RANT: Yet another mistake in the “justice system”

Sunday, February 1, 2009

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090131/D961PS281.html

Wis. man freed 23 years after wrongful conviction
Jan 30, 7:36 PM (ET)
By DINESH RAMDE and TODD RICHMOND

*** begin quote ***

MILWAUKEE (AP) – A man sentenced to life in prison for killing a woman in 1984 had his conviction overturned and was released Friday on a personal recognizance bond after spending 23 years behind bars.

Robert Lee Stinson, 44, of Milwaukee, walked out of the New Lisbon Correctional Institution in street clothes and hugged his sister and members of the Wisconsin Innocence Project. A judge vacated the sentence after the Project argued that bite-mark analysis and DNA evidence that didn’t match evidence from the crime scene, defense attorney Byron Lichstein said.

*** end quote ***

Now, would anyone like to talk about the “death penalty”?

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RANT: Smoot Hawley — the 2009 version?

Saturday, January 31, 2009

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090131/D9624PL00.html

Obama facing dilemma over protectionism in bill

Jan 31, 8:01 AM (ET)

By DESMOND BUTLER

*** begin quote ***

WASHINGTON (AP) – Less than two weeks into office, President Barack Obama faces a dilemma over protectionist provisions in a massive economic stimulus bill: Backing the measures could set off a trade war, while opposing them could trigger a backlash from his supporters.

The choice involves “buy American” provisions attached to White House-backed stimulus legislation moving through Congress. They would require major public works projects to favor U.S. steel, iron and manufacturing over imports.

Some Democratic lawmakers and interest groups allied to the president support the measures, but international allies and trading partners are warning that favoring U.S. companies would breach U.S. trade commitments and could set off tit-for-tat countermeasures around the world.

*** end quote ***

What bunch of idiots we have in Congress.

Did anyone read about the Great Depression and Smoot Hawley?

The mere passage of that was the trigger that set off the Great Depression. That didn’t end until WW2.

How stupid are they?

Warm up the lines to the congress critters!

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RANT: O versus L? The typical false choice.

Friday, January 30, 2009

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18194_Page2.html  

Are you with Obama or Rush?
By JONATHAN MARTIN
1/29/09 8:00 PM EST
Updated: 1/30/09 4:37 AM EST

*** begin quote ***

Politico has learned that tomorrow Americans United for Change, a liberal group, will begin airing radio ads in three states Obama won — Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nevada — with a tough question aimed at the GOP senators there: Will you side with Obama or Rush Limbaugh?

“Every Republican member of the House chose to take Rush Limbaugh’s advice,” says the narrator after playing the conservative talk radio giant’s declaration that he hopes Obama “fails.”

“Every Republican voted with Limbaugh — and against creating 4 million new American jobs. We can understand why a extreme partisan like Rush Limbaugh wants President Obama’s Jobs program to fail — but the members of Congress elected to represent the citizens in their districts? That’s another matter. Now the Obama plan goes to the Senate, and the question is: Will our Senator”—here the ad is tailored by state to name George Voinovich in Ohio, Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, and John Ensign in Nevada—”side with Rush Limbaugh too?”

Asked to respond, Limbaugh had a message for his party.

“Senate Republicans need to understand this is not about me,” he wrote in an email. “It is about them, about intimidating them, especially after the show of unity in House. It is about the 2010 and 2012 elections. This is an opportunity for Republicans to redefine themselves after a few years of wandering aimlessly looking for a ‘brand’ and identity.”

*** and ***

Senate Republicans acknowledge that they’ll lose some of their members on the first vote.

“We’re in a little different spot than the House in that we have a handful of Republicans who have all but committed to supporting the package,” said a Senate GOP aide.

The aide declined to say who, but speculation on both sides of the aisle is centered on a group of northeasterners — Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Sen. Judd Gregg (NH) and Specter.

*** end quote ***

Everyone should be real clear. The “stimulus” bill is not about stimulus, jobs, or benefits for the “folks”.

It’s about socialism, pork spending, and making future voters for the democratic party.

Rahm told you that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.

We’ve been hustled before — the Bush pre-rebate, the TARP, and now this!

And, the ad offers a false choice — O versus L?

I’m with neither.

The Republican Party NOW, when it’s out of power wants to “brand” itself as the party of smaller gooferment again. Where were they for eight years? We have the TSA, deficits, and out of control spending. All caused by a President who wouldn’t veto anything.

And, O wants to remake America on the basis of he “won” an election. Hey, guess what, more folks didn’t vote than voted. So you were elected by 28% to 24%. That should tell you that your plurality is very small.

More than half the Americans know they are getting screwed no matter which “side” won.

Not that there is much difference between EITHER “side”!

In this case, I am against the “gooferment enlargement” package.

You want to restart the economy. Shrink gooferment — Nuke the TSA, Kill whole gooferment department and agencies, stop the psuedo drug war, pardon all non-violent drug offenders, and return to normal. Cut the corporate tax to ZERO forever. It’s a sham; only real people pay taxes. Corporate taxes hide how much the gooferment is stealing from us.

Argh!

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LIBERTY: Cops out of control

Thursday, January 29, 2009

http://jonathanturley.org/2008/12/05/video-police-taser-son-who-tries-to-rescue-his-father-after-police-and-fire-department-refuses-to-go-into-water/

Video: Police Taser Son Who Tries to Rescue His Father After Police and Fire Department Refuses to Go Into Water
Published 1, December 5, 2008 Criminal law , Society , Torts

*** begin quote ***

The video below reveals another troubling use of a taser. 54-year-old Maurizio Biasini went to a Mendocino Beach called Portuguese Beach with his two twin sons, Dario and Andriano Biasini, and fell into the water. The police and fire department refused to go into the choppy water as the father was swept further and further out to sea. When the sons screamed at the officers for not acting and one tried to go into the water, the police tasered one son twice. The father was lost.

The fire department insisted on waiting for the Coast Guard as the distraught sons demanded action and swore at the officers. According to one witness, it was the police that turned the confrontation into a physical matter by grabbing one son around the neck and lifting him off the ground. They then tasered one son who wanted to rescue his father not once but twice. To make matters, the police proceeded to criminally charge the son for . . . you guessed it . . . interfering with a rescue that they refused carry out.

*** end quote ***

Not the “worst” case of police abuse I have ever seen on the internet.

Obviously, these people don’t understand that the bureaucrat’s job is to fill out paperwork. Save their father? Please, the uniform might get wet.

Now, they may have recognized there was no hope.

But, preventing the boy from trying himself? Who owns his body? May have been the boy’s last mistake, but it WAS his to make.

Handled badly. That cop looked like he had spent to much time at the donut shop.

Tasering the kid after he handled it badly, the cop should be charged with assault. At the very least, he should be seeking a new career.

I wonder if got a “paid vacation” (what they called administrative leave) and a promotion?

Argh!

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RANT: Fixing a broken leg? Corporations receiving bailouts look overseas

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090116/D95OHIB80.html

Report: Over 8 in 10 corporations have tax havens
Jan 16, 6:28 PM (ET)
By KEN THOMAS

*** begin quote ***

WASHINGTON (AP) – Eighty-three of the nation’s 100 largest corporations, including Citigroup, Bank of America and News Corp. (NWSA), had subsidiaries in offshore tax havens in 2007, and some of the companies received federal bailout funding, a government watchdog said Friday.

The Government Accountability Office released a report that said Bank of America Inc., Citigroup Inc. (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS) all had more than 100 units in countries that maintain low or no taxes. The three financial institutions were included in the $700 billion financial bailout approved by Congress.

*** end quote ***

Corporations are a product of the gooferment. Why are we surprised when they take bailout money and setup tax shelters? I’m sure the congresscritters will “fix” this! (Fix in the sense of amputating the broken leg!)

Argh!

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LIBERTY: What will be foisted upon us now!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/01/27/what_are_they_buying?page=2

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thomas Sowell :: Townhall.com Columnist
What Are They Buying?
by Thomas Sowell

*** begin quote ***

What are the Beltway politicians buying with all the hundreds of billions of dollars they are spending? They are buying what politicians are most interested in– power.

In the name of protecting the taxpayers’ investment, they are buying the power to tell General Motors how to make cars, banks how to bank and, before it is all over with, all sorts of other people how to do the work they specialize in, and for which members of Congress have no competence, much less expertise.

This administration and Congress are now in a position to do what Franklin D. Roosevelt did during the Great Depression of the 1930s– use a crisis of the times to create new institutions that will last for generations.

To this day, we are still subsidizing millionaires in agriculture because farmers were having a tough time in the 1930s. We have the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) taking reckless chances in the housing market that have blown up in our faces today, because FDR decided to create a new federal housing agency in 1938.

Who knows what bright ideas this administration will turn into permanent institutions for our children and grandchildren to try to cope with?

*** end quote ***

It’s no doubt that politicians use crisis to consolidate and enlarge their power over us.

What will the serfs be saddled with now?

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LIBERTY: Nationalization is one more step to the death camps

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

http://www.ablueview.com/2009/01/the-nationalization-debate-comes-out-of-the-closet.html

The Nationalization Debate Comes Out Of The Closet

*** begin quote ***

We’re finally beginning to remove the ideological blinders (socialism, socialism!) from our eyes and look at all possible ways to fix the liquidity crisis. This otherwise good NY Times article explores the pros & cons of nationalization but leaves out an important pro they’ve reported on in the past: it’s the most transparent, honest approach

*** end quote ***

Yeah, the gooferment is sooo honest. So good at everything they touch.

Sorry, it’s all about control.

Think Japanese Internment, the Civil War, and the Carter Inflation.

We’re all sheep. Being herded. Lucky if we just get sheared.

Government is dangerous.

Where’s my pitchfork and torch?

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POLITICAL: Only “chumps” pay taxes!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/22/feel-like-a-chump/

RAHN: Feel like a chump?
Richard Rahn
Thursday, January 22, 2009

*** begin quote ***

You work hard, take care of your family, and pay all the taxes the government says you owe as is typical of honest, upright citizens.

But what happens to your tax money? It is now going to “bail out” firms that pay their senior executives millions of dollars a year. Congress also intends to spend your tax dollars on an $825 billion “stimulus program” filled with many dubious projects and plain old-fashioned “pork.” Many good economists who have looked at the details of the stimulus package believe it has much more “de-stimulus” than stimulus in it and will make the American economy worse off rather than better off.

While you may have thought you are required by law to pay taxes on all your income, you learn the “important” folks in Washington seem to think paying taxes is optional. Chairman Charles Rangel of the House Ways and Means Committee responsible for writing tax legislation has admitted he did not pay the required income taxes on some of his private income (Caribbean rental properties, etc.); and the proposed Secretary of the Treasury, Tim Geithner, did not pay the required income tax on part of his income from the International Monetary Fund, where he worked for several years.

*** end quote ***

Yup, I’m a chump!

And, it’s not going to change any time soon.

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RANT: Tax dodger as Treasury secretary

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

NEWS ALERT

from The Wall Street Journal

Jan. 26, 2009

The Senate has confirmed Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary. The 60-34 vote puts Geithner at the helm of President Barack Obama’s plan to rescue the economy from the worst financial crisis in three generations. It also dislodges one of Obama’s most troubled nominations.

Some senators were concerned that Geithner, who would oversee the Internal Revenue Service, did not pay some taxes until he had been tapped to the president’s Cabinet. Geithner called it an unintentional oversight and settled his $34,000 overdue tax bill. Obama and others supporting Geithner’s nomination said the nation couldn’t afford to wait for Obama to search for another nominee to run the Treasury Department.

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The Senate is criminally neglecting its responsibility imho. Not that it matters to the Washington DC gang. At least, the Mafia followed its own rules.
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RANT: “Birth Control” is stimulus.

Monday, January 26, 2009

FROM THE DRUDGE REPORT

http://www.drudgereport.com/flashpbc.htm

PELOSI SAYS BIRTH CONTROL WILL HELP ECONOMY
Sun Jan 25 2009 22:13:43 ET

*** begin quote ***

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boldly defended a move to add birth control funding to the new economic “stimulus” package, claiming “contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.”

*** and ***

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children’s health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those – one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

*** end quote ***

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SOOOOOooooooo….

The “stimulus package” covers any social engineering that they want to do!

Get ready for more nonsense under that “cover”.

Here’s an insight into their “liberal” philosophy: “Humans are an expense”. Wonder when abortion, eugenics, and killing off the elderly come in? After all one way to control Medicare “costs” is to get rid of those expensive old “senior citizens”. But, oh year, they can vote. We need to pick on those that can’t!

Argh!

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