So can I infer from this nomination that immigration and border security are no longer a concern?

If you have listened to Hannity or Rush in the past couple of months, you have almost certainly heard them talk about how we need to have more secure borders, and more controls on immigration. I do not necessarily disagree with that to an extent, even though I think the Homeland Security Department has been at the least a disappointment and at most an abject failure. But more on that some other time.

Considering how big of an issue these topics are, you would think that President Bush would make his nomination someone with vast law enforcement and/or immigration enforcement experience, perhaps someone from the FBI, DEA, or even within customs or maybe even a former police chief from a border area. So who does he nominate? The niece of the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Her name is Julie Myers. Nothing against her, she has worked in the government for years, and she is a lawyer. But where exactly from being a lawyer working in the Treasury and Justice departments and being a fed. Prosecutor for a short stint does this qualify her for such a post. More importantly, how in the hell is she the most qualified nomiation. This smells more like political hack, ala Micheal (Brownie you are doing a heck of a job) Brown than anything else. No offense to Miss Myers, I just don't think she is qualified for a position that is crucial right now. The funny part is that I have not heard the Republican talking heads really criticize this so far. Maybe I missed it, but I myself have not heard it. I would like to see someone justify her being picked for this spot but good luck with that. Come on you conservatives, show me what ya got and take the challenge. I won't be holding my breath.

Before any liberals get too pumped up critiquing Bush for cronyism, remember that this kind of stupid shit has been done by both parties since the beginning of politics so neither party is above reproach on this one.

Here is a link to the story from the Washington Post (insert the usual old, tired ass liberal media argument here):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901930.html

Missouri to use cell phone data to update traffic conditions, privacy activists in uproar as usual

Sorry for the long title but had to get that all in there. My good friend, MODOT, on the receiving end of much criticism from yours truly has actually done something good here. Or at least they will be. They are planning to use cell phone data to help pinpoint traffic snarls as they develop. Privacy activists are, of course, worried that big brother is watching. Do these privacy activists actually have jobs or do they just spend all their time worrying about stupid shit?

This is a groundbreaking use of cell phone data. This system works by tracking cell phone locations and speed of movement basically. If you have enough phones to track, you get enough data to make this thing work. Apparently it has not been done on this large of scale before.

Read the story here, from Yahoo via AP:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051015/ap_on_hi_te/monitoring_motorists

Hooray for Harkin

Okay, I am not always a fan of Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, I probably sided more with Grassley when they were on opposite sides on an issue, but I applaud Sen. Harkin for his efforts to reform gov't funded Section 8 housing rules. Sen. Harkin is trying to get the rules changed for gov't subsidized housing after numerous reports of college students living in these government subsidized units. Particularly bad was a report that the son of University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was living in government subsidized low income housing while he is on a football scholarship and dear ol Dad rakes in probably a million plus a year. The fact that there has not been more of an outcry shows how reluctant Hawkeye fans are to criticize one of their own.

You can read the story, from the Des Moines Register, at the link below:
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051012/NEWS08/510120366/1001/NEWS

Website of the week, Oct. #2

Here is a good site, one that is sort of a watchdog and frequent critic of government spending. Check especially under the investigations link on the site for some interesting stuff. It is also mostly non partisan, which I like. You should particularly read the one about The Dept. of Homeland Security.

Here is the link:
http://www.pogo.org/

Website of the week

Those of you that read this blog on at least a semi-regular basis know that I abhor the idiocy and hypocrisy of the religious right (also known as the religious wrong), so I could not pass up the chance to bash on them and particularly the king dumbass of all religious types, Pat Robertson.

Check out this site:
http://www.ihatepatrobertson.com/