Moussaoui gets life

Zacarias Moussaoui has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In reflecting on the sentencing of Moussaoui it seems to me that this is the best option. On the one hand he is a seemingly despicable human being that the world would be better off without. Anyone that shows no remorse for being involved in causing an event like 9/11 deserves to not be around any longer. I'm sure there are many good cases for why he should have gotten the death penalty, but I think that death is exactly what he wanted. By sentencing him to death we would be making him into the martyr that he wants to be - and would have been had he not missed his flight that day. What could be more punishing than being forced to live with a couple hundred of the worst people in the country that totally hate your guts for what you did. I suppose he can pass the time by imagining the 70 virgins he would have gotten - seeing he's getting nothin' now.

I think I've figured out why I am still single

I always wondered by there was a strange warbling in the air each time I approach a woman for the first time.

Let us all observe a moment of silence...

My car... is dead. *SOB!* Poor faithful little devil just couldn't endure 10,000 miles between oil changes, and choked to death on his own sludge. *SOB!* They say $6,000 for a repair... and the whole thing (with a functional engine) would be worth, at most $6,000. I guess it is officially time to start looking for a new one. Sigh.

Thanks to Bowhunter for all the hard work as the paramedic on the scene, trying to save the patient. Thanks also to StPatty for his advice last night. And thanks to everyone else for prayer and advice.

Ironically, I was already wearing black today, in mourning.

American Car companies lose more market share

Normally, I am not one to pay too much attention to auto sales news, but with my Alero on its last legs this story, reporting on additional loss of market for American car-makers to their Asian rivals caught my eye. It is sad that American car companies are almost back where they were in the 70s, when no one in their right mind bought American. My family always has, but no one ever said we were in our right minds. It is time for Ford, GM, and the others to do what was done in the 80s to revitalize the car companies - look at what the Asian auto makers are doing right (*cough* fuel-efficiency *cough*) and bring that to our cars. It is no accident that Toyota owns the patent on the hybrid engine used by most auto makers these days. They thought ahead and got into the market before anyone else.

And of course, my other favorite idea here is for the American government to purchase the hybrid engine patent and make it freely available to all American car makers without charging royalties or fees. But I think I have accepted by now that this is not going to happen.

Apple gets aggressive

Apple has had many fun and pointed advertising campaigns. Well, Apple has finally gotten aggressive and started to point out the flaws of the average PC. Pointing out that tech experts love Macs, the number of viruses aimed at PCs, uptime of Macs vs. PC lock-ups. I've seen a couple of the commercials tonight and they are fun. It's nice to see Apple making their case and not being a pushover to Windows any longer. Speaking of which, it looks like Windows Vista is going to be delayed yet again.

Those with a weak heart may wish to stop reading now...

Nomad has read the Republican and Democratic proposals to deal with high gas prices. The GOP wants a $100 tax rebate check to go to taxpayers. The Dems want a "tax holiday" to eliminate gas taxes for 30 days. So saith CNN. Here is the shocking part. I think the GOP is dead wrong on this one, and the Democrats are (mostly) right.

I'll pause to let the heart palpitations stop, and for anyone to seek medical help, if needed.

We all know I am not ultra-conservative, except on abortion, but in this case a "tax holiday" simply makes sense. It hits consumers exactly where they need relief - at the pump. It eases strain mostly on those who are suffering most - those who drive a lot. And it is something that can be done quickly - very little beaurocratic wrangling to worry about.

Compare this to the $100 rebate. (1) It hits all Americans equally, so a 99 year old grandmother who has not driven in 5 years gets the same benefit as a truck driver who makes his living driving all the time. (2) It fails to address the indirect impact of increased gas prices - inflation on everything else as the cost of transporting goods increases prices on every product. (3) It requires a huge beaurocratic effort to print the millions of checks and then mail them to taxpayers. i.e. It'll take 6 weeks (at least) from the time of passage until the checks are recieved.

Of course, both sides are wrong in trying to tax oil producers more heavily in trying to pay for their relief schemes. That will only encourage them to pass along those new tax costs onto consumers in excess of the savings we would otherwise see.

Mod-Blog has always striven to be a MODERATE, rather than purely conservative voice, but I think the last six months or so we have been more conservative than not. This time, but this time, the Conservatives are wrong.

Nomad's Car Problems

Well, some of you caught this under Wedge's "Changing a Tire" post, but I thought I would post it here as well... mostly because it is taking up most of my non-work thought right now.

I made the cardinal mistake of driving my 2000 Oldsmobile Alero 10,000 miles between changes in oil. For those of you for whom this seems excessive driving, keep in mind I drive at least 80 miles a day just in my commute. Add to that an excessively busy first quarter of 2006, with no free weekends, and you get an idea how I let myself get into this mess. I may have been able to get away with this in a relatively new car, but the car has over 100,000 miles on it anyway. So, as of Friday, it started making a horrible clacking noise. BowHunter - close friend and salesman for BG products - diagnosed the problem as a "stuck lifter". i.e. The thing in the engine that lifts open the valves while you drive was getting no oil due to a clog in the thing underneath it that lifts it and keeps it lubricated. He tried to help me out by cleansing my car's oil system with some magic chemicals, and a new oil change. No luck. So I brought it into a mechanic yesterday. The sales advisor took one listen and started preparing me for a $5000 bill for a new engine. My car is only worth about $5000 by the blue book value, anyway. They are looking at the car more today, and I should have some idea of the "final" diagnosis.

My question for Mod-Bloggers and Mod-Blog readers is this: If I do need to buy a new car, rather than fixing this old one, what car do you recommend? I'd be looking in the $10K-$15K region, and I have a built-in bias towards buying American. (Though if the car is assembled in the USA, I can rationalize that as being good enough.) Wacko has pointed me toward CarMax, but the selection in CT seems a bit lean. Thoughts?