Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Maine 2nd State to Validly Legalize Gay Marriage

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Maine became the second state in the United States to validly legalize same-sex marriage through its legislative process today, and the first state to do so with a governor’s signature. Maine joins Vermont, which legalized same-sex marriage in April with a legislative veto override, as one of two states to have established legal same-sex marriage through a valid, Constitutional process. Maine’s state legislature passed the bill today, and it was signed by Governor John Baldacci (D) within hours.

New Hampshire’s state legislature passed a similar bill today which has not yet been reviewed by Governor John Lynch (D).

Connecticut, Iowa, and Massachusetts also recognize same-sex marriage, but do so due to illicit and unconstitutional judicial rulings. California recognized same-sex marriage through a similar court ruling last year, but Californians amended the state Constitution in November to reassert the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. This amendment overruled the illicit court ruling.

The Washington, DC, city council also passed a resolution yesterday which would recognize in the federal District of Columbia those same-sex marriages performed in other states, but not permit those marriages to be performed in the District. Upon approval by Mayor Adrian Fenty (D), who has announced his support for the resolution, it will be sent to Congress for a 30-day review period. After this period, if not rejected by Congress, the resolution will become law.

My Patron Saint: Maximilian Kolbe

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saintm01In Catholic tradition, people entering the church are confirmed in the name of their selected patron saint. The whole concept of patron saints is somewhat foreign to most Christians outside of the Catholic church. The idea is basically that a patron saint—a holy person recognized by the Church as a saint—is one who can act as an intercessor on your behalf in heaven. You can pray to your patron (or any saint, for that matter) and ask for their assistance much like you can ask your friends and family to pray for you in time of need.

While you ultimately get to choose who your confirmation saint is, many would say that you don’t chose your patron . . . they choose you. In my case, as I started considering who my confirmation saint would be, I loaded the SQPN Saints Index and began browsing. I looked at patron saints of places I enjoy, for subjects that are close to my heart (the Internet, pro-life, etc.), and more. Eventually, you stumble upon a saint who’s story touches you and just feels right.

In my case, I was confirmed in the name of Saint Maximilian Kolbe. If I remember correctly, I stumbled upon his page while clicking through the various saints associated with the pro-life movement, and I was nearly brought to tears when I read his story.

He was born Raymond Kolbe in Russian-occupied Poland in 1894. He—like me—was a ‘mischievous’ child and a trial to his parents. He received a vision of the Virgin Mary at the age of 12 which he explained this way:

Read more . . .

Flu Hysteria

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Okay, seriously people. The flu is a very, very common virus. Sure, there are tons of variants—some of which can be pretty harmful—but for a normal person with a healthy immune system, it’s just the flu. It’s like a cold, just worse. It’s just like pretty much any other respiratory virus.

The regular, run-of-the-mill seasonal flu generates enough irrational hysteria every year. Millions go out and get flu shots that they don’t really need (they’re really intended for the very young, very old, and others with weak immune systems). It makes the news when the flu starts afflicting people in the region, and there are regular updates on how effective or ineffective the vaccines have been that year.

But, despite this, most people still seem to understand that the seasonal flu is just the flu. Schools don’t close, people don’t stockpile hand sanitizer, and it’s not the lead story in every news outlet every spring—even though the regular seasonal flu infects 5-20 percent of Americans and kills about 36,000 of them (mostly with weak immune systems) each year.

With all this in mind, let’s have some sanity in our discourse about the so-called ‘Swine Flu’. Yeah, it’s new and different. Yeah, it has the potential to infect lots of people. But, ultimately, it’s still just the flu. It’s still not gonna’ kill you unless you have a weak immune system. It’s not gonna’ destroy society. All evidence so far would indicate it’s not much worse, if it’s worse at all, as compared to a regular seasonal flu. We don’t need to close schools for weeks or months because one student has it. We don’t need to drastically reorganize our lives around it.

Calm down.

Website 21 Coming Soon

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I mentioned a little over a week ago that I was starting to work on my designs and such for the next version of this site, Website 21. As I mentioned then, this is going to be (from a visual perspective) an evolutionary rather than revolutionary upgrade. At a glance it won’t look all that different, though I think you will notice some changes.

I’ve been writing mostly smaller entries on the site over the last week since I’ve been dedicating a lot of my web time to the development of the Website 21 templates and code (I’ve been in a pretty nerdy mood, so the timing was right). I’m happy to report that I’ve made very fast progress. With the weight of supporting Internet Explorer 6 off my shoulders, web development is much quicker and much less hacky these days.

I’m doing a major upgrade to the code—a complete rewrite in parts—and already have a working WordPress template with a couple of nifty new features worked in. Of course, all this does introduce the possibility that something won’t work right initially. I’ll do my usual wide range of browser tests and will try to catch and eliminate as many bugs as possible before launch, but some are bound to slip through.

Anyway, I have not yet set a launch date . . . but don’t be too surprised if Website 21 launches in the next week or two. Then again, since I’m pretty busy and do get sidetracked, don’t be surprised if it takes longer either ;-).

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy: It’s Got a Hemi

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While it’s not 100 percent official yet, major media outlets are reporting that Chrysler LLC—the parent of Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep—will be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today. Chrysler has been unable to reach agreements with enough of its lenders to reduce debt and remain solvent.

While under Chapter 11 protection, Chrysler is expected to reorganize, merge or partner with Italian automaker Fiat, and come out in as little as 2 or 3 months as a leaner, profitable American automotive company.

Chrysler’s story, in particular, is a very frustrating one for me. The company has long been my favorite of the former ‘big three’ U.S. automakers. My last American-branded car was a 1998 Chrysler Cirrus—up-market cousin of the Dodge Stratus—and it was a great little mid-size sedan. I had few complaints about the vehicle, and it had no major mechanical problems except what you would expect for a car with the age and mileage it had.

Read more . . .

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.