Go to this link. Note that he also plans to vote against a 4th seat in the House for Utah because the powers in the House want to piggyback the bill with a seat for Washington D.C. The rare example of a politician sticking to his principals even when it is not convenient to do so. Hopefully the Hill doesn't ruin him.
The Closing of Guantanamo Bay
This issue is complicated, so let's break it up into smaller issues:
1. Should terrorists be detained?
A. Yes.
2. Should terrorists be detained indefinitely?
A. Confirmed terrorists, Yes.
3. Should terrorists be tortured?
A. Honestly, this is a tough question to answer. If you watch enough 24, you begin to think that those who oppose torture are crazy idealists who don't see the big picture. I am confident that information has been extracted via torture that has saved many innocent lives. Does this make it right? If it is confirmed that the terrorist is responsible for x number of lives and the terrorist most likely has information that would tremendously aid in the war against terror (i.e. save innocent lives), is torturing appropriate? Hmmm...that is a tough one...let's label this one "undecided."
4. Should innocent people be detained indefinitely?
A. No. In my opinion, there clearly has to be a way for an innocent person to prove his/her innocence (regardless of their nationality). Detaining innocent people is never appropriate.
5. Given the answer to 4, should potential detainees be given access to our court systems?
Absolutely not. Giving potential detainees access to the court system would require the evidence against the detainee to be declassified or potentially leaked. Any appeal process (or trial) must occur within the Armed Forces where confidentiality can be maintained.
Given the answers to all of the above questions, I would probably lean towards keeping Guantanamo open with a fair appeal/trial system. I trust Obama is not dumb enough to let confirmed terrorists go free...and I also hope he doesn't give them access to our court systems. It will be interesting to see what actually happens. If the restrictions are loosened and terrorists go home only to turn around and join the forces of Al Queda, Obama will have committed political suicide. My guess is he won't end up taking that risk. If Guantanamo actually closes, another facility will likely replace it under a similar premise. I don't see how much will change.
I have been meaning to blog for quite some time about Obama's first actions as President of the United States. Unfortunately, he is doing stuff so fast that it will be hard to blog about everything in one sitting. In the near future, I will cover my opinions about the closing of Guantanamo Bay, the rescission of the Mexico City Policy, and the Simulus Package. For now, the inauguration speech
Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address
When I first watched Obama's speech, I liked it a lot. It seemed to talk favorably about the Constitution:
"...America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents."About government spending:
"And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government."About the value of the people:
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things...About faith in God and the people...not the government:
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.About the Armed Forces:
...we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains...We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.But...after my sister-in-law disagreed with my initial conclusions, I read the speech again and must admit that I discovered many lines that made me less excited about the speech...concerning welfare:
The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.Demonizing America and other wealthy nations (despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary):
And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.The "government to the rescue" mentality:
The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its costs. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.All things considered, I still generally liked Obama's inauguration speech and hope that, throughout the next four years, he abides by the principles on which he elaborated (although I have already lost some of this hope in the past 6 days...which may give you insight into future posts).
Something has been irritating me all week...it has me more frustrated than the economy or the recent debacle of the Republican Party...you see...Saturday was torture for about 40 minutes in basketball time. The Maryland Terrapins (the winner of the 2002 national championship) have reached an all-time low. It is hard for me even to say, but the Terps were dominated by Duke on Saturday. 85 - 44! They honestly looked like a high-school team out there. Vasquez looked like he had 0% confidence that anybody else on the team could score a bucket. It was like a pick-up game where a really good player realizes he is screwed because he missed all his free throws to make it on the good team and was left to play with the 4 crappy players that NEVER make it on the first team. You know...one of those games where the good player on the crappy team doesn't dare pass it to his teammates, so he just drives into traffic, does a 180 in the air and throws it over his shoulder figuring this is the team's best chance to post a couple of points. What is with the Terps?!? They have one of the best coaches of all time in Gary Anderson. Is he struggling to recruit? Has he passed his prime? Can he possibly last another season like this without having a heart attack? All I know is that one of the reasons I always liked Maryland is you could never count them out in Cameron Indoor or the Dean Smith Center. I went into Saturday's game with this same attitude and came out of it wondering if it would ever be the same.
It is official...UDOT is officially borrowing from the French. The following is a rendering of what my interchange is supposed to look like in 2 years. A diverging diamond interchange (DDI). The first in North America. I have a bad feeling about this.
All opposition to French-idea-borrowing aside, I kind of like the design with only one hesitation: both directions of traffic cannot flow at the same time. Maybe it is better that one direction is always flowing than the traditional alternative of stopping both directions of traffic for left-hand turns...Maybe they should elevate one direction of traffic above the other...
My latest pet peeve: Blogs where the text scrolls independent of the background. Look around ladies, do you see any reputable sites that pull this kind of crap? (A smaller, but valid concern related to these same backgrounds is that if you pull them up on large screens, you are left with the edge of the background exposed with text spilling over into a white abyss). It seems that these "cute" backgrounds are taking over the blogging world. Please unite with me under the flag of avoiding another "what were we thinking" faux pas - you know, the cut your bangs straight across your forehead type of faux pas (ohh wait, that came back in)...rather...the half shirt type of faux pas (that was for you Kelsey)...rather...the capri type of faux pas where you look back at the picture and wonder how you didn't notice you looked like a pirate - unite with me to put a stop to this insanity....join the waters of BABTSIB (Bloggers Against Blogs with Text that Scrolls Independent of the Background). That is all.
My razor broke yesterday.
Braun Series 3 Razor (like the one I have): ~$50
Braun Series 5 Razor: ~$150
Braun Series 7 Razor: ~$200
In the immortal words of Karl Malone: "What have a Series 7 Razor did that a Series 3 Razor have not did?" Can the Series 7 possibly be worth the extra $150?
I believe I may have watched portions of the Rose Parade some years growing up, but I think those images and memories of the parade where lumped in the same general "parade" category in my brain. You know...the Rose Parade, the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, the Days of 47, Farmington Festival Days...they all have floats, bands, beauty queens, etc. This year is the first year that I watched the parade with actual interest as to what was going on. The thing that hit me about the Rose Parade is this: the Rose Parade is as close to parade socialism as we have in the United States of America. Every time a float came down the street, that weather dude who did the whole gastric bypass thing would announce, "and now we have the float that won the Friends of California Dolphins Award for the best use of bottlenose dolphins on a turquoise colored float." Seriously, this parade has more awards per float than my third-grade class where I believe I won the award for best smile. The following are real examples of the Rose Parade Awards:
The Sweepstakes Award - Most Beautiful Entry With Outstanding Floral Presentation and Design
The President's Award - Most Effective Floral Use & Presentation
The Director's Award - Outstanding Artistic Merit in Design & Floral Presentation
The Queen's Award - Most Effective Use & Display of Roses in Concept, Design & Presentation
The Isabella Coleman Award - Best Presentation of Color & Color Harmony Through Floral Use
Believe it or not, these awards were all awarded to different floats. I'm not sure how the distinction was drawn. In all, 25 awards where awarded to the field of 46 floats. USSA indeed.
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