LAB1663.NET - Sam’s bit o’ the web

I’ve been neglectful in my duties as a self-righteous blogger with unrealistic political ideals.  I’d planned to write extensively on the recent issue of the CIA torture memos and potential prosecutions (or lack thereof, as the case may be), more on the Obama DOJ’s use of the states secrets privilege and a blurb on why it’s okay to improve diplomatic relations with unfriendly countries (e.g. Cuba).

Unfortunately, a busy schedule and my natural laziness have once again combined to rob me of the time or desire to write such lengthy diatribes.  They may still be forthcoming in the future, we’ll see.

So in the interest of posting a few of my most recent musings and to keep this place from getting complete stale, we’re going for another multi-topic post tonight.

• This is just for the few boneheads who’ve actually asked…no, I wasn’t an early victim of North American Influenza A (H1N1) - better known as the “swine flu” - when I was ill in February.  The pathogen that caused the pneumonia (that developed into ARDS) that put me in the hospital was the bactrium H. flu, which is not related to the various strains of influenza (which would be a neat trick indeed, since it’s a bacterium and not a virus).  I think that they should have to change the name.
• Without going into a full-blown essay on the topic, I think it’s completely retarded that anyone in the Executive Branch other than AG Holder would make public comments on whether or not to investigate (and possibly prosecute) Bush Administration officials who wrote the now-infamous Torture Memos.  I think it’s equally idiotic to rule out the potential prosecution of people who broke the law under the false protective umbrella of those memos.  We’re supposed to be a republic of laws.  While it may be a sad fact of politics that crimes go unpunished everyday for the sake of political expedience, it doesn’t mean I have to like it.  Let the DOJ investigate and if there is enough evidence to suggest criminal behavior, then there should be prosecutions.  I honestly don’t care what it does to national security or morale at the CIA.  Anyone who can be proven to have tortured a person in the custody of the United States government (and violating domestic and international law in the process) should be prosecuted and jailed - I don’t care if it’s a few CIA lackeys, private contractors, soldiers, former or current DOJ employees or former VP Cheney himself.  That’s just how it is, and honestly I have to question the commitment to the rule of law of anyone who believes otherwise.
• We’re going on another camping trip in May at Clark State Forest in southern Indiana.  I’m quite looking forward to it, and I’ve even got plans to deploy home-made bee traps on the perimeter of our campsite to avoid the problems we had with yellow jackets on our trip last fall.  w00t!
• I’ve got tickets for the 7:00PM advanced showing of Star Trek next Thursday night.  I’m terribly excited about it, as you might imagine.  I don’t care of there’s a full-blown swine flu pandemic, the economy completely collapses and my own city is overrun by rampaging Somali pirates.  I’mma put on a biohazard suit, grab a shotgun and some valuables with which to barter (gotta have a soda and popcorn) and heading down to the theater.
• Just when I finally got around to setting up my iPhone to get Exchange mail from my office as well as my personal POP3 account (yeah, I’m the only nerd still using a POP3 account), they up and swapped out my BlackBerry 8703e for a BlackBerry Curve 8330.  The Curve is thinner and lighter than the 8703e and does more stuff, but the case they gave me with it sucks.  It’s difficult to clip onto pocket or belt loop and I don’t always wear an actual belt.  Stupid case.

Eh, I guess that’s it.  Time to go find some dinner and watch a little TV.