The View From the Outback

• Thoughts While Staring at the Ceiling Fan
• Democrats Desperately In Search of a President
• Bias On NBC Nightly News Re Thimerosal Lawsuits
• The NFL Quota System For Coaches
• U.S. Not Alone in Passing Anti-Terror Reforms
• Let South Korea Fend For Itself
• Hurry! Get Your Segway Scooter Before They Are Sold Out
• LCD Computer Monitors May Have Arrived
• Suggested Reading From Past Columns

Large metropolitan cities have pockets of rich folks that those of us in the Outback can not relate to. A wine merchant in Manhattan was stocking up on 1,500 bottles of Dom Perignon Champagne at $115 a pop. And some Cristal at $175 a bottle - and she was afraid she might run out before New Year's Eve. That story could be duplicated in Dallas, Houston, Chicago, and elsewhere. Here in the Outback, we celebrated New Years with a bottle of Korbel Brut California Champagne, purchased at SAM's Club for $8.74.

PETA always manages to make fools of themselves. They are launching a boycott of KFC. One of their complaints is that the chickens should have more space while being raised. Cows have lots of space here in the Outback, but the result is the same. They both end up on somebody's plate. Once in a while, I will run the window down and yell to a herd of cows in a roadside pasture: "You look contented and happy now. But, you all should know you are going to die in your prime." Prime beef. Couldn't resist it.

In a study, a research doctor found that patients are less likely to heed the advice about losing weight if their doctor is obese. Who pays for such idiotic studies? Of course, people are going to look at a fat doctor giving diet advice and say to themselves "look who is telling me to lose weight."

In the Outback for December 21, I reiterated that Sen. Joe Lieberman has no chance of becoming the Democrat presidential nominee in 2004. Recently, I realized his Achilles heel. In delivering some comments on TV about violent computer games, he said "Uh" about four times in every sentence. This kind of public speaking will not cut the mustard. If you recall, he was eaten alive in his debate with V.P. nominee Dick Cheney in the last election. Lieberman is a really good-hearted and honest man. I hope he decides that he can do more by working hard in the Senate than running around the country giving - Uh - speeches.

In the Outback for Dec. 7, 2002, in "Too Many Unneeded Heart Bypass Operations," I also discussed "treated" stents (sleeves) and their increasingly important role in Angioplasty. In an unusual move, even before the FDA approved the new Johnson & Johnson treated stents, Medicare and Medicaid approved reimbursement for their use.

If you are interested in information about a hospital or doctor, try: www.healthgrades.com, which sells reports for $9.95 (second one free). Without charge, you can look up a doctor and find the name of the medical school from which he or she graduated and the number of years since graduation. And maps and phone numbers. I found a surgeon I know in Dallas and a GP in Paris, TX (pop. 25,000) among the listings, for example.

The FTC is working on instituting a national "do not call list." And telemarketers would be prohibited from blocking their Caller-ID info. Get with it. Since the do-not-call-list went into effect in Texas, I seldom get a call from a telemarketer. Well, there was the one from a city about a two and one-half hour drive from here. It was the second or third time I saw their phone number on my caller ID. I picked up the phone and said in my most menacing former-Marine-Sgt. voice, " You're not that far away. If you keep calling me, I will show up at your place and it will not be a pleasant experience for you." No more calls from that source. In Texas, telemarketers are not allowed to block their Caller-ID, although many do it.

Gun owners in Canada are upset that they have to register all their guns, and with good reason. Only honest people register their guns. Then, as happened in New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere around the world, the registration list is used to confiscate guns. We have a good system, with some loopholes. A gun buyer must fill out a form and get a criminal-record check by the FBI, but the permanent record is kept by the local dealer. A gun can be traced if there is a crime (manufacturer, distributor, dealer, owner), but there is no central repository in government computers of gun owners and serial numbers.

Democrats Desperately In Search of a President

Sen. Tom Daschle has decided not to run for president in 2004. A wise decision which saves all of us a lot of lying and hypocrisy during the campaign. As you will see from the excerpt below and the reference to the Outback of January 12, 2002, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Sen. Daschle had no chance of becoming president in 2004. He finally faced up to the facts.

Rep. Dick Gephardt has decided not to run for re-election to the House. Again, read the excerpt below and see what I said in the last Outback about his not running for re-election to the House. Spooky.

Rep. Gephardt probably will run for president. This is a waste of his time and our time, as I have said repeatedly - over two election cycles.

I watched a couple of high-level Democratic consultants on a panel discussion. There seemed to be a general feeling that it would be hard to find a viable Democratic candidate for president in 2004. One comment stuck in my head. One of the political consultants said that the first quality that a potential candidate must have in 2004 is that he is a "Commander-In Chief" figure.

Can you imagine Sen. Joe Lieberman as Commander-In-Chief? Or the boyish Sen. Edwards? Or the disingenuous and smarmy Dick Gephardt? The most ludicrous of all; Rev. Al Sharpton as Commander-In-Chief? So far, only John Kerry fits the image, but I said a while back that he was the only one on the horizon with much of a chance of getting the Democratic nomination. And I work for free. And I'm an Independent.

(Outback Dec. 21, 2002 excerpt:)

Now that Al Gore has said he won't run for Prez, the Democratic beehive has opened and the drones are flying about - getting ready to start stinging each other. In an earlier Outback ("Sen.Tom Daschle for President - How Absurd," January 12, 2002), I commented on how little chance Lieberman, Daschle, Gephardt, Edwards, and Sharpton had to become president, regardless of the Republican opponent. A poll seen on NYC TV asked who would be the favorite of Democrats in NY. Lieberman 23%, Kerry 20%, Al Sharpton 14%, Gephardt 11%. If I were Dick Gephardt, I would drop out of consideration right now. Beaten by the Rev. Al Sharpton in a poll? What a disgrace.

If you are unfamiliar with Al Sharpton's record and method of operation, do a little research. He is another Albatross around the neck of black Americans. Maybe Dick Gephardt should consider not even running for re-election to the House. Beaten by Al Sharpton in a poll? Goodness gracious.

(Here is part of a footnote from the Jan. 12, 2002 Outback article about Daschle and other Democratic presidential candidates:

* Regarding Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, I liked the comments from Al Hunt in the WSJ for Jan. 10, 2002 (I usually don't agree with him on anything). In "The Phony Protest ... and Leaders," Mr. Hunt is talking about the phony protest against the president of Harvard for some remarks he made to a professor of African Studies. Al says, in part, "But then Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton seem often irrelevant, relying chiefly on a press that feeds and strokes the faux conflicts on which they thrive.")

(End of Dec. 21, 2002 Outback excerpt)

Bias on NBC Nightly News Re Thimerosal Lawsuits

On the January 3, 2003, NBC Nightly News ran a long segment about a provision in the Homeland Security Bill that they said offered immunity from lawsuits to the makers of Thimerosal. Thimerosal was an additive that was used until several years ago in some vaccines. Many parents believe that there is a causal connection between Thimerosal and Autism, although the link has never been scientifically established.

Tom Brokaw began the segment by saying (in part):

"But now, they've been stripped of their right to sue the vaccine makers."

This statement is patently false.

Excerpt from "The View From The Outback," December 7, 2002

("Media Bias Takes Many Forms")

Well, guess what? The Homeland Security rider does NOT give Eli Lilly "immunity" from lawsuits, as the biased media have so frequently reported. It simply requires that lawsuits regarding Thimerosal are first brought before the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which has expertise in judging the validity of claims of harm from vaccinations. The VICP was set up to ensure that plaintiffs who had been truly harmed by a vaccine would be promptly compensated. The plaintiffs are later still able to sue in regular courts (presumably if they did not receive compensation or contest the amount).

Once again, the media has attempted to demonize Republicans by saying they represent "special interests." In truth, the VICP was originally set up because frivolous lawsuits were driving vaccine makers out of business. Today, only four companies make vaccines. If the plaintiff's lawyers were allowed to go unchecked, it is probable that all vaccine makers would be driven out of business. At a minimum, they all devote millions of dollars to defending and settling lawsuits that could better be spent on research. Once again, the cry rings out from the ramparts" "Kill all the lawyers."

(End of Outback Excerpt)

Sen. Bill Frist on the Senate Floor debating the Homeland Security Bill.

(Excerpts from his floor speech in the U.S. Senate)

"Claim No. 1: The proponents of the Lieberman amendment say the vaccine provisions remove individual rights to sue. They are saying these provisions are an example of Republicans fronting for special interests; that they take away individual rights to sue and provide legal immunity from liability for vaccine makers.

My response is that these provisions do nothing more than require injuries that are related, or allegedly related, to a vaccine to first proceed through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VIC program). The VIC program was very specifically established in the mid-1980s for all injuries that are allegedly related to a vaccine.

Since the mid-1980s, all such injuries alleged to be caused by a vaccine are collected and channeled quickly and appropriately first through this Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. A no-fault, efficient alternative to our tort system; very quickly.

That requirement is law today. The provisions that are in the underlying homeland security bill simply restate and clarify what that law is and what that law does. If there is an alleged vaccine-related injury, you first go to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. After a period of time, whether or not the program decides in your favor, whether or not there is what you regard as adequate compensation, at the end of that program, you can simply state that you still want to go to court. Whatever that program decides, you are free to go to court. You are free to sue, and there are no caps in terms of liability.

The provisions in this bill take away no one's right to sue. The provisions in the underlying homeland security bill provide no immunity from liability. A little perspective: There are currently about 875 cases alleging injury due to the presence of a preservative called Thimerosal that is no longer used in vaccines. Right now, these 875 cases are in front of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, consistent with the law since the 1980s. These cases are in no way affected by the provisions in the homeland security bill. I want to repeat that. These 875 cases that are in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program are being dealt with in an orderly process that was outlined several months ago, and they are in no way affected by the provisions in the underlying bill.

If individuals are unsatisfied with what the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program decides, at the end of it, you can say: Forget what you have concluded from me; I am going straight to court. Anyone can do that today, and one can still do that with the provisions of this bill.

The only people who are really affected by the language in this underlying homeland security bill are the trial lawyers who are trying to circumvent the very law this body passed in the mid-1980s--a law which has worked very well since that point in time. The trial lawyers basically are trying to create a loophole in the current law.

The provisions in the underlying homeland security bill state very simply that you first go to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and for good reason. After which, you can still go to court and sue with no caps or no limits. " (Emphasis mine)

(End of Sen. Frist excerpt)

Now, back to the NBC News report.

Ashleigh Banfield continued with comments about how the provision had been "slipped into the bill." It may have come late in the process, and the language pretty obscure, but it was debated at length. Sen. Lieberman introduced an amendment to strike the provision - which was defeated. (See legal citations at the end of this article)

Then, NBC showed a sound-bite from a law professor which backed up the NBC assertion that people had been "stripped of their right to sue." Prof. Lawrence Gostin, of the Georgetown University Law School, said:

"What it did to the families. It took away their last option. It literally and figuratively closed the door on their access to the courts of justice."

Prof. Gostin is absolutely wrong in his assertion that the door to the courts has been closed. Shameful, professor. I hope your students are paying attention to the facts.

As this slanted and biased broadcast segment unfolded, I was reminded of a joking reference we used to make as Federal agents as we were about to appear in court. "You lie and I'll swear to it."

Then, Miss Banfield continued. "Some critics of the amendment point out that drug companies give generously to the Republican party." And that some top officials in Eli Lilly have close ties to the White House.

Yes, and trial lawyers, who have been reaping huge windfalls by suing vaccine makers, "give generously" to the Democratic party. So, what is new in this equation? Give it a rest.

One of the few saving graces of the NBC report came from Miss Banfield:

"Still, there is no conclusive evidence to back up the families' claims" (that Thimerosal causes Autism).

I was so disturbed by the bias of this NBC report, that I sent an email to NBC Nightly News in which I cut and pasted my Outback excerpt and the Sen. Frist comments on the Senate floor. I will send this article to the president of NBC News. The position is now in a state of flux, but I will amend the Media List as soon as the merry-go-round at NBC has stopped.

In my e-mail, I said that this report was the last straw and that I was switching over to watching Jennings on ABC until I caught him in a blatant lie - which should not take too long.

A little background on the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program - from www.hrsa.gov (U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services):

"In the early 1980s, reports of harmful side effects following the DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccine posed major liability concerns for vaccine companies and health care providers, and caused many to question the safety of the DTP vaccine. Parents began filing many more lawsuits against vaccine companies and health care providers. Vaccination rates among children began to fall and many companies that develop and produce vaccines decided to leave the marketplace, creating significant vaccine shortages and a real threat to the Nation's health. (emphasis mine)

The dilemma facing the nation was so great that Congress decided to act. A coalition of physicians, public health organizations, leaders of industry, government representatives and private citizens developed the idea of a no- fault alternative to the tort system for resolving vaccine injury claims. Lawmakers passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (P. L.99-660), which established the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

The VICP is administered jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (the Court), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The VICP is located in the Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation, Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS."

Here are some excerpts from an interview in the "Vaccine Bulletin":

As the VICP approaches the start of its 15th year, nearly 7000 claims have been submitted, more than 5500 have been adjudicated, and nearly $1.4 billion has been paid to petitioners. Although the program has enjoyed much support, some critics say that the process is too adversarial and cumbersome. VACCINE BULLETIN spoke with Thomas E. Balbier, Jr, director of the VICP, about the program’s successes, as well as areas that might need improvement.

VB: What has been the VICP’s experience with vaccine injury or death thought to be caused by thimerosal?

Mr. Balbier: Because thimerosal is not an adulterant to or a contaminant of vaccines, individuals who have claims regarding injuries they believe may be caused by thimerosal in vaccines covered under the VICP are first required to file the claim with the VICP before pursuing any other civil litigation.

We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of claims filed for thimerosal-related vaccine injury this fiscal year (October 1, 2001-September 30, 2002), with nearly 400 filed as of early September. A number of thimerosal-related class-action lawsuits have been filed in a number of states, and it remains to be seen how the outcome of these lawsuits will affect the VICP.

VB: What is the average amount of an award under the VICP?

Mr. Balbier: Awards to the estate in a vaccine-related death are limited to $250,000 plus attorney’s fees and costs. Awards to individuals with injuries judged to be vaccine-related have averaged approximately $1 million, although awards have ranged up to $9.1 million. There is no limitation on the amount of an award in a vaccine-related injury; however, the law does contain certain restrictions.

(End of "Vaccine Bulletin" excerpts - wwww.vaccinebulletin.com)

(Some legal citations for the intrepid reader)

The Homeland Security Bill is H.R. 5005 and can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c107:h.r.5005.enr:, among other places. Download "GPO's .PDF version of the bill" - for future reference.

Although I attended only a land-grant law school, the relevant sections appear to be:

H.R. 5005, Sec. 1714, 1715, 1716, and 1717. These relate to changes in definitions contained in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, U.S. Code 42, Sec. 300aa-33.

U.S. Code 42, Sec. 300aa-33 can be found at:

www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/300aa-33.html

If that busts, go back to www4.law.cornell.edu, which is a great place to search for legal subjects.

The relevant sections of Sec.300aa-33 are: 3, 5 and 7 (which was added by H.R. 5005)

It appears that the language that caused all the fuss is contained in a couple of places. For example, in H.R. 5005, Sec. 1714, referring to U.S. Code 42, Sec. 300aa-33(3) - "... including any component or ingredient of any such vaccine."

What all this appears to say is that you can't sue separately regarding any component or ingredient of a vaccine (such as the hot-button Thimerosal additive). The bottom line: Complaints of injury from vaccines (regardless of their individual components) must first be brought to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. If the plaintiff is not satisfied with the outcome there, he or she is free to sue in court, with no limitations as to damages. The changes are NOT retroactive, as Sen. Frist pointed out.

If you go back and read Sen. Frist's comments on the Senate floor, it appears that this provision in the Homeland Security Bill closed a loophole that needed to be closed. One could argue that this was a peculiar bill in which to attack the problem. The sponsors of the language insisted that there was a connection with Homeland Security. I won't belabor that. Even if this language was not germane to Homeland Security, it is not as though this was a first. There are thousands of bills on the books which contain "non-germane" language and amendments. That is the way things are done in Washington.

Update Jan. 10, 2003:

Apparently a deal has been struck to remove from the Homeland Security bill the language I have so laboriously attempted to document. It is reported that the Republican agreement also agrees that the Senate should act later to reform the national Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. One can guess that the same or similar language now being considered to be expunged from the Homeland Security Bill will show up in any amendments to the VICP. The repeal of the "... including any component or ingredient of any such vaccine" language will be included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. What a bunch of geniuses. They bitch because the language was included in the Homeland Security bill. So now, they include the repeal language in an appropriations bill. Like I said, that is how they work up there. Makes you proud. Even with a damn program, you can't tell the players.

You simply cannot trust the liberal media. On Jan. 10, 2003, under the byline of Jim Abrams, Associated Press, there was a story about the probable repeal of the Homeland Security Bill section about "shielding vaccine makers from lawsuits." Mr. Abrams wrote: "The most controversial was the language shielding vaccine makers from lawsuits concerning the use of the compound Thimerosal by requiring that claims go through a special federal program that pays limited damages for vaccine-related injuries, rather than through courts." Emphasis mine.

Jim Abrams, you are either very deceitful, or you are simply stupid and don't know any better. The implication of your sentence is that people have only the option of going through a special federal program that pays limited damages. Oh, it's carefully worded, to be sure. As anybody knows who has read the above article by me, there is no "rather than through courts," which implies that you can never get to the courts with your claim. It is, first to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Board, and if you are not happy with the result then to the courts.

Do you see how subtle the difference is between "first" and "rather"? Ninety-nine percent of readers would not even notice. If you will read the "Vaccine Bulletin" excerpts, you will see that the only "limited damages" in the program are for the estate of a harmed person. There is no limit to compensation for vaccine-related injuries, Mr. Abrams. Again, deceit and half truths. And I can find no mention of the word "Thimerosal" in the Homeland Security bill.

One of the most pernicious things in news is that the Associated Press (Reuters, et al.) articles are picked up by thousands of news outlets and printed or read - often verbatim. So, if a lie or a slanted view gets started with an article that is "put out on the wires," it ripples out across a broad ocean of media. Be very suspicious of what you read or hear in the mainstream media. They are getting worse and worse about not reporting, but putting forth positions - often very subtly. Once again, most reporters will tell you that they went to journalism school to "make a difference." You make a difference by championing "positions." You "report" by presenting the facts, to the best of your ability.

The New York Times ran a story on their Web site on Jan.10, 2003 - "Leaders Promise Repeal of Provisions Hidden in Bill." The byline is David Firestone. So now, they were "hidden" provisions in the Homeland Security Bill. How hidden could they have been? Somebody found them. Later in the article we find: "When the provisions came to light last year, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic move to strip them from the bill." If you go to Sen. Frist's Web site, or to the Congressional Record, you can find floor debate on at least Nov. 15 and Nov. 18 about the provision that would have essentially forced lawsuits over vaccine additives to first be brought before the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, before possibly moving on to the courts. Hidden? I'm sorry NY Times, that's a cheap shot in a headline. But par for the course for your newspaper. How many Senators read the entire voluminous bill? Quite a few provisions were pretty much hidden, if you never read the bill.

And taking up the deceit practiced by much of the mainstream media, Mr. Firestone says: "The provision, which no one would claim responsibility for, would have prevented lawsuits by families who say a mercury-based vaccine preservative led to their children's autism." (Emphasis mine) By now, from reading my article and comments from Sen. (Doctor) Frist, you know that is simply a distortion of the facts. A flat out lie.

The "mercury-based vaccine preservative" is, of course, Thimerosal. So, keep your eyes open. These will be only a couple examples of how this issue will be cast as the "hidden" provisions that "took away people's rights to sue." Those Republican bastards who don't care about kids! But only look out for the special interests. Clever, these folks who control the major media outlets. Sometimes PRAVDA, the official government newspaper in the Communist Soviet Union, looks pretty good. At least you expected to be lied to and were prepared. In this country, we have the naive concept that we can trust the media to tell us the truth. Increasingly, that trust is violated.

The NFL Quota System For Coaches

The National Football League (NFL) has taken a step backward into a racial quota system. They require that when a team hires a new coach, at least one black applicant must be interviewed for the position. Jerry Jones met at least twice in person with Bill Parcells (11 hours of talk) about taking the Dallas Cowboy coaching job. Jerry is reported to have talked twice on the phone with Dennis Green, the black football coach. Green suggested he hoped that he was not just the black required to make the quota and was under serious consideration. You judge for yourself. What an insult to blacks and to coach Green.

Progress needs to be made on the coaching issue, but insisting that a black coach be interviewed for every coaching vacancy is simply asinine, Mr. Tagliabue. It is a step backward. Would it make any sense that for every player vacancy, you would have to interview and consider both a black and a white player, not to mention a Polynesian, and so on?

Blacks are not well represented in head coaching jobs, but there are a number of black assistant coaches. You would think that since a majority of the players in the NFL are black, it would be easier to appoint a black head coach.

The NFL should work on a plan to teach men how to lead and motivate as coaches. Just being a great former player is not enough. The Xs and Os can be handled by assistants in many cases, but a head coach needs to be an authority figure, an inspiration, a master psychologist, and a father figure to the young players.

In the off-season, the NFL should sponsor "coaching camps" to work on the many skills, other than Xs and Os, that are needed to be a coach.

Speaking of football and blacks and whites. I am constantly pleased at the sight of a white quarterback running to hug a black receiver after a touchdown or vice versa - or other black on white displays of respect and admiration. It is one thing to preach racial harmony and "getting along," but nothing is more dramatic than a white man and a black man hugging each other in front of millions of TV viewers. For that example of color-blindness, the NFL should be proud. And sports in general.

U.S. Not Alone in Passing Anti-Terror Reforms

Many countries other than the U.S. are finding that they need to rethink some of their criminal and intelligence laws in light of the widening terrorist threats. Shortly after the 9/11 attack, I was critical of the Germans for not rolling up Atta and friends who were living in Hamburg and plotting the attacks. Separation of police and intelligence activities had been accepted after WWII. Now, the intelligence service is getting some new internal powers, albeit not dramatic.

The UK is allowing foreigners to be detained without being presented to court, while they are being investigated further. The Netherlands and Belgium have made sweeping changes. Terror has spread to Australia and Indonesia. They too will have to think about new powers and changes to regulations to combat the threats.

Civil-rights groups in the U.S. get upset at every hint that somebody might have some liberty impinged upon, before any real cases even crop up. The rest of the world is coping with the same tradeoff of security versus rights of citizens - and often opting to take very stringent measures.

Now, our FBI and CIA are sharing information - 50 years late! Homeland security will have a role in bringing together all criminal and intelligence information that is related to potential terrorism. The FBI is fighting any attempt to lose its intelligence and counter-intelligence roles in this country. Historically, the CIA was forbidden to do any domestic collection of intelligence.

It used to be that people were afraid that the CIA would do bad things to Americans if they were allowed to do domestic spying. How is that concern abated by letting the FBI do domestic spying?

It makes more sense to me to set up a division in CIA devoted to domestic terrorism intelligence collection than to change the mindset and mission at the FBI, which has always been to conduct criminal investigations with an eye to prosecution. Everyone now realizes that we cannot sit around and wait to make criminal cases against potential terrorists.

Let put the responsibility with those whose job has always been the collection of intelligence - the CIA. I would suggest, however, that there be appointed a separate co-director for the domestic side at CIA, and ensure that he or she reported directly to the President.

Let South Korea Fend For Itself

Anti-American sentiment is increasing in South Korea. In part, it is due to the death of two teenage Korean girls who were accidentally killed by an American military vehicle. A military court found the driver not guilty of negligent homicide. While each life is precious, the incident has been blown all out of proportion.

Many Koreans, especially young South Koreans, have forgotten that the U.S. gave up about 40,000 American lives in protecting them against a takeover by North Korea - who were aided by the Chinese. And for 50 years, we have had around 37,000 troops stationed in South Korea - many at the DMZ dividing North from South.

As sad as the death of the two girls was, I wonder how many U.S. military personnel have died in accidents over the 50 years while we have been the protectors of the South Koreans?

American habits and attitudes always clash with Asian culture, and our troops do some stupid things, I am sure. As usual, the American fast-food places that sprung up were viewed as a threat to Korean culture, which they probably are. But, the South Koreans have forgotten who brung 'em to the dance. At least the younger generation has forgotten - or never really understood what we did for their country over many decades.

There were scenes on TV recently of Koreans beating American troops bloody with long poles and batons. It is a good thing that I, and many like me, who lost many Marine friends to the war in Korea, were not there for this outrage against our troops. I would have emptied every ammunition magazine I had into the mobs that stormed our garrisons. That would have gotten our troops out of South Korea in a hurry.

If you search, you can find many other instances of attacks on American military members in South Korea. A female Army sergeant major got cut on the arm by a group of South Korean men who harassed her along an off-post jogging trail. ("Stars and Stripes" Dec. 31, 2002)

An American Army Lt. Colonel was attacked by three Korean men, one who attempted to stab the Colonel with a knife. (Army news service, Dec. 16, 2002)

An American soldier was shot in the chest by a toy bullet fired from a passing minivan. Two soldiers, one of whom was a Korean-American were assaulted by three Koreans at the Seoul Station. (chosun.com, Dec. 20, 2002)

Molotov cocktails (bottles filled with gasoline and a lighted wick) were thrown into a U.S. military base in South Korea in November of 2002. Student radicals were believe to have been behind the incident. Twenty students hurled 10 Molotov cocktails over the main gate at Camp Grey in southeastern Seoul. Fifty activists were arrested for breaking into a U.S. military base in the suburbs of Seoul. (spacedaily.com Agence France- Presse, Nov. 28, 2002)

Over the decades since the Korean War, the United States has provided billions of dollars in economic aid to South Korea. Like so many places where we have given aid, when the locals get some coins in their pockets and things seem to be going well, they turn on the U.S. and accuse us of imperialism.

We have been through other periods of strong anti-Americanism in S. Korea. In the 1980s, students were revolting on the streets against the government and the U.S. support for the government. The U.S. Embassy became a bastion and Americans feared walking the streets in Seoul. There were some attacks on American soldiers and civilians.

In a recent candle-light vigil in S. Korea, a young lady carrying a candle said on TV that the American military should go home. "We are strong enough to defend ourselves," she said. Apparently she knows something that military strategists do not. Anti-American forces in S. Korea encourage the idea that the U.S. hinders attempts at reunification with the North.

Maybe the young lady with the candle was right. Maybe they can defend themselves. The North has a military of over 1 million. The army is about 950,000. The air force about 86,000. The South has a military of about 683,000, with an army of about 560,000, and an air force of 63,000. The South has a bigger navy than the North. And it has about 4.5 million reserve troops. One can assume that the South has better military hardware and aircraft, since it is most likely American equipment. And the North is starving to death, so perhaps the army would have little staying power in a war with the prosperous South.

We should accede to their wishes and withdraw all our troops from South Korea - next week. Let them play kissy-face on their own with the nuclear mob north of the border.

There was a demonstration of Korean-Americans in the U.S. against the not-guilty verdict in the trial of the American soldier for the accidental death of the two Korean girls. Many of those who demonstrated were probably immigrants who fled an impoverished country after the Korean war - or their American-born children. They have colossal nerve to demonstrate against the accidental death of two South Korean citizens. Have they forgotten how this country took them in and how we spent the last 50 years helping ensure the stability and progress in South Korea? And how many American lives were sacrificed to accomplish this?

We don't need Hyundais and Kias from Korea, what with all the other car choices we have. Our imports of Kimchi (pickled and fermented cabbage) might also be affected. But, you can buy Kimchi marketed by a company in San Francisco if you crave it, as I did today. They got even. I now have a hellava stomach ache.

I would buy up all the Samsung computer monitors and LCD TV screens I could before North and South Korea go to war. If there is even a Samsung factory left after the fighting, the quality control is bound to suck. In recent years, I have bought about six Samsung monitors, one just last week. I need to rethink that policy.

I am haunted by the sight of the Koreans assaulting our troops. And as I did more research, of the complete ingratitude for what we have done for them over 50 years. I am ready to forget that Korea exists.

This is the American curse. We sacrifice lives and spend billions to protect a country or an area, and then when they have money in the bank and nothing bad seems to be happening, they get all righteous, start demonstrating and tell us to go home. It happens over and over. Do you remember our bases in the Philippines? And so on.

Those snot-nosed young people in South Korea, who are demonstrating against us and beating our military men, ought to spend some time reading the history of the "South Korean Miracle." Study how all the fine cities, bustling industry, and high standard of living came to pass. They have it for one main reason, the United State of America fought the North and then stood guard for 50 years. So they could peaceably go about building their country.

Hurry! Get Your Segway Scooter Before They Are Sold Out

The Segway Human Transporter, the self-balancing electric scooter on which you stand while riding, is getting a big play on Amazon.com at $4,950 each - with a future delivery date. I suspect that the acquisition of a Segway will be like the purchase of a boat. The happiest day is when you buy the boat. The second-happiest day is when you sell the boat. Thirty-one states passed laws making it for okay to ride a Segway in public and/or on sidewalks, but not Texas.

Segway sent teams of lawyers and lobbyists to state capitals and cities to lobby for a change in the law that would allow the scooters to be driven on the public streets and sidewalks. Can you imagine what that cost? And how many gifts and trips and envelopes of cash might have been involved?

I downloaded some of the state statutes that had been amended to accommodate the Segway scooter. Here is some language in the Delaware bill:

"(78) 'Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Device' (EPAMD) means a self-balancing, two non-tandem wheeled device, designed to transport only one person, with an electric propulsion system that limits the maximum speed of the device to 15 miles per hour or less."

That describes the Segway Human Transporter, and not anything else that comes to mind. The same, or similar, language can be found in most of the other state and local laws that were amended in favor of the Segway. We hear about "special interests." This narrowly-defined exception should become a text-book case for students who study law and legislation. A Pulitzer prize is awaiting the person who digs into exactly how each of these favorable amendments were passed. It would be an interesting insight in the politics of special interests. There are some skeletons in this closet, one can be sure.

Prediction: Segway bought on Amazon.com - Segway sold in "like new" condition on eBay.

LCD Computer Monitors May Have Arrived

If you have been waiting to buy an LCD computer monitor, now may be a good time. The price of the 15-inch models is hovering around $300 or so. But, in the long run, you probably will not be happy with a 15-inch model - unless you like your 14-15-inch laptop screen and don't know any better. The 17-inch Samsung SyncMaster 171v is selling for around $500 after a rebate.

While shopping in Best Buy the other day, I noticed that some of their internal computers were using the Samsung 17-inch LCD - and they were superb. Of course, Mr. Computer had to buy the 19-inch 191T Samsung LCD, which was $799 after a rebate. What else can I do for amusement?

ViewSonic monitors and those from NEC/Mitsubishi (which get good reviews) are about in the same price range as Samsung. In early January, the price of the Samsung SyncMaster 191T at www.computers4sure.com was $799. BestBuy comes out at the same price, but only after you mail in for a $100 rebate.

The Samsung 191T has both an Analog and Digital input. My Matrox G550 video card has both, so I run the Samsung 15-inch from the Analog output and the Samsung 19-inch from the Digital output. The screen on the 191T looks like a page from a book when viewing text. In fact, it is better than a book. The pages are whiter, and I can make the fonts any size I want. Photos look like they are the real ones pasted over the screen.

A hot-shot gamer on the Web said that the 191T was the first LCD big screen that worked well on games, due to its less-than 25 ms response time. He has a very expensive 3-D gaming card. On my machine, with a less-than-optimum gaming card, there is still some blurring on fast moving objects. Since I do not play games on this computer - other than PinBall, this shortcoming does not bother me.

In commenting in an earlier Outback about big LCD screens at high resolution, I mentioned that the fonts might not show up large enough for the average user. The native resolution of the 191T is 1280 X 1024 - and LCDs look their best at their native resolution. I bumped up some fonts from 8 to 10 point or from 10 to 12 points, but overall I can read the screen without glasses because the text is so superb.

The contrast ratio of the 191T is 500:1, meaning that it is a very bright screen. I have turned the brightness down to 60% to keep from being blinded! The monitor has a 3-year warranty. I cannot imagine that I will need a better monitor within the next three years.

In Windows XP, you can also fine-tune ClearType to improve the look of the fonts. First, right-click on an open spot on the Desktop. Click on Appearance, then Effects. Check the box "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:" And in the drop-down window, select Clear Type. Click OK and OK on Display Properties.

Next, access the Internet and go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/1.htm

Here, you will find a ClearType fine-tune wizard.

At this site, Microsoft also mentions that the Verdana font was specifically designed to look good on a computer monitor screen. I had already been snooping on many big-time sites and discovered that they were using Verdana as their basic text font. So, I am in the process of changing my old Outback columns to a first choice of Verdana. FYI: a huge number of professional Web sites use the following series (pecking order) for their "body" text font: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, which are all sans-serif fonts - meaning straight sided.

There is a similar checkbox in WinME and Win98SE. Right-click on the Desktop, click on Properties, Effects, and check the box "Smooth edges of screen fonts." On WinME there is a note: "For best results, your video card and monitor should support high color (16-bit color)."

The 191T also comes with Pivot software (www.portrait.com). This allows you to turn your monitor to the portrait mode (long side vertical) and read documents and web pages in the same ratio as a page of paper. The software allows you to flip back and forth between landscape and portrait. If you turn the screen to the vertical (portrait mode), your screen measures about 14 3/4 inches top to bottom.

The software vendor says that about 50% of its users end up leaving the monitor turned vertical and most often work in portrait mode, except for spreadsheets. You probably never thought about it, but our monitors have always been in a landscape configuration and we most often view documents in a portrait mode. What a surprise when I thought about that! The obvious escaped me for over 20 years.

Even with the screen in the landscape mode (wider than it is high) and with a 12-point font, this document shows 45 lines on one screen on the Samsung 191T. And between WordPerfect and Windows, there are 7 horizontal taskbars taking up space. In Page mode, I can view one entire page at a time, in 12-point type and with all the taskbars taking up space. In I.E. 6, when I go into Print Preview mode on the Web, two pages display at one time.

Some other day I will get brave enough to install the Pivot software. Right now, everything with the monitor is working great. Don't mess with success. It comes so seldom with computers.

The 17-inch LCD monitors are about the equivalent of a 19-inch CRT because of the wide mask around CRT screens. The 19-inch Samsung LCD is a true 19-inch screen, which puts it about on par with the real-estate you see on a 21-inch CRT. There are other fine LCD monitors, other than Samsung - some with a lot higher prices. Go to a store where they are on display in "monitor row" and you can compare. But, if you are going to buy mail order, you will hardly go wrong with either the Samsung 171V or 191T. That is, unless the Anti-Americanism and attacks on our troops in South Korea turns you off as a buyer. (The 191T comes with either a black or silver bezel. I have black, and that is probably preferred.)

Samsung is a South-Korean company. The 191T I just bought was assembled in Mexico! The Koreans were so successful, that they priced themselves out of the labor market. A familiar story.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Richard C. Rhodes

You are welcome to quote sections from this page - or the whole page, as long as the source URL is included. Of course, I would be flattered if anyone linked to this page. It is very hard to be the writer, editor, fact checker, copy editor, and publisher of anything. So, I beg your forgiveness for the many mistakes that creep in.

Suggested Reading From Past Columns

Click Here for Suggested Reading List

Archive of Back Issues

Back Issues

Media List of Addresses and e-mails

Media List

Postal Service State Abbreviations, etc.

Postal Service Abbreviations

Back to Richard's Home Page

Richard C. Rhodes