Hypocritical: Stealing Music vs Stealing US Secrets

You can be guaranteed that the awesome, fiery, unholy powers of the FBI will come down upon you if you decide to, say, pirate music.

You can be guaranteed that the awesome, fiery, unholy powers of the FBI will come down upon you if you decide to, say, bootleg movies in theatres or create unlicensed DVDs.

However, you can release thousands and thousands of secret US documents, cables, messages and papers -- and face no ire from the Obama Administration. Apparently Mr Obama is "concerned" and "monitoring." If he really ratchets things up, he might actually be "displeased."

Mr Obama is an absolute incompetent.

And Lord, am I being kind.

It's as if Kindergartners are in charge of our country.

Mr Obama ran against this kind of thing. Yet it occurred on his watch. And he steps away from a Monday press conference that leaves Robert Gibbs to handle the shrapnel.

BZ

Reference:
- US loses control of vast amounts of classified information;
- US secrets are not safe;
- Assange continues to kick sand in the face of Obama;
- The NYT won't publish ClimateGate documents because they were from "illegal" sources, yet embraces Assange and his Wikileaks;
- The Pentagon can't guarantee against further leaks;
- Demorat/Obama Admin/Hillary Clinton orders spying;

Plus:

With all of this, can anyone in the US political administration really be trusted with any kind of secret at all?

Because, apparently, the entire USLeaks.

The $5.75 Solution?

Single .308 rifle rounds can range from pennies to $5.00 or more. Individually hand-sculpted and -poured custom devastator rounds are negotiable per artiste.

Brass, lead, primer, powder, exotic bullet materials can all vary. There are "names" to whom you would go for custom rounds. Some are known; most are not so. Purposely. I'll not reveal them here. Even composites and so-called "temporary" materials are included, considered. "Exotic" rounds are a niche of a niche of a niche venue. Some contain mercury or other rather toxic stable or fluid contents.

If you don't "know" you will never "find."

With this in mind, I would submit it is time to consider recent Wikileaks damage.

Wikileaks can be found here.

And Julian Assange can be found as "in charge" regarding Wikileaks. At 39 he is already gray and haggard. I wonder if he sleeps different nights in different locations a la Saddam Hussein?

As I wrote back in October, Mr Assange cannot stand the focal point of light upon himself -- as he would insist such aforementioned light be focused upon countries and aligned individuals.

If certain critical optical crosshairs were resultingly sharpened, I would not lose, I submit, more than a few seconds' sleep.

A rather inexpensive solution to a given problem.

But, of course, in the real world I would never suggest this. Mere digital and journalistic conjecture and hypothesis.

These are two completely divergent and separate topics.

BZ

P.S.
A typical .308 round travels at 2,820 fps.

Gearing Up To Bear Down

Firewood stacked: check. Fresh water jugs stacked: check. 500-gallon propane tank filled to the brim: check. Extra batteries: check. Two AM/FM radios with WX: check. Outside hose bibs disconnected and protected: check. Deck cleared: check. Canned goods: check. Good. Ready for more Global Warming.

This happens to be the earlierst snowfall I've had in my memory. Occasionally I've had a snowy Christmas or two -- even that has been somewhat rare. The heavy snows usually begin in January.

Earlier this week I wanted to get up to my cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I work in Sacratomato and my wife lives there as well. However, the three-day storm which occurred last weekend took down trees and power lines, then froze all snow and water. I'd had a wonderful spiral-cut ham in the freezer which we'd planned for Thanksgiving. Though I worked Thanksgiving that wasn't going to stop dinner. The day before, with a break in the storm, I drove up to my cabin; PG&E trucks were festooned everywhere. Obviously, this did not bode well for returned power. Like a game of Pac Man, slowly I drove around the parked and outrigged blue trucks with their accompanying booms and buckets -- again, literally everywhere.

My street had been cleared, so I crept along the ice downhill, losing traction and beginning to slide sideways until I hit a clear bit of asphalt now and then. The hill to my cabin is fairly steep -- to the point where kids going up frequently push their bicycles. I thunked my right front tire into a bank of snow like a naturally-chocked wheel. Another frozen bank of snow occluded my gate. A small bent and frozen tree fell across the steps to my door. I could see, around the left corner of my big deck, about a 6-inch wide tree had fallen over the railing. The deck itself was covered by a lump of white rock about 5 feet deep.

So far, I thought, no broken windows, no snapped power or phone lines to the house, no big downed trees. Those things, of course, have happened before. Two years ago a chunk of frozen snow came down from a redwood and put a 12" dent into the fender of my RAV-4.

Once I sussed out how, I managed (yes, even at my bulk) to climb over the fence and gain access to the side door, shutting it behind me. Flip-flip. No power. I threw open the blinds for interior light and made more checks. Nice, clean house (thanks Kathy!). Interior warm (propane heat). Water running. Toilets flushing. Ooops. Refrigerator. Dare I?

My senses are predominantly gone. I am color blind. My taste buds provide little action. I have killed various audio frequency bands after years of wearing headphones in radio in my tender and ignorant youth; going to Black Sabbath, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin and Status Quo concerts didn't help much either. My olfactory senses are, at best, almost completely absent. I could linger on old and vile homicide scenes much longer than my partners.

So when I opened the door for but a moment and could actually smell the refrigerator -- including freezer -- I somehow sensed this was not a good thing.

Losing power for a good seven days will do that, I concluded.

I chipped and dug a path back out to my SUV, unloaded some gear and crossed my fingers that power would be forthcoming. But not before I hiked around the corner to a scattered conglomerate of huge PG&E crane trucks. It was only then that I observed massive chunks of freshly-sawed tree trunks behind the trucks a property or two away. Yes, dearest readers, your humble blogger was the very last to acquire power within a 20-mile radius because a large fir had fallen and not only sliced through the power cables but smacked into a pole, causing more lines to snap. Lucky me.

The crew foreman chatted with me for a few minutes. Yes, PG&E trucks were everywhere. He himself had been called and responded from Bakersfield. Other power agencies from outside Fornicalia had responded as well. I would have power, he said, by later that afternoon. He was both correct and incorrect. I thanked him and his crew for their hard work and slided/hiked back to the cabin. Aaaah, nice heat. It was 22-degrees outside.

I waited some more. Hours passed. Nothing. I re-loaded the RAV-4 and clawed my way back up the hill to leave. The PG&E trucks hadn't moved. At the T-intersection I noted: hey, the house on the right has its porch light activated! I saw a big blue truck now behind me. Coolio, I thought, maybe I have power.

Finishing my U-turn, I again stopped in the snow berm. My own porch lights were on! (Insert chorale of angels here.) I unloaded my junk again (three trips) via the recently-chunked-out path through frozen snow, down the steps, to the door. I began to further unload some food purchases, books, and my mail. Five minutes into detailed unloading -- a distant boom from outside the house. Total darkness. Cat piss!

I crawled the RAV-4 up the hill once again and sojourned carefully down I-80 to Sacratomato, no spiral cut ham in tow. That was the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. We had to punt.

Following work my wife and I had a Mexican Thanksgiving. She cooked chicken in mole over rice. So tender the chicken fell right off the bones. Great meal!

It's 10 am now on Sunday, and I have a couple days off in succession. Once I publish this post, I plan to head back back up I-80 to the cabin. Chain control is just past the exit to my cabin, so I should safely make the journey. I'll re-assess the house then. I expect I'll be making a large food run, cleaning out the fridge, and bagging things you wouldn't want to see.

Just another day in God's country. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

BZ

Ireland: An Example of What Works and What Doesn't

As I wrote earlier, Ireland is in the throes of its own economic downfall.

It's caught in a vise of its own making, but not in the fashion you might think.

From The Washington Times:

DUBLIN | Anger and fear about Europe's seemingly unstoppable debt crisis swept through the continent Wednesday. Striking workers shut down much of Portugal, Ireland proposed its deepest budget cuts in history and seething Italian and British students clashed with police over education cuts.

The Irish Stock Exchange saw a bloodbath in bank stocks as investors pushed the panic button and bond traders were betting that it would only be a matter of time before Portugal and possibly Spain would be the next countries begging for outside help.

While Irish bank shares plummeted for a third straight day amid fears investors would be wiped out, yields on Portuguese and Spanish government debt shot up sharply because of rising concerns that their debt loads will prove unsustainable and put them next in line for European bailouts.

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen announced Wednesday he now expects the EU-IMF bailout loan to total 85 billion euro ($115 billion). Some experts accused Ireland of minimizing the true scale of its financial disaster, saying Ireland probably needs a bailout of 130 billion euro ($175 billion) because of looming defaults on residential mortgages.

"The government is completely in denial about the amount of money they'll have to borrow," said Constantin Gurdgiev, a finance lecturer at Trinity College Dublin.

But let's review:

What brought Ireland "back from the dead" in the past decade? Yes, that would be massive tax cuts and regulatory cuts on the island. All in the name of attracting businesses -- which they did. In spades. Ireland profited.

Even now, they don't want their own bailout.

Ireland Refuses Economic Bailout
Uploaded by NTDTV. - Up-to-the minute news videos.

It is other members of the EU who wish Ireland to take the bailout cash.

With some of the caveats being: you must relinquish your tax cuts and regulatory relaxations on business. Taxes must go up. Further regulations must be installed.

Why? you ask. Because Ireland was in fact "getting all the business." Tax and regulatory cuts work. For the first time in decades Ireland was coming around. You can only rely on sheep-herding for so much . . .

As Dr Peter Morici wrote on November 18th:

Ireland, not the EU, regulates and ensures the solvency of Irish banks.

Dublin’s Treasury does not have the ready cash or borrowing capacity to adequately recapitalize troubled Irish banks, without pushing interest rates on its sovereign debt so high as to make its national budget woes wholly unmanageable.

Without an EU rescue, Ireland’s banks default, its government defaults, or its citizens face cuts in government services likely too draconian to be possible.

If Ireland still had its own currency, it could print money to recapitalize its banks-that is exactly what the Treasury and Fed can do for the FDIC, Citigroup, Bank of America, and other financial institutions.

Printing money would push down the Irish pound against the dollar and other European currencies, result in some inflation and lower Irish living standards, as bank losses were spread over the entire economy. Over several years, however, Ireland’s trade balance would improve, and absent other Celtic missteps, the Emerald Isle would work out of its mess.

Lacking the power to print money, Dublin must accept aid from the European Central Bank and stronger EU governments. This creates much political embarrassment for Irish politicians and leaders in donor capitals, resulting in theatrics and arduous negotiations.

Dublin makes the usual claims that it can handle its own problems, flight from Irish debt follows as well from the debt of other weak EU governments, and the euro weakens against the dollar.

Quick, decisive action becomes impractical when it is most needed, and nervousness abounds about contagion and the euro zone breaking apart.

So why, in fact, did Ireland go down, and why does it face such a crisis now?

Easy to answer: because its government decided to bail out the banks.

And from there they tanked.

Does this sound somehow vaguely familiar, ladies and gentlemen?

BZ

P.S.

Of course, Ireland succumbed to the siren song of the EU and the IMF. It is, after all, money.

Russia & China Quit the US Dollar!

Get prepared, ladies and gentlemen, your world is about to change. And it won't be comfortable.

Mr Obama purposely ignored the American people, and he ignored everyone at the recent G20 summit. Hence:

St. Petersburg, Russia - China and Russia have decided to renounce the US dollar and resort to using their own currencies for bilateral trade, Premier Wen Jiabao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announced late on Tuesday.

Chinese experts said the move reflected closer relations between Beijing and Moscow and is not aimed at challenging the dollar, but to protect their domestic economies.

"About trade settlement, we have decided to use our own currencies," Putin said at a joint news conference with Wen in St. Petersburg.

The two countries were accustomed to using other currencies, especially the dollar, for bilateral trade. Since the financial crisis, however, high-ranking officials on both sides began to explore other possibilities.

While the rest of America ignorantly conducts a Thanksgiving feast for nothing, forces around the world are planning for the demise of our country.

The bulk of Americans have no damned idea what this means, and what could result.

The precipice, my friends, it may finally be in front of our very faces. And our administration is veritably the least competent, the least capable of understanding and/or discovering a solution. Because it runs not on common sense nor on flexibility or transparency; it instead runs on doctrine, intransigence, rigidity, opacity.

This could be the actual fulcrum.

Thanksgiving this year, I submit, is a distraction.

BZ

Salvadoran Found Guilty In Murder Of Chandra Levy:

But what didn't you read about the suspect?


The so-called "cartoon" says it all.

You want to really influence our national security, DC? More effectively than forcing innocent five-year-old boys to take off their shirts in public?



SECURE OUR BORDERS.

BZ

P.S.

THIS JUST IN:

Mr Obama and his administration are bound and determined to bring our transportation system to a complete halt. From The Hill:

Next step for body scanners could be trains, boats, metro

By Jordy Yager - 11/23/10 02:09 PM ET

The next step in tightened security could be on U.S. public transportation, trains and boats.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says terrorists will continue to look for U.S. vulnerabilities, making tighter security standards necessary.

“[Terrorists] are going to continue to probe the system and try to find a way through,” Napolitano said in an interview that aired Monday night on "Charlie Rose."

“I think the tighter we get on aviation, we have to also be thinking now about going on to mass transit or to trains or maritime. So, what do we need to be doing to strengthen our protections there?”

Of course, that will go over so well. All Liberals will lovingly submit to their own daily detailed shakedowns. Who needs aliens and anal probes? We have the TSA.

North Korea Shells South Korean Island

I know: let's start the Korean War all over again:

SEOUL (AFP) – North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells onto a South Korean island on Tuesday, killing one person, setting homes ablaze and triggering an exchange of fire as the South's military went on top alert.

In what appeared to be one of the most serious border incidents since the 1950-53 war, South Korean troops fired back with cannon, the government convened in an underground war room and "multiple" air force jets scrambled.

The firing came after North Korea's disclosure of an apparently operational uranium enrichment programme -- a second potential way of building a nuclear bomb -- which is causing serious alarm for the United States and its allies.

Some 50 shells landed on the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong near the tense Yellow Sea border, damaging dozens of houses and sending plumes of thick smoke into the air, YTN television reported.

One South Korean marine -- part of a contingent based permanently on the frontline island -- was killed and 13 other marines were wounded, the military said. YTN said two civilians were also hurt.

I would posit: who is sitting in the veritable "catbird" seat now, as opposed to the '50s? Why yes, that would be China, who happens to hold a bulk of our debt and told Mr Obama at the G20 summit to "stop spending." And, despite his insistence that we "regain credibility in the eyes of the rest of the world," he refuses to listen. That Mr Obama. The one who will be "concerned" and "monitoring."

Question for my dearest readers: do you think we can fight three wars on three separate fronts? And can we fight China?

BZ

P.S.
As a reminder: what was done when a North Korean torpedo sunk a South Korean ship in March of this year, killing 46? Yes, that's correct, absolutely nothing. Might this be an escalation similar to one we've experienced nine years ago or more?

Reprehensible: TSA Is An Abomination

The humiliations and the abominations at the hands of the TSA just keep on coming.

From MSNBC.com Travel News:

A retired special education teacher on his way to a wedding in Orlando, Fla., said he was left humiliated, crying and covered with his own urine after an enhanced pat-down by TSA officers recently at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

(Thomas D.) Sawyer, 61, is a bladder cancer survivor who now wears a urostomy bag, which collects his urine from a stoma, or opening in his stomach. “I have to wear special clothes and in order to mount the bag I have to seal a wafer to my stomach and then attach the bag. If the seal is broken, urine can leak all over my body and clothes.”

I can relate to this man. Before he passed away last year, my father had two surgeries for colon cancer which left him with colostomies on two separate occasions. He was lucky enough to be eligible for two subsequent resections. In the meantime, he had to learn how to install his own bags, empty his bags, and deal with life. I also had to learn how to purchase the very specific bags he needed, the very specific seals/wafers he needed, and thence to install them over his stoma.

On Nov. 7, Sawyer said he went through the security scanner at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. “Evidently the scanner picked up on my urostomy bag, because I was chosen for a pat-down procedure.”

Due to his medical condition, Sawyer asked to be screened in private. “One officer looked at another, rolled his eyes and said that they really didn’t have any place to take me,” said Sawyer. “After I said again that I’d like privacy, they took me to an office.”

Sawyer wears pants two sizes too large in order to accommodate the medical equipment he wears. He’d taken off his belt to go through the scanner and once in the office with security personnel, his pants fell down around his ankles. “I had to ask twice if it was OK to pull up my shorts,” said Sawyer, “And every time I tried to tell them about my medical condition, they said they didn’t need to know about that.”

Completely wrong. Yes, they did need to know about that. And it just gets worse.

Before starting the enhanced pat-down procedure, a security officer did tell him what they were going to do and how they were going to it, but Sawyer said it wasn’t until they asked him to remove his sweatshirt and saw his urostomy bag that they asked any questions about his medical condition.

“One agent watched as the other used his flat hand to go slowly down my chest. I tried to warn him that he would hit the bag and break the seal on my bag, but he ignored me. Sure enough, the seal was broken and urine started dribbling down my shirt and my leg and into my pants.”

Come on, people. Please, just come on. Can't anyone have a molecule of common sense here? Can't anyone see the clear and plain results of their actions? Can't anyone foresee the obvious results of their physical actions?

The security officer finished the pat-down, tested the gloves for any trace of explosives and then, Sawyer said, “He told me I could go. They never apologized. They never offered to help. They acted like they hadn’t seen what happened. But I know they saw it because I had a wet mark.”

Humiliated, upset and wet, Sawyer said he had to walk through the airport soaked in urine, board his plane and wait until after takeoff before he could clean up.

So, in order to make his flight in a timely fashion, Mr Sawyer had to forego stopping in an airport bathroom and managed to clean himself up only after boarding the plane he had to catch? He had to run down the terminals with piss-soaked pants in public?

Let me pause a moment to collect my thoughts, because I wish not to be misinterpreted.

To TSA and allied personnel and agencies:

You should be very glad that my father, during his times of duress and challenge, wasn't forced to fly. Had I accompanied him or, later, had I learned of his being treated in a fashion similar to Mr Sawyer, there would have been some very serious problems.

Had these actions occurred in front of me -- had my father been treated like that -- searched and then forced to have his seal broken and his body resultingly soaked in not just piss but shit . . .

. . . I would be writing to you now from a federal prison.

Because, on the other hand, the individual who had treated my father in a way similar to Mr Sawyer would himself be shitting out of a bag, or attempting to learn his alphabet all over again after the brain swelling subsided following the encounter.

Those of my readers who know me personally -- or those readers who have been accompanying me on this blog journey for a number of years -- realize that I am not kidding. Not about my father.

My father is dead now. This will never happen. I can only thank God for that.

Ladies and gentlemen, you simply cannot treat human beings like this.

You simply cannot.

BZ

Pushing The Envelope, Part V: Black Devil

The human being has always pushed the envelope into and beyond the realms of danger. This is the fifth of various Sunday postings displaying how restless Man is with the mundane and how he purposely crosses the threshold into danger willingly -- and sometimes unwillingly.

From Pitchpull, I introduce the Black Devil:

This individual is reminiscent of my prior PTE, Part III involving Europe's "Ghost Rider." With this caveat:

Black Devil is certifiably insane -- incapable of understanding death or its consequences.

On the other hand, he must be a very young man at the absolute height of his visual acuity and physiological reaction times.

I have to tell you this: I stopped the video twice in order to gather my thoughts and senses. Visual stimuli cascaded past my brain at such a rate that I had to pause in order to process. And I look at videos like this differently than you; I examine driving lines, peripheral visual stimuli, body weight transfer, closure rate judgment and anticipatory entry and exit lines and corrections.

The Yamaha RZF-R1 ridden here is a 1,000-cc, six-speed sport model with 135 hp.

I really am a sucker for perspective-type videos of this kind.

BZ

The Truth About The TSA:

BZ

P.S.

Thanks and h/t to The Pagan Temple.

Demorat Senator Jay Rockefeller: Kill Fox News & MSNBC

During Wednesday's (Nov 17) Cable and Broadcast subcommittee hearing, Demorat West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller said, in part:

There's a little bug inside of me which wants to get the FCC to say to FOX and to MSNBC: 'Out. Off. End. Goodbye.' It would be a big favor to political discourse; our ability to do our work here in Congress, and to the American people, to be able to talk with each other and have some faith in their government and more importantly, in their future."

How sad that free broadcast airwaves cause Mr Rockefeller (please call me 'Senator' Rockefeller, I've worked so hard to achieve that title) some difficulty in his "ability to do our work here in Congress." Boo-damned-hoo, Mr Rockefeller; we feel so blazingly bad for you.

How sad, how reprehensible, how execrable that Mr Rockefeller and his fellow advantagists and exceptionalists should ever be challenged or, worse yet, disbelieved!

Heinous! Unacceptable! Disagreement = improper! We must stop it, stop it now. We've got to protect our phony-baloney jobs! Give the governor a ha-rumph!

As By Ryan G. Murphy, RTDNA Digital Media Editor wrote on November 18th:

As I'm reading this, Rockefeller is saying that the United States electorate will be better informed if we ELIMINATE two major media voices - that getting rid of them would essentially be addition by subtraction.

Put your own politics on FOX and MSNBC aside for a second and let's just agree that they can both sometimes present potentially polarizing views.

What Rockefeller is suggesting with his statement is that the views presented on FOX and MSNBC have no place in the news consumers' world and, because they are not "quality news," the government should intervene. Simply put, that's absolute censorship and undermines having a diverse flow of information in the market. It also destroys market-based competition among the networks. This is America, right?

Rockefeller failed to point out that the FCC does not have the authority to regulate either FOX or MSNBC. The channels are on cable - not broadcast airwaves. It's frustrating to see that he would even THINK to have the government step in because of content.

So, as per normal, leave it to the Demorats to be the ones who would wish to silence your First Amendment rights.

How typical.

BZ

The GOP: On Probation

Anyone besides myself wonder what the GOP has to "thankful" for, this Thanksgiving month?

I'm certain they're still collectively crowing amongst themselves how "they" managed to "show" the Demorats a thing or two.

But in truth, just who was shown what?

I submit the Republicans benefitted from the two following trends:

1. Just as Obama was an "Anti-Bush" vote, so were many GOP votes made but upon an "Anti-Demorat" bent;

2. TEA Party movements across the nation installed Republicans who also happened to be perceived as predominantly Conservative;

At the same time, the GOP -- and we all know this -- continues to look upon portions of the TEA Party with complete disdain.

And no, I'm still not donating cash to the RNC. I ship my checks to my Conservative candidates directly. Not to say they'll win -- just to say I place my quite hard-earned cash with targeted and specific intent.

Thomas Lifson recently wrote for The American Thinker:

November 17, 2010

Conservatives Put GOP Leadership On Notice

Thomas Lifson

A large number of conservative leaders are laying their cards on the table for the establishment GOP to see. They will not sit still for co-optation, and are backing Senator DeMint to the hilt. The following letter has been drafted and signed, and is being delivered to the GOP leadership today. American Thinker has received an advance copy, and it is below:

TO: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

- National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn

- Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele

FROM: The Undersigned Conservatives

Declaration of Conservative Leaders in Support Of Senator Jim DeMint

Senator Jim DeMint has been blamed directly or indirectly for the failure to capture a majority in the Senate by named and/or unnamed Republican senators, staffers and consultants.

Such false and unfair attacks aid and abet President Obama, the Democratic Party and the liberal media. We consider such attacks on Senator Jim DeMint an attack on us and all conservatives, and especially the conservative movement that is the successor to Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, Jr., and other great progenitors of the conservative movement.

Perhaps more than any other Republican, Senator Jim DeMint is not only responsible for the net Republican gains in the Senate in the 2010 election, but has helped restore faith in the Republican Party as the party of constitutionally limited government. He greatly energized the base of the Party, and therefore contributed to historic wins in the House, governorships and state legislatures across the country.

In fact, Senator Jim DeMint's unilateral efforts to bring constitutional small government conservatives into the Senate has encouraged many conservatives to stay within the Republican Party, vote for Republican candidates, and even may have staved off formation of a third party and the demise of the Republican Party.

We do not expect or advocate for ideological purity in the Republican Party, but we do expect the Party's leadership to rein in those who unfairly attack Senator DeMint, who instead should be given credit for what he has done, and done with such class, honor, humility, dignity and patriotism.

Since Republicans in and affiliated with the Senate who have attacked Senator Jim DeMint have an agenda, and may not heed calls to reason from the Republican leadership, let it be known that continued attacks, whether indirectly or anonymously, will result in conservatives' responding in word and deed.

Conservatives will not only challenge and beat more Republican senators in Republican primaries, but conservatives will stop funding and volunteering for the NRSC and the RNC. Instead, conservatives will send their money to, and volunteer for, Senator DeMint's Senate Conservative Fund and the candidates Senator DeMint supports. In fact, it would be our goal for the Senate Conservatives Fund to raise more money than the NRSC.

Conservatives will also work to defeat in Republican primaries those Republicans who retain consultants who criticize or try to undermine Senator DeMint.

Respectfully, (see link for full list)

That's just one letter.

That's just one case.

There are many others.

I suspect this of the GOP:

I don't believe they truly understand the concept and intent of Conservatives via, for the past few months, various TEA Party movements.

I think a number of Republicans think the TEA Party is a "one time" gig.

I submit this: they couldn't be further from the truth.

I'll summarize:

Just keep thinking like this, Republicans.

You'll soon find yourselves out of a job.

And, if you don't heed the wishes of true Conservatives, you just might be the impetus behind the creation of a dreaded third party.

Care to cast a guess as to its possible name?

BZ

P.S.

And I hate Third Party spoilers.

Ireland: The Sound of One Domino Falling

Economist/Professor Peter Morici speaks and emphasizes the obvious: just as with families and businesses, countries simply cannot "live beyond their means."

Translated: spending cannot exceed revenue. Or there is a problem.

In his article "Double Dip Or Off The Cliff" Dr Morici writes:

Dr. Peter Morici: US Economy; A double-dip or off the cliff? The US economy has had two crises that were followed by long periods of depressed economic activity, high unemployment, and instability lasting more than a decade—the Panic of 1873 and the Crash of 1929.

Conditions are emerging that could cause that to happen again, and without a radical change in policy, the nation is at risk of a terrible calamity.

Now faltering retail sales, jobs creation and consumer confidence, and stubbornly high new unemployment claims, indicate the economic recovery may be quitting.

If the economy goes down a second time, now, its resuscitative qualities will have been spent when government deficits can’t be much increased, and the Federal Reserve can’t further cut interest rates.

If the economy goes down a second time—for example, GDP declines significantly two quarters in a row—then it likely goes down for good. Unemployment would rise into the teens, and the economy would sink into a depression—a deep and painful slump from which it cannot soon recover.

President Obama’s policies are not helping.

More than one trillion dollars in stimulus was squandered, creating few jobs, and the President’s spending commitments are not proving temporary. Instead, federal finances are burdened by indefinite annual deficits exceeding one trillion dollars—much worse than when George Bush left office.

Obama’s health care reforms are long on mandated benefits and short on cost controls. This combination is raising insurance premiums for businesses and individuals, forcing state governments to increase taxes or trim other programs, and discouraging businesses from hiring.

The President touts green industries to radically reduce petroleum use and seeks to end much offshore drilling, but experts familiar with alternative energy technologies realize that windmills, solar panels, and converting crops to fuels won’t appreciably reduce petroleum use for decades. Either Americans develop more domestic petroleum or pay dearly for more foreign oil.

Financial reforms moving through Congress will impose costly new regulations that raise the cost of credit, create few meaningful consumer protections that are not already being implemented by the Federal Reserve, and leave the biggest banks largely free to continue speculative activities, controlling an even larger share of the nation’s deposits than before.

Big banks remain too big to fail and are becoming more dangerous.

Smaller banks are cash starved and burdened by assets made toxic by the crash—for example, mortgages on shopping malls that have too few customers.

China’s purposely undervalued yuan makes its products much cheaper on US store shelves than its labor cost advantage require, destroying millions of US jobs. China has rebuked diplomatic efforts by President’s Bush and Obama to change this policy.

President Obama should counter Chinese protectionism and abuse of free trade with a tax on dollar-yuan conversions that raise prices of Chinese imports to their true cost to the US economy.

A Savings and Loan Crisis era Resolution Trust could relieve regional banks of troubled loans, earn a profit for taxpayers, and give small and medium sized businesses adequate bank credit again.

Much of this runs counter to President Obama’s progressive principals but hard realities, not utopian dreams, must dictate the decisions of a leader or his nation fail.

On this I would care to now chime in. And I would refer you to the acronym PIGS: Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain.

The countries in Europe that are failing mightily.

Ireland will down first. And how goes Ireland, will so go the European Union or EU.

As in the states: as goes Fornicalia, will so go the United States.

And no one is paying attention.



You cannot spend your way out of an economic crisis. Conversely, you cannot print your way out of an economic crisis.

Eight words that explain everything:

You simply have to live within your means.

Translated: spending cannot exceed revenue. Or there is a problem.

In re: only 1/4th of the electorate thinks Mr Obama will be re-elected. DC Elites think otherwise.

China continues to buy more US debt.

Can't you, please, put this all together, people?

Are you that blazingly stupid?

BZ

Airports & TSA: Unbridled Incompetence

[First things first: I've not been paying a lot of attention to the internet for the past few weeks. There are a number of personal issues engaged, and we are ridiculously short-staffed at work. My days average 12 to 15 hours, plus overtime, plus the extra hours on my days off. I find blogging, when I can, to be akin to Aloe on a sunburn, albeit for the 15 minutes I can spare roughly every other day or so. This may continue for a while, dear readers. Not leaving, but trying to stay in the game as much as I can. -BZ]

I've also managed to avoid this now-incendiary topic. A LE friend of mine (obviously to remain unnamed) who recently left TSA confirms staggering levels of incompetence in the system -- one of the primary reasons for his having exited a management position.

That said, and with permission of the author (see the site here), I reprint in its entirety his incident with the TSA and apparent unnamed officials or agencies he encountered along the way. Despite its length, I would suggest a complete reading so that you may be as fully informed about conduct involving the TSA at our domestic airports. With this information in mind, you may then make a more comprehensively informed decision about the basic premise of: under these conditions, do I even wish to fly? As written by John Tyner (and documented by the San Diego Union Tribune):

TSA encounter at SAN

[These events took place roughly between 5:30 and 6:30 AM, November 13th in Terminal 2 of the San Diego International Airport. I'm writing this approximately 2 1/2 hours after the events transpired, and they are correct to the best of my recollection. I will admit to being particularly fuzzy on the exact order of events when dealing with the agents after getting my ticket refunded; however, all of the events described did occur.

I had my phone recording audio and video of much of these events. It can be viewed below.

Please spread this story as far and wide as possible. I will make no claims to copyright or otherwise.]

This morning, I tried to fly out of San Diego International Airport but was refused by the TSA. I had been somewhat prepared for this eventuality. I have been reading about the millimeter wave and backscatter x-ray machines and the possible harm to health as well as the vivid pictures they create of people's naked bodies. Not wanting to go through them, I had done my research on the TSA's website prior to traveling to see if SAN had them. From all indications, they did not. When I arrived at the security line, I found that the TSA's website was out of date. SAN does in fact utilize backscatter x-ray machines.

I made my way through the line toward the first line of "defense": the TSA ID checker. This agent looked over my boarding pass, looked over my ID, looked at me and then back at my ID. After that, he waved me through. SAN is still operating metal detectors, so I walked over to one of the lines for them. After removing my shoes and making my way toward the metal detector, the person in front of me in line was pulled out to go through the backscatter machine. After asking what it was and being told, he opted out. This left the machine free, and before I could go through the metal detector, I was pulled out of line to go through the backscatter machine. When asked, I half-chuckled and said, "I don't think so." At this point, I was informed that I would be subject to a pat down, and I waited for another agent.

A male agent (it was a female who had directed me to the backscatter machine in the first place), came and waited for me to get my bags and then directed me over to the far corner of the area for screening. After setting my things on a table, he turned to me and began to explain that he was going to do a "standard" pat down. (I thought to myself, "great, not one of those gropings like I've been reading about".) After he described, the pat down, I realized that he intended to touch my groin. After he finished his description but before he started the pat down, I looked him straight in the eye and said, "if you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested." He, a bit taken aback, informed me that he would have to involve his supervisor because of my comment.

We both stood there for no more than probably two minutes before a female TSA agent (apparently, the supervisor) arrived. She described to me that because I had opted out of the backscatter screening, I would now be patted down, and that involved running hands up the inside of my legs until they felt my groin. I stated that I would not allow myself to be subject to a molestation as a condition of getting on my flight. The supervisor informed me that it was a standard administrative security check and that they were authorized to do it. I repeated that I felt what they were doing was a sexual assault, and that if they were anyone but the government, the act would be illegal. I believe that I was then informed that if I did not submit to the inspection, I would not be getting on my flight. I again stated that I thought the search was illegal. I told her that I would be willing to submit to a walk through the metal detector as over 80% of the rest of the people were doing, but I would not be groped. The supervisor, then offered to go get her supervisor.

I took a seat in a tiny metal chair next to the table with my belongings and waited. While waiting, I asked the original agent (who was supposed to do the pat down) if he had many people opt out to which he replied, none (or almost none, I don't remember exactly). He said that I gave up a lot of rights when I bought my ticket. I replied that the government took them away after September 11th. There was silence until the next supervisor arrived. A few minutes later, the female agent/supervisor arrived with a man in a suit (not a uniform). He gave me a business card identifying him as David Silva, Transportation Security Manager, San Diego International Airport. At this point, more TSA agents as well as what I assume was a local police officer arrived on the scene and surrounded the area where I was being detained. The female supervisor explained the situation to Mr. Silva. After some quick back and forth (that I didn't understand/hear), I could overhear Mr. Silva say something to the effect of, "then escort him from the airport." I again offered to submit to the metal detector, and my father-in-law, who was near by also tried to plead for some reasonableness on the TSA's part.

The female supervisor took my ID at this point and began taking some kind of report with which I cooperated. Once she had finished, I asked if I could put my shoes back on. I was allowed to put my shoes back on and gather my belongs. I asked, "are we done here" (it was clear at this point that I was going to be escorted out), and the local police officer said, "follow me". I followed him around the side of the screening area and back out to the ticketing area. I said apologized to him for the hassle, to which he replied that it was not a problem.

I made my way over to the American Airlines counter, explained the situation, and asked if my ticket could be refunded. The woman behind the counter furiously typed away for about 30 seconds before letting me know that she would need a supervisor. She went to the other end of the counter. When she returned, she informed me that the ticket was non-refundable, but that she was still trying to find a supervisor. After a few more minutes, she was able to refund my ticket. I told her that I had previously had a bad experience with American Airlines and had sworn never to fly with them again (I rationalized this trip since my father-in-law had paid for the ticket), but that after her helpfulness, I would once again be willing to use their carrier again.

At this point, I thought it was all over. I began to make my way to the stairs to exit the airport, when I was approached by another man in slacks and a sport coat. He was accompanied by the officer that had escorted me to the ticketing area and Mr. Silva. He informed me that I could not leave the airport. He said that once I start the screening in the secure area, I could not leave until it was completed. Having left the area, he stated, I would be subject to a civil suit and a $10,000 fine. I asked him if he was also going to fine the 6 TSA agents and the local police officer who escorted me from the secure area. After all, I did exactly what I was told. He said that they didn't know the rules, and that he would deal with them later. They would not be subject to civil penalties. I then pointed to Mr. Silva and asked if he would be subject to any penalties. He is the agents' supervisor, and he directed them to escort me out. The man informed me that Mr. Silva was new and he would not be subject to penalties, either. He again asserted the necessity that I return to the screening area. When I asked why, he explained that I may have an incendiary device and whether or not that was true needed to be determined. I told him that I would submit to a walk through the metal detector, but that was it; I would not be groped. He told me that their procedures are on their website, and therefore, I was fully informed before I entered the airport; I had implicitly agreed to whatever screening they deemed appropriate. I told him that San Diego was not listed on the TSA's website as an airport using Advanced Imaging Technology, and I believed that I would only be subject to the metal detector. He replied that he was not a webmaster, and I asked then why he was referring me to the TSA's website if he didn't know anything about it. I again refused to re-enter the screening area.

The man asked me to stay put while he walked off to confer with the officer and Mr. Silva. They went about 20 feet away and began talking amongst themselves while I waited. I couldn't over hear anything, but I got the impression that the police officer was recounting his version of the events that had transpired in the screening area (my initial refusal to be patted down). After a few minutes, I asked loudly across the distance if I was free to leave. The man dismissively held up a finger and said, "hold on". I waited. After another minute or so, he returned and asked for my name. I asked why he needed it, and reminded him that the female supervisor/agent had already taken a report. He said that he was trying to be friendly and help me out. I asked to what end. He reminded me that I could be sued civilly and face a $10,000 fine and that my cooperation could help mitigate the penalties I was facing. I replied that he already had my information in the report that was taken and I asked if I was free to leave. I reminded him that he was now illegally detaining me and that I would not be subject to screening as a condition of leaving the airport. He told me that he was only trying to help (I should note that his demeanor never suggested that he was trying to help. I was clearly being interrogated.), and that no one was forcing me to stay. I asked if tried to leave if he would have the officer arrest me. He again said that no one was forcing me to stay. I looked him in the eye, and said, "then I'm leaving". He replied, "then we'll bring a civil suit against you", to which I said, "you bring that suit" and walked out of the airport.

There are other comments posted by the author, as well as phone video (consisting primarily of audio). Please visit his original post for these details. You will also see over 2,000 comments in response.

It appears the TSA is not backing down.

For this and other reasons, unless absolutely compelled for major/critical personal reasons, my inclination to fly has been terminated. I'm driving, even if it's across the country. I've done my own share of pat-down and/or strip searches and I'm sufficiently ancient and curmudgeonly as to not wish to experience them again, on the other end, at the hands of inexperienced and irate government officials making MickeyD wages.

There are any number of issues at play: are the new scanners safe? Is the radiation emitted of little consequence for the very occasional flyer? What of business fliers? What of very frequent fliers? What of pilots and cabin staff who must encounter these machines numerous times per week, or perchance per day? What does TSA staff do with small children? Nine year old females? Young boys? What of the female TSA employee in hajib searching a nun in full garb above? Who really has won, here?

So I suppose there are two important questions:

1. Did this man do the right thing?
2. Do or will these current circumstances influence your own inclination to take commercial flights? Or would you go so far as to rent your own private craft?

Please weigh in.

BZ

"Obama's" G20: FAIL

I submit this one-word summary of the recent G20 conference in Seoul, Korea, with regard to our lovely Mr Obama:

FAIL.

And not, I believe, a simple fail but -- instead -- an Abject Fail.

For example, from Reuters:

Analysis: German tempers fray as U.S. policy gulf widens

By Stephen Brown and Andreas Rinke

BERLIN | Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:58am EST

(Reuters) - Germany's undiplomatic outbursts against U.S. policy, calling it "clueless" before a G20 summit, show growing estrangement on economics as America's focus shifts away from transatlantic ties to domestic challenges and Asia.

Germany and the United States often criticize each other's approaches to aiding economic recovery, with U.S. calls for more expansive policy falling on deaf ears in fiscally disciplined Germany. But Berlin has taken the rhetoric to a new level.

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, 68, said last week that the U.S. Federal Reserve decision to buy $600 billion of government bonds undermined U.S. credibility and was "clueless." There was no point, he said, in pumping money into the markets.

China and Brazil were among those echoing his comments but U.S. officials were particularly stung by Schaeuble and German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle saying the Fed move amounted to "indirect manipulation" of the dollar to boost exports; this at a time when Washington is criticizing China for exactly the same kind of strategy.

"It's not acceptable for the Americans to criticize China for currency manipulation then slyly help the dollar by printing at the Federal Reserve," Schaeuble told Der Spiegel magazine.

And here's the odd thing: Mr Obama walked away from this conference with nothing. No secured trade. No secured contracts. Clue to those with experience: because the G20 is announced every year, attendant countries clearly know, in advance, what to bring (their A-Game), what to negotiate, and what to leave behind. The G20 isn't a time to craft your arguments or draft your submissions; it's a time to place documents on tables and sign.

Did the US even get an export/import agreement from -- of all nations -- South Korea (about the easiest to acquire)? Hello? Kia? Samsung? Korean Air? Daewoo? FILA? Hanjin? Hankook? Hyundai? Hyosung? Kumho? LG Group? Hynix Semiconductor?

Uh: no.

Correct me, I may be wrong, but didn't our Beloved Mr Obama campaign on the premise that the United States had to upgrade its standing in the world, much less the World Economy?

Even the Gray Lady says: Mr Obama, you're unimpressive.

The G-20 refuse to fall in line with Mr Obama.

And the PIGS are toast: Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain.

BZ

P.S.

Mr Obama, you and your staff are such the neophytes, sir. You're playing, now, not just your Second Stringers (your First Stringers having predominantly quit) but your Third Stringers now.

Interesting Information:

SOME MODERN COUNTRIES THAT RECENTLY ENDED THEIR BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP POLICY:

• Canada was the last non-U.S. holdout. Illegal aliens stopped getting citizenship for their babies in 2009.
• Australia 's birthright citizenship requirements are much more stringent thanthose of H.R. 1868 and took effect in 2007.
  New Zealand repealed in 2006
• Ireland repealed in 2005
• France repealed in 1993
• India repealed in 1987
• United Kingdom repealed in 1983
• Portugal repealed in 1981

BZ

One Difference:

Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner recently said he'll be flying commercial when he needs to move about the country as House Speaker.

As opposed to Queen Pelosi who has tabbed up $2.1 million dollars in a mere two years with military flights -- for her family as well. Paid by you.

FOIA documents:

• Pelosi used the Air Force aircraft for a total of 85 trips, covering 206,264 miles, from March 2, 2009 through June 7, 2010. Pelosi, her guests and Air Force personnel logged a total of 428.6 hours on these flights.
• Members of Pelosi’s family were guests on at least two flights. On June 20, 2009, Speaker Pelosi’s daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons joined a flight from Andrews Air Force Base to San Francisco International Air Port. That flight included $143 in on-flight expenses for food and other items. On July 2, 2010, Pelosi took her grandson on a flight from Andrews Air Force Base to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, which is northeast of San Francisco.

But hey, that's okay because she's a Leftist and everything Leftists do is okay with themselves, no matter the cost.

The times, baby, they are a-changin' . . .

We are about to go economically medieval in this country.

You just wait and see.

Plomo o plata, ladies and gentlemen.

You might want to look that one up.

BZ


P.S.
I'm sorry, but whilst others blog about Veteran's Day, I can't not step up and include politics. It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.

But of course: God bless America. And God bless America's veterans.

You know who you are.

So: What Was It?

That our NORAD indicates it has no idea of its existence is perchance even more frightening than the implications of the event itself.



Some have hypothesized that the launch, 35 miles off our sovereign west coast, may be the work of some kind of private rocketeer.

Customarily our military, when making a missile launch, initiates prior public notice. It provides, usually, notice of missile range testing or exercises.

No such announcement was made; further: flatly denied.

Was this the work of other nations operating off our shores? South Korea? China?

Anyone besides me think this is a rather oddly denied event?

Something very important, I suspect, is being hidden.

This is a huge, a massive security breach no matter what the US military officially says.

Your thoughts?

BZ

Finally: MSM (via MSNBC) Admits Socialism

During a very recent edition of "Morning Joe" on MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell admits he is clearly a Socialist.

As if we as Conservatives didn't have the most minute molecule of supposition in terms of the general MSM . . .

Friday's November 5th, HuffPo here.

O'Donnell, in a massive breeze of refreshing TRUTH, admitted:

(Blogger) Glenn (Greenwald), unlike you, I am not a Progressive. I am not a liberal who is so afraid of the word that I had to change my name to Progressive. Liberals amuse me. I am a Socialist. I live to the extreme Left, the extreme Left of you mere liberals, okay? However, I know this about my country. Liberals are 20 percent of the electorate. Conservatives are 41 percent of the electorate, okay?

You can sit there and pretend that liberals should run more liberal in Conservative districts. You love the loss of the Blue Dogs. The only way, the only way you have a chairman Barney Frank, there's only one way, that's by electing Blue Dogs. It's the only way. That's the only way you have a Speaker Pelosi."

Thanks for the honesty, Lawrence. You're therefore quite unique in that manner.



Isn't honesty, for once, an actual puff of so-called "fresh air" indeed?

BZ

US Economic Implosion: It's Coming

And it may start, with China, at the upcoming G20 conference in South Korea:

China tees up G20 showdown with US

By Alan Beattie in Washington, Geoff Dyer in Beijing, Chris Giles in London

Published: November 5 2010 06:56 | Last updated: November 5 2010 19:03

China has curtly dismissed a US proposal to address global economic imbalances, setting the stage for a potential showdown at next week’s G20 meeting in Seoul.

Cui Tiankai, a deputy foreign minister and one of China’s lead negotiators at the G20, said on Friday that the US plan for limiting current account surpluses and deficits to 4 per cent of gross domestic product harked back “to the days of planned economies”.

"We believe a discussion about a current account target misses the whole point,” he added, in the first official comment by a senior Chinese official on the subject. “If you look at the global economy, there are many issues that merit more attention – for example, the question of quantitative easing.”

"Quantitative easing."

Ladies and gentlemen, that's code for "printing money."

And yes, with no backing.

Not a smart move; instead, the move of a fiscal dolt.

Gird thy loins, people.

BZ

P.S.

With regard to China, check this out.

If You Like Sci-Fi, Can "SKYLINE" (Friday, Nov 12 Release) Satisfy?

What I've seen, so far, of the various trailers for the upcoming movie "Skyline," is hugely beguiling.

Of course, though, as we know, sometimes the trailers themselves are the "high points" of their advertised films.



Some recent sci-fi films have left me completely disappointed; the most trashy and obvious is "The Day The Earth Stood Still." It was a complete travesty and massively unworthy of the film title. It is to be avoided at all costs. The original, in comparison, requires its own shrine.

However, District 9 was admirable, as was Splice and the impressive Pandorum (just you wait until the final frames!).

I am a colossal fan of both written and filmed science fiction. When it warrants admiration.

Will Skyline satisfy?

It "looks" great. But there is also story and acting and FX -- but again -- story.

Story rules all.

BZ

A Friendly Reminder:

As to why our country is great.

And why Conservatives cannot afford to back down or take their eyes off the ball.

BZ

P.S.

h/t to NFO.

Fornicalia Proposition Results:

For whatever reason, it is difficult to locate the Fornicalia midterm propositions results.

In a nutshell, I post now:

• 19 - Failed - Changes California law to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
• 20 - Passed - Redistricting of congressional districts.
• 21 - Failed - Establishes $18 annual vehicle license surcharge to help fund state parks and wildlife programs and grants free admission to all state parks to surcharged vehicles.
• 22 - Passed - Prohibits the state from taking funds used for transportation or local government projects and services.
• 23 - Failed - Repeals AB 32 until unemployment is below 5.5% for four consecutive quarters.
• 24 - Failed - Repeals recent legislation (tax breaks) that would allow businesses to carry back losses, share tax credits, and use a sales-based income calculation to lower taxable income.
• 25 - Passed - Changes legislative vote requirement to pass a budget from two-thirds to a simple majority. The two-thirds majority for passing taxes would not change.
• 26 - Passed - Increases legislative vote requirement to two-thirds for state levies and charges. Imposes additional requirement for voters to approve local levies and charges with limited exceptions.
• 27 - Failed - Repeals state legislature redistricting law

Once again, multiple reasons why the populace of Fornicalia has entirely doomed the state and ensured that job creators, businesses, business owners, higher-end taxpayers, middle and upper middle class homeowners and employees, recent retirees, are fleeing or about to flee the state.

Rules, regulations, taxes, extreme Leftist philosophies do naught but ensure that the hosts flee their surrounding parasites.

BZ

P.S.
However, across the nation, 680 Republican positions were acquired in various state legislatures, removing Demorats from those positions.