opinions, rants, and rambles by Marty Lucas
index to the bigdumbHoosier Archives
Now Ready for Prime Time - Digital Off-Air TV - March 16, 2004 - Sick of paying a subscription fee for your TV? Check out the advantages of off-air digital television.
Ten Commandments in Court - August 20, 2003 - A slightly whimisical look at the controversy about posting of the Ten Commandments of Moses in public places in the US, the separation clause, capital punishment and the fine art of political grandstanding.
Whatintheheck is Enlibra? - August 12, 2003 - Enlibra is a system for giving more control over western public lands to local governments, incoming EPA director Leavitt is a major proponent; is it a good idea?
Summer Cinema Classics - August 7, 2003 - My top ten list of summer movies.
A Letter to Senator Lieberman - August 5, 2003 - Joe Lieberman has little chance of getting the Democratic nomination, and his attacks on the energized supporters of Howard Dean are hurtful to the party.
Meet E.O 13303 - July 31, 2003 - Executive order 13303 could provide blanket immunity for wrongful acts committed during extraction of Iraqi oil.
A bizarre bazaar - July 29, 2003 - Today's Onion Test, courtesy of DARPA.
Yellow-cake - July 16, 2003 - WMDs, maybe. Oil, for sure.
Give Dean a chance - June 23, 2003 - So, Howard Dean is a peacenik, eh?
Revise this - June 20, 2003 - Junk politics needs junk science.
Anybody out there? - May 15, 2003 - A look at usage on BigEastern.com.
SARS could pose serious threat - April 1, 2003 - While America's attention is focused on the war in Iraq a much more dangerous thing is happening - we've suffered a big setback in the war against viruses.
The bad diplomat - March 18, 2003 - The purpose of diplomacy is to resolve disputes without war, not to posture to the point that war is unavoidable.
Watch Howard Dean - March 10, 2003 - Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean makes a good first impression.
Appearances - February 19, 2003 - The world is producing a bumper crop of propaganda, it all makes you wonder what's really going on.
Darkest days - February 9, 2003 - Calling all Americans who don't like what George Bush has been doing...VOTE!
Respecting elders - January 27, 2003 - Think twice before you order the destruction of a fine old tree, especially the lordly oak.
Tax free dividends, follow-up, the double taxation issue. - January 8, 2003 - The best argument for making corporate dividends tax free to the recipient is the avoidance of double taxation - it's the best argument but it's still not persuasive.
How to fluff the market, part II - January 5, 2003 - The Bush administration proposal to make corporate dividends tax-free is one of their worst ideas yet.
'02 bad, '03 better - December 31, 2002 - New Years predictions for 2003 - it ain't pretty, but don't give up hope just yet.
Which problems, exactly? - December 11, 2002 - When Trent Lott said we'd have had a lot less problems if Jesse Helms had been elected president in 1948, what was he referring to, exactly?
More evidence of Pre-Amerind population in America - December 3, 2002 - Re-examination of skeletal material recovered in the Mexico City area provides new support for the existence of a pre-Amerindian population in the Americas, possible genetically related to the Ainu, the aboriginal population of Japan.
Scientists announce new excuse - November 25, 2002 - Strange quark matter events could offer useful excuses for the lazy or negligent.
Brazil - see it again - November 21, 2002 - Terry Gilliam's dystopian masterpiece is now available on DVD, more or less uncut - see it again for the first time.
The Lemming Effect - November 6, 2002 - by Kenneth Workman - How long can technological innovation be driven by consumerism, while simultaneously rendering humans redundant?
Tech, latin for... - October 16, 2002 - A behaviorist analysis of 'technology'.
Piano days - October 15, 2002 - The Library of Congress opens its 'Music for the Nation' web site; it's time travel for tunes.
Hellhound of the Bogus - July 18, 2002 - Swampy misadventures of a bigdumbHoosier and a harmless (looking) dog.
Changing spots - July 10, 2002 - After years of extolling free market, deregulated, greed based capitalism, is it reasonable to believe that Republicans can become diligent corporate watchdogs?
US against Them? - July 3, 2002 - The creation of an International Criminal Court is an inevitable step in the progress of humanity; the US needs to figure out how to get with the program.
Re-reg! - July 1, 2002 - It's time for the public to demand more effective regulation of big corporate interests.
Strawberry fields forever - June 24, 2002 - We have plenty of cornfields in Indiana; modest efforts toward farmland preservation should be directed to preserving orchards, berry fields and truck gardens.
The Life Tax Break - June 20, 2002 - The estate tax isn't such a bad way for the government to raise funds; what better time to be taxed than when you're dead?
Cost vs. Benefit - June 19, 2002 - Giant public works can be a good idea, but you've got to keep an eye on gung-ho engineers.
Endangering Freedom - Nov. 17, 2001 - Increasing governmental secrecy and curtailment of long established rights are threatening traditional American freedoms.
Mercenaries - Sept. 20, 2001 - The attacks on the World Trade Center were the centerpiece of an organized criminal enterprise intended to fund further attacks. The attackers aren't terrorists motivated by religion. They're much worse - they're self-employed mercenaries.
9-11 - Sept. 13, 2001 - Ninety miles from O'Hare, an unblinking empty blue overhead.
A receipt please. - August 2, 2001 - The proposals of the bipartisan National Commission on Federal Election Reform are good ideas, but I want one more thing - I want a receipt that will let me check to see that my vote counted.
RE-PILT - July 17, 2001 - Whether it's PILT or the Refuge Revenue Sharing program, compensating local governmental units for tax base lost due to public lands isn't welfare, it's good environmental policy.
Don't cut PILT - June 21, 2001 - Watch the fine print on Bush administration 'conservation' initiatives.
Rolling handouts - May 29, 2001 - Compassionate conservatism: helping the poor to pay the rich.
Burn, baby, burn - May 3, 2001 - A credible energy policy is more than 'doin' what we always done'.
Stuff vs. You - Apr. 20, 2001 - The trouble with free trade is that it's like the proverbial free lunch. It's not free.
Green Shift - Apr. 12, 2001 - Michael Lind's article, America's Tribes, argues that the two party system is rooted in a cultural competition between Yankees and Cavaliers. What does mean for the future of the Democrat party?
Technology Transfer - Apr. 4, 2001 - instead of an apology, send Bill Clinton to China.
Fear of the Cat - Mar. 29, 2001 - think the NCAA men's basketball tournament committee does a bad job? Think you can do better? Prove it, beat the cat.
The Brown Wave - Mar. 15, 2001 - is factory livestock production progress or an attack on rural lifestyle and livelihoods?
Fun with the Digicam - Mar. 1, 2001 - just killin' off a few electrons with my CoolPix 950.
Ludd-ball? - Feb. 12, 2001 - no shot clocks, no three pointers, real old-time b-ball!
Share the D - Jan. 30, 2001 - missile defense won't be destabilizing if we build it jointly with friend and foe alike.
Feeding the Web - Jan. 18, 2001 - we need new ad models to keep online content production alive and kicking.
The Off Button - Jan. 8, 2001 - a fundamental tenant of techno-luddism is the right to turn it off.
Predictions for 2001 - Dec. 31, 2000 - looking past the thumbprints on my greasy little crystal ball.
Techno-Luddite Basics - Dec. 26, 2000 - what it means to be a luddite in a technological age.
On the Party Line - Dec. 12, 2000 - will the U.S. Supreme Court lose credibility if it decides Bush v. Gore on the party line?
Odd Ads - Dec. 5, 2000 - gas with oily discharge, up the downramp and other promotional weirdness.
Elected by Accident - Nov. 15, 2000 - did election 2000 come down to little more than luck?
Mightier than a Machine - Oct. 28, 2000 - the bigdumbHoosier tries to cast a write-in vote for Ralph.
