Dakota Today

**What I have not seen in news about the Vehicle registration screwups

Apparently the new South Dakota vehicle registration system has some problems.  TV and newspapers have primarily focused on long lines of people and perturbed county treasurers finding the wrong fees being charged or totaled by the system and then also finding their revenue may be counted by the state system as going to another county or elsewhere.

South Dakota Governor Rounds says programmers are working 24-7.  We all know that is a lie or gross exageration unless they are on illegal drugs and that might explain the problems, but I really doubt that is the answer.

But, what haven't we read or seen?  For one (which I may have missed) is why is this new system is needed and what does it do better (or what is it supposed to do better) than the old system which worked? 

Also, is this new data system a proprietary system purchased from some software outfit, or is it an in house programming masterpiece?  If proprietary commercial software, has that company or officials contributed to Rounds elections?  Hunted pheasants with Mike and his dog?  If it is in-house, who designed the system?  What were the specifications? 

I do know that the computer dudes on SD public radio Friday Midday program did not want to answer even a generic non-accusatory question about the vehicle registration mess.  Might be they would rather discuss the latest game or cellphone, but usually they rise above that a bit.

ETC, ETC....it does not appear that our so-called mainstream media is asking tough questions or they assume we already know the answers to these.  If you have more information, let me and any readers here in on the information.

[On edit:] Noticed I had spelled vehicle more than one way.  Note Cory Heidelberger comment on Mainframe Abandoned; Chaos Ensues and also who vetoed a web site of SD Gov't information...[End edit July 13, 2008]

***Stay tuned and be glad you don't have to stand in a long line to read Dakota Today--- Doug Wiken

** Hell Not Frozen Over, but Paradise is Ablaze

Not much of a post, but "Hell not frozen over, but Paradise Ablaze" seemed like an interesting title for a post.

Fires in California and elsewhere are not a joke however.

Paradise to be Evacuated because of Fires

We might perhaps wonder if the US might be in better shape to stop, control, or prevent such fires if the National Guard units were in the US instead of Iraq. We might also wonder if the cheapest form of terrorist destruction might be a match and a strong wind on a hot dry day in a forested area.

 But, don't telephone any discussion of that idea, because FISA has been changed compliments of our gutless wonders in Congress ready to sell out the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in their appeal to the most mindless parts of the population which those same Congress critters are unwilling to meaningfully educate or inform on actual issues that go beyond 15 second sound bites. Your telephone is a long-distance recording device

And, parts of the Bush administration are advertising for contractors to scan the internet for terrorists.  That way government activities that are normally forbidden in functioning democracies can be done anyway by private contractors.  Not sure how they can handle all the information since the administration was unable to put together a dozen or fewer FBI reports which indicated a terrrorist strike was immient.

. *** Stay tuned even if it is too hot and humid to actually think for very long--- Doug Wiken

**Obama steps in it..FISA Bill Stinks to high Heaven

Sen. Obama has stepped in it.  After defeating Hillary the Triangulator, he apparently has decided he must adopt the losing triangulation strategy he just beat and vote for a mediocre FISA bill.  Take a look at the AP story to get a feel for what Obama did in the interests of partisan strategy.  This is the same kind of spineless vote that makes it easy for me to say Sen. Johnson, Sen. Daschle, Sen. Thune, and Rep. Herseth-Sandlin deserve well-earned obscurity for their similar votes on the Bush war powers and the mindless needless and wasteful war against Iraq.

AP on FISA Senate Vote
 You may note that there are other SD supporters of Sen. Obama who are not at all happy with this vote. Todd Epp, a SD lawyer, is one of them:
 Todd Epp at SD WATCH blog "Shame on Obama"
 Epp notes that both Sen. Hillary Clinton and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid voted against this FISA bill

. Cory Heidelberger at Madville Times Blog concludes with a comment:

A Democrat-led Congress hands George W. Bush a big victory in the dog days of his lame-duckery, and on a basic issue of Constitutional liberties, no less.

Madville is "mad" at Obama Today rather than "mad about" Obama

 Obama has been admired for his oratorical skills. If a Presidential candidate can't explain why we should not trash the Bill of Rights in the "fight" against an amorphous "terrorist" enemy or tactic, then he is failing his oratorical promise and demonstrating a rather flexible back suggesting the absence of a spine when push comes to a minor tap. I do not see why any Democratic candidate or representative with the slightest persuasive ability can't stuff down the throats of freedom trashers and fear mongers the idea that we can't trash the constitution and the bill of rights in a way that drives the US to a system that a Bin Laden would support.

 Bob Schwartz at "Politics and Hypocrisy Blog" notes that our own SD Delegation also decided we should sell out our Bill of Rights freedoms for pottage in an act of political capitulation.
 Schwartz at Politics and Hypocrisy on "Capitulation of SD Delegation"

 I do not understand our politicians who think they can abandon our heritage of freedom and retain our support on the cheap. I see this vote as another reason to sit on my hands even if I vote for Democrats this Fall. There will be no "Profiles in South Dakota Courage" books written about our current South Dakota delegation or about Sen. Obama if he continues down this triangulation at any cost route. Who would have guessed that when Obama claimed he supported "Change"in the primary, he was really saying he was supporting "Change in his Positions" for the general election. Wimping out on this issue is definitely not a good sign.

 The disgusting votes of our SD delegation is not a surprise, just another page in the book of discouragement about the integrity and courage  and the short-sightedness of our elected officials.

 

*** Stay tuned, this may be an issue that unites real liberals and real conservatives--- Doug Wiken

**Step one of any plan to get out of Iraq

Probably most of us have heard candidates running for president talking about step one of their plan for the country being getting the US out of Iraq.  That is unfortunately upside down prioritization no matter how important it really is to get out of Iraq.

The first step Obama should make in his plan to get out of Iraq should be to commit the USA to an energy conversion program to stop fossil fuel consumption similar in scope and dedication to the moon shot.

Solar and wind can produce hydrogen which can be combined with carbon dioxide to make methanol which can be converted into all kinds of chemicals and fuels. 

There is no credibility in a plan to get out of Iraq so long as there is no credible plan to get away from dependence on fossil fuels of all kinds.  Building more oil lines and more refineries destroys any credibility for plans aimed at getting out of Iraq or for preventing global catastrophe.

A previous post of mine here on the subject of wind energy for hydrogen and then to methanol as projected by Dr. George Olah led to a search of blogs for that topic.  There are some very serious blogs out there suggesting much the same for similar reasons, but also for many others more directly related to science.

I hope to get those links into another post.

***Stay tuned even if your plan for solving the energy crisis is buying a cheap SUV and using the savings to buy more gasoline--- Doug Wiken