They're on to us!

The Right was Right!

New website exposes the REAL Left-wing Agenda!

Excerpts after the jump.

To give the reader some context for my analysis and conclusions, please permit me to introduce myself.  I am:

    * A libertarian Democrat who believes in efficient government and progressive social policies
    * Married with three children, ages 8, 6 and 3;
    * Co-founder and CTO of a 6-year-old Silicon Valley software company
    * A regular participant and occasional contributor at DailyKos.com

I believe in transparent government, efficient spending, and the absolute requirement for a trustworthy election system.  I believe that the Constitution exists to guarantee human rights, and should never be used as a means for denying them.

Follow me down the rabbit hole...

Turns out I was right -- it is too good to be true.  FactCheck.org alleges that, in pursuit of a hard-hitting political message, the VoteVets ad is misleading or downright incorrect in several areas.

False Claims About Body Armor

A new group falsely accuses Republicans of voting against body armor for troops. Both sides have misled the public about this issue.

Because I have a fresh perspective on fundraising from a donor's perspective, I thought it might be useful to articulate the do's and don'ts for successfully extracting a donation from my wallet.

Rule #1 after the jump.

Are YOU ready for disaster?

1. Assess your risks!
   
2. Plan to survive! (part A)
   
3. Plan to survive! (part B)
   
4. Emergency gear and supplies
   
5. Material preparations continued; Conclusion

More after the break.

"Good luck happens when preparedness meets opportunity" - Anonymous

The key to emergency preparedness is an accurate understanding of the risks and challenges you face.  Underestimating your risks leads to complacency and failure to prepare effectively.  Overestimating your risks leads to the Armageddon Fallacy and failure to prepare effectively (if at all) because of the enormity of the imagined potential disaster.

The harsh truth is that the calculus of survival is not entirely within our control.  No matter how many risks we address, there are situations which are simply unforeseeable or unaddressable.  However, by taking effective action to minimize the likely risks, we can greatly increase our chances of survival in an emergency or disaster situation.

This Diary marks the conclusion of this series.

In a great many ways, we live safer lives today than our parents and grandparents ever did.  Western civilization's empasis on science and engineering has driven incredible progress in our understanding of the world.  Because our understanding of the world is imperfect, and our social systems fractious and chaotic, we still make mistakes.  

The result of this progress, unfortunately, is that much of Western civilization teeters precariously at the top of a technological pyramid.  Remove the non-stop infusions of energy and goods, add a little natural or man-made disaster, and that balancing act rapidly devolves into chaos.

In this, the fourth installment of this series, we will discuss the material preparations required to support your emergency plans.  

Yes, people, that means it's time to talk about MREs, radios, and guns.  (Actually, guns will be covered in part 5, but you get the idea.)

Preparedness for emergency situations is not a solitary pursuit.

Each of us lives in the context of a larger society.  Few among us could survive for long without the support of myriad other people and institutions we depend upon for our daily needs.  A realistic disaster plan must balance these dependencies against the stark truth that you are likely to be required to survive outside this system for days or weeks at a time at some point in your life.

Being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive.  In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I've learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

In any given disaster situation, you will find a group of people who maximize their chances for survival by making the correct choices before, during, and after the crisis.  These folks have a few things in common:

• Each of them personally decided that he/she was going to survive
  
• They accurately assessed their immediate and near-term risks and needs
  
• They made the best plan they could based on available resources
  
• They executed that plan in a flexible, adaptive manner
  
• They kept going until they had reached safety, and did not give up

Being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive.  In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I've learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

Something bad is going to happen, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Preparing to deal with a disaster is like going off of a ski jump.  If you put off your planning until things start happening, it's far too late to make much of a difference.  Once you're headed down that ski jump, the time for planning and preparation is over.

On the other hand, being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive.  In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I've learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

Update [2005-9-1 19:27:9 by AlphaGeek]: The fundraising summary I sent out to company-wide prompted a new wave of donations. The total is now over $9300.

Details below the fold.

I was startled and dismayed to see this sign posted on the low wall facing the parents' benches:

...continued...

I took extensive notes during Professor Diamond's talk, although I should warn the reader that I have no formal (or informal!) journalism training.  Hopefully the rough edges of my account will not detract from the message that Prof. Diamond was trying to convey.

Much, much more after the break.

Update [2005-7-1 19:45:49 by AlphaGeek]: Larry Diamond's presentation at PARC is now available as a downloadable MP3 or as streaming video.

In closely related news: USAF Capt. MeLinda S. Morton, the Academy chaplain removed from her position earlier this year for whistleblowing, resigned her commission yesterday in advance of the release of the report.  It's my belief that she did so after reviewing a final copy of the report and concluding that she would not be able to make headway in reforming the Academy.

For those of you not familiar with the story, numerous allegations have surfaced that the USAF Academy is dominated (Dominionated?) by overtly proselytizing evangelical Christians.  It's no coincidence that wingnut James Dobson's operation is headquartered in Colorado Springs, a stone's throw from the Academy.

Continued after the break.

Sometimes the DJs make comments about current events on the air, though they generally tend to avoid political stuff.  (They had plenty to say about the plane over DC last week, though.)  As I was listening just now, Bodhi, the program director and mid-day DJ for XM48, said:

Right on, Bodhi.  You tell 'em.

SquiZZ reaches a diverse range of listeners, and I'm sure that he's going to get some blowback from people who have been bamboozled into supporting the Republicans.  Please take a moment let him know you agree with him, and that he should ask anyone who criticizes his statement when they're planning to enlist:

squizz@xmradio.com
1.866.6SQUIZZ (1.866.677.8499)