I just got back from watching "Pirates of the Carribean". My favorite line from the movie:

Piracy can be the right course of action.

Oh yes, the irony...

I received my preliminary transfer evalutions from U of C. They were supposed to have sent it to me way back in May, but apparently my file never made it to the right person until I emailed them last week. In any case, it says I still need to take 21 to 28 classes which should take 7-9 quarters, or 2-3 years (there are three actual quarters in a year, not counting summer) to finish my CompSci degree (not sure if it's the BA or BS).

Unfortunately, most of my credits only transfer as electives, which means I have less of an excuse to take classes "just for fun", and only one of my classes will transfer as a General Ed (or "Core" as they call it). But then, their Core requirement is something I actually look forward to, so it doesn't bother me too much. Also, if all my CSCI classes from Chico transfer, I'll only have 9 more CompSci classes to go, which comes down to around 1 per quarter.

The real remaining concern is financial aid. We're supposed to get our first bill sometime in the next week or so, but we haven't heard back from the financial aid people, which means we really don't know how we're going to pay for it all. This has been an interesting experience for me, because it's actually the first time in my life that I've needed more money than I can muster (either myself or with my parents' help). We don't consider ourselves rich, but our family has always been able to afford what we needed, plus a little extra, until now. My dad apparently couldn't sleep the day I got my admissions letter because no matter how we ran through the numbers, he knew it was more than he could afford. But I've been telling him not to worry too much. I'll take what they can give, but I'll pay the rest by getting loans. I don't really care much for money, but if I come out of college with a $100k loan, I probably wouldn't have a choice but to make money. And I figured, if I really had to make money, I probably could too. There's not a whole lot that I've really wanted to do that I couldn't do after all.

Former priest John Geoghan, a convicted child molester, was strangled to death in prison, supposedly by another inmate. He was in the so-called "protective custody" wing, where prisoners who may be in danger from other inmates are held.

I found the following quote in this article:

A state lawmaker who serves on a committee overseeing prisons said he wasn't sure whether the Legislature should look into Geoghan's death. "Not to sound cold here, but growing up, you hear about jail-house justice and this might be a case of that," said state Representative Demetrius J. Atsalis, a Barnstable Democrat on the Joint Committee on Public Safety. "Those who prey on children aren't seen in the same light as other convicts. Is it shocking? I don't think so. His crime was against children and convicts know that -- they don't like it."

I don't particularly like child molestors, but when a convicted criminal is in prison, the state has the moral and legal obligation to treat him humanely, not to mention, keep him alive. There's supposed to be a difference between a prison sentence and a death sentence. But obviously, the very people responsible don't seem to care.

This seems to be another sign that members of our government approve of extra-legal remedies, or worse, think that there's "justice" beyond the law. If that's the case, why the heck do we have laws? Why have rights? Why have due process? Oh wait. These people are throwing away rights, ignoring due process, and illegally invading countries. The leaders of this country must like that though. After all, if you can ignore laws, there's not a whole lot that you can't do.