blueZhift Blog

In the wake of the failed Christmas day bombing attempt by a Nigerian man, there has been a renewed called for the expanded use of full body scanners at international airports. The Dutch have already announced they will use these scanners for all U.S. bound flights. And Nigerian officials have made a similar announcement. These millimeter-wave and backscatter X-ray scanners essentially strip away clothing to reveal things that may be hidden underneath. Privacy advocates have likened their use to virtual strip searching and have strongly resisted their deployment in the United States.

I think it’s high time for Americans to get over their problems with the nude human body. Not a single one of us came into this world with a stitch of clothing on. Do I really need to care that some TSA staffer I don’t know will see me naked in some scanner? No I don’t! Department store changing rooms have been monitored for years to prevent the far less than fatal crime of shoplifting.

There’s nothing shameful or offensive about the naked body. But I do take offense at the twisted, charred, and often naked, corpses in the aftermath of a successful airliner bombing.

I’m still rather depressed about the stunning first round loss of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid today. I’ve heard a lot of analysis this afternoon, but one thing I think is quite clear… There won’t be any more Olympic bids from Chicago. We wasted a lot of time and money when we probably never had a chance. I  like Rio, and if the IOC wants to give the games to Rio, then that’s okay. But don’t make the rest of us spend so much effort if we don’t have a chance at the prize.

Another shocker is the emerging picture that the IOC did not want the voting to play out as it did with Chicago going out so soon. Of course not, a crushing blow like that guarantees that Chicago won’t try again, it also scares off any other sane US cities as well. They needed this to go to the last round so that we could entertain the notion that our tremendous effort almost got us there.

As it stands, I think my fair Chicago feels like a jilted bride, just not good enough. It seems Havana will get the Olympics before Chicago ever will. Maybe we’ll try again next century.

With a new administration in the US White House, I think we are poised to make some real progress in combating global warming. The crazy weather I’ve seen over the last few years in the Chicago area makes me wonder if this is only a taste of what is to come if we do nothing. Still, there is a lot of resistance to doing what is needed and even dispute over whether global warming due to human activities is real or not. Even if it isn’t, I don’t see anything bad about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and generally taking better care of the Earth.

If positive arguments don’t make a dent in the psyches of many, perhaps an opposite approach would yield results. In short, the climate changes due to global warming may actually benefit some regions of the world. While this isn’t very likely, it is a possibility. If the many of the rich are devastated while some of the poor elevated by climatic changes, then maybe the rich will get off their butts and do something. No one, especially the rich, wants to be on the opposite end of someone else’s schadenfreude. Perhaps the fear that someone else will benefit from our misfortune will be enough to motivate us to do the right thing.

One of the reasons I was excited to come to Chicago for college, was the lively and entertaining political sport that takes place here. The current Burris controversy continues to entertain. I’m rather annoyed by the whole thing which to my eye isn’t much to get excited about. I’m annoyed that the state Republicans are still harping on that special election nonsense after 0 Republicans in the House, and only 3 in the Senate supported President Obama’s Stimulus Package. Against this backdrop they want Illinois voters to send a Republican to the Senate so that he or she can join with the other Republicans in opposing the policies of the President, also from Illinois. Yeah, right, I’m all for that…

So hold on Roland, just don’t seek reelection. As for calls for resignation from unnamed Black ministers, well, that really means that someone else, who I won’t speculate on here, is angling for the job behind the scenes. That’s entertainment!

Illinois At Its Finest

After the beating they took in the November elections, you would think that the Republicans in the U.S. Congress would have learned something. But from the almost total lack of cooperation with President Obama regarding the economic stimulus bill, I guess they did not.  I’m particularly disappointed in Senator McCain, whose gracious concession speech on election night really impressed me. But now I can doubly see that Barack Obama was the right choice for these current times of economic crisis.

The Republicans just don’t seem to get it. People need help now! I have no idea who they think they are serving by trying to block the package. If they continue on this course, they will virtually guarantee a Democratic super majority in the Senate come the next election cycle in 2 years. No tears for them from me though, they’ve never been my friend and aren’t likely to become one in the near future.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today that Jesse White, the Illinois Secretary of State does not have to sign off on the appointment of Roland Burris to the vacant Senate seat. So Jesse White has thusfar refused to certify the appointment which has led the U.S. Senate to thusfar refuse to seat Burris. What’s the point of this bullsh*t Jesse?

When terrorist use the innocent as human shields, you are not justified in mowing down the shields to get to the terrorists because they are such bad people. By refusing to sign, Jesse benefits no one and falls right into the trap the governor laid for them. The evil love pulling down as many of the innocent as they can before their own inevitable demise.

I guess Jesse White didn’t get the memo that at this part of the game having made his point, he’s supposed to say how terrible Governor Blagoyevich is for putting us in this position. But in the interest of the people of the State of Illinois, he will certify the appointment so that the people would have full representation in the Senate. Oh well, some people just don’t know how to play the game I guess.

It has become clear that the removal of Governor Rod Blagoyevich is going to take a long time. Roland Burris has a long and honorable history of public service and is not involved in the scandal in any way. He just wants to serve the people of Illinois in what will probably be his final role before retirement. There’s nothing wrong with Roland, so let’s seat him and move on!

Whether they like it or not, if the Democratic Senate leaders turn Burris away with the use of police and security personnel, it’s going to look very very bad. And in the light of the possible appointment of Caroline Kennedy, holding up Burris’ seating to check his qualifications is laughable. Why can’t we just acknowledge that sometimes “bad” men make good choices. Roland Burris is a good choice, so seat him.

Ever since Barack Obama began his run for the presidency, I’ve been able to feel some new pride walking down the street. Why? Because as a black man in America, regardless of all of my degrees and accomplishments, walking down the street, people were most likely to think me a criminal than a physicist, or a software engineer. But when Obama made his run and started winning, I feel a new, and at last, positive stereotype had been added to the mix. Maybe, just maybe, that black guy walking down the street with the quick, confident strides was like Barack Obama, smart, articulate, and strong. I hope that last night’s presidential victory has permanently added that new stereotype to the list of possibilities people see for all black people.

Never thought I’d see this, an African American president, but it has really happened!^_^ Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States of America! As I told a Nigerian news reporter earlier today, when the U.S. electoral system works, people can and will respond to a smart, tough campaign run on the issues. I am so proud that America appears to have turned a significant page in its history! I hope that the rest of world will see that we don’t just preach a lot of lofty ideas, we live by them.

Just some more idle speculation. If the Republican party goes down in a crushing defeat, will divisions within the party finally lead to a split resulting in the formation of a viable third party? It’s no secret that the blame game has already begun between moderate Republicans and the far right religio-conservative wing of the party. But does the leadership and vision exist to create a complete split?

Some have argued that the current two party system is too limiting for the kind of dynamic government that the U.S. needs in the 21st century. A major 3rd party could be just the lubrication needed to keep us moving forward. I for one would like to see moderate Republicans who believe in classic Republican values of limited government and personal freedom, freed of the religious and rightist elements that have highjacked the Republican party. In the past, John McCain would have been the most likely to lead this revolt, but if he does go down in a crushing defeat, it is unlikely that he could lead the split. It seems far more likely that the religious conservative faction will split off on their own with people like Huckabee and Palin leading the way. If that happens, perhaps the moderates will join up with the Libertarians.