Remember Peter McWilliams: Buy His Book
Why between June 8th and the 14th? A week for "bestseller" purposes is Sunday to Monday. June 14, 2000 is the day Peter died, losing his battles with Cancer, AIDS, and a government that would not let him use the best medicine available to complete his treatment.
Kim du Toit - Tests - why Mr. du Toit has always refused to take personality or drug tests for job interviews. Ends with a heart-warming story of Kim helping a drunk employee sober up. [kimdutoit]
I also refuse to take drug tests, of any kind.
PA: You'll need to visit the Company Nurse for a drug test.The problem is that we let them get away with this nonsense, and we submit to this shit, just for a lousy fucking job. And we don't have to. I can perhaps understand the need for drug tests for machinists, pilots and so on. But for a fucking lousy middle management / glorified clerical job? Fuck that.
Me: Why? I don't take drugs.
PA: It's policy. (Starting to sound familiar?)
Me: I don't see why I have to prove to you that I don't take drugs -- I've already told you I don't. Do you not trust your employees to tell the truth?
PA: It has nothing to do with trust. It's just policy.
Me: But that policy is based upon not believing someone, like me, when they tell you that they don't take drugs.
PA: I'm sorry, but it's just policy.
Me: Want to know my policy?
PA: What's that?
Me: I don't work for companies who don't trust their employees; who don't give them the benefit of the doubt; and who insist on this gross invasion of privacy.
PA: If you want to work for this company, you have to take a drug test.
Me: I think you misunderstood me -- I just told you I don't want to work for this company.
H.R. 648, the "Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2003", would allow you to sue in any U.S. District court if anyone violates your right to obtain and use a firearm to protect yourself or your family. I believe I saw this before, but I couldn't find any reference to it in my archives, so I'm reporting on it now. It was introduced in February, but continues to gain new cosponsors. I sent the following to my congress critter: [scopeny]
I encourage you to cosponsor and support in every way H.R. 648, the "Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2003". This bill is a very reasonable assertion of our right to obtain and use firearms for defense of self and family.
Mahmoud Ahmad at Arab News - Kingdom's Leading Executioner Says: 'I Lead a Normal Life' - most of his executions are done by beheading with a sword, though he sometimes shoots the women, if they prefer. [smith2004]
BBC - Quantum leap for secret codes - British researchers claim to be close to commercializing quantum cryptography. Far out! [grabbe]
Cat Farmer at Sierra Times - Playing Strip Poker With Freedoms - a rainy-day strip poker game at summer camp serves as a model for the slow erosion of our liberties. [sierra]
Taking your shoes off at the airport seems harmless enough, and taking your watch off to go through a metal detector isn't traumatic. Small things don't feel so compromising. When strip searches become routine procedure, and under wire bras must be displayed or prosthetic limbs removed to gratify some petty tyrant's gawking adolescent curiosity, the game of strip poker has gone far enough. Inevitably it progresses; like our older teen counselor, authority relishes command and will host the game until the last player walks out on it. No parents are coming to take us home from this game, folks. Either we parent ourselves, and send the deviants with a penchant for strip poker packing, or we're going to wind up in an orphanage Charles Dickens never imagined in his wildest nightmares.