Money talks

Over on one of the comments on the RKBA daily updates there were several complaints about the Cleveland newspaper listing people who have CCL permits. One poster named Codrea4 said this

I repeat what I have been calling for since hints the Plain Dealer would do this first started to surface-- if you want to put an end to this nonsense, start posting info on their ADVERTISERS.

Damn good idea people. So here is a small selection to get the ball rolling.



Looks like two on the first page I looked at. Adelphia and century21.
Called Adelphia and talked to a nice lady who gave me their complaint line. The city she said the office was in was cuttersville, but if wrong please contact me and I will fix. Call them and tell them you are not happy.

Adelphia
cuttersville(?)
office of the president
complaint line
1 303 268 6540
Open standard business hours during weekdays

Using Clifton's zipcode, the reporter of the editorial, I found this for the local Adelphia office information nearest him.

Address
3400 Lakeside Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44114

Customer Service
888-683-1000

How about Century21 you say.



Now Century21 has a lot of local offices. Just look at all of those stars. Why not take a little bit of your time this weekend when rates are low on your calling plan and say hi to each of them. Be nice and tell them why you are unhappy.
Here is the fine list of offices to call.

1. DePiero & Associates, Inc.
5581 Ridge Road
Parma, OH 44129
440-842-7010

2. Arrow Realty
4975 Turney Road
Garfield Heights, OH 44125
216-883-2100

3. Trammell-O'Donnell & Assoc., Inc
7087 Pearl Road
Middleburg Heights, OH 44130
440-888-6800

4. Beyond 2000 Realty
6370 York Road
Parma Heights, OH 44130
440-842-7200

5. Solid Gold Properties II, Inc.
405 Broadway Avenue
Bedford, OH 44146
440-439-5220

6. Leo Baur, Realtors
22340 Lake Shore Boulevard
Euclid, OH 44123
216-289-1655

7. Best Service, Inc.
6579 Wilson Mills Road
Mayfield Village, OH 44143
440-449-2100

8. All Service, Inc.
6454 Pearl Road
Parma Heights, OH 44130
440-888-4000

9. Ohio Northern Realty
19220 Lorain Road
Fairview Park, OH 44126
440-895-2121

10. Leaders
5666 Mayfield Road
Lyndhurst, OH 44124
440-443-2100

11. Leaders
10 Public Square
Willoughby, OH 44094
440-942-2100

Now the banner ads on another page looked like this



Now here we have another heading. Same Adelphia, but a new Niagara travel company. Why travel when you can call?. Nothing says love like a toll free 800 number people.
1-800-338-7890 is the number to call, and call, but not to much. Make it known you are unhappy.



Here is a side bar for one page. Same Adelphia, but also Clarke Dodge Kia of Mentor. They also have a lovely 800 number just screaming to be called. They also have a nice online comment form. Go for it.
Phone: 800-825-1817 or 440-951-2900

Who, or what is dollarbank? I have no idea. But they do have a nice 800 number also. So call them and tell them you're unhappy and why. Here is their contact page.

Customer Service Number: 1-800-828-5527
Account Service Representatives can be reached Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

E-mail us at: customerservice@dollarbank.com

So that ends today's advertising numbers. I hope all of you take the time to call and leave a calm message about why you are unhappy with the local newspaper and the ones who support them

Reality is funnier then fiction

CIA privacy notice

The Central Intelligence Agency is committed to protecting your privacy and will collect no personal information about you unless you choose to provide that information to us.

Damn he's good

I have not followed Ron Paul of Texas much. When he is mentioned I know who they are talking about but that's it. I now plan to keep a better eye on this guy.
Why? Because of this.

The Census Bureau has provided specially tabulated population statistics on Arab Americans to the Department of Homeland Security, including detailed information on how many people of Arab backgrounds live in certain ZIP codes.

You see about two weeks ago Ron Paul wrote a fine piece here about the census and the possible abuses that could, and have, occurred..

The questions are both ludicrous and insulting. The survey asks, for instance, how many bathrooms you have in your house, how many miles you drive to work, how many days you were sick last year, and whether you have trouble getting up stairs. It goes on and on, mixing inane questions with highly detailed inquiries about your financial affairs. One can only imagine the countless malevolent ways our federal bureaucrats could use this information. At the very least the survey will be used to dole out pork, which is reason enough to oppose it.

Keep in mind the survey is not voluntary, nor is the Census Bureau asking politely. Americans are legally obligated to answer, and can be fined up to $1,000 per question if they refuse!

I liked what he wrote and also read about a bill that he put forward March 24 to limit the questions on the form. It died from what I can find. Just a few weeks ago he put forward an amendment to eliminate funds for the census. Here is what happened in his own words.

I introduced an amendment last week that would have eliminated funds for this intrusive survey in a spending bill, explaining on the House floor that perhaps the American people don’t appreciate being threatened by Big Brother. The amendment was met by either indifference or hostility, as most members of Congress either don’t care about or actively support government snooping into the private affairs of citizens.

I guess what is bothering me is the government wraps the whole census in the flag and chants that it is used only to help them be better at their jobs. What jobs you ask?

I will end this post with one job the census helped do very well.

In 2000, the bureau issued a formal apology for allowing its statistical data to be used to round up Japanese Americans for internment during World War II.

Thanks census

Warm fuzzy update: That is how I like to describe the good feelings I am supposed to get when the government does things for our own good. In another article the government said why they needed this information.

A spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection told the newspaper the requests were made not for law enforcement purposes, but to help identify in which airports to post signs and pamphlets in Arabic to assist travelers.

((Sarcasm on)) Ahhhh!. For signs and pamphlets. See. Warm fuzzies. ((Sarcasm off))

Executive Branch Power to Postpone Elections

This has been going around the internet with unusually fast speed. I have not commented much on this subject. To put it bluntly I felt it was a chicken little scenario. Not to say I have not had some worries, just that they have not become outright fears.

Today I get the copy of Secrecy News. I can not say enough good things about the people who put the newsletter out. Full of interesting, and eye opening tidbits of knowledge. Today's copy included a CRS(Congressional Research Service)PDF report about the whole election issue.

Traditionally, all voting-whether federal, state, or local- occurs in local precinct polling places, and state or local authorities have a significant role in regulating such voting. Congress, however, also has authority to regulate elections, and the authority may vary depending on whether the election is for Presidency, the House, the Senate, or for state or local officials. While the Executive Branch has significant delegated authority regarding some aspects of election law, this authority does not currently extend to setting or changing the times of elections
....................................
The Executive Branch does not appear to currently have the authority to establish or postpone the dates of elections at either the federal or state level on the event of an emergency situation. 16 The question arises, however, whether the Congress could delegate such power as it does have to the Executive Branch.

So at this point I am feeling pretty good about this report. The president does not have the power to stop elections. Congress hedged itself a little by saying they could give it to him, but even with a Republican majority I am not to worried about that happening.

But then I notice the little 16. A footnote that has bit me in the rear. What does it say you ask?

It is possible, however, that the Executive Branch could make decisions that would make it difficult or impractical for a particular state or federal election to occur. For instance, a variety of situations could occur under which the Executive Branch might seek to limit the movement of citizens under its emergency powers. See Harold Relyea, National emergency powers, CRS Rep. 98-505 GOV (May 13 2004). However, exercise of such power would not appear to have the legal effect of delaying an election, nor would it vest the Executive Branch with the authority to reschedule the election.

I hope you understand the importance of the last few lines.

Executive Branch might seek to limit the movement of citizens under its emergency powers
................
However, exercise of such power would not appear to have the legal effect of delaying an election

This is saying that even if he keeps people from the polls, it technically is not delaying the election.

nor would it vest the Executive Branch with the authority to reschedule the election

Great. So he can keep us all home, under emergency powers. He would not even have the authority to reschedule.

So this report says he cannot stop the election, but he can stop us from going to vote in the election. Truly a beautiful work of crud we have here. Chicken little may not have been to far off.

Some do not seem to get it.

A lot of blame can be laid for the free speech zone. The courts, all the politicians, and even us the people for not getting the message across to Washington.

A few get it.



and even say it with banners



But a few have decided to blame the democrats. Sorry but he is wrong. The party does not control the security of Boston. Washington does.


My personnal view is that the Democrats would gain by street violence. Every blow from a baton on a head is more votes for them. Violence in Boston would be twisted into "the government cracking down on free speech", while the violence that I feel will occur in New York will be spun into "the people speaking against the unjust government". In a way both would be pretty close to the truth.

So do not blame the democrats for this. It rests in Washington and the paranoia that they have wrapped themselves in.

Just another day on the streets

When you talk to a lot of the police, I feel this would be the norm, not the exception.

"But I don't see that, ban or no ban, that it's going to affect what weapons the bad guys are able to get ahold of."

So no blood on the streets and no terror in the hearts of the police. Kind of anti-climatic.
Thanks to Ravenwood for the link.

I blame my grandfather

There are two things that I have associated with my grandfathers house. Small 50 round cardboard boxes of cheap .22lr ammo for my Remington, and bowls of candy corn.


He was the one who first exposed me to the delight of candy corn. I am not even sure what is in them. Wax and sugar maybe? Anyways. Everytime I would go over to his house he would have bowls of it setting around. While I love to eat the stuff, I never buy any myself. My wife is the one who buys them for me. I go for other candies first. But everytime I have them I flashback to 6 years old.

The pen is mightier then the sword your rights

Yahoo made a fine statement and most likely do not even know it.


So what words do they have to accompany this photo?

Razor wire seals off the top of the designated pen for protesters at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts July 22, 2004. Lawyers representing the demonstrators have petitioned a federal judge to have the pen expanded and opened up ahead of the Convention to be held

Pen? First I have heard of that usage. I wonder if they are using it right?

pen
n 1: a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
2: an enclosure for confining livestock
3: a portable enclosure in which babies may be left to play
[syn: playpen]
4: a correctional institution for those convicted of major
crimes [syn: penitentiary]
5: female swan
v : produce a literary work; "She composed a poem"; "He wrote
four novels" [syn: write, compose, indite]

Dropping the obviously wrong ones the question is. Are they guarding the flock, or guarding prison scum?

Surrounded



Above


In all of Boston, only 1000 have the right to protest safe and secure in the free speech holding pen due to Judge Douglas P. Woodlock. Boston can sleep safe in their beds tonight.

The true nature of fools

I look down on the whole politically correct movement with the same view I share for racists. They wish to define for you what you will live and learn.
Now the main point here is a small book and history. A recent find in an old private museum has gathered a bit of national news. A Psalter, an illustrated book of psalms, was found. A rare find that is described here in the telegraph

Sotheby's describes the Macclesfield Psalter as "the most important discovery of any English illuminated manuscript in living memory" and expects it to fetch between 800,000 and 1.2 million pounds tomorrow.LINK

The numbers they had were a little off when the sale ended. Finally going for 1.5 million pounds to the John P Getty Museum of Los Angeles . Now normally an auction is a simple thing but Cronaca is reporting some interesting things about it.

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge attempted to win it but could not come up with the needed money. They had gone to the Heritage lottery fund for a grant. Now this is not unusual as they fund, with grants, historical projects and purchases. The amount that Fitzwilliams was seeking ended up online as 2,359,080 pounds. The fund turned them down. It happens, but the reason why is amazing to me.

Even worse, my source reports that the Lottery Fund's decision not to give the grant was ultimately based on reasons of extreme political correctness. To wit, that the Psalter would not be meaningful to non-Christians, and that its small size would make it too difficult to view by the wheelchair-bound (not to mention, one supposes, the blind -- or would that be, "differently sighted"?). LINK

So here we have a government body with the responsibility of funding and protecting a nations historical culture, and they make a PC based decision.

I am in awe of the extreme stupidity and blind nature of the PC crowd.

Day By Day



click image for larger version please.

I think this is the best one Chris Muir has done. Day By Day should be a daily stop for everyone.

Nicole and Jeff Rank and Boston and barbed wire

You might not remember who they are but I do. They were arrested. Not an uncommon occurrence lately. Why you ask? They wore shirts to a rally and were in the wrong area. Area? Yeah. The secret service(SS) like to keep any protestors out of the way in nice tight groups.

But it is not their story that is bothering me right now. It is one paragraph in the story and pictures I am now seeing coming out of Boston that makes me write this

Andrew Schneider, head of the ACLU in West Virginia, said there have been similar cases in other states. In September, the ACLU sued the Secret Service for segregating protesters at Bush appearances and the agency agreed to halt the practice. The Secret Service agreed to stop the practice, ACLU attorney Witold Walczak told The Charleston Gazette.

I think they forgot to stop Walczak.

The SS has been playing rather loose with our rights lately. Setting up free speech zones, having local police act as surrogate agents and shut down a lot of protest before the speech upsets them.

Well here we are. The time right before the DNC convention and what do mine eyes see? Three layers of chain link fence topped with the best barbed wire our government can buy. I would like to say more but the image of free speech, behind fences, under the spot lights, hidden under a half built bridge is upsetting me a lot.
Here are some images. Can you tell the Boston photo?
4


3


2


1


The sad thing is that you should never see our own people in this place because they wish to enjoy the rights we have as a free people.

Thanks to End the War on Freedom for the link to a Parker T. Pettus, a local Boston blogger, and the photos that are upsetting me a lot.
answer
4 South African prison camp
3 Guantanamo Bay Cuba prison camp
2 Boston Free Speech zone
1 Terre Haute maximum security prison and Death row

An awful lot of barbed wire to protect their speech.

IRAQI AMBUSH VIDEO

VIDEO LINK IS DOWN. THE WHOLE SITE IT IS LINKED FROM IS DOWN SO IT MAY JUST BE TEMPORARY SO TRY AGAIN LATER PLEASE.
This is a video shot inside of a vehicle in Iraq during an ambush. There is some language but nothing most adults have not heard before.
The one thing I did notice is that the attack was against the vehicles right on a busy city street. The terrorist have no concern for innocent human life.

If the source of the video goes down please email me or leave a comment.

Proper firearms handling

THIS is not the best way to use a shotgun.
I repeat.
THIS is not the best way to use a shotgun.

Win Win Win

This Barrett rifle is the main prize in one hell of a sweepstakes.


So what do I get if I win?
Barrett Model 99 Rifle Kit,
Bushnell Elite 3200 10x40 Scope,
case of 80-Round Barrett M33 Ball ammunition,
Starlight carrying case,
L&M Webbing sling and muzzle cover
All total a value of 3,200$

So go fill out the simple form. Do not fill in credit card info, and WIN!!!!!.
I have entered a few hunting contests from this company and spam is not an issue.

Cure for depression?

Mad Ogre has found the perfect cure for what ails you.

How to start each day with a positive outlook:
1. Open a new file in your PC.
2. Name it "John Kerry."
3. Send it to the trash.
4. Empty the trash.
5. Your PC will ask you, "Do you want to delete John Kerry?"
6. Answer calmly, "yes," and press the mouse button firmly.
7. Feel better.....

Subliminal Kerry campaign?




We all hate popups with a passion. They are a pain in the rear and hard to control. Today I must have forgotten to put on my aluminum beanie because I had a conspiracy moment.
I like to go to Drudge and see what he links to. He is one of my regular stops. But every darn time I go I get one, and sometimes two, popups. Today was like most everyday. The same popup appeared with "Will you vote for George W. Bush?" on it.
My comment, to myself only, was "F***ing Bush popups". Then I asked myself. "Why only Bush?".
I have never seen a Kerry popup. I have never seen a Edwards popup. Who is working so hard to connect Bush with the righteous anger that we feel towards popups?
Maybe I am seeing to much in this. Maybe I need to take more pills. But has anyone ever seen a Kerry/Edwards popup that was on a non-political website.
Who are the people who control the Bush popups? What is their agenda?

Mark Lancaster update

Mark is getting some newsplay out on the internet, but most people have no real idea who he is. Mark was a music minister. Mark also liked firearms. The story that has played out involves back room religious politics, and government heavy handed tactics.
So what was the crime he was convicted over? Lack of paperwork.
Well he was convicted and is now in jail. How is the government handling this? They want him to stay in longer then the judge gave him as punishment.
Drop by Nashville Files blog and get the latest update and what you can do to help this man.

There is right and wrong in this world, and what was done to him is wrong. No long debates needed. He is the victim of the paper curtain we are living behind. I have in my life seen the iron curtain fall. I saw the tanks in China reinforce the Bamboo curtain in one bloody night of horror. Today we are realizing that we live behind a paper curtain. Our rights and liberties are being destroyed by the laws and official commands of our own government.

Volunteer Tailgate Party is now open

A nice collection of links is now up and ready for your reading. The RTB is a nice group of Tennessee bloggers who run the full spectrum in politics and life. Drop by and give it a once over.
Even little ol' me has a link in it.

Things you may hear on the field of battle one day

No! I do not want any of the chicken and rice you just made Bob.

Register this sucker
 
The first time I had to register for an article I knew this would grow. They have to know who is dropping by. Right? Well Some people are unhappy and have done something to fight article registration.
Bugmenot was the first place I found. Been using it since and belief every blog should put a link to it by any article that requires registration.

BugMeNot.com is a site that generates login names and passwords for registration sites. The site is a boon to those who want to keep online anonymity or stamp out spam. According to the site's homepage, 14,000 websites have been "liberated" from registration bondage, and it's clear many people are doing whatever they can to avoid really logging in.
According to the site's creator, an Australian who wants to remain anonymous for fear of lawsuits, the site is getting about 10,000 hits each day. In an e-mail interview, BugMeNot's creator said he started the site in November 2003 after being annoyed for some time with forced registration on some sites.

But even better news out there for people who use Mozilla.

One BugMeNot aficionado, Eric Hamiter, is doing his part to help the site's cause -- he created a plug-in for the Mozilla browser that gives users a pop-up window with login information when they land on a registration-only newspaper site.

The article goes into detail on other ways to help get by registration. One site even is made for bloggers

There's also The New York Times link generator put together by an Illinois teen computer programmer, Aaron Swartz. Swartz's page lets bloggers post links to Times articles that can be viewed without having to log in to the site

So basic information does not bother me. I don't care if you ask for a zipcode, or even the city. I would love to help a site to better deliver services. But when the form goes way beyond that then I have to resist.
 
Enjoy the read.

Sunset confusion
 
Certain internet beliefs can spread and become fact, until proven wrong when reality hits you hard. Sunsetting is a legal act that a law will only have a certain lifespan and then it dies. Sunset clauses have become a way of gaining votes for questionable laws.
 
Two of the most famous, or infamous, sunset clauses are in the Patriot act and the AWB. The AWB is supposed to end September of this year and the patriot act ends next year. But for something that is set in stone confusion over facts reign supreme. login info

The USA Patriot Act is so complex that even legislators who voted for it do not understand some of its fundamental components.
Rhode Island's four delegates to Congress voted for the Patriot Act. As recently as last month, Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Sen. Lincoln Chafee said they believed the entire 342-page text of the Patriot Act would expire or "sunset" at the end of next year.
"The whole thing is sunset," Kennedy said on June 22. "The whole act is sunset. . . . End of story, goodbye. In order to do anything forward you have to start from scratch."

That is what I thought also. But reality hit me when I read this.

"It expires," Chafee said on June 16. "I thought it was almost all the act [that sunsets], but I'll have to find that out."
In fact, only 15 of the Patriot Act's 158 sections will expire on Dec. 31, 2005.
All of the portions that do sunset are in the 200 section, titled "Enhanced Surveillance Procedures."
None of the expanded powers in other chapters or "titles" will expire, and these include: allowing indefinite detention of foreigners, forfeiture of property, and FBI issuance of National Security Letters to obtain business records. These became permanent law with the passage of the Patriot Act.

Well I will admit this is a kick to the nads. So the Patriot act will not sunset. We know have to live with it.
 
How about the AWB. Sunsets this September, right? Then why does Clayton Cramer ask openly for someone to show him where it says that.

I've looked through the appropriate sections of title 18 of the U.S. Code, and I can't seem to find either the words "ten years" or "September 13" anywhere. Everyone agrees it expires ten years after it was first passed, but I can't see what makes it expire. I couldn't seem to find it in the CFR (although I didn't read it line by line). Can anyone give me a pointer to the specific part of the statute that makes it turn into a pumpkin on September 13, 2004?

This is a person who does research for a living and even he is trying to confirm the sunset.
 
Laws, the ones we live under, should be written that a high school drop out could understand them. So right now I am very unhappy that the facts we debate are not as solid as many would believe.

Pizza ordering.
 
We have almost all seen the humorous piece about ordering pizza in the future with the implications that the databases of the future will control your actions and choices.(is this a run on sentence?)
Well the ACLU has put the little humor piece into a nicely done animation.
 
For ones who lead an isolated life here is the original piece for your reading enjoyment.
 
****Ordering Pizza in 2008  (or sooner)**** 
 
Operator: "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut. May I have your national ID number?"
Customer: "Hi, I'd like to place an order."
Operator: "I must have your NIDN first, sir."
Customer: "My National ID Number, yeah, hold on, eh, it's 6102049998-45-54610."
Operator: "Thank you, Mr. Sheehan. I see you live at 1742 Meadowland Drive, and the phone number's 494-2366. Your office number over at Lincoln Insurance is 745-2302 and your cell number's 266-2566. Email address is sheehan@home.net.  Which number are you calling from, sir?"
Customer: "Huh? I'm at home. Where d'ya get all this information?"
Operator: "We're wired into the HSS, sir."
Customer: "The HSS, what is that?"
Operator: "We're wired into the Homeland Security System, sir. This will add only 15 seconds to your ordering time."
Customer: (Sighs) "Oh, well, I'd like to order a couple of your All-Meat Special pizzas."
Operator: "I don't think that's a good idea, sir."
Customer: "Whaddya mean?"
Operator: "Sir, your medical records and commode sensors indicate that you've got very high blood pressure and extremely high cholesterol.  Your National Health Care provider won't allow such an unhealthy choice."
Customer: "What?!?! What do you recommend, then?"
Operator: "You might try our low-fat Soybean Pizza. I'm sure you'll like it."
Customer: "What makes you think I'd like something like that?"
Operator: "Well, you checked out 'Gourmet Soybean Recipes' from your local library last week, sir. That's why I made the suggestion."
Customer: "All right, all right. Give me two family-sized ones, then."
Operator: "That should be plenty for you, your wife and your four kids, and your 2 dogs can finish the crusts, sir. Your total is $49.99."
Customer: "Lemme give you my credit card number."
Operator: "I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid you'll have to pay in cash. Your credit card balance is over its limit."  
Customer: "I'll run over to the ATM and get some cash before your driver gets here."
Operator: "That won't work either, sir. Your checking account's overdrawn also."
Customer: "Never mind! Just send the pizzas. I'll have the cash ready. How long will it take?"
Operator: "We're running a little behind, sir. It'll be about 45 minutes, sir. If you're in a hurry you might want to pick 'em up while you're out getting the cash, but then, carrying pizzas on a motorcycle can be a little awkward."
Customer: "Wait! How do you know I ride a scooter?"
Operator: "It says here you're in arrears on your car payments, so your  car got repo'ed. But your Harley's paid for and you just filled the tank yesterday."
Customer: Well I'll be a "@#%/$@&?#!"
Operator: "I'd advise watching your language, sir. You've already got a July 4, 2006 conviction for cussing out a cop and another one I see here on September for contempt at your hearing for cussing at a judge. Oh yes,  I see here that you just got out from a 90 day stay in the State Correctional Facility. Is this your first pizza since your return to society?" 
Customer: (Speechless)
Operator: "Will there be anything else, sir?"
Customer: "Yes, I have a coupon for a free 2 liter of Coke".
Operator: "I'm sorry sir, but our ad's exclusionary clause prevents us from offering free soda to diabetics. The New Constitution prohibits this.  Thank you for calling Pizza Hut!"

Thanks to End the War on Freedom for this piece.

CAPPS II is dead and not dead.
 
Welcome to our reality. The governments definition of dead and not dead. In true government fashion two different stories from two people are both true according to a third.
 
CAPPS II is dead according to Ridge Wednesday

Asked Wednesday whether the program could be considered dead, Ridge jokingly gestured as if he were driving a stake through its heart and said, ''Yes.''

Tuesday Stone said something else.

David M. Stone, acting administrator at the Transportation Security Administration, told senators at his confirmation hearing yesterday that his agency intends to "reshape and repackage" the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening program, known as CAPPS 2

So what article do I find today. Homeland Security spokeswoman Suzanne Luber is working the spin nicely worthy of the best BS we can get by government.

Homeland Security spokeswoman Suzanne Luber, however, says both were right. "The name CAPPS II may be dead, but the process of creating an automated passenger pre-screening system to replace the current CAPPS will continue,"

So the program is not dead, just the NAME. (((blogger collapses into governmental induced fit)))
When I heard from the first that it was dead I did not believe it. Well I was right. The bastards simply plan to polish the turd and make it look pretty.
Others also were happy with the "news" of its death.

After reading about the demise of CAPPS II, privacy groups sent reams of press releases to spread news of the decision. Even travel industry group Association of Corporate Travel Executives sent out a farewell note.

"From day one we had grave reservations about this program," said the group's president, Garth Jopling, in the e-mail. "It went against the grain of the average U.S. traveler to stand for investigation over the purchase of a plane ticket. The program also failed to satisfy corporate America's concerns over projected costs relating to delays, missed flights and false-positive readings." 

Privacy activist Bill Scannell, who has fought the CAPPS II proposal for a year and a half, thinks yesterday's obituary notice was just that, despite what DHS said Thursday.
"This program is not going anywhere before the November elections," Scannell said. "We got rid of the program, and now we need to get rid of the administration that designed it."

Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Technology and Liberty program, echoed Scannell's take on the announcement's finality.
"This really was the death knell for CAPPS II," Steinhardt said. "It is finally sinking in at the TSA that the focus should be on physical security, not on background checks of airline passengers."

But trust the government to pull the rug out from under us.
But some already have thoughts on Son of CAPPS II

For its part, the American Conservative Union warned that it would oppose any successor program that is not fundamentally different from CAPPS II.
"Renaming a program does not satisfy the civil liberties concerns of conservatives so long as that program turns law-abiding commercial airline passengers into terrorism suspects," ACU spokesman Ian Walter said. "Civil liberties-minded conservatives will never support it."

Why can't this damn thing die? They have no real plans I feel to do anything. The news about CAPPS II has been bad, so in a trick of misdirection they change the name.


Turns out more then a few openly questioned the announcement that CAPPS II was dead. Triggerfinger said it best.

There were two things that tipped me off. First, my abiding cynicism regarding government; we've already seen this trick with TIA and I figured they would try the same thing. Second, everyone knows that if you unstake a vampire, he'll rise again.

New blogger "create post" format and not sure if I like it. not liking it
 
This is a test post.  Please ignore as it will change several times today
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog
 
I am attempting to see how the "upload image/file" works Since it says file I wonder if I can download MP3 files and such to share.
I tried to download an image and after 10 minutes I gave up. The download box just stayed white or else is majorly locked up.
 
The last bold line is supposed to be red but comes out as black only.

The quote button is strange. I cannot seem to un"quote" something so when quoted, it stays quoted. I no longer see the HTML code inserts to delete or move if I need to change.

I am finding problems with the spell check. It no longer highlights what it thinks is a bad spelled word. So I cannot see what its usage is or where it is placed. 
 
This format will also not let you highlight and copy a line. Now if you want to move a paragraph by copy/cut/paste you are out of luck. Got it. You highlight and then drag the part to where you want it to go.

The dead walk free
 
Remember this image delivered by Ridge in my last post about CAPPS II

Asked Wednesday whether the program could be considered dead, Ridge jokingly gestured as if he were driving a stake through its heart and said, ''Yes.'' LINK

Well it seems my final say on the subject was on the money

I think the stake was not driven in far enough. LINK

Now this was Wednesday that he said it was "dead", but the day before Mr Stone said something else entirely

David M. Stone, acting administrator at the Transportation Security Administration, told senators at his confirmation hearing yesterday that his agency intends to "reshape and repackage" the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening program, known as CAPPS 2, in order to address privacy concerns raised by U.S. airlines, political leaders and advocacy groups.LINK

Reshape and repackage means it lives (((insert diabolical laughter here please)))
What is the future of CAPPS II? Ambiguous it seems.

Stone said yesterday the TSA is now considering eliminating or changing four of the program's major components outlined last year. They include: an identity verification process; a check of each passenger's name against government lists of known terrorists; a process by which each passenger would be assessed and assigned a numerical score to rate the risk the traveler posed to the aircraft; and a comparison of each passenger's name against databases of known violent criminals.

Eliminating or changing could mean anything to government clones like him.
 
So this "changing" they talk about reminds me of a saying I find true whenever it comes to government reform. You can only polish a turd so much

CAPPS II Dead?
or
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me

That's the first thing that came to mind when I saw this in the article.

A controversial government plan to collect personal information from airline passengers and rank travelers according to terrorist risk level is being dismantled because of concerns over privacy and effectiveness, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday.

Ridge said security leaders have all but(THIS IS THE WORD BOTHERING ME THE MOST HERE) scrapped plans for the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, known as CAPPS II. The program was never officially begun, even though the government has spent more than $100 million on its planning.

Now this should bring happiness and joy to me right? Wrong.
Remember TIA? Remember how they shut it down?

Despite Congressional action cutting funding, and the resignation of the program’s controversial director, retired admiral John Poindexter, DARPA’s TIA program is alive and well and prying into the personal business of Americans 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“When Congress cut the funding, the Pentagon – with administration approval – simply moved the program into a ‘black bag’ account,” says a security consultant who worked on the DARPA project. “Black bag programs don’t require Congressional approval and are exempt from traditional oversight.” LINK

So do I think that CAPPS II is dead? No. I simply do not trust the government in this stage of the Patriot act to do what they say they will do.
While he seemed in a good mood when declaring CAPPS II's death I have to not trust him

Asked Wednesday whether the program could be considered dead, Ridge jokingly gestured as if he were driving a stake through its heart and said, ''Yes.''

Asked about the future of travel he responded.

Ridge said a new program with a different name might be developed to take the place of CAPPS II. But if enough people volunteer to provide personal information through a new ''registered traveler'' program, that alone could replace CAPPS II.

I think the stake was not driven in far enough. I guess he wants us to line up willingly to be color coded.

Good news looks bad to me

The first amendment guarantees certain rights. Basic rights that we should all enjoy unhindered. An article that seems to be showing good news is bad when you read between the lines.

In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, many Americans believed that limitations on freedom were necessary. But after some reflection, those opinions are starting to change.
........................
Public opinion surveys after Sept. 11 found a near-majority of Americans -- 49 percent in one survey -- believed the First Amendment went "too far" in guaranteeing rights to establishing or practicing a religion, free speech, a free press, assembling in public and petitioning the government for redress.

Now I understand the fear and anger running through the country. I sat impotently in front of the TV also. I also understand the knee jerk reaction that gave us the 49 percent number. Freedom is always lost when government style security is demanded.
But this is the "good" news according to this article

Now, a 2004 follow-up survey conducted by The First Amendment Center and American Journalism Review shows just 30 percent of Americans believe the First Amendment goes "too far."
................
And, nearly three years later, they've come to understand why our forefathers created the Bill of Rights.

We're not surprised. The brilliance of those who built our democracy with inherent freedoms and a government with appropriate checks and balances never ceases to amaze. It just took a little time for the shock of an awful day to subside for us to understand once again.

While this article tries to end on an upbeat nature my question is who the heck are the 30 percent who feels the first goes "to far" in giving us rights?

One. The first does not give us squat.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This does not give us anything. It say the government "shall make no law", it does not say "the government shall allow the people". This is a document of "government shall nots".

What type of education system do we have that teaches that our rights come from this document, instead of the document protecting us from the government.
The Constitution is the leash we use to keep the government under control. 30 percent of the people need to reread a few basic works.

Spam warriors

We all suffer spam. We all hate spam. I paid and never got my three extra inches MS software. So what can we do?



Cockeyed.com is doing what he can by trying to hunt them to their dens. With a large following like he has he took the addresses you find on the bottom of everyone to unsubscribe and is getting people to check them out. While he has found a heaping pile of UPS mail boxes he has gotten some offices located.

So if you suffer from spam and would like to see if you can help please drop by and see what he is doing and what other addresses needs checking.

The sheep run loose

Seems the TSA is delaying CAPP II

Adm. David Stone, acting administrator for the Transportation Security Administration, told members of the Senate Commerce Committee that the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening System II, known as CAPPS II, "is not going forward as previously briefed." He said the rethinking was in response to a February report (PDF) critical of the program, as well as the TSA's own privacy concerns.

I would laugh but the fact they took this long to make up their minds from the FEBRUARY report makes it very very sad. But the main reason they are delaying it is privacy. Now that is a feel good reason. I just hope they are serious and this is not a PR stunt.

"The Department of Homeland Security and the TSA feel very strongly we should not move forward on any program that in any way infringes on preserving our freedoms," Stone said. "That is first and foremost."

Whenever a political hack say that I say BS.
Now who does the bureaucracy answer to. Not the people, but the politicians. Well it seems the TSA answers to no one.

Despite pointed questioning from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who said he had been unable to get answers about CAPPS II from the TSA for over a year, Stone did not say how the system will be changed, nor did he give a solid deadline for when or how the project will be rolled out.

I bet he is feeling like all the people on the no fly list right now. No answers to any questions. A true taste of his own political medicine.
So I will end this with this section of the article.

Privacy firebrand Bill Scannell, whose DontSpyOnUs website has targeted companies such as JetBlue and Delta Airlines for working with the TSA, welcomed news of changes to CAPPS II, but argued the TSA did not go far enough.

"They should shut down this anti-democratic project and put it into a security system that works," Scannell said. "Instead of retooling, they should junk the entire system and improve physical security."

Amen

Rumors

Rumors seem to be moving this election as much as reality. Rumors the election may be cancelled. Rumors that Cheney may be dropped. Rumors of UN involvement. Rumors of terror threats.

This has become the most rumor driven campaign I have ever seen. They, the politicians, want us to make a good choice, while the same time never giving us the information to make the choices.
Waffle Man and legal boy seem to stand on every side of the issues. George W's seems to side for the AWB, then does nothing. He refuses to restrain the homeland defense department or the super data bases.

If Waffle man is elected it will be for the lone reason that they voted against George W.

Patriot act follies

Now the subject of what the Patriot act does, and does not do, to our rights and liberties has been debated to death. This is not about that at all. This post is about the CRS (Congressional Research Service) and the reports they do.

Under the current regime, Americans are not permitted to have direct online access to Congressional Research Service reports through the CRS website. Members of the public may request a copy of any CRS report they like, but no list of CRS titles is made available by Congress from which they could select reports of interest to request.

Well that's just dandy. Freedom of information is not all free. But at Secrecy News they have gotten a couple worth reading online. The last update I received had the CSR report on the patriot act "The USA Patriot Act: A Sketch," updated June 10, 2004. Dull dry and very governmental, until you get to the last paragraph.
The last section is labeled "Other procedural Adjustments". Most of it is dry but then it says this.

A section, found in the Senate bill but ultimately dropped, would have changed the provision of federal law which requires Justice Department prosecutors to adhere to the ethical standards of the legal profession where they conduct their activities (The McDade-Murtha Amendment). 28 U.S.C. 530B PDF LINK

Now it does not say if it would loosen or strengthen the ethical standards, but seeing what else the act does I would say loosen. Now if that does not say something bad about the Senate who passed this bill and the ones who wrote it then I don't know what would.
---------------------------
Here is a PDF of "USA Patriot Act Sunset: Provisions That Expire on December 31,
2005," updated June 10, 2004: and the PDF for "Privacy Protection: Mandating New Arrangements to Implement and
Assess Federal Privacy Policy and Practice," updated May 27,
2004:

The website Secrecy News is a wonderful place to find original source material for research and ranting.

How free are you on the internet?

Simple me thought that if I tried to find something I could, unless I live in a dictatorship like China, find freely what I wanted. This interesting article seems to imply heavily that the freedom of the internet is more restricted then I thought.
Using information gathered from your ISP number you can be directed to, or kept from certain websites. Of course it is done to assist you and help them, but somehow it seems limiting to me.

As so-called geolocation technology improves, Web sites are increasingly blocking groups of visitors and carving the Web into smaller chunks, in some cases down to a ZIP code or employer
Type "dentist" into Google from New York, and you'll get ads for dentists in the city. Try watching a Cubs baseball game from a computer in Chicago, and you'll be stymied. Local TV rights block the webcast.
The same technology is also being used by a British casino to keep out the Dutch and by online movie distributors to limit viewing to where it's permitted by license, namely the United States.

Well as much as this seems to assist you it seems rather unethical. Not to use it, but to use it without somehow informing us. Do we have an on-and-off button to use so we could go to the Dutch casino or watch whatever we want? Well yes, if you want to jump through the hoops.

AOL still poses problems, as do anonymizing services designed specifically to hide a user's identity and location. Dial-up users also can call another state or country to connect.

"This service isn't meant [for] people are who trying to be evasive," said Andy Champagne, Akamai's director of network analytics. "It's meant for the 99 percent of the general public who are just at home surfing."

But many would say this is just companies trying to improve services and such. Nope. All technology, sooner or later, will be abused by a government somewhere. This time it is the French and Pennsylvania.

A French court considered geolocation when it directed Yahoo Inc. in 2000 to prevent French Internet users from seeing Nazi paraphernalia on its auction pages. America Online Inc. sees geolocation as one way to comply with the French Nazi ban as well as a Pennsylvania child porn law.

Banning any speech, even speech that offends you is wrong. While I have no issue with this technology. Technology is a two edged sword. Better to be kept out of the hands of the government until they can be trusted with it.

From the mountain top came a voice

For, in the beginning, God did give a great gift upon Saint John Moses, and He said unto him:
"Go, John Moses, and create what I have designed for you to create. Create Holy Artifacts for the just and righteous to carry by their side, so that they shall not fear wherever they roam for all the days of their lives."
And John Moses did hear the word of our lord and didst followeth His words.
The lord saw, and it was Good.

Thanks to Nate of Wasted electrons for this delightful read from Doc Russia at Bloodletting.

9-11-13?

This is a strange little confusing mess we have here people. Everyone remembers the story of the letter to the UN asking for election observers. I have a small problem with what is being reported. No story seems to be saying the same thing.
Here we have World net daily

The request came in the form of a letter drafted by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, and signed by eight other members of the House. LINK

So this says 9 signed it.
Then we have the copy of the letter sent to me by Johnsons office staff.

Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30)
Joseph Crowley (NY-07)
Raul Grijalva (AZ-07)
Danny K. Davis (IL-07)
Corrine Brown (FL-03)
Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14)
Jerrold Nadler (NY-08)
Michael M. Honda
Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07)
Julia Carson (IN-07)
Edolphus Towns (NY- 10)

This letter shows 11 names on it.
Now here we have the Oakland Tribune Online saying something totally different.

Thirteen U.S. House Democrats, led by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson and including Oakland's Rep. Barbara Lee, say it's time the United States joined the list, "given the troubling events of the 2000 election and the growing concerns about the lack of necessary reforms and potential for abuse in the 2004 election."

This says 13, and who the heck is Barbara Lee?
Well I wanted to get the correct number so I called Washington again.
The original letter I got was correct at the time. There were only 11 signatures at that point but since this hit the news a Johnny-come-lately has come on in the form of Barbara Lee.
Hopefully the larger medias will try to get the correct number out soon, but I am not holding my breath.

So the final confirmed count is 12 Democrats. Just for those who want to know who NOT to vote for.

UPDATE. The American Spectator just published online on July 14th this

The letter to Kofi Annan, authored by Texas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and co-signed by seven other Dems in the House LINK

So looks like it is also 8 by some counts.

Brown equals terrorist

This new blog, Brown equals terrorist, is one worth reading for anyone who wants to understand the true nature of the war on terrorism. Here is part of the story in Ian Spiers own words.

One of the Seattle policemen, using his strongest, most authoritative voice, gripping his holstered sidearm, was now demanding to see my ID. I asked what this was about and why I had to show him my ID. “Look, we can do this one of two ways. You show me your ID right now! I'm not kidding!” the cop yelled.
......................
“I’ve listened to this for over five minutes. Look here. You see this?” Special Agent McNamara said, producing his badge. “This is a federal badge. We’re not with the rest of them. We’re federal agents from Homeland Security...
Good grief.

What was his crime, besides being brown? He took some photos.
The story he tells of his two meetings with our modern law enforcement is upsetting. Follow our commands or else seems to be the motto of the day.

NET FISHING



My wife and I went out and spent some time at the river. While I have never thought I had lead an isolated lifestyle, I saw something I had only seen up to now on TV. There were several people net fishing. I found it amazing as I have never seen it before, and they actually caught some in that dirty river.

While I applaud their desire to "bring home the bacon", I would never eat anything out of that small river.

With the crack of the whip they followed the masters orders.

That is the only way I can label this post. The house rolled over and failed in its responsibility.
On July 7 the white house sent out a "Statement of administrative policy". While it covered many issues the one tagged onto the end said a lot. Seems there is a move on to limit the patriot act.

"If any other amendment that would weaken the USA PATRIOT Act were adopted and presented to the President for his signature, the President's senior advisors would recommend a veto." PDF LINK

This coming out the day before the vote was pretty much the crack of the whip, and guess what failed?

An effort to ban the government from demanding records from libraries and book sellers in some terrorism investigations fell one vote short of passage in the House on Thursday after a late burst of lobbying prompted eight Republicans to switch their votes.
The vote, which ended in a deadlock, 210-210, amounted to a referendum on the anti-terrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act and reflected deep divisions in Congress over whether the law undercuts civil liberties. Under House rules, a tie vote meant the measure was defeated.

Now this is bad in a lot of ways. You might say "it's only books". Bullshit. It is the tip of a big bad iceberg.

How did the republicans handle this on the floor? Not to good from this quoted section.

"We're more interested in catching terrorists who are trying to kill Americans than we are in leaving the Capitol in time for happy hour," said Stuart Roy, a spokesman for the House majority leader, Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land.LINK

Roy needs to be slapped around a little for that comment. This is a big issue and he lowers himself to high school level insults. I do not think the republicans in Washington understand how much the patriot act is unifying people against them. While the act did pass with massive support of both sides of the legislature originaly. The republicans are the ones who seem to have taken this act as their new dogma. It seems the white house plans to fight to the end on this issue.

Will the Republicans go way of the Whigs and Bull Moose party? If they keep on this path it sure looks like it to me. I have never seen a party isolate itself from the people that are, or were, its main supporters.

Thanks to Steven Aftergood of Secrecy News for the link to the "Statement of administrative policy"

Osama bin Babies?



Yes the French, in their desire to stomp out terror, took on the tots of England. While it was a rough fight the French came out victorious. The terrible two were disarmed at great danger to the French military at the airport when attempting to board a flight home armed.(GASP!)

Two-year-old twins from the UK had their plastic toy swords seized at a French airport, say their parents.
Olivia and Eva Ryan, from Luton, Beds, were waiting with their parents to check in at Charles de Gaulle Airport after a trip to EuroDisney.
...................
He said the family tried to stress they went with Peter Pan outfits and would be difficult to replace. LINK

While being careful is good, being downright stupid is .. well French it seems.

Terror two update



Here is an updated photo of the two armed terror masterminds. Keep an eye out for them and report all sightings to the nearest homeland security officer. Thank you

Trapped in legal limbo

I could rant and scream over how the war on terror at home is doing nothing but hassle us with little or no positive results.. I could rant about the bureaucratic fools that try to ruin run our lives. But I will hold off this time.
I will instead direct your viewing pleasure to this story of one lady trapped behind a paper curtain of stupidity.

Heads up: If there are any safe, sane women in the Vacaville area of Northern California planning on driving to L.A. in the next couple of weeks, can you drop me an e-mail so we can work out a ride-along for my girlfriend? I'm serious. You see, thanks to the wonderful machinations of the federal government in this terrorist-obsessed society we still have the nerve to call a "homeland," my girlfriend has been grounded. Literally.

Enjoy

Rocky Top Brigade Membership Update

South Knox Bubba is happy to announce the newest additions to the RTB. This is the largest group of members to be added since I joined.
Since I know none of them all I can do is mimic what SKB says, so go over there and be introduced properly.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The great sound coming from the Twin cities area seems to be the sound of orderly sheep. The TSA has implemented it fast-track security lane for those who needs to get in fast. Only thing is you have to register yourself like a firearm. Yep! The government now see you as the threat.

More than 2,500 Northwest Airlines frequent fliers have volunteered for the test of the Registered Traveler program, which the Transportation Security Administration hopes will speed up security screening for those willing to hand over their personal information to the government for checks against terrorist watch lists and law enforcement databases. LINK

Not to be harsh. Many who travel for business will find this easier and helpful, but this is part of a slippery slope that is a danger to all. While evoking images of Soviet style travel controls would be easy, it would also be over used, but darn proper.

After being cleared, travelers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will be given a card with their fingerprint or iris print electronically embedded in the card.

Any limitations on travel is a limitation on a basic freedom. Nothing more needs to be said.

Another Kerry post.
(Will try not to do to many)

I am ambiguous on this election. Normally I have already decided one way or another. But this time the choices are harder to make.
Over at Lew Rockwell they produce written works by the dozen daily it seems. I read some, agree with many, and think some are way off base. This is one I thought was worth bringing to your attention.

Here's the trouble. Kerry seems like a politician doll in 1930s garb. You pull the cord and he talks about the ways that the government is going to make your life better. He tells us that he will put Americans back to work with good paying jobs. He will bring good education to all our children and raise the salaries of America's teachers. He will give all Americans access to quality health care at affordable prices.

Does anyone really believe this stuff anymore? It's all very embarrassing, almost like Kerry is trying to discredit himself. With his list of dumb and dumber policy plans, he somehow comes across as anti-intellectual – even more so than Bush, which takes some doing.
............................
The old-line slogans voiced by Kerry are of course designed to pick up votes from the usual Democratic base of public employees, labor unions, and seniors living on public welfare. But this seems like bad politics. He already has their votes (presumably). They don't need to be convinced to support the Democratic nominee. As to whether they actually believe the rhetoric, it's doubtful. Does any living public school teacher really believe that Kerry will grant him or her a raise? Does anyone who is genuinely concerned about his or her place in the job market believe that Kerry will really find this person a good job that is well-paying and secure? LINK

It gets better. Drop by and read it. It delves into one of the main problems Kerry is having. He says whatever is the best thing to say to get votes, even if it contradicts himself from the day before, or even the sentence before.

Drudge report. Subtle message?



All I can think of is it looks like they really are going to kiss and make up. Sort of a Daddy Botox and Baby Edwards.
While many see this as a disfunctional dream team to fight Bush I am going to wait and see. Edwards has a lot of legal history that could hurt him.

He was a star civil litigator who from the start dazzled his employers with his talent and ambition. Taking on manufacturers, hospitals and other corporations, Edwards didn't just win. He won settlements and judgments that set records, on behalf of the 'little guy.'LINK

Right now the culture is having a lot of issues with super lawsuit lawyers. For everyone who ever had trouble finding a doctor, paid extra because of a lawsuit, or have your home insurance premiums go up when you install a pool in the backyard, Thank Edwards.

Edwards is a two edges sword and may hurt, more then help.

Yuck!

I just looked at sitemeter and someone came to this site, by way of google, looking for.
submissive son is mistress moms personal servant
I now have to go burn my computer and wash my hands.

George Clooney

I saw a quote by Mr Clooney and thought I would drop by his website to give it a once over. While I was not surprised by the standard liberal dogma being glorified I was shocked by one section.
On page 2 Mr Clooney has a small statement under a hyperlink to a copy of the constitution. The statement was, to say the least, stupid. Not bad, just really stupid.
Here goes.

Constitution of the United States
Have you ever actually read it? Do you really know the rights granted to you by the founding fathers? You may be surprised and, yes, appalled by what is now in jeopardy ...

Let us see.

Constitution of the United states.

Good so far. Nothing to be bothered by.

Have you ever actually read it?

Yes. Yes I have. Darn good read.

Do you really know the rights granted to you by the founding fathers?

Damn! He was doing so so good. "Granted"? The constitution does not grant me squat. The constitution defines the role of the government, and its limitations. The rights are mine fool. Here is a little bit to show you something about these rights.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,*

The government is to SECURE, not give. The whole donk mentality is that the enlightened ones, the democrats, must lead, protect, and govern the mindless masses(If one of the masses becomes rich he must be hammered down back into the rabble). Sorry but I govern myself, and the rights I enjoy are mine. He needs to look up "unalienable" for a definition.

You may be surprised and, yes, appalled by what is now in jeopardy ...

I agree. The actions of many, from Bush/Ashcroft with the patriot act to Feinstein and her rabid hatred of my second amendment protected rights. Heck, and even enlightened elitist idiots like you. So yes. I do keep an eye out equally on the leaders in Washington, left and right.

So there we have it. Same liberal drivil in three sentences
UPDATE: someone left an unsigned comment that the site is not the official Looney Clooney site. I have checked and found that it is not. So it is one of his fans that is the lefty kook.

What a bitter taste freedom must be to some

That is the only thing I can think of. This story from California upsets me to no end. Here we have the state legislature. A group who is the prime example of liberal nuts, denying a small ceremony to a vet.

Why? Because he believes in G-d and is patriotic. Jeremiah Denton spent 8 years in a Vietnamese prison camp. His faith kept him alive and afterwards his faith gave him a new purpose. The republicans (talk about working behind enemy lines) tried to have a ceremony for him. Now this is not a one time thing.

the Assembly has arranged for many "celebrations" on the floor orchestrated by Democrats, with singing and dancing, including Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick's Day and Chinese New Year's Day.
"But never once have we celebrated America's Independence Day, the 4th of July," LINK

I may start writing "California" as "Kalifornia" if this keeps up.
But the idea of a man with strong patriotic views and a deep religious faith is anathema to the democrats.

According to Golden State Assembly Republican John Campbell, "the Democratic leadership refused to allow [Denton] on the Assembly floor and there will be no 4th of July celebration."
A memo from the Democratic speaker's office cited "problems . . . with regards to the spirit, content and participation of various individuals with regard to the ceremony."

Well they had one, much smaller. What words did he say that they feared so much?

Campbell continued: "Admiral Denton gave a very moving speech about the 4th of July and about the undeniable commitment of our founding fathers to their faith in God. He talked about how the war on terrorism may be the most difficult war we have yet fought. And he went on to say that he fears that partisan attacks on our mission and our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan sound too familiar to what he experienced in Vietnam." LINK

So to the democrats of the California legislature I say with extreme honesty. Kiss my ass.

Enjoy your July 4th weekend

First salvo people

The first clash of the 2004 election has occurred in the form of a letter from 11 representatives. With hat in hand they have sent a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asking for help from the horror of our system of elections. While they liked it just fine when they win, when the specter of loss occurs their screams are deafening.

I noticed several things about the articles. The first is that they all quoted only one or two lines from the letter. I thought that when the representatives go to the UN crying because they did not get their way last time asking for help it would be worthy of reading the whole thing, but I guess I am wrong.

The second is that they all mentioned one rep the most, Eddie Bernice Johnson, but except for World Net Daily, they all said she was the rep from Florida. She is from Texas. This goes to show you how bad reporting is today. A true copy and paste industry with no thinking involved.
Well here is the letter with the names of ones who signed off on it.

July 1, 2004

The Honorable Kofi Annan
Secretary-General
United Nations
New York, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Secretary-General:

We, the undersigned Members of Congress, hereby request the Electoral Assistance Division of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs to send election observers to monitor the presidential election in the United States scheduled for November 2, 2004. We are deeply concerned that the right of U.S. citizens to vote in free and fair elections is again in jeopardy.

As you may know, the 2000 presidential election was steeped in controversy. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a bipartisan federal agency, investigated widespread allegations of voter disenfranchisement and questionable practices in the state of Florida relating to the purging of names from voter registration lists, methods of balloting, and the independence of counting and certification procedures. In a report released in June 2001, the Commission found that the electoral process in Florida resulted in the denial of the right to vote for countless persons and further that the "disenfranchisement of FloridaÂ’s voters fell most harshly on the shoulders of black voters" and in poor counties.

Moreover, Florida was not the only state in which voters were wrongfully denied their right to vote and have their vote counted. Experts have concluded that over half of the votes that went uncounted nationwide during the last election were cast by "nonwhite voters." In Florida, the Commission found that black voters were "10 times more likely than non-black voters to have their ballots rejected" - a result that experts say is typical of states across the country. The election was finally determined by the U.S. Supreme Court which prevented further counting of the votes in what has been widely criticized as one of the most politicized and improper decisions in U.S. jurisprudence.

As the next Election Day approaches, there is more cause for alarm rather than less. In April of this year, the Commission issued a status report which found that despite promised nationwide reforms relating to voting equipment, voter list maintenance, poll worker training, election certification, and reinstatement of ex-felon voting rights, adequate steps have not been taken to ensure that a similar situation will not arise in the coming election. Rather, upon evaluating the current state of affairs, the Commission concluded "the potential is real and present for significant problems on voting day that once again will compromise the right to vote."

The right to vote, and have votes counted, in free and fair elections is a cornerstone of representative government. In addition to violating amendments 15, 19 and 26 of the U.S. Constitution, and laws adopted pursuant to it such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the events in Florida violated the right to vote as it is enshrined in several international instruments that the U.S. has either agreed to, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 21), or ratified, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 25) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (article5).

As a member of the international community, we firmly believe in the importance of international human rights law and its applicability and relevance to the U.S. Given the deeply troubling events of the 2000 election and the growing concerns about the lack of necessary reforms and potential for abuse in the 2004 election, we believe that the engagement of international election monitors has the potential to expedite the necessary reform as well as reduce the likelihood of questionable practices and voter disenfranchisement on Election Day.

In addition, we believe that international oversight is critical in this election not only because of the role the U.S. has in the world, but also because the issues related to the methodology of elections inside the United States, such as the use of electronic and paperless voting technology, are likely to have international impact. The danger that these methodologies could become a standard to be exported and emulated involves broader issues of democracy that should be of concern to the United Nations and the international community as a whole.

For all these reasons, we urge the UN to favorably consider this urgent request.
Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30)
Joseph Crowley (NY-07)
Raul Grijalva (AZ-07)
Danny K. Davis (IL-07)SEE NOTE BELOW
Corrine Brown (FL-03)
Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14)
Jerrold Nadler (NY-08)
Michael M. Honda
Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07)
Julia Carson (IN-07)
Edolphus Towns (NY- 10)

Now what I find sad is that over half of the people who signed this are black. Now nothing wrong with that, but why would they want to be buddy buddy with a hard core racist who thinks that patriotic Americans are cockroaches?

I guess politics does make strange bedfellows.

I would like to say that a simple call to Eddie Bernice Johnson office got me this letter in 10 minutes by email.

NOTE: Thanks to Douglas Bass from Belief seeking understanding for pointing this out to me about Danny Davis.

The Washington Post reports the March 23 reception, held at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, was attended by more than a dozen members of Congress. The report reveals that during the ceremony to honor the 85-year-old Sun Myung Moon, Democratic Congressman Danny Davis of Illinois wore white gloves and carried a pillow holding an ornate crown that was placed on Moon's head.

According to the newspaper report, Moon delivered a long speech in which he claimed to have been "sent to Earth ... to save the world's six billion people .... Emperors, kings, and presidents ... have declared to all Heaven and Earth that Reverend Sun Myung Moon is none other than humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord, and True Parent." He also stated that his teachings have helped Hitler and Stalin be "reborn as new persons."

What a strange group of people.

My gun links

There are few things better in this world then getting free stuff. I have found a few items that you might, just might, have a chance of winning if your luck is good.

Here we have a Kahr Arms Thompson in caliber 45acp. Nice, well built, and wanting to be your friend.


Drop by Gallery of guns and click on the Great Gun Giveaway and fill out the form. I have entered many months and have gotten no spam so I recommend them.

Here we have a nice Remington Model 1100 Classic Field shotgun that needs a good home. Do you have a good home?


Drop by the Remington website and become a member. They are also spam friendly, and since my first rifle was a Remington, that I still own from the young age of 8, I can say only good things about them.

Here we have Cimarron Model P for the cowboy in your life. Bring home a little of the American west to live with you.


This requires a small survey at Shoot magazine but they do have opt outs so go for it. I have never entered this one but all of you can so go and win.

Now go win something to piss off Brady for me.

I have no idea what the individual laws of your state are. I hope that you do and are fighting against the dumb ones. So take a moment and find out what is, and what is not legal where you live.

WARNING

Over the next few days this blog will be changing faster then Kerry's opinions on a subject. I am in the process of figuring out how to get blog-bot to work and finding it the biggest pain in the ass to work with that I have ever seen it less then user friendly. So images will appear and disappear regularly for a few days.

Les Jones Thursday Gun Links are up



As always filled with good links and worthy reading. The photo here is an SKS rifle. Recently the center of the gun-banning storm. Les has a few worthy things to say on the subject.

Being the government I would expect nothing less then total hypocrisy

The state of Indiana is about to come under the rule of new laws at midnight. Now new laws are nothing new, but what some are worthy of note.

Tens of thousands of Hoosier businesses and individuals owing overdue state taxes will have their identities and tax debts posted on the Internet beginning today as dozens of new Indiana laws take effect.

Owe money and others will find out. Public humiliation via the internet. An electronic stockade. Seems that they feel your private business is everyone's business.
Now avoiding the debate of the usefulness of this doing anything but hurt people, the belief that their privacy is being abused is obvious. To me at least. But the second paragraph of the story redefines hypocrite.

In addition, nearly every detail related to taxpayer-financed pensions of lawmakers, judges, prosecutors and public safety officers became secret at midnight.

It seems they have no trouble letting everyone know the details of your finances, but sure do like to keep their own private.

Being politicians I would expect nothing less. Just surprised that the writer of this article did not tear them a new one on this subject.