>Do you believe rehabilitation is impossible or do you want revenge?

I don't believe that someone who commits mass murder can be rehabilitated, no. It isn't about revenge; it's about public safety.

Someone once pointed out that hoping a rapist gets raped in prison isn't a victory for his victim(s), because it somehow gives him what he had coming to him, but it's actually a victory for rape and violence. I wish I could remember who said that, because they are right. The score doesn't go Rapist: 1 World: 1. It goes Rape: 2.

What this man did is unspeakable, and he absolutely deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. If he needs to be kept away from other prisoners as a safety issue, there are ways to do that without keeping him in solitary confinement, which has been shown conclusively to be profoundly cruel and harmful.

Putting him in solitary confinement, as a punitive measure, is not a victory for the good people in the world. It's a victory for inhumane treatment of human beings. This ruling is, in my opinion, very good and very strong for human rights, *precisely* because it was brought by such a despicable and horrible person. It affirms that all of us have basic human rights, even the absolute worst of us on this planet.

This is precisely why I lost all interest in Oculus the instant I heard that it had been acquired by Facebook.

Well, I moved out of country, and converted my old 4S into a Go-Phone for when I was back in the States. I just called and while the customer service routed initially to the pre-paid side, I was transferred over to the contract side and 15 minutes later, as the person had to keep referring to procedure and bring up screens, I was given a case number and told that the code should be updated and I can unlock by April 16. Currently things are taking 24-48 hours, but hey, I am out of the country and not in a hurry.

All in all, a very positive experience. This time.

I would be in group 3. Where is the mention of QLink?

This is just one proposal.

Currently up for vote, to be submitted to the house:
Eliminate Unnecessary Congressional Printing -- Potential savings of $35 million + over ten years
Refocus National Archives Activities On Preserving Federal Records -- Potential Savings of $10 million next year and $100 million over ten years
Terminate Broadcasting Facility Grant Programs that Have Completed their Mission -- Potential Savings of $25 million in the first year, $250 million over ten years

If these aren't to your liking, then you can go and submit your own suggestion here:
http://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut/YourIdea.htm

And again for those that can't RTFA or even visit the site, here are the previous ideas that were presented to the House to be cut:
Week One: Cut the New Non-Reformed Welfare Program ($25 Billion Savings)
Week Two: Eliminate Federal Employee Pay Raise ($30 Billion Savings)
Week Three: Reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ($30 Billion Savings)
Week Four: Sell Excess Federal Property ($15 Billion Savings)
Week Five: Prohibit Hiring New IRS Agents to Enforce Health Care Law ($15 Billion Savings)
Week Six: Taxpayer Subsidized Union Activities ($1.2 Billion Savings)
Week Seven: Prohibit Stimulus Funding for Promotional Signage (Tens of Millions)
Week Eight: Prohibit Sleeper Car Subsidies on Amtrak ($1.2 Billion Savings)
Week Nine: Bipartisan Proposal to Terminate AEITC ($1.1 Billion Savings)
Week Ten: Require Collection of Unpaid Taxes From Federal Employees ($1 Billion Savings)
Week Eleven: Reduce Government Employment to 2008 Levels ($35 Billion Savings)
Week Twelve: Terminate the TARP Program Prohibiting Any Additional Bailouts
Week Thirteen: Terminate Taxpayer Funding of National Public Radio
Week Fourteen: Eliminate Unnecessary Congressional Printing

This is one of the first weeks where I did not see ideas that would cut billions out of the federal budget.

Interestingly, or rather, not surprisingly, the votes to make these cuts were nearly down party lines. I am not going to say that Republicans are more or less fiscally responsible, but rather it seems to me that no matter which party brings in the good idea, the other votes against it, almost in spite because the didn't think of it first.

There are always too many Democratic congressmen, too many Republican congressmen, and never enough U.S. congressmen. ~Author Unknown

This is good advice, and gives me an opportunity to speak to the community at large: some of us who go to cons and are in a position to shake tons of hands politely decline. It's not because we're being dicks, it's because we know it's a good way to substantially decrease our chances of catching and spreading any germs.

I played the PAX Pandemic game, where the Enforcers handed out stickers to attendees that read [Carrier] [Infected] or [Immune] (There was also a [Patient Zero].

I got the [Immune] sticker, and by the time I got home on Monday, it was clear that I had the flu. I've had a fever between 100 and 104 all week that finally broke last night, but I'm going to the doctor today because I think whatever I had settled into my lungs. I'll tell him about the H1N1 outbreak and get tested if he wants to run the test, but at this point I think it's safe to assume that I was [Immune] to the Pig Plague, but definitely [Infected] with the damn PAX pox.

Even though it's been a week of misery, it was entirely worth it, and I don't regret going to PAX for a single second.

This is why my motto (and fundamental rule for life) is Don't be a dick: it's simple to understand, and reasonable people can agree on what it means.