There's a lot that can be said for keeping your mouth shut. This is especially true when you don't know what you or whom you are talking about. GOP candidate for Governor of New Hampshire and
"statutory resident" of Maryland for purposes of taxation,
Walt Havenstein first managed to tick off liberal Republicans with his for his support Hobby Lobby decision. Then without missing a beat he seems to be deliberately picking a fight with the Tea Party. If he really wants to pick a fight I'm sure he can have one.
This guy is a real card! His sense of humor should serve him well on election night.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
One in 5 British web sites blocked by idiotic porn filters
Did anyone in England ever hear of George Orwell? One would think there would still be a few Brits around who remember the civil servant turned author. Orwellian is the first adjective that jumps to mind, followed by imbecile. Start with the noble goal of protecting children from pornography, hire programmers to write algorithms that filter content, and what do you get? One in five British web sites are blocked by David Cameron's silly porn filters including a Porsche dealer and a political blogs, Guido Fawkes and SheRights.com.
The Porsche dealer, Philip Raby remarked, " 'we must have lost some business and, of course, it doesn't look great telling people the site is not suitable for under 18s!"
Guido Fawkes Editor Paul Staines said: "We would really appreciate it if TalkTalk would remove us from their block list. The only people who block us are them and the Chinese government."
Don't associate Guido Fawkes with Occupy Wall Street, Staines is a pretty conventional British conservative and SheRights is a pretty conventional American feminist blog.
Motherboard points to a lack of transparency as to how the filters are set and herein lies the danger. Would anyone trust the Obama administration with a free hand to regulate web content aside from most MSNBC hosts?
The Porsche dealer, Philip Raby remarked, " 'we must have lost some business and, of course, it doesn't look great telling people the site is not suitable for under 18s!"
Guido Fawkes Editor Paul Staines said: "We would really appreciate it if TalkTalk would remove us from their block list. The only people who block us are them and the Chinese government."
Don't associate Guido Fawkes with Occupy Wall Street, Staines is a pretty conventional British conservative and SheRights is a pretty conventional American feminist blog.
Motherboard points to a lack of transparency as to how the filters are set and herein lies the danger. Would anyone trust the Obama administration with a free hand to regulate web content aside from most MSNBC hosts?
Police shoot unarmed man; get PTS counseling
Two Florida detective shoot and kill an unarmed man "because he moved the wrong way" so how does
Pasco County (Florida) Sheriff's Department respond. It provides them with post traumatic stress counseling.
"When you talk about post-traumatic stress," Pasco County Sheriff Nocco said, "this is one of the things that will come to your mind immediately."
The fact that Brown wasn't armed isn't a concern, though, Nocco said. His criminal history included charges of armed robbery and grand theft.
"Nobody ever goes into these buy-busts thinking they're going to have to shoot somebody," he said. "That's not the intention."
Silly us! Why should anyone be concerned as to whether the deceased posed a threat to the police?
"When you talk about post-traumatic stress," Pasco County Sheriff Nocco said, "this is one of the things that will come to your mind immediately."
The fact that Brown wasn't armed isn't a concern, though, Nocco said. His criminal history included charges of armed robbery and grand theft.
"Nobody ever goes into these buy-busts thinking they're going to have to shoot somebody," he said. "That's not the intention."
Silly us! Why should anyone be concerned as to whether the deceased posed a threat to the police?
Friday, July 4, 2014
Electronic Frontier Foundation And Greenpeace Launch Blimp Over NSA Data Center
Plenty of nightmare surveillance theories surround the million-square-foot NSA facility opened last year in Bluffdale, Utah. Any locals driving by the gargantuan complex Friday morning saw something that may inspire new ones: A massive blimp hovering over the center, with the letters NSA printed on its side.
Read more at http://www.wired.com/2014/06/protestors-launch-a-135-foot-blimp-over-the-nsas-utah-data-center/9
Revisiting Spike Lee's Prophecy And Projecting Obama's Place In History
Happy Fourth of July, Everyone!
We are revisiting several subjects with the following vid. This is Spike Lee's landmark declaration that history will be divided into Before Barack and After Barack. In a sadly ironic way, Spike Lee might have had a Jeane Dixon moment. Barack Obama might be one of the most pivotal and important people in the history of the United States.
Institutions that might forever be changed by Barack Obama include:
1.) The Democratic Party. Things look bad for the donkey. 2014 might be 2010 all over again. The Dems could lose the Senate. Nixon damaged his party for over half a century. Americans were so disgusted by Nixon-era corruption and general mismanagement that red states turned blue and men like Harkin and Waxman and Leahy would get a foothold on lifetime employment. In some sense we still live in the Nixon era.
Obama has inflicted multiple wounds on the Democratic Party. Beyond a record that includes record deficits, inflation, poor or negative economic growth, a disastrous foreign policy record, dereliction of duty, immigration chaos, scandal, ineptitude and more scandal, Obama has overseen a civil war within his own party. Don't think for a heartbeat that the Clinton Coalition will soon make peace with the Obama Coalition. This is a fragile peace at best.
2.) The Republican Party. Inadvertently, Obama might be responsible for the metamorphosis of the GOP. The party of Delay and Rove and Romney is becoming the party of Paul and Cruz and Gowdy. That might not have happened had Hillary or McCain won the presidency in 2008. The Republican Party is a-changing and we can thank Barack Obama for providing the impetus for change.
3.) The Tea Party. I have no doubt that if the Tea Party had been hatched during the Clinton Administration, it would have withered on the vine (top that mixed metaphor!) Principle would be no match for the Clinton Charm. Bill would have us believe he invented the Tea Party himself. The anti-charm of Obama is another matter. He has been a fundraiser's dream for dozens of groups and should the IRS harassment be curtailed, he could be benefit hundreds of other non-profit groups.
4.) Socialized Medicine. Blame it on overreach. Blame it on method. Blame it on gross incompetence. Had they taken an incremental, patient approach we might have had a permanent national health care system like they have in most European countries. As it is, the ACA's repeal is only a matter of time. When it is gone, it will be at least a decade--if not much longer--before something like Obamacare is ever again proposed.
5.) Illegal immigrants. This script is not written yet. Either tens of millions of illegals flood our public schools and hospitals and welfare system or America says "enough is enough." Either way, the outcome will be associated with Barack Obama.
6.) The mainstream media. They were losing ground before Obama. They wagered their last scrap of credibility to advance the agenda of their messiah. Hard as it is to imagine, all of the network news shows have lost viewers since 2007. MSNBC and CNN do not fare much better. NYT, WAPO, etc.? Don't ask.
We could add to this short list. The fate of the EPA, the global warming fiasco, solar power, large scale wind farms are but a few things that might find their high water mark during the Obama Administration. And Oprah and Deepak and Dave Matthews and Spike Lee for that matter, have never gotten their mojo back.
Yes, we might yet classify history as Before Obama and After Obama.
BB AND AB
We are revisiting several subjects with the following vid. This is Spike Lee's landmark declaration that history will be divided into Before Barack and After Barack. In a sadly ironic way, Spike Lee might have had a Jeane Dixon moment. Barack Obama might be one of the most pivotal and important people in the history of the United States.
Institutions that might forever be changed by Barack Obama include:
1.) The Democratic Party. Things look bad for the donkey. 2014 might be 2010 all over again. The Dems could lose the Senate. Nixon damaged his party for over half a century. Americans were so disgusted by Nixon-era corruption and general mismanagement that red states turned blue and men like Harkin and Waxman and Leahy would get a foothold on lifetime employment. In some sense we still live in the Nixon era.
Obama has inflicted multiple wounds on the Democratic Party. Beyond a record that includes record deficits, inflation, poor or negative economic growth, a disastrous foreign policy record, dereliction of duty, immigration chaos, scandal, ineptitude and more scandal, Obama has overseen a civil war within his own party. Don't think for a heartbeat that the Clinton Coalition will soon make peace with the Obama Coalition. This is a fragile peace at best.
2.) The Republican Party. Inadvertently, Obama might be responsible for the metamorphosis of the GOP. The party of Delay and Rove and Romney is becoming the party of Paul and Cruz and Gowdy. That might not have happened had Hillary or McCain won the presidency in 2008. The Republican Party is a-changing and we can thank Barack Obama for providing the impetus for change.
3.) The Tea Party. I have no doubt that if the Tea Party had been hatched during the Clinton Administration, it would have withered on the vine (top that mixed metaphor!) Principle would be no match for the Clinton Charm. Bill would have us believe he invented the Tea Party himself. The anti-charm of Obama is another matter. He has been a fundraiser's dream for dozens of groups and should the IRS harassment be curtailed, he could be benefit hundreds of other non-profit groups.
4.) Socialized Medicine. Blame it on overreach. Blame it on method. Blame it on gross incompetence. Had they taken an incremental, patient approach we might have had a permanent national health care system like they have in most European countries. As it is, the ACA's repeal is only a matter of time. When it is gone, it will be at least a decade--if not much longer--before something like Obamacare is ever again proposed.
5.) Illegal immigrants. This script is not written yet. Either tens of millions of illegals flood our public schools and hospitals and welfare system or America says "enough is enough." Either way, the outcome will be associated with Barack Obama.
6.) The mainstream media. They were losing ground before Obama. They wagered their last scrap of credibility to advance the agenda of their messiah. Hard as it is to imagine, all of the network news shows have lost viewers since 2007. MSNBC and CNN do not fare much better. NYT, WAPO, etc.? Don't ask.
We could add to this short list. The fate of the EPA, the global warming fiasco, solar power, large scale wind farms are but a few things that might find their high water mark during the Obama Administration. And Oprah and Deepak and Dave Matthews and Spike Lee for that matter, have never gotten their mojo back.
Yes, we might yet classify history as Before Obama and After Obama.
BB AND AB
When Al Franken Dodges The President...
Maybe Pat Leahy will do a fundraiser with you in Vermont.
MINNESOTA AIN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US
MINNESOTA AIN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Dork sings Justice Ginsburg's dissent.
Meet the next Bob Dylan. My first thought was it's a parody but no. This dork is serious as a heart attack. He probably pals around with Pajama Boy and follows Michelle on Twitter. Ginsburg's dissent ran 33 pages so this can't be the full text.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Obama Zombies
Trying hard to understand the inexplicable appeal of Barack Obama, I ordered a used copy of Jason Mattera'a "Obama Zombies" from a seller on Amazon.
To his credit:
1. Mattera reveals even more instances of Obot religiosity. The Bowdoin students singing "Amazing Grace" on election night 2008 speaks libraries about the new denomination and its zealots.
2. The influence of empty-headed celebrities is revisited in even more detail. It's hard to imagine the likes of Dave Matthews shaping the opinions of more than half of the voting public in say, 1976. Unfortunately, things are different in this century.
3. In the Golden Age of Sycophancy dirty lips rule the day. The irony of media-sanctioned "satirists" like Stewart and Colbert providing a steady rain of pubescent flattery for The One has been discussed in a multitude of forums. But the revered and respected and lauded and praised Joe Klein comparing Obama to a rainbow...will bring the reader to tears of either laughter or sorrow.
Unfortunately Mattera did not have enough nuggets of Obama worship to fill a book. At some point he goes off-track and recites the party line on a host of "liberal vs. conservative" issues, like global warming, health care, jihad, etc. "Obama Zombies" goes generic and we are treated to the not exactly surprising opinions of an Ann Coulter wannabe.
On a scale from 1 to 5, I give "Obama Zombies" a 2.
To his credit:
1. Mattera reveals even more instances of Obot religiosity. The Bowdoin students singing "Amazing Grace" on election night 2008 speaks libraries about the new denomination and its zealots.
2. The influence of empty-headed celebrities is revisited in even more detail. It's hard to imagine the likes of Dave Matthews shaping the opinions of more than half of the voting public in say, 1976. Unfortunately, things are different in this century.
3. In the Golden Age of Sycophancy dirty lips rule the day. The irony of media-sanctioned "satirists" like Stewart and Colbert providing a steady rain of pubescent flattery for The One has been discussed in a multitude of forums. But the revered and respected and lauded and praised Joe Klein comparing Obama to a rainbow...will bring the reader to tears of either laughter or sorrow.
Unfortunately Mattera did not have enough nuggets of Obama worship to fill a book. At some point he goes off-track and recites the party line on a host of "liberal vs. conservative" issues, like global warming, health care, jihad, etc. "Obama Zombies" goes generic and we are treated to the not exactly surprising opinions of an Ann Coulter wannabe.
On a scale from 1 to 5, I give "Obama Zombies" a 2.
Hobby Lobby Wins
This is a big story with a lot of facets. On a visceral level, this is pretty cut and dry. Religious freedom won. Federal micromanagement loses. It was fun to watch the MSNBC crowd shape this as some sort of gendercide plot. War on` women. Reproductive health. Slogan overload.
For the Dems, this will push the ACA back into the limelight. As the MSM left this subject, the administration was sipping champagne in the Rose Garden. They had met their enrollment numbers. No need to examine the alleged statistics. ACA is a popular success. Nothing to see here folks. Roll the credits.
I am no soothsayer but I am going to go out on a limb and say that Obamacare will be the most important issue of the 2014 mid-term elections. Hobby Lobby has brought the train wreck back center stage (you can't mix metaphor better than that with a Waring blender) where it belongs.
Thank you, Hobby Lobby!
For the Dems, this will push the ACA back into the limelight. As the MSM left this subject, the administration was sipping champagne in the Rose Garden. They had met their enrollment numbers. No need to examine the alleged statistics. ACA is a popular success. Nothing to see here folks. Roll the credits.
I am no soothsayer but I am going to go out on a limb and say that Obamacare will be the most important issue of the 2014 mid-term elections. Hobby Lobby has brought the train wreck back center stage (you can't mix metaphor better than that with a Waring blender) where it belongs.
Thank you, Hobby Lobby!
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Incompetent cops gun down harmless cow
What could be more dangerous than steer wandering about town? An incompetent police force. Left alone, the poor animal would have probably gone back to its pasture. Could not one officer just kept an eye on the steer until its owner was located or at least someone who knew what he was doing showed up? The poor animal was shot and the owner is out about 2 grand.
Creepy! Protest against police shootings infiltrated by undercover police
In an earlier post on April 1, I reported that the city of
Albuquerque had paid out $24 million to settle lawsuits brought on by its police department that has fatally shot 23 men since 2010. Understandably a majority of the citizenry does not trust the police force. When you're in a hole dig faster. If spying on people won't make them trust you I don't know what will. When hundreds of angry citizens including friends and relatives of the shooting victims turned out for a peaceful protest their ranks were supplemented by members of APD's Criminal Intelligence Unit including one officer who did one of the shootings. When confronted by the media a APD spokesman said the undercover officers were sent to the demonstration to “ensure (the protesters’) safety and the safety of the community.”
With friends like that...
From channel KRQE's web site;
Police Chief Gordon Eden was hired in February to restore a semblance of sanity to the APD but quickly dissipated what little trust he enjoyed when he promoted a police officer accused of burning off part of a homeless man's ear. When he termed the fatal shooting of an unarmed, mentally disturbed man in the back as"justified" he was finished as far as his opposition is concerned. In May protestors took over a City Council meeting demanding his resignation.
It's time for the chief to go.
With friends like that...
From channel KRQE's web site;
It is unclear whether the sergeant was armed, but he carried something to shoot with: a high-end Canon camera with video and still-image capabilities.
At several points on Saturday, he had the camera trained on demonstrators, who chanted things like “They say ‘justified,’ we say ‘homicide,’” and carried signs bearing messages such as “Not one more shooting,” “Jail killer cops” and “End APD violence.”
Police Chief Gordon Eden was hired in February to restore a semblance of sanity to the APD but quickly dissipated what little trust he enjoyed when he promoted a police officer accused of burning off part of a homeless man's ear. When he termed the fatal shooting of an unarmed, mentally disturbed man in the back as"justified" he was finished as far as his opposition is concerned. In May protestors took over a City Council meeting demanding his resignation.
It's time for the chief to go.
Free The Aljazeera 3!!!
I do not apologize for watching Aljazeera. As other news outlets choose to abandon the third person narrative for chatter Aljazeera becomes the premier news agency by default. Sadly, Aljazeera too, is devoting more time to talk shows but they are not yet as inane as "Outnumbered" as formulaic as "The Five" nor as failingly unfunny as "Red Eye."
I would like to put the Fox-bashing aside for a minute but it is hard to do so. When they have exactly one Asian correspondent who reports on activity in North Korea from the same location that he covers a missing airplane (was it Bangkok?) one has to wonder just how firm a grasp they have on a story. Meantime, Aljazeera sends flesh and blood reporters to the far corner of the world to mine the news.
In the course of pursuing the story, three British Aljazeera journalists have been incarcerated by the Egyptian government. 177 days and counting. The full story is here. http://tinyurl.com/k9sp6ec Judith Miller is the only Fox employee I know of who sacrificed her freedom to earn her journalistic cred. The rest of the pampered class seem to live in the Fox studio. Thankgoodness Qatar for Aljazeera.
I would like to put the Fox-bashing aside for a minute but it is hard to do so. When they have exactly one Asian correspondent who reports on activity in North Korea from the same location that he covers a missing airplane (was it Bangkok?) one has to wonder just how firm a grasp they have on a story. Meantime, Aljazeera sends flesh and blood reporters to the far corner of the world to mine the news.
In the course of pursuing the story, three British Aljazeera journalists have been incarcerated by the Egyptian government. 177 days and counting. The full story is here. http://tinyurl.com/k9sp6ec Judith Miller is the only Fox employee I know of who sacrificed her freedom to earn her journalistic cred. The rest of the pampered class seem to live in the Fox studio. Thank
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