A Garden Update
I took some pictures of our garden recently and just wanted to share them for anyone out there interested. Yes, we’ve become super gardeners. What can I say? I guess it’s a bi-product of living in the county.
Our weeping willow has really taken off in the last year, literally tripling in size. It looks majestic against the rest of the landscape.
On the other side of our yard, Jess’ roses have made it all the way up and around her trellis. It’s impressive to think that one day she bought a few dying roses on clearance and was able to nurse them into fully grown rose bushes.
Henry Rollins feat the Techno Viking (Steve Porter Remix)
A Unique Wedding Portrait
We ran into an old friend this weekend who we haven’t seen in quite a while. She had a unique portrait of us that her and her boyfriend (at the time) had created in honor of our wedding. A very, very special thanks to Kirk and Christina 
We love you both.
A Brilliant Distraction by the Obama Administration; health care reform, the social problem, and what I would do to fix it.
A few days ago President Obama gave an hour-long speech about his proposed plan for health care reform. Up until that point, I had been on board with the idea. I did (and still do) believe that we should have some sort of socialized medical system in place for those who genuinely need it. However, after an hour of vague ideas and irrelevant rhetoric, I was left with a feeling of little confidence that the President could pull this off.
I do believe that something drastic needs to be done, but I’m afraid that the proposed health care bill wrapped up in so much bureaucracy and red tape, that it will end up being just as slanted as our current system. The end of the meeting solidified what I had been feeling, when the President was asked what I believe to be a very intentional question about how the Cambridge police handled the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, a prominent black professor at Harvard University. The President’s reply was that he did not know enough about the case, but that he believed that the ‘police acted stupidly’.
Those words struck a major nerve with the American public. More importantly, it seemed to cause temporary amnesia. For the next few days (and still currently), everyone was talking about the President’s brash, and possibly racially motivated, comment. Everyone seems to have forgotten that the reason we were even there was to discuss the healthcare bill…
Well played.
Just to prove my point, I did some online research and captured images of the front pages of all of the major news networks (taken Thursday July 23, 2009). Guess what I found? Only 1 major news network (Fox News) listed the Health care topic as their main news story. Every other network chose to focus on the President’s comments about a local police matter.
Click on the images below to view the full sized image of the websites.
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| ABC News “The President stops short of an apology” |
BBC “Obama regrets Stupid comments” |
CBS News “Choice of words on Gates ‘Unfortunate’” |
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| CNN “I didn’t mean to slight the Police” |
Fox News “Conserative Dems warned over vote on Healthcare Bill” |
MSNBC “Poor choice of words in black scholar’s arrest” |
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| The New York Times “Obama regrets his language on Gates arrest” |
Yahoo News “Black officer at scholar’s home supports arrest” |
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Do I think this is some grand conspiracy involving all of the major news networks?
No! Absolutely not. There is NO conspiracy at play here.
So what exactly am I saying?
People are funny, and most of them don’t want to focus on the major issues surrounding their lives. They’d rather turn a blind eye to an issue that’s clearly going to impact their lives because they know they have absolutely no control over it. To quote one my all time favorite movies, “99% of all subjects accepted the program as long as they were given a choice”. Given the choice, most of the masses will choose to stay closed minded and focus on the items which, in the long run, will have little or no impact on their lives because it’s easier for them to accept.
What would I do differently?
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Minimize the amount of government provided health care coverage to people who are clearly not taking care of themselves. Yes, this means smokers, and most of the obese people who eat at the Cheesecake Factory. I’m sorry but if your ass can’t even fit into a chair, I’d say that spending money on your health is a losing gable. |
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People who are here illegally should not have legal health care coverage. If we can mail them their insurance card, then we obviously have their address. Either deport them or send them a citizenship application. They don’t need free college, either. I work my ass off, pay my taxes and do everything legally, and the person who does none of that gets free college education. Something is wrong with this picture. Chances are, if they came here illegally they are already accustomed to poor living conditions. If we denied them health care, they probably wouldn’t know the difference. |
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Weekly drug testing for people on welfare and other forms of government aid. If Tyrone wants to check into rehab, sure, I’ll chip in; but I don’t see the need to help pay for his crack. If people who honestly deserve welfare are receiving it, then there should be some stipulations attached. Which brings me to my next point .. |
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Welfare Barbie does not need any more beer, cigarettes or children. Cap the maximum welfare allowance for up to (and no more than) TWO children, and I’d bet my house that her ovaries magically dry up. It would slow the population growth rate by a factor of nx-2 , which I would also be willing to bet would have a positive impact on job security and crime rates. |
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Finally, If we really are all equal then we should all pay an equal portion of taxes. No more whining about how people who earn more money should have to pay a greater percentage of the taxes to help pay for the people who are earning less than he is. That doesn’t sound fair, does it? In fact, if Joe earns more money than I do and we are all paying a flat tax, then he IS paying more taxes than I am. Let’s use simple math to prove my point:
Let’s say we had a flat tax of 25%. Let’s say that Joe earn $100,000 this year, and Barbie earns $30,000 this year. If they both pay a flat tax of 25%, then: Wow, look at that. A flat tax means that people who earn more, pay more. Hm…. |
So that’s where I stand. I don’t consider myself republic or democrat, I just consider myself intelligent.
Senator Kit Bond visits Techguard for PoliWall Q Product Launch
For those of you who wonder what I do during the day, I am software developer for TechGuard Security. The PoliWall Q is a commercially available version of the product that we develop. It is designed to block (or allow) data sent to a private network. One of it’s main features is the ability to block or allow entire countries.
During the week of the PoliWall Q’s launch, we were visited by Senator Kit Bond, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence committee.Senator Bond’s support of small defense contractors has played a crucial role in the development of the PoliWall technology. During the Senator’s visit, TechGuard demonstrated the PoliWall’s capabilities by blocking various simulated attacks from China on our network.
I had the rare opportunity to meet the Senator after the product simulation. Listening to what the Senator had to say about cyber terrorism and the recent 4th of July cyber attacks was a humbling experience. Below is the article that Senator Bond released yesterday on his website about TechGuard.
July 17, 2009
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – In the wake of recent cyber attacks on U.S. government computer networks, U.S. Senator Kit Bond, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today visited Chesterfield-based TechGuard Security and warned the nation remains vulnerable to cyber terrorism threats from around the globe.
Over the July 4th weekend, U.S. government networks including those at the State Department, Department of Defense and the White House came under attack. Evidence suggests that the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ were also targeted and news reports attribute these attacks to North Korea or pro North Korean actors. Bond emphasized that while the consequences of these attacks were not terribly severe, the attacks underscore the very real threat of cyber terrorism and the importance of the work being done by TechGuard and other companies who work to develop technologies to defend the nation’s networks from cyber attacks.
Earlier this week TechGuard launched PoliWall Q, a high-performance security appliance to counter global network attacks. The device relies on the use of a Heuristic Internet Protocol Packet Inspection Engine (HIPPIE), which Senator Bond and Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO) secured $2 million for the development of in the fiscal year 2008 and 2009 Department of Defense appropriations bills.
The HIPPIE technology is capable of blocking entire countries or areas from accessing a network while allowing a selected group of internet protocol addresses to continue communications. Its development is especially useful to military and intelligence professionals who must be able to share information securely while maintaining the ability to stop cyber terrorists from accessing a network with the click of a button.
The launch of the PoliWall Q will allow TechGuard to offer the HIPPIE technology to commercial entities to protect better America’s financial, healthcare and education markets that remain even more vulnerable than government networks to attack. The Senator pointed out that it is the creativity of the people at TechGuard and other similar businesses that will help the U.S. protect these vital networks from attack.
“As we see today, small businesses like TechGuard have the ability to innovate quickly and in a specialized way,” Bond said. “Congress should continue to encourage this type of small business innovation that is so critical to sustaining the U.S. military’s strong qualitative edge against current and future adversaries, particularly the emerging cyber threat.”
Article from: Senator Visits Missouri-Based TechGuard Security, Warns Nation Remains at Risk
Click here for more information on TechGuard or the PoliWall Q
Uncle Vinny and Tej, Poolside
Happy First Birthday, Tej!
With the hope of not sounding like I am getting old, I ask you this; where does time go? Nothing brings this to your attention more than watching a child grow. It feels like it was just yesterday when Tej Litzsinger was born. But, in fact, it was a year ago this June 26 that he blessed so many lives. For the past year, Vin and I (along with so many others, of course) have been given the opportunity to watch Tej grow. From a tiny little burrito wrapped bunting to an adventurous, curious one year old. It is so exciting to see him recognize who we are, and to smile when we come visit. Lately, we have had the honor of watching Tej during his favorite past-time; swimming. He takes weekly classes and is so comfortable in the pool, just like it was second nature. To watch him enjoy such a simple pleasure reminds me also to take time and enjoy these simple pleasures. Things do not have to be super sized or over done to light up a child’s eyes.They see things as they really are.
I am relearning life’s lessons through the eyes of this wonderful one year old boy. I am thankful that he is in our lives, and look forward to many lessons in the future!
Happy 1st birthday, Tej!
