Rant

dun dun dun

JasonLee — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 07:33:52 GMT

http://copysps.ytmnd.com/ Click it

Who Killed The Electric Car

JasonLee — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 05:01:50 GMT

Wow, see this movie.... it's available at Blockbuster and NetFlix I'm sure. Snipits from Wikipedia on the Electric Car: ....most popular roadworthy BEVs have been withdrawn from the market and have been destroyed by their manufacturers. A handful of future production models have been announced, although many more have been prototyped. In the US, most practical BEVs are after-market conversions of internal-combustion vehicles by hobbyists, because of the lack of current production vehicles. The major US automobile manufacturers have been accused of deliberately sabotaging their electric vehicle production efforts. Oil companies have used patent protection to keep modern battery technology from use in BEVs as shown below. During the development of the EV1, General Motors made a controlling investment in Ovonics's battery development and manufacturing, with particular interest in the patents and trade secrets controlling the manufacturing of large nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. This interest was subsequently sold to the oil company Texaco,[5] which was acquired in its entirety by another oil company, Chevron. The "large format" NiMH batteries are no longer available to U.S. electric vehicle converters or lightweight BEV manufactures. The manufacturing unit, "COBASYS", is currently declining to manufacture and market these batteries for battery electric automotive use in the US and has shut down (through patent control) Panasonic's large format battery importation to the US. The COBASYS web page concerning transportation applications addresses only large multi-passenger hybrid vehicles, vehicles not comprising a substantial threat to the largest market of the oil industry. In order to use NiMH batteries without violating Chevron's patents, hybrid automobile manufacturers are required to design vehicles which are at least 50% powered by gasoline; otherwise, they are limited to the use of "D" cell-sized NiMH ("small format") batteries.

Searching for 'our alien origins'

JasonLee — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 06:33:06 GMT

By Andrew Thompson BBC Horizon In July 2001, a mysterious red rain started falling over a large area of southern India. Locals believed that it foretold the end of the world, though the official explanation was that it was desert dust that had blown over from Arabia. But one scientist in the area, Dr Godfrey Louis, was convinced there was something much more unusual going on. Not only did Dr Louis discover that there were tiny biological cells present, but because they did not appear to contain DNA, the essential component of all life on Earth, he reasoned they must be alien lifeforms. "This staggering claim is that this is possibly extraterrestrial. That is a big claim I know, but all the experiments are supporting this claim," said Dr Louis. His remarkable work has set in motion a chain of events with scientists around the world debating the origin of these mysterious cells. The main reason why Dr Louis's ideas have not been immediately laughed out of court is because they tie in with a theory promoted by two UK scientists ever since the 1960s. Space qualified The late Sir Fred Hoyle and Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe have been the champions of "Panspermia", the idea that life on Earth originated on another planet. They speculate that life was first brought here on the back of a comet. Over the last decade, Panspermia is being taken ever more seriously. The US space agency (Nasa) is now increasingly interested in searching for extra-terrestrial life. A new robotic submarine is being developed to explore the oceans of one of Jupiter's moons. This submarine is on test at the moment in a lake in Texas. Finding life elsewhere in the Solar System would be a vital bolster to the Panspermia theory. Another section of Nasa is devoted to the study of bacteria found on Earth that can survive extreme conditions. Finding these types of bacteria makes it more likely that micro-organism could survive the hardships of travelling through space on the back of a meteoroid. Professor Wickramasinghe explained: "Bacteria have got to endure the extreme cold of space, the vacuum of space, ultraviolet radiation, cosmic rays, X-rays. "That sounds like a tall order but bacteria do that. From what we know survival out in space is more or less ensured. Bacteria seem to me to be born space travellers." From another place Last summer, Horizon had exclusive access to a trip taken by Professor Wickramasinghe to India to investigate at first hand the red rain phenomenon. He met Dr Louis and together they visited the people who had witnessed the red rain. He was able to see the recent work of Dr Louis which shows that the red rain can replicate at 300C, an essential attribute of a space micro-organism that might have to endure extreme temperatures. All this has convinced Professor Wickramasinghe that the red rain is a form of alien life. "Before I came I had grave doubts as to whether the red rain was really an indication of life coming from space; new life coming from space," he said. "But on reflection and after talking to Godfrey, I think I would now fairly firmly believe that it did represent an invasion of microbes from space." Many scientists remain highly sceptical, however, but if Wickramasinghe and Louis are correct it will be the strongest evidence so far that the theory of Panspermia might be true. It also raises the intriguing possibility that if life first originated on another planet then it must mean all Earth organisms, including humans, evolved from alien life. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6146292.stm

The Killers - When You Were Young

JasonLee — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 04:14:39 GMT

Absolutely incredible track and performance (Live on Kimmel)..... for such a young band these guys are on fire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR1nWRpAknU I think Thin White Duke has done a mix of this track, but I've yet to hear it..... I'll update this entry if I ever come across it. *****UPDATE I found it...... IT"S FUCKING MASSIVE, i'm going to crawl into a corner with this thing blasting while I scream from the top of my lungs.

You see that Fireplace

JasonLee — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:47:11 GMT

(queue Austin Powers theme) Does that make you horny baby..... yeah! Adiós hogar dulce loco Alameda.... I now have a new home in South San Francisco. 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bath, Brand New Kitchen (Stainless steel appliances), a FAT deck, 2 car garage, tons of Storage space throughout. Yeah, myself and a few friends have just put down the deposit, signed the lease, and have the keys! My friends are moving in this weekend, I'm moving in just a few weeks as I get my lease agreement and stuff settled with the current place in Alameda...... Alameda is for me for another time... another time. Wooo!

Just so you know

JasonLee — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:28:43 GMT

Oh My

JasonLee — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:34:31 GMT

Will Young - Hey Ya (the Outkast song) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60oondKs6ck (live) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz5kOmZ424o (to the Outkast video)

If these aren't the end of days....

JasonLee — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 06:15:05 GMT

Every time I've seen this guy Ted Haggard in a few documentaries of some sort or another.... he's quite popular and quite unforgettable I wish I could name the programs I've seen him in.... (edit: found a Youtube of one of the documentaries I saw him - you gotta see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmNjfpoRZpE ) So anyways, I just knew after seeing this guy defend viscously his church and evangelical beliefs, deep down in the pit of my stomach.... something is WAY 'off' about him. If this guy goes down it's going to be a shit storm and a half. What I'd really like to know though.... Is this the plan? Is this how it's all supposed to happen? If these aren't the end of days, they're certainly interesting.

Pa. Letter Carrier Attacked by Squirrel

JasonLee — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 20:26:08 GMT

Nov 02 11:09 AM US/Eastern Letter carriers occasionally have to deal with angry dogs or maybe even a spider's nest in a mailbox, but a mean squirrel? Barb Dougherty, a 30-year Postal Service employee, said she was attacked and bitten Monday by a squirrel while delivering mail in Oil City, about 75 miles north of Pittsburgh. "It was a freak thing. It was traumatic," Dougherty told The Derrick newspaper. "I saw it there on the porch, put the mail in the box and turned to walk away and it jumped on me." She said the animal ran up her leg and onto her back. "I eventually got a hold of the tail and pulled it off me," Dougherty said. "No one was home at the house where I was delivering the mail, but the neighbor lady heard me screaming and came over." An ambulance took Dougherty to a hospital, where she was treated for cuts and scratches. The squirrel was killed with a BB gun and sent to a lab to be tested for rabies. Dougherty was given the first series of rabies shots as a precaution. Postal officials said the attack is extraordinary. "In about 230 years of postal history, I bet it is not the first, but I've personally never heard of another squirrel biting," said Steve Kochersperger, spokesman for the Erie district. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/11/02/D8L51GN00.html Watch out for Squirrels.

My Halloween wasn't funny

JasonLee — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:06:17 GMT

You might be surprised to learn that for Halloween, I choose to watch 'The Break Up'. I figured this movie would be a good romantic comedy, something to lift my spirits and enjoy the Hollywood quarks portraying him vs. her..... It was not. This is certainly no comedy, the end is tragic, an emotional roller coaster. A movie that left me in the end recollecting past relationships, arguments hauntingly familiar. I suppose if you want to see a movie on how relationships can end suddenly and tragically, both emotionally scramble to one up the other, her goals to achieve the type of love she wants and desires, him for the life he wants for himself.... both only compatible to prove their shortcomings to each other.... then watch this movie. This movie does have value, the acting and the script was convincing, the comedy wasn't.

I know it sounds new agey and all but...

JasonLee — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 01:01:00 GMT

Did you know that: No matter how distorted a quartz crystal, the long prism faces always made a perfect 60 degree angle. And... Quartz is also a type of piezoelectric crystal that creates electricity through a process called piezoelectricity when mechanical stress is put upon it. One of the earliest uses for a quartz crystal was a phonograph pickup. Today, one of the most ubiquitous piezoelectric uses of quartz is as a crystal oscillator—in fact these oscillators are often simply called "quartzes" or "crystals". The same principle is also used for very accurate measurements of very small mass changes by means of the quartz crystal microbalance. I was reading something interesting this morning on my commute to work from the book 'About Time' by Paul Davies. On Page 96-97 under "The Best Clock In The Universe" the book states: David Blair and his colleagues have constructed the most accurate clock in the known universe. To be fair, it holds that record for only about five minutes at a time; atomic clocks and pulsars are more stable over longer intervals. The Blair clock is based on an ultra-pure crystal of sapphire, shaped like a fat spindle a few centimeters across. If the sapphire is infused with electromagnetic waves, they will course around the crystal, oscillating with the purest tone. These oscillations play the role of a pendulum, marking out intervals of time with unrivaled precision. The trick is to couple the crystal to an oscillating electronic circuit, using feedback to maintain frequency stability to the highest possible fidelity. The electrical oscillations are then fed into a digital display so that the operator can tell the time. David Blair is a physicist in Australia, his principle goal is to detect the collision of black holes and neutron stars in the depths of space. This daunting task can be achieved, he believes, by measuring the passage of gravitational waves. Why is this interesting to me? Or interesting at all? Well, not too long ago I had a neat talk about Turntables vs CD Decks, and how accurate they are in comparison, or more specifically how turntables seem to know more subtleties in energy when mixing music together, how off / or on they are.... depending on the djs mood.... or the personality of a turntable and how a cd deck with all the turntable options is more or less a heartless machine in comparison. It's also interesting that 'quartz' watches always meant something.... but I don't think I ever fully put it into the right kind of context or understand as I do now. So as new agey as quartz and crystals might be...... there's some really intense science to put all that mumbo jumbo to rest.

Live ABC News Poll - Should Bush Be Impeached

JasonLee — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:03:20 GMT

Vote Now: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/popup?id=2599476 A Newsweek poll released this weekend finds that 47 percent of Democrats think impeaching President Bush should be a "top priority" while 78 percent of Republicans oppose such a move. Only 28 percent of Americans favor impeachment. Do you think Congress should launch impeachment proceedings against President Bush? Yes. He has led us into an unjust war and has infringed on America's civil liberties. - Votes so far: 15,636 No. He has done nothing that merits impeachment. He has done the best job possible. - Votes so far: 7,107 Maybe he should be impeached but there are more pressing problems to deal with right now. - Votes so far: 3,154 Total Votes so far: 25,897

I guess this is the book to read on 911

JasonLee — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 05:12:45 GMT

Amazon's #1 Non-fiction Reviewer: Tarpley's 9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA is "strongest of the 770+ books I have reviewed" Reviewer, a former spy and founder of the Marine Corps Intelligence Command, is convinced by Progressive Press offering that 9/11 was a "US-based conspiracy" Washington DC (PRWEB) October 18, 2006 -- Progressive Press announced that its "9/11 Synthetic Terror" has just been cited as the best non-fiction book ever by Amazon's top non-fiction book reviewer, intelligence professional Robert Steele, in a 5-star review at www.amazon.com/dp/0930852370 . Progressive specializes in books that contend 9/11 was an "inside job." Publisher John Leonard says "it's a coup to have Steele with us on this. Here you have a level-headed, respected insider, lifelong Republican, veteran spy, and he's breaking the taboos. It's a great tribute and a vindication of the work we put into 9/11 Synthetic Terror." Steele's statement that 9/11 was a "US-based conspiracy" may be a first coming from a senior US intelligence community figure. He came to this conclusion "with great sadness" after reading "9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA," which he praises as "without question, the most important modern reference on state-sponsored terrorism." A unique feature of "9/11 Synthetic Terror" is that Tarpley does not blame an entire government or agency. His "rogue network" model features small numbers of moles infesting critical nodes in key institutions like the CIA and mass media. Steele also believes the CIA's mission has been subverted by the follies of the covert operations branches, for example, the fake evidence for a war on Iraq. He says the majority of CIA and military officers are honest; it's the system that is corrupt. When Steele is not reading hundreds of non-fiction books, he's busy trying to put some intelligence back into the intelligence business. His website, www.oss.net , advocates open source information sharing for peacekeeping. In his review "Among Hundreds of Books, The Strongest Approach to Truth," Steele notes, "Most fascinatingly, the author links Samuel Huntington, author of Clash of Civilizations, with Leo Strauss, the connecting rod between Nazi fascists and the neo-cons." According to Steele's biography on Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robe...vid_Steele , he "is a former Marine Corps infantry and intelligence officer for twenty years and was the second-ranking civilian (GS-14) in U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence from 1988-1992. Steele is a former clandestine services case officer Central Intelligence Agency." Tarpley was a Fulbright scholar in Italy, where he exposed the Red Brigades as a countergang run by NATO intelligence to defeat Eurocommunism. In 1991 he broke the story of the Bush dynasty's deep involvement in financing Nazism with "George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography," also published by Progressive Press. We invite you to read the complete review at amazon.com In a separate development, Tarpley's publisher Progressive Press is giving away 2,000 copies of a 352-page book, "You're Not Stupid: A Brief on the Bush Presidency," for fundraisers. More information at www.ProgressivePress.com ----- Steele's review: Among Hundreds of Books, The Strongest Approach to Truth, October 7, 2006 It is with great sadness that I conclude that this book is the strongest of the 770+ books I have reviewed here at Amazon, almost all non-fiction. I am forced to conclude that 9/11 was at a minimum allowed to happen as a pretext for war (see my review of Jim Bamford's "Pretext for War"), and I am forced to conclude that there is sufficient evidence to indict (not necessarily convict) Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and others of a neo-conservative neo-Nazi coup d'etat and kick-off of the clash of civilizations (see my review of "Crossing the Rubicon" as well as "State of Denial"). Most fascinatingly, the author links Samuel Huntington, author of "Clash of Civilizations" with Leo Strauss, the connecting rod between Nazi fascists and the neo-cons. This is, without question, the most important modern reference on state-sponsored terrorism, and also the reference that most pointedly suggests that select rogue elements within the US Government, most likely led by Dick Cheney with the assistance of George Tenet, Buzzy Kronguard, and others close to the Wall Street gangs, are the most guilty of state-sponsored terrorism. The author draws on historical examples of US fabrication of threats (e.g. the bombing of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor) and many others (Jim Bamford publicized Operation Northwoods). It is an undeniable fact that the U.S. Government has been willing to kill its own citizens and fabricate attacks as part of moving the public. The author suggests that there is no conclusive evidence that 9/11 was of foreign origin, and to the contrary, quite a bit of evidence that the hijackers had been trained at US military bases, protected by the CIA and FBI, and that the end result of their actions--including controlled flying into buildings and controlled demolitions bringing down three towers, one of which was not hit at all, all suggest a US-based conspiracy. The author is compelling in his review of the conflicts of interest for each of the 9/11 Commissioners and key staff; he is conclusive in his damnation of their performance and their refusal to be tough with NORAD, the FAA, and many other Executive organizations that refused to cooperate; and he is conclusive on his suggestion that all actual evidence points to the Pentagon being hit by a missile rather than an airplane. The author is especially compelling in condemning Rudy Guilliani as part of the conspiracy, and as the "bud" of the extreme right charged with cleaning up the crime scene. Instead of making the area off-limits, Gulliani moved aggressively to "scoop and dump" to the point that firefighters rioted. I sit here, a 54-year old, liberally educated, two graduate degrees, war college, a life overseas, 150 IQ or so, the number #1 Amazon reviewer for non-fiction, a former Marine Corps infantry officer, a former CIA clandestine case officer, founder of the Marine Corps Intelligence Center, and I have to tell anyone who cares to read this: I believe it. I believe it enough to want a full investigation that passes the smell test of the 9/11 families as well as objective outside observers. I believe it sufficient to indict Dick Cheney and other neo-cons. Sadly, the Executive is now in the service of corporations that benefit from high crimes and misdemeanors, rather than in the service of the American people who suffer great ill from these terrible mis-deeds. My bottom line: justice has NOT been done, and this book, together with Crossing the Rubicon, is a major reason why I believe that eventually, Dick Cheney and others will be brought to justice. The people now have a digital memory and collective intelligence. Bin Laden Dead or Alive? Mission Accomplished? Civil liberties at home, democracy abroad? Just who are we kidding? More to the point, who are we betraying if not ourselves? http://www.amazon.com/9-11-Synthetic-Terror-First/dp/0930852311/ref=cm_lm_pdp_prod_0_0/002-1592992-0143233?ie=UTF8

The real deal - Stephen Wiltshire

JasonLee — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 06:22:12 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8YXZTlwTAU OMG.

Experts create invisibility cloak

JasonLee — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 07:18:05 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6064620.stm Interesting. I've heard that Japan had some simular technology, but who knows... here's a video clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWQ8ovPhigg Yeah.... actually, I think the world is going to get just a little bit stranger soon.

Oh my god

JasonLee — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:39:17 GMT

Now I'm officialy living in Alameda, my first commute to work via AC Transit was an absolute DREAM. Ok, this is not a bus, it's an airplane on wheels, everything on the inside looks, feels and sounds like a commercial airplane... except for the jet engines of course. This was the most comfortable, quiet, CLEAN, and enjoyable commute I've ever had! As we exit the bus at the Transbay terminal, every person thanked the bus driver, the bus driver was super friendly and wished everyone a great day with a smile on his face. AMAZING! BTW - the picture is NOT AC Transit - that there is my old transportation, I certainly won't miss it.

Ghosting San Francisco

JasonLee — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 21:52:26 GMT

So I'm thinking of a Flash Mob / Performance Art piece striking the city of San Francisco on Tuesday, October 31st 2006. Currently the thought is to have people that wish to participate get a plain white bed sheet or anything they can make a ghost costume out of to wear on Halloween night. The idea is to have all the participants leave work (between 5pm and 6pm) in their Ghostly outfits, the target is all of downtown SF from work to any Bart station located down Market street and disperse accordingly to where people live or get off of the Bart.... this idea can even extend to include Buses. I'd like to get other peoples thought about this, it's really all in good spirits and innocent fun, but before I start to really promote the idea and get it organized, ideas and suggestions would be awesome. Thanks! I've created a tribe for this if you will join me :) http://tribes.tribe.net/ghostingsf

wow

JasonLee — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 04:50:38 GMT

It's not that often when you stumble across something that really holds your attention, or touches you in a way you didn't think was possible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT_OwJtEybc All of his videos are simply worth every second spent watching them. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=GiR2007 http://www.gir2007.com/videos.php

Golden Gate Park - Tranceportal - DJs Music Dance Outdoors - Free

JasonLee — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 00:35:43 GMT

Tranceportal presents - A Daytime Trance Music Gathering The Tranceportal.org Crew and special guest DJs invite you to come to a free outdoor event in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. We'll be playing hours of high-energy electronic music on Sunday August 13th, 2006 starting at noon until 6pm. This event is fully permitted and in a beautiful outdoor location centrally located in the city of San Francisco. Donations This is a free party, but we will be taking donations in support of our friend Josh Wolf. Josh is now being held in a federal prison in order to coerce him to testify and turn over his unpublished video to a federal grand jury. This event is not a protest or a demonstation, but we will be giving 100% of all donations to help Josh Wolf cover his $15,000 in legal expenses. More information on his situation is at: freejosh.pbwiki.com sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi Details Date: Sunday August 13th, 2006 Time: Noon until 6:00pm Location: Elk Glen Meadow - Golden Gate Park, San Francisco CA What to Bring There's plenty of shade and sun in the Elk Glen Meadow. You might want to bring some chairs or a blanket to spread out on the grass. There will be a couple of grills available on site that a few of us are bringing, feel free to use them. Alcohol is allowed at Elk Glen Meadow. Please help us keep the space clean and use the provided trash cans. Restrooms We will have a single portable toilet on site. Please use it instead of the bushes. The next closest toilets are a 15 minute walk to the Polo Fields. Lineup Noon - 1:00pm - Jason Lee [Stargaze] 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Ray C [Butterzone / Tranceportal] 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Sanyama [Turiya Sounds / Outpost23] 3:00pm - 4:00pm - gEoff ;) [Stargaze] 4:00pm - 6:00pm - Addison/Colin/Paul [Tranceportal / Stargaze] Directions - Google directions and get to Lincoln Way at 25th Ave. in Golden Gate Park - San Francisco - Go north on 25th Ave. - Left at the T intersectoin onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive - Elk Glen Meadow is on your right hand side after a couple hundred feet - Park anywhere on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive http://www.tranceportal.org

What do you think it means?

JasonLee — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 23:00:26 GMT

Smoke n Mirrors

JasonLee — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 22:30:18 GMT

So the media is all over this foiled terror plot today, however a thought wandered through my head about all of this so I'll share what I think. Like a magician that trains your attention away from the things he doesn't want you to see I get the impression there's some sort of Distraction going on right now, not sure who is doing the distracting or what people are being distracted from. Anyways, probably nothing to worry about, I just need to stop reading those conspiracy websites :)

Death Cab For Cutie - Ticket Available - Berkeley Sat Aug 12th 7pm

JasonLee — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 20:50:22 GMT

If you're interested, I have a ticket to Death Cab For Cutie playing Live Saturday August 12th, 7pm in Berkeley at the Greek Theater. A dear friend of mine is not able to make the show so if anyone here reading this is interested in this ticket and going to the show, let me know! :) Death Cab For Cutie Website http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/

Rilke's Book of Hours - Love Poems to God

JasonLee — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 04:03:09 GMT

"I live my life in growing rings which move out over the things around me. Perhaps I'll never complete the last, but that's what I mean to try. I'm circling around God, around the ancient tower, and I've been circling thousands years; and I still don't know: am I a falcon, a storm or a great song. " In all my life, I've searched for a book that fully touched me, where every word and expression jumped up to touch my heart. Like music, searching for that song, that rhythm that just rips you open and sets you free. I finally found that book, or that book found me.

Why We Fight

JasonLee — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 06:25:01 GMT

Republican - Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Farewell Speech: Good evening, my fellow Americans. First, I should like to express my gratitude to the radio and television networks for the opportunities they have given me over the years to bring reports and messages to our nation. My special thanks go to them for the opportunity of addressing you this evening. Three days from now, after half century in the service of our country, I shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the Presidency is vested in my successor. This evening, I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen. Like every other -- Like every other citizen, I wish the new President, and all who will labor with him, Godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all. Our people expect their President and the Congress to find essential agreement on issues of great moment, the wise resolution of which will better shape the future of the nation. My own relations with the Congress, which began on a remote and tenuous basis when, long ago, a member of the Senate appointed me to West Point, have since ranged to the intimate during the war and immediate post-war period, and finally to the mutually interdependent during these past eight years. In this final relationship, the Congress and the Administration have, on most vital issues, cooperated well, to serve the nation good, rather than mere partisanship, and so have assured that the business of the nation should go forward. So, my official relationship with the Congress ends in a feeling -- on my part -- of gratitude that we have been able to do so much together. We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations. Three of these involved our own country. Despite these holocausts, America is today the strongest, the most influential, and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches, and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment. Throughout America's adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace, to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity, and integrity among peoples and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance, or our lack of comprehension, or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt, both at home and abroad. Progress toward these noble goals is persistently threatened by the conflict now engulfing the world. It commands our whole attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insiduous [insidious] in method. Unhappily, the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle with liberty the stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment. Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties. A huge increase in newer elements of our defenses; development of unrealistic programs to cure every ill in agriculture; a dramatic expansion in basic and applied research -- these and many other possibilities, each possibly promising in itself, may be suggested as the only way to the road we wish to travel. But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs, balance between the private and the public economy, balance between the cost and hoped for advantages, balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable, balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual, balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress. Lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration. The record of many decades stands as proof that our people and their Government have, in the main, understood these truths and have responded to them well, in the face of threat and stress. But threats, new in kind or degree, constantly arise. Of these, I mention two only. A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. Our military organization today bears little relation to that known of any of my predecessors in peacetime, or, indeed, by the fighting men of World War II or Korea. Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States cooperations -- corporations. Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet, we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government. Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers. The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present -- and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite. It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system -- ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society. Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. 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. During the long lane of the history yet to be written, America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many fast frustrations -- past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certaint agony of disarmament -- of the battlefield. Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent, I confess that I lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war, as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years, I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight. Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress toward our ultimate goal has been made. But so much remains to be done. As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to help the world advance along that road. So, in this, my last good night to you as your President, I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and in peace. I trust in that -- in that -- in that service you find some things worthy. As for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future. You and I, my fellow citizens, need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nations' great goals. To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America's prayerful and continuing aspiration: We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its few spiritual blessings. Those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibility; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; and that the sources -- scourges of poverty, disease, and ignorance will be made [to] disappear from the earth; and that in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love. Now, on Friday noon, I am to become a private citizen. I am proud to do so. I look forward to it. Thank you, and good night. Why We Fight - SEE THIS MOVIE NOW!

Orwellian

JasonLee — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 20:22:16 GMT

"...there are about 30 million video surveillance cameras in the United States shooting about four billion hours of footage every week." http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/08/07/terrorism.technology.ap/index.html 30 million video cameras? Wtf? This is good? How? 30 million cameras, think about that, it boggles my mind. 30 MILLION VIDEO CAMERAS all on right now, all recording. How many major metropolitans are there in the US, now lets take that number and distribute 30 Million cameras effiently to each city based on population density. 30 Million Video Cameras!