Hey dude, where's my country?

You Can Call Me Al

2011-09-11T09:20:00.001-07:00

This is Al Sharpton:

This is Al Sharpton on drugs:Please click on Mp3 thumbnail and click on the play arrow.MP3 courtesy of the NO AGENDA podcast.

2011-08-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

CNNWhen debris rained from the sky in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001, the first responders to the terrorist attack did not turn away. They rushed to the World Trade Center buildings while the world around them crumbled.Yet now, after all the wreckage has been cleared and the rebuilding has begun, their path is again blocked -- not by flying chunks of smoldering rubble, but by space constraints.The first responders are not invited to this year's September 11 memorial ceremony at ground zero, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office confirmed Monday.
In a statement, Bloomberg spokesman Andrew Brent said the commemoration ceremony is for the victims' families."While we are again focused on accommodating victims' family members, given the space constraints, we're working to find ways to recognize and honor first responders, and other groups, at different places and times," Brent said.In addition to the victims' families, several politicians, including two presidents, are expected to be in attendance.
Bloomberg's office would not provide specifics on the ceremony's arrangements, but did note that the first responders have not been invited to the preceding nine memorial services, either.

The Media Fiddled While Rome Burned

2011-08-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

If you don't know by now why we are sliding into the abyss, look at part of this and tell me if Walter Kronkite (yeah I know, big globalist) or Ed Murrow would act like this. Now back to Libya where children are being killed by Obama's roving death squads.

2011-08-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

The Washington Times. For the second time in a year a California business was raided, it's owner jailed and his inventory destroyed. What was his crime? Drug dealer? Chop shop? No he operates a private, members only, food co-op. That's right he had the nerve to offer the people of Venice the ability to safely purchase organic, non-GMO milk, cheese, and other farm goods. Authorities conducted the raid with weapons drawn and disabled security cameras to seemingly hide infractions during the raid. No health issues nor complaints have ever been filed against the club, and raw milk is legal in California. The issue stems from members of the club entering into a “herdshare arrangement” in which they paid a local farmer to board and milk their dairy goats. California authorities deny the legal legitimacy of herdshare arrangements, stating that such herdshares are unlicensed dairies. STEP BY STEP, INCH BY INCH WE ARE TURNING INTO A CORRUPT POLICE STATE. Our scarce resources are being wasted turning local law enforcement into jack booted thugs who deem it necessary to SWAT team a group of Amish farmers (google it) or hippy organic food fanatics. When will we say NO-STOP this is AMERICA not Russia?

Demand Justice For Those That Defend America

2011-08-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

L.A. Times.

By Richard A. Serrano, Washington Bureau

August 16, 2011
Reporting from Washington—
The ATF has promoted three key supervisors of a controversial sting operation that allowed firearms to be illegally trafficked across the U.S. border into Mexico.

All three have been heavily criticized for pushing the program forward even as it became apparent that it was out of control. At least 2,000 guns were lost and many turned up at crime scenes in Mexico and two at the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Arizona.

McMahon was promoted Sunday to deputy assistant director of the ATF's Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations — the division that investigates misconduct by employees and other problems.

McMahon and his cohorts are accessorites to multiple murders. To Promote these heinous criminals makes a travesty of the U.S. Legal system. We must demand the trial and punishment of all those involved including Obama, Holder, and every ATF agent that went along with this obviious illegal activity.

Happy Birthday America

2011-07-03T23:16:00.001-07:00

2011-06-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

Eric Gay / Associated Press / August 13, 2009

By Richard A. Serrano, Washington Bureau

June 24, 2011
Reporting from Washington—

The acting director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is strongly resisting pressure to step down because of growing controversy over the agency's surveillance program that allowed U.S. guns to flow unchecked into Mexico, according to several federal sources in Washington.

Kenneth E. Melson, who has run the bureau for two years, is reportedly eager to testify to Congress about the extent of his and other officials' involvement in the operation, code-named Fast and Furious.

Melson does not want to be "the fall guy" for the program, under which ATF agents allowed straw purchasers to acquire more than 1,700 AK-47s and other high-powered rifles from Arizona gun dealers, the sources said. The idea was to track the guns to drug cartel leaders. But that goal proved elusive, and the guns turned up at shootings in Mexico, as well as at the slaying in Arizona of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in December.

How long before this guy has an "accident"?

It's Not Easy Being Green

2011-06-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

By Joe Eaton:
Limousines, the very symbol of wealth and excess, are usually the domain of corporate executives and the rich. But the number of limos owned by Uncle Sam increased by 73 percent during the first two years of the Obama administration, according to an analysis of records by iWatch News.

Most of the increase was recorded in Hillary Clinton’s State Department.

Obama administration officials said most of the increase reflects an enhanced effort to protect diplomats and other government officials in a dangerous world. But a watchdog group says the abundance of limos sends the wrong message in the midst of a budget crisis. The increase in limos comes to light on the heels of an executive order from President Obama last week that charges agencies to increase the fuel efficiency of their fleets.

According to General Services Administration data , the number of limousines in the federal fleet increased from 238 in fiscal 2008, the last year of the George W. Bush administration, to 412 in 2010. Much of the 73 percent increase—111 of the 174 additional limos—took place in fiscal 2009, more than eight months of which corresponded with Obama’s first year in office. However, some of those purchases could reflect requests made by the Bush administration during an appropriations process that would have begun in the spring of 2008.

The department said it defines a limo as a vehicle that carries a VIP or “other protectee,” rather than by the type of car, but said most of its limos are Cadillac DTSs, which cost the taxpayer more than $60,000 for a 2011 base model and support the additional weight of armoring. The department said it also purchased a limited number of 7-Series BMWs for ambassadors in countries where vehicles are right-hand drive.

LET THEN EAT CAKE

Keep An Eye On Senate Bill 978

2011-06-22T13:05:00.001-07:00

From Techdirt.

Senators Want To Put People In Jail For Embedding YouTube Videos
from the not-understanding-the-technology dept

Okay, this is just getting ridiculous. A few weeks back, we noted that Senators Amy Klobuchar, John Cornyn and Christopher Coons had proposed a new bill that was designed to make "streaming" infringing material a felony. At the time, the actual text of the bill wasn't available, but we assumed, naturally, that it would just extend "public performance" rights to section 506a of the Copyright Act.

Supporters of this bill claim that all it's really doing is harmonizing US copyright law's civil and criminal sections. After all, the rights afforded under copyright law in civil cases cover a list of rights: reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works or perform the work. The rules for criminal infringement only cover reproducing and distributing -- but not performing. So, supporters claim, all this does is "harmonize" copyright law and bring the criminal side into line with the civil side by adding "performance rights" to the list of things.

And it gets worse. Because rather than just (pointlessly) adding "performance" to the list, the bill tries to also define what constitutes a potential felony crime in these circumstances:

the offense consists of 10 or more public performances by electronic means, during any 180-day period, of 1 or more copyrighted works

So yeah. If you embed a YouTube video that turns out to be infringing, and more than 10 people view it because of your link... you could be facing five years in jail. This is, of course, ridiculous, and suggests (yet again) politicians who are regulating a technology they simply do not understand. Should it really be a criminal act to embed a YouTube video, even if you don't know it was infringing...? This could create a massive chilling effect to the very useful service YouTube provides in letting people embed videos.

Happy Birthday IBM

2011-06-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

IBM celebrates 100 years.
This video is very interesting, but more interesting are the negative comments on the video. Worth a look.

June 6th 1944-D-Day

2011-06-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

From the Seattle P.I.

CRICQUEVILLE-EN-BESSIN, France (AP) — World War II veterans and Sen. John Kerry are commemorating the D-Day landings in Normandy at an iconic and eroding cliff.

The visit is one of several events along the coast Monday marking 67 years since Allied forces landed on a swath of beaches in Nazi-occupied France. The June, 6, 1944, invasion and ensuing battle for Normandy helped change the course of the war.

An installation of 1,000 casts of Russian, German and American combat helmets of WWII which also represent turtles, to denounce global violence, created by French artist Rachid Khimoune, is seen on Omaha Beach in Colleville sur Mer, western France, Sunday, June 5, 2011 at the eve of the D-Day Anniversary. Photo: Vincent Michel / AP

Sorry but I'm less than impressed with these silly looking monuments to our finest.

Yea But He's No William Hung.

2011-06-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the Kleenex.

We Are The Cyclists

2011-06-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Teacher-My Homework Was Hacked.

2011-06-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

Enough has been made of Weinergate.
I wonder if Reuters has been hacked by the same people?

Hypocricy They Name Is U.S.

2011-05-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

RT America TV anchor detained over dancing at Jefferson Memorial.
If you don't know, RT is Russia Television.

An anchor of satellite TV channel RT America's political show Adam VS The Man, Adam Kokesh was arrested on Saturday during the silent dancing flashmob at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, RT said in a statement on Sunday.

Kokesh, along with the other participants, was arrested after he had started silently dancing at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial protesting the U.S. District court's decision that imposes a ban on dancing within the memorial.

To Those That Gave Their All

2011-05-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU.

A shrine dedicated to the POW/MIA soldiers of the Vietnam and Korean Wars sits with a backdrop of an American flag on the mall, May 25, 1998. The shrine was constructed by the Massachusetts Vigil Society for Memorial Day. UPI ms/Michael Smith

Oldie But Goody

2011-05-28T23:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of the music but I love the video.

Messing With Texas

2011-05-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

The TSA is another agency that needs to be abolished.
Insisting that the states have no right to restrict the pedofiles perverts groping and viewing naked body scans, the TSA threatened to impose a "No Fly Zone" on Texas.

House Bill 1937, which was passed by the House earlier this month, would make it a misdemeanor offense for a federal security agent to “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly [touch] the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of the other person, including touching through clothing, or touching the other person in a manner that would be offensive to a reasonable person.”

The bill in the house passed unanimously but when it reached the senate it was scheduled to pass until the representative of the TSA visited the Texas chamber and a U.S. Attorney sent them a threatning letter.

We all know what happens when Obama imposes a "No Fly Zone", bombs to follow.

REMEMBER THE ALAMO!

Ban Homeland Security- Now.

2011-05-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

Here is just another example of why Home Land Security must be abolished.

COLUMBIA -- Gov. Nikki Haley said Friday that South Carolina's two dozen illegal immigration enforcement agents were blocked by the Obama administration from enforcing the state's law banning business from hiring undocumented workers.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, part of President Barack Obama's Cabinet, told the state it could not use E-Verify documentation to enforce South Carolina's immigration law. But Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a similar law in Arizona upheld a state's right to rely on the online system that uses Social Security numbers to screen new workers to see if they are legally in the country.

More than 200,000 businesses use E-Verify, and it is considered the most reliable source in South Carolina, where about half of the driver's licenses from other states don't pass muster. The U.S. Supreme Court found E-Verify to be the best and most efficient way for employers to verify an individual's work eligibility.

Lipstick On A Pig

2011-05-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

Our Boob In Chief and another one of his gaffs. Timing really is everything.

The Final Nail In The Coffin!

2011-05-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul-The only one that really gets it.

From The Mouths Of Canadians

2011-05-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hail Mr. Transparent

2011-05-20T01:45:00.000-07:00

OK so I'm beating a dead horse-Barack Obama promised to have the most open and transparent administration of all time. Perhaps we should call Mister Obama, Mr. Orwell. It's seems that almost everything uttered out of the man is Newspeak. Totally opposite of what he promises.

If he is not banning the Boston Herald reporter from the fundraiser in Boston he is locking reporters in closets.
President Obama also has a penchant for punishing whistleblowers.
One case is that of former NSA senior director Thomas Drake.
The Justice Department’s indictment narrows the frame around Drake’s actions, focussing almost exclusively on his handling of what it claims are five classified documents. But Drake sees his story as a larger tale of political reprisal, one that he fears the government will never allow him to air fully in court. “I’m a target,” he said. “I’ve got a bull’s-eye on my back.” He continued, “I did not tell secrets. I am facing prison for having raised an alarm, period. I went to a reporter with a few key things: fraud, waste, and abuse, and the fact that there were legal alternatives to the Bush Administration’s ‘dark side’ ”—in particular, warrantless domestic spying by the N.S.A.
The indictment portrays him not as a hero but as a treacherous man who violated “the government trust.” Drake said of the prosecutors, “They can say what they want. But the F.B.I. can find something on anyone.”

When President Barack Obama took office, in 2009, he championed the cause of government transparency, and spoke admiringly of whistle-blowers, whom he described as “often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government.” But the Obama Administration has pursued leak prosecutions with a surprising relentlessness. Including the Drake case, it has been using the Espionage Act to press criminal charges in five alleged instances of national-security leaks—more such prosecutions than have occurred in all previous Administrations combined. The Drake case is one of two that Obama’s Justice Department has carried over from the Bush years.
Gabriel Schoenfeld, a conservative political scientist at the Hudson Institute, who, in his book “Necessary Secrets” (2010), argues for more stringent protection of classified information, says, “Ironically, Obama has presided over the most draconian crackdown on leaks in our history—even more so than Nixon.”

The Fondas Know Traitors

2011-05-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

It is encouraging that even the Liberals are finally scratching the veneer of Obama.
CANNES, France (AFP) – Peter Fonda launched a four-letter attack on US President Barack Obama at the Cannes film festival on Wednesday, calling him a traitor over the handling of the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill.
Fonda -- a keen environmentalist and co-producer of the film which centres on the explosion of the BP oil rig Deepwater Horizon, the ensuing spill and its consequences -- accused Washington of trying to gag reporting on the issue.

"I sent an email to President Obama saying, 'You are a f(expletive) traitor,' using those words... 'You're a traitor, you allowed foreign boots on our soil telling our military -- in this case the coastguard -- what they can and could not do, and telling us, the citizens of the United States, what we could or could not do'."

Fonda, who said he sent the email last week, appears in "The Big Fix" trying to get on to Louisiana beaches to assess the impact of the biggest oil spill in US history, only to be turned away by BP clean-up personnel.

Speaking at a press event at the American Pavilion to promote the film, Fonda denounced BP as "a bunch of Brits -- I thought we kicked them out a long time ago. They tried to get back in in 1812, but they didn't make it."

Cornel West, a Princeton University professor and leading black intellectual, is harshly criticizing President Obama, a candidate he once supported but now calls “a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats.”

West, a former Harvard University professor, said during an interview with the website Truthdig posted yesterday that the president has not been true to his race.

“I think my dear brother Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men,” West said. “It’s understandable. As a young brother who grows up in a white context, brilliant African father, he’s always had to fear being a white man with black skin. All he has known culturally is white…When he meets an independent black brother, it is frightening.”

I've Got Nothing To Hide

2011-05-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
From The New York Times.
For years, Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, has extolled the virtue of transparency, and he built Facebook accordingly. The social network requires people to use their real identity in large part because Mr. Zuckerberg says he believes that people behave better — and society will be better — if they cannot cloak their words or actions in anonymity.

“Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity,” Mr. Zuckerberg has said.
Now, Facebook is being taken to task for trying to conceal its own identity as it sought to coax reporters and technology experts to write critical stories about the privacy implications of a search feature, Social Circle, from its rival, Google.

Companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere routinely approach reporters and analysts with stories about the so-called misdeeds of their competitors. But journalism and public relations experts criticized Facebook for doing so anonymously and insisting that Burson-Marsteller not reveal its identity.

How About A "NO IDIOTS LIST".

2011-05-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

From the New York Daily News.
America needs a "no-ride" list barring suspected terrorists from Amtrak trains because of the potential threat of an Al Qaeda attack on the U.S. rail system on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Sen. Chuck Schumer said Sunday.

He called on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to use the existing airline "no-fly" list for the rails, too.

"We have to be vigilant against future attacks," Schumer (D-NY) told reporters in midtown Manhattan yesterday.

When he's not busy suggesting that anyone that admits to having used a drug illegally be prohibited from owning a hand gun, he's now wants to put people on a "NO RIDE LIST" on Amtrac. What's next buses.
Perhaps Mr. Schumer is not aware that there is no guarantee that innocent people will not end up on the No Fly list and you are not told until you attempt to fly. Perhaps he is unaware that at one time even Senator Ted Kennedy was on the no fly list. Perhaps he is unaware that AMTRAC is funded with tax payer dollars and therefore not a private company such as airlines and therefore should be available to all taxpayers.
Perhaps Mr. Schumer needs to be on a "no idiots list".

Corruption

2011-05-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

From ARS Technica.

Remember when our Liar in Chief promised that the Obama government would not be a revolving door for lobbiests? I do.
Here is the latest-
Meredith Attwell Baker, one of the two Republican Commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission, plans to step down—and right into a top lobbying job at Comcast-NBC.

The news, reported this afternoon by the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and Politico, comes after the hugely controversial merger of Comcast and NBC earlier this year. At the time, Baker objected to FCC attempts to impose conditions on the deal and argued that the "complex and significant transaction" could "bring exciting benefits to consumers that outweigh potential harms."

Four months after approving the massive transaction, Attwell Baker will take a top DC lobbying job for the new Comcast-NBC entity, according to reports.

2011-05-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

From Pajama Media.
May Day rally in Southern California. SEIU, Obama's prime benefactor in the 2008 elections marching hand in hand with Communist wantabees. You be the judge.

How About An Office Of Sanity.

2011-05-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

From KATU.com

PORTLAND, Ore. – Mayor Sam Adams wants to create a new city agency to provide more equity for minorities to the tune of a half-million dollars.

But the city already has an Office of Human Relations that works to eliminate discrimination and bigotry in the city. There is also a Diversity Development and Affirmative Action Office that works on equity issues in city employment. Even still, Adams says the city needs an Office of Equity.

The Coalition of Communities of Color, which did the study, says whites, on average, made $33,095 last year and people of color made $16,636 in Multnomah County.

It also found only 7 percent of whites here don’t graduate high school compared to 30 percent of minorities.

But how will the mayor’s new Office of Equity help?

“Well, we don’t know,” Adams said.

But he said that is why he wants the new office.

“So in terms of what is the Office of Equity going to do? Fundamentally, is figure out why Portlanders of color are actually seeing an increasing gap between white Portlanders, why that is and what we can do about it,” Adams said.

“It’s not a lot of money but obviously if you’re trying to make things more equitable that’s always a good thing,” said Marcus Pack with Reggie’s Barber Shop.

Perhaps the problem is that these people don't think that a half a million dollars a year is a lot of money.

Bringing Home The Bacon.

2011-05-05T02:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a great little article from the Wall Street Journal that sums up why food prices are rising so rapidly. Well worth the read.

Please Help Me

2011-04-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this one.
By Stephanie Reitz, AP
NORWALK, Conn. — A homeless single mother who lives in her van pleaded not guilty Wednesday to stealing nearly $16,000 worth of education for her son by enrolling the kindergartener in her baby sitter's school district.

Tanya McDowell, 33, was arraigned in Norwalk, where she was arrested April 14 on felony charges of committing and attempting to commit first-degree larceny.

Prosecutors say McDowell used her baby sitter's address to enroll her son in Norwalk schools in the fall but should have registered the boy in nearby Bridgeport, a significantly poorer urban district and the location of her last permanent address.
She faces up to 20 years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines if convicted of the felony larceny charge.
Bridgeport's heavily urban school district is about twice the size of Norwalk's, though both sit within Connecticut's wealthy Fairfield County. Bridgeport is significantly poorer: State figures show 95 percent of Bridgeport's students qualify for free or reduced-lunch meals because of their family incomes, compared with less than one of every three Norwalk students. Norwalk also has significantly lower dropout rates and higher test scores.

So let me get this right. If you're an illegal you can steal an education for your child and have people rally around you child's cause and demand that you should also be entitled to in state college tuition, but if you're an American citizen that is homeless and living in various locations you are charged with a felony.

Is Saudi Arabia Next?

2011-04-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

From Press TV.

Anti-government protesters in Qatif are calling for human rights reforms, freedom of expression and the release of political prisoners.

They are also calling for the immediate withdrawal of Saudi troops from neighboring Bahrain.

After dispersing the protesters by force, Saudi troops attacked several homes in the city and arrested many people. They also destroyed vehicles parked in the streets.

Saudi Arabia's east has been the scene of anti-government protests over the past months.

"As the list of Saudi political prisoners grows longer, the silence of the US and the EU becomes more deafening," Christoph Wilcke, a senior Middle East researcher at HRW, said in the statement.

A Saudi-based human rights group had earlier reported that Saudi authorities have arrested 100 protesters for taking part or organizing anti-government demonstrations.

Human Rights First Society (HRFS) also revealed that some of the detainees were subject to torture both physically and mentally.

Come on Herr Hillary isn't it time we dropped a few humanitarian love bombs on Saudi Arabia in order to protect the "freedom fighters".

Planes Bad, Trains Good.

2011-04-25T00:14:00.000-07:00

TOH- The No Agenda Show.

Woo, Woo- Don't forget May 7th. is NATIONAL TRAIN DAY!
If you are in the New York area on that day you can join Gladys Knight at the Beacon Theatre to help America celebrate National Train Day and AMTRAK's 40th aniversity for only $65-$200.
They have teamed up with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to present the Rock'n the Rail Way concert. However your ticket price is not tax deductible (What's up with that?)

I have commented before that there is a full court press in this country for overly expensive, unwanted high-speed rail. Often cited when trying to sell this turd are the Chinese and Japanese high speed "successes". Well, not so fast.

BEIJING — China’s expanding network of ultramodern high-speed trains has come under growing scrutiny here over costs and because of concerns that builders ignored safety standards in the quest to build faster trains in record time.

Last week, the new leadership at the Railways Ministry announced that to enhance safety, the top speed of all trains was being decreased from about 218 mph to 186. Without elaborating, the ministry called the safety situation “severe” and said it was launching safety checks along the entire network of tracks.
The Finance Ministry said last week that the Railways Ministry continued to lose money in the first quarter of this year. The ministry’s debt stands at $276 billion, almost all borrowed from Chinese banks.

“They’ve taken on a massive amount of debt to build it,” said Patrick Chovanec, who teaches at Tsinghua University. He said China accelerated construction of the high-speed rail network — including 295 sleek glass-and-marble train stations — as part of the country’s stimulus spending in response to the 2008 global financial crisis.

Zhao Jian, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University and a longtime critic of high-speed rail, said he worries that the cost of the project might have created a hidden debt bomb that threatens China’s banking system.

“In China, we will have a debt crisis — a high-speed rail debt crisis,” he said. “I think it is more serious than your subprime mortgage crisis. You can always leave a house or use it. The rail system is there. It’s a burden. You must operate the rail system, and when you operate it, the cost is very high.”

It turns out that the ticket sales are not high enough to even service the debt. In other words pay the interest on the money borrowed to build these wonderful new trains. And this is what Obama is trying to convince us we need.

You Have The Right To Reveal Everything You Do.

2011-04-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

DETROIT -- The Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is questioning the Michigan State Police's use of cellphone "extraction" devices.

The ACLU said MSP has used the devices to access information from cellphones that officers ask drivers they have pulled over to give them.

"It can contain information that many people consider to be private, to be beyond the reach of law enforcement and other government actors," said Mark Fancher, an ACLU attorney.

"The State Police will provide information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act ... there may be a processing fee to search for, retrieve, examine and separate exempt material ... ," MSP said in a statement.

Fancher said MSP priced that information, pertaining to five devices, at about $500,000.

"This should be something that they are handing over freely, and that they should be more than happy to share with the public -- the routines and the guidelines that they follow," Fancher said.

So they pull you over for a traffic violation, illegally scan your phone and copy all your private information, then if you want to see what info they have on you and they charge you $500,000 for the priviledge. Sounds like East Germany to me.

The ACTA Sequel

2011-04-21T02:33:00.000-07:00

For some reason current U.S. presidents seem to never sleep when it comes to giving away our sovereignty via one trade agreement or another. The latest acronym agreement is the TPP or the Transpacific Partnership Agreement which would cover trade in goods and services and Intellectual Property. This agreement is being negotiated with Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

To get an idea of how this agreement could affect us I recommend the following blog.

Everywhere You Go-I'll Be Watchin' You.

2011-04-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

From The Guardian.
Security researchers have discovered that Apple's iPhone keeps track of where you go – and saves every detail of it to a secret file on the device which is then copied to the owner's computer when the two are synchronized.

The file contains the latitude and longitude of the phone's recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone or the computer could discover details about the owner's movements using a simple program.

For some phones, there could be almost a year's worth of data stored, as the recording of data seems to have started with Apple's iOS 4 update to the phone's operating system, released in June 2010.

"Apple has made it possible for almost anybody – a jealous spouse, a private detective – with access to your phone or computer to get detailed information about where you've been," said Pete Warden, one of the researchers.
If someone were to steal an iPhone and "jailbreak" it, giving them direct access to the files it contains, they could extract the location database directly. Alternatively, anyone with direct access to a user's computer could run the application and see a visualization of their movements. Encrypting data on the computer is one way to protect against it, though that still leaves the file on the phone.

TOH-Dvorak Uncensored.

Another Ted Stevens Moment.

2011-04-15T01:45:00.000-07:00

From No Agenda".

O.K. class, what is New Zealand most known for?
Answer: The Lord of the Rings.
No, the answer we are looking for is sheep.
It appears that the legislature is populated by sheep also.
They recently voted for a law that makes file sharing illegal. Yes, all file sharing.
Please listen to this video of one of their finest attempt to explain the ins and outs of the peer to peer networks.
This is an example of why politicians must not be allowed to make grownup decisions. From Ted Stevens' "the internet is a bunch of tubes", to Barney Franks' "Freddie and Fanny are not in any trouble" statements these people must be reigned in.

There's An App For That.

2011-04-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Never Gonna Give You Up.

2011-04-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to "Dvorak Uncensored.

The State of Oregon gets Rick Rolled.

War On Drugs-winning-dah.

2011-04-08T02:19:00.000-07:00

From Bloomberg.com.

Why can't we win the war on drugs?
Answer-because we can't afford to. From Afganistan to Columbia to Mexico to the U.S. the government-bankster consortium is up to their noses (pun intended) in the action.
Wachovia Corp., Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. admit that for years they have been laundering drug money from narcotics traffickers. Wachovia admitting handling almost 4 billion dollars in drug money from 2004-2007 which is equal to 1/3 of Mexico's current gross domestic product. These banks aren't the only ones involved in this, American Express, Western Union and others were also involved.

Happy April 1st.

2011-04-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Taco Bell Buys The Liberty Bell
In an effort to help the national debt, Taco Bell is pleased to announce that we have agreed to purchase the Liberty Bell, one of our country’s most historic treasures. It will now be called the “Taco Liberty Bell” and will still be accessible to the American public for viewing. While some may find this controversial, we hope our move will prompt other corporations to take similar action to do their part to reduce the country’s debt.

In a separate press release, Taco Bell explained that the Liberty Bell would divide its time between Philadelphia and the Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine. It compared the purchase to the adoption of highways by corporations. Taco Bell argued that it was simply “going one step further by purchasing one of the country’s greatest historic treasures.” The company boasted, “Taco Bell’s heritage and imagery have revolved around the symbolism of the bell. Now we’ve got the crown jewel of bells.”

A must for every computer user:

You Can't Make This Stuff Up.

2011-04-01T01:59:00.000-07:00

From Politico.
President Obama finally and quietly accepted his “transparency” award from the open government community this week — in a closed, undisclosed meeting at the White House on Monday.

The secret presentation happened almost two weeks after the White House inexplicably postponed the ceremony, which was expected to be open to the press pool.

Westley Clark On Why We Are In The Middle East.

2011-03-30T01:28:00.000-07:00

Westley Clark spills the beans just days after the towers fell.

Well If Big Sister Says It's O.K.

2011-03-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

From: The New York Daily News.com,/a>

The perception of Mexican drug cartel violence spilling into U.S. border towns is flat-out inaccurate, U.S. Homeland Security boss Janet Napolitano insisted Friday.

Napolitano, speaking in El Paso, Texas, declared that security along the southern U.S. border is at an all-time high.

"There is a perception that the border is worse now than it has ever been," Napolitano said Friday in El Paso, Texas. "That is wrong. The border is better now than it ever has been."

As for crime, the image of Mexican drug violence contaminating U.S. border cities is "wrong again," she said.

Well some of the border may indeed be more secure because of recent increased security, it doesn't hurt to tag along with a couple of heavy armed dudes with body armor.

Things Are Different At The Shack!

2011-03-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

From Dvorak Unsensored:

You read it right. Customers who buy Dish Network will be rewarded with a firearm.

"I think it really, really fits the Bitterroot Valley," said Steve Strand, who has owned Hamilton's Radio Shack for about seven years.

Strand, along with store manager Fabian Levy, wanted to generate more foot traffic at their location. So far, the gun giveaway has worked like a charm.

"It's been really successful," Levy said.

According to Strand, it has tripled his business since the promotion started last October. And, he said, easily hundreds of people have stopped in to see what the sign is all about. "Protect yourself with Dish Network. Sign up now, get free gun," the sign reads.

After the customer signs a service contract and sets up an install date, they are given a gift certificate for their gun. They can also opt for a $50 gift card from Pizza Hut if they prefer, Strand said. And customers who purchase new Dish Network service that don't qualify for a firearm are still given the Pizza Hut gift card.

Check Out The No Agenda Show

2011-03-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

For those who still cling to the left-right paradigm please join me in the highly entertaining and informative news dissection of the No Agenda Show.

I Was For It Before I Was Against It.

2011-03-24T02:04:00.000-07:00

Senator Biden was pretty specific when he warned then president Bush that he had better not invade Iran without first getting the Congress to declare war on them. He even trotted out the Constitution as the basis for this opinion.

Apparently Vice President Biden believes the Constitution only applies to Republican presidents.

I don't hear him objecting to Obama's authorization to drop bombs and fire hundreds of missiles into Libya.

If we can't impeach Obama for this userption then what will it take?

NO Moore, No Mas

2011-03-09T01:50:00.000-08:00

Jabba the Hut explains the problem with U.S. economic system.

Don't Turn Your Back.

2011-02-25T01:52:00.000-08:00

From The Huffington Post.

On Tuesday, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke on issues of free speech at George Washington University, 71-year-old former CIA analyst Ray McGovern was assaulted, dragged from the room and double handcuffed with metal cuffs causing profuse bleeding.

While the "Honorable" Mrs. Clinton was blathering on about the injustice of the Iran internet crackdown on protesters 71 year old Ray McGovern remained standing and turned his back to her in protest. The result was he was assaulted and arrested and detained for no reason.

Clinton complaining about heavy-handed government oppression. Obama increasing the troop count in Afghanistan and authorizing death drones and accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. What a bunch of hypocritical ass clowns.

The Donald Has Spoken.

2011-02-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

Donald Trump, himself threatening to run for president, offers his useless opinion of Ron Paul's elect-ability.

For The Second Year In A Row-Ron Paul Wins CPAC Straw Vote.

2011-02-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

From Politics Daily:

For the second successive year, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas won the presidential straw poll conducted at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, capturing 30 percent of the vote.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts was second in the straw poll with 23 percent of the vote, Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio announced at the conference in Washington held by the American Conservative Union. The others on the ballot finished far behind.

The straw poll covers more than preference for president. It also asks questions about issues. Fabrizio said the No. 1 concern of participants in the straw poll was " the size of government and the role government has in your life."

One question asked participants to choose among three statements to represent their "core beliefs and ideology."

Eighty-four percent chose "My most important goal is to promote individual freedom by reducing the size and scope of government and its intrusion into the lives of citizens."

Nine percent selected "My most important goal is to promote traditional values by protecting traditional marriage and protecting the life of the unborn."

And 6 percent chose "My most important goal is to secure and guarantee American safety at home and abroad regardless of the cost or the size of government."

Beware the Bear.

2011-02-04T01:27:00.000-08:00

Register Guard.M

If you drive in Oregon in the next couple of weeks beware. Thanks to largess of the federal government Oregon will put more officers on the road to encourage traffic safety.

The Eugene Police Department is among the agencies that will participate in the statewide effort. Its officers plan to focus on enforcing speed and safety belt laws.

Eugene police say officers also will keep their eyes peeled for drivers who use cell phones while behind the wheel as well as those who fail to follow the state’s “move over” law.

That law requires motorists to change lanes whenever they encounter an emergency vehicle or roadside assistance vehicle stopped alongside the road with its emergency lights flashing. Drivers who cannot safely move over must slow to at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit.

The increased patrols are scheduled to begin Monday and continue through Sunday, Feb. 20.

The New Ministry Of Truth.

2011-01-28T14:46:00.000-08:00

It appears that the "Ministry of Truth", the ABC television network, has solidified it's inside position by appointing Jay Carney, the husband of ABC News reporter Claire Shipman, to the new White House Press secretary. This is on the heals of ABC News announcing that they have picked Ben Sherwood as its news division president. Sherwood's older sister, Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood Randall, is a special assistant to President Barack Obama and senior director of European Affairs on the National Security Council.

Guess Hu"s Coming To Dinner?

2011-01-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

Who was the center of attention at the recent state dinner at the White House?
That's correct-Hu.
No, I want to know what is the name of the guest of honor?
Hu- third base.

"Michelle and Barack Obama welcomed a mix of Hollywood A-listers, big business types and prominent Chinese-Americans to the White House as they threw a "quintessentially American" state dinner Wednesday for the president of China, complete with apple pie and ice cream, and jazz music for the entertainment."

"Celebrity star power arrived in the form of singer Barbra Streisand, her hubby-actor James Brolin and action film star Jackie Chan. Big business turned out in force, too, including Microsoft's Steven Ballmer and JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, among others. Among the big names: fashion's Vera Wang, Vogue's Anna Wintour, artist Maya Lin, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to add some gravitas. Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter made the cut, too."

One of the entertainment headliners was musician Herbie Hancock.
That's a shame, I assumed he had more class than that.
"I ain't gonna play in Sun City no-more." How far we've dropped.

I wonder if President Obama, 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner, even spent a moment contemplating the crude irony that the dinner's honoree Chinese President Hu Jintao is responsible for the 2010 Peace Prize winner spending the glorious night in prison for voicing his political descent? I also wonder if Ms. Streisand has a "Free Tibet" bumper sticker?

No More Mr. Nasty.

2011-01-21T21:03:00.000-08:00

According to the New York Times Keith Olbermann is immediately stepping down from MSNBC. No reason was given and he still has about 2 years left on his $30 million contract. One part of his exit agreement will keep him from moving to another network for an extended period of time. (Yeah)

Unfortunately, the obnoxious Mr. Olbermann will be replaced by an almost bigger blow hard, Ed Schultz.

Why Can't We Put This To Rest?

2011-01-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

The controversy that simply won't go away.

Honolulu, Hawaii (CNN) – Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie vowed to end the "birther" controversy surrounding President Obama's nationality once and for all.

Abercrombie, a newly-elected Democrat, told CNN that he will do whatever it takes to prove once and for all that Obama was born in Hawaii.
However, in January- "Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie suggested in an interview published today that a long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate for Barack Obama may not exist within the vital records maintained by the Hawaii Department of Health.

Back on November 1st. 2008 Hawiian DOH Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino Said:
"State officials said Saturday they have personally verified that the health department holds Obama's original birth certificate.

"Therefore, I as Director of Health for the State of Hawaii, along with the Registrar of Vital Statistics who has statutory authority to oversee and maintain these type of vital records, have personally seen and verified that the Hawai‘i State Department of Health has Sen. Obama’s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures,"

Either the birth certificate is there or it isn't. Appears to me that it isn't.

They NeverGive Up.

2011-01-09T23:33:00.000-08:00

Bloomberg
They never give up.
The U.S. proposed opening its highways to Mexican trucks under a second test program that would require Mexican drivers to be proficient in the English language and U.S. traffic laws.

The two countries may reach an agreement to allow cross- border trucking within weeks, Mexican Deputy Transportation Minister Humberto Trevino said today in a telephone interview.

As part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S. agreed to allow Mexican trucks access to deliver goods in the U.S., a pledge it never fully honored after safety advocates and union officials said Mexico’s trucks and drivers didn’t meet U.S. standards. The U.S. canceled its previous trucking program in 2009, leading Mexico to impose tariffs on U.S. products.

The new proposed program will last 3 years instead of the 1 year trial that ended in 2009.

Of course the U.S. Chamber of Commerce praised this proposed program because it will increase exports but no mention of the trucking jobs it will also export.p; While Mexican truckers are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to operate within the U.S., U.S. truckers are obviously reluctant to transverse the Mexican highways.

Your Doing A Great Job Teddy!

2010-12-31T18:49:00.000-08:00

Register Guard Poll.
"Do you think Ted Kulongoski has done a good job as governor?"
Results: No-77%
             Yes-19%
             Unsure-3%
             Don't care-2%
That's not a very good record. But then again, Oregonians reelected his mentor so expect more of the same.

Fun Time Lapse Video

2010-12-28T01:03:00.000-08:00

December 2010 Blizzard Timelapse. Canon DLSR on tripod with remote timer taking a photo once every five minutes.

Approximately 20 hours in 40 seconds.

More at Facebook: Mike Black Photography

Seasons Greetings

2010-12-25T04:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all that venture here and to all a wonderful New Year.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell- Don't Hold Your Breath.

2010-12-25T04:02:00.000-08:00

From the reaction in the MSM you would think that DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) had been struck down with the signing of President Obama's pen. Don't rush to that conclusion just yet. Let's look at what the bill actually says. Words do matter:
:
The Act does not immediately repeal the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. According to the Congressional Research Service, the Act

"provides for repeal of the current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, to be effective 60 days after the Secretary of Defense has received DOD's comprehensive review on the implementation of such repeal, and the President, Secretary, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) certify to the congressional defense committees that they have considered the report and proposed plan of action, that DOD has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to exercise the discretion provided by such repeal, and that implementation of such policies and regulations is consistent with the standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion, and military recruiting and retention."

1. " Provides for the repeal" NOT THE IMMEDIATE REPEAL.
2. "60 days after the DOD's comprehensive review on the implementation of such repeal" COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW? HOW LONG WILL THAT TAKE?
3. "the President, Secretary, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify...that implementation of such policies and regulations is consistent with the standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion and military recruiting and retention." THERE IS NO TIME LINE AND NO GUARANTEE THAT THIS WILL EVER HAPPEN OR THAT THOSE IN CHARGE NOW WILL EVEN BE IN POWER IF IT DOES.

This is not a done deal. The MSM will tell you that the polls and the national sentiment is conclusive, or "the science is in." Where have I heard that before. Oh yeah, global warming.

Nothing To See Here.

2010-12-24T01:16:00.000-08:00

From This Can't Be Happening.

by:
Dave Lindorff

There was a black-out and a white-out Thursday and Friday as over a hundred US veterans opposed to US wars in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world, and their civilian supporters, chained and tied themselves to the White House fence during an early snowstorm to say enough is enough.

Washington Police arrested 135 of the protesters, in what is being called the largest mass detention in recent years. Among those arrested were Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst who used to provide the president’s daily briefings, Daniel Ellsberg, who released the government’s Pentagon Papers during the Nixon administration, and Chris Hedges, former war correspondent for the New York Times.

No major US news media reported on the demonstration or the arrests. It was blacked out of the New York Times, blacked out of the Philadelphia Inquirer, blacked out in the Los Angeles Times, blacked out of the Wall Street Journal, and even blacked out of the capital’s local daily, the Washington Post, which apparently didn't even think it was a local story worth publishing an article about (they simply ran a photo of Ellsberg with a short caption).

You Gotta Love Those Acronyms

2010-12-23T00:57:00.000-08:00

The CIA has launched a WikiLeaks Task Force.
According to a report by the Washington Post, the agency has launched the task force to appraise the impact of thousands of sensitive diplomatic documents and military files hitting the web thanks to WikiLeaks.

Among the task force’s responsibilities is “whether the agency's ability to recruit informants could be damaged by declining confidence in the U.S. government's ability to keep secrets,” the report said.

CIA spokesman George Little told the paper that the panel is being led by the CIA's Counterintelligence Center. It is made up of more than two dozen members from departments across the agency.

The new task force is commonly refured to by the acronym WTF. How appropriate.

We've Met The Enemy And He Is Us, or At Least Your Neighbor.

2010-12-22T00:35:00.000-08:00

Continuing the meme that every American is a potential terrorist, the latest public official to weigh in is U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke of the ongoing fight to protect American national security and expressed his growing concern with the threat of homegrown terror - a danger which he said "keeps me up at night."

"What I am trying to do in this interview is to make people aware of the fact that the threat is real, the threat is different, the threat is constant," Holder told ABC's Pierre Thomas, in an interview that aired Tuesday morning.

"The threat has changed from simply worrying about foreigners coming here, to worrying about people in the United States, American citizens -- raised here, born here, and who for whatever reason, have decided that they are going to become radicalized and take up arms against the nation in which they were born," Holder added.

See Something, Say Something?

2010-12-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

The Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the expansion of the Dept.'s national "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to hundreds of Walmart stores cross the country-launching a new partnership between DHS and Walmart to help the American public play an active role in ensuring the safety and security of our nation.

More than 230 Walmart stores nationwide launched the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign today, with a total of 588 Walmart stores in 27 states joining in the coming weeks. A short video message will play at select checkout locations to remind shoppers to contact local law enforcement to report suspicious activity.

The above video will appear at Walmarts that have video screens at checkout counters.
Does this remind any of you of the 1984 telescreens?

We Have An App For That.

2010-12-14T01:53:00.000-08:00

From Dvorak Uncensored:

Now it's possible to snitch on your neighbors from the convience of your smartphone.
Citizen Concept announces the launch of PatriotApp, the world's first iPhone app that empowers citizens to assist government agencies in creating safer, cleaner, and more efficient communities via social networking and mobile techology.
The meme here seems to be that everyone is a suspected terrorist. Be afraid, be very, very afraid.

A System So Good We Want To Opt-Out

2010-11-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

From The New York Post.

We all know that Sen. Ron Wyden is attempting to get a waiver from the onerous Obamacare that he helped promote, but here is a complete List as of now of those that have been granted.

The United Federation of Teachers -- one of President Obama's key political backers -- is the biggest beneficiary of a White House sweetheart deal that will exempt certain outfits from complying with new health-care rules, officials revealed yesterday.

The one-year waiver, approved last month by the Department of Health and Human Services, covers all 351,000 members of the UFT's welfare fund, which provides health care and other benefits.

"Big labor spent millions of dollars pushing ObamaCare, which they made sure was stuffed full of union giveaways," said Patrick Semmens, spokesman for the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which represents businesses.

"So the fact that the largest waiver now belongs to New York teachers union bosses might be funny if the rest of America wasn't stuck complying with the bill's onerous mandates."

For The Net Neutrality Debate

2010-11-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

From Dvorak Uncensored Blog

Comcast Corp. has begun imposing a fee on Internet middleman Level 3 Communications Inc., one of the companies that Netflix Inc. has hired to deliver movies and TV shows to Web customers.

Comcast, the largest U.S. cable TV company, has set up an Internet “toll booth,” charging Level 3 whenever customers request content, the Broomfield, Colorado-based company said in a statement yesterday.

Level 3 plans to complain to U.S. regulators who may enact so-called net-neutrality rules next month. The Federal Communications Commission is seeking to bar phone and cable providers from interfering with legal traffic on their networks. The rules are backed by President Barack Obama and companies led by Google Inc., EBay Inc. and IAC/InterActiveCorp. Phone and cable companies say rules aren’t needed and may hurt investment.

“This action by Comcast threatens the open Internet and is a clear abuse of the dominant control that Comcast exerts in broadband access,” Thomas Stortz, Level 3’s chief legal officer, said in the statement. “With this action, Comcast is preventing competing content from ever being delivered to Comcast’s subscribers at all, unless Comcast’s unilaterally determined toll is paid.”

Netflix accounts for more than a fifth of the traffic downloaded during the peak hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. in the U.S., according to a report from broadband network company Sandvine Inc. Level 3 has said it will add capacity to its network to handle the extra load from Netflix’s movies.

Planes Bad, Trains Good.

2010-11-24T02:06:00.000-08:00

From The Dvorak Uncensored Blog.

The push for high-speed rail is on. While making a simple trip to the airport as expensive and humiliating as possible Obama and gang are tossing out millions to those that will spend the money on developing high-speed rail.
One of the main selling points of the rail is that you can avoid the nude scanners and strip searches. But wait I guess that Home Land Security Czar Nappy Napolitano didn't get the message. To quote her, “[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?”
Napolitano isn’t the only one who’s suggested that advanced scanning machines could be used in places beyond airports.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, introduced legislation this past September that would authorize testing of body scanners at some federal buildings.

2010-11-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

From The Greely Gazette.

What will happen when political correctness runs head long into national security?
We will soon find out.
"The Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, has expressed concern with the TSA over the regulations and recommended special procedures for dealing with Muslim women. The organization issued a travel advisory for Muslims over the procedure.

In the advisory CAIR advises all Muslims to contact them and file a complaint with the TSA if they experience any “disturbing incidents” with the new procedures and they feel they have been unfairly singled out for screening.

It goes on to make special recommendations for Muslim women wearing a hijab covering their face. The advisory says women are to inform the officer they are only to pat down the head and neck and says “They should not subject you to a full-body or partial body pat-down.” They also recommend that women should be permitted to pat themselves down and “have the officers perform a chemical swipe of your hands.”

Barack Obama’s Homeland Security Czar, Janet Napolitano, is considering changes to the procedures to address the issues raised by CAIR."

If Jay Has His Say.

2010-11-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

From
The Daily Caller.

Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller seems to believe that somehow congress should be the arbitrator of what is acceptable news and even entertainment programming.
In this clip he says: “I hunger for quality news. I’m tired of the right and the left,” Rockefeller bemoaned during a recent hearing on television retransmission consent. “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,” he added.

He is a very good example of a politician that doesn't get it. If he actually watched Fox or MSNBC he would see that the current mood of the PEOPLE has dramatically moved toward less government not more. An unprecedented number or incumbents were turned out in the last election because Americans finally woke up to the fact that congress is dysfunctional and the only way to correct this is to vote the bums out. Unfortunately, he wasn't one of them. Maybe next time.

Mr. Rockefeller appears to be unaware that congress has no constitutional or legal authority to regulate the cable networks content. The FCC has authority only over broadcast channels.

My advice to Mr. Rockefeller is put down the remote, pick up a copy of the Constitution and study it. Thanks to the cable channels and the internet we are no longer limited to what Mr. Rockefeller and his kind decide what is "appropriate" information to consume. I'm sure he rues the day that his buddy Al Gore helped to invent the internet, the only chance we have of insuring that these dinosaurs are relegated to the dust bin of history.

We're All Cons Now.

2010-11-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

From Reason TV.
This is a funny remix of ConAir clip TSA style:

You Don't Want To Make The Hulk Angry.

2010-11-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

From Fox News

People crossing the border illegally may be doing double takes, because a TV superhero is going to be on patrol.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Wednesday swore in 56 members of a new volunteer sheriff's posse group that includes "The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno.

The sheriff says action-film star Steven Seagal and actor Peter Lupus of TV's "Mission: Impossible" fame also are members of the posse group, though they weren't sworn in at Wednesday's ceremony.

The new posse group will specialize in helping deputies crack down on illegal immigration.

The sheriff says the volunteers' duties will include bringing arrestees to jail and handling demonstrators who interfere with immigration patrols.

Some of the nearly 3,000 people who were already part of Arpaio's volunteer posse had played a support role in earlier immigration patrols.

Caution-entering TSA Groping Zone.

2010-11-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

From BoingBoing

Go Ron Go

2010-11-18T02:22:00.000-08:00

Ron Paul goes on a rant about the TSA overreach, or should I say underreach?

Full Body Xray Machines

2010-11-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

The following letter expresses concerns that some scientists at UCSF have concerning the possible harm that the use of the new full-body xray machines may cause. If you believe the common quoted concept that the new machines are as safe as using a cell phone, that may not be true. There may be a reason that the TSA machine operators are forbidden to wear xray dose monitors at work.

Letter here.

America The Pityful

2010-11-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

A California school has done a U-turn after it forced a student to remove an American flag attached to his bike, saying the Stars and Stripes could spur racial tensions on campus.

Cody Alicea,13, had been flying the flag on the back of his bicycle for almost two months to show support for veterans like his grandfather, Robert Alicea.

But just in time for Veterans Day, school officials at Denair Middle School told Cody he would no longer be allowed to display the flag, citing complaints from other students.

Now, after a public outcry, the school has decided that the grand old flag can come back.

Possible Good News For The Holidays.

2010-11-12T11:51:00.001-08:00

Amazon.com is hiring more than 15,500 to fill temporary holiday jobs at shipping centers around the country, more than last year.
"Many retailers are increasing their hiring this season. Kohl's Corp., Macy's Inc., Toys R Us, Pier 1 Imports Inc., American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and others plan to hire more temporary holiday workers."

Opt out, We have an Opt Out!!!!

2010-11-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Found on NoAgenda.com

Beautiful babe is "randomly" selected for full body scan. She refuses and from there it goes downhill.
Welcome to Gitmo Nation.

Music For Your Eyes

2010-11-07T00:04:00.000-07:00

Found these extremely captivating time lapse videos. Please watch them in full screen with the volumn up. You won't be disappointed.

TimeScapes: Rapture from Tom Lowe @ Timescapes on Vimeo.

Timescapes Timelapse: Mountain Light from Tom Lowe @ Timescapes on Vimeo.

Timescapes Timelapse: Learning to Fly from Tom Lowe @ Timescapes on Vimeo.

I Forget

2010-11-01T12:48:00.001-07:00

From The Blaze.com:

These people seem to have selective memory. They forget who was in control of the congress and senate for the last four years and the presidency for two years. They forget who facilitated the housing bubble and bust and who spent us into the highest national debt in history.

Why The Newspapers Are Failing

2010-10-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

The New York Times, in their effort to fuel the idea that the Tea Party members are somehow stupid or out of the ordinary, are attempting to smear the source of some of the Tea Party ideas.

They claim that the inspiration behind some of the Tea Party logic comes from "resurrected once-obscure texts by dead writers". These dead writers include Frederic Bastiat and Friedrich Hayek. They didn't mention much about George Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison, John Adams or any of the others that were so instrumental in penning our constituion that the Tea Parties draw most heavily on.

How odd it is that they don't seem to have a problem following the economic philosophy of John Maynard Keynes who died in 1946.

The New Global Scam

2010-10-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

With the wheels falling off the Global Warming bus the U.N. is busy developing a new scheme to part wealthy countries from their money. While AGW (man caused global warming) appeared to encompass almost every activity and industry in the world it will be small change when compared to the new threat-BIODIVERSITY.
Here are a few sentences from the U.N.'s The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) report:
"Nagoya, Japan, 20 October 2010 The economic importance of the world's natural assets is now firmly on the political radar as a result of an international assessment showcasing the enormous economic value of forests, freshwater, soils and coral reefs, as well as the social and economic costs of their loss, was the conclusion of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) report launched today by TEEB study leader, Pavan Sukhdev."

"TEEB has documented not only the multi-trillion dollar importance to the global economy of the natural world, but the kinds of policy-shifts and smart market mechanisms that can embed fresh thinking in a world beset by a rising raft of multiple challenges."

"The time for ignoring biodiversity and persisting with conventional thinking regarding wealth creation and development is over. We must get on to the path towards a green economy,"

For example, the Japanese city of Nagoya (host to the COP-10 meeting), has implemented a new system of tradeable development rights whereby developers wishing to exceed existing limits on high-rise buildings can offset their impacts by buying and conserving areas of Japan's traditional agricultural landscape...

It appears to me that this will become Carbon Cap and Trade on steroids.

A Meeting Of The Minds

2010-10-29T22:15:00.001-07:00

Google CEO Eric Schmidt and film director James Cameron got together to discuss the future of 3D movies and oh yeah, declare that people that aren't onboard with man caused global warming are criminals.

Schmidt: "People who in my view criminally doubt some of the science."

Cameron: "I agree criminally. I agree with that."

Cameron: "We need to evolve mentally and philosophically to something that's never existed before. We need to become technoindidinous people of an entire earth, not of a nation, not of a state, but of a planet."

"We've Met The Enemy And He Is Us"

2010-10-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

From The Blaze website:

"If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, 'We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends"

Apparently the Great Uniter believes that those of us that disagree with his agenda are his enemy.
So much for pulling this country together.

2010-10-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

From the Dvorak Uncensored Blog:

The NY Daily News.

The entire police force in a small Mexican town abruptly resigned Tuesday after its new headquarters was viciously attacked by suspected drug cartel gunmen.

All 14 police officers in Los Ramones, a rural town in northern Mexico, fled the force in terror after gunmen fired more than 1,000 bullets and flung six grenades at their headquarters on Monday night.

The gunmen’s 20-minute shooting spree destroyed six police vehicles and left the white and orange police station pocked with bullet holes, the Financial Times reported.

The station had been inaugurated just three days earlier.

PERS-Don't look over here.

2010-10-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

The Oregonian is reporting that: "Oregon's Public Employee Retirement System is going to court to try to overturn a decision by the state's top lawyer and keep the names and pension benefits of its best-paid retirees a secret.'

Earlier this month, Kroger's office ordered PERS to release records to The Oregonian of all PERS-covered retirees whose annual retirement benefits exceed $100,000. The Oregonian argues that the public has an overriding interest in learning about individual benefits because they are stacking up as one of the most critical public finance issues of the decade.

PERS has hired outside counsel and filed for an injunction with the Marion County Circuit Court seeking to block release of the information.

It is highly unusual for a state agency to hire outside counsel and spend the money to appeal an order from its own legal adviser. The public records statute does provide for that process, though legal experts were puzzled why the agency, rather than the pensioners themselves, would seek to keep the information private.

Oregon PERS, however, has long argued that such disclosures would constitute "an unreasonable invasion of privacy" and be "highly offensive" to a reasonable individual.

That last line is very informative. If revealing to the people who pay for your retirement compensation is indeed "highly offensive" then perhaps you do not feel that you can defend that largess.

More DeFazio Desperation

2010-10-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Congressman Peter DeFazio is showing his dark side as of late. Contrary to his campaign ads that show him cruising along with his two dogs in his old Dodge with a huge smile on his face it appears the claws are coming out. He not only has endorsed inaccurate attack ads but now seems to be less than honorable in his campaign tactics. In a public forum in Roseburg recently he appears to have used his clout to exclude a large number of interested public, many of which were ostensibly his challenger's supporters, from viewing or even listening to the debate. I was recently sent the following email from the Art Robinson campaign explaining their view of the whole debacle.

Dear Friends,

We have been postponing writing to everyone about the events at the Roseburg forum because we wanted comments from the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Since, however, they have so far refused to talk with us, we are writing anyway.

What actually happened was an outrage and absolutely unbelievable. You can watch the forum itself at www.ArtRobinsonForCongress.com. It is on the front page, just scroll down a little bit.

DeFazio and the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce refused to allow about 300 people

into the room. They would not allow people sitting in the extra space we rented, paid for, and provided to the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce for their use to either watch the f orum or listen to it - when either one could have been done trivially. (By turning an audio switch to listen or opening a movable partition to observe. They also refused all attempts to enter the room itself.) About 300 people viewed the forum and about 300 were excluded.

Besides making requests before the forum started, my Dad (Art Robinson) repeatedly publicly asked DeFazio during the forum to "Tear down this wall" (paraphrasing Ronald Reagan and meaning move the partition so everyone could see the forum) or at the very least allow sound to play in the other room (which could have be done easily with the flip of a switch). DeFazio stared straight ahead during these requests and would not even acknowledge them.

There was obviously an arrangement made with DeFazio giving him control of who could see the forum and who could not. He preferred that only those who knew about and could afford to purchase $20 tickets in advance be allowed in. This is confirmed by DeFazio's actions during the forum and also one of our supporters was told by an official of the Roseburg Chamber of Commerce afterward that DeFazio was in charge of the room.

I have been trying to get clarification from the Chamber on what arrangements were actually made all week. They referred everything to the President & CEO Debbie Fromdahl. I left her repeated messages and was told several times by her staff to call back at certain times. She never was available to me even at those times.

On Thursday Debbie Fromdahl finally called and told a volunteer here that I had a 5 minute window to call her and discuss everything or else she would be unavailable until Monday. I did call back within a few minutes but she already deemed it past her limit (the story is that she was then in a meeting) and would not talk. The secretary told me to call back between 10:30-3:30 on Monday (Oct. 25th) - but refused to let me schedule a firm appointment. Furthermore a special arrangement was made. Specifically the secretary was told NOT to take messages from me and would (I am not making this up) interrupt and refuse to listen if I tried to give her one. I was invited only to leave messages on her answering machine - which of course I did.

We do want to talk with her and find out what actual arrangements they made with DeFazio - if they will discuss them. I will call on Monday and see if she will talk. Most of the members of the chamber and I am sure most of the leadership are good people, and we never intended to be in an argument with them. Here is the contact information if you want to try yourself.

The Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce

410 Spruce St.

Roseburg, OR 97470

Ph. 1-541-672-2648

E-mail: info@roseburgareachamber.org

Why did this happen?

The short answer is that in a public forum in Roseburg without any special arrangements, our supporters would have outnumbered DeFazio's by 10:1 - it was 3:1 even in Eugene. This would have shown DeFazio to be unpopular. What actually happened - even though many people did not come because of the advertising campaign telling them not to - shows him to be far worse.

[At the first forum at the City Club in Eugene, lunches also sold out. An additional 450 people, however, came to the event. All of these people were allowed inside to view the forum.]

DeFazio has refused to come to any real debates. Under pressure to debate, however, DeFazio arranged for four forums. These forums provide very little chance for the candidates to interact, and are nothing like a debate, but they are nice events and better than nothing. We were informed of these through the press and later by a letter from DeFazio. We accepted on the condition that they were freely open to the public.

DeFazio has been advertising these events as open to the public for several months. His supporters handed out fliers about them at fairs and at our debates which he would not come to himself. They have been listed on his website. No hint was ever made that the general public would be refused admittance.

Without telling us, the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce sold tickets at $20 each - this is apparently normal for chamber lunches. When we became aware (just a few days before the forum) that tickets were being sold, we concluded this was just for lunches.

None of us ever thought that anything except a shortage of space would actually be used to keep people out. We arranged and paid for plenty of extra space, so we knew this problem was solved.

This was more than a luncheon and forum. This was the ONLY event of its kind that DeFazio was willing to participate in all of Douglas County.

DeFazio has been hiding from the voters during the entire election campaign. His appearances have been very minimal. This is just more of the same, but designed to keep away those who could not afford $20 or did not know they had to pay well in advance before tickets were sold out.

Best Regards,

Noah Robinson

P.S. Please forward this message to your friends. It is important that the people of Oregon know what happened.

DeFazio is tilting at windmills

2010-10-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

Congressman Peter DeFazio appears to be getting rather desperate late in his career.

Biden Mathmatics

2010-10-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Where does he come up with this BS.

An Explaination Of Some Of The Mortgage Debacle Depth.

2010-10-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Harry Reid Saves The World

2010-10-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

More Financial Crisis On The Horizon

2010-10-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

Just in case you thought that the worst economic problems were behind us, I believe that we have simply put a band-aid on a gapping wound.
Throwing trillions of dollars at the financial giants seems to have guaranteed some of their huge losses but has not done anything to alleviate the cause of the crisis directly.
As I see it, the main problem is using the home mortgage industry to prop up a dwindling economy. We were told that these mortgages were bundled and then sliced up and sold as securities and that is why we don't even know who owns those mortgages I didn't believe it. How could we have a mortgage and not know who holds the papers. I said to myself, let's stop making payments and then we will see who comes to collect and that will sort itself out. Unfortunately, it appears that they were right. Trillions of dollars worth of loans are out there with less than adequate paperwork.
To see how this is playing out watch the following video:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Boondoggle in the Motor City: Detroit's Train to Nowhere

2010-10-15T01:30:00.000-07:00

$500 million for a light rail train to nowhere. This is the stimulus. This is the infrastructure rebuild. This is what hope and change really looks like.
Toh-Dvorak Uncensored.

California Dreamin'

2010-10-05T02:23:00.000-07:00

By Phillip Smith

In a little publicized action, California Governer Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that decriminalizes the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana. The bill reduces simple possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction. This means that it will be treated like a traffic ticket and subject to a maximum of $100 fine with no drug arrest record. Not waiting until the Nov. 19th. vote on legalization he stated budget woes a leading factor in his decision.
The law goes into effect January 1. Even if Prop 19 passes in November, it leaves in place misdemeanor charges for smoking in public or in the presence of minors. Those misdemeanors would become infractions under the new law.

Obama Care Blow Back-part 2

2010-10-01T02:21:00.000-07:00

According to the Wall St. Journal, McDonald,s is set to eliminate healthcare coverage for up to 30,000 employees. Stating that they are in need of an exemption from the new Obamacare guidelines or they will have to discontinue the decade or longer program.

According to McDonalds, the reports that they will discontinue coverage "completely false".
"We're not going to walk away from health-care insurance completely, but we're going to have to look for alternatives if we can't get the resolution we're seeking from Health and Human Services," McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud told Bloomberg.

I guess time will tell.

Doing the job that Americans won't do.

2010-09-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

From Michelle Malkin.com

California Sen. Barbara Boxer recruiting day labor non-English speakers to protest her opponent Carly Fiorina.

Time for Mexico to step up.

2010-09-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

By Diane Macedo
Published September 29, 2010 Fox News.com

A coalition of Mexican mayors has asked the United States to stop deporting illegal immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. to Mexican border cities, saying the deportations are contributing to Mexican border violence.

Those criminal deportees, he said, have contributed to the violence in Juarez, which has reported more than 2,200 murders this year. Reyes and the other Mexican mayors said that when the U.S. deports criminals back to Mexico, it should fly them to their hometowns, not just bus them to the border.

It's time that Mexico steps up to the plate and takes responsibility for their own miscreants. Why should we have to pay to apprehend, try, imprison and transport them to their hometown.

2010-09-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

If anyone gives a darn, here is a couple of videos of Steven Corbert's testimony before congress on migrant farm workers. His satirical wit is mostly lost on this committee and for good reason because he's not that funny.

Obama Care Blow Back.

2010-09-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

From the L.A. Times.
By Duke Helfand

"Major health insurance companies in California and other states have decided to stop selling policies for children rather than comply with a new federal healthcare law that bars them from rejecting youngsters with preexisting medical conditions.

Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna Inc. and others will halt new child-only policies in California, Illinois, Florida, Connecticut and elsewhere as early as Thursday when provisions of the nation's new healthcare law take effect, including a requirement that insurers cover children under age 19 regardless of their health histories."

WHO DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING?