DRM is EVIL

I have that sticker on my truck and I believe it. I am all for supporting the artists but the music industry is as corrupt as well the health insurance industry. RIAA is not about helping the artist. They are about making the world a greener place. Well at least the world inside their wallets.

 

Diane Feinstein who is supposed to be a progressive keeps on introducing the Perform act and other shit that would require artists and podcasters to use DRM. I have toyed around with podcasting and I think it will be dead should such legislation pass. If I create something and I want to share it with the world free of charge instead of capitalizing on it nobody should fskcing stop me.

 

Anyway, read about it here. I think I would send these guys money. If I had extra money that is. I am too busy tithing to the government to support this freaking war. Another topic.

 

https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr004=iqxzulbhg3.app2a&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=221

 

Wyden

I am desperately trying to find some current news on the web about this but I have heard in the last few days about Ron Wyden’s plan for the diabolical HMO feeding bullshit that masquerades as “universal health care”. I guess I been living under a rock because I didn’t know about his proposal until recently. All I can find is articles from 06 and 07 but it appears he supports this.

 

This lie is the biggest sham of our time. Its not universal health care. It’s a way to force you to give your money to private insurance companies. For profit companies whose job it is to deny you health care.

 

I thought Progressives in Oregon were smarter than that.

 

Fellow blogger Tim Nam is considering running for Darlene Hooleys seat in the Senate when she leaves. Perhaps I should run against Wyden in the next election. He has lost my vote.

 

I don’t know why this issue is such a hot button for me. I think it may be that I see the insurance industry as very corrupt. Not saying agents are bad. I have known many good people who work in the insurance business but the companies behind them are corrupt and evil.

 

Wow. Another slam of this health care thing. You must be thinking. This guy really must hate insurance companies. This is the main reason why I so staunchly oppose Clinton.

 

Apparently Wyden is in bed with the insurance business more than he wants to help the people in Oregon who don’t have access to health care. Mandating wont help them. People who don’t have insurance don’t have it because they cant afford it not because they choose not to.

 

I know I am spewing on this issue again. I promise to shut up for a while. Maybe I will reword this and send it to Wyden.

 

Damnit this is America and if we choose not to support the insurance industry we should not have to. I would be for making car insurance not mandatory. Not that I wouldn’t have it but if I want to choose to be sued instead of padding the pockets of the rich that is my right. And driving is choice. Last I heard being alive is kind of mandatory.

 

OK. I will shut up.

Obama Button

I found that on a blog called Numskullery. Interesting place. Found it on a link from Ninjanun.

 

Just wanted to credit the source for my Obama button rather than just steal it.

 

Anyone who wants it, feel free to grab it. The link didn’t work on his/her site so I didn’t copy that code. I suppose you could link it to Obamas site or just leave it as it is

Fishermans Bend

Here is a pics from Fishermans Bend. Just west of Mill City off Highway 22. This is the North Santiam River

Relentless

The $ales team at the company I work for likes to use the word “relentless” and tells sales reps to be “relentless”. Somehow that just rubbed me the wrong way when I read it and made me realize that most $ales people are motivated by one thing. I realize this is business but it was bugging the hell out of me. One guy even said his strong points were “employs relentless $ales tactics” Now I don’t know about you but I would be turned off to any $ales style labeled as relentless. Here is the definition of the word:

 

Relentless: adj.

1. Unyielding in severity or strictness; unrelenting: relentless persecution.
2. Steady and persistent; unremitting: the relentless beat of the drums.

 

Now I admit $ales pitches are often comparable to persecution but how can one be this way and truly not sell out their own integrity. I am not saying it cannot be done.

 

Way back in 1993 I had a $ales job with a computer store. Now I always considered myself an honest Christian but in order to have the money to pay the rent at that time I had to have the bonus for $ales numbers. I would lie, deceive, misrepresent whatever it took so that I could pay the rent. I felt downright dirty. I finally got tired of it and found another job. I don’t think I was particularly good at $ales. The management there thought I had potential. The worse my morals were, the better they said I was doing. Perhaps my technique was wrong. Though it seemed pretty relentless at the time. Before I had heard that word.

 

Any experience anyone with knowing someone who is or personally are successful at $ales without feeling like you “screw people for money”:

 

 

What am I doing up?

Its about 1:30 AM here in Oregon. I am sitting in my garage/office/kick ass server room. For some reason I am still awake. Its quite cold out here so I should be in bed but I felt the need to catch up on the blogosphere.

 

I don’t have anything truly profound to say at this hour. I guess all that is really on my mind is how I process stress. I realize I don’t get upset when things are not as they should be. What really gets me going is when things are out of control and I feel I need to do something. For example paying the bills rather then complaining about them and doing nothing. That really stresses me out when things get ignored. When the people who should help me deal with problems choose to ignore them, I panic. I am calm now in that respect.

 

I seem irritable recently and do know exactly why. My wife seems to be the one who notices the most. I am not trying to be but sometimes I feel like the stupidest things get on my nerves lately.  Perhaps I am just looking for one little corner of the world that is mine that I don’t have to share. Perhaps I am just wanting people to stay out of my face and let me chill for just a few minutes. I don’t know. My real theory is that its sugar withdrawal from the diet I am on. Sugar is like a drug. Maybe I should be in rehab for it. Who knows. They say it affects the brain much like heroin. I don’t know if they are right. I don’t even remember who they are.

 

My wife is busy doing homework. She is rehearsing for some kind of performance in her drama class at college. The fact that she is walking around the house having conversations with non existent people carrying a book freaks me out when I am trying to sleep. Moreso when she walked out here into my little world. Her conversation with some person named George was interesting.Anyway, she isn’t nuts. Just practicing. Though it seems weird from a half asleep condition. Especially since she is getting quite good at drama and is convincing.

 

I will shut up and go back to bed before I lose all my credibility in the blogging world. I hope this post makes some sense to someone. Or maybe even to me in the morning (or afternoon) when I wake up and read it tomorrow.

 

One more thing. Tomorrow (or later today if you want to get picky) If we can afford the gas and have the time, I want to go to Fishermans Bend just outside of Mill City in the Cascades. I heard it was nice and I don’t find much about it on the net. That probably means not many people will be there. That is a good thing. If I go, I will take and post some pics. If not, maybe in a couple weeks.

I will vote for Obama Because....

I plan to vote for Barack Obama in the Oregon primary (which is too late to mean much) and the general election is he should win the nomination because:

 

1)       He is not a member of the Bush family

2)       He is not a member of the Clinton family

3)       He didn’t vote for or against real ID

4)       He didn’t vote for or against much (its hard to hate someone with no opinion)

5)       Did I mention he is not a Bush or a Clinton

6)       He is not going to try and shove mandated health ins down our throats and call it universal health care

7)       He is not John McCain

 

Ok, so there you have it, I am going to vote for Obama for who he is NOT rather than who he is.

 

 

Someone suggested Elmo. I would support Elmo but I don’t think he has raised enough campaign money to be a viable candidate. Perhaps in 2012. Maybe Cookie Monster or Oscar could be his running mate

 

I sure hope Kucinich gives it another go and people take him seriously next time.

 

I don’t expect much from Obama but he is better than the alternative. He has become NONE OF THE ABOVE