Will we be heading this way?

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/03/international/europe/03PETE.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6210255/EU-funding-Orwellian-artificial-intelligence-plan-to-monitor-public-for-abnormal-behaviour.html

http://www.newsweek.com/id/215564?GT1=43002

The Russians are trying to, in select areas, force people to quit swearing. I understand in certain places, eg. children's schools. obcenity is unwarranted, but doesn't this go a bit beyond even censorship? One of the articles above concerns the funding by the European Union to find means of monitoring for "abnormal behaviour". Who'll decide "abnormal behaviour"? I also wonder how long it'll take before we begin to look into such things here.

Not the best thing I've started a morning with...

http://raymankojast.blogspot.com/2009/06/yesterday-i-wrote-note-with-subject.html

If this doesn't tear you up inside and leave your heart a lead weight in your chest; then you're not human. Many people, more eloquent than myself, have commented on how we Americans take things for granted. This shows why our Bill of Rights is so important and worth defending. I feel so sorry for her family and hope that her sacrifice was not in vain.

No more fiddlin' for you!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero
On this day, centuries ago, the world lost a great artist. He was an Emperor, as well !

Water Blues

Politically, I consider myself an Independant, though I straddle the line between Libertarian and Republican for the most part. Today, the Libertarian in me is really on the rise as I had to deal with one branch of government I have little use for, the Georgia EPD.
Now, just so people understand, I realize we need an EPD. We just don't need the current, monolithic, Byzantine, unapproachable, bureacratic EPD we have. The town I work for, which will go unnamed, has to turn in six samples a month to check for organic contamination (E. Coli, etc.) to the State labs. Last month, one came back positive, so we did a re-test with four more samples. One of these came back positive (not the same one) so we have to alert every water customer in the City that we may contaminated water. The problem is, any number of things may have compromised the samples. We take these from outside faucets and while the bottles are sterile, the environment isn't. However, there is no appeal process for this situation. We have to notify several thousand people (small town) and let them know the water may have been compromised. Therefore, at the very least, I can look forward to days of people calling me blaming us for diarhea and stomach aches and possibly even lawsuits.