eXlink take 2
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Welcome to Jestertunes! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Feel free to leave a comment, read through the archives, and enjoy yourself. See you again real soon!

Hmm… seems I’ve PISSED someone off on these here intertubes by this post about the new web traffic generator social networking site from the makers of Blogmad, eXlink. [Edit: Thanks to Paul from eXlink for the correction!]

On the original post, the comment left was:

From Nope: You failed to disclose that you receive something for referring signups to this particular site.

Well, Nope. First let me respond by saying that the eXlink website is quite unclear that anyone receives anything for referrals to the site. It’s all very cryptic. Tina over at “Recommended” has a post quoting the marketing language used. (And in the interest of “full disclosure” I’m renting space at her site this week.)

Secondly, it wasn’t until after the post was written, and someone actually signed up using the link from my site, did I receive the following email from eXlink:

Congratulations! One of the people you invited has signed up to the site and you have been credited with a referral for the launch!

Remember, you can use this url to invite more people: [snipped url]

See you soon,
The eXlinks Team

So it seems I have been “credited with a referral.” I have no idea what that means. Frankly unless it involves sexual favors, or large sums of money, I don’t really care.

And lastly, Dear Nope, fuck you very much.

For you, NopeIt’s my blog, my writing, my opinions, my recommendations, and my prerogative to “disclose” or withold any information as I see fit. I pay for this site out of my pocket, and have built the entire thing from the ground up. I get to say whatever I want, whenever I want. And until those in power completely destroy our First Amendment Rights, that’s the way it shall stay.

If you want “full disclosure” from your blog authors, I suggest you head over to some corporate or politically sponsored website, say Fox News, CNN, MSNBC or the like. I’m SURE they fully disclose their kickbacks from their sponsors.*

:: laughs about having never been accused of not saying enough::

* In case you’re wondering, why yes, that is sarcasm dripping from the screen.

Time sails by
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From the “Random Ramblings” file…

My little brother asked me a disturbing question last night:

Hey- What are you thinking about for Mom and Dad’s Christmas presents?

Uh. I hadn’t even thought about it. Christmas? Are you kidding me? It’s only Sept. emmm.. ber? Oh. Shit.

Travel plans have to be made. Are we even travelling? Money has to be saved. Yeah, right.

And then there’s The List that has to be made. People who we need to buy gifts for, and then what we should get them.

One of my new friends is really into science fiction and fantasy stuff. I ran across that site today and the front page has a link to buy The Dark Crystal. I love that movie. I’ll have to be sneaky and see if he owns it already. I really don’t know what else to do. Maybe something over at scifi.com. I’ve never been in to that stuff myself. I don’t understand the appeal. I mean, I like science, and I like fiction, but I can’t seem to get into the combination of the two. Scotty beam me up? Phasers set to stun? *yawn*

Though I do enjoy World of Warcraft. Does that make me a hypocrite?

Some photo album updates
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P1010701I found a bunch of photos today that I thought I had lost in a recent hard drive failure. So I decided to upload some of them to the photo album while I was backing them up to my archive drive. There are updates to the Jester album, the UMB album, I scanned some older pics of Toby, and I added one for the dogs. I have a ton of pics to sort through and will be uploading more over the next few days.

P7090720P6171850
In case you haven’t met them yet, our canine housemates are Hudson, a 7 month old Anatolian Shepherd (we think), and Gracie, a two year old black lab-pointer mix.

eXlink
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There are many blog traffic generator websites out there, I personally belong to two, Blogexplosion and Blogmad. There’s a new one on the horizon claiming to be the best thing to come to traffic generation.

It’s currently in the ’signup phase’ now, and is based on referrals. So here’s a link for your clickage: eXlink.

Why join a traffic generator? Well… blogging isn’t any fun if no one reads what you have to say. It’s especially no fun if there are no comments. Generators bring traffic to your site, and makes it easy to find new readers, and brings your attention to other sites you might enjoy.

So yeah, sign up, and let’s see what happens together, mmmkay?

Blog of the Day
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Received via my Contact Page today:

Blog of the Day Awards wrote:
I know you did not nominate your own site but I went ahead and added it to the
nominees and …

Your site has won a Blog of the Day Award (BOTDA)

Blog Of The Day Awards Winner

So yeah, that’s cool. :) Thanks for the votes!

We interrupt this program for an important announcement
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STOP IT!

STOP making me scared for my future. STOP IT NOW!

If you missed it, the Senate passed a bill yesterday that not only TRAMPLES on the Bill of Rights, it laughs in the face of the Geneva Conventions. There’s a great article written by Molly Ivins that does much to explain exactly what this bill does. (Thanks Kristy for the link.)

I am sick of the “religious right.” I am sick of this dysfunctional bi-partisan system. I am the furthest thing from a Republican. But I’ve discovered that I’m not a Democrat, either.

Democrats are pussies. They can’t stand up and speak their mind. They are not organized. They are not REPRESENTING me or my friends… you know those of us who believe that our rights are inalienable. That the President does NOT have the right to start wars, name enemy combatants, detain and TORTURE anyone he deems worthy. That he DOES have to have a search warrant to listen to our phone calls, read our emails, arrest us or otherwise wipe his ass with the Constitution.

I am really sorry for everyone who lost a loved one in the attacks on September 11. I really am. It was devastating, and awful and worthy of revenge.

Enough is ENOUGH. Do you think any of the 3000 people killed that day would approve of what is happening now? Do you think they would agree that the thousands and thousands of Afgani and Iraqi civilians that have been killed by our troops is still not enough? Do you think the loss of 2500+ American soldiers would be ok with them? I don’t think so.

Our government is failing us. Miserably. And what’s worse, we sit around talking about it… watching bobbleheads run their mouths on any one of our 500 cable channels… but no one is DOING ANYTHING!

Bill Clinton got a fucking BLOWJOB and did what nearly every red-blooded man on the planet would do, he lied about it. The entire world fell apart. Called for and received his impeachment.

Where are those people now? How much more will they let Bush get away with? How long before the Democrats grow spines and put a stop to this shit? How long before even the Republicans become embarrassed?

To my foreign readers, I am ashamed. I am ashamed that we are the unfunny joke of the world. I am ashamed that we are pushing an idea of democracy all over the planet, when our own is NOT WORKING.

I guess the bright spot is that within two years, we will no longer have a democracy to worry about.

And just because it’s not posted enough, and not read enough, and not committed to memory… I’d like to include here the text of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, aka, The Bill of Rights:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program already in progress…