Tired
by Langston Hughes
I am so tired of waiting
Aren’t you?
For the world to become good
And beautiful and kind?
Let us take a knife
And cut the world in two —
And see what worms are eating
At the rind.
Tag Archives: i am a terrorist
What The Hell Just Happened, America?
then there was this…
for the past couple of weeks, i’ve seen this…
THING
peering out at me from an otherwise innocent-looking box of generic™ breakfast cereal on the shelf at the grocery store, as i was going about my business…
so i decided to put my photoshop™ The GIMP skills (such as they are) to the task of bringing him out in the open…
it’s actually somewhat surprising how little i had to do to this in order to completely change the character of the entire graphic… a “free select” tool to select just the eyebrows (highly convenient that they are ALREADY on a white background!), “float” to separate them from the main graphic, then clone-stamp to fill in the resulting blank space, a little rotation of each eyebrow, separately, then anchor the floating layer back down, and a little black brush touch-up to the teeth…
i thought about making a stencil-font word “EVIL” in red, rotated slightly, in between the word “Kellogg’s” and the word “Frosted”, but then i realised that doing so would be laying it out for everyone to see, which i don’t necessarily want to do.
if anyone is interested, i have provided a link to the original, unaltered version. view at your peril. 😉
i’m thinking of ways i could just get the “eyebrows” and the teeth printed on clear acetate, so that i could just cover up the face with the more accurate one, and then watch to see how many people freak out, versus how many people don’t even notice… 😈
semitic semantic puzzle
recently i’ve been hearing a lot of what boils down to “if you support the palestinians right to exist, you are anti-semitic”…
which REALLY puzzles me…
because…
originally, the term “semitic people” INCLUDED “arabs, jews, akkadians, and phoenicians”… the term “semitic” comes from the biblical sons of noah; ham, shem, and japheth. it has only been comparatively recently (i.e. around 1930-ish) that the term “anti-semitic” has come to mean “hatred of jews” in particular…
as an aside, originally “semitic” people were from what we now call “asia”, “hamite” people were from what we now call “africa”, and “japhethite” people were from what we now call “europe”… which brings up a whole different miasma of biblical nonsense concerning “japhethite supremacy” which i am not addressing, primarily because it is biblical nonsense. 😒
does use of the term “anti-semitic” in this way mean it is expected that people will intuitively understand that what you are REALLY saying is that it is OKAY to hate arabs?
or do the people who use the term “anti-semitic” to mean “hatred of jews” really not know that the term originally included arabs as well? considering the state of education these days, it wouldn’t surprise me that much. the only reason I know this is because i looked it up when i was in my teens… i certainly wasn’t taught that the term “anti-semitic” meant anything other than “hatred of jews”…
for that matter, apart from language (which is similar enough already, apart from the orthography), and culture/religion, what really IS the difference between a middle-eastern jew and a middle-eastern arab? if you removed all visible cultural markers (i.e. primarily “clothing”), and had them stand side by side, could you REALLY tell the difference?
it is questions like this that inevitably make me wonder about the possibility that i am some species other than human… 😒
sigh… 🙄
Ukraine says Israel-Hamas war shows West must ramp up arms production
Ukraine says Israel-Hamas war shows West must ramp up arms production — but, here’s the million dollar question… WHY? WHY SHOULD THE WEST SUPPLY WEAPONS TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT TO PURSUE A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO THEIR PROBLEMS, BUT WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO MAKE WAR? if these people want to make war so much, let them make their own weapons! so, this doesn’t do much to help ukraine (why they’re raising the issue is another question entirely), but i’d be willing to bet that a significant portion of the weapons currently being used by israel against hamas gaza PALESTINE are being supplied to them by the united states… what if we just said ‘no, we will not provide weapons for war to anyone’?
Continue reading Ukraine says Israel-Hamas war shows West must ramp up arms production
Distinguish tech pros from tech poseurs with this one weird trick
Want tech cred? Learn how to email like a pro
i LOVE to see this!!! 🤍🤍
it is a prime example of how I AM NOT WRONG when i rant about the evils of HTML in email! and it even includes a more complete version of the RANT regarding top-posting, that i sent out with EVERY! SINGLE! FUCKING! EMAIL! I! SEND! (🤬) along with the INTERNET STANDARD RFC 1855 to support it!
if there was one thing on internet that i feel EVERYONE should read, and pay attention to, it is this. if even half of the people on internet read this and did what it said, spam would disappear overnight! 👍👍
-- namaste salamandir (he/him) [email protected] A: Because it breaks the logical sequence of discussion Q: Why is top posting bad? -- https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt () ascii ribbon campaign /\ - increased security My Email Client - against html e-mail Is Not A Web Browser! -- There are two kinds of people. I'm not either of them.
Continue reading Distinguish tech pros from tech poseurs with this one weird trick
this is the kind of thing i would have gotten in trouble for, when i was younger…
i really want to go exploring in the cedar river watershed.
the place that is surrounded by a fence, with big, dire warning signs that say “NO TRESPASSING – $10,000 FINE!”…
but, the thing is, there are a couple of “communities” near my house which i really want to go and visit: Trude, and Snoose Junction. if you plug those names into google maps, they exist, and if you plug in your home location, it gives you directions for how to get there.
and in the case of Snoose Junction, it gives me two alternate ways to get there!
i know there aren’t people living there… legally, anyway… i do know that there are some hold-outs who live on the outskirts of society, who probably live in the watershed illegally, but the state frowns on such things, and i would think that the location of an actual community, even a defunct one, is probably one of the last places such people would choose to live, because of that…
if they don’t want people going there, then why are those places even listed on the map? why does it give precise, turn-by-turn directions for how to get there, if nobody is supposed to go there? it doesn’t make sense to me! 🤨
both of these places are an easy bike ride from my house, they’re both places where people used to live, and i want to go poke around, take pictures, and see what is there now.
i know that they say $10,000 fine for trespassing, but i also know that there are SEMI-TRUCKS that regularly go in and out of the security gate at landsburg crossing (marked “Cedar River Trailhead” on the maps above), and i’ve seen folks with state-owned trucks, traveling on roads that have no trespassing signs on them, so i KNOW that the state makes exceptions to that rule… now it’s just a matter of finding out which strings to pull to have them make an exception for me… 😈
scary…
today is the midterm election.
republicunts are projected to win majorities in both the house and senate, which means that
- they plan on impeaching president biden, more out of spite than anything else (because there’s nothing to charge him with, but that won’t make a difference, because democretins impeached #drumpf TWICE 😒), and…
- they are actively planning on (and bragging about it)
- eliminating social security and medicare
- any and all investigations into the crimes of #drumpf, the stolen government documents at mar-a-lago, and the january 6th insurrection will cease immediately
- a national ban on abortion
- a national ban on birth control
- a repeal of gay marriage
- further oppression of trans people
- making cannabis and other marginally legal drugs illegal again
- further wanton environmental destruction, promoting oil, coal, and elimination of endangered species protections
- gerrymandering and further voter suppression to make future election wins by democretins a lot more difficult
- other horrendously awful, inhumane, and massively unpopular stuff, primarily because they can.
and, if they win, there’s a much greater chance that #drumpf will run for president, again, and if he does, he will likely win, because of the republicunts’ love affair with voter suppression, and that will basically be the end of a democratic united states. 🤬
and if they don’t win at all (preferably), or if they don’t win enough to make a difference, the republican’ts have openly vowed to wreck the global economy, by refusing to raise the debt limit.
i am staying OFF twit-turd… maybe forever, but at least for a couple of days, or until the election FUBAR has died down a little.
Uvalde Police Didn’t Save Lives Because That’s Not What Police Do
i, hereby, quit the human race. 🤬
this is the reason why: #ACAB!! 😒
Uvalde Police Didn’t Save Lives Because That’s Not What Police Do
Continue reading Uvalde Police Didn’t Save Lives Because That’s Not What Police Do
apropos of nothing in particular, but…
what is MAGA going to do when #drumpf dies?
mrmph… 😒
two days ago (thursday) i got my COVID19 booster, and my flu shot.
i was also going to get my shingles shot (shongles shit?), but medicare doesn’t cover it (🤬👎⁇), it’s actually two shots, and they cost around $200 A PIECE!
so i didn’t get that, despite the fact that i had chicken pox, and moe has ALREADY HAD shingles, in spite of the fact that she’s not in the targeted age group. 😒🤬
yesterday, i felt like hammered shit, and slept most of the day. i suppose it was probably a combination of the two vaccines, along with the fact that i didn’t have any side effects from the two previous COVID19 vaccines…
today, i’m recovering, but i still feel like i’ve been run over by a steam roller.
HOWEVER…
there are STILL people who refuse the vaccine, for one horseshit reason or another. there are STILL people who say that it’s got a 98% survival rate (leaving out the fact that there are many major, long-term health problems that follow most survivals)…
THEY are the ones who are DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for the 700,000 COVID19 deaths that have happened since january, 2020…
AND THEY STILL REFUSE THE VACCINE!! 🤬🤬🤬
soon, there will be a 9/11-style mass-death every week from COVID, and these people — all of whom try to keep 9/11 in the forefront of our minds, whether or not we want it there — will STILL be refusing the vaccine.
…
okay, i’m going to say this because it’s not on twit-turd or feces-book, and nobody is going to ban my account for advocating someone else’s death… 😒
i think it would be best for everyone if the government simply KILLED these people, so the rest of us can get back to something vaguely resembling normalcy, some time in the next decade. 😒
okay, i don’t usually do this, but…
i’ve never seen the movie “Soylent Green” (although i have read the book on which it was “loosely based”, called Make Room! Make Room!), but i’ve heard all the quotes, and seen a bunch of youtube excerpts…
so, when they first came out with a product called “soylent”, i was skeptical, to say the least.
but then, i had occasion to start drinking a “protein shake” on a regular basis, and i discovered that, while ALL the others had “sugar” as one of their first five ingredients, soylent contains NO sugar… yes, it has other sweeteners, but they are not within the first five ingredients.
and it tastes good.
then, they came out with soylent mint and chocolate, in a green bottle… “soylent green”…
i’m sure some executive, in some penthouse office somewhere, is chortling with evil glee at that one. 😼
and it tastes FANTASTIC!
seriously, i could get addicted to this stuff!
i realise it’s got a name that gives you nightmares, but it’s really good! you should try it… in part, BECAUSE of the fact that it’s name gives you nightmares! 😎👍
unique skills
pretty much how it went for every interview i ever had… 😒
martial law
drumpf hasn’t declared it…
yet…
but he’s got the military “protecting” washington dc, which is illegal, and one tiny step away from him going for it.
i am antifa!
#WTELF?????
okay, i’m confused… it was my impression that, when police are called because person A has shot person B, that, by definition, we are talking about what is called a “crime”.
there’s this item at Raw Story, Three killed, four wounded in California bowling alley shooting about the police being called to a bowling alley, where they discovered multiple shooting victims, including three who are dead, and no suspect available.
to me, that sounds like it is definitely what they would call a “crime scene”.
but, here’s the thing:
The Torrance Police Department said officers responded to a shot-fired call at the location found multiple gunshot victims. Two men were taken to hospital, two opted to seek their own medical attention, and three were pronounced dead at the scene.
if they were part of a crime, and shot at the crime scene, why were they allowed to “seek their own medical attention”? wouldn’t the fact that they were part of a crime scene necessitate the police wanting to know everything possible about their gunshot wounds?
… which includes records that a doctor at a hospital could easily, efficiently, and accurately provide them, but which usually aren’t accepted by the person, about themselves, after the fact…?
especially if people, you know, actually DIED as a result of this “crime”…?
😕
it is as though the police are, essentially, saying “oh, yeah… some guy shot and killed three people and wounded four others, but don’t worry, it’s not a serious crime that we’re talking about here.”
😒
THIS is why nobody respects cops
corporate constitution
For every person who reads the constitution, there’s a Congressperson who doesn’t.
In an effort to make this document more accessible, every purchase of this book donates a copy to your representatives.
and, if you want to be really subversive, you can download the font and make your own stuff, which is exactly what i did. 😈
Trump’s Attack on Medicare for All Has Industry Fingerprints All Over It
Trump’s Attack on Medicare for All Has Industry Fingerprints All Over It
By Wendell Potter
19 October, 2018
Recently, the president decided to take a break from tweeting conspiracy theories to write an op-ed attacking supporters of Medicare for All. While engaging in what psychologists would probably call “projection,” he accused the Medicare for All movement of putting seniors at risk, rationing health care and trying to destroy the Medicare system.
I’m a former executive at two of the country’s largest insurance companies. I spent 20 years working in PR for Humana and then Cigna, rising to the level of vice president before I had a crisis of conscience. As a result, I know exactly how this op-ed came to be. The process doesn’t start at the White House. It didn’t include a careful review of policy, and it wasn’t an idea his staff came up with.
I can see the industry’s fingerprints on this op-ed from a mile away, because I was the ghost writer for many pieces just like it. During my two-decade tenure in the industry, every time an idea that would threaten shareholder profits started gaining momentum, my employer would decide we’d need to find a friendly and influential politician to carry water for the industry. I’d sit down with my communications team, create talking points, or even write a complete op-ed or speech, and then make sure our well-connected lobbyists got it to the right people.
And the industry won’t just go to Republicans. For instance, Ed Rendell, a Democrat who was formerly a governor of my home state of Pennsylvania and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, recently wrote an op-ed promoting several half-measures he claimed would be stronger reforms than single-payer health care, none of which posed a serious threat to private insurance. Currently, Rendell is affiliated with the Bipartisan Policy Center, which has regularly hosted organizations like America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Meanwhile, so-called think tanks like the Pacific Research Institute regularly write Medicare for All hit pieces for Forbes and other outlets.
The purpose of these op-eds was always to mislead and scare people, because when the facts aren’t on your side, you have to find a politician who’s willing to obfuscate, misdirect and outright lie. It’s no surprise that the industry went right to the White House.
Many people were quick to challenge the president’s claims. Medicare for All would actually expand coverage for seniors currently on Medicare by covering dental and vision care and lowering drug prices. And contrary to Trump’s claim about rationing, the truth is that real rationing occurs in the US when people don’t seek treatment due to cost. It happens every day because millions of Americans are either uninsured or have such high deductibles they can’t afford to actually get the care they need. Medicare for All would eliminate that barrier.
Others have pointed out the hypocrisy. Since taking control of Congress and the White House, President Trump and his party have been engaged in a non-stop assault on Medicare, threatened patients with pre-existing conditions and tried to force through a plan that would have kicked tens of millions of people off their insurance.
Here’s the thing: I’m fairly confident that the president and his staff don’t actually believe that Medicare for All would threaten seniors. I can tell because Trump doesn’t use the national platform as an opportunity to lay out a vision to expand coverage, or protect people with pre-existing conditions, or manage drug prices or lower health care costs.
What the president does know is that a Medicare for All system is the worst nightmare of insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Right now, they have a virtually limitless ability to charge American patients, families, workers and businesses exorbitant prices, and they want to keep it that way. That’s why they have spent decades abusing our campaign finance system, pumping money into campaigns, hiring armies of lobbyists, and using a combination of political incentives and threats to push through legislation they like, making sure that any legislation that threatens to limit their profits never sees the light of day.
Now that the American people are starting to wake up to their scam, the entrenched special interests have decided to cash in their favors. And so, the president decided to parrot the talking points of his donors and their shareholders, no matter how much harm it will cause the American people.
Trump Tower board seeks nearly $90,000 from estate of art collector who died in 50th-floor fire
Trump Tower board seeks nearly $90,000 from estate of art collector who died in 50th-floor fire
By Meagan Flynn
18 October 2018
Six months after a fire in Trump Tower killed 50th-floor resident Todd Brassner, the building’s residential board is coming after Brassner’s estate for tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid common charges stemming from a lien on his apartment, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in the Supreme Court in New York County.
Brassner, a longtime Trump Tower resident who lived alone with hundreds of vintage instruments and an elaborate multimillion-dollar art collection, died April 7 after an electrical fire engulfed his apartment, which had no working smoke alarms. He was 67.
Now, with backing from a Trump Organization attorney, the Residential Board of Trump Tower Condominium is suing Brassner’s estate for more than $64,600 in unpaid common charges, an amount that includes fees accrued in the months after Brassner died. The residential board is also seeking a judgment of at least $25,000, bringing the total amount sought to nearly $90,000. Common charges are condo fees that typically include maintenance, utilities or other services. Brassner defaulted on common charge payments in June 2015, according to the complaint.
Brassner’s family members and executors of his estate, Heather and Aaron Brassner, could not immediately be reached for comment, nor could the attorney representing the board.
The fire at Trump Tower, where the president’s penthouse and the Trump Organization headquarters are located, captured wide attention in April both for Trump’s silence on Brassner’s death and for the lack of sprinklers in the building, a feature that Trump had lobbied against installing in the condos in the late 1990s.
Brassner moved into Trump Tower in 1996, according to property records. The son of a wealthy New York art collector, Brassner was described by friends as an “utter expert on Pop Art” who was “constantly swapping, buying and selling” and at the center of the action in the art world, as his friend, Stuart Pivar, told the Art Newspaper. Brassner ran with Andy Warhol’s Factory crowd in the 1970s as he built his impressive art collection, including a 1975 portrait Warhol made of Brassner, which the Trump Tower resident valued at $850,000 in 2015.
He kept the portrait in his Trump Tower condo, along with a collection of more than 100 vintage guitars, $25,000 worth of banjos, about 150 ukuleles from the early 20th century, an organ, a Robert Indiana sculpture and artwork by Jack Kerouac — just to name a few items.
But over the years, he appeared to have trouble keeping up with the condo payments. Trump Tower’s residential board filed multiple liens against him between 2003 and 2013 for unpaid common charges, New York court records show. And in 2015 he filed for bankruptcy, which included listing all of the assets kept in his apartment. The condo was valued at $2.5 million.
At the time of Brassner’s death, friends told the New York Times he was in declining health and that he had been trying unsuccessfully to sell the apartment. Once Trump became president, resulting in omnipresent armed security outside Trump Tower, Brassner couldn’t seem to find a buyer, one friend told the Times.
“It haunts me,” Brassner’s friend Stephen Dwire, a musician and producer, told the paper. “He said, ‘This is getting untenable.’ It was like living in an armed camp. But when people heard it was a Trump building, he couldn’t give it away.”
Trump built the tower in 1983, when installing sprinklers was not required. In 1998, when two tragic New York City high-rise fires left several people dead, the city moved to begin requiring sprinklers in high-rises. But Trump opposed retrofitting his building with the sprinklers and lobbied to persuade city officials to drop a proposal that would have required them in older apartment buildings, as The Washington Post previously reported.
Some speculated that the April fire could have been mitigated had they been installed.
The New York City Fire Department ultimately found that the fire was caused by an overloaded electrical board. The Times reported that the building was equipped with smoke sensors, which is what alerted firefighters to the blaze.
In a statement on Twitter in April, Trump did not offer condolences for Brassner’s family but did brag about the construction of the building.
“Fire at Trump Tower is out,” he tweeted, before the fire had been put out. “Very confined (well built building). Firemen (and women) did a great job. THANK YOU!”
A month after Brassner died, a Trump Organization attorney filed a lien against the deceased man on behalf of the Residential Board of the Trump Tower Condominium, seeking at that time $52,000 in unpaid common charges since July 2016, according to New York City Department of Finance records.
Can’t Hit the Snooze Button No More
my impression is that the democratic malaise goes back at least as far as George McGovern, in 1972, but you’ve got to start somewhere…
Can’t Hit the Snooze Button No More
October 9, 2018
by Marc Salomon
In 1980, when I turned 18 and first voted, John Anderson sounded the alarm about the duopoly rot. The Democrats hit the snooze button and Reagan won.
In 1984, Gary Hart sounded the alarm and the Democrats slapped him down, again in 1988, and hit the snooze button, nominated the execrable Mondale and Reagan won.
In 1988, Jesse Jackson sounded the rainbow alarm, the Democrats hit the snooze button, nominated the hapless Dukakis who ran with the odious Bentsen and Bush I won.
In 1992, Jerry Brown v1.5 sounded the alarm, the Democrats hit the snooze button and nominated Bill “Rapey Bubba” Clinton who won but rammed NAFTA through and forfeited the Congress to the Republicans.
In 1996, Nader sounded the alarm. the Democrats hit the snooze button. The Republicans impeached Rapey Bubba. As a parting shot of gratitude, Clinton I deregulated Wall Street.
In 2000, Ralph Nader sounded the alarm, the Democrats hit the snooze button and lost to Bush II (the previous Hitler on the Potomac) and instead of taking stock of their failure, raged at Nader.
In 2004, Howard Dean sounded a weak alarm, the Democrats hit the snooze button and nominated the patrician Kerry who lost to Bush II, blaming the Greens again.
In 2008, Obama sounded the alarm as a trojan horse, got in running center-left and governed center-right, throwing away historic strong majorities in the Congress to the Republicans.
In 2016, Bernie Sanders sounded the alarm and the Democrats hit the snooze button so hard that they broke the alarm clock and nominated a neoliberal warmonger candidate who was as unpopular with the electorate as she held them in contempt ushering in Obama’s true legacy: Donald Trump. And here we are.
Do you want to know why there is a Justice Kavanaugh? That’s why.
These Democrats are not stupid. They claim that they represent the meritocracy. Yet in what meritocracy do losers like this rise to the top and stay there after losing election after election?
This “meritocracy” selects for those able to appeal to and manipulate the elites into being allowed to be temporary custodians of power on their behalf.
Their reward is a lifetime of sinecure and wealth.
The only way that these Republicans can win is when these Democrats willfully and maliciously manipulate the electorate into acting against their best interests.
None of those Democrats who sounded the alarm had any real intention of making the kind of structural change needed to put us on a different course, they were playing the angle.
Nader who would have followed through, Sanders, less so, were the exceptions.
But they all did tap into an increasing resentment amongst the voters as to the failure of the duopoly to be responsive to popular sentiment.
When Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party arose, the Republicans welcomed the Tea Party into their midst while the Democrat big city mayors, coordinated by the Obama Department of Justice brutally and violently repressed the encampments.
Politics in this model is not symmetric.
If politics is warfare by other means, the Republicans have torn up any treaties that might have been in place and adopted a policy of total war.
These Democrats still do not know what hit them and they have proven themselves strategically incompetent of ever getting out from behind the eight ball.
The only way to work our way out from under this mess is by creating independent grassroots democratic organizations that can mobilize mass movements to make the elites offers they cannot refuse.
If people with access to many fewer resources than we, facing death squad governments and apartheid, can organize to win, then we have no excuses.
Our primary impediment in this task has been the Democrat Party which views its base, not the Republicans, as its opponent, and leverages its patronage network against independent popular organizing.
The veil of delusion is strong with the Democrat base, they are at a point where they have been made as impervious by MSNBC to logical arguments as any Fox [sic] News addict.
We are going to need to pierce that veil to shake some sense into them and more importantly organize outside of our usual comfort zones where the Democrat spell is weak, where people are wise to their bait and switch and have voted with their feet by staying home.
None of this will be easy, but it is not rocket science, others who have come before us have made these heavy lifts.
We have no excuses.
my kind of message
Trump administration sees a 7-degree rise in global temperatures by 2100
Trump administration sees a 7-degree rise in global temperatures by 2100
By Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis and Chris Mooney
September 28, 2018
Last month, deep in a 500-page environmental impact statement, the Trump administration made a startling assumption: On its current course, the planet will warm a disastrous 7 degrees by the end of this century.
A rise of 7 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 4 degrees Celsius, compared with preindustrial levels would be catastrophic, according to scientists. Many coral reefs would dissolve in increasingly acidic oceans. Parts of Manhattan and Miami would be underwater without costly coastal defenses. Extreme heat waves would routinely smother large parts of the globe.
But the administration did not offer this dire forecast as part of an argument to combat climate change. Just the opposite: The analysis assumes the planet’s fate is already sealed.
The draft statement, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), was written to justify President Trump’s decision to freeze federal fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks built after 2020. While the proposal would increase greenhouse gas emissions, the impact statement says, that policy would add just a very small drop to a very big, hot bucket.
“The amazing thing they’re saying is human activities are going to lead to this rise of carbon dioxide that is disastrous for the environment and society. And then they’re saying they’re not going to do anything about it,” said Michael MacCracken, who served as a senior scientist at the U.S. Global Change Research Program from 1993 to 2002.
The document projects that global temperature will rise by nearly 3.5 degrees Celsius above the average temperature between 1986 and 2005 regardless of whether Obama-era tailpipe standards take effect or are frozen for six years, as the Trump administration has proposed. The global average temperature rose more than 0.5 degrees Celsius between 1880, the start of industrialization, and 1986, so the analysis assumes a roughly 4 degree Celsius or 7 degree Fahrenheit increase from preindustrial levels.
The world would have to make deep cuts in carbon emissions to avoid this drastic warming,the analysis states. And that “would require substantial increases in technology innovation and adoption compared to today’s levels and would require the economy and the vehicle fleet to move away from the use of fossil fuels, which is not currently technologically feasible or economically feasible.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
World leaders have pledged to keep the world from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial levels, and agreed to try to keep the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But the current greenhouse gas cuts pledged under the 2015 Paris climate agreement are not steep enough to meet either goal. Scientists predict a 4 degree Celsius rise by the century’s end if countries take no meaningful actions to curb their carbon output.
Trump has vowed to exit the Paris accord and called climate change a hoax. In the past two months, the White House has pushed to dismantle nearly half a dozen major rules aimed at reducing greenhouse gases, deregulatory moves intended to save companies hundreds of millions of dollars.
If enacted, the administration’s proposals would give new life to aging coal plants; allow oil and gas operations to release more methane into the atmosphere; and prevent new curbs on greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air-conditioning units. The vehicle rule alone would put 8 billion additional tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere this century, more than a year’s worth of total U.S. emissions, according to the government’s own analysis.
Administration estimates acknowledge that the policies would release far more greenhouse gas emissions from America’s energy and transportation sectors than otherwise would have been allowed.
David Pettit, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who testified against Trump’s freeze of fuel efficiency standards this week in Fresno, Calif., said his organization is prepared to use the administration’s own numbers to challenge their regulatory rollbacks. He noted that the NHTSA document projects that if the world takes no action to curb emissions, current atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide would rise from 410 parts per million to 789 ppm by 2100.
“I was shocked when I saw it,” Pettit said in a phone interview. “These are their numbers. They aren’t our numbers.”
Conservatives who condemned Obama’s climate initiatives as regulatory overreach have defended the Trump administration’s approach, calling it a more reasonable course.
Obama’s climate policies were costly to industry and yet “mostly symbolic,” because they would have made barely a dent in global carbon dioxide emissions, said Heritage Foundation research fellow Nick Loris, adding: “Frivolous is a good way to describe it.”
NHTSA commissioned ICF International Inc., a consulting firm based in Fairfax, Va., to help prepare the impact statement. An agency spokeswoman said the Environmental Protection Agency “and NHTSA welcome comments on all aspects of the environmental analysis” but declined to provide additional information about the agency’s long-term temperature forecast.
Federal agencies typically do not include century-long climate projections in their environmental impact statements. Instead, they tend to assess a regulation’s impact during the life of the program — the years a coal plant would run, for example, or the amount of time certain vehicles would be on the road.
Using the no-action scenario “is a textbook example of how to lie with statistics,” said MIT Sloan School of Management professor John Sterman. “First, the administration proposes vehicle efficiency policies that would do almost nothing [to fight climate change]. Then [the administration] makes their impact seem even smaller by comparing their proposals to what would happen if the entire world does nothing.”
This week, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned leaders gathered in New York, “If we do not change course in the next two years, we risk runaway climate change… Our future is at stake.”
Federal and independent research — including projections included in last month’s analysis of the revised fuel-efficiency standards — echoes that theme. The environmental impact statement cites “evidence of climate-induced changes,” such as more frequent droughts, floods, severe storms and heat waves, and estimates that seas could rise nearly three feet globally by 2100 if the world does not decrease its carbon output.
Two articles published in the journal Science since late July — both co-authored by federal scientists — predicted that the global landscape could be transformed “without major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions” and declared that soaring temperatures worldwide bore humans’ “fingerprint.”
“With this administration, it’s almost as if this science is happening in another galaxy,” said Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ climate and energy program. “That feedback isn’t informing the policy.”
Administration officials say they take federal scientific findings into account when crafting energy policy — along with their interpretation of the law and President Trump’s agenda. The EPA’s acting administrator, Andrew Wheeler, has been among the Trump officials who have noted that U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants have fallen over time.
But the debate comes after a troubling summer of devastating wildfires, record-breaking heat and a catastrophic hurricane — each of which, federal scientists say, signals a warming world.
Some Democratic elected officials, such as Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, said Americans are starting to recognize these events as evidence of climate change. On Feb. 25, Inslee met privately with several Cabinet officials, including then-EPA chief Scott Pruitt, and Western state governors. Inslee accused them of engaging in “morally reprehensible” behavior that threatened his children and grandchildren, according to four meeting participants, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details of the private conversation.
In an interview, Inslee said that the ash from wildfires that covered Washington residents’ car hoods this summer, and the acrid smoke that filled their air, has made more voters of both parties grasp the real-world implications of climate change.
“There is anger in my state about the administration’s failure to protect us,” he said. “When you taste it on your tongue, it’s a reality.”
No, I Will Not Debate You
No, I Will Not Debate You
Civility will never defeat fascism, no matter what The Economist thinks.
19 September, 2018
by Laurie Penny
There are some stupid mistakes that only very smart people make, and one of them is the notion that a sensible argument seriously presented can compete with a really good piece of theatre.
Every day, people on the internet ask why I won’t “debate” some self-actualizing gig-economy fascist or other, as if formal, public debate were the only way to steer public conversation. If you won’t debate, the argument goes, you’re an enemy of free speech. You’re basically no better than a Nazi, and certainly far worse than any of the actual Nazis muttering about not being allowed to preach racism from prestigious pulpits. Well-meaning liberals insist that “sunlight is the best disinfectant,” anti-fascists disagree, the far right orders more popcorn, and round and round we go on the haunted carousel of western liberal thought until we’re all queasy.
This bad-faith argument is a repeating refrain of this low, dishonest decade, and this month it built to another crescendo. In the U.S., The New Yorker bowed to public pressure and disinvited Steve Bannon, Trump’s neo-nationalist former chief strategist, from its literary festival. And in the U.K., The Economist chose to do the opposite.
I’m accidentally responsible for a very small amount of the fuss here. I was due to speak at the Economist’s Open Future festival, where Bannon was scheduled to be interviewed by the editor in chief directly after the “future of MeToo” panel I’d be on with journalists Laura Bates and Ally Fogg. My note to The Economist, in part:
To speak personally, my opposition to Bannon’s place at this conference has nothing to do with wishing to see him silenced — that would be infeasible as well as illiberal.
I’ve spent much of the past five years hearing out and attempting to debate people like Bannon, and in my experience it only emboldens and legitimizes them. As far as I am concerned, I am not interested in hearing those arguments again.
Bates agreed, writing that “there is a very small minority of cases in which it is justified to refuse to participate on a platform alongside a person because they explicitly and deliberately advocate hatred and harm to groups of people on the basis of their race, sex, religion or other characteristics. It is my belief that Steve Bannon meets this high standard, that his deeply racist, misogynistic, white nationalist views pose real threat and harm to a large number of people, and that it is therefore irresponsible and damaging to provide him with the legitimacy of such a highly respected mainstream platform as The Economist.” Fogg said that “to invite contributions from Steve Bannon, and furthermore to schedule his appearance immediately after a discussion about what happens after #MeToo, directly contradicts the very essence and message of the #MeToo movement. This schedule honors a man whose primary claims to fame are establishing an online magazine that specialized in inciting misogynistic and racial hatred and then maneuvering a self-confessed sexual abuser into place as the most powerful politician on earth.”
To me, refusing to appear alongside Bannon was an obvious choice, as obvious as the protest against Donald Trump’s visit to Britain earlier this year, when millions of people made my country inhospitable to a president who has done nothing to deserve our deference. Bannon, unsurprisingly, disagreed, calling New Yorker editor David Remnick a coward for rescinding his invitation.
We probably should have anticipated the disingenuous firestorm that followed. We should have anticipated the accusations of being the real fascists for refusing to make nice with white supremacists, the harassment and YouTube hobgoblining from self-appointed defenders of free speech, who seem to have forgotten that for Bates, for me, and for any other woman who flashes the merest inch of independent thought online, harassment is nothing terribly new. It’s just Tuesday.
There’s a term for this sort of bad-faith argument: it’s called the justification-suppression model. The theory is that bigots refrain from directly defending their own bigotry but get hugely riled up justifying the abstract right to express bigotry. So instead of saying, for example, “I don’t like foreigners,” they’ll fight hard for someone else’s right to get up on stage and yell that foreigners are coming to convert your children and seduce your household pets.
Focusing the conversation on the ethics of disseminating speech rather than the actual content of that speech is hugely useful for the far right for three reasons. Firstly, it allows them to paint themselves as the wronged party — the martyrs and victims. Secondly, it stops people from talking about the actual wronged parties, the real lives at risk. And thirdly, of course, it’s an enormous diversion tactic, a shout of “Fire!” in the crowded theatre of politics. But Liberals don’t want to feel like bad people, so this impossible choice — betray the letter of your principles, or betray the spirit — leaves everyone feeling filthy.
There’s no way to come out of this convinced of your own political purity. The thing is, though, that establishing your own political purity isn’t what progressive politics are supposed to be about. As Ms. Marvel says: Good is not a thing you are. It’s a thing you do. This is not about censorship. It never was. It’s about consequences, about drawing a line in the sand.
That can be harder in practice than it sounds. The problem with taking a stand within and against respectable organizations is that however righteous you may feel, you create a lot of work for people in that organization — especially people lower down the chain of command who don’t get to make the big ethical decisions. And it takes rather a lot of courage to defy the customs of polite society, especially if it means compromising social capital you yourself have worked hard for. Some people speaking at the Open Future festival are female activists of color whose positions and profile deserve the same institutional recognition that Bannon doesn’t.
The Economist defended its decision to keep Bannon on the program:
The future of open societies will not be secured by like-minded people speaking to each other in an echo chamber, but by subjecting ideas and individuals from all sides to rigorous questioning and debate. This will expose bigotry and prejudice, just as it will reaffirm and refresh liberalism. That is the premise The Economist was founded on. When James Wilson launched this newspaper in 1843, he said its mission was to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.”
I don’t believe that holding this position makes anyone evil or stupid. I understand why people cling to it like shipwreck survivors on a floating door. The problem is that it relies on two pieces of magical thinking: number one, that intellectual ideas are the same as moral ones, and number two, that the sucking ethical vacuum at the center of public life can be replaced with a commitment to the polite forms of a free society.
There’s a good case to be made for what anarchists call “prefigurative politics” — the idea that part of the way you build a better world is by creating a version of the world you want to see. The Occupy movement did this, creating microcosms of sharing societies based on mutual aid and consensus… before the camps were summarily squashed by police. The culture of “debate” operates on similar lines but at a much higher budget: it’s live-action roleplaying of a Classical fever-dream of a society where pedigreed intellectuals freely exchange ideas in front of a respectful audience, the sort of society that would have made certain ancient Greek philosophers drop their hemlock in excitement.
Personally, I prefer an exchange of ideas that is less hierarchical and performative, because I’ve found that a lot of the people whose voices matter most are people who don’t put themselves forward as spokespeople, if they are invited at all. Or written dialogue, because it gives all parties more time to think and reflect. Or any format where good ideas are what count, not how good you are at showboating and humiliating the other guy.
Remember the U.S. presidential debates of 2016? Remember how the entire liberal establishment thought Hillary Clinton had won, mainly because she made actual points, rather than shambling around the stage shouting about Muslims? What’s the one line from those debates that everyone remembers now? It’s “Nasty Woman.” What’s the visual? It’s Trump literally skulking around Hillary, dominating her with his body. It’s theatre. And right now the bad actors are winning.
* * *
The far right does not respect the free and liberal exchange of ideas. It is not open to compromise, and it does not want a debate. It wants power. Last week, when I was on the evening news discussing my refusal to attend The Economist‘s event, the showrunners sat us in front of a big screen with Bannon’s face on it — twice. And that, of course, is the problem.
Steve Bannon, like the howling monster from the id he ushered into the White House, exploits the values of the liberal establishment by offering an impossible choice: betray their stated principles (free, open debate) or dignify fascism and white supremacy. This weaponizes tolerance to legitimize intolerance. If we deny racists a platform, they feed off the appearance of censorship, but if we give them a platform, they’ve also won by being respectfully invited into the penumbra of mainstream legitimacy. Either way, what matters to them is not debate, but airtime and attention. They have no interest in winning on the issues. Their image of a better world is one with their face on every television screen.
The marketplace of ideas is just as full of con artists, scammers, and Ponzi schemes as any other marketplace, and as always, when the whole thing comes crashing down, it’s ordinary marks who lose everything. Bannon is that rare thing: a true Gordon Gekko in the attention economy, a man who is both troll and true believer, a man whose lack of integrity is part of the ideology: win at all costs and screw the other guy, because fools and their morals are easily parted. There is no deeper truth to be divined from “holding him to account,” no point at which his racism and xenophobia will somehow become unacceptable to a public that has already bought its penny stocks in neo-nationalism.
Mere weeks ago he told a gathering of the far-right National Front in France to be proud “when people call you racist, when people call you xenophobic… wear it as a badge of honor.” Too many well-meaning liberals are clinging with ten fingernails to the idea that their institutions are robust enough to withstand fascism. They believe, because the belief is soothing, that the marketplace of ideas cares about the value, durability, and quality of its wares rather than how shiny the packaging is, how catchy the jingle, how many times it shows up in your peripheral brand awareness until it’s the one you reach for on the shelf. They’re the equivalent of the people who tried to sell cars in the 1920s by taking out full-page ads solemnly explaining how unlikely their machines were to break down rather than trying to sell you a dream of freedom and potency on four wheels.
The left is catastrophically losing the PR battle in the marketplace of ideas. Inviting someone like Steve Bannon to your conference about how to build a free and open society is a little like inviting Ronald McDonald to your convention on solving world hunger.
I’m not saying that there’s no point in talking to the far right at all. I have interviewed members of the far right in my capacity as a journalist. But academic research and investigative journalism are very different from formal public debate. Public debate — at least the way I was taught to do it at my posh school — is not about the free exchange of ideas at all. You only listen to the other guy so you can work out how to beat him, and ideally, humiliate him. I’m choosing my pronouns deliberately here. The format is fundamentally an intellectual dick-smacking contest dressed up in institutional lingerie, and while there are plenty of women out there who can unzip their enormous brains and thwack them on the table with the best of them, the formula is catastrophically macho.
People rarely change their minds in the course of formal public debate. Not the people on stage, and very few of those in the audience. Years of robust debate in my capacity as a commentator and journalist have taught me that you don’t change minds simply by pointing out where someone is wrong. As a dear friend once told me, trying to bring someone over to your side by publicly demonstrating that their ideas are bad and that they should feel bad is like trying to teach a goat how to dance: the goat will not learn to dance, and you will make him angry. The ways people actually change their minds is by reading the mood of those around them and then going away and thinking about it, by being given permission to think what they were already thinking, or by being shamed into realizing how ignoble their assumptions always were.
Plus, being better at debating does not make you right. It just makes you better at debating. Any prep school debate champion can tell you that a bad story well told can beat a sober litany of facts, though it helps if you also have facts on your side.
Curating debate participants is itself a political choice, because the terms of a debate inform public opinion as much as its content. I’ve lost count of the number of evenings I’ve spent in the role of “shouty leftist” juxtaposed with a set of Tory talking points in a suit, with ten or fifteen minutes (if we’re lucky, a whole hour) to decide whether poor children should be allowed to eat during school holidays or whether migrants deserve human rights. What matters is not who wins on the merits. What matters are the terms: who gets to speak, and who must be silent.
The idea of the public sphere has always been elitist in practice, if not in principle. The people most likely to lose out are some of the least likely to have been trained in the art of public speaking or to have spent the past decade building a career in the media. They were too busy holding down four jobs, or trying to escape a civil war, or practicing medicine in a different language in a country they fled to with their family, or raising and then mourning their children. These are the people whose voices are truly being silenced, whose place in the lofty theatre of formal political debate is not subject to public discussion because they were never invited in the first place.
* * *
The far right are not themselves committed to the principle of free speech. Far from it. In my encounters with neo-nationalists and professional alt-right trolls I have found them remarkably litigious — more than willing to use money and legal threats to silence their more serious critics. I’ve been legally prohibited from describing racists as racists. That’s why you’ll see so many news outlets use phrases like “alleged white supremacist” or “the deportation policy, which critics have described as xenophobic.” It’s not because there’s serious doubt over where these people stand, it’s because journalists are silenced by threats from speech “defenders” who have the money and spite to shut down their critics. I will not be bullied by bad-faith actors trying to rules-lawyer my own principles against me into treating neo-Nazis with respect they don’t deserve.
They are unscrupulous. They incite violence. It’s not my place to tell anyone else who to host at their events, but I can make a choice as a free individual about who I choose to associate with in a professional context, and the more of us who make that choice, the stronger the message it sends.
Sunlight is neither literally nor figuratively the best disinfectant. Modern white supremacy does not grow like bacteria — it grows like a weed, aggressively, crowding out everything else that stretches towards the light. Nor is sunlight what the ritual of formal debate offers. What it offers is a chance to build one’s brand.
Curation is a political choice, and so is the choice of who we allow to take lead roles in the theatre of public discourse. I say: If Bannon has to have a public platform, make him work for it. Have him stand on a stage and play the audio footage of the toddlers at the Mexican border screaming for their parents as they’re dragged away to detention. Have him answer to the mothers of children who were gunned down by police because of the color of their skin, or to the friends and family of migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean. That’s not a polite thing to say. It wouldn’t be a polite thing to do. But the idea that politeness and civility is owed to anyone in a position of power is one of the great gotchas of liberal thought.
Moderate liberalism cherishes the idea of “civility” because it allows it to believe in its own goodness and relevance. To refuse to debate someone is an act of discourtesy. It is rude. It implies that you do not consider that person’s ideas or behavior worthy of basic respect. You would be amazed at the contortions people yank themselves into to avoid being rude, especially to people in positions of authority, or simply people whose faces they’ve seen on the television. Television interviewers have repeatedly failed to hold far-right leaders properly to account because one simply does not call someone a liar and a bigot on a respectable news program.
I’ve come to think of this as the deference trap. It’s a huge part of why I refuse to formally debate fascists. It is staggeringly clear that formal debate is failing to stop white supremacy. This is not an abstract philosophical issue. White supremacy is here, at the heart of world governments. The discussion about whether free speech can stop fascism is not actually about free speech; it’s a proxy for a rolling identity crisis among the political mainstream. About whether the mechanisms of state power can withstand fascist takeover. About whether good people with good ideas can stop bad people with worse ones.
Which, right now, they cannot. The arguments about what freedom of speech actually means are endlessly reheated because they’re the last piece of real philosophical meat moderate conservatives have in their cupboard. It’s a mistake to think that the far right cares about the free speech debate as anything other than a way of confusing the enemy. The far right doesn’t have a profound philosophy, it has a media strategy.
The first time that white supremacists are denied a formal public platform, they get to plead martyrdom, to call the opposition cowards. And the second time. And the third time. But there’s only so many times you can whine that people aren’t paying you enough attention before those same people get bored and lose interest. Milo Yiannopoulos, who spent much of 2017 thrashing around in a self-ordained orgy of far-right martyrdom, recently complained on Facebook:
My events almost never happen. It’s protests, or sabotage from Republican competitors or social media outcries. Every time, it costs me tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. And when I get dumped from conferences, BARELY ANYONE makes a sound about it — not my fellow conservative media figures and not even, in many cases, you guys. When was the last time any of you protested in the street at the treatment meted out to me or Pamela Gellar or Mike Cernovich or Alex Jones?… For my trouble, I have lost everything standing up for the truth in America, spent all my savings, destroyed all my friendships, and ruined my whole life.
Cry me a river of blood. What stopped Yiannopoulos was neither formal debate nor the dubious disinfectant of a spotlight. What stopped him was progressives collectively refusing to put up with his horseshit.
If we deny racists a platform, they feed off the appearance of censorship, but if we give them a platform, they’ve won by being respectfully invited into the mainstream. Either way, what matters to them is not debate, but attention. There is no perfect choice.
But there is a choice, and this, to my mind, is the sensible one: To refuse to dignify these people with prestigious public platforms, or to share them. To refuse to offer them airtime or engage them in public debate.
Fortunately, we live in a brave new world where real censorship is something that is almost infeasible unless you are extremely rich and venal and have an army of lawyers. If you want to hear what Bannon thinks, you can. Extensively, at many, many websites and forums. If you want to try to tease out and challenge the deeper truth behind far-right ideas, you’re free to do so, although be prepared to be disappointed. You see, the deeper truth is that there is no deeper truth. No hidden nuance. The new right have already shown us exactly who they are. Now the rest of us get to choose who we want to be.
As for me, I can’t dictate who should and should not be allowed to speak, and I wouldn’t want to. But I can make my own choice as a free citizen. So I choose not to debate them. I choose not to treat them with deference they don’t deserve. I am not interested in hearing out the ideas of the far right, because there are no new ideas on the far right. There are only new recruits. And every time progressives sacrifice the public good on the altar of personal purity, there will be more.
The Collapse of the American Empire
September 11, Puerto Rico and the Racism of Callous Indifference
September 11, Puerto Rico and the Racism of Callous Indifference
September 11, 2018
by William Rivers Pitt
It’s been 17 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks and one year since Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico. The death tolls from the two crises are nearly equivalent, but the official US responses to these calamities have been starkly different.
After 9/11, the US government memorialized the victims while pouring trillions of dollars into the process of making millions of new victims by way of permanent war. In the case of Hurricane Maria, the US government has all but washed its hands of the Puerto Ricans — US citizens, all — who still struggle to recover from the storm. Taken together, the aftermath of these two tragedies opens a window on some grim truths the country has yet to face.
Everyone has their own 9/11 story. Mine is tamer than most. Seventeen years ago today I was a teacher on the first day of school. I happened to be grazing through the morning newspapers online before classes started when Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
An hour later, students who had gathered around televisions in the library were wall-eyed with fear when the towers finally fell. It was all over, I soothed them … but as I heard the low growl of fighter jets flying racetrack patterns over the city of Boston, I realized I was lying to children. It had only just begun.
Seventeen years.
High school seniors today have never known anything but a country at war, at several wars up front and by proxy. Those wars have eaten their future. I wonder if they know it yet.
I would like to think we’ve learned something in that wrenching, blood-soaked span of time, but that clearly isn’t the case. The last presidential election saw a Democratic nominee who had voted in favor of the calamitous Iraq war and the total surveillance of the PATRIOT Act. Her opponent, the Republican nominee, was for the war before he was against and then later for it again. Along the way he was also a bombastic liar, proud racist and sexual predator whose only credentials were five bankruptcies and a TV show.
The historical record states 2,996 people perished on September 11, 2001, hijackers included. There remains a lingering doubt as to the final accuracy of that number, as there were reportedly scores of undocumented immigrant workers in the building at the time of the attack, but their families did not inform the authorities they were missing for fear of being deported themselves.
Seventeen years later, and that fear is as present now as it was then, thanks to a president whose policies are grounded and founded in xenophobia and racism. We haven’t learned a damn thing.
One year ago this month, Hurricane Maria tore the island of Puerto Rico to shreds. On September 6, 2017, as the monster storm approached, Donald Trump spoke to the media during a meeting with members of Congress. Addressing the potential dangers represented by the oncoming storm, he said, “Hopefully we can solve them in a rational way, and maybe we won’t be able to.”
The latter half of that sentence has proven prophetic. Puerto Rico has yet to recover from the aftermath of Maria, due in no small part to the barking negligence of the administration and the man who pretends to lead it on TV.
Trump visited Puerto Rico in the immediate, catastrophic wake of the storm, telling Puerto Ricans who were complaining bitterly about wildly insufficient assistance that they “have to give us more help.” This was after he called them “politically motivated ingrates.” During the visit, he threw paper towels at storm victims and fished for compliments wherever he could find them. “I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack,” he said. “But that’s fine, because we’ve saved a lot of lives.”
Odd comment, that. The Trump administration put the death toll in Puerto Rico at 64 people, and that number stayed put as the bodies piled up. Finally, in July of 2018, nearly a year after Maria, the official death toll was revised up to 2,975 people. A scant 21 fewer than September 11. Subtract the terrorists from the equation and the margin drops to two … and, like September 11, that final number is far from firm.
One day after Puerto Rico’s governor added 2,911 names to the victim’s list, Donald Trump praised his administration’s response to Maria in glowing terms. “I think we did a fantastic job in Puerto Rico,” he said. “I think most of the people in Puerto Rico really appreciate what we’ve done.”
Splinter News collected letters from people directly affected by the storm. “I remember seeing the Mayor of San Juan,” wrote one survivor, “trying to help her city and those in desperate need all over the island. The help never came and when it did sometimes it was too late, some had died. My God how can we let this happen.” There are many such letters.
The difference in the US responses to the 9/11 attacks and to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico is stark. While the death count was the same in both cases, the responses were dramatically different. That difference cannot be chalked up simply to the fact that the former tragedy was an act of will, while the second was an act of nature.
After September 11, the US unleashed two ill-conceived wars that killed, maimed or displaced millions of innocent people, all in the names of those killed in New York and DC. In the 17 years this country has spent bombing the rubble in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere, few here bother to spare a thought for those suffering the immediate consequences of our incoherent wrath.
After Hurricane Maria, in contrast, the US dragged its feet and hesitated to take the most minimal actions for the people of Puerto Rico as thousands perished. Given Trump’s calling-card disdain for those who aren’t a whiter shade of pale, the government’s lack of response to the yearlong disaster in Puerto Rico should come as no shock.
The core calamity, however, goes far beyond one man. In every way that matters, the victims of Hurricane Maria suffer from the US government’s negligence in much the same way the victims of the 9/11 vengeance tour do: Both are targets of indifference born of a strain of racism that goes bone deep and all the way, in both cases, to the White House.
It is all the same carcass to the carrion crows: The war profiteers redoubled their fortunes in Iraq and Afghanistan after September 11, and Wall Street hedge fund pillagers feast on Puerto Rico’s post-Maria debt. George W. Bush, like Donald Trump, walked away from the debacle virtually untouched.
Seventeen years since September 11. One year since Maria and Puerto Rico. We haven’t learned a damn thing.
george
i met george today.
i was getting gas in my car, and this tall, weedy, semi-suspicious looking guy came up to me and said “tell me about your bumper.”
inevitably, this means that he’s a “christian” who is offended by the message of my bumper sticker, which says JESUS IS A GATEWAY DRUG, but i feigned ignorance, partially because there was a HUGE line of people waiting behind me. but then he left no doubt, by pointing at it and reading it out loud. i responded by saying that it was a pretty simple message, and what more did he want to know.
so he started to say “i’m a christian, and…”, at which point i interrupted him, saying “i’m a christian, too”, at which point he asked me if i was jewish “because of your license plate” — i guess he hadn’t seen, or hadn’t been able to identify the huge picture of panchamukhi ganesha on the hood — but i said, no. i learned about jesus, and that gave me the opportunity to learn about all of the world’s religions, and i learned that they are all the same, and all point towards the same God.
at that point, i was done pumping gas, and, as i was taking the hose back to the pump, he said something that i didn’t hear, but it started with “no…” so i probably didn’t miss much…
check out his web site… it’s hillariously “old school” (complete with dark-coloured background and rainbow-coloured font) and is, literally, “George’s Links To The World” in that, if it’s on internet, and george has read it and agrees with it, it’s on his site, somewhere. it’s not quite as single-focused as Time Cube, but it’s just as entertaining.
a few years ago, i was driving through south-of-seattle afternoon traffic, and i saw, on the car ahead of me, a bumper sticker that said “TRY JESUS”, and, immediately, i thought “that guy’s a ‘pusher'”.
then i thought about my own experiences with jesus, jeezis and “christians”, and i thought, if that guy is a “pusher”, then, in my experience, at least, jesus is a gateway drug: i learned about jesus, then i learned about other religions, then i learned that they are all the same… but my initial exposure to all of this was jesus.
thus, the bumper sticker.
i wish i hadn’t been so flustered, because i would have really liked to explain that to george. it is my impression that it would have blown his mind even more than it already was. 😈
snrk… 😉
the graphic seen on this page, which looks like this:
bears a STRIKING resemblance to this photo, by Phillip Kremer:
Wheel Of Dystopia
I’m writing this after spending the day hunkered down indoors next to an air purifier, as I have the good fortune of being in Washington state while it’s home to some of the world’s worst air pollution. For the second year in a row, smoke from wildfires has rendered the normally refreshing air practically unbreathable. My primary source of entertainment these days is checking air quality monitoring websites for signs of ominous red and purple bulges making their way down from Canada. Fires in other parts of Washington aren’t helping.
As if things didn’t already feel apocalyptic enough, there’s something about these wildfire episodes, with their sickly grayish-orange skies and sense of entrapment, that truly give one the sense that the end of the Anthropocene is nigh. Scientists say that warming temperatures plus population growth in burn-prone areas are causing the surge in wildfires; meanwhile, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is, of course, blaming environmentalists. Hard to see how we come back from this brink, since we’re already so far over it.
NEWSPEAK
blackwhite… if giuliani duckspeaks minitrue, does that mean #drumpf is big brother?
doubleplusungood! 😒
Why the Pledge of Allegiance Is Un-American
Why the Pledge of Allegiance Is Un-American
August 15, 2018
by Tom Mullen
An Atlanta, Georgia, charter school announced last week its intention to discontinue the practice of having students stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance during its school wide morning meetings at the beginning of each school day, opting to allow students to recite the pledge in their classrooms instead. Predictably, conservatives were immediately triggered by this "anti-American" decision, prompting the school to reverse its decision shortly after.
The uproar over periodic resistance to reciting the pledge typically originates with Constitution-waving, Tea Party conservatives. Ironically, the pledge itself is not only un-American but antithetical to the most important principle underpinning the Constitution as originally ratified.
Admittedly, the superficial criticism that no independent, free-thinking individual would pledge allegiance to a flag isn’t the strongest argument, although the precise words of the pledge are “and to the republic for which it stands.” So, taking the pledge at its word, one is pledging allegiance both to the flag and the republic. And let’s face it, standing and pledging allegiance to anything is a little creepy. But, then again, it was written by a socialist.
But why nitpick?
"One Nation"
It’s really what comes next that contradicts both of the republic’s founding documents. "One nation, indivisible" is the precise opposite of the spirit of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution ("under God" wasn’t added until the 1950s).
The government in Washington, D.C., is called "the federal government." A federal government governs a federation, not a nation. And the one persistent point of contention throughout the constitutional convention of 1787 and the ratifying conventions which followed it was fear the government created by the Constitution would become a national government rather than a federal one. Both the Federalist Papers and the Bill of Rights were written primarily to address this concern of the people of New York and the states in general, respectively.
Moreover, the whole reason for delegating specific powers to the federal government and reserving the rest to the states or people was to ensure there would not be "one nation," but rather a federation of self-governing republics which delegated a few powers to the federal government and otherwise reserved the rest for themselves.
By the way, the Bill of Rights as originally written applied only to the federal government and not to the states. Sorry, liberals, but the First Amendment doesn’t guarantee a "separation of church and state" within the states. It was written for the opposite reason, to protect the existing state religions of the time from the federal government establishing a national one and thereby invalidating them.
And sorry, conservatives, the Second Amendment wasn’t written to keep states from banning guns. Quite the opposite. It was written to reserve the power to ban guns to the states. That’s why most states, even those established after the Bill of Rights was ratified, have clauses in their own constitutions protecting the right to keep and bear arms. They understood the Second Amendment applied only to the federal government, not the states.
If there is one thing that is clear from all of the above, the Constitution did not establish "one nation." In fact, the states only agreed to ratify it after being repeatedly promised the United States would be no such thing, allowing the states to govern themselves in radically different ways, at their discretion.
"Indivisible"
Then, there’s "indivisible." One would think a federation born by its constituent states seceding from the nation to which they formerly belonged would make the point obvious enough. But the Declaration makes it explicit:
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
It would be impossible to exercise that right — that duty, as the Declaration later calls it — if the republic were indivisible. The strictest constructionists of the time didn’t consider the nation indivisible. Thomas Jefferson didn’t threaten to send troops to New England when some of its states considered seceding upon his election. Quite the opposite. And in an 1804 letter to Joseph Priestly, he deemed a potential split in the union between "Atlantic and Mississippi confederacies" not only possible but "not very important to the happiness of either part."
The people advocating "one nation, indivisible" in those days were big government Federalists like Hamilton, whose proposals to remake the United States into precisely that were flatly rejected in 1787.
Proponents of absolute, national rule like to quip this question was "settled" by the American Civil War. That’s like saying Polish independence was "settled" by Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939.
In fact, it is precisely the trend towards "one nation" that has caused American politics to become so rancorous, to the point of boiling over into violence, over the course of the last several decades. This continent is inhabited by a multitude of very different cultures, which can coexist peacefully if left to govern themselves. But as the "federal" government increasingly seeks to impose a one-size-fits-all legal framework over people who never agreed to give it that power, the resistance is going to get more and more strident. If there is any chance to achieve peace among America’s warring factions, a return to a more truly federal system is likely the only way.
Getting rid of the un-American pledge to the imaginary nation would be a good, symbolic start.
farcebook tina chopp seattle vintage
so…
i have been avoiding posting my likeness on farcebook, in part because their facial recognition algorythms correlate my face with my posts, which makes using a contrived name rather pointless, but i was just thinking…
if i deliberately tagged other people with my likeness, and if enough other people did the same, it would completely bugger their facial recognition algorythms, wouldn’t it?
unfortunately, the only way to figure it out, at this point, would be to try it, which would not have the correct response if it were to fail…
neighbours
i’ve had some difficulty with some of our neighbours… not the ones that live around us, but ones that live further away. one lady was kicking her dog, and when i scolded her for kicking the dog, she suggested that i should kick her, so i did… poor impulse control is common for people with brain injuries, but i didn’t kick her anywhere near as hard as she was kicking her dog, and she had no reason to kick the dog to begin with… but that’s not the point…
the other neighbour is the guy a few blocks away, who i wrote about earlier, who i didn’t kick, but i felt like it, and i was left wondering how i should deal with this guy who was being a dick.
i figured it out…
this evening, as i was walking past their houses, i performed The Turkey Curse. i will continue to perform The Turkey Curse every time i walk past their houses until i am satisfied that they have been properly cursed.
clown
now, i find some place where people will notice me… i’m thinking of the freeway onramp at 340th and enchanted parkway.
people suck! 😠
i ran into another stray dog down by the park. this time i had my phone (but still no treats, DAMNIT!) but i couldn’t get the dog to come to me… if i had had treats with me, i’m sure he would have come to me, but without, he stayed JUST out of reach, and when i stood up, he walked off in the other direction. i’m fairly sure i’ve seen him before, but on the other side of the main thoroughfare, and fairly far from where he was at the time…
so, i got in my car (i was just returning home from a run to the post office), and tried to catch up to him. i found him in the front yard of the place i’ve noticed in the past, because of the fact that their car has a “HILLARY FOR PRISON” bumper sticker – i went by there again this evening to confirm that the address is, in fact, 11224 S. 384th St., Auburn, WA, 98001. i parked the car out of the road, and crouched down to call the dog to me again, and he looked like he was going to come to me, but then a guy who i hadn’t seen before asked me if that was my dog. i said no, it’s not my dog, but he appears to be lost and i want to capture him and call the number on his tag. at that point, the guy asked me if i was law enforcement. i said no, and he asked me what interest i had in the dog. i said that i was concerned because he was running loose in the intersection, and almost got hit by at least two cars. then the guy said that, if i wasn’t law enforcement that i should “get the hell out of my driveway, we don’t need your kind around here”…
i said “if you say so…”, got in my car, and spun out as i was leaving his driveway. 😠
first, i wonder if something can’t be done about dogs wandering loose in the south part of king county. this is the second time in two weeks that i have run into stray dogs that i’ve tried to rescue. the other time, i actually succeeded in rescuing two dogs, whose owner apparently lives on the same street as my new “friend”, and, if nothing else, i think i should probably warn him that his neighbour is a supreme dick…
second, i wonder what i can do about this guy. i’ve had my share of negative interactions with the local constabulary, otherwise i would call and report him for harboring a stray dog and “intimidation”. there’s not a lot that the cops could do about it, under the best of circumstances, but they could go and tell the guy not to be such a dick, and he’d probably listen to them, for a while anyway… it’s times like these that i’m sorry i don’t live closer to my friend gordy, because i have used gordy as an “intimidation shield” a couple of times, to great effect, and my impression is that this guy would have thought twice about being such a dick if i were accompanied by someone like gordy.
All Smoke Is Not Created Equal
All Smoke Is Not Created Equal
by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
January 7, 2016
Long-term exposure to tobacco smoke is demonstrably harmful to health. According to the United States Center for Disease Control, tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and chronic exposure to tobacco smoke is linked to increased incidences of cancer as well as vascular disease. Inhaling tobacco smoke is also associated with a variety of adverse pulmonary effects, such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Does smoking cannabis pose similar dangers to lung health? According to a number of recent scientific findings, marijuana smoke and tobacco smoke vary considerably in their health effects. So then why are lawmakers in various states, such a Minnesota and New York, imposing new restrictions explicitly prohibiting the inhalation of herbal preparations of cannabis?
Marijuana Smoke vs. Tobacco Smoke
Writing in the Harm Reduction Journal in 2005, noted cannabis researcher Robert Melamede explained that although tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke have some similar chemical properties, the two substances possess different pharmacological activities and are not equally carcinogenic. Specifically, he affirmed that marijuana smoke contains multiple cannabinoids – many of which possess anti-cancer activity – and therefore likely exerts “a protective effect against pro-carcinogens that require activation.” Melamede concluded, “Components of cannabis smoke minimize some carcinogenic pathways whereas tobacco smoke enhances some.”
Marijuana Smoke and Cancer
Consequently, studies have so far failed to identify an association between cannabis smoke exposure and elevated risks of smoking-related cancers, such as cancers of the lung and neck. In fact, the largest case-controlled study ever to investigate the respiratory effects of marijuana smoking reported that cannabis use was not associated with lung-related cancers, even among subjects who reported smoking more than 22,000 joints over their lifetime. Summarizing the study’s findings in The Washington Post, pulmonologist Dr. Donald Tashkin, Professor Emeritus at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, concluded: “We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use. What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect.”
A meta-analysis of additional case-control studies, published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2014, similarly reported, “Results from our pooled analyses provide little evidence for an increased risk of lung cancer among habitual or long-term cannabis smokers,” while a 2009 Brown University study determined that those who had a history of marijuana smoking possessed a significantly decreased risk of head and neck cancers as compared to those subjects who did not.
Marijuana Smoke and Pulmonary Function
According to a 2015 study conducted at Emory University in Atlanta, the inhalation of cannabis smoke, even over extended periods of time, is not associated with detrimental effects on pulmonary function, such as forced expiratory volume (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FCV). Assessing marijuana smoke exposure and lung health in a large representative sample of U.S. adults, age 18 to 59, they maintained, “The pattern of marijuana’s effects seems to be distinctly different when compared to that of tobacco use.” Subjects had inhaled the equivalent of one marijuana cigarette per day for 20 years, yet did not experience FEV1 decline or deleterious change in spirometric values of small airways disease.
Marijuana Smoke and COPD
While tobacco smoking is recognized as a major risk factor for the development of COPD – a chronic inflammation of the airways that may ultimately result in premature death – marijuana smoke exposure (absent concurrent tobacco smoke exposure) appears to present little COPD risk. In 2013, McGill University professor and physician Mark Ware wrote in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society: “Cannabis smoking does not seem to increase risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or airway cancers… Efforts to develop cleaner cannabinoid delivery systems can and should continue, but at least for now, (those) who smoke small amounts of cannabis for medical or recreational purposes can breathe a little bit easier.”
Mitigating Marijuana Smoke Exposure
The use of a water-pipe filtration system primarily cools cannabis smoke, which may reduce throat irritation and cough. However, this technology is not particularly efficient at eliminating the potentially toxic byproducts of combustion or other potential lung irritants.
By contrast, vaporization heats herbal cannabis to a point where cannabinoid vapors form, but below the point of combustion – thereby reducing the intake of combustive smoke or other pollutants, such as carbon monoxide and tar. Observational studies show that vaporization allows consumers to experience the rapid onset of effect while avoiding many of the associated respiratory hazards associated with smoking – such as coughing, wheezing, or chronic bronchitis. Clinical trials also report that vaporization results in the delivery of higher plasma concentrations of THC (and likely other cannabinoids) compared to smoked cannabis. As a result, the authors affiliated with the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research and elsewhere now acknowledge that vaporizers provide a “safe and effective” way to for consumers to inhale herbal cannabis.
The Bottom Line
Based on this scientific record, it makes little sense for lawmakers to impose legislative bans on herbal cannabis products, such as those that presently exist for patients in Minnesota and New York and which are now being proposed in several other states (e.g., Georgia and Pennsylvania). Oral cannabis preparations, such as capsules and edibles, possess delayed onset compared to inhaled herbal cannabis, making these options less suitable for patients desiring rapid symptomatic relief. Further, oral administration of cannabis-infused products is associated with significantly greater bioavailability than is inhalation – resulting in more pronounced variation in drug effect from dose to dose (even in cases where the dose is standardized). These restrictions unnecessarily limit patients’ choices and deny them the ability to obtain rapid relief from whole-plant cannabis in a manner that has long proven to be relatively safe and effective.
Proposed Legislation Could Federally Legalize Cannabis
Proposed Legislation Could Federally Legalize Cannabis
Joseph Lemiuex
23 February, 2015
On Friday, two congressmen have put forth bills that would ultimately end the federal prohibition of cannabis.
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) introduced the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act. This act would remove marijuana scheduling from the Controlled Substances Act, and put marijuana under the control of the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives). This move would regulate cannabis no different than alcohol on the federal level.
The Marijuana Tax Revenue Act introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) would set up a federal excise tax for regulated marijuana.
The bills would not force any state government to legalize marijuana, but it would set a framework for states that are interested. This framework, if passed, would expedite states legalization if they choose to legalize. Cannabis has been making its mark upon the American people, and many are now in support of legalization.
So far, the U.S. has 4 states that out right legalized marijuana, 23 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, and 11 others have legalized marijuana in a restricted shape or form for medical use.
“While President Obama and the Justice Department have allowed the will of voters in states like Colorado and 22 other jurisdictions to move forward, small business owners, medical marijuana patients, and others who follow state laws still live with the fear that a new administration — or this one — could reverse course and turn them into criminals,” Polis said in a statement Friday. “It is time for us to replace the failed prohibition with a regulatory system that works and let states and municipalities decide for themselves if they want, or don’t want, to have legal marijuana within their borders.”
Even though many Americans and states look favorably upon cannabis, it is still a federal crime. While federal guidance has been going easy on the states that have legalized, people are still going to federal prison for marijuana related convictions. This makes you wonder, if these bills pass, what will become of the already convicted felons of marijuana possession? Will the federal government release these inmates, or continue to hold them for a crime the government now deems legal.
Blumenauer called the federal prohibition of marijuana “a failure” that has wasted tax dollars and ruined lives. He also said it’s time for the government to forge a new path ahead for the plant.
“As more states move to legalize marijuana as Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Alaska have done,” Blumenauer said, “it’s imperative the federal government become a full partner in building a workable and safe framework.”
Here are 4 ways cannabis is good for your brain — and may save your life
Here are 4 ways cannabis is good for your brain — and may save your life
Dana Larsen, AlterNet
17 February, 2015
Modern research is showing that cannabis extracts protect and benefit the human brain. Here’s four amazing ways scientists are showing that cannabis actually helps to keep your brain safe from disease, dementia and even death!
#4 – Cannabis promotes new brain cell growth
Government scare campaigns often claim that cannabis kills brain cells, but now we are learning the truth. Those discredited studies were done in the ’70s, by strapping a gas mask onto a monkey and pumping in hundreds of joints worth of smoke. The monkeys suffered from lack of oxygen, and that’s why their brain cells died.
Modern research is now proving the opposite. The active ingredients in cannabis spur the growth of new brain cells!
Back in 2005, Dr. Xia Zhang at the University of Saskatchewan showed that cannabinoids cause “neurogenesis” – which means that they help make new brain cells grow!
“Most ‘drugs of abuse’ suppress neurogenesis,” said Dr. Zhang. “Only marijuana promotes neurogenesis.”
Scientists in Brazil expanded on this research, demonstrating in 2013 that CBD, another chemical in cannabis, also causes new brain cells to sprout up. Researchers in Italy then produced the same result with CBC, another “cannabinoid” found in cannabis resin.
Now there is no doubt that cannabinoids cause new brain cells to grow in the hippocampus. This helps explain previous research showing that cannabinoids effectively treat mood disorders like depression, anxiety and stress – they are all related to a lack of adult neurogenesis.
#3 – Cannabis prevents Alzheimer’s
About 5 millions Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s. but there’s hope in sight. Modern research shows that using cannabis helps prevent the incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia by cleaning away beta-amyloid “brain plaque.”
A 2014 study into cannabis and Alzheimer’s was lead by Dr. Chuanhai Cao, PhD, a neuroscientist at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.
“THC is known to be a potent antioxidant with neuroprotective properties,” said Cao, explaining that THC “directly affects Alzheimer’s pathology by decreasing amyloid beta levels, inhibiting its aggregation, and enhancing mitochondrial function.”
This confirmed earlier studies, such as one from 2008 which found that THC “simultaneously treated both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.” This study concluded that, “compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is considerably superior.”
These studies used very low levels of THC to find these results — the levels you might find in a moderate cannabis user. So where’s the headlines saying “Smoking Cannabis Prevents Alzheimer’s”?
#2 – Cannabis prevents brain damage after strokes and trauma
Several recent studies have found that cannabinoids protect the brain from permanent damage after trauma or stroke.
Studies done in 2012 and 2013 found that a low dose of THC protected mice’s brains from damage by carbon monoxide and head trauma.
Researchers found that THC “protected brain cells and preserved cognitive function over time” and suggested that it could be used preventively, for ongoing protection.
A 2014 study found that people with low amounts of THC in their system were about 80% less likely to die from serious head injuries than those without.
This last study is actually quite remarkable and should have been headline news. Researchers analyzed blood samples from hundreds of people who had suffered head injuries, and found that people with small amounts of cannabinoids in their bloodstream were 80% less likely to be killed from head trauma.
This means that in a group of occasional pot smokers and a group of abstainers who suffer similar brain injuries, the pot smokers will have only 2 deaths for every 10 suffered by the abstainers!
There are 52,000 deaths every year from traumatic head injury in America. This study showed that if every adult American had a puff of cannabis once a week, 20% of those deaths would be avoided — that’s about 41,600 lives that could be saved, every year. Why isn’t this front page news?
#1 – Cannabis extracts treat brain cancer
One exciting use of cannabinoids is in the treatment of cancer. Repeated laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids kill cancer cells and shrink tumours, while helping to protect normal cells.
Recent research includes a 2012 study showing that CBD stopped metastasis in aggressive forms of cancer, a 2013 study showing that a blend of six cannabinoids killed leukemia cell, and a 2014 study showing that THC and CBD could be combined with traditional chemotherapy to produce “dramatic reductions” in brain tumour size.
Using cannabis extracts for brain cancer is nothing new. A 1998 study found that THC “induces apoptosis [cell death] in C6 glioma cells” — an aggressive form of brain cancer. A 2009 study showed that THC acted “to kill cancer cells, while it does not affect normal cells” in the brain.
The medicinal benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids are immense, and it’s time everyone is allowed full access to this amazing healing herb.
Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll even get to use outdoor-grown hemp to produce vast quantities of pure, cheap cannabinoids for the millions of Americans who need them.
shriners
so, we went to wilsonville, yesterday, to play for a bunch of shriners. rather predictably, we ROCKED THE HOUSE, which, also rather predictably, resulted in the entire band being, essentially, offered membership in the shriners club.
from what i’ve been able to ascertain from external sources (google), it normally takes an "average" male person about four to eight months to achieve the status of "master mason", which is the requirement for joining the shriners. this is, of course, lacking the essential "recommendation" without which none of this is possible anyway, and it’s definitely a “men only” club, as, as far as i have been able to tell, there aren’t any female masons of any variety – females are not "allowed" to become masons, and have to make due with "The Order of The Eastern Star" or some such other nonsense.
among the "requirements" for becoming a mason of any variety, once we’ve done away with the gender and recommendation requirements, is that one has to believe in a "Supreme Being"…
that’s not a problem for me, but i suspect that it’s a matter which the masons might take exception, given the opportunity… or, at least, the masons with whom i am most immediately familiar, i.e. the "master masons" of the Al Kader shrine center — as an aside, i must notice the distinct similarities between "Al Kader" and "al-Qa’eda"… while they probably think that they are about as far away from the term "terrorism" as one group of people could get, my impression is, whether right or left, an extreme is still an extreme… and, in my opinion, they are, most definitely, extreme, in more than one way.
but, back to the issue at hand…
the requirement that one "believes in a "Supreme Being"" will, i’m fairly certain, begin to rub people the wrong way. i “believe” (have absolute knowlege, which i can’t “share” with anyone, even if i wanted to) in a “Supreme Being” who both exists, and doesn’t exist, at the same time; who is both personally, intimately involved in the minutest details of everyday life, and doesn’t care about you, or me, or the evil that is being done in the world, or anything else… when it can be said to exist at all.
requiring this kind of God to be capable of being labeled “male” or “female” is pointless, meaningless and a waste of time. this kind of God, can (if it can be said to exist at all) be male, female, all-sex and no-sex, all at the same time…
which raises a distinct question when the "Illustrious Chaplain" commenced yesterday evening’s celebration with a prayer to “father god”, which was echoed with vehement reverance by a lady who was standing next to me, who kept saying “praise jeezis” over and over during the prayer…
it is this kind of behaviour which makes me suspicious of the shriners, especially when they make a point of saying things like “While our backgrounds and interests may be diverse, what binds us together are shared values…” there have been too many times in my past where that kind of language meant “what binds us together are shared values, which if you don’t happen to share, in whatever detail, we are bound to make your life more miserable than it already is”…
this was driven home to me when i was thinking about postulating to the clampers, a few years ago, and discovered that, among other things, the people that i would have been forced to hang out with were the most foul-mouthed, disrespectful, low-life, ignorant rednecks i have ever had the pleasure of meeting. while the al kader shriners are definitely not the clampers, or the eagles, it appears to me as though the only significant difference is the amount of money in their checking accounts, and the fact that there are more elected civic officials in the shrine temple than there are in the clamper hall.
okay, so, ASSUMING that we can overcome that hurdle, the first degree is apprentice, which is all about moral character… and if i don’t “believe” in the same kind of “supreme being” that they do, it comes as no surprise that i don’t have the same morals they do… except that i do, for different reasons, which are going to be another big hurdle to overcome. to top it all off, there is a catechism that i am already, really NOT interested in memorising, because, if nothing else, i have limited enough brain-cells as it is, and i’m very likely going to be A LOT more interested in using them for memorising other bits of useless trivia which i’m not going to be able to use in six months. if joining their club with the cool hats means memorising anything i don’t already know, then i’m probably going to give their club with the cool hats a miss. sorry.
so, once again, ASSUMING that we can overcome those hurdles as well (the word that i was given last night is that we could “very easily become shriners”), one of the aims of the organisation is to have a group of people with whom you feel comfortable hanging out. i have that! i don’t need an artificial organisation that claims to be oriented towards the arts and sciences when i am part of an extremely natural, non-organised group of people whose entire lives are a part of the arts and sciences… and i feel comfortable hanging around with them, whereas i’m very definitely NOT comfortable hanging around with a bunch of fat, filthy rich old men, horny, sleazy young men who want to be fat, filthy rich old men when they grow up, and their “ladies”… the reason we ROCKED THE HOUSE last night was because there wasn’t another musician in the house. sure, there were people who had played musical instruments when they were in school, 40 years ago, and people who play musical instruments as a hobby, but there wasn’t a single current member of a band or soloist in the entire house, with the exception of Accidental Rhino. i really don’t want to join a club just so that i can play for their events… my impression is that i wouldn’t get paid as much or as frequently…
honestly, this club with the cool hats doesn’t really have much that attracts me — cool hats and cool jewelry are about it — so why… fucking why am i so drawn to them? 😐
snrk…
hee
je suis charlie hebdo
mohammed: a star is born
Religion, a mediaeval form of unreason, when combined with modern weaponry becomes a real threat to our freedoms. This religious totalitarianism has caused a deadly mutation in the heart of Islam and we see the tragic consequences in Paris today. I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity. ‘Respect for religion’ has become a code phrase meaning ‘fear of religion.’ Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect.
— Salman Rushdie
idiot…
i went for a walk this morning, and, as i usually do, i brought along a little bag of dog treats, because i don’t want to have dogs barking at me, early in the morning, and i’ve discovered that if they’re distracted by food, they usually don’t bark.
i came around the corner and met one such dog, who was behind a fence. he barked until he realised that i was passing out treats, whereupon his entire demeanor changed, and he couldn’t wait to be my friend. i gave him a treat and headed down the street, where i met a guy who was walking the other way. he asked if i walked that way regularly, to which i responded in the affirmative. he then went into this rant about this “evil dog at the corner”, who barked at him when he was walking by. he said that he was afraid of being bitten, which is why he carried mace with him, which he showed me.
i told him to look at it from the dog’s point of view: here is a strange man (guaranteed to be a person who gets barked at anyway), who responds to my presence by making sharp, barking noises, himself and adopts a defensive posture… he’s bound to be up to no good, so of course i’m going to bite him. mace just makes matters worse, i told him: you may not get bitten (you probably will, regardless), but the next time the dog sees you, he’s definitely not going to be happy, and things will probably get worse from there.
on the other hand, i said, my approach is completely the opposite: here is a similar, strange man, who makes cooing and clucking noises, gets down on my level, and offers me treats… i’m definitely going to be suspicious, and maybe i’ll bark once or twice, but i’m probably not going to bite, and if i see him again, i’ll be a lot more interested in being his friend.
the guy looked at me as though i was crazy, and went on his way towards the dog, who i could hear barking loudly as i wandered down the street in the opposite direction…
moe’s right: most dogs are better than most people… 😐
Eric Garner
Every time you see me, you want to mess with me. I’m tired of it. It stops today.
Black men and boys killed by police.
I can’t breathe.
Impunity for the killers — no justice, no peace.
I can’t breathe.
Militarized police met peaceful protesters on their knees.
I can’t breathe.
Weapons of war — a show of force on our streets.
I can’t breathe.
Disenfranchised youth driven to violence as speech.
I can’t breathe.
Cynical media think this makes great TV.
I can’t breathe.
This cowardly Congress afraid of losing our seats.
I can’t breathe.
Half-hearted reform when there’s more that we need.
I can’t breathe.
Just thinking about the despair that this breeds.
I can’t breathe.
Black lives matter. Hear my pleas.
I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.
Mushroom-induced brain rewiring could hold the key to fighting mental illness
Mushroom-induced brain rewiring could hold the key to fighting mental illness
Scott Kaufman
31 Oct 2014
Psychedelic mushrooms dramatically increase connectivity between otherwise uncommunicative parts of the brain, according to researchers from Imperial College London in an article to be published in the November edition of the Royal Society’s journal Interface.
Paul Expert and his team analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from two groups of people — one who had ingested a small amount of the active agent in hallucinogenic mushrooms, psilocybin, and another group who was given a placebo.
They found that the main effect was the creation of stable connections between parts of the brain that, under normal conditions, only communicate with each other in dream states — such as the hippocampus (which deals with short term memory and spatial recognition) and anterior cingulate cortex (which regulates rational cognitive functions).
The result of this stable cross-wiring is a more interconnected brain, as shown on the diagram below:
On the left is a data visualization of a brain administered the placebo; on the right, one that has been subjected to a mild dose of psilocybin.
“We can speculate on the implications of such an organization,” Dr. Expert said. “One possible by-product of this greater communication across the whole brain is the phenomenon of synaesthesia” — which is the experience of having senses overlap, such that certain smells are accompanied by flashes of color, or certain sounds are accompanied by tastes.
It is also believed that rewiring the brain in this manner may allow scientists to find more effective ways to treat depression or help smokers and alcoholics battle their addictions.
This research is only possible thanks to a a recent loosening on the regulations regarding the study of psychedelic drugs for medical purposes. This is a positive measure, said study co-author Giovanni Petri, who told Wired that “in a normal brain, many things are happening. You don’t know what is going on, or what is responsible for that. So you try to perturb the state of consciousness a bit, and see what happens.”
Cost of poverty greater than eliminating it
The cost of poverty is greater than the cost of eliminating it — i’ve been saying this for 15 years… it’s about time somebody else started saying it…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bMxq1oti-c
Continue reading Cost of poverty greater than eliminating it
hey, bono… i’ve found what you’re looking for…
AUTOMATIC SONGS-OF-INNOCENCE REMOVAL TOOL — Apple finally sees the point of millions of disgruntled people like me. hopefully they’ll learn something from it, although i’m not going to hold my breath… 😐
also, Apple puts up support page to get U2 album out of your iTunes — Too many people don’t want U2 anywhere near their libraries
The U in U2 stands for “Unwanted”!!
😡
Not pro Bono: Apple’s audio junk mail made spammers’ lives easier
Just say BO-NO: Mark Hosler of Negativland on Apple’s ‘U2rusion’
Got iTunes? You got a U2 album. Here’s how to delete it.
unfortunately, it’s not how to delete it. because of the fact that it’s “in the cloud”, it doesn’t necessarily take up space on my device, but i can’t immediately delete it using any of the methods recommended — using iTunes on my computer doesn’t even show that i have a U2 album, so re-synching my device doesn’t do anything, and there’s nothing to un-check, and you can only delete something once you have downloaded it from the cloud…
i don’t use twitter, but i am outraged, and i reflect that guy’s twitter: Apple: take this fucking U2 album off my iPhone, NOW. I do not want it, I did not ask for it, it takes up space, it’s my device. Go to hell. 😡
DON’T SAY THE PLEDGE!
in honour of the eleventh of september…
DON’T SAY THE PLEDGE! — "Under God" compromises the patriotic message of the Pledge
"Under God" wasn’t part of the original Pledge of Allegiance. Those two words were added to the Pledge in 1954, when the country was in the grip of McCarthyism and communist witch-hunt hysteria.
Before 1954, the Pledge affirmed that we were “one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Indivisible means we can rise above our differences, religious or otherwise. Liberty means the right to act and speak freely no matter what one’s faith or philosophy may be. And Justice, of course, means equal rights for all, regardless of whether or not we believe in a deity. The Knights of Columbus — a Catholic men’s group — led the lobbying effort to add “under God.” Now the Pledge is twisted, with divisive religious language that implies true patriots must be believers.
With “under God” added, the Pledge is not a statement of patriotism. Instead, extremist preachers and politicians point to the language to validate their view that those who don’t believe in God don’t belong.
Religious or not, don’t say this altered Pledge
Until the Pledge is restored to its inclusive version, we can take it upon ourselves to refuse to participate in what’s become a discriminatory exercise. (Note: A Supreme Court case — West Virginia vs. Barnette — gives public school students the absolute right to sit out the Pledge, for any reason. Public schools might not tell you about this right, but if anyone questions you about sitting out the Pledge, contact the AHA’s Legal Center.)
Whether you are religious or not, you can make a statement for true inclusiveness. Support liberty and justice for all, and support indivisibility. Stand up for America by sitting down during the Pledge of Allegiance until the inclusive version is restored.
STAND UP FOR AMERICA BY SITTING DOWN!
peek tures
this is the latest incarnation of Operation Mindfuck:
imagine you’re walking down the street in downtown seattle, pushing a baby carriage and probably thinking about going shopping at the pike place market. as you are crossing the street you encounter a strange guy going the other direction, who hands you this tiny envelope and then walks off…
THIS is Operation Mindfuck… 👿
within the next week or so, i AM going to manifest a typewriter, which i intend to use to write cryptic messages on the outside of the envelopes.
okay, this is probably supposed to say “crip”, but it’s my impression that it says “chirp”… woo… i’m really afraid of the illiterate gang-member-wannabe who imitates birds that lives in this remote “suburban” neighbourhood… woo… 😐
this is a picture of a sign. the sign is a picture of the front half of a car towing away the back half of the car, right?
thought so…
Ebeneezer Q. Squeezer The Second — The Apprentice Holy Snake
Frank Zappa enjoys a puddle of sunlight
Should we have a right not to work?
Should we have a right not to work? — this guy is headed in the right direction. as with most people, he is a lot more concerned about how it’s going to work, whereas i believe that it’s necessary to get more people to agree that it’s something that can be done, before we start “arguing” over what it’s going to take to make it work… but he’s headed in the right direction…
this is what happens…
if you listen very carefully, you can hear the following lyric:
no one makes money when the violence stops
hate and brutality are the way to make a criminal crop
thus, if we responded with love, even to the criminal cops who violate our rights, eventually the criminal cops would die out…
just sayin’… 😉
you asked for it, now it’s happening…
#shifthappens
If the Law Is Bullshit, You Must Acquit
If the Law Is Bullshit, You Must Acquit — because i am a terrorist, and like to fuck around with juries… nyahhh… 😛
from pen erases paper
War is our most important product
It’s Time to End All Drug Testing
It’s Time to End All Drug Testing — cannabis is not going to be legalised until the media gets the idea that if they call it “marijuana”, people will think that it should be illegal, because it has a “street” name… 😛
but, apart from the fact that it no longer applies to me, i think that this article has got the idea down pat (with the exception of referring to it as “marijuana”), and more people should pay attention.
Annapolis police chief cites hoax story in opposition to marijuana legalization
Time for a guaranteed income?
Time for a Guaranteed Income? — this is the first step towards The RICH Economy, which i have been promoting for 20 years or so. nobody’s actually done it yet, but the fact that sweden is voting on it soon is definitely a step in the right direction…
although the author of this article doesn’t seem to think too highly of the concept… at least she isn’t dismissing the idea outright…
Verizon v. FCC just crushed democracy, justice, AND cat videos in one swoop!
another very big stupid
U.S. Customs Won’t Apologize for Destroying Musician’s Rare Flutes
by John Hudson
January 2, 2014
U.S. customs officials last week destroyed 11 rare flutes by a respected Canadian musician who was returning home via New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. But the agency isn’t apologizing for the incident — it says the flutes were an ecological threat.
Officials at U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the instruments owned by flute virtuoso Boujemaa Razgui as agricultural products that risked introducing “exotic plant pathogens” in to the United States, a customs official tells Foreign Policy. As a result, officials destroyed every single flute without contacting Razgui in an incident that makes your holiday airport delays trivial by comparison.
Razgui said there are around 15 people in the U.S. with such flutes, which means acquiring one ahead of his upcoming performances in February may be impossible. “I’m not sure what to do,” Razgui told The Boston Globe.
“They said this is an agriculture item,” Razgui continued. “I fly with them in and out all the time and this is the first time there has been a problem. This is my life … This is horrible.”
Razgui’s mishap was first reported by the music blog Slipped Disc on Tuesday before jumping to the front page of the massive link-sharing site Reddit, which nearly melted the small blog‘s servers according to a follow-up post.
Though neither the blog nor The Globe received a response from U.S. Customs on the issue, a New York-based CBP official tells us the agency followed standard protocol.
“CBP is responsible for detecting and preventing the entry into the country of plant pests and exotic foreign animal diseases that could harm America’s agricultural resources,” said an official, after being asked if the agency would issue an apology. “The fresh bamboo canes were seized and destroyed in accordance with established protocols to prevent the introduction of plant pathogens into the United States.”
Razgui, who has worked with numerous U.S. ensembles and performs regularly with the Boston Camerata, said he hand-crafted each instrument with difficult-to-find reeds. “Nobody talked to me. They said I have to write a letter to the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.,” he told The Globe.
The CBP official said Razgui’s luggage was unclaimed and added that “fresh bamboo is prohibited from entering the United States to prevent the introduction of exotic plant pathogens.”
happy(?) new year…
Customs officials destroy virtuoso flautist’s 11 instruments because they were ‘agricultural products’
By Scott Kaufman
December 31, 2013
A flute virtuoso was returning to New York via John F. Kennedy Airport when Customs officials confiscated and destroyed the instruments he was carrying with him.
According to Boujemaa Razgui, the officials told him that his 11 flutes — each of which he had constructed, by hand, himself — “were agricultural products and had to be destroyed.”
Razgui, who is a Canadian citizen, frequently travels with a variety of flutes, each of which is designed to be played with a specific ancient or modern genre in mind.
Slipped Disc’s Norman Lebrecht contacted Razgui, who recounted his ordeal with customs. “I told them I had these instruments for many years and flew with them in and out,” he said.
“There were 11 instruments in all. They told me they were agricultural products and they had to be destroyed. There was nothing I could do. The ney flute can be made with bamboo. Is that agricultural?”
Razgui also told Lebrecht that, as a non-citizen, he was reluctant to confront U.S. Customs officials.
Ten things that the legalisation of cannabis is now more popular than:
well, so much for that fantasy… 8/
my impression is that there may be a different reaction if they called it by its proper name, which is CANNABIS, instead of what the “people” call it… CANNABIS, as a word, bears a very strong resemblance to other useful things, like canvas (which was made out of cannabis fibers, in the past)… and if we’re EVER going to convince “scientific” people that cannabis is beneficial, we’re going to have to use terminology that is correct… “marijuana” and “pot” are good for casual references, but, please, use “cannabis” when you’re talking about legalising it, okay?
the same goes for “reschedule”… it would be an entirely different headline if it read “White House: Obama has no plans to legalise cannabis”… if you’re going to use obscurity to mask the fact that you’re not going to do something that would actually produce a positive change in society, that makes it even more devious, scheming and wrong than if you were being direct about it. 😐
—–
White House: Obama has no plans to reschedule marijuana
The White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama had no intention of altering the government’s policy towards marijuana.
At a daily press briefing, CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin asked Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest if the Obama administration had any plans to reschedule marijuana. The drug is currently classified as a Schedule I substance, while cocaine and methamphetamine are classified as less harmful Schedule II substances.
“The administration’s position on this has been clear and consistent for some time now that while the prosecution of drug traffickers remains an important priority, the president and the administration believe that targeting individual marijuana users, especially those with serious illnesses and their caregivers, is not the best allocation for federal law enforcement resources,” Earnest replied.
In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder directed federal prosecutors to not go after medical marijuana patients. Holder said prosecuting medical marijuana patients was a not good use of resources, but marijuana dispensaries were still fair game. Under the Obama administration, more than 200 medical marijuana facilities have been raided, even though they are legal under state laws.
At the press briefing, Earnest also indicated that the Obama administration has no intention of making it easier to research the medical benefits of marijuana.
On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs
On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs – i have an “excuse”: i am “disabled” and thus eligible for SSDI (which isn’t a walk in the park, even after i qualified for it, which was 5 years after my injury). but even if i weren’t “disabled”, i would probably NOT be “working” — in the traditional sense of the word — anyway, simply because so many of the jobs that i could obtain are “bullshit”…
now, here’s another point of view…
and this is precisely why i DON’T use gmail!
Google: Gmail Users Can’t Legitimately Expect Privacy – no longer the “DON’T BE EVIL” company… 8/
Continue reading and this is precisely why i DON’T use gmail!
Carl Schurz
A step in the right direction: India recognizes dolphins as non-human persons
Congress somewhere below cockroaches, traffic jams, and Nickelback in Americans’ esteem
Jimmy Carter Defends Edward Snowden, Says NSA Spying Has Compromised Nation’s Democracy
Jimmy Carter Defends Edward Snowden, Says NSA Spying Has Compromised Nation’s Democracy – i didn’t like him when he was president, but since then he has done a surprising 180 for a lot of things, and i like that about him…
so, i did it…
i went and paid my money and got my “authorisation” as a “medical cannabis” patient… it was sort of a joke, because this guy that i never saw before asked me non-medical questions about my use of cannabis, and enjoyed my anecdotes about my recent adventures at the oregon country fair, and i gave them $75 cash and they gave me a one-year “prescription” for the “treatment” of a “terminal or debilitating medical condition” which calls for the liberal and unrestricted application of cannabis and cannabis-infused products… which means that, now, i can go to the WFTCFM without having to worry that they won’t let me in… and, technically, it means that i can get two ounces for what i was paying for one ounce prior to getting the “authorisation”…
legal cannabis… LEGAL CANNABIS… LEGAL CANNABIS!!
i still have my doubts about whether it’s ever going to be legal on the federal level, but this is a BIG step in the right direction! 😎
Please, by all means, enjoy your FaceBook experience.
Scientists decry the worst case of scientific censorship since the church banned Copernicus
Canadian drug policy experts recommend decriminalizing all drugs
Canadian drug policy experts recommend decriminalizing all drugs
By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, May 23, 2013
In a report issued Thursday (PDF), a group of Canadian drug policy experts at the Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction recommend that the Harper administration immediately take up decriminalization of all drugs as the first step toward fundamentally reforming the nation’s drug war to fight addiction instead of the Canadian people.
“While countries all around the world are adopting forward-thinking, evidence-based drug policies, Canada is taking a step backwards and strengthening punitive policies that have been proven to fail,” experts wrote, noting the Harper administration’s hard rightward swing.
The administration recently joined U.S. drug warriors in focusing military assets on eradicating drug crops in south America, even after the prime minister himself admitted that the drug war “is not working.”
“The findings of this report, based on interviews with changemakers and service providers, and scans of important documents and research, reveals that Canada is at a crossroads when it comes to drug laws and policies,” the report’s executive summary explains. “A new direction in drug policy is required. We can continue to work within the paradigm of drug prohibition or we can begin to explore alternative approaches and chart a new course that can help save lives, respect human rights and be more cost effective.”
Their top recommendation, mentioned before all others, is the decriminalization of all currently illicit substances for personal use, along with the establishment of a regulatory system that allows adults to responsibly use marijuana. Once that’s done, experts recommended working to reduce the stigmas associated with people who use drugs in order to help overcome some of the social barriers addicts face in seeking treatment.
Likely their most controversial recommendation is step three: harm reduction policies, like supplying clean needles to heroin addicts and clean pipes for crack cocaine users, making drug-replacement therapies available to opoid users, and even allowing heroin addicts a sterile injection site with medically pure, measured doses, then following up with the patient about rehabilitation services.
“Canada has good people working at every level from front line services and organizations to provincial and federal ministries, whose efforts are severely hampered by fear, lack of leadership, and poorly informed policies based on outdated ideas and beliefs about drugs and the people who use them,” they wrote. “At the same time, a global movement of sitting and former political leaders is emerging that acknowledges the over-reliance on the criminal law in addressing drug problems is causing more harm than good.”
“Canada must join the chorus of voices around the globe calling for change,” the summary concludes. “This report is a call for Canadians to meet these challenges head-on with creative thinking and brave policy changes.”
<snicker>
we’re (finally) getting the mortgage on our house refinanced. i went to the bank today, to get a cashier’s check for the closing amount (which we are going to get mostly refunded, because there’s an escrow amount that gets transferred from the old lender to the new lender, or some gawdawful bullcrap like that… i’ve never understood how these things work), and the lady behind the teller’s window said that, because of the amount that we have in savings, she was going to check and see if it might be possible to waive the $8.00 fee that she was going to charge to write out the cashier’s check for me…
yeah, if i had nothing in savings, she would have charged me the $8.00 fee, but because of the fact that she was dealing with “someone who has money”, she was willing to waive the fee. this is EXACTLY the reason we are going to be banking with someone other than JPMorgan/Chase bank when this is all over, but that wasn’t the funny part.
the funny part was that, apparently, i hadn’t just gone into another branch of JPMorgan/Chase bank, i had gone into a branch of the Chase “Private Client” bank, so i got the opportunity to talk with the “Assistant Vice President Private Client Banker” (it says so on her business card) who fell all over herself and frothed at the mouth when i didn’t immediately say that i wasn’t interested. she assured me that it wouldn’t cost me anything extra if i were to switch to the “Private Client” bank, which would mean that i would, never again, have to “stand in the teller line and explain what i needed 5 million times”, because “private clients” have their own, personal banker, who comes to them when they need a cashier’s check, or to make a deposit, and there are so many “other benefits” to being a private client…
i don’t know why — i guess i was just trying to be polite and get out of there as quickly as possible — but i didn’t tell her how vehemently i HATE JPMorgan/Chase bank, which only made her desire to suck me in even more obvious. i walked out with a cashier’s check for the closing amount of our mortgage and a whole bunch of “private client” information in an envelope, and a spiral-bound notebook (with metal spiral binding — only the best for the “private clients”) and she even threw in a ball-point pen in a little box… and she told me that she would call me (although i didn’t give her my phone number) in a month or so to “remind” me, if i hadn’t made the switch by then.
you can rest assured, that if i ever get a phone call from her, i am going to tell her EXACTLY where she can shove it.
Nurble! Nurble nurble nurble…
this is why i’m voting for jill stein:
God is an athiest…
so i guess it must be okay for me to be both a believer and an athiest, the same time. 😎
Decriminalise drug use
so…
i was driving north on I5 this morning, and i saw one of those “Airporter” vans in the HOV lane, only there was only one person — the driver — in the vehicle. on the back of the vehicle was a sticker which said:RCW46.61.165: Authorized
HOV Lane Use At Any Time
the part that it is talking about is this part:
(c) the following private transportation provider vehicles if the vehicle has the capacity to carry eight or more passengers, regardless of the number of passengers in the vehicle, and if such use does not interfere with the efficiency, reliability, and safety of public transportation operations: (i) Auto transportation company vehicles regulated under chapter 81.68 RCW; (ii) passenger charter carrier vehicles regulated under chapter 81.70 RCW, except marked or unmarked stretch limousines and stretch sport utility vehicles as defined under department of licensing rules; (iii) private nonprofit transportation provider vehicles regulated under chapter 81.66 RCW; and (iv) private employer transportation service vehicles, when such limitation will increase the efficient utilization of the highway or will aid in the conservation of energy resources.
that got me to thinking… what if i made a similar bumper-sticker-sized thing to go on the back of my car…
as long as i obeyed every other law, and didn’t get pulled over for some other reason, there would be no way that the roadside cops would be able to tell that i wasn’t authorised to be in the HOV lane… and even if they did pull me over for some other reason, as long as i could get out of it without having to show some sort of “commercial drivers’ license” (which, because of years as a cab driver, i know exist) there really wouldn’t be any way to tell…
now all i have to do is move to a city where the HOV lanes actually make a difference… 😐
I AM A TERRORIST!
Peace Be Upon You
Peace Be Upon You
Internet videos will insult your religion. Ignore them.
By William Saletan, Sept. 14, 2012
Dear Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Jews,
You’re living in the age of the Internet. Your religion will be mocked, and the mockery will find its way to you. Get over it.
If you don’t, what’s happening this week will happen again and again. A couple of idiots with a video camera and an Internet connection will trigger riots across the globe. They’ll bait you into killing one another.
Stop it. Stop following their script.
Today, fury, violence, and bloodshed are consuming the Muslim world. Why? Because a bank fraud artist in California offered people $75 a day to come to his house and act out scenes that ostensibly had nothing to do with Islam. Then he replaced the audio, putting words in the actors’ mouths, and stitched together the scenes to make an absurdly bad movie ridiculing the Prophet Mohammed. He put out flyers to promote the movie. Nobody — literally nobody — came to watch it.
He posted a 14-minute video excerpt of the movie on YouTube, but hardly anyone noticed. Then, a week ago, an anti-Muslim activist in Virginia reposted the video with an Arabic translation and sent the link to activists and journalists in Egypt. An Egyptian TV show aired part of the video. An Egyptian politician denounced it. Clerics sounded the alarm. Through Facebook and Twitter, protesters were mobilized to descend on the U.S. embassy in Cairo. The uprising spread. The U.S. ambassador to Libya has been killed, and violence has engulfed other countries.
When the protests broke out, the guy who made the movie claimed to be an Israeli Jew funded by other Jews. That turned out be a lie. Now he says he’s a Coptic Christian, even though Coptic Christian leaders in Egypt and the United States despise the movie and want nothing to do with him. Another guy who helped make the movie claims to be a Buddhist. The movie was made in the United States, yet Sudanese mobs have attacked British and German embassies. Some Egyptians targeted the Dutch embassy, mistakenly thinking the Netherlands was behind the movie. Everyone’s looking for a group to blame and attack.
The men behind the movie said it would expose Islam as a violent religion. Now they’re pointing to the riots as proof. Muslims are "pre-programmed" to rage and kill, says the movie’s promoter. "Islam is a cancer," says the director. According to the distributor, "The violence that it caused in Egypt is further evidence of how violent the religion and people are and it is evidence that everything in the film is factual."
Congratulations, rioters. You followed the script perfectly. You did the propagandists’ work for them.
And the provocations won’t end here. Laws and censors won’t protect you from them. Liberal democracies allow freedom of expression. Our leaders and people condemn garbage like this video, but we don’t censor it. Even if we did, the diffusion of media technology makes suppression impossible. The director of this movie was forbidden, under his bank-fraud probation rules, from using computers or the Internet without approval. That didn’t stop him. Nor did it stop the Arabic-language distributor from reposting the video and disseminating it abroad.
Online propaganda is speech. But it’s also part of the global rise of lethal empowerment. It’s easier than ever to kill people. In Muslim countries, mass murderers favor bombs. In the United States, they prefer guns. In Japan, they’ve tried sarin nerve gas. The Oklahoma City bomber used fertilizer. The Sept. 11 hijackers used box cutters and passenger planes. Then came the letters filled with anthrax.
Derision is that much harder to control. The spread of digital technology and Internet bandwidth makes it possible to reach every corner of the globe almost instantly with homemade video defaming any faith tradition. It can become an incendiary weapon. But it has a weakness: It depends on you. You’re the detonator. If you don’t cooperate, the bomb doesn’t explode.
This isn’t just a Muslim problem, though that’s been the pattern lately. On YouTube, you can find videos insulting every religion on the planet: Jews, Christians, Hindus, Catholics, Mormons, Buddhists, and more. Some clips are ironic. Others are simply disgusting. Many were posted to bait one group into fighting another. The baiters are indiscriminate. The promoter of the Mohammed movie founded a group that also protests at Mormon temples.
The hatred and bloodshed will go on until you stop taking the bait. Mockery of your prophet on a computer with an Internet address somewhere in the world can no longer be your master. Nor can the puppet clerics who tell you to respond with violence. Lay down your stones and your anger. Go home and pray. God is too great to be troubled by the insults of fools. Follow Him.
faux news headline
only it’s real…
Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.
— Thomas Jefferson
September 11
Anti-Soviet warrior puts his army on the road to peace: The Saudi businessman who recruited mujahedin now uses them for large-scale building projects in Sudan. Robert Fisk met him in Almatig
ROBERT FISK
06 December 1993
Osama Bin Laden sat in his gold-fringed robe, guarded by the loyal Arab mujahedin who fought alongside him in Afghanistan. Bearded, taciturn figures – unarmed, but never more than a few yards from the man who recruited them, trained them and then dispatched them to destroy the Soviet army – they watched unsmiling as the Sudanese villagers of Almatig lined up to thank the Saudi businessman who is about to complete the highway linking their homes to Khartoum for the first time in history.
With his high cheekbones, narrow eyes and long brown robe, Mr Bin Laden looks every inch the mountain warrior of mujahedin legend. Chadored children danced in front of him, preachers acknowledged his wisdom. ‘We have been waiting for this road through all the revolutions in Sudan,’ a sheikh said. ‘We waited until we had given up on everybody – and then Osama Bin Laden came along.’
Outside Sudan, Mr Bin Laden is not regarded with quite such high esteem. The Egyptian press claims he brought hundreds of former Arab fighters back to Sudan from Afghanistan, while the Western embassy circuit in Khartoum has suggested that some of the ‘Afghans’ whom this Saudi entrepreneur flew to Sudan are now busy training for further jihad wars in Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. Mr Bin Laden is well aware of this. ‘The rubbish of the media and the embassies,’ he calls it. ‘I am a construction engineer and an agriculturalist. If I had training camps here in Sudan, I couldn’t possibly do this job.’
And ‘this job’ is certainly an ambitious one: a brand-new highway stretching all the way from Khartoum to Port Sudan, a distance of 1,200km (745 miles) on the old road, now shortened to 800km by the new Bin Laden route that will turn the coastal run from the capital into a mere day’s journey. Into a country that is despised by Saudi Arabia for its support of Saddam Hussein in the Gulf war almost as much as it is condemned by the United States, Mr Bin Laden has brought the very construction equipment that he used only five years ago to build the guerrilla trails of Afghanistan.
He is a shy man. Maintaining a home in Khartoum and only a small apartment in his home city of Jeddah, he is married – with four wives – but wary of the press. His interview with the Independent was the first he has ever given to a Western journalist, and he initially refused to talk about Afghanistan, sitting silently on a chair at the back of a makeshift tent, brushing his teeth in the Arab fashion with a stick of miswak wood. But talk he eventually did about a war which he helped to win for the Afghan mujahedin: ‘What I lived in two years there, I could not have lived in a hundred years elsewhere,’ he said.
When the history of the Afghan resistance movement is written, Mr Bin Laden’s own contribution to the mujahedin – and the indirect result of his training and assistance – may turn out to be a turning- point in the recent history of militant fundamentalism; even if, today, he tries to minimise his role. ‘When the invasion of Afghanistan started, I was enraged and went there at once – I arrived within days, before the end of 1979,’ he said. ‘Yes, I fought there, but my fellow Muslims did much more than I. Many of them died and I am still alive.’
Within months, however, Mr Bin Laden was sending Arab fighters – Egyptians, Algerians, Lebanese, Kuwaitis, Turks and Tunisians – into Afghanistan; ‘not hundreds but thousands,’ he said. He supported them with weapons and his own construction equipment. Along with his Iraqi engineer, Mohamed Saad – who is now building the Port Sudan road – Mr Bin Laden blasted massive tunnels into the Zazi mountains of Bakhtiar province for guerrilla hospitals and arms dumps, then cut a mujahedin trail across the country to within 15 miles of Kabul.
‘No, I was never afraid of death. As Muslims, we believe that when we die, we go to heaven. Before a battle, God sends us seqina, tranquillity.
‘Once I was only 30 metres from the Russians and they were trying to capture me. I was under bombardment but I was so peaceful in my heart that I fell asleep. This experience has been written about in our earliest books. I saw a 120mm mortar shell land in front of me, but it did not blow up. Four more bombs were dropped from a Russian plane on our headquarters but they did not explode. We beat the Soviet Union. The Russians fled.’
But what of the Arab mujahedin whom he took to Afghanistan – members of a guerrilla army who were also encouraged and armed by the United States – and who were forgotten when that war was over? ‘Personally neither I nor my brothers saw evidence of American help. When my mujahedin were victorious and the Russians were driven out, differences started (between the guerrilla movements) so I returned to road construction in Taif and Abha. I brought back the equipment I had used to build tunnels and roads for the mujahedin in Afghanistan. Yes, I helped some of my comrades to come here to Sudan after the war.’
How many? Osama Bin Laden shakes his head. ‘I don’t want to say. But they are here now with me, they are working right here, building this road to Port Sudan.’ I told him that Bosnian Muslim fighters in the Bosnian town of Travnik had mentioned his name to me. ‘I feel the same about Bosnia,’ he said. ‘But the situation there does not provide the same opportunities as Afghanistan. A small number of mujahedin have gone to fight in Bosnia-Herzegovina but the Croats won’t allow the mujahedin in through Croatia as the Pakistanis did with Afghanistan.’
Thus did Mr Bin Laden reflect upon jihad while his former fellow combatants looked on. Was it not a little bit anti-climactic for them, I asked, to fight the Russians and end up road-building in Sudan? ‘They like this work and so do I. This is a great plan which we are achieving for the people here, it helps the Muslims and improves their lives.’
His Bin Laden company – not to be confused with the larger construction business run by his cousins – is paid in Sudanese currency which is then used to purchase sesame and other products for export; profits are clearly not Mr Bin Laden’s top priority.
How did he feel about Algeria, I asked? But a man in a green suit calling himself Mohamed Moussa – he claimed to be Nigerian although he was a Sudanese security officer – tapped me on the arm. ‘You have asked more than enough questions,’ he said. At which Mr Bin Laden went off to inspect his new road.
interesting…
10 Signs That You’re Fully Awake – this is an article that is intended to be read from a political point of view, but, with very little change, it can also be read from a spiritual point of view and have exactly the same meaning… while i doubt that the people who wrote it were considering a spiritual point of view when they were writing it, it is rather unusual that it can be read that way and have it mean exactly the same thing.
so, “what kind of world do you want to live in?”
grump
i’m hoping that this will be the only political post for a while, because the political news that has been coming across my RSS agregator has been universally driving me crazy. sometimes (well, more times than not, actually) i think it would be better for everyone if we eliminated all laws, as well as all national borders, and be done with the whole thing. 😐
if only…
BREAKING: John McCain Just Blew His Brains Out During RNC Speech – SPOILER: it’s from The Onion…
to the haters
The wrong side absolutely must not win on November 6
The wrong side absolutely must not win
By: A. Barton Hinkle
August 19, 2012
The past several weeks have made one thing crystal-clear: Our country faces unmitigated disaster if the Other Side wins.
No reasonably intelligent person can deny this. All you have to do is look at the way the Other Side has been running its campaign. Instead of focusing on the big issues that are important to the American People, it has fired a relentlessly negative barrage of distortions, misrepresentations and flat-out lies.
Just look at the Other Side’s latest commercial, which take a perfectly reasonable statement by the candidate for My Side completely out of context to make it seem as if he is saying something nefarious. This just shows you how desperate the Other Side is and how willing it is to mislead the American People.
The Other Side also has been hammering away at My Side to release certain documents that have nothing to do with anything, and making all sorts of outrageous accusations about what might be in them. Meanwhile, the Other Side has stonewalled perfectly reasonable requests to release its own documents that would expose some very embarrassing details if anybody ever found out what was in them. This just shows you what a bunch of hypocrites they are.
Naturally, the media won’t report any of this. Major newspapers and cable networks jump all over anything they think will make My Side Look bad. Yet they completely ignore critically important and incredibly relevant information that would be devastating to The Other Side if it could ever be verified.
I will admit the candidates for My Side do make occasional blunders. These usually happen at the end of exhausting 19-hour days and are perfectly understandable. Our leaders are only human, after all. Nevertheless, the Other Side inevitably makes a big fat deal out of these trivial gaffes, while completely ignoring its own candidates’ incredibly thoughtless and stupid remarks — remarks that reveal the Other Side’s true nature, which is genuinely frightening.
My Side has produced a visionary program that will get the economy moving, put the American People back to work, strengthen national security, return fiscal integrity to Washington, and restore our standing in the international community. What does the Other Side have to offer? Nothing but the same old disproven, discredited policies that got us into our current mess in the first place.
Don’t take my word for it, though. I recently read about an analysis by an independent, nonpartisan organization that supports My Side. It proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that everything I have been saying about the Other Side was true all along. Of course, the Other Side refuses to acknowledge any of this. It is too busy cranking out so-called studies by so-called experts who are actually nothing but partisan hacks. This just shows you that the Other Side lives in its own little echo chamber and refuses to listen to anyone who has not already drunk its Kool-Aid.
Let’s face it: The Other Side is held hostage by a radical, failed ideology. I have been doing some research on the Internet, and I have learned this ideology was developed by a very obscure but nonetheless profoundly influential writer with a strange-sounding name who enjoyed brief celebrity several decades ago. If you look carefully, you can trace nearly all the Other Side’s policies for the past half-century back to the writings of this one person.
To be sure, the Other Side also has been influenced by its powerful supporters. These include a reclusive billionaire who has funded a number of organizations far outside the political mainstream; several politicians who have said outrageous things over the years; and an alarmingly large number of completely clueless ordinary Americans who are being used as tools and don’t even know it.
These people are really pathetic, too. The other day I saw a YouTube video in which My Side sent an investigator and a cameraman to a rally being held by the Other Side, where the investigator proceeded to ask some real zingers. It was hilarious! First off, the people at the rally wore T-shirts with all kinds of lame messages that they actually thought were really clever. Plus, many of the people who were interviewed were overweight, sweaty, flushed and generally not very attractive. But what was really funny was how stupid they were. There is no way anyone could watch that video and not come away convinced the people on My Side are smarter, and that My Side is therefore right about everything.
Besides, it’s clear that the people on the Other Side are driven by mindless anger — unlike My Side, which is filled with passionate idealism and righteous indignation. That indignation, I hasten to add, is entirely justified. I have read several articles in publications that support My Side that expose what a truly dangerous group the Other Side is, and how thoroughly committed it is to imposing its radical, failed agenda on the rest of us.
That is why I believe 2012 is, without a doubt, the defining election of our lifetime. The difference between My Side and the Other Side could not be greater. That is why it absolutely must win on November 6.
You Have the Right to Remain Spied Upon
You Have the Right to Remain Spied Upon
By Peter Bibring
August 16, 2012
Yesterday, a district court judge threw out claims brought by members of Southern California’s Muslim community that the FBI undertook a massive operation to surveil them on the basis of their religion. In tossing these claims from the suit, which was filed by the ACLU of Southern California, the Council on Islamic American Relations (CAIR) and the law firm Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick LLP, the court didn’t say that the FBI had not engaged in the alleged surveillance, or that it had indeed complied with the First Amendment. Instead, the court relied on the government’s invocation of the “state secrets” privilege, saying that even trying to determine whether the FBI had violated the Constitution might risk disclosure of information that could harm national security.
From the term “state secrets,” you might think the case involved spies, hush-hush arrangements with foreign governments, or people detained at secret foreign prisons – as some state secrets cases do. But this one involves the FBI’s investigation into law-abiding U.S. citizens and residents in Orange County, California, called “Operation Flex.” In June 2006, FBI agents recruited Craig Monteilh, a man with a file full of felony convictions, to pose as a convert to Islam at one of the largest mosques in the area. The FBI paid Monteilh to spend the next fourteen months meeting as many members of the Muslim community as he could. He made audio recordings of every interaction, as he gathered names, telephone numbers, e-mails, political and religious views, travel plans, and other information on hundreds of individuals in the Muslim community. According to Monteilh’s own sworn statement, he was told to pay special attention to community leaders and those who seemed especially devout.
The absurdity – and illegality – of Operation Flex were well documented this week on the radio show This American Life. When asked if the FBI had particular targets in the Muslim community that they wanted to have investigated, Monteilh said, “No. They said the targets would come to me.” In other words, Operation Flex was a fishing expedition that targeted people because of their religion. But in the end, after Monteilh began incessantly about jihad and violence, members of the community did exactly what you’re supposed to do: they reported him to the FBI. After hundreds of hours of Monteilh’s time and thousands of taxpayer dollars “Operation Flex” resulted in zero criminal convictions. No one was ever even charged with a terrorism offense.
According to the district court, we’ll never be allowed to know whether the FBI violated the Constitution when they authorized Operation Flex because it would require the disclosure of state secrets. Because the state secrets privilege essentially gives the government a blank check to halt a lawsuit in its tracks, it is currently under fire in Congress. “The ongoing argument that the state secrets privilege requires the outright dismissal of a case is a disconcerting trend in the protection of civil liberties for our nation,” said Representative Jerrod Nadler (D-New York), who earlier this summer introduced a bill to limit state secrets in favor of less drastic alternatives. The privilege also has a troubling history. One of the first modern cases to apply the privilege relied on it to dismiss a suit against the government over the crash of a military plane because of the secrets in the accident report. But decades later, the daughter of one of the pilots discovered that the accident report wasn’t secret at all, and described only negligence — human errors that were embarrassing to the government.
U.S. Justice Department attorney Anthony Coppolino argued that revealing who was being investigated, how they were being investigated, and why they were being investigated would reveal the government’s motives and alert the enemy. But it’s far from certain that the case would require disclosing all that information. And if it ever proved necessary, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provides clear procedures for protecting sensitive information. In a particularly unfortunate twist, because the district court allowed the FISA claims against the individual FBI officers to go forward, it may well end up looking at the same evidence to resolve that claim that it would need to address the claims it threw out.
In our democratic society, it is wrong for the courts to allow the government to avoid defending the legality of its conduct under the Constitution when the rights of hundreds of law-abiding Muslim citizens in Southern California are at stake. We intend to appeal the court’s decision.
Open Letter to San Francisco Bohemian Club
it’s never going to happen, of course, because the 1% are too conscious of their controversial positions in society, and are well aware of the fact that, if they agree to the 99%’s “recommendations”, their power will vanish, but it’s even more strange to me that i am somehow related to the bohemian club, through hokum… was hokum a full member, or was he one of the “associate” members, whose sole purpose is to provide entertainment for the bigwigs?
Open Letter to San Francisco Bohemian Club
by Peter Phillips – July 4, 2012
Mr. Robert J. Boesch
President San Francisco Bohemian Club
624 Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Dear Mr. Boesch,
Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored has joined a coalition of some twenty-five social justice organizations and occupy groups to protest the San Francisco Bohemian Club’s practices at your annual summer encampments.
We are holding an Occupy Bohemian Grove protest in Monte Rio on July 14, 2012. For publicity and information on this event see: http://www.occupybohemiangrove.com/
Occupy groups from five cities are involved in protesting your annual summer encampment of the rich and powerful 1%. Given that it takes $588,000 in assets to be in the top 1% of the world richest people, we believe that a significant portion of your members fit this category.
Our group has attended the planning meetings for this protest, and want to inform you about the days events and make some policy recommendations for the Club to consider.
The Occupy Bohemian Grove coalition is planning a four hour public assembly from noon to 4:00 on July 14. During that time there will be speakers, music and a creation of care ceremony in opposition to your cremation of care and private talks by policy elites at the Grove. KPFA radio will broadcast live from Monte Rio, No Lies Radio will video feed the proceedings on the internet, and Russia Today TV will be filming and interviewing activists.
We are not planning or promoting civil disobedience or trespassing on Grove property as part of the protest. We are not organizing a march on the Grove, as has been done in the past. Some curious participants may walk up the Bohemian Highway to see your gates.
Recommendations to the San Francisco Bohemian Club in a time of Occupy the 1%.
Whereas:
The 2,000 acre retreat, now privately held near Monte Rio, California, is in part an ancient old growth redwood forest with trees over one thousand years of age and;
The San Francisco Bohemian Club continues to exclude women from membership and;
Significant public leaders in the world give private keynote addresses (chats) on a daily basis on important policy issues, and;
The private happenings inside the summer retreat boundaries face continuing unproven rumors regarding nefarious behaviors and insider deals made by powerful elites.
We Recommend that:
1. The Bohemian Grove recognize the rights of humankind to enjoy a fair share of the common heritage of the ancient redwood forest by opening the Grove to tours on a regular basis when club members are not assembled—
2. The Bohemian Club begin a policy of admitting women and arranging the Grove to accommodate both genders—
3. The lakeside chats and other addresses by key policy officials be made public on-line and transcripts prepared and published—
4. The Cremation of Care ceremony be transformed into a building of unity of care in the world and the ceremony be made public on-line—
5. The Bohemian Club set up an on-line live feed from the main stage and field circle, as events are occurring.
We strongly believe in full transparency of public figures giving lectures to a select few men and we believe that the privacy of your events is unnecessary in a time of increasingly inequality between the 1% and the 99%.
We think that the San Francisco Bohemian Club can demonstrate a belief in an open transparent democratic society by simply changing a few of your historical policies. As symbolic representatives of the top 1% in the world, it is time for you to exercise a responsibility to help build a fair sharing of the world’s resources starting with your own Club.
This letter has been publicly released. We trust you will take our recommendations seriously.
Sincerely,
Peter Phillips
President Media Freedom Foundation
“Mr. R. Stabile” is Hokum W. Jeebs
republicans… 8/
jimmy carter?
Down with the oppressors!
How Drones Help Al Qaeda
hrumph!
i realise that it’s mildly amusing, but i wonder, with all of the truly awful things that are happening in the world these days, why the “dutch guy whose cat was killed by a car, so he had it stuffed and turned it into a remote-control helicopter” story is anything like the number one story that it has been for the past few days…
seriously, i’ve seen more-or-less consistent variations of the story everywhere from the LA times, to the London Daily Mail, to ChristWire, and everywhere (almost literally) in between…
come on, humans… aren’t there more important things to which we should be paying attention? 😐
this is what i think of people who believe in the eschaton
idiots
which is not to say that i don’t believe in the eschaton — i know that it’s coming, sooner or later — i just don’t believe in any of that religious crap, about the select going to heaven and everybody else going to hell, or whatever they believe. when the eschaton comes, we’re all going to burn, there will be no “chosen people” or “elect of god” or anything like that.
It has never mattered to me that thirty million people might think I’m wrong. The number of people who thought Hitler was right did not make him right. Why do you necessarily have to be wrong just because a few million people think you are? — Frank Zappa
woo… 8/
Obama Comes Out for Same-Sex Marriage – when he comes out in favour of legalising pot, i’ll be interested… 😐
i think i’m healthy again…
this morning, i got up and took ganesha the car to the place where it’s going to get its brakes fixed. i took my bike, and rode most of the way home. along the way, i was a terrorist and took pictures of the massive sculpture at the north end of the runways… seriously, i was expecting some jack-booted thugs at any moment, despite the fact that i was well outside their "security theater", simply because of the fact that i was taking pictures of the runway.
but the important part is that, while there was some coughing, it was directly related to my inhalation of burning cannabis, and wasn’t because it was happening randomly. now, i have to admit that i didn’t ride all the way home, i did ride the distance between burien and the south-east end of tukwilla, international boulevard – about 5 miles – where i got on an "A route" bus, which i rode to the federal way transit center, and from there, i rode home – another 6 miles or so. it was close enough – i actually rode past the station on my way to 170th, where i got on the bus – that i seriously considered the option of taking the train into downtown seattle, where i would probably have ridden out to mercer island and gotten a ride home from my sweetie, but then i realised that i had a dog that needed to be let out waiting at home, and monday is the day moe goes to classes after her work, and doesn’t get home until later, so i decided on a more direct route home.
but the important part is that i was able to do it without feeling more than ordinarily exhausted, and without coughing. it’s a good sign. 8)
cursed, blessed moisture festival, anyway… 😐
this might be alarming if we hadn’t already seen this law passed once…
Arizona bill could criminalize Internet trolling
but a similar law, on a national level, has actually been in effect since early 2006, which makes me strongly suspicious that this is some republican’s way of drumming up support prior to an election… either that, or they’re planning some really horrendous laws behind the scenes, and they wanted to pass a pointless law that would raise peoples’ ire to the point where they will ignore the really horrendous stuff…
one way or the other, i’m really glad i don’t live in arizona these days… 😐
Continue reading this might be alarming if we hadn’t already seen this law passed once…
Where do you live? What religion? What race? What nationality?
Today these questions are considered logical. By 2001, it will occur that these questions are absurd, meaningless, illogical — anti-evolutionary. Elimination of each false premise brings about more and more wealth, and more and more time to do the important things. We must fly by the generalised principles governing the universe, and not by the ground rules, or the grind-him-down rules, of yesterday’s superstitions.
— R. Buckminster Fuller, “I Seem To Be A Verb” – 1970
welp… we missed that one… 😐
the problem… the solution
THE PROBLEM: The New Blue Collar: Temporary Work, Lasting Poverty And The American Warehouse
THE SOLUTION: Why Bother Working At A Job You Hate?, and The RICH Economy
i maintain that if we didn’t HAVE to go to work in order to survive (“wage slavery”), we wouldn’t have the massive problems in society that we CURRENTLY have with “unemployment”… 😛
"The widely prevalent concept of what constitutes news, is a narrow, destructive concept — a sick concept, destructive to society as a whole. The news format in all our media is, in general, inimical or opposed to the development of human potential."
— Dr. Herbert A. Otto, Research Director of the Stone Foundation
another week closer to the eschaton…
The Department of Homeland Security Is Searching Your Facebook and Twitter for These Words – Agriculture avalanche avian bacteria border botnet carbomb China drill drug drug war earthquake execution forest fire gang gas grid hack heroin hostage interstate Islamist Jihad Juarez keylogger kidnap La Familia looting malware marijuana meth lab nationalist nuclear outbreak Pakistan pandemic pipebomb pirates power lines radicals relief resistant Ricin riot San Deigo scammers screening symptoms Tamiflu terror U.S. Consulate violence virus warning weapons grade wildfire, Yemen, enriched, IRA, prevention, pirates, radicals, hurricane, storm, snow, watch, earthquake, help, hail, aid, relief, interstate, hacker, China, worm, and social media…. among others… hello DHS agents clowns 😐
$1B of TSA Nude Body Scanners Made Worthless By Blog — How Anyone Can Get Anything Past The Scanners – too bad i didn’t know this before i went to san francisco… oh well, there’s always next time… there’s a lot of interesting stuff at his blog, TSA Out of Our Pants!… check it out. 😉
US Congress expands authoritarian anti-protest law – and, of course, nobody else is reporting on it…
BP’s $7.8 Billion Settlement of Deepwater Horizon Spill Does Nothing for Louisiana – 😐
Why an MRI costs $1,080 in America and $280 in France – the prices are higher. you don’t get more, or better service, you just pay more. that’s it… 😡
18.6 million housing units in the United States are unoccupied – or, roughly, around 24 houses for every homeless person in the country… and they wonder why people are angry. 😐
wait… what??? – Pat Robertson Blames Liberals for Drug War and Overincarceration
this week’s WHO NEEDS TERRORISTS? segment includes: The report police hid for nearly two years, that corroborates an investigation, and vindicates a whistle-blower the NYPD tried to destroy and FBI Director: I Have to Check to See If Obama Has the Right to Assassinate Americans On U.S. Soil and A man who informed police when he found child abuse images on his computer has not been allowed to be alone with his daughter for four months and School Demands Access To 12-Year-Old’s Facebook and Email. Parents Not Notified and Peaceful Anti-Fracking Activists Pursued by FBI as ‘Eco-Terrorists’ and US soldier carries out brutal slaying of at least 16 Afghan civilians
Walmart For President – hey, corporations are people, remember?
normally i try to avoid this site, because mercola is a raving lunatic, but i just learned a quote from winston churchill, that goes “The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” and this is a good example: FDA Says Walnuts Are a "New Drug" and says that they can’t be marketed in a way that emphasises their omega-3 fats… but as long as people don’t know that they’re actually good for them, they’re fine. 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
America is a Constitutional Republic… NOT a Democracy – actually, i’ve known this for a long time, but it’s still a shock to me that other people might not know it.
BP Settlement Avoids Day in Court with People Hurt by Spill and BP settles while Macondo seeps – oh no, the problem is all cleared up, there’s no need to look, because it’s not really there… don’t worry… 😡
Self-Interest Spurs Society’s ‘Elite’ To Lie, Cheat – this is why there will always be “class war”, and is the primary reason i believe that the only way to fix things is to eliminate wage-slavery! 😐
Rick Santorum, Meet My Son — He has a degenerative disease that has left him blind, paralyzed, and increasingly nonresponsive. If I had known before he was born, I would have saved him from suffering. – whoever it comes down to, rick santorum must not be allowed to win the election. 😐
this week’s WHO NEEDS TERRORISTS? department includes the following: Dad Arrested, Strip-Searched After 4-Year-Old Daughter Draws a Picture of a Gun in School and Remember, Cops Are Your "Friends" and Excessive Force Is Dangerous — To View on YouTube and Arrested for Meditating and Judge Orders Top N. Miami Senior High Student To Leave U.S. and TSA forces new mom to pump milk out of her breasts in public restroom before boarding the plane
Cleaning up the ’hood — Focusing on drug markets rather than users means less crime – the problem is that, despite its success in reducing crime, DMI has been in use since 2004, and nobody has taken the slightest bit of notice… it requires too much participation from people who wouldn’t be affected otherwise, if the drug dealer went to jail… that and the fact that people would still want to do drugs… that’s why the only logical solution is to legalise ALL drugs and tax the resultant income. i don’t know a single user of cannabis that wouldn’t be happy to pay a tax on legally purchased weed… 😉
Verisign seizes .com domain registered via foreign Registrar on behalf of US Authorities. and The Systematic Destruction of the Bill of Rights – in spite of the fact that SOPA is in limbo, the US gummint still feels like it has the authority to seize domains that exist outside of US jurisdiction, any time they want, and here are the reasons why…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
… but that will not stop me from saying stuff about it anyway! 😛
Election hacked, drunken robot elected to school board – if it wasn’t such a slap in the face, it would be funny… and it just starts with having your admin username and password set to “admin”… 😐
New speech-jamming gun hints at dystopian Big Brother future – 😮
MASSIVE LEAK REVEALS CRIMINALITY, PARANOIA AMONG CORPORATE TITANS – 😮
another week closer to the eschaton…
there isn’t going to be much in the way of outrageous headlines today, as i have been preparing to go to san francisco for the AGT auditions. we weren’t selected (i.e. we didn’t make the cut), but we got an all-expenses-paid three-night vacation in san francisco, so it was a win anyway… and as much as i would have liked my share of a million dollars, there’s so much fake bullshit in these “reality TV” programs that i would have had to compromise my standards way too much.
whatever else may be happening, the world is fucked and we all — every single one of us, without exception — are going to hell (if we’re not already there), so nothing much has changed. hopefully i’ll be back to a more normal routine next week.
How to delete your Google Browsing History before the new policy makes it permanent – this has been a public service announcement, brought to you by the “google is NOT supposed to be evil” association, the advertising council, and this radio station. it’s 9:00. 😐
Artificial hamburger meat successfully grown in vat of bovine fetal cells; You want some fries with that? – i’m not sure what to think of this… it could be the saviour of the world, but it could also end up as soylent green…
another week closer to the eschaton…
How to Become a Government Spy in Three Easy Steps – DHS has a training plan for you, too…
Depressed Army reservist attacked by police force after calling for help and NYPD monitored Muslim students all over Northeast and Here’s Why Drivers Get Away With Murder In NYC and Police Officer Caught On Tape Saying He Can "Make Up" Evidence and Some Who Decline an Optional Iris Photo Are Kept Longer in Jail and Fart joke leads to bomb scare as 11 agencies swoop down on Mississippi school – who needs real terrorists? the cops clowns seem to be more interested in making sure everybody stays in line than they are about fighting real terrorism…
Cop or Soldier? – because you really need to be able to tell the difference…
What If Someone Could See Everything You’ve Ever Googled? – too late, it already exists, and it’s probably not what you think.
Study says insecticide used with GM corn highly toxic to bees – yet another reason to be extremely skeptical of this genetically-modified “food” thing…
Oklahoma Democrats want to ban Onanism – much as i would like to say this is a joke… it’s only sort of a joke. 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
… but that will not stop me from saying stuff about it anyway! 😛
CCTV police officer ‘chased himself’ after being mistaken for burglar and Muslim sales manager arrested as terrorist for call to ‘blow away’ the competition and Video shows officers beating motorist in diabetic shock – who needs terrorists? 😐
According To The FBI, Internet Privacy Is Now Considered To Be Suspicious Activity and FBI: Paying Cash For a Cup of Coffee a ‘Potential Indicator of Terrorist Activity’ – ???
Rounding Up U.S. Citizens – ??? 😮
TSA agents denied female passenger boarding access because of her gender – and this is on a domestic flight… what happens when a woman wants to fly overseas? 😐
25 Reports That Can Put You on the Terror Watch List – ???
Congress Approves 30,000 Spy Drones Over America As US Police State Tightens – ???
Elections Are For Suckers – !!! 😐
FDA’s New Claim: “Your Body Is a Drug — and We Have the Authority to Regulate It!” – ???
and while we’re at it, The Disaster at “Christ is Love” – which is what they would like to do with drug users in this country, if we’d let ’em… 😐
Yeah, Ron Paul Is Racist After All, Sorry – ???
12 current Latin American leaders call for exploration of legal drug regulation – but because they’re brown people from another country, nobody’s going to pay any attention to them and things are going to continue being screwed up as usual. 😡
Google paying users to track 100% of their Web usage via little black box – translation for suckers: “Google is paying ignorant suckers to install and maintain a “rootkit” that does exactly the same thing as the viruses and trojans that they spend so much money trying to avoid”… once again, i feel it is necessary to point out that there are only two industries that refer to their customers as “users”: one of them is the computer software industry, and the other one is DRUG DEALERS… 😡
another week closer to the eschaton…
It Is Time To Legalize All Drugs – yep… too bad nothing is being done about it… 😐
Could A Club Drug Offer ‘Almost Immediate’ Relief From Depression? – yep… too bad the drug is an illegal one… 😐
Hunting Nazis: Anonymous snares Ron Paul in Operation Blitzkrieg – there have been enough incidents like this one to make me very skeptical about ron paul, even if he does have a chance to win this time around.
Mickey Mouse Whois ban threat sparks privacy fears – the days of registering domains as “N. O. Body”, “Mickey Mouse” or “Charlie Sheen” are coming to an end, if ICANN has its way… good if you hate spam, bad if you’re in the business of providing whois privacy…
Twitter Users Beware: Homeland Security Isn’t Laughing and UK tourists who tweeted they would ‘destroy America’ banned from US – forget about “real” terrorists, the US copsclowns go after a couple of UK citizens out for a party… perhaps they’re easier to find. moral: people who live in other countries should be more straight-laced and submissive… like us… 😐
FBI Drug Squad Uses Chainsaw To Invade… the Wrong Apartment and TSA agent at JFK stole $5K from passenger and Park ranger shoots man with stun gun for walking dogs off-leash – who needs terrorists? 😡
Syrian forces ‘torture children as young as 13’ – 😮
Another Blow to Privacy — Now It’s Google! – this is NOT a privacy policy, and they DO NOT get to use MY material to publicise their business: “When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones.”
earlier in the week, The Susan G. Komen Foundation withdrew funding for Planned Parenthood, under pressure from anti-abortion groups — even though they released a video which specifically said that they weren’t politically motivated to make such a decision. however, after a week of backlash from everyone except the anti-abortion crowd, SGK reversed their decision, once again saying that their choice was not politically motivated. for as much good as they have done in the past, i would say that their credibility, at this point, is completely shot. 😐 Susan G. Komen Foundation Backs Down
You Will Never Kill Piracy, and Piracy Will Never Kill You – Treat your customers with respect , and they’ll do the same to you. And that is how you fight piracy.
Top five regrets of the dying – change your life now, because, soon, it will be too late, and then YOU will be having these regrets! the interesting part is that, since my injury, i haven’t had those five regrets anywhere near as much as i had them prior to it… 8)
another week closer to the eschaton…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
… but that will not stop me from saying stuff about it anyway! 😛
This Is a Test… (And Too Many Americans Are Failing) – if the united states is to be turned into a plutocracy, our collective ignorance is an absolute necessity.
Oakland Police Violate Their Own Policies and She Dialed 911. The Cop Who Came to Help, Raped Her. and Federal judge gives an Arkansas car passenger $1 after he was tasered by cops, even though he committed no crime and Two brave policemen shoot 43-year-old woman in the back with tasers – who needs foreign terrorists? we’ve got home grown police officers terrorists right down here…
How Much Do Music and Movie Piracy Really Hurt the U.S. Economy? – if you said “between $200 and $250 billion per year, and is responsible for the loss of 750,000 american jobs”, you’d be wrong. those numbers are made up out of thin air by people who do not have the “us economy” in mind.
Could magic mushrooms help the fight against depression? – as nice as this sounds, there’s going to have to be some substantial changes in federal law before it gains any ground at all… 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
The U.S. Government Funded the Iranian Terrorist Group Which “Found” The Documents Upon Which the Warmongers Are Relying – hmmm… this sounds vaguely familiar… and the US does have a long history of using forged documents as an excuse for war… 😐
SOPA Shelved Indefinitely, Obama Succumbs to Pressure, Issues Official Veto Threat – while obama was right this time, my impression is that once it isn’t an election year, SOPA, in one form or another, will return with a vengeance.
World Peace Hanging by a Thread – for a former leader of a country at odds with the united states, fidel castro sure seems like he’s got his shit together…
One In Three U.S. Warplanes is a Robot; 7,494 Drones and Counting – EFF filed a Freedom of Information Act request in april of 2011 for records of unmanned aircraft activities over domestic soil. not surprisingly, the DOT so far has failed to provide the information, which indicates that they’ve got something to hide… 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
My Guantánamo Nightmare – Lakhdar Boumediene was a childrens’ humanitarian aid worker with the red crescent until the united states government decided that he was a terrorist, kidnapped him, and held him in gitmo, where he was tortured for seven years until somebody noticed and he was released… and that was before the president signed the law allowing such things. last week i posted about some OWS protesters who were arrested for speaking in public… i wonder what happened to them? 😐
Free Speech Is On Thin Ice and Critical Thinking Is Unpatriotic
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
… but that will not stop me from saying stuff about it anyway! 😛
Doomsday Clock Moves 1 minute closer to midnight – “Two years ago, it appeared that world leaders might address the truly global threats that we face. In many cases, that trend has not continued or been reversed.”
Grow Up, Ron Paul – as much as i like his libertarian take on cannabis, i have too much concern for people and the environment to treat him as a serious contender for president.
Ten Years At Guantánamo Bay By The Numbers – and it doesn’t look like it’s going to close any time soon, thanks to the people who promised to close it deciding not to anyway… 😐
Santorum Supports Accused Child Molester Sandusky – and this guy wants to be our president?
Homeland Security monitors journalists – hello clown-land security goons… i am a terrorist! 😐 Anarchy is America’s solution
While U.S., Afghans, NATO Condemn Marines Urinating On Dead Taliban, Right Wing Says ‘I Could Care Less’ – my guess is that it’s going to get an awful lot worse before it starts to get better again… probably not within my lifetime, and likely not within my son’s lifetime… 😐
however, i want to examine the word desecration a little more closely. according to the dictionary definition, to “desecrate” something is to “divest it of its sacred or hallowed character or office”. the people on whom the marines were urinating, according to the video, were “dead taliban”, although it’s not clear whether they were actual taliban fighters, or dead civilians that were caught in the crossfire, but either way, were they doing something – other than being human – that would have meant that most people would consider their behaviour “sacred or hallowed”? and if they were, actual, taliban fighters, who, presumably moments previously, were trying to kill those marines, would their behaviour still be considered “sacred or hallowed”? probably not, but the geneva convention prohibits “the desecration of bodies of people killed in war” so if their behaviour wasn’t sacred, at least according to the “people who make the rules”, then the only remaining thing that could have been sacred about them was the fact that they were human. exactly the SAME KIND of human that were the marines who were desecrating their bodies.
let me see if i’ve got this straight: human beings are sacred, but the geneva convention prohibits the desecrating of people who have been killed in war… so the geneva convention doesn’t make human beings so sacred that it’s not okay to kill them – which, if the human being is sacred, would be the ultimate desecration… in other words, only DEAD people are sacred… before they die, they’re free game, but once they’re dead, you DON’T TOUCH their bodies without respect for the divine…
something is seriously fucked up with the society that would make this kind of rule, and think that they made war “okay” because they have rules like this. 😛
Dumb As A Rock: You Will Be Absolutely Amazed At The Things That U.S. High School Students Do Not Know – perhaps this is why we’re plunging headlong towards the eschaton… it certainly isn’t slowing us down any.
The Greatest Truth Never Told – this guy is saying pretty much exactly the same thing that i’ve been saying for years… maybe someone will pay attention to him.
Google, what were you thinking? – this is the reason i’m suspicious, to say the least, about anything having to do with google. to me, a company whose motto is “do no evil” deserves watching a bit more closely than other companies, and this is exactly the reason why.
another week closer to the eschaton…
NYPD Arrests Anyone Who Speaks: This Would Be Used as War Propaganda if NY Was Foreign and Had Oil – OWS protestors are arrested for speaking in public… seriously, where’s my country? 😛
Why the NDAA Now? – 1) They are saying that the military/corporate complex is in charge, and electoral politics mean nothing; 2) They are warning those who would criticize our foreign or domestic policies that the consequences of excessive criticism could land you in jail for the rest of your life, or that it could be fatal; 3) They are saying that our civilian judicial system is now subordinate to military control and domination; 4) They are telling the American people that dissent is dangerous, and outside the law; 5) They are informing the world that the true masters have stepped forward from the shadows to demonstrate that Americans are no more in control of their own government than the citizens of any fascist regime in the world; 6) They are reinforcing the concept that we are in a perpetual state of war, and that there will never again be periods of peace; and, 7) They are saying that obedience, and not democracy, is the order of the day.
There’s Something They’re Not Telling Us… and Defiling the Constitution, Betraying the Founders and Can the US Government be Trusted as Judge and Jury in NDAA Indefinite Detention of U.S. Citizens? and Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Into Law – obama – a former constitutional law professor – cannot be trusted to uphold universal human rights standards and the rule of law.
Police State 2012: No Need to Wait, It’s Already Here – the people hold all the power. no amount of illegal surveillance or police state gadgets will ever hold back an engaged, informed public that recognizes their own power.
Santorum’s ‘Freedom’ is Pretty Much Slavery and Santorum targets blacks in entitlement reform – and this guy wants to be our PRESIDENT⁈⁉ 😛
ACLU Asks Court to Stop Missouri Library From Illegally Censoring Minority Religious Websites – the library director “said she would only allow access to blocked sites if she felt patrons had a legitimate reason to view the content and further said that she had an obligation to report people who wanted to view these sites to the authorities.”
Russian Protesters Use Art as Act of War – hmmm… maybe we should use that idea domestically as well…
CVDazzle – is an interesting looking method of circumventing computer facial recognition, using the same principles as dazzle camouflage.
Dallas teen missing since 2010 was mistakenly deported – it seems a bit abnormal to me that they would deport a 15-year-old girl with no identification, without at least trying to figure out who she was first. one way or the other, the colombian government refuses to release her from the detention facility where she is being held for some unknowable reason… 😐
FDA Claims Walnuts to be Illegal Drugs – apple-jacks and froot-loops, however, are not… 😡
another week closer to the eschaton…
TSA ‘Spot Searches’ Expand To Union Station
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
… but that will not stop me from saying stuff about it anyway! 😛
President Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Bill Into Law – 😮 that’s it: i’m not voting for him again.
The American Fascist Sandwich: Indefinite Detention and Internment Camps – 😮
The Return of Waterboarding? – three candidates said without hesitation that they would authorize waterboarding as an interrogation technique… 😮
Occupy Rigged Elections: A Call for the Second American Revolution in 2012 – When candidates emerge who support the positions and demands of the 99 percent, the more certain we can be that our elections will be rigged.
Can Juries Ignore ‘’Immoral’ Laws by Nullifying Them? – short answer: yes. longer answer: you’ve got to be careful, because the gummint doesn’t want you to know that juries are supposed to dispense justice, and not just to “uphold the law” – which means a jury has the ability to strike down unjust laws, if the laws are unjust. an example of how the gummint prefers an ignorant jury? the 79-year-old chemistry professor who has been charged with “jury tampering” because he has been standing outside the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, providing passersby with pamphlets. see above.
You Won’t Believe How Corrupt, Lazy And Stinking Rich Our Congress Critters Have Become – “when it comes to federal elections, the candidate that raises the most money wins about 90 percent of the time”…
Bradley Manning hearing ends with no clear sign of harm done to U.S. – last week i posted about US citizens beginning to disappear because the government has decided that it’s okay now, and it would be my guess that manning will be one of the first people to have this happen to him, especially now that the government has, essentially, admitted that they had no reason whatsoever to keep him in isolation at gitmo for over a year… 😐
If You Can’t Beat Them, Enjoin Them (From Voting) – across the country, state legislatures and governors are pushing laws that seek to restrict access to the voting booth, laws that will disproportionately harm people of color, low-income people, and young and elderly voters. for example: 93-Year-Old Tennessee Woman Who Cleaned State Capitol For 30 Years Denied Voter ID – “Thelma Mitchell, who was delivered by a midwife in Alabama in 1918, has never had a birth certificate, but when she told that to a drivers’ license clerk, he suggested she might be an illegal immigrant.”
Sea Shepherd Intercepts the Japanese Whaling Fleet with Drones – how’s that $3 million taken from the tsunami disaster recovery fund working out for you now, eh’? my guess is that the sea shepherds are going to do better this year than they have previously, despite all the new tech the japanese government throws at ’em. 😉
US eyes first BP criminal charges over Gulf spill – it’s over, but it’s not finished yet…
Christmas: Brought to You by Chinese Slave Labor – this is why i don’t buy stuff to give as xmas gifts… and it’s one of the main reasons i’m a hindu.
Tweeting the word ‘drill’ could mean your Twitter account is read by U.S. government spies – i don’t have a twitter account (although i used to have one, i never used it and cancelled it a long time ago) however; ‘illegal immigrant’, ‘outbreak’, ‘drill’, ‘strain’, ‘virus’, ‘recovery’, ‘deaths’, ‘collapse’, ‘human to animal’ and ‘trojan’… i know a guy who is retired NSA, and from what he has said, i’m pretty sure that they’re “tracking” me anyway, as i make no bones about using words like “I AM A TERRORIST” in posts like this (hello NSA 8) ), but i don’t care… let them ‘disappear’ me… i’d like to see them try. 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
I Talked With an Algerian Last Night About NDAA, He Said Expect People to Start Disappearing – 😮
Tea Party to America: Merry Christmas, Fuck You – In a few days, House Republicans will be off counting their own tax cuts (about 50% of House Republicans are millionaires), vacationing on their yachts, and betting each other whose jet can make it to St. Bart’s faster – while 160 million Americans try to come up with an extra $1500 to cover their tab.
We Killed Your Daughter; You’re Under Arrest – an act of vehicular homicide — one involving “gross negligence,” and therefore a felony… committed by a police officer clown, who, because of the fact that he is a police officer, is not going to be charged with anything. if my 4,000 pound car ran over some one it would kill them, but if i was one of the aforementioned above, their 4,000 pound car probably would hurt anyone… right?
Time to end the war on drugs – Sir Richard Branson says “Decriminalization does not result in increased drug use.”… too bad nobody’s listening, especially in the united states. 😐 quite the opposite, actually: Kafka Surrenders – if the police illegally stop you, detain you, and beat you, you aren’t permitted to resist. just roll over and take it. submit. also, Do Private Military Contractors Have Impunity to Torture? – “this question has not yet been settled in the courts of the United States.” that’s a good thing to know… 😐
President Obama’s Puzzling Silence on Marijuana Policy – if he were to say “fuck it, let’s legalise pot” he would gain back all of the support that he’s lost over the past few years, but the likelyhood that he’s actually going to do it is slim to none… 😐 Jurors Need to Know That They Can Say No – jury nullification is the first step, but before you can get on a jury, you have to either lie (a felony) and say that you won’t support jury nullification, or you have to lie (a felony) and say that you’ve never heard of it, because if you state that you are a supporter of jury nullification, they won’t let you serve on a jury.
RIAA and Homeland Security Caught Downloading Torrents – more than 900 unique IP-addresses at the Government organization through which copyrighted files were downloaded… will they answer for their piracy? RIAA’s Response To Infringement Via Its IP Address Is To Say Someone Else Did It – so the excuse that’s not good enough when everyone else uses it, is good enough when it comes to the RIAA… hmmmm… can you say “double standard”? i knew you could…
at the same time, Internet circumvents anti-piracy bill before it even passes – moral: never tell a geek that he can’t have something.
TSA Confiscates Woman’s Frosted Cupcake – TSA clowns take woman’s christmas treats because they say they are a threat to national security…?
another week closer to the eschaton…
this week’s “another week closer to the eschaton” post has been censored as a protest against the “rogue sites legislation” (ie, SOPA or internet censorship) currently being considered by congress. if you want it to change, better call your congresscritter, now, ’cause obama has reversed himself (again) and said that he won’t veto it, and if that is the case, then things are likely to get A LOT worse soon… 😐
Census data: Half of U.S. poor or low income and Federal Unemployment Benefits Drug Test Bill Introduced – 😮
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
also, The U.S. Hands the Terrorists a Big Win – i have been saying exactly the same thing since september, 2001… maybe someone will take notice before it’s too late.
i hesitate to do this, simply because of the fact that it’s one of the rules of internet that whoever brings up nazis (or, in this case, the KKK) first, automatically loses whatever debate is going on, but at the same time… Mitt Romney Parroting KKK’s Anti-Immigrant Slogan Reflects His Extremist Platform of Mass Deportation – i don’t care how awful he is, obama is not going to use slogans that the KKK uses in an attempt to get us to vote for him… 😐
Kucinich on Defense Authorization Act: It "Authorizes Permanent Warfare Anywhere In the World." and How Congress is Signing its own Arrest Warrants in the NDAA Citizen Arrest bill and Legislating Tyranny in America – Enactment of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act means anyone anywhere, including US citizens, may be indefinitely held without charge or trial, based solely on suspicions, baseless allegations or none at all.
How Terrorist ‘Entrapment’ Ensnares Us All – when the government gets in the business of playing along with terror plots, it’s not just justice that suffers – but our safety
The Real Definition of Terrorism – “if the U.S. invades and occupies your country, and you respond by fighting back against the invading army… then you are a terrorist.”
Must We Permit the US Military to Detain Americans without Trial? – short answer? evidently, yes. also, A Dangerous Woman — Indefinite Detention at Carswell and Police employ Predator drone spy planes on home front – to help arrest a family of sovereign citizens, for stealing six cows, these are the first US citizens to be arrested through use of a drone used by police in the US… first of what is undoubtedly going to be many, many, many… 😐
Department of Homeland Security Aircraft Aided In Massacre Of 73 Jamaican Civilians – is it just me, or has the DHS suddenly taken on a surprisingly and alarmingly schutzstaffel-like quality…
Universal Censors Megaupload Song, Gets Branded a "Rogue Label" – they don’t “own” the copyright to the video, but they got it taken down anyway, and they want more: SOPA Is "Unconstitutional", Would "Criminalize" the Internet … Modeled On China – but SOPA will pass, because not enough people care, and even more people think it might be a "good thing"… 😐
meanwhile, BP Awarded $27 Million in Leases for Gulf Oil, Gas Exploration – instead of being prosecuted and prevented from doing any more business, BP gets rewarded for creating the largest oil spill in history… 😛
Feds Link Water Contamination to Fracking for the First Time – oh, by the way… they’re going after your water, too…
More Proof Fox News Is Not News: The Russia/Greece Mashup and Fox News Viewers are the Most Misinformed: A Seventh Study Arrives to Prove It – in case there were any lingering doubts…
Basque government regulates cannabis sale and use and Study shows medical marijuana laws reduce traffic deaths but Woman busted for cooking meth inside Tulsa Walmart – this is why cannabis will never be legal in the US: there are too many idiots who don’t even use cannabis that make it impossible for the rest of us. 😛 also, Want to end Mexican drug gang violence? Legalize drugs and the cartels will collapse
another week closer to the eschaton…
About that boot on your throat… – “All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed they must rely exclusively on force.” — George Orwell
SWAT Raids, Stun Guns, And Pepper Spray: Why The Government Is Ramping Up The Use Of Force – “…a group of Tibetan monks inadvertently overstayed their visas while touring the U.S. on a peace mission. Naturally, immigration officials sent a SWAT team to apprehend them.”
TSA strip-searches 85-year-old woman in wheelchair – and then lies about it… also, FBI’s new definition of rape ensnares TSA agents as serial rapists – according to the “new” definition of rape, the federal government’s TSA agents are serial rapists… i wonder how long that’s going to last before there is an “exception” made for TSA agents… or when they decide to “redefine” rape again… 😐
BP says Halliburton ‘intentionally destroyed evidence’ after Gulf oil spill – really, who is surprised by this?
Police Try to Dissuade Elderly Woman From Defending Herself Against Home Invasion – self-defense used to be a civic duty, but now they’re encouraging an elderly lady to submit to a home invasion, because they’re not there yet… right, and when they got there, they probably would have arrested the lady and let the burgler go free… 😐
US Government Bans A Specific Brain Function – if you take any substance that is a CB1 agonist (like, for example, TYLENOL) you can be arrested… we’ll see how well that works once the government discovers how many things that can bind with cannabis receptors in the human brain. until then, don’t expect things to get any better.
10 Signs You Might Be a Slave – 😮
Widespread Smart Phone Spying is ‘Unprecedented breach of digital privacy’ – this is why i don’t even want a “smart” phone…
video politics
Rick Perry’s I Hate Gays campaign message currently has 747,019 total views, with 4,187 likes, and 197,756 dislikes…
The Partisan’s Rick Perry Parody message only has 301 total views, but, oddly, it has 7,198 likes, and 132 dislikes…
there’s something wrong here, but i’m not sure whether it’s the amount of total views, or the discrepancy between the “likes” and the “dislikes” that puts me off more… 😐
“I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian, but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.”
when rick perry says that he’s not ashamed to admit that he’s a “christian” and then procedes to make a statement of a decidedly and remarkably un-Christian nature, you have to admit that he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning…
but, with everything else that the “christians” have been stealing recently, i anticipate that rick perry is very likely to win, and if he doesn’t outright win, there’s a good bet that he’s going to give the “real” winner a hard run for his money… and then contest the outcome of the election, and “win” anyway, just like they did with bush junior. 😛
swastika t-shirt
i’m causing trouble again…
people generally (in this area, at least) don’t seem to mind me wearing or displaying swastikas as long as they’re not obviously “hakenkreuz” related (i.e. they’re “different” colours than were used by the not-zees), but my new shirt will challenge those preconceived notions about colour somehow being related to meaning…
maybe i ought to make some flash cards that say things like BLUE and YELLOW
to illustrate my point even further for those who still don’t get it (and i’m positive that there will be a few of them)…
another week closer to the eschaton…
It’s your fault… – that’s it… either we all learn to live together (and that, quickly), or we will ALL die. together.
Idea of civilians police using drone aircraft may soon fly with FAA – “Police agencies want drones for air support to spot runaway criminals…” and forget about anybody else having them, because it’s not going to happen… this is modern day america, remember…
Fukushima Radiation Risks "Severely Underestimated" – remember fukushima… it’s still getting worse…
A Secret Scandal – “During the deepest, darkest period of the financial cataclysm, the CEOs of major banks maintained in statements to the public, to the market at large, and to their own shareholders that the banks were in good financial shape, didn’t want to take TARP funds, and that the regulatory framework governing our banking system should not be altered. Trust us, they said…”
Take Our Children, Please! A Modest Proposal for Occupy Wall Street – we are already eating our own children or, at least, the futures available to them…
Pepper Spray Developer: It Has Become Fashionable to Use Chemicals on People with Opinions – which is not, apparently, the use for which it was originally intended… oh well…
Gorilla Rebranding – this appears to be a collection of re-branded 1% sites, for example “FakeMath.com” redirects to the federal reserve, and WorldBankrupt.com redirects to the World Bank Group, but they’ve got brilliant designers doing the work of redesigning the logos that go along with them… go check it out soon, because my impression is that, once “they” find out, it’ll be gone. 😉
La-La Land – we’re an ill society, we don’t really know what the medicine tastes like, and many won’t even concede that we’re sick.
Q: Who killed more Americans —al Qaeda crashing airplanes into the World Trade Center, or Merck pushing Vioxx? – A: Merck, by a factor of 18.
Occupy Wall Street’s anarchist roots – The ‘Occupy’ movement is one of several in American history to be based on anarchist principles.
New evidence suggests that the Conficker worm may have been developed by the U.S. Government – 😮
Danish "Pirate Blogger" Law Student Raided By Police For Articles About File-Sharing – while this isn’t in the united states, it surprises me a great deal that it hasn’t already happened here…
War on drugs revealed as total hoax – US military admits to guarding, assisting lucrative opium trade in Afghanistan – meanwhile, cannabis is still illegal, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon. 😐
Occupy the Tax Man – okay, this is from india, but it is the same general concept…
Occupy the Detention Van – cops arrest protesters, lock themselves out of their own van.
Wal-Mart is Larger than Norway – yet another very good reason to refrain from shopping there…
Life began with a planetary mega-organism – science may not have all the answers, but the answers they do have are A LOT more convincing (and cooler!) than anything “intelligent design” has to offer… 😉
another week closer to the eschaton…
To Change the Country, We Just Might Have to Change Ourselves – which is why it’s never gonna’ happen… just sayin’…
Urge the Senate to Oppose Indefinite Military Detention – the U.S. Senate is considering the unthinkable: changing detention laws to imprison people — including Americans living in the United States itself — indefinitely and without charge.
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
Six Children Are Killed by NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan – i wonder what their parents are thankful for…
Occupy Peace – Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children… This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. — Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953
Occupy Language: the struggle over meaning – my impression is that it will be a lot easier to convince those who don’t want to change with language that is meaningful and consistent. at this point, i don’t see a lot of that happening.
The Use of Pepper Spray On Peaceful Protesters Is Illegal … And Can Seriously Injure Or Kill – just in case anybody had any doubts. however, whatever you believe, According to a UC Police Captain, linking arms to form a human chain is an act of violence – just in case anybody had any doubts…
Who Wasted $13m on Occupy Protests? – hint: it wasn’t the 99%…
Disabled Man Tasered To Death For Falling Off Bike – police are now trained that “pain compliance,” a euphemism for torture, is acceptable in apprehending anyone even if that person poses no physical danger.
also, Cop Arrests Five Year Old for Acting Out in School and 5-Year-Old Handcuffed, Charged With Battery On Officer – 😮
Fort Worth Man Gets 80 Years For Buying A Hot Dog With Fake Money – the people who caused the economic collapse, however, get bonuses with real money, as everybody else has to put up with no heat and not enough food.
Federal agents shut 88-year-old man’s business, because his product is being used by meth labs – federal and state drug enforcement agents are coming down hard on a humble homemade solution, which helps backpackers purify water…
Vancouver Mayors Say Legalize Marijuana – that’s good, but vancouver is one place in a large variety of places that, illogically, don’t want cannabis legalised, so it probably won’t happen any time soon… 😐
Wow! You’re really getting the hang of this!
another week closer to the eschaton…
Mississippi Republicans Only Narrowly Support Interracial Marriage – this isn’t 50 years ago, it’s today. 😐 the reason we’ve got to deal with “the war on terrorism”, and “global warming”, and occupy wall street, and priests abusing kids and things like that, these days, is because there are still people who would keep us thinking this way. it’s ignorant, it’s wrong, and i don’t like it. the way to change the world, is to change the MINDS of people who don’t want to change… and that’s the part that i still can’t figure out. but you have my word as an enlightened person, that if i ever figure that out, it’s going to be the first thing on my list of things to do. in the mean while, we’ll have to put up with videos like this popping up from time to time Actual Video of Water Torture Our Ex-Leaders Confess to on Their Bestselling Book Tours and Our Current Leaders Falsely Deny and there’s nothing we’re going to be able to do about it. that’s it: either change the minds of people who don’t want to change, or put up with their little antics and pretend nothing is wrong.
do what you like, i’m convinced that “antics” like that are wrong, regardless of who they’re fighting. 😐
Police Force Peaceful UC Davis Students to Open Their Mouths … and Then Shoot Pepper Spray DOWN THEIR THROATS and Police Attack Peaceful UC Davis Students With Pepper Spray and Seated and not offering any threat, protesters at Occupy Tulsa get sprayed, point blank, in the face with pepper spray, by cops – it is unclear how a person who refuses to get off the ground could be persuaded to do so by blinding them. more info at Addicting Info
however, University of California President ‘Appalled’ by Police Brutality Against Student Protesters is probably going to be the last you’ll ever hear about getting justice for the downtrodden, and the aggressors are probably not even going to get a warning.
You Say You Want a Revolution – Occupy Wall Street is a paper tiger: All drums and no message. If you want to change the system under which you Americans suffer you must stop collaborating with it…
Make No Mistake: This Is Illegal. Also Insane. – the police said they felt they had to take the semi-automatic-wielding action because “the group used large banners to obscure the windows to the business…”
Former Police Captain and Current OWS Protester Ray Lewis Arrested and Former Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis, In Cuffs – they say a picture is worth 1,000 words…
NYPD Joins Spanish Inquisition in Attack on the Written Word – “the police are saying the books weren’t destroyed, but simply removed and that they could be reclaimed later”… from the dumpster, where they were “deposited” by a bulldozer…
Lobbying firm’s memo spells out plan to undermine Occupy Wall Street – the 1% thinks that the expenditure of less than $1 million will completely take down the OWS movement… we’ll see how right they are…
Fake terror plots, paid informants: the tactics of FBI ‘entrapment’ questioned – gee, you think? unfortunately, nobody will pay attention to the goofy brits and their offbeat humour…
TSA Warns Travelers Not To Smuggle Carry-On Items In Christmas Gift Wrap – another meaningless imposition on what should otherwise be a joyous occasion…
Europe Bans X-Ray Body Scanners Used at U.S. Airports – but the U.S. ignores the ignorant europeans because they don’t know any better…
An Open Letter From Internet Engineers to the Senate Judiciary Committee – The Internet Blacklist Legislation– known as PROTECT IP Act in the Senate and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House – is a threatening sequel to last year’s COICA Internet censorship bill. Like its predecessor, this legislation invites Internet security risks, threatens online speech, and hampers Internet innovation. Urge your members of Congress to reject this Internet blacklist campaign in both its forms!
The ‘School to Prison Pipeline’: Education Under Arrest – remember how, when you were in school, you made the connection between forced education and the prison system? it’s worse now, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better any time soon.
High Childhood IQ Linked to Subsequent Illicit Drug Use – it’s to help us deal with the IDIOTS in charge… of course research won’t tell you why there’s a link, but that’s the reason, when it comes down to it.
Pizza Is Not a Vegetable – at least when reagan tried to convince us that ketchup was a vegetable, people had the sense to vote him down (and, technically, nothing is really a vegetable anyway, but that’s beside the point).
another week closer to the eschaton…
the another week closer to the eschaton post this week is made using the colour Pantone 2685C purple, as a form of protest over the Cadbury® trademark, which has been mostly upheld by the UK’s trade mark registry. if more people were concerned about news like this, it would be an indication that the world no longer needs another week closer to the eschaton. unfortunately, that is not the case, so here we go with another one.
Sign the Declaration to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons – if enough people sign it, maybe it will actually do some good…
UK backs US bid to overturn ban on cluster bombs – people who know fear this is an attempt to legitimise the use of weapons that are widely deemed to be inherently indiscriminate. doesn’t that just warm your heart? you can Sign a petition to stop cluster bombs being used if you think it will do any good.
Obama Invokes Jesus More Often Than Bush – obama is the best republican president that could have stolen our votes… i’m not voting for him again.
39 Things Obama Could Do To Get My Vote – but the only one that is REMOTELY possible is for him to end the war on drugs, and that’s not gonna’ happen…
Alabama county files biggest municipal bankruptcy – this can’t be good…
Pressured to Name Leader, Occupy Denver Elects Dog and Occupy Denver elects a new leader: Shelby, a Border Collie mix – “Yes, I appointed a horse to an important management position. But, unlike the directors, I appointed the whole horse.” — Caligula
What Happened When I Tried to Get Some Answers About the Creepy NYPD Watchtower Monitoring OWS – this can’t be good…
Reasons America Will Be Judged as the Most Brutal Empire in History – with things like this happening, it’s no surprise… 😮
Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn’t Honey – this can’t be good…
We Demand A Vapid, Condescending, Meaningless, Politically Safe Response To This Petition.
We demand a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response to this petition.
Since these petitions are ignored apart from an occasional patronizing and inane political statement amounting to nothing more than a condescending pat on the head, we the signers would enjoy having the illusion of success. Since no other outcome to this process seems possible, we demand that the White House immediately assign a junior staffer to compose a tame and vapid response to this petition, and never attempt to take any meaningful action on this or any other issue. We would also like a cookie.
—–
finally, a petition whose results i can actually support… 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
Hiroshima Survivor Asks World to Awaken – but, unfortunately, she is one person expressing an entirely unpopular view, and she will be roundly ignored by everybody who can make a difference.
A New Declaration of Independence – 1. Debt relief, 2. A substantial jobs program, 3. A healthcare public option, 4. Reregulate Wall Street, 5. End the Global War on Terror and rein in the defense budget, 6. Repeal the Patriot Act, 7. Tackle climate change, 8. Stop locking everyone up for everything and end the drug war, 9. Full equality for the queer community, 10. Fix the tax system… everything sounds reasonable so far… let’s see if it gets anywhere.
Dimock, Pennsylvania Water Still Tainted By Fracking, Lawyers Claim – the oil company came in, polluted at least 11 wells, and then convinced a court to let them stop paying for drinking water to the people affected by their pollution. and at this point, it looks like they’re going to get off scott free, because they have money for lawyers and the affected people victims don’t. next, the people are probably going to have to sell off their land at a substantial loss, because they no longer have a source of water, which means that the oil company can swoop in and buy it all. big oil wins again, at the expense of their customers. isn’t it the american way?
Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Suprise You! – i already know i’m an anarchist, and the answer sure surprised the hell outta’ me…
Super Committee Pressed To Raise Medicare Eligibility Age – meanwhile, it’s business as usual, and nothing has changed… 😛
Obama’s Legacy of Shame – obama is the best repubican president that could have stolen our votes… 😛
Internet Freedom Threatened – DMCA, PROTECT IP and SOPA vs. EFF… but the EFF – which is you, me and everybody else – is going to lose, because people are ignorant, and even when they’re aware enough to have a handle on what’s really going on, they don’t care. 😛
Feds’ Use of Fake Cell Tower: Did it Constitute a Search? – of course not… the constitution isn’t meant to impede the federal government from catching terrorists… everybody knows that.
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I’m not a sexual harasser, says Herman Cain and Michelle Bachmann Falsely Claims Iran Threatened U.S. With Nuclear Attack – and these people want to be president?
White House response to NORML’s “We the People” marijuana legalization petition – and NORML’s response to the load of tired, old propaganda white house response… but nothing actually changes…
He forgot. All is forgiven. – try that with anyone other than a cop and see how well it works out… 😛
2nd vet hurt at Occupy Oakland event – the oakland cops CLOWNS (although i probably shouldn’t use that term either, since it is probably offensive to real clowns) are a real piece of work: they hospitalise a veteran, then they say they’re sorry and participate in one of the protests, and then they hospitalise another veteran who wasn’t even protesting! it’s getting to be about time to TAKE THESE SUCKERS DOWN! they may have weapons, but we have numbers, and, as Mario Savio said, “There comes a time when the workings of the machine become so odious that we must throw our bodies onto the gears of the machinery to make it stop.” they can only shoot so many times before they are overrun with opponents… 😐
Suitcase sized device can remotely disable phones, intercept communications, record unique IDs and track you in real time and British police surveillance system can turn off mobile phones – and you can safely bet that if the british have the capability, we do too, even though you might not hear about it so much… especially since it is a suitcase-sized device… 😐
Alcohol Is “More Than Twice As Harmful As Cannabis” — So Explain To Me Again Why Pot Is Illegal? – because “everyone” knows that marijuana is a schedule one drug that has no known medical application, and a strong propensity for abuse… especially by brown people and those who would disrupt society in general, anyway…
another week closer to the eschaton…
The Patriot Act Anniversary Week Round-Up – When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry… the Patriot Act has been extended until 2015…
Scum Thy Name Is Quan – Scott Olsen, member of Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War and a Marine Corps veteran of two tours in Iraq… was shot in the head last night by Oakland police, and is currently in critical condition. Mayor Jean Quan’s statement: “I commend (Police) Chief Jordan for a generally peaceful resolution to (the) situation…” #OWS statement: “It is unconscionable that American government officials would sanction the use of such extreme force against peaceful citizens.”
Facebook partners with Labor Department to "help" job-seekers – facebook is implementing facial recognition routines, and buddying up with the federal government… that can’t be good…
There’s a Cop in Oakland Deserving of a Severe Beat Down – 😮
Up to 20 million tons of debris from Japan’s tsunami moving toward Hawaii – 😮
Colombian president calls for legalisation of marijuana – Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian president, has called for the global legalisation of marijuana… too bad he’s just the president of a country where brown people live…
“Protect” IP?!?
much as i disagree with things like facebook and twitter, i don’t want them entirely shut down, but that’s what’s going to happen if we don’t get off our collective ass and prevent it: How’s That Free Speech Thing Working Out For You – The draft bill would: 1) Give the government and private corporations new powers to block access to sites accused of copyright infringement; 2) Criminalize the streaming of copyrighted content; 3) Restrict cloud-based storage services, music lockers, and the like; 4) Create the aforementioned new liabilities for sites that encourage the posting of user-generated content.
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
MAKE SOME NOISE ABOUT THIS
or forever hold your peace!
another week closer to the eschaton…
trust george carlin to lay it right out there, and not pull any punches… too bad nobody’s listening to him either… 😐
Fukushima Update and BP’s Gulf of Mexico PR, One Year Later – you thought you’d heard the last of these, but you were wrong… they’re only just beginning… but nobody cares, because they’re allowing things like this to happen in spite of the fact that they’re the worst environmental disasters ever… 😛
TSA Arrests Me for Using the Fourth Amendment as a Weapon – The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution reads: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrant shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, an particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized…
We Don’t Need a Warrant, We’re ICE – The Fourth Amendment strictly prohibits warrantless intrusions into private homes and the Constitution’s protections apply to both citizens and non-citizens alike… unfortunately, nobody’s paying any attention, and even if they are, nobody cares anyway. 😐
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
Huckabee to Anti-Union Crowd: Deflate Car Tires and Mislead Voters – and i thought i was a terrorist… turns out huckabee is a lot more likely to suggest illegal activities than i am…
Occupy Wall St. Pepper-Spray Cop Anthony Bologna Loses 10 Vacation Days for Violating NYPD Rules – “Frankly, I don’t want him to lose any vacation days at all. That means he spends more time on the job with an even bigger attitude… I think he needs a very long rest someplace quiet and stress-free.”
and, by the way, i bet, as a kid, he was called “tony baloney” which is why he’s wound so tight now… 😉
Throw Them Out With the Trash: Why Homelessness Is Becoming an Occupy Wall Street Issue – “It is illegal… to be homeless or live outdoors for any… reason.”
Sen. Sessions Wants To Cut Food Stamp Program, Claiming It Has ‘Surged Out Of Control’ – 😮
Cannabis Genome Sheds Light on Hemp Domestication and Let Our Farmers Grow and Record-High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use and California Doctors’ Group Says Legalize Marijuana – but nobody will pay attention, because everybody knows that "marijuana" is a schedule one drug with no medical uses and a high propensity for abuse… 😐
US Army to fly ‘kamikaze’ drones – 😮
We Are Not Your Human Resources – We are not your human resources! We. Are. Not. Your. Human. Resources.
#OWS: Let Me Tell You Wall Street Asshats a Little Something About Hippies
#OWS: Let Me Tell You Wall Street Asshats a Little Something About Hippies
Oct 19, 2011 – by One Pissed Off Liberal
One of the attack memes for right wingers and know nothings is that the Occupy Wall Street movement is merely the wacky doings of hippies, or aging hippies, or dirty fucking hippies.
Now I don’t want to make this all about hippies…because it isn’t. The #OWS movement is a phenomenon all to itself. Blaming it on hippies is just typical weasel behavior from the champaigne-sippin’, caviar-dippin’ greedheads of Wall Street crowd – you know, the ones who got us into this mess in the first place. It’s just their way of avoiding responsibility, and boy howdy are they good at it.
But hippies, young and old, are involved…and that’s a damned good thing.
Let me tell you something about hippies. Hippies didn’t export anyone’s jobs, hippies didn’t lie us into an immoral war, hippies didn’t conspire to steal anyone’s pension funds, hippies didn’t order anyone tortured, hippies didn’t steal so much that it crashed the economy of the entire world, and hippies don’t go on national tv and spew nonsense and propaganda for a very nice living.
So go ahead and blame hippies for everything…as if they had ruled us for decades. We should be so lucky. But we weren’t that lucky – not by a long shot. Instead, we got you.
So if the hippies have some advice for you Wall Street assholes, maybe you should listen. You could do worse. You did do worse. You did a lot worse.
Hippies told you to mind your planet. Hippies told you to make love not war. Hippies told you to not let greed grab you. But did you listen?
No. You and your minions in Congress and elsewhere turned your backs on responsibility. You abandoned the people and sold your souls to the highest bidders. Consequences be damned.
You should thank what gods may be that there are still hippies, that there are still people who put humanity over corporate profits, that there are still those who insist that we do the right thing rather than the profitable thing. We just may save the planet from assholes like you.
Meanwhile, our bought-and-paid-for politicians can’t do shit:
Global warming? Sorry.
Unjust wars? Nope, nothing to be done.
An oppressive and unjust Military Industrial Complex? C’est la vie.
Class warfare by the 1% against the 99%? It’s only class warfare when we say it is.
The disastrous drug war? Whatcha gonna do?
Loss of precious civil rights? Quit yer bitchin’.
Mercenaries on the streets of America? What’s to worry about?
Corporate takeover of the country? Yawn.
No, our bought-and-paid-for politicians can’t do anything that doesn’t involve shoveling cash into the coffers of the already filthy-fucking-rich. And by their inaction they would doom us all.
You greed-deranged fools who have done these things to us had better hope that the dirty fucking hippies come riding to the rescue. Otherwise we are all going to suffer a fate that only you deserve.
I don’t care what anyone says, there is something sweet and pure about old hippies like Ben Masel and others. People who still retain their principles and ideals and are still willing to stand up for humanity in the face of unrelenting tyranny. They deserve respect not scorn. Bless them all.
The Answer
another week closer to the eschaton…
now that it’s coming up on the 1 year anniversary, i’m wondering whether i should be doing this weekly post – another week closer to the eschaton… – before i started putting all the “news” news in a weekly post, i put pretty much all of them up when i found them, and didn’t take the time to comment much on them. now, the more i focus on the abysmal news that’s out there, the more i feel like i’m essentially fighting a losing battle with people who don’t notice and wouldn’t care even if they did notice. if you find these weekly posts useful, please comment… otherwise i may be taking a break to refocus my thoughts.
The Job Killers – “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” this kind of thing is primarily the reason i am so discouraged with the “news”… it seems like nobody cares, because it’s getting worse by the hour, and nothing — save a lot of words (but no actions whatsoever) — is happening to change it. 😐
There comes a time when the workings of the machine become so odious that we must throw our bodies onto the gears of the machinery to make it stop.
— Mario Savio
— Mario Savio
Poor People Have Rights Too – W. T. F!?!? 😮
House GOP Proposes So-Called ‘Let Women Die’ Bill That Lets Hospitals Deny Life-Saving Care – W. T. F!?!? 😮
FDA Allowed Unsafe Levels of Contaminants in Seafood after BP Oil Spill – really… who is surprised by this shocking revelation? 😐
in case anybody was wondering, i am the 99% and i take offense at the ignorant, right-wing attempts to muddy the situation with things like their “I am the 53%” web site. you may be 53% intelligent, but unless you’re as rich as croesus, you are also the 99% and you are also are being taken advantage of, and SCREWED OVER just as much as the rest of us. – Not Just The ’53 %’: The Working Poor Pay More Of Their Income In State And Local Taxes Than The Rich In 49 States and Raise My Taxes and 99 or 53, We’re Still All The Same also Responding to Erick Erickson’s ‘We Are The 53%’
Financial Giants Put New York City Cops On Their Payroll – and this is how the 1% fights back…
Occupy Elections: A Call for the Second American Revolution in 2012 – A small, criminal cadre of extreme right-wing ideologues manufacture the voting machines that secretly count our ballots… We want our goddamned democracy back!
Tony Bennett on 9/11 Attacks: ‘They Flew the Plane in, But We Caused It’ – George W. Bush: “I think I made a mistake.”
Obama’s New Tactic Against Medical Marijuana Patients: Suspend Free Speech and We Are The TSA, And We Approve This Message – freedom of speech doesn’t include yelling fire in a crowded theatre, and, apparently, doesn’t include advertising LEGAL medical cannabis dispensaries or using the letters T, S, and A in an unapproved manner…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
Another 29 Airports Will Irradiate Passengers – but nobody will do anything about it, because nobody cares, and they won’t care until somebody dies, and by that time, it will be too late.
The True Cost of Commuting – for a two car family that commutes around 40 miles a day, it works out to $125,000 over a ten year period… can you afford that? i certainly can’t… 😐
BP to Risk Worst Ever Oil Spill in Shetlands Drilling – after having already caused the “worst ever oil spill” in the gulf of mexico last year, i’m still wondering why these people are still in business, and not facing a firing squad… and, by the way, there’s more of this crap headed into an ocean near you: Oil spill disaster New Zealand’s ‘worst in decades’
Is Obama’s Drug Policy Worse Than Bush’s? The War on Medical Marijuana Escalates – short answer: yes. 😛 also, Former NYPD Detective Testifies that Police Regularly Plant Drugs on Innocent People to Meet Arrest Quota – “First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” — Mohandas Karmachand “Mahatma” Gandhi
Children to be banned from blowing up balloons, under EU safety rules – with all of the micro-managing childrens’ lives that’s being legislated these days, it’s a wonder those of us who grew up before this “enlightened age” ever managed to make it to adulthood at all… 😐 as much as i really want to vacate this country, i get the impression that europe isn’t an awful lot better…
another week closer to the eschaton…
It Knows – okay, i’m frightened now… 😮
Computer Virus Hits U.S. Drone Fleet – it’s likely because those highly secret and secure military networks all run windoesn’t…
In Alabama, It Goes Like This: No ID, No Water – when i lived in alabama (in the 1960s), they taught us “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”… i can see how that might have changed over the years…
Chaos feared after Unix time-zone database is nuked – you can’t copyright facts, but apparently Astrolabe doesn’t know that and now the entire universe is getting ready to implode… 😐
RIAA Law Lets Law Enforcement Ignore 4th Amendment, Search Private Property With No Warrants – 😮
U.S. Drug Policy Would Be Imposed Globally By New House Bill and Feds Tell Legal CA Pot Dispensaries: Close In 45 Days or Face Prosecution – 😮
No Evidence Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Cause Crime – a new study by the RAND corporation… too bad nobody’s paying any attention…
In terms of yields, economic viability, energy usage, and human health, organic farming is better than conventional farming – and the Rodale Institute has got 30 years worth of data to back it up.
Paul floats Obama impeachment – killing al-awlaki is “a movement toward tyranny.”… however, Al-Awlaki sibling claims Anwar is still alive – maybe not…
Private Anti-Piracy Investigator Spills The Beans – former ‘anti-piracy investigator’ explains how he fed police cases, inflated ‘piracy’ stats…
Want to Know the Tea Party Platform? Go to the Sources – tea party? no thanks, i’m drinking whiskey… 😐
Guilty as charged: proof of ‘human fingerprints’ on climate change – but you can be assured that some “christian” climate-change-denier is going to come up with reasons why each one of them should be disregarded.
Boffins place living creature under control of brain chip – stuff to irritate the creationists… 😉
another week closer to the eschaton…
When the World Outlawed War – “on August 27, 1928, in Paris, France… the Kellogg-Briand Pact – outlawing war – was … ratified by the United States Senate in a vote of 85 to 1 and remains on the books to this day as part of what Article VI of the U.S. Constitution calls “the supreme Law of the Land… One way to revive a treaty that in fact remains law would, of course, be to begin complying with it.”
Why You Shouldn’t Take Notes on Terrorist Plots – the FBI has another carefully crafted “homegrown” terrorist, who couldn’t have even dreamed of doing the stuff he’s accused of planning without the help of the FBI, that they’re parading around claiming that they caught another “terrorist”… and, what do you know? he’s a “muslim”… 😐
At what point does the need for security eclipse human dignity and compassion? – a woman who recently had a bilateral mastectomy had her breasts fondled by TSA agents who made things significantly more difficult, and said things like “if we don’t clear you, you don’t fly” loud enough for other passengers to hear… “And they did. And they stared at the bald woman being yelled at by a TSA Supervisor.” 😐
WARNING: Corporate-Fascist Military Coup Brewing in the United States? and Is the United States a Police State? – yes, yes it is… thank you for noticing… hopefully something will be done about it soon… 😐
U.S. secretly asked Japan to help dump nuclear reactors – The United States secretly sought Japan’s support in 1972 to enable it to dump decommissioned nuclear reactors into the world’s oceans…
Electrical problems trigger radioactive steam release at Nuclear Power Plant on Lake Michigan – houston, we have a problem…
BP’s Back, Baby! – what oil spill?
Koch Brothers Flout Law With Secret Iran Sales – and when they investigated, and confirmed that this was true (in 2008!!) they fired the investigator for “incompetence”…
Magic Mushrooms Can Make Lasting Personality Changes – “People who had mystic experiences while taking the mushrooms were more likely to show increases in a personality trait dubbed ‘openness,’ which is related to creativity, artistic appreciation and curiosity” but nothing is going to come of it, because “Psilocybin mushrooms are a schedule I substance in the U.S., which means the government considers them to have a high potential for abuse and no legitimate medical purpose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.”
Who does Obama think he is, Michael Corleone? – 😮
CIA, Pentagon fight to keep Osama bin Laden death photos secret – how long do you suppose it will be until they’re leaked or published? sounds to me like it’s just a matter of time… osama bin laden lives! 😉
School: It’s way more boring than when you were there – new studies show that the disappearance of art, music and even recess is having a devastating effect on kids as we prepare them as widgets.
Most Food Stamp Recipients Have No Earned Income – 😮
Russia may legalize cannabis for agriculture, industrial use but Feds To Legal Medical Marijuana Patients: You Don’t Have Second Amendment Rights. Period. – it’s always been a case of uncle sam versus the russkies, it’s just now the rôles are reversed. 😐
Artificial leaf makes fuel from sunlight and ‘X’ now a gender option in Australian passports – more stuff to bug the creationists… 8)
Man Accuses Daughter’s Homework of Promoting Islam – this is from the great state of georgia, which should explain a little of the headline…
How Apple’s Lion won’t let you trash documents – this is why i’m never upgrading my mac beyond 10.6.8. 😐
Virtual monkeys write Shakespeare – why is this news?
McDonalds to launch ‘Unhappy Meal’ for binge eaters – five normal hamburgers, five normal cheeseburgers, three Big Macs, eight Chicken McNuggets, four litres of coke, fanta or sprite, four McFlurries, an apple pie and a free toy. 😮
another week closer to the eschaton…
U.S. assembling secret drone bases in Africa, Arabian Peninsula – because, you know, we have to be stirring things up somewhere…
You Should Definitely Take More Drugs – whether they’re legal or not…
We Ignore Poverty, But It Is On the Rise – the US has the highest poverty rate among developed countries.
Court Advances U.S. Torture Victims’ Case Against Donald Rumsfeld – now if they’d just do the same thing to bush…
Another TSA Employee Accused of Rape and TSA Searches Dallas Woman’s Hair for Weapons and TSA officer sentenced for theft from passengers and TSA official charged in slaying of worker – 😮
Fukushima "Surprise": Radioactive Rice "Far Exceeding" Safe Levels Found in Japan – who is really surprised by this?
another week closer to the eschaton…
Blast rocks nuclear plant in France – At the moment no one knows whether the building itself is still completely airtight, but some radiation could of course leak outside…
BP’s "Failure of Supervision and Accountability" Caused the Nation’s Largest Oil Spill – and, yet, the government continues to pretend that BP has our environment’s best interests in mind…
Some real Shock and Awe: Racially profiled and cuffed in Detroit and No charges against 3 detained at Detroit airport – the war on terror is over: the terrorists have won.
Guy Who Created The TSA Says It’s Failed, And It’s Time To Dismantle It – it’s too bad nobody’s paying attention… 😐
Massive default is best way to fix the economy – that is mighty close to the revolution that i’ve been talking about for a while now…
FBI Teaches Agents: ‘Mainstream’ Muslims Are ‘Violent, Radical’ – it’s apparent that we don’t have enough real terrorists, so the FBI has to go around making more, while nobody is looking. this reminds me a lot of the phony satanism and child abuse scare of the 1980s, in which highly educated, alleged “experts” said all kinds of things about a worldwide conspiracy of “ritual abusers” which were subsequently proved to be totally made up… 😐
Dumpster Diving? – in some areas, dumpster diving is considered to be legal, in other areas, not so much. if your family was going hungry, would you go dumpster diving?
An Antidote for Bachmann’s Anecdote – “No scientific evidence backs Rep. Michele Bachmann’s second-hand story of HPV vaccine causing mental retardation.” also Minnesota professor offers $11,000 for Bachmann’s HPV vaccine victim
‘Values Voter’ catering: Canapés on the tray, animus on the slate – the republican presidential candidates who are attending a “function” put on by a hate group… 😮
Feds Wrongly Raid Home Of CBS Correspondent – oops, we meant the house across the street… of course there wouldn’t have had to be a raid at all if cannabis was legal… 😐
Warner Brothers Hotfile Sues Hotfile Warner Brothers For Copyright Infringement Fraud – this is why the copyright system is broken beyond repair, and needs to be totally scrapped… 😐
Guy Accused Of Being Part Of Anonymous Banned By Court From Using His Real Name Online – what?
finally, more science to pester creationists – Glasgow University in bid to create ‘inorganic life’
another week closer to the eschaton…
Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.
— Swami Vivekananda, Chicago, 9/11/1893
— Swami Vivekananda, Chicago, 9/11/1893
maybe this isn’t exactly the right question to be asking at the moment, but: has anybody seen مُعَمَّر القَذَّافِي recently?
Dominionists Deny They Want a Theocratic State: Don’t Buy It – “This is the god of the Dominionists. He’s a god whose followers can be considered above the law simply by claiming to act in his behalf. He’s a god who has no respect for the “inalienable rights” held so dear by the founders of this country – people who were fleeing from a government they viewed as oppressive to their own rights. A government ruled by a sovereign who claimed to act based on the “divine right of kings” – based on the will of a god who establishes monarchs, not democracies.”
Peace Prizes for War Presidents, Missile Tests on Day of Peace – escalation of US offensive missile strategy — launching an ICBM Missile across the pacific on World Peace Day… 😐
Military officials ignored Cheney’s 9/11 shoot-down order – there were two men who wanted to make the 9/11 disaster worse: osama bin laden and vice-president dick cheney.
The Police Are Now Empowered As Art Critics – Police Chief Jim McDonnell has confirmed that detaining photographers for taking pictures “with no apparent æsthetic value” is within Long Beach Police Department policy.
Poll: OK to trade some freedoms to fight terrorism – “Those who would trade their freedoms for the illusion of security SHOULD be beaten up.” Paul Rubino, 20-OCT-2001. also, Why People Are Unmoved By TSA Abuses
Complain About Being Sexually Assaulted By A TSA Thug? THEY’LL SUE! – The Advice Goddess got raped by a TSA goon, who has demanded that T.A.G. pay her $500,000 for her distress at being called out. 😛
Is Texas A Ponzi Scheme? – while social security has very little in common with a ponzi scheme, one could make the case that the state of texas itself has a whiff of pyramid scheme about it…
Space junk at tipping point – my impression is that there’s got to be a lot of “cleanup” which we don’t currently have any idea how to do, before any more than a select few are capable of inhabiting space for any length of time.
Nearly 40 percent of Europeans suffer mental illness – if it’s 40% in europe, i’m gonna bet that it’s over 80% in the united states.
Tea Party Owes More to the Church of Satan Than to Jesus – this is probably why i never really got into LaVey’s philosophy that much…
Colombian High Court Re-Legalizes Drug Possession and Police State Roundup: 15 Reasons Why I Choose Not to Live in the USSA – this makes me want to get out even more than i did before… 😛
Does Marijuana Make You Stupid? – short answer: no.
another week closer to the eschaton…
Earthquake Threat to Nuclear Reactors Far Higher Than Realized – forget about fukushima, we’ve got our own problems… that aren’t being reported in the news around here… 😐
Iraqi children in U.S. raid shot in head – if the war in iraq wasn’t illegal enough already… 😐
They Hate Us Because We’re Hypocritical Idiots – i’ve been saying exactly the same thing since 2001… finally other people are beginning to say the same kinds of things… maybe there is some hope for the world after all.
‘Contempt’ for Not Standing on a Broken Leg – but, after a day in jail with no medical attention, they dropped all the charges because the officer CLOWN implicated in the incedent “does not recall incident”… 😐
Give Karl Marx a Chance to Save the World Economy – like this is ever going to be given a serious chance…
Social Security Is Not a Ponzi Scheme – “anyone who says that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme either misunderstands Social Security, misunderstands Ponzi schemes, is deliberately lying, or some combination of those…” also, Texas Gov. Perry Became a Millionaire While Serving in Office and Email purges, withheld documents shroud Governor’s Office from scrutiny and Understanding the nature of ‘anti-science’ criticism and Rick Perry Sent Letter On Immigration To Wrong Agency and Rick Perry’s demeaning abortion doctrine – and this guy wants to be our president‽‽ it’s getting to the point where the presidential candidates are so hopelessly moronic that i am actually hoping that one of them gets elected, just so i can watch the republicans who voted for them suffer through the inevitable multiple disasters that having them in office would create. 😐
U.S. issues worldwide 9/11 travel alert to Americans – despite “no specific or credible intelligence”, americans are ordered to be scared until january 2, 2012, just in case. More Americans Die From Intestinal Illnesses Than From Terrorism – it probably won’t do any good, though… 😐
An artist’s incendiary painting is his bank statement – okay, this is getting ridiculous… the guy is investigated for terrorism by the police clowns because he made an oil painting of a local bank, on fire??? it’s very much like the time the cops clowns interviewed me in a local grocery store because i was wearing a button that said I Am A Terrorist… maybe i should send a button to this guy… 😡
Without Insurance, 24-Year-Old Man Dies From Toothache, Couldn’t Afford Meds and Toothache Leads to Boy’s Death – they both would have lived if they had been able to afford relatively inexpensive treatment, but they couldn’t, because they didn’t have health insurance… they both had the right to die, and they both lacked the right to stay alive, but if either one of them had attempted to commit suicide, they would have been arrested immediately, and put in jail, where they would continue to live in agony, and probably die there, as well. is this really an ethical place to live, or do they do this to people just to torture them? 😡
Federal gestapo illegally raid Gibson Guitar factories, arbitrarily confiscate millions of dollars worth of wood used to make instruments – they conducted the raids because everybody knows that if you own a guitar, you must be a terrorist… more information here and here. 😡
Canada must bar entry to George W. Bush, or arrest him and ensure his prosecution for torture – FINALLY… maybe he’ll ignore this and actually get arrested this time…
Fraudulent Google credential found in the wild – it’s gone beyond “don’t be evil” at this point… and to go along with it, Evidence Suggests DigiNotar, Who Issued Fraudulent Google Certificate, Was Hacked Years Ago so it’s more than just google, and you should remove DigiNotar from your browser trust root…
5 Unexpected Places You Can Be Tracked With Facial Recognition Technology – and, if you’re a facebook member, there’s a good chance that your face has already been scanned and tagged… good thing i’m not a member…
Masked Protesters Aid Time Warner’s Bottom Line – ROTFLMAO!! that’s what they get for being “anonymous” by wearing a mask that was made famous in a movie… perhaps they’ll think a little bit before the next time they act… 8)
another week closer to the eschaton…
Oil fouling Gulf matches Deepwater Horizon well – when they succeeded in capping the gulf oil spill last year, i said that it wasn’t over yet, and guess what?
Government’s move to monitor online sparks public outcry – the japanese government is planning to monitor online postings concerning the accident at the fukushima nuclear power plant to “stem the spread of inaccurate information”… but what it sounds like to me is BIG BROTHER! 😐
which reminds me, Hemp "Eats" Chernobyl Waste, Offers Hope For Hanford – the same idea could be used at fukushima, if it wasn’t illegal… yep, cannabis is illegal in japan, too, for the same reason that it’s illegal in the united states.
and, while we’re on the subject, Cannabis is Effective at Treating Multiple Conditions – but nothing will be done, because marijuana is a dangerous drug with no medicinal applications whatsoever.
East Coast Earthquake Sends 2 Nuclear Plants Offline, Ceiling Tiles, Bricks to the Ground – something that hasn’t been in the news since the quake…
‘Christian Warrior’ Charged with Firebombing Oregon Mosque – he is a terrorist… but he’s a “christian” and the right colour, so we won’t be hearing about him…
McCain promised Gaddafi military help two years ago – anybody remember who osama bin laden was before he was the world’s most wanted terrorist? apparently gaddafi was the same guy, and, once again, we were the people selling him the weapons…
Harvey: “There’s No Proof” LGBT People Exist – 😮
You Have the Right to Remain Silent… Or Not… – noncitizens arrested without a warrant do not need to be read their rights until after entering formal deportation proceedings, i.e. well after questioning by immigration officers… however the “anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law” part? that takes effect the moment you’re arrested, whether or not you’re a noncitizen. it sounds to me like “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”…
How Anti-Marijuana Arguments Warp Reality – it’s illegal because it’s illegal. a plant is not a plant. war is peace. freedom is slavery. ignorance is strength.
Slip-Up in Chinese Military TV Show Reveals Cyber Warfare Against US Entities – my impression is that we may have invented internet, but we’re certainly not in control of it any longer… 😮
9/11: Ten Years Later, Americans Still Stupid and Vulnerable – they’re finally getting the idea that the terrorists have won…
How the Right Is Hijacking the Youth Vote on Facebook – yet another very good reason why i’m glad i’m NOT a member of facebook… 😐
Germany’s Older Generations Take Up Graffiti – it was bound to happen eventually, but it just goes to add a layer of distinction between grafitti artists and taggers…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Daily exercise ‘may prolong life’ – “every single hour of TV watched after the age of 25 shortened the viewer’s life expectancy by just under 22 minutes…”
Pasco couple fear losing home to foreclosure for paying mortgage too early – this is all kinds of wrong…
Obama bans war criminals, except our own – 😡
12-Year-Old Cracks Burglary Case Before Cops – what the fuck, cops clowns? 😡
Actress Roseanne Barr announces presidential bid – if ronald reagan could do it, roseanne is a shoe-in… i’d vote for her over the current crop of politicians who want the job… 8)
Michele Bachmann Is Not a Doctor – you can be arrested for misrepresenting your education with the intent to defraud, can’t you? apparently ms. bachmann doesn’t know this, in spite of her education…
12 days in jail over a faulty drug test – “She is what you call collateral damage in the drug war”… i would have started suspecting that something was wrong when the customs officials started testing used motor oil for illicit drugs… 😐
Marijuana May Ward Off Dementia: Cannabinoids Protect Brain From Aging Processes – but, of course, nobody will do anything with this information, because marijuana is a dangerous drug with no medicinal applications whatsoever… 😐
The perfect place for the perfect crime? – due to an archane and highly convoluted technicality, there is a fairly large section of yellowstone park where you can take drugs, have illicit sex, and even murder people, and the cops can’t do anything about it: hint, it involves at least one “mistake” made by congress in 1889 which nobody has bothered to fix…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Wait… Did Herman Cain End The Debate With A Line From A Pokemon Movie? – maybe that’s what he means by “a poet”, but if so, he needs a little more education before running for assistant dog-catcher…
Christians Openly Advocate Killing Athiests on FOX News Facebook Page – this is why i refer to them as “christians”… they’re exactly the opposite of the jesus of the bible… they’re about as far from Christians as you can possibly get.
Email rendezvous entangles state Rep. Phillip Hinkle – another gay scandal perpetrated by one of those hypocritical, republican, anti-gay politicians… you’d think that, eventually, they would get the idea that if they hide it, that being a politician would eventually bring it out in a much more public and embarrassing way than it would if they just admitted that they were gay from the beginning… 😐
More educated tend to be more religious, by some measures – if you’ve got a bible on your bookshelf, you’re likely to be a “christian”. if you’ve got a torah on your bookshelf, you’re likely to be jewish. if you’ve got a qu’raan on your bookshelf, you’re likely to be muslim. if you’ve got a bhagavat gita on your bookshelf, you’re likely to be hindu. if you’ve got all four on your bookshelf, you’re likely to be an atheist… or more educated than most…
"Super Congress" Designed for One Purpose and Super Congress stacked with climate zombies – this is exactly why the whole idea of a “super” congress that makes decisions which are implimented with no disagreement or debate permitted is unconstitutional in the short run, and, if we don’t do something about it, is more than likely to destroy our country and planet in the not-too-much-longer run… 😡
Rick Perry Calls Social Security and Medicare "Ponzi Schemes" – it’s true this kind of wingnutty talk will endear him to the teabirchers, good luck winning the presidency calling america’s favorite social programs criminal conspiracies…
yesterday there were headlines about the military’s newly-announced capability to fly anywhere on the face of the earth inside of an hour. today, Pentagon loses hypersonic aircraft over Pacific Ocean and then More War Toys We Can’t Afford Don’t Work… Again…– oops… 😮 there were only two prototypes and now they’re not sure if there are going to be any more… oh well… only a million dollars out of our pockets that we’ll never see again…
French Farmer Advertises Against Advertising – “implementing the martial arts technique of ‘using the strength of the adversary to floor him.'”
How to kill the Gulf’s dead-zone zombie – it’s back… 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
just to make sure that everyone is still clear about this, here’s the current trajectory of politics and the american economy stripped down to its bare essentials:
2001-2008: republicans run economy into ditch.
2008: obama elected.
2009-2011: republicans respond by doing everything possible to prevent him from fixing things.
2012: republicans use lousy economy as campaign cudgel against Obama.
2012: republican candidate wins presidency (maybe).
sure, sure, obama deserves some blame for not being aggressive enough etc. etc., but that’s a nit. the basic story is the one above. it’s still kind of hard to believe.
One in seven Americans lives on food stamps – this is the response to those people who are upset that “half of the country doesn’t pay income tax”… 😐
The Coming Social Anarchy – this country may not get a real revolution – 8 Reasons Young Americans Don’t Fight Back: How the US Crushed Youth Resistance – but there’s a good chance that society will fail without a revolution, and either way, things are definitely not going to be the same after that.
Forget Compromise: The Debt Ceiling Is Unconstitutional – i truly am a terrorist: i want the country to run the way it was intended to run, not the way the corrupt, greedy, political/industrial scammers who have taken over want it to run…
The Coup in Washington and Super Congress: the final nail in the coffin of representative democracy and freedom as we know it
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
Pat Buchanan refuses to apologize – “i said ‘your boy‘ not ‘your boy‘…”
12 Things Obama Forgot To Tell The Left – that about covers it, i think…
meanwhile, in the real world…
here’s the thing… The Piper Cub Offense is a piece i found on the web a few years ago, before 9/11. now, with the advent of wireless networking, they’ve taken it one step further: Researchers Show Off Wi-Fi Hacking Drone, so now they not only have the capability to do nasty things to the entire population of cities like new york, washington dc, and so forth, with model-sized airplanes that are, for all intents and purposes invisible to radar, but they also have the ability to intercept cell phone communications, interfere with internet, launch DOS attacks and other more nefarious activities from the same, model-sized, practically invisible aircraft… and the most profound thing i have noticed about this whole deal is that it is nowhere in the news… it’s as though the mainstream news sources just aren’t paying attention to something that, theoretically, could bring about an abrupt and unexpected end to what passes for society these days…
Shell Wins Tentative Approval for Offshore Arctic Drilling – we have met the enemy, and he is us.
The sustainable seafood myth – we have met the enemy, and he is us.
Greek Decriminalization of Drug Use – 😮
WA Man Refuses Marijuana Fines, Chooses Jail – 😮 this is local… just down the road from where i live… and i have heard NOTHING about this on the local news… 😮
Beware Parents: Fox News Thinks Spongebob Is Indoctrinating Your Kids To Be Tree Huggers. No, Seriously. and Google Search Easily Debunks Fox’s Claim Of Anti-Christian Media "Bias" – evidence conclusively proves that fox news really does make stuff up…
End Times? Texas Lake Turns Blood-Red – i wonder how long it will be before the “christianists” latch hold of this and use it as “proof” that “the bible is true”? 😐
at the same time, If a Married Lesbian Couple Saves 40 Teens from the Norway Massacre and No One Writes About it, Did it Really Happen? – good for them. i’m doing what i can to disseminate this story…
Mobile Biometrics to Hit US Streets and House Committee Approves Bill Mandating That Internet Companies Spy on Their Users – bit brother is watching you! (yes, i meant to type “bit” instead of “big”… at first, even i thought it was a typographical error, but the more i think about it, the more i think that i actually meant to type it that way, and just didn’t realise it.)
AT&T Data Plan Scareware: Beyond Our Comfort Level – if you blackmail someone, you most likely end up in jail. if you are AT&T, you may get T-Mobile and a monopoly… reach out and rob everyone…
Child Porn Ring Busted: Guess US Law Enforcement Doesn’t Need Data Retention Bill After All – “at no point in the coverage is there mention of law enforcement having difficulty doing their job.”
Copy Protection Does Not Mean More Sales – many people assume that by cutting out infringement that leads to them making more, but there’s more and more evidence that says that’s simply not true.
US court rules: Isolated human genes can be patented – if we’re not careful, we could, theoretically, reach a point in the not-too-distant future, where our bodies are owned by j.p. morgan chase and monsanto. especially with a body like his: Indian man has hysterectomy after doctors find uterus
Old age can kill, study warns – “We advise people to try and avoid entirely, or at least cut down, on birthdays…”
Idaho Falls police investigate man in bunny suit – why is this news? 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
before anything else, Oceans on brink of catastrophe – “marine life facing mass extinction ‘within one human generation'” it’s getting to the point where we might, actually, be better off encouraging mass extinction of every living thing on the planet and starting over, anyway…
word is that a deal to raise the debt-ceiling has been reached, so all of this may be for nothing, but i’m going to leave it in anyway, because i still blame the politicians for raising such a big stink about it… and despite the fact that a deal to raise the debt-ceiling has been reached, for the most part, the other stuff is still true anyway.
and besides, i’m too lazy to dig up new, non-related-to-the-debt-crisis links at 8:00 on a sunday evening… screw that.
Wall Street braces for US default – if this isn’t an indication that this country is ripe for a revolution, i don’t know what is… but in spite of everything, i think we’re not going to get a revolution, and we are going to default, and become a 3rd world has been within 50 years. Obama to Banks: We’re Not Defaulting – we’re already 99.75% of the way there. all that remains is for our “leaders” to pull the switch and send us all into oblivion. 😡
White House Now Conceals Plan to Cut Social Security – if there are cuts to medicare and SSI, people are gonna be pissed… but, i suppose the logic is that it’ll be the old, infirm and disabled people (in other words, the people who need it most) who will be pissed, and they’re not a threat to anyone. problem is, they’re also the people who have the least to lose by doing something the politicians might not like… 😐
True or False? Over 50% Do Not Pay Income Taxes – almost true… but people like me (infirm, disabled, senior citizens, etc.) make up a significant portion of those people…
Emergency Team Of 8th-Grade Civics Teachers Dispatched To Washington DC and Bachmann Says Unexplained Blackouts From Which She Wakes Up Covered In Blood Won’t Affect Ability To Lead – i’ll just put these here to see if anybody else notices…
The Political Theater and the Debt Ceiling Crisis: Are We Being Had? – “Whatever emerges from the debt ceiling impasse, it will not be in the interest of the American people.” 😮
The Cult That Is Destroying America and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) admits that he is an extortionist
Americans’ debt rage boils over – We’re not a bunch of knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing Neanderthals…
Construction projects halt and nearly 4,000 workers furloughed in partial FAA shutdown – are we having fun yet? you know it’s only going to get worse when the government defaults, right?
TSA Reminds Us All Who The Real Terrorists Are – “the TSA now believes it has the authority to prevent people in public places from talking to each other.”
Angelina County jury finds man guilty of evading arrest after being mistaken for burglar in his own home – the nazis cops couldn’t persecute prosecute this guy for being a burglar, so they had to settle for something else… and, apparently, they didn’t take into account the fact that the guy has “the mind of a child”… 😐
California Marijuana Legalization Initiative Approved for Petitioning and, at EXACTLY the same time, Marijuana eradication raids under way in the Mendocino National Forest – this has got to be costing taxpayer money that could easily be spent on more worthwhile endeavours… 😐
and this is the reason things aren’t going to change any time soon, whatever they decide: Obama Says Drug Users Must Be Treated as Criminals, Obama says he’s not willing to end the drug war and Denied: DEA refuses to reclassify marijuana, claims it’s as dangerous as heroin – “there are no studies to prove the medicinal value of marijuana, and that the plant is basically as unsafe as heroin.” 😡
Wal-Mart Goes Nuclear Over Chicken Necks; Newlyweds Lose House; Husband Deported – former wal-mart employee is now suing wal-mart for loss of income, loss of personal property, lost profits, lost time and imprisonment, libel and slander, mental anguish, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false arrest, malicious prosecution, slander, negligence and conversion… and, although wal-mart is undoubtedly guilty of all those things, and probably a host of other things that aren’t mentioned, they will probably not be made to pay for any of it, because the former wal-mart employee’s husband isn’t (yet) a legal citizen of the united states. 😐
Opposing Free Contraceptives? Does the Christian Right Want to Lower the Abortion Rate or Not? – no, the “christianists” want everybody to convert to their brand of “christianity” and then everybody will magically be able to resist the pleasures of sin… isn’t it obvious?
Paypal will stop purchases from sites music industry identifies as infringing copyright – there are distinct advantages to being assumed innocent until proven guilty, but they don’t matter, because somebody, somewhere is losing money.
School Teacher Could Take HADOPI to Court Over False Disconnection – there are distinct advantages to being assumed innocent until proven guilty, and this guy is learning all about them…
Man Photographing Grandson In Park Deemed Suspicious By Police And Media – “the man also said that he did not run away, but simply walked away from a woman who had gotten very close to him and was yelling at him.”
Amazon cloud hosts nasty banking trojan – yet another in a host of reasons why it might be a good idea to resist cloud computing…
Part Human/Part Animal Hybrid Monsters Are Being Created By Scientists All Over The Planet – 😮
It’s official: IE users are dumb as a bag of hammers – 100,000 test subjects can’t be wrong…
Stop Hoping! Start Changing! – We can smash Pandora’s box and the hope that lives there in a day. But save the wood, as we are going to need to build something new.
another week closer to the eschaton…
A visualisation of US Debt in 100 dollar bills – 😮 WTF? No Way…
Man Gets $330,000 Home for $16 – get ready for more of this kind of thing… my guess is that it’s going to get a lot more common…
Norman Foster Rebuilds Buckminister Fuller’s 1933 Fuel Efficient Vehicle – this is from october of last year, but i just noticed it… and i have to wonder why a guy who rebuilds a fuel-efficient (35 mpg is better than most modern american-made cars) car from 1933 is not advocating that manufacturers should bring it back… is he crazy?!?
Study: Marijuana Not Linked With Long Term Cognitive Impairment – isn’t it time we gave up on this whole “war-on-drugs” mentality and changed our minds? it is not really that difficult…
BP Spills 2,100 to 4,200 Gallons of Oil in Arctic Tundra – unregulated, BP is up to its same old tricks…
Dear House GOP Member: Raise the Debt Ceiling. Love, Ronald Reagan and 40% Less Government Will Be Fun! and What if the Government Defaults? – if the government defaults, it will be because the republicans didn’t do anything… remember that the next time you have a penchant for voting republican…
FAA to shut down at midnight – a preview of things to come if the government defaults. are the republicans really ready for this? i think not…
Teens arrested while waiting for parents in OKC curfew sweep – it’s getting to the point where, if you don’t have the right “papers”, the nazis cops don’t care if what you’re doing is legal, they’re going to take you to jail anyway, and figure it out later… 😐
i don’t usually do this, but Filtered news 7/18/2011 is one of the blogs that i regularly cull for news of a terrorist nature, and on this particular date, he’s really impressed me by hitting every one of them on the head… why read my blog, when you can just go to Russ’ Filtered News
Resist the Temptations of the Cloud! – Richard Stallman launched the free software movement in 1983, so you should listen to him when he speaks about things like this…
Monsanto’s ‘Superweeds’ Gallop Through Midwest – maybe it’s because of the ancestral roots i have as a midwest corn farmer, but i could have told them that this very thing was going to happen when they started marketing “roundup-ready” crops… now they’ve got “roundup-ready” weeds, which adapt more quickly and are more resilient clogging fields and they don’t know what to do about it… i say “learn to eat weeds”… 😐
Comcast Hijacks Mac Firefox Users’ Homepage; Offers Blame Game And Faux Apology In Return – it’s the old “mac-vs.-windoesn’t” battle again, this time involving comcast/xfinity… which makes me really glad that i don’t use xfinity services…
Statehood questioned, so North Dakota to vote on fix – there are only 49 states?
Abu Dhabi Oil Sheikh Writes His Name In The Sand, Two Miles Wide – it’s true…
Confirmed: All non-African people are part Neanderthal and Genetic research confirms that non-Africans are part Neanderthal – 8)
another week closer to the eschaton…
Can We Subpoena The Monkey? Why The Monkey Self-Portraits Are Likely In The Public Domain – this is one of those “there are so many things that are really wrong with the world, and yet this is the kind of thing that make it into the news” items that really frustrates me… because if there weren’t so many other seriously wrong things in the world that take priority, this is really an interesting subject that deserves our attention. for the record, i vote with the monkey, and if that’s not an option, then i think the photo should be in the public domain. if a human being came across an abandoned camera and took pictures with it, and then learned the owner of the camera, he wouldn’t have to give up the copyrights to the pictures that he had taken, and the same is true for the monkey. period.
also, more stuff for driving the creationists crazier than the already are, Scientists unveil tools for rewriting the code of life
now, for the things that are really wrong with the world…
China Oil Spill Six Times Size of Singapore – "The spill from the oil field, which the United States’ ConocoPhillips operates with China’s state-run oil giant CNOOC, has polluted a total area of almost 4,250 square kilometres"… why does it not surprise me that the US is embroiled in this fiasco? 😐
Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients –
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
Woman Gropes TSA Agent’s Breast at Security Checkpoint – and she ended up in jail… the TSA agent continued doing EXACTLY THE SAME THING without suffering any penalties whatsoever… 😐
along the same lines, Nude, bound woman found dead in Big Pharma CEO’s home; no criminal investigation yet – if the same thing happened to you or i, there would be a criminal investigation immediately, but because this guy has money, they haven’t decided whether or not there will be an investigation… 😡
Woman Arrested For Being Verbally Abusive To TSA Agents While Refusing To Let Daughter Be Screened Or Patted Down and Federal Court Rules TSA Violated Law By Introducing Body Scanners – it’s too bad nobody’s going to do anything about it, because "it’s policy" now… "It;s Policy" Has Become An Excuse For Absolutely Unspeakable Acts – it really surprises me how maleable the american people have become in the past few years. and it underscores how, despite the fact that we REALLY need one NOW, a revolution is still a long way off.
The 40-Year Cycle of Cultural Change and Should We Bother to Vote When Revolution Is Inevitable? – the fact that other people are even talking about a revolution gives me hope, but still, i would bet that the true revolution that we need is still, unfortunately, a long way off…
Herman Cain: Americans Have The Right To Ban Mosques and Mass Psychosis in the US: How Big Pharma Hooked Americans on Drugs – this is the reason why… americans are simply too maleable. 😐
Pentagon Declares the Internet a Domain of War – when internet is declared terrorism, only terrorists will have internet.
Google+ multiplies anger by subtracting pseudonyms – another “social network” i will not be using… it makes me wonder what my friend “howlin’ hobbit” does. his is very clearly a case where what he is called by friends and co-workers is very definitely not the name that appears on his drivers’ license…
Murdoch Has Blood on His Hands – "1. Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law." the fox news channel is endless propaganda for war, and various other deadly policies.
Ten Years Ago Portugal Legalized All Drugs — What Happened Next? – hmm… let me see… i haven’t heard a lot about portugal in the news recently — not like germany, or greece, or great britain, or bahrain, or libya, none of whom have legalized all drugs… 😐 also, More Science for the Drug Enforcement Agency to Ignore
15 Food Companies That Serve You Wood As Food – cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed… the FDA sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption… YUM… 😐
‘Pastafarian’ religious headgear gives new meaning to ‘cookware’ and Austrian driver allowed ‘pastafarian’ headgear photo – 😮
another week closer to the eschaton…
Iran’s supreme leader accuses U.S. of terrorism – america is a terrorist… wait, america is a terrorist! too bad nobody’s going to pay attention, because the guy who pointed it out is brown and believes in the wrong god… 😐
Justice to Drop Investigations Into CIA Officials Involved in Torture – because it’s only illegal for other terrorists… 😐
Bachmann cites wrong John Wayne, praises notorious serial killer – our new tea party candidate for president, michelle bachman, tries – and spectacularly FAILS – to invoke the memory of john wayne, by mistakenly and cluelessly invoking the memory of john wayne gacy. is there any further question that this woman is COMPLETELY UNQUALIFIED to lead this country? 😐
FACT CHECK: Documents Reveal Bachmann Benefited From And Relied Upon Government-Funded Earmarks and Michele Bachmann Defies Tom Petty’s Cease and Desist – she declares herself to be “very sincere in what i say”, but what she says is one thing, and what she does is entirely the opposite… either your words, or your actions are lying, and i tend to believe that it’s your words.
and, if you had any further doubts, Why Michelle Bachmann must never be president (hint: she’s crazy!)
Fukushima Spews, Los Alamos Burns, Vermont Rages & We’ve Almost Lost Nebraska and Three US Nuclear Facilities Threatened by Flood, Fire – “There is no possibility of a meltdown”… famous last words?
BP Is Holding Gulf Restoration Process ‘Financially Captive’ – remember the gulf oil spill that i said was going to be a problem for a long time to come? it still is, and it’s not going away any time soon, despite what the media would like you to believe. 😐
AR-15 Left Sitting On Trunk of Seattle Police Car – instead of going after real terrorists, the seattle cops clowns are photographed driving around with an assault rifle on the the trunk of their car… right where any “terrorist” with any balls at all could have just walked off with it… and they still haven’t found former chief gil kerlikowske’s gun, which was stolen out of his unmarked police car, in 2004…
Cops Just Love Those Tasers – Mentally Handicapped Boy Tasered, Pepper Sprayed and Hog Tied and Police Taser, Beat, Pepper Spray Mentally Handicapped Teen – Then Charge Him With Assault – 😮
Summer Travel Discounts and Authorities Investigate Security Breach At JFK After Man Flies To Los Angeles Without Ticket Or ID – an unwashed, smelly nigerian (they caught him because passengers in his immediate vicinity complained about the smell) boarded virgin america flight 415 from new york to los angeles without a valid passport or identification, using an expired boarding pass for a flight the day before that belonged to someone else, and he wasn’t arrested until a week later when he tried to fly back to new york using the same scam… instead of going after real terrorists, these… 😮
Woman sprays police with breast milk – instead of going after real terrorists, these cops clowns take down a drunk mother at a wedding…
The Navy Bought Fake Chinese Microchips That Could Have Disarmed U.S. Missiles – 😮
Obama Administration Issues New Threats Against Medical Cannabis – how’s that “hope” and “change” workin’ out for ya’…? still, given the choice, i’d still rather have obama than mccain. not by much, though, and i’d still far rather have someone like kucinich or johnson, for whatever that’s worth…
on the other hand, Ricardo Cortés, author of It’s Just A Plant and other modern classics, has released a freely-downloadable book about jury nullification, called Jury Independence Illustrated – go get it!
Microsoft May Add Eavesdropping To Skype – yet another reason why i don’t use microsoft products… and the version of skype i currently have installed on my computer is from before skype was gobbled up by the 800 pound gorilla.
Boffins take REMOTE CONTROL of HUMAN HAND – this is scary and interesting the same time… scary because it is a little too close to “The Matrix” for my comfort, but interesting because it could potentially teach brain injury survivors to function normally…
Are You a Good Person? – a “christian” meets a rabbi who knows what he’s talking about. i wish i had that kind of patience… 8)
another week closer to the eschaton…
The Patriot Act and the Quiet Death of the US Bill of Rights – welcome to the united states. here are your chains, your desk is over there. somebody will give you food, eventually, if you do your job well. have a nice day…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
No automatic right to lawyer in US civil cases – I can’t… oooooOOOO… <stamping around waving arms>… 😛
Woman arrested for filming police from her front yard – instead of going after real terrorists (the guy who was stopped that she was filming was not arrested) the rochester cops clowns arrest an innocent bystander, on private property, who was legally entitled to take the video that she was taking… and then, later on, Rochester Police Ticket Supporters of Woman Who Taped Police From Her Own Front Yard… don’t rochester cops clowns have better things to do?
TSA stands by officers after pat-down of elderly woman in Florida – instead of going after real terrorists, the TSA clowns see fit to strip search a 95-year old lady in a wheelchair, including forcing her to remove her adult diaper…
CMPD Independence Officer Goes Postal Over Blogger With A Camera – blogger takes a picture of an arrest in progress. police officer lies and tell him he doesn’t have the right to take pictures, then police officer lies about his identity, and when blogger calls for clarification, he is lied to by a police public information officer… what! the! FUCK!?!? 😛
Bank robber planned crime and punishment – he robbed the bank of $1, so that he would be arrested and sent to jail… where he could get the medical care that he couldn’t get any other way… and says that, if he is released, he’ll do it again… 😛
Surprise! TSA Is Searching Your Car, Subway, Ferry, Bus, AND Plane – they haven’t caught a significant number of “terrorists” in the usual fashion, so now they’re upping the ante. i was on a crowded city bus the other day and four burley, uniformed, jack-booted thugs got on the bus and rousted all the passengers for proof of ID and of paid fare… and then escorted one pathetic bum (who was actually asleep) off the bus because he didn’t have the “proper papers”… you would think that they could find better things to do with their time. 😐
TSA claims it will soon stop molesting little children, but not adults, veterans, senior citizens or the disabled, but TSA Lies About Policy "Change" On Child Pat Downs – i was at the king street station, recently, and observed a quiet gentleman with a jacket that said “TSA Inspector” on the back, watching the crowd for “suspicious behaviour”… i tried to take a picture of him, but he was apparently aware of me (i was making no effort to hide), and he successfully dodged my camera…
12 Things That The Mainstream Media Is Being Strangely Quiet About Right Now – “the worst nuclear disaster in human history continues to unfold in japan , US nuclear facilities are being threatened by flood waters, the US military is bombing Yemen, gigantic cracks in the earth are appearing all over the globe and the largest wildfire in arizona history is causing immense devastation… but anthony weiner, bristol palin and miss USA are what the mainstream media want to tell us about and most americans are buying it.”
Full container screening ‘not best’ move: US security chief – you are required to be body-scanned every time you travel, but those big containers from outside the country sail through with no inspection at all…
John McCain, Imperialist – and, so far, he’s not in the running for president this year… which is, probably, a very good thing indeed, because John McCain’s Claim of Illegal Immigrants Starting Arizona Wildfires is Disputed by Forest Service and then McCain Now Denies Ever Saying Undocumented Immigrants Started Wildfire… if he can’t get it right whatever they say, he doesn’t have much hope as president, much less getting a nomination… WE HOPE… 😐
9/11 and the Orwellian Redefinition of "Conspiracy Theory" – welcome to 1984: War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength… and any other definitions will result in prison torture retraining.
NATO admits causing Libya civilian deaths – fine, get gadhdhafi out if you must, but don’t kill babies, okay? it’s not the babies’ fault, regardless of how hateful gadhdhafi is…
Call Off the Global Drug War – by President Jimmy Carter
Hill: Barney Frank, Ron Paul Propose Legislation That Would End Federal Marijuana Prohibition – Historic Bill to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition Introduced – Tell your representative in Congress to put an end to the war on marijuana users!!
Public Serive Announcement: Should I Change My Password? uses a number of databases that have been released by crackers to the public, and has been created to help the average person check if their password(s) may have been compromised and need to be changed.
another week closer to the eschaton…
it’s getting to the point where i can’t honestly say that i’m happier with obama than i would have been with any of his potential republican counterparts… at this point, he’s marginally better than anybody the republicans have fielded so far, but that’s not saying much, simply because the potential republican candidates, at this point, are all raging, homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic, christianist nut-jobs who give the normal homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic, christianist nut-jobs a really bad name… this country is long overdue for another revolution… 😐
Mitt Romney Feels Your Pain: ‘I’m Also Unemployed’ – you spent $42 million on a failed presidential campaign three years ago. when you’ve had a brain injury and are on disability, then – maybe – we can talk. until then, you’re yet another raging, homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic, christianist nut-job.
F.B.I. Agents Get Leeway to Push Privacy Bounds – which means allowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracted their attention… by the way, F.B.I…. I AM A TERRORIST! and i will continue to be a terrorist until you have something better to do than poke through my garbage. 😐
Families say Guantanamo ‘suicides’ were killings – but they’re wrong, because, as we all know, committing suicide by tearing out your own esophagus is common practice…
DHS Should Focus on Criminal Activity, Not Beliefs – but they won’t, because going after people who have divergent beliefs is so much easier…
How police are turning military – i keep seeing things about how we’re living in a police state, and how lawmakers are agreeing that the federal government has, basically, abrogated the constitution. this is one more, shocking, aspect of that perception.
10 Members of Congress Sue President Obama over Illegal Libya War – we all know that it’s going to go nowhere, but once again, dennis kucinich is at the forefront of keeping the goons in charge off balance…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
The Cloud: Trojan Horse For Internet Takeover – this is something that i’ve been saying ever since the whole concept of “cloud computing” has become more prevalent… and one of the primary reasons why i REFUSE to put any of my personal artwork or information on “the cloud”.
Seized Domains Fight Back – “The Rojadirecta site, which is made up of user forums and link indexes, has been found by two Spanish courts specifically not to violate copyright.”… not that it makes an awful lot of difference to home clown-land security… 😐
Magic mushroom’s positive effects lasting over a year, say researchers – it’s too bad nobody’s going to do anything about the fact that mushrooms – A PLANT – are illegal… at this point, we’ve got states which say that cannabis – A PLANT – is legal and, at the same time, a president who promised to make federal enforcement of cannabis laws the lowest priority, but a federal government which, thus far, has cracked down hard and fast on the (legal) cannabis dispensaries which have popped up… so i don’t hold out much hope for mushrooms. 😐
Cannabis and Radiation Protection and Cannabinoid Administration Halts Disease Progression, Decreases Mortality In Primate Version of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) – that innocent plant that you say is a drug so evil that it’s illegal to even think about? that innocent plant will protect you from radiation poisoning, and will cure HIV infections! how do you like them apples, big brother? 😡
Man tossed off flight after cursing in Detroit may sue – instead of going after real terrorists, they’re throwing this guy off of a plane for dropping the F-bomb.
finally, Spongiforma squarepantsii lifeform found in Borneo – i wish this were a joke… i really do.
another week closer to the eschaton…
Fukushima nuclear plant may have suffered ‘melt-through’, Japan admits – this isn’t going away any time soon, regardless of how much the media tries to obscure the fact.
One in four US hackers ‘is an FBI informer’ – hmm… this makes the fact that cyber-terrorism is now an act of war particularly bothersome… quite apart from the fact that there is a distinct difference between a "HACKer" — which is a "white-hat" who explores, but doesn’t cause any damage — and a "CRACKer" — which is a "black-hat" who does indiscriminate damage and vandalism (and what the article is probably referring to is, actually, a "CRACKer"), what if the hacker that starts the next war is also an FBI informant? does that mean that the government is going to declare war against itself?
Cyber War, Civil liberties and Internet freedom in the US: "It is truly a shame that what is viewed abroad as heroic is considered as suspect at home." – i’ve been wondering about that myself: US bankrolls ‘shadow Internet for dissidents’ abroad, but if we were to do that for use at home, it would very definitely be cause for suspicion…
Two Women Ticketed For Eating Doughnuts In A Brooklyn Playground – instead of going after real terrorists, the brooklyn cops are ticketing people for being in a park without being accompanied by a child.
Special Needs Son Harassed by TSA at Detroit Metropolitan Airport – instead of going after real terrorists, two TSA agents fondled, and then forced a severely mentally disabled 29 year old to throw away his favourite toy in order to travel… 😛
Ex-TSA Supervisor Gets Prison for Stealing From Passengers – instead of going after real terrorists, this guy was stealing from the people he was supposed to be inspecting… 😡
Legalize Cannabis, Says Inventor of ‘Spice’ Chemicals – legalise the real thing so that people won’t do stupid things with erzatz chemicals that mimics the real thing, but haven’t been as thoroughly and extensivly tested on human beings…
Homophobic Men Most Aroused by Gay Male Porn – they’re kidding, right? it was my impression that this was known years ago…
finally, Crime to Post Images That Cause "Emotional Distress" "Without Legitimate Purpose" – they can’t really do that, can they? because it’s my impression that at least half of the images on internet will cause ’emotional distress’ to somebody… 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
Japanese PM Says He Will Resign Over Fukushima – my impression is that resigning will, among other things, be like saying “it’s somebody else’s problem now”, a lot more than it would be like saying “this happened on my watch, and i am dishonoured by it”… at the same time, he’s probably going to be long dead before we have heard the last of fukushima anyway…
Cyber Combat: Act of War – the united states now has the “legal” ability to respond, with conventional military force, to any country which is behind the launch of a cyber-attack… i feel "safer" already…
God Bless America… And Its Bombs – apparently dropping bombs is not a war, but guessing a password on a computer is… yep… i feel a lot "safer"… 😐
Police ROBOT attacks and BURNS DOWN HOUSE – yep… "safer"… NOT! 😛 and it’s no wonder that i read about it thanks to a foreign news source. my guess is that local news sources have been told off not to report something this embarrassing… and violent… 😐
Pay or Die – brief and to the point.
We Are The Terrorists – NO justice, NO peace!
Boeing Paid No Corporate Taxes For Three Years, Still Wants A Tax Cut – this is why we’re experiencing a recession these days…
The Happiest Countries In The World – guess what… the united states is not one of them… i would say “big surprise” but it’s not really surprising…
Apple causes ‘religious’ reaction in brains of fans – so that’s why they’re such die-hard fanboys… and, it possibly explains why i am not a mac-head any longer…
The NutriSmart system would put RFIDs into your food for enhanced information – why is it that i am reminded of that old axiom regarding computer software: “if it contains the word ‘smart’, be on the lookout for something REALLY dumb”? could it be that i am concerned about what happens to the RFID once we’re “through with it”? 😐
World Leaders Encourage Drug Legalization – not all of them – yet – but it’s a step in the right direction… also Global War On Drugs Has Failed – now, can we please have states control the dispensaries and the feds keep their hands off, like obama promised would happen (but hasn’t yet)…? PLEASE? 😐
Fresno Co. Deputies Bust Medical Marijuana Dispensaries – apparently not… 😐
Spiritual Environmentalism: Healing Ourselves by Replenishing the Earth
German Catholic Doctors Offer Homeopathic ‘Gay Treatment’ – what. the. fuck??? 😮 but only if the “gay” asks for it, otherwise they won’t give the treatment… i thought they didn’t believe in that kind of shit…
another week closer to the eschaton…
A Patriotic Duty: Repeal the Patriot Act and The Patriot Act: When Truth Becomes Treason – i am a patriot? americans are not nearly afraid enough.
Not Enjoying TSA Grope-Down is a Suspicious Activity – “a very large segment of the population” are terrorists, and will no longer be able to travel by anything more technologically advanced than a bicycle.
Protecting Us from Our Freedoms and PATRIOT Act Extension Scheme Sells out Constitution – here’s an idea… let’s overthrow these douchebags and get back to the concept that america was founded on: FREEDOM!
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
and, speaking of freedoms, As The DEA Raids Dispensaries, It Hands Out Cannabis Growing Licenses To Big Pharma – cannabis is illegal because it “doesn’t have any medicinal value”… unless you happen to be a big pharmaceutical company that has enough money and clout to lobby the government, at which point, the same government that imprisons you hands out permits for medicinal research without questioning what the end result will be used for. 😛
Fine Print Blurs Who’s in Control of Online Photos – watch out, you may be giving away commercial rights to artwork that you created, if you upload it to the wrong place…
Radio host says Rapture actually coming in October – “wait, i was wrong” says the guy who was wrong two times before… is anybody really going to buy it this time?
President Obama’s Aunt graduates from Unification church seminary – that would definitely make me think twice about voting for him again… it’s sort of like saying his aunt is a scientologist: do we really want these people in charge of our country?
Oakland school’s lessons in gender diversity and Male-only clams stay fit by having sex with other species – more things to drive the creationists crazy… seriously, they’ve made enough “discoveries” just about sex over the past 100 years to completely wipe out any hope the creationists had of convincing me that their story is anything but a fairy tale…
finally, Tupac still alive in New Zealand – there’s a rumour that pbs.org has been hacked, but if they had been, then presumably they would have taken down anything posted by the hackers – as long as they knew it was there, which they might not… yet… the page no longer exists, so maybe they found it while i was writing this… very weird…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Contact Congress Now Before it Deals Away Your Privacy Rights! and Congressional leaders agree on four-year extension of PATRIOT Act – here’s an idea… let’s overthrow these douchebags and get back to the concept that america was founded on: FREEDOM!
What International Law Says about the Killing of Bin Laden – “A targeted killing of a terrorist does not, contrary to what US President Barack Obama has suggested, do a service to justice; rather, it runs contrary to it. A state governed by the rule of law, treats even its enemies humanely. It arrests terrorists and brings them before a court.”
Secret Service interrogates Tacoma 7th grader – instead of going after real terrorists, the secret service is strong-arming a seventh-grader – without representation – about something he posted on facebook…
In public statement, TSA lies about the Constitution – i keep wondering when enough is really going to be enough… 😐
Obama’s Middle East Hypocrisy – “hope,” “change,” peace, democratic values, closing Guantanamo in one year, ending torture, illegal spying, and detention without trial, “a new era of openness”…? i suppose democrats are just as “honest” as republicans when it comes to getting elected…
This Is What A Police State Looks Like and Warrants Let Agents Enter Homes Without Owner Knowing – “The ACLU said it expects delayed-notice warrant numbers to keep growing each year as long as certain parts of the Patriot Act remain on the books”…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
Stephen Hawking: ‘There is no heaven; it’s a fairy story’ – stephen hawking is one guy who i would say is not wrong about too many things, and if he says heaven is a fairy story, it doesn’t look good for people who say he’s wrong…
Government Orders YouTube To Censor Protest Videos – broadcast yourself… unless it’s doing something that the gummint doesn’t approve of, even if it’s not the gummint of the country you’re in at the time…
Microsoft Structured Acquisition Of Skype To Avoid U.S. Taxes – this is wrong on so VERY many levels… but my impression is that most people are not even going to notice, or, if they do, they’ll think that it is good for the economy…
The RIAA Picks A New Legal Target – my impression has always been that you don’t want to keep documents to which you don’t want other people to have access, on “the cloud”, especially media files that you downloaded, but here’s a very good reason to avoid that practice, if you have done so in the past…
finally, False May 21, 2011 Doomsday prophet Harold Camping "deserts" devastated followers, church offers solace and Harold Camping ‘flabbergasted’; rapture a no-show – being wrong once is bad enough, but when a “prophet” is wrong twice somebody should check on the followers of that “prophet” as well… The Incredibly Tiny “christian” Universe
another week closer to the eschaton…
Bin Laden Sons Say U.S. Broke International Law – it’s what i’ve been saying all along: killing osama bin laden was not an act of “justice”, it was an act of revenge. killing osama bin laden reduces the united states to the same level that we are claiming that the “terrorists” occupy. if we truly wanted justice, osama bin laden would still be alive, in custody, and awaiting trial for his crimes.
No Pictures, It Did Happen: Al-Qaida Admits Osama’s Dead – whether he was dead before now or not is still a question, but answering it is sort of a moot point… now, finally can we MOVE ON and discuss other things? thank you…
we can talk about the helicopter that crashed in the process of killing him… technically it’s not about killing bin laden, it’s about the helicopter… 🙂 Pakistan Hints China Wants a Peek at Secret Helicopter – was it worth it?
Nuclear meltdown at Fukushima plant – anybody remember that, or are you too overwhelmed with curiosity about the US murder of osama bin laden? it’s quite likely that we’ll still be dealing with the repercussions of fukushima long after everyone has forgotten who osama bin laden was…
Renewable energy can power the world – there’s still hope, if you want to pursue it… there’s no telling how long we can hold out, though, and fairly soon we won’t have choices any longer one way or the other…
TSA Defends Pat Down Of Baby: Stroller Set Off Explosives Alarm – instead of hunting down real terrorists, the gummint is feeling up babys in strollers and harrassing their parents when they complain about it.
another week closer to the eschaton… the osama bin laden edition
Obama Bags Osama — So Now What? – here’s a hint: the “global war on terror” just entered a new, more violent phase, and here’s the reason why: Justice or Vengeance? – you’ve probably heard the phrase “justice has been served” in relation to this event, but “justice” has very definitely not been served. if justice were to have been served, even a little bit, osama bin laden would still be alive, aboard a US warship somewhere, awaiting an impartial (i.e. with the US not providing the judge or jury) trial for terrorism, instead of swimming with the fishes. it is hypocritical to hold another country to a higher standard than we are willing to live up to, ourselves, and dishonest to imply that justice has been served. what has “been served” is childish, selfish, vindictive and wrong in every sense of the word.
My Reaction to Osama bin Laden’s Death – we might ask ourselves how we would be reacting if iraqi commandos landed at george w. bush’s compound, assassinated him, and dumped his body in the atlantic…
‘Most wanted Nazi’ Sandor Kepiro, 97, tried in Hungary – they’re still maintaining a veneer of respectability, and actually trying nazis in a court of law, in spite of the fact that they’re ancient, but when it comes to osama bin laden, it’s a lot easier to just kill him… 😡
The danger of confusing the death of Osama Bin Laden with an act of justice.
Osama bin Laden Death: Pakistan Says US May Have Breached Sovereignty
Why the truth will out but doesn’t sink in
White House fumbles getting its Osama bin Laden story straight
Osama bin Laden: Murder Without a Corpse
Bin Laden: When the Lie Becomes the Truth
A Final Word on the Bin Laden Hoax
Why Bin Laden Was Not Taken Alive
Osama Bin Laden shot dead in front of relatives, claims Al Qaeda leader’s 12-year-old daughter
Bin Laden’s Daughter Saw U.S. Troops Kill Him
Bin Laden was captured alive and then executed, ‘claims daughter, 12’
The Slippery Story of the bin Laden Kill
Why Didn’t We Capture the Terrorist Kingpin and Interrogate Him?
Michael Moore: ‘Bin Laden Was Executed’
Salman Rushdie: Pakistan’s Deadly Game
Waterboarding ‘Worked’?: Media Push Pro-Torture Message
Imperialism and Bin Laden’s Assassination
Dead Empire Walking: On Playing into Al Qaida’s Hands
Cannabis found at Abbottabad Compound
don’t get me wrong, i’m just as happy to see osama bin laden dead as the next guy, but when we have to arrive at that point by doing the EXACT SAME THINGS that we are accusing him of doing, there’s nothing i can do but speak out about it. there were 3,000 plus people killed in 9/11, and since then, there have been 50,000 or so killed in the “global war on terror” since then, but those dead people are not vindicated by osama bin laden’s death… and by killing him, it is as though we are saying that they have died for nothing.
There is nothing normal about celebrating death
Despite the Death of Osama bin Laden, the Terrorists are STILL Winning
and, just in case you had any doubts, Bin Laden corpse pics will be malware, says FBI
another week closer to the eschaton…
"Safe" Radiation is a Lethal Three Mile Island Lie and Nuclear Power Can Never Be Made Safe – in case there were any questions… unfortunately, i am getting the very strong impression that it’s going to have to happen to us, in “somebody’s back yard” – It’s Time to Close California’s Nuclear Power Plants – before we’re going to do anything to stop it… and by then, it may be too late.
No Place to Hide: Internet Tracking Probe Unveiled as New Smartphone Spy Scandal Unwinds – even on cell phones which do not have GPS capabilities, they still have “location service” software that triangulates on the closest cell phone towers, and stores that information in unencrypted files. i have known this for years, which is one of the reasons why i don’t use my cell phone that frequently…
meanwhile, Steve Jobs Lies About iPhone Tracking – because nobody will know anything if they don’t admit it…
and, in case you were completely clueless, President Obama Makes a Fair Trial of Bradley Manning Impossible By Declaring Him Guilty
Obama Doctrine Allows for Regime Change by Assassination – and when he can’t just declare someone guilty and have that stick, the next step is to try assassination.
Obama Doctrine Allows for Regime Change by Assassination – only the people who follow bin laden’s lead will not see this as a reason to give up, but they will see this as a reason to redouble their efforts… 😡
and, by the way, they’re already up in arms about it: Taliban commander vows to avenge Bin Laden’s death – this is why the whole idea of killing osama bin laden was wrong from the very beginning… oh well, i suppose they’ll never learn… 😐
TSA Molests Miss USA, Makes Her Cry… For Your Safety
White House releases Obama’s "Long Form" birth certificate – and judging by some of the comments, that is not going to make one iota of difference… although i like the one that says “now do we call them the ‘after-birther’ movement?” i may disagree with how obama is running the country, but i’d still much rather have him than pretty much anyone else from the republicretins who is saying that they want to be president at this point… palin, trump, santorum, romney, gingrich, pawlenty, bachman, huckabee… Obama Birth Certificate Number Proves Forgery? – what did i say?
BP Expects to Resume Drilling in Gulf of Mexico within Months – oil spill? what oil spill?
An illegal substance sold legally
Belgium reaches one year without a full government – which just goes to show you that, ultimately, we don’t really need a full government to get things done… a fact which somebody should have noticed by now…
Superman Renounces His U.S. Citizenship – he’s tired of “having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy.” republicretins in real life are outraged… 🙂
another week closer to the eschaton…
A Teabagger fails miserably in refuting racism charge – dude… where’s my country!?
you know you’re doing it wrong when the ku klux klan posts a news release distancing themselves from you and yours… – Ku Klux Klan Distances Selves From Westboro Baptist Church, Tea Party
10 Examples That Should Convince Anyone That We No Longer Live In The Land Of The Free And The Home Of The Brave – it’s too bad the republicans (and, to a certain extent, the democrats as well) would make things worse, in the name of the “land of the free and the home of the brave”…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter Signs Executive Order That Will End Medicaid In His State – it’s what the people of idaho should have expected when they elected someone named “butch otter”…
When Will It Be “Enough”? – the police, regardless of how good they seem, and how helpful they are in certain circumstances, are very definitely NOT your friends, even under the best of circumstances.
The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning’s detention – my theory is that they’re going to hold him in isolation until he breaks, and then they’re going to “rehabilitate” him so that he “doesn’t remember” ever giving anything to wikileaks… it’s hypocritical of obama to condemn regiems which torture, while complicitly agreeing to torture his own, innocent countryman. 😐 President Obama speaks on Manning and the rule of law and Obama on Manning: "He Broke the Law." So Much for that Trial… – obama speaks with forked tongue. 😛
Medical marijuana seminar canceled in Highland Township and Should Cops Be Allowed to Scan Your Phone During a Traffic Stop? – once again, this seems to be appropriate…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
One Year After BP Oil Spill: Communities Lead While Congress Fails, 3,200 Gulf Wells Unplugged, Unprotected and A Year After Spill, BP Gives Big Bucks To GOP Leadership – notably, only one republican has said that he won’t accept the donation. i will NEVER buy gas from BP again… among other things… 😐
Umbrella, not gun, caused mall evacuation – so, instead of going after real terrorists, they’re evacuating a mall and terrorising an innocent guy taking a walk with his umbrella… the terrorists have won, and we don’t even realise it… 😐
Obama Pushes Chinese-Style Internet ID System – “too draconian” for china, but just fine for the united states… here’s a hint, obama… it’s OUR internet, not YOUR internet…
iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go – one of the primary reasons why i don’t have an iphone…
another big reason to resist the cloud – Greenpeace spies soot lining in cloud data centers
‘Piss Christ’ Destroyed by Catholic Vandals – catholics claim to be tolerant, but when someone does something blasphemous they lose it and start destroying things… sucks to be them, i guess…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Texas GOP Rep. Introduces Sharia Ban Because He Heard Sharia Is A Threat On The Radio, Asks ‘Isn’t That True?’ and The Anti-Choice Movement: "Not Intended to Be Factual" – these people are your ELECTED representatives, and they are in charge of making our laws… and what they say is “not intended to be factual”?!?
Santorum To Beck: States Should Be Allowed To Criminalize Gay Sex – this fool wants to be president… he is only encouraging people to make fun of him. i say don’t disappoint him.
I Just Paid More Taxes Than Most of Corporate America – and america wonders why it’s in the middle of a financial catastrophe…
During Bush Presidency, Current GOP Leaders Voted 19 Times To Increase Debt Limit By $4 Trillion – but now that we have a democratic president, all bets are off.
Nuclear Nightmare Getting Worse, Yet Propaganda Continues – 😮
TSA Says ‘You Might Be A Terrorist If… You Complain About The TSA’ – that way, when they bust you for complaining about them, they can claim that they’ve busted another terrorist and everybody will be impressed with their prowess… 😐
TSA lied about promise not to grope children – instead of catching real terrorists, the gummint is trying to justify feeling up little girls… do we really want these people in charge of where we travel?
Ohio funeral home can’t liquefy bodies – in spite of the fact it’s safer and more efficient than burial or cremation, and the fact that there is no law prohibiting it, the “health department” has directed local officials not to issue permits required for disposing of bodies or accept death certificates when it is apparent that the bodies are going to be liquified… people keep wondering why the environment is going down the tubes… here’s a hint, people: IT’S BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU!! 😐
Obama moves forward with Internet ID plan – oh boy, another way to “keep us safe” from predators on the internet…
US and Russia Fighting Destruction of Smallpox Virus Samples – it’s unethical and hypocritical for the united states to accuse other people of making weapons of mass destruction when the united states is behind the production of weapons of mass destruction. hasn’t anybody else noticed this?
Glenn Beck Suggests Only ‘Hookers’ Depend On Planned Parenthood – 😮
When Politicians Joke About Medical Cannabis, They’re Laughing at AIDS and Cancer Patients – ha, ha… 😐
Utah Republicretins Cut Unemployment Insurance As ‘Motivation For People To Get Back To Work’ – this “lazy, drug-addicted hobo” has something to say about your “motivation”…
The United States Has Mexico….and Sweden Has Us – WalMart is next…
Chicago school bans homemade lunches, the latest in national food fight – so instead of going after real terrorists, they have decided to crack down on home-made lunches illegal at chicago’s public schools… they’ve made exceptions for kids with food alergies, but what if the kid’s a vegetarian? or one of those freaky religions that doesn’t eat pork?
Is Sugar Toxic? – yes. next question?
Breathing More Profit into Chocolate Bars – as little as everyone else seems to care about this sort of thing, when they start messing with my chocolate, they’re pushing me over the line, and i’ve got to respond…
Hey Facebook: What’s SO wrong about a pic of two men kissing? – yet another reason why i am not a member of facebook… 😐
GE Returns Billions to Public… NOT – they took a big stock hit, before the hoax was revealed… i guess paying back doesn’t pay after all… 😐
this is not a joke: PETA Brand Steak Sauce
this is a joke… a big, fat, steaming pile of joke: Obama Orders Guantánamo Prisoners Transferred To Next President – now i feel like i ought to go wash my hands…
another week closer to the eschaton…
An Open Letter to The Ruling Class
You control our world. You’ve poisoned the air we breathe, contaminated the water we drink, and copyrighted the food we eat. We fight in your wars, die for your causes, and sacrifice our freedoms to protect you. You’ve liquidated our savings, destroyed our middle class, and used our tax dollars to bailout your unending greed. We are slaves to your corporations, zombies to your airwaves, servants to your decadence. You’ve stolen our elections, assassinated our leaders, and abolished our basic rights as human beings. You own our property, shipped away our jobs, and shredded our unions. You’ve profited off of disaster, destabilized our currencies, and raised our cost of living. You’ve monopolized our freedom, stripped away our education, and have almost extinguished our flame. We are hit… we are bleeding… but we ain’t got time to bleed. We will bring the giants to their knees and you will witness our revolution!
Sincerely,
The Serfs
The Human Right to Get High on Drugs – RIGHT ON!! this is a silver-haired president of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, who is an ADMITTED drug-user…
Obama’s Big Lie Meets Iraqi Resistance, Obama’s Key Vulnerability in 2012: He Hasn’t Delivered Change, Obama has taken a ‘profoundly troubling’ position on assassinations, 10 Reasons Obama is Just As Bad or Worse Than Bush and Cowardly, Stupid, and Tragically Wrong – this is ridiculous, and is a very good example of what happens when i end up having to vote for somebody i don’t want to get in, in order to prevent someone i don’t want to get in even more from winning. i’m going to vote for aleister crowley and frank zappa next year, no matter what happens. 😛
U.S. Predator teams and a special operations unit on the ground studying a suspicious convoy make a series of fateful missteps as they try to distinguish friend from foe. – i think one of the biggest errors was to name them a “predator team”. if they were called a “peacekeeping team” they could do essentially the same thing without being so stigamatised when they make mistakes. 😐
Government shutdown: How it will affect student jobs, home loans, unemployment data, and other economic activity. and Meet Mr. G: A Greedy, Grasping Schoolteacher – are we going to allow the mindless, tea-bagging republicretins to shut down the government and screw people out of our ability to continue to exist, or are we going to do something about it? 😐 my guess is that we’re going to sit around “with our teeth in our mouth” (as my grandfather used to say) until someone comes around and knocks them out for us… 😐
however, Despite deal, US budget woes far from over, ‘It’s Nonsense’ To Say GOP Willing To Shut Down Government Over Planned Parenthood – the fact that they didn’t shut down the government is not a sign that everything is “back to normal” again, and the republicretins are still out to destroy our society. examples? Montana: “Gays who recruit” to get a 10 year sentence and a $50k Fine, All Immigrants Must Convert To Christianity and Poor people with money should be outlaws – dude… WHERE’S MY COUNTRY?!? 😛
Um… no, it’s not – it’s people like this who are responsible for the country – or what’s left of it – being in the situation in which it is, currently… 😐
‘No Safe Levels’ of Radiation in Japan – 😮
Honeybees ‘entomb’ hives to protect against pesticides – somebody’s got to do something about it, and if the humans won’t, then the honeybees will…
Ai Weiwei probed over economic crimes – yeah, right… 😐
Scott Walker Pays $81.5K Gov’t Salary to Drunk-Driving Loser Son of Crony – koch suck and a reach-around…
Family Research Council accidentally admits truth about hate group charges – oops… 😉
I preached against homosexuality, but I was wrong – good for him. now if only the rest of “christianity” would follow his example. not likely.
Isle of Wight man dies trying to answer 3,000 spam emails a day – spam kills!
another week closer to the eschaton…
Mr. James Duane, a professor at Regent Law School and a former defense attorney, tells you why you should never agree to be interviewed by the police.
RIAA lobbyist becomes federal judge, rules on file-sharing cases – if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em… and then turn against ’em when they’re not expecting it… except that everybody EXCEPT the federal government was expecting EXACTLY this kind of thing to happen. now everybody’s talking about conflict of interest… DUH!!! 😐
Introducing Kestrel, The First Road-Ready Car Built Out Of Hemp – if current trends continue, this may be the first and last time you will ever read anything about this technology that could save the world…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Germany set to abandon nuclear power for good – good for them! hopefully they’ll set an example that other people will want to emulate… although i doubt it… 😐
Kucinich Wants to Impeach Obama For Libyan Strike – and well he should. US lawmaker targets Libya strike funding – tell me again why we didn’t vote this guy into office in 2008… A Set-Up? – remember vietnam?
meanwhile, Libya: Six injured as US team botches rescue of downed airmen – there should be a rule that you don’t get to start a war unless you know the difference between enemies and… what are those other people called? … friends… that’s it… 😐 no, scratch that… there should just be a rule that you don’t get to start a war. period.
and, in other news, Nobel Committee asked to strip Obama of Peace Prize – they won’t do it, of course, but it’s nice of them to consider it… “Obama has now fired more cruise missiles than all other Nobel Peace prize winners combined.”
and, while we’re at it, Oil Will Be Gone in 50 Years – so whatever we’re doing in libya won’t make any difference anyway…
Alaska Airlines Apologizes for Jewish Prayer Mix-Up – these guys were jews, not muslims… and while i can understand the confusion of most of white-bread “christian” passengers and their ignorance of such things, the airline employees should know that their tefilin are not esoteric weapons of mass distruction… 😐 along with that is Southwest Airlines Apologizes to Muslim Passenger – they haven’t caught any real terrorists, but they have caught three conventional jews and an innocent mother…
Steven Seagal, Sheriff Raid Valley Home In Tank – the accused had his house destroyed, because the sheriff suspected him of running cockfights… he was alone, and unarmed, and… steven seagal?!? don’t the police have better things to do?
and, along the same lines, Sheriff Schieferdecker Apologizes to "Little Fag Jew Boys" – instead of going after real terrorists, this local sherrif clown is sexually harrassing his subordinates in public, on facebook…
Shipwreck threatens penguin colony on South Atlantic island – will it ever end? answer: probably not, unless something dramatic happens.
Why Is Microsoft Seeking New State Laws That Allow it to Sue Competitors For Piracy by Overseas Suppliers? – so that they will have even more of an unfair advantage in the commercial market, of course. why else? this is one of the main reasons why i gave up micro$awft products over 10 years ago. pfui… who needs ’em?
at the same time, Microsoft: "Mystery bug" blocks Syrian secure Hotmail – suuuuuure it does… nudge, nudge, wink, wink…
oh, and by the way, Study Shows That Piracy Has Not Resulted In A Decrease Of Quality New Music – in spite of what the RIAA wants you to believe.
Pee Power Offers Green Energy Alternative – interesting… and it gives me the opportunity to post the words “pee power” in my blog… 👿
Time to turn on the tardis – light sabres DO. NOT. EXIST!!
another week closer to the eschaton…
pickings are slim this week, because of our vacation. it doesn’t mean there was any less depravity and chaos in the world, but i took notice of less of it this week. i’m sure that next week will be back to normal.
Killer Cop Walks in Massachusetts Drug Raid Death – instead of going after real terrorists, this cop clown “accidentally” shot an otherwise innocent guy and gets a paid vacation…
Obama Starts Another Illegal War, Rangel Calls For Draft – on the eighth anniversary of bush’s illegal invasion of iraq… ironic, isn’t it, nobel-peace-prize-winner obama… 😐
The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.
— Sen. Barack Obama, December 20, 2007
another week closer to the eschaton…
Jury Nullification Advocate Is Indicted – if we’re going to have the right of jury nullification, then we should be informed about it. if we’re not going to have that right, then it should be made illegal. but if we’re going to have the right in theory, but not be informed about it, and when we inform others about it, we are arrested, then something is definitely wrong with the system…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
Meltdown Caused Nuclear Plant Explosion, If There Were a Reactor Meltdown or Major Leak at Fukushima, the Radioactive Cloud Would Likely be Blown Out … Towards the US West Coast – bye… it’s been nice knowing you…
5 Ways DHS Violates the Constitution with Website Domain Seizures – so, let me get this straight… the government is violating the law to catch people that they believe might be breaking the law, and nobody cares because they’re going after terrorists… does that about sum it up?
At Least 27 Honolulu TSA Officers Under Probe, Schumer asks for review of TSA hiring
Bullied Elementary Student Arrested After Wishing For Gun – instead of going after real terrorists, the cops, once again, have decided to go after an eleven-year-old who wished for a gun to deal with the people who bullied him… note: there was no actual gun involved, he only wished for one… 😐
New York man faces five years in jail for ‘linking’ to online videos – and i linked to a story about it… we’re all terrorists!
Arrest in Actual Bomb Plot in Spokane – and guess what? the guy was a “christian” white supremacist, former military wingnut and not a radical muslim… who is really surprised by this development?
Multiple independent lab tests confirm oil in Gulf shrimp – am i surprised? not really…
Cambodia’s deadly virus: 85% mortality rate – “Ladies and Gentlemen, the next Black Death”…
Ron Paul: Hemp for Victory – again…
something i have always wondered about…
ever since i was very small (and well before things like seat belts in cars became standard, and driving while intoxicated became a crime) i have wondered about why DUI was as big a problem as it was. while i was perusing my news-feeds this morning, i came across a suggestion that i have been making on a pretty regular basis, that Alcohol Detectors Could Come Standard With a New Car – although even that doesn’t seem like it goes far enough, because, under the system proposed there, the blood/alcohol meter would actually control whether or not you could actually start the car at all if you blew over the legal limit.
my idea, which i got from my father, who was one of the scientists that caused the industry uproar about seat belts in the late ’60s and early ’70s, is relatively simple and straightforward to install in already existing cars, and dead simple to design into new cars, and it is this: when a driver sits down in the driver’s seat, they are presented with a breathing tube that connects to a blood/alcohol meter, and the car WILL NOT start until the driver breathes into the meter. once the driver has activated the meter, the car will start, regardless of whether or not they had blown over the limit, but if it detects more than a certain level of alcohol in the bloodstream, it triggers a display on the dashboard that is a 30-second test to determine whether the person is actually able to drive or not; something along the lines of keeping a needle between two lines using the steering wheel of the car. if the driver passes the test, the transmission lock is opened and the driver is able to drive normally. if the driver doesn’t pass the test, the car will still move, but the transmission is governed so that the car won’t go faster than a certain speed (i suggest 5 miles per hour), and the lights automatically flash and the horn goes off at regular intervals… that way, if a person is determined to drive home after a night’s carousing, they can do so, but they’re not anywhere near as likely to cause severe damage, and the police won’t have to search around for the guy that’s driving while plastered.
i have suggested this, and my father has suggested this (and he is a person who is a lot more qualified to suggest things like this than i am) for 40 years, and nobody has taken notice of it. it would be legal, it wouldn’t impair the right of people to drive, even while drunk, and, personally, i think it would be hillarious to see a guy going five miles an hour, with his lights flashing and his horn honking… my impression is that it wouldn’t take more than a few of those before people decided that driving drunk probably isn’t the way to get there…
what’s so hard about that, anyway?
another week closer to the eschaton…
NASA Scientist Claims Evidence of Alien Life on Meteorite – but at the same time, how much do you want to believe FAUX News, especially considering their reputation these days?
Mass. company making diesel with sun, water, CO2 – what do you bet this is the last time we’re going to hear about these guys?
How We Train Our Cops to Fear Islam – these guys that teach anti-terrorism workshops to cops are the primary reason there are so many innocent people who get worked over by the cops because they have the wrong colour skin or act strangely.
Wisconsin Legislators respond to prank call by making it illegal – um… it’s a little too late for that, isn’t it?
Seattle farmers market features medical marijuana – one step closer to the inevitable point when our Holy Vegetable can be Sacrificed proudly in public.
Putting Homeopathy Into Perspective – any sufficiently advanced (or inadequately explained) technology is indistinguishable from magic… it doesn’t make me any less skeptical, however.
another week closer to the eschaton…
The real challenge for Internet freedom? US hypocrisy. And there’s no app for that.
How Close Are We to a Nano-based Surveillance State? – Little Brother is watching you…
Army Deploys Psy-Ops on U.S. Senators – he’s watching senators, as well… why is more outrage not being expressed about this kind of thing? 😐
and, instead of going after terrorists, Arvada Police arrest 11-year-old over ‘inappropriate’ stick figure drawing –
Alaska lawmaker refuses TSA pat-down at Seattle airport – i thought state representatives had TSA immunity… but the fact that – apparently – they don’t is a good way to get the law changed… especially when they choose to go back to alaska by ferry rather than submit to TSA groping. despite sarah palin, alaska still appears to have some brains in their leadership…
Charges initiated against Pope for crimes against humanity – it’s the end of the world as we know it… and, personally, i hope they take him down. 🙂
another week closer to the eschaton…
Dear Poor People, Thank You for Going Without Heat So We Can Buy Another Week of War
The Washington Legislature should legalize marijuana – this is great… now all we have to do is get people to believe it.
okay, i’ve been watching this back-and-forth argument between people who are decidedly against homeopathic medicine, and the law that recently came into effect in britain that makes it so that homeopaths are no longer covered by their national insurance (or something like that), and the new law in britain, that will make herbal medicines, which are currently banned, legal under a plan that will license them… and i haven’t really come down on one side or another, primarily because of the fact that i have personally experienced the effects of herbal and homeopathic medicines… and then i come across this article that says The drugs won’t work if you don’t believe in them, which talked about an experiment in which volunteers had a pain device applied under the influence of a powerful opiate-based painkiller, and their responses were, on average, 25% higher when they didn’t know that they were under the influence of a painkiller than they were when they did know, regardless of the fact that they had the pain killer throughout the entire experiment… which makes me wonder why it is that any type of medicine is more or less effective than any other. i’ve known for a long time that the placebo effect can accomplish some pretty miraculous effects that you wouldn’t necessarily expect, and it seems to me that, if a person believes that a certain kind of medicine – or non-medicine – will help them, then they shouldn’t be denied that medicne, regardless of what the expected effects of that “medicine” would be on that person without the belief. basically, if you believe it’s going to work, then you should be allowed to take it, and if it kills you instead, that’s nobody’s problem but your own.
US House votes extension of anti-terrorism powers – didn’t obama claim that if we elected him president he would do away with the patriot act? he lied… 😐
If captured, Bin Laden will be sent to Gitmo – wait, i thought that another one of obama’s campaign promises was to shut down gitmo… i guess he lied about that, too… 😐
Army wants rapid-fire rubber bullets for crowd control – if they want new ammo for crowd control, do you think that, possibly, they’re planning for instances where they will need crowd control in the near future? considering what has been going on in tunisia, egypt, algeria, lybia, yemen, jordan, kuwait, sudan, bahrain and wisconsin recently, it wouldn’t surprise me too much if that were exactly what they’re planning for… 😐
also, Obama Administration Says It Can Spy On Americans, But Can’t Tell You What Law Allows It – it appears that Rev. Chumlee was correct in his conclusion that he’s one of the best republican presidents we’ve ever had… 😐
‘Kill Switch’ Internet bill alarms privacy experts – which causes more disruption, a theoretical “cyberattack” that potentially disrupts internet, or the law that creates an internet ‘kill switch’ and gives it to people who don’t know how and why to use it? Boffins devise ‘cyberweapon’ to take down internet – take note, egypt, algeria, america and anywhere else they’re talking of installing an internet ‘kill switch’: if you really want to take down internet, talk to geeks, ’cause they’ve already got it planned out… they’re also ready with the current internet’s replacement: The Next Net
also, Internet ‘kill switch’ bill gets a makeover – “maybe if we don’t call it the ‘internet kill switch’, but, instead, call it the ‘internet freedom’ bill, people won’t notice that it still gives DHS (people who don’t know how to use it) the power to shut down their connectivity”… 😐
10 Ways In Which Google Runs The World – don’t be evil… i remember when i was working at STL, in 1997, a colleague of mine told me about this new search engine i should check out, called google… fourteen years later, google rules the world. i would say that their company motto has outlived its purpose… i propose a new one, along the lines of “do be creepy and megalomaniacal”…
Defector admits to WMD lies that triggered Iraq war – does that mean that we can shut down the war and go home now? 😡
however, FBI: 100 Percent Chance of WMD Attack – apparently the FBI knows something we don’t… or something…
TSA Workers Admit To Stealing Huge Amounts Of Cash From Passengers – but don’t worry, they didn’t let any terrorists get through…
Homeland Security Won’t Even Admit Whether Or Not It Seized Mooo.com, Taking Down 84,000 Innocent Sites – homeCLOWN-land security is at it again, trying (or not) to shut down internet…
Mother of 3 Arrested for Taking Pictures of Tourist Attraction at Airport – this case is a frightening example of what can happen when an innocent photographer encounters ignorant bullies with badges. and, in a late-breaking update, Town of Southampton in Default – she won a $70 million lawsuit against them because the city attorney “forgot” to reply… karma’s a bitch… <nelson muntz voice>HAH HAH</nelson muntz voice>
Hosni Mubarak Not Dying, Had Breakfast on the Beach – even after he is stripped of power, he’s still powerful enough to lie to the media and have the media print his lies as though they were the truth… 😐
Open Letter to Westboro Baptist Church – from Anonymous. WBC’s Response, Message to the Westboro Baptist Church, the Media, and Anonymous as a whole – it just keeps getting better… 🙂
oh, and by the way… New Study Finds No Cognitive Impairment Among Ecstasy Users
another week closer to the eschaton…
happy VD. i hope you don’t get VD…
Arrest Warrant Issued for Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf – what did i tell you? the answer is 3 years and approximately 60 days… 😐
Rights groups vow to hunt Bush over torture – more good news… 😉
Algeria shuts down internet and Facebook as protest mounts – first tunisia, then egypt, now algeria… the united states is not far behind, although whether we end up with a democracy or a dictatorship depends highly upon whether the people with guns are the republicans or the libertarians…
It’s Official: FOX News Makes Stuff Up! – no further commentary necessary.
Food Bubble Collapse Threatens Survival Of Human Civilization – nice knowing you…
FBI can obtain phone records without oversight – so if you make international calls, be careful what you say…
Why do they hate science, and why are they so miserable? – Patrick Moore is better placed than anyone to describe how environmentalism started out with positive intentions, and developed such anti-science and human-hostile beliefs.
The 11-Year Old American Girl Who Knows More About Guantánamo Than Most US Lawmakers – once again, it has been proved, without a doubt, that our government is NOT Smarter Than A Fifth Grader™
Handlers’ beliefs influence drug-sniffing dogs’ performance – more reason to refuse a request to have a drug-sniffing dog “clear” you before letting you pass that police checkpoint…
MPAA Snags Google Downloading Torrents, Threatens to Disconnect – don’t be… evil? it would be funny if it weren’t so twisted and wrong…
and, speaking of google, What Does Google’s Subtle Censorship Say About Us? – there are a lot more important things to worry about than music piracy, but what does “Don’t-Be-Evil” google choose to focus on…? COPYING IS NOT THEFT!
What the Bible Really Says About Sex – if the bible doesn’t say what you want, get new experts and examine it again…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Oysters "are functionally extinct" – “a survey of oyster habitats around the world has found that the succulent mollusks are disappearing fast”… there’s yer problem… 😐
Bush’s Swiss visit off after complaints on torture – “President Bush has admitted he ordered waterboarding which everyone considers to be a form of torture under international law.” the swiss government has their eye on the ball… it’s too bad the american government isn’t more on top of it…
Bipolar Christianity: How Torturing "Sinful" Children Produced Holy Wars – chapter 9 of a book called The Origins of War in Child Abuse by Lloyd deMause
EFF Uncovers Widespread FBI Intelligence Violations – including “lying in declarations to courts, using improper evidence to obtain grand jury subpoenas, and accessing password-protected files without a warrant”…
Immigration Officer Put Wife On Terrorist List To Get Rid Of Her – the problem i see is that nobody noticed until the guy was up for a promotion, and if he had lied, she’d still be on the list… if it’s that easy to get put on the list, there’s something wrong.
Google: Bing Is Cheating, Copying Our Search Results – as usual, micro$awft is struggling to keep up…
Chemo or Cannabis: How Would You Like to Treat Your Cancer? – “not a single recorded death has ever been attributed to cannabis, while it remains a Schedule I drug — along with heroin and meth — under the Controlled Substances Act.”
another week closer to the eschaton…
The Illusion Of Money – this goes along nicely with my rant and Robert Anton Wilson’s rant about money and wage-slavery, although it doesn’t quite go all the way…
The United States of America Violates International Bioweapons Treaty – pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…
More troops lost to suicide than lost to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan – this should be a blatant indication that something isn’t right… but NO… 😐
Blood Tests Show Chemicals In Gulf Citizens Blood, US Gov Lied About Gulf Seafood and Only 47% Of Working Age Americans Have Full Time Jobs and We Need To Stop This Culture Before It Kills The Planet – it’s too bad that nobody is going to realise that this stuff is going on until it is too late… oh well, it was nice knowing you…
and, just in case you think that environmental disasters are limited to the western hemisphere, NGOs, Shell lock horns over Nigerian oil spills – 3000 oil spills since 2006, and at least 70% of them caused by sabotage… we need to have that kind of environmental activism around here…
The House GOP’s Plan to Redefine Rape – now that they’re back in control, one of the first things they do is make it so that saying “no” isn’t enough… first with sex, then with more personal stuff… 😐
Man fought the law and the law man won and Americans Are Just As Likely to Get Struck By Lightning As To Be Killed By Terrorists – TSA = Security Theatre, plain and simple.
Color-coded threat system to be replaced in April – i didn’t realise that the colour-coded system had been in place for 9 years, but it hasn’t changed one time in that 9 years: the colour has always been orange – so if they’re replacing the colour-coded system, will they replace it with something else that’s meaningless and won’t change? 😐
US can’t link Julian Assange to Bradley Manning – the case against both of them is fading fast, and the US is struggling to cover its own ass… but what happens when it’s proved that the emperor has no clothes?
Obama Criticizes Internet Kill Switch In Egypt While His Own Administration Tries – AGAIN – To Ram It Through In America – “The size of the lie is a definite factor in causing it to be believed,
for the vast masses of a nation are in the depths of their hearts more easily deceived than they are consciously and intentionally bad. The primitive simplicity of their minds renders them a more easy prey to a big lie than a small one, for they themselves often tell little lies, but would be ashamed to tell big lies” — Adolph Hitler
Obama may get power to shut down Internet without court oversight – guess what? it’s ba-aa-ack! 😐 and if we’re not very, very careful, we could be the next egypt… 😡
not only that, but Justice Department seeks to have all web surfing tracked – time to download Tor, start thinking about building an alternative and abandoning internet…
Google Comes Under Fire for ‘Secret’ Relationship with NSA – DON’T! BE! EVIL!! 😡
Physical Characteristics of Hell – does it exist? can you prove it? is there some non-biblical source of information that you can use to convince me that hell even exists?? then don’t start talking about the “physical characteristics” of something that doesn’t even exist… okay? there’s a reason they don’t compare apples and oranges… geez… 😡
bwaxoteebadorf
we had the second to last puppy potluck this evening. there is one puppy that had a home, but the new owner decided against it, so rob (the savage) needs a new home. he is available, if you’re interested.
i’m probably not going to go to the fremont sunday market tomorrow, because the weather has been rainy all day today, and it’s supposed to be rainy tomorrow as well.
egypt is still in turmoil. mubarak hasn’t quit yet, the people are upset, but nobody only about 100 people have been killed. although there appears to be some looting and general thuggery, it’s still not immediately clear whether or not mubarak is behind it. there still is no internet, but news is still getting out the old fashioned way, by shortwave, ham radio, telephone and even by fax. i wonder how long it will be until they restore internet connectivity… or how long it will be until they have internet connectivity regardless of whether or not it is through “normal” channels. i can’t help but think that it won’t be that long.
regarding the shutdown of internet in egypt
In the spirit going back to Magna Carta, we require a principle that: No person or organization shall be deprived of their ability to connect to others at will without due process of law, with the presumption of innocence until found guilty. Neither governments nor corporations should be allowed to use disconnection from the Internet as a way of arbitrarily furthering their own aims.
— Tim Berners-Lee
— Tim Berners-Lee
Egypt: Tor Use Skyrocketing as Users Route-Around Internet Blocks
they’ve got to realise that as soon as they shut down regular internet access, that would immediately drive initiative to gain alternative access…
i already use Tor and a couple of other anonymizing software packages, but i’m seriously thinking about things like freenet or openmesh…
Communicate if Your Government Shuts Off Your Internet
3 Projects to Create a Government-less Internet
Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down
this would normally go in the massive link dump on monday…
but by monday there’s a possibility that nobody would be able to read about it… 😐
Internet Shut Down in Egypt – “But Biden Says Mubarak is No Dictator” what would you call someone who deliberately shuts off the only means of communicating with the outside that most of his – dissatisfied – constituents have? is this a prelude to a massacre? or worse? will it happen in the US next?
another week closer to the eschaton…
according to ARPAgeddon (IPv4Countdown) we have less than 7 days until there will be NO MORE IPv4 addresses available. does this mean that we’re going to see a mass, instantaneous conversion to IPv6? does it mean no more domain names? does it mean internet will die? nobody appears to care…
GOP senator: Federal ban on child labor is unconstitutional – see? that’s what you get for electing a republican! of course, it’s not an awful lot different if you elect a democrat…
Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance – In 1798 – what kind of human being would vote against universal health care?
Health Authorities Want Depression-Causing Drugs Added To Water Supply – another reason why i drink artesian well water… i’m depressed enough as it is.
FDA System Approves Nonexistent Product from Nonexistent Company for Human Testing – we have lost control of the government…
DoJ veteran sees ‘dangerous precedent’ in letting Bush officials walk – i’m increasingly surprised that more people aren’t up in arms about this…
Homeland Security’s laptop seizures – if you leave the country, for whatever reason, the probability that you will have your electronic devices (laptops, smart phones, ipads, memory sticks, etc.) searched, seized, potentially copied and returned “if they feel like it”, without warrants or reasons, is very high… and it doesn’t matter if your attorney/client or clergy/penitent communications, private medical and psychiatric information and the like are on that device. either you submit to a search and seizure, or you don’t get back into the country… and they call me a terrorist… 😐
‘No Refusal’ Blood Test Checkpoint Program Continues To Expand Nationwide – um, what happened to Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and it’s specific mention of protection from self-incrimination, which has been the law ever since the magna carta?? 😡 i guess it’s time to post this again, for all the good it will do…
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
MYTH: the catholic church never instructed bishops to withhold evidence or suspicion of crimes from police – a claim that has been repeated in news stories ever since it first started coming out that priests had been abusing children. REALITY: 1997 letter from the Vatican warned Ireland’s Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police
and, speaking of catholics, Pope’s blood to be built into altar – it’s like pharyngula said, they aren’t even trying to avoid the connection to voodoo, vampires, and blood magic… but if they don’t build something incorporating some body part of his, then they won’t have anything to revere in 500 years. 😐
And Now, For No Particular Reason, a Rant About Facebook – with which i totally agree… although i do not have a facebook account, because i truly don’t care if people have trouble getting in touch with me. if they want to be in touch with me, they’ll have to do it like normal people and use email or the telephone, because i’m not going to start a facebook account.
Officials fear bath salts are growing drug problem – instead of snorting bath salts, which are dangerous, why don’t people smoke cannabis, which has never killed anybody? oh, that’s right… cannabis is illegal… 😐
Cat ordered to do jury service – I FIND U ALL GILTY! kthnxby… 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
before i get into it, happy martin luther king jr. day. i was in birmingham during one of his rallies in 1963, and met him when i was three years old. the only other thing i remember about that event was that i also got shit on by a pigeon…
Broke and Hungry: This Chart Says It All – there’s more at the article, but this chart is not particularly encouraging…
Ex-CIA official says US Patriot Act is a Nazi law – gee, ya’ think? meanwhile, Congress quietly prepares to renew Patriot Act – another way the government lies to us, telling us one thing and then doing exactly the opposite… 😡
A Friendly Suggestion on Products Designed to Conceal Sensitive Areas – TSA’s reminder to people who think it’s funny to wear 4th Amendment Underwear: you’re probably going to be groped, and if you think this is TSA’s way of getting back at clever passengers… you’re probably right.
meanwhile, Boy, 9, has Disney World trip ruined after US immigration rules him a threat and Alexander Landau got pulled over for an illegal left turn — and ended up beaten bloody – they’re doing this instead of going after real terrorists.
Mission homeowner fined $5,200 for growing cucumbers, Cops targeted wrong address, rousted my family, Man angry after gun-point raid at his home and Police drug raid finds guinea pig heater – they wouldn’t have had to be any raid at all if it all were legal, but cops, apparently, would rather roust innocent people than they would to find an actual terrorist anywhere… 😐
Time to Ban Muslim Immigration – time to ban anyone who wants to ban a group of people just because of a few loonies… but i’m not gonna hold my breath… 😡
at the same time, Political Gifts From Beyond the Grave: Dead Woman Donates Thousands of Dollars to Tea Party Express – some of our best contributors are dead… according to our surveys, they’re also some of the most satisfied with the use of their donations. 😡
Facebook boobs over breastfeeding page… again – first, breasts aren’t obscene. prudish, immaturaty is obscene. second, if they’re going to do something, they should either make up their minds and do it, or apologise, and i’d be willing to bet that neither of those things actually happen.
finally, there’s another good example of someone with way too much time (and skill) on their hands: Meatscapes – what??
another week closer to the eschaton…
Future Shock? Welcome to the New Middle Ages – those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. the middle ages were also characterised by illiteracy, the catholic church and the plague… just sayin’…
THE RICH REALLY DON’T CARE ABOUT THE POOR – speaking as one of the poor, tell us something we don’t already know… 😐
WikiLeaks’ Most Terrifying Revelation: Just How Much Our Government Lies to Us – and, if they have their way, the government is all set to make it so that we never find out how much they lie to us. minitrue in action.
also, CIA Doesn’t Want You To Know It Gave Iran Nuclear Blueprints – oops… 😐
US government getting more interested in IPv6 – they’d better be more than just interested in it, considering that all remaining allocatable IPv4 addresses would now fit into a /6 prefix (≘ 67,108,864 addresses).
Microsoft confirms code execution bug in Windows – BWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH! 😀 it’s just like i said… another good reason not to use micro$awft products…
and, speaking of “another good reason”… Hepatitis A warning issued after Christmas communion – if you took communion on xmas, and you live in long island, they’re saying that you need to get vaccinated… the blood of christ is infected!
Miami-Dade police buy drones – they work so well in afghanistan and iraq that now they’re being used by domestic police forces as well. presumably they won’t be firing missiles with them, just yet… “At this point, it doesn’t really matter if you’re against this technology, because it’s coming…”
meanwhile, Passengers overpower plane hijacker after he storms cockpit shouting he had bomb – no department of homeland security necessary.
The Next Net – abandon the corporate internet!
Supreme Court justice: No protection for women in Constitution – reagan-appointed justice scalia wants to force us to live one hundred fifty years in the past. “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens, nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.” — Susan B. Anthony
Scientists Create 52 Artificial Rain Storms in Abu Dhabi Desert and Have scientists discovered how to create downpours in the desert? – my impression is the more we tinker with the inner workings of how the planet really works, the more likely it is that we will have to deal with the unexpected, and potentially disasterous consequenses of our tinkering… of course, on the positive side, once we have blown ourselves up, it won’t be more than 100 years or so until the planet is back to the way it’s supposed to be, more or less.
uh oh… Disaster Tax Rules Don’t Apply For BP Oil Spill Claims – so, in spite of the FACT that the gulf oil spill is the largest oil spill ever to have happened, if you live in the gulf region, have had your income affected by the gulf oil spill, and made claims against BP for lost wages or income, you will still have to pay income tax at the highest rate because BP claims that their oil spill was never officially proclaimed a “disaster”… i bet some people are going to be really thrilled to learn that…
Congressional Prayer Caucus asks for ‘correction’ to ‘E pluribus unum’ – federal endorsement of a religion or deity violates the united states constitution.
All drugs should be legalised – now, let’s see if we can be as forward thinking as they appear to be in the old country, eh’? it would eliminate things like Grandpa killed in drug raid from happening.
Commuter outrage as terrorist attempts to blow himself up on Quiet Carriage – there is definitely something insane with a society that can make jokes about people blowing themselves up…
Florida Professor Arrested for Having a “Suspicious” Bagel on a Plane, Man at JFK declares rabbit, Customs says it found cocaine, Planet That May Not Exist is For Sale on Ebay, in 10 Acre Chunks, Woman Arrested After Trying To Return Wallet, Saudis detain Israeli vulture for being ‘Zionist spy’ – why do i bother? 😐
another week closer to the eschaton…
The animal world has its junkies too, Men Have Clitorises, BIOLOGICAL EXUBERANCE – more things you’re not supposed to know, the lack of knowlege about which is used to keep the world in bondage… we have always had the power, but now we only have very small amount of time to break free of the chains, before we quite literally blow ourselves up. who knows how long we’re going to last before…
Drug decriminalization pays off in Portugal as US weighs its options – if the US gummint is really considering this, it would be a giant step forward, but i fear that it will take 15 or 20 years before we’re smart enough to actually try it… and by then, it may be too late…
Pakistan on strike against bill to amend blasphemy law – okay, here’s my idea: this is the 21st century, for gawd’s sake. if they want to have laws that keep them in the 14th century, that’s fine, but we won’t interact with them at all. we could even build a 15 foot wall around their country, to make sure that nobody is sneaking modern stuff in. this means that if anyone wants to leave the country, they do it the same way they would have in the 14th century; if someone wants to communicate, they do it the same way they would have in the 14th century; no cell phones, no electronic anything, no planes, trains or automobiles, no hospitals or modern medicines, or modern anything at all… and if they want to interact with us, they should be required to follow modern laws… which means no laws about blasphemy, men and women should be treated equally, regardless of their sexual orientation, no stoning for committing adultery or loss of a hand for stealing bread, or anything like that… what do you think?
Almost Everything Is A Crime In America Now – the way to fix this problem is to toss the current system, wholesale, and start from scratch. it is possible to do without war, but we have to do it consciously. conversely, TSA officer sentenced for stealing from fliers’ bags – and he doesn’t even get jail time, just probation and a $5,000 fine, for stealing 5 laptop computers and an xbox… it’s this kind of thing that will make tossing the current system a lot more difficult. keeping the good of everyone in mind is a fair amount more difficult when someone has essentially gotten away with something which would have been disasterously stupid for anyone else to even consider. Counter-terror ‘expert’ tells cops: Kill militant Muslims, ‘including children’ – this is another reason why changing the way society works without war will be extremely difficult. i’ve heard about this shoebat character before, and it seems to me that he has been blatantly lying his way around washington DC for at least five years and nobody seems to have taken notice of his lies…
Terrorist Watch List May Exceed US Population by 2019, World Population by 2023 – we are ALL terrorists! even the people who don’t want to be terrorists!
AHA! i thought so… Oops! Bribing Nigeria for Cheney’s Freedom Not Legal
Police demand new powers to stop and search terror suspects – this wouldn’t disturb me so much if they hadn’t already been denied their previous demand for new powers to stop and search terror suspects…
Israel bombed Syrian nuclear facility – it’s just a matter of time before the lid blows off, and the world as we know it comes to a screeching halt… and that sickening thud that you hear is society taking the first of many ultimately fatal wounds… 😐 don’t say i didn’t warn you…
Julian Assange, The Rosenburgs and the Espionage Act of 1917 – Robert Meeropol, son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, says that the Espionage Act of 1917 is unconstitutional, and that julian assange is just as innocent as his parents were… and his parents were executed…
The naked truth about scanners – we don’t need scanners, we need more effective social engineering…
Woman Who Protested TSA Pat-Downs At OKC Airport Banned From Flying – on tuesday, “they were unable to clear an unusual contour of my buttocks area,” but they letting her fly on wednesday, presumably after she had cleared the TSA screening…
Terrorist watch list: One tip now enough to put name in database – still no word on how easy difficult it will be to have your name removed from the terrorist watch list, if it ends up there in error…
Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain – now that we know what causes it, the next step is to look for an effective treatment… 😉
NOLA lawyer prepares challenge to declaration of Gulf seafood’s safety – i wouldn’t eat seafood from the gulf at this point… it might be safe, but there’s a good chance that it’s not, regardless of what the gummint tries to make people think.
WTF? OMG, LOL! – someone at DHS needs to RTFM about the intar-tubes, i think…
Exposing The False Sanctity Of ‘Intellectual Property’ – COPYING IS NOT THEFT! i like the idea of calling it “Imaginary Pooperty” instead of “Intellectual Property” though…
i’m not sure whether or not this is a joke…
and, as moe pointed out, the fact that it’s on internet skews the possibility by 80/20 right off the top…
LIBERATION ARMY AGAINST FREEDOM – one of those “if you don’t accept flash, you don’t get to see our web site” web sites, which says, among other things, a whole bunch of arabic writing, and that it’s for “extermination of roots of freedoms worldwide with the aid of great fireworks”. it appears to be registered to a privacy organisation in the netherlands… but it has a very clear picture of what looks like two people checking out a large quantity of commercial fireworks (i.e. very definitely not explosives)… WTF?
another week closer to the eschaton…
The 4000 BCE Origins of Child Abuse, Sex-Repression, Warfare and Social Violence – “Americans are not as violent as the most extremely violent cultures around the world, but we certainly are not as peaceful as the most peaceful societies. Unfortunately, our culture appears to be going towards increased social violence.” [Author James DeMeo, Ph.D.] points to the general failure of parents and sex-education programs to say much of anything positive about sexual pleasure, with the great emphasis upon “abstinence education”, as a major cause for the growing violence in our schools. “Our young people should be warmly romancing each other, dancing and singing together, making love and enjoying what should be the happiest time of their lives. Instead, we start our children off with a lot of hidden cruelty in the hospital birth, with incubator-isolation, denial of the mother’s breast, time-table feedings, circumcision and so forth. – no wonder we’re screwed up. all the more reason to scrap every vestige of what passes for society these days, and create something different.
The Oil BP Tried To Hide Has Been Discovered, In Thick Layers On the Sea Floor Over An Area of Several Thousand Square Miles – don’t fool yourself, it’s not over yet, by a long shot.
You Are A Terrorist – i’ve been saying that for years. now the gummint is actually catching up… 😐
Osama bin Dead A While – merry x-mas, the war on terror is over, whether they like it or not… but don’t let the gummint know, because they’re all set to whip up another fake osama video to scare us again…
US empire could collapse at any time – are you ready? this is a lot more “for real” than you might think: Missile defence FAIL: US ‘kill vehicle’ space weapon flunks test
Homeland Security Trolling We Won’t Fly Blog, Boy, 13, Busted For Illegal Marker Possession, TSA Too Busy Groping, Perving, Playing God To Notice Guns And Bombs, 10,000 Child Porn Images Found On TSA Worker’s Computer and Police Fatally Shoot Douglas Zerby For Holding Water Nozzle – what they are doing instead of searching for real terrorists… 😐
Plan to Turn Post Office Trucks Into Stasi Data Collection Nodes and Trash collectors to serve as eyes and ears in the street for police – because the police are too busy searching for terrorists people with water nozzles to kill… also, do you think that this just might be because of budget cuts, and/or because of the fact that they want to turn the country into an embodiment of the book 1984…?
Who Is the FBI Really Trying to Entrap? – muslims? people with water nozzles? more likely it’s poor, underpriveledged black and brown people who can’t fight back effectively on their own…
Probable carcinogen hexavalent chromium found in drinking water of 31 U.S. cities – this is one of the reasons i only drink artesian well water, and have for the past 25 years… that, and beer… 8)
UN defends human right to WikiLeaked info – so…
Wikileaks and the Definition of Terrorism – TL.DR: what wikileaks is doing cannot be defined as terrorism except, maybe, to the political elite in washington who are making all the fuss about it. WikiLeaks cables: BP suffered blowout on Azerbaijan gas platform – wow, wikileaks and the gulf oil spill… is this the work of a terrorist organisation?
also, the latest, futile attempt to make wikileaks go away, Feds Seek Computer Firewall to Block WikiLeaks ‘Pollution’ and Pentagon bars own journalists from reading Wikileaks – you would think that they’d have heard of the streisand effect by now…
Broadband firms urged to block sex websites to protect children – yeah, like that’s really gonna happen… maybe they could ban spam, too, while they’re at it… 😐 seriously, i think that any proposed legislation that is being put in place “to protect the children” should be banned on principle. the fact is, proposed “legislation” that can’t find any other reason than “to protect the children” has been proven, in the past, to be distinctly deficient in doing anything other than confusing people, violating someone’s civil rights or lining the politicians’ pockets… and usually a combination of all three…
Fox boss ordered staff to cast doubt on climate science – there’s some static running around because Faux News is disputing the report from last week that said that watching Faux News makes people stupid, and, at the same time, muddying the climate change waters with false information… not only that, but rupert murdoch’s companies have been on the forefront of the “war against christmas” game, and yet his Holiday Message was just that… why does rupert murdoch hate jesus?
Your right to protest in under threat – britain is being brought under the thumb of the rich politicians, and america is next.
Judge finds ‘increasing’ difficulty in seating marijuana juries – this is related to that post from last week, except that it’s a little more to the point: jury nullification is becoming a widely-enough-known phenomenon that courts won’t seat people on a jury if they have said that they know about it as an option, and when enough people have to be passed over to get an ignorant enough jury to actually be able to convict someone for possession of a miniscule quantity of cannabis, the courts have to look for “other alternatives”…
Your Apps Are Watching You – this is one of the primary reasons i don’t use a “smart” phone. i like my phones dumb and subservient, which is exactly what they’re supposed to be…
Is a BSOD on a bus … a BuSOD? – giggle…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Study Confirms That Fox News Makes You Stupid – do they really need a formal study to confirm that?
No one is bound to obey an unconstitutional law and no courts are bound to enforce it. – much as i agree with this, try convincing a cop who is intent on arresting you of that fact, or a court which is prosecuting you once you are arrested… 😐
Europe faces rising austerity protests in 2011 – this is just the beginning…
Author Slams eBook Piracy, Son Outs Her As a Music Pirate – copying is not theft.
Why do we let this creepy company spy on our emails? – another reason why, in spite of the fact that i use noscript, taco, adblock and tor, i still won’t use gmail. Warrant needed to snoop on your emails – now we have to wait and see if google data-mining your email for targeted advertising will disappear. my guess is that it won’t change anything.
Why Are the Feds Cultivating Their Own "Homegrown Terrorists"? – could it possibly be that they can’t find any foreign-grown ones? or that they’re so inept that they wouldn’t recognise a terrorist if one blew up in front of them? could it possibly be that they don’t understand why someone would hate the way things are, and have a tendency to cheer, or look the other way when terrorists are actually being born…? 😐 … no, it couldn’t be that… it’s probably because they’re too busy with things like this: Texas Airport Security Insults India After Wrongfully Demanding To Search UN Envoy’s Turban and Boy of 12 hauled out of class by police over David Cameron Facebook protest – this is exactly the sorts of things in which the DHS is interested, not actual terrorists at all… TSA’s Scanners Can Be Fooled With Pancakes – another reason why “security theatre” is exactly that, and doesn’t really have anything to do with detecting or deterring people who really want to do evil.
Internet was never free or open and never will be – i’ve worked with internet long enough to know that he’s largely correct. i have about as much freedom as is practically affordable these days, but if my host provider decided that i was doing something illegal, they would shut me down and there would be very little i could do about it, whether i actually was doing something illegal or not. my impression is that the only way for me to prevent that is to buy my own server and a backbone connection, which is prohibitively expensive at the moment… and even then, i still have to connect to an internet which, if they decide to do so, can block anyone from ever being able to see, or get to my server…
despite rumours that wikileaks.org is back up and running on a new nameserver in the US (unconfirmed, because it still comes up as unknown), Air Force blocks access to sites that covered WikiLeaks – they somehow think that if they tell enough people not to view this site that it will magically vanish… poor, deluded air force people… 😐
UK, not Sweden, behind efforts to keep Assange in jail – i wonder how long it will be until actual blame for holding assange in jail boils down to US interests in shutting him up… 😐
meanwhile, US Is Apparently Torturing Bradley Manning, Despite No Trial And No Conviction – apparently the US gummint is really pissed at him for turning over their dirty little secrets… like this: Australia feared Israeli strike on Iran could spark nuclear war
Justice Department sues BP, eight other companies over Gulf oil spill – this is a good thing, but it’s far too little, far too late, and will probably be forgotten, appealed or countersued eventually.
another week closer to the eschaton…
double whammy! friday the 13th comes on a monday this month… namely today!
we’ll start this off with more oil-spill madness: BP Challenges Oil Spill Amount In An Attempt to Reduce Cost of Fines – it never ended, media just got tired of reporting it… 😐 for example: Navy Secretary Mabus pushes Pentagon to feed soldiers more Gulf seafood – i don’t know whether this should make me chortle evil laughter and say that they deserved it, or gasp in shocked amazement because nobody should be forced to eat that glop… especially when there are people saying things like “I wouldn’t eat shrimp, fish or crab caught in the Gulf,” and “There is no safe level of exposure to this oil, because it contains carcinogens, mutagens that can damage DNA and cause cancer and other chronic health problems.”
5 Myths About How to Treat Depression – this is the primary reason i am not interested in medication. i’d rather be depressed. i already know how to deal with it without taking medications.
One cigarette can kill you; so can one act of gay sex and House Republicans Try to Kill Bill to Feed Hungry Schoolchildren While Insisting on Tax Breaks for the Rich – at least half of our country’s citizens agree with these buffoons… this is why i’m depressed… 😐
Dick Cheney faces bribery scandal charges in Nigeria – i don’t understand why nigeria can charge him with bribery, but the united states won’t charge him with war crimes… in spite of the prevelance of 419 scams in nigeria, if they can get him on bribery charges, more power to them. Halliburton may pay $500 million to keep Cheney out of prison – wait… hasn’t he been charged with bribery?
the Wikileaks domain has been shut down (and WikiLeaks Dropped by Domain Name Provider) in a feeble and largely ineffective attempt to erase the “stuff that people shouldn’t know” from the web… fortunately, their IP address has not been blocked (so far), and there are also over 500 mirrors in case that is taken down as well. not only that, but because of the ongoing attacks to their infrastructure, they’ve released their entire archive of messages up to this point, just to make sure that the message gets out there if they can’t deliver it personally. meanwhile, US military threatens soldiers not to read Wikileaks – if the US government has nothing to hide, then why are they making such a big deal over this? the longer they keep this up, the more guilty it makes them appear… it also appears as though wikileaks has an ace up its sleeve: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ‘will release poison pill of damaging secrets if killed or arrested’ so download that archive now… you know you want to… 🙂
also If publishing the WikiLeaks cables were against the law, could the New York Times go to jail? – if julian assange goes to jail for it, then the new york times should go as well. if not, then why was he arrested anyway? and, by the way, Ellsberg: "EVERY attack now made on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange was made against me and the release of the Pentagon Papers at the time."
meanwhile, Irony? State Dept. criticizes Assange but plans to stage ‘Press Freedom Day’ and Someone Should Tell The State Dept That The State Dept Is Hosting World Press Freedom Day – the way we celebrate World Press Freedom Day in the united states, apparently, is by having julian assange arrested, in another country, for “sex by surprise”… what? especially while It appears that Assange may have fallen into a "CIA Honeytrap". and speaking of free speech, Man gets 33 months for threatening Obama in poem
also, PayPal Busted for Bogus Wikileaks Excuse – so paypal cut off wikileaks’ access to money that had been donated to wikileaks, because of a state department letter saying that what wikileaks does is illegal… that doesn’t exist they were scared that the US govermnent might come after them next… does that sound about right?
and, for those of you who have actually been wondering exactly what was in those cables that made the US government so uptight about wikileaks, here’s a sample: Consult us before using intelligence to commit war crimes, US tells Uganda – not “obey the rules of war”, but “let us know before you use our intelligence to break the rules of war”… yep, that’s a good enough reason to have julian assange arrested on trumped up charges… 😐
Tension grows between Calif. Muslims, FBI after informant infiltrates mosque – they’re stretching the line mighty thin if they’ve got to hire a guy to infitrate mosques and talk up jihad, just in order to get terrorists people who might be terrorists to arrest… also, Holder to Muslims Re Stings: Get Used to It – not only are they stretching the line, but those people who object might just be terrorists themselves, because they “simply do not have their facts straight.”
US Has Lost All Moral High Ground On Internet Censorship and Homeland Security ‘messages’ coming to Walmart, hotels, malls – now they want us to do their job for them, as well… 😐 that reminds me… it’s been a while since i posted this:
When they took the fourth amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
I was quiet because I didn’t deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment,
I was quiet because I was innocent.
When they took the second amendment,
I was quiet because I didn’t own a gun.
Now they’ve taken the first amendment,
and I can say nothing about it.
Here Come Homeland Security Internet Police, and They’re Already Shutting Down Web Sites They Don’t Like – just like TSA for your computer, whether you like it or not… 😐
and, speaking of TSA, TSA Subjects Indian Ambassador To US To Glass Cage, Enhanced Groping – “It is believed that the TSA operatives flagged Ms. Shankar not because she set of the metal detector, but because she was wearing a sari, a long traditional Indian robe.” – Indian Embassy describes incident as “unacceptable”
Tooth Decay to Be a Thing of the Past – i’ve always wondered why people who brush their teeth religiously still sometimes have extremely bad teeth, while other people can not brush their teeth at all and still have all their teeth at age 80… this is apparently part of the reason. how much you want to bet that the dental association buys all of these guys research and buries it, so that dentists will still be able to fleece everybody?
Light can generate lift – wow! now all somebody’s got to do is figure out how to use it…
UN climate kooks want to cripple US economy and ban H2O – i think the point was that people in positions of power will be more likely to agree to something if they don’t know precisely what it is…
for those that oppose gay marriage, another big slap in the face, as US scientists create mice from two fathers – maybe it wasn’t “adam and steve” “in the beginning”, but the fact that it can be sort of negates your little fantasy about how “god” created everything, now, doesn’t it?
The Insanity Virus – no obvious link to toxoplasma gondii, but it makes me wonder…
Man legally changes name to Captain Awesome – i wonder why Boomer The Dog wasn’t allowed to change his name, but Captain Awesome sailed right through…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Harvard scientists reverse the ageing process in mice – just what we need… immortal mice…
Scientists Attempt to Crack Secret Code of the Axolotl – the race to extinction is on between the scientists who want to probe this creatures’ secrets of limb regeneration, and the general public who think that the creatures are delicious. my bet is on the general public…
97% of INTERNET NOW FULL UP – the number of allocatable IPv4 addresses just dropped below one hundred and fourteen million, and they’ve been being assigned faster than ever. there are less than 91 days until there are NO MORE IPv4 addresses. get yours today, because in May 2011, there will be no more…
10 Skills Needed To Thrive In A Post-Collapse World – this is something else that i am going to bet nobody (else) pays attention to… which is why the collapse is going to come as a deadly surprise to most people…
Mozilla rages at MS, Apple and Google’s ‘trojan horse’ tactics – it’s things like this that are exactly the reason why i use AdBlock and NoScript, and don’t use microsoft anything or google chrome, or apple itunes and safari… i want my computer to do the things I want it to do, not the things that some multinational corporation with sneaky and not entirely ethical reasons wants it to do. “Shove your plug-ins where the sun don’t shine!” 😛
Wireless gets a free pass on net neutrality – Throttle away, mobile broadband providers! net neutrality gets the boot on wireless networks… wired networks are next on the chopping blog block…
Sites With Government Seized Domains Are Moving On – so despite the fact that the DHS seized a bunch of domains without due cause, they missed the mark, because they seized the domain names, but not the web sites, and now the web sites are starting to resurface with different domain names… theoretically, of course, this could go on forever (my main web site, for example, can be found at hybridelephant.net and hybridelephant.org, as well as hybridelephant.com). what have the DHS accomplished apart from a big waste of money and resources, when Copying Is Not Theft!…
Homeland Security’s Domain Name Seizure May Stretch The Law Past The Breaking Point – so DHS is operating outside the law… what else is new? but at the same time, they’re getting really blatant about it, farming out the actual seizure of the domains to the company that runs seizedservers.com…
Fed up with ICANN, Pirate Bay cofounder floats P2P DNS system and With Domain Name Seizures Increasing, It’s Time For A Decentralized DNS System – yep.
Controversial Drug Given to All Guantanamo Detainees Akin to "Pharmacologic Waterboarding" – the DOD engages in “at best, an egregious malpractice.” instead of closing down gitmo, as promised, they are now moving beyond physical torture, and giving inmates a “treatment dose” (which is five times the prophylactic dose) of an anti-malarial drug – whether they actually have malaria or not is an entirely different question – which causes severe neuropsycological side effects such as homicidal and suicidal thoughts, severe insomnia, hallucinations, intense vertigo, paranoid delusions, aggression, and anxiety, and which was researched in MKULTRA mind-control experiments carried out by the CIA during the 1950s. at least they’re not using physical torture any longer… that we know of… 😐
Tea Party Nation President Says It ‘Makes A Lot Of Sense’ To Restrict Voting Only To Property Owners – and they say i’m a terrorist… we left the 19th century behind us 200 years ago, and this guy wants to drag us back there. 😛 apparently they think in circles as well – Without a guide humans walk in circles
Elected Official Says TSA Pat Downs Promote ‘Homosexual Agenda’ and Man arrested after ejaculating during TSA pat-down – which headline is a joke? hint: neither one…
Google beat box – finally, something that google is good for! click “listen”…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Spanish woman claims ownership of the sun – just wait until she gets sued for sunburn…
Anti Sarah Palin Post Gets Google Censorship – don’t! be! evil!!
FCC may forgo ‘Net Neutrality’ for wireless networks – say goodbye to the internet…
Homeland Security Seizes 70+ Websites for Copyright and Trademark Violations and Homeland Security shuts down dozens of Web sites without court order – due process be damned, after net-neutrality fails, you’d better believe that they’re going to start cracking down on anyone who has a web site with which “they” do not agree, regardless of whether it contains illegal material or not… and of course nobody cares, because net-neutrality is something of which most people aren’t even aware.
Bioencryption can store almost a million gigabytes of data inside bacteria – “a single gram of E. coli cells could hold up to 900,000 gigabytes (or 900 terabytes) of data, meaning these bacteria have almost 500 times the storage capacity of a top of the line commercial hard drive.”
Minn. Pol With Gun Outside Abortion Clinic Says He Was Just In Area ‘Checking On’ His Girlfriend – this is how one married, republican politician justifies potentially unlawful behaviour: it’s all a “misunderstanding”, he was just “trying to check up on her”… with a loaded gun… of course if he had been a democrat, or an ordinary citizen, he would have been put in jail, and there would have been no story…
Drug tunnel uncovered at San Diego-Tijuana border, officials say; nearly 20 tons of marijuana seized – if they had passed Proposition 19, they wouldn’t have to worry about it, but because they didn’t, the federal government now has to make a big deal out of it, and waste the taxpayers’ money to rid themselves of something that would have been useless otherwise.
Willie Nelson charged with pot possession in Texas – give willie a break: he’s a celebrity, he’s already got massive problems with the government, and he’s an old man, for god’s sake! 😐
Civil Unions for Illinois? – civil union ≠ polygamy, regardless of how much you say it does…
FoxNation.com Reposts Anti-Obama Article From The Onion, Doesn’t Mention It’s A Joke – it’s things like this that are one of the principle reasons why the terrorists have won the war on terrorism.
this is why people treat torture as though it was “no big thing”… – Torture memo author compared waterboarding to speeding – dude, where’s my country? 😐
Clueless Patsy Set-up by FBI in Christmas Tree Bombing Plot and FBI stopped Portland bomb suspect from taking job before sting – the FBI has been up to their old shennanigans again: finding a mentally disturbed 19-year-old kid, preventing him from getting gainful employment, building him up to believe that he’s serving a greater purpose, convincing him that he’s building a bomb (complete with a real test explosion in a remote area), and then arresting him and claiming that they’ve caught another “terrorist”. if they actually had a terrorist, my guess is that nobody would recognise him… 😐
Rep. Kucinich slams fake Afghan elections, fake withdrawal, fake Taliban – i still say he would have made a much better president than the democretin that won…
and, while we’re on the subject of the fake taliban, The ‘Fake Taliban’ Is A Real Embarassment To NATO – “It’s not him,” said a Western diplomat in Kabul intimately involved in the discussions. “And we gave him a lot of money.” also Afghan "peace talks" impostor paid by MI6
Woman: TSA Agents Singled Me Out For My Breasts – i wonder how much longer this is going to go on before someone decides to do something violent?
TSA Glass Box Mother Over Stored Breast Milk – she’s a mother, and pumps breastmilk for her infant. she doesn’t have a problem, until one day she’s held up because the TSA doesn’t know their own rules, so she files a complaint. the next time she travels, the TSA is waiting for her and makes up rules to prevent her from making her flight. the reason they get away with it…?
Why the TSA pat-downs and body scans are unconstitutional – 😐
TSA Worker Accused Of Assault Had Prior Record and TSA Groin Searches Menstruating Woman and TSA Tactics Find Ominous Parallel in Nazi Germany and Children Being Trained That Being Taken From Parents & Molested Is Normal – whatever happened, opt-out day apparently didn’t have any effect, and things are continuing to get worse at a surprising pace…
Are Air Travelers Criminal Suspects? – federal agents should be subject to the same laws as ordinary citizens. why aren’t they?
TSA Administrative Directive: Opt-Outters To Be Considered "Domestic Extremists" – we’re teetering ever closer to the edge of an abyss…
meanwhile, Child Finds Loaded Gun Magazine On Flight – oh yeah… the terrorists have definitely won… 😐
"Barefoot bandit" suspect pleads innocent – go colton!
another week closer to the eschaton…
A Vegan No More – i wasn’t vegan, but i was a strict vegetarian for 15 years, and i didn’t have as severe health problems as this lady did, but in a lot of ways, this could be a story about me.
92% of Afghans never heard of 9/11 – four in 10 Afghans believe the US is on their soil in order to “destroy Islam or occupy Afghanistan.”
Sir, There’s a Camera in Your Head – this guy has a lot going for him in my book: he hacked a video game and placed a virtual avatar of himself as a suicide-bomber hunting president george w. bush, he confined himself to an art gallery where people could shoot him with paintballs, and now he’s having a camera implanted in his head, and displaying the pictures it takes in a museum in qatar, but what makes me really sit up and take notice is that his current show is called The 3rd I, which was the name of the magazine i designed and printed in the mid-1980s… great minds really do think alike… 8)
Huckabee Calls For Lawmakers To Ignore Court Rulings They Disagree With – um… no. 😐
10 Ways to Outfox Cops That Are Abusing Their Powers to Trick You – common sense, really, but they’re all there, in a brief, understandable format.
How Wal-Mart, Google and Other Corporate Giants Are Trying to Trick Progressive Consumers – “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you, fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
FBI pressuring Google, Facebook to allow ‘back doors’ for wiretapping and Debt collectors using Facebook to stalk and humilate – more reasons to avoid using google and facebook… not only that, but Tim Berners-Lee says Facebook ‘threatens’ web future – and, personally, i believe that tim berners-lee is a person who we should probably listen to when it comes to the future of the web…
Suspected bomb in Namibia was ‘security test’ – wait, so the suspected bomb that everybody was so up-in-arms about earlier in the week was actually a US made “dummy” bomb to test security?? i would say that whatever test that was designed to be a part of, is a resolute failure, if it took them four days to figure out who sent it…
$11,000 fine, arrest possible for some who refuse airport scans and pat downs – if you decide that the porno-scanner and the sexual assault enhanced pat down are too much for you, don’t plan on going to the airport at all, ’cause you’re not gonna get out of it, one way or the other… 😐
TSA Opt-Out Day, Now with a Superfantastic New Twist! – wear a kilt and strike a blow against the very big stupid! or, if you’re a celebrity like penn jillette you can get your own, private escort to assure the TSA goons that everything will be okay…
Full Frontal Nudity Doesn’t Make Us Safer and Does TSA Behavior Fall under Definition of Terrorism? – the government are terrorists! porno-scanners and fondling…
Why Congress Isn’t So Concerned With TSA Nude Scans & Gropes: They Get To Skip Them – now it all makes sense…
One Hundred Naked Citizens: One Hundred Leaked Body Scans and Leaked Body Scanner Images Do Not Show The Whole Picture – Advanced imaging technology cannot store, print, transmit or save the image, and the image is automatically deleted from the system after it is cleared by the remotely located security officer? i think not… it’s just a matter of time before somebody posts a web site that offers porno-scanner pictures…
Fly With Dignity – sign the petition to end invasion of privacy and “dick-measuring” scanners now!
Sanford Airport to opt out of TSA screening – orlando says enough is enough. they set a good example for everyone else.
TSA Likely To Face Multiple Sexual Assault Charges For New Searches – the war on terror is over. the terrorists have won.
Is your ISP throttling you? Just switch—if you live in the EU – if you live in the US, you’re quickly running out of options, and those in charge apparently don’t care.
Oil to run out 100 years before replacements become viable, study claims – when in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout… and that’s gonna’ be about all you can do, because there will be no more oil… 😐
Google Is Assembling a City – “When society inevitably collapses, Googleville will be the sole safe haven, but only those with company IDs will be allowed in.” this is the reason why i am more than a little bit suspicious of google and their motives for doing things like sending me $100 in free advertising if i respond by a certain time…
Panic after ‘Devil attack’ at school – they still blame things on the devil? this is the 21st century, people… 😐
Aleister Crowley for President, 2012 – “We realize that Aleister Crowley is dead. And British. And, moreover, not running for office. Nevertheless, we believe that the most effective vote you can cast in 2012 is one for Aleister Crowley.”
another week closer to the eschaton…
"Damn Right": Bush Boasts about Waterboarding – can we arrest him now?? 😛 apparently not: Torture? Check. Covering Up Torture? Check. Rule of Law? Nope. – “We cannot say that we live under the rule of law unless we are clear that no one is above the law. I think it’s clear. We cannot say we live under the rule of law.”
Will Internet censorship bill be pushed through lame-duck Congress? – “A lot of the things wrong with society today are directly attributable to the fact that the people who make the laws are sexually maladjusted.” — Frank Zappa
High Society exhibition: can dope give us hope? – “the ban on hallucinogens is holding back vital research into their medical benefits.” wow, man… trippy science stuff! 🙂
China may be bigger economy than US within two years and Is the American Dream Over? and The US Has Lived on Borrowed Money for Too Long – it’s gotten bad enough that other countries are starting to put it together…what do you think the probability is that this isn’t the end of the US as a superpower? further information regarding our imminent economic implosion and what we can do about it: As the Country Falls Apart, It’s Time for Our Revolution
Sikhs outraged at US airport turban searches – people, you’ve got to realise that not everyone who wears a turban is automatically muslim… or a terrorist… 😐
BP blamed for toxification and BP Successfully Disposed of the Oil … In the Gulf Food Chain – it’s still going on, and it’s worse than anybody imagined… again… 😐
and, while we’re at it, Chemicals in Fast Food Wrappers Show Up in Human Blood – more toxic chemicals are leaking from places where we don’t expect them, and ending up inside our bodies. wonderful…
Global Oil Availability Has Peaked : EU Energy Chief – meanwhile, where are we going and what’s with this hand-basket?
Is Death the End? Experiments Suggest You Create Time – this is the end, my only friend, the end. the end of laughter and soft lies, the end of nights we tried to die, this is the end…
NATIONAL OPT-OUT DAY! – if you’re travelling, wednesday, 24 november, 2010 is the day when you can say no to the dick-measuring radioactive backscatter scanning device… of course you don’t have to limit your opting out of “security theater” that doesn’t really protect anyone to wednesday, 24th november, it’s just that everyone else will (presumably) be doing it as well…
Naked Body Scanners To Store Biometrics and World’s Pilots Reject Naked Body Scanners Over Radiation Danger, Privacy Breach and TSA Responds To Airport Molestation Complaints – more power behind We Won’t Fly and Don’t Scan Us.
Oklahoma voters may have also banned Native American rights – i’m going to bet that someone’s going to complain about that… and the fact that they’re being stupid and childish about the whole thing won’t enter into the matter at all…
Senior US appeals court judge says drug war ‘lost,’ country should try legalizing marijuana – this is the direction we should be going, a senior, sitting federal judge calling for legalisation… now if only they’d listen to him: a federal judge said essentially the same thing in 1988, but nobody listened to him.
Inside My Haunted Head — What It’s Like to be a Schizophrenic – i don’t have schizophrenia, but there’s a lot more about this story that i can relate with than i’d like to admit.
Mass action shields soldier’s funeral – “The Westboro protesters didn’t stay long once they saw the supporters.” this is how we should be responding to all the extremists in our society: not by bombing them into oblivion or making unenforcable laws against their beliefs, but by gathering together and saying “no, we won’t allow you to behave like children around us”.
Arizona Reminds Residents Not to Drink From Toilets – this is where john mccain is senator…
another week closer to the eschaton…
i woke up this morning, and checked my email. i had 4,856 new messages, all with the same subject line, which included the word “MLM”… please stop sending me these messages. they’re not accomplishing what you think they are, they’re really annoying, and i’m about to block your country’s IP addresses because of it. there are better ways of doing… whatever it is that you’re expecting to be able to do by sending out 4,856 spam email messages… 😐
A piece of their mind – they share thoughts… in spite of the fact that they have two sets of eyes, one can “read” what the other is seeing, without actually seeing it… The Fascinating Story of the Twins Who Share Brains, Thoughts, and Senses has more, including a video… fascinating!
The Return of the Stoned Ape – smart people do more drugs because of evolution. now it all makes sense… 😀 and, while we’re at it, Smart people SLEEP LATE as well… so there!
and now, to more mundane topics…
33 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True – fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord. beware, the paranoids are watching you. fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord fnord.
The Information Super-Sewer: Will the Internet be Hijacked by Corporate Interests – funding a civilization through advertising is like trying to get nutrition by connecting a tube from one’s anus to one’s mouth. also Final nail in coffin for Net neutrality? – all 95 house and senate candidates who pledged support for net neutrality lost their races. what does this mean? it means that your unlimited, uncensored, unthrottled and open internet service will be going away as soon as the major corporations that now own internet are going to get to decide how much to charge you for how much access… which means that it won’t be too long before internet will be exactly like television, unless you can afford to make it better.
A Modest Proposal to Republicans: How to Trim the Budget – hint: it’s something that a republican would never think of…
Chomsky: US-led Afghan war, criminal – to date there is no evidence that al-qaeda has carried out the 9/11 attacks, and still we use that as justification to make war on a people who have their own problems.
The Surprising History of Copyright and The Promise of a Post-Copyright World – copyright was never primarily about paying artists for their work, and trying to make it about that now is obfuscating the real reason, which is to make the distributors as much money as possible. copying is not theft, piracy, or anything else illegal, and the sooner we toss the current copyright law fiasco and start over again, the better.
Minnesota Mom Hit With $1.5 Million Fine for Downloading 24 Songs – copying IS NOT theft! (my new mantra).
Bankruptcy of U.S. is ‘Mathematical Certainty,’ Says Former CEO of Nation’s 10th Largest Bank – yep… the end is coming, and it’s not looking like it’s going to be particularly pretty when it gets here.
Voters Approve Sharia Law Ban – meanwhile, fear, insanity and unreasoned reactionism comes to oklahoma, whether they like it or not… oh well, there are always 49 other states… 😐 meanwhile, it appears that Oklahoma Voters May Have Accidentally Voted Against Ten Commandments, Too – that’s what they get for being stupid and making nonsensical laws without thinking them through.
Details on PayPal’s Site Outage – they have been doing okay, despite the bad things that i continue to hear about them, but they apparently went down for anywhere from two to twenty four hours, depending on where you are, and so far they’ve not released any information other than to say “something broke. it’s fixed now, and we’re sorry.”
Google calls bug bounty hunters to YouTube, Blogger – $3,133.70 a bug seems like a lot, and i seriously doubt that their actual testers get paid anything like that. what this is, really, is an attempt by google to have volunteer “testers” hammer on their technology without having to pay them for doing so. then, when a “tester” discovers something, google can claim that they found it, pay the “tester” a minimal, one time fee and never mention the “tester” to anyone ever again… everybody’s happy, at least temporarily, and the big corporation profits at the expense of the american drone, who doesn’t notice because he’s too busy telling all of his friends how 733T he is… you can’t make a living on it, but it’s the american dream come true… 😐
Seagate squirts out rectal cleaning spray – no shit… 🙂
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: President Obama Visits Chicago and a Homeless Man Begs Him for Alms – no further comment needed.
Marijuana Legalization: Not If, But When – agreed, it’s just a matter of time, but it’s going to have to be the entire country, or it’s not going to work… and whether or not the entire country legalises it through a revolution or through a civil election still remains to be seen.
New Mother’s (False) Positive Drug Test Leads to Baby’s Removal… Poppy-Seed Bagel the Culprit – the only way to solve problems like this is to legalise all drugs, but if proposition 19 is any indication, even when we’re winning, we’re really losing… and while we’re at it, No reason for pot prohibition – when are we going to get the idea that the war on drugs is a collosal failure? not for the next couple of years, at this rate… 😐
not only that, but A molecular link between the active component of marijuana and Alzheimer’s disease pathology – the active ingredient in cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydracannabinol (THC), competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the key pathological marker of alzheimer’s disease. are we ready to legalise it yet?
Cargo plane bomb plot: passengers to face ‘ludicrous security measures’ – now that we have successfully prevented another terrorist plot from even reaching the country, of course, the logical response is to put more stringent measures in place to insure that innocent citizens are harrassed, poked, prodded, scanned and examined in new and unusual ways, to make sure that the terrorists don’t win again… oh, and by the way, Yemeni mail bombs suspect ‘had identity stolen’ – so we really don’t have any clearer an idea who did it then we did a week ago… swell…
For the First Time, the TSA Meets Resistance – they’re now searching your “crotchal” area, and they really want to get you to use the “Dick-Measuring Device” back-scatter imaging device, so be warned…
Pollution in China – this is why stuff is cheap in america. remember that the next time you buy something.
Obama may let CIA run more ‘hunter-killer’ teams roam abroad – this is premeditated murder and i question what the real intent is…
Why I don’t vote – W? T? F? i can understand a multitude of reasons for not participating in the farce of elections these days, but basing your abstinence in voting on 1 timothy 2.12 is far beyond anything that i could possibly figure out…
McDonald’s furious after San Francisco bans Happy Meals – apparently they didn’t get the memo…
Ram Dass Has a Son! – DNA tests confirm it, and ram dass is okay with it, so it doesn’t look like it’s going to cause a major uproar (like it has with other “spiritual” teachers), but it also is pretty much not what you would expect…
another week closer to the eschaton…
in honour of the “holiday” Cambodians beaten, raped and killed at illegal detention camp funded by UN – trick or treat for UNICEF…
Arkansas school board member to resign over anti-gay post – the problem with this guy, and all of the “christians” out there like him, is that the only reason he’s sorry now is because he got caught. if he hadn’t posted those comments on facebook, maybe expressed them privately, but for the most part kept them to himself, then he would continue to be a member of the arkansas school board, and nobody would be wise to his warped sensibilities. the “problems” caused by minorities of any kind are going to be solved only when these hateful, and unfortunately quite large portions of the population are eliminated, either through re-education or attrition.
Furious growth and cost cutting led to BP oil spills, past and present and Panel Says Firms Knew of Cement Flaws Before Spill – if you thought it was over, think again…
Fresh blockades as a quarter of France’s petrol stations still dry – a couple of weeks ago i posted a link to an article which said that there is no “plan b” to fall back on, in case “plan a” (which appears to be something along the lines of “ignore it and maybe it will go away”) fails. this is exactly the kind of chaos that you can expect to see more of, as time goes on, and oil becomes more and more scarce. here are some examples of how things are falling apart faster than we can fix them:
The scary actual U.S. government debt – “Let’s get real, the United States is bankrupt.”
What It’s Like to Work in Walmart – an underemployed teacher gets a job at walmart, hillarity ensues. beware: this could will probably happen to you.
Oops: Pentagon loses contact with nukes in Wyoming – it’s all right, folks, nothing to see here… move along.
Google finally admits that its Street View cars DID take emails and passwords from computers – DON’T. BE. EVIL! 😛
Group offers $10,000 to anyone who can disprove the claim that ‘cannabis is safer than alcohol’ – they’re confident that the $10,000 will remain unclaimed, and i don’t doubt they’re right, but i doubt that it’s going to make that much of a difference when it comes to legalisation. most people are pretty stupid, and that includes the people in charge… 😐
meanwhile: Study: Alcohol more lethal than heroin, cocaine – overall, alcohol outranked all other substances… cannabis, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower… BIG surprise, especially considering that the alcohol lobby has been pouring money into the campains against the legalisation of cannabis…
Sex researchers: "Size" does matter – year-long study from turkey concludes that men with a higher body mass index last longer in bed. mcdonald’s advertising to follow soon.
I Can’t Find My Phone – finally, a web site that’s actually good for something!
John Cage still being cheated out of royalties for his silent work –
another week closer to the eschaton…
news has been too depressing the past week, so this week’s collection of links is going to be mostly fluff. i’ll leave it up to others to decide which is which.
Christine O’Donnell: Where In The Constitution Is The Separation Of Church And State? and she’s now offering a reward of $1,000 For Anyone Who Can Find The Phrase "Separation Of Church And State" In The Constitution – why is there still any question about whether or not she’s actually qualified to be a state senator? that’s like saying sarah palin is qualified to be president of the united states… 😐
Former Surgeon General calls for legalization of marijuana and Dozens of law professors nation-wide endorse Calif. marijuana legalization – but the federal government is going to continue to prosecute people for cannabis, in spite of state laws that legalise it… it’s not exactly what i was expecting from obama and crew when i voted them into office… 😐 They’ve Stopped Pretending
The World’s Largest Gummy Worm – 128 times more massive than a traditional gummy worm, it’s three pounds and 4,000 calories of gummy… um… it looks suspiciously like a dildo…
Dead Sea scrolls going digital on Internet – yep…
Apple Patents Anti-Sexting Device – all the more impetus for kids to learn a large vocabulary.
Gangsta Lorem Ipsum – Lorizzle dang dolor sit amizzle, shizznit we gonna chung the bizzle. We gonna chung sapien velizzle, dang volutpizzle, owned quizzle, break it down vizzle, arcu.
another week closer to the eschaton…
Future Chaos: There Is No “Plan B” – sooo… have fun while you can, i guess, ’cause if plan A fails, there’s going to be a whole hell of a lot of chaos, almost immediately, and there’s nothing you as an individual, and not much you as a group of well armed and well prepared people can do about it… 😐
It’s the 1930s car that was meant to change American lives. And now the Dymaxion’s back. – one of my lifelong dreams has been to own and/or drive a dymaxion car. maybe someone will be able to pull it off this time. 🙂
Tooth Regeneration Gel Could Replace Painful Fillings – Could this new gel be the biggest dental breakthrough since the introduction of fluoride?
Squishable, Breathing Smart Phones – for high paid geeks with way too much time on their hands.
David Harmer GOP Tea Party congressional nominee from California says ‘Abolish’ public schools and California shooter says he saw Glenn Beck as ‘schoolteacher’ and Republicans’ ‘scary’ immigrant photo depicts Mexicans in Mexico, photographer reveals – we’re still losing to these morons?!?
and this is for those who think that the budget crisis that we’re currently in the middle of is the fault of the democrats: Democrats shrank US spending, deficit in last fiscal year, figures show – and we’re still losing to these morons?!? 😐 admittedly the democrats are nothing to write home about, but they’re not the source of the current problems, and i really wish the republicans would remember that when they put all these ads on TV about how evil the democrats have been recently: we’re still recovering from the bush years, which were principally republican, and we will be for quite a while yet, so just cool it.
Multnomah County stops prosecuting dozens of illegal acts as crimes or Oregon county decriminalizes heroin, meth, cocaine and shoplifting, among others – but the federal government is going to continue to prosecute drug crimes anyway, even if states legalise or decriminalise them, so there’s really not an awful lot of news here.
Holder: US will enforce marijuana laws despite how Californians may vote – this is the reason why the only way we’re ever going to make any kind of substantial change in the “war on drugs” is to legalise them at the federal level…
according to a new RAND study, either Legalizing pot won’t hinder Mexican cartels or Marijuana Legalization Would Markedly Cut Mexican Drug Cartel Profits… you decide which is really the truth… 😐 here’s the Marijuana Policy Project’s spin on it – What Exactly Did that RAND Study Say About Cartels and Marijuana?
Tracking devices used in school badges – big brother waches over your kids, too, whether they’re at school or not.
Microsoft’s search engine will mine Facebook data – another reason not to use either microsoft or facebook. i have placed a directive in my robots.txt file that specifically denies microsoft’s search engines from indexing my site (while allowing everyone else), and i don’t use facebook… but my wife does…
Facebook is ‘killing privacy for commercial gain’ – a law against facebook… now there’s an idea… 🙂
Can a Person Be Moral without Being a Christian? – hint: his answer is no. “[I]f God is not your god, you will serve Buddha. Or, if not Buddha, perhaps Allah. Or, if not Allah, perhaps Baal. Or, if not Baal, perhaps Confucius.” let’s see: buddhism, confucianism and islam are recognised, but i don’t know of any modern baal-worshippers, except for jews, and, by extension, “christians”, who worship בעל (ba’al, or “lord”)… and he apparently doesn’t recognise hindus, or jaina, or taoists… maybe i shouldn’t expect so much. i keep this guy in my regular news feed primarly because he is so absurd. he gets more absurd with every new post. maybe he’ll follow the pingback to my site and learn how truly absurd i find his views. maybe not. who knows…
Barack Obama and Sarah Palin are Related – isn’t internet wonderful?
NSFW – the National Schools Film Week, you pervert… 🙂 now if it was NSFW it wouldn’t be so bad…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Think US politics are absurd? Brazilians elect actual clown to Congress – brazil has its collective shit together in more than two ways that i’ve noticed recently… maybe american politicians should be paying more attention to the brazilians…
60% of countries will be bankrupt within 50 years – the only hopeful thing about the future is that i will very likely die before that happens.
Drug cops smash into wrong house, terrorize elderly couple and Pot raid at school turns up tomatoes – if it were legal, they could be spending their time going after real criminals instead of hassling immigrant grandparents, and kids about their tomatoes… 😐
Why Comcast can (but probably won’t) read your e-mails, IMs – every now and then i need to remind myself why i am NOT a comcast customer. this will do for a couple of years, until something else awful and terrifying is revealed about their policies…
GPS directs driver to death in Spain’s largest reservoir or Un hombre fallece tras hundirse su coche en la presa de La Serena – i, for one, welcome our new, robot overlords… or not…
Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back and Student finds tracking device on his car; FBI demands it back – what…?
Hello, this is your ISP. You have been disconnected from internet. Have a nice day. – if micro$awft gets its way, this could happen to you if you get any kind of malware or virus. more reason to use linux, of course, but why would anyone think this is a good idea to begin with is a little mystifying.
Android phone auto reverts jailbreaks – i agree, that people who are required to pay for a piece of hardware to make their lives easier, should be able to use that piece of hardware for whatever they choose. the company from which you buy a cell phone does not retain an “interest” in the hardware, once you buy it… much as i like the approach taken by the makers of the android cell phone, i don’t think they should be able to arbitarily “take back” a phone that has been modified.
Woman screamed about God while destroying art and California Stem Cell Agency Rewards Blasphemy While Admitting the Humanity of Embryos Slated for Destruction – yep, people are still concerned about what other people do being “blasphemy”. in one case, a woman broke into a protective plexiglass housing and destroyed a piece of art, and in the other, people, for whom it did not make any difference, were “forced” to comply with the wishes of the people who were crying “blasphemy” and take down an otherwise inoffensive piece of art. i wrote to the contact person for CIRM (i encourage you to write to him as well) and sent him this:
i am not offended by any language, but because of the fact that you have seen fit to remove the poems in honour of stem cell awareness day, i can no longer see them, and that offends me.
No-one has the right not to be offended.
— John CleeseA truly great library contains something within it to offend everyone.
— Jo GodwinWhat is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.
— Salman RushdieBeing offended is a natural consequence of leaving the house.
— Fran LebowitzThe most efficacious method of dealing with deviancy is to ignore, to the furthest point of our tolerance, those items which we find offensive.
— Ilbert GeisChristianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion that has ever infected the world.
— Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet), 1694-1778
by the way, if you’re interested, the poems that were too “blasphemous” to post on CIRMs web site, can be seen here. USAToday is good for something after all.
Insane Clown Posse is actually a Christian band, and nobody knew – i knew there was a fundamental reason why i didn’t like them apart from their encouragement of drunken violence…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Feds want backdoors built into VoIP and email US Would Make Internet Wiretaps Easier – yes, the united states government wants to listen in on your phone calls, and analyse your email messages, because you might be a terrorist. forget about innocent until proven guilty, forget about warrants, if these people don’t get what they want, heads will roll… and they might just roll anyway.
Web’s creator slams ‘blight’ of web disconnection laws – tim berniers-lee has a point, and we should listen to him…
2 out of 3 Android apps use private data ‘suspiciously’ – DON’T. BE. EVIL! 😐
Red Hat says end software patents – the supreme court heard the Bilski case earlier this year, and it ruled that the patentability of intangible products should be reduced. red hat takes it one step further, and says that the patentability of intangible products should be eliminated entirely, turning the entire software industry on its ear. it’s a great idea, but it’ll never work out in practice, because people are still too greedy.
Downloads are not performances – despite the fact that i belong to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), i actually think this has the potential of being a good thing. whaddaya know?
Microsoft surrenders Live Spaces future to WordPress – part of me wants to laugh at the people who signed up for the micro$awft me-too web 2.0 hype, but part of me wonders if wp is really the best choice, if micro$awft chose it to replace their hype… 😛
Authorities Plan To Trawl Phone Calls And E Mails For Signs Of “Resentment Toward Government” – my guess is that they won’t have to go far, especially since my resentment towards government is plainly evident, and has been for quite a number of years… 😐
US Is ‘Practically Owned’ by China – don’t get too comfortable, the new bosses will be arriving soon…
The Proof Is In The Numbers: America Is Getting Poorer – where’s that hope-y, change-y stuff that they were talking about? it’s about time for that stuff to start kicking in, isn’t it?
Attempts to Ban Fake Marijuana Are Further Proof of Prohibition’s Failure – more flap about K2 and the valiant, but ultimately futile attemps to ban it. all the more reason to legalise cannabis. especially when the creator of the substance that makes K2 popular says this about attempts to ban his substance: “It’s not going to be effective, is the ban on marijuana effective?”
Key ingredient staves off marijuana memory loss – now that we’ve lightened up (a little bit), we’re discovering that cannabis really is good for something. The Budgetary Impact of Ending Drug Prohibition – legalizing drugs would save roughly $41,300,000,000 ($41.3 billion) per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition, and produce roughly $46,700,000,000 ($46.7 billion) annually in tax revenue. and we’re still fighting a “war” that we can’t win?
Barefaced cheek on Google Street View – ireland welcomes the google street view cameras with characteristic abandon.
Boss Hogs Bacon Chocolate Sueyts – yum… 🙂
Non-Sequitur
getting back to International Blasphemy Day, this cartoon has been pulled from some (upwards of 20 different) newspapers, because it is “offensive”.
personally, i don’t see it, but apparently it takes all kinds…
then again, as winston churchill said, “it doesn’t take all kinds, there just are all kinds.”
another week closer to the eschaton…
The City That Ended Hunger – Buckminster Fuller said that we, as a people, have posessed the technology for 50 years (and he said this almost 50 years ago) to create a world where nobody has to work to survive. Why Bother Working At A Job You Hate? and The RICH Economy are my attempts at changing the world’s consciousness, but it may be that Belo Horizonte, brazil’s fourth largest city, has taken it one step further. brazil has a number of other interesting features upon which i have commented previously.
meanwhile, back in hell america, Building sand castles on Florida’s beaches is illegal – this is how BP is hoping to make you think that the oil spill is gone.
What the TSA isn’t saying about Full Body Scanners and Your Right to Opt Out – Say “I Opt Out.” Every Time. – has an interesting URI – Don’tScan.Us – and is there to remind everyone that, when travelling by air, you have the right to say “I OPT OUT” when confronted with a TSA request to what amounts to a strip search. also Portable, rapid DNA analysis tech developed – Big Brother doesn’t care whether or not you have fingerprints, and is interested in your DNA instead… more orwellian doublethink: Welfare is Employment Rights are Privileges War is Peace Illness is Health Collapse Is Recovery
Judge orders lesbian reinstated to Air Force and yet the congress in it’s infinite wisdom has decided that, even though a judge also ruled that DADT is unconstitutional, they’re not going to do anything to change it at this time. correct me if i’m wrong, but the judge that said that DADT is unconstitutional basically said that it’s against the law for the military to enforce the law as it currently stands, and still, congress feels that it’s okay to leave the law as it stands, right? that settles it, our government, and likely the governments of the countries in the rest of the world as well (since they all cooperate with each other, more or less) is irreparably broken. it’s time for that major shift in the way people think that i’ve mentioned before to actually start happening now…
and, by the way, now there’s Irrefutable Proof the Bush Tax Cuts Were a Miserable Failure – and we’re still losing to these morons…
despite the fact that Yes on Prop 19 Holds Steady Lead, 47%-42%, in Latest SurveyUSA Poll, this is what supporters of prop 19 are up against: Ex-Drug Czar Bill Bennett: Showtime’s “Weeds” is “Damaging,” Jonas Brothers Should Fight Prop 19 – regardless of whether prop 19 passes or not, however, Federal judge rules Colorado’s medical marijuana law is no defense for US drug charges. california can legalise all it wants, but until the federal government changes its mind, people will still end up going to jail for smoking a joint. and, while we’re at it, T-Mobile Claims Right to Censor Text Messages – big brother just got a little bigger and a little less like your brother.
along the same lines, according to Chapter 69.51A RCW on Medical "marijuana" (which is actually called “cannabis”, but i’m not arguing at this point), apparently i wouldn’t qualify anyway… oh well… 8/
Twitter blames website upgrade for re-introducing XSS hole – hopefully, the last word on my battle with twitter and their most recent cross-site scripting bug… which is still gone on my machine, but presumably that’s because i deleted my account before this latest round happened, and when they re-introduced it, i didn’t have an account to infect any longer…
twitter… 😐 feh.
Trojan poses as skeleton key jailbreak utility – but it only works on iPhones… wait, what? 8) heh heh heh… i am so glad i’m not a mac-head any longer…
GoDaddy.com Goes on the Auction Block – recently i read a couple of articles detailing how a whole bunch (<200) of wordpress blogs hosted by godaddy got hacked. i don’t know whether selling godaddy will make things better or worse, but it’s one of the reasons why i don’t use godaddy to begin with.
IE captain flees Microsoft for Google – when i was first getting into testing software, back in 1996, i attended a planning meeting in advance of the release of IE3 (which was still crawling with bugs, in spite of bill gates’ claim that micro$not released “bug free” software), and chris wilson was there, although he wasn’t as “important” then as he later became. however giving up micro$hit for google is sort of a lateral move for someone who is allegedly as “important” as he is… and, given that he is ultimately responsible for such travesties as IE4 and IE6, i would think that google would have second thoughts about hiring him…
How do you copy 60 million files? – yet another reason why linux rocks, and you should use it and not that crap operating system from redmond.
Nuclear Winter And Peace – look… another article by Fidel Castro… you might get the impression that he’s actually changed the way he thinks recently, and that i agree with him now…
Oops! Billboard spelling error creates embarrassment
The true history of the Koran in America – reports of qur’ans in american libraries go back at least to 1683, and the first qur’an to be published in america was in 1806, over 100 years later. both thomas jefferson and john adams owned one and read it frequently… just sayin’…
Pope’s astronomer says he would baptise an alien if it asked him – unfortunately, is not a joke… nor is this: Christian group declares jct 9 on M25 cursed, although it took me several readings to confirm that it was, in fact, totally serious… what?!?
Church of Body Modification – this has been the subject of a bunch of spam messages i have been receiving recently, but it’s a real thing, and it looks fairly interesting…
Fabrican – it gives the reference to “jeans so tight you must have sprayed them on” a whole new meaning…
another week closer to the eschaton…
Google guy "invaded teen users’ privacy" Google damages users’ brains – DON’T! BE! EVIL!
On the Advice of the FBI, Cartoonist Molly Norris Disappears From View – this is what happens when you take any religion to its logical conclusion.
Linus Torvalds outs himself as US citizen – gadzooks! i can’t wait to get out, and linus is on his way in… tell ya’ what, linus… i’ll trade you. Silence is the Death of Liberty is an example of why…
New 64-Bit Windows Rootkit Already ‘In The Wild’ – i’m tellin’ ya’… it’s pointless for micro$awft to create “new” operating systems, because they’re all based on former, defective, operating systems, and they’ve already got a built-in cadre of hackers who are already 98% of the way to breaking anything new that they come up with, before they release it. NOTICE TO MICKEY: the way to fix this is to use an entirely different approach, right from the very beginning – instead of basing your next 64-bit “super secure, can’t be hacked” OS on the same 8-bit kernel on which every other MS OS has been based, why not try something that no-one expects and build an entirely new kernel? what? you’re not creative enough to do that? oh, well forget it then…
Open source: a savvy bet, even in tough times – another way of putting it is that “free” is a very good way to keep me as a customer… Principia Mathematica Corporatica
Massive La. Fishkill Prompts Oil Spill Questions, Gulf Oil Refuses to Stay Hidden Underwater and In legal filings, BP says thousands of oil spill victims do not have right to sue – will it ever end? not during this decade…
Nation of Israel Buys @Israel Twitter Account From Miami Pornographer – bwaah hah hah hah hah! 8D
Purging Evil – society still has a very, very long way to go. my impression is that it will continue to be as bad as it is, if not worse, until there is a fundamental shift in the way we think and behave, and guys like cal thomas are preventing that fundamental shift from happening. yet another example (the web is full of them, there’s no counting how many stories like this there are) ‘Devil’ appears in bathroom tile – and, yes, both of these are serious. the people reporting the stories believe that they’re true, no matter how absurd they really are. more absurdity:
Scientists are creating ‘mice with human brains’ Montana Republican Party wants to make homosexuality a crime Mother Denies Heart Surgery For Infant, Cites Religion – these are not jokes.
another week closer to the eschaton…
i don’t use facebook for a large number of reasons. primary among these is that, despite the fact that a lot of my current friends are facebook members, there are certain people from my past that might want to get in touch with me, and i would prefer it a great deal if they did not know how to get in touch with me. not being a member of facebook is a good way to accomplish that. among the other reasons, in no particular order, are these: Facebook users ‘are insecure, narcissistic and have low self-esteem’, Understanding the latest Facebook privacy train wreck, Top Ten Reasons You Should Quit Facebook, More Reasons Why You Should Still Quit Facebook and Does what happens in the Facebook stay in the Facebook? i’m not going to rant about this, despite the fact that i could rant for quite some time about facebook, because whatever i say, people are going to do what people are going to do, and one of those things is to use facebook in spite of it’s obvious and blatant flaws.
reminder: THIS is the reason why i am no longer using LiveJournal for anything remotely blog-related. i know enough about how these things work to realise that there’s probably a lot going on that i don’t understand, and that i don’t know about, but there’s one distinct advantage to having a blog located on a server over which you have exclusive control, and that is that you don’t have perverts sysadmins stalking poking their noses in where they’re not supposed to be. if you’re looking for an alternative, i can host your domain and you can run your own version of wordpress there, and i promise i won’t comment on flocked entries. contact me for more details.
Death by iPod – this is directly related to last week’s link detailing people still falling for scams, despite the fact that they’ve been running essentially the same scams for at least ten years… society needs a collective brain upgrade. examples: Google squirrels into human brains with Scribe experiment and Russia Uses Microsoft to Suppress Dissent
Windows malware dwarfs other viral threats – “The vast majority of malware – more than 99 per cent – targets Windows PCs”. another very good reason to use linux.
50 Mind Blowing Facts About America That Our Founding Fathers Never Would Have Believed – Sheriffs want lists of patients using painkillers – for example…
Stuffed Pony Blown Up By Bomb Squad Suspicious ‘FurReal’ pony blown up near elementary school – it was a battery powered, stuffed pony, in the vicinity of an elementary school… because the clowns at clownland security didn’t have anything better to do…
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Unconstitutional – this actually happened a few days ago, but i haven’t seen it in any of the regular news at all. the “christians” will say that it’s further evidence that they are a “persecuted minority”. meanwhile Self-Described ‘Christian Counterpart To Osama Bin Laden’ Arrested In Plot To Bomb Abortion Clinic and Self-labeled ‘Christian counterpart of Osama bin Laden’ allegedly planned clinic bombing – “christians” are the real terrorists.
What does it take to be happy? About $75,000 – money can’t buy happiness, but apparently $75k a year will get you pretty close…
New research restores psychedelics’ medical respectability – first they were used as medicine for thousands of years, then they decided that they have no medicinal value, now they’re saying that they might have medicinial value after all… i wish they’d just make up their minds and stop decieving us. sign The Vienna Declaration to advocate for evidence based drug policy and strengthen the call for policies driven by evidence. join the movement to end the failed war on drugs!
Cannabis Yoga – to help you come down from your stressful life. this is not a joke.
Noam Chomsky to become new X-Factor judge – this is a joke.
a message to pastor terry jones and his ilk:
all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them
i guess that means it’s okay for me to advocate burning bibles…
of course, he should be entitled to burn qur’ans; it’s his right to be stupid in this free country. it’s also right for me to organise a protest against him, which will be just as offensive to him as his is to me.
seriously, i think the proper way to protest this is to organise a mass bible burning on christmas, to protest the stupidity that brought this qur’an burning on september 11th into fruition.
No-one has the right not to be offended.
— John CleeseWhere books are burned in the end people will burn.
— Heinrich Heine
i’ll even contribute my collection of gideon bibles that i have stolen out of every single hotel room that i have ever stayed in (there’s at least a dozen)… that oughta’ get the protest rolling…
another week closer to the eschaton…
we’ll start out this week’s post with a public service announcement: National Chronic Illness Awareness Week is coming up 13-19 september. be nice to somebody: one in two americans has an invisible chronic illness or condition!
Predator drones patrols of southern US border start Wednesday – this is now a police state, where only the priveledged live, the starving refugee is given temporary status, and the illegal immigrant is hunted down and summarily killed ejected.
example: California Cops Taser Senior Citizen in His Own Home – couple returns home, man falls, wife calls 911, cops show up and taser man when he refuses to go with them. beware – this could happen in your home, to you.
Oil Rig Explodes Off The Louisiana coast – didn’t we already go through this once? and, by the way, we now have a BP ultimatum: Let us drill or funds will dry up – considering that it took them all of a week to make the money that they have spent on cleaning up the spill, i think that they could go a little while longer before they are completely out of money…
More War Lies – war is peace, love is hate, lies are truth… business as usual.
Stephen Hawking Breaks Atheist Rules – yep, he said there doesn’t have to be a “god” in order for everything to be here. broke the rules, indeed… Is Stephen Hawking’s New Book Science or Science Fiction – “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” — Mohandas K. Gandhi
Top Web Scams of the Decade – in other words, if you don’t know that you shouldn’t respond to random, sketchy-sounding email from someone you don’t know, you probably shouldn’t be online at all. Pew Study Claims One Fifth Of American Adults Don’t Use The Internet – i’ve got an idea: make it so that you have to have a license to use an internet-connected device, in the same way that you now have to have a license to drive a car. kill two birds with one stone…
Budget cuts bring end to Stockton narcotics unit – hey, let’s move to stockton! 8)
California pot legalization ‘could end Mexican drug war’ and Marijuana activists stage Mexico City smoke-out to protest prohibition – hint: legalisation of cannabis could go a long way towards ending the war on drugs everywhere…
The Pain-Killing Power of Marijuana – especially with people like this guy’s brother pumping out new research…
Two new scientific studies reveal hallucinogens are good for your mental health – another thing hallucinogens are good for! 8)
Ancient brew masters tapped drug secrets – another thing beer is good for! 8)
Mind-Altering Parasites – toxoplasma gondii on the loose!
network/s/ing
i am writing this from portland. to be specific, i am writing this from the back yard of my mother-in-law’s house. when i booted up my battery-powered laptop, it automatically found a network, and logged me in. it also found 3 other networks, for which i don’t have the password stored in my computer.
my impression is that i can go pretty much anywhere in pretty much any metropolitan area in this country, and be able to log on to the network with not an awful lot more than a password. this particular network’s password was (probably) supplied by my wife, who set up her mother with wireless ethernet last christmas, but it shouldn’t take any more than asking someone to be able to log in to any network. i just heard someone on the radio this morning who was saying that, inevitably, they’re going to include wireless networking, or wifi hotspots in new buildings, the same way that new buildings currently are wired with electricity, sewers and running water. i shouldn’t have to do more than ask someone to get free access to internet, in the same way that i shouldn’t have to pay someone to get water, or go to the bathroom.
and yet, that’s what google – the “don’t be evil” company – is out to make happen. it’s not bad enough that google anticipates the keywords that you type in, based on information that they have gathered from your previous searches, or that google is willing to sell that information about you to other people without your knowledge or permission, but on top of all that, they want to make you pay to get what should be equally free to everyone.
yeah, i know that you can go into a restaurant and get a fancy glass of water, but you’re also going to get quite a bit more than that in a restaurant, if what you’re starting out with is water, and when water is all you need, paying for all of that other, admittedly desirable, stuff, is starting to be more of a “luxury” item than anything else…
here’s an option: give free high speed internet to everyone, but let google and verizon build their “private, for-pay” internet and have them deliver that “private, for-pay” internet in a way similar to that in which fine food is delivered at a restaurant, and see how long it is before people realise that “private” and “for-pay” means that regardless of how raunchy, evil and nasty they want to be, someone is going to be aware of their actions.
another week closer to the eschaton…
Can psychedelic drugs treat depression? – gee, weren’t we discussing the very same possibility FIFTY YEARS AGO⁈⁈ before all this “war on drugs” crap took over everyones’ consciousness⁈ we’ve lost 50 years of medical technology breakthroughs because of this stupid attitude that “some drugs are bad”… 8/
Why The Wars Can’t Be Won – if you needed further explanation.
Nuclear Winter – by Fidel Castro, 24 august, 2010. also, Fidel Castro has a blog, so get out there and subscribe, comrades…
Fidel Castro claims Osama bin Laden is a US spy but that’s not what they want you to think: Corporate Media Dismisses Castro’s Bin Laden Claim As Far-Fetched Conspiracy Theory
Obama administration claims roughly 75 percent of the oil had been removed or Senior U.S. scientist rescinds previous claim that 3/4 of oil from spill is gone, says most is still there? who knows for sure any longer, the reality is, the environment is severely screwed, and will stay severely screwed for quite a number of years… 8/
Calling a truce in the war on drugs – remember when england fired the chairman of it’s "Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs" and he shot back? well, he’s at it again, and he makes just as much sense as ever. will the government listen to him this time? probably not…
The facial recognition software that will put a name to every photograph in the internet – big brother is watching! coming to a browser near you soon, whether you want him to or not… 8/
Steve Jobs Is Watching You: Apple Seeking to Patent Spyware – big brother is watching! coming to a iphone near you soon, whether you want him to or not… 8/
Mobile X-Ray Scanners Hit The Streets – big brother is watching! coming to a street near you soon, whether you want him to or not… 8/
L.A. authorities plan to use heat-beam ray in jail – but only on “unruly” residents.
Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations – if you weren’t paranoid enough already…
Every Time You Forward an Email You Donate To Al-Qaeda – now we’re going over the line into stupidity… 8/
Man Already Knows Everything He Needs To Know About Muslims and Special Investigation – Evolution reflect the way i’ve been feeling about the general public recently, so watch out if you have to be in contact with me for any length of time, especially if you’re upset about either of these issues.
Upgrade Excreta – single malt whiskey from elderly diabetic piss, composting toilets and sparkly shit to lighten up your day…
we are all equal versus i’m better than you
i was driving home this afternoon when i had a realisation: this society is screwed up, mentally, and it comes from the fact that there are two very powerful, but entirely opposite messages being propagated from a very early age. one message is that everyone is equal: things like the constitution, the bill of rights and even the pledge of allegiance emphasise the fact that nobody is better than anybody else, and that all of us are just human beings. the other message is that there are some people who are better than other people. this was driven home to me by a bumper sticker i saw on the back of the car in front of me that said “Cougar Pride” and had the name of some elementary school on it.
of course, what it said to me is that the students of whatever elementary school it was are indoctrinated to believe that their school is better than the other schools in the area. it was intended, most likely, to elicit pride in the school’s sports teams, but it clearly was intended to represent the entire “cougar” population, regardless of whether or not they were on a sports team. and it obviously doesn’t matter to anyone that the population is being indoctrinated, because i’ve seen exactly the same message on bumper stickers for every school that has thought about it in the slightest degree.
i see things like this all the time: “our sports team is better than yours”, or “our city is better than yours”, or “our religion is better than yours” — but we’re all equal, all just human beings, nobody is “better” than anybody else.
society is going to continue to be screwed up until we start teaching our children consistent messages and stop being contradictory.