Saturday, March 29, 2008

Hunting wolves as a means of defiance

Here’s the official (media) story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23856723. But there’s more to it than meets the eye…

The crux of the problem here has less, if anything, to do with so-called “problem wolves” or delisting the grey wolf as an endanger/threatened species than with the fact that the federal government defied the wishes of ranchers in the 80s by re-introducing wolves against their wishes. There’s a long history here that is seldom mentioned. It’s a battle that’s been going on for quite some time, and like most things, what we see in the media is pure window dressing.

Simply put: If the federal government mandated that all ranchers provide land on which their mothers could live, ranchers would work day and night to establish a way to block it, even to the point of declaring open season on their own mothers. Those who live in the West know exactly what I’m talking about…

A classic example of irrationality at its best/worst.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 4,000

“The situation in Iraq has turned around. The surge has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror. Faster and larger withdrawals could unravel recent progress, and having come so far and achieved so much, we are not going to let this happen.”

George Bush (March 19th 2008)

“Think about what would have happened if Abraham Lincoln had paid attention to polls, if they had had polls during the Civil War. He never would have succeeded if he hadn’t had a clear objective, a vision for where he wanted to go, and he was willing to withstand the slings and arrows of the political wars in order to get there.”

Dick Cheney (March 19th 2008)

Friday, March 14, 2008

Got Religion?

I’m guessing that these sorts of sermons were regular fare for Obama’s church. He just was never there to hear them.

Anyone familiar with this style of preaching within African American congregations knows that it’s not all that unusual, and actually relatively mild. You can hear far more disturbing homilies at many White Evangelical/Fundamentalist churches on almost any given Sunday.

The point of this story is that Barak Obama’s religious commitments have been nominal at best, which this video ironically demonstrates quite well. If he was a regular at this church he would have known that this kind of religious rhetoric was probably quite routine.

The religious Obama is for the most part a political creation. It’s just too bad that in this day and age politicians must continue to pay homage to religion and create a religious identity to be viable candidates for almost any office. Unfortunately, this is one Albatross that Obama will find difficult to cut loose.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Democrats imploding

With Spitzer’s infidelity and the Obama crew crying wolf once again, it’s not looking good for democrats. The reason has nothing to do with democratic infighting or scandal in-and-of-themselves. The reason has everything to do with the Republican’s use of these events. The race issue (currently up front with Ferraro’s comments) will be used to foment fears among baby boomers by turning a fake issue, i.e., the Clinton campaign is racist, into another fake issue but with real consequences, i.e., democrats are so racially charged and beholden to political correctness that Obama in the Whitehouse will strip status quo whites of their social and economic advantage.

It’s a simple matter of demographics folks! The baby boomers are going to decide this election as they have in virtually every other election since Reagan. Talk of racism, regardless of its context real or otherwise, will sour White Americans to the point of pushing them to McCain. YES, America is still racist!; you’ve made the obvious point, good for you!; do you really think pummeling it over “our” heads is going to help Obama!?

McCain provides the perfect alibi for baby boomers who are considering the possibility of voting for a black man or a white woman and need an excuse not to. McCain is the easy out for these people; a candidate behind which they can hide without appearing fearful of a black man or a white woman in the White House. We finally have a very real chance of electing a non-white-male as our President and some people are willing to give that up by alienating the very constituency needed for that reality to come true? I’m getting this sick feeling that we’re dealing with the same folks who voted for Nadar in the 2000 election.

Screw principles for god’s sake and start looking at this strategically. If you want a democratic president, whether that be Obama or Clinton, it’s time you start thinking with your head and not your ideological heart. We have a very good chance of electing our first black or woman President, and if race or gender becomes a prominent issue in this next election (the fear-mongering Republicans will certainly do their best to make it so), it will alienate a large segment of the voting public (read baby boomers), giving them an excuse to vote for McCain.

The stupidity of Americans knows no bounds…

Sunday, February 17, 2008

So, how are those gun laws working out for ya?

With all the speculation about how the NIU shootings could have happened, the only relevant details are the following from the Associated Press (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23200851):

On Feb. 9, Kazmierczak walked into a Champaign gun store and picked up two guns — a Remington shotgun and a Glock 9mm handgun. He bought the two other handguns at the same shop — a Hi-Point .380 on Dec. 30 and a Sig Sauer on Aug. 6.

All four guns were bought legally from a federally licensed firearms dealer, said Thomas Ahern, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. At least one criminal background check was performed — Kazmierczak had no criminal record.

Kazmierczak had a state police-issued FOID, a firearms owners identification card, which is required in Illinois to own a gun, authorities said. Such cards are rarely issued to those with recent mental health problems.

This small detail, however, isn’t mentioned in full until page two of the article, and only after the more thorough mentioning of the gunman’s mental health issues, tattoos, and rocky relationship with his girlfriend. What would you pick as the most crucial feature of the SHOOTING? What was the necessary element without which this SHOOTING would never have taken place?

It’s another example of what I call the George Bush effect. That is, something that would otherwise have rational people up in arms (no pun intended), outraged, and demanding change, quickly disappears into the background because of its commonality. Just as the Bush administration’s serial scandals have desensitized the American people to their frequency, we’ve become desensitized to these types of shootings.

In a sort of twisted way, the more these types of events happen the more organizations like the NRA are secure in holding this country hostage behind the prevalence of convenience-store gun buying.

Our tolerances increase with the frequency of such events. We tend to tune out the relevant details due to the background noise. We want to profile the individual or individuals involved while ignoring the conditions that provided the impetus for the events. And finally, the gun becomes the taken for granted, invisible part of the drama. It’s the unremarkable character that goes unnoticed.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

$54 million lawsuit against Best Buy

There’s a story on MSNBC about the hassle a woman named Raelyn Campbell went through when Best Buy lost her laptop computer. I hope she wins every penny of her lawsuit - not likely unfortunately. Her experience doesn’t surprise me. Positive feedback about Best Buy is hard to find.

The article mentions that after months of getting the runaround and repeatedly being lied to, Campbell had friends and family write to the store manager indicating they wouldn’t shop there until the matter was resolved. Here’s how the store manager responded in an email:

“For every customer that has had an unpleasant experience I can show you hundreds who have had a great experience. I have been in retail for a long time and the one conclusion I have come to is that not every customer can be satisfied,...” “Does my store have opportunities? Absolutely! What I can say is that we strive to deliver the experience that every customer deserves to receive.”

I’m thinking about writing to Best Buy to express my support for Raelyn Campbell and mentioning that I’ll never shop there again. I wonder if that manager still has his job?

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Jargon Gibberish of the Day

“The effort to include “Other” cultures as variegated amplifications of a global phallogocentrism constitutes an appropriative act that risks a repetition of the self-aggrandizing gesture of phallogocentrism, colonizing under the sign of the same those differences that might otherwise call that totalizing concept into question.”

Page 18 in Gender Trouble by Judith Butler

Translation: It’s not a good idea to generalize beyond a particular set of cultural circumstances because doing so only reinforces the masculine way of looking at the world by duplicating it, which is inherently oppressive due to the fact that it tries to lump certain things together and deny the differences between them.

Of course, my translation of Butler’s coded message itself demonstrates exactly what she’s arguing against. My apparent need to expose, let alone understand, this jargon signifies what she calls a “self-aggrandizing gesture of phallogocentrism” or in laymen’s terms - mental masturbation. Hence, the obsessive effort at being obscure - no less an act of mental masturbation - functions as a tool of protest. It’s clever, but ultimately self-defeating.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

The best news yet in this nation’s political history

James Dobson is boycotting the Presidential election!

“I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are … I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience,” he [Dobson] said in a statement on Tuesday.

“I believe this general election will offer the worst choices for president in my lifetime. I certainly can’t vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama based on their virulently anti-family policy positions. If these are the nominees in November, I simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life,” he said.

Praise God! Get the full story HERE

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The news business/the business of news

So there’s a story in the NY Times alleging that Bill Clinton inappropriately used his influence to cut some sort of mining deal between Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra and Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan A. Nazarbayev. Here’s a representative excerpt:

“Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.”

“Upon landing on the first stop of a three-country philanthropic tour, the two men were whisked off to share a sumptuous midnight banquet with Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, whose 19-year stranglehold on the country has all but quashed political dissent.”

Come on… This is just pathetic. Gee-wiz, now I wonder why the NY Times decided to go with this story today? Hmmm, Super Tuesday perhaps? Because it wouldn’t have the same play and sensationalism if it were printed a week or two weeks ago or after Super Tuesday? Indeed, today gives the story a good 4 full days to percolate and gather steam before Tuesday.

It doesn’t matter that the NY Times endorsed Hillary Clinton. The news business is just that, a business first and last. This sort of stuff sells. Real journalism apparently finds itself somewhere farther down the list, at the bottom. They also should have pointed out that the “sumptuous midnight banquet” included puppy kabobs, and afterwards Bill Clinton was “whisked off to share” in a game of name that “quashed political dissenter.”

Is it news? Sure it’s news. But for the article’s authors to spin their story in such a self-righteous tone and with such conspicuous timing is disingenuous to say the least. This type of reporting places itself firmly within the self-serving, sensationalist journalism of an organization like Fox News.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Vista sucks, chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla, and look at me I’m having a temper tantrum

Those of you who visit tech sites on a regular basis, especially those that feature discussions on Vista in particular, will have undoubtedly noticed the rabid chorus of Vistahaters. “Noticed” is a euphemism of course. It’s sort of like having a quiet, pleasant conversation with someone and then suddenly being interrupted with two or three people yelling at you through a blow horn.

Yes, we hear all you Vistahaters loud and clear. Your screaming and stomping of feet nonstop in almost every forum on the planet is hard to miss. But would you do the rest of us a small favor...? SHUT THE F*&% UP ALREADY!

I don’t care about your opinion of Vista and neither do the rest of us. Please shut up and go away. Your yelling and screaming is getting very old. We’re so sorry that Vista hasn’t met your expectations. Life sucks sometimes, but please vent your frustrations somewhere else to someone who cares - I don’t and never will.

Take a deep breath, stop your habitual typing of “VISTA SUCKS”, uncross your eyes, and for your own sake stop throwing a temper tantrum like a 3-year-old child. Just go back to your wonderful XP or MAC or Linux or Commodore 64 and simply enjoy life and leave the rest of us alone.

Thanks!

Monday, December 17, 2007

A glimpse into Medievalism

Again, a woman is spared from Islamic “justice.” This time it was Saudi king Abdullah who pardoned a female rape victim. You can get the full story here - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22293189/

But here’s what the Saudi “Justice Minister” said:

“The king always looks into alleviating the suffering of the citizens when he becomes sure that these verdicts will leave psychological effects on the convicted people, though he is convinced and sure that the verdicts were fair.”

What a guy! Not to worry, however, I’m sure “justice” will be served when her father or brothers stone her to death… you know, to restore the family’s honor… because she was raped…

Where’s a Muhammad Teddy Bear when you need one?  Oh wait, you can get one here - Muhammad Teddy Bear

Friday, November 30, 2007

Name your teddy bear Muhammad this holiday season

A Sudanese judge has shown mercy on a British teacher who was convicted of religious hatred. Instead of the initial sentence of 40 lashes for insulting Islam, she now will only spend 15 days in jail. Thank Allah for this remarkable gesture of grace and compassion by this judge.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. This teacher’s “horrendous crime” was allowing her students to give a teddy bear the name of Muhammad… Let it sink in for a moment. No, you didn’t misread it, but it actually gets worse.

On top of this insanity (I mean that literally), a thousand or so Sudanese Muslims have taken to the streets in protest calling for this woman’s execution… That’s right, executing someone for allowing a classroom of children to name a teddy bear ‘Muhammad’ is the religious response from these Muslims. I know what you’re thinking, but the few-bad-apples-defense is beginning to wear thin.

Please, someone indulge me and defend this mass insanity in the name of religious freedom, tolerance, cultural sensitivity, misunderstanding, in the name of anything. I would really like to “understand” how anyone could defend a religious belief system that produces followers who can even contemplate executing someone for allowing children to name a stuffed toy after their prophet. Seriously, enlighten me. I’m all ears. Right, I didn’t think so.

This goes way beyond the absurd. It’s insanity to the very core. If you believe such actions (even the fifteen days in jail) are justified and have some merit, you are insane and in need of professional help - period. No metaphors here folks. This is perhaps the clearest evidence to date demonstrating Dawkins’s contention that religion is a form of mental illness.

So, here’s what I propose as a form of counter protest. Someone needs to start producing a line of teddy bears and call them Muhammad bears.

“Oh no, that’s just religious bigotry! We can’t offend the religious sensibilities of another culture!! How dare we judge the beliefs of an entire people, or segment thereof!!! Oh the arrogance of you Westerners; you evil atheists!!!!

Isn’t it curious that those who make such statements never see the bigotry, offense, arrogance, and evil of actions like the above?

My sense of rational, psychologically-stable thinking has just been violated to its core, and rather than suggest the execution of a person or persons as a consequence, I’m simply suggesting we produce fuzzy, little, cute, toy teddy bears and name them all Muhammad. We could also produce a Jesus line of teddy bears, and a Yahweh line, and a Zeus line, and a Thor line, etc. It’s the multicultural thing to do, no?

I want my Muhammad Teddy Bear.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Save humanity and the earth - punch an oil executive in the face… really hard

Think about it for a moment. With the recent and not so recent oil spills playing havoc on the environment among other environmental disasters like global warming, with oil executives sucking up millions upon millions (billions?) of dollars for themselves not to mention the wealth of Saudi royalty, with gas prices beginning to go through the roof again, and with decades of political-global turmoil due to oil, is there another commodity on this planet that has caused so much destruction to animal, plant and human life?

And the worst part of it all is we’re literally paying the oil industry to slowly kill us and the rest of the planet…

Monday, October 08, 2007

The Wild, Wild West in Wisconsin… coming to your town soon?

Let’s see, how will the NRA defend this shooting? I don’t think the law-abiding citizen shtick will work here - the shooter was the law.

Of course, if those teenagers each had their own handguns, they could have defended themselves by shooting back at the sheriff’s deputy. You know, just like you see in the Westerns were “law-abiding” is never too clear and thus your handy Colt .45 single action revolver is the best way to mediate such ambiguities.

I mean the logic here is so rock solid and tight, no? How could anyone not see the sensibility of everyone owning a handgun, having it with them at every moment (e.g., while eating pizza and watching videos with friends), being vigilant at all times against the possibility that anyone could be aiming their Glock at you at any moment, and then being quick enough on the draw that a “Marshal Matt Dillon gone bad” wouldn’t have a chance of pulling off a round.

The NRA’s new slogan:

Guns don’t kill people, the guy down the street, who you knew in high School, that everyone thought was stable, nice and helpful, and who became a sheriff’s deputy sworn to protect and serve the community, kills people… Yeah, you better buy that handgun soon!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

“Prankster” gets his just deserts for asking Sen. Kerry too many questions

Full story - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20835952/

I guess now it’s the police who decide what constitutes appropriate speech, namely, what you can say and how long you can say it. Traditionally (read, Constitutionally), we’ve left that determination up to the courts to decide. Perhaps we’ve grown weary of such a lengthy judicial process and would rather simplify things by letting the police act as judge and jury - you know, kinda like in that comic book series Judge Dread.

Well, apparently a student’s extra 30 seconds of questions to Senator John Kerry went over the line and necessitated dragging the student away from the microphone and tasering him with 50,000 volts.

But then I guess it’s not clear that dragging a student away from a microphone and tasering him with 50,000 volts for spending an extra 30 seconds asking questions is excessive. Such ambiguities seem to be in the minds of many people regarding this incident - it’s a toughy all right. Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show introduced the video with the following question:

“Did he have it coming or did the officers simply go too far?”

And then of course there’s Senator Kerry’s principled and courageous response about the incident afterwards:

“Whatever happened, the police had a reason, had made their decision that there was something they needed to do. Then it’s a law enforcement issue, not mine.”

And finally, the media portrayal of this student as a prankster who likes to draw attention to himself by videotaping his pranks. For example:

“Meyer, who has his own website, seems to enjoy taking on the establishment. Rubbing people to get a reaction. In one irreverent video he posted, a placard intends to spoil the ending of the Harry Potter series. Those who hadn’t read the book thought it was true. Even the police were not amused. Maybe Andrew Meyer thought the John Kerry antics would be a stunt. The police treated it as anything but. For Today, Kerri Sanders, NBC News, Miami.”

Well done Mr. Sanders! Your condescending voice really added that needed nuance to your devastating exposé of this menace to society, Andrew Meyer. I mean for god’s sake, attempting to reveal an ending of a popular book in public is pretty sinister. And I just cannot fathom the thought of all those dear, dear, innocent children who thought Meyer’s placard “was true”!!! Oh yes, Andrew Meyer finally went too far this time with his “antics” (an extra 30 seconds of questions to Sen. Kerry) and thank god the police were there to finally give this menace his just deserts.

Hey, just as Sen. Kerry pointed out, when the police decide that action needs to be taken - for a reason - it’s simply up to them and not an issue that concerns Senator Kerry. Come on now, we all know a U.S. Senator has nothing to say about such matters…. Freedom of speech is police business.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

A petty rant - nothing new…

I began mountain biking a couple of years ago, and during this time I’ve become an enthusiast of sorts. I try to learn as much as I can about the sport and enjoy reading about bikes and mountain biking. Most of what I’ve learned came from friends, my brother, and the internet. It’s the latter source that has me kevetching.

Now one wouldn’t necessarily expect mountain bikers to be the brightest segment of society or even care all that much about mountain-biker intellects. I certainly didn’t and up until now I really hadn’t thought much about it one way or another. But, I guess it’s one of those annoyances that slowly creeps up on you and finally takes its toll.

Yes, the following is petty and superfluous, which is no surprise to those who know me.

So here’s what I’m referring to – Mountain Bikers are without a doubt the worst writers that I’ve ever encountered. They couldn’t spell if their life depended on it, their grammar is horrible at best, they use words incorrectly on a regular basis, and carrying a logical thought from beginning to end is almost an impossible task for many of them. Thankfully, none of this applies to most of my friends or my brother. If I want a coherent answer to one of my many biking questions, I know I can count on my brother for precisely that.

Of course I’m exaggerating a bit here, but the consistency is quite remarkable nonetheless. What put me over the edge was a guide on rim brakes that I recently read on eBay. These sorts of things usually don’t bother me, but if you’re going to take the time to write something informative and display it for all to see, couldn’t you at least take a little time to proof read it first, preferably aloud so you can hear how it sounds and thus how it will read? Here are a few examples:

“rim brakes… will slowly disappear as the newer generations grasp on to the more valid technology.”

“On the other hand, there are many quite a few other brands of rim brakes that will stop a bicycle as well.”

“while it is true these may squeal where the old pair did not, it would almost definitely be caused because they were not properly installed...”

“Look at it this way, just recently have helmets been accepted by most bicyclists, where as in other sports, many with a lesser chance of head injury, the helmet has made a requirement long ago.”

I think you get the picture. Unfortunately, this is probably one of the “better written” pieces that I’ve read. In any event, the above prose is the usual fare among mountain biking enthusiasts who dare to express themselves.

Again, I’m exaggerating a bit and obviously not everyone fits the above profile, but for some people, pointing out the obvious seems to be necessary. Ok, it’s time for my meds…

Friday, August 31, 2007

The time to evict the elephant in the living room is way overdue

It’s clear that the only way for the American people to see our troops return home from Iraq is to impeach Bush and Cheney. Criticizing Democrats for not doing enough on this front can only be tied to their unwillingness to proceed with impeachment hearings and nothing else. Issues involving troop funding, benchmarks, reports (independent or otherwise), resolutions, etc., are all meaningless because they accomplish nothing toward ending this war. Anything short of impeachment is a colossal waste of time.

So I’m at a loss as to why the Democrats are sticking to the tactic of trying to place Bush in a position where he must admit failure and consequently bring the troops home. It’s pure folly. It presupposes the possibility that Bush will voluntarily reverse course and that won’t happen. Facts mean nothing to Bush, the will of the American people means nothing to Bush, the legal system means nothing to Bush, and the political process means nothing to Bush. There’s no argument or set of facts, however evident or convincing, that will change Bush’s mind.

This war, ironically, is the only thing over which Bush has any real power. Absolutely nothing, except impeachment or the 2008 presidential elections, can block his decision to continue this war and he’s not giving that up even if it means destroying himself, his Party, the military, human lives…

We’re obviously not dealing with rationality here. This is the proverbial elephant in the living room and no politician, Democrat or Republican, is willing to admit its presence. The fear of taking a “radical” position or appearing to be “extreme” is what feeds this administration’s irrationality. They’ve defined political sensibilities in this country to such an absurdity that rational action, argument, and appealing to facts have become “radical” and “extreme.”

The cynical reality in all of this, and one which now places direct culpability on the Democrats, is that George W. Bush serves as a huge political asset to the Democratic Party and removing that “cash cow” would only serve to benefit Republicans. Ah yes, let’s keep our priorities straight. Elections are coming up and political careers are at stake. We need to keep our focus on what really matters - elections and re-elections!   

Friday, August 10, 2007

Finally, a firewall program that actually works with Vista!

I’ve been using a new firewall program called Vista Firewall Control by Sphinx Software and I’m very impressed. For all you Vista users, you know the frustration of trying to find a third party firewall that actually works and does so without slowing your system down to a crawl. Vista Firewall Control was the only firewall program that worked with my system and without affecting performance. There’s a good reason for that.

Vista Firewall Control uses Vista’s own resident (built-in) firewall and thus leaves a very small footprint. So what’s the big deal? Why not just use Vista’s firewall? What’s the advantage to using Vista Firewall Control over Vista’s firewall? The problem with Vista’s firewall is that the default configuration only filters inbound traffic and not outbound traffic. Configured as such, the protection is really no different than what XP offers. However, unlike XP it is possible to configure Vista’s firewall to filter outbound traffic, that is, if you know what you’re doing and have the time to re-configure the settings. I’ve tried and it’s not an easy task.

That’s where Vista Firewall Control comes in. It saves you the time and trouble of trying to configure Vista’s firewall yourself and it works flawlessly. Here’s the description by Sphinx Software:

Vista Firewall Control

Protects your applications from undesirable network incoming and outgoing activity, controls applications internet access. Allows you to control personal information leakage via controlling application network traffic.

Manages and synchronizes port forwarding provided by external network connection (firewall/router) box with applications requirements and activity.

Features

.Designed for Windows Vista
.Zone based network permissions management
.Integration with Window Explorer for direct access permission management
.Integration with Windows Security Center
.Instant notifications of blocked activity
.Free versions available
.Special editions for portable devices (USB flash/HDD drives, iPod etc)
.Special editions for U3 smart devices
.Protection from incoming and outgoing threats
.External network connection (firewall/router) box support
.Automatic network connection box detection/management
.External/worldwide access to selected local application
.Port Forwarding management
.Automatic Port Forwarding-to-applications synchronization
.Simplicity of operation
.Per-application security settings
.Group zone and application network access permission management

For me the best feature of Vista Firewall Control, other than providing both inbound and outbound protection, is its small footprint, i.e., it doesn’t use tons of resources and slow your system down. It works like a good firewall should and I’m happy I found it. I recommend giving it a try. You can download a free trial version here: http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/order.html

And let me know what you think…

Thursday, July 12, 2007

The King has spoken!

King George on the Valerie Plame, CIA leak:

“I’m aware of the fact that perhaps somebody in the administration did disclose the name of that person [CIA operative Valerie Plame]...” “I’ve often thought about what would have happened if that person [Rove? Cheney? George W. Bush?] had come forth and said, ‘I did it.’ Would we have had this endless hours of investigation and a lot of money being spent on this matter? But, so, it’s been a tough issue for a lot of people in the White House. It’s run its course and now we’re going to move on.”

Gee whiz your Royal Highness, it’s swell of you to consider not spending the tax payer’s money on “this matter...” And certainly if you’re ready to “move on,” then everyone else should be ready as well. If fact, why don’t you just invoke your executive privileges and decree that this day forward “this matter” has “run its course” and should no longer be spoken of. It’s your divine right as King.

Monday, July 09, 2007

It’s time to punish Sprint Nextel and for good reason

Of all the things to push me back into the blogosphere, this one story - Sprint to 1,000 customers: You’re fired - just doesn’t seem fitting. In any event, Sprint Nextel’s little stunt has me steaming mad. Here’s the scoop if you haven’t already heard.

Sprint Nextel is dropping 1000 of its customers because they’ve complained too much. And to top it off, this news comes on the heels of Sprint Nextel’s distinction of ranking at the absolute bottom of MSN Money’s customer service rankings. Now this is certainly a little odd, especially given the response by a company spokeswoman to the news that Sprint Nextel has the worst customer service in the industry:

“...there are definitely areas within customer service where we need to improve.” “...our CEO and others all have said we’re committed to doing that.”

Hmmmm, I suppose that’s one way to improve customer service rankings, i.e., by getting rid of those who would have reason to give such low rankings - corporate totalitarianism at its worse…

But then there are those who would say, “Good for you Sprint Nextel! We don’t like people who complain all that much either, and they need to be taught a lesson...” Well, it’s not that simple, even for such simple-minded conformists.

Here’s the problem. Like any industry, the players watch what the other players are doing and, in particular, what they’re able to get away with without suffering losses. If company X is successful at downsizing (or outsourcing) component A, Then company Y will follow suit and downsize (or outsource) their component A. Once the risk has been taken by another player and the gamble pays off, the risk of taking the same action by the other players has diminished considerably. On the other hand, if that player’s gamble doesn’t pay off and they lose considerably by taking the risk, the others players will be less likely to take that same action because the risk already has been demonstrated to be high.

So what does this have to do with Sprint Nextel and their unwavering commitment to having the worst customer service?

If Sprint Nextel gets away with not only having the worse customer service in their industry but also dropping customers who complain, you can bet that the other companies will follow in some fashion. If Sprint Nextel can demonstrate to their fellow industry players that they can continue to make a profit and be successful while offering zero customer service, including punishing customers who complain too much, then Verizon, AT@T, T-Mobile, et al will all start doing the same and downsize their customer service to Sprint Nextel levels. This is one area where the slippery slope applies and with a vengeance.

I’m not a Sprint Nextel customer, so there’s not much I can do directly other than COMPLAIN ABOUT IT in the blogosphere. But, if I were a Sprint Nextel customer, I would take the initiative immediately and drop THEM as soon as possible. The only reason companies get away with such bad behavior is because we allow them to do so. You don’t need to be a Sprint Nextel customer to be proactive and take action…