LJ Might Just Be Dead Now...
... at least for me. See you on Twitter.

( Weave a Silver Strand )

Hey LJ. I'm not dead, just been very busy 1) with work 2) with side projects (FurBuy and StickyPaws) 3) with Warhammer/40K. Not much to report, really.

( Weave a Silver Strand )

Bizarre Realistic Dream
So last night I had a very strange and oddly realistic (hyper-real) dream about being at a Buddhist temple in Nepal. These particular Buddhists believed that their temple was a special place that could be a gateway to Nirvana that could turn certain types of practicing Buddhists into great spirits to aid the world. The only way to make that reincarnation though would be to meditate and achieve the right metaphysical state and then die immediately while in said state. So there's the setup for the dream.

I'm at this temple to witness this event (maybe as a journalist?) because for the first time they are using a .22 pistol to perform the 'instant death' necessary for the transition, as opposed to the old method of using a heavy icepick to the head. So this is a once a year event, and three Buddhists are going to attempt the reincarnation this year. Two of them were Nepalese Buddhists who were well into their later days in life who had been practicing monks for decades, but what was disturbing to me is that one was an American guy who was only 20 years old. He was dead-set on doing this and was certain that he had a special gift and power that would assure his successful transition, and many of the old monks there agreed, having felt his spiritual mettle and examined his states of meditation.

After some ritual and some celebration, for some reason the three were each placed in the passenger seats of some old run-down Asian pick-up trucks and then one by one driven over to the point where the ritual killings would commence. Each went into their meditation from within the truck, with attendant monks surveying their state of being and then one would unceremoniously shoot the meditating person in the head and instantly kill them. Nothing spectacular, nothing reverent, nothing even dramatic about it, they just each slumped over in one direction or another, dead. The whole affair was more or less quiet and methodical and uneventful until all three were driven off and the monks chanted for the success of the individuals who were just ritually slaughtered.

For some reason this whole dream just disturbs me, on a creepy level. What a waste of life, a stupid thing to believe, and a stupid thing to do. I have no idea where the dream came from or why, but it's really kind of bothering me to think about it. Like it's some real world travesty that enrages me and I want to speak out about. Except that it was only a dream...

( 4 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

Adventures in Warhammer
     So my roommate has been wanting to get back into painting miniatures again for a while, it used to be her hobby before making fursuits replaced it about ten years ago. And I've always been fascinated and curious about Warhammer. In years previous though, the barrier to entry for me had been price. Well, I make oodles now, so I figured I don't have an excuse anymore.

     So I started with buying the core rulebooks for Fantasy and 40K along with three armies books from each. For Fantasy I decided to go with Skaven as my main choice, Beastmen as my second choice, and Lizardmen for my third choice. For 40K I decided on Orks as my main, Space Wolves for my second and Tau for my third. So far I've completely read the Fantasy rulebook, skimmed the 40K rulebook, completely read the Skaven armies book, and am now reading the Beastmen armies book. In addition, we've picked up a few books on how to paint the miniatures, including a Skaven clan uniform and colors sourcebook. So, that's the books, which are just the tip of the iceberg that is Warhammer...

     Because a major part of the "hobby" (as Games Workshop calls it) is collecting, cleaning, assembling, painting and detailing the models you use to play the game. So I've bought countless boxes of tiny little pieces referred to by GW and gamers as "bits", which are attached to injection-mold cast "sprues". After hours of clipping "bits" off of "sprues" and then using a razor blade to trim away "flash" and seams from the parts, you then glue them together in a vast variety of personal fashions to form "units" that will be fielded on the battleground. But that's JUST the start! Because now you've got to make sure you get a nice even coating of primer all over every model, and then the painting begins... Fortunately though that's the fun and easy part, believe it or not. Honestly one of the most fun parts for me is the final detailing, a process GW refers to as "faces and bases" where you polish-up the face of your models and the base that they stand on by adding bits of grass or rocks or debris or skulls or skeletons - countless types of terrain and interesting ground you can place them on for atmosphere and immersion. Having hundreds of models to have to do this with, meaning thousands of "bits" is very daunting indeed...

     And you do it all, because it's what's demanded when you want to finally PLAY the game! You create an army made up of several dozen to hundreds of the models in formations called units, and then take turns at killing the shit out of each other by throwing unbelievable amounts of 6-sided dice that take quite a while to learn what they're for and what they do and how to resolve everything - lotsa math! So far I played one introductory game of 40K at a GW store and got my ass handed to me, then played a full-on game of Fantasy using my own Skaven units that I assembled myself and did reasonably well though for the most part the other guy was just telling me what to do and I wasn't really learning HOW to play the game... Which makes me wonder if I could have done better, had I known what I was actually doing. But we started nearly 2 hours late, so didn't get to finish the game before the store closed. It seemed like a close battle though after the 3 turns we did get to play.

     All in all, I really do like the game. The lore is fantastic, it's a very well-crafted and interesting world full of mystery and intrigue and opportunities for battle and adventure. The models that Citadel makes are amazingly detailed and refined and they really love to engage hobbyists and help them do a great job on assembling and painting their models. I would love to have more locals that play and have them over to play at home though, I'm not a fan of hanging out in tight, hot, public shops trying to play games in the din and discomfort of their shop atmosphere... But we'll see where it goes. =)

(P.S. Don't even ask me how much I've spent on this already... Seriously, don't... lol)

( 12 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

Road Trip
So, diadexxus and I are planning to take a road trip up to Washington and see a bunch of sights along the way. We're planning to take the Pacific Highway much of the way up, and then come down in the interior. Here's the loose plan (we're looking for ideas and possible changes, suggestions welcome!):

Tuesday, August 2:
Depart 8am headed for Redwoods National Park, eating en route. Arrive at park around 4pm, spend a couple hours there, head up to Crescent City for dinner and to stay the night. 8 hours of driving, long day!

Wednesday, August 3
Explore the dunes and lighthouses along the Oregon coast on the way to Florence, OR then cut east on 126 towards Eugene. Turn north on I-5 to Portland for dinner with friends and stay the night in Washington. Another good 7 hours of driving in one day, but puts us in the area we want to be at the end.

Thursday, August 4
Sweep up through Western Washington. No plans for this day yet... Maybe use part this day to install new servers at colo? Could also swing by Mt. Saint Helens on the way up this day. No overnight plans yet.

Friday, August 5
Hang out in Seattle for the morning, then go to job interview in the afternoon. After that, hang out in Seattle a bit more; see Pike Place Market, Seattle Center, Lower Queen Anne, etc. Maybe dinner and gaming night on the eastside? No overnight plans yet.

Saturday, August 6
Spend the day out on Whidbey Island on Saturday and do dinner with friends (maybe da hosers, eh?) in Mount Vernon. No plans for staying the night someplace yet, probably somewhere around Mt. Vernon.

Sunday, August 7
Go out on the peninsula and visit Monika, Troll Village, etc. in the morning. Head to Leavenworth for Bavarian good times in the afternoon. Stay the night and have dinner at Sleeping Lady Resort in the mountains there.

Monday, August 8
Get up bright and early for gourmet breakfast at Sleeping Lady before hitting Leavenworth for "shopping" and yummy brats for lunch. Head back to Seattle in mid-day then start the trek back south, stopping by Mount Saint Helens (Loowit Latkla) on the way (if not on the way up), then making way towards Crater Lake. Stay the night somewhere near Crater Lake if possible.

Tuesday, August 9
Explore Crater Lake for a bit, then head to Klamath Falls and explore there a bit, then head to Redding for food with a friend, and finish up the last leg home.

We're looking for places to stay (with friends) or (good) cheap motels, etc. for nights we don't have overnight plans yet.

( 4 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

FurBuy now on Google+
Hey guys, for those of you who are riding the G+ wave (no pun intended, Google, honest!) feel free to toss FurBuy into your circles!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/110283164469663838767

We also now have a furbuy.com@gmail.com address for e-mail communications either as an alternative or as a backup in the event that the servers go wonky. =)

Thanks again for all your support everyone, you guys are what makes this venture worth doing!

( Weave a Silver Strand )

Dear Feminists,
     You talk a lot about gender-equality and breaking down gender walls. You talk a LOT about rape and how men abuse you. You talk about it being a "man's world" where women are marginalized and belittled and tortured and underpaid. And certainly, all of these are bad things, they are immoral and certainly not Egalitarian at all.
     But you seriously need to learn where to draw a line without going TOO far. Once you go beyond equality, you are then into the ugly territory of reverse-discrimination and you become no better than the very thing you're fighting against. Like men, whom you typically vilify fairly unanimously and without parallel, you need to take a moment to try to understand the opposite sex and what makes them what they are. And maybe realize that physically, mentally and genetically men and women are different creatures with different biological imperatives, and come to some compromise.
     There are just some things you CANNOT change, because they are not taught by society or by upbringing or by education or anything else controllable through a careful moderation of the anthropological sphere. Men have a biological imperative to fuck, we want to fuck DAILY if not more frequently, because chemicals drive us to. And no we don't want to take a pill for that or have our gonads removed, the imperative is deeper than that and part of what makes a man a man. That will never change, so please learn to compromise and understand that simple fact - if it disgusts you then you're welcome to find one of the very rare men who isn't interested in that or become a lesbian or simply ignore a heterosexually active life whatsoever.
     Rape, misogyny, abuse and gender-inequality are wrong - and guess what? The VAST majority of men agree with you. So please, don't kick us in the balls because of the bad guys. Judge each person as an individual, which seems to be exactly what you're asking for in return. It's a two way street.

( Weave a Silver Strand )

Evangelicals Play Fine-Tuning Harp
     So the latest in a long string of Evangelical attacks on atheism and the scientific denial of a "sky daddy" seems to be focusing on the fine-tuning of the universe. In other words, the argument that had the Universal Constants (weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force, gravity, speed of light, cosmological constant (dark energy)) been even a billionth off from their current values, our current universe would not exist, and life as we know it could not be possible. They make this argument as some sort of evidence that the Universal Constants were specifically set at their current values by a supreme being in order for life as we know it to exist. But they're way wrong...
     First, this is an argument that falls strongly victim to the Anthropic Principle. Which simply states that being humans and thinking from a human perspective, there's a logical fallacy that's too easy to fall into in which we can ONLY think from our perspective such that we are the center of the universe - or at least the perception of it. And based on that principle, their argument falls into the pit of feeling that the current universe's fine-tuning was designed specifically for us. We certainly could not be what we are without the precise tuning that our universe has, there is no denying that. However, is this even important? Does the precise tuning preclude any capability of intelligent life or some sort of living things? Which segues into the next point...
     Secondly, a change in the tuning of the Universal Constants would not necessarily preclude a lack of structure or the ability for life to develop - somehow. The rise of structure and form amidst a universe doesn't seem to be hinged on WHAT VALUE the Universal Constants have, though it certainly affects HOW that structure forms and is distributed. Who's to say if you had a theoretical universe where the weak nuclear force were slightly stronger and the strong force slightly weaker that some sort of matter would NOT coalesce and give rise to structure which could eventually harbor some sort of natural evolutionary mechanisms that could lead to life? Certainly not life "as we know it", that's obviously clear because the universal parameters are different, but to say no intelligence can rise in a different system? That's preposterous.
     In conclusion, the Evangelical argument that the precise Universal Constants we have in our universe provide proof of a higher power is an argument that carries no weight but rather plays on human instincts to fall into the logic pit of the Anthropic Principle. Frankly I don't even see where their argument about science needing M-theory to explain things is valid - M-theory is fascinating but still theoretical and only works on paper - for the most part. Even if all we have is this one, finite universe it's not to say that a skyhook is necessary to explain the constants that dictate the way everything works. It is what it is. =)

Reference:
http://richarddawkins.net/articles/641942-francis-collins-atheist-richard-dawkins-admits-universe-s-fine-tuning-difficult-to-explain

     Yes, Richard Dawkins says that the constants are hard to explain - any honest scientist would say the same. Just as it's hard to explain where the Big Bang originated and why. They are questions currently beyond our understanding, like MANY topics in science over the centuries. We're finding new answers every day, and some took thousands of years to find. Just because we don't have definitive answers doesn't mean an answer isn't out there - just that we don't know it yet. So just because science cannot answer the question doesn't mean that there is not an answer (which does not require a convenient ultimate being). Once again "God of the gaps" is hard at work...

( 2 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

Writer's Block: Father figure
Many a self-made man quit work too soon.

( Weave a Silver Strand )

Nostalgia...
     So in the last couple days I've been looking up family and long lost friends and loves from years past on Facebook and Twitter and such. I'm thinking that maybe my malaise of late might be from a lack of being connected with what is the core of life for most people: family and the people they grew up with. I've been finding everyone: who loved me, who hated me, who were my best friends, who were my worst enemies, and family members who are glad to talk to me and others who aren't so much.
     What's amazing to me is just how RELIGIOUS most of them are. I certainly grew up a Bible-thumper myself and in that territory, but I guess I expected that, like me, they'd have mostly grown past it like I did as they got older. But no, many of them got married years and years ago and most have kids - and almost all of them are avid churchgoers.
     I'm in a strange position because I care about them and would love to reconnect with a lot of them, but I worry that my personal beliefs and lifestyle may be too far away from anything they find acceptable. I've already had some lengthy discussions with a couple of my religious sisters and explained my perspective as a Secular Humanist and they've been pretty okay with things, though much like Dad they keep bringing up religious topics with me. I guess I can deal with that a little, I understand where they're coming from. But less and less I find myself willing to humor theological discussion since it's mythology to me and it hurts to see people taking it seriously and making poor decisions for themselves and their lives based on mythos.
     I understand they are either from or still in the midwest, and there's not much MORE to do there than go to church twice or more each week to socialize and be around people who care about them. I just wonder if who I am these days can have any meaningful connection to their lives considering that I'm not able to be a part of that routine. And perhaps some of my loneliness these days stems from the fact that we Secular Humanists, Atheists and other non-believers don't have a community gathering system like Christian churches. We don't have like-minded, caring people who we congregate with and associate with and befriend for our basic human needs...

And that's sad.

( 6 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

Please vote for me in the 2011 FFFF!
Hey guys, I decided to compete in the Fursuit Fracas this year, please go vote for my Okapi character Twende in the first round polls: http://fursuittourney.livejournal.com/97278.html

Okapi hugs to everyone who votes! ;D

( Weave a Silver Strand )

The Joys of House Living
How come it's never the things I -want- to be broken in a house are broken, but the things I DON'T want to be broken break instead? =P So we just moved into this house a couple weeks ago, and it's been an adventure of circuit breakers blowing just from plugging surge protectors into wall sockets, plugs falling out of wall sockets, water pipes being backwards from what they should be... And now our sewage pipe from the house to the road it clogged and sewage is backing up into an emergency escape in the driveway (thank gods not into the house itself) and the refrigerator is now making a monstrous noise whenever it's turned on. =P For fuck's sake man... Give me something I can actually fix! XD

( 6 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

Banned from FA
So I don't know what kind of stick Dragoneer sat on today, but he decided to ban me from FA today for whatever reasons. The excuses he cited were threats against him and against FA, however I've never done anything of the sort. He also seems to be embellishing the truth most heavily about me and our discussions from the past. Either his ego's gotten completely out of control or he's simply having a bad day and using me as a scapegoat for some recent stress. He claims he has kept all of the chat transcripts and would gladly post them to PROVE all these things he's claimed I've said and done, and honestly I WELCOME HIM TO DO SO. Because I have the same chat logs and what he's claiming are a gross misunderstanding at best and a horrible fabrication at worst. Since he's banned me from FA and not given me anywhere to rebut or defend myself from his attacks and slander on FA where he's made his attacks, I will post them here:

To the claim that I asked to be the sole developer on FA: Total horseshit. I asked that Eevee and ONLY Eevee be dropped from the dev team because he was not a team player and was counter-productive to progressing on Ferrox. Ironically, I heard that some months later he turned out to be a loser who backdoored FA and took off after all. And now I'm hearing that he's working on a site intended to compete with FA as well. Whatever, it would likely be another fchan or lulz or e621...

To the claim that I refused FA's offer of "free hosting for FurBuy": FurBuy strongly values its commitment to users in protecting their personal information, and the 'offer' made by Dragoneer to be hosted with FA was that we move our database and software to THEIR physical machines, grating them root (admin) access to ALL of our data and programs. Given our policies and inability to get a written, signed contract for discrete hosting and accountability of all admins who have access to our software and data, we could NOT in good conscience accept such an offer. Given the amount of security issues with FA and their servers to date, and their downtime to boot, we would not feel comfortable being hosted under their administrative power. Furthermore, FurBuy is written as a scaling system and requires at minimum two physical server machines to run for redundancy and task separation, and FA could not accommodate that.

To the claim that I have somehow "threatened FA continually": Dragoneer has a strange way of taking legal ADVICE as a threat. I politely informed him that the US FTC sets up several rules and guidelines for hosting online sales and auctions, and that FA is not currently setup for that. I never ONCE insinuated to him or alluded to informing the FTC myself or having anyone ELSE do that. It's a simple fact that there ARE rules and guidelines, and they are quite clearly not being followed on FA at present. If Dragoneer wants to change that and make FA a sales site, then more power to him! My messages to him about that topic were basically asking him to either go one way or the other with FA: either go all the way and offer FA sales and auctions, or make it clear that it's not what FA is for. Plain and simple and totally fair IMHO.

I'd like to FURTHER add that the private messages from FA that Dragoneer has sent to others discussing me has been QUITE enlightening (from YiffyLeaks). He has repeatedly slandered me behind my back to other users on FA, and has engaged Yak (one of FA's main devs) in setting up entrapment intended to catch myself abusing the FurBuy account and a special messaging API made for it on FA. Then when we talked about the fact that the system had security flaws with people publicly, he attempted to accuse us of not informing FA admins of the potential to exploit the security holes; when in fact we expressed direct concern over them FROM THE START to Yak, who had coded the system. His response was "don't worry about it, we'll take care of it soon, it will be fine". Don't take MY word for this though, feel free to download the entire YiffyLeaks archive and search for my FA username "jurann" in it and see for yourself. You can also see my private discussion with Dragoneer, which have been civil and friendly with no threats or insinuations ever made.

As for the ban, some messages on FA say it's permanent while others say it's temporary. So I have no idea if or when it might be lifted, so please don't ask me. I simply do not know and have NOT been contacted personally by anyone at FA yet.

( Weave a Silver Strand )

Big Move is OVER!
... and it's eeeerily quiet in my old apartment now. But a huge thanks to all of the folks who helped with all of the big stuff today. I will be going HOME to my new HOUSE home to take a shower and sleep soundly in the new place. WHEW! So very exhausted, but still not done moving just yet. Still have a bit more stuff to move (about 2-3 carloads) and then hafta clean the old place before I'm done-done. Not to mention a LOT of unpacking and setting up to do yet at the new house. But again, thanks everyone who helped, and hopefully we'll have a nice big housewarming party soon. =)

( 2 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

Another Salient Point against Irreducible Complexity
... is that for example the flagellum, in order to be truly irreducible, any new bacteria carrying this irreducible device would have to come by the flagellum already existing, completely built, in nature in order to acquire it. However, it is instead observed that is it CRAFTED during cellular mitosis of the new organism - if it can be crafted from basic molecular materials, then it can also develop via evolutionary methods via random mutation - the main engine for evolutionary catalysis. Take that ID faithmongers!

( 5 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

YiffyLeaks Discussion
( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

( 41 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

North Star Small Animal Rescue
     So I just wanted to share that in the last couple weeks I've been helping out with an agency called North Star Small Animal Rescue with a hoarding case where they found over 1,000 rats in a home near Los Angeles. Anyone who knows me knows I love ratties and hate to see them suffer, so I've been contributing time and money to help out at Andy's Pet Shop in San Jose, California who has graciously offered to host the rehabilitation and homing effort for these adorable cuties.
     The rats came from the home of a "hoarder" who started it all off with a single female who got pregnant and everything exploded from there. Thousands of the rats who were born in the home over the course of over 3 years did not survive, and the situation was more grim than you can possibly imagine there for these rats. However, they are from fancy rat lines and have some amazing coats and colors and markings, and they are still sweet, loving companions. Sadly most of them were not handled or raised with proper human care, so most of them desperately need to be socialized with people so that they have better odds of finding a happy home and fitting in with human owners. That's what I'm spending my time there doing, just handling and grooming and socializing with the rats so they can better understand and appreciate human hosts and companions.
     Please, if you can spare some time or money, help out with this grim tragedy that's been turned into an opportunity to save these dear, poor little friends. If you can adopt some that's great and I'd be happy to be a personal resource you can come to with questions or information about rats. If you can spare a little money, North Star accepts donations through Pyapal and you can find out more on their website here: http://northstarrescue.org/ - And lastly, if you are near San Jose and have some time to go in an hour or five a week to help socialize and handle the rats, they are at Andy's Pet Shop in downtown San Jose right off of 87 - they have forms there for volunteers and can give you the tour.

Thanks everyone for listening, and helping if you can spare it. Rats are really wonderful companions and very sweet critters.

( 1 Silver Strand Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

Hey guys, just wanted to put it out there that I've got a furry-ish guild for Hordies on The Scryers called Primal Scream. We've been around for about 5 or 6 years now, and we're looking for more folks to come join us. We're a casual guild mainly for leveling and sharing mats/info and we play on an RP realm so a little less hectic and the chat tends to be more on-topic and less like a bunch of 13 year olds.

If you're new to WoW, I have several 15-day trial guest passes and am also willing to do the recruit-a-friend thing for you (heck I'll even pay your first month for you!) if you'd be interested. It's a doozy of a download (about 16GB these days) but a really fun game. I've been playing WoW since closed Beta, so for nearly 7 years now, and I still play the game. Please note that I'm a casual player, not an addict, and I always put my job and social life ahead of the game. The guild I run is mainly for casual players and I strongly recommend having a healthy attitude and play schedule for this or any other MMO game.

If you're interested in joining, feel free to B-Net friend me as polaris.ursa@gmail.com or look for Jeemana/Moosefeather/Lightmane in-game most evenings on The Scryers. Or contact me directly here or in e-mail. =) For the Horde!

( Weave a Silver Strand )

Problems on Every Side
     So, there's this whole big deal about the Mexican border and the drug war and the illegal immigrants and etcetera, and I keep seeing various sides of it and debates and discussion, but nobody really talking about solutions. It's certainly a big, complex issue, and it's one that with each passing week starts to demand more and more attention because the stakes are getting higher and people are becoming more and more incensed about it.

The Minutemen
     So there's apparently this American grass-roots group called the Minutemen who are rallying and demonstrating all over the country, and they are strongly backed by the Tea Party. Now you can find these guys all over YouTube and in the news, and most of them are either conservatives or are redneck white trash. I feel I need to say that to get it out of the way, because I don't think all of their points are necessarily invalid, though they tend to not be very eloquent or rational in expressing themselves when their public face winds up out on the streets - at least the media and home videos are going for the sensationalist faction of them rather than any of the poignant and well-educated spokesmen. Without explaining all of the intricacy of my logic right now, I will say that I believe they have a valid point in securing the border and fighting the cartels and illegal immigration. They lose their arguments for coming off as racist hicks and for making poor assumptions or assertions when they get backed into a corner about a topic they are not very familiar with. They are genuinely concerned with the security and safety of America, both it's justice and it's culture. (And yes, we DO have an American culture, much as so many people would love to deny it and say we're just a melting pot and completely made up of other cultures - we've had over 200 years (that's 8-10 generations) to establish our own perspectives and way of life here.)

The Drug Cartels
     Who have lately started getting severely emboldened by their money, power, weapons supply, and massive amount of "employees" who assist in the management, transport, manufacture and armed solicitation of said merchandise. They don't just deal in drugs, which is their primary asset, but in guns, people, gambling and mafia activity. They are rogue governments that are both inside and outside of the borders and operate like a massive, organized terrorist organization with cells everywhere. They are active, they are busy, and their job entails the subversion and control over people, money and power like a dictatorial government. They have military grade weapons, low scruples, poor training and a drive to be on top that makes them ruthless and dangerous as Hell. They are a real threat and a real enemy to nations, because their sole purpose is to bring the people of any nation they can to their knees through the addiction or frequent use of substances to power their own coffers and armies. They have kept many of the Central and South American countries impoverished over the last few decades, while others argue that they have brought so much money into those nations to enrich them. Considering the poor education and quality of living after over 30 years of the US economy being deported to them illegally through the drug trade, I'd say there's fair evidence that the drug cartels have not truly enriched their countries of origin.
     What fuels the cartels then, how the heck did these rogue organizations come to such vast power? Drugs. And Americans' insatiable desire to consume them. Americans have money, more of a lion's share than most of the world, and America also does little to police drugs, despite the public image of a "War On Drugs". Why? Because it helps to create a complacent society, which is all any government REALLY wants - the more complacent your population, the easier they are to take from, to cheat, to lie to, and to ignore in your quest for power and glory. As long as they get work done and remain productive, anyway. Junkies can't pay taxes after all, and it's why addicts are considered the scum of the earth - and also why most addicts are also "professional criminals" who get involved in prostitution, grand theft auto, burglary, and any other ways to make a quick buck to buy more crack/meth/smack/etc. The real reason drugs are bad is because they enable unscrupulous people to make a lot of money and gain a lot of power and then use that power to abuse more people and build an empire of control, the drugs themselves aren't that bad if used responsibly, but man people really want them. Really, really, really want them. Which is surprising to me, in this country where we're so conditioned to hate them and be self-reliant individuals, people sure do have an insatiable appetite for them - you can blame that on being a society of convenience that doesn't want to find their release and escape from traditional ways and would rather have the GIMME NOW! rush of drugs.

The Immigrants
     Ya know, everyone in America is descended from an immigrant. Even the Native Americans as we call them came across the Siberian land bridge some thousands of years ago. While technically they were here first, many of our white ancestors were assholes and killed them to take their land when they tried to defend it. Not a whole lot we can do about that now, though I must admit to white guilt on that - both for the natives and for the black slaves who were brought here against their will. So let's just get that out of the way up-front: none of us are FROM here, and making an argument about imminent domain or right is just pointless, uneducated and leads to the descendancy arguments that never go anywhere or get solved.
     What we're talking about is NATIVE SOVEREIGNTY, not race, not religion, not ethnicity - the issue with the immigration is that we, as a nation called the United States of America, have a Federal policy on immigration and how people come into and interact with our country if they are a FOREIGN NATIONAL. If you are not from America, as in not born here or not a naturalized citizen, then you are required by our laws to follow the proper channels and procedures - and if you're here illegally then according to the law you're SUPPOSED to be deported. The US allows more people to legitimately immigrate into it's borders than ANY other country on the planet, so saying that there's not room or the procedure is too difficult to follow is bunk. Concerning Mexicans specifically, I have a number of Mexican national friends who are here LEGALLY who DID follow the procedures, and ARE working their asses off to do what they need to do, within the law, to become a landed immigrant. Every illegal is a slight to people like that, and to our laws and system of justice and national sovereignty, and THAT is the issue at hand. That is where *I* am coming from in being against illegal immigration. Realize that not all Mexicans or other Central/South Americans inside US borders are illegal - praise and support the ones who are not, because believe me there are more than enough ignorant assholes who give them Hell about it.

Global Community/Economy
     Why ARE immigrants pouring across the border illegally? Because they are living in a Hellish war zone with very little prosperity that has historically been abused by dictators, drug cartels, and even the American government and big business. Immigration (the INS) is lax in the US, and they really have nothing to lose - at worst they make a little money and get deported a pocketful of cash richer, and at best they make enough to support their family, and maybe send some back to Mexico to help support friends or family in their homeland. Granted, there ARE also a good deal of illegal immigrants who are criminals (drug dealers, cartel guards, transporters, thieves) but they only make up a margin of them, most folks are just looking to make a better living and the US offers a relatively safe (in comparison) place to live and work. Because that's all MOST people really want! So it shouldn't really be a surprise if anyone really thinks about it.
     So what's the solution? Well, that's a tricky question because it's a tricky problem with many facets. The easy solution would be to remove all addiction and desire for drugs while simultaneously eliminating greedy robber barons and imperialism from the world - fat chance of that! What needs to happen is an orchestrated, multi-front attack on the problems, and who better to lead the charge than the US. Mexico is our neighbor, their problems are to some extent inherently our problems, and it's OUR citizens' demand for their illicit substances that's causing much of the problem. Historically no president has had the gumption to REALLY push for a front line in the "War On Drugs", but it may be time to start. Mexican people in general seem to be really sick of oppression and being butchered and threatened and bullied by the cartels, and the less scrupulous of them are signing-up to work for them and make them even stronger and more difficult to topple. America has resources and a powerful army (the best in the world so we brag), so taking out a few pests should be simple, right?
     What we need to do: we DO need to increase border security in order to help stymie the illegals issue, the drug transport issue, and the gun export issue. We DO need to work directly with the current Mexican government who IS trying hard to fight the cartels with their military, but they're losing the battle because traditionally the cartels are so well-connected and influential on the government due to their size and power. We need to pull out of poor military decisions overseas and start putting our soldiers to work within our borders and at our borders AS UNITS who are impervious to the temptation and bribes that cartel members make at the border to "look the other way". We need to start better educating Americans about the problems and about the dangers of buying cartel-industry drugs (Hell, tell stoners to favor locally-made meth and marijuana, heroin from China, whatever) which support horrendous foreign regimes. Maybe it really is time to consider legalizing some drugs for recreational use, and allow some of these to be grown domestically so that those funds come back and circulate in our own economy and prevent foreign militant interests from gaining regime power from it. The bottom line is that WE as the PEOPLE of America need to wake up and realize that this is a GLOBAL issue with larger ramifications, but WE are the TARGET and WE need to take responsibility for cleaning up the mess that our drug craze has caused. Mexico is our neighbor, and they are suffering in many ways because of OUR complacency an inaction in this issue.

     President Obama, please meet with the Mexican president again and work with him to help clean up the mess our people have created in his country. WE are responsible, it's only fair that WE fix it. We also have an obligation to edify and raise up our neighbors because we have to live next to them and listen to the noise when they are murdering their own people in the house next door. While we're at it, let's start edifying our own people and building domestic stability and security again in this country too - our education and community domestically has gone to shit and it will take a firm commitment and follow-through to fix that. Get our people off of drugs, get them productive, get them educated, get them to embrace peace and understanding and open minds. If you can't do it, there aren't many others who can.

( 4 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )

The Wages of Sin...
     So I've moved to California, to the bay area, Silicon Valley to be exact. This is "Furry Mecca" so to speak, ground-zero as the global population center for furry fans. There are somewhere in the 1,000+ range number of furs around the bay, primarily concentrated in Berkley, Fremont and the "Silicon Valley" (South Bay) area which is comprised of some couple dozen cities around San Jose. There are furmeets nearly every day, and on some days you have to decide which of 3 or 4 you will spend your time going to, if any. The people are pretty cool, fairly nice overall, and as furry goes they tend to be mature, civil, and generally pleasant to be around. They are also talented, experienced, helpful or funny more often than not. So that's been a pretty good experience; upgrade to the social circle to be sure. So what's the problem?
     While socially it's been great, it's also been fairly crushing to my ego and my motivation to do much creatively or on projects. Because back when I lived in Seattle I was pretty much the best non-pro cook, the best non-pro singer, one of the very few furs in the pro gaming world, and had one of the nicest places as furry homes went. Now down here there's someone better at everything I used to be the best at. Better cooks, better singers, better musicians, better programmers, better gamers (as in light years better)... So it's completely sapped my desire to DO anything. Mainly because a lot of folks down here don't want to collaborate, either. I'd love to connect with these other people who are better than me and learn from them, grow from working with them, or maybe synergize, but they typically don't want anything to do with working together on anything. Nobody wants to work on music together, nobody wants to work on programming together, nobody wants to work on crafting projects (that I could lend any experience or thought to anyway) together. So yeah, while the social aspects have rocked, I feel like I'm completely stagnating as a person with skills and abilities. =/

( 4 Silver Strands Woven | Weave a Silver Strand )