04.17.07
Posted in General at 6:31 pm by brmeyer
Yesterday, Monday, April 16, 2007, became a date elevated to the memory of another of those tragic incidents that we would all too soon hope to cease. A lone gunman, a 23-year old English student at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, opened fire at those on campus at least two different times - once at 7:15AM and again two hours later. It needs not to be said that the loss of but one life is unfortunate, but as of now, the death toll stands at 33 with many others wounded. Those who survived in the classroom when the shooter unleashed his rage in the second incident surely must have been blessed by the hand of God. I hope that they will not forget such a blessing.
Certainly what the shooter did can not be justified. Nor should it be. He was said to be a loner, someone who society may have forgotten about as its members went about the hustle and bustle of every day. The greater question as to why this happened remains. There will always be theories of why the individual decided to commit such gruesome acts. But the real question is never asked. Not by the media. Not by the relatives of those who were slain. What has society done to alienate such an individual to cause him to go on such a rampage? The obvious answer that will be given is that he had a mental illness. But clearly that cannot be. He possessed a bullet-proof vest and purchased one of his two weapons as early as March. The acts were certainly well thought out in advance. It was all planned. Was he a loner by choice? Did those around him ignore him because he was intelligent and not superficial with a focus on shallow, materialistic objects? We may never truly know.
Though these questions may be answered in the upcoming years, the one true fact remains. Enjoy each and every day of your life to the best of your ability. One can never know when it will be swept away from us by the hand of God. Nothing but sorrow can be felt for those who lost their lives yesterday and those that loved them. It is the hope that this society can focus on the things that really are important in life - not money, work, and material possessions - and eradicate these types of events from the forever future.
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04.11.07
Posted in General at 10:05 pm by brmeyer
Though he has not formally declared his candidacy for President, actor and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has garnered strong support from the Republican base in recent polling. Specifically, a March 27, 2007, USA Today/Gallup poll showed Thompson receiving 12% of support from Republican voters despite not having entered the race. The reason behind this is clear. And it does not result from his career as an actor, including his recent work as District Attorney Arthur Branch on Law and Order. Simply put, Thompson may be the only true conservative that has a legitimate shot at the Republican nomination.
The current front-runner for the nomination is former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani. While his leadership of that city and his handling of affairs after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, was phenomenal, he is simply too liberal on many social issues. He is a supports the choice of women in matters of abortion and does not oppose partial-birth abortions. He does not believe that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman and was strongly opposed to the law proposed by President George W. Bush to define it as such. While tough on crime, he has shown through his actions his belief that guns are what cause crimes and not the individual. He spearheaded a lawsuit for the city of New York in 2000 to sue gun manufacturers for liability in violent crimes that involved guns. Guiliani also strongly supports affirmative action. The New York Liberal Party also has noted in the past that Guiliani is opposed to any prayer in schools. One may wonder if Guiliani is a Democrat cloaked as a Republican.
Because of his leftist stance on many issues, Guiliani is very unattractive to core conservative voters. Should he win the nomination, he may have some success in the general election but at the cost of alienating the members of the party who believe in wholesome and fair ideals. Fred Thompson is the antithesis of Guiliani. Thompson is strongly opposed to abortion, including partial-birth abortion procedures. He does not believe in strong gun control measures and thinks that some restrictions should be removed. Thompson has also shown that he believes that appropriate family values should be taught to kids in school. He is tough on crime and terrorism. The former Senator believes that individuals can be responsible for themselves as he has supported the creation of Roth IRAs for employees and believes that workers can have personal retirement accounts. On many issues, both through his votes as a Senator and in his comments after his political retirement, Fred Thompson has shown himself to be a man of lofty ideals with a strong sense of dedication to the United States.
With much hope that Thompson will indeed run for President in 2008, I am including links about the man and the issues. He is a model conservative and would lead this country with the dignity and class required for America to regain its respectful status among the world powers. Fred Thompson for President!
Grassroots Voter
President Thompson, I’m Ready for My Close-Up
Another Ronald Reagan: Fred Thompson for President in 08
Fred Thompson Is for Real
Fred Thompson for President in 2008
Thompson Overtakes Romney in Iowa
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04.07.07
Posted in General at 1:09 pm by brmeyer
I just thought it would be interesting to point out that my alma mater, Gettysburg College, was incorporated on this day 175 years ago. It was originally founded as Pennsylvania College by Samuel Simon Schmucker. During the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1863, the Old Dorm building, now referred to as Penn Hall, was used as a field hospital for soldiers. The college is rich in history and strong in academics. I feel proud to have been associated with such a wonderful institution. I can hardly believe it has been nearly six years since I graduated from there. It seems like a lifetime ago.
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College - Entry from Wikipedia
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04.05.07
Posted in General at 1:09 am by brmeyer
Legendary Civil War General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson compiled a list of maxims to help to guide him on the path to becoming a gentleman while he attended West Point. One such rule stated that a man should “Fix upon a high standard of character.” Unfortunately, such maxims are totally disregarded in the modern workplace because most individuals focus on selfish interests and will do whatever is necessary to attain these goals. Such actions may include criticizing others in front of superiors and undermining efforts that an individual has taken to be successful. I have rarely used this journal to vent about work-related issues. I deemed it necessary that a recent event warranted such an entry.
Due to a low number of projects at work for which clients could be billed, the members of the development team at my company were asked if they would be willing to be trained on technologies other than those that are their specialties. As my development efforts are focused primarily on using Java technologies, I asked to be trained on using Crystal Reports software when an available project surfaced. One full-time employee and another part-time employee are those that are currently proficient with our reporting, but the former employee has been primarily focused on Java projects in the recent months. When this individual learned that someone else might also be trained on the reporting software for an upcoming project deemed to be of novice level, a complaint was registered with the individual’s manager. The basis of the comment was that the part-time employee, who was formerly full-time, became part-time due to lack of work. However, there have been many report-related projects recently which is why other developers were queried about learning the technology. Not long after the comment was made, I then learned that that particular person was assigned to do the work of the project.
In the field of information technology, as in other fields, many persons strive to keep knowledge to themselves so as to provide job security and to make him or her appear superior to others because they have information that is not known to those other individuals. In reality, it is harmful to a company because if one or two persons hold all of the knowledge and those employees are lost, the specific data is also gone. It therefore makes sense that others could also learn the information so as to provide future security for the company. In this particular case, I acted with the best judgment possible by stating to my manager that I would learn the reporting technology if such action did not step on the toes of the part-time employee. As two employees already know Crystal Reports, it was not absolutely necessary for me to learn the software. However, as I enjoy learning new things, I desired to be trained in this area rather than the ASP and PowerBuilder languages.
I do not appreciate when others interfere in my business as I do not do the same to others. But it is typical of human nature and the modern society to tear down others to set yourself on a higher pedestal. Some may claim that what the individual did was an act expressive of egotism. I claim it is a result of soteriophobia, or the fear of dependence on others. By allowing others to know the knowledge that one may have, it reduces the amount of status that he or she has in the view of others. That person loses control of what he or she knows that others do not. Perhaps it is the fear of relying on others or maybe it’s just another example of the selfishness of those in today’s society.
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