Secret Coded Message

My old buddies at NSA will have fun with this one

Skill plan for Frater Patroabo

1. Gallente Cruiser V (26 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes, 16 seconds)
2. Assault Ships IV (2 days, 17 hours, 49 minutes, 15 seconds)
3. Weapon Upgrades IV (1 day, 19 hours, 30 minutes, 54 seconds)
4. Weapon Upgrades V (11 days, 2 hours, 5 minutes, 31 seconds)
5. Spaceship Command V (4 days, 18 hours, 22 minutes)
6. Heavy Assault Ships I (52 minutes, 26 seconds)
7. Warhead Upgrades I (45 minutes, 27 seconds)
8. Warhead Upgrades II (3 hours, 31 minutes, 42 seconds)
9. Warhead Upgrades III (19 hours, 57 minutes, 22 seconds)
10. Warhead Upgrades IV (4 days, 16 hours, 53 minutes, 38 seconds)
11. Warhead Upgrades V (26 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes, 16 seconds)
12. Bomb Deployment I (36 minutes, 21 seconds)
13. Bomb Deployment II (2 hours, 49 minutes, 20 seconds)
14. Bomb Deployment III (15 hours, 57 minutes, 55 seconds)
15. Drone Interfacing V (23 days, 13 hours, 53 minutes, 26 seconds)
16. Combat Drone Operation I (18 minutes, 56 seconds)
17. Combat Drone Operation II (1 hour, 28 minutes, 13 seconds)
18. Combat Drone Operation III (8 hours, 18 minutes, 54 seconds)
19. Combat Drone Operation IV (1 day, 23 hours, 2 minutes, 20 seconds)
20. Combat Drone Operation V (11 days, 2 hours, 5 minutes, 31 seconds)
21. Heavy Drone Operation I (47 minutes, 20 seconds)
22. Heavy Drone Operation II (3 hours, 40 minutes, 31 seconds)
23. Cloaking V (31 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes, 43 seconds)
24. Long Range Targeting III (4 hours, 20 minutes, 41 seconds)
25. Long Range Targeting IV (1 day, 21 hours, 9 minutes, 27 seconds)
26. Long Range Targeting V (10 days, 15 hours, 26 minutes, 54 seconds)
27. Signal Dispersion I (45 minutes, 27 seconds)
28. Signal Dispersion II (3 hours, 31 minutes, 42 seconds)
29. Signal Dispersion III (19 hours, 57 minutes, 22 seconds)
30. Signal Dispersion IV (4 days, 16 hours, 53 minutes, 38 seconds)
31. Signal Dispersion V (26 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes, 16 seconds)
32. Sensor Linking IV (2 days, 19 hours, 44 minutes, 10 seconds)
33. Signal Suppression I (45 minutes, 27 seconds)
34. Signal Suppression II (3 hours, 31 minutes, 42 seconds)
35. Signal Suppression III (19 hours, 57 minutes, 22 seconds)
36. Signal Suppression IV (4 days, 16 hours, 53 minutes, 38 seconds)
37. Signal Suppression V (26 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes, 16 seconds)
38. Repair Systems V (5 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 27 seconds)
39. Cruise Missiles IV (4 days, 16 hours, 53 minutes, 38 seconds)
40. Standard Missiles V (10 days, 15 hours, 26 minutes, 54 seconds)


Okay, look, it's for a frickin' MMORPG game, fercrissake. You can't bust me for this. HEY!!! I WANT A LAWYER!!!

No sympathy for a "troubled young man"

Robert Hawkins, the bastard who killed 8 people plus himself -- too bad he didn't start with himself -- was a "troubled young man" according to some who knew him. An acquaintance of mine gave me her first reaction when she heard about the murders: "Why didn't someone get him some help?"

The pig fucker had been a ward of the state. That means he had access to Child Protective Services, counselling through several programs, and a ton of other ways to help him cope with what inarguably was a bitch of a life. But he didn't want to. He quit school. He quit treatment for depression. He didn't want to be helped. So "society" isn't to blame. "The system" isn't to blame. Not even the stepfather who kept the AK-47 (gods know why) which this kid stole, is to blame. Robert Hawkins, and no one else, is to blame.

This is a case which would have met my strict criteria for the death penalty: guilt to a mathematical certainty; multiple victims or carried out in a particularly brutal way (is murder ever "gentle?"). He saved the state the money and trouble of a trial by killing himself. Good for him.

May the Holy Ones, blessed be They, comfort the families of the dead and wounded; may the dead be granted the fulfillment of their spirits.

And may whatever is left of that worthless piece of shit waste of DNA and other useful materials suffer every torture ever imagined by any religion, human or otherwise.

So take away my liberal license. This character was not "salvageable." Best he was recycled. The tragedy is that he took eight others with him.

Full Disclosure

In the interest of full disclosure, I must reveal that I have committed to work for Scott Kleeb if he runs for the Democratic nomination for Senate.

That won't stop me from saying what I think of him, good or bad, or what I think of any of the other candidates, good or bad. I have never pretended to be completely impartial, even back in the days of the first incarnation of this bit of bloggery. But I will at least try to be equitable and as factually accurate as I can be, given that I am dependent upon the kindness of other media for my facts.

In the meantime, go, Scott!

Scott Rides Off Into The Sunrise?

If you haven't seen it yet, have a look at Scott Kleeb's latest video. It's a great piece of PR. And make sure you watch the ending. It's too bad the music from The Magnificent Seven is copyrighted.

Raimundo Does The Ol' Switcheroo

I received the following mass email from the Nebraska Democratic Party Chairman Steve Achepohl just a few minutes ago:

Earlier today, Tony Raimondo switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat.

But wait! There's more! I also got an email from the Draft Scott Kleeb people:

In case you haven't seen it yet, today's big news is that Scott Kleeb posted a video on his website laying down a challenge to voters and activists to make this race their own.

Click here to see the video.

While Scott stops short of an announcement, he certainly puts gasoline on the Senate race fire.

That's one way to put it.

Suddenly the Nebraska Democratic senatorial campaign has gone from a "who?" to a two-person race. There's been talk that Tony Raimundo would switch parties for several weeks now -- pretty much since Mike Johanns announced he was running for Senate for the GOP. Everybody else except one fringe candidate has bailed out of the GOP race.

Tony Raimundo has had political asperations for some time, but he's been a staunch conservative. He made a good deal of noise about running for Senate this year but quieted down somewhat when both Jon Bruning and Hal Daub announced their candidacy. (At the time, neither was considered unbeatable, and Bruning already was looking like a liability instead of an asset.) Then former governor and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns stepped in and everyone else bailed.

Meanwhile in the Democraatic camp all we had was a very coy Scott Kleeb. Personally, I think he'll run, but I wish he'd just announce and get on with it. Now it's a whole new proverbial ball game.

Now why would a long time conservative like "industrialist" (as he is referred to in the local media) Tony Raimundo switch parties? That's a no brainer: because at least he can get into the race.

The NDP is trying very hard to make this look like it's not a marriage of convenience:

Let me be one of the first to welcome Tony Raimondo to the Nebraska Democratic Party. He joins a growing list of former Republicans who have decided that the Democratic Party is a better fit for them than the GOP.Historically our Nebraska Democratic Party has welcomed people from varying ends of the political spectrum. Our success has been the result of providing candidates who do not work from the extreme right or left, but who are independent enough to represent each and every Nebraskan. Today, we must be charged with continuing that tradition of independent leadership.

We must continue to welcome anyone who is willing to see that we are the party of inclusiveness. Our doors cannot be closed to the possibilities that these Nebraskans bring to us. Like [former senator Ed] Zorinsky, [Bob] Kerrey, and [Tony] Raimondo - those who switch parties do so to be a part of the conversation and to make our state a better place. In order for our party to thrive, not only should we not discourage Republicans from joining us, we must actively encourage them to do so.

Based on my personal observation of Raimundo both as an "industrialist" and a "civic leader," he's going to be even less of a Democrat than Ben Nelson. He's a "rags to riches" story, building his company, Behlen Manufacturing (among other things, they make grain storage bins) from a small operation to the largest employer in the area of Columbus, Nebraska. He's Hispanic, so he has some appeal to the Latino vote in Nebraska.

But as an aside, Raimundo may be Hispanic but he doesn't often act like it. Back in May of this year, when the Platte County Sheriff (the county where Raimundo's company is located) circulated a very derogatory fax about Hispanics in Nebraska the silence from Raimundo was deafening. But, then, one doesn't see him marching in any Cinco de Mayo parades, either. I don't even know if he's been seen at a Taco Bell. And when it comes down to it, regardless of his ethnicity, he's still an "industrialist." That shows where his real loyalties lie: with business rather than the workers.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Scott Kleeb is still pitching for support for his non-campaign. He wants to be sure he has the support of as many as he can get before he jumps in. That makes perfect sense. If you look at his latest video you will see a masterful piece of PR that should tug at the heartstrings of every moderate and maybe even a few liberals in the state. (Make sure you watch it all the way through. The ending is worth the price of admission.) More importantly, though, it brings out Scott's charisma, his photogenetics (??) and, of course, the fact that he's a hunk.

Now, let's remember that as of today, neither of these two have officially entered the race. Scott may decide that if he has to fight Raimundo and his money (and he has it), he won't bother. The NDP, of course, must remain neutral during the primary. But the question of the day will be: who has at least a fair chance at beating Mike Johanns?

I have a suggested answer: Scott Kleeb. I don't want to see the Nebraska Democratic Party become a haven for Republicans who come in second or third in their own party's primaries. Raimundo's switching parties could hurt him, especially if he gets the nomination and runs against Johanns. Although Johanns did the same thing in reverse a few years ago, so he is not on really firm ground there. But Raimundo won't be able to get voters and supporters pumped up the way Scott will. He'll be just another businessman trying to get into government to help his own business.

Finally, and again based on my experience working in Platte County for two years, some enterprising journalist might want to dig a little into Behlen Industries' discrimination record, hiring of undocumented workers and a few other indicators of how Tony runs his business. I suspect they'll find a few skeletons in the closet. Let's get him out of the way and let a real Democrat (who, as many have mentioned, is a studmuffin) take on Johanns.

Does Judith Get Nathan's Kosher Hot Dog from Giuliani?

Okay, just a clever title. But the hoo-hah about Rudy Giuliani and his succession of girlfriends has just about reached critical mass. Presidential (or high-levle politician) screwing around is as common as... as... presidential screwing around. Let's look at the record:

1884: Grover Cleveland's opponents dig up the fact that he had fathered an illegitimate child in his frivolous youth, giving them the ringing campaign slogan, "Ma, Ma, Where's My Pa, Gone To The White House, Ha Ha Ha!" (Cleveland admitted it and said he had provided for the mother and child and won the election)

1905: Warren G. Harding begins an affair with Carrie Fulton Phillips which lasted until his death in office. When he disclosed his affair after he got the nomination, the GOP paid to send Mrs. Phillips and children off to Japan for the course of the election. He also allegedly had an affair with one Nan Britton, but he neither admitted it nor was it conclusively proven in a subsequent lawsuit by Britton against Harding's estate.

1928: As far as is publicly known, Hoobert Heever never screwed around on his wife. He and his GOP business buddies did a fine job of screwing the United States economy, however.

1932: Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected president and had affairs for most of his married life, including one with his wife's social secretary. ("Mrs. Roosevelt's Schedule for June, 1915: Be very far away from the house.") NB: The fact that he managed this while suffering the aftereffects of polio is a great inspiration for those with physical challenges who think they'll never get laid again.

1952: Dwight D. Eisenhower, who singlehandedly defeated both the Germans and George S. Patton, had a WAC aide who took personal care of him during the war. But, then, who could blame him? Every other GI who was over there was gettin' some every chance he had from Brits, French, and German women in exchange for silk stockings and cigarettes. Ike was stuck with the domestic product.

1960: St. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Patron of Youthful Exuberence, boinks everybody.

1963: Lyndon Baines Johnson, who became president after Kennedy's martyrdom, had had multiple affairs prior to his elevation to the Presidency. Lady Bird (Mrs. Johnson) admitted it and said she just put up with it.

1968: Richard Nixon screwed the Constitution.

1976: Jimmy Carter publicly admitted that he had "lusted in his heart." This was a big deal?

1980: Ronald Regan apparently had a clean record. He knew that if he were caught cheating, Nancy would cut it off and feed it to him. He did, however, do a great job screwing the labor union movement, public support for education, and a balanced budget.

1988: George Bush I has ongoing affair with Jennifer Fitzgerald. Ms. Fitzgerald served George I in "a variety of positions," according to the Washington Post.

1992: Bill Clinton comes in a distant second behind JFK for title of "Most Presidential Extramarital Boinkings." Somehow that doesn't disturb the public; he was handily re-elected and even the attempt to convict him after impeachment was a major flop, unlike the Clenis.

2000: In grand GOP style, George Bush II seems to have avoided extramarital screwing around, but has done a great job screwing the Constitution, American foreign policy, and the nation as a whole.

This, of course, leaves out Gary Hart and the "Monkey Business" business. He dared the press to catch him screwing around. They did, and his bid for the Presidency in 1988 sank. He later commented to the effect that he could run now and the Donna Rice scandal wouldn't have slowed him down at all. What's stopping you, Gary? You're only 71!!

As I review this tally of phallic presidential power, I do note that the Democrats seem more inclined to fool around with individual women than the Republicans. They are content to screw the country.

Oh, and one has to wonder if Hillary is elected, will she either be accused of or caught at having affairs? But that just shows how far equal rights for women have come. If a man can use political power as an aphrodisiac, why can't a woman?

This whole primary thing has gotten out of hand

Nebraska Democrats will hold a caucus on February 9, 2008, to get the jump on across-the-river neighbor Iowa. Howard Dean (remember him?) thinks it's a good idea. Given the I'm-going-before-you-do nature of the current primary system, we might as well. A few years ago prominent attorney and Democrat Vince Powers tried to do the same thing, except to do it in December prior to the election year. It fell flat. And this was before the current primary goat rope.

Look, let's do it this way: have one national primary on one day. Popular vote only for every party participating. That way no one state sets the tone for others. And maybe we'll get an early picture of who the country likes and who they don't like.

One other change I'd like to see: Change election day to a Saturday. It might not make a huge difference but I think we'd see a noticeable increase in voters.

Where the hell are the Democrats in this benighted state?

Four years ago the Nebraska Democratic Party hired a fireball executive director from Maryland who was to get the party all fired up and make the Nebraska Democratic Party something other than the other choice on the ballot (sometimes). He did pretty good: the party started a program to get a Democrat committee in all 93 counties and as best as I can figure out, they've come pretty close. That's a good thing.

But here we are going into a Senatorial race for an open seat and who's getting all the press? The GOP. Granted, it's been about candidates bailing, candidates deciding they wouldn't enforce laws they didn't like, etc. But as the saying goes, even bad publicity is better than no publicity.

Isn't it time we find out who the Democrats are going to run against Mike Johanns? Still no word from Scott Kleeb. And there just aren't a lot of other high-profile Democrats and almost none with Kleeb's charisma.

Please, please, please don't tell me we're going to run another Stormy Dean.

Earmarks (formerly known as Pork Barrel Spending) are a Bad Thing

Nebraska Congressman Lee Terry (R-1st district, Omaha and surrounding area) thinks we are spending too much on "earmarked" appropriations in the coming spending bills. During the GOP domination, earmarks pork spending was de rigeur. The Democrats have reduced it by 25%. But Terry thinks that's still too much, and being spent on stupid things including a "hippie museum to Woodstock." (1)

Of course this has always been Terry's position on pork spending. Hasn't it? As Al Smith said, "Let's look at the record:"

In his ad [a radio ad run on local stations and paid for with campaign funds], paid for with campaign funds, Terry poked fun at several items approved this year, such as $70 million for peanut storage and $20 million for cricket eradication. With a chuckle, he said, "They even wanted to spend your tax dollars on a hippie museum at Woodstock."

"Incredibly," Terry continued, "we see tens of thousands of requests like these. . . . That's why I voted over 50 times to eliminate an earmark and have been a leader in Congress making sure earmarks are transparent, publicly debated and forced to several votes."

Terry acknowledged that, in years past, he wasn't shy about seeking earmarks for his Omaha-centered district. In addition, since he was first elected in 1998, he has voted dozens of times for spending bills that included his and other lawmakers' earmarks.

Terry made no earmark requests this year. He expressed concern about new House ethics rules that require lawmakers to certify that they have no financial interest in a specific earmark.

Omaha World Herald Feb. 26, 2007.

Now of course this raises a couple of questions:

1) How come earmarks were fine with Lee prior to the Democratic takeover, but not fine now? (The answer, of course, is that earmarks are okay in the first person, but not okay in the second, as in "My earmarks will benefit my constituency," but "Your earmarks are highway robbery.")

2) This little snippet may have snuck past you, but look at it again: "[Terry] expressed concern about new House ethics rules that require lawmakers to certify that they have no financial interest in a specific earmark."

You mean Lee Terry is nervous about running afoul of ethics rules that require him to certify that he has no financial interest in a pork amendment for Omaha? Now why would that be? Of course the innocent interpretation is that Terry, as a resident of the district, would benefit from any pork spending in his district.

That's one possibility. The other is that somehow he himself was benefiting directly or indirectly from the pork spending. To be fair, Lee is an attorney and former member of various Omaha governmental bodies, so it's not like he has a construction business which would make Big Bucks for building the Omaha Meatpackers Museum (I made that up). And, of course, a citizen is innocent until proven guilty. But Lee Terry isn't a citizen. He's a congressman. And when a congressman shies at certifying he has no conflict of interest, I have to ask questions.

What's the problem with stating you'll play by the rules, Lee?
====================================
(1) So will this museum have a genuine vintage bong?

Hot News in Nebraska

As always, the Lincoln Journal Star and the Omaha World Herald lead with sports, sports, and more sports. Tom Osborne holds forth on something or other, "Recruits playing a waiting game," etc. etc. etc.

There is good news for sports fans, and as always it comes from the women's volleyball team. They have the #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. That means they host several games. That's good, I guess. I note that they are playing in the Colosseum, which was the original "gym" on campus. It's about the size of your average high school gym. The Bob DeVaney center, just up the road, holds a lot more fans and is a classier place. I guess the girls aren't good enough. They may be on their way to another national title, but the brouhaha over the crash of the feetsball team still gets top billling.

Another day in Huskerland.

Welcome back to the Barricades

Welcome back to the Barricades. After a hiatus of several years -- there is no truth to the rumor that I was hijacked by Jon Bruning's office -- I'm writing again.

When I started the first To The Barricades, there were maybe 100 credible political blogs on both sides. Now there are millions. I have no illusions that I can compete with Daily Kos or even The Plattsmouth World Blog. But, just as I did with the first To The Barricades, I write for myself, not for anyone else. You gotta question or comment, it may inspire me to get up on my soapbox. But in general I write what I feel. That may run the gamut from commentary on the Presidential campaign (now that's a novel idea for a blog...) to the death of irony.

But join me at the Barricades. It's not as hazardous as it was back in 2000 when I started the first one. But I hold out hope. Maybe we'll all wind up on one of the Emperor's lists.

True confessions

I'm hoping that some of my former colleagues in law will read this blog from time to time. Others who know me may read it also. For their benefit, let me get this issue out of the way up front.

In 1998 I was admitted to the Nebraska bar. I practiced with a county attorney, a criminal defense firm, a general practice, a personal injury firm, and on my own. From 2004-2006 I had a sole practice. Part of the time I was office sharing with a Spanish-speaking insurance company; the rest of the time I had a small office.

The last couple of years I practiced, I became more and more disenchanted with law. I won't go into a rant about the injustice of the justice system. It is about as good as it can be without a major overhaul to which nobody will agree. (More on that anon.) As I became disenchanted, my enthusiasm for my clients' cases waned. I let things slip. I made mistakes. Towards the end I just didn't give a damn about my clients. I wasn't making any money; I had to do everything myself; they were all guilty as hell (not really true) and I hated myself for having that attitude. I knew I was in the process of screwing up my career and a lot of other things, but I just didn't care.

In August 2006, after a long discussion with my wife, I resolved to leave the practice of law in September. I took no more new cases, made arrangements to transfer existing cases to other attorneys, and began wrapping things up. I also notified the Bar Association that I would resign at the end of the year, when my license would be up for renewal.

But it's not that easy to get yourself out of a pile of crap you've put yourself into. About two weeks after I announced that I was leaving the law, I received a copy of a bar complaint from a client. She complained that I had done nothing on her case in two years, and that I kept making up excuses or imaginary court dates that didn't happen.

I had to face the proverbial music: I could not contest her allegations. So my response to the complaint was to state exactly that and that I would surrender my license immediately. The Supreme Court's Counsel for Discipline discussed this with me prior to my submitting my formal response. I must state that the attorney I spoke with was more than fair. But, as I said, I couldn't contest the allegations, I was leaving the bar anyway, and saw no reason to drag it out. I just wanted out and didn't care what happened. My response was accepted. I surrendered my license. The Court accepted my no contest response and issued an order of disbarment on December 15, 2006.

Since then, it's been a tough year for a number of reasons. But I am not asking anyone's pity or sympathy. I screwed up. I admitted it. I've accepted the consequences, even though I haven't always liked it. I did not go into "treatment" for anything, since I am no more insane than I have ever been; I am not an alcoholic, drug addict, or anything else. I was just stupid, and there isn't a lot anyone else can do for that.

For the last six months I've been preparing for the Nebraska Supreme Court Interpreter's Exam in Spanish. I don't know how well I will do. But given that I have been an interpreter in one language or another since 1973, and that most of my clientele the last three years were Spanish speakers, that seems the logical place to go. If I screw this one up... well, I will just do my best not to.

Thank you for listening to my confession.