Oh it's going to be repeated over and over, but how can you avoid it when it's the truth. Mitt Romney lies. And I know there are those who will say, "all politicians lie", but not like this.
Romney filed government documents that show he remained CEO of Bain Capital three years after he says he did. Why does this matter? Well these are SEC documents showing he was the firm's "sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president." Meanwhile in a Massachusetts financial disclosure he filed in 2003 showed he was executive in control in 2001 and 2002.
That contradicts what the Romney campaign and Bain have been feeding to the press. Like this one:
"Mitt Romney retired from Bain Capital in February 1999. He has had no
involvement in the management or investment activities of Bain Capital,
or with any of its portfolio companies, since that time."
Except according to legal documents filed with the SEC it isn't true. A lie!
Why does this matter? Well if someone saw the SEC filings and invested in Bain because they believed Romney was CEO then it is deliberate misrepresentation by the company and Romney and that is not legal.
The intricacies of the lie are myriad, but the substance is simple. Romney stayed around at Bain while it bankrupted companies and outsourced thousands of jobs. He either maintained control of Bain Capital or he lied about it. He lied to the SEC or to the Massachusetts Ballot Law Commission and either way it's serious.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Fixing Beliefs - Texas GOP Promotes Ignorance in Their Platform
I was raised to be intellectually curious. My family encouraged me to investigate, explore and learn both with their guidance and on my own. As some of you know, my father was a research scientist, microbiologist and hematologist, so I spent a lot of time hanging around laboratories growing up. Asking “why” was a natural to me as breathing.
Most of my friends when I was a child also shared some of that intellectual curiosity; it was taught to us in school and at home. Critical thinking skills were as important as learning facts and figures. It is what an education is all about, teaching children not just to recite their ABC’s but to actually reason and think on their own.
That is why this clause in the GOP platform struck me as uniquely bone headed and inconceivable.
The idea that challenging students “fixed beliefs” is something bad really floors me. I believe it was Socrates who taught his students by asking questions. Questioning their “fixed beliefs”. That is a technique that worked very well over 2000 years ago and seems to have been the foundation for science, philosophy and even theology for lo these many years. That’s why when the great State of Texas GOP want to toss out the entire purpose of scholarship I get a little testy.
If we abandon critical thinking, we might as well stop innovating and doing any research and development at all. Why question the “fixed beliefs” of anyone? Some people believe the Earth is flat, I suppose the school system under the GOP platform would stop teaching the fact that the Earth is round, to avoid the behavior modification of having a student understand that they will not fall off the edge of the earth if they travel too far east or west.
What is this plank in the otherwise wacko platform really about? Well it is a concession to the folks who are convinced that schools are trying to teach kids all manner of un-biblical facts like the Earth was not created in just 6 “literal” days. Or that all humankind did not descend from Adam and Eve!
What’s worse is that the folks who wrote this tripe most likely have kids that will never attend a public school. Their kids will go to private academies where they are protected from minorities and other undesirable rabble. And that brings me to the real reason for this plank.
For years the GOP has been actively trying to gut the public education system in our state. Their continued call for “vouchers” points to this. They believe in a two tiered education system, though they will never come out and say it that clearly. One tier is private education for the privileged kids who will become the leaders and the other is the public system for the kids who will most likely grow up to be serviceable workers in society. Now before you go calling me a socialist or worse, hear me out.
In South Africa during apartheid, they had a very well organized two tier education system. For whites, a good public education will all the bells and whistles and for blacks and “coloreds” they had the “Bantu Education System”. This appalling system was designed to give its students only enough education to make them useful as low paid workers and underlings. It was one of the most reprehensible components of the apartheid system yet was very effective for its evil purpose.
Transpose that to today, and you see the same mentality being woven into the GOP platform for public education. It is insidious and potentially devastating for our education system which used to be one of the best in the world. Now it is but a shell of that and a large part of it is due to changes imposed by politicians in the guise of “improving accountability” and the latest ploy, preventing the education system from challenging “fixed beliefs”.
You will be hard pressed to find any politician who will admit to this systematic dismantling of public education, but if you look at the facts it is undeniable. Of course that is unless you are already a product of a system that doesn’t challenge your “fixed beliefs”, in which case you most likely never finished this blog.
Most of my friends when I was a child also shared some of that intellectual curiosity; it was taught to us in school and at home. Critical thinking skills were as important as learning facts and figures. It is what an education is all about, teaching children not just to recite their ABC’s but to actually reason and think on their own.
That is why this clause in the GOP platform struck me as uniquely bone headed and inconceivable.
Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.Read that gobbledygook again and let the meaning really sink in.
The idea that challenging students “fixed beliefs” is something bad really floors me. I believe it was Socrates who taught his students by asking questions. Questioning their “fixed beliefs”. That is a technique that worked very well over 2000 years ago and seems to have been the foundation for science, philosophy and even theology for lo these many years. That’s why when the great State of Texas GOP want to toss out the entire purpose of scholarship I get a little testy.
If we abandon critical thinking, we might as well stop innovating and doing any research and development at all. Why question the “fixed beliefs” of anyone? Some people believe the Earth is flat, I suppose the school system under the GOP platform would stop teaching the fact that the Earth is round, to avoid the behavior modification of having a student understand that they will not fall off the edge of the earth if they travel too far east or west.
What is this plank in the otherwise wacko platform really about? Well it is a concession to the folks who are convinced that schools are trying to teach kids all manner of un-biblical facts like the Earth was not created in just 6 “literal” days. Or that all humankind did not descend from Adam and Eve!
What’s worse is that the folks who wrote this tripe most likely have kids that will never attend a public school. Their kids will go to private academies where they are protected from minorities and other undesirable rabble. And that brings me to the real reason for this plank.
For years the GOP has been actively trying to gut the public education system in our state. Their continued call for “vouchers” points to this. They believe in a two tiered education system, though they will never come out and say it that clearly. One tier is private education for the privileged kids who will become the leaders and the other is the public system for the kids who will most likely grow up to be serviceable workers in society. Now before you go calling me a socialist or worse, hear me out.
In South Africa during apartheid, they had a very well organized two tier education system. For whites, a good public education will all the bells and whistles and for blacks and “coloreds” they had the “Bantu Education System”. This appalling system was designed to give its students only enough education to make them useful as low paid workers and underlings. It was one of the most reprehensible components of the apartheid system yet was very effective for its evil purpose.
Transpose that to today, and you see the same mentality being woven into the GOP platform for public education. It is insidious and potentially devastating for our education system which used to be one of the best in the world. Now it is but a shell of that and a large part of it is due to changes imposed by politicians in the guise of “improving accountability” and the latest ploy, preventing the education system from challenging “fixed beliefs”.
You will be hard pressed to find any politician who will admit to this systematic dismantling of public education, but if you look at the facts it is undeniable. Of course that is unless you are already a product of a system that doesn’t challenge your “fixed beliefs”, in which case you most likely never finished this blog.
Monday, July 09, 2012
Another Multimillionaire Denounces Citizenship to Horde Money
It's becoming a trend, the ultra rich denouncing their US Citizenship in order to horde more cash. They escape taxes when they leave the country, even though they continue to make money from US investments and from US sources. Some like billionaire Facebook part-owner Eduardo Saverin. He denounced his US citizenship in favor of one from Singapore where he can stash his profits from the sale of Facebook's stock and pay no US taxes.
Second case is Denise Rich, yes the songwriter Denise Rich, whose husband Mark Rich fled the US in 1983 for tax evasion, has decided to take the legal way out. In November, she renounced her citizenship and stashed much of her wealth in the Cook Islands. That tiny South Pacific country has become the new Switzerland for hiding massive amounts of wealth.
The trend has seen 1800 ultra-rich US citizens bail the country to avoid paying their fair share of taxes to the country where they made their billions. Add to this the many companies who shifted their "headquarters" to off shore locations like the Cayman Islands. Because of a nice tax loophole companies having "headquarters" offshore get big tax breaks. There is a building on Grand Cayman housing what some estimate as 12,000 corporations including Coca-Cola and Halliburton. Though not illegal, the practice is a sham and needs to be stopped.
The idea that the super-wealthy are above our laws and are "Citizens of the World" is not new, but when their businesses and investments make their fortunes here, they need to pay their taxes here. Just because they are obscenely rich does not give them any more rights than any other US citizen....oh wait, they are no longer US citizens! See how it works?
Second case is Denise Rich, yes the songwriter Denise Rich, whose husband Mark Rich fled the US in 1983 for tax evasion, has decided to take the legal way out. In November, she renounced her citizenship and stashed much of her wealth in the Cook Islands. That tiny South Pacific country has become the new Switzerland for hiding massive amounts of wealth.
The trend has seen 1800 ultra-rich US citizens bail the country to avoid paying their fair share of taxes to the country where they made their billions. Add to this the many companies who shifted their "headquarters" to off shore locations like the Cayman Islands. Because of a nice tax loophole companies having "headquarters" offshore get big tax breaks. There is a building on Grand Cayman housing what some estimate as 12,000 corporations including Coca-Cola and Halliburton. Though not illegal, the practice is a sham and needs to be stopped.
The idea that the super-wealthy are above our laws and are "Citizens of the World" is not new, but when their businesses and investments make their fortunes here, they need to pay their taxes here. Just because they are obscenely rich does not give them any more rights than any other US citizen....oh wait, they are no longer US citizens! See how it works?
Friday, July 06, 2012
GOP as Organized Crime
Provocative post title isn't it?
Well I came to the realization this morning that it is most likely pretty accurate. Let me explain.
Back in the 1940s just after the war the mob, aka Mafia ran most of the gambling in Cuba. Under the Batista government gambling was a major source of income for the island and Batista took a healthy cut of the profits. In effect the mob controlled some if not all of what the government did in Cuba. They played the long game, slowly gaining more and more influence until they could operate without fear and run casinos and narcotics as they pleased.
Today, corporations have made significant inroads into our government. They write laws under the guise of the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC. The GOP has been known to take ALEC documents almost word for word and create laws.
Corporations now have "personhood", a gift bestowed on them by GOP justices on the Supreme Court. A "long game" tactic from the Bush era. The Citizens United ruling allows corporations to slush as much money into political campaigns as they want. Super Pacs are another result of GOP strategy that was set in place by the corporate controlled Supreme Court in 2010.
The GOP once seen as favorable to big business is now completely controlled by big business and is no longer a political party but a policy arm of large corporations. Don't believe me? Can you name a law recently that did not benefit big business directly or indirectly? If you say the Affordable Care Act, you are wrong, it is favorable to insurance companies and in my opinion should have been a federally supervised healthcare insurance program instead.
Meanwhile Mitt Romney, a candidate no GOP pollster wanted is the party's standard bearer. He is a multimillionaire businessman who is not just controlled by big business, he IS big business.
See my point?
I have no problem with corporations, heck I even was on the board of one. But my problem is when these businesses start infiltrating our government to run it for their benefit, not just influence it, but RUN IT!
This has to be stopped, and for now we have the ballot box. You can vote for a corporate takeover of our country or against it. What will you decide?
Well I came to the realization this morning that it is most likely pretty accurate. Let me explain.
Back in the 1940s just after the war the mob, aka Mafia ran most of the gambling in Cuba. Under the Batista government gambling was a major source of income for the island and Batista took a healthy cut of the profits. In effect the mob controlled some if not all of what the government did in Cuba. They played the long game, slowly gaining more and more influence until they could operate without fear and run casinos and narcotics as they pleased.
Today, corporations have made significant inroads into our government. They write laws under the guise of the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC. The GOP has been known to take ALEC documents almost word for word and create laws.
Corporations now have "personhood", a gift bestowed on them by GOP justices on the Supreme Court. A "long game" tactic from the Bush era. The Citizens United ruling allows corporations to slush as much money into political campaigns as they want. Super Pacs are another result of GOP strategy that was set in place by the corporate controlled Supreme Court in 2010.
The GOP once seen as favorable to big business is now completely controlled by big business and is no longer a political party but a policy arm of large corporations. Don't believe me? Can you name a law recently that did not benefit big business directly or indirectly? If you say the Affordable Care Act, you are wrong, it is favorable to insurance companies and in my opinion should have been a federally supervised healthcare insurance program instead.
Meanwhile Mitt Romney, a candidate no GOP pollster wanted is the party's standard bearer. He is a multimillionaire businessman who is not just controlled by big business, he IS big business.
See my point?
I have no problem with corporations, heck I even was on the board of one. But my problem is when these businesses start infiltrating our government to run it for their benefit, not just influence it, but RUN IT!
This has to be stopped, and for now we have the ballot box. You can vote for a corporate takeover of our country or against it. What will you decide?
Thursday, July 05, 2012
"Romney=Liar" Keep it Simple!
As a liberal, I am often tempted to try to persuade people with facts and figures. I make the assumption that most liberals and progressives do that "knowledge=enlightenment=voting".
This equation is flawed, fatally. This is a fact that the right-wing found years ago and have abandoned facts for "gut-level" messaging that tugs at peoples hearts and instincts. Truth may or may not be part of it, but all that matters is results.
How do you fight that kind of strategy without succumbing to the same "win at any cost" mentality? You don't. You modify the strategy and use it to your benefit.
We need to keep our messages as simple as possible. Here is a great example.
Romney held a press conference to express his opinion about the Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act, something the right-wing has successfully dubbed "Obamacare".
(First rule, never use their framing or you have already lost the argument. So, from here on out I will refer to the law by it's name, the ACA or Affordable Care Act. Whenever you hear someone call it Obamacare, correct them. Simple and direct. Can this make a difference? Sure it can, but wait there's more.)
In that press conference he began by spouting 6 big lies. You can read the details of them here in Lee Saunders column in the Huffington Post.
Now, once you have armed yourself with those facts, and there are many. stash them away and just remember the main point of the whole thing, Romney lies.
Let me make that a simple equation: Romney=Lies.
If you need to back it up with facts, you now have them, but don't start with the facts, start with the premis, Romney=Lies. Once people hear that they will not listen to too much else anyway, and when you start going into details you will loose them completely.
Are people stupid? No, they are not, but they are not used to digging into a detailed analysis of statements by politicians. They don't have time or energy since most folks have real jobs and lives that require most of their attention and energy. That is why sound-bites are so effective. So, keep it simple.
Romney lies. About the ACA, about his job-killing outsourcing, about pretty much everything in order to get elected. Now what do you remember about this blog entry?
Romney lies.
This equation is flawed, fatally. This is a fact that the right-wing found years ago and have abandoned facts for "gut-level" messaging that tugs at peoples hearts and instincts. Truth may or may not be part of it, but all that matters is results.
How do you fight that kind of strategy without succumbing to the same "win at any cost" mentality? You don't. You modify the strategy and use it to your benefit.
We need to keep our messages as simple as possible. Here is a great example.
Romney held a press conference to express his opinion about the Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act, something the right-wing has successfully dubbed "Obamacare".
(First rule, never use their framing or you have already lost the argument. So, from here on out I will refer to the law by it's name, the ACA or Affordable Care Act. Whenever you hear someone call it Obamacare, correct them. Simple and direct. Can this make a difference? Sure it can, but wait there's more.)
In that press conference he began by spouting 6 big lies. You can read the details of them here in Lee Saunders column in the Huffington Post.
Now, once you have armed yourself with those facts, and there are many. stash them away and just remember the main point of the whole thing, Romney lies.
Let me make that a simple equation: Romney=Lies.
If you need to back it up with facts, you now have them, but don't start with the facts, start with the premis, Romney=Lies. Once people hear that they will not listen to too much else anyway, and when you start going into details you will loose them completely.
Are people stupid? No, they are not, but they are not used to digging into a detailed analysis of statements by politicians. They don't have time or energy since most folks have real jobs and lives that require most of their attention and energy. That is why sound-bites are so effective. So, keep it simple.
Romney lies. About the ACA, about his job-killing outsourcing, about pretty much everything in order to get elected. Now what do you remember about this blog entry?
Romney lies.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Right Wing War on Sex
It's become common to hear politicians talk about the GOP "War on Women" and though it makes for a great sound bite, the truth is much deeper.
In our country there is actually a war of sex. Since the 1920s women have asserted their rights to choose who they have sex with and when they have it. It started with the "free love" movement and really came into blossom after oral contraceptives became readily and legally available in the 1960s. When the Supreme Cort ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut that citizens had a right to privacy and essentially removed any barrier to obtaining contraceptives.
Everyone knows about the 1960s, when the sexual revolution really began. Not only were women exercising their new found freedom, but LGBT people stood up and proudly proclaimed they were going to take the fight for sexual freedom to the streets.
The problem is the whole idea that sex could be something more than an act for procreation angered and scared a lot of people, mostly men. If women could control their own bodies, that meant men could not control women. Moreover it meant that women could enjoy and explore their own sexuality with or without men. Scary stuff for some people!
This battle against sex has deep roots and it is driven by the insecurity and immaturity of a lot of men and some women. Until we begin realizing what the real motive is from the right wing, to "stop sex for any other reason than procreation", we will be tilting at windmills.
The fundamentalists, the right wing politicians and the like are threatened by your sexual freedom, and they want to gain control over it once again. They see your sexual freedom as a vital link towards gaining more power and power is an amazing aphrodisiac for them. Think about it.
If you want more information about your sexual freedoms and the continuing fight go to Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance and get much more information.
In our country there is actually a war of sex. Since the 1920s women have asserted their rights to choose who they have sex with and when they have it. It started with the "free love" movement and really came into blossom after oral contraceptives became readily and legally available in the 1960s. When the Supreme Cort ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut that citizens had a right to privacy and essentially removed any barrier to obtaining contraceptives.
Everyone knows about the 1960s, when the sexual revolution really began. Not only were women exercising their new found freedom, but LGBT people stood up and proudly proclaimed they were going to take the fight for sexual freedom to the streets.
The problem is the whole idea that sex could be something more than an act for procreation angered and scared a lot of people, mostly men. If women could control their own bodies, that meant men could not control women. Moreover it meant that women could enjoy and explore their own sexuality with or without men. Scary stuff for some people!
This battle against sex has deep roots and it is driven by the insecurity and immaturity of a lot of men and some women. Until we begin realizing what the real motive is from the right wing, to "stop sex for any other reason than procreation", we will be tilting at windmills.
The fundamentalists, the right wing politicians and the like are threatened by your sexual freedom, and they want to gain control over it once again. They see your sexual freedom as a vital link towards gaining more power and power is an amazing aphrodisiac for them. Think about it.
If you want more information about your sexual freedoms and the continuing fight go to Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance and get much more information.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Ex-Gay Group Slinks Back from Reparative Therapy
It seems that Exodus International, the Christian extremist group that is best known for their "pray away the gay" ideals, is distancing itself from the idea that individuals can change their sexual orientation. Seems strange for an "ex-gay ministry" but apparently reality has caught up with them.
Alan Chambers, president of the group, told The Associated Press on Tuesday, "I do not believe that cure is a word that is applicable to really any struggle, homosexuality included."
He continued with this significant line, "For someone to put out a shingle and say, `I can cure homosexuality', that to me is as bizarre as someone saying they can cure any other common temptation or struggle that anyone faces on Planet Earth."
Wow! I feel the ground shifting and have to wonder if the next step in the Exodus saga is their final acceptance of being gay as a God-given gift, just like heterosexuality. The jury is still out on that one.
Alan Chambers, president of the group, told The Associated Press on Tuesday, "I do not believe that cure is a word that is applicable to really any struggle, homosexuality included."
He continued with this significant line, "For someone to put out a shingle and say, `I can cure homosexuality', that to me is as bizarre as someone saying they can cure any other common temptation or struggle that anyone faces on Planet Earth."
Wow! I feel the ground shifting and have to wonder if the next step in the Exodus saga is their final acceptance of being gay as a God-given gift, just like heterosexuality. The jury is still out on that one.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Cities Sell Out To Corporations
Seems Brazil, Indiana was out of money and couldn't afford to keep up parts of its infrastructure, so they turned to the private sector and the result was sponsored fire plugs with KFC buckets on top of them.
Now though it might be seen as an innovative way to support the fire department, I find it pretty sad. At this rate every single inch of space in public parks, buildings and infrastructure will be plastered with advertising. If the quality of our lives any better because of this? Personally, I think it's just sad. The result of outsourced jobs and industries, refusal to raise taxes and overall economic malaise has led to the sell out of America.
Happy 160th Birthday Antoni Gaudi
As a teenager I was fascinated with architecture, especially modern architecture. I read everything I could about Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies Van De Rhoe, but the man who intrigued me was one of the forerunners of these men. Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi was a product of the 19th century, but his work still inspires today.
His style had elements of the Art Nouveau school while maintaining his own quirky and richly organic style. His crowning masterpiece, a structure still being completed was the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. It soars like a cathedral, but seems to have grown from the earth like some kind of living organism. Words fail to describe it.
The website for the building is here. It's in Spanish, but the images are universal. Enjoy!
His style had elements of the Art Nouveau school while maintaining his own quirky and richly organic style. His crowning masterpiece, a structure still being completed was the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. It soars like a cathedral, but seems to have grown from the earth like some kind of living organism. Words fail to describe it.
The website for the building is here. It's in Spanish, but the images are universal. Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
The Myth of the Gay Agenda - Video
I saw this on Joe.My.God and had to share it. LZ Granderson gives a TED talk about the "evil gay lifestyle". Watch it!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
TSA and the Growing Cream Cheese Threat
I had overlooked this little gem. Seems TSA or at least some TSA agents now feel that cream cheese is uber-dangerous. The story about a traveler who was bringing home bagels and cream cheese and had her cream cheese confiscated is another example of the TSA theater that is doing so much to convince us they are protecting us, without doing much to really protect the flying public.
Silly procedures like removing shoes is another example of the useless measures taken by TSA. Adults have to remove shoes when traveling and have them screened. Kids get a pass. Why?
And what about underwear? The reason for shoe removal has been given as the thwarted "shoe-bomber" a few years ago. We had an "underwear-bomber" too, but I don't see TSA demanding we remove undergarments before flying. Why? Because they know it doesn't matter. The whole screening is a good thing, but the measures taken by TSA are not effective. Time and time again news stories surface of people beating the security measures by doing something as simple as moving a metal object to their side instead of front pocket.
And then there is the 3 ounce rule. How does a zip lock plastic baggie provide any protection against some kind of chemical mischief in three containers under 3 ounces? Mix them together and you have 9 ounces, is that a critical mass for something? Nonsense. Why can I buy 12 ounce bottled drinks inside the airport? Are you telling me every one of those is removed from it's container and analyzed prior to sale?
I do believe we need rational screening at airports, the bad guys have already shown us that, but the expensive machines that don't work and silly rules that are absolutely arbitrary do nothing to enhance our safety and just make the TSA and the whole program look foolish and annoying.
As I travel tomorrow, I feel pretty sure I will have to remove my belt and boots and who knows whatever before boarding the plane. Does it make me feel safer? Nope. Because I know if someone with a nasty plan ends up getting all the way to the airport, they are more likely to be stopped by the passengers than TSA. Check the records, the last few major plots were foiled by passengers not official security and that is both comforting and disturbing.
Pleasant flights!
Silly procedures like removing shoes is another example of the useless measures taken by TSA. Adults have to remove shoes when traveling and have them screened. Kids get a pass. Why?
And what about underwear? The reason for shoe removal has been given as the thwarted "shoe-bomber" a few years ago. We had an "underwear-bomber" too, but I don't see TSA demanding we remove undergarments before flying. Why? Because they know it doesn't matter. The whole screening is a good thing, but the measures taken by TSA are not effective. Time and time again news stories surface of people beating the security measures by doing something as simple as moving a metal object to their side instead of front pocket.
And then there is the 3 ounce rule. How does a zip lock plastic baggie provide any protection against some kind of chemical mischief in three containers under 3 ounces? Mix them together and you have 9 ounces, is that a critical mass for something? Nonsense. Why can I buy 12 ounce bottled drinks inside the airport? Are you telling me every one of those is removed from it's container and analyzed prior to sale?
I do believe we need rational screening at airports, the bad guys have already shown us that, but the expensive machines that don't work and silly rules that are absolutely arbitrary do nothing to enhance our safety and just make the TSA and the whole program look foolish and annoying.
As I travel tomorrow, I feel pretty sure I will have to remove my belt and boots and who knows whatever before boarding the plane. Does it make me feel safer? Nope. Because I know if someone with a nasty plan ends up getting all the way to the airport, they are more likely to be stopped by the passengers than TSA. Check the records, the last few major plots were foiled by passengers not official security and that is both comforting and disturbing.
Pleasant flights!
Friday, June 08, 2012
UN Monitors Note "Smell of Burnt Dead Bodies" in Syria
While we have been busy here in the US watching the burlesque show that is our political primary season, the citizens of Syria have been suffering under the heel of a tyrant. Bashar Hafez al-Assad, current president of Syria will most likely go down in history along side such illustrious company as Hosni Mubarak, Saddam Hussein and Adolph Hitler.
His response to the populist uprising in Syria has brought untold suffering to the citizens, and as the conflict between rebels and the government forces continues, hundreds are dying each day. In April, the United Nations estimated that more than 9,000 people have been killed, but activists say the number is closer to 13,000.
The latest outrage comes as UN monitors entered a farming village of Mazraat al-Qubair this week to find almost 80 people dead and body parts strewn on the ground. "You can smell the burnt smell of the dead bodies," said Sausan Ghosheh, spokeswoman of the U.N. observers.
This confirmation of the carnage being wrought by the Syrian government should move the world into action. al-Assadmust be forced to step down and stop the needless killing. Sign the petition to ask President Obama to send aid and try to intervene.
His response to the populist uprising in Syria has brought untold suffering to the citizens, and as the conflict between rebels and the government forces continues, hundreds are dying each day. In April, the United Nations estimated that more than 9,000 people have been killed, but activists say the number is closer to 13,000.
The latest outrage comes as UN monitors entered a farming village of Mazraat al-Qubair this week to find almost 80 people dead and body parts strewn on the ground. "You can smell the burnt smell of the dead bodies," said Sausan Ghosheh, spokeswoman of the U.N. observers.
This confirmation of the carnage being wrought by the Syrian government should move the world into action. al-Assadmust be forced to step down and stop the needless killing. Sign the petition to ask President Obama to send aid and try to intervene.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Cool Time-Lapse of Venus Transit
Very nifty NASA footage of the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun.
Monday, June 04, 2012
Chasing Voter Fraud a Fraud Itself
The whole "we're purging voter roles to prevent voter fraud" is in itself a fraud. Recently when conservative think tank "expert", Brian Darling was asked to cite specific examples of this activity, he couldn't. The truth is voter fraud is pretty rare and the "purge the roles" initiatives especially in Florida is a political dirty trick to disenfranchise potential Democrat voters.
The urban myth that there are hundreds of dead people still voting is BS. Conservative "gotcha" video producer James O'Keefe supposedly exposed voter fraud in North Carolina. He "exposes" non-citizens like Zbigniew Gorzkowski who have voted in recent elections. The problem: Gorzkowski is an American citizen.
This and other examples are canards being used by the GOP to fire up the base and demand stronger laws against voter fraud. The problem is, voter fraud is not widespread and is very rare. Odds are higher being struck by lightning!
The urban myth that there are hundreds of dead people still voting is BS. Conservative "gotcha" video producer James O'Keefe supposedly exposed voter fraud in North Carolina. He "exposes" non-citizens like Zbigniew Gorzkowski who have voted in recent elections. The problem: Gorzkowski is an American citizen.
This and other examples are canards being used by the GOP to fire up the base and demand stronger laws against voter fraud. The problem is, voter fraud is not widespread and is very rare. Odds are higher being struck by lightning!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Department of Justice Stops Florida From Purging Eligible Voters
The GOP, party of illegal and very dirty tricks has been foiled in their latest dirty plot. The Secretary of State of Florida was trying to purge eligible voters form the roles. This process is targeted at minority voters and people who would potentially be voting Democratic. Despicable and they have been caught in the act. The letter from the Department of Justice is here.
This could have thrown the election into question and tilt things to favor the GOP in normally Democratic districts. They have been foiled, for now.
This could have thrown the election into question and tilt things to favor the GOP in normally Democratic districts. They have been foiled, for now.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Is Disco Dying Out?
The light show was really hitting it’s stride and music was pounding out of the massive sound system. Dancers twirling fans had jumped atop the subwoofer boxes and were working up a sweat. My leather jacket was way too warm for dance apparel but it didn’t matter, the music and the motion of the crowd drove me to the dance floor.
Could have been last weekend, but it was 1979 and Donna Summer was singing “Bad Girls” over the speakers of the old Village Station disco. Yes, leathermen did dance back then.
Now, the voice that drove the mood of dance floors across the country is stilled. Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco died of lung cancer at age 63. That was a couple of weeks ago, then came news of Robin Gibb, one of the last two of the BeeGees had died as well. Another voice from the Disco era gone.
Some would be quick to declare Disco is now officially dead, yet with the exception of the songs, the beat of the music hasn’t changed much. The sound and lights are more sophisticated, but the dance floor is still crowded on most weekend nights and occasionally a voice from the past electrifies the crowd as Cher belts out another hit.
Disco is not dead, it just changes. The basic formula for disco is the same, great sound system, popular music, dazzling lights and the company of hundreds of sweaty dancing bodies. When that dies, the Mayans may be right.
Could have been last weekend, but it was 1979 and Donna Summer was singing “Bad Girls” over the speakers of the old Village Station disco. Yes, leathermen did dance back then.
Now, the voice that drove the mood of dance floors across the country is stilled. Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco died of lung cancer at age 63. That was a couple of weeks ago, then came news of Robin Gibb, one of the last two of the BeeGees had died as well. Another voice from the Disco era gone.
Some would be quick to declare Disco is now officially dead, yet with the exception of the songs, the beat of the music hasn’t changed much. The sound and lights are more sophisticated, but the dance floor is still crowded on most weekend nights and occasionally a voice from the past electrifies the crowd as Cher belts out another hit.
Disco is not dead, it just changes. The basic formula for disco is the same, great sound system, popular music, dazzling lights and the company of hundreds of sweaty dancing bodies. When that dies, the Mayans may be right.
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