Off the bookshelf

The War on the Bill of Rights and the Gathering Resistance
by Nat Hentoff

Time Oddysey Book 1: Time's Eye
by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter

Koontz book update

Here's a way cool find. I stumbled over an article about the Sundance Film Festival in the San Jose Mercury News which had the following text: "Honorable mentions: ...Alexandre Aja's grisly yet effective ``Haute Tension'' (France), an uncredited adaptation of Dean Koontz's ``Intensity''..." So I looked it up on IMDB which described it as "College pals Marie and Alex encouters loads of trouble -- and blood -- while on holiday at Alex's parent's country home." Doing a little more poking around I found a Frence movie review site which featured the poster. From there I found the production company and the official site for the film which includes photos and the trailer. The title translates litteraly as "High Voltage" but this review says that the English title is "Switchblade Romance". Of course, I'll be adding this to the ms this evening.

New toy on the way

I ordered my new laptop today. It should arrive next week. Click on the image for full details. (Mom, I'll bring you out the old one in March ;-) If you're as excited as I am you can track the order along with me.

Crouching lassie, hidden tiger

If you've not seen GE's Lassie commercial yet go check it out now.

First review

Taming Unruly PACs
Selecting the best software to keep public access computers in tip-top shape can be challenging. Technology experts Michael P. Sauers and Louse E. Alcorn share their evaluations of more than 40 software programs in the Neal-Schuman Directory of Management Software for Public Access Computers. They review specialized browsers as well as programs for desktop security, print management, reservation systems and timers, patron privacy, and system recovery. For each program, the authors consider its practicality for library work, pricing, and overall raiting.

A work of art

Yesterday my great friend Barbara gave me this wonderful painting that she did a few years ago. It's of the sidewalk in front on the Starbucks where I spend a lot of time. It's also where we met.

Curses, foiled again

Scarecrow press has turned down the revision of my Outlook book. I'm off to send that proposal to Information Today and put together another proposal to Scarecrow. (One that isn't cosidered "software for libraries".)

My friend the linguist

RE: My viri post
"It is not obscure! It's first-declension. We silly speakers of English like to pluralise it as if it were third-declension, or Greek (which are really just about the same thing, since most third-declension nouns started off being Greek anyway)."

Koontz book update

Two biggies and one small item today.

My numbered copy of Charnel House's Odd Thomas arrived today. This of course has been added to the ms. Now I'm just waiting for the lettered edition. (The one bound in stainless steel.)

Alan Clark has graciously supplied me with a copy of an interview with Dean by Stanley Waiter in the November 1989 issue of Writer's Digest. I'd already listed the interview in the ms, but I didn't have a copy of the interview itself. Thanks once again Alan!

Lastly, it seems that I forgot to mention that my letter full of questions and requests for clarification went off to Dean last week via Rich at Cemetery Dance. So, at this point, the book is on Dean's schedule. As soon as I get answers back, I'll work them into the ms and then turn the darn thing in. (Then on to the editing process.)

Elvis costello

I write about 15 songs a day. I record the best ones. I sell the good ones. And I give the rest to Phil Collins.

Novarg

If you're concerned that you may be infected with the latest virus (Novarg) Symantec has made a free utility available that will detect and remove it.

What?

On the homepage of the Denver Public Library Web site today was a link labeled "You asked for it." So, like the good little lemming I am, I clicked on it. Here's a screenshot of what I got. Was there supposed to be a point?

Need help deciding

Two Web sites exist that will help you match your opinions with those of the Democrat candidates. Here are the links and my results. Honestly, I'm kinda scared by the results.

SelectSmart.com

1. Your ideal theoretical candidate. (100%)
2. Sharpton, Reverend Al - Democrat (87%)
3. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat (84%)
4. Clark, Retired General Wesley K., AR - Democrat (82%)
5. Kucinich, Rep. Dennis, OH - Democrat (81%)
6. Edwards, Senator John, NC - Democrat (80%)
7. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat (74%)
8. Lieberman, Senator Joe, CT - Democrat (52%)
9. Libertarian Candidate (22%)
10. Bush, President George W. - Republican (12%)
11. Phillips, Howard - Constitution (10%)

PresidentMatch.com

1. Kucinich - Score: 100%
2. Sharpton - Score: 97%
3. Kerry - Score: 89%
4. Dean - Score: 85%
5. Clark - Score: 83%
6. Edwards - Score: 77%
7. Lieberman - Score: 73%

If all else fails, quote frank zappa

"You can't write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say sometimes, so you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream."

Why michael likes wesley clark

O.k. this is actually why Michael Moore likes Wesley Clark but I can't find much to disagree with here...

1. Clark has committed to ensuring that every family of four who makes under $50,000 a year pays NO federal income tax. None. Zip. This is the most incredible helping hand offered by a major party presidential candidate to the working class and the working poor in my lifetime. He will make up the difference by socking it to the rich with a 5% tax increase on anything they make over a million bucks. He will make sure corporations pay ALL of the taxes they should be paying. Clark has fired a broadside at greed. When the New York Times last week wrote that Wes Clark has been "positioning himself slightly to Dean’s left," this is what they meant, and it sure sounded good to me.
2. He is 100% opposed to the draft. If you are 18-25 years old and reading this right now, I have news for you -- if Bush wins, he's going to bring back the draft. He will be forced to. Because, thanks to his crazy war, recruitment is going to be at an all-time low. And many of the troops stuck over there are NOT going to re-enlist. The only way Bush is going to be able to staff the military is to draft you and your friends. Parents, make no mistake about it -- Bush's second term will see your sons taken from you and sent to fight wars for the oily rich. Only an ex-general who knows first-hand that a draft is a sure-fire way to wreck an army will be able to avert the inevitable.
3. He is anti-war. Have you heard his latest attacks on Bush over the Iraq War? They are stunning and brilliant. I want to see him on that stage in a debate with Bush -- the General vs. the Deserter! General Clark told me that it's people like him who are truly anti-war because it's people like him who have to die if there is a war. "War must be the absolute last resort," he told me. "Once you've seen young people die, you never want to see that again, and you want to avoid it whenever and wherever possible." I believe him. And my ex-Army relatives believe him, too. It's their votes we need.
4. He walks the walk. On issues like racism, he just doesn't mouth liberal platitudes -- he does something about it. On his own volition, he joined in and filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of the University of Michigan's case in favor of affirmative action. He spoke about his own insistence on affirmative action in the Army and how giving a hand to those who have traditionally been shut out has made our society a better place. He didn't have to get involved in that struggle. He's a middle-aged white guy -- affirmative action personally does him no good. But that is not the way he thinks. He grew up in Little Rock, one of the birthplaces of the civil rights movement, and he knows that African Americans still occupy the lowest rungs of the ladder in a country where everyone is supposed to have "a chance." That is why he has been endorsed by one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Charlie Rangel, and former Atlanta Mayor and aide to Martin Luther King, Jr., Andrew Young.
5. On the issue of gun control, this hunter and gun owner will close the gun show loophole (which would have helped prevent the massacre at Columbine) and he will sign into law a bill to create a federal ballistics fingerprinting database for every gun in America (the DC sniper, who bought his rifle in his own name, would have been identified after the FIRST day of his killing spree). He is not afraid, as many Democrats are, of the NRA. His message to them: "You like to fire assault weapons? I have a place for you. It's not in the homes and streets of America. It's called the Army, and you can join any time!"
6. He will gut and overhaul the Patriot Act and restore our constitutional rights to privacy and free speech. He will demand stronger environmental laws. He will insist that trade agreements do not cost Americans their jobs and do not exploit the workers or environment of third world countries. He will expand the Family Leave Act. He will guarantee universal pre-school throughout America. He opposes all discrimination against gays and lesbians (and he opposes the constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage). All of this is why Time magazine this week referred to Clark as "Dean 2.0" -- an improvement over the original (1.0, Dean himself), a better version of a good thing: stronger, faster, and easier for the mainstream to understand and use.
7. He will cut the Pentagon budget, use the money thus saved for education and health care, and he will STILL make us safer than we are now. Only the former commander of NATO could get away with such a statement. Dean says he will not cut a dime out of the Pentagon. Clark knows where the waste and the boondoggles are and he knows that nutty ideas like Star Wars must be put to pasture. His health plan will cover at least 30 million people who now have no coverage at all, including 13 million children. He's a general who will tell those swing voters, "We can take this Pentagon waste and put it to good use to fix that school in your neighborhood." My friends, those words, coming from the mouth of General Clark, are going to turn this country around.

Kerry then and now

Wow, me, quoting from The National Review? Well, here's two paragraphs from a recent article regarding Kerry's views on the PATRIOT Act.

Today's Kerry excoriates Attorney General John Ashcroft for violating American civil liberties with his evil tool, the Patriot Act. "We are a nation of laws and liberties, not of a knock in the night," Kerry huffs. "So it is time to end the era of John Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that protects our people and our liberties at the same time." Maybe Kerry should have thought about that before voting for the Patriot Act in 2001 — since laws and liberties are pretty important and all.

Back before he had to worry about competing with one Howard Brush Dean, Kerry was positively delighted by the Patriot Act. "It reflects," he said on the Senate floor, "an enormous amount of hard work by the members of the Senate Banking Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. I congratulate them and thank them for that work." While supportive of "sunset" provisions in the bill, Kerry pronounced himself "pleased at the compromise we have reached on the anti-terrorism legislation." These are not the words of a man about to help inaugurate an era of brown-shirt law enforcement.

Thanks for the compliment

Just received this e-mail regarding my L.E. Modesitt, Jr. site:

i just wish to thank you for maintaining an outstanding web site dedicated to the best fiction author to date. I appreciate the time you put into the site and use it for all my questions I have about Modisett's books and forthcoming works. Once again just wanted to say a quick thanks for a great web site.
Trent

Nicrosoft

See if you can spot the problem...

Feeling old yet

Here's an interesting one about the mindset of those entering college this past fall. My favorite: They are not familiar with the source of that "Giant Sucking Sound."

Feeling old yet

Here's an interesting one about the mindset of those entering college this past fall. My favorite: They are not familiar with the source of that "Giant Sucking Sound."

Viri

There's a nasty new little virus going around that attaches to an e-mail as a .zip file. The subjuct is usually "HI" (but not always) and the body of the message may includ something about '7-bit ASCII' (but not always.) If you get one form me don't open the attachment. If you're not sure, ask me if I sent it to you before opening it. (I'm not actually sending these at all but I just got one from my work e-mail to my home e-mail and another earlier today going the other way. I've checked both systems and I'm clean.) Hopefully this'll peter out in a day or two.

BTW: I just looked it up the English plural for virus is viruses. Viri is a neuter Latin plural for virus though, even for Latin, a very obsure plural.

New library card

Today's mail included a library card from Big Horn County, MT. Check it out in my library card collection.

Spelling error

I didn't think fast enough to snag a screenshot but I just had to 'teach' Blogger.com's spellchecker the words 'blogging' and 'blog'

I'm getting tired of all this sex on the news rack... i keep falling off

With apologies to Monty Python
Recently a CO state legislator got his knickers in a bunch over some magazine covers in a local Tower Records store. His 'solution'? Create a law to make sure the kiddies can't see such smut. Of course it included those words "harmful to minors," so vague that they're hardly constitutional. Well, beyond reporting on this particular bill the Denver Post decided to go further. Today's front-page-above-the-fold headline: Porn in the USA. It mentions the bill in paragraph two. After that? Well, here's my favorite quote:

Does porn's pervasiveness prompt husbands to ask their wives for sexual favors once thought the domain of XXX movie sets?

Ah, journalism at its finestÂ…. (As if it's anyone's business beyond the husband and wife.)

Bitching about cover songs

Today on Library Underground a conversation started in which many started bitching about bad cover songs. Rod Stewart's cover of Tom Waits' Downtown Train being one of the many examples. Trouble is, all of the examples were from the rock genre; which got me thinking — Is bitching about bad cover songs, limited to Rock? (There's a country version of Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love which totally sucks, but the original is still a rock song.)

(The following point has been made without actually verifying the facts agains my CD collection.) What about American standards? I swear I must have at least a dozen different version of "I've Got You Under My Skin" in my collection and each as their own flavor depending of the singer; Sinatra, Bennett, Ella, Diana Krall (someone very current) just to name a few. Why don't people ever complain that Bennett's version of a song sucks while, ol' blue eyes' was spectacular?

Good news about the patriot act

A federal judge has ruled that part of it is unconstitutional due to the ban on providing "expert advice or assistance" was vague.

In honor of…

After decimating the Native Americann population, the US military honors them by naming three helicopters afer tribes. (This isn't really news but until today's news of another helicoper crash in Iraq, I was only aware of the Apache. But there is also the Kiowa and the Comanche.)

"Painful necessity"

This past Thursday, Eastman Kodak announced it was cutting its workforce by 21% by 2006. Something like 1/3rd of this amount will come from Rochester.

The blogging of the president 2004

With an intentional tip of the hat to Theodore H. White
Michigan Public Radio is running a blog about blogging the election. Last night they ran a show about the whole concept. It's a good listen if you have two hours available.

A little less undecided

I'm still not sure on whom I'm supporting in the democratic camp but this bit on Dean's support for a national ID card suddenly rules him out in my mind. Here's a sample:

...he called for state drivers' licenses to be transformed into a kind of standardized national ID card for Americans. Embedding smart cards into uniform IDs was necessary to thwart "cyberterrorism" and identity theft, Dean claimed.
Dean also suggested that computer makers such as Apple Computer, Dell, Gateway and Sony should be required to include an ID card reader in PCs--and Americans would have to insert their uniform IDs into the reader before they could log on. "One state's smart-card driver's license must be identifiable by another state's card reader," Dean said. "It must also be easily commercialized by the private sector and included in all PCs over time--making the Internet safer and more secure."

At least for today, everything's o.k.

yesterday I almost fell into my usual trap. There was something I wanted to do but I kept coming up with excuses not to go. It started too late. I couldn't afford it. It would suck going alone. Well, I answered tose concerns by drinking a pot of coffee, figuring that I could afford the $8.00 ticket price and just get over it. So I went to another Clumsy Lovers concert and had the most amazing time.

They're currently touring for their newest album After the Flood but didn't stick to songs just from that album. Besides, they've been playing many of the songs on the album for the past year or more so they were familiar anyway. They started playing about 11.15 and didn't stop 'till 1am. I danced the whole time including with a couple of nice ladies by the name of Lisa and Sue. (No phone numbers, sorry. I didn't even bother trying due to my upcoming travel nightmare in March and April.) But, that was me front and center having the time of my life.

In fact, I had so much fun that Trevor, their lead singer, snagged me when I was talking to their personl selling t-shirts and remarked on how I was "rockin'" and looking like I was having such a good time. He also wanted to know what I thought of the Climax lounge since that's not where they usually play while they're in Denver. (Insert basist's lame joke about finishing their set early along with fiddler's response of "Speak for yourself.")

Additionally, the opening band were some Denver locals named Rainville. They mostly looked like good 'ol boys and had a great blues-based rock and roll song. (I'm sure thier lead singer drives a pickup with a gun rack in the rear window.) I'm planning on checking out their newest album The Longest Street in America (a reference to Colfax Avenue just a few blocks North of my house.)

Overall, as usual, I'm glad I went. Now, if I can just get more than four hours of sleep tonight...

I have disciples?

I received this in an e-mail recently from one of my former DU students. As I didn't ask permission to reprint this comment I'm keeping in anonymous.

As one of your disciples I've been spreading the word about CSS instead of tables. So far so good.

Koontz book update

I've just added a dozen articles from Variety dealing mostly with Dean's film and TV work. The most interesting one is on a forthcoming USA Network series about Frankenstein which will be written by Dean. He'll also be one of the executive producers along with Martin Scorsese. The whole article can be read at Variety's Web site. (Registration required to read the whole article.)
Thanks to someone on the Koontz list for the pointer. I'd be specific but I've already lost their message and I don't remember who it was. If it was you please speak up.

Off the bookshelf

The Enemies of Books by William Blades, 1880, "Revised and Expanded by the Author, 1902

I don't remember how I stumbled over this title, probably while reading one of Nicholas Bashbanes' books over the holidays, but I primeval sent out an ILL request for it. The book basically covers the things in this world that can damage books. At only 150 pages, it discretely covers the following 'enemies': Fire, Water, Gas & Heat, Dust & Neglect, Ignorance & Bigotry, The Bookworm, Other Vermin, Bookbinders, Collectors (the kind that collect just title pages for later republication in collections,) and Servants & Children.

Each chapter covers the obvious but also includes stories of libraries and collections that have fallen to each of the listed enemies. In many cases it also offers suggestions as how to avoid said problems. Here is one of my favorite examples; one of the ways to avoid moisture:

At the same time no system of heating should be allowed to supersede the open grate, which supplies a ventilation to the room as useful to the health of the books as to the health of the occupier. A coal fire is objectionable Oman grounds. It is dangerous, dirty and dusty. On the other hand an asbestos fire, where the lumps are judiciously laid, gives all the warmth and ventilation of a common fire without any of its annoyances; and to any one who loves to be independent of servants, and to know that, however deeply he may sleep over his "copy," his fire will not fail to keep awake, an asbestos stove is valuable.

Needless to say, I won't be installing any asbestos burning stoves in my house to assist in keeping my book dry.

Obviously long out of print I still recommend this item to anyone interested in the history of books, book collecting, and libraries. You'll just need to ILL a copy. Or, you can read it online from the University of Virginia. It just won't be the same though. This book's size alone makes it a small treasure to read while holding a mug of coffee in the other hand.

At least they got the transcript right

I just checked the official transcript of last night's State of the Union address and it does include the applause given that was not in favor of Bush's ideas...

Key provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire next year. (Applause.) The terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule. (Applause.) Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect our citizens. You need to renew the Patriot Act. (Applause.)

Of course, I read the second sentence as people clapping for terrorism not expiring on our schedule but I'm pretty sure that's not what they meant to clap for.

I also checked to see if I heard him right about "WMMs". It seems that I did:

Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing for the better. Last month, the leader of Libya voluntarily pledged to disclose and dismantle all of his regime's weapons of mass destruction programs, including a uranium enrichment project for nuclear weapons. Colonel Qadhafi correctly judged that his country would be better off and far more secure without weapons of mass murder. (Applause.)

I guess that my question is now, just exactly what is the difference between a "weapon of mass destruction" and a "weapon of mass murder"? I'd love to hear that one explained..

Bravo!

"Requiring students to blindly repeat the pledge is no different that the [then] Taliban requiring children to memorize the Koran and repeat it by rote, without understanding why or what they are saying."
— Lary Sauer, New York City Distric 3 school board member

Words that, unfortunately, still ring true

"Mr. President:

I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition. It is a national feeling of fear and frustration that could result in national suicide and the end of everything that we Americans hold dear. It is a condition that comes from the lack of effective leadership in either the Legislative Branch or the Executive Branch of our Government.

That leadership is so lacking that serious and responsible proposals are being made that national advisory commissions be appointed to provide such critically needed leadership.

I speak as briefly as possible because too much harm has already been done with irresponsible words of bitterness and selfish political opportunism. I speak as simply as possible because the issue is too great to be obscured by eloquence. I speak simply and briefly in the hope that my words will be taken to heart.

I speak as a Republican, I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak as an American.

The United States Senate has long enjoyed worldwide respect as the greatest deliberative body in the world. But recently that deliberative character has too often been debased to the level of a forum of hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity.

It is ironical that we Senators can in debate in the Senate directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to any American, who is not a Senator, any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming an American -- and without that non-Senator American having any legal redress against us -- yet if we say the same thing in the Senate about our colleagues we can be stopped on the grounds of being out of order.

It is strange that we can verbally attack anyone else without restraint and with full protection and yet we hold ourselves above the same type of criticism here on the Senate Floor. Surely the United States Senate is big enough to take self-criticism and self-appraisal. Surely we should be able to take the same kind of character attacks that we dish out to outsiders.

I think that it is high time for the United States Senate and its members to do some soul searching -- for us to weigh our consciences -- on the manner in which we are performing our duty to the people of America -- on the manner in which we are using or abusing our individual powers and privileges.

I think that it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think that it is high time that we remembered; that the Constitution, as amended, speaks not only of the freedom of speech but also of trial by jury instead of trial by accusation.

Whether it be a criminal prosecution in court or a character prosecution in the Senate, there is little practical distinction when the life of a person has been ruined.

Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all to frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism --

The right to criticize;

The right to hold unpopular beliefs;

The right to protest;

The right of independent thought.

The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know some one who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us doesn't? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. Otherwise thought control would have set in.

The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as "Communists" or "Fascists" by their opponents. Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others. The American people are sick and tired of seeing innocent people smeared and guilty people whitewashed. But there have been enough proved cases to cause nationwide distrust and strong suspicion that there may be something to the unproved, sensational accusations.

As a Republican, I say to my colleagues on this side of the aisle that the Republican Party faces a challenge today that is not unlike the challenge that it faced back in Lincoln's day. The Republican Party so successfully met that challenge that it emerged from the Civil War as the champion of a united nation -- in addition to being a Party that unrelentingly fought loose spending and loose programs.

Today our country is being psychologically divided by the confusion and the suspicions that are bred in the United States Senate to spread like cancerous tentacles of "know nothing, suspect everything" attitudes. Today we have a Democratic Administration that has developed a mania for loose spending and loose programs. History is repeating itself -- and the Republican Party again has the opportunity to emerge as the champion of unity and prudence.

The record of the present Democratic Administration has provided us with sufficient campaign issues without the necessity of resorting to political smears. America is rapidly losing its position as leader of the world simply because the Democratic Administration has pitifully failed to provide effective leadership.

The Democratic Administration has completely confused the American people by its daily contradictory grave warnings and optimistic assurances -- that show the people that our Democratic Administration has no idea of where it is going.

The Democratic Administration has greatly lost the confidence of the American people by its complacency to the threat of communism here at home and the leak of vital secrets to Russia through key officials of the Democratic Administration. There are enough proved cases to make this point without diluting our criticism with unproved charges.

Surely these are sufficient reasons to make it clear to the American people that it is time for a change and that a Republican victory is necessary to the security of this country. Surely it is clear that this nation will continue to suffer as long as it is governed by the present ineffective Democratic Administration.

Yet to displace it with a Republican regime embracing a philosophy that lacks political integrity or intellectual honesty would prove equally disastrous to this nation. The nation sorely needs a Republican victory. But I don't want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny -- Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry and Smear.

I doubt if the Republican Party could -- simply because I don't believe the American people will uphold any political party that puts political exploitation above national interest. Surely we Republicans aren't that desperate for victory.

I don't want to see the Republican Party win that way. While it might be a fleeting victory for the Republican Party, it would be a more lasting defeat for the American people. Surely it would ultimately be suicide for the Republican Party and the two-party system that has protected our American liberties from the dictatorship of a one party system.

As members of the Minority Party, we do not have the primary authority to formulate the policy of our Government. But we do have the responsibility of rendering constructive criticism, of clarifying issues, of allaying fears by acting as responsible citizens.

As a woman, I wonder how the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters feel about the way in which members of their families have been politically mangled in Senate debate -- and I use the word 'debate' advisedly.

As a United States Senator, I am not proud of the way in which the Senate has been made a publicity platform for irresponsible sensationalism. I am not proud of the reckless abandon in which unproved charges have been hurled from this side of the aisle. I am not proud of the obviously staged, undignified countercharges that have been attempted in retaliation from the other side of the aisle.

I don't like the way the Senate has been made a rendezvous for vilification, for selfish political gain at the sacrifice of individual reputations and national unity. I am not proud of the way we smear outsiders from the Floor of the Senate and hide behind the cloak of congressional immunity and still place ourselves beyond criticism on the Floor of the Senate.

As an American, I am shocked at the way Republicans and Democrats alike are playing directly into the Communist design of "confuse, divide and conquer." As an American, I don't want a Democratic Administration "white wash" or "cover up" any more than I want a Republican smear or witch hunt.

As an American, I condemn a Republican "Fascist" just as much as I condemn a Democrat "Communist." I condemn a Democrat "fascist" just as much as I condemn a Republican "Communist." They are equally dangerous to you and me and to our country. As an American, I want to see our nation recapture the strength and unity it once had when we fought the enemy instead of ourselves.

It is with these thoughts I have drafted what I call a "Declaration of Conscience." I am gratified that Senator Tobey, Senator Aiken, Senator Morse, Senator Ives, Senator Thye and Senator Hendrickson, have concurred in that declaration and have authorized me to announce their concurrence."

— Senator Margaret Chase Smith, 1950, in response to the actions of Senaror Joe McCarthy, four years before he was finally censured by the Senate

Quoted

"To me (and to my little-known collaborator, a man name [sic] of Sigmund Freud) there are only two primary writer-motivations: namely, ego-gratification and catharsis. You can combine ego-gratification and catharsis in one object by picturing an enema tube with your name printed on it."
— Robert Bloch, "This Method of Catharsis" 1945

MLC

If only I was a Ref Grunt... Well, Male Librarian Centerfold (MLC) is and his blog speaks volumes. Here's a recent post about the next generation of librarians that made me feel like I should mention him here. (Also, he lives in Dryden, NY. I was just there over the holidays but didn't realize that's where he's located. Would have tried to drop by and say hi had I known.)

And that concludes...

...blogging to the State of the Union of Address. And now back to our regular programming.

"Safe and free"

Except for Mr. Ashcroft. We've given him a pass on that free thing.

Or?

"Listen to your mom or dad." Uh, I was taught to listen to both of them...

Give the boy scouts government money

The moment you do, then they can't ban gays. (Give "faith-based" private organizations federal money and they're then subject to federal non-descrimination laws.)

Those darn "activist judges"

Oh, and a recess appointment of Charles Pickering is nothing like that at all.

"The negative influence of the culture"

What the Hell does that mean?

STDs

I knew it! The moment he mentioned STDs I knew the abstenence line was coming! Alltruistic, but unrealistic.

Steroids

Well, I agree with this one point.

Drug testing in schools!

You've got to be kidding. Can we say invasion of privacy by the state?

"Best in the world"

Our "healthcare" is the best in the world. It's the insurance- and managed care-systems that suck!

"Five years"!?!?!?!

Cut taxes yet still cut the deficit in five years. How?

"Good stewards of tax payer dollars."

1. One who manages another's property, finances, or other affairs.
If you give the money back, you're no longer a steward; good or bad.

Conservation?

Did I actually hear him say that? Ah, but let's drill in Alaska...

"Pro growth economic agenda"

"Unless you act Americans face a tax increase." Yeah, and we pay back the deficit you created how?

There's the sound bite

"America will never seek a permission slip to defend the safety of our country."

WMDs

"They'd still be around" if we'd not done anything. Trouble is, they've still not found them.

"They declared war on us and war is what they got"

Uh, but Sadam didn't decalre war on us...

Allies

"Our strongest allies have been unwavering." Does that include Belgium?

WMM's?

So now they had "weapons of mass murder"? If you can't find WMDs, find WMM's. Uh, don't we have those too?

By the way

This speech was move up a week. This of course has nothing to do with placing it between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries. Of course, this is not a "political speech."

Thugs and assassins

The Iraqi's won't have to live with them. The US? We get stuck with Ashcroft. Why are they so lucky?

Clapping for something Bush said

Someone please find me a list of the folks that clapped when Bush just mentioned that key provisions of the PATRIOT Act are set to expire in 2005. I'd love to write them each a letter thanking them for standing up for our Constitutional rights.

Interesting koontz tidbit

This one won't be in the book either but I though some of you might like a peek. This is the Sweedish edition of A Werewolf Among Us published in 1974. According to Niklas who sent me this copy (thanks!) the title translates as "Steerd to Kill".

Koontz book update

My UK hardcover copy of The Voice of the Night by Brian Coffey arrived today. However, since it is not bibliographically unique, there was a US hardcover edition, it will not be included in the book. But, it did make me realize that I'm missing a page count and cover scan of the Doubleday hardcover editon and I've updated the information needed page accordingly.

If only i drank

Get ready for tonight. Make sure you have all you need to play the State of the Union Address Drinking Game.

Daughter of spam fun

This one is just funny...

Subject: l00k at adlts-sseee this vvddeoo
 
Hot Cam Aktion
To get taken off, check out lnk (3 days to process).
Notee : Opening and cclloossinngg puunctuation charaaccterrs are oonlly reccoggnizedd as ssuuchh iif thhey aaree prressented one att a time.. The string ")," is not reccognniizedd as punctuation annd wiill bee oouutput with a leeadingg wwhitte sspaacee and in whatt evver ffonnt thhe ccalllling mmaccro usees. The argument llistt "]] ) ," iiss rreccognized as three ssequenntiall cloosing punnctuattionn characters andd a leadding white sspace is noot output bettween the charaacters and tthee ppreevious arrggument (if any).

Koontz book update

Just a few items were filled in this weekend. Two of them were information on the trade paperback edition of Handbook of Novel Writing which contained the essay "When Should You Put Yourself in an Agent's Hands?" and some reviews from Mystery Scene #56. Also, one new item, the essay “What do Editors Mean When They Say… ‘Sorry, but the Motivation is Missing’” which was printed in the March 1969 issue of Writer's Digest. All of this thanks to Alan Clark.

Additionally my next letter to Dean regarding some missing information and some aparant inconsistencies will be heading out to Rich at CD on Tuesday. (He'll then forward it on to Dean.) I'll be working while I'm waiting to hear back but at this point I can't get the ms ready to be turned in intil Dean has answered these questions. As of Tuesday, the book is on his schedule.

Off the bookshelf

Lip Service by M.J. Rose

A cable modem isn't

Nor is a DSL modem either but since I have a "cable modem" I'll focus my annoyance there. I don't know why this popped into my head today but it suddenly dawned on me that a "cable modem" isn't a modem. Here's a partial definition of 'modem' from HyperDictionary.com:

(Modulator/demodulator) An electronic device for converting between serial data (typically EIA-232) from a computer and an audio signal suitable for transmission over a telephone line connected to another modem. In one scheme the audio signal is composed of silence (no data) or one of two frequencies representing zero and one.

They key here is that a modem changes electronic pulses (didital signals) into audio signals (noise) so information can be transmitted over a phone line. At the other end it turns the noise back into a digital signal. Well, in the case of a "cable modem" there is a conversion of your singals to whatever is being transmitted over the cable itself, but it's not an audio signal. There is no modulating going on, there is no conversion between digital and audio signals. Therefore it is not a modem. I'm sure we call them that purely out of sheer convienence but it's still not correct. This would be like calling the card that connects me to a LAN a "LAN modem."

Off the bookshelf

Had Enough? A Handbook for Fighting Back by James Carville

Quote

"The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep anough to call her to a higher standard."
— George McGovern

Off the bookshelf

Edison & the Electric Chair: A Story of Light and Death by Mark Regan Essig

Quote

"The first rule of holes is when you find that you're in one, stop digging."
—James Carville, Had Enough? A Handbook for Fighting Back