Not gonna make that mistake again
Usually when I do a load of wash, it runs me about $8.00, especially when I'm doing a decent sized load. I wash them myself, and while it may take awhile and be inconvenient, it's generally worked out.

Yesterday, on advice from a friend, I took my clothing to one of those laundromats that washes and folds your clothing for you. The price tag? $43.20. I had already lugged myself there, and I was kind of shocked at the price, so I paid it anyway.

Let's just say that I'm going to be doing my own clothing from now on.

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The Western Herald - My choice for president means I made a decision

My choice for president means I made a decision

by Duane Gundrum
October 28, 2004

If you look to the left of this column, you may notice that the editorial for today is supporting Bush for President of the United States. This may immediately cause you to wonder if this column is also going to talk about the wonders of Bush against the evils of Kerry, which seems to be the norm if you’ve chosen one side or the other. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I don’t like Bush. I really don’t. I know that sounds strange because the opinion editor is saying he doesn’t like Bush but the opinion page is saying, “hey, we’re supporting Bush.” Well, without getting into complex division, abstract calculus and the importance of imaginary and irrational numbers, I’ll just tell you that Bush wasn’t my first choice.

Now, this should probably cause you to think, “oh, I understand, not only is Duane really confused in how he makes recommendations, but he’s really a Kerry supporter.” No, that’s not true either. The simple fact is: I don’t like either choice. I don’t like Bush, and I don’t like Kerry.

So, where does this leave me? Well, if you read the newspaper yesterday, you would have read two very good articles that show how you might be better served by supporting third party candidates, or another column that indicated that perhaps choosing a president really isn’t all that important anyway, because local and congressional representatives are really more important. Well, I’m more of a simple guy. I think the presidency does matter, even more because of this last presidency than ever, but that is only because there has been somewhat of a paradigm shift in the separation of powers where the institutional standards have become blurred rather than set on precedent. In the old days, Congress decided when it was time for war; that’s not the case anymore, no matter how hard people try to spin that. Unfortunately, today, spin is gospel, and simplicity has been replaced with dogma. Unpack and interpret that as you may.

So who is my choice for president? No one. Not a single person who is running. Especially not either of the two main choices who happen to be running. The problem with the election is that one man, who the majority of America most likely does not want but will vote for as a lesser of two evils, will go to Washington convinced that he has a mandate to act in his own interests, totally oblivious to what many of us really want. Oh, they tell us they know what we really want, but they don’t. That’s the problem with a large empire with outrageously limited representation. We have so many people assigned to so few representatives so that our leaders are now catering to responses of opinion polls rather than trying to lead the country forward to a better society. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy the weak argument that Bush is leading us to a better society; if that is a better society, I’m not sure I really want to be part of it. Similarly, I don’t see any of the ideas put forth by Kerry or Edwards make me believe that doing the same thing, just differently, is going to bring us to a better location than if we went with the original bad idea makers.

I have already decided that I am not going to vote for any of the candidates running for president. And no, third party choices are not better: As much as I am thankful to Ralph Nader for making sure my car has a seat belt, that no more makes him an acceptable statesman for president than does my mommy for making sure I wore my booties over my regular footwear. Then again, my mommy would make a great president, but there’s that whole “mommy for spinach” scandal that would come to haunt her long before the October surprise.

But this does not mean that I am not voting. It just means that I have decided I don’t intend to punch a hole in the presidential choice. Unfortunately, this opens up a new can of worms and creates a problem that bothers me more than I can ever describe. I’m talking about being called an “undecided voter.” I have participated in two samplings so far during this election season, and I have given them the same information I am giving you now, and both times I have been called an undecided voter because I did not want Bush, Kerry, or any of the major names running for the minor parties. I am not undecided. I am very decided. I just have chosen not to participate in what these power brokers keep telling me are my only choices. I prefer “no choice”, but somehow that makes me undecided. I really hate that.

Calling me an undecided voter because I refuse to vote for the crappy choices I’m given is like telling me that I’m an undecided computer owner because I choose a Linux operating system instead of choosing Microsoft XP or changing completely to a Mac system. The two parties have declared themselves the only acceptable agents to receive any power in this country, and somehow it’s my fault that both parties are only capable of representing the interests of people like them while ignoring the unhuddled masses of America.

Politics is not the only venue where I no longer feel comfortable participating. I realized recently that no matter how hard I try, I will never accept that Paris Hilton’s sexuality and stupidity is worthy of my time. I don’t shed a single tear when I hear that J. Lo is having marital troubles. I could care less what apprentice gets fired by Trump. This doesn’t make me undecided. It means I just don’t care.

And let’s be honest. Neither does anyone else. When you go into the voting booth to vote for an incumbent judge you’ve never heard of before, try to tell me with a straight face that you won’t make an uninformed decision just because there’s a choice before you, and you might feel bad for not choosing to put a hole in the piece of paper.

Speaking of this election, there is one other point I would feel bad not mentioning, and that is the whole idea of participation. This election, we are breaking records upon records of getting people registered to vote. And it is quite possible that many of these new voters might actually vote. Well, as much as MTV tells us to rock the vote, and maybe we should, what they aren’t telling you is that historically the elitist argument has been to make sure that we don’t rock the vote, that we don’t participate, and that the huddled masses stay huddled away from voting booths. If we do all begin to participate, things can change, but in ways that I don’t think they are intending. Democrats want more voters participating because that usually means more Democrats voting. But like the arguments of Dahl’s Dilemmas of Pluralist Democracy, the more participation we have, the more chances of instability can occur. More voters makes us more democratic, and what no one wants to tell the democratic masses is that no one really wants them to join the club.

If we increase the numbers of people voting, Democratic and Republican platforms may not be able to withstand the need for ideas previously not part of the old paradigm. Both parties have attempted to get more voters, but in doing so, they may bring about the scariest concept in politics: uncertainty. When that happens, all bets are off.

Duane Gundrum, the Western Herald opinion editor, is a Ph.D. candidate from Santa Monica, Calif., studying political science.

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First results on comprehensives
I passed political theory. Dr. Isaak called and left a message on my answering machine today. Now I nervously wait on American.

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A lego spaceman project
There's a project I've been working on for some time. Some may wonder why I use a lego spaceman to be the icon for this weblog, but he goes back some time to an entity I was using way back in the past when I was playing an online computer game called Ultima Online. I have a tendency to play these games with really bizarre characters that are designed to look at the world of whatever game I'm playing from a completely bizarre perspective. A recent type of this play was conducted when I was playing Star Wars Galaxies. My character was named Cellphone Guy. So as these huge battles were going on during the rebels and the Empire stormtroopers, I would wander into the middle of the fight and yell out "Can you hear me now?" (6 second pause) "Good!" Anyway, I think you get the point.

A character I had in Ultima Online was named little sarbonn (which you might notice from my name in my email. Sarbonn comes from a character I created in one of my Tales of Reagul novels, but little sarbonn was different. He was my inquisitive creature, wandering the Hobbesian wilderness of Ultima Online, seeking out those evil players that everyone feared so he could ask them stupid questions. Here's an example of his interactions in that game:





That series was called The Adventures of little sarbonn. Well, what I am creating now is a number of flash movies that will be called something like Adventure of a Lego Spaceman, which will chronicle the lego spaceman's trip through political history in the world, using his little sarbonn-inspired sardonic wit. Right now, my only real problem is finding a physical copy of the lego spaceman to use for this project as lego sets these days don't include the little guy anymore. So, if anyone comes across the little guy, please let me know. I need to take pictures of him from all sorts of angles to fit him into the stories that I want to use with him.

Anyway, just thought I'd share one of the recent projects I'm playing around with in between my actual writing projects.

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Six pack abs
Maybe it's just me, but naming a washboard stomach (which is the original name) "six pack abs" seems a bit stupid as we're now stating that the goal is to achieve an abdomen that looks like a six pack of beer. In order to get those abs, we need to make sure we have no idea what a six pack looks like.

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Maybe there's a way around this
Looks like I might be able to take two summer courses in German to fulfill my requirements for my ABD status, instead of having to take a bunch of other courses. GER 400 and GER 401 fulfill the requirements I need. This will be a lot easier than trying to go any other route that has been mentioned.

It looks like I need to take some dissertation units next semester, but I'll find out a bit later from Dr. B on what exactly I need to take.

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He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it--Melville, Moby Dick

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Maybe it's just me...
I find it interesting but for some reason there seems to be a strange philosophy kick with TV shows these days. I have been watching Harsh Realms on dvd. It is one of the Chris Carter (X-Files) shows about our world reproduced in a virtual reality simulator, except everything has gone nuts. The main character is Lt. Thomas Hobbes. Gee, the originator of the evil state of nature. Coincidence? I don't think so.

The show Lost I watched tonight for the first time. Another wildnerness out of control show. Gee, the psychotic wildnerness guy is named (I believe) John Locke. Another state of nature guy. I'm starting to wonder if I'm seeing the start of a trend.

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Trying to figure out what I need to finish

Well, up until a certain time, I was under the impression from the old adviser that all I had to take was just one more class in some type of research, although which one was always a bit vague. I was told that under no circumstance would I be able to use a foreign language for the requirement. Well, it turns out that I actually need 2 classes of 3.0 credits each, and I did have the option of being able to test out with a foreign language. Had I known this, I would have did a refresher for either Spanish or German (Korean's kind of out of the mix because I don't even think they have a Korean program here). Instead, I find myself seeking two more research level types of courses, and the two good looking ones are one in sociology, which has been cancelled by its professor, and one in history on historiography, which happens to be right in the middle of the time I teach my course in International Relations.

However, I went to the language department, and I spoke to an adviser who told me that there are two options. I can take the entrance test for Spanish, and then they can figure out where that would place me so that I can then take a reading comprehension test in Spanish (you don't have to have speaking, listening or writing down for a foreign language to meet this requirement as the expectation is that you will be able to translate from a text for your research). The other option sounds a lot better, which is two 400 level courses in German that are designed for exactly what I am needing; they will teach the basics of being able to translate from German texts for two semesters, and then there's no test other than the two classes themselves. The classes are also scheduled to be offered during Summer I and Summer II, in the correct order. So, I'm going to look into that so I can at least be ABD by the end of summer, which is really depressing because I have so many courses already.

I ordered my books today for my course. It turns out I already had the text book from the stuff I was given to look over, and I have the teacher's guide as well. So, I ordered my 55 books through the bookstore and that should be good enough for now. I now need to find out if I have to order any books through the KVCC classes I will be teaching. I also have to prepare a test for Tuesday's class, which I'm sure my students are all excited about that one.

Presently reading Wattenberg, although it's taking much longer than it should.

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Comprehensive Examinations are over
My comps are over. Both Melanie and I are done. After it was over, we drove to Office Max, Best Buy and then to Hardings so we could each get some groceries. I bought me some pistacchio nuts so I can chow down on them tonight while I watch TV for the first time in a while. Veronica Mars is on tonight; I like that show.

It was tough. I'm completely exhausted, and I slept horribly last night, but like I said, it's over. I hope I did well, although I feel I did, but you never know how these things go. I can't imagine how I would have answered the questions differently. Towards the end I was kind of wandering in headspace, but that was just from being tired more than anything else.

There is a lot of reading I need to make sure I get to now. I am behind a good number of weeks on some books I'm supposed to have already read, so I'm going to double up my efforts on just reading that stuff so I can feel comfortable with getting back on top of my independent study. To be honest, I wasn't really planning to take my comps at this time; but I feel a sense of relief now that I have.

That's it for now. Lots of work ahead of me starting tomorrow, but of a completely different nature.

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The second big day
This is part two of American politics today. Didn't get a lot of sleep last night, but I think this whole day will consist of me getting by on adrenalin alone. I know the info; just gotta make sure I can use it somehow correctly.

Unfortunately, I can't see where to fit legoism and my puppy diplomacy theory, so I'll have to use the "other" stuff I learned since being at Western.

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The big day
This is to be the first day of the American politics part of the comparative examination. For some reason, I'm much more nervous than I was when taking the philosophy part of the exam, which is bizarre because I know this information so much better than I knew the philosophy information.

I really hope I don't just go blank for six hours today. That would kind of suck.

Maybe I should bring my copy of Computer Gaming World so I'll have something to read during those hours of staring at the computer scream, pulling out my hair, saying, "what's an institution again?" or "Wait a minute, the president is elected????"

I jest. It should be fun. Maybe I should just write my manifesto. Most nutcases that write their manifestos never get anyone to read them but psychologists after they go nuts. This way, I could be guaranteed at least three people get to read my rantings who don't also happen to be psychologists. Hmm, must think about this.

:)

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Teaching Evaluation Today at KVCC

Today, our department head sat in my morning class to conduct an evaluation. He was actually quite pleased with my performance. I was getting the feeling that it probably wouldn't be too surprising to see myself in line for a tenure position in the near future should one come along.

I will be teaching 3 classes at KVCC next semester now. I will be doing the Political Science 100, the American Government, and State and Local Government.

At Western, I'll be teaching International Relations. So, next semester should be a very productive one. I'm looking forward to it.

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Problems in Iraq have origins dating back long before occupation began
A Western Herald Editorial
October 14, 2004

When it comes to complaining about the way the war in Iraq has been conducted, the arguments usually end up being pro-Administration versus anti-Administration. It should not come as a surprise that because of this dichotomy, much of the debates between Sen. Kerry and President Bush have centered on the Iraq situation. There is a problem with Iraq and Afghanistan, but unfortunately, the focus of the problem has been lacking, and thus, may be the reason that the problem continues to get worse. To understand the real problem, we must move further back than the current Bush Administration to the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

At the end of the Cold War, there was a move in the United States military to switch from a “one big war” strategy to a “two small war” strategy. Instead of focusing on fighting a big war as our strategic goal, our strategic goal was split into two separate tactical objectives. Rather than plan for long-term, effective campaigns, the two-war strategy focused on ending battles quickly so that military planners could focus on both wars at the same time. In the mid-1990s, we realized that this two-war strategy was not going to work as planned because we were still feeding a military-industrial complex that refused to budge from the big-war-strategy mentality. Instead of funding and implementing rapid deployment forces, we continued to focus on a military designed to fight an enemy that no longer existed.

Shockingly, the solution to the problem was actually at the head of discussion in early 2001, and it is quite possible that the Bush Administration might have been moving in the right direction. But then 9/11 came, and all attempts to fix what was broken were lost in the rush to go to war against Afghanistan. It is very difficult to change military policy while in preparation for war, especially when that policy has been stagnant for decades.

When the United States went to war, it was under the remnants of the two-war philosophy of fighting big wars. We performed as should have been expected by winning the wars very fast, but as our process was now tactical rather than strategic, we now find ourselves in a circumstance where we are still trying to operate on a tactical level in order to achieve strategic results. This rarely works. To make matters worse, the Duelfer results indicate that Iraq’s Saddam Hussein was preparing strategically where we were preparing tactically. On the evening of our invasion, he issued the order to his generals to hold our troops for a week, then he would take it from there, indicating that an insurgency would result from a failed attempt to respond to the U.S. military. It is not hard to read into the intention from a strategic mindset, that as long as the Iraqi insurgency can hold out, then victory against U.S. forces is believed to be possible.

Military philosophy indicates that the only way to successfully defeat a strategic level of planning is with similar national, strategic-level planning, or to respond tactically but in such a way that all strategic infrastructure of the enemy is completely obliterated. Unfortunately, we cannot do this without completely destroying both Iraq and Afghanistan. So this means that in order to successfully combat the insurgency in Iraq, we must do so strategically rather than tactically, and this requires changing the very nature of how our military operates today. It requires a full understanding, also, by the American people, because when strategy competes against strategy, the victor is the one who doesn’t blink first.

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The Western Herald - Changing dissemination of our intelligence wrong direction for focus

Changing dissemination of our intelligence wrong direction for focus

A Western Herald Editorial
October 13, 2004


After the 9/11 Commission Report indicated that intelligence gathering by the United States needs to be fixed, Congress has taken up the challenge and created a bill that is designed to reform the intelligence community at the top levels, by both creating a National Intelligence Director and to give that individual “full budget authority” over the nation’s intelligence budget.

Unfortunately for the state of U.S. intelligence, the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations are not even addressing the real problems inherent in our intelligence community. If the recommendations were taken to heart and made law, the problems that occurred on 9/11 would probably occur again. The reason is that the 9/11 Commission focused on the wrong problem. Granted, oversight to the national level is important, but fixing that is like coming up with new drugs to alleviate symptoms of an illness without ever actually addressing what causes the illness itself.

Until the early 1980s, the U.S. intelligence services focused specifically on human intelligence (HUMINT). This is the kind of intelligence made famous by Hollywood with the glorified James Bond activities. Imagine the same individual, without sexy Russian spies, secret gadgets and expensive cars that shoot laser beams, and add a lot of paperwork, and you get the idea of what HUMINT used to consist of. In the 1980s, there was a move to signal (SIGINT) and communications (COMINT) intelligence because it was both safer on ground agents and believed to be more reliable. Field officers became less important as we moved into the satellite technology that presented new opportunities for intelligence gathering. By 2000, much of the focus of U.S. intelligence is from SIGINT and COMINT. So, when Colin Powell went to the United Nations with his satellite photographs, there was no one around to indicate that perhaps the evidence was flawed. In the past, when one HUMINT source reported information, it was not valid without a second source. With satellite intelligence, the only way to really verify the information without someone active on the ground is through other satellite sources, meaning you look at the same thing twice through different lenses and come up with the same conclusion. So, it should not come as any surprise that we thought there were WMDs in Iraq. Our verification was the same source that first reported the information.

By changing our intelligence-gathering efforts, we have fewer people as experts on the ground. It was recently reported that we have tons of tapped information we cannot translate, an indication that our intelligence agencies lack a HUMINT focus capable of translation.

Now that Congress is arguing over how to best create a national czar of intelligence, the problems inherent in the system are still active. As long as we rely on technology rather than people, especially in an area where we have little prior knowledge, we are going to be doomed to continue to make the same errors over and over again.

U.S. intelligence needs to change its entire focus on intelligence gathering methods rather than on what to do with the information we are already receiving. Armed with great SIGINT and COMINT, it is time to return to a HUMINT emphasis of the 1970s and earlier. Then, and only then, will we truly be able to be prepared to intercept something on the level of a new 9/11.

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Why I sometimes hate discussing politics with others
I participate on a few different message boards that cover political issues. I can't count the number of times I've tried to break through and unpack bad argumentation, where the continued arguments are about something so trivial, and then try to introduce how to solve the problem rather than how to continue to complain about irrelevant connections.

Practically every time, one of two things happens:

1. My re-examination of the whole paradigm is dismissed with a one sentence response that is based on first level analysis, when what I'm talking about is already at least second-level analysis. Most of the time, in order to explain the leap to second-level analysis, I have to explain the situation in first-level analysis before making the jump to the next level. The argument is constantly bogged down in clouded thinking of individuals who are incapable of going beyond first-level analysis so they never even achieve the second-level that is required for second or higher level analysis. In other words, if it's not left with an explanation that makes sense in soundbyte terminology, there's no way to explain anything to anyone.

This is why much of our disagreements in this country will remain stupid disagreements. People are not interested in going to the next level to see how subsequent events may affect the long-term picture, showing why first-level events are not necessarily enough to understand the full ramifications. So, we end up getting stuck in stupid arguments. ("the war in Iraq is justified because we went after a bad person", "people are poor because they don't want to work", "capitalism is a bad form of economics because it exploits people", "my car won't start because when I turn the key in the ignition, nothing happens.")

2. If someone realizes second-level analysis is necessary, my posts get completely ignored, and the arguments continue in first-level analysis because that's easier to understand. It doesn't matter that what I propose might be the solution that benefits both sides. I'm limited in communicating at kindergarten level with people who are convinced that my inability to "understand" an issue at the most basic, needs-serving level means that they are on a higher level, even though I understand their perspective, yet they aren't willing to even try to learn mine. I cannot describe the amount of times where I've tried to interject with a "none of that matters. If we do THIS, then we can solve both sides" and that interjection is ignored so we can argue about caveman politics. Yeah, it may appear to be an elitist argument, but I don't see it that way because unlike an elitist, I am willing to communicate at that basic level and argue with the best of them. Is it asking so much to hope that the argument can go beyond an evil state of nature theoretic design?

It gets really frustrating. One of my talents is that I have the ability to communicate on a level that can interest a lot of people, from whatever educational background. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that I am capable of trying to drag everyone along to broaden their horizons if they are not willing to take the journey. That is probably what is most frustrating of all, because unlike elitists, I believe everyone is capable of understanding issues at a higher level of analysis; I just haven't figured out how to get them interested enough to try.

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Submitted my proposal for the Midwest PS Conference

Um, why am I, someone focusing on American and Political Philosophy, submitting a proposal to the conference in foreign policy on International Security? It's okay. I can't figure out the answer either.

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Ashcroft is continuing to go after the real threats to America
Okay, he's not really. He's going after pornography still. Why is the government so intent on dealing with this sort of thing when our resources should be focused on terrorism?

Here's the text of the official charge sheet:

Beckley, West Virginia. Kasey Warner, United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, Andrew G. Oosterbaan, Chief, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, United States Department of Justice, and Robin Dalgleish, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pittsburgh Division, announced guilty pleas today in criminal cases against Michael J. Corbett and Sharon E. Corbett, of Lewisburg, West Virginia, and Joseph Tanner and Randall Rogers, of Quitman, Georgia, 31643 . Based upon a joint business venture producing and selling obscene videos, the four were indicted by a federal grand jury on April 9, 2003, and charged with three counts of mailing obscene materials in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1461, and one count of conspiracy to mail obscene materials and conspiracy to use the Internet for the purpose of sale and distribution of obscene material, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

The investigation conducted by Postal Inspector Thomas Svitek revealed the Corbetts, through their Internet website, offered for sale a total of 53 videotapes and DVDs depicting graphic and sexually explicit scenes of defecation and urination. Tanner and Rogers, the owners and operators of Tdigital Services Inc., managed and maintained the website with knowledge of its content and shared in the profit.

The Corbetts each pled guilty to one count of mailing obscene material. Tanner and Rogers each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to mail obscene material and conspiracy to use the Internet for the purpose of sale and distribution of obscene material. Each count carries a maximum potential penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Additionally, the Corbetts have forfeited $15,010 seized from their bank accounts, the domain name associated with their website, and all obscene materials and equipment used to produce or manufacture obscene materials. In addition, the Corbetts have agreed to pay the United States $60,000 in lieu of forfeiting their home which was used in the sale of obscene materials. Joseph Tanner forfeited $80,000 and all obscene materials and equipment used to produce obscene materials.

The prosecution is being handled by Trial Attorney David Szuchman and Stephanie Thacker of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Here's a statement from Larry Walters, 1st Amendment attorney:

OBSCENITY UPDATE
The Feds are at it again, with at least two new federal obscenity prosecutions directed at adult video content distributed through the United States Mail. Federal agents, postal inspectors and LAPD officers raided the offices of Extreme Associates on April 8, 2003, and seized records, videos and Model Releases relating to several movies. The raid on Extreme Associates came only days after the Justice Department arrested a West Virginia couple on obscenity charges relating to the operation of a “scat” fetish site, girlspooping.com. Justice Department officials have threatened to seize the couple’s home, out of which the business was allegedly operated. The case is pending in Bluefield, West Virginia – hardly a bastion of liberal thought. It appears that the long-feared reinstatement of regular federal obscenity prosecutions against adult content has finally become a reality, prompting many adult industry participants to review their content and seek legal guidance regarding its defensibility. Thus far, distractions abroad have likely prohibited an all-out assault on the adult industry by the Department of Justice, just as a matter of resource allocation.

FEDS SEIZE WEBSITES
In a move that has concerned some civil libertarians, federal agents from the Justice Department are starting to seize and take over Websites owned by businesses that distribute bongs, roach clips, rolling papers and other alleged drug paraphernalia. Civil liberties groups and legal scholars fear that the government could use the new seizure policies to spy on Web surfers who visit the confiscated sites. David Sobel, General Counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, recently said, “The government is suddenly in a position of being able to monitor the Web-surfing activities on unwitting individuals who believe they are going to a Website . . . but possibly implicating themselves into some law enforcement investigation.” Thus far, 15 to 20 sites have either been taken over or redirected by the Justice Department, according to Attorney General John Ashcroft. In the meantime, those looking to consume tobacco products via exotic smoking devices are encouraged to avoid online shopping and to visit their local head shop instead.

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I guess my question is: does anyone feel any sense of a chilling effect here? I guess for most people, it's okay if it's not your "thing".

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Almost no sleep last night....
This can't be good. For no reason in particular, I just couldn't sleep. Okay, I slept about four hours, but now I have to spend the whole day taking my second half of my first comprehensive examination. Taking LOTS of no doze stuff. I have a feeling that when I get to the second half, every answer to every question will involve the natural right to sleep. I'm sure Locke, Hobbes, Gutman and Gundrum all agreed on this particular natural right. Wasn't it Dahl that mentioned that without public discourse and caffeine you can't possibly have a stable polyarchy? I know that Schumpeter said that even though most representatives are packaged for us instead of sought out by us, they are packaged with a free trial of Vivarin. And I vaguely remember that while strong democracy is necessary to fight off the horrible concepts of Barber's fear of liberal democracy, that fighting is never to be done without at least five or six hours of sleep involving a positive REM cycle. Come to think of it, the reason Schumpeter believed that socialism would eventually collapse was because of physical exhaustion and not enough sleep.

I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.

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Email sending problem
I'm not sure why, but my WMU account won't allow me to send out email now. It's really frustrating, so I have been having to direct everything through my yahoo account. Yeah, love that state of the art internet stuff we have here. Can't use email anymore, my Internet is stable for 32 minutes at a time before dropping off for about nine hours (Sundays, excluded; it NEVER works on Sunday), and, well, I don't have a third complaint, but I forgot to say AND after the first complaint. :|

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My first day with my comps went as well as could be expected. I felt really good about the first part of the day. The second half, not as good, but I went forth and did all of the stuff I was supposed to do. Now I have a few days until the part 3 of the 4 step process in political philosophy. I am trying to make sure I get down the authors I need to know so that I will do well on the rest of this exam.

I actually am starting to see a possible light at the end of the tunnel here.

When I got back home from taking my comps, I don't know what happened, but I really kind of just collapsed (not sick-wise, but just exhaustion). Not exactly sure what happened, but those tests take everything out of you. I finally got around to writing up an exam for my students that I have to administer tomorrow morning.

Then tomorrow is some final reading, and then the next days is back to the comps again.

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Seem to be having trouble today accessing my blog.

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I start my comprehensive exams today in political philosophy
Well, I think I've prepared as much as I can. My only fears are that I may have overprepared and it will all come out as mush, or it just doesn't all come together today. But when I woke up this morning (a few minutes ago), I didn't really feel like that was going to happen. Let's just hope that when I step back into the cave, I brought some of that knowledge back with me to teach the cavemen staring at the shadows on the walls.

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Donald Trump - The FRAGRANCE
I'm not making this up. For those of you out there who have always wanted to...um...smell...like Donald Trump, there is now Donald Trump, the fragrance. Follow the link to get the news of that fragrance that reminds you of being fired.

MSNBC - Donald Trump: 'You're fragrant'

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Kalamazoo really doesn't want me to vote
I live in a college town. I live on campus. This year, they decided to move my polling place so far away from where I live that it's ridiculous to even think about voting there. Election officials just shrug it off as nothing wrong. They suggested if I had a problem with it, I should request an absentee ballot.

Here's the choices on the absentee ballot I received yesterday as for why I am requesting one:

1. I am 60 years or older.

2. I expect to be absent from the community in which I am registered for the entire time the polls are open on Election Day.

3. I am physically unable to attend the polls without the assistance of another.

4. I cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of my religion.

5. I have been appointed an election precint inspector in a precinct other than the precinct where I reside.

6. I cannot attend the polls because I am confined to jail awaiting arraignment or trail.


There's no "fill in the blank" or "other" choice. In other words, if I choose one of these choices, because the polling place is on the other side of town, and I can't get there, I am signing a lie under the words "I declare the foregoing statement(s) to be true".

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