her weekly editorial, freedom of speech on today's campuses of "higher learning" is only protected for some, while it is utter bashed and destroyed for others.

At issue here are the words uttered in an unsolicited email -- in other words, Person A sent a mass email to Person B. In the email, there was a specific link to click to reply to the sender. Person B followed that link and replied:

Do not send me any mail about 'Connie and Sally' and 'Adam and Steve.' These are perversions. The absence of God in higher education brings on confusion. That is why in these classes the Creator of the heavens and the earth is never mentioned.

That's it. There was zero other communications of any sort between Person A and Person B. Nada, nothing, zilch. The response of person B?

"I don't want to feel threatened at my place of work"

The result? Not what logic would dictate, a boot to the head of Person A, but instead, a letter of reprimand to Person B!

So yes, in today's version of academic, you are free to insult people if you insult them and their intelligence in the name of lesbianism, but if you DARE to actually be offended by lesbianism, or even have the apparent unmitigated GALL to actually request to NOT receive email about lesbians, YOU ARE SEXUALLY HARASSING AND THREATENING PEOPLE!

This is utterly insane! I am NOT exaggerating this -- the Person B is accused of making a hostile workplace FOR ASKING NOT TO RECEIVE EMAILS ABOUT LESBIANS!

It gets worse.

This complete and total twisting of sanity is completely supported by the Attorney General of New Jersey.

It's hard to believe there's anything that can be done to save this country at times like this. Oh, and if you're offended by this, I'm telling the thought police when they come to pick me up for writing this.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:39 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Cheryl Ann Magner

is missing. Jay asked for help looking for her from her aunt. Instapundit beat me to the request, but I'll put it here anyway, just so word gets out.

Posted by: Ogre at 10:05 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

John Edwards on Tour

Anyone remember John Edwards? He bought a seat in the US Senate for a few years, and even showed up to vote once or twice. He was also a vice-presidential candidate for a little while. After he lost that election, he was rewarded by the University system of North Carolina with a chair of some sort. Well, he's back in the news, annoying Democrats again.

This time, he's touring AZ, NM, MI, and OH to promote raising the minimum wage in those states. Why him? No one knows. Why those states? Check them again. It's starting to appear that he wants to be Hillary's running mate in '08. After all, he brought so much to the ticket in '04, why not?

What's even funnier about his trips is that the North Carolina Legislature Democrats are mad. Did you know Edwards was from North Carolina? He is, but he's not been campaigning in North Carolina for their minimum wage increase!

Posted by: Ogre at 05:42 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

July 27, 2005

John Roberts vs. The Left

Once again, The Alliance has a question. This week they're wondering

How will the left attack Supreme Court nominee John Roberts?

With all due respect to Harvey and GEBIV, I think they've asked the wrong question. If I were to actually list every way that the left will attack Mr. Roberts, I'd write enough to fill the entire internet. Instead, a question that can be answered much more succinctly and more accurately, without a calumny, is:

How will the left NOT attack Supreme Court nominee John Roberts?

To answer that question is rather simple:

The left will NOT use the United States Constitution to attack Mr. Roberts (mainly because they've never read it).

The left will NOT use logic to attack Mr. Roberts (mainly because they don't understand the concept).

The left will also NOT use anything remotely related to reality to attack Mr. Roberts (mainly because they seem to completely avoid it at all times).

Posted by: Ogre at 08:47 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Center for Purposeful Living

I was sent another story from a former student at the Center for Purposeful Living, aka University for Human Goodness. This is a group in North Carolina that spends a lot of time insisting that it is not a cult:

Is CPL a cult? The reader can make his or her own decision. For those who are convinced that CPL is a cult, nothing written here will matter. For others, let them consider that, yes, it is unusual for a group of people to come together, with long-term commitments, be focused on a specific work, create a community based on common values, and then try to transfer to students a “teaching”—all without looking like a cult at first glance. These things do exist at CPL. Yet, there are significant differences from cults.

Well, as they say on their own site, you can make your own decision. If you're researching that group, I would suggest reading the words of someone who's been there. Personally, I've not had any direct contact with anyone associated with that group -- I'm just pointing out the information so people can make an informed decision.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:30 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

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