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Rights Watchdog, Lost in the Mideast

By ROBERT L. BERNSTEIN

Published: October 19, 2009

AS the founder of Human Rights Watch, its active chairman for 20 years and now founding chairman emeritus, I must do something that I never anticipated: I must publicly join the group’s critics. Human Rights Watch had as its original mission to pry open closed societies, advocate basic freedoms and support dissenters. But recently it has been issuing reports on the Israeli-Arab conflict that are helping those who wish to turn Israel into a pariah state.

Why do I even bother?  Mostly to vent of steam, but also to remind you of the terrible OS under which you toil.  Windows 7 is nothing more than an upgraded prison.

Even though there is not a single computer in my home that runs Microsoft software on a regular basis, I encountered two Microsoft-created demons in the same day.

The first popped up when I had to reboot into Windows to watch CBS online.  Of course I used Firefox; I know better than to trust Internet Explorer, that slutty browser who's more permissive than Jenna Jameson.

Getting my TV shows online is fun, but certain companies annoy me.  It all boils down to the different kinds of free.

Anyone who uses Linux is familiar with the two kinds of free.  There's "free as in free beer," and "free as in freedom."  The truth is you, dear reader, already use both kinds of software, you just don't realize it.

As a man of faith, it has always bothered me that religion is generally seen as anti-gay.  This further plays into the Republicans' strategy of polarizing America; if religion is anti-gay, then gays will become anti-religion.  I've seen plenty of anti-religion posters at anti-Prop 8 rallies and it saddens me.  That's why this speech resonates for me.

Edit: Here is a link to Bishop Flunder's church.

Yeah, I got bronchitis.  "Souvenir" was the cleverest thing I could think of to say.

Other than that, it's great to be home again.  The drive up was very pleasant; our new car is very comfortable and the miles seemed to melt away.  (The XM radio sure didn't hurt either.)  Now I'm just trying to take it easy and recuperate, although "taking it easy" for Stay At Home Daddy still means changing and feeding the family, dishes, laundry, bills, etc.  Sigh.