INTERESTING: Who thought the era of big gooferment was over?

Monday, April 16, 2007

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0416/p01s04-usec.html

USA > Economy
from the April 16, 2007 edition
As US tax rates drop, government’s reach grows
Study: 1 in 2 Americans now receives income from government programs.
By Mark Trumbull | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

***Begin Quote***

Maybe the era of big government isn’t over, after all.

As Americans finish their annual tax-filing flurry to meet a Tuesday deadline, it is true that tax rates are lower than they were a few years ago. But according to a different yardstick, the federal government’s reach is expanding.

Slightly over half of all Americans – 52.6 percent – now receive significant income from government programs, according to an analysis by Gary Shilling, an economist in Springfield, N.J. That’s up from 49.4 percent in 2000 and far above the 28.3 percent of Americans in 1950. If the trend continues, the percentage could rise within ten years to pass 55 percent, where it stood in 1980 on the eve of President’s Reagan’s move to scale back the size of government.

***End Quote***

Certainly not me!

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over lousy fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average of the world’s great civilizations before they decline has been 200 years. These nations have progressed in this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again to bondage.”
Alexander Fraser Tyler, Cycle of Democracy (1770)

Have we reached the point where we are in bondage to the others on the dole?

Finished your income tax? Had your savings inflated away? Done what your betters tell you to do — put on that seat belt, pay the required fees, bow in subservience to the political class.

Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Sharpton is a professional race card player

Monday, April 16, 2007

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/lelong4.html

Imus and the Nappy-Headed Ho’s
by A.D Lelong

*** begin quote ***

But with Rev. Sharpton it’s different. He IS offended. Would he have been offended if Imus had called some Wisconsin women’s basketball team (assuming they were of Scandinavian descent) “Cheese headed Viking Amazons”? Would The Rev. Al Sharpton have been in high dudgeon had Imus referred to a Boston Jesuit College women’s basketball team by saying, “a bunch of freckled, whiskey drinking bricktop sluts”? I don’t think so. And most Americans of Norse or Irish decent wouldn’t have either. Maybe a couple church groups, here and there, but this would not have become a national hot issue.

What is really at issue here is that Sharpton is a professional race card player. It is his stock in trade. It is the only real vocation he ever had. It has made him good copy in the NYC and national media. He can get reporters to show up at a press conference. And he knows how to use the media to bully his victims.

Now I don’t begrudge a mountebank from earning his daily bread, but when I see Rev. Al talk about using the FCC to get Imus fired for doing his puerile shtick, this has serious ramifications for free speech. Sharpton said (and I’m paraphrasing) that we own the air waves and have a right to remove someone who abuses his position. Actually, “we” don’t own the air waves. There are no stock certificates in air wave frequencies. They have been usurped by the government starting with the Radio Act of 1912 after the Titanic sinking. Radio licenses are in effect government rented easements, like feudal lease-hold estates. They can be rescinded just like a king could revoke a writ of title from an earl. The radio stations own them as a peer owns his title.

The mere hint of a threat of losing a license terrifies ALL radio station license holders. And given that most license holders are corporations controlled by an unthinking collective of conformist non-intellectual executives, without regard to principle or rational thought, a Sharpton figure has a chilling effect on free expression by the talk-host employee. Sharpton has a radio show on a station here in NYC. Did he lose his time-slot when he referred to White business owners in Harlem as “white interlopers” after the Freddy’s department store fire on 125th street 12 years ago when a black gunman shot up and torched the store killing 8 in protest because the white owner did not hire enough blacks? Was Sharpton punished when he failed to distance himself from Jesse Jackson and his “Hymietown” remark? Or the Tawana Brawley hoax? Or when he called the Central Park jogger, beaten almost to death and brain damaged, a “whore”?

*** end quote ***

I have a feeling that the whole Imus affair is going to have some interesting ramifications. Perhaps, the USA will wake up to the fact they are being manipulated.

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: BATF routinely perjures itself!

Monday, April 16, 2007

http://www.csl.sri.com/users/risko/risks.txt

***Begin Quote***

As has been reported elsewhere,http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/wbardwel/public/nfalist/rip/index.html the NFRTR has been in deplorable condition for some time. Many registration documents have been lost by ATFE, and some were even willfully destroyed by ATFE contract employees in a well documented case. Furthermore, the electronic database that serves as the authoritative Registry is known to have serious flaws and inconsistencies. Due to various political and financial issues, the ATFE has been slow to rectify these problems with the NFRTR (although the pace seems to have picked up since a recent wholesale relocation and restaffing of the NFA Branch). Thomas Busey, who was the Chief of the NFA Branch for a period in the 1990s, admitted in a videotaped training session in 1995 that the NFRTR had a 49-50% error rate. Mr. Busey also stated in this session, “Let me say when we testify in court, we testify that the data base is 100 percent accurate. That’s what we testify to, and we will always testify to that. As you probably well know, that may not be 100 percent true.”

In a 1998 letter to Chairman Dan Burton of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/wbardwel/public/nfalist/rip/leasure_letter_re_nfa_destruction.txt pursuant to a conviction based on flawed NFRTR information, David Montague, an attorney for the defendant (whose convictions were previously overturned) wrote: “To make matters worse, Mr. Busey was summarily fired and the transcript of his remarks hushed up. His remarks did not become known to the world until obtained on an FOIA request from attorney James Jeffries, III, of Greensboro, N.C.”

Given the steep penalties for mere possession of an unregistered firearm regulated under the NFA (minimum sentence: up to 10 years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of $10,000 for each violation), there is a high RISK to lawful transferees associated with the poor condition of the NFRTR brought about by neglect and/or willful violation of the law by the government agency charged with upholding this law.

***End Quote***

Did I read this correctly? Did the fellow just admit that the BATF routinely commits perjury in ALL trials of gun law violations? That’s going some even for the Gooferment.

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Digital Notary feedback (THREE)

Monday, April 16, 2007

***Begin Quote***

From: Frederick Roeber
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 3:05 PM
Subject: Re: On “proving NON copyright infringement” (Re: Dellinger, RISKS-24.61)

Bell Labs used to have a system like this. I read about it a couple decades ago on usenet– (comp.dcom.telecom? sci.crypt?
alt.folklore.computers?) — but I’ve never since been able to dig up much reference to it.

Basically, you’d send it files (or perhaps cryptographic hashes, if you wanted to keep your document secure), and it’d keep a log, and build up a rolling hash. Every week, the resulting hash would be published in a classified ad in the New York Times. (There was an amusing bit about how they had to talk the NYT into accepting the ads; the paper was afraid they were doing something Bad with encrypted
communication.)

If a question ever came up, they’d be able to re-run that week’s hash and compare the results; this would certify the document in question to at least within that week, and if you believed the independence of the other users of the system you could bracket the time much more closely.

Frederick.

***End Quote***

Hmmm, never heard of that.

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Digital Notary feedback (TWO)

Monday, April 16, 2007

***Begin Quote***

From: Jeremy Epstein
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 6:14 PM
To: RISKS List Owner
Cc: r @ reinke
Subject: notsp: Re: On “proving NON copyright infringement”

The concept of a digital notary as proposed by Ferdinand Reinke already exists commercially in a similar form: Surety <www.surety.com> will basically do what you’re asking for. You can either give them the document/web page to sign, or you can give them a hash and they’ll sign it. They publish a summary weekly in the New York Times, so it’s open for public inspection (at least so long as there are archives of the New York Times). [This is obviously a summary of what they do – I don’t want this to be an advertisement!]

I have nothing to do with Surety, other than thinking they’ve got an interesting solution to a difficult problem.

***End Quote***

One feedback with an existing solution.

text

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Posted by reinkefj

GUNS: Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill 31JAN06

Monday, April 16, 2007

>Subject: VA-ALERT: Not mad enough about VT? Read this!
>
> From January 31, 2006:
>
>”House Bill 1572 didn’t get through the House Committee on Militia,
>Police and Public Safety. It died Monday in the subcommittee stage,
>the first of several hurdles bills must overcome before becoming laws.
>
>…
>
>Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was
>defeated. “I’m sure the university community is appreciative of the
>General Assembly’s actions because this will help parents, students,
>faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.”
>
>–
>
>Well, Mr. Hincker – are you still happy? Militia, Police, and Public
>Safety Committee – still think you did the right thing?
>
>–
>
>http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-50658
>
>Gun bill gets shot down by panel
>HB 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died
>in subcommittee.
>
>By Greg Esposito
> 381-1675
>
>A bill that would have given college students and employees the right
>to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the
>General Assembly.
>
>House Bill 1572 didn’t get through the House Committee on Militia,
>Police and Public Safety. It died Monday in the subcommittee stage,
>the first of several hurdles bills must overcome before becoming laws.
>
>The bill was proposed by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, on
>behalf of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Gilbert was
>unavailable Monday and spokesman Gary Frink would not comment on the
>bill’s defeat other than to say the issue was dead for this General
>Assembly session.
>
>Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was
>defeated. “I’m sure the university community is appreciative of the
>General Assembly’s actions because this will help parents, students,
>faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.”
>
>Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, would not comment Monday because
>he was not part of the subcommittee that discussed the bill.
>
>Most universities in Virginia require students and employees, other
>than police, to check their guns with police or campus security upon
>entering campus. The legislation was designed to prohibit public
>universities from making “rules or regulations limiting or abridging
>the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun
>permit … from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun.”
>
>The legislation allowed for exceptions for participants in athletic
>events, storage of guns in residence halls and military training
>programs.
>
>Last spring a Virginia Tech student was disciplined for bringing a
>handgun to class, despite having a concealed handgun permit. Some gun
>owners questioned the university’s authority, while the Virginia
>Association of Chiefs of Police came out against the presence of guns
>on campus.
>
>In June, Tech’s governing board approved a violence prevention policy
>reiterating its ban on students or employees carrying guns and
>prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities.
>
>***************************************************************************
>VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL).
>VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to
>defending the human rights of all Virginians. The membership considers the
>Right to Keep and Bear Arms to be an essential human right.
>
> VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org
>***************************************************************************

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Digital Notary feedback (ONE)

Monday, April 16, 2007

***Begin Quote***

From: James P. Howard, II http://jameshoward.us
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 8:54 AM
Subject: digital notary mentioned on RISKS

I created something like this a while ago:

http://jameshoward.us/robot-dsa

James

***End Quote***

Oh well, guess I won’t need the empty checkbook. Sigh! Yeah, I know don’t quit you day job!

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Posted by reinkefj

GUNS: At VaTech, the lack of any meaningful self-defense response is stunning

Monday, April 16, 2007

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2007-04-16_D8OHUVH00&show_article=1&cat=breaking

http://tinyurl.com/2hoqbs

Gunman, 32 Others Killed in Va. Shooting
Apr 16 05:49 PM US/Eastern
By SUE LINDSEY
Associated Press Writer

***Begin Quote***

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) – A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, shot up a classroom building across campus Monday, killing 32 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. The gunman committed suicide, bringing the death toll to 33.

Students bitterly complained that there were no public-address announcements on campus after the first burst of gunfire. Many said the first word they received from the university was an e-mail more than two hours into the rampage—around the time the gunman struck again.

***End Quote***

How many people have to die before we realize that the problem is large concentrations of unarmed victims just waiting to be slaughtered?

The lack of any meaningful self-defense response is stunning.

You can’t tell me that we can’t trust young people to know when their lives are at risk. What about the campus security, teachers, and the janitors.

Like Columbine, one concealed carry permit could have made this a better ending.

Maybe when the Final Judgment comes, then the lions will lie down with the lambs. But for now, I’d like to sprinkle a goodly number of sheep dogs in amongst all the sheep.

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Ahh only the gooferment can “do” roads

Monday, April 16, 2007

http://www.nj.gov/roads.shtml

NEW JERSEY ROAD CLOSURE REPORT

***Begin Quote***

{Lots of Data Extraneous Deleted}

Rt. 1 & 9 N&S MP 58.35, N. Bergen Twp., Hudson Co., All lanes closed

{Lots more data Extraneous Deleted}

***End Quote***

Roads are often described as the “third rail” of Libertarians because people can’t conceive of private roads. As if no one has ever been to DisneyWorld, DisneyLand, or other amusement parks. Or, as if no one has ever been in a gated community.

I think that roads are a great example of the gooferment at work. As an injineer, it amuses me that the Gooferment would build a road and not take into account weather in the design.

Amazing as is sounds, Disney World doesn’t have flooded roads into their park. How did they do that? I bet they grabbed the design engineer by the throat (or any other suitable part of the body) and said “we want the turnstiles turning regardless of weather”. To which the design engineer said “No Problem, Mister Disney, sir. We have this novel concept of “drainage”. We just guesstimate the average rainfall, move the decimal one position to right, and allow for that amount of water. If you want, we can move two places but that would cost you Big Bucks and is twice the amount of rain in a monsoon. OK?”.

Yup, private roads might be the “third rail”, but the Gooferment’s performance is up to its usual standard — down right terrible.

I had to laugh at the State Road Guy on the radio saying that “they just had to allow the roads to drain naturally”. Argh! It’s not his fault that the road designer made every exit ramp dip below sea level.

And, no one takes a spear for it.

On Wall Street, Disney World, or any organization seeking to make a profit, there would be some one held to account. With the Gooferment’s roads, it’s just the taxpayer who gets stuck.

Stuck, and stuck, and stuck!

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Posted by reinkefj