Whatever I Want

Today’s New York Times has the following report:

Toys “R” Us yesterday reversed its decision and awarded a $25,000 savings bond to a baby born on New Year’s Day to parents who are not legal United States residents.

The company, and its Babies “R” Us division, said it was giving away not one but three prizes in the contest for the first baby born in 2007, including one to Yuki Lin, who arrived at midnight at New York Downtown Hospital in Manhattan.

Yuki had tied with two others: Yadira Esmeralda, born at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, on Long Island; and Jayden Swain of Gainesville, Ga. Yuki was chosen the winner by a drawing from all three names, then was disqualified because the rules excluded babies whose mothers are not legal residents. The prize was then awarded to Jayden.

Now all three babies will get $25,000 bonds. The original decision was reported in The World Journal, a Chinese-language newspaper.

The New York Times reported on the controversy yesterday. Later in the day, the company released a statement apologizing for the tumult.

“We love all babies,” the statement said. “We deeply regret that this sweepstakes became a point of controversy. As a result, we have decided to award all three babies in the grand prize pool a $25,000 savings bond.”

Yuki’s parents — Han Lin and Yan Zhu Liu, both 22-year-old restaurant workers — declined to be interviewed. But Albert H. Wang, a corporate lawyer who had mounted an e-mail campaign on the couple’s behalf, said that they were happy, adding, “I think justice has been done.”

Some people were concerned that the parents’ status had been exposed, he said. “But the safest place is actually the eye of the storm,” Mr. Wang said, “and any politician who says we should deport the parents, it would be the end of their political career.”

Here’s what I don’t understand; the rules clearly stated that the mother had to be a legal resident - I believe that most contest rules usually state that - how does the fact that she wasn’t a legal resident and therefore wasn’t within the rules of the contest equate with discrimination? A longer version of this article in the Times from the day before states the following:

Some Chinese-American advocates said the company’s decision smacked of second-class citizenship.

”People are just pretty much outraged,” said John Wang, president of the New York-based Asian American Business Development Center.

Albert Wang, an attorney, who launched the e-mail campaign said ”She was deprived of $25,000 intended to be used for her college education because of who her parents are,” he said.

“second-class citizenship”?? “deprived of $25,000″??? What the hell? Maybe I don’t understand this because I’m a white guy but I was always taught that you follow the rules unless the rules are patently unfair. I don’t think this is the case here. I think that the rules were broken for this couple because they’re a member of a minority group. If this woman would have been from Croatia or Russia I don’t think she would have gotten money.

Now I’m not an anti-imigration person. I firmly believe we need some sort of guest worker status because I believe that much of the work done by immigrants, like this girl’s parents, is work that most Americans don’t want to do. I also believe that anyone who wants to work hard and follow the rules deserves a chance at a better life. What I don’t believe in is changing the rules for a person or group of people simply because of their race. I’m sure this lawyer feels pretty proud of himself. He bullied a big company into breaking the rules with cries of racism. If he felt so strongly about this and so badly for the parents, why didn’t he write them a check? Every time someone trots out claims of racism and asks for special consideration because of the color of their skin it sets things back a little bit. There may have been a time when that was necessary for certain groups but I think it’s becoming a crutch for some and a cudgel for others.

Nintendo Wii, that is. I stood in line (a small line) at Costco the day after the Wii was officially released to get one for myself. I brought it home and hooked it up and was immediately taken with the feedback and natural way you use the remote (Wiimote) to navigate the system and play games. My 5 year old son loved it too. We started playing Wii Sports, which comes with every Wii. There’s tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing. You use the Wiimote for the first 4 games and the Wiimote and nunchuck for boxing. The great thing about the games is that you hold and swing the Wiimote just like you would a tennis racket or baseball bat or bowling ball. Within a day or two my son had already gone way beyond my skill level in tennis and baseball. The gameplay is so immersive that it sucks you in. Everyone who’s played the Wii, from my son to my mother-in-law, has enjoyed it. People laugh and smile and have fun when they play. I think that’s what video games should be about.

The package I bought at Costco came with Legend of Zelda: Twighlight Princess and Excite Truck. Both games are fun. I’ve enjoyed Zelda more. I’m slowly but surely working my way through the game. I think there’s something like 80 hours of gameplay so I should be done with this sometime around the end of 2007.

There’s something to be said for a game system that is long on fun even if it falls a little short in some other areas:

• Graphics: Not great but not bad. This isn’t a XBox or a PS3 but I think the graphics are fine for most of the games I’ve played.
• Games: There aren’t a huge number of games available yet and more than a few are on the cutesy side but I bought this with my son in mind so I don’t mind skipping the hard-core blood and guts games.
• Online gameplay: This may or may not be coming. I would love to see it done for free but I think that’s probably unlikely. I’ll have to wait and see.

I’d recommend the Wii to anyone who wants to have fun playing video games again.

OK, so maybe nobody cares. But if there’s just one person out there saying to him or herself, “Gee, why hasn’t Stuart posted anything lately?”, unlikely though that is, I feel I have to explain.

There are 3 main reasons I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks:

1. It’s the holiday season and like most people this time of the year I’m a little busier than usual.
2. The election’s over and we won (at least I hope we did). Not being a professional blogger I think I wore myself out a bit with the 3 or 4 posts a day run-up to the election. I’ll have to wait until after the New Year to start in on the Democrats in Congress.
3. I got a Nintendo Wii. More on that later.

I’m hoping to get back to at least one post a day after the New Year but for now I’ll try to post something a few times a week.

Thanks for reading!

First off, what is a grigri? According to Penn & Teller it’s a voodoo amulet that’s worn to bring good luck. They say everyone has one and one of the biggest is recycling. A good episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit. I’m not sure it’ll stop me from recycling - even though I’m pretty sure they’re right. It just makes me feel like I’m doing something good.

In this weeks radio address President Bush said,

One freedom that defines our way of life is the freedom to choose our leaders at the ballot box. We saw that freedom earlier this week, when millions of Americans went to the polls to cast their votes for a new Congress. Whatever your opinion of the outcome, all Americans can take pride in the example our democracy sets for the world by holding elections even in a time of war. Our democratic institutions are a source of strength, and our trust in these institutions has made America the most powerful, prosperous, and stable nation in the world.

“… Americans can take pride in the example our democracy sets for the world by holding elections even in a time of war.” WTF!?! Did he really say that?? We held an election even in a time of war. I’m not an expert on elections worldwide, but is it common for countries to suspend their elections during a time of war? Maybe if the war is on your soil but this war is thousands of miles away. My mind is a little boggled. He must have considered the option if he’d mention it in his radio address.

I now feel even more grateful that the Democrats came out on top.

President Bush, even while asking his party to push through some last minute business, seems to be striking a conciliatory tone (Does he have a choice?). Donald Rumsfeld, failed manager of the failed war in Iraq, has been asked to step down. This may create a new direction for the war but based on what we’ve seen from Bush’s cabinet in the past, I doubt it.

Now the question is; will Cheney be next? It would make sense for Cheney to step down due to “health issues” allowing Bush to annoit a successor. Who will it be? Certainly not Senator McCain - always the bridesmaid…

With the big Democratic wins I can’t help but feel hope today.

I have hope that the Democrats will stick to their word as new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has stated and not pursue payback. I also hope that they will not be so caught up in being civil and appearing to take the higher road that they won’t look into the corruption that has occurred over the last 6 years; particularly where the war in Iraq is concerned. I hope that the Democrats can pursue some changes in the way government does business: campaign finance reform, cut out pork and last minute additions to bills, limit the influence of lobbyists - only a few items on a long list. I’m sure these are just pipedreams on my part but if they want to clean up Washington these are areas that need to be addressed. More importantly and of more urgency is the need to re-establish our erroded civil rights. This needs to be one of the top items on the Democrats’ “to-do” list.

I feel trepidation. Trepidation that, now that they’ve won, the Democrats have everything to lose. The Right isn’t gone, isn’t defeated (nor should it be). It has been temporarily weakened and that has given the Left the opportunity to step up and show the American people what it can do. If the Democrats can do a good job; can create a clear vision, can be honest and avoid scandal, they will be rewarded in the 2008 elections. If they can’t the Republicans will come back strong from their 2 year break.

I hope that Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid can steer their party effectively. I hope that they can uncover any corruption and punish those responsible. I hope they can create a clear vision that will benefit all Americans. I hope that they can reach across the aisle and create a sense of cooperation in Congress. I hope they can help to improve America’s standing in the world community. I hope they can work with this administration to create a solution for the war in Iraq and keep America and Americans safe from terrorism. Lots of hopes - we’ll have to wait and see.

Democrats made a strong showing in yesterday’s elections. They easily took control of the House and are likely to control the Senate as well.

There was less election trouble than I had anticipated but we’ll have to wait for the close Virginia and Montana Senate races to be completely tallied before we can close the book on election litigation. If we can count on their previous comments (ha ha) this should all wrap up neatly today.

To put the cherry on the sundae, it’s being announced that Donald Rumsfeld will step down as Secretary of Defense. Now if only Bush and Cheney would resign we’d be all set.

More later.

Even though I suspect that the results of this election may be mired in legal battles for weeks - with all the talk over the last couple of days about attempts to keep voters away from the polls I thought I’d post a few bits of info that I think might be helpful. Here’s a few steps to take to make sure you get to exercise your legal right to vote:

1. Find your polling place. If you receive a phone call telling you it’s changed, check it out for yourself. Go to the location listed on the website first.
2. Bring ID - a driver’s license, or state issued ID card. If you don’t have one of those bring whatever you have.
3. Going to a polling place to vote will not result in your arrest. If you believe that you are registered but they do not have your information the volunteers can usually point you to the correct polling place or you can check this website for more information.
4. Make sure you understand how to vote. If you need help ask the volunteers at your polling place. They’re there to help.
5. Mark your vote carefully. Make sure you vote for who you want and what you want. Check and double check before you make your selection. If you are not using an electronic machine, remember, you can ask for another ballot if you make a mistake.
6. Remember to carefully review your ballot before you turn it in or, if you’re using an electronic voting machine, before you finalize it. If you made a mistake go back and correct it or ask for another ballot.
7. If you have any problems voting ask for help from the volunteers. If they cannot help you to your satisfaction report the problem to your State’s Secretary of State. You can find contact information for them here (select your state under “Search by State”).

Remember, the best way to effect change in the government is by exercising your right to vote. So get out there!

League of Women Voters’ Vote411.org.

I find this story interesting because it encapsulates a lot of what’s wrong with America today.

If you’re not familiar with the story, Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, resigned his post on Thursday after allegation by a gay prostitute that he had been paid by Haggard for sex over the last 3 years and that he had witnessed Haggard doing methamphetamines on a couple of occasions. Haggard promptly took an “administrative leave” while an “independent” commission made up of church leaders will look into the allegations. Since then an email has surfaced that reports that there has “been some admission of indiscretion, not admission to all of the material that has been discussed, but there is an admission of some guilt.”

Oh the hypocrisy! Haggard, an out-spoken opponent of gay marriage admitting to “indiscretions” - funny how when they get caught it’s indiscretions and when other people do it, it’s a sin. The hypocrisy in the U.S. over the last 6 years is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The Republican party and their evangelical cronies have been copping a “do as we say, not as we do” attitude with the American people and, frankly, I’m sick of it. The sooner these right-wing religious nuts realize that they need to focus on themselves and not worry so much about trying to control the rest of us the better off we’ll all be.

Here’s a little quote from the NAE site about gay marriage:

Homosexual activity, like adulterous relationships, is clearly condemned in the Scriptures. In Leviticus 18:22 God declares the practice of homosexuality an abomination in His sight. In Romans 1:26-27 the practice of homosexuality is described as a degrading and unnatural passion. I Corinthians 6:9-10 identifies the practice of homosexuality as a sin that, if persisted in, brings grave consequences in this life and excludes one from the Kingdom of God.

Wow… what happens if you’re homosexual activity is also adulterous… it boggles the mind!

Update: Ted Haggard is the worst liar EVER!