TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Author: Trench Reynolds

  • Office Politics

    Office Politics

    On Friday, we had politics in the office again, this time from the other side of the spectrum. One of the staff was going around asking for signatures on a letter she was sending to John Edwards asking him to support the proposed marriage amendment. Obviously, she doesn’t realize how the Democratic Party works these days. Just because Edwards is from the south doesn’t mean that he shares the opinions of its less tolerant citizens. He’s not going to rock the party boat, even if he believes in gay marriage or not.

    Anyway, what galls me is that this person is so arrogant that she thinks everybody has the same opinion as her and if they don’t, they should. Luckily, when she came to my desk, my phone started to ring. She also happened to go around the office on a day when no supervisors were here. We also have gay employees here. I wonder if she asked them. Somehow, I seriously doubt it.

    Personally, I oppose the marriage amendment. Let them marry. Who are they hurting? Hell, let them have families for all I care. I’d rather see a child get adopted by a gay couple than end up in some doctor’s dumpster.

    The point is. I don’t do politics at work. People are very passionate about their politics. I need to come in every day and work with these people. When you start discussing politics at work, no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, you’re going to make enemies. Having enemies at work will affect your performance. So don’t be an assclown. Leave your politics at home. Some of us are here to work.

  • Big Brother Joe is watching you

    Big Brother Joe is watching you

    My bone of contention today is from my favorite Senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman. He has co-authored a bill with a $90 Million price tag that will try to figure out whether kids’ favorite TV shows, movies, and video games are actually bad for their health.

    There’s a good use of taxpayer money, huh? Even Lieberman’s own censorship squad, the Parents Television Council, say this is a bad idea. How about this Joe? Why not do a study on why people stopped parenting their kids. Joe even admits as much…

    Lieberman says parents need to play a more active role in what their kids are watching.

    “You can’t put it all off on the entertainment industry,” he said.

    Then what is the point of this bill? If it’s so obvious, then why do you need $90 Million? Lieberman has very pro-censorship leanings. I feel like this is his way of trying to disguise a “well-meaning” program that’s actually an Orwellian dream for him.

  • 80 Years

    80 Years

    Man Who Planned ‘Columbine’ Type Attack Gets 80 Years:

    For once, California does something right. After sentencing a man who planned a 2001 attack on his community college to seven years in prison, he was re-sentenced today after appeals to 80 years in prison. This is what you get for being a mutant…

    Farris said police searching DeGuzman’s home found massive amounts of writings and a 19-minute audiotape detailing his plot to kill as many people as possible at the college in emulation of his heroes, Columbine High School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

    Apparently, he was another coward, just like his “heroes”.

    This is actually the first time I’ve heard of this, but I found this article with some interesting quotes.

    They found DeGuzman’s bed room stacked from top to bottom with sophisticated handmade bombs, some of which were booby-trapped with detonators that would go off if someone handled them, Miceli said.

    Police also found a map of De Anza College, marked with locations where bombs would be placed, and a tape recording that investigators believe DeGuzman made Monday outlining his plot, Miceli said.

    DeGuzman’s voice is heard on the tape apologizing to the press, his family and friends for what he was about to do, Miceli said.

    Miceli said DeGuzman had specific targets in mind, but he declined to elaborate on the intended victims. And although there was no suicide note, detectives said they believed DeGuzman had planned to die during the bloody attack.

    Investigators seized two rifles, a sawed-off rifle and a sawed-off shotgun from the house.

    Again, this was while he was living at his parents’ house. Granted, he was 19 at the time of his arrest, but once again, if the parents just did some checking their son may not be spending the rest of his life in jail. Whatever happened to “you live under my roof, you live under my rules”? Makes you wonder what the parents were busy doing.

    Ultimately, though, it is Al DeGuzman’s responsibility. Unlike his “heroes”, he didn’t escape justice and now has the next 80 years to think about it. Too harsh of a sentence, you say? I say it’s perfect. Let it be a warning to all other would-be Harris and Klebolds out there. This is what you really have to look forward to.

  • 6/13/04: From The Mail Sack

    6/13/04: From The Mail Sack

    Has it been that long since I last did the mail sack? Well, I’ve got plenty to make up for it.

    From my entry on the Columbine Death Photos…

    Eric and Dylan were two people, the same as everyone else. Yes, there is school violence everywhere, but they had the balls to take the next step and make people pay for the pain and torture that was caused. I know that I did not know either of them personally, but I believe I know how they felt. Every day there is someone being broken down by people who show no shame in hurting others. I have a feeling that some day those kids are going to get revenge. That’s just how life is. What comes around, goes around. You hurt, and get hurt. Get over it. Anyone who doesn’t see that is just fucking dense. Thank you and have a nice day. Please respond, I’d love to read what you have to say!

    Comment by Sammi — Wednesday Jun 2, 2004 @ 8:53 am

    Here was my response…

    Ok, you asked for it. It doesn’t take balls to shoot and kill 13 unarmed people. The whole theory about them being harassed by jocks has not been proven. Tell me their names if they were harassed by jocks. You can’t because it didn’t happen. Harris was a psychopath, pure and simple. High school is a blip of your entire existence. Being harassed is no reason to shoot anyone. A lot of us including me were harassed in school, but we didn’t shoot anyone. You need serious help.

    Comment by Trench — Wednesday Jun 2, 2004 @ 9:04 am

    What gets me is that this came from a public school district in Maryland. I e-mailed them to let them know what one of their students was up to. I wonder if they did anything about it.

    Then there’s this one from my entry about another would-be shooter being sentenced. The comment came from the same Maryland school district…

    I think that people like this kik ass… espicially Eric Harris!!!! Hes my hero. if there is one person in the world that i could meet if i had the opportunity, he would be it. i just wish i had the chance to or at least went to school with him at that time. u know its pretty sad when your hero, the one person u would look up to is dead! well i guess im done for now but this Matthew guy doesnt seem to bad either

    Comment by Jerika — Thursday Jun 3, 2004 @ 12:26 pm

    No, what’s really sad “Jerika”…if that’s your real name, then I feel sorry for you…is that your “hero” is a psychopathic coward who killed 13 unarmed, random people. I seriously hope your school comes down on you like a ton of bricks. It seems to be the thing to do lately. Spellcheck wouldn’t kill you, either.

    And, surprise surprise, one from my entry on the Eric Harris Journal…

    Those two people you are calling ’scum bags’ were actually part of the human race. What they did may have been wrong but everyone does wrong and it was wrong that people bullied Eric and Dylan…KLEBOLD spell it right. The parents were not to blame for what happened…it was the boys choice and they were old enough to make the decission themselves. Most parents do not feel the need to search their childs room for guns and pipe bombs. Its not a crime that they gave trust to their son, (Eric) it’s just a crime that people like you don’t understand that they were hurt to. Not only by the death of their son, but for the damage that they caused to other families. The parents of Dylan and Eric cannot be blamed for this crime. No one knew what was going on other than them. warning signs are only obviouse once it has happened and that just happenes to be the case. I no how it feels to be bullied by people that think their so much greater than you. I also know how it feels to want to show them all the pain youve kept inside for so long. Reb and voDKa RIP

    Comment by Jema Vile — Wednesday Jun 9, 2004 @ 8:27 am

    Ok, pay attention, people. I’m going to go through this again. There is no proof they were bullied. Even if they were, it’s still no excuse. And while it may not be an “on the books” crime to keep better tabs on your kids, it’s a crime against responsibility that Eric Harris’ parents allowed an arsenal to be built under their roof undetected. Why should they have trusted him, as he gave them no reason to through past actions? While Harris and KLIEBOLD are ultimately responsible for their crime, their parents are responsible for not doing anything to stop it. Harris and Klebold are not the poster children for the victims of bullying. They are the poster children for cowardice and, yes, they are scumbags. I’m sorry if you’re being bullied, but if you want to show your tormentors something, show them that you’re better than them by doing better than them. Trust me when I say that living well is the best revenge. If you can’t handle that, then seek psychological help.

    “Jerika”…couldn’t your parents decide between either Jennifer or Erika, so they named you Jerika…strikes again. This time on my entry about the kids that were suspended for having photos of Harris and Klebold…

    What the fuck is wrong with having pictures of your heros…well i dunno if they were the heros of those girls but theyre mine. i have many pictures and journal entries saved on my school computer, thats where i am now by the way, and i havent heard anything about it yet when the admin can easily look up in my files. GOD! this just shows how pathetic our govt and school systems really are. they just need to chill the fuck out!!!

    Comment by Jerika — Thursday Jun 10, 2004 @ 9:16 am

    There’s nothing wrong with it unless your heroes are mass murderers. I guess I need to send another e-mail to your school system, considering you basically just confessed to your psychopathic crap. They don’t need to chill out, they need to put you in a room with padded walls.

  • Students suspended over Columbine killer photos

    Students suspended over Columbine killer photos

    Students Suspended Over Columbine Killers’ Photo:

    Three girls were suspended for the remainder of the school year for having pictures of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Also, in true mutant fashion…

    According to the investigation, the girls were questioned about the pictures and one of the girls reportedly told a school counselor that it would be “cool” to be involved in an incident like the Columbine High School massacre in which 13 people died and 21 other people were wounded.

    Glad to see the school is actually doing something to control the mutant population. And do I really need to say it? You know, the whole parents thing and what are they doing to discourage this kind of behavior. Listen, you little mutants, you probably fucked not only your education but probably the rest of your lives just for your hero-worship of two cowardly killers. How “cool” is it now? Now go make my fries.

  • Follow-Up Monday

    Follow-Up Monday

    Now, following up on the reaction to the Klebold interview…

    Columbine parents outraged:
    As expected, more parents of Columbine victims are outraged over the comments by Dylan Klebold’s parents.

    From Don Fleming, whose daughter Kelly was killed…

    “The Klebolds are totally disgusting,” Fleming said Sunday. “They’re saying ‘We really regret missing the warning signs, but we did nothing wrong.’ That’s a contradiction.”

    “They don’t think they’re responsible for anyone,” he said.

    “For as highly educated as they are, they thought this couldn’t happen to their son. They’re elitists. They thought this was something white trash would carry out.”

    From Phyllis and Al Velasquez, whose son Kyle was killed…

    “I vented to Al as I read the whole thing,” Phyllis Velasquez said. “I can’t say a whole lot nice about the Klebolds, and it’s not just the (New York Times) article. It’s the depositions. The Klebolds are clueless.”

    The Velasquezes also took exception to Susan Klebold’s comment about a “toxic culture” at Columbine that included jock worship and the tolerance of bullying.

    “I’m tired of that excuse,” Phyllis Velasquez said.

    She pointed out that her son had learning disabilities, was overweight and was bullied, but didn’t kill his classmates in retaliation.

    And lastly, which I think sums it all up concisely from Don Fleming again…

    “To face this bravely and honorably, they would go out and talk about what was wrong with their son. They won’t do that. They’re cowards.”

    Like parents like son. Cowards.

  • No Apologies

    No Apologies

    A few weeks ago, a columnist named David Brooks for the New York Times wrote this column which is basically just him agreeing with this column by Dave Cullen.

    Mr. Brooks then started receiving E-mails from Tom Klebold, Dylan Klebold’s father, which led to this piece in Saturday’s New York Times.

    In it, the Klebolds refuse to apologize for what happened. Susan Klebold even goes as far to say, “I haven’t done anything for which I need forgiveness.” They also describe the day of the shootings as “a natural disaster” and the Klebold’s discuss the day as a suicide and not as a day when 13 random people were killed. Two quotes from the NY Times article jumped out at me…

    They believe that what they call the “toxic culture” of the school — the worship of jocks and the tolerance of bullying — is the primary force that set Dylan off. But they confess that in the main, they have no explanation.

    Yet, they didn’t kill any jocks, and I have yet to hear of the names of any jocks who allegedly bullied them. And then there was this…

    “I’m a quantitative person,” said Tom, a former geophysicist. “We’re not qualified to sort this out.” They long for some authoritative study that will provide an answer. “People need to understand,” Tom said, “this could have happened to them.”

    So it sounds like to me that they’re willing to let other people raise their child. People like Eric Harris. The impression I get is that the Klebolds are very self-absorbed. They must be to have missed obvious warning signs, which they regrettably admit…

    “He was hopeless. We didn’t realize it until after the end,” Tom said. Susan added: “I think he suffered horribly before he died. For not seeing that, I will never forgive myself.”

    Suffered horribly? At least he knew that he was going to die that day. 13 other people weren’t afforded such a luxury.

    As expected, parents of the true victims are not happy…

    “I’m horrified,” Dawn Anna, whose daughter Lauren Townsend was killed at Columbine, told The Associated Press. “I wanted an apology. I wanted a contribution to help us understand why it happened, so that it would never happen again. I didn’t hear it.”

    Brian Rohrbough, father of victim Daniel Rohrbough, said he was outraged that the Klebolds likened the day of the shootings to a natural disaster in the interview with Brooks.

    The best quote to sum this all up also comes from Brian Rohrbough who said…

    “This was murder,” he said. “In my opinion, what went on in their home led to Columbine.”

    Now if only the Klebold’s would pull their heads out of the sand and realize that.

  • Movable Type meets the Resistable Price

    Movable Type meets the Resistable Price

    In case you haven’t heard, Movable Type has released version 3.0. The problem is, there are some catches.

    First of all, they’re now charging some steep prices. There is a free version, but it only allows one author on 3 weblogs. This sucks for some of the group blogs I read that are on MT. There’s now no way to upgrade from 2.XX to 3.0 and have multiple authors without having to pay. And there are no available versions of 2.XX left to download.

    I understand that Six Apart is a business, and they are entitled to make as much money as they want, but I think they are in the process of disillusioning what used to be a very loyal fan base.

    I used MT for two years and was very happy with it. However, I got tired of waiting for 3.0 and as my entries grew in number, it took forever to do a rebuild of my site any time I did some kind of modification to it.

    So not too long ago, I made the jump to WordPress. For once, my timing is impeccable. It’s free open-source software which could even be used for commercial use.

    No limit to users. It does not support multiple blogs, but I now believe it’s better that if you’re running multiple blogs to have them be independent of each other. Importing my MT entries took no time and was a snap. WP comes with a built-in MT entry importer.

    The documentation for WP isn’t as extensive as MT’s used to be, but you can usually find what information you need from the user forums. Be warned, though, just because you were a wiz at MT does not make you a WP expert. They are written in two entirely different codes. But as I said, you can usually find what you’re looking for in the user forum.

    MT used to be the standard. I thank them for the years of service, but the ship is sinking, and this rat jumped off a long time ago.

  • More on Nick Berg

    More on Nick Berg

    To my fellow bloggers and web surfers. Instead of providing links and searching for the Nick Berg video, why not send your condolences to his family instead.

    Company shuts down Web site showing beheading:

    At least they’ve shut down the source. It’s just too bad that clones are popping up all over.

  • U.S. Citizen Beheaded

    U.S. Citizen Beheaded

    Video Seems to Show Beheading of American:

    An Islamic militant extremist website has posted a video showing an American being decapitated in retaliation for the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq…

    After reading a statement, the men were seen pulling the man to his side and cutting off his head with a large knife. They then held the head out before the camera.

    To all you mutants that are already creaming your jeans looking for this video, I only have one thing to say to you. Fuck you.

    You are below the reaches of depravity. You should have your breathing rights revoked. That man had a name and it was Nick Berg. He had a family. Think about that the next time you go looking for that video, you sick freaks. I doubt that you will. You make me sick.

    My condolences go out to the Berg family.