While surfing the net, there are a number of times that you don’t want to give out your real email address. For example, you come across a site that says you must enter an email address to view the content of a help article. Why do they need your email address?

Now, there is an easy solution: Disposable email addresses!

Just enter any address at mailinator.com, then go to their site, type in the address, and presto, your mail awaits.

1. Make it unique: Of course the catch is that none of the email is password protected. So you may want to choose a unique name that someone will not guess. Don’t choose bob@mailinator.com. Instead, choose bobddcc8888d3df@mailinator.com. That way,
2. Don’t use for private information: Someone could view the email besides you, so don’t use it for private information.
3. Delete the message: It works when camping. Leave the site as you found it! You can delete the messages. So if you really want to hide your trail, just delete it.

As of posting this, I have 17 Google wave invites that I do not know what to do with. If you would like to receive one, Mention this blog in your own blog, directly linking to any post besides this one. Then comment on this post. First 17 get an invite.

Good luck!

For a long time, I’ve wanted to make homemade tortillas. At least a few obstacles stood in my way.

First of all, time was an issue. I usually don’t have time to spend much of my day learning a new recipe and everything. On the weekends, we are almost always out doing something and usually not at home. Secondly, I did not have a recipe, but my wife found a great tortilla recipe on a blog she reads. Finally, I just never had the motivation on the right day to do it. Fortunately, my wife provided this by setting aside some time today to try the recipe.

Tortillas are so easy to make, I don’t know why I had not tried it before. Even more important, the fresh tortillas are amazingly tasty!

Here is the recipe:

That’s all it takes to get some fresh tortillas. Mix up some rice, beans, meat, cheese, salsa, and anything else that you like on a burrito, and you have a great meal!

I saw this commercial during the Packers/Vikings game and thought it was a good one.

A couple days ago, I gave a speech to the 39a Republicans. There were three other people that gave speeches to the same group, all except myself were gubernatorial candiates. These included Marty Seifert, Pat Anderson, and Tom Emmers.

I considered it an honor to speak during this event, and would like to thank Bill Jungbauer for asking me to do so. Below, I have included the text of my speech.

Beyond the Tea Party

Terry Pearson – August 20, 2009

Greetings from your neighbors in 39b.

I would like to give a special thanks to Chairman Jungbauer for giving me this opportunity to make this address at your picnic.

As you know, there has been a resurgence of conservatism across our country throughout the past year. Nationally, the Tea Party movement ignited a firestorm of activity among conservatives. Locally, the tax cut rallies have brought thousands to support the “lower taxes” and the “more freedom” message.

Because of your response, and the diligent efforts of many of the Republican legislators, the largest tax increase in Minnesota history was halted for the time being. Thanks to Governor Pawlenty’s veto, along with his ingenious use of unallotment, our state budget’s footprint shrank, in real dollars, for the first time in history.

At a critical juncture in time, you stood up for what was right, and that made all the difference. Whether you called your representatives, showed up at rallies, or wrote letters to the editor, you were heard, and you were effective.

Ronald Reagan once said “If you don’t do this, and I don’t do this, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free.” He was speaking of beating back socialized medicine, but the same could have applied to higher taxes, or any other issue we fight against. Government encroachment does not hold prejudice to one issue; it is an enemy to freedom wherever it exists.

You all played a stunning round of defense over the previous year. We forced the proponents of bigger government, and higher taxes, to the other side of the field, but the battle is far from over.  Now is not the time to sit back, relax, and take off your shoes. If we want to win, if we want to truly create meaningful change, we must move to the offense.

What will you do to take on the liberal establishment?  Will you bring your conservative ideas to newspapers, to friends, and to family? Will you take the fight to the next level by running for office?

Traditionally, Republican strategists have ignored the school board, the planning commissions, or the soil and water board. To our detriment, we have often ceded these positions to our left leaning neighbors.  This is unfortunate, because many of the decisions that are made by these entities have a great affect on the community.

There are dozens of places where you can serve, all for varying interests and time commitments. For example, South St Paul has three school board positions opening up this fall. Why not put your name on the ballot. We all know how lacking the public schools are of strong conservative voices. This would be your chance to build a message of responsible government to the community. Or, ask to serve on any number of city or county commissions. Many of these positions only take a couple evenings a month, but they make a big difference in the communities in which we live.

As conservatives, we believe that the power comes from God, to the people, and then to the government. As federalists, we believe that government’s power is derived first from what is local. So please consider serving your fellow citizens. Let us build a strong conservative governing base at the local level.

The tax cut rallies and tea parties are a great starting point. They emboldened and impassioned the conservative cause, but they are not an end in themselves. Take some time this week to think about running for a position on school board, or maybe applying to a planning commission. Maybe even consider something bigger.

Get out there, and get involved. Let’s take this game to the offense.  Because if you don’t do it, and I don’t do it, we will have to provide an answer to future generations why we did not take those seemingly small steps to provide a future that is free and prosperous for their generation.

Thank you.

Democrat Congressman John Conyers really put his foot in his mouth this time. He just told the press that he does not see the point of actually reading the health car bill (yet he supports it).

It seems that it would be too much effort for him to do the job that people put him there for. Maybe it’s time the 14th congressional district in Michigan elect leaders who actually will do the job they are commissioned to do.

To be sure, Congressman John Conyers should not feel alone. President Barack Obama also admitted that he did not read the bill. In fact, he said he was not even familiar with it.

This is a Stonehenge style seating wall. Jessica and I had dreamed about building this for a while now.

Originally, we thought it would be awesome to surround our patio with a stone bench like this one. Due to several reasons, we decided to go smaller. After we get the planters taken care of, it will provide a nice “natural” seating area on our patio that still allows flow into the main part of our backyard.

The seating wall is made out of 15″ Catalina style blocks going horizontal and 15″ Belgian style patio blocks going vertical. The blocks are held together with PL masonry adhesive.

I originally saw this displayed at Menards. After talking to the guys who built the display, I realized that it was easy enough to do it myself.

The total length of the bench was about 11 feet. It’s total weight was approximately 1500 lbs.

For those of you who use Twitter, you probably are familiar with the “Reply” syntax (i.e. @TerryPearson message message …).  However, did you know that there are other options as well.

For example, there is a command that is similar to “poke” in Facebook. In Twitter, it is called “nudge.” To use it, just type “Nudge TerryPearson” (fill in whatever username is appropriate in place of “TerryPearson”).

Here is a more complete list of Twitter advanced features and commands. Happy Twittering!

• @username + message
  

directs a twitter at another person, and causes your twitter to save in their “replies” tab.
Example: @meangrape I love that song too!

• D username + message

sends a person a private message that goes to their device, and saves in their web archive.
Example: d krissy want to pick a Jamba Juice for me while you’re there?

• WHOIS username

retrieves the profile information for any public user on Twitter.
Example: whois jack

• GET username

retrieves the latest Twitter update posted by the person.
Example: get goldman

• NUDGE username

reminds a friend to update by asking what they’re doing on your behalf.
Example: nudge biz

• FAV username

marks a person’s last twitter as a favorite. (hint: reply to any update with FAV to mark it as a favorite if you’re receiving it in real time)
Example: fav al3x

• STATS

this command returns your number of followers, how many people you’re following, and which words you’re tracking.

• INVITE phone number
  

will send an SMS invite to a friend’s mobile phone.
Example: Invite 415 555 1212

This is a great interview covering the new Department of Homeland Security report, the tax tea parties (April 15, 2009), and the shifts in support of the Patriot Act by many politicians.

I have never been too passionate one way or another about the patriot act, but now that I see what it could do if in the wrong hands, I really think it is best for us to get rid of it.

I have been trying to pinpoint it for a while. What do you call a government that does not eliminate the markets, but instead simply controls the markets with an iron fist?

At first look, one might say we are just “regulating” capitalism. Sarbanes-Oxley is a prime example of this. While the law makes some tough regulations and requirements, it does not try to direct the flow and direction of the businesses themselves. Sarbanes-Oxley is simply an example of regulating capitalism. Whether or not you agree with the law, one could not conclude that this law is in itself a rejection of capitalism.

On the other hand, recent actions by the financial and regulatory bodies, as well as actions by the United States congress and president have been looking a lot more like socialism than capitalism. The request by the Obama administration for congress to give the treasury secratary the power to sieze companies that are “in the national interest.”

So what do you call a system of government where the government does not directly oppose free markets but instead seeks to control the players in free markets, and when necessary, take over companies in the name of national interest?

This question has been on my mind off and on for a while now. We always talk about communism/socialism, and we always talk about capitalism. We learn that most governments fit into these molds. France = Socialist, China = Communist, Australia = Capitalist…

But, some behaviors of government do not really fit the mold. For example, Benito Mussolini’s Italy showed tendancies of socialism, but also chose not to eliminate the appearance of the free markets.

What Mussolini’s government embraced was a type of government known as Fascism. According to Mussolini:

The foundation of Fascism is the conception of the State, its character, its duty, and its aim. Fascism conceives of the State as an absolute, in comparison with which all individuals or groups are relative, only to be conceived of in their relation to the State…

…The Fascist State organizes the nation, but leaves a sufficient margin of liberty to the individual; the latter is deprived of all useless and possibly harmful freedom, but retains what is essential; the deciding power in this question cannot be the individual, but the State alone.

The proposed and instituted policies of the U.S.  are more similar to Mussolini’s government than the Communism of the Soviets or the Socialism of the French.

Sheldon Richman’s article on Fascism in the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics gives a good description of the Fascist aspect of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal:

In the United States, beginning in 1933, the constellation of government interventions known as the New Deal had features suggestive of the corporate state. The National Industrial Recovery Act created code authorities and codes of practice that governed all aspects of manufacturing and commerce. The National Labor Relations Act made the federal government the final arbiter in labor issues. The Agricultural Adjustment Act introduced central planning to farming. The object was to reduce competition and output in order to keep prices and incomes of particular groups from falling during the Great Depression.

It is a matter of controversy whether President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal was directly influenced by fascist economic policies. Mussolini praised the New Deal as “boldly . . . interventionist in the field of economics,” and Roosevelt complimented Mussolini for his “honest purpose of restoring Italy” and acknowledged that he kept “in fairly close touch with that admirable Italian gentleman.” Also, Hugh Johnson, head of the National Recovery Administration, was known to carry a copy of Raffaello Viglione’s pro-Mussolini book, The Corporate State, with him, presented a copy to Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, and, on retirement, paid tribute to the Italian dictator.

Most of the New Deal is still in existence today. The current economic crisis has been a catalyst for further fascization of the U.S. economy. When congress decided to bail out certain companies, but reject others in the same industries, it crossed a line. When President Obama ordered Rick Wagoner out of General Motors, the U.S. government crossed a line.