Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Agree To Disagree

Sometimes I describe situations this way: "It's like Iran and Iraq having a war." It's for situations that are the antithesis of the "win-win" experiences my wife enjoys describing. I can be contrary, on occasion, but these aren't exactly "lose-lose" situations. They are more like "we all win while they work out their differences on each other" kind of deals. It's how I feel when the Kansas City Chiefs play the Oakland Raiders. If it could all end in some awful, muddy tie, that would be fine with me, the Denver Broncos fan. Just let them beat on each other for four quarters, maybe even overtime, and then call it a day. Everyone else benefits from their futile struggles. I understand in this particular model that being from Kansas City or Oakland, or Iran or Iraq, your results might differ.
So let's try a different set of parameters. The U.S. government would like very much to have Apple and its technicians to unlock a cellphone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino killings last December. In hopes of finding out if there were any further bits of evidence or complications and certainly no important clues that might lead us to stamping out terrorism once and for all. Apple has said that it won't comply, citing privacy concerns for iPhone users past, present and future. The Justice Department, for its part, isn't having any of that, suggesting that Apple's stance "appears to be based on its concern for its business model and public brand marketing strategy." Apple, the corporation, acting out of a less-than-selfless sense of duty? Easy enough to believe. They are the ones who put the "i" back into corporate earnings. See? There it is, right near the end.
The other side doesn't have to be the Justice Department. They're just doing their job, after all: catching terrorists, or at least giving the appearance of catching terrorists. Instead, let's put on the other side Donald J. Trumpet. It is the Republican candidate's stance that we should all boycott all things Apple until this matter is settled and all the bad guys have been rounded up. Mister Trumpnot does not own an iPhone, according to his handlers, which makes his part in this action pretty simple: venting his spleen. As a Windows-based concern I don't have a horse in this race either, but I don't really want that which is Trump to succeed based on his momentary whim to halt other's capitalist endeavors. Maybe this Apple/Trump imbroglio can keep them both occupied long enough to put off yet another slightly larger version of that iPhone or yet another iteration of iTunes and maybe Humpty Trumpty will be distracted from his campaign long enough to lose a few dozen points in the polls.
And meantime, the world keeps spinning for the rest of us while they spin their wheels.

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