Saturday, August 31, 2013
"The great recycling con trick:"
I wonder how many other places are managing their recycling in a similar manner...
In the U.K. Daily Mail, Steve Doughty recently called attention to this:
"How your carefully sorted waste is being dumped abroad"
Hillary's Racial Politics - WSJ.com
Mrs. Clinton seems to give speeches that are short on real facts and statistics.
Of course, politicians are masters of that self-serving skill...
Of course, politicians are masters of that self-serving skill...
The editorial side of the Wall Street Journal offers their opinion of a recent speech:
"She claimed the High Court had 'struck at the heart' of the law, though all it did was eliminate a section that had forced such states as Mississippi to meet higher legal burdens for election laws than other states with a worse current record of minority voter participation. 'Now not every obstacle is related to race,' Mrs. Clinton added, 'but anyone who says that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in American elections must not be paying attention.'
No one thinks racial discrimination has vanished from American life or the human condition. But as for minority voting, Mrs. Clinton is the one who hasn't been paying attention. In particular, she must have missed the May 2013 Census Bureau study on 'The Diversifying Electorate—Voting Rates by Race and Hispanic Origin in 2012 (and Other Recent Elections).'
The study, based on data from the November 2012 Current Population Survey, shows that minority voter turnout nationwide has been rising—dramatically so. Take blacks, who as recently as 1996 had a low voter turnout rate of 53%. As the nearby chart shows, black turnout has jumped in each of the last four presidential elections."
Friday, August 30, 2013
"When Will the Media Notice that al-Jazeera America is the Muslim Brotherhood Channel?"
At Townhall.com, Diana West informs us:
"Everything, if the cheers and happy talk of the American press corps are any measure. Entranced, media critics have greeted the rollout of 'AJA' as that of just another news company, not the propaganda arm of monied Qatari despots. But no matter how many American journalists 'anchor' Al-Jazeera America's news desks, a 24/7 Muslim Brotherhood channel is now beaming into living rooms across the country. There is no changing the fact that Al-Jazeera's leading personality is the Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
In dispensing Islamic clerical wisdom, Qaradawi has called for the murder of U.S. soldiers and Jews. Earlier this year on his own popular Al-Jazeera show, Qaradawi also affirmed the Islamic penalty for 'apostasy,' or leaving Islam: death. Qaradawi, meanwhile, isn't just a big man with the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Jazeera. He is also a prized personage in Qatar. In a public ceremony in June, Qatar's new emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, 'planted a kiss on Al Qaradawi's head and then his shoulder,' Gulf News reported.
But you could have fooled the U.S. press corps. The headlines this week read like Al-Jazeera press releases"
Oberlin College | Racism Hoax
This story has a really bad taste to it.
Is the publicity surrounding a story like this now more important than the truth?
Apparently so...
Is the publicity surrounding a story like this now more important than the truth?
Apparently so...
At LegalInsurrection.com, William A. Jacobson gives the details on this story:
"The enormity of the hoax cannot be overstated, and it could not have taken place without the cover up by the Oberlin administration.
Had Oberlin’s President gone on television or issued a statement that the acts were a hoax, the campus and media would not have devoted weeks to portraying Oberlin as having a racism problem.
The Oberlin administration has a lot of answering to do to the community, the nation, and to Oberlin alumni. How must those alumni feel to see their school smeared based on a hoax.
Will Lena Dunham now tweet about it?
Will CNN cover the hoax aspect as deeply as it did the incidents?
Will Melissa Harris-Perry talk about the role of racist hoaxes in creating a false narrative of racism?"
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Muslim staff escape NHS hygiene rule - Telegraph
I saw this in the U.K. Daily Telegraph:
"Female staff who follow the Islamic faith will be allowed to cover their arms to preserve their modesty despite earlier guidance that all staff should be 'bare below the elbow'. The Department of Health has also relaxed rules prohibiting jewellery so that Sikh members of staff can wear bangles linked with their faith, providing they are pushed up the arm while the medic treats a patient."
"Reserving the right to refuse service"
Like this writer, I'm confused about this.
I understand that publicly financed government can't refuse services.
I'm deeply troubled that a private citizen or enterprise must serve without exception...
I understand that publicly financed government can't refuse services.
I'm deeply troubled that a private citizen or enterprise must serve without exception...
Jazz Shaw posts and gives more detail and some thought provoking examples at HotAir.com:
"In yet another topic sure to enrage, Sterling Beard – writing at The Corner – catches up with the latest news on a strange case coming to us from New Mexico. It’s now gone all the way to the state Supreme Court, and the story may be at an end. In case you hadn’t heard, wedding photographers can’t refuse to take pictures at a gay wedding or they have violated the New Mexico Human Rights Act."
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
"Where Did Syria’s Chemical Weapons Come From?"
No surprise here!...
At Breitbart.com, Frank Salvato reminds us of this and more:
"In 2006, former Iraqi general, Georges Sada, who served under Saddam Hussein before he defected, wrote a comprehensive book detailing how the Iraqi Revolutionary Guard moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria, before the US-led action to eliminate Saddam Hussein’s WMD threat, by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger seats were removed.
As reported in the New York Sun on January 26, 2006:
“‘There are weapons of mass destruction gone out from Iraq to Syria, and they must be found and returned to safe hands,’ Mr. Sada said. ‘I am confident they were taken over.’”
“Mr. Sada’s comments come just more than a month after Israel’s top general during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Moshe Yaalon, told the Sun that Saddam ‘transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria.’
“Democrats have made the absence of stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq a theme in their criticism of the Bush administration’s decision to go to war in 2003..."
"I never forget a face!..."
It seems like this one has exactly the right job for his talent...
In the U.K. Daily Mail, Sam Webb wrote about this guy a while back:
"A PCSO with a photographic memory, who has tracked down 250 suspects after recognising them in the street, has been given an award by police bosses.
Andy Pope has the skills to identify criminals from the tiniest of details - and has arrested 247 wanted suspects in the last two years.
Mr Pope, from Redditch, Worcestershire, was this week given a ‘Putting the Public First Award’ for an unbelievable identification in August 2012."
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The NFL can't afford the cost of worthless preseason games anymore
I'm sure there is an opposing point of view.
That said, I'm waiting to hear it...
That said, I'm waiting to hear it...
At CBSsports.com, Gregg Doyel offers his thoughts on NFL pre-season games:
"Preseason football is a joke, and it's always been a joke, and everyone knows it's a joke. But there are more serious issues at work now than punch lines: The concussion lawsuits against the NFL. The gushing revenue streams of TV contracts. The crazy money invested in starting quarterbacks.
Looking at it like that, I can talk myself into the position that the league just about can't afford to play preseason games anymore. Maybe I'm not thinking clearly, blinded by my apathy for the NFL's preseason. Talk about a waste of time; the only real thing that happens in an NFL preseason game is that players get really hurt."
"When a copy is NOT a copy..."
I'm thinking financial statements, drug dosage, and the list goes on.
The more we depend on technology, the more we're subject to things like this...
Helen Collis recently posted this story in the U.K. Daily Mail:
"A researcher in Germany has discovered a major glitch in Xerox machines which have shown to substitute the wrong numbers when scanning documents.
After scanning a blueprint document from an architect, David Kriesel, a computer science researcher at the University of Bonn in Germany, thought the firm was pulling his leg when they accused him of altering some figures.
But sure enough, on three occasions, the number six had been replaced with an eight."
Monday, August 26, 2013
"Kids brave gangland as Chicago budget cuts redraw route to school"
This article discusses Chicago and other large cities...
Neil Munshi has stuff like this in his posting on the Financial Times website:
"Amid lower birth rates and the increased popularity of publicly funded independent schools, numbers at urban public schools across the US have been falling.
This month Philadelphia was forced to borrow $50m just to be able to start school on time. That came after the district closed 24 schools in June and cut nearly 4,000 employees.
Last week Detroit’s school system issued $92m in one-year debt to cover operating expenses for the new school year. It has lost more than 33,000 students, or 40 per cent of those enrolling, since 2010 as Detroit’s population has shrunk and charter schools have grown.
Chicago’s budget problems are driven in part by the teachers’ pension fund, which faces a $404m increase in its required pension contribution during this school year."
The Real Reason College Costs So Much - WSJ.com
Cutting to the chase, America's higher education system is out of control.
I'm sure it's not completely broken; but, after reading this it's difficult to see the hope. (pun intended)...
I'm sure it's not completely broken; but, after reading this it's difficult to see the hope. (pun intended)...
In her Wall Street Journal interview, Allysia Finley has this and more from Ohio University's Richard Vedder:
"Universities, Mr. Vedder says, 'are in the housing business, the entertainment business; they're in the lodging business; they're in the food business. Hell, my university runs a travel agency which ordinary people off the street can use.' Meanwhile, university endowments don't pay taxes on their income. Harvard's $31 billion endowment, which has been financed by tax-deductible donations, may be America's largest tax shelter. Some college officials are also compensated more handsomely than CEOs. Since 2000, New York University has provided $90 million in loans, many of them zero-interest and forgivable, to administrators and faculty to buy houses and summer homes on Fire Island and the Hamptons."
Sunday, August 25, 2013
2013-08-25 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 24, 2013
The Medias - Greg Gutfeld takes them down
You have to read this.
Three cheers for Greg Gutfeld...
Three cheers for Greg Gutfeld...
At DailyCaller.com, Jeff Poor titles his post about his with:
"Greg Gutfeld slams media: ‘A dead Australian is just the price you pay to be politically correct’"
"Chicago police chief: Law-abiding gun owners corrupt, endanger public safety"
Perhaps, you can agree with this police chief's opinion.
I don't...
I don't...
At Examiner.com, Joe Newby has a post about Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy:
"McCarthy also said that judges and legislators should rely on public opinion polls when interpreting the Constitution.
The ISRA noted in a press release that McCarthy believes the Second Amendment limits citizens to owning smooth-bore muskets, and supports mandatory liability insurance for firearm owners and mandatory application of GPS tracking devices to civilian owned firearms."
Friday, August 23, 2013
"IRS actually fears man who doesn’t file taxes"
At WND.com, Jack Minor recently posted this "believe it or not" story:
"Jeff Maehr, a Colorado chiropractor who has engaged in a number of business ventures, including PureHealthSystems.com, admits he has refused to file federal income tax returns since 2002, but he says the IRS is afraid to press criminal charges against him. “They don’t want this to go to court, because there is so much information there that would blow them out of the water if this became public knowledge,” Maehr claimed."
Why Shouldn't Princeton Pay Taxes? - WSJ.com
This is pretty interesting.
Most of us are more than happy to see others pay more taxes.
In some places, the role of higher education institutions is being questioned...
Most of us are more than happy to see others pay more taxes.
In some places, the role of higher education institutions is being questioned...
Recently, James Piereson and Naomi Schaefer Riley published an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about the tax participation of colleges and universities.:
"... According to the lawsuit, the university took in over $115 million from patents in 2011, of which $35 million was given to various faculty members. The lawyer for the plaintiffs told the Times of Trenton that "People in Princeton pay at least one-third more in taxes because the university has been exempt all of these years." If all of the school's property were taxed, the bill would come to roughly $28 million a year, instead of the roughly $10 million the university is now contributing voluntarily to town coffers."
Thursday, August 22, 2013
In Our World - Photographing through windows
Selim Algar recently reported for the New Yoek Post:
"Judge backs the right of Tribeca artist to photograph people through their windows"
"In Scotland, Big Brother now plans to monitor your child"
I found this article by David C. Jennings at CanadaFreePress.com:
"The Scottish provincial government, led by the secession seeking Scottish National Party, has introduced legislation that will see the State provide a personal guardian for each child, regardless of need, at a cost of over £120 per child per year.
The government’s plan has met fierce opposition from a number of fronts including The Law Society of Scotland, The Schoolhouse Home Education Association, and sections of the media but party officials are doubling down on their plans.
First Minister Alex Salmond’s SNP administration wants every child to have a ‘Named Person’ with the legal authority to ensure they are raised in a government-approved manner. There will be a database where children’s personal details can be recorded, stored and shared, and the act named the Children and Young People Bill would permit children who are angry with their parents to report them to their named person."
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
"Obama’s brother linked to Muslim Brotherhood"
Facts or propaganda?
I guess time will tell...
I guess time will tell...
At WND.com, Jerome R. Corsi includes this in his posting:
"In a news report on Egyptian television of a Gebali speech, translated by researcher Walid Shoebat, a former Palestinian Liberation Organization operative, Gebali said she would like 'to inform the American people that their president’s brother Obama is one of the architects of the major investments of the Muslim Brotherhood.'
'We will carry out the law, and the Americans will not stop us,' she said. 'We need to open the files and begin court sessions.'
'The Obama administration cannot stop us; they know that they supported terrorism,' she continued. 'We will open the files so these nations are exposed, to show how they collaborated with [the terrorists]. It is for this reason that the American administration fights us.'"
"Sarah Palin Was Right About ‘Hope And Change’"
Better late than never doesn't work for me here.
All those who were snookered are responsible for what we now have...
Inquisitr.com begin their story with this:
"First Howard Dean and now Noam Chomsky agreeing with Sarah Palin? In an interview with Democracy Now, the influential MIT linguistics professor, author, and prominent left-wing political activist admitted that Sarah Palin was right about Barack Obama in that there was no substance to his presidential campaign.
Palin also recently received validation from former Gov. Howard Dean, a prominent liberal Democrat, about what she termed Obamacare death panels, otherwise known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
In these latest comments about the president, Chomsky said that 'I don’t usually admire Sarah Palin, but when she was making fun of this ‘hopey changey stuff,’ she was right; there was nothing there.'"
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
"Tax-exempt Obama Foundation doesn’t exist at listed addresses"
Some time ago, Charles C. Johnson called attention to this via the DailyCaller website:
"The 'charity' run by President Barack Obama’s half-brother that was fast-tracked for IRS tax-exempt status is based at a Virginia UPS store, according to its website. The organization’s IRS filings list another Virginia address that is actually a drug rehab center where the foundation does not appear ever to have been based. The Barack H. Obama Foundation is run by Abon’go 'Roy' Malik Obama, the half-brother of Barack Obama."
"Were Republicans Targeted in GM and Chrysler Dealership Closures?"
Mark Modica posts this and more on the National Legal and Policy Center website:
"The outrageous behavior of the IRS in targeting non-profit organizations with conservative roots, like the Tea Party, for extra scrutiny came at around the same time that General Motors and Chrysler were being guided through bankruptcy processes by the Treasury Department. Obama's Auto Task Force required that GM and Chrysler close about 2,000 dealerships as part of the restructuring. This job-killing decision came at the same time that the Administration boasted about all the jobs that would be saved by bailing out the industry. The dealership jobs lost were primarily non-union compared to the politically-favored UAW jobs that were to be saved.
Critics at the time questioned the criteria used to close dealers as many claimed that shuttered dealerships were targeted because of their Republican affiliations. What seemed at the time to be an unlikely conspiracy theory now does not seem so far-fetched given the fact that Treasury was targeting non-profit groups based on political affiliations at around the same time. It is enough of a concern that Kelly and Renacci are seeking further documentation."
Unclean at Any Speed - IEEE Spectrum
Oops! Oh my!
The sayings "Hope clouds observation" and
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" both come to mind here...
The sayings "Hope clouds observation" and
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" both come to mind here...
On the spectrum.ieee.org website, Ozzie Zehner says he was wrong:
"The idea of electrifying automobiles to get around their environmental shortcomings isn’t new. Twenty years ago, I myself built a hybrid electric car that could be plugged in or run on natural gas. It wasn’t very fast, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t safe. But I was convinced that cars like mine would help reduce both pollution and fossil-fuel dependence.
I was wrong.
I’ve come to this conclusion after many years of studying environmental issues more deeply and taking note of some important questions we need to ask ourselves as concerned citizens. Mine is an unpopular stance, to be sure. The suggestive power of electric cars is a persuasive force—so persuasive that answering the seemingly simple question 'Are electric cars indeed green?' quickly gets complicated."
Monday, August 19, 2013
Government at Work - Managing Buildings
400,000 buildings.
The scope of government becomes much more clear when you see numbers like this...
The scope of government becomes much more clear when you see numbers like this...
At WashingtonExaminer.com, Michal Conger has this story:
"The federal government owns or leases about 400,000 buildings, almost 100,000 of which are vacant or underused. One of those is a warehouse in D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, where the subcommittee held this morning’s hearing as an example of mismanagement. The 32,000 square foot warehouse costs $70,000 every year in upkeep and has been unused since 2009. 'I think everyone in this room can agree that this is an egregious example of taxpayer waste that must be rectified,' said Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va."
"California teenager invents device that can charge cell phone in 20 seconds"
At Catholic Online is this story:
"Called the supercapacitor, this revolutionary device can charge a cell phone within just 20 seconds. The brainchild of 18-year-old Esha Khare of Saratoga, California, the lucky teen collected $50,000 at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona this week."
"Sen. Rubio, ‘You Know Nothing About Our Border’..."
It would seem that no one could know what's going on along our border than those who actually live there.
That being said, it's quite apparent that our elected officials really don't even want to know...
That being said, it's quite apparent that our elected officials really don't even want to know...
At theBlaze.com, Sara Carter writes about the real border situation:
"Home invasions, burglary, theft, destruction of private property — and a constant fear that it’s only going to get worse — is something Cochise County border residents live with daily. “I say to myself, ‘Rubio, you’re making decisions for me, for my state, for my county, my city when you haven’t even been here – what an insult, what do you know about our border? You know nothing about our border. Yet you’re making those decisions without even speaking to us.’” Rubio’s office did not return phone calls seeking comment."
Sunday, August 18, 2013
2013-08-18 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 17, 2013
The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard - WSJ.com
I think this is well worth the try.
It's time our higher education system is subjected to new and hopefully cost-effective ideas...
It's time our higher education system is subjected to new and hopefully cost-effective ideas...
In a recent Wall Street Journal, Matthew Kaminski tells us about "Minerva":
"Mr. Nelson, who previously led the online photo-sharing company Snapfish, wants to topple and transcend the American academy's economic and educational model.
And why not? Higher education's product-delivery system—a professor droning to a limited number of students in a room—dates back a thousand years. The industry's physical plant (dorms, classrooms, gyms) often a century or more. Its most expensive employees, tenured faculty, can't be fired. The price of its product (tuition) and operating costs have outpaced inflation by multiples.
In similar circumstances, Wal-Mart took out America's small retail chains. Amazon crushed Borders. And Harvard will have to make way for . . . Minerva? 'There is no better case to do something that I can think of in the history of the world,' says Mr. Nelson."
Friday, August 16, 2013
Government at Work - on a slippery slope
I If you believe the end justifies the means, you could agree with this.
On the other hand, everyone should obey the rules, and if they don't like them, work to have them changed...
On the other hand, everyone should obey the rules, and if they don't like them, work to have them changed...
In this Reuters story by David Ingram and John Shiffman, a very questionable practice is exposed:
"The practice of creating an alternate investigative trail to hide how a case began - what federal agents call 'parallel construction' - has never been thoroughly tested in court, lawyers and law professors said in interviews this week. Internal training documents reported by Reuters this week instruct agents not to reveal information they get from a unit of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, but instead to recreate the same information by other means. A similar set of instructions was included in an IRS manual in 2005 and 2006, Reuters reported."
"...400 Surface-to-Air-Missiles Stolen by 'Some Very Ugly People,'"
At CNSnews.com, Susan Jones reports on this:
"Former U.S. Attorney Joe DiGenova, who now represents one of the Benghazi whistleblowers, told a Washington radio station Monday that the real scandal in Benghazi is the theft of 400 surface-to-air missiles by some 'very ugly people.' The Obama administration fears those missiles will be used to shoot down an airplane or blow up one of our embassies, he said."
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Government at Work - Need a contract?
Government sure does find ways to waste "other people's money".
Unfortunately, it is our taxpayers' money, and we're getting nothing for it...
Unfortunately, it is our taxpayers' money, and we're getting nothing for it...
At Examiner.com, Luke RosiakR has the story on this:
"Feds give millions in contracts to firms owned by fictitious people"
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
"Food Nannies Won't Be Stopped By Shoddy Science"
We would serve ourselves well by adopting a "wait and see" on most, if not, all of them...
Kevin Glass includes this in his writing at Townhall.com:
"The evidence from studies on direct health outcomes is inconsistent and insufficient to conclude that lowering sodium intakes below 2,300 mg per day either increases or decreases risk of CVD outcomes (including stroke and CVD [cardiovascular disease] mortality) or all-cause mortality in the general U.S. population."
America's Chronic Overreaction to Terrorism - WSJ.com
At the end of his recent Wall Street Journal article, Ted Koppel writes this:
"Will terrorists kill innocent civilians in the years to come? Of course. They did so more than 100 years ago, when they were called anarchists—and a responsible nation-state must take reasonable measures to protect its citizens. But there is no way to completely eliminate terrorism.
The challenge that confronts us is how we will live with that threat. We have created an economy of fear, an industry of fear, a national psychology of fear. Al Qaeda could never have achieved that on its own. We have inflicted it on ourselves.
Over the coming years many more Americans will die in car crashes, of gunshot wounds inflicted by family members and by falling off ladders than from any attack by al Qaeda.
There is always the nightmare of terrorists acquiring and using a weapon of mass destruction. But nothing would give our terrorist enemies greater satisfaction than that we focus obsessively on that remote possibility, and restrict our lives and liberties accordingly."
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
"Sex Harassment Scandal | Why it Matters"
Leslie Eastman explains why in her post at LegalInsurrection.com:
"1) If an elected representative cannot keep serious vows made to a loved one, what are the chances that difficult promises will be kept to voters? 2) The mainstream media was culpable: It did not give voters the information needed to make a fully informed choice this November. 3) It is indicative of the power-perk expectations of the leadership of both parties, who feel entitled to privileges not available to regular Americans."
"Black Self-Sabotage"
This writer often writes on this subject.
He tells it like he sees it...
He tells it like he sees it...
At Townhall.com, Walter E. Williams writes about black community issues and concludes:
"Disgustingly, black politicians, civil rights leaders, liberals and the president are talking nonsense about 'having a conversation about race.' That's beyond useless. Tell me how a conversation with white people is going to stop black predators from preying on blacks. How is such a conversation going to eliminate the 75 percent illegitimacy rate? What will such a conversation do about the breakdown of the black family (though "breakdown" is not the correct word, as the family doesn't form in the first place)? Only black people can solve our problems."
Monday, August 12, 2013
"Loophole: People are being told to use 'key words' to cross border"
So, say the magic word and the door opens?...
This is posted on the Fox News - Phoenix website:
"SAN DIEGO - A loophole is allowing hundreds of immigrants across the Mexico border in to the United States.
Immigrants are being taught to use "key words and phrases" to be allowed to enter and stay in the country."
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: "Why I changed my mind on weed"
Who to believe?
Regardless of your current opinion, this seems to be worthwhile reading...
Regardless of your current opinion, this seems to be worthwhile reading...
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta says we have been "systematically misled" on marijuana:
"Long before I began this project, I had steadily reviewed the scientific literature on medical marijuana from the United States and thought it was fairly unimpressive. Reading these papers five years ago, it was hard to make a case for medicinal marijuana. I even wrote about this in a TIME magazine article, back in 2009, titled 'Why I would Vote No on Pot.'
Well, I am here to apologize."
Sunday, August 11, 2013
2013-08-11 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 10, 2013
The Color of Hope - Bill O'Reilly
Brief and to the point.
I think Bill O'Reilly has this right...
I think Bill O'Reilly has this right...
On his website, Bill O'Reilly has some strong words:
"There was plenty of outrage in the black precincts regarding the Zimmerman verdict. Understandable. But there is little national anger about thousands of African-Americans being gunned down in the streets by out-of-control young men, the vast majority of them black. Until the American leadership begins to encourage the return of the traditional black family, the enormous problems of black poverty and crime will continue. And the fear of young black men will continue. And the death of innocents will continue."
"Marissa Alexander's 20-Year Sentence Provokes Fresh Outrage Against George Zimmerman Prosecutor"
In the U.S. News & World Report, Steven Nelson begins his reporting with this:
"Marissa Alexander, the Jacksonville, Fla., mother sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing what she says was a warning shot at her abusive husband, remains behind bars more than a year after a judge tossed her 'Stand Your Ground' defense. But with George Zimmerman's acquittal Sunday on murder charges, her cause is picking up steam. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., is among Alexander's most vocal supporters. She's also a fierce critic of State Attorney Angela Corey, the elected prosecutor who presided over both cases. 'I do know that she has shown absolutely no compassion,' Brown told U.S. News. 'Where was the common sense? I hate to say this, but you wouldn't expect this from a female.'"
Friday, August 09, 2013
Lavabit
Ladar Levison is telling us this:
"This experience has taught me one very important lesson: without congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would _strongly_ recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States."
Government at Work - the I.R.S.
This event itself is really bad; but, the inability to find out what went on should scare every one of us...
Ben Wolfgang and Dave Boyer fill us in on this story in the Washington Times:
"Investigators for Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, an influential Republican who serves on the Finance and Judiciary committees, have uncovered one key issue: a backdoor system in which state officials can access Americans’ private tax records in the name of investigating with little oversight or accountability."
Thursday, August 08, 2013
"Obama Restricts Spying In Mosques While Spying Everywhere Else"
It seems strange, but I'm not surprised.
Are you?...
Investors.com informed us of this a short time ago:
"The White House assures that tracking our every phone call and keystroke is to stop terrorists, and yet it won't snoop in mosques, where the terrorists are. That's right, the government's sweeping surveillance of our most private communications excludes the jihad factories where homegrown terrorists are radicalized. Since October 2011, mosques have been off-limits to FBI agents"
The IRS Attack on Political Speech - WSJ.com
In this article, Mr. Smith is dismayed that "so many career IRS officials feel comfortable scrutinizing groups merely because they had "tea party" or "patriot" in their names."
I suggest that's because in a bureaucracy one is inclined to do as they're told.
Then, I have a second thought that many Americans have just NOT been educated about our history and constitutional rights...
I suggest that's because in a bureaucracy one is inclined to do as they're told.
Then, I have a second thought that many Americans have just NOT been educated about our history and constitutional rights...
In the Wall Street Journal, Bradley Smith writes about the I.R.S. targeting, including these details:
"Charities fall under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, and they include the Red Cross, Boy Scouts, churches, private colleges and even overtly agenda-oriented organizations such as the NAACP and the Sierra Club Foundation. Contributions are tax deductible to the donor, and for that reason the organizations are prohibited from engaging in political activities.
Yet conservative groups targeted by the IRS did not seek tax status as charities. They were applying for designation as nonprofits operating under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, for 'the promotion of social welfare.' Contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations are not tax deductible, so there is no 'tax break' for their donors. Nor do the groups themselves get a 'tax advantage.'"
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Tell the Baseball Druggies: Strike One, You're Out - WSJ.com
The former Major League Baseball Commissioner has a substantive point.
I wonder if it's workable in today's world...
I wonder if it's workable in today's world...
In the Wall Street Journal, Fay Vincent presents his idea:
"Clearly, the deterrent for use of these drugs at the professional level must be tougher. In Major League Baseball, a violation of the gambling prohibition results in permanent expulsion from the game. As a result, there is no gambling problem in baseball. The same punishment for a first-time drug violation is now warranted—one drug violation and a player is gone from the game, forever."
"Matt Damon Refuses to Enroll Kids in Los Angeles Public Schools"
Where one sends their children to school is their own business.
On the other hand, it's quite tiresome to have celebrities advocate for others to do certain things, while they themselves do the opposite...
On the other hand, it's quite tiresome to have celebrities advocate for others to do certain things, while they themselves do the opposite...
John Nolte posted this at Breitbart.com:
"Actor Matt Damon is a strong supporter of America's public schools. Just two years ago, the star spoke passionately about the importance of public schools at a Washington DC 'Save our Schools' rally. In fact, the actor is so impressed with public school teachers that he has demanded they receive a pay raise. That passion and conviction, however, does not apply to Damon's own children, who will not be enrolled into the Los Angeles public school system."
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
"President Obama Honors Trayvon Martin, Ignores Fort Hood Victims"
Keep in mind; this is still classified as workplace violence which denies certain military benefits to the victims...
Investors.com editorializes over this:
"Army Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford has not received a phone call from Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. Nor does the African-American veteran who was shot seven times by Maj. Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood expect to."
Global Cooling
Yes, global cooling.
You're likely not hearing about it because it conflicts with the highly promoted and media publicized scare tactics about global warming.
The articles, studies, satellite pictures, etc., that rebut the "conventional wisdom" of global warming are selectively ignored by most of the world's media.
This website compiles those rebuttals...
You're likely not hearing about it because it conflicts with the highly promoted and media publicized scare tactics about global warming.
The articles, studies, satellite pictures, etc., that rebut the "conventional wisdom" of global warming are selectively ignored by most of the world's media.
This website compiles those rebuttals...
Here is a sampling of recent articles posted at ClimateDepot.com:
"NASA finally admits it Arctic cyclone in August ‘broke up’ and ‘wreaked havoc’ on sea ice — Reuters reports Arctic storm played ‘key role’ in ice reduction
Arctic Sea Ice Melt Slowdown Begins More Than One Month Early – And Absolute Dead Media Silence On Expanding Antarctica Sea Ice!
Tornadoes Close To Record Low Level: ‘July are one of the lowest on record, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Centre’
Growing Antarctic Sea Ice Extent Breaking All Records
North Pole Sees Unprecedented July Cold – Arctic Sees Shortest Summer On Record — ‘Normally the high Arctic has about 90 days above freezing. This year there was less than half that’
If warmth really causes murder, why is Detroit’s murder rate maybe 30 times higher than a warmer place like Scottsdale?"
Monday, August 05, 2013
"Prince Charles is paying a lower rate of tax than his servants"
This is much like the story about Warren Buffett paying less taxes than his secretary. Let's face it, laws are purposefully written to allow this...
On the U.K. Daily Mail website, Matt Chorley and Daniel Martin have this about the story:
"He demanded to know why Charles paid just 23.6 per cent of his income in direct and indirect tax, compared with an average of 38 per cent paid by the poorest quarter of the population.
Describing the Duchy of Cornwall, which owns land across the South West and provides Charles with his income as heir to the throne, as a ‘medieval anomaly’, Mr Mitchell suggested the only reason it was not registered as a company was so the Prince could avoid tax.
The criticism came as Charles’s principal private secretary, William Nye, appeared before MPs on the Commons spending watchdog, the public accounts committee.
Chairman Margaret Hodge, who led the fight against tax-dodging corporations Starbucks and Google, said it was ‘shockingly wrong’ that the Prince was paying so little tax on the duchy’s profits."
"In 503 Days Between Trayvon Shooting and Zimmerman Verdict, 10,865 Blacks Murdered by OTHER BLACKS"
Is there a story here?...
A poster at Independent Journal Review is calling attention to this:
"That’s 21.65 murdered each day by other African-Americans."
Sunday, August 04, 2013
2013-08-04 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, August 03, 2013
"Watchdogs blast Culture Minister Ed Vaizey for staying silent on nuisance calls"
"Which?" is a consumer advocate organization in the U.K.
They are trying to get action on this persistent problem...
Steve Hawkes writes about it in the U.K. Daily Telegraph:
"Which? also wants tougher enforcement action to be taken agaionst companies which call people who should be spared after registering with the Telephone Preference Service. Last month Which? said so many homes were suffering from cold calls and unwanted texts that nearly six in ten people - 58 per cent - no longer want to answer their home phone. Industry experts claim new EU rules could spark a trebling in the amount of calls people receive by slashing costs for 'spammers'."
Friday, August 02, 2013
"XKeyscore: NSA tool collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'"
You make not like the way we've come to know this; BUT, if you're reading this, the NSA knows it...
Glenn Greenwald reports on it in the U.K. Guardian:
"A top secret National Security Agency program allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals, according to documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The NSA boasts in training materials that the program, called XKeyscore, is its 'widest-reaching' system for developing intelligence from the internet."
"Take your jobs plan and shove it, Mr. President: ..."
Oh my!
The writer of this headline has been relieved of his job...
The writer of this headline has been relieved of his job...
A Tennessee newspaper, the Times Free Press began their opinion piece with this:
"President Obama,
Welcome to Chattanooga, one of hundreds of cities throughout this great nation struggling to succeed in spite of your foolish policies that limit job creation, stifle economic growth and suffocate the entrepreneurial spirit.
Forgive us if you are not greeted with the same level of Southern hospitality that our area usually bestows on its distinguished guests. You see, we understand you are in town to share your umpteenth different job creation plan during your time in office. If it works as well as your other job creation programs, then thanks, but no thanks. We’d prefer you keep it to yourself."
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Government at Work - Designating Flood Zones
At ProPublica.org, Theodoric Meyer informs us about this issue:
"From Maine to Oregon, local floodplain managers say FEMA’s recent flood maps — which dictate the premiums that 5.5 million Americans pay for flood insurance — have often been built using outdated, inaccurate data. Homeowners, in turn, have to bear the cost of fixing FEMA’s mistakes. 'It’s been a mess,' Darling said. 'It’s been a headache for a lot of people.' Joseph Young, Maine’s floodplain mapping coordinator, said his office gets calls “almost on a daily basis” from homeowners who say they’ve been mapped in high-risk flood areas in error. More often than not, he said, their complaints have merit. 'There’s a lot of people who have a new map that’s unreliable,' he said."
Breitbart's Brandon Darby Exposes Hole in Border Fence
How many times have you heard the border is more secure than ever?
hat may be so, BUT it's clearly NOT secure...
hat may be so, BUT it's clearly NOT secure...
Brandon Darby has a video at Breitbart.com:
"Darby walks viewers through the unfinished “Border Fence,” which had no gate or security of any kind. The location was west of Penitas, Texas."
