Calling Dr. Evil

The cliche' of the Mad Scientist permeates cinema, TV and literature in our country and now we get to see it in the full bloom of reality. Thanks to Kevin, over at Cryptogon we get to see what kind of lunatics are shuffling along the halls of Texas academia these days. Apparently we no longer have to worry about socialists, communists and others corrupting the minds of the youth at our colleges and universities now. Nope, we have to worry about genocidal maniacs with access to biology labs and feeble minded and adoring students.


Seems as if Herr Professor Eric Pianka of the University of Texas at Austin would like to use ebola and other diseases to wipe out 90% of the worlds population in order to restore ecological balance to the Earth. You'd normally dismiss a lunatic like this as a one off crank, except his "peers" at the conference he was speaking at gave him a standing ovation and then gave him an award as the "2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist". The Powers That Be who were hosting the even even went so far as to make sure the speaking event wasn't recorded, unfortunately for them someone actually took notes and decided to squeal on them. Is it something in the water down there in Texas, or what? When I was younger I looked to Texas as a rather Liberty and Freedom oriented place but, in recent years I've changed my mind. They turn out some dangerously delusional people.

Now, I am rather proud of the fact that I am married to a real, honest to goodness research scientist. I've spent years around scientists while my extremely significant other was getting her degrees and I feel I can comfortably say that I have never heard anything like this come from their mouths. This is straight out of the Al Gore camp and reminds me of nothing less than the evil antagonist in Whitley Streiber's "Natures End". Kill everyone so Bambi and Thumper will be safe....this man is a blight on the scientific community and people in that community should pay close attention to this person and his students, the last thing we need is a Pianka worshipper deciding to honour the insane professors wishes...

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Dr. Evil, Texas, News

So, I Put My Family In The Fireplace

I did it because I didn't have a hole dug in the backyard and storing them under the house was just too time consuming.

Sounds like the confession of a serial killer, huh? Or maybe a member of the Stonebender clan. Nope. It's just where I stored the family for a few minutes when the weather was raging and a freight train was knocking down trees in the forest behind the homestead. It seems that the gods themselves decided to wreak havoc on Indiana for switching to Daylight Savings Time in contravention of the laws of nature. So they gifted us with storms that blew down some pretty hefty trees in the forest while I was looking out the back and listening for the ubiquitous freight train.

After waking up the kiddo's and bringing them out to be with us I spent my time at the door, looking, listening and paying token attention to the local weather liars. It wasn't too long before I heard the winds roaring up and then saw and heard the trees back in the forest crashing down. So, into the fireplace they went. Now, this isn't a cow roasting size fireplace, but it sure isn't one of those rinky-dink things that builders try and pass off as one nowadays, either. I can tell you that it fits two kids and a grown woman just fine, tho. Not enough room for dad, but that's a different story.

Thankfully, whatever was rampaging through the woods tearing down the trees passed us by and everyone was fine, even if they had the odd spot of soot on them. When things got calmed down and the worst of the storm was gone to plague others, (and remind them that DST is evil and unnatural) the brave and strangely obedient children were safely tucked back into bed I learned that Momma doesn't think it's such a bad idea to have a "storm" shelter now. Guess, we'll have to hire someone to dig the hole.

The local Powers That Be set off their tornado sirens, which was what alerted us to any weather abnormality and, being the sort of folks we are we perked up our ears and decided to pay attention to the weather. Odd thing about those sirens...they turned them off just as the worse part of the storm was passing over our area. Sure does make me wonder about those folks, must be a FEMA thing...

Midwest, Weather, FEMA
Indiana, Daylight Savings Time

A REAL ID Related Update

In a REAL ID related matter take a look at what Bush is saying, if you'd like to know where he and the Crypt Keeper are going to take us.

Bush has asked Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to work with his counterpart in Canada to ensure that the card is developed in a way that expedites the flow of people and commerce in and out of the United States while ensuring that criminals stay out.

"Envision a card that can be swiped across a reading device that facilitates the movement of people," Bush said.

I feel so much safer knowing that people like these are looking out for the safety of the country by creating internal passports. So, REAL ID is about stopping criminals now? Maybe they've abandoned the falsehood that it will halt illegal immigration or terrorism? What's the selling point now that it's a done deal?

Technorati Tags:
REAL ID, Bush, Chertoff
Canada, Mexico, Immigration

A REAL ID Reprieve

Well, I managed to "escape" having to have a REAL ID Act ID foisted on me in the near future. No, the State of Indiana didn't halt their race to implement the REAL ID act early...they're still going to force REAL ID Act compliant Drivers Licenses on the people of Indiana years before RID takes effect. I just got lucky by having my license expire this month. After an unusually painless, efficient and short BMV experience I got an Indiana license that will last me for 6 years, granting me a temporary reprieve. Yes, I examined the license carefully under high light. No chips and no magnetic strips are on it, so Digimarc hasn't managed to get their Smart Chips in the current batch of cards, yet.

The staff at the branch I went to couldn't, (or wouldn't) tell me what they knew about the new licenses that were coming in the Fall. They said that even they were being kept in the dark about the particulars of these RID inspired National ID cards. As nice as the ladies there were, I think they were telling the truth. Their "superiors" are keeping them in the dark about the new cards that the people of Indiana will be forced to carry and they're doing so deliberately. It's a subject that is not being discussed and in some quarters is being soundly ignored by people who should be saying something...like my states LP.

The silence and ignorance of this is astounding. I went to an auction this morning and the lady who checks drivers licenses and I got to talking about the REAL ID Act and Indiana's early implementation and she had no idea that this was even coming. She also had no idea that her business would likely have to purchase scanning equipment at some point to stay within the law.

Why the silence? I cannot, for the life of me figure this out. Are Americans so beat down that they just don't give a damn any more? Have they willingly consumed the Statist Flavoured Kool Aid that makes a National ID card palatable? Has getting elected somehow become more important than speaking out about Liberty issues? Or is this somehow acceptable to folks? I don't have answer and I wish I did, because I really need to know why this police state tool is acceptable in America and why people who should know better remain silent.


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Indiana, REAL ID, Libertarian, Digimarc
Politics