Troy's Thoughts

Lesley's birthday

13:45 - Lesley turns 21 tomorrow. Let us all wish her the happiest of birthdays by encouraging her to drink glass after fancy glass of an arbitrary colorful and flavorful mind-numbing depressant.

terrorism and foreign policy

13:30 - From The Bleat:

Teddy Kennedy said in his convention speech: "The only thing we have to fear is four more years of George Bush." It's really quite simple, isn't it? We live in a manufactured climate of fear ginned up by war-crazed neocon overlords. There is no threat. The only thing we have to fear is Bush, who sits as we speak in the Oval Office sucking the marrow from Whoopi's shin-bones.

If so, I wonder why anyone agreed to the stringent security policies that characterize this year's conventions. Why the bomb-sniffing dogs? Why the snipers? Why the metal detectors, the invasive inspection of bags? Is it all an elaborate defense against Bush crashing the party and setting off a bomb belt, shouting God is Great, y'all!

No, they're fearful of something else.

Damned if I know what, though. Damned if I know.

Also, I found this article interesting. Though I can't be sure of its veracity, it provides some interesting insight into some multilateral tactics of the Bush administration's foreign policy aimed at isolating Iran and North Korea.

Dear Troby

18:23 - Troby has new things to say. If you don't like what he says, feel free to tell him what you think, or ask him for advice.

"It's Time to Save Darfur"

16:24 - Here's an article about the situation right now in Darfur, Sudan. I strongly encourage you to read it, or at least skim it. It's not very long, it explains what is happening in Sudan and it urges action, militarily if necessary, against the genocide.

updated music page

15:28 - I slightly revised the Music Page and added a list of what CDs I want now and of my top 10 CDs.

hourlong walk

19:25 - For the first time ever I went for a walk in the beautiful University Park neighborhood adjacent to SMU and I bought a slurpee. It's a really nice neighborhood, each house and yard is unique unlike the "one design fits all" sort of neighborhoods that I'm used to, oh, and there were sidewalks.

New poll

01:01 - The new poll is about turning 21. The old poll's results are mixed. There's not really a consensus on what I should do with my week off, though some ideas include doing something cool in Fort Worth, doing something productive, and relaxing. I think I'll do all of those, even though I can do all of that other stuff any time. I'd like to take advantage of my week off and do something cool (i.e. take a trip).

Seal the cold

23:55 - Tonight I finally tired of being cold. The windows have been open all day today, and it had been a comfortable temperature in here most of the day, but recently I started to get pretty cold, cold enough to make me want to put on a jacket. I could've put on a jacket, but I thought, "No, that's unacceptable, why should I have to put on a jacket just because the room is cold? It's the air conditioner's fault, why should I change? It's the one that sucks...well, I guess, blows." So, I got out my duct tape and taped the entire air conditioner vent. I'm surprised that the tape has stuck so well, and I'm much more comfortable already. This has other benefits too, if someone poisons the ventilation system, I'll possibly survive until enough poison seeps under the door from the hall. And in case you're wondering, the thermostat has been all the way in the heat direction.

This shirt is deplorably ridiculous

23:03 - Why would you buy this shirt? Even if you support the right of having an abortion, you shouldn't be proud of having one. That would be like buying a shirt that says, "I ran over a dog by accident" or "I have gonorrhea"

Artistic Blends

22:52 - On Friday I went to Artistic Blends, it seems like the kind of place where yuppies might hang out, but when I went, there were mostly middle-age people there. It's primarily a coffee place, but they also sell teas, sandwiches, cheesecakes, other desserts, and art. I don't plan on buying art soon, but it was cool to look at the art that they had. There is live music there on Friday and Saturday starting at 8.

police and profiling

22:28 - There could be some legitimate arguments in favor of the benefit of racial profiling, but there is no benefit to giving people tickets for extremely minor traffic offenses. I could understand if a cop pulled someone over for not using their turn signal because the cop is suspicious that the person might have drugs, but to issue a ticket to a black person for not using the blinker, even if no drugs are found, does no good for society and simply exacerbates already-existing disdain for and prejudice of cops.

hunting and outdoors

22:24 - In my wellness class, three people (out of eight) like to hunt. These three people say they like the outdoors and that they best way to experience the outdoors is to destroy parts of it. I like the outdoors too, but I find better ways to enjoy it than by killing things. I guess I shouldn't judge people, but it just seems wrong to hunt animals for sport, I don't think there's any way that it can be justified.

the hatred of hate

22:22 - This summer I have taken four classes (engineering - fluids, human rights, wellness, and crime and delinquency). In three of those classes I have had to watch a video about hate, and each video at least mentioned the dragging of James Byrd. I guess there's nothing wrong with having to watch a video about hate in three classes, but it's just kind of redundant.

Also, most people will agree that hate groups are bad, but it's of little benefit to society when people hate hate groups so much that they perpetrate violence against those groups.

Def Jam Internship

22:18 - I saw a sign today that offered an internship at Def Jam Records. I'm not interested in it, but it sounds like it'd be a pretty cool internship to have.

The Cowboys signed Eddie George

22:15 - I think the Cowboys overpaid for Eddie George. Yeah, the Cowboys needed another running back, but Eddie George was worse than Troy Hambrick last year and has been injured. The Cowboys haven't done much this offseason to make me believe that they are any better than they were last year.

BugMeNot.com

23:40 - This site could be very useful for you. Many sites on the internet, particularly news sites, such as the The New York Times and Washington Post, require free registration to access some content. Registering is a hassle that violates the spirit of the internet; what if you had to register to access every site? So, BugMeNot.com provides a login name and password that you can use to access some sites without having to register.

re: another post

13:39 - You could be slightly misinterpreting what he said. By saying "we will make sure," perhaps he simply means, "we will verify," or "we will help to ensure." But, you could be right with your interpretation.

Also, perhaps I'm just not thinking clearly, but I don't understand how his statement shatters hopes for positive change.

dream

10:21 - I had a dream that the Cowboys beat the Eagles. How terrible it is to have been awoken.

Sudan

21:50 - The world should do something about Sudan soon, and not listen to its requests that nobody do anything to interfere.

My Candidate

14:36 - I took a quiz at www.selectsmart.com to determine the presidential candidate that best reflects my views. The results were rather interesting.

1. Michael Badnarik - Libertarian - 59%
2. John Kerry - Democrat - 49%
3. George W. Bush - Republican - 48%
4. David Cobb - Green Party - 32%
5. Ralph Nader - Independent - 32%
6. Michael Peroutka - Constitution Party - 31%
7. Walt Brown - Socialist Party - 30%

Here are my answers to the questions that were asked and how much emphasis I placed on them and my reasoning.

Taxes and Spending (answers I selected in bold) - High emphasis

• Reduce federal spending and taxes, even if this means shifting responsibility for providing services to state and local government, private industry, charitable groups and/or individuals.
• Increase federal spending and taxes--if needed to provide services and protection to the Americans
• Regardless of increases or decreases, it is vitally important that federal spending and taxes are balanced.
• There should be a guaranteed livable annual income for all, including those outside the work force.
• Full employment for all Americans should be federal policy.
• Eliminate federal estate taxes.

Taxes are too high, people should get to keep the money they make and the government should cut back on spending money on things that it doesn't need. If you think NASA is a vital program, donate your own money to it. As for balance between taxes and spending, a balance isn't quite "vital," and may even be appropriate in a slow economy, but the federal debt should be gradually paid off to try to reduce the 14% of government spending that goes to paying for interest on the debt. I'm not really passionate about the elimination of federal estate taxes, but I don't think that the government should tax us so many different times (e.g. when we make money, when we spend money, when we invest money, when we die, etc.)

Federally funded social services and poverty aid should be delivered through religious, community-based, or other non-profit organizations. These Bush administration developed legislative proposals are commonly referred to as the "faith-based initiative." - Low emphasis

Agree

Religious organizations can be more effective at helping people; the government should fund groups without discriminating against those that are religious.

Federal funding of welfare and assistance to unemployed and under-employed individuals and families - Medium emphasis

Should be decreased

I'm a believer that people have control over their own situations. Though some people are born into bad situatons, I believe that this is the land of opportunity and that they can pull themselves out of it. I don't think the government should help those who will not help themselves. I don't think these programs should be eliminated, just reduced, and pass the savings onto the taxpayers. If you think these people should be funded, then give them your own money.

Federal funding of "corporate welfare", which has been defined as "special government subsidies or benefits that are targeted to specific industries or businesses": - Low emphasis

No preference

Corporations are often accurately demonized as heartless giants that are only interested in money, but corporations also provide jobs for people.

SECURITY & TERRORISM Since 9-11 the issues of civil rights and liberties have come into conflict with issues of security. (answers I selected in bold) - Low emphasis

• Law enforcement agencies should be granted greater discretion to read mail and email, tap phones, and conduct random searches.
• America should adopt stricter standards for international student visas.
• Terrorist suspects should be tried in civilian courts with due process protections (rather than in military tribunals).

I don't think this question fully grasps my opinion on terrorism. I think the president should aggressively pursue and neutralize terrorists, but I'm neutral on all of the above issues.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS (answers I selected in bold) - Low emphasis

• It is appropriate for the US to take unilateral military action against enemy nations--for example Iraq.
• It is appropriate for the US to support the formation of a Palestinian state.
• It is appropriate for the US to maintain a non-interventionist foreign policy.
• It is bad policy for the US to attack an enemy nation pre-emptively.

A Palestinian state is a good idea, perhaps it would discourage fighting, although as I understand it, many Palestinians won't stop fighting until Israel doesn't exist. And it's generally a bad policy to pre-emptively attack countries, but there might be exceptions.

EDUCATION (answers I selected in bold) - Medium emphasis

• Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
• Increase federal funding of public schools.
• Tie federal education funding to local public school performance.
• Support tax incentives and/or increased federal funding of programs such as grants and loans to help students attend college.

Public education isn't that great, but I don't think the solution to the problem is more money for smaller classes and wealthier teachers, though I do think teachers deserve to be paid more. I think that problems in the educational system can be helped (though not fixed) by the answers that I selected above.

HEALTH CARE (answers I selected in bold) - Low emphasis

• Support the concept of federally funded national healthcare coverage for all or most Americans.
• Prohibit cloning of human embryos.

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about federally funded national healthcare coverage, but I kind of think that healthcare is like education in that it's something that the government should provide for everyone.

SOCIAL SECURITY (answers I selected in bold) - Medium emphasis

• Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax into private investments.
• Support measures to protect Social Security and Medicare (but excluding privatization).

I'm not a huge fan of Socialist Security in the first place, since it's just welfare for old people. I think that permitting workers to invest their money is a great idea, since it's their money. If you don't want to invest it, you don't have to, but why shouldn't other people be able to?

ILLICIT DRUG LAWS Laws and penalties regarding illegal drugs such as a narcotics, hallucinogens, etc. - Low emphasis

• Should be reduced or eliminated.
• Should be enforced at current levels.
• Should be increased.
• Prevent and reduce drug use through education and counseling, but do not legalize drugs.
• No preference/None of the above/Prefer alternate solutions

I wouldn't be opposed to looser regulations on marijuana, but I'd like to know how other countries have been affected by relaxed drug restrictions.

TRADE: On issues of trade with other countries, my ideal candidate would favor the following: - Medium emphasis

• Less restrictive "Free Trade" policies.
• More restrictive "Fair Trade" policies.
• No preference/None of the above/Prefer alternate solutions

Free trade is good, though perhaps there should be some restrictions on imports of products of sweatshop labor.

GUN POLICY Regarding the following special interest groups, my ideal candidate will generally support the positions of:- Medium emphasis

• The National Rifle Association
• The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
• No preference/None of the above/Prefer alternate solutions

I don't think that guns are necessarily bad or should be banned, but I find the NRA's argument that any restrictions on guns will lead to complete disarmement to be intolerable. There needs to be some restriction and regulation of handguns.

ABORTION POLICY Regarding the following special interest groups, my ideal candidate will generally support the positions of: - Medium emphasis

• Planned Parenthood
• National Right to Life Committee
• No preference/None of the above/Prefer alternate solutions

I think that banning partial-birth abortions is reasonable, and I suppose that I can live with legalized early-term abortions. I don't see why that can't work for everyone, since everyone gets to have an abortion but they can't use inhumane methods to do so. I don't support Planned Parenthood's belief that abortions should be readily available for anyone at anytime.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Regarding the positions of the League of Conservation Voters, my ideal candidate will generally: - High emphasis

• Share the positions of the League of Conservation Voters
• Oppose the positions of the League of Conservation Voters
• No preference/None of the above/Prefer alternate solutions

The environment is very important and one of the main shortcomings of Republicans is their indifference toward the environemnt.

MINORITY ISSUES Regarding the positions of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, my ideal candidate will generally: - Low emphasis

• Share the positions of the NAACP
• Oppose the positions the NAACP
• No preference/None of the above/Prefer alternate solutions

The NAACP is reasonable in theory, I mean, what's wrong with breaking down racial barriers, promoting equality and opposing discrimination? However, in practice, I know that means demanding strict equality by promoting discrimination.

CIVIL LIBERTIES Regarding the positions of the American Civil Liberties Union , my ideal candidate will generally: - Low emphasis

• Share the positions of the ACLU
• Oppose the positions of the ACLU
• No preference/None of the above/Prefer alternate solutions

I support the ACLU in theory, and even though sometimes the ACLU can be a bit unreasonable (like that time they sued the city of Los Angeles for having a cross on their flag), overall I think the ACLU is an important organization.

re: 00:11

00:30 - Yeah, it's better to wait to invade lands held by evil rulers until we absolutely must get in the war, regardless of how many lives we could save by going to war sooner, like in World War II. Though invading all the countries with evil dictators would be impractical, especially if we did them all at the same time, the world is not doing enough to protect human rights by ridding the world of evil dictators. Invasion is probably not the right method, but something more needs to be done so that people across the world don't have to suffer indefinitely under totalitarian oppression while the world does nothing.

re: 16:51

17:41 - By "more time", I don't mean hundreds of years, but more like 5, 10, or even 50 years. Being able to look back at something without being influenced too greatly by partisanship, prejudice, or fear permits us a more objective view of the event. There is some truth to the saying, "Hindsight is 20/20."

questions about this week's poll

16:27 - To the person who chose "other": if you had something in mind, I'd like to hear it.

To the person who chose "Do something cool in Fort Worth": if you know what might be cool to do in Fort Worth, I'd like to hear it.

The idea of going to Galveston is becoming increasingly appealing to me, though it would seem that nobody else is interested. I think I'd at least like to do something cool.

Dear Troby

15:51 - Troby has things to say today.

uncomfortable temperatures

15:11 - It's hot outside, so it's nice to go indoors and be able to cool off. The problem is that every building is too cold! At first, it feels nice to be inside, but after a few minutes, it gets uncomfortably cold. The prolem is that there's nothing I can do to make things better. I've been wearing shorts and t-shirts in order to try to stay cool when I'm outside, but if I wear long pants and an undershirt, I would be hotter when I'm outside. It's a lose-lose situation, why are all the buildings so cold inside? In my room I have a thermostat, and it has been set all the way up (i.e. to make it warmer) and it's still cold in my room!

re: 12:04

13:30 - I wasn't sure this war was justified from the beginning and I am not sure that the war was unjustified now. Would things be better if we hadn't invaded Iraq? Quite possibly. I think significant benefits will arise from the invasion of Iraq, but perhaps we could have still made significant accomplishments in the war against terror without such high costs. I don't know, I don't have the facts to make a certain evaluation, and I still think that more time will permit a better evaluation of the success of our efforts in Iraq.

re: 1:17

08:47 - "if there's "no real way of knowing" how can we justify this war? on the far-fetched and historically short-sighted hunch of a warhawk?"

We can't justify this war because you said on June 29, "is war ever justified? never."

re: DAC's post

00:24 - Please note DAC's post from this morning that I had overlooked until now.

You think we're less safe now, President Bush thinks we're safer. There's no real way of knowing and I think that to debate this further would be futile since we are both without substantial factual ground to support our arguments.

victory in my war...?

11:01 - Well, the rebate people responded and said that my rebate was now being processed and a check would arrive in 6-8 weeks. So, that was easy, but I'm quite skeptical. I don't trust them much since last time they said that I hadn't even submitted a rebate and now they're saying that my rebate is being processed, with no further comment about my supposedly invalid UPC. It seems strange to me that they would so quickly change their story. Perhaps a different person checked up on the rebate this time and the previous person that contacted me had simply made a mistake. Perhaps they're running a scam and using the excuse that the UPC is invalid they don't issue rebates, unless someone complains, in which case, they send the rebate to avoid trouble (perhaps from the BBB). Fortunately, their promise was via e-mail, so if any more problems arise, I will have proof that they promised my rebate.

I do! (another response)

00:52 - I do look back on those times positively, they were and are good and worthwhile times that I do not want to eliminate from my life. My point was, basically, that we do our usual things very - perhaps too - frequently, and so I want to do other, more exciting, things as well.

response

00:46 - I was referring not only to terrorism against American troops but also to terrorism against American civilians. Furthermore, to claim that "hundreds of times more" bystanders suffer human rights abuses because of increased pressure on countries to eliminate local terrorists is a bold assertion that I have difficulty accepting. I would like to know the truth about how human rights are being violated in other countries as a direct result of pressure from the U.S. Though your estimate of "hundreds of times more" may be close to accurate, it is impossible to say, not only because we do not know the number of human rights abuses ocurring but becuase we can never know the number of Americans (troops and civilians) that would have died if we had not applied such pressure to other countries.

this summer and me

23:04 - Right now, for me, things are pretty good because they're not bad, it's been great having the room to myself and actually having some free time this half of the summer. Usually, I don't have much free time because I'm working, schooling, studying, or spending time with friends and so I don't have free time to allocate. Now that I do have free time though, I don't know what to do with it and I don't like to waste it. I fear that sometimes I am wasting what free time I have when I am not thoroughly enjoying it or doing something productive. I'm mostly referring to those times when I'm perusing my favorite links, looking for a site to visit, and then clicking on DAC's journal for the third time in the day.

I guess another small difficulty about this summer has been my isolation. I don't get to talk to many people and I don't see many people during the week. I've kind of gotten used to it lately, but I've been suffering from what I think might be insufficient social interaction. I suppose I'm not doing as much about it as I should, though I have been trying harder to have more creative outlets, and that helps some.

Unlike last summer, which was intended to be the best summer ever, this summer has lacked much excitement. I guess I haven't strayed much from my routine. Routinely on Saturday night, I hang out with friends, we go to the Ballpark in Arlington, and then we argue about going to Adam's house afterwards and he always gives in and we go over there and sit around and watch TV or something and then we talk about going and getting desert somewhere and we sometimes do. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that, it's just that I also want to do some more memorable and exciting things that aren't so routine. I know I can't practically do something different and memorable every weekend, but when I get the chance I want to so that I can look back on my youth and be glad that I had good times and made good use of my youth. At the end of the summer I want to do something fun and exciting, like take a road trip, because I want to take advantage of my free time and take advantage of my youth, and take advantage of the opportunity to have a good time and make memories.

post sent via e-mail

22:30 - Sorry I didn't post earlier your post at 10:36, but I don't check that e-mail account very regularly.

The "first post" I was referring to last time was the one you posted late Sunday that digressed into discussing the futility of our efforts. I think you and I have already discussed whether we are fighting the war on terror in the best way, and since I would prefer not to continue this debate forever or re-cover old issues, I don't feel compelled to respond.

You almost seem agree with me that the democratization of Iraq would be a victory against terror. As for the prospects of the democratization process in Iraq, we've already discussed that as well.

I'm sure the families of Americans who have lost their lives to terrorism would be somewhat insulted by your likening of American deaths to the abrogation of civil and human rights. Clearly, both are undesirable, but to fail to differentiate the severity of the two is morally unconscionable.

New poll

18:15 - I have a new poll about my summer vacation. The previous poll, about Troby, showed that the people are fans of Troby. Click here for the results

Summer vacation

16:49 - I think that I would like to take a trip to Galveston sometime from August 6 to August 15. Texas beaches leave much to be desired, but I still think it would be lotsa fun to go to the beach with some friends. Lots of people like to swim in my pool, and the ocean is like an enormous swimming pool with waves and sand to play in. So far I don't know who might go with me, but if you might be interested, let me know. If nobody wants to go to the beach, let's think of somewhere else to go. I want to do something enjoyable and memorable.

This means war

16:23 - I bought 512 MB of memory at Circuit City for $110 and it had two reates. I've already received one, but I have not received the other one for $25. I sent in everything for it like they asked but I received a postcard that said they could not honor my rebate request because "The UPC symbol or proof-of-purchase tab you submitted is not valid for this promotion." So, I contacted the company to discuss this and they e-mailed me saying that I never submitted my rebate. Bullshit. So, now I am even more determined to get my rebate.

Movie Review: Dirty Harry

16:18 - I saw this film for the first time today, it's Troby's favorite. This is a very good film, it has plenty of humor, action, suspense, violence, and revenge. It was pretty well paced and it was exciting and entertaining. Guys will almost certainly enjoy this film more than the ladies.

Rating: 8/10

logical fallacies

00:59 - Remember when we learned about logical fallacies in Mrs. Booher's class and then for a while, whenever you and I would debate, we would strictly confront each other on the use of logical fallacies? I'm feeling nostalgic, so I'm not going to respond to your first post since it's mostly straw man.

However, I will repeat my principal assertions that started this debate, before we both digressed: "They [the terrorists] don't want Iraq to become a democracy. They would much rather the government collapse so that they can use Iraq has a safe haven again...The terrorists are trying to get the weaker countries to back out of the war on terror and they are succeeding...You cannot say that the successful invasion and democratization of Iraq would not be a victory against the terrorists."

You could say that Al-Qaeda is simply trying to get our weakest allies to withdraw because they don't like us and we have made attacks easier, which is probably true, but it's logical and certain that Al-Qaeda is upset that we removed the terrorist-friendly Hussein regime from Iraq.

As for your second post, as I understand it, you are saying that we should not pressure other countries into fighting terrorism because it can result in the abrogation of civil rights. I share your concern for civil rights, but Pakistan and Saudi Arabia don't, regardless of whether they're being pressured to fight terrorism. Would you rather more Americans die or for a few Pakistanis to be unjustly imprisoned? Having to choose between one or the other shows, however, that other methods for fighting terrorism should be explored.

And yes, the concern for not just civil rights but, more importantly, human rights was one of the reasons that I had heard to justify invading Iraq. I don't know if Bush mentioned it prior to the invasion, but I know that some people did.

Does anyone want my Aretha Franklin backup CD?

23:15 - I own "I've Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" by Aretha Franklin and for some reason it has the stereo versions of some songs tacked on to the end of the CD. I don't understand that, since I don't want to listen to the mono songs within the context of the album and then listen to the three songs with stereo versions. I just re-copied my backup copy so that the stereo versions are in the album where they're supposed to be. Anyway, I don't want my original backup copy, so I'd like to give it away. It's a very good album, it has "Respect."

What did you like to do as a kid?

22:53 - As you grow up, your interests become diluted and distracted by the pressures of adulthood, so it can be revealing to look back and remember what you enjoyed as a kid. What you like to do as a child is often a good indication of what you might like to do as an adult. For example, when I was a kid I liked to play with Legos and now I'm an engineering major. If all you did as a kid was watch TV and play video games, then it might be difficult for you to figure out how that translates into adulthood. Still, it can be interesting and self-revealing to reminisce like that.

I'm not going back to school

22:47 - I decided today that I'm not going back to school. At first I wanted to, just to show that I wasn't going to drop out just cuz I'm having a baby, but I decided it'd be better for us for me to just go get a job instead. People have tried to tell me that I should get an abortion so that I can go back to school, but I don't want to go back to school, it's all bullshit, I don't learn anything. I want to prove to everyone that I can raise this baby by myself. My mom said she'll watch the baby while I'm at work and Reggie said that he was going to help too, but everyone tells me that every guy says that, so whatever, I'm not expecting anything from him. I've been talking to Maura, she just had a baby, and she says that it's a lot of work, but that babies are a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to having it so I don't have to carry it around with me all the time! Well, I'm going to the mall now with Jackie, later I'll write about these cute earrings I bought yesterday.

Brendan's haircut

22:24 - Brendan starts space camp next week and his hair was a little shaggy so I took him to get a haircut today. On the way there I was talking to John on the phone and someone cut me off on the freeway. I almost got in a wreck, but thankfully I didn't. It was no big deal, some of my latte spilled on my car stereo and now the display on it doesn't work anymore, so I can't tell which track of my Enya CD I'm listening to and Brendan got a little scared. John got really concerned though, I kept telling him it was no big deal and he kept saying, "Are you sure you're okay?" It's like, John, I didn't even get in a wreck, calm down.

Brendan hates it when I take him to get his hair cut because I always take him to the place he's been going since he was a baby and I guess he thinks he's too old for such a kiddie place, but I think they usually do a better job, except for this time. When we got there I told the stylist that we just wanted his hair trimmed, but by the time she was done with it, she had practically shaved his head! I was so furious, he wanted to look good for camp, but now he looks like a Marine. As soon as he got home he put on his hat but I told him, "No hats indoors." I know he doesn't like how his hair looks, but he just shouldn't wear a hat inside.

Chrissa's looking forward to sending him to camp so that she won't have to fight with him over who gets to play the X-Box. For some reason she just doesn't like the Gamecube we got her, so we'll probably get her her own X-Box for her birthday (shh, don't tell her that). Anyway, I have to go make dinner, bye!

I might be willing to trade the following CDs

22:05 - I have quite a few CDs and sometimes I like to trade CDs because it's a free way to get new music. I might be willing to trade the following CDs, but only for something that I think I will like more. Almost all of the following CDs are pretty good, I just don't listen to them much. Let me know if any of them appeal to you and if you'd have anything you'd be willing to trade for them, I'd prefer not to trade money unless it's enough money for me to get another used CD.

Beck - Odelay
Can - Tago Mago
Canned Heat - The Best of Canned Heat
Cardigans, The - First Band on the Moon
Clapton, Eric - The Cream of Clapton
Coleman, Ornette - The Shape of Jazz to Come
Deep Purple - Best of
Doobie Brothers, The - Best of the Doobies
Gillespie, Dizzy - Ken Burns Jazz
The Jazz Collection (3 discs)
Kansas - Best of
Marley, Bob & the Wailers - One Love: The Very Best of
Matchbox 20 - Yourself or Someone Like You
Matrix, The - Soundtrack
Moby - 18
Nirvana - Nevermind
Nixons, The - The Nixons
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
OutKast - Big Boi & Dre Present…Outkast
Powell, Bud - The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1
Rush - Moving Pictures
Shankar, Ravi - The Sounds of India
Soft Machine, The - Volumes One and Two
Soundgarden - A-Sides
Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture
Who, The - My Generation: The Very Best of The Who
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Make fun of the dead

21:50 - When someone dies, traditonally society is supposed to mourn and "respect the dead," but what fun is that? That's depressing, who wants to mourn, especially for someone you don't know? Even though it's usually frowned upon, using humor to lighten things up by making fun of the dead is a good coping strategy to not get too upset or serious when there's little need to be. You don't want to joke about Dale Earnhardt in front of his family, but what does it hurt to play as him in a racing game and repeatedly crashing into a wall? Seriousness is overrated.

I had to get new license plates

21:45 - I had to get new license plates for my car, even though I didn't want to. I liked my old plates' simple design, consisting of a Texas flag and the state's nickname of, "The Lone Star State." My new plate has a less memorable number and several traditionally Texan icons, such as oil derricks, a cowboy on a horse, and a space shuttle that hasn't yet disintegrated.

re: Iraq is important 2

19:53 - Good point, but we have had troop presence in the Middle East for a long time, in fact U.S. troops' presence in Saudi Arabia is what made Bin Laden hate the U.S. so much. The invasion of Iraq has brought the terrorists to attack us much more aggressively than before, and it has also brought the terrorists to attack our allies with the specific goal of removing them.

response

19:49 - I'm sorry, but "withdraw to people get to trying be they would why then, analogy Antarctic your in as, climate tumultuous the of advantage take to trying simply were and neutral were terrorists the if" doesn't make any sense to me.

As I understand it, you're saying that terrorists are stronger now, despite losses, because "the status of popular opinion in their fighting grounds and the relative benefits brought to them" by our war against them, has made them stronger. I don't know much about these vague "relative benefits brought to them," but I will say that popular opinion, at least among nations, has turned against terrorists. Two terrorist-friendly regimes (those in Afghanistan and Iraq) have been replaced by terrorist-unfriendly democracies and two more countries (Saudi Arabia and Pakistan) have been pressured by us to fight against terrorism, and though they're not doing as much as they should, they are doing more to fight terrorism than they were.

And you are right, some of the attacks against coalition powers have been from "insurgents," but Al-Qaeda has been trying to get forces to withdraw as well (as you can see here).

Sincerely,
Troy

re: re: amendment I

18:49 - Al-Qaeda might attack us or our allies in a violent Antarctic climate, but in Iraq they strategically attacked Spain and the Philippines in order to get them to leave Iraq. If the terrorists were neutral and were simply trying to take advantage of the tumultuous climate, as in your Antarctic analogy, then why would they be trying to get people to withdraw?

It is wrong for Spain and the Philippines to leave Iraq, perhaps they should not have been there in the first place, but to withdraw as an immediate result of terrorism is ceding a terrorist victory.

Also, I must again contend with your assertion that we have made terrorsists stronger. In the past few years we have captured or killed many terrorists, I just don't see how they could be stronger now than they were in the past.

Sincerely,
Troy

Terror in the Skies, Again?

11:37 - This story about suspcious acting Syrians aboard an aircraft is troublesome.

re: dear anonymous - Amendment I

10:21 - Though you could argue that the U.S. is being attacked more simply because of our increased presence, it's difficult to explain away why the terrorists have attacked Spain and threatened the Philippines. Al-Qaeda documents show that al-Qaeda specifically targeted Spain to get Spain to withdraw from Iraq. Why would al-Qaeda be trying to remove coalition forces from Iraq? It's not just becuase they are better targets, because the attack against Spain was carried out in Spain. It's undeniable that al-Qaeda wants coalition forces out and so if we stay and secure democracy for Iraq, we will have scored a victory against the terrorists.

re: dear anonymous

00:44 - Okay, your analogy makes sense, terrorists could just be attacking in Iraq so much because they don't like us. However, I must disagree when you say that we have "generally made it easier for them." Though we have made ourselves bigger targets, we have also detrimented them significantly. I don't have any data, but we have captured or killed many members of and leaders of al-Qaida. I don't know how big al-Qaida is or how many people we've eliminated, but as I understand it, al-Qaida is in worse condition than they were a few years ago. I might be wrong, but without facts it's hard to say.

re: dear troby

00:35 - Great idea! You can now submit your problem, comment, complaint, or social security number to Troby and he will respond.

Unknown Outlook Express shortcut

23:24 - In Outlook Express when I'm writing an e-mail, if I type the word "you", sometimes the spell checker comes up automatically before I type the letter "u". Does anyone know why this happens? I've tried to make it happen intentionally, without success, because I don't know what keystrokes cause this. The shortcut to check the spelling is F7, according to the menu. This continues to baffle me, but I suppose some day I'll figure it out.

I wrote this last night and I don't know what to make of it

23:01 - I'm trying to come up with new facets for my page. I came up with "Dear Troby", which has been a hit, and so I'm trying to come up with other ideas, perhaps other characters, that I could add to my page to permit me to exercise and expand my abilities in order to make this page a more amusing and thought-provoking place to go. So, anyway, I'm just trying to think of other things to do, and yesterday I wrote this pretty quickly, pretty easily, and though I'm not really sure if I want to do anything else with this character, I'm presenting it to you in its unpolished form rather than simply deleting it. It's not written that well, but I was startled that I could write something from the perspective of a housewife so easily.

Today I had to take Chrissa to the doctors. She's been having this cough for the past week and so I had to take her in this morning. Of course she didn't want to get out of bed, but she was able to fall asleep while we were waiting. The doctor said it was just a cold, so we were both relieved, she should be better soon. I took her back home just in time to catch my soaps. Did you know that [insert stupid character here] on [stupid show] is pregnant/getting married/getting engaged/ leaving/getting divorced/having an affair? This afternoon I met with Kathy and I found out that her son now has a girlfriend! They're only 13, and she's a little skeptical, but I think it's cute. She also tells me that they're thinking of moving to Michigan because her husband might be transferred there. I was a little disappointed, but there's really only an outside chance of it happening, she doesn't want to move the kids very much, so she'll probably stay. Anyway, before I knew it, it was time for me to make dinner. My husband was to be home within an hour, so I had to figure out what to make. I really just wanted to do left overs, but I know how he hates leftover meatloaf, so I perused my recipe book for a little bit and decided to make baked chicken casserole with sauteed mushrooms and onions, and his favorite biscuits. Fortunately, everything was done just as he walked in the door. He had a tough day at work (again) so he didn't feel like talking much, but the kids cheered him up. After I cleaned up dinner, I sat down with him and we watched Law & Order and Fear Factor, his two favorite shows. I think Chrissa started to feel better already, but she went to bed early anyway. Well, goodnight!

I checked this paragraph with The Gender Genie as a blog entry, and The Gender Genie said that the paragraph was written by a female.

what is the point of cheerleaders?

22:58 - I do not understand why cheerleaders exist. I can understand why they were invented, since at one point they were used to motivate the crowd to cheer for their team and surely were an important part of crowd participation. However, they have become obsolete. Now what do cheerleaders do? I mean, I guess they cheer, but nobody really listens to them. They also do gymnastics, but I don't really know how that inspires cheering for the team, it seems like their stunts would divert attention away from the players on the field. At the professional level, they're even more unnecessary, since the stadiums are much larger and their cheers are even more inaudible and ignored.

It seems that cheerleaders are simply meant to attract attention by making noise, doing gymnastics, and showing enough skin to attract a jock to marry, who will support them while they remain unemployed and raise cheerleading daughters.

list of local radio stations

22:48 - This site has a list of radio stations in Dallas/Fort Worth with a short description of what they play. If you have difficulty filling your 18 radio station presets on your car stereo, you might want to check this list out for ideas.

walking is fun

21:47 - I don't know if I've said this before, but I really like to walk when the weather is comfortable.

re: ELECTION PREDICTION

21:45 - I had seen that before. When I tried to visit it again the server was down, but you all should go when you get a chance, it's pretty funny.

The War on Terror

18:06 - Why do you think terorrists keep attacking Iraq and taking hostages? Of course, it's because they don't want Iraq to become a democracy. They would much rather the government collapse so that they can use Iraq has a safe haven again. Have you noticed that terrorists have been trying to get other countries to withdraw from Iraq? For example, terrorists attacked Spain, which then withdrew troops from Iraq. Just recently, terrorists abducted a Filipino to get the Philippines to withdraw from Iraq. The terrorists are trying to get the weaker countries to back out of the war on terror and they are succeeding.

You can say that maybe Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction and you can say that maybe Iraq didn't have definite ties with al-Qaida. But, you cannot say that the successful invasion and democratization of Iraq would not be a victory against the terrorists. If invading Iraq was not an attack on terror, then why are the terrorists fighting back?

election prediction

23:33 - Bush will be re-elected if Osama Bin Laden is caught and I'm making a bold prediction that Bin Laden will be caught before the election.

Engineering class kinda sucks

15:53 - My engineering class has been my least favorite class this summer, mostly because the class is boring. It's not that I don't like engineering, it's just that engineering class makes me want to go back to my engineering internship, which is much more enjoyable. I don't understand why the professor spends most of the time deriving equations - the method of derivation might be nice to know, but it's not very applicable. Engineering isn't bad, I just sort of dislike the class; some other majors might be easier and more enjoyable, but I don't know of any major that would suit me better.

Movie Review: Rear Window

15:34 - Rear Window is a film by Alfred Hitchcock that is filmed almost entirely from inside a man's apartment. The man has a broken leg and spends a lot of his time watching his neighbors in the apartment across the courtyard. He suspects that a murder has occured in another apartment but he has a difficult time proving it to others. The film's a little slow, but it's still interesting and entertaining to see things from his perspective. It reminds me of Psycho.

Rating: 7/10

turn the sprinklers off

15:30 - A couple times this summer I have walked by the soccer fields at school around noon and the sprinklers were on. One of those times, it was raining, and the other two it was hot and bright outside. The sprinklers are ostensibly on a timer, but I don't understand why the sprinklers would be on at noon. If you water during the day, most of the water evaporates, why wouldn't they just set the sprinklers to be on at night? This isn't very uncommon, lots of places water during the day or during rain storms, why? So much water is wasted that way, it's ridiculous.

Everbody's favorite: Dear Troby

14:24 - There is a new Dear Troby today. I hope it pleases you.

The Federal Marriage Amendment

23:17 - I haven't spoken much about the proposed amendment to the constitution that would ban homosexual marriage mostly because I thought it was a ridiculous idea that would never come close to passage. However, as I understand it, some people in congress are actually devoting time to promote this bill in order to debate it. I think that discussing it in congress is an absurd waste of time. The amendment will never pass and if it does, it will be repealed. The FMA is contrary to many conservatives' preference of letting the states decide many issues, the FMA is unnecessary, and, unlike terrorism and AIDS, I don't think anyone has lost their life or their health to homosexual marriage. There are many much more important issues to discuss.

Lesley visited me

22:56 - Today Lesley visited me at school since she is indefinitely off of work and I only have one class on Tuesdays and had free time this afternoon. We borrowed Rear Window from the library and watched it and hung out and walked around campus for a while. I don't know what I would've done if she hadn't come. Tuesdays are the best days for people to visit me since I only have one class Tuesdays.

results of my two facts and one lie

15:47 - Today in class my two facts and one lie were presented by my teacher. She read them off and then asked people to vote for which one is the lie. "My parents are from West Germany," received no votes. "I'm going to work for Lockheed in the fall," received one vote from someone who voted for it only because nobody else voted. "I'm a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys," received the remainder of the votes. Apparently most people in the class thought it was ridiculous for someone in Dallas to be a big fan of the local football team with a history of excellence and a promising season ahead of them.

I might not have a three week vacation, after all

14:13 - I talked to someone at Lockheed who is going to talk to my boss to see if I can start August 16, like I had wanted, rather than on August 30. So, maybe I won't have three weeks off, after all. I will still have one week off, which should be sufficient. I'd rather work those two weeks and make money since I don't know what I could possibly do with three weeks of time off.

AIDS is bad but this is ridiculous

13:48 - Annan Says AIDS Fight Must Match War on Terror. Both AIDS and terrorism claim lots of lives, but nobody gets up in the morning, goes to work, and gets infected by a large metal bullet of AIDS crashing into their building. No Naval vessel is infected by a capsule of AIDS that explodes part of the ship and leaves 17 people dead from AIDS and dozens irreversibly infected. People can completely protect themselves from being infected by AIDS, outside of drug transfusions, unlike victims of terrorism.

It's a good idea for the world to fight against diseases that kill lots of people, but if we are to fight AIDS, we ought to fight all other diseases as well.

Tonker

10:36 - Remember how I made up the word "tonker"? Well, someone stole it and decided to use it to sell motorcycle accessories. I guess I'll have to come up with a new word.

this color scheme is based on...

22:39 - A can of Country Time Lemonade, "There's never been anything close to a lemon in it, I swear!"

Poll

16:28 - New poll.

this half of the summer is alright (splended isolation)

16:08 - I thought that this half of the summer would be worse than the first half, but it is actually better. Though I'm here more days of the week and I'm even more isolated because I don't have a roommate, my sociology class has had a significantly lighter work load than my human rights class and so it's more relaxing. Life is good, I guess.

Saturday swimming

16:05 - For the first time this summer I went swimming with many of my friends. We hung out and then went swimming and then went to TGI Fridays where I had an Oreo Madness. I had a good time, I think ten years later I'll look back on it and think to myself, "those were the days," and then pull the trigger.

Pentagon and enemy combatants

15:42 - Why is the Pentagon trying so hard to deny basic rights to enemy combatants?

AIDS prevention

15:24 - Some people seem upset that some other people don't want to focus entirely on condoms as the way to prevent AIDS. I don't really see why people would be so opposed to the way Uganda has been doing things.

expiring water

14:55 - I got some bottled and purified drinking water because I like to drink water and buying bottled water is the best way to have readily available cold water in my dorm. The bottle says, "enhanced with minerals for fresh taste" and there is an expiration date on the bottle. I'm guessing that it's the minerals that would cause the water to expire, but nevertheless, it's ridiculous for bottled water to expire.

re: re: roomatelessness

12:37 - Yes, a sex fort, where the only thing impenetrable is the fort.

re: roomatelessness

14:00 - Actually, I think I'll remove his mattress and prop it against my bed so I can hide under my bed and use it as a fort.

time off before work

09:48 - My last day of summer school is August 6 and I was hoping to have a week off before starting work, but I don't think my employer will need me until August 30, so I might have three weeks off before starting work. That's a little disappointing, I don't know what I'll do with three weeks with absolutely nothing to do. Maybe I'll read a book or two.

another thing I might do to my room

09:46 - I'm thinking about moving the beds together, bringing some extra sheets, and then effectively having a queen size bed. The beds we have now are pretty small, but I dunno if it would be worth it.

First big change since my roommate left

23:40 - I've been here since Tuesday with no roommate, but I haven't really done anything differently than I did when he was here. I knew that I should make the most of this, but I wasn't very clear on how I should. Tonight I made my first big change by relocating his desk from the opposite side of the room to putting it next to my desk so that I have twice the desk space. I've always liked lots of desk space and moving his desk makes things much better. This is luxury. Let me know if you can think of anything else that I can do to make my roommate-less life better.

Movie review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

15:39 - I wasn't particularly impressed by this film. It was appealing to the eye, with the interesting scenery and whatnot, but underneath it was a simple kids film, though certainly much better than most other kids films. It certainly wasn't bad, but I just didn't think it was that great.

Rating: 5/10

Movie review: JFK

15:33 - This film offers impressive insight into the Kennedy assassination. It's a long film, but I wasn't too bored. The film gives Americans a reason to question their government and want to know the truth about the Kennedy assassination by illustrating the suspicious circumstances surrounding it.

Rating: 8/10

my two facts and one lie

14:59 - I decided to say that my parents were from West Germany, I'm going to work for Lockheed in the fall, and that I'm a big Dallas Cowboys fan.

did you know this about laws against auto theft?

23:53 - I learned in class today that stealing a car that is worth less than $20,000 is a 4th level felony and sends the criminal to a state jail, whereas stealing a car worth more than $20,000 is a 3rd level felony and sends the criminal to a federal pound-me-in-the-ass penitentary. I don't know where you go if you steal a car worth exactly $20,000.

Troby time

23:36 - Troby has been updated and because laziness won out I won't post Troby here, but all you have to do is click on the link to read.

I need to concoct two facts and one lie

23:27 - For my wellness class I have to come up with two facts and one untruth about myself so that I can present them all as facts and let the class try to discern the lie. I don't know any interesting facts about myself and I don't know what kind of believable lie I could manufacture. Let me know if you have any ideas.

First day of crime and delinquency class

23:25 - This class seems okay, it will be more enjoyable than my human rights class, I think, since the subject isn't so upsetting and the professor seems amusing. We discussed criminal law and hate crime legislation. I think this class won't be too difficult, I have to read two books but I don't think I'll have nearly as many papers to write.

By the way, I am opposed to hate crime legislation because it is undeniably thought policing.

Today is "Cost of Government Day"

17:54 - Which means that the average American "has earned enough in cumulative gross income to pay for their share of government spending (total federal, state, and local), plus the cost of regulation." Yay, after this day you actually get to keep the money that you make.

Color scheme brought to you by...

17:12 - Lesley, who volunteered to exercise her creative talent to bring you the colors that we have today.

Troby now has his own page

17:07 - I have compiled the "Dear Troby" columns on another page. I haven't decided whether new posts will appear here first and then be copied to the page or whether I'll just direct you to the page. One way would make it easier for you, the other would make it easier for me.

New Homework Page

16:34 - I have a new page that has a lot of the homework I have done while in college. Most people probably won't be interested, but why shouldn't I put it online? Maybe I've written something that someone would like to read.

who likes birds?

16:03 - Everyone likes birds, don't they? Everyone's always buying birdseed and making bird houses and blowing kisses at all the stupid birds. I don't get it, what good are birds? Their chirping can be okay sometimes, but at other times it's just annoying. There's a stupid bird that stays in front of my dorm room and it used to chirp really loudly in the morning and wake me up, and it wasn't an elaborate or enjoyable chirp, it just sounded like a slide whistle. Anyway, so maybe their chirping isn't that bad, but you cannot deny that their constant excrement exuding is annoying. People have to wash their cars a lot more often because these stupid birds won't control their crap. It's annoying and gross, I don't crap in their nests, but maybe I should. Anyway, my point is that birds are annoying. I wish all the birds would get driven to the country and that our fair city would get overrun with bats. Bats actually do useful things, like eat bugs, and they don't come out until night time. What a considerate animal! The bat should be our national mascot, forget the eagle, I hate the Eagles.

I walk fast

14:48 - I don't know why I naturally walk faster than most people. When I'm walking by myself and I'm going somewhere, I usually walk fast enough to pass most people even when I'm not in a hurry. Maybe I don't walk fast, I think everyone else just walks slow.

no roommate

19:25 - The summer semester is divided into two parts, and my roommate had to move out because he isn't taking any classes for the second part, so now I have the room all to myself. It will be interesting to have the room to myself, I don't think I've realized the significance of this yet. If anyone wants to spend the night, or, heck, move in, I have an extra mattress.

I need to update

13:18 - I know, I need a new poll and new colors...

wellness class

13:15 - This semester I'm taking a "Wellness" class, which as I understand it is just a fancy name for "health-related blowoff." The class will cover topics such as "spirituality," "stress management," "relationships," and "life lessons." Only four students showed up today. The teacher is your typical female coach/P.E. teacher, short hair, a face that hasn't been touched by makeup since she discovered her true self in college, at least one stud earring, workout shorts at all times, and enthusiasm, evidenced by the blaring of Jock Jams to acommpany her "What is Wellness?" slideshow.

long weekend

13:08 - This weekend was pretty long, it started late Wednesday evening and I returned to school this morning. I didn't do anything too exciting, unfortunately, but I did a good bit of relaxing and hanging out with the girlfriend. On Sunday we found a good spot to watch the fireworks, from which we saw at least three legitimate fireworks shows, the one from Concerts in the Garden, LaGrave Field, and what I thought was Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic but now I'm not sure. It was a nice weekend, I forgot about school, but now I'm back to be reminded of school and all the toil it entails.

L.A. Times/Sudan

01:32 - Here's a piece that vilifies the L.A. Times. I don't really want to argue this, I think we can agree that all newspapers are somewhat biased in one direction or another and that we should consider potential biases when evaluating the information they present.

I don't know if you all are aware that there's a significant ethnic cleansing campaign going on in Sudan. Here's an article that talks a little bit about it.

I don't approve of this censorship, either

01:23 - "China to Target Mobile Phone Messaging [for censorship]" and "U.S. news networks agreed to let the American military censor out certain images of Saddam Hussein's court hearing Thursday in Baghdad"

regarding video censorship

20:18 - Primarily of the right? I don't know about that, the article was written by the L.A. Times, a newspaper known for its liberalism. Besides, many conservatives who favor censorship of the videos also favor censorship in general. You might be on to something, but I think you're jumping a little too far to a conclusion.

my goal in life is to get better mileage

12:03 - When I got gas last weekend, I got like 32.4 miles per gallon, which exceeds my car's EPA ratings for the highway by more than 3 MPG, so that made me wonder how good my mileage could be. So now my goal in life is to exceed 32.4 miles per gallon, so if you see me turn my engine off and coast to a stop light, you'll know why. No, just kidding, I'm not going to do anything that ridiculous.