No tolerance for intolerance

I disagree with Andrew Sullivan:

The critique of her seeming preoccupation with her heritage nonetheless seems valid to me, but it's also a little - how does one say this? - 1995. The underlying arguments about affirmative action are still relevant, of course, but their salience seems less potent now. I'm not sure why - perhaps the war and the recession and the debt make the intensity of those fights seem like a luxury of a time of peace and prosperity and fiscal sanity. Perhaps Obama has made racial diversity less threatening to some.

I think the racist views that Sotomayor appears to hold could be very damaging for her. There seems to be something about my generation, especially those of us who have invested a lot of time and energy into our education, that drives us to have a deep dislike of racist views, regardless of the race of the person holding them.

I certainly have zero tolerance for racism and, off the top of my head, I can think of many friends of mine, of a wide spectrum of political views, who share my lack of tolerance.

I'm very interested in hearing what other people have to say about this. Does Sotomayor potentially holding racist views and allowing those to influence her judicial decisions bother you? Do you think there is something unique about our generation (the edge of Gen X and Gen Y) that causes us to feel especially disdainful towards public figures holding racist views?

Not Impressed but Not Surprised

As most must know by now, President Obama has announced he will be nominating Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the supreme court.  At this point I find myself agreeing with the assessment of this nomination over at The Volokh Conspiracy 

My general sense is that she is very liberal, and thus likely to take what I consider to be mistaken positions on many major constitutional law issues. I am also not favorably impressed with her notorious statement that "a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Not only is it objectionable in and of itself, it also suggests that Sotomayor is a committed believer in the identity politics school of left-wing thought. Worse, it implies that she believes that it is legitimate for judges to base decisions in part based on their ethnic or racial origins.

The more I think about it, the more this nomination bothers me. In particular, I'm having trouble getting past Judge Sotomayor's statement that, " ...I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

That statement strikes me as rather racist on her part and, had a white male judge said something equivalent, I have to believe the left would be throwing a fit about it this morning.

It also brings up the issue that my ideal justice would work to suppress their personal experiences when ruling on the constitutionality of a law. Justices are meant to decide cases based on the text of the law and the way in which it was meant to be applied, not in the way in which they personally think it should be applied.

Time will tell but I believe that this is going to end up being just one more thing on the growing list of moves by President Obama which disappoint me but don't surprise me.

Horror in the Congo

The brutality and tragedy of what is going on in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo is stunning and absolutely heartbreaking.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around the situation and Mishlai does a far better job of summing it up than I could right now.

What's going on over there can't really be properly called rape. The term applies, but it isn't a strong enough word, and that's really saying something. What Congolese women are enduring is the intentional, systematic destruction of their bodies, their families, and their society. Think firing a bullet into her vagina. Think bayonettes. Understand that this is rape-as-a-weapon and not rape for it's usual motives.

I highly recommend clicking the link above and reading his full blog entry.  Be warned though, the details of what is currently happening in the DRC are extremely graphic and disturbing.  He also has a number of links to news articles from people on the ground there and the official reports submitted to various subcommittees of congress.

I'm not sure what the proper response is to this madness, only that a way to stop in needs to be found, and quickly.  The one suggestion I've seen so far, that everyone can help out with, is donating to the International Medical Corps, a group that is doing everything they can to help the civilians caught in the middle of this.

Can't find the words

I'm having trouble finding the words to express how I feel about this article I just read over at Reason.com

An Afghan court has sentenced Ghows Zalmay to 20 years in prison for blasphemy. His crime? He translated the Quran into Dari. Religious experts testified it was an accurate translation, but it didn't include the original Arabic text, and the court found that blasphemous.

A feeling of great sadness is the best I've been able to come up with so far but that doesn't begin to express the depth of sorrow that I feel for this man.

As I'm typing this out I find myself wondering why this act of cruelty, among the millions people do to each other every day, seems to strike me on such a deep and personal level?  Is it because it touches on my feelings towards religion in general?  Or perhaps because it reminds me of exactly how little the human race has changed as a whole since the times of Martin Luther?  Perhaps it is because this feels like a victory of close mindedness over open mindedness?

I'm not sure, maybe it is a combination of those reasons or something else entirely.  Regardless, if I did believe in a God, I would be praying for Dr. Zalmay this evening.

Why hello, Square One, how are you today?

Well it's been a bit of a tumultuous time since my last post.  I'm single once more after a year and a few months of a relationship that I thought, for quite a while, might be "the one".  I now find myself living in a rather expensive two bedroom apartment with my dog and the ex-girlfriend's cat, thinking to myself, "Damn it, this place was just starting to feel like "home" and now it's back to square one".  At this point I'm fairly certain that the part of my brain that is suppose to supply intuition as to what might and what might not be a good, long lasting relationship is seriously damaged.

I also find myself trying to decide where I want to go from here.  I'll probably stick around the Peoria area for the moment, if for no other reason than I've already signed up for the last of the college classes I need to finish my degree.  After I get done with that though, I may start looking very seriously at job opportunities on the west coast.  I have a couple of good friends out there and I don't especially like living in the Midwest.  Of course, that would mean a big move again and, after living in something like eight different places in ten years, the idea of moving again is not a pleasant thought.

On the plus side, Jess and I just decided that we are going to Live at the Five Spot tonight.  So when all else fails there is still good music, yummy booze, amazing food, and great company to get me though it.

It All Makes Sense Now!

I've been trying to make sense of the Obama Administration's handling of the current economic crisis for a while now.  Do they really think they are doing the right thing or are they just pumping huge sums of money into the economy to look like they are doing something?  

This is by far the best explination for their actions I've seen so far though: Link

Didn't I just do this last year?

So, along with many other people, I'm going to be getting laid off from Caterpillar this coming Friday due to work force reductions.

I don't really have a whole lot to say about it at the moment other than I've already updated my resume.  It's still a relatively rough draft but, if you don't mind, take a moment to look it over.  The format is a little bit messed up simply because I copy and pasted it.  That being said, any suggestions or comments are welcome.

Objective:

To obtain a technical position which utilizes my experience in troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, system analysis, and operations.

Professional Summary:

Military veteran with an exceptional background in troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, system analysis, and system operations. Skilled in working under time sensitive conditions while maintaining an extremely high level of proficiency and competence. Experienced in performing maintenance on and troubleshooting electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical, nuclear, and cryogenic systems. Self starter with a strong desire to excel in a variety of challenging situations.

Experience:

Caterpillar (Volt Technical Resources) June 2008 – February 2009

Research Development Technician

• Design and build multiple test benches for the testing of manual and automated embedded software applications.

• Coordinate and perform hardware testing; including thermal cycling, HALT, and vibration.

• Thoroughly document results of testing, create detailed reports, and communicate results to senior engineers.

• Fabricate numerous test harnesses, test boxes, and test panels.

• Act as Point-of-contact for shipping and ordering lab parts and components, for both internal and external sources.

Linde Group: May 2006 – June 2008

Operations Technician

• Understand, monitor, and take corrective actions to ensure product quality.

• Understand, monitor, and take corrective actions to maximize plant efficiency and minimize downtime.

• Have participated in several major plant evolutions, including start-ups and shut-downs, contributing to the safe and efficient restoration of the plant to operating condition.

• Participated in trouble shooting and repairing equipment due to unexpected failures.

• Maintained detailed production logs and records.

• Qualified to issue hazardous work permits.

• Facilitated communications between on-site management and the remote operating center during plant failures, allowing for a minimum of downtime and loss of product.

• Verify and implement OSHA safety standards prior to major contractor work.

• Qualified to perform analysis and quality review for certificate of analysis.

• Ensure plant site is maintained as a secure and safe environment.

• Perform required plant maintenance.

United States Navy: May 2000 – May 2006

Reactor Controls Division Leading Technician: August 2005 – May 2006

• Experienced in performing preventative and corrective reactor plant maintenance on all reactor instrumentation and control equipment, and radiation detection and monitoring equipment.

• Supervised and directed more than twenty nuclear qualified electronics technicians in the performance of preventive and corrective reactor plant maintenance.

• Performed quality assurance audits on reactor logs to monitor trends and identify abnormal conditions, and to ensure complete accuracy

• Diagnosed electronic system malfunctions, leading to minimum down time of the effected reactor plant systems.

• Responsible for ensuring the accuracy of reactor plant technical manuals, making recommendations to correct inaccuracies, and writing up technical paper work to allow for inaccuracies to be corrected.

Nuclear Reactor Operator: February 2002 – May 2006

• Ensure safe and continued operation of the nuclear reactor during a variety of plant conditions on two classes of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Plant

• One of eight personnel out of thirty chosen to stand reactor operator during the department’s yearly operational readiness exam.

Wire Free Communications Technician: August 2002 – July 2005

• Responsible for development and implementation of WIFCOM (wire free communications) training program on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Trained over 600 reactor department personnel in the use of the WIFCOM system.

• Responsible for performing preventive and corrective maintenance on all WIFCOM equipment

Electronics Technician [Nuclear]: January 2001 – May 2006

• Skilled in troubleshooting electronic systems to the component level using schematics, wiring diagrams, and technical manuals.

• Aligned, adjusted, and calibrated electronic equipment within exact specifications using frequency counters, digital multimeters, oscilloscopes, visicorders, and high-accuracy pressure gages.

• Analyzed and interpreted test data to ensure the proper operation of millions of dollars of complex reactor instrumentation and control equipment.

Volunteer Experience

• Youth soccer couch for U17 coed: Fall 1999

• Southwestern Illinois field office manager for a United States presidential campaign: January 2008 – March 2008

• Southwestern Illinois county coordinator for a United States presidential campaign: January 2008 - February 2008

• Organizer of a volunteer group located in Edwardsville, IL: September 2007 – June 2008

Education/Qualification:

• Perusing Bachelor's Degree in Nuclear Engineering Applied Science and Technology from Thomas Edison State College (estimate graduation Fall 2009)

• WIFCOM Technical School, Lynchburg, VA (2 weeks)

• Safety Programs Afloat course, Norfolk, VA. (1 week)

• Naval Nuclear Prototype, graduated January 2001, Ballston Spa, NY. (24 weeks)

• Naval Nuclear Power School Enlisted, graduated August 2001, Charleston, SC. (24 weeks)

• Electronics Technician Nuclear Field A School, graduated February 2002, Charleston, SC. (28) weeks

• High School Diploma, St. Clair High School, St. Clair, MI, 1998

Security Clearance

• Maintained a Confidential and Secret level security clearance from July 2000 - 2006