Isn't the original task of the National Security Agency SUPPOSED to be spying on other governments?
Tapping their phones, reading their emails, bugging their apartments....all that sort of stuff. That is the original mission....Innit? When did that change...Did I miss the memo???
AFAIK, there was nothing in the original mission of the NSA about spying on US citizens inside the borders of this country..
So there is outrage! over the fact that someone was listening in on other countries leaders cell phone conversations....Like anyone with half a brain couldn't expect that....
But there is nothing in the press about the outrage that the NSA is spying on US citizens constantly....and without a warrant (except from the sooper-seekret rubber-stamp FISA court that no one ever gets to review).
Protip: Never say anything on any phone...wired or not, that you would be embarrassed by (or go to jail over) if the wrong person heard it. Never write anything in an email (or snail mail, for that matter) that would be bad for you if the wrong person (or government agency) found out about it.
Anything else is just fooling yourself.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Careful
Gunshows are no different than anywhere else.
One never knows who is selling real stuff, and who is selling fakes.
One never knows who is selling real stuff, and who is selling fakes.
adjust your tinfoil yarmulke....
So you may have read on these pages my suspicion as to why we have never seen any of the video surveillance from the state of the art video systems installed inside and outside the Sandy Hook Elementary school. Not a single second of the video...not even any shots of Adam Lanza approaching the entry...not of him in the halls....Not a single still either. It isn't like any pictures are going to harm the case against Adam, either....
And now, it seems that the State and the Town are demolishing the school..Which is understandable, sorta.
Bu the company and the workers actually doing the demolition work are subject to a complete Non-Disclosure order.
Odd that all this secrecy exists for a mass murderer.
And now, it seems that the State and the Town are demolishing the school..Which is understandable, sorta.
Bu the company and the workers actually doing the demolition work are subject to a complete Non-Disclosure order.
Odd that all this secrecy exists for a mass murderer.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Sometimes a Range Day means you don't shoot much
But you can still have fun.
Spent last Sunday afternoon at the range. And I brought a boatload of firearms with me...
But I think I only shot about 30 rounds total.
However, we fired over 700 rounds downrange.
See, my nephew brought his uncle with him from upstate Illinois to turn money into smoke and noise.
They (and I) spent over 4 hours punching holes in paper
and aiding in the demise of several hundred bowling pins from 50 yards away.
They had fun. My nephew fine tuned his technique for rifle and pistol, and his Dad just fed rounds through my Marlin lever action .22.
Sometimes a satisfying day at the range can be had without shooting much.
Spent last Sunday afternoon at the range. And I brought a boatload of firearms with me...
But I think I only shot about 30 rounds total.
However, we fired over 700 rounds downrange.
See, my nephew brought his uncle with him from upstate Illinois to turn money into smoke and noise.
They (and I) spent over 4 hours punching holes in paper
They had fun. My nephew fine tuned his technique for rifle and pistol, and his Dad just fed rounds through my Marlin lever action .22.
Sometimes a satisfying day at the range can be had without shooting much.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Gone for the weekend
at a sooper Secret location for a very, very Special ceremony.
More later, if possible.
More later, if possible.
"If you like your plan you can keep it"
Except that, for most people, that turns out to not be true.
Sheep People are learning that the "Affordable Care Act" sacrifices the affordability of existing plans in order to subsidize insurance for those who didn't have any because they didn't or couldn't pay for it to or subsidize someone with a pre-existing condition.
And most plans have become more expensive because they have to cover additional ailments in order to meet the new regulations of Obamacare.
So if you liked your existing plan, you likely are going to have to change to a more expensive one in order to help pay for someone else....
In other words, Barry lied.
And most plans have become more expensive because they have to cover additional ailments in order to meet the new regulations of Obamacare.
So if you liked your existing plan, you likely are going to have to change to a more expensive one in order to help pay for someone else....
In other words, Barry lied.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Yeah, what he said:
THIS (follow the link) goes along with what I said HERE....
And it is exactly what I think.
Follow the first link to see what the basic difference in philosophy is between some of us, and the liberals.
I have no issue with the idea of helping others. However, when you attempt to help others (no matter if it works or not) at the "point of a gun" ...by taking my property and the fruits of my hard work by force....and GIVE it to someone else because you think it is fair, or right or that your opinion is somehow better or more right than mine.....Well, then we have issues.
Follow the first link...It is worth it.
More blogging as I have time.
And it is exactly what I think.
Follow the first link to see what the basic difference in philosophy is between some of us, and the liberals.
I have no issue with the idea of helping others. However, when you attempt to help others (no matter if it works or not) at the "point of a gun" ...by taking my property and the fruits of my hard work by force....and GIVE it to someone else because you think it is fair, or right or that your opinion is somehow better or more right than mine.....Well, then we have issues.
Follow the first link...It is worth it.
More blogging as I have time.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
And they think we are paranoid and extremists
Which we may well be.
But that doesn't mean that we are wrong, either.
And this is a European agency. Seems like people are realizing that "Gun Control" doesn't work against truly evil people.
Hey, Barry:
Got a question for ya....
I am sure that, as you announced, "no one is more frustrated" than you are regarding the Healthcare.gov website being, at best, a dismal failure...
But I didn't hear, anywhere in your speech, who got fired, who got demoted, and how much of that $634,000,000 you got back from the firm that created this mess.
Nor did I hear that you fired the people responsible for choosing the contractor (since there was no competitive bidding) or the firing of the people responsible for signing off on the testing of the website and the underlying structure BEFORE the bills were paid.
So, exactly who DID get fired....demoted....shot for incompetence?
Where are the criminal charges against those responsible for this fiasco?
Well?
I am sure that, as you announced, "no one is more frustrated" than you are regarding the Healthcare.gov website being, at best, a dismal failure...
But I didn't hear, anywhere in your speech, who got fired, who got demoted, and how much of that $634,000,000 you got back from the firm that created this mess.
Nor did I hear that you fired the people responsible for choosing the contractor (since there was no competitive bidding) or the firing of the people responsible for signing off on the testing of the website and the underlying structure BEFORE the bills were paid.
So, exactly who DID get fired....demoted....shot for incompetence?
Where are the criminal charges against those responsible for this fiasco?
Well?
How they think:
I find it chilling....and against the principles upon which this nation is founded.
“The sharp deterioration of the public finances in many countries has revived interest in a “capital levy”— a one-off tax on private wealth—as an exceptional measure to restore debt sustainability. The appeal is that such a tax, if it is implemented before avoidance is possible and there is a belief that it will never be repeated, does not distort behavior (and may be seen by some as fair). … The conditions for success are strong, but also need to be weighed against the risks of the alternatives, which include repudiating public debt or inflating it away. … The tax rates needed to bring down public debt to precrisis levels, moreover, are sizable: reducing debt ratios to end-2007 levels would require (for a sample of 15 euro area countries) a tax rate of about 10 percent on households with positive net wealth. (page 49)”
(notice, no one ever suggests stopping spending increases)
This is why I want a balanced budget rather than the continued overspending. Eventually, when the debt is high enough, they will steal someone's wealth to pay for it. The bill has to be paid at some point.
It hasn't been spoken of here in the US (yet), but expect the liberals to begin thinking about it soon, if they haven't already.
And if they choose to do so, what are you going to do about it?
At what point will you rise up and resist?
At what point will you stop paying to keep your own property?
(If the IMF is talking about it, then you know that there are plans to act upon such an idea).
(original link from HERE)
“The sharp deterioration of the public finances in many countries has revived interest in a “capital levy”— a one-off tax on private wealth—as an exceptional measure to restore debt sustainability. The appeal is that such a tax, if it is implemented before avoidance is possible and there is a belief that it will never be repeated, does not distort behavior (and may be seen by some as fair). … The conditions for success are strong, but also need to be weighed against the risks of the alternatives, which include repudiating public debt or inflating it away. … The tax rates needed to bring down public debt to precrisis levels, moreover, are sizable: reducing debt ratios to end-2007 levels would require (for a sample of 15 euro area countries) a tax rate of about 10 percent on households with positive net wealth. (page 49)”
(notice, no one ever suggests stopping spending increases)
This is why I want a balanced budget rather than the continued overspending. Eventually, when the debt is high enough, they will steal someone's wealth to pay for it. The bill has to be paid at some point.
It hasn't been spoken of here in the US (yet), but expect the liberals to begin thinking about it soon, if they haven't already.
And if they choose to do so, what are you going to do about it?
At what point will you rise up and resist?
At what point will you stop paying to keep your own property?
(If the IMF is talking about it, then you know that there are plans to act upon such an idea).
(original link from HERE)
Thoughts:
I have been extremely busy, and haven't had much time to post.
But lately, I have been thinking:
So manyliberal/communistic people are saying that we need to "make everything fair"..."Level the playing field"..."Give everyone the same opportunity".
Yet I see things differently:
We already have a more or less level playing field. The federal and state governments give everyone a chance to gain a high school education. They give everyone a chance to go to college. Not it isn't free, but it is possible if you are willing to work. Maybe not a prestigious institution like Harvard r whatever, but a college education is possible for even the poorest American if they are willing to do the work necessary to go. Grants and scholarships are available. In fact, the poorer you are, the more there are available. Everyone gets a chance to go, if they care to. And this can lead to a modicum of success if the degree is a marketable one. People DO have opportunities....they just choose to ignore them most of the time.
The thing is, many people CHOOSE to fail in our society. Yes, luck may play a part, but most people who are poor or who have failed to find what they expected life to be have made bad choices....often over and over again. Drugs, drinking, early motherhood, crime...just plain laziness, these are all factors in success (or not) in life.
Choosing to depend on the government for your livelihood is another reason to not get your expected lot in life.
And, quite often, laziness is the single largest factor. I know of no one who is successful who does not work hard. Most people who are successful to one degree or another are hard workers. They generally work more than 40 hours per week. They generally make choices that lead to income....I know plumbers and electricians and other tradesmen in the Midwest who make significantly more than I do....and often they work 70+ hour weeks. They also bring home really good money. And they made good choices that got them to where they are today with hard work and effort.
They also don't waste their money. They choose to live at or below their income level, and save their money for leaner times. Few have big debt, unless it is debt that they incurred starting their business. And they are trying hard to pay it off.
I have come to the conclusion that poverty (however you choose to define it) is most often due to culture. People are taught by those who raised them to be either successful or not. To live well, and make good choices, or not. To work hard and think for the future, or not.
Some people can learn to be successful despite the culture in which they are raised, and some cannot. Some who are raised to succeed choose not to. .
While some people are given advantages, we all are given the "level playing field" to succeed....or fail, as we choose. Yes, some are lucky, and some have advantages. But in most other parts of the world, you will seldom rise above the station to which you are born. And I include Europe in that description.
It isn't others keeping you down, it is generally yourself.
Is the paying field perfectly level? Absolutely not. But it is the most level of anywhere in the world.
Remember, having the right to succeed also means you have the right to fail.
But lately, I have been thinking:
So many
Yet I see things differently:
We already have a more or less level playing field. The federal and state governments give everyone a chance to gain a high school education. They give everyone a chance to go to college. Not it isn't free, but it is possible if you are willing to work. Maybe not a prestigious institution like Harvard r whatever, but a college education is possible for even the poorest American if they are willing to do the work necessary to go. Grants and scholarships are available. In fact, the poorer you are, the more there are available. Everyone gets a chance to go, if they care to. And this can lead to a modicum of success if the degree is a marketable one. People DO have opportunities....they just choose to ignore them most of the time.
The thing is, many people CHOOSE to fail in our society. Yes, luck may play a part, but most people who are poor or who have failed to find what they expected life to be have made bad choices....often over and over again. Drugs, drinking, early motherhood, crime...just plain laziness, these are all factors in success (or not) in life.
Choosing to depend on the government for your livelihood is another reason to not get your expected lot in life.
And, quite often, laziness is the single largest factor. I know of no one who is successful who does not work hard. Most people who are successful to one degree or another are hard workers. They generally work more than 40 hours per week. They generally make choices that lead to income....I know plumbers and electricians and other tradesmen in the Midwest who make significantly more than I do....and often they work 70+ hour weeks. They also bring home really good money. And they made good choices that got them to where they are today with hard work and effort.
They also don't waste their money. They choose to live at or below their income level, and save their money for leaner times. Few have big debt, unless it is debt that they incurred starting their business. And they are trying hard to pay it off.
I have come to the conclusion that poverty (however you choose to define it) is most often due to culture. People are taught by those who raised them to be either successful or not. To live well, and make good choices, or not. To work hard and think for the future, or not.
Some people can learn to be successful despite the culture in which they are raised, and some cannot. Some who are raised to succeed choose not to. .
While some people are given advantages, we all are given the "level playing field" to succeed....or fail, as we choose. Yes, some are lucky, and some have advantages. But in most other parts of the world, you will seldom rise above the station to which you are born. And I include Europe in that description.
It isn't others keeping you down, it is generally yourself.
Is the paying field perfectly level? Absolutely not. But it is the most level of anywhere in the world.
Remember, having the right to succeed also means you have the right to fail.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Gotta wonder:
SO people who know are saying that the Healthcare.gov site should have cost 2-5 Million dollars to set up and execute.
We, as taxpayers, spent $634 Million. And they are "fixing it" again
Now, while I am sure that the software and hardware vendor made a profit, this was not a project for which bids were solicited.
This project was GIVEN to a single vendor with no bidding or other competition...Despite government rules which require a competitive bidding process. (and the contractor was fired by the Canadians a while back for failing to complete a similar project after 3 years of delay)
Which leads me to wonder:
What sort of kickbacks, gifting or ghost-employment happened?
We got a website (after 3 years) that doesn't work, written and executed with technology that is at least 10 (ten!) years out of date. So for 126 times the realistic expected cost, we have an unworkable website that uses outdated technology. Even if the experts are wrong by a factor of 5, we still spent 25 times as much as we should have.
Makes ya wonder, don't it?
Draw your own conclusions.
We, as taxpayers, spent $634 Million. And they are "fixing it" again
Now, while I am sure that the software and hardware vendor made a profit, this was not a project for which bids were solicited.
This project was GIVEN to a single vendor with no bidding or other competition...Despite government rules which require a competitive bidding process. (and the contractor was fired by the Canadians a while back for failing to complete a similar project after 3 years of delay)
Which leads me to wonder:
What sort of kickbacks, gifting or ghost-employment happened?
We got a website (after 3 years) that doesn't work, written and executed with technology that is at least 10 (ten!) years out of date. So for 126 times the realistic expected cost, we have an unworkable website that uses outdated technology. Even if the experts are wrong by a factor of 5, we still spent 25 times as much as we should have.
Makes ya wonder, don't it?
Draw your own conclusions.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Hearings, hearings, hearing,,,,So what
Seems that the House held a hearing regarding the behavior of the National Park Service over the course of the Government "Shutdown".
So what?
While the answers given by Director Jarvis may or may not have been lies, the fact is that besides being on the "hot seat" for the stupid behavior of the NPS, what will come of it?
Will he or any of his deputies be fired?
Will steps be taken to see that this sort of BS will never happen again?
Someone sent to bed without supper?
What, really, have the House lawmakers accomplished?
From where I see, nothing.
And that is, Sadly their record in all of this.
Lots of noise, very little effect.
So what?
While the answers given by Director Jarvis may or may not have been lies, the fact is that besides being on the "hot seat" for the stupid behavior of the NPS, what will come of it?
Will he or any of his deputies be fired?
Will steps be taken to see that this sort of BS will never happen again?
Someone sent to bed without supper?
What, really, have the House lawmakers accomplished?
From where I see, nothing.
And that is, Sadly their record in all of this.
Lots of noise, very little effect.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Prediction:
Proving once again that the GOP has absolutely ZERO guts, Zero principles, and ZERO willingness to stand for anything, the Senate and House will vote for the current proposal to stave off the real hard choices that come with hitting the debt limit.
Further, they will, over time, cave to the DNC and allow the US to continue farther down the path to economic ruin.
And leave us in the same boat they did a while back, looking forward to more and further budget battles when this latest "fix" runs out.
Further, they will, over time, cave to the DNC and allow the US to continue farther down the path to economic ruin.
And leave us in the same boat they did a while back, looking forward to more and further budget battles when this latest "fix" runs out.
Just following orders
Seems that stopping at a Ranger station and taking a picture is worth $125.
These peoples names need to be publicized. they have to live somewhere, and their neighbors should be informed as towhat who lives near them....in order that they can shun them as they would a pedophile.
One would hope that their local barista would refuse to serve them...their local diner would at best give surly, slow service...
Their community needs to know what kind of assholes are living in their midst so that they can apply some "negative reinforcement".
These peoples names need to be publicized. they have to live somewhere, and their neighbors should be informed as to
One would hope that their local barista would refuse to serve them...their local diner would at best give surly, slow service...
Their community needs to know what kind of assholes are living in their midst so that they can apply some "negative reinforcement".
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Pants on fire.
NBC news tonight was FULL of stories about the soon to be reached Federal Credit Limit and the coming "default" of the US on its debt and the resultant armageddon which will happen worldwide shortly thereafter.....They suggested that everyone's mortgage rates would go up, no one would be able to get a loan, etc.
Which is, of course, a lie.
The US may not be able tospend into the future devalue the dollar even further go farther into debt, but no matter what, it is law that the interest and other obligations MUST BE PAID.
And it will. Anyone who states differently is either ignorant of the law or, more likely, is a liar.
There may be severe spending cuts, but the US debt will be paid. Personally, I hope we reach the debt limit and start living on a balanced budget.
New mortgage rates may increase, and new loans may be a bit harder to get and my be more expensive, but old ones won't increase until the end of their term...
Of course, it is more likely that the GOP will fold and allow a debt limit increase.
Which is, of course, a lie.
The US may not be able to
And it will. Anyone who states differently is either ignorant of the law or, more likely, is a liar.
There may be severe spending cuts, but the US debt will be paid. Personally, I hope we reach the debt limit and start living on a balanced budget.
New mortgage rates may increase, and new loans may be a bit harder to get and my be more expensive, but old ones won't increase until the end of their term...
Of course, it is more likely that the GOP will fold and allow a debt limit increase.
If true, you'd better take the next two weeks to plan and prepare:
Some say that the Feds are gonna cut off EBT/SNAP.
I dunno.
If true, then things might get all..."sporty". Especially in the higher density "Blue" areas.
I'd take the time to think about that, if I lived in or near such an area.
Then again it might just be disinformation.
But having a plan never hurts.
'Cause a significant portion of our population will get upset if the free food runs out. They might not behave as you or I would....
I dunno.
If true, then things might get all..."sporty". Especially in the higher density "Blue" areas.
I'd take the time to think about that, if I lived in or near such an area.
Then again it might just be disinformation.
But having a plan never hurts.
'Cause a significant portion of our population will get upset if the free food runs out. They might not behave as you or I would....
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