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Kyle Brady: Blog » Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com coherent thoughts on diverse topics Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:37:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Political Change May Be Coming [OpEd] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/14/political-change-may-be-coming/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/14/political-change-may-be-coming/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:34:46 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5500
After almost a year and a half of political wrangling, fake debates, fingerpointing, namecalling, and almost no obvious or momentous progress, President Obama’s campaign slogan appears to have taken Washington D.C. by storm in just a few short days. With a final vote looming on healthcare reform, despite its status as actual reform now being questionable, some members of Congress have taken advantage of the Democratic momentum to propose, or put the finishing touches, on other legislation necessary for not only progress, but also stability, within America.

Depending on the individual, agency, or group counting, the Great Recession began somewhere around two years ago, and, until recently, regulation to address the very problems that caused the financial and economic crash has been sorely lacking. Senator Dodd had expressed interest in passing legislation through the Senate Banking Committee, but his dedication came into question when he announced not running for reelection – it is, therefore, surprising that Dodd announced an upcoming regulatory bill. Some of the details are still murky, but it has intentions to revitalize banking regulation, provide greater watchdog capabilities to both bank shareholders and government, create a “Consumer Financial Protection Agency”, and more. This bill has not yet been introduced, much less voted on, but if even half of it is passed into law, the battle will be well fought.

In addition to the political surprise by Senator Dodd, the FCC has revealed that they are highly interested in regulating the telecommunication industry, with a great focus on the Internet, as well as opening it up to true competition – Net Neutrality would inevitably be a part of such regulation. This action isn’t a surprise to those that have been paying attention to the political climate surrounding ISPs since President Obama entered Office, but it will no doubt surprise, frustrate, and anger Republicans that devoutly oppose what they perceive as unnecessary intervention in the private sector, such as John McCain, despite the multitude of failures by the market to regulate itself.

From Congress itself comes an interest in reforming tax regulation to simplify the tax code to close loopholes, remove deductions, and make understanding it easier – potentially reducing taxes for certain income brackets while increasing tax income from those that weasel out of paying what is simply due to the Federal Government. This move, while potentially politically painful, would satisfy both Republican interests in cutting taxes and the Democratic wish to have corporations play fairly with others, bringing about a rare moment for bipartisan legislation in an era of extreme partisanship. Ironically, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has just produced stern words for the selfsame Republicans that have been stalling any and all attempts at forward progress, a well-timed jab likely intended to scare up legislative support.

What does this signify as a whole? The underlying message of this may be that the Democratic majority have grown tired of the obstructionist tactics of the minority party full of bravado, not brains, and is preparing to move forward with or without them. An important part of this decision may include not only the abject legislative failure of 2009, but also the upcoming midterm elections in November: if Democrats can show that they passed significant and meaningful legislation almost entirely on their own, they have a greater political advantage than if they were to lay claim to thin bipartisanship. The central strategy of Republicans has been to “break” both President Obama and his Congress by preventing progress, in order to retake the majority come election time – a prospect that seems bleaker for them by the day.

Whether or not these specific instances of Democratic showmanship turn into actual legislation is an entirely different matter, but the words themselves have signified a change from even just a few weeks ago – a change that is more than welcome.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/14/political-change-may-be-coming/feed/ 0 The Dark River [Nerdly Book Review] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/14/the-dark-river/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/14/the-dark-river/#comments Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:37:48 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5497 “The Dark River” by John Twelve Hawks (2007) – 4/5 stars

As a sequel to JXIIH’s first pseudonymous novel, The Traveler, The Dark River is the second in “The Fourth Realm” trilogy, a near-future dystopian novel with cyberpunk, action-thriller, and scifi tendencies. Unlike it’s predecessor, it essentially starts the action and intrigue on the first page, instead of taking almost half the novel to do so, and it’s written in a much smoother, more consistent fashion.

Following a few central characters that are either semi-mystics, self-proclaimed warriors, or “bad guys”, JXIIH has a tendency to switch perspectives at the precise moment a reader has become bored with the current situation, employing this technique to allow for timelapses in the storytelling. These semi-mystics are a rare group of individuals that can exist in different dimensions/realities, bringing back both knowledge and insight that threatens the Big Brother-esque interests of the villains; the warriors protect these mystics, at all costs, but their supposed lack of emotion or otherwise human characteristics lend the novel some unexpected humor.

Far better than it’s predecessor, The Dark River is a fast read that explores some ideas fully but leaves others simply glossed over – one of its failings. Throughout the novel there is a strong anti-technology, anti-corporate slant to both the narration and events, which is occasionally distracting but eventually elevates the text to a plane of greater paranoia and greater relevance than Orwell’s 1984. Despite The Traveler being rather dry and boring, The Dark River is a far better work by JXIIH and deserves a second chance – so the reader can be led directly into the series’ conclusion.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/14/the-dark-river/feed/ 1 “Who Is John Twelve Hawks?” [Self] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/11/who-is-john-twelve-hawks/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/11/who-is-john-twelve-hawks/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:20:45 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5494 on Technotainment Revelations at True/Slant:

John Twelve Hawks, a pseudonymous author of fiction, has quite a following behind his mysterious, novel-creating persona, resulting in not only “The Fourth Realm” trilogy of cyberpunk-meets-near-future-dystopia but also their upcoming film adaptations. While JXIIH has been the subject of much controversy since his written-word debut, the scrutiny has increased substantially with the involvement of Hollywood: who is John Twelve Hawks?

Go check it out.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/11/who-is-john-twelve-hawks/feed/ 0 The Rules of Argumentation [OpEd] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/10/the-rules-of-argumentation/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/10/the-rules-of-argumentation/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:29:22 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5491
Rule 1 – Facts

Individuals are entitled to their own opinions, but not facts. The basis of any discussion is reliant upon core information, and if a party is lacking in the comprehension of such data, they must be open to the realization that their data may not necessarily be correct.

Rule 2 – Equality

Not all opinions are created equal. There are experts in fields, self-proclaimed experts, and various levels of amateurs/average citizens, where the pyramid of knowledge and expertise begins with the legitimate experts and widens on the way down. This, quite obviously, means that some individuals are simply better suited to understand, interpret, and hold opinions on topics, especially within the realms of science and mathematics.

Rule 3 – Sacred

Opinions should not be considered sacred or immutable. Given new data, reliable argumentation, or simply a change of heart, an individual’s beliefs on any given topic should be open to change – the more valued the belief, the less immutable it must become.

Rule 4 – Respect

Just as not all opinions are created equal, not all opinions need be respected. In the event that some belief is so demonstrably ludicrous as to be laughable, and the individual refuses to be open to change, this opinion is not worthy of respect. Only when beliefs are defensible, reasoned, and researched can they demand respect.

Rule 5 – Emotion

A reasoned argument is not an epic battle between good and evil, but an exchange of ideas between reasonable people. There is no need to become overly emotional or feel personally affronted, since such a discussion is not a judgment of personal character.

Rule 6 – Winning

There isn’t necessarily a “winner” in an argument. Even if there is a so-called winner, where one party convinces the other of their position, this is not a true loss to the “losing” party – losing an argument is not rescinding personal ideals, but instead reforming false, faulty, or otherwise incorrect beliefs.

Rule 7 – Death

The last, and most important rule, is that no-one dies in an argument. If the argument goes so far as to become weaponized, it’s no longer a rational exchange of ideas, and should be discontinued.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/10/the-rules-of-argumentation/feed/ 0 Treasure Box [Nerdly Book Review] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/07/treasure-box/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/07/treasure-box/#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:36:32 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5488 “Treasure Box” by Orson Scott Card (1996) – 2/5 stars

As a one-off, non-sequel mystery novel by Orson Scott Card, a reader should have high expectations, but will inevitably feel let down, unless they happen to be one of the few who hasn’t read the Ender’s Game series or know of OSC.

This novel follows a central character, Quentin, from young childhood to middleaged life, and begins with a rather boring set of events – eventually, the main plot point is revealed, which revolves around his older sister, setting the tone for the oddity of the remaining pages. Throughout the book, Quentin has a series of adventures that range from annoyingly see-through to mildly amusing, culminating in a lackluster climax that was predictable from only a few pages in. It is, essentially, a character-filled ghost story infused with a touch of magic, love, and familial ties.

To the outside observer, this might not sound like a bad novel, and, at first glance, it’s truly not – there are alot of great ideas between the covers. There are, however, a series of major problems that detract from the experience. First, and most important, is the political and religious commentary OSC injects into the text, not at all subtly; his Mormon and ultraconservative beliefs show up in a number of places, not the least of which are a few out-of-place potshots at President Clinton, similar to his behavior in the Enderverse’s War of Gifts. After religion and politics comes the worst fault an author can have: bad dialog. Most of the dialog feels like a Quentin Tarantino movie on fast-forward, as it’s so fake, hurried, and entirely unbelievable. The final major sticking point for this work is the novel’s plodding pace, with the first hundred pages slowly going nowhere, giving no reasons for the reader to keep focused.

While Treasure Box had potential, it doesn’t live up to the standards that most readers expect from OSC – Dean Koontz would have done a better job in its writing, which is not necessarily a compliment. It’s hard to gauge OSC’s talent, because he produces so few great works outside the Enderverse (Empire being a brilliant exception), but he has a backcatalog that, for some reason, seems to lure readers in again and again, hoping for a few hours of the genius that is sometimes Orson Scott Card.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/07/treasure-box/feed/ 0 “NBC’s Olympic Failure As A Breaking Point” [Self] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/06/nbcs-olympic-failure-as-a-breaking-point/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/06/nbcs-olympic-failure-as-a-breaking-point/#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:28:55 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5485 Technotainment Revelations on True/Slant:

Any Americans that paid even remote attention to the recent 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver would know that NBC royally screwed up. Skipping events, giving only selected highlights, delaying coverage until primetime, annoying commentators/voiceovers, a lack of Internet coverage – these are just some of the problems that plagued their television coverage, upsetting average citizens and Congressmen alike. This is the moment of revolution.

Go check it out.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/06/nbcs-olympic-failure-as-a-breaking-point/feed/ 0 “The BBC’s Last Stand?” [Self] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/03/the-bbcs-last-stand/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/03/the-bbcs-last-stand/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:32:11 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5483 at Technotainment Revelations on True/Slant:

The BBC is closing half its website and ridding itself of large portions of content, mostly related to music and entertainment, in a response to what they see as impending budgets cuts and a recognition of having expanded beyond their mission. While this is logical, it points to a larger question: what comes next?

Go check it out.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/03/the-bbcs-last-stand/feed/ 0 The Lie of Bipartisan Politics [OpEd] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/02/the-lie-of-bipartisan-politics/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/02/the-lie-of-bipartisan-politics/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:05:07 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5479 Bipartisanship, in modern politics, is a lie - a falsehood, a hopeless dream, a fantasy based on nothing. And yet this doesn’t prevent either side of the political divide from using the idea of it as a tool for derision, division, and justification, even when those employing it know it to be nothing but empty words.

In the purest sense of the word, bipartisanship is a meeting of groups or individuals with opposing views, while sharing some common points of interest, that results in a healthy compromise between the disparate positions for the overall better. American politics has not seen this kind of bipartisanship in the last few decades, if not longer, and the roots of partisan voting, including its vitriol, can be traced all the way back to the Declaration of Independence, with 2010 Washington doing their very best to continue this unhealthy state ad infinitem.

Recently, bipartisanship, or a lack thereof, has been used by Republicans in attempts to kill legislation of any kind, but their cries of partisanship avoid a certain fundamental truth: President Obama’s Administration, and its Congress, have not been bipartisan for the simple fact that the Republicans have refused to participate. The lack of a desire to govern is not at all comparable to a lack of bipartisan efforts, the latter of which has not been in short supply over the last fourteen months. This is not so much a battle of diametrically opposing ideologies as it is a distinct dislike for President Obama and his efforts and goals, not to mention the striking characteristics of the GOP’s childlike political tantrum.

It’s time to give up, at least for the remainder of the Obama Administration, the idea of bipartisanship – on everything. If the opposing party, in this case the Republicans, wish to participate with the President and his Congressional majority in the process of running the nation, they may do so, but concessions should not be made to a group of corrupt individuals that have absolutely no intention of being part of the legislative process except for their own personal gain. While this applies to Washington at present, the same criticisms can be made for Administrations past, on both sides of the party line, and will no doubt continue into the future.

Until politics reaches a state of enlightenment that includes the ability to have reasoned, unemotional debates, bipartisanship is a lie. Once the American people realize that the idea of bipartisanship is merely a tool used to garner votes for the party out of favor at election time, the country will have a chance at finally moving forward, as those within Congress will recognize the farce as being over. Applied immediately, great benefits could be had within a very short period of time.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/03/02/the-lie-of-bipartisan-politics/feed/ 0 “‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ Should Be A Novel Series” [Self] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/02/26/terminator-the-sarah-connor-chronicles-should-be-a-novel-series/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/02/26/terminator-the-sarah-connor-chronicles-should-be-a-novel-series/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:25:57 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5476 at Technotainment Revelations on True/Slant:

With the future of the Terminator film franchise in question, it’s worth considering other options that would continue the multiple storylines within the canon without needing budgets that rival the deficits of some sovereign nations – especially for the fantastically written and wantonly canceled “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” television series.

Go check it out.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/02/26/terminator-the-sarah-connor-chronicles-should-be-a-novel-series/feed/ 0 Real Healthcare Reform Now – Not Later [OpEd] http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/02/25/real-healthcare-reform-now-not-later/ http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/02/25/real-healthcare-reform-now-not-later/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:05:50 +0000 Kyle Brady http://www.kyle-brady.com/?p=5471 what he expects from a healthcare overhaul bill and while his direct intervention, however late, is welcome, it is not without problems. The two glaring omissions of this entire process, President Obama’s efforts included, are that this reform process is not healthcare reform, but rather insurance reform, and that there is sill no public option or extension of Medicare.

President Obama’s outlines for a bill include a requirement for all citizens to purchase insurance plans, or receive a penalty – this is, to bastardize a phrase, feeding the hand that bites you. One of the very reasons that the United States is in its current position of poor healthcare is the insurance companies that are more interested in profit than they are fulfilling the sole reason for their existence. Besides argument of reactive vs. preventative care, insurance companies have continued to raise the financial bar for individuals to simply be able to see a doctor, have a broken bone addressed, or even visit a hospital in an emergency. More importantly, in the event that an individual or family can afford to pay the absurd amounts demanded of them, their coverage is denied for a variety of obscure and self-serving reasons.

The entire process has focused almost solely on insurance, but from the substantially wrong perspective: to provide insurance for the whole country, not to remove or, at minimum, fix the insurance system itself. Rather than provide a Medicare-for-all package, public option, or the easy answer that would be socialized medicine, it has been deemed better to force some small, token amount of regulation on the insurance companies and require that their services be purchased. Quite honestly, rewarding such abhorrent behavior with millions of new, coerced customers is not the rebuke of business and ethics practices that the insurance industry deserves, but is instead a twisted validation.

There is surprising growth of Congressional support for the public option, when it has been thought dead for months, that could be accomplished during the process of reconciliation between the House and Senate bills. No matter that a public option, defined as the ability to purchase into a government-run healthcare plan, is not even close to socialized medicine does not seem to phase the screaming masses that can be found both inside and outside of the halls of Congress. One of the typical arguments is that while Americans may go to Canada or Mexico for medicine, the citizens of those countries come to America for surgical procedures, but, like most of these talking points, it is a false and invalid comparison: America has the best doctors not because of a better healthcare system or medical law, neither of which are true, but rather the simple truth that American doctors have substantially higher incomes and public visibility than any other nation in the world.

While a public option would not solve all the needs of true healthcare reform, where the system would be tightly regulated and converted into that of preventative medicine, it would be a substantial start. A public option, essentially no different than paid-for Medicare, would provide the competition to the insurance industry that is sorely needed in order to stop their disturbing behaviors and insane price hikes. Furthermore, the public option, if proven successful, could eventually be a gateway to a true nationalized healthcare system – one of the few talking points that the reform bill’s detractors have gotten correct.

If healthcare reform is to happen, it must happen now, in the immediate present – but healthcare reform without a public option, tighter industry regulation, or any substantial action against the predatory practices of those who latch on to the pockets of all Americans is not reform and should not, in any fashion, be passed into law. For Congress, and ultimately President Obama, to approve such toothless and ineffective legislation is nothing less than political theater that will inevitably produce results only worse than those that currently exist – especially if the process takes another six months under the guise of false bipartisanship, consideration of a public option, or various other carrots to the American people that are truly just billyclubs.

Real healthcare reform must be passed now, not later, in order for both the American people’s faith to be restored in the political process and their health retained before another medicine, procedure, or facet of care is denied to them under false pretenses.]]> http://www.kyle-brady.com/2010/02/25/real-healthcare-reform-now-not-later/feed/ 0