The Bidding of the Leaders

My cousin brought this quote to my attention. No commentary here, just let it speak for itself.

“Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”

Hermann Goering
Hitler's Reich Marshall
At the Nuremberg Trials after WWII

And Now - For a Commercial Break . . .

In this highly charged political we are living in, it is sometimes nice to sit back and take a breath. Every now and then, even watch a commercial that you might forward through on your TIVO. For a bit of a laugh, I've found this spoof of the Bud Light Hello guy. This one happens to have a gay theme to it. Enjoy!



Disclaimer: This parody is not a production of Anheuser-Busch.

New GI Education Bill

Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, himself a veteran of Vietnam, has sponsored a new GI Education Bill to increase the educational assistance for our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Basically, the bill would cover the entire cost of tuition and books as well as room and board. It would also offer a monthly stipend of $1,000 over and above the costs associate with school to ensure that the veterans would not have to work and could concentrate on their studies.

The bill has large bi-partisan support in both houses of Congress. But guess who isn't supporting the GI Bill for the 21st Century. Neither President Bush nor Republican Presidential hopeful (and Vietnam POW) Senator John McCain. They say it would cost too much. They contend that it would hurt retention efforts. Well Mr. President and Honorable Senator, this bill can't possibly cost as much as the wars we are currently fighting. And I imagine that recruitment numbers just might increase as a result of knowing that education benefits would actually cover the cost of higher education.

We made benefits like this available to veterans of WWII. It is the least we can do for this generation of veterans.

Time to Go

I love Hillary.  I think she'd be the best president, given our choices.  But after last night, she needs to recognize reality and step down gracefully.  At this point, a graceful exit, followed by an endorsement of Obama, would gain respect.  If she stays in, she will be seen as a sore loser.  I love you Hillary - but it's time to go.

The Last Lecture

Almost all of us have childhood dreams; for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don’t achieve theirs, and I think that’s a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I’ve actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams." - Randy Pausch

If you knew you had only a few months to live, how would you spend those months? Who would you talk to to? What would you say to them? Would you take the chance to give a final lecture? Carnegie Mellon a has lecture series in which professors give their Final Lecture. It is supposed to represent what they would say if the lecture they were giving was their final one.

Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon actually got the chance. Several months ago, Randy was diagnosed with terminal cancer. A month later he delivered his final lecture. It was on realizing your childhood dreams. Carnegie Mellon has made the lecture available for all of us who didn't get to see it.



The Wall Street Journal also published an article, A Final Farewell, that gives some insight into the man, his family, and his beliefs. Randy has also written a book called The Last Lecture. Check out the video and the article. Randy is an inspiration to us all.