Apr 23, 2013

CIPSA permanently enshrining warrant-less wiretaps: Best Government Corporations Can Buy

CISPA is legislation that recently was passed by over whelming margins in the House of Representatives will codify the fact that corporations can invade their employees and customers privacy under the guise that it might prevent some national security-- but that employees and customers can never sue the corporations for infringing their rights. So where is the Tea Party Congressmen with their tri-corner hats to stand up for all the rights spelled out in our Constitution? Should the nation expect another speaking filibuster over the trampling of individual rights by this piece of legislation just as he used it against the nomination of John Brennan for CIA Director?

But due to the $600+ million of lobbyist money used to promote this legislation against the paltry $4.3 million that opposed the legislation, probably will be seeing this get passed in the Senate and signed by Capitulator-In-Chief Obama. When your next employer asks for your personal email passwords and social network passwords, don't be surprised-- and unless you want remain unemployed-- then don't resist because your boss will have a right to demand such things. If the government (or those that hold influence over the government) can look into specific individual without just cause or going through judicial process and find out all of that individual's online activity without ever having the purpose preventing crime and terrorism, then on paper our nation becomes the police state that we have always said America could never be.

Though this legislation is multitudes worse to the civil liberties of denizens of the Internet than SOPA, it doesn't have big money interests like Google, Microsoft, etc. along with Internet giants like Wikipedia Huffington Post, and others that participated in the March 2012 Internet Blackout protest and therefore CISPA isn't getting its due attention.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/how-cispa-opponents-were-outspent-by-industry-lobbyists-38-to-1-20130422?mrefid=site_search

Apr 18, 2013

Texas is filled with States Rights advocates but really likes Federal financial aide

Governor and emphatic proponent of states rights, Rick Perry really needs those lazy do'nothings in DC to send his go-it-alone state a whole heap of money. Limited government conservative limit themselves only till it they need help.



http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/18/rick-perry-asks-obama-for-a-quick-turnaround-on-federal-aid-after-explosion/

Apr 15, 2013

Boston Marathon Bombings: This is terrorism no matter whomever committed.

After flipping channels watching the coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings, I am gobsmacked by the refusal to admit that at least two explosive devices is not being categorized as terrorism. Clearly it is not some sort of gas main explosions; clearly it is two distinctive explosive devices a block away from each other; clearly the explosions aren't some freak natural disasters. To tippytoe around the the fact that this was act an of terrorism, in what may be an attempt to keep the precious term 'terrorist' limited to Islamic extremists. Anchormen and anchorwomen stating such odd sentences such as: "If it turns out to be an attack"; "The explosion has not yet been determined to be a bomb";1 "The Boston Marathon official statement refers to the 'two bombings' but we can not confirm that."

No matter who carried out these bombings, they are terrorists, and these violent acts towards random bystanders is a disturbing act regardless of whatever the delusional rationale provided afterwards. It may be the perpetrators were Islamic extremists, but it is statistically far more likely that this is product of the far-right  domestic terrorism variety. The question will come when suspects or persons of interest come into the custody of the FBI and Homeland Security, will they be treated in the same manner that those in Guantanamo Bay Cuba? Are we as a nation, willing to water-board white conservatives who bomb indiscriminately as some tax day protest to prevent further bombings?

Terrorism is a tactic. A tactic that can be used by long bearded false Muslims just as easily as those that erroneously call themselves patriots. Terrorism occurred today in Boston, no matter the intentions of the criminals that did the heinous act, there is no need to refrain from calling it what is.

Apr 10, 2013

Mass Stabbing in Cypress, TX Community College: Zero Deaths

The often referred to maxim "that guns do not kill people, people kill people" misses the fact that people kill with guns and are less fatal without with any other implement of violence. Yesterday there was a mass stabbing in Cypress, TX where over a dozen community college students were slashed or stabbed; no deaths occurred due to the incident; no guns were involved in the incident.

Maybe the maxim should: guns don't kill people, people don't kill people, but people with guns kill people with certainty.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/10/at-least-14-reportedly-stabbed-on-lone-star-college-campus/

Apr 9, 2013

Funniest survey EVER!!


The following is a cut and paste from RNC's survey intended to get a better a handle on young voters and how they can outreach to them. The red font is the original survey, while my commentary is in blue.


How Do YOU View the Republican Party

Please do NOT take this survey if you are 30 years of age or older.

*
5. Where do you get your political information?
*
6. How do you most often communication with people?
*
7. Are you registered to vote?
*
8. Which issue(s) do you consider when you vote for a candidate for office?
*
9. Do you support gay marriage?
*
10. Do you think that a woman should be able to have an abortion?
11. Do you vote for a person based on which party they belong to?
*
12. What do you think about the Republican Party?

*
13. The Republican Party was founded on three core principles: Limited Government, Individual Responsibility and Low Taxes. Which of the following is true? None of these are the reason why the party was founded -- Anti-Slavery being omitted from founding of the story is a huge lapse.
*
14. Which of the following is true?
*
20. What would a Republican have to do or say in order for you to vote for her/him?

*
21. If you had to pick from only the following three options, which political affiliation best describes you?
*
22. If you meet a candidate or elected official and they are really nice, would you vote for them just because they were nice?
*
23. Do you feel like the Republican Party deserves your vote?
*
24. Have you ever had campaign literature dropped off at your front door? (mail box does NOT count)
*
25. Have television or radio ads ever helped you decide who to vote for?
*
26. Does the Republican Party seem fun? No, but if your taking this survey seriously Republican party seems funny if not fun.
*
27. Are Republican Party leaders and/or Republican politicians too old?
28. Do you think that anyone can consider themselves a Republican, regardless of whether they agree with the party on most things or not?
*
29. If the Republican Party had more candidates that were minorities, would you be more inclined to vote for a Republican?
*
30. Would you vote for a Republican candidate if they were:
*
31. Do you vote the same way as your parents?
*
32. If you are registered to vote, why did you decide to register?

*
33. What do you think about taxes? Twice as many answers available for taxes than for abortion, because there is only one real answer they wanted for question #10.
*
34. Do you know anyone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender?
*
35. Should the government or voters get to vote on whether gay and lesbian couples can get married?
*
36. Do you think that the Republican Party discriminates against people? If so, which people?
*
37. Do you belong to any political organizations?
*
38. What is your sexual orientation?
39. ONLY ANSWER IF you are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, which of the following are true (question is optional) What about the people that are in the closet? 

*
46. Do you support the legalization of marijuana? If the response of the under thirty yearolds that the survey intended for is a vast majority, will that cause the GOP to stop collecting money from for-profit prisons and get on board marijuana legalization?
*
47. Should the United State build a fence along the US/Mexico border to keep illegal people out of our country? This survey may have been written by someone who's first language isn't English, but individuals aren't legal or illegal actions that individuals take can be legal or illegal.