Boy the Government is a work of art don't you agree? No? Well, after reading this article on CNN.com, you may change your mind. It takes a genius system to allow Registered Sex Offenders to receive Viagra courtesy of the taxpayers.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York's comptroller urged the nation's top health official Sunday to ban high-risk sex offenders and convicted rapists from receiving Viagra paid for by Medicaid.

"Federal, state and local reimbursement for the cost of erectile dysfunction drugs for sex offenders raises serious policy considerations and has the potential to place the public at risk," Comptroller Alan Hevesi wrote Michael Leavitt, secretary of Health and Human Services.

"I am asking that you take immediate action to ensure that sex offenders do not receive erectile dysfunction medication paid for by the taxpayers. I urge you to take administrative action to remedy the situation or draft an amendment to the underlying statute as appropriate," Hevesi wrote.

Hevesi said his office found that from January 1, 2000, through March 31, 2005, 198 Level 3 sex offenders received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after being convicted of a sex offense. Sex offenders are those convicted of crimes such as rape, sexual abuse, and sexual conduct against a child.

Level 3 offenders are those considered by the courts most likely to commit crimes again.

According to Hevesi, his office determined in its audit that the victims of the sex crimes during the five-year period ranged from toddlers to a woman as old as 90; and the crimes included first-degree rape.

Hevesi said he also has alerted the State Department of Health, which administers the Medicaid program in New York.

The review has not yet examined whether any of the Level 3 offenders are receiving prescriptions for other erectile dysfunction drugs which came on the market after the 1998 directive.

Hevesi said his office did not look at Level 1 (low) and Level 2 (moderate) offenders.

The New York Sex Offender Registration Act requires the Division of Criminal Justice Services to maintain a Sex Offender Registry, and post a list of Level 3 offenders on the Internet.

It took them THIS LONG TO FIGURE THIS OUT???

I would think that there would be some integration of government systems that could tell Medicaid that, "Yes, well, you are forcing tax payers to help their rapists get the tool they need to do the job right!"

I am almost speechless that the government spent this long spending my money like this. Anyone want to fly to Washington DC and force the government to show us what they are spending our money on?

Actually, that may be a bad idea. According to CNN, a plane strayed into the "No-No" zone that is the DC area.

I won't quote the whole article, but this quote just kills me,

"If he wouldn't have responded, intentionally or not, he could have been shot down," said Master Sgt. John Tomassi of the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Let this be a lesson to all you pilots out there. Get lost and you will die. Feels wonderful to have a paranoid Texan on the button don't it?

Anyway, when the government isn't threatening to shoot down private jets, it pays for rapists to get their skill honed.

Jesus H. Christ! This gem was gathered from CNN in its usual hard-hitting fashion.

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) -- Even Jesus Christ can't circumvent the rules for getting a driver's license in West Virginia.

Attempts to prove his name really is Christ have led the man born as Peter Robert Phillips Jr. through a lengthy legal battle and a recent victory in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

"This all started with him expressing his faith and his respect and love for Jesus Christ," attorney A.P. Pishevar told The Associated Press. "Now he needs to document it for legal reasons."

Described by his attorney as a white-haired businessman in his mid-50s, Christ is moving to West Virginia to enjoy a slower lifestyle. He bought property near Lost River, about 100 miles west of Washington, and has a U.S. passport, Social Security card and Washington driver's license bearing the name Jesus Christ.

But he still falls short of West Virginia title and license transfer requirements because his Florida birth certificate has his original name on it and he has been unable to obtain an official name change in Washington.

"We just need official documentation that that's his name," said Doug Stump, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. "He will be treated no different than anybody else."

Christ applied for the legal name change in May 2003, but it was denied by District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Tim Murphy because "taking the name of Jesus Christ may provoke a violent reaction or may significantly offend people."

In his appeal, Christ's attorney argued that Phillips had changed his name to Jesus Christ 15 years earlier, and "has been using the name since then without incident."

The appeals court last month sent the name-change proposal back to the lower court, saying some required hearings in the case had not been held.

Any comment from the man in the middle of this legal tussle?

"Christ is not speaking to the press at this time," Pishevar said.

Now I'm not one to bash on religion (except those of which molest children as a religious "right of passage") but this is just too "out there" to let it pass without comment.

Does it seem strange that while this guy is trying to get a license as Jesus Christ, he still doesn't have a legal name change? Could it be that the person who stamps them into approval actually got it right this time? I mean, I can understand idiots who put their child on eBay and say, "PAY US, WE WILL NAME OUR BABY WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!"

Oh wow, this is even better. I'm sorry, but I must break topic for a minute and showcase this link I just found trying to find an example of baby naming on eBay.

What the hell (edited to remove utter crap that no one cares about, most of it that is):

PLEASE CHOOSE A NAME FOR OUR MIRACLE BABY DUE 9/11/05
RE-LISTED` IT'S A GIRL` TRULY A MIRACLE`` MUST SEE

IT CAUGHT US BY SUPRISE WHEN I TOOK A PREGNANCY TEST AND IT WAS POSITIVE, I ENDED UP TAKING 8 HOME PREGNANCY TESTS (I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT) AND THEN THE DOCTOR TOOK A BLOOD TEST AND ULTRASOUND AND SURE ENOUGH, BABY NUMBER 3 IS DUE SEPTEMBER 11, 2005, AFTER WE HAD AN AMNIO DONE WE FOUND OUT THAT WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GIRL. MY DOCTOR SAID THAT I WAS THE SECOND WOMAN THAT HE HAS EVER SEEN IN HIS YEARS OF PRACTICE THAT GOT PREGNANT AFTER SHE HAD HER TUBES TIED!!

MY HUSBAND AND I ARE VERY EXCITED TO BE HAVING ANOTHER LITTLE GIRL, WE KNOW THAT SHE IS TRULY MEANT TO BE. SHE IS OUR MIRACLE BABY!! SO AFTER MUCH THOUGHT AND SERIOUS DEBATE WE DECIDED TO PUT THIS AUCTION UP TO GIVE YOU, THE WINNING BIDDER, THE CHANCE TO NAME OUR MIRACLE BABY!!!

THE WINNING BIDDER WILL RECEIVE THE LATEST ULTRASOUND PICTURE ALONG WITH A PICTURE OF MY PREGNANT BELLY!! AFTER THE BABY IS BORN YOU WILL RECEIVE A PARTIAL COPY OF THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE, CRIB CARD, AND PICTURE OF THIS LITTLE MIRACLE BABY GIRL THAT YOU NAMED.

NO VULGAR, OBSCENE, RUDE OR CRUDE NAMES WILL BE ACCEPTED!!!!! IF YOU WOULDN'T NAME YOUR CHILD WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO NAME OURS THAN DON'T EVEN BOTHER BIDDING!! I HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE THE NAME AND SEND A SECOND CHANCE OFFER TO THE NEXT HIGHEST BIDDER (IF THE NAME IS UNSUITABLE). IF I DON'T RECEIVE PAYMENT, ITEM WILL EITHER BE RE-LISTED OR A SECOND CHANCE OFFER WILL BE SENT AND I WILL LEAVE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK!!!! WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR DEAD BEAT BIDDERS SO SERIOUS BIDDERS ONLY!!!!

Ok, a few things:

1. TYPING IN CAPS AND PUTTING TONS OF EXCLAMATION POINTS WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE TYPE OF BIDDERS YOU ARE DEMANDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


2. SHARING WITH US YOUR LIFE STORY DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY MORE APPEALING TO NAME YOUR BABY. AND IF IT DID, YOUR LITTLE DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM WOULD SURELY PUSH THE BIDDERS AWAY. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY NAME? THEN WHY SHOULD WE BID?


3. IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT A BABY BEING "DUE" ON 9/11/05 THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE SPECIAL? CAN YOU GUARANTEE US THAT THIS "MIRACLE BABY" WILL BE BORN ON THAT DAY? ARE YOU GOING TO BE INDUCED???????????


4. THIS GIMMICK HAS BEEN BEATEN INTO THE FLOOR. GET OVER IT!!!!!?!?!???@~#(

Ok back on topic:

Anyway,

"Christ is not speaking to the press at this time."

Apparently not, with the Hard-Hitting, Non-Bias journalism that is CNN, Christ is not speaking to the press. Else I would be out of a reason to write these things.

Crap, that auction took the brunt of most of my inspiration. Oh well, come for the Christ, stay for the morons on the internet I suppose.

Hacker infiltrated government computers

Just the article today. CNN brings us this shocker:

Report: Hacker infiltrated government computers
U.S. military installations, laboratories, and NASA hit last year
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Posted: 2:22 PM EDT (1822 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI confirmed Tuesday the accuracy of a New York Times report that software on routers, computers that control the Internet, were compromised last year by a hacker who claimed that he had infiltrated systems serving U.S. military installations, research laboratories, and NASA.

The Times reported, and the FBI confirmed, that the focus of the investigation is a youth in Uppsala, Sweden, who has been charged as a juvenile.

The FBI said it is unclear to U.S. authorities what, if anything, can be done to prosecute the youth for violating U.S. laws.

The Times reported that the youth did not devise a new kind of attack but cleverly organized computers, automating the theft of computer log-ins and passwords.

The Times reported that the attacks were detected by workers at research labs who saw that software on Cisco computer routers, part of the backbone of the Internet, had been compromised.

In May 2004, a portion of Cisco's Internetworking Operating System (IOS) code was illegally copied and posted on the Internet.

"Cisco enlisted the help of many law enforcement agencies after the incident which occurred prior to May 15, 2004," the company said in a statement posted on its Web site.

"We are aware that a person has been detained in Sweden related to the IOS source code theft and are encouraged by this action," the statement said.

After the May breach, Cisco said it believed that the publication of the information did not create an increased risk to its customers.

'Stakkato'
The Times also reported that a California researcher got taunting messages from the hacker, who called himself "Stakkato," claiming to have infiltrated computer systems at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Officials at some of those facilities confirmed to the Times that their computers had been breached but said the information obtained was insignificant.

Larry Furrow, a spokesman at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, told CNN there was only one known break in at the facility.

He said the incident took place in April 2004 when an individual or group gained access to White Sands' weather forecasts. Furrow said White Sands needs timely, local forecasts as part of their testing program, but the information is not classified.

However, the weather data was stored on internal computers. He said precautions have since been put in place. "We determined it right away, and we fixed it right away," Furrow said. "We don't consider it a breach of sensitive information."

Furrow said White Sands has not experienced any subsequent attacks. Furrow also said the origin of the hack is not clear and could not confirm reports of the Swedish teenager's involvement.

The first invasions were publicly reported in April of last year.

On a side note, I am looking for writers to fill in for me since I am getting extremely busy/need to expand this blog past just my viewpoint. If you think you have what it takes, send an email to me. If possible, please send a sample of your writing/style. I am also looking for illustrators for story pictures/satire/logos/layouts. Email here for more information.

Student Arrested for a Question?

This is ridiculous. Daily Kos has the report:

UT Ann Coulter Event
by voreddy
Thu May 5th, 2005 at 08:01:20 PDT

I'm sure most of you guys have heard about the kid who asked Ann Coulter a question and got arrested. Well I emailed him and he replied. Very grateful for all our support. He needs it. Anyway he sent me an essay he wrote on it. It is hysterical. And here it is in its entirety.

Diaries :: voreddy's diary :: :: Trackback ::

AJAI RAJ
04/05/05

Open Letter to Anyone Who Gives a Shit About Justice

I'm writing this in response to the spectacle that occurred in the LBJ Library on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2005, when Ann Coulter, a diabolical, ignorant, but nevertheless charismatic right-wing pundit, came to speak at UT. Ms. Coulter- yes, Ms, I'd personally think such a vocal female conservative would be making Bubba a meatloaf instead of addressing a politically-minded collegiate audience, but whatever- is the author of relentlessly mendacious anti-liberal books, such as Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right and Treason: Liberal Treachery From the Cold War to the War on Terrorism. She's famous for having an ass that stores so many lies it makes clown-car designers envious. Like her or not (and if you do, I'm surprised you can read) she's a Big Fucking Deal.
The title of the front-page story covering Ms. Coulter's in the Texan was "Arrest Made at Coulter Speech". You could also have caught it on CBS or in the Austin-American Statesman. The general idea is that some jackass made a scene, and Ann Coulter was also there.
I am Ajai Raj, and I am a jackass.
In his article, which I enjoyed and commend him for, Mr. Sampath quoted the former president of the Student Events Center, the organization which arranged the event. He wrote:
"The person had been disruptive the entire event," said Matt Hardigree, former Student Events Center president. "He took the opportunity to say something lewd and offensive and then made masturbatory gestures as he exited."
And what do I have to say in rebuttal? Not a goddamn thing.
Matt Hardigree got it spot-on! From the beginning I was yelling obscenities along with my friends, roaring at Ms. Coulter's right-wing bullshit festival the way no one else had the balls to. Mr. Sampath writes in his article that (and this is my take) the protestors were told to be good all along. They were told to sit in the back and hold their signs and leave quietly. No wonder hippies get such a bad rap nowadays; protestors today might as well be ornaments on the Rightmobile. When I want someone to know I'm pissed off, I'm going to throw down and give them a good shit-ruining. I wanted to show Ms. Coulter that people are down if she wants to hold a circle-jerk, but we're not gonna do it her way. Not me, at least.
So yes, the Q&A session came around, and it was pathetic. Her slack-jawed fans got up and licked her face so she could pat them on the head- one schmuck offered to be her bodyguard, and she smiled, doubtlessly making a mental note that she wouldn't touch his nether regions if she were King Midas; liberal protestors posed well-intentioned but woefully timid questions and got shot down in a hail of ignorant shitfire from the She-Dragon. Standing in line awaiting my turn, I watched her send a moderate Republican, who had questioned the sheer incendiary magnitude of her rhetoric, walk away in tears when she tore him apart for daring to question her.
So yes, I saw my "opportunity to say something lewd and offensive." And I took it.
She had just said something about gay marriage, the typical rightwing bullshit spiel that is still convincing people that the Bible is really the Constitution. Knowing that taking the time to say something insightful, specific, or even slightly critical would get me a lame comeback and a ticket back to my seat, I realized that the only way to win this battle was to fight fire with fire. Or bullshit with bullshit. So, as reported in yesterday's Texan, I fired:
"You say that you believe in the sanctity of marriage," said Ajai Raj, an English sophomore. "How do you feel about marriages where the man does nothing but fuck his wife up the ass?"
And the crowd fell silent. Ms. Coulter stood stunned atop her stage, unprepared for a jackass to say something so utterly crude and to the point. Her pompous and mean air is enough to stump questioners into timidity, I wasn't about to let her stop me. The audience members looked at me with raw disbelief; later, even friends who know me well admitted that they'd been surprised at how vulgar I'd been. The others in line for Q&A, mostly liberals, looked at me like I'd set their cause back forty years.
Did I give a shit? No. If I had a message, it's that the whole thing was a joke- hell, our whole political scene today is a fucking joke. Everyone's out to either pat themselves on the back for being right or whine about how they're being wronged without ever lifting a finger to fight for it.
So rather than dignify anyone else, I "made masturbatory gestures" as I exited. Again, bingo! I danced a jig and set my hand a-jerkin' at crotch-level, sneering for the crowd and letting them know I was ready to roll. I yelled to my friends that we were gonna split and made for the door.
Two cops approached me. I figured they were going to tell me I had to leave, so I said "You can't fire me, because I quit!"
"You're under arrest."
It was my turn to be shocked. I tried to ask them what for; saying "fuck her in the ass"" at a college isn't a crime, last time I checked. They apparently mistook my inquiries for aggression, and grabbed me roughly and slammed me into the door. Within seconds the backmost two or three rows was surging forward, following the scene as the cops dragged me out the door. They yelled and chanted; my friends were more outraged than I'd ever seen any of them before. As they pushed me into the car, I heard my good friend Jeffrey Stockwell scream, "THIS ISN'T A JUSTICE SYSTEM! YOU CALL THIS PROTECTING AND SERVING?!" The crowd took up a chant at the UTPD officers: "Shame! Shame! Shame!"
Shame is fucking right. When I asked the cops why they thought I needed cuffing, they told me that they didn't even see anything that happened, they were just doing as told.
As a good friend pointed out to me, it's a scary thought that people who are given weapons and the authority to forcibly detain people can act without knowledge of a situation.
I'm writing this at 7:15 A.M. Wednesday, having recouped over a few cigarettes and some coffee after being released from jail around 3 A.M. I had a party waiting for me- twenty or so friends and supporters, who showered me with gifts such as a card, sodas, cigarettes, food, and a Blondie CD (go figure). Several civil rights-interested associations approached me, offering pro bono legal representation and showing their support.
I have no regrets. Was I jackass? Yes. Oh Christ, yes. But here's the question people ought to ask themselves. Did I deserve to be arrested? Did the cops need to rough me up for saying bad words at what was at least masquerading as an open dialogue? Do the people of Texas- hell, of America- feel that "potty mouth" belongs on the list of punishable crimes along with "aggravated assault" and "armed robbery"?
As stated in the Texan article, I am charged with Disorderly Conduct, which is a Class C Misdemeanor. Other Class C Misdemeanors include DWIs, possession of drug paraphernalia, and speeding tickets. Without getting into the justification for all of those, were my naughty words and crude hand motions as imposing a danger?
This isn't about politics anymore, however it might have come about. Either you think it's an absurd outrage or you think swearing is a crime. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are Republicans, for Christ's sake. Raise your hand if you watch South Park.
This is about drawing a line in the sand. It made me proud to see people standing up and calling bullshit when bullshit needed to be called. All politics aside, people ought to ask themselves, how far should our representatives of "justice" be allowed to go? Do the American people believe in censorship rights for the rich and famous?
I know I didn't slay the insidious evil that is Ann Coulter, but I did give her pause. She can easily go to another college or hoedown or whatever and spew her tired rhetoric without worrying about me. But I'm not the only one who feels this way. Other people will call her on her shit.
And hey, Ann, don't come back to UT. We're better than your bullshit here. And I can think of at least one jackass here who can dish it out better than you.