previous post next post  

H&I* Fires, 3 June 2008

By Denizens on June 3, 2008 | | Comments (12)

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.

You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...

Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).

********************************

Sorry we're a little late getting anything up today. Just a few items to start your day off.

5 percent of Mass. taxpayers uninsured, some fined Actually, that was 97,000 uninsured who did not attempt to or otherwise refused to get some exemption from obtaining health insurance because they were "too poor". 97k raised 9 million in funds to support "the law" as this article kindly calls it over and over prior to go on a somewhat rhapsodic review of this wonderful state run health insurance where 95% of the the citizens are covered,

Emergency room visits haven't really gone up like was predicted, but everybody has someone or somewhere to go to if they are ill. It's all wonderful. Except this one little part, right at the bottom of the article that they try to sweep under the rug without much details:

That will come in handy as lawmakers struggle to find ways to cover the soaring costs of the law.

How much? It went from 725 million in 2006 to over 869mil (budgeted). If all things are the same, if no one is going to the emergency room or non-emergency care more than before, how are the costs soaring? Apparently, the state of Massachusetts has no idea or the reporter doesn't really want to say. What they know is that the Mass. Assembly is going to try to pass a $1 per pack of cigarettes tax. And Mass. already has one of the highest costs per pack with lots of people going to the doc to get meds to stop smoking. Irony, thy name is Massachusetts.

********************
From JM via email (though I was actually following it yesterday), the real Orwellian "human rights" trial of Mark Steyn. If you don't know, Steyn had the temerity to write an article in MacLeans re: his book American Alone that talked about Europe's continuing growth in Muslim population, its continuing radicalism, its continuing contortions to try to seek security while dealing with the un-assimilated masses of immigrants. Oh...and he quoted some very interesting Imams right out of their own sermons.

Along comes some very shady Muslim characters and a few "sock puppets" as we like to say in the blog world to accuse Steyn of Human Rights violations for engendering Islamophobia or hate against a minority. You want to see how free speech dies and 1984 becomes real? This is it. Pretty soon you won't even be able to write that their hockey team lost or their star outfielder sucked without fearing the thought police might consider it a violation of human rights.

Is it me or is this really pulling down basic human rights of life and liberty to be no more or less important than anyone being offended by...words. - Kat

****************************************************************
Figured I'd better actually come up for air and contribute something versus just the same ol same ol blathering I usually do around here ;) That and well, frankly, I figured ya'll could use a break from politics for a bit. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow.
Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.
Part 3 is up as of this morning.

-BloodSpite

********************************
Noooooooo!
Clinton to concede delegate race when Obama clinches
Didn't she listen when my Bad Boyfriend told her to stay in at least until the DNC convention? It was going to be "Crazy! Crazy exciting!"??????.........Maggie
*******************************************
Ok he told me to do this, figured what they hey, not like I'm real busy today and I sorta whipped it up apropos of nothing, thusly if it stinks, well, shoot me.

Some minor languge warnings do apply, but otherwise I hereby present to you BloodSpite vs Academia, in "My Truant Pen"
-BloodSpite

*A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires.

Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute.

Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is*

The UAVs we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.

I call the post that because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to that particular topic. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".

Share This Article:

Categories:

12 Comments

By BloodSpite on June 3, 2008 9:34 AM
If words were not so "dangerous" there would be no need for such things as political correctness, the abolishment of ageist, sexist, gender or race based language in academic writings (something I just recently learned myself. That and they hate contractions. Go figure.) We've been slowly becoming Orwelian for a while. And the ACLU, Speech and Thought police have been helping the whole way. How was it said in Richelieu? True, This! — Beneath the rule of men entirely great, The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold The arch-enchanters wand! — itself a nothing! — But taking sorcery from the master-hand To paralyse the Cæsars, and to strike The loud earth breathless! — Take away the sword — States can be saved without it!
 
By John of Argghhh! on June 3, 2008 9:41 AM
Expound on the academic writings issue - in a post if it's long enough!
 
By kat-missouri on June 3, 2008 9:41 AM
Yes..and take away the pen... Thomas Paine, rolling in his grave, along with Adams, Madison, et al who furiously wrote and wrote to create and then save a nation. Then again, they might just view our Northern Neighbors today as an extension of the past.
 
By BloodSpite on June 3, 2008 9:56 AM
I doubt it's long enough for a post, although its certainly fustrating enough for me. One of my current classes is Contemporary Business Communication (COM140)which also teaches us the bascs of academic writing. Titles such as Misses, Mrs or Miss are all no-no's. Because they identify a person as a female. Title are fine, provided it's not fire *man* or Chair*man* It has to be Firefighter, or Chairperson. Something that does not signify a gender in any way. Some thing with age or race based language. You can't refer to someone as African American, Black or any other term what so ever unless it specifically deals with the context of the conversation and then it must be a conjoining of the individuls original country as well as their current country. Quit frankly, for this good ol boy from Georgia its all quite mind boggling and I got scolded for calling my Professor "ma'am". Not only because I said the word ma'am but also because it's a bloody contraction. Instead of protesting the entire system (recall our tilting at windmill converstion previously, Mr. John? :) )and attempting to martyr myself to the gods of academa I resounded to keep my mouth shut, get my degree and walk away with something reseambling my sanity still in tact. Argghhh! indeed.
 
By John of Argghhh! on June 3, 2008 10:19 AM
I resounded to keep my mouth shut, get my degree and walk away Which, no matter how sound the idea, is how the little tyrants rule us.
 
By ry on June 3, 2008 2:17 PM
Instead of protesting the entire system (recall our tilting at windmill converstion previously, Mr. John? :) )and attempting to martyr myself to the gods of academa I resounded to keep my mouth shut, get my degree and walk away with something reseambling my sanity still in tact. Yeah, but some of us like being people instead of causes, y'know? Btdt, BS. I hear you. If you were, say, RBBH, and had her family financial backing you would become a cause. But you don't. So you do what you have to. I will offer this advice, the very same I give to kids who speak Ebonics and carp about getting hammered for it: You are not in your 'Hood anymore. You aren't in Georgia anymore, homeboy. Titles is a new one though. Really, check latest MLA or governing body on this. If the prof is just being a witch you can burn her at the stake with the rulings of the appropriate governing body. I think titles are still okay. At least they were when I went thru this nonsense 8 years ago. And if you just need someone to be mad at, BS, you know where to find gollum.
 
By John of Argghhh! on June 3, 2008 2:25 PM
BTW, I was just commenting on the reality, and not making a "Fie, you coward!" assertion.
 
By BloodSpite on June 3, 2008 3:18 PM
BTW, I was just commenting on the reality, and not making a "Fie, you coward!" assertion. No worries, I figured were you were going when ya said it I also figured there may be just as many whom have no idea And if you just need someone to be mad at, BS, you know where to find gollum. Nah I ain't in the habit of beating messengers for messages that aren't of their making. Now if this were Sparta on the otherhand..... :D You aren't in Georgia anymore, homeboy No joke there. But nah I'm not worried about all the mish mush I only have her until the 29th of this month then I start 2 new classes. I look at it the same way I looked at Ranger school: In the end, they can't kill me and they can't eat me, so why worry about it?
 
By CAVSCT on June 3, 2008 4:12 PM
If we are to not use words like Ma'am, I guess I am screwed. Chivalry is NOT dead, it has a sucking chest wound, yes, but it survives. Most women I know are secure enough in themselves that they enjoy being treated respectfully and understand it is not a "put down" of any type. As for contractions, if Academia don't like 'em, they can go piss up a rope. Normal folks use them and we pay the bills that allow Academia to sit in their little world and judge everyone else. Keep up the good work BloodSpite. Scouts Out
 
By ry on June 3, 2008 5:42 PM
Nah I ain't in the habit of beating messengers for messages that aren't of their making. I meant it in the "Well, if you need a younger brother to shoot spitballs at..." kinda thing. kicking gollum is more humane than kicking your dog or shooting varmits, but only slightly when it comes to shooting varmits.
 
By FbL on June 3, 2008 5:57 PM
CAVSCT, Any woman with a shred of self-respect and self-confidence knows that "Ma'am" and other such gender-based evidences of respect are not condescensions, but markers of the speaker's/actor's deferential appreciation of the fact that she is not a man (and I firmly believe that "Ma'am" in the context of authority does not lose its sense of respect and authority when colored by that awareness). And vice-versa for uses of "sir." I feel very sorry for people who are so frightened by awareness/recognition of gender differences that they refuse to acknowledge their existence. Viva la difference!
 
By Justthisguy on June 3, 2008 10:47 PM
I remember from, oh, back in 1978 it might have been, when I was running a wood chipper for Bartlett "Tree Experts" (got Mad Mike to exempt me from being chipped as a FL voter, and promoted to throttleman on his main chipper crew! Well, I hope...) Well, anyway, to get back to the story, we were hired by an ancient Southern lady to take down a large old pine tree or two in her yard which had been crippled and killed by some pine-specific insects. (Who'da thunkit?) The job was very delicate, involving taking the tree down in rather small pieces because of the narrow space in which we had to work. At any rate, I made the mistake of addressing the lady as "Mrs. Satterwhite" (or something.) She promptly came right back at me and assured me that she was a "Miss", and had been so all of her life since before I had been thought of, and would continue to be a "Miss" for the rest of her life, thankyouverymuch. We all said "Yes, Ma'am!" P.s. One of the things that peeves me about Ms. is that I was raised Southern, and then moved to Southern florida when small. Everybody in Georgia just said "Mizz" rather than try to figure out whether or not the woman we were addressing was married. Then I went to Pubic Skrools run by (quite sharp, but culturally clueless) Damnyankees in Southern florida and was taught that I could no longer say "Mizz", that it was a Southernism, and that I should always try to find out if a woman was married or not, so I'd know to call her Miss or Mrs. Now y'all know why I passionately hate the goddamned feminists who want us to say "Mizz", as well as the other goddamned feminists of which Bloodspite writes. I was taught to say "Mizz", then taught not to do so, then some folks wanted me to do so again, and now I hear from Bloodspite that all of our pronouns have been officially comletely compendiously sodomized. By Bolshevik PCs. Where P stands for "Police" and C stands for what you think it stands for...