Sean McPherson's Flameoftheday.com

Tuesday, July 2, 2002

Why, oh why do fools have access to technology? A wireless network in the hands of an incompetent is a dangerous thing. THOUSANDS of wireless networks are out there with no security, not even the paltry WEP security that comes with them, enabled, and spammers, crackers, and script-kiddies are happily exploiting them. Wireless networks are the next thing to help people really get something accomplished without being tied to a desk, without being forced into a schedule, without being stuck doing things at times they're rather not, but only if people install them responsibly. Otherwise, there'll be legislation or some other direct action against wireless network administrators (in most cases, just normal people) and we'll lose the wonderful benefits they offer. *sigh*

Posted by Sean McPherson @ 08:25 PM EST [Link]

Friday, June 28, 2002

Wow. I am always amazed by the misunderstanding of the differences between 'popular opinion' and 'law'. They are so very different, and need to be. This has been drug into the foreground by the recent Court Decision (PDF) that shows that the recital of the Pledge of Allegiance (as it was modified by the 1954 Congressional ruling to add 'Under God') in public schools does cause a legal injury (note the specicifity I used) to children who are present and who hold differing beliefs. If those two words were removed (or the 1954 Congressional act repealed) the Pledge would once again meet the strict 'Constitutional' requirements for the separation of Church and State, especially as recitation of the Pledge is mandated in certain areas of the public school system.

People are in an uproar; The President demands an explanation and a 'fix' to this error, Congress has since stood on the steps of the Capital and recited the Pledge publically, and passed an act condemning the court ruling, with votes running 99-0.

However, LEGALLY, the Courts decided correctly. I doubt if very many people have actually READ the court decision, but I have, as well as the decisions for many of the other cases referenced as Precedents. The US cannot have an official stance of proposing or enforcing activities requiring a particular religious viewpoint, of which the concept of any God, a single God, or Multiple Gods (or for that matter Goddesses, etc). Invoking the phrase 'Under God' in an official capacity of the Government (of which public schools technically falls) breaks that legal Covenant.

What I think frightens me, personally, more than the popular opinion (which I can understand, considering that the numerical majority of the US population is Christian, and also in general, in my opinion, does not have a strong understanding of legal history) is that the US President and Congress currently hold the view that (as of Thursday, June 17, 2002, in a speech by President Bush) "The decision points up the fact that we need common-sense judges who understand that our rights were derived from God." Bush also stated that "The declaration of God in the Pledge of Allegiance doesn't violate rights. As a matter of fact, it's a confirmation of the fact that we received our rights from God, as proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence."

The real problem here is that none of this is, legally or technically, correct. The Constitution states "We the people..." for a reason: The majority of leadership roles in the past (namely monarchy and religious leaders) had their powers 'vested unto them by God'. In the US, power was to be *granted* to the Government *by the power of those governed*, not by God. This was a purposeful statement, and is the basis for so much of the Separation of Church and State activity in the last 200+ years.

I begin to fear, when a Government begins to state that the power it holds is no longer granted by the people it governs, but are "derived from God", and that the rights I hold so dear are "received from God".

Posted by Sean McPherson @ 12:38 PM EST [Link]

Monday, December 17, 2001

Did I ever mention how much I hate Christmas?

Yup. I'm an evil bastard. I can't help it; I just want to be able to walk into a room full of others, and say "Hi, my name is Sean, and I hate Christma". That would help, I think. Everywhere I go, I have to listen to the same horrible music, deal with hordes of children, and think about the mounting bills from yet another pile of presents I'll still be paying off on the credit card this time next year. It's odd, since most of the gift giving is 'spurred on' by my wife. I don't mind, in that it makes her happy, and it's only money and all that, but I truly think she'd buy gifts for every person she ever met if she had time :-) Whereas me, I'd buy gifts for my mom and dad, and my brother, and her, and feel like I'd done my part. Why would I bother to buy a gift for someone I haven't seen but once in the last year? Why would I buy a gift for people I don't see? Heck, I just always have this deep feeling that half the people who buy gifts only do it because "Well, the other person is buying me one!". It's a never-ending circle of guilt *sigh* Just save your money, call the person, say "Merry Christmas" and be done with it. Sheesh, buy them a "Summer" gift instead (saves on the credit card bills, and probably will mean more to them than the 'obligitory' Christmas gift). I'm so non-pagan it's funny (I'm not ANTI pagan, but it isn't my scene), but I;m about to go for the idea of buying any non-family member Summer gifts just to space out the debt :-)

Posted by Sean McPherson @ 03:24 PM EST [Link]

Sunday, December 2, 2001

So, once again I see the LOTR trailers, and, since I eat at Burger King a couple of times a week, I've seen the 4 glasses they have, depicting characters in the movie. Now, I'm not a HUGE LOTR fan, but I have read the books multiple times (I own 2 copies of The Hobbit, and 2 sets of the LOTR, so I can lend one out and still have one in case I want to read it), and something has really annoyed me: The addition of Arwen. Okay, technically it isn't an addition, since she did appear (however briefly) in the books (I'm not counting the Appendix as really part of the book, and heck, even then the whole life story of her and Aragorn only takes 4 pages!!!), but she didn't have much impact. She meets Aragorn, but being an Elf, would have to throw away her chance to go live the life of the Elven in the Havens long time in the future, boy meets girl, they fall in love but can't do anything about it, yadayadayada, the guy goes and saves the world, they get married, and the book ends. Suddenly, she saves Frodo's life in the movie, and appears to have become an important character. What? Sheesh. The movie companies will stoop to any depths to get the most people in to see the movies. Sure, it means a love story, and adds a female to the (noteably) female-lacking party of companions (which of course equats, but it annoys me. Maybe when I see the movie I'll be happier, if she does a good job with the role :-)

Posted by Sean McPherson @ 06:04 PM EST [Link]

11/26/01 - Monday (Migrated from old site)

Wow, another idiotic Thanksgiving behind me. Idiotic you ask? No, not
family and friends; that stuff was great! Good food, lots of laughs,
relaxation... I mean the idiots on the road and near the stores. WOW!!! I
didn't have my camera on the several long trips I took the last 2 weeks
(back and forth a few hundred mile stretch of the Interstate), but I wish
I had: Torrential downpours, people with 14 kids in a church van doing 90+
MPH, and then coming up on a car doing 35 MPH! Uh, HELLOOOO!!! So, I'm
glad we're not issued paintball guns with which to shoot the cars of
stupid people; I'd have used 30 bucks worth of ammo!

Posted by Sean McPherson @ 05:53 PM EST [Link]

11/13/01 - Tuesday (Migrated from old site)

Yes, another fine Tuesday the 13th... That's another thing that pisses me
off. Medical diagnosis of Paranoias/phobias/fears... GIVE IT UP
DOCTORS!!! People are afraid of stuff. DUH! People are supposed to be
afraid of snakes and spiders and falling and lightning!!! Thousands of
years of evolution are in play here.

Posted by Sean McPherson @ 05:52 PM EST [Link]

11/9/01 - Friday (Migrated from old site)

I registered Flameoftheday.com today as a result of blatant stupidity in
the world. Sure, everyone has a rant page, but I was so annoyed by people
that I even paid out REAL MONEY just to be able to point to it! How's that
go for proving stupid people piss you off?

Soon, I'll start putting up the photos. Photos, you say? Yup! See, I have
a neat little digital camera I've used for several years, and the time has
come to keep it in the car, so when some moron does something that either
ticks me off or designates himself as a Darwin nominee, I can snap a quick
shot. More on this later, tho, as the details work themselves out.

Posted by Sean McPherson @ 05:51 PM EST [Link]

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