The Impossibility of Protecting Stupid People From Terrorist Attacks

The media folks ~ and, unfortunately, all the people who believe them ~ are mad at Bush for invading their privacy in his efforts to stop terrorism. Their main and only argument is that he did it without getting a warrant first, and this is unconstitutional, a breach of power, a horrible evil thing that makes Bush a really bad guy!

I realized something this morning, and I can't figure out why no one has pointed it out yet! How can Bush get a warrant to eavesdrop on someone if he doesn't have evidence that they're terrorists? But how can he have evidence that they're terrorists if he doesn't have a warrant to eavesdrop on them? It's impossible!

They want him to figure out who the terrorists are without spying on the people who aren't. It's like placing a hundred cups in front of him, asking him to pick the cup with the pea under it, and getting mad when he starts lifting all the cups.

If the government is forced to stop spying on people without warrants, here's what is going to happen:

Ahmed A calls his grandmother in Afghanistan to wish her a happy birthday. Ahmed B calls Osama to tell him they've secured the bombs for the oil refineries, or maybe the lethal mutation of the avian flu virus.

The government wants to listen to both calls, forget about the innocent grandma, and work on the attack. But it doesn't have enough outside evidence to get a warrant for either one. So, guess what? No one knows about the attack.

Hopefully, even if they're "forced" to stop, they'll keep doing it behind our back like they always have. Buf if not, take comfort, citizens, that even though the terrorists may kill you, the government won't know what you're doing.

Edmond the Hun

Merry Christmas!

God bless us, every one.

Welcome, Commentors

Just thought I'd take a little time to thank my visitors and commenters to my blog...

Sanguine and Swedish Eskimo, I never said I didn't want to come to the Alps, and everything I read in the news makes America sound like less of a great place to live (see following post) and Switzerland a much better place. And I know a few tricks to keep out the yeti.

Finien, I don't know for sure who you are, but I do know you. Regardless, I appreciate your frequent visiting and wise, knowledgable comments. Thank you.

Aeropostalegirl, welcome! I'm excited to have attracted another returning reader! I will not pressure you into revealing your identity (as I usually keep my own a secret on this blog), but I am curious as to whether you know me, as my other commentors do, or whether you actually came across my blog somehow while traveling through cyberspace and liked it enough to stop and leave comments and even come back and leave more (you would be the first). Merry Christmas.

Edmond the Hun

Oh Boy! There's Hope for America!

Isn't it exciting to learn that cigarette and illicit drug use among teenagers have gone down in the last few years? Why, marijauna use dropped nearly a whole percent among seniors! Only 44% of them use it now!

Actually, while this report may mean teens are using less substances, it also may simply mean that less teens are admitting to using these substances.

What a joke...

Edmond the Hun

Big Brother Is Watching You

Not really. He's only listening to some of you. And it's to protect you all from the bully across the street who wants to kill you. Confused?

Some people, including Democrats in Congress, are alarmed at the revelation that Bush authorized such things as tapping phone lines. Oh, the horror! The government is intruding on the common man's right to privacy! Oh, the humanity! It's 1984! It's Big Brother!

First of all, the government is not listening to everything you say to your boyfriend or grandma. A few thousand people working for the government simply do not have the capacity to listen to all the signals sent by three hundred million Americans every day. The best they could do was somehow record everything and computer search for phrases like "bomb" and "jihad" and "I hate Americans." In which case they're not listening in on your conversations.

And second of all, even if they are, hey, I'm not surprised. I've read enough thriller novels to freely assume the government does a lot more than we're aware of. But I don't really care. At least right now. I don't care if they intercept my cell phone signal and hear me asking my friend about Finien's or aeropostalegirl's identity if they're also intercepting cell phone signals of Mohammed asking Mohammed about which bridge they're going to blow up tomorrow.

The problem is that while the snooping of a good government is fine, it is not guaranteed that a future government would have the same noble intentions. And if a precedent is in place, then they can stop good guys from trying to stop their evil schemes.

It all comes down to the balance between freedom and security. To have more of one, you have to give up some of the other. It's hard to know where to draw the line.

Edmond the Hun

Liam Neeson: A Gay Jedi Lion

I was intrigued and slightly disturbed today to learn that Star Wars figure Liam Neeson, the voice of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, also played a gay man, including a kissing scene, in last year's sexplicit non-hit Kinsey. An interesting role for someone who also represented the Christian Messiah...

Edmond the Hun

I Stand Corrected

I have learned that the Honda commercial is actually singing "We wish you a happy Honda-day." It's still an implied change of words, but in this context it's even arguable that they're making fun of the "happy holidays" crowd.

So my explicit example is gone, but I still can't stand the liberals who claim that conservative are bunch of hooeys for complaining about an alleged war on Christmas.

Why can't we all just get along?

Edmond the Hun

Movie Review: Chronicles of Narnia 1 (4.5 of 5)

I left Narnia somewhat disappointed. But perhaps that was my fault. I almost forget it was a children's movie.

I'll just start out and clarify that this movie falls far short of the grandeur and epic-dom of Lord of the Rings. It lacks the rich and incredibly deep, complicated, and fascinating storyline. The PG violence, while not pathetic, lacks the dramatic intensity. The score, while professional, lacks the memorable themes and tunes, and just feels like classically expected suspense-strings and triumphant-brass.

But let's forget comparisons to that three-movie mega-epic with an obsessive director. After all, C. S. Lewis wrote the book to be a children's story. This one is great in its own right.

There are three requirements for transforming a beloved book into a magnificent movie. First, there must be a good story to tell. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an excellent story, both allegorically and intrinsically. It's the forces of good vs. the reign of horrible evil, of course, yet there's also a little fun along the way. It has the escapist appeal of an imaginary world of talking creatures, yet it has the realist appeal of ordinary children coming to save the day.

Second, the story must be told correctly. Worries that Disney would corrupt the Christianity will be forgotten. Whether it's because some in charge appreciated the symbolism and vowed to preserve it, or because a post-Passion Hollywood was conscious that a correct telling would satisfy the religious masses and translate into more money, or both, Lion... follows the book, point by point, almost to an extreme, removing items only to speed things up and injecting alterations only to appropriately increase the suspense. (Exceptions are the one-thrust "battle" between Peter and Maugrim and the sometimes-wimpy climactic battle sequence, although as a whole it's probably the best ever in a PG movie.) The dialogue smartly declines to always have the actors quote the book, and there are no complaints here, as audiences will welcome the quotable quips and funny one-liners.

Third, the story must be presented wondrously. Or, in layman's terms, sweet special effects. Obviously, in the technology of 2005, nothing less is expected, and WETA and Co. do not disappoint. Whether it's the witch turning living creatures into stone, or the lion turning them back into living creatures, or especially the realistic-looking and enjoyable beavers, wolves, and centaurs, anyone who has seen the BBC versions will breathe a sigh of relief at the justice that has finally been done. (Indeed, I'm sure someone is already thanking God that there will never be a costumed mouse in Prince Caspian.)

Christians will be more than satisfied. Non-believers will enjoy the story for its own merit, and maybe even come to understand the story at the heart of Christianity a little better. Just don't forget that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is, first and foremost, for better or for worse, a children's tale.

Edmond the Hun

We Wish You An Unoffending Phrase

I don't feel like getting into the Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas war that most conservatives get excited about every December. While I prefer "Merry Christmas," I suspect that to most people, all such phrases are now meaningless and simply things that people say because it's Christmastime.

Although I must admit I was quite surprised, yea, even shocked, to hear this blasphemous lyrical re-do on a Honda commercial:

We wish you a happy holiday
We wish you a happy holiday
We wish you a happy holiday
And a happy new year!

There's something wrong with that...

Edmond the Hun