Time to Stop Using Non-Lethal Methods

Our good friends at the UN and Amnesty International have decided to further persecute the government of the country that made them possible and the system that made it possible for them to operate in peace. Those two organizations have declared war on good old fashioned capitalism and the United States and Taser International by calling the use of a taser a form of torture.

Now I personally have been on the receiving end of a taser (voluntarily so that I would know what it was before I made personal decisions about it). I will openly tell you that it is a wonderfully unpleasant and highly effective experience that I would not like to repeat. I would not, however, call it torture. I call it a non-lethal and effective deterrent to deadly force for those people who have compunctions about gun ownership or potentially having to take a life in the service of their own self-defense.

That being said, I also believe that it is a far more effective deterrent in the field when used by police and military personnel than bullets. I also believe that bullets have a place. But when your job is to serve the peace or get someone back for interrogation alive, there is no better tool. And in the end, the taser, like a hammer, a wrench, a computer, and a firearm, is a tool. The fact is that we can use anything that comes our way for either lethal or non-lethal means if we choose to. And unlike many alternatives, a taser causes no loss of blood and does not need to be precise to have a non-lethal effect. Think about it, just try to put a bullet or a knife through someones critical mass without making them bleed out or killing them... good luck. Killing a person with a taser, on the other hand, is extremely hard. I mean, you seriously have to try to kill a person with a taser to kill them, and even then, it's not guaranteed.

But, if the U.N. and Amnesty International want to call it torture, I guess we can always get our police and military back to shooting all suspects and killing them rather than being tried for war crimes. Because if we cannot use non-lethal means, and talking won't always work, we are left with only one option.

Worth Reading: A True Story About Numbers

I of all authors and posters know about the validity of numbers and how statistical information can be influenced by a removal of one or more pieces of data. Let me tell you a little secret about my primary line of training: I am a statistical analyst. So when I run across stories about how policy has been influenced by bad statistics, I do some inquiries to validate those stories, otherwise, they are just stories. But when I find people who share divergent political views from my own who claim to have proof that certain members of my trade are doing things that make my trade look bad, I really listen. And if they have a scientific or math mindset to back it, that makes it that much more worth looking into. Guess where I'm going with this: GLOBAL WARMING.

One of my favourite authors of all time is Orson Scott Card. Politically and religiously, he and I do not agree. But I read the following article written by him and it validates what I myself have been doing. Now, I could explain in detail how he validates my stance that man-caused global warming is just another crock. Or, I could let you read his article, because he is just a far better author than I am, and his way of delivering information and telling stories is just vastly superior.

So please, if you have any desire to learn the truth about global warming, read his article, then do your own follow-on research to validate it.

Oh, and the image is the sole property of the Second Tier Politics and the Iconoclast Report. Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved

Creepy Factor

The following link just takes creepy to a new, albeit somewhat funny, level. A Canadian of Southeast Asian descent created a fembot in a wheelchair. Unfortunately, the fembot looks far too close to being human, but far enough away to make me, as a writer and proponent of advancing technology to get the heebie-jeebies. And then of course, there is the ultra-creepy bit when the good doctor gropes her. Of course, humour ensues as she responds by slapping him. But did he really have to grab her jubblies on the video?

If you want to know more about human-android relations, and see the video, follow the link: Project Aiko

Via Engadget

Friday Free For All - Cute

Sometimes, with all the negative news out there, I just need something to make me smile. For all those negative moments, instead of turning to anti-depressants, I turn to my favorite source of positive stuff: CuteOverload. And when that isn't enough, there is always The Daily Puppy. Of course, if I was at Edwards AFB, I might go to their Supply squadron and harass Wizzo, the Military Working Cat.

But until then, I leave you with the cutest video I've been exposed to all week: The Joker

Nationalized Health Care

Everyday, I hear about some politician or political platform touting the need for nationalized health care in the states. Let me tell you, that concept scares the daylights out of me. And it's not just because I started my life as a Brit. More than anything, it is because I have lived with the U.S. government controlling my health care for the past 8 years. Now if you are wondering how I managed to luck out with that one, it is because I served on Active Duty for 6 years and currently have the option of receiving care from the Veterans Administration as a result of those years of service to my government.

So, if you, my readers, are convinced that government health care is a good thing, let me tell you now to talk to any member of the armed forces currently serving on active duty. Ask them if they would trust the doctors on base for anything outside of trauma care (of which, they are by far the best). Most will tell you that they would prefer to go to a doctor off post who is a professional rather than go to a doctor or dentist on base who practices medicine.

Need more proof? If any of my readers remember the 1980s, they would remember the fact that during the 80's and 90's the VA medical system was the object of scandals that would make getting medical care in Cuba more desirable at that point in time.

Of course, if you want something that hits closer to home and is more recent, I have two words for you: WALTER REED.

Now, my question to my readers is this, if the government can't take care of its own defenders, what on earth makes you think it can take care of the rest of its own citizens? Our current medical system might be broken, but leave the government in charge and every day, you will wake up to Dr. SNAFU at BOHICA Medical Center and health care that would best be described as FUBAR.

Another Hidden Headline

Well, here is another headline I expect to not see anytime soon thanks to the media. It looks like a phase I HIV vaccine test is working!

On another note, I apologize to my readers for not posting last week. My body and I were failing to get along with each other.

Image Idenification...

Well, it was bound to happen. The day was bound to come when I would try to take on the ways and means that we use to describe ourselves. While I feel confident in my ability to understand the topic that I am addressing, I am not sure of my ability to explain it.

Here's what you get for two pennies...

Have you ever looked back on your life and tried to remember just how many different labels that were ascribed to you? I have. The list is rather long, and there are some that are certainly missing, but here are a few highlights: Dork, Nerd, Geek, Dreamer, Loser, Asshole, Elitist, Professional, Philosopher, Cowboy, Redneck, and Country.

Oh, and I mustn't forget Hellion, Crazy-Person, and Wack-Job.

Not a bad list, if I do say so myself...*grin*

I guess if you really wish to understand them, you must realize that none of them are a profession. They are all descriptions given of my character. Some were given by my friends, some by enemies. Some were from jobs I have held, and some are a statement of my background and way of looking at life.

I remember quite well how much those labels hurt when I was younger. Never being one of the "cool-kids", I felt quite painfully the distance that existed between me and my peers. As I got older, there came ones that I took pride in. What was strange was how some of them that used to hurt, became a badge of merit over time.

Not that anyone that reads this would find the concept difficult to believe, but here is an example of one such change. In primary school, I was a nerd, and an outsider. As a senior, I was a nerd...and hosting chemistry study-hall for a number of the varsity cheerleaders. Were any of them my friends, no...not as I recall. But it was quite a boost for my self-esteem at the time...

But, I am getting off topic here.

What I have spent some time thinking about is how, as I get older, the power of these ascribed labels has diminished. Well, that isn't exactly correct. It isn't that they have diminished, but rather that they no longer have the power to hurt me.

Somewhere along the line, I realized that everyone has the same problem that I did. For lack of a better way of expressing it, they started "believing their own press."

Upon realizing this, I decided to put some thought into why the labels were so important. I came to the conclusion that the reason why they exist is quite basic. They exist because there is a need in many to feel special. Be honest, with yourself if no one else, and answer the following question:

How many of you out there were brought up to believe that you were something special? How many were taught that they could be anything that they wanted to be?

I don't think that I would be very far off in stating that most of us have heard those words.

What does this have to do with labels? I'm glad you didn't ask...

You see, the labels exist because all of us are trying to find out just what it is that is special about ourselves. We look at the people that we see, and compare ourselves to them. Differences are cataloged. The ones that make us feel superior go to one side. The ones that make us feel inferior go to another.

Here's the kicker: For most, the only traits that we choose to show others are the ones that make us feel superior. Need proof? Look at the social groups that existed in your high school, or in your job, or even in your recreation time. I am willing to bet that there was at least one person that was a "mascot." There was at least one person that didn't fit the mold of the rest of the automatons, but was accepted. That person was usually the butt of most of the jokes and pranks, but they were kept around because just by being who they were, they made the other members of the group feel better about themselves.

The same reason is responsible for many of the talk shows today. Be honest, do you really watch them because you hope that the person will have some kind of epiphany, and out of some altruistic need on your part, you watch in hopes that you see it?

Come on, folks!

People watch those shows because they get the opportunity to see someone who's life is even more messed up than they believe their own to be! Many will even go so far as to say, "Well, at least MY life isn't THAT bad...!"

Sure, there are the heartwarming stories of triumph. Do we watch them because we want to see them overcome? Don't fool yourself. Most watch them because they look at their inferior column and say, "Well, if THAT person, whom I am better than, can do THAT, then I can too!"

Here is my question, if any are brave enough to answer: Why do so many feel it necessary to tear someone down to make them feel better about themselves? Why is it so hard for us to admit that someone might be better than we are at something?

I know, I know. You want to know what this has to do with labels. Make the point already, right?

Here's my point. The reason why the labels no longer bother me as much as they used to is because I am making a conscious effort to admit to my weaknesses, my failures if you will. If I don't like failing in one aspect of my life, then I do something about it. If it doesn't bother me to admit that someone is better than I am at something, then I do absolutely nothing.

Why, you might ask?

Because I don't see how competing for a prize that I have no desire to win makes sense!

I don't care if I am the richest, smartest, most famous, most successful, most respected person in the world. The only thing that I am willing to strive to be is the best Me that I can.

Let me tell you something, folks...

When that day comes, my parents will have been right. I truly will be something truly special.