ECONOMICS: Aren’t “tariffs” just taxes on “We, The Sheeple”?

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/03/07/john-stossel-mr-trump-if-raise-tariffs-on-steel-and-aluminum-punish-consumers.html

John Stossel: Mr. Trump, if you raise tariffs on steel and aluminum, you punish consumers
By John Stossel | Fox News

*** begin quote ***

No, President Trump, it’s not true that if you tax imported steel, we “will have protection for the first time in a long while.”

The opposite is true. If you raise tariffs on steel and aluminum, you punish consumers.

*** end quote ***

Isn’t this just a tax increase in disguise?

Maybe “We, The Sheeple” should subsidize the biggie whip makers?

Sorry, but tariffs are just stupid ekkynomics!

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SECURITY: FBI paid Geek Squad employees as informants

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/03/07/fbi-paid-geek-squad-employees-as-informants.html

The FBI paid Geek Squad employees as informants

*** begin quote ***

The FBI has been in cahoots with Best Buy’s Geek Squad for at least the past decade, new documents obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit reveal.

An FBI memo obtained by the nonprofit digital rights group reveals that Best Buy in September 2008 hosted a meeting of the law enforcement agency’s Cyber Working Group at a Geek Squad repair facility in Kentucky. The memo indicates that the local FBI division “has maintained close liaison with the Geek Squad’s management in an effort to glean case initiations and to support the division’s Computer Intrusion and Cyber Crime programs.”

*** end quote ***

While I have no love for child porn, its producers, to its consumers, I am concerned about the Fourth Amendment. It would seem that the Geek Squad has become agents of the police and subject to the usual requirements of warrants.

It sets up a very suspect set of circumstances.

How does one ensure that the evidence was planted?

Does Best Buy have a secure image taken before the staff works on it? Are patrons advised to take an image before submitting a computer for service?

Makes one think doesn’t it?

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LIBERTARIAN: What Kind of Libertarian … … am I?

Monday, March 12, 2018

https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/what-kind-libertarian-are-you

MAR 7, 2018
What Kind of Libertarian Are You?
by Aaron Ross Powell  Facebook

Libertarianism comes in many varieties. Here, Powell sets out his own off-the-beaten-path version, with intellectual roots among the Ancient Greeks.

*** begin quote ***

I was recently asked on Twitter whether my libertarianism is of the consequentialist or deontological variety. For those not hip to the terminology, the question is about what sort of moral theory underpins my political theory. Those two—consequentialism and deontology—are, for many, the default choices when it comes to libertarianism. You can believe in political liberty because free people in free markets lead to the most wealth and happiness—and so liberty is valuable because of that, in which case you’re a consequentialist. Or you believe that there exist hard and fast, unavoidable moral rules—about obligations or prohibitions or rights—that we must respect, and doing so demands, at least in part, respecting the liberty of individuals. If that’s your line of thinking, you’re a deontologist.

My answer to the question-as-framed is “Neither.” I’m not a consequentialist, nor am I a deontologist. I believe, of course, that the consequences of actions and of political systems matter a great deal. But I don’t believe that consequences are all that matters in moral or political considerations. And I believe, of course, that we live with certain obligations towards others, among these a respect for rights. But I don’t believe that articulating a set of rules and then following them is the most fruitful or psychologically authentic way to think about morality.

*** and ***

My libertarianism, with its virtue ethical foundations, thus boils down to a deep conviction that good people, acting out of virtue, will treat each other will kindness, benevolence, respect, and so on. They will seek to engage each other through our most human of faculties, namely conversation and persuasion, and will not seek to get their way as animals do, with violence and threats. A political system built on that will be one of liberty, not coercion. That’s the kind of libertarian I am.

*** end quote ***

My libertarianism is rooted in my early Catholic grammar school being taught by the good Christian Brothers. These war vets were definitely scared by that experience and communicated it to their students. Not that they were pacifists, just that any war should be for only great reasons. And, that we all had a moral duty to the Works of Mercy — charity is one. It was emphasized that it was an individual; not a collective obligation. They were very contemptuous of Government “charity” as immoral, ineffective, and inefficient. 

I’m not so sure I drank the Kool Aid of “religion”, but the “morality” did stick. In my lessons, I distilled that “capitalism” has lifted humanity out of the abject substance poverty around the globe. Hence that led me to Austrian economics and the whole travesty of Government abuse of Constitutional “money”.

That’s my journey to Libertarianism.

I’m not sure what kind of libertarian I am.

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SECESSION: California can just refuse to cooperate; de facto secession

Sunday, March 11, 2018

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-03-07/sessions-reminds-california-theres-no-secession-no-nullification

Sessions Reminds California: “There’s No Secession, No Nullification”
by Tyler Durden
Wed, 03/07/2018 – 14:13

*** begin quote ***

Yesterday, we pointed out that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has finally acted to stop California from ignoring federal immigration authorities and laws, with the DOJ suing the state to nullify Assembly Bill 450, which stops private companies from voluntarily cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

And shortly after the suit was filed, Sessions warned chided the state for disobeying federal laws, saying American law provides no room for secession or nullification, per the Hill

*** end quote ***

Isn’t there a quote about “State Officials” and non-cooperation?

Sounds like something Ghandi would say.

In any event, the State of California doesn’t have to aid the Federal Government in enforcing Federal “laws”.

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GOVERNACIDE: … “punish the innocent”?

Saturday, March 10, 2018

2018-Mar-10

http://keywestlou.com/kate-miano-1000-strong/

*** begin quote ***

I do not understand police behavior involving the recent Douglas High School shootings.

The police officer on duty did not go in the building. I would have assumed his first responsibility would have been to confront the attacker.

Two more officers appeared on the scene. They did not go in. The claim is they were told to establish a perimeter and not enter.

In the meantime, people were being killed inside. I have to believe if they did do something, some lives would have been saved. Even one would have justified their engaging the attacker.

The story gets better.

Two members of the Miramar Police Department were in the area. Both detectives, both members of the SWAT team. They immediately responded. What they did when they arrived, I do not know.

They have been suspended. They have been required to surrender their SWAT issued rifles. The reason for the chastisement: They failed to follow protocol by not getting permission from a superior prior to rushing to the scene.

Unusual circumstances call for unusual activity. Initiative becomes the order of the day. Not with the Miramar Police Department, however. The two officers are being punished for doing the right thing.

*** end quote ***

Back in my Wall Street days, there was an oft quoted adage: “Punish the innocent; reward the guilty; and promote the uninvolved.” That’s sure sounds like “punishing the innocent” to me.

There’s no doubt that this was a great example of Gooferment “protection”.

  • Create a gun free zone and have a big soft target rich environment.
  • Ignore the many red flags REPEATEDLY.
  • The Gooferment Skrule bureaucrats don’t prosecute lawbreakers under some absurd policy about breaking the “school to prison pipeline”.
  • Local law enforcement ignoring CRIMINAL FELONY acts by the eventual mass shooter (i.e., assaults; brandishing; threats; menacing).

And the crowning achievement — the FBI TWICE ignores “tips” on a potential “mass school shooter”.

As law-abiding gun owner, why are my RIGHTS under attack?

Does anyone expect the Gooferment to protect you?

You must be delusional.

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SECURITY: “Mobile Witness” as a tool

Saturday, March 10, 2018

http://www.zdnet.com/pictures/android-ios-apps-to-download-before-disaster-strikes/13/

Mobile Witness

If you are in the area when a situation calls for evidence — such as in the case of dubious behavior or crimes — Mobile Witness can provide a way to record audio and video.

Rather than store this footage on your mobile device, which may be lost, taken, or stolen, recordings can automatically be sent to third-party cloud storage providers including Dropbox and Google Drive.

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Great idea!

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GUN: Why trust the Gooferment AFTER you allow them to disarm you?

Friday, March 9, 2018

FROM PLAIN OLD FACEBOOK

Josh LawlerMarch 2 at 3:13pm · 

“You’re not going to be able to fight against the government with your AR-15 anyway. They have helicopters and tanks. The 2nd amendment was written when everyone had muskets.”

Let me first kill this argument the easy way, before I get into the history, social commentary, and whatnot. The simple version is that you ain’t gonna find an infantryman, tanker, or pilot willing to open fire on his countrymen. And the cops outside of NY, NJ, and CA ain’t gonna be too keen on jackbooting, either. So good luck controlling an armed populace with a few thousand feds. Moreover, people who make this argument obviously don’t understand guerilla tactics/military strategy. Vietnam, Afghanistan (both against the USSR and US later), and Iraq are perfect examples of why superior firepower is not the deciding factor in a modern war.

“This isn’t a dystopian novel. The government’s not going to start rounding dissenters up just ’cause they outlawed ‘assault rifles’.”

Now then, on to history. Whenever you bring up how dangerous it is to set a precedent of disarming the populace, pro-gun control folks roll their eyes and go, “It’s the 21st century. Do you really think the government’s out to get you? Everything is broadcast worldwide now. Look at these other countries without guns. You’re paranoid.” Let’s examine this with some examples, some of which I’ve discussed prior.

It was just during the Clinton administration that the Serb death squads rounded up Bosnians and machine gunned them into open graves. The Serbs and Croats took turns raping women and children in public to screams so horrifying that one survivor wrote a book about the sound basically driving her to insanity.

In the 70s, Iranian women were wearing skirts, going to public universities, driving cars, and drinking wine. I’m sure plenty of people didn’t think it was realistic that Khomeni and the revolution would turn that nation into a giant human rights violation. I’m sure lots of people said, “Executions in the street? Rape parties? Take off the tinfoil hat, it’s the 70s, man!”

Plenty of Germans rightfully felt like they got hosed after WWI with the Treaty of Versailles. The Nazi party seeked to right those wrongs economically, and restore Germany’s industrial prominence and rights to self-defense. Plenty of Germans in the 30s would’ve surely looked at you like a madman if you’d said the chancellor of the party was going to go on to pull off a 6 million person genocide.

Actually, why am I moving backwards in time? Let’s focus on the now. Let’s keep it topical and relevant to the moment. In the Twitter and livestreaming era, North Korea is still locking people in prison cells too short for them to stand up in, and too narrow for them to lay out in. NBA star Enes Kanter can never see his family again, following Erdogan’s call for his life imprisonment back in Turkey for daring to speak out against him. There is currently an ethnic cleansing occurring in Mynamar – people are being tortured and murdered while you read this sipping your coffee. There are buildings being reduced to rubble over the buried bones of innocent victims in Yemen this very minute.

Despite this, gun control proponents are still incredulous of the idea that a militia formed independent of the government, meant to protect the citizenry is viable. Despite these atrocities that make my spine chill, and my stomach cramp just reading about them, gun control proponents still cannot believe that I’m not willing to submit to the government just because of the disgusting actions of a few maniacs.

I am not without empathy. I do care deeply about massacres like the ones in Parkland, Las Vegas, Orlando, Sandy Hook, and Aurora. But no, I will not surrender to subservience because of those attacks. No government has ever existed in history without attacking its people at some point, and I refuse to be complicit or complacent in allowing it to happen again.

I’ll leave you with a question for the pro gun control side: why is it that the same government that you mistrust and want to restrict for things like racial profiling and corruption can now be trusted to not take advantage of you when you become less capable to fight back if necessary?

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As I posted before:

NewImage

A picture is worth a thousand words!

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HEALTH: What is the impact on health of cell phones?

Thursday, March 8, 2018

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-cell-phones-lower-sperm-counts/

Do Cell Phones Lower Sperm Counts?
Michael Greger M.D. FACLM  February 28th, 2018  Volume 40

*** begin quote ***

What is the effect of cell phone radiation on sperm motility and DNA damage?

*** and ***

“Are men talking their reproductive health away?” There have been “unexplained declines in semen quality reported in several countries.” Might cell phones be playing a role, as “[r]adio-frequency electromagnetic radiation from these devices could potentially affect sperm development and function.” The cell phone industry bristles at the “r-word,” radiation, preferring the more innocuous sounding “RF-EMF”s. They do have a point, though, about it being used by snake-oil hucksters of “radiation protection” gadgets. Radiation need not be atomic-bomb gamma rays, but just the warm glow of sunshine on your face; that’s radiation, too. The question is: does the specific type of radiation emitted by cell phones affect male fertility?

After the “World Health Organization…declared that cell phones [could possibly] cause brain cancer,” many folks were like, no problem, I’ll just keep it in my pants and use Bluetooth or something. Away from the brain, but “close to the gonads.” Put all the studies together, including nearly 1,500 semen samples and: “Exposure to mobile phones was associated with reduced sperm motility…and viability…,” though not necessarily sperm concentration.”

*** end quote ***

Ignoring the “cell phone” accidents where the User falls into a fountain or walks into a pole, which are funny. And ignoring the “cell phone” fatalities from their use in cars. What are the “health implications” of using them?

Anytime I’ve seen a woman stuff her cell phone in her bra, I’ve mused about that and breast cancer. I’ve nagged my fiancé about it so much, she doesn’t do it around me.

WRT to men, is it the radiation or the heat that causes the damage? And, what if you use a lap desk — does that provide a sufficient space or barrier to EMF?

And does the wifi cause other problems (i.e., pancreatic or liver cancer)?

Questions beget more and better questions?

I no longer sleep with my cellphone anywhere near my head and it’s usually at least yard away.

In the absence of “fact”, caution is warranted?

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INOVATION: No-frills micro hospitals emerge

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/02/no-frills-micro-hospitals-emerge-as-a-new-way-to-cut-health-care-costs.html

No-frills micro hospitals with as few as 8 rooms emerge as a new way to cut health-care costs

  • Micro hospitals are emerging in some suburban and urban markets as a backup to community facilities — or in regions where there is not enough demand for full-sized hospitals.
  • Also called neighborhood hospitals, these facilities can provide lower-cost care for patients compared with traditional community hospitals.

Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | @BerkeleyJr
Published 1:14 PM ET Fri, 2 March 2018  Updated 2:13 PM ET Fri, 2 March 2018

*** begin quote ***

Micro hospitals, also called neighborhood hospitals, have cropped up in states such as Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Saint Luke’s Health System in Leawood, Kansas, recently opened its own 17,000-square-foot micro hospital, no bigger than an average CVS Health store.

Hennum at Dignity Health St. Rose-Dominican told CNBC these facilities are not meant to replace larger hospitals or emergency rooms but can provide a kinder, more personalized level of care.

Hennum said the micro facilities can treat things like gunshot wounds and high-risk pregnancies, adding patients usually wait no longer than 11 minutes, on average, from entering the door to seeing a doctor.

“We only transfer 5 percent, or sometimes in other locations, 4 percent of our patients,” Hennum told CNBC. “We treat or discharge the vast majority of patients we see. … And we brought additional jobs to our community. I’ve interviewed more than 250 people.”

Larger hospitals still have their place, however. Mega hospitals have the resources to perform intensive and complex procedures whereas micro hospitals tend to be less surgical, Zane told CNBC.

For example, a person experiencing a stroke or in need of certain cancer therapies will be treated by larger facilities or specialized centers, Zane said. Micro facilities can do routine surgical care like a knee replacement that would only require a doctor and an assistant, but nothing like a liver transplant, Zane explained.

*** end quote ***

Finally some “free market” innovation.

Want to bet that the Gooferment diktats interfere with this “trend”.

I’m sure that the SEIU (unions) will oppose these since they are cheaper and have self-described “no frills”.

And the use of digital services should be encouraged. Imagine the savings of not having to transport folks long distances for urgent care. Remember the “golden hour”?

Hope more are created; I think they will save lives.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Gooferment ignores the obvious solution?

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/nutria-should-we-eat-invasive-species-swamp-rats-12726054.php

Giant swamp rats are poised to dig into California. Should we eat ’em?
By Filipa Ioannou Updated 5:12 am, Sunday, March 4, 2018

*** begin quote *** 

It’s been about a month since California wildlife officials started sounding the alarm on nutria, invasive South American rodents that look like enormous, 20-pound rats and have the power to devastate wetlands. They’re making a comeback after being eradicated in the 1970s and have been spotted in Stanislaus, Fresno, Tuolumne and Merced counties so far.

*** end quote ***

Turn the hunting community loose on them. 

Have the “Governor’s Prize” for the biggest, the most, and the last one shot in a “season”.

Instead of being against “guns”, put them to use.

Seems obvious to me.

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