I really love it when things just work. Especially things that just don't work in the beginning.
For those of you who are unaware I purchased a Gigabit ethernet card recently (Linksys eg1032 v 3.0) and haven't been able to get it to work. Ever. Well Sabayon, my new favorite distribution in the entirety of creation, detected my Gb card after I re-seated it (turns out the power connector for my AGP card worked it loose during my last cleaning and I didn't check).
Now openSuSE has detected the card before but it's never worked, even following the instructions on the LQ boards. So, as much for me to remember as for you to get the solution, here's what I had to go through after I re-seated the card:
run the command 'ifconfig eth1 [address]' to set the ip addr (dhcpd isn't picking it up but this is a command that can be entered in your profile script)
get knetwork manager to recognize it as the primary network device
What, you were expecting more? That's seriously it. I thought I'd have to modify config files again! No. Sabayon just detected the card, correctly might I add, selected the right driver (r8169 in this case; fucking miracle with this card I tell you...), defaulted it to Gb mode on full duplex and brought it up. I love Sabayon.
Do me a favor: if I ever change distros again please, please make sure I didn't violate my ethics and take a bribe, mkay?
Gryyphyn, out.
20070906
Long Time Coming...
My review of Sabayon Linux 3.4e has been a long time coming. It's not that I've been running it for a long time. I've only been using it for about a week. ^_^ No, it's because this is the first non-SuSE distro that I've used since who the hell knows when. So, here's a quick rundown:
What I like
1. This is the most beautiful install environment I've ever seen. You actually boot in to the distro (bootable distro with installer options from the grub menu) and the installer starts. You're in an xfce environment, which is fairly sparse, but it's an actual desktop. While you're installing you can be browsing the web using your browser of choice, mine being Firefox. So when you run in to any sticky bits you're able to search them from the installing machine rather than having to run to the next room to grab someone else's computer. Nice.
2. The startup music is fantastic. Yeah yeah, big whoop, right? While KDE has some nice music it's not very energetic. It reminds me more of MS Win95 startup sounds, to be honest (don't kill me!). Sabayon, on the other hand, sounds like it was put together by Michael Kamen or SqEnix. Seriously.
3. Pretty colors. The default theme is a nice red one. Normally I have problems with the color red but this is really well put together and ties in to all of the applications. Even Amarok's OSD shows up as red.
4. KDE is all set up (mostly). The menus are already set to transparent and it uses the new default KDE menu system that behaves like Vista wants to (did I save that or what?!).
5. It's based on Gentoo. This means that you have access to what I now believe is the nicest package management system ever. There's graphical front-ends, lots of text-based tools and huge repos full of stuff.
6. Default applications are complete. Sabayon includes almost every application you could ever need. K3b, Amarok, Firefox, etc... are all present in their resplendent glory along with a decent selection of OSS games. The distro, since it's actually a live CD that can be installed, also includes some advanced games that can be installed by default if you use Gnome and are available as separate boot games. Pretty cool.
7. Configuration is a snap. For the most part it's just like any other distro: edit config files or use the specific application's configurator. Straight-forward and simple.
8. iPod support. In a world that is dominated by the iPod it's become fairly important to support the device, as well as any others. iPods in particular are a difficult item to support for a few reasons. While mine didn't work straight off (an update was required for Amarok because they're kinda dumb sometimes and journaling was enabled on my pod) it didn't take a whole lot to get things rolling. Once I stopped being an idiot (imagine that) and checked my Amarok version I saw I was out of date. I got one error that Google was able to provide a repair link for (aforementioned journaling) I was up and going. It's so bloody simple that it's like being on a Mac (yes, you need to fix those sometimes too).
9. Ease of use. In large part this is due to KDE. However Sabayon makes things a little more simple. Installation takes less thought than installing OS X (having done it now I can say that with confidence). Most everything is set up and working for you when you first boot. There's really nothing for you to configure unless your anal (high, I'm Mr. Tight Sphincter).
10. It's all inclusive. I haven't had to download anything that a normal user would need. Multimedia, browsing, file support... it's all really there.
Let me detail quickly the problem with the iPod. It's not particular to Sabayon, it's a general problem with a general solution. First, make sure you're running the most up to date version of Amarok (it has the best iPod support from what I've seen so far). If you're running your pod from a Mac primarily then it will have journaling turned on. Linux doesn't like that much (it's a kernel thing) and will only mount the pod as read-only, which Amarok can't have. So, boot in to your Mac and hook up your pod. Open a terminal (if you don't know where that is just go to Searchlight (apple-key + space)) and issue the following command:
mount (this command will give you your volume name which is needed by the diskutil command below; look for what you named your iPod near the bottom of the mount command output. You're looking for /dev/yourJournalNameIsHere)
diskutil disableJournal volumeName (replace volumeName with the volume you found for your iPod from mount)
That's it. Next time you have Amarok running and plug in your pod it'll detect and mount it, allowing you full browsing.
What I didn't/don't like
1. The options for installing on 3.4e are backwards. When you select KDE it takes you to Gnome stuff and visa versa. I had to re-install. Make sure you're paying attention to the packages.
2. It's a long install. Yes, there is a lot of stuff to install but do we really need all of it? A granular package manager would have been very nice here.
3. Config files are loaded with comments. Samba alone, which shouldn't be more than 40-80 lines for a typical, secure configuration was ~300 lines. That's crap.
4. Java was broken out of the box. Sabayon comes with Azureus, my favorite torrent client, but the java classes are broken due to god knows what and there was no jre/jdk, both of which are required. Fixing it was easy for me but an average user is going to be on the phone with someone real fast for this problem.
5. Desktop icons are ginormically huge. I mean really fucking big. Running 1280x1024 the Google Earth icon was literally the size of a golf ball. WTF?!
I like it. I'll keep using it for a while. The problems I had were minor in consideration to the ease of use and the ease of fixing said problems. If you're bored or just want to see something else pull down the iso, burn it and boot it. You can give it a test run with all the cookies enabled (including XGL for fancies).
http://www.sabayonlinux.org/
Gryyphyn, out.
What I like
1. This is the most beautiful install environment I've ever seen. You actually boot in to the distro (bootable distro with installer options from the grub menu) and the installer starts. You're in an xfce environment, which is fairly sparse, but it's an actual desktop. While you're installing you can be browsing the web using your browser of choice, mine being Firefox. So when you run in to any sticky bits you're able to search them from the installing machine rather than having to run to the next room to grab someone else's computer. Nice.
2. The startup music is fantastic. Yeah yeah, big whoop, right? While KDE has some nice music it's not very energetic. It reminds me more of MS Win95 startup sounds, to be honest (don't kill me!). Sabayon, on the other hand, sounds like it was put together by Michael Kamen or SqEnix. Seriously.
3. Pretty colors. The default theme is a nice red one. Normally I have problems with the color red but this is really well put together and ties in to all of the applications. Even Amarok's OSD shows up as red.
4. KDE is all set up (mostly). The menus are already set to transparent and it uses the new default KDE menu system that behaves like Vista wants to (did I save that or what?!).
5. It's based on Gentoo. This means that you have access to what I now believe is the nicest package management system ever. There's graphical front-ends, lots of text-based tools and huge repos full of stuff.
6. Default applications are complete. Sabayon includes almost every application you could ever need. K3b, Amarok, Firefox, etc... are all present in their resplendent glory along with a decent selection of OSS games. The distro, since it's actually a live CD that can be installed, also includes some advanced games that can be installed by default if you use Gnome and are available as separate boot games. Pretty cool.
7. Configuration is a snap. For the most part it's just like any other distro: edit config files or use the specific application's configurator. Straight-forward and simple.
8. iPod support. In a world that is dominated by the iPod it's become fairly important to support the device, as well as any others. iPods in particular are a difficult item to support for a few reasons. While mine didn't work straight off (an update was required for Amarok because they're kinda dumb sometimes and journaling was enabled on my pod) it didn't take a whole lot to get things rolling. Once I stopped being an idiot (imagine that) and checked my Amarok version I saw I was out of date. I got one error that Google was able to provide a repair link for (aforementioned journaling) I was up and going. It's so bloody simple that it's like being on a Mac (yes, you need to fix those sometimes too).
9. Ease of use. In large part this is due to KDE. However Sabayon makes things a little more simple. Installation takes less thought than installing OS X (having done it now I can say that with confidence). Most everything is set up and working for you when you first boot. There's really nothing for you to configure unless your anal (high, I'm Mr. Tight Sphincter).
10. It's all inclusive. I haven't had to download anything that a normal user would need. Multimedia, browsing, file support... it's all really there.
Let me detail quickly the problem with the iPod. It's not particular to Sabayon, it's a general problem with a general solution. First, make sure you're running the most up to date version of Amarok (it has the best iPod support from what I've seen so far). If you're running your pod from a Mac primarily then it will have journaling turned on. Linux doesn't like that much (it's a kernel thing) and will only mount the pod as read-only, which Amarok can't have. So, boot in to your Mac and hook up your pod. Open a terminal (if you don't know where that is just go to Searchlight (apple-key + space)) and issue the following command:
mount (this command will give you your volume name which is needed by the diskutil command below; look for what you named your iPod near the bottom of the mount command output. You're looking for /dev/yourJournalNameIsHere)
diskutil disableJournal volumeName (replace volumeName with the volume you found for your iPod from mount)
That's it. Next time you have Amarok running and plug in your pod it'll detect and mount it, allowing you full browsing.
What I didn't/don't like
1. The options for installing on 3.4e are backwards. When you select KDE it takes you to Gnome stuff and visa versa. I had to re-install. Make sure you're paying attention to the packages.
2. It's a long install. Yes, there is a lot of stuff to install but do we really need all of it? A granular package manager would have been very nice here.
3. Config files are loaded with comments. Samba alone, which shouldn't be more than 40-80 lines for a typical, secure configuration was ~300 lines. That's crap.
4. Java was broken out of the box. Sabayon comes with Azureus, my favorite torrent client, but the java classes are broken due to god knows what and there was no jre/jdk, both of which are required. Fixing it was easy for me but an average user is going to be on the phone with someone real fast for this problem.
5. Desktop icons are ginormically huge. I mean really fucking big. Running 1280x1024 the Google Earth icon was literally the size of a golf ball. WTF?!
I like it. I'll keep using it for a while. The problems I had were minor in consideration to the ease of use and the ease of fixing said problems. If you're bored or just want to see something else pull down the iso, burn it and boot it. You can give it a test run with all the cookies enabled (including XGL for fancies).
http://www.sabayonlinux.org/
Gryyphyn, out.
Mac World
This is a short update about my post last night (this morning?).
I'm at the Apple store right now and just found out that if you bought an iPhone within the last couple weeks you can get a refund on the price difference with the new pricing scheme announced Tuesday. You have to have your receipt but it's available. Listened in to a conversation at the counter myself. So there you go.
Gryyphyn, out.
I'm at the Apple store right now and just found out that if you bought an iPhone within the last couple weeks you can get a refund on the price difference with the new pricing scheme announced Tuesday. You have to have your receipt but it's available. Listened in to a conversation at the counter myself. So there you go.
Gryyphyn, out.
20070905
The World
The world, in all it's eccentricities, has decided to punish me. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, god damn it! It's been a shitty couple of months, though things are taking a turn for the better. I'm not going to go in to it. Those who need to know already do.
So, it's been a busy two months in general. Top stories of the last two months since I've been on hiatus:
1. Apple has made a great deal of news in the last two days. If you didn't know then you need to get out from under your rock and join the connected civilization. Go watch this:
Apple makes news (again...)
It'll do you good. I do warn you, however, that the rest of the living world is either watching this for the first time as you click the link (yes, they too were under a rock) or is watching it for the ^nth time.
2. NBC done shot themselves in the damned foot. While the official announcements have just breached within the last couple of days it's a situation that has been brewing between them and Apple for a few months. They have pulled all of their television show episodes from iTunes because they're greedy mother fuckers. That's really what it is. Who in the hell would pay $4.99 for an episode of anything?! If you buy a TV series season in the stores it'll run you about $100, making it ~$3.00 per episode. iTunes charges $2.00 per ep, which, even though I don't purchase stuff from iTunes at this point, seems relatively cheap comparatively. I hate greed, almost as much as I hate stoopud come to think of it...
3. Baren has come back to the world of the living! I say that not because he's a zombie now but because I just can't imagine there being much life without being connected...
4. Macrosucks (read Microsoft) is making huge headway in the computer an gaming industry with the launch of a Halo 3 XBox and Halo 3 itself, along with the news that they will release SP1 for Vista in Q1 2008. Now, this is all in the future, but it's still noteworthy news. I still have to wonder what the hell they were thinking with the Zune and why they continue to release operating systems (can you call it that if they don't operate well?) when they know they're broken...
5. KDE, one of the many available window managers (? still don't know how to define it to be honest...) for Linux, Unix and BSD (among others) announced a final date for their much anticipated 4.0 release to be some time early Q4 2007. The myriad of enhancements made, including, but not limited to, native XGL support, will make it the single most advanced window manager (? again) in creation (is it still opinion if it's fairly accepted fact?). I personally look forward to this newest release and plan on updating my OS (again), Sabayon Linux, as soon as they integrate KDE 4.
I think that's all I want to talk about for the time being. I would like to delve deeper in to some of these topics soon, but now's not the time. Next update will be about my experiences with Sabayon Linux 3.4e. (Hint: I like it a lot so far.)
DF of the week
The whiners who complain about some of the changes made to pricing from Apple, announced 09042007. I understand why you're pissed, honestly. I was a little miffed that six weeks after I got pai, my MacBook, they dropped the price $50 and gave the same level 1 Gig of RAM and an 80 GB HD. Honestly, I understand... to a point.
Apple dropped the price of the iPhone two months after it's launch by $200. Early adopters have to suffer that. It happens, you should know the consequences. Dumbass.
They're charging $.99 to make an iTunes song, which you already paid for, in to a 30 second ring tone. Ok. First why can't your phone just fucking ring? No, I'm not using an actual phone ringer type ring tone, but that's because I can't hear the damned thing. But there's no reason in the whole of existence to have your damn phone blast some shitty rap song when someone calls! Do you have any idea how annoying that is? And I sure as hell don't want to hear your phone completely mangle The Eagles 'Hotel California' ever again. You want music listen to a CD or your (insert portable digital music player here).
I have to deal with the fact that just three months ago I paid $349 for my 80G iPod and now there's a 160G in the same price spot. How pissed do you think I should be? Not very. Even I'm searching for shit to fill the damned thing up with! I don't think I need 160G worth of music, let alone the video I hardly ever watch (I watch video podcasts on a regular basis; that's usually the extent of my iPod video enjoyment).
Please, stop the bitching. I don't care. Nobody else should either. If you're that pissed off send a letter to Apple. I'm sure they have a Capuchan who's more than willing to burn your rant for you.
DISCLAIMER: That last commment should in no way be misconstrued in to my telling anyone that Apple's customer service sucks monkey balls. I've had nothing but positive experiences with every Apple anyone I've ever communicated with. The monkey is the one with a grudge against you.
Section-9
gryyphyn@motoko$:> exit
So, it's been a busy two months in general. Top stories of the last two months since I've been on hiatus:
1. Apple has made a great deal of news in the last two days. If you didn't know then you need to get out from under your rock and join the connected civilization. Go watch this:
Apple makes news (again...)
It'll do you good. I do warn you, however, that the rest of the living world is either watching this for the first time as you click the link (yes, they too were under a rock) or is watching it for the ^nth time.
2. NBC done shot themselves in the damned foot. While the official announcements have just breached within the last couple of days it's a situation that has been brewing between them and Apple for a few months. They have pulled all of their television show episodes from iTunes because they're greedy mother fuckers. That's really what it is. Who in the hell would pay $4.99 for an episode of anything?! If you buy a TV series season in the stores it'll run you about $100, making it ~$3.00 per episode. iTunes charges $2.00 per ep, which, even though I don't purchase stuff from iTunes at this point, seems relatively cheap comparatively. I hate greed, almost as much as I hate stoopud come to think of it...
3. Baren has come back to the world of the living! I say that not because he's a zombie now but because I just can't imagine there being much life without being connected...
4. Macrosucks (read Microsoft) is making huge headway in the computer an gaming industry with the launch of a Halo 3 XBox and Halo 3 itself, along with the news that they will release SP1 for Vista in Q1 2008. Now, this is all in the future, but it's still noteworthy news. I still have to wonder what the hell they were thinking with the Zune and why they continue to release operating systems (can you call it that if they don't operate well?) when they know they're broken...
5. KDE, one of the many available window managers (? still don't know how to define it to be honest...) for Linux, Unix and BSD (among others) announced a final date for their much anticipated 4.0 release to be some time early Q4 2007. The myriad of enhancements made, including, but not limited to, native XGL support, will make it the single most advanced window manager (? again) in creation (is it still opinion if it's fairly accepted fact?). I personally look forward to this newest release and plan on updating my OS (again), Sabayon Linux, as soon as they integrate KDE 4.
I think that's all I want to talk about for the time being. I would like to delve deeper in to some of these topics soon, but now's not the time. Next update will be about my experiences with Sabayon Linux 3.4e. (Hint: I like it a lot so far.)
DF of the week
The whiners who complain about some of the changes made to pricing from Apple, announced 09042007. I understand why you're pissed, honestly. I was a little miffed that six weeks after I got pai, my MacBook, they dropped the price $50 and gave the same level 1 Gig of RAM and an 80 GB HD. Honestly, I understand... to a point.
Apple dropped the price of the iPhone two months after it's launch by $200. Early adopters have to suffer that. It happens, you should know the consequences. Dumbass.
They're charging $.99 to make an iTunes song, which you already paid for, in to a 30 second ring tone. Ok. First why can't your phone just fucking ring? No, I'm not using an actual phone ringer type ring tone, but that's because I can't hear the damned thing. But there's no reason in the whole of existence to have your damn phone blast some shitty rap song when someone calls! Do you have any idea how annoying that is? And I sure as hell don't want to hear your phone completely mangle The Eagles 'Hotel California' ever again. You want music listen to a CD or your (insert portable digital music player here).
I have to deal with the fact that just three months ago I paid $349 for my 80G iPod and now there's a 160G in the same price spot. How pissed do you think I should be? Not very. Even I'm searching for shit to fill the damned thing up with! I don't think I need 160G worth of music, let alone the video I hardly ever watch (I watch video podcasts on a regular basis; that's usually the extent of my iPod video enjoyment).
Please, stop the bitching. I don't care. Nobody else should either. If you're that pissed off send a letter to Apple. I'm sure they have a Capuchan who's more than willing to burn your rant for you.
DISCLAIMER: That last commment should in no way be misconstrued in to my telling anyone that Apple's customer service sucks monkey balls. I've had nothing but positive experiences with every Apple anyone I've ever communicated with. The monkey is the one with a grudge against you.
Section-9
gryyphyn@motoko$:> exit
20070719
I'd like to be light-hearted...
I'd like to be light-hearted right now, but I just can't seem to be. Coming from someone who seems to be like that a lot you probably just think 'what's new', right? Well, keep thinking that and maybe, in some alternate dimension, it will be true.
If anyone has seen Baren please tell him to talk to me! I'm ronery, so berry ronery... ;;^_^
Anyway... DF of the month, hell, maybe the year, is me. It's not something I want to talk about but rest assured that it is. Anyone who's read the last oh, I don't know, four months of fucking fucked up posts should agree. Let's just say I didn't get any more intelligent over the last month or so.
What's more life completely blows. I've had nothing but a very shitty three weeks on this god-forsaken planet. There's not many things that could make things worse right now, only one or two that I can think of. And yes, whether you believe it or not I've taken abso-fucking-lutely *everything* in to account that could possibly happen.
So, if you can find it in your heart to do so, send a happy my way. Just a small one will do.
Gryyphyn, out.
If anyone has seen Baren please tell him to talk to me! I'm ronery, so berry ronery... ;;^_^
Anyway... DF of the month, hell, maybe the year, is me. It's not something I want to talk about but rest assured that it is. Anyone who's read the last oh, I don't know, four months of fucking fucked up posts should agree. Let's just say I didn't get any more intelligent over the last month or so.
What's more life completely blows. I've had nothing but a very shitty three weeks on this god-forsaken planet. There's not many things that could make things worse right now, only one or two that I can think of. And yes, whether you believe it or not I've taken abso-fucking-lutely *everything* in to account that could possibly happen.
So, if you can find it in your heart to do so, send a happy my way. Just a small one will do.
Gryyphyn, out.
20070623
In Response To...
In response to the letter I posted previously, and also sent to a number of US political figureheads, I received the following response from US Senator (UT) Orrin Hatch:
~~~~~
June 21, 2007
Dear Mr. Crosthwait:
I appreciated reading your comments regarding our nation’s immigration system and the recent debate over comprehensive immigration reform. I welcome the opportunity to respond.
As you know, the Senate recently considered a comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 1348) intended to address the many problems that plague our immigration system. The bill was debated in the Senate for two weeks and, on June 7, a motion to end debate on the bill was defeated, preventing a final vote from taking place. I agree with the bill’s proponents that we need a comprehensive approach to fix our immigration problems. However, I voted against the motion to end debate because I couldn’t support the bill as it was written and I did not want to let its sponsors force it through the Senate. It is anticipated that we will again take up this issue in the near future.
When it comes to our immigration policy, the status quo is completely unacceptable. Foremost, we simply must do more to secure our borders and develop capable and workable enforcement practices. I believe an approach that couples increased border security and more efficient workplace enforcement will help to stem the tide of illegal immigrants coming to the United States. This is a particular concern in Utah, especially in Southern Utah, which has become a focal point for various networks specializing in the trafficking and smuggling of illegal drugs and immigrants. I am working to direct more Federal government resources to addressing these problems.
In addition, I believe we must find a fair and lawful way to deal with those that are already in our country illegally. However, I will not support any proposal that I believe amounts to blanket amnesty for all illegal immigrants as that would be unfair to the thousands of people who have waited in line to enter the country through the proper channels. Also, a limited guest worker program must be created for our American – and specifically Utah – businesses in need of foreign workers. Finally, for any immigration system to work, we must distribute visas and green cards in a more fair and efficient way.
The current Senate bill would address a number of these issues. For example, it would impose a series of border security triggers that would have to be met before any new immigration programs could be implemented. This is intended to assure that our borders will be secure before we allow any guest workers to enter the country. In addition, the bill would create a more efficient system for employers to verify the immigration status of their employees. The bill would also impose a merit system and a more extensive criminal background check for those who apply for entry into the United States.
That being said, I continue to have a number of difficulties with this legislation. I am hopeful that, as the amendment process moves forward, we can work to improve the provisions of the bill in order to ensure we enact sensible changes to our immigration system. Rest assured that, as the Senate debates this legislation, I will remain committed to enacting substantive reforms that serve our nation’s interests and uphold the rule of law. I will certainly take your comments to heart as this process goes forward.
Thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
Orrin G. Hatch
United States Senator
~~~~~
I'd like to publicly thank Senator Hatch for his timely response and for his thoughtful views on our current immigration laws.
DFOTW (maybe the year...)
Recently, Vice President Dick Cheyney declared that his office and staff are subject to jurisdiction only by the judicial house of the US government. This is absolutely contrary to his office, which is subject to jurisdiction of all houses of every branch of government. Mr. Cheney is setting himself up, apparently, to become the next president, nay, dicator. Alarmist view? Possibly. But if you can show me any other reason for someone is his position to make such a declaration I'd be more than happy to listen to your arguments.
Gryyphyn, out.
~~~~~
June 21, 2007
Dear Mr. Crosthwait:
I appreciated reading your comments regarding our nation’s immigration system and the recent debate over comprehensive immigration reform. I welcome the opportunity to respond.
As you know, the Senate recently considered a comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 1348) intended to address the many problems that plague our immigration system. The bill was debated in the Senate for two weeks and, on June 7, a motion to end debate on the bill was defeated, preventing a final vote from taking place. I agree with the bill’s proponents that we need a comprehensive approach to fix our immigration problems. However, I voted against the motion to end debate because I couldn’t support the bill as it was written and I did not want to let its sponsors force it through the Senate. It is anticipated that we will again take up this issue in the near future.
When it comes to our immigration policy, the status quo is completely unacceptable. Foremost, we simply must do more to secure our borders and develop capable and workable enforcement practices. I believe an approach that couples increased border security and more efficient workplace enforcement will help to stem the tide of illegal immigrants coming to the United States. This is a particular concern in Utah, especially in Southern Utah, which has become a focal point for various networks specializing in the trafficking and smuggling of illegal drugs and immigrants. I am working to direct more Federal government resources to addressing these problems.
In addition, I believe we must find a fair and lawful way to deal with those that are already in our country illegally. However, I will not support any proposal that I believe amounts to blanket amnesty for all illegal immigrants as that would be unfair to the thousands of people who have waited in line to enter the country through the proper channels. Also, a limited guest worker program must be created for our American – and specifically Utah – businesses in need of foreign workers. Finally, for any immigration system to work, we must distribute visas and green cards in a more fair and efficient way.
The current Senate bill would address a number of these issues. For example, it would impose a series of border security triggers that would have to be met before any new immigration programs could be implemented. This is intended to assure that our borders will be secure before we allow any guest workers to enter the country. In addition, the bill would create a more efficient system for employers to verify the immigration status of their employees. The bill would also impose a merit system and a more extensive criminal background check for those who apply for entry into the United States.
That being said, I continue to have a number of difficulties with this legislation. I am hopeful that, as the amendment process moves forward, we can work to improve the provisions of the bill in order to ensure we enact sensible changes to our immigration system. Rest assured that, as the Senate debates this legislation, I will remain committed to enacting substantive reforms that serve our nation’s interests and uphold the rule of law. I will certainly take your comments to heart as this process goes forward.
Thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
Orrin G. Hatch
United States Senator
~~~~~
I'd like to publicly thank Senator Hatch for his timely response and for his thoughtful views on our current immigration laws.
DFOTW (maybe the year...)
Recently, Vice President Dick Cheyney declared that his office and staff are subject to jurisdiction only by the judicial house of the US government. This is absolutely contrary to his office, which is subject to jurisdiction of all houses of every branch of government. Mr. Cheney is setting himself up, apparently, to become the next president, nay, dicator. Alarmist view? Possibly. But if you can show me any other reason for someone is his position to make such a declaration I'd be more than happy to listen to your arguments.
Gryyphyn, out.
20070620
An Open Plea to United States Citizens and Patriots
I cannot honestly believe that the new CIRA bill is to be considered beneficial legislation for the United States by any organization or party in the United States. This is a terrible blow to those of us who call this nation ours. And it is ours. This new bill that that is supported by organizations such as NILC (National Immigration Law Center) and the ACLU is the most ridiculous example of poorly written law that I have seen in my entire life. And that fact that anyone considers it to be beneficial to the United States of America is absolutely ludicrous. I want my country, to which I contribute, to remain my country. If we continue the direction we are currently headed we will have to soon change our nations name to the Divided States of Mexico, Canada and America, a prospect which I don't think any true citizen would like to see happen.
This bill needs to be removed from consideration by all representatives and members of the Senate, the House of Representatives and Congress. Furthermore, any person who suggests legislation such as this and calls it beneficial, honest and constitutional needs to be tried and convicted of treason against the United States in federal court and thrown in a maximum security federal penitentiary for a good, long while for suggesting that we hand over our country for free to the rest of the world.
Here we are, the year 2007, and every honest American sees the problems with illegal immigration, lack of jobs and the problems presented by the amount of illegal immigrants on the health care, welfare and school funding monies available in the United States and wonders why we have these problems. Unconstitutional bills, such as the proposed CIRA legislation, violate America in unnameable ways and hamper the ability for lawful American citizens to receive the benefits guaranteed to them by the existing legislation. Rather than the assistance for health care going to the employed Americans that pay for it through taxes the money is given away to illegal immigrants who have never paid taxes in their lives and most likely have never worked in the United States, either legally or illegally.
I've spent enough time being nice. This must all stop immediately. I am very, very tired of paying for every illegal immigrant to get their 'free' health care. I'm tired of seeing myself and my friends have to jump through hoops, often on to a bed of spikes, just to get a job, and more often than not be denied because the employer is either cheap or afraid of things like Affirmative Action and the ACLU.
Throw every single illegal immigrant out of the United States and give me back my country. I do not want illegal immigrants here taking my money and taking advantage of me. I never did want them here an never did I abide them being here. If you want them so bad then you clothe, feed and house them on your own because I won't. If their country is so damned horrible then they can spend the time making it better like I have, like my parents have, and like every generation of my family, who immigrated here legally, (a concept I do not have a problem with) has done for the last 180+ years.
Call me a bigot if you want. Because I hereby declare that you and your compatriots are unpatriotic and treasonous if you and yours support such legislation. And if I had the power and means I would indict every single supporter for exactly that: treason.
Since I will most likely be misunderstood by sending this letter to the people that I have sent it to openly, please allow me to state one fact that must not be omitted and must be taken in to consideration: all of the subject matter contained in this letter is in reference to illegal immigrants. I have no problem with naturalized citizens, legal immigrants and those who apply for their work visa within 90 days of coming to the United States, with the following provisions: if they choose to bring their families to America their family must apply for their visa or full citizenship within the same 90 day period after arrival and they must all learn English within two years of entry. I do not ask that they write a doctoral thesis to illustrate their knowledge of the English language, simply that they be able to communicate with me in the language of my country, the same country they chose to immigrate to.
I implore you, as an American Citizen, as a taxpayer and on a moral and ethical level: if you support the bill, or legislation that is similar, please stop supporting this bill. If you oppose such legislation, or this bill in particular at least, you have my thanks. Please, have the bill rescinded. Burn it on the steps of Capital Hill in front of all America. Do the right thing.
*Copies of this letter or links to my blog, where it will also be posted in it's entirety, have been sent to the following recipients:
Senator Orrin Hatch (Utah)
Senator Rob Bennet (Utah)
Representative Rob Bishop (Utah)
Representative Chris Cannon (Utah)
Representative Jim Matheson (Utah)
The ACLU, Utah branch (aclu@acluutah.org)
AAAA (American Association for Affirmative Action) (ExecAdminAsst@affirmativeaction.org)
NILC (National Imigration Law Center) (info@nilc.org)
If you have received this letter and believe in it's spirit please forward it on to your constituents, like minded or not.
Chuck 'Gryyphyn' Crosthwait
American citizen, 9th generation+
This bill needs to be removed from consideration by all representatives and members of the Senate, the House of Representatives and Congress. Furthermore, any person who suggests legislation such as this and calls it beneficial, honest and constitutional needs to be tried and convicted of treason against the United States in federal court and thrown in a maximum security federal penitentiary for a good, long while for suggesting that we hand over our country for free to the rest of the world.
Here we are, the year 2007, and every honest American sees the problems with illegal immigration, lack of jobs and the problems presented by the amount of illegal immigrants on the health care, welfare and school funding monies available in the United States and wonders why we have these problems. Unconstitutional bills, such as the proposed CIRA legislation, violate America in unnameable ways and hamper the ability for lawful American citizens to receive the benefits guaranteed to them by the existing legislation. Rather than the assistance for health care going to the employed Americans that pay for it through taxes the money is given away to illegal immigrants who have never paid taxes in their lives and most likely have never worked in the United States, either legally or illegally.
I've spent enough time being nice. This must all stop immediately. I am very, very tired of paying for every illegal immigrant to get their 'free' health care. I'm tired of seeing myself and my friends have to jump through hoops, often on to a bed of spikes, just to get a job, and more often than not be denied because the employer is either cheap or afraid of things like Affirmative Action and the ACLU.
Throw every single illegal immigrant out of the United States and give me back my country. I do not want illegal immigrants here taking my money and taking advantage of me. I never did want them here an never did I abide them being here. If you want them so bad then you clothe, feed and house them on your own because I won't. If their country is so damned horrible then they can spend the time making it better like I have, like my parents have, and like every generation of my family, who immigrated here legally, (a concept I do not have a problem with) has done for the last 180+ years.
Call me a bigot if you want. Because I hereby declare that you and your compatriots are unpatriotic and treasonous if you and yours support such legislation. And if I had the power and means I would indict every single supporter for exactly that: treason.
Since I will most likely be misunderstood by sending this letter to the people that I have sent it to openly, please allow me to state one fact that must not be omitted and must be taken in to consideration: all of the subject matter contained in this letter is in reference to illegal immigrants. I have no problem with naturalized citizens, legal immigrants and those who apply for their work visa within 90 days of coming to the United States, with the following provisions: if they choose to bring their families to America their family must apply for their visa or full citizenship within the same 90 day period after arrival and they must all learn English within two years of entry. I do not ask that they write a doctoral thesis to illustrate their knowledge of the English language, simply that they be able to communicate with me in the language of my country, the same country they chose to immigrate to.
I implore you, as an American Citizen, as a taxpayer and on a moral and ethical level: if you support the bill, or legislation that is similar, please stop supporting this bill. If you oppose such legislation, or this bill in particular at least, you have my thanks. Please, have the bill rescinded. Burn it on the steps of Capital Hill in front of all America. Do the right thing.
*Copies of this letter or links to my blog, where it will also be posted in it's entirety, have been sent to the following recipients:
Senator Orrin Hatch (Utah)
Senator Rob Bennet (Utah)
Representative Rob Bishop (Utah)
Representative Chris Cannon (Utah)
Representative Jim Matheson (Utah)
The ACLU, Utah branch (aclu@acluutah.org)
AAAA (American Association for Affirmative Action) (ExecAdminAsst@affirmativeaction.org)
NILC (National Imigration Law Center) (info@nilc.org)
If you have received this letter and believe in it's spirit please forward it on to your constituents, like minded or not.
Chuck 'Gryyphyn' Crosthwait
American citizen, 9th generation+
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