As IF Times

link AFP: Obama bemoans ‘diversions’ of IPod, Xbox era.

You have to read this article carefully to make sure that it’s an accurate reporting of events.  It appears to be genuine and therefore alarming.  Did he really say that  “information had become a diversion that was imposing new strains on democracy”? In the same breath, he says that education is the key to progress.  I have written before about how the President’s actions have often been in direct contrast to his actions.  This is the first time he has contradicted himself in the same sentence.

It becomes clearer what the reference is when he states:

 “…some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction,” in the clamor of certain blogs and talk radio outlets….All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy….”

Now this becomes clearer; what he is really doing is throwing an oblique dig at certain right of center media outlets, led no doubt by Fox Cable, a notorious critic of the administration’s policies.  Strangely, all of the mainstream media outlets have given favorable spin to the President’s policies; Fox is the only balancing voice to those views.  Somehow, this qualifies a mention in a commencement speech. Truly ironic in a place of learning since in the latter part of the same speech, the Pres includes this obligatory message invoking Thomas Jefferson:

“…What Jefferson recognized… that in the long run, their improbable experiment — called America — wouldn’t work if its citizens were uninformed, if its citizens were apathetic, if its citizens checked out, and left democracy to those who didn’t have the best interests of all the people at heart….It could only work if each of us stayed informed and engaged, if we held our government accountable, if we fulfilled the obligations of citizenship…”

So a confusing message is being sent.  If he doesn’t care for the role that technological devices are playing in society, he is the First Luddite.  That doesn’t speak well of the thousands of high tech jobs created by likes of Apple, Amazon, Sony etc, companies and  industries that have led the U.S. over the past decade.   Like it or not, society needs more engineers and technologically savvy grads to propel America forward.  Lawyers seem to be in surplus at the moment.  If he doesn’t care for the few dissenters with his policies, perhaps an official White House news service will be implemented, although that would be redundant in the presence of NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS.

Lastly, there is the discussion of learning being the equivalent of  emancipation.  Again a function of pandering to your audience, but emancipation is no longer an issue, hasn’t been one since, well, 1863.   This may explain the skepticism of modern technology.  It looks like someone’s looking to the past instead of the future.  Or maybe it’s just the politican/lawyer showing, covering both sides of an discussion without saying anything.  Bottom line, I think the man is confused.  Information, regardless of how it’s transmitted is everything.  Like the old saying, the truth shall set you free.

link  Miami airport screener accused of attack after jeers at genitals – Miami-Dade – MiamiHerald.com.

You know this had to happen.  Previously I expressed that what they should really do is to have the images on public display for amusement to pass the time while being forced to shuffle forward a foot at a time like sheep in the airport lineups.   In fact as the recent NY bombing incident seems to show again, I’m not sure why they keep up the charade of screening people with current methodology at all.  The guy who is a “suspect” in the Times Square bomb attempt actually got on board a plane even though apparently he was on a  no fly list.  Somehow the undie bomber got on board a plane at Christmas time and he also was on a no fly list.

The only people airport scanning seems to inconvenience and catch are those carrying bottles of lotion or packets of gum.  So now, we have an institutionalized system in place that:

a.  is inconvenient to all of the public

b. is expensive as far as hiring all the crack security clerks

c. is expensive as far as the high tech machines involved

d. does not filter out those it should filter

e. is a source of entertainment for the staffers

It gets even worse.  If you think about it, the ‘authorities’ didn’t even catch the perps in both the cases mentioned, it was the public that brought them to attention.   So why bother with the elaborate charade to show people how secure they really are when they are better able to protect themselves without official help?  

The biggest obstacle to many of the ills facing us today are perpetrated by those in government that seek to placate the larger public while not offending a very small few, in many cases, casting  aside common sense  We’re willing to traumatize, inconvenience, embarrass, harass average people but unwilling to take a hard line against actual thugs.  Presently, the headlines are filled with bleating about the racial nature of Arizona’s toughened illegal alien laws, laws which only serve to underline existing federal laws. 

There are an estimated half million illegal immigrants in that state.  Surprisingly 99.999% are likely illegals from Mexico.  Associated crime from this constituency is out of control.  If you’re going to have a crackdown on enforcement of border issues, where do you look?  If people cannot even be allowed to use common sense in their decision making, there truly is no hope.  This logic brings to mind the old joke:

“…Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese.  And there are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them.  It’s either my mum or my dad. Or my older brother Colin.Or my younger brother Ho-Chau-Chou.   But I think it’s Colin…”