Infinite Web Design

[via Mike Davidson]

This clip is great in that it shows the difference between a blowhard and a pundit. You don’t have to agree with Chris Matthews to see that Kevin James has no idea what he is talking about. He’s spouting off about appeasement and Neville Chamberlain with no idea what Chamberlain did, right or wrong, before World War II. James makes Mark Green look like a genius by virtue of his ignorance and refusal to shut up when called out on his ignorance.

As a society I think we can do better in our political discourse than this kind of shouting over each other to cover up ignorance. If you don’t know about something, just stop and ask or look it up before pressing your side. Hell, you might even change your views based on actually possessing a knowledge of history. I often enjoy talks with my Dad about these sorts of topics precisely because of his knowledge of history and ability to point out subtleties I might have missed. We had a great talk over the weekend about the differences between Communists in China, Cuba, Russia, and other nations and why those differences can lead to being trading partners with one country while having an embargo against another (though I still say this Cuba embargo has failed for far too long). We don’t always agree, I place more weight on civil liberties as a protective measure against tyranny, while he favors security through a strong military and intelligence presence and will sacrifice some civil liberties to fight terrorism (perhaps our ages and his experience in the Air Force help explain those differences). We share a healthy skepticism of governments in general.

Going into any argument armed only with buzzwords is a great way to look the fool. James is a great example of this, sometimes you can learn something and come out looking better if you just shut up and listen for minute, even to your opponent… wait, I think that’s what James was arguing against, perhaps he defeated himself in this one. Oops.

[via BoingBoing]

STEP 1: Listen to the interview. Seriously, it’s awesome.

STEP 2: Read my comments on the interview.

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer did an interview on NPR in which he talks about the Real ID program. This is an unfunded mandate from the federal government from the same bright minds that set up the TSA. I love how this guy talks. Stright to the point and no dancing around just how stupid the federal government has been in the last few years with regard to security. I love when the interviewer throws out the ol’ 9/11 pitch and he knocks it out of the park by pointing out that most of the hijackers would have been able to get a Real ID and that high school kids at Kinkos could make birth certificates that look real enough to get an ID under the program. It’s all built on crap documents that anyone can fake and then lulls people into a false sense of security, leaving them believing that the new IDs don’t require as much scrutiny.

Brian Schweitzer is my Hero of the Week for calling it like it is. More government officials need to speak out like this. No waffling or equivocation, just bluntly pointing out how stupid the current approach to dealing with terrorism is. It’s sad that we have so much time, money, and energy wasted due to fear mongering and security theater. It’s sad that the federal government has given up on the idea of getting warrants and due process for wiretaps, reading the mail, or detaining people. It’s sad that more people don’t seem to realize it or care that it is happening.

P.S. I know I’ve been writing a lot about politics and very little about web design of late, but that’s what’s been stirring my passion. I’ve been coding like crazy for months (we’ve been churning things out lately) and the writing about politics is kind of refreshing. I may stray back to code more as the election cycle wears on and I grow weary of that.