Category: Politics

DNA: Science, Subversion & The Future

Posted by Rich Harris – February 5, 2010

Opinions & Conversation

Recently I was privy to an interesting conversation on my Facebook page where I had posted an article on CNN: “The government has your baby’s DNA“, written by Elizabeth Cohen. The overall premise of this article is the debate on whether or not it’s safe and ethical to store information about a person’s DNA, or not.

At first glance after reading the article, I wondered to myself what really is the issue “problem” with this concept? So at the risk of sounding clueless, I posted the status/comment, “…not sure what the big deal is here” and I was genuine when I posted it. I’m glad I did as it brought in some really great comments.

If you push conspiracy theories aside, and fundamentalist religious practices that may be opposed to it as well, what is the real harm in retaining that data? Here are a couple posts with varying and opposing views from that conversation on Facebook:

“…so from a law sort of standpoint you could be falsely accused of a crime, your DNA coming close to matching that of the assailant. In this day and age of CSI, Bones, NCIS, etc. people think they know what they need to know about DNA. You’d pretty much be hosed. Even if you were eventually found innocent your life would pretty much be a shadow of it’s former self.”

“Big concerns are the potential for abuse by insurance companies or future employers, as well as general privacy issues with this being easy to obtain. Do you really want someone with a little cash (e.g. aforementioned employers, government, tabloid reporters, political opponents, etc) to be able to find out you have Klinefelter’s syndrome, or a predisposition to schizophrenia?”

“So I fall on the side of making genetic testing manditory for every newborn. There are so many genetic issues (David mentioned Klinefelters as an example) that if treated early can help improve the quality of life of the individual who has it. Too many people find out about this stuff later in life and say “that explains it!”. Anyway, I think once the intial screen and notification is done, the DNA should be “separated” from its owners name and used for whatever (except cloning)”

Is The Extreme Polarization of Approach The Only Option?

I think all the points I quoted above from others are completely valid. I think the bigger question here, in my opinion of course, isn’t should we retain the data or not. The bigger question really is: Can we do it in a way that is ethical so that the benefits of this data analysis are yielded by humanity while the DNA data itself is owned, protected and secured by some sort of diverse council or committee of people to keep things objective when it comes to the release of information. Membership of this council or board can have a set of strict prequisites the aid in the protection of this data and it’s proper use. For example those nominated are not allowed to have a strong affiliation with any religious sect, political ties to special interest groups or parties, etc.

I know to some extent I’m oversimplifying it here and that with every well-intentioned person, there are 10 people with bad intentions unfortunately. The dilemma that I have morally is this I guess….why completely avoid something that can have great benefits for those with a predisposition to diseases, syndromes, conditions and other various health problems, out of fear that it will get into the ‘wrong’ hands? Why not try and figure out a way to have an objective process that is well thought out and governed by a globally represented scientific/healthcare community to manage and protect it for good use? Of course bad people do bad shit but if we shut down every innovative and positive idea intended for the better out of fear (like doing business online), then we might not get anywhere.

Onward.

A Quick Post for Veteran’s Day

Posted by Rich Harris – November 11, 2009

Richard Brent Harris Senior

Sgt Richard Harris, Dai Loc Pass, Vietnam, May 1970

Sgt Richard Harris, 1st Marine Division, Da Nang, Vietnam, April 1,1970

Sgt Richard Harris, 1st Marine Division, Da Nang, Vietnam, April 1,1970

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to all of our veterans and brave service men and women out there today who continue to lay their lives on the line every single day so that we can all have the lives and opportunties that we have here in America. We may not always agree with what wars we are involved in and why but the more important fact here is that our military personel do their jobs with not many complaints. They are the pinnacle of selflessness and sacrifice for America and we should continue to show unconditional support for them and their families.

I’ve have a couple photos to post here of my father, Richard Brent Harris Sr. from his days back in Vietnam. He’s still alive today and I’m proud. Happy Veteran’s Day pops. Everyone that knows you is very proud of your service to our country as well as the the sacrifices your brothers in the Marines made during that time.

The Obama Factor: Ridiculousness at a new level.

Posted by Rich Harris – October 9, 2009

obamaThe Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel Peace Prize is for those that earned it. The announcement today that Obama was awarded this prize is a joke. It’s not a joke because Obama did anything wrong, nor do I believe he is involved in any shananigans to win it. The problem is bigger than him. The problem is with the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Check out these quotes from recent articles on CNN:

Article: Obama’s win unique among presidents

Quote: “The committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons…”

Quote: “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future.”

———————-

Article: Obama: Nobel Peace Prize is ‘call to action’

Quote: “Some analysts have speculated that the prize could give Obama additional clout as he forms a strategy for the war in Afghanistan and attempts to engage Iran and North Korea. Another senior administration official told CNN he hopes the White House can ‘use it for the positive.’”

———————-

My Gripe.

I dig Obama. I voted for Obama. I still like him. I love what he has done for our diplomacy internationally. I believe he would be an amazing candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize depending on what he does over his first term (and possibly a second term?). All the cards are there for him to be the next person to have earned the prize.

However, if you look at the quotes I posted from CNN above, it’s clear to me that this prize was given to him based on what we hope he’ll do, what we hope he can pull off, what we hope our future will be like. His prize is based on hope and hope is not tangible, it’s an idea. In the past, this prize was always awarded to people because of their selfless vision that they executed into tangible accomplishments; visible and on record. If this is the new allowable premise to award something so prestigious then we should start handing these things out like candy to all the every day people that make huge waves in their communities, in other countries, etc. These are the ones that should be considered. Obama doesn’t have that track record (yet).

Even though Obama did not choose this outcome or most likely didn’t even plan for it, the Nobel committee has taken huge risk in setting back Obama’s progress in diplomacy by ‘handing’ it to him, and spurring more controversy, the same kind of controversy that sparked all of our protests against Bush’s krony-riddled administration. It’s carelessness and recklessness by the Nobel committee in my opinion and does Obama’s vision and effort a disservice at this point in time. Other countries that have historically hated us and are now open to at least reconsidering talking to us, could possibly now be thinking, “See! I knew something was up with Obama. Too good to be true!”. Lame.

My Hope.

It’s no surprise that Obama was humble about this and immediately reminded us that it’s not about him almost to the point of questioning it himself. That attitude is a major reason why I voted for him. I hope his vision for global peace and diplomacy is accomplished some day. I hope he makes waves when it comes to nuclear disarmament, bringing tensions and disagreements to a conversational level amongst world leaders to resolve peacefully. I believe that’s what he wants, I believe he can accomplish great things and I believe he should be recognized for it when it happens. My hopes though are just thoughts, untangible. Hopefully one day they are actual memories of things he has actually done and accomplished backed by real data and stories to support it.

I support Obama in his continued efforts but damn I hate the bullshit.

Onward.

The First 100 Days of Swine Flu

Posted by Rich Harris – April 29, 2009

Did I use that title for SEO reasons? Why the hell not. :-)

It seems like I can’t get away from the two topics this blog post title refers to but I have to admit, there is nothing wrong with fodder for more SNL sketches, more South Park episodes, and most importantly, something for me to sarcasticly make light of because it consumes the information/controversial/drama-thirsty American social/pop culture. Anytime news like that rolls like a big boulder over cnn.com, I can’t help but attribute a bunch of over the top humor to it, which most of the time reminds everyone that I’m permanently a 13 year old trapped inside this carb-happy 34 year old body of mine.

0205pigs_narrowweb__300x3650The Swine. The Flu.

On Facebook I recommended…errrr…asked if people thought it was too early to run a t-shirt print simply stating, “I have the Swine Flu AND I love bacon.” 80% of the people liked and/or commented on the post that read it. The other 20% gave me some shit about me making a joke out of something that was killing people. Funny thing is that for every 1 person that dies from Swine Flu, 100+ people die from the ‘regular’ household flu. So WTF? To those gettin’ extra emo about it, I’m on board 100% with your empathy but please remember that when people joke nowadays, in this case about the Swine Flu, no one is laughing at someone else’s misery, we aren’t making light of their mortality and worse, their fate in the fact that they happen to catch it and die from it.

It’s just jokes…at no one’s expense really more at the expense of the news and media for over-inflating it. We are all battling things like this in the world together. I firmly believe that the key to the survival of humanity is their ability to find humor in the catastrophes that surround us. ‘Tis the only way.

Obama’s First 100

Oh let the sweet media frenzy latch onto some other goofball idea to attach the consumer’s hungry emotions to.

44140130_10389138001_0206dv-pol-100-days-sj-plusFirst off, I’d like to say that I’m EXTREMELY pleased with Obama’s efforts, philosophies, cool-headedness and follow through. Given the shit he is expected to ‘fix’, I’d say he’s been pretty productive so far. So I guess this quick point I’m gonna blarf about (barfing/blogging), is more aimed at the ‘marketing’ of the First 100 Days.

I’m just waiting for the commemorative plate (thanks Don), the key chains, the logos, the flamethrower (thanks Fong), the doll, the skateboard, the commemorative First 100 Days jockstrap and tube top set…..you laugh and have a smirk on your face right now but there’s probably some backwoods jackass producing it somewhere.

Please, everyone in the media, I love how America is so celebratory about everything to the point of thinking we need to have an annual national holiday ‘celebrating’ stuff as trivial as the peanut butter sandwich, BUT, stop pushing it like he’s the second coming of Christ, the Alpha and Omega, Allah, Buddha himself. You know why? Because he’s just a dude…….You know what Obama did on his 100th day in office? He worked. Then on 101st day, he skipped the First 100 Days Sears photo shoot and he worked some more…and that’s what he’s going to do every day until he’s not president anymore….head down..working.

Done.

Give Obama a Break Already

Posted by Rich Harris – April 4, 2009

obamaThis is has been bothering me for awhile now. Everytime I turn around I hear or see news clips and feedback from the general public (yes even democrats) bitching and whining that they are frustrated with the fact that Obama is not working fast enough. I have a couple things to say about this…

First of all, must I remind those that I speak of, the incredible dinosaur-size pile of shit that he was handed when he was sworn into office?

The Economy: The U.S. economy not only has not been this bad in decades, but worse, is that most of it is the final burst and fallout of decades of corporate corruption that has made itself the backbone of how this country manages it’s own financial culture. I can’t blame the republicans for this either….it transcends political parties whether you want to admit it or not….Obama’s administration not only now has to be bear the burden of his own country’s economy, but that of the world. So give the guy a fucking break. I know hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, I know families are poor and struggling, lifestyles are changed forever for ‘innocent’ people that never deserved to be shit on by insurance companies and banks. As a single father of 3 sons, I feel it too, not as bad as some, and not as little as others. We are all in that boat together. Remember (I try and remind myself of this as well) that people raise their kids in places in the world where dead bodies are lying around while their children play ball and have fun anyway, where a loaf of bread needs to last a family of 10 an entire week….The rippling effects of what are going on right now are so much bigger than Obama. Consider ourselves lucky that this shit didn’t all fall down after McCain was sworn into office, or more scary – while Bush had another two years as president.

Terrorism: While I do believe that Bush was a complete moron and not fit to run even a doughnut shop, the issues that exist from terrorism also are a reflection of greed and decades of corruption and cultural extremism and dysfunction, not just with the U.S. but with the world and each country’s own radical fundamentalist bullshit artists. We get mad at Obama for stepping up some troops in Pakistan and Afghanistan but at least he’s focusing our soldiers on this issue in a geographical location that matters and is a real source on this issue instead of the mind fuck distraction that even Colin Powell helped to skew with the Iraq war.

Conclusion: The world is a fucked up place that can only be fixed with unity from every person in every country across the globe and an exorbitant amount of patience for the man who has been voted in to help make a positive contribution for humanity. His attitude is on point. He can’t fix the world and surely can’t fix the U.S. over night after decades of unethical infrastructure establishment, but he can get it started and he needs a positive attitude from Democrats and Republicans alike…. Democrats – Quit your bitching and pull up your boot straps and get ready to work harder than you ever have before. Republicans – Stop disagreeing with new ideas because of your religious ideologies and just for the sake of it because you are in a different party. God created humanity so if you believe in God, started thinking in terms of One People and all that He created. Cherish it and do what you can to be a team player so we can all get through this together.

And to the media….if you don’t have something positive to say right now, STFU.

Sorry about all my expletives….my passion ensues.

Thanks.

Zombie McCain….this shit is funny…

Posted by Rich Harris – October 15, 2008

Well my love and fascination with undead film and political satire have now been fused together as one.I was told about this site: zombiemccain.com. It’s awesome. I was in tears at work as some of the very well done art on these pics almost didn’t look much different than the actual McCain in certain lighting conditions that I’ve seen on CNN. Here’s one of the images but go check out the whole site.

Jon Stewart is STILL My Hero

Posted by Rich Harris – September 4, 2008

His sarcasm and cynicism speaks to my heart in magical ways.