To translate: Corporate profits are more important than individual privacy. How much corporate profits are lost to simple theft? Yet we don't see searches of bags. How much corporate profits are lost to greedy Executives? Yet we don't see any reeling in of high pay or excessive stock options. How much corporate time and productivity is lost due to drug testing? Probably a little less than if you didn't have it but still the company has to pay for these tests so either way it may work out the same. Except here, you the individual lose.

Testing can not distinguish between on- and off- work drug usage. If you toke on Sunday the test will be positive on Monday even though you'll be fine that day. It can't distinguish between second-hand marijuana smoke versus first-hand. Tests may have problems with prescription drugs. In short, you may end up explaining to a corporate doctor why you failed a test and in doing so reveal more details of your private life than a company needs to know.

Testing is implied morality, that you shouldn't do drugs. Fine. Let's add alcohol to the list of illegal drugs. Sure, alcohol is legal but it's far more likely to be imbibed in corporate settings or duringlunch, far more likely to be the cause of (car) accidents. If safety is truly a concern let's make alcohol illegal.

OK, you don't mind testing. You think it helps safety matters. How would you feel if when you went to drive your car you haad to take a breathalyzer test? The car wouldn't start without passing the test. Don't laugh, it's been done. From that, it's a short step to design it where the car wouldn't run if you failed a general drug test. Picture that - peeing into your car - but I was imagining more of submitting a hair or saliva sample. And then picturing that as you drive you'd be attached to the car by a tube in your mouth and the car would continually monitor your drug state.

Benny Hill DVD
I loved watching the Benny Hill show and now his works are being re-released on DVD, complete and unadulterated. Season 1 is out but 3 DVDs for $35 on sale?!? $50 full retail?!? (insert Benny Hill look of befuddlement here) No! My rule of thumb is $8 or less per actual content DVD, meaning if a movie comes out on 2 DVDs and one of them is filled with extras, I'll pay no more than $8. Extras are just that and the movie powers that be shouldn't expect me - the consumer - to pay for them. Heck, I picked up Xena Season 3 for $40 bucks with 8 DVDs plus an extra.

But this rant is nothing new. Music CDs are overpriced. DVDs are overpriced. And wait until the new high-density DVDs comes out with 5 times the storage. Hopefully you'll pay a little more to get a lot more but I expect you'll get even more filler.

Abu Ghraib
New Pentagon report on Abu Ghraib seems to imply ol' Donald Rumsfeld was supportive of the antics or at least didn't disapprove. Will he take personal responsibility for his actions? Don't count on it. None of the Bushits take responsibility for negative events.

Having It Both Ways
The Swifties launch a smear campaign against Kerry. Bush does nothing, says nothing and reaps the publicity. When complaints against the tactics come out then Bush comments against all smear ads. Finally, when enough anti-Swifties sentiment is built and Kerry has fully committed to disproving the Swifties does Bush denounce the Swifties and appear as an upstanding citizen committed to runnign a clean campaign. Puke!

But it points out that the Democrats cannot play unfairly as well as the Republicans. When it comes to dirty politics the Republicans are unchallenged. Here I am wasting yet more blogging space and mental effort defending Kerry and denouncing Bush on the topic of Kerry's war record?!? Talk about leading the popular bull by the nose. We should be griping about Bush's screwing of the economy, screwing of the environment, screwing of the military, screwing of the American people but - no! - it's about Kerry's purple hearts.

I have a great idea. Let's have a no-holds barred, bare knuckle fistfight between Bush and Kerry for the Presidency of the United States. That will tell us who's fit and worthy. Seriously. The event can be televised live. It'll bring in income. It'll show the world that our candidates are tough SOBs and not to be trifled with. Heck, the winner can go up against that North Korean dude - yeah!

Starting odds: Kerry 3:2 over Bush. Kerry has his military experience tempered by his war wounds. Bush has a more youthful vigor and sports ability tempered by his lack of military experience (he may not know how to fight dirty).

Nader, you'll note, would get his ass kicked easily by either candidate.

Bush's Daughters
Barbara and Jenna are campaigning for Bush to entice the youth vote. Their platform - vote for Bush "because he's a really nice guy." That's it - that's the reason I was looking for to vote for Bush. he's a nice guy. Wow! He'll have to be a great president because - dammit - he's nice!

How nice to see the apples don't fall far from the tree, that the Bush daughters are as intellectually "deep" as their Pop. Yep, the youth will roll out the vote for that one because we all know the youth are dumb and vacuous. Of course, if Bush continues with his (lack of) Education policies our youth truly will be that dumb and vacuous. But everything that Bush does is OK because his daughters have said that he's a nice guy.