AlbusRex’s blog

                Since our elected representatives in Washington did not have the time to read this billion dollar "stimulus" bill before passage I thought it my patriotic duty to try and digest this 1000-plus page document myself. Having located the bill I proceeded to download the document to my computer. I should have been concerned with the first warning and bailed out while I had the chance. "Caution you should not open documents from unreliable sources". Nevertheless in my patriotic zeal I moved to my next click. Warning: This is a beta version. Beta versions are not perfected and are subject to errors and possibly could induce a crash. With sweaty fingers I moved forward and began the download.

                Not a second after "download begun" I received a memory warning stating that the magnitude of this document would consume most of my available resources . So I paused the download and reviewed all my programs. Which ones would have to go? Well I only rarely use the paint program so I got rid of that along with other non essentials cluttering the computer. Really in these tough times who has the heart to look at saved pictures of children and grandchildren . Maybe they were expendable as   to lessen the guilt of what we are willing them.

                Back to the download. After dumping all this fluff the file finally made its way into my machine. Sometimes we move ahead with actions which we quickly regret. This has indeed been the case with this download. As soon as this Stimulus Bill was part of my machine all hell broke loose. If I believed in demons I would say my computer was possessed by an evil entity. Simple tasks soon became impossible. The machine slowed to a pace reminiscent of the machines of yore.  Warnings and freezes occurred with frustrating frequency.

                After starting and restarting this machine the simple and prescribed fixes no longer worked. Time to scan the entire computer for viruses. No sooner did I start the process the reports started popping up like point tallies on a pinball machine. Consulting the online definitions I found among others: porkvirus.exe - a malicious virus that secretly installs programs on your machine which drain your resources further; fairness.exe- a Trojan type program which tracks whether you have been using your computer to listen to right wing talk radio; nirvana.exe- an ingenious  yet nefarious applet which provides subliminal messages telling you that we will all benefit from a high speed railroad from California to Las Vegas; limbaugh-hannity.exe- well  I'd rather not go here (too painful)  and let the reader do his own research on this virus.

                No surprise that my antivirus software was helpless against these viruses as the viral resources have exceeded the capabilities of the software. All attempts at cleansing were overridden by the programs installed by viruses. My only hope is that a new release of the software in two years  or a new computer in four years might clean this mess up. Meanwhile I'm stuck  w  i  t  h  t     h   i   s     d  a   m   n    d   o    w   n   l  o              a         d       m     e     s             s  ing         u     p       t   h   i                  s           m      a          c h         ine.

I think I would call this latest message a rant. I just read an AP article stating that CBS affiliates are hesitant to air the documentary 9/11 on Sept.  10th because of increase concern over censorship. I quote "Broadcasters say the hesitancy of some CBS affiliates to air a powerful Sept. 11 documentary next week proves there's been a chilling effect on the First Amendment since federal regulators boosted penalties for television obscenities after Janet Jackson's breast was exposed at a Super Bowl halftime show."

Give me a break . Where are we living anyway?? The concern is that some of these courageous firefighters used some rough language. My advice to the television station is take the fines and then challenge those imposing such ridiculous lunacy.

Another quote: "On Friday, Sinclair Broadcasting became the latest company to say it was delaying the broadcast until after 10 p.m. on its stations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Portland, Maine, saying it was concerned it could face fines.

The announcement came as the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association readied its 3 million members to flood the FCC and CBS with complaints after the documentary airs.

"This isn't an issue of censorship. It's an issue of responsibility to the public," said Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the group, which describes itself as a 29-year-old organization that promotes the biblical ethic of decency."

I consider myself a religious person but cannot tolerate people who hide their own biases and insecurities behind the Bible. The Judeo-Christian ethic leaves plenty of room for man to be what he is which is human. Should we rewrite how history was recorded to accomodate the American Family Association?? I think not. This documentary is a piece of recorded history just as JFK's skull being blown out in Dallas, or the helpless victims of the tsunami, or hurricane Katrina. If I was dealing with any of these there would be some pretty ripe languae along with my prayers. I think my God would understand.

PS: Janet Jackson's ???breast -give me a break.

OK now that the film is out (which I have not seen) the stations such as the History Channel have been aggressive in broadcasting the incidents leading up to and during this great tragedy. I hear the questions asked whether this is too soon to hit the public with these nightmarish memories. I have thought about this and I say "keep it coming". As a people I think we get so engrossed in our everyday lives that we tend to forget the past too quickly.Perhaps we use this immersion to purposely block out the past. How did we feel on that horrid day? These movies and documentaries in some way rekindle that feeling and ignites that sense of outrage we felt on the day. Should we again be lulled into complacency I belive that this is when we become most vulnerable.

OK  my son sent this invite to join this blogging site. Now I feel obliged to pour out my soul to total strangers. Sounds like it might be helpful...

Anyway Random brain traffic is kind of my own George Carlin answer to Brain Droppings. If it's rattling around in there then I guess it will be fair game for this blog. Check back often.