April 2006 Thoughts & Finds

Life is short, but wide! Most people have broad interests, especially humor, history and current affairs. So here's a mix, showing my most recent finds on these topics for April 2006.

Are You Prepared?

"In a major disaster, it might be several days before vital services are restored. Earthquakes, fires, severe storms, power outages, and acts of terrorism are just some of the potential emergencies we may encounter.

"Imagine that you have no electricity, no gas, no water and no telephone service. Imagine that all the businesses are closed and you are without any kind of emergency services. What will you do until help arrives? ..."

http://www.72hours.org/

Operation Dear Abby: Still In Service!

One of the longest-running ways to provide actual support to our troops is http://operationdearabby.com "Operation Dear Abby" lets you write to troops in the field. It doesn't cost you anything, so what's your excuse?

More ways to support the troops for real:
http://www.rewinn.com/9980.html

The Madness of King George

"When men have been for a length of time actuated by party spirit, still more by terror, which entirely takes away the understanding, they no longer perceive what is right or what is wrong, what is decent or what is unbecoming.

"And in this abandonment of their judgment, and even of their senses, they rally to the first absurdity that wears the colour of their prejudices.

"And when it comes to that, it is as great a madness on the other side to expect any thing from reason.

"The only remedy then to be hoped is, from time that tries all opinions."

... from the Memoirs of William Sampson (1817)
http://www.rewinn.com/8008

The Terminator And Al Gore: Together Against Global Climate Change!

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the macho Republican governor, is warning about the dangers of global climate change, praising fuel-efficiency and denouncing the deniers: "The science is in. The facts are there that we have created, man has, a self-inflicted wound that man has created through global warming.":

Meanwhile, Al Gore releases "An Inconvenient Truth": http://www.participantproductions.com/films/Coming+Soon/191/AnInconvenientTruth

http://rewinn.com/9962

Robot Self-Repair Chair! (video)

Eisenhower Warned About Today's Insane Deficits

"We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."

--- President Dwight Eisenhower, 1/17/1961
http://rewinn.com/9963

Who is the REAL Decider?

The Book

Here's a Good Idea

"A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do."
- West Point Cadet Honor Code

Why don't we expect our leaders to use the same code?

http://www.westpointgradsagainstthewar.org/

I Will Survive (Video)

A bit of video hilarity for the holiday season... brought to you with love and humor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onLbeuEqNIE&search=i%20will%20survive

-4/13/06

Cobra II : The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

General Bernard E. Trainor and Michael R. Gordon tell us what we need to know about the current mess in Iraq. It won't make you happy --- but can you handle the truth?
Cobra II : The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

- 4/13/06

Ethical Judging Wounded Again

Justice Antonin Scalia failed, once again, a basic ethics question: "Can a judge ethically decide a case involving his hunting buddy?"

Recently, he boasted to a group of students that his failure to recuse himself in a 2004 case involving his hunting buddy, Dick Cheney, was the "proudest thing" he has ever done on the Supreme Court. See Article in Washington Post.com.

However, the rule in such cases is not as Scalia stated. The standard is not whether he can be trusted to be impartial. The standard, for a judge, is whether he can avoid the appearance of partiality.

No reasonable person can fail to question the impartiality of a judge ruling on a case involving a hunting buddy. It may be that Justice Scalia is, personally, able to rule on the case fairly. However, a reasonable person could question whether there would be some tilt in his judgment. If the law of the case is clear, the other eight members of the High Court will find it; if it is not clear, the hunting buddy should not be ruling on it.

A judge motivated by and aware of ethical issues would have recused himself.

Justice Scalia did not.

For him to boast of his violation of basic ethical standards is a shame on the Court and on the entire legal profession. If he were an ordinary judge, he would be facing the judicial discipline system; however the Supreme Court is subject only to impeachment by the Senate --- whose titular head is Scalia's hunting buddy!

- 4/13/06 http://rewinn.com/9967

Sew Much Comfort:

http://www.sewmuchcomfort.org/

FROM THAT SITE: "American military personnel are serving our country in a variety of dangerous situations and locations. As a result of discharging their duties, a number of them are seriously wounded or injured. Modern medical technology is having great success saving the lives of these hero's; however, medicine doesn't address some of their basic needs, such as clothing that will accommodate medical devices and situations - braces, fixators, casts, prosthetics and burns. Many of the wounded troops are left with a hospital gown as their only clothing option.

"Sew Much Comfort; a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization is filling the "adaptive clothing" need for these special patients. Our mission is to design, create and deliver customized clothing for these brave troops. Adaptive clothing accommodates their medical devices and situations, provides ease of use, personal independence and minimizes the visual impact of their medical condition. The goal is provide each soldier with an individually designed and tailored wardrobe of adaptive clothing, in order to provide them comfort and maintain their dignity, thereby facilitating the healing process.

"This project is dependent on the generosity and skill of countless Americans who wish to show their support to the wounded soldiers who have given so much of themselves in serving this country. Please help us give these heroes a tangible symbol of our support for them in all phases of their recovery from battlefield to home."

If you sew, see: http://www.sewmuchcomfort.org/seamstress-info.html

College Freshman Stumps the MBA President

FIRST YEAR STUDENT: "Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law?
BUSH: Yes. I appreciate that very much. I wasn't kidding. I was -- I'll pick up the phone and say, "Mr. Secretary, I've got an interesting question.

What does it mean when a college freshman can stump the president with a simple question about Iraq?

Here's the background: the 2nd largest force of foreign fighters in Iraq are mercenaries. Companies such as Blackwater and Third Canopy provide paid troops as guards throughout the country. The Iraqi Government doesn't control them. The United States doesn't control them. There are over 20,000 of them, heavily armed, and subject to no law except the gun.

Establishing law-and-order is, according to Bush, important to stabilizing Iraq. So shouldn't he know what law controls the 2nd largest force of foreign fighters? Shouldn't he know whether there is even a plan to control them?

Monday, a college freshman asked George W Bush that question. To his credit, Bush admitted that it was a good question. To his shame, he had not a clue to the answer. Here's the transcript: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/10/lt.02.html

More information on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercenaries

This raises the question: why is Bush drawing a paycheck?

Imagine that you've hired a janitor, and three years after he's been on the job, he doesn't know whether he's supposed to empty the wastebaskets. You'd fire him, because in business, you demand results!

Bush does not know the answer to a basic question about Iraq, three years after he invaded it, shouldn't he be fired for incompetence?

http://rewinn.com/9968

- 4/11/06

Strategic Communications is Not Propaganda!

We Americans been selectively releasing documents to American reporters, but we never engage in propaganda or PSYOPS against Americans, according to our Pentagon. We merely engage in "strategic communications"! For example, we inflate the role of Zarqawi in Iraq, according to officers quoted in an Article in the Seattle Times.

We all understand the difference between propaganda and strategic communications. And we all trust our government to be 100% honest!

"O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/23/

- 4/10/6

Peace Through Law Section at 25

I was interviewed in this month's Washington State Bar News: http://wsba.org/media/publications/barnews/apr-lindley.htm

The subject was the 25th year of the WSBA's World Peace Through Law Section, which I chaired. My proudest achievement as chair was to develop a series of educational programs. At the bottom of the article is a list of the lectures in the series described in the article. It's remarkable, and humbling, to see how many experts from a broad spectrum of interests and experience were happy to give their time to us.

All we had to do was ask. Who knew?

- 4/9/06

Book of the Week

I sell 10-20 books a day at http://amazon.com/shops/rewinn. At least once a week, one book stands out as interesting or amusing.

This week, it was an order for "The New Male Sexuality". After I packed it for shipment, an email arrived:
"My husband is excited about receiving this book. Can you send it Priority Mail. I'll pay extra!"

I smiled and upgraded the shipment. Today I got an email:
"Thank you! My husband loves the book."

What could I say in reply?
"You're welcome. Have a great weekend!"

I think they might ...

- 4/8/06

Al Franken & Ann Coulter in L.A.

Last Monday, Al Franken debated Ann Coulter at a lecture series sponsored by the University of Judaism in L.A. It seems to have gone pretty much as one would expect; you may enjoy Franken's comments in An Evening With Ann Coulter. Briefly:

Franken and Coulter?
This Season's Best Comedy:
The Oddest Couple.

Memoirs of William Sampson

Now in Print!

After being out of print for 190 years, William Sampson's Memoirs are now available at http://cafepress.com/rewinn . Sampson was an Irish Protestant lawyer, tortured and exiled for the crime of defending Catholics. He came to America on July 4, 1806 and became a leader in promoting human rights and religious under our Constitution.

You can read his exciting memoirs free on the web, or, better still: order the book!