Radical Conservatives

I've come to the conclusion that there are two uses of the term "conservative" with very different meanings. One is in the "liberal/conservative" spectrum, where "liberal" is "pro-liberty" and "conservative" is "pro-security". The other is in the "radical/conservative" spectrum, where "radical" is "pro rapid, major change" and "conservative" is "pro status quo".

Historically, most people amd groups who were "conservative" in the first sense were also "conservative" in the second sense, so it made some sense to equate "liberal" with "radical" - since in the 60's, 70's and 80's the people who wanted to enact sweeping changes were the ones pro-liberty.

We've seen a change, however, recently. The people who are attempting to enact the rapid major changes are the ones in favor of security over liberty, and are willing to sacrifice many rights to do it. This mind set is difficult for many to encapsulate, as it might be termed "radical conservative" which sounds like a contradiction in terms unless you realize the two distinct ways in which "conservative" is used.

It is very difficult to concretely identify a problem when the language does not lend itself easily to describing it. This is one of the advantages that these people have. Since they are difficult to classify, it is hard to identify them as a threat. Their rhetoric defies description, literally. As a result, they have rapidly gained power.

Empower

So I went ahead and bit the bullet. I just applied for the Empower program with Microsoft. One thing that they wanted to know was a planned name and description of a product, so I decided to call it "Geckomania" and describe it as a set of puzzle games designed to promote creativity and cooperation. Planned release date of 3/1/2006.

Let's see how it goes.

Zoe Elizabeth Stanton

was born 5:16 PM Indiana time, March 2nd, weighing 6 lbs 9 oz., and measuring 20 inches long. A quick labor and pretty easy delivery overall. We're all home now, healthy and happy. Ben (her big brother) seems to like her well enough for now, but he hasn't had major changes to his life just yet, so we'll see how that goes over time. She's beautiful (yes, I'm biased, but I'm a dad and I damn well better be biased), sleeps peacefully a lot, and eats pretty well.

Thanks, everyone! By the way, I'll be posting pics as soon as we have some handy digital to post. Yeah, I should get with the 21st century and buy a decent digital camera someday.

Back to small diapers

My wife, Chris, is in labor right now. We won't be leaving for the hospital for a few hours, but then we'll be there for a couple days.

We both seem really relaxed about this whole thing this time, as opposed to with Ben. We're getting things done between contractions, where last time we just waited for the next one.

Wish us luck!

:)