Who listens to you?

I mentioned in a previous post that I'd talk about the NSA eavesdropping and how it effects me, so here we go.

Depending on which news source you believe, one of three things are happening:

1. Communications to and from international locations involving suspected terrorists/sympathizers are being monitored.

2. All international communications, inbound and outbound, are being monitored.

3. All elements of point #2, as well as all of Bush's enemies are being monitored.


Most articles I've read indicate that answer number 2 is the most likely scenario happening. When the story broke my initial reaction was that I thought it was a smart move because anyone not planning or conducting a terror campaign should have nothing to worry about. Since I'm not planning the destruction of the country I felt that this policy didn't have any effect on me.

I do have some questions and concerns about the policy though. I think the President should give as detailed as possible report to the people without giving away any classified information. I think he can explain the safeguards in the system without exposing anything. People are worried that the policy will be abused, and I'm one of them.

Later I began to wonder if any of my conversations are being monitored. I have two children that live with their mother, my ex wife, in Germany. She is remarried to a man who is a soldier in the U.S. Army who is currently stationed over there.

You: You're so paranoid. Just because she is overseas doesn't mean your house is bugged.

Me: Well, I'm not finished yet..

You: Oh, ok..

If anyone did listen to those conversations and read the emails, they would hear a lot of dialog between myself and my kids. Typical, normal things you'd hear a father say to his 7 year old daughter and 6 year old son. On the other hand I talk to my ex about various things going on in our lives. Typically these conversations involve words like Army, Platoon, Unit, WMD's, Chemicals, Deployments, Airline Flights, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guns, etc. Of course there is the continuing saga with my attempts to get employed at the local nuclear power plant.

From everything I've read, the NSA doesn't have a legion of civil servants all wearing headphones, listening to each and every conversation. They have computers do the heavy lifting, sorting out key words and phrases. How many of the things I've listed are on that list of key words and phrases? I'd be willing to bet all of them.

I don't freak out about things though. I'd say the odds are fifty-fifty at best that my conversations are actually analized for intent. And even if they are, it wouldn't take long to figure out that I'm not up to something.

Like other critics out there, it's not that I'm worried about myself, but I do worry about the prinicple of the matter. If I had to choose an answer, I'd say George Bush and Co. aren't collecting information outside of the intended scope, but you just never know. Just because Bush doesn't want that to happen doesn't mean someone else in the chain wouldn't take advantage of the situation if they thought it would help them. Also it sets a precident that future Presidents might choose to continue, and who's to say a future leader won't abuse the system?

Interview update:

I had my second interview with the nuclear power plant. I wouldn't say I hit it out of the park, but I think I left the interviewers with the impression that I'm a solid candidate. I'm expecting an offer from them in the next few days. I'd be shocked if I didn't.

Congrats, Canada!

Welcome to the club.

Five things and other housecleaning notes.

Hi everyone.

Keeks thought it would be cool to tag me with this 5 weird habits thing. I've thinking about it for a few days and it's hard to come up with five things, because I'm a pretty normal and boring guy. So it's going to be a weird habits/facts-you-might-not-know post instead.

1. When I eat a pop-tart I always eat the crust first.

2. I used to be terrified of needles, even the smallest ones. Back in 1998 I contracted menengitis and had to have a spinal tap. You'd think that would've reinforced my fear, but it didn't. I figure if I can handle a giant needle in my back, I can handle the little ones in the arm.

3. When I have various types of food on my plate, I don't freak out if they touch unless by doing so one of the foods will be "ruined" (ex: something wet or runny mixing with cake or cookies, etc). Although not as a rule and not all of the time, I tend to eat one item until its gone before moving on to other items.

4. Unless I'm running late or in some sort of panic, I tend to follow the speed limit or stay real close to it. Partly because I can't afford any tickets, partly because studies show you don't save much time by going 5 or 10 over the limit. Interstate driving is a little different of course, but I still stay pretty close to the speed limit.

5. I don't make a lot of eye contact with people I don't know. When talking to a stranger I will look them in the eye, but I don't seek out people by eye contact as others tend to do. I'm sort of a private person and until I'm familiar with someone I don't seek people out that way. Maybe I don't want people to think I'm staring? I'm not sure what it is.

And for some housekeeping notes:

I'm working an odd shift these days. My workday starts at 3pm and ends at 1:45am, with optional overtime until 2:45am. I usually work the overtime because what else is there to do at that time of night? I might as well work. That's one reason for my lack of postings, I'm still adjusting to the schedule. When I get into stretches where I'm not blogging, it's usually because I get wrapped up in other people's blogs. I mostly blame Joe for this. His posts are great, the comments are funny, and before you know it I've run out of time to write something in my own blog. I've also spent some time reading blogs that are new to me. I've been checking out Danny, G.D., Lulu, and Jenna. You should check them out too.

Some of you may remember this summer when I was whining about a job I really wanted in the Nuclear world that didn't end up happening because of scheduling problems. Last Friday I finally got a chance to sit down for an interview. I was told that 50 people were interviewing for about 15-20 positions. This Friday I'm having my second interview. I'm confident. Because of my experience, I feel like it's in the bag. Now I just have to deliver the mail. I'll keep you updated, even if you don't care.

This whole Bush Administration domestic spying program has left me with some mixed feelings because I think it effects me personally. Expect a post on that soon.

Lex.

I've had an epiphany of sorts today.

You know how it is when you see a friend, family member or coworker everyday and you don't notice their weight loss or gain because you see them all the time?

I've been on the lookout for a new Featured Blog for a few days now, and it occured to me that my latest choice has been with me for quite a while.

Navy Captain Lex has a blog that I've linked from almost the beginning. I don't leave comments on his blog very often. Hell, I don't leave comments on other people's blogs that much anymore, but when I go check out what Lex has to say, I usually just lurk and read. What I like about his blog is that he weighs in on a variety of topics. Since he is a Naval Officer he does share some old sea stories and military related stories, but he doesn't force it down your throat everyday. He also shares stories about his family, gives opinion on current events, and many other topics.

I knew that I wanted to point him out after several successive posts that made me think, "I'd like to point this out too, maybe I should link him?".

If you haven't already checked out Lex, you should give him a shot. He's got a lot to say and I'm sure you'll find him enjoyable. I do recommend that you read his short story Rhythms. It's a fictional story about life on an aircraft carrier, but it isn't all blood and bullets, it's more about things going through sailors minds as they float in the sea.

That next blog button..

I was bored and decided I'd check out some random blogs.

I think my male readers will enjoy this blog. Perhaps some of the ladies will too.

Please GM, do it for me.

Well piss. I've tried about a dozen times to put up a picture, but it's not working right for some reason. Go here to see pictures of the new Camaro Concept that GM unveiled this week.

Two things pissing me off right now.

The theme pisses me off on a current, constant basis. Luckily there isn't a shortage of examples to cite.

Wondering what's got me all worked up?

Racism.

Not as someone might normally think about it though. What angers me is when someone cries equality out of one side of their mouth, and screams racism out of the other.

You see, the National Football League has a policy known as the "Rooney Rule" which says that when teams are seeking to fill coaching positions, they are required to interview minority candidates. On it's face it sounds like a good policy. The NFL is forcing teams to interview people in order to get more minorities into coaching positions.

But whatever happened to hiring the most qualified person? A couple of years ago my favorite team, the Detroit Lions, had a coaching vacancy. They knew immediately who they wanted to hire. They interviewed the proven (white) coach, and hired him right away. It was public knowledge that they wanted to hire the man, and that he wanted the job. In an effort to comply with the rules, the Lions offered interviews to minority candidates. All of them declined, because it was no secret that they weren't going to get the job. Since the Lions didn't actually interview a minority candidate, they were fined by the NFL. It sounds silly, but the NFL doesn't always want you to hire the most qualified, they want you to hire the most deversified.

Fast forward to this year. The Kansas City Chiefs have a coaching vacancy. They also have old business and coaching ties to the current coach of the New York Jets. As of right now a deal has been struck that will move the coach to Kansas City to take over the team. There won't be any fines in this situation because the man they want, Herm Edwards, is a black male. He is also probably the most qualified person available right now (subject to debate only because there are 7 coaching vacancies and numerous candidates out there).

So I guess I ask, will anyone cry racism this time? Probably not. This particular situation, just like the Lion's situation isn't a racist situation, but what's good for the goose is good for the gander, no?

This article by Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com is filled with a number of examples.

It's supposed to be article about "What Mattered Most in 2005". Scoop is a black man. The only thing that mattered to Scoop were "black issues" for the most part. He mentions the suicide of the son of Colt's Tony Dungy, the NBA dress code, and Stephen A. Smith's new talk show, Hurricane Katrina, and Notre Dame's hiring and contract extention of Charlie Weiss.

Tony Dungy seems to be a class act, and I don't want to sound disrespectful but I've always had a hard time feeling sorry for people who commit suicide. I've worked in a psychiatry clinic and I know that depression is a serious issue that requires serious intervention, no matter what Tom Cruise says, but it's ultimately selfish. All his son has done is create sadness within his family and friends. By all accounts he never tried to get help. That's sad regardless of what race you are.

The NBA has instituted a dress code requiring that players attending NBA functions (games, interviews, etc) are required to dress business casual. This has upset the hip-hop league of players to no end, some even calling for a little money on the side so they can purchase the clothes. The NBA is a multi-million dollar business, the players make multi-millions of dollars. They should act like it and throw on a collared shirt and some khakis. The NBA isn't requiring players to purchase Armani suits, just to clean up a bit and leave the dewrags at home. When I worked for Dell Computers, I was required to dress business casual and they didn't pay for my clothes. According to Scoop, this about holding the man down and nothing more.

Stephen A. Smith is a loud and obnoxious man. He is also the host of a show on ESPN called Quite Frankly where Stephen gives his opinions on various sports subjects. This is important to Scoop because it's the first time since Arsenio Hall that someone who is black hosts a show which also includes his name. I guess he never saw that show that's on late at night where that one guy interviews the latest Hollywood stars who are promoting their movies.. his name escapes me right now, but the point is that Scoop was wrong. That guy has his name in the title too. How come Stephen A. Smith's show can be an important part of 2005 simply because it's good? Why does it have to be about being black?

Hurricane Katrina effected people from all racial groups. It didn't pick on black people. Scoop was upset that the NFL didn't delay or rearrange the season to accomodate the New Orleans Saints. You can give pros and cons both ways, but the NFL's choice wasn't racist. It was a business choice, plain and simple.

A lot of people are upset that Notre Dame fired their previous coach Ty Willingham (who is black) after a few seasons. The dig on his teams was that they didn't close the big games. His teams played well, but the didn't bring Notre Dame back to the front pages of the sports section. He was fired and (white) (alumni) (3 Superbowl rings) Charlie Weiss was brought in to run the team. Just being there brought a spark to the team. He got more out of Ty's players than Ty ever did and was rewarded, almost certainly too early, with a 10 year contract extention. Weiss is a proven winner, the alumni like him, and the team likes him. Was it racist? Well only Notre Dame really knows the answer to this one.

The point of all of this is that racism wont go away until people- the majority and the minority quit looking through a pair or racist glasses. If you judge things by whether they are racist or not, the issue of racism won't go away. People like Martin Luther King Jr. were sucessful because they preached inclusion not special treatment or standards. Until people start looking at it that way, we'll never get ahead.

I find it amazing.

I find it amazing that with all of the technoligical advances we as humans have made over the last 200 years, that we still cannot come up with a safe way to conduct mining operations.

I'm sorry you thought your loved ones had survived.

I'm sorry that they didn't.

The Crown Prince.

The older I get it seems the more important family is to me. I'm not sure if it's that way for everyone else or not.

I just returned from another trip to Michigan. I went to the same place that I was at 3 weeks ago on my snowmobile trip but I didn't bring any snowmobiles this time. The point of this trip was to visit family members I haven't seen in over 5 years.

I probably over embellish my role in the family, but it is a role that I've noticed myself taking more seriously ever since I moved back home. I'm the #1 son, the #1 nephew, and the #1 grandchild. That's not to say that I'm everyones favorite, just that I was the first on both my mother and father's side of the family. What does that mean? Probably not much, but I guess something I've thought about is that I'm only a few funerals away from becoming the old guy in the family.

On this particular trip the people I visited with are older. Grandparents, great uncles and aunts, etc. Their time left on this planet, in my family, is relatively short. They might be around for another 20 minutes or another 20 years, but I doubt much more than 20 years and some even less. It meant even more to me this time around because I haven't seen most of them in such a long time and a lot of my "visiting" was nothing more than sitting with them after we were finished catching up... because there probably won't be many more chances just to sit and listen to the old stories or just the all around pleasure of being in their company. That doesn't freak me out. Part of life is dying, and I realize that.

Overall it was a great trip. I didn't lose anything or have anything stolen this time, so in that regard it was a success! It was great catching up with the family and I intend to go back again sometime soon, and then again when I have my kids here for the summer.

I came home Friday morning in a nice snowfall so that I could be home in time for a family gathering on my mom's side. Ever since my grandfather died, that side of the family doesn't gather as much as it used to. The only time they really get together now is the weekend after Christmas for a party, so I wanted to make sure that I was there. I've seen all of them since I moved back home, but not a single gathering other than my mom's wedding, and I was too drunk to really catch up on the old times with them.

I guess the point of all of this babble is that I used to not put much thought into family affairs, but it's more important to me these days, and that's not such a bad thing.