RANT: Cheap video equipment documents the plight of the “mundanes”!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-10-15-1Avideocops15_CV_N.htm

*** begin quote ***

“The proliferation of cheap video equipment is presenting a whole new dynamic for law enforcement,” says Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police union. “It has had a chilling effect on some officers who are now afraid to act for fear of retribution by video. This has become a serious safety issue. I’m afraid something terrible will happen.”

Kamau and others argue terrible things already have occurred to victims of officer abuse, and video has brought some of the most brutal cases to the public’s attention. Video also has helped narrow the “credibility gap” between police and their accusers, civil rights lawyer John Burris says.

“It used to be that the police officer always got the benefit of the doubt,” says Burris, who represented Rodney King in a civil lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles related to his videotaped beating by white Los Angeles police officers. Television broadcasts of the infamous tape, one of the first to show the power of citizen videos of police actions, prompted widespread public outrage.

*** end quote ***

I am one of those outraged; you’re all complacent Sheeple.

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RANT: The View boiled over with Bill an the mosque

Thursday, October 14, 2010

http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2010/10/view_co-hosts_whoopi_goldberg_joy_behar_walk_out_on_bill_o_reilly.php

Interesting. BOR said that they have a right. And, that BHO44 distanced himself from the folks by stopping at that point without commenting on the appropriateness.

Joy is a hard left type so she kept interrupting and over talking him. His response of “you’ll learn something” was respond to rude with rude.

When he said, “Some muslims killed Americans in the WTC”.

That sent Whoppi over the edge. (I don’t understand why? BOR stated a fact.)

Adjusting my tin foil hat, what if 9-11 was a “false flag operation”?

In the world of international relations, terrorism, and spy versus spy, I would trust anything is what it seems.

Trust but verify. What better way to put a wedge between fellow Americans and another wedge between the USA and “the Muslim world”?   

Argh!

# # # # # posted 2010-10-14


RANT: Forced schooling; the purpose to weaken people?

Thursday, October 14, 2010

http://www.spinninglobe.net/amishmudsill.html

*** begin quote ***

There was nothing popular, local or personal about this artificial conceit of forced schooling; its purpose was to weaken people’s capacity to educate themselves, to break their loyalty to family, church and land in order to release customers and workforce for élite schemes of economics and social ordering. Brownson said the teaching function belonged in a democracy to the whole community, not to a controlled monopoly, and we had already become the best educated people in history on our own hook. “Children,” he said, “were far better off educated by the general pursuits, habits and moral tone of the community” than by a privileged class of corporate or government agents.

*** end quote ***

They want to make cannon fodder out of children

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RANT: Sure, the terrorist is going to …

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/nestmann6.1.1.html

*** begin quote ***

The CBP believes these rules are necessary to investigate terrorism, child pornography, etc., but I’m not so sure. For instance, if you were a terrorist, would you really bring your laptop across the border with your plans to blow up the White House? No, you’d simply e-mail yourself the plans to blow up, poison, or incinerate whatever you wish to target. As with most anti-terrorism initiatives, this one does little or nothing to fight terrorists. It merely inconveniences law-abiding travelers.

*** end quote ***

Thought you could use yet another realization of “security theater”.

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RANT: Yet Another “Bank” Bailout?

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/hr3808-equivalent-tarp-2-and-obamas-get-out-jail-gift-card-high-frequency-signing-scandal

*** begin quote ***

That’s the theoretical definition: the practical one – the legislation, if enacted, could protect bank and mortgage processors from liability for false or improperly prepared documents. In other words, with one simple signature Obama has the capacity to prevent tens of billions in damages to banks from legal fees, MBS deficiency claims, unwound sales, and to formally make what started this whole mess: Court Fraud perpetrated by banks, a legal act, and to finally trample over the constitution. Will Obama do it? Potentially – the banking lobby certainly has enough power over him and his superiors, the members of the FOMC. On the other hand, the populist revolt that will surely follow the enactment of such a law will certainly end any dreams of a second term, and potentially of a completed first one. The drama is now on: will Obama openly side on behalf of the bankers (without a “blame the republicans” fall back this time) or of the foreclosure “victims” (granted, the bulk of whom are deadbeat homeowners who should never have owned a home to begin with). We doubt a decision will be reached before the midterms, although quite a bit now hangs in the balance.

*** end quote ***

Hard to imagine the powers that be not giving themselves a pass!

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RANT: Data used to condemn teachers and schools

Monday, October 11, 2010

http://www.lifetrekcoaching.com/current/

*** begin quote ***

Ravitch views that as a travesty, especially since the data that are being used to condemn teachers and schools are neither reliable nor helpful. They cannot be counted on as either performance indicators or as guides for school improvement. But they can be counted on to undermine trust — a critical element in both society and organizations.

*** end quote ***

I feel that “We, The People” have bought into the meme of “Gooferment Skrules” equates to “Education”. To use Covey’s metaphor, we are “leaning our ladder against the wrong wall”. Testing, teachers, and condemnation is all wrong.

The current education meme comes from Prussia where the objective was to create: cannon fodder, factory workers, and sheeple that can be led easily by the elite by separating parent and child on many levels. (Note where politicians and bureaucrats send their children to school!) The current schools system has parents, taxpayers, and the voters fighting over entirely the wrong issues. To the delight of politicians, bureaucrats, and those pigs that “dine” at the trough.

Gooferment is force. And, a monopoly on it. As it’s first — bedrock — operating — principle, it immediately spins out a whole load of “stuff” from it. Gooferment, at all levels, acts like it alone has the “charter” to “do” education. It’s corrupt, immoral, ineffective, inefficient, and just unacceptable.

corrupt: It takes children from their families and <silently, quietly, and sometimes overtly> propagandizes them into beliefs that their parents don’t hold, approve of, or support. And, after inflicting actual harm on the children’s minds and bodies, the Gooferment leaves the debris to the parents’ to clean up after. And, in the process there is a whole education complex that feeds off the children’s “jail time”.

immoral: Wealth is stolen from people to brainwash other people’s children. The ideas being “rinsed in” are often in direct opposition to their parents’ beliefs. And, the “Gooferment Skrules” are training the children for prisons.

ineffective: Even by ANY measure of the STATED objectives, “Gooferment Skrules” are a failure. Unless there are HIDDEN objectives which it suceeds at? “If the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan wanted to sabotage black academic excellence, he could not find a more effective means to do so than the government school system in most cities.” — Walter Williams

inefficient: By any measure, costs are increasing and results are plummeting. The news is filled with stories of bigger boondoggles and waste. Never mind that the feds and states extract a handling fee as money passes though their hands.

unacceptable: The Teacher’s Union has become the biggest political force in the National and State elections. Politicians and bureaucrats use children as hostages in the vaious debates.

We need the Separation of School and State.

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RANT: Thinking about a burning double wide!

Monday, October 11, 2010

>From what I understand, the term “gooferment”

When I use “Gooferment”, I refer that gang that uses their supposed monopoly on the use of force to impose “its will” on the Sheeple. I urge care because we anthropomorphize a group of people into its own entity. I’m a voluntarist. Maybe even an anarchist. You know those PEOPLE with flags and costumes that purport to be part of the matrix?

>Mr. Cranick lived outside of the town

http://seerpress.com/fire-department-lets-house-burn-down-over-unpaid-dues/9139/

*** begin quote ***

Cranick lived just outside the city limits of South Fulton in Northwest Tennessee in Obion County, but within an area that allows homeowners to subscribe to the city’s fire department services by paying a $75 annual fee.

*** end quote ***

So we have one subdivision of Gooferment that takes taxes from the victim. Then, they say they don’t provide fire protection? But you can buy it from this other subdivision of Gooferment. Excuses!

So what did the victim “buy” with his county taxes?

>It does seem heartless for the fire department to stand there and watch his house burn down,

It doesn’t say if the FD was paid or volunteer. It doesn’t say much about what went on. I find it hard to believe that they rolled on the scene and didn’t deploy immediately. There must have been a decision earlier about what they were going to do. Firefighters train. Hell, if I’d been the Fire Chief, then I’d have called it a “live fire drill or training session”.

>if they didn’t, everyone similarly situated who did pay the $75 would stop paying,
> knowing that if their house caught fire they could pay then.

I’d suggest that this is the problem with Gooferment. They are not responsive to market place discipline.

>Should they also drop their fire insurance and be allowed to purchase
>it when their house starts burning?

Clearly not, but I bet the insurance company would have paid the $75 rather than pay off for the fire.

> Being able to set the fee at only $75 is based on most people  
> agreeing to the assessment, but not having to use it.

Ludwig von Mises’ “socialism calculation debate” points out that “socialists”, which is what he’d call the Gooferment in all its forms, doesn’t not have the free market’s mechanism to set a clearing price. That price where there are no more willing buyer or sellers. Everyone has acted on their particular time preference calculation. So how does anyone know that $75 is the right or wrong price? There is no competition.

Fredrick Hayek’s “knowledge of the particular time and place” points out that “socialists” can evaluate the facts and costs at a particular time and place. So the bureaucrats arriving at the fire scene can’t decide what is the correct course of action.

It’s not as if the person had to decide between three offerings: McD’s, BK’s, and Wendy’s. He could pick based on criteria that he decided on. In a free market. Where he choose the “best”. Knowing the (Mises) true cost as deiced by the marketplace. Knowing how important each (Hayek) of the criteria was to him.

>I would think a libertarian would agree to this.

As a little L libertarian, and I can only speak for myself, there is a lot of blame to spread around. I blame the “socialists” in the illusion of Gooferment. And the “firemen” who are nothing more than bureaucrats.

And some blame for the victim for not picking his battle better.

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RANT: If I’m drunk, you’re a jerk

Sunday, October 10, 2010

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/10/if-im-drunk-youre-a-jerk.ars

*** begin quote ***

Nearly all the participants, no matter what condition, judged all the unambiguous statements correctly. However, when the actions were ambiguous and could have been performed either intentionally or unintentionally, the “drunk” participants were much more likely to perceive the actions as deliberate than the sober participants were. The clever design of this experiment allowed the researchers to separate the actual physical effects of alcohol from its expectancy effects. What the subjects believed they had consumed didn’t affect their responses—only whether they had actually consumed booze or not.

*** end quote ***

Then, I must be drunk all the time. I don’t think anything is “unintentional”.

No?

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RANT: 1010 — Watermellon — If you know what’s good for you. No pressure!

Monday, October 4, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qff2xJgDuOY&feature=player_embedded

If you don’t comply, we’ll kill you. Argh!

# # # # # posted 2010-10-04

RANT: Cut the Gooferment; taxes will follow

Sunday, October 3, 2010

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704483004575524340160716872.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion

* DECLARATIONS
* OCTOBER 1, 2010
The Twister of 2010
America’s political landscape will never be the same.
*  By PEGGY NOONAN

*** begin quote ***

The primary reason is the severity of the moment. But another is that negative ads worked so well in the past. For a generation, the American people have been told their politicians are lowlifes. You know what they now think of them? They think they’re lowlifes! People don’t really expect high character from their political figures anymore. “Congressman Smith cheated on his wife.” That’s her problem. Cut my taxes.

*** end quote ***

I think Ms. Noonan understates the demand.

It’s no longer JUST “cut my taxes”. I think the Tea Parties are now on to the game. It’s cut spending, cut taxes, and cut out all the other “barbara streisand”.

See we were fooled under Reagan, who cut taxes, but not spending. The tax and spend Democrats were repelaced by the borrow and spend Republicans.

So, the meme has changed.

Reduce Gooferment and taxes will come along naturally.

I always find it interesting that the Gooferment “cuts” (what I would call) Customer facing services. They want the Taxpayer and Taxconsumer to say I want that. (When I was on Wall Street if I’d done that, I’d have been looking for a job. The challenge was always to cut your budget WITHOUT cutting services. Figure it out.)

“We, The People” seem to be on the warpath to cut everything.

Is this a glacial shift? Yes. Will it last? Yes. (Our parent’s generation was scared by the Depression; we’ll be too.)

Will it be enough to save the Republic? I don’t know!

When the Gooferment shuts down the Federal Department of Education, then we will be on the road to recovery.

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