goofballs

Part of being a good, career-minded systems administrator is knowing when to hold 'em, and knowing when to fold 'em. Knowing when to walk away, and knowing when to run. I quit my last gig in March. Part of the calculus of leaving a job which pays 6 figures in the Bay Area is having another one lined up; quickly. With rent at $2100/month, money disappears very fast if you don't jump from one job to another, and without the safety net I once had in previous jobs, I needed to cover my bases. My last day at the former job was on that Friday, and the next Monday I started at the new job. Initially, when talks began with my soon-to-be new employer, I was jumping from a faltering start-up with budget and management problems to a well-funded, well established start-up on the cusp of a possibly very lucrative public offering. But, during the vetting process, an industry giant came along and gobbled up the company which was courting me -- temporarily making me weigh the implications:...

http://www.salon.com/opinion/ greenwald/2008/07/19/law/ index.html Blanket criminal immunity will be granted before President Bush leaves office, not that it is needed because Democrats in Congress are too spineless to pursue investigations of lawbreakers in government and big business. Record numbers of Americans are imprisoned daily for non-violent offenses, but to enforce the laws of the land on government officials is politically verboten -- especially against the President; to paraphrase Richard M Nixon, "if the president does it, it's not illegal." It may never be known why Senator Obama voted for the FISA bill, forever closing the doors on any accountability for lawbreaking by officials and businesses. My theory is that the DLC, party leadership, wheelers, and dealers in the Democratic Party extorted the vote out of Obama by threatening less than enthusiastic support should their own duplicity come to light. Warrantless wiretapping, the fraudulent causus belli , an...

I know this is a little off topic, but I wanted to share the wisdom of our great Senator, Diane Feinstein, and my response. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Christopher Date: Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 12:09 PM Subject: Re: U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to your message To: senator@feinstein.senate.gov , Senator Obama - Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity - Get FISA Right SenatorObama- PleaseVoteAgainstFISA@groups. barackobama.com > Honorable Senator Diane Feinstein and staff, I am not an idiot, and I know this is a false dichotomy and a lie: If the Senate did not pass this bill, Congress would have been faced with two options: o Extending the temporary surveillance bill passed last August; or o Passing no legislation, meaning that surveillance on specific terrorist groups would expire and our Nation would be laid bare. Please allow me to congratulate you on the dubious distinction of having earned yourself an uphill battle for re-election when your current term end...

As of right now, "Senator Obama - Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity - Get FISA Right" is the #1 my.barackobama.com group! We couldn't have done it without you, internets. Yet, there is work to be done. From Jane@Firedoglake: We have a small window in which we can push the Senate to take retroactive immunity provision out of FISA. While during 4th of July recess, senators will be in their home states, attending parades and hosting a variety of other public appearances. This is our chance to ask them the simple question: whether or not they will vote against retroactive immunity. So far we've got around 40 events around the country where senators will be walking in Independence Day Parades, or where Firedoglake activists are going to visit local senate office. Please sign up to attend an event and put pressure on your senators: http://action.firedoglake.com/page/event/search_simple We have until July 8 to put some serious pressure on every senator to have some sense an...