COUNTERPOINT: CALLS FOR UNITY MAY INCREASE DIVISIONS

In June of 2015, a Neligh resident created the We Support Neligh (WSN) campaign in "an effort to promote the town in a more positive light and unite residents."

First, some light reading on the subject:

Man buys 100 'We Support Neligh' signs in effort to unite the community

'Had Enough': Metschke Starts 'We Support Neligh' Campaign

WE SUPPORT NELIGH (Facebook page, first post 6-22-15)

WE SUPPORT NELIGH (Official page, created 6-23-15)

Man behind Neligh signs wants to unite community

Google Search: "Support Neligh" results

UPDATE: Recall Signatures Verified, Special Election Next Step

The reason for the campaign.

Nate Metschke, a Neligh resident, has indicated that his campaign began before the annexation of several properties along Highway 275 finished, and is unrelated to the issue. As the annexation issue predates the efforts to recall Neligh's mayor and four city council members (which appears to have been filed in response to the annexation issue), this would indicate that the campaign is also unrelated to the recall effort.

However, in a different news story, it is implied that the recall issue was itself the cause of the WSN campaign: 

The recall attempt of all City of Neligh elected officials has one resident saying enough is enough. And he doesn’t believe he’s the only one who feels that way.

Nate Metschke, who has lived in Neligh for nearly 15 years and is the music teacher at Neligh-Oakdale, said he’s embarrassed by recent behavior in the community and is taking a stand against the negativity. Metschke is asking other Neligh residents to join him in a “We Support Neligh” campaign in hopes “the real majority are heard loud and clear.”

Regardless of whether or not the WSN campaign was the result of Neligh's annexation and elected official recall issues, every news story and explanation of the campaign contains an inordinate number of words focusing on those very subjects. That, in and of itself, seems to say more than anything else regarding the connection between the WSN campaign and recent political issues in Neligh.

THE DRIPPING FAUCET

People can complain all they want about how popular superhero movies are...but the simple fact is that we need superheroes right now. Every day we're inundated with news and images reminding us what an ugly, dangerous world we live in. It's easy to become depressed and cynical. Superheroes remind us who we are as people. Or, at the very least, who we should be aspiring to be. ~ Michael Williams

Back in the early 80's, I watched a Sesame Street "Bert and Ernie" skit which originally aired in the 70's. In the skit, Bert and Ernie are about to go to sleep. But Bert verbally observes that he hears water dripping, to which Ernie replies, "I probably left the faucet on a little bit when I washed my hands." Bert then tells Ernie that he can't sleep when he hears water dripping, and asks Ernie to do something about it. So Ernie gets out of bed and turns on the radio. Bert then tells Ernie that he can't sleep with the sound of the radio, so Ernie gets up again and turns on the vacuum. At that point, Bert gets up and tells Ernie to "just stay where you are," and then turns off the vacuum, radio, and faucet.

Superheroes are one of many creations that were born in response to the news and images which quickly become overwhelming when they are given even the slightest attention. Whether Superheroes are the radio or the vacuum is beside the point--the point is that a faucet is dripping, and the dripping faucet should be addressed. Superheroes simply show us how best to deal with the symptoms.

WHEN HYPOCRISY MASQUERADES AS PRINCIPLE

When it comes to the Affordable Care Act, states rights are being trampled and the U.S. Constitution is under attack.

But when Colorado legalizes marijuana, states rights mean nothing--those stoners are violating federal laws, and the Supreme Court needs to get them back in line.

From Jon Bruning, Nebraska Attorney General, regarding Colorado's marijuana laws:

Nebraska and Oklahoma's complaint argues that Colorado does not have authority to pass laws that conflict with the federal prohibition on marijuana. Doing so, the states claim, violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

That's handy, isn't it? In this case, federal laws (regardless of their own constitutionality) override all state laws. The Supremacy Clause says so. Not even the strongest can overcome the power of the capitol.

Or can they? From the same Jon Bruning, regarding the Affordable Care Act:

"It tramples on individual liberty and dumps on the states the burden of an unfunded mandate that taxpayers cannot afford," said Bruning, who is also president of the National Association of Attorneys General.

When hypocrisy masquerades as principle, the formula is pretty easy to see: federal laws should be ignored when they force you to do something that you don't want to do, but federal laws are absolutely supreme when they prevent someone else from doing something you don't want them to be able to do. If you claim to be a "small government" person and then you go crying to a branch of the federal government over another state's marijuana laws, then you absolutely deserve to have something the Affordable Care Act land right in your lap.

RUNNING VS CYCLING

As tempting as it is to attempt to circumvent the running vs. cycling argument by changing the comparison to something like "toned abs vs. spare tires," cycling does have some benefits. It allows someone with a spare tire to retain their shape while lowering their resting heart rate. Or something like that--the jury is out on the heart rate part.

In terms of heath benefits from a recreational perspective, running is superior to cycling in every way. The primary reason for this is the equipment involved in each activity: runners have shoes that they wear on their feet, whereas cycling involves sitting on a bicycle. It's much harder to coast or take a mile off when your feet are your only means of covering the distance. A guy who runs a lowly ten minute mile is responsible for every inch of that mile, whereas a cyclist can easily pedal just fast enough to remain upright. In that case, the tires work harder than the cyclist.

While this point is often countered with the contention that cycling involves a saddle rather than a seat--the difference being that one sits on a seat while a saddle is merely one of (usually) three points of contact with the bicycle, with the feet carrying most of the rider's weight--this contention doesn't often apply to recreational cyclists. Recreational cyclists sit and pedal. Their pedals don't often see as much pressure as their saddle. Blasphemy? Any cyclist--recreational or competitive--who wants to defend cycling from this perspective should try taking the saddle off of his bicycle before his next ride. Any reply may well come while recovering from a heart attack.

Another area where cycling is inferior to running is safety. When was the last time you saw someone running in a helmet? Given where things have gone on ski slopes, it may not be long before it becomes a more common sight. Regardless of this, though, cycling involves more speed and is an activity which...what's a diplomatic way to put this?...doesn't necessarily encourage a great deal of focus on the part of the rider--a combination which can lead to accidents as a result of carelessness, fatigue, or any other cause of distraction. When you're flying down a hill on bicycle, it isn't hard to imagine any number of things which can result in injuries ranging from cuts to broken bones--a level of injury which is extremely hard to achieve when running without the help of a car, or perhaps a collision with a cyclist who is flying down a hill.

Running burns more calories, stresses more muscles, and actually promotes better posture. A cyclist leans forward and holds himself up with his arms. Sore necks are normal, but are generally less sore than the area where the bike saddle (fine, we'll call it that) contacts the body. Which--again--is usually the result of sitting and pedaling rather then cycling. It's human nature to take notice of areas where it is easy to cheat, and cycling is far superior in terms of offering opportunities to do just that.

The downside of running, though, is exactly what makes it better: it's harder on the body. Every step is an impact, and unless one is at his optimal weight, any extra pounds are often felt in the feet, ankles, knees, and hips. It's like deciding between calibers of handguns--a 9mm handgun may have more stopping power than a .22 handgun, but that stopping power is only useful if you can handle the 9mm. It is from this perspective that cycling is superior to running--it doesn't matter if running is better than cycling if your body can't handle the impact and stress of running. Cycling is better in such cases because it removes the issues involved in running. The downside is that it takes a lot more cycling--both in terms of mileage and time--to accomplish the same level of benefits available through running. But the upside is extreme; if you can cycle in comfort but can't run without pain, it doesn't matter how much better running may be.

SOMEONE MIGHT BE LYING

The same government that claims it can't find a Boeing 777 airplane or locate emails from the director of the IRS claims absolute confirmation of the involvement of North Korean hackers in a breach of Sony Entertainment's computers. From the FBI itself:

As a result of our investigation, and in close collaboration with other U.S. government departments and agencies, the FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for these actions. While the need to protect sensitive sources and methods precludes us from sharing all of this information, our conclusion is based, in part, on the following:

• Technical analysis of the data deletion malware used in this attack revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korean actors previously developed. For example, there were similarities in specific lines of code, encryption algorithms, data deletion methods, and compromised networks.

• The FBI also observed significant overlap between the infrastructure used in this attack and other malicious cyber activity the U.S. government has previously linked directly to North Korea. For example, the FBI discovered that several Internet protocol (IP) addresses associated with known North Korean infrastructure communicated with IP addresses that were hardcoded into the data deletion malware used in this attack.

• Separately, the tools used in the SPE attack have similarities to a cyber attack in March of last year against South Korean banks and media outlets, which was carried out by North Korea.

Wired Magazine (is it still a magazine?) produced an article to the contrary:

Attribution Is Difficult If Not Impossible
First off, we have to say that attribution in breaches is difficult. Assertions about who is behind any attack should be treated with a hefty dose of skepticism. Skilled hackers use proxy machines and false IP addresses to cover their tracks or plant false clues inside their malware to throw investigators off their trail. When hackersare identified and apprehended, it’s generally because they’ve made mistakes or because a cohort got arrested and turned informant.

Nation-state attacks often can be distinguished by their level of sophistication and modus operandi, but attribution is no less difficult. It’s easy for attackers to plant false flags that point to North Korea or another nation as the culprit. And even when an attack appears to be nation-state, it can be difficult to know if the hackers are mercenaries acting alone or with state sponsorship—some hackers work freelance and get paid by a state only when they get access to an important system or useful intelligence; others work directly for a state or military. Then there are hacktivists, who can be confused with state actors because their geopolitical interests and motives jibe with a state’s interests.

Distinguishing between all of these can be impossible unless you’re an intelligence agency like the NSA, with vast reach into computers around the world, and can uncover evidence about attribution in ways that law enforcement agents legally cannot.

Then Sony essentially claimed that North Korea has done the company a favor:

"The unanimous point of view here is that this (is) another misfire from the pairing," said an e-mail purportedly written by Peter Taylor, of Sony Pictures UK.

Taylor said the film was "desperately unfunny and repetitive," and "James Franco proves once again that irritation is his strong suit which is a shame because the character could have been appealing and funny out of his hands."

Taylor and other executives agreed that the first half hour of the film, which features a satirical interview with hip-hop artist Eminem, was amusing but was later overshadowed by "realistic violence that would be shocking in a horror movie"

But could it be that all be that this fluff is just a veiled effort give the federal government a reason to nuke North Korea for denying Americans the opportunity to see a straight-to-DVD feature the power to oversee cyber security?

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said the November attack has increased urgency for the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which failed to make it to the Senate floor in July, despite winning bipartisan committee support. Feinstein, who remains the committee's top Democrat as new Republican majority takes control in January, plans to reintroduce the measure. 

Nope. Given that this whole situation makes so much sense, that's just outrageous.

RACIST RAGE EXPLAINS NOTHING

Only then does Ferguson make sense. It's about white rage.*  **

*White rage is not the same as ruling class rage. My skin color doesn't make me a member of the ruling class any more than someone else's skin color makes them athletic or prone to being a doctor.

**The systems often cited as working in favor of white rage--courts, police, legislatures, and governors--do not serve me any more than do the humble members of congress or the most serving of servants, the president of the United States. Those people exist in order to centralize power and preserve it for themselves, rather than using it to benefit people like me. If that sounds like cynicism or the ignorance of a person who happens to be white without realizing the benefits, allow me to try to explain.

GETTING PLAYED (OR: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ELECT SOMEONE)

The national peddling of the left-right paradigm was on display in Colorado this week, with school kids walking out of class in protest of curriculum changes that came from "conservative school board members" who took office last November. The Facebook comments to the Fox News-produced story were predictable, angry, and eye-opening in terms of just how well the divide-and-conquer scheme is working in America.

The walkout aside, the story presents the bold agenda being pushed by the new board members. It's bold not so much in terms of its goal, but in terms of its unveiling of what is essentially one of many versions of propaganda which are blind to their own fallacies. Those with the authority to do so call such propaganda "history."

From the story:

The school board proposal that triggered the walkouts in Jefferson County calls of instructional materials that present positive aspects of the nation and its heritage. It would establish a committee to regularly review texts and course plans, starting with Advanced Placement history, to make sure materials "promote citizenship, patriotism...and benefits of the free-market system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights" and don't "encourage or condone civil disorder, social strike or disregard of the law."

Citizenship: you will pay taxes, or you will go to jail. Or you can pay to renounce your citizenship...which is something you could do for free just a few years ago, apparently. So if you're one of those people whose intellectual contribution to these conversations is limited to angrily asking the question "If you don't like it here, why don't you just leave?", bear in mind--that solution has a cost now, too. So it's not quite as helpful as you may think.