Damn Government....

Well, it seems that the legislature has gotten a taste of their own medicine, and it doesn't look like they like it.

Bear in mind that I am an Astronomy grad student, so anything contained in this blog is pure speculation.

Anyway, it seems to me that the FBI's actions could VERY WELL fall under the jurisdiction of the Patriot Act. (Jill, other people of the legal persuasian, could you comment on this?) The senator (Jefferson, I think is his name) had been caught in a bribery scheme to bribe some Nigerian government official. Nigeria is in Africa, which is kinda close to the middle east (a lot closer than we are, anyway), which is a hot-bed of terrorism, right? So, couldn't the FBI claim that they were acting to protect our government from a terrorist threat?

I know, it's a bit of a stretch, but not an extreme one. The lawmakers are all up-in-arms about this "breach of the Constitution" when they have repeatedly used this hallowed document to wipe the mud from their boots after mucking around with our Civil Rights.

I agree, they should be upset at this over-stepping of constitutional powers, but I am really finding it hard to feel pity for them. After all, they basically gave the FBI a carte blanche.

Silly people...

Legalize Drugs

I just got finished watching an episode of Penn and Teller's show "Bullshit!". This particular episode was on the "War on Drugs". I have to say, they made some convincing arguments. There are a hell of a lot of similarities between the war on drugs and prohibition. And, from what little I know about prohibition, it seems like it was a phenomonally stupid idea. The more I think about it, the more the libertarian inside me comes to the surface.

Their section on medicinal marijuana was very good. Did you know that the Federal Government actually provides 7 (count them, 7) people with pot cigarettes? They're the vestiges of a medicinal marijuana program they started way back when. They actually showed a shot of one of the guys lighting up a joint right in front of the capital building. I grinned.

Legalizing drugs seems like it would alieviate a lot of society's problems. You'd immediately kill the black market, and a great deal of the criminal underworld would suddenly be out of a job. I suppose there'd be a little re-adjustment process, and probably the economies of a few latin american nations would suffer a bit, but I think that's a far cry better than all the people currently dying in drug gang turf-wars. The border patrol probably wouldn't have to pack heat while patroling anymore, since no more heavily armed drug traffickers will have to cross illegally.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating putting crack vending machines in elementary schools. The money that now funds the DEA could instead be spent on educating people about the dangers of all the various drugs and rehab clinics.

Yeah, I know some people would OD and die, but doesn't that already happen with alcohol? And what about tobacco? At least if they're legal, we can regulate them.

Right now, I'm not exactly positive if I completely support legalizing drugs across the board, but I'm pretty positive I support legalizing marijuana. I've never smoked it, but from what I can tell, the side-effects are no worse than alcohol. Plus, I don't think there's a pot equivalent to alcohol poisoning.

serrano peppers

Note to self: (and anyone else who tries to make Thai food)

Serrano peppers are really freakin' hot! My taste buds can handle them, but my fingers and mouth cannot. I tried this Thai beef recipie, and it called for 14 serrano peppers. I only had 10, so I used them all. I had to "finely chop" the peppers and then grind them into a chunky paste with a mortar and pestle along with some garlic and onions. The directions failed to say that you really should wear gloves when chopping serranos, or that you should have a well-ventilated kitchen when you are stir-frying these peppers.

My lungs were suffering while I was making it, and my fingertips and lips feel like they are on fire now, even after taking a shower. Well, they don't exactly feel like they're on fire, they feel like they've been frozen and are thawing out by a hot fire. Not exactly pleasant.

The food was good though.

Get Kinky!!!

Kinky Friedman should make it on the ballot! He turned in almost 170,000 signatures, so now the secretary of state has to validate the signatures, which could take an extremely long time. I gave Mandy and Mom each a Kinky bumper sticker. Maybe I'm just being extremely naieve, but I think he's got a shot. If he were toeing the line with Rick Perry with just the normal voters (i.e. those who normally give a shit about Texas politics) then he'd stand absolutely no chance, but I think Kinky's banking on people who normally don't vote. To me, that's the beauty of his campaign. He's getting people involved in politics who normally try to steer clear of the quagmire. That's what democracy is all about.

I don't think that Carole Keeton-Strayhorn is going to be a rather large threat. If anything, she'll pull votes away from Perry, since she's a partisan republican in all but name, and seems to be quite well versed in the lingo of outrage (i.e. the press releases on her website tend to be quite bombastic and sensational... She's always "blasting" Perry, or "demanding" extra votes, or "condemning"... Smacks of politics if you ask me...). She also paid for over half of her petition signatures. Kinky got 90% of his with volunteers.

C'mon Texas... Get Kinky!

CD's I want

This post is primarily to jot down CDs that I really want. Just to give you an idea of my musical tastes.

• Bruce Robison
  
• Max Stalling
  
• the Dixie Chicks
  
• James McMurtury
  
• Led Zepplin
  
• Metallica - S&M
  

This is only a partial list, so I may update it later...

We Are the Champions!

Right now, there is a (probably) drunk homeless dude singing We Are The Champions outside my apartment window. There's not much else I can do, but shake my head and say "that's Austin for you."

Also, I've been spending WAAAY too much time in front of a computer. I need to get out more.

Also, the monochrometer that our group built for the instrumentation class worked like a charm!

Stolen from Yellow Snapdragons...

Accent: I say 'Ya'll", but I don't really think I have a texan accent

Booze: yup. Tom Collins is my friend. Also good are Redneck Mimosas (lonestar and OJ)

Chore I Hate: Cleaning the bathroom

Dog or Cat: Dog, but cats are cool too.

Essential Electronics: alarm clock

Favorite Cologne: I prefer to shower instead...

Gold or Silver: no preference

Hometown: Garland, Texas

Insomnia: possibly in like 4th grade, but I've since found a cure for that... CLASS!!

Job Title: Data Monkey (a.k.a. Grad Student)

Kids: Sure, why not (in like 10 years)

Living Arrangements: I live with me, myself, and I in a 1-1 stumbling distance from the Crown, Trudy's, and Campus.

Most Admirable Traits: I'm honest

Number of States Lived In: 1 (Texas)

Overnight Hospital Stays: 1 (see my post on snowboarding...)

Phobias: singing or dancing in public

Quote: "There are only two things that I know are infinite: Human stupidity and the Universe... and I'm not sure about the Universe." -- Albert Einstein

Religion: Agnostic

Siblings: 1 sister

Time I Wake Up: 20 minutes before class

Unusual Talent or Skill: I can flip my pen around my thumb and back again... I know... not really unusual, but I like it.

Vegetable I Love: Broccoli

Worst Habit: Procrastinating

X-rays: Teeth, and I think they took one when I had my concussion (see hospital stays)

Yummy Foods I Make: Spagetti, although I'm trying to learn how to cook Thai food.

Zodiac Sign: Don't ask me... I'm an astronomer, not an astrologer...