I have filled in 29 bubbles out of 30 choices on my absentee ballot. The secret ballot is supposed be be a great tool of democracy, but I will share my selections with you, and my reasons behind them, in the off chance that somebody actually cares how I vote. I will also ask for your help on the bubble that remains unfilled.
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Recieved via IM while I was away:
Ok, wtf is up with TRC? I checked the webpage and they announced the Thursday interest meeting on… wait for it… Thursday. Isn’t this basically what happened last time, when nobody showed? I am really interested in participating, but I am finding it really difficult to figure out what is happening and when…
Yeah, that is exactly what happened last time. I just hope this meeting went a little more smoothly.
Hopefully you made it outside tonight to see the Total Lunar Eclipse.
Too bad it couldn’t have waited six days. But this does kind of put everything in a bit of perspective. As the conversation went:
Ryan: kinda puts things into perspective, you know
Erik: ppl say that, I never get it :) …
Ryan: like, Bush or Kerry? Who cares? The moon could crush them both in a heartbeat AND it looks better too
Erik: lol
A few days ago, I got a request for another subdomain here at SilverFir.net. Its become pretty routine for me to add them, so I went thourgh the steps and presented the results to the requestor. But something wasn’t working. Apache claimed it didn’t have write access to the directory. But I had put apache into the group, just like I have done for all the other subdomains on SilverFir. The reasoning behind this is that then multiple people can admin a site without having any global privileges; Apache can access files with semi-sensitive usernames and passwords without making them world-readable, and everyone is happy-hunky-dory.
Until arbitrary limits in the Linux Kernel rear their ugly head.
A user can not be a member of more than 32 groups. I learned this fact after a suspicion of such a limit led me to google for “Is there a limit to how many groups a user can be a member of?” which eventually led me to this page where the truth was hidden. That page also happens to contain a patch for the Linux Kernel, and given that I’m not using NFS, which seemed to be the main reason for the arbitrary limit, it would probably work. I’ve never patched a linux kernel… but might as well start with oasis and gentoo, just to make sure I get it down before I try it on this computer, which is becoming mission-critical for the TRC and well, this site too, as well as some others, I suppose.
Intentionally confusing to protect the disenfranchized.
Since I’m not really saying anything of substance, its pretty hard to not be talking about both at the same time
The Category, the Title, and The Substance; two of three have something in common.
This is another blog that started out as a comment on someone else’s blog, and grew out of control. But thats why we have pingbacks.
In a comment on this post on Instant Runoff Voting on Colorless Green Ideas, It seems to me that the “clumsiness” as Adam sees it is elegance as I see it. With
I’d like to see IRV in action in one state (why not mine), just to see how it works. Fortunately, people in other states, such as Adam in Kansas, can see how it works for us without actually risking anything themselves. Thats why we need more power to the states and power almost eliminated from the feds – this way, states can experiment with new ideas, and many fewer people get screwed over when a bad idea comes along.
Take universal healthcare, for example. Lets pretend I’m wrong (since that is as close to me being wrong ont his one as you will ever come), and univeral healthcare is one of the best ideas ever. Then some state (say, Kansas) implements it. When everything goes really well (since its a pretend good idea) all the other states will see the light, and take steps to implement a similar system.
However, if if its kept at the federal level, then when the more “progressive” party finally gets their agenda across (I think its only a matter of time), the entire nation will be screwed over at once with very little recourse (ie, I can’t just move out of state to avoid being screwed over by a rapidly degrading healthcare system).
Lets give IRV a chance. Lets give state rights a chance. Instead of advocating national socialized healthcare, do it at a state level. Observe its utter failure at that level. Move on to better things. The most destructive and scariest event in this day and age is the concentration of power in the other Washington (DC), something which, no matter your party affliation or belief system, I think you need to fight against. Implement your progressive or conservative or liberal or socialist or facist or communist ideas in your own state, thank you very much. The only party that wants to give you that right, that responsibility, that power is the Libertarian party at the national level. Let your state govern as the people there see fit, not as the people across the country see fit. Thats what America is supposed to be about.
World’s Shortest Political Quiz – I pegged out the Libertarian side of things. Find out where you stand.
Specer Garrett, 8th District Libertarian for Congress – Fun to read his one position paper…. But I’ll wait for IRV before I give him a shot.
Speaking of which… Washington State Instant Runoff Voting Initiative – Lets give it a shot and see what happens in this state. Bob also has a good blog on IRV. Check out my comments, while you’re at it.