Erin and I went to the Mercy Me concert last night. Great show. Emotionally draining, though. It followed a coffee house style format (i.e., was very informal). They had a guy that asked "interview" type questions that allowed us to get to know the band. They introduced a new artist by the name of Phil Wickham. Personnally, I found his voice to be whiny and his style to be a bit strained. Lyrically, though, he has some really good stuff.
They only charged $5 for the new CD. Good Deal and good CD.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Threat to the Net
A deep, disconcerting vibration is thumping though the tech news and blogs. It seems that the political "geniuses" that is congress are determined to change the way traffic on the Internet is handled. I've been wanting to blog on this, but have had to take some time to figure out how to communicate this to my non-techy friends (Hi guys!!!).
OK...so...for quite some time it has been law among telecommunications companies that they have to treat each other's traffic like it is their own. In other words, if BellSouth is your telephone service provider and you call someone who uses ATT&T, then neither BellSouth nor ATT&T are allowed to do anything to degrade the phone call. So, the phone call quality for you and your buddy should be the same regardless of who each of you uses for telephone service.
I'm sure you can see that telephone would not like this law. They would rather have made calls between you and people who use the same service be a better quality than those phone calls between you and somebody who does not use the same service. That way they could effectively force people switch from their phone company to your phone company so that the calls would be of good quality. It doesn't take a rocket scienctist to see that this law is good for you, the consumer, but bad for the phone company.
With the invention of the Internet the telecommunication companies initially followed this principle. This is what allowed the Internet to grow so rapidly and allows for the free exchange of ideas across the Internet. This is known as "Net Neutrality." Lately though, telecommunication companies have been making a case that Internet traffic does not fall under the same law as telephone traffic and they believe that they can treat traffic coming from other networks differently than they treat traffic on their networks. Courts have agreed with them. The FCC has commented that it agrees with them. Congress is not deciding that it agrees with them.
This means that Internet Service Providers (ISPs), those people that you pay a monthly fee to get access to the Internet, can control what content you are allowed to access while on their network. They can give priority to their own traffic. They have threatened large website (Google, Amazon, eBay, etc...) that unless the large website pays a large fee to the ISP, then the ISP will degrade and/or even block their users from the big website. Can you imagine not being able to get to Amazon because they chose not to pay your ISP for the right for you to access them? It is ridiculous. Big companies will, of course, capitulate to the extortion and pay. Small businesses, though, will not be able to afford to pay an access fee to every ISP out there.
This is akin to the water company charging you one rate to wash clothes and another rate for taking a shower. Actually, it is like you paying a monthly water bill, but then the water company charging Maytag to allow you to send water to your washing machine. They are charging both you and the company to allow you to access the same content.
The idiots in congress, of course, are not tech heads. They only listen to the cash of the lobby for the ISPs and turn a deaf ear to us consumers. They don't understand the technical portions of an open, free, neutral Internet. The big companies have convinced them that there is a difference between Internet traffic and phone traffic.
Video Presentation\Explanation of this Problem
I'm not sure what we can do about it. I've written to my congressman and all I got back was a letter where he basically said it was a complex issue and he didn't really understand it, so he was going to trust the "experts" (read: paid lobbyist for the telecomm companies). I guess the fact that I work in the industry and am a Director of Information Services for a state agency doesn't make me an expert. Anyway, maybe with more of an outrage we can turn the tide. But nobody seems to care. Personally I think state CIOs should be talking to all 50 governors and explaining how this is going to affect state business. The governors could call the congressman and explain it more fully or set up a meeting between state CIOs and congressmen. The Federal CIO should be talking to the President and explaining the technical issues. Who is going to protect the consumer? Who is going to protect your business?
Another Article for you to read.
OK...so...for quite some time it has been law among telecommunications companies that they have to treat each other's traffic like it is their own. In other words, if BellSouth is your telephone service provider and you call someone who uses ATT&T, then neither BellSouth nor ATT&T are allowed to do anything to degrade the phone call. So, the phone call quality for you and your buddy should be the same regardless of who each of you uses for telephone service.
I'm sure you can see that telephone would not like this law. They would rather have made calls between you and people who use the same service be a better quality than those phone calls between you and somebody who does not use the same service. That way they could effectively force people switch from their phone company to your phone company so that the calls would be of good quality. It doesn't take a rocket scienctist to see that this law is good for you, the consumer, but bad for the phone company.
With the invention of the Internet the telecommunication companies initially followed this principle. This is what allowed the Internet to grow so rapidly and allows for the free exchange of ideas across the Internet. This is known as "Net Neutrality." Lately though, telecommunication companies have been making a case that Internet traffic does not fall under the same law as telephone traffic and they believe that they can treat traffic coming from other networks differently than they treat traffic on their networks. Courts have agreed with them. The FCC has commented that it agrees with them. Congress is not deciding that it agrees with them.
This means that Internet Service Providers (ISPs), those people that you pay a monthly fee to get access to the Internet, can control what content you are allowed to access while on their network. They can give priority to their own traffic. They have threatened large website (Google, Amazon, eBay, etc...) that unless the large website pays a large fee to the ISP, then the ISP will degrade and/or even block their users from the big website. Can you imagine not being able to get to Amazon because they chose not to pay your ISP for the right for you to access them? It is ridiculous. Big companies will, of course, capitulate to the extortion and pay. Small businesses, though, will not be able to afford to pay an access fee to every ISP out there.
This is akin to the water company charging you one rate to wash clothes and another rate for taking a shower. Actually, it is like you paying a monthly water bill, but then the water company charging Maytag to allow you to send water to your washing machine. They are charging both you and the company to allow you to access the same content.
The idiots in congress, of course, are not tech heads. They only listen to the cash of the lobby for the ISPs and turn a deaf ear to us consumers. They don't understand the technical portions of an open, free, neutral Internet. The big companies have convinced them that there is a difference between Internet traffic and phone traffic.
Video Presentation\Explanation of this Problem
I'm not sure what we can do about it. I've written to my congressman and all I got back was a letter where he basically said it was a complex issue and he didn't really understand it, so he was going to trust the "experts" (read: paid lobbyist for the telecomm companies). I guess the fact that I work in the industry and am a Director of Information Services for a state agency doesn't make me an expert. Anyway, maybe with more of an outrage we can turn the tide. But nobody seems to care. Personally I think state CIOs should be talking to all 50 governors and explaining how this is going to affect state business. The governors could call the congressman and explain it more fully or set up a meeting between state CIOs and congressmen. The Federal CIO should be talking to the President and explaining the technical issues. Who is going to protect the consumer? Who is going to protect your business?
Another Article for you to read.
Manifold Poem
Manifold cracked
Loud noise
Vibrating ride
Noxious fumes
Called Dealer
Charge: 1 child
preferably firstborn
Hello e-bay
Replacement shipped
Independent mechanic
Fixed quickly
Fixed cheaply
Loud noise
Vibrating ride
Noxious fumes
Called Dealer
Charge: 1 child
preferably firstborn
Hello e-bay
Replacement shipped
Independent mechanic
Fixed quickly
Fixed cheaply
Monday, April 24, 2006
Spoke in Chapel
My wife is the Spiritual Life coordinator at the private, Christian school at which she teaches. One of her responsibilities is ensuring that activities are scheduled for the daily chapel time. She uses a variety of techniques including speakers, small groups, mentoring programs, prayer groups, and worship to ensure that a variety of programs are available for chapel. Well, she finally asked me to come speak at chapel...which I did today.
Anyway, I was really struggling with what to talk about. Her theme for the year has been "Break Out" using Galatians 5:1 as a theme verse. So, everything is about freedom in Christ. They had not really focused on theme in some time, so as the year is gearing down, she wants to bring the them back into focus and asked me to talk about the theme. This was particularly hard because this is a concept that I wrestle with. I don't know about you, but I have a tough time feeling free. I understand and get the idea of "freedom from the condemnation of sin and death." That makes sense to me.
But I sense that there is supposed to be more to freedom in Christ than just not being held accountable for sin. There is more to being free in Christ than having freedom from the debt of sin.
There is in scripture this idea that following Christ brings a freedom to me in the way I am to live my life. Jesus himself encouraged those who are weary to come to him and take his yoke upon them. Now, while to us a yoke is an apparatus used to control a cow or an oxen, to Jews, it specifically referred to a set of teachings or doctrines taught by the rabbis. When Jesus tells the people who are weary carrying a heavy load of "right doctrine" to come and take on his teachings, he promises freedom from those heavy loads.
However, I don't see the freedom. Christ's yoke does not appear to be light and easy to me. His teaching of "love your neighbor as yourself" is hard. Being concerned for the widows, orphans, the criminals, and the homeless doesn't seem easy to me. To daily die to myself and put others ahead of me is not a simple task. However, it is in those things, those teachings of Christ that I am to find freedom.
Maybe it is because my perception of freedom is skewed. Maybe my definition of liberty has been too clouded by being raised as an American. As Americans, we have a unique perspective on freedom. To us freedom is a concept that includes free will, self-determination, and the ability to pursue our own destiny. However, those are not the things that Christ gives us when we choose to follow him. After deciding to be a Christian and offering allegiance only to him, we have no free will. His will is my will. I am no longer allowed to act in my own best interest, but have to act in His best interest. I am no longer able to pursue my goals and my dreams, but am to sacrifice those to achieve His goals and His dreams. This is not freedom...this is not liberty. This is giving up one master for another. Or is it?
I'm not sure. I get lost in my thoughts right here. Where do I go from here? Where do I find the freedom promised? I struggled and wrestled with these thoughts. I know that these are some of the same feelings the kids have...but I don't know if I have the appropriate answers to these unsettling feelings. I need more time to meditate on this, more time to work through scripture, and more time to listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance. I needed more time than I had to prepare.
So, I changed courses and went another route. Instead, I dredged up a communion thought that I used some time ago. I used the slideshow from that communion thought, but had a different introduction.
Basically, I started by talking about the importance of identity and how we work so hard to project a certain image of ourselves to others. When people ask, "Who is Randy?" There is an answer I expect to hear. Jesus did this himself when he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" He was asking them, what image do I project to people? How do others view my identity? I then asked the kids to answer that question, who do they think Jesus is. After they pondered that for 20 to 30 seconds, I showed a video of some of the responses to that question in a "man on the street" type format.
After the video we looked at the four different views people have Jesus and why three of them are incomplete. They are that 1) Jesus was a good man, 2) Jesus was a good teacher/philosopher, 3) Jesus was a prophet, and 4) Jesus was God. I ended by talking about how three of those don't offer freedom. I came back to that it is important to see the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, as God because that is the only one that can offer freedom. I talked a little bit about the origins of "I AM THAT I AM" and how Jesus used this reserved phrase to identify himself. This is the image that he was trying to project.
We ended by review the montage of scriptures and the slideshow. After that, I prayed and was done. Anyway, there is some thoughts for you. Now, I need to wrestle with the un-finished thought above...get my mind around it...figure it out...communicate it.
Anyway, I was really struggling with what to talk about. Her theme for the year has been "Break Out" using Galatians 5:1 as a theme verse. So, everything is about freedom in Christ. They had not really focused on theme in some time, so as the year is gearing down, she wants to bring the them back into focus and asked me to talk about the theme. This was particularly hard because this is a concept that I wrestle with. I don't know about you, but I have a tough time feeling free. I understand and get the idea of "freedom from the condemnation of sin and death." That makes sense to me.
But I sense that there is supposed to be more to freedom in Christ than just not being held accountable for sin. There is more to being free in Christ than having freedom from the debt of sin.
There is in scripture this idea that following Christ brings a freedom to me in the way I am to live my life. Jesus himself encouraged those who are weary to come to him and take his yoke upon them. Now, while to us a yoke is an apparatus used to control a cow or an oxen, to Jews, it specifically referred to a set of teachings or doctrines taught by the rabbis. When Jesus tells the people who are weary carrying a heavy load of "right doctrine" to come and take on his teachings, he promises freedom from those heavy loads.
However, I don't see the freedom. Christ's yoke does not appear to be light and easy to me. His teaching of "love your neighbor as yourself" is hard. Being concerned for the widows, orphans, the criminals, and the homeless doesn't seem easy to me. To daily die to myself and put others ahead of me is not a simple task. However, it is in those things, those teachings of Christ that I am to find freedom.
Maybe it is because my perception of freedom is skewed. Maybe my definition of liberty has been too clouded by being raised as an American. As Americans, we have a unique perspective on freedom. To us freedom is a concept that includes free will, self-determination, and the ability to pursue our own destiny. However, those are not the things that Christ gives us when we choose to follow him. After deciding to be a Christian and offering allegiance only to him, we have no free will. His will is my will. I am no longer allowed to act in my own best interest, but have to act in His best interest. I am no longer able to pursue my goals and my dreams, but am to sacrifice those to achieve His goals and His dreams. This is not freedom...this is not liberty. This is giving up one master for another. Or is it?
I'm not sure. I get lost in my thoughts right here. Where do I go from here? Where do I find the freedom promised? I struggled and wrestled with these thoughts. I know that these are some of the same feelings the kids have...but I don't know if I have the appropriate answers to these unsettling feelings. I need more time to meditate on this, more time to work through scripture, and more time to listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance. I needed more time than I had to prepare.
So, I changed courses and went another route. Instead, I dredged up a communion thought that I used some time ago. I used the slideshow from that communion thought, but had a different introduction.
Basically, I started by talking about the importance of identity and how we work so hard to project a certain image of ourselves to others. When people ask, "Who is Randy?" There is an answer I expect to hear. Jesus did this himself when he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" He was asking them, what image do I project to people? How do others view my identity? I then asked the kids to answer that question, who do they think Jesus is. After they pondered that for 20 to 30 seconds, I showed a video of some of the responses to that question in a "man on the street" type format.
After the video we looked at the four different views people have Jesus and why three of them are incomplete. They are that 1) Jesus was a good man, 2) Jesus was a good teacher/philosopher, 3) Jesus was a prophet, and 4) Jesus was God. I ended by talking about how three of those don't offer freedom. I came back to that it is important to see the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, as God because that is the only one that can offer freedom. I talked a little bit about the origins of "I AM THAT I AM" and how Jesus used this reserved phrase to identify himself. This is the image that he was trying to project.
We ended by review the montage of scriptures and the slideshow. After that, I prayed and was done. Anyway, there is some thoughts for you. Now, I need to wrestle with the un-finished thought above...get my mind around it...figure it out...communicate it.
Friday, April 21, 2006
IP - Not just for tech heads anymore
I was in a meeting today with development education faculty and they were discussing the use of IP as a grade (IP means "In Progress" and is used for a student who has started a developmental class midway through a term, but has not completed the course by the end of term). It was such a hard discussion for me to follow because everytime they said "IP," my mind had to work extra hard to translate that as a grade and not as "Internet Protocol."
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
I'll stick with tanning, Thank You Very Much
"The toothless Kangal fish, just a few centimetres long, are touted as a cure for skin conditions such as psoriasis."
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.co.uk
No. You don't eat the fish...they eat the dry, dead skin of psoriasis from me. I'll take my 20 minute nap in the tanning bed any day over being "tickled" by fish to cure my psoriasis.
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.co.uk
No. You don't eat the fish...they eat the dry, dead skin of psoriasis from me. I'll take my 20 minute nap in the tanning bed any day over being "tickled" by fish to cure my psoriasis.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Protest the Protesters
This week there are people protesting in front of the Christian Coalition of Alabama building that sits caddy corner from my building. I'm not sure what they are protesting and I don't think it matters. I've been watching protests for quite some time. I've seen protests organized by the left/liberals to promote their causes as well as protests organized by the right/conservatives to promote their causes. There have recently been large protests by illegal immigrants trying to garner support for that cause.
I don't know about you...but I just don't see the point of protests. Do people really change their minds about issues because 15 or 100,000 people march around a building carrying signs? Can a witty, turn of phrase on a sign really capture the nuances of a political ideology and communicate that? I've never changed my mind about an issue because of protesters or their signs. I have changed my mind after reading a well written essay, column, or position paper.
I would like to (if I were brave enough) to protest the protesters. I think it would be fun to make some signs and walk on the other corner and chant and ridicule the protesters, not for their political position, but just for being protesters. Unfortunately, the people who protest usually take themselves way too seriously and become violent when greeted with any opposition to their militant stand on whatever the issue is (this is true for protesters on both the right and the left).
Here are some of the signs I've come up that might be fun to use to poke fun at protesters:
I don't know about you...but I just don't see the point of protests. Do people really change their minds about issues because 15 or 100,000 people march around a building carrying signs? Can a witty, turn of phrase on a sign really capture the nuances of a political ideology and communicate that? I've never changed my mind about an issue because of protesters or their signs. I have changed my mind after reading a well written essay, column, or position paper.
I would like to (if I were brave enough) to protest the protesters. I think it would be fun to make some signs and walk on the other corner and chant and ridicule the protesters, not for their political position, but just for being protesters. Unfortunately, the people who protest usually take themselves way too seriously and become violent when greeted with any opposition to their militant stand on whatever the issue is (this is true for protesters on both the right and the left).
Here are some of the signs I've come up that might be fun to use to poke fun at protesters:
- Protesters Poorly Present Politics
- I can't form my own opinions, so I protest
- Read my witty sign and change your mind
- Mob Rule Rulez
- Chants are for those without a rational argument
- One, Two, I'm better than you
- I protest and I am a single-issue voter
- Never Compromise, Never be Relevant
Monday, April 17, 2006
I know, I know...I haven't been posting
I've been busy. BLAH. That is what happens. Real life gets in the way of taking time to write insightful and inspiring post (please, let me dream that those words describe these posts). So, here in lieu of a real post, is an obligatory apology...don't you feel special???
Anyway, we had an exciting Easter weekend with my parents visiting. The kids responded very well to them. Noah pulled my coffee cup off the end table...carpet is now officially ruined. We are probably going to break all our rules and go get a home equity line of credit (that dreaded "c" word) and go into more debt (debt and dumb both start with "d"...coincidence...I think not...but that won't stop us) and replace the carpet with tile.
Other big, new happenings you may want to know about:
1) Erin's dad was diagnosed with lung cancer a couple/three weeks ago. He has had two rounds of chemotherapy. We are praying very, very hard for him right now. I could write a whole post about this topic, but haven't been because I knew it would break my heart and I would have to clean tears off my keyboard. So, in typical Randy-esque fashion, I have ignored the problem so as to not have to deal with my emotions.
2) My mom had to go to the emergency room whilst she was traveling back from home. Everything appears fine, but nobody wants to have to spend a night in the hospital. It is especially worse when you are traveling and you end up stuck in Nashville with no family. She made it home safely though. Praise God.
3) Erin has decided to completely quit at PCA. She will not be teaching or directing spiritual life next year. God has blessed us to allow me to have a good job with good pay...so she gets to stay home and raise our family. This has been a tough, tough decision for her...but it is the right one.
Anyway, with all that going on...overburdened at work (doing my regular programming job plus being the interim director, plus managing the biggest project of the department), I've been a bit busy...so...sorry...please forgive me, my faithful and loyal readers...if you are still here.
OH....and because it is CONFINSCATE YOUR MONEY AND GIVE IT TO OTHER PEOPLE WE LIKE MORE THAN YOU DAY (i.e., TAX Day)... Remember to support the FairTax and make April 15 (or in this case, April 17th) just like any other Spring Day. I ran across a link the other day that showed how much of the Federal Budget is actually welfare (both corporate and personal) and how much of the budget is for operational purposes...I wish I could find it again and post it here because it was outrageous how much of our tax money gets funneled through Washington right back to other private citizens.
Anyway, we had an exciting Easter weekend with my parents visiting. The kids responded very well to them. Noah pulled my coffee cup off the end table...carpet is now officially ruined. We are probably going to break all our rules and go get a home equity line of credit (that dreaded "c" word) and go into more debt (debt and dumb both start with "d"...coincidence...I think not...but that won't stop us) and replace the carpet with tile.
Other big, new happenings you may want to know about:
1) Erin's dad was diagnosed with lung cancer a couple/three weeks ago. He has had two rounds of chemotherapy. We are praying very, very hard for him right now. I could write a whole post about this topic, but haven't been because I knew it would break my heart and I would have to clean tears off my keyboard. So, in typical Randy-esque fashion, I have ignored the problem so as to not have to deal with my emotions.
2) My mom had to go to the emergency room whilst she was traveling back from home. Everything appears fine, but nobody wants to have to spend a night in the hospital. It is especially worse when you are traveling and you end up stuck in Nashville with no family. She made it home safely though. Praise God.
3) Erin has decided to completely quit at PCA. She will not be teaching or directing spiritual life next year. God has blessed us to allow me to have a good job with good pay...so she gets to stay home and raise our family. This has been a tough, tough decision for her...but it is the right one.
Anyway, with all that going on...overburdened at work (doing my regular programming job plus being the interim director, plus managing the biggest project of the department), I've been a bit busy...so...sorry...please forgive me, my faithful and loyal readers...if you are still here.
OH....and because it is CONFINSCATE YOUR MONEY AND GIVE IT TO OTHER PEOPLE WE LIKE MORE THAN YOU DAY (i.e., TAX Day)... Remember to support the FairTax and make April 15 (or in this case, April 17th) just like any other Spring Day. I ran across a link the other day that showed how much of the Federal Budget is actually welfare (both corporate and personal) and how much of the budget is for operational purposes...I wish I could find it again and post it here because it was outrageous how much of our tax money gets funneled through Washington right back to other private citizens.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
This can't happen in America
So, you are getting ready to go to church one beautiful Spring morning when you a hear knock on the door. Wondering to yourself who could be visiting this morning, you open the door to Boulder's finest.
"How can I help you officer?" you ask, trying to be cheerful, but a little afraid, unsure of why the police are here.
"Please step outside ma'am, we've some questions to ask you."
You are a little nervous, but you are sure that whatever the deal, it can be resolved. You just hope someone you know hasn't been killed in accident or something horrible. Being a good, trusting citizen you step outside...where you are immediately pushed to the wall, frisked, hands placed behind your back and cuffs slapped on your wrists.
"You are under arrest for replacing your garage door. You have the right to remain silent..."
This can't happen in America...but it has. It is being reported that a Boulder, CO woman was jailed for replacing her garage door.
Yes!!! In Boulder, Colorado you can be arrested...thrown into jail with hardened criminals (murders, rapists, burglars, etc...) for doing simple home maintenance. What a great country we live in!!!
One of my biggest rules of Law is that all laws should be discernible by intuition by reasonable people. In other words, I should be able to know, without studying law, whether a particular action is going to be against the law or not. So, it would never occur to me (or any reasonable person) to go and study the law to see if I could replace my garage door. Intuitevely, people believe they have the right to do whatever they want on their land.
Secondly, why in the heck is this a felony. While I am against restrictions and against needing permits and building certificates (once again, my land...I can do whatever I want on it), if you do happen to break that law...isn't a fine enough? Do we really need to remove people who don't obtain certificates from the rest of society? What danger are they?
Asinine...just completely stupid and asinine.
"How can I help you officer?" you ask, trying to be cheerful, but a little afraid, unsure of why the police are here.
"Please step outside ma'am, we've some questions to ask you."
You are a little nervous, but you are sure that whatever the deal, it can be resolved. You just hope someone you know hasn't been killed in accident or something horrible. Being a good, trusting citizen you step outside...where you are immediately pushed to the wall, frisked, hands placed behind your back and cuffs slapped on your wrists.
"You are under arrest for replacing your garage door. You have the right to remain silent..."
This can't happen in America...but it has. It is being reported that a Boulder, CO woman was jailed for replacing her garage door.
Yes!!! In Boulder, Colorado you can be arrested...thrown into jail with hardened criminals (murders, rapists, burglars, etc...) for doing simple home maintenance. What a great country we live in!!!
One of my biggest rules of Law is that all laws should be discernible by intuition by reasonable people. In other words, I should be able to know, without studying law, whether a particular action is going to be against the law or not. So, it would never occur to me (or any reasonable person) to go and study the law to see if I could replace my garage door. Intuitevely, people believe they have the right to do whatever they want on their land.
Secondly, why in the heck is this a felony. While I am against restrictions and against needing permits and building certificates (once again, my land...I can do whatever I want on it), if you do happen to break that law...isn't a fine enough? Do we really need to remove people who don't obtain certificates from the rest of society? What danger are they?
Asinine...just completely stupid and asinine.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
The Great Immigration Compromise
Well...the Senate worked up a compromise to try and get an Immigration Reform package to the President.
Earlier this year the House passed an Immigration Reform bill that was tough on border security and made being an illegal alien a felony. The Senate has made it clear that it would not pass the House version of the bill and the President has said he won't sign the House version (it does not contain his "Guest Worker" program that he has been stumping for). The House bill is a good start, with the exception of the felony clause.
The felony clause is a bad idea because it would move all cases out of civil court and into our already strained criminal courts. Once in criminal court there would be many more costs to the taxpayers, including providing the defendant with representation. Since the rules of evidence in criminal court are more strict, it would require more work on the prosecutors end to ensure a conviction. So, while making being an illegal alien sounds good...its consequences have a practical implication that is unacceptable.
Anyway, the Senate has been deadlocked on the issue until today when the released the details of their Great Immigration Compromise (GIC). In the GIC illegal immigrants will be tiered based on the number of years they have been lawbreakers.
In Tier One are people who have been illegally in the US for less than two years. Those people are to be immediately sent back to their country of origin.
Tier Two is comprised of people who have been in the US for more than two years, but less than 5 years. They are to return to one of 19 "ports of entry" and bring documentation that proves they have been in the US for the proper timeframe. They will be given green cards that allow them to work here legally. At the end of the 5 years of work, they could apply for the a citizenship process that takes 11 years.
The final tier, Tier Three is for those people who have been in the country for more than 5 years. They could immediately apply for citizenship process that will take 11 years. This process is so long to meet the President's goal of not allowing illegal people to "jump ahead" of people who are going about the process correctly. The 11 year process is kind of a "plea agreement" where the illegal alien is on probation during that time. Part of the 11 year "road to citizenship" includes such things as English proficiency, civics proficiency, and two criminal background checks.
The Senate bill also doubles the number of Border Patrol agents and the building of a a "virtual" fence of surveillance cameras, sensors and other technology to monitor the U.S.-Mexican border. The bill includes provisions requiring employers to verify they've hired legal workers, as well.
I like this bill as a cleanup measure. I believe it is well thought out and fair. It handles the practical problem of what to do with 12 million people in a very equitable way. I don't think it is morally right to criminalize good-natured people who are just trying to make a better life for themselves. It would be a logistical, political and economical nightmare to try to round up 12 million people, many whom have had children here (who are therefore American citizens) and return them all to their countries of origin.
My big problem with this is I don't want a "clean-up" bill without some tough, zero-tolerance, enforced border security bill. I want to see the American government pass a law that shuts down the leak in our border. After 2 to 5 years of watching the government keep illegal immigrants out, then we can focus on cleaning up the mess by legitimizing those who are here.
Like I have said before, "most of America wants a strong, zero-tolerance policy that is enforced...I believe that the average Joe American would be amenable to the idea of guest workers if that were coupled with very, very tight border security." I think that this bill fails to prove to me and the American people that we have fixed the problem. This bill is just a clean-up and I don't trust the government to stop the influx...no matter what they say in the bill.
By the way, for those who think this bill is amnesty. You are wrong. Amnesty is what Reagan signed into law where one day 3 million people where illegal, and then, by the stroke of a pen, they were legal. Under this program, illegal aliens must register and work toward citizenship that has set requirements. Failure to meet those requirements and go through the process and you will still be illegal.
I certainly hope we can get this issue resolved in a fair, humanitarian, and lawful way.
Earlier this year the House passed an Immigration Reform bill that was tough on border security and made being an illegal alien a felony. The Senate has made it clear that it would not pass the House version of the bill and the President has said he won't sign the House version (it does not contain his "Guest Worker" program that he has been stumping for). The House bill is a good start, with the exception of the felony clause.
The felony clause is a bad idea because it would move all cases out of civil court and into our already strained criminal courts. Once in criminal court there would be many more costs to the taxpayers, including providing the defendant with representation. Since the rules of evidence in criminal court are more strict, it would require more work on the prosecutors end to ensure a conviction. So, while making being an illegal alien sounds good...its consequences have a practical implication that is unacceptable.
Anyway, the Senate has been deadlocked on the issue until today when the released the details of their Great Immigration Compromise (GIC). In the GIC illegal immigrants will be tiered based on the number of years they have been lawbreakers.
In Tier One are people who have been illegally in the US for less than two years. Those people are to be immediately sent back to their country of origin.
Tier Two is comprised of people who have been in the US for more than two years, but less than 5 years. They are to return to one of 19 "ports of entry" and bring documentation that proves they have been in the US for the proper timeframe. They will be given green cards that allow them to work here legally. At the end of the 5 years of work, they could apply for the a citizenship process that takes 11 years.
The final tier, Tier Three is for those people who have been in the country for more than 5 years. They could immediately apply for citizenship process that will take 11 years. This process is so long to meet the President's goal of not allowing illegal people to "jump ahead" of people who are going about the process correctly. The 11 year process is kind of a "plea agreement" where the illegal alien is on probation during that time. Part of the 11 year "road to citizenship" includes such things as English proficiency, civics proficiency, and two criminal background checks.
The Senate bill also doubles the number of Border Patrol agents and the building of a a "virtual" fence of surveillance cameras, sensors and other technology to monitor the U.S.-Mexican border. The bill includes provisions requiring employers to verify they've hired legal workers, as well.
I like this bill as a cleanup measure. I believe it is well thought out and fair. It handles the practical problem of what to do with 12 million people in a very equitable way. I don't think it is morally right to criminalize good-natured people who are just trying to make a better life for themselves. It would be a logistical, political and economical nightmare to try to round up 12 million people, many whom have had children here (who are therefore American citizens) and return them all to their countries of origin.
My big problem with this is I don't want a "clean-up" bill without some tough, zero-tolerance, enforced border security bill. I want to see the American government pass a law that shuts down the leak in our border. After 2 to 5 years of watching the government keep illegal immigrants out, then we can focus on cleaning up the mess by legitimizing those who are here.
Like I have said before, "most of America wants a strong, zero-tolerance policy that is enforced...I believe that the average Joe American would be amenable to the idea of guest workers if that were coupled with very, very tight border security." I think that this bill fails to prove to me and the American people that we have fixed the problem. This bill is just a clean-up and I don't trust the government to stop the influx...no matter what they say in the bill.
By the way, for those who think this bill is amnesty. You are wrong. Amnesty is what Reagan signed into law where one day 3 million people where illegal, and then, by the stroke of a pen, they were legal. Under this program, illegal aliens must register and work toward citizenship that has set requirements. Failure to meet those requirements and go through the process and you will still be illegal.
I certainly hope we can get this issue resolved in a fair, humanitarian, and lawful way.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Hunter Hills Podcasting
A few days ago I posted some very popular sermons from HH and commented that I was looking for free hosting/media streaming to distribute the sermons on the web. The next post was charging my young friend and companion with the task of overcoming some of the difficulties I was experiencing with some of the services. Since he has the time, he can research stuff much better than I can.
Anyway, after his searching and studying we have come upon a solution that we like. So, for your reading pleasure...a how-to overview for posting streaming media on the web.
That is it. I think it is all working.
Anyway, after his searching and studying we have come upon a solution that we like. So, for your reading pleasure...a how-to overview for posting streaming media on the web.
- Go to the Internet Archive and register.
- Download and install the ccPublisher utility that allows you to tag your audio and upload it to the Internet Archive for free hosting.
- Use the ccPublisher utility to upload your content to the Internet Archive.
- Create a blog. I, of course, used Blogger to create HHAudio.blogspot.com. Make sure you turn on the syndication ability of your blog. (The hardest part of this was getting the template working to make it appear as if a user has never left Hunter Hill's website. I had a bear turning all relative paths into fully-qualified paths).
- Finally, go to FeedBurner and use their free service that turns you syndicated blog feed into feeds formatted for various podcasting utilities.
That is it. I think it is all working.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Third Day and David Crowder Band in Concert in Nashville, TN
Erin and I had a weekend getaway this weekend. We left the children with Erin's parents and went to Nashville to go to the Third Day/David Crowder band concert.
It was an absolutely incredible show. We loved it.
We had lots of fun. Ate at nice restaurants (no high chairs). Went shopping at the Opry Mills mall. SLEPT IN!!!!
On Sunday morning, we went and worshipped at the Otter Creek church.
We got back in time to run the A/V for the Ladies Tea and Worship at Hunter Hills.
It was an absolutely incredible show. We loved it.
We had lots of fun. Ate at nice restaurants (no high chairs). Went shopping at the Opry Mills mall. SLEPT IN!!!!
On Sunday morning, we went and worshipped at the Otter Creek church.
We got back in time to run the A/V for the Ladies Tea and Worship at Hunter Hills.
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