Alligator Bayou

I went kayaking on Saturday at Alligator Bayou. Its just south of baton rouge just to the east of Spanish Lake. I definitely saw where the area got its name. I must have seen 7 or 8 alligators. Some of them let me get real close others sank from view when they heard my paddle. I also saw numerous water fowl, including hrerons and egrets as well as a bright scarlet colored bird.

I didn't see anyone else out there. I guess the area is privately owned. There were no tresspassing signs all up and down the coast. Unfortunately my camera broke before I got into the water, so I didn't get any photos. I'll have to go back sometime.

X-Men X III

*Warning - Spoiler*

I went to See X-3 on Friday. I was both impressed and disappointed. They action was great. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these comic book super heroes brought to life. The tapped into Marvel's vault of heroes and villains to bring together a spectacular fight scene near the end of the movie.

The disappointment came from the areas that strayed too far from the comic book story line. They killed off some fairly important charecters and made a few more un-mutated. I won't reveal too much of the story line but in my opinion it is worth seeing. Hardcore Marvel fans may find fault with the areas that I have already mentioned but most people will probably enjoy the show.

Congress Concedes Right to Search

House leaders now agree that the FBI had the right to search REP Jefferson's office. They are trying to come up with rules for future searches, however. I hope they do not try to force the FBI to tell the Congressmen that they are coming in advance. That would be counterproductive to a crime investigation. Why would you tell a suspect that you are coming to search? This gives them time to destroy evidence.

The whole reason behind our three branch political power system is to set up a series of checks and balances. Any branch of the government should be able to challenge another branch if something shady is going on. Protesting a search made by the executive branch with the permission of the judicial branch makes it seem like you are trying to hide something. In the case of our Congress it is probably a lot of somethings.

Above The Law 2?

Someone explain this to me; If law enforcement officials cannot search Congressional Offices, wouldn't that make their offices the perfect places to hide evidence of their crimes?

I used to think we had the best government on the planet. Now, I'm not sure. We have a group of people who are claiming to be above the law. They are the people who make the laws. They are hiding behind the Constitution which is the basis for our laws. How can they do this? How can "We The People" allow it?

Didn't Richard Nixon have his offices searched, resulting in his downfall. OK so it was actually the Democratic Party's National Committee Office at the Watergate hotel but that's pretty much the same thing. Isn't it?

There should be no protection for a thief, not even political office.

Above The Law?

Is Congress above the law? They seem to think so. The FBI basically caught REP William Jefferson Red Handed. They got him on tape accepting a bribe. They got a search warrant and searched his residence and his office just like they would do if any other American were suspected of a crime. They found $90K of the $100K bribe hidden in a refrigerator. Now, in the first real sign of bipartisan unity in years, Congress is yelling foul. How dare they search a fellow Congressman's place of business. Like Politicians don't commit crimes at work. A white collar crime is still a crime. I guess they believe if it can be done to one of them, all of them are in danger of exposure. Despite the Democratic cry to end the Republican "Culture of Corruption" they are standing side by side with the Republicans because one of their own has been caught in this web of deceit. Give us a break! I don't trust any politician completely. I don't think that the Republicans have any corner on the corruption market. Seeing a Democratic representative from Louisiana just helps to solidify that belief. Congress should not feel that they are any less subject to the law than the rest of us.

Man Made Diamonds

Would you buy a diamond that didn't come from the ground? New technologies have made it possible to create near perfect diamonds in the labs. This technology is cheaper than actually mining them from the ground. It has De Beers worried. They are engraving their logo on their diamonds to make them easier to tell from the manufactured ones. This has the potential for devaluing diamonds much the way pearls have been devalued since they have started to seed oysters and farm them.

Not only are they good for making jewelry but they can be used in the manufacturing of semiconductors. Imagine a computer chip that could withstand over 1000 degrees F of heat. We are talking computer chips whose performance would surpass the current ones by many times the current speeds.

It would also take some of the money away from various powerful African Warlords who use the diamonds to fund their regimes. It would put a stop to a monopoly that is over 100 years old. I'm talking about the aforementioned De Beers Company of course.

What's the downside? Well, some people would claim that it just isn't the same if you buy an artificial diamond. I guess they are right, because the lab created diamonds will have virtually no flaws. Oh yeah, and there is no chance that they will be mined by children forced into slavery in some third world African Nation.

Savings Fees

Have you ever heard of a bank that charges you for a savings account? Banks take your money. They use it to create loans for other people. They give you a miniscule interest rate for the privilege of doing this. Yesterday I got a statement from my bank saying that they were going to charge me $4 per month for my savings account. I made a whopping 37 cents last quarter (3 months) from my savings account and now they are going to charge me $4 to keep my money there. That's an $11.63 deficit. I have one little piece of advice; steer clear of AMSouth BANK!

Hostel

I watched the movie "Hostel" last night. They bill it as "the scariest American movie in a decade." It had its scary moments, mostly I was sickened. It made me feel disgusted to be a human being. It showed the basest side of human nature. Imagine a place people could go where they could pay to torture another human being. Imagine being one of the victims. One thing is for sure, if you are into gore, this is your movie.