Steaming Turd

In responsum: Unmarked Nuclear Warheads.

Leeroy Jenkins becomes world-famous.
(Changed link from a crappy ytmnd.com link to an actual .wmv of the clip.)

Remember The Empire Strikes Back? You know, the best of the Star Wars movies? Good. That means you haven’t been living under a rock for the past two decades.

Now, remember General Veers? He was the guy who commanded the AT-AT battalion that attacked the rebel base on Hoth.

Okay, now, remember Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? There was a character in that movie named Walter Donovan, who was the American heading up the archaeological expedition to find the Holy Grail on behalf of the Third Reich.

Never in a milliard years would I have come to this realization on my own, but General Veers and Walter Donovan are the same guy. They were both played by a chap* named Julian Glover. * I say “chap” because he’s British.

And the best part of this twisted tale? While I never would have figured it out myself, I was struck over the head with this realization while listening to Julian Glover participate in the DVD commentary for a 1979 Doctor Who episode that he was in. There’s a scene where a guy rapidly ages and turns into a skeleton, and Julian Glover says something like, “That’s rather like how my character died in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Wham.

On two side notes: This same Doctor Who episode was one of several whose story/script featured the participation of Douglas Adams before he became wildly famous for Hitchhiker’s Guide. I think that’s indicative of one reason why Doctor Who still captivates me after all this time - while the special effects may border on cheesy sometimes, and the low budget shows through in terms of so-so editing and direction, the better stories in the series are plain-and-simple good science fiction. Also, this Doctor Who episode featured a cameo appearance (hint: see the title of this post). Apparently, when the episode first aired on the BBC in 1979, they intentionally didn’t publicize this particular cameo, so fans of the series were both surprised and entertained when they saw who it was. Twenty-six years later, and here I am watching the episode, when I, too, get to go, “Holy crap! That’s–”

Want to hear the most disturbing song ever?

I don’t know what it is. There’s just something about the quiet music box in the background… it’s almost like if I let it, it starts screaming in my mind. It’s terrifying.

But maybe you don’t understand where I’m coming from. In that case, try these on for size.

And the most frightening thing about it… is that it’s endorsed by the government.

Sure glad this is done finally.

It’s official: Pat Robertson has really lost it this time (again).

Introducing The People’s Cube. Guaranteed to immediately indoctrinate your comrades, family, and co-workers into today’s hyper-egalitarian society.

As reported by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the Wisconsin ACLU has taken a stance regarding a semi-unwritten policy governing RAs (resident assistants) at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire (UWEC) that seems to me to stand at odds with the civil liberties of those RAs. Specifically, UWEC has instructed their RAs not to host Bible studies in their dorm rooms, claiming that they should be accessible to all of the residents of the dorm, and openly hosting Christian activities in their dorm room may put up a barrier between them and non-Christian residents. (Upon criticism, they also added political activities to the list of prohibitions, rather than rescind the rule.)

To me, it seems obvious that the civil liberties of the RAs are being violated by this policy. An RA who continually foists her religious beliefs on other people at the expense of accessibility is probably making her position as RA less effective, yes, and probably shouldn’t have been picked or kept as an RA - but hosting a Bible study to be attended by willing participants in the privacy of her dorm room doesn’t count as foisting by any stretch of the imagination.

Yet, the ACLU’s position:

Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, said his organization is looking into the issue. Ahmuty agreed with the university’s position that state employees should not be organizing religious or political events on work time or place.

“The function of the R.A. is almost like a big brother or big sister,” Ahmuty said. “When they’re in the dorm they’re an R.A. 24/7…. This isn’t like a jail situation where students have no other alternative. They can go off campus.”

FIRE points out that the equivalent pay for a UWEC RA considered to be on the job 24/7 while in the dorms is a paltry (and illegal) $1.41 an hour. In other words, it is a false assumption that the RAs are on the job the entire time they’re in the dorms - and so, it is reasonable that they should be able to take an hour or two a week to host a religious (or political, for that matter) activity in the privacy of their own home.

This is exactly why I don’t like the ACLU. Despite calling themselves an American “civil liberties” group, too many of their members-in-power only support the parts that they like out of the civil liberties guaranteed to all Americans by the Constitution. And most often, this only includes left-leaning causes, such as “freedom from religion” or “accessibility to abortion clinics” while hypocritically sacrificing the right-leaning causes of “freedom of religion” and “freedom of speech and peaceable assembly” (in the context of abortion protesters). Yes, there are cases where the ACLU has defended the rights of distasteful-yet-protected groups like the Klan, but these are solely to craft for themselves a mask of openness so that they can refute claims of political bias.

On the other hand, from what I’ve read from FIRE, they really do make a special effort to protect the individual rights of students, staff, and faculty at educational institutions, regardless of how those people choose to express those rights. Unfortunately, they sometimes are caused to appear biased, because of the highly prevalent left-leaning viewpoints of administrators who attempt to limit the rights of others in the name of liberalism.

As an academic, though, if I had money to give, FIRE is where it would go.

When I went to the polls today (yes, today is Election Day!), I was stopped after voting outside the polling place by a woman who, in addition to pitching Issues 2-5 (a variety of liberal-slanted state constitutional amendments), was collecting signatures for a petition to raise the state minimum wage to $6.85.

Unfortunately, the official website of this campaign doesn’t provide a copy of the petition itself. However, the woman had an extra copy and let me read it while she talked to other people.

Anyway, the proposal aims to amend the Ohio state constitution to implement a minimum wage of $6.85 on 1 January 2007, and every year, the minimum wage would increase in accordance with inflation as estimated by the CPI. Exempt would be small businesses under $250k in value; casual laborers like kids mowing lawns in the neighborhood; and waitstaff whose employers can prove that, with tips, their total income is at or above the minimum wage.

Before I give my opinion (what I told the petition woman), I figured I’d allow my few readers to voice their opinions first.

So… have at it!

Yarrr! Heave to, and prepare to… Hey, wait! Come back!