Gambling and the Internet, BOOOO Minnesota

So, apparently Minnesota no longer is just in the news because they have no senator. Now, they decided that they want to known for breaking the first amendment. Apparently, they decided that not only was Poker to be banned in the state, but they are banning all online gambling. To enforce this, they have decided to pass a law and give a list of IP addresses to ISPs to be banned. Yep, the state is violating the first amendment.



Okay, so there is this beautiful ban in place, but we know that it is wrong and illegal. Let's actually look at why.

I believe that this is a violation because it limits a valid mean of communication. Sure, gambling where the house takes a percentage is in violation of state law, but enforcing this ban on the internet is a violation of consumer, corporation, and 1st amendment protections. The government has no right to force an ISP to not provide acccsess to one site or another. The ISP has the right to do so if they wish, but they should not have to do it under the law.

Additionally, they are not a common carrier. The only law that applies to this is if they were a common connection, like a telephone company that serviced both. In this case, most of the sites are overseas, so there is no common connection. In fact, the connection runs through a government center where they house the input output connections of the country. Think about that for a second, they have no right to even request this.

Wait, isn't this more then INTRAstate commerce? Well, Minn. Only has rights to police what is done inside of their state, and this is not only intERstate, but intERCOUNTRY as well. Seriously, this violates the commerce clause in so many ways.

Lastly, let's look at one other issue here. What about the schools, churches, daycares, and hospitals that share the same IP address as these sites. I mean, using the Minn logic, if I host a gambling website from my apartment where I get free wifi then everybody else there who hosts a site is shut down. On average, 50 sites share the same IP and most of these are not related. See the problem? The state is shutting down sites that have nothing to do with this.
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Find me Great Britain

Post 57

I am well aware that this article is roughly two years old, but odds are that very little has changed about it. Apparently, most Americans are not that bright, and do not know where Iraq is. We have been fighting there for roughly five years (three at the time of the article) and yet only 1/3 of Americans aged 18-24 can find the country on a map. This is absolutely absurd and shows the disgrace that the American Educational System has become. Other interesting stats from the two-year-old article:

• Thirty-three percent of respondents couldn't pinpoint Louisiana on a map.

• Fewer than three in 10 think it important to know the locations of countries in the news and just 14 percent believe speaking another language is a necessary skill.

• Two-thirds didn't know that the earthquake that killed 70,000 people in October 2005 occurred in Pakistan.

• Six in 10 could not find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.

• Forty-seven percent could not find the Indian subcontinent on a map of Asia.

• Seventy-five percent were unable to locate Israel on a map of the Middle East.

• Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.

• Six in 10 did not know the border between North and South Korea is the most heavily fortified in the world.

• Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.

Now, to me, this is just a scary set of information. How can we expect persons in this country to get jobs, to help the economy, or to know how to care for themselves? Hell, how can we expect our next generation of leaders to know anything if the vast majority of their peers know absolutely nothing. American schools need to step it up and start working on these things. I am all for learning the arts and such, but the essentials (math, science, social, and communication) should be fully taught before anything else is considered.

This gets even scarier when you start looking at the schools that are trying to get Creationism along side of Evolution. While I am all for teaching the conflict of creationism and evolution in a social studies class, they have no part in a science class. The issue here is more evidence that our schools have failed America. The fact that people think that a scientific theory and a religious theory. The fact that people think that Evolution and Darwinism are the same thing is absolutely saddening. The fact that people think that “...Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...” is in the Constitution (hell, some even think the 1^st), is even worse. What are our schools doing when the kids are learning these things.?

Alas, I don't think that we will ever come up with a good way to fix this as it would be deemed anti-American to do so. Failing kids is considered wrong, causes law suits, and other bullshit like that. Hell, with lots of kids failing, under No Child Left Behind (act) the school gets less money. Schools need to stop being scared of the consequences and step up and properly deal with the kids, even if it means they need to be failed at a grade. If the schools can not do this, or the parents do not step up, the consequences for us all will be dire.

*MAP UPDATE*

Some very interesting news comes with todays

map update: Both Virginia and North Carolina have switched into the Obama camp. Granted, both are well within the margin or error, but this is a huge issue. On the other hand, McCain further secured his hold on Ohio, Florida, and West Virginia. Both Obama and McCain kept their strong leads in California and Kansas, respectfully. The overall changes this week means that Obama is now beating McCain 301 to 237 in the Electoral College.

In the general election Obama is up by +4.8 points on both the McCain/Obama polls AND the McCain/Obama/Nader/Barr polls which means that third parties do not appear to be playing a large role in this upcoming election.

*END OF MAP UPDATE*

As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.

Feel free to e-mail me if you so wish too instead.

Thanks,

Robert M. Barga,

Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/

barga.24@osu.edu

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John Freshwater

Post 21:


*NOTE*
There will be some more changes going on around this site as I tweak more and more areas. Please feel free to comment specifically about those changes if you like/don't like them. Also, feel free to suggest other changes.

I will be updating this probably weekly (unless big news breaks). The current outlook for November shows Obama gaining ground in Ohio, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Nevada. Both Nevada and New Mexico are ties this week. For the record, I still do not see Obama getting Ohio.

*END OF NOTE*

Yes, I know, I am running behind on this story. The Dispatch came out with it on the 19th of June, Lisa at GCJ came out with it on the 20th and Rowsey came out with it on the 19th as well. Heck, The Dayton Daily News had it back in April. If you do not know what is going on or who John Freshwater is, and, for some reason, don't wish to read the links I just listed, here is a quick summery. Earlier this year, John refused to remove a bible from his desk. It was then discovered that he had burned crosses into his students arms and several other things were wrong with his teaching. Do remember, this man is a science teacher.

So, to catch up with the others on this story, one, which interests me because I am a strong supporter of the 1st Amendment and also as a scientist, I have decided to complain about Freshwater in my blog. This man is insane, and, of course, he has called on Coach Dave to help defend him. That alone shows how far this simple thing has gone. Really, I have four problems with this teach: He violated the 1st - Stop saying it is the bible that got you in trouble - He did not do his job - HE BURNED STUDENTS. Really, it is not just Freshwater but any educator who does not do there jobs that is the problem. John Freshwater: What Really Grinds my Gigantic Notched Wheels.

He Violated the 1st Amendment:
The Constitution is something that all Americans should hold near and dear to their hearts. It is how we have the freedoms that we are exceptionally proud of. Anytime that anybody violates part of the Constitution the American public should be up in arms, ready to fight. The problem is, we often support the violation of our own founding document. The 1st Amendment clearly says that Congress (via the 14th all levels of government) will not ban a religion or the practice thereof. By forcing your religion on kids (preaching about Christianity, Creationism, Burning the crosses, etc.) you are violating this amendment. It is high time that we show what happens when you violate an amendment, YOU SHOULD BE RUN OUT OF TOWN ON A RIAL.

Stop Saying it is the Bible that got you in Trouble:
I am sick of movies like Expelled going around saying that the Bible or the personal beliefs of the teachers got them in trouble. Fun fact: It is other things that they are/were doing. Here is the deal, you taught your kids Intelligent Design, Creationism, and that Evolution was wrong. You also attacked Gays and non-Christians. Then, you burned crosses (or Xs) into your students arms. But no, none of these got you fired, of course not; it was refusing to take the Bible off your desk that got you fired. This is one of the classic techniques used by people who violate the 1st, they claim that their rights were violated and that is all they focus on, hoping that you will too.

He did not do his job:
If I am ever hired as a science teacher on any level I have a specific job. I should teach to the curriculum, follow school rules, and teach the science that I am hired to teach. If I am hired to teach intelligent design Vs. Evolution then I can teach both; but, if I am simply hired to teach science as a basic subject I should only teach science. ID and Creationism are NOT SCIENCE. What is his job? TO TEACH SCIENCE. If your job is flipping burgers and you don't do it, they can fire you. Why is it an issue here then?

HE BURNED HIS STUDENTS:
Need I explain why this bugs me? Teachers have the duty to make sure that their students are not harmed in any way. When a teacher disciplines a student physically it is grounds for removal, and frankly, they should lose their certificate. Teachers should never lay a hand on their students. Furthermore, when you chose to use a scientific instrument for a purpose it was never intended - a purpose that is both painful, illegal, and religious - and use it that way you should be in trouble. How is there an argument that Freshwater should stay; after all, HE BURNED HIS STUDENTS.








As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.
Thanks,
Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu



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