Samsung says she DIDN'T die of cancer caused from their plant ...?

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15898

What fucking bullshit - 

"The decision is a victory for Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry (SHARPs) – a South Korean activist group made up of independent labor unions, human right groups, occupational safety and health (OSH) groups, progressive political parties, and workers’ organizations – who have been campaigning against Samsung after they chronicled the deaths of 10 workers from leukemia and lymphoma beginning in 2005 after working at the company’s factories in Gi-heung and On-Yang, South Korea."

No matter how hard I try not to feel it ...

... it's still painful to see stupidity and falsehood win over fact and honesty.

I should not be so surprised. I see things like happen all the time - at work, at home, on the street, on the bus. This is just another example.

All one can do is learn from this and try better and smarter next time.

Maybe it really is just me.

For a recent birthday treat, one of my kids requested a pie instead of a cake.

Must be from the Mrs.' side of the family.

Say it ain't so ...

I guess I can only say it for so long, before I'll have to pay blackmail money to keep this site up.

What the fuck am I talking about?

Why this - http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/11/so-the-internets-about-to-lose-its-net-neutrality/

"... in their questions and statements during oral argument, the judges have made clear how they planned to rule — for the phone and cable companies, not for those who use the internet. While the FCC has the power to impose the toothless “no-blocking” rule (originally proposed by AT&T above), it does not (the court will say) have the power to impose the essential “nondiscrimination” rule.

It looks like we’ll end up where AT&T initially began: a false compromise.

The implications of such a decision would be profound. Web and mobile companies will live or die not on the merits of their technology and design, but on the deals they can strike with AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and others. This means large phone and cable companies will be able to “shakedown” startups and established companies in every sector, requiring payment for reliable service. In fact, during the oral argument in the current case, Verizon’s lawyer said, “I’m authorized to state from my client today that but for these [FCC] rules we would be exploring those types of arrangements.”

Wait, it gets even worse. Pricing isn’t even a necessary forcing factor. Once the court voids the nondiscrimination rule, AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast will be able to deliver some sites and services more quickly and reliably than others for any reason. Whim. Envy. Ignorance. Competition. Vengeance. Whatever. Or, no reason at all."

Well tomorrow's the day of my first vote as an American.

And yet, somehow it's not nearly as exciting as I thought it'd be.

In fact, it's actually quite depressing.

Well okay, there are some initiatives on the ballot I'm voting for and some I'm voting against (the former is giving state residents people the right to know their food has been fucked with by chemical companies, and the latter is one that benefits Tim Eyman, so you know it's bad).

But really apart from that, there's very little else to get excited about.

I'm really at the point in life where my political views are so jaded now - a choice between right-wingers and slightly center-of-right isn't much of a choice - both are pretty much pawns of corporations and PAC money now.

And most of the non-partisan ones feature people I either know nothing about, or likely I'd rather not know anything about because they suck.

Sure I could write in a candidate if I wanted to - but that would be pointless.

No - what would be a better alternative is to be able to legally spoil my ballot, but have it count.

Think about it - can you imagine if voters were empowered to do that? I think if it were enabled, voters would basically call both parties asses, and not be happy with either. What would happen?

Sure the government would be filled with chaos and confusion, thus miring down our court system. But ultimately I think the political parties would be forced to field new candidates. I think it'd be a great initiative.

Another idea (I just let them keep rolling) would be to have a spending cap on each political candidate - that is limit how much they can collect and spend. This is a variation on limiting campaign financing to public funds only, and banning private and corporate donations, but more so, it'd really take money out of the picture by forcing political campaigns to focus less on dollars and ads, and more on debate, discussions, and really talking about the issues without the Global Establishment involved.

But what do I know? I'm just a new American.

Do you ever get the feeling ...

... that your life and being solely exist to serve others?

That at times one can be an outsider in one's own life?

You have to wonder if this event was going on in JFK's mind ...

... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_South_Vietnamese_coup

"When Kennedy learned of the deaths during a White House meeting, he appeared shaken and left the room. Kennedy later penned a memo, lamenting that the assassination was "particularly abhorrent" and blaming himself for approving Cable 243,^[118] which authorised Lodge to explore coup options in the wake of Nhu's attacks on the Buddhist pagodas.^[118]["

I think it's no small coincidence that his reaction crystalized and confirmed his decision to begin withdrawing US Military presence less than a month earlier.

Tragically we know what went through his mind on November 22, 1963, and it wasn't a lone gunman.