BoomFlag

A new policy drafted by the Department of Defense (yet to be approved by Secretary Rumsfeld, but the chances of a veto are low) gives President Bush the authority to order a pre-emptive nuclear strike. Previous nuclear policies only permitted responsive attacks– such as when enemy bombs are on their way. Despite what I think of nuclear weapons in general, the fact is we have them (tens of thousands of them, in fact!) and so do some others. A policy is certainly needed, but a pre-emptive capability in the hands of Bush could be a very dangerous proposition.

The first example listed in the new policy is a nuclear strike against an enemy “using or intending to use weapons of mass destruction” against the U.S., it’s allies, or other civilian populations. Sure, I think governments or Bad Guys who are planning to do that should be shut down– and hard. But let’s recall how firmly George and his cronies believed Iraq had WMD’s. They were absolutely convinced of it. Had this policy been in effect then, I wonder if Saddam would’ve been incinerated in a nuclear fireball instead of captured in a bunker?

One man should never have this kind of power, especially if that man is George W. Bush.

The television never lies…

ExxonMobil expects a profit of $10 billion this quarter. That’s over a hundred million dollars per day, more net income than any corporation in history. The main reason is that the cost of gasoline production hasn’t actually changed very much, but a perceived shortage has caused prices to skyrocket.

Of course I have mixed emotions about this, because I own stock in ExxonMobil. Hmm.

“It’s devastating, it’s got to be doubly devastating on the ground.”

— George W. Bush, surveying New Orleans from a helicopter

“I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.”

— George W. Bush, after being asked about damage warnings prior to Katrina’s landfall

“I believe the town where I used to come from– Houston, Texas, to enjoy myself, occasionally too much– will be that very same town, that it will be a better place to come to.”

— George W. Bush, before leaving New Orleans for Houston

“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”

— George W. Bush, to FEMA Director Michael Brown (recently “reassigned” to a new position)

“What didn’t go right?”

— George W. Bush, when Nancy Pelosi urged him to fire Director Brown for “all that didn’t go right”

Eric S. Raymond, one of the pioneers of the Open Source software movement, received a call from a Microsoft recruiter about setting up an interview. After politely informing the guy that someone was having a joke at his (the recruiter’s) expense, Eric followed up with a hilariously scathing e-mail message. The best part was probably this paragraph near the end:

“On the day I go to work for Microsoft, faint oinking sounds will be heard from far overhead, the moon will not merely turn blue but develop polkadots, and hell will freeze over so solid the brimstone will go superconductive.”

Nice!

AmaroK, my completely awesome music program, automatically downloads album covers for things in my playlist. The results are often hilarious, as shown by this cover that appeared when I was listening to the “Peanuts” theme (you know, the one with Snoopy).

The fishing’s great… wish you were here!

There’s no doubt that the scope of the disaster in New Orleans (and other areas along the Gulf Coast) is tremendous. There’s also no doubt that rescue forces (military, government, and private) are facing a monumental task. And finally, there’s no doubt that George Bush has to act decisively to face a challenge unlike anything he’s seen in his time in office.

I don’t want to have Bush’s job, and I know he must be struggling with how to respond. But today he said this:

“We’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do. First, we’re going to save lives and stabilize the situation. And then we’re going to help these communities rebuild. The good news is — and it’s hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott’s house — he’s lost his entire house — there’s going to be a fantastic house. And I’m looking forward to sitting on the porch.” (laughs)

Wow.

At least Trent Lott’s house will be sweet when this thing is over. I mean, I know our country is under wise leadership when I hear how the President himself is committed to rebuilding one guy’s pad. I’m sure the millions of displaced refugees– who very possibly have lost their houses too– will cheer when they hear it.

Sheesh.

In two weeks, Zing will have a total of four employees (woo hoo!). Two of them, including me, are in Colorado… and through long experience I know all of the tax rules and documents I need to file for the state. However, one employee is in California and another is in Oregon. Thus, I’m faced now with figuring out all of the arcane tax laws of those states so we can properly pay everyone and submit our taxes to The Man.

I’m doing my homework on the California stuff, and when I downloaded the 107-page tax manual (whee) I was struck by the introductory message. For some reason, the phrase “Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger thanks you for choosing to do business in the great State of California” made me bust a gut.

This world map shows the distribution of spam sources across the internet. Although it’s not terribly scientific, I must say I’m shocked– shocked!— that the United States is the “hot spot” of spam in the world. What about all those Nigerians?